Rachael begins Chapter 1 by writing “In order to reach the hearts of your kids, you must first have a heart for the things of God.” (p. 31)  Wow, that’s simple, yet profound!

Rachael writes about how she starts questioning her kids’ character, but then realizes that it’s her character that needs changing.  Kids say and do what they see.  They imitate the positive and the negative.

How is God revealed to us?  How can we show this to our kids?  God reveals himself to us in nature, His Word, prayer, and worship.

• Nature: A sunset is an example of God revealed in nature.
• His Word: Stories of people in the Bible demonstrate how God guides those who turn to Him.
• Prayer: Praying should not be reserved for one moment during the day, but throughout the day.
• Worship: Praise God with all of our being.  We are made to do this.

Some quotes that I liked:

“As intentional parents we do not react, but we respond.  We do not panic; we pray.” p. 32

“In the meantime, our kids are to be witnesses of our transformation and start imitating Him through imitating us.” p. 35

“If we seek God in His Word, we will find Him, when we seek Him with all of our hearts.” p. 49

“Memorize His Word all you want, but without the heart change, without true worship, it’s empty.” p. 56

Rachael gives questions at the end of each chapter that she titles Heart Checkup.  These questions are meant to guide you in applying the concepts in your life.

One of the questions from this week was about whether or not I make quiet time a priority in my life and how I do this.  Just this week, I started studying the book of Ephesians with a Good Morning Girls group.  I’m choosing to have my quiet time early in the morning before I get distracted by the routine of the day.  The Hello Mornings Challenge through Inspired to Action started this week and has been a great help to me.  I never thought I’d be setting my alarm for 5:45 a.m.

To read what others have to say about Chapter 1, visit The Pelsers.com.

I recently had the chance to try Green Pastures Cod Liver Oil.  You ask, “Cod liver oil?  How can she consume cod liver oil?”  I’m here to tell you that it’s really not as awful as it may sound.  It’s also very good for you.  Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil contains vitamins A and D, EPA, DHA, and Omega Fatty Acids.

Green Pastures is the only company in the world to make fermented cod liver oil.  Other companies heat the oil which causes it to lose certain nutrients in the process.  They offer several different flavors and types.  They also offer it in capsules, liquid, or gel.  They even offer a kid approved flavor.  An Emulsified Fermented Cod Liver Oil, a Fermented Cod Liver Oil, and a High Vitamin Butter/Fermented Cod Liver Oil blend are available, depending on your preference.

My 4 kids tried the Peppermint Emulsified Cod Liver Oil.  Out of the 4, only one liked it straight up.  Another suggestion was to mix with yogurt.  They weren’t too keen on that either.  The way that they did like it was with juice.  I chose to use Knudsen’s juice since it seemed to be the healthiest of juices.

I tried the Unflavored High Vitamin Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil combination.  According to the Green Pastures website: Dr. Weston A. Price discovered High Vitamin Butter Oil in the 1930′s. The pinnacle of his X-Factor discovery was the extreme synergistic effect between High Vitamin Butter Oil and traditional cod liver oil. “One without the other did not do his patients justice, but the two together worked like magic”.  I liked the taste.  If you don’t like fish or fishy tastes, I don’t think you’d like the unflavored.  I personally love fish, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t mind the unflavored.  In the past, I’ve tried the Cinnamon Tingle flavor.  The Cinnamon Tingle flavor masks the fish taste quite well for those of you who don’t like the fishy taste.

Green Pastures is giving THREE of you a chance to win a bottle of Cod Liver Oil, which is a $50 value!  You can choose between the Fermented Cod Liver Oil, Emulsified Fermented Cod Liver Oil, or the High Vitamin Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil blend.

To enter, go to the Green Pastures website, then come back and tell me what type and flavor you would choose if you win. (1 entry. This is a mandatory entry.)

For additional optional entries:

• subscribe to my blog (1 entry)
• share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (1 entry)
• share about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Make sure to leave seperate comments for each way that you enter.  This giveaway will end Wednesday, January 18th at 11:59 pm CST.  The winner will be chosen via random number generator.

These products were given to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

This post is being linked up at: Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Growing Home blog, and New Life on a Homestead.

I am excited to be reading the book How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman.  I am participating in a book club at The Pelsers.  To read what others have to say about the book or share your thoughts, check out the weekly link-up.  You can also find a facebook group where we’re discussing the book.

For this week, I read the Introduction.  I learned what H.E.A.R.T. stands for:

• Have a heart for the things of God
• Enrich your marriage
• Accept your kids
• Release them to God
• Teach them the truth

Rachael shares her journey which lead to homeschooling her children.  When her son was an infant, she met a neighbor who was homeschooling her children.  Rachael admits to wondering why anyone would want to do that.  She looked forward to the day that her son would be going to kindergarten.  After several days of her son being in kindergarten, her husband visits the classroom and realizes that this was not the place for his son to be learning.  They withdrew him from the public school and visited private schools.  Her husband was the one who suggested the idea of homeschooling.  Rachael agreed to it, but was only going to homeschool for a year as a temporary solution.  After attending a homeschool convention, Rachael and her husband felt God calling them to continue homeschooling.  She admits that she didn’t have a heart for her kids and needed to change that.  I’ll learn in the rest of the book how she developed a heart for her kids.

I like Rachael’s honesty.  She lays her feelings out about how she felt about the idea of homeschooling and about her kids.  Knowing that she changed her heart makes me interested in hearing how she did it.

As for my homeschooling journey, I grew up with my mom homeschooling my siblings, though I was never homeschooled.  We grew up without a television, so my siblings and I read lots of books, explored the outdoors, and loved playing with Legos, puzzles, and creating.  When my oldest son was old enough for kindergarten, I knew that I didn’t want to send him to school.  Having seen my mom teach my siblings and see that they were indeed well-adjusted teens and adults gave me the confidence to teach my own son.  We’ve been homeschooling for 7 years now.

Amanda asked what sacrifices we’ve made as moms or for our children.  To have me staying at home and teaching my children, we have made sacrifices.  I could have a cleaner house, more time to work on my own agenda, more money, but as they grow older, I am seeing the fruits of our sacrifices.  It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Come back next week for my thoughts on Chapter 1!

 Big brother holding baby brother

Big sister holding baby brother

 Christmas sibling shot

Share your favorite photo of 2011 at Sam’s Noggin.

Here are some ideas for favorite sugar-free snacks:

• fruit
• cut up veggies
• nuts
• cheese slices
• yogurt
• green smoothies
• sprouted grain bread with almond butter
• hard boiled eggs
• canned salmon

This post is being linked up at: Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Growing Home blog, and New Life on a Homestead.

Thank you to those of you that entered!

Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn by Kate Klise. This is a whimsical book about a bunny whose mom knits hats for all of his animal friends. I love the charming illustrations. There is even a pattern to knit your own hat like bunny wears.

A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories From the Little House Books. It’s interesting to think about how simple Christmas gifts used to be. Laura was excited about getting a penny, sugar cookie, peppermint stick and tin cup. Where along the way did we lose the simplicity in our celebrations?

Bartholomew’s Passage by Arnold Ytreeide.  This is the second book in a trilogy.  We’ve also been working our way through this book with a daily Advent reading. My boys, ages 6-12, look forward to each day’s reading.

Speaking of Christmas, here’s a candy cane hat that I recently completed. The pattern is from the Itty Bitty Hats book by Susan B. Anderson. I knit it in Rowan Handknit cotton that the pattern called for. I hadn’t knit with it before, but loved it. It was a fun, quick knit, especially after working on socks.

Baby is playing with a foam ornament, not a glass one.  I wouldn’t give my baby a glass ornament to play with!

Join others and myself at the Yarn Along at Small Things where we link up to share what we’ve been reading and knitting.

I was excited to have the opportunity to review the new ebook Simple Scrubs to Make and Give.  Stacy at A Delightful Home has put time and attention to detail in to creating this unique ebook.

Eye catching pictures of different sugar and salt scrubs can be found throughout the ebook.  They all make me want to grab a book and take a nice hot bath.  There are 15 salt and sugar scrub recipes in this ebook.  Some of the scrubs included are the Holiday Spice Sugar Scrub, Rustic Lavender Scrub, and Fresh Citrus Body Scrub.

I chose to make the Chocolate Lover’s Scrub because I love anything chocolate.  It was simple to make and turned out well.  I haven’t tried it yet as I might give it as a gift, but it smells good enough to eat.

Before you get started making your scrub, you may need to buy the ingredients.  There is a list detailing where you can buy the various ingredients.

Stacy gives a basic recipe and different essential oil combinations you can use to scent your scrub.  An explanation of the benefits of the essential oils are listed.

Also included in the book are 9 facial scrub recipes.  Facial scrubs are not something that you’d package for giving as you would use them right away.  There is a basic facial scrub recipe with a list of wet ingredients and dry ingredients.  Pick one from each list, combine, and you have a facial scrub.

Once you’ve made your scrub, you’ll want some way to package it.  Packaging ideas are included, as well as labeling ideas.

Stacy encourages readers to experiment when making scrubs.  You may create some different, yet wonderful combination not listed.

At $3.99, this is a great deal.  You can get 30% off until 12/21 making it $2.79.  Click here to view more details

Stacy is giving a copy of her new ebook to one of you!  To enter, leave me a comment telling me which scrub you would make if you win.

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my blog
• Share about this giveaway on facebook or twitter

Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.

This giveaway ends 12/25 at 11:59 pm CST.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

Disclosure: Affiliate links are contained in this post.

This post is being linked up at: Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Growing Home blog, and New Life on a Homestead.

In our homeschool this week…  We’ve been studying the parts of a seed, Alexander Hamilton, James Audubon, poinsettas, and more.

I am inspired by… handprint crafts I’ve seen on Pinterest.  I want to remember their small hands.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… I’ve not gone anywhere this week due to my toe injury. It’s actually a nice change.

My favorite thing this week was…  reading Bartholomew’s Passage with my kids.  I’m also reading Ann Voskamp’s Jesse Tree devotional with my 12 year old son.

Things I’m working on…  Christmas shopping lists.

I’m reading… an ebook Hope for the Weary Mom.  I’m really enjoying it.

I’m cooking…  nothing this week. I’m letting my kids and husband take care of the food

I’m grateful for… a hard working husband and helpful kids.

I’m praying for… my toe to get better soon.

A photo…  such a sweetie pie, this baby boy of mine.  I love his chubby baby hands.

My three big boys (ages 12, 9, and 6) have been helpful this week after my recent toe injury.  They have made breakfasts and lunches and helped with laundry.  The photo above is from my breakfast in bed that my oldest brought to me.  This is giving them a chance to serve others.  At the same time, it’s also shown me that they are capable of quite alot.  I am blessed with great boys and am grateful for their help.

I am linking this post up at The Mob Society’s Let’s Hear it for the Boys, where moms can share weekly how wonderful their boys are.  Join others and myself and tell us how great your boy is!