Giveaway Winner!!

The winner of the "Becky's Beary Cute Hats & Creations Giveaway" via put-all-entries-in-a-bowl-and-let-my-son-pick-one, is HOLCHA!!!!!

Congratulations!! Please contact me and pick your prize!

Thank you to those who entered and to those who support me and what I do! Please look for another giveaway (and review) coming in the next few weeks!!

Kindergarten here we come!

I am so excited that we decided to stick with our decision to homeschool this year! I was equally excited when curriculum catalogs started coming in the mail....that excitement quickly became intimidation as I poured for hours over these catalogs and fellow homeschooling mom blogs trying to decide which curriculum we should use.
When we made this decision, I had no clue there were so many options! So after a lot of prayer, catalog scouring and A LOT more prayer we have decided to go with (drum roll, please!) ..................................

Rod and Staff ABC Series (plus GHI). This is technically their preschool workbooks, since the company starts at first grade. However, the material covered (plus some phonics) is what one would learn in Kindergarten.

I went to Rod & Staff's website (which I love b/c you can look through workbooks so you know what you'll be getting!) and fell in love with these workbooks. Bubba isn't a fan of workbooks. Correction: he isn't a fan of  doing worksheet after worksheet after worksheet. But that's the best part of these workbooks, at this level the child only completes 2-3 pages per day! It also offers a very gently approach to learning and eases the child into new concepts so that they don't become overwhelmed.

So we ordered then, and waited...the workbooks arrived within a week! Fantastic shipping time considering this is the high of "curriculum ordering season"!
I opened the box and this is what was inside:

This series was originally called the ABC series, but they have since added GH and I. It seems like an easy curriculum to go through (for the parent). No real planning, except to figure out how many pages to do each day. The suggested pace is to start with "Adventures with Books" and then follow with each of the subsequent workbooks in order. However "Bible pictures to color" and "Bible stories to read" are to be used along side whichever workbook you are currently working on. The website suggests 3 workbook pages each day, but every 3rd day replace the 3rd worksheet with one out of BSTR and BSTC (the coloring page corresponds with the Bible story read!).
We will also be using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" for phonics. And we will throw in some lap books for fun!

I am uber excited to begin. I love new adventures!!!

Please, if you have a blog, feel free to leave a link to your blog so I can visit yours!

Becky's Beary Cute Hats & Creations Giveaway!!!

Since we have reached the 15 fan milestone, I would like to thank my loyal readers (new and old!) by giving away one custom item (winner's choice) from "Becky's Beary Cute Hats & Accessories"!!!!!

What is that?! You may ask. Well, if you didn't know, I LOVE to crochet! So I started a little side business of custom crocheted hats and accessories.

So the winner of this giveaway will get to pick out any item from my store for free!! This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and will end on Sunday, August 5th.

How to enter:
You will have 4 chances to enter!
1.) Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (it's free to sign up!)
2.) "Like" BBCH&A on Face book and comment here (with your email provided for contact should you win)
3.) Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which item you would choose and why (with your email provided for contact should you win)
4.)Share this post on FB and comment here that you did (with your email provided for contact should you win)

Thank you for all your support!! Good luck!!

Mama Guilt

OK ladies, I want to talk about something serious today.

Mama guilt.
If you know what I'm talking about then you've been a mom for longer than 2 days. If you don't, then you're probably not a mom LOL!

For those that don't know what Mama guilt is, I'll explain. Mama guilt (as defined by yours truly ;) ) is the feeling that a mama gets that makes her feel like the worst mother in the world! What causes this feeling? It can be anything from not breastfeeding (yes guys, moms that have a desire to breastfeed feel extreme guilt if they are unable to) to wanting/needing to go on vacation without the kids (and for me this would include going to the store by myself! LOL)
 It, sadly, can also come from other moms! You know what I'm talking about ladies. When you make a decision (whether it be choosing NOT to breastfeed, working outside the home or whichever form of education you choose for your children) that another mom doesn't agree with and they give you that look. The look that says, "Well aren't you selfish!"
It can also come from a mom who doesn't intend to cast judgement upon another mom, but that is passionate about her choices. I have been guilty of this myself. And I feel horrible that I have caused a fellow mom to doubt her choices.
There are several blogs that I follow and look to for encouragement, and these women are very passionate about what they are writing. As a fellow writer, I understand that :)
But I read something today on a blog (and I will paraphrase) that said that if a mom chooses to have a career and work outside the home she is selling her children's souls. Because she is choosing money and satisfaction over raising her children herself. It also went on to say that when, said mom, faces God on judgment day; she would tell Him her accomplishments and He would admonish her that it came at the cost of her children's souls.
Talk about Mama guilt!!
Yes, I am planning to homeschool my children, but in the back of my mind I hope to go back to school one day.
I understand that this blogger was trying to encourage women to take their roles as "keepers of the home" (Titus 2:3-5) seriously, but she completely alienated those who also feel a calling to work.

I 'm not here today to decide whether she is right or wrong, and I won't try to persuade you otherwise. I only want to say that as moms we have got to stop making each other feel bad about our parenting choices!
You do what you feel (and have prayed about) is right for your family, and I'll do what I feel lead for mine! We were all created different with different talents and desires and our parenting choices will reflect that.
I also want to say that (most) choices are not permanent. So my choice to homeschool next year, is exactly that. To homeschool next year! Will I homeschool the next year? Who knows?! We may get into it and decide that we love it and couldn't imagine doing it any other way...or...I may get into it and say "What was I thinking?!" And would then PRAY about it and do something different the next year.

I guess what I'm getting at is, pray about the choices you make for your family. And then be proud of them! And of yourself!! You are a great mom, so get rid of the guilt and tell the devil what he can do with it!
Love,
Mrs. B

Not Backing Down!

The enemy has been on my case lately. He's practically made camp on my back porch. Whispering doubts in my ear to the point that the wall that I have been building was down. And then he attacked, loud and clear! And sadly, he used someone else's words to do it. Whether this person knew it or not, Satan was using him/her to break my spirit...and it worked.
By yesterday, the enemy's taunts were ringing in my ears and by this morning my reserve was gone. I was ready to be normal.
So I woke up this morning and begged God to give me....something. I didn't even know what to pray for. I was craving some sort of encouragement. I needed to know that what I have been doing is the right thing. Or would it matter if I slipped back in to being "normal"? I needed to hear from Him. But I got nothing...He was silent.
Discouraged, I got up, put on a pair of jean,s and let the boys watch whatever they wanted. This, to some, may not be a huge deal and to most probably sounds very trivial. But in our home this was pretty big.
Then I checked my facebook, and I found these words of encouragement from my wonderful husband ,

"I want you to know how proud I am to be married to such a Godly woman, a woman who can stand up for what she believes in, and a great mother and wife who shines Gods light in our home. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!"

And this from my pastor:
When you become tired and weary in the work of the Lord remember, "for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

I prayed a tearful thanksgiving to my Lord for using these men to lift me up when I was giving up.
So to the devil I say, "Go away! You are not welcome here! In the name of Jesus, you will leave my house not to return! I will keep being the woman God has called me to be. I will keep His standards for myself and my children, not yours or this worlds!"

On a side note, if anyone would like to know what I have decided in regard to the superhero issue. Bubba (new alias!) will be phasing out of secular superheros, and will be encouraged to look up to Bibleman and real life heroes. I am just not comfortable with him looking up to characters that go against God's standards.

Mrs. B

Comment Section Changes

So after some harassing comments from someone "anonymous". I have changed it to where you must be a registered user. If you have any questions on how to do this, please contact me through facebook. I am sorry that this has changed, but I will not allow me or my family to be harassed by someone that isn't brave enough to use their own name.
love,
Mrs. B

What I learned from having pink eye...

Exactly two weeks ago, today, I woke up with pink eye! I have NEVER had this in my life, so I was mortified!! It made me feel germy, ewww!!
So because of the dreaded PE, I had to throw away my current pair of contacts (what a pain b/c I only have one pair left!) and ALL of my eye make up. I was distraught! Anyone that knows me well, knows that I don't go ANYWHERE without my concealer (hello raccoon eyes!) , eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara - go ahead call me high maintenance! To this Mr. B replied, "So? What's that gonna cost? Like ?10 bucks?"
Oh Mr. B, who lives in boy land....what can I do with him?? I love him, but he had no idea! Mascara alone would cost $10!!
So since I am ever frugal and budget friendly (I refuse to call myself cheap), two weeks later, I still haven't bought any makeup :/
But I have learned a few things in the past two weeks that I would have never learned without getting the funk:

http//:www.hispanicvoice.wordpress.com

1.)Mr. B prefers me without makeup (big plus!!!)
2.)It's pretty nice to be able to spend a sweaty day outside and not worry that my makeup has slid down my face and that I now look like an extra from "Night of the Living Dead".
3.)My niece (who is a lover of makeup herself :)) said I looked "fresh faced"! I took it as a compliment :)
4.) I feel like I look younger??
5.)I don't really have raccoon eyes-they just look that way in comparison to the face I'm used to seeing in the mirror.
6.)That face that I was used to seeing...wasn't mine....
7.)God made me, so those freckles that I "have" to hide are there on purpose.
8.)Makeup can act as a mask. When I've been up all night with NKOTB, it's too easy to cover up the dark circles with concealer and when someone asks me how I'm doing to say, "fine!" When actually I'm exhausted beyond relief and could use a break.
9.) It's OK to not look perfect all the time. Flaws can be pretty too!
10.) I actually like myself without make up :)
11.) I wish I would have gotten pink eye years ago!!

http//:www.trend-setters.co.uk
Penelope Cruz-with and without makeup

Now don't get me wrong, I will probably go out and replace my makeup (maybe ha!). But at least I don't feel like I "have" to wear it, or I can't leave the house! It's very liberating to like myself just the way God made me.....freckles, dark circles, brown mousy hair and all :))