Book Review & #Giveaway: Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider

*I received the product in this post compliments of Shelton Interactive for purposes of review, however all opinions are my own.

Notes from a Blue Bike:

The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World

by Tsh Oxenreider

About the Book:

"Life is chaotic.
But we can choose to live it differently.

Tsh Oxenreider spent three years raising her young family as a non-profit worker in Turkey, and now she’s revealing that life-changing experience in her much-anticipated new book Notes From a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World, due for release February 4, 2014.

During her time overseas, Tsh realized first-hand the wisdom many cultures already understand: life should be lived slowly if you want it to have meaning.  That realization led to the creation of her community blog, TheArtofSimple.net (formerly SimpleMom.net), now viewed by more than 800,000 readers every month.

It was a journey that began with prayer.

“I took a deep breath and chose to turn my questions into a conversation with God,” she writes.  “Once I heard the answer to my prayer, it was embarrassingly obvious: to live intentionally, we had to make intentional choices.” 

 What does it mean to live intentionally?  Tsh explains, “To live with intention means to make daily little choices that resonate deeply in our soul—that make sense deep in our being and ring true.

Notes From a Blue Bike is for people who crave a more meaningful life, a life that doesn’t bow down to calendars, and a life that makes margin for relationships and contemplation.  Tsh teaches readers how to slow down in a culture that worships efficiency and believes a checked-off to-do list is the sign of a good day. 

This book chronicles schooling quandaries and dinnertime dilemmas, as well as entrepreneurial adventures and family excursions via plane, train, car and blue cruiser bike.

Tsh’s personal experiences translate into universal felt needs, covering five core areas of life—food, work, education, travel, and entertainment—each infused with spiritual insights.   

Entertaining, thoughtful and compelling—but never shrill or dogmatic— Notes From a Blue Bike invites you to pay attention to who you are and what your family needs.  Then, it encourages you to make some choices and live the life that reflects your true values.

“This book is about giving ourselves permission to creatively change the little things in our lives,” she writes. “It’s about living life, instead of life living us… It’s about living with intention.”

Notes From a Blue Bike will compel you to climb on your own bike for an adventure you’ll never forget.  It’s a risky ride, but it’s worth it. 

Living according to who you really are simply takes a little intention.   It’s never too late to live out your dreams."

My Review:

I really enjoyed this book and reading about how Tsh and her family live a simple life and how she came to figure the formula out for it. Living in Turkey for 3 years where living simply is the norm, this family found a way to acclimate to it. When forced to move back to the states, they found a way to readjust their lives. In a society based on technology, Tsh lets you in on her secrets for balancing it with a more intentional way of life. You will ride along with her as she talks about the adjustments in education, work, eating and even travel. She gives practical tips and ideas on how to make your own adjustments. This is a easy to read, well written book that will be an eye opener and if applied, could be life changing.  

I am so pleased to announce that I get to give a copy of Notes from a Blue Bike away to one lucky Check it Out! with Dawn reader! To enter just leave a comment letting me know one thing in your life you would like to simplify. US residents only. Giveaway ends 7/31/14.