They Grow So Quick

I remember listening to adults when I was younger talk about how quickly time goes by and thinking, "Yeah, yeah." Now, I find myself thinking that statement all too frequently.

I'm not much into making New Year Resolutions (one more thing to make me feel guilty when I don't follow through, how's that for being motivated...), but I think my new mission might just be to have one moment every day where I have that, "This is what it's about," feeling with my kids.

Because...it goes so quickly.

I'm currently going through mommy growing pains. Did anyone ever tell you that parents go through these? No one told me. Much like no one told me that taking an infant's temperature rec*tally would stimulate the bowels. Call me crazy, but projectile poop at 3 in the morning is not the way I like to learn lessons.

Learning to let go has got to be one of the hardest things in my opinion as a mom. And that's what I'm doing, letting go. Caleb is on his way to Puerto Rico. Without me. Without Richie. Traveling with my mother and my grandparents for a week in the warmth, experiencing a part of our heritage. Experiencing life in a BIG way. Without me.

So, I sit and consider how many more times in my life I will feel this and without hesitation, I know many. *gentle smile* The calling on his life will take him many places. Many places without me. But always with God. And that's where I find myself resting.

Okay, clinging might be a little more appropriate at some points, but anything that draws me closer to God is good. A bit painful at times, but good. Trusting God with my son...because he's not really mine to begin with. He's a gift entrusted to me.

I look forward to hearing about his adventures when he returns and to pressing in closer to God as I seek comfort and peace for my mommy heart. Thankful that he gets to have this experience. And that I too get to have this experience, continuing to learn how to let go. Preparing myself for the day he leaves home as a man.

Man, they grow quick.

The Inner S.L.U.G.

Slugs have never been dear to my heart. I so enjoyed pouring salt on them as a kid. Yet within me, I find that I am a S.L.U.G at heart.

A selfish, lazy, ugly girl. Harsh words. Impatience. Anger. To name a few.

And only salt from Heaven can kill this thing.

Luke 6:44-45 says, Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

I'm not yielding the fruit I desire to see in my life, certainly not the quantity I'd like to see. I desire to be in a place where all my actions and words bring glory to God, regardless of circumstance. I desire to be a virtuous woman for Him. Where the fruit of my life reflects His goodness.

I realize that this inner conquest of my soul does not happen overnight. It is a steady battle to overcome my self, to establish His nature within me. All dependent upon my relationship with Him. There are times I become discouraged at the pace I proceed along. Much too like a slug's slow crawl. But I have hope, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in [me] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6).

Father God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. That I may be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Let me be quick to cast down every thought that exalts itself against You. That I may be a vessel of Your love to this world.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Games

My family loves games. No, really. We love them. We love the laughter they generate. The dark side they bring out...no, we won't mention any names, Jake *cough, cough*.

So this time around I thought I'd highlight a few of my favorite games.

We have several favorites by Cranium. Man, that company just knows how to do it right. Balloon Lagoon is fantastic for little ones and Whoonu is fun and doesn't involve a lot of strategic thinking for those laid back nights. But, the huge hit for us has been Jam Packed Jam.



Caleb received this game last Christmas and it has been a blast! Adults and children have all liked it. Straight off the Amazon website: The object of the game is simple -- to fit as many fun items as possible, of all shapes and sizes, into the trunk before time runs out. On each turn, players say the number of objects they think they can precariously pack. When time's up, the trunk shoots everything out the doors. The 14 items to be packed are random and include a tire, a birthday cake, a cactus, and more.



One of our most favorite card games is Dutch Blitz. A quick moving game, that some days just makes this tired momma dizzy!
It's a very fast paced game for up to 4 people and the competition is crazy. I'm not sure I could accurately describe the rules and Amazon didn't have the description up. Okay, I'm also too lazy to get my set out and look at what it says. I do know that it says it is a "Vonderful Goot Game" and yah, I agree!

Our current family must-have is Blokus and it's been at the top of our list for a year now.
This is a great strategy game and kids 5 and over can join in on the action. Caleb (8) holds himself really well in this game. It is fairly quick moving and "challenges spatial thinking". It's another game for up to 4 people. According to the Amazon description: Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games... Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. Hours. No joke.

These are probably my familiy's top three favorite games right now. But really, we're usually up for anything. We just learned how to play Speed Scrabble and it has quickly won us over. We are looking forward to Christmas for many reasons, including a bit of trash talking game time.

Just Call Me Oscar

Oscar Mayer that is. Because I'm a big, fat weenie.

Let me share a little bit about my current dilemma and what has this mommy shaking in her boots.

A spider. With two egg sacs. In. my. house.

Di. sgu. sting.

I'm not sure when I became such a hot dog, but here I am. Grossed out and unwilling to relocate my house guests on my own. There's a part of me trying to reason it out and be the ultra-motivated homeschool mom and turn it into a learning opportunity, but my yuck factor is winning at this point.

And I always thought I was tough. Must be getting soft in my old age.

*Sigh* I don't like being a weenie. And that's no bologna...

BigCrumbs - Updated 12/9

I just had to share some information about a company called BigCrumbs with you! I really wish I had known about it sooner.

BigCrumbs is very similar to Ebates in that you earn cash back for your online purchases when you use their retailer links. Their percentages vary with each store, so you would want to check each one and see which offers the highest rebate return.

The most fabulous thing (in my opinion) about BigCrumbs is Ebay. If you follow their link for Ebay before placing your bid or choosing the buy it now option, you can earn 20% cash back on your purchases. Yeah, you read that right, 20% back! Updated: It states "on the seller's fees" on the BigCrumbs site. So, I'm not sure what would amount that would equal out to be (based on price of item purchased?), but I'll still be using it at this point because no one else offers cash back on Ebay purchases as far as I know. It's not a great deal, but I guess it's something. A CrumbSaver receives 36% of fee and a CrumbEarner receives the 20% of fee. Sorry it took me a while to update this portion. I did not mean to mislead anyone! Forgive me?

You also have the option of choosing between being a CrumbSaver or a CrumbEarner. A CrumbSaver earns the maximum rebates from retailers and also receives referral commissions from the shopping of the friends they refer. A CrumbEarner earns a lower rebate on their shopping, but they not only earn referral commissions on their direct referrals, they also earn off of the referrals of their referrals - up to five generations away. So you can see how this could multiply like crazy.

I am currently set up as a CrumbSaver, but am considering the CrumbEarner thing. Their payment comes to you through PayPal, so you will need to have an account set up for that. So if you shop on Ebay, this is a great opportunity. As far as I'm concerned, BigCrumbs rocks! :)

Updated: Yes, the irony of this post about shopping after the previous post makes me shake my head. No, I don't understand it myself...

And by the way, if you were wondering about my Swagbucks progress, I was able to order the Christmas present I had my eye on! Let's just hope the receiver likes it...

Ill Effects of Super-Sized Consumerism, Commercialization, Affluenza, etc.

Whatever you want to call it, I feel sick. My stomach has been churning for several days now. And it is not from all the Thanksgiving goodies I stuffed myself with over the weekend.

It's from becoming more and more disgusted with what is occuring in our nation during this Christmas season. Supposedly the most wonderful time of the year. Ah, what am I saying? It's not just Christmas. It's a mindset.

Now, you know I love America. I don't love what we currently find in the majority of America. For some reason, this Christmas has just really brought a lot of things to the surface for me. And before it seems that I am making generalizations about others, let it be known...I am looking in the mirror first.

Wow, it's ugly. It is so easy to get caught up in the wants and the have nots. So easy to become discontent with what I do have. To look at what others have and covet. Really, I don't even have to look at what others have, I can just fall into the trap at the store.

I have been doing really well with purchasing our family's Christmas gifts. We try to limit three gifts for the kids (the original decision was not based on finances, but it sure helps in that area these days...). I confess, I feel like a cheater - I have been known to wrap two shirts together, etc. I've felt guilty for not giving more, for not giving larger gifts. Thoughts that I know are just ridiculous.

I went to a couple of stores the other day with very specific products to purchase and found myself drooling and wishing I could buy all the latest, greatest for my kids. It even happened as I shopped online.

I became frustrated. disappointed. depressed. I wanted to buy! Throw in the bargains and I begin to feel consumed.

Yikes. And my heart broke all over again thinking of the man who just lost his life after being trampled in a crowd on Black Friday morning. And I am sickened. By myself. By the greed. By the complete lack of control and respect for life found today. My stomach hurts and I feel like crying. Does this not send off a message? Does this not speak to America? How could this happen? HOW?

And yet, I know how. Because I don't prefer others over myself. I do not put my fellow brothers and sisters before me. Because all too often I'm looking out for my own good and not yours. Ouch.

All these things are so far from where I want to be. Perhaps that's why God has us in the season we currently find ourselves. Learning to be satisfied with less. Learning to be better stewards of what we do have. Learning to live more simply. Learning to make it our lifestyle. Our choice. Learning to be content in a world that tells us that we lack. Learning to see the lies...

For we lack nothing in God. Then, I'm reminded about what I wanted this season to be like for my family. The traditions we are starting. The purpose. The focus. The things I really want.

Because they cannot be bought on a shelf. And the one thing I truly need, I have received. A priceless gift that I did not deserve.

So, I leave you with this video. You might consider it an addition to my alternative Christmas gift post. I first saw it here on Passionate Homemaking.

Denial Is Not A River In Egypt...

It's an ocean. And I'm riding this wave as long as I can.

I cannot believe it is December. I cannot believe Thanksgiving is over. I am so in denial.

Denying that this was the last Thanksgiving I would see my sister, Jessica, and her husband, B.T., and my sweet nephew and niece for quite some time.

I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly hard this holiday was for me. That's why I'm delaying a Thanksgiving post. Even now as I am typing this I am crying.

I'm in denial that I said goodbye to one of my little sisters and am so wishing I had hugged her one more time. Just a little longer. Just a little bit tighter.

I love you, Jess.

A Few Of My Favorite Things - Alternative Christmas Gifts

Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and brown paper packages have been on my mind lately. Not to mention a few other things, including Julie Andrews.

I remember as a little girl I always looked forward to the Christmas season because this movie would come on television and my mom would let me stay up and watch it. It's just one of those special childhood memories. Maybe that's when my love for musicals was born.

So...since I've had that song stuck in my head for several weeks now, I thought I'd do a couple of posts on some of my favorite things that I'll just pick randomly. And since it's that time of year I thought I would start things off by highlighting some of my favorite alternative Christmas gifts. These are all organizations with whom I have personal experience.




World Vision - As taken from their website, "World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice." World Vision has a gift catalog that has loads of different "gifts" that you can donate in honor of someone. We have done this several times for various family members and we love it.

They have their gift catalog conveniently online here. It's probably my most favorite thing to give. You can also sponsor a child. I hope to be able to sponsor a child with the same birthdate as each of my children one day.

For those of you who are local, my friend, Christina, is hoping to raise money to buy a well soon. Would you consider helping? Get in touch with her and let her know!

Kiva - As taken from their website, "Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world - empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty." This is a really neat organization that raises funds to loan money to help people in developing countries start or expand their small businesses. Once the money is repaid by the entrepreneur, you can pick another entrepreneur to help or receive the money back. I think it's a great gift for small business owners, like my mom and my sister, Jaclyn.

Heifer International - Their approach is to help "people obtain a sustainable source of food and income." It is similar to World Vision. They are near and dear to me because we always raised money for animals through them when I was kid in vacation bible school. *grin*

There are so many different organizations out there to give a "gift" through. Do you have any favorites?