Candid Diversions

Weekend Links - May 18, 2013

2013-05-18T11:49:00.002-04:00

Another week, another pushed back house closing. This buyer has had a contract on our house since March 18. We've been expecting a closing ANY DAY NOW for over a month. We hurried to move out of our house and into this rental because we were supposed to be out before May 1. And here we are, still waiting.

If I sound done with it all, it's just because I am.

Miss Lili and I had to make a doctor's visit this week. She has an ear infection (among other symptoms) and I have a sinus infection. Considering I've been fighting this cold or virus or whatever it is since before Baby Boy was born, I'm ready for it to just go away already.

Oh, and tomorrow's my birthday.

But, anyway, on to the links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit from the New York Times. Sleep is a beautiful thing.
We Can't Stop the Crash, But We Can Pick Up The Pieces by Dave Miller.
If You Could Actually Thank C.S. Lewis by Sarah Clarkson. So glad to hear Lewis is getting a memorial in Westminster. Long overdue, in my opinion.
What We Lose in our Child-Free Culture by Katrina Trinko.
If All You Have is a Hammer by Kevin DeYoung.
The Litmus Test of Genuine Christianity by Cap Stewart.
My Biggest Regret by Sarah at My Joy Filled Life. Powerful post (and related post: You Would Be 18.)

Marriage / Parenting

Dear Less Than Perfect Mom by Lea at Becoming Super Mommy.
Helping Your Kids Be Best Friends by Tricia Goyer.
Rethinking Mother's Day from The Duchy of Burgundy Carrots.
Stress and Motherhood from The Duchy of Burgundy Carrots. This is something Philip and I have been talking about after hearing a Focus on the Family radio program about motherhood and stress. We've found that the more children you have does not, surprisingly, increase stress. Part of the reason for that is that you ease up on your standards a bit. You prioritize and decide what's important in parenting. (Daily baths? Not so much. Family meals together? Very important.) One thing I love about five kids so far: there's always someone. Someone to help. Someone playing with the toddler. Someone holding the baby. Someone looking for a job to do. Someone building elaborate playsets to play with all day.
Dad, Will You Teach Me What it Means To Be A Man? by Julie Sibert. (Trivia: this post was published the day our son was born.)
Related: Raising Good Men. An Interview with Eric Metaxas. Love the books on Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer that Metaxas has written. Also love his willingness to speak truth in this "tolerant" age. Can't wait to read his latest book.
Twelve Ways to Prepare Your Children For Times of Doubt by C. Michael Patton.
How Do We Discern the Spiritual Conversion of Children? from Practical Shepherding. This is one of my primary concerns while parenting our children. And we are in the thick of it right now, especially with Sweet Pea.
Almost Grown: How to Keep the Faith by Lisa at Do Not Depart.
How to Be the Mom in the Mirror You Want Reflected in Your Daughter's Life from Lisa-Jo Baker (guest post by Emily Wierenga). Really needed this one this week. (2 weeks post-partum is sometimes not a happy place to be, body-image wise)
How to Raise Good Conversationalists by Janel at MomLife Today.
Toddlers Becoming So Addicted to iPads They Require Therapy by Victoria Ward. I don't doubt it. Turn off the devices, people! (Side note: we do not have smart phones or iPads and yet I find that Miss Lili is absolutely fascinated with them and can operate them better than I do when given the chance. Wild world.)

Homeschooling / Education

On Pre-reading Your Children's Books from Higher Up and Further In.
Age Appropriate Books for the Precocious Reader from Hope is the Word. Many homeschool parents run in to this difficulty. One piece of advice that I heard at a homeschool convention: encourage these young but precocious readers to read biographies (especially of Christians who have lived before us). True life adventures and challenges will inspire them while satisfying their desire for action.

Pins of the Week:
Once again, I didn't spend much time on Pinterest this week. But yet another peanut butter / chocolate dessert caught my eye:

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

So, what caught your eye this week?
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Books of 2013 - April

2013-05-15T12:29:00.001-04:00

I was just thinking the other day about how mystery and "easy reads" were going to be dominating my May booklist because that's what I have the brain cells to read right now. (Not to mention the time. A nice slim mystery is easy to hold while nursing a baby. A thick biography, such as the one on Calvin Coolidge I am also reading right now, not so much.)

Anyway, that made me think about my April booklist. And then I realized that I had never shared that with you, what with not having the Internet for a couple of weeks and then, yes, with giving birth. That'll really put a kink in your other plans, let me tell you. (She said with a smile. All in good fun, folks. All in good fun.)

So, anyway, without further ado, here are the books I finished in April:

1. A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child. Nonfiction by Mary Churchill Soames. My review on Goodreads:

Quite enjoyable peek into personal life of the Churchill family from the perspective of the youngest Churchill daughter, Mary. Covers the period of time from her birth until her marriage (two years after the end of WW2).

My only quibble is how she refers to her parents: she jumps around from "Mummie and Papa" to "Winston" and "Clementine" pretty much randomly. She also removes herself from some situations with her siblings (older brother Randolph, older sisters Diana and Sarah) by saying things like "his father was upset" when it would make more sense, in my opinion, to say "Our father was upset".

Still, for History buffs and Churchill fans, this is a great book.

2.Proof of Guilt. Fiction by Charles Todd. Series mystery. My Goodreads review:

Not my favorite in the Ian Rutledge series and I've read them all.

The first chapter is irrelevant to the rest of the book. The ending is unsatisfactory. Rutledge spends the entire book driving from one part of England to another. Markham is not fleshed out - last book he was better than Bowles, this book, he's almost as bad. Makes me wonder if this mother-son writing team has a bit of a tug of war over the characters and plots.

In the end, the bad guy is who you expect. Except for, where, exactly is the character who set all these things in motion? Either I missed it or they didn't tie it up.

3. What the Dead Know. Fiction by Laura Lippman. My Goodreads review:

Gripping. One of those stories that grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. I'm not sure why it's so good - I never really loved any of the main characters. The jumping around in time was sometimes effective and sometimes annoying. I don't like books with a lot of swearing but this one had a lot (what do you expect from hard boiled police officers, I guess).

Still, despite the potential drawbacks, it was one of those stories that stays with me and makes me wonder how the author did that, exactly.

4. Home Front Girl. Nonfiction by Joan Wehlen Morrison. My review on Goodreads:

Interesting memoir of a girl growing up in Chicago during the depression and Second World War. (The diary entries shared cover 1937-1942.) Marked as a "teen" book at my library but this book is an enjoyable read for adults too.

The footnotes are basic, presumably for those teens who wouldn't know that "White Cliffs of Dover" was a popular song during the Second World War, and, therefore, kind of annoying instead of helpful. The content is excellent though and Joan Wehlen sounds like someone you'd have loved to have known if you were contemporaries.

5. A Future Arrived. Fiction by Phillip Rock. Third in the trilogy. My Goodreads review:

Not my favorite book in the trilogy, which surprised me because it's my favorite era and location (1930-1940 Britain) for historical fiction. This one just didn't grab me, maybe because the characters are mostly the younger generation. The beginning is a slow build up but the ending is rushed.

6. How Do You Tuck In a Superhero? Nonfiction by Rachel Balducci. Another blog turned book. This one made me laugh out loud. (And a little bit thankful that my family is four girls / one boy instead of five boys / one girl, which is what the author's family has now). Reminiscent of the books by Jean Kerr (and that is high praise). {Goodreads}

7. River of Darkness. Fiction by Rennie Airth. First in a mystery series. My Goodreads review:

Dark, suspenseful. The author makes an interesting choice to let the reader know who the bad guy is fairly early on in the story. The suspense comes from wondering whether the good guy(s) will catch him and who will be the next victim.

Good characters, although rather more than I like to keep up with when reading the first book in a series. I personally could have done without certain depictions of "intimate" scenes, but otherwise I found myself thoroughly engrossed in this book and had trouble putting it down.

Reminiscent of the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd, but, in many ways, this book was superior, with fewer authorial errors (such as losing track of the POV).

8. The Mysterious Howling. Fiction by Maryrose Wood. First in a series. Polly and I are both really into this series now. (Of which you will hear more in the May books post.) My Goodreads review:

Great tone, interesting characters, and overall a great set up to a new series for "the sort of reader who is not yet old enough to drive but enjoys taking journeys of the imagination nevertheless", as the dust jacket puts it.

9. Humble Orthodoxy. Nonfiction by Joshua Harris. Received this to review and you can find my review post here.

10. What Angels Fear. Fiction by C.S. Harris. My Goodreads review:

Entertaining, well done for a first in a series. Rather more graphic at times than I prefer. I've seen these books compared to the books about Julian Kestrel by Kate Ross. Other than a similar setting (Regency England), I'm not sure there is much reason to compare them.

11. The Blood Dimmed Tide. Fiction by Rennie Airth. Series mystery. My Goodreads review:

Not quite as tense (or graphic) as the first book in the series. Still quite well done with a lot of tension and well placed red herrings.

12. What a Difference a Mom Makes: The Indelible Imprint a Mom Leaves on her Son's Life. Nonfiction by Kevin Leman. My Goodreads review:

Leman's usual style: funny, practical, and real. This was, fittingly, the last book I finished before our first son was born. Hope I can remember the good advice once all the sleep deprivation clears.

Totals for April: 12
Fiction: 7 (almost all series mysteries)
Nonfiction: 5

So, what did you read in April? No, wait, don't tell me. My stacks (there are two now) are already threatening to topple over on Baby Boy and Me.

Book covers in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Action taken with these links could result in compensation for me but probably won't because Amazon is constantly changing the rules and they haven't had to cut me a payment in many moons now.

Random Monday

2013-05-13T16:41:00.001-04:00

We have now, officially, spent an entire week in our new digs, The Rental House. Also known as: The Fun House or The Crooked House because there is no flat surface in this place. The ceiling slopes. The floors slope (different directions).

When we first moved in I asked Philip if this place is going to slide right off the hill on which it is perched. "It hasn't yet," was his less than reassuring answer. Okey-dokey.

My brother-in-law and Philip moved my beloved Expedit shelving unit from one wall to another so I didn't have to look it as it seemed to slide into a hole. (It wasn't sliding. It just looked like it.) As my brother-in-law said, "That wall wasn't made for a grid." I haven't found a wall in this house yet that could be said to be made for a grid. But at least I don't have to look at the Expedit straight on any more.

Other quirky things about this house: the ceiling in our bedroom is lower than in the other rooms. So Philip has repeatedly scraped his hand against the textured ceiling when he gets dressed. Ouch. Not fun for him, I'm sure. That's a perk of being short, I guess: never scrape your hand against a textured ceiling.

The driveway is treacherous. See: house, perched on hillside, for the reason why. My midwife told me not to drive for two weeks but I'm considering telling Philip that she suggested I never drive again if it means having to drive that driveway. OK, I wouldn't really lie about it, but still... I guess I'll be parking at the bottom of the driveway and hauling a baby in a carseat, a toddler, three girls and the multiple baskets of laundry or multiple poorly packed bags of groceries up the hill on my own. Which hardly seems better.

Did I mention no washing machine and dryer? That's pretty crazy with seven of us, let me tell you.

So, what's good about the house? Well, many things, actually. And the best is probably this:

That's the Ohio river. As seen from the balcony on the front of our house. It's amazing. And no, the train tracks don't bother us. We love the trains. (One thing I really love: Miss Lili stopping whatever 2 year old naughtiness she's gotten into and running to the front to look out at whatever train is passing by. "Train, Mama!" It hasn't gotten old yet.)

Our closing is supposed to be tomorrow. We actually have a time and location, which is more than we've had before. But since Philip rearranged his whole schedule (tutoring students and such) to accommodate it, I'm kind of thinking it will get rescheduled again. And did I mention that someone broke into our now vacant house last week? Twice?

Lovely times. But at least Philip got to watch three detectives fingerprint our house. There was talk of warrants and such. CSI: Karen and Philip's House. Watch for it.

OK, enough talk about houses. Now for Baby Boy in Frog pajamas (can we agree that it doesn't get much more "Random" than bright yellow pj's with frogs on them? And you can't even see the little frogs on his tiny feet):

And making grouchy faces that just make me want to kiss him and laugh:

We've had some good times thinking of captions for that one. Let's just say things are a lot funnier when you're ever so slightly sleep deprived.

And then there's the thumb sucking:

He's only managed to get that thumb into his mouth a couple of times. But it's adorable and he's determined to figure this whole "hands & fingers" thing out just so he can do this whenever he wants.

Life is good.

How's your Monday going?
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Weekend Links - May 11, 2013

2013-05-11T13:49:00.002-04:00

First of all: Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, our grandmas, and my sisters and sister-in-law. You are a fabulous sorority and I'm blessed to be a member.

Second: Happy Mother's Day to you, my fellow moms. And that includes those of you who do not have babies to hold in your arms this Mother's Day. Miscarriage or adoptions that fell through do not mean you are not a mother. You are a mother. Your babies and your love for them is real, even if you don't get to hold them this side of Heaven.

Third: yes, we finally have internet again. What a saga that turned out to be. Ridiculous. Kind of like the whole house selling experience. I've told Philip we have to choose our house carefully because I would really like never to move again. Ever.

Anyway, it's good to be back surfing the 'webs and here are some links for this week:

Spiritual / Inner Life

Treasuring God After My Miscarriage by Kristen Narara.
The Little Church That Cried Wolf by Mike Leake.

Marriage / Parenting

Have American Parents Got it All Backwards? by Christine Gross-Loh.
When Mom Has a Young Man in the Making by Lisa Jacobson. Yes, these types of posts are jumping out at me now. A son?!
Comfy Pregnancy Series: Baby's First Days by Jennifer Deibel. This one is good advice but it also made me laugh. Guess where we first took Baby Boy on the way home from the hospital? If you guessed Kroger's, you guessed correctly. Cut me some slack: he came 8 days early in the midst of a move. To say I wasn't quite ready is a bit of an understatement. And there are some things that husbands don't like to buy at the store. (Enough said?) So we went to Kroger's and picked up some essentials (including bananas, yogurt, and ice cream. You know, essentials.) And we chose our Kroger's carefully. This was not my usual store, and, sleep deprived though we were and haggard though we may have looked (we did), no one gave us a second glance at this particular Kroger's.
Showing Honor on Mother's Day (Even When It's Hard) by Jen Wilkin.
The Struggle to Trust God with My Child's Salvation by Lindsey Carlson.
Ask Auntie Leila: new baby, messy house, perfectionist mom from Like Mother, Like Daughter. (If they would have thrown in a move, that would describe my situation perfectly.
Family Ministry: Shaping a Child's Soul by Timothy Jones.
Having Babies {In Opposite World} by Courtney at Women Living Well.

Homeschooling / Education

Surviving Homeschooling During a Move by Kristen at Teaching Stars.

Uncategorized

Simple Stories [An Invitation to Old-Fashioned Blogging] by Ashleigh Baker.
Hope for Dark Days from Frugal Hacks.
An Honest Look at Frugality by Kristen, a guest post at Living Well, Spending Less.

Pins of the Week:
Didn't do a lot of pinning this week but these definitely caught my eye:

Source: yourcupofcake.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

So, what caught your eye this week? Do tell - I've missed you all!
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Baby Boy!

2013-05-04T21:15:00.001-04:00

Baby Boy made his entrance May 1, 2013 at 5:06 PM. 7 lbs. 13 oz. (and you have to consider the fact that he was 8 days early).

We're still roughing it in the rental house - no phone or internet. But I hope to be back soon and share more about our new life with this little guy. (Spoiler alert: he's amazing.)

Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragement during the past months. God has truly blessed us with this fantastic little guy and we are so thankful.

Weekend Links - April 27, 2013

2013-04-27T09:57:00.001-04:00

Today is a moving day: moving day into the rental house. Even though it's not finished. And there are no kitchen cabinets. And we might not be able to sleep there. It's still moving day. Today will be the first day I've actually seen the rental. (Philip and the three oldest have seen it but I haven't.) Fingers crossed (and prayers going up) that the closing happens as scheduled on Monday. Or Tuesday at the latest.

Further prayers that we find the right house without too much delay appreciated.

Now for the links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

The Silent Struggle by Stephanie at Walking Through the Valley. (The entire blog is convicting and heartbreaking. Do check it out when you have time to spend.)
Will You Blossom Again? By Margaret Nyman.
Letter to a Parent Grieving the Loss of a Child by John Piper.
For When Your Dreams are Dying by Dana at The Better Mom.
Just Keep Sowing, Just Keep Sowing by Stephen Altrogge.
What if the Darkness Doesn't Break? By Mike Leake.
When We Talk About Pre-Marital Sex by Marty Duren. Brutal but necessary post for our time.
How in the World Am I Supposed to Serve Right Now?! By Laura at Heavenly Homemakers.
Warning: Photoshopped Women by Mary Kassian.
Is It "Unspiritual" to Be Discouraged? by Sinclair Ferguson.
How Not to Grow Spiritually by Daniel Darling.
Four Lies About Introverts by Amie Patrick.

Marriage / Parenting

The Homemaking Pharisee: We are All Bad Mothers by Lindsey at Road to 31.
5 Tools Needed to Reach Today's Teens by Cameron Cole. (Great post for youth leaders but also for parents.)
Top 10 Ways to Ruin Your Child's Imagination by Justin Taylor based on the book by Anthony Esolen.
The Power of Talking to Your Child from One Story Ministries. Fascinating research!
Advice for Raising Godly Children by John Witherspoon, shared by Kevin DeYoung.
Exhausted New Mom's Hilarious Take on "Expert" Sleep Advice Goes Viral by Rebecca Dube.
Things I Wished I Knew Before Bringing Home Baby from Brooklyn Limestone

Education / Homeschooling

We Were Homeschool Latin Dropouts from Garner Goings On. Great series on learning Latin.
Writing Readiness Or: Something Else We Did Late (And it Worked Out Okay) by Brandy at Afterthoughts.
Don't Be a Chicken! 5 Reasons You Can Homeschool from Homegrown Learners.
Is the News Making Us Dumb? By Joe Carter. ("Just say 'no' to the 24 hour news cycle", is my motto. This is, of course, fairly easy for us to do as we live quite happily without TV or cable.)

Homekeeping

40 Inspiring Workspaces of the Famously Creative. From minimalist to over the top, this post illustrates that there are far more ways to be creative than we allow in our stereotyped ideas of the "Creative Type".
5 Choices When You're Short on Space by Andrea Decker.
10 Alternatives to Popular Kids IKEA Products from Apartment Therapy. (Although if you don't have an IKEA within driving distance, you definitely have my pity. We joke that our next house will have an Expedit in every room. Only - shh - I'm not actually joking.)
Hidden Artist Within. Karen Andreola talks about Edith Schaeffer's excellent book The Hidden Art of Homemaking. (If you'd like to join an online Bookclub reading through this book, Cindy at Ordo Amoris is hosting one right now: Hidden Art Bookclub Begins.)
What Type of Pinner Are You? 6 Types of Pinterest Users.
Solutions for Renters: Bathrooms from Centsational Girl. (sigh)
Thoughts on Moving from One Place To Another from Diary of an Arts Pastor.

Pins of the Week:
Yummy (Chocolate & Coconut and I am there!):

Source: bakingwithlisey.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Great Birthday Party Idea: A Donut Party!

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Lovely room (although the link is to an Etsy shop for the quote on the wall):

Source: etsy.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

That's all for this week. I hope our internet access is worked out quickly (right now it's kind of up in the air as to how long it will take to get set up in our new place) so I can keep you up to date on life in the rental house and - soon! - the newest addition to our family.

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Five Question Friday

2013-04-26T10:48:00.002-04:00

1. Who drives when your family is together, you or your spouse?
Philip, almost always. I don't love driving, other drivers, or cars in general. I'll drive if he's really tired or something, but otherwise it's always him.

2. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
Introvert. (This post discusses this in more detail, complete with Myers-Briggs typology)

3. Are you married to an introvert or extrovert?
He's an introvert. But on the scale of Introvert to Extrovert, he's more extrovert than I am. (Clear?)

4. What's your favorite type of social media?
Facebook. Or Pinterest. Those are the two that I ~~waste~~ spend the most time on. I've tried Google plus and it's just not clicking with me. And I love Twitter, but I use it more as a "scan to see what's going on" type thing.

5. What's your favorite way to "recharge"?
Quiet evenings at home with Philip, hot chocolate (or a bowl of ice cream, depending on the season), & a good book for usual recharging. (I, as an introvert, require a lot of recharging.)

Night away at a hotel, eating out, and swimming in a nice indoor pool for every once in awhile recharging. (With or without kids. Although the "without kids" type is a rare occasion indeed.)

Another way I recharge is to go thrifting all by myself. I love thrift stores and treasure hunting. My older girls are pretty fun to take thrifting but the younger ones move it from a recharging / relaxing experience into a "hurry and get this done before someone - maybe even me - melts down".

So, how about you? How do you recharge?
This post is linked to Five Question Friday at My Little Life.

Book Review - Humble Orthodoxy

2013-04-22T09:49:00.000-04:00

This is the latest from well known (and respected) Christian pastor and author, Joshua Harris. When I saw it offered on the Blogging for Books site, I jumped at the chance to read it.

This is a short book, easy to read in one sitting if you were so inclined. But it's so much deeper than that: you'll want to focus on it and think about it for awhile. There is a study guide at the back to help you do that. I could see this book being an excellent choice for a small group or adult (or teen) Sunday School class since it's divided into four easy chapters.

The main point of the book is that there are three easy errors and one biblical alternative: Arrogant heterodoxy (bad doctrine, bad behavior), arrogant orthodoxy (good doctrine, bad behavior), and humble heterodoxy (bad doctrine, good behavior) which should be contrasted with Biblical thought and practice: Humble orthodoxy (good doctrine, good behavior).

Don't be scared off by big words like orthodoxy. Harris makes this easy to understand. Christians should be speaking the truth in love, defending Biblical truth, without wielding truth or doctrine as a blunt weapon.

I'll confess: one struggle I had while reading this book was thinking something along the lines of, "That's excellent! You know who really needs to read this?" and then filling in the blank with someone I know who could use a dose of this book.

Which means I was missing the point: Humble Orthodoxy is about getting it right myself. It's about my humbly embracing the truth of the Bible while still loving others.

Great book and, since it is small and not expensive, I highly recommend it to you.

(Just don't read it and think something like "I can totally see why Karen needed this book". Then you'd be missing the point too.)

To find out more:

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. Opinions are my own.

Weekend Links - April 20, 2013

2013-04-20T10:16:00.004-04:00

Well, another week has come and gone. This brings us closer to Baby Boy (due May 9) and also to leaving our current house. As of right now that's supposed to happen before April 30 but we don't have it actually scheduled. It was supposed to be April 25. And then it wasn't. And then it was again and we have no idea what's happening right now.

Which is OK, I suppose, because our rental house isn't ready for us to move in. So we have stuff piled at my parents' and in Philip's church office (and a closet at church) and in our house. Boxes and stuff everywhere. Not good for this wannabe nesting mama.

Then there's the house hunt. We were supposed to look at 6 houses Thursday. One realtor never got back with ours about scheduling a showing. One house went pending that morning. Two houses were completely out of the question. One house was sweet - like a time warp with the original 1950's metal cabinets and such. That house really wasn't big enough for what we want, and anyway, it went pending yesterday.

Then there was a house that was in a good location in our price range. It was slightly smaller than we want, but we could probably make it work (theoretically). But now that one is kind of up in the air as to its status and we are back to Square 1 with no more houses in our price range in decent areas that are suitable for a soon-to-be family of seven.

I'm feeling kind of discouraged this morning, honestly. So, we better get on to the links because I've saved several that I think I need to go back and read again.

Spiritual / Inner Life

A Timely Reminder for Tax Day by Erin Davis. I actually need this reminder a lot lately: God is our Provider and dependence on Him is a good thing.
An Honest Response to "I Love Jesus But Hate Religion" from Marc5Solas.
Lay Aside the Weight of Doubt by Jon Bloom.
You Are Stronger from Sometimes a Light. A forgotten but needed perspective concerning the Gosnell trial and the abortion issue in our country.
Mirror Wars by Trillia Newbell.
9 Things You Should Know About Female Body Image Issues by Joe Carter. (Related to the above post and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.)
Facebook Friends and Sin by Jesse Johnson.
Surrendering Our Fears by Caroline at Do Not Depart.
His Plans are Perfect by Sarah at My Joy Filled Life.
EST: 3 Letters That Can Sabotage Simple Living by Andrea Decker. (I think the application of this principle covers more than simple living.)
Praying for More than "Safe" by Erin Davis.

Marriage / Parenting

Why We Won't Let a Village Raise Our Kids by Ruth at Living Well, Spending Less.
5 Ways You Can Help the Mom of a Newborn by Paula at Beauty Through Imperfection. Just in case you, ahem, know anyone about to have a baby...
Do You Ever Feel Like a Failure? By Christy at The Better Mom.
Holy or Happy? What is the Purpose of Marriage? By J at Hot, Holy, & Humorous.
To My Only Son and Future Daughter-in-Law by Kate at Filled to the Brim. (Tongue in cheek, of course, but I really need to print this out for my little man, don't you think?)
It's OK if You're Not Enjoying Being a Mom This Week by Lisa-Jo Baker.
The Most Loving Thing I've Done as a Mom by Lisa Jacobson.
The #1 Thing a Christian Woman Should Look for in a Husband by Jolene Engle. This is something we talk about often with our girls. (Sample conversation: Philip asked them, "What if a boy says he loves God but he never wants to go to church?" Sweet Pea piped up, "Then he's probably a liar!" That's my girl.)
Raising our Sons to Seek After God by Lisa Jacobson. (She was on a roll this week!)
Ask Auntie Leila: How to Talk to Children About Scary News from Like Mother, Like Daughter. Excellent advice.

Homeschooling / Education

The Jury's In: Screen Time Hurts Little Kids by Julia Steiny.
5 Things to Remember When One Child Excels But The Other Struggles by Heather at The Homeschool Classroom.
Latin for Moms: Understanding the Five Basic Cases by Brandy at Afterthoughts. Latin is one subject I really enjoy studying with my girls, although it's slipped by the wayside during these crazy days.

Uncategorized

Why You Should Read Narnia in Publication Order by Trevin Wax. I've been saying this for years. I feel so strongly about it, I actually put my girls' copy of these books in the correct order in their slipcase, even though that meant the numbers on the spines were wrong. (You have to understand that I'm the girl that alphabetizes her movies in order to understand what an accomplishment this was.)
The Best Ice Cream Day Ever from Kristen at Celebrate Every Day With Me. I really want to do this with the girls sometime. (Ooh, new thought: this would be fun with doughnut shops too.)
I haven't made any secret of the fact that I love Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds in particular. Here's a story that made me love both even more (I was listening to this game on the radio): Todd Frazier Delivers Home Run After Ball Boy Ted Kremer's Request. Great, feel-good story you don't want to miss, even if you're not a Reds fan. (But seriously: why wouldn't you be? Just kidding.)

Pins of the Week:
I love library card catalogs and dream of finding my own one of these days:

Source: dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

This phenomenon is even worse while packing, FYI:

Source: someecards.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

My love of a great nook is well documented, I believe:

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

That's all for this week. Please forgive the venting nature of the beginning paragraphs. It's nice to have friends who will just listen to us and understand our frustration with these crazy times.

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Can I Get You Anything?

2013-04-16T18:32:00.000-04:00

It's 6 PM and I'm exhausted. We had a full day of Children's Theatre, lunch out with friends, and then I went to the grocery store. (That last thing along would be enough to exhaust me at this point.)

So I'm lying on my bed, resting. Not asleep, you understand, just resting with a book beside me.

Philip is in the kitchen making eggs for anyone who happens to be hungry.

Then I feel a little face just inches from mine.

"Mama?" It is Miss Lili, staring me in the face.

"Yes?"

"Mama, you want a egg?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

She is silent for a second.

"You want a hamburger?"

This is generous as I am not sure how she will provide this if I say "yes". There are currently no hamburgers - nor makings of hamburgers - in the house.

"No, thanks," I say again. "I'm not hungry right now. Just tired."

Another silent second.

Then: "You want a sandwich?"

The nurturing impulse starts young, does it not?
(P.S. I passed on the sandwich. But I am now enjoying a hot cup of tea and Miss Lili is satisfied that I am not going to starve to death.)

Weekend Links - April 13, 2013

2013-04-13T10:37:00.003-04:00

Well, I may not have time to do proper blogging, but I still have time to come up with a lot of links for you. (Hmm, something about that seems not quite right...)

Some things going on right now: our closing on this house (which means we have to be completely packed and out) is in less than two weeks. Our rental house is almost but not quite ready and we still don't even know the actual address. Baby Boy is getting heavier, I'm getting more pregnancy related aches and fatigue, and he's due in less than 4 weeks. The only way I can explain our life right now: Crazy Times.

But in the midst of this, some friends watched the girls last night and Philip and I had our first proper "date night" in a long time (and probably the last for the foreseeable future). We had supper at Longhorn (I believe I've mentioned my deep and abiding love for steak), stopped at Wal-Mart for a few moving related things (packing tape, among other things), and finished up at Orange Leaf, which we hadn't tried before.

I liked Orange Leaf except the toppings weren't labeled and something kind of minty got into my otherwise perfectly concocted bowl. Also: you pay by the ounce, but that's not really clear as there are no prices displayed. As Philip pointed out, "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it."

So, all in all, a great date night and much appreciated.

Now to the links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

Barren Beauty by Jess at (in)courage.
Health Food Heresy: When Eating Healthy Becomes Your God by Lindsey Carlson.
Suicide, Mental Illness, Depression and the Church - a roundup of posts and information by Justin Taylor.
7 Questions About Suicide and Christians by David Murray.
How Baseball is Like the Christian Walk by David Prince. Baseball = the best sport and here's another reason why.
Some Days I Just Want to Give Up: 3 Ways to Surrender in Your Home by Teri Lynn Underwood.
Being "Burned" By The Church by Barnabas Piper.
Respect the Author by Persis at Out of the Ordinary. Love this one because interpreting Scripture correctly is so important.
Why the Church Needs More Christian Women Scholars by Sarah Flashing.
God Isn't Responding the Way I Think He Should by Kasey Ewing. How often have I had to confront this attitude in myself recently? Far too often.

Marriage / Parenting

Parenting Your Great-Grandmother Would Recognize from Short Fat Dictator.
Confessions a post about parenting from my sister Lisa.
Nurturing a Healthy Body Image in Our Girls by Cassandra at The Better Mom. Definitely something my husband and I are concerned about with our four girls.
Angry Mom: Getting to the Roots of My Outbursts by Jennifer at MomLife Today.
On Creativity: A Letter to My Children by Rebecca Reynolds.

Homeschooling / Education

11 Ways to Help a Sick Homeschool Mom by Roan at The Homeschool Classroom (Although, frankly, these are probably good ways to help any mom, sick or not.)
Low Key Science Without Lesson Plans by Mystie at Simply Convivial.
Homeschoolers and Data Tracking from Spunky Homeschool. Yes, more about the horrid Common Core.
Using The Story of the World as a Spine for Learning by Mary Prather at Homegrown Learners. This is very similar to how we use The Story of the World but she also has a few ideas we haven't implemented.

Homekeeping

The Blessings of a Small Home from InspiredRD. We're going from our own beloved small house to an unknown but small rental. I need to keep reminding myself of the blessings of small spaces.
A Shocking Confession from Abigail's Alcove. Love the "thinking outside the box" in this post.
5 Things Thursday: Save Your Money Where Your Mouth Is by Abbie at Five Days...Five Ways. Wait, you can buy ice from Sonic? Why did I not know this?!

News:
I wish I didn't have to share these posts. But I feel like I would be remiss if I did not:

9 Things You Should Know About the Gosnell Infanticide and Murder Trial by Joe Carter.
8 Reasons for the Media Blackout on Kermit Gosnell by Trevin Wax.

I can hardly read anything about the trial without feeling absolutely sick. My own little guy is almost always kicking and moving inside me, reminding me of how precious life is. He has a personality and we can tell a little about that because he responds to certain stimuli better than others (he's musical!). It shouldn't take a despicable trial like the Gosnell trial to make us feel sick about sin. But I'm afraid too many of us aren't even sickened by the Gosnell story any more. OK. Getting off soap box now.

And now, for something completely different from what I was just saying, how about a few Pins?
Love these magnets:

Source: natalme.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

My two oldest have requested they get this bedroom in "the new house":

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Love this hallway art from Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles (she's been sharing pictures of her entire house and I think I would love to move in there!):

Source: mthopeacademy.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Well, that's it for this week. What caught your eye this week?
This post is linked up here:

Five Question Friday

2013-04-12T09:43:00.002-04:00

1. Where do you hide things from your kids?
My husband and I have hidden things in our closets, under our bed or in the basement. Our kids are pretty good about not going through things that don't belong to them. This answer relates to things like Christmas presents, birthday presents, etc.

As for the "grown-up" candy (AKA good chocolate or such), we have a separate container for that. It's right in the kitchen and the kids know where it is but they DO NOT MESS WITH IT on pain of Mom seriously losing her cool. (Even my girls know that Mom needs that chocolate.)

2. What is your favorite rainy day activity for bored toddlers?
Playing in the sink (Water! Bubbles!), playdough, finger painting, or putting on boots and jackets and playing in the rain (provided it's not a thunderstorm, of course). Otherwise, they just do what toddlers do. I am not an activities director. I will suggest activities but my kids are - for the most part - on their own. They make their own fun or read a book or I have a list of chores that need to be done (for older kids) or a comfy bed for naptime (for littles).

I've found that if the older kids are busily playing (or busy with schoolwork since we homeschool), then the toddler will play as well. Our two year old has never been bored, as far as I can tell.

3. Are you a punctual person or are you always running a few minutes (or more!) late??
I prefer to be punctual. Really, I prefer to be early. Unless it's an activity where I think we might be the first people there. Then I like to be slightly late. Being first to a party is kind of annoying.

4. When eating out, do you prefer off the beaten path "Mom and Pop" cafes or tried and true national food chains?
Chains. Unless I have a really good reference from some I greatly trust in culinary matters. Greasy spoons and hole-in-the-wall places are not my thing. Unless, as I said, someone I trust has suggested I eat there.

5. Does your significant other snore? Do YOU snore?
No. And no. Although all bets are off if we have head colds. Otherwise: no.

My apologies for the sporadic posting here lately. Things are getting kind of crazy around here: Baby Boy due in 4 weeks. Closing on this house in less than 2. Crazy times, indeed. If you feel so inclined, please pray that these things happen they way they are supposed to and that all the INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED logistics work out. (Oh, and you could throw in a prayer that someone moves out of a spacious but inexpensive house that we can snap up and move into before the end of the summer. That'd be awesome.)

This post is linked to Five Question Friday at My Little Life.

Random Monday

2013-04-08T17:06:00.003-04:00

1. This morning I was sad to hear about the death of Baroness Thatcher. Yes, my politics are showing: I admire the Iron Lady. Might as well share the National Review tribute as well. (In for a Conservative penny, in for a Conservative pound.)

2. Things are holding steady here re: house selling. Our realtor thinks that the appraisal / inspection went well although we haven't had official word. Seems like the closing is probably going to be pushed back (by the buyer), so our realtor is going to push it to the end of May (instead of the end of April as originally agreed). This would allow us time to get ready to move and {drumroll} give birth to the next member of the family. Also it works better with paying the next mortgage payment. But really: BABY.

3. As for those of you who ask how the house hunt is going: it's not. We have a rental lined up so we won't be homeless. And looking at the houses available for sale right now is an exercise in futility. There aren't many for sale and the ones we get remotely interested in are snapped up quickly. So we'll just have to wait. And then snap one up quickly ourselves when we can.

4. Today we sorted some Baby Boy things loaned to us buy friends. I pulled out this tiny little ball cap and I think the girls and I all made an identical "awww" type of sound. We showed it to Philip but he didn't make the sound. Must be a girl thing. So strange to see all that pile of blue in my laundry.

5. Speaking of clothes sorting, we also managed to get into our shed (since the rain held off) and get out the tubs of clothes holding what the girls need for the warmer weather. (And we also got out some things to pass on to my niece.)

This is how that happened: the girls have been on me for days to do this chore. "It's hot, Mom." "We're cooking in these clothes." "It's been hot for daaaaayyys! When will we get our summer clothes? When??????" (Pretty much direct quotes right there.)

So when today was warm enough and dry enough and since Philip would be home for most of the day, I asked him to help us get out the boxes.

Which he agreed to do.

And after a morning of other work, he was finally heading out the door to the backyard. But then he got a game related call. And he was on the phone for like, a lot of minutes.

So I went out to the shed to do the job myself. (OK, in my defense: not by myself. Our 11 year old was helping.)

This was apparently not what I was supposed to do.

I'm almost 36 weeks pregnant. Call it nesting. (That is not, ahem, what my husband called it.)

But he showed up to finish the job and now the washing machine is running non-stop and the girls will be able to bug me about something else. (Something else like this: "When are we going to the park? It's so warm!")

And I am sitting (and blogging, obviously) because 36 week pregnant women shouldn't be lifting totes that weigh a metric ton (slight exaggeration) out of a crowded little storage shed by their ownselves. (Or so I've heard.)

I agree. I'm tired just from sorting the clothes out of the totes and listening to Frank Sinatra. Good thing supper is in the crock-pot. I think my domestic urges have all been fulfilled for today. But you never know what I might come up with for tomorrow...(My husband shudders at the thought.)

How's your Monday treating you?
This post is linked to Random Monday hosted by Deb at Not Inadequate.

Weekend Links - April 6, 2013

2013-04-06T09:25:00.001-04:00

Lots of links this week - not feeling like doing much of anything else will lead to a lot of web surfing, I guess.

Spiritual / Inner Life

Edith Schaeffer died last Saturday. She had an amazing biography and wrote several inspiring, formative books that I still re-read. Here are a few posts honoring her: Tim Challies wrote about her; here's her obituary from Francis Schaeffer studies; 9 Things You Should Know About Edith Schaeffer; I Owe My Home to Edith Schaeffer by Lauren Brooks; and A Tribute to Edith Schaeffer from Mere Orthodoxy. My recommendation, if you've never read anything written by Mrs. Schaeffer is to start with The Hidden Art of Homemaking.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified by Staci Eastin at Out of the Ordinary. Excellent reminder.
Trevin Wax suggested a list of 20 Easter Songs for Easter Season that you should have on your iPod. What would you add to the list?
This is a post for women who are married to men in full (or part) time Christian ministry: The Woman Who Knows Too Much? by Shauna Pilgreen.
Eucatastrophic Resurrection from Semicolon Blog. A literary minded look at the resurrection of Christ.
A Faith in Need of Healing by Jo Lynn at The Sweet and the Salty. Definitely recommend this one to my fellow miscarriage sufferers.
Finding Friends by Tricia Lovejoy. (Another one specifically for ministry wives)
The Bible According to the History Channel. Did you watch? I did not, but I found this post helpful in understanding both the appeal and the drawbacks.
Comparisons Will Kick You In the Teeth and Hijack Your Dreams Every Time by Lisa-Jo Baker. I should probably just go ahead and link to her blog every week: her posts always seem to speak to me.
Stuck in the Doldrums: An Attack Plan by Jen Hatmaker. Pretty much where I've been for the past few weeks, alas.

Marriage / Parenting

I need to be like this mom when I grow up: That Time There Was Inappropriate Content at My Kids' Party and What I Did About It by Kat at Inspired to Action.
You're Not a Prop by Angie at Bring the Rain.
The Change in a Challenging Child from God Centered Mom. Good reminder that what our "challenging kids" need is the Holy Spirit.
Dear Moms, Jesus Wants You To Chill Out by Stephen Altrogge.
Why You Can't Read Twilight, a Letter to My Daughter by Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas.
Introversion and Mothering by Kristen at The Frugal Girl. Some helpful suggestions, bearing in mind that not every introverted mother will cope the same way. (For instance: co-sleeping didn't bother me at all. In fact, I thought it was much easier since I require a lot of sleep and that allowed me the most sleep.)

Homeschooling / Education

Introverts Homeschooling Introverts by Jamie Martin at Simple Homeschool. This is us, with maybe one exception in my four girls.
1 Myth, 2 Truths by Andrew Pudewa. Mr. Pudewa tackles the myth that good readers become good writers. (Turns out it doesn't quite work like that)
When Being Normal Looks Weird, A Message to the Critics by Mary Prather at Homegrown Learners.
Six Reasons Why Conservatives (Should) Object to the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart. Not sure what Common Core is? Read this post to get started.
History Through Different Lenses: Comparing Bauer with Foster by Brandy at Afterthoughts. A good reminder that reading broadly is really the only way to balance out our study of history.

Homekeeping

I'm not sure how I feel about this trend, but the pictures are cool: Living in a Converted Church.
The Challenge of Letting Go of Books by Deb Lee. Yes. Some things are easy to "de-clutter". Books are not.
I saved this one because the chances that we will need to remodel a kitchen, or even build one from scratch, seem pretty high at this point. Which means we'll be looking at IKEA too: Are IKEA Kitchen Cabinets a Good Idea?
5 Steps to Lowering Food Expenses from Go Gingham. Helpful advice if you're just starting out on your frugal journey. (Or you need a refresher)
On Making Do from Amy's Finer Things. Right now we're in a holding pattern: can't really do anything to this house (it's under contract and we should sign the closing either at the end of this month or next) and we don't have our next home yet. Making Do is the name of the game and it might be that way for a while. (assuming we aren't able to fix everything the way we'd like in our next house, once we get it)

Uncategorized

Our National Pastime by Kevin DeYoung. Why Baseball is the best sport ever. (How about them Redlegs? Did you see that game last night? Crazy times. Further crazy times: my husband is starting to be interested in baseball in general and the Reds in particular. It only took sixteen years of my influence on him for that to happen.)
Why Most Twenty Somethings Are Delusional by Donald Miller.
I'm not a Mark Driscoll fan but this one made me laugh (and sigh): How to Interpret Christianese.
Need a Job? Invent It by Thomas Friedman. Once again, not a Friedman fan (really, really, not) but on this topic I think he's exactly right.
All Hail Maggie Smith by Gina Dalfonzo. (Dame Maggie is always the best thing about whatever she's in.)
Pinterest is Changing - 8 Changes You Should Know About. Most of these don't sound too drastic but the head's up was nice.

And speaking of Pinterest, my pins of the week:
Seems easy enough:

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Another kitchen nook:

Source: bhg.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

One day, friends. One day.

So, what did you read or pin this week? Do share!
This post is linked to:

Five Question Friday

2013-04-05T17:00:00.003-04:00

1. Would you go to your high school reunion?
I would, but it would be a party of 1.

I am a homeschool graduate {she said proudly, smugly}. Which means I was a graduating class of one (and yes, that also means I was top of my class).

I also went with Philip to his high school reunion. We had a good time with our good friends we see on a regular (read: yearly) basis but he seemed mostly reminded of why he had lost touch with the rest.

All in all, I don't think I'm missing much. (Or we could count my family get togethers as my reunions. In which case: sign me up! I love it when we're all together.)

2. What's something that you've recently splurged on; either for yourself or someone else?
Does a $10 pass to a homeschool buying extravaganza and a $5 Decaf Raspberry Mocha Frappaccino count? That's what I splurged on today. Other than that I can't think of much.

3. How do you handle your child's fever?
We try to let it run its course unless the child is completely miserable. Then we call in the Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

Otherwise: lots of liquid, rest, and cuddles with Dad & Mom.

4. What's the nicest thing to happen to you lately?
Um...My husband watched the kids all afternoon so I could go buy homeschool curriculum (and a Frap). We had Root Beer floats last night. My dad took us for ice cream on Wednesday. I took the two youngest to the park Tuesday for a good playground romp and short walk (all I could handle and even then "walk" is a generous term for what we did. "Waddle" might be better.). Oh, and my dad brought me chocolate. (How bad is it that most of my "nice things" are to do with food?!)

We think our house appraisal and inspection are over. If so, that's a really nice thing. If not, then scratch that.

If it sounds like I'm trying to be grateful for little things, then you are correct.

I've been in a lousy mood lately and not very good company for the folks around me. I hoping this improves once a) we're done selling this house, b) Baby Boy arrives on time, healthy & safe, and c) we have a nice new-to-us house to move into. Meanwhile, I need to focus on counting the little blessings.

5. What is your current favorite song?
Narrow it down to just one? Not gonna happen. But here are some favorites right now (links are to Amazon mp3 tracks):
I Have A Dream (It Feels Like Home)- The City Harmonic
Ho Hey- The Lumineers
I Will Wait- Mumford and Sons (could seriously listen to this CD - minus one track - on constant repeat)

So, what's your favorite song right now? And could someone explain to me what, exactly, is the attraction of getting together 10-20-30 years later with people you didn't like to begin with?
This post is linked to Five Question Friday hosted at My Little Life.

Books of 2013 - March

2013-04-02T18:58:00.000-04:00

Here's the list for March. Joining Goodreads is definitely helping me keep up with my reviews & opinions better than my Commonplace book does (although I still use it and love it). High marks for this month go to #1, #10, & #17 if you'd like to jump right to the books that I really loved in March.

1. Unglued. Non-fiction by Lysa TerKeurst. The review I left on Goodreads: Encouraging, honest, and practical. I do not think Mrs. TerKeurst is the most gifted female theologian or expositor of our day, but that's OK. She does what she does very well and this book came along at just the right time for me.

2. Endless Night. Fiction by Agatha Christie. The review I left on Goodreads: Different from the usual Christie fare in subject, voice, and conclusion. Unfortunately not as shocking now as it was when it first came out (so many different reviews talking about "the twist" at the end thereby ruining the surprise). Always enjoyable to read a master mystery writer, though.

3.Inspired You. Non-fiction by Marian Parsons (Miss Mustard Seed). My Goodreads review: Beautiful photos, inspiring & encouraging words. One of the better examples of a blog turned book.

4.Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus. Non-fiction by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson. My Goodreads review: Paradigm changer: stop trying to be the perfect parent in order to raise the perfect child (or children). Instead, grow deeper in your knowledge and confidence in God's grace to us through His son Jesus. Share that grace with your children. Rest.

This book made me think, challenged me, and also helped me to identify how much of an idol my parenting has become to me.

The downside: practical examples are just not present in this book. And the sample dialog is far too wordy. Surely no child would allow their parent(s) to stand in front of them pontificating about grace for an indeterminate period of time. (end of Goodreads review)

I really wanted Philip to read this one too, so we could discuss it, but it had to go back to the library before he got around to it. As I said, it was challenging. I think there were things I disagreed with but I would have liked to talk to someone else in order to figure out exactly what those were. And I stand by my analysis of the downside: the sample dialog (for parents to share with their kids) is usually impractical and horribly long.

5. City of Shadows. Fiction by Ariana Franklin. Goodreads: Engrossing plot, memorable characters, well done historical research. Franklin makes the time (post WW1 - pre WW2) and place (Berlin, among a few other locations) come alive. Drawbacks for some readers: graphic, violent content and steady use of objectionable language. The suspense, mystery and growing dread of the rising Nazi party (and Hitler) is well done but the "twist" at the end is unnecessary at best.

This is a well written book, but, as I said in my review, it would definitely not be for every reader. There were several things I wish the author would have left to the reader's imagination. I understand that Berlin 1920-1930 was a decadent, sinful place. I wish the author hadn't felt those sins needed to be spelled out quite so clearly.

6. The Introvert's Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World. Non-fiction by Sophia Dembling. Goodreads: Excellent description of life as an introvert. Would be good for extroverts to read as well. The author has a great sense of humor and the chapters are short, making this an informative but fun read.

I saw myself in pretty much every chapter of this little book (minus any of the ones that talked about drinking). This is definitely my tribe.

7. The Sea King's Daughter. Fiction by Barbara Michaels. I picked this one up because Michaels also writes - as Elizabeth Peters - the fantastic Amelia Peabody mystery series. She definitely has a knack for writing interesting characters, plots, and dialog but this one is dated (first published in 1975) and doesn't really hold up well. {Goodreads}

8. Lady of Ashes. Fiction by Christine Trent. My Goodreads review: The nicest thing I can think to say about this book: the author obviously did a lot of research. Unfortunately, she was not skilled at making interesting characters, a plot with coherence, or any actual tension. Her main character is tedious and the supporting characters are cardboard cut-outs. If she wanted to write a non-fiction book about funeral habits of the Victorians, she ought to have done so.

There is far too much telling and not enough showing in this book. There wasn't enough believable dialog. It was full of clumsy attempts to portray actual historical figures. (The Queen Victoria sections alone were cringe worthy.)

Mark this one down as "disappointing"

9. A Complaint Free World. Non-fiction by Will Bowen. My Goodreads review: OK but not great. How can a pastor not talk about the necessity of God's help in improving both our attitudes and our lives? This is more like a different take on the "power of positive thinking" type of book.

10. What Women Want: The Life You Crave and How God Satisfies. Non-fiction by Lisa Bergren & Rebecca Price. My Goodreads Review (I gave it 5 stars): Excellent, practical advice. Great Bible study to be done alone or with a group at the back of the book and lots of suggested resources. Highly recommended.

11. Deconstructing Penguins. Non-fiction by Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone. My Goodreads review: Book about teaching kids (and their parents) to read books with understanding. Helpful reading list suggestions at the back (although some of their choices seemed odd to me).

Not included in my review at the time: I've seen another homeschool bloggers talking about this one and somehow expected a bit more from this book. Which is not to say that I was disappointed, it just wasn't quite what I expected or perhaps wanted.

12. A Likeness in Stone. Fiction by Wallis Martin. My Goodreads review: Dark and compelling. NOT a "cozy" British mystery despite the setting. (Oxford, Thames Valley police) Changes POV often but usually skillfully (some transitions were clunkier than others). Some plot threads left dangling but the ultimate bad guy in the book was one of the most depraved and chilling I've ever read about. Nightmare material!

13. The Flipside of Feminism. Non-fiction by Suzanne Venker & Phyllis Schlafly. (Yes, that Phyllis Schlafly) My Goodreads review: A dose of common sense: women have many opportunities and can achieve many things. But it helps to do those things in order (what the authors call sequencing) that works with biology instead of against it.

Enjoyed the no-nonsense tone but seriously doubt anyone who holds a contrary view would read this book anyway.

It might have been a good idea to contrast the opportunities and advancement of American women with the plight currently experienced by other women in the world, where they are still treated like 2nd class citizens (or worse, like property).

14. Summerset Abbey. Fiction by T.J. Brown. Part of my Goodreads review: Great for anyone having Downton Abbey withdrawal. A few inaccuracies and annoying typos scattered around but nothing that detracts from the overall effect, which is a set of interesting characters and their intertwined lives.

This is supposed to be the first in a trilogy and I think I will definitely read the next book in the series. The inaccuracies and typos bugged me, I'll admit, but the author seems to know how to write mufti-dimensional characters and a compelling plot without resorting to cheap tricks like s** scenes or graphic violence.

15. Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture. Non-fiction by Adam McHugh. My Goodreads review: Excellent book for introverts (who need to know how to make their natural strengths and weaknesses work for them and God's churches) and extroverts (who need to understand the introverts around them). Highly recommended, especially for those in pastoral ministry who are more naturally introverted.

I've passed this one on to Philip and I'm sure it will inspire some good discussion.

16. The Male Brain. Non-fiction by Louann Brizendine. Goodreads review: Interesting information, quick to read. Most of the book is footnotes and other studies. Didn't love the fact that it made men sound like they have no choices - their behavior is just dictated by biology or chemistry.

17. Grace for the Good Girl. Non-fiction by Emily Freeman. My Goodreads review (another 5 star winner): I'd give this one ten stars out of ten, if I could. Wonderful, practical, heart-felt encouragement in this book. How did Emily Freeman know what I needed to read? Because I could identify with every chapter.

Highly recommending this one to all my female Christian friends.

Totals for March:
Fiction: 6
Non-fiction: 11

So, what did you finish reading in March? I'd love to add some more books to my stack.
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Action taken with these links could result in compensation for me, except it hasn't for months. But I still feel honor bound to tell you that it could.

See What A Morning!

2013-03-31T07:45:00.000-04:00

Luke.24:1-12

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

And they remembered his words,

And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Previous Resurrection Sunday posts:
Arise, My Love
My Redeemer Lives (with I've Just Seen Jesus)
Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Weekend Links - March 30, 2013

2013-03-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

This is another week I'm glad to see go. I wonder how often I'm going to say that in the near future? I'm guessing that once Baby Boy comes (six weeks to go!), I'd be happy for time to slow down. (And then it will probably speed up. Time is a contrary creature.)

On to the links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

Truth Versus Spin: A Cup of Coffee is Not A Lifestyle by Rich Hailey. Yes, my Facebook erupted last week with "boycott Starbucks" icons and links. And no, I won't be boycotting Starbucks. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't notice anyway, considering I go there approximately three times a year, usually on road trips. More worrisome than that is when people on either side of an issue twist words & meanings to suit themselves. That's wrong, folks.
What's Wrong About Easter? by Barbara Rainey.
Still Eating Sausages: Reservations Regarding Evangelicals and Lent by Keith Miller at Mere Orthodoxy. Great points here.
Easter's Big "If" by Daniel Darling.
Journaling for the Soul from Her Library Adventures.
Want to Be More Productive? Get More Sleep by Deb Lee.

Marriage / Parenting

Let's Bring the Holidays Down a Notch by Kristen at Rage Against the Minivan. Yes, yes, and definitely yes. Here's where I should tell you that we've already told the girls we will not be dyeing eggs this weekend. We are dialing down our holiday based on some simple factors: time and Mom & Dad's sanity. Dyed eggs had to go. (We are, however, still making several batches of Jell-o eggs. Some traditions must be preserved.)
The Case for Getting Married Young by Karen Swallow Prior. Amen. Love the description of marriage as a cornerstone instead of a capstone. Please read this one!
6 Strategies for Handling Your Parenting Critics: Handling Criticism Graciously, But Firmly by Kara at Simple Kids. Great advice.
Is This Really What We Want? by Staci Eastin. A Victoria's Secret line for Tweens? Parents, it's time to say, no. Actually, it's past time to say no. But go ahead and start now.
Definitely taking note of this advice: Serving a Cup of Hope {Especially for Moms of Teens} from The Better Mom.
Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen at We are That Family. Excellent post!

Homeschooling / Education

This is a long but worthwhile read: The Classics and the Traditional Liberal Arts Curriculum by Christian Kopff. The point about uneducated clergy is particularly noteworthy. I'm not saying all pastors must have a commanding knowledge of Hebrew and Greek but some acquaintance with the original languages of the Bible ought to be required.
How and Why to Become a Lifelong Learner from The Art of Manliness.
David Shaw Building Stanford By Asking Football Players About Vocabulary.

Homekeeping / Personal

I thought this was a fun concept: Ugly Vintage Pattern Party. Some talented seamstresses took some decidedly dated patterns and made some fabulous clothes. My barely existent sewing skills are in awe of these folks.
How to Burn a Lot of Calories Without Exercising. Turns out my exercise plan of sleeping a lot, watching almost no TV or movies, and chasing around a toddler is probably not such a bad idea.
Breaking, Entering, and Learning by Natalie at Hello Little House. I can tell you: going through something like this is an awful experience. I hope none of you ever need this advice, but it seems like it's sadly more common than we think.
Renter's Solutions: My Life Without a Dishwasher from Apartment Therapy.
Really appreciated the balance in this one: Is Wheat Making Us All Fat and Unhealthy? from Heavenly Homemakers. Balance, people. Balance is beautiful.
Apartment Therapy: Creating Nurseries Out of Closets. Love that first one with the bright butterflies. I so hope I get to create some kind of space for our baby, even a closet would be better than nothing.

Pins of the Week:
Loved this colorful room:

Source: thelilypadcottage.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Yummy:

Source: cieradesign.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Made me laugh:

Source: theotherausten.tumblr.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

That's all for this week.
Wishing you a very joyous day tomorrow. He is Risen! May we all spend some time just reflecting on how amazing and life changing that truth is.

Poor and Disappointed. Or Not.

2013-03-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

I love our life. I do. I love the flexibility we have in our schedules. I love that we get to spend so much time together and that Philip doesn't have a job that takes him away from us all the time. I love each of our daughters and the baby on the way. I wouldn't trade anything - ANYTHING - for them.

We are blessed and we know that. God provides for us on what looks like a meager income (my husband is incredibly smart, talented, and creative. It just hasn't translated to money rolling in). We don't lack anything - we never wonder if we'll have food in the fridge, if we can pay the bills, or handle those pesky not-quite emergencies that pop up. (Dishwasher dies! Car needs fixed! Is that a leak? And where, exactly, is that smell coming from and how much to MAKE IT GO AWAY ALREADY?!)

Our life is a fairly peaceful, easy-going, happy one. And then there is another reality of our life: we do not have unlimited money.

I know, you're shocked.

But nothing has been pounding that in to us more than this house selling / wishing to buy a bigger house experience.

To sell our house costs money. We had to pay money to fix it up to be "sell able". The current contract offered (which could still fall through) is less than we owe. We'll have to go to the closing (assuming it happens) with a check to cover the difference. And to cover the closing costs because the buyer can't afford them.

To buy a house will cost money. We're approved for a certain amount. Right now there aren't any places we'd care to live for that amount. I check the listings every day and it's a demoralizing experience.

We looked at a fixer-upper. We don't have the money to pay cash for it and fix it up. Mortgages on fixer-uppers are kind of tricky, when you can get one at all. Then the aforesaid fixer-upper goes off the market before we can finish up the sale of our current house.

We looked at a house that I loved last fall. I loved it. Philip loved it. It had some features that I've dreamed about and only ever told Philip and God that I wanted. Best of all: it was in our price range. When I say it's my dream house, I'm only exaggerating a little bit. Because, while it wasn't perfect, I've already mentally redecorated and moved in to that house. I have had actual dreams about it.

But our house didn't sell last fall and we couldn't put an offer on it then. So an investor bought it.

Our realtor found out that it's going on the market again soon for double what we could pay. Needless to say, we will not be getting that house. It's not even close. Which is, in a way, better. Because if it was just slightly out of range and someone snapped it up that would be seriously annoying. Better to be in a different ballpark altogether.

I feel like a church mouse. I feel trapped. I feel like I am fighting a constant spiritual battle against doubt and discontent and envy. (And have I mentioned the toxic cocktail of fighting those battles along with the usual pregnancy hormones? 'Cause I have those too.)

That is not a great place to be. I do not want to be there. I want to be trusting God and content with the wonderful things He's already given us (and they are many!) and happy for other people who have more, better, nicer, newer, or bigger things than us or for people whose situations work out easily, where everything just comes together without a hiccup.

But I have to admit to you: I'm not there yet.

So, I am disappointed. I am disappointed by experiences we're going through. I am disappointed by my own reaction to those experiences, to the doubt and fear and envy that bubble up so easily and have to be fought back.

I was reading my Bible this morning and trying to refocus on the great things God has done. And it wasn't hard. After all, Resurrection Sunday is just around the corner. And as I prayed and asked forgiveness for my own sinful reactions to my life and the challenges in it, I thought of another group of people who were disappointed on a Friday a long time ago.

See, I don't believe in a Friday crucifixion, or, therefore, "Good Friday". Pastors and teachers in my life have always taught that the timeline works better with a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion. (I won't get into all the reasons for that, but you can read some evidence for Thursday here and for Wednesday here.)

If these teachers are accurate, there was nothing good about that Friday. It was a miserable day. The disciples had lost their leader, their friend, their hope. They were hiding. They were afraid the soldiers would come for them next.

Disappointed? It doesn't get much more disappointing than that. My disappointment is trivial, ridiculous even, in comparison.

Do you realize that the only people who took Jesus's words about rising again seriously were his enemies? They put a Roman guard squad - these are not wimpy, amateur security guard guys we're talking about - at the tomb because they took the prediction seriously. They thought Peter and John and the others might try to steal the body.

As if.

The disciples, the eleven left after Judas killed himself, were disappointed. Ashamed. Afraid. They had dreamed great dreams of what Jesus was going to do - overthrow the Romans, set up His kingdom, and, while He was at it, really put all those self-righteous Pharisee types in their place for good. Then maybe He'd hand out rewards like being His second in command or material blessings that had eluded them in their lives so far.

So, yeah, disappointed is probably a mild way of describing what they must have felt.

But see, they have a better excuse than I do. They were living in the dark days before Sunday morning.

I live after that Sunday morning. I live in the knowledge and assurance of the Resurrected Lord. I live with the humbling, inexpressibly amazing knowledge that He loves me, He has saved me, and in Him I am forgiven, freed from fear of death, freed from the enslaving power of sin, including those sins I've already confessed to you in this post.

So, the earthly issues are real. It still takes money to buy a house (or sell one). Really, it takes money to do pretty much anything. And there are children to raise up. Meanwhile our country seems ever more determined to follow a path of sinful selfishness. I know that I will continue to fight against doubt and discontent and envy at times. I will face challenges, challenges that I hope never quite rise to the level of trials or tribulation, although those may come as well. But that's not the end of my story.

I live after that Sunday morning and before the day when Jesus comes again (or the day when I die and am taken immediately to His presence). And living in that space, as His child, makes all the difference.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV)

Booking Through Thursday - Rating

2013-03-28T16:06:00.004-04:00

Movies have a rating system to help guide the consumer weed out adult/violent/inappropriate kinds of films. Video games do, too. Do you think BOOKS should have a ratings system?

Yes, sort of.

I like the descriptive type of rating system better than the "G, PG, PG-13, R" type. I, as a general rule, do not watch certain types of movies. But my choices usually have less to do with the letter rating and more to do with the content, my own sense of humor, my propensity for vivid bad dreams, and so forth.

Similarly, for our kids, we've never said, "Thou shalt not watch a PG-13 movie until thou reachest the age of 13."

Some of our children might be ready before that for certain movies (I'm not sure if we'll make Polly wait that long to watch Lord of the Rings, for instance) and some PG-13 movies are a colossal waste of viewing time even if you've already reached the magic age of 13.

All that to say, I care more about the content and why something is rated a certain way. Is there graphic violence? Bad language (and what kind)? Intimate scenes? Is it portraying something that is historically accurate but violent?

You see: lots of questions and movie ratings don't always help with those. (And, P.S. so called "kids' movies" are not always the safe bets that parents think. My worst nightmares as a young child came after watching The Wizard of Oz. We weren't going to show it to our girls until they got older. Someone else -without checking with us first- did. That's not really how I would have preferred that to happen. And yes, at least one of my children has inherited my vivid imagination / prone to bad dreams combo. We are very careful about what she / they watch.)

But I do wish kids' books came with some type of content warning. I'd like to know, for example, if the main characters swear, lie to their parents, smoke or do drugs with no consequences, or other things like that. And it's not just kids' books. I sometimes wish that books for adults were a little more clear on what type of content you might encounter inside. Just so I could make a reasoned guess as to whether it would be worth it or how much skimming I might have to do. (Example: my husband ordered a fan written sequel to North and South for me for Christmas. It turned out to be your basic romance novel - complete with heaving bosoms and what not - just with the characters I love inserted. I couldn't even read the whole thing so I sent it back. This has happened with Austen fan sequels as well. Some are fantastic and some are written by people just trying to make a buck off Jane's name.)

Now that Polly & Tigger are older and reading voraciously on their own, I rely on reviews I've read online and books I've read myself (or that my husband has read). They are not allowed to check out books that I know nothing about. They don't necessarily like this rule. If there's something they really want to read and I know nothing about it, they can ask me to check it out and pre-read it for them. I'm a quick reader and this would not be a major hardship. Neither one has availed herself of this option yet.

I do ask them questions about what they're reading. Everyone in this family loves books and reading (even the two who can't read independently yet) so books, plots, characters, and writing styles are common topic of conversation around here.

My other problem with a rating system would be: who, exactly, is doing the rating? 'Cause that would matter.

What about you? Have you ever wished for a book rating system?
This post is linked to Booking Through Thursday.

Homeschool Science: Volcano

2013-03-27T13:26:00.001-04:00

The girls (well, the oldest 2 plus Sweet Pea on occasion) recently did a week's worth of Volcano study for Science.

I think it was one of our favorite Science weeks.

We used lapbook printables from Homeschool Share: Volcanoes Unit Study and Lapbook. We also used a few printables from their unit study: Hill of Fire. (Note: we did not read the Hill of Fire book, so I can't speak to its content.)

You can also find a lot of Volcano activities at Enchanted Learning.

These are the books we use every week during our Earth Science Unit (some homeschoolers would call these our "spines" for our studies):
How the Earth Works by John Farndon.

Planet Earth from Usborne Books

Kingfisher Visual Encyclopedia of Science

Usborne Internet Linked First Encyclopedia of Our World. (This one is primarily for Tigger and Sweet Pea since it is quite simple.)

Then we supplemented with these nine books specifically about Volcanoes:
Probably our favorite: Look Inside Volcano. I mean, who wouldn't love a book with pop-ups and flaps? Highly recommend this one. Even the six year old liked this one and her sisters willingly read sections of it to her.
DK Eye Wonder: Volcano
DK Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Rivers of Fire by Monica Halpern for National Geographic
Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St Helens by Patricia Lauber
Tigger is a huge fan of the Magic Tree House books. She also read the non-fiction companion book:
Which isn't just about volcanoes, of course but also Ancient Rome and all kinds of useful information.
Volcanoes by Elaine Landau.
This last one was an easier book to read aloud to Sweet Pea:
Landforms: Volcanoes by Cassie Mayer

One thing we didn't do: make a model volcano. The reason we didn't do this experiment is because we already did one earlier in the year when were on our astronomy unit. (Earth is not the only planet with Volcanoes) Here's what that volcano looked like (we got the directions from our Apologia Astronomy textbook, which we used for the first half of the school year):

So, have you studied volcanoes? What were your favorite resources?
This post is linked to Trivium Tuesdays at Living and Learning at Home. And:

Book covers are Amazon Affiliate links. Action taken with these links could result in compensation for me.

Weekend Links - March 23, 2013

2013-03-23T11:24:00.000-04:00

I have not felt like myself this week - not sick, just not...well, not much of anything. Our life feels like a holding pattern right now. Waiting for baby, waiting to see what happens with the house, waiting to see where we'll end up next and whether we can find something that fits us in our price range, waiting...well, pretty much everything is waiting right now.

I think I've mentioned I'm not the most patient person in the universe. I'm just going to be honest here: my nerves are kind of raw. Every new thing is just One More Thing Too Many. But somehow my kids haven't got that message and they are jumping on my nerves like they're trampolines for death defying tricks.

Life is turning into Survival Mode and I'm not a big fan of Survival Mode. I like Thriving and Well Planned Mode.

Oh, well. At the very least I know it's a limited time before we have our Baby Boy. The rest of the stuff may not be worked out perfectly, but at least babies come with due dates, right?

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Now, on to the links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

Definitely needed this one this week: How to Find Peace When Worried About Finances by Jolene Engle. (Note: I am not exactly worried about finances - we are not struggling financially right now. But I have unfortunately been prone to worry about the house, buying a new house on a limited budget, and how that's all going to work. See vent above.)
I am Not a Grace Filled Woman by Gina at MomLife Today. Encouraging and convicting.
Where Do Children Go When They Die? Resources You Can Trust by Kristen Gilles. I have found several of the resources she mentions helpful but I wanted to share this with others who may be struggling with the loss of a baby or child.
What is Apologetics and Why Should I Care? by Kim Shay. One thing that bugs me about Christian Women (and the books marketed to them): they can be good but they tend to be fluffy. There's a place for that but there's also a place for digging deeper and really studying what we believe and why.
Liked this one from Lisa-Jo Baker this week: On Showing Your Waist Grace.
It's OK to Call Yourself a Christian from Relevant. (Post dealing with Marcus Mumford's statements about Christianity. Mumford has written some of my favorite music of the past few years so his comments are disappointing but not exactly worth losing sleep over.)
You Deserve This Post by Mike Leake.
Wasted Productivity and a Waste of a Statistic by Kevin DeYoung. I'm not into the whole March Madness thing but I'm not really worried about productivity falling to precarious levels either.
Experiencing the Resurrection by Rebecca Stark.
Another Reason to Learn the Bible's Overarching Story by David Roach.
Twitter Doesn't Equal Real Life by Jeff Cherry.
The During by The Nester at (in)Courage.

Marriage / Parenting

Crushing a Critical Spirit from Becoming His Eve. Helpful acronym for improving marriage.
5 Hard Truths for Parents from Daniel Darling. Powerful stuff.
Small Beginnings from Joanne Kraft. Encouraging!
Grace for a Mother's Heart Idol, an excerpt from a book by Staci Eastin.
How to Deal with Your Own Anger by Charity Hawkins. (Did I mention that my kids are jumping on my nerves? I did. OK. You can see why this post jumped out at me this week.)
Don't Freak Out by Shaunti Feldhahn. This parenting of Tweens stuff is not for the faint of heart.

Homeschooling / Education

Study Finds Homeschool Students Sleep Better. To be honest, this is one of my favorite benefits of homeschooling. The study doesn't say so but in my experience homeschool parents can get more sleep too. Win-win! (FYI- It's an interesting study whether you homeschool or not.)
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts from A Peaceful Day. Some homeschool parents are against teaching our children about Greek (or Roman) mythology. This post explains some reasons why studying mythology can be helpful.
Brandy at Afterthoughts did a helpful round-up of links about the Common Core standards.
MacKenzie shared a round-up of Arithmetic posts and ideas. We are loyal Saxon users but this switch to Common Core has me wondering what to do next.
And Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles also shared an extensive post on how they do Math in their homeschool: Mt. Hope Academy Curricula - Mathematics.

Tech / Google Reader

Moving Your Google Reader Blogs to Bloglovin' from The Patriotic Pam. I haven't tried Bloglovin' yet, but some folks really like it.
Moving From Google Reader to Bloglovin'?
Tips for Google Reader Uses Migrating to Feedly. Feedly is the alternative I'm currently test-driving.
Why It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Google Reader by Alastair Roberts. Finally, someone figured out why this is so upsetting.
Save Pinterest Boards by Practical Pages. I've thought about doing something like this before and this post may be the push I need to actually, you know, do it.

Uncategorized

Rules for Writing (and Life) by Zadie Smith.
Top 10 Sentence Slip-Ups from Wordplay. Helpful stuff here for adults or kids.
More Barbs from Author to Author from Semicolon. I must admit that a good literary insult always tickles me.
The Week in Bannings: Hugs, Homemade Treats, Award Ceremonies and Axe. While I think we can all agree that banning Axe is a fabulous idea (I kid, I kid, but seriously, what is the deal with that stuff?!), this round-up of American absurdity just annoys me.
20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels. So bad. (Warning: at least one book cover contains nudity - unrelated to the material in the book!)
Humor post: Things You Don't Say to John Piper. (Of course, you'll have to know who John Piper is to think these are funny.)

My husband's newest game is still struggling on Kickstarter: Family Vacation Needs You. If you could check it out, he'd be grateful. (And so would I!)

Pins of the Week:
I could see these plans coming in handy in our near future:

Source: ana-white.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Could be useful:

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Thought this was beautiful (both picture and quote):

Source: girltalkhome.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

That's all for this week. This post is linked to Saturday Linky Love at Vanderbilt Wife. Go on over and share your links posts and see what other folks are sharing. Or just take a peek at the pictures of Jessie's newest little guy. Spoiler alert: he's adorable.

Gratituesday - House

2013-03-19T11:14:00.000-04:00

You know how I've been asking you to pray that we can sell this house?

Well, last Thursday we had an offer.

It wasn't a very good offer but...

An offer in hand is worth something.

So we countered.

And then they counter-countered.

And, even though it's still a little disappointing, we've agreed.

Apparently, the price point that was "as low as we could possibly go" is also the point that is "as much as they can possibly afford" but the buyer really likes the house.

So we're trusting that it was God who helped that to happen (for both of us, sellers and buyers).

Now we're signing papers and waiting for inspections and figuring out what happens to us next. And did I mention waiting? 'Cause there is a lot of waiting involved in selling a house. (If I've learned one thing in the past year, it's that.)

Did I mention that our closing date is less than two weeks before our baby is due?

Crazy times, folks.

And God is working in them all the time.

We've started looking for the next "new to us" house. We're praying that maybe there might just be a miracle and the house that we really wanted last year might become available again. (Stranger things have happened!) We're preparing the girls to live in an apartment or rental house for a while. ("But you said we would buy a new house!" One of our daughters felt we had pulled a bait-and-switch on her. Oops.)

So, we don't exactly know what happens next. We hope things go smoothly and the offer goes through (although we're not taking that for granted). And most of all, we are grateful.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Weekend Links - March 16, 2013

2013-03-16T11:49:00.001-04:00

I don't think Jessie will be hosting a link up this week - we're hoping she's working on a much bigger and better project (that is: giving birth to her newest little guy).

But I, as usual, have plenty of links to share so let's get on with 'em!

Spiritual / Inner Life

When You're Expected to "Pull It Together" by Angela Nazworth at (in)Courage
"I Wish Our World Was Like That" by Travis Prinzi.
There's No Such Thing as Perfect Hospitality or Perfect People by Lisa-Jo Baker.
10 Reasons I Love Memorizing Scripture from Rivers of Water. Memorization should not be a neglected discipline for adults.
Is Your To-Do List a Monster? From MomLife Today.
C.S. Lewis on Selfishness Vs. Self-Interest from The TGC Blog.
Count Down to Easter with this 21-Day Bible Reading Plan from Do Not Depart.
How Not to Argue Like an Idiot: The 15 Most Common Logical Fallacies from Scribble Preach.
American Evangelicals' Global Vision Began in Korea by Miles Mullin II. Such an interesting history.
Are You Worried About Your Daily Bread? by Melissa McDonald at Domestic Kingdom.
Celebrate the "Extraordinary" and "Ordinary" Testimonies by Aaron Armstrong.

Marriage / Parenting

America's Baby Bust from the Wall Street Journal.
Those Hot Pink Jeggings from Kelle Hampton. I laughed, yes. But I sighed a little too. Baby comes in 8 weeks and I hate that "I still look pregnant but my baby is already 3 weeks (months?) old" feeling.
Some funny, some serious: Silent Children are Up to No Good and 30 Other Parenting Truths from Feels Like Home.
Respect for Your Husband from Lamp on a Stand. Practical examples of what not to do / say.
What Not To Say to Someone Who's Trying to Have a Baby from Fox in Flats. (11 Things they don't want to hear and 5 things to do instead)
To the Parents of Small Children: Let Me Be The One Who Says it Out Loud by Steve Wiens.
Nurturing a Healthy Body Image in Our Girls by Cassandra at The Better Mom. As the mother of four daughters this is something I think about a lot.

Homeschooling / Education

Funny but true: Learning to Love Books (First Six Stages for Babies). Miss Lili is pretty much in Stage 4. While I read to her big sisters at night, her daddy reads to her. I hear this conversation: Miss Lili: "How 'bout 'Good Carl'?" Her daddy: "OK, we can read Good Dog, Carl." Miss Lili: "And 'Mouse Cookie'." Him: "OK, we'll read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie too." Her: "And 'Baby Dear'." Him: "Lili, no, we just read that one last night. Not Baby Dear." Her: "BABY DEAR!" Sometimes when we're driving home from church on Wednesday nights she starts telling us all the books Daddy is going to read to her when we get home. The list is never shorter than five books.
Why Can't Learning Look Like This? From FIMBY.
On the Introverted Mom Homeschooling Extroverted Children by Jamie Martin at Simple Homeschool.
Great round-up of posts dealing with homeschooling excuses: I Can't Homeschool Because... I need to write a post like this on the excuse "Because we don't have enough space." Shorter version of that hypothetical post: Trust me: you do. You do not need a dedicated school room, wall to wall bookshelves (although, wouldn't that be nice) or separate desks for each of your children.
Creative Blogging for Kids. Our oldest would like a blog. I'm thinking about setting her up with one (private, of course) because she could use the writing practice.
If you're a parent, whether homeschooling or not, you need to read Deb's post: On the Common Core.
Homeschooling and the Struggling Learner by Jessica at Molding Minds Homeschool.

Homekeeping / Personal

15 Tips on How to Make Your First Quilt by Mollie at Wild Olive.
A Small Thought from The Frugal Girl. Frugality does not look the same for all of us and it doesn't have to.
Sheila Wray Gregoire hosted a series of posts called "Fight the Frump" this week. Here's one from the series: Finding Clothes That Fit and Flatter.

Uncategorized:

Top 10 Countries that Disappeared in the 20th Century. We've lived through history. It's funny to think my kids have no idea what Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia or the USSR actually are, except from history books.
This is ridiculous: You Don't Own Your Kindle Books, Amazon Reminds Customer. And that, my friends, is one reason why an eReader will never replace my love affair with the published, printed word. No one can just come take books off of my bookshelves without consequence.
Rachelle Gardner shared her Single Best Tip for Using Twitter. Must look into this. I gave up Tweetdeck long ago but my Twitter is becoming unmanageable as is.
Doom! Doom, I say: New Wave of 'Superbugs" Poses Dire Threat. Stories like this make me crazy. (And a little more vigilant about hand-washing and avoiding unnecessary antibiotics.)
Full disclosure: I'm Baptist. So the hoopla about the new Pope seemed a little over the top to me but I did find these two posts interesting and informative: The New Pope: Novelty Following Precedent by Kevin White at Mere Orthodoxy and 9 Things You Should Know About the Papacy by Joe White at The Gospel Coalition.
And two posts about the sad, ridiculous news of the week: Google Reader is Shutting Down. Or, as Melissa Wiley put it: Google Reader To Be Put Out to Pasture. I'm trying to switch over to Feedly. I don't love it yet but I might eventually like it better than Google Reader. I tell you who I really don't love: Google. I'm sure they'll worry about that all night.

Pins of the Week:
Sweet Pea still has trouble with this so I was grateful for these ideas:

Source: readinghorizons.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

This looks like a great way to inspire more water drinking:

Source: theyummylife.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

And this t-shirt pictures my life pretty well right now. Baby Boy is a Wild Man, is all I can say.

Source: etsy.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

So, what caught your eye this week? Feel free to share your links in the comments!

Five Question Friday

2013-03-15T20:25:00.004-04:00

1. What is one thing you wish you did not have to teach your children?
I wish we didn't have to talk about "tricky people" (what people used to call stranger danger or just Child Abductors / Abusers in general) or things like s*xting. (The latter came up this week when Thriving Family magazine was discussing it. My 11 yr old daughter - who does not have a cell phone - brought the article to me and asked, "What does this even mean?")

2. What are you going to use since Google Reader is going away?
I've made the switch to Feedly. I don't love it...yet. But I think I will get used to it and maybe even like it better than Google Reader once I get used to it. (P.S. Google - you stink. This is why people hate you. Get people to use your stuff and then pull it out from under them. And no, I do not wish to switch to Chrome at this time. Give me a break. If I could get away without using any of your services I would. Maybe that switch from Blogger over to WordPress is not such a bad idea...)

3. British comedy; Hilarious or strange?
Both. Depends on what specific thing you're talking about. I love the quieter humor (or should that be "humour"?) of some British shows (Like "As Time Goes By") and I think things like Monty Python or Benny Hill are nearly incomprehensible and not worth my trouble.

4. Do you prefer card games or board games?
For a quick game, you can't beat a card game. But my husband is a board game designer (Shameless spousal advertisement: check out his latest which is doing a Kickstarter campaign right now.) so I feel nearly honor bound to say of course I love board games best. This one, my husband's first, is my favorite:

I also love the games Settlers of Catan, Ticket To Ride, Dixit, Apples to Apples, and Catch Phrase. (And let me clear up any confusion: no, my husband did not design any of these. The games he's designed that are available to buy right now can be seen in my blog's left side bar. There are more to come but those are out now. And yes, I sure wish he had designed Settlers. We could happily have retired by now.)

5. Will winter ever end?
No. It will always be Winter and never Christmas.

Just kidding.

Of course it will end! The days are already getting longer. We're buying things like Easter dresses and planning for Spring. It will happen. (Just not soon enough to suit most of us, I guess.)

So, how about you? Do you have a preferred alternative to Google Reader? Have you played a board game recently? This everlasting Winter is great for family board game nights...

This post is linked to Five Question Friday at My Little Life.
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Action taken with these links could result in compensation for me. And if you happen to buy one of my husband's games (see my left sidebar), he gets a small royalty from that too.