Guest Blogger: Jason Reid, Author of Dinner Conversations

“You are going to LAUGH! You are going to then wonder if these conversations actually happened. You are going to wonder what kind of guy would actually say these things to his family.”

The answer is simple—yes, these conversations did actually happen. They occurred over a period of roughly 5 years, mainly at my dinner table. I took them verbatim and posted them on Facebook so that all my friends could get a good laugh.

I must be honest with you, some of you will are going to laugh and say things like “…that sounds like something I would say or want to say” others are going to think that I am a horrible parent. I am ok with either thought process.

What I hope is that after laughing, scratching your head and wondering what is wrong with Jay Reid, you realize that you need to create more of your own Dinner Conversations.

Please join me @ www.Facebook.com/DinnerConversations to read more and post your own.”


GUEST POST

When was the last time you had an actual conversation with your family around the dinner table, without the distraction of the television or any other form of technology?

In today’s technology-driven world finding time to stop and enjoy real, in-person conversations with our loved ones is becoming less of a priority and more of an inconvenient task. Like any family, our individual schedules keep us constantly on the go, passing each other as we run in and out of the front door. I travel a couple of nights out of every week, my wife and 4 kids have busy lives and their own individual obligations—it is easy to find ourselves disconnected from each other. Starting to sound a little familiar?

Dinner Conversations is a book that contains my personal collection of conversations that happened roughly over a five-year period, mainly between my kids, wife, and I around our dinner table. I know what you’re thinking and before you start glancing towards the top corner for the “x”—let’s get personal for a minute, shall we…

My name is Jason, I have four children, a wonderful wife of 24 years, a successful career and have absolutely NO filter. Every family has that one person who says exactly what pops into their head, always without hesitation and in my family that ONE person is yours truly. I use my own personal “trial and error” approach to parenting, cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I’m turning 50 this year and like most guys my age--I figure things out the old fashion way. I don’t read manuals. Typically, I find myself trying unusual ways of putting things together, taking different paths and swearing more frequently no that I have teenagers, which I find clears the head and helps a great deal with the thought process.

Two of the most important pieces of my unique parenting style are:

If I am home, we are all sitting down to a family dinner (except on date nights that is just for my wife and I).
Dinner should be fun, we should all laugh and not be afraid to speak our minds.

In Short, the collection of conversations and hysterical moments a family has and laughs about privately, I have put together for you to laugh, enjoy and possibly even find some of the unique conversations relatable. I invite you to take a break from the serious page turners and chapters that seem to go on for weeks, because you are in the constant process of finding where you left off. Take a break from raising your own kids and just have a good laugh at how I raised mine. The only thing bigger than my college tuition bills will likely be the therapy bills that I will be paying for down the road, so feel free to go ahead and pick up a few copies of the book to share the laughs with your own friends and family : ) profits from this book will be applied to one of the following:
-Family Therapy Jar
-College tuition bills (Did I mention I had FOUR kids?)
-The 18+ years of alcohol consumption my wife and I will surely need to get them all graduated and still maintain some degree of sanity.

If you’re still here and have made it this far, I hope that you enjoy reading Dinner Conversations and the raw glimpse of our family’s most hysterical conversations and moments over the years.

Grab a seat, a drink and as always enjoy the conversations.

All the Best,
Jason Reid

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook @DinnerConversations for new conversations, family updates and to also share your own dinner conversations with us!

Jason Reid is an entrepreneur by trade and a dad by passion. He currently lives in Murrieta, California with his wonderful wife and amazing four children. Over the years he has written numerous business books, a novel, and children’s The Protector Bug book series.

Mailbox Monday - Aug 28

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

I wouldn't want you to think I am busy or anything, but the last Mailbox Monday I posted was on....July 31! As I mentioned in my recent post, life is hectic around here. I just signed up a new seller and three new buyers. I am also committed to holding open houses every Wednesday at a new subdivision in town and an open house there every other Sunday. If everything works out the way it should, September will bring with it five closings.

School is starting on Wednesday, so we've been doing a bit of back to school shopping. Now that the Lil' Diva is able to drive, I've been trying to give her the chance to do it as much as she can so she'll be ready for Driver's Ed. And get this...she just got her first job! How in the heck is she old enough to be working and driving? Pretty soon we will be touring colleges. Yikes!

The Lil' Princess had her first soccer practice last week and we are hoping she has a wonderful season. She has missed playing and a good season would prepare her for high school next year. She gave up the violin, but might pick up piano. We will see how that goes.

On to book matters....

I've lost track of how many books have arrived since my last Mailbox Monday, but here is what is visible from my desk.

A Simple Wish

Kin Types

Winter Warning

This Book is Full of Monsters

Benji and The 24 Pound Banana Squash

When Will Fall Arrive?

You Know What?

Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome

What was in your mailbox last week? Hope it was great. Wishing you a blessed week.

Book Spotlight: The World to Love and Not to Love by Horace Allen

Understanding the true nature of the world's system, contrasted with God's creation, will bring clarity to readers and help Christians make right choices to live God's way. God's standard of righteousness is contrasted with politically-correct responses and declining ethical and moral standards.

There are two worlds--God's creation and the present world system. God loves His creation and has a restoration plan for it. But the world's system organized under the direct influence of the devil is in direct opposition to God. Horace E. Allen reveals the true nature of the world we should not love.

Social and political correctness have replaced God's standard of righteousness. The result is a world system in constant moral, social, and ethical decline. This declining moral system is constantly being redesigned by man's imagination to accommodate his unrestrained sinful desires. What was once immoral is now accepted as normal. Christians who determine to maintain a biblical standard are put on the defensive and labeled intolerant.

Understanding the true nature of the world God created and this world's system will help us make right choices to live God's way.

There is a clear line between what is godly and what is ungodly. Likewise, there should be a difference between the standards of believers and nonbelievers. The World to Love and Not to Love will give readers clarity about the dividing line between the secular and spiritual worlds.

Read an excerpt here!

Publisher: Redemption Press (June 28, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1683142144
ISBN-13: 978-1683142140

Purchase from:

Redemption Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Horace Allen is licensed in New York State as a professional marriage and family therapist with a B.S. degree in psychology from New York Institute of Technology; M.S. degree in counseling from St. John’s University of Queens, and a D. Min from Andersonville Baptist Seminary. He served as senior pastor at the East End Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York for thirty-four years. Now semi-retired in Florida, he conducts seminars, speaks at conferences and maintains his therapy practice through video and telephone sessions. He and his wife of fifty- two years have two children and two grandchildren. Dr. Allen is also the author of Thinking with the Heart: Principle, Practice and Purpose for Spiritual Wellness.

Busy Days, Busy Mom

This is definitely me lately. It has been a hectic two weeks around here. We took the Lil' Diva, the Lil' Princess, and a friend to Cape Cod for a few days for the Lil' Diva's 16th birthday. Oh my gosh, how did that happen? Didn't I just take that girl home from the hospital.

The real estate market continues to be crazy. Sales in our county were up 10% from the same time last year and up 5.3% in the Pioneer Valley overall. I'm working late many days of the week and that's no fun since summer is winding down and the girls will be going back to school next Wednesday. 

Last Friday we also transitioned my father-in-law into assisted living. My mother-in-law, who is more independent and not in such ill health, is still living at home. It's tough bouncing around between two homes and trying to keep everything moving forward, but we will figure it out. Thankfully God sends little blessings throughout the week to encourage us. 

I've got new book arrivals to share if I ever have time to post a Mailbox Monday and I've got at least one book review to write. 

Well, tomorrow is another day and we will see what God has in store for us. Hope you are having a great week. 

Barbour Launching New and Unique Historical Fiction Series

Read my Family Fiction This Week news today and discovered Barbour Publishing is launching an 18-book historical fiction series that follows one family tree through American history. Now, for those of you who don't know it: I love historical fiction and I am partial to American history. I live here after all. I can't remember the last time I have been this excited about a new series.

The series is slated to release over three years starting in February 2018 with The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse. According to the site, "This book, which takes place in 1620, features voyages on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower, and will set the stage for subsequent books with its focus on adventure, romance, and a thread of espionage that is woven throughout each of the 18 stories.
"Releasing every other month by a team of well-known authors, the Daughters of the Mayflower will satisfy voracious readers of Christian fiction continuously for three years. The books are written in such a way that they can be read in succession or stand alone, making them perfect for readers interested in specific time periods in American history."

You can learn more about this series and the first six books being released at https://www.familyfiction.com/barbour-launches-unique-historical-fiction-series/

Book Review: While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

A story of life changes, new discoveries and friendships fills the pages of While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax.

In a brilliant move, Wax wove a story of four lives that intersect at an historic apartment building in Atlanta around the insanely popular Downton Abbey television series. Published near the height of the series' popularity, this novel tells the story of three women from different backgrounds and in different stages of their lives who become fast friends thanks to the concierge's decision to air weekly episodes of Downton Abbey.

Not only are Wax's characters likable, complex, and realistic, the secondary characters provide some comic relief to balance out the unfolding drama. I found a little bit of me in each of the women, which is always nice. Claire, Brooke, and Samantha almost became like my friends and I was sad to see them go; though getting to the end was worth it. There aren't many books that make me stay up past two in the morning to finish these days--busy realtors need their sleep--but While We Were Watching Downton Abbey is definitely one I couldn't put down until I read it to the satisfying end. Wax has a ton of other books to check out, which I definitely plan to do.

This is women's fiction at its finest. Pick up While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax and discover it for yourself.


Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Berkley; 1 edition (April 2, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425263312
ISBN-13: 978-0425263310

I received a copy of this book from the publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Father/Daughter Reunion

I mentioned last week that I reconnected with my father, who I haven't seen in nearly 30 years. In my blog post for Christian Children's Authors I talk about this event and how I made peace with my past. Please click here to read about our reunion.

Have you ever reconnected with someone after a long time? Were you able to reconcile?