True Treasure winner!

The winner of True Treasures is Millicent, chosen by Random.org. I hope you enjoy the book, Millicent!!

True Treasures--Review and Giveaway!

I just finished this really good book! If I could have I would have devoured it all in one sitting, but since obviously that is impossible, I savored it during my nightly bath. I don't want to sound redundant, but I found so many priceless nuggets of TREASURE in True Treasures.

True Treasures is a collection of some of the best articles from the past 10 years of TEACH Magazine, which recently took on the new name, Eternal Encouragement magazine. I treasure my TEACH magazines (there's that word again!) and keep the ones I have in binders to read over and over again, so it was such a treat to be able to add such wonderful articles from past issues to my collection.

True Treasures is made up of six chapters.
1. Jewels that Make the Heart Sparkle
2. Marriages of Solid Gold
3. Parenting Pearls: Practical and Priceless
4. Homemaking That Dazzles like Diamonds
5. Homeschooling Nuggets of Wisdom
6. Godly Living that Glitters

I loved the topical layout and felt so strengthened and inspired in each area of my life after reading each chapter. One of my favorite passages came from an article by Lorrie Flem and it just spoke to me so much about the season of my life I'm in right now:

If the floor doesn't get mopped, and the clothes are overflowing their umpteen baskets, what difference does it make? Some days, being a Godly mother is all we can accomplish--and it is a BIG accomplishment. After all, I don't plan on taking my baskets of dirty laundry and the dirty kitchen floor with me when Jesus returns. I do plan to take my family! There won't be any quizzes to make sure our children know their multiplication tables before they are allowed entry into Heaven's gates. We've got to keep things in perspective. Housekeeping and homeschooling are important,but there are other things even more important. If we keep the right perspective, the Lord will bless all our efforts: homemaking, homeschooling, mothering, and being a loving wife. Eventually, the undone jobs will get done, but in the meantime, our children have a mother who truly loves and cares for them by spending her time with them.

Doesn't that remind you of what's important? This book reminded me again and again of who I am, why I'm doing what I'm doing, and how to do it--and that it is all about Him!

Now here is the really good news for you! TEACH magazine sent me this book to review, but I had already bought it because I knew it was a treasure I wanted in my home! So that means I now have two, which gives me the opportunity to bless someone reading this with a copy of True Treasures. To enter, go to my Facebook page, "like" Homekeeping Heart on Facebook, then "like" the post linking to this post. How easy is that?!?! This Friday I will randomly choose a winner.

And I have MORE good news! If you don't win the book, you can use the coupon code GabbyMom to save $4 off of True Treasures through May 31, 2011.

And if you don't subscribe to TEACH Magazine, I HIGHLY recommend you do. Not only is the magazine itself true treasure, the books and audios by Lorrie Flem are a tremendous encouragement for wives, moms, homemakers, and homeschoolers. So many good things are available at www.homemakingwithTEACH.com.

I received this product for honest review from TEACH Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Top 10 things not to say to a mom

There are more, but these are my personal top 10.

Some of these things are fine if they are honest questions coming from a friend. But if you see a mom in the store or any other public place that you don't know, please do not say these things!

1. You have your hands full. You've got your hands full.

2. Are they all yours? They're not all yours all they? I know those aren't all yours. I hope those aren't all yours. Surely them ain't all yers.

3. How do you do it? I don't know how you do it. I don't see how you do it.

4. Bless your heart. Love your heart. God bless/love your heart. (while shaking head in pity.)

5. You're crazy. You must be crazy. I'd lose my mind.

6. Shhhhhhoooh (while rolling eyes)

7. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

8. You poor thing. I feel so sorry for you. Poor you.

9. You're brave. You must be so patient. You're supermom.

10. Are you done yet? Are you going to have more? Are you planning to have more? Do you want more?

Lord of all, or not at all

This is a repost from August 2006. My third baby Isaiah is now 5 and my sixth baby Tyson is now the almost-11-month old. To be honest, it was easy for me to trust God in having more babies because they are my greatest joy and delight and I long for more! Now my faith is tested in that I am having to trust Him in the opposite situation:the possibility of never having more. This is where I really have to remind myself--He is STILL Lord of all, He is STILL in control, He is STILL on the throne. I can trust Him with this just like I always have.


August 11, 2006

Today my baby Isaiah is 11 months old. I seriously can't believe how fast this year has flown. David was only 10 months old when I became pregnant with Isaiah, so now there is officially a longer break before I have my next baby. Most people would probably say, "Your next baby?! Your youngest IS still a baby--and he's your third in three years!" But you'd only say that if you didn't know me Anyone who knows me knows that my not being pregnant yet is not good news OR bad news. If I found out tomorrow that I was I would be absolutely thrilled. And even though there are days I long to be expecting another son or my first daughter, I will be just as happy if my womb remains barren for three more years. Because I trust God's perfect timing.

So although I announce my non-pregnant state thus far with a bit of relief that I'm over the hump of "too soon", what I'm truly amazed by is God's never failing presence in my life. Although I've technically been able to become pregnant for at least six months now, my womb has not been opened because it is God who opens and closes it and it is not His time.

I am so at peace with this area of my life because I've given it over to Him. After all, shouldn't we give every area of our lives over to Him? We never have to worry about "trying" or preventing--we just LIVE and love whatever God brings our way. What freedom and joy! I will never have any regrets. You will never visit a nursing home and hear old ladies say, "I wish I'd never had those last two children. They were just too much on me." No! It's unthinkable. But I'm sure you'll hear MANY ladies lament, "IF ONLY I'd had more children." But I will never have to live with those regrets. I will always know I had the perfect number of children. No more. No less.

Who knows? God may be done with my womb. Three may be it for me. But I truly hope there are many more waiting in the wings for us. I imagine myself at my 90th birthday party, surrounded by maybe a dozen children, scores of grandchildren, hundreds of great-grandchildren, and the beginnings of countless great-great-grandchildren, and looking around at what the Lord has brought forth from our union. He started with two and from that came hundreds of His children, serving Him and doing great things in the world. What a legacy!

Among Christians there seems to be two belief systems. First there are those who believe that God created the universe, set it in motion, and left it to go it's course and let nature happen. It astounds me that any follower of Jesus Christ could think such a thing. Then there are those who believe that God is involved in our lives down to the last detail, that every second is orchestrated by His Divine Hand. I am among these. I've seen Him too much in my life not to know this. He's done and worked out way too many things--from the most life-changing things to the tiniest things that seem to not even matter. Since He loves us so much and is so involved, why not give it all up to Him? Why not entrust every detail of your life to His wisdom and love? In that total surrender is true joy, peace, and freedom. You will never find that in anything else--not in yourself or a loved one, not in material things, not in the pleasures this world seeks after, and not in drowning out life with things that confuse your mind. Only in giving it all to Him.

Starting tomorrow...

Back to School

Tomorrow we are starting school again and I can't wait to get back into a routine. Everything is out of control during so-called "breaks"! My curriculum looks a lot different than it did at the first of the year. I got all those workbooks, textbooks, and scripted teacher's manuals out of my system REAL fast and have since returned to my true love, Charlotte Mason. Most of my curriculum is following the guidelines at Simply Charlotte Mason. For many subjects I have developed my own system of using the Bible. I will primarily be using the Bible for reading, copywork/handwriting, spelling/dictation, and english.

Using the Charlotte Mason approach, we'll be covering all these areas.
Math--using Teaching Textbooks, Horizons, and Singapore (three different kids, three different needs.)
Science--using Christian Liberty nature readers and an A Beka science reader.
Reading--the Bible along with some readers from A Beka and Christian Liberty Press for added literature.
Copywork--bible verses, hymns, poems
English--Language Lessons from Queen Homeschool as a supplement. These are wonderful!
Character--bible and read-alouds, currently reading Everyday Graces. LOVE this book!
History--read-alouds and A Beka history readers
Geography--map books and GeoPuzzles! We'll go deeper into geography later. For now the puzzles are awesome.
Bible--LOTS of bible! We are also still going through BJU Bible Truths that I just can't let go.
Scripture Memory--verse packs from Simply Charlotte Mason.
Literature--lots of books books books! Right now our A Beka readers and Everyday Graces is covering a wide variety of literature for us.
Poetry--we're going through Favorite Poems Old and New.
Nature Study--this involves me actually going outside with my kids once a week. This takes a lot of discipline from me, but I hope to do it with them at least once a week.
Picture Study--currently studying John James Audubon. There are such wonderful children's books for learning about artists and their work. We're also learning a lot about birds through this particular artist!
Music Study--currently studying Bach. We are using books from Vision Forum that study the lives and music of composers. Excellent. This is the first time I have every studied or even listened to classical music (other than being in ballet growing up) and I love it.
Hymn Study--using Hymns for a Kids Heart. We're currently in Volume 2.
Missions Studies--currently reading about Gladys Alyward
Shakespeare--We are reading a children's version of Midsummer Night's Dream. Unsure about whether or not we will move beyond children's adaptations right now.


That looks overwhelming, but it is really very simple, easy, and relaxing--and fun. Many things are only covered once or twice a week so it is not as much as it seems. Just lots of good books and learning interesting things!

New Year, New Planner time!

Happy New Year! It's January 1 so you know what that means. Time to download your 2011 Motivated Moms chore planner! This will be my sixth or seventh year using this--I've lost count!--and I still love it! It's great for assigning chores to the children now, too. I like to get the half-size planner pages so I can print out two weeks on one page and post in on the fridge. For just $8, it is a steal considering how helpful and motivating it is to make all those little check marks.