Answering Common Questions about the Homemaking Bundle

I asked on my Facebook page if there is a particular reason you haven't yet purchased the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.

The most common answer was “I can't afford it.”  What if I told you the bundle is basically free?

First, let me ask you 3 questions:

1. Do you use laundry detergent?

2. Do you ever get a cough or cold?

3. Do you ever give gifts to anyone?

Chances are you answered yes to all three questions.  If that's the case, you just paid for the bundle by doing stuff you normally do. 

How so?

• The bundle comes with a free 64 load package of eco-friendly Dizolve laundry detergent. (Regular price $25.98)  I just finished mine up from the last bundle, and I loved it!  Plus, they're also donating an additional package to a food bank for you!
• The bundle comes with a free 2 oz. liquid herbal formula from Trilight health (Regular price $15)  These have worked excellently for both myself and my kids when we have a cough or cold.  You'll be very glad to have this on hand when someone gets sick unexpectedly, and it's a whole lot cheaper and a whole lot more healthy than running to the drugstore for Nyquil.
• The bundle comes with so many things that could be used for gifts it's not even funny.  Do your gift shopping for all the women in your life for the entire year and save a fortune in the process.

See this post  for a really cool way to use the eBooks as gifts without being cheesy.  This post does not contain books from this year's bundle, but can give you an idea of how to create inexpensive gifts with your bundle.  Not to mention the physical products you could give as gifts, such as an apron or messenger bag from Marie Madeline Studio, or mineral eyeshadow from Redeeming Beauty.

Just the detergent and the cough and cold formulas would cost you over $40, not to mention all the money you would spend on gifts.  Over the course of a year you would have paid for these things anyway, so in a sense it's like getting the rest of the bundle free!

Don't think of it as spending extra money — think of it as getting a whole lot more for that amount of money than you normally would.

This is a totally risk-free decision.  If you're not 100% jumping-up-and-down in love with your purchase, the Ultimate Bundles team will refund your money within 15 days, no questions asked.

I think it's a great deal, but I just don't have the money right now!

The bundle organizers have decided to allow you to get your order in before the deadline, but you won't have to pay until May 1. If you go through one of these special order forms, you can place your order before the deadline, and they will automatically charge your card on May 1. Once your card has been charged, your bundle will automatically be emailed to you!

Order now, pay later for Kindle.

Order now, pay later for PDF version.

Now that we got the money part out of the way, let's talk about some those of you who are like, “Well, I don't do eBooks.”

I get you.  I really do.  I'd much rather have a real book in my hands than an eReader.  Or maybe you don't even own an eReader.

First of all, if you buy the PDF version, you can read the books right on your computer.  And to be honest, I don't usually sit at my computer and read.  I use the books more as a reference library. For instance: “Hmm…I'd really like to cook some things to freeze.  I know there was a freezer cooking guide in that bundle.  Let me pull that up.  Oh, and here are some really good, healthy recipes and meal plans already done for me.  Sweet.”  or “Oh great.  I've got a cough.  It sure would be nice to know how to treat that naturally, but I don't have time to research that right now.  Oh, wait.  There was a book in that bundle about herbal remedies that has it all laid out for me.  Awesome.”

For the books that are more “sit down and read” style, sometimes I'll pick one to print off and read on paper.

But to be totally honest, I buy the bundle more for the bonuses than for the books!  Although I definitely feel like I get my money's worth out of the books, it is fun to get tangible products that I like and use.

But I bought a bundle last year, and haven't even finished reading those!

Me too!  But I don't mind a bit.  About 95% of the books in this bundle are brand new, never-been-in-a-bundle-before books.  I just add them to my collection and use them in the way that I said above.  And once again, the bonuses alone are worth it to me; the books are just a really great perk!

I'm still trying to determine if it's worth it.

Imagine this:

You walk into a bookstore, and inside you see a large banner that says, “ALL BOOKS 35 CENTS EACH.  INCLUDES NEW RELEASES!”

What would you do?  I don't know about you, but I would be loading up my cart.  I'd buy up everything that looked even halfway interesting, because after all, if it turns out to be something I'm not interested in, it's only 35 cents, and I've got a whole cart load of other great books.  I'd even buy stuff that looked good, but wasn't really a fit for me because for 35 cents, I'd definitely give it as a gift.

After you check out with your cart-load of dirt cheap books, the clerk says “Oh, wait!  Because we're so thankful you bought all these books for hardly anything, we also want to give you some gifts.” They then pile a $20 box of Dayspring cards, some adorable fabric, homeopathic remedies for your kids, laundry detergent, eye shadow, and some coupon codes for free online meal planning and organizational printables into your arms. You walk out the door grinning from ear to ear about your incredible haul. “Tell your friends!” they call after you. “We're only doing this for a few days!”

That's what's happening here.  Only the books won't take up bookshelf after bookshelf in your house because they're all stored in neat little folders on your computer.  Like this:

And just for good measure, I'll throw in the fact that Paypal is accepted.  For some reason I'd a whole lot rather check out with PayPal (usually I've got a little fun money in there from something I sold on eBay or something) than to have to walk such a long way to get my credit card out of my purse.

So, just to review, you get:  86 digital resources on the topics of

• • Motherhood
  • Homemaking
  • Marriage
  • Food (recipes!)
  • Self-care
  • Faith (for you & for your kids)
  • Work-from-home & blogging
  • Pregnancy & babies
  • Health & wellness
  • Homeschooling
  • Holidays & special events
  • Financial stewardship
  • (See the full list .)

Plus, this bundle includes the best bonus offers it's ever had, including:

• A free 10-pack of greeting cards from Dayspring
• 3 free eye shadows from Redeeming Beauty Minerals
• Free art print plus $15 store credit to Hope Ink
• $15 store credit for fabric & patterns from Marie-Madeline Studio
• Sixty-four loads of eco-friendly laundry detergent from Dizolve

As well as five more incredible offers from:

• TriLight Health
• List Plan It
• Bulk Herb Store
• Once a Month Meals
• Fit2B Studio
• View the full details here.

The bonuses alone are worth over six times the price of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.

So, that's my little schpiel.  If you want to get this bundle for the price of stuff you would normally spend money on anyway, then go right ahead:

And don't forget, it's got a 100% money-back guarantee.

The Devil Loves Good Clean Fun

I don't know about you, but I like to observe people.

I quietly watch and try to figure out what makes a person tick.

Now don't even try to pretend you aren't tempted to look condescendingly at someone when they do something that you and your pious self would never think of doing.  We all are.

When that temptation arises, I try to turn that around into something good.  I try to use it as a learning experience and ask myself “Am I doing the same thing without realizing it?  How can I turn the focus off of judging someone else's character and onto my own need for growing to be more like Christ?”

As I've observed people both in person and on social media talking and/or posting about the movies they watch, the video games they play, or the hobbies in which they participate, I often find myself cringing.  I think to myself, “Why?!  Oh, please, no!  Why as one who claims the name of Christ would you allow that worldliness to infiltrate your thoughts and actions?!”

And once again, although I am grieved about the worldliness I see in the lives of some of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have to turn the focus to myself.  And I've honestly been able to say that by God's grace, I have kept myself from those things.  I have not allowed the garbage of worldly movies and music into my mind.  I have tried to act in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord.

But as I examined myself, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about something of which Christians with the cleanest of testimonies can find themselves guilty.   I realized that I am guilty of this very thing.

And the devil loves it.

What is this thing of which I speak?  The devil loves our good clean fun.

What?!  You don't believe Christians ought to do anything enjoyable?  What about “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”?  What about the places in the Bible that tell us that we need to get away and rest sometimes?

Of course I believe Christians can and should have fun.  Of course we need to rest and be refreshed sometimes.

But how much fun do we really need?  When the lasts bits of sand in the hourglass of time are quickly draining, and a lost world will be doomed to eternal destruction, how much fun do we need to have?

Eternity is upon us!  And we are proud of ourselves because we spent our Friday night watching a movie that didn't have any curse words or immodest dress in it.  And maybe Monday night was spent playing an innocent board game and eating popcorn while we could have been outside getting to know our unsaved neighbors.  On Tuesday afternoon we attended a scrapbooking get-together where the only thing we talked about was…well…scrapbooking. We didn't necessarily edify one another, but we were participating in a good, clean activity!  Thursday evening was spent at a barbeque with friends where the men talked about sports and the weather and the ladies showed off the cute shoes they found on clearance.  But we didn't say anything displeasing to the Lord, did we, so we think we are in great shape.

We live in a culture where entertainment is readily available.  And I believe we have become addicted to it.

When the kids are in bed for the night and we're ready to relax, where do we run?  To Facebook, Netflix, ESPN?  Pinterest, Xbox, Youtube?

Maybe we're being ultra-careful to make sure the only content coming into our living room is G-rated.  But where is our Bible?!  We really can't find time to spend getting to know the Lord and memorizing his Word?  Our Christian lives are so shallow because the devil has distracted us with good clean fun!

The countdown to eternity is quickly coming to a close.

And all the while, the devil laughs because while we feel like we're being good little Christians, he doesn't even have to try to convince people to believe his lies.  They never hear the truth in the first place because we're too busy having fun!

How much time have you wasted enjoying good clean fun?  I'm sorry, friend, but if you're neglecting your God-given commands to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), to disciple believers (Mt. 28:20),  to exhort one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25), and to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13) then the only word for your good clean fun is sin.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.  James 4:17

Let's open our eyes to the reality of eternity.  If the trumpet were to blow and we were to be caught up in the clouds with Christ at this moment, let's not find ourselves ashamed.  Let's find ourselves ready and watching.

Apparoo App of the Week: Manilla

This post is sponsored by Apparoo.

I'm partnering with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week. These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!

This week's app:  Manilla

Whatever happened to this ‘paperless desk’ we were all supposed to have by now? The endless influx of bills can be overwhelming – and buried bills mean late fees (ahem). Manilla is a simple, secure and free way to de-clutter your desktop. It retrieves and organizes household bills, bank, credit card and healthcare accounts, travel rewards – even offline accounts like rent or babysitters. It reminds you when bills are due and files old statements so you don’t have to. So save a tree, reclaim your desk, and never pay a late fee again!  Download it here for free.

Microsoft Surface Pro Giveaway

I'm excited to host this giveaway for a Microsoft Surface Pro, sponsored by Bing rewards. To enter, just use the form below!

4 Baby Registry Must-Haves

Is it really possible that this little peanut:

is now this big?

It seems like just yesterday we were preparing for her birth. I was asked to share my 4 Baby-Registry Must-Haves as part of a sponsored campaign with Levana. There are so many things that you think you will need, and when it comes down to it — you just don't. All the fancy gadgets are nice and all, but sometimes you look back and realize that you didn't use those things nearly as much as you thought you would.

So here are four must-haves for your baby registry:

1. A car seat. If you have a baby, and you want to go anywhere, you need one of these! Bonus if they can get you a matching stroller, unless you're the babywearing type. Then you should ask for your choice of wrap or carrier. People need to know details so they can get you what you really want and need.

2. Diapers and wipes. Every baby has to have them. You will be grateful for every single diaper someone gives you. Most people know that diapers and wipes are good baby gifts, but they won't always know which brand you prefer. If you want to get the kind you like, you'd better put it on your registry.

3. Clothes – People love picking out cute little baby clothes, but..ahem…everyone has their own interpretation of the word “cute”. If you want to get what you think is cute, then register for specifics.

4. A baby monitor. I like to put my babies in their own room as soon as possible so that I can sleep without hearing every little baby noise. Baby noises are cute and all, but they keep me awake. Tired mama = grouchy mama. Not good. If baby is going to be in their own room, it's nice to have a little peace of mind that a monitor can help give.

The kind folks at Levana sent me an Oma+ monitor. It is the most unique baby monitor I have ever seen.

It is cordless (battery-powered) and it actually senses baby's breathing. You clip it onto baby's diaper right at the belly button and it senses his or her movements. The sensor will gently vibrate to help encourage the return of regular movement after 15 seconds of complete stillness and will beep loudly to alert you if no movement is detected for more than 20 seconds.

Levana is dedicated to the safety of precious babies, keeping abreast of what's important to parents by asking real moms their needs and developing solutions to meet those needs. They exclusively manufacture baby monitors so they can focus on perfecting their products, and all monitors are digital and wireless to eliminate the risk of cord strangulation. The Oma+ is exclusively available at buybuy Baby in the US.

Watch the video below for more information on choosing a baby movement monitor. (Can't see the video? Watch on YouTube.)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Levana. The opinions and text are all mine.

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How to Take Great Pictures of Your Kids (Even When You Have No Idea What You’re Doing)

Folks, I am not a photographer.  I'm just a mom with no time to sift through my camera's manual or all the photography tutorials on Pinterest.

But doesn't every mom like to have adorable pictures of her kiddos?  And doesn't every mom dread making an appointment at a studio, wondering if the kids will be happy that day, keep their clothes clean until they get there, and avoid procuring any scrapes or bruises on their face until after their photos have been taken?

What's a girl to do? 

Although photography is definitely not something I am good at, I have been happy with the photos I have been able to take of my children in the comfort of our own home.

Here are just a few simple things to keep in mind, and you too can get great photos of your kids to keep or give as gifts to the grandparents!

1. Lots of light.  The more natural light you can find, the better.  Place your child with a window facing them (not with the window behind them).  I have found that I can get better photos inside rather than outside because I have no idea how to handle shadows or too much light.  A place inside near a sunny window is almost foolproof.

2. A nice background – Place your child in front of a solid-colored wall, or use a blanket or a piece of fabric as a background.  (In the below photo, I used a piece of fabric. I just taped the fabric right to the wall.  Easy as pie.)

3. A strong finger.  This is the one that's most important when you have no idea what you're doing.  Just click that button over and over and over, and eventually one of the pictures will come out good!  See, it's really not that hard!  (If you're a photographer, please stop reading.  This is getting embarrassing.)

4. A little teensy-tinsy bit of editing know-how.  You don't have to have any fancy software.  PicMonkey will do fine.  It's just nice to know that when you look through the 400 photos you clicked and find the best one and it's almost perfect, that you can brighten it up just a bit, or erase a little bit of snot under your kid's nose.

(The eBook Monkey See, Monkey Do: A Tutorial to Using PicMonkey with Professional Results,will make using PicMonkey a cinch!)

So…are you ready to try some snapping some photos of those cuties?!  Let me know how it goes!