Laundry detergent

Ok, so I'm always looking for ways to save money.  This time, I made Duggar family liquid laundry detergent. I plan on using it this weekend.  It smelled great while my daughter and I were making it, which I'm hoping is a good sign.  Makes a total of 10 gallons.  I'll keep you posted on what I think about it.

 

For those of you who like powdered laundry detergent, they also have a recipe for that too.  And, a recipe for fabric softener.

Any other money saving ideas out there?

3 year old antics

My daughter was recently in a wedding.  The last wedding she was in, she was the sweetest girl  standing next to me with my bouquet(yup, role reversal, she held my bouquet and I threw the flower petals).  So, I expected a performance just like that...that's what I get for having expectations!

These are the things I should have considered:

1. The wedding was at 4pm, so figure in no nap and the attempt to stay awake.

2.  Warning sign: fell asleep on the short trip to get to the church for the ceremony

3.  My daughter is 3, she walks into a room and sometimes says:

"Everybody, I'm here!" 

4. At the last wedding I had marshmallows in my dress pockets.  I was literally giving all the kids on stage marshmallows as fast as possible to keep them occupied.  Seriously, I stuffed 1 in one of their mouths when they were in the process of saying something.  No pockets or marshmallows this time :(

Here's the recap of the adventure:

She had her own bouquet to hold in her hands, which was good and ideal.

However, she found flower petals on the stage and threw them off.

When she realized the photographer was taking pictures of her, she looked at me and said he was taking pictures of her, turned around and began posing for him.

Decided to lie down on stage and do snow angels on the carpet, so would they be considered carpet angels? 

I was doing all I could to keep from laughing at this point, because that would only encourage her behavior.

I also had this moment of fear wondering if she'd flash anyone showing off her undies.

At one point she told me I was captain hook (where did that come from?!)

Asked where daddy was(other side of stage), and I was tempted to send her there.

After carpet angles, she also decided it would be fun to bang her hands on the floor, which made a fair amount of noise.

She moved closer to where the bride was standing once she moved for communion, but refused to move when the bride returned.

All this while I was reminding her about the candy after the wedding if she would just BE QUIET!

The 1 thing that captured her attention: when the pianist played/sang Great is Thy Faithfulness.

 After the ceremony I asked her daddy if he noticed her during the ceremony.  He said he couldn't hear a word she said. And, people said she was absolutely adorable up there.  WHEW!

All done...

Ok, so I admit I finished reading the Help(thanks to my vacation).  Emily, I still plan to discuss it with you and review our chapters before discussing so I don't give anything away!  For those of you who want to join in on the discussion, we will read chapters 1 through 5 by Monday.  Then, I'll try to post a summary of our discussion sometime on Tuesday.  Stay posted...and at some point I'll post a review of my daughters antics in the wedding ceremony, but for now you'll have to wait!

The Help

Has anyone out there seen The Help?  I have to say I saw the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much I HAD to get the book.  And, I'm having trouble putting the book down...

Oh so Wonderful...

Vacation is a wonderful thing! 

And, another thing I keep forgetting to share: I get the opportunity to feature the Women of Faith conference. 

Blogging+ 2 complimentary tickets=1 excited mama.

Did I really say that?!

Yup, said this to my 3 year old today: "Just because you have holes in your nose doesn't mean you put things in it."

Strangely quiet...

Sitting down and enjoying a quiet house right now.  It actually is a strange feeling.  My hubby took our daughter with him to run some errands.  We've been doing housework all morning, and of course I could  find something to do.  However, I think I need just this short amount of time to myself.

I love being a stay at home mom.  There are rare moments like these and I just feel like I need to soak it in.  To be thankful for my time as a mom, but also to be thankful for the few minutes by myself to just sit and enjoy.

It is such a privilege and joy to be a parent.  I wouldn't want it any other way. 

And, I'm also looking forward to our upcoming vacation. Beautiful scenery and a quick getaway with my hubby is exactly what I need for rejuvenation.

"Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life"

 Has anyone out there heard of Nick Vujicic?!!  He's not only the author of Life Without Limits, but also a man born without arms and legs.  God has done amazing work in this man's life and he's an inspiration to many people.  His book discusses the challenges he's dealt with throughout his entire life and how God continues to work in and through him.  If someone without limbs can swim, surf, and live life to the the fullest, then who can stop any of us from accomplishing our dreams?

He discusses his troubles as a child and an adolescent, living a frustrating life, to God showing him what his calling is.  This man is an amazing person who has a positive outlook on life when it would be real easy to have a "woe is me" attitude and become bitter.  However, he chooses the path God has laid out for him and truly wants to live a "ridiculously good life."

You can tell Nick is a motivational speaker through his writing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but his personality and love for Christ shines through.  He also has a non-profit organization called: Life Without Limbs

No one dreams of a child being born without limbs, and it is very rare.  This man has taken this huge obstacle(one that many people said was impossible) and turned it into a way to inspire everyone around him.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Time With God for Mothers

Time with God for Mothers is a short devotional book for all busy moms.  It is an encouraging book with scripture and a positive focus for each devotional.  This is meant to encourage mom's to keep their focus on God.  Maybe a good coffee table book for a friend to look through when they are at your house? That is, if you have a coffee table, I don't.  However, I really like to dig deep in my devotional books and was left wondering what could be added. It is a small book in size and length, with each page being 1 devotional.  This may be the perfect book for a mom who doesn't feel there's enough time in each day to have devotional time.  All of us struggle with balancing life and this may just give the right perspective for one of those busy moms out there.  The only problem for me is, the book is lost somewhere in my house.  My daughter put it somewhere amongst her books and I'm not sure when I'm going to find it. 

I received this book free from the publisher through the  http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Playing catch up...

Excuse me as I play catch up with my blogging for books reviews.  I have 2 more to finish and then I'll be done for a while!

Another Cute Children's Book

Ok, I have to admit that my daughter recognizes these book packages when we get them in the mail.  She knows for the most part that these books are for her.  So, when we open them she hugs the book before we read it. On to the book review...

Another cute book on the uniqueness of God's creation!  This book is about a polar bear cub and mama polar bear discussing that God created different bears that live in different parts of the world.  The polar bear asked questions many children may ask.  Questioning why God doesn't make all bears the same and attempting to understand that even other bears eat different food. The mama bear was in awe about all things different in the world, even how snow is different when it falls and when it melts.

As an adult, I read this book and the message I gathered was the uniqueness in all of us.  It also hit me that as a parent, I have a responsibility to teach my child about God's creativity in making all of us different.  Not that I didn't know this already, but it was a good reminder.

The artwork was cute, and even though it is a cute book it's not my daughters favorite.  At this point in our lives it's a bit wordy for a 2 1/2 year old attention span.  She's into Dr Sues rhyming books right now, but someday down the road she may like reading this more often.  Right now, if it rhymes and it's funny it will keep her attention no matter how long it is!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Review: God Loves Me More Than That

This is a children's book that rhymes and talks about how much God loves us.  Really expressing the expanse of God's love.

How much love does God have for me?
More than the letters between A and Z
More than the bumbles in a bumble bee.
God loves me more than that! 

My 2 1/2 year old daughter has had me read this multiple times to her.  The last time I read it to her, she was hugging herself and smiling.  It was as if she was soaking in God's love through the words of the book.  

I think this book is great to start the discussion with children about how much God loves them.  And, as a parent reading this, it's also a good reminder for myself!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Review: This is your brain in love

This is your brain in love by Dr Earl Henslin discusses bringing your best brain to your marriage.  The author discusses 5 different types of lovers:

* Scattered Lover

* Over-focused Lover

* Blue Mood Lover

* Agitated Lover

* Anxious Lover

He presents what part of the brain is affected for each of these lovers and what steps to take to move on in marriage.  If needed, he recommends brain scans to make accurate decisions about the right type of medication in case that’s needed to help brain function.  

In his intro he discusses Jewish marriage and their traditions. He compared Christian marriage to Jewish marriage.  He did recommend taking a deeper look at Jewish marriage and traditions.  Those of us that grew up in the Christian culture could learn some good things about marriage from the Jewish culture. It may actually improve your marriage.

As someone with a social service background I really enjoyed this book.  I actually think some of this information may have helped me when I was working as a case manager.  I haven't read much about brain scan/imaging, but am now curious to read more about it and how it shows brain functioning and processing.  The author mentions that in some people, an injury to a certain part of the brain can bring forth certain behavior and sometimes can be controlled by medication and lifestyle changes.

I received this book free from the publisher through the  http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: The Hole in our Gospel

 The main question asked in this book is: "What does God expect of us?"  The book is about CEO of world vision and his journey of giving up a high paying corporate job to doing his work with World Vision.

I truly liked how the book was a call to action for each of us as Christians, but would've liked not just focusing on overseas, but also focusing on what can be done in our own country.  I realize Richard Stearns is the President of World Vision and his job is seeing what is going on outside our country, so his focus of World Vision makes sense.

I was involved in a video study of this book at church and there was one particular story that hit close to home for me. That week was about a child who had both his legs amputated, but didn't have money for prosthetics(my brother has a prosthetic leg and they are expensive!).  When Richard Stearns came home he talked with his family and they were able to pay for that child to get prosthetics.  It wasn't World vision that payed for it.  That is an example of what the book is about...calling people to take action.  To see a need and do what Christ would do...meet the need that is staring you in the face.

This book really helped me refocus my life.  I may not be able to help anyone overseas at this point and that is ok.  My calling may be to take action in the current town I'm living in.  I can be a missionary in my own town and I'll do my best to follow the action God wants me to take.


I received this book free from the publisher through the  http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Currently under construction...

Working on creating this blog, but it may take some time to get it where I want. 

I'm the proud mother of 1 child.  An amazing 3 year old who pushes me to become a better mom and keep my focus on God.

My goal with this blog is to focus on physical and spiritual well being along with this journey of parenthood. Parenthood is the hardest job I've ever had, but it's one that I love.