Just Where Is "Afar?"

"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."

Proverbs 31:13-15

I have addressed this topic on here before, but it is a season of my life where it bears revisiting. I thought it would be fun to revisit it togetherJ  The Proverbs 31 Woman brought her food from afar.  I really am not sure what that means in the context of the time in which she lived.  I know that putting food on the table was hard work.  It meant growing it yourself or walking to the market and spending money, as wisely as possible, to provide nourishing meals for the family.  What does that look like today?

Pretty much the same I suppose.  We drive to the market rather than walk, and we have many more options than she had.  I am pretty sure we have many more unhealthy options mostly.  I could write a whole post about how you should coupon, grow your own food, and make everything from scratch.  However, I know for a FACT that is not always possible.  Some of you work outside of the home full-time, which I did for over 10 years.  Some of you, like me, still work a job at home other than your regular home keeping and mothering duties.  I was thinking it would be more helpful to list some ideas, and you choose which ones work best for you and your family during the season you are in right now.  Remember, the idea is to provide the most nourishing meals possible for the least amount of money possible.  Ready?  Try some of these on for size.

·         Have a stockpile of fast, not too bad for you meals that you can turn to on nights when cooking is just not in the cards.  This could be for nights when practices, ball games, or working late just do not allow for a full meal.  Pinterest is a great resource for these.  One of our favorites is grilled sandwiches with fruit or a salad.

·         Utilize the crockpot.  Again, there are tons of resources available, but Pinterest really is great for this too.

·         If you need to pick something up, try the deli at the supermarket.  It is cheaper than a sit down restaurant and much better for you than fast food.   You can buy an entrée and sides al carte, or sometimes the meat and three type deals are enough for more than one person to eat from.

·         Do consider gardening if you can find the time.  The Bundle of the Week this week is all about how to do this frugally, in little space, and efficiently. (I don't do this, but it has always been on my bucket list and I am excited to read this bundle!)

·         Consider a CSA.  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is something my husband and I are considering giving a try.  The only thing holding me back is that I am unsure exactly how well it will fit in our budget.  My biggest eater, my son, is a struggle when it comes to veggies anyway, and I don't want to have so much we can't finish.  Look around for local ones and see if any would be a good fit for your family. If you can't garden, this is a great alternative, and we are leaning heavily towards giving it a try at least once. 

·         Cut back on the amount junk food you keep at home.  If it isn't there they will not eat it.  You will save money and they will be forced to eat what is there ( hopefully healthier alternatives) or go hungry.  I have done this, and do not get me wrong.  There is plenty of unpleasantness that goes with it at first.  This is especially true of the first time the 8 year old does not have a selection of potato chips to choose from for an afterschool snack.  (Yes, I am that mom.  No, I never said I was perfect, lol. )

·       Coupon and look at sales if you have time.  If you do not have time, don't sweat it or feel guilty.  Do the best you can.  Pay attention when you shop so you recognize a good price with you see it, and make an effort to spend the least amount possible on the best quality food possible.  .

Do you guys have more tips for us?  Let us know more about your "afar" in the comments or drop us a line on Facebook.  Also, if you do utilize Pinterest, I would love to have you join me here.   One last thing, the Bundle of the Week link above is my affiliate link.  It costs you nothing extra, and if you do purchase a bundle I get a small cut. If you are not comfortable with that just go to bundleoftheweek.com and check it out.  They have a new bundle each week, so be sure to sign up for emails.

Now, go find your "afar."

The Great Homeschool Debate

Do you homeschool?  I don't, and I said I never would, but now I really want to.  My husband and I are on different sides of this so I have no delusions that I will get to do this with any of my children.  My reasons for wanting to do so are many, his reasons not to are many, and all of our reasons either way are understandable and reasonable.  This is a hot topic so please feel free to weigh in in the comments!

 Fact is however, I have my baby girl home with me for one more year.  She attends a great program two days a week, but due to the fact that she knows all letters, the sounds they make, all numbers, and she is beginning to sound out words as well as do simple math problems, I feel she needs more.  We simply cannot afford the 5 day a week Pre-K programs in the area, so I am going to do homeschool preschool  3 days a week, with a new baby, while working from home. Yikes! 

I am looking at a lot of different options.  If we had another computer I would do abcmouse.com.  I have heard GREAT things about them.  However,   I don't see a separate computer in our future, so I am also looking at the ABEKA Pre-K curriculum. 

What do you suggest?  I know several out there have homeschooled Pre-K before.  Any helpful tips or tricks? 

Ahhh Spring... and New Life Everywhere!

As spring begins to awaken here in middle Tennessee (at least the weather man says it will tomorrow,) I feel like I am coming back to life myself.  I broke my foot just before Thanksgiving, requiring a cast that stayed put through the holidays.  That put a major crimp in my decorating, shopping, baking style not to mention regular housekeeping.  The cast came off in early January and life was good again.  In late January (January 29th to be exact) we received news that a bonus bundle of joy was headed our way. "Whoa" and "Yay" were my two reactions, respectively. 

That was until this third little munchkin kicked my mamma booty.  Don't misunderstand…the "Yay" was still there, but it was muffled for a bit by the swirling in my stomach and my head.  I barely felt bad at all with my other two, at least not to the point that it affected my life any.  By the beginning of the 6th weeks this little booger had me where I could barely get out of bed!  Yikes! Work wasn't done, housework wasn't done, and basically not much was done at all.  I got everyone fed, there was no rotten food lying around anywhere, and my youngest got her CF treatments.  That was it.

So now, Spring is here, and with it comes that oh so joyous second trimester.  It is time to get some major work done to make way for summer fun, and time to whip this poor pitiful house back into shape.  Here is what I need from you guys.  I need help. Your best ideas for cleaning and organizing from any source you have.  Do you have a routine?  a schedule?  Let us in on it.  Maybe the rest of us can find something that works for us as well :) 

 

Leave ideas in the comments or even leave links to your own post on the topic or to your related Pintrest board in the comments.  Go!

Premamma Prenatal Vitamin Review

It's been awhile, that's no doubt.  I recently found out I was expecting my 3rd, and that is something we never planned for.  I sold all my baby stuff before my youngest was a year old!  I have no clothes, crib, pack-n-plan, or anything else.  We are starting over, but we are crazy excited about it. 

This pregnancy has been so different than the other two.  I have felt sooooo yucky this time.  Seriously, for the past two weeks it was all I could do to get out of bed.  That makes taking a prenatal vitamin extremely difficult.  Enter Premama Prenatal Vitamin! 

This is a huge lifesaver if you are worried about not being able to take a vitamin to get your baby everything it needs. This is a tasteless powder that dissolves without a trace into anything, so you can eat or drink whatever you actually feel like.  Just mix the powder in.  Sounds like a great idea to me.

The company offered me a free sample, but the opinion in this post is solely my own.  They are even offering a 30 day supply free to one lucky reader.  Comment below to be entered.  Good luck!

Persecuted For....Cooking Dinner?

Have you ever felt like you were being looked down upon for trying to be a wife, or mother, like the Proverbs 31 Woman?  I have, and it really took be by surprise.  I do not think those on the other side were being mean spirited, as they were friends and dear co-workers, but they had a much more worldly view of what a wife should be.

The incident happened before we had kids.  I was working as an auditor at a public accounting firm and traveled overnight frequently.  This one time I was with a group from the office headed to training.  On the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, my husband called and we had an pretty run of the mill conversation, of which my friends only heard one side.  They heard something like this.

"There is a roast in the crock pot for tonight and this, this, and that in the refrigerator for the rest of the time I am gone.  I wrote directions on it all.  Your welcome."  It was over 10 years ago, and I do not remember the conversation word for word, but I remember the stares I got as I hung up the phone.  The looks were immediately followed with questions like "Can't he fix his own food?" Comments such as "He's a big boy." and "You are not his mother." still sting today.  In truth, it didn't bother me about me, but I didn't like for him to be ridiculed.  I made it clear that yes, he could get his own dinner,  but I love him and I love doing things for him and while I am away that is one thing I can do.

That event, along with similar others during my time at that job earned me the nickname June Cleaver.  Though it was meant to make me self-concious, the one who started it eventually used it as a compliment, and honestly, I always considered it one.

The world has a very different view of what a marriage should look like when compared to what the Bible says.  Do not let it deter you from what you know is God's will for you as a wife, mother, and woman of God.

Do you have a similar story?  Share it in comments or on the Facebook page. I'd love to hear it!

Never Give Up

Today's post is a quickie because frankly, my kids are on fall break and I want to finish my work so I can play with them.  Today I am praising that I am doing my work in my kitchen's "office corner" while my kids are happy in the living room or play room.  I did not have to figure out childcare for the break, or how to pay for the additional care that would be needed if I were at a regular 9 to 5.  Let me rephrase; I am and shouting from the virtual rooftops THANK YOU LORD!

If you ARE a mom working outside of the home today, you may be fine with that.  That is OKAY.  God has a different plan for everyone, and if you are at peace with it, and you still serve your family as He commands, you are superwoman in my book:)  I did it for years but NEVER had peace.  I knew God COULD change it, but honestly I did not know if he would.  I also knew it would take a totally unforeseen miracle. 

It came on the same day I watched my grandfather air lifted from one hospital to another, moments after I kissed him on the forehead and saw him conscious for the last time.  As I was driving home my husband called and told me about a phone call he had gotten to interview for a job.  This was a job we had prayed for, but you have to understand, he had NOT applied for a job.  We had no clue there was an opening and at the time, no idea how they got his name.  This was the "miracle" we had prayed for... the moved mountain so to speak.  There is so much more, but for now I want to encourage you today that if God has planted a desire in your heart do not lose hope.  Do not give up.  He will grant the desires of your heard that He places there in His time and likely in a way you never imagined.

God As An...Accountant?

¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."  Colossians 1:19-20

I am loving the study of Colossians with my Good Morning Girls group.  This was our passage this morning and I just had to share.  Bear with me.  I spent 10 years as an accountant after earning my degree with a major in this fun field (sarcasm intended:).  My understanding of the word reconcile may be somewhat different than that of a non-accountant.  Can we all agree we understand the meaning in terms of reconciling a check book?  Even if we don't do it as we should?  If you are still confused, I am talking about balancing, or trying to get an account to the balance that you KNOW it should be. 

Whether it is an account on the books or a checking account, the premise is the same.  You have to look at each and every number that is making up the current balance and take out what is not supposed to be there while adding numbers that are missing.  In a check book this could be subtracting checks or other debits that were not written down and adding in deposits that were not written down.  God did that when He sent his Son to die, declaring us reconciled to himself through the blood of Christ.  He removed the sin debt and added grace.

The other part is easier to see in a standard accounting entry.  If a number is entered into an account incorrectly, it has to be removed for that account to balance as it should.  You cannot just take it out though, there has to be a balancing entry to move it to another account, or to wash it out.  The blood of Jesus washes the sin from us, applies it to His account, and God's almight power destroys it.  Amen?  Amen!

Enough accounting.  Just realize today what a precious gift we are given in the blood of Christ.  It is nature as God created it to balance, and he reconciled us to Him through Christ's blood!  Even if we don't totally understand it, you have to know it is sooooo good!

To find out more about Good Morning Girls Bible Studies click the link above.  Sign up to get the emails delivered straight to your inbox each morning along with the link to the Colossians reading plan.