My Name Used to be Muhammad {Deseret Book Review}

Tito Momen was raised Muhammad Momen. Born in Nigeria, he was taught to observe the strict teachings of Islam. 

Beginning at age five, he woke at 4:45 every morning to attend the mosque and perform dawn prayer with the other men in his village. At age six, he began memorizing the Qur'an by copying the entire book word for word. He was preparing to become a cleric capable of leading a jihad, or holy struggle, to convert nonbelievers to Islam.But Tito's path took an unexpected turn when he was introduced to Christianity. His decision to believe in Jesus Christ cost him his family and his freedom. Sentenced to prison, Tito expected to spend his remaining days enduring a life sentence in an uncivilized Egyptian prison. For fifteen years, he suffered and waited and prayed. "I never gave up hope," Tito says. "I never stopped believing." 

Although he was falsely imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed, Tito's remarkable true story is one of faith and forgiveness, as well as a witness that God does hear and answer prayers.

Because he was his fathers favorite son, when Muhammad Momen was a little boy he was groomed to become an "imam" or a holy leader in his community.  This required much sacrifice and dedication, even memorizing the Qur'an by copying it diligently, verse by verse.  Muhammad wanted very much to please his father and as a teen was thrilled to be accepted into a prestigious Islamic private school.   He was disillusioned however when he arrived at the school to discover it wasn't so much an institute of higher learning as it was a place to indoctrinate and brainwash young male teens to follow the teachings of extreme Islam.  The teachers were very abusive going so far as to beat students who asked questions that were contrary to Islamic teachings.  Muhammad stands up for himself and his friends eventually finding himself expelled from 2 schools, hurting his fiancee Aaban by cheating on her, drinking alcohol, and smoking.  

As he falls further and further away from Islam he finds himself falling closer to Christ.  He attends church with a friend and discovers the healing love and acceptance of Christianity when he attends the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cairo.  Eventually seizing the opportunity to be baptized, Muhammad changes his name to Tito (the Italian version of Titus) and embraces the gospel tightly.  This dedication to Christ eventually leads to imprisonment where he was given a life sentence...

Never giving up hope and never giving up on his faith, Tito tells his story of life as a child of extreme Islam, his conversion to Christianity and paying the price for his dedication to God by serving 15 years in terrifying conditions.  A prisoner in a corrupt system of government.

All I can say about this book is wow.  It really brings to life what it is like to be a child of Islam.  How they live day to day.  And why they do what they do.  What is expected of them.  This book is eye-opening, educational, faith promoting, and heart wrenching all rolled into one.  Once I started this book, I could NOT put it down.  I needed to know what happened to Tito Momen.  This man is courageous.  I would love to meet him.  Wow.  I mean.  WOW.  

Some people did get to meet him at the Deseret Book flagship store in downtown Salt Lake City.  

Check this out:

An emotional reunion just happened as the man that baptized Tito Momen & his wife showed up for Tito's book signing tonight. Brother & Sister Whatcott last saw Tito in 1989 in Cairo just before Tito was incarcerated for 15 years & were surprised to pick up a copy of @ldsliving to discover what happened. Wow! #lds#missionarywork #hastenthework #mormon

I pulled this picture off of Deseret Books Facebook page.  Isn't it breath taking?  Look at his face.  I want to cry just seeing his expression!

You will want to read this book.  It is amazing.

Currently My Name Used to be Muhammad by Jeff Benedict and Tito Momen retails on DeseretBook.com as a hardcover for $19.79 or as a Bookshelf eBook for $14.99.

Disclaimer:  I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my very own.  Thank you so much Deseret Book!

The First Christmas Night {FlyBy Review and Giveaway!}

’Twas the very first Christmas when all through the town

not a creature was stirring—there was not a sound.

The moon shining bright in the heavens so high

gave the look of midday to the Bethlehem sky.

The animals were nestled in warm, cozy places

with looks of contentment on each of their faces.

The First Christmas Night is a beautiful retelling of the birth of Jesus on that joyous night in Bethlehem so long ago. The poem begins with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and winds though Christ’s birth, the angels’ appearance to the shepherds, and the visit by the Wise Men.  The simple, yet elegant, verses will appeal to little ones and are accompanied by the rich acrylic illustrations of Christine Kornacki.
Keith Christopher is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and educator, and he has served as editor and producer for several major music publishers. In addition to writing and studio producing, Keith is on the faculty at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with his wife and two children.

The First Christmas Night tells the story of the birth of Jesus from Mary and Joseph's arrival in the stable to the visit of the wise men.  This is probably the single, most beautifully illustrated Christmas book I have ever seen!  Absolutely gorgeous pictures!  

The writing is written in "The Night Before Chrismtas" style, rhythmic and simple but beautiful.    While this book is recommended for kids ages 4-8 I think it is very appropriate for kids of all ages.  It a 32 page hardback with a dust jacket.   The final page of the book shares the story of Christ birth from the Bible.

This book would be a welcome addition to anyone's library!  Perfect for helping your family get into the Christmas spirit!  

You can get more info about the book here:

Ideals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdealsBooks 

Buy! Ideals Website: http://www.idealsbooks.com/First-Christmas-Night-Keith-Christopher/dp/0824956532

I'm totally excited that I get an opportunity to giveaway a copy of this book to one of my readers!  This is a book that is not to be missed!  Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful Christmas!

Disclaimer: “Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention iton my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordancewith the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Photo Booth Fun!

I know I am going to sound old, but I have never played with the Photo Booth app on my iMac.  In fact, when I first bought my computer (like 5 or 6 years ago) I removed the app from my desktop and never looked at it again.  Fast forward to this year, my computer crashed and I had to buy a new one and we discovered, for the first time Photo Booth.  The results were hilarious.  I mean, we laughed and laughed until we cried…  How they warp your face like that is beyond me, but we had so much fun one evening.  So, I just had to put some of these Photo Booth pictures on here because they are hilarious.  Really!

Maggie came to see what had me and Kayley laughing so hard...

Daddy came in to investigate...

Darn, Photo Booth can't handle 4 faces.  Maggie is the normal one, rightly so.  She is probably the most normal one out of all of us weirdos anyway.  LOL.

Yeeeeaaahhhh…  So, thanks for stopping by!  LOL!!

Christmas Comes to America {Homeschool Legacy Review}

Some of my readers may remember that a while back I had an opportunity to review a fun product from Homeschool Legacy called The Forest For the Trees by Sharon Gibson.  It was a really fun once-a-week unit study that allowed for both girls to do the same subject at the same time even though they were quite far apart in age!  Not only that but it combined a subject that you don't normally find offered for multi-ages: Science.

I was totally thrilled when I was given an opportunity to try out another product from Homeschool Legacy, the once-a-week unit study called Christmas Comes to America!

Now that Christmas is right around the corner (my favorite day of the year), studying about this holiday is coming at a perfect time!  I'm excited to tell you about what we've been doing over the last few weeks, how we have been using this unit study, and I have some pictures of our awesome craft projects!

Homeschool Legacy is a Christian Curriculum and so each lesson is biblically centered.   In fact, each lesson includes a devotional which recognizes God’s hand in Christmas and the true reason for the season.   Memory verses are included!  Each unit study encourages family time offering recommendations for family game nights, movie nights and field trips. 

Another great feature of Homeschool Legacy’s Once-A-Week Unit Studies is that they are Boy Scout and American Heritage Girls friendly.   Help your child earn their next merit  badge by completing the requirements in the unit study…  Wow!  It is completely laid out for you, no research or extra effort necessary.  Upon completing the requirements in the Christmas Comes to America unit your child will earn the Music badge.

Homeschool Legacy unit studies are recommended for grades 2 - 12.   This is a feature I adore!  I am a fan of combining learning whenever possible.  Don't be fooled by the age range though, my 4 year old was up to her elbows in everything we did!  She enjoyed the picture books and crafts…

In this unit study your children will learn how the Germans, Dutch, and English contributed to the Christmas that we know and love in America today.  Discover the origins behind many recognizable Christmas symbols.  Sing Christmas carols.  Build a ginger bread house!  Soooo much more!

(A Field Trip to Silver Dollar City gave us an opportunity to see a Christmas parade!)

Here is how Once-a-Week Unit Studies work:

A Once-A-Week unit study is incredibly simple to add to your regular schedule but comprehensive enough to be used as a stand-alone history curriculum if you choose.  Each unit study is designed to be about 4-7 weeks in length with a LOT of flexibility built in.  (Christmas Comes to America is designed as 4 weeks but we are slow and take more than 1 week to complete a week, KWIM?  Thank goodness for flexibility in homeschooling!)

So, typically it would look something like this:  4 Days each week follow your regular studies.  Each day add in your Once-a-Week Unit Study readings and family read aloud.  On one of these days plan your field trip and family movie or game night.

Then, 1 Day each week – eliminate your regular studies and complete the Once-a-Week Unit Study.

For our family, eliminating our regular studies once each week won’t always work since we often "do school" only 4 days a week anyway, but we did the minimum in the morning and then were able to spend the rest of the day focusing on our unit studies.  I also stretched some activities out over several days depending on what it was…

Pick and choose what you would like to do based on the ages of your children and their individual interests.  Work faster.  Work slower.  You are in charge.  It really is that easy.

Each unit study offers a full book list (complete with call numbers) to request from your library and a supply list.  I had to wait for several books to be sent from another branch so you’d want to make sure you request your books a few days before you are ready to begin your unit study.  

Daily Activities give you a recommended book to read plus a family read-aloud to enjoy together.  You will do these 2 activities each day.

On unit study day you are given the following activities:

1.  Family Devotional (Scripture readings based on the birth of Jesus)

2.  History (Christmas symbols & gathering info trivia game!)
3.  Geography (locating various places on the globe)

4.  Language Arts and Research ideas (writing letters to Santa, researching the origin of Saint Nicholas, etc)

5.  Traditions and Culture  (How people celebrate in other countries)

6.  Life Skills/Gift Giving  (We made THE BEST EVER hot cocoa and created gifts to give to my girls' Sunday School teachers)

7.  Music

8.  Field Trip Ideas (attend 2 professional performances - but it is too early in the season so we have watched the Nutcracker on YouTube…close enough!)

9.  Family Movie Night (Like I needed an excuse to watch a Christmas movie.  LOL.)

What we thought about the Once-A-Week Unit study…

1.  No PREP WORK!  Hallelujiah!  However - the things we needed to make the hot cocoa were a little overwhelming.  It was a LOT of stuff, but in the end it made, no joke - the BEST hot cocoa I have ever had! 

2.  Easy, easy to add in to our regular school day.  Especially since we did the majority of our reading at night.

3.  This was very easily adaptable to my 4 year old.  I would be eager to say that I believe there are many activities that can be done by preschoolers so don’t let having preschoolers stop you from buying this curriculum.

4.  Love, love, love the fact that it is Bible-centered!  But, a warning:  The recommended book on Christmas symbols (Holly, Reindeer and Colored Lights) is definitely NOT a Christian based book.  For example, it discusses the Christmas Star as unlikely since astronomers have proved that "no new stars appeared around the probable time" of Jesus' birth. It also uses terms like "Christians believe…"  Not that this is a bad thing, just that it is not written from a Christian perspective.  If you want that perspective I'd recommend Lisa Welchel's book "The Advent-ure of Christmas."  Same idea but unabashedly Christian.

5.  I was able to find the books from our local library!  (hello free!)

(Making hot cocoa, we discovered that my biggest container wasn't nearly big enough)

We have loved both of our Once-A-Week Unit Studies.  They are totally low-key and un-stressful!  Just what I need as we gear up for the holiday season!  We haven't finished Christmas yet but we will be wrapping it up over the next week or so and then we will be all ready to slip into December!  I think you might enjoy this unit study too!  

How to Order:
Christmas Comes to America retails as for $17.95.  Right now Homeschool Legacy is offering free shipping on orders over $50.00!  If you'd like more information, you can contact Sharon HERE.


Disclaimer:  Thank you Sharon at Homeschool Legacy for providing me with a free copy of Christmas Comes to America in exchange for an honest review!  :)

Buh-Bye Rowan Forest Homeschool!

After much effort (as in, I filed 75+ copyright infringement violations) using Blogger's complaint system I am happy to report that Rowan Forest Homeschool has been taken down.  

Thank you Google!  Thank you Blogger!