The Charlotte Moms was “planted” to serve a purpose of helping parents, grandparents and caregivers in the Charlotte area, and then was grounded in Faith as we continued to grow, we are still now even growing our readership and growing as Christians in our own faith and families. Through our journey we as a writing team have looked to our Lord to guide us all along the way. In prayer, through reading and listening to His word, we feel that God is telling us to step back from the website.

Even though sometimes we may not understand, since we were excitedly making plans for service projects, working with great charities and businesses, and had not seen this coming, we truly believe that God is calling us on to serve Him in a different way. I myself have a great peace about this transition and know that God will bless not only us, but that He will continue blessing you and your family as Christ moves in a BIG way in Charlotte.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (NIV)

If we spend our time trying to figure out why He is asking us to leave we could miss out on what He has in store for us. Isn’t that life in general? Often times fears of, “what will I do”, “where will I go”, “where will I live”, “how will I survive” weigh heavy on our hearts when God asks us to step closer to Him. It’s not easy to trust Him, and sometimes we want to dismiss His words with excuses or think, “God couldn’t really be asking me to do that!”

But we’ve learned from so many people in the Bible that failure to obey God’s call can be so detrimental.

God is calling us, for what I do not know, but I do know in my heart that He is calling each of us, to step away from the site, and we are listening. He has blessed each of us through being able to be a part of this website and serving Him in this way.

At this time we will not have new content but will leave our site up for inspiration and if you’d like to leave any comments on our posts or share while it is online please feel free. If you feel God calling you to do something similar or asking you to serve Him in the way we have please feel free to reach out.

And remember Colossians 3:17

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (NASB)

WHATEVER you do, whether it’s folding a load of laundry, preaching to a congregation, playing with your children, blogging, selling from home, working a traditional job, scrubbing toilets. I pray that you lift your hands in praise as we are so, immensely blessed because God loves us, God loves you, just where you are.

Be blessed!!!

Letter from the Editor – May originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on May 1, 2013.

Mine is the lack of storage. We have these beautiful grand rooms with zero space to store our accumulation of “stuff”.

One way around this is by adding furniture. It doubles as decor and storage. As I mentioned in my last post, I find that families use the furniture as storage but in an unorganized way.

Use the furniture piece in the room to store items that make sense like serving ware and linens in the dining room.

When using a chester drawer piece:

• Think about the weight of the items within each drawer.
• Too much weight will ruin the drawer.
• Purchase drawer dividers to keep items separated and organized.
• I prefer LINUS Bins from The Container Store.
• Acrylic, clear, sturdy
• I don’t like wire dividers as stuff tends to slide out.
• Add 3M Command Black Picture Hanging Strips to the bottom of the drawer dividers
to keep them from sliding around every time you open.

When using an armoire or large hutch:

• Add shelves if any are missing.
• A quick trip to your home improvement store with a list of measurements will do
the trick.
• Ask the hardware department for advice on how to attach the shelves to the
unit. There are several options based on material and weight.
• Use baskets and bins to store blankets and pillows.

• Use media baskets to sort and organize movies.
• Albums are a great way to organize and display pictures.

Until next time…
Jennifer

Using Furniture to Maximize Storage in A Room (Part 2) {Guest Contributor} originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 29, 2013.

I almost spit out my coffee and I could not enjoy the rest of the show. Storage space is great until it isn’t. Let me explain.

Just because you have the space to store, doesn’t mean you have to fill it full of “all kinds of stuff”. I often find the strangest items stored in the oddest places in my client’s homes. My guess is they walk around with an armful of items and store in the first place they find available.

Consider what makes sense to store in the room. If you have a hutch or drawer unit in the dining room, then overstock linens and dishes would make sense. Not pictures, toys, and purses.

If you have a piece of furniture in the living room or sitting room, then movies, blankets, and games would be a nice addition.

Clean out your furniture storage pieces.
Put everything in a laundry basket.
Sort like items with like items.
Then walk around your home re-organizing in a manner that makes sense.

Stay tuned as I give some examples of how to better utilize these furniture pieces to be functional and fancy!

Until next time…

Jennifer

Using Furniture to Maximize Storage in A Room {Guest Contributor} originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 26, 2013.

Since we have just celebrated Earth Day and it is still the time of Spring Cleaning, I started thinking about all of the seemingly dangerous commercial cleaning products.  Have you ever been concerned about the toxic, strong smell of chemical cleaners; or the ingredients that you can hardly pronounce?

While living overseas, especially in Japan, I couldn’t even read the language on the cleaning products. So I definitely couldn’t figure out what the exact ingredients were, nor could I determine if they were safe to use around children.

That’s when my journey with natural cleaning products began. I just couldn’t stand the thought of sitting my 1 year old in a bathtub that I just cleaned with something that smelled so strong and chemical. So I bought some Castile soap, baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.

Cleaning was easier, safer and I was able to multitask because I wasn’t worried about my children being around strong, toxic smells. My allergies weren’t irritated and I didn’t get the “sneezes,” burning nose and watery eyes after cleaning.

Well, we moved back to the states and somehow ended up falling back into using commercial products to clean but recently I rediscovered how great castile soap works on daily and deep cleaning needs!

Here is a list of Non-toxic cleaners that I use:

• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Lemon Juice
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Club Soda

{Dislaimer:  Of course, do more research to choose what items will be best for your family needs and ALWAYS spot test cleaners before using them on an entire surface.}

Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out how I use these items!  We would also love to hear your cleaning secrets — so spill the beans in the comments below!

Happy belated Earth Day and safe cleaning!

Non-Toxic Cleaning Solutions originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 25, 2013.

For a great charity event that every local mom should attend:

The Queen City’s Mom Prom
Friday, April 26th, 2013     8 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Havana Banquet and Ballroom
8325 Copley Drive · Cornelius, NC 28120
Help raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer supporting the development of new and better treatments for pediatric cancer.
Tickets: $50 in advance, $60 the day of the event

Let’s get ready for summer:

BeachFest Matthews

April 26th and 27th 2013
Stumptown Park
Come and put your toes in the sand…
Live Beach Music, Volleyball, Boardwalk-style Food Vendors, Carnival Rides, and Activities for Kids

See the beauty of the cherry blossoms before they’re gone and enjoy a great time:

Cherry Blossom Festival
April 26, 2013
Friday 5pm-11pm & Saturday 10am-4pm
111 North Mountain Street, Cherryville, NC
Rides, games, inflatables, music, dancers, arts and crafts, food, cherry dessert contest, pizza eating contest, kids entertainment, antique truck and car show.  Free and fun for all ages!

Dog lovers head here:

Bark in the Park Top Dog Festival
April 27th, 2013
Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville
FREE.  Come out and see pets and their humans compete in various contests.  Register on-site.  Space is limited for each contest.

And of course, because we heart the education and family-friendly atmosphere they provide:

Discovery Place exhibit: Strange Matter until May 5, 2013  
Uncover the science behind the stuff you use everyday!!

How do you plan to wrap up the month of April?

Charlotte Family Events for the End of April originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 25, 2013.

When was the last time you took your child on a date? Not a family outing where all members of the family are present, but a one-on-one outing just the two of you? Each child in our family is different, and each child needs to know that we see and acknowledge who they are. One on one time allows that child to have their moment as the sole focus of your attention. Need some ideas? Check out our age appropriate, budget friendly recommendations.

Parents of Toddlers

Take a simple task that you normally complete with the family or alone, and do this activity with your child. For example, go grocery shopping! Instead of rushing around the aisles, take your time. Let your toddler enjoy sitting in the front of the cart, and get them to help you place items in the cart. Point out the colors and smells of items in the store. Point out the difference in temperature in the frozen foods aisle. The simple act of talking together, and taking your time makes this simple activity a special one for your child.

Parents of Preschoolers and Elementary

• Go to a farmer’s market and explore
• Visit the library
• Schedule a visit with the local fire house or animal shelter
• Go to a play hosted by a local school’s drama department

Parents of Teenagers

• Agree to read a book together then schedule a time where you will discuss what you read
• Complete a community service project together
• Take a walk or jog together
• Find a mutual interest and complete a task around it. Do you both like building things? Build a model airplane together. Do you both like puzzles? Put one together. Do you both like to cook? Shop for and prepare a meal together.
• If you and your child do not like the same sorts of activities, alternate introducing each other to something new. Make an agreement that there will be no whining from either of you. (*Smile*)

What ideas do you have for a great date day/night with one of the children?

Date Night With Your Child originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 23, 2013.

I was personally delighted to be able to go and do good in God’s name and to enjoy this first {of many to come} service projects.

I was so excited that I made a short video about our service project and how you can get involved in future service projects. Won’t you take a quick look???

Thanks again to those of you who prayed and participated, and thank you WIE for having us!!!

The fire men that we visited were extremely happy to see us and some even gave pretty awesome tours to the families that visited. Here are some images from our time at the fire stations. Enjoy!!

Please mark your calendars for our next Service Project on May 11th. We’ll be announcing the project soon, you won’t want to miss it and we’d love to have you serving alongside us. God Bless!!!

Service Project Recap: Fire Station Goodies with What If Everyone originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 22, 2013.

But what really made the trip for me was being able to share time with a very dear friend of mine here in the area.  This was a gals trip planned a few months ago–and boy did we have fun!  Being able to be open and honest and just be myself really recharged my batteries.

This time with my friend made me realize that we are not meant to do life alone.  A crucial part of being healthy is being able to share openly with someone you trust completely and will listen and be there for you no matter what.  Family is your family, and I hope you’re blessed to have as wonderful a family as mine, but God give us a special gift indeed in the ability to CHOOSE our friends.

Sometimes it’s not always easy to be vulnerable, but it’s even harder to do this life alone.  Consider just some of the many things the Bible tells us about godly friendship!  (All verses NIV.)

• As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
• A friend loves at all times   Proverbs 17:17
• But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.   Hebrews 3:13
• Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2
• Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:1

Maybe for some time you have been needing friends in your life that really lift you up and keep you going on days when you’re struggling.  By being open and allowing yourself to be transparent to someone you know to be a true Christ-follower, you are allowing God to breathe life and health back into your heart, soul, and mind.

Challenge of the week:  Make time for friends.  By strengthening existing friendships and making new ones, you are also taking care of yourself.  Call a friend up this week to walk with, pray with, encourage, and share your life with.

Going Deeper originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 19, 2013.

1 Peter 4: 10 –”Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.“

According to God’s Word, we are stewards not owners.  The beginning of the book of Genesis talks about God creating the world which indicates that He is the owner of everything in this world.

We are stewards of money, talents, and our time! Teaching our children about philanthropy is a great way to help them to learn how to be a good steward.  If God has blessed you with time, money or talents, use them for His glory.

Run Wild 5k was a hit last year!! 

Have you heard about it?  If not, here are some details:

What:  “The Run Wild 5K and Wild Child Fun Run is a family-friendly event combining a ChampionChip timed 5K run/walk with a 1 mile run/walk for kids (ages 11 & under).  It is presented by The African Children’s Project and will benefit children who have been orphaned as a direct result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.”

When:  May 11, 2013 (5k-8AM; Fun Run – 9AM)

Where:  Birkdale Residence Club – 8915 Devonshire Dr. Huntersville, NC  28078

Entry Fee:  Run Wild 5K = $25 / Wild Child Fun Run = $10

If you can, please support this wonderful organization! 

Read more about the African Children’s project here.

Sign up for Run Wild here.

Also consider donating!  Any contribution will be helpful!

Charity Awareness: RUN Wild 5K 2013 originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 18, 2013.

However, since connecting with the fabulous ladies behind Green Jeans Consignment Sales last year I wanted to be able to support them beyond posting about them here and sharing on social media. {We’re still doing that too though because we believe in what they are accomplishing with their business.}

Last night, I went to my first consignment sale and my hesitations and misconceptions were put to rest. Yes, I went to the pre-sale, which I’m sure was a little quieter than the public sales, but I really got the boutique-y feeling from the way the sale was set up, and the items that were on sale.

From the minute I walked through the door, to the time I left the sale, I was treated with kindness and the people who were working the sale went above and beyond to make me feel welcomed and were genuinely interested in helping with my selections.

I also had the amazing privilege of working with Christine Nelson of Simply Sassy Coach, {who I’ll write more about in another post}, but was incredible, helping me choose items that worked for my body shape, my personality, and of course my height! She taught me a lot and ended up helping me choose my entire outfit for the Queen City Mom Prom.

I was surprised that we could not only build an entire outfit at Green Jeans Consignment Sale, but we also found lots of pieces to add to my wardrobe that I can wear in different ways and with other outfits. How savvy!!

The sale is currently running today, and Friday, from 9:00am to 8:00pm, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:00pm. For more details head to their website: www.greenjeanssale.com/ From a first timer, this is definitely a sale you won’t want to miss. I’m considering going again for some more casual clothes and more accessories…..I may just be hooked!! Happy Shopping!! Feel free to email us your finds and we’ll put them up on our Facebook page or if we get enough responses in a post!!

Thank you Green Jeans Consignment for the invitation to the event and Christine Nelson of Simply Sassy Coach for your services!! This is a compensated post, but that in no way reflects the integrity of my post. All opinions expressed in the post are my own, yours may vary, but seriously, if you don’t like Green Jeans Consignment….we may need to chat!! 

Shopping at Green Jeans Consignment Sale originally appeared on The Charlotte Moms on April 17, 2013.