Fun Friday - Lagniappe

Need some tips for living naturally but not breaking the bank in order to accomplish it?  Saving Naturally has some great tips for saving money while living naturally.  The most recent post includes recipes for making your own household cleaners that are not full of the toxins that most store bought cleaners contain.  My grandmother makes many of her household cleaners with vinegar, as has my mother from time to time, so this is not a new concept for me.  In fact, I clean my floors with a vinegar and water mixture.

Made my own All-Purpose Cleaner (I reused a Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner Bottle)

Another great site that I read from regularly is Keeper of the Home.  There are many great articles with great resources and information that any Christian homemaker can benefit from.  An article I recently came across was one about the dangers of soy.  Most of the information I was already aware of, but thought it would be worth sharing here today for those who are not familiar with the dangers of soy. 

Keeper of the Home also has some yummy looking recipes as well.  I made their yummy Peanut Butter Smoothies this morning for breakfast; they were oh so yummy, and full of protein!

Have you begun teaching your preschoolers to help around the house by doing chores?  We started yesterday and Homeschool Creations really helped me out by creating cute “Chore Charts”.  I printed out one for Sofia and one for Charlotte, and then laminated the charts and used Velcro to stick the “chore duties” on the boxes.  Sofia did really well with her chores yesterday.  Last night was the first time she set the table, and was I was so proud of how eager she was to help me get everything ready to serve supper. (I posted a short blog over at my homeschool blog about the chore charts.)

Sofia's Chore Chart

Do you like E-books?  Do you ever take time to sit down and actually read a book from cover to cover?  Mr. Tim Challies wrote an excellent article cautioning Christians to think before making the switch from book to e-book.  He says;

“What concerns me in all of this is that Christians are being very quick to make the switch from books to e-books and that we are doing so absolutely thoughtlessly. As I looked back to my 5 reasons that e-books are better than books, I was struck by how many of those reasons are reasons of convenience. At least in its current form, the e-book and the accompanying e-reader offer little advantage over the book except in the area of convenience. And when should we ever allow convenience to dictate something as important as the medium that carries our most important ideas? When it comes to the tools of understanding and the tools that allow us to truly absorb information, to turn that information into knowledge and wisdom, the book reigns supreme.”

            Mr. Challies makes some great points and I highly encourage you to head over and read the rest of the article, BOOKS & E-BOOKS, MEDIA AND MESSAGES.

I finished listening to Mrs. Susan Bradrick and her daughters speak on “Home is Where the Heart Is: Teaching Your daughters to Cherish Being Keepers At Home”, and was so encouraged by this group of ladies’ dedication to the noble and biblical calling of being a keeper at home.  Mrs. Bradrick’s daughters give their testimony as to how the Lord has worked in their lives in the area of being a keeper at home.  They were fully able to use their individual God-given talents and abilities for the glory of the Lord in their homes, without feeling as though they were missing out from all of the secular pulls on women today.  This was truly an encouraging session, and I highly recommend it.  You can learn more about the Bradrick Family ministry over at their website Family Discipleship Ministries.

One last thing before I close, what are your thoughts on sending your children to secular universities or colleges?  Before doing so, as Christian parents I urge you to read Dr. Albert Mohler’s latest article “And Then They Are All Mine” – The Real Agenda of Some College Professors”.

I pray that you all have a lovely day.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)

"We are all by nature so weak, so worldly, so earthly-minded, so inclined to sin, that without a thorough change we cannot serve God in life, and could not enjoy Him after death."

~ J.C. Ryle