bits & pieces: june 21, 2010

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Books: Parent: Already Gone

I just finished reading the book ALREADY GONE by Ken Ham.

Every one needs to read this book.

Children are leaving the church in droves and homeschoolers are not exempt. And they are not leaving in college, when a lot of the churches believe they are. They are leaving as early as high school and even middle school.

Why is this important? Why does it matter?

Well for one, it shows that we are doing something wrong as a church and as parents. We are separating God and His word from every day life.

It comes down to believing the word of God or not. If one does not believe in Genesis (the first book in the Bible), how can one believe the rest.

Parents will avoid teaching their children about Santa because they want to be truthful with their children. If they lie saying Santa is real, then why would the child believe the parent when they tell them Jesus is real. I can understand that argument.

But then why would those same parents portray Noah as a "story." A cute little man with a cute little boat with cute little animals coming two by two (which is not Biblically accurate, but that is for another time). Noah is taught as a story rather than historical fact. Nothing is mentioned of the condemnation of the rest of mankind - the screaming and begging for their lives as they drowned.

The same can be said of Moses, Abraham and other historical figures in the Bible. Most of the time they are portrayed as stories rather than historical fact. What are the books in your house telling your children? Are they helping to perpetuate what they are learning in Sunday school - cute little stories about the people in the Bible? Or are they showing the Bible as something that is true and historically accurate? Science and history back up the Bible. Are you to your children?

There cannot be a differentiation between every day life and spiritual life. If you believe the Bible to be true, then they should meld into one.

This book is a real eye opener. What he is saying should not be dismissed.

Current Web Readings

Remove Fluoride from Water
I was under the impression that carbon based water filters (like Pur) remove fluoride from the water. The other morning on FB, I read Dr. Mercola's daily tip which said that they don't, and how difficult it is to remove fluoride form water. So I found this link.

Graft Your Own Designer Fruit Trees

Pallet Chicken Coop
This is GREAT! How to make a chicken coop from free pallets!!! :D

Bookin It in 2010
Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, shares her reading list for 2010.

FDA Admits BPA dangers but can't regulate it
No, but another government agency can force thrift stores to stop selling "lead" laden children's toys and books?!?! Bah Hum Bug!

Dangerous Stuff For Boys
Fun stuff!

Rice Cooker
I have a friend who makes everything in her rice cooker - omelets, chicken and rice ... just about EVERYTHING her fmaily eats. LOL!! So I went looking for a rice cooker and found THIS one which has a GABA setting - in other words, if you are into Nourishing Traditions, this will soak and sprout the rice and then cook it for you!! :D HOW AWESOME is that?? And especially with this gluten free and JJ allergic to everything family, we do eat a bit of rice. It would be so nice to have something which does everything for me.

Christian Bluegrass Radio Station
Oh EE is in heaven. She LOVES this type of music! This is really nice!

List of Mountain Music Songs
Lyrics with short sample of the tune

GIVEAWAY - Alexandra Stoddard - Creating A Beautiful Home

When Meredith talks, every one listens. And when she said that Alexandra Stoddard was an author to hold on to, I have been grabbing everything I can by her. LOL!! So much so that I grabbed TWO of the same book. ANd that means GIVEAWAY!!! :)

Creating A Beautiful Home IS listed on PaperBack Swap (please consider using this link to sign up as I do get a book credit when you join using my email as the referring email and I am in need of some credits, thank you!). I provided the link to the paperback because that is what has the reviews, but I am giving away the hardback.

How to enter? Just leave a comment telling me how you would use the book! If you join up with PaperBack Swap, listing your first ten books and I get a credit for a book, come back here and comment telling me you have joined the wonderful world of getting FREE BOOKS from PaperBack Swap and that will earn you 3 additional entries!

I will accept entries until I pick the winner. :) I will choose a winner Monday, Jan 12 sometime in the morning. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing by one of my daughters. GOOD LUCK!!!

Today's Doings - Hodge Podge

I took my mom to the airport today for her to fly back home to be with Dad. My heart always breaks a little when she leaves. I miss her so much. However, I know that the Lord wants us here right now, and my parents will not leave Texas. Partly because they love it there, and partly because my sister and her husband live there.

It was hard on all of us to say goodbye, but especially my oldest, AA (near 9yr). We had a long talk about how we need to be where God wants us to be and when she gets married, she will need to live where God wants her and her husband to be. I will admit that it does make things a bit difficult when Brian and I need some alone time. Or someone to watch the kids in an emergency.

After dropping my mom off, I was able to drop by a dear dear friend for a visit. I had not planned on staying, but her warm and inviting hospitality welcomed our whole family (for over two hours)! :D Her family is so wonderful! Her oldest took to JJ and watching after him. Her youngest son took to the girls and got them all making books! :D Thus allowing my friend and me to fellowship. She is a VERY relaxed homeschooler and has always encouraged me.

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Her words of advice:
TEACH IN CONTEXT. I have always heard that you use real life to teach. And I am pretty good with that. Teaching in context is new to me. And it really opened up my eyes on more ways to teach.

She also encouraged me to play post office with the girls. I have always had them "write" letters, but those letters are usually pictures. Now that they are of writing age, they REALLY should be writing. So instead of just saying to write a letter, let them address it, stamp it, and mail it off as well. I know my girls and I know that if they knew they could address the envelope themselves, they would most definitely WRITE a letter! :)

I was also reminded of a number exercise which I hope to do with the girls sometime this week. We were talking about numbers and she went to look for something but could not find it. When she was describing what it was, it sounded similar to making things out of numbers. I hope to make a book, one page for each number, for the girls to work on. :)

She also talked about playing restaurant where you have the menu, they come and take an order, tally up the order and exchange money. MUCH more "in context" than just a worksheet!! :)

She also brought out and shared a book by Dinah Zike called Big Book of Books. This book looks SO COOL!!! I will have to see if I can check it out from the library!! :)
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Brian bought the book Teaching Hearts, Training Minds. The author takes one question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and spends a whole week on each question/answer, giving Biblical references and explanations as well as word pictures to help make personal application and understanding. Each day has a VERY short meditation (nor more than 3 paragraphs in most cases) to go through with the children (or for yourself). I got a copy through the library through ILL.

I like what he says in the introduction. After talking about the importance of teaching doctrine, and how, sadly, most churches, especially the youth departments, have replaced teaching substantial truth of doctrine with entertainment he says:

"Even where teaching the Bible to children is a priority, teaching Bible doctrine seldom is. Children hear the same Bible stories repeatedly, almost always as moral lessons on how to behave. Typical Sunday school lessons reduce Bible stories to moral tales much like Aesop's fables. The focus is on the human being in the story, who becomes its main character. So the teacher comes to the end and conclude, 'And you must be like David and God will bless you,' or 'You must not act as Ahab did or you will find trouble.'... Children seldom learn to see that God Himself is the main character of every Bible story. They do not learn to ask about each account they read, 'What does this story tell me about God?' They never learn to read all the biblical narratives in the light of God's overall purpose to redeem a people for Himself. All they learn is: Be good and God blesses; be bad, and He does not."

The author then goes on to say how sad it is that we are not equipping our children in the foundations of doctrinal truth. That when adults are being asked simple questions based on doctrine, they stumble for the answers. Whereas if they had been taught the catechism, they would have a doctrinal response ready.

I pictured Jay Leno asking questions like "When was the War of 1812?" and no one having a correct answer. How really silly those people look when simple questions are asked of them and they cannot answer. And how silly we as proclaimed Christians must look when we cannot answer simple questions about what we believe.

There is nothing wrong with teaching memorization. I mean, think about it. The things you remember best from your childhood are the things you memorized. The "ABC" song, common nursery rhymes, the small handfull of BIble verses like John 3:16. I want my children (and honestly myself) to be ready with an answer.

Library Thing (mine personally)

OK, so I am not sure how many of you have noticed that I have added Library Thing to my sidebar. In it, I am listing all the books I currently own.

I want to warn you that I was up late last night entering books. The first few were the ones my husband and I are currently reading or have on our bed board to read soon (things like Family Driven Faith, and For The Children's Sake). Things that are things that the kids can see.

But now I am into my closet books. And the books in there, while they are few, are books I do not want the kids getting into. They are books on marriage and the act of marriage. God has given me a heart for marriages. I do not talk a lot about that on here, although you can see that it is important for me to share with others when you visit the Romance posts on my blog. And while I do have lots of other books on marriage downstairs, those are ones that the kids can see. :)

So bear with me for a few weeks while I continue to add MORE books (boy do I have a ton of books!) and then there won't always be an act of marriage book popping up there! LOL!!! Most of those were required reading as part of our pre-martial counseling. Brian and I were miles apart and could not counsel together, so the pastor had us read books and listen to tapes and discuss them in phone conversations together. Others (like Love and Respect) are studies we want to do together. And yet others (like Created to be His Helpmeet and The Excellent Wife) are ones I want to have close on hand (not minding if the children read them) so I can read them over and over again. :) And yet others are to help us when it comes time to explain the facts of life to the children (oh I can SOOOOO wait for that to happen!). :)

The Pineapple Story

I love how when we start to live for Christ, He shows up!!

So I was trying my BEST to find my copy of 21 Rules of This House (and it is SOOOOO bugging me I cannot find my copy, am I am questioning whether I truly had one or not), and I came across our copy of The Pineapple Story (Listen to a free audio by the person who wrote the story! REALLY funny! I highly encourage you to download it so you can hear it anytime. It is the third link down - look for PINEAPPLE. And read some of it online. Here are a few more audios of him speaking).

It was a blessing! This book deals with anger. And how we need to give everything we have to God. And when we get angry, it is like a little alarm that we need to give something to God. At the end of the book, it asks you what your pineapple garden is (basically, what is it that YOU are holding on to. What makes you angry? What do you think YOUR rights are?).

So I had the girls draw just a few of the things (at least three) that make them angry. Then we talked about each thing that makes us angry. I also had them think about their rights and draw/write those too. Then we gave those things to God. Here are the pictures and a little bit about each. Click on the pictures to make them bigger.


This is AA (8yr) drawing. She LOVES to draw, so she was drawing VERY detailed things. I told her we needed to move on, so she plans to go back and draw more later. Things that make her angry/are her right: my sisters play with my things without asking, they tear up my dolls dresses, they eat all the candy I buy with my own money, I have the right to goto the bathroom without my sisters opening the door and sticking their tongue out at me.


I must admit that I am the most proud of EE on this assignment. She really dug deep on this one. Things that make her angry/are her right: she is possessive of her baby brother and wants to be the only one to play with him (I was SO PROUD of her for recognizing this!), when she is given time on the computer it is her time, when she is cleaning her zone and her sisters make it more messy or they do not clean up after themselves, when her toys are played with without her permission, my peguiny is mine.


This is MM's. I was realy proud of her for doing this at all. It was a VERY mature project for such a little girl. She remembered details in the story I had forgotten (when I had her retell the story to me). I am AMAZED at how much she comprehended. Things that are her right/make her angry: when my sisters make my bed messy, when my sisters get into my bed, when my sisters pull me off my bed, when they take my toys, when they take all the time on the computer and I don't get any.


Here is mine. Things that are my right/make me angry: when the children interrupt my time on the computer, when the house is a mess, when I fail/fall in my walk with the Lord, it is my right to have time to my self, it is my right to be loved and respected and it is my right ot have help with the cleaning of the house.

So for me, and I did this in front of the children, I realized that I am very selfish with my time. I need to give my time to God and not hold onto it. I need to give my day to the Lord so He can direct my steps. I need to be willing to clean up the whole house myself in order to serve the children (yes, they do need to learn to do it, but it really needs to come from their heart and if they see MOMY doing it to serve, then they will learn to do it to serve). I need to be willing to give up my time for that of the children - keeping their hearts. So right there in front of the children I prayed to God and gave my time and my day and my self to Him.

And without fail, on the way to take a nap, a little argument broke out over some stuff. I asked if this was a pineapple for them. They smiled and had to admit it. I think I will be reminding the girls of pineapples for years to come. :D Now if only I can get them to remember to PRAY about it!! :D

A Must Read Book...

I got a letter in the mail yesterday talking about this book called
Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States By Benjamin Franklin Morris

This advertisement went on and on about how important this book is to read. How it shows that America was truly founded on Christian principles. They talked about how the book has long been out of print, but is now back in print and you should buy it from them blah blah blah.

Here is a bit about it from another site:

This book, which was out of print until very recently, is a reference that all American Christians should have. It uses original source documentation this makes an overwhelming case for the Christian foundations of our country. It was originally published in 1864. While the reading can be interesting, your primary use of it will be as a reference for discussions on whether our country was founded as a Christian nation.

So I went searching and found out that this book is public domain. I absolutely HATE it when someone finds a public domain book and republishes it and then charges a ton of money for it (almost $40!!!). I have no doubt this book is a great as they say. But I feel it is just WRONG to charge so much for something that is supposed to be FREE. The only reason someone should pay for this book is if they are doing it in support of the organization selling the book (or they really REALLY want it in a hardback format and don't want to read it online or print it out themselves).

I had the most difficult time finding a copy FREE online. So here it is. A FREE copy of Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States by Benjamin Morris

Jut click on the DOWNLOAD PDF link once you are there!

From Archive.org - my favorite source for out of print books (I don't know why I did not think to search there first)

From Google - downloadable and online searchable!!

What's Up With Our Food?

Dr. Kay Toomey is known nationwide, and her feeding program is used nationwide. She is a specialist in feeding and has even helped Gerber (yes, the baby food company) create foods that help toddlers develop proper oral motor skills. I had the pleasure of meeting with her (JJ was seen by her) and took the opportunity to ask her about what book would she recommend we read. She said ANYTHING by Michael Pollan.

He has written two books that I have peeked through. In Defense of Food and Omnivore's Dilemma.

I was able to find some videos that I will be sharing over the next few days.

The first, is a four part interview with presentations thrown in of him talking about In Defense of Food. If you have read Marketing Of Evil (and if you haven't it is a MUST MUST MUST read to protect your children! MUST read!), these two books are the same about food that Markeingt of Evil is about morals.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:

GIVEAWAY! Copy of More With Less Cookbook

More With Less Spiral Bound Cookbook

I am just learning the virtues of this Amish-like cookbook! I have heard wonderful WONDERFUL things about it. And as I pour over it, page by page, I get more and more excited about making meals WITH LESS! And yet meals that are still wonderful and hearty and healthy!

This is ESPECIALLY PERFECT right now with the rising cost of food! And what better way to make your grocery dollar stretch or make your garden harvest last just a bit longer than with a 5 star (81 reviews) rated cookbook from Amazon.com!!

To enter, just leave a comment saying you would like to be entered (along with some way of contacting you if you win be it an email or blog addy). For an extra entry, put a link on your blog to the giveaway, and come back here and let me know in the comments (so you would have two comments).

You must enter by next Wednesday by 7pm Mountain Time. I will draw a winner shortly after that.

Getting LOTS of Books

I am not sure what is up with PaperBack Swap lately, but all of a sudden, my wishlist is coming true! For the longest time, it seemed that I was adding more and more books to my wishlist and not getting anything. Now, books that have been on there for about 6 months are finally coming true! Maybe it is because it is garage sale season and people are finding books real cheap at garage sales to add to their list of books to swap. Or maybe a LOT more people have discovered PaperBack Swap is a GREAT way to get rid of books you don't want and get books FOR FREE that you DO want!! :)

If you have not checked it out before now, I HIGHLY encourage you to check it out while the getting is good! :) The more people on there, the more likely you are to get books you want!: ) And right now, with it being garage sale season, you can get some good books for a quarter to list to trade for something you REALLY want.

Some things I have gotten through PaperBack Swap:

Fine Art Studio Drawing - this is a kit and it blew me away I got it for FREE!
A Girl of Beauty
Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends
Wise Guys
If by Amy Carmichael
Shepherding A Child's Heart and The Parent's Handbook to accompany it
EVEN HOMESCHOOL STUFF:
Considering God's Creation as well as several Singapore Math Books!!! :D

Check out PaperBack Swap and take the time to list your 10 books to get your FREE book credits! You will NOT be disappointed! :)

Love Books, Love GoodReads!

I love books. But having very conservative Christian taste, it is sometimes hard to find good books,. Enter Goodreads.

Goodreads is amazing and fun and WOW WOW WOW!! This site has most every book you can get a hand on. It even has most all the titles from No Greater Joy.

You join Goodreads (it's free), and just search for some of your favorite books. Rate it and review it. Add friends who like the same books you do and find out titles for books that may become another favorite (but you might have missed out on). :)

Warning: if you like to read, this site can become addictive. I have already added several findings to my library to read list. :)

BzzAngent: paulagmom

Good Book - Stepping Heavenward

There is a wonderful book called Stepping Heavenward. I first learned about it when I read about it on a fav blog Titus 2 Talk.

Of course, I got on Paperback Swap and got myself a FREE copy! :)

Now I find you can get it online for free.
Project Gutenberg (WONDERFUL place that has hundreds of old books online for free) has put the copy on their site to download for free.

HT to Amy's Humble Musings (another good read)

The Christian Mother

I love love LOVE old books. I am not sure why. Maybe it is because most of the ideas shared are untainted by the world's views/standards and psycho-babble created to excuse away our sin. I especially love old books about homemaking and child-rearing. You never hear the term "terrible twos" or "teenager." A child was still expected to behave when 2 years old or when their age ended in the word "teen." And while I am so thankful that I have a washer and dryer, there are few feelings in the world as great as hand washing your clothes and hanging them to dry (which I have not been able to do in quite a while). Or the feeling of airing your home and the wonderful smell afterwards!

I came across a GREAT book online (which if the link is no longer viable when you read this PLEASE email me and let me know). The Christian Mother is an open and honest book about being a mom. Even though written in 1833, its truths still apply today. I will warn you this is a VERY straightforward book and many people will not like the straightforwardness of it. But I encourage you to read it with an open mind and open heart to see if there is any "gold" in there for you. It is free to read online, so there in no cost to check it out.

Sew Crafty

I made a shawl and matching scrunchie for my daughter. (This is for SEW CRAFT FRIDAY at Waiting For Him. Head over and post your in-progress pictures of whatever YOU are working on.)
The shawl is actually folded in half (the top of the picture is also the top of the shawl). It was too big to fit across my dining table. As you can see, I have not sewn in the ends yet. You should be able to click on the picture to see the detail. She loves it. You should have heard all the oooooohhhhhsss and aaaaahhhhhhhsss and how beeeaaaauuuuuutifuls coming from my daughters as I was making this!!! :D

I am such a proud Momma. These are only TWO of all the pictures I took of my beautiful precious EE..
This was REALLY simple. It was all chain stitches, slip stitches and double crochet (maybe a single crochet too?). You started at the bottom, and then just added more and more until you had a HUGE triangle! Even the scrunchie was pretty simple. The only difficulty I had to get over was dc inside the ponytail holder. It was more difficult than I thought (even though I had no problem dc inside loops on the shawl! LOL!).

This is my second and third project since completing the headbands. It was REALLY fun and quick to do.

I got the pattern from this book:
CROCHET by Jane Davis.

I REALLY like this book! It explains all of the stitches in easy to understand words and pictures (am I the only one who learns better from a child's instructional book than from an adult's instructional book?). And the projects go from easy (chain stitch only shoe laces) and get a little more stitches added and a little more technique added as you go through each project in the book. Each new project builds on the techniques you learned in the previous project. VERY nice!

My next project is one for myself. (Although if it gets TOO difficult, I might have to thrown in some stuff for the girls, or switch to a more simple shawl for myself at first and come back to this one later.) It is THIS shawl. EEK! Be sure to click on the link or the picture to see all the pictures of this shawl (I especially love the edging on this!). I am going to at least try. I may have to give up and get some more crochet in under my belt before I am able to actually DO this one. I will admit that I found a video in the library that explains and shows this VERY simply! Makes it easy to learn (at least it LOOKS easy). And since I love to cross-stitch, I think I will be able to do this OK.

I have learned recently, that when it comes to books (and my addiction to books), that a lot of stuff can now be found for FREE on the web or in the library. This pattern for the shawl I am making for myself is an online pattern. Whereas before I really started becoming frugal, I would rationalize buying a book with the pattern for fifty cents. But now, I see I can be even MORE frugal and can save money getting things FREE online rather than buying a book and using only ONE pattern. (Or even wasting a credit from PaperBack Swap to get this pattern.) :) And the stuff I made for the girls (that book I may actually Paperback Swap so I have it for the TOD-KAH curriculum), was made in enough time (one week) that I am able to make it and get the book back to the library.

I am learning that when it comes to crafts, recipes, directions and how-to's, for the most part, you can save money (even if the book only costs $.50) by looking it up online or in a book at the library. Save your money for those simply MUST HAVE books (like the old time recipe books where everything -even the tomato sauce- is from scratch and the books that you just can't find online - like raising godly children and girls who are helpmeets and boys who are godly men/leaders).

I also wanted to mention a newsletter for your kids that has crafts for them to do (including crochet!). It is called By Kids 4 Kids. It is free to subscribe. Looks SEW FUN! (hahaha - get it?? SEW fun?!?! :D )

Tee-hee I just have to add that baby JJ has commandeered the scrunchie as his own and is LOVING playing with it! LOL!!!

Gardening With Children

Oh I am SO THANKFUL for Nancy! I had a wonderful time of fellowship with her the other day. The weather was beautiful and the children and I were out hiking when we got the call that we could come over and do some gardening stuff with Nancy and her family. As soon as I told my children, MM (3yr, near 4) ran up to a total stranger (a boy no less) and jumped up and down telling him about how we were going to help Mrs. B with her garden! It was so precious.

Her oldest daughter showed us how to make potting holders out of newspaper (so we can start our seedlings and then transplant them RIGHT into the garden in the newspaper). If you search the web for an origami pen box (or something similar) then make it much bigger (about 1/4 of a sheet of newspaper), you will have a good size. Here are a few pictures:











Nancy is one of those ladies who you just want to sit at her feet all day and learn! And when she makes a book recommendation, you don't check it out for yourself first and then buy it, you just BUY it and know it is good. I had to wait to post this till I had gone to PaperBack Swap and gotten my copies (or at least put them on my wishlist!). :)

So both are by the same author. If you love daisy crowns, rosebud necklaces, hollyhock dolls and other garden crafts that one might see in the days of Little House on the Prairie, or if you just want to involve your kids more in nature and gardening, these two books are a MUST have!

First up is Sunflower Houses by Sharon Lovejoy. The pictures are beautiful and it has the most AMAZING things in it! Imagine a circle garden that is actually a clock! Certain flowers do certain things at certain times of day! Find out which ones sleep at 3pm and which ones bloom at 2am!! How about a great way to teach the ABC's? A garden where each flower is a letter of the alphabet. Oh I could go on and on! And of course, it tells you how to make the most beautiful sunflower houses and those little garden crafts mentioned above!!

Second is Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy. Wow oh Wow oh WOW!!! The pictures are wonderful! And so many wonderful activities to do with your children in the garden!! Fun fun fun fun FUN!!!!

I was able to check out the above books from my library while waiting to get them for free. :) If your library does not have them, you should ask your librarian about the InterLibrary Loan. This is where you can get library books from other libraries (even out of state) at no cost to you.

Paper Back Book Swap

I admit it. I am a book junkie. I LOVE books! Whenever I go into Goodwill or to a garage sale, the first place I gravitate towards is the book section.

I took the plunge and put the icon on my web page for Paper Back Swap. If you join (please click the icon on the left hand side to join), it should have my email as the referring email. Yes, I do get credit for every person who signs up and posts nine books to the swap.

It is FREE to join and FREE to get books! The only thing you have to pay is shipping on the books you send out (shipping media mail costs you $1-$4 on average). Every time you send a book out, you get a point. Every point gets you another book for free.

I have done the half.com thing and ebay thing in order to get rid of books. And I must admit that the money I get goes mostly towards buying other books! LOL!! Not to mention that fee you have to pay to sell your book through them.

Paper Back Swap has no fees. No ratings and no reviews of buyers/sellers. It DOES have reviews of books (which I totally like), and you would be surprised at the CHRISTIAN titles there!! Even some books that are ultra conservative have been "bought" through Paper Back Swap.

I hope to see you there! You prolly have a book that I want!! :) After posting up my nine books, I found out that I already had someone waiting for one of my books! And one of the books I wanted, while not listed at the moment (an ULTRA conservative Christian book), HAS been listed previously (which means someone beat me to getting that book!). :)

Momma, Is that REALLY what the Bible says?

I hate having to correct Bible stories from children's books for my children. Most of them omit details - like David chopped off Goliath's head after the stone hit him (I think that is important to know) or that there were more than two of each animal on the ark (some animals were taken in 7 for sacrifice). Some CHANGE the details - like saying Jonah was swallowed by a whale (the Bible says he was swallowed by a FISH) or that there were three wise men (while there were three gifts presented to him we do not KNOW how many there were because the Bible does not say).

This is probably the reason why more and more conservative Christians are reading from the actual Bible at the dining table instead of from Children's books. And while I love that idea, I also like the idea of a children's Bible story book for my children.

So there may be hope!

I just read a review on The Sparrow's Nest for the Egermeier's Bible Story Book. Looks like they don't omit all the details (I agree, I don't need to hear all the bloody gore after David's head was chopped off, but it would be nice to know it happened), and it looks like it is going to keep to the facts! I have not checked this out yet, but based on the review, we will be buying the book! Here's hoping it is as good as I hope! :)

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Side Note: TAMMY (who commented on my 6 Weird Things Meme), you do not have public access to your profile, so I was not able to visit your blog to comment. My husband laughed when I read your comment and wanted to know the name of the movie. I told him that just the THOUGHT was scary enough that now I have to find a new way to dispose of my dead bugs! LOL!!! Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. If you leave another comment please include a url for your blog! :)

Dust Busters

I have never been good at housekeeping. Dusting was something I had not really done until recently (and by recently I mean about a month ago and have not gotten back to since). Why is it so hard to stick to a schedule?

I have been reading a WONDERFUL book that an online friend Oreosouza recommended called Living Life On Purpose (be sure to get the version by Kym Wright - turns out there is another book out there by the same title). I just finished reading the chapter on discipline. Now you might think after two chapters of her discussing chores for children, this might be on disciplining your children. But it isn't. It is on how WE as mothers need to be disciplined.

And OH how I need to be disciplined! I require my kids to clean up their room, but my room has stuff strewn about. I require my kids to speak softly, yet I often raise my voice. I want my children to be good keepers at home, yet I don't do what I know I need to be a good keeper at home myself.

So, today I begin (why do we always think we have to start on a Monday or a first of the month?).

Anyways, here is a great link to make your own dust busters.

I am curious what YOU prefer to use for dusting (I have heard feather dusters are the best) and why you like that for dusting.

You Can't Go Wrong...

There are very few people who I trust when they recommend a book to me. Most of the time, the book is fluff (or "milk") in order to have a wider reading audience and not to offend anyone. I like books that are meaty and really challenge me in my walk with the Lord.

Enter OreoSouza.

Her latest recommendation is a book I have thought about ordering for my husband (we just had our first son). I have ordered other books she has recommended and have not been steered wrong since! Be sure to look through past entries in her blog for other book recommendations.

And while I have not seen any book recommendations on Brenda's blog, she too is one that I highly trust. I am so thankful to live close enough to be able to borrow a few of them, but most of them I am just gonna HAVE to buy so I have my own copy!