Wizzy Gizmo {Mosaic Reviews}

We always love a good audio book!  Audio books for kids can be hard to find!  We also really, really, love a good radio drama!  We were excited to have an opportunity to review a product from Wizzy Gizmo.  We had a chance to listen to a great audio called Who Created Everything? by Chris Del Aguila & Justin Cummins.  Wizzy Gizmo is a series of Bible books, audio dramas, flashcards and more!  Their main purpose is to "Equip children for life by exploring God's Word."  They offer several products with a lot more coming soon!

Now, you might be wondering...  just who is this Wizzy Gizmo fella?  Wizzy Gizmo is a scientist.  A genius.  An inventor who makes amazing and fun "gizmos."  He is a little bit odd (a real eccentric) and he is a little bit clumsy but he is a "wiz" at what he does!  Inventing stuff!  Wiz enjoys exploring the Bible and his invention "Gizmovision" will bring the Bible to life!

When a little boy named Eli moves to town he becomes instant friends Thomas, Summer and Olive, other neighborhood children.  They are on their way to see their friend Wizzy and take Eli along to meet their friend and check out some of his new inventions!  After examining his latest amazing invention, Gizmovision, the friends are suddenly swept away on a Biblical adventure through the story of Creation as found in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1.

This audio is a full radio drama with lots of sound effects, characterization, and fun!  It is of good quality and very easy to get pulled into the story.  My kids LOVED Pepe the dog (who can talk through an invention) and Quacky the robot-duck who is just plain silly.  My kids are ages 8 and 4 and both of them found the audio to be interesting and engaging.   Any WizzyGizmo product would be a nice addition to any Christian homeschool curriculum or as a family devotional.

Wizzy Gizmo - Who Created Everything is available on WizzyGizmo.com as a CD + digital download for $14.99 or as a digital download only for $9.99.


Wizzy Gizmo also offers several other products too!  They have a book series that follows the Audio CDs.  These are great.  They include vocabulary and review questions that are a nice complement to the book or audio.   They have a Fast Track Bible Pack which are flashcards that offer Bible book summaries, key passages, people, and doctrine.

WizzyGizmo.com offers free shipping on ordes of $25 or more.



Thank you so much to Mosaic Reviews team and Wizzy Gizmo for the opportunity to review this great quality product!  I was given this product free of charge in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here are my own.

Speaking of Maggie...

Maggie has this funny thing about her.  She can't make the "sssssss" sound.  It is interesting, when she tries to make that sound, it goes up through her nasal cavity, and comes out her nose...a little like she's blowing or laughing.  We didn't worry much about it, but now as she has gotten older, we realized it was too much work and she began dropping the s completely.  We decided to work with her a little more.  I would correct her now and again and she'd always get frustrated with me, so I'd leave her alone.  Eventually we decided that we should probably get professional help, so Maggie started working with Occupational Therapy at Mercy doing Speech.  They have been great and Maggie has had a good time with Miss Elizabeth.  They have fun activities to help the kids.  A S-s-s-swing and a S-s-s-slide!  She also usually gets a S-s-s-snack.  

Speech is in the main Mercy hospital.  My kids find the spinning door at the front entrance very fascinating.  Plus we get to ride an elevator.  We usually pass up some poor soul being wheeled around in a bed which creeps yet fascinates the kids.  

The waiting room is pretty boring and Kayley has to come along but she brings her LeapPad Ultra and we have fun playing Pet Chat and other games.  

Well, Maggie doesn't get as annoyed with Miss Elizabeth as she does with me and she is making better progress.  I hope that we don't have to go to speech for very long but it'll be 2x's a week for a while...  That is quite a few trips into town but hopefully it'll work!

Draw-a-saurus {Book Review}

My daughter loves to draw!  She has had great success with many books that offer step-by-step instructions and this book is no exception.  Draw-a-saurus by James Silvani is "everything you need to know to draw your favorite dinosaurs!"  The introduction gives the reader lots of background info about dinosaurs in a fun and animated way, then chapter one jumps right into drawing.  Starting with materials, basic dino anatomy, and how to make simple lines, angles, ovals, and dots and moving into how to  put those together to create a handsome creature!  

You will learn how to draw theropods, sauropods, armored dinos, ornithopods, and other prehistoric creatures.  He teaches you how to fine tune your dino by using various methods such as adding texture and shading.  Then in the final chapters he shares how you can turn your real-looking dino into a cartoon dino or a baby dino and add realistic backgrounds!

Overall Draw-a-saurus has been a really fun book!  

Easy enough for my 8 year old to use independently, challenging enough for an adult!  

It currently retails on Amazon for $14.24 as a paperback.

Disclaimer:  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Crucible of Doubt {Deseret Book Review}

Faith is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So what happens when a person has doubts?

Questioning is not the problem, according to authors Terryl and Fiona Givens. “After all,” they write, “the Restoration unfolded because a young man asked questions.” The difficulty arises when questions are based on flawed assumptions or incorrect perceptions, which can “point us in the wrong direction, misdirect our attention, or constrain the answers we are capable of hearing.” 

This insightful book offers a careful, intelligent look at doubt—at some of its common sources, the challenges it presents, and the opportunities it may open up in a person’s quest for faith. Whether you struggle with your own doubts or mostly want to understand loved ones who question, you will appreciate this candid discussion. You’ll come away feeling more certain than ever of the Lord’s love for all of His children.

In The Crucible of Doubt authors Terryl and Fiona Givens address the idea that having questions, or having gospel principles that you are "stuck" on (and maybe don't agree with), isn't the issue.  Having questions is ok!  I love the idea that questions and questioning is a good thing.  If it weren't for the prophet Joseph Smith asking questions that day in the sacred grove we would never be where we are today.  The authors address the fact that it is not a matter of questions.  It is a matter of making a decision about the gospel based on misperceptions and bad information.  You don't want that!  Ask questions!  Get answers!  It's important to do this so that you will have made a decision based on sound information.

Now.  I'm sorry but reviewing this book was a tough one for me!  I really wanted to love it.  Maybe it is my noisy children that are playing in the background when I try to read?  Maybe I just have to much busy-ness in my mind right now?  Maybe it is my lack of literary knowledge, but I had a hard time getting what I really needed out of this book.  The authors are very good with words but some of the sentences left me scratching my head and reading and rereading.  Some sentences are so long and have way too many big words.  Take this sample sentence for example:

In the midst of his perplexity, of his obstinate questions, uncertainties, misgivings, and shadowy recollections that almost, but don't quite, pierce the veil, that he finds the promise, the agitations, the catalyst that spurs him from complacency to insight, from generic pleasures to revelatory illumination, from being a thing acted upon to being an actor in the shaping of his own spiritual identity.

Huh?  Now, it's not that I can't actually figure out what the authors are saying, because I totally can.  Really!  What I am saying is that...I can't read a book like this without concentrating really, really hard.  I'm so sorry to admit that I didn't even finish it.  I kept glazing over, losing my place, and putting it down.  Perhaps, one day, when I am not so distracted by little ones, I will pull this out and try again.  I know it has a great message and I wish that I could've enjoyed it just a little bit more without feeling like it was way over my head.  :(

The Crucible of Doubt is available through Deseret Book as a Bookshelf eBook, audio and hardback.

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

John Bytheway - How Do I Know if I Know? {Deseret Book Review}

It's spiritual gut-check time! The mission age has been lowered, and now more than ever, young people are asking themselves important questions:

• How do I know if I really have a testimony?

• Am I ready to serve a mission?

• What does the Spirit feel like?

John Bytheway suggests that we "F.E.E.L." the truthfulness of the gospel through our feelings, our experiences, the many evidences we encounter, and our logical conclusions about how a loving God interacts with His children on the earth. Like gradually turning up a dimmer switch, understanding all the ways we F.E.E.L. our testimony will help it grow brighter. 

As you read, you may discover that your testimony is stronger than you thought, and you'll also become more excited and motivated to let your light shine!

 

It's been no secret that I love John Bytheway.  When it comes to church books and audios I think I have read/listened to more of his materials than any other author.  He is definitely one of my favorites.  He has a humorous style but is serious about teaching gospel principles.  When an opportunity presented to review his newest book How Do I know if I Know, I pounced on it!  Amazingly this book comes on the heels of my study of Faith in my Young Women's' Personal Progress and has given me a lot more food for thought!  

In this book John Bytheway tells us to not think of our testimonies as a basic light switch.  It's not just "on" or "off" but rather imagine your testimony as a dimmer switch with different levels of belief and unbelief....

Our goal, he says, is to take where we are at right now on the dimmer switch and work on our testimony and slowly our light will brighten.  Sometimes we will be surprised at how much we DO know, when we were thinking all along that we didn't!  We can better understand where we are on the switch by examining our FEELings.  Feel if it is right, Experience, examine Evidences, and use Logic.   He examines each portion of FEEL in detail using quotes from scriptures and church leaders and through real life examples, Bytheway brings a reality to the question "how do I know?" and takes the reader on a path to answers that will bring the reader peace and security.

  

If you want more light on the subject there are QR codes at the end of each chapter that links you to videos to deepen your understanding of the topic and an extensive notes section that encourages you to take your research even further.

John Bytheway does it right every single time.  I have loved every Bytheway book I've read and you will enjoy this too.  This is a great book to give a young adult who is preparing for a mission, a new convert, or even a seasoned church member who would like to deepen their testimony.  It is a small size that would fit neatly into someone's Christmas stocking!

Learn more about the book by reading an excerpt or listening to a sample of the audio, at DeseretBook.com.  

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