Schoola - Online Thrifting for the Lazy Thrifter

So it's no secret that I love thrifting.  Like, I prefer it over shopping at a regular retail store.  I can't even go to Kohls and buy something on clearance because paying $12 for a shirt is OUTRAGEOUS when I can go to the thrift store and get three shirts for that price!  I even spent part of my vacation going around to local thrift stores.  I. Love. Thrifting.  But I don't always have the time (or energy) to go hunting for good bargains.  Then the other week I stumbled (thanks to a friend's referral) on a new (to me) website called Schoola.  And it seemed too good to be true.  But then yesterday, I got this in the mail....

Allow me to elaborate.  Schoola is a website kind of like ThredUP (which I've perused, but never ordered from).  They partner with schools, hence the name.  The schools host huge clothing drives, donating the clothes to Schoola.  Schoola sells the (gently) used toddler, kids', teens', and women's clothes and accessories for reasonable thrift store prices and 40% of sales go back to the school that donated the item.  Each item that I got came from (and therefore benefited) a different school.  I'm all for schools, so this already sounded pretty good to me.  But then came the best news.

When I shopped through my friend's referral link, I got $15 in store credit to spend.  Sweet, free money!  THEN, I discovered that if I created an account (which you have to do to buy anything anyway) and set up a "collection", I got $10 more in store credit.  The Collections are basically just another way of sorting the items to narrow down what you're looking for.  You click on "collections" at the top of the home page and then click the "+ New Collection" button at the bottom of the drop-down menu.  

Then you answer some basic questions, narrowing your selection by size, color, and/or type (shirts, pants, dresses, etc.) and the website will sort through all the items to show you only what you really want to see.  Kind of an interesting way to shop and it didn't take much time in order to earn that extra $10.

When you're shopping through, you can click on the different items and it will tell you brand (if available) and size as well as the material composition and general condition.  I WISH it would tell you what things are and are not machine washable.  I don't need specific washing instructions, but I make it a general rule to never buy anything that is dry clean only because I just KNOW I'll never bother to get it dry cleaned.  But if you keep an eye on that material composition line and know that things like silk are almost always dry clean only, you can get a pretty good idea of what you're willing to get.

Anyway, when I was shopping, there was also a special 50% off everything discount code going.  And I had gotten $25 in credit.  So I got to grab myself $50 worth of clothes and here was my bill...

That's right.  Twenty cents.  Standard shipping is always free, too.  It did take about 2 weeks to arrive, so if you want it faster then you'll have to pay for an upgrade, but I'm always happy with free.  So what all did that twenty cents get me, you ask?  Check it out...

Yes, that's right, I got myself SEVEN shirts for twenty cents.  That's better than any other thrift store I've ever been to and I didn't even have to get dressed and leave the house!  Now, I will caution you, like many thrift stores, Schoola does not accept returns.  I also make it a rule to never order clothes from an online source that doesn't have a physical location to return to, but I decided to risk it on these since they were very-nearly free.  I figured that if something didn't fit, I would re-donate it to my local thrift store (which benefits my community) and just cut my losses.  But IT ALL FITS.  Now, granted, I picked pretty safe and forgiving pieces, but still.  I'm pretty stoked about it.

So, I really, highly recommend that you check it out.  Like I said, there are clothes for everyone from toddler up through mom.  Sorry, no men's clothes though.  It's hard thrifting for men anywhere because they wear their clothes until they wear out, so they're no good for anything but rags.  There are clothes for boys from toddler through "school age" though.  Just like any thrift store, you've got to search for the gems and realize that designer clothes are going to come with a much higher price tag.  There was a toddler skirt that I LOVED for Ellie, but they wanted $40 for it!  Then I read a little closer and it turns out it was a $120 skirt originally and made of silk, so probably dry clean only.  After a little research I found out that the company is based in California, although they are starting to partner with schools all over the country, so the styles of clothes are quite varied.  No worries though!  There are plenty of reasonable things for a simple gal like me - I got brands like Old Navy and One World as well as brands that you find at Kohls and Penny's.  

And, the VERY best part... it didn't smell AT ALL!  If you're an experienced thrifter, you know what I'm talking about.  There's a distinctive "thrift store" smell that clothes acquire.  I don't know how they get it, but they all do.  And sometimes it can take several washes to get it all out.  None of these shirts, despite being donated all from different schools, had any kind of a smell to them.  I still washed them anyway, of course, but I was really impressed with their condition!

Ok, so, you can get $25 of free clothes, with free shipping, and it benefits schools.  What are you waiting for??  Click through this link and set up an account to get your $15 credit and then create your own shopping collection for an extra $10.  It's that easy.  And if you can't manage to spend the whole $25 or don't want to risk going over and having to pay twenty cents like I did, you can spend under and get it completely free.  (not like retail stores where you have to spend at LEAST $10 to get the $10 off - $9.99 doesn't count!)  And when you place your first order, I'll get a little credit back to my account, too.  So I'm not doing this for totally selfless reasons, but it's still a really good deal that I wanted to share with you all.  Because we ALL deserve some free stuff sometimes!  Happy shopping!!

PS- Schoola didn't ask me to write this review, although I do get store credit when you shop through the referral link.

REVIEW: One Thousand Gifts Devotional by Ann Voskamp

Z Blog Squad has reformatted and now they occasionally offer thematic materials where adult and children books along the same theme can be reviewed at the same time!  Super exciting that I have a chance to review an adult book or two in the mix with all the amazing kids' products that they offer!

The first such book is the One Thousand Gifts Devotional by Ann Voskamp.

(Side Note: We were supposed to receive a Berenstein Bears thankfulness book to go along with this one, but for one reason or another, we never did.  That's totally ok though because in the meantime, thanks to our church library, we discovered that Ellie is freaked out by those characters.  So she wouldn't have liked it and it wouldn't have been a fair review anyway.)

Evidently, Ms. Voskamp is a pretty popular Christian author.  I'd heard the name, but have never read any of her work before.  See, while I would *like* to be one of those moms who wakes up at the crack of dawn and gets in a good workout before sitting down with her tea and devotional time, I'm just not.  My time is quite limited (don't we all feel that way?!) and when I get a chance to read, I want it to be some good Christian fantasy or sci-fi or allegory.  Lewis or Tolkein or Dekker.  Something with a different world in which I can immerse myself and forget about the laundry that needs done or peeling stickers off the kitchen floor.  But I realized this year that I need some more devotional goodness in my life, so I've been working on reading through this book.  I received it around thanksgiving and have just now read enough to feel like I can give it a genuine review.

I really, really like it.  First of all, it's so pretty!  I know what they say, but a good cover seriously does help me pick up a book and give it a go.  And I like that, since this is devotional style, it has a nice little ribbon bookmark, so I don't have to ugly it up with the post-it notes I usually use.  So bonus points for aesthetics.

Now, content.  Ann's (I don't think she'd mind if I called her by her first name) writing style is rather unique and took a few chapters to get used to.  At first I wasn't sure how to describe it, but then I heard someone else call it poetic and I think that's absolutely true.  Her metaphors and similes are large and in great detail.  Sometimes, I think that can distract people from the point that she's trying to make.  But I kind of like it.  Like I said, it takes some getting used to, so if you pick up this book, don't allow yourself to give up on it until you're at least half-way through.  At that point, if you really aren't getting anything out of it, then this writing style just might not be for you and I'd suggest you investigate a different author.  Poetic language like this really isn't suitable for everyone, but it seems to work beautifully for me.

And the points she makes ring quite true.  She's a self-proclaimed mother of 'half a dozen kids,' so many of her observations are derived from interactions with her children.  As a mom, that really drives points home for me.  But I think that even non-moms - heck, even MEN - could relate a lot to what she is saying.  The devotional is based off of her book One Thousand Gifts.  I *think* I heard her do an interview on the radio last spring where she talked about that book, but try as I might I cannot find it anywhere.  I can't even remember which radio station it was.  Anyway... the backstory of both books is that a friend dared her to count 1,000 gifts from God.  The books chronicle her journey of basically re-programming her mind and heart to see the gifts and graces in every day life and live with more gratitude.  This is something I honestly think we could all work on.  

This devotional book contains 60 devotions, each one ending with a brief prayer starter and room for notes.  Then at the back of the book are pages full of lines.  One thousand lines to be exact.  A space to list your own one-thousand gifts.  The devotional in itself is Ann's personal journey, shared with you as an encouragement to undergo the same challenge and see how it might change you.  

I haven't finished the book yet.  Like I said, time is limited, and these things cannot be digested as easily as a fantasy world.  This is real life - and sometimes you need to close the book and sit with what you've read for a while  before continuing.  So I don't know how it ends.  Well, I do.  I can tell you already.  Without evening finishing it, I can tell you it ends well.  It ends with beauty and grace and a new way of living and loving the gifts in our everyday lives.

So if you've got a little Christmas money left and don't know what to spend it on, might I recommend picking up this devotional book?  I really do think it'll be worth it.  Already, I have noticed little changes in my mind and heart that lead me to believe this is changing me for the better.  For example, last weekend we threw two parties in two days at our home.  And if that weren't stressful enough, Andy called me down on Friday and let me know that the washer had quit draining water.  My very first thought?  "Thank God - we JUST got all the laundry done!"  I immediately thought of something positive rather than negative.  That's progress, my friend.  And, as I said, I think it's progress we can all stand to make.  

I'm going to be taking the One Thousand Gifts challenge in 2015 - check back soon for more information on why I decided, what I hope to gain, and how I'll be doing it!

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes, but the opinions I've presented are 100% my own.

REVIEW: Goodnight Ark by Laura Sassi, illustrated by Jane Chapman

Next up on my Z Blog Squad Recommended Reading list is Goodnight Ark, by Laura Sassi, illustrated by Jane Chapman.

Ok, the only way I can describe this book is ADORABLE!  It's geared toward younger children, but with paper pages, I wouldn't leave your toddler alone with it.  Unless you've got a super well-behaved toddler.  In which case, please call me so your kid can give lessons to my kid.

But I digress.

Everything about this book just screams adorable-ness.  The story is a classic - Noah's Ark.  But author Laura Sassi puts a super-cute bedtime spin on it.  The storm scares the animals and they can't sleep.  So what do they do?  Crawl in bed with Noah, of course!  Two by two they all pile in until .... well you'll just have to read it and see what happens.  

And no, I have no idea where MRS. Noah is during this whole story.  But I don't think that detracts from it at all.  Maybe Noah snores, so she had her own bed.  Maybe she was seasick.  MAYBE she was up late blogging.  Who knows.

The illustrations in this book are cute as well.  Jane Chapman makes all the animals look realistic, yet cuddly at the same time.  Check it out...

Don't you just want to snuggle those tigers?!  The snakes even look friendly!  But they're not overly cartoon-y.  It's a pretty nice balance, I think.

We love this book.  It's rapidly becoming a bedtime favorite.  Every time an animal comes in to crawl in bed with Noah, we like to give Ellie a chance to try and name the animal.  She's good with Elephant (Ef-fent) and Tiger, but we're still working on those Quail.  I really like that she can learn about a Bible story (from a different perspective, which I always enjoy) and also have an opportunity to practice things like animal names and sounds.  Multi-tasking, I think they call that.

Ok, final verdict: I love this book and I really recommend it - especially if you have a little one who likes to read stories before bed.  We did remove the dust jacket from this hardback copy, just to make it easier to handle, but we do that with all dust jackets, so it's not a negative to me.

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are 100% mine.

REVIEW: Love Letters from God by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sophie Allsopp

Ok, so this is a few days late on my goal of one review per week leading up to Christmas, but I think you'll find it was worth the wait.  The next title I had the privilege to review is Love Letters from God, which was written by Glenys Nellist and illustrated by Sophie Allsopp.

This book is phenomenal.  I can't say enough good things about it.  It's definitely not intended for a very young audience.  It says right on the front that it's a "lift-the-flap" book, which my Ellie loves.  But these aren't the kinds of flaps where animals peek out from behind bushes.  This is definitely geared toward an audience of at least age 6 and up.  This book contains 18 Bibles stories (9 old testament and 9 new) told in a brand new way.  The stories are written in a story-book style, reading almost like a fairy tale.  So not terribly different than a story Bible.  And somewhere on each page spread is a little section labelled "God's Wonderful Words to You" that shows the actual scripture that corresponds with the story.  That's nice to help connect the story to the actual Bible for older kids.

But then there are the flaps.  Oh, the flaps.

You open each one and inside is a letter, written from the perspective of God, telling about how He relates this story to YOU.  Never as a child do I remember learning that the Bible was for ME.  It was a book full of stories (and extra boring stuff) that would teach me how to be a good Christian, but never once did I think about putting MYSELF into the story.  These "love letter" flaps do just that.  Each one has a line that can be personalized with the child's name and sheds a whole new perspective on each story.  That's one of the reasons that I put the age so high - because while kids as young as 4 might like this book, I think older kids are the ones who will actually get the most out of it.  I also love the titles of the individual stories - calling the Crucifixion "The Saddest Story" and the Resurrection "The Happy Ending" is just so poetic to me.

*Spoiler Alert* 

The very last page of the book is super special.  There's an invitation - and yes, it's that kind of an invitation.

But it feels so right for it to be there.  It makes so much sense in the context of the letters in the book.  And then there is a space for the child to write their own love letter to God.  It's just such a great way to bring the book to an end.  Because the Resurrection really isn't the ending, although it is quite happy.  There's more to do and really finishes up bringing the child INTO the story and makes it their own.

OH and I almost forgot to mention the amazing illustrations!  They are gorgeous!  Honestly, there are so many layers and textures and tiny interesting details - I could look at them all day.  

Ok, enough gushing.  Final verdict: I LOVE THIS BOOK.  I've been telling people at church that we seriously need to give one to every child that walks in our front doors.  Because it will change the way they think about the Bible.  And it just might do the same for their parents that read it with them.  That's how good it is.  You really can't even appreciate it unless you see it in person.  Seriously - get it for your elementary-aged child or grandchild for Christmas.  You will not regret it.

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are 100% mine.

REVIEW: Pirates on the Farm by Denette Fretz, illustrated by Gene Baretta

I have a PILE of amazing books from Zondervan that I am so excited to review because they're all awesome!  I'm going to try to do one a week in preparation for Christmas!  First up is Pirates on the Farm, by Denette Fretz and illustrated by Gene Baretta.

Let me start off by saying that this book is FANTASTIC.  Before I tell you why, let me make it clear that this book is WAY out of Ellie's age range.  There's a fair amount of text on each paper page.  Hopefully she will soon be able to be trusted with paper page books, but still not quite yet.  And she's still too little to 'get' the moral of the story.  I'd say ages 4 and up will appreciate this story.  I won't put a top age on that because even I liked it and I'm 27 and a half.

Now, what makes it so great?  Oh, just everything.  I love the premise of the book - a group of pirates decides to retire and move to the country, next door to a down-to-earth farm family.  The kids struggle with how to 'love their neighbor' when their neighbors are so odd.  The story is silly, without resorting to childish or inappropriate humor.  The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful, but perfectly reflect the story's silliness without looking like a child or amateur drew them.  And the author does a fantastic job of driving the biblical point home without beating you over the head with scripture.

Check out the illustrations and my two other favorite 'features' of this book...

The bottom left image is found at the beginning of the book.  A cast of characters.  Like the maps at the beginning of Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia, I love this addition because it really helps you connect with the story a lot faster.  The author doesn't have to take extra time explaining who is who in the pictures when there's a map right in the beginning!  It's also helpful for parents to be able to answer the inevitable toddler questions.

The bottom right image is found at the end of the book.  It's a letter from the author to the parents.  She tells about her inspiration for writing the book AND empathy for the parents on how to teach these tough subjects to your kids.  If nothing else, it just makes you feel good and it was incredibly thoughtful of the author to include.  This book was clearly written with both the children AND the parents in mind and that's part of what makes it so refreshing.  I think the right pastor (*cough*dad*cough*) could preach a sermon using this book and pull it off quite well.  Yes, it's that good.

Ok, final verdict: I love this book.  I can't wait to share it with Ellie when she's old enough to care.  Right now, she likes looking at the pictures, but I don't trust her with the pages, so we put it on the special shelf.  But I can't recommend this book more highly.  It's adorable and silly and teaches such a fantastic message that you cannot overemphasize - love your neighbor!

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.  All opinions are 100% mine.

REVIEW: Noah and the Mighty Ark by Rhonda Gowler Greene, Illustrated by Margaret Spengler

Another book that I have the pleasure of reviewing for Zonderkidz is Noah and the Mighty Ark by Rhonda Gowler Greene, illustrated by Margaret Spengler.

This book is a sweet, rhyming retelling of the ever-popular Noah's Ark story.  It doesn't vary much from the actual Biblical account, aside from leaving out the less entertaining bits like the dimensions of the ark itself.  Each phrase is written in a rhyme, making it a little more fun to read and more fun for kids to hear.  I'd say it's appropriate for kids of all ages, but with the paper pages, it's best to keep out of the hands of kids who are still rough with books, like my 19 month old.

The illustrations are ... odd.  Let me explain.  They are huge, full-page illustrations that are vibrant and cartoon-ish.  They seem like they should be fantastic.  However, they're fuzzy.  Blurry.  Ever-so-slightly out of focus.  It seems to be on purpose and not a printing error, as the text printed on each page is crisp and clear.  Looking at this illustrations for too long actually almost gives me a headache, as I feel like my contact prescription needs to be adjusted!  Here's an example of the full page illustrations and then a closeup of the clear text with the out-of-focus illustration...

I don't understand why they would do this to such vibrant, entertaining pictures.  Maybe they think that kids enjoy a softened look?  Maybe they think it looks more like stuffed animals?  I have no clue.  But I really can't read this one too often because of it.  Ellie doesn't seem to mind, though.  I have neutral feelings about this book, overall.  It's really cute and I like the rhyming aspect of the story and the big, bright colors of the pictures.  However, the out-of-focus aspect bothers me.  I can neither recommend or (what's the opposite of recommend???) not recommend this book.

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

REVIEW: Whatever You Grow Up to Be by Karen Kingsbury, illustrated by Valeria Docampo

Another book that I have the pleasure of reviewing for Zondervan is Whatever You Grow Up to Be by Karen Kingsbury, illustrated by Valeria Docampo.

This story is told from the perspective of a Mother talking or writing a letter to her baby boy.  She talks about the wonderful times they'll have together as he grows up, and how she will love him, whatever he grows up to be.  It's really a very sweet, beautifully illustrated story that would be appropriate for kids age 5 and up.  Actually, I think it would BEST as a gift to a new mother to have as a keepsake to pass along to her son.

This is one of those stories that says all of the things that new mothers have been too tired to find the words to express.  But it's not too sappy that you break down crying every time you read it.  I read this one to Ellie, but had to be careful that she didn't get a hold of the pages.  They're glossy and a nice heavy weight, but still just paper and I do not trust my 16 month old with paper pages.  But she did enjoy looking at the illustrations, which are awesome.  They're vibrant and whimsical and adorable and I love them.  And my very favorite part of the whole book is that at the bottom of each picture scene is a scripture that goes along with the story text on that page.

See?  How cute is that?!  I love it.  This is such a sweet book.  There's actually nothing about this book that I dislike.  I love it to pieces and I don't even have a little boy!  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gift for a new mom or one soon expecting a little boy.  And Karen Kingsbury does have a similar book that's from a dad's perspective to his daughter that's called "Always Daddy's Princess" just in case you'd like to gift it to someone having a girl - or twins!  Both are available at Zondervan's website.

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

REVIEW: My Bedtime Story Bible by Jean E. Syswerda, illustrated by Daniel Howarth

One of the books that Zonderkidz sent me to review is My Bedtime Story Bible, written by Jean E. Syswerda and illustrated by Daniel Howarth.  

It's a collection of Bible stories adapted for bedtime reading and each one is followed by a prayer starter.  The stories are a little long for Ellie's attention span, but the pictures are vibrant and beautiful and she loves looking at each one.  The pages are heavier than a standard book and have a lovely, glossy finish.  But I don't always finish reading the text before she's ready to turn the page and I don't trust the pages to stand up to a one-year-old's roughness, so I'd say this book is best suited for 2-4  year olds.

My first impression of this book is that it's adorable.  There are 28 different Bible stories told and each one has a beautiful, full-page illustration, followed by a full two-page illustration!  

The stories are adapted for bedtime - meaning that, while the general gist of the story is there, some creative license is taken to talk about what it might have been like for these Bible characters to get tucked into bed.  I have mixed feelings about this.  For now, it's totally cute and not a problem at all.  When Ellie starts getting a little older, I don't know how easy it will be to explain that the Bible doesn't actually talk about how Abraham and Sarah put baby Isaac to bed, but they were real people and they did have a real baby, so it could have been like this.  I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking it, but I'm just picturing her taking it too seriously and going to church and telling her Sunday School teacher all about how Daniel cuddled with the lions when they went to sleep like little kittens.  None of it is out of the realm of possibility and nothing goes against what scripture says.  It's just important to note that these are adaptations of Bible stories, not word-for-word Biblical account.

Overall, I really do like this book.  I always love thinking about the people in the Bible as real people who did things and said things and felt things that weren't documented in the Bible itself.  The illustrations are gorgeous and the prayer starters are helpful.  I didn't grow up saying prayers before bedtime, but it's a routine that we're already trying to start with Ellie.  Having a starter right there in the story book is not only a great reminder, but a great transition between story and sleep.  We will definitely be keeping this one around for later this year, as it becomes more age appropriate for Ellie, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a little one.

Disclaimer: Zondervan provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.