Good Weekend

Well we all survived the stomach bug!

Phew, that was a doozy. By Tuesday we were all functioning and back to normal but it took until Thursday before we were all eating normal again. That bug was bad. I would be perfectly fine without ever experiencing a family bug again in the future.

But all is well now and we had a great weekend. Friday night I planned to make dinner but Luke was craving Mexican food and suggested we get some to go. I will NEVER argue with chips, salsa and queso. So Friday night we enjoyed our little own fiesta.

We are at that weird point where the one year old is eating more than the four year old. Annie is growing and will eat anything you put in front of her and Eli is four and will find a reason to NOT eat anything you put in front of him. I try not to get exhausted with it, or cave and make him an entirely different meal but he's wearing me out.

Saturday morning I got up early and went to a women's tea at a friend's church. She asked me a couple of months ago if I would be the speaker for the event and even though I don't have a ton of experiencing speaking I enjoy it and agreed to speak at the event.

Well, I guess I do have a communication degree which required me to do public speaking a lot in college but that was almost 10 years ago. I was a completely different person then. I had a lot less pounds on me and I still thought Taco Bueno was healthy because the tacos had lettuce and tomatoes on them. I also thought I would never yell at my children and they would never throw fits in public because that just wasn't normal.

I've come a long way.

I do enjoy public speaking though and so enjoyed the process of putting together this message. Spending so much time with the Lord asking Him to lead me and give me the words to say. I spoke about sharing Christ in our struggles and I was able to talk about how we have used Luke's struggle with panic attacks to minister to others. And really how others have used it to minister to us.

Don't I look so serious here? This is probably when I was telling them that they need to purchase the Bissell vacuum that I blogged about. I'm serious, that thing is life changing

It was a fun event and the ladies of the church were SO welcoming to me. Plus it was fun to spend time with my friend Stephanie. We hardly ever get to see each other anymore because of kids and husbands and all that stuff that gets in the way.

That night Luke's parents came to see us which is always fun. We had a good time just visiting and eating, plus Luke and I got to drive through the Starbucks drive thru alone which is the equivalent of a dinner at a five star restaurant.

You know how a kid's nap in the car equals more time than it is? For example if a kid sleeps 20 minutes in their mind they slept 2 hours and they don't need a nap anymore. That is how dates are for Luke and I right now. From our house to Starbucks in back we spent about 15 minutes in the car so we went on a hour and half date. It was glorious.

Sunday after church we had a picnic with church friends and let the kids play on our amazing church playground.

It was just a great weekend! Beautiful weather, time with people we love and good food. Good times!

Our First Time

Well, there's a first time for everything and our family has experienced another first. These past couple of days we experienced our first family stomach bug.

Actually Annie has yet to get the stomach bug and we are hoping and literally praying that she doesn't get it. I thought for sure she was going to get it this morning because she slept way longer than normal and was acting a bit cranky, but soon she was acting like her normal self.

I'll spare you the details because really who wants to hear that mess but it started with me and went downhill from there. Eli wins the family award for handling it the best. Maybe it's a kid thing but he didn't slow down too much.

Do you notice how I'm using past tense to explain all this. I'm willing the stomach bug to go away. None of us feel completely 100% yet but I'm thinking by tomorrow afternoon we will all feel normal again. Please, please please.

The thought of my beloved Target sugar cookies still sounds gross to me. That's how sick you know I am!

I did manage to make some yummy chicken noodle soup from Damn Delicious. There is nothing better than chicken noodle soup when you feel horrible. Well actually none of us felt like eating for the first day, then after that chicken noodle soup with LOTS of broth sounded ok.

Because nobody wants to talk about the stomach plague of 2015 I will show you some cute new Scentsy warmers

Do you have a baseball fan in your family? These baseball warmers are FINALLY available and I am so excited! Eli has an LA Dodgers hat that he loves to wear (because of the Sandlot) so I can't wait to get that warmer for his room!

These gold warmer are all BIG sellers. Who can't resist gold? 

And the warmer In Bloom that is 10% off this month! 

As always please let me know if you have any questions about joining my team. This month alone with my paycheck I am making my car payment, paying for my house cleaner (necessities ya know), paying for my bootcamp that I go to three times a week and putting the rest towards our medical debt. What would you do with some extra money every month??  I would love to help you get your business started!

Hopefully by tomorrow our whole family is back to our normal selves.  I would have been ok without ever having experienced this first for us! 

Our fun new VeggieTales toy!

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® and DreamWorks, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #VeggieTalesfun http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH”

Just the other day Luke and I were talking about television and all the options that kids have nowdays. I know that makes me sound ancient but think about it, when we were kids we had one maybe two channels devoted to kids. 

Now kids not only have a plethora of channels to choose from on TV but with the click of a button, or rather swipe of their finger they can use various tablets and phones to watch a number of shows. As a parent this can be a bit unnerving. While it can be nice at times to let your child have some rest time with a TV show, you also have to be on your toe,s careful of what they are watching. There are definitely some shows that aren't something we would want Eli watching even though they seem geared towards children. 

However one show Eli loves that we are completely ok with is VeggieTales. This is a show that promotes strong values and lessons of faith in every episode. Eli began watching it at church and then we got some DVD's to watch at home and then found that there are lots of episodes on Netflix that he likes to watch. 

Eli loves watching VeggieTales, laughing out loud and singing along with the fun shows. We have even been able to incorporate several lessons from the show into our family life. Their Christmas special was wonderfully done and helped teach about giving and not just receiving which we later used in conversation with Eli while discussing the true meaning of Christmas. We are big VeggieTales fans in this house! 

I was excited when I found out that VeggieTales was releasing a line of toys geared towards children who watch the show. Eli and I went to Wal-Mart this weekend and I let him pick out a toy to purchase. 

He was SO excited and picked the Larry that sings the theme to the show. It also shakes around which he thought Anniston would love, and sure enough she loves to hold the toy while it sings to her and shakes all around. 


It's nice to have this toy in our house as a reminder of this positive show that we all love. We watch VeggieTales in my classroom at church and I have plans to purchase this toy for the kids to play with in there. I know they will love it. 

 Both kids have been playing with Larry and having fun together with the toy. How nice that it's a toy that both my kids, 3 years apart can enjoy together! I love it because Eli already loves the show so he sings along to the song, while at just a year old Annie has not yet been introduced to the show so the toy is completely new to her but when she watches the show it will already be familiar to her!

If you have a child who loves VeggieTales I definitely suggest you go to Wal-Mart and treat them to one of these fun toys. There are several options in various price ranges, perfect for just about anybody!

Five Favorite Things

Five of my favorite things right now....

1. Starbucks Shaken Sweet Tea

Oh my heavens. I'm beyond addicted to this sweet tea. I don't even remember when I started drinking it....sometime within the last 6 months or so. I've been trying to quit drinking Coke (I've gotten better but still haven't quit all the way) so I needed to find something to fill that void. While I do love almost all sweet tea, the Starbucks tea does not compare to any other tea. It could be because it has a teeny tiny twinge of coffee taste in it which I love (not on purpose I think it's because everything in Starbucks smells like coffee so that smell gets in the tea, probably doesn't make scientific sense). I got a lot of Starbucks gift cards for my birthday and I've almost used them all. Sad day.

2. Iced Sugar Cookies at Target

Check your Target bakery to see if it has these amazing cookies. They come individually packaged and they are found in the cooler section with cakes and cupcakes. I first had one when I was at my parent's house. My sister introduced me to them and I thought she and my mom were crazy for saying they were so amazing, until I tried one. Oh my sweet manna. It's unfortunate though because Target rarely has them. I went the other day craving one and asked the girl at the bakery if they had any and she said a lady had just wiped them out, she took like 15. SEE. I'm not kidding when I say they are amazing. I think they are so good because you keep them cool. Plus the icing is just really good.

3. Thieves Essential Oil Spray

Unless you've been living under a rock you've probably heard of essential oils. We use them periodically here in this house and have done so for awhile (the Thieves cleaner from Young Living is the only cleaner I use). I feel like there is a BIG misconception from a lot of people thinking that you have to either use Scentsy or diffuse oils you can't do both which is false. We do both here. But that's a another story for another day. Anyways I carry this tiny little bottle of Thieves spray with me and use it SO much. I spray down a highchair at a restaurant  before Annie sits in it, I use it to spray the handle bar of the grocery cart, and my most favorite use is to spray her pacifier after she drops it on the Target floor (or wherever we are but usually Target). It's a disinfectant spray and completely safe. Plus it smells great!

4. Clinique Bonus

I don't wear much makeup.  I actually didn't realize this until I started watching makeup videos from beauty bloggers and I realized my makeup routine is sorely lacking. I've also always worn Clinique makeup but I went through a phase where I tried different foundations, eventually coming back to Clinique. I just love their stuff. I usually buy my makeup when they have their bonus time and right now their bonus at Macy's is awesome! I've been trying to wear a more colorful gloss lately (as opposed to just a nude colored gloss) and I'm LOVING the pink gloss that came in my bonus. I will be back to buy this for sure. It is called Kissy Fit

5. Jennie-O Turkey Burgers

I always have such a hard time figuring out what to eat for lunch and usually end up either just not eating anything at all, or eating the leftovers from the kids (mac n cheese, hot dogs, chicken tenders). But recently I started eating these turkey patties and it's been the perfect lunch meal. I just grill it for about 15 minutes and then put a piece of cheese on top and lunch is done. Simple and filling.

I just realized that three of my favorite things this week are food/beverage items. Oops.

My Simple Presence

We encounter God in the ordinariness of life: not in the search for spiritual highs and extraordinary mystical experiences but in our simple presence in life.

Brennan Manning, Abba's Child

I first read the above quote in a book in the middle of my college experience. From the moment I read the sentence it struck a chord in me. It was as if it jumped out of the page at me and changed me. I read it over and over taking it in for what it was worth.

It was during a time when I was trying to figure out who I was in Christ. I was a little confused about my spiritual walk and what it meant and what it was "supposed" to look like. I was afraid most of the time that I was doing life in that aspect all wrong and I wasn't pleasing to God. 

But when I read that sentence I knew I had been living a lie. I was seeking a feeling when really life with my Creator was as simple as breathing. He was there with me at all times, through times when I felt Him and times when I doubted and even times when I ran. He was always with me.

As I've grown older this quote has never left me. There are times when I forget it and then suddenly, without even really thinking about it, the sentence will reappear on my mind. A testament that it has been imprinted on my heart. 

And now, in this season of my life I find this truthful quote to bring so much comfort. During a time when I am raising my babies. A time that can seem so far from extraordinary. 

From the time I wake up to the time my babies go to bed I am "doing" something usually for somebody else. 

Through cleaning the house, picking up laundry, reading the same book aloud over and over with many interruptions, picking up the playroom only to watch it become a disaster again in 30 seconds. Sitting down for a minute to fold the laundry and then watching the one year old spill her dry cereal all over the floor. Going on a walk for the 10th time around the neighborhood because it is the only thing that quiets my daughter during the witching hour. Sitting outside watching my son ride his bike when I can think of so many other things I could be doing inside.

At times, it can all start to feel mundane and I begin to wonder what is my purpose? 

And then recently I reread this quote and it reminded me that through it all, through the craziness and the chaos. Through the moments of peace and quiet, I am encountering God. 

When I clean the kitchen and do the laundry I am encountering a God who serves. 

When I apologize to my four year old for losing my temper with him I am encountering a God of forgiveness. 

 When I attempt to read my bible and do a little "quiet time" with the Lord and I'm interrupted a million times only to eventually give up I am encountering a God of compassion and grace. 

                                   

When I am losing my patience with my children because I know what is best for them yet they won't listen to me I am encountering a God with a sense of humor. Sometimes I feel like I can almost hear Him saying "does this remind you of anybody? You try to control your life yet I know what is best for you."

     

When I check on my sleeping babies at night, watching the rise and fall of their chest, wondering how on earth I deserve the goodness that they bring into my life I encounter a God who heard my prayers. 

Life as a mom (parent) can sometimes feel exhausting. If I'm not careful I start to feel like I'm going through the same motions over and over, but when I step back and look at the big picture I see the Lord with me through it all. Showing me that these aren't just motions over and over but they are opportunities to live life together. Opportunities to show my children grace, forgiveness, love and kindness. 

It may seem simple, and it may feel far from a spiritual high or mystical experience but I see through the simpleness of it all I am encountering God in every moment. 

And I pray that through everything I do I am a living example to my children and husband of what God is doing and has done in my life. That I don't get caught up once again in trying to figure out who I am, but I realize that right now, in this time in my life I am serving God through serving my family. This is my calling and this is my simple presence that I am thankful for.