Goodbye to Blogging

...Bye Bye, Blogging!
At least to how I've known it so far.  

Up until now, I've been writing for an audience..or one I was trying to attract anyways...after all, I started this whole thing in the hopes of making a buck or two.  My husband is the sole income provider in this home, and I was hoping to bring in enough that would keep him from a second job.

Somewhere in the midst of it all though, I'd say right around summer, priorities changed from post deadlines and social media to my kids and I just never looked back.

That isn't to say that those that do both have their priorities out of whack, it just means they were able to do it where I could not, and I'm alright with that!

So I'm changing my whole approach to blogging...I'm still going to do it, but I'm blogging for myself and for my kids with the stories I'll keep for them within the contents of this blog...

I'll post when I feel like it and not when my schedule says I should, and I'll just enjoy that I'm storing up memories for them rather than worrying about numbers and who's seen what of mine on social media...maybe this will be something I pursue later when my kids are in school, but I'm alright with it if it's not.

Farewell, Audience Writing! 
I'm turning a new page now.

Photo by Skyro via Free Images

Confronting Your Fears

Some pretty incredible things are going down over here in our household...things that I am not yet at liberty to speak of, but I assure you, I will.

These very same beautiful things, however, are obligating me to face  my deepest darkest fears.  Oh sure, we all have them to some degree or another.  For me, I'm usually quite able to tuck them away without really having to deal with them at all.  In fact, I have had it tucked away for so long that I really was unaware of the power I'd given it over me until recently.

Before I ever even lifted my head off the pillow, mornings had taken to greeting me with a sour cup of dread and anxiety.  Over and over I prayed, but nothing seemed to be reaching me.

But then...a verse....and the walls of fear that had started to close in on me began to crumble:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 

as you trust Him; 

so that you will overflow with hope 

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13  

There's so much power in trusting Him...so much more powerful than fear could ever be.

It is only when we trust Him that that the walls can begin to crumble...and like the morning sun finding it's way through the cracks in my blinds, I found that I was soon able to hear God more clearly:

Don't worry about whether what you fear will come to pass or not, 

you're looking too far ahead...

Look at what I'm telling you in My Word...

and trust Me to overcome your anxiety.  

What I had wanted was a solution and a promise, absolving me of my fear of the unknown, but what I gained was a deep trust that God will hold me in peace right here.  Right now. He will take care of me always, and I've no doubt or hesitation about it...not for one minute

Oh, I'm sure anxieties will come and go, but I know that my King will overcome every time.  I know that all He's looking for is my trust in Him, and He will supply me with all joy and peace...not some, not just a little, or even enough, but all.  That's huge, and it's His promise.

So I've traded in my anxiety, my deepest darkest fear, in favor of a conscious and deliberate focus and effort to trust in my Lord.

What about you?  

What fears are crippling your life...

keeping you away from what God wants to give to you?  

God promises to release you of all this...and He's the only one that could ever make good on such a promise.

Give Him your trust and attention, 

and just see how He, in turn, speaks to you.

photo credit: Achint Thomas via Flickr

My Break From Blogging

Alright, alright, I'm back...but I'm not going to lie, coming back hasn't been easy.

Those last couple of weeks before school were simply delightful, if I may say so myself!
I thought nothing of the blog and how was I going to fit it in amid the rest of life's responsibilities,

I just.  

Simply.  

Was.

....with my kids...with my husband, with whatever was going on with the day...

and let me tell you, being that way is a hard way to shake off!  

But I'm back...

I'm just really really hoping that my being in each of life's most beautiful moments never gets overlooked again...

because, truly...

once you're there, 

living like that, with eyes on God...

there's just no reason to be any other way.

Talk to you guys soon...

I Lost My Sister...

Technically, she's not my sister, she's my cousin, but my heart has never known the difference.

Born 6 months apart and living only 10 miles away, growing up for me was just amazing.  If she wasn't over at my house, then I was at hers.  We did everything together, sharing our secrets and our hearts like only best friends can do...hey, we even hung out together when one had to go to the bathroom..THAT'S how close we were (and perhaps how disgusting we were too!).

But I lost her..somewhere along this path in life, I lost her...

and I don't know if I'll ever find her again. 

To be honest, I'm not even sure when it happened.  We didn't fade out during high school or college...or even those years that followed, when she traveled the world, and we both eventually called opposite sides of the country our home.

No, it was sometime after that...when we both moved closer to home...and, it breaks my heart over and over again.  It breaks my heart to see her at family parties and not know what to say.  It breaks my heart to know that we are so uncomfortable around each other that eye contact is ..well, unnatural...and our obligatory "hello/goodbye" conversations are simply disconnected and superficial.

How did we ever get to here?  I'm grappling to understand this.

Gone are the girls who once knew each other so well..who knew how to make each other laugh and comfort each other when we cried.... It's such a tragic and confusing void for me, because I don't even know what happened.  Perhaps, then, I would find the closure my heart aches for though, trust me, I've openly tried to understand.  I've worn my heart on my sleeve for her, but there are still no answers.

So many invitations to coffee turned down, so many blatant conversations about my missing her politely noted and received, yet nothing in return.

I'm trying to move on, 

I'm trying to move past, 

but she

is

 my sister.  

To me, she will always be.  

Sadly, I've lost my sister...but how do I walk away when I can still see her right there...I guess I keep hoping for that one day when she lets me in again...when I get to know what her life is really like.  She was my best best friend...there was none closer..and yet, as I looked at her today, I've realized that the only things I know of her anymore are based on the memories we once shared.

I miss her... 

I've lost my sister.

Yes..

but is there a reason I did? 

I'm coming to peace now 

with the knowledge that I may never understand...

I'm astounded to accept that I have to lay this relationship to rest now.  Maybe someday it will be revived, but today...today I have to leave it behind...as I walk deliberately forward into the arms and the lives of those who truly do love me and want to know me.

Goodbye, Beans...I hope someday that you will know my kids and that I'll know yours...I hope someday to say hi to you and see my old friend again.  I couldn't possibly explain how terribly much I miss you, and how terribly sad I am to let you go.  

Image by Hajnalka Ardai via Free Images

Living in the Moment

So much has changed in my life...transformed, really...and right before my very eyes.  This summer, I can honestly say that I have let everything go, in terms of control and a tight schedule to maintain.

Don't get me wrong, there has been carting around to this camp and to that one for most of the summer, but something has been different this time around.

I'm no longer that haggled mom, running around with her head cut off 

because the house is a mess 

and I feel like I've failed my kids for not having star-quality activities every moment of every day.  

I've just come to this point where I've stopped doing things from my own strength...I've stopped striving and struggling and have learned to just go where God is leading...to allow Him to open my eyes to what He so generously has chosen for me to see.

It's ridiculous to hear me say it now, but I seriously felt like the key to a successful summer was tied into that whole bucket list idea I wrote about a couple months ago.

I thought, if we completed the list, it would equate to an amazing summer, 

but nothing within that bucket list itself could have ever compared 

to the amazement of having learned 

to just be in the moment with my kids.  

What a gift to be a stay-at-home mom...Yes, it's a lot of work, and yes I have had an overabundance of lessons in the area of patience and wisdom of speech, but man, what a blessing.

I've never been so content in my life since having given over my plans and ideas of structure to God...

What He's done with them in turn, there's just no words for...

Is Your Faith Real, or Just a Facade?

To look at me, 

you'd hopefully never think me capable 

of the hardcore bad choices I have made in my life...

...the kind of bad choices that most have the common sense to avoid.  

Since coming from those places, I have often looked back and marveled at how, despite these wildly sinful choices, my faith and relationship with Christ had remained so strong and solid.  I didn't understand how it was that I could be so strong in this area of my life and yet make choices that were blatantly against Christ's teachings.

It is only now that I am able to understand:

It wasn't that my faith was so strong, 

it was that I had created a whole facade of deep faith 

in order to allow myself to continue doing the wrong things that I was doing.  

This "faith" was a shell I hid behind...my faith and long conversations with God back then were more about clearing my name.

I was fooling myself.  

I knew what faith should look like, and I modeled it well enough that I somehow had fooled my own self.

I'd played the role of faithfulness like a part in a play, but Christ was not center stage, and He most certainly was not the star of my show.

I'd painted a picture to hide behind, but I was not behind my faith.  

I needed a place to obscure my real self, because to see who I actually was would have meant that I needed to change, 

and I didn't want to change, really...

After all, back then, it was not Christ I was serving...

it was myself ...

...and it was Satan, though I hotly denied it!

I have a deep relief in knowing that the faiths were different between now and then, because I'd been a little nervous all along that I would somehow become that person once again.  I'm so grateful to God and His faithful mercies....so grateful for showing me the difference... so grateful for the relief He has provided my heart in this revelation, even though I don't deserve it and, quite frankly, never will.

It is ever important to live in genuine faith...

to roll up your sleeves and get behind it...to deeply live it....

to not allow yourself to live the smoke and mirrors life that I had lived for so long.  

If you are there now and are just starting to wake up to where you've allowed yourself to go, you know what I'm referring to.

Or perhaps you are in the place I once was, with a faith that seems so deeply intact but a lifestyle and consequent choices that can't help but make the abyss of your faith so blatantly obvious.

Open your eyes...

WAKE UP!!

There's no time for this...

Roll up your sleeves and dive back into the faith you've been telling yourself you've been living but deep in your heart, you've known...you've just known...that you have not.

Let the excuses you've strung yourself along with for so long fall by the wayside...you know, the ones that have brought you down a path you so urgently felt Him telling you not to take in the beginning of it all...If you sit still and listen, I bet you can still hear His voice calling you...if only but a whisper...

Wake up...wake up and turn around....

He is right there waiting to lead you back out.  

You don't belong down that dark and lonely road 

that you've tried to paint with flowers and sunshine any more than I did.  

Wake up and turn...it's time.

Dirty Kids, Messy Home...Happy Life. Why Letting Go Is The Best Thing You Could Ever Do For Your Family.

Maybe it comes from all those beautiful summers as a child where both days and nights seemed endless,
but every summer since my first was born, I seem to be under some unbroken illusion that I will finally have the time to complete those projects I've been meaning to get to all year long...

You'd think I'd learn after nearly a decade, but ever the optimist,  I've held onto the hope that big things will happen each summer!!

What I'm really starting to realize now is that they are happening...

just not in the way I'd expected.  

Instead of a finally neat home,
                                      I find it's way messier..

Instead of cleaner kids,
                              they are definitely dirtier...

Dinner before 6:30?
                                 Ha!
                                         Try 7:30...and even 8:30 sometimes!

It would seem I'm moving away from my goals, 

but I've realized I'm closer to them than I ever was before...

See, the house is messier,
                                   the kids stinkier,
                                                         the dinners later,

because I've dropped my plans and let God lead. 

...And He's led me straight to my kids!  

Yeah, we might still be trying to get to that bucket list I wrote about at the start of summer, but we've been places, and we've done things, and we've just enjoyed being together.

I've got a neighbor that is in his 80's.  His wife passed on, and his children live elsewhere, so he lives alone.

Sometimes when life has been especially busy, and I look out the window at his house where he is often lounging on his front porch,

I realize that his home is probably super neat, 

his projects so done

and his dinner promptly eaten,

but I can't help but think how he must long for what I have:

the endless shouts and squeals bouncing off my walls, 

the children a mess from puddle splashing and dirt digging, 

the house a wreck because we are too busy being together, 

the dinner late because we just didn't feel like coming inside yet...

Hopefully one day I'll get the chance to grow old like this man has, and I'm sure my home will be neat and my projects done with me looking for others to do,
but more than anything,

I know I'll be longing for the loudness in my house...

the endless squeals of laughter from my children...

and I just thank God that I've come to understand this now...

...that I've learned to let the plans go and just delight in where the Lord leads, messy house, dirty and unfed kids and all...

Praise be that He gets it right every time...

and thank God that I'm starting to listen and to follow!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl

To my Sweet Baby Girl,

How could I possibly ever explain to you how I see you...

...and how beautiful you are...

So beautiful, in fact, that I have trouble taking my eyes off of you.  

Each day you amaze me, each day you thrill me, each day my heart bursts to the point of overwhelm at the blessed awareness that, out of all the mothers in this entire world, God chose me for YOU.

Through you and your brother, 

I am so aware of what Grace means...

because by it, I am blessed with you both, 

despite who and what I have ever been in my life.

Happy birthday, Sweetheart...I can scarcely believe that you're two...

I love you with all that I am...

...and with every ounce of love 

God has poured through me 

just for your sweet and amazing heart.   

Double-Chocolate Oreo Cookie Recipe

There's a birthday in the family this week, and I couldn't be any more excited about it!!

It also means that I couldn't be any busier!  

Busy or not though, each member of this family (baby included) has a pretty major sweet tooth that needs some attention...and usually by way of chocolate!!

So what to do when my time and energy needs to be spent elsewhere and not on dessert making?  Here's what my girl and I came up with yesterday, and we couldn't be any more satisfied with its delicious results!!

Double-Chocolate Oreo Cookies:

1 1/2 - 2 c chocolate chips

2-3 tbsp milk

1 package Oreo-type cookies (We use the Who-Nu brand.  They're way healthier & since no one around here can tell the difference, why wouldn't we?!)

If you've got a microwave, this whole process for you just got even easier, but since we do not have one at our house, let's just take the old-fashioned route, shall we?

Dump the chocolate chips into a saucepan, and add the milk.  I eyeballed the amount, but you're going to want just enough milk in there to cover the bottom of the saucepan and help those chocolate chips get to melting!  If you find you've added too much milk, just add more chocolate chips..you really can't lose here, if you ask me!  (Update:  This method can be hit or miss and, if you try to add more cold milk, there will be clumping of chocolate.  Likely the easiest method, if you don't have a microwave, is to use a double broiler.) 

Once you have achieved a creamy, smooth texture (also known as liquid gold around here!), remove the saucepan from the stove and get those cookies ready!

Prep your cookie dipping area with aluminum foil/parchment paper underneath a cooling rack.  You'll need something underneath the rack for sure, so you can catch the chocolate drips later (yeah, see if you can refrain from indulging in some of those delightful drips later..I couldn't!)

Next, you simply 

Dip.

Then place your cookie on the cooling rack.

Once all the cookies have been dipped, place them in the refrigerator (aluminum foil/parchment paper and all) for at least 1 hour, in order to help the chocolate harden.  

These are already a household favorite for me and mine...

...and so simple!!  

It just goes to show you don't need to get all complicated in order to satisfy!   

Make them.

Enjoy them.

And may your sweet tooth be fulfilled!

What about you?  What's your quick and easy sweets recipe that you go to when you don't have time to bake?

Garage Sale Mania!

Today and tomorrow are Garage Sale Days at our house...I've been working for the better part of 1 1/2 years on this puppy, purging the house of all it's trash and clutter, and I have to say that I'm already loving the liberty that this garage sale brings...because, no matter if there are any takers, this stuff is G-O-N-E!!

So far, the goings are slow, but I'm hopeful that tomorrow will bring tons of fresh faces!!

What about you guys?  Anyone out there garage sale junkies?  I met a few today who make it their business to make garage sales their business, if you know what I mean!!

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Recently, I'd mentioned my new love for all things natural and simple.

One of my first converts from the world of processed food was with this homemade pizza dough.

Looks good, right?!

When I was pregnant with my little girl, I frequently felt too tired to make dinner and too eager for the comforts of pizza delivery (I mean, who hasn't, right?)!

Once that became too expensive (& unhealthy) of an option, we started going to the freezer section of our local grocer. (Hey, no judging, people! I was pregnant and exhausted...It happens!).

In the name and health of pregnancy though,
I quickly banned store-bought pizza from my diet...

The sodium made me feel bloated and blegh! ... 

I didn't want this for myself, my baby, or any other member of my family!

So, I made the switch..

I tried Boboli....
                        Easy, yes...but too expensive for us.

I tried ready-made dough...
                        That was a disaster by my own hand...
I could never (and I do mean NEVER)  get that dough to stretch and form into any sort of resemblance to pizza...Plus, adding insult to injury, it was always either chewy and thick or thin and burnt, depending on what part of the pie you had sliced into!

But then, one day, 

while walking down the baking aisle of my local grocer, 

I saw it...

Cue the magical lights and mystical music.  

...my very own magical and mystical pizza yeast!!  

Now, I admit that I didn't have much hope for what my efforts could produce, but at $2.12 for 3 packets (which means 3 pizzas!), I figured it was worth a shot!

So, after some tweaking and a few tricks learned, I'm proud to say that I've now got something share-worthy for you all!

Without further ado, my magical and mystical homemade pizza dough!

1 cup flour

1 envelope pizza yeast (I use Fleishmann's Pizza Crust Yeast)

1.5 tsp brown sugar (you can also use white)

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup very warm water

3 tbsp oil (I've tried it with canola and olive oil.  Both work great!)

Grease your pizza pan with oil and lightly flour, or line with parchment paper.  I was using a 9x13 pan, but have recently switched to using a glass casserole dish.  It gives me a thicker crust, and it's a favorite with my family.

Oven preheat is 425, but I typically wait to preheat until the dough is formed before I turn the oven on.  It gives the dough a couple minutes to rise and makes it easier to form in the pan.  

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, pizza yeast, brown sugar, and salt.

Add the water and oil, then mix together until fully incorporated (about 1 minute).  I usually use a fork for this...Definitely makes it easier with the sticky dough!

Gradually add a little flour until the dough is no longer sticky, and you are able to knead it without it sticking to your fingers.

Knead the dough for about four minutes on a clean, lightly floured surface.
Update:  Some may prefer to knead the dough on a floured surface, but I am just fine with kneading the dough right in the bowl I was using to mix my ingredients.  It saves me a clean-up step afterwards and anything that saves me a cleaning step has got my vote for sure!

On that same floured surface, shape your dough, then get that bad boy in your pan/baking dish!  Update:  Again, some may prefer to shape the dough on a floured surface, I have recently taken to just shaping the dough directly in the pan.  I really saw no difference in the two, and having the dough already in the pan is simpler for me than transferring it afterwards.

Next, add your sauce and other essentials...

Pop it in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes or so until the crust is browned and the cheese deliciously gooey.

Seriously, it's so delicious...

One bite and you'll never think of ordering delivery again!  My entire family agrees!

Easy Homemade Tortilla Recipe

In the last year, I've really gotten my family following after a much simpler way of living.  The types of things we buy at the store now are drastically different from just even 6 months ago.

We've gone from store-bought shampoo to homemade.  Same with toothpaste, hand soap, laundry detergent (that recipe is up for debate still, but here's another I totally love) and dish detergent.

Our first switch was with the shampoo, and I've gotta tell ya, this change in lifestyle is addictive.  Once you start to simplify, you start looking for another way, and another, and another.

I love knowing what's in the products we use. 

I love that it's healthy 

and safe 

and made by my own hands. 

Anyways, all this simplifying has eventually sneaked its way into my kitchen, where sandwich bread and granola bars have made it into the mix as well.  But the simplest of all has been these fantastically quick and easy homemade tortillas!

Seriously, look at these puppies...

don't they look delish?  

I mean, I guess as delicious as tortillas get to lookin'!

So the recipe for these homemade tortillas... 

It's another goodie from Pinterest...Simple.  To the point.  I like!

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 cup warm water

Preheat your griddle...the hotter the better with these puppies.

Measure out the flour, salt, and baking powder and combine with a fork.

Pour in the oil and warm water and mix.  I usually start mixing it up with a fork (wire whisk isn't worth it, if you ask me..it's so sticky at this point that you wind up spending valuable time picking the pieces off the whisk itself!).  

Once it's mixed enough, I get in there with my hands and knead the dough...Nothing crazy like with bread or pizza dough..just enough to form a dough ball.  If the dough is still sticky, sprinkle a little more flour in there and voila, you've got homemade tortilla dough!  

Next, start breaking off pieces (I usually half the dough into two balls and then half those, etc until the dough ball fits in the palm of my hand).  Next, roll them out nice and thin with a rolling pin on a floured surface.  I usually end up with about 10.

Heat them up on your griddle, flipping over after a few minutes once they puff a little.

That's it!  Easy, right?
My girl and I make these all the time, and we have a blast!
Now, if only I could figure out a way to keep her from eating these homemade tortillas before they find their way to the griddle!!

Is Pinterest Ever Too Much?

I love Pinterest.  I love, love, love it!

I use it to figure out

our meals for the week...

I use it for seasonal inspiration (winter, spring, summer, fall)

and birthday parties...

I use it for just about everything under the sun, it seems...

...but when is Pinterest too much?

When does it go from mere inspiration 

to more of a crutch 

for our own creativity and imagination?  

I believe a fine line does exist, and I think, for me, I might have crossed that line last night...

We celebrated Father's Day early this year because of one thing or another.
The gift I'd chosen for my dad was heartfelt,
                                                         it was beautiful, it was...
                                                                                 ...directly from Pinterest...
Yup, aside from changing the word "Daddy" to "Pop", I'd copied the whole thing.

Even still,  I was so over-the-top about giving the gift because of what it symbolized...
My dad and I, we've been through so much in our relationship, and I'd been so hurtful in the past.  So to be able to stand there giving this gift to my father along with my two kids well, it meant more than I could ever explain!

Fast-forward a few lines into the poem my dad was reading though, and get right to the part where my son blurted out that I'd copied the whole thing from Pinterest, and you'd be just in time to see my heart falling onto the floor.

It seems like not a huge deal, I know, 

...get over it already, right?!  

But to have come so far with my dad and to have this chance to show it ...let's just say, while I wasn't looking to say this work is "mine, all mine", I also didn't want the intention of my heart to be overshadowed with the knowledge that these words were not my own.

Anyways,  my question to you all is this....

Where do you draw the line with Pinterest?  

Has it taken over your own creativity? 

OR 

Have you successfully maintained it 

as a supplement to your exuberant imagination?

Trust me, I love Pinterest, and I'll continue to use it diligently, I'm sure, but I think I'll mix in a little more ME from now on... let it take a backseat to my own God-given inspirational ability!

What To Do With The Kids This Summer

I'll be honest, I didn't exactly knock it out of the park these past couple of summers, when it came to fun and excitement!

Two summers ago, my little girl was born.

A truly amazing and beautiful summer, in its own right, but my exhaustion and postpartum delirium were not exactly a recipe for family fun or stellar activities for my then 7-year old son.

Last summer definitely picked up speed, 

and there was a lot more fun to be had, 

but I admit, I was unprepared!  

In all my summers prior, I was always at the office, and my son was at day camp.  Last summer being my true first as a fully functional stay-at-home mom, I think we were just one week in before I realized I better come up with a plan fast before we all went crazy from heat and boredom!  A plan was had and the fun as well, but it all took place amid a jumbled and disorganized mess!

This year, you better hold on to your hats, kids, 

because I am SO bringin' it...!

I will be ready!
                    I will be savvy,
                                         I will...
                                                   I will....
                                                             Well I will at least have a plan...
Hey, we all know how parenting goes...rarely does it follow the instructions we design for it!

So, I don't know where you all are with your summer plans...Maybe you've already got one in place...or maybe the idea of breaking out the sidewalk chalk again exhausts you..

Either way, check out this list of summer "musts"
& feel free to steal a few ideas to call your very own!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

SUMMER PASSPORTS:    I saw this really cool printable over at Brassy Apple that sparked a few flames of inspiration for me.   

So, yes, the brains behind this whole operation are that you make a little booklet at the start of the summer.  In it go drawings (or just a list) of each activity you and your child have decided are "musts" for the summer!  I was thinking of also adding a photo to each passport activity once it's been completed!  A video "how to" can be found at this link, along with a free printable download (for those out there with a printer and ink..we are lacking in this area)!  A totally cute idea, if you ask me...and a great keepsake for when the summer's through!

SUMMER PICTURE CHALLENGE:  Something to go perfectly with your passports above... +Leilani Anderson and her counterpart, Emily, over at Just a Touch of Crazy have come up with a list of 50 picture-taking ideas.  I don't know about you guys, but we are totally taking on this challenge!  And, if you needed a little more motivation to get that camera rolling, if you share your photos with Just a Touch of Crazy, you'll be entered to win a photobook from Shutterfly!  Sounds like a win-win, if you ask me!  Details can be found here!

IN THE HEAT OF DAY

POOL GAMES:  

Ahhh, there's nothing like a dip in the pool on a sweltering day.  

Make it fun with these classic "go-to's": races, who can make the biggest splash, diving for treasure, Marco Polo.

But, may I add something new to your list...:  

The Underwater Wardrobe...From a pile of old clothes, each kid picks out a complete outfit (pants, shirt, socks) and hands them over to the adult running the game.  While their backs are turned away from the pool, the grown-up scatters the clothes all over the pool.  Once the clothes sink (you might want to get them wet first so they sink faster) and the adult says "GO!", the kids all jump in the pool.  Object of the game is to find your clothes, put them on, then swim to the side and climb out.  Whoever is out first wins!  Got older kids?  Have them get dressed only when their heads are under water!  Switch up the rules as you need, but I guarantee this will be a win with your kids!  My mom created this game for my brother and me when we were kids and we loved it!

Great ideas above, but how to keep cool with no pool in sight?!  Dive into a little game of Spongeball instead!

PAINTING: Paint with your feet,  paint with crayons, paint with paintsicles while eating Popsicles (just don't get the two mixed up!), get paint-crazy, I dare say!  And, may I add, now that it's summer, how glad are we that painting can happen outside the house!

NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT:  I think it's genius, I think it's brilliant, I think I can't wait to try it!  Check out the Pinterest printable here.

RAINY DAY FUN

It's true.  Rain will happen this summer!  

So, while your lawn and flowers are enjoying much needed refreshment, keep your kids busy with these fun ideas:

Balloon Ping-Pong – A game that’s safe for the kids and the house?  Sign me up!

Rainy Day Doodle Game – Great for all crayon-holding ages!

The Naked Egg – I’m baffled by this!  An experimental “must”!

ONCE THE SUN GOES DOWN

Ahhhh, those summer days...filled with squeals and laughter and ice cream and everything else under that hot ol' sun...

but, pray tell, what about those hot summer nights?  

Trust me, these activities are well worth your kid's extension on their bedtime!

Glow in the Dark Bowling:  Activate 10 glow sticks and place one each (but I also think, more glow sticks=more fun!)  inside 2-liter bottles filled with water, and you've got yourself a party!  As a side-note, I keep hearing mixed things about glow in the dark bubbles.  Some say it works, some say not a chance, but I think we'll give it a go:  crack open a glow stick, pour it into the bubbles and voila!....At least we're hoping so!  Guess the verdict's still out on this one!

Amazing, wonderful, Fairies in a Jar!  I just can't wait to try this.  A little glow stick action, a little glitter and some water and you'll think that Tinker Bell came for a visit!  This'll be perfect for my little girl's birthday!!

S'mores!  Need I say more?  They're gooey, they're delightful, they make summer a knockout all on their own!! If you've got a fire-pit, promise yourself you'll use it at least once for s'mores this summer!
No fire-pit?
Fix your chocolatey delights inside and hurry outdoors to enjoy them with the company of friends and a few good stories!  Nothing wraps up a summer's day quite like this!

What about you guys?  What are the "musts" on your summer lists?  Drop me a line and tell me about it...but be warned, my little posse and I just might tag along!


This post was originally published at MomItForward.com on May 21, 2014.

...Because Memories Are for the Heart...

To My Girl,

When you were born, I was determined to keep a pristine baby book for you..one that would recant your every "first" from birth to marriage...I would collect mementos along the way as tangible proof of how amazing your "first" was, I'd record every tooth grown and lost, I'd even keep the wrapper from that first band-aid, like my mom did for me...but, my Love, you are nearly two now and that baby book still sits on a shelf awaiting with eagerness those moments I swore to keep up with on paper.  

But you know what, Sweetheart?  I've realized that, while that book may be eagerly awaiting it's fill of memories with you, my heart is not, my eyes and ears and arms are not...because, instead of taking time away from us two to steal a moment in a book, I've chosen instead to embrace these moments for our hearts.  I still plan on doing a baby book for you someday, but I'm not worried about it like I once was...it's true that memories fade, so I might someday not as readily remember how you wave and blow kisses to your poopoos as they go down the pot ("Guh-bye, Poopoo! Mmmmmwha!"), but my heart is forever branded by the love you fill it with in those moments...I love you, my sweet girl, and I cannot wait to look under rocks with you tomorrow morning...

Healthy Parent vs. Sick Parent

So, I've come to find, when you're a parent, there really isn't that much difference in what is required and expected of you when you are healthy versus when you are sick.

Allow me to expound upon the two and also, to say in advance, I'm proud of all you moms and dads out there who persevere no matter what hand they are dealt on any particular day:

Typical day for a healthy stay-at-home parent:

Getting the kids up & ready for the day
Playing with the kids

Image by Asif Akbar via Free Images

Making breakfast&lunch

Playing with the kids
Cleaning the house

Playing with the kids

Making dinner

Playing with the kids
Wiping tears

Playing with the kids 
Wiping butts

Playing with the kids
Wiping noses

Playing with the kids
Making desserts & snacks

Playing with the kids
Waking up in the middle of the night

Please no playing!
Waking up early in the morning

Playing with the kidsHelping with homework
Playing with the kids

Being there when they're sick

Playing with the kids

and, finally, 
Learning what you're made of...and most likely again, playing with the kids!

Typical day for a sick stay-at-home parent:

Getting the kids up & ready for the day

Playing with the kids

Making breakfast&lunch

Playing with the kids
Cleaning the house

Playing with the kids

Making dinner

Image by Sebastian Smit via Free Images

Playing with the kids
Wiping tears

Playing with the kids 
Wiping butts

Playing with the kids
Wiping noses

Playing with the kids
Making desserts & snacks

Playing with the kids
Waking up in the middle of the night

Please no playing!
Waking up early in the morning

Playing with the kidsHelping with homework
Playing with the kids

Being there when they're sick

Playing with the kids

Realizing that you are likely sick because your kid was and knowing full well that you'd do it all over again if it meant you get to be with them like you have

And, finally,

Learning...more than ever...what you're made of...and again, most likely, playing with the kids!

Being a parent is hard work, but it's also the best job I have ever had in my life.  Never have I learned more and transformed more than I have since the day my first was born.  What a blessing, what a gift to be here, in this position.  What a blessing, what a gift to be challenged the way we all are, in some ways the same and in others quite different!

No matter how we each are challenged today, 

let's decide now to be grateful 

and to persevere through whatever today's particular hurdles may come to be!  

And if you find yourself on the sick side of the equation today, 

I pray for speedy healing and wellness 

so that you can healthily do the job God has specifically chosen just for you...

Parenthood.

21 Verses to Help You Stay Focused on God

Wake up.  Take a moment with God.

Bust it downstairs and wake up my son for school.

Have a love snuggle with my husband (ahhhh, NICE!)

Head for the kitchen, put dishes away.

Go wake up son again for school.

Get breakfast started.  Get out stuff to make lunch (while seriously applauding all who've figured out how to make it the night before!)   

Knock on son's door to see how it's going...
WHAT?!  

He's still under the covers??  

He needs to be on the bus in 15 minutes, people!

Make lunch...don't forget the napkin note!

Call to son who has just now left his room. 

Sa-weet!!  
Wait...WHAT?!  
He's still in pj's & sportin' his peacock hairdo' from the night before?! 

Tic-toc. Tic-toc!

Lunch made...Oh my gosh, his homework!  I never got to check it last night...again!!  Speed-check homework and hope for the best.

Call to son.

Get breakfast on table.

Call to son 

There is NO WAY I'm waking his sister and driving him to school...

Ok...

He's here!  He's in the kitchen!!

Eat!  Eat!  Eat!

Shoes!  Shoes! Don't forget your shoes!
Get school folder and lunch in book bag...Why won't it fit?!

Okay, shoes...lunch...book bag...Your violin!  Where's your violin?!  

Okay, bus is coming!  

Give me a kiss!  

Love you!  

Bye!!

More or less, that's a typical first hour of awakening in our home!  Surely we can't be the only ones who hustle like this to get our days (& our families) rolling out that door!

So, how do you keep your focus on God during all that wildness?  

I mean, for real, if that's just the first hour of the day, how do we even stand a chance of keeping our eyes on the prize of Christ when the flurry around us is a constant, never-ending (albeit beautiful) frenzy of demands and time constraints?

Why not settle your heart into one of these verses, and let God take it from here...After all, it's only through Him that we'll find the peace, strength, and clarity that we all so desperately need!

Image by Dean Smith via Free Images

1 Chronicles 16:11

Look to The Lord and his strength;

Seek his face always.

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you,
never will I forsake you."

Jeremiah 17:5

This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the LORD."

Lamentations 3:25

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

To the one who seeks him;

Mark 9:23
"'If you can'?" said Jesus.  "Everything is possible for one who believes."

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 

2 Peter 1:3a

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life... 

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding. 

Psalm 20:7-8

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm. 

Psalm 31:24

Be strong, and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD. 

Psalm 105:4

Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.