How does a young man keep his way pure?

Psalm 119:9

 

Keeping His Way Pure is an eBook that clearly outlines the Biblical guide to leading our children into purity according to Psalm 119:9 while providing the tools to help along the way.

This eBook unfolds a four step plan based on King David’s answer. It also offers encouragement to parents who are struggling to hold the heart of their child. 

More information (including an excerpt)

I must admit that this book was not exactly what I expected – thinking that there would be suggestions such as “Keep him away from girls at all times.”  Well, maybe not that strict – but, definitely in a legalistic tone.  But, instead I learned how to teach my son how to put on the Armor of God as well as how to protect him in other ways spiritually. Wow! How much more confident would I be that his heart would be kept pure knowing that he was outfitted with the armor than by my faithfulness at following a random list of rules.

I am also fairly confident that the plan would work for both boys and girls even though the book is written with our sons in mind.  I am so glad that the Lord moved Tammy to provide this information in such an easy to read format.  I love this book so much that I can’t wait to get it bound at Staples into a “real” book with a spiral binding ($5). There is also a section included with scripture for memorization broken down into 3 age groups – enough for 3 years at one a week – this alone would make this a great buy at $4.99!

The rafflecopter will accept entries until Midnight on Friday, February 4th, so be sure to enter for your chance to win! Winner will be announced here on Saturday, Feb 5th, and will be contacted by e-mail. The winner will have 48hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.

If I didn’t already have it, I wouldn’t be able to wait to get my  hands on this amazing resource – but, hey – you can still enter and gift it to someone if you win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary copy of Keeping His Way Pure in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

First a little back story, we discovered Dave Ramsey about 8 years ago (more or less), and we were inspired to work towards getting out of debt. We accomplished Baby Step 1 – put $1,000 into saving for an emergency fund.  And, although it was difficult to keep that $1,000 because Murphy kept popping his head up, we kept putting it back and working towards our goal. In about 2 years, we payed off $15,000 in debt. That was not a fun 2 years by any stretch of the imagination, but we pressed on in large part because we had a clear vision of the goal.

But, with that goal accomplished, we loosened our belts and breathed a sigh of relief. We could now go out to eat again and do other fun activities. But, we forgot to set a time limit for our relaxed view of money and never got started back in earnest to become financially free.

Enter The Money Saving Mom’s Budget

When I received my copy, the first thing that I noticed, at the top of the cover, was an endorsement by Dave Ramsey. Woohoo ~ that means that the principles are in line with what we’ve already learned.

The very first chapter deals with setting goals – which is exactly what I  needed – a shot in the arm to get us going again. Crystal leads you step by step on how to set your goals and then moves into a plan to accomplish them.

I love Crystal’s conversational tone – it’s like sitting by the fire, and sharing experiences over hot cocoa with a good friend.  She goes so much farther goes so much farther than just telling you where you are going, she also comes alongside you and walks you step by step to get there.

I heartily recommend that you accept the Cash Only Challenge.  As a family that has been using cash predominantly for many years, I will absolutely say that using cash makes a difference.  Even compared to using “cash” through your debit card – there is something psychological about actually seeing the money go away.  Each month that we forget this principle, we undoubtedly spend more than we should.

Only Fourteen Hours a day…

When you think budget, I’m sure that you only think of budgeting money – or at least I did. But, she also covers budgeting your time. The wake up call for me that I’ve been spending my time in the wrong places was when she pointed out that once you take out time for sleeping and budget in “margin time” for those unexpected things that always seem to come up – we only have 14 hours to work with each day – FOURTEEN hours!

Moneysavingmom.com describes itself as being there to help you live on less so that you can save more and give more. And, to show you that it’s not all talk and the heart that Crystal has for helping others – she personally is not making any money from the sales of the book. Not one cent – can you believe that? But, instead she is donating the proceeds of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget to  Compassion International

Who is this book for? This book is perfect for anyone who is starting out on the journey to become debt free or for anyone who is new to budgeting and needs to know where to start. Anyone who is trying to get control of their finances will probably be inspired by Crystal’s advice.  While there are several things within the book that were new to me, I think that it is most beneficial for those fairly new to the journey.

Who this book may not be for? Anyone who is very experienced with budgeting and living within their means already may be better served by visiting her website directly. But, truthfully, if that describes you, then I’m not sure why you would be reading this review. That being said, I’ve been working on a budget for 8 years, and there were still several nuggets of information that would make this book a good buy even for me!  Not to mention, this will be my new Wedding Present of choice to new couples.

And, now for the special offer – Crystal has been generous enough to offer a free copy of the book to one of my lucky readers!  To enter, click the large green button by each task for more information, and then be sure to click the green button saying that you did the task.  (This is my first rafflecopter giveaway, so please let me know if you have any issues.) All entries are verified, so please be sure to complete the required task for each entry.

This giveaway will accept entries until midnight on Thursday, January 26th, and the winner will be announced here on Friday, January 27th. The winner will be e-mailed and has 48 hrs to respond or a new winner will be chosen.  Good luck!

And, in the meantime, I definitely encourage you to hop on over to Crystal’s blog where she promises to “help you become a better home economist.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of The Money Saving Mom in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. Some links within this post are affiliate links which means that I will make a small amt of money if you purchase after clicking the link. Thank you for your support!

So, here are the rules (taken directly from Gypsy Mama’s site):

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.
Won’t you join us?

 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: comment and encourage the person who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Awake…

Go.

Awake? It’s 4:43 in the morning and I am awake. This was probably supposed to be more…and now I’m stuck but anyway – i seem to have taken this very literal. 

awake.

it’s what i want to be for my children.

awake.

it’s what i want to be in my day to day life.

awake.

to change.

awake.

to possiblities.

awake. to dream.

awake.

to hear my Father’s voice.

The best things happen when you’re awake….unless you’re asleep when they do.

Stop.

Won’t you join us and write your Five Minutes – and don’t forget to link up on The Gypsy Mama after you’re done.

From the moment that I read out about this one, I thought that it looked awesome and wanted to attend, but, alas – financial constraints being what they are, I figured that it was a long shot at best.

THEN I had the amazing blessing of winning a ticket to the conference during a twitter party.

The thought occurred to me, “Maybe I am supposed to go,” but the travel/lodging expenses are still quite daunting. That being the case, I am laying my desire at the feet of the Lord and trusting him to provide the way.

I am looking for sponsorship from bloggers and/or companies in any amount. In exchange, I can (enthusiastically) promote your company through the following strategies:

• Personal Conversations/Promotion
• Blog Posts
• Product Reviews
• Giveaways
• Tweets
• Ad Space

In exchange for a full sponsorship, I would love to work with you to design a multiple level plan to promote your company using the activities listed above and would also include your company information on my business card that will be handed out at the conference as well as tagging you as my sponsor in tweets sent from the conference. 

If you don’t have a blog or business to promote, but feel led by the Lord to help with my expenses, it would be a blessing to receive a donation in any amount via Paypal.

If you are unable to help financially, please consider praying for my patience and peace as I wait for the Lord’s provision and walk in His plan.

Recently the kids and I finished the book The Star of Kazan, and this book definitely swept us away to a different world. It is definitely a Living Book in the truest sense of the word!

The story takes place in pre-World War I Vienna and Germany, and I was really pleased with the level of story telling weaved with historical and geographical information.  I was also struck at how this book could easily be a jumping off point for a good unit study. We did this book as a read aloud at bedtime, so while we talked about some of the different aspects of the book, we didn’t really dig into it.  However, you still luck out because I decided to create a LiveBinder with lots of ideas to further delve into the story.

In addition to the ideas in the binder, there were also LOTS of great words to define.  Just some of the words that we experienced were: facade, coppice, ennobled, and bereft.  So, don’t let the age 8 and up scare you away for older kids – because there is definitely enough in here to entertain ALL ages!

I’ve gathered links for you on subjects from the geography of the area to music and science – as well as lots of great handicraft links like flower arranging, scrapbooking, letter writing, and how to build a fire in the wilderness.  Have fun exploring the world of Annika and the Star of Kazan.

The points to be borne in children’s handicrafts are:(a) that they should not be employed in making futilities such a pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like; (b) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do; (c) that slipshod work should not be allowed; (d) and that, therefore, the children’s work should be kept well within their compass. Volume 1, Home Education pp 315, 316.

While perusing a list of possible choices at Simply Charlotte Mason, I one struck me as odd – at first.

Changing a light bulb. And, then I asked myself the question – “Do my children know how to change a light bulb?”  Realizing that there was really no reason why they would, I decided that this should be our first task tackled (don’t you just love that alliteration?)

1. Make sure the switch is flipped to OFF. (This could take some finagling in one of those rooms with several different switches that control the same light, BUT it can be done – when installed, they all were in the off position…)

2. If the light just went out, wait several minutes to make sure that the bulb is cool to the touch. If you are unclear, you can tap a finger lightly (and quickly).
3. If the bulb is above your head, find something sturdy to get higher.  NO – a chair is not a suitable step stool – and for goodness sake, if you do use a chair (because we all do it at least once, don’t we?), please don’t use a rolling one.

4. Remove the blown bulb (Lefty Loosey).

5. Place it aside on a level surface. It’s amazing how many tiny shards those bulbs can shatter into – and, if you happen to have the misfortune to break one of those corkscrew bulbs, you will have the added fun of cleaning mercury off of your floor… So, as the genie says “Don’t do it…it’s not pretty”

6. Pick up the new bulb and then screw it in (Righty Tighty.)

7. Flip the switch to ON to admire your handiwork.

8. And, of course don’t forget to throw away the old bulb! (I always use the kitchen trash can because I feel like the bag is strong enough to take it if the bulb breaks.)

And now I feel better knowing that my kids will not be leaving the house without knowing how to change a bulb – and BONUS: I now have 2 new bulb changers in the house!

Pretty much everything that has ever confused you about boys is covered. Hal and Melanie Young have written an amazing resource, and they definitely have a good idea about what they are talking about as parents to 6 sons and 2 daughters.

I was shocked to realize one of the mistakes I have been making with my 10 year old son. He quite often tries to take grocery bags from me and his sister to carry to the car or into the house, and in an effort to divide the workload, I have insisted that his sister carry some bags herself.  What I should be doing is thanking him and complimenting what a strong, helpful boy he is. What a simple thing to do and yet I can see how powerful it can be to build up his spirit – I can’t wait to put it into practice!

I love the way they cover some of the traits that we tend to want to squelch in our sons such as recklessness and hyperactivity.  They demonstrate how these same traits could be beneficial in their adult lives once they’ve matured.  That’s not to say that our boys should be allowed to run wild, but instead their adventurous spirit should be celebrated!

In addition to warning against the feminization of boys, they also give very real suggestions on how to cultivate chivalry and teach them the proper way to behave as young men.  They can have good manners without being required to behave as females do.

I’ll be honest – there is so much information packed into these pages that I’m going to have to reread the book in order to put it all into practice (and even then I might not get it all), but I know that this book has already started to change the way that I think about my son’s behavior.

The most important thing I’ve learned? Jesus is the ultimate hero and role model that I should be directing Rex’s attention towards. (Of course I knew this logically, but I had never really thought about it in practicality before…) And, we also have to be careful not to present the feminized version of Jesus that is so often presented nowadays.

I absolutely LOVE the poem that they share called the Dream of The Rood.  I am going to be sharing this entire poem with my children, but here it is in part:

So, the three goals that I have settled on for the month of January are… {drumroll please}

Daily participation in 31 Days to Pray for Your Spouse Challenge

Daily participation in 31 Days to Clean {join me on Facebook here!}

Menu Planning: Plan for meals and snacks – 7 days a week

I know that it may look like I’m combining goals, and yes, I really am, but if I try to do too much all at once, I KNOW that I will crash and burn. So, these are my three goals for the month of January.

 

In June of last year I was lying on the couch at 5am because I couldn’t sleep, and I heard what sounded like a gurgling noise from my son’s room. I went to his room to see what was going on (half expecting him to be playing around making noises) and found him experiencing a grand mal seizure. If you’ve never seen someone have a seizure in front of you, you have to understand how shocking the sight is. His eyes were rolled back into his head and his body was stiff as a board and violently shaking. Even having never seen one before, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was having a seizure.

I ran to my bedroom, yelled at my husband to get up – Rex was having a seizure, and ran back to his room.  I held my (10yo) baby in my arms just trying to calm him down (not knowing at the time that that was not possible – the seizure must run it’s course.) Moon Doggy didn’t come nearly fast enough to suit me, so I screamed across the house for him to come help me.  After he arrived, I called 911, and I have to tell you that was the longest phone call of my life! By this time, Rex was no longer having the seizure, but he was now limp as a rag and completely unresponsive.

Once the paramedics arrived, I went into my daughter’s room to see if she had been awakened by all of the commotion. I found her sitting up in her bed – crying. She had been sitting in her room imagining every worst case scenario you can imagine.

The paramedics explained that a seizure looks a lot worse than it is. They told us that it was completely normal for him to be unresponsive because his little body was exhausted. I still wanted them to go ahead and take us to the hospital since he had never experienced a seizure before, and I was afraid that he would have another one.

I will say that Rex started becoming responsive when these big guys picked him up to place him on the stretcher – he was NOT happy about that at all!

Making a long story at least a little shorter, they admitted us to the hospital overnight and ran a few tests.  The next day we got the results that it looked like Benign Rolandic Epilepsy (in the left temporal lobe.) This was somewhat good news because it means that he should outgrow it by the age of 16 and won’t be something that he has to live with forever.

The frustrating thing was that when we met with the neurologist the next day, I asked him about the other little quirks that Rex has and whether they could be related. He assured me that they weren’t. I still wasn’t convinced and really wanted to have him seen by a children’s neurologist anyway.

During the sleep deprived tests at a top children’s hospital, we were asked several times if he was autistic. This had never even been a whisper when we talked with the pediatrician’s office in the past (although I will admit a suspicion on my part that he may have been on the spectrum.) I’ll have to cover that in a later post.

Luckily they referred us to the Psych department (where I had tried to get him seen previously), where we met with a phenomenal psychologist who, within 2 visits, was able to give us a positive diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome. Now we have some answers and are on the path to learning more about the way he thinks.

It’s amazing how the scariest night of your life can turn into a blessing in the end. 

Ashley graciously provided me with a review copy of 31 Days to Build a Better Spouse. And, while you don’t need it in order to participate in the challenge, I highly recommend getting a copy of this ebook.  For each day, there’s a scripture as well as a directed prayer.    She has also included some commentary and some things to think about and consider about the specific topic you are praying on for the day. Each day’s reading is really quick (as in about 2 minutes), but it’s a great way to really focus your thoughts for the day.

If you haven’t joined yet, I think there’s still time – we’re on Day 3 right now. But, even if you aren’t particpating in the challenge, this ebook provides a great opportunity to focus at least 5 minutes a day on praying for your spouse.

 

Last night, as I was relaxing in the tub, I found myself thinking about how would you even start to find a word to define your aspirations for a year.  And, then all of a sudden, the word Peace came to me and settled on my heart.

Immediately I dismissed the idea thinking that I needed a word that conveyed action – of moving forward toward goals.  So, I tried thinking of other words and nothing just seemed to fit what I want for this next year – Peace definitely sums up what we need and where I feel that the Lord is guiding me. 

So, apparently I am one of those people and we do in fact have a word for the year and that word is Peace.

Tim keeps fightin’ them off

OK, so today we’re going to talk about a topic that you will NOT see very often on this site.

You see, I’m not a big football fan – or even any sport for that matter if I’m going to be completely truthful about it.

But, it has not escaped even my ignorant ears that Tim Tebow is being talked about wherever I go – including church.  He’s having to suffer through some pretty intense criticism – especially considering that from all appearances, it looks like he is doing everything right.

First, I’ve got to cover the top three reasons why I personally believe that Tim is worthy of role model status:

1. He’s a very public homeschool success story.
2. He and his parents are huge pro-life advocates.
3. He’s committed to preserving his purity for marriage – publicly.

Basically, one guy was taking the position that Tebow is just not that great a player – he’s mediocre and is only being talked about because he’s controversial. But, then our youth pastor made such a GREAT observation – he said something along the lines of 

“But, isn’t that even better? If God is using an average player to do outstanding things and to keep HIS message in the public arena.“

(As a side note, I got the impression that our youth pastor did not agree with the notion that Tebow is average but was trying to make a bigger point.)

Also, my father told me that they are trying to make him change his stance because he’s doing it wrong. I totally do NOT understand this because if he’s been winning and won the Heisman Trophy, isn’t it possible that he’s just doing it different – not necessarily wrong? (Maybe that’s just the homeschooler in me talkin’…)

Now, I can’t tell you anything about Tebow’s skills, so please (oh, please) don’t lecture about whether he can or can’t play because truthfully, I have absolutely no idea – but, what I can tell you is that I respect this amazing young man who is willing to put it all on the line for his Saviour. 

Much like the Duggars, who are publicly mocked and condemned (recommended reading: Why Does the World Hate the Duggars? by my friend Cindy), Tim Tebow and his parents are living a Pro-life, Pro-family, Pro- GOD message and the people of this world will continue to challenge them to try to tear them down.

I keep hearing that he doesn’t deserve to be a winning QB because his skill level just isn’t there, and my response to that is only – do any of us truly deserve any of the blessings that we receive? Or, do we deserve nothing – absolutely nothing….or if we’re going to be completely honest – less than nothing?

So, my prayers go out to Tim and his parents to keep fighting the good fight because they are truly a blessing to this broken world. In a profession that has way too many bad role models, I am so thankful that there are a few shining lights out there that we can point out to our sons and daughters to give them confidence that they too will succeed if they stand firm in their faith.

My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James 1: 2-3 (NKJV)

Imagine that your child is learning something new (shouldn’t be too hard, right?) such as developing the habit to make their bed each morning.  And then let’s say they forget. Alot. Do you want them to come to you groveling for forgiveness? Or would you rather they just admit their oversight and then take care of it? 

I’m sure that many of you are like me and don’t want to ever see your child beat themselves up for a mistake. We want to wrap our arms around them and help them to make it better – help them to learn how to succeed next time. 

Well, it all of a sudden occurred to me last night that God uses the picture of parent/child so that we can understand His feelings toward us in a real way. I’ve realized that He doesn’t want me to berate myself about my shortcomings, but instead to just come to Him, my Heavenly FATHER for help and guidance, and together – I will improve.

I am so excited to announce that it’s official, and you can read my Introduction Post over at the HSBA Post where I am excited and humbled (oh so humbled) to have joined their team of authors. 

As you may remember, we’re doing Geography a bit different this year.  For the next two weeks, the spotlight is on France.  We ordered the books through our inter-library loan program.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Leigh

The first stop is supposed to be Operation World, but I had a “mommy moment” and completely forgot, so we’ll go there today. It’s interesting to note that the percentage of Christians in France is going down 0.6% each year, BUT Evangelicals are going up by 2.4% a year. Also, 33% of the people of France are unreached with the Gospel.

Insight Guide: France: I have to tell you that this book has just been fabulous! We love the pictures too, but the writing is just so vivid and clear.  These are by far my favorite series to read for Geography. It’s amazing how much more real a travel guide can make the country than most of the children’s books we’ve been able to find.  Just one of the great tidbits that we learned referred to the shape of France. If you take into account the natural boundaries of mountains and rivers, France is almost a hexagon in shape. They view their shape and their geographic location as being central to their uniting Europe.  This is something that the French people take great pride in according to the Insight Guide.

We also were lucky enough to happen across Mr. Bean’s Definitive and Extremely Marvelous Guide to France, and since it was in the non-fiction section, I’m hoping that everything in it is accurate.  The kids think that this book is hilarious which always helps to encourage learning.  It is a very busy book with lots of pictures and text written in different directions (kind of like the DK books.)  I may have to buy this one – right now it’s under $3 on Amazon for the hardback version. If you’re thinking about it, make sure you do the “Look Inside” because it really is a different kind of book.

And, to round it out, we got Favorite Fairy Tales Told in France.  I was a little disappointed, because out of the 5 fairy tales, we’re already familiar with 4 of them.  I am however looking forward to reading “Drakestail” because I’ve never even heard of it before. You can read it for free at the Baldwin Project. The other 4 stories that are found in French manuscripts from as early as 1697 (follow links for free reading)?

• “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” (1874)
• “Puss in Boots” (1697)
• “The Sleeping Beauty” (1697)
• “Beauty and the Beast” (1875)

And, just because I’m sure that you’re dying to know, “Drakestail” is found in a book from 1888. 

Now, I’m not really sure I really understand what gluten is to be completely honest with you – so, you can imagine how thrilled I was to be offered the opportunity to review Kim Wilson’s new ebook Good and Easy Eats which is a collection of recipes that are not only gluten free but are also free of dairy, egg, soy, yeast, and wheat.  Wow – what a list, right?!?

I have been looking over all of the recipes, and I’m so encouraged to see how many of these recipes are foods that we would normally enjoy – just prepared in a slightly different way (and with different flours, etc…)  We particularly love the idea of adding Fruit Smoothies to breakfast and making our own salad dressings (of which there are 4 basic types and there is a recipe included for each type.) Kim also offers suggestions on a lot of the recipes to change up the recipe if you don’t have issues with gluten.

She has included a wide variety of recipes from an easy way to prepare Steel Cut Oats (Baked Oats) to the more exotic Coconut Curry.  We have such a long list of recipes that we’re going to be trying that I don’t want to include them all here, but I’m probably the most excited to try the Chocolate Meltaways which includes 2 cans of black beans.  I thought – What?!? but, Kim has already predicted the surprise factor and advises

“Don’t let the ingredients scare you away! These little fudge bites are amazingly tasty and no one can believe they have black beans as a base.”

All throughout the book, Kim has also been gracious enough to include tips and hints that have helped her family as well as a pretty good look at how they schedule their meals and are still able to eat wholesome foods on a reasonable food budget.  I find these bits especially helpful because I always tend to freeze up when I try to imagine implementing new habits in our routines.

Additionally, Good and Easy Eats would be equally beneficial for the family that is looking to supplement their regular diet with some healthier alternatives instead of making a complete change.

Good and Easy Eats is being released Saturday, December 10th, and will be available as an instant download for only $4.99!  Kim has graciously offered a free copy of the book to one of my lucky readers! This is a 24 hour give-away (well, a little longer but pretty close..,) so you have until 12:01am ET, December 10th, to enter.

TO ENTER: You have the opportunity for 2 entries per person. Leave a comment below answering one of the questions below (each comment will count as a separate entry, so if you are answering both, please leave 2 comments.)  I will use Random.org to choose the number for the winning comment. Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address or your Twitter name in the comment.

1.) Why do you feel that this book would be a great addition to your cookbook library?

2.) Go to the website for Good and Easy Eats and watch Kim’s introductory video and then tell us the most interesting thing you saw/heard in the video.  (Even if you don’t normally watch videos, I think you’ll find some of the information well worth while…..the video is right at 4 minutes long.)

Note: I was provided a complimentary copy of Good and Easy Eats for my honest and unbiased review. Links within the post are affiliate links – Thank you for your support.

I’m struggling – really just trying to keep my head above water right now. What could be so bad, you ask? Nothing – that’s what is soooo frustrating! I have no reasons for my being overwhelmed – none at all. So, I’ve been looking for something – anything really – to try to pull me back on track.  As I look around at the chaos, I keep thinking of those wise words that said. “Just DO something.” And yet still I sit, paralyzed by the task ahead of me. Here are some of the strategies that, along with prayer – lots and lots of prayer, I’m going to use to see if I can create a lasting effect.

I’m still not there, but I am trying out Ann Voskamp’s 100 Day Calendar to help me identify 3 new habits that if I were to put into place over the next 10 days would simplify my life. What are my 3 tasks that if accomplished could help to change my entire day?

• Getting up earlier in the morning (I’m going to move the time back gradually as Donna recommends until I’m getting up before the kids (which I’m afraid of what time that might end up being – ack!)
• Devotions – I’m working through Power of a Praying Wife right now which might not officially be a devotional but it’s what I need to learn right now. Can you believe that I just happened across this book at Goodwill for $2? Hopefully, I will get to the point that I can put together something like Jamie’s prayer binder.
• 1 load of laundry a day from start to finish – I really love the idea of a laundry day a la Denise in Bloom but for me, it just doesn’t work. It’s too easy to skip it on the day and then before you know it, we are out of clean clothes. Once I get in control of my household, maybe we’ll give the Laundry Day thing another go.

I’ve also printed out Ann Voskamp’s Joyful Parenting Manifesto and am referring to it frequently to try to become the kind of parent that I truly long to be.

And, I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve. I’m planning on working through 31 Days to Clean starting in January. My heart wants to start now, but my head know that would just lead to frustration to try to start in the middle of the holidays.  Also, by starting in January, I hope that you will join me on Facebook so that we can support each other and share the journey together! If you’d like to purchase a copy of the book, you can get the pdf here or a version for you Kindle here. (It’s only $4.99!) For me, the pdf version works well so that I can print it out and have it available to peruse. I hope that you will consider joining me because I’ve gotta tell you – I need all the support I can get!

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links – I appreciate your support!