Things on my mind....

Source

I have a bunch of random thoughts in my head today....life is full of chaos right now....

• Today is day 3 of Rebecca missing school. She has had a fever since Sunday. This morning her temperature was back to normal, but will have to watch her today to see if she can go back to school tomorrow. 
• Benjamin is walking and getting into EVERYTHING that he is not supposed to. He loves to be chased around the house and tickled. 
• It is amazing at how much Jacob is growing up. I took him to sign him up for Pre-K in the fall and since then I have noticed how much his communication skills have increased.
• I am thankful that my hubby went and got chocolate for me last night. I have been feeling very stressed. 
• Finally, it has warmed up a bit outside. Last night I went out at 10 to help Bill bring in a few groceries and only had on a long sleeve top and jeans and I was not cold. We are supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow though :( 
• I am thinking about trying to find a full time job. I am so tired of living in debt. I feel like we are standing still and not progressing forward. Scares me to death but I think I need to take this step for my family. Bill is also looking to see if he can find something else that pays more, as he does not see any promotion or any getting ahead in his current job. This has been weighing on my mind a lot. 
• I keep feeling like we should look for somewhere else to live....there are a few things that I just don't like about our current rental and which could be issues.....
• I need to do a major declutter of our house. It is so full of STUFF it is not funny. I feel overwhelmed just trying to keep it straightened up and cleaned. 
• I feel like I am behind on EVERYTHING. 
• I feel like crap right now, but will do what I have to do. I told a friend that yesterday and she warned me about working myself into exhaustion. I just have to do what I need to do. 

So that is where I am at right now. How is life going for you? 

My Weekly Goals

Inspired by Crystal Paine's new book "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life " , I have decided to start making a list of 10 weekly goals that I hope to accomplish this week. Each week I hope to post a listing of my goals for the week in the categories of: marriage, mothering, personal, blogging and homemaking.
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FIRST LET'S RECAP LAST WEEK:

My goals for last week were:

MARRIAGE GOALS:

• Date night with Bill we ordered in food Thursday night and just had alone time after the kids were in bed
• Write a love note to Bill each night he works late

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read a book to each child before bed, at least 5 days this week
• Sign Rebecca up for Spring softball league
• Make Valentine's brownies for Rebecca's class party on Friday

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Catch up on laundry and stay caught up

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Exercise at least 4 days this week
• Eat at least 1 fruit or veggie with each meal

BLOGGING GOALS:

• Write 2 book reviews and post
• Write Kroger Simple Truth review and post

So I did okay with my goals this week. Why is exercising and laundry just not happening?? Because I don't like to do either that is why. LOL 

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Here are my goals for this week: 

MARRIAGE GOALS:

• Write a love note to Bill on nights he works late
• Date night with Bill

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read a book to the kids each night, at least 5 times this week.
• Let kids "play" on computer at least 2 times.

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Catch up and stay on top of laundry
• Disinfect toys downstairs in living room

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Eat at least one fruit/veggie with each meal
• No more than 1 pop a day

BLOG GOALS:

• Write Kroger Time Saver review and post
• Write Dial body wash review and post along with giveaway
• 1 book review and post

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What about you? Do you make weekly goals?

 Care to share what your weekly goals are? 

Valentine's Day recap

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. 

As for me....we kind of spread out the celebration. On Thursday afternoon, my hubby came home from work and told me that he wanted to take care of dinner for the kids that night and that he wanted to order in food for him and I. I had a long day at work planned, and I had to take Jacob to a pre-k roundup that night so I was all for him dealing with dinner. So, he ordered in yummy Mexican food for us and we had a lovely dinner and then cuddled on the couch watching the Olympics. 

Yesterday, on Valentine's Day.....

I sent in homemade heart brownies for Rebecca's class party. 

I also took some into my work in-service meeting. 

I set out Bill's gift and card.

I got beautiful flowers and a nutty card from my hubby! 

And I surprised the kids with treats after dinner. 

Benjamin especially loved his cookie! 

All in all it was a good Valentine's Day. 

Wish I could have spent more of the actual day with my hubby, 

but between his work schedule and my work schedule it just wasn't happening. 

How was your Valentine's Day? 

Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero (book review)

Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero / VeggieTales / I Can Read! (I Can Read! / Big Idea Books / VeggieTales)

Book description: 

In this 3 in 1 bind-up of VeggieTales I Can Reads, Junior learns that even pirates have to go to school, the town of Bumblyburg takes an angry mud bath, and Larry forgets to listen … again! Young readers follow their favorite Veggie friends in easy-to-read stories that help teach early reading skills as well as sound morals and Bible-based life lessons. Books included in this title include:

• Pirate in Training
• LarryBoy and the Mudslingers
• Listen Up, Larry

My thoughts: 

I was excited to be able to review this book, as I have been looking for new books that my sons would like. I will say that I was not disappointed in this collection of stories. Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero / VeggieTales / I Can Read! (I Can Read! / Big Idea Books / VeggieTales) is a collection of 3 different " I Can Read" books that are level 1. They are perfect for the beginning reader. I love how each story teaches a quick lesson to kids while engaging them in funny stories with the lovable Veggie characters.

In the first story, "Pirates," we find Junior Asparagus not wanting to go to school. The pirates convince him that he must go to school in order to be a pirate, so he in the end decides to go back to school. In the second story, "LarryBoy and the Mudslingers," we encounter a cute story about how the evil apple puts a plan in place to make all the Veggies throw mud-filled balloons at one another and get mad at each other. The Veggies learn that saying I am sorry is one of the best things you can do. In the third story, "Listen Up, Larry" the Veggies learn that when you listen you won't get lost and you will be able to have a good life.

Each of these stories was beautifully illustrated and was cute. My 4 year old said that his favorite story was "LarryBoy and the Mudslingers" because the veggies got to go down a slide. He said it was his "favorite, favorite, favorite!"

I read the stories to both my 4 year old and my 7 year old and they both LOVED all the stories!

I would recommend this to everyone with little ones!


Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher and Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

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The cold can go away....

Seriously, this cold weather can go away any time now. Really.

Woke up to negative degrees again today (-9 F when it was time to take Rebecca to school this morning). Bill had to take our neighbor to work this morning (she works at the same school Rebecca attends), as her Tahoe wouldn't start. (Her hubby is out of town and her son works overnight so was not home). Am hoping that Bill's car starts later. He has been driving the van because of the amount of snow that is on the ground.

This is the winter that just is awful with cold and snow. We have already had close to 50 inches of snow when you add everything up. That is way above normal for us. And the temperatures are stuck at below zero. So NOT normal. I got our gas bill yesterday....:( Everyone's bills are high so I shouldn't complain, but I hate to pay a high bill like it was. I should be grateful that we have a roof over our head, food in the house, warm clothes and okay heat in our house. That is a lot more than a lot of people. Just so done with winter.
I am really trying to be positive, but it is so hard when it is so cold and I have a head cold that won't go away. :(

So try to think positive....

Good news is that we should be receiving our tax refund this week. With that we will be able to pay off one of our credit cards completely! YAY! There is some positive.....

How are you doing?

Are you having a hard time with winter?

 How is the weather where you are? 

Praying for Boys (book review)

Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most

FROM THE BACK COVER: 

What Are Your Biggest Concerns for Your Son?
Instead of trying harder to change your boy's behavior or worrying about his future, enjoy the peace that comes when you pray specific prayers for him straight from the Bible. This encouraging book helps you target your prayers on what your son needs most--from patience and self-control to having a pure heart and making wise decisions.

Today you can start giving whatever concerns you have to God and
- learn to fight for your son's heart in prayer
- look at raising boys as a gift
- see how even quick prayers make a difference
- understand boys' deepest struggles, no matter their age
- rest in knowing that God is the only One who can change your son's heart

Written for moms but great for dads (and grandparents) too, this easy-to-use book is filled with uplifting stories and biblical wisdom that will equip you on your journey to raising a godly man.

Includes a 21-Day Prayer Guide for Small Groups, in Person or Online!

MY THOUGHTS:

Unlike other books that claim to teach you how to raise your sons by focusing on their behavior and how to change or guide their behavior, Brooke McGlothlin, offers moms a unique perspective on helping to raise our sons. In her book, Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most , she offers us a how to in how to pray over and for our sons. She offers us guide to praying for our whole son and to ask for help in the areas that God knows that our sons need help in. McGlothin offers personal examples and relations to Scripture to allow us as moms to learn how to pray for our sons. In that prayer, we will gain more understanding and more confidence in our mothering ability. I love how McGlothin sets up each chapter with something specific that we can pray about, including Scriptures to back up her prayers.

As a mom of 2 young boys, I found that this book is a great resource. There are days that I just don't know if I am doing a good job or not, because my boys are so different from my daughter. But with the power of prayer and God's strength and with resources like Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most then I am hopefully on the right path of raising these boys.

I would highly recommend this to all who are helping to raise boys.

DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. All opinions expressed are my own.

Raising Boys by Design: What the Bible and Brain Science Reveal About What Your Son Needs to Thrive (book review)

Raising Boys by Design: What the Bible and Brain Science Reveal About What Your Son Needs to Thrive

Book description: 

Your son was created for great things, but he needs your help to appreciate his unique male design and to grow into the strong, loving man God created him to be.
 
Packed with doable strategies and eye-opening examples of what’s really going on inside a boy’s brain,Raising Boys by Design offers a practical blueprint to help you build a HERO—one who values Honor, Enterprise, Responsibility, and Originality. Among other things, you’ll learn how to help your son:

• strengthen his character, resilience, and self-discipline
• nurture genuine compassion and empathy
• process words and emotions in ways that fit his brain chemistry
• succeed in school and hone crucial life skills
• develop a healthy perspective of sexuality
• avoid the pitfalls of media and technology
• embark on a lifelong adventure of faith
 
This unique resource combines the latest research in brain science with timeless truths from the Bible to reveal the deepest needs shared by every boy of faith while also leading you to fresh insights for honoring the unique personality, talents, and God-given design of your son in particular. 
 
You can help your son thrive today as the hero he is meant to be when you learn the secrets of Raising Boys by Design.

MY THOUGHTS:

Being the mom of 2 young boys, I have already, in their few short years on Earth, seen inherent differences between them and their sister. I have read books on raising children, but none on raising boys specifically. I knew that I needed to read up on that as there are many times that I have seen things that have worked with my daughter but not with my sons. Enter Raising Boys by Design: What the Bible and Brain Science Reveal About What Your Son Needs to Thrive by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz and Michael Gurian. 

Both Jantz and Gurian offer a Christian approach to raising boys that combine both Biblical teaching and what science has to say about how boys are different from girls. They argue that boys are made differently; they experience life differently with their own range of emotions and how they react, while unfortunately society does not always allow for this difference. The authors argue that society has placed so much emphasis on the advancement of females that they have left the boys behind and it is up to us as parents to help to raise our boys out of this so that they can grow up to lead fruitful lives. 

I agreed with many of Jantz and Gurian's points. However, I had trouble reading this book as it was "dry." Yes, there were many examples to back up their points, however, they were lost in the scientific talk that for me overshadowed the reading. Honestly, it felt like I was reading something from my college days as a religion major.

That being said, I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the interaction of the science of why boys are the way they are and what we can do to help raise them in a society that does not often place favorites on their success. 

DISCLAIMER:  I received this book free from WaterBrook Publishing as part of their "Blogging for Books" program. All opinions expressed are my own.

http://www.BloggingForBooks.org

My Weekly Goals

Inspired by Crystal Paine's new book "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life " , I have decided to start making a list of 10 weekly goals that I hope to accomplish this week. Each week I hope to post a listing of my goals for the week in the categories of: marriage, mothering, personal, blogging and homemaking.
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FIRST LET'S RECAP LAST WEEK:

My goals for last week were:

MARRIAGE GOALS: 

• Leave a love note for Bill on nights he works late  did this 3 times! 
• Figure out what to get Bill for Valentine's Day  bought on Saturday! 

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read a book to each child before bed each night
• Clean out toys in living room and bring play kitchen down for kids to play with

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Clean out file box for 2013 and begin filing for 2014
• File taxes for 2013  (this one I am counting as done, even though I have to mail off our city tax papers; but federal and state are done and submitted!)

PERSONAL GOALS: 

• Exercise each day (in line with my big February goal)-- I got in 3 days of exercise
• ONE soda a day-- NO

BLOGGING GOALS:

• Write 3 book reviews and publish at least 1 this week--I got one published, still 2 to go.
• Kroger Simple Truth review written and posted-- NOPE

So....I did much better on my marriage, mothering and homemaking goals, but not so much on my personal and blogging goals. Will have to step it up this week.....

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Here are my goals for this week: 

MARRIAGE GOALS:

• Date night with Bill
• Write a love note to Bill each night he works late

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read a book to each child before bed, at least 5 days this week
• Sign Rebecca up for Spring softball league
• Make Valentine's brownies for Rebecca's class party on Friday

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Catch up on laundry and stay caught up

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Exercise at least 4 days this week
• Eat at least 1 fruit or veggie with each meal

BLOGGING GOALS:

• Write 2 book reviews and post
• Write Kroger Simple Truth review and post

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What about you? Do you make weekly goals?

 Care to share what your weekly goals are? 

Knowledge Fair and Rebecca's lion

Last night, we headed out to Rebecca's school to see what projects all the kids had done for the school's annual knowledge fair. Something Rebecca was so looking forward too! It was all she wanted to talk about all week.

What is a "Knowledge Fair?" you ask.

This was the gym of Rebecca's school last night, full of the 6-8th grade knowledge fair projects.

Well think science fair, but with all grades involved. At my daughter's school, Kindergarten through 4 grades do a science report on varying topics depending on the class,  5th grade does an economics project and 6-8th grades do a science project (complete with boards, presentations, and judging from local high school and college teachers to see who if anyone goes on to the district science fair). All of these projects (minus the actual experiments) are completed in school only with no parent help on reports or project boards. Then on Knowledge Fair night, the kids all present their projects to their parents and the community.

This year, the first grade did animal reports. They had to research an animal. They went through the points of the writing process and then had to write and type out a report on their animal. They also had to craft their animal using recyclable materials and paint. The worked on these projects over the last 2 months. The projects turned out great!

Rebecca and her lion

Roar! 

Rebecca's animal was a lion. She did a fantastic job on her project, and she was so excited to show it off. I am so proud of her!

Yesterday's Snow Day

Yesterday, due to the 7 inches of snow that fell the night before, Rebecca's school was closed and so I didn't have to go to work. We ended up with a snow day! (Which if you are counting makes day #6, so we will have to make this one up on President's Day....)

The roads were AWFUL yesterday morning. It took Dear Hubby 45 minutes to get to work; a drive that normally takes him 5 minutes. The roads had not been plowed and there was snow, then a layer of ice, then more snow. He said it was treacherous.

The kids and I didn't have to go anywhere, so we hunkered down to stay home and have fun. I did have Rebecca do some school work in the morning (spelling word review, reading her reading book and her religion book, etc.) Then, the morning consisted of the kids playing, watching cartoons, and coloring in their new coloring books that I had picked up the day before at the Dollar Tree.

After lunch, we had fun outside in the snow. Everyone went outside and we all played in the snow. Benjamin is still not so sure of the snow, but at least this time he tried to walk in it. Rebecca and Jacob had a blast, especially when our neighbor brought his dog outside to play with them.

When we came back in, we were met by a strange buzzing sound in our mudroom. We could not pinpoint where it was coming from. It wasn't coming from outside, upstairs, the basement, just from that room. I thought it was coming from our baseboard heaters. After 10-15 minutes of trying to figure it out, I was certain that it was the heater and told Dear Hubby to call our landlord. Just as he was pulling his number up on the cell phone, I got down close to the ground in between our shelves and the wall and listened one more time. This time I could tell that the sound was coming from a storage unit...so I told Dear Hubby not to call because the sound was coming from the drawers. I pulled open the drawers and found the culprit.....Jacob's firetruck puzzle which sounds like a firetruck if you put all the pieces in the right places. LOL

After we found the culprit, we had hot chocolate and I started making a special dessert for dinner. Then worked on laundry, while the kids played. Then we pulled out the Wii and taught the kids how to play bowling and tennis on the Wii. I then made dinner and the kids got to have their special dessert.

After dinner, we watched "the Puppy Bowl" which we had recorded on Sunday...then it was time to clean up and get ready for bed. Rebecca kept saying it was the best snow day ever. I agree, it was a pretty good day!

How was your day? 

Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World (book review)

Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World

BOOK DESCRIPTION: 

Life is chaotic. But you can choose to live it differently.

It doesn't always feel like it, but we do have the freedom to live life differently than what's "normal."

The popular blogger—founder of the nationally recognized Simple Mom family of online resources—tells the story of her family’s ongoing quest to live more simply, fully, and intentionally.

Part memoir, part travelogue, part practical guide, Notes from a Blue Bike takes you from a hillside in Bosnia to a Turkish high-rise to a congested Austin suburb to a small town in Oregon. It chronicles toddler spats, schooling dilemmas, and dinnertime drama as well as entrepreneurial adventures and family excursions via plane, train, automobile, and blue cruiser bike.

Entertaining, thoughtful, and compelling—but never shrill or dogmatic—Notes from a Blue Bike invites you to pay attention to who you are and what your family needs and then make some choices. 

MY THOUGHTS:

WOW. WOW. WOW. That was my first reaction as I was reading Notes From a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider. Mrs. Oxenreider shares her family's story of living more simply, more intentionally, and happier in a style that is both biographical and story-telling. She offers her experiences of changing her family's life to living a life full of purpose and meaning, while also becoming simpler and fuller. She does not though say that her families journey is the be all, end all of living purposeful lives. Instead, she offers her experiences as examples and as a jumping off point to thinking about how we can simplify and make our own personal lives more purposeful. 

I love the set up of this book. Mrs. Oxenreider sets her book up into 7 sections based on different areas of her family's life that she has changed to help her live more intentionally and with more purpose. The first section,  "Awakening", shares where she and her family became more aware of the need to live more intentionally in their own life and how they started the process. The sections that follow share her family's changes and choices that they have made in their lives that affect their goal of living life with purpose in the areas of food, work, education, travel, entertainment, and personal revival. (She also helps you think through each section with discussion questions at the end of the book based on each section.)

I love that Mrs. Oxenreider does not force feed you her own philosophies. Instead she writes in such a way that gets you to think about what YOUR own families priorities are and she makes you question whether you are living YOUR own life intentionally. I love that she is not judgemental; in fact she writes " Living intentionally ultimately means staying true to yourself and how your family is made. As you scour the Internet for ideas, and as you read this book, listen to that still, small voice that says, This is you......We're each given freedom to choose our decisions, and that responsibility is the very definition of living with intention, after all: making daily choices so that your life lines up with your passions and values. It should all make sense in your head." (p. 214) 

This book was very thought provoking to me. It spoke to my own desire to live a life full of passion and moving in a direction that is right for our family even though it may not be what the "Joneses" think is right or wrong. This book has given me permission to do what is right for our family! 

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone looking to live more intentionally in their life in pursuit of their own passions and values. 

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from the publisher and Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

My Weekly Goals

Inspired by Crystal Paine's new book "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life " , I have decided to start making a list of 10 weekly goals that I hope to accomplish this week. Each week I hope to post a listing of my goals for the week in the categories of: marriage, mothering, personal, blogging and homemaking.
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FIRST LET'S RECAP LAST WEEK:

My goals for last week were:

MARRIAGE GOALS:

• Leave Bill at least one love note on our whiteboard on nights that he works late.
• Make a list of possible date night ideas for the future.

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read at least one book to each child before bed each night 
• Sign Jacob up for YMCA Spring Soccer (need to do this before Friday as the price jumps another $20 on Friday)

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Clean out file box from 2013 to prepare it for 2014
• Continue to follow cleaning routine that we implemented a few weeks ago

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Get back to drinking just one pop a day
• Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal

BLOG GOALS:

• Write 3 book reviews and schedule to publish to get caught up on book reviews-- I did write and post 1. 

So I am at 50% again. I don't know why I am not doing the ones that have been on my list for the last few weeks. I just don't have any excuses. Have to get my act together. 

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Here are my goals for this week: 

MARRIAGE GOALS: 

• Leave a love note for Bill on nights he works late
• Figure out what to get Bill for Valentine's Day

MOTHERING GOALS:

• Read a book to each child before bed each night
• Clean out toys in living room and bring play kitchen down for kids to play with

HOMEMAKING GOALS:

• Clean out file box for 2013 and begin filing for 2014
• File taxes for 2013

PERSONAL GOALS: 

• Exercise each day (in line with my big February goal)
• ONE soda a day

BLOGGING GOALS:

• Write 3 book reviews and publish at least 1 this week 
• Kroger Simple Truth review written and posted

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What about you? Do you make weekly goals?

 Care to share what your weekly goals are? 

February Challenge time!

Looking back at my goals for the year, they were basically divided into 2 categories---personal and financial for the family. Since January's challenge was focused on finances, I have decided that February's challenge will focused on personal. Well this month, I am still going to be looking at ways to work on our financial picture. I am also going to be focusing more on ME.

In January, we gave up fast food as a family for the month as part of the challenge. Well Hubby and I are going to re-introduce eating out this month. Last month, I lost 5.4 lbs. And I know that this is because we gave up on eating out. Well with the reintroduction of eating out, something has to give if I want to keep losing weight.

This brings me to the February challenge for myself:

My goal is to do some form of exercise for at least 15 minutes every day in February beginning today! 15 minutes is a short enough time that there can be NO EXCUSES! This will lend itself to my goal of losing 40 lbs this year.  I want to make exercising a habit. I want to lose weight. I have several exercise DVDs that I can do. I have a Wii Fit game that I can play. On days where it is not -25F outside, I can try to get in a quick walk. Time to make my health a priority.

Wish me lots of luck! I know that I will need the encouragement!

Do you have any challenges you are facing head on this month?