I Want to Trust You, But I Don't {Review}

 

Author Lysa Terkeurst takes readers on a journey through the in-between... the desert land of desiring relationships and overcoming broken trust.  Trust is the oxygen of relationships.  It's what breaths life into our connections.  But what happens when the betrayal is so deep you're not sure the tears will stop?  And where is God when trust is broken?  If He could see the behind the scenes, can He even be trusted?

Broken trust in past relationships can quickly become a stumbling block to future wholeness.  Deep wounds, shattered illusions, and discarded dreams take more than time to heal.  They require strategic reprogramming to stop them from destroying future relationships.  But what does that look like when we loose faith even in your discernment? 

As someone who's walked through deeply broken trust, Terkeurst's book was incredibly timely.  She brings words to hurts and betrayals that feel so profoundly inescapable.  I found myself nodding along with all she was saying.  These were the words I've been searching for to describe how I feel.  Here was a woman that understood the groans of my pain.  I could identify with this feeling of despair.  And yet, neither of us could be allowed to live there.  Yes, this type of broken trust requires hard work, but it's not meant to be a dead end.

This book is exactly what I needed for this season of my life.  Full of insight and practical advice... while not allowing the reader to remain stuck.  I waver between 3.5-4 stars.  This book hits on this topic with such precision and insight.  I just expected it to have more Scriptural backup.  However, the advice is solid and life-giving.  I was continually surprised by Terkeurst's ability to clearly identify the issue and slowly chip away at the solution in a way that as neither cliche or belittling.  Definitely recommended.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

My Mom Morning Basket

I realized it's been a very long time since I did an update on what's in my Mom Morning Basket.  Just as we have a morning basket to start off our homeschool day, so I also have a personal "morning basket" to keep myself learning and growing as I have small moments of time.  I've realized that those small moments add up quickly, and just as the kids need life giving ideas to meditate on, so do I.  So while my basket isn't necessarily done in the mornings, I do try to touch on it throughout the day.  This is just a sampling of someof the items in my basket: 

This has been my Bible for over 20 years.  I love that it's filled with notes and dates, and growth.  This Bible has a ton of study helps, maps, commentary.  It's a great Bible for giving in deep.

I don't have this specific journal, but rather an inexpensive one from Dollar Tree.  But I love having a journal in my basket for writing down my thoughts.  Typically I spend making notes a few times a week.  But it's also really helpful to have some place to brain dump when I'm feeling distracted or for processing what's going on in life.

I also have a non-fiction book in my basket.  Currently I'm reading this one by Lysa Teurkerst and I'm hoping to review it this week.  I love having something meaty to think on throughout the day so my non-fiction book is usually the book I pick up sometime mid-morning or at lunch.  I try to read non-fiction when my brain is fresh.  Sometimes this category is history, Christian living, how-to... but it's always something that I want to learn more about in this stage of life.

Besides a non-fiction book, I also keep a fiction book in my basket.  My high schooler is in American History this year and this one if coming up quickly for her.  I saw her reading list and decided this was one that I wanted to read as well. I've never read Uncle Tom's Cabin, and being a lit major, I'm slightly embarrassed to say that.  This is a heavier book for this category, but I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's not too bad.  Looking for books that will challenge me, but still not be as heavy as the non-fiction category.

This year I'm reading through several of these Christian Heroes books with my 8th grader.  Currently I'm reading about John Flynn and he's been one of the more interesting figures that I've read in awhile.  The content of these books is really good, but they're not so hard to read that you struggle through them.  This is a great series to inspire young and old alike.

I keep a stack of index cards in my basket as well.  They're great for writing down quotes or Scriptures that I want to remember.  There are so many uses for index cards... I can't see myself ever not wanting them in my basket.

Page Flags... with all these books, need I say more???

I always grab a package of inexpensive note cards from the Dollar Tree as well.  I try to write an encouraging note at least once every couple of weeks.  By keeping notecards in my basket, I'm guaranteed to have a note on hand when inspiration strikes.

Finally, I like to keep some sort of learning activity in my basket. Dover Coloring books are always a good option.  I've enjoyed working in various animal and bird coloring books, and I'm thinking about adding this one next.

Do you keep a Mom Morning Basket?

What do you like to included in yours?

First Quarter Homeschool Update ll 2024-25

I know I'm a couple of weeks late, but I wanted to share a first quarter update for our homeschool year.  I know resources for middle and high school are few and far between (although it's becoming more common), and I hope that our journey of homeschooling through the high school years will be helpful for other families.

My 11th grader just finished her first college course.  She was taking an introductory course for the culinary arts program called Sanitation and Safety.  It was a shortened course that only took 9 weeks and ended with an in-person certification final.  She paced with flying colors.  So proud that she's stepping into bigger and more challenging arenas.  

Her other DE course is Eng 1A.  This course has definitely been a challenge as we didn't do a lot of writing in our homeschool last year.  That's been a learning curve for sure.  It's not that she incapable. Rather, it's combining one of her weaker subjects with some firm deadlines, and has required her to put in some effort.  The other thing that's been difficult is that she's very low-tech.  So with both of these courses being online, she's really had to learn to navigate the internet in completing and submitting assignments.  We've had to work through some technical difficulties, but all in all, she's doing great.

She's only taking a few classes from me this year.  I talked her into adding Physics to her course load and I'm sort of regretting that.  I do think she may have needed it eventually to build a strong transcript, but this may not have been the right year.  Looking at her DE courses and her dancing, she's had a lot to accomplish.  However, because she is so strong in math, Physics was definitely the route to go over Chemistry.

My eighth grader is doing pretty well.  We hit a few snags in Math that we're having to work through.  He was factoring polynomials and that slowed us down for awhile.  This week we entered into the world of slope and I'm the one slowing us down.  As much as I love Sadlier-Oxford, I've always personally struggled with the slope chapter.  So I'm laying down my teacher hat, and we're using IXL to make sure he learns it correctly the first time.  I love having a handful of resources like IXL or Khan Academy to step in and teach it the right way when I'm struggling with a concept.  Definitely helps.

One thing that's worked amazingly well this year is writing narrations for our missionary books.  I pulled 12 different Christian Heroes books from YWAM for us to read this year.  While I was looking for writing ideas, we decided that writing about our missionaries would be a good way to incorporate something we're already studying.  So every other book, he's writing a 5 paragraph essay about what he read.  I've really had to scale back our Rod and Staff curriculum to accommodate the writing, but I'm already seeing HUGE improvement.

That's been some of our strengths and weaknesses over the past quarter.  I can't believe we're already well into October.  Seems crazy.  So much growth with these two this quarter and I'm excited to see where it leads.  

How is your homeschool year going?

Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale {Review]

 

Mr. Lemoncello's at it again.  And this time he's looking for a worthy contestant to take over his entire gaming empire.  Thirteen 13-year olds are invited to take on one last gaming challenge in hopes of taking over the Lemoncello business.  But is someone trying to destroy Mr. Lemoncello's legacy?  Or has Mr. Lemoncello finally gotten in over his head?  Leave it to this new batch of gamers, including fan favorite Kyle Keeley, to crack the mystery in this Fantabulous Finale! 

My kids and I have loved Chris Grabenstein's Mr. Lemoncello from the very beginning.  This wacky character makes mind benders, riddles, and trivia come to life.  And his challenges are always heavily laden with literary characters and storytelling.  We've been hooked from the first book.  While some of the middle novels weren't as engaging, this final plot twist returns to the excitement of the original.  I loved seeing Kyle Keeley come back, and all the new characters were just as original and interesting.  The riddles throughout the book were fun to solve, and the final twists and turns made for a great lesson in teamwork.  It was a very satisfying way to say good-bye to a beloved character.  Mr. Lemoncello is certainly one of a kind.  We love that these books are original, clean, thought provoking, and fun.  We definitely recommend this one to young and old alike.  Happy reading!

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.  

10 Toys that Develop Gross Motor Skills

*this post was originally published on 3/26/15.  Enjoy!

 Gross Motor Skills involve the large muscles groups and improve blanace, coordination, crossing the mid-line, and set a child up for an overall healthier lifestyle.  Play is essential in developing these gross motor skills.  These are just a few examples of toys that make developing these skills fun:

1. Tunnel-- We love having a tunnel in this house.  This one is great for toddlers on up through early elementary.  It's a fun day to play tag, hide and seek, building an obstacle course, and improve balance, and weight shifting.

2. Baseball bat and T-- Swinging a bat doesn't just have to be about baseball.  It's also about building up those arm muscles, making the arms and waist work together, hand-eye coordination, and focus.  And you'll love the look on your preschooler's face when they actually connect with the ball.

3. Bouncy Ball-- Large bouncy balls are a lot of fun for bouncing, switching hands, and catching.  Throw them on the ground and kick them around while your child works on foot-eye coordination as well.

4. Balance Beam-- Balance beams are easy and inexpensive to construct.  And if not, pick up a roll or painter's tape and make a balance beam on the floor.  Great of improving balance, muscle development, and a sense of confidence.

5. Basketball Hoop-- What little one doesn't love to throw a ball into a hoop?  Great for aim, working the legs and arms together, and focus.

6. Hula Hoops-- Hula hoops are so versatile.  Swing them on your arm, around your waist, lay them on the ground to hop through, use them for hopscotch, etc.

7. Dancing Ribbons-- We all love to dance.  And adding ribbons makes it even more fun.  How many ways can you swing the ribbons and make them fly?

8. Tossing Games-- Along with basketball, tossing games help coordinate the arms, hands, and wrists.  Toss bean bags in a basket or hula hoops, make a corn hole game, or invest in toss across.

9. Sit N Spin-- Sit N Spin is a fun way to coordinate the arms while spinning.  It requires concentration on the hands and arms as they are always moving.

10. Toddler Riding toys, tricycles, and bicycles--These ride-on toys require the coordination of several muscles groups to propel a child forward.  Additionally, your child is working on balance and cardio vascular health.

What toys have you found helpful in developing gross motor skills?

The Foundation of a Disciplemaking Culture

 

Are churches called to disciplemaking?  What does that look like? How does one think in terms of disciplemaking?  

In The Foundation of a Disciplemaking Culture, Justin G. Gravitt focuses on the principles for developing this kind of culture in your church.  He particularly highlights the need for casting vision and ensuring that a disciplemaking culture maintains momentum beyond the first and second generation.  

Discipleship in the church has been coming up a lot in my reading lately.  This book in particularly is great for casting vision and reminding all of us about the Great Commission.  Jesus' commission was to the church... not the church leaders, not the scholars, but the whole church.  So if we're called to imitate Christ, then disciplemaking needs to be in our DNA as well.  Gravitt's book reminds readers that discipleship is should be the basic core of church life.  This really is a great read for living and serving like Jesus did.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

What's in Our October Morning Basket?

*This post was originally published on 10/9/18.  Enjoy1

It's a new month and time to share what's in our morning basket.  From Medieval history to earth science, we hitting multiple subjects and mixing things up.

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A Lancaster Amish Christmas {Review}

This four novella compilation includes works by authors Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston, Mindy Steele, and Amy Lillard.  All four novella are centered around Lancaster County and the holiday season.

Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam by Anne Blackburne introduces readers to Lucy and her younger sister.  When Lucy's parents die, she takes on raising her little sister, born with Down's syndrome.  But when her boyfriend turns sinister, Lucy breaks things off and decides to go it alone. Till one day she runs into the new hardware store owner and love is awakened.  But can Lucy keep her little family together while pursuing love?

In A Bird in Hand Christmas by Amy Clipstone, recently widowed Makayla returns home to visit her parents for Christmas.  Little does she know that old flame Wyatt was recently employed by her father.  Can these two overcome old rumors to build a life together?  Or will Makayla enter into a loveless marriage with someone else?

Christmas Lily by Amy Lillard tells the story of seven year old Jacob who develops a crush on his new school teacher and sets out to play matchmaker between her and his recently widowed father.  But the two are far from friendly.  Will mother nature plot to bring the two of them together?  Or will Jacob find himself saying good-bye to his teacher forever?

In Leaving Lancaster by Mindy Steele, three sister, Louise, Beth, and Leah, discover their father has decided to sell the family farm and move to Kentucky.  All three sister have mixed feelings about the move.  With only on Christmas left on the farm, will the girls find their miracle?

It typically really hard to develop interesting characters within a novella.  However, all four authors did an incredible job of bringing their characters and stories to life.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how much interest was packed into these novellas, making them just as engaging as full length novels.  Each story is told from a unique viewpoint, from single parenthood to older marriages to second marriages.  All in all, I felt like this collection was really well done.  All the authors took the time with their storytelling and created a wonderful set for the Christmas season.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

 

Weekend Links ll Oct 4, 2024

Discipling Your Kids When 

You're Struggling

Free October Nature Guide

Free Pumpkins and Corn Nature Study

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

Josiah helped me make beef stew earlier this week as part of his history homework.  We’re studying the Irish potato famine, but I’m all about doing the cooking activities when given the chance.  We used their recipe as a base and then made it our own.  It was delicious.

What I'm Reading:

I just started a book on developing a discipleship culture in the church.  Funny enough it goes along with some of the podcasts I’ve been listening too as well.  Lots of information to digest and think through.  Reviews coming soon.

What I'm Doing:

We spent the week catching up on appointments… well visits, pointe shoes, PSAT set up, etc.  I felt like I was in the car a lot this week.  But totally planning on getting some crafting time in this weekend.

 

What I'm Enjoying:

Carmel Apple cupcakes…

Our Scripture memory box…

Afternoon swimming…

21 Day Fix Extreme…

Cool mornings…

What are you up to?