The Power of a Mother's Influence

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."---George Washington

Barnes & Noble Educator Discount

Barnes & Noble: 25% Off For Educators - From Kristin:

Just thought the readers might like to know that April 26-May 4, Barnes and Noble is celebrating Educator's Week. Any teacher, including homeschool teachers, can receive 25% off any book purchase (not just educational materials) if they have their Barnes and Noble Educator Discount Card and their ID. (You can get a Discount Card free year-round by presenting your membership card from your homeschool organization. Normally, you receive 20% off books to be used in the classroom.)

Weekly Deals for 4/27-5/3

This is my "deal" list for this upcoming week:

Rite Aid:
Blue Coral Car Wash Concentrate 20 oz: 2.00-2.00 rebate=FREE
Citre Shine Colour prism Shampoo: 3.99-3.99=FREE
Charles Worthington Product: 4.99-4.99=FREE
Listerine Smart Rinse: Anti-Cavity Fluoride Rinse for kids=2.99-2.99=FREE

Walgreens:
Walgreens Pads 12-24 ct: 1.99-1.99 FREE
Walgreens Standard Light Bulbs 4pk: 1.69-1.69=FREE
Oral B CrossAction Toothbrush: 4.99-4.99 rebate=FREE
Orajel kids plaque rinse 12 oz: 5.79-5.79=FREE
Nexcare Cold Sore Lip Treatment: 8.99-8.99=FREE
Walgreens Ibuprofen: 2.00-2.00 rebate=FREE

CVS:
3: Aquafresh Extreme Clean 5.6 oz=2.99-2.99 ECB-1.00 manf coupon=FREE with overage each
2: Adidas 3 deodorant: 4.99-4.99 ECB=FREE
2: Tums Quickpak 24 pk: 4.69-4.69 ECB=FREE
3: CVS Non-Drowsy Allergy Relief 24 hr: 5ct: 3.79-3.79 ECB=FREE
3: Colgate 360 deep Clean Toothbrush: 3.99-3.99 ECB-1.00 manf coupon=FREE with overage on each

FREE Pentel Arts Oil Pastel Set!

Free Pentel Arts Oil Pastel Set !

Click here and use promo code SA2008.

Or go to: www.pentelarts.com/offer.php
thanks to http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ for the tip!

Homeschool Curriculum

Well, it's that time of year when we start planning and buying our curriculum for the upcoming school year. Here is what we are thinking...

Dylan (7th grade):

Rod & Staff English/7
Writing at Home Online Program
Teaching Textbooks: Pre-Algebra
Apologia General Science
Sequential Spelling
Sonlight History/Literature/Bible

Shane (4th grade):

Rod & Staff English/Bible/Reading
Explode the Code (continuing in phonics)
A Reason For Handwriting
Sequential Spelling
Story of the World History
Teaching Textbooks Math: (Hoping this comes out before FALL)
IEW
Science: We usually read lots of books & do projects at this age

Jesse (K)

Handwriting w/o Tears
Explode the Code
Bob Jones Beginnings
Bob Jones Math
Bob Jones Bible

Excuse This House

Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there,
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere!

For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the door.
I should apologize I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the door bell does not shine,
Their eyes will shine instead!

For when at times I am freed to choose
The one job or the other,
I want to be a homemaker
But first I'll be a Mother!

---Anonymous

Weekly Deals for 4/20-4/26

Here is my planned "deal" purchases for this upcoming week:

Rite Aid: Hershy Bliss Dark Chocolate: 2.99-2.99 rebate=FREE
Oral B Crossaction Toothbrush: 3.19-3.19 rebate-1.00 manf coupon=FREE with overage!!!!
Advil PM Liquid Gel 16ct: 3.99-3.00 rebate-.75 coupon=0.25
Anti Monkey Powder: 4.99-4.99 rebate=FREE
Jane Cosmetics: Be Pure Mineral Make Up: 5.99-5.99 rebate=FREE
Gum Toothbrushes: 2pk: 2.00-1.00 rebate-0.75 manf coupon=0.25

CVS: Mennen Speed Stick 24 hour: 3.99-3.99 ECB-1.00 manf coupon=FREE with overage!!!!
SPA Bodywash: 4.99-4.99-1.00 manf coupon=FREE with overage!!!!!!!!!

Do Hard Things, by Alex & Brett Harris

I know God is using these two teens to challenge today's youth to stand up and be accountable!

It breaks my heart to hear stories from parents who set their family standards by the trends in today's culture. Lets rise up as parents too! Set your families standards on the Word of God alone without compromise.

OFFICIAL BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The next generation stands on the brink of a "rebelution."With over 16 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to "do hard things" for the glory of God.Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential.Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.

Walgreens: $5/$20 coupon for Friday ONLY!

Print your $5/$20 coupon here to use at Walgreens tomorrow (Friday, April 11, 2008) only.

Thanks to moneysavingmom.com for this info! If you can't use the hyperlink above, please go to her site and print coupon. Lots of great info there!

This Weeks Deals

This is a my list of "deals" for this week. It was a slow week for me.

Walgreens: Waltin; 30pk; $5.99-$5.99 rebate=FREE

CVS: I haven't been to CVS, so I will add this later this week.

Kroger: I again, had tremendous saving this week on groceries with the MEGA 10 deals at Kroger!

"There is no such thing as chance. Things happen for a reason as this precious story tells."

I found this on http://www.lovedonesprayervine.blogspot.com/. I haven't came across this story before. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities when they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19, a terrible tempest- a driving rainstorm- hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way, he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time, it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"

The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials EBG were crocheted into it. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home; that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare. The pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how heforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door. He saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

Dear Mean Mommy:

This letter spoke to my heart as I struggle with finding the balance. Hope this blesses you!

Homeschooling Magazine Today:A Letter: To Whom It May Concern

by Kara Murphy

Dear Mean Mommy,

I am writing, once again, to protest your visit to our house yesterday. I would have thought that my last litany of complaints would have given you pause before you returned, but no. You seem to come and go at will. Well, I have had enough.

First, you never give me any warning that you are coming. If I knew you were coming, I would be able to prepare for you as I do all my other guests. Why must you always arrive when the house is in such disrepair? In general, we do a fair job of keeping things picked up, but without fail, when the house is at its messiest, you show up. Not only that, but you time your arrivals when I feel my worst. Your last visit was after a sleepless night with our newborn. Before that, it was during a stressful time when the bills were late. No one should feel free to visit at tax time, especially when I have put off important record-keeping until the last minute. I suppose you would not think twice of arriving at our door immediately after we have just had back-to-back company. These are not the times to make unannounced appearances at our house!

Even if we were aware of when you were coming, I would still not appreciate your attitude. Must you whisper those words to me all day long? You can’t do this. You are failing. Another woman would do a better job than you. What are you doing to your children? It isn’t enough that you pick on me, but must you also be so grumpy toward my children? All day long, you nag and complain about them. Do this. Do that. Hurry up. Get back to your work. You are a broken record and you need to be replaced! Don’t you realize that children are not finished products, yet? They are adults-in-training, but they’re not there yet. And must you be so impatient with them? Sometimes, you are like a steamroller, plowing through the house. I would hate to get in your way! You are running us all over.

But the worst of it is your appearance…you look so much like me, my children may not realize the difference between us. They might actually think that you are me! I have had to apologize repeatedly for your troublesome ways.

This is it. Your reign of terror must stop. Please leave and never return.

And should you be tempted to come back, just remember that I am onto your tricks. Your wiles will not fool me any longer. I am going to fight to keep you away. And I know the best way to do that, too.

God’s word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Him. —Psalm 119:11

First, I have determined in everything, to give thanks seeing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I will rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) for I am learning, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11, 13) When those doubts begin to creep in I will be confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

If you could just stop blustering and ordering everyone around long enough you might see an eternal perspective. You would realize that there is so much more to life in Christ than the day-in-and-day-out ups and downs. Step back for a moment from the immediate stressors. Why, there isn’t a hair that falls from my head that the Father is unaware of. He cares for birds and flowers in the field. How much more does He care for me and my family? (Matthew 6:25ff) Not only that, but He is working every circumstance in my life for my good and for the good of my children who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Since I know that I must be sober, to love my husband, to love my children (Titus 2:4), I will be gentle among my little flock, even as a nursing mother cherishes her children: So being affectionately desirous of them, I will be willing to have imparted unto them, not the gospel of God only, but also my own soul, because they are dear unto me…even when I must labor night and day. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9a) And most of all I will remember that charity—an antiquated term for our word love—suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity—or love—never faileth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

If I have to, I will get really radical. When you show up, I intend to meet you at the door intent on bodily harm. For I see who you really are. You are the old (wo)man that Scripture speaks of so clearly. But I know this, that my old woman is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth I should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6) I will likewise reckon myself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I will let not sin therefore reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield my members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield myself unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:11-13) Because I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Prepared to do battle,

A Loving Mama