F is for Family Christmas (Slugs & Bugs) ~ A #5things Post

*Giveaway Has Ended*

We're listening to Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible Family Christmas.  It was the first Christmas album I allowed this year because I was so excited when it finally arrived.  I was on the Kickstarter this summer and I could not wait to get all my fantastic music!  One copy of Sing the Bible, one copy of Sing the Bible vol2, two Sing the Bible vol3, and two Family Christmas.  Since I already own the first volume, thanks to a blog giveaway just like this one, I will be sharing three of these albums with YOU, my readers.  Check out the trailers below.



Today's giveaway is for a copy of Sing the Bible Family Christmas.  I haven't done a #5things post in a while, so I'm going to do that and tell you five things about Family Christmas.

1. Randall Goodgame and Andrew Peterson are the brainiacs behind Slugs & Bugs, with the first CD released in 2007.  Now, it's a family affair and all the Goodgames are involved.
2. Most Sing the Bible songs are *word for word* from scripture, using various Bible versions depending on singability (or the Slugs & Bugs MSV - most singable version).
3. Family Christmas intentionally has that A Charlie Brown Christmas feel, ala Vince Guaraldi, and also a Peanuts inspired cover.
4. Moms (and maybe Dads) will love the music as much as the kids.  Seriously. 
5. I think my favorite of the 12 tracks is Mary's Song, sweetly sung by Livi Goodgame and using the ESV of Luke 1:46-49.

So there you have it, #5things.  Really there are tons more to tell, but I think you should just give them a listen.




You can read a bit more about how we use Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible to aid in scripture memorization.

Enter the giveaway rafflecopter below.

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Also, I'm on another round of Blogging Through the Alphabet.  Check it out.

J is for Me {5Things}

I've never done this before, but today I'm writing about myself, Jodi.  I've told you things about me and a bit of my weight loss journey.  I've told you my #OneWord a few times.  My About Me blurb just says, "I'm a homeschooling, Jesus loving, wife and mother. I'm Learning to be a Light."  Hmm... that's pretty short and vague.  I might need to update that.

A rare sight on my blog.  Me!

So, here's J is for Jodi and Journey.

Today, I'm sharing #5Things about me and expanding on the About Me section.

1. Homeschooling.  I started homeschooling *many* years ago (the bigger will be 32 this year).  He belonged to a program through our school in NY where he attended classes at the vocational facility 8th grade through high school.  The problem started when the district decided to save some money and not send that class to the BOCES campus and educated them in town.  They did not take gym.  For years.  I knew this would not go well, but I *assumed* they had figured this all out.  I was wrong.  He was starting 11th grade when we moved to another district and (surprise, surprise) he did not have the required PE credits to graduate on time.  Suddenly, I have a kid in 11th grade taking triple gym classes (12th grade would have been double PE).  I asked about other ways he could earn the credits and was told classes at the Y could substitute for the missed credits.  When it was time to get the credits at the end of the semester, they would not award them.  So, I pulled him from school and began our homeschool journey.  A few months later when we moved to Vermont, he took his GED and the kid who was failing chemistry because he did not have a free period for labs, now had an HSE diploma with a nice high score attached to it.

That was it for us.  Micah was completely OK with me staying home once we started having children.  He was "co-op schooled" in NY for grade school, so had a pretty good idea how this would all go.

2. Jesus loving.  I struggle with this one a lot.  Not the loving Jesus part, but the *living* Jesus part.  Seeing all the Christian self-help books available out there, I'd guess I'm not alone.

3. Wife.  I have the most amazing husband.  He's smart and loving.  He's the hardest worker I know.  And he's *funny*!  He makes me laugh every day!  The wife part, well, I'm not great, but I like to think I bring him a bit of joy and make his days a bit easier, too.  Most of the time.

4. Mom.  The bigger, the bigger littles (or middles, I guess), and the little (who also is not so little anymore) call me Old Lady, Ma, Mom, Mommy, Mama, The Meanest Mom in the World...  The days are monotonous and long, I won't lie.  The years are incredible.  The fears seem overwhelming.  I've stopped praying for God to make me a better mother and helping the kids control themselves and have started praying for God to help me defeat my fears *through Him*.  It feels good.  When I remember to pray...

5. Learning to be a Light.  I actually started a blog on this.  And promptly stopped writing in it.  I keep pretty much everything here on Insane in the Mombrain now.  It was a prettier, girlier blog than this one!  I liked my post on Lent over there.  (It isn't difficult to spot, I only have two posts up!)

So, there you have it, a bit about me.



Check out the rest of us, blogging our way through the alphabet.