Weekend Links - April 20, 2013

Well, another week has come and gone. This brings us closer to Baby Boy (due May 9) and also to leaving our current house. As of right now that's supposed to happen before April 30 but we don't have it actually scheduled. It was supposed to be April 25. And then it wasn't. And then it was again and we have no idea what's happening right now.

Which is OK, I suppose, because our rental house isn't ready for us to move in. So we have stuff piled at my parents' and in Philip's church office (and a closet at church) and in our house. Boxes and stuff everywhere. Not good for this wannabe nesting mama.

Then there's the house hunt. We were supposed to look at 6 houses Thursday. One realtor never got back with ours about scheduling a showing. One house went pending that morning. Two houses were completely out of the question. One house was sweet - like a time warp with the original 1950's metal cabinets and such. That house really wasn't big enough for what we want, and anyway, it went pending yesterday.

Then there was a house that was in a good location in our price range. It was slightly smaller than we want, but we could probably make it work (theoretically). But now that one is kind of up in the air as to its status and we are back to Square 1 with no more houses in our price range in decent areas that are suitable for a soon-to-be family of seven.

I'm feeling kind of discouraged this morning, honestly. So, we better get on to the links because I've saved several that I think I need to go back and read again.

Spiritual / Inner Life

• A Timely Reminder for Tax Day by Erin Davis. I actually need this reminder a lot lately: God is our Provider and dependence on Him is a good thing. 
• An Honest Response to "I Love Jesus But Hate Religion" from Marc5Solas.
• Lay Aside the Weight of Doubt by Jon Bloom.
• You Are Stronger from Sometimes a Light. A forgotten but needed perspective concerning the Gosnell trial and the abortion issue in our country.
• Mirror Wars by Trillia Newbell.
• 9 Things You Should Know About Female Body Image Issues by Joe Carter. (Related to the above post and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.)
• Facebook Friends and Sin by Jesse Johnson.
• Surrendering Our Fears by Caroline at Do Not Depart.
• His Plans are Perfect by Sarah at My Joy Filled Life.
• EST: 3 Letters That Can Sabotage Simple Living by Andrea Decker. (I think the application of this principle covers more than simple living.)
• Praying for More than "Safe" by Erin Davis.

Marriage / Parenting

• Why We Won't Let a Village Raise Our Kids by Ruth at Living Well, Spending Less.
• 5 Ways You Can Help the Mom of a Newborn by Paula at Beauty Through Imperfection. Just in case you, ahem, know anyone about to have a baby...
• Do You Ever Feel Like a Failure? By Christy at The Better Mom.
• Holy or Happy? What is the Purpose of Marriage? By J at Hot, Holy, & Humorous.
• To My Only Son and Future Daughter-in-Law by Kate at Filled to the Brim. (Tongue in cheek, of course, but I really need to print this out for my little man, don't you think?)
• It's OK if You're Not Enjoying Being a Mom This Week by Lisa-Jo Baker.
• The Most Loving Thing I've Done as a Mom by Lisa Jacobson.
• The #1 Thing a Christian Woman Should Look for in a Husband by Jolene Engle. This is something we talk about often with our girls. (Sample conversation: Philip asked them, "What if a boy says he loves God but he never wants to go to church?" Sweet Pea piped up, "Then he's probably a liar!" That's my girl.)
• Raising our Sons to Seek After God by Lisa Jacobson. (She was on a roll this week!)
• Ask Auntie Leila: How to Talk to Children About Scary News from Like Mother, Like Daughter. Excellent advice.

Homeschooling / Education

•  The Jury's In: Screen Time Hurts Little Kids by Julia Steiny.
• 5 Things to Remember When One Child Excels But The Other Struggles by Heather at The Homeschool Classroom.
• Latin for Moms: Understanding the Five Basic Cases by Brandy at Afterthoughts. Latin is one subject I really enjoy studying with my girls, although it's slipped by the wayside during these crazy days.

Uncategorized

• Why You Should Read Narnia in Publication Order by Trevin Wax. I've been saying this for years. I feel so strongly about it, I actually put my girls' copy of these books in the correct order in their slipcase, even though that meant the numbers on the spines were wrong. (You have to understand that I'm the girl that alphabetizes her movies in order to understand what an accomplishment this was.)
• The Best Ice Cream Day Ever from Kristen at Celebrate Every Day With Me. I really want to do this with the girls sometime. (Ooh, new thought: this would be fun with doughnut shops too.)
• I haven't made any secret of the fact that I love Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds in particular. Here's a story that made me love both even more (I was listening to this game on the radio): Todd Frazier Delivers Home Run After Ball Boy Ted Kremer's Request. Great, feel-good story you don't want to miss, even if you're not a Reds fan. (But seriously: why wouldn't you be? Just kidding.)

Pins of the Week:
I love library card catalogs and dream of finding my own one of these days:

Source: dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

This phenomenon is even worse while packing, FYI:

Source: someecards.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

My love of a great nook is well documented, I believe:

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

That's all for this week. Please forgive the venting nature of the beginning paragraphs. It's nice to have friends who will just listen to us and understand our frustration with these crazy times.

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