Kristina Seleshanko's Blog, page 82

Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook - now in paperback!

Many readers have asked for a print version of my #1 bestselling ebook The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook. Now it's available!

The print version of The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook has all the same great recipes and information as the ebook, with black and white photos inside. It makes a great Christmas present, too, since the best dandelion greens are just around the corner - after the snow melts!

From Amazon:

"An Amazon #1 Bestseller!

Become a dandelion hunter! 148 dandelion recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even dessert! What if someone told you one of the world’s most nutritious foods is also tasty, can be cooked many different ways, is easy to find, and is totally free? I know what I’d do: I’d run out and grab some! Well, the good news is, there is such a food: Dandelions. Yes, those pesky weeds with bright yellow flowers you’ve grown up thinking are the enemy of perfect lawns are actually food – brought to North America by immigrants who knew how valuable they are.

Every part of the dandelion is edible:

* Dandelion greens recipes are common throughout Europe and often used in salad, quiche, lasagna and other pasta dishes, and many other familiar and less-familiar dishes.

* The honey-like flowers are a healthy and tasty addition to bread, omelets, pancakes, and more – plus they make delectable dandelion wine, dandelion jelly, and dandelion wine.

* The buds are often pickled or added to stir frys and other dishes.

* The stems can be eaten like noodles.

* And the roots add coffee flavor to everything from ice cream and cakes to drinks. And let's not forget dandelion root tea!

The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook offers 148 recipes, plus expert advice and tips, for cooking all parts of the dandelion – one of nature’s best free foods.

Here's what readers have to say about the book:



"5 Stars. Here is what we had for dinner last night: Dandelion noodles, picked with revenge in my garden, and eaten up with zest! So great, and so easy to make this recipe from the brand-new Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook. You can see pictures on my blog."

Caleb Warnock
author of Backyard Winter Gardening and other books
CalebWarnock.blogspot.com

* * *"5 Stars. I was eager to read this book in order to find out the best ways to harvest, freeze and dry dandelion flowers. But what a delight to discover it also offered a treasure trove of info about the history, nutritional/ medicinal applications and new and traditional recipes for this humble, prolific plant. I was also surprised to learn about the different parts of the plant that could be used in cooking, especially the unopened bud. This book is worth it for the dandelion jelly recipe alone -- but, oh my! I can't wait to try the recipes for stem noodles -- and the dandelion tea . . . and the roasted roots . . . and the ice cream . . . and . . . ! I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about integrating fun and nutritious dandelion recipes into their diet. I consider it essential reading for fans of natural, wild foods and for culinary dabblers!"

Suzannah Doyle
Composer & Musician
SuzDoyle.com
* * * "5 Stars. Kristina Seleshanko has created a wonderful collection of enticing recipes, all featuring those yellow-top, front yard pests: dandelions. She includes some rather expected dishes, like omelets, salads and soups. Other recipes, however, are likely to catch readers off guard, like pizza, soda, jellies, wine and even ice cream and cookies! What I enjoy most about this cookbook is the abundance of education. The author includes valuable nutritional information, but also instructions on how to harvest dandelions, how to preserve them and store and what alters the taste of these greens. She's obviously very knowledgeable. All in all, this book is an excellent value at a great price."

Tanya Dennis
Writer & Editor
TanyaDennisBooks.com
* * * "5 Stars. What a fantastic book! I have seen dandelion recipes here and there, and am determined to try my hand at dandelion cordial, but this book has it all. The author went to great pains to give a very comprehensive book on dandelions in every form. With this book you will learn to use every part of the dandelion to make foods and beverages for every meal of the day. If you are interested in frugal living or just trying something a little different, get this book and get out in the yard and start picking!"

Jennifer Shambrook
Author of I Can Can Chicken!
JenniferShambrook.com


The paperback of The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook is $13.29 on Amazon - and you can still get the Kindle ebook version for just $2.99. Order it today and have it in time for Christmas!

20 Ways o Save Money This Christmas

This year, a great many families are worried about having enough money for Christmas. Times aren't so easy, and nobody wants to go into debt buying gifts and decorations. Happily, there's no need to go into debt. Christmas can be really wonderful without spending a bunch of dough. Not sure how to make that happen? Check out the tips below.

* Buy wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbons, and bows at the Dollar Tree. Or, if it's cheaper, buy large rolls of brown parcel paper at an office supply store; tied with string or bows, they have a lovely, old fashioned look.

* Make your own gift tags. The easiest way to do this is use scraps of wrapping paper, folded in half. Other ideas include cutting out shapes from last year's Christmas cards, or using inexpensive Dollar Tree card stock.

* Buy fewer gifts. Jesus only received three.

* Buy less expensive gifts. (More expensive does not equal better!)

* If you choose to buy more expensive gifts, divide the cost among two or more people. For example, one year I paid a portion for my husband's new grill. His parents and grandma pitched in the rest.

* Don't buy new decorations. Do you really need another Christmas tree ornament? If you usually purchase fresh wreaths and garlands, make them yourself or consider buying re-usable (faux) greens.

* If you really want new decorations, buy them at a thirft store. At this time of year, thrift stores are overloaded with Christmas stuff - much of which is either new in the box, or looks new. (Thrift stores are also an excellent source for faux Christmas trees.)

* When buying a real tree, choose a variety that costs less. For example, in our area, noble firs cost at least $15 more than pine trees. Whatever type of tree grows most easily in your area is likely less expensive than something that has to be trucked in.

* Make gifts. This isn't always less expensive, but it can be. Besides, knowing that someone put time, effort, and creativity into a gift means a great deal. (Get ideas for homemade gifts here.)

* Give redeemable coupons. The gift of service is an excellent one, indeed. Ideas: lawn mowing, house cleaning, babysitting...

* Think practical when it comes to gifts. This is the way many Americans gave gifts until fairly recent times. Instead of overloading kids with toys, for example, children were given new shoes, clothes, books, other practical items - and perhaps one or two toys.

* Don't send Christmas cards. I know many people think this is a heretical idea, but sending cards is expensive - and, dare I say it, wasteful. Instead, send digital cards...or better yet, digital Christmas letters.

* Buy gifts throughout the year. It's too late to start that now, but once the new year begins, pay attention to sales and go ahead and buy gifts you know your loved ones will love.

* Instead of focusing on stuff, focus on Christ, the "reason for the season." For ideas on how to do this, see the bottom of this post.

* Don't give everybody gifts. It's a nice thought, but often you're just buying stuff they don't need, anyway. For non-family members or extended family, don't give gifts - or give things like food or simple homemade gifts, like gifts in a jar.

* When it comes to food, watch for sales and buy what you need when the price is lowest. For example, many foods associated with Christmas are also eaten around Thanksgiving - and are deeply discounted to get you into the store.

* Do stockings only for the kids and fill them with practical items like new toothbrushes and fun pencils and erasers.

* Don't go shopping without a plan. Know what you want to buy in advance, and always check prices online, too. Don't forget to check eBay, where often you can purchase brand new items for less.

* For young kids, don't worry about spending the same amount on each. Since young children don't really have a sense of what things are worth, you don't have to worry about making their gifts equal, price-wise. (Do be sure to give each of your children the same number of gifts, however. There's no need to tempt them to be jealous.)

* If there will be lots of adults wherever you spend Christmas, do a Secret Santa type gift giving: Each adult draws the name of one person. Each adult gives only one gift.

For a few ideas on focusing on the real meaning of Christmas, check out these posts:

* Advent: Focusing on Him
* Activities to Go with Popular Christmas Books
* Advent Projects for Kids
* A Birthday Cake for Jesus
* Advent Begins!

Letter of the Week: I

This week, a nice alphabet review (using letters A - I) is the Wiggle Worms Alphabet Game. Once you've shown your child an upper and lower case I and have taught him the most common sound it makes, together brainstorm words that start with that sound. "Inchworm" is one of them. Then pull out this game, which has homemade cards featuring inchworms, hearts, and letters. When you child draws an inchworm, he gets to wiggle all over the place. If he draws a heart, he gets a hug. Otherwise, he names the letter on the card. Fun!

For more about Letter of the Week activities, click here.

* I is for Insect  (the "inchworm" crafts work for "insect," too)
* Insect pom pom ball craft
* Insect snack
* Insect counting craft
* Insect pattern block printables
* Insect Band-Aid craft
* Insect handprint craft
* I is for Inchworm (many of the "insect" craft work for "inchworm," too)
* Inchworm paper craft
* Inchworm snack
* Inchworm pencil craft
* Inchworm instrument craft (made of cardboard and soda pop lids)
* Instrument crafts
* I is for Iguana (uppercase)
* I is for Iguana (lowercase)
* I is for Inch
* Indian corn bubblewrap craft (You can also use Q-tips dipped in paint to make the kernels)
* Indian snack
* Igloo marshmallow craft (You could also use sugar cubes)
* Igloo paper craft
* I is for Island *
* I is for Ivy *
* I is Icicle *
* I is for Ice Cream *
* Phonics: Letter I
* Sesame Street: Letter I
* Sesame Street: Crayon Magic Letter I
* Sesame Street: Screaming I
* Sesame Street: The Letter I Looks Like a Bone
* Letter I Song

* These crafts are fun, but don't use the most common sound the letter "I" makes; use them at your own discretion.

The Busy Mom's Guide to a Super Simple Advent

As much as I love the idea of Advent and how it prepares our hearts for a truly joyous Christmas, I usually find my Advent plans never quite come together the way I'd like. If you're a mom with young kids, easy and simple Advent ideas are the only ones that are likely going to happen. Try some of these:

* Use an Advent book. I just discovered The Family Book of Advent by Carol Garborg, and so far I love it. The Family Reading Bible has a good Advent reading schedule that will work for all but the youngest kids. For young kids, Adriel Booker offers a great Advent reading plan using the superb Jesus Storybook Bible . (Worried about getting any of these books in time for December 1? You can download them to a Kindle, to your computer, or to your smartphone or tablet. You can even buy just the Advent/Christmas portions of The Family Reading Bible, if you like.)


* Don't have the money to buy an Advent book? Use a free reading plan. Thriving Family magazine (along with Adventures in Odyssey) offers a free Advent activity calendar. The Internet is also packed with Advent reading plans you can use with any Bible. Focus on the Family offers a free family reading and activity plans.


Truly, a reading plan like this is all you really need. But here are some nice - but simple - ad-ons:

* Use a chalkboard to count down the days. Kids love this.

* Make a simple Advent calendar. Probably the easiest is to string up folded cards on string or ribbon, something like you see here. (There's no need to make the board that goes along with it - and the cards don't have to be fussy, either. In fact, I suggest enlisting the artistic talents of your children for the cards. Your job will be to write inside the cards.) Don't get fussy with the activities for each day, either. Keep it really simple! Things like "watch a Christmas movie" and "make a paper snowflake" work perfectly.

* If you're using the Jesus Storybook Bible, here's a nice Advent calendar go-with . It may be a bit too much work though. Maybe you can ask Grandma to make it for the kids.

* Check out this list of Advent projects for kids .

* And here's a list of fun activities to go along with your children's favorite Christmas books. Don't get overwhelmed by the list's length. Pick just a few projects that focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and leave it at that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The First Thanksgiving, 1621, painting by J.L.G. Ferris (1863-1930).
"O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works."
 Psalm 105: 1-2

My Family's Favorite Board and Card Games | Best Board and Card Games for Kids

Of all the toys you can buy for children, games are really some of the very best. Children tire of them far less quickly than other toys (assuming they are great games), they last for many years, they can help bring families together (game night is our favorite night!), and they offer a lot of good learning experiences. That's why I'm always delighted when my children receive a game as a gift.

If you're thinking of some new games for your children - or someone else's - here are some we particularly enjoy. All of these games are rated as an A by both my children and myself.

Games for Little People

Busytown
My children, ages 5 and 8, adore this game, and we've been playing it for about a year now. As far as first board games goes, this one is tough to beat. This game features a very large (6 foot) and sturdy game board with a classic Richard Scarry Busytown scene. Just looking at the board is fun for kids, as they see downtown Busytown, the countryside, and even the shore, with all of Scarry's cute animal characters working and playing. The goal of the game is for each player to meet up at a certain spot so they can ride the ferry together and get to the picnic before Pig Will and Pig Won't eat all the food. Along the way, Goldbug may come along and ask players to find as many things (like balloons or fire hydrants) as they can. The more everyone finds, the more everyone can movie forward to the ferry.

Skills required: Simple counting of squares on a game board. I often helped my son with this when he was younger, but if your kids can count well and follow a path along a game board, they can play this game independently. Also, if you have young kids, you know that sometimes competitive games can be a challenge. Busytown is a good introduction to board games in part because players work together toward a common goal.

Age recommendation: 3 (with help) to 8.

Uncle Wiggly
Back in the 1910s and 20s, there were some popular children's stories with a character named Uncle Wiggly. This game was created around that same time, but doesn't require that your children know the original character or stories.* The game board is heavy and beautifully printed. It shows a winding path along lovely scenes - with some unhelpful creatures (like an alligator and a fox) along the way. Each player moves his piece along the board, following directions on a card he's just drawn. The goal is to be the first to make it to Dr. Possum's house for tea.

Skills required: Counting of squares on a board game. Reading isn't absolutely required, although the cards do offer cute little rhymes on them. If your child can read the numbers of the cards and count spaces on her own, she can play this game independantly.

Age recommendation: 4 to 7.


Candyland
This is a classic game every child should own. The goal is to travel along a winding path in Candyland (a place with such fun things as a rainbow bridge and a licorice forest) and be the first to make it to the candy castle. Players draw a card with either one or two board squares of a certain color and move to the nearest square of that color.

Skills required: Children must know their colors and be able to follow a game board path. Children must also be able to count to 2. For players who are new to board games, parental help is required. Otherwise, kids with these skills can easily play this game independantly.

Age recommendation: 3 to 7.


Go Fish

I don't think there's a better first card game than Go Fish. Each player begins with a small number of cards (which most kids can hold in one hand without much trouble). Each player then tries to find as many matches as she can, asking each player: "Do you have a [type of fish]?" Other players either answer "Yes" and give their opponent the appropriate card, or they say "Go fish," and the player asking the question must draw a card from the pile. The player who puts all her cards down as matches first wins.

Skills required: Being able to match alike cards. If children can't read the names of the fish, they can just describe the type of fish, or (when not playing the game) memorize their names. Kids can easily play this game on their own.

Age recommendation: 3 to 8.



Games for Slightly Older Kids (starting at about about age 6 or 7)

Uno
This is a card game everyone in our house enjoys. The goal is to be the first to get rid of all your cards. The game begins with one card facing up in the middle of the players. Each player must then try to remove one or more cards from their hand and put them on top of that card by matching color, number, or function. Things that make this game fun include cards that skip other players, reverse the direction of play, make players draw additional cards, or change the color to any the player desires. There are several variations on this game, so be sure you're just buying the classic card set, as seen above.

Skills required: Children should be able to hold a number of cards in their hands. (Although I have sometimes given my daughter a large egg carton to hold her cards in.) Players must also be able to recognize all colors and numbers. If they can do this, independant play is quite do-able.

Age recommendation: 7 to adult.


Connect 4

The goal of this two person game is simple: Be the first to get four of the same-colored discs in a row. Rows can run horizontally, vertically, or at an angle. Players take turns inserting discs into the plastic game piece to either create their own row or block their opponent's. This is a great game for teaching children to think about other players' strategies. And once your children master playing the game this way, there are directions for making the game different and more difficult.

Skills required: Children must be able to count to four and recognize rows going horizontally, vertically, and at an angle. (If they can play Tic-Tac-Toe, they can play Connect 4.) Once they master these skills, kids can play this game without parental help.

Age recommendation: 6 to adult.


Jacks

A good, old fashioned game of jacks teaches kids motor skills and strategy. There are many ways to play this game, but the most basic is this: A player tosses the jacks on the floor. She bounces the small rubber ball once, catching it while simultaneously picking up one jack. The next time, she tries to pick up two jacks. The next time, three, and so on. This game may be played alone or with 2 players.

Skills required: Counting and motor skills.

Age recommendation: 7 to 10.


Sorry
The goal of this game is to get all your pawns "home" before anyone else. Each player moves forward by drawing a card and moving their pawn the presented number of spaces. Sounds simple - but other players can send you back home, trade places with you, and so on. May be played with 2 - 4 players.

Skills required: Counting. Also, it's important to be able to read some of the cards, because they may actually tell you to move backward so many spaces, instead of forward.

Age recommendation: 7 to adult.


Chinese Checkers

This game board is made with indentations for marbles to fit into. Each player has his own color of marbles and tries to move them forward to their opponant's part of the board. Marbles can only be moved one space at a time, unless your own or other player's marbles can be jumped over. The first person to move all his marbles into his opponant's position wins. For 2 - 4 players.

Skills required: This game tests your child's spacial understanding. Children must learn to stategize their positions to get where they want to go as quickly as possible.

Age recommendation: 7 to adult.

Twister


No game makes my children laugh as hard as Twister. Technically, it is neither a card or board game - unless you can count a large plastic "rug" as a "board." The "rug" has dots of several colors on it. One player uses a spinner to tell the other players to put a particular limb (hand or leg) on a particular color. This continues, with players unable to move a limb from it's former location unless the spinner tells them to. The results are hilarious as kids bend into all kinds of strange positions and get twisted into each other. The winner is the person who is last to fall.

Skills required: Color recogniation and knowing the right from the left.

Age recommendation: about 6 to adult (Younger kids can play, too, but it's much more difficult for little people to stretch across the "rug" to reach the appropriate colors.)

Yahtsee


Technically, this isn't a board game either - but Yahtsee is too fun not to include on this list. Each player rolls a set of dice and tries to get either as many of one number as she can, or combination of numbers. Each play earns a particular number of points and the person who finishes getting all the combinations and gets the highest score wins. Like Uno, there are a lot of variations on this game, so be sure to get "Classic Yahtsee."

Skills required: Basic adding skills, plus an ability to read dice. Parents can help with the adding.

Age recommendation: about 7 to adult.

Deal Alerts: Free Christmas Music, Magic School Bus, Liberty's Kids, Cast Iron Cookware, and more

I often share great deals and freebies on the Proverbs 31 Woman Facebook page. But only a tiny fraction of you meet with me there - and today there are too many great deals not to share with you on the blog itself. Enjoy!


  FREE Christmas Music MP3s:
Green Hill Christmas Music(1)
Green Hill Christmas Music (2)
Must-Have Christmas Masterpieces
Celtic Christmas Music
Liberty's Kids Complete DVD series (4 discs) for just $5.99 shipped! This is a fun and accurate way to teach American history.

The Magic School Bus Complete Series DVD (8 discs) for just $29.99 (shipped 62% off)! Really fun science lessons!

5 piece cast iron cookware set by Lodge for $65 shipped (57% off)! Lodge brand is the best modern cast iron cookware brand. Click here to read more about the benefits of cooking with cast iron.

Free Ebooks (also look here; many of these titles are still free):


Drawing Closer to God
You Are God's Plan A (and there's no plan B)
The 7-Day Prayer Warrior Experience
Wounded Women of the Bible
How to Cook Healthy in a Hurry
The Way to Healthy Garden Soil

My #1 Favorite Recipe and Cooking Magazine

When Martha Stewart ceased publication of her magazine Everyday Food, I was really disappointed. It was my favorite magazine for finding recipes, and I just couldn't seem to replace it with any other magazine or website on the market. THEN I happened upon a copy of Allrecipes magazine. I was thrilled because not only had I discovered a magazine that replaced Everyday Food for it's quality, healthy, down to earth, recipes, but I discovered a magazine that, to my way of thinking, is even better than Everyday Food!

Yes, it's true that the recipes in Allrecipes can also be found on the website Allrecipes.com. But I prefer the magazine to the website because:

* Every recipe in the Allrecipes magazine has been tested by the magazine's staff - and they only showcase recipes with the highest reader rating available.

* The photographs of the food are professional. (And yes, I'm one of those people who prefers to see what the food will look like when I'm done cooking.)

* The magazine not only reproduces the best of the best recipes from the website, but it includes the most helpful reader comments - the ones that offer useful alternative ingredients or techniques. Plus the magazine editors offer their own special notes from their test kitchen.

* The magazine contains not only great recipes, but it has some other interesting content, including notes about the best kitchen gadgets, rising star food business owners, and the like.

My personal test for any magazine is: How many pages do I dog-ear or rip out? If a magazine really only has one recipe or article good enough for me to save, it's unlikely I'll subscribe. But each month, I find myself saving handfuls of recipes in Allrecipes magazine - so I know I've got a keeper!

Here is the first recipe I tried from the Allrecipe magazine. It's just ordinary roast chicken - until you look at the ingredients: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. What the heck? But I think you'll love the end result. I know my family did. (The way the recipe appears at the Allrecipes website is different from how it appeared in the magazine. The magazine version had the best tips and tricks for making this recipe the best it can be. Unfortunately, I can't reprint the recipe due to copyright issues. But I think you'll still love this recipe.)

Letter of the Week: H

This week might begin with waffles or pancakes for breakfast; before serving them to your preschooler, cut them into a heart shape. Ask your child what shape her waffle/pancake is; help her, if she's not sure. Then say, "Heart has an H sound, doesn't it? H, h, h, hear it?" Then draw both upper- and lowercase Hs for your child. For fun, show your child how she can shape her body into an upper- or lowercase H. Finally, from the list below, pick several H-related crafts for the week

For more about Letter of the Week activities, click here.

* H is for Hive (lowercase)
* H is for Hair (uppercase)
* Hair cutting craft
* Hair painting * H is for Horse (lowercase)
* H is for Horse (uppercase)
* Horse handprint craft
* Horse footprint craft
* H is for House (lowercase)
* H is for House (uppercase)
* H is for House 2 (uppercase; printable)
* H is for Hippo (uppercase)
* Hippo craft
* Huge hippo craft
* H is for Heart (upper or lower case; you could also use heart stickers)
* H is for Holes (upper or lower case)
* H is for Hands (upper or lower case)
* Helping Hands craft
* Hedgehog sandwich
* Hedgehog cookies
* Hedgehog paper plate craft
* Hedgehog handprint craft
* Hen life cycle craft
* Hen handprint craft
* Hot dog craft (I recommend forming the finished "hot dogs" into a uppercase H)
* Phonics: Letter H
* The Letter H Story and Song 
* Sesame Street: Letter H
* Sesame Street: Alphabet Chat H
* Sesame Street: Scanimate H

Interview with Jocelyn Green: Bestselling Author, Wife, and Mother

Being a writer, I'm a pretty picky reader - especially when it comes to novels. I'm also a history buff (and a published author of history-related books), so when historical novels stray from real history, I tend to get annoyed. But when I read Jocelyn Green's historical novels Wedded to the War and Widow of Gettysberg, I was impressed. Big time.

What's even more impressive, though, is the author herself. She not only writes novels, but she has several nonfiction books, too. Plus she's a mom and a homeschooler. Better yet, she's a sweet lady who loves Jesus and seeks to lead others to him.

That's why I interviewed Jocelyn (who kindly agreed to the interview even though she'd just passed a grueling deadline and just wanted to get her neglected floor mopped). But don't worry; she won't make you feel bad about not being supermom. Instead, Jocelyn tells it how it really is.

Me:  I love your novels - but I admit, I have a fascination with your personal life, too. You're a wife and a mom of two young children. How do you find time for writing?

Jocelyn: I have to fight for it, no doubt about it. Thankfully, my husband is very helpful, and my parents live 20 minutes away, so they help a couple days a week and when I’m on a deadline, too. But I’ve had to learn to let some things slide. I try to cook ahead of time and have dinners in the freezer during crunch time, but sometimes we eat cereal or frozen pizza. I don’t decorate for every season as much as I’d like to. I don’t vacuum as much as I should. Etc. I also don’t get enough sleep. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle at all, it’s just a lot of triage on my priorities from week to week, and sometimes from day to day. Me: A lot of moms get so discouraged because they think they should do more. Thank you for being honest about the sacrifices doing more means. 

You recently started homeschooling. How do you work that into your schedule?Jocelyn: I did! Ha! Well, to  be honest, our homeschool schedule was pretty light this fall while I finished my third novel. Now that I’ve turned it in, we are finding a rhythm that works for our family. We do school from about 8:30am to 2:30pm, and after that, I have some time to work with. Right now I’m just in the research stage for novel #4, and I can easily read while in the same room with my chattering children. But when it comes time to write again, we may need to take some “vacation days” from homeschooling, or I will just have them do independent work on their own. I really don’t know how it’s all going to work out, yet. I’ll let you know next summer. Me: What tips do you have for moms who aspire to/need to work for money?Jocelyn: I would say that many times, skipping the byline pays. My best paying writing jobs never gave me any “credit” but the work was steady and the income predictable. For me, that was writing for nonprofits, universities, and web sites. Work your networks and find out who could use a writer. Attend writers conferences to broaden your circle of contacts. Be willing to take smaller jobs first to build up your resume and references. Remember that being faithful in the little things will lead to bigger things. Keep in mind, too, that unless you are Karen Kingsbury or Max Lucado or Jerry Jenkins, writing books is not a lucrative venture. When I consider how many hours I spend on not just writing a book, but then promoting it afterwards, suffice it to say I could make more money working at McDonalds. Seriously. Writing books is more of a ministry for me than anything else. The actual incomes comes from writing stuff that is far less interesting.

Me: So true! Many moms have trouble juggling their mommy and household responsibilities and Bible and prayer time. How do you fit in private and family devotion time?Jocelyn: I have my personal devotions with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Then when the kids are eating breakfast, I read to them a devotion for kids. At night, we read straight from the Bible to the kids before bed, and before any other bedtime stories. We recently finished going through the One Year Bible with them. Granted, it took us almost two years, but we did it.  Me:  Would you tell us a little about your journey as a writer? How did your first book come about? 
Jocelyn: My first book was Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives . I was a military wife when I pitched the proposal, but by the time it was published in 2008, my husband was no longer active duty. (It took three years to get a contract.) When I was writing that one, I had a two year old and I was pregnant, and very sick. Thankfully, Faith Deployed was a compilation of devotions that 14 other military wives contributed to, so I didn’t write it all myself. That was really the key that made future book contracts so much easier...I had no interest in writing novels for years. But during the research for my nonfiction book, Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front , I was inspired to try historical fiction. I was so inspired by reading real diaries of women who lived in Gettysburg 150 years ago, I really wanted to give them a voice again and bring their stories back to life. I felt that a novel would be the most vivid way to do that. That’s when I conceived the idea for the Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series.
Me: Tell us about your newest books. Jocelyn : Widow of Gettysburg just released during the summer of 2013. It shows readers what the civilians experienced during and after the battle of Gettysburg. (For more information, including the book trailer, go here.) Next up is Yankee in Atlanta (releasing in June 2014), which follows a Northern woman who lives in Atlanta as a governess for a Confederate soldier’s daughter. Yankee is a story of divided families, conflicting loyalties, and hearts refined by fire. 

Me: I can't wait to read it! 

To learn more about Jocelyn and her books, please visit her website (which includes fun freebies like recipes, and helpful stuff like study guides) or follow her on Facebook.