Best of the Bundle

May 2, 2013

Early this week I told you about an ebook bundle you might be interested in purchasing. An ebook bundle I am proud to be a part of and proud to promote and support at FIMBY.

 "in real life" homemaking

I love working with other creative and resourceful women and mothers who are trying to share their ideas with the world, help other people, and make some money doing so.

And that is why I contribute to ebook bundles and mention them here. I want to be a part of a community of women working together towards common goals - writing what they know, encouraging other women, and supporting their families.

Women are relational and most of us love a good deal. Ebook bundles feel like a big blogger party - for writers and readers alike. And they are an excellent way for bloggers to make money while offering real value to readers.

I am happy to contribute my own writing and audio teaching to make these ebook bundles attractive to a large audience. (The Ultimate Homemaking ebook Bundle includes two of my audio teachings - Homeschooling from the Heart and Learning in Love.)

However, I realize that many of my readers, like me, don't identify with mass mommy blogger media. Many of you are in a different stage of life than the early homemaking years. And still others are in a completely different culture, and yes, culture matters!

Much of the advice shared by suburban American homemakers about saving money on groceries, freezer cooking, and even getting organized does not "translate" well for those of us living in different cultures or non-standard North American lifestyles.

Also, I am attuned to the fact that many of my readers don't have much in common with the Christian mommy blogger crowd. I understand that since I feel the same way.

We interrupt this post for a word about mommy bloggers.

I used to think of myself as "just" a mommy blogger. This gave me an inferiority complex and I preferred to call myself a writer.

But I have recently re-claimed mommy blogger, proudly, as a fitting description for what I do. I'm a mommy. I'm a blogger. I write mostly about family life. I feel this lands me squarely in the mommy blogger crowd.

The mommy bloggers I know are a crowd of wonderful women who, like me, are intent on beautifying their lives, saving money, living green, raising wonderful kids (sometimes home educating these kids), eating healthy, living with gratitude and purpose, and changing the world - one mommy blog at a time. I'm there, I'm all over that.

And yet, not everything that most mommy bloggers write about will apply to me, or to you. And such is the case with this ebook bundle.

I'm totally done with the pregnancy, birth, & toddler years. So I'll skip those. But if you're in those years, this bundle has a nice selection of resources for you.

I've also got a good handle on time management, budgeting, home organization, simplifying and de-cluttering, menu planning, and cleaning systems. Organization and management are two of my strengths and I've been a homemaker for nearly 17 years, I've had lots of practice. And now with older kids I do a lot of delegating.

If you are still getting established in this area, or need practical ideas and inspiration, oh woman, you are in luck with this bundle. You will be organized, budgeted, and balanced out your wazoo with these ebooks.

We're plant-based eaters and this isn't well represented in this bundle (I don't think it's represented at all actually). Bummer. But I'm used to being in the dietary minority. If you find yourself in the majority, i.e. you eat animal products regularly, you'll probably like these food resources.

Need mothering or marriage help? This bundle has you covered also.

This bundle has some early years education resources but most of these are Christian (which isn't everyone's cup of tea) and a bit more "curriculum-y" than I'm comfortable with. However, the bundle includes my audio teachings which are neither Christian or curriculum-y, so it all balances out (smile).

Ok, so what's left? Well, quite a bit actually. And what's left is still worth $29.97. So even if most of the bundle doesn't apply, the ones that do, are still worth the price. You don't have to need or want it all, you can pick and choose.

So, here's my picks:

• Handmade Walls by Jamin and Ashley @ the handmade home. This is a book about making beautiful frames to decorate your walls. Full disclosure: I will not be making any of these frames. I'm just not a DIY diva (oh, there's a book with that title in this bundle also!). But... the pdf is gorgeous. It's home decor eye candy. The quality of this ebook is phenomenal so I have to mention it, even though I will not be doing any of the projects in this book. If you are a DIY diva you'll like this resource.

• iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide by Alli @ Alli Worthington. I have an Android smartphone and I love using it for Instagram, that's pretty much all I use it for since we don't get cell coverage in our woods. (I really want to put some French language resource apps on there.) If you like to play around with phone photography this little book has some neat ideas. 

• The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley @ The No Brainer Wardrobe I'm not really into clothes or shopping but this book almost makes me wish I was! You can do some real cutsey things with some time on your hands and a trip to the local goodwill. And Hayley shows you how to pull it all together so it truly is No Brainer, which is good for folks like me (if I actually cared more about my wardrobe).

• Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy @ A Delightful Home. I have a scrub right now from Graham Gardens. It smells so delish I want to eat it. Sometimes I do. This little ebook teaches me how to make my own. So I can eat and scrub to my heart's content. It's too early for Christmas but these would be nice presents.

• Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose by Kristen @ The Frugal Girl. What a fun ebook. This crafty mama shows you how to get creative with old clothes. There are some really sweet ideas in here that even the most diy-challenged person could follow. This would be a great project resource for kids also. Two thumbs up.

• Music: An Essential Ingredient for Life by Ryan @ Resound School of Music. Music education is not part of my kids' life, perhaps it should be (except that I don't live under shoulds anymore so, take that back). If music is a part of your kids' education, or you're just starting out with music education, would be a good ebook to read.

• Vibrant Living Strategies for Moms by Lisa @ Well-Grounded Life . It's no secret that I adore Lisa's presence on the web and ever since taking one of her courses I appreciate her work that much more. This is an e-course, not an ebook and it's worth more than the price of the whole bundle.

Even if you only bought the bundle for these seven resources, which of course you wouldn't because your picks would be different than mine, you've got a good deal. See here for how to purchase and don't wait much longer. The bundle is only available till Saturday.

Now what I really want to see is ebooks for the following:

• Planning for your 6 month AT thru hike. With a special bonus section on how to keep your teenagers and pre-teen satiated during that hike. (I'll tell you it won't be with freezer meals!)

• Parenting and providing an education for independent minded young adults, letting them study their interests as their education (not on the side of Engish, Algebra, & History lessons) while preparing them for an adult world. Recording and keeping track of said interest-led learning in a way acceptable to higher learning institutions. Help!

• Helping your children make friends in a different culture and different language.

• Living as adventurers while building community and local relationships.

• Working in the world, from home, as a wholehearted woman, homemaker and homeschooler. (I would like this advice from an older woman who has homeschooled her children through high school. I want to see the fruit of her philosophy and living.)

Anybody seen these ebooks anywhere? And if you're a plant-based eater, the other p in this age of paleo and primal, and you're planning an ebook bundle - I am all over it!