Great Products Tshirt Review and Giveaway!!

I was recently contacted by Great Products to do a review and giveaway of one of their tshirts.  I debated on whether to get one of the awesome shirts they have for moms or to get one for Nate...  I figured most of my other giveaways have been ones that related to me, so I decided to let him pick one.  He was so excited to browse the wide selection of cool t-shirt designs but he picked the one that I had predicted he would.

If you can't read it, it says "Homeschooler by day, Ninja by night".  I mean, what 8yr old boy doesn't want to be a ninja?  ;-) Nate loves his shirt and would wear it every day if I didn't have to wash it every couple of days! Seriously.

I was impressed with a lot of the cool designs that Great Products has available.  They have Christian and homeschool specific designs too.  And the prices were surprisingly affordable!  Especially with their $5.99 tshirt special going on right now!


So,  don't miss out on this Labor Day giveaway!  There are several ways you can enter to win a Great Products T-Shirt via the Rafflecopter below.  Giveaway ends at midnight on Labor Day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*the shirt was given to us in exchange for the review/giveaway but the opinions shared are my own.

UnWired Mom Challenge Update...

Well, I've been doing Sarah Mae's UnWired Mom 14-Day Challenge to help me be an active participant in my children's day.  I had gotten into the habit of turning to avoidance when things got hard.  I'd waste hours doing nothing on the computer just to get a bit of respite from the chaos around me.  But I know its not what God intended for me, for our family.  So, I am working on changing my habits.

It is 2013, there are things that I need to do on the computer.  But I am doing my best to limit my computer time to those things and not to disappearing into a cloud of craft blog posts.  ;-)

Frankly, its been hard!  Old habits are hard to break and I find myself slipping often.  I've been doing a pretty good job during the day but as soon as the kids are in bed I plop myself down at the computer and avoid the housework that I should be catching up on or even the reading I could be doing.  I am working on it and will continue to do so.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.  1 Corinthians 10:13

UnWired Mom Challenge

Recently Nate told me that he thinks I spend "um, like 70, no 75% of your day on the computer... sigh...".  While  he's clearly exaggerating, as kids often do... I know I've gotten into the bad habit of spending too much time online.  Its easy to have a legitimate reason to get on the computer (quick check of the email, look up a gluten-free recipe, etc) and then get distracted by this or that and end up on the computer for an hour or more.  Obviously, I have many more important things that I should be spending my time on. 

I want to tame the beast and find a balance in how I spend my time.  Part of the reason its a hard habit to kick is because as a SAHM the internet is often my connection to the world.  Frankly sometimes I use it as an escape.  When I'm having a really frustrating day its easier to lose myself in mindless surfing the web than it is to face the chaos around me.  But I know it is not good for me or my family for me to spend so much of my time this way.  I want to be more deliberate about making actual face-to-face connections happen with my friends, catching up on things that have fallen behind (ahem - housework...), reading more books (both to the kids and for myself), and just playing with my kids more.  We will all benefit if I make a few changes.

Its for those reasons that for the next two weeks I am joining Sarah Mae and other moms in a quest to kick our internet habit and be more intentional moms.  She has put together the UnWired Mom 14-Day Challenge to help and encourage moms to not be consumed by the internet.  We're not alone... join with other moms who are struggling too.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 - See more at: http://sarahmae.com/2013/08/join-the-unwired-mom-challenge/#sthash.qUoq8Jjg.dpuf

The UnWired Mom Challenge is not a stay-off-your-computer-for-two-weeks challenge. It’s a challenge to help you try and break some habits and come up with a vision for living free and whole and un-addicted while still enjoying the benefits of the Internet. - See more at: http://sarahmae.com/2013/08/the-unwired-mom-14-day-challenge-begins-today/#sthash.IA693GD9.dpuf

The UnWired Mom Challenge is not a stay-off-your-computer-for-two-weeks challenge. It’s a challenge to help you try and break some habits and come up with a vision for living free and whole and un-addicted while still enjoying the benefits of the Internet.

- See more at: http://sarahmae.com/2013/08/the-unwired-mom-14-day-challenge-begins-today/#sthash.IA693GD9.dpuf

The UnWired Mom Challenge is not a stay-off-your-computer-for-two-weeks challenge. It’s a challenge to help you try and break some habits and come up with a vision for living free and whole and un-addicted while still enjoying the benefits of the Internet.

- See more at: http://sarahmae.com/2013/08/the-unwired-mom-14-day-challenge-begins-today/#sthash.IA693GD9.dpuf

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Well Planned Day Giveaway

Well, whether we like it or not we have to give some thought to what the fall semester will hold for our family's home school.  I have been working on getting a plan together for Nate's upcoming third grade year.

We have used Heart of Dakota since Nate started pre-K.  It is a great choice for beginner homeschool families because it has every day preplanned for you so there is not a lot of lesson planning, which can be very intimidating at first.

But we felt it was time for a change for us.  So the new school year's daily routine will look a little differently than last year's.  I am planning on using Singapore Math 3a&b (its what we have been using since be started homeschooling and we have really liked it), All About Spelling (heard great things from other families and we're going to try it out for the first time this year), and Nate will also be doing Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool for the rest of his subjects (science, English, history, bible & music). I've blogged about Easy Peasy before when sharing free homeschool resources.  It is a curriculum using nearly all free online resources from one homeschool mom.  I think Nate will really enjoy having school on the computer and I will like having most of the planning already done for me.  ;-)

Every family is different and each child is as well.  What works for one homeschool family may not be the best choice for another.  Its good to have a plan but its also a good idea to be flexible and be willing to make changes to your plan if you need to.  Curriculum Choice has a good post on How to Make an Overall Plan for The Year.  The Clutter-Free Classroom posted tips for planning short and long term goals.

Since I'm doing some mixing & matching with our curriculum this year its not all laid out for me in a teacher's guide as it has in the past.  I am going to have to be more diligent about planning and managing our school days.  A great way to organize your lesson planning and family schedule is with the Well Planned Day homeschool family planner.

Organize your busy days all in one place with this beautifully-designed planner. The Well-Planned Day is a family homeschool organizer, designed especially for moms. This effective, yet easy-to-use format will ensure that each day at your home is smooth and profitable.

I am new to Well Planned Day myself but I found this post from a fellow homeschool mom on how she uses her WPD planner to be very helpful.  She goes through and shows you exactly how she uses the planner to schedule and record family activities and homeschool information effectively and keep their schedule and school organized. I am looking forward to using it for our family's upcoming school year!

The flexibility of The Well-Planned Day is one of its greatest assets. - See more at: http://hedua.com/blog/how-i-use-the-well-planned-day-planner/#sthash.EDWWQWNw.dpuf

Now for the fun part!!  One lucky Wani's World reader will win their own Well Planned Day family homeschool planner.  Check out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



This is a sponsored giveaway that includes affiliate links.   But all opinions are my own.  Thanks!  ;-)

Cooking Day!

Over the last while my mom and I have gotten in to the habit of occasionally sending a meal to one another.  We'll just make double of whatever we are making for our own family and share, no fanfare, just our way of showing our love and appreciation.  After seeing this pattern developing we started to discuss the idea of doing a cooking day and making a bunch of meals together in one afternoon.  We kept putting it off because we were busy but couple of weeks ago my mom and sisters and I finally had our cooking day! 

 

Because my friend and my sister are both living at my parents' house right now we have the unique advantage of having five cooks in three households.  So each cook chose a meal and brought the ingredients to my mom's house.  We had two meals going at a time and we all pitched in to help with chopping and mixing and doing dishes along the way.

 After our afternoon's work we all went home with six meals: BLT Pasta, White Chili with corn meal dumplings, Chicken Pot Pie, Baked Penne, Meat Loaf, and Chicken Lo Mein w/ fried rice. We are all enjoying our tasty meals one at a time!  Looking forward to doing another one sometime soon!

 

Here are a couple of links that were helpful when planning our cooking day:

Twin Cities Supper Swappers

 Six Sisters' Stuff - 20 Tried and True Freezer Meals

Meal Planning Magic - How to Start a Freezer Meal Exchange Group

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations” - Oscar Wilde

 

Stationery Card

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Guest Post by Kristin Hill Taylor

I am excited to have a guest poster on the blog today.  Her name is Kristin and we met on facebook via the No More Perfect Moms launch team group.  She was gracious to have me guest post on her blog a couple days ago and I'm happy to have her here now.  So looking forward to getting to know her and learn from one another! 


Our heater had to be replaced so everything from that closet was piled elsewhere in the basement. I had moved my 3-year-old boy to his new room, which prompted purging of one hallway closet and his old closet, rearranging his new closet which is so large it’s really still a family closet, and sorting through clothes that don’t fit my growing boy anymore. That all created separate piles to consign and give away.

There were crumbs from various past meals still lingering under the table, which had some sticky spots leftover from my boy’s fingerprints from choosing not to use his fork. Recyclables filled one side of my sink while dirty dishes awaited my attention in the other. Really, why do I put off unloading the dishwasher when it takes about seven total minutes?

Both my kids had various pairs of shoes and socks scattered like a trail through the living room. A basket of cleaned and folded clothes sat near our bedroom door and plenty of dirty clothes waited for their turn in the washing machine.

I had forgotten to thaw something for dinner. It’s nice having meals already prepared in the freezer, but, um, they don’t cook themselves. My family wanted butter for their rolls, but I had used the last of it the day before and I wasn’t going to the grocery store for one condiment.

The new-to-me minivan had a flashing light on the dashboard that was telling me a sophisticated tire pressure monitoring system needed attention. Thankfully, my tires were fully aired up. Yes, I checked, even after my husband told they were fine. And more than a week after my dentist put a crown on one of my back teeth I was having sporadic but intense pain.

While observing this and trying not to think about how I just didn’t feel great, I said to my husband, “This house will never been clean again.”

Without hesitation, he said, “That’s alright.”

Then I realized he didn’t reassure me cleanliness and organization that meet my often-too-high standards would happen. But he did reassure me that my worth as a wife and mom wasn’t found in my housekeeping habits.

The crumbs will get swept. The piles will be organized and given and stored. Our heater is fixed and those dishes have been unloaded so others could be loaded. The laundry is a never-ending cycle, but, hey, I love these people who need to be clothed.

I had thought Jill Savage wrote “No More Perfect Moms” for me. But I soon realized I’m not alone in needing to be reminded to let go. Her words have echoed what God had already been speaking into my heart.

“We can’t be perfect parents, but we can act in partnership with a perfect God. There is peace, hope, and expectancy in that statement.” {From “No More Perfect Moms” by Jill Savage}

While embracing imperfection, I’m seeing how God perfects me through the ordinary moments that don’t go like I see them with my no-good perfectionist ways. We won’t be perfect in this lifetime, but we are being refined and matured and strengthened and made into versions of ourselves that reflect the creator of the universe.

Seems like a perfect partnership to me.

 

Kristin Hill Taylor lives in Murray, Ky., with her husband, Greg, and two kids – 5-year-old Cate and 3-year-old Ben. She can often be found trying to beat her husband in Words with Friends, playing games of Settlers of Catan with her best friends, watching “Parenthood” or “Bones,” listening to her daughter’s stories, reminding her son to be careful, or texting her friends. She believes in taking road trips, living in community, and keeping her camera and iPhone close. You can keep up with her at www.kristinhilltaylor.com or follow on her Twitter.

 

Imperfect Guest Post

Today I have the honor of guest posting at KristinHillTaylor.com - Kristin and I met via the No More Perfect Moms launch team online.  We are eager to share our own imperfect experiences with other moms. Please head on over and check out my guest post on her blog today... and then come on back here on Feb 6th to read Kristin's post.  ;-)

No More Perfect Moms Bonuses!

Ladies... I have been told that there are some awesome bonus gifts that you will get if you order No More Perfect Moms during release week (Feb 4-9).  You can order online or in a store to qualify.  Here is a rundown of the great gifts you'll get for being one of the first to own this powerful book:

6 Sixty Minute Audio Workshops (MP3 format) from Hearts at Home

• Desperate for Wisdom - Dr. Juli Slattery
• How to Fight for Your Marriage - Dr. Juli Slattery
• It is Well with Your Soul - Jennifer Rothschild
• Multiple Intelligences - Dr. Kathy Koch
• Ten Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs - Jill Savage
• The God Who Sees You - Tammy Maltby

4 Printables from Hearts at Home

• 10 Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs
• “Love Is”—I Corinthians 13 for Parents
• Mom Rules
• How to Fight Fair In Marriage

3 Free E-book’s (including PDF, Kindle, iPad, and Nook editions!) from Moody Publishers

• Live Free by Kendra Smiley
• Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larsen
• Real Moms Real Jesus by Jill Savage

1 Contest Entry

You will be entered in a drawing to win hotel accommodations and two Hearts at Home Mom Conference registrations for you and a friend at a conference of your choice! (If unable to attend a conference, a Hearts at Home Conference To-Go will be substituted for the winner and a friend.)

I don't know about you but I am excited to get my hands on those resources!  Motherhood is a hard job and we need all the help we can get!

Ugly Truth

While this is hardly a booming blog... I do find through comments made in person that I have more readers than I would think.  And I know from being an avid blog reader myself that it can be easy to see the pretty pictures and think that a person's house/family/life must be just as pretty and perfect as said pictures... well, its just not true.

I appreciated the post on The Unlikely Homeschool on this topic.  Jamie came clean and reminded her readers that she isn't perfect and what we read on her blog (as well as most others) is just what the blogger wants you to see.  How many blogs show the dirty dishes in their sink, piles of laundry or the ring around their tub?  Not many.

But honestly, we need to show that more.  Our readers... heck, our friends need to know that we are a mess.  That we don't always have it all together.  That our seemingly well-behaved kids are occasionally little dare-devils who disobey and throw tantrums.  Sometimes we are too busy to remember to shower or get to the end of the day are so tired that we would rather leave a sink full of dishes and just veg out on the couch with our husband in the evening...

Here is a pix that I posted on facebook awhile back.  Cute Christmas crafting... right?   But if you look behind the kids you can see my cluttered kitchen counter.  And beneath the table that the kids are sitting at...

This is not an uncommon sight at our house.  Joe and Christine are terribly messy eaters.  I can't bring myself to sweep a half a dozen times a day.  So it often looks just like this. 

There is freedom in sharing those parts of our lives that we often try to keep hidden.  And it creates bonds with people around us because they can then feel comfortable letting us see their secret selves as well.  Relationships are meant to grow and if we do not let our friends see us for who we really are (messiness and all) then our friendships will become stagnant.  So, break out of your shell and have a friend over without cleaning the house first.  Don't be afraid to serve peanut butter and jelly (on tortillas because you're out of bread)... let them in and they'll love you more for it!

 Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

 

Desperate Imperfect Moms

I think it would be safe to say that as moms we all have days when things are overwhelming.  Between keeping up the house and taking care of the kids (and the husband)... its easy to compare ourselves to other moms (real or fake) and become discouraged because we don't feel that we measure up.  I myself fall into this trap far too often.  I enjoy following blogs of other moms and while for the most part that is a harmless act, sometimes my perception gets distorted.  I compare my messy house to a picture perfect one on so-and-so's blog.  Or I feel like a bad mom because I don't have perfectly planned nutritious homemade dishes for every meal.  Or I convince myself that I must be a crappy mom because there must be someone out there doing a better job at it than I am... and then I put on the happy face and tell everyone I'm fine but I'm not because I keep feeding myself those dangerous thoughts that are really just a bunch of poison that sucks the joy out of being a mom and wife.... whew!  Its exhausting just typing all that negativity.  How do we carry on daily life with that filling our heads?

I do not think there is a magic answer to this cycle that myself and many others find ourselves in.  But seeking the wisdom of other, more experienced moms is one thing that I think we can do.  Reaching out within our church or community and finding other mothers to connect with is so important.  Another way to hear from other moms is through the written word.  So many moms are writing books for women like them now.  Because they have been through what we're going through and they know how hard the days (and sometimes nights) can be as a mom.  They want to offer advice and encouragement to help us recapture the joy of motherhood that some of us have lost.

I have two books coming in the mail that I am eager to read and share with other moms.  Hearts at Home's Jill Savage is about to release her newest book: No More Perfect Moms - "Learn to Love your Real Life".  I've read a few of her other books and seen her speak at Hearts at Home conferences.  Jill is so truthful and candid about her experiences (both good and bad) as a wife and mom.  In her book “No More Perfect Moms”, Jill speaks honestly about the pressures we face when society tells us we should have perfect kids, homes, lifestyles and marriages.

The other is written by fellow bloggers Sarah Mae(the mom of young ones) and Sally(the seasoned mother/mentor): Desperate - Hope for Moms who need to Breathe.  Desperate will lead you to hope, refreshing your ideals, while helping and inspiring you as you embrace this profound  journey of motherhood. No formulas or rules to keep, but a relationship, a coffee-talk between two friends, who give life and love to one another amidst the realities of life.


Its time that we stop the cycle.  No more trying to do everything the way everyone else does and hating ourselves when we fail.  No more feeling like nothing I ever do is good enough.  No more facing our struggles alone.  Grab a fellow mom (or more) and share your life.  Whether you choose one of these books or another or none at all, the point is to connect and be transparent with one another and share your trials and joys. Don't be afraid to let your fellow mom see your house when its cluttered and the floor is sticky from grape juice spilled days ago.  Don't be afraid to tell someone that you feel like pulling your hair out and you need a "mommy time out" sometimes.  Don't be afraid to be proud of yourself and your fellow mom for the things that you do right every day.  Don't be afraid to offer a hug and a helping hand to other moms who are going through the trenches of motherhood alongside you.

Practice carrying one other's burdens. In this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2 

 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6


***** I have a copy of Desperate to give away.  Please leave a comment on this post and tell me why you would like a copy.  I will choose a winner on January 25th.  That is my mother-in-law's birthday.  And while she plays the role of practically perfect grandma to my kids and nephews now, I know she was a desperate mom at one time too.  ;-)  ***** This giveaway is over.

Pink Taffy Designs Giveaway

 I love to decorate my kids rooms.  There are so many fun and playful things you can do in a kids room that might not work in other rooms of the home.  One thing that I love to do is have a statement piece spelling out the child's name (or their initials).  I have done this for each of my kids in various ways.

One great way to do this is with wall letters.  Not everyone is a DIYer so its great that there are baby boutique sites that offer the cutest things to help you decorate your baby or kids rooms. Posh Baby Blog is having a giveaway- the winner gets a set of their hand crafted wall letters!  You can enter via the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Surrogacy Story

  I have been following a blog for awhile now that is chronicling the pregnancy/surrogacy of one family.  They are making a documentary of the whole journey.  It has moved me and I want to share it with you as well. 

A few years ago James and Natalie gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  But there were complications with the birth and Natalie ended up needing an emergency hysterectomy.  It was a crushing blow because they had planned on having more children.  James' sister Tiffany's heart went out to them and she graciously offered to be a surrogate so they could have another child!  What a blessing!  Tiffany is currently 25wks pregnant with James' and Natalie's twin boys.  

Here is some info from a recent post by Tiffany:

As most of you may know, we have been filming our entire journey.  My husband has a beautiful eye for film and has been working very hard at capturing what we can.   Unfortunately we have been renting and borrowing equipment, and not having it ready at hand, we are missing great shots to be filming.  We need equipment, we need to pay our crew, pay for sound, music fees, storage and back up etc.  It costs a lot to make a film! 

Here is where we need your support!   By financially backing our film, you are helping this project to be made.  You are making it possible for us to continue to tell our story! 

We have launched a campaign at KickStarter, which is an amazing platform for creative projects to go to and seek their funding.  

Please head over to our campaign, we have lots of awesome rewards if you back us, including the digital download of the movie and even some adorable baby onesies!      

If we do not meet our goal by the end of the deadline, we get NONE of the pledged money.  SO it is really important that you back any amount you can and share with your friends and family! 

Thank you for all of your support!  Here is the link to our campaign:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/531690258/a-belly-for-me-a-baby-for-you

 

 

 

American Bible Challenge

I recently got a press release for the Game Show Network's casting call for The American Bible Challenge.  If my schedule would allow it I would love to do something like this.  So, instead I'll live vicariously through those of you who can.  Check it out!


GSN WANTS YOU FOR “THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE”
Santa Monica, CA – May 15, 2012 – Calling all Bible fans: GSN (Game Show Network) and the creators of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" are looking for you! GSN is currently traveling across America casting contestants who want to have fun and compete to win money for their favorite charity by appearing on THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE, a new game show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. Casting sessions will take place as follows:

Sacramento: May 18th - 19th
Los Angeles: May 18th- June 3rd
Atlanta: May 25th - 26th
Chicago: June 1st - 3rd
Dallas: June 1st - 3rd

GSN is looking for teams of three people who have competitive spirits, great personal testimonies, a familiarity with pop culture—and, of course, an awesome knowledge of the Bible.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate your faith, have fun with your friends, show off your Bible expertise, and potentially make an extraordinary difference to your favorite charity by winning money on its behalf.  CLICK HERE to get more information about the casting call!THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE is a studio-based game show in which contestants compete based on their knowledge of the Bible. Questions will be designed to acknowledge and celebrate the Bible’s continuing importance in contemporary life and culture. The contestants will share their compelling back-stories and each team will be playing for a worthy charity.

Jeff Foxworthy, currently seen on GSN in his role as host of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?, is one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country. He is the largest-selling comedy recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy® Award nominee and bestselling author of more than 26 books. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature, a style that has been compared to Mark Twain’s. Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy recently reunited for “Them Idiots Whirled Tour,” which was filmed as a special for CMT. THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE is produced by RelativityREAL for GSN, with RelativityREAL’s Tom Forman and Embassy Row’s Michael Davies serving as Executive Producers on the project. Nick Stuart and Maura Dunbar of Odyssey Networks are Consulting Producers. Odyssey Networks is the country’s largest multi-faith coalition dedicated to producing and distributing media that creates understanding among people of different beliefs and perspectives. Jeff Foxworthy also serves as Producer with J.P. Williams and Jennifer Novak as Executive Producers.