Living Unabridged

We have a fun Saturday planned: swimming with friends. And then we need to come home and pack for church camp which starts Monday morning. This is the camp my husband directs so it isn't just "throw a few things into a backpack" kind of packing. Imagine Eisenhower and the D-Day invasion except with more children running around and taking or ignoring orders as they see fit and you'll have a better picture.

Fun times.

We're excited that the sun is actually out today (Hello, sun, where have you been hiding?) but in case you're stuck inside today, I've got some links for you to browse:

Learning

• Good reminder from my blog friend Candace - Homeschooling: It Isn't About Me. If you're a homeschool mom, or considering homeschooling, this post might encourage you.
• When Parenting Well is Simple Yet Difficult by Katie Fox at The Art of Simple. Our kids are watching. We need to remember that as we go through our days.
• Perfection: The Thief of Good Enough. A great post from Tsh Oxenreider's archives. I think I loved it the first time around too. (I need to be reminded of this every so often.)
• How to Give Our Children Hope by Jeannie Cunnion at The Better Mom.

Living

• How to Find God in the Extra-Ordinary MOMents by Emily Wierenga. I needed this one. Baby Boy has turned out to be a harder baby than some of his siblings. He cries more. He demands to be held, and usually by me (although his dad and siblings do take turns sometimes). He seems to have colic or maybe a little reflux or something. And I'm parenting five other children at the same time. I'm tired, is what I'm saying. And most moments haven't seemed all that special or meaningful. But they are, of course. And I'm thankful for posts like this that remind me.
• I'm also thankful for this post: Support For Moms With a Colicky Baby from Sarah at Clover Lane.
• I loved this story and application: When the World Doesn't Recognize Who You Really Are by Melissa at Your Mom Has a Blog.
• Sing to the Lord a Simple Song by Joel Limpic. There is room in our worship for more than one type of song.
• How Choice and Emotion Can Influence Sexual Orientation by Ronald Pisaturo at The Federalist. One thing I think our society has gotten away from: the concept of choice in the life of a human. (Which is ironic when you consider how much some people are shouting about choice. But they only mean one specific type of choice in one situation.) When we lose the concept of choice we become victims to our circumstances and surroundings. I need to think about this a little more and then write about it.
• Polyamory is Bad for Kids, Polyamorists, and Society by D.C. McAllister at The Federalist. It's kind of ridiculous, and definitely sad, that anyone would have to point this out. Such are our times. (sigh)

Loving

• Inside Out: Let Yourself Feel All the Feels by Rachel Marie Stone at CT. Have you seen Inside Out yet? I really do think it's great for inspiring some family conversations about emotion.
• Russell Wilson and the Problem with Christian Celebrity Culture by Jayson Bradley for Relevant. Confession: I wasn't even really sure who Russell Wilson is (something to do with football, maybe?), much less that he was a professing Christian, but I wholeheartedly agreed with the article.
• Time to stir up controversy: Women's soccer Doesn't Deserve Equal Pay by D.C. McAllister at The Federalist. I didn't watch the Women's World Cup, but I'm guessing you already knew that. One: it's soccer (or football for the rest of the world), and Two: it's soccer. Ugh.
• Baby Boys and Girls Receive Different Nutrients in Breast Milk by Ian Sample for The Guardian. Breast milk is amazing. End of story.

Here at Living Unabridged I have some curriculum for sale and I shared my playlists for labor.

Now, after I told you that our Baby Boy is kind of a handful, how about a picture of a smiling baby? Because he's started smiling at us, and it is pretty much the cutest / sweetest thing. See?

What caught your eye this week?