On the Lenten Road ~or~ Lent isn't just for Catholics

The season of Lent is upon us!  
Even though this is a desert season, I'm always excited to begin this journey!  We begin Lent in the cold and darkness of winter and pilgrimage towards the spring of Light and Life which is Easter!
Each of us have those habits or inclinations that we know, are keeping us from becoming the husband/wife/father/mother/friend/person, that we were created to be!  Whatever that thorn in your side is, if you're anything like me, you've made resolution after resolution to get over it!

The world gives us New Years Day!  After a busy holiday season, we all are eager to get started on our New Year's resolutions!  Jan1st, we tell our selves, that's the day!  I'll change this for good!  And within a short period of time, we fall back into old habits.

In her wisdom, the Church has given us Lent!  Where New Years Day is just a starting block.  Lent is a gym!  We spend 40 days praying, fasting, and giving!  In the Church we are given the equipment to work out, in the sacraments and traditions of our Lenten practices.  And day after day, for 40 days we're in this gym together!  Talk about accountability!  Every Catholic you know, is working out right next to you!  And coaching!  Man, have we got the coaches and trainers to keep you on track!  There is a wealth of 2000+ years of coaches to keep you motivated!  In the biographies of the holy men and women who have gone before us, you can see the merit of sacrifice, the joy in suffering, and the reward of perseverance!

{Having never really been an athlete, the irony of my analogy is not lost on me... but it makes sense}

Lent isn't just for Catholics

Yet, while Catholics are the ones who keep Lent,
and the Church is one who began this tradition, there isn't any reason non-Catholics can't join in!  The beauty and practicality of this tradition has value for anyone who desires more for their life!  We could all use 40 days in this gym!  40 days to stretch, strengthen, and grow!

Like working out at home, you can practice Lent outside of the Catholic Church.  There are those who have the self motivation and self discipline to stick to a work out plan at home.  But for many of us, we need the accountability and equipment we gain when we join a gym.  Also, the converse is true! There are MANY who join a gym, but never take advantage of all it has to offer.  I hope you see the analogy to the Church here ;)

Like all of the Church's teachings and traditions, the practice of Lent is based in Natural Law.  Natural Law governs all of humankind.  Catholic or Protestant; Christian or Atheist... Natural Law is written on our hearts.

The Law of Sacrifice
In nature, there is a law of sacrifice.  It states that in order to gain something that you want, you must give up something in return.

We all know this to be true!  Lent formalizes this natural law!  And the Church equips us to be successful in our efforts!

What do you need to get rid of in order to become the person you were created to be?

Set the World on Fire

St. Catherine of Sienna said "Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire!".  God created us all for something great!  What that great thing is, is different for each one of us.  That is our journey, to work, to sacrifice, in order to be who God meant us to be! 

While looking up that St. Catherine quote to make sure I got it right, I found another amazing quote!  She also said "All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, I am the Way."  So this sacrificial road that we are on, is joy because we do not travel it alone, and all of our suffering and sacrifice will bring about changes in our lives that bring us closer and closer to becoming that person who will set the world on fire!  

So now, while we are just at the outset of this Lenten journey, in this cold, dreary, claustrophobic winter season, we start with the end in mind.  We know that sacrificing for today will change us and bring us closer to becoming the person who will set the world on fire!

Who needs Ryan Gosling...

Back to School Shopping!?!

I know I say it every year, but can it really be back to school season already!?!?!  I feel like I'm just getting into the swing of summer... I haven't even gotten a chance to go camping or to the beach yet {yeah, I know that makes me a bad Michigander, but no... Something about 5 kids + sweaty sandy sun baked skin, just doesn't appeal to me, but I know beach outings are obligatory when you live in the Great Lakes State!}  So instead of focusing on the impending school year, I've decided to spend a little extra time in my shop this week ;)  That's a good thing for you, but a bad thing for my mounting to do.  But ah, I'll worry about that later... 

So while I'm working on some new earring flavors, why don't you do some back to school shopping Mama style ;)  With a new piece of jewelry, you'll be ready to face the change of season with a smile on your face!  

Not like you need an excuse for some new jewelry ;)  But the next 2 orders placed on OrganicMamasShop.com will receive a free Nursing Necklace!

If you found your way here via Pinterest or some winding way through the interwebs, don't forget to visit me on Facebook and add me to your news feed for the latest giveaways, sales, and other helpful Mama info!

And just as a little teaser, I'm going to try to post some pics later this week from my newly 9yr olds Narnia Birthday party!  It was wonderful and tons of fun, but pretty simple and very un-pinteresting ;)  But that's a good things and I'll tell you why!

Comment below and tell me I'm not the only one ready to think about back to school!?!

Hope you all have a beautiful week! 

~OrganicMama

A little fun to get back in the swing of things!

Organic Mama's Shop

After a much needed break, I'm back :)  

While I work on a little shop keeping this week, let's have a little fun!!  I posted on FB last weekend and told you that however many like the post got, that would be the value of our prize pack!   

65 of you liked it!  

So the prize this week will be a gift certificate worth $65!!  

Here's a few suggestions ;)

Zebra Jasper

 and

 A new Deluxe Mama Nursing Necklace

"Mama Blues" Deluxe Necklace

 Or what about...

Fancy Jasper Nursing Bracelet

And speaking of Nursing Bracelets, did you know that they're not just for nursing?!?  Right now I'm using my to keep track of how many glasses of water I drink :)  

I don't know about your part of the country, but up here in Michigan, it's been nearly 100 degrees for the past MONTH!  

{We Northerners are not used to this!!!} 

So I've been trying extra hard to get plenty of water!  

How about you?  Feeling a little dehydrated?  This might be just what you need :)

Here's my first attempt at rafflecopter ;)  

So if you hit any snags please let me know asap!  

The contest will run until Saturday the 21st at midnight!  

You can enter every day :)  

So have fun and let me know if you have any questions or would like to place an order!  

FREE SHIPPING at the main store OrganicMamasShop.com!!  

{not valid on etsy shop in sidebar}

So thankful for you all!  And you are always in my prayers!!  Thanks for allowing me to do what I love ;)
~Shannon
"OrganicMama"

a Rafflecopter giveaway

31 Day Mama Challenge!

I saw this idea on Pinterest about a 30 day Mom challenge.
There were 30 simple things to do to help you become a better Mom.
I thought it was a great list, but some of the challenges lacked
something tangible to do, like "Focus on Joy".
Great thought, but in practice, I know I'd get to the end of the day and think,
"Oops, I forgot to focus on joy today!" I need something more specific I could do.

So, here's my plan! I'm going to use that list as a starting point and come up with a daily challenge and something small that we can all do to help us become a better Mom!

Who's in??

Day 1: Think of an activity that everyone in your family would enjoy then go do it!

Schedule a date and mark it in stone! No excuses! Even schedule a rain day {or more likely this time of year, a sick day!} Don't let anything get in the way of this awesome family adventure!

It could be something free like...

• Drive in Movie @ Home!
  
  
• DIY Talent Show! Everyone must plan an act! Or come up with some story starters and choose 2 family member to act out the rest of the story. Include a concession stand for fun!
  
  
• Sledding (plan a nice hot snack or meal for afterwards)
  
  
• Snowman Building Contest (complete with prizes for most creative, biggest, ect...)
  
  
• Plan a scavenger hunt! (around your house with the final clue being an ice cream sundae bar, or around your neighborhood!)

If you've got a little money to burn...

• Laser Tag! {remember how much fun that was when you were a kid?!}
  
  
• Bowling {relatively cheap, and even the little ones will get a kick out of bumper bowling!}
  
  
• Visit a Museum you've never been to! {Road Trip! Plan question and answer game or slug bug for the car ride)

Do something charitable together...

• Volunteer at a soup kitchen
  
  
• Visit a children's hospital and volunteer to lead a story time or craft activity

What other ideas do you have?

Now, spend 5-10 minutes, maybe quickly poll your family, and decide what you'll do and put it on the calendar! If you need to make arrangements, put it at the top of your to do list for Monday morning :)

Don't forget to report back! I'd love to hear what you guys decide to do? And I'd love it if you post an action shot on my FB page :)

Homeless for Christmas?

I've seen this image posted and reposted on facebook for a few weeks now... it tugs at my heart. It makes me sick to my stomach... And when I really examine myself, it brings tears to my eyes...


We are a nation of excess... despite these hard times we're in, which are the hardest my generation has ever faced, the restaurant parking lots are full, the Toy R Us lines are long, and the Christmas wish lists are even longer.

Many of us are scaling things back this year out of necessity. Everything is just more expensive this year! {anyone else notice the 20%+ hike in groceries?!?!} But there are many families in my own little world who aren't just struggling, but seriously hurting. Not just living on a tight budget, but living on nothing.

Every year we do something charitable at Christmas. In years past, we take the kids shopping to pick out a toy for the Toy for Tots campaign. It's been a good lesson for our kids. They want it, but they learn the joy of sacrifice. But this year I had to ask myself, what do hurting families really need? How can I do something that will teach them to fish, instead of just handing out fish?

Both acts of charity are necessary! You can't teach someone to fish on an empty stomach! But in the long run, what can I do that will impact another family and put them back on the road to self reliance.

I've been very blessed! In more ways than I can count! My husband and children are all safe and healthy! We have a roof over our heads and food in our cupboards. We have the love and support of extended family. And a faith that will take us through any storm!

What kind of person am I, if I take what I've been given, and bury it in the ground? Like the servants and the talents from the parable Jesus told.

{Matthew 25:14} 2 servants were smart and invested what was given to them. They were able to give back the Master more than was given to them. The 3rd servant, wasn't a total fool. He didn't gamble his talent away. He didn't want to loose it, so he buried it. Left it. And waited for the Master to return...

I'm no fool either {at least not usually after a cup of coffee}. I know better than to take what I've been given and waste it completely. But I do really identify with the servant who buried the talent. If he was able to make it grow, then he could have given the Master something more to use to bring about good things for others. If I'm able to take what God has given me {my talents, abilities, treasures, and time) and invest in others, I can do something that will really help someone who's in need...

Last week, my husband found a video on Youtube about homeless families in Florida, a place that's been one of the hardest hit in this recession. It really hit home... seeing good, hard working, families with nothing... just trying to make it to another day.

It pierced my heart.
How could I spend $100 just to fill the stockings of my 5 kids, when $100 could feed another family for a week!

So there's my heart... It's been weighing on me all weekend. I've been praying and asking the Lord, what He wants me to do. What He wants us to do!

After watching that youtube video, my husband had this wonderful crazy idea about spending the night in our car, to bring awareness to the difficulties of the homeless in our area. I'm putting all this in God's hands and asking him how he wants me to invest myself.

Maybe it is something as simple as giving a toy, He could somehow, use that small gift to affect a huge change in someones life.

Or...

Maybe He's calling me to something that would require a much more difficult outpouring of myself...

Either way, I can't wrap my heart around a bunch of stuff this year...

Small Business Saturday!

Now through Monday you can snag some incredible deals in my shop

Organic Mama's Shop

~One of a kind necklaces

~Design your own earrings!

~Big deals on bracelets

~and MORE!

Advent is my favorite season of the year!

If you ask the department stores, it's been Christmas for the past month already! I seriously went to find a last minute pair of angel wings at the store, but couldn't find them b/c they'd shoved all the Halloween stuff aside to make room for CHRISTMAS! Most would agree that's a bit early... But the majority of people I know, still celebrate Christmas before it's time!

Did you know that Christmas season doesn't end on Christmas Day, it STARTS on Christmas Day!

This coming Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation!
Isaiah 9:2 "The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great Light."

This little verse is our theme, so to speak, for Advent. We, like the people of the Old Testament, and like Mary and Joseph, are in darkness, waiting for, praying for, and longing for the birth of our savior and king! This season is a time to prepare our hearts and homes for the coming of God!

Are you ready??

No? Me neither ;) That's why I LOVE Advent! It's the perfect opportunity to slow down

...Wait?!? What?? Slow down!?! Don't you know it's almost Christmas!?! I still have a shopping list a mile long! Cookies to bake, ornaments to buy, relatives to visit, cards to write, address and mail out, gifts to make, parties to attend...... {THUD... this is the point where I fall over on the floor from exhaustion}

The crazy business that we always associate with this time of year, is NOT what God intends for us. This insane shopping, decorating, spending frenzy is a product of the world. Don't let that drag you down and wear you out this year! If you're worn out it's too hard to allow the simple beautiful truth of God becoming man, to really sink in and take root in our hearts...






Think about that for one moment...
God is so crazy about you, that he came down to Earth. Not only that, he came humbly... Not like a mighty warrior on bolt of lightning an peals of thunder, in the grand and magnificent splendor that is befitting of our Diving King. But instead His birth is a story of humility and simplicity, to be an example to us. To give us something very attainable. He didn't come flashing His awesome power to impress us or subdue us. He came in the most humble way possible! A very far cry from the scene that will take place on Friday, the day that most of the world sees as the start of the Christmas season...

So how do you prepare for the simple, humble coming of the King? Can you make this a season of patient expectation? Anyone who's ever waited for the birth of their own baby knows this feeling! {I know this feeling all to well! My babies are usually at least a week past their due dates!}

That feeling of growing anticipation is what should fill this season ;)


In a nutshell here's what we do! If you'd like more details about any of our traditions, just ask! I love to talk about them! But I don't want to overwhelm you with details. The best place to start is with simplicity. Err on the side of doing to little and add more as the years go on. THere are so many wonderful tradtions you could choose to do with your family, but none of it will do any good if you're overwhelmed and burnt out by Dec 1st! I can't overemphasize this START SMALL. There, was that enough emphasis for you? Probably not... You're probably like me ;) There's so much good stuff and you want it all for your family! But the years I've tried to do it all, I ended up overwhelmed and nothing comes together like I want. But years when I relax and let things fall into place without getting stressed, things, by the simple grace of God, fall into place!
Anywho... here's my MO for Advent...

~In our home, we put off all Christmas decorating, music, dress ect until Christmas Eve. I might string some purple ribbon (the color of the Liturgical Season) if I happen to fond something pretty on sale...
~We begin Advent by lighting our Advent Wreath. (Detailed post to follow)
~We also put up our little Jesse Tree. (Ditto..more info later)
~On Dec 6th we celebrate St Nicolas Day! After all, he's the real Santa. No fairy tale or childhood hoax here! In our house we know that St Nicolas is alive! After all, aren't we more alive than ever when we are born into Heaven? St Nicolas visits our home the eve of his feast day and fills their shoes with a few small gifts, gold coins {those gold colored dollar coins are perfect!}. Our children leave him milk and cookies and write him a letter. They let him know how they are preparing and ask him to pray (since he lives up there in Heaven with Jesus, he can just take a quick stroll to the throne room and let the Lord know their little petitions!) for them, that they might be well behaved enough to get the things they want on Christmas ;) And St Nick always writes them back! He tells them that they remind him of the Christ Child. And he also reminds each child specifically to work on their faults, be extra kind, and to pray and make small sacrifices in order to make their hearts more like Jesus heart. St. Nick promises to come back on Christmas to help the celebrate Jesus' birthday :)
We also go get our tree and put it up on St Nicolas Day, but we don't put anything on it yet!

~Dec 13th is St. Lucy Day! The story of St Lucy is rather gruesome... Her virtue is inspiring! But her life and death were very sad. So we do sort of gloss over the bloody details (gouging out eyeballs...), but we do enjoy her feast day by celebrating the Light of Christ which was all St. Lucy needed to see. Our oldest daughter and I wake up early to make cinnamon rolls. We wake the rest of the family by ringing bells and singing, calling them all to the table!
Since this is the festival of lights, we put our lights on the tree and outdoors (if we're feeling particularly ambitious that year)

~Christmas Eve, we go to Church with our family and come home and eat cookies, drink cocoa and decorate our tree. Then the kids go to bed and my husband and I drink a little Christmas wine and wrap gifts :) It's REALLY important to plan out this evening! Make sure naps are taken, early dinner is ready with time to spare, and that you know where all the shoes, tights, headbands, dresses, ties..... all are ahead of time. Nothing ruins the mood more than Monster Mommy scrambling to find odds and ends, and hollering at tired hungry kids to hurry up and get in the van so we can all celebrate the birth of Baby JESUS!!

I've found LOTS of resources that are helpful! Here are a few of my favorites! And please share anything you've found helpful...

Jesse Tree DVD from Holy Heroes - Great for busy Moms (me!)

Karen Edmisten's No Panic (super long!) Advent Post- this is just about everything you could ever think of for Advent!

Discover the truth about St Nicolas - If you're in West Michigan, this museum is in Holland! We'll go there this year for the first time, but I hear it's well worth the trip!

Christmas to Candlemas - thinking ahead for the Christmas Season

Smart Martha's Advent Planner- She lays it ALL out for you on a simple calendar! Totally perfect! I also reccommend signing up for her newsletter! Packed with good stuff!
Catholic Icing- always has cute and simple art projects for every season!

Waltzing Matilda- beautiful coloring pages for many Saints including many that we celebrate during Advent!

Paint or not to paint...

Well, that's not really the question... The real question is what color? Bold? Classic? Muted? Vibrant? Dark and Rich? or Light and airy?



I must admit, while I am sorta crafty, I'm TERRIBLE at picking paint colors! I'm 0 for 3... Picked a bedroom color once b/c the name sounded great {something like Caribbean Breeze... sounds amazing to me!}... turned out to be more like Smurf Breath. Then when we were going to paint the kitchen when we moved into our old house, I picked out a beautiful green color, straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine... only I pointed to the wrong color on the little paint swatch... and ended up with 'Amazon River' instead. After such failures, I wanted to pick a simple beige for out stairwell and hall way. The painter handed me a fan deck and I pointed to the first tan-ish color that came up. Can't go wrong with a nice neutral tan, right? Ah... not so much... really more of a flesh tone than tan...

So you understand my trepidation! But when we moved in to our new house last year, I vowed that the white walls would GO! If you know me at all you know I'm not an 'understated' kinda gal. I love color! I love a vibrant room, that just begs to be lived in!

We painted our kitchen first ;)
For about 4 mos our wall looked like an old patchwork quilt! My husband {who's not much better at picking colors..ehem...Soldier Blue living room, really? again, the name sounded cool, I guess...}, discovered those neat little jars of paint samples!
After hemming and hawing for months, we finally decided to pull the trigger and paint it red. Not my favorite color, but it turned out really nice. Except for the fact that we didn't bother to prime the walls, and now you can scrape the paint off with your nail! Praise God for wainscoting!

So, we're finally going for it! The whole house (except the kitchen!) is getting painted starting next week! I'm SOOOOO excited, but now I'm staring at this little Pottery Barn fan deck and scratching my head...

Any suggestions?

Grain Mills?

The joke among real food families is that Mom might as well set up a bed in the kitchen, because she spends more time in there than she does sleeping ;o) While that's a bit of a stretch, I do spend A LOT of time in the kitchen. And I enjoy that! It's the heart of our home. And we have been so blessed by our new home and it's enormous and inviting kitchen. It easily lives up to my expectation as heart of the home (minus the fact that currently it is refrigerator-less).

But since I do spend a good portion of my day storing, preparing, and eating real foods, I'm always on the look out for something that will make my job a little easier and my family a little healthier! And if that gadget also makes us a little more prepared in case of emergency, then sign me up! The latest toy practical tool that's caught my eye is a grain mill. There aren't many choices in this arena but enough to make the decision difficult. The 2 that stand out are the NutriMill and the WonderMill.

Soon, Organic Mama's Shop will launch a new retail site, selling not only my handmade items, but also gadgets and tools to help make living a more sustainable lifestyle a little easier! So whichever mill I decided on, I'll open up a wholesale account and sell them though our new site! (But I will be ordering Mills before the site launches, so if you're interested, let me know!)

But for now, I'm in the research process. So far, both mills seem to be really quality machines. But which one will be a better buy? Not sure yet... I'll let you know what I find out ;)

Anyone with experience with either one, feel free to weigh in!

Thanks!
~OrganicMama

Jewelry Giveaway!

Just finished up a cowl for myself from the fall-ish yarn I posted about on my FB fan page earlier this week (I promise to post a pic later!). Then I found these fun earrings from another homeschooling Etsy mom, that will match it perfectly!! And she's having a giveaway on her blog this week! Go check it out at mompotter.blogspot.com or follow the link in her Etsy shop.

Hope you're all enjoying some wonderful fall weather!
~OrganicMama

It's been a while!

Here's a pic of Braveheart ;o) I thought I was buying Free Ranging Chickens, but ended up with Free Loading Chickens...

Life is wonderfully busy! LOL I've let this little blog slip by the wayside... Not that life has slowed down at all, but I feel like maybe it's time to pick this back up. Lots has happened! We've added a yarn shop- GrandValleyFiber.etsy.com and many new products to our main shop OrganicMamasShop.com Thank you to everyone who made my Birthday Week Facebook Giveaways a smashing success! If you haven't 'like'd me on FB yet, go check it out- facebook.com/OrganicMamas . I try to post fun recipes, helpful articles, giveaways on other sites and of course some freebies from my own shop as well!

So check back often! As I venture through this jungle of homeschooling, homesteading, and home business, I hope to pass along some useful info ;o)

Blessings!!
~OrganicMama

A Plan...

Here's my Meal Plan for this week ;o)  I've tried to make it really simple!  Martha Stewart sends me really delicious recipes every day, but I'm going to ignore all of her elaborate recipes and K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Silly!).  I've included the PDF I've made of my next 2wks meal plan, and I've outlined it here with links to all my recipes for this week.  I'll save next week, for next week ;o)
You'll see I use my 5min bread recipe A LOT!  It's a great book!  If you don't have it, I suggest you go get it!!  Check it out on my cute new bookshelf----->

Thanks again for peeking in on me!  I'd love to hear what you think!  And check in on me again!  It keeps me accountable :o)
~OrganicMama

Here's the link to my PDF meal plan. I'm working on figuring out how to publish the actual file on here ;o)

Sunday Night
~Prep for Monday... 
   Defrost 1 lb Burger and chicken in fridge
   Make Cookies (substitute organic/natural ingredients when possible)
   Make 5min bread Dough and let rise overnight

Monday
8:30
      - Start Oatmeal
      - Bake a loaf of 5min bread and refrigerate the rest.
12:30
      - Make Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches
      - Celery and Dip
5:30
      - Spaghetti
      - Tossed Salad w/ apples, cheese, and walnuts
      - Chocolate Pudding for dessert

Prep for Tomorrow
      - Defrost burger in fridge
      - Pancake batter

Tuesday

8:30
      - Pancakes and apples
      - Make Banana Muffins
      - Bake bread
12:30
      - PB&J and bananas
5:30
      - Tacos and corn
Prep for tomorrow
      - Make strata

Wednesday
8:30
      - Bake Strata
      - Make crackers
12:30
      - Turkey Sandwiches
      - Put chicken in oven
5:30
      - Roast chicken
Prep for tomorrow
       - Make dough
       - Defrost pot roast in fridge

Thursday
8:30
      - Eggs and toast
      - Cut veggies for snack
12:30
      - Left over chicken and fruit
5:30
      - 30 minute Chili
Prep for tomorrow
      - Make Granola

Friday
8:30
      - Cold Cereal
12:30
      -Tuna Sandwiches
5:30
      - Cheese Pizzas (using 5min dough)
Prep for tomorrow
      -
Saturday
8:30
      - Yogurt and Fruit
12:30
      -Cheesy Pasta ( see recipe below )
5:30
      - Skillet Beef Stroganoff
Prep for tomorrow

Sunday
8:30
      - Oatmeal
      - Put Pot Roast in Crock Pot
2:00
      - Make Brownies
      - Pot Roast Supper
Prep for tomorrow
      -Defrost burger
      -Make cookies
      -Make Bread Dough

Preview of my week...

Ok, today is the day!  I'm going to spend this weekend getting my life a little more organized!  And I'm blogging about it in hopes that it keeps me accountable.... even if no one else reads it.. hehe ;o)  But if you do, leave me a comment!  It's always nice to know someone's checkin in on me.

I think my Achilles heel is that there is nothing constant in my day... Z never leaves at the same time in the morning, or get home at the same time at night.  We have no buses to catch, no school bells or time clocks....  So our days are kinda just go with the flow, see where we end up.  And that's not working!  I don't usually like where we end up- pressed for time, messy kitchen, forgotten naps, missed events, and no time for what really counts.

So I've identified my problem- now what's the solution?  There seems to be some mental block for me with getting organized.  But I think my plan for this week is to get military style strict with our meal schedule. 
8:30- Start Breakfast
12:30- Start Making Lunch
5:00 Begin Dinner Prep

I'm setting my alarm, and when it goes off, I'm going to drop what I'm doing and get working in the kitchen ;o)  I'm going to focus on those time frames and I think the rest of the days activities will fall into place around them...  If i can accomplish this for one week, I'll add some more to my schedule the following week.
Check back tomorrow for my meal plan!

Thanks!
~OrganicMama

After Easter....

Boy, it seems like I've been putting everything off until after Easter. "Yeah, let's get together after Easter." or "I'll get to that project after Easter. Well now that it's after Easter I'm having to make good on all those promises! somehow I thought the Easter bunny would leave a couple extra hours of daylight in my Easter basket...

I'm trying to slow down and make sure to fit in the important things, like a peanut buttery picnic ;o)
Life is beautifully hectic! I don't think I could be happy with a predictable life, but I would like to figure out how to make my life a little more orderly {{shrug}} That's one thing I've ALWAYS struggled with is keeping things organized. As the Lord blesses me with more things, I know I need to figure out how to make it all fit together so things aren't falling through the cracks any more.

Any suggestions??

On another note ;o) I'm in the mood to win something pretty, and I stumbled upon this fun giveaway over at Just a Mom, Ha!

Go check it out and maybe win yourself something fun!
~OrganicMama

West Mi Families!

http://www.westmichiganmommy.com/search/label/giveaways
Check out all these fun local giveaways!!

And don't forget to look me up on facebook!  Search OrganicMamas.etsy.com to find the details of my latest giveaway!
~OrganicMama

--
Shannon Wendt
Organic Mama's Shop~
Unique and Practical Mothering Accessories and Necessities
OrganicMamas.Etsy.com

Catholic Heritage Curricula is hosting a 24/365 Virtual Conference!

I love this idea! Now you can browse through all of their material online just like you'd be able to if you were at a conference in person! ALSO, there are discounts, free shipping, and giveaways!

Just in time to start planning your next school year, right! Right? Positive thinking! Ha ha! I'm such a procrastinator... I was going to give that up for lent this year, but decided to wait until next year ;o)

Ok, not really, I'm not that bad. I'm giving up sleeping in, I figure that's the root of a lot of my bad habits. So if I get up early every morning, now I'll have time to check out the virtual conference and plan my school year early.

Praise be to God for giving us a new day each and every morning!
~OrganicMama

And the winner is....

Drum roll please .,.,.,.,.,.

LONA!!! From ShadySideFarm.etsy.com

Congrats Lona! All the game sponsors will contact you ;o)

Thanks everyone for playing!! I'd love to hear your feedback on the game

~OrganicMama

Garden Mama and Natural Suburbia Giveaway

http://gardenmama.typepad.com/my_weblog/

A fun Giveaway featuring a member of SHE team!
Some super fun Easter items!
Leave a comment to enter ;o) It's that east!

~OrganicMama

Kim Payne's Shop and the FINAL CLUE

If you're new to the game, click here first!

It's a delight to be able to tell you all about Kim's shop! She's one of my very favorite SHE (Schooling @ Home Etsian) team members! She's been sweet enough to create some very fun and useful items for me ;o) First she created the worlds most adorable apron then she made me a very cute and practical organizer to put a bunch of school stuff in. She ROCKS!! Go check out her shop at KimPayne.etsy.com

After a long hiatus, she recently restocked her shop with her sweet little dolls and stuffed animals. I'll be ordering this sweet little rabbit for an upcoming b-day, can't wait ;o)

Kim is a very talented seamstress and more importantly, she's one of the sweetest Mamas you'll ever meet!

If you go visit her blog KimPayne.blogspot.com , you can enter to win "Speedy" one of her new animal creations!

Go visit her shop for the FINAL CLUE!! And the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree if you know what I mean...
If you're having trouble finding it, let me know and I'll try to point you in the right direction.
~OrganicMama