Refresh | September Edition
A scrumptious zucchini recipe. homemaking habits, & encouragement for homeschooling moms
Hello friend!
Happy September! I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful summer – how can it be almost over already?! This summer has gone by far too quickly for our family, so even though schools in our areas started the week of August 19, we will enjoy just a bit more summer and wait to start school until next week when we return from a family reunion for my side of our family. Flexibility in our schedule is one of the best parts of homeschooling; it helps balance out some of the hard parts.
Speaking of the hard parts of homeschooling, if you are a homeschooling mom, you’ll enjoy reading the post “Encouragement for Homeschool Moms: 7 Things to Remember When You’re Overwhelmed.” Scroll down to the Biblical Encouragement Section to read a short excerpt and find a link to the article.
Today, I’m also sharing a recipe for delicious zucchini muffins (in case you are enjoying an abundance of the crop like we are!), a recap of our summer series, Habits of the Homemaker, and lots more.
I pray that this edition of Refresh is a blessing to you. Find a quiet spot if you can, put your feet up, and come, be refreshed!
Nourishing Recipes
Around here, people joke that you should never leave your car unlocked this time of year because people might put zucchini in it when you’re not looking. Now, my family and I (even my kids!) love to eat zucchini in many different ways, but a favorite is in Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. This recipe is great because you can make it now with fresh zucchini or through the long winter months with zucchini stashed away in your freezer. If you try this recipe and love it, please share it with a friend and leave a rating so it’s easier for others to find!
Simplified Homemaking
Over the summer, I took a break from publishing the regular monthly Refresh newsletter and instead sent out a five-part mini-series on Habits of the Homemaker. If you missed any of the series, the entire article is now available on my blog: 5 Smart Homemaking Habits of the Proverbs 31 Homemaker.
As a refresher, the five habits that we talked about are:
Take delight in your work
Rise early to meet the day instead of scurrying to catch up to it
Graciously accept help when you need it.
Prepare today for a calmer tomorrow
Rest and take satisfaction in a job well done
The Habits of the Homemaker post is the third in the series Homemaking 101: Practical Wisdom from Proverbs 31. Lord willing, the fourth (and I think final!) part of the series will be available next month, and together, we’ll unpack some financial wisdom we can learn from the virtuous woman.
Can I ask you a favor? Do you have a tip or nugget of wisdom that has helped you on your financial journey and that you think others would find helpful? If so, please send me a message. I’d love to include your ideas in the upcoming article. Thank you!
Biblical Encouragement
Homeschooling can be hard.
There will be moments when you desperately want to quit, times when you can’t teach because you’re sitting in a messy puddle of tears, and days when your strength seems all but gone. Being a home educator takes a huge dose of commitment, patience, and, most of all, grace.
Grace from God to us, grace that we extend to our children, and grace towards ourselves as we face our own painful failures and inadequacies. There will be times when the books need to be pushed aside, and everyone, mom included, needs to go outside and play in the sunshine. And that’s fine because homeschooling is about much more than just “book learning.” We are learning for life, including teaching our children how to deal with tough days and situations that aren’t going at all as we planned.
Yes, homeschooling is hard, but most worthwhile things are. And, right in the middle of the most challenging moments, you will find God’s grace, abundant and free, and learn that when you are weak, He is strong.
Read the rest of the article here:
Recommended Resources:
These waterproof sticky notes (Amazon affiliate link) are fantastic! They stick amazingly well to surfaces, including shower walls, and they are a great way to post reminders where you and your family need to see them. They work best when you use a pencil to write on them.
Gratitude Prompt:
What is your happiest or most fun memory from this summer?
What I’m Listening To:
This interview with special needs mom Kara Rodgers was so encouraging. It’s a great interview to listen to if you are a mom of children with disabilities or if you want to know how to better support your friends and family who are.
Quote of the Month:
Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.
D.L. Moody
Conversation Spark (a fun and meaningful idea of what to talk about other than the weather!):
If you could be the character from a book for one day, who would it be and why?
Thank you for being part of the Each Ordinary Moment community. I appreciate you!
May your heart overflow with the goodness of God,
Cara
I would be Heidi eating goat cheese and bread and listening to the wind through the pines in Grandfather's house.
I would love to be Ruth Benedict from In the Way by Grace Livingston Hill.