Purposeful Perusals, 22nd Edt.

Idols of the Social Heart @ One September Day. Good reflections to evaluate if social media is an idol of your heart.

Finding Balance @ Always, Amanda. Very helpful post on balancing quality time with your children and checking off your "to dos". I love Amanda's non-negotiables!

Secret2Clean @ Daily Cup of Grace. A great four part series on caring for your domain! :)

Why Aren't We Calling it the Royal Fetus? @ Denny Burk. An interesting piece on our culture's understanding of wanted and unwanted children. Worth your read. 

Joyful Always @ Mom Heart. Been here so many times as the mom of a little one- these words encouraged and exhorted me!

What interesting things have you read around the web lately?

Happy Thanksgiving! And Some Purposeful Perusals...

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"Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!" 1 Chronicles 16:8-10

Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving! Our day was busy, fun, and full of good food and friends. Enjoy a happy weekend with your family, and I'll see you again on Monday (Lord willing)! As for today, we will be Christmas decorating, listening to Bing Crosby's holiday music, and fetching a Christmas tree :).

Here are a few perusals well worth your time :) :

Love Came Down {To Us}- Grace Got *Real* When My Daughter Almost Died @ Muthering Heights. This made me thankful all over again for God's grace at work in the lives of miracle babies.

A Week of Thanks @ Natasha Metzler. I was so challenged and blessed by reading her series this week! Join Natasha as she thanks God for the hardest things in her life: Limited Finances, Failed Adoptions, Farming, and Infertility. You will be very glad you did.

Did you find anything around the web this week that challenged/encouraged/convicted you this week? Please share in the comments!

Purposeful Perusals, 21st Edition

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What Every Hard Week Needs to Know @ A Holy Experience. This is what the Lord used to salvage and restore my Monday last week, as I sat with a bedhead and morning breath at 2 in the afternoon. Disgusting? Absolutely!

Whole-Hearted Motherhood Minus the Guilt @ Passionate Homemaking. Thank you, Trina Holden! "I believe that wherever we find ourselves, whatever other passions and callings and roles He has given us, God will equip and provide grace for us to fulfill our highest calling without guilt." 

Social Media Exhaustion- Flee Discontentment @ Muthering Heights. "Is 'success' in the arena of social media our new way of “keeping up with the Jonses?...I flee discontentment; flee to a place where life is really happening anyway.  Back out to the real world; where things move more slowly, where conversations flow well past 140 characters, and where five people like me forever and always, with real thumbs pointed high."

Purposeful Perusals, 20th Edition

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The Wealthy Stay at Home Mom @ Lamp on a Stand. If you've made serious financial sacrifices to be a stay-at-home mom, I think that this will encourage you. It sure encouraged me!

Purposeful Perusals, 19th Edition

What Women Need to Say to Each Other @ A Holy Experience. "The curve of a smile is a woman’s most perfect curve and the only tag that matters is the one that says Robed in the Righteousness of Christ."

For All the C-Section Moms @ The Birth Bug. For any woman who's been discouraged by her c-section, this will be a blessing. I also really enjoyed The Natural Cesarean video the Birth Bug posted this week.

Increasing Passion in Your Homemaking @ Passionate Homemaking. "So sister, go forth today and scrub that toilet, cuddle up with a little one and read that story, plan that special meal to show your family you care, and know with confidence that God is smiling down upon you…He cares because He’s doing it in heaven too!"

Blog of Note: No Time For Flash Cards. An excellent resource for mom's seeking creative and fun learning activities and games for their children of all ages. Definitely check this out!

Purposeful Persuals, 18th Edition

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Dirty Windows @ Desiring Virtue. "You see, its easier to look through the fog of dirty windows than into the mirror of  self examination."

What is a Quiet Time? Also @ Desiring Virtue. It's not a good luck charm or a way to win God's favor. I appreciate Jessalyn's explanation of what it is an is not!

Purposeful Perusals, 17th Edition

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The Very Best Way to Schedule Your Life- Ann Voscamp on cutting back the good to ensure the best.

You're a Grown-Up, but Do You Feel Like One?- No! I Don't! I really resonated with this post by Tsh on Simple Mom. 

And in case if you missed it, yesterday Growing Home Blog featured a guest post of mine, entitled "Accidentally Pregnant" as a part of their month long series on children as a blessing.In it I detail how the Lord has taught me to truly value children as a blessing from Him, starting with a miscarriage and ending in preterm labor. I'd be delighted if you gave it a read!

Have you read anything of interest around the web this week? Do share!

Purposeful Perusals, 16th Edition

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 Tucking Them in With Truth- I LOVE this, because Scripture memorization is so important, especially in the early years when minds are big sponges :).

Will You Drink This Cup?- Irony of ironies. After an evening spent whining and complaining, in a bad mood (with no real reason, I am ashamed to say, just a few trivial ones), I read this. Oh the Lord sure has a timely way of using others to convict us of sin! 

What interesting things have you read this week?

Purposeful Perusals, 15th Edition

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When You Might Not Pass This Way Again- A lovely reminder that life is precious, and pregnancy is about God and His plans and His timeline, not ours. Oh precious pregnant ladies, let us never complain!!!

Choosing Here- Joy of Grace Full Mama shares her real, hard, experience with sacrificing temporary comforts for eternal and lasting joy. So challenging to me, as I am a big comfort seeker and worshipper. I have no idea what it means to leave everything and follow Him...

Your turn! What items of interest have you found online this week? :)

Purposeful Perusals, 14th Edition

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Kindergarten at our House- Just when I was feeling overwhelmed and nervous about our decision to homeschool, I read this post and got excited. Homeschooling should be joyful and fun, a sweet opportunity to bond with your children as you help to shape and cultivate their precious minds and hearts. Thank you, Lindsay Edmonds, for reminding me of this!

Hope for those who Fear Pregnancy- If you haven't been following Jessalyn's series, please head on over now! In her third installment, she focuses on the Lord's ownership of us. All three posts give encouragement to the fearful mother (who may have experienced loss in the past) rooted and grounded in God and His Word.

What goodies have you found around the web this week? :)

Purposeful Perusals, 14th Edition

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Good Reads for Summer- Although I wasn't interested in every single book she shared, Simple Mom's list of fun poolside books threw me in the mood for a good fiction read :). 7, Paris in Love, and Echoes looked especially enticing. What fun books are you reading this summer?

Eight Ways to Ease into a Natural Home- Katie (Desiring Virtue Contributor) shares 8 simple ways to ease into more natural and health-friendly cleaning products. I was inspired by the simplicity of it all, and have already started implementing some of her suggestions.

Jonathan Edward's Resolutions- This week we've talked a bit about them (here and here), and Monday we are diving into Resolution #1 (I'll be taking one resolution each week and pulling it apart for personal growth and benefit). If you haven't taken the time to read them yet, please do! You will be blessed and challenged by your effort!

What interesting or beneficial things have you found online this week?

Purposeful Perusals, 12th Edition

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Children and Shame- A beautiful story by Sarah Mae, something I want to hang onto for the day I need it.

Married to a Writer- Gretchen of The Little Pink House shares a sweet letter to her husband. Made me smile!

A Mother's Rights- A good reminder for us moms, written by Jacinda on Raising Homemakers.

What items of interest have you found around the web lately?

Purposeful Perusals, Mother's Day Edition

Thank you to our friend Joel DePriest for the beautiful picture of S!

Encouragement for Moms this Mother's Day Weekend!

Motherhood is a Calling (And where your children rank)- At the Desiring God blog.

Motherhood is Application- Also at the Desiring God blog. SO GOOD!

When Mother's Day is Painful- A timely reminder from Jessalyn at Desiring Virtue that Mother's Day is tough for many, and that we need to be sensitive to them.

Happy Mother's Day!- A beautiful collage of paintings through the ages, depicting mother's and their children. Stunning! Thank you, Birth Bug!

Purposeful Perusals, 11th Edition

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You Know You're A Mother When...- Jessalyn Hutto of Desiring Virtue made a compilation from readers' comments on a previous post. Young mom's will get a kick out of this :).

Involving Your Toddler in Household Routines- Good tips for starting 'em young ;).

E-Boasting- A timely adaptation of Galatians 6:14, incorporating social media icons. This will take two seconds of your time, but quite clever! On the Desiring God blog.

Do you have any good links from the week that you'd like to share? Please post them in the comments!

Purposeful Perusals, 10th Edition

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 Your Children Want YOU!- Beautiful words for mom's who try.

How to Stop Worrying About Your Blog Traffic- For bloggers. A humorous statistic to put things in perspective.

Do-As-I-Do Teaching- A good reminder for us as moms to check our own hearts.

Now it's your turn. What good stuff have you come across on the web this week? Please share!

Purposeful Perusals, 9th Edition

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A Letter to My Midwife- Although my complicated pregnancy issues have made home birth impossible for me, I think it can be a great option for low-risk moms! This is a lovely letter in which a mom expresses thanks to her midwife for making her entire pregnancy and birthing experience pleasant and memorable.

Why the Kids Really Need a Little Red Hen Mama- Ann Voskamp is the master of weaving random story threads to craft a beautiful whole. Watch her create a tapestry depicting children's need for their mother's best, with the threads of the little red hen and Mark 7:27. An excellent reminder for mothers.

What have you read this week of general interest? Please share in the comments!

Purposeful Perusals, 8th Edition

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More Sinister Than The Hunger Games- A thoughtful post from a mom explaining how and why they allow their children to view and read some things and not others. Some of the things she doesn't allow might surprise you! Also she shares her sons views on the benefit of The Hunger Games, what an eloquent kid. "This is one of the reasons good Christian children walk away from their faith when they walk out the door to be on their own. They've never learned to think through a matter for themselves, digging in the Word and owning what they believe. They've never had to struggle with, "What do I believe and WHY?" because Mommy and Daddy have never been quiet long enough to force the child to do so. They've never been taught that the most dangerous worldviews are often wrapped in the prettiest, most alluring packages, sometimes with "Christian" pasted all over them and lovely horses running in the fields or people dancing on the rooftops."

5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Nap Everyday- by Michael Hyatt. And all the mamas said, "Amen."


Blog of the Week: Domestic Kingdom. Missionary wives sharing how to live the gospel in the "mundane." Their recommended reading list is particularly excellent!!!

Purposeful Perusals, 7th Edition

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 Infant Routines in Our Home- Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking gives us a peek into her home- how she has found balance and what works best for her (scheduled vs. attachment parenting). I appreciated her open-minded approach, this is an area of Christian liberty, not "thus saith the Lord." Good stuff!

"I'm Fat" and other things my daughter has heard me say- A reminder from Sarah Mae that little ears are listening to the careless words we say, and those words can have a profound impact. 

Happy weekend! What good things have you found online this week?

Purposeful Perusals, 6th Edition

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And here are some good reads for your enjoyment this weekend :). 

An End to Your Work Day- Jessalyn Hutto at Desiring Virtue encourages us stay at home mama's to plan our days so that at the end we can relax with our family. Excellent advice! 

Quit Taking Credit for this Mess- Trina Holden exposes our tendency to blame ourselves for circumstances beyond our control in a fallen world. Refreshing.

This is what St. Patrick's Day is Really About- Muthering Heights discusses the real St. Patrick. Good stuff we all should know :).

What links did you enjoy this week? Please share in the comments! Thanks to DAC last week I learned about two new fascinating websites. I'd love to hear what interests you!

Purposeful Perusals, 5th Edition

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 Do Babies Have to Cost a Lot?- The Birth Bug examines the cost of children, and encourages those who would like to start a family, but are struggling with the elusive hurdle of "financial stability." A good and realistic, frugal approach.

Overcome Your Entertainment Addiction- Joel McDurman asserts that dominion, not pietism, is the cure for those of us with entertainment addictions. His approach is balanced and sensible, and yet again I was convicted by my love for worldly entertainment.

I Just Want to *Be*- Jessica of Muthering Heights expresses her desire and struggle with just being herself in the whizzing world of social media. A very good read.

Have a wonderful weekend :). Have you read anything good online in the past week? Please share in the comments!