"He only wished he'd had the chance to explain more fully how prayer worked. That it wasn't a matter of asking for things and being accepted or rejected, it was a matter of adding one's energy - insignificant in itself - to the vastly greater energy that was God's love. In fact, it was an affirmation of being part of God, and aspect of His spirit temporarily housed inside a body. A miracle similar, in principle, to the one that had given Jesus human form."
"Dear God, please don't let Lover Five die.
It was such an infantile prayer, the sort of prayer a five-year-old might pray.
But maybe those were the best kind."
from The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Book Review: The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Andy Stanley
“Direction – not intention – determines our destination.” This is the truth that Andy Stanley drives home in The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Through anecdotes, scripture references, and plenty of logical reasoning, Stanley guides us to see that even the seemingly small and inconsequential decisions we make each day are in fact steps that lead to a destination. If we desire to get to a certain place in life or meet specific goals, we must be sure that we are taking the small steps to get there.
I found this book to be full of simple truths that are easily overlooked in everyday life. I appreciate the author’s ability to present concepts in easy-to-understand terms that can make an immediate impact in our lives. Take out the scripture references, and this could easily be a book for anyone of any faith who is seeking to reach their goals, but, of course, that is not the purpose of The Principle of the Path. The concepts presented are firmly rooted in scripture and help us to shed light on our goals and daily decisions in the context of faith.
A few specific ideas that I’m taking away from this book are:
- We often deceive ourselves about why we are doing what we are doing. Stanley puts it this way: “We choose with our heart and then give our brains the task of finding justification for our decisions,” and suggests that we instead give our heads the task of discovering the real reasons for our decisions. In doing so, he says, we will be free from the deceptive power of our hearts. He also provides three very specific and insightful questions to ask ourselves to get to the truth about the decisions we make.
- Some new insights about Proverbs 3:6: In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
- In ALL your ways – not some or most of your ways
- Acknowledge: to recognize who God is and respond accordingly (submission)
- Divine direction begins with unconditional submission, not information
- Choosing a path outside of what God has commanded, even if we sincerely believe it is best, is disobedience.
- “What gets our attention determines our direction, and ultimately, our destination.” I don’t think of distractions as anything but distractions, but they are, in fact, directing my life. The good news is that I get to choose where to focus my attention and in doing so will guide my direction, and ultimately, my destination. I must remember: “We don’t drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.”
Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Food and Kitchen Brainstorm
I'm in the process of re-organizing our kitchen and re-thinking a lot of our food habits. I've made some progress so far (bought a food processor, ordered lids for our mason jars, lined some of our drawers, cleaned out cupboards and got rid of lots of unused items and plastic stuff), but I'm getting to a place of stuckness (yes I just made that word up) because I'm overwhelmed with all of the possibilities and tasks I want to accomplish. So, it is time to step back and put my thoughts on paper, er, online. Like I always say, "when in doubt, make a list." Here goes.
- Finish organizing the cupboards (especially the containers, bakeware, utensils, etc.).
- Create a "core foods" list of foods that we almost always want to have on hand. This will help in grocery shopping, meal planning, and keeping the pantry, fridge, and freezer stocked.
- Use up or give away the foods we currently have that are not part of the core foods list.
- Figure out which of those core foods can be bought in bulk or made from scratch.
- Visit and become familiar with the bulk bins at our local co-op and health food store.
- Gather and test out recipes for core food items we want to make from scratch (I'm super excited about using our new food processor for peanut butter, almond butter, hummus, salsa, and so much more).
- Learn the best ways to store produce.
- Collect more cute and practical stuff to pack bento lunches for the kids.
- Make a list of lunch ideas so we don't get stuck in a lunch rut.
- Become a better (more consistent) meal planner and grocery shopper so that we don't resort to eating out so often.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
12 DIY Projects to Attempt in 2012
In an effort to save money and be more healthy, I’m putting together a list of items we use or eat on a regular basis that I’d like to try to make myself.
- Peppermint Foaming Hand Soap – I already have the ingredients for this one and can’t wait to give it a go.
- Natural Cleaning Kit – I want to do a complete overhaul of our cleaning products and switch over to homemade stuff as much as possible.
- Mosquito Repellent – I always feel weird about coating my children’s skin with chemicals, so I’m hoping this natural alternative will work just as well.
- Waffles – We sure love our Eggos around here, but they are a bit expensive. Mom & Dad bought us a waffle maker for Christmas, and I’m looking forward to trying it out.
- Peanut Butter – We also love peanut butter! We buy the natural stuff anyways (just peanuts and salt), so I’m thinking it can’t be that difficult to replicate at home.
- Granola Bars / Health Bars – Keith would eat a Lara Bar everyday if they didn’t cost so much. Again, the ingredients are pretty basic so I’m hoping I can find a recipe to make our own that will save us some money.
- Hummus – Mmmm…hummus. Enough said.
- Salad Dressing – I’d like to make salads a more regular part of our meal plan, and I think a really yummy homemade salad would help us to do so.
- Iced Green Tea – As far as winter beverages go, I’m all set thanks to a great hot chocolate recipe book my brother gave me. However, come summer time, I know I’ll want a refreshing drink and I think iced green tea would be a good replacement for iced coffee.
- Yogurt – ?! This one seems a bit overwhelming to me, but I at least want to look into it. We eat so much yogurt, and of course we’re addicted to the more expensive brands
- Preserved Tomatoes – I’m not sure what this will look like, but I’d like to take advantage of summer’s bounty to preserve tomatoes in some way. Maybe pasta sauce and pizza sauce?
- Okay…so I only have 11 projects so far. But 12 in 2012 sounds better, and it works out to one project per month. I’m sure I’ll come up with a number 12.
2012 Reading List
It’s ambitious, I know. But I should be able to read two books each month, and I’ve given myself a bit of wiggle room by choosing only 21 books. These are all titles that have been on my “to read” list for a while, and I’m hoping that setting the goal of reading them this year will motivate me to actually get it done. We’ll see…
Friday, July 22, 2011
More Busy Bags
What’s new in the Busy Bag basket? Take a look:
PAPERBAG BOOK & MARKERS
The book is blank inside – I can’t wait to see what David decides to create!
MAISY’S GARDEN STICKER BOOK
A nice addition to our next book theme: The Carrot Seed.
WOODEN BEADS & SHOELACES
NUMBER PUZZLE CARDS
I was so excited to find these in the Target dollar bins. The package actually came with another set of puzzles (with numerals and the correct number of dots), but I decided to put out just these for now. I also bought a package of alphabet puzzle cards. These remind me of my childhood…we must have had something similar when I was little.
RHYMING CARDS
Another Target dollar bin find. These are double-sided.
As you can see, most of our busy bag activities so far have been store-bought items. I really want to take time to create some home-made activities, too. I’m also thinking that I need to start putting together some toddler-friendly busy bags for Miss Lida Lou (she had fun playing with the wooden lacing beads this morning, but I’m certain she would just try to eat the other activities).
I’m gathering ideas for homemade busy bags on my Pinterest boards. So far, I know I want to make:
PAPERBAG BOOK & MARKERS
The book is blank inside – I can’t wait to see what David decides to create!
MAISY’S GARDEN STICKER BOOK
A nice addition to our next book theme: The Carrot Seed.
WOODEN BEADS & SHOELACES
NUMBER PUZZLE CARDS
I was so excited to find these in the Target dollar bins. The package actually came with another set of puzzles (with numerals and the correct number of dots), but I decided to put out just these for now. I also bought a package of alphabet puzzle cards. These remind me of my childhood…we must have had something similar when I was little.
RHYMING CARDS
Another Target dollar bin find. These are double-sided.
As you can see, most of our busy bag activities so far have been store-bought items. I really want to take time to create some home-made activities, too. I’m also thinking that I need to start putting together some toddler-friendly busy bags for Miss Lida Lou (she had fun playing with the wooden lacing beads this morning, but I’m certain she would just try to eat the other activities).
I’m gathering ideas for homemade busy bags on my Pinterest boards. So far, I know I want to make:
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
After a camping trip with cousins, this book about a family that braves the outdoors and the elements to go in search of a bear seemed especially appropriate.
A GUEST READER
Aunt Niki came for a visit and arrived on a Monday in time to hang out with Max and Macy, too. We were honored to have her as our guest reader for this book!
RETELLING THE STORY
We used the printable cards from A to Z Teacher Stuff to retell the story. David did this once on his own, and then again with Max and Macy a few days later. I was impressed by how well they remembered to order of the story.
SNACK TIME
The kids enjoyed some chocolate pudding (thick oozy mud) with teddy bear crackers hidden below. About halfway through snack time, Niki had the brilliant idea to add cool whip (a swirling whirling snowstorm). After that, the kids had fun brainstorming what else we could add for the other elements in the story. By this time, their snack was mostly gone…into the narrow gloomy caves of their mouths.
NARRATION & ILLUSTRATION
David drew a wonderful picture of the family at the mouth of the bear cave to go along with his very detailed retelling of the story. Here is a video of him explaining his illustration:
OTHER ACTIVITIES
We also completed a few of the We’re Going on a Bear Hunt lapbook activities from Homeschool Share, Keith helped David to complete a little book about his family that I found in a Teacher’s Helper magazine, and we watched this video of author Michael Rosen reciting the book.
A LOOK AT OUR BOOK JOURNAL
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Busy Bags
And now for the other half of our laid-back homeschool summertime plans…BUSY BAGS. Busy Bags are an extension of a little something I put together for David when Lida was born. He had a special Busy Box that contained a new surprise every couple days. It was always something small and inexpensive, but new and exciting to him. Most importantly, it was always something he could enjoy without much (or any) assistance from me. The idea was that he would have a special surprise to keep him busy while I was busy nursing Lida (hence the name Busy Box). The Busy Box was a bit hit, but it fell by the wayside as we all adjusted to having Lida around. I’ve revived the idea in a new form: Busy Bags!
I’m pulling together all sorts of activities David can enjoy during those times this summer when he seems to need a bit of direction or something to keep him occupied when I’m not able to give him my full attention. There is a wealth of ideas online, and I’ve frequented several blogs including My Delicious Ambiguity and Unsolicited Advice (I’m hoping I can get in on one of her busy bag swaps eventually). As I put together bags, I just toss them in a large tub labeled “Busy Bags Ready to Use” and that way I have a bunch on hand when the current selection gets old and we’re ready for some new activities. At any given time, I plan to have 6-8 busy bags in a basket in our living room for David to explore as he pleases (and also as a convenient way for me to suggest activities for him).
Here is a rundown of the busy bags that have been available to him so far this summer:
THREE-PART VEHICLE MATCHING CARDS
David has really enjoyed using these cards in the past, but they are definitely not a “do-it-by-myself” activity for him. There are about 18 vehicles (3 cards each) and all the cards are double-sided. Plus, several of the vehicles look similar (3 slightly different camouflage trucks, for example), which made it very difficult for David to match them up on his own. To simplify the activity, I put the cards needed for just three vehicles in one of the pockets of a baseball card protector page. There are six pages in the folder, but since the cards are already separated out, David can work on just one page at a time.
SEWING CARDS
Another twist on an activity we’ve done before: I used a Sharpie to write a D (for David!) and a 4 (his age!) on two of the cards so that he could sew along the lines.
COLOR-YOUR-OWN STICKERS
MAGNETIC DINO BOOK
DRY ERASE NOTEPAD & MARKER
FELT BOARD & FELT LETTERS
CLOCK & TIME CARDS
The cards are taken from a time-telling bingo game. I picked out just the o’clock cards for now. This turned out to be an activity that was easiest and most enjoyable when David had a little help. Keith or I would tell him the time on a card and then he would make the clock show that time and check his work by looking at the card.
NUMBER CARDS W/STICKERS
Place the correct number of stickers on each card. There are exactly the needed amount of stickers in the bag, so the activity is self-checking.
BUTTON SNAKE
I’ve been wanting to make a button snake ever since I first came across the idea on Counting Coconuts.
More Busy Bags to come…
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