Simple Concerning Evil
This world is so full of the corruptness of sin. It is very difficult to endeavor to raise godly seed in a world inundated with inappropriate displays of hedonism, everywhere you turn. Because the world is so lost, that is even more reason to bear much seed, (if God sends it) so that you can reach the lost more efficiently. It also shows us the importance of raising our children, whether we have one or 20, in a godly manner. We recently attended an Oktoberfest, held by our city, with my in-law's and some friends. It was supposed to be fun for the whole family. Also, it is unlawful for city held events to serve alcohol. Dear Hubby and I tried to avoid the certain areas, as there was much alcohol there. We tried to go to other parts, but there was not really much else to do, so we left. We did not want to scandalize our children. A few days later, Lily said something about a drunk man she had seen at the event. It broke my heart that she knew what drunk meant. I explained to her how it is wrong to be drunk, that you surrender your thinking abilities. I mentioned this to someone, who said that it is good for a 4 year old to know what drunk means, because then I can raise her up to avoid it. This bothered me because I feel that, especially in these young years, I should do all I can to protect my children from seeing harsh, sinful realities. If my children see something inappropriate, then I must show them biblically why that is wrong. But as much as possible, I want to guard their innocent hearts. God laid on my heart this verse, "I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil." -Romans 16:19 That is what we are to strive for, for our children, as well as ourselves. Is this movie, toy, or acquaintance going to lead my children more towards being "wise unto that which is good" or "wise unto that which is evil"? When I have asked God to lead Hubby and I regarding how He wants us to spend tonight (Halloween), that is the verse He keeps laying on my heart. I must raise my children up with appetites which are for Him, and to shelter them from that which leads away from Him. Then, when they are older, I pray that they will only want that which they have a good appetite for. Blessings!


Image available here.

Vision Forum Contest Part Two Kim is hosting a second contest, where $250 worth of Vision Forum Products will be given three people.Whoo hoo! This is my kind of contest!


My Vision Forum Products Dream List:
($250 limit, this time)
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God- $16- A book that I cannot wait to be encouraged by!
Teach them to your Children-$17
2006 Best of the Film Festival-$35
Christ in the Camp-$25-for darling Husband, history buff.
Doll carrier- $14- for Lily
Raising Maidens of Virtue- $20
The Original Blue Back Speller- $13
The New England Primer- $10
Of Plymouth Plantation- $24
Beautiful Girlhood Library- $54
Jonathan Park The Adventure Begins- $25
Kathleen's Unforgettable Winter- $9

Total $246.

Joel's Journey Video
The movie about Joel, the sweet boy who died from cancer, won the "Best Biblical Family Movie" award at the Independent Christian Films awards ceremony.We received this movie a few weeks ago, and it has been such a blessing to our family. Joel's family has a beautiful testimony. We cried throughout the entire movie; it is just that incredible. During the funeral part, dear Hubby and I were so surprised that Terry (Joel's Dad) read an e-mail that Stephen had sent to the Morris family.In the e-mail, Stephen had said that when he goes to heaven, he first wants to see Jesus, then Jeremy (his brother who died shortly after birth), and then Joel. It meant a lot that my husband's words were a comfort to the Morris family, at such a difficult time in their lives.If you are able to get a copy of this movie, you will truly be blessed. It really reminded me to treasure time with each of my precious blessings. We never know just how long we will have with our sweeties.Blessings!

Monday- Taco Bowls

Tuesday- Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday- off- Sister-in-law is cooking

Thursday- Stromboli

Friday- Homemade Pizza

Saturday- Spaghetti, Salad and Bread

Sunday- (Fellowship Meal) Chicken Pot Pie

For more menu plans, visit Laura.

Elsie Dinsmore: A Spiritual Treasure
I have been reading Elsie's Endless Wait, and I must confess that these are lovely books, full of spiritual wisdom.Elsie is an 8 year old girl , who turns wholly to the Lord as He sanctifies her.Her father is quite strict and with her, yet she uses those times to cling to the Father. I have heard complaints that he is too severe over everything, and certainly, that is not how we ought to be as parents. But Elsie shows Christian ladies how to act, amidst difficult circumstances. Too many stories paint everything picturesque, as though everything and everyone was fair in life.This simply is a false reality. This series demonstrates that despite imperfect authority figures in our lives, we can grow in Him. These books are targeted towards 8-14 year old, Christian girls.So often, girls at those ages are tempted to be wrapped up in self, and these demonstrate an unselfish life. Elsie's father is not wholly unjust, it also shows his love for her, which is sometimes expressed through the times he disciplines Elsie. He removes her from acquaintances which are spiritually dangerous, limits her amount of sweets, and requires that she obeys completely. His manner of being stern is a bit alarming,at times, but it is truly obvious that he only wants the best, both spiritually and physically, for Elsie. It is interesting to write about this book after mentioning the appetites we ought to cultivate in our childrens' lives. Elsie is a wonderful character for your girls to live up to. There are books for older girls, though I read these to Lily now. She often sits beside me, sewing with her lacing cards and listening. She is really captivated, despite the fact that there are no pictures in the books.They also make Elsie Dinsmore paper dolls for younger girls.It would be fun to read the books aloud and your daughters can play with the dolls.The Elsie doll is charming, though I do think I would look for one on Ebay rather than buying it new.There are many other lovely characters made by the Life of Faith company, such as Violet, Millie, and Kathleen.Have you been blessed by reading any of these wonderful books?

An Encouragement
There are so many blogs out in bloggyville, which are very lovely and inspirational. God has led me to the same blog twice, in the past few days. It is an absolute gold-mine of treasures.Camilla shares from her heart, many of the beautiful things that God is teaching her.I absolutely love this post,which is the "Helpmeets Cheat Sheet". I think I need to make copies of it and post it everywhere I go. Then, maybe some of it will sink in. I also really enjoyed her post on Children's appetites Camilla reiterated the sobering, yet,incredible thought, that we as parents develop our childrens' appetites. What we sow today, we will reap tomorrow.May God enable us to be loving and diligent wives and mothers.Blessings!

Image from art.com

Vision Forum Contest
Kim is hosting a contest, where $150 worth of Vision Forum Products will be given five people.Whoo hoo! This is my kind of contest!

My Vision Forum Products Dream List:
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God- $16- A book that I cannot wait to be encouraged by!
Teach them to your Children-$17
2006 Best of the Film Festival-$35
Christ in the Camp-$25-for darling Husband, history buff.
Doll carrier- $14- for Lily
Raising Maidens of Virtue- $20
The Original Blue Back Speller- $13
The New England Primer- $10
This brings the total right at $150. Winning this contest will definitely be a blessing for the 5 people!

Wordless Wednesday

My sister took this picture while she was in Virginia Beach, at a festival. I am amazed at how even a seemingly simple talent, like building things out of sand, can be used for His glory. How incredible!

Sweet Girls
Lily and her baby sister, who she lovingly calls, "Angelstasia"


We tried this precious dress on Anastasia, which she received as a gift, today. It is big on her, but very cute. (We could not resist trying it on her.)
Finally, we got a smile out of her on camera! She smiles all the time, in person, but this is the first time I could capture it on film! She is a Daddy's girl. (That is who got her to smile, here.)

Healthier Choices
Most mornings, lately, I have been indulging in a 1/2 cup to a whole cup of coffee. I am not sure if I can kick the habit, altogether, but I am going to try to replace it, as much as possible, with healthy shakes.Many of them are energizers; a nutritious drink sounds tastier than coffee, anyways. Stephen just ordered some really healthy (chocolate and peach) shakes from Vita Cost. I am interested in ordering this Rainbow Light Shake. It is whole foods based, with spirulina, and it is made by the company that makes my favorite prenatal vitamin. Making shakes is also a great idea to help littles to get the nutrition they need. Lily does not like many vegetables, so I was really interested in getting the Fruit and Veggies Shake for her. I am still trying to feed her other healthy foods, this can be a supplement to make sure she is getting enough.I am really glad that we made the switch to organic milk. I can rest in the fact that my blessings are getting much better nourishment.I am so grateful that God has blessed us to be able to do this. Have you found any healthy coffee replacements? I would love to hear your ideas. Blessings!

Bradley Class Reunion
This weekend, we will be attending our Bradley birthing class reunion. I saw my Bradley teacher, Heather, the other day in Walmart , with her one month old son. It was funny because she was there with her 3 children and her hubby, and Stephen and I both had a child of ours in our two Ergos, and Stevie was sleeping in the stroller. Heather was pointing Stephen out to her husband, since she thought it was neat to see a man carrying a little one in a baby carrier. Then, she realized that she knew him. That was just too funny! There will be six babies (including her own) at the reunion. I am so excited to see all of those sweet babies. We spent 11 classes together , which were 2-3 hours each, so it will be neat to see everyone again. I just don't think I can adequately thank someone who helped me so much to birth my sweetie naturally. Blessings!

Passionate Housewives
Reading the introduction to Passionate Housewives Desperate for God was a true blessing to me. It truly was a balm to my soul. I cannot wait for this book! In the Vision Forum catalog, they enclosed a $10 off certificate, so I can get this book for $6.00 plus shipping!You can read the preface here.Blessings!

Menu Plan Monday
It looks like this week will be a pasta week; that is alright though, because we love pasta!The above picture is of a taco bowl, a yummy meal we enjoyed last week. I got the idea from Rebecca, who always has such a plethora of wonderful kitchen tips.
Monday- October 22- Homemade Pizza
Tuesday- October 23- Cheese Ravioli
Wednesday-October 24- off- sister-in-law cooking
Thursday- October 25-Lasagna
Friday- October 26- Chicken and Broccoli Braids
Saturday- October 27- Spaghetti
Sunday- October 28- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
For more menu plans, visit Laura.

Someone's Gotta Hold Down the Fort
Right before church, this is how I found Stevie, waiting to get in the van. Bible, tie, and play gun- what more does a boy need? When I showed Stevie this picture, he said "My eyes are broken in that picture."He is too funny!

Tongue Baby

While at a friend's house recently, I noticed this precious play kitchen, in her kitchen. That way, when she is preparing dinner, her young daughters can be pretending to cook with mama.It is a lovely kitchen set, which is made in Switzerland, and her husband said that it was surprisingly easy to put together.I really like this company, for the fine quality products they produce. Rather than getting each of my children a few cheap gifts for Christmas, I want to carefully consider, perhaps, getting one nicer item for them to play with. What are your plans for Christmas gifts for your littles?

Frugal Friday: Gift Idea
With Christmas rapidly approaching, I was happy to stumble upon Project Alphabet. It lets you put together printable calendars, books, and albums for free! If you don't have a quality printer, simply save your files to a cd, and take to a local Staples or another office store. A calender with pictures of your children would be a lovely gift for all of those doting grandparents.For more frugal ideas, visit Crystal.

My Sweeties
Baby Cakes
3 Peas in a Pod

Wordless Wednesday: Dressing Up, Stevie Style

The True Story about Hormone Laden Milk

This excerpt is about the company which produces harsh lawn chemicals, as well as the hormone to increase cows' milk supply.(If only they would use Red Raspberry leaf tea to increase the cows' milk supply; that would do the trick!) This movie is a bit long, but the information is crucial.The hormone given to cows seems to increase our chance of getting cancer. Also, this hormone causes many cows to have mastitis. Those cows are put on antibiotics to help them to heal from mastitis, and so we receive both the hormones and the antibiotics when we drink their milk. I think this is why an antibiotic I was put on, recently, did little to help me. Though I rarely take antibiotics, I think I am immune, due to cows milk. Another interesting tidbit that I read, was that 50 years ago, a cow would produce 2,000 pounds of milk a year. Now, a top-producing cow produces 50,000 pounds a year!That just isn't natural. It truly shows that budgeting for organic milk products, whenever you can, is well worth it.To help you get started on drinking organic milk, here is a $1.00 off coupon. If you do an internet search on organic milk, you can find many coupons. Blessings!

Racing for the Cure?
Throughout October, the pink ribbon symbol (Breast Cancer Awareness) is omnipresent on much merchandise. But one of the leading sponsors,the Susan G. Komen foundation, is a big pro-abortion supporting company. They do not reveal the link between first-term abortions, and higher breast cancer rates. Please join with many pro-lifers, and boycott the Susan G. Komen foundation. For more information, visit here. May we guide women to understand how to truly lower their risk of breast cancer.

Reese's Haystacks
A fun to make, autumn treat!

Ingredients:

• 1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
• 1-1/2 cups (3-oz. can) chow mein noodles

Directions:
1. Line tray with wax paper.

2. Place peanut butter chips and shortening in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Immediately add chow mein noodles; stir to coat.

3. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared tray or into paper candy cups. Let stand until firm. If necessary, cover and refrigerate several minutes until firm. Store in tightly covered container. About 2 dozen treats.

Show and Tell Friday
One of my new favorite hobbies is crocheting dishclothes. These are simple to make, and it is lovely to use something that is homemade. I have heard that these work well for a multitude of purposes, including washing vehicles. They are efficient at cleaning, without leaving scratches. I adore Peaches and Creme yarn, for these projects, for its softness. For more show and tell Fridays, visit Canada Girl.

WFMW: Chore Chart
Chore charts work wonderfully around my house. They are a wonderful tool for teaching littles accountability and diligence. My eldest daughter tended to forget to make her bed every morning, and had to be reminded daily. But since it is one of the chores on her chart, she has not forgotten, even once. The secret to success with a chore chart, in my house, is the incentive that will be given, if the chores are performed well.This chart is great, because at the bottom of it, you can fill in what goal the child is working towards.This site is really neat, because it allows you to make customized chore charts. I printed one out, and put it in a clear sheet protector, and I write on it with a dry erase marker.The following are some of the chores that Lily, my four year old, is expected to do daily: make bed, train brother to make bed, unstack dishwasher (with Mommy), do schoolwork, help Mommy with daily chore, help with laundry, and set dinner table. She loves seeing Mommy add a smiley face to her chart whenever she accomplishes a task. The incentives can be as simple as a dollar, an ice cream cone, a toy, or even a special time making cookies with Mommy.For more Works for me Wednesday ideas, visit Shannon.

Today we made one of my favorite autumn treats,Caramel Apples. Though it is quite hot outside, we are pretending that it is a crisp and cool autumn. (In the comfort of our ac, we can imagine such things!) The children enjoyed helping Mommy to make these sweet goodies. They are chilling in the refrigerator, and are a handy bribe treat for good little children, who nap.
The proud makers of these goodies....

Annie Rose is so precious... I simply could not leave her out. She thought it was a good time to catch a nap. Smart girl! She is becoming quite the passionate thumb sucker, precious doll!

Book Giveaway
This book sounds like an absolute treasure trove for homemakers seeking to follow God.Crystal is hosting a giveaway of 10 copies of this book here. I am so thankful that Stacy MacDonald and Jennie Chancey have written such an inspirational book.

Autumn Activities:
Tomorrow, we are planning on having an educational and fun day. We will be doing our schoolwork, and then we are going to take a nature walk. Hopefully, we will find a nice assortment of leaves to analyze for our journal pages. I found some wonderful pages to help littles to identify leaves, available here. For some other nice nature journal pages, including journal covers, click here. We will also be making some autumn-inspired Caramel Apples. I am so thankful for being able to stay home with these precious children; being home with them is the best! I hope you are having a blessed fall.
Image available from art.com

Anastasia Rose at 3 months

She is such a blessing. She brings so much joy to our lives every day. I love her sweet smiles, coos, and her snuggles. Babies are truly a foretaste of heaven.

Out of the Mouths of Babes
The other night, Stevie said the cutest thing to me. He gave me a hug and said, "Mommy, you are my friend." That just meant the world to me, so I gave him a really tight hug. Then he said, "You're my brother." That just cracked me up! Maybe that is his highest compliment?He is a precious boy.

Learning Binders

I am sure that many of you have heard of Mini-offices, where you put together a learning area for your child. This is a great idea, but not very practical for me, so I am using the free printables, to make a learning binder for my littles. I simply print the learning page, and place it inside a sheet protector in a binder, for my children. This is so easy to tote, wherever you go. While you wait in lines, waiting rooms, or even on the road, your children can be learning their alphabet, shapes, consonant blends, days of the week, months, money value, and more. When my infant needs to nurse, I love to grab the binder, and gather my littles on the couch with me. Learning could not be any easier, and it is so much fun. For links to some of the printable pages, visit here, here, and here. I also printed out some of the free Doorposts resources. They have a plethora of materials to aid you in guiding your littles to living a life of godliness.These also work great in a sheet protector, hung on the wall or refrigerator, for memorization. Also, this could be a great gift idea to make for a little one. For more Frugal Fridays, visit Crystal.

Christine’s Daily Schedule

* Pray/Read the Bible

* Take a shower/hair/makeup

* Unstack Dishwasher and Start a Load of Laundry

* Breakfast (read chapter of Bible, sing songs, memory verses, pray)

* Clean up

* Schoolwork (reading, math, geography fact, flashcards)

* Daily Chore (and children help)

* Play Outside/ Take a Walk/ Watch video/Free time/ Supper prep.

* Reading Time on Couch and Snacktime

* Exercise

* Prepare lunch / children a.m. free activity

* Eat lunch

* (1-3 p.m.) Naptime- Christine- take nap, fold laundry, e-mail, etc.)

* Children craft time/ snack, Sweep

* Play outside/ play a learning game

* 4 pm-Prepare dinner/ children p.m. free activity

* Dinner

* Family Time

* Baths for Children

This is my rough schedule. I nurse Anastasia often throughout the day, so we are very flexible, still.My Ergo baby carrier has helped me to get some tasks accomplished. Blessings!

An Ode to Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
I am simply astounded by all that I have found Red Raspberry Leaf Tea to be good for! Of course I was delighted by the results I found, when I first drank it at the end of my pregnancy, when I was expecting Stevie. My contractions came on steady and strong during labor, and from first contraction to birth, it took 5 hours. This was miraculous to me, since I had such a long labor with Lily.(33 hours) Red Raspberry leaf tea is good for a plethora of purposes, which can be found here. It is great for afterbirth pains, healing after miscarriage, for treating the flu, fevers, colds, digestion problems, hemorrhoids, nausea, urinary tract infections, thrush, and diabetes, just to name a few. It has even helped male goats to be more fertile! I am making a pitcher of iced red raspberry leaf tea daily, because it gives vital nutrients, which your precious baby can get, while nursing.Also, it is wise to keep one's uterus always toned for childbirth. The more toned one's uterus is, the less likely she will hemorrhage after birth. I heartily recommend this incredible herb to you!

The renowned Quaker herbalist, Henry Box, is quoted as saying, "A tea made from Red Raspberry leaves is the best gift God ever gave to women. Its utility in travail is surprising. As a drink before and after confinement, it is unequaled by any other agent. If the pains of childbirth are premature, it will make all quiet. When timely, it will occasion a safe and easy parturition. If the mother is weak, it will abundantly strengthen her, cleanse her and enrich her milk. It is perfectly safe under all circumstances." -From Practical Herbalism

A local store was recently having a sale on furniture (50-75% off), so I bought this bookcase for $50! It is regularly $230.I love how it is has glass doors. I have been praying that God would lead me to a good deal on a bookcase. He is so faithful in every detail. We are hoping to put it in our dining room, where it will store our books and some homeschool materials. Blessings!

What I have been up to:

• Homeschooling my precious blessings
• Cooking dinner for 16 people
• Crocheting two dishcloths
• Feeding one sweet baby almost incessantly
• Baking bread
• Playing with my sweeties
• Cleaning the house
• Making a learning binder for my littles
  
• Enjoying time with hubby (who had to work about 70 hours, last week)
  

Whoever said that , "Motherhood isn't for wimps", was not exaggerating! It may be tiring, but it is a blessed time. I am also going to be involved in an Activity Bag Swap with some ladies at my church. I am really looking forward to having some more activities on hand, for keeping my littles busy. I hope you are having a joyful day!