Continuing Education for Marriage

If you want to excel in any area of your life, especially your career, you are often required to take Continuing Education classes.  For those of us who homeschool, we attend workshops and conferences to get our continuing education.  When I was in sales, I took many workshops and training classes to continually increase my abilities and make me more valuable to my employer.  

Why should our personal lives be any different?  If we want to excel at our marriages, we should take the time and make the effort to continue to educate ourselves about how to be the best wife we can be to our husbands.  However, there are very few "Continuing Education" opportunities for marriage.  There are a few weekend retreats for marriages around the country and individual churches sometimes have classes for married couples.  For those of us whose husbands work odd hours and can't even attend church regularly, these opportunities just don't work.

So I was very interested when I received "To Have and To Hold" Marriage Bundle from Eternal Encouragement.  This "bundle" includes 2 mp3 audio sessions, 5 ebooks, 7 ebooklets, and 2 full back issues of TEACH Magazine.  If you bought these items separately, it would cost  $100, but you can get this entire bundle for $39.97 for the instant downloads or $49.97 if you prefer to receive the hard copies of the materials.

There are so many wonderful articles, tips, ideas, encouragements, and lessons in this bundle that I have never seen such a collection put together in one place before.  Here is a list of what is included:

• 5R's Session 2 - Rekindle 
• One Life to Live, One Man to Love 
• Loving Your Knight in Shining Armor Even When He Doesn't Shine 
• Roadmap to a Marvelous Marriage 
• Marriage Tidbits to Treasure 
• Quotes Not Quibbles 
• Marriage Report 
• 31 Daily Biblical Prayers for Wives to Pray for Their Husbands 
• Encouragement Report 
• Don't Settle 
• SHIMLY 
• What God Says about Marriage 
• 75 Inexpensive Romantic Rut Cures
• It Happened One Afternoon 
• 2001 Summer Issue TEACH Magazine "Loving Your Husband"
• 2009 Spring Issue TEACH Magazine "Marriages Made Marvelous"  

Once I began reading through the "bundle", it was very hard to stop!  There are longer, more in-depth articles as well as short articles with tips and other tidbits of information.  I really enjoyed browsing through "75 Inexpensive Romantic Rut Cures".  After almost 29 years of marriage and with 2 teenagers in the house, I needed some fresh ideas to spark romance again in our marriage. 

I also LOVED "SHIMLY"!!  It is such an endearing story of love through the years - made me want to begin leaving little notes around the house (I guess I would have to explain it to my husband, though:-)

The two issues of TEACH Magazine are packed full of great articles about marriage.  And the article "Loving Your Knight in Shining Armor Even When He Doesn't Shine" was challenging and a great reminder about what is really important.  And the "31 Daily Biblical Prayers for Wives to Pray for Their Husbands" is a great one-page sheet that you can print out and keep handy to help you every day in praying for your husband.

"To Have and To Hold" Marriage Bundle is definitely great Continuing Education for marriages.  You can get yours by visiting The Shop at  www.eternalencouragement.com.

You can check out what other Gabby Moms had to say about
"To Have and To Hold" Marriage Bundle over at The Gabby Moms Blog.  One of my fellow Gabby Moms also suggested this would make a great wedding present and I agree!

 I received this product for honest review from Eternal Encouragement Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Gabby Moms Review: Eternal Encouragement Magazine

I love to read!  I read books all the time - mostly Christian fiction.  However, there are times when I don't want to get in the middle of a long book and am just looking for something short, uplifting and encouraging.  But I have found very few magazines that fill that need for me.    So I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the Spring 2011 Eternal Encouragment Magazine to read and review as part of The Gabby Moms review program.  Formally TEACH Magazine, Eternal Encouragement just changed the name this year in order to more acurately portray their mission and vision for the magazine - "Inspiring Women to Become More Like Jesus Every Day."


Eternal Encouragement is a lovely magazine written to be an encouragement to women in their roles as wives, mothers, homemakers, friends and daughters of God.  Although it is a smaller magazine - a convenient take-along 6"x9" size - it is chock full of wonderful articles by some amazing ladies!  This Spring 2011 magazine has a theme of "Time Flies" and contains many articles that discuss this topic from Time:  Use It Or Lose It to a poem called "A Mother Who Takes Time".

One article that particularly caught my attention was In Be 'teen Times:  Be A Grace Dispenser.  This article really touched an area that I have recently been dealing with in how to strengthen love and respect between me and my teens.  This article encouraged me to surprise my teens by dispensing grace, even when they have disobeyed or disappointed me.  I was challenged to be more like my heavenly Father and show grace to others as He has shown so much grace to me.

There is such a gentle and loving feel to this magazine.  All of the articles, while some are challenging, are presented in such a gentle way that makes you feel loved and cared for - just like siting and discussing something with a dear friend.

To me, one of the biggest assets to this magazine is that its size is so convenient to carry it with you, either in your purse or at least your car and then you can just grab it when you have a few minutes to kill (like waiting for an appointment or when you are on hold) and read a short article that will lift you up and encourage you.  It might even make your day, change your outlook on the day, and help you keep your eyes on Jesus.

Now you are probably wondering how you, too, can receive this magazine full of encouragement and insight.  All you need to do to subscribe is go to www.eternalencouragement.com and for $25.97 per year you will receive this gem of a magazine delivered right to your mailbox.

You can read more reviews of Eternal Encouragement Magazine from other Gabby Moms here.

I received this product for honest review from Eternal Encouragement Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Encouraging Moments Newsletter - A Gabby Moms Review

Our life as homemakers and moms can get a little hectic sometimes!  For relaxation and refreshing, I go sit in my jacuzzi/hot tub.  That is where I go to escape and to recharge, whether it be physically or mentally.  And if I go in during the day, I like to take a book or something to read while I soak and relax.  That, for me, is my bliss!

While you may not have the luxury of soaking in a jacuzzi, you might like to take a long, hot bath.  Or, you may have some other means of escaping and recharging.  I would like to suggest an idea to you - Encouraging Moments Newsletter.  This is a weekly newsletter sent out on Thursdays via email that will, in just a few paragraphs, lift you up and encourage you as a wife and mother.  That is their whole agenda, by the way!

Just to give you a little peek into what you have been missing, I want to share a few things that have been touched upon in the last few weeks.  Lorrie Flem shared the difference between a successful marriage and an unhappy one, while Kimberly Lacey shared on praying for your husband.  And there is a really cool feature called Chick Flicks for Mom where Lorrie sits down and shares her heart via video clip.  It really is like sitting face to face with a friend and having them share something on their heart!

Another week, Lorrie shared about taking a "Bible bath" and Annie Herrick shared some tips about Staying Within a Budget and how that honors her husband.

Encouraging Moments Newsletter is like little gold nuggets that you can tuck away in your heart and remember as you go through your day.  Each newsletter is brief, includes links to a lot of different things at Eternal Encouragement Magazine, as well as information on special offers on books and products.

So what are you waiting for?  Don't you, too, need a little escape to relax and recharge?  Go sign up for Encouraging Moments and you will be encouraged and refreshed!  When you go to www.eternalencouragement.com, there will be a pop-up window where you can sign up for Encouraging Moments Newsletter.

I am reviewing Encouraging Moments as an official member of The Gabby Moms blogging program for Eternal Encouragement magazine.  I did not receive compensation for this post and all opinions are solely my own.

True Treasures: A Gabby Moms Review

 I have had the pleasure over the last few weeks of reading  True Treasures:  10 Years of TEACH Magazine.  And trust me when I tell you that I read it from COVER TO COVER!!!  I did not just browse the articles or scan the titles.  I read every word in this treasure trove of articles!!  I had a hard time putting it down each night when I really needed to turn off the light and go to sleep.  When they say that they endeavored to put together articles on everything from marriage to parenting to homemaking that would truly "speak to your heart," they succeeded in a big way!

Mrs. Lorrie Flem

Ok, now you are wondering, "Who are they?"  Mrs. Lorrie Flem is the publisher of TEACH Magazine, and, I believe, the dynamic force behind the whole thing.  Tena Cinnamon and Donna Venning assisted Mrs. Flem in compiling this wonderful project.

TEACH Magazine  (which is changing to Eternal Encouragement Magazine) states their purpose so beautifully:

We are a magazine that will help you with your God-assigned tasks as a wife & mother by:

Encouraging you with wisely spoken words.
Convicting your heart as He refines you into His image.
Challenging you to continue to strive for improvement.
Touching your spirit with heart-warming stories.
Entertaining you through life-learning lessons.
Inspiring you to immerse yourself in the holy promises that are yours.

True Treasures is divided into 6 chapters with such wonderful titles as

• Jewels that make the Heart Sparkle
• Marriages of Solid Gold
• Parenting Pearls: Practical and Priceless
• Homemaking that Dazzles Like Diamond
• Homeschooling Nuggets of Wisdom

 Just the chapter titles are enough to make you want to dive into the pages full of richness and insight.  These are articles written by homeschooling and homemaking moms just like you and me, and cover so very many facets of life!

I have been homeschooling my two children for almost 12 years now and have read so many articles about homeschooling.  But still, from time to time, I need the refreshment and encouragement that comes from hearing what others who have walked or are walking this journey have to share.  And that is exactly what happened when I started reading True Treasures.  It was like sitting down with another beautiful woman who knew just what I was going through and having them share their heart with me.  I don't have many friends around here that I could actually do that with, so it was really nice to feel that way while reading these articles.  Some were challenging, some were humorous and all were encouraging and uplifting.

I recently joined The Gabby Moms to review products for Eternal Encouragement Magazine.  We are a group of moms, wives, homemakers and followers of Jesus who want to share our thoughts and opinions about products which may help you in your role as wife, mother, homemaker and follower of Jesus!

And if you have been following my blog for any time at all, you will know that I love a great deal and coupons!!  Well, I have a coupon code for you that is good for $4.00 off the price of True Treasures - just type GABBYMOM during checkout at www.homemakingwithteach.com.  This offer is good until May 31, 2011 (one copy per customer, please).

I received this product for my honest review from TEACH Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.