Showing posts with label Show and Tell (My Favorite Links). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Show and Tell (My Favorite Links). Show all posts

How To Find Thought-Provoking Links & Ideas

I'll just come out with it: I finally bit the bullet and joined Twitter.  

Something I said I'd never do, haha.

And yes, I really meant "never" when I said it back then.  The whole thing sounded so stupid and self-absorbed.

But since joining a few weeks ago, I'm finding it to be quite useful as a tool for keeping up with news events and theological rumblings.  I can cut out the "noise" of news I'm not interested (hello, sports world, entertainment "news", & celebrity newsies, I'm talking to you... no, Twitter, I do not want to follow anyone named Bieber, Kardashian, or Timberlake), and listen to more of what's happening from folks I do like to listen to (people like Randy Alcorn, Mary Kassian, Al Mohler, James Scott Bell, Russell Moore, &a Sally Clarkson).

An additional benefit of Twitter-usage for me is that instead of creating mega-posts filled with 8 gazillion links, I can share thought-provoking links with readers in real time.  

That's where you come in.

I've decided to stop putting together my massive link-fest Show & Tell posts.  They served their purpose for a season, but with six kids to educate and chicken coop-building and novel writing, I am no longer willing to commit the time to storing up links and putting those posts together, when I have a much more immediate option available to me.

So this will be my last official "Show & Tell" post.

Instead, I'll just share direct to Twitter.

TWITTER
Many readers used to tell me the Show & Tell posts were your favorites, so, in lieu of me putting those out, you can just hop onto Twitter and follow me if you're interested in continuing to see those.

I even made a Pinterest board called "Figuring Out Twitter" for myself and others who may be (understandably) gun-shy about using Twitter.  There, I've pinned a few quick tutorials on how and why to use Twitter.

PINTEREST
I also share my favorite links and ideas through my Pinterest pins.

You know me, I'm an ideas and words girl.  While Pinterest is fun for house fix-up ideas and DIY tutorials, I love to use it as a place to spur myself and others on toward spiritual and intellectual growth.

My most popular Pinterest boards for sharing ideas are:


So there you have it.  Now that I've upended my views about Twitter, those are the places to catch the links to my favorite articles & ideas.

Please follow me on Twitter and jump into the stream of thought-provoking links and ideas.  I'd love to see you there.


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Show & Tell: All About Writing

Well, I've written here at Making Home for nearly 7 years now... and last month, I completed my first novel (and am preparing to jump into my second), so I'm spending time these days learning and thinking about writing.  Writing fiction, in particular.

That picture ---------> is from last weekend, when I received the five printed copies I'll use for in-house editing before I try to shop it out to publishers.  Definitely a thrilling moment!!

I pursued a writing minor in college, and while I did a little creative writing (mainly poetry), I most enjoyed editing and business writing (grant writing, proposals, professional presentations).  Novels weren't my "thing", or so I thought.  Until very recently, I had spent basically *NO* time thinking about writing elements like pacing, character development, plot, and conflict.  But now I'm playing catch-up.

Here are some links I've found helpful as I think about writing.  I hope they also encourage you, whether you are a writer, or just a person who loves to learn about interesting things:


Hope this is helpful for you.  I always love pointing people in the direction of great resources!

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A Few of My Favorite (Postpartum) Things


  1. Babywise. But perhaps you already knew that.  Except for one rough night last night due to a severely stuffy nose, Theo is sleeping well, only waking 2x a night, going 3-4 hours at a go (at night).  It's such a gift to be able to meet his needs and help him (and all of us) sleep well.   
    3. My Brest Friend-- seriously, the way this nursing pillow locks around the body with a buckle... I love it!  And is just the right height and firmness for supporting baby... It blows my mind. SOOOO much better than the Boppy or just doing it myself with a pillow. It allows me to focus on getting a good latch and nothing else.  Cheesy name aside, I truly love "my Brest friend". 
  3. Bellefit corset with zipper - yup. I'm loving it. Especially having diastasis recti since baby #1, I am completely astounded at how fast my stomach is looking like a normal stomach post-delivery. I'm so glad I bought two of them... One (a large) with a zipper for post delivery, and one without a zipper (a medium) for once I lose some weight but still want the extra toning. 
  4. BabyNursing app-- this app is so helpful for tracking how often baby is eating, how long they eat, and (my favorite) which side they started on last. I love the ease of this app-- and it's free!!  :). I interrupt this informative post to unabashedly ask you to admire the preciousness of my 11-day-old Theo.  Isn't he just exquisite?
  5. MyFitnessPal app-- they give you extra calories for breast feeding (you enter it like a food, FYI) and its definitely helping me to make thoughtful, deliberate choices on how to spend my calories each day.  
  6. TakeThemAMeal.com-- this has been SUCH a blessing for the last two weeks... Every church should do this. And I love how they list out what everyone is bringing so that participants can bring a variety of dishes and really bless the receiving family. We have truly eaten good the last two weeks and I'm so thankful for our church family that has done so much to encourage and support us during this time with our new little guy. 
  7. Paternity leave. yup. Doug and I have enjoyed having time together as a family during all his newness. :)





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Inspiring Lectures: Homeschooling

When I need a boost as a homeschooler, or motivation to continue thinking BIG in my vision of homeschooling our children, there are several people I love to listen to.


One is Sir Ken Robinson.  He is a great big-picture thinker about education!  Here are some of his talks that I've found valuable & inspiring:
Another is Andrew Pudewa who unfortunately has very few videos online.  I did find this one snippet about gender differences & teaching boys to write:
Finally, Sally Clarkson is just flat-out inspiring & encouraging.  She's a big-picture vision-caster who also offers grace & peace to overwhelmed moms:
Here are a few other random links you might find motivating, as a homeschool mom:
  • My Pinterest board for homeschooling... continually updating with great, useful ideas
  • "I Quit"- a Rhode Island 15-year veteran elementary school teacher reads his insightful resignation letter
  • Using YouTube for Homeschooling- Ideas for using YouTube to enhance your child's learning.  Several years ago, Ethan and I got on a kick and watched several hours worth of youtube videos about beekeeping and how honey is made.  It was fascinating and a nice break to our normal school routine!
  • The Argument Against Raising Well-Rounded Children- I'm not saying I agree with this lady on everything- at all- , but she's got some great ideas, and she's not afraid to share them.  Good food for thought, anyway, even if you come to other conclusions.
  • The Gigantic List of Free Kindle Books for Homeschooling - You guessed it.  :)  This is a gigantic list of free Kindle books you can use for homeschooling.  Classics... great literature... wonderful selection here, and all for free.
  • When Introverts Homeschool- I'm not even (technically) an introvert, although I feel more and more like one, the more time I spend with people constantly buzzing round... but this article was delightful & encouraging.  She offers great, specific & big picture ideas about how to recharge & regroup, as a homeschooling introvert.  
Blessings to all!
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Show and Tell: On My Mind



So, what's on my mind?
  1. Last week, our ladies' Bible study group finished up True Woman 101: Divine Design, by Mary Kassian & Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  It was a rich and powerful study, and to a woman, everyone who completed the study, wished it could've gone on longer.  Scripturally sound and deeply insightful, it gave fresh voice & vision to topics and passages that have long been on my heart... and knit them all together in such a challenging and relevant way for women of our generation.  If your church has a regular ladies' Bible study, I'd encourage you to request this study as an excellent resource for a future session.  I personally can't wait for True Woman 102, or 201-- whatever comes next!  I hope this great study will be followed up with many more biblically-faithful, challenging messages for women in this generation. 
  2. Submission-- it's a word fraught with misconceptions. 
  3. This week at our church, we're starting a new bible study about prayer.  I'll be facilitating/leading it, teaching from Scripture and leaning on "greats" like Andrew Murray.  After studying more last night about the connection between fruitful prayer & abiding in Christ, this morning I woke up with "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross" in my head... love that hymn!
  4. Last week, I did the great semi-annual household seasonal clothing exchange.  (It's been two years exactly since I had all of our kids' clothing in one place; while it was quite an undertaking, I am so so so so so so so so so very glad to have these things more sorted & organized.) While I may share details of my own approach/method at some future point, I definitely don't have time to do that right now.  Here's someone (a large-family-mom) who HAS recently shared tips/ideas about changing out kids' clothes.  
  5. One afternoon this week, I looked on my banking app and was shocked to find that our balance was $70,243,856.00.  I had fun being a $70 millionaire and dreaming up ways to give and use that much money, until they corrected our balance that evening, back to its normal level with not near so many numbers.  :)
  6. Yesterday in church, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I remembered and prayed for friends and contacts who live in difficult places, countries where it is difficult, illegal, and/or potentially life-threatening to live as a disciple of Jesus.  We are to remember those who are imprisoned!
  7. In an increasingly disconnected generation, what are Christians to do with this whole "love your neighbor" idea?  Here's a great article about practical, literal neighboring.  
  8. We have to fight HARD to keep our kiddos and ourselves from being overcommitted.  Here's an article from Sheila about that very thing.  As I came back to America last year after nearly 6 years away, this was probably one of the top three most shocking things I noticed about our American culture.  We say "no" a lot... but many (most?) of the people I see seem stressed, overcommitted, and lack relational connection in their lives... and a lot of it has to do with commitments made for very young children.


SOME WORTH-YOUR-TIME-IF-YOU'RE-INTERESTED LINKS:

As always, I welcome your thoughts.
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Show & Tell: Links You May Have Missed

On Wednesday of last week, we closed on our new house (yay!) and so we're in the thick of packing, arranging appointments with painters, locksmiths, etc., and expecting our crate from Istanbul to (hopefully) be delivered sometime this week (another yay!).  In lieu of my normal sharing of random thoughts or recent Bible studies, I thought I'd link up to all the Making Home posts that have been making their way around Pinterest.  (Here are my Pinterest boards, if you're interested.)

I hope you enjoy looking through these old links; I'm going to be enjoying literally "Making Home" for the first time in a while.  :)




Hope you find something encouraging or thought-provoking from this list of oldies.  :)  Have a great week, and I'll see ya when I see ya.
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7 Quick Takes Friday - #16

Here's my 7 Quick Takes for this Friday, February 25th. I'll share more pics of the last 9 months, while I'm at it...
  1. HOMEWARD BOUND. It's interesting to be heading back to Texas. There is a bittersweetness about leaving here several months earlier than we'd planned. I'd hoped to get a little more language under my belt before returning home for a visit. I only recently stopped having "I-hate-it-here-we-should-move-back-to-Texas" moments every 6-months or so... in fact, I have even grown to enjoy living here over the last 12-18 months. So there's a weird sense of it being both wonderful and a (teeny) bit sad. Of course, we're VERY excited to see family, so that will be awesome.


  2. Plans for our time in the US- As I think of what we'll do with our 9 months in the US, we have all kinds of do-able and potentially wild ideas. I'm thinking of getting an Entertainment book. We're also looking forward to getting great homegrown meats, cheeses and other treats to enjoy during our time there. We're considering Six Flags season passes for us & the boys. There's talk of a round-the-country Amtrak trip. On that one, I can't decide if it'll be awesome, or if we're nuts. And I'm not far from joking when I say that within the first 36-hours or so, I plan to buy a 2-pound block of cheddar cheese, and that our family could consume the whole thing in about 3-minutes flat. Our oldest son said the other day, "let's make a deal that we have to eat bacon in some form every single day while we're there." :) Maybe not every day, LOL! ... but often. There are some treats that leave me just about salivating... this is what 4-years of deprivation does to a person, LOL.
  3. Friendships overseas are different (even if it's with other Americans!). Tomorrow, we'll reconnect with a family we were very close to (and churched with) for more than a year here. They're passing through, and it will be special to see them. One thing I've noticed with friendships overseas is that it seems like they are in a constant state of flux. It seems like just about the time we get close to someone, they (or we) have to move. And then, because we live in somewhat of a transit/intermediate city, there are people who pass through that we see very irregularly, but get to host in our home for whatever time they get to stay.

    4. There are more ebbs and flows to relationships overseas, and it has taken some getting used to on my part. I really miss the long-standing, steady, dependable nature of relationships that I had in Texas, but there are moments of depth and really spending time together here (for example, hosting people, even entire families, in our home for several days or longer) that we never had in the US. And it teaches you to go deep, quickly, if you really want to know someone, and to make good use of your time together.


  4. Moses is eating more, and doing more, than I remember any of our other children doing at this age. Walking around furniture, waving bye-bye, doing sign-language for all done, eating 2 bananas (or 7 food cubes!) at a sitting... he's a little miracle! I love him so much...
  5. I said this to a friend the other day, and she laughed at me, but it's really true: from our vantage, it doesn't seem like we have a crazy amount of children. It doesn't feel anything other than normal. Granted, our normal is different from other people's normal, but really... it doesn't feel excessive. In fact, we rather like it. I love that our kids have playmates at the ready. I love that when I pull out a book, or am teaching a concept to a younger child, the older children who have already done that thing or read that book, get all happy about it and encourage their younger sibling. I love that we have a family culture... ours includes tickling (requested by the kids!), Cosbys, memorizing scripture passages together, goofiness, cooking together, family-hide-and-go-seek, and more... but it's fun to have things like this to share with so many people. Yes, I know that these 4 boys will probably eat us out of house and home come 10 years from now, and yes, I know that we'll have to be more creative about how to get these kids to college, but I love our family.


    6. I guess I'm just sharing this for some random woman out there, who has some "different" or unique desires for your family... maybe it includes more kids than normal, or homeschooling, or foster-parenting, or something else that seems unusual from the outside... I just want to encourage you that different can be really good. Really great, actually.


  6. Do you know about Sir Ken Robinson? This talk by him, called "The Element", gave Doug & I a lot of food for thought... both for *us* and for how to guide our children as they move towards adulthood. I particularly loved the video (included in his talk) by Blue Man Group. The talk is about a variety of things, including educational systems, the joy of being "in your element", and how we learn. I've been thinking lately about the differences in culture and lives that caused the pioneer era to produce a rash of inventors and creative thinkers, vs. how kids are currently being educated (like the Blue Man Group guy says, like a train of empty cars that we just "fill up" and then move down the track). Anyway, lots of interesting thoughts were flying after listening to that lecture.
  7. A few interesting links/posts on various topics:

ENJOY! Have a great weekend!
~Jess


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7 Quick Takes Friday - #15

Gotta make this quick, lots to do!

  1. After the mold problem, and hitting many different dead ends, we decided that instead of committing to an apartment and paying rent on it while we're gone, we'd rather head back to the US a bit earlier than we'd planned. So, we'll be heading back in March, just a matter of weeks! Wahoo! We're all excited to see family & friends, to partake of all the delicious foods Texas has to offer, and see that wide open sky... with lots and lots of grassy fields... once again.

    (By the way, I did get all of our family favorite recipes posted, so if you're interested, check them out!)
  2. Praying with our eyes open. The other day, we got together with a large group of friends and while we were praying for each other, I (of course) had my eyes open, watching Moses since he's now in full "get-into-everything" mode. As I watched him, I noticed that the two other moms of little ones were the only other people in the room with their eyes open as well. It seemed to me to be a very good analogy for this season of life... praying with our eyes open. Seeing the everyday, physical things of life around us while trying to keep mentally focused on eternal, Godward things. Moms of little ones, praying with our eyes open. (I suppose here is where I ruin the analogy though, and admit that I've never really liked closing my eyes during prayer, LOL.)
  3. Packing up a house isn't a fun thing to do. But I do think it's easier, having sorted and purged regularly-- since we've moved so many times in the last 5 years-- than it would be if we were just doing it for the first time in. Do you sort & purge regularly? It's becoming a way of life for me.
  4. No S Diet. Sometimes I'm getting discouraged these days, but the other day, I weighed myself and noticed I'm down a bit more. I can't quite remember anymore where I started, but I think I've lost a couple pounds in the last couple weeks. I am noticing huge differences in my amount of self-control, and my cravings for sweet things. I just don't WANT sweets so bad these days... whereas (have I already shared this?), I often normally feel just like Chris Farley in this old SNL skit.
  5. Style. Culture. "The Latest". Though I love Project Runway & What Not To Wear, I'm not personally a fashion person, but ya know, we've been out of America for basically 5 years, give or take (we were back for 7 months in 2007). So I need your help. Anything you want to share? I finally looked up a Larry King interview with Lady Gaga so I'd know who she is. And it seems like 80's fashion is coming back in style (can I say "yuck!"?). Anything I need to know? Any new things in American culture you want to tell me about so I don't feel so out of sorts?
  6. I've been wanting to write a few posts lately, and just don't have time- one about how Doug & I came to the decision of me staying at home, even while I was working at a dream job in Washington D.C., another about how to help young kids do well in travel situations (boy have we had experience with that!). I also am remembering that I still need to write up my labor experiences with the last 3 kiddos (sorry I didn't get those written up in time for some of you who live overseas and requested that I do that last year!). One is already half typed up, and I just need to finish it up. Anything else you might put on my suggested writing list? I'm thinking that while in the States, I may have little pockets of times with not much to do. (Maybe that's a fantasy dream-world; I've never lived there with 5 kids, ha!)
  7. Love, love, LOVE this song! We've all been dancing (even Moses, he bounces up and down on his little hands, ha!) to this song the last week or two. Lecrae is one of our family favorites!



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Show & Tell: Clearing Out My Bloglines

One day last week, I went on a cleaning splurge with the kids... I woke up and told them, "today is gonna be a cleaning day." After breakfast, brooms began flying, appliances were wiped down, things that had been lost were found, furniture was rearranged... and by 11:30 or so, we'd made quite a big impact on the apartment. The whole living space looked different and we all enjoyed the fruit of our labor!

Today, I feel like doing the same thing with my Bloglines account. So here we go, here's a link-sharing festival of just the articles I've saved in my Bloglines blog reader. Enjoy!

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Our culture downplays the pressure of living life as a "modern, successful woman"-- Aifric Campbell shares about the major transition of her life, going from career woman to mother (a few excerpts, and then the link) :
I had a seven-figure salary but worked so hard I rarely had time to spend it. Personal shoppers at Harrods and Harvey Nichols picked out my Max Mara suits and Gucci leather briefcases. Everything revolved around work.
...
I had always wanted a family and was thrilled when I became pregnant in February 1998. I was 36. I didn't tell a soul because I didn't want allowances to be made. Instead I simply wore longer dresses and my male colleagues didn't notice a thing.
...
Oscar was born, and I fell in love instantly. Nothing prepared me for the overwhelming passion I felt for the tiny bundle in my arms. It seems totally mad but, even though I loved Oscar to bits, it never crossed my mind not to return to work as soon as possible.

Oscar was two weeks old when I was invited back into work - to be told that I had been promoted... and I was thrilled. I really felt it proved I could have it all - a gorgeous new baby, a fantastic career, a loving, supportive husband.

But I was also in a state of total, bone-crushing exhaustion. As the days ticked by, I felt increasingly torn between my new baby and my return to the office.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.


ENCOURAGING & CHALLENGING LINKS:

MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTING & INFORMATIVE LINKS:
HOMESCHOOLING & EDUCATION:
CRAFTY LINKS:
  • Lucy's blog is an incredibly inspirational place! She crochets like the dickens (seriously, I don't know how she finds the time!), and her blog is where I was inspired to make the colorful, flowery granny-square blanket I made (pictured above) for myself in the winter (to be fair, it started out for "Violet" but then the doc told us she'd made a mistake and we were actually expecting a boy).
  • Maternity clothes-- two great ideas I meant to try but didn't get around to, and now it's too late for me: Refashion jeans into a maternity skirt, Turn a big shirt into a maternity shirt
  • Container Gardening-- it's the only kind of gardening I can do right now... but it's great for herbs and smaller plants!
  • Make your own bath toy bag.
  • Turn a sock into a baby rattle-- super cute idea!
  • Make your own car playmat for the floor-- my mother-in-law had done this for her sons (my husband and his two brothers) a couple decades ago, and our sons still enjoy playing with it. She also adapted this idea to make a "ranch" playmat (with buildings, stock tank, grove of trees, stream, etc.), to use with toy animals. It's a great idea, and for us as overseas' dwellers, it's a great, easily portable toy!
  • Easy and cute homemade travel high chair-- I really do intend to make this at some point... it would be very useful for our family, particularly in certain seasons of life (when doing a lot of travel with a 12-18 month old).'
  • OR- recover your home's high chair with an updated, fun fabric!
COOKING LINKS:
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Mid-May Link Day

Since it's been more than 10 months since I last shared links, I have about thirty gazillion links saved in my bookmarks folder to share with you all... and it's really getting ridiculous. So, even pared down, here's a quite large collection of what I think of, or at one time thought of, as interesting, worthwhile, or challenging reading. Also, I'll punctuate it with pictures of my cute kids, just because I can. Enjoy!

LIFE AT HOME
HOMESCHOOLING
EVERYDAY LIFE & ITS STRUGGLES
CRAFTING AND COOKING
SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL, OR OTHERWISE INTERESTING ISSUES
AND, IN TRUE MAKING HOME TRADITION, SOMETHING FUNNY TO FINISH OFF THIS LINKFEST:
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TTFN, and a Summer Show & Tell

There must be something about this time of year. This week it hit me that I need to spend time away from this screen for a while. I try other methods (giving myself certain amount of time online, or try to only visit certain sites), but end up frustrated or it just doesn't "stick"... just shutting it off for awhile works better (for me). I've learned that if I do this every so often, I neither overestimate the importance of online activities, nor underestimate the resources, wisdom, and comraderie available here. And if I do this every so often, I don't end up shutting down my blog, only to realize that communicating by writing is a part of how God built me and that I need to get back to it.

Time away helps me to rightly value what's here, and rightly value what's NOT here.

So I'm taking some time away, not sure how long. About six weeks from now, our family is going to Cairo for our family vacation (we found a good deal and quickly snatched it up--YAY, I can't wait to see the Pyramids!!!), so it may be even after that, something like 2 months. We'll just see. And I reserve the right to hop back on, without shame, if there's something that I feel prodded to write about. :) But regardless, I hope you have a delightful summer- full of knowing Christ more, and joyfully loving family and the people around you.


As a parting gift, here are the links I've been storing up since the last Show & Tell (and I'll decorate them with recent pics of my kids):

FEATURED ARTICLE:
  • KNOW YOUR BIBLE! Randy Alcorn warns that not knowing the Word of God is a monumental problem in the modern church... and I agree.

CAUSE IT'S INTERESTING:

RELATIONSHIPS:

LIFE WITH KIDS:

HOMESCHOOLING:

GOOD FOR A LAUGH:








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Show & Tell: An April Blogging Bonanza!

Well, since slowing down blogging a while back, I haven't done a Show & Tell, and I know there are some of you out there who love these things. Lemme tell ya, this one's a doozie. So let's get right to it:

A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT:

GROWING THINGS?

AROUND THE HOUSE:

COOK UP SOMETHING TASTY:

THOUGHTS ON CHILD REARING:

HOMESCHOOLING

CONCERNING MARITAL INTIMACY:

FOR WOMEN ONLY (REALLY!!!)-- WHAT I'D LOVE TO TELL YOU BUT HAVEN"T HAD THE GUTS TO DO A SEPARATE POST ABOUT:

ABOUT BLOGGING:

THE SHOW & TELL WRAP-UP: Good for a laugh!
As always, happy reading! And Happy May! :)
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