Mom, what's for dinner?!?

Mom! What's for dinner?!?  I can't tell you how many times I hear that in a day.  It starts early too.  Right after breakfast one of my 3 boys will ask me what I am planning for dinner.  Typically I tell them "I don't know" or "I'll be deciding that soon".  It gets frustrating not having something planned or prepared for the evening meal.  (or even have a plan for lunch)

So, this month, I got to review Lorrie Flem's book, "What's For Dinner, Mom?".  There are 2 parts to the book.  Part 1 gives several different ways to cook in bulk and freeze it.  How to get organized and not feel overwhelmed. Lorrie describes what has worked for her & what hasn't worked for her, but leaves it so you can choose the best option for you because we are all different and like different things.  She also has a great sense of humor and personality that shows in her writing.  I really enjoyed part 1 because of how helpful it was to see that I am not alone in being slightly intimidated by the thought of preparing 1 months worth of meals.  It was good to read how it can be implemented to save time and can help make things smoother in the evenings.  I am actually excited to give this a try!

Part 2 is probably the best part.  You may wonder why, or you may know.  The recipes!  She has meatless, chicken, beef, pork and many other recipes.  Not all are freezer meals, but are relatively easy to cook.  And I love to cook.  My mom gave me that love early.  I also love to make up my own concoctions.  It's something I enjoy a lot.

So why haven't I tackled once a month cooking before?  Probably the fear of making so many meals.  I have several books about it, but the thought can be overwhelming.  Lorrie definitely helps with her tips, thoughts and recipes.  Even the tips from the moms who tried out the recipes were good to have.  I love that she had friends help her out in this book writing adventure.  It's good to see others advice. 

I must say that while I am still somewhat nervous about cooking for a whole month, I do feel better equipped to do so. 

You can get this book one of 2 ways.
#1 visit the Eternal Encouragement store.  It is nearly 200 pages and is $12.97.
#2 comment on this blog and leave your e-mail address for a chance to win this helpful book!  :)  The winner will be chosen on June 23rd. 

 ** I was given this product in exchange for my honest review of the product and was not compensated in any other way.

A Journey to Clean

Hello to my readers.  You may have noticed I have been away for a while.  I took some time off to have our 4th child.  Cordelia Abigail graced our lives in the middle of May.  She has been a true blessing to our family.  Her brothers are SO protective of her and so loving toward her.  That said, I didn't get to blog about the product I was given for May before the end of the month. 

You may be wondering about the title of my post.  How many of you struggle with keeping up with everything that needs to be done around the house?  I know I do.  I have 3 wonderful boys, but they can turn a clean room into what looks like an F5 tornado ripped through it.  It is absolutely amazing how quickly it happens.  Then the moment I ask them to clean up their mess, they disappear!  It's like magic!  Who knew boys (and girls) could vanish so quickly.  ;)

I struggle day to day with keeping up with 4 children (ages ranging from 10yrs to 1month) and the day to day chores.  I am a perfectionist at heart, but my house doesn't show it.  In fact, it often times looks more like a war zone than something out of Martha Stewart Living.  But as the magnet my sister and I got my mom says, "Martha Stewart doesn't live here." 

I was given the opportunity to choose which bundle from Eternal Encouragement I would like to review.  Because I often lament about my out of control house, I chose the Chores bundle.  Chores: Many Hands Make Light Work has 2 E-Books, an E-Booklet, and 4 mp3 audios.

In reading Neat & Tidy, I came across the section called first-born overload.  This section alone was of great value to me.  My oldest son, Jonathan, often complains about how he is "always" cleaning up after his brothers.  We have tried to explain it as good as we can but really never get through to him.  Lorrie's story of how she explained to her oldest son that God intentionally puts people in the role of the first-born was a blessing to me.  I am hoping that when my husband, Darren, and I share this with him as well as go through the Bible with him with scripture to back it up, this will help him realize how important he is to our family and that he is put in this position by God.

I am so glad that in the E-Book "Turn Housework into Fun & Games" Lorrie reminds us that consistency is key to teaching our children.  Whether it is homeschooling or chores, we need to be consistent.  I don't need to tell you how hard it is to be consistent.  I do know that being consistent when training your children works and is worth all the blood (figuratively), sweat, and tears.  She also reminds us that deadlines and consequences are necessary when training our children.  There is a creative idea for creating excitement to do chores that is also rewarding for the child but also used in helping our children understand deadlines and consequences for not completing chores.  The Marble Method (actually mentioned in Neat & Tidy) is something that I am going to implement in our household.  With 3 boys (10, 5, 2) I know this will work wonders in our house.  I am EXCITED to be able to see the results.  :)

Lorrie then gives some great advice for cleaning with less toxins.  This section was great to read.  I have actually been doing many of these things already and the things I didn't know I am planning on trying. 

The 4 MP3's are great to listen to.  I uploaded them to my iPod and listened to them while walking, nursing the baby, doing laundry and other tasks.  I got so much encouragement and tips.  So many tips in fact that I can't even begin to list them all.  But I will say that they have helped me to start saving time, get organized and feel less stressed.  It may right now be only 5 minutes, but that 5 minutes can be spent with my kids.  :)

So now for some info about the Chores Bundle.  It includes the following:

• Audios
  • God Blesses This House, But He Doesn't Clean It
  • God Blesses This House, But He Doesn't Organize It
  • 12 Super Simple Time-Saving Tips
  • Cheerful Children and Challenging Chores

• E-Books
  • Neat and Tidy Tried and True Organization Tips
  • Turn Housework Into Fun and Games!

• E-Booklet
  • Keep It Clean and Toxin-Free

It retails for $24.97 but the value is worth much more than that! 
Head over to Eternal Encouragment for this and many other books, mp3's, bundles to encourage you on your walk of being a mom, wife, woman, teacher and daughter of God.

** I was given this product in exchange for my honest review of the product and was not compensated in any other way.