We've Moved!!!

If you don't get automatically redirected, you need to head on over to our NEW SITE!!!

Home with the Boys is now here!

Please update your bookmarks and get connected over there!

Exciting Day!

The Easter photos will have to wait a few days, lots of things going on here today that I want to share...



#1 - Today I started the "Get Dressed" Challenge over at Sarah Mae's blog (one of my absolute faves, by the way!). I LOVE this type of accountability and the whole idea - I already feel way more productive and put together even after only one day! Want to join me?!



#2 - Also started a new online Bible Study with my new friend Stef over at Layton Family Joy! I love the way it is designed - and again with the accountability! Check out the On Topic Bible Study and see if you are interested in joining us!



#3 - Tonight is a BIG night for the blog! Some of you may already know why, but if you don't, you'll have to check back this evening for the "moving" news!!! I can't wait!!!

Book Review: An Absence So Great

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

An Absence So Great by Jane Kirkpatrick

Summary:
Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her professional dreams.

Despite growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is still at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those ill with mercury poisoning.

Jessie gains footing on her dream to one day own her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep those painful memories from seeping into her heart, and the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

My Thoughts...

This is the first fiction book I've been asked to review on the blog - very exciting for me! I love a good fiction book! I love to read in general, but there is just something about getting lost in another time and place when you read really good fiction.

And really good fiction to me is a book you don't want to put down. Where the characters stick with you. You can picture being there.

I felt this within the first few pages of Kirkpatrick's book.

The book is beautifully written, but I must say that my favorite thing about it is the historical setting. It's not glamorous or exotic - in fact, it's set right here in the Midwest - but just going to another time period draws me in. Gender issues and economic changes round out a thorough picture of the turn-of-the-century.

In addition, the book is based loosely on real people and photographs which makes it even more intriguing. Kirkpatrick weaves a wonderful story though her grandmother's photographs, which are included in the book as well.

Even without the setting to fascinate me as it does, the story itself is captivating and worth a read!

For more information about or to order this book, visit the Random House website.


Author Bio:

Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.

Good Friday: Lead Me to the Cross

A Glimpse of Joy

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy...

Psalm 34:5

Joy in everyday life...thank you Jesus.

For more glimpses head over to Jennifer's beautiful blog!

What's in the Bible Theme by Big J

Congrats to Beth for winning the "What's in the Bible" DVD giveaway!

In honor of her win, Big J decided to do a little singing for you...

A Beautiful Night

Last Sunday night, I was blessed in many ways.

First of all, I attended a Selah concert with a very dear friend (THANK YOU to my hubby for keeping the kids at home!), and heard the most beautiful voices and music live. Their arrangements of old hymns were gorgeous, especially "It Is Well With My Soul," which my hubby sang at his grandmother's funeral last year. And they finished it all off with "You Raise Me Up" and "Amazing Grace." I was in tears several times throughout the concert, but we also had plenty of smiles watching Allan play the piano! You can tell he loves what he is doing!

The second blessing was getting to see a friend who I go all the way back to elementary school with! Jess and I hadn't seen each other in years, but have kept in touch through our blogs, Twitter and Facebook. Didn't even know she and her mom would be at the concert, so it was a beautiful surprise! So good to see you Jess!

And the third, and biggest, blessing of the night was this lady...

Angie (wife of Todd from Selah) is a beautiful woman of God who has blogged her way through the heartbreaking loss of their baby girl Audrey. Bring the Rain has been a place of healing and inspiration for thousands of women and Angie was at the concert to speak about their experience. It was amazing to hear her share in person and cry along with her.

And cry we ALL did as they sang the song Selah wrote just for Audrey, along with a slideshow of the months before and hours after her birth - so powerful...

Angie claims she is not a gifted speaker, but trust me, she had a completely captive audience - crying, laughing (something about a deranged gopher...) and praising the Lord for His faithfulness and comfort - and for the little baby girl they are expecting later this year!

I had the privilege of meeting Angie afterwards and had such fun chatting with her - about our shared love for Seeds and getting to see each other again at Relevant in October!

If you haven't read Audrey's story - or Angie's blog at all, for that matter - I strongly encourage you to head over there now to see God at work in this beautiful family.

It was a beautiful night.

Birthday Giveaway #5: Stitches by Sara

Oh yeah - this is the FIFTH giveaway this week! You can enter the previous ones here: #1, #2, #3, & #4.

Sara, who blogs over at Happy Brown House, is a kindred spirit.

A former kindergarten teacher, she decided to stay at home after having her son. As a creative outlet, and a way to earn some extra money while staying at home, Sara started her Etsy shop - Stitches by Sara. You will find her crafting away during naptime and after bedtime! Busy lady!

Wait til you see some of the CUTE stuff she makes...

Personalized pillows...

Crayon rolls...

Market totes...

Coffee cozies...

And that's not all - key fobs, children's birthday shirts, tutus, monogrammed baby items, and more! All personalized gifts with a unique touch!

Did I mention she is hoping to go to Relevant as well? This is her way of earning the money to go!

In honor of Friday, the day of the week I most need some good coffee (Monday is a close second), Sara is giving away one of her adorable coffee cozies like the one she made for me...

I LOVE IT! Can't wait until I can go grab a cup of joe and use it!

How can you win your own? Leave a separate comment for any or all of the following...

-Follow Sara's blog

-Follow Sara on Twitter (@HappyBrownHouse)

-Follow me on Twitter (@homewiththeboys)

-Become a fan of Happy Brown House on Facebook

-Tweet OR post on Facebook - if tweeting, include the direct link to this post, @homewiththeboys & @HappyBrownHouse

-Write a blog post about it with linkbacks

And for three extra entries, make a purchase from shop :) The hard part will be deciding what NOT to buy! The more the better - get Sara to Relevant!

This giveaway will end Friday, April 2nd at 9:00 p.m. CDT, when the winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thank you to the lovely Sara for providing my beautiful cozy and this giveaway!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! Giveaway #4

It's a whole week of giveaways to celebrate my birthday! You can enter the previous three giveaways here, here, and here!

Yep, today is my actual birthday! {Insert your beautiful singing here!}

And what better way to celebrate than with ANOTHER giveaway from a fellow Relevant attendee?!

Megan, the blogger behind Half-Pint House, is good friends with Monica (from yesterday's giveaway) and together they are crafting their way to Relevant - trying to sell 100 items each!

So what does Megan make? These...

Her handmade zippy bags are major cuteness! AND they are monogrammed! AND each one is made to order by Megan herself! Like this super fun one she sent me...

I love the color and the details!

And Megan wants to put together a special one just for you! You can go to her blog to check out her ideas, pick the fabric (all 180+ choices!!!) you like and let her know the monogram you want - and help her get to Relevant!

Since I know you're going to go buy one for yourself, why not win one for a friend?

Oh yes, Megan is giving away one of these personalized zippy bags to ONE OF YOU!

So it's time to get your entries in and here's how (separate comments please folks!):

*Subscribe to Megan's blog - Half-Pint House
*Follow Megan on Twitter (@MeganDunham)
*Follow me on Twitter (@homewiththeboys)
*Tweet about this giveaway - please include the direct link to this post, @MeganDunham & @homewiththeboys OR Post about it on Facebook

*And for three extra entries, you can head on over to Half-Pint House and order a zippy bag!

This giveaway will be open until Thursday, April 1st at 9:00 p.m. at which time the winner will be chosen by random.org!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Megan for providing me a zippy bag for this review!

Birthday Week Giveaway #3: Easter Garland

Thanks for joining my Birthday Week Giveaway Celebration! You can enter giveaway #1 here and giveaway #2 here!

Monica is another one of the wonderful ladies joining me at Relevant and crafting her way there! I just love the name of her blog - The Homespun Heart - isn't that beautiful?!

Monica makes lovely "Names of Jesus" garlands for both Easter...

and Christmas...

We already have our Easter one hanging above our front window and Jeremiah asks me daily to read it! Love that! I encourage you to head over to Monica's post to learn more about the care and thought that went into creating these.

Monica is giving one blessed reader one of her handmade Easter garlands, just like this one...

And just in time for Easter! How perfect!

So how do you enter? Any or all of the following ways...

*Subscribe to The Homespun Heart
*Follow my blog
*Follow me on Twitter
*Tweet about this giveaway - please include @homewiththeboys and the link to this giveaway - OR post about it on Facebook

*And for three extra entries, order your very own garland from Monica - only 4 Easter garlands left, but Christmas garlands can be ordered as well!

At last count, Monica was only 34 garlands away from her goal - let's get her to Relevant! You can follow her progress and find out how to order here.

This giveaway is open until Wednesday, March 31st at 9:00 p.m. when the winner will be chosen by random.org. Please make sure there is a way to contact you if you are the winner!

Thank you so much to Monica for providing garlands for this review and giveaway!

Gather Inspirit

I have had many women talk to me recently about starting a blog. Some are worried about the time it will take or that no one will be interested in what they are saying. Whatever it is, I sense hesitance from many of them.

And maybe it's because there isn't really a place for new bloggers to really feel supported and encouraged.

Or there wasn't - until now.

I am so excited to let you know about Gather Inspirit, a new site dedicated to Christian women bloggers - big and small. And I am so honored to be a part of the Gather Inspirit team!

Rather than rewrite everything this site is about, I want you to hear the words of the woman who started it all, Chele...

We are a group of nine ladies from various walks of life. We all are mothers, writers, bloggers, and encouragers seeking to expand our personal God-given ministries by reaching out through an incredible combined website. Our vision is simply to inspire, encourage and uplift all bloggers in their journey and in life. We believe that if you put the Lord first, all other things will fall in place. He will show us the way even in blogging.

Our foundational Scripture is “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truths and teach me for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalms 25:4-5 (NIV)

When Chele shared this vision, how could I not be on board with it?! I really believe it will be a valuable resource to all Christian women bloggers.

And to help connect all of us out there in blogland, there is a fabulous forum as well. Women have already started connecting there and I love to see that happening!

Whether you are new or experienced, big or small or even just thinking about blogging, this site is for you and we hope it will be a blessing!

Birthday Week Giveaway #2: Heart and Soul Reflections

This is giveaway #2 of my birthday week celebration! If you missed the first giveaway, you can enter here.

I am so excited about the rest of the giveaways this week because they are each from ladies who are going to the Relevant Conference with me!

And each of these women is selling handmade goods to get herself there! I love handmade!

Today's beautiful giveaway is from a lovely lady - Cherie from Heart and Soul Reflections! We met through Twitter and are now both part of an amazing project that I will share about later today!!!

Anyway, I just fell in love with Cherie's pendant necklaces - made from washers!!!

How fun is that?!

Each one is unique and eye-catching...



Isn't that fun and funky?!

And Cherie is giving away this sweet red pendant necklace to one of you!



Here's how you can make it yours...

*Follow Cherie's blog publicly

*Become a fan of Heart and Soul Reflections on Facebook

*Follow Cherie on Twitter (@MySoulReflects)

*Follow me on Twitter (@homewiththeboys)

*Tweet about this giveaway - please mention @MySoulReflects and @homewiththeboys and include the link to this giveaway!

*Post about it on Facebook

And here is a special deal - if you order something from Cherie's Etsy shop (which you can find from her blog) during this giveaway, you can get 3 extra entries!

Let's get this girl to Relevant!!!

This giveaway will close Tuesday, March 30th at 9:00 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. You must leave a separate comment for each entry!

A huge thank you to Cherie for providing me a necklace to review and giveaway!

What's in the Bible?: It's Here!!!

We are HUGE Veggie Tales fans around here, so when I heard about Phil Vischer's latest project with Tyndale House, I was definitely interested!

A few months ago, I was sent a preview DVD of this project and immediately, the whole family fell in love with "What's in the Bible?"

And that was just a few minutes of preview!

I, of course, jumped at the chance to review the first two DVDs.

"What's in the Bible?" is a project very near and dear to Vischer's heart - in fact, it has been ON his heart since he started Veggie Tales. His goal behind this DVD series is to take the time kids have in between church activities and fill it with humor, entertainment and Biblical knowledge. Great combination. For kids and parents.

I stuck the DVD in and my kids were instantly quiet and tuned in. And then they started singing along with the theme song. And laughing. LOTS of laughing. From me as well.

The interesting thing about this series is it is for kids but it presents a WEALTH of Biblical knowledge. Many things I didn't know that my almost four-year-old goes around reciting now! This series doesn't dumb anything down - just makes it fun and entertaining to learn.

And the music.

The music ROCKS. The kids walk around singing songs from it all the time. And how great is it to hear their little voices singing about Genesis?! We LOVE that song!

In true Phil Vischer style, this DVD entertains everyone from my toddler, to the elementary kid who caught a few minutes while his mom and I chatted, to his mom who stopped talking to me to hear the puppets talk! I love how it appeals to all ages!

It really is fabulous.

Just take a look for yourself...



Did I mention there will be 13 DVDs in this series?! And ours is one family who wants to own every single one! How about you?

Well, I can help get you started!

Thanks to the generous folks at Tyndale House (who I love), right here today, I am giving away the first two DVDs to one lucky reader!!!

It's all just the start of my birthday week celebration with one giveaway every day!

So here is how you enter...

Just leave a comment telling with whom you would watch "What's in the Bible?"

And you know I will give you extra entries so here they are...

*Follow What's in the Bible on Twitter (@whatsinthebible)
*Become a fan of What's in the Bible on Facebook
*Follow me on Twitter (@homewiththeboys)
*Publicly follow this blog
*Tweet about this giveaway: Check out this giveaway from @homewiththeboys & @whatsinthebible! - http://homewiththeboys.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-in-bible-its-here.html
*Post about this giveaway on Facebook

That's a lot of extra entries! But make sure you leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry or it won't count! Please include your e-mail address or a way to contact you if you win.

This giveaway will close Monday, March 29th at 9:00 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thank you so much to Tyndale House for this awesome giveaway!

I was provided with the DVDs for this review by Tyndale House. All opinions are my own.

Another Family Friday!

My parents made it down our way last weekend and we had some more family fun!

Reading with Grandma...

Coffee with Grandpa...

And a nice stroll around downtown...

It was so wonderful to have a leisurely weekend with them!

We also enjoyed a FABULOUS dinner at Outback - appetizer, steak, AND dessert! - to celebrate my birthday a little early!

Oh yeah, did I mention my birthday is next week?

And while there is no giveaway TODAY, there just might be one every day next week to celebrate! Get those typing, commenting, posting, tweeting fingers ready!

And have a fantastic Friday!

A Day in the Life of a Med School Student

My wonderful hubby took time out of his spring break to write this insightful guest post. Hope you enjoy! I know I did!

I'm sure that many of you have been wondering exactly what medical school is like. Well, maybe you haven't, but the beautiful and intelligent normal writer of this blog asked me to write about it, so here goes...

5:15 am - Good Lord, what in the world is that thing in my room playing music? Am I dreaming? What time is it? Do I have a test today? My alarm clock, I wish, 5:15, and no. Good.

6:00 am - The drive begins. I have an hour commute to med school each day, during which I listen to Dr. Edward Goljan, a world-renown pathologist, lecture about a variety of things which I am trying to keep lodged in my brain to prepare for the life-altering test that is USMLE Step 1 (boards) coming this June.

7:00 am - Arrive at school, meet up with a few guys that I study with who have become de facto best friends, due in part to the fact that I spend more time with them than I do my wife (unless you count hours spent asleep).

7:55 am - Head down to the lecture hall. Lecture begins every morning at 8. Some days we get out at noon, other days we have an hour for lunch and then 2-3 more hours in the afternoon. Thankfully, today is a day we finish at noon.

8:13 am - I mistakenly allow my mind to follow a thought process, and while it relates to medicine, it has now cost me 30 seconds, during which the lecturer has likely said something important. Crap.

9:50 am - Thankfully, we get breaks every 50 minutes so that we don't die from a brain explosion. People often describe medical school by saying that it is like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. I would say drinking from Niagara Falls might be more appropriate. There is simply just so much information. Our brains learn to quickly categorize: long term memory, common sense, short term memory that could be on the test, and things that I will forget within the next 5 minutes. During this break I break open the first Diet Mountain Dew of the day, feeling thankful that a caffeine withdrawal headache has not yet set in.

10:21 am - It is amazing at the variety in lecturing ability. It should go without saying that just because someone is a great physician, it doesn't mean that they are a great teacher. (By the way, it also certainly does not mean that they will write great test questions - but that is a comment for another day.) This applies to all specialties. One of the lecturers for this core (we study during second year by organ system - currently we are on genitourinary - kidneys, ovaries, testes, you get the idea) is a pathologist and is a fantastic lecturer. Another lecturer is also a pathologist and is just awful.

10:42 am - My phone is blinking. It is a text from my buddy that sits two seats away who is telling me that our current lecturer appears to be running for the award of Rotten Apple. (For the record, there is no such award, but we do vote on a Golden Apple teaching award, and we think there should be an award for the worst as well.)

11:00 am - The dreaded hour has come. Pharmacology. I know what you're thinking - this should be easy now, it's merely memorization. It's not really biochemical pathways, pathophysiology of disease processes, clinical presentations, or anything like that. You're right. But it is so incredibly boring. We learn how the drug works, its therapeutic uses, adverse effects, drug interactions, etc. But I am convinced that they go out and search to find the most boring people in the world, convince them to become academic pharmacologists, and then lecture to us. Torture. My friend immediately to my left starts each pharm lecture with a game of sudoku. Just in a futile attempt to stay awake.

12:30 pm - Now that we've eaten lunch, it's time to study. At the risk of divulging my study secrets, I will just stay that I study in a group of 4 married guys, and all of us have kids. We study hard, because we want to get home to our families. For those of you that have never met me, I am a little bit organized. Suffice it to say that I am the one who makes our study schedule. Broken down by every 30 minutes of time we are at school.

2:24 pm - Starting to fade. We take a bathroom break, not really just because of the caffeine (which is a diuretic, by the way - which explains why you have to go more frequently), but also because just getting up helps get the blood flow moving again, especially to the brain.

3:13 pm - I wonder if some other memories, knowledge, birthdays, and whatever else are being pushed out to make room for all the medical knowledge I am trying to force into my brain. You can tell me I'm wrong, and I probably am, but the fact is that with all the research that has been done, we still don't really know how memories are stored. Don't get me wrong, I can tell you all about the Papez circuit (look it up, it's fascinating), the limbic system, and the amygdala (all of this should fall under YOUR category of forgetting this in the next 5 minutes), but we still don't know how memories are stored. So for now, I'm keeping my hypothesis that new information goes in, old stuff falls out.

4:30 pm - Finally, done for the day. Drive home, listening to more pathology.

5:30 pm - Best part of my day - my boys rush to hug me at the door, a kiss from my beautiful wife. It's definitely all worth it.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

March is my favorite month.

Spring arrives.

My birthday comes.

And today happens.

The day we get to celebrate this beautiful country...

(The Blarney Castle: Cork, Island - built by my ancestors!)

and this man...



St. Patrick was an amazing man.

Do you know his story?

Because it really makes this a wonderful day to celebrate even if you aren't Irish. Unlike me, of course :)

Back to St. Patrick...

Patrick was kidnapped and taken to Ireland at a young age. He was forced into slavery there, but escaped after several years. After he returned home, he became a priest and felt a strong call to go back to Ireland and spread Christianity among the Irish. His efforts were very successful, including converting the ruling class which trickled down to all people through their example. He is also said to have brought the written word to the Irish.

Can you imagine going back to a place where you were held captive to help them out? To tell them about Jesus? That is incredible.

I am very proud of my Irish heritage! Can you tell?!

St. Patrick's Day is such a fun day to celebrate for us. And the other reason is this...



In Ireland, ten years ago, on this day, this wonderful lad and I started dating.

That's right - we were in Dublin, Ireland when we started dating! On St. Patrick's Day! Crazy, huh?!

Maybe even crazier that it's already been 10 years!

But it's been the most wonderful ten years! I thank God for where we've been and where we are right now - I love you honey!

So happy March 17th to all!

And I pray this Old Irish Blessing for each of you...

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Tuesday Tunes

Due to the reappearance of Not Me! Monday and my desire to continue to share the music we love with you, I now present...

Tuesday Tunes!

And to kick off our Tuesday Tunes, I wanted to share a verse to encourage each of you this week - and to share with your kids, thanks to Seeds Family Worship!

Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. ~Psalm 55:22

Isn't that a lovely promise to stand on?! We will be memorizing this verse this week and resting in the assurance that God will sustain us through whatever may come! He is amazing!

Now, everybody sing...

Winner Announced: Fun, Family and Food Friday!

Time to pick another winner!

The random winner of the $25 of Tastefully Simple products is...

#6 - Julie!

Congrats! Please e-mail me so I can get you hooked up with some yummy food!

And if you didn't win, you can head on over to Stephanie's site linked below and order something delicious for yourself! If you spend $50 or more, you get free shipping!

And if you live in the area, she also has some great deals going right now if you host a party. Just mention that you read about it here on the blog!

Thanks again for this great giveaway Stephanie!

*****

Happy Friday all! So glad it is here!

A few things to share today, so the post is a little long, but there is some extra FUN at the end, so don't miss out!

And we're ready for some FUN around here because Stephen's spring break starts today! WOOHOO!!! So excited for a week with him home - lots of FUN things planned!

*****

Last weekend we met up with a fellow med school mommy & her kiddos and Stephen's parents for a FUN day at the zoo!

Yes, you may see a little snow on the ground, but it was warmer than it had been in a LONG time and it was so wonderful to be outside. And when the wind did pick up, there were lots of great indoor exhibits to warm up in!

Big J calls this the "Big Zoo" and I would agree! Not enough energy in those boys (or this mommy) to get through everything in one day - as evidenced by Big J asking to ride in the stroller and then falling asleep!

Little J was more than happy to go for a walk while big brother snoozed, whether with Grandma Mo or Daddy once he joined us after studying!

If you couldn't tell, penguins are a favorite in our house and we all got to pet one! So FUN!!!

It was a whole day of FUN and FAMILY and we were so happy to get to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Mo - thanks for making the drive!

And thanks to Natalie and her kiddos for a yummy breakfast and FUN friends to hang out with! Glad we're in this med school thing together :)

*****

To add to the FAMILY part, Grandma and Grandpa Mac are headed our way today to spend the weekend with us! So glad both sets of grandparents aren't too far away to make these quick trips either way! Should be a FAMILY FUN weekend!

*****

And finally the FOOD!

My friend Stephanie is a Tastefully Simple Senior Consultant and I think I have gained a few pounds off of this product from her alone...

Oh, the possibilities with a beer bread mix in the house...mmmmm....

Back to the FOOD!

To celebrate the new spring catalog, Stephanie is generously giving away $25 in Tastefully Simple products to one of you!

That's a lot of beer bread!

And I know you want some, so here's how you can enter...

Visit her Tastefully Simple site and let me know your favorite product!

And for some extra entries, you can...

*Become a fan of Tastefully Simple on Facebook.

*Share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. If tweeting, please include @elmusic4kids in your tweet!

Comments are open until Monday, March 15th at 9:00 p.m. CST! Please leave a comment for each entry. Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thank you Stephanie for this yummy giveaway! Stay tuned for some special deals from her when the winner is announced!

To each of you, have a FUN, FABULOUS weekend!