Simple Mom

I had mentioned a while back how much I enjoyed using Blurb for my digital scrap-booking. It is a free download, easy to use and probably cheaper than all the costs that go into paper scrap-booking. On top of that, I don't have the hassle of getting pictures developed and I can print as many copies of my books as I want for grandparents, friends, siblings, etc...

Again, thanks to marrying an Apple user, I can be more creative with programs like Pages to make my lay-outs. I'm sure Windows has some equivalent, but I'm not up-to-date on it. I highly recommend this method of keeping and sharing memories.

Here's my latest page for my daughter's "First Year" book:

Here are some from the book I did for my son's first year:

Hooked yet?!

1. I've had a terrible cold - it's just draining me, and I'm praying it will be gone before I give birth.

2. After listening to a good sermon at church that convicted me about time spent on the computer, I am trying to be more scheduled and disciplined about my internet time - even before a baby forces that upon me.

So, please forgive me as I cut back a bit. Or maybe it won't seem like I have since I have prepared some posts for after the baby is born. Either way, it doesn't matter. What is important is keeping my priorities straight.

Meanwhile, if you are doing a mindless task and need something to listen to:

1. Our pastor (Andy Gemmill) is doing a series called "iWise: Gospel Perspectives on the Virtual World." From their main page, click on the Audio option and you can find his past three sermons to download. The one that I referred to is the third sermon: "iKnow: Blogging, Wiki and Revelation."

2. I have enjoyed listening to Dr. Voddie Baucham's "Biblical Womanhood" on YouTube. He has some good reminders for us women about what it means to live as a Titus 2 woman.

I love the philosophy of "Simple Mom".  She has many great tips for simplifying life, saving money, managing time, etc...   It totally appeals to my minimalistic self. 

This week she is focusing on cloth diapers. Part of the week is a cloth diaper give-away.  In unashamedly trying to boost my chances for a win, I am sharing the news here so that you can track back to her website. =)  I've collected pieces here and there to try cloth on baby number two, but everything is used and not necessarily matching. Some good quality, new diapers would be amazing!

Seriously... if there is any chance you might be in the cloth diaper world sometime, she and guest posters have shared very clear explanations of what it entails, the products out there, videos for us visual learners, and some excellent give-aways.

Enjoy!

Here are some links that I enjoyed reading. Maybe there are things that will benefit you as well.

There is no society as cleanliness-focused as the US. (I state it as a fact. That is my opinion, but I do know that it is a common impression of Americans.) Don't get me wrong... other countries are very clean as well, but they don't have, or want, the hosts of cleaning products that we have. I have an uneasiness about the hygienic standards we hold ourselves to in the states. Germs aren't all that bad. They help to strengthen our bodies and build immunities. Chemicals, on the other hand, ARE quite bad for us. I wonder if we have over-sterilized our lives with unsafe products and if that is not the cause of increase in allergies, intolerances and other ailments affecting children today? (But, then again, I should admit that I am the type of mother who would take my kids to play with other kids who have chicken pox just so that they would catch it at a young age. Is that bad?)

Excellent ideas! Kids these days have way too many toys. I would far prefer giving my children experiences than endless amounts of plastic. (Grandparents, please read!!)

I need these tips.

I will mourn the day, but it is bound to come that my son will start dropping his afternoon naps. I plan, however, to train him into having a quiet time even if he doesn't sleep. We all need down time; it refreshes us. These bins are great ideas for giving children quiet play time alone.

A History on Nursery Rhymes - 24 Terrifying, Thoughtful and Absurd Nursery Rhymes for Children

Educational and amusing.  I've often wondered where our rather violent nursery rhymes come from.  I've known that many of them have historical backgrounds, but it was interesting to get more details about it.

Spotify is basically a combination of iTunes and radio.  You can look up an album, song or artist and then listen to the entire playlist that pulls up.  It is legal and so far FREE (though my husband says that it is still in beta form, and the "free" might change after they see how well it markets.)  For the time being though, I have been enjoying listening to musical artists and soundtracks just like I would on our iTunes with very rare commercial breaks.. and did I mention FREE??  Obviously they don't play some of the more obscure musicians or albums, but I've been quite impressed with their extensive selection.  I think we've listened to every version of "The Wheels on the Bus" that are out there during the course of my son's obsession.  

Freecycle - This is one of the coolest things that I have been introduced to lately.  Maybe this just shows how long I've been outside of the western world and how out-dated I am, but I'd like to think this might be new to other people as well. Basically, Freecycle is an online group you join where people offer items they are no longer using and it is free for the taking if you can pick it up.  I like this on so many levels.  I can get rid of things I've enjoyed to homes that will use them, I can receive free things that might cost a lot of money otherwise, and it is environmental because all that stuff doesn't just go in the trash.  There are networks all over the world, so sign up and find out what is being given away in your neighborhood.

Librivox - This one I'm borrowing from my cousin's blog.  She introduced me to this great source for free audiobooks.  All the books are in the public domain, so you won't find any new releases, but they have a good selection of classic books and poetry.

Blurb - This is a personal favorite of mine.  (The program is free, but of course you have to pay for the printing.)  While the idea of scrap-booking is appealing as a creative past time, I can neither afford all the supplies nor do I care to have to pull out and put away all those bits of paper and cute little doo-dads that people use.  There are definitely some people who do it well, and I admire them, but for me I have found digital scrap-booking to work best.  There are many programs out there that allow you to upload your pictures and create a book.  Blurb offers a free download of their program and the cost of printing is better than many I've seen.  They are constantly updating and improving their service as well. I wonder if it doesn't save you money in the end because you don't have to keep developing your pictures as you go along. Because I married a Mac user, I have benefitted from being able to use Apple programs to create my own pages and uploading them to the Blurb books rather than being confined to their lay-out options.  I've made three books so far and my hope is to make one for the first year of each child I have.  Hop over to their website at check out some of the amazing books people have created.