Nesting: Freezer Cooking

There is so much unknown when welcoming a new little one into your family. When will the little bundle make their entrance? How smooth will delivery, and thus recovery, be? What will the adjustment be like for the entire family? How long will it take for everyone to settle into a new normal?

All of these unknowns make freezer cooking a huge priority on my nesting agenda. While I do know that friends and church family will bless us with meals for the first week or two after I get home from the hospital, I don't know how long it will be before I will have the time and energy to start serious meal preparation again. 

Even if I am feeling stellar and managing three littles with great finesse {ha!}, it is always nice on a busy day to be able to pull a homemade dinner out of the freezer and not have to think, plan, or prepare any further. 

Starting at around 35 weeks I plan on cooking double for dinner, 2-3 nights a week. This is my biggest secret for getting more meals done without adding too much to my plate. Who has time for an entire freezer cooking day? Since I'm already making a meal anyway, I just double it and throw half into the freezer. When meal planning I make sure to pick freezer friendly dishes- lasagna, shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, and lots of soups and chilis.  

I do the same with baking. Often Saturday is the day that I bake bread, a batch of bagels, muffins, etc. So I double up yet again and add ziploc bags of baked goodies to my freezer for quick and easy breakfasts. 

I'm typing this post two days shy of 39 weeks, and I've managed to stockpile about two weeks worth of dinners, with a few breakfast goodies as well. As long as this baby keeps I'll continue cooking double!

A few helpful hints:

• Use a straw to stuck all of the air out of your freezer bags before sealing completely.
• Lay soups, chilis and casseroles as flat as possible {I smooth them out carefully and stick them on a cookie sheet for the first few hours of freezing} to take up less space. After they freeze in a flat block I stack them sideways next to each other, or in stacks. It is amazing how many meals you can fit it into the small freezer above your refrigerator this way! 
• Foil pans are a must for freezer cooking. Not only will your freezer meal save you time cooking, it also means no dishes later. These also stack neatly and take up less space. I use mine for casseroles, pies, and the like.

Here are some freezer-friendly online recipes that our family approves:

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala. This recipe tastes exactly like what I would order at our local Indian restaurant. While it is time consuming to prepare, one batch usually makes plenty for my family to eat now and freeze for later. We get one dinner and a few lunches out of it, then I toss the rest in a freezer ziploc to pull out later. It is my husband's favorite.

Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup. Mixing it up a little from your average chili. You could either freeze before or after cooking in the slow cooker, whatever suits. 

Individual Frozen Pizzas. I love that these take up less room in my freezer! They are handy to pull out for a lazy dinner or a fancier lunch. Just use your favorite dough recipe and follow the freezing instructions. 

Sausage and White Bean Slow Cooker Soup. This soup is incredibly delicious. I can't wait to pull mine out of the freezer on a chilly autumn day!

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits. Take breakfast up a notch with this super flavorful, perfect for husband-and-kids-on-the-go handheld savory. My husband is kind of in heaven when I send him to work with a few of these in the morning. 

Helpful Links:

My Postpartum Freezer Cooking Plan - This post from Jami was my main motivation for freezer cooking this pregnancy! She has a huge list of recipes and ideas. It's a must read!

The Pioneer Woman's Big 'Ole List of Freezer Friendly Meals {and tips!}. 

My Feeding the Family board on Pinterest is the place I collect all of the delicious dinner ideas I need for meal planning inspiration. 

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the posts in this series, and get some serious nesting motivation!

Nesting: Get Organized

The links below are affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase I receive a small commission {at no extra charge to you}. I only promote products that I personally approve of. Thank you for your readership, and thank you for your support of The Purposeful Wife!

The thing about kids is that kids seem to bring hither-to-fore unknown amounts of STUFF along with them. Clothing, toys, furniture, books, accessories, shoes... the rapid pace of their development and changes in sizes, phases, and interests means you have a constantly fluctuating, constantly growing collection. When you plan on having more children, frugality and common sense dictate hanging onto all of the outgrown things too. Yikes. 

On top of all of our kid's stuff, most of us also have a personal stuff problem. And probably a husband with his own stuff problems. 

I've always felt like if I can't fix a problem now, it is only going to get more impossible to tackle the longer I put it off. This is especially true when adding another person to your family. More kids= less time + more stuff. 

Keeping a neat and tidy home space is much easier the less stuff you have. With less clutter, I have less to pick up before cleaning, and less to move during cleaning. 

When I was a first time mom, I pretty much kept everything anyone gave me. We are talking about garbage bags galore of clothing, huge bins of toys, and every silly little baby "must-have" invention. If it was free, it might come in handy someday. 

As my family grows I'm becoming pickier and pickier, and much more of a minimalist. 

Instead of having all three of her wide dresser drawers packed with clothing and accessories like she did as a baby, my daughter now has one drawer. Drawer 2 is for the new baby, and drawer 3 houses games and puzzles. My son has two narrower dresser drawers. I hang almost all of my kids' clothing in the single large closet in my daughter's bedroom, their drawers are for undergarments, socks, pajamas and pants. 

My best advice for paring down clothes is to ask yourself how many outfits your child actually needs. If you do laundry regularly, they most likely don't need more than 10. Maybe 20 if they tend to be extra messy, have re-flux issues, or are potty training. :) Pare down ruthlessly and keep only what you LOVE. If you love dressing your child in an outfit, they will get a lot of wear out of it. If it is stained, torn, or just not your favorite... it is just taking up space. 

As for toys, I went into greater detail on how we cut back and organized in this post. 

During this pregnancy I did a 30 Day minimalist challenge. It made a huge dent in our stuff problem! I'm also currently reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (who isn't or hasn't... am I right?) and finding lots of good inspiration in it. 

With my due date looming, my days to declutter and organize are seriously numbered. But I would love to get a few more large garbage bags and boxes dropped at Goodwill before welcoming this new little lady! 

Recommended Reading:

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider

Helpful links:

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home

How to Organize and Minimize Toys

30 Day Minimalist Challenge

Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the posts in this series, and get some serious nesting motivation!

Nesting:The Deep Clean

Theoretically, I know that a baby doesn't need to be welcomed into a perfectly decorated, perfectly organized, perfectly clean environment. Life is germs and clutter and mess. Messes being made and cleaned are part of the on-going reality of each day. It's not going to end until Jesus comes back, folks.

And yet, once you enter that tricky postpartum phase of sleepless nights and leaking body parts, you just know you won't have the energy to keep up with your normal cleaning. Nor should you, even if you could. The first month after baby should be one in which you actually put your feet up, soak in your newborn, and recover physically from the marathon that is pregnancy, labor, and delivery. 

You and I both know it is easier to put our feet up when the house is a little cleaner. So my goal before welcoming a new baby is to have my house as clean as possible. Not perfect- I refuse to kill myself. But basically neat and tidy. 

This pregnancy I started with a plan to do "once-overs" in each room of my home. I began in the front of my house with the entry way, worked around each room clockwise starting to the left of the door/entrance, and intended to make my way through each room. 

For me a "once-over" entails putting things in their places, giving surfaces a quick wipe down, and vacuuming/mopping. Just a basic organization, tidying up, and quick clean. I started at about 36 weeks. 

I had hoped to get through the entire house that week, and then to repeat the process each week until delivery. Unfortunately I accomplished only half of my house the first week {gotta pace yourself}, and found myself too busy with freezer cooking and {attempting} preschool at home to carry on. 

I hit up most of the major areas by 38 weeks, though a few cobwebs did linger, and not all of my cupboards got wiped down. 

This gave me a basic peace of mind that I'd been through each section of my house and there were no seriously scary disasters lurking out of sight. The main areas were clear, and each room a little bit easier to maintain. 

Then I made a nightly quick clean checklist, just in case I were to go into labor. My goal? To wash my dishes, wipe down the counters, and do a spot cleaning of the floor each night before bed... just in case. When consistent in this routine, it really doesn't take me longer than 30 minutes or so each night. 

And that's it. My big plan for "deep cleaning" before baby. I felt so relaxed at night when my big belly was able to lounge on the couch of a clean home. 

Seriously though, don't sweat the small stuff. If you feel good and accomplish a total spring cleaning overhaul, more power to you. But if your body is wiped and you can't keep up with the small stuff, there is plenty of grace for that too <3. We are all about love here folks- if it thrills you, go to it. If you have no energy or desire, don't think twice about it. 

Disclaimer: I have way more fun writing about cleaning than I actually have cleaning. Which is why you don't find too many how to cleaning posts around these parts ;). 

I'm convinced that regular maintenance is the key to keeping a clean home. If you are looking for a system to get you started, there are several I recommend:

Fly Lady can be super inspiring. Though her daily flood of emails was a bit much for me, I do like checking her site periodically for further cleaning wisdom and motivation. 

Clean Mama has a simple weekly cleaning routine that is easy to follow. I particularly like following her on instagram for daily cleaning reminders. Also I think pale turquoise is our mutual favorite color, so her pictures of her home and cleaning supplies just make me happy. 

The Mount Vernon Method of cleaning was my main inspiration for "once-overs." Basically, you start in one room and work around it clockwise. When you are done cleaning for the day, you just stop and pick up where you left off the next day. 

I like Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking's simple rotation for cleaning in about 30 minutes a day, four days a week. 

If you have more time before baby, going through something like Sarah Mae's 31 Days to Clean could also be a fun challenge!

And because the less stuff  you have, the easier it is to keep a clean home- tomorrow we will be covering organization :). My absolute favorite homemaking topic!!! Stay tuned. 

More helpful links: 

A (Mostly) Clean Home in 20 Minutes a Day

3 Motivators to Clean When You Just Don't Have it in You

9 Things People with Clean Houses Do Every Day

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the posts in this series, and get some serious nesting motivation!

Nesting Week!

Homemaking is probably one of my favorite things. Since this pregnancy has also been my first without bedrest {yippee!!} I went a little overboard with my nesting excitement.

Thus I present to you, coming next week....

Nesting Week!

I'm covering a new topic each day, including: cleaning, organizing, freezer cooking, preparing siblings, and getting ready for the postpartum period.

Each day I'll share a little peek into my nesting process, as well as loads of links and extra reading material to inspire you.

Maybe you're not pregnant, so you feel like this series is totally inapplicable to you. And I get that. But I really think it can be helpful for any time of transition- a move, the start of a new school year, or any other time you feel the need to clean up your act and get extra organized.

So I hope you'll stick around and keep reading next week. Happy nesting!!

Read the posts in this series:

The Deep Clean
Get Organized
Freezer Cooking
Preparing Older Siblings
Postpartum Preparation

20 Ways My Two Year Old Helps Around the House

W just turned two in July. My exuberant, high-energy boy is delighted to help mommy with "jobs" in whatever capacity he is able... so I'm always trying to think of new ways he can "help." This sweet attitude and willing spirit seems to quickly flee from children as they get older, and I want to capitalize on it while he's still got it ;).

While a lot of these jobs are highly supervised and still work for me, I am amazed at the tasks he is already perfectly capable of accomplishing. If you're looking for practical ways to get your two year old involved in housework, here's a list of ideas to get you started. You might be surprised by what your little one can manage too!

1. Picks up toys. I assign one simple job at a time- put all of the Lego in the basket, or Noah's animals into the ark, or the stuffed animals onto the shelf. Sometimes he is speedy, on-task and efficient... and other days I find myself constantly reminding and instructing until the task is done. C'est la vie with a toddler.

2. Takes dirty dishes to the sink. After meals he is responsible for dropping his plate, cup, and utensils into the sink. Highly recommend only plastic dishes for this, as he is not the most gentle yet.

3. Throws away garbage. After a diaper change, if his sister doesn't beat him to it, W throws away his own diaper. As well as tissues and recyclables when he is helping in the kitchen.

4. Waters plants. Theoretically, if I actually owned plants that needed watering... but when we were at my mother's house this summer, he loved helping her water hers. And at the beginning of summer he had his own little potted plant that he watered... which happened to die while we were on said vacation.

5. Dumps measuring cups and spoons. He is very good at adding ingredients to whatever I am baking. I just have to remind him not to drop or dip the cups and spoons into whatever it is we are working with.

6. Puts away groceries. Possibly my favorite thing- W now takes care of 90% of the groceries after my weekly shopping trip. He can't reach the freezer, and I help him get the cans on the highest pantry shelf, as well as opening the drawers in the fridge. But otherwise I'll just tell him where something goes and he loves the game of putting it away.

7. Peels hard-boiled eggs. This was a shocker to me, but he grabbed an egg off the breakfast table one morning and did it all by himself. It was neat as a pin- not a single bit of the shell left. We eat eggs several mornings a week for breakfast, and I can always count on W to take care of peeling them.

8. Puts dirty laundry in the hamper. Every morning after dressing, and at night when we put on PJs.

9. Pushes the vacuum with me. He isn't strong enough to push our Dyson on his own, but he enjoys helping me. I wish we had a working lightweight hand-vac, as I'm sure he would love playing with it and clean our floors pretty well!

10. Wipes surfaces. I give the kid a wet wipe and he is happy to go to town on doors, walls, baseboards, etc.

11. Switches laundry. He loves to add clothes to the washing machine, then help me put them into the drier, add drier sheets, and shut the door.

12. Puts books on the shelf. Gently, with the spine facing out.

13. Picks up crumbs/fuzz from carpet. Don't feel like vacuuming? Having a toddler pick up the most visible specks off the floor is great hand-eye-coordination practice. And saves you from bending over {something I really appreciate at 38 weeks pregnant}.

14. "Makes" beds. Not capable of doing this quite neatly enough on his own, but he likes to help me pull and straighten blankets and sheets over the beds.

15. Stirs pots and pans. With extremely close care and supervision, I allow him to stir whatever is on my stove top.

16. Grabs the diapers and wipes for me. Pretty much anything he can reach that I need, I ask him to get for me.

17. Puts clean clothes away. After I fold a load of laundry, I'll open the appropriate drawers and have him put away socks, underwear, pants and tee-shirts.

18. Returns shoes to their basket. We tend to drop our shoes by the door when we get home, but periodically I have W take the shoes back to their baskets in the bedroom closets.

19. Helps Daddy with projects. When Niall put together our new Moses basket stand, W got to help Daddy with this "man job." Niall pointed out which hole to stick which screw in, and let W place them and then turn them. He hands Niall the tools he needs, holds materials, and in general thinks trailing after Dad is a blast.

20. Dusts. Put a sock on your little ones hand and let them go to town with you when you dust. Good times to be had by all!

How do you get your little people involved around the house?

A Book Page Wreath

Ever since reading The Nester's book months and ages ago, I've been desperate to try my hand at making a book page wreath. I love books {of course}, and was inspired by her encouragement to infuse your personality and interests into your home decor.

The thing you have to understand is that while I aspire to be a crafty person, I am notorious for crooked, sloppy, and poorly done projects. If it has to be done just so, than it is not the craft for this wannabee.

I followed this tutorial to make my book page wreath. I found it fairly simple to do, and it went much much much more quickly than my last bookish decor project. I did suffer one incredibly painful hot glue gun burn, but otherwise it was a fairly pleasant enterprise.

True to form, my book page wreath is crooked and off center. I might add more cones to it someday to try and round it out or make it look fuller... or I might just never bother. I do like it though, and my husband approves. A few friends have complimented it, so it can't be too awful, right ;)?

All you need is an old book, stapler with lots of staples, hot glue gun with lots of glue sticks, and a large foam board {I found mine at the Dollar Tree- frugality for the win!}.

You basically just use plates {one large, one smaller} to trace a wreath shape onto your foam board, then cut it out with an exacto knife. Neatly tear the pages out of your book, roll them to your taste, and staple them at the base {none of mine looked the same or even... so once again, it doesn't have to be perfect}. Then you use a hot glue gun to glue the base of each roll to your foam wreath, starting on the back with the first row {to make it fuller}, then placing each additional row on the front, staggering them lower and lower.

For clearer instructions with pictures, I'd recommend this tutorial.

Happy book crafting!

Disclaimer: there is an affiliate link in this post. That means that if you click over and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for your support!

Just Take that Power Nap

Dear 37 Weeks Pregnant Self,

It's finally hitting you: the BIGness. You tried to hold your daughter and stand and sing the hymn in church on Sunday... and ended up sitting, no child in your lap, barely singing and out of breath. That's okay- it happens. Carrying a 6+ pounds child, placenta, etc, can kind of wear a body down.

And I get that you have this crazy to do list a mile long. Because obviously if you don't welcome baby #3 into a perfectly deep-cleaned and organized home, with a freezer packed full of meals, and a queue of scheduled blog posts ready to go for the next few weeks, you will never get your act together ever again. Your life pretty much might be over, and you won't have a prayer for the piles of laundry and clutter and dishes and diapers and children when you come up to breathe 6 months later. I get you.

But here's the thing. You keep crashing and burning, starting ten projects with wild optimism and energy, only to deflate, defeated, for the next two hours... or days. You've got to pace yourself. Take into consideration that you are still growing a human being {the project is ongoing 'til the baby comes out! and even that is debatable when breastfeeding}, you have two little people outside of the womb depending on you for lots of things, and just this task of motherhood can mean you are already spread thin.

So if pacing yourself means that you put up your feet and close your eyes for 15 minutes, two or even three times a day, so be it. You know you feel so much better for having had that power nap. And when you feel better, you're able to take care of those truly essential tasks- like making dinner tonight for your family, or making sure everyone has clean underwear.  Enough is enough, and let's call it good.

Love, Your Wiser Self {who you should listen to more}

P.S- You should also start going to bed earlier. Because you will seriously be missing out on sleep starting very soon. Frantically catching up on that to do list once the kids are in bed each night probably isn't doing you any long term favors.

37 Weeks

Today marks 37 weeks in this pregnancy. I'm super thankful- compared with my last pregnancy, I have so much more energy! I think it helps that it's my first pregnancy without bedrest- since I've been up and moving the entire time, I'm somehow able to keep moving.

It's a lot of fun to actually be able to nest- with S, such unexpectedly early preterm labor and delivery meant I hadn't painted the nursery or registered or collected much more than a few pieces of baby clothing. With W, bedrest prevented much of my dream housekeeping and nursery planning ambitions. But with this little girl, I have time and a list and energy to work through the list. Loving it.

So I'm busy filling my freezer, organizing, cleaning, and preparing. Just wondering when this little lady will make her appearance. I'm anxious to see her face {who will she look like?}, hear her cry {S and W sounded identical as babies}, and get to know her personality {every child is different- what new challenges and joys will she bring to our parenting?}.

I'm also trying to go to bed at a decent hour and enjoy it when the older kids don't interrupt my nights. The newborn days are exhausting- I'm trying to wrap my mind around that, to remember, and to prepare as best as I can.

Bring it on little girl. We are ready for you whenever you are ready for us. That is... I could just use one more week to finish getting ready. If you don't mind! Ha. Thanks. Love, Mommy

A few good reads for the home stretch of pregnancy- Size: Newborn, Infant Routines in Our Home, Postpartum Freezer Cooking Plan. 

Our Favorite Art Books

One of my priorities in educating my children is to instill in them a love of both truth and beauty. And part of that is exposing them to beautiful works of art... as early and often as possible. Believe it or not, there are tons of excellent titles for small children that introduce them to the works of great artists. We've read quite a few of the titles, and these are some of the best.

Mini Masters Series by Julie Merberg and Suzanna Bober. These board books each feature one artist, placing pictures of their famous works next to sweetly rhymed text, framing simple stories. For the very earliest of readers, but older kids still enjoy looking at the paintings. We personally own this set of four, but my mother {an avid art lover and artist herself} owns the entire series- each book is exquisite. Titles include Quiet Time with Cassatt, Sharing with Renoir, Painting with Picasso, and On an Island with Gauguin.

Andy Warhol's Colors by Susan Goldman Rubin. Another bright and fun board book, perfect for a colorful baby shower gift.

Anholt's Artists Series by Laurence Anholt. These charming picture books are for older preschoolers. Individual titles shadow children who knew famous artists, and tell a little story {fictional, but based in fact} about their interaction with the artist. The original illustrations somewhat imitate the artists style, and of course pictures of their actual works are included. The back cover displays a picture of the artist and a small biography. While your child might not sit through the reading of the bio, moms can sure enjoy learning more about great artists ;). We've read and enjoyed Cezanne and the Apple Boy, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet, Matisse the King of Color. But there are many more titles in the series that we look forward to checking out from the library!

Art Detective: Spot the Difference! by Doris Kutschbach and Julia Durr. This book is SO fun! An adorable canine art detective is trying to track down a paint forger. Each page has the famous painting with a "forgery" across from it. The reader's job is to spot 15 or more differences between the two. It's a classic spot the difference game, with the added benefit of time spent studying classic paintings in a wide variety of styles. My sister got it for S in the last year, and she and I have both had a blast trying to find all of the differences. We keep coming back to it, and it never wears out or becomes tiresome- too many endless searching possibilities.

Wondering where to find more great art books for kids? Check out art museum gift shops! My sister also purchased two books from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for our kids. One is called Journeys, and it focuses on international pieces from the Museum's collection, organized by the artworks' location of origin. The other is called Colors, and each page has one of the Museum's paintings and a color, often obscure, named next to it- including shades such as vermilion red, sienna earth, maize yellow, ultramarine blue, and mauve. I love that my kids can enjoy the paintings as well as learn more detail color names and descriptive language. I would bet that many art museums have books for children featuring their collections.

The links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

How I Teach Hymns to My Preschoolers

For the past year I've been working on and off with S on learning hymns. Now that we are doing our own unofficial "preschool" this year, I'm including a new hymn each week in our curriculum.

Kids in our church start sitting through the service from age three, and I've found that when S knows one of the hymns we are singing, being able to actively participate is a real bright spot for her. She's been in church with us for a year now, and her brother at 2 will be joining us soon enough.

Also, it is so beautiful to hear little children singing great truths. While they may not understand them now, I pray that the words they are memorizing as preschoolers will be a blessing to them someday as adults.

Kids are sponges, especially in the early years! I've been surprised at how many lyrics my barely 2 year old guy has memorized already. So yes, I believe there is value in teaching hymns to little ones, and yes, I believe they are more than up for the task!

When we are learning a new hymn, I start by singing the first verse to them once. Then I take it one line at a time- singing the tune, enunciating the words as clearly as I can. I try to give a brief explanation of each line so that they have some level of comprehension as to what it is they are singing. If I can think of motions to accompany the words, I will run with it. Whatever helps it to stick!

After going over each stanza of the first verse, I sing it with them a couple of times, encouraging them to sing along as they are able.

From there I will find the hymn on Spotify and/or YouTube. We listen to it in all different styles- being sung by a choir, acapella, guitar, piano, and more contemporary versions. That way they can get it in their heads without mom singing at them constantly, ha ha. I'd hate for my singing to be a nuisance to them ;). It also exposes them to lots of different sounds. I'd love for them to have broad musical exposure and grow up with a taste for variety. I play the hymn while they are playing or coloring, and driving in the car.

I've created a playlist of hymns on Spotify, so each week I add the version most to my taste of the hymn we are learning to that list. This playlist is one we frequently listen to throughout our days, so they are able to review and remember hymns we've learned in the past.

We sing the hymn of the week together at most meals and before bed.

And really, that's about it.

I pick the hymn of the week from the list of what our congregation will be singing next week, so that I know it is something relevant that S can put into practice in church right away. If you'd like to do the same with your own kids, talk with whoever at your church is responsible for music and see if they can give you a heads up on what songs are planned for upcoming Sundays.

Some of my kids favorites that they've learned so far include Trust and Obey; Holy, Holy, Holy; Fairest Lord Jesus; Brethren We Have Met to Worship; and O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

We also work on memorizing Scripture verses and the Catechism... but my philosophy is to pack as much good stuff as possible into them while they are young ;).

Scriptures to Encourage Mom's of Newborns

There's no doubt about it- the newborn days are hard. I'm trying to remember, and to prepare myself mentally as much as possible for reentering that difficult but sweet phase {e.d.d. is only a month away!}.

One of the preparations I've been making is to collect Scriptures that I know will be of encouragement in my sleep-deprived haze. If I have a few collected treasures to meditate on when I'm lacking mental capacity for much more, I hope it will sustain me spiritually and emotionally through those first harried weeks.

And I'm getting ready to continue my Bible Reading Plan one-handed on my iPhone during early morning nursing sessions. A busy mama has to do what a busy mama has to do.

Romans 15:5 "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus," God is the God of endurance and encouragement. He will help me to endure, and encourage me through the process.

2 Corinthians 11:27-28 "in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." The apostles endured much hardship for the furtherance of the Gospel- my calling to motherhood may involve "many a sleepless night," but I am still adequately nourished and sheltered, among many other material and physical blessings. I find it interesting too that Paul's anxiety for the churches and his relationship to them is compared with a "nursing mother taking care of her own children," 1 Thessalonians 2:7.

Isaiah 40:11 "He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." When I am feeling weak and frail, I can remember that my God cares gently for me. His grace is more than sufficient for the day... and night.

Isaiah 40:28-31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;they shall walk and not faint."

I asked you for your recommendations on Facebook, and really appreciated the additions to my list:

Psalm 61:2 "From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

Psalm 121: 1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

So what Scriptures have blessed you in the difficult postpartum season? Or just in general when you've felt exhausted as a mom?

Kids Books for Welcoming a New Baby

Two years ago I was pretty nervous about how S {two at the time} was going to adapt to her world being turned upside down by a baby brother. Thankfully, the transition was a smooth one. Today W and S are pretty much besties... though there is plenty of wrestling, quarreling, and toy-snatching between the two of them each day.

W is still very much Mama's little darling... so preparing him for another baby is much on my mind at 35 weeks. We've been visiting friends with new babies, talking a lot about what will happen when our new baby comes, and of course, reading up on the topic. You knew I was going to say that, didn't you ;)?

The New Baby by Harold and Ruth Shane, illustrations by Eloise Wilkin. Profuse thanks to my mother for saving this book from my childhood. Out of print and tough to come by, it is so well written. The pictures are beautiful, and also kind of a riot to look at- very dated clothing. If you happen to come across this at a yard sale or thrift shop, definitely pick it up. Or scour your inner-library system to see if you can snatch a copy.

Hi New Baby! by Robie H. Harris. The big sister in this book wrestles with a roller coaster of emotions {many negative} at the birth of her new brother... but all ends well. Love the super realistic illustrations- the newborn faces on the baby are so exquisitely true to life, and breastfeeding is depicted in a very normal but not too graphic way ;).

I Love My Baby Sister...Most of the Time by Elaine Edelman. Another one saved by my mother! The baby sister in this book is not a newborn, and the big sister has all sorts of challenges to struggle with as her sister gets into her stuff and at times makes life difficult. But someday soon, her sister will grow up and they can be good friends. Sweet and comical.

A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell Hoban. A bit lengthy for my two year old son's attention span, but my four year old daughter loves it. Frances learns that although a new baby might mean she has to play quietly, wear a blue dress instead of her favorite yellow one, and occasionally miss out on raisins in her oatmeal... chocolate cake and family love will always be there for her :).

The links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

Back to School for the Mamas {2015 Edt.}

For four years now {gasp! how is this possible?!?} I've been sharing my short Fall reading lists. I love to start the school year attempting to read a stack of scholarly books. I'm one of those nerds who would have loved to stay in school forever... but since I can't, I attempt to school myself through reading.

Life and Letters of "Stonewall Jackson" by Mary Anna Jackson. True story- my son's middle name is Stonewall, in honor of General Jackson. A solid Christian man of character, I look forward to learning more about him. I'm calling it my personal history curriculum.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. As a serious lover of classic literature, I blush to confess that I've never read Dickens. Of course I've viewed film adaptations- several versions of A Christmas Carol, The Tale of Two Cities... but I've never actually cracked the cover of one. Seriously overdue and seeking to remedy that!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Another classic that's been gathering dust on my "to be read" list for ages. I'll be needing some fun reads for nightly nursing sessions soon enough, so I plan to check out a copy from my local library.

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jesse Wise. Yes, this was on my original 2012 list. I figured since we're starting to dabble in homeschool for ourselves this fall, it's a good time for a reread. And I find this book so very enjoyable.

Psst! You can check out the past several years here: 2014, 2013, and 2012.

The links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!