Spreading a Feast of Life Giving Faith for your Family

I have been in the trenches of last minute school planning here in these last, hazy August days. My homeschooling journey seems to lead me further into a more authentic and dedicated Charlotte Mason based approach with each passing year. I am even committing to actually reading her own words (ha!) in her six volumes for myself- "Mother School", as it is. The thing that draws me deeper into her philosophy is how very enriching it is for all of Life's Students (ie. Everyone). One of my favorite principles to observe at play in my life is the Science of Relations- the idea that a person's mind will find connections between the rich ideas it is fed. I now see this happening quite often in my own learning. 

A word picture in Charlotte Mason's writing is Feast. She says  the teacher  is to "spread an abundant feast (of ideas) and each child takes what he needs." What a rich, joyous picture of an education! Mason is referring to scholarly topics- literature, history, etc. I heard a sermon recently where John Piper give a similar call to Pastors and churches to spread a feast of teaching and rich hymns and worship-Beauty in the Sunday morning service- for weary people to replenish their souls with. This brings me to one of my favorite teachers of Christian women, Sally Clarkson. What Mason calls education to be, and Piper exhorts the church to, I feel Sally encourages family in. 

Sally's book, The Life Giving Table, lays a blueprint for nourishing our family, physically and spiritually, through great meals and intentional discipleship. She paints a beautiful picture through sharing many real life family memories created around her table. I have always appreciated Sally's honesty in sharing the challenges in her parenting journey and also the principles and ideas that have proved successful through years of life experience. She is straightforward in that her ideas will take real intentional and consistent practice in your home- they wont just naturally happen or come without effort- but I truly think the reward of the memories and shared family culture and faith built around a table regularly spread with sacrifice and love is well worth it!

I love Sally's suggestion to narrow down a few customs, habits and holidays to personify "Who We Are" as a family. In our house, the kids and I all relish our Morning Time Meetings and Poetry Tea Times. Other special things like a certain dish for each person's birthday breakfast are suggested. I can personally attest to the deliciousness of the Clarkson's Special Cheesy Eggs (recipe found in the book). They are so good I haven't been able to contain them to special mornings. ;) Our family and our close friends/neighbors have adopted the Clarkson's traditional Shepherd's Meal as our own Advent tradition as well. We have loved gathering in a candle light room to read the Account of the Shepherds while eating delicious potato soup and have even been known to have a "follow the star" night walk of our own on adventurous years! (See Chapter 12 for Sally's wonderful description).

Sally is truly one of my longest admired, most influential "Mentor from afar". I so appreciate that she doesn't shy away from setting forth just beautiful and worthy ideals and really encouraging women to pursue them. She does this from a biblical reference and also gives very tangible ideas to accomplish it. I also really am thankful for Sally's wisdom and humility in realizing women can be in hard situations or seasons to live these things out. Her chapter on Living Out Grace was very refreshing to me as she shared some easy ways to just start small and start somewhere in creating this culture for our your own family. I have seen the wisdom in my own life from where Sally says that making space in your life for rest and beauty is pretty much a necessity. In busy or hard seasons, It is really more important to make it a priority to have times of refreshment and enjoyment. I am looking forward to putting Sally's Life Giving Table principles and ideas into practice more as my kids get bigger but I am thankful to have these encouraging ideas even as we are in the midst of baby, toddler and school age years!

Thanks to Tyndale Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book to review.    

My Top Pick Bible- the She Reads Truth CSB Bible

This review has been a long time in coming-I wanted to really live in this bible for awhile. I wanted to be in it's pages on a regular basis to get a feel for this version (CSB) and the unique format that the She Reads Truth staff brought to the table in the gorgeous rendition of the scriptures. I had my eye out on this bible even before the pre-release was announced. I happened to stumble across these beautiful linen bound bibles on Christianbook.com and couldn't wait to hear more about it! Then a month or so later, She Reads Truth made their grand announcement about their big project and I was able to see a video preview about it. I already have a *few* personal bibles, but I was pretty sure this was a necessary addition. I also knew it would make an amazing gift option for my girl friends. I had it on my birthday list just before I was given the opportunity to review it for my blog. 

I Love this bible. The linen binding, though maybe hard to keep clean in a house of grimy little hands, is an attractive introduction to this bible. I have the grey edition and love the contrast of the gold foil details and the two ribbon bookmarks. 

"Women in the Word of God every day"- this is She Reads Truth motto and lifeblood and I have witnessed them prove it true by making available solid biblical teaching in an deeply beautiful format through the multiple bible studies they have offered through the years. This carries seamlessly over to this bible. No, creatively calligraphed key verses at the start of each book of the bible isn't necessary, but I would heartily offer that it is God glorifying. I feel that the maps, timelines and supplemental reading plans for each book is the perfect balance to enhance rather than distract. I have been blessed by the devotionals I've run across while reading through the scriptures. 

I have been listening to John Piper's "Reading the Bible Supernaturally" on audiobook while doing my household chores and have been really challenged and encouraged by the fact driven home of what an amazing privilege we have to be given Divine revelation and even Christ's joy itself thru the simple and everyday act of reading. Piper talks of how opening the Word of God is our chance to have our eyes open to God's Glory, but not to stop there- to See and Savor. I appreciate this bible as an invitation to clearly see- I have been really impressed with the clarity of the Christian Standard text. Also, the added beauty scattered through pages seem to act as a chance to pause and savor the revealed Glory through the surrounding scriptures. Bravo, She Reads Truth on a stand out bible!

Thanks so much to B&H publishing for providing me with this bible to review. 

The Curious Christian- A Title I would Happily Wear

A sense of wonder is the feeling that envelops my childhood memories. Discovery, awe and time "lost"- in thought, enjoying nature, listening to music. A full life was taking things in- learning, exploring, experiencing. And then I grew up and a successful life was putting out- checking off to do lists and being productive. It didn't take me long to realize that to "grow up" didn't leave much time and space for those things my childhood were characterized by and I assumed that was okay because I had to mature. Then I had kids and I realized I pretty much was just "doing", there wasn't a lot of "being". My sense of who I was pretty well depleted- I had been so focused on the putting out that adult life and motherhood required that I hadn't been investing anything back in. As my boys grew and became more aware of the world around them, I saw that childlike sense of wonder in them and I wanted to make sure it was cultivated. The best way to teach is by example- I wanted my children to be life long learners so I needed to be learning my whole life long.

 A rich and intriguing book that helped me to flesh out the why and how of staying curious in life and even how that applies to and affects my christian life was The Curious Christian by Barnabas Piper. Barnabas is the son of well known pastor and author, John Piper, but he gives the credit for his sense of curiosity and thus the content of his book to his mother. This made my Mama heart smile and was an encouragement to dive into this book with abandon.  I loved that Piper began with the side effects of the Uncurious- binary thinking, missed connections, depleted friendships and love lost; Things we'd all rather stay away from. The books premise is that a sense of wonder and curiosity enrich every part of life. "In the end I want you to see that curiosity is more than a mere habit. It is a discipline, a skill, a habit- one that will expand your life in magnificent, if subtle, ways." 

Piper starts out by tackling the very predicament I struggled with in "growing up"- leaving behind childhood pleasures for adult responsibilities. He poses the question, "What if we leave behind childishness but not childlike?".  he then reminds us that discovery is part of our calling by God- to explore both His word and His world. We can and should always be searching for Truth in the world and in the people around us. By being curious, we will constantly be learning, always be in awe and ever be deepening our relationships. Piper touches on how the best education makes us ever-curious people and solidified some of my reasons for teaching my own children at home so I can share in their pursuit of Truth, Goodness and Beauty. 

I appreciated Piper's ideas on how a spirit of curiosity, coupled with the fruits of the spirit, could really make the Church a more vibrant and engaging entity. "Curiosity in action will lead us to ask questions of those who we perceive as different that allow them to speak for themselves and express the beauty and strength of their culture." Being truly curious means we truly ask and want to see before we judge. I thought it was balanced and wise that Piper included that while "curiosity did not kill the Christian" there are also boundaries to where we allow our curiosity to lead us. We can be a person of curiosity and conviction by "being willing to to listen arguments carefully and process them honestly, but do not move from a conviction without ample reason to do so." He also makes a good point about how grace and wonder allow us to maintain optimism about people while being realistic. We can be curious to know who someone is and assume the best and worst about them simultaneously by being wise yet gracious.

Piper also goes beyond the theoretical and philosophical and offers some practical advice on being curious that I thought was very helpful. He challenges up to consider what media and the like we are "inputting". He offers some questions to ask ourselves such as "How does this shape my life?" and "Is this trustworthy?". In the section, "On being cultured", Piper shares suggestions on cultivating an appetite and appreciation for quality literature, music, nature and science. He hits on so many interesting thoughts on such a variety of topics that it's hard to even scratch the surface of the substance of this book, but I thought the last chapter offered up some solid points for living a curious life: Be Interested, Be Humble, Look, Listen, Record, Ask, Go and Explore, Try Things, Read and Always Come Back to Scripture. "Curiosity is about God and for God. It is an expression of worship and it honors Him by exploring the depths and breadth of His creation." 

This is a book I will be periodically be rereading to remind myself of the worthiness of the pursuit of Truth and the beauty in Wonder. I hope I never stop learning and being in awe. I hope I maybe rub off on my kids a little, like they have immensely rubbed off on me. I hope one day my children each have a lively spirit of curiosity and that I am a part of some of the memories that cultivated it.

Thanks to B&H Publishing for providing this book to review. 

Different- Some Hope for the Mama of the Out-of-the-Box Child

Every child is unique and every child has their "issues" and challenges; but some children are a little out of the box in all areas, but specifically in the challenges department. There is a well earned general rule that parenting is straight up hard and each of your kids are individuals who need unique care, but some parents find that their child's needs are beyond the normal spectrum of child rearing. What a breath of fresh air to have a well known and much respected name in the Christian Mothering community step out and raise her hand and admit, "That's me." Sally Clarkson is not only an author I admire but also a "mentor" from a far- a woman whose life I greatly appreciate and strive to emulate. I always glean so much wisdom and practical insight from her books and am so impressed by the "fruit of her labors" that can be seen in her grown children. I really appreciate that she writes from a stage in life where she has seen the outcome of her methods and can share what was successful and what to avoid, but also has a humility and honesty that remembers what it was like to truly be in the trenches during the Little Years. 

In her latest book, Different: The story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him, Sally and her son, Nathan vulnerablely pull back the curtains on what it looked like for Nathan to grow up with multiple challenges- including OCD and learning issues and what it took for Sally to parent him well. Sally is very honest with how overwhelmed and frustrated she was at times, but also so faithful to share how God met her there and gave her the strength and wisdom she needed to rise up to the task of really seeing Nathan's heart and needs thru his "issues" and how to love him like he needed to be. Nathan has bravely chosen to allow God to use the many struggles he's wrestled with over the years to be a connection to others who can relate and an encouragement to what a great God (and a good mom) can do for an out-of-the-box kid!

Mother and Son chronicle the highs and lows of navigating a "different" kind of childhood. I could definitely empathize with Sally's struggle to just accept the cut and dry advice of christian parenting books who suggested just more discipline and consistency in it. I don't personally have a child with any above and beyond challenges but even just in raising some strong willed and high energy boys, I have sometimes had a hard time swallowing the notion of more sternness and less understanding and grace. I really feel this book will be a tremendous blessing to the mothers of those special "out-of-the-box" kids, I know it was a refreshment to my Mama heart.  

Thanks to Tyndale Publishers for providing me with this book to review!

A little bit of nesting + the urge to spring clean= a need for E-Cloth!

Nesting is a very real phenomenon in my pregnancies and it usually hits towards the latter half of my second trimester. We are definitely there! Between my nesting instincts kicking in and a little bit of sunshine (finally!) showing up to inspire some spring cleaning, I've been on a bit of a house keeping spree lately. 

When I first got married and starting my homemaking journey, I honestly used all the conventional cleaning products on the grocery store shelf. Febreeze, Lysol, Windex- that's what the magazines and such said clean looked like and I didn't know better. I remember cleaning a bathroom or another such confined space with those cleaners and feeling so light headed I had to step outside for awhile for some fresh air; that's not a great sign of a healthy house. Once I became pregnant with my first son, I knew a clean and healthy house was now my goal and those chemical laden cleaners had to go! I did a bit of shopping around (mostly online since especially then natural products weren't readily available in my rural area) and started to stock my cleaning cabinet with products I felt comfortable exposing myself and my children to. 

With my last couple pregnancies, I felt the urge to take my cleaning habits to a new level and make some of my own cleaning products from natural ingredients I had around the house so I fully knew each and every element in what I was using. I did a lot of online research and a bunch of experimenting- some worked amazingly well and others were a flop. It seemed especially hard to find a product or DIY recipe for an all purpose spray I could feel good about using on all the surfaces that my family came into contact with multiple times a day- the dining room table, the kitchen counters,etc. I really wanted to find a product that wasn't going to leave much of a residue (hard to find in a store bought spray) but also wanted to know that it was going to be killing bacteria (hard to feel confident about in a homemade product). Then I heard about about microfiber cloths, specifically the best brand on the market- E-Cloth. I was instantly impressed with the idea of being able to clean and disinfect my house with just a cloth, no chemicals needed! E-Cloth products do just that- removing dirt, grease and grime and are proven to remove over 99% of bacteria using just water. They do it all without leaving a chemical residue on surfaces or spray in that air! I initially started by trying out a couple of their multipurpose cloths and was really happy with the cleaning power they provided with just water and no lint left behind either. 

A house cleaning dilemma I have never been able to solve is a greasy, streaky stove top surface! I try to keep it clean of food and grime by wiping it down with a natural spray and such but can never get rid of the streaky residue. I was excited when I found out that E-Cloth offered a special cloth designed just for stove top cleaning and even more when they offered to let me give one a try and share my results with all of you! The range & stove top cloth is a double sided cloth offering a smooth, "normal" microfiber surface for general cleaning on one side and the other side has blue scrubbing stripes for tackling those hardened on food messes. 

Here's a before picture of my stove top before I really felt it needed a "spring cleaning" makeover. I keep it fairly clear of really big food messes but it's always got that streaky finish and had some built up gunk around the burners. I took out the burners and their pans and scrubbed the whole range top really well with the scrubbing stripes side of the cloth. It did well at clearing up the hardened grease rings underneath the burner pans edges. I went back over the whole range top and the stove door as well with the regular side of the cloth and removed more grime! I still felt like there was a bit of a streaky film left behind so I got out the glass & polishing cloth that I already happened to have in my cleaning cabinet. I buffed the whole stove with this cloth and it really provided the finishing touch! 

And here's the "after" shots- look at that shine!

All in all, I was very pleased with the range & stove top cloth and will be using it regularly with my kitchen chores. I would recommend this product but also would suggest having the polishing cloth to really finish up the job well. In fact, I think I am going to be picking up a couple more for myself with their current 2 for 1 deal! 

With adding a new baby to our family again in just a couple, short months- I know I will be doing a lot more deep cleaning projects and will be shopping E-cloth's selection for my cleaning needs. I was also excited learn that e-cloth is now available at Ace hardware. You can visit the Store Locator at www.ecloth.com to find your local participating store. 

You can find out more about E-Cloth and find out the latest about what they are up to by checking out their blog or following them on facebook, pinterest, twitter or instagram! 

The Magic of Motherhood: A Beautifully Curated Gift of a Book

Motherhood is SO much. So much of who I am, so much harder than I imagined, so much better than I had dreamed, so much more draining than I had prepared for, so much more fulfilling than I could have banked on. It has clearly shown me my limits in devastatingly obvious ways and brought to the surface my selfishness, insecurities and sinful proclivities  more than any other role or realm of my life ever has. Pretty much all I ever wanted to be was a mom and because I embraced that so willingly, so excitedly I truly thought I would naturally thrive; of course, this was not the case. Acceptance, preparation and gusto only take you so far in this race- there is so much you can in no way, shape or form expect or foretell your reaction to. There are so many little, tiny details of the days with my kids that bring me so much more joy than I could have ever imagined and there are huge, right in my face blessings about my children that I so easily take for granted and brush off. It really is amazing the new level of awareness and fierce emotions that Motherhood brings and at yet the same time the amount of multitasking and self sacrifice that it requires that on some days, makes me feel like some sort of a robot. I didn't see so much of this coming and one sure thing that has kept me grounded and encouraged in this role is my fellow Mamas who I have been able to vulnerably share with and who honestly tell me back, "Oh, me too." C.S. Lewis was surely right with quoting "Me too" as the basis for a true friendship. 

I am thankful to have a real life community of other moms who I can walk this road alongside and share the burdens and the joys along the way with. But I have also over the years appreciated the safe haven of "Mommy Bloggers" I have found on the internet for the days when home is where I have to be but encouragement is needed badly. I really respect those women with a gift for words and a vulnerable enough spirit to not only share the beautiful things (which is easy enough online) but the hard and not so pretty things as well. A newer to me site that offers just such a comfort is Coffee + Crumbs. Ashlee Gadd began this beautiful, little corner of the internet to encourage and inspire fellow moms and she has done such a good job with that it has morphed into an even more gorgeous book!

The Magic of Motherhood: The good stuff, the hard stuff and everything in between is really a work of art- both in the text and the visual department. This is a gift worthy, luxe hardback book with a velvety matte cover and exceptionally sturdy pages. I loved the corresponding photography with each essay and full page photo/quote spreads sprinkled through out the book as well. It really feels like you took a beautifully curated and well written blog and wrapped it up into an even better book to hold in your hands. 

All the writers that Ashlee teamed up with on this project offer a unified front in celebrating and uplifting the calling of motherhood but offer varying perspectives with humor, grace and truth. I was instantly sucked in with one of the first essays about the "mom jeans"- a true to life reminiscing of our overly confident pre-mom selves and in the ways we have to stretch and adapt and yet still, we are ourselves. No "mom jeans" needed, we just bring whatever "cut" we are/have and it becomes what a mom needs to embodied as. 

The stories come from moms of varying forms and lifestyles- some unexpectedly becoming mothers, others thru many trials, and still others receiving children from the heart and not the womb. The essays touch on the heart aching joys and the heart breaking griefs that Motherhood can bring. This book would make an amazing Mother's day gift and I will be slowly relishing it in the lead up to that annual shout out of a day to this intense profession. I will let myself be reminded of all the gifts I already have received for being a mom.

Thanks to Book Look Bloggers for providing me with a copy of this title to review.

Missional Motherhood- Mothering towards the ultimate goal

It's so easy as a mother in our quest to do our best by our families to get caught up in all the obvious details of what that could mean- Giving our kids a picture perfect childhood, keeping a Better Homes and Gardens house and implementing a constantly Pinterest worthy lifestyle. Because, you know, it's totally possible to check all that off of your daily to do list. All of the mom bloggers we follow are obviously nailing it, so we should be able to as well. I have chased after those goals, had shining moments of "success" but consistently failed. As I have matured as a mother and a christian I have come to see the need for a "big picture" view of what motherhood is all about. One of the most formative voices I have come to seek out in this quest is Gloria Furman's. I first picked up her debut book, Glimpses of Grace, when I was a mom to just a toddler boy and I confess, I didn't really see the need for it. It was an "easy" time in life and I felt I had mothering somewhat mastered, it wasn't until I had a few more years (and kids) under my belt that I reread and so appreciated the hard and sweet truths of the gospel that Gloria shares with readers. When I heard about her newest offering, Missional Motherhood, I knew it was a book I needed to make time for.

What a perfect name for our holy calling- Missional Motherhood. When we really think about the eternal implications of our job, our goals become a whole lot loftier and success, on our own, seems even more impossible. Gloria comes alongside us and points us to the huge and ongoing narrative that we play a small, yet infinitely significant role in and where to turn our eyes to keep the course. She starts with laying out the idea that Mother is a verb- an ingrained in us by our Creator drive to nurture and bring life to those around us. All women mother- whether it be children, other loved ones, or disciples-we all strive to take care of those around us. And with all the brokenness and disorder we have to battle to do our job well- to fix and put in order- it can be so easy to become discouraged and disillusioned. I love the scripture laden journey Gloria takes us on thru the entire biblical story. To have the scriptural knowledge Gloria has, to be able to weave together the Lord's faithfulness and foresight into the messy human stories the bible contains- I strive to be a student of the Word like that! 

The second part of the book illustrates for us the many roles Christ fulfills perfectly for the mothers of the world. He is our Creator, our Redeemer, Our Prophet, Our Priest, Our King. Gloria does a marvelous job fleshing out what each of those "names" means to us- it means a lot. My absolute favorite chapter of this book was the last- Christ, the resurrected life for mothers. Wow, what a powerful message and so very relevant to my life right now. Gloria exhorts and encourages us with the reminder that Christ died on the cross to break sin's curse and to set all things right thru the soon to be new heavens and new earth- an eternity of perfection. But he is also making all things new right now! His Kingdom is coming here and now and we are a part of that! We can bring life in the face of death- because of Christ. We can endure these trials and pour ourselves out for others because we are truly living the resurrected life now. 

This book is a rich feast of truths and grace- I really would recommend it to each and every mom. It is the kind of book that is probably going to be just a bit over your head theologically and call you to a higher place- the perfect situation for spiritual growth. I will say, it is really isn't a "DIY christian mom" book, in the sense that it is a more of a thesis on mothering than a practical action guide. If you would like some beautiful and implementable mothering inspiration I would highly recommend The Life Giving Home by Sally Clarkson! I also am so excited to have the opportunity to review the coordinating bible study book to go with Missional Motherhood! Be on the lookout for that post soon. 

In my other family life reading this summer, I had the privilege to preview the newest book from The Better Mom's Ruth Schwenk, For Better of For Kids: A Vow to love your spouse with kids in the house.  I have read ALOT of Christian marriage books and it takes a very unique message to pique my interests in picking a new one up anymore. When I was given the chance to preview "For better or For Kids" I was intrigued by the premises since this is exactly the season of marriage I am in- figuring out a healthy "new normal" with multiple young kids in the house. The first part of the book was pretty normal protocol- keep God at the center, your marriage comes before your kids, keep intimacy a priority, etc. The second half was where I felt this book stands out from others. I was energized and encouraged by the chapter- "when you're running on empty"; it speaks on not neglecting you're spouse when life gets crazy and to protect each other by bearing each other's burdens. I loved this part of the book, I think because it is so relevant to the season of life my family is in! Circumstances have been hard and the best strategy my husband and I have found is to cling to each other and help to beat each other's burdens. When I read this chapter it put the pieces together of why and how we were "surviving" all of this and encouraged me to be even more intentional about watching for ways to put it into practice more.

This is a marriage book I would highly recommend for couples looking to not only be great Christian parents, but have a thriving marriage that is growing thru the "kids in the house" years rather than just surviving. "For better or For Kids" has some worthwhile insights on parenting as a team, making space for intentional and quality time together and how to keep falling love. 

On my "would love to read" book list-

Mere Motherhood  by Cindy Rollins

Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood by Jamie Martin

Simply Tuesday: Small-moment living in a fast-paced world by Emily P. Freeman

Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full by Gloria Furman

I received these books in exchange for my honest review- thanks to Zondervan and Crossway Publishing!

Brazen- not my natural state,but something I am growing into

I would classify my existence and presence in the world as a pretty "safe" one- as in, I have spent most of my life content with flying under the radar and not bristling with others-even if that means suppressing something I rightly feel strongly about. For the majority of my life that worked just fine and my life flowed smoothly. And then adulthood came in full force (surprisingly, I feel like this shift didn't happen until I'd been married a few years and had 2 kids) and I realized I was never going to make everyone happy at all times unless I literally had no solid identity and beliefs of my own. So I had the choice to either become a chameleon and never upset others, but never really live my own life or I could live in my true skin and take the risk of offending people with that every once in awhile. I do not like conflict, have never been one to search out "drama" and hate letting people down, but I also have learned I do not thrive well at all in other peoples "boxes". For a long, long time I thought there was really something wrong with me because I didn't process things like other people did and what "worked" for them didn't seem to do much at all for me and I felt certain I was just a "responsible adult" failure because of that. Thankfully with passing years, a broadening social circle and some perfectly worded books, I have come to realize that God is infinitely creative and He could never be so predictable as to make us all operate the same. One encouraging book I have recently read is Brazen: The courage to find the you that's been hiding by Leana Tankersley.

Leana speaks with a voice both kind and urgently inspiring to stop trying to "just fit in" and not trip people up with our weird ideas and needs. She clearly speaks of the need to find our "Created Center." As she puts it, "I believe this untouchable place inside you is the part where God himself put His hands in the wet concrete of your existence and said, 'You are formed in My image and it is good.' " She reminds us that it is not selfish to spend the time to know who it is God created you to be and to truly relish and enjoy the life He has blessed you with. No, we can not and should not selfishly do whatever whenever it makes us happy; but if we never stop long enough to find joy around us, we'll be hard pressed to find joy inside us to share with others. 

The book is broken up into 3 parts- Receive (Your Identity), Reclaim (Your Voice), Recover (Your Soul). I appreciated the organized journey the book takes thru the process of finding the courage to be the truest you. In the Receive section, Leana encourages readers to take 20 minutes of "soul time" each day, where you quietly sit and just let whatever thoughts and feelings the busyness of life has been suppressing rise to the surface and then subsequently ask God to help you sort thru and deal with those things.  Leana says, " So the challenge for all of us will be to create enough space to practice what we know, amd then simply believing God at His word: that as we come to Him, we trade our try for His rest. We trade our tangle for His peace." She continues on to remind us to Abide in Christ and keep "casting out our nets", even when we don't see much of a harvest from it. 

The Reclaim section challenges us to get of our fear of not being good enough and just share the gifts God has created in us with the world. To learn to be Brazen- we find the balance of fully embracing the wounds and fully embracing the wonder of life. We have to take the chance on making our voice heard and realizing sometimes that will bring tension to a situation or relationship and while that shouldn't be our goal, it can't or shouldn't always be avoided either. This paragraph really resonated with me- "I understand in theory that I will have to cross people in this world..but for so long I've never called people out on these things because I was more concerned with being though well of then protecting my own wellness. Then all of a sudden I realized I was tired not because life was full but because life was full of things that were draining the life right out of me." I hate letting people down but I have found that (surprisingly enough) I am not superwoman and I cannot fill all the needs that surround me, no matter how much I want to. It is so much better for my own wellness and the good of my family when I try to humbly discern what my "limitations and boundaries" are. 

The portion on Recover encourages readers to find ways to bring beauty into your life that speaks to and inspires you to savor life. To give ourselves grace and release some of the high expectations we have of ourselves. That we are constantly Becoming. Leana says, " We are both onward and waiting. We are both being and coming. We are both pursuing and receiving. We are holding the tension of a state of being and an action at the same time. In this tension is where we learn to dance." I take great encouragement in the midst of this tension from Philippians 1:6 -"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." I appreciate Leana's gentle appeal to rest and regather when you are in a season of pain, change or grief- that all your responsibilities and even all the "good stuff" will still be there waiting- but for the time being stop, feel and process your "heaviness" and let God carry you through.  

 Brazen is an inspiring read that I will be recommending to my friends. My one caveat, I so appreciated the truth and encouragement Leana had to share but some of the terminology and wording she choice felt a little new age-y to me. I would say that the content is sound, but I'll admit that the language used to share it at times made me extra discerning. All in all, I feel this is a book any woman would benefit from!

I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest review. 

Cleaning just got a whole lot prettier thanks to Full Circle Home!

The Job title of Mother means many, many things-but one of the most prevalent parts of my job description is house keeper/cleaner. I spend the majority of my time each day cleaning up messes, and usually they are variations of the same messes, over and over again. Honestly, it is a bit of a monotonous job and if I wasn't a bit of a clean freak, it wouldn't offer much in the way of being gratifying. SO, I have come to find ways to make the job a little more fun and therapeutic even. Enter- high quality, naturally derived cleaning products. Over the past 5 years or so, I have fallen in love with "high end" (aka chemically laden sprays from the dollar store) cleaning brands-Mrs. Meyers, Method, Seventh Generation, etc. There are some great brands who not only make some safe for the family, fun to use sprays and cleaners, but are doing some awesome things in reaching out and educating their customers on the benefits and need for natural cleaning products, as well. As many great natural cleaning sprays and solutions as I know of, I haven't found many cleaning tools that I actually love and don't just tolerate. Until, I was introduced to Full Circle Home.

The amazing folks at Tryazon were generous enough to give me the opportunity to try out an overflowing box of goodies from Full Circle- to get to know the products and share my opinion (and a few of the goods) with friends! I have a great group of Mama friends who I am lucky enough to "do life" with and we love any excuse to get together! We had a belated Mother's Day Brunch at my house a couple weeks ago- it was a time of good food, a great play date for the kids and a fun time visiting for the moms. I put together a Mother's Day gift bag for each of my friends consisting of a few of my favorite things- a beautiful art print from Gracelaced, The Mother Letters (which I reviewed here on the blog not long ago!), mt favorite lip balm from the Grove Collaborative, and last but not least- a cheery Full Circle Home kitchen towel! 

They loved all the goodies and were excited to see and hear more about the other products in the full circle line. It was really nice for us to be able to check out the products in person and the sample party was a great way to do that since none of the stores in this area carry the Full Circle products and we have to order online! We all agreed that we would love to start replacing our shabby, plastic cleaning tools with the aesthetically pleasing, high quality coordinating Full Circle ones. we flipped thru the Come Clean kit's booklet of natural cleaner recipes and tips and discussed which we had tried in the past or would like to try in the future. Many of the Mamas in my group have started monthly subscriptions to Grove Collaborative  to keep our cleaning pantries in stock and were excited to find that they offer a selection of Full Circle Home products!

We now own three of the Full Circle Home brooms at our house- the clean sweep, the mighty team and the tiny team! There is a broom for each of my boys and (sometimes) they are Mama's helpers with sweeping up the house. :) I have a whole slew of Full Circle products lined up by my sink to help with dish washing tasks- one of my least favorite tasks made better with the help of some pretty, efficient tools!

 

I have been very impressed with the Full Circle Home Products I've been able to implement in my home so far and am excited to add more to collection as time goes by!

Thanks to Tryazon and Full Circle Home for sending me these products in exchange for an honest review. 

The Mother Letters

I received one of the best "for me" Mother's Day gifts in the mail. The Mother Letters by Amber Haines is a beautifully curated collection of soul vulnerable letters that represent real mothers' joys, struggles, questions, lessons learned, even pains and doubts. Amber gives us a real gift in sharing with the sisterhood of mothers out there what was a truly thoughtful past Mother's Day gift from her husband- these collective accounts of many different women God has made mothers and continue to carry through this journey. I enjoyed reading these emphatic and encouraging words and was honored to ask to contribute my own "Mother Letter".

Dear Mother, 

 None of this journey is exactly what you thought it would be, is it? This Mother thing. It's so much harder, painful even, and heartbreakingly beautiful too. These boys who drain me of every ounce energy, patience and strength; these boys who I feel I never am enough for. There's never enough time, enough of me to go around and that makes me feel like a failure at something I really want to be good at. I am always on the look out for ways to grow and improve my skill set here- I stockpile the best books, do "research" online, and try and glean wisdom from other mothers I admire. I want to some how provide my kids with a wondrous childhood, a through education and a healthy foundation for adulthood-easy enough, right? In so many ways I have come to peace with leading a simple, low profile life, what I want to be is just a good wife and mother- most days even being that is too lofty of a goal it seems. It takes so much of me, all of me and more-more than I have or want to give some days. It takes realizing how selfish and ugly I can be and dying to my wants and needs, hourly even. And all of this burden can weigh and shut me down when what I need most, what my family needs most, is for me to realize all of this is true- my shortcomings, my selfishness, the fact that I'm just not enough for this monumental task of eternal significance-the shaping of a soul. Elisabeth Elliot called it a parent's job to "give a saint back to God." I don't know about you but I am no saint, let alone able to shape a saint out of another human being. But I have learned that if I am a willing vessel, God will use me, enable me and do the work thru me. I am learning that His yoke truly is easy and His burden really is light, because He never leaves us on our own. He never forsakes us. And the thing is my husband and kids don't want a perfect wife and mother, they want me. When I realize my flaws and quirks I can be be gracious and even appreciate those in my children. When I am trying to mold and perfect my children and taking this mothering job so seriously I expect them to be perfect because that means I'm doing my job well. When I see my children not as my job, but independent, little souls finding their way thru this life, just like me, I have so much more grace and find so much more joy with them. I'm coming to accept that I can do my best and God will do the rest- there will be grace to fill in all the gaps I leave. 

  

 So, to you, I say don't take yourself too seriously. Grasp what you can of these fleeting days and hold on to the memories and the love- those last. Some days, turn a blind eye to the mess and focus on your kids instead. And some days, let them watch a show or play outside and get your chores done in peace.  Read lots of books. Laugh a lot- if they do is something so crazy it makes you want to cry, laugh instead. Try and remember what it's like to be a kid- to want that over priced souvenir from the gift shop during vacation, to be scared of the dark, to have your worries and cares be over "petty" things. Keep your eyes open for the sacred beautiful in the broken, but it's ok when there are just plain hard moments too. Notice, embrace and appreciate your little in-house weirdos. These are your people, this is your own little culture-how cool is that? Be there, love them, give your all, and let grace cover the rest. You are not perfect, but you are the perfectly chosen mother for these little ones. 

Happy Mother's Day to you. 

I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

The Life Giving Home: A help on the journey of bringing the KingdomCome into our homes

 Home. A word with deep meaning and strong connotations for me. I have such vivid and fond memories of my childhood home and farmyard adventures with my siblings. So much of who I am now is rooted in those days of childhood bliss and discovery;my whole worldview was shaped in those early years. Even better, I share that history with a sister and two brothers who know of the memorable places I reminisce over and laugh at all the right places in the tales of our daring escapades. I always pause and think of my siblings when I hear the lines from my latest favorite artist-Twenty One Pilots- song, "Stressed Out"-

         Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young,
How come I’m never able to identify where it’s coming from,
I’d make a candle out of it if I ever found it,
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I’d probably only sell one,

It’d be to my brother, ‘cause we have the same nose,
Same clothes homegrown a stone’s throw from a creek we used to roam.

I know it sadly isn't the case for everyone, but my childhood and the home I grew up in were a gift and I knew, fairly early, that I wanted to create the same for my someday family. I knew that was my "career calling"- homemaking. I've always felt it was a worthy vocation. I enjoyed honing some early skills while still living at home as a teenager and was fortunate to marry a man who had always hoped and planned to make it possible for his wife to be able to stay home with the family. I married young and instantly had a rather large home to make my own. I loved endlessly changing out paint colors and preparing gourmet meals- I will say, I felt I was pretty darn good at this homemaking gig. And then just barely after our first anniversary, we welcomed our first son and soon after a second (and eventually a third!) The joys of adding beauty to my home,day in and day out, suddenly took a back seat to changing diapers and constant meals and snacks and entertaining toddlers and soothing babies and.. I think you get the picture. Life with children happened and everything shifts. My home wasn't about just being a pretty, feminine place I could take pride in showing off to guests any more, it was now the nursery and play grounds to a new generation of rambunctious boys. I will admit this was a bit of a bittersweet transition for me- having my space how I wanted it-spic and span and always having time to add some new touches here and there morph into little men's needs taking up so much of the day and leaving a train wreck in their wake.  But I slowly woke to the realization that I had a even grander task now, to create a home- a whole history and foundation- for my boys that would serve as a safe haven from this fallen world and a primer to set these little souls on the way they should go. I was now not just about creating a pretty house but a Life Giving Home.

We decided to pack up and move our ever growing boys to the farm I was able to call home during my childhood. With hay fields to run through, the river banks to roam and the grandparents right around the corner- we couldn't think of a much better place to raise our boys. I traded in my two story house for a nice, new mobile home we chose for the open floor plan- making it possible for the boys to run from one end of the house to another and Mom able to monitor it all while washing dishes. We ended up with a big fenced in yard, a trampoline, atvs and a (big) puppy- things to fill a little boys days with fun and activity. Our days are full, the boys are growing up before our eyes and life is good- but I still feel like something is missing. I stay so busy chasing boys all day, I feel myself become the weary, tense mom who is getting by hour by hour without a long term plan to motivate the daily plans. In comes my lately found, mom "mentor"-Sally Clarkson- to help spin that vision for what my home could be!

Sally with her daughter, Sarah Clarkson wrote the inspiring, new book The Life Giving Home: Creating a place of belonging and becoming.  Isn't that the perfect description of what you want home to be- a place of belonging and becoming? Expounded a bit more in Sally's words,"A place of refuge, a harbor for their wandering souls, a place where all that is precious about life is preserved, protected, and cultivated and the daily needs of their hearts and souls are satisfied."This book was just what I needed when I was hitting a wall of discouragement in how to balance the want to's and the many have to's of life. I loved reading the Clarkson family's story, written with enough retrospect to see what lasted as a legacy thru Sarah's eyes. I appreciated Sarah's writing style- more of the philosophical and wordy (though in a good way!) variety, the way I tend to communicate. Sally's contributions make a very nice balance with a more straightforward, applicable message. I have always appreciated Sally's books for challenging women to higher ideals while leaving lots of room for grace. Being very idealistic myself, sometimes I come away from a book jam packed full of grand goals feeling more burdened down than anything. I am thankful Sally and Sarah paint a very ambitious picture of what home can be while being honest with the challenging seasons and obstacles they ran across making that happen in their own lives.

 

 

 The best advice I can give reading thru this book is to remember that all these traditions and ideas came from years of seasoning and are being offered as examples not hard, fast rules. I love some of the fun family activities Sally suggests and will be trying to implement them into our lives slowly. I have always had a large appetite for reading and am so happy the same can be said for my boys! We've surrounded them with piles of books pretty much from day one and the collection just keeps growing. I have loved our read aloud times and already see the joys of those shared stories woven through our days. While I don't think we will be having family tea times, my husband and I share our best conversations over a hot cup of coffee in hand. I have found that my boys love a good tea party (complete with their own blue and green, boy friendly tea set) though, once in awhile! I was even able to score a sample box of the Yorkshire tea that has been a long time favorite of the Clarkson Family. We aren't really a classical music family but we do have calming, folk music-a la  Andrew Peterson or maybe Josh Garrels- playing as the soundtrack for our days quite often. And I will say, Music for the Life Giving Home composed by Sally's son,Joel, is beautiful to listen to! I've always felt a grace with Sally's writings- an encouragement to find who God made me to be and be the best at that. To be able to have big goals for your family but realize that there will be plenty of days when the details just don't all play out like they're 'suppose" to. Sally shares a freedom to not have to be just like the Clarkson family, but to be intentional in making a home that serves your family and points the rest of the world towards Christ.

I also appreciate the encouragement Sally gives to invest in beauty for your home and life; obviously, don't spend outside your means but that it's okay to buy things that bring joy and atmosphere to your home. Currently, for me that means eagerly awaiting our new wood stove being installed a couple of weeks! I just love the cozy warmth and feel a wood stove gives a night winter night at home. Also, I have been pining the fact that homemade bread is literally just about the best food there ever was but making it in my home is probably not happening on a regular basis any time soon. My friend introduced me to a local couple who are making hand crafted, wood fire, rustic sourdough loaves at a very reasonable price. I just picked up my first delicious order today and am excited to have an outlet to provide my family with homemade bread and support local people at the same time! I also love finding ways to display scripture around the house in beautiful ways. I recently purchased a few prints from Ruth Simons at Gracelaced. Her paintings with verses interwoven throughout add such depth and truth to our walls.

I enjoyed the layout of the book- starting with a blueprint of what home is and all that it could be. I personally was really interested and challenged by what Sarah had to say about the implications of technology and social media on our lives and even our homes. She says, "If the precious, limited hours of my day are used bit by bit in scanning information, I will have less and less time for the attentive, slow, good work if creativity, conversation, and connection  that real people and real home require."  The rest of the book is broken into chapters that correspond with the months of the year to give coordinating ideas and inspiration. Honestly, I really want to get the most of this book, so I have chosen to wait and read a new chapter with each new month to keep it fresh in my mind. I have already gleaned so much from this impressive resource book for my "chosen profession." Homemaking is an art and a job: I pray for the perseverance and wisdom to take it serious and the creativity and grace to make it beautiful. I'll leave you with one of my favorite lines from Sarah-" To make a home right in the midst of the fallen world is to craft out a space of human flesh and existence in which eternity rises up in time, in which the Kingdom comes, in which we may taste and see the goodness of God."

I received this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest review.