My nose in the Book

So many voices, so little time and sanity.

I've seen a lot of Bibles--some huge that sit on stands on coffee tables. I've perused multiple translations and heard the arguments for or against each (I am personally most comfortable with the New American Standard--but I love the King James, and have even read the Message on occasion).

I feel naked without a Bible--I take a little copy in my purse, complete with concordance.

I don't read and study to be pious. I don't believe it will get me extra points with God, or I will look more spiritual for having the worst-worn book or that if I study more I can argue more effectively.

My nose is always in the Book because I am such a mess. I read because I am so thirsty and starving. I read because my mind is like spaghetti noodles.

Oh, I can make complete sentences and have profound thoughts--but they tend to be empty and end up leading me and others down some crazy rabbit trail.

God's Word, on the other hand, is solid. It is life. It is powerful to change things, not for the better, but for the best.

Whenever my thoughts or my feelings get away from me, I know that I have been away from His Word too long. I grab the nearest copy and dig in, and I find correction and peace. As I read the words, my thoughts begin to align with the thoughts of the Master, the Creator and Lover of mankind.

In my formative years, I would take hours and hours to copy passages--I didn't copy it so that I could keep my scribbles, I copied it so it would have every chance to get deep down inside me. I still copy today--and I sit and meditate and pray over it all.

And, even though most days I am still a mess, His Word has brought order to me. It has allowed me to have a more orderly view of my life. It has given me security when there wasn't any. It has organized my thoughts so I could speak and write coherently.

It has helped me to understand my husband and my children. It has helped me to organize my house. If I sit and listen, even in the most horrible circumstances, an answer will come as the Spirit breathes to me through the words I have secreted away in the corners of my mind.

We are living in times when the bottom is dropping out. Everything we thought we could count on seems to be crumbling around us. Thieves and liars are running our country. The culture around us resembles the slime of a cesspool.

But we have a precious gift. Like Christian and Hopeful in Pilgrims' Progress who learned to escape from Despair using the key of Promise, we have the promises of God.

Whenever our hearts are failing for fear, we can run into His Word and hide there. We can see into the future, and look for the salvation the Lord will give us. We can rest and trust that He is perfecting those things that concern us.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I'm still here!

If you have wondered where I have been...

...I was impressed of the Lord to take a week-long computer fast. It was good.

I asked my husband if he felt that I should continue blogging--his answer was a resounding, "YES!"--isn't he wonderful? I like to use him as a barometer when I think that my life may be a little bit imbalanced. I can count on him to have my best interests, as well as the family's, at heart. If there is one thing I know, we cannot always trust our own hearts--God's word tells us that our hearts can be quite deceitful.

But God is making it clear that I should continue. I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the comments side of things--but my dear husband has decided to take that over for me. I have also decided to add a separate email account for direct questions, etc. I will be publishing it on my sidebar, but here it is for you as well:

largefamilycomments@gmail.com

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sherry

Slavery

"Why do you stay at home--why aren't you out there doing something?"

"I am doing something--I'm keeping you free!"

It's tragically funny to me, but the revolutions of the last century always erupted with a cry of "freedom", and then ended in slavery.

The Bolsheviks wanted liberation, and found tyranny and oppression. Instead of only a few being wealthy and everyone else being poor, everyone became poor, desolate slaves of a totalitarian state.

And Marx, the architect of the whole communist ideal, claimed that women would be better off, able to shake off the shackles of their femininity--child rearing, cooking, etc.

But what he really wanted was more workers for the state--more bodies in nondescript uniforms in an assembly line making tanks and nuclear warheads to conquer the world.

Some misguided people in Greenwich Village snapped up his ideas and decided that American women needed to be liberated from bourgois fetters, to find the more modern, more "enlightened" way of living--to be able to fulfill one's dreams without being hampered by children and husbands and responsibilities.

But it was all a lie.

There is no such thing as being able to fulfill one's every dream on planet earth, and there is no such thing as a totally fulfilled woman without the expression of her femininity through loving and mothering others.

These ideas were formulated by materialists. These people believe that there is nothing transcendent, nothing beyond what we experience with our 5 senses. There is only work, pain, pleasure, doing. Being is not to be experienced, because you might not "be" at all--you might only be a figment of your own imagination, the dream of a worker on his 15 minute break.

In a materialist world, things must have a purpose, a physical, measurable purpose. The crippled, the mentally challenged, the insane, the old and they very young, are not productive. They do not contribute, they only drain.

Therefore, in the utopia of the age, certain people are valued for their ability to give to the collective society, and those that are not capable of giving tax available resources; they keep mankind from the ultimate goal of statist nervana. So anyone who does not work to bring about this nervana is also in the "draining" group, and that includes stay at home women.

Why is it so easy for women to believe that, when they drag themselves out of bed and put on their faces and don their work clothes, they are fulfilling some dream? What sort of delusion has convinced so many that dealing with an angry coworker or a difficult, demanding boss is better than dealing with a collicky baby?

I can soothe the baby. I can feel his soft skin and fuzzy hair and know that he is worth it all, that he is an eternal being that will outlive me.

But I can't even voice my true opinion to my coworker. I can't tell him to wear more deoderant or use mouthwash. I can't tell him how disgusting his jokes are, or that his cologne is nauseating. I must endure, and die a thousand deaths when the boss continues to be disappointed with everything I say and do. I must reply with the most kindness I can muster to the impossible customer, and offer him the moon and bend over backwards until my head touches my heals. I have to be content with the monotony of standing and repeating the same thing over and over--allowing my mind to drift and try to be anywhere but at work. But these are all part of my "fulfillment", the ideals of my dreams, at least according to the social engineers of our modern era.

If this is all life is, working for the weekend and a paycheck, then it is not living at all. I was not meant to hide my heart under a vest and become an automaton for some corporation. I was meant to love and give beauty. I was meant to be a soft place in a harsh world. I was meant to be a helper and a life-giver.

I was meant to be at home.

What a waste!

A number of years ago someone asked me, I don't remember who it was exactly, "Why don't you have a job?"

I replied without thinking, "Because I'm not stupid."

The assumption is that, when you are a stay-at-home wife or mother, you are a waste. You are wasting your life, and your earning power. You must be incompetent or reclusive, with no ambition whatsoever.

I have ambitions--they just aren't corporate or fiduciary--they are private and familial. What luxuries to experience in this world! My days belong to me and my family--not to some overlord exacting his money's worth out of each minute.

Here are some of the things I want to attain to:

• Having a cheerful attitude, no matter what the situation, so that I can encourage others.
• Creating an atmosphere in my home that cheers other weary pilgrims on their journey Home.
• Adding some beauty to each day.
• Creating foods that feed both body and soul.
• Being ready at any time to serve--first my family and then others.
• Allowing the creative arts to flourish--both in myself and those that I love.
• Removing the distinction between the "sacred" and "secular"; learning to make everything consecrated to the Lord.
• Growing up people that will not lose sight of Jesus, but will be salt and light wherever they go.

I honestly believe these are the most important things I could be doing with my life. They don't bring any money in. They are not impressive. They won't earn me a Nobel prize, not even a gold star.

But what would my home be without them?

What if I were to be so drained from pouring my life out for someone else's dream that I had no more time and energy for such foolish, "meaningless" things?

A house can be wonderfully decorated, but still be empty and cold.

One can own cars and boats and go on fun vacations, and still feel disconnected and alone. There is only so much shopping you can do, only so much escaping until you run out of stuff and into the fact that life is meaningless without connections.

And working outside the home can give you a sense of connection, in lieu of the real type. But people at work or school rarely become the dear friends of life--they rarely want the relationship to go much farther than the obligatory Christmas party or occasional company picnic. How tragic to wake up at the end of one's career and stumble about in utter loneliness.

I look at my life--my days, my love and my energies--as investment capital. I could waste that capital in addictions to almost anything, and we all understand what a tragedy this is. I could spend my capital chasing after money, or at least physical comfortability--this is quite culturally acceptable and encouraged. But when I am old, will there be someone there to hold my hand when I am scared? If I have not invested in my husband or my children, can I expect that I will receive a dividend of care and love when I am the most needy? Or do I expect that my goods and my money will somehow comfort me when all others are gone?

Or I could take this capital and look at it in a totally different way. I could consider that it is not mine to spend at all, but it belongs to God.

So I choose to invest myself in higher things; I choose to invest my capital in a kingdom and economy that is not of this world. It looks like utter foolishness, I know, but God's ways tend to be like that.

But He says that whatever we sow, we reap. If I give and give, I will receive, both in this life and the life to come--that's what He says, and He doesn't lie. Actually, I have learned that in the giving there is a lot of receiving. Something eternal and holy happens when I am at the point of exhaustion and stroke the head of a feverish toddler. Something feeds me when I take time to calm the fears of a young adult, especially when I step back and let God do the comforting through me.

And when I am old--I won't be forgotten. Even if no one is around when I die, it will be with great satisfaction, as I lay down my burdens, a life well lived, with little or no regret, able to bring many people into heaven with me.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Rest for the weary

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2Corinthians 4:8

Did you know that you are in a battle? When you stepped out in faith, you inherited a lot of enemies.

Sometimes they bark and howl, sometimes you can feel them nipping at your heels, their hot breath on your neck. Like wolves they surround you, trying to worry you until you become too weary to fight, and in your weakness they will bring you down.

The devil does not fight fairly; he does not wait for you to take a breath before his next volley.

It's time to stop. It's time for a "Jesus break".

Find a solitary place, or create one, even in the midst of the noise. Put on some soothing music, I like to go to Eyes of Wonder--her playlist their is perfect for this.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Psams 68

God is sending you plentiful rain--rain that you can dwell in when you are weary. Run into it and rest there. Let Him fight for You today.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Run into His safety--let yourself be poor and weak. Let His strength sustain you--He has the arms of a Mighty Warrior--He won't let you fall.

I love that part: "and she that tarried at home divided the spoil."

I tarry at home. I wait and watch and keep the home fires burning, but God includes me in His army--He gives me the spoil of the enemy--and the devil's barking and howling is reduced to the yipping of a little lap dog--annoying but of little consequence.

Dear ministeress, allow God to minister to you today. Let your guard down, relax and enjoy. Allow yourself to have some beauty in your day--to arrange something or create something beautiful, whether it is a perfect pot of chili, a well-dressed baby, an organized closet. or a flower arrangement.

Enjoy your husband--aren't you fortunate to have a man in your life? How many women are wishing to end their loneliness--and yet he is here with you. Relish in your children--giggle a little today at their antics. Allow yourself to be carefree; childlike.

Praying you have a light, lovely Friday.

Sherry

A glimpse

Tonight is a "kid dinner". 4 children working together to create with food.

There is music coming from the kitchen--they are all attempting to sing "Sing a Song of Sixpence" with harmony--not very good harmony, but they are putting their whole hearts into it. They are also missing a few things here and there, but I am checking in periodically.

Josh is entertaining his littlest sister at the bar by drawing and making all sorts of sounds--I assume he is telling her a story. She is enveloped by his enthusiasm and attention.

Faith and Olivia flit next to me every once in a while, like little butterflies fluttering around in the garden that is our home. They are both wearing pink, flippy dresses, which adds to the illusion. One has a round face, huge eyes, and a frame of blond floss. The other speaks as if she is singing, like the happy noise of a brook, and smiles constantly with all of her teeth.

So many girls--we soon will have 11 of them. I have loved everything about them--I have loved being their mother and dressing them up. I have loved their softness and their dearness, and I have been able to fellowship with babies that become my sisters. I have even enjoyed being able to see through their feminine wiles--to correct and re-direct their Eve-like tendencies.

My boys are great. They are uncomplicated and straight-forward--how refreshing! I was thinking the other day that the boys in our family are like strong, handsome trees, and the girls are like flowers at the foot of them.

Our oldest son takes care of two of his younger sisters in his home. It wasn't easy for him to move out, but I know he wouldn't have liked it at all without his sisters. They tell me he gets so excited when he returns home from work to find them there. They, in turn, look after him in silly but significant ways. Our daughter's fiance says he doesn't look for David to get married any too soon--he doesn't quite need to.

I guess this is one of those benefits of a large, Christian family. They have each other, whether they cook together or sing together or share a condominium.

They are never alone in this world.

Pregnant life--what works for me

A few ladies have asked for tips on how to deal with fatigue in pregnancy. I don't claim to know what is right in each individual situation, but I thought I would share some of the things I do.

• I avoid sleeping in. This makes me and everyone else feel bad. 7:30 is the latest I will lie in bed.
• I have a definite schedule. Especially when I don't feel like it, my home needs to have a rhythm to it. Knowing what we should be doing next keeps me on track and actually lessens my fatigue by keeping chaos at bay. My day is broken up into blocks--morning cleaning and breakfast, Bible time, quick clean up, lunch, clean up, table time (academics) quiet time, afternoon free-play, dinner and clean up, movie time, bedtime routine.
• I try to keep errands and appointments to one day a week--and even try to minimize those.
  
• I simplify. If I don't have the energy to keep up on my laundry, then I definitely do not have the energy for scrapbooking, sewing, gadding about to different activities, spending time of the phone or the computer. Although I must say that, if I do get a handle on the basics, my pregnancy months are times that I can indulge in creative activities.
  
• I concentrate on the basics. For me, a messy house makes me feel worse and worse. Even if I have to forgo homeschooling for a week, I will take my limited energy every day and shore up my home--catching up on the laundry, cleaning and organizing a closet or cupboard a day, washing the windows, etc. Getting my children involved in the process (even giving the 2yo a spray bottle of water and a rag) is a good way to keep them occupied and feeling included. The feeling of accomplishment is so rejuvenating!
• I have a quiet time daily. This is in early afternoon. I have trained my children that this is time for them to have quiet, too. I have found that, no matter how sleep-deprived or exhausted I am, even .5 hour in sleep will give me a boost of energy to get other things done. Of course, this is also the time when I meditate on the Word and talk with the Lord--which is the most important of all!
• This is a good time to train the younger children to take over tasks before the baby comes. This takes time and patience, but it is worth it. Children sometimes balk, but there are so many benefits to keeping them involved in daily chores.
  
• I don't always have to direct my children--they get the greatest pleasure if I am just "there"--paying attention to what they are doing.
  
• All through the day I snack lightly and drink lots of water.
  
• I try to get to bed at a decent hour.
• I don't fret when I experience insomnia--I try to use that time for good and be thankful.

This list is not complete--but I hope there is something helpful in it.

Sherry

Warehouse clubs and once-a-month shopping

Someone asked me about warehouse clubs--are they worth the price of membership.

My answer to this is an absolute YES!

Now, not every item at my local Sam's Club is the best buy, but most of it is. And the quality--they don't sell such quality in grocery stores.

And I love the simplicity of shopping there. No glitzy end cap grabbers. No infinitesimal packages that are so impractical for the large family. Huge bags, large cans, big boxes--these are time and space savers.

My brain just operates better in such an environment. Practically all I can see down each row are shelf after shelf of staples--things that other things are made from--things that make meals healthy and cheap.

And the other non-food household items are just as good. I especially appreciate the restaurant and business supplies--large metal cooking utensils that do not bend when used to stir a huge pot of spaghetti, a bag of 60 white rags for $17--used over and over in lieu of paper towels and napkins, garbage bags, diapers and wipers, dish detergent--both for machine and sink, packages of notebooks for homeschooling, ink cartridges in bulk, etc.

And the blipping at the register is so much easier and shorter, not to mention how much easier it is to put all that food away--whew!

Did you know that you can even place your order online and pick it up at the store, already shopped for you? I've done it time after time--you don't have to own a business or anything. Now that's domestic bliss!

As for my shopping once-a-month...

I never have to worry about going over budget, because my budget for groceries has always been very finite.

When the bucks run out, the party is over--no reneging. We have operated like this for most of our marriage, so it has become second-nature to think within these limits. It also makes one extra careful to plan well. I do not purchase every last item all at once, but everything that I can that will last the month. I save back a certain amount for milk, bread (my freezer will not hold all of our food plus bread--it just isn't big enough), and fresh veggies and fruits, and these I buy at a closer grocers, paying close attention to purchase only the loss-leaders.

I do not recommend making a menu and then shopping--always turns out more expensive for me, and then I find that I have missed something like hamburger in the confusion at the store, making my whole menu obsolete.

I tend to think of my food in terms of a pantry--realizing the things we normally eat and trying to keep these things on hand. I am used to buying the cheapest things that require a little work, but are still wonderful foods. By now, I pretty much know how much of everything we will use in a month, and I make up my list based on what we have on hand and what we are low on.

Here are some of the basics:

• Flour
• Cooking oil
• Spices
• Leavening agents
• Condiments
• Tomato products
• Legumes
• Rice
  
• Oats
• Nuts
• Fruits--dried, canned, frozen
  
• Veggies--canned and frozen
• Pasta
• Meats--canned, frozen, refrigerated
  
• Dairy--butter, cheese, etc.
• Tortillas and bread
  
• Coffee, tea, etc.
• Crackers and snacks
  

I have found that certain items are seasonal; we use more flour and baking goods in winter than we do in the sweltering summer months, when we spend more on lunch meat and salad.

I buy all of my basics first, then, if I have money, I look for special deals on extras that will give us some fun and make our meals more festive. After all, food is more than just filling one's stomach; there should be an art to it, a pleasantness that says, "I love you" to one's family.

But after I have been foraging all day, I like to sit at home and draw up a menu plan. This actually keeps down on waste--especially if you are like me and sometimes forget to plan dinner until 5:00 pm--there are only so many times you can eat hot dogs and PBJ's because that is all that is not frozen!

Of course, all is done with prayer--all is trusted into God's hands. He is Provider, He is Nourisher.

Groceries and balanced eating

We eat a balanced diet around here.

It is balanced between the scientific and the spiritual; the specific and the general.

As the dietary control in my house, food is important to me. I do not take this responsibility lightly.

Every month I sit and I pray and I ask the Giver--"Please make my brain work in sync with Yours; please clear the cobwebs and teach me how to order my groceries and my cooking."

He gives me some basic ideas, some of them from founded truths that do not change and are universal, some from the experience of life I've lived.

One idea is that fads of food will come and go. What is considered off-limits one day will be sought after another. Not too many years ago, meat of any kind was bad. Then meat was the only thing you could eat, now you cannot drink milk or eat anything that is not organic.

Once upon a time, eggs were an evil. Then science changed its mind again--parts of eggs are bad, parts are good, they balance themselves out--now they are again "sanctioned"--the perfect protein.

Or perhaps it is according to who is doing the research or releasing the news report. One says that coffee will kill you, the other states that it will save you--who to believe?

Then there are the "Christian" diets--the ones that are supposedly close to the one in the garden--that place of sinless bliss. (The sad thing here is that these diets are not like the ones of the Nazarites; meant to draw attention to one's dedication to the Lord, they are purely for the preservation of the body, the flapping, thin, temporary tent that we walk around in.)

But we are not in the garden--we are in a world tainted and controlled by sin. No matter how hard we try, the wolf of disease and death will be nipping at our heals. No matter how good we are, no matter if we all live in a field and eat only weeds and worms, we might be struck down with the results of our rebellion; with cancer or heart disease or stroke.

A cardiologist, one who does open-heart surgery almost daily, astonished his fellow dinner guests by ordering the largest steak on the menu, accompanied by a baked potato loaded with sour cream and butter. When questioned about his lack of respect for the laws of dietary cause and effect, he answered, "After long experience, I have decided that there is little or nothing one can do to prevent heart disease. It is all about heredity".

You won't find that one in any book or magazine.

The Bible I read, the one that is whole and not cut and pasted to fit into current thought, says that God is in control--even of our health. He is the one deciding our days on the earth; He is the one to Whom we should look for guidance.

And He has declared all things good.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-5

The Word tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not about eating and drinking. The issue is all about the heart.

When we eat, what is it about? Is it only about the pleasure the food will give us--that is lasciviousness and gluttony. Is it about trying to cheat death--that is up to God.

Nourishment, communion and temperance--these are the words that are my guide. I eat to nourish my body, to commune with God and others; I eat with self-control, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any,"
1 Corinthians 6:12.

For me, this means that I try to stay away from foods that are all about pleasure; ones that are meant to please only the palate but not nourish my body, although I believe that the pleasure of food is God-given and that I can delight in His goodness as I partake.

I eat as a part of fellowship with my family, as we are gathered around together, taking time to savor the aroma as well as the company and the conversation.

I eat with carefulness, paying attention to my body when it tells me I have had enough.

These principles are what keep me balanced.

Grocery shopping with prayer and thanksgiving

I know what it is like to shop when you feel poor--when the magazines in the checkout just remind you that you are not buying enough mangoes and Fillet Mignon for your family--how silly! But still, you can feel pretty defeated sometimes when, no matter how you try, it seems as though you lack certain things.

The next time you are tempted to feel this way, try shopping with prayer and thanksgiving. "Dear Lord, I am so thankful for this full bag of beans!", etc. You may not have the feelings to go with the words at first, but as you go along, your feelings will catch up with you, and you will be walking on air--just try it and see!

Also, watch expectedly as you shop for special deals that God will have just for you--I can't tell you how many times I have shopped this way and been blessed with things I would never otherwise be able to afford--such as the other day when I bought 10 applicators of Carmex for $5, and just before we all got a nasty cold!

Yesterday was our "marathon" shopping day. I try and do this once a month--it just saves me in time, energy and money.

Super WalMart has some consistently good deals on particular products that I take advantage of regularly, so I thought I would share some things with you while they are fresh in my mind.

First, we are not opposed to store brands here, so I buy very few national brands. This cuts down a lot on the bottom line, especially if you are buying 30 cans of something at a time--if you are saving .05 a can, that means $1.50 in savings, and multiplying that over multiple purchases can make a significant difference.

Also, there are certain foods that are just good investments. This means they meet certain criteria; they have to be nutritious, delicious and either cheap themselves or helpful to make things stretch so that other dishes are cheaper.

Here are some that meet this category for me:

• Graham crackers--the graham flour makes these more healthy than other cookies. They are also versatile and can be "dressed up" to make them special.
• Mini ice-cream cones--these help me to serve up just a taste of ice cream after a meal without going overboard, and it makes even plain meals just a little more festive.
• The Great Value cans of mandarin oranges are a good buy--.74 a can--and they dress up jello to make it special while adding a little bit of fruit. My family likes these when they are experiencing a stomach upset.
• Apple butter. A little cheaper than concord grape jelly, and much more healthy. Grape jelly, while cheap, is really nothing more than flavored sugar jelled in a jar. Try putting a dollop on your favorite porridge in the morning.
• For some reason, Walmart also has some really cheap blackberry preserves--$1.89 a jar--which are great to use in other recipes for treats, as well as making PB J's more of a treat (recently we warmed a partial jar in the microwave and drizzled it over a plain yellow cake baked in a bundt pan--delicious!).
• If you have a need to buy granola bars, fruit chewies, etc., Sunbelt brand is the most for the least. You won't find their display with the rest of the cereal/granola bars--you might have to ask for it.
• Raisins--a great snack, and oh, so cheap! These dress up everything from salads to cookies to cakes.
• Peanuts--the common nut that you can mix with raisins for a quick pick-me-up.
• Sunflower kernels--use these cheap nuts in breads, cereals and snacks--they can even replace walnuts and almonds in certain recipes--high in calcium.
• Banana chips--these are the cheapest of dried fruit, and they are crunchy and slightly sweet at the same time. A perfectly mess-free treat for an active toddler.
• Powdered milk--it's nice to have on hand if you are baking and run out of regular milk, but I would not recommend it if you want to be frugal. Right now, powdered milk comes out to $3 a gallon, while whole milk is going for $1.77 a gallon--I'd much rather drink the whole milk!
• Brown sugar--I won't buy white sugar. To my understanding, white sugar is very close to poison! On the other hand, I don't necessarily want to make a special trip to the health food store, so I have taken a tip from The Supermarket Handbook and buy brown sugar, but not just any brown sugar. It has to be a brand that packages the sugar before it is refined--before the molasses is extracted. Cheaper brown sugar is just refined sugar that is sprayed with molasses--it really isn't any better for you. The molasses, or brown, part of the sugar contains things like calcium and iron (and would you believe vitamin c?), among other ingredients that we don't understand, that make this sweetener just that much healthier. In tropical areas sugar cane, from which sugar is obtained, is actually used to brush one's teeth! I also won't buy things like Splenda--who knows what that stuff does to one's body. If God didn't make it, I don't want to eat it!
• Brown rice--Walmart now has a store brand that I bought for 1.62 a package, which is a real deal at any supermarket. Brown rice is so yummy! It adds an extra dimension to anything we usually use white rice for.
• For a cheap way to get pro-biotics, try Bio Salud--little containers of juice-tasting pro-biotics--I found 6 or 8--I can't remember now-- for .88. These are a product of Mexico, and do contain high fructose corn syrup, which is a drawback, but they are still an economical way of helping someone recover from a bout of the stomach flu, or to replenish one's intestinal tract after a round of antibiotics. They can be found around the yogurt.
• Lender bagels are cheap and good. We use these for breakfast on days when we are in a hurry--no bowls or spoons required!

Here's a little meat tip. My family loves stew, but stew meat is rather pricey. Sometimes I bite the bullet and buy it anyway, but when I feel especially frugal I just wait until London Broil comes up for $1.99 a pound and cut it up into chunks and freeze it in meal-sized portions. the reason stew meat is more expensive is that the butcher must cut it for you!

Here are some thoughts about buying cheaper cuts of meat-- are they really cheaper at all? If they contain more fat, grissel and bone, would it be cheaper to buy meat that doesn't contain these things? For instance, if chuck roast is $1.59 a pound, and London Broil is $1.99 a pound, and after I cook the chuck roast in my roaster I have to throw a portion of it away, is the chuck really cheaper? Also, if whole chicken breasts are $.99 a pound, and boneless skinless are $1.69 a pound, doesn't the extra skin, fat and bone make up for the difference in price?

Here is some good news. If you have young children, you don't have to do back-flips to please them. Children are very simple and are usually quite satisfied with simple dishes. Their taste buds are much more sensitive than ours, so they don't need a lot of fancy things to eat. If your child is a picky eater, don't despair. I have a child who didn't like anything but cheese and bread when she was a toddler, and yet she is healthy, with glowing hair and a cheerful attitude. Stick with what works for you--keep it on the healthy side but don't carry extra angst because of some silly requirements formulated by scientists in a laboratory somewhere, assuming that everyone is "average" (my children are quite above average to me, thank you very much!).

I once read an article in a health magazine that laid out all of the factors relating to robust health. Among these factors were exercise and healthy eating, but the article stated that a bad attitude or unforgiveness outweighed all other attempts to keep illness at bay.

I am reminded here of the scripture,

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." (Proverbs 15:17)

College is a bad investment

I have previously written about college here and here.

I have come across another great article here.

After being "de-programmed" from my own public school indoctrination (boy, did I ever want to go to college!), realizing that the whole system is not built on gaining Godly wisdom, but on humanism, gaining recognition as being "top of the class" has new meaning for me. Who wants to be on the top of a huge pile of hooey?

My own children who attended college would come home daily with stories of how warped "education" is--how it is meant to foster distrust and utter disdain of parental input in a young person's life. I am wondering if the promises of huge financial dividends are not just lures to capture the minds of our young people.

Just a thought...

A personal introduction

I am linking here with some other ladies over at She Looketh Well, who is hosting a Titus 2 blog party! According to directions, we are supposed to post a little bit about ourselves, which should be interesting for my regular readers as well.

I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother of 14 children, with one on the way. My husband and I have been married for 26 years and are still deeply in love and friendship with one another.

I was raised in a matriarchal family in the 60's and the 70's, when everything was being turned upside-down. Although my grandmother was a good woman in many respects, she hated male authority, even had a hard time with God's authority, so there was a lot of lunacy in our family. It trickled down through the next generations in all sorts of contorted ways, ruining marriages and children along the way.

Almost unbelievably, one thing that was stressed was God's wrath at our sin--we were all under the power of sin and death, and it was a hateful burden that we carried. How wonderful it was when I heard Jesus could forgive me--I fell into His arms and never looked back, even though it took some years and discipleship from others to turn me away from all of the ungodly things I had learned.

By the age of 20 I had traveled the world, was quite accomplished and confident, and experienced feminism to the extreme--I was a female soldier involved in military intelligence (an oxymoron) in the United States Army. It cured me for life. I never want to compete with a man--their world suits them, but it never suited me. I am a woman of God, a feminine, motherly child of God who loves her husband and her family.

I was discharged in 1985, and have been home since then. I understand the darkness of life spent in rebellion against God's master plan, without the leading of the Holy Spirit and His Word, I love to share these things with others in hopes that they will be set free and experience a bit of eternity here while we are sojourners and pilgrims.

Along the way God convinced us that children are indeed a blessing, so we have been very happy to receive as many as He has seen fit to give us. How happy we are now, in our middle ages, to have a household full of little people, we couldn't imagine it any other way. We also became convinced that we didn't want our children in the public school system, and this one decision to homeschool has blessed us beyond measure as God has had more opportunity to mold us all, including Mom and Dad, in ways that He would not have been able to otherwise. I am convinced that the homeschooling movement is actually a revival movement of the Holy Spirit.

I am so encouraged by the many ladies who are also answering the call to give all for Jesus--to love beyond their abilities. I sometimes want to hug and squeeze all of them--I know that God's pleasure is much greater.

God bless all of you who do not hold your lives dear--you are such a blessing!

Sherry

Spend less, live better

I consume goods. I buy apples and oranges and toothpaste. I use appliances and enjoy quality entertainment. Having said that, I am also not a "consumer"--I am a human being.

I don't live to consume, I consume to live.

My life does not consist of the things I buy. My life consists of my relationships; first to God, then to my fellow human beings. The things I buy can facilitate and enhance these relationships, but they do not take the place of them, and the true ones would still flourish without any consumer goods whatsoever.

These are the laws of God's nature--our lives are more than what we own or chase after.

If I watch the evening news, I will hear all sorts of things about consumers--I will hear how pundits and demographers are watching for trends, and how our whole economy is connected to their findings. I love to watch them scratch their heads when consumers--or actually people with individual tastes and needs--don't follow the expected patterns.

We are all being told that we must spend, spend, spend to help the economy. Like pigs at the trough, we are supposed to guzzle and snort and push and shove until the last morsel is digested.

To the great consternation of behaviorists, people are not pigs. No matter how the cracks are sealed, there are always groups of people that will slip through and be human beings, with honor, dignity and nobility. This has been the dirge of every despot since the beginning of mankind.

In our day, this means that there are folks who have discovered, or rediscovered, true keys to happiness--the kind that does not depend on "stuff".

Malls and TV shopping networks are all disappointed. There are actually Americans who don't need to shop, Americans who only buy what suits them, no matter how great the sale or how glitzy the appeal.

Instead of spending the evening wearing out the souls of their flip-flops pushing squeaky-wheeled carts, they snuggle under the covers and read aloud to their children. They don't massage their toys to show off to the neighbors, but help a neighbor in need to fix a toilet or a sprinkler system.

They drive around in older cars, but don't mind giving a lift to someone who is in trouble on the side of the road. You will find them in Bible studies, reading quietly at the library, and holding the hand of a lonely elderly person.

Instead of sitting in their cars waiting for a taco or a hamburger, they can be found sitting down to a satisfyingly hot bowl of stew and some biscuits from scratch.

They may or may not own ipods, but they do sing and whistle, sometimes a little off-tune, but with their whole hearts.

Their houses are not fancy or new or fitted out in HGTV style, but they are warm and cozy and filled with peace and love. Smiles and laughter decorate the interior, sprinkled with plenty of hugs when the tears fall.

These Americans are the new demographic. They live by new words, not "spend" and "lavish", but "give" and "love". They are not afraid of hard work, but will not sacrifice the satisfying for the shallow.

Perhaps this way of living will cause some to lose their jobs at first, but maybe our economy needs a bit of an overhaul, and in the end we will find ourselves richer because we will have rediscovered two words that used to be part of our everyday vocabulary: "work" and "thrift".

Spending money does not make a nation great. Giving of oneself, first to God and then to others, is what elevates us above the monkeys.

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 1Tim. 6:4-11