Thursday, December 20, 2012

A Holiday Blessing Opportunity

Through Friday, December 21, you can get a great deal on ebooks and at the same time help a homeschool family who has taken on the care of ten additional children, ages 2-16, who need a safe and loving home.

The mother of these ten precious kids has terminal cancer and is no longer able to care for them. And unfortunately, the situation with the father is such that the children cannot live with him either. So to provide a safe and stable environment for these children, and to keep the siblings together, the cousin of Joy @ Five J's has been working with social services and has opened her home to these ten children. (It's a complicated situation, and because of the sensitive circumstances, Joy is keeping the names of both families private.)

The children arrived at Joy's cousin's home a couple weeks ago with pretty much just the clothes on their backs and in great need of love, attention, and prayers. To help her cousin care for these ten children, Joy, with the help of several awesome bloggers, has organized a simple way for everyone to help.

Right now you can get this wonderful ebook bundle worth $50 for just $5, with all proceeds going to help provide food, clothing, homeschool curriculum, and other needs for these ten children. Money raised through this benefit will help keep these ten siblings together in a safe and loving home.

Click here to buy the ebook bundle for just $5.

Buy Now

How else can you help?

Share this sale with your family and friends!

Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter | Share on Google+

Donate in a couple different ways.

1. Donate money directly to the family through PayPal (you don't have to have a PayPal account to donate this way). Click the button below to donate.

2. Donate Walmart eGift Cards which the family can use to purchase what they need for the children. If you choose to donate a Walmart eGift Card, please use benefit@fivejs.com as the "recipient email address" when you purchase the card. Joy will then consolidate the cards to deliver to the family. Click here to donate a Walmart eGift Card.

What's Included in the $5 Ebook Bundle Sale

Here is what is in the ebook bundle. You can click on the links to preview the books, but then you'll need to come back here to purchase the bundle for $5, and all the proceeds will go to help care for the children.

  • Teaching Kids to Clean! by Dana of A Slob Comes Clean. Based on her experiences teaching her own kids to clean, Dana shares advice, lesson plans, supply lists, age-appropriate task lists, and printables to help you teach your kids the skills necessary for big cleaning tasks.
  • My Buttered Life (Gift & Baby Editions) by Renee of MadeOn (HardLotion.com). The Gift Edition includes the following recipes for making your own skin care recipes: chocolate body mousse, flavored lip balms, chocolate peppermint lotion bars, scented & shaped lotion bars, and beeswax candles. The Baby Edition includes these recipes: baby massage oil, baby balm (Beesilk Jr), creamy baby lotion, diaper rash cream, and oatmeal milk bath. Each ebook includes instructional videos, a cost analysis, and information about where to buy ingredients.
  • 3-2-1 Stop, by Lorilee Lippincot of Loving Simple Living. 3-2-1 Stop is a how-to memoir of learning to love simple living. Lorilee uses personal stories, as well as tips learned along the way, showing how to create a life that makes space for what is most important.
  • How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too, by Mandi of Life Your Way. This book is for every mother who's ever wondered if it's possible to pursue her own passions while investing in her family and managing a home. It's a handbook to give you the tools to juggle your many responsibilities and to do it with intentionality rather than living under the burden of mommy guilt.
  • Heavenly Homemaker's Guide to Holiday Hospitality & Guide to Holiday Hospitality for Kids, by Laura of Heavenly Homemakers. Heavenly Homemakers's Guide to Holiday Hospitality is filled with ideas and encouragement to help you stay organized and relaxed while you prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year celebrations with family and friends. In the kids' guide you'll find page after page of craft ideas, games, activities and recipes that kids can make and do on their own or with a little help from you.
  • A Simpler Season, by Jessica Fisher of Life As Mom. With over 200 pages of ideas, recipes, and printables, A Simpler Season provides you with practically everything you need to get from Thanksgiving to New Years in a calm, cool, collected manner.
  • The $5 Dinner Mom's Holiday Entertaining Guide, by Erin Chase of $5 Dinners. This is an entertaining guide to help you be the best hostess or guest during this holiday season. This guide is the antidote to every other holiday entertaining guide out there. Includes 30 simple recipes, from side dish to main dish, dessert to appetizer, that will not disappoint your guests. And, that won’t drain your budget either.
  • Quick & Easy Breakfasts, by Lynn of Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This cookbook is full of simple and delicious breakfasts your family is sure to enjoy.
  • Homeschool Printables Pack, by Joy Miller of Five J's. This single volume includes all of Joy's homeschool printables, worksheets, and charts that she offers on her website. Includes a variety of subjects and is helpful for non-homeschooling families as well!

Click here to buy the ebook bundle for just $5.

Buy Now

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Online Christmas Shopping?

Last year, for the first time, we purchased many items online for Christmas.  That is largely because we got a free gift card, which I will discuss further in another post.  But I'm curious, how many of you do a lot of your Christmas Shopping online?

How many of you use gift cards that you were given as a gift to buy other people gifts?


Has anyone else been intrigued by the vast number of gift card designs available?  Nearly as much thought is needed for picking out what the card looks like as would go into picking out another gift.

I wanted to share with you Amazon's gift card variety for this year: There is a card style for everyone.  And if you aren't happy with that, they also offer cards with your own picture on them! 

Check out the link in my sidebar if you are interested in checking out or buying Amazon gift cards for Christmas this year.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

All Time Favorite Children's Books

Hello!  I am embarking on a new adventure!  I am planning to write my novel this month.  I'm a little lot nervous because since so many people know, I feel the pressure to actually accomplish it.  But that is probably a good thing.

I am writing a children's novel.  I'm asking you to comment with your favorite or (if you are like me and don't have just one) one of your many favorite children's books.  And if you have a reason it is your favorite, I would love to hear it. 

I'll start.  I've always loved the Boxcar Children (the original.  I enjoyed the series, but it has nothing on the first book as far a quality goes).  I really like the way as a kid I felt like I was part of the adventure.  I can remember thinking that I could have a real adventure even as a kid.  And I could taste the berries and cold milk, and though I was not a fan of either in real life they sure sound yummy in the story.

Please comment below with your favorite book(s).  Thanks!


Holiday World 2011!

Holiday World 2011!

Baby # 6

Baby # 6
Welcome to the world and welcome to our crazy family!

Fort Benning

Fort Benning
We finally made it to Georgia!!!


Just a day at the park!

Just a day at the park!

My Hero!

My Hero!
I don't do dead things. Fortunately for me, God gave me boys!

Much awaited 2009 PJs from Daddy!

Much awaited 2009 PJs from Daddy!
Daddy and Grandma make Jammies every year for the kids, They love it!

Christmas in PJs

Christmas in PJs
Don't I just have the cutest kids?

2010 Jammies

2010 Jammies
Once again Daddy pulled it off. They look cute!

Round 2 birthday parties

Round 2 birthday parties
Cake number 1 of 3 done. I am so not an artist, but I think it came out pretty well!

My Girls

My Girls
Borrowed dance clothes, my girls sure look cute.

Couped up

Couped up
More images below showing the children feeling a bit "couped up" from the long winter!

Chickens: Take 2

Chickens: Take 2
Cute chicks!

The robot cake. I am glad my kids' standards aren't as high as mine!

Tree Climbers

Tree Climbers

Summer Fun!

Summer Fun!
Hi Daddy! Hope you are having fun at work!


This one is so bad, I had to label the cake so you would know it's not a cow!

Dressed for Church!

Dressed for Church!
Come as your favorite Bible character night!

Too cute for words!

If the boy wasn't so tall, I could get a picture of his face!


Establishing the pecking order!

Babies!