If you dream it, it will come. Do you have a dream that you have always wanted to accomplish?  What do you think of the idea that writing down your dreams will motivate you to accomplish them?  Melissa Borghorst had a dream to create a journal and inspire others to accomplish theirs.  She created The Dream List Journal and The Travel List Journal and accomplished her goal.   I was very interested to review the Dream List Journal because I like the idea that writing down dreams can inspire you to take action. My first impression of The Dream Journal was how pretty and colorful the cover is. It is sturdy and a nice large size. The journal has three sections that are organized and easy to use. There is enough space to write, draw and post your pictures. The website and blog have fun and creative ideas, plus other products for your journals.  You can purchase the journals on the website for $16.95.

The sections of The Dream List Journal are described below (from the website www.dreamlistmedia.com.)

First Section: Write down your thoughts by listing all your life dreams, from practical to fantastic. Include a due date to give yourself extra incentive, and check off the box of each item accomplished.

Second Section: 25 page photo journal pages. A picture speaks a thousand words, so be sure to keep a visual record of your accomplishments. Use the photo journal to compile all of the dreams you’ve made come true

Third Section: After you’re finished journaling, personalize the Table of Contents by filling in the blanks with each accomplished dream. This will allow you to easily reference your marvelous accomplishments at a later date.

I wrote down a few of my dreams, ones that are practical and a few that are more of a stretch. I really think and hope this will motivate me to accomplish them, and I enjoyed thinking about what I would like to achieve to help me grow. My biggest dream is to help children that are orphans here and around the world. Here are a few fun ones I wrote down.

Swim Dolphins       Act in Play        Volunteer LiteracyPrograms

Melissa was kind enough to say she would like to give one of you a Dream List Journal to write down your own dreams. Yeah!

TO ENTER: GO TO THE WEBSITE WWW.DREAMLISTMEDIA.COM , SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER AND LEAVE A COMMENT HERE THAT YOU DID.   WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR A DREAM THAT YOU HAVE TOO!

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THIS CONTEST WILL END AT MIDNIGHT ON FEBRUARY 16TH. RANDOM.ORG WILL CHOOSE THE WINNER.  U.S AND CANADA ONLY. THANKS FOR VISITING AND GOOD LUCK!

In the first interview with Nadya Suleman, the mother of the octuplets explains why she thinks having 14 children was a responsible choice and why she’s being unfairly attacked because she’s a single mom.

Below is the video of her interview from this morning.   I am also linking to a teriffic article from The Toronto Star that goes against the onslaught of media news and comments saying we should basically banish her and her children, that I hope you will read. It is not a popular opinion, but a compassionate one.  I think it is one that we should all  have towards any other human beings and I know there are more people out there that do.  Next week The Today Show will have video of her babies and I think and hope their faces will encourage that compassion.

BOOK SUMMARY

Kirk Cameron is best known for his role as loveable teenage troublemaker Mike Seaver on the award-winning TV series Growing Pains, but his rise to fame and fortune is only part of his incredible story. In this intimate autobiography, Kirk opens up about his early years, his rocket to stardom, his life-changing encounter with Jesus and the hard choices he s made along the way to live in the Way of the Master. Fans will get an up-close and personal look at what drives the former teen-magazine heartthrob and find out how God and family became the secrets behind his celebrated smile. In his own words, Kirk shares how he s still growing even through the triumphs and temptations of his Hollywood career. (Publisher description)

THEMES IN THE BOOK

BOOKROOM REVIEW

It seems that almost every few months we hear about a child star who is in trouble with substance abuse, the law, or other hardships. Kirk Cameron is a rare exception. I remember watching Growing Pains episodes.   I thought the show was a bit cheesy, but I enjoyed watching it once in a while. I wasn’t one of those girls who was in love with Mike Seaver though, I was more of a Jesse Katsopolis girl. I liked “bad boys” and Mike Seaver wasn’t one. After reading “Still Growing,” I now know why his character wasn’t one. Kirk fought for his character to be a good role model for young fans of his show, and this wasn’t an easy battle for him. He chronicles his life as a teen idol and a proclaimed athiest and how he came to give his life to Christ.

I admire his honest account about how he struggled at the height of his fame and learned fame and money isn’t the answer to happiness. The tone of the book isn’t preachy at all and I think fans and even others would find “ Still Growing” an interesting and enlightening read. As a Christian myself, I was pleasantly surprised and blessed by his testimony. I think you will be too.  P.S. I no longer like “bad boys”. They are just trouble. I am married to a wonderful Christian good guy.

Kirk Cameron is a television and film actor best known for his Golden Globe nominated work on the TV series Growing Pains and for his role as journalist Buck Williams in the Left Behind feature films. Kirk produces and co-hosts The Way of the Master TV series, winner of the National Religious Broadcasters Best Program of the Year award, and produces and appears regularly on The Way of the Master radio show (www.wayofthemaster.com). He is married to Growing Pains and Left Behind co-star Chelsea Noble, with whom he has six children, and they live in Southern California. Together they run Camp Firefly (www.campfirefly.com), a retreat for seriously ill children and their families.  You can purchase “Still Growing” at Amazon and bookstores everywhere.  You can win a DVD of Fireproof now through February 17th here on Bookroom Reviews!

At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) lives by the old firefighters adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. Growing up, Catherine Holt (Erin Bethea) always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter…just like her daddy. Now, after seven years of marriage, Catherine wonders when she stopped being “good enough” for her husband. Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks.
As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb’s father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment: “The Love Dare.” Wondering if it’s even worth the effort, Caleb agrees-for his father’s sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book’s daily challengesare tied into his parents’ new found faith, his already limited interest is further dampened. While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father, “How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?” When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. And with God’s help he begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife. But is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever…rescuing his wife’s heart. View the trailer here.

Fireproof is the #1 independent film of 2008 and you can win the DVD of Fireproof right here!  Yeah!

TO ENTER:  LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING ME WHY YOU WANT TO WIN.

FOR ANOTHER ENTRY:  STUMBLE, TWITTER (FOLLOW ME AND TWEET THIS CONTEST) OR SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER.  PLEASE LEAVE THE LINK IN A SEPARATE ENTRY.

THIS CONTEST WILL END FEBRUARY 17TH AT MIDNIGHT AND RANDOM.ORG WILL PICK THE LUCKY WINNER.  U.S. AND CANADA ONLY PLEASE.  THANKS FOR VISITING AND MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT MY OTHER CONTESTS!  GOOD LUCK!

Grab your cup of coffee and check out these Bookish Links.    Please let me know if you want to add yours in the comments.

What Fictional Men do you think are worth loving ?  There are more out there then Edward Cullen.

Amy from My Friend Amy has an excellent post about her thoughts on assigned reading in school and how those books affected her.  Keep reading for all the great comments too!

I love books and movies about the history of English royalty and Jen from “Devourer of Books” has an insightful and funny review you need to read of  To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy, who is the queen of  books on that subject.  Plus, check out the picture of the “handsome” king.

I always love to find new children books and Shel from “Write for a Reader” has an interview with Merrily Kutner who has written what looks like some adorable books.

Wendi from “Wendi’s Book Corner” had trouble putting down “The Heretic’s Daughter” and I would have to agree with her excellent review.

Do you like to read thriller/mysteries?  You need to read this great review by Trish from “Hey Lady” of The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver.

Marta from “Marta’s Meanderings” is raving in her insightful review about the Sci-Fi book, The Family Bones by Kimberly Kaiser.

SPECIAL SUPER BOWL LINK: Not sure when to go to the bathroom during those funny Super Bowl Commercials?  USA printed roster of Super Bowl Ads just for that reason.

THIS?

Thank Goodness this is the Warm Mouse

The Warm Mouse is the only HEATED computer mouse.  My hands and feet are cold all the time, even in the summer, so the Warm Mouse sounded perfect for me.  The first thing I liked is that it is easy to set up. I plugged the Mouse into my USB port and it only took about 3 minutes to warm up. There isn’t complicated software to install, which is a huge plus.  The Warm Mouse reaches its maximum temperature of 104 degrees in 20 minutes. I definitely loved the warm feeling of the Mouse. It felt very soothing and nice. I also like that it has a scroll wheel and I liked the size and shape, it felt very comfortable.   The Warm Mouse passed the test from all of the other computer users in the family. According to the Warm Mouse website, it can help people who suffer from Arthritis and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. It works with any PC, Mac, or laptop. I think the price is really good for all that it does. You can buy it for $29.95 at www.warmmouse.com. I would love to see a wireless version in the future.  More information from the website is below.

WarmMe® WARM MOUSE is ergonomically designed to fit in your hand comfortably, minimizing unnecessary pressure on the wrist and forearm muscles. This insures that your wrist is in a neutral position during use. You can move freely while delivering therapeutic heat to relax tight hand and wrist muscles.

WarmMe® WARM MOUSE improves circulation in your hand, fingers, thumb and fingertips. As natural infrared rays are gently emitted, reflected and refracted in the soft tissues of your fingers and hands, cellular functioning is enhanced. This amazing process can help to reverse damage done from overworked joints. Infrared rays can actually help to produce better enzymes within the cells of the muscle.

And besides warming your hand if you work in a cold environment, this mouse helps so much more. If you suffer from:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,

• Arthritis

• Raynaud’s

• DeQuervain’s

• poor circulation

• Tendonitis

• RSI or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The Warm Mouse Product Description:

• Ergonomic USB Optical Scrolling Mouse

• Accurate 800dpi

• 2-Button, 3-function

• Heated (infrared) Warms to perfect 104°F

• Convenient On/Off Switch on cord

• Works with any PC, MAC or Notebook

• No additional software/hardware necessary (www.warmmouse.com)

THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE FROM WARM ME WARM MOUSE WANT TO GIVE ONE OF MY READERS  YOUR VERY OWN MOUSE!

TO ENTER: LEAVE US A COMMENT ABOUT WHY YOU WANT TO WIN THE WARM MOUSE

FOR ANOTHER ENTRY: STUMBLE, FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AND TWEET THIS CONTEST, OR SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER(NEW ONLY) LEAVE THE LINK IN A SEPARATE ENTRY.

THIS CONTEST WILL END FEBRUARY 12TH AT MIDNIGHT. RANDOM.ORG WILL PICK THE LUCKY WINNER AND I WILL E-MAIL YOU. PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN WITHIN 48 HOURS. U.S. AND CANADA ONLY PLEASE. GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR VISITING!  ALSO CHECK OUT MY OTHER GIVEAWAYS.

Didn’t you love the E*Trade baby commercial last year!  It was my favorite.   This year I read they are bringing back the baby and adding some baby friends.  I found this video on You Tube of outtakes from the commercial, and they are hilarious.   Check it out below.  What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial last year?  Oh yeah, Go Cardinals!  We Love You Kurt Warner!  What an amazing story and a wonderful example he is!  We have been fans for years.

The Audio Bone headphones are a fabulous idea, especially for mothers. I love to listen to music, but I don’t when the little one is running around because I’m afraid I won’t be able to hear him. The Audio Bone headphones don’t cover your ears so they are free to hear other noises. You hear everything through the bones in front of your ears. The makers of Audio Bones also say that bone conduction is less likely to contribute to hearing loss over the years, and that this technology permits some people with eardrum damage to enjoy music once again. (Bone conduction is already available in certain hearing aids.)

What exactly is bone conduction? “We all hear sounds through both our bones and our ear drums. Most sounds are heard by our ear drums. The ear drum converts the sound waves to vibrations and transmits them to the cochlea (or inner ear). But in some cases vibrations are heard directly by the inner ear bypassing your ear drums. In fact, this is one of the ways you hear your own voice. This is also how whales hear.

“Invented by Beethoven – Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous 18th century composer who was partially deaf, discovered Bone Conduction. Beethoven found a way to hear music through his jawbone by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth.” (www.audioboneheadphones.com)

I think that the Audio Bone headphones are a fabulous idea. They are comfortable to wear and are convenient to use in environments where you need to hear surrounding noises. They also solve that pesky problem of putting those earbuds inside your ears ( they always fall out of mine). But I think the audio quality needs to improve. I tried them on my computer and could barely hear the video. It was much better with the iPod though, and my husband really likes it. Bottom line is they work great with your iPod and are ideal for the office, runners, bikers, and swimmers (they are waterproof) and for moms with little ones. If you are looking to ‘rock out’ stick with your earbuds.    Another thing I wanted to point out is according to the Audio Bone website, you shouldn’t judge these headphones right away, as you need to give your inner ear some time to adjust to bone conduction listening. I think they will be ideal when the price comes down a bit. Hopefully that will happen, because I think they will save a lot of hearing loss problems. For more information and to purchase Audio Bone Headphones starting at $189 at www.audioboneheadphones.com.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT

Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan’s worst hospital, with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he’d prefer to keep hidden. Whether it’s a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he’s the last person you want to see in your hospital room.

Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown’s new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person …

Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours-and somehow beat the reaper.

Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, BEAT THE REAPER is a debut thriller so utterly original you won’t be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won’t be able to put it down.

THEMES IN THIS BOOK

MY REVIEW

Beat the Reaper is the type of book that you will gulp down quickly so you can find out what crazy thing is going to happen next. What a ride the author Josh Bazell takes us on. That ride includes a doctor who is in the eyewitness protection program, the mob, a beautiful girl and a bad guy by the name of “Skinflick.” What else Beat the Reaper has is a lot of profanity and violence. Normally, this is the type of book that doesn’t appeal to me, but underneath all of the dark aspects is a man trying to find redemption and some peace from his past. And it is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. Another appealing aspect of “Beat the Reaper” are the footnotes. They are an added treat. As I was reading, I could definitely see the movie easily in my mind. The day after I finished, I read that Leonardo Dicaprio is set to star in the movie. I hope it turns out as good as the book. One more tip before you read the book, and you should read it – The last few pages are so shocking and will make you squirm, so be prepared to either skim over them or be grossed out. Once you start reading you won’t want to stop, so make sure you clear your schedule for that day.  Oh, and ignore the awful book cover.

MY GRADE A-

Beat the Reaper is available everywhere and at Amazon. You can visit the author’s website to read an excerpt and he even has a hilarious game you can play at www.beatthereaper.com

I HAPPEN TO HAVE ANOTHER COPY OF “BEAT THE REAPER” TO GIVE AWAY THANKS TO HACHETTE BOOK GROUP.  YEAH!

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THIS CONTEST WILL END FEBRUARY 11th AT MIDNIGHT.  I WILL E-MAIL THE RANDOM.ORG WINNER.  U.S. ONLY PLEASE. GOOD LUCK AND CHECK OUT MY OTHER CONTESTS!  THANKS FOR ENTERING!

YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN THE AUDIO BOOK AT READING WITH MONIE TOO!

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Feeding a family of four healthy food can be challenging.  “Healthy” grocery stores make things easy by stocking only items that are good for you, however, the prices are often high, and not budget friendly.  Our local grocery store, Stop & Shop, has been working hard to make choosing healthy foods easier.

Stop & Shop’s new Healthy Ideas program features a “healthy ideas” symbol that is placed on over 3,000 items in the store.  It makes it easy to shop for healthy foods without having to dissect the label.  Stop & Shop considers calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium content in their criteria for labeling items as healthy.  In addition, they offer healthy recipes, and healthy “swaps” — foods that can easily be swapped to make a meal healthier.

To learn more about the Healthy Ideas program visit their website at www.stopandshop.com. Thanks to Mom Central for the information.