Friday, February 26, 2016

Friday Favorites

We made it to Friday!  Today I'm linking up again with other fun bloggers, to share a few of my favorite things this week!

ONE
We celebrated my favorite teenager turning Sweet Sixteen this week by having dinner at one of her favorite steakhouses.  We will be doing a little more celebrating this weekend, because why celebrate just one day when you can celebrate a whole week!  Click on Monday's post to find out Sixteen Fun Facts About Kendall.



TWO
Our four year old, keeps us on our toes!  He is smart as can be, likable and charming.  It's cute now, but I am already nervous about his teen years.  Here's a snipet of a conversation we had this week:  

Me:  Jess, I heard you have been kissing girls on the playground at Wee School.  You don't need to be kissing girls that aren't family until you're married (It's nice to have goals).
Jess:  Mom, I can't help it...I'm a kissing machine!




THREE
I am soaking up all of this one-on-one time I am having with Jentry before she goes to Wee School two days a week next year.  Jess and Jentry are together so much, that it's nice to have her alone and see her unique personality develop.  Jess always wants a complete play by play of what we did while he was gone.  He's so worried we might do something amazing, like play play-dough, without him.

What Jess thinks we do all day while he is at Wee School:


What we actually do while Jess is at Wee School!  #LetTheGoodTimesRoll




FOUR
I don't really have a huge sweet tooth, but occasionally I like something "desserty" at the end of the evening.  My friend, Lindsy shared this with me last week and it hit the spot!  I stocked up on a few different flavors and have been eating it with strawberries all week.  Lindsy's tip was to put it in the freezer for a few hours before eating.  Dannon Triple Zero Greek Yogurt has ZERO added sugar, ZERO artificial sweeteners, and ZERO fat.  My fellow Trim Healthy Mama friends, this snack is for you!



FIVE
We just wrapped up Priscilla Shirer's study "The Armor of God" in my Ladies Bible Study group.  This may have been my favorite study ever (I think I say that after every study).  It was so relevant to me and I was able to apply it immediately to my every day life.  One of the things that stuck with me the most, was how praying for thanksgiving can release peace.  In other words, when I'm having a "Mommy moment" and I just want to throw my hands up in the air and give up; be thankful.  I have used this over and over the last few weeks.  When I am feeling overwhelmed, I stop and pray a prayer of thanksgiving.  It is amazing how much peace it releases.  My blog post on Wednesday was all about being thankful in messy moments.  If you didn't have a chance to read it, please click here.  I think everyone will be able to relate to it in someway.  


Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great weekend!

Make sure you follow me on Facebook, to see what I'm doing the rest of the week!
I'm linking up with lots of other fun bloggers for Friday Fun...be sure to check them out, too!


Momfessionals





The Diary of a Real Housewife



Emily

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Count Your Blessings...

What if your Facebook feed was full of pictures of laundry, messy homes, pictures of kids misbehaving, or the dinners you burned.  Would it still peak your interest?  You initial reaction to that was probably to say no, but think about it for a second.  We all have those days, right?  As I'm typing this, it's almost noon and I haven't gotten dressed, or brushed my teeth and my kids are still running around in their pajamas munching on Lunchables.  No one puts that stuff on Facebook.  I've been known to ruin a perfectly happy moment because I'm trying to get "that" perfect picture to post on Facebook.  My husband says Facebook is the devil.  He's kidding...or is he?



My Ladies Bible Study is one of the highlights of my week.  It's refreshing to be around ladies of all ages and listen to some of their insight on life.  A few weeks ago the ladies at my table started discussing perfection and how looking on Facebook can easily lead us to comparing ourselves to others.  When we compare ourselves to others, we start to feel down on ourselves.  Galatians 6: 4-5 says, "Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect!" (Living Bible Translation)


I want my house to be clean, my laundry folded and put away, and my kids clean, happy and polite.  Does that always happen?  Absolutely not, but it is something I strive for.  In the end, my kids probably won't remember those things, but instead remember the day we had a silly string fight in the middle of the kitchen or the bath time splashes that would make Shamu jealous (Why does that make me so mad?  It's just water).  That's actually the stuff I want them to remember anyway.  I'm not saying we need to stop posting all the cute things on Facebook, but I am saying we should strive to compare ourselves to Christ more, and others less.  When we compare ourselves to others, it leads to envy and jealousy.  We need to be thankful and count our blessings.  1 Thesselonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you."



With the help of a few of my friends, I am encouraging you to be thankful today in all situations.  Even the messy ones.

Be thankful, even when the washable paint, isn't washable. 


Be thankful, when everything in your doggone house is chaos.


 Be thankful even when someone borrow's your make-up without asking.  


Be thankful when 2 out of 3 of your children participate in family photos.  


Be thankful for the people that add a little color to your life.  


Be thankful for the messy moments in your life.  (That's red snow-cone syrup, not a crime scene)


Be thankful that Vizio manuals are available online, too.  


Be thankful on bad hair days. 


Be thankful for all the little smiles in your day.  


Be thankful for the extra surprises you find in your coffee.  


Be thankful for the adventures each day brings.


Be thankful for the doors God opens for you.  


 Be thankful for experiments.  


Be thankful for art projects.  


 Be thankful for the opportunity to use your organizational skills.  


 Be thankful, even when it feels like your life is going down the drain! 


Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever!  Psalm 136:1

Today, I am thankful for ladies that keep it real!  I am thankful for my friends Carrie, Christy, and Kristen that were ok with me saying, "Hey, send me some pictures of your crazy kids!" It didn't even offend them.  I am thankful for their humbleness and ability to keep it real.

Have a great day, and don't forget to count your blessings!

Emily 



Monday, February 22, 2016

Look Who's Sweet Sixteen...

Today the little girl that made me a mommy is turning Sweet Sixteen!  How can that be?  It feels like just yesterday she came home from the hospital.  Fun fact:  I was so nervous bringing her home from the hospital that we brought her home in my grandmother's Crown Victoria...because those things are like tanks...and we avoided all major highways.  What should have been a 10 minute jaunt home, became a 30 minute long journey, but we made it home safely.



I had this little bundle of joy when I was 20 years old.  I know being the parent, I am suppose to be the teacher, but Kendall has taught me so much about life.  I am blessed to be her mom.  In honor of her 16th birthday, here are 16 Fun Facts about my Kendall.

#1  She never passes up a snack.

#2  Her laugh is contagious.

 #3  She LOVES Dr. Pepper.

#4  She can karaoke like nobody's business.


#5  She has lots of talents.


#6  She is determined.


#7  She needs lots of sleep.


#8  She can act like a Princess sometimes (I love you, Kendall, but you know it's true).

#9  She is a hard-worker.



#10  She is a follower of Christ.


#11  She loves people.


#12  She is helpful.


#13  She is a great friend.

#14  She is the Best Big Sister Ever! 



#  15  She has a tremendous amount of compassion for others.


#16  She is stunningly beautiful, on the inside and out!  


Happy birthday to my precious daughter!  I pray that you continue to let your light shine everyday.  I know that your love and compassion for people will lead you to do great things in the future.  I am so proud to be your mom!



I'm off to grab some tissues...sniff, sniff!  Have a great day, friends!

Emily

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