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The Activation Game – Review and Give Away

I was asked if I would like to take part in The Activation Game and after watching the introductory video I knew it would be something I’d enjoy. This post is my review and a competition. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am being completely honest while trying not to give too much away.

So what is The Activation Game? Well, you can take a look at The Activation Game website for an insight. I have to tell you, I was sold by the trailer, I didn’t need to look at any more, I really didn’t want any spoilers.

I will say that it’s probably not for everybody, but if you are looking for a way to improve the way you think about life then I’m sure you will enjoy it.

The Activation Game is a 12 and a half week personal development course on rediscovering human values. It starts with a book which then leads you on a journey about yourself. It is not a self-help course, more of a new approach to human values and what makes us tick.

I am currently about to start my fourth week and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. I feel like my eyes have been opened to how I think and feel about myself and how I react to those around me.

Each week starts with a puzzle, then you move through six sections;

Hello – is basically a quick hello to the week.
Inspiration – Is an introduction to the theme of the week, usually in two parts.
Reflections – asks you to ask yourself some questions on the theme.
Meditation – is quite simply a guided meditation.
Events – presents you with tasks to perform, these are not difficult.
Goodbye – is a little re-cap.

I’m not sure if the formation stays the same throughout the entire 12 and a half weeks, As I said, I’m not one for spoilers and I honestly haven’t checked, but I do promise to come back at the end of the 12 and a half weeks and let you know how I got on and how I feel about the whole course.

Now The Activation Game is more than just a book, it is an audio visual journey with many parts. You will need a pc, laptop or tablet and internet connection to take part. I’ve found that sometimes headphones are useful too, but not a necessity.

You have a puzzle to solve each week and I found the first one quite difficult but then I re-read the instructions and realised that I only had to remember that all clues related to the authors home country of Africa. This made the puzzles easier to solve and I was soon on my way.

You will need time to work through this course but you don’t have to do each week all in one go, or even all in one week. You can work at your own pace and do as much or as little as you please. You are required to watch some videos but they are not too long, most of them are very short and all of them are inspiring. I’ve managed to do most of the tasks but not all of them. I don’t think it really matters, what matters is that I’ve given them all some thought and decided what I would do if I could have done them. (I am at a disadvantage here, being unable to get out alone) Most of the tasks are very simple, but they are also very rewarding and they can be performed while getting on with your usual daily life. The whole 12 and a half weeks are intertwined with getting on with your daily life.

The authors have a vision of changing the world one person at a time. Is it possible? I’d like to think so. You must have heard of ‘pay it forward?’ It’s all about creating ripples, often tiny ones, but one person can change another’s life and in turn that person can change someone else’s. Human values are something we all have but do we stop and think about them enough?

I’m really looking forward to working through the rest of this experience and would love to meet others who are interested in trying it too.

This is my affiliate link, if you don’t wish to use it please visit the site Amazon.co.uk

I’ve been given five copies of the book to give away, so take a look at The Activation Game and let me know if you would like to try it. I will pick two winners from the comments alone and the other three at random from those that fill in the Rafflecopter widget below.

So just to make that clear. You do NOT have to comment to enter this competition, you can just fill in the widget. Those that DO comment will be chosen by me on merit of their comment, so don’t just put, ‘I’d Love this’ tell me WHY you would love it, or what you think of it. Anything really, just make it interesting. Those that fill in widget will be chosen at random when the competition has ended.

Do take a look at the The Activation Game Website and/or the book description on Amazon before you enter. I would love this book to go to those that really want to take part. Remember, it won’t steal your precious time but help you live better and enjoy your time.

The Winners have been chosen, congratulations to:

Danielle U.
Niki C.
Monica G.
Ruth W.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Help Your Autistic Spectrum Child – Review

by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

Anyone who has a child with autism will have experienced that inexplicable feeling of confusion when they receive their child’s diagnosis. There will be relief that there is an answer, a reason for their child’s differences, combined with a sense of feeling lost as to what to do next.

When I first heard that diagnosis many years ago I began to read. I went to the library and read anything and everything I could find on Autism. To be honest a lot of it didn’t really feel as though it was written about my child and it really didn’t help.Things have changed a lot since then and now you can find a lot of information on the internet. You can also find other parents in the same situation to talk to which helps immensely.

I was recently sent a copy of How to Help Your Autistic Spectrum Child by Jackie Brealy and Beverly Davies to look at. It’s been a long while since I read an actual book on the subject of autism but it’s so good to have it to hand to dip into whenever I had the time and refer to whenever I needed to.

The subheading of the book is ‘Practical ways to make family life run more smoothly.’ Now, if you do have an autistic child at home you will appreciate any help at all to make life run smoothly. Life with autism can be anything but smooth running.

The book begins by outlining the key features of an autism spectrum disorder and how you can spot if your child has one. It then goes on to offer help and advice in all sorts of areas such as communication, behaviour and obsessions.

The book talks about schools, how to choose the best type of school for your child and how to help your child to cope with school life. It outlines the pros and cons of choosing a mainstream school or a special school or whether home schooling would be best for your child. It also gives some advice on what to do when problems arise at school such as bullying.

There are also chapters on treatments and therapies and getting help from professionals. The book also goes into teenage and young adult life for someone on the autistic spectrum.

Unlike many books on autism I like how this book has a very personal feel. The authors know what it’s like to be the parent of an autistic child and the book is interspersed with little personal stories. The book is also a journey from infancy to adulthood and tells you how you can cope with everything that happens in between. It is written in a way that is easy to understand and would suit all kinds of parents.

To conclude, I would recommend this book for any parent of an autistic child, no matter where they are on their journey. You can read from beginning to end or just dip and in and find useful information that you need at the time. It’s not a huge book, the information is concise and practically presented.

You can buy How to Help your Autistic Spectrum Child in paperback on Amazon for £12.99

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of How to Help you Autistic Spectrum Child to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dragons at the Crumbling Castle, Terry Pratchett – Book Review

by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

Way back in the early 90s I was introduced to Terry Pratchett by a friend at work. I was hooked instantly and now have an incredibly collection of his works, mostly his Discworld series but I do have other books, including some he had written for teenagers which I have been waiting to introduce to my children.

Sadly, the great fantasy author passed away on March 12th this year. This doesn’t mean his books can no longer be enjoyed though, and I’m sure he will still gather many more fans in the future, my children included.

I have now begun my introduction of the Great Sir Terry to my girls with his book of short stories for children, Dragons at the Crumbling Castle. For me it has been a great insight into the younger mind of the author as many of these stories where written before his major books.

Throughout the book you can see Sir Terry’s style emerging, not quite the genius I have come to know through reading his books, but a fabulous introduction for my children. My older daughter, Star, who is almost ten years old and on the autistic spectrum seemed to enjoy the stories the most. She had her favourite parts which have been repeated over and over to anyone who will listen. For some reason she was particularly tickled by the Chilliblainian national anthem ‘God Save Us All’ from the story the Abominal Snowman. She cottoned on to quite a lot of the word play which both surprised and delighted me, a true Pratchett fan in the making.

The book is a compilation of fourteen short stories. Some are shorter than others, some are better than others, they all have that distinct Pratchett humour running through them. The first story, Dragons at the Crumbling Castle has a young boy setting off to save a castle from Dragons… there is no-one else available at the time. On the way he meets up with Friday Knight the Fortnight and a Wizard called Fossfiddle and together they save the day..and the castle. We also have an introduction to The Carpet People with two short stories which were later turned into a novel. There is a great story about the Abominal Snowman of Chiliblains, who like photobombing, and the small town of Blackbury get more than they bargained for when they discover the Blackbury Monster. There is lots of fun and word play in Hunt the Snorry and Dok the Caveman.
One of Star’s favourite stories was the Great Speck where we have a whole world on a speck of dust, she will tell you with excitement all about the Someone and the Anyone who become the Everyone and saved the King and Duke.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it for children aged 8 and over. It’s great for reading alone or together at bedtime. I’m sure we’ll be reading it many times over.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Dragons at the Crumbling Castle to review, all thoughts and opinions are my own

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The Mummyfesto by Linda Green – review

by Anne Sweet 2 Comments

I’ve never been a big fan of politics but lately my interest has grown, particularly as a mother. Often the government lets families down and it seems like the whole political world is money focused rather than life focused. The Mummyfesto takes this into consideration as it follows three mother’s on their journey to try and change the world of politics.
From great ideas like funding for children’s hospices dementia care plans and anti-bullying measures to the ridiculous ideas like privatising the Royal Family and replacing the House of Lords with Mumsnet, the mummfesto starts off it’s life in the kitchen of one of the mothers who ironically lives at number ten!
The three main characters, Sam, Anna and Jackie, each have their own family issues, Sam has a seriously ill child, Jackie a mother with Alzheimers and Anna troubled teenagers. Other issues include unexplained infertility and a loveless marriage. They start out with a campaign to save their local lollipop lady and end up standing in a general election, facing many life changing challenges along the way.
There is something to appeal to all in this book, laughter and sadness, friendship and failed relationships, love and duty. While at the same time making the reader think hard about the changes they would like to see in the way the country is run. The reader is actively encouraged to put forward their own suggestions for a mummyfesto by visiting the site www.mummyfesto.co.uk or by tweeting @QuercusBooks or @lindagreenisms using the hashtag #mummyfest

Linking this post to Catch a Single thought Book week linky;

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