And Bringing It Back Together

Some time ago I decided to separate my blogs and have a homeschooling blog and a general blog that would have information about homemaking and Bible study and other general things.  I renamed my original blog, our homeschool blog, As We Walk Along the Road to reflect our family's philosophy of teaching and child rearing from Deuteronomy 6:7.

I've come to realize, however, that our life truly is our school.  And I find it hard to separate what we are doing with school with everything else in our lives.

As some of my readers know, I also have recently had the opportunity to begin blogging with The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew to blog about homeschool products.  So I want my blog to be as complete as possible in order to best serve the homeschool community that will read and benefit from the reviews.

With that, I am going to drop I'm Livin' My Dream and merge the two blog again.  I will still be keeping Leah's Good Reads where I post book reviews.  I do quite of few of those frequently, so I want to have a separate place for those posts.

Many of you already follow As We Walk Along the Road.  If you don't, please head over there, and follow us.  I look forward to staying an active part of the wide world of homeschool bloggers there.

Bible in 90 Days Update: Day 22

Today was the 22nd day of reading through the Bible in 90 days.  We are reading through 1 Samuel now- the times of the kings of Israel.

Interestingly, this is also the time period that we are studying in our homeschool in history.  I love it when things tie together like this.

I enjoy reading the history books of the Old Testament because:
1. I love history. and
2. Because it isn't the prophets.

Just kidding (sort of).  The prophetical books and I have an interesting relationship.  I feel as if I understand them better after all these times reading them.  But I still don't really "get" some it.

So, I'm enjoying the history books this week before we head into the prophetic books all too soon.

Bible in 90 Days Update: Reading vs. Meditating

Tomorrow, Monday the 21st of January will be day 15 of reading through the Bible in 90 days with this session.  The day's reading is Dt.23:12-Dt.34:12.  I am caught up. Kathryne, having waited late to start, has decided to read the One Year Chronological Bible instead.  I am perfectly fine with that because my goal is for her to be in God's Word- however she may do that.

I know some people have trouble with the concept of reading through the Bible in 90 days because the read through is so quick that it doesn't leave much time for meditation.  I think it probably depends on the person and on your own reading style, speed, and purpose.

I skim read much of the time.  I read quickly.  If I read over something and find myself not quite "getting it" I slow down and read it again.  But I've always been a quick reader and have had really good comprehension even reading very quickly. I've never been one to do lots of journaling as I read the Bible- maybe this is not a good thing.  So I don't miss that aspect when I read through in 90 days.  I do have a notebook with me much of the time, and occasionally I think of questions as I read, and I jot them down to think about/look up/study later.  But I've never really written down lots of thoughts while I read.

I find that, as a good reader, I find many excuses to just "skip one day" if I am using a through the year reading plan.  The amount of reading isn't very much each day, so it is easy to rationalize skipping a day.  This defeats the purpose of staying in God's Word daily.

So really the reason that I have so much loved this method of reading is that I am continually in God's Word. I rarely skip a day because I know the next day's reading will be so much.  And I'm finding that the more times I read through, the more of a big picture understanding I think I'm getting.  This has answered some questions I've had about spiritual things, and it has raised other questions that I'm constantly pondering.  It's a great way to keep growing and learning spiritually.

So if you've ever thought you wouldn't want to read the Bible in 90 days because you couldn't study it deeply... you are probably right.  Read through in 90 days to get a big picture overview.  Then take time in between readings to do more in depth study of a topic or a book.

My Perfectly Imperfect House

I found the perfect blog hop to join in today.  It's over at Jill Savage's blog Hearts at Home.  One of the dangers of reading blogs/Facebook/Pinterest is that we tend to compare ourselves- as moms, as wives, as homemakers, as homeschoolers.  But this blog hop is just the opposite.  It's an acknowledgement that we aren't perfect- not a one of us.  And it's a celebration of imperfection.  And that I can agree with.

So, today's topic: My imperfect house.

When I was first married, I imagined decorating beautifully.  I read Southern Living (We didn't have Pinterest then!), and I could picture my house on the cover.  There were a few problems with this in reality:

1. I married a husband who did not share the same desire for decorating.  Instead, he would rather leave his stuff comfortably scattered around.  And he really doesn't appreciate it when I clean up his stuff.  (Maybe it is because of the paycheck I threw away once upon a time.)
2. I found that I really did not enjoy decorating.  I wanted it to look like a magazine, but I didn't really want to do the work.
3. Money.  Decorating can be expensive. Even before we had children, we didn't have high money making jobs.  And once children came along and I was staying home with them, the money for extras really wasn't there.

I struggled with this lack of a perfect house for a long time.  As my children have grown and I have settled into homeschooling, my priorities have changed, and God has brought me a long way towards being content with what I have and who I am.

So welcome to a tour of my perfect, imperfect home:

Our game shelves in the living room and the stuffed bookshelf (one of six in our house) are evidence of our love for games and reading.  The chart on the wall is pretty typical of my decorating style. (It's been called "Early American Homeschooler" by a web board friend.)  I use any and all available wall space for all things pertaining to school.

Behind the rocking chair and somewhat hidden in the corner is one of Jason's "piles." I've learned to let him keep his things where they are accessible and convenient for him and just "hide" them or blend them in with the room.  It's called compromise.

This is my laundry closet.  It's in the kitchen, and it is one area that I am not truly content with.  I would love a full laundry room.  I do have some plans to make this area cleaner, better, and more organized, however, without spending money.  The laundry area is on my to do list for this year.

This is my kitchen.  It is small but homey.  And I am super thankful for my new fridge- found in the scratch and dent section of Lowes for almost HALF of the original cost!  Woohoo!

I hope you've enjoyed this small glimpse at my perfectly imperfect house.  I am thankful for it and for the family that fills it.  And I'm thankful that God is teaching me little by little that I am not to compare myself (or my home) to others.

You can visit other not so perfect homes at Hearts at Home.

Bible in 90 Days: Rules and Relationships

By today, we have read through Leviticus 14:32 in reading through the Bible in 90 days.  Reading through the commandments this week reminded me of studying the 10 commandments with our middle school youth a few years ago.

One of the things that stood out to me during that study was that God had a relationship with the people of Israel BEFORE He gave them His rules.  

In Exodus 20 we read:   I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.(Ex.20:2) God was already their God.  He had already delivered them.  His deliverance of them and His relationship with them was not dependent on their keeping of His commandments.  Instead He was giving them His commandments BECAUSE they were His people.

One of our youth leaders gave this very practical example.  Pretend you have a dog.  Let's call him Fido.  You choose Fido from the shelter and bring him home to your house.  You love Fido, and he is your dog.  Because you love him, you build a fence to keep Fido in the yard.  One day, lured by the bright shiny cars driving by,  Fido gets out of the fence. But just because Fido is out of the fence, he does not cease to be your dog.  You want to put him back in the fence so he will be safe.  But you still have a relationship with him- even out of the fence.

Our relationship with God is primary.  He gives us rules within that relationship to keep up safe.  When we try to set up the rules outside of a relationship, it doesn't work.  When we try to work hard enough to have a relationship, it doesn't work.  

This week we'll be reading through more of the books of law and reading more about God's relationship with His people.

An Update on the PrinterPix Situation

Edited to add that, despite their noble sounding comments in my comments section, I haven't received any money or indication of when I'll get any money from the company.


So, I posted about my troubles with the online print, photo book, etc. company PrinterPix here.  And when we left off, I had high hopes that the company was going to make things right.  Their last email, as of December 20th, had promised a refund if I returned the calendars.

Fast forward weeks later to today.  I hadn't received a refund yet, and had, in fact, planned to contact the company this week.  And then I received an email from the Better Business Bureau that has a reply from the company.  Here is their reply:

We can not create a different product than customer ordered. The desired size is selected on the website at the beginning of the project. I will go ahead and reprint for free the 2nd calendar that was damaged, also the customer can create new larger calendars for free. Because this was a special via Amazon $0 was paid to us, so we have nothing to refund.

Hmm.  Seems as if there is a lie here somewhere.  Yes my friends.  The same company who assured me of a full refund on the 20th now replies differently through the BBB- and doesn't even address my complaint about the shoddy quality of their product.

Needless to say, I marked the little circle for "not satisfied" for the BBB, and I've made another statement to them and to the company.

I really doubt I'll ever get my money back from these people.  And I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned and not try a new company without reference from someone I know in the future.

But, be warned, readers.  Don't use this company or try to do business with them.  I understand that some may have a different experience.  And obviously they are getting something right or they couldn't stay in business.  But there is no excuse for a company that lies.  Giving one answer and then turning around a few weeks later and saying something else entirely is inexcusable.  Not to mention that they now have my calendars and my money which I think is equivalent to theft.

Ready, Set, Read

Tomorrow is the BIG day.  I (and at least two others) are beginning once again to read through the Bible in 90 days.

It's not too late.  If you'd like to read with us, "like" the Facebook page.

I am reading through cover to cover this time.  Here is the schedule.

You can also choose to read through chronologically.  I really enjoyed that last time.  The first two week's chronological schedule is here.

I'm not really sure I'm structured enough with this to have "rules." But here are some strong suggestions. :-)
1. Read, don't listen.  This plan is really designed to read through cover to cover, not listen.  I think that any way you are getting God's Word is great.  But with this program, you are to read.
2. It would be great if you would like the Facebook page and check in each week.  I think that having the accountability of checking in to a group is very motivating.
3. This read through is designed to be a read through, not a study.  Don't get discouraged that you can't take time to really absorb everything.  If you come across an area of the Bible you want to know more about, jot down some notes and do a study after the 90 days are over.

That's it.  Let's begin reading tomorrow and be blessed.