ESPEROS Carry Hope Review & Giveaway

ESPEROS comes from the Spanish verb "esperar": HOPE. ESPEROS is a brand of bags that Carry Hope to families in the developing world by providing children access to education through the sale of these bags.

I'm always looking for a good tote bag. We take activities to do and gluten free/dairy free snacks or food just about everywhere we go.

I chose a market tote in navy with a chocolate brown trim ("poppy" according to the marketing info). The market tote is priced at $54.99 and a portion of the sales goes to educate a needy child in another country.

ESPEROS makes backpacks, smaller totes, travel bags, a laptop bag, a variety of items for toting our stuff.

The last tote bag that I was given (back in May) was a freebie at an event and the fabric shredded into a big hole before I got home with it. I don't want any more bags like that one.

I need a sturdy tote made from solid, strong fabric with strong rivets/snaps and stitching, big enough for large books if that is the item of the day that we are transporting. And the ESPEROS market tote delivers. The fabric is heavy duty, the straps are doubled for strength and comfort (I don't have another bag with straps like this one in my collection of totes). The bottom is flat and the bag stands on it's own for loading or for resting - it doesn't keep falling over, spilling contents and I don't have to keep righting it.

I chose the market tote for its large size and for the removable pocket inside. I can unsnap the pocket and move it to my purse or carry it as a clutch.

The other tall bags I own are narrow - by the time I add several coloring books, a clipboard, and a variety of crayons and markers, my daughter can't look around at the items inside. My wider totes don't hold tall coloring books well; the tall items tend to lean and fall out. The ESPEROS market bag is tall enough to contain tall books and  wide enough that the items fit more loosely so that my child can browse inside the bag without removing every item to see what's inside, important while we travel.

The best part is that a purchase provides a year of school to a child in a developing country.

ESEROS has a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, check them out!

DISCOUNT ALERT:
Use the code Esperos EsperosMoms when checking out for a 15% discount on the web site.

Leave a comment telling me what you'd put in your market bag for a chance to enter a bag exactly like mine. Deadline to enter is Friday, Oct 2nd, 2015.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

 

The Biggest Story, How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden

"Of course, God still had his promises to keep. But most days it was hard to imagine how anyone could save this stubborn people.

It would have been even harder to imagine how the Promised Man could come from among this people."

If you read my blog, you know that teaching my daughter with autism about God is a very challenging task at my house. Stories during Sunday School and Vacation Bible School scared her. God isn't concrete and tangible, and that frightens her.

I am thankful that God keeps his promises even to children who don't understand Him.

I keep looking for resources to help bring Bible stories into content that my girl can understand. Long columns of letters, words, paragraphs are not our favorite medium.

We  were given an opportunity to review a book for children, The Biggest Story, How The Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden, and I raised my hand quickly for a copy. Anything with fun illustrations is inviting to my daughter, and if it is inviting, she spends time with it, and she gains new knowledge or at least new familiarity.

The images are delightful. Take a peek below (or at the promotional video):

I really appreciate Don Clark's illustrations. There is so much to look at!

I am impressed with author Kevin Deyoung's ability to condense a concept into just a few very powerful sentences. The summaries are fantastic for a kid with special learning needs!

"The second monarch, young David from Bethlehem, was definitely much better. In fact, before we get to the King, there's almost no one more important than King David.

When King David wasn't busy sinning (which he did in some really big ways), he was a good, wise, merciful king. May good things happened to God's people when David was in charge. They were victorious and prosperous and blessed."

There are so many concepts to find in the illustrations and talk about. This is a bonus for the homeschooling mom to a child with autism. The non-verbal information within the pages of this book is rich.

We haven't  had time with younger cousins since we got this book - when we do have time with them, "The Biggest Story" will be an excellent choice for my homeschooler to read aloud to her younger cousins. Reading aloud and co-teaching are wonderful ways to work on communication for a child with autism. 

Many of you will read this book in one sitting although it can be read in sections for children whose attention span is short, the sections are short enough not to overwhelm.

Throughout the book, Deyoung reminds us again and again of God's wonderful promises:

"So  keep waiting for him. Keep believing in him. Keep trusting that the story isn't over yet. God's promises never fail and the Promised One never disappoints."

The hardback retails for $18 (it is discounted as I type at Amazon), is 132 pages, and is not too big for little hands and it has a silky fabric bookmark for saving your place.

If the powers that be are reading, I like the black text on the pages better than the white text.

Social Media
Follow Crossway Books on Facebook and Twitter. Buy the book here.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

 

Preview Practice

Parent and family weekend at the university is fast approaching, and I had just one home football game to use to scout the event for challenges. Big Sis is in the (LOUD) marching band and I love to watch her perform. (Side note: Much to my surprise, finding my kid in a ball cap is much more challenging than finding her in a shako.)

My desire is that the entire family go to Parent and Family Weekend. I have less than two weeks to preview the experience for my girl w/ ASD and a list of sensory challenges and to prepare for the challenges. Someone from the university posted quite a few videos from the first home football game, so I am attempting to watch some of the video with my daughter. She is less than cooperative. We will take her ear plugs and noise canceling headphones. I may walk around behind the stands with her for much of the game to avoid the loud recorded music, sirens, fireworks, noisy special effects. She will bring her little handheld video game. We will probably take two vehicles so that I can leave with her while the guys stay to watch the end of the football game. I told her about the cotton candy that was sold at the first home game (she loves cotton candy, and as much as I hate the sugar and dye, if it will get us there until the band performs at halftime, it is a good incentive).

Wish us luck! And if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!

The Bridge Builder: The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein Review

I grew up in the South of the United States, in the buckle of the Bible Belt. There were three or four Jewish families in my small hometown and I knew nothing about them. I always wanted to know. My Jesus is a Jew. I do remember one Sunday, Mrs. Cook brought in one of the Jewish men of our town, who talked to us about Christianity's Jewish roots. I always wanted to know more.

Fast forward to my time in the Midwest in an area where there are lots of Jewish families. My children learned about Jewish traditions and holidays from friends from school. And then we learned about Friendship Circle and began to learn even more. (The Jewish community reaches out to families with special needs children in a way that Christians do not.) I longed for a collaboration between the Christian community and the Jewish community in terms of serving families with children with special needs and sometimes vocalized my desire on deaf ears in my Christian circles. Now we live in the South again, where we don't interact with Jewish families on a daily basis and I don't know where to begin thinking about a collaboration.

When I was given the opportunity to review The Bridge Builder: The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, I was thrilled.

No, the story is not about serving families with special needs. It has nothing to do with special needs.

The story is Rabbi Eckstein's incredible journey bridging the gap between Christians and Jews and between United States and Israel, from a culture that forbade him from interacting with evangelicals to not only interacting, but building relationships with evangelical Christians - and the price he paid to do so. As he went against the teaching of his culture and religion, he sometimes sacrificed his reputation and his friends and family in order to build this bridge.

The book is as much a history book as it is a biography, giving the reader insight into the world political stage and the religious and political climates in Israel and the United States at the times of different events on Rabbi Eckstein's timeline in the last 40 years. I haven't studied history in years, my memory and understanding are weak and fuzzy and I need the detail for my understanding as I read.

I never gave much thought to how much work would have to happen to bring Jews and Christians together in ministry. One would just ask the other and the other would say 'yes'. The effort has not been a simple one. There have been big barriers to work around and remove. The process has been a labor of love over decades. I love Rabbi Eckstein's heart and how he followed the calling he felt from G-d. And I understand a little better some of the challenges that need to be addressed for a collaboration in terms of helping families with a child with special needs.

Author Zev Chafets goes into great detail to give the reader enough background and context and he gives the reader an authentic look into the life of Rabbi Eckstein, good, bad, ups, downs. He's human. And he loves people. I enjoy the peek into Rabbi Eckstein's life. I suspect that you may enjoy it, too.

Know this: His work is ongoing; there is more to his story yet to unfold. Follow Rabbi Eckstein on the internet and social media to see what events are added to his story. Don't miss the social media - the Rabbi Eckstein web site offers a free chapter of the book.

Official Websites:  http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/USENG_homenew

                                          http://www.rabbieckstein.org

Twitter:  @TheFellowship

                     @RabbiEckstein

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FellowshipFan

                  https://www.facebook.com/RabbiEckstein

YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/IFCJ25

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”