Tidbits
You Don’t Have to be a Superhero to be SUPER!
Today I just wanted to take the time to remind you that you are AWESOME! You don’t need to be a superhero to be the best at what you do. You can be the best at what you do by doing YOUR best.
Don’t compare yourself to others, keep focused on your journey. I find it is always good to evaluate areas of your life where you can improve or work harder. That’s a good habit – to look for areas of growth and identify action steps to get there, but don’t try to be someone else. BE THE BEST YOU!!
So, how can you be SUPER?
Be the person that celebrates others’ success.
Love your kids. Pinterest parties are cool, but if that’s not your thing just give your kiddos LOVE and TIME. And if it IS your thing, I love you. You are amazing.
Forgive yourself. It’s ok to have days where everything goes wrong. EVERYONE has those days. Will you be the one that can laugh about it, brush yourself off, and know tomorrow is a new day?!!
HAVE FUN!!! Celebrate life. Be silly. Laugh. And if you are really lucky, share those things with another super person in your life.
We may not wear a cape or have a secret identity, but…
“There’s a Hero in us ALL.” -Captain America
…
The hero of courage and honor
Hero… A hero is a “person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”. A hero. There is such an overwhelming sense of inspiration and awe that goes along with that word. We all know one personally, we all want to be one, or we all can think of one. But there is that person. We have people in our lives that stick out, make a difference, and leave their footprints in our lives. From the time we were born until now, there is always that hero adventuring through our books, running through our cartoons, and leaving a lasting memory. And hopefully those heros have the noble qualities that compel their brave deeds to make a difference for the better. And we leave forever changed.
pic from playbuzz.com, http://cdn2.thr.com, http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us…
Read MoreYour Story Needs to be Written
I read a devotional this week about writing your story a little bit every day. We can get so bombarded with to do lists, laundry, cleaning, cooking, that we don’t put down our lists and really take the time for people. “Marriage isn’t about a well-executed to do list, and Aaron would much rather eat takeout and hunt around for a clean basket of laundry if that means I put down the list and really listen to him.” (Niequist, “Savor”, p. 97) I find myself doing this all the time. I have my agenda and my to do lists and I don’t look at the world around me. How many times has my husband come home and I am knee deep in cooking or chores or an email and I don’t take one minute to give him a huge and say hi. In that moment I missed an opportunity.
I keep thinking I have to have it all together, it all has to look good and clean and perfect. But life is messy. There are ups and downs, there are messed up meals, and there are dirty rooms. But the best part, life goes on. Shauna says, “I am learning that being connected in a deep way is so much more than being well-organized, efficient, buttoned-up, and tidy. I default to tidy when what my husband wants and needs more than anything is laughing, listening, and playing, being with instead of being efficient” (Niequist, p. 97). Does this resonate with you? Do you want to accomplish things rather than just sitting and being? Don’t get so caught up in achieving that you miss the moments of love, life, and laughter that are just waiting for you. Chores and errands can wait, but your story can’t. It will keep on living …
Read MoreAn Egg-cellent Egg Hunt
If you are going to include an egg hunt in your Easter celebration and you have a wide age span of egg hunters…here is a fantastic, organized and creative way to do your egg hunt. (This is a family tradition in my SIL’s family) They hosted an Easter celebration yesterday and I was able to witness this ingenious idea first hand.
Supplies Needed
1 Easter egg basket per person
1 paper bag per person lunch-sack sized paper bag-(Spring/Easter designed bags make it more fun)
16 plastic eggs per person (different colors for each child necessary-you can split the egg colors for example half yellow/half green and half green/half purple and half purple/half yellow)
fun treats for kids…small boxes of raisins, M & Ms, gummy worms, jelly beans, fruit snacks and any other of your favorite Easter candy treats.
Fill the plastic eggs with treats. Put one paper bag and one egg into each basket (a different color in every basket) Have the kids go into a part of the yard or house where they can not see, as the egg hiders do their job. Have the egg hunters line up from youngest to oldest. Hand out the baskets and explain to the children that they ONLY HUNT for the egg color in their basket. Reassure the kids that everyone will be finding the same number of eggs so they should pass up all eggs that are not their color and let the other kids find their own colored eggs. The kids at our party seemed to really understand this concept and once they had found their own 15 eggs they began to help the younger children find their last ones. After all the eggs had been found. The parents helped empty the contents of the eggs into the paper …
Read MoreHow we quiet our hearts and minds
Life is busy… Do you find most of your days filled to the brim? What do you do to relax or find peace in the chaos? Here are some of the things we do!
Bethany:
Most recent read: You and Me Forever, by Francis Chan. This book is an incredible picture of how our marriages are really for the Lord and His kingdom but we so easily get distracted by having the “perfect marriage”. It changes the way you view marriage. It isn’t telling you to not enjoy it or be completely in love with your spouse, but you need to shift the way you view it. This book is really helping me put things in perspective and worship the Lord . Here is one quote.
- “…most marriage problems are not really marriage problems. They are God problems. They can be traced back to one or both people having a poor relationship with God or a faulty understanding of Him” (p. 20-21).
Current devotional: Experiencing God Day by Day, by Henry Blackaby. This devotional takes Scripture and specific stories and examples in the Bible to draw out principles to learn and grow from for each day. I love getting a small snippet of the Word and an applicable example that I can apply to my life.
How do I find peace: I like to spend time writing, journaling, praying, listening to music. I actually find peace exercising, running is a release for me.
Planting Jelly Beans in Home Grown Easter Grass
Here is an Easter project that is easy and fun for your family and can utilize some learning concepts outside of the typical “Easter Bunny” activities.
Supplies needed
Jelly beans or M & Ms in assorted pastel colors
tootsie roll pops, colored lollipops, blow pops or peeps
small metal, clay or glass containers
potting soil
small pebbles
wheat seed (hard red wheat is best for growing grass)
saran wrap
To grow your home grown wheat grass, select your container and gather your other supplies. You can get creative with choosing your containers. Look around your house and garage and see what you have. Or make a quick trip to Goodwill, the Dollar Store, your local hardware store or Target to pick up some containers.
Metal containers or clay pots found in the gardening section work great. Clay pots have a hole in the bottom so you will need some type of plastic liner in the bottom so you don’t have to worry about the water or the dirt getting on your table. You can purchase it in the bulk food section of the grocery store. Hard red wheat works best.
After selecting your container, add a layer of pebbles in the bottom of each container. Because your Easter grass grows for such a short time, drainage isn’t crucial but I do like to add a layer of small pebbles in my containers to help with drainage. Nest, fill each container with potting soil and then a layer of wheat seeds. Sprinkle the top of each container with water (don’t drown the poor little seeds). Then cover each container with some plastic wrap and then place in a sunny window. You will want to make sure that the soil stays moist, (not wet) so that the seeds can germinate. The plastic …
Read MoreMake it your mission
pic from http://futureperfectcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/what_is_your_mission.jpg
What values do you live by? How do you make decisions? Do you know your why? Who are you really?….. These are all good questions, and I may have a way to help you focus in on an answer… Have you ever thought about creating a personal mission statement? Start here first to discover your why… then continue on with the rest!
Here are the benefits to doing so. The website www.doanwinkel.com has some great info on making a mission statement. They say,
“One of the most powerful methods to cultivate the passion of vision is to create and live by a mission statement, philosophy, or creed. Such statements capture what you want to be and do—what qualities you want to develop, what you want to accomplish, and what contributions you want to make. Clarity on these issues is critical because it affects everything else—the goals you set, the decisions you make, the paradigms you hold, and the ways you spend your time. A personal mission statement based on correct principles becomes a standard for an individual. It becomes a personal constitution, the basis for making life-directing decisions and daily decisions in the midst of the circumstances and emotions that affect your life.”
Wow, do you want to live this way? I sure do. Have clarity, know my decisions, know who I am…
An empowering Mission Statement…
- Represents the deepest and best within you. It comes out of a solid connection with your deep inner life.
- Is the fulfillment of your own unique gifts. It is the expression of your unique capacity to contribute.
- Addresses and integrates the four fundamental human needs and capacities in the physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.
- Deals with all of the significant roles in your life. It represents a lifetime
Packing the Hospital Bags
I’m 38 weeks pregnant today and after my doctor’s appointment yesterday, we were instructed to have our bags packed to be ready any day in the next couple of weeks! They are mostly packed with a few more odds and ends that need to be thrown in at the last minute. I am usually quite the extensive packer, feeling like I would rather have too much than too little but I tried to find a good balance for this trip – packing for the ideal situation while also keeping reality in mind of what can happen throughout labor. So, I am going to give you the list that I came up with after looking at plenty of other lists to pack our hospital bags. However, I am sure that I am packing more than I will actually need, so in a few weeks I will write another post on what I actually used and/or what I wished I had included!
For Baby:
- Going home outfit (including Socks, Mittens, and Accessories such as a headband)
- Swaddling Blanket
- Nursing Cover
- Cute toy or prop for first photos
For Mommy:
- Comfy clothes (remember you will still look pregnant!)
- Toiletries (including shower supplies, lotion face wash and creams)
- Extra rubber bands and headbands to keep the hair out of your face
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Contacts and glasses
- Slippers and flip flops for shower shoes/room shoes
- Robe
- Socks and underwear (Granny panties…)
- PJs
- Sweater or sweatshirt with no front zipper
- Nursing tank top or bra (buy a size up if purchasing before milk comes in)
- Essential Oils
- Nursing Cover (when you have to feed with guests in the room)
- Chapstick
For Daddy:
- Clothes (1-2 days worth)
- Socks and underwear
- Sweatshirt
- Comfy shoes – he may be on his feet for many hours
- PJs
- Toiletries –
Keep on loving
pic from http://www.tarasfunpages.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/forever_love-300×212.jpg
What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Did you get something special? Did you give anything to other people? Do you spend a little extra time on Valentine’s day thinking about love? Valentines day is so fun to celebrate, and it is so fun to share love with other people.
Why just one day of the year? Our whole lives should be centered on love. So we should make effort and take time all year long to spend a little extra time focusing on love. It is incredible how loving other people and doing special things actually fills you up yourself. We live in such a give to receive and consumer world that we think we will only feel fulfilled and good when we get stuff. But have you experienced the blessing of sharing love? That feeling is the true goodness of experiencing real love. Real love doesn’t focus on just one day of the year, it doesn’t focus on what it is receiving, it doesn’t focus on an exchange, it doesn’t keep score, it doesn’t live centered on never enough. Real love is fulfilling, it is good, it is real, and it lasts forever. Don’t settle on just one day of the year. Think about ways you can incorporate more love into your life all year long. Whether its writing notes, buying someone a Starbucks, calling a friend, telling someone you are thankful for them… it doesn’t have to be extravagant, just do something.
Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Focus on what you can do for others. Focus on the love of God. Focus on the gift God gave through his son Jesus to come and take away what we truly deserve. Through his mercy and grace we experience life and love in …
Read MoreLove Your Kids By Being Present
What do our kids want most? They want our attention. They want our focus. They want our love.
I’m sure like me, sometimes you just want to tune out. Keeping track and caring for littles can be exhausting-physically and mentally. And how do we tune out? Our phones.
I’m guilty of this all too much. “Just let me finish this.” “I just need to check something.” And so on and so forth.
So before you continue reading, make sure your kids aren’t around, that you are being present. This can wait. Everything else can wait.
Hopefully now you are alone and ready to spend a little “you” time. So let’s learn how to love our kids by being present together!
First, read these two articles by Hands Free Mama:
How to Miss a Childhood update
My sister and I had a wonderful conversation the other day. We were sharing back and forth, offering advice, when she gave me a wonderful…no, LIFE CHANGING idea on how to be more present. She asked if my husband and I took our girls on dates. I told her I loved the idea, it was just hard to figure out the logistics of when to do it and what to do. She told me this idea she heard from Hands Free Mama: to spend at least 5 minutes a day one-on-one with each of your kids. I thought, “YES! I can do that!”
I set up my younger two with an activity and read an entire magazine with Ellie. We did all the “search and finds,” read every poem, every story. I was astonished by what those 5 minutes meant to Ellie…NO. What they meant to ME!
Sometimes to break bad habits we need to start small. Here’s what I …
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