Ever feel like you're 'just a mom'? It's good to have encouragement for those days when the dishes are piled high, kids are whiney and you don't feel like you've gotten ANY school done all week. One source that has encouraged me for years has been the folks at Timberdoodle company. I found them early on in our homeschooling journey, and I'm sure glad I did. Take this month's free newsletter, for instance, and I quote...(they are talking about 'extreme' sports and 'challenging your body')

"...there is the desire to challenge your body, to make it do what seems impossible to do. But we kid ourselves here. What is harder to do, walk through deserts, rain forests and snow-bound trails, or repeatedly get out of our easy chairs to redirect an errant child? If you want to test your body, dare it to get up cheerfully every 2 hours with your newborn, keep pace with your toddler, roller-skate with your preteen and swim laps with your teen. This challenge transforms what appeared to be a strictly physical test into a more vital test of the heart."

A message we need to hear, and I truly appreciate the consistent encouragement I've received from them over the years. We need to hear this family-centered message in a world where we are told to 'take care of yourself!'

Good stuff.