You already know I finally enjoy homeschooling, and a large reason is that we’ve settled into our curriculum choices with confidence. I’m not even going to CHAP this year because I don’t want to be swayed by all the wonderful choices! It feels simply wonderful to keep moving forward without second guessing myself. If you’ve chosen your curriculum, fantastic! If you’re looking for some ideas for what to use with your babes, perhaps you’ll like some of what we’re using. Take a peek:

Spelling Workout

Easy, cheap, and effective. It’s $10 a book, two pages a day (no prep), and using it has massively improved my 7-Year old’s (who starts second-grade in the fall) reading and spelling. We’ve nearly completed two books and will continue on with the third this month (and continue through the summer). I will start Caed (my almost first-grader) on it after he completes 100 Easy Lessons (see below).

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

I have to admit, I did not like this reading program when I used it with Ella, and the feeling was mutual with her! We made it to lesson 84 and threw in the towel (it wasn’t sticking, and she was miserable). But Caed? He likes it, and sometimes he even does two lessons in a day. Go figure! Whatever works, right?

First Language Lessons, Level 1 and Level 2 

I like the simple lessons, the copywork, the narration, the poetry, and the ease in which the building blocks of grammar are taught. It works really well with Ella, who has a brilliant memory and enjoys memory work. I’m going to give it a go with Caed in the fall (when he’ll be in first-grade) and hopefully it will work for him as well (although I’ll go much slower with the memory work – too much of it frustrates him).

Writing with Ease Level 1 and Writing with Ease Level 2

This curriculum dovetails nicely with Language Lessons, and I just really like it. It uses classic children’s literature passages for the narration and copywork, and it’s a simple yet thorough program to follow. Again, Ella thrives with this type of work, but it will all be an experiment with Caed.

Math-U-See

I’ve used Math-U-See with Ella for two years now and will be continuing on with Beta in the fall. Caed is working through the Primer (he loves it) and will begin Alpha in the fall.

Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times

My babes listen to this at night before bed, and on long car rides (I’m secretly tucking history into their brains). All three of them enjoy it, and how can you not with Jim Weiss as the narrator?!

Speaking of Jim Weiss, his Shakespeare for Children is superb!

Ambleside Online (Charlotte Mason inspired)

I love Ambleside Online and am so grateful for their articles, resources, and recommendations. We use their book lists and follow their weekly reading recommendations.

As for science, I recently decided to forgo an official curriculum and follow suit with what my friend Laura has to say about it.

For other subjects and interests, we use the library.

And last but not least, we love Lamplighter Theatre (Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is our favorite). Excellent, excellent, excellent character building stories!

Okay friends, your turn! What are some of your favorite resources for homeschooling?

Love, SM

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In honor of a re-launch of sorts of Desperate – Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe and it’s companion DVD, I have yet another lovely giveaway for you…

The other day I was leafing through a Blessings Unlimited catalog when I came across the Grace & Gratitude collection.

I knew I was going to be saving up to be able to get the set, and now that I have it almost completed, I want to share it with you. I want your family to have a set of this lovely collection.

If you aren’t familiar with Blessings Unlimited, you can view their charming items in their catalog, or find a consultant to purchase items from.

For you, a Giveaway!

Blessings Unlimited is giving away a 4-piece set of the Grace & Gratitude collection for a family of four! Here is what you get if you win:

• 4 Dinner plates
• 4 Salad plates
• 4 Dessert plates – either the Vintage Rose dessert plate (pictured above) or the Queen Ann’s Lace dessert plate (not pictured, but you can see it on page 31 in the catalog)
• 4 bowls

To enter this contest, just enter the form below (email readers, click here). Good “luck!”

And don’t forget, if you’d like to facilitate a group study of Desperate, go ahead and get five paperback books and you can get the new DVD for free, along with these lovely earrings (through Friday only). Just email a copy of your receipt to: desperatebook@thomasnelson.com.

Oh, and don’t forget to enter yesterday’s giveaway ($100 of a maid service and more)!

Love, SM

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As a mother, motherhood can look pretty messy from my point of view. No matter how hard I try to organize my home, my schedule, or my life to make things as smooth as possible, it is never lived out the way I picture it.

But, something that I am slowly beginning to learn, is that motherhood is not meant to fit into the box of neat and tidy. It’s just not. And when we try to stuff it in there, and it doesn’t fit, we grow increasingly frustrated. We believe that there is either something wrong with us, or with our children, because we don’t fit the mold we’ve invented.

When I became a mother, I hung up the idea of writing. It was kind of a subconscience thing. I believed that once I became a mother, everything I did needed to be filtered through that identity, and if it didn’t line up with motherhood, it had to go.

We often believe that because our lives are filled with mothering duties, that our identity is found in only that place. That is simply not true. Our identity is made up of a thousand little pieces that mold us into the character of Christ. Motherhood isn’t the only piece. But it is a beautiful piece–many beautiful pieces.

There are other pieces, too, that make up the greater picture of a life lived for Christ. As mothers, we don’t want to exclude everything from our lives that don’t include our children. Once our children leave the nest, not only will our home be empty, but our hearts will feel empty as well. We won’t know what to do or who we are without our children.

Using the gifts God has given us throughout our years of mothering allow our children to see God’s glory in action through us in various ways.

Your identity is in Christ. His plan for your life is made up of a myriad of moments that make up the whole. When we have children, we bring them along on the journey Christ placed before us. It doesn’t change once we have children, we simply gain companions that we have the privilege of mentoring, leading, discipling, and loving. We then get to show them how to follow in the footsteps of Jesus by fulfilling His will for our lives.

Sure, there are seasons. There are seasons for more of one piece and less of another. The myth of the balancing act is that we believe everything needs to be given the same amount of time, and attention and that’s the mold that keeps leaving us feeling hopeless.

It’s more like a dance, and you follow the rhythms of the seasons of life. We cannot control life events or our children’s free will (i.e. tantrums or rebellion). But we can take what we’re given, and allow God to use it to make life beautiful.

As a writer who wanted to help women understand they could blog and mother, I wrote an eBook addressing the practicality of “balance” between the two. It’s called Blog at Home Mom, and you can check it out here. It’s not about the act of blogging (or writing), it’s about how God chooses to use it.

What gift has God given you that you think God may be nudging you to use?

…

Christin has a heart to encourage and equip women in aspects of discipleship, marriage, mothering, writing, blogging, and community. She sees the body of Christ as an important community of encouragement and discipleship and works to foster that around the web. Her biggest ministry is to her family and she knows how beautiful, hard, overwhelming, and exhausting mothering can be. Her passion is to encourage mothers who need a challenge or a lift (or both). She has been married 12 years and has 5 children ranging in age from 10 down to 2.

You can find her encouraging moms at her blog Joyful Mothering, helping women in blogging at ChristinSlade.com, managing the Allume blog, and chatting it up on Twitter as @ChristinWrites.

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Maybe you had your first child years ago. Maybe you haven’t had any children yet. Maybe you have no desire to have children. We’re all in different places in life.

But I bet you know someone who is pregnant. {Just a guess}

I’m 20 weeks pregnant with my first child. I’m half-way through the 40 week journey; half-way to life as I know it changing overnight, half way to a world that is so different than the quiet, clean, organized, 8+ hour sleep a night-filled world that I live in today.

And I’m scared.

You see, surprisingly, I’m not really scared about pushing the baby out {although I’m not quite sure I believe it is physically possible. I mean really, how can that be?}. I’m not scared about sleepless nights, breast feeding, or figuring out what my baby needs when he/she cries. I’m not scared about loving the baby; I know it’ll just come naturally. I’m not scared about buckling the baby in the car seat right, or SIDS. I’m not scared about any of those things.

I’m scared about making Christ known to my child.

You see, I grew up in a home where love overflowed. I grew up in a home where we dressed nicely and went to church on Sundays. I grew up in a home with amazing parents.

But I didn’t grow up knowing Christ.

And so above all, I wonder how to raise children zealous for Him.

I wonder how I raise children hungry for God alone, when I myself lose sight of my God.

And I wonder how to raise humble children, when I myself struggle to live humbly.

I recently overheard a close friend of mine having a deep hearted discussion with her third child, her “wild child”. He was disobeying her, and she pulled him aside to discuss what was going on. As I listened to her kind and gentle words, I was blown away. She said things I would have never thought to say. She brought Christ to the center of the issue, allowing her son the opportunity to confess his sin to both her and God right there in that moment. She made it about Him. She brought her son to the foot of the cross right there before me, standing in a hallway with people buzzing by.

And I thought, how can I ever do that? Her words were so gentle, so loving, so Christ-centered…very much the opposite of how I would’ve handled his disobedience in that moment.

So I asked her. I asked her how she learned to do that, how she learned to get to the heart of her son’s sin. There in that hallway I told her my fears, that I won’t be able to do that for this budding child inside of me.

She smiled.

She told that mothering is a process, a process that doesn’t occur overnight. She said that it will come through His teaching, and that I don’t need to fear. She told me that she wasn’t always that calm or collected, that she does mess up, but that God {and her son} give her grace when she falls. She reminded me that He fills in the gaps, even the gaps that we don’t realize are there.

And above all, she reminded me that He, the Creator of my child, loves him/her more than I ever will, or ever can.

And so, as I {and the handy app on my phone} count down the days to the birth of this sweet babe within me, I cling to the words of my friend. I cling to the truth that she spoke over me that morning.

He loves this child with an everlasting love. I need not be afraid.

If you know a budding first-time mama, will you tell her that? Will you remind her that mothering is a process, and that you don’t always get it right? Will you reminder her that God will fill in the gaps of her failures, and that He can even use those failures to mold her heart {and the hearts of her little ones}? Will you embrace her and calm her fears?

Don’t allow that mother-to-be to walk around with such fears in her heart.  Your love and support can help set her free from the fear of failing as a parent.

…

You can read more of Mandy’s writing at her blog, MandyScarr.com!

Mandy is a lover of deep relationships, theological discussions, and peanut butter. She feels called to ministry, seeking to share with women of the freedom she walks in because of her relationship with Jesus. She and her husband live in the beautiful suburbs of Washington, D.C. She writes at mandyscarr.com. You can connect with Mandy further on Facebook and Twitter.

Need more encouragement in motherhood? You might like Desperate – Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe!

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There are two things I want to address from the chapter and from some of the reviews on Amazon. First, an excerpt from Chapter 14, Desperate…Not Defeated:

“If you go through this season of desperation alone and without help – though I pray that does not happen – then I want you to write down what you’re experiencing and how it affects you. Put in writing how you are going to be there for your children one day and the other young women God puts in your path and be the helper you never had. I want you to think of all the times you have said…

“I wish I just had someone to help me with _______.”

“Why don’t any of the older women ever volunteer in the nursery?”

“I’ve been praying for a mentor, but so far, no one has shown up.”

“It seems like the older women don’t want to invest in the younger women; where are they?”

“I have no money so I can’t go anywhere when I need to get away. I could really just use a night away alone.”

“I’m drowning in laundry! I wish I had some help!”

You have probably thought many of those things, and more. You recognize that you need help, you need time, and you need refreshment. I want you to commit right now that, Lord willing, you will be that person fo a few younger women one day.”

And there it is, the heart of Desperate – reaching out and helping/being friends with another woman so that we can persevere as mothers.

No one should have to do motherhood alone. Which brings me to a comment on a couple of the Amazon reviews:

“Most of their ways to “breathe” are only possible if you can afford to hire help.”

I cringed when I read that comment, for two reasons. One, that is not at all what Sally and I were communicating, and the fact that a couple people felt that was what we were saying, well, it’s painful, and sad and wow, do I need to communicate better?. The second thing is, it’s just not true. The whole of the book is to encourage mothers that they are not crazy for how they’re feeling, and that they are not alone in their thoughts and feelings of desperation, and that they shouldn’t have to do motherhood alone – not by way of “hiring help” but by way of friendship and mentors! We mention that if you can you could consider hiring some help around the house, that there is nothing wrong with that if you’re able, but it was just a suggestion. I understand that many women cannot afford any help, but I also know there is so much guilt around the idea that if you hire someone to help you clean here and there you are somehow a failure or less than. I say boo to that! Also, I know what it’s like to not have the money to have some help; heck, I remember not having enough money to buy groceries some weeks! So for those commenters to assume that out of our whole book we are saying the only way to breathe is to hire help, well, I’m just honestly at a loss, but even more so I want to say: I’m so sorry you felt that’s what we were saying. We do not believe that to breathe you need to hire help, we believe that you need help, and we hope you find it in friendship and mentors, and ultimately in the One who loves you and guides and is there for you in every desperate moment.

In fact, here’s a little resolution I wrote up to encourage you in overcoming the desperate feelings that motherhood can bring on, and none of them have to do with hiring help (these are the concepts in the book):

The No-More-Desperate-Moms Resolution

(Get a pretty PDF version of this resolution to print by clicking here)

If I am a mom of little ones…

I will choose to celebrate each day with my children as gifts from God.

I will remember that I am not alone in my feelings of inadequacy.

I will remember to accept my limitations with grace.

I will remember that one day, this season of little ones will be over.

I will commit to making my relationship with my spouse (if applicable) a priority, knowing we are partners in the raising of the eternal souls in our care.

I will pursue friendships with other moms.

I will not feel guilty for taking time for myself to refresh my soul.

I will fill myself with good things in order to keep growing as a person.

I will talk to my children about the importance of serving others.

I will not compare myself with other moms, but instead be the mom God made me to be.

I will remember the hard years of raising little ones so that one day I will help a mother of little ones. I will do for another mom what I wish someone would have done for me.

I will remember to look my babies in the eye, nibble their toes, nuzzle in their necks, dance with them, giggle with them, and remember in whose image they were created.

If I am past the little years and my children are grown…

I will commit to teaching a young mom how to walk with God and read His word every day.

I will “adopt” a young mom who doesn’t have a mom, and I will mentor her and love her.

I will commit to take a mom of little ones a meal from time to time.

I will commit to offer to watch a mom’s little ones once a month.

I will commit to doing an act of service for a mom with little ones once a month (laundry, dishes, general cleaning).

I will encourage my older daughters to serve young moms.

I will remember to tell women to accept their limitations with grace.

I will remember that I am raising generations by helping and loving moms so they can persevere in the noble call of motherhood.

I will do for a young mother what I wish someone would have done for me.

And there it is, the conclusion of the book club here at SarahMae.com. Please head over to itakejoy.com on Thursday to read the final book club post.

Thank you so much for sticking with this study, and I pray that you would find help and encouragement and resolve to overcome and be the mama I know you are. So much love to you.

SM

You can get your copy of Desperate at Amazon, B & N, CBD, or DaySpring.

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Then a younger voice asks, “What do you wish you could change about your life?”

The answers come, one by one.

Unexpected.

Startling.

True.

It’s not what they did that tugs at their hearts—it’s what they didn’t do.

We want to shut our eyes to the fear, hurt and disappointment we might face. But our existence here is like the kind of town so small that my Dad would say as we drove through, “Blink once and you’ll miss it.”

We’ve got to keep our eyes and hearts open because we won’t be here forever.

And one of the best ways to do that is through a God-sized dream, which isn’t really about size at all. Instead it’s about discovering who God created you to be and what He’s called you to do.

God-sized dreams are about living with purpose and passion, intensity and intention, courage and persistence.

What is it that God is asking you to say “yes” to in your life right now?

It might be spending more time with your family when social media beckons.

It might be going on an adventure outside of your home that you never expected.

It might be helping those in need (and aren’t we all in need?) in a way only you can.

The scenario shared at the beginning is real. Actual studies of older people show that regret truly hurts more than risk. If you risk and fail, at least you’ve learned—at least you’ve fully lived.

You, my sister, are braver than you know. Stronger than you realize.

You belong to the God “who lifts your head high” {Ps. 3:3}.

He does that so you can see what’s ahead for you; so you can catch a glimpse of your God-sized dream.

And, most of all, so you can “fix your eyes on Jesus” who has more in store for you than you can even imagine {Heb. 12:2}.

One day perhaps you’ll sit on the porch in a rocking chair and it will be your turn to tell a story. And you’ll share about faith, a big God and how nothing is impossible with Him.

Someone might even ask your secret.

Then you’ll smile and say, “I didn’t blink.”

-Holley Gerth is a life coach, best-selling author and friend to YOU. She’d love to hang out with you at www.holleygerth.com. Her latest book, You’re Made for a God-sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God Has for You encourages women like you. 

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I am so proud of my husband.

Today he wrote his very first post on what it was like to find out he was partially deaf, and later have a dream denied because of it. Here is an excerpt:

“At three years old, before the soundproof room, I had a hard time listening to my parents. When they called me or asked me to do something, I refused. They thought I was merely being disobedient; this sometimes led to being spanked. My behavior was not changing much and my parents grew worried that it might be something more than me being defiant. My mother grew suspicious that I wasn’t able to hear her.”

Read the whole post here: When Life Feels Like a Sham

Love, SM

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So here’s the thing, I’m having a really hard time writing today.

I just got back from Texas yesterday and it’s already 7:04am and I need to wake my babies and get the day going but I feel so bad that I didn’t do a Desperate book club post. Mind you, I’ve been up since 5:30am trying to write one, and for whatever reason, I’m out of words. I’m so sorry. So today I’m going to let Andrea take it. Here is an excerpt from her post on this chapter:

“When our children were all pre-school aged, Ken & I spent time working on intentional parenting.  We met so many parents who had elaborate systems of discipline in place for their children. Consequences. Charts. Escalating punishment.  These things aren’t wrong, but they felt one-sided.

We went in search of parents who had elaborate systems in place for what they wanted to teach their children. Instead of focusing on the discipline (what we don’t want) we wanted systems for teaching and training in righteousness (what we do want).

We came up with 5 Pitcher Family Values.”

Click HERE to head on over to Andrea’s blog and read the rest, including her 5 family values! Also, my friend Jessica posted about this chapter; you can find her post here.

Thank you for your grace.

Love, SM

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So this is fun.

Sally and I got invited to go on the LIFE Today show and talk about Desperate, and we are very excited about it! The show won’t air until around Mother’s Day (I’ll give you the exact show date when I know), but those of you who are near the studio in Dallas, Texas can come to the show and be a part of the studio audience! Doesn’t that sound fun? It sounds fun to me!

Here is the official info. from the studio:

Dallas Area: You’re invited to be in the studio audience for the appearance of Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson as they share their book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe on the LIFE Today show with James & Betty Robison, this Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m.  To reserve your free tickets email audience@lifetoday.org or call 817-354-3655.  The studios are located at 1801 West Euless Boulevard, Euless, Texas 76040.

Hope to see some of you there!

Love,

SM

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I just got this note from Kimba:

“We have sold over 200 bracelets. And I’m stunned. We sold out of our first batch by 11:30 yesterday morning. Then we expedited another big order so we could fill more orders and sold out of those by 4:30. Now have a 3rd order on the way. This is going to make for a nice donation to Compassion. More than double our original goal.”

So to you all I say, THANK YOU! You helped make this happen, and I am just so thankful. If you haven’t got the bracelet yet, you can get it here. Also, there is still time to enter the giveaway!

This is the speaker team from the first Relevant (now Allume) conference!

Today I have a guest post from one of my first ever bloggy friends! Anyone remember Kimba from A Soft Place to Land (she’s the gal I have my arm around in the above picture)? If you do, you miss her in the online space as much as I do! Well, she may not be blogging anymore, but that doesn’t mean she’s disappeared from the interwebs! She’s been busy on a little project called, Everyday Icing. I’ll let her tell you all about it. Oh, and make sure you stick around to the end of the post, there is a giveaway!

…

Thank you to the dear Sarah Mae for letting me tell you about my new Facebook-based business and something exciting we’re doing to benefit Compassion International. And you won’t want to miss out on the fabulous giveaway at the end of this post!

Everyday Icing was born out of a love for designer accessories, but not designer prices. We’re busy moms with a budget to watch and we love how a fabulous piece of jewelry can take an outfit from plain to fabulous!

How does it work?

Everyday Icing combines social media and shopping, so first you need to “like” our Facebook page. Our sales are every Monday at 9pm (eastern) directly on our facebook page and some weeks we have special themed sales on Thursday…things like Scarf-A-Palooza and Nautical Night.

Each week we offer 20-30 different items for a fixed price (usually between $12-$20) and shipping is always FREE! We post pictures of the items  for sale along with a desciption, the price and the quantity that we have. There are limited quantities of each item and when they’re gone, they’re gone. So be quick!

Shopping with us is EASY!

To make a purchase:

1. “Like” our Facebook page and visit us during our sales on Monday nights. Hit refresh often to see the new items as the come up.

2. Comment “Sold” with your email address on any delicious deal that you can’t resist. To keep your email private, click our “Register to Shop” tab on our home page, then you can just comment “Sold”.

3. Pay the invoice that you receive via Paypal.

That’s it! We’ll ship your fabulous treats directly to your door! If you have more questions,we have a “How to Bid” tab on our page that explains more.

What does this have to do with Compassion International?

Like a lot of you, we’re passionate about the work that Compassion does to release children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty. They are doing the Lord’s work in a powerful way.

We have committed to give 10% of our profits to directly to Compassion, but we want to do more! Today, we are offering one fabulous item, our Compassion Bracelet, and 100% of the proceeds from that bracelet are going to Compassion. Our hope is to raise $1,000 with this one special item. We would love for you to stop by and pick up our fabulous Compassion Bracelet and support their important work at the same time.

Would you like to win a fabulous prize package of Everyday Icing accessories?

Here’s what’s included:

• Michael Kors inspired watch
• Teal and leopard print scarf
• Van Cleef inspired quatrefoil necklace
• Gold starfish charm bracelet
• Mint leather LOVE bracelet
• Gold pave earrings

$100 value!

How Do I Enter?

Just use the form below!

Thank you!

The blogger formerly known as Kimba…or maybe I’m Kimba formerly known as a blogger?
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P.S. The Desperate book club continues over at Sally’s blog today!

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