The Weekly Wrap-up: Some Good Reads (including my own) & a Few Goals

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I thought it might be time to re-introduce the Weekly Wrap-Up, albeit slightly different. I really enjoy reading people's weekly goals, so I'm posting my own goals to hold myself a little more accountable for actually doing them :)


Good Reads:

Very random, I admit, but these posts really resonated with me this week. 

10 Real Foods Women Should Eat More of For Good Health
Kitchen Stewardship
Since finding out this week that I will probably need to have a breast biopsy, I pinned this post for future reference. I probably will not eat liver regardless it's health components, but I do need to make a conscious effort to consume more of the others.

When You're a Little Too Practical
Olive Plants & Cornerstones 
Because I tend to be a "dream squasher" and children need to have the opportunity to try, even if it means failure.

If You Shop on Thanksgiving, You Are Part of the Problem
Matt Walsh for Huffington Post
Love this quote: 

"How appropriate, then, that a holiday created by our ancestors as an occasion to give thanks for what they had, now morphs into a frenzied consumerist ritual where we descend upon shopping malls to accumulate more things we don't need. Our great grandparents enjoyed a meal and praised the Lord for the food on the table and the friends and family gathered around it. We, having slightly altered the tradition, instead elect to bum-rush elderly women and trample over children to get our hands on cheap TVs."

The Real Truth about 'Boring Men' & the Women Who Live with Them: Redefining Boring
Ann Voskamp @ A Holy Experience
Because . . .

"The real romantics are the boring ones — they let another heart bore a hole deep into theirs."

Just beautiful.

My Posts this Week:

 
7 Natural Remedies for Fighting the Winter Blues




Gift Ideas for Christian Homemakers at Phenomenal Prices 



Are You Teaching Your Child Self-Denial?

 


Thankful Thursdays in November: Week 3


Goals:

• Granted it's Thanksgiving week, we will still be doing school; however, my aim is to focus on the story of the first Thanksgiving.
• Continue reading Talking Back to God: Speaking Your Heart to God through the Psalms by Lynn Anderson and praying through the Psalms.
• Run at least 2 days this week.
• Pack up Fall decor; pull out Christmas.
• Start working on our Family Yearbook & making calendars for Christmas presents. 
• Start my decluttering project. Decide where to begin!  

Do you have any big goals for next week? 
Homeschool Mamas, will you still be doing school?
What are your thoughts about shopping on Thanksgiving?
Got a great book I need to read?

Have a blessed weekend!

      

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Weekly Wrap-Up #3: Classics, Schooling, & Songza

It's been a cold, blustery week here in Tennessee. With the end of February, I'm hoping my grandmother is right that "March is coming in like a lion, but hopefully will be going out like a lamb!" The year is really flying by, but aside from the beautiful jonquils blooming, spring seems nowhere in sight. In fact, here's what we woke up to this morning:

 

Here's what's been going on this week:

 

What I'm Reading

 

   

Thanks to some sweet friends who invited our older girls over to decorate cookies, I finally finished Wuthering Heights and can move on to something more...uhm...uplifting? happy? The yucky dismal weather outside spent in the company of that diabolical Heathcliff has left me feeling rather gloomy. For my full review, click here. Note that Wuthering Heights is now on my "to never read again!" shelf on Goodreads as is Anna Karenina thank-you-very-much. The review for Anna Karenina is here.

I'm also starting "The Saxon Chronicles Series" by Bernard Cornwell, set in Anglo-Saxon England. The first book is The Last Kingdom. Did I ever tell you that when I was working on my doctorate that I translated Beowulf in its entirety? Yes, I like me some Old English literature, so I'm curious about this series.

I'll also continuing to read along this month for Quirky Bookworm's Classics Catch-up Challenge include Hamlet and Othello. Totally doable. In fact, I've read them both before, so a re-read is fine.

What I'm Writing

 

This week I wrote about "Why Comparing Hurts Us & What We Should Be Doing Instead," which is about how we tend to compare when we don't really know or understand another person's situation and how we should be living out God's unique purpose for us in our own lives instead.

I also completed my Pinterest pick for February: Faux Chalkboard Herb Pots. One of my personal goals for 2013 is to try a different Pinterest pin each month and review its success or failure. I hope you will follow me on Pinterest.

What's Inspiring Me

 

Source: simplehomeschool.net via Keri on Pinterest

 

"Preparing for New Growth" - Proverbial Homemaker
Because we all know growth is painful, but the blessings are oh so beautiful!

"A Day in the Life of an Introverted Homeschool Mom" - Simple Homeschool
Because introverts aren't shy; we just need time alone and quiet to recharge. Great tips & encouragement for introverts, homeschooling or not.

"Mothers, Daughters & the Estrogen that Assaults Them" - Raising Homemakers
Because I've got 3 daughters and my husband also cringes at thoughts of all that estrogen! Great thoughts to ponder and scriptures to cling to.

What I've Been Up To 

 

Running: I've been working on increasing speed in my runs in preparation for our 5K, which is 3 weeks from today! Super excited! And I finally ran 3.1 miles in under 30 minutes, which is a big achievement for this slow poke.

Finding a school for Kate: Our oldest daughter is 4, but because of an October birthday, cannot attend school for another year. So, I've spent the better part of this week visiting various preschools and Mother's Day Out programs to find a good fit for her for the fall. Ultimately, I've discovered that I need to homeschool her--or at least spend a year trying to work with her myself. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME. My biggest concern is that we butt heads, and she is very headstrong. But I feel this is the road God wants us to go down.

Getting our house ready to sell: Once again we're putting the house back on the market. We just need more space desperately. While 1,100 square feet may work for some families of 5, it's making this introverted Mama claustrophobic. So, it's back to decluttering, painting, and cleaning up. Prayers for a couple or young family in need of a sweet little home are appreciated!

Singing & dancing: Have you tried out Songza yet? It's similar to Pandora, but Songza lets you choose music lists based on your mood or activity. So, you can select a playlist with mellow songs for when you're relaxing or an upbeat playlist with 80s music when you're working out or washing dishes. I love to sing and dance along while the kids laugh at their silly Mama. Oh, how it makes chores so much more enjoyable!

What have you been up to this week? 
Have you been reading or watching anything good?

Blessings to you this weekend!



Linking up to: Quirky Bookworm's Classics Catch-up Challenge

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Weekly Wrap-Up #2

I haven't done a weekly wrap-up in weeks, but we've been sick and busy and I haven't had the motivation. But this morning I was up at 5 with a hungry baby, so I figured I'd stay up and write :)

Here's what I've been up to this week:

What I'm Reading

I finally started Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights this week, and now I know why I haven't read it before: It's dull. But I'm trucking on because I really want to read more of the classics, and I'm participating in Quirky Bookworm's Classics Catch-up Challenge.

I've also started reading Sheila Wray Gregoire's The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex. Now before you shutter in revulsion, hear me out: This is a biblically-based book on the topic and it's full of humor, wisdom, and wit. I'll give a full book review afterwards if you're interested.}


What I'm Writing

This past week I started a mini-series on why we go to church:

• "Why Do You Go to Church?"

• "Are You Fulfilling God's Purpose?"

What's Inspiring Me

Source: jonacuff.com via Keri on Pinterest

These are some posts that have made me stop and think this week. I strongly encourage you to read them:

"Who Should Determine the Size of a Family?" - Bambi @ In the Nursery of the Nation (This post is challenging on so many levels yet sound in Scripture and beautifully articulated and reasoned.)

"Because Sometimes Words Need to be Buried Under Cow Poop" - Melanie @ Only a Breath (Don't we all ache when our kids hurt? Why? Because we've experienced the pain ourselves, and sometimes we're still hanging onto it.)

"Your Dream is Weird." - Jon Acuff @ Jon Acuff.com ("You will never influence the world by trying to be like it." Good stuff that challenges us to pursue our dreams no matter how weird they may seem to others.)

What I've Been Doing {My Goals}

Source: spelloutloud.com via Keri on Pinterest

Trying to find a preschool for my girls for next year

Taking children to the doctor (fun fun)

Researching birds and activities to do with the girls (I love this post--"Learning about Birds: Six Activities for Young Children"--from Spell Outloud.)

Some dreaming about the future of my blog and the possibility of launching something new {Please pray for me in this. I really need wisdom & clarity.}

Some running {The 5K is 4 weeks away!}

Some reading {See above}

What have you been doing this week?

Praying God's blessings on you this weekend,

The Weekly Wrap-Up: A New Adventure

I want to start a new weekly wrap-up post to be featured every Saturday to include the following:

• What I've Been Doing This Week
• What I've Posted
• Favorite Posts I've Read
• Goals Accomplished
• Goals for Next Week

 

What I've Been Doing This Week...

 I finished one of my goals for the year: Organizing all my recipes. Now I have two binders filled with recipes and sufficiently organized. I ended up using page protectors to house recipes from magazines and think that made the task so much simpler.




My oldest daughter has been struggling with anger issues this week, so I've been working on an anger character study to do with her. I'm in the final stages of completing it, and once it's finished intend to post it on here for anyone interested.

My husband and I signed up to run our first 5K in March, so we've been hitting the gym to train. I found a great {free} podcast on iTunes called Blog Marketing Podcast with Hector Cuevas. It's given me some food for thought as I run and cook dinner.

The week ended with the baby and me coming down with colds, my parents coming for a visit, and catching up with a friend who just had a baby. Right now, my husband is taking the oldest to swim at the Y {daddy-daughter date}.

What I've Posted...

• "7 Ways to Edify Our Husbands + 3 Words of Caution"

• "5 Bible Story Books for Preschoolers & Toddlers"

• "How to Use Bible Story Books with Young Children: 7 Fun Ways"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Posts I've Read...

• Jon Acuff  "Six Things I Learned About from Becoming a Finishing Quitter" 
• Snail Pace Transformations  "Shopping Saturdays: Saving Money on Craft Supplies" 
• Growing Home  Linguine with Garlic Sauce
• Homeschool Blogging  "Engaging Your Social Media Community"

{I've pinned these posts. If you aren't already, follow me on Pinterest.}

Goals Accomplished...

1. Read through page 625 in Anna Karenina 
2. Run 3x this week
3. Finish recipe binder
4. Blog 3x

Goals for Next Week...

1. Finish Anna Karenina
2. Run 3x this week
3. Blog at least 3x
4. Finish anger character study & post

Have a great weekend!!

How was your week? 

What do you do about anger issues in children? Any sources you recommend?

Have you ever read Anna Karenina? Thoughts? 

Do you have a favorite podcast?

Do you like weekly round-ups?