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Doll for sale – quick!

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Quick!  We’re off to the store so the girls can buy Christmas gifts for each other, and little Becca has no spending money.

She has no money, but she does have a new doll from the Vision Forum clearance shelf.

lil entrepreneur 226x300 Doll for sale   <i>quick!</i>

This 18″  Evangeline doll has long soft blonde hair, beautiful brown eyes and a sweet pink-checked dress.  She is also wearing pantaloons and will come with socks and shoes.  She will arrive in a special doll box in gift-giving condition.  Evangeline was made by Gotz in Germany, and is no longer available from Vision Forum so this could be your last chance to get her!

Becca would dearly love to sell this doll in the next couple of hours.  She is $50, including shipping.  Payment by Paypal would be great.

You can see more of the girls’ new Vision Forum items for sale on our Sale page, including more dolls.

Poll: Homemade laundry detergent

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Have you tried it?  Would you try it?  Would you, could you, in a house?  Would you, could you, with a mouse?  Sorry.  I slipped into Dr. Seuss for a moment.  Can you name the title of that book?

But back to the point:  Please chime in on my first-ever poll over at Frugal Hacks!

If you have tried it, was it liquid or powder?  What did you think?  Will you keep using it?  Why or why not?

If you haven’t tried it yet, will you?  Why or why not?

Reminder: 50% off sale ends Friday

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edited to change the numbered list to a bulleted list.  I just couldn’t deal with the fact that there were 11 items.  10 would have been good: decimal system and all.  12 would have been an even dozen.  15 is a multiple of 5.  But 11?  Ack!

Many top-selling items were added midweek, so even if you already ordered, take another look!  Shipping is a low $5 on any order so it doesn’t hurt to order again.

You can save 50% off some of our family’s very favorite toys and books:

      If you don’t see your favorite on the 3 pages of 50% items, don’t worry: Everything else in the store is on sale too!

      Be nice to my friends

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      PHbutton Be nice to my friends

      Jennie Chancey, founder of Ladies Against Feminism and co-author of  Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, is practicing what she preaches: she took the chance to publicly praise her husband in the 2008 Man of the Year contest, hosted by the Art of Manliness and sponsored by Old Spice.  Mr. Chancey knew nothing about it until he learned that he was a finalist.  Rumor has it that his response was, “You stinker!”

      Thanks to Jennie’s glowing writeup, her husband is in the running for a $2,000 cash and a whole lot of Old Spice.  He’s currently in second place, with other contestants trailing far behine.  Let’s push him to first!  Voting continues through December 14, so please click over and give him a thumb-up!

      leaderboard vote Be nice to my friends

      Money for kids

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      Monica asked about ways that our girls make a little extra money.  I emailed her, but thought my answer might be the start of a useful post.  Here are some of the ways our children earn money.

      • I have allowed the girls to put items up for sale on Ebay for us.  If it’s something I would have sold myself, I might split the proceeds with them.  If it’s something I wouldn’t have bothered with, I let them keep the money.  Those high-dollar baby formula coupons that arrive in the mail sell surprisingly well.  icon smile Money for kids
      • They buy items from the Vision Forum clearance shelf (at the on-site retail store, not the online Clearance Outlet) to post on their For Sale page.
      • They combined their savings a while back and bought an expensive female Yorkie to breed.  This little business investment of theirs was far more work than they expected, but it did pay off.
      • Our oldest can now earn a paycheck when she works with her dad at Vision Forum, so she likes to pay her siblings generously to do her household chores on days that she is gone.  We allow this because she sees it as a way to share a blessing with her sisters.
      • We don’t do allowances, but I often hire the girls to do extra work for me, such as compiling a mailing list or doing graphic design for a family website.  I often hire little ones to make my bed, brush my hair, etc.  During the warm weather, I usually have a bounty out on flies and daddy longlegs in the house.

      None of these might be practical for your family, but we find that there are always opportunities if you look hard enough and have a bit of patience.

      We are rather limited because we live in a very rural setting, but if you live in the city you might find many opportunities with the neighbors:

      • Yard care: lawn mowing, leaf raking, snow shoveling, poop scooping, weeding flowerbeds, etc.  Hubby and I mowed lawns one summer, raking in over $2000 in the evenings with our $300 investment in a mower and weed eater, and a $4 classified ad.  We once paid a kid to shovel the snow on our sidewalk simply because we appreciated his motivation.
      • Misc. services: dog walking, house-sitting, pet-sitting and plant-sitting for vacationers, putting out the weekly trash, garage organization.
      • Offer services: let your young entrepreneur knock on doors and tell the neighbors, “I’m trying to earn $50 for a ___.  Do you have any small jobs I can do to get started?”
      • Babysitting: an older child of yours could babysit in your own home if you prefer.
      • Yard sale: they could have a yard sale for you, doing all of the work and keeping some or all of the proceeds.  They could offer to clean neighbors’ garages, etc. and have a yard sale with the castoffs.
      • Recycling: the price of aluminum is currently very low, but it fluctuates.  My daughter and a few of my youngest sibs gathered a pickup load of cans a couple of years ago and earned over $150!
      • Housecleaning: I started doing this for some of my dad’s coworkers at the tender age of 12.  By the time I was 17 I had a small business.

      How do your children earn money?  How else could they earn money?

      Homeschooling in December

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      Kelly asked if we take the month of December off of school so we can do fun activities like these.  My answering comment grew and grew and I still wasn’t ready to hit the button, so I decided to make a post of it.

      Kelly,
      Our approach to schooling is very relaxed and thoroughly integrated into our daily activities.  Almost any worthwhile activity has its teaching moments, even if you don’t want to get too “teachy” about it.
      Examples:

      • In hanging the lights on the deck rail, the girls had to troubleshoot.  They found burned out bulbs, loose sockets, and a bad fuse.  In the process they learned about electrical circuits, fuses, and how incandescent bulbs work.  This is something we’ve talked about before, but this was a refresher course.
      • Cutting out snowflakes forces them to think analytically, trying to make them turn out the way they visualized, or visualize the way they’re going to turn out.
      • Christmas cooking invariably involves math since we nearly always double or triple recipes, and it brings up many questions: How many teaspoons in a tablespoon? How many ounces in a cup?  Instead of measuring 12 tablespoons, can we change it to cups?  There are also many aspects of chemistry:  How do baking soda, baking powder and yeast make things rise?  What is the function of each ingredient in a recipe?  Which ones must be measured carefully, and why?  Which ones don’t need to measured carefully, and why not?  What if we substitute ___ for ___?
      • It’s becoming more and difficult for us to absorb entertainment without analyzing the worldview behind it and within it.  This extends to Christmas music as well.

      An active mind is always learning, whether or not the owner is planted at a desk or table with a pencil in hand.  And since it’s Wednesday, let me just add that homeschooling works for me.

      PS. I just got on the Vision Forum website and saw that they have several best-sellers and some of our very favorite toys included in their 50% Off  Sale with flat $5 shipping til Friday.  Good stuff!

      Sights, smells and sounds in our house today

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      Banana bread and pumpkin bread in the oven;

      santacooks 300x200 Sights, smells and sounds in our house today
      Cranberry bread on the schedule;
      Cranberry-apple pie on my mind;

      Pinecone garland on my chandelier;

      chandelier 200x300 Sights, smells and sounds in our house today
      White paper chain on the wall;
      Paper snowflakes hanging from the ceilings;

      Christmas hymns in our ears;
      Lights on the deck rail;

      lights1 200x300 Sights, smells and sounds in our house today
      Silly Santa hats on silly children’s heads;

      sillysantas 300x200 Sights, smells and sounds in our house today

      Windows open to a crisp fall day;

      In HIM we live and move and have our being.
      God is good!

      It’s here!

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      Maybe you’re not as excited as I am, but then again maybe you are: WordPress 2.7, Release Candidate 1 is officially ready.  That means that even responsible, conservative people can upgrade now without apologizing for being impetuous.

      You’ll love it.  We’ve been loving it for weeks and upgrading nightly as they tweak it, because upgrading is just that easy now.  Sorry.

      Fun Christmas Links

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      It’s that time of year again.  We listened to Christmas hymns and songs for much of the day yesterday.  I let the girls wrap lights around the deck rail.  We’re eying the Stupid Santa Hat with anticipation.  No, we don’t do the Santa thing, but hubby likes to wear the big red hat when he’s on the road and with an hour commute that means he wears it a lot.  And today, the kids made an enormous mess cutting out paper snowflakes.  My dining room was covered from top to bottom in white confetti.

      It’s also time to dig out the fun links that have become part of our family traditions.  I feel a wee bit guilty that the lights and links are being unearthed before the nativity set, but let’s not over-analyze the order of things.  Christ is first in our hearts, and our whole family knows what we are celebrating.  The fun stuff is just the cranberry sauce at the table; it’s a sweet little garnish.

      So with that disclaimer, here are some of our favorite Christmas-y websites and activities.  What are yours?

      • Elf Yourself – add a headshot of a friend, family member, or important political personage, and let the hilarity ensue.
      • I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas – I can’t help but see Santa with toothpick legs every time I hear this song.  The reindeer solo is priceless!
      • Make a Snowflake – be sure to check out creations saved by others.  Some are absolutely amazing!
      • Snowcraft -the classic snowball fight with simple, understated graphics and intense competition.
      • Pandora Radio – create your own Christmas radio station online with your favorite Christmas music, like this.

      That’s all for now, but we’ll update if remember any old favorites or discover any new favorites.

      Christmas lights

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      Christmas is only 25 days away(or 24 depending on if you count today)that’s just over 3 weeks!! So, Megan, Natalie, Becca and I decided that it was time to get the Christmas lights out. We untangled the masses of Christmas lights that hadn’t been touched since last year, threw the broken ones away(blah blah blah)…

      Any way we brought the broken bulbs in the house and messed around with them and then I decided to make this:

      merry christmas 300x134 Christmas lights

      Vision Forum Top 10

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      Yes, I’m plugging yet another Vision Forum sale.  Because I can’t resist, and because it’s going to be great…

      Dec 50 Off horizontal Vision Forum Top 10

      …and also because my affiliate commissions are going to make for some nice Christmas gifts for my kiddos.  icon smile Vision Forum Top 10   Are you an affiliate?

      Savings are huge!

      • 20% off all toys
      • 30% off all books, audio and DVDs
      • 50% off select gifts, many of them top-sellers
      • $5 flat-rate shipping

      Want some ideas to help you shop?  Here is a bit of insider info:

      Current Top 10 Best-Sellers at Vision Forum:

      1. Amphibious Tank
      2. Princess Adelina
      3. The Little Boy Down the Road
      4. Folding Grappling Hook, Climbing Claw, and Climbing Boot Spikes
      5. Jonathan Park vol. 1
      6. Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo
      7. Jonathan Park Goes to the Aquarium
      8. Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Things
      9. Forever Flashlight
      10. Wrist Communicators

      Fast & easy treasure hunts for young ones

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      Hubby is working today with the 4 oldest children, so I’m home with just the 5 middles/littles.  To add a bit of excitement to the day, we did 2 fast and easy treasure hunts.

      The first was for the non-readers, 4yo Rachael and 2yo Perry.  8yo Natalie helped set this one up.  For this sort of hunt, each item needs to have a specific home, and the hunter needs to know where it belongs.  This hunt is most easily set up backwards.  Don’t bother to plan – just wing it when you do one of the these, and trust that the logistics will work out.

      Just take an item from its home and hide it where it doesn’t belong.  Grab a second item from the place in which you hid the first, and do it again.  Here’s how we did ours:

      The Put-it-away Treasure Hunt

      1. Grab a hairbrush from the hairbrush basket, and leave the prize in its place.  This is where the hunt ends.
      2. Put the hairbrush in the lego box and take a lego.
      3. Put the lego in the fridge and grab a bottle of Dad’s hot sauce.
      4. Put the hot sauce on the DVD shelf and grab a DVD.
      5. Put the DVD in The Boy’s dresser drawer and grab a pair of his underwear, even though he’s not in underwear yet.  He will be thrilled at the excuse to handle them.
      6. Put the underwear in computer cable drawer and grab a cable.
      7. Put the cable in Noah’s ark and grab the lion.
      8. Put the lion in the silverware drawer and take a butter knife.
      9. Put the butter knife on the canned goods shelf and take a can of corn.
      10. Put the corn in the hunter’s hand, and stand back!

      Obviously you can vary this for your household, adjust the difficulty for different children, and leave a small treasure at each step, every other step, or just the end.  This was a lunch hunt, so we left a bit of food with every clue: 1/2 of a pbj, 1/2 of a banana, etc.  There was a starburst candy at the end for each hunter.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that our 2yo knew exactly where everything went.

      Here’s what I set up for 7yo Becca and 8yo Natalie.  They took turns reading clues aloud (sneaky school).  If I wanted to spend more time I could make the clues longer and more cryptic.  As it was, we just had a few quick minutes of fun.

      Again, it’s not necessary to plan extensively.  Just write up a handful of clues.  They can be indoors, outdoors, or a combination.  Keep one clue to kick things off.  Place each succeeding clue in the destination hinted at by the previous clue.  Hide it more or less thoroughly depending upon the craftiness and determination of the hunters and the amount of time you want to kill.

      Here are the clues I used today:

      Easy Reading Treasure Hunt

      1. Check the internet for your first clue.  (give this to the hunters; next clue goes somewhere near the computer)
      2. I’d like a hot drink.  Will you get a coffee cup?  (next clue goes where the mugs are kept)
      3. Bethany needs some fresh clothes (next clue goes in Bethany’s dresser drawer)
      4. Would you please warm up my coffee? (next clue goes where coffee mugs are kept)
      5. Somebody needs a diaper change.  Please bring me the wipes.  (next clue goes where the wipes are kept)
      6. You look tired.  You may take a nap on my bed.  (next clue is hidden under my pillow)
      7. Where do we keep the trash bags? (next clue goes near the trash bags)
      8. What a nice day to sit on the deck and swing! (this was the last clue: I put a box of instant pudding on the swing)

      When they finished their hunt, Natalie and Becca carefully read the instructions on the instant pudding box and mixed up a treat for the 5 of us.

      Cranberry sauce

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      For the second year in a row, Megan made cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries for our Thanksgiving dinner.  It was surprisingly simple and far better than the Stuff In The Can.  If you like the Stuff In The Can, that’s fine.  I do too.  But now that I’ve tasted the real stuff I have no desire to go back to phony.  This is just too good, too easy, and gives Meg such a sense of accomplishment that I’d be a fool to eat wiggly red jellied cranberry juice.

      Fresh Cranberry Sauce

      • 12 oz bag of cranberries
      • 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar (white or brown)
      • 1/2 cup water

      Combine and simmer in microwave (covered) or on stovetop til berries burst, about 10 minutes.  Stir and mash a bit as they cook.

      Chill thoroughly and serve in a pretty dish.

      Really, that’s it.  You thought it would be harder, didn’t you?  It’s time to start a new tradition.  Try it with your next chicken dinner and come to tell us, OK?

      cranberry 300x199 Cranberry sauce

      Bah humbug

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      I don’t believe in Black Friday. I’d much rather stay home and enjoy the warm glow of the monitor the company of my family, snarfing down leftover pie for Black Friday breakfast.  Now that’s my idea of fun.
      But shopping online isn’t so bad. If you’re in the mood for that, it’s even better when you can save money.
      How is my sales pitch working so far? You know me;  I just couldn’t pass up the chance to plug Vision Forum once again.
      2 for 1 Affiliate Banner horizontal Bah humbug
      And just think: if you order, there’s a very good chance that your order will be picked, packed and/or shipped by my own darling children.

      202918 Bah humbug

      Doesn’t that just make you want to buy something right now?

      Prepared for feasting

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      Our menu is rather conservative and traditional this Thanksgiving, unlike the year we grilled steaks, but we’re excited nonetheless.
      We’ll be potlucking with my sister over the hill, so there will more at the table than just what we bring.
      Since Friday’s menu will be made up entirely of leftovers, Friday Night Pizza will happen tonight. I browned the meat and made the crusts with the help of Natalie, Becca and Rachael; the bigger girls are topping and cooking them this very moment.
      Natalie and Becca helped me put together a breakfast casserole to pop in the oven tomorrow morning. I plan to make up a pan of pumpkin custard as well.

      While we worked, the poor sick boy took a nap:

      sleeping on chair 200x300 Prepared for feasting

      Tomorrow, we’ll make the old-faithful green bean casserole with french fried onions on top. It’s as cliche as fruitcake but everyone loves it. If hubby doesn’t object, I might add some real bacon bits this year, but that might be sacrilegious.
      We have 2 smallish turkeys to roast. I’ll stuff them with bread stuffing just like mom’s, or as close as I can make it. I just might mix up some cornbread dressing like mom-in-law’s.
      I’ve requested my grandma’s recipe for Waldorf salad.
      Megan can’t wait to make cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries again this year.
      We’ll probably crack open the gallon-sized can of corn, just because that’s what you do on Thanksgiving.
      Mashed potatoes and gravy, of course. It’s just not Thanksgiving without those.

      And for dessert:
      We have 2 apples pies: the younger ones all helped make the crusts and peel & slice the apples; Megan mixed up the filling; Kaitlyn and Lydia each did a lattice top for one pie. Deanna did the dishes.
      apples 300x272 Prepared for feastingeating apples 300x200 Prepared for feastingpie crust 300x200 Prepared for feastingrachael stirring 300x200 Prepared for feastingthe crew 300x200 Prepared for feastingpies 300x200 Prepared for feasting

      We have a freezer full of pumpkin rolls, courtesy of Kaitlyn, Lydia, Megan and Natalie.
      I’d still like to make a pecan pie tonight, and then I’m all out of pie pans. icon sad Prepared for feasting
      I’ve also been holding back our first jug of apple cider this season, and we have 2 bottles of sparkling grape juice. Oh, and there is a quart of whipping cream that WILL NOT BE OPENED until Thanksgiving day, and 2 cans of redi-whip.

      But that’s not all. That doesn’t begin to count everything my sister and her visiting mother-in-law will bring to the table. My, oh my.

      Homeschool Humor

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      No, this isn’t the one that made the rounds last year, but it’s the best 2 minutes I’ve wasted in a long time.  2 of my daughters were in denim skirts at the time, and a third was wearing a denim jumper.  Homemade, no less.

      HT to Amy’s Humble Musings

      And the winner is…

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      Thank you for all the entries in our drawing for a free copy of Princess Adelina!  We had fun writing and cutting out all the little slips of paper, but I think the most fun was watching The Boy draw a winner from the hat.

      Please excuse his near-nakedness.  He’s sick, and I’m much rather just pull of a diaper and toss him in the tub as necessary, than peel nasty clothes off over his head before the inevitable tub-toss.

      drawing 300x200 And the winner is...

      the winner 264x300 And the winner is...

      closer look 200x300 And the winner is...

      And the winner is…

      Michelle from Heart of the Prairie

      Congratulations!  I’ve emailed you to request your full name and mailing address so we can send out your book.

      Thanks again to everyone else who played along and helped spread the word about our family’s book.

      If you didn’t win, I hope you’ll consider buying a copy of this very special book from our own website, Princess Adelina, or from the publisher, Vison Forum.

      From the mailbag: homeschooling, and more

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      I have allowed quite a few questions to build up in my inbox. I try to answer all of my email, but sometimes I simply don’t keep up and I always feel a bit guilty when that happens.  I’m going to give the quick answers to a few here, and I’m hoping you all will chime in with more and better advice.

      From LaSandra

      I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about when you begin to formally homeschool? I want to homeschool my children and the oldest turns 3 next month. Someone asked me when I was going to start homeschooling and I realized I didn’t know:)
      I have read a lot of homeschoolers articles that say 3-4 years old is too early and that just reading, playing, singing, doing crafts etc is enough at this point. Would you agree?

      We believe that our duty to educate our children starts at birth.  We are teaching our children every day, whether we try or not.  With this in mind, it becomes difficult to pin down exactly when homeschooling begins.

      Is it when you first sing the ABC’s with your child?  Is it when you help her count her pennies or pieces of candy?  Is it when you first help her write a letter to Grandma?

      School in our house becomes more advanced year by year, but it didn’t start at age 3, 5, or 7.  It started at birth.  It also doesn’t start at 8:30 AM, 9:00 or 10:00.  It starts when we rise in the morning.

      For more on this, I highly recommend Victoria Botkin’s Curriculum Advice CDs.  I can’t say enough good things about these!  Watch for a giveaway very soon!

      From Lauren

      My question is about homeschooling in TX. My son is only 3.5 so we have some time to figure out the legal issues, but I definitely want to know what is in store for us. If I understand correctly, we need to register as a private school. How do you go about doing this?

      Also, my son just started reading. Do you have an recommendations for preschool homeschooling? I don’t see any reason to wait until the magical age of 5 to start teaching, especially since he’s already reading. So far I’ve used Barbara Curtis’ Mommy Teach Me and Mommy Teach Me to Read, which I like very much. However, I would also love to find something a bit more structured. What do you suggest for the young’ins?

      Thanks!

      Lauren,

      The HSLDA site has a map which gives a brief summary of the homeschooling laws state-by-state.  According to this map, Texas is one of several states requiring no notice; they say that Texas has no state requirement for parents to initiate any contact.  If you click on Texas, you can will find a PDF which provides a more detailed analysis of the homeschooling law in Texas.

      We don’t use a structured program now, but in the past we used and enjoyed Sonlight’s program for young children.  This is a flexible program based heavily around literature.  It’s not a “canned curriculum,” but it provides enough structure to help new homeschoolers gain confidence.

      From Kristi

      I love when you share stuff like this, it really helps those of us who are still “in the trenches” with mostly little ones, know there is hope.
      You mentioned having a dirty house in those years, that’s one of the things I struggle with right now, feeling like I need to get it all done perfectly. There is so much pressure on conservative, Christian women to get up before dawn, keep the house spotless, cloth diaper, grow your own veggies, grind your own flour, bake your own bread, sew your own clothes, eat on less than $20 a week, and on and on. I finally had to stop visiting many online sites and blogs because there was no way I was going to start doing all of that…excess. Right now, it’s all about surviving and thriving the best we can. But I often struggle with guilt that I don’t have my kids on a reliable homeschool schedule, my house isn’t always spotless, I don’t make my own bread, or grind my own wheat, and on and on. How do you feel about these issues? What do you think are the non-negotiables for a mom of young kids to be accomplishing?

      Kristi,

      I suspect every mom struggles with these questions.  I think it’s not quite such a hard question if you ask your questions from a Christian worldview.  As you search for answers, ask yourself:

      1. How can I best serve God right now?
      2. How is this particular chore important in my service to Him?  (Yes, it pleases God when we mop.  But let’s make sure we are mopping for the right reason!)
      3. Are my priorities in line with my husband’s?  (Am I serving PB&J for dinner so I have time to clean house, when he would rather I spent a little more time on dinner?)
      4. Am I working to please God or to please others?  Am I creating more work for myself by holding to the arbitrary standards of others?  (for example, If it’s not dirty don’t clean it)

      Non-negotiables?  These will vary depending upon a lot of factors, not the least of which is your husband’s desires and standards.  Again, be sure to hold yourself to God’s standard and not that of your neighbors, relatives, or favorite blogger.

      ______________________________________________________________

      Dear readers, please don’t think that I have it all together in any of these areas.  I find myself feeling convicted as I compose answers to these questions from readers.

      My children are bright, but they have gaps in their knowledge.  I regularly hear myself say, “You don’t know…?!”  This is not a reason to feel like a failure; this is a reason to pull out a good book or fire up the internet or have a good discussion and fill that gap!

      My house is generally a few short minutes from being reasonably orderly, but is rarely clean. Just don’t look in the kids’ rooms.  Don’t look in any bedrooms, for that matter.

      Hubby would probably like more elaborate dinners, and here I sit blogging.  But he also likes the fact that I blog and run our online entrepreneurial enterprises.  These require a very real time commitment, and so I must prioritize.  At what point would he want me to switch tasks?  It’s a balancing act and it’s easy to get caught up in what I want – self-service.  And so again, I sit and blog.

      The baby would like to be fed – NOW.  Here’s where ovarian guilt comes in.  Hit the publish button, just hit it…

      Taming the Sock Monster

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      hfgf helm button Taming the Sock MonsterI’ve posted about socks before, but I feel sure that Mother Hen would really like me to do a Help For Growing Families post this week and my poor addled brain is reduced to recycling.  Just act surprised and pretend you didn’t already read this last year, ok?

      A friend asked me yesterday how we handle the Sock Monster.  Her question made me laugh because our family has roughly the same number of feet and I share all of her frustrations!  I hope she won’t mind that I’m sharing my answer here.

      Can you hear me laughing?  Don’t worry. I’m not laughing at you; I’m laughing with you.
      Maybe this will make you feel better.  I was greatly relieved a couple of years ago to learn that our sock system is nearly identical to that of the Duggar family.  If it works for them, we’re sticking with it.
      It goes like this:

      1. All girl socks are the same color: white.  In the Duggar house, the boys all have black socks.
      2. If 2 socks look the same, they match.
      3. If the socks fit you, they’re yours.

      A few more sanity savers:

      1. I try to always buy the same type of socks, so if the size and color are the same the sock will match.  This way we don’t have single socks waiting about for a proposal, wondering if they will live out their lives in celibacy.
      2. I encourage the kids to wear sandals whenever it’s appropriate. The less socks they wear, the less chances to lose or destroy them.
      3. Learn to think of socks as consumable. Just resign yourself to buying a new pack every time you go to the store, and your sock-stress level will plummet.  It’s all in the spirit of that serenity prayer – you know, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…

      When to throw them away?  We tend to lose ours first.  I think it has something to do with the trampoline.  I once found over 20 socks under it, in various stages of composting.  But if a sock lives long enough to get hole-y, I usually tell the kids to toss it if the hole is big enough to start letting toes through.
      Kim

      So there you have it.  Now that you’re ready to tame the Sock Monster, go visit Ship Full O’ Pirates for more ways to tame more big-family monsters.

      Pumpkin rolls

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      Cream-cheese-filled Pumpkin Rolls are a longstanding tradition in our house.  My mother-in-law has made them for the masses every Thanksgiving and Christmas for time immemorial, raising enough funds for Christmas shopping to make Santa look stingy.  I sold a few myself back when all of the kids were little, working far into the wee hours while the wee people slept.

      Now my girls do it.  Last year was their first time, and they raised a respectable amount of money.  This year I was dragging my feet about the whole ordeal but they were undeterred by my whining and our lack of a freestanding freezer.

      The noise and mess are terrific, and so is their level of motivation.  It started today: this morning I woke to a sparkling clean house.  The children were knocking on my bedroom door to ask if they might just run the half-mile to my sister’s house and back to borrow some baking soda.  And run they did.  They were there and back, over hill and dale, in a flash.

      And then it began in earnest.

      They made 12 before they ran out of sugar.  Now I’m waiting for the mess to evaporate.  It might be a long wait.  I might need a snack while I’m waiting…

      Just a reminder…

      Free nursing cover, carseat cover, sling, and more!: Just pay shipping

      Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a free copy of Princess Adelina.  We’ll close the giveaway on Monday night, so hurry!  You can enter up to 5 times; read the instructions on the giveaway post to find out how.

      While we’re on the subject of FREE:

      • Vision Forum has free shipping through November 25 on all orders over $20.  There’s no code necessary; just click through and start shopping.  Visit the VF Deals blog to keep up with other great deals.
      • Vision Forum also has a new 2-Day Tiered Incentive sale.  Remember the last one?  Same great deal, new freebies this time!  Get up to $245 in free merchandise automatically!
      • CBD has free shipping on orders of $25 or more.  Use this code: 289265ALAVMQ.
      • Behemoth.com has 2 free downloads every day.


      The Bible Bee

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      logo The Bible BeeHubby had an idea a while back: Everyone knows about spelling bees, but why doesn’t somebody start a Bible bee?  We didn’t act on the idea, but were excited to learn that somebody else had the same idea and actually did it!

      Does this sound like good clean fun, or what?!  We recently asked some questions about the upcoming Bible bee, and here are the answers we received from Mark Rasche, the Executive Director of the National Bible Bee.

      1. Give us the short answer: What is a Bible Bee?
      2. The Bible Bee is a Bible memory competition for children and youth between the ages of 7 and 18. It is very similar to a spelling bee, except contestants are required to recite Bible passages and facts rather than spell words.  You can visit our website at www.biblebee.org for more detailed information.

        The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is preparing to launch the first-of-its-kind, world-class Bible Bee Competition. The competition will begin with Local Contests in communities nationwide on September 12, 2009. The top 100 finalists from each age group will advance to the National Contest in Washington, D.C. to compete on November 5-6, 2009.

      3. Who came up with this idea?  How and why?
      4. The inspiration behind the National Bible Bee was a young lady named Shelby Kennedy.  Shelby went home to be with the Lord after an intense struggle with cancer in 2005.  Shelby was described as a “one-in-a-million Christian who had an unusual spiritual gift of faith, a special person who radiated joy, life, and hope to everyone she met.” Although Shelby had minimal energy and needed to use a wheelchair most of the time she was awake, what energy she had was focused on proclaiming Jesus Christ. Her testimony of hope in the midst of a fiery trial sparked a spirit of revival in those around her.

        A good friend of Michael Farris (our Board Chairman) attended Shelby’s memorial service and was so encouraged about her love for  the word of God and commitment to Scripture memorization, that he wanted to do something to honor her memory.

        He got to thinking about the National Spelling Bee, and what it seemed to be—a comparative waste of time. He concluded that while spelling words have their place, there is no value in spelling words when compared with learning the word of God.

        Taking these two ideas together, he approached Mike Farris and said, “Let’s start a National Bible Bee, in honor of Shelby Kennedy, to see that young people memorize what’s truly valuable—the word of God.”

      5. Are there any limits to who can participate?
      6. Any student between the ages of seven and eighteen is eligible to participate in the National Bible Bee Competition.

      7. What do you think participants will gain?
      8. There is unprecedented prize money of $260,000 being offered at the National Competition in Washington D.C. But while competing for awards is fun and exciting, the greatest reward is drawing near to God. We are striving to make every effort to help children and youth comprehend the power of the Bible passages they are studying (Hebrews 11:6). We recognize that only a small percentage of contestants will win awards; so, as the playing field narrows, we want to encourage all contestants to cheer on the finalists and “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15).

        The bottom line is that while the National Bible Bee promises to be a financially rewarding experience for a select group of national finalists, it is important to keep in mind that every child or youth who hides God’s Word in his or her heart is a winner! This is why we want to strongly emphasize our overarching goal—to reach children and youth with the truth of God’s Word, encouraging them to genuine spiritual growth,  so that they may be effective ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation.

      9. How many local Bible Bees are there right now?
      10. We just announced the National Bible Bee a few weeks ago, and we have received hundreds of phone calls from people all over the nation requesting information on how to host a Bible Bee.  And we already have about a dozen Local Planning Committees registered!  Incidentally, the cut-off date for registering a Local Planning Committee is January 31, 2009.

      11. Is it difficult to start a Local Bible Bee in my area?
      12. Not at all.  We have spent several months putting together a comprehensive procedure manual that walks you through every step of the process.  The manual is fun, user-friendly and thorough.  Additionally, we have full-time professional event planners who are available toll-free throughout the entire program.

      13. What is the best way for folks to get involved right now? (start a Bible Bee?)
      14. I recommend that anyone interested in hosting a Bible Bee first go to our website – www.biblebee.org and get familiarized with the local and national Bible Bee information.  After reviewing the site, they should call our toll-free number at 1-888-324-2532 to speak with one of our Event Planners about registering.

      15. Where can I find information about starting a Bible Bee?
      16. www.biblebee.org or call us toll free at 1-888-324-2532!

      So…check and see if there’s a chapter in your area. If there is, consider joining. If not, consider starting one. And let us know if you do either!

      ***If you’re not convinced yet, check out the awardsYou won’t believe what you see!***

      Any advice?

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      I’m writing a story. And I would like to write it well.  I’m giving the prologue and the first chapter.  I would really like advice on how to improve it.

      Prologue

      Phillip stared hard. Was that real smoke or a mirage? “Oh well,” he sighed. “We’d  best get going if we want a warm dinner,” he said to his coyote Daniel. “Giddy-up old boy.”  Daniel sped  up to a swift trot. As they got closer Phillip quickly realized what he had been staring at was no mirage. “Giddy-up Daniel boy!” He shouted urgently. Forty minutes later Phillip stared grief stricken at the charred remains of his home. He had been to late to help. His family was dead. Phillip was now a lone Armadillo.

      Chapter one:
      A Snake, a Coon, and a friend.

      Two weeks later, Phillip knelt by his coyote.  It looked for all the world like he was tracing pictures in the dust, though in reality he was tracing the tracks of the raccoons he was sure had killed his family.
      He remounted Daniel and went in the direction that the raccoons had  taken. If he had read the tracks right, then more had joined with the original coons: lots more, maybe even the whole tribe.
      A few minutes later he spied a snake. Being in no mood to waste time, he decided to steer clear. He was about to go around when he saw that the snake was moving toward an object on the ground.  Fearing that some animal was in danger, he spurred Daniel on.
      When he arrived he found a baby coon laying on the ground mewling as the snake moved steadily forward. It was a small rattlesnake! Knowing the baby coon was grave danger, Phillip moved quickly.
      He shouted to get the rattler’s attention. He whipped out his pistol. The rattler hissed, drew back, and paused staring hesitantly at the sturdy armadillo. That was enough time for Phillip.
      Bang! The rattler slumped dead to the ground, shot through the head. Phillip picked up the small coon. It stopped its mewling.  Phillip knew he couldn’t leave it to die.
      He got the blanket out of his saddle bag and wrapped the baby up. He would not be able to continue on the road to vengeance. He turned the coyote to the path to the nearest town.

      Giveaway: Princess Adelina

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      adelinabanner Giveaway: Princess Adelina

      I’ve mentioned our book in the past, and I hope you noticed the banner in the sidebar.  Now we’re ready to show you the site:

      Princess Adelina: an ancient Christian tale of beauty and bravery

      This is an edited and updated reprint of an old book that we found at a library sale a few years ago.  Our family read it, worked on it, and found a publisher who designed the new cover and made it all happen.  Are you wondering who published it, and how we found them?  Did you really have to ask?

      It’s already A BEST SELLER at Vision Forum, and we’re appropriately elated.  We’re working right now on getting authorization to send free review copies to several volunteers, but in meantime I’d like to have a giveaway.  Here’s how to enter:

      5 WAYS TO WIN A FREE COPY OF PRINCESS ADELINA:

      1. Leave a comment to enter once.
      2. Blog about the book to enter again.  Please be sure to include a link to this post or to our Princess Adelina site.  Feel free to use the banner.  We’re quite pleased with it.  icon smile Giveaway: Princess Adelina   Just come back and leave a second comment to tell us that you blogged it.
      3. Did you already order and read it? Post or email a review to be entered a third time, with our hearty thanks!  Please leave a comment to tell me if you post it to your own blog.
      4. Buy a copy of Princess Adelina directly from us to be entered again. You can use the button below or visit our Princess Adelina site and buy it there.  It’s just $18 (the same as Vision Forum), and shipping is FREE inside the US.
      5. Grab the code to put our banner in your own sidebar (find it in our sidebar under the banner) and leave a comment telling me you did it to enter yet again.  With our thanks, of course.

      Are we crazy for allowing up to 5 entries per person?  I’m planning on actually writing and cutting out a little slip of paper for each entry.  I would love to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of entries!  Come on, I can take it!




      pixel Giveaway: Princess Adelina

      Moon landing footage

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      Feel free to tell me if you have reason to believe the video isn’t authentic, unless you believe the conspiracy theory. Then I reserve the right to laugh at you.

      If we can assume that it’s real, I’m forced to admit that surfing the internet is educational.

      A fun tidbit from Wikipedia:

      After re-entering the LM [lunar module], the hatch was closed and sealed. While preparing for the liftoff from the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin discovered that in their bulky spacesuits, they had broken the ignition switch for the ascent engine. The ascent engine had no switch to fire. Using part of a pen, they pushed the circuit breaker in to activate the launch sequence. Aldrin still possesses the pen which they used to do this.

      Polish weirdness

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      More video weirdness. This time from a Polish Pastor friend of mine.He posted the video to Facebook and he and I had the following exchange:

      Perry Coghlan III Today at 1:48pm
      wow, Bubu I’m speechless. My American mind is having trouble reconciling stringed instruments with the heavy metal/ tough guy look of the band….

      ‘Bubu’ (Poland) Today at 1:58pm
      and this makes me happy icon biggrin Polish weirdness

      Perry Coghlan III Today at 2:33pm
      lol

      Help for growing families: training time

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      140516 Help for growing families: training time
      It’s Tuesday, so I have to think of something I wish I had known back when I was surrounded by nothing but The Little People.

      Something encouraging, that is.  I won’t mention the fact that I can’t even sort the clean laundry now because I can’t keep track of what belongs to whom.  At least my kids can.

      So  here’s my tip: let the little ones help.  I know it’s not really helpful, but they want to.  I know you’re already tired and you barely have time to do the job yourself, but this is part of mothering.  If you don’t have time to make cookies together, then fold laundry together.  Vacuum together.  Wash dishes together.  Do your best to make it a joy so they will:

      1. want to help you,
      2. keep wanting to help you, and
      3. have warm fuzzy memories of helping you so they’ll enjoy keeping their own house someday.

      This time together can be just as precious as camping out on the couch with a pile of picture books.  Working together and training your children will also pay off when you ask your older ones to teach a younger one a new job: you will see much of your own training technique reflected in the way your children interact (ouch).

      By all means delegate, but be sure not to delegate all of the younger ones’ training to older sibs.  It’s easy to fall into this, but you don’t want to miss out on this precious time with the second wave of Little People.

      This is not something I’ve done consistently or well, but it’s something I strive to do.  And I’m thankful to find, day by day, when I peel my bee-hind out of the computer chair, that it’s never too late to start.

      Want more help from Been There, Done That moms?  Visit Ship Full O’ Pirates to see who else is playing along this week.

      In Loving Memory of our Fake Uncle

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      Our dear fake uncle moved to Wisconsin in April after signing a contract to update his blog at least once a week.  Sadly he hasn’t posted in almost two weeks, and we are forced to assume that he is either dead or kidnapped.

      In light of that assumption, we dedicate this post to him.

      You went far up north and you told us to wait;

      milk 114x300 In Loving Memory of our Fake Uncle

      It was time for a move but you said you’d update.

      We search your blog daily for signs that you live

      We wait for the updates you promised you’d give.

      No emails forthcoming, no comments of late,

      We fear that you’ve met with a horrible fate.

      Oh, where is our funcle so loving and kind?

      Does he know how we miss him, how we suffer and pine?

      Our candy jar’s empty, our chocolate is gone.

      His memory was short but ours – it is long.

      We listen and wait for his knock at the door,

      And we look for his shadow so close to the floor.

      In loving memory of Tom D., our funcle, missing and presumed dead since November 5, 2008.


      Because it’s Monday and I’m feeling weird

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      WordPress 2.7

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      I don’t usually blog about WordPress, but since we’re users this is really exciting to us.
      Wait.  Users?  That makes us sound like addicts, doesn’t it? umm…well, I…

      Moving on:  Did you see our blog go down Sunday night for 10 heartstopping minutes?  We took the jump to 2.7.  Hubby just couldn’t wait.  He’s impetuous like that.  icon wink Wordpress 2.7

      WordPress 2.7 has some major changes. Here are the ones that really excite me:

      • Automatic upgrades -  No more download-unzip-upload routine for either plugins or WordPress itself.  Just click the Upgrade button.  Hurray for auto upgrades!
      • Drag-n-drop dashboard – Rearrange things the way you want, so you don’t keep forgetting to choose a category just because the category thingie is down where you can’t see it.
      • Quick post from right on the dashboard – all of the formatting options aren’t there, but it’s perfect for just a quick twitter-like post.
      • Screen options to hide/show elements - example: if you never use excerpts or custom fields, just hide them.
      • Built-in plugin features – many features that users could only get with plugins are now built in.  Notables: SEO optimization, sticky posts, plugin central, threaded comments and easy reply-to-comments.
      • Add media without creating a post – very handy when you want to use an image in your sidebar, for example.  Technically, this was possible before – but now it’s built in and straightforward.
      • Quick edit posts – no need to go directly to a post to edit the date, author, tags, status, categories, etc.  Just do it in the list of posts.
      • Bulk edit posts -  do the above on a whole group of posts at once.

      We also learned the hard way that yes, you really should deactivate all of your plugins before you upgrade:

      • The wp-sticky plugin creates a conflict that will crash both your dashboard and your blog.
      • The lighter-admin menus plugin hid the new navigation while the old navigation was gone, so we were left with no navigation at all.  We were not impressed with the new layout until I had my “duh” moment and disabled that plugin.

      I don’t like change just for the sake of change, but I do like this.  In spite of all the changes and the totally new look and feel, the new interface seems very intuitive to me.

      3 Great Ideas from WordPress:

      • Theme Compatibility: Here is a list of Themes compatible with WordPress Version 2.7. Compiling this list is a work in progress, so don’t panic if your theme isn’t on there yet.  It’s very likely that your theme will work but hasn’t been tested yet.
      • Plugin Compatibility: This page provides a link to the various Plugin Compatibility articles for each major release of WordPress.  It’s not complete by any means, but it’s a good start on a great idea.
      • Host Compatibility: For the new feature which allows automatic updating of the WordPress core.  Our host is ok, with one small issue; is yours?