blog

All of me

~ Anna-Marie

I have kept separate blogs for several years. I have a book arts blog, a blog for creative homeschool ideas. (I used to have a blog about praying with children too.) All this is fun but really tiring. There’s a lot to keeping up a blog, much less three. My dear friend Renae suggested I combine my blogs rather than quit one altogether. It was just the pep talk I needed.

So here it is, the new and improved PrincipledMom. No more slicing my life into pieces. This is me–happy mom, inspired home educator, enthusiastic book artist, pursuer of Biblical principles, fountain of creative ideas. For whatever reason you follow my blog(s) I am sure you’ll enjoy the renewed energy and focus here. Hopefully you’ll see how art and home education can happily coexist. And I plan to take you all on the amazing ride that is my life; books, children and all. I’m getting more personal, more current and more artistic. If you want me to address a specific topic or idea, just let me know.

So welcome to my remodeled blog! I tried to make things easy to find. If you have trouble navigating the site, please leave a comment and let me know.

Commonplace blogging

~ Anna-Marie

Before the internet craze of blogging we wrote our thoughts down in something called a journal. Or a diary maybe. But it was for your eyes only, no worries of nasty comments from people you’ve never met–or kudos either. There is a comfort in putting pen to paper, capturing thoughts in space and time with the confinement of the written word is challenging and exhilarating.

This article (and my other passion) got me thinking about what I do here online. While it’s good and helpful and sometimes I dare say necessary, it is something my family, even though they participate by default, know very little of this part of my life. I don’t sit and read them my posts or share articles from other moms that bless me. They don’t know most of what I share here, not because I have a secret but I suppose it just never seemed necessary–at least not at this time.

But what about later, when they are older, when they have children of their own and are filled with questions, or when they are searching for more homeschool memories, the little memories that are crowded out by more urgent matters. I could just point them to this URL and let them search, like any stranger could, probing for information and answers. I don’t want a cold computer screen sharing my thoughts on this season of life with them. I think I can do better than that.

I have decided to keep an online written record of the posts I feel are the most poignant to my family. I want a sort of scrapbook, more of a commonplace book about our homeschool years, filled with blog posts, pictures and all the other memories that make everyday life interesting. It will be filled with my thoughts and dreams and hopes and yes, even fears, with those who mean the most to me.

This is a gift, something I can leave as a legacy, my blog posts and more, written by my own hand. Who doesn’t love finding treasures like that up in Gramma’s attic? We all love poring over old letters and pictures. Who wouldn’t love to hear great gramma’s thoughts on a particular time of life? Family is a big deal and I don’t want to deprive mine of the part of my life I share with all of you.

Commonplace books on our family. Now there’s a treasure worth leaving future generations.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1920295,00.html

Facelift—and a contest

~ Anna-Marie

Wait, you didn’t think I got a facelift did you? Shame on you for thinking that… Well, what do you think about the new and improved PrincipeldMom blog?? I am so in love with this theme. Thanks to Andrea for her help getting it up and running. She rocks. And thanks to Jess at Delicious Design Studio for the great template.I will be doing a LOT more writing here this year. I have tons of ideas planned  in the way of topics and things to discuss. Also I am planning give-aways and other interactive things.

Speaking of give-aways, Let’s start off the New Year with a fun one. I am giving away this book: I happen to have bought two copies and would like to share my goof up to bless someone. Antonin Careme was the first “celebrity chef” and created French standards like the souffle. The book is sprinkled with 19th Century recipes and his own drawings of elaborate tablescapes. He was not someone to emulate in his personal life but his story is really interesting nonetheless. Please note that this is not a cookbook. Few of these recipes are probably things you would try because we do not eat the same things they did in his day. The recipes are interesting anyway though.

So this book give away will end January 15th CST at 9pm. All you have to do to be entered is to leave a comment and make sure I have a way to contact you. You can enter once a day until then. It would be great if you could spread the word about the giveaway. I promise this year is going to be a blast here at PrincipledMom. God bless you!

Welcome 2009

~ Anna-Marie


I’m back to blogging here again. I’ve missed posting and interacting with those who stumble upon my little blog, so thanks for understanding my absence.

Don’t you just love a new year? Like new fallen snow, the year lays before us, sparkling and unsullied. I have a ton of calendars that will turn over to reveal a fresh month (including the art-a-day calendar, courtesy Renae).  I try not to make resolutions but that’s hard to do. Planning and goal-making are some of my favorite pastimes—along with not following through.Sometimes I think I’m earning my PhD in that.

I hope you will welcome this gift of a shiny new year with open arms. I mean really throw your arms around it, embrace it, smell the potential. God gives us the gift of time and I pray you will make the most of every morsel moment this year.  Enjoy!

On hiatus

~ Anna-Marie

Not sure when I’ll be back to blogging. My sincerest apologies about the history study, I just can’t take on what I thought I could. Things are changing (for the better) with my homeschool and it is taking my time and energy, along with nursing a newborn and my domestic duties. There are just not enough hours in the day and I often bite off more than I can chew. This is one of those times.

I am tending to family things right now. Thanks for understanding. Enjoy everyone else’s blogs. Renae and Dana especially say things much more eloquently than I can.

Let the voting begin

~ Anna-Marie

Believe it or not, I was nominated in the controversial but fun HSB blog awards. There are two I’m up for (best encourager and best curriculum/business).  I don’t see myself winning against the stiff competition, but it’s fun to be nominated all the same. Check out the categories by clicking the logo below:

And while you are there, make sure to vote for Dana of Principled Discovery (“Live what you believe” and “Current events”) and Renae of Life Nurturing Education (Artistic content). The BPA community needs representation at these awards, so get over there and vote for these ladies!

Best of PrincipledMom ebook now available!

~ Anna-Marie

I am so excited to let you know that I have complied all my favorite posts from the last 3 years into one handy file. 

A Mother's Joy: The Best of PrincipledMom vol. 1
Click on cover to purchase

A Mother’s Joy: The Best of PrincipledMom Volume 1 is 40 pages of blogging goodness available as an instant download. Click the cover below to download and enjoy.

Thanks to all of your who have encouraged me to keep on writing all this time. And even more good news is on its way!

Can a girl change her mind?

~ Anna-Marie

I know, I know, I said I was gone from the blogosphere for more noble pursuits. But the truth is I just miss y’all too much. I also miss the therapy of writing, even if no one is reading. So I’m back—however often that will be I don’t know.  Guess you will still have a reason to stop by every now and again…

I am going to participate in the

Week2

hosted by Randi, so look for my post on that later today. Oh, and my DH gets back from Cambodia tomorrow, so I’m sure there will be wonderful things to share about that as well. And I have one more bit of news I’m just not ready to share just yet. More details on that later.

~ Anna-Marie

This was my last post at Homeschoolblogger. When I wrote it I was sure I would not continue to blog. As you can tell, that idea changed, but my thoughts in this post have not. And I will spend more time with my kids.

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I say goodbye. This blog will be deleted shortly. I have been wrestling with this decision, hoping that the owners would explain things to me. I wanted a formal statement regarding what was happening with the Pearls and the widespread accusations and why they seem to have chosen the path they did. I have received nothing. We all deserved some sort of response, after all, it is our reputations on the line too. But I have read many posts from Gena defending the Pearls and TOS. I cannot understand what there is to defend.

HSB has disappointed me in word and deed and since they see no need to explain themselves I will discontinue my association with them.

But I am not sad about standing up for what I believe is a travesty in the Christian community. And I am not sad that I am cutting ties with an organization that is so comfortable with this philosophy of child rearing.

What I AM sad about is this boy. This should never have happened. Abuse of children in the name of God is reprehensible and I will not be a party to it’s acceptance. I am tolerant of a lot of things, but abuse of the little ones who depend on us for their very lives is not something I am willing to accept, especially from those who may sit next to me at church.

Why anyone would allow this to go on in their home is unfathomable. And it’s interesting that in this situation I have more in common with the “left” than with my own Christian “brothers and sisters”. (See here why I’m upset about acceptance of this book.) The more of their materials I read, the more concerned I grow.

I will not move my blog anywhere. I am closing all three of my blogs and using the time I used to spend posting playing with my kids.