Persevero 2!

So, I have been on a long hiatus from blogging!  We've got baby number 4 coming along in a few short weeks and things have been pretty crazy around here recently with baby preparations and work to finish up other commitments I have made (church curriculum, etc.).  Anyway, I do love being able to share here things that I hope will help other women (and myself!) grow spiritually and better serve their families.  One of my last posts (from last summer!) was "Persevero!" and was related to making goals and continuing to persevere toward those goals and the things you know the Lord wants you to do even when it gets rough.

We have made some of those goals regular occurrences in our house, praise God, but some of them we are still working on.  For instance, the kids and John and I are in bed at our planned "bedtimes" most nights, which is a blessing.  The getting up early to study God's Word and get breakfast made I am still struggling with though.  Being almost 9 months pregnant isn't helping me out here either!  So, I am improvising here and we are eating cereal some mornings (sometimes a lot of mornings...) and I'm squeezing in time to study when I get a chance during the day.  I still hope to set up a morning routine sometime in the future, but it's going to have to wait till we are settled a bit with baby number 4!

The dishwasher and dirty dishes are also getting taken care of regularly each day, so overall, we're doing fairly well with our goals.  Something that has helped greatly with that is updating my laminated chore chart to go with our new house size.  We put an addition on to our house that was completed last summer and I didn't get my chore chart updated for a while.  Now that my chore chart is actually functional for the house size again, it's helping me to better keep up with the cleaning!

I'm so grateful that we have accomplished some of these goals since we set them last year and the glory definitely goes to the Lord for this.  Perhaps you set some goals this year in January for 2014?  I hope they are going well and that you have dedicated them to the Lord and sought to make them in keeping with His will and what is best for your Christian life.  I'd like to end with this encouraging verse for persevering in the Christian life from Romans 2:5-8:

 "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation." (emphasis mine) 

May we each set godly goals to help us do good and "obey the truth" so that we may hear Him say to us upon Christ's return the words from Matthew 25:23:

"Well done, good and faithful slave.  You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."

Blessings to you this day as you seek to do the Lord's will and live a life pleasing to Him!

Introduction to TruthQuest History

Today, I'm starting a new series, which I will update periodically, in which I will review various books that are recommended for use along with the TruthQuest History curriculum.  For now I will be covering books specifically related to TruthQuest American History for Young Students I.  This is the series we will be going through this year and possibly next year as well, depending on how quickly we move through it.  I'm using this with my 2nd grader and my 3 1/2 year old jointly this year.  In case you're not familiar with TruthQuest History, you can check it out here.

This curriculum emphasizes a study of history through living books.  The author, Michelle Miller, composed a list of books related to each subject, person or event and laid them all out for you by title and author in this resource.  She also has available a Binder Builder (like a lapbook), Notebooking Pages and Map/Timeline/Report package which coordinate with the actual TruthQuest History notebook.  Of these options, we purchased the Binder Builder and the Map/Timeline Report package.  I am finding it necessary to supplement the timeline, so I have purchased this product: History Through the Ages - Collection CD (History Through the Ages).  Also, please note that this price on Amazon is significantly cheaper than Rainbow Resource or CBD, which is why I chose to purchase it there!  I'll let you know how this product turns out after I get a chance to put it to good use over the next few weeks!

Our TruthQuest Binder.

The main benefit of owning TruthQuest History is having a huge list of resources to choose from with each area of study as you move through history with your children.  The book is laid out in chronological order by people and events related to that specific period of history.  Ms. Miller includes a short bit of history at the beginning of each section, but you'll mainly get your information from the living books you'll read with your children. You can try to find many of these books at your local library or get them through inter-library loan.  So, you can do this study with relatively little extra expense if you desire.  Also, the books that were in print at the time of publishing are specifically marked.

I personally find it difficult to get to the library often, so we opted to purchase our own selection of books for our history study.  Whenever possible, I try to see a book in person before making a purchase (or at least rely heavily on reviews of other homeschoolers!).  Because reviews of others are so helpful to me, I'll be doing periodic reviews for you!

So, watch for the next post in the series in which I will review A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus by David Adler!

Persevero!

Persevero is Latin for "I persist" or "I persevere."  (We're starting Latin in homeschooling this year!)  Lately, we've been implementing some new routines as a family and working on turning these into habits can take quite a bit of work and perseverance!  I wanted to focus today on what to do when you are starting new habits personally or as a family and how to deal with setbacks in this process.

Right now, for instance, we are setting a solid bedtime for our children of 8:00 p.m. each night so that Mommy and Daddy can have some couple time each evening until we go to bed at 10:00 p.m.  That way we are all well rested and able to get up early each morning.  My goal there is to be up by 6:00 a.m., so I can spend some quiet time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer before all the busyness of the day begins.  I am also making breakfast each morning for my family and we are eating together before my husband leaves for work each day at 8:00 a.m.   Another goal thrown in at this time is getting the clean dishes out of the dishwasher each morning so that all the dirty, unsightly ones have a place to hide out during the day instead of taking over my kitchen counter and sink until evening.

That's a lot of goals at once, right?  I think a lot of them are co-dependent on each other though, so as long as one goes well, the next one sort of falls into place.  We just began this process about a week and a half ago and it is definitely a work in progress.  How are we doing so far?

1. Putting the children to bed - This is going great for everyone but my 1 1/2 year old.  He's used to just going to bed later around when Mommy goes to bed.  Anybody have any suggestions to help him get to bed earlier?  I think ultimately what it's going to require is persistence.
2. Getting ourselves to bed - This is also going pretty well, providing that the 1 1/2 year old cooperates and goes to sleep a little earlier.  He's averaging 9:30 p.m., right now...
3. Waking up earlier - I haven't reached my goal here yet.  I've made it to 6:30 a.m. for a day or two, but most of the time it's been 6:45 a.m.
4. Cooking breakfast - I have done this most mornings, except for a couple where I've gotten up a bit late and we've had cereal.  We have eaten together every morning since implementing this new routine though!
5. Taking care of the dishwasher - This has been happening most days (I fell off my horse a couple of evenings with getting everything totally cleaned up in the kitchen, but I got back on it the next day!).  This is actually a joy to me, because looking at an empty or almost empty sink during most of the day is much nicer than a pile of dirty dishes!

So, think of some goals you've made recently in your life.  How are you doing with those?  Have you gotten off track?  If so, what did you do?  How should we respond when we get off track in our goals (especially when these are godly goals)?  What should I do when...

• ...my children don't get to sleep well and I can't seem to drag myself out of bed the next morning?
• ...the dishes stay in a pile on the counter all night, because I chose to do other things the evening before?
• ...I miss my quiet time with God because I did not get myself out of the bed when I should have?
• ...we get off track homeschooling in the morning because of an interruption and our entire day is shot (academically at least!)?  
• ...you fill in the blank...?

In short, persevero!  That is what we should do.  Persist, persevere!  If you get off track one day, one week, one month, get back on track.  Begin again and God will be with you.  We are told in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (NASB)

Commit your goals to the Lord and ask Him to help you.  He is faithful to provide us help in anything that brings glory to Him.  Also, keep in mind that any goal that is of benefit to your Christian family or your walk with God will not be looked upon kindly by Satan.  So, he may throw some obstacles in your way to make you discouraged, but do not give up!  Persevere!

God's Word has quite a lot to say about perseverance.  Here is one example from Romans 2:5-8 of what we stand to gain for persevering in following Christ after accepting His gift of salvation:

"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation." (emphasis mine)

I don't know about you, but that is some strong motivation for me right there!  Also, if any of your goals involve giving up of self, please don't let that be a hindrance.  Look at what Christ persevered through for us when He came to earth and gave Himself up to death on the cross because of our sins - my sins and yours!  Paul presents Christ's "giving up of Himself" so well in Philippians 2:5-8:

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Let's make this our aim.  Do set goals for yourself and your family that will bring glory to our great God and do not focus on your own fleshly desires!  Commit these goals to the Lord and He will prove faithful!  Persevero!

  

Book Review: "Three Decades of Fertility"

I wanted to share with you this amazing book!  I've just read it and am so encouraged.  If you're interested, you can check it out here: Three Decades of Fertility. This PDF version will be on sale through midnight tonight for just $4.99!  You can also get it here at Amazon Three Decades of Fertility: Ten Ordinary Women Surrender to the Creator and Embrace Life (Paperback) or Three Decades of Fertility (Kindle).

This book is like sitting down over a cup of tea (in fact, you should definitely have one while reading...or coffee if it's your thing!) and listening to these Christian women share their experiences during their childbearing years.  Ten different women tell their stories of how they came to a place of surrendering life in their wombs to the Creator of life.  Some of these women were Christians throughout their entire childbearing years and some of these women began their journey as unbelievers, but were blessed to be drawn into God's family at some point later on.  It deals specifically with women who have borne children in their 20's, 30's and 40's.

Each chapter is as unique as the women who wrote them, but they also each answer eleven specific survey questions at the end of their chapter.  The questions are as follows:

1. How do you deal with the fear of increased miscarriage, infant loss, or birth defects? How can one handle that kind of pain, especially over and over again?
2. How do you balance life with older kids and babies? Do you feel this is unfair to the older children? How do they feel about having more brothers and sisters? Is it being greedy to want more babies at the risk of not being able to meet the needs of the rest of the family?
3. What about the ethical issues of repeated miscarriages? Shouldn’t I avoid conception if I know that the chances of that child living are minimal? Am I enabling death when I should be promoting life?
4. Do pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery get harder in your 40s? I already feel like I’m coming apart at the seams! How will I hold out until menopause if I keep having babies? Am I acting responsibly when it comes to taking care of my health?
5. How do I deal with extended family members, friends, and even the medical community who disapprove of our continuing to want more babies as we get older?
6. Will I have the energy I need to continue to raise children into my 50s if I have some in my 40s? Is it fair to the child to have older parents?
7. How do you explain miscarriage to older children, especially if you have repeated losses?
8. How does having babies in your 40s affect your relationship with your husband? Don’t I owe him some of my best years?
9. Do you have any practical tips for high mileage mamas dealing with fatigue, pelvic separation, joint pain, varicose veins, etc.? In other words, what kinds of pregnancy issues did you have to deal with, and how did you deal with them?
10. Are there real statistics (not skewed to the cultural norm) available regarding having babies in one’s 40s? How many mothers do you know who have had babies in their 40s? Share your thoughts regarding statistics and odds.
11. Hind sight is 20/20. Do you have any regrets? Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

The two chapters at the end are an added bonus.  Dr. Regina Brott presents a chapter on how God designed women's bodies to be able to bear children and provides much advice on naturally addressing many health concerns women face during pregnancy and beyond, especially those who have had many children.  The last chapter, by Donielle Baker, is chock full of information on how nutrition affects your fertility and its importance during pregnancy; she especially focuses on your health in preparation for conception.

This is an amazing book.  There is much application of God's word throughout and you will feel blessed to share in the stories of our powerful God's work in the lives of these women and their families.  If you get the book, please let me know how you liked it here!  I pray it is a blessing to many women!

Watkins Extracts Giveaway!

So, I thought I'd reward you, my readers, with some great extracts to try!  I'm hosting a giveaway, so enter to win below!  All three extracts are 8 oz. size, so this prize would be a great addition to your kitchen!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, for some ideas on how to use these Watkins extracts, check the following:

Raspberry Extract Ideas
Strawberry Extract Ideas
Orange Extract Ideas

These recipes are from the McCormick website, so they all specify McCormick extracts, but the recipes look great and there are a lot to choose from.  I haven't used fruit extracts much in the past, but I'm looking forward to trying out some of these recipes in my kitchen with my yummy Watkins extracts!

Also, you can check here for more information about Watkins and the things they avoid in their products.  I'm a consultant for Watkins, so I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have!

Thanks for reading my blog!  I hope and pray it is a blessing to you!

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Delicious, healthy cookies!

It's "Food Friday" again and I'd like to share a recipe for some yummy oatmeal raisin cookies that are full of fiber, iron and whole grains!  If you're in the mood for something sweet, but also want it to be good for you, then these cookies are for you!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tbsp. butter, softened

1 1/4 cup Rapunzel Pure Organic Whole Cane Sugar, 24-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)
*If you're interested in knowing more about this sugar and why I recommend it, click here to see my post about it.*
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 cup raisins

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer till creamy.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Add flour mixture a portion at a time, mixing well.
5. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
6. Drop dough in rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or till light golden brown.  Cool on wire rack (or have some while they're warm!).  
8. Enjoy!

Great Organization Tip for Storage!

First off, credit for this idea goes to a book called Emilie Barnes' 15 Minute Home and Family Organizer.  I don't know if this book is even available anymore, but I picked it up for FREE at a homeschool swap day.  It's got some good tips.  I haven't made it very far into it yet, but I really loved this storage organization tip.  So, I'm sharing it with you!

Here's how my storage plan went previously.  I put a general label on the outside of the box and stacked the storage tubs up in the garage.  This worked okay, but when I wanted to find something in particular, I had to pull down lots of boxes sometimes to find it.  Also, I could not put much more than one category of something per tub or the labels would get way too complicated!

One Stack in the Garage

So, the new storage plan involves tubs which are labeled as follows.  A letter of the alphabet is assigned to a category and then a number goes with the letter for each box in the category.  For instance, my first set of boxes is A1-A7 (so far).  "A" is for "apparel" and I love that the label letter coordinates with what's stored there.  My next set of boxes should begin with "B", but I may just have to skip on to "C" for "Christmas" or "celebrations" and store all the holiday items under that letter!  :)

Boxes A6 & A7

When you store things in the boxes, you also make a coordinating index card for that box and place it on a ring with all the other storage index cards.  On the index card, you detail what is in the box: sizes, gender and season of clothing, decorative items, etc.  You could also make a spreadsheet on the computer.  I would recommend keeping a hard copy and one stored on the computer, that way you have a back-up if something happens to one of them.  It would be a lot of work to go back and re-catalog all the box contents!

My Index Card Ring!

This new system, in combination with my new attic storage, has got me super excited!  Now all I have to do is flip through my index cards, find what I want, and say, "John, could you please get me box A5  when you get a chance?"  Fabulous!  Happy organizing!

Please comment with any storage organization tips that work well in your own home so we can all benefit!