It's been a Gilmore Girls afternoon, and once I got back tonight, I turned it back on... I miss Gilmore Girls. Although I understand that all good things must eventually come to an end, I think that this show ended much too soon. Although, I'm not sure where the story line could have gone... I just know that I truly enjoy watching Gilmore Girls. And, since I own every season on DVD, I can watch them whenever I have a free afternoon or evening.

Okay... not really sure where that all came from, or if it even made any sense, since I'm watching Gilmore Girls while blogging, so my attention is not completely on what I'm writing.

Anyways, tonight I got online after putting the kids to bed to check my email and Facebook and such, and had a message from my friend Julie. We had talked about getting together tonight, but hadn't set anything up for sure. She left me a message about getting together at 8pm tonight. It was 7:54pm. I called her real quick, and about fifteen minutes later, we were standing in Courthouse Coffee ordering our frozen coffee drinks. We had a nice time talking and being child-free for an hour or so.

Okay... so Gilmore Girls is definitely distracting me. It's taken me way too long to write this, and I'm not sure any of it's worth reading. Hope you had a great day. Tomorrow is a busy day - lots of errands to run!

Sleep eludes me...

... as it has been doing for the past couple of nights. I must need to do some major writing/blogging, because it seems like all of a sudden my brain is so full of thoughts whenever it's bedtime that I lie awake for over an hour trying to clear my brain enough to fall asleep, just to wake up again in a few hours to more thoughts interrupting my sleep. So, tonight, blogging is going to (hopefully) be the remedy for my sleeplessness.

Most of the thoughts running through my head are random thoughts - this makes me especially annoyed, since I am quite tired, and they really have very little significance at this point in time.

Random thought #1: My house is infested with bugs. Especially earwigs - which I loathe!! - and ants. It seems like I am constantly killing the disgusting little creatures. At least it's not still the cockroaches which suddenly appeared out of nowhere a few weeks ago! PLEASE don't let me jinx myself by saying they are finally all gone...

RT#2: How is buying a house that will increase in value at approximately 3.5% a year while paying 6% interest (basically paying 2-3 times the amount the house is worth today) on the money that you borrowed to buy the house a "good investment"? Can anyone explain the math to me on this one? We've been looking at houses in the area, but we haven't found one yet that would offer us a better deal than what we have by renting. And we like where we are renting. So why "should" we buy a house?

RT#3: When you plan parties/get-togethers, do the people you invite usually show up? It seems like every time we try to plan something, nobody comes. We invited a bunch of people over to our house yesterday, and some even told us they were coming, and nobody ended up showing up! We still had fun with just the four of us, but it makes me wonder what's up with that. This isn't the first time we've attempted to connect with people by having them over to not have anybody show up. It's kind of getting old, and it makes me not want to plan stuff anymore.

RT#4: I want to move out East. Or to Michigan. Or somewhere where we actually have "connections". Well... J has connections here (via work), but we don't really have many connections as a family here. People at Church are more of "surface-level acquaintances", and we have a family or two that we "know" but rarely ever see or do anything with. We've been trying to make more connections (see RT#3), but the efforts seem a little fruitless. Plus, I want our kids to be able to grow up around family, like I did. So, PA/DE or MI. Maybe in a few years...

RT#5: I'm official. Although I'm not sure it makes a big difference. As of this morning (afternoon??), I'm officially a member of our church. Somehow, I'm not sure it makes all that much difference, since I'm already teaching Sunday School and singing in the Praise Team (and helped lead devotional times for Worship Camp a couple of weeks ago). I guess you don't have to be a member to serve and teach and help lead congregational singing. Funny how I always associated the two together. Oh well... now I can vote on church business and put my two cents in (for all it's worth) at business meetings a couple of times a year.

RT#6: I guess I'm on a roll tonight - I'm already to number six, and I feel like I'm just getting started. (No, it's okay... don't leave now. I promise I'll stop soon... if not only for your sanity and to keep you reading my blog in the future!) My house is pretty much a disaster zone. I don't think I've actually picked up toys in a couple of months. And I finally (it was probably a couple of months overdue) cleaned part of the bathroom this week. And Friday night, I finally started sorting the leftover garage sale stuff into "keep and put away" and "give to Goodwill" piles - now I just have to take the boxes to GW and finish putting the "keep" stuff away! I did get the mini-vacuum out today, but that was only to clean up the large crumbs from the Cheez-Its Jenny spilled all over the living room floor. Oh, and I swept the kitchen/dining room floor yesterday - it needed it BADLY. But otherwise, my house is pretty much a mess. And I doubt I'll do anything about it for a couple of days. We'll probably clean somewhat on Thursday, since my in-laws are coming to stay with us for the weekend - it's always a good idea to have a clean house for company. (We didn't really clean for yesterday's anticipated company, since we were planning to stay outside all afternoon/evening except for potty breaks - thus the semi-clean bathroom.) Company is always a good excuse to clean.

RT#7: (I'll try to have this be my last thought of the night - maybe I'll finally be able to sleep now that my brain is somewhat emptier - or at least 7 thoughts emptier.) I find it interesting how my Sunday School lesson today matched up with the sermon today. The key idea in Sunday School was that God uses hard times to help us grow. The sermon was on the causes of suffering. I'm really hoping that today's messages aren't a foreshadowing of what's to come in the near future for me... I like spiritual growth, but I really don't want to suffer right now if I don't have to... please, God?!? And somewhat on the same note, my body has been acting strange lately... hopefully it's just hormones and nothing serious... I'm not going to give any real details, but let's just say I've been feeling like my butt's getting kicked (aka fatigue, nausea, etc) the last couple of months (and NO - I'm NOT pregnant... trust me) and I'm kind of tired of it. It makes me wish I WERE pregnant, because then I'd at least be able to explain it!

Okay... enough of my random, rambling thoughts for tonight. Feel free to leave me with your thoughts on ANY of the above - that's your assignment for tonight. No "Q4U" tonight... just comment on any/all of the above. Have a GREAT week! I'm sure I'll be back soon with more randomness...

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible

What a cute little devotional Bible for little girls! The front cover caught my eye, with it's "jeweled tiara" and sparkly pink font. I immediately wanted to look inside to see if the content was as age and gender appropriate as the package!

The devotional Bible is FULL of four page stories, songs, and more for little girls to learn to be princesses of the Most High King. Each devotional has a Bible story basis and an application to teach little girls how important they are to God and how to be more like Him.

I love the fun fonts, the bright colors, and the overall "girliness" of the book! I can't wait to give this book to my daughter for her next birthday. She will absolutely love her "Princess Bible"!

Words Unspoken, by Elizabeth Musser

A powerful, moving story. This book grabs your attention from the beginning and leaves you hanging til the end. Musser writes in a style that will pull you into the story itself.

Lissa Randall has lived through a terrible tragedy. In fact, she's still living in it. She wants out. Through "random" interactions and encounters with various other characters, she learns that nothing is "chance" or "random".

Musser uses multiple characters and their stories to bring an important message to the reader. Nothing is by chance. You can climb out of any hole. I would highly recommend this book!

Random Returns...

... although it may be interrupted by a few last book reviews.

I think my life is finally getting back to "summer normal". Although, I'm not sure any day is truly "normal". But, vacation is done, music camp at church is done, the pool is purchased and set up, my June book reviews are almost done (two more to go - but the books are read), and I'm almost finished reading my library books (that I checked out just before leaving for vacation and getting my books to review).

So, all that to say, I'll finally have time to get on the computer and blog about randomness once again - plus, all that reading has juiced my writing bug!

And, the super exciting thing - well, kind of exciting, anyways - is that my computer is finally working nicely again. I decided to unload the McAfee software from it, since I couldn't hardly use it anymore - it would take over 20 minutes to get it booted and at a point where I could start opening programs to use. (My processor is about 9 years old - my next computer-related purchase is going to be a new CPU!) So, I don't dread getting on the computer anymore - thus, I'll probably be on more often!

Today we're having a few people over for a potluck cookout. We invited some young couples that we've connected with in Warsaw over the past couple of years to come over and hangout for the afternoon/evening. Most of the couples we've not spent any time with, but have talked about "getting together some time", so we made an excuse to get together with them. I'm not sure how many people are coming, though. Only one family officially RSVPed, and one said they'd probably stop by "later" if we're still outside. But I think we'll have at least two or three families come over, and any is better than none! (Although, we'd probably still have fun with just our family - I mean, you can't beat yard games, a pool, and grilling on the deck!)

Tomorrow after church, we're going to an Open House for a house we want to look at. We drove past a bunch of houses yesterday and found five that we're interested in looking at. I think we'll probably look at the other four on Thursday afternoon with the Realtor we've been working with.

Don't say I didn't warn you about the randomness of this post... I mean, just look at the title!

Let's see... what other brain-spatter can I share with you all?

I've been thinking more about what I want to write, and I'm leaning more towards fiction for now. I think I'm going to start working on character sketches in the next couple of months and see where that leads me. The more I read (blogs, books, etc), the more I realize I'm not at a point yet where I can write anything "non-fiction" and actually have any type of "authority" or "platform". If I can manage to come up with a few good storylines for fictional writing, I probably have a better chance of getting published at this point in my life. We'll see - God is the only One who knows what's really going to happen.

Oh, I should probably "come clean" about my "daily goals". Yup, I failed miserably during the month of June. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to start a challenge like that four days before leaving for a week long vacation! I never managed to get back into the swing of things after vacation, so it was a pretty miserable attempt. I'm thinking I should probably re-assess my goals and start fresh in July... I'll let you know how I do.

Well, it's after 12pm, so I should probably get the kiddos some lunch so they have time for naps before our friends come over this afternoon. I'm sure I have more random ideas/thoughts/etc to share with you, but I'll leave you with this for now...

Q4U: What are your plans for the upcoming holiday weekend? Do you do anything special to celebrate the 4th? Leave me your thoughts and comments!

Lessons from Dad...

This morning, I got to Church for praise team practice, and Pastor told me that he was having all the people up front share a "lesson from Dad". Now, I know that my dad has taught me a TON, but in between the earliness of the morning, the fact that I hadn't had coffee yet, trying to practice for praise team, getting ready and teaching the primary Sunday school class, and everything else I had to do this morning (oh yeah, make sure my kids were in their classes and behaving), my brain wasn't functioning at 100% and the only thing I could think of was that my dad taught me to love sports and competition.

Dad - you've taught me so much more. You've taught me about life and love. You've taught me that it's OK to make mistakes. You taught me about Jesus and living the Christian life. You've been a constant supporter of my life.

I love you, DADDY!!!

How Sweet It Is, by Alice J. Wisler

Deena is trying to "get over" her cheating fiance and recent accident. She moves to the mountains to a cabin her Grandfather left her in his will. When she arrives, she meets two important guys, eight kids, and finds healing through her new life.

I really enjoyed the story in this book, predictable as it was. However, I did struggle at times with the narration throughout the book. The book is written in first person present tense - even during flashbacks - and at times it sounded more like a journal than a story. (Which, happen to strike me as odd considering the main character in the story - the narrator - hated creative writing!) Other than the issues with the narration, though, I really enjoyed reading the book. Wisler brought out some real issues and helped the reader work through some of those issues in his/her own mind. I truly appreciated the honesty of the characters and their kindness towards others.

Sometimes a Light Surprises, by Jamie Langston Turner

Jamie Langston Turner wrote a modern-day novel set in the Carolinas. The book focuses on four main characters - Ben, Kelly, Caroline, and Erin - with various sections of the book written from each of their points of view. Each character is seeking out truth in his or her own way and relating to his or her own life and struggles.

I struggled with this book. I felt like the story was choppy and anticlimactic. I felt like I was still getting to know basic facts about some of the main characters halfway through the book. I never found the "climax" of the story - it almost seemed too choppy to ever have a true climactic moment. The end of the book also was a letdown in the fact that I didn't feel as if the characters had reached a true resolution - each of them was close, but nothing was truly resolved. I did find myself getting into the story, but I had a hard time following the gaps of lapsed time throughout it.

Altogether, the story line was good, but there seemed to be key elements and sections of the story missing. I'd give this book a 3 out of 5 - good idea, poor execution.

Is reading worth it?

We went to the library today. Well, actually we never made it inside. We pulled in the parking lot to find ZERO parking spots (except for the handicap spots). We drove around a few times with no luck. Then, I spotted a man coming out of the library and heading for his car. I followed him. I turned my signal on to indicate to all the other cars in the lot looking for a spot to park that this was MY spot. I waited. Another car (with an angle advantage) realized that I was about to get a parking spot. The passenger pointed out to the driver that I was waiting for the spot. The guy started to back out and I started to pull forward to pull into the spot, when the OTHER CAR ALMOST HIT ME AND PULLED IN MY SPOT. The lady was LAUGHING!!! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!! I remember saying some very unkind words, slamming on my horn a number of times and leaving the parking lot. One encounter with somebody like that was all I needed today.

Poor Jenny was heartbroken. All she wanted to do was get some new books. She asked me why we couldn't go to the library the whole way home. And, the rest of the week is pretty much spoken for - multiple appts both days - so we probably won't be getting to the library until sometime next week (hopefully before our books are due on Tuesday).

Maybe I'll have calmed down by then... but seriously, you would risk hitting my van just to be RUDE??

A Dream to Call My Own, by Tracie Peterson

This book is the third installment in a trilogy of books about three sisters living in the late 1800s. The sisters live in a small community in Montana. The book starts with two of the sisters having been married and having babies. This third book centers around the third sister, Lacy, and her "courtship" with Dave, the sheriff's deputy.

I have not had the opportunity to read the first two books in the trilogy, but Peterson does a good job of introducing the characters and the setting in this book, leaving the reader with an adequate "pre-knowledge" of the storyline. The book stands well on its own, yet is an appropriate end book for a trilogy. Peterson wraps up several recurring ideas (finding the killer of the sisters' father, marrying off the third sister, putting the bad guys in jail, etc) in this book.

This book has a very clear Gospel presentation in it, as well as other key Christian growth concepts explained. Although these sections fit in the story, I felt that they were sometimes awkward and a bit "in your face". That being said, Peterson stayed true to the story through these sections, and the writing was smooth and connected. As I was reading these sections, I wondered if Peterson could have been less "obvious", but then I realized that sometimes we're too obtrusive and not obvious enough with the Gospel and Biblical truths. Once I made this realization, I found myself mental seeking ways to bring to light the same truths in an obvious way in my own life.

An influx of books...

One of things I love about this blog is the fact that since it's a "random" blog, I can write about anything without feeling like I'm getting off topic. And because I feel that way, I can use the blog to do something I love for FREE! That's right - blogging gets me FREE books!!

I came home from vacation last week to find six (yes, six) brand new releases from Bethany House Publishers waiting for me! I was pumped. I LOVE to read! And if I can get a book for FREE by simply reading it and posting a short review on my blog, I'm all about it! Not only does Bethany House send me books, but I also blog for Thomas Nelson and Random House, and Harper's Collins Children has a review system that I use that doesn't involve blogging about the books.

So, that being said, you'll have to put up with a few book reviews amidst the "random" posts, because I love free books! And, if you like to read, you'll probably benefit from my book reviews, since they'll point you in the right direction regarding new releases! :)

Q4U: What's a freebie that you like? Do you like to read? What's your favorite genre? Do you use your blog to get freebies?

Love's Pursuit, by Siri Mitchell

Set in Colonial America, Siri Mitchell tells the story of a young woman in a Puritan settlement. Susannah is 20-years-old and has high hopes for being married soon. However, life gets in the way of her plans and soon she finds herself questioning her Puritan life and ways. She begins to realize that she cannot please God on her own and comes to an understanding of grace.

Initially, this book is difficult to get absorbed in. The first few chapters were slightly confusing in trying to determine who the characters were - two different characters are used to tell the story from a first person POV, and the two are rarely introduced before speaking - and what the setting was - some flashbacks and some present day. However, once you are able to determine the basic storyline, the plot is well-developed. Over all, the material seems to be true to the time period and setting. The story has some surprises and twists, and Mitchell does well to keep the reader wanting more. All-in-all, I enjoyed the read, but it wasn't one of my favorite pieces of historical fiction.

A Bride in the Bargain, by Deeane Gist

I recently found a new (new to me) author in my local library's inspirational fiction section. Her name is Deeane Gist. I grabbed a couple of her books that looked interesting - "Courting Trouble" & "The Measure of a Lady". I read the books and fell in love with her writing and story-telling style. So much so that I picked up yet another one of her books ("A Bride Most Begrudgingly") last week when I was at the library. So, when Bethany House Publishers offered me the chance to review her newest book ("A Bride in the Bargain"), I quickly jumped at the opportunity!

In the book, she uses situations that actually occurred in history - the founding and settling of Seattle, East Coast widows/orphans being purchased to become West Coast brides, etc - and builds an authentic "it could have happened" story out of the events. Anna, the main female character in the story, was easy to relate to, even though I had never experienced what she experienced.

Gist writes historical romance fiction book with a Christian perspective. One of the things I love about her writing is the authenticity of the characters.

Deeane Gist uses sensual imagery in such a way as to make the reader feel as if she/he was experiencing the story firsthand. The trials and struggles of the characters are easy to relate to and bring into modern day life. The struggles of the flesh are evident in the characters' lives, and Gist does an excellent job of portraying them without being graphic and inappropriate.

I am a fan of this book, and this author, and highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read historical fiction. Gist is a highly talented writer, and this latest release meets and exceeds my expectations of a great book!

The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World, by Jack Hanna

What a FUN book! This book is full of colorful pictures and fun facts about 30 animals from around the world. The book also includes a DVD with clips from Jack's adventures - bloopers, blunders, and behind-the-scenes looks. This book is a must have for any animal lover.

I love everything about this book. From the full-color pages of pictures and facts about each unique animal, to the layout and design of the book (each animal has one full page devoted to it), to the limitless opportunities to use the book to teach/learn about different animals and how God has created each one in its uniqueness. I can't wait to share the book with my kids - even now my daughter is begging to read it with me.

Vacations can wreck routine...

... oh wait. Isn't that what a vacation is? A break from your normal routine?

However, one routine that has been broken that I'm less than thrilled with is the fact that David has woken up WAY too early (I'm talking 4 or 5ish) the last two mornings. I'm really hoping that once he's back in his own bed and his own room, he'll go back to sleeping til 8 or 9ish!

It has been really nice to "break routine", though, while spending some time with my brother and SIL. J and I enjoyed our time away from the kids. We enjoyed visiting some of the key locations in our Nation's history (and present). We enjoyed a fun trip to HersheyPark (in spite of the weather). It's been fun to spend time with family we don't get to see often and to experience lots of new things!

I'm not looking forward to the LONG car ride we have tomorrow, or trying to unpack and put things away when we get home late tomorrow night/Friday morning, but I am getting to the point where I'm almost ready (but not quite there yet - which is OK since we're technically still on vacation til Monday morning) to get back to a normal routine. I'm ready to get back to couponing (I didn't get a paper this weekend - it wasn't until 10:30 Sunday night that I realized we had forgotten to stop and get one), CVS (they're supposed to be having some GREAT deals this week), WAGS (haven't seen what's for sale there yet), and getting my house back in order (the boxes from the garage sale are still sitting full of stuff, my house needs to be cleaned, and we need to get our house ready for summer - A/C units in the window, fans out, etc).

I also need to get back on track for my "daily goals". After a day or two of not having enough time to get everything done, I decided to start again after vacation. So, Sunday will be my official "re-start" date, with Friday and Saturday being "bonus days". (I'm not really sure what "bonus days" means, since I just came up with that, but I'll figure it out before I get there, I guess.) I think my walking goal has DEFINITELY been met over the course of the week (I'm pretty sure I've walked close to 25 miles this week!), and I've done pretty well on some of the other goals, but some stuff has just been put on hold for the week (ie blogging).

Okay, I think I'm done rambling for now. I don't really have a good "Q4U" today, so today you can just leave your rambling thoughts on ROUTINES. Have a GREAT day! I'll probably be back sometime this weekend.

Lack of randomness... or is it?

I'm having a difficult time trying to come up with a random topic to write about today.

Our family is in Delaware visiting my brother and sister-in-law for the week.

J and I were able to get away by ourselves for the weekend. We spent two days in DC. As I was uploading pictures from our time in DC (see my family blog for the links to the photo albums), it hit me that we were actually there. I mean, we see pictures of DC all the time - in movies, on the news, in history books, etc - but to actually have been there seems unreal. I can now say I've seen the major sights in DC - I have pictures that I took of the White House, the Capitol, and all the other major landmarks. I think my favorite part of being in DC was being at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. They had a section that walked you through America at War. It was an amazing reminder of what a privilege it is to live in this country, reminding me of the people who have given so much so that I can be free to live my life the way I do. My favorite parts of American History are probably the wartime periods, especially pre-1950's wars (Revolutionary, Civil, WWI, WWII), so I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the exhibit, reading and looking at the artifacts from each time period.

I'm pretty much void of things to write about this week, so if there's something you'd like to see me write about, please leave a comment or email me. I could really use the suggestions this week in order to keep this blog semi-interesting for you all! :)

Oh, and Mom, I went to CVS in DC yesterday. Just thought you'd like to know! :)

Early in the morning...

I enjoy my early morning quietness. However, it seems like I only truly get early morning quiet a few days a week, as my kids can't decide what time to sleep until some days.

This morning, I had about a half hour of alone time before the rest of the house started to wake up. My SIL was the first up behind me (the squirrel in the attic woke her up), and it wasn't too long before we heard the kids' door open and a couple peeps from David. We sent Jenny in to wake up my brother, and tried to let J get some much deserved/needed sleep. (He worked 45+ hours this week, and then drove 13 hours to get here yesterday.) I enjoyed my quiet, but I could have used another hour or so before the kids woke up.

Q4U: What's your favorite time of the day? Do you have a few minutes of quiet to enjoy during your day most days? What do you do with your moments of quiet?

In my element...

Today is my day. The day to figure out what all needs to be put in the car. The day to figure out the best way to get it all in the car and the best way to be able to use it while in the car and/or once we reach our destination.

Normally, I do the packing of the bags and let J pack the car (since it's not usually an issue of room in the car - two or three overnight bags don't take up that much room). But not on major trips. Not when we have a 12 hour car ride ahead of us and leg room in the back seat is a MUST (for whichever parent is on entertainment duty - most likely me for the majority of the ride).

And thus, I am in my element. I love the challenge of packing bags, packing the car, and knowing exactly where everything is and how to easily access it during the trip. (I don't love trying to do all this with two kids underfoot, but the excitement of tomorrow has eluded today's naptime.)

I think I'm almost packed inside - although I'm sure I'll find 101 things to add between now and the time we leave in the morning, and I won't sleep at all tonight since I'll be racking my brain all night trying to remember what I've forgotten.

I have the car ready for bags and such - one seat removed and stored in the garage, all extras (random totes, winter gear, etc) removed and all remaining car essentials stored as space-consciously as possible.

I have a toy box full for the kids. The DVD players, accessories, and DVDs are packed and ready to roll. The snack box is fully stocked and ready for snacking. My clothes and shoes take up less than half of the suitcase, so hopefully J will have enough room for his. The kids' suitcase is packed. I have clothes laid out for them for the morning - although I think I might just put them in the car in their pjs and change their clothes once they're actually awake for a bit. (We're leaving by 6am.) The walker is dismantled. The pack'n'play is ready to go. I think I'm ready... and I'm not even stressed yet!

All vacation talk aside... I have to say that the UPS lady made my day today! I saw her stop at the end of the driveway and remembered that today is Wednesday. I had a package that I was very excited about receiving that was supposed to be arriving today. When I went to answer the door, she not only had the expected package, but another package (I had forgotten about this one).

What were they and why did they make my day?

The expected package was a laser printer I purchased on Amazon for FREE last week. That's right... FREE!! I had recently decided that I wanted to invest in a laser printer since my inkjet printer was going through ink cartridges like crazy lately (due to coupon printing) and I wanted something substantial for our upcoming school year (printing activity pages, etc). I had found a printer I liked - Brother 2160 - and had bid on a few on Ebay, but hadn't won either of the auctions I bid on. And then... a blogger who I follow had blogged about the fact that she was looking at this particular printer on Amazon for $59.99 (normal retail is around $170 I think) and it had free shipping. I quickly headed over to Amazon and redeemed my gift cards I had earned through Swagbucks (two $5 cards) and through Harris Poll surveys (one $20 card). That left me with $29.99 left to pay. I checked my Paypal account to see how much I had in it from various payments I'd received (YouData, mystery shopping, Cash4Books, DollarSurveys) and the total was just over $31 sitting in my account (waiting to be transferred to my bank account). So I hooked myself up with the printer I wanted for a fraction of the price I would have paid, even if I'd bought it on Ebay! The most awesome thing about this printer is that I can hook it up to my wireless router and I will be able to print to it from all three of my computers!

The second package, which I had totally forgotten about, was from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It was the next book I had requested to review. I had also forgotten which book I had requested. When I opened the box, I was elated. The book I chose to review is AWESOME!! (I won't give anything away until I have a chance to read it and look over the DVD that came with it.) I can't wait to read it on the way to Delaware tomorrow and watch the DVD with Jenny. It's a book that will definitely be a favorite in our house - watch for the review post to come soon!

Well, I should probably start getting things to the car. I'm hoping to have the car pretty much packed before J gets home later. I'll try to post a few times while we're gone, but feel free to watch for picture updates on our family blog throughout the week.

See you next Friday, if not before!

A little motivation...

I seriously lack self-discipline. I have all these things I would love to do, but very rarely does anything get done because I never do them. I have a list of things I'd like to get accomplished every day, things I truly enjoy doing, but they rarely get done because I'm just too lazy to do them.

So, I decided to try an experiment on myself. Having seen that I need a break from my kids occasionally, I decided to motivate myself to get my list of "daily goals" accomplished by dangling the carrot of "time off" in front of my nose. How much "time off" I get is directly related to how well I do on meeting my "daily goals" each day throughout the month. If I meet all 8 daily goals each day throughout the month, I will end up with $30 to do as I please (get a sitter and have an afternoon off). If I only meet a portion of the goals, my reward is less, but as long as I meet at least 50% of my goal each week, I will end up with $8 at the end of the month to hire a sitter for a couple of hours.

So far, the money is the only thing working. I'm two days into the challenge/experiment and I've had to "fight" myself to get everything accomplished that I want to get accomplished. And nothing on my list is very time-consuming. I think the most time consuming thing is playing with the kids for at least a half hour.

My list is:
1. Get up by 7am. I love to have the time to myself in the mornings before the kids get up, but I struggle to do so simply because I enjoy it.
2. Do my devos. This is not so much an area of struggle as much as I'm trying to build the habit of DAILY devos back into my routine versus random devos throughout the week.
3. Bible memory. I joined a group of ladies online back at the end of last year who are working to memorize one Scripture a week. I was doing really well for the first 18 weeks or so, but have been hit and miss the last few weeks.
4. Run/walk for 20 minutes. I enjoy running/walking, but I "avoid" it as it seems to take too much effort - either getting my shoes on and setting the elliptical up or putting the kids in the wagon.
5. Do 20 double crunches. I want to get rid of my baby belly. It was disappearing for awhile, but then I stopped running/walking and doing ab workouts.
6. Take a shower. If you're a mom with little kids, you understand this one. Some days it just doesn't happen. But my hubbie likes a clean wife, so I want to make a better effort to shower daily.
7. Play with the kids at least 30 minutes. This might sound strange, but I find that I have a hard time just sitting down and playing with the kids. Even when I'm not "accomplishing" anything, I tend to feel more productive if I'm at the computer or counter. I need to enjoy the time I have with the kids while they're still little and want to play with Mommy.
8. Blog/write 20 minutes. If I want to be a writer someday (and I think I still do, even though I'm still not sure what I want to write), I need to be honing my writing skills. Plus, I find that when I take the time to sit down and write, my brain functions better and I'm less stressed.

Two days into my challenge, and so far I'm at 100% for the course. Our vacation later this week might through a few curve balls my way, but I'm going to do the best I can and take whatever I can get!

Q4U: What are the things you like to get accomplished on a daily basis? Do you need external motivation to get things done? What are some rewards you use to motivate yourself to accomplish different tasks? I can't wait to hear your responses!

Changing Your World... one diaper at a time

I've been struggling a lot lately with being home all the time with the kids. I am a person who thrives on busyness and tasks and to-do lists. I haven't had the same kind (or any, really) of accountability at home as I have had in the workplace (bosses, deadlines, etc), and I have felt out of place a lot of the time. I know that being home is where I want to be, where God wants me to be, but I have been struggling to find joy in being a stay-at-home mommy.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to read Marla Taviano's book "Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time". It arrived at the right moment, when I was reaching one of my dark moments, and it brought light and perspective to my understanding of my current situation. Marla compiled the thoughts and experiences of many moms (and moms-to-be), as well as corresponding Scriptures, to put together an honest look at motherhood through the first year of life.

This book encouraged me, especially when she shared how other moms stepped out of the "busyness" of the workplace and into the home and struggled (just like me) to find their purpose in the everyday. Reading this book reminded me of how lucky and blessed I am to be able to stay home with my kids - that they are only little for a short time and that I should soak up as much time with them as I can get now, because the time will pass so quickly.

One of my favorite chapters in this book was Chapter 10 - Changing Your World. Marla addressed the issue of dreams (life goals) in this chapter, reminding me that God is the One who places dreams in my heart. Sometimes He provides opportunities for me to live out those dreams today (i.e. being a Mommy - staying home with my kids) and other times He asks me to wait on fulfilling the dreams, but to enjoy the season He has me in right now. I can do "little" things to work towards my "later" dreams, so that when the time is right I am able to see those dreams fulfilled, but I need to focus mainly on my current season, enjoying it for all the time God gives me in it.

Thank you, Marla, for taking the time to put together this book. It has truly encouraged my heart and reminded me of what a blessing God has given me in being able to stay at home with my kiddos. I will continue to come back to this book for my own encouragement, as well as to encourage others through their struggles in mommyhood.