Book Review ~ Amish Values for Your Family

This book is for readers who long for strong families that know how to truly enjoy life together, there is much to learn from the Amish. Values like community, forgiveness, simple living, obedience, and more can be your family legacy--without selling your car, changing your wardrobe, or moving out to farm country.

In Amish Values for Your Family, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher shows how you can adopt the wisdom of the Amish when it comes to family matters. In this inspiring and practical book readers will find charming true stories interlaced with solid, biblical advice about parenting, marriage, and all aspects of family life. As readers get an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of real Amish families, they will learn to prioritize what's truly important, simplify decision-making, slow down as a family, safeguard time together, and let go when the time comes.

My thoughts:

This was truly an easy, inspiring, and encouraging read. I have always been attracted to the Amish simple life style. Not that I have ever wanted to actually become Amish, but simply I marvel at their strong family values by living with less.  I really want my family to engage in a simple life centered around God.

The Amish Values for Your Family is written in simple terms and offers practical suggestions to enhance your family values at the end of each short chapter. I was encouraged by the chapter, Laundry Days.  The dedicated mother chose to continue washing her families laundry by hand rather than using a washing machine.  She valued that precious time because she prayed for each of her children during her laundry day.  Being a mother of 6 children, I often have loads of laundry and many tedious tasks that I tackle each day.  Praying to my Heavenly Father for my dear children puts a whole new light on my chores.

About the Author:

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.

Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life.

When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Suzanne can be found on-line here.

Pondering on the Amish Proverbs in the beginning of each chapter is thought-provoking.  Also, words from the Amish themselves is intriguing and fill of wisdom. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is longing to live simple and practical.  A book full of wisdom and discernment from a biblical standpoint.  Great read for new families just starting out, too.  

Enter 8/15 - 8/31!

See what others think about this charming book, click here.    Interested?  Purchase here.

I received a free copy of Amish Values for Your Family from Litfuse in order to give you my honest opinion of it.

2011-2012 school year is in session.....

School is in session!  Many things to encounter and ponder on this year.  Our spine is the Wisdom booklets.  Our goal is to complete #3-8 this 2011-2012 school year.  We are loving the Wisdom Booklets and are growing spiritually and academically as a family.  A true blessing in our homeschool. 

Wisdom Booklets ~   for grades 5-9 and loosely with Grade 1

Grade 8 and  9 ~ my baby is in High School...
Making Math Meaningful ~ Level 6 and Algebra
Character Quality Language Arts ~ Green Series, Level B
Progeny Press Literature Guides ~ they will complete 2 this year and will read several biographies to enforce the Wisdom Booklets.
See the Light
Auto Upkeep with our homeschool group

Grade 5
Language Lessons for the Elementary Child
Spelling by Sound
Just Write 2
A Reason for Handwriting
Progeny Press Literature Guide , Pathway Readers, and reading several chapter books
Making Math Meaningful ~ completing Level 3 and 4

The boys are very active in 4H and each will complete a record book at the end of the school year.  They are also involved in the book club that meets monthly.  We read the book assigned as a read a loud during lunch time. 

Grade 1
Christ Centered Curriculum ~ completing B and will start C ~ I LOVE this phonics program!
Rays Arithmetic ~ Primary
A Reason for Handwriting
Heart of Dokota ~ using very loosly
Draw Write Now
RightStart Math Game

Pre K
Preschool ABC Series

And lots of Nature Reading books to browse during Book Basket Time daily.  I want to dedicate Fridays for Nature Notebooking for the little ones when the weather permits.  Also, we sing and dance to bible songs and read Leading Little Ones to God every morning.  The Princess dances like a hoot!

WFMW ~ a clean room....

Call it whatever you wish, bribery, disciplining or parenting.  Whatever suits your fancy, but it works wonders for me.

 All 5 of my boys share the spacious loft upstairs bka, "The Man Cave."  We recently moved into this home, so sharing one bedroom amongst all 5 of them was a painful adjustment to say the least.  The older ones were complaining that the little ones were slobs.   Imagine that?

Oh yes, I am taking credit for this one.....

I have a "deal" with the 3 younger ones....

If their room is "mommy" cleaned before supper, they each get a Popsicle after Sissy goes to bed.  However, there are several stipulations...

*  I will remind them only once about 30 minutes before serving time

*  There will be no fighting, yelling, choking, spitting, or whining during clean up

*  Everyone must do their share

* An older sibling will inspect before supper begins

VIOLA.......Their room is always clean, organized, and perfect before supper!

Can I hear an AMEN or two!

What bribery compromise works for you and your children?

Visit We Are That Family for more genius ideas.

The true joy of my motherhood.....

I've been pondering and reflecting on the last 6 months..... There have been praises, blessings, major changes, disappointments, and confusion, but one thing remains so true to my heart.  I adore having my 6 children at home with me every day.  Do I encounter disappointments and confusions in my season of motherhood?  Absolutely!  But the latter side of the coin, is incredible joy!  

We live in such a fallen world today where children are view as burdens, costly, and time consuming.  I agree with the third point, yes, children are time consuming.  If you train your child in the way he shall go, most of your time will revolt around your children.  Whether it is wiping a runny nose, spanking a bottom, or simply holding a child when a family pet expires, it takes your time.  No denials there.

My dh and I have made a vow to trust the Lord with our family size.  We have been mocked and been called crazy, irresponsible, and ignorant even in our own home.  I would be denying the fact that their comments do not stir hurt or pain.  It does.  It's not so much their secular opinion of me that dives deep, but when looking at my children, my heart aches.  Each one of our blessings is unique and wonderfully made.  They were created in His image.  Don't get me wrong, my children are greatly loved outside our immediate family which is a true blessing.  But to think that we are foolish to have so many children, confuses me.  Which child was the foolish decision?

I often hear friends say they can't afford to have any more children and have voluntarily discontinued fertility at 2 children, which seems to be the popular norm in America.  I agree most families can't afford to have more children if they continue to reside in their current lifestyle.  Most choose the luxurious house with all the latest gadgets, but it seems relatively odd to me that most aren't home enough to enjoy their possessions because they are too busy running their children to soccer, ballet, play practice and whatever their neighbor kids are partaking in.  Which in deed,  cost money. None of these things are necessarily wrong, but one must know moderation which seems to be the culprit to the dysfunctional family values today.

We have elected to live a simple life by choice not by foolishness.  We have chosen to value life rather than things. We have made the decision not to own new cars, to live in a over sized home , and not hug Mickey Mouse every year, but have chosen to welcome each new blessing into our family.  Just simple living by seeking His will for our lives.  I find joy in spending time with my children in our simple home every day guided by the Spirit.  It's a choice.

This is the true joy of my motherhood. 

1John 1:15-17 has been on my heart in the last few weeks of pondering...

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Summer of Purpose 2011

 I want this summer to be a summer of purpose.  I want us to indulge in intriguing books, play challenging games together, swim, hang outside after supper with the animals, eat ice cream, soak into family type movies, gain intellect,  grow in spiritually wisdom and maturity, and to just relax with one another. Just simply enjoying the gift of being part of a large family. 

Kat over at Inspired to Action has written a wonderful post, A Summer of Purpose, which includes a My Summer Goals chart.  I am requiring my crew to make 3 goals: an academic goal, a spiritual goal, and a goal of interest.  Our summer of purpose will start on June 1st and end August 31.  So we have 3 months to reach our goals.

Of course, I am going to be part of this challenge.  You know I love a challenge.  Oh yea, baby!  Count me in!

My Summer 2011 Goals

Memorize Psalm 51

Lose 20 lbs 

Learn how to make a spreadsheet

These are going to be HUGE challenges for me.  

But I LOVE a challenge!  We will have some sort of family celebration at the end of August to show off our accomplishments.

Are you going to make Summer 2001 a summer of purpose?

Book Review ~ An Amish Love

I was delighted to receive in the mail , An Amish Love, to read for pure enjoyment from BookSneeze. I was attracted to the Amish romance novella because it included three novellas in one.  Healing Hearts, A Marriage of the Hear, and What the Heart Sees.  All the stories were written by different authors, but they worked together to intertwine some of the characters and settings.

It was a simple, enjoyable read for me.  I do not read much fiction, but really savored reading this book before going to bed.  I appreciated reading about the old-fashioned courtship principle because my dh and I are strongly counseling our children on this idea rather than the traditional dating concept. All authors recognized the true commitment of marriage as sacred.

I recommend  An Amish Love to anyone who is looking for a pure, simple, Christian romance that doesn't require engaged thinking.  Truly a relaxing read.

My early morning routine....

I do earnestly try to have some sort of routine to maximize my date with The King.  However, it must start the night before.

The night before I do the following things...

* make sure my Keurig is filled with water and power is on

* place my bible, journal, and my disciple notebook, headphones and pencil on my end table

*plug in my net book

* put a load of laundry in the washer with a delayed setting (love this feature)

*place socks and tennis shoes in bathroom

*set alarm on phone

*really, really try to be in bed not asleep by 9:30 reading

My Morning Routine....

* wake up, bathroom, get coffee (first things first)

* listen to 3-5 worship songs that are on my net book

*fill out my prayer notebook page

*work on laundry(remember I already have 1 load washed)

* prayer time

*devotion time along with bible reading

*check email

*make breakfast for the family and family devotion

*work on laundry

*exercise

* school

My mornings don't always go as plan, but over the years I have worked on not getting discouraged and to just strive on implementing my plan the next morning. Things happen and I must face them graciously.  Ouch!  Did I just say that?  Also, I realize that my routine will change depending on what season I am in.  For example, when I have a nursing baby, he or she is sharing my morning time with me.  In fact, watching the sun rise while nursing a little one has become one of my fondest memories of motherhood.  

I really need to arise at 5:30 instead of 6:00 in order to get my exercise plan in before the children wake up.  I am working on this, but haven't excelled yet.

So what is your morning routine to maximize your morning devotion?

Away for the weekend..

This past weekend I was extremely blessed to be ministered by Nancy Campbell and her girls!  All I can say is, Wow!  This was my 3rd Above Rubies retreat and definitely won't be my last.  I love the fellowship with like-minded ladies who strongly believe in their ministry of motherhood.  I do believe it is such an imperative calling to train our children in the Lord.  How blessed I am to be the mommy to our 5 boys and The Princess.  I love them dearly and pray each day for the Holy Spirit to fill my heart with love and discernment in raising my children to love Jesus.  What a privilege He has bestow upon me.  

I look forward each quarter in receiving the free magazine, Above Rubies.  It is filled with an enormous amount of Godly encouragement for the mother.   I order a bundle of them to pass out to friends and to leave at doctors offices.  It's my little ministry.  

Have you been to an Above Rubies retreat?

WFMW ~ Manners

A mom's favorite last words, "Where are your manners?" 

We found this little gem of a book, Manners Made Easy For the Family, and read one little page each night along with our evening devotion.  The book includes 365 Timeless etiquette tips for every occasion.  Everyone is gleaning good manners and habits from just spending 5 minutes a day, including Mommy and Daddy! I love the scripture reference at the end of each page, too. 

How do you promote proper manners in your children?

Thank you We Are that Family for hosting WFMW.

The Veggie Dilema...

The Princess was very fond of eating her veggies when she first started eating "food."  However, once I started giving her the good stuff, such as, meat, cheese, fruits, etc., she refused to eat her veggies.  I tried many different tactics...giving her veggies, first, cooking different varieties, and I even resorted to putting a little sea salt on the veggies.  NOPE, nothing seemed to spark her veggie taste buds.  

Refusing to raise a picky non-eating veggie eater, I prayerfully offered up my request to our Heavenly Father.  The Princess loves veggies...RAW VEGGIES!  She loves carrots, red bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, and snow peas. 

All is good in at the Craft Family Table.  Amen!

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

1Chronicles  16:11

          

Adiding Mom....

I have dealt with perfectionist blues for years as a mother with children.  I am much better than what I used to be a decade ago.  But still need improvement.  The area I strive to be perfect is in the cleanliness and order of my home.  I GET MY PANTIES IN A WAD when my house is not looking acceptable in my eyes.  You know that saying....If mama aint happy, no ones happy!  That is my 'reality' motto...AND I so don't want to live out that selfish motto any longer!  Living with 6 children and a dh in one home does not equal a perfect looking home.  I found this chart that I am printing out and placing all over the house to encourage me when my house isn't looking like a model home.

Super Mom	Abiding Mom
Does	Is (Psalm 46:10)
Tries to impress others	Pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10, Proverbs 29:25)
Is controlled by an agenda (curriculum, schedule, etc)	Is controlled by the Holy Spirit: (Gal. 5:22-26) (Uses curriculum & schedules as tools for orderliness so she's more free to follow the spirit)
Her self worth is found in her accomplishments (clean house, perfect kids, the perfect bulletin boards, etc.)	Her self worth is found in an accurate view of who she is in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10)
Her peace is found in the “perfect” environment	Her peace is found in Jesus in the midst of any storm (Is 26:3)
She is discouraged by failure	Failure reminds her that God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
She expects perfection from herself and others	She practices grace with herself and others (Eph 4:32)
She teaches her kids to be good	She teaches her kids to be Godly (Proverbs 22:6)
She is frustrated with her lack of spiritual fruit	She abides in Christ and bears much fruit (John 15:5)
She does things with her children	She builds a relationship with her children (Deut 6:6-7)
Her perspective is based on what is seen	Her perspective is based on what is unseen (Col 3:2)
She chooses quantity of activities	She chooses the most excellent Way (I Cor 13

Thanks to Abiding Mom for putting together this constant reminder that I can have freedom and joy in Him alone, not by being a super mom with a model home.  It's all in my attitude.

Click here for a printable for your home.

I want to be an ABIDING MOM, what about you?

Our new Journey....

After many months of prayer, extensive research, and talking with various ATI families the Lord led us to join ATI.  My dh discovered the Wisdom Booklets a few years ago and was extremely impress with it's in depth academic content surrounded by biblical principles.  Admittedly, I snared.  I love the principle approach with lots of chronological history.  However, I continued to find fault consisting of evolution resources in our selected curriculums.  Not so much by the means of supporting evolution, but more in their selective literature and suggested resources.  My dh and I have agreed to not permit any book, movie,or entertainment that is not pleasing to God in our house.  We believe that the Wisdom Booklets are helpful tools in training our children to live righteous lives centered around Him.  What's so exciting to me is the mere fact that I can implement the principle approach while utilizing the Wisdom Books. I feel so blessed to be able to teach my children at home His Word everyday.  What a privilege!

I will share our joy, spiritual growth, and wisdom along the way as we see the Spirit fill our hearts during this new exciting journey.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God  may be competent, equipped for every good work.

II Timothy 3:16-17

Review ~ Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids

Are you one of those moms that is always on the look out for biblical sound, informative, kid-friendly bible resources?  If so, you need to add, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids  on your book shelf of references. I voluntarily agreed to review and check out this beautiful illustrated bible dictionary for the publisher, Lifeway Christian Store.  This has been an asset to our family for the past weeks.

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids features 750 essential bible words with kid-friendly definitions, a helpful pronunciation system(even helpful for Mommy, too), alternative spellings for words from the KJV, and 500 full color photos, illustrations, reconstructions, and easy readable maps.

We thoroughly enjoyed the special features that are included in this delightful resource.  Included are these incredible, easy to read charts, such as, Names of God, 12 Apostles, 10 Plagues on Egypt, and so many more.  My boys spent hours looking through the different charts.  Even Dh was impressed with the special features.  

The recommended ages for the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids  is from 5-10 years of age.  However, I believe the entire family can benefit from this resource.  My ds3 and ds6 were intrigued with just browsing through the pages during our family devotion one evening.  When studying the life of Jonah , we easily looked up Joppa and located it on a map that was included in the book.  A better understanding of Jonah's travels came from actually locating Joppa on the map.  Also, there is an interesting 2 paged spread titled Animals in the Bible.  I had my ds14, ds12, and ds9 research and complete a notebook page of one of the bible animals of choice.  This resource is great for promoting dictionary skills. There are countless ways you can utilize this book.

Check out a sample of this book here. Isn't it lovely?

One of the most impressive aspects of The Holmans Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids is the illustrator uses real life pictures or real life drawings.  I do not appreciate when children bibles or references include cartoons.  Also, I found the colored letter tabs very helpful in locating my word of choice. 

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids can be purchased at Lifeway Christian Store here.  It is a whole lotta book for 14.99.  It is a gem for teaching your children how to research bible topics in a kid-friendly way.  Lifeway Christian Store promotes many other resources here.

To read what my crew mates thought of this beautiful bible dictionary, click here!

I received for  free a  The Holmans Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids  for the purpose of writing an honest review. No other compensation was given.

Cowboys 4th Birthday

The cutest cowboy I know turns 4 today.  Celebrating this morning with Strawberry Cake for breakfast(a tradition in our family), playing and eating lunch at Chick fil a, and playing, playing and playing with all his farm toys is how Cowboy anticipates enjoying his special day.

It melted my heart to witness the homemade cards and little gifts his big bubbas served him today.  Cowboy is truly a sweetheart.

Happy

4th

Birthday, Cowboy!

My Baby is 14

14 years ago, my life changed forever. A love that I never knew existed, a love for a child.  The most precious day of my life. Seems like yesterday, I was holding the cutest lil' baby while gazing at the snow silently falling from the hospitable window.  I was in awe of His grace. It's been a joy watching him take his first step, learning to ride a bike, and most importantly turning into a man of God.  So many treasured moments.  I'm grateful for the years I have been blessed raising him up and look forward to experiencing the next milestones with him.

Happy 14th Birthday!

It's all about.....

The Princess today!  Joy, gratitude, amazement, sadness, and even a bit of selfishness are fluttering in my heart today. The Princess has turned one!  No matter how hard I tried to stop the clock, she managed to wake up smiling on her first special day!  A bit of sadness pricks my heart, I no longer have a nursing infant, but a curious daughter who is anxious to experience what each day encounters rain or shine.  From cheerios to baby dolls or just simply dancing in her room with me, she makes me smile.  A year ago, God blessed us with The Princess.

 The Princess woke up to receive her very first birthday presents. Daddy is pushing the farm girl thing just a bit too far Mommy thinks.  "Brothers were exasperated that  I received a pink Daisy on my first birthday, considering Mommy has a NO GUN Policy!"  

"Thinking this could come in handy when my Bubbas' are taking too long in the bathroom."

"The Boys pushing me in my new wagon. After all, I'm the one with the gun!"

Not digging the birthday hat one bit!

Just to clarify, I still stand strong on the NO GUN policy( a whole different post someday).  It was so funny to see the boys faces though!

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)

Getting ready for Christmas....

The Princess was getting a "feel" for Christmas Day.  Checking out the gifts...  And she was not peeking....  Not The Princess....

The Princess is "officially" ready for Christmas morning!

 

Have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the miraculous birth of our Savior! 

Isaiah 9: 6

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The Truth is the Truth

I have been pondering my thoughts on how to tactfully write this post, but realized that the Truth is the Truth.  We are one of those parents who deny our children Santa.  We give our children presents, but call them family gifts.  We emphasize we give gifts because God gave us the most precious gift of them all.  No gift can measure up to His reward.

As Christians, we train our children that Christmas Day is the day we choose to honor the miraculous birth of Jesus and that this alone calls for a celebration. Sadly, the world has slowly endorsed Santa Claus as a compliment to Christmas, making him the focus of the Christmas season. Unfortunately, I have become offended by this invasion of the truth for several reasons.

My words are not meant to discourage anyone who celebrates Christmas with Santa, but just to explain our reasoning for telling our children the truth.  I know plenty of families that are strong believers who acknowledge Santa, and I love them dearly.  This is a very controversial issue and I respect others take on Santa, but not necessarily agree with them all.The Lord delivers messages to His children according to His plan and to the extent that they can comprehend and live out each portion of the plan.This is the season we are in today.

Reasons why we tell our children the TRUTH

I longed for Christmas Day as a child, not to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but because I received wonderful anticipated, expected gifts.  Yes, I heard the Christmas Story, but I never really understood or should I say appreciated the true meaning of Christmas until I was a saved adult.  So Santa was considered an idol for me.  I had no intention of breaking one of the commandments.  And most citizens ,even Christians, wouldn't say this is anything out of the norm.  But, I was truly saddened when my ds 4 at the time told me that Santa brings him better gifts than Jesus.   There was no one else to blame but myself.  Unintentionally, I was creating an idol for my children.   "You shall have no other Gods before Me."  Ex 20:3

Another reason why we deny the belief of Santa is Santa is NOT REAL!  My children have been told the origin of Santa Claus, yet know how far fetched the true story has become. All the paraphernalia that goes along with Santa is NOT real!  We made a vow to never lie to our children.  A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will perish. Proverbs 19:19

There are many other reasons why we do not promote Santa.  None really worth mentioning except the following one.  We are following God's direction in this matter, despite the negative reactions from friends or family.  I was enlightened today when Grace emailed me this verse in an unrelated email...For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10

Call me "Scrooge, " or "A legalistic" if you will, but one verse continues to come to my mind...Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  John 3:36

This issue of Santa pertaining to our home comes down to really one true consideration ... Do I want to be obedient to Christ.  He is the one I have to answer to, not the secular world.  I'm not expecting you to be convicted in the same way, but respect me solely that I am following God's Will in this decision for our children.

May you truly enjoy the reason for the season.  And marvel in the greatest story of them all, Luke 2.  A Savior has been Born!

WFMW ~ Hiding Gifts

Hiding gifts has never been a challenge for my dh and I. We don't actually do the Santa thing, but we still buy gifts for our children.  We call them family gifts. We put all the unwrapped gifts in trash bags in the garage. Of course, you must inform your spouse that it is not garbage. One idea to distinguish gifts from garbage is to use a different color bag than you usually buy for your garbage. We use black in our kitchen, so we purchase white trash bags.  This system has yet to fail us. However, I always mark in my Christmas notebook what I have bought to avoid over buying.  I do wrap all the gifts and put under the Christmas tree sometime before Christmas.  This way we don't have to wait up all night on Christmas Eve before our anticipating children fall asleep. 

This works for me, what works for you each Christmas season?

Check out We are that Family for more creative and interesting tips.

The Princess ~ 8 months

Puts Marsha Brady to shame.....

Doesn't she look adorable?  Even Daddy thought she looked spiffy in these far out pants.  The Princess is now ready to indulge in a hearty steak.  She has 1 toothy!  And sitting up and desperately trying to crawl.