Today, you can find me at Raising Homemakers writing more on the topic of Raising Strong Daughters.
Author Archives: Amy
See the Light Freebies
I wanted to let you know about some wonderful FREE resources at See The Light’s blog (yes, they have a blog!).
This month, their Art Project DVD, featuring the work of Georgia O’Keeffe is on sale. They have put together an awesome set of freebies in honor of her work. (? see the link to get the coupon code for the DVD!)
Additionally, you’ll want to look around the blog for things like:
How to draw a rocket launch
How to draw landscapes
and don’t forget their amazing Pinterest page:
There are tons of resources there that are perfect for everything from an impromptu art lesson to a well-thought-out unit study.
By the way, if you’re a blogger and a fan of See the Light, why not sign up for their affiliate program? They are a really great company to represent, and they would love to have you on board!
How to Have Your Quiet Time All Day Long
I used to get up at 6:30 am every day, sit on my front porch and drink coffee while I read in my Bible and prayed. Back then, I had 2 small children and my husband was deployed.
Six kids later, mornings are filled with breastfeeding and diapers and preparations for school that day. I hit the ground running and don’t slow down until about 2 pm.
But you’re not allowed to have Quiet Time at 2 pm are you?
Oh wait. It’s not exactly quiet at 2 pm either…or 3 or 4 pm…or even 8 or 9 pm. And once I have the children in bed, there’s time with my husband that needs to find its time slot too.
What’s a busy mom to do about Quiet Time?
Well, first of all, don’t go looking up the words “Quiet Time” in your concordance because they aren’t there. While I understand the reasoning and heart behind Quiet Time as a specific event, I think women have made it a hill to die on.
Wrong hill, folks. Climb down and let’s talk.
Time with the Lord is not supposed to be something you check off a list or turn on and off at will. Quiet time isn’t a measure of your worth or your holiness, and we shouldn’t feel the need to look down at our shoes and mutter something guilt-ridden when asked about our “Quiet Time” by another well-meaning mother.
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy
1 Peter 3:15a
Jesus came down the hardest on the Pharisees, who went through all the outward motions of being followers of God, but whose hearts were anything but the Lord’s.
No, I’m not calling people who have a set Quiet Time Pharisees, but I am saying that Quiet Time is not what personifies a holy life.
I believe you should have Quiet Time all day long in order to lead a holy life.
I know a few of you are wondering how in the world you are going to manage that if you can’t even find 2 seconds of quiet in your day. This post is especially for you: the weary mom who feels guilty over not doing the Quiet Time thing right.
No More Guilt
Quiet Time in the traditional sense usually involves reading your Bible, meditating on the Scripture, and praying. The purpose is learning about the Lord, seeking His wisdom, and drawing closer to Him. All of this put together is worship.
Worship Where You Are!
I want to encourage you to learn about the Lord, seek His wisdom, and draw closer to Him all day long. Yes, have Quiet Time all day long! Here’s how…
Moms (and especially homeschool moms) have a unique privilege of teaching Scripture to their children during the daytime hours and in every day life. While I believe a father should be the guiding force of the faith in the home, the mother gets to be the one who nurtures her children in the faith.
As we teach, we learn about the Lord!
Your Bible Time with the children should be deep and rich. Noah’s Ark as a fun story about a flood and a rainbow is totally missing the point and potentially starving you and your children of the meat of the Gospel. Your time spent in the Word with your children can be just as rich and rewarding as a 6:30 am Quiet Time.
Resources for Bible Time:
(includes affiliate links)
You need a good Bible for every child, even the non-readers. We recommend:
A deep devotional. For younger children, we like:
For older children, we like the FREE resources from Paul Washer.
What About Meditating on Scripture?
One thing I am starting back up with my children is memory work. I have not done a good job of this in many years and I need to get back to it. I intend to work on the same Scriptures my children are working on so we can hold each other accountable.
A great resource for Scripture Memory is this series from Grace & Truth Books:
Other ideas:
Place Scripture around your home.
Sing Scripture songs.
Listen to Bible teachings during the day.
Ask your husband to read Scripture to you.
What About Prayer?
Someday I will have more time to devote to prayer, but that doesn’t mean my prayers will be any more sincere and heartfelt than they are right now.
I have become adept at seeing or hearing of a need and stopping right that second to pray. I pray as I write, as I send emails, as I bathe the children, and as I cook dinner (remember my apron prayers?). The Lord doesn’t somehow hear me better in a quiet house.
There is No Formula.
Mothers naturally lean toward a guilt-ridden state of mind because we fear doing something wrong. Please know that just because you aren’t following some formula you’ve somehow “messed up”. God is not keeping a tally of how many times you had Quiet Time and how many times you failed to make it out to the porch with your Bible and coffee.
God doesn’t want your 6:30 am sacrifice. He wants your entire day!
Asparagus Ragoo {George Washington Style}
I know not everyone is as crazy about asparagus as our family is, but this has recently become our favorite way to serve it. I wanted share not only the recipe, but the story behind this George Washington Asparagus Ragoo. (note: “ragoo” is an antiquated spelling of the word ragout)
Every year, we watch for the first signs of asparagus peeking up from the edges of our garden. On particularly nice spring days, you can go out in the morning and find them just starting to poke out of the ground, and by night they are ready to pick!
When I don’t have enough in a picking to make a meal, I place them unwashed in a glass of water and put them in the refrigerator. Every day, I gather a few more until I have a meal’s worth.
This ragoo recipe helps stretch the asparagus and makes a nice hearty side dish. You could use it as a main dish and even add hamburger to it if you were feeling particularly adventurous!
So, how did I come across this recipe and why is it “George Washington Style”?
While in D.C. this past April, we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s country home. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The grounds are gorgeous, the home is amazing, and the museum nearby is wonderfully informative.
In the museum was a display based on the cooking of Martha Washington, and you could pick up recipes used by the Washingtons. Asparagus Ragoo was one of these recipes. Apparently, George Washington like asparagus as much as we do!
I did modify the recipe just a bit to use ingredients we typically have on hand. I don’t buy endives, so I wasn’t going to make this with endives, and I decided to use Romaine instead of Bibb or Boston lettuce because I buy Romaine on a regularly basis. (All you real foodies can commence shuddering, as if my photo of the ragoo on a paper plate wasn’t offensive enough!)
Asparagus Ragoo {George Washington Style}
3 pounds asparagus, cut into thirds
5 TBSP unsalted butter
1 medium onion
1 Romaine lettuce heart, cored and shredded
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the asparagus, reduce the heat, and simmer until the asparagus is barely tender. Drain thoroughly, cover and set aside to keep warm.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in lettuce, salt and pepper and continue booking until the vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and stir to blend well. Gradually add the stock, stirring until it begins to simmer and thickens slightly.
Add the asparagus and heat until warmed. Serve immediately.
We served this recipe as a side dish. My husband chose to eat several helpings of this rather than the main dish, and there was still plenty to go around in our family of 9.
Thanks, George!
What Now?
When my oldest was a little boy, we would spend the day with friends and after coming home from a very full and fun day, he would promptly ask,
All I could do was stare at him in disbelief. How could he possibly want to go somewhere else? How could he be so ungrateful for the time we spent doing fun things the entire day?
But, over the years, I began to see this wasn’t a matter of being ungrateful. It was a case of what we call in our house The Let Downs.
We all have events in our lives that create memories, cause adrenaline rushes, are super fun or even super stressful that once over, cause us to feel let down. We don’t know where to go from here. We feel directionless and perhaps even a little sad.
Pregnancy and delivery feel a bit like that to me. Once it is over, even though I have this wonderful little babe in my arms, I find myself wondering, “What now?”
My husband feels like this after vacation. He throws himself into vacation, soaks up every minute of it, and once back home, he has a hard time going back to the day to day.
As adults, we know life can’t be all fun and games, but children get the “let-downs” and don’t know why or what to do about it. It’s helpful to let them know what they are feeling and what they will be doing once the big event is over so they can see that life isn’t going to just stop, but it will be different
I have to be honest with you, I’m sitting here writing this with a case of the Let Downs myself. My focus last week was the big ebook sale. I was so excited about it and it consumed a lot of energy, but that is over. Of course, I have a million and one things to do next, but I’m finding myself thinking, “What now?”
So, today I’m going to take some time to regroup. I’m going to look at these areas:
- Home
- School
- Blog
and jot down some of my thoughts, make myself a Next Thing List and get going.
So, how about you? Ever feel like you have the Let Downs? What do you do to overcome it?
Homemaking eBook Bundle Ends Tonight!
**This sale has ended. Thank you to all who purchased!**
I know some of you are still trying to decide if you should buy the Homemaking eBook Bundle. You’ve been looking at it all week and you just aren’t sure you want to spend $29.97. You’ve waited until the last day and you are still pondering this purchase.
I understand your dilemma because I’ve been there. I’ve poured over the details of bundle sales I’ve been interested in, trying to decide it they were something I would use and get my money’s worth. I’ve conferred with my husband, who usually says, “Buy it if you think its worth it.” But, it’s so hard for me to decide if its worth it.
I can’t make that decision for you, but I do want to tell you that this sale isn’t just a bundle full of cleaning advice or organizational how-to’s. It is SO much more!
Need healthy meals for busy days? It’s here:
Need a chore system that doesn’t stress you out? It’s here:
Want to have a great family camping experience? It’s here: (Love this book, by the way.)
Want to spend fun, quality time teaching your little one? It’s here:
and here:
Want to learn how to manage a blog without living on the computer? It’s here:
Want to lose weight and get in shape? It’s here:
and here:
I could go on and on because this library is extensive and comprehensive! Every inch of this resource is worth it!
So, if you’ve been dragging your feet, wondering if you should buy this eBook bundle, I can wholehearted endorse this bundle as truly worth it! There is so much here and you will be blessed by these resources!
So, grab it before it is gone! Start downloading, and curl up with some great ebooks this weekend and for years to come!
**This sale has ended. Thank you to all who purchased!**