Improvement Reading

Being a stay at home mom, books offer "a peace offering to a hungry mind." I need more than just laundry and wiping noses. Maybe that is why I like homeschooling, because I am using my brain and diving into great books with the kids. Not that there is anything wrong with wiping noises or washing clothes, I am happy to do it. What I am saying is that I personally need more then just those things.

The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer is a treasure trove for me. I actually found myself salivating over her book lists in the second part of her book. Looking forward to reading them, as well as, remembering those I have read. Sometimes we tell ourselves, that this is not our season for such things, but that is not really true. It is just like all the other things in our lives, we have to carve out the time to do it.

I have always struggled with the "nose wiper" job description, leaving my honors behind me. Would my professors be disappointed in me for choosing full time motherhood? It is not that I think it unimportant, but that I miss the intellectualism of a university and motherhood is not usually cast in that sort of light. I suppose that is why I found The Well-Educated Mind's theme of self-education so encouraging. Of course, always remembering that I serve God, not man, helps me to sustain my mom post too. In God's eye's, it is probably one of the best uses of my education and a good reason to continue it in self-study. My faith gives me liberty from the world's good opinion, and lets me focus on the parts of life that have eternal significance, like disciplining my children.

While my faith gives me great purpose in motherhood and homeschooling, I still have to fill that need for intellectualism. For one, finding like-minded moms has helped. In homeschooling circles, I do not have to look far to find another mom who is listening to A Tale of Two Cities while working around the house too. I can find the intellectualism I long for where I am now, if I look for it.

Besides all the "great" books that Bauer suggests, there is the greatest book of all times - the Bible. While wanting to read the works of Charles Dickens is great, studying my Bible must be a higher priority. If I have the yearning for well written works, then I need to seek out books that will increase my knowledge of God. There is such a desire to roll up my sleeves and deeply study His Word. I should remember to make time for it. It will not happen other wise.

YWAM: A Resource for the Mission Minded

When we receive a Youth with a Mission catalog in the mail, I want to staple the whole thing to my reading list. This is one of those things I found on my homeschooling journey. They are not just for homeschoolers, but you will find them at some homeschool conferences. Many curriculums use their Christian Heroes: Then and Now. They make wonderful read alouds. They whole catalog is a wonderful resource for the mission minded family.

For 5 and up they have illustrated rhyming Heroes for Young Readers, which we have been working our way through and have really enjoyed. We have used the activity books, which I would highly recommend using with the books. They have various fun activities to reinforce the lesson learned by that hero. For every hero you construct a remembrance craft to put in a shoe box to remind you of the Godly character that person lived in their life. The books are long for a bouncy child, so either brake it up or give them the coloring page to color while they listen to the story.

It is very important to read the story first, as the reality the missionaries faced is included. So when Nate Saint or Jim Elliot get speared, you may what to be ready to deal with that, especially if you have a deep thinker and/or a sensitive child. When I have used this books with a group of children, I just skip those parts. My children are sensitive, deep thinkers types, but I have left the stories intact for them, and it has been fine. There is always the balance of exposing them to the reality of life, while maintaining their childhood innocence, only the parent can make that call. Since some of my children have experience the fragility of life that thankfully had a positive outcome, I feel that in some ways it has equip them a little better to stomach "life." Since we do not know what our future holds, it is a good idea to not to keep "life" too distant from your child. This will help them in their future trials. Of course, you do not want to terrorize a child either.

There are some great books for adults also, from missionary biographies to missions in your own life. They also carry fiction, Spanish, American heroes , readers, bible studies, curriculum, parenting and homeschooling books as well. Oh, I just want one of everything. Great stuff, hope you find it helpful. Please comment if you have used YWAM before.

FYI the website is found both by .com and .org

101 Titles and Counting

Well, I made my list, though I have not included the mass of missionary biographies I want to read. In my search through my bookshelves, I am ashamed to say that I found 3 books that I had double copies of.

My list is now standing at 164 titles and that is after narrowing it down. I have not even glanced at the manila envelope stuffed with little scraps of paper scribbled with book titles and ISBN numbers from this past year when I worked at the Christian bookstore.

Time is short, and I will not be typing out the list on the blog. I had handwritten my list, and my hand ached for 2 days. However, I will write a review when I finish a book. Happy Reading!

Good Stewardship: books and resources

Books and Resources

• America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams by Steve and Annette Economides http://www.americascheapestfamily.com/

Lots of U Tube videos (link to videos from their website)

Great chapters on budgeting, saving and getting out of debt – Very practical and realistic

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

http://www.daveramsey.com/home/

Great debt free living book

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• The Duggars: 20 and counting! By Michelle and Jim Duggar

www.duggarfamily.com and http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/duggars/

Great testimony of debt free living and good money saving tips

If you lose your recipe for homemade laundry soap, you can find it at their website under recipes!

• Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning by Deirdre Imus

  Easy to implement with good information, excluding her conspiracy theories :-)

1^st volume in a series

There are a few Christian “green” books too, just haven't read them yet.

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely

www.savingdinner.com - She has a few other cookbooks as well

Weekly dinner menu plans based on seasons on a healthy, whole food diet

Simple and easy dinners that taste good and are cheap

It even includes easy sides suggestions.

• Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey by Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler

  www.thekrazycouponlady.com

  Excellent book on how to do couponing, and fun to read

One Hundred and One Titles

There a lot of books I want to read, especially before my kids grow up - since their purpose is to educated my on parenting or homeschooling. There are also a lot of other books I want to about Christianity and my walk with God. And on it goes.

Recently I have been watching the latest movie version of Jane Austin's book Emma, and there is a part where Emma, in an effort to improve herself, makes a list of 101 titles of books she intends to read. I want to make a list for myself, so I do not miss a book piled under all the other books around here.

From you, I would like to recommend some titles to add to my list. What are some books you want to read? What books have you read that were excellent, that have impacted your life? Have you read any good books lately that would be helpful to a Christian, homeschooler or mom? They can be fiction or non-fiction. The Bible is an obvious answer, of course, and I have read all of Austin's works - so do not be a smarty and list Emma as one :-)