Book Review: 100 Days To Christmas

Do you get overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done for the holidays? I do! I start to think about the multitude of things that I feel like I need to do in order for my family to have the best Christmas I can give them, like decorating inside and out, finding the perfect tree, buying and wrapping gifts, attending activities and events, and planning perfect holiday meals. Then there are the things we do for other people, like sending out Christmas cards (including taking the dreaded family Christmas picture), baking bread and cookies for gifts, visiting, and donating to charities.

All of these things are good things and they can be so much fun, but when you look at it all at one time, it looks like a mountain that needs to be climbed. Impossible!

How does a person even function under all of this pressure? I think I found the answer…or rather, it found me!

Recently, I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy of a wonderful holiday planning guide called 100 Days To Christmas by Jennifer Tankersley. This ebook takes you by the hand and leads you day-by-day, step-by-step through the 100 days that lead up to Christmas, starting on September 16th. It even covers the other holidays that fall within those 100 days, to include Halloween and Thanksgiving. Along the way, you create a holiday planning binder that keeps your preparations handy and organized. I’ve tried to make a binder like this before, but I’m so excited to have step-by-step instructions for how to do it this year!

For example, here is the challenge for November 1st:

“Today’s Countdown to Christmas Challenge is to start looking through your recipes to locate favorites and keep them together in a convenient spot. If you have a copier at home, copy several of your favorite holiday recipes onto a few pages, then add these to your holiday planner under a new tabbed divider called Thanksgiving. Then, replace your recipes back to their original location for safe-keeping.”

I have to say that one of my favorite things about this book is that it encourages a balanced life while you are planning for the holidays. By tackling one thing at a time, one day at a time, you won’t have to spend a disproportionate amount of time on your holiday preparations. The book also challenges you on certain days to do something other than holiday planning, such as implementing a game night with your family over the long winter months.

If you get behind, don’t worry! Saturdays are designated as a “catch-up” day for the challenges you weren’t able to complete the week before.

As a bonus, the book is also full of helpful links to some of Jennifer’s lists from her website, ListPlanIt.com.

Ready to start planning for your holidays? Click HERE to download this book for just $4.99. It is worth every penny!

Jennifer Tankersley, the author of 100 Days of Christmas, is also the founder and owner of ListPlanIt.com. Are you a listmaker? You will LOVE this website!

Are you ready to start planning for the holidays? 

Blessings!

Brandi

P.S.  There are affiliate links in this post.  :)

A Rich Man

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."

-- Unknown

Blessings!

Brandi

Lilla Rose Giveaway!

Thanks to Kara over at Mine For The Making for hosting a Lilla Rose giveaway this week! 

Two lucky readers will receive a ticket for a FREE Flexi-clip of their choice (up to $15)!

Head over there now to get your entries!

Blessings!

Brandi

Hypocritical Parenting

Last night, I was standing at my back door with plate in hand, finishing off the last of my dinner while watching the younger boys play in the kiddie pool.  My daughter walked up to me with a corn muffin in her hand and I said, "We don't walk around with food in our hands.  If you are eating, you belong at the table!" 

"But, Mom...YOU'RE not eating at the table!"

Yes, she was right...I was being a hypocrite.

Have you ever yelled at your kids, "It's not nice to yell at each other!"

Or have you ever swatted your child's behind and said, "We don't hit!"

Do you get onto your kids about not making their beds while your own bed is undone?

Do you preach about eating healthy food so their bodies can be strong while sneaking a carton of ice cream after they go to bed?  (Guilty!)

Hmmm...hypocritical, right?

So, as parents, how do we not fall into the "Do as I say, not as I do" routine? 

I decided to look and see what the Bible has to say about hypocrisy.  There are many verses that address this, but the passage that stuck out to me, in regards to how we behave with our own children, is Matthew 7:4-5:

"How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (NIV)

I know this passage and I've always tried to apply it to my life...outside of my home.  But have I been diligent in making sure I apply it inside my home, with my husband and my children?  Sadly, I would have to say that the answer is a definite "no".

Did you realize that if you followed all of the rules that you have set forth for your children, parenting would make you an infinitely better person?  I believe that God has a plan for parents, beyond raising Godly children.  I believe He has given us children in order to change us...to challenge us to become more Godly!

Make a point today to take a second look at the rules you have in your home.

Are you following all of the rules?  Or are you being a hypocritical parent?  (I need to work on this!)

Are your rules reasonable, or are you expecting too much from your children?  If you can't follow the rule, is it reasonable to expect them to? 

Do you have so many rules that your children can't enjoy their home?  If so, which ones could you stand to get rid of?  Let's learn to not expect perfection from our children.  No one is perfect outside of Christ, least of all me!

Lord, please help me to see the areas in my life where I am being a hypocrite, whether with my children or my husband or outside of my home.  Change me, Lord, into the person that you created me to be.  Make me a good role model for my children in everything I do.  Help me to lead with actions instead of mere words.  Amen.

Blessings!
Brandi

Shouting Out

Here are a few of my favorite things that are happening online this week!

The Better Mom is a brand new blog that just launched today by an awesome mom of 4 named Ruth.  Head over to check out the long list of amazing contributors and enter the launch week giveaways!  Today's giveaway:  Ruth's Favorite Things!

Today on Mine For The Making, Kara featured me in her Sponsor Spotlight!  Head over and check it out!  And keep your eye out for a Lilla Rose giveaway on Kara's blog this week!

 

Homeschool Library Builder is my favorite stop for stocking up my homeschool shelves!  The site owners are so sweet and always include a personal note on my invoice...I love that!  Their bin sale, going on right now, is a must-see.  I always raid the $1 and $2 bins and come away with some real treasures!  If you link to them from your website, you receive 75 book points (worth $3) in your account.  If you head over, would you kindly put my name (Brandi Bush) in the referral section so I can get some points toward my book purchase?  Thanks!

 I am a new sponsor over at Key Lime Digital Designs.  Kendra has some great tips for blogging and does gorgeous custom blog design.  Check out her Blog in a Box ~ cute idea!  Kendra will be doing a complete overhaul on my blog in the very near future.

 

The New Home Ec is another blog that just launched today on Babble that I am really looking forward to!  One of the contributors is my favorite blogger, Ashley over at LilBlueBoo.  Her clothing designs are so adorable and her patterns are easy to follow...great for a beginning sewer like me!  Click here to see a dress I made from one of her tutorials (my daughter is the one in pink and green!).

Have fun browsing!

Blessings!
Brandi

Summer Kids Pics

I can't believe July is almost over!  Where has the summer gone?  In just a month, we will be starting our new school year.  I thought I'd post a few pictures of the fun we've been having...before it ends way too quickly!

Lots of snuggles and love...

Taking time to stop and smell the...tiger lillies!

Acting like monkeys in the trees...

Napping in the fresh air...

...and napping in the air conditioner!

Working in the garden...

...and playing in the rain!

Sunny day fun...

...and rainy day fun!

  

Enjoying the simple blessings that summer brings...

 

Blessings!

Brandi

CNN Hero: "Mother Robin"

Did you see this week's CNN Hero?

"Mother Robin" is a midwife in Indonesia, providing prenatal and postpartum care to some of the most impoverished women in the world.  A lot of these women would be unable to receive care if not for this midwife and her team. 

Did you know that in some hospitals in Indonesia a woman cannot take her baby home until her hospital bill is paid?  Sometimes, they wait outside for hours and hours until they can get in to feed or diaper their own baby.  This is heartbreaking!

It is an inspiring story of how one woman is making a difference...in a big way!  If you get a chance, head over and read it!

Blessings!

Brandi