Have a New Kid by Friday

Today’s message is late (sorry) and will be short and sweet. (I have a sick little girl today). I hope to have more time to post tomorrow...

Jeff and I have been struggling the last few weeks with a few behavior issues in our daughters and to be quite frank…we have been discouraged. Parenting is hard work! We were both at the end of our ropes this past weekend and after praying for wisdom, a book popped into my head that I purchased a few months back as a possibility for our small group but put it to the side and life happened. It is this book…

Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman. We are only to Wednesday, the third chapter, but this could quite possibly be the best parenting book we have ever read. To quote Kevin Leman, “If you believe that you, as a parent, are to be a healthy authority over your child, this book is for you. If you don’t believe that you, as a parent, are to be a healthy authority over your child, put this book down right now and buy another. You won’t like what I have to say, you won’t do it, and you’ll complain about me to your friends.”

It is actually more a book about changing yourself as the parent than even your child. We have already tried a few of the techniques he has suggested and they have worked. It is a lot of common sense, reality based parenting, but I didn’t really realize how much I needed to change so that I can be the best parent for my daughters. It is a very humbling experience, but very good at the same time…so if you are looking for a good read this summer, and you have children, read this book! You will not be disappointed.

One Last Recommendation...

Happy Friday!

Here is one last site you might like to visit...www.simplemom.net.

Katy shared this one with me awhile back, this entry in particular if you are a mom...http://simplemom.net/10-questions-to-encourage-engaged-parenting-in-2010/

Hope you've enjoyed our favorites. Check them out...and then come back to Homemakers with Hope!

Katy's Excellent Eight!

To add to the ‘be careful, this site may be addicting’ category of web-related references to share, here are my current “Excellent Eight”:If you haven’t already made the virtual acquaintance of the hugely successful blogger Ree Drummond, set a timer and then check out http://thepioneerwoman.com/ I absolutely adore her sense of humor and wish I had half her energy! Her blog is out of this world. Recipes, photography, hilarious stories from her life. She is just a crack up & feels like your new BFF in about 5 minutes.

If you are in despair about your digital photo organization (I once literally laid awake at night wondering how I could ever be SURE I had all my digital photos in the right place), try Picasa. http://picasa.google.com/mac/ (this is a link to the Mac version, but there is a PC version as well) It is AMAZING and…FREE! You’ve got to love those folks at Google.

If you are a digital scrapbooker with a big heart, you need to know about Songbird Avenue. Gorgeous products—all for a good cause! New kits monthly, reasonably prices at around $8. http://www.songbirdavenue.com/

If you are someone who is interested in digital scrapbooking but isn’t sure where to start, one of the best resources I’ve found is Jessica Sprague. She has amazing freebies and a wide variety of classes & tutorials on her website. Some are self-paced, which is wonderful for busy homemakers. Also of note: Sign up for her e-mail list and you will get info on “One-buck Wednesdays”—fun deals. http://www.jessicasprague.com/

Hopefully you’re already a fan of Carrie Rocha of Pocket Your Dollars. http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/ She has saved my family a LOT of $$$ in the last 9 months and is a local girl made good.

If you are interested in the subject of finances, one website I find consistently interesting is Get Rich Slowly. http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/ Thoughtful writing abounds. JD has recently finished a book which should be out soon.

And finally, I have two wonderful but different resources in the area of spiritual encouragement!
The first was shared with me by a fellow LifeKeys attendee (boy, that should get a recommendation too—LifeKeys is great!) and is a concise daily devotional that I’ve really enjoyed seeing in my inbox each morning! http://www.thewordfortoday.com.au/

My last share is a fun blog—that of Lysa TerKeurst, founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries. http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/ I first heard of Lysa at a Hearts at Home conference and she is transparent, hilarious, inspiring, and about as humble as anyone you’re likely to meet. In other words, a fellow ‘Homemaker’

Thanks for this posting, Katy!

The Best of the Best?!

Ever felt there is too much information for you to absorb? I have, so this week let's share the GOOD stuff.

Here are a few websites I have enjoyed:

www.Onelook.com is perfect for people like me who loves definitions.

www.askdrsears.com is great for moms with questions about her kids' health

www.sparkpeople.com perhaps has too much, but is interesting to check out...about heath, etc

www.curlygirldesign.com fun, fun, fun

www.moneysavingmom.com freebies, coupons, giveaways, etc

WARNING: these sights may be hazardous to your intentional living creed...you can really spend more time than you ought on them. Enjoy

Remembering 2009

Are you ready for this year to end? It seems like everyone I talk to says they can't believe it's the New Year again. Where did the time go?

I've found about the best way to track my year is by reviewing the books I've read. I keep a notebook and I record a brief summary of the books I read. I hate to admit this, but as I looked through my notebook today, there were books I read that I forgot all about. That means I don't remember too much about what is inside of them either:) Still, I am glad I read the books I did. In my notebook I fill out a quick synopsis of each book:

Name of book:
Author:
Number of pages in book:
Number of pages I read: (most the time I finish a book, but if it's not really speaking to me, I just record the number of pages I do read. It helps me to know if I should recommend a book, etc.)
Where did I hear about the book:
Premise of book:
Did it meet my expectations:
Would I recommend it to other women:
Why or why not:
What did I learn and hope to remember:


In 2009 I read 2 of John Ortberg's books, "When the Game is Over, it all goes Back in the Box" and Everybody's Normal till you get to Know Them". Both good books, easy reading, alot of good stuff. Highly recommend them.

I read 2 books by Margaret Feinberg. She is a popular author for women. "The Organic God" tells of her journey to see God's beauty daily. She asks, "What do you love about Jesus?" That is her way to open up conversations with other women. She maintains that sharing one's faith is a matter of connection, not coercion.
Her other book, "The Sacred Echo" is about prayer.

I recommend any of these 4 books if you are looking for inspiration and growth of your soul in 2010.

I loved reading to my kids when they were young. When they began reading books by themselves, I asked them which ones they would recommend for me to read. It made them think about why they were reading the books they chose and also gave us lots to talk about.

To my surprise, my kids continued to recommend books to me all the way through college!

In 2009, Dan told me about 4 books that I would never have picked up on my own. I learned alot about what he was studying and again gave us some good conversation around the books.

If you are looking for New Year's Resolutions...reading, recording what you read and reading what your kids are reading are 3 good ones to consider!

Bonus**

Here's a Special Weekend Posting!

My husband and I watched a great DVD last night. It's not often we both think a movie is noteworthy.

Gifted Hands is the name of the movie. It is based on the life of Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon. I read his biography awhile back and this movie really captures alot of what he had to overcome in his life to become who he wanted to be.

Pay attention to the strong women in his life.

Let me know what you think when you watch it.