Christian Frugal Mama

Video: Fellowship with the Father

2011-07-03T07:54:00.000-04:00

This is an excellent video of a man named Zac Poonen (who's from India and has planted many churches) speaking about Jesus's fellowship with the Father and His great love for us. This video has moved me and motivated me deeply. I highly recommend taking just 4 minutes out and watching it today. I don't think you'll be disappointed. :)

Share Yourself Saturday: Keys

2011-07-02T07:06:00.000-04:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adspackman/ / CC BY 2.0

Ok, be honest. How many of you have locked your keys on the car? I have a couple of times. Once a boyfriend managed to open the door with a hanger or metal bar. Once it was in the winter, while I was warming up the car. Yep, I locked the door by habit and closed it with the car running. My husband (then just a friend) had to drive me 40 minuets round trip to my house to get my spare set. My husband locked the keys in the car on our honeymoon. I put the locksmith receipt in our scrapbook. :)

But I've got an even better one for you. I not long after I had gotten an SUV with a remote unlock, I stopped at a gas station with my 1 1/2 year old who started fussing in the back. Without thinking, I gave her my keys to play with while I filled up the tank. While I was pumping, I heard a honking noise. I was looking around to figure out what dork kept honking when I realized my keys had a lock button on them.

Imagine my panic as I saw my sweet little girl smiling while she hit the lock button several times! I started tapping on the glass and saying "push the other button honey, push the other button!!!" To my great relief, she actually did! I snatched over the door immediately and confiscated the keys.

I've learned my lesson. I doubt I'll ever do that again. But I'm sure I'll do other equally brainless (sleep deprived) mommy things! How about you? Have any key stories of your own?

Frugal Friday: Dishwashing

2011-06-30T21:44:00.000-04:00

Orginally posted 9/2/10
At the house we lived in before, I used to love my dishwasher. I almost never did dishes by hand and I loved it! Then we moved to our new place which has an old dishwasher I don't like. I started doing more dishes by hand. Then a thought dawned on me:

Washing dishes by hand is usually cheaper for me

It's pretty easy for me to find dish soap cheap, but it's a lot harder to get dishwasher soap free or cheap. Plus, by doing dishes mainly by hand, I get to train my little helper (and keep her entertained):

So two benefits to washing more dishes by hand: cheap soap and cheap labor/entertainment. Cheap labor/entertainment is a finer thing!! :)

Check out Frugal Friday for more great money saving tips!

Addie Slaughter: Book Review

2011-06-30T09:35:00.002-04:00

For those of you who love history, you'll like this book! Similar to the Little House on the Prarie books, Addie Slaughter: The Girl Who Met Geronimo is about a young girl's life in the west during Pioneer and covered wagon days.

Addie Slaughter is written in first person narrative by Susan L. Krueger, ED.D. with Dr. Reba Wells Grandrud (a historian) to preserve the true life stories Addie Slaughter told to her daughter Adeline Greene Parks. It's filled with adventure and explanations of how things were in the Wild West days.

Addie's father was a famous sherrif and their family ran into many hardships as well as good times. The story follows young Addie from Texas to Arizona to Oregon and back to Arizona where the family finally settled near the Mexico border. The pictures are historical pictures of Addie and her family and friends and come from their albums as well as the historian's collection. This book would make a good homeschool supplement and in the back of it they include a curriculum guide with ideas for activities, discussion and additional ideas for study.

We've been reading this story aloud. My 4 year old is too young to really understand some of the events now, but as she grows older, I'm sure reading this book will provide for some good discussion. I honestly like the Little House books better because they focus more on the positive side of things, are more in depth and include Christian values. This book would still be good to include for a history study.

You can purchase Addie Slaughter from Five Star Publications for $15.95.

(Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are solely mine and are not influenced by anything else)

My Baby is 2 Today!

2011-06-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

**Sigh** My "Baby" Lily is no long a baby. It's been a while since I've looked at her baby pictures. How far she's come! :)One of the rare moments Lily actually was sleeping peacefully

Happy in Alabama!
Modeling a sweater made by Mommy

One of the latest (in D.C.)

So, today we had cupcakes and ice cream. Saturday is the official party. Too bad she had a fever today. :(

It's amazing how fast the time flies. If you're a mom of littles, remember to treasure them! I'm already missing holding a baby in my arms. These precious gifts of God are only on loan for a short time and then they'll grow up and be on their own. I hope you remember to treasure your precious gifts this week!

Share Yourself Saturday: Accidents

2011-06-18T11:07:00.001-04:00

I'm accident prone, especially in the kitchen. Especially with hot stuff. :) I'm not sure why, but I burn myself often. It's not that I'm a bad cook (I'd like to believe so, anyway) but I tend to be absent minded and not very careful.

My father-in-law likes to tease me because anytime I do a large family dinner I severely burn myself. One year, I grabbed the hot oven coil when trying to pull out the turkey. One year I badly burned the sensitive underside of my forearm. It was about a 3 inch burn and hurt. A LOT.

I also tend to cut myself. Just a couple of days ago I sliced off the tip of my finger with a mandolin cutter. Opps. That actually didn't hurt so much, surprisingly. I'm hoping that I won't impart my accident prone cooking ways to my daughters. I hope to teach them safety.

I'll certainly be an expert on teaching them first aide. :) By the way, clear aloe vera gel seriously takes the burning feeling away. It's a miracle! Now if only I could find my bottle of it....

How about you? Are you accident prone in the kitchen or are you the picture of safety?

How to Move from Blogger to WordPress: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-17T10:06:00.002-04:00

Ok, attempt #3 at posting this review! Blogger wasn't working properly the first time I wrote it and pushed "publish" so the whole post was lost..... GRRRR!!! Moving to WordPress is looking better and better....

Anyway, this is an excellent book. How to Move from Blogger to WordPress is incredibly detailed, worded for people with very little techie knowledge and even includes pcitures! I think this book would qualify as one of the "For Dummies" series. Every detail is covered.

Step-by-step, author Sharon Hujik holds your hand through the scary process of creating a domain name and moving to WordPress as well as moving your followers, redirecting traffic, etc. This 97 page e-book is absolutely invaluable to anyone considering making this move. Instead of paying the costly price of hiring a web designer or programmer, you could purchase this e-book for only $35. Plus, you can save 20% right now with the code time4wp.

This book isn't just for those considering the move to WordPress, but also for those who may have tried to make the move themselves and made a few mistakes. :)

Interested in this book but don't want to pay for it just yet? The author has graciously offered to giveaway 2 copies to my readers! You'll definitely want to enter this giveaway if you're interested in moving you blog from Blogger to WordPress.

To enter the giveaway you can do any of the following, leaving a separate comment for each:

Tell me if you've already made the move to WordPress or not. How did it go for you?

Follow this blog or tell me if you already do (left side of the blog)

Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link

Become a subscriber or tell me if you already do (left side)

Follow me on twitter or tell me if you already do

Become a fan of the Christian Frugal Mama Facebook page or let me know if you already are

That's 6 chances to win! The giveaway is open from now until Friday July 8th at 11PM EST when I will randomly pick a winner. I will email the winner (so make sure you leave a way for me to email you!) and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If they don't, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!!

Disclosure: I received this e-book, free of charge, from Sharon Hujik, for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions are my own

Our Trip to D.C. (Part 3)

2011-06-10T09:35:00.000-04:00

If you missed them, you can read part 1 and part 2 of our trip.

Relaxing after a hard day with some ice cream!

In front of the Supreme Court building

The National Botanical Garden. It was very beautiful and I highly recommend it!

Ok, this requires explaination. Our almost 2 year old has been throwing tantrums lately. Because I made her hold my hand, she layed down on the ground (sidewalk by a road) and screamed. At the time, it was so funny to me I was laughing and took a picture. It had been a long day and even longer week and she had reached her limit I guess. Bad parenting, I know, but I let it slide that time. :D

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Our last full day in the city was spent with some family, the Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (both of which are free!). I think that Air and Space is one of their best and most popular museums. It's an excellent place to go with children, but perhaps not very young children. Older children will really appreciate all the great exhibits and activities gear for their age group.

Our last day of the trip, we took the Metrorail into the city to visit the Smithsonian National Zoo. It was free and huge. We were too cheap to buy a $2 map and got lost and turned around a few times! We definitely didn't see everything and will have to go back sometime. :)

On Monday I'll post my tips for traveling with small children! Are you planning any trips or vacations this summer? Where are you going?

Our Trip to D.C. (Part 2)

2011-06-08T17:36:00.001-04:00

You can read Part One of our trip here. After a good night's sleep, we were all up and ready to go early. On our second full day, we decided to hit all the outdoor memorials because it was going to be a beautiful day.

Two beautiful girls ready for a big day!

Our first stop was to find parking! We parked really far away, but at least it was free. Our first stop was the Jefferson Memorial. The girls were a huge hit with a group of Asian tourists. Many of them took their pictures and thought they were so sweet!

Next was the FDR Memorial. It was our first time seeing this one and I was very impressed. It was near the lake with a park and several beautiful waterfalls.

Of course, the Lincoln Memorial was on the list of sites to see. Unfortunately, Lily was getting very anxious to run around and we let her go. She made a beeline for the memorial and slipped under the chain around it. I had to sprint (in front of several people taking pictures) to grab her before she started climbing on it. :D

A picnic lunch, so much cheaper and more fun than eating out! The cooler was a little bulky, but the savings made up for it

Our stroller is great. It's seen a lot of different places!

Next, we went to the Washington Monument, where Lily went up to strangers, talked to them and even started rubbing one woman's leg, who was thankfully very understanding! Then, we walked a LONG way to the Smithsonian Art Museum. Lizzy hitched a ride in the back of the stroller. I wished I could too.

Lizzy said this was her favorite picture in the art museum :)

After that, we went through the Smithsonian American History Museum and Lily did a somersault over an exhibit bar and landed in it. Oy! After that, we finally walked back to the car which seemed to be miles away.

It was a fun, eventful day after which I was exhausted, sun burned and decidedly a day that needed to end with ice cream ice cream! :) I'll post about the final part of our trip tomorrow, along with my tips for traveling with small children.

Our Trip to D.C. (Part 1)

2011-06-07T21:25:00.001-04:00

My husband and I recently took a trip to Washington D.C. with our two girls (3 and almost 2) and my brother and his girlfriend. I thought I'd share a little bit about our "vacation" and at the end, I'll discuss some ways I've found to make traveling with kids somewhat manageable. :)

We drove. It was looooong. But not too long. It took about 7 hours (t should have been 6). W got stuck in traffic and construction..... with a potty trained 3 year old. Guess what happened about 10 miles from our destination in bumper to bumper traffic? Yep. She started screaming she had to go potty. NOW! Long story short... we did what we had to do. And I throughly cleaned the plastic container out later. :P

It was wonderful when Lily finally fell asleep. By the time we got to te hotel, we ate dinner and relaxed.

The next day, we went to Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House. We decided not to take a tour or bus. Instead we walked and walked and WALKED. And it was hot. But we saw pretty much the whole place, the changing of the guard, Arlington House and the gardens, an old ampitheater and JFK's gravesite. It was all beautiful and quite the experience.

We then drove into the city, parked in a valet garage (gag) and went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Because we weren't far (and because we already had to pay to park) we walked to the White House and all around it.

The girls were wiped out!

In front of the white house

So sweet!!

By the end of the day, we were exhausted. We all went back to the hotel early and had crockpot chicken and veggies for dinner. Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll be able to continue this post. I'm having a lot of trouble with blogger lately. :( I think it's time for a move.....

Craft Day

2011-05-16T20:32:00.002-04:00

Lizzy and I had a craft day today, thanks to 1-2-3! Textured Products. We LOVE crafts around here and anytime we need something to fill up our day, I dig into the craft drawers. Today, we tried out the Freckles the Ladybug Textured Craft Kit.

I don't have any pictures of us making the Ladybug because we were too busy gluing the fun little textured pieces to the ladybug cutout. The 1-2-3! Textured Products come with a cutout and textures pieces (like paper, beads, and confetti) to place on the cutout.

These products are perfect for little preschoolers and helps to develope fine motor skills and the feeling for different shapes and textures. Each kit comes in a handy, portable package. I was a little frustrated at the difficulty of opening each little package for the textured pieces, but that's just me. :)

Our finished project. I think it'll make a good "Grandparent's gift." Lizzy loved making this craft. I don't know that I would buy these just for our home as I could do this with things we already have for less. I do think that these projects would be good for group activities like daycares, Sunday schools, etc. The individual packaging would probably help keep things under control and less messy!

And..... just for fun, this is what happens when silly Mommy gives Lily chocolate pudding to snack on while she writes a product review....

Disclosure: I recieved one of the Textured Product Kits for review purposes. All opinions are my own (and maybe Lizzy's too)

Manhattan Toy: PJ Tots

2011-04-08T19:23:00.001-04:00

We totally *heart* little girl stuff around here. You know, with having two little girls around and all. :) That's why I jumped at the chance to review a sweet little doll from Manhattan Toy. A little girl can never have too many dolls, right?

How adorable is that?! She has sweet little bunny ears and everything. When it came in the mail the other day my oldest daught could barely hold in her excitement. When I handed it over she declared it "very comfy" and decided that she loves it. It even came with a cute little matching sleeping bag.

Her new residence is my 3 year old's bed. :) They are very soft and sweet. I totally love the PJ Tots toys.

Would you like to receive a sweet little doll and sleeping bag? I thought so. Manhattan Toy has offered to giveaway the same doll and sleeping bag I received.

To enter the giveaway you can do any of the following, leaving a separate comment for each:

Tell me what you plan to do with your doll... what little girl are you going to make happy? :)

Become a follower/feed reader or tell me if you already do (left side of the blog)

Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link

Become a subscriber or tell me if you already do (left side)

Follow me on twitter or tell me if you already do

Become a fan of the Christian Frugal Mama Facebook page or let me know if you already are

Follow @ManhattanToy on Twitter.

Like Manhattan Toy on Facebook.

That's 8 chances to win! The giveaway is open from now until Friday April 22nd at 11PM EST when I will randomly pick a winner. I will email the winner (so make sure you leave a way for me to email you!) and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If they don't, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!!

Disclosure: I received a PJ Tot, free of charge, from Manhattan Toy, for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions are my own

Hello Again Friends!

2011-04-04T07:30:00.002-04:00

I am ashamed to think of how long it's been since I've written anything worth while on my blog. I have lots of excuses of course. Between havig two small children, being married, and purchasing our first home, it's been super busy around here! Plus I've been working a lot of crafty things... I sold a knit elephant I made and have orders for more! I've been gthering up tons of info on healthy eating and living as well as organizing and preparing for our move in two weeks. But the truth is, that's not why I haven't been writting. Those are just excuses. Good ones, but excuses just the same. The truth is, I simply lacked the motivation to write. Maybe it was a sort of writter's block. Maybe just laziness. I'm not sure. I've just felt.... empty. Know the feeling? I hope to get back to writting again! I love the fun of writting and hitting "publish" and my words being out there for all to read. I hope to inspire, I hope to touch, I hope to share the little I do know about a few things. You'll have to be patient with me, as I get used to writting again, especially in the midst of a MOVE! :D I have longed for a house for soooooo long and I'm so thrilled to finally be on the edge of moving in to our very own home. It's been a long, frustrating journey and maybe I'll get to share that with you. Our big moving day is April 16th so, I may be just a tad busy for a while. :) I hope that the writter's block is past now! I miss

A Case of the Sickies

2011-03-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

Photo By LittleMissPip

I hate it when my children aren't feeling well. I'm so very glad that things are pretty much back to normal now... just the usual whininess that accompanies teething. Teething+cold=unhappy 20 month old. Add in a 3 year old with a bad cold and you get the idea of my week last week.

:) But I'm thankful to say that we survived and I've been reminded to be thankful that our family is generally healthy. Health can easily be taken for granted and I'm so thankful that we don't have long term, chronic challenges around here.

What are you thankful for this week? Check out Gratituesday for inspiration!

It's All About Love

2011-02-14T11:06:00.001-05:00

Picture is from ChristianCrafts.net

My husband and I don't celebrate many holidays. We just aren't holiday people and we try to have fun together all the time. But as my children are getting older, I think we'll try to incorporate some holiday type ideas more often and try to use them as opportunities to teach our children principles.

Sometimes I think my 3 1/2 year old is too young to understand things. However, children will usually surprise you with just how much they do understand. Even if they're just copying you right now, you're laying foundations for the rest of their lives. So here's how I have been using Valentine's Day (a Hallmark promoted holiday) to teach my children.

First we talked about how today is a day to think about love and how we love people
We talked about how God loves everyone. We then played a "game" with me asking "Does God love..." and inserting a name of someone we know. She would enthusiastically say "Yes!"
I sang the John 3:16 song that we have on cd. My daughter sang along by singing "The bible tells me so." Different song, but it works too. :)
We talked about how we're going to color pictures and do things for Daddy to show him that we love him.
My daughter is at the innocent age where she will blurt out "I don't like..." a person she doesn't feel so loving towards. I explain to her that even if we don't like someone, we still need to love them because God does and He wants us to love them too.
We talked about how even when we're bad, God still loves us and the same goes for other people as well. Even when they do bad things, we still love them.
Although she's too little to do a lot of crafts for Valentine's Day, I did pick up a little candy heart necklace kit we'll do after lunch today. She loves crafts. :) We'll probably make valentines for people we know as well for a craft today.
We talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus (His Son) to the world to be with us. She doesn't understand the weight and meaning of it, but it lays a strong foundation now that we can build on as she grows older. It's important for both children and adults to store the Word in their hearts so we have the truth to keep us strong and to fall back on.

So, even though she's young, I'm trying now to instill truth and love in her now. Children are little sponges and soak it all up to use later. I hope you all have a wonderful day in God's love today! Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?

Wednesday Wifehood

2011-02-09T14:21:00.001-05:00

Originally posted 2/11/09

I've especially been having to relearn this lesson recently!

I'm sitting here eating the Honey Nut Cheerios snack mix I got from Giant Eagle with a coupon this week (picking out the pretzels of course) and wondering why they would put nasty pretzels in a sweet snack mix. I'm not a fan of pretzels and whenever I eat snack mixes (which always have them!!) I usually just hand them to my husband and won't let him have any of the good stuff like the chex pieces or little breadsticks. He's so good to me and eats them all without too much complaint! :)

A thought stuck me today as I was reading my Proverb for the day: #5. Good old #5 about how men need to stay away from immoral women. In verse 19 it says "As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her (the wife of your youth) breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love." Most of us wives say "Yeah! That's right!" But do we ever think about what this verse may mean for us, besides security? "Be enraptured with her love" kinda gives the inpression that the wive is ACTIVELY loving her husband, huh? I think this ties in with Titus 2:4 very well: "that they (older women) admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children..."

Let's take that thought a little further, even. Am I loving my husband actively in a way that will enrapture him? You may think "It's up to him to accept it" but hold on for a minute. Isn't it our job as wives to be our husbands "help"meets? Isn't it my goal in our relationship to do what I can to help, encourage, and come beside him? Do you think that might including making it easier for him to be enraptured by my love?

If you've never heard of the Five Love Languages book, this may be confusing to you, but the whole idea is that everyone has one of five distinct ways they like to give and receive love. I was a skeptic at first, especially when my husband told me he'd taken the test and his love language was touch. I figured he was just saying that because he wanted it that way, etc. I was a skeptic until I overheard the author of the book, Gary Chapman, on a radio program talking about what happens in a marriage where the partners aren't speaking each other's love language. He described my (then) current marriage state loud and clear and it was a slap in the face to hear a stranger I didn't buy into explain all the little struggles we were dealing with no one else around could see. After that I took the test and am considering reading the book now. My husband is touch and I am gifts and quality time.

Now here's obstacle #1. Touch was the lowest one for me. Actually, I scored a 0 out 0f 12 on that one. Honestly, I don't like to be touched much, especially when I'm pregnant. Maybe the occasional hug and goodnight kiss. Here's obstacle #2. I spend all day wiping a runny nose, changing poopy diapers, cooking, cleaning, reading and a whole host of other things. You mean to tell me that after all that, when I feel completely drained, I need to actively love my husband in a way that's difficult for me? In a word: YES.

Back to my illustration about the pretzels. I have been giving my husband the pretzels out of the bag of my time and energy. I happily give my time to a lot of things throughout the day (most of which are great things) and leave the pretzels for him at the end of the day. Put in that light, it doesn't seem very fair, does it? Just as I expect him to come home from work and love me in a way I enjoy, I need to be doing the same for him.

Chapter 5 of Proverbs is a very important book explaining what happens when a man goes towards an immoral woman and gets involved in adultry. It is very much up to my husband to guard and watch his actions and heart, but it is just as much my responsibility to make it easier on him. I want to lighten his load and help him in whatever way I can. If that involves me putting forth more effort to love him in a way that is meaningful to him even though I am tired, then it's my heart's desire to do so. Notice that Titus 2:4 gives instructions for older women (who have been there already) to teach the young women to LOVE their husbands (which is listed before the children).

A lot of women hate hearing it, but if our husbands stray it may have a least a little to do with our lack of proactive action. No, I'm not blaming the wives nor excusing the husbands. I am reinforcing something discussed in the book "For Women Only" about how men often wish (but rarely tell) their wives would make more of an effort in things like her appearance and their sex life. GASP! He's supposed to love me for who I am! Yes, he is, but don't you think you should put in some effort too? I'm not saying you should neglect your children and house and become vain and unbalanced, but your husband deserves the good stuff you have to offer too, not just the pretzels. I know I want to start making more of an effort to enrapture my husband with my love, how about you?

Gratituesday: Wake Up Call

2011-02-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

Photo by ZapTheDingbat

I am thankful that sometimes God will send us a wake up call. Last night, I received the rather painful messge that I've been letting things get out of balance and it's been hurting my famly. It has a lot to do with the computer. Oh, how easy it is to let computer time get out of hand!

I haven't been managing my time well, especially in regard to the computer and I'm so thankful that I wasn't allowed to just go my own way. However painful it was to hear and realize, I'm very glad I was conforted with it so that I can begin to make the changes I need to. I encourage you, don't shy away from confrontation or reproof. It hurts for a moment, but it make a huge difference in keeping you on the right path!

So.... I'm going to be working on managing my time better and making sure I have my priorities in line! What are you grateful for this week? Hop on over to Gratituesday for some inspiration!

Keeping the Home Link Up

2011-02-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

I've really fallen off with doing Keeping the Home Link Ups, but I want to start again because it's something I'm passionate about. I really want to encourage Christian women in their calling as Keepers of the Home.

This week I thought I'd mention book I'm reading right now. I've read it before, but I needed to reread it again to be reminded of the importance of being a Keeper at Home. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God is an excellent book. Excellent. I can't recommend it enough.

The authors are stay at home wives, moms, homeschoolers and housewives passionate about serving God and their families. Throughout the whole book they examine Scripture and how God's plan for women as Keeper of the Home isn' degrading, but a high and noble calling that requires all our giftsand talents. These women seek to be last by humbling themselves and serving others and they encourage others to do so as well.

Do you have any thoughts, encouragement, tips or stories about Keeping the Home this week? If so, please share with us by linking up or leaving a comment!

Maybe a New House treat? :)

2011-02-03T11:21:00.001-05:00

It's likely that we will be in our new house weither by the end of this month or the beginning of March! :) I'm so excited and happy and looking forward to finally having my own house to do whatever I please with.

I've also very happy that our new house will have a pretty good sized backyard. I can't wait to put in a garden and I'm so happy it's mostly fenced in. I love that the girls will be able to go out and play in their yard. Maybe, some day, we'll even consider get something like a wooden swing set.

I have many a fond memory of me and my brothers and friends playing on the wooden swing set my dad set up for us as kids. I'd love for my children to have one someday as well. The CSN network of stores, in addition to having tons of amazing children and baby items, kitchen items and furniture even had a site of wooden swing sets, bikes and all kinds of outdoor play things as well! So cool. When you're considering getting some outdoor stuff for the kids this summer, be sure to check them out!

Disclosure: For writing about one of their sites, CSN stores hads offered to give me or a reader a giftcode to their stores. All opinions in this post are my own and not influenced by free stuff. :)

Book review: The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari

2011-02-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

Title: The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari
Author: Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark
Illustrator: Vincent Nguyen
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
List Price: $11.99

If you're looking to build your children's library with encouraging messages, this is a good title to consider. It's a story of two friends and their adventures while camping outdoors together.

Roger the turtle and Padraig the dragon (still not sure how to pronounce this one!) encounter many frightful sounds and interesting "creatures" during their adventure, but rather than making fun of each other, they encourage one another and learn to be brave, even when they're scared. With fun, imaginative "creatures" and a sweet ending, this story would be great for a young audience, perhaps best appreciated by the 4-7ish range. Plus, the illustrations were wonderful!

At the end of the story is a bonus short tale (referenced in the story) as well as a short Bible reference and conversationstarter ideas. If you're einterested, be sure to check it out at Waterbrook Multnomah and you can even like them on Facebook!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review free of charge from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Gratituesday: A New House!

2011-01-31T23:21:00.000-05:00

Well, our first house, actually. I'm totally excited and thrilled that we're finally going to get a house! Our house hunting began almost 4 years ago, before our oldest daughter was born. We were hoping to buying my Grandma's house because she passed away, but we had a crazy experience with our appraiser and loan stuff. We tried and tried to find another house and things were again not working out. :(

Things weren't working out, but looking back, I'm glad we waited. Our financial situation became rocky because my husband was working construction and with the recession, work was more scarce. Plus, I got some great opportunities to learn contentment.

My husband and I made a goal to save up a lot of money for a down payment and we figured we'd be able to purchase a house in a few years. For some reason, a switch suddenly flipped and we realized that we were paying more in rent than we would be for a house. So my husband suddenly decided we should get a house. We set a maximum price and looked.

We instantly found a few houses, but for some reason, one house stuck out in particular. After being stood up by the realtor twice (!!!) we finally saw it and knew it was perfect. Our 3rd very reasonable bid. It is a foreclosure, but is still a very nice house. I've seen some really bad foreclosures, but this one is great. It'll need work, but since my husband was a carpenter, we plan on doing the repairs ourselves little by little as we save for it.

We'll be using tax refund money for a down payment and our house payments will be lower than what we're paying in rent now. Yes, we also have an emergency fund, so I think this was a good move for our situation.

We're so excited! From the time we started looking (this time around) to the time our bid was accepted was just a few weeks. It feels like there were all open doors and God's blessing has been upon it this time, especially compared with 4 years ago! We're so thankful that things are working out and we can't wait to get into our new house and get to work making it our home!!

What are you grateful for? Head over to Heavenly Homemaker's Gratituesday for inspiration!

LoL. If you're interested, my husband took a video of the house to show family and friends and one thing led to another and we ended up putting it on YouTube. Don't laugh at me too much, I didn't know I'd end up on the internet in a video. At least the girls are cute! It's kinda long, but if you're curious, here's our new house! :)

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

2011-01-31T11:06:00.002-05:00

Early to bed, early to rise, makesa man healthy, wealthy and wise. -An old proverb (no idea from where) that my mom said to me often in my adolesence :)

I am not a morning person. It has aways been very difficult for me to wake up. I used to feel really guilty about it, but I tend to be very groggy in the mornings. But I've found a groggy mommy= a grumpy mommy. My mornings usually didn't start out well.

I made it one of my New Year's goals to get up earlier. I hoped to be up by 7AM reguarly by the end of January and today I was up around 7AM! Woohoo!!

I do not by any means want to make anyone feel guilty for not getting up early, especially if you're a mom of little ones. There a season for everything and moms with little ones are in the season of snatching any bit of sleep they can!

My youngest daughter is 19 months now and she and her sister are reguarly up at about 8AM everyday. I would often sleep until they woke me up each day, but I often woke up grumpy and groggy and our days were starting off on the wrong foot. I decided to make it my goal to be up and awake and ready to go before my girls got up. I knew it was time to discipline myself in that area.

If you're trying to make a habit of getting up earlier, here are a few of the things I've found that helped me:

Know yourself. I soon figured out that I love sleep so much that I needed something tangible to get myself up. Just getting up early "because" wasn't enough of an inducement. I needed a reason. My husband and I started reading the Bible together in the mornings. This accountability was enough to keep me heading in the right direction.
Take it slow. I started by setting my alarm at 8:30. When I had that down, I'd make it 5 minutes earlier. Every day or two I would try to make the alarm time 5 minutes earlier. Now my alarm is at 6:50 which is a real accomplishment for me! :)
Stanard, noisy, turn off alarms don't work for me. I have been known to turn them off in my sleep without even remembering it. I now set my cell phone alarm, put it on vibrate and put it under my pillow! LoL. Sounds weird, I know, but it's really working for me!
Plan on snooze time. I set my alarm 10-15 minutes before my target wake up time. I know myself, I will hit snooze a few times, no matter how hard I try not too!
Have a morning ritual. Because I'm groggy in the mornings, I need a routine to remember what to do in my morning haze. I've found it really helpful to go downstairs to the kitchen and fix warm drink (hot lemon water or tea). The action of making something helps to wake me up enough to pay attention when my husband is reading the Bible. Otherwise, I'm still in a fog!
Early to bed..... It's true. Going to bed early enough makes it much easier to wake up on time. I am, by nature, a night owl. I can seriously stay up half the night. I learned in college that it's easier to stay awake all night, rather than getting just a few hours of sleep. :)

Ok, I think that's it. As hard as it was at first, I'm very happy that I've been getting up earlier. I get to spend time reading with my husband, I have a warm drink to get my stomach ready for the day, I'm a nicer mommy and it feels good to be on a schedule rather than just getting up "whenever." If you're able to wake up earlier in your season of life, I highly recommend it!!

What works for you? What tips do you have for non-morning people (like me) trying to wake up earlier? Share with us! You can check out Works for Me Wednesday for other great tips!

Our Heavenly Calling

2011-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudumomo/ / CC BY 2.0

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven
for our Lord God. We should acustom ourselves to think of our position and work
as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but
on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow."
Martin Luther

May God bless you today as you serve your family!

Book Review: Alpine Weight Loss Secrets

2011-01-19T22:12:00.004-05:00

I recently received the book Alpine Weight Loss Secrets by Stefan Aschan to read and review.

I was pretty impressed by this book. I've read quite a number of books on weightloss, diet and nutrition and I'm not always impressed with what I read. I agreed with most of what the author had to say on staying young, healthy and vibrant.

One of the things I most appreciated about this book was that the author wrote about his experiences growing up in the Alps and promotes a return to healthful living, not the latest diet fad or prepackaged food. I don't really agree with "fat-free" this and "sugar-free" that as a way to lose weight and instead embrace the idea that food as close to nature as possible is best. The author refers to this kind of food as Fresh Air Food.

There are suggestions for "belly flattening" juice fasting as well as tips for maintaining the effects of the juice fast. From recipes, food lists, and detailed strength training exercises complete with pictures, this book has everything you need for a life and routine makeover to help you move toward healthier eating, exercising, weight loss and life.

I am cautious, however, that as a Christian I don't allow my body to become an idol. It is excellent to take care of my body. But I try not to allow pursuing weightloss and health to be all consuming. I do believe that my habits, especially regarding diet and exercise, need a makeover and I believe this book will be a really great guide and I would recommend it to anyone looking to move towards a healthier lifestyle. I look forward to sharing some of those changes here on my blog soon! How are your New Year's Resolutions going so far?

If you're interested, you can check out Stefan Aschan's blog or follow him on twitter or Facebook.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Toy

2011-01-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

The kiddos checking out mommy's new Christmas toy. :)

Wordless Wednesday