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A-hoppin' and an interview
 I'm in the thick of garage sale preparations (we open bright and early tomorrow morning!), putting the finishing touches on a presentation I'm giving tomorrow at the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (I'd love to have you join us if you're already registered for the event!), and gearing up for The Total Money Makeover Live Event this weekend (woohoo!) so things are a-hoppin' around here and I'll probably not be around much the next few days. For those of you who might be interested, Mrs. Wilt was kind enough to interview me on her blog for her A Month of Cheerful Thrift series. I share lessons my parents taught me on wise stewardship, strategies for keeping your grocery budget low, a few book recommendations, and more. Click here to read the full interview. Enjoy and a big thanks to Mrs. Wilt for the opportunity to share!
Beginning afresh
 I had the privilege of attending the MPE homeschool conference this weekend and what a blessing it was! I've been to numerous homeschool conferences before but this one was one of the most encouraging that I've attended in a long time. As Kathrynne is nearing school age, I've been feeling more and more pressure to do more academics with her. This pressure was completely self-imposed but it was there nonetheless. I went to the conference feeling somewhat burdened down by my need to figure out more clearly what curriculum and books I should be doing with Kathrynne and what direction we should be taking. It was overwhelming but I was determined to try and make some headway.  The first session by Voddie Baucham completely knocked me off my feet and out of my little self-imposed guilt-trip. Why was I so concerned and uptight about academics? Yes, I want my daughters to have a high-quality education but are academics really what is most important to me? Shouldn't my focus instead be on instilling in my girls a heart for the Lord and training and discipling them in the ways of the Lord? Here I was stressing over what math book Kathrynne should be doing when and how fast she should be progressing and I was completely overlooking the big picture of what home education is supposed to be all about--that of raising up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to send them out as mighty warriors to impact this culture for the glory of God! As I continued to listen to the sessions by Dr. Baucham, I was so encouraged and relieved; I don't have to try and do it all, I don't have to stress over curriculum and textbooks like this, my primary focus should instead be on loving the Lord, loving my family, discipling my daughters, and setting a Godly example before them.  I was struck with how misplaced my priorities have been. Instead of just loving and enjoying my girls, I've been worrying about academics and progress in the world's eyes. What does it matter what the world thinks of our family? If God is pleased, that's all that matters. And so I begin this mothering and home-educating thing anew. Bring on the story books, the wagon rides, the ant-watching, and the beater-licking! There will be time enough in the future to cover textbooks and workbooks, today we're just going to enjoy learning from life together. Related: Kendra's post on Beginning a Classical Education here was very encouraging to me as I seek to refocus my priorities. Labels: Homeschooling, Mothering
 O to grace how great a debtor Labels: Faith
Frugal Friday: Simple, frugal decorating
 Wreaths were on sale for $12.99 at JoAnns last week and I had some wiggle room in the home decorating budget, so I splurged and bought one for our fireplace and then added some candles we already had to create a simple and fresh look for Spring and Summer.  It's amazing what a simple thing re-arranging and sprucing up a bit can do to lift your spirits and give your living areas a fresh new look--all at a minimal cost! -------------------- Join in the fun! Have a frugal tip or deal to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. Thanks so much for joining us! Labels: Frugal Friday
Clear Out The Clutter Challenge: Day 2 and 3
I didn't have a chance to post about my clutter-busting yesterday, so you get a two-for-one today. I cleaned out the upstairs including our bedroom and bathroom and the girls' bedroom and bathroom. The end result was this huge ole' pile of stuff going straight to our garage sale stash:  It sure feels nice to have cleared out all that space in our cupboards and drawers! Also, speaking of homemaking projects, the winners of the copies of Queen of the Castle are: Betty Jo and Catherine. ------------------ Want to join in the Clear Out the Clutter Challenge? Post about the clutter you clear out (with before and after pictures!) in your home today and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Don't have a blog? Tell us about your accomplishments in the comments section. Labels: Home Management and Organization
Successful Homemaking with Toddlers: Is it Possible? Part 3
 After changing your definition of "successful homemaking" and committing to rely upon the Lord to give you the strength and grace to fulfill His calling in your life, you are well on your way to true success at homemaking while mothering toddlers! If you are married, this next point is vital:2) Seek your husband's counsel and direction for how he desires you to manage your home and train your children.God has given us our husbands to be our protective heads. Ephesians 5:23 says, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church..."As brides of Christ (Christians), we are to seek to honor Christ as our Head and Authority. In the same way, as brides to our husband we should seek to honor them as our spiritual head and authority. God has called me, as a Christian wife, to willingly and joyfully place myself the leadership and direction of my own husband. I am to respect, honor, and submit to my husband as Christ so that glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ might shine forth to the world through our marriage. (See Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:4-5; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 3:5.) It is so important that we each seek the direction and wisdom of our own husbands for how we can honor him in the way we manage our home and children. My husband knows me better than anyone else--he knows my strengths and my weaknesses, he knows my aptitude for being an over-achiever, he knows my perfectionist tendencies, and he knows how I often need someone to quietly remind me to slow down and focus on my what really matters. He knows how our family operates better than anyone else and God has given him the responsibility to lead our family. And I can trust God to lead through him. Whenever I have a new idea I'm considering implementing in our home, when I need some counsel regarding what to do in a situation, or when I need some encouragement because I'm feeling overwhelmed, I want to first go to the Lord and my husband for direction. It is so easy to want to look to others--to books, to blogs, to friends, even to wise older women--when we need to first look to the Lord and our husbands. I have often been guilty of this. I might hear of an idea that just sounds wonderful or I might be asked to participate in something, and, without even thinking twice, I jump on board. Many times, after a few weeks, I'll find myself overwhelmed and stressed and wondering why on earth I took on this new thing. When I'm bemoaning this to my husband, he'll gently remind me, "Did you pray about it and talk to me about it or did you just commit to it without thinking?"If only I would have stopped to pray and stopped to ask my husband's wisdom before committing to something, I likely could have prevented so much frustration! I've also found that it is very easy to compare myself to others. I might read on another blog about something that someone else is doing and think, "Wow, that's a good idea; I really should be doing that, too." And then I'll scramble to try and figure out how I can make it work in our schedule only to find myself tense that I can't seem to add it in. This tension can turn into guilt, "If I don't do such-and-such like this blogger friend of mine is doing, I'm not a good homemaker or mother." Ever felt like that before? I've been there more times that I'd like to admit.
My husband is so wise to remove this guilt I'm burdening myself needlessly with by looking into my eyes and reminding me, "Crystal, all that matters is that you honor the Lord and honor me; don't worry about trying to be like other people."
What a relief!
And so, as you seek to be a successful homemaker with toddlers, I encourage you to learn from others and be inspired by others, but have freedom to manage your home and train your children in a way that honors the Lord and honors your own husband.
To be continued...
Labels: Home Management and Organization
Clear Out the Clutter: Day 1
Yesterday, in our Clear Out the Clutter Challenge, Kathrynne and I tackled the main floor of our home. Our living room stays quite clutter-free and I'd recently gone through the coat closet, and the bathroom only houses a stash of Kleenex that I got a great deal on some months back, so the kitchen and above the washer/dryer area was our main focus.  I ended up going through every cupboard, clearing it out, and wiping things down with Basic G as I went. We also cleaned out the refrigerator, too.  And in case you're wondering about the very bare refrigerator--this was taken right before we headed to the store for our weekly grocery shopping trip!  And here's our final pile of clutter from the main floor--going straight to the garage sale pile. Yay! ------------- Want to join in our Clear Out the Clutter Challenge? Post about the clutter you clear out (with before and after pictures!) in your home today and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Don't have a blog? Tell us about your accomplishments in the comments section. Labels: Home Management and Organization
Dr. Voddie Baucham speaking in Kansas City this weekend
 For those of you who live in the KC area and might not know, I wanted to mention that Dr. Voddie Baucham will be in town this week as a Keynote Speaker for the Midwest Parent Educator's Homeschool Conference on April 25-26, 2008 (see details here). Dr. Baucham will also be giving a free keynote address at 7:00 pm, Thursday evening, April 24, at Emmanuel Baptist Church (95th and Metcalf) in Overland Park. His message, The Centrality of the Home, is one that I would recommend every single parent listen to and take to heart. We are losing 75-88% of professing Christian kids by the end of their freshman year in college. In this message, Dr. Baucham explains why, and what the Bible has to say about stemming the tide. Whether or not you are a homeschooler, I promise you will be challenged, blessed, and inspired by Dr. Voddie Baucham's messages and I encourage you to make every effort to attend. Lord-willing, our family will be attending both the Thursday evening message and the homeschool conference on Friday and Saturday. If you will at either of these, we'd love to meet you! ( Email me if you'll be there!) See more details here. Read more about Voddie Baucham here.
Successful Homemaking with Toddlers: Is it Possible? Part 2
 Last week, I talked about the need to redefine "successful homemaking." Contrary to what some may think, it doesn't mean that we live a life of perfection. Rather, I believe successful homemaking is the result of a woman seeking to first and foremost glorify the Lord in her calling as a child of God, a helpmeet to her husband, and a mother to her children. There will be many days when things look far from perfect but if our primary goal is seek first the Kingdom of God, honor the Lord, and glorify Him with our lives, we will have true success in God's eyes (Joshua 1:8, Matt. 6:33). And, I also believe that a side product will be a much calmer, cheerful, and orderly home (at least most of the time!). We must begin with first things first:
1) Successful, God-glorifying homemaking with toddlers is only possible when we rely totally upon the Lord.You cannot do this in your own strength. You can try, but you will quickly find yourself frustrated, burned out, stressed, and overwhelmed. Learning to walk in the spirit, instead of trying and failing in my own flesh has been one of the greatest lessons I've learned as a young mom. Like never before, motherhood has brought to light just how inadequate and insufficient I am in and of myself. Truly, I can't do this myself.I need God's strength, God's grace, God's help... His kindness, His gentleness, His long-suffering, His love, His compassion. God has given me these children, He can equip me to be faithful to the task of raising them. God has called me to be a keeper of my home, He can sustain me and give me wisdom to manage it for His glory. With God, all things are possible ( Matt. 19:26). Even all those things that may look, seem, and feel impossible. When we live our life in the strength of the Lord, we can do all things (Phil. 4:13)--including managing our home with toddlers underfoot! So, don't try to do this mothering and homemaking thing alone! To be continued...Labels: Home Management and Organization
Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Clear Out the Clutter Challenge
 Nothing can keep your home from being a peaceful haven more than clutter can, so in an effort to make our homes more of a warm and welcoming abode, we're declaring war on clutter this week. Monday through Thursday, I'll be going through our home and collecting as much clutter as I can to put in our garage sale next week. If I haven't used it this past year or do not need it--out the door it's going. I'll be posting pictures of my progress in hopes that it will inspire you to attack your home as well. And if you want to particpate, we'll have a Mr. Linky up each day so you can blog about your clutter-reduction and motivate the rest of us! And don't forget to sign up for our giveaway of two books especially for struggling homemakers.Graphic from AllPosters.com--------------- Join in the fun! Post about the clutter you clear out (with before and after pictures!) or share anything else related to making your home a haven and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Don't have a blog? Tell us about your accomplishments in the comments section. Labels: Making Your Home a Haven
Frugal Friday: Free stuff, deals, and links of interest
 I just spent two hours clearing out an email inbox that I'd not checked for over a year--I suppose that could count for my Anti-Procrastination project for the day! At any rate, I'm a bit brain-fried from wading through over 5000 emails so I'm going to just share a few quick links:-If you've not signed up for RevolutionMoneyExchange and can use an extra $25, be sure to do that. Read the comments here for a lot more information, links to articles, and more. I've thoroughly checked this company out and believe it to be very legitimate--they are just using creative marketing (giving away $25 to everyone who signs up!) to get lots of free advertising and new customer sign-ups! (And if you're a fan of Tammy's Recipes, like me, I'd like to encourage you to use her link here to sign up and she'll get $10 when you do so!) -Go here to get a $5 off a $5 or more purchase at Kohl's! It takes a few days to get the coupon, but with all the deals Kohl's is constantly running, it is not hard to find something for right at $5 which would be free after this coupon. -Joann's Fabrics has a lot of sales going on right now, including $0.99 McCall's patterns. I just went there today and stocked up on some great sales and am all inspired to whip out the sewing machine and get busy sewing! -See our $40 menu and grocery shopping trip for this week here.-Get a coupon for a free Scotch-Brite toilet cleaner starter kit here. (These are $4.97 at Wal-Mart, by the way.) Like freebies? Click here for oodles more! - And, if you are overwhelmed as a wife, mother, or homemaker, don't forget to sign up for our giveaway of two copies of Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged, or Just Plain Tired Homemaker by Lynn Bowen Walker. ---------------- Join in the fun! Have a frugal tip or deal to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. Thanks so much for joining us! Labels: Frugal Friday
Giveaway: Especially for struggling homemakers
The winner of the giveaway from Light of Faith is: Julia Garner We've been talking a lot about homemaking here recently and what perfect timing that I have two copies of Queen of the Castle to give away--graciously donated by Thomas Nelson publishers. I picked up Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged, or Just Plain Tired Homemaker when I was needing some encouragement in my homemaking and mothering a year and a half ago. Was I ever inspired and encouraged--it was just what I needed! Lynn's style makes you feel right at home and leaves you very encouraged, not beaten down by extra guilt. As CBD says: Broken into 52 weeks of encouragement, Queen of the Castle talks more about caring than china, fun than function, and participating than perfecting. Walker, who freely admits she is not Homemaker of the Year, is more like a neighbor sharing tips over coffee than a domestic diva. Wisdom combined with fun, Queen of the Castle encourages women and reminds them that hugs matter, prayer helps, and home counts. Home counts, folks... It really does. Even on days when it seems like I'm doing a really sloppy job of this homemaker thing. And if you're anything like me, you need to be often reminded that what you are doing is a noble calling which can bring great honor and glory to God. Queen of the Castle serves as an excellent reminder to not lose heart, to not give up, and to remember to find the humor in the midst of it. To enter to win one of the two copies of this book I have to give away:::Leave a comment with your name and a way to contact you (email or blog link) on this post telling us what your greatest struggle is right now in the area of homemaking. Mine would be keeping up with dishes; what's yours? (I'll be taking note of what you list to consider for future guest posts and series on this blog!)
::Winner will be randomly drawn and posted on Tuesday of next week.
::This giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. Labels: Giveaways
Anti-Procrastination Week: Day 3
Note: This is the last day I'll be posting for the Anti-Procrastination series this week as we need to move on to Frugal Friday and some other previously-planned blog posts for the next few days. However, join us next week for an all-out Clear Out The Clutter Challenge ! I'll be documenting the cleaning out of extra stuff in our home in preparation for a garage sale. I'd love to have you join me! The morning began like usual with taking my vitamins, showering and getting dressed to the shoes, and spending some rich time in God's Word.  After breakfast, I tackled the sink piled high with dishes. Pictured above is the beautifully-shiny clean sink which resulted! I love it--even if it only seems to last for less than one hour!  Kathrynne worked on her tracing sheets while I cleaned the kitchen.  Then it was time for a quick pick up and off to level Mt. Neverest. ( Where does all this laundry come from?! I always wonder. I think it multiplies in the hamper or dryer or something!)  Ah! Much better!  We then set to work making dinner--fresh green beans, meat loaf, and mashed potatoes were on the menu.  And finally, we rewarded our hard work with a hot chocolate tea party and a good story. Labels: Home Management and Organization
Help! My sink overfloweth!
Remember that I just said I have a lot left to learn when it comes to successful homemaking? Well, here's one area I really need to improve in and was hoping you all could help. Almost every morning in the last month, I've been waking up to something like this:  Yes, it's bad. And there's nothing quite like waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes to start the day off on the wrong note. I know the simple answer is that I should just wash them before I go to bed. I know I should, but I'm really struggling to actually do it. Jesse works pretty long hours--especially when factoring in his commute--and since I'm here with the girls all day by the time dinner is over with, I'm exhausted and ready to drop into bed myself. And I usually do just that as soon as the girls are ready for bed, I've nursed Kaitlynn, and we've had family worship. Which leaves the ever-growing pile of dishes to tackle in the morning. I normally wash this gigantic pile of dishes straight after breakfast. Then I do as much of the dinner prep as possible before lunch so that I can wash all of those extra dishes with the lunch dishes to help reduce the pile of dirty dishes which seems to multiply later in the day. However, by the time dinner is over with, there is a whole new stack of dishes calling my name. And my bed is calling my name louder. What do you do to avoid an overflowing kitchen sink in the morning? What works for you?
Note: I thought I should mention that we have a dishwasher, but it's an older model and it doesn't seem to clean the dishes well at all. I end up having to rinse them so thoroughly to have them coming out looking halfway clean that I might as well just wash them by hand.
Note #2: I also realized that I should mention that all of you moms of three or more are given full permission to laugh at how silly it sounds for a mom of two to be so tired at night. I'm sure I don't even know what the word tired means yet. :)
Labels: Home Management and Organization
Successful Homemaking with Toddlers: Is it Possible? Part 1
 Because of a large number of requests and emails in recent weeks, I'm embarking on a series on successful homemaking with toddlers underfoot. I do not consider myself to be any expert on this subject; I only have two little girls and have been a mom for less than four years. As always, I have much left to learn and, in ten years from now, I'll likely have a much different viewpoint. However, I hope that some of what I share will be an encouragement to those of you young moms who feel overwhelmed in your everyday tasks.Successful homemaking with toddlers--is it possible? Yes, it is... But only with God's help, lots of creativity and diligence on our part, and our willingness to let go of perfectionism. You see, I believe that "successful homemaking" does not mean you have a perfect home, a perfect schedule, or perfect children. In fact, none of us will ever have any of those things at any time. We live in a sin-filled world full of imperfection. If we try to achieve perfection, we will always fail and, more than likely, we'll live in despair. However, I do believe that God can equip us and enable us to be the wives, mothers, and homemakers He has called us to be. By His grace, we can joyfully and whole-heartedly fulfill our roles as help meets to our husbands, loving nurturers of our children, and diligent managers of our homes. And we can do all of this in a manner which brings glory and honor to the Lord! Join me in the next two weeks as I share what God has been teaching me the last few years and practical ideas I've implemented in order to seek to successfully manage our home with young children. Note: I'd love to have some guest posts on this topic, too--especially from those of you who are more seasoned moms. Email me if you're interested in sharing!Graphic from AllPosters.comLabels: Home Management and Organization, Mothering
Anti-Procrastination Week: Day 2
 Our day began with oatmeal and orange/banana/carrot/flax seed smoothies. Yum!  And, of course, Bible Time--Kathrynne's favorite time of all! We have to carefully scan as many pictures as Mom will allow and explain what was happening to who and why and when and where. (And "Are those bad people or good people, Mama?" "How come?" "Do they love Jesus?" Are they going to Heaven?") Three-year-olds are so inquisitive and I'm grateful that one of the things Kathrynne asks the most about is Bible stories.  After baths, kitchen clean-up (gratefully things weren't as bad as yesterday!), and a quick pick up of the house, we proceeded to vacuum the living room and clean out the vacuum cleaner bucket. Ick! We have a bagless vacuum which we like, but cleaning out the bucket is not high on my list of favorite chores.  We then cleaned the glass, emptied the small trashes, and dumped some baking soda in them (this keeps them smelling fresh!).  Then we moved on to do some cooking and baking. I browned some ground beef and made chili and whipped up a meatloaf for later in the week while that was simmering. I had some extra time and had been wanting to try and make homemade crackers to go with the chili. Well try we did and flop they did. Perhaps we should just stick with Saltines. Ugh! Anyone have a better cracker recipe for me to try--one that works well with whole wheat flour? If so, I'd love to have it!  After our chores were finished, we enjoyed some fun outside time with Kathrynne having a blast riding her trike on the deck. Life just isn't much better than that, is it? Want to join in Anti-Procrastination week? If so, visit Mrs. Byers here.Labels: Home Management and Organization
Guest Post: The Importance of Homemaking
 Guest Post from Lynn Bowen WalkerAuthor of Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker (Come back tomorrow for a chance to win a copy of this book!) "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men..." Ephesians 6:5-7 I've been reading a secular book about the history of women and domesticity. One of the author's points is that the work we do in our homes is undervalued, often not even seen as work. While I agree wholeheartedly with her observations, the conclusions she and I reach diverge wildly. She seems to conclude that the world needs to see and value our work if we are to keep doing it, and to entice the next generation to value the concept of home. I conclude that whether anyone sees and appreciates our work or not, it is still important to keep doing it. While it would be lovely to have one's homemaking efforts valued by the world, the lack of any such recognition does nothing to diminish the work's importance. My children may not appreciate my efforts to get them to eat fruits and vegetables or to put their clean clothes in their drawers, but that doesn't mean I should abandon my efforts. If the work is important, it's important. Period. Whether anyone on the outside gives me acclaim or not. I love the apostle Paul's observations that we are not to be men-pleasers but servants of Christ. He wants us to serve in our callings with good will, also translated as benevolence ("well" plus "mind"). He wants us to do His will from our hearts. The Lord Himself sees and values our work. It is enough. -Lynn Bowen Walker is a Stanford graduate who was trained as a journalist, but who chose instead to dedicate herself to raising a family and building a strong home. In addition to making a mean chocolate chip cookie and having written for many magazines, she has contributed to several books, authored a book of her own, and is raising two sons with her husband, Mark.
Graphic from AllPosters.com
Labels: Homemaking
48-Hour Giveaway: Jumping Ship and Do Hard Things
The winner of the Double Ruffle Hair Bow Giveaway (which was supposed to be posted a month ago and I fell off the bandwagon here--it's a good thing it's Anti-Procrastination Week!) is: Mrs. S (Seeschells@) ------------- Thanks to the gracious folks at Light of Faith, we're running a giveaway for the next 48 hours which I am very excited about. These are two hot-off-the-press books I've been looking forward to for months and can't wait to get my hands on. And one random blog commentor will be winning both here this week!From Light of Faith: In addressing the growing problem of Christian young people growing up and rejecting the faith and standards of their parents, these two books top our current list of must-reads.  There is a troubling trend showing up among some of the "homeschool crowd." Children of homeschooling families are discontent and rebellious, jumping ship as soon as they think they can survive without the family—some as young as sixteen years old. Jumping Ship will help parents recognize practical ways they themselves are driving their children to reject the very things they desire them to embrace.
 Do Hard Things is a powerful book for teens (and anyone else for that matter) who are being bombarded with the false mentality of our "never grow up" culture. Young people are finding an emptiness in the "me" culture and are hungering for something of substance, purpose, and meaning. Alex and Brett Harris, authors of The Rebelution blog help fill this void in a BIG way!
Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life. Then they map out five powerful ways teens can respond for personal and social change.
Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of an already-happening teen revolution challenges a generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today. While I normally would skip to the giveaway details here, I have to pause for a moment to plug the company sponsoring this giveaway which also happens to be at the top of my list when it comes to my favorite companies. Light of Faith Resources, run by our friends Jimmy and Megan Morris, is dedicated to bringing you family-strengthening, faith-building, Christ-exalting materials. And let me tell you, they do just that! The quality and caliber of books carried by Light of Faith is almost unprecedented. Best of all, since they are very careful in what books they sell, you can rest assured that if it's in their catalog, it will be wholesome, God-honoring, and worth your time. By the way, if you sign up for their newsletter here (sign-up is on the lower right-hand side) and you'll get a coupon for FREE SHIPPING on your first order!
-----------------------To enter to win both Jumping Ship and Do Hard Things:::Visit Light of Faith Resources and choose a book or two (or ten!) that you'd love to have.
::Come back here and leave a comment below telling us which title(s) you chose. (Please include your name and either your email address or blog link so I can contact you if you are the winner!)
::Winner will be randomly drawn and posted at 9:00 PM, Thursday evening (April 17, 2008).
::This giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S.
Labels: Giveaways
My planner - Part 2
I talked about how I've gotten back into using a planner again and my Daily Pages last time, today I wanted to briefly tell you about the other pages I use:  The Household Organizer pages - Though these pages are actually supposed to be used for planning household cleaning, I use them to create a week-at-a-glance goal sheet for the main areas of my life: Home, Jesse, Personal, Kathrynne&Kaitlynn, Personal, BiblicalWomanhood.com, MSM Blog, and BW Blog. In each section, I jot down basic goals I have for each area for the week. For instance, this week here is one of my goals for each area: Home: Check out gardening books (I'm planning some gardening projects!) Jesse: Clean out van (something that will bless my hubby!) Kathrynne and Kaitlynn: Finish Twenty and TenPersonal: Listen to 4 teaching CDs Biblical Womanhood: Promotion with Living on a DimeMSM Blog: Post Budgeting 101- Part 3 post BW Blog: Finish planner series (!) That's just a sampling of how this page works for me--most of these categories have at least 2-3 goals per week in them. I use this goal sheet to then plan out my week and assign a day in my Daily Pages to actually start and complete the goal (or to at least start it!). I don't always finish everything on this sheet every week; in fact, I don't think I've ever finished everything, but I use it as a master guideline to work from when planning my week. If something doesn't get done off this sheet, it is moved to the following week. Creating weekly goals has been a huge help in allowing me to accomplish more, stay on track better, and keep my main priorities my main priorities. I'd highly recommend you consider trying this idea in your own home and planning. Perhaps it might be a great help for you as well! The Daily Pages and the Household Organizer pages are my most-utilized pages for planning purposes, but I also have a section which includes the Menu Planners and shopping lists from GraceWorks and I love having this in my planner. Not only can I easily consult exactly what's planned on the menu, but I have a place to write down items that we need to buy (both at the grocery store and elsewhere. At the back of my planner are my Scripture Memory pages and my Devotion pages. I try to memorize one verse per week (I'm currently working my way through Psalm 31.) and normally review it each morning during my devotion time. I use the devotion pages to journal what the Lord is teaching me through His Word. It is very helpful for me to do so and God never fails to give me a nugget of encouragement or challenge from His Word each morning. In addition, I have a section of my planner that includes note paper and note cards (I keep the note cards in a zippered pouch). These are handy for writing thank you notes on-the-go. So, that's the basic scoop on my planner. I have some other pages which I've purchased but have not put to use yet, so I'll wait to tell you about those until I've used them and like them! For those who asked, yes, I also have a Home Management Binder, too. That stays in open on our kitchen counter and rarely leaves its place, whereas my planner goes with me everywhere. My home management binder includes our daily schedule, and weekly and monthly cleaning schedule. You can read more about how I organize our household cleaning tasks here and here. Any questions? Feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.As always, remember this is what works for me at this season of our lives. Something entirely different might very well work for you!Labels: Finding Time, Home Management and Organization
Anti-Procrastination Week: Day 1
Anti-Procrastination Week is "reality blogging" at its finest--where all superwoman myths are handedly dispelled and you get to see a real look into our lives. Enjoy the ride... Dressed to the shoes and ready to go! (I detest tennis shoes, but for cleaning our home, they work wonders at keeping me motivated and diligent. Don't ask me why, but this trick I learned from FlyLady really works!)  Time to tackle the messy kitchen. I don't know what it is, but we can never seem to go through a weekend without the kitchen looking something like this on Monday morning. And a messy kitchen just makes the whole house feel messy to me!  Progress after 30 minutes of work and multiple interruptions.  And finally, after another 30 minutes of work--finished! Much better. (If only I had curtains on the windows--that's something I've been procrastinating on for way too long!)  Next I made out the menu for this week. I had failed to do this on Saturday, so I wanted to get this done as it is extremely helpful for me to have a complete menu written out for the week and stuck in my planner. We then whipped up a batch of our favorite homemade bread (recipe here and also in our ebook Fresh-From-The-Oven Favorites). And while I was working on all that, Kathrynne and Kaitlynn worked on this...  Yep, they had brought the mop, brooms, dust pan and more out to the living room and "re-arranged" everything. At least they were trying to be productive!  After we had cleaned up the living room, we all sat down for a snack of tea and chocolate cake.  I didn't really tackle many projects outside of the normal yesterday, so I suppose it wasn't much of an "Anti-Procrastination Day" but our home was much cleaner by the time Jesse arrived home, dinner was on the table, and I wasn't feeling frazzled. These days, having those three things happen in one evening is a big accomplishment! Labels: Home Management and Organization, Making Your Home a Haven
Special Offer: Living on a Dime Ebook Extravaganza!
 Just in time for Tax Day, my friends from Living on a Dime have put together a special offer for my readers. You can get all 17 of their practical, money-saving ebooks for only a $1 each! This ebook package will help you learn new strategies to stretch your paycheck, get out of debt, and fight high prices. The regular price of all of these ebooks put together is $119, but through Thursday of this week, you can get them all in one big package for one low price--only $17! With the rising price of gas and groceries, it's good to know that some prices are actually going down! Click here to check out this money-saving package! Labels: Special Offers
Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Anti-Procrastination Day
 Because I need the motivation (and maybe you do, too), I'm declaring today "Anti-Procrastination Day." Have piles of projects you been putting off? Today is the day to tackle them--stop procrastinating and get busy! I'm going pare down our schedule to the basics today so I can hopefully start and finish some of these long-overdue tasks. I'll do a post late in the day on what we accomplished. (Come to think of it, maybe I need to have an anti-procrastination week? Anyone want to host it at their blog? Last time when Mrs. Wilt did this it was a huge help to me and I'd love to have she or someone else do it again so we can all be inspired to get moving!) --------------------- Join in the fun! Post about the projects you accomplish today (with before and after pictures!) or share anything else related to making your home a haven and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Don't have a blog? Tell us about your accomplishments in the comments section. Labels: Making Your Home a Haven
Frugal Friday: CSA's?
 I have a question for anyone who can help today: Have you bought a share in a CSA before? If so, what was your experience? Did you find it saved you money on produce while allowing you to get better and fresher fruits/vegetables? What advice would you have for someone who is considering buying a share in a CSA?We're seriously considering doing this this Summer and from the research I've done, I think it would not only save us a little money--a half-share is around $12-$15/week at most farms here and we normally pay more than that for our produce for the week-- but it would allow us to get much better produce, and hopefully more bang for our buck. However, I know very few people who have done this before and certainly don't have a clue what I should be looking for in a CSA or what questions I should be asking. So, for those of you more experienced than me, could you help me out? For those who are unfamiliar with the term CSA, go here to read what it's all about. ---------------- Join in the fun! Have a frugal tip or deal to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. Thanks so much for joining us! Labels: Frugal Friday
Guest Post: Starting your day off right
 Guest Post by Cassie LargaespadaTime management is an ongoing issue in my home. Every time I think I have it all figured out, the Lord reminds me that I don't know a thing. I have tried every method I have heard before and I still end up falling flat on my face eventually. I think that is the point for me. I try so hard to control my time on my own. I like being in control and I like knowing what is coming next. It's usually not until I am at the end of my rope and don't know why things are not running smoothly that Jesus calls me back to rely on Him. Don't get me wrong, I think a schedule is necessary to survive the day. What I have to be willing to do is allow God to lead me in creating a schedule and be flexible enough to deviate when I hear Him speak to me. One of the biggest time management tools I have found to be effective is starting my day with the Lord. Now, I am not a super early riser. I really try to be up before all my children but that does not always happen (I often awake to the sound of "Moooommmmmy!!"). I do, however, find it imperative to spend some time in the morning with Jesus. I have recently changed the way I do this. I used to try to do my quiet time before my children wake up so that it was actually quiet. Now that my children are older, I have adjusted this. We now spend the first hour of the morning eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Once everyone is ready, we all head to a room by ourselves. My older 2 have their own Bibles and they spend their time reading their Bibles and listening to worship music. The younger 2 spend time listening to music and playing with toys. They all take some time to talk to Jesus. There are a couple of reasons I decided to change this part of my schedule. One is that I just never got consistent with waking up early. When I did, I would find myself falling asleep while I was reading my Bible. The other reason that I made this change was I realized that when I did my quiet time in the morning, my children didn't see me spending time with Jesus. Also, I didn't make time during their day for them to spend time with Jesus. Now, I know this may seem like a simple tip, but my biggest encouragement is to make time to spend with the Lord everyday! Ask Him to order your day step by step. Be willing to adjust your schedule based on what he brings to your mind. George Mueller says, "Public prayer will never make up for closet communion... Although I enjoyed their fellowship (speaking of other believers), my soul needed food. Without it, I was lean and felt the effects of it the whole day."I still am amazed at the difference in my day when I make this a priority. What is amazing to me is the days when I feel like I have more to do in the day than time to do it. When I choose to give those days to God first thing, I am pleasantly surprised. I get to the end of the day and look around at my clean house, fed and educated children, laundry done and I wonder, "How did it all get done?"I also see such a difference in my children when they spend some good time with the Lord, too. They tend to be more kind to each other and considerate. They seem to obey better (or maybe I am just less annoyed by the disobedience?). Their heart, in general, is softer and more tender. I don't think spending time with God is a magic wand and makes everything in life easy. I do think that starting my day (and my children's day) with an ear to the Father makes all the difference in my perspective, motivation and attitude. So, however you organize your day, start it off right. -Cassie Largaespada is a homeschooling mother of four (ages 8, 7, 6 and 3). Visit her blog here.I'd love to hear from the rest of you on a related subject: How do you encourage your children to spend time with the Lord everyday? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? What has worked for your family?
Graphic from AllPosters.com
Labels: Faith, Finding Time
My planner - Part 1
 Since so many of you requested I post specifics on my planner, for the next few days, I'll be doing a quick overview of the pages I currently use and what has worked for me. Hopefully it will be helpful to some of you. First off, I need to begin by telling you that while I've used some sort of planner for over ten years now, I fell of the bandwagon for a few years after having children and only used daily planning pages. So I'm still tweaking some of what I'll be sharing with you. And I'll probably continue tweaking things as time goes on, and children go older, and so forth. In February, I devoured Get More Done in Less Time and was thoroughly motivated to once again get my act together and become more organized in using a planner to improve in the area of time management. After just six weeks of using a planner again, I've already seen a marked difference--and my husband has, too! The best thing that has helped me to really utilize a planner again has been to take time to plan. (Yes, I know that is a no-brainer, but I'd be the person who would buy all these planning pages, have all these grand ideas of how I was going to get organized with them, and then never make time to actually use them. ) With my husband's blessing, I've begun going every Saturday morning by myself to a nearby coffee shop to spend two hours praying, reading God's Word, and planning out the next week. This quiet time alone allows me to focus on reviewing the past week and making goals for the next week. (And the girls get some special Daddy time at home!) Sitting down and mapping out a plan for the week using my planner pages has been a huge help in aiding me towards being more efficient. Maybe you don't have two hours to devote to quiet prayer and planning for the week, but I encourage you to set aside a little time to sit down with a cup of tea and your planner (or a notebook even!) and write some goals for your week. Having a simple plan and a place to write down things to remember and reference can be a great asset in your quest for organization. With that said, here's a run-down on the planning pages I'm currently using: Daily Planner Pages - These are first up in my planner and my most-used, can't-live-without pages. I use these original pages from Franklin Covey. (And yes, they are pricey, but the peace of mind and organization resulting from them has been worth every penny.) I keep one month of pages in my planner at a time. These are disposable pages--once they are used for a day, I throw them out. The Prioritized Daily Task List holds my daily to-do list. I normally have a few things assigned for each day when I plan out my weekly goals on Saturday mornings and then each evening, I transfer whatever didn't get done off my list to the next day (or sometime in the next week, as applicable) and add anything else to tomorrow's list that I need to accomplish. One of my favorite things about this list is that there is not a huge area to write. This ensures I don't plan way more to do than I can accomplish in a day--as I'm prone to do if I'm not careful! The Daily Notes section is where I jot down my planned posts to blog and any notes to remember on those as well as business projects or tasks I need to accomplish. On Saturdays, after planning out my week, I normally roughly plan out a blogging schedule for the next week as well. I've found it extremely beneficial to have posts semi-written and planned out in advance rather than blogging "by the seat of my pants" as I used to do. Dividing up my homemaking tasks from my business tasks while still being able to see both lists on one page has been extremely helpful to me. I still wish I could find planning pages which were designed for the homemaker with a home business, but I have yet to come across something like that. So I've found that with some adaptation these FranklinCovey pages suit my needs at present. (I'd love to hear if you've found anything better, though! I've looked and looked and come up empty-handed.)I keep my planner open on the kitchen counter to the Daily Page all day long and cross things off the lists as I complete them. This helps me keep on track and stay organized. I'll share more about the other pages in my planner tomorrow...Do you use a planner? If so, tell us about it! Have you found it to be useful? Do you buy your pages or make your own?Labels: Finding Time, Home Management and Organization
Links of interest: Scheduling, home organization, and time management
 As we bring the Finding Time series to a close this week, I wanted to share a few links which I thought might be helpful and insightful to all of us who are looking for ways to further redeem the time and be excellent keepers of our homes: --Prairie Chick, a homeschooling mom of 5, talks about our purpose and calling, baby steps and daily essentials, daily extras, weekly essentials, and treating homemaking as a 9-5 job. --Kristy Howard, mom of two little girls with one on the way, shares her daily routine here. --Kelly, mama to one sweet little girl, posted about structure in the home, her routine, and a photo "schedule" idea for toddlers (very creative!). --Tammy, mother of three young ones, wrote about using Post-It notes and a dry erase board to encourage order in your home.Labels: Finding Time, Home Management and Organization
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I'm in the thick of garage sale preparations (we open bright and early tomorrow morning!), putting the finishing touches on a presentation I'm giving tomorrow at the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (I'd love to have you join us if you're already registered for the event!), and gearing up for The Total Money Makeover Live Event this weekend (woohoo!) so things are a-hoppin' around here and I'll probably not be around much the next few days.
