Homeschool Book Giveaway!

I am giving away TWO huge books of home learning, both written by Mary Pride. The first is an overall guide to home learning, including different methods, teaching styles, curriculums, how to get started, what you need and don't need, ect. http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Book-Home-Learning/dp/0740300067/ref=pd_sim_b_1 The second book is a comprehensive look at preschool/elementary curriculum of all kinds, lesson plans, websites, pricing, and other resources. See more info at http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Book-Home-Learning/dp/0740300075/ref=pd_sim_b_3

To enter, just leave a comment below, telling me why you'd like to win!
You can get a bonus entry if you decide to subscribe to my blog.
This is OPTIONAL. Just make sure to note that you did so in a separate post.
The winner will be picked at random on August 5th. 

You can also go to http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2012/07/2012-curriculum-clean-out-begins/ to find more free homeschool book giveaways in the big Curriculum Clean-out!

Pleasantly Surprised

We just spent a week, me and the kids, visiting with my family. When we got home, I was pleasantly surprised to see the things Mike had done around the house while we were gone. He vacuumed, which is ALWAYS appreciated :) He also bought a giant tv, which I wasn't so excited about... but in the process he rearranged the furniture in the living room, giving us more floor space. And it is a really nice bonus that we can watch the Olympics on tv, instead of just seeing tiny video clips online. But the best thing my husband did while we were gone: hang pictures on the walls! Our previously bare walls are now so nice-looking! I LOVE it! I had two huge boxes full of picture frames sitting in a corner of the living room and was overwhelmed at the idea of hanging them up. The task was just too daunting for me. Plus I'm not so great with a hammer, and was likely to whack my thumb or mistakenly make a giant hole in the wall where a nail should go. He even created "themes": family pics in the living room, landscapes in the guest room, a nautical/beach theme upstairs in the hallway, duckies in the kids' bathroom, and wedding portraits in our room. He arranged everything so nicely. Good job, honey, thank you.

My Day: 8 hours, 4 kids, and 4 medical offices

Summary of my day: Spent eight hours with four children going back and forth between 3 medical offices (one being the dentist) and the local hospital. From 9:30am-5:30pm we were out allllll day long trying to figure out why Noah is always sick and not gaining weight.

At this point I am suspecting either gluten intolerance (could be as severe as celiac disease, not sure) or a digestive issue, something wrong with his GI tract. We'll have the lab results back in about 3 business days (maybe Monday). I am dreading getting the medical bills.... oh my goodness how I hate medical bills. But that's out of my hands.

All day long I kept telling myself that God is in control. He is always with me, even when I'm barely holding it together.... I really clung to that promise today. And I -felt- Him there with me, in the waiting rooms, in the moments when I was about to snap at the older kids, when they were getting too loud and jumping around, just trying to have fun despite the circumstances... And when I had to hold Noah down on a gurney and watch him get pricked so many times that I lost count - that isn't easy for a mommy. But I did it, because I had to. By the grace of God, I did. And the poor little guy is such a trooper. He didn't cry or flinch at all while they were poking and prodding. He only whined once, when they pricked two of his fingers for the very last blood test.

On the way out of the hospital, I stopped to show the kids the chapel room. First I peeked in to make sure no one else was in their praying or something. I told the girls and D that they could go in, look around, then come back out in one minute, but emphasized that they had to be -very quiet- in the chapel. Aliah asked why? My first thought was "because that's what you always do" but I thought about it for a second, and that's not the right answer. You should be quiet not only because it is respectful, but more importantly, because a place of prayer and worship should be a special, hallowed place that is entered with sincerity and reverence. So I tried to convey that to my preschool daughter. On the way home they sang "My God's Not Dead, He's Surely Alive!" at the top of their lungs.

Thank you God, for these children, who are such blessings to me.

I am overworked, underpaid, overtired, and completely unappreciated.
Mike has been working night shift and today he was especially exhausted.

This morning he "wanted to vent" and spent an hour complaining. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let it slide. I tried to look past how tired he was and just nod and go about my day. Feeding children, laundry, dishes, toys, etc.

This afternoon he treated me really poorly, verging on verbal abuse. After 20 minutes of sobbing, I got an apology. I've been fighting not to cry ever since. He wonders why I get depressed - maybe it's because I am made to feel worthless. I know that my worth as a person should come from God, not anyone else. I know HE thinks I am cherished. But when your spouse acts as if you are a lazy irresponsible disrespectful wife & mother, it kind of colors the rest of your day. I know he loves me, but some days he has a totally awful way of showing it.

He says he is trying to make our home perfect. I tell him at this point that's completely unnecessary. We only moved 2 weeks ago. I am totally ok with boxes hiding behind the couch, clothes not put away, nothing hung on the walls. What in the world does he expect?!?

I don't want it to sound like Mike is always terrible to me.
I don't want to make excuses for him either.
I can't figure him out.