Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Mother of Pearl – How I Learned to Give Up Control & Giveaway!

May 5, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

ImageProxyServlet Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

How I Learned to Give Up Control by Sue Edwards

I’m one of those mothers who would like to control everything in my children’s lives. You may be too, all out of the best intentions. I tried frantically to do that for many years until God grabbed my attention and wrestled my control issues from my clenched fists. It happened this way.

My youngest daughter attended a large university where campus housing was at a premium. Her second year she was accepted into one of the nicest dorms on campus, but the rule was that you could either choose the room or the roommate of your choice but not both. Well, I had heard horror stories of what happened when you roomed with some girls–like men in the room, and I turned into mother bear. I was not going to allow my child to take pot luck in roommates, nor were we willing to give up that choice room.

I had heard that if your child had a learning disability they would ditch the rule. So I decided to make my case with the administrator who could fix this unfair situation. All week, I was on the phone long distance climbing my way up the ladder to the gentleman who could give my daughter the room and roommate she deserved.

And finally, I was on the phone with him. We talked for a few minutes, and then he asked me, “Does your daughter have a learning disability?” I answered rather indignantly, “Well, I prefer not to label people.” That did it. He bought it. I had done the impossible. I called my daughter, she turned cart wheels on the other end of the phone, and we rejoiced together.

Only the roommate she had chosen, the dear Christian girl from her church, did not turn out to be the roommate she expected. In fact, she did have men in the room, a lot. And she went home at Christmas under suspicious circumstances. All fall I had to endure calls from my daughter who was trying to figure out how to navigate this awkward situation. And it was my fault. Some of us are stubborn and God needs a two by four to get our attention, and break us of our control issues. This was that time for me, and for my daughter. Now, when we are tempted to take control instead of trusting God, we look at each other, remember, smile, and let go.

God knows what he is doing in your life, my life, and the lives of our children. And he loves our children more than we do, as impossible as that may sound. So trust him, follow him. Two by fours are rather painful. You won’t regret trusting your Sovereign Father who has your, and your children’s, best interest at heart.

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Dr. Sue Edwards has over thirty-five years experience as a Bible teacher, overseer of ministries to women, and author. Now, as a full-time professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, she equip men and women for future ministry all over the world. And women everywhere enjoy learning the Scriptures in face to face groups as well as an online community using her Bible studies, the Discover Together Series. To join the online Bible study community or to converse with Sue, go to Facebook.com/discovertogetherseries. She is currently working on a book with Barbara Neumann on mentoring millennials. Married for forty years, she and David are the parents of two married daughters and the grandparents of five.
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Come to the Well

May 5, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Come to the Well by Casting Crowns

Saturday on the Farm

May 4, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Welcome to another Saturday on the Farm garden tour! I’m pleased to say that the Lilacs are in full bloom! And do they ever smell delightful!

My 17 year old daughter took the picture below. Beautiful!

Anyone know what this yellow flower is? It comes up by itself in the back yard beside the creek.

This is the second year that I’ve let part of the yard just grow back under the trees. And this is the second year this flower has come up. Last year, it died off before summer. I’m really curious about what it is. You just never know what kind of wild flowers will show up when you stop mowing them down.

The Lily of the Valley in the Bible garden are blooming. Please ignore the grass planted there by my male lawn mowers. That drives me insane, by the way. lol

The Lily of the Valley has such sweet little flowers. I just wish they lasted longer!

Next week, I’m going to talk about mulch. Now, I’m not an expert, but I have used several different types of mulches. So if you have any questions, ask them below, and I’ll try to answer them. See ya next week!

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Ring the Bell DVD Review & Giveaway

May 3, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I recently received a Ring the Bell DVD to review. Ring the Bell tells the story of a sports agent, Rob Decker. His work is his life. He even says his clients are his kids. To him, there is nothing outside of work. He won’t even return his mother’s phone calls. While trying to sign a high school baseball superstar, Rob ends up in a small town like he’s never been in before.

The small town rallies around the young baseball player and helps him stick with his plan to go to college. The town also rallies around the home that he lives in, an orphanage. Rob is drawn to this simple life that is so far from his own life in the city. He is asked by the brother and sister team that run the orphanage to take all the kids to a Casting Crowns concert. Casting Crowns sings in concert in this movie, as well as doing an altar call. Yes, an altar call right in the middle of the movie. Love it!

Rob’s eyes are opened to the life he has been living. He even calls his mother! After visiting this small town, and the people in it, Rob’s life is transformed. The movie ends with him still in the small town, but you just know that when he goes back to his job and the city, everything will be different now.

In addition to Mark Hall and Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman and Matthew West have roles in this movie. This family friendly movie was produced by Mark Miller, Beach Street Records’ founder and Casting Crowns’ producer. Miller, who is also the lead singer and founder of country music group Sawyer Brown, co-wrote the script with Thomas Weber and Weber directed the production.

Several former and current Major League Baseball all-stars are also featured in the film: ESPN analysts John Kruk and Rick Sutcliffe (a former Cy Young Award winner), along with Ben Zobrist. Now, I don’t know who any of those baseball people are, but that knowledge isn’t needed to thoroughly enjoy Ring the Bell. Even though the beginning storyline is about baseball, this isn’t a “sports” movie. It’s an awesome family movie about faith and redemption.

There are many funny moments in this movie as well, that will have your whole family laughing. Maggie is my favorite character in the movie. I laughed every time she was on the screen.

Now, you may be wondering about the name of the movie, Ring the Bell. Ringing the bell is a significant part of the movie. You see, whenever someone accepts Jesus as their Savior, they get to ring the bell. This is just awesome. I seriously want to put a bell in my yard! The bell is rung a few times during the movie. But the one that really got to me was at the end of the movie. I cried. Really. I cried at the end of this movie. Not sad tears, but oh, so happy tears.

I highly recommend Ring the Bell for the whole family!

Ring the Bell (affiliate link) is available on DVD. Make sure you check out all the great DVD special features:

The Heart of “Ring the Bell”

Casting Crowns “The Well” Music Video

On Set with Casting Crowns

Famous Faces

A Very Special Movie

Ringing the Bell

The Artists and Music of “Ring The Bell”

For more information visit the Ring the Bell website and Ring The Bell on Facebook

I am so excited to be able to giveaway one Ring the Bell DVD!!

Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

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*This post contains an affiliate link. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

Our Homeschool Week in Review

May 3, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I looked across the living room the other night and this is what I saw:

Why, yes, Zach (12) is sitting in the living room peeling the bark off a branch. In the living room? When I told him to get it out of my living room, he said, “But I’m doing it on my lap.” lol Nope, still had to take it outside. He’s working on making a bow. He asked me the other day about making one, so I directed him to The Dangerous Book for Boys (affiliate link) book I had on the shelf. He found the instructions for making a bow and arrows. So that project is coming along nicely. Outside, where it belongs!

I got a delivery the other day that came packed in a styrofoam box. When Zach looked at the inside of the lid he said, “That looks like England’s flag!” Which led to this Facebook status:

Kid – What color is England’s flag?
Mom – Red, white and blue
Kid – Like ours! Ok, what color goes where?
Mom – I hate to break it to you, but I don’t have every countries flag memorized. Sorry to burst your homeschool teacher bubble.

He was ready to paint, and fully convinced that I could tell him where to put the colors. lol I had him get an atlas off the shelf and look it up. He did great finding it by himself, then proceeded to color the flag.

You can see in the picture (when you make it bigger) that the parts that are blue are raised in the styrofoam, making the design obvious. He did a good job painting it considering that water color doesn’t stick very well to styrofoam.

I was missing Hannah this afternoon, and went searching for her. I finally found her outside at the picnic table doing her math. I love when the weather is nice and they can take their schoolwork outside. So much nicer than being in the house studying.

I posted a Schoolhouse Review Crew review that you might be interested in checking out.

Writing with Sharon Watson- Writing Non-Fiction in High School- Review

And that’s Our Homeschool Week in Review!

To see more homeschooling posts, visit Weekly Wrap Up.

*This post contains an affiliate link. If you click on it and purchase something, I will receive a small commission.

Le Savonnier Marseillais Organic Liquid Soap Review

May 3, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I recently received a bottle of Le Savonnier Marseillais Organic Lavender Liquid Soap to review. Le Savonnier Marseillais is an all natural liquid soap. Made with olive oil and other all natural ingredients, it is gentle on everything. From cleaning to laundry to pet care to car washing. The lavender scent is very pleasant, without being overpowering.

Since Le Savonnier Marseillais is an all purpose liquid soap, I was able to use it in a number of different ways. First, I diluted it. The label says to dilute it using 2.5 tablespoons of soap to 1.3 gallons of water. Since I don’t have a container big enough to hold that, I used a one gallon jug with 2 tablespoons of soap.

I used this diluted soap to wash my kitchen trash can. Ok, you know without my having to tell you, how dirty kitchen trash cans can get. This liquid soap cleaned it thoroughly and left it smelling nice, too.

I used this soap to clean my bathroom sink. Kids and husbands who spend a lot of time outside or working on cars can sure do a number on bathroom sinks. This soap cleaned my white fiberglass sink to a shine, with no scrubbing, just washing with the diluted cleaner on a paper towel. Since this cleaner is non-abrasive, it is safe to use on most surfaces.

I also used some of the diluted soap as handsoap in a dispenser. I think I had the hardest time with this, since the soap doesn’t bubble. The liquid is basically clear, so your scrubbing your hands with what appears to be just water. But the cleaner is in there. My hands were always clean after inspecting them, it’s just hard to get past the no bubbles while your scrubbing. The lavender scent is very, very faint after hand washing, so it is suitable for women or men.

I had great success with washing dishes with it. I put a couple of plops of the undiluted liquid soap into the hot water in the sink. I continued to fill the sink while agitating the soap with my hand, like I normally do with my regular dish soap. I was able to get a decent amount of bubbles, but they started to dissipate right away. I didn’t put any dishes in or disturb the water in any way, as I wanted to see how long the bubbles would last.

In less than 5 minutes, the bubbles were almost totally gone. After the bubbles were gone, I started washing dishes. I have tried natural soaps in the past to wash dishes with, and I have a hard time with the no bubbles thing.

After washing dishes with the Le Savonnier Marseillais liquid soap, though, I’m on my way to changing my mind. The glasses came out squeaky clean. I washed a glass chocolate chip cookie dough mixing bowl and that came out squeaky clean as well. It did a great job of getting the butter laden dough off the bowl. I was surprised at how easily it cleaned the bowl.

The clincher for me was after I finished and walked out of the kitchen, I realized what it did to my hands. My hands were soft! My hands are never soft after washing dishes. Since I handwash all our dishes for seven people, I often battle very dry, dish pan hands. Even hours later, my hands still felt soft. That really impressed me. hmmmm….. squeaky clean dishes AND soft hands? I just may have to learn to live without bubbles.

Overall, I was pleased with the cleaning ability of Le Savonnier Marseillais Organic Lavender Liquid Soap.

Writing with Sharon Watson- Writing Non-Fiction in High School- Review

April 30, 2013 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

As part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew I received The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School from Writing with Sharon Watson to review. Writing with Sharon has three courses for 5th grade through 12th grade students. I received The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School, which is for 9th through 12th graders. This writing curriculum can be completed in one year. There are options for using it for two or even three years. You choose the pace you want to set for your student. You will find links to sample pages of the student book, as well as the teachers edition, on the website linked above. The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School is over 400 pages long and contains 23 chapters with over 100 daily lessons, as well as a reference section in the back. It covers everything they will need to know in high school, as well as what they will need to know about writing for college. There is no spelling or grammar included in this book, but it does teach the different paragraph types. This course is all about the different styles of writing, how to write them, how to edit your own writing. Each lesson is broken down into steps that are easy for even the beginner to follow by themselves. I really liked that the Bible was included in some of the assignments. For example one assignment was to read the verses listed and write which type of paragraph it is. Devise your own topic sentence. Paraphrase the verses freely. Not every chapter uses the Bible, but there is a whole chapter on writing a devotional. If you didn’t want to include the Bible as part of the course, that could be easily accomplished, as well. The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School is a self guided course. Very little teacher involvement is necessary. There is a teachers edition available that is a great asset. It contains all the answers for the students daily lessons. A huge time saver for the teacher. I liked the practical advice that it gives for grading your students writing. Grading writing is hard, especially when where grading our own children’s writing. The teachers addition even includes sample essays to help guide you in your grading. The sample essays are graded, from A to F, so you can see clearly how to grade. This course can also be used in a co-op setting, where I’m sure the teachers manual would be a necessity. I used The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School with my 17 year old, 12th grade daughter. She tells me she plans on continuing working her way through the book. Not because she needs the high school credit, but because she liked learning what this course is teaching. Here is a quote from her: “I liked it. It was very helpful. It went in-depth for intermediate and advanced writers, and stuck to the basics for beginners. I liked that.” She brought up a good point. Many of the assignments are broken down for beginners, intermediate, and advanced writers. For example, the essays will assign a certain word count for beginners, with a different one for intermediate, and advanced writers. Students aren’t expected to be expert writers from the very beginning of the book. If you have a reluctant writer, this book will gently guide them into being great writers. Advanced writers will learn how to hone their writing. The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-Fiction in High School student workbook retails for $39.98 and the teacher’s guide retails for $14.98.

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