May is always a tricky month for me. I think many of you who live in colder climates can relate. May is when the weather finally begins to moderate, and though we love it, it always brings an interesting challenge: how to adjust our daily rhythm to include as much outside time as possible!

(photos are all of my gardens this week!)

Instead of the freedom spring weather should bring to our souls, it often brings the added stress of fulfilling all our indoor responsibilities even as we long to migrate outdoors (if only to keep an eye on the kids, who only come inside to sleep these days).

The transition to a new season cannot be complete until we let go of the old one. (<–Tweet that if you thought that was a surprisingly profound statement to come out of pregnancy brain fog. I sure did!)

For me, winter is a time where I snuggle down deep into writing and engaging in my beloved online community.

But summer simply can’t look the same, or I will never get the Vitamin D I need. (That’s the crunchy mamma’s way of saying “I need to get a tan!)

So, this is a little farewell for now. I find I need to completely let go of the online realm for a little while in order to discover how blogging will fit into my summer routine (instead of trying to get summer to fit in the cracks around my blogging, you know? just doesn’t work).

It’s been an awesome season here on the blog–new friends, deeper community, and publishing that book that God put on my heart to share with you. It’s been one of the most exciting seasons since I started blogging, and it’s been so delightful to be on the journey with you.

I’ll miss you, but I’ll be back. (You know I’ll be back. I just love people and telling stories too much to be quiet for long!)

I’ll be sending out one more newsletter before I pull the plug on my computer for my scheduled social media fast for the rest of the month. Sign up over in the sidebar if you want to keep in touch with me via email (yes, I will still be checking email! Hello!). Also, I’ve written a few guest posts that have yet to go live–I’ll have Jeremy post them to our facebook page when they do, so follow me over there if you are addicted ahem, don’t want to miss anything.

Here’s to embracing seasons!

(is there anything you need to let go of to enjoy the present? C’mon–it’s fun!)

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Thanks for your enthusiastic response to the direction the Lord is leading my blogging this summer! All requests have received due notice, creative juices are beginning to ooze, and I can hardly wait for all the writing time I’ll find when I unplug in just. Eight. More. Days!

And? I have a story for you already! But first, some housekeeping details I don’t want you to miss (because, though I love story telling, the Lord has also called me to steward the opportunities He’s brought my way, and He’s been opening so many doors lately!)

1. I blogged at Allume this week, sharing 4 {Great!} reasons YOU should write an ebook. Writing my first book changed my life, even though it was ‘just a cookbook’. My second book is doing the same thing. Book writing has been a place I have met God, and come away changed. Books are like altars of rememberence to me. So, yeah, I’m always encouraging  those with the dream to write a book to follow through.

2. I got to talk to my Allume roomie this week. Sounds like no big deal, ‘cept she’s like a famous author and we were chatting on live radio. I was a hot mess. My hands were sweating–OK, everything was sweating. I can’t remember anything I said, but I do have this vague recollection that it was actually a lot of fun. And it was recorded–you can listen to the podcast here. (I was her second guest, so my part doesn’t start till half way through, but the author she interviewed before me was really cool!)

3. Finally, it’s Mother’s Day this weekend, right? We talk a lot about Motherhood on this here blog, because that’s a huge part of my life right now. But my heart aches (and not just on this particular weekend) for my friends who long for babies but struggle with infertility. That’s why I’m excited to share with you about a Natural Fertility eBook Bundle. 29 eBooks about nourishing your body for conception, treating PCOS naturally, and real food cookbooks (including that ice cream book I raved about last week!) for just $34.95. You can find out more about this great resource for would-be mothers HERE.

And, now it’s story time.

I was running late all day.

I slept in. (sleep, how I love thee) I took a long, hot shower (my coffee alternative). I spent time putting my hair up so I’d have curls for our outing that night. Finally made it downstairs to begin on breakfast. Eventually looked at the clock and realized I needed to kick it in to High Gear if I was gonna get out the door. I was planning on running a meal to my dear friend, the one who my Claire is named after, because she just had a baby. Although she lives an hour away, we wanted to help them celebrate, and I wanted my kiddos to meet a brand-new baby so they can begin to imagine what we’ll be welcoming around here in the fall.

So, food and pots and pans came out,  and I chopped an onion after gobbling my french toast (eww!) and coaxed (to put it lightly) my kiddos to clean the dining room while I raced around like a chicken with its head cut off. An hour…or two…later, a meatloaf stuffed with sauted veggies and herbs (recipe from Nourishing Traditions) and Rosemary Potatoes from Pioneer Woman, and Avocado Chocolate Pudding (made by someone more amazing than me) and a jug of cider from the freezer, we were ready to go.

But you know, then comes the ‘getting into the car’ ordeal.

By the time we were on the road, I was a hot mess. I told the children we would be having Quiet Time on this trip so mommy could cool down. Only  a few moments of silence were necessary for the Spirit to whisper that some repentance was in order. With apologies and gentle tones, the kids and I made peace. But I still required silence for most of the ride.

All the way there, I worried at how my late start would affect the rest of my day. I had two hours of driving time, plus as many minutes cuddling and smelling a new baby as possible, but I had a friend stopping at my house after lunch—how could I fit this all in? And when was I gonna eat lunch???? (because I’m ALWAYS hungry!)

Did I mention I was a hot mess? I could fill the stress settling into my trapezius muscles, and began questioning my sanity and my ability to make sound scheduling choices.

A few minutes of snuggling a handsome, 6 day old baby boy and I knew I’d made the right decision to come…but how would the rest of the day pan out? And when would I eat?

Relaxing in the familiar environment of my dear friend’s home, I told myself everything would be OK. And it was. She had packed a picnic, and planned a quick jaunt to the park near her home where our 6 (combined) mobile children would enjoy the new swing set. I decided, despite my schedule, to go with the flow and milk every ounce of goodness out of this day as possible.

On the way to the park, I called my friend, due to arrive at my house by 1:30, and told her I was over an hour away…would she mind if we rescheduled for 2? She was fine with that, so I let myself enjoy the park with my kiddos, and enjoyed an Open Faced Rueben Sandwich with homemade dressing, sauerkraut, and nitrate-free roast beef. It was as awesome as it sounds. Oh, and a glass of Peach Kombucha that was as yummy as my old summer favorite, Snapple Peach Ice Tea. God had provided lunch, through my sweet friend (and I was supposed to be bringing HER a meal!)

(The best picnics include raw milk!)

Finally, back into the car, back to the house for a potty break, and by this time I’m getting stressed again, because despite my best intentions, I’m 20 min. late for my next ‘appointment’. We say rushed goodbyes and head home. I picture the house in the state that I left it—cooking dishes covering every available counter in the kitchen, laundry in spring-sorting-piles all over the laundry room floor, and the carpet in desperate need of vacuuming. I contemplate the very real possibility that my friend will take me up on my offer to make herself at home if she gets to my house before I do. I close my eyes to try to digest how crazy my life has become–and then remember I’m still driving.

I tuned up my radio to distract my spinning thoughts, and heard the announcer, a friend I know and love in real life, say that she’s broadcasting live from the Pennsylvania Homeschool Convention and will be speaking with the Money Saving Mom in a few minutes.

I looked at the clock with the realization that if I had been on time, I would have missed this precious opportunity to hear two sweet friends’ voices on my radio as I drove home.

I cranked up the radio and savored every decibel of Terese and Crystal’s delightful conversation, which finished up when I was just two miles from home. I turned the radio back down and glanced at Jesse in the rear-view mirror.

“Jess? You know how stressed I was about being late? If I hadn’t been late, I wouldn’t have been able to hear my friends on the radio! Will you help me remember next time I get worried about being late, that God is taking care of all the little details in our lives?”

He nodded in agreement, and we pulled into our driveway.

Yes, my friends had arrived before me. Yes, they had made it past the kitchen and the view of the laundry room into my living room. I walked into my own house and called out a ironic “Welcome!” and exchanged hugs all around.

And you know what? It was OK, because they had made themselves comfortable in my absence, and I’ve always said, if there’s room for people to sit on the couch, then there’s room for hospitality. My worth is not based on the cleanliness of my house, anyway, right?

P.S. Neither is yours.

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Whoa, the blog has been quiet this week. Had you noticed? No, probably not. But I did, and it was bugging me. I just feel all awkward that I haven’t shared any good stories or a helpful tutorial, or some awesome links with you here this week.

Funny, isn’t it, what I let stress me?

Here’s the thing. I am a very goal-oriented person, and my blog is no exception. I have all kinds of goals and lists and once even put together a blogging notebook similar to my homemaking notebook.

But one of my blog goals is not something you can plan, or that you will see on a list of top-ten steps for building your blog.

It’s just this simple little idea that overshadows every other goal I may have in this little space.

I wanna be a Spirit-led blogger.

This doesn’t mean I never hit publish without praying for confirmation–that would be legalistic. It’s more like background music that I sometimes consciously and often sub-consciously move in rhythm with.

But last Friday I actually stopped for a few moments and asked God what He thought I should blog about next week.

He’s answer came too clearly to deny. A whisper, yet loud and clear:

“Nothing.”

I freaked out. I thought how that would look on my blog. For me to simply disappear for days on end, without any warning to my faithful followers, or an announcement to new stoppers-by. This. Was. Not. Good.

But I couldn’t deny the whisper. So I called in reinforcements. Put out an SOS email to another friend who I admire for her Spirit led words. She confirmed to me that God was also whispering to her to ignore all the rules for wise blogging practices, and wait on Him in quietness. Another friend, the one who has mentored me in learning to hear His voice, reminded me that God may more to say to me, and that be could why He asked me to stop talking for a season.

So, I sat on my hands and swallowed my pride, and let my blog sit quiet.

The Lord is gentle with me. He only made me wait 5 days before He spoke again.

Today He used another fellow blogger to confirm what He’s been leading me toward for months.

It’s time for some story telling on this here blog. It’s time just to write. For me. Maybe for you, if you care to listen, but mostly for me. Because when I’m writing–that’s often when He speaks to me the loudest.

After a little more of a break (if you get my newsletter, you know I’ve been planning a blogging and social media break for mid-May) I plan to be back–maybe not till June, maybe sooner. But I’m warning ya’ll. When I come back, stories are gonna get top billing around here. 

Do you still like a good story? I do. What stories do you want to hear? And, what stories do you wish to tell, if it was OK to just. tell. stories?

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Peoples, this is the last day to get this bundle! In case you aren’t sure how these bundles work, they aren’t like a product that goes on sale occasionally–they are a one-time-all-in-one-place collection, and only available through today. I’m just ‘splaining this to you ’cause I don’t want you to miss out.

97 ebooks is a lot, but even if you only buy the bundle for one of the collections (such as the cookbooks or the homeschool materials, or the great books on cleaning and organizing your home) you’re still getting them at an amazing discount. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap one’s mind around a virtual purchase, so these graphics give you a visual of all the different collections of books in this bundle….

If you’ve decided this really is the deal for you, then buy yours now, before the sale is over.

And? Thanks to each of you who have purchased through my link this week. It’s a wonderful provision for our family whenever one of my books is included in a bundle sale, and we really appreciate your support of our endeavors!

I look forward to reading these books along with all of you in the coming year!

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“Do you love it?” I asked.

Silent, solemn nods from 3 little people, devoutly devouring the homemade ice cream they’d been looking forward to for the last 3 hours.

Yesterday I made ice cream from  “Just Making Ice Cream“, one of the cookbooks in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle that’s on sale this week.

Half way through the process, I called my friend and mentor-in-all-things-nourishing, Claire (she’s the one who has taught me that homemade ice cream is good for this pregnant mommy because of all the good fats and egg yolks!)

“I’ve got this awesome new ice cream recipe you’ve got to try!” I panted over the phone.

“Are you eating it right now?” she asked, suspicious of what sounded like a new form of torture: hearing someone eat homemade ice cream over long-distance.

“No, but I know it will be awesome because it has over a stick of butter in it!” I gasped out the words while renewing my whisking efforts with the egg yolks. (I get a little excited when trying a new recipe)

She laughed and encouraged me to enjoy myself on her behalf.

Although we’ve been making our own ice cream for 4 years, I’ve stuck to plain old vanilla or my favorite chocolate peanut butter because most recipes I find in cookbooks or online are dependent on sweetened condensed milk, unnatural sugars, or some other ingredient I don’t usually stock in my cupboards.

That’s why I was so excited about the book “Just Making Ice Cream“–every recipe is naturally sweetened and calls for whole, raw, or even cultured ingredients! (Yes, that means a whole section of recipes in the book are GAPS friendly, people!!!) This was my kind of ice cream!!!!

The book has got to be one of the most gorgeous ebooks I’ve ever opened–every page makes you drool. And every recipe is optimized for nourishment and happy, messy smiles for your whole family, no matter what flavor they love! Other highlights include:

• everything you need to know about the process of making ice cream (I’ve been doing this for years and I learned lots of new stuff!)
• instructions for substitutions and non-dairy alternatives
• 5 ways to make ice cream if you don’t have a machine (seriously!)
• how to choose an ice cream maker
• more ice cream varieties than I’ve ever seen in one place (over 70 recipes!)

I’ve tried making cookie dough ice cream before because it is Mr. Holden’s favorite. Alas, the efforts were lacking in the proper flavor and the chocolate was entirely too crunchy. But Marillyn’s recipe looked very promising, so I dove right in. I was excited to try a custard-style recipe, my basic ice cream recipe being a raw base. I ended up over-cooking the custard, but went back to the beginning of the book and found hints for not doing that again.

After putting the custard to cool, I mixed up the simple cookie dough recipe, put it in the freezer to harden, then we went for our bike ride. When we got back, I froze the mixture, adding the chocolate at the last minute using Marillyn’s great technique to keep it from being too, too crunchy. I chopped and folded in the cookie dough bites, and then popped the whole thing back in the freezer to ripen.

I fed the kids theirs, to rave reviews, and after they were in bed served Mr. Holden and myself generous bowl-fulls to enjoy together in the quiet of the evening. The flavor was phenomenal, and my man was pleased.  The ice cream had gotten quite hard, so next time I will use the added ingredient Marillyn recommended for keeping the finished product a bit creamier and softer. I’m simply delighted to now own the definitive guide to nourishing ice cream making, and can’t wait to try another recipe!

The hardest part will be deciding which…Cherry Swirl Cheesecake Gelato? Maple Cinnamon Pecan? Rainbow Fruit Sorbet?

Oh, help me!

Get your copy of Just Making Ice Cream before this sale ends tomorrow!

Just Making Ice Cream is just one of a dozen whole foods-related resources in the Ultimate Homemaking bundle–check out these titles!

Crock On by Stacy @ Stacy Makes Cents ($5.00)
Real Food, Real Easy by various bloggers @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Wholesome Mixes by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)
20-Minute Meals by Leigh Ann @ Intentional by Grace ($4.99)
Restocking the Pantry by Kresha @ Nourishing Joy ($9.99)
Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking by Crystal @ Money Saving Mom ($3.99)
Simply Summer by Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama ($7.95)
Do the Funky Kitchen by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($4.95)
Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS and Jami @ Eat Nourishing ($20.00)
Seasonal Menu Plans on a Budget: A Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours by Diana @ My Humble Kitchen ($4.99)
Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)
The Curative Kitchen by Susan @ Handy Pantry ($20.00)

The Kitchen-related books alone in the bundle total over $100. You can get them (only until tomorrow!) for $29.97, along with 84 other resources.

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Welcome to this week’s Embracing Beauty Link Up! Our first one was so much fun, we’re totally doing this again! I loved seeing all your creative and intentional ways to embrace beauty and style with you (and your kids’!) wardrobes!

This week’s link up will again stay open for two weeks, so share away! Here’s mine:

The difference a Style Board makes.

I talk a lot in my book about how important it is to learn to recognize styles and colors that you love to wear–it makes shopping and dressing faster and way more fun. I only learned to do this within the last two years, though, so I am still in process. I can’t go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe, but have been gradually updating my closet with my new and improved look with a few pieces each new season.

Being pregnant has given me added opportunity (read: valid excuse!) to purchase even more flexible fashion pieces for my wardrobe, and I’m doing pretty good with my vow to ‘rebel against frump in pregnancy’! In fact, I have never had such success during my thrift shopping adventures. I believe my increased success rate is directly related to having an ever-clearer vision of what my personal style truly is.  You know I love Pinterest for building a fashion pin board, but my latest love is Polyvore. At Polyvore I can go ‘virtual shopping’, allowing me to paste individual articles of clothing and jewelry onto a blank canvas so I can create a hypothetical outfit or even a whole wardrobe. Rather than simply making me discontent that I can’t actually afford half the things that catch my eye, my Polyvore style board instead has served to be like a visual shopping list, giving me clear direction on my shopping trips.

Here’s a Style board I made with my dream list of clothing and accessories for me and my belly this summer:

Very obvious is my favorite color scheme of Fuschia and Navy Blue with grey, silver, black, and white accents. This color combo makes me sooo happy, and when I stick with it, everything in my closet goes together. You can also see my love for maxi style dresses and skirts, and for a pop of color with accessories.

With that in mind, check out the stuff I’ve picked up at thrift stores or pulled from my closet that matches what’s in the style board….

Pretty cool, huh? I’m especially pleased with the purple striped shirt which is the exact color (but even cuter styling!) than the one on my style board. Not shown are two more maxi skirts I’ve found, as well as my favorite purple and pink layering tanks, which seem to be always in the wash.

And here’s how I’ve been styling my new clothes with my (now 16 week!) baby bump…

Have I mentioned how much I love grey and purple and black? This is undeniable proof.

And here’s one more, taken at an Award Ceremony at which Mr. Holden received recognition for his 15 years of contribution to the Adaptive Ski Program (yes, I am very, very proud of my man!).

That purple, beaded tank is my absolute favorite right now and cost me $3–found in the plus sized section!

Oh, and can I tell you about my hair? No, that’s for another post. But oh, my, will you believe that ‘do’ required no curling iron, no hair product, and took all of 5 minutes? Next time, Dahling!

(Oh, and if you have been looking for more direction and inspiration in defining your own style, don’t miss the beauty and fashion related books in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle! My all-time favorite, The No-Brainer Blog, is in there! Check out this awesome sale HERE)

OK, now it’s your turn! Show me what beauty you’ve embraced this month! Make me smile, make me gasp! Make me a little jealous, even! I forgive you! It’s all good inspiration!

You remember the rules, right?

1. Link up to your specific blog post (not just your blog home page)
2. Link up to adornment-related posts, only. That recipe you created or home-decor project you made is awesome sauce, but this linky is for beauty in the area of personal style only–thanks!
3. Link back to me in your post, so your readers can find this community of women embracing beauty! {You can use the graphic below if you like}
4. Visit as least one other linkee (person who links up!) and leave a comment to help them celebrate!

Ready, set, Go!

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Hey, ya’ll! I don’t usually post on Wednesdays, but this draft decided to publish itself without my consent (yeah, told you I was a complete non-techy! lol) so, here it is! Enjoy! Happy May Day!

Several of you have asked for more information about the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, and I’m only to glad to oblige–I’m really excited about this and want to talk you through any questions you have! In this post I’m sharing actually photographs of content from the bundle and how it’s already enhancing my homemaking and mothering. Skip to the end of the post for my answers about other aspects of the bundle!

When I opened up the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle last week, I thought I was getting just ebooks. But when I found entire kindergarten curriculums included in the package, I pretty much started dancing. We do school year ’round (which works with our kinda crazy traveling schedule) and I had just been looking around for what I could use for curriculum for our summer school session. The Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten Package was exactly what I needed for all three of the kids. How is that possible? I’ll show you.

Yesterday I printed out about half of the “A” activity pages from the Raising Rock Stars Package and passed them around to the kids. They were all excited about new “Table School” as we call it–even my 6 year old, who has not been a fan of seat work lately, actually got into it! The kids liked having something new and fit just to their age and abilities.

Jesse (6) is right at that point with his reading and writing that he needs gentle repetition. A tracing page with a scripture verse (woot!) allowed me to point out the small words he could sound out himself, and give him good writing practice was a win for both of us.

For Claire (4) there was shape recognition, and instructions to follow that will help her develop hand/eye coordination to be ready for writing.

For Seth (2) I just printed out something to be used as a coloring page. He was really happy about being up at the big table with the big kids doing the exact same thing as them! Look at the tongue sticking out in concentration!

Can you see the joy?

Last year I used the Explode the Code preschool books with Jesse–they are quality and we liked them. But we only ended up using about half of each book because he wasn’t into that much seat work I don’t believe in making younger children do a lot of repetition and handwriting practice anyway. The beauty of an online curriculum, I’m realizing, is the freedom to print as many or as few worksheets as that particular child needs. I can already tell Claire is gonna love worksheets, and I’m excited that I won’t have to purchase loads of consumable workbooks to keep her busy! I’m also delighted that I will not have to buy a new workbook each time one of my kids reaches the kindergarten level!

Another thing that impressed me with the Raising Rockstars Package, was the variety of skill levels within the package, allowing me to print work for all three ages of my kids from one curriculum! If you have a lot of littles just starting into homeschooling, this package would be very cost effective for you!

Actually, the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle contains a variety of kindergarten homeschool resources–check it out…

The homeschooling resources in that picture alone are worth over $65, but you can get them all in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle for $29.97. I call that a deal. (Thanks to Carisa of 1plus1plus1equals1.net for the helpful graphic! She’s the author of the Raising Rock Stars Curriculum and is pretty much a rock star herself, if you ask me!)

Here’s to fun summer school for everyone!

Bundle Q and A

1. How do I read ebooks? I don’t have a smart phone!

Well, I love reading ebooks on my phone, but ANY computer or laptop or kindle or ipad or anything can be used to read ebooks! You can learn more about downloading and reading ebooks HERE. If you don’t have a portable electronic device YET (like a ipad or smart phone) but plan on getting one in the future, you can download these books to your computer now and transfer them later to your other devices.

2. I’ve read a couple ebooks but they weren’t really quality…how do I know I’m not just getting a bunch of cheap content?

I hear ya. Because epublishing is so accessible anymore, many books are being published that are not actually worth your money. That’s why I personally opened every single one of the books in the bundle to check them out. I read a lot of ebooks and I can assure you that these ones are the cream of the crop. Many of the books (like Tell Your Time, 31 Days to Clean, and The No Brainer Wardrobe) were best sellers when they released and continue to be popular even a year or two later.

3. 97 ebooks? How will you ever read them all?

You won’t. Or at least, you don’t have to. The average price of the resources in this bundle is about $8. That means if you only buy it for just 4 titles that really catch your eye, it’s still a deal! You can pass on the others as gifts, or store them (without needing new bookcases!) until you’re in a season to want them. Plus, you’re getting all those bonuses–my favorite being the 2 months free at fit2b.us!!!) 97 ebooks may seem overwhelming, but there’s no rules telling you how fast you need to consume them, and you may never see these titles priced this low again!

Do you have anymore questions? I’ll be around in the comments today if you have specific questions about any of the resources in the bundle or how ebooks work, mkay? And watch the blog Friday for another post highlighting more of my favorites from the Bundle!

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. Want to read my full affiliate disclosure? Click here.

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Ya’ll, I did you a favor. For the past two weeks, since I received a pre-sale copy of each of the ebooks in this bundle, I’ve been doing some major reading. I have personally opened and ‘flipped through’–if not voraciously gobbled all the juicy content–of every. single. one. of the books in this bundle so I could personally review them for you. It was hard to pick favorites, but today I’m gonna highlight a few that I really loved, and that I think my readers will especially appreciate…
{Just so you know ~ Many of the product links on this page are affiliate links meaning a make a percentage of  profit if you buy the item via my link we and will be blessed through your purchase, thank you!}

Home and Property {Cleaning, Organizing, Decor}

Clean Enough resonated with me so deeply, it made my ears ring. Jenni says, “If you’re overwhelmed at keeping your house clean, maybe it’s time to redefine what clean enough means to you, and then make a plan to meet your goal, not the standard someone else is putting on you.” All of the chapters are short, inspiring, and readily applicable to a busy mom of little ones.

Educational Children’s Resources

I’m so excited about the Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten Bundle, I can hardly stand it. I’ve been analyzing where Jesse and Claire are both at developmentally, and looking for the curriculum that would suit each of them for our summer schooling. Who knew that there was something that was perfect for BOTH of them? I’m very impressed with Carissa’s product. In fact, I’m gonna do whole post about it Thursday, so watch for it, friends!

I can see that Think Outside The Classroom: A Practical Look at Relaxed Homeschooling is going to be a delightful read, as I have just a little bit of the ‘unschooler’ in me. Only, I like Kelly’s term ‘relaxed homeschooler’ even better. I’m going to give this a thorough and relaxed read during my upcoming blogging break.

Budgeting {Finances and Time}

Amy’s book Tell Your Time was the first time I really understood time management, and her quick guide to budgeting your time has been a mainstay to me and my schedule since I read it 2 years ago. This one is a classic, ya’ll. If you already have it, remember that you can re-gift any file from the bundle that you already own. Woot!

In the Kitchen {Recipes and Cooking}

I have been drooling over Stacy’s Crock On Cookbook since it came out a few months ago, but I  am just too cheap to buy an ebook full price. I wait for a sale (like this one!). I adore crockpot meals, but the vast majority of crockpot recipe collections rely on a lot of processed ingredients. But Stacy is like me–into real food, though not legalistic about it. Basically, this cookbook offers the ease of crockpot meals, while not requiring me to compromise on wholesomeness. Totally my go-to for meal planning when we’re on the bus this summer!

Since I love her sourdough book, I was interested in Wardeeh’s  Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen. I love how she divides all the kid-friendly kitchen tasks into lists for Swing Chefs (3-6), Line Chefs (7-11), Sous chefs (12-15), and Head Chefs (16-18)! I can totally see my kids getting into the titles as well as all the skills Wardeeh says kids are capable of in the kitchen!


Just Making Ice Cream is an entire cookbook on homemade ice creams with nourishing ingredients–my love for that book will. not. fit. in this post, so I’ll share about it later this week, mkay?

Spiritual Growth

I met both Lara and Katie at Allume last fall. Beautiful women, and diligent leaders in calling women to be in the word. I have found a system of accountability and a style of Bible study that REALLY works for me with the Good Morning Girl’s online studies, but they take a break every 8 weeks. Kept – 1 Peter Study is what I’m gonna use to keep me digging into the word during the next break!

Marriage and Romance

Free Bonus: a discount for Union 28 is one of the bonuses–this is where Jeremy got his (and my) favorite shirt–softest chocolate jersey. Mr. Holden and I agree: 31 Days to Great Sex was a great book for couples. ‘Nuff said.

Motherhood

4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions  is a really cute idea for a book, and easy read–like having a conversation with a group of friends! And really helpful, practical answers to questions like, “How do you get your kids to Church on time?”, “How do you manage outings with only little ones?”, and “How do you make sure your children get enough individual time?”

Health and Fitness

The health and fitness books were great, but what I really love is the FREE bonus–two months free at Fit2B studio! (worth $19.98!) I have raved about Bethany’s Online Fitness Studio for moms HERE and she’s answered a bunch of my mommy-related fitness questions HERE.

Beauty

Ya’ll know how much I love this The No Brainer Wardrobe. Hayley was one of the first to show me style was possible as a mom, and inspired my journey to embracing my personal style. If you’ve been wanting this one, now you can get it for 31 cents!

Oh, and then there’s this book called Embracing Beauty…if you don’t have your copy yet, you can get it in this bundle!!!

Working from Home and Blogging

Since Jeremy has taken over my the tech side of my blog as my VA, he was excited to get his hands on The Bootstrap VA. He says, “This is not only a great resource for starting a VA business, Lisa has great information for anyone who wants to do more with their online presence. Every chapter includes great resources for further reading and tools to assist you with your online business.”

My favorite from this section of the bundle was definitely Simple Blogging. I have felt the need to streamline and simplify, especially as I face trying to keep up with the blog through the summer, which is our busiest travel season. Rachel shows dozens of ways to blog well in less time. Super excited about implementing this book.

Phew, that’s quite the list! And that was only 14 of the 97 resources in the bundle! If you’re still feeling a little overwhelmed, remember that for this price (31 cents each) you can pick and choose a few favorites–you don’t have to consume them all! And the titles that aren’t a fit for you make great gifts to pass on to friends. Just think about it, because the sale only lasts till Saturday, and then all these resources go back up to their original prices.

Are you as excited as I am? Then you probably want to tell your friends! Here’s some quotes ready for tweeting…(or share this post on facebook! Thanks!)

This bundle has practical inspiration for every single area I need to grow in as a homemaker! <<<Click to Tweet This

Ever wish there was a college course for homemaking? This is it. And it’s only $29.97! <<<Click to Tweet This

Fresh ideas for every room of your home–in one awesome sale! <<<Click to Tweet This

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. Want to read my full affiliate disclosure? Click here.

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It’s a fine Monday morning, and I’m absolutely giddy. Wanna hear why?

I’m giddy because this week I’ve teamed up with more than 75 well-know bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere to offer 97 of our most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the wowsers low price of $29.97!

This is truly the ultimate ebook sale—you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

For extra awesomeness, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

{Just so you know ~ I do make an affiliate profit if you buy this bundle via my link, I am a contributing author and will be blessed through your purchase, thank you!}

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

Each The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 AM EST on April 29th to 11:59 PM EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

You can view the full list of resources and bonuses HERE, but here’s a quick outline of everything in the bundle:

If all these books and products overwhelm you, do come back tomorrow when I’m going to highlight my top picks from the sale–yes, I’ve personally opened every single book so I could tell you what my favorites were and why!

Home & Property {Cleaning and Organizing}

Education {Homeschooling & Spiritual Teaching}

Budgeting {Finance & Time}

In the Kitchen {Recipes and Cooking}

Pregnancy & Baby Care

Holidays & Special Events

Spiritual Growth

Marriage & Romance

Motherhood

Health & Fitness

Beauty

Working from Home & Blogging

Ecourses

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)


A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

A $10 store credit to Union28, plus 20% off any regular price items. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more). Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.) min. $12.95 or more.

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

• Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
• For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
• All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
• All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 25th, 2013 (3 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

• It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
• Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 AM EST on April 29th to 11:59 PM EST on May 4th There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. Want to read my full affiliate disclosure? Click here.

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Some days it seems all I do all day is manage bodily functions. Jesse’s wetting his pants. Claire’s distraction leading to 20 min. toilet runs. Seth’s stinky diapers. And my own frequent needs–fed by the goal of drinking a gallon of water per day for the sake of my kidneys–requiring multiple runs up the stairs for myself each day.

I know I should not be complaining. I’m lucky to have a bathroom,

lucky to have the mold problem over,

lucky to pee indoors.

I remember the bathroom situation on the homestead…Oh, my poor mother, peeing in a bucket for years, including pregnancy with her 7th child. Emptying the chamber pot every day…a whole gallon—or two–of the family’s bodily discharge, hauled across the lawn into the pit dug by hand,

hold your nose,

toss the gloppy, yellow mess,

don’t splatter your long denim dress.

Back to the pump to pump, pump, pump, swill, pour rinse water gently at the base of the perennials—that garden always was so lush with its constant, potent water supply.

And I complain about having to wipe my child’s bum? And I complain about bedwetting when at least I have a washer and dryer on the premises and an accident never means a whole unplanned trip to the Laundromat 20 min. away?

God, forgive me. Thank you for the gift of perspective, fed by ammonia-scented memories…

All summer that first year on the homestead, while living in a tipi, we had simply used a trench in the woods.

By winter we had built a cabin, and an outhouse, but it was too cold and too far from the house in the dead of winter with the temperature dipping to 30 below. So we got creative. We couldn’t afford those beautiful, smooth rimmed enamel chamber pots we drooled over at the local antique stores,  so we used the 5 gallon bucket with a lid, which we kept on the back porch. When someone needed it, they’d either nip outside REAL quick (one learned to pee forcefully), or drag it inside and anyone else downstairs would politely avert their gaze. When the bucket was full, we’d set it next to the stove with the lid on all night to thaw it so it could be dumped the next morning.

Us girls had the modest advantage of wearing ankle length dresses that draped nicely over the bucket, completely shrouding our activities while we sat on The Pot. That’s where one of us (I won’t say who–I’m completely dispensing with names so the characters in this story can retain some semblance of their pride) was sitting one day when the neighbor man came in and had an entire conversation with the individual while she sat on the bucket. She couldn’t move, lest she reveal what she was in the middle of. Our neighbor left without a notion of what was going on, though I’m sure he wondered why she never rose to greet him!

We can laugh about it now, but these memories remind me all I have to be grateful for. Next time I feel like complaining about pee, I’m gonna remember the pee pot and thank God I have a toilet. Indoors.

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