Here is a chance for you to win an iPad 2!! I have teamed up with
  The Freebie Junkie, CheckPoints and 49 other fabulous bloggers to offer (1) reader the chance to win an iPad 2 in our Blooming Blog iPad2 Giveaway!

CheckPoints provides you an App that pays you back

Simply download the CheckPoints app for your iPhone or Android mobile device. Then, fire up CheckPoints whenever you go shopping.  Check in your location and you’ll see nearby products that you can scan to earn points.   You even get points for simply checking-in and then redeem your earned points for a variety of rewards from gift certificates to your favorite stores and restaurants, to airline miles and must-have electronics.  Even give back to your choice of charitable causes.

**  FREEBIE ALERT  **

Here's a special promo for my readers - when you register for an account with CheckPoints use the code: homeheartfamily and you will automatically get enough CheckPoints for a free and instant $1 gift card or charitable donation.  What a great way to be rewarded for doing what we love - SHOPPING so sign up (iPhone) (Android) and don't forget to use the homeheartfamily code to grab your free CheckPoints!

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Simply enter to win the through the rafflecopter form below -   the giveaway ends 4/1/12 @ 8pm EST There are 50 participating blogs, but you only need to enter the giveaway on one of our blogs. Good luck!

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 Check out the generous bloggers involved in this event

The Freebie Junkie

Children Teaching Mama

The Mama Report

Beauty and Fashion Diva

 PS Mom Reviews

Our Kids Mom

Keenly Kristin

We Have it All

The Shopping Duck

Libby's Library

Three Thrifty Guys

Grinning Cheek to Cheek

JBM Thinks

Mom and More

About a Mom

Misadventures with Andi

Family Life in Las Vegas

To Sew With Love
Penny Wise Mama
Tatums Family Reviews
{Not Quite} Susie Homemaker
Tethered Mommy
Books R US
She Scribes
Real Mom Reviews
Sammis Blog of Life
2Boys +1Girl = OneCrazyMom
Life with Levi
Alpha Wife Adventures
Happenings of the Harper Household
RockinDeals4You
Jamerican Spice
Chocolates & Figs
The More The Merrier
Modest Money
Loving The Family Life
Punk Rock Twins Knitting
An Island Life
Shopper Strategy
My SpringField Mommy
Consumer Conversation
Melissa Say What?
Moody Mama Says
What's That Buzz
Me Him and the Cats
The Baby Birthing Mama
And The Little Ones Too
Nickels-n-Dimes
Mama Cheaps


Be in it to win it

The Role of Man and Woman

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Boy Wanted

To begin our school day, we start with a chapter of the New Testament followed by a chapter from the Old Testament. Then we work on memorizing A Baptist Catechism, then we read a chapter or section from a book focusing on character. Right now we are working through this one:

I really love today's reading. As the mom of a teenage son I found it summed up very well my goals for his character. I remember reading it to him when he was very little and thinking how rambunctious he was and feeling a little like I was failing him in the area of child training. Now, however, although he is far from perfect, I can truly say that I am very proud of the young man he has become and I can see the hand of God shaping him into what He wants him to be. 

BOY WANTED

This "want ad" appeared in the early part of [the 20th] century.

WANTED - A boy that stands straight, sits straight, acts straight, and talks straight;

A boy whose fingernails are not in mourning, whose ears are clean, whose shoes are polished, whose clothes are brushed, whose hair is combed, and whose teeth are well cared for;

A boy who listens carefully when he is spoken to, who asks questions when he does not understand, and does not ask questions about things that are none of his business;

A boy that moves quickly and makes as little noise about it as possible;

A boy who whistles in the street, but does not whistle where he ought keep still;

A boy who looks cheerful, has a ready smile for everybody, and never sulks;

A boy who is polite to every man and respectful to every woman and girl;

A boy who does not smoke cigarettes and has no desire to learn how;

A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English than to talk slang;

A boy that never bullies other boys nor allows other boys to bully him;

A boy who, when he does not know a thing says, "I don’t know," and when has made a mistake says "I’m sorry," and when he is asked to do a thing says "I’ll try";

A boy who looks you right in the eye and tells the truth every time;

A boy who is eager to read good books;

A boy who would rather put in his spare time at the YMCA gymnasium than to gamble for pennies in a back room;

A boy who does not want to be "smart" nor in any wise attract attention;

A boy who would rather lose his job or be expelled from school than to tell a lie or be a cad;

A boy whom other boys like;

A boy who is at ease in the company of girls;

A boy who is not sorry for himself, and not forever thinking and talking about himself;

A boy who is friendly with his mother, and more intimate with her than anyone else;

A boy who makes you feel good when he is around;

A boy who is not a goody-goody, a prig, or a little pharisee, but just healthy, happy, and full of life;

This boy is wanted everywhere. The family wants him, the school wants him, the office wants him, the boys want him, the girls want him, all creation wants him.

Source unknown
Quoted in The Children's Book of Virtues
by William J. Bennet

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Book Suggestions for Homeschooling

I teach an assortment of ages in my multi-grade homeschool. This year I have grades 8, 5, 3, and K, as well as a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant. 

One thing I've really enjoyed the past couple of years is having a whole-school Bible-reading time at the beginning of our school day. It originally started with us reading through Psalms and also reading a Proverb each day. Then we started reading Genesis. Our curriculum had us in Exodus next and when we finished it my daughter suggested we just "keep going". So we did. We changed our habit to include one chapter of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament each day, going through each one chapter-by-chapter. 

After we read our chapters of the Bible, I like to have a book that focuses on character or one about missionary stories. Below are some of the ones we have read. (The Beautiful Girlhood books are used one-on-one with my daughter.)

        

   

We are part of a homeschool co-op that has some wonderful mom/teachers. I especially love the writing part of the co-op. We use this book for that co-op, as well as for at-home writing lessons.

For spelling, I use Spelling Power. I've tried other curricula for spelling and never really liked them. Then I found this one. I especially like that I can use the same book for all of my children all the way through school. 

And I simply LOVE the Apologia Elementary Science series! We also are using this one through our co-op, so I'm not as involved with it, but we used it before we joined the co-op and I can't say enough about it. It is a wonderful group of science books. I really kind of miss that I'm not able to be more involved in it this year!

             

    

For math, I wanted to try something that wasn't too costly just in case I didn't like it. Since we use Sonlight curriculum as our main curriculum, I ordered from them. They offered several different math options. One of the least expensive was Singapore Math. I ordered it and loved it! I'm not a math person, so I was a little concerned about how my children were doing in math. We mainly joined the co-op for math instruction for my 7th grader since it was quickly becoming clear to me that I would no longer be equipped to handle his instruction. I was so pleased to discover that Singapore math not only had my son ready for Jr. High math, it  had him more than prepared! He had no troubles whatsoever, even though he was a full level "behind" on Singapore math!

And, finally, for foreign language, I highly recommend Rosetta Stone. Even though both my husband and I are fluent Spanish-speakers, we have failed to adequately instruct our children in acquiring proficiency in both languages. So, we purchased Rosetta Stone's Latin American Spanish for them. I love it! Their Spanish is improving greatly. Even my Kindergartner does some of the exercises. (Mainly the listening portion.)

I'm always open for suggestions, so if you have a great homeschool product that you'd like to recommend, please leave me a comment!  Thanks!!

Large Family Living

I'm working on some posts with tips I've learned myself or learned from other Moms with lots o' little folks. I'm going to call them "Large Family Living". I plan to include all kinds of things I've found to be helpful in making life run just a little smoother with many children. (Many will probably be useful to moms with only a few children as well.)

I've created a cute little button for these useful ideas. Here it is:

Do you have some great tip that makes life just a little smoother in your home?

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Coupons.com is giving away 150,000 Savings Club Memberships! Hurry and get yours while they last!

This 1-year membership, valued at $30, gives you access to "the best coupons across the web."

For Weary Mothers

"Mama!"

"Stop!"

"She took my toy!"

"I had that first!"

I must hear this and so many similar things at least 100 times a day, or so it seems.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13

"Weary" seems to be my middle name some days. Seven children have a way of weary-ing a mama! It is physically exhausting to care for those kiddos, as well as mentally, emotionally and even spiritually!

But the Bible exhorts us to not grow weary of doing good. And raising our children to fear and honor the Lord is a good thing!

How can we battle the weariness that seems to follow so closely at our heels?

• Spend time in the Word.  I can certainly feel the difference when I'm not reading my Bible as I should! The Bible is our sword (Eph. 6:17) and without it we leave ourselves defenseless against the work of the evil one. 
• Prayer. God tells us that when we need wisdom we can ask for it and He will generously supply it (James 1:5). He also tells us to cast our cares upon Him, because He cares. (I Peter 5:7) How refreshing to know that the Maker of heaven and earth cares about my problems!
• Fellowship with the Saints of God. I'm talking about uplifting, spiritually-helpful fellowship. It soothes the soul!
• Reminding myself that this is my ministry. It is what a mother is called to do. I don't need to have my "me" time. I just need to remember that the Lord has given me a mission to fulfill. I need to keep my eyes on the goal of raising my children for Him and keep pressing on. 

I still have small children (a lot of small children), but I also have some who are old enough for me to realize just how quickly they grow up. I see the day fast approaching when my first-born will stretch out his wings and leave my nest. I see that the little ones coming up behind him will follow soon after. 

Oh, that I may not grow weary of doing good.

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A "must-see" documentary.

Close To My Heart ~ You Could Win an ERGO BABY CARRIER!!!

I have teamed up with Mama Chocolate and several other bloggers to offer you a chance to win your very own Ergo Baby Carrier.

Carry your precious little bundle "close to your heart" this year in this wonderful baby carrier.

I do not personally own an Ergo, but I sure would love one! I've heard wonderful things about them, but have never been able to purchase one of my own.

Simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win. The Facebook entry is mandatory, and after that you can significantly increase your odds of winning by finishing the optional bonus entries.

Hope you win!!



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Book Suggestions for Wives & Mothers

Some of my favorite books for wives and mothers.

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson

Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson

The Monster In Our House

There is a monster who lives in our house.

Three little girls lie in bed, trembling, giggling, anxiously awaiting........

....the arrival of.....

THE GIT'CHA MONSTER!!!!

He comes into their room just as they are going to bed. He loves to nibble their ears, chomp on their ribs, chew on their toes.

Much to their delight, he visits them several times a week.

Notice how she's even armed and ready for him?

Oh, how I love to see the fun these girls have with their Daddy!



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My Story....Part 4

To read "My Story" from the beginning, click here.

We arrived at the clinic really late. I was a nervous wreck. I really wanted my husband to say something like "I drove you all this way, you will go through with this." However, my wise husband just told me that he would do whatever I wanted. He would turn around and drive me home and never make me feel guilty about it. I told him that I would stay at the clinic and see let him know when he arrived the next morning if I could go through with it or not.

I went into the clinic and it appeared completely empty. Not a soul in site. We finally found a nurse. She checked me in and my husband left. I was still quite nervous so I decided to ask the nurse some questions. (At this point I was really glad I speak Spanish!!) I nervously asked her if there was anyone there. The place seemed so deserted. She told me that yes, there was a couple from the US who had had the surgery done that afternoon. She pointed me to their room and told me to just go see them. They were so nice. They assured me that everything I had read about the doctor and the clinic was true and that their surgery had gone very well. I could feel the Lord's calming reassurance through the voices of these strangers. All my fears immediately melted away. I went to my room and went to sleep and slept like a baby.

I was awakened at 6 to start the prep for surgery. My husband arrived and we were wheeled into the operating room. I had several conversations with the assistant physician and I remember the anesthesiologist (who I remember quite well because he kept scratching my itchy nose for me), but I did not meet the doctor. I only glimpsed him in the hallway as I was wheeled from the OR. I remember groggily saying, "Thank you" to him as I was wheeled past.

My surgery went very well. My husband was very impressed with the surgical team. I was left with 7 centimeters of Fallopian tube on each side and told we had about a 90% chance of conceiving. We left the hospital the following morning and drove 10 hours home. (Not too bad, except for the time I got choked and had to cough for a few minutes. Ouch!!)

I had my tubal ligation in May of 2003, about an hour after my third child was born. When she was 23 months old, in April 2005 we had my tubal ligation reversal. Our first "reversal" baby was born in May 2006. Since that time we have had 3 more "reversal" babies. We are so thankful to the Lord for hearing our cry and giving us more children to love.

Our 4 "reversal" daughters with their sister, baby #3.

You can visit the website for the clinic in Mexico here.

You can read my patient testimony page here.

My Story....Part 3

To read my story from the beginning, click here.

My husband had many reservations about having surgery in Mexico. He told me that we would pray for confirmation. I agreed, because I knew we had found our doctor. I was willing to wait for God to confirm this to my husband. Little did I know that He would send that confirmation the very next day.

We decided to visit a family from church just to encourage them. This family happened to be my husband's cousin. When we arrived, they were having a family birthday party for my husband's aunt, the cousin's mother. I had forgotten to tell my husband that I would rather keep this reversal idea to ourselves (because we had a lot of family members who were not in favor of this). Imagine my shock when he suddenly announced our plans to the entire room. He then told them about this doctor in Mexico. Suddenly his aunt perked up and told us that this was the same clinic where she had her last baby and that this doctor is the nephew of the doctor who had delivered her baby and what a great doctor he had been. She also told us what a great reputation the clinic and the doctor have in the town. Can we say "confirmation"???  I was ecstatic!

So now, my husband was completely on board with me. We made our appointment and planned to use our income tax refund to pay for the surgery. The Lord provided exactly the amount of money we would need. Amazing!

Now the hard part. Our families. Basically my family was in complete shock. They simply could not understand why we would want to do this. They were very much against it. So we pretty much didn't tell them anything. The knew we were planning to do it, but they did not know when, where or how we would do it.

My husband's family was a little different. They were not all in favor, but they weren't completely devastated by the idea of it, either. Therefore, they did know about our trip plans and such.

So April 2005 finally arrived and we took off. Since we had so little support in our endeavor, we didn't feel right to ask someone to keep our children. Once again, our heavenly Father took care of all the details. The hospital would require my husband to be present in the operating room (weird, I know) with me, so we would need someone to keep the children, who were 7, 4 and 23 months. Well, it just so happens that this clinic is in the same town where another cousin lives. He is another child of the same aunt from the birthday party! :) He and his family so graciously agreed to allow my husband and children to stay in their home and to keep the children while Josue was with me in the surgery. Isn't the Lord amazing?

We took our children to Sea World on our way to Mexico, the day before my surgery. We had a great time.
Then the doubts started. The closer we got to Mexico, the more nervous I became. Satan's attacks were fierce. I almost lost the battle.

**To be continued**

To read Part 4, click here.