4 hours ago
Every year in the month of October, I dig out all my church history books, and especially books related to the Protestant Reformation. Reformation Day is today, and October is the perfect time to dive into the history of this turning point in the history of the church.
This year, one phrase that has stood out to me is the Latin post tenebrous lux - which means "after darkness, light".
I love that this become somewhat of a slogan for the Reformation. So much is contained in those words.
The Reformation dusted off the light of the gospel.
When I think post tenebrous lux the first thing I think of with all my book reading is, of course, the Reformation itself. Medieval times before the Reformation were indeed dark spiritually. Few ordinary people had access to any part of God's word, and they all had to rely on the Catholic church's presentation of the words of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, which most people could not read for themselves to either confirm or deny the church's teaching.
Human beings are sinful, and without God's word being available for accountability, this led to alot of unbiblical teaching and corruption. People were taught that they never could know if they would be in Heaven after they died - to claim assurance was considered a sin. They must become righteous in themselves to a certain level in order to receive the grace of God that would usher them into Heaven - if not, they must do their time suffering in Purgatory. But of course, they could purchase indulgences to shorten their loved ones' time in Purgatory - there were cathedrals to be built, and this was the church's way of raising money.
Imagine living in a time when there was no hope of you ever being able to read the Bible for yourself, no hope of ever being sure of Heaven, because who could ever know if they had been righteous enough? What a burden to bear!
The Reformation was a perfect storm of events that God used for the recovery of the gospel, and it made the Bible available to the ordinary man. The reformers discovered from Scripture that we as sinners can never attain to any level of righteousness on our own. All our righteous deeds are as filthy rags.
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like [b]filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,Have taken us away.Isaiah 64:6
No, it is Jesus's righteousness that wholly saves us, through faith in Him alone. When we trust in Him by faith, a faith given to us by the grace of God, the righteousness of Christ is accounted to us, and His righteousness is perfect. Because of Jesus's death to pay the price of our sin, and His perfect righteousness which He gives to us, we can be perfectly assured of Heaven when we trust in Him alone. No one else gets the glory for any piece of our salvation except God alone. And the reformers knew all this because of careful study of God's word alone, which leads to the next thing that the slogan of the Reformation reminds me of.
Scripture is a light.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.Psalm 119:105
I don't think alot of modern Christians fully understand how rare and beautiful of a thing it is that they are able to hold a Bible in their lap and read it for themselves - indeed, to sometimes have a shelf full of unread Bibles, even. We take Scripture for granted today, but there was a time when there was no translation of Scripture that the masses could read. There was a time when people would go to great lengths and pay a high price, just for a few pages of the Bible. No wonder there was a period of darkness, because the only way we can come to a knowledge of the truth is through the word of God!
The Bible often refers to itself as light, because it is the very word of God, active, effective for bringing the light of the knowledge of Christ to our hearts.
Back then, even a few pages was as a blessed lamp, giving hope to those wandering in darkness. Now so many Bibles "light" our land that we have sometimes forgotten what a beautiful light it truly is.
The Reformation is what allowed us to have a shelf of unused Bibles in the first place - God allowed Luther and the other reformers to recognize the true gospel in Scripture around the same time as Gutenburg invented the printing press. A perfect development at the perfect time to allow God's word to be read by anyone who could read.
Sometimes the world is dark, sometimes so dark things seem hopeless. But God always brings us light, in His wonderful mercy and grace.
Christ is our light.
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
When I read the phrase "after darkness, light", the other thing that came to mind is Christ Himself. Without the work of Jesus on our behalf, we would be lost in the darkness of our sin. Because He suffered the punishment that we ourselves deserved for our sin, having no sin Himself, He became the perfect sacrifice in our place.
He bought us peace with God with His blood.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace...Ephesians 2:13-14
On that glorious morning, He rose from the dead and conquered death and darkness forever! The darkness that is left in our world today is just the remnants, the last ragings of a defeated foe. Our light has come in the hope we now have in Christ.
So many are still walking in darkness, blind to the light of the knowledge of Christ. They don't know what He has done to save them. They are blind and dead in their sins, relying on lies, perhaps relying on their own supposed goodness to somehow be enough, even though it never can be. Everything we do is tainted with sin, which God cannot have in His presence. Humanity has no hope of seeing His face - except if we give up any notion of our own goodness, confess we are sinners, and cling to the Savior as our only hope.
On this day in particular, many celebrate darkness and make light of death, a morbid coping mechanism. I hope while our culture glorifies death and darkness today, we who have placed our trust in only Christ won't forget that we also are to be the light of the world.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Mathew 5:14-16
We are lights not because of anything we have done, but because of the light God has given us in Christ and His word which we are now called to share. We know the hope that is in Christ, because we ourselves have been brought out of the darkness of our sin and death into the marvelous light of salvation in Jesus. When that really sinks in, how can we help but want to share it? I hope today is a day for you to bask in the light of the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, and find some way to reflect that to others. That's why we are still here!
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
Let's give others a chance to also treasure those words. After darkness, light. After blindness and darkness and sin and rebellion and death - Christ.
Soli deo gloria - all to the glory of God alone.
Happy Reformation Day, friends!
I'm going to apologize right now, because I am so incredibly behind on sharing my books from this year that I hardly remember half of them. I'm sorry in advance if my description of some of these books is a little vague. I'm putting a star by the books I would highly recommend - unfortunately alot of these ended up being "meh", or wouldn't be books I'd freely recommend because of content reasons. I also know I have finished some books that I forgot to put on this list, so there may be another book post sooner than later if I go through my shelves and see what I missed.
*The Gospel Comes With A Housekey by Rosaria Butterfield - I enjoyed this book for encouragement on being more hospitable. Butterfield is very inspiring in how she handles hospitality. I didn't quite like how she worded some things, and I also thought that some of her points and stories started to feel repetitive by the end. But overall, it was good!
Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center - I listened to this one after trying it once before, and I enjoyed it this time. This is about a female firefighter who ends up falling in love with a Rookie. I was afraid it would be a little too feminist for me, but I actually liked how the author somewhat allowed the character to be a woman - acknowledging that she may not be as physically strong as a man, but she had other ways of doing her job well. Can't totally remember, there may have been one inappropriate scene that I skipped past, and other references to adult things, some bad language.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney - Oh man, I read this book in one day when we were snowed in this spring, and it was a perfect snowy day read - mysterious, a little creepy, fast-paced. I thought the ending was a little dark, kind of twisting things around in a morally ambiguous way, which I don't love. But it was a quick suspense read, and I enjoyed it for that.
How To Walk Away by Katherine Center - This story is about a woman who becomes paralyzed and has to try to rebuild her life, and of course she falls for her physical therapist. I remember really enjoying the character's personality in this one, I just can't remember why! That's what I get for waiting too long to write a review. I think there was one drawn-out kissing scene, and "adult" situations referenced, some bad language.
*The Last Train To Key West by Chanel Klassen - This story follows three (I think) different couples in Key West in the 1930's, before a devastating hurricane hits the islands. There were also some mob-related plots mixed in, and alot of Cuban culture since some of the characters (and the author I believe) are Cuban American. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Cuban culture, and the story kept me interested! One of the couples is on their honeymoon, so there are some references to that sort of thing, but nothing explicit.
The Dry by Jane Harper - Even though Jane Harper's suspense books can be a little on the darker side, she paints the atmosphere of the Australian outback like no one else. The atmospheric elements of her books are what I enjoy most! This story ended pretty sad, and there was bad language, plot elements involving domestic abuse, etc. But I enjoyed it for the setting.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks - I listened to this one, and wish I could remember more about this book. Maybe that gives you an idea of how much of an impression it made on me. I looked it up to jog my memory, and I do remember the creepy methods the main character ( a therapist) uses to try to "help" her clients. But I'm pretty sure the over-reaching therapist ends up not being the bad guy! Major opportunity missed there. Sorry this is a little vague, I can't remember it very well. Not sure I'd recommend it.
*Suffering Is Never For Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot - This book was so wonderful. Elliot is acquainted with suffering, having famously lost her first husband Jim Elliot, as well as her second husband to cancer. But I love how she recognizes even the milder sufferings of life and gives us a way to view them through the eye of bringing more glory to God. Highly recommend for anyone who is currently suffering or will suffer in the future - meaning everyone.
The Last Anniversary by Lianne Moriarty - I enjoy Moriarty's novels as lighthearted suspense - she has a way of putting a fun spin on even serious plot elements. I thought I'd pick up one from her backlist. I have mixed feelings about this book. It was racier than some of her books and involved she infidelity, so I didn't love that. I loved the setting of the story though, which was a remote tourist island run by two little old ladies, with a mystery attached to it. But I also did not like how the book ended for the main character at all. Meh. Bad language, adult content in this one.
The Lost Man by Jane Harper - Once again, loved Harper's book for the setting, but the ending was once again pretty dark. Plot involves domestic abuse. Some "adult" scenes, not explicit. Why do I keep coming back to Harper's books? Maybe I'm just a sucker for novels set in Australia.
*The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - This book was absolutely charming. Mma Ramotswe is a single African woman, once widowed, who is left alone after her father dies. She takes her inheritance and starts the Number One Ladies Detective Agency in her hometown, solving mysteries large and small (mostly small). It's a fun peek into what African village life might be like, and the characters are so lovable. It's basically a cozy mystery series set in Africa, but with alot more character development and interest. Content notes: As Mma Ramotswe thinks back on her life, she recalls her first time being intimate with her husband, which he imposed on her when they weren't married yet. Not explicit, and that's the only real content note.
*The Princess Bellaheld by Julie Sutter - This is a story based on true events of the time period when the gospel came to the Germanic tribes. Princess Bellaheld is made to marry the prince of a germanic tribe, but she accepts it as God's will and is a great example of a loving and godly wife, eventually leading to the conversion of the prince to Christianity. This is a story with a great female role model, and I'm looking forward to reading it to my girls one of these days!
*Nova by Chuck Black - This book is basically a retelling of the calling of Moses, but set in a. futuristic world on a distant planet - I really got into it and have ordered the second book in the series! I think this is a good one for teens - exciting, with a love interest that has been very chaste and not physical so far.
*Out Of The Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis - This book was wild, and difficult to understand the first tie I tried to read it. I started it again after reading the correlating chapters in a book called Deeper Heaven, which explains Lewis's space trilogy, and the whole things made so much more sense! There is one scene in particular which has really stick with my from this book, which I'll probably write about sometime. I recommend it!
*Hostage Lands by Douglas Bond - This is a historical fiction book based on when Rome was invading Britain and fighting with the Celtic tribes - Marcus Rusticus befriends Cadwell, a man from one of the tribes who was pressed into the service of Rome and was changed when he witnessed Christians martyred int eh Roman coliseums. Together they are assigned to infiltrate one of the tribes as spies. But Marcus has no love for his Roman commander, and he wants to help the Celts. I'll leave it there, but I quite enjoyed this book. I would let Wyatt read it now, but there is one section where two evil Romans are mocking about forcing a girl...you know. Not explicit, but I'll wait until he's bigger.
Upgrade by Blake Crouch - I picked this up because I like how imaginative Crouch's science fiction is. This one was just okay. Basically the main character is subjected to an experimental shot that makes him super-human, and the whole book is about him trying to stop his sister from secretly injecting the whole world with this super-human gene alteration that works for some people, but causes other people to die. A good dash of climate extremism thrown in at the end ("the world is going to end" type stuff). It was just okay. Some bad language.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - Another Katherine Center book, this one about a female bodyguard that gets assigned to guard a famous actor. One extended kissing scene that was a little much, and I vaguely remember some political points in there I didn't quite agree with (probably about feminism or something), but overall, it was fun, and I enjoyed it alot.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - I read this book because I was curious to watch the series on Amazon Prime. The book was okay, if a little maddening. The series on Amazon Prime pretty much ruined any elements I liked from the book. Typical young adult book drivel, talk about "bases" etc. Tried to listen to the second book, but couldn't stand Conrad anymore, so I won't continue it.
*The Harvest Raise by Katie Shuermann - I quite enjoyed this whole book series by Katie Schuermann, set around the lives of the congregants that attend Zion Lutheran Church. This is a quite book, but so charming, and we get to see the characters learn and grow more Christlike through the series. I really enjoyed it. I have doctrinal quibbles with the Lutherans (ie. transubstantiation, pedobaptism), but still enjoyed this series.
Two Truths and A Lie by Meg Mitchell Moore - I picked this book up as a beachy read. I weirdly like suspense books that are set around the often ridiculous cliquey drama of "school moms", and this one was kind of in that category at first. But then it ended up being more about one of the daughters who just graduated high school and has a fling with a guy...some mentions/plot elements of inappropriate behavior there. It ended up being really sad at the end, and I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I thought it was going to go in a whole different direction.
*The Bark Of The Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers - This is an imaginative retelling of the story of David and Goliath, set in a fictional swampy world of Corenwald. I loved this one! I'm going to let my 11 year old boy read it, it's a great story. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
*In The House Of Tom Bombadil by C. R. Wiley - This is a book analyzing the character of Tom Bombadil from the Lord Of The Rings, and it gave me so much to think about! Definitely recommend this one if you are a Lord Of The Rings fan at all.
*The Abolition Of Man by C. S. Lewis - I wrote two posts with my thoughts on this book, here and here. I can see why everyone recommends that those who are or will be teaching children at any point should read this book! It's all about the deeper meaning and morality that God has built into the universe, and how when we reject that fact all we are left with is chaos and ultimately, despair. Really good book.
What have you been reading lately? What are your best books of the year so far?
How do you stay present during school time?
When I started my October writing challenge, I asked for topics you all would like me to cover, and a long-time blog friend asked me to address how to handle distractions during the homeschool day. I write this feeling somewhat hypocritical, since I was majorly distracted during our school day yesterday! So anything I say in this post is still somewhat a work in progress for myself too.
When I think about this question, I think of a couple things that could be distracting - other things on the the to-do list, and our phones. I think you have to tackle both of those things a little differently, but both can equally be a problem. I've noticed over the years that any time I try to multi-task during homeschool hours, it takes us twice as long to get through the work, and both and and the kids are more frustrated with the whole day. When I remind myself to stay focused on one thing at a time, everything goes so much better!
Here are a few ways I try to keep myself from the temptation to be distracted.
1. Do as much house clean-up as you can the night before. Each evening I try to make sure there are no major messes on the floors, and that the kitchen sink is clean. If those two things are done it's so much easier to get started right after breakfast in the morning!
2. Try to develop a "blind-eye" to messes until after school work. Most times, if you stay really focused on the school work with your child, it does not take that long to complete. I've learned to put the messes out of mind for that short period of time, just an hour or two when they were little, knowing that if we finish homeschool work, I can tackle my other projects guilt-free.
3. Keep your phone in the other room. When your first grader is painfully sounding out syllables from her reading book, it's so tempting to just whip out the little distraction box from my pocket. "I'll just check this one thing real quick." "I'll just scroll social media WHILE I listen to her read - I can do both!" But the thing is, I can't do both. Physically multi-tasking may be possible, but your brain can only focus on one thing at a time, and during school hours, that thing needs to be my kids. I've had to resort to putting my phone in the other room many times when it was becoming too much of a distraction. After detoxing from social media a while back, I find it much easier to resist the temptation to check my phone randomly, so that has been really helpful. But for the days when my phone is becoming a problem, putting it far out of sight is better.
4. Try to focus on your child's face when things get boring. As mentioned above, those learning-to-read years can be brutally boring for the homeschool teacher. At this point, I've read the same stories with the same first graders four times now - there are no surprises left. Sometimes you just have to suffer through the tedious bits, but I also find that they are easier to bear when I look at my child's cute expressions while we muddle through it. They are learning to read! This is exciting! Noticing how their faces twist up when they get to a difficult word, or how their eyes twinkle at me during a funny part of the story helps me to be in those boring moments with them. They notice when I'm not paying attention, and I don't always realize how many cute little bonding moments I'm missing when I'm distracted.
5. Treat homeschooling like your job (because it is). This is my biggest tip, because to be successful at anything worthwhile, you usually have to shift your paradigm a bit. Our homeschool routine started improving alot when I truly recognized that some people pay teachers a full time salary to do what I'm doing - this is a real job. Would I be checking my phone every five minutes at a real job? Would I be running around doing personal house chores during real job hours? I would hope not. The best part is, when I have a system down, this job does not take all day - I have plenty of time left for other things when I just give this job the effort I would give any other job for a few hours of the day. When I started thinking of "homeschool mom" as a serious job title, it was easier to put distractions aside and give it my best effort.
And what a job it is too! In what other job would I get to spend so much one-on-one tie with my kids? What other job lets me snuggle on the couch with the cutest kids in the world and read books to them while we eat snacks? I think part of being present with our kids in homeschooling is enjoying the process ourselves as much as we can, adding some fun into it, making it a memory for all of us. And those fun touches are so easy to do when I put away the phone, let the chores slide for a minute, and focus my attention on the little students in front of me right now. Being undistracted with them is worth the effort!
I mentioned a few of our resources for studying Christian History as it relates to Africa in my post a couple weeks ago, but one of our favorites of the year so far has been a book that my friend Heidi sent to us! Heidi read on my blog that we were studying Africa, and she herself has personal connections with missionaries in Africa and did mission work there herself for a little while. She has partnered with her African friends to create this beautiful book: African Pearls: A Story Of Faith From Uganda by Pastor Aloys Ntamugabumwe and Jenifer Ntamugbumwe.
The illustrations in this book are done by Heidi herself, and they are just beautiful! She is a very talented illustrator, and the pictures just add so much to this book. It was a delight for me to turn each page because they are all works of art!
If you don't win and are interested in purchasing the book, Heidi does not have it on Amazon as of yet, but you can purchase it through the Lulu bookstore website now!
I've mentioned here and there that in our family, we do once a month grocery shopping, and every time I mention it there is always someone asking me how exactly that works - well, here is my attempt to explain it!
Why We Shop Once A Month
First of all, why do we grocery shop once a month? The short answer is that our family lives in a somewhat rural area, and this is one way we save money.
1. It saves us money on gas.
2. It saves money on impulse buys.
3. It saves money on duplicate purchases.
Not only does shopping once a month save me money on the gas it would take to drive to the grocery store every week, but I find that with shopping once a month, I spend less money than if I tried to shop once a week. Grocery shopping comes with the temptation for impulse buys, and so limiting my trips to the store cuts down on that temptation. I also think that going once a month helps me keep track of what I actually have left in my pantry, so that I'm less likely to buy something that I actually already have at home.
I actually had once-a-month shopping modeled to me by my mom when I was growing up - we often went shopping just once a month, with short stops in between for perishables. So it was natural to continue doing my shopping that way as an adult. I have been once-a-month shopping since Derek and I were first married, though it has definitely become more challenging as we have added more mouths to feed.
Essentials For Once A Month Shopping
1. A deep freezer. It is a definite advantage if you want to grocery shop just once a month to own a big deep freezer. If we didn't have one, I don't think I'd be able to go a month between shopping trips. We have had a deep freezer for our entire married life because we are a hunting family, and when we get something we need a big freezer to store our supply of meat for the whole year. I use the deep freeze for more than meat though - I buy alot of fruits and vegetables in frozen form, and I freeze our bread until we need to use it. I buy the big bags of cheese and freeze half of it until we need it.
Another benefit we have - which is not an essential but is really helpful - is that we have a second fridge in our garage. It's an old fridge that was left there when we moved into our house, and it still works great, so we use it for extra space for items that need to be refrigerated. Not necessary at all, but it is an advantage we have for once-a-month shopping. You could definitely shop once a month without two refrigerators though - I did for years. A second freezer, on the other hand, is probably necessary if there are more than 2-3 people in your family.
2. A place to buy in bulk. Since we shop once a month and have a larger family, buying in bulk is a must. We have a Sam's Club membership currently, and we get alot of our most-used items there - cheese, honey, eggs, apples, peanut butter, etc. It saves us money, and I don't have to worry so much about running out of an item before the month is through since we are buying bigger quantities.
3. A place to store food. It was alot harder to buy a month ahead at our old house because we didn't have a pantry and we had limited cupboard space in our kitchen. I ended up storing alot of bulk items in our laundry room, which was not ideal, but it worked! But you definitely need enough room to store the food - if you don't have the space, once a month shopping is probably not feasible.
How I Do It
After my confession on how I am not great at meal planning (I'm working on it), you are probably wondering how I manage to shop once a month if I don't plan out our meals. Well, I do plan meals in a very general sense, just not specifically from week to week (that's where I struggle).
At the beginning of the month I go through our pantry to see what we still have in there, and I start to form some ideas of what I could make over the next month using food I already have. I usually can come up with a pretty good list of ideas this way, and then I start my grocery shopping list by filling in the ingredients that are not in my pantry.
Next, there are several items that I know we are going to need each month, regardless of what I end up making for dinner, so those go on the list. Typically it's these items:
Basic Ingredient List
Frozen chicken
Cheese
Bread
Cereal
Oatmeal
Rice
Beans (canned or dry)
Noodles
Broth
Tortillas
Frozen Vegetables
Frozen Fruit
*Some Fresh Produce
Peanut Butter
Honey
Sugar
Flour
Eggs
Butter
Olive Oil/Coconut Oil
Milk
Extras (for baked goods):
Nuts
Raisins
Craisins
Chocolate Chips
You can make alot of different types of things with basic ingredients like this, so I try to make sure we are stocked up on the basics.
I usually have a pretty good idea of how much each item is going to cost (at least I did, before inflation started messing me up), and so I start to calculate the price of all the basic things I need to get. Then I know how much wiggle room I have for the things that add the "flavor" to the menu - specific spices I'll need, condiments, special types of noodles, or any other unique ingredients - which I buy in smaller quantities.
The Shopping
After I come up with a really good grocery list, I usually have to schedule out at least 6-8 hours to get the shopping done. This is when I take one of the kids with me and we have a "mom day", with shopping a good lunch, and a small toy or treat. It's a fun and practical way to get our one-on-one time in! As I go through the store and check items off my list, I try to think about how much of each item we will need for the whole month - we typically end up with ten loaves of bread, for example, most of which will get put right into the freezer at home.
I usually pick one non-perishable item each month to stock up on as well, and I'll buy two or three months worth of that item (for example, if it's noodles, I'll buy 20 extra boxes of noodles). Stocking up here and there ensures that there is always something we could make out of basic ingredients when things start getting scarce at the end of the month, and it's also a comfort having a stock of some basics when supply chain issues and inflation start affecting things.
Then I take my ridiculously full cart to the checkout. Is it a little embarrassing - yes! But if any comments are made I just say I have five kids and only shop once a month, and that clears things up.
For transporting things home in my car, I usually bring the cooler and a huge freezer bag for the frozen items, to prevent them from thawing out while we finish our shopping. If it's a really hot day, I'll buy a bag of ice as well to help keep things cool until we get home.
Storing The Food
As I mentioned, there are alot of items that we end up freezing each month.
-All the meat that is purchased goes immediately into the freezer.
-Bulk bags of cheese are opened and separated into two freezer bags. We put one into the fridge to use, and one in the freezer, ready to be pulled out when we need a fresh bag. We also freeze extra blocks of cheese. Freezing does make block cheese crumbly though so we don't freeze unless we have to.
-We freeze all loaves of bread and tortillas that are not going to be used right away.
-I freeze any fresh produce that is freezer-friendly and that I know we won't be using right away. This is a fairly new practice for me. For example, this month I bought fresh ginger and celery in bulk, with the intention of chopping it up and freezing it for later use in soups and other recipes!
Aside from freezing, I also have started buying these five gallon buckets with gamma seal lids for my grains, and I want to get extra buckets to store flour and rice - it's just a safer way to store larger quantities of dry goods to ensure mice, moisture, or insects don't get into it!
Touch-Up Trips
Usually a couple times of month we make a very quick stop at the store for perishable items that won't last the whole month, like milk. We may occasionally have a craving for a specific meal, or I might have missed something on my grocery shopping trip, and we'll buy ingredients for that specific meal. But for the most part, we don't have to do a shopping trip until the beginning of the next month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you do about produce?
This is definitely the question I am asked most often. As I mentioned, we do buy alot of vegetables and fruits frozen, or freeze certain things ourselves - for recipes that call for vegetables, such as soups or casseroles, I feel that frozen vegetables are easier to store and work just as well. We use frozen berries for our cereals and yogurt, and frozen fruit for smoothies. Frozen produce can keep in the freezer for quite a long time, and the affects to the nutritional value are negligible, so you are still getting most of the benefits of fresh fruits and veggies!
Other produce actually does keep quite well in the fridge. For instance, we buy carrots, apples, onions, and oranges fresh and keep them in the fridge, and they easily last most of the month before looking a little wrinkly or old. Potatoes last really well just in our pantry. I buy alot of peppers (bell peppers, jalapeños, etc), and they keep for around 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
With produce that does not keep as well (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.), if I bought them for a specific meal, I try to make that meal toward the beginning of the month rather than toward the end. And for certain produce that we might like to have on hand, like bananas, I'll just buy some when we make our 2-3 milk stops during the month.
I will say that I live in a pretty dry climate, and that does help me when it comes to making produce last. I imagine areas of higher humidity may be worse for produce longevity.
Do you plan out thirty meals at the beginning of each month?
No, ha! As I mentioned, I don't think I am good at meal planning on a weekly basis, much less a whole month. What I do is think through the ingredients I have and come up with a list of possible meals for the whole month - sort of a list of options that I keep in the back of my mind. It's usually a list of 10-15 meals that I could potentially make (because I know there will be leftovers, nights eating out, nights that we just wing it, etc). Then I'll just make sure I have all the ingredients on hand for those meals (plus usually a few new recipes I want to try).
Maybe this is just us, but typically the meals we like to eat are different arrangements of alot of the same basic ingredients (see my basic ingredient list above). If I have those on hand, I can make most things I want to make for the month, without having to plan out every detail.
I'd love to try this to save money, how should I start?
I haven't got this question put exactly this way, but I'm including it here to address how it could look to start shopping less often. If you have a good amount of freezer/refrigerator space and are currently shopping once per week, you could start by stretching out your grocery shopping routine from one week to two weeks between, and see how it works for you. If it goes well and you like it, you could move to three or four weeks next and see if you find it manageable or helpful!
If you don't, that's fine too! Shopping once a month won't work for every family. It works for us because (1) we live in a rural area about 40 minutes from the nearest big town, (2) we eat rather simply (no special diets for anyone in our family), and (3) we have a good amount of freezer space, and (4) I get particularly tempted to buy "extras" when I am in the store, so being in the store less is very helpful for our budget. You may not have the same situation, benefits, or struggles that we do, but if you think shopping less often would help you, start slow until you find that sweet spot for your family!
If you have any other questions, drop them below and I'll follow up! Or if you grocery shop once a month, I'd love to hear. I feel like an aberration most of the time, since most people seem to shop once per week!
Well, it's not Tuesday, it's Monday, but I'm moving my Tea On A Tuesday to today because I want to catch up after falling off my blog challenge last week.
Drinking: Gatorade (not right now, but this week).
Elk Hunting Season
I knew it would be hard to keep up with the challenge during last week, because I had an elk tag for hunting, and I knew I would be out of the house for the whole weekend and probably one or two weekdays as well. Elk hunting tags are not very easy to draw, and I was excited to give it a try again! It's been probably 15 years since I've been elk hunting.
A couple year ago I went deer hunting and was successful, but elk hunting is so different. Deer tend to be all over in smaller groups, but elk are often clustered together in one big group at this point in the year, until the bulls start to go off on their own. Elk also tend to like rougher terrain, so it's often alot more work to find them and to get to where they are. Often during elk season it's famine until it's a feast. You don't see any at all until one day you suddenly do.
That's pretty much how my elk hunting season went. We went out there consistently over the weekend, and we tried road hunting during the week (driving the roads and using binoculars to try to find some elk - had to do it that way when we had no one to babysit the kids). I went out for another full day with my dad during the week since Derek had to work. We saw literally nothing the enire time, until the very last evening when we spotted five bulls...on private land. So I didn't get anything. Se la vie.
(Big Dipper there in that last picture.)
Losing Harvey
But there was a sad memory from last week too, because our sweet dog, Harvey, died. Even though I knew it was coming, the whole thing was harder than I thought. We first got Harvey a year into our marriage, before we had kids. He's been with us a long time. It hurts a little to go home now, because for my entire life (literally, since I was born), I've always had a dog waiting there to greet me when I arrived home - and now there is nothing at home except a quiet and dark house.
The kids took it hard, but they have seemed to bounce back well. We buried Harvey on our property, under a young pine tree, and the kids decorated the place where he's buried. Then we gathered around and prayed and thanked God that He gave us Harvey as our dog. Dogs are just gifts aren't they? Their great purpose for us is for comfort and companionship, and I think that's a gift from God for however long He lets us have them.
We've all been missing Harvey quite a bit, but I am glad that the kids have this experience of having and losing a dog. To own a dog is to know that one day you will lose them. Their lives are too short; it's unavoidable. I've long thought that there is a really good lesson for kids about life and death to be had through owning a dog. You have this creature, you love them, they become a part of your family, and then one day they are gone. There is real pain there, it's a real grief. But in going through that, it's a relatively safe way for kids to experience death and learn how to deal with it. To go through that sharp pain of loss, to feel devastated and sad, but to come out on the other side of it too. Then they have that memory, that map through grief, in their pocket when they'll really need it - for when they lose a loved one, a human being that is more valuable than a dog. Because they've loved and lost a dog, when a larger sorrow visits them, they'll know through experience that even though the pain is so great, there is a way through it, and they'll eventually be okay.
After all that last week, I decided we all just needed an easy week, so we've been doing alot of reading books together for our homeschool, and I've cleaned the house quite a bit (apparently my coping mechanism). We saw friends for a hike on Friday, and my father-in-law for lunch on Sunday, and we're getting back into our routine this week. Every now and then a pang of sadness hits me, like when I'm eating cereal and thinking about how I'll give the leftover milk to Harvey, and then I remember he's not there to drink it.
But overall it's been a beautiful fall week, spicy scents filling the air, I'm working on baking some bread, and there is snow in the forecast, a dusting of white to freshen up the world again. I bought Christmas decorations last Friday, getting a head start on the season.
There is always the next thing to do, and life rolls on.
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Hope you've been having a good week, friends, and here's what I have coming up on the blog this week!
Tuesday: How We Do Once-A-Month Grocery Shopping
Wednesday: {Review & Giveaway} African Pearls: A Story Of Faith In Uganda
Thursday: Homeschool topic (TBD)
Friday: Book Catchup
As I mentioned in a recent post, I am reading C. S. Lewis's The Abolition Of Man this month, and I just finished the third and final chapter of this short book. I have to get a few thoughts out. This book really is very deep and impactful, and I recommend everyone read it.
As I explained in my previous post, Lewis starts the book by explaining this idea which he labels for convenience the "tao", the idea that there is an inherent worth to things, which we recognize when our affections are rightly ordered. The value of those things (or actions) doesn't come from our affections but is inherent, and we have to recognize their value through our right affections in order to be in "alignment" with this greater meaning which underlies creation. I believe that this greater meaning and purpose is given by the true and living God, the Creator of everything - if He doesn't give things their meaning, there is no meaning, and that's the problem that Lewis starts to dip into in the third chapter.
To sum up the third chapter, Lewis is arguing that man's quest to "conquer" nature is dangerous when we stifle, or try to explain away (which amounts to the same thing), the inherent value and morality that underlies the universe. There has to be a point when we stop and recognize that there is something deeper at work in the created world, that the universe and human beings themselves are more than just the sum of their parts - and if we won't stop there, we don't truly conquer nature at all, but we become a slave to nature without God. And that is a terrifying place to be.
"It is the magician's bargain: give up our soul, get power in return. But once our souls, that is, ourselves, have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls. It is in Man's power to treat himself as a mere "natural object" and his own judgements of value as raw material for scientific manipulation to alter at will...The real objection is that if man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be."
-C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
Without a deeper meaning to the universe, all that is left is our arbitrary desires, motivated by untethered emotional impulses, and not even our own impulses, but whatever we have been educated to think about our impulses by those who have more earthly power than ourselves.
When we start to reduce everything in nature to some "scientific" explanation, and even reduce our own selves to mere molecules with no significant purpose, except perhaps "the survival of the fittest" - but even the survival of the fittest means nothing if our species is of no more value than anything else - well, we haven't risen over nature at all. We've merely destroyed ourselves - we've rejected the underlying thing that makes us human. We've scorned the value of being made in the image of God, we've thrown it away by treating the universe and worse, ourselves as parts with no divine Hand holding us together. We've abolished man in it's truest sense.
"'White!' he sneered. 'It serves as a beginning. 'White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten, and the white light can be broken.'
'In which case it is no longer white,' said I, 'And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'"
-Conversation between Saruman and Gandalf, The Fellowship Of The Ring
This third chapter was somewhat horrifying to read, because I can see these philosophies at work in society today. Scientists all over the world have, in the words of Malcolm in Jurassic Park, been so busy wondering if they can, that they've neglected the very important question of whether they should. They've scoffed at and rejected the true purpose of all mankind, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and instead they have sought to wield their own power over nature, to their own ends. As the sinful, fallen creatures as we are, this whole thing turns dystopian pretty quick.
So how can we stop this frightening progression? I don't truly know. It may be that only Christ Himself will stop it when He returns in judgement. But I think we, as Christians who care about the image of God in man and the glory of God in His creation - we slow it down by teaching our kids that there is more to this world than what meets the eye. That they themselves have inherent value because of the meaning and purpose that God Himself put into every molecule of their being - the same God who that at this very moment holds up all of the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Man may remove all meaning and morality in his own mind, but he cannot do it in reality. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:1-11). There will be no explaining away then.
"But you cannot go on "explaining away" forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on "seeing through" things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to "see through" first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To "see through" all things is the same as not to see."
C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
As always, Lewis says it better, these are just my thoughts on the chapter! I highly recommend the book, it gives so much food for thought.
For the next few years we are taking one continent to study in-depth in our homeschool, and this year the continent is Africa! I wanted to share a few of the resources that I am looking at including in our studies this year - there are so many good ones, and I'm sure I'll end up finding more than appear in this list!
Curriculum:
Taking Africa For Jesus by Generations - This is our core book for our Africa studies. We started the year strong on this book, and we are already six chapters in! We have learned about Ancient Egypt through this resource, as well as the beginnings of the spread of Christianity in Africa. What I love about these elementary history/geography courses from Generations is the focus on tying everything in with biblical history and church history. For example, we learned about some of the Pharaohs in the chapters on Ancient Egypt, but the focus was on the pharaohs who were in power during the time that different biblical figures were in Egypt, such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. It also give archeological evidence for why they believe different pharaohs to be the pharaohs associated with the biblical accounts. My kids were so interested in the biblical connections! I also think this would be a really great resource to introduce Ancient Egypt to younger kids, because it doesn't get too deep into their pagan religions and practices. We read this one all together, even with my first grader.
Ancient Egypt & Her Neighbors by Lorene Lambert - As far as African history goes, alot of the history that is easily available is going to be Egyptian, since we don't know very much about what went on in the rest of Africa for much of it's history. It also seems like Ancient Egypt is one of those topics that everyone has to learn at some point, so I figured this was the year to dip our toes in. The thing I like best about this book is that it is written in such an engaging way! So much information is given, but when I read it to the kids, none of us get bored. What I don't love (but what really can't be helped) is that it does give more detail about the pagan religions of the Egyptians, in the context of explaining some of their odd customs - there is not too many details, but enough that I make sure we spend some time talking about it and comparing what we're learning to the Bible (which, ultimately, is a good thing too). I usually let my little girls skip this one - I think it's better for upper elementary and middle school.
The Boy Of The Pyramids by Ruth Fosdick Jones - This is a mystery story set in Ancient Egypt, and it gives an engaging picture of the way that the Egyptians might have lived on a daily basis. Not too much is included of a religious nature, which is also appreciated! Slavery was very common back then, so slavery is also a big part of the plot. Because of that, I'd save it for mid to upper elementary.
The Things They Made: Egypt - This is a great picture resource that I got from Simply Charlotte Mason, and it adds some beautiful visuals to go along with Ancient Egypt & Her Neighbors, printed on high-quality cardstock!
Coloring Books:
Dover Coloring Books: For my little girls, who can't take notes very well yet, I thought it would be nice for them to have something to color instead. I am ordering this coloring book of the African plains, but also think this one on Egyptian fashion looks fun!
Missionary Stories:
I feel very strongly about including missionary stories as we study history and geography - there are so many great ones, and I love to see how God works to bring His gospel to the different areas of the world through ordinary men and women.
Trailblazer Series - I haven't finalized which of these biographies we will read yet, but I am eyeing the one on Helen Rosaveare, Mary Slessor, Robert Moffat, or a different book about David Livingstone. I don't know a ton about any of these individuals, so I'll do a little research and then decide!
Twins' Adventures In Africa by Janice and Faye Rostvitt - This is a collection stories written by missionaries that my childhood church supported, and the Rostvitt twins visited us many times! I can't link it because I don't believe it is sold online, but it will be neat to be able to read their experiences to my kids, since I grew up hearing their stories when they came to speak at our little white church.
African Pearls: A Story Of Faith From Uganda by Pastor Aloys Ntamugabumwe and Jenifer Ntamugbumwe - Speaking of personal connections, I was sent a copy of this book by my dear friend, Heidi Brompton, who is the editor and illustrator! She has personal connections with the Pastor and his daughter whose story is told in this book. It's so neat for us to be able to read stories from friends of a friend! The kids and I started reading this in the last few weeks...first off, let me just say the illustrations are gorgeous. Each page is a work of art! For the pictures alone I would love this book, but Heidi and the Ntamugbumwes beautifully weave in African history with the experiences of missionary life and with testimonies of people in Uganda who have come to know Christ. I am biased, as a friend of Heidi's, but even if I wasn't, I think this would be one of my favorite resources as we study Africa this year.
A giveaway for African Pearls is coming to my blog very soon, so stay tuned! I'll also give you a closer look at the illustrations inside - they are gorgeous.
I'd love to hear any other homeschool resources on Africa that you've liked! I'd especially like to explore books related to other countries in Africa, since alot of our book are Egypt-focused so far. Comment below if you have suggestions for me.
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