Beloved Books: Audio Sugar Creek Gang {Review}

 

 

I recently reviewed the Sugar Creek Gang audio series from Beloved Books and we loved it. Our kids listened to this for hours! This is our first audio series to own and it has been a real treat. (Especially considering I had been challenged recently by Sally Clarkson during an audio workshop to have materials like this on hand for children whether you homeschool or not!).

 

The Sugar Creek Gang books were written by Paul Hutchens, a Baptist evangelist whose evangelism ministry was cut short sometime after 1925 when he contracted tuberculosis. It was after that that he began writing The Sugar Creek Gang books and it is directly from these that the audio version is read.

These stories were originally recorded for radio by Paul Ramseyer who was the narrator and producer for this series.

The Sugar Creek Gang takes place during one-room schoolhouse days and is about a group of young boys who are all friends and the daily adventures that life takes them on. The simpleness of days gone by is refreshing to hear about and it thrills this Momma's soul to hear the Gospel so clearly woven into these stories. It is a blessing to have our children hear how these boys and their families lived their faith out.

These CDs are particularly interesting to our children because the adventures always included fishing, swimming or life on the farm--all things that our children love hearing about.

The kids are always eager to listen to more of this. I have a feeling we'll be needing to get subsequent volumes someday. (There are 6 in all.) That means hours and hours of great story time for you and your children! We love to listen to ours during breakfast and lunch or while we're just working in the kitchen.

Each volume in The Sugar Creek Gang retails for $54.95. Volume 1 includes the following stories: The Swamp Robber, The Killer Bear, The Winter Rescue, The Lost Campers, The Chicago Adventure and The Secret Hideout. There are 12 CDs in each volume and I believe an hour's worth of listening time on each CD.

If you'd like to sample the story first, you may purchase one story here for $4.95 and it includes free shipping.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

What to Do When You Doubt

 

Photo Credit: Blessings Unlimited

It'd be silly for me to ask if you have ever doubted God, because I'm sure most of us, if we're honest, have. Perhaps we doubted His goodness, or His love, or His power. Or perhaps we've even doubted whether or not He exists.

Hebrews 11:6 "It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him."

So what do you do when you doubt God? Is there anything you should do? I would wholeheartedly say yes...even when your heart doesn't want to do anything about the doubt.

I have found in my own life that when doubt starts creeping in, it is usually an indication that I have not been spending sufficient time in God's Word. Much like a weather vane that yields itself to the direction of the wind, there is something comforting about aligning myself with the direction of the wind the Spirit is blowing in my life.

Peace comes when the arrow of my heart yields itself to God's direction for my life.

How can I experience God's direction and peace rather than the choke-chain of doubt that hinders me from living life fully? Most often it comes from spending time in God's Word, the Bible.

Psalm 94:19 "When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock."

 

"Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself." --Oswald Chambers

 

Psalm 37:5, 7 "Commit everything you do to the LORD, Trust Him and He will help you. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act."

 

2 Thessalonians 3:26 "May the Lord of peace Himself always give you His peace no matter what happens."

 

Doubt will fly like a burning vapour at the break of dawn when I give praise and thanks to God.

When we draw near to God by speaking praise, great things happen in our life! Psalm 81 tells us to sing praises to God, our strength, and then He will relieve our shoulder of its burden and He will free our hands from their heavy tasks. When we cry to Him in trouble, He will save us and will answer us out of the thundercloud.

And let me encourage you that He hears even our smallest prayers...those we're embarrassed to speak to others about or the ones that we feel aren't even worth bothering the God of All with.

Psalm 120:1 "I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer."

If we let doubt take root in the garden of our heart it will choke out the fruit of peace. Galatians 5:22 says, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us...peace."

We kill the weeds of doubt when we douse them with songs of praise and words of thanks.

A "good" Christian isn't one who never doubts. A triumphant Christian is the one who runs to Christ and says, "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" (Mark 9:24)

I Run to Christ

    I run to Christ when chased by fear
And find a refuge sure.
"Believe in me," His voice I hear;
His words and wounds secure.
I run to Christ when torn by grief
And find abundant peace.
"I too had tears," He gently speaks;
Thus joy and sorrow meet.

I run to Christ when worn by life
And find my soul refreshed.
"Come unto Me," He calls through strife;
Fatigue gives way to rest.
I run to Christ when vexed by hell
And find a mighty arm.
"The Devil flees," the Scriptures tell;
He roars, but cannot harm.

I run to Christ when stalked by sin
And find a sure escape.
"Deliver me," I cry to Him;
Temptation yields to grace.
I run to Christ when plagued by shame
And find my one defense.
"I bore God's wrath," He pleads my case—
My Advocate and Friend.

--Chris Anderson

Are you struggling with doubt? Be encouraged that I too, have been there. We cannot let those moments define us, but rather let them make us stronger by running to Christ in our weakness.



 

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

********************************************************************************************************
Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have these sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a minute to check out their links.

• Blessings Unlimited-unique, inspirational products for the home
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Heather Bixler-inspirational author of ebook devotional

From Mr Coffee to Mr Tea

Adam, Contributing Writer (My husband!)

I'm sure most of us think of a coffee maker as a single purpose machine, but I've found that it's useful for more than just coffee.

It all began, when Becky got a sample of teas to review from Savvy Teas. (As a side note, I'm a big fan of the Early Bird Herbal).

These teas don't come packaged in individual tea bags and we don't own a fancy tea maker. We tried a tea infuser, but found that it didn't work very well (maybe I was putting too much in it).

I think most of the time we'd pour hot water over the tea, let it steep and then strain it into a mug. That is until I figured out how to use the coffee maker. Obviously, you can use the coffee maker without coffee to make hot water quickly. So I took the next step to make tea.
 

 Okay so it's actually a Bella coffee maker (not Mr Coffee)

We have a re-usable coffee filter (essentially, a fine mesh screen). I think we got ours at Meijer ($2-3), but they're probably available at any general merchandise store. A paper filter would probably would work too, but I haven't tried it.

I put a tablespoon of tea leaves where the coffee usually goes. Our coffee maker doesn't turn itself off if it's about to overflow (if the filter wasn't draining into the carafe), so I only fill it with water up to the 4 cup line.

I take the carafe out of the coffee maker and turn it on. 

The filter gets filled with water, then let it steep as long as you like. 

Once I'm ready, I put the carafe in the coffee maker which fills it with tea and the tea leaves are left in the filter.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

********************************************************************************************************
Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have these sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a minute to check out their links.

• Blessings Unlimited-unique, inspirational products for the home
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Heather Bixler-inspirational author of ebook devotional

Kinderbach {Review}

 

Kinderbach is a music program for children ages 3-7 that helps teach children the basics of playing the piano. It teaches note reading, rhythm, singing, and composition. It can be used either in the home or in the classroom and is also available either online, on DVD or as an iPad or iPhone App.
 

 

This program is $19.99 per month or $7.99 a month if you make a one-time payment of $95.88 or you can order the DVDs and CD for $40.45 (plus s/h).
 

 

What Does the Program Offer?

Check out Kinderbach's free on-line trial here so you can view sample lessons. Or, you can sign up for a day pass for only $5.95. This allows you access to all 240 lessons!

With each lesson, there are printable worksheets.
 

There is also a lot of interaction (as much as is possible via a computer screen). You can tell that Karri, the music teacher for this program, really enjoys what she does and makes it fun for kids to learn music.

What We Thought

I like that this program can help teach our children music in a more thorough way than I ever could. Although I play the piano, I'm not great at the specifics of music and definitely need someone to teach them the fundamentals.

For as low as $7.99/month you will give your child a good musical foundation that will help prepare them for future music lessons.

 

Our 5 year old daughter primarily used this program, but our youngest (age 3) loved watching along as well and was very insistent that he use Kinderbach, too. A nice feature to this program is that with your subscription any number of children can use it without additional charge.

I would definitely suggest Kinderbach if your child does not have access to a music program or if private lessons are not in your budget. I would also suggest it as a great introduction to music for a younger child.

Our oldest child takes piano lessons so our daughter was excited to use this program. She enjoyed heading down to our piano and telling me that the two black keys were "Dodi's House" and the three black keys are the "Train Station".  She learned terms such as forte and piano and that "walk" notes can be clapped and counted. She also enjoyed learning songs such as Pease Porridge Hot (which fit in great since we were learning about the Middle Ages for school).

She would spend a half hour or more working on her Kinderbach lessons. It is great having a safe online program for her to use that she enjoys and one that I know is teaching her something of value. A big thanks to Karri for all of her effort in putting this program together.

Karri is also offering a coupon code for 30% off any order - homeschool, classroom, online or DVDs. Please use Coupon Code:  TOS_crew2012 when checking out. Code expires December 31, 2012.

Also the KinderBach App is on sale Friday, Oct. 19th, 2012 ONLY.  The app will be discounted over 50%. No code needed just the link to the Classroom KinderBach app in the App store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/classroom-kinderbach-school/id534998629?mt=8

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

Rediscovering Homemaking: Homemaking is a Career

Trisha, Contributing Writer

I have a lot of ideas. Many of them are probably harebrained, I admit.

I believe, for instance, that personal resolutions should be written on a person’s birthday and not on New Year’s Eve. (At the very least, this would level out the number of people at the gym in January.) I believe that music lessons should be mandated as part of a child’s school curriculum. (Music, in my opinion, is as important as math.) I believe weddings should be planned in a week. (Funerals are, after all, and most of the same elements exist.)

Finally, and most important to this discussion, I believe that purposeful homemaking is the role of every woman and should be studied and practiced as diligently as any other passion.

Let’s eliminate some immediate assumptions.

I am not a homemaker as the result of failing at a real career. I have spent several years as a successful editor for a leading media corporation. I love what I do in my office, and I love what I do in my kitchen. I believe that women whose real career is purposeful homemaking should not hang their heads in shame.

The assumption that homemaking is for the weak is perpetuated by those who are weaker.

I am not a homemaker because society mandates that I should (or should not!) be one. I am a homemaker because Proverbs 14:1 says that “The wisest of women builds her house” (ESV). I do not believe that God assigned the responsibility of homemaking to the woman because He perceived her to be incapable of doing anything else. I believe God assigned the task to the woman because He believed she could be entrusted to do the job well. The only commands God gives us are the ones we are capable of obeying.

I am not a homemaker so I can show off for my friends. There is nothing in Scripture about whether or not homemade laundry detergent is best. The Bible is silent on the benefits of baking soda. (Though, admittedly, I am not!) The Bible does not glorify those homemakers whose centerpieces belong on Pinterest.

Nowhere in God’s Word are we told to keep up with the Joneses. My role, as outlined in Proverbs 31, is to strive for excellence. If that goal is achieved using the manmade tools of homemade soap or baking soda or Pinterest, so be it, but my aim must be to please God and not (wo)man.

I am not a homemaker because I have a nice house. My house is modest. By many standards, my house is small. As World War II concluded, soldiers returned to the city where I live and built houses with their GI bills. As a result, my neighborhood consists almost entirely of tiny homes built between 1940 and 1960. And though my predecessors easily fit a dozen children into their bungalow without complaining, I find it challenging to carve out space for my spice rack.

Last night, I was talking to a group of girlfriends and we agreed that the reason we do not practice hospitality like we should is because we are self-conscious about the size and quality of our homes. Shame on us. We are not homemakers because we have nice houses. We are homemakers because it is a high calling.

In conclusion, it is important to understand that there is only One perfect home maker. Likewise, there is only one perfect home. Until the day we are united with God in heaven, we must strive to be purposeful homemakers for our good and His glory.

That’s an idea that isn’t harebrained at all.
 

Trisha is a wife, mom, writer, editor, teacher, reader, and former water polo queen. And she loves her home.

She and her husband, Luke, published their first book, Trust Hope Pray:Encouragement for the Task of Waiting, while waiting nearly 30 months to meet their first child via adoption. When she isn’t feeding her bonus baby or teaching her toddler to count, she can be found updating her blog at www.househoncho.com.
 

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

********************************************************************************************************
Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have these sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a minute to check out their links.

• Blessings Unlimited-unique, inspirational products for the home
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Heather Bixler-inspirational author of ebook devotional

Rediscovering Homemaking: Keeping a Schedule

Here's a look at how Caroline from Naturally from the Heart schedules her homemaking responsibilities.

Caroline, Contributing Writer

When I think about making a schedule, it kind of scares me.  I think, "If I make a schedule, that means I actually have to follow it!"  But, one schedule that I have been able to stick to is the one I use for laundry.

I have used it for probably 10 years now and it really works well for me.  I began using this schedule because I used to do all my laundry on the weekends when I was working outside of the home full time and it was pretty stressful. 

Basically it involves doing one load per day.  Of course, if you have a larger family you may have to do more than one load per day. 

Laundry Schedule

Monday- Whites

Tuesday- Towels
Wednesday- Jeans
Thursday- Darks
Friday- Lights
Saturday- Husband's work clothes

Of course you can't forget the extras like sheets and blankets.  I just work them in throughout the week as needed.

As far as what I use for laundry detergent, I prefer ECOS Plus Laundry Detergent from Sam's Club.  It is free of petrochemicals, formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxine and it has a built-in coconut-based fabric softener. I have tried making my own laundry detergent, but it didn't really clean the way I wanted it to.

I use vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser as a disinfectant and fabric softener and I use 1 cup of baking soda as a deodorizer. I don't use fabric softener sheets in the dryer since they are loaded with chemicals that I don't want to expose my family to.

Morning Schedule

I have a loose schedule I follow in the morning.  I set my alarm to allow myself time to exercise, shower and start laundry before my 5-year-old daughter wakes up.  It doesn't always work out that way so the t.v. comes in handy sometimes.

Housework Schedule

As far as the rest of my housework, I don't schedule it at all.  I feel that if I can as least get the bed made, run the dishwasher and make dinner, I'm doing pretty good.

My 5-year-old daughter will let me know when things such as cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming/sweeping the floors need to be done and she is a huge help in this area.  She will just start cleaning things for me or she will say, "Mommy, can you get the vacuum cleaner out for me?"  I know not all kids are like that and I am very blessed to have her help!  I have tried to make a daily schedule for housework, but I have never been able to stick to it.

Exercise Schedule

Here is the exercise schedule I follow. I use the Biggest Loser Challenge Wii game for 30 minutes, 3 days a week and I ride my exercise bike for 30 minutes, 3 days a week. I always exercise first thing in the morning to make sure I get it in.  It's really important for me to exercise because it gives me the energy I need to get through the day.

Homeschool Schedule

I homeschool my daughter, so have a schedule for that too.  I try to get started right after breakfast if I can.  Monday and Wednesday mornings she has music class from 9:15-9:45 so we try to get started as soon as possible after we get home.  I have to work around what kind of day she is having too.  Some days we have to take it kind of slow and others days we can zip right through her work and have the rest of the day to do some other fun things.  So, I guess I have a schedule but as you can see, it is VERY flexible.

Conclusion

Having said all that, I feel a schedule of some sort is beneficial for me.  It can help me be a little bit calmer. On the other hand, a schedule could cause stress if you become anxious because you can't stick to it.

You really have to be flexible and understand that a schedule is really just a guide and you don't need to be rigid with it.  Also, make sure you schedule some time for yourself, whether it's reading a book, having a cup of tea, or if you're really lucky, maybe take a little 20 minute nap (another time the t.v. could come in handy). It works wonders!

**From Becky: I also like the idea of having a loose daily schedule (e.g. read 15 minutes a day, read my Bible, do a load of laundry, declutter a room for 15 minutes, etc.), but I don't like to be constrained to an actual time table (e.g. read Bible at 10 a.m., laundry at 10:30 a.m., etc.). Thanks, Caroline, for sharing with us what your routine looks like.

Caroline is a mom to 3 children, ages 32, 31 and 5 years.  She enjoys crafts, reading, exercising and spending time with family.   She and her daughter, April, blog at www.Naturallyfromtheheart.com where they are passionate about homeschooling and natural living.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

********************************************************************************************************
Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have these sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a minute to check out their links.

• Blessings Unlimited-unique, inspirational products for the home
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Heather Bixler-inspirational author of ebook devotional

Rediscovering Homemaking Mini-Series: How I Learned to Keep a House

 

Written by Contributing Writer, Crystal Starr

I lived in a clean, well cared for home as a child.  My mother did absolutely everything.  Ok, not everything. I did have my own assigned chores.  I was responsible for at least my own laundry, running the dishwasher, picking up anything out of place around the house, and vacuuming.

When I grew older and had a job of my own, I learned to iron my uniform and anything else I wanted wrinkle free.   I’m pretty sure I had to do some routine bathroom cleaning as well.

It all had to be done before my mother came home from work. She often worked two jobs to make ends meet.

I frequently had all evening to finish my chores.  Being a typical kid, I always waited until the last moment to get my stuff done.  I usually finished just as she pulled into the driveway.  That drove her nuts!  But I got it done before she got home…right?

These few chores I learned to do, I learned to do them pretty well.  I generally thought that was all there was to housekeeping.  Keep the bathroom clean, the dishes washed, and the house tidy.  Piece of cake!  Well, okay, I knew the floor had to be mopped, too.  That was one chore I was aware of.  It meant staying OUT of the kitchen for a while! 

Then I grew up, moved out and got a place of my own.  All of a sudden I realized things got dirty and needed cleaning that I never noticed before.  For example, who knew window blinds got dusty?  Kitchen cabinets? They get FILTHY from grimy fingers and oily food!  Area rugs need to be WASHED once in a while?  And then one day someone told me you could put pillows in the washing machine! How did that one get by me all of these years?  I know how…my mom always did it. 

So I quickly learned there was a lot more involved to keeping my house clean.

But most of these things weren’t hard.  I’m college educated.  I can figure out how to dust window blinds.  But then there was that kitchen floor to tackle.  How hard can it be?  I wash other things. Take a mop and a little water, a little soap, a little scrubbing, a little rinsing…then let it dry.  Right?  Right?  The first time I attempted to wash a kitchen floor I managed to completely, and I mean totally, flood the entire floor right on into the living room.

source

I used every towel I could find to try and wipe up my disaster.  My poor husband came home to find me in the middle of a heap of soggy laundry nearly in tears. I felt like such a moron!  It was then decided that he’d be the floor washer in our house.  All of these years later that is still primarily his job, although I have figured it out by watching him a time or two.  I don’t flood the house just to mop the floor anymore, either. :)

Also, I didn’t know you were supposed to wash the inserts on your stove.  My goodness, I don’t even know what they are called!  You know, those little doo-hickies you put under your electric burners to catch the gunk that gushes out of your pans?

I think this must have been another domain my husband took over and I didn’t even realize it because these things apparently were not well cleaned by the former owners when we moved into our first home.  I discovered this when I set off the security system/fire alarm all because I wanted to heat a pot of tea.  My husband shook his head at me and said, “Didn’t you see they needed cleaning?” Actually no, I didn’t even realize they could come out to be cleaned!  Oh my poor husband…what did he marry?

Cooking?  My mom cooked everything.  Now, I find cooking stressful because I don’t really know my oregano from my basil.  Gardening? Yeah, I’ll just leave the weeds, because how do I know a weed from a flower?  Growing up I always lived in apartments so gardening was out the question. 

As you can see I am not a fantastic homemaker.  My family has clean clothes, a clean bathroom, and well vacuumed floors.   I keep most of the house very neat and tidy.  Clutter is not my thing.  And I can iron a wrinkle out of most anything.  These things I know how to do well.  I can dust too.  I hate dust!  I still remember how amazed I was in our first apartment over how dusty things can get.  Again, who knew? Not me!

You know who does know quite a bit and probably more than I give him credit for? My husband.  What I do know about cooking and gardening I’ve learned from him.  We are a team.  He picks up where I leave off and I do the same for him.  Sometimes I try but flop but I try again.  Trial and error is a powerful tool.  Thankfully these days I have Google!  And of course, I am still blessed to have my mom just a phone call away.  She’s been there for me more times than I can count. 

Domesticated, I am not!  At least that is what my mother says.  Yet here I am doing all these things to become that domestic diva.  I figure I’ll have it all down to a science just about the time my youngest heads off to college.  Now…where did I put my mop and bucket?

Crystal is a former special education teacher who decided to stay home after her first child was born. Staying home was a completely foreign idea to Crystal. However, she followed the Lord's leading and is happily homeschooling her three children while also running a photography business.

Crystal blogs about life, homeschooling, photography and more at Crystal Starr. Stop by and check it out!
**Note from Becky: I hope this post encourages you to know that you don't have to be a perfect homemaker to make a wonderful home for your family. We can all start somewhere and the key is to be flexible and willing to learn. I'm sure that as our families see how much we care about them and that we are trying to make our home a haven for them, they will be blessed indeed.

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a moment to "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or stay connected with Google Friend Connect so you don't miss a thing!

********************************************************************************************************
Current Sponsors

I am blessed to have these sponsors on Purposeful Homemaking. Please take a minute to check out their links.

• Blessings Unlimited-unique, inspirational products for the home
• Usborne Books-excellent books for children of every age
• Heather Bixler-inspirational author of ebook devotional