God's Love from Isaiah

Isaiah is quickly becoming one of my favorite books of the Bible. I'm not a Bible scholar and there are parts of it that I don't understand but there are also many amazing things that I want to remember and internalize so that they become part of who I am. Today I want to talk specifically about two verses. I believe that if we all understood these verses we could walk in confidence as God's ladies and encourage one another instead of allowing insecurity to grip our hearts.

Isaiah 43:1 says, "But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." (emphasis mine)

Isaiah 43:7 says, "Even everyone that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." 

I want to note six things from these verses. 

1. God redeemed me. I was His to begin with and then sin happened. Isn't that how every story starts now? But God sent Jesus to die on the cross to buy me back. To pay again for something that should have been His to begin with. He didn't have to do that. He choose to redeem me. 

2. He knows my name. In a world of seven billion people (and that's just the ones alive now) God knows my name. It astounds me that God sees me in the vastness of the universe and the noise of all the people. 

3. I am His.  God claims me as His own. He adopted me into His own family (Eph. 1) and I belong to Him. 

4. I am called by His name. Christian means Christ-like. God sees me through the blood of Jesus and therefore, without sin. 

5. I am created for His glory. There's my purpose right there: the glory of God. God made me for that specific purpose: that all I am and do would bring glory to Him. If you have ever doubted that your life held meaning, there you go. Of course it seems overwhelming to think that's what we are supposed to do but remember, God left us the Holy Spirit to do the work through us. We have the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11). That is incredible to me! 

6. God made me. And not just made me- formed me. It wasn't like a cake that you mix together and then dump in a pan. It was like the delicate frosting creations that artists form and shape and carefully place. Let's also note that Is. 44:2 says that God "formed thee from the womb". God was making you to be something special for Him from the time you were conceived. Even if you were a surprise to your parents you were planned by God. 

These verses repeat God's love to me. I am to meditate on these truths of Scripture and grow in confidence in Christ because He made me. He has a purpose for me. I belong to Him. My boys and I are also working on memorizing Isaiah 43:7 because I want them to know these truths as well. 

You are not a mistake. God formed you in the womb with a purpose. Regardless of how you feel about your looks, talents, abilities, or place in life, God is watching over you, loving you. Can you ask God to settle those truths in your heart so that you can live for Him? Countless ladies (who know much more than I do) have commented on how it is impossible to truly live for God unless you know that He loves you. And God does love you. 

What's your favorite "love" passage from the Bible? 

Finding Time to be Me in Motherhood

Motherhood is time-consuming. I don't know this for a fact but I've heard that the smaller the children are the more time-consuming they are. All bets may be off if you are planning to homeschool though. Who knows? But I have found that it is important for my mental health to pursue being an adult while I am also mothering. If I lose myself in mothering I lose it all. I lose my focus on my marriage, personal growth, and even being the best mom I can be. I am a better mom when it's not the only thing I do. 

(One of my new books and a sketch I worked on over the weekend)

Due to schedules and lifestyle I don't get out a lot by myself. And that's perfectly ok with me.  What time my husband is home I want to be here too to spend it with him and the boys. But I have been looking for ways to pursue interests and develop talents while I'm home. Here are five I practice on a regular basis.

1. Make my time with God first priority. My goal is to read my Bible before my boys get up. Does this always happen? No. And it's even harder when there's a new baby but it's still my ideal quiet time. But I've let the boys watch tv while I read. I've let them play in the yard while I've sat out there and read my Bible. Make it happen. I also read a little and journal before bed too. 

2. Listen to podcasts. I have become obsessed with podcasts! I listen to sermons and the rest are mostly about motherhood and blogging. It's a great way to learn while you're cooking, cleaning, fixing snacks, and wiping noses. But be prepared because sometimes children are loud enough to drown them out. Oh, and I love to download a few and listen to them in the car too! 

3. Practice piano regularly. I take 45 minutes almost every morning to practice piano. My boys are used to this and they play in the living room while I practice. Is it uninterrupted? Of course not, but it is progress. 

4. Write during quiet time before I take a nap. I recently lengthened quiet time a little to make this possible. Writing is how I process what I think and how I feel. I need to be writing down the things I'm learning and studying in order to grow and remember and have material for the blog. It doesn't write itself! 

5. Read. It's almost always non-fiction and just snatches at a time. My fiction reading is almost non-existent although I did read the first chapter of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" the other day. We'll see if that goes anywhere. I read about mothering, homeschooling, homemaking, Christian womanhood, music theory, etc. And it usually is literally pages at a time but it adds up quickly if done consistently. I've referred to it before as my own personal graduate school. Just without tests. Well, at least written ones. 

Do all of these things happen every day? Actually, almost. The writing is the least consistent and then piano is 5-6 times a week. I've found it makes a profound difference in my attitude toward myself, motherhood, and life in general. Pursuing personal growth does not have to be put off just because you're a mama. It definitely changes with new seasons of life and looks different for every person though. 

And I should note one other thing: give yourself fully to whatever work is before you. If it's hours before bedtime or quiet time or naptime or quitting time, write down reminders of what to do later and then give yourself to your work now. Give yourself to those children or patients or customers or whoever God has placed in your path. 

Have you found there's a disconnect between yourself as a person and yourself as a mom? What is one thing you can do to "be an adult" while you're concentrated in mothering work? Or what do you already do that helps you?

Hard Days Can Be Good Days

Take a second and describe your day yesterday.  What was it like? Would you call it good or bad? What about the rest of this week? Do you normally have good or bad days? 

Of course there are bad days. Deaths, sorrows, NICU stays, crushing disappointments, and dissolved relationships all happen. But I'm not talking about those days. I'm talking about normal days and the mishaps of life that happen to us all. We are setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment by calling those "bad days."  We do have hard days; they just aren't necessarily bad. 

photo courtesy of mr lightman/freedigitalphotos.net

Hard days can also be good days. The two adjectives are not mutually exclusive. Easy days are coasting day. You're not growing, or learning, or depending on God. While nice every once in a while, a life of easy days would be quite pointless. Around here, we've had a string of good, hard days lately. Days when God has blessed us with health, purpose, and family. Days when I'm doing what I know God meant for me to be doing. But they are also frustrating days of training small children. Days of leaning on God for strength for the right attitude, tone, words, wisdom. 

What do I need in these good, hard days? A break? Starbucks? A shopping spree? Not really. None of those would have any lasting effect. They wouldn't teach my children. They wouldn't change my heart. They wouldn't strengthen our family. Instead I've gone to what I always need: God. 

I've been clinging to a promise from the Bible. I've found that God gives me verses that impact my day-to-day life and strengthen me through different seasons of life. Right now it's Hebrews 13:5-6. 

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

There is a lot in these verses but here's what's sticking out to me right now. God is my helper. That is amazing when you think about it! God is helping me. He cares so much about my daily life that He is ready to help me train my children, manage my time, love my family. I can claim that promise boldly. I can't exhaust Him by asking for help too many times in one day. He never grows weary of me or my need for help. God sees me in the vastness of the universe and is waiting to help me. God will never leave me. A human helper would have times when they wouldn't be available. God is available around the clock. I never wake Him up talking to Him. He's never surprised or shocked by the situation. He will never leave when He sees my mess. 

-That means when I'm struggling for wisdom and patience in training my children, God is my helper. 

-When my husband isn't coming home for lunch but eats out for work, God is my helper. 

-When I'm fearful about pregnancy and delivery, God is my helper. 

-When I'm overcome with the needs of little people, God is my helper. 

-When I feel judged and condemned by others, God is my helper. 

Hard days can be training small children- not an easy task. Hard days can be rejoicing with others over an opportunity you wanted. Hard days can be loving your family selflessly when you want to demand your rights. Hard days can be lots of different things, depending on your spot in life. You know what makes your days hard. But those hard days can be good days. Good days of accomplishing the work God has given you for that day. Good days of seeing God work in your heart. Good days of knowing that you are investing in the future and in eternity even if you can't see the results now. Good days of obedience to what Christ wants. 

Good, hard days also help you grown.  Growing isn't easy. But in a few weeks, months, or years you will be able to look back and realize that the things that make these days hard are still present. But they don't make life hard anymore. You've learned and grown and you know how to handle those things. The beginning stages of learning can be very uncomfortable. Take heart and hold on! 

I don't need more money, time, resources, or breaks. God is my portion. Often what we need isn't more of whatever we think it is. We need God. We need to let Him use those circumstances that He is in control of to change our hearts to honor Him. Let's not look for an easier life. Instead let's look to God for the help we need for this life. 

Dealing with Questions

I love to ask questions. "Why does electricity work that way?" "Why do you add that chord there when you play that song?" "What does that do?" "Who invented that?" Questions are good. Questions are how you learn. 

Questions can also be uncomfortable. Questions can force you to go beyond what you already know and seek for answers. Questions can make you look at things you just accepted by habit before. Questions can be hard. There are some questions that do not have easy answers. 

The world is filled with information; I never expected to stop learning and growing. There are many fields of study of particular interest to me, not to mention the rest of them! But at some point I did expect to have fewer philosophical questions. Instead I've found the opposite to be true. 

photo courtesy of stuart miles/freedigitalphotos.net

I can look back over my life, especially the last five or so years, and see where I'm learning and growing. But I'm pretty sure that I have more questions now than ever where I can't just Google the answers. Questions like, "what does it mean to be a woman?" "How does that look lived in my marriage, my mothering, my attitude toward myself?" "What will truly matter in eternity?" "How should I prioritize the few moments of free time that I have?" "How do I be the best me and yet conform to the standard?" "Do I even have to conform to the standard?" (I never see where God calls the Christian to conformation, only transformation. God made us all unique people. Yet, of course, the Bible is our guideline so there should be similarities as we all follow the same Book. See what I mean?)

You may have totally different questions. There are stages in life and circumstances that are hard to understand. The questions can change- and do change- from season to season. 

So what can we do? I can't quit everything until I have answers. I can't put all of my work on hold while I search for answers. 

Here's some practical thoughts for dealing with questions of life. 

1. Continue with your work. Do the things that you know God has handed to you to the best of your ability. God isn't waiting until we are perfectly mature and knowledgeable to use us. If He were, He would have no one to use. Don't freak out and throw all things to the wind. Continue. 

2. Surrender your heart to God. It's easy to think that we know what the answer is going to be and instead of searching for what God says about it we are searching for something to validate how we feel. Be looking for Jesus above all. 

3. Immerse yourself in the Bible. The Bible has all the answers. That's where you are going to find what God thinks and says about all of life. Allow God to transform your life through your time in the Bible. 

4. Pray. Ask God for help in understanding. Commit yourself to serving Him regardless of when answers come or what they look like. Don't obsess about your questions. Have a time you take them to God and move on with your day. 

5. Learn. Remember, questions are an opportunity to grow and learn. Ask questions of Godly people. Read books, blogs, articles on the subject. Be sure to always ask, "Is this what the Bible really says?" Often we say things that are cultural standards or habit when it's not exactly what the Bible says. As you are learning let the Bible remain your authority. 

Can I guarantee you'll find answers? No, I can't. But I do know that the Bible says that "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things." (Proverbs 28:5)

There will always be questions. Questions can make you uncomfortable but remain committed to following the truth while you search out answers. We have the Answer as our Father. And for the things that we can't know here on earth we can have faith that God is sovereign and working for His glory and our good. 

Back to the Fundamentals

I used to play volleyball in college. (I LOVE volleyball.) Maybe you don't know anything about volleyball but the whole concept is three "hits" back over the net. You want to pass, set, and hit. Hitting is the exciting one. But passing is the one that we spent most of our time practicing. Passing is the fundamental skill of volleyball. If you can't pass you can't set and you can't hit. If you can't pass, you can't score. 

photo courtesy of amfroey/freedigitalphotos.net

I also play the piano. Want to know what I do almost every day when I sit down to practice? Scales and arpeggios. Is it boring? Yeah, kinda. But they make an incredible difference! 

No matter how advanced you get or how skilled you are, you never move past needing fundamentals. What are the fundamentals of your life? They may look different from mine but you need them. What do you need to do to pursue excellence in your work? 

Maybe you need to extend graciousness to your husband when he comes home in the evening even though you've felt more like a zookeeper than anything else that day. Maybe you need to get back to reading your Bible every day and pursuing a relationship with Christ. Maybe you need to spend more time teaching your children obedience and about Christ. Maybe you need a basic cleaning schedule that just keeps the house decent. Maybe you need to pick that job at your workplace that you don't like but needs to be done to make the work flow smoother. 

Maybe you've never thought of what the fundamentals of your life are. What roles do you have? What do you need to do in order to be faithful and do your best? 

What are some of the fundamentals of your life? How are you going to refocus on the things that matter? Or what are the fundamentals that you're excelling at?  Share in the comments and let me know what you're working on! 

Work, Art, and Identity

We've been on vacation! We spent a wonderful two days in Hilton Head with the marvelous ocean and while I even thought of blog post topics while we were gone (and took notes; like I would remember otherwise) I did not do any writing. Too busy splashing in the ocean to write. But I did want to share some thoughts that have been inhabiting my mind lately. 

First some thoughts on work. Our generation is afraid of hard work. Run to your work and give it your best. Mike Rowe has some great thoughts on work with his S.W.E.A.T. pledge.  What if we showed up every day to do our work that way? 

Secondly, what about your art? Right now, my art is definitely piano and writing. I would like to expand that later but that's where it sits now. A friend of mine had a quote on Twitter that I loved. He said, "The most important thing about art is to do the work. If you sit down every day & try, you art will get better.  Are you devoting any time to your art? 

And third, where are you finding your identity? I've been searching this one out for a few weeks and will definitely be sharing a blog post about it soon. I want to find my identity in Christ and not what I do or what anybody else thinks. Cary Schmidt has an excellent sermon series titled "Thrive" that I've been listening to and it has really expanded what I was already thinking. I believe everyone would benefit from listening to these sermons. (The series is titled Thrive and you can scroll down through their feed to Thrive 1 and follow them all the way to the top.)

As important as I think work and art are I can't find my identity in either of those. It can only come from Christ. What if the work or the art was taken from me? What if it doesn't achieve what I hope? It cannot be the source of my identity. Only Christ. 

What have you been puzzling over lately? Are you finding any answers? 

Raising Children: The Root of the Problems

Sometimes I find I'm having some problems with my kids. Whether it's a behavioral problem or an attitude issue or just a logistics question, I often run into roadblocks on my mothering road. 

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. Proverbs 29:15

I've found the root of these problems always come from one of two areas: something I'm doing or something I'm teaching (or not teaching!) the children.  A briefer way to say it would be to say that the problem is always me.

-Often I'm in a rut with logistics questions. How am I going to get "this" done? The answer is there but I don't want to change what's comfortable. It's also possible that I need to teach my children a new skill to either allow them to help or to engage themselves constructively while I complete a task. Asking questions is a great help here. Find a mom with older (or more) children and ask what she does. (Remember to find someone who is trying to follow God with her life. Be picky who you take advice from.)

-The attitude problem pops up more than I like to admit. And more often than not, this problem is with me. I've noticed that the boys will mirror my attitudes, good and bad. They respond in kind to my tone and actions. This is proving to be a great training ground for me.  It's a slow process so have patience. How long does it take you to change your attitude? Don't expect more than that from your children.  

We also get to choose how we view life circumstances. Choose to have a long-term viewpoint. For example, I have rather determined children, but I refuse to look at that as a bad thing. I believe that in twenty years when my boys are grown it will take a large dose of determination to serve God and I simply want to direct it the right way now. 

-The behavioral problem is usually something I'm tolerating. Now I run into some special points with Micah here but overall the concept is the same. Some kids are going to need more time to learn than others but they are teachable. Kids need to learn how to behave: to look people in the face and answer them when they are spoken to, to wait their turn. 

I've learned that after some prayer and thought I can generally prepare a plan of attack (discipline and training- the verse does say "rod and reproof." Don't just tell them what's wrong; teach them what's right.) for dealing with behavioral problems that proves pretty effective. These plans are a lot of work but my children deserve my effort in their training.  Justin and I were joking just last week that it would be a lot easier to complain about my kids on Facebook than actually do the work training them. Modern wisdom, right? 

The important thing to realize is that I can't hold my children responsible for their training. I have to be the adult. I am the one that will resolve the issues. It is not fair to expect my children to shoulder that responsibility at such young ages even though we already talk about what pleases God and why we do things a certain way. 

I always get to choose my attitude. I get to model that for my children and help them learn to choose the attitudes that honor God. My attitude needs to be one of responsibility. These children- and this home- are my direct responsibility and I need to be willing to search myself to correct problems that arise. 

What about you? Have you narrowed down the roots of the problems at your house? Have you noticed these same, or similar, patterns in your mothering?

Lessons from Kate

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is one of my favorite "famous" people. Now I don't follow her or what she does for two simple reasons: I don't have time and it doesn't matter. But there are quite a few things I admire about her. 

She's lovely, ladylike, and poised. She has a lot of qualifications put upon her based on her position. She had  more "freedom" when she was as an average person and the Queen didn't get to help name her baby. She could wear what she wanted, say what she wanted, and do what she wanted. Now everything she does is a reflection on the royal family, not just an outlet of herself.  But she has graciously responded to the responsibilities of stepping into the role of future queen. 

photo source: google images

(There's one overwhelming reason that I'm glad I'm not famous: paparazzi. I don't want people trying to take my picture, make up stories about me, or splash me into everyone's view on a daily basis. Now the British government does a pretty good job of protecting the royals but there are still pictures of Kate everywhere.)

You know what most people do with those pictures? Criticize. They are wanting to criticize how she looks, what she wears, and how she parents. Although she must have days when she wants to hide away somewhere because people are always watching, she doesn't. She gets up, fixes up, and goes out to her work.  She dresses and acts with the goal of representing the royal family well. 

There are several lessons we can learn from Kate. I don't know her personally (obviously) and I don't know what she believes but she sets a good example. 

1. I represent God and His family.  Everything I do reflects on Him and I need to be aware of that as I make my choices. I hope I respond as graciously to that truth as Kate seems to have responded to her new role as royalty.  How I dress, how I act, how I teach my children, how I treat my husband all reflect my relationship with Jesus. I am here as God's ambassador and I should be more concerned about how I'm representing Him than how I feel about something. Somehow it really helps to see an earthly example of this, doesn't it? Can we not give up something for the good of the greater? We will never regret it in heaven. 

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.  2 Corinthians 5:20

2. There will always be critics. No matter how beautiful, talented, intelligent, or rich you are people are waiting to criticize.  We can't expect anything less because they did the same to Jesus. The Pharisees were constantly watching Him with the intent of criticizing what He did. The world will always criticize; it does not matter what you do. They criticized Jesus and John the Baptist for doing the exact opposite things. You cannot base what you do in life on pleasing others; it's a futile effort. You can't let the criticism of others stop you or make you go hide in your closet either. You will miss all of life that way. 

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all of her children. Luke 7:33-35

Live life to honor God. Die to self and step into that role of ambassador even when it's uncomfortable. Follow God's will even when others are going to criticize. 

What are some ways you make Bible truths more relevant to your own life? 

Also, am I the only one who would like to meet famous people in a normal setting- like my dinner table- so I could see what they are really like? 

Years of Deep Roots

The years of raising little ones can seem never-ending; occasionally it even feels like life is passing you by while you change diapers, cook dinner, and wash little hands. The accomplishments seem small even though you know they aren't. There just isn't much recognition in teaching letters, manners, and good habits. But recognition doesn't       determine the value of how your time is spent. 

These are not wasted years, even for you, if you spend them correctly. These are years spent learning and leaning into God. I have learned more about God and how He changes my life since I've had children than in all the years beforehand. That knowledge benefits my life, my marriage, my family, and my church now. Who knows the impact it will continue to have as life goes on. I cannot imagine the scope of God's plan for me. Or for you.

photo courtesy of tiverylucky/freedigitalphotos.net

Maybe you have big dreams and they seem impossible to realize. That's right now, in this season of life. Instead of looking at the big dreams, the impressive branches, focus now on growing deep roots. How?

1. Spend time with Jesus. Every single day is best. I know I need more of Jesus every day to face the work in front of me. Read and study your Bible. Pray. Memorize Scripture. Get to know Jesus. Even if it's in fifteen minute increments during naptime or after the kids have fallen asleep. There is no prerequisite set in the Bible. Just grow in Jesus. Practice obeying. Learn as much as you can about how Jesus did things, what the Bible says about different topics, how the Bible applies to your life, and then apply it to your life. Allow God to transform you through your time in the Word. 

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8

2. Be faithful. Be faithful to the work God has given you. God has given you this work.  This Amy Carmichael quote really convicts me when I start to feel unnoticed: "If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider not spiritual work I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love." Be faithful to your marriage, to training and loving your children, to church and your service there. It matters that you are trustworthy. Those little things that you are being faithful to might not seem impressive but they matter.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10

3. Learn. Be constantly learning about the things relevant to your gifts and callings. Read books about marriage, motherhood, homemaking, education, cooking, writing, speaking, or whatever you are interested in. Practice your instrument even if it's just a few minutes a day. Those minutes add up. Set aside thirty minutes a few times a week to sew, craft, create, decorate, build, or whatever you are involved in. This will keep your interest up and help you as a person who spends most of her time with small children. Don't be concerned about how much time you can spend on learning, just learn something every day.

The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. Proverbs 18:15

4. Pursue excellence. The habits you develop now will either help or hinder you throughout the rest of your life regardless of what you are doing. Strive to be a woman of excellence in all that you do. (See Proverbs 17:27 also.) It matters, not just what you do, but how you do it. This motherhood job is powerful; learn to do it with excellence. And do whatever else God places before you with excellence too.

The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour; but the way of the wicked seduceth him. Proverbs 12:26

Don't be frustrated with the limits of having small children. Limits make all art better.  Those people you are raising are your greatest life work. Focus on putting down the deepest roots that you can during these years when time is valuable and the work is exhaustive. Then, and only then, will you have the support system to hold you up while you grow those branches. 

What I'm Reading (and Listening To)

There are some habits that I'm really glad to have. Reading is one of those. I love to read. I learn so much reading; it's like my own personal graduate degree that I get to plan myself! What's to not like?  Here's what I'm reading now. 

Books:
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen Covey
I'm only about halfway through this one; it's a slower read for me. But it's one of those books that I would insist my college students read if I taught an Insights class (a introductory class for freshman at the college I attended). Habits matter in our lives and it's worth taking at look at what habits we have and if they are actually helping us. 

For the Children's Sake- Susan Macaulay
This book is an introduction of sorts to a Charlotte Mason based education. It's not an easy read either but I'm learning that some books are worth pushing through to engage the material. I really want to implement some of these philosophies into our homeschool as the boys get older. I've always said that the world is too interesting for school to be boring. I would definitely recommend this book to homeschoolers, or even parents who are looking to supplement the education their children are receiving at a public or private institution. 

When Children Love to Learn- Elaine Cooper
Ok, I was not reading this book and the previous one at the same time. When I first started the post I was reading Macaulay's book and this one was written as a more practical application of the theories in the previous one. I've just started it. 

Living on the Bright Side- Cindy Schaap

This is the book I'm rereading as I finish my Bible reading in the mornings. It's full of practical and fresh ideas for getting the joy in your life from God instead of depending on circumstances or other people to provide it. I've underlined and made notes and will continue to reread it every other year or so. (Actually I really enjoy reading it and The Path to a Woman's Happiness when I'm pregnant.) 

Blogs: 

Simple Homeschool

This is the one homeschooling blog I read consistently. The posts are written by a group of authors and discuss, you guessed it, homeschooling! 

Podcasts: 

Masterpiece Mom
This a newer podcast that I just discovered a few weeks ago and it's hilarious! Ever breathed a sigh of relief when someone mentions a problem because you're thinking, "Oh good, it's not just me!"? That's what you'll do when you're listening. And they are short so you can fit them in anywhere. 

I guess I need to confess that the top three books sit in the bathroom and I read them in snatches here and there. So now you know my secret. 

What are you reading?