What I'm Reading...

This is going to be my last "What I'm Reading..." post for awhile.  If she's not here beforehand, baby Elizabeth is scheduled to be evicted on Wednesday.  And we're moving to Iowa next month.  So...let's just say that I'll probably be back next year. But on the plus side, I finished pretty much everything on my "before Elizabeth" list!

The 10 Commandments Of A Family Road Trip.  This post had me hooked at "this road trip may be a vacation for your kids, but it isn't for you." (Simple Homeschool)

10 Things I Gained When I Gave Up All My Stuff.  (Becoming Minimalist)

10 Tips For Managing Sensory Play. (Apparently I was on a "10" kick this week)  Sensory play is important but makes me cringe. (The Measured Mom)

5 Tips For Reading Middle Grade Novels With Your Kids.  I have definitely seen this with some of the read-alouds we've done already.  Stuart Little was too descriptive for being our very first one.  James and the Giant Peach was phenomenal. (Simple Homeschool)

The Art Of Keeping A Journal.  I used to journal, and I sometimes miss it. (The Art Of Simple)

What I'm Reading...

On Friday, the boys learned about cleaning the toilets.  They chose this instead of "regular school", and it seemed like a good substitute to me, because it means I didn't have to do it!

How I Stopped Yelling At My Kids..And How It's Changed Our Home and also 9 Practical Ways To Yell Less And Love More were great reminders this week of something that I've been trying to work on (and failing a lot).  (Money Saving Mom)

The Gift Of Resentment.  We have some days that go really well, and other days that certain parts of school are such a struggle.  We are definitely still finding our way, but maybe I just need to let some of it go. (Simple Homeschool)

Killer Uno: The Best Non-Drinking Game Ever.  This sounds fun! (Offbeat Home & Life)

The Rhythm Of The Season.  I liked the style and the message of this whole post. (The Art Of Simple)

Reminders.  I don't have a ton of these, although one of my favorites is still my "Sing in the Rain" wall hanging I made at the beginning of this year. (Holy Hen House)

What I'm Reading...

I love this little girl's smile!

Three Kinds Of Expectations.  Expectations are one of those things that Jesse and I talk about fairly often, and it really helps to know what someone else is thinking. (The Art Of Simple)

The Empty Container. "If [life] were an empty container, with limited space, what would you put in it?" (Zen Habits)

Self-Care For The Highly Sensitive Parent.  I'm not completely "highly sensitive", but there are a lot of things that apply to me.  I know I do much better if I have some calm time to myself each day. (Simple Homeschool)

Updated Beliefs. Food for thought... (The Minimalists)

What I'm Reading...

I realized last week when putting together the What I'm Reading post that I didn't take any pictures that week.  Not a single one.  So when I saw the "One Day" challenge on Instagram (#OneDayHH), a challenge to document all the little details of one day, I knew that was the perfect solution to get back into taking some pictures of life.  It was a lot of fun, and I got several good ones.  The picture above is a sneak peek at a Christmas present I'm working on...

The Five Love Languages Of Homeschooling.  I love the concept of the love languages, and this post does a good job of showing how you can use your child's love language to help with homeschooling. (Simple Homeschool)

Pushing Past The Terrifying Dip In Motivation.  This is definitely where we are with the total money makeover right now, so we might have to try some of the things here to get us back on track. (Zen Habits)

How To Stop Clutter Before It Even Happens.  This post (and especially her description of collecting scrapbooking supplies more than actually scrapbooking) inspired me to do a massive toy and craft supply purge this week.  (I'm An Organizing Junkie)

5 Simple Bible Study Habits.  I think the hardest part for me sometimes is just getting started.  I've definitely used the "I don't have a good devotion book currently" excuse before. (Holy Hen House)

3 Ways Simplifying Might Save Your Sanity.  Another good read about how less is more. (Simple Homeschool)

Worms Eat My Lunch.  Vermiculture is actually something we've talked about doing, but haven't gotten around to getting yet.  (Kitchen Stewardship)

What I'm Reading...

At The Heart Of Homeschooling. "If our homeschool has any hope for success, I must maintain my heart for my children." (Simple Homeschool)

Pre-emptive Answers To Your Questions About My Apparent Wheat Allergy.  Having dealt with Hannah's gluten intolerance for several months now, this post made me laugh. (Offbeat Home & Life)

But A Breath.  I can so relate to the "preggo problems" described in this post.  (Holy Hen House)

Holly's Story Of Shedding The Excess Stuff.  I think having every family member pick something to get rid of each day for a month sounds like a good idea. (The Art Of Simple)

My Thoughts On Intentional Free Time (And Why I Don't "Sleep When The Baby Sleeps").  I usually don't sleep when my kids do either, unless I'm really tired.  I'd much rather have a few moments to myself to relax or get something done. (Andrea Dekker)

The Latte Factor: 8 Ways We Often Overspend. I'm much more likely to overspend bit by little bit than all at once.  (Becoming Minimalist)

What I'm Reading...

Jonah ran his first race yesterday, a mile run/walk.  He even finished third in his age group!  I am so proud of this little boy!  Also, he's already five and he's accomplishing things that I have never done myself.  That is both motivating and frightening to me.

What You Own, You Carry With You.  Much more important than worksheets and facts. (Simple Homeschool)

Why Play Dough Is Important.  I think I need to print this out and stick it in the box with the play dough supplies so I remember as I'm peeling bits of pink and yellow out of the carpet. (The Measured Mom)

7 Beginner's Steps To Gluten-Free Survival Mode.  We did some of these right away, but this would have been a life-saver of a post to read when we first started going gluten-free with Hannah. (Kitchen Stewardship)

A Simple (Powerful) Hug.  I've actually been trying to do this more when my kids get on my last good nerve.  It helps! (Holy Hen House)

Focus On A Few Things You Can Actually Make Happen. "Dream up a few things. Not a lot. Then make them happen." (Life Your Way)

What I'm Reading...

Jesse had a pastors' conference over in Bloomington, MN, so we tagged along.  Even though I can't walk much with my sciatic nerve pain, we were able to hang out by the Lego store and build a couple times.  The kids loved it!

My Homeschool Isn't Working. Here's a sentence that really got me: "I have been communicating - perhaps not so secretly - that 'school' is this dry, lifeless event full of worksheets that we must plow through." I know I feel this way sometimes, that school is just something to "get through" and to check off the list, and I know it comes through to the kids. (Vibrant Homeschooling)

On Being You.  Being comfortable in your own skin is harder than it sounds. (The Art Of Simple)

The Biggest Reasons You Haven't Changed Your Habits. This post has good advice for making good habits stick by telling you what NOT to do. (Zen Habits)

This Is How I Know I'm A Writer. "This is how I know I'm a writer, because I can't read or watch or observe without thinking about writing." (Gidget Goes Home)

The Importance Of Having A Cheat Day.  I've done cheat days with food in the past, but I never thought of it in terms of school. (Simple Homeschool)

Nested Cards: Extreme(ly Organized) Letter Writing For Your Loved Ones.  This is such a fun idea for when you're not going to see someone for awhile. (Offbeat Home and Life)

What I'm Reading...

We took our first homeschool field trip this week, to Lake Michigan, to finish up our science unit on oceans.  This is as close as we get.  The kids had lots of fun playing on the beach, which we had mostly to ourselves!

Your Resources For A Natural Health Season.  Links to lots of good posts with information on how to treat illnesses naturally.  Pinning this one for sure! (Kitchen Stewardship)

The Homeschooling "String Theory".  "Imagine that you are connected to your child with an invisible string.  When things are going well, you can let that string out..." (Simple Homeschool)

Christianity And Minimalism. This post got me at the line "I've been an aspiring minimalist for about seven years now" because I am very much an aspiring minimalist. The author went on to make several good points about how to live in a world of "stuff" as a Christian too.  (Holy Hen House)

15 Strategies For Eating Well And Avoiding Take-Out During Busy Seasons.  We are definitely in a busy season right now. (Keeper Of The Home via Life Your Way)

I Need To Stop Measuring Success By How Many Friends I Have.  I don't have a lot of real-life friends right now.  And I'm mostly okay with that.  But it's weird.  (Offbeat Home And Life)

When Your Day Is Hi-Jacked.  I've had several days like this recently.  What a perfect reminder to turn to God when the days get hard. (Kari Patterson via Simple Homeschool)

What I'm Reading...

We had some excitement this week, when the wood cabinet warehouse across the street caught fire.  The boys were thrilled to watch several fire trucks come to put the fire out.  Luckily, no one was hurt!

I actually didn't get a lot of blog reading done this week.  Between school, food prep, and a wedding this weekend, I just ran out of time.  Still, there were a few good ones that I managed to find.

Use For Apple Peels.  This might come in handy if we end up going apple picking.  I'd like to do that and make a bunch of applesauce.  Now I have something to do with the peels too! (Little House Living)

Why Memorize Scripture? I know the point of this post was about memorizing Bible passages, which is awesome, but all the talk about memorized piano pieces from years ago made me happy too. (Holy Hen House)

3 Things To Declutter When You're Finished Decluttering. Good advice for if and when I ever feel done...(Organizing Junkie)

What I'm Reading...

It's been a busy, busy week for us.  We had our normal school and daily routines, along with my birthday on Thursday, lunch with friends on Friday, and a few extra meetings and errands to top it off.  Combined with some growing pains with Jonah about having school time before playing, I'm kind of glad the week is done!  Here's what I found to read this week...

Ten Strategies For Staying Motivated Toward Your Financial (And Other) Goals.  These are all really good tips. (The Simple Dollar)

Nursery Decorating Tips From A Mom Who's Done With Babies.  My favorite was the tip about the floors.  You don't realize how much time you spend there until you actually have the kids. (The Happiest Home)

Can Children Still Run Free In 2014.  I think the answer is no."What does it mean about our culture when I am more worried about whether something bad will happen to ME (for letting them go to play unsupervised) than I am about whether something bad will happen to my children?" (The Art Of Simple)

7 Important Things Slate Misses In Its Attack On Home-Cooked Meals.  There's a nice Luther quotation in here that I hadn't heard before, but it describes the role of serving your family really well.  And overall a really good response to an article that I just can't relate to at all. (The Federalist via Life Your Way)

What I'm Reading...

This week we started school!  The boys were very excited to see what I was doing the night before, when I started hanging a few things up.

Two Questions You Need To Ask If You Want To Make The Most Of Your Life. Basic, but good. (Money Saving Mom)

The Four Stages Of Financial Independence.  This reminded me a lot of Dave Ramsey. (The Simple Dollar)

Starting The Year Right. A good reminder for the start of the school year. (Simple Homeschool)

How To Homeschool With Little People In The House.  We're still working on this one.  Sometimes they want to be included, sometimes they want to be distractions. (Vita Familiae via Simple Homeschool)

Our Year Without Groceries.  This sounds really cool! You would definitely need an ample supply of local sources though. (Let's Gather via Money Saving Mom)

When You're Tired Of Being A Stuff Manager And Want To Enjoy Living. I like the description of being a "stuff manager". (A Holy Experience via Organizing Junkie)

What I'm Reading...

Hannah enjoying some playing at the park. Unlike her brothers, she's not scared of getting dirty.

Look Up To Someone. I loved the quotation that started this post: "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." (Becoming Minimalist)

The Preschool Years: Turning Mommy Guilt Into Mommy Grace.  I think I have had all of these questions and doubts over the past month or so, so this was really encouraging! (1+1+1=1)

5 Things I've Learned About Myself As An Introvert.  I pretty much could have written this post.  I sat and nodded through it as I read. (Andrea Dekker)

A Rich Life With Less Stuff: The Minimalists At Tedx. If you want to see a brief talk on minimalism and it's positive effects on your life, watch this video. (The Minimalists)

The Spending That Makes You Happy.  As we work on spending less and paying things off, we've been evaluating what we spend money on.  Some things have been worth it. Many have not. Figuring out the difference is helpful.  (The Simple Dollar)

Kathryn's Release From Social Media Compulsion.  I'd love for this to be my perspective.  It's definitely a work in progress right now. (The Art Of Simple)

What I'm Reading...

This week we've been reading through Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover, and we're starting at the beginning, with getting our $1,000 Emergency Fund.  That means gathering lots of stuff to sell!  On the right was my first pile, the "easy stuff" to find.  We have so much stuff!

How To Live An Exceptional Life, Even When Life Doesn't Feel Exceptional. "There is a backstory. Practicing and packing. Preparing and praying. Failing and trying again. And again. And again."  The exceptional stories we hear have a lot of work in the background, work that is full of unexceptional details. (The Art of Simple)

Why Today's Kids Need To Know Nursery Rhymes. My mom, who teaches preschool, has told me several times that the majority of her students don't know any of the nursery rhymes that she teaches until they learn them at school. They're important! (The Measured Mom)

Nine Strategies For Fixing Common Budget Problems. Pretty sure we've hit most of these already, and I'm sure some will come up again. (The Simple Dollar)

My Stress-Free Homeschool Planning Method. I do like to have things all set up, but I may switch to a checklist method to try it out after the first couple weeks are through. (Life Your Way)

The Pictures We Hang On Our Walls. "The pictures on our walls invite us to something better. They remind us of a life lived on purpose with meaning. And they call for us to focus on the very things that make us human." (Becoming Minimalist)

What I'm Reading...

Over the last few weeks Hannah has become obsessed with having her shoes on, and has gone from taking a few hesitant steps to walking everywhere, all the time.  She's growing up so fast!

Can I See Your Belly Button? Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but this one made me cry. (Momastery via Life Your Way)

A Life-Changing Challenge: Add One Compliment. This is an interesting idea, and I bet it would result in a lot of extra good feelings. (Becoming Minimalist)

30 Great Gifts For $5 (Or Less!). There are a lot of good ideas on this list. I might be biased though, because practical, consumable gifts are my favorite, and I know they're not for everyone. (The Simple Dollar)

Play Is A Child's Work. This is a good reminder for me to just let play happen, even if it sometimes turns into unorganized chaos. (Simple Homeschool)

The One-Pile Cleaning Method For Kids. We do this sometimes when there's a lot to pick up in the living room, and it works! (Life Your Way)

What I'm Reading...

I've been participating in 31 Reasons I Love My Husband for the month of August. You can see all of my pictures over on Instagram.

The Care And Feeding Of Your Microbiome. This is a longer post, but worth the read! There's lots of good information here about the good bacteria in your gut. (Kitchen Stewardship)

The Meal-Planning Binder: The Easiest Method Of Meal Planning Ever! I have a binder with our favorite recipes in it, but it consists of our favorites from the last four years or so, half on note cards and half printed out, and there are many that we don't use any more because our eating habits have shifted.  It's a good idea, but mine is badly in need of reorganization! (Little House Living)

We HAVE The Time...We Just Don't MAKE It. This is a good reminder that you always have a choice in how you spend your time (Andrea Dekker)

The Easiest Way To Organize Your Stuff. Couldn't have said it better myself. (The Minimalists)

For The Love Of Reading: Make Each Story A Celebration.  I don't always feel like it, but I know my kids love when I do certain voices for certain stories. (The Happiest Home)

What I'm Reading...

Matthew enjoying hot chocolate for a snack earlier this week, per his request.

Can you tell homeschooling has been on my mind lately?  Slowly but surely, I am getting closer to being ready to start.

The Two-Years-Of-Kindergarten Approach For Fall Babies.  This is kind of what we're doing with Jonah, except we are mixing pre-K and Kindergarten materials into our mix this year, and we'll see where we end up at the end of the year. (Life Your Way)

Living On ONE Small Income As Homeschooling Families (Free Homeschool Deals) and When You Have No Money For Homeschool Curriculum (Simple Homeschool) were both good reminders that homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive, especially in these first years where it's more about the process of learning than a specific curriculum.

More And Better Words For Difficult Kids.  I read once that for each negative word or event a child experiences, it takes four positive ones to make up for it.  Positive words, and lots of them, will help kids. (The Art Of Simple)

4 Tips To Stop Eating Out Even If You Hate To Cook.  I don't hate cooking by any means, but we do eat out more often than I'd like (and yes, more often than our menu plans show, especially when we end up in town around lunch time).  When I spend more at the grocery store on foods we'll like and extras for snacks, we stay home more.  For some reason I have a much harder time parting with the money at that point though, which is dumb, because it's a lot less money overall. (Money Saving Mom)

My Plan To Stay Offline And On At Home.  "Then it happens – the whine! an item gets broke! the child gets hurt! I grit my teeth in frustration as my kids have distracted me from… my distraction… wait?" I get this way a lot, and I don't really have a good solution. (Holy Hen House)

How Much Food Is Enough? Reading this, I know I am guilty of overlooking the mass of food that we have in our house in favor of a trip to the grocery store to fill out the menu plan. But we have plenty. (The Nourishing Home via Don't Waste The Crumbs)

What I'm Reading...

Today is our 7th anniversary.  It is amazing to me how much we have grown and changed in the past seven years.  I wouldn't trade them for anything!

The Homeschooler's Little House On The Prairie Site Tour Guide. I don't think I've ever read completely through this series (although I've read the first four or five books several times).  We went to the pageant in Walnut Grove one year when I was younger, which was fun, and all of the sites listed here look cool! (Simple Homeschool)

Enough Is Enough. "But we already have enough. Once we train ourselves to recognize this truth, we are freed from the pursuit of more, we are liberated from the bondage of discontent, and we begin to experience true freedom in our lives." (Becoming Minimalist)

Inconsistent.  I agreed with so much of this post. I am most definitely inconsistent too. (Holy Hen House)

How I Learned To Care Less About My Family And More About Myself. "Why does he get to sit on the internet for hours at a time? Why does she get to play on her DS and I can't? It's obviously not their faults, they do their best. But they are lucky in that there is a balance for them between caring for themselves and caring for others, and they are awesome because they can both do it flawlessly and without any effort. I, on the other hand, cannot." (Offbeat Home And Life)

Nine Questions To Help You Unclutter Your Recipes.  The one that especially struck me was the one about keeping recipes that you will never use for sentimental reasons, because I have a recipe box mostly full of my Grandma's handwritten card that I keep for that reason. (Unclutterer)

What I'm Reading...

I like to include the kids' art as part of our decorating, because it's cute, and it makes them feel included.  This week I finally put up a few big ribbons with some push pins, and attached their pictures with some extra clothespins.  Easy to put up, and easy to change out the creations!  Both Jonah and Matthew are just starting to draw things on their own - happy faces, suns and clouds, houses...it's so cool to see the way they put those things onto paper!

The Problem With Little White Girls, Boys, And Voluntourism. This was an interesting take on charity/mission trips that I never really considered, but is probably really accurate. (Huffington Post)

Confessions Of A Non-Classical Reader.  I won't say I grew up reading the classics, but now that I'm an adult, there are many I can check off my list.  But I've definitely read my share of fluff too!  It's a good balance. (Simple Homeschool)

Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing....Poorly?  You won't get anywhere without taking some risks and failing a few times. (The Happiest Home)

How To Build A Successful "Shopping Hierarchy".  I know that if I start my grocery shopping at Aldi, and then move on to Walmart (especially with price matching), I can usually get the best prices for most things.  (The Simple Dollar)

What I'm Reading...

It has been a busy week! We decided to homeschool Jonah this coming school year, and started looking into the details on that. I started getting rid of craft materials after realizing that I've held on to things for too long. And we had our big ultrasound for the baby and found out it's a girl! Wow! Even so, I was able to get some reading in earlier this week, and found all sorts of good things.

To Know Them Is To Love Them. "When our loved ones detect how well we're paying attention, it fuels their tanks." (The Art Of Simple)

What If We Gave Them The Benefit Of The Doubt? I've caught myself in this a lot this past week, and I'm trying to remember that my little people are just trying to figure out the world, and are not always deserving of yelling and punishment. (Life Your Way)

Why Memorization Gets A Bad Rap In Modern Education. The difference is the desire behind it - do you want facts spewed back, or do you want a framework for learning? (Life Your Way)

Setting Powerful Short-Term Personal Finance Goals...And 25 Examples To Get You Started. This is a really good list of short-term challenges to boost or improve your finances. (The Simple Dollar)

Is There A Natural Alternative To Pediasure? I've never used Pediasure for my kids, but I'm all about real food alternatives to fake processed things. (100 Days Of Real Food)

What I'm Reading...

Earlier this week, I made a batch of this homemade chocolate syrup. It turned out a little runnier than I expected, but still really tasty! We also went berry picking, and the combination of freshly picked strawberries with a drizzle of chocolate syrup was just perfect.

On Pumping And Bottles, Formula And Shame. All of my kids have been breastfed and formula fed. And it's still a hard topic for me. But I will always defend the choice to formula feed when it's the best choice for the family. (Life Your Way)

The Single Easiest Habit Change To Improve Your Life Forever. Jesse and I have both agreed to start watching less television for our evening entertainment, and do other things (like read more) instead. For me, summer is an easy time to do this because there aren't many shows that I watch, but I have a feeling it will be more challenging in fall. (Becoming Minimalist)

5 Things To Remember When Freezing Food. The stuff about freezing veggies is right up my alley. I freeze chopped up produce all the time. (Kitchen Stewardship)

The Quickstart Guide To A Decluttered Home. "I now realize that I always disliked the clutter, but I put off thinking about it because it was unpleasant." (Zen Habits)