Cheaper by the Dozen - A Book Review

“Dad himself used to tell a story about one time when Mother went off to fill a lecture engagement and left him in charge at home. When Mother returned, she asked him if everything had run smoothly. ‘Didn't have any trouble except with that one over there,' he replied. 'But a spanking brought him into line.'  Mother could handle any crisis without losing her composure. ‘That's not one of ours, dear,' she said. 'He belongs next door.’” 

I grew up in an average sized family. I had a sister who was three years my junior and then, when I was fourteen, I gained an even younger stepsister. Although we had our share of sibling spats, our house of three girls was generally quiet, orderly, and…well, average. I didn’t know anyone with a particularly large family and had no experience with the nuances of large family dynamics.  As a result, when I picked up the book Cheaper By The Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, I was particularly eager to take a peek at their account of large family life. What I did not expect, however, was to find a hilarious and beautiful tribute to a unique father and husband, and a nostalgic picture of typical turn-of-the-century life for an atypical American family.

Frank Gilbreth and his wife Lillie were world-famous efficiency experts in pre-WWI America--who also happened to have a dozen children.  They were an unusual family, not just because of their size, but because of the career and vibrant personality of their patriarch. In this delightful memoir, two of the twelve children recount in various tales the ways in which their father worked out his theories and practices regarding motion study and education in their bustling home. A fascinating and fun read, Cheaper By The Dozen paints a picture of what it was like to grow up with Frank Gilbreth as a father.

Click HERE to read more.

So Excited to Introduce Cultivating Life with Sally + Podcast!

Today I am so deeply grateful to be able to introduce a project that has been dear to my heart for years. I actually feel like I am having twins. Launching a book and a course all at once is a lot to bear and birth. Thanks for following me in this journey.

Many years ago, I dreamed of having a place where I could encourage women in a beautiful way in the many aspects of life that cultivate all the potential she was created to access. For just about 6 weeks, I had a sort of magazine that Clay and I published that had articles about education, leadership, ministry, home, parenting, and all that we thought made for a rich life. But, it grew so quickly, I had to give it up because we could not meet all the demands of the growth while raising our children.

I have always thought women should be able be strong and capable in many areas and I wanted them to know that their lives mattered.  Ultimately, I  wanted to be a voice that helped them live into their potential. Now, a team of women have come together who have similar vision to help develop a place where many of these areas will begin shaping up. I wanted to share with you some of what you can expect in the months ahead as we build the resources for this course. Let me explain some of the areas you can expect to find in the membership site.

Discipleship

Have you wished for a mentor?  Have you gone so far as to search within your church, your neighborhood, even your friends’ mothers to find one and still been unsuccessful?  Cultivating Life with Sally has been created with you in mind.  I have always loved mentoring women through all stages of life and faith and now I can walk alongside you, too.  Each month in my new membership site, there will be audio and/or video presentations to encourage you in specific ways.  I will provide reflection questions to challenge you to grow in your faith and to take steps forward into maturity.  For our very first month of September 2017, I am launching a brand new Bible study from the book of Hebrews called Cultivating Faith and Faithfulness Even When You Don’t Feel Like it.  Does that resonate with you?  I want to give you inspiration as well as practical tools to live this life of faith well. 

Motherhood

Are you lonely in your mothering?  We have all felt that way at different seasons of life and parenting.  We all want to do a good job at this treasured and precious role that God has gifted us with, but most of us have never had anyone teach us how.  I had to learn almost all that I know by myself. At my new membership site, you will have the opportunity to learn directly from me some of the the whys and hows to do motherhood well.  Coming later in 2017, I will be sharing an audio presentation entitled “Cultivating Hope in the Story You’ll Live.”  I will share HOPE to continue in this marathon of motherhood and remind us why ideals are so important even in the daily hardships. 

Home

Do you want your home to be more than just a place to sleep? A place that breathes life and faith to all who enter?  I will inspire you to cultivate hospitality, faith and discipleship in and through your home.  I will have special presentations that will add to my newest book, The Lifegiving Table. It will be in addition to the inspiration you read in my new book. Coming in October will be a video that goes along with The Lifegiving Table, to help bring you inspiration in your meal and family time around the table.  You can expect conversation starters and other practical home helps in this category over the coming year.  What about inspiration for your kitchen?  My friends and I have recipes to share with you!  In the Recipe section, there will be a new recipe each and every month that you can serve your family. 

Education

The education of our children is such an important part of mothering.  Whether you choose public, private, or home school, we all want to be involved in our children’s educational experience and to enrich the basics along the way.  September’s session on Strengthening Your Child’s Heart to Learn for God will help you enliven your children’s education. This inspiring talk has helped literally thousands of women all over the world to sharpen their focus and refine their vision of how to give their children a love for learning and the means of developing strong intellectual thought processes as a foundation for the rest of their lives. 

What if you could have experts in music and art in your home to teach your children in an inspirational way?  In Cultivating Life with Sally, I have invited experts to assist you in these areas!  The first series in Education will be about the great composers.  Why were they great?  What about their families?  What is noble and worth imitating about their character?  These audio presentations were recorded with you in mind.  Gather your family, snuggle on the couch, and learn a bit about a composer.  Then hit the library with the book suggestions and continue that learning in a fun and engaging way.  We will have other experts to help you teach your children over the months and years ahead. 

Leadership

Have you ever been afraid of being a leader?  Do leadership skills seem way too far outside your natural personality?  Would you like to help your children know what it looks like to become a leader in their generation, learning to stand strong for biblical convictions like Daniel did in Babylon? You are capable of growing in leadership whether or not that comes easily to you.  When God gave you children, He made you a leader!  I am so excited to share my leadership experience and expertise with us.  The leadership training and inspiration that I have been giving to women at the Intensives inside my home will now be available to you at Cultivating Life with Sally.  These sessions will give you confidence to lead inside and outside your home. 

Storyformed

Do you ever wonder what you should be reading to your children?  Are you at a loss as to what to hand them to read?  Then this section is for you.  As part of your membership, you will receive bonus content from the lovely ladies of Storyformed each and every month.  Whether a podcast or a carefully curated book list, you will love these extras that will help you discover the best children’s books, celebrate the soul-forming power of imagination and story, and help you and your children live a story worth telling.

There will be more that we hope to add to the membership site as we go. We hope to develop a community of women who can interact with one another over the next few months. We are still working on this. I also plan on hosting an evening several times a year where you can have a cup of tea or coffee and interact with me in your own home over a live internet mini-chat just for our members. We even hope to host a live tea just for members when I speak in different areas of the country and world. Look for information about a possible gathering of members at Wild and Free in Nashville. More to come with each month.

We have an introductory price of just $9.99 a month--the price of one lunch out with friends! Or you can pay $99 up front and save. For less than the cost of attending a conference, you can have mentoring in many areas for an entire year. Don't wait to enroll as the price will be going up in the months ahead. Looking so forward to connecting with you. 

Registration for Cultivating Life with Sally opens on September 5. When you register, you will immediately receive an email with the direct links to all our September content as well as access to the full membership site. You can register on September 5. Looking forward to sharing this with you and we hope you will be very encouraged. 

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Today, we have a surprise as a preview to the course. It is an Extra Podcast to give you an idea of some of what is ahead: Prelude to Composers Series with Sally and Terri

What we talk about:

-Why it is important to expose children to classical music.

-How music impacts our brains and hearts.

-Ideas to listen to classical music in your home.

-Details about our upcoming Composers series within Cultivating Life with Sally.

We have also created a printable for you to remind your family of the importance of music in your homes.  

Suggested Reading for Young Children

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (Aladdin Picture Books)

By Lloyd Moss

A Caldecott Honor Book which would be fun for the young child. This counting book introduces all the instruments of the orchestra with fun rhymes and playful illustrations. It might end up being a family favorite. 

Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!

By Robert Levine

An educational introduction to the world of classical music - from composers and music history, to the instruments of the orchestra. 

Suggested Reading for Older Children & Adults

Young People's Guide to Classical Music (Amadeus)

By Helen Bauer

Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers

By Patrick Kavanaugh

Good introduction to classical music, including composers and the times in which they lived, with a lot of interesting information.

The author has devoted one chapter to each of the composers, giving a thoughtful analysis of how his faith and worldview influenced the music he wrote. Each chapter includes recommended music to listen to which will enhance your study. 

The Gift of Music (Expanded and Revised, 3rd Edition): Great Composers and Their Influence

By Jane Stuart Smith, Betty Carlson

This book, with a foreword by Francis Schaeffer, was written by women who shared many talks about great music while they lived at L’Abri. Their great insight will teach you even more about the music you are exploring. 

The Secrets of Bringing Your Table to Life! A New Book, A new podcast!

The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.

Isaiah 25:6

I am bubbling over with excitement to share with you the release of my newest book, The Lifegiving Table, coming out October 3. For the next month, I will be sharing with you about table discipleship, building an atmosphere where relationships can flourish and convictions are shaped and heart strings are tied together through the thousands of meals that will take place in your home. In a world where people experience deep lonliness and isolation, we all feel a longing to connect, to have a place where we belong, to find solace from the demands of every day life. 

It is my hope that many of you will feel deeply encouraged and inspired as you read the journey of our family as we shared table together over these thirty-six years. I believe that more than anything else, our table is where faith, moral strength and convictions were shaped in the lives of our children. It was the place we shared our lives and won people to our faith, not through arguing with them, but by sharing in the pleasure of being together around delicious, comforting food and a beautiful atmosphere.

Food, feasting, gathering around celebrations is one of the most Biblical and life-giving ways to share in the goodness and reality of God. If you can invite someone to your table, in an atmosphere of love and welcome, you can influence them for life. 

In one week, the last of my children will fly home from London to join our family in one more time of celebrating who we are, this crazy Clarkson clan, what we stand for, what messages we want to leave as legacy. And all of this will be celebrated through feasts shared together, tea times, strong coffee on our front porch while watching the sun set and just being together in our cool Colorado mountain air.

This reminiscent of other times. but it all happens around feasting, celebrating life together and entering into the close fellowship that has built over years of gathering together over meals. 

Today, I hope you will share this blog post with your friends. If you share it in any place and on social media and I will choose two winners to receive a signed hardback copy of my book.

Also, be sure to look at my Lifegiving Table launch page where you will find out about many wonderful gifts I will be giving away on October 3 at our fun facebook live launch party, including two people winning a trip to my home, a hotel stay and a day with me in my home and at my table, for mentoring and fun. The details are listed HERE.

It will be such a fun month sharing about my stories and recipes. I hope you will enjoy my podcast this week, too, where I share about the why your table is so very important for influencing and shaping the next generation right in your home through simple meal times. 

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

WWII Books for Children

Crow Call

A hushed, contemplative picture book based on an episode from the author’s own childhood. What happens when a father returns from war, a stranger to his child? Gentle, honest, a tale that examines one of the difficult aspects of war with real tenderness.

Escape From Warsaw

A classic, long beloved tale of a family separated by war, and determined to find their way back to each other. With both of their parents arrested by Nazis, Ruth, Edek, and Bronia must fend for themselves until they meet a boy who tells them that their father is alive and waiting for them… in Switzerland. Thus begins a dangerous journey across war torn Europe as the children fight to survive and find their father.

I Am David

I read this book as an adult, and it startled me with its beauty. The story of a boy who has known nothing but a concentration camp, and how he learns what it means to be, not merely physically free, but liberated in heart as well, free to take on the bonds of love.

Irena's Jar of Secrets

A picture book telling of the true story of a young Polish woman who was a nurse during the Nazi Occupation and helped to save the lives of hundreds of Jewish children.

Number the Stars

The story of ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen who becomes caught up in the Danish Resistance during the Nazi Occupation when the life of her best friend is endangered.