The winner of From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up a Boring Faith by Jenna Lucado Bishop is Cassi (c.hopecaptured@…). You should have received an email with further instructions on claiming your prize.  A big thank you to everyone who entered!  Huge thanks to MergePR for sponsoring this giveaway!

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When my first child was born my husband and I had no idea what to do.  I mean, we had the common sense to love, feed, change, and basically keep her alive, but other than that we had no clue.  None. Zilch.  No parenting manual came hidden with this tightly swaddled bundle of warmth, cooing, and sweet smells.  There was no guide to instruct us on how to raise our precious baby so that she would one day have the best chances and make good choices.

We were as brand new as she was, and so we proceeded down the path laid before us and gratefully (though tentatively) embraced the roles of mommy and daddy, soon adding a son to the mix.  But for years I  wondered what nuggets of truth would have been found in the pages of that mythical parenting guide. Didn’t you?

Well wonder no more, friends! In the recently published book Growing Great Kids, Kate Battistelli weaves a true tale about how to raise our kids to grow into amazing adults. The parents of Dove Award-winning recording artist Francesca Battistelli (“It’s Your Life”, “This Is the Stuff”), Kate shares what she and her husband Michael learned about parenting while raising their daughter.  Fifteen jam-packed chapters cover the following topics: gifts & callings; pursuing purity; encouraging your child’s walk with God; growing integrity; and more.

Kate makes it completely clear that it’s up to us as parents, partnering with God, to raise our children in the way they should go.  We can’t afford to sit idly by hoping for the best.  It’s our job to follow God’s leading and take action.  Regardless of how we as parents were raised, it’s paramount for us to be proactive in raising our kids properly.

The Battistelli’s note the current “culture of drift” where young people lack their own goals and dreams, and instead are set adrift in a sea of mediocrity.  We parents are challenged to swim against the tide of lackluster parenting to instead be intentional in guiding our kids toward discovering and growing their gifts and strengths.  Speak words of affirmation.  Encourage and provide opportunities for their dreams.  Be the catapult that helps propel your child into success as an adult.

Whether or not your children may be headed toward the life of a recording artist like Kate’s daughter Franny, they will benefit greatly from the fabulous wisdom found on every page of Growing Great Kids.  I urge you to get this much needed book, read it, highlight it…and then act on it.  Align yourself with God’s calling on your heart: to raise your child with purpose to be a success for His kingdom.

Disclosure: Kate Battistelli generously gave me a copy of “Growing Great Kids” for this honest review.  You can see my complete Disclosure policy. 

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As my family works to position yuletide wall hangings and set up train tracks around the tree, the world takes on a different view in my mind.  It’s as though I wear blinders to what could be a stressful time of year.  Along with the lights, color, and twinkle of the season, I choose to see what matters most: people.  The faces of family and friends, their mouths turned up into smiles and laughter, fill my heart with warm fuzzies that seem to stretch all the way to my fingertips!

I long for the welcome sign of the mail truck every day as I wonder who might be sending us a greeting from near or far.  One of my favorite activities leading up to December 25th is displaying Christmas cards we receive.  Setting them on a counter or bookcase just doesn’t do them justice in my opinion, so I hang the cards.  They look so festive that way, don’t you think?

There are a myriad of ways to do this from attaching them onto ribbon to letting each one dangle individually. I found a ton of photos on Pinterest, one of my guilty pleasures and an easy way to lose one’s self online.  The creative ideas I’ve seen there are simply endless!  Here is one of my favorite card hanging suggestions from Dinks:

This is another one of my faves from Tater Tots and Jello.  I think I’ll make this next week with the kids…

How do you display your cards?  Do you hang them up or set them out or mount them in some other way?  Do you put traditional boxed cards in one location and photo cards in another spot?

Speaking of photo cards, have you ordered yours yet? I have yet to order mine. You too?  Well don’t lose heart…there’s still time!  This year I’m falling in love with the photo cards from Tiny Prints. There are so many choices {and I am so very decision-making challenged}, but I think I’ve narrowed it down to a handful.  I love the colors of this one and the many photo window options…

This one looks like a postcard! How cute is that?!

Okay, this photo card is too adorable, already in “ready-to-hang” ornament form. Perfect to hang right on your Christmas tree!

Let’s not forget there’s also an option to design your own card.  Simply select the card color, layout, fonts, and embellishments and you’re good to go!

Right now Tiny Prints is offering 15%-20% off your orders with code CYBER20 until 11/29!!  And even if you order from Tiny Prints after that date {like me, Miss Undecided} you’ll still gain a gorgeous set ofChristmas photo cards.

Hey, when you get your photocards, would you please send me a link? I’d love to see them!!

Disclosure: In exchange for this honest review, Tiny Prints has offered to give me my own set ofChristmas photo cards.  Their offer does not in any way affect my opinion. {I still think their photo cards rock!} If you’re curious, please feel free to read my full Disclosure Policy here.

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Here’s how each one works.

Let’s say you’re going to shop at Target so you turn on the Shopkick app on your phone.  You can switch it on at home or wait until you’re in the parking lot, just be sure to drag the screen down for an update of local shops (though it seems to do that automatically sometimes).  Right away you can see if there are any kick opportunities with the shops listed.

For this example, let’s look at how to collect kicks instantly using the picture above:

#1 – Click on the row for SuperTarget.

#2 – By clicking on the Target row, you can see that you can earn kicks by two ways.

#3 – First, by clicking on the “Instant Surprises” row you can find and touch the surprise to reveal either a point or a bubble to burst.

#4 – Pop the bubble to reveal a piece to a collection. When you’ve collected all 3 pieces, you get bonus points.

The second way, in the picture example above, to earn kicks is by scanning certain products with your phone (remember, either iPhone or Android). They list the products, you find them in the store (like a scavenger hunt!), then you scan the barcode or QR code {whichever the app directs}, and you collect kicks.

Another way to earn kicks is called “walk-in”, where you simply walk into the store with the app on and collect points.  After I finished shopping at Target the other day I strode next door to Old Navy where I walked in, stood at the entrance for a few seconds while the app located me and showed my points I collected, then turned around and walked back out. Simple as pie.

And the final way that I know of to earn points is by using the audio feature in the app to “listen” to tv commercials on the WB network from certain stores.  The two that I saw were for Macy’s and Best Buy and were listed at 100 points each.  I skipped this option, though, since you had to do it during two specific shows on a specific night.  And let’s face it, I wasn’t about to watch tv shows I don’t normally view just to score some points (especially these two particular programs – eww).

Otherwise, it’s very easy to earn points.

Oh, wait. Have I mentioned what you can earn from all of these kicks?  Along with Target, you can also earn gift cards from Best Buy, Restaurant.com, Macy’s, Old Navy, Toys R Us, and many more. You can also earn gift cards for gas for your car, which is awesome.

When I first read about Shopkick (from Jenny at Southern Savers – thanks, Jenny!) and downloaded the app I was skeptical.  But in 4 days I’ve earned over 1200 kicks, which qualifies me for a $5 Target giftcard!  This may seem to some like small change, but when you think about how few days it took me to get that many points, and how I can earn much more the longer I use the app, the Shopkickapp is so worth it.

While I can see how it’s possible to spend my time looking for kicks instead of many other things I should be doing, I’ve made it a rule to only use the app when I’m out and about.

Shopkick Special!

Sometimes the walk-ins are doubled or there’s a special deal attached.  To celebrate the upcoming shopping chaos known as Black Friday (at the end of this week, in case you forgot), Shopkick has a special deal.  If you get the app for yourself and then invite 5 friends and they download the free app, they will each automatically earn 100 kicks for themselves, and you will earn 100 kicks for each friend who joins.  That’s 500 kicks for you alone! Plus, by them joining now, you will unlock the “2X VIP Pass”which will allow you to get double walk-in kicks on Black Friday.

And if you’re thinking “I’m out here in the boonies…I don’t live anywhere near those large stores, so I’ll never be able to use this app,” guess again.  As I drove along the other day with my kids, and Catz kept refreshing the app as we drove to different parts of town (on actual errands), we discovered stores we didn’t even know existed.  Instant kicks for veterinary clinics, dry cleaners, and even a tree cutting service popped up on the app.  It’s a great advertising tool for businesses, small and large, so the possibility for Shopkicks in your area is pretty high.

Besides, the app is free!  From now until Thanksgiving if you click here to get Shopkick, you can download the app and earn 100 kicks immediately (and I will earn 100 kicks as well – thanks!!).  Then, you can go to the 2X VIP Pass header in the app and invite 5 of your own friends to begin earning more kicks.  They make it very easy by giving you options to invite folks via Twitter, email, text message (SMS), and Facebook.  You can also take your link and include it in a post (like I did here).

And what a perfect time to begin using Shopkick!  With all of the driving around your town you’ll be doing – Christmas shopping, visiting friends, Christmas play/choir rehearsals, looking at Christmas light displays – you’ll be sure to gather up kicks just as quick as a squirrel storing up nuts.

Note: You are welcome to download the app directly from iTunes {for iPhone} or Market {for Android}, but you won’t get the 100 immediate kicks as this is a special offer through Shopkick and it’s current subscribers.  If you do go through my personal link to get the Shopkick app and your 100 kicks, I thank you and hope you enjoy this fun and money-making app!

I’d also love to know how you like it, so please let me know how it’s going for you!

P.S. If you click the link after Thanksgiving you can still download the app and receive 50 kicks (and I’ll receive 50 as well). Have fun!

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The winner of a $35 gift card to Dayspring is Christine (fruitinseason@…). You should have received an email with further instructions on claiming your prize.  A big thank you to everyone who entered!  Huge thanks to Dayspring and (in)courage for sponsoring this giveaway!

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Have you been snapping lots of photos lately?  I hope so because Tiny Prints has got a deal for you.  Right now they’re holding the Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest where you could win $1,000, a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate, and be featured in their 2012 marketing campaign.  The contest has been going on since October, so you have just a few days left to submit your photo by the entry deadline of November 21st.

All you have to do is go to either their Facebook page or the Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest page which will take you to the entry page where you’ll fill out your information and upload your winning photo.  You’ll be able to choose a card to showcase your photo and your entry will be viewable in the Tiny Prints gallery.

Prizes will be awarded for:

• Cutest Baby (0-2 years old)
• Cutest Kid (3-10 years old)
• Cutest Family
• Cutest Couple
• Cutest Pet

Community voting will be from Nov. 22- 30, and voting on finalists will be from Dec. 5 – 16.

For official rules, click here.

And if you decide to enter, please let me know so we can all come out to vote and cheer you on!

Disclosure: For blogging about the Tiny Prints Talent Search I will be compensated in the form of receiving 25 free personalized thank you notes.  See my full Disclosure policy here.

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For months, volunteers with OCC have been working hard to accomplish a massive goal: to collect more shoeboxes than ever before!  But last week many of us {me included} had the opportunity to have some fun while promoting OCC as we became…human shoeboxes!

Donning a large box painted in brilliant red and green, I took on greater Orlando with my own personal photographer, TechDaddy.  The purpose: to spread the word about and direct attention to Operation Christmas Child.

One important stop was to visit my VeggieTales friends at Lifeway Christian Store, a partner with Operation Christmas Child.  Here I am, sprawled out in the children’s section, reading to Bob and Larry.

They were wiped out, having just been promoting their newest DVD, The Little Drummer Boy.  Bob stayed focused though he kept making comments about how terrific my hair smelled.  Larry, on the other hand, crashed after 2 seconds and proceeded to roll back and forth on the carpet, occasionally listing items that would be perfect to fill a shoebox.  Here’s another shot of me showing how totally comfortable it is to lay on the floor. In a box.  Junior Asparagus came over to read along.

After Bob finished informing TechDaddy about how a Speedlite {with a Gary Fong diffuser} would help my Nikon to capture indoor shots so much better, we took off for one of my favorite places: Walt Disney World!

Walking down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, wearing my shoebox, was a magical experience as I drew quite a bit of attention.  My favorite part of this visit was when folks would say “Look! Operation Christmas Child! We’re filling our shoeboxes next week!!”  That was so awesome!

Here I am in front of Cinderella’s Castle.  {Note: Never, ever try to step up on a bench wearing a box unless you have “tech” support nearby. Thanks to my awesome husband for lifting me up. We havegot to show the outtakes of that graceful maneuver.}

On our walk through DisneyWorld we heard that two Disney bigwigs wanted to meet us.  Can you guess who they were?

Mickey and Minnie were fabulous!  They gestured {because they don’t speak} that they loved myshoebox and then the Big Cheese joked that I was “gifted.” Hahaha!

Did you like those shots?  You can go to the Operation Christmas Child Facebook page to see more pix of volunteers across the country dressed as shoeboxes. They are all awesome, but you won’t want to miss the one in the Grand Canyon.  Oh yeah…and the giant fish.  And Paul Bunyan and Babe.  Oh, just go see them all.

If you haven’t turned in your shoebox yet there’s still time!  Go here to find your nearest drop-off location and take your shoebox by November 21st.  Or, if you feel you’d like someone to pack your shoebox for you, check out Build-a-Box.  And remember, you can follow your shoebox to learn it’s final destination by making your shipping donation online.  If you have filled a shoebox and turned it into Operation Christmas Child, I thank you. You have blessed a child.

Have you filled a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child?

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Have you ever wanted to share your faith but didn’t quite know how in certain situations?  Maybe your work environment frowns heavily on anything faith-based coming from anyone’s mouth, or your neighbors look at you as though you have five noses when you say words like “God” or “grace.”

Imagine those folks living in countries right now where even owning a bible is punishable by imprisonment or even death.  But that’s where faith is growing rapidly even though it’s kept underground.

Thoughts of people not getting to share their belief in Jesus Christ…that just floors me.  Here, we live in a country where we have the freedom to speak about our Christian faith, yet many choose silence.  I think that’s partly because some folks just don’t have the foundation of belief.  They never spoke of their faith or shared it in any way as children, so as adults they don’t quite know how.

But we, today, can make a difference in teaching our kids and giving them a strong foundation. One easy way to share your faith is through what you wear and your “accessories.”  No, I’m not talking about purses {especially not for guys}. I mean “the stuff you carry around” with you.

Like these awesome notebooks and folders from [Dayspring]

photo credit: Dayspring.com

Aren’t they cute? I received this set from Dayspring and gave it to my 15yo daughter.  She loves it!  The black style is her favorite because she loves the verse and design.  Right now she’s “letting” me use the pink notebook.  You’re probably wondering how I might utilize it, but actually I take it with me to meetings and fill it with handouts and pamphlets.  It’s a great organizer and it shows I’m not afraid to share my faith either.  Kids and adults can send the best kind of message without even saying a word.  It’s a great conversation starter.  And when someone does ask about the notebooks and what the words mean, you can explain the message and therefore share your faith.

Granted, this review was supposed to run months ago when school started, but you can still find these and other school supplies on the Dayspring site. However, right now these items are marked so low they’re practically free!  I’m going to stock up on a couple of notebooks now that I know I’ll use for my homeschool organizer and my choir music next fall.

Right now my friends at (in)courage are offering one of my readers a $35 coupon code towards any purchase in the Dayspring store.  That’s any purchase, y’all! They have so many beautiful and heartwarming items, and so many things are on sale now. Plus, this is the perfect time to do your Christmas shopping.  {Psst! Remember to check out their Christmas selection, too.}

Here’s how to enter:

Visit the Dayspring store and come back here to leave a comment on what you love!

For additional entries:

1. Subscribe to Once Upon a Muffin through your favorite reader

2. Follow @DaySpringCards on Twitter

3. Follow me on Twitter @LilbearMe

4. Like Once Upon a Muffin on Facebook

5. Tweet about this giveaway. {one tweet per day}

Be sure to leave a separate comment for every entry so each one will count, and please include your email in the comment form {only I will see it}.  This giveaway will be open until Monday night, November 28th, and the random winner of the $35 coupon code {not including S&H} will be chosen Tuesday, so check back next week!

Dayspring generously gave me the “I Know Where Love Comes From” and “He Has My Heart” notebook sets for this honest review.  Please see my complete Disclosure policy.  Some of the above links are affiliate links.

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Last spring, when I began dreaming and planning about hitching a team of horses up to my blog and moving away from blogger, I had no idea it would take. so. long.  Seriously, I thought we’d be all moved and set to go in a few weeks, tops.  But here we are, 6 months later, and I’m thrilled to now be in what I call bloggy heaven…Wordpress.

To be completely transparent, I was the one who held up the move.  My team of horses turned into one stubborn mule {me}. Here I am, married to an amazingly gifted computer guru {seriously y’all, my man rocks}, yet I wanted to “do it myself.”  Yeah, a little bit of pride going on there.  So TechDaddy smiled, said something like “Whatever you want, honey”, and gave me tools and answered my questions and was just plain wonderful.  But life has a way of taking over, especially when you’re blessed with a family, and even more so when your kids are teens whom you’re homeschooling.

So.  Need I say more?  I didn’t get around to finish designing and moving my blog so my man swooped in at the eleventh hour and whipped it into shape.  He’s a keeper, this man of mine.

I’m a recovering perfectionist so during the final tweaks at crazy o’clock in the morning it took every ounce of my being to stop adding and changing and designing.  That’s just my way of saying that the design might be altered a bit over the next month.  Just a bit.

Here is where I was going to put a screen shot of the old blog design {eww} side by side with this new, awesome, spectacular look {yay!}.  But TechDaddy took that shot on his laptop, and he’s on assignment this week, so I’ll add it in later.

So…what do you think?  Are you thinking of moving to WordPress, or are you already here?

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Have you ever been caught under the waves at the beach?  I mean stuck, 3 or more feet down, feeling almost like you’ll never make it back up?  Being a native and growing up a beach baby in South Florida I was used to the feeling of saltwater up my nose and crunching sand in my teeth on occasion.  That’s one of the risks for taking a chance and playing in the rough surf.  You might be lucky and get a sweet wave to body surf it in to shallower waters…or you could miscalculate the size of the swell and get pulled under by the strong water, desperately trying to make your way to the surface while your lungs are screaming for life-giving air.

Doesn’t sound fun, this pummeling of the waves.  In fact, it might lead some to wonder at the sanity of a person who’s willing to go out deeper, swim out to rougher water.  Staying in the shallows seems the logical solution, right?  Sure, the gentler lapping waves are safer.  They’re a known, a given on what to expect.  No surprises in the shallows.

But the wild surf offers the unexpected.  Adventure.  Thrills.  And you could even have an experience like no other…if you’re willing to take that chance.

Why not risk it?

The shallows in my life earlier this year had held the same reality.  It was safe. Almost everything was known and expected.  I longed to take a chance and try out unknown waters.  So a few months ago…I jumped in.

At first the waves were manageable. Volunteer activities started flowing and kept me busy.  But social media duties soon began to take on a life of their own, and then the rigors of teen homeschooling really kicked it in to overdrive. I began floundering, just barely keeping my head above water.  As I battled it out in the wild surf of my life, I nearly sank to the sea floor under all of the pounding.  I so wanted the wild ride, but I had forgotten how to traverse the surge of the sea.  Deadlines were missed, assignments went unnoticed, tears were shed by the bucketful {by me!}, and worst of all…my family began to suffer.

Thankfully, my jeans with the worn out knees reminded me how to survive the rough waters as I fell to the floor in prayer. And, like every time before that, God met and lifted me up like the ultimate Lifeguard to breathe again, navigating for me though the crazy waves.  Without Him I would have drown for sure, but His saving grace carried me and my family though.

I’m happy to say I’m resting from my adventure.  Oh, it’s not all over. Homeschooling is still there, and the social media light is back on, but things are back to crazy/normal again.

Am I glad I ventured away from the shallows? Yes, absolutely!  The ride, though rough and frustrating at times, taught me things about myself {and others} I would never have learned otherwise.  Will I do it again?  Only with Him, my Lifeguard/Navigator, on board as I’m always in need of being saved.

Have you been up to anything new or risky, pulling you away from the shallows?

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