I really like that each puzzle has a theme as a sort of additional clue to the type of words that will be used in the puzzle. The themes are also diverse and unexpected things like "time, being surrounded, light reading, any day now, and ahoy mateys".

The clues and answers are fairly simple and common things, but every once in a while there's a little bit of a head-scratcher to keep your brain nimble. The answers to all the crosswords are at the back of the book, in case you get stuck.

When they say "Large-Print", they really mean it! The text is huge and the spaces for the puzzles are large as well. This book would be very enjoyable for some light fun without getting too frustrated with complex puzzles.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book gives fun games, activities, and lessons to teach children ages 6-13 about how to have good manners. There are chapters about "Everyday Etiquette, Good Impressions, Eating with Manners, Playing Nice, and Technology Etiquette."

The lessons include basic things like opening the door for someone, receiving and giving gifts, getting into a car with a friend's family, and observing elevator etiquette to not push all the buttons. The all-important thank you note is, of course, included!

There are sections about being a host or guest at a party, being a good listener, how to send a mannerly email, how to order food at a restaurant, and how to be a gracious loser.
The games include things like crafts, puppet shows, making a diorama or cardboard robot, playing go fish or bingo, freeze tag, and even drawing a comic book. These activities look really fun!

There are instructions for the parents on how to teach their children these lessons, how to do the activities together, and how to be an example of good manners for their kids. I love how this involved both sides, parents and children, in having more kindness and compassion through their manners towards others.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book begins with an introduction for parents about how young children need help regulating their emotions and moods, and about the limit attention spans of a toddler or preschooler. Then there are instructions about how to use the meditations and activities in this book to help each child according to their individual capabilities.

The first chapter is "Dance, Wiggle, and Move" activities to help a child pay attention to their body and be more mindful of their movements. The next chapter focuses on the five senses with activities for listening to sounds, watching clouds, smelling different scents, and eating mindfully. There is a chapter all about emotions with crafts for children to draw how they are feeling, take time for hug, and to have fun with making bubbles! An entire chapter focuses on empathy while the children make a kindness bracelet to give to someone, make a pinecone bird feeder, or take time to be grateful and forgive others. The last chapter is "Winding Down Time" to help children slow down at the end of the day and find stillness and peace in their minds and hearts.

All of these activities are perfect for little kids and very helpful to get them thinking more carefully about their moods and actions! Each activity has clear instructions for the parent, a list of materials needed (if any), a "messiness" gauge, as well as prep time and how long the activity lasts. I love all that helpful information. It makes the book easy to get started and simple to use.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This journal gives prompts for writing about certain themes including, self-awareness, values, identity, confidence, emotions, spirituality, health, family, relationships, community, career, passions, goals, life purpose, and dreams.

The most basic prompts say things like, "Today I'm grateful for...", "Today I learned....", "My biggest fear is..." But the journal quickly gets into more deep questions and more complex prompts about times when you had the confidence to stand up yourself, how you felt when you solved a difficult problem, and what relationships give your life meaning.

The book is peppered with gorgeous illustrations in soft muted colors with inspirational quotes from famous people like Emma Watson, Audrey Hepburn, and Helen Keller.

I really love the design of this book, and the overall tone of encouragement and introspection! The whole journal is full of such pretty colors and artwork; it makes me want to write in it all the time!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein give some wonderful guidelines in this book for tidying up your work. They focus on not just your desk and workspace, but also your time, contacts, email and digital documents, and decision-making process. They give advice on team-building, evaluating tasks, and how to run an effective meeting.

I liked the chapters that Marie wrote the best. Her voice is so inspirational and clear. The advice given by Scott is also good, but I didn't connect with his voice as much.

I really liked that the circumstances and examples of each job could apply to almost any job or field of work, no matter your level or profession. The principles and criteria are general enough that they become universal truths, but the writing demonstrates those truths with specific examples of regular people who found freedom and joy through tidying.

I wish there were a tidying checklist at the end of the book, but there isn't, so I wrote my own checklist to help me as I go through the process of cleaning and tidying my office.

This book has really inspired me to get going and tidy my office and my work life!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone

This guided journal gives prompts for maintaining a positive attitude and managing difficult emotions. It is full encouraging quotes that are thoughtful and uplifting!

The layout of this book is not quite what I expected. It is laid out with one section for each of the 52 weeks, with one activity, journal prompt, or meditation to do each week. Week 1 is a journal prompt with some space for writing in a list of attributes and characteristics about yourself, and the encouragement to re-frame any negative thoughts about yourself into positive and compassionate thoughts. Week 2 is a prompt to draw a decorative mantra or affirmation of your choosing, and there is a breathing exercise to try.

Each week switches between a writing prompt, and a drawing prompt and meditation. Most of the writing prompts are lists, and I DO love a good list! The drawing prompts vary from doodling your own fingerprint to drawing an abstract that represents your future. My favorite is the one that says to draw yourself as a strong tree, because that is the only thing I can draw... trees.

The design used on the cover is used throughout the book on the week title pages with inspirational quotes for each week, and on the meditation pages. The journal pages have blank lines to write on, and the drawing pages have plenty of blank space for coloring and doodling. I really love how the book is arranged!

I think this book would really help someone to take a moment of reflection and embrace a positive attitude!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book helps you to reconnect with your core self, grow in your courage and creativity, and engage in your relationships, all in baby steps that remind you to take care of yourself and reflect on what you truly need. This book has sections to "Nurture Yourself, Expand Your Mind, Get Creative, Move Your Body, Get Organized, and Embrace Your Community." Each section has insightful journal prompts, affirmations, meditations, gentle activities, and inspirational quotes to get you motivated.

I'm truly impressed at how this book uses thoughtful prompts and deep themes to sweetly guide the reader into a better understanding of the many aspects of self-care. And yet it never feels too heavy! Each activity is a simple little thing, a cup of tea, a walk in the sunshine, listening to a favorite song. And yet the impact is immense because of the introspection that is happening.

The quotes really made me think differently about my self-care habits. The tone of the writing is compassionate and encouraging, perfect for anyone who has been neglecting their self-care or may be depressed or anxious.

This book allows the reader to be imperfect, to try a little each day, so that it is not overwhelming. I like that you don't have to be a machine of positivity to read this book! You can be a real person with real feelings that go up and down. This book gives you tools to manage those emotions in a healthy way, but you should never ignore those feelings or try to be perfect.

The design is beautiful with soft colors and an art style like the cover. There is different artwork for each section, with drawings of trees, sunshine, clouds, and mountains. It's very peaceful and a lovely background for all the quotes.

I'm truly impressed with this book and the way it is organized and presented!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This baby book has quotes about motherhood, journal prompts about what baby is doing, and places to attach photos of baby and mom. I love how creative the writing prompts can be! This goes way beyond baby's first smile or first steps.

The writing prompts include things like:
"The first time I really listened to my mama gut was..."
"Something you've done to show me how strong you are is..."
"The biggest mess you've made so far has been..."
"Something I hope for your future is..."
"A family tradition I'm excited to share with you is..."
"Some words you hilariously mispronounce are..."

Every page is covered in beautiful pastel designs with polka dots and colorful borders. The quote pages are especially cute with a whole page of color and a simple little drawing of a baby bottle, bib, rattle, cupcake, balloons, or something sweet.

The quotes about motherhood are inspirational and encouraging. It invites the mom to allow life to be imperfect, to embrace the messiness and chaos, and just focus on the joys and little moments of motherhood.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book gives multiple ways to train your baby to sleep on a schedule with tips on what to do when it all goes wrong. This includes journal prompts, exercises, meditations to try, self-care activities, and guidance for finally getting a good night's sleep for you and your baby.

I really like that this book includes several different styles of coaxing your child to sleep. Not all babies and parents are going to be the same or react the same way, so it's perfect to have a variety of ideas to try and find what works for you.

There are charts that tell how much sleep your baby needs, and how much sleep you need. There is a detailed explanation of how a baby's sleep patterns will change over time from month to month as they grow. There is great advice on how to get your parenting partner on board with the technique of training you want to try. I love that there is even a chart for your baby's personality type, based on if their temperament is more shy, easy-going, or spirited.

This book helps with establishing a routine of cuddling, bath time, rocking, patting their back, singing or talking quietly to baby, and having a plan in place of how to react when nothing seems to work.
There is a checklist for baby safety, a sleep log to fill in, as well as how to time feedings in harmony the sleep schedule.

This book offers invaluable advice to parents for soothing their baby to sleep, and practicing good self-care so that everyone is happier and healthier and getting plenty of sleep.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book is divided into two sections: one with journal prompts and space to write, and one with meditations to try. Each page begins with an inspirational quote, and a short paragraph describing a situation or theme for you to journal or meditate about.

The themes include things like financial stress, being alone, being late, getting rid of clutter, taking an exam, family relationships, crowded spaces, conflict with others, housework, social media stress, fear of driving, fear of dying, and fear of public speaking, among many others.
Each of these are addressed, acknowledged, and then the reader is guided into a more productive and calm attitude, along with tips for dealing with each situation and handling anxiety in a healthy way.

I think the journal prompts are good to unpack your feelings and acknowledge your anxiety, but it also makes you focus on that anxiety or fear. In the journaling pages, it seems like the anxiety is emphasized a lot more than the calm. So it would be best to always follow up the journaling portion with one of the meditations in the back of the book. That is where the real calming and soothing happens.

My feelings about this book are half and half. I like the journaling prompts but I wish they emphasized more calm, and provided more guidance in how to manage tough emotions. There are some helpful and practical tips, but I was looking for more. The meditations are wonderful though!

I don't like how the book is organized. I think it would have been more helpful to mix the journaling with the meditations, instead of having them in separate sections. It would be a better experience to face your fear, unpack those feelings and journal about them, then immediately do a meditation on the next page as a way to calm down and find your balance after facing those tough emotions.

I do really like the quotes at the beginning of each page! They are encouraging and beautiful! I also really love the artwork and designs on the pages, with gentle drawings of rippling water, fish, plants, trees, clouds, and birds. The art is really soothing and every page is a soft color.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.