Pregnancy Update: 38 Weeks

(My sister and I at Thanksgiving.)

Last week, I went three times to a Chiropractor who specializes in the Webster technique - an adjustment that relaxes the mother's muscles and ligaments, thus allowing baby more room to move and turn into a head-down position. After the first visit, I could tell Baby clearly had a lot more breathing room. Suddenly Baby's kicks were all over the place!

After my second visit, my belly changed shape and I looked and felt different.

Yesterday my midwife came for my 38 week appointment and we found out that Baby has indeed turned. Baby Clark is now head down!

Praise the Lord for answered prayer.

Budget Buster - Biscuits

One of our Saturday traditions is making a big breakfast. Scrambled eggs, sausage, and biscuits is one of our favorites. For what you get, canned biscuits are a big budget buster. Did you know that making biscuits is really easy?

Try this instead of buying canned:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening or cold butter
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup milk
• 
  

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in shortening or butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and milk; use fork to stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Using an ice cream scoop, place scoops of dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Do you have traditional breakfasts on the weekends? What are you favorites?

Prepare Your Heart for Thanksgiving

How foolish we are when we think answered prayers are always the things we wanted most. Any time God makes us more like Him; that's an answer to our most needful prayer, regardless of how that comes.

Lord, make us thankful!

Free Math Curriculum

The Ray's Arithmetic series begins at a preliterate level with counting; then takes the child through addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and so upward until calculus, teaching concepts with thorough explanations followed by ample problem sets. The Ray's series provides a very full-bodied course of mathematics.

I love Ray's Arithmetic because it focuses on mental math and uses an abundance of word problems, teaching children the practical use of math.

You can get it here for free.

Rescued

Thought You'd Get a Kick Out of This

In addition to the exercises I posted here for helping turn a breech baby, I've also been using this contraption:

My dad just happened to have an inversion table AND he generously let me borrow it. {Thanks, Dad!}

Doesn't this look relaxing? Well, it's not actually. I'm faking it for your sake. Maybe without the 6-pounder inside me, it'd feel a little better. ;)

By the way, thank you so much for all your prayers. Your words of encouragement meant so much to me! The Lord answered my biggest request almost immediately: I haven't had any anxiety about baby's position. I have total peace knowing that God is sovereign and His timing is perfect. Praise the Lord!

It's That Time of Year!!!

I love this time of year!! When Vision Forum begins their biggest sale of the year and I can stock up on all the stuff my kids want for Christmas, and save a ton of money on their wishes!!
WooHoo!

Free Geography Curriculum

Home Geography for Primary Grades walks you through basic geography in a Charlotte Mason style (gentle learning through short lessons) and is applicable to everywhere in the world.

You can get it here for free.

A Sacrifice of Love

Happy Adoption Month,

Pregnancy Update: 35 Weeks

At my midwife appointment last week, we discovered that Baby had flipped and was in the Frank breech position. I went to my Chiropractor on Monday to see if she could release the ligaments around my womb to allow Baby to turn. Midwife came again on Tuesday. Baby hadn't turned yet, so she referred me to a Chiropractor who specializes in the Webster technique - a maneuver that has great success in turning breech babies.

Thankfully, my midwife has a lot of experience with breech deliveries, but we would all still prefer that Baby turn.

So I'm doing several inversions each day to try to turn Baby:

Kyle and I have been struggling with anxiety about this. We are praying for God to be glorified in the safe delivery of this baby, regardless of which part comes out first. ;)

Please also pray that we will remember that God is sovereign and we can trust Him.

How the Frugal Wealthy Live

The world's frugal billionaires live well below their means and save money in surprising places. Here's their tips:

1. Keep Your Home Simple
Billionaires can afford to live in the most exclusive mansions imaginable -- yet frugal billionaires like Warren Buffett choose to keep it simple. Buffett still lives in the five-bedroom house in Omaha that he purchased in 1957 for $31,500.

2. Use Self-Powered or Public Transportation
Thrifty billionaires including John Caudwell, David Cheriton and Chuck Feeney prefer to walk, bike or use public transportation when getting around town.

3. Buy Your Clothes off the Rack
While some people, regardless of their net value, place a huge emphasis on wearing designer clothes and shoes, frugal billionaires decide it's simply not worth the effort, or expense.

4. Keep Your Scissors Sharp
Cut your own hair at home. Save an average of $40 per person per cut.

5. Drive a Regular Car
The idea is to buy a dependable car, and drive it into the ground. No need for a different car each day of the week for these frugal billionaires.

6. Skip Luxury Items
Carlos Slim (who could spend more than a thousand dollars a minute and not run out of money for one hundred years) does not own a yacht or a plane. (Reducing the amount you spend is the easiest way to make your money grow.)

Homeschool Help Needed

If your kids have great handwriting, I need to know what curriculum you use.

If you're like me and haven't seen much improvement in your kids' handwriting, then come back here later for answers.

Thanks in advance, faithful readers,

True Beauty