kids – Desires of my Heart Blog

5 Things I learned on my Journey to Becoming a Working Mom

marsha0727 — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:35:00 +0000

Well, here we are, nearing the end of another school year (even saying it, I still can’t believe it!), but not just any school year. This year was one of huge changes for our family…good changes…but hard ones, too!

Last August, just before Katie and Austin started their 7th and 5th grade years at Cornerstone Christian, I was asked to consider a secretary position at the school. This opened the door for Addison to also start at Cornerstone in their amazing K4 program, which we had been praying about for months but just couldn’t figure out how to make it work. So, with God’s leading, we nervously leapt into a whirlwind of changes!

I went from a busy stay-at-home mom of 12 years to a full-time job outside the home, part-time job inside the home, and large ministry responsibilities with Mark at church. My wardrobe changed, our routines changed, even trying to juggle when to buy groceries (let alone cook them) changed! Addison went from a non-structured daily play time while I worked in the home to a very structured full school day 5 days a week. Katie went from elementary school with one teacher to high school with 7 different classes, and multiple different teachers and rules. Austin and Mark just “went” with it, as they so calmly always handle change. To say our lives were turned upside down would be the understatement of the century!

But God is good ALL the time! He knew so much that we needed before we ever did!! I absolutely LOVE my new role in the school. I not only get to see my kids as they grow and learn at school, but I get to be there with them! I get to help the school in ways I never had in the past. It’s given me renewed purpose and passion in life that had somehow became foggy as a stay at home mom with older kids. And Addison, wow! I can’t even begin to explain how good school has been for her! And, other than the fact that she hates early mornings ALWAYS, she has loved every part! I am so thankful that God saw a need and filled it above and beyond my dreams before I even knew what the need was! Here are a few things that my journey to becoming a working mom has taught me:

1) Each family and their dynamics were designed and created perfectly by God, but are all different. Just because working outside the home {or being a stay-at-home mom} is right for one person definitely doesn’t mean that it will be the same for someone else. It just doesn’t work that way. And, just because it worked one year {or in my case, 12 years}, doesn’t mean it’s going to work forever. Life changes…seasons change. God told us to expect it, embrace it, and learn from it (Ecclesiastes).

2) Self-given guilt trips are not recommended or productive. It does no one any good whatsoever for you to make yourself feel guilty about your family’s decision for change, or the changes that came due to the decision. Self-given guilt trips are not helpful, but harmful for you and your family. Just don’t go there.

3) It does not matter what anyone else thinks about your decision, your reasons for your decision, or the details surrounding it. I am the world’s worst about worrying about what others will think about what I do/wear/think/say/write/whatever….and you know what, that’s PRIDE, and it’s a sin! It doesn’t matter what others think as long as you and your family are following the direction God has called you. He gave you the child(ren) you have for a reason, knowing that you would {and should} sometimes do things different than those around you. So, don’t worry about anyone else.

4) You have to let some things go. When things change, things can’t stay the same. That’s deep, huh? But seriously…you may have made from-scratch, gourmet meals as a stay-at-home mom (not me…but maybe someone did)…and you may be doing good to make quick throw together meals (or even cereal dinner nights or take-out) as a working mom. And don’t even get me started on house-cleaning and laundry…but, you know what? It’s okay! Let go of those little things that don’t matter, and hold on to those little ones God entrusted to you.

5) Following God’s direction back into the workforce as a mom {or whatever your decision may be}, does not make you a failure; it makes you obedient! Everyone can have their opinions here, but the truth is, if you are following God’s direction, you’re not a failure, a slacker, or a selfish mom…you’re an obedient one. And, friend, there’s no place I’d rather be than in the center of God’s will, because He always knows what’s best for me!

I don’t know what change in season you may be experiencing, or may be about to experience, but if you find yourself in a changing season, I hope these things help you on your journey, as they have me. {And maybe you’ll learn them earlier in the process than I did, since I am only able to see these more clearly as I look hindsight, change after change.}

“We must learn and move on. Moving on means I must be willing to say yes to the unknown ahead of me and trust God’s leading.” — Bill Hybels

So, now, I am going to say YES to new adventures! Big and small! And enjoy the ever-changing journey God is taking us on. What about you?

A Mom’s Top 10 Take-Away Lessons Learned From Disney World

marsha0727 — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 19:57:31 +0000

I know it’s so cliche’ to say “hindsight is always 20-20”, but it is oh so true!

We just returned from a 7 day trip to Disney World with our three kids (age 11, 9, and 3). And, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you should know that we had a wonderful trip!!

My hug from Minnie

I L.O.V.E. Disney. I try really hard to convince myself that I don’t…especially Disney World…because, I mean, who in their right mind wants to save for soooo long for it to be gone in a fast-paced, crowd-crazy week of “vacation”. Well, despite my efforts to change my feelings for Disney…I do! Anyway, that’s a tangent for another day…

Throughout this trip, some by purposeful planning of our wonderful Magic of Mickey travel agent and some by happenstance, we left with several great “take-away” lessons that we plan to keep and use for any of our future Disney World trips. But instead of just saving them in a file, I thought I’d share them here, in case someone else may find them helpful as they think or plan for their own Disney trip.

But let me preface by saying that I’m not a Disney travel agent…I don’t know all things Disney…This was our first family trip to Disney since our oldest two were 4/5 (6 years ago)…and I am only discussing from our most recent experience. You know Disney often changes things…so, be sure to recheck these things before you go.

And, now that all of that is taken care of…here are my top 10 “take-away” lessons (in no particular order) from our most recent trip to Disney World:

1. USE A DISNEY TRAVEL AGENT. I cannot emphasize this enough! I’ve done it both ways…I’ve spent hours scouring the internet to try to plan our Disney World park days to perfection…using all of the mom sites on must dos/don’t dos. But this time, I fully entrusted our dear friend Todd Russell to plan our trip from start to finish. He charges nothing for his services, but they are priceless! He constantly kept a watch on our package to make sure he was getting us the absolute most for our money (and saved us hundreds by doing so!) He kept up with our countdown…he woke up at ungodly hours to get us the best fastpasses and food reservations…he gave us a daily itinerary that helped us to see how we could get the most done without running ourselves ragged. He answered a gazillion questions before and during our trip. Seriously…I’m not getting paid for this advertisement, but I will never plan for Disney without him again! I just got to sit back, relax, and pick out cute family Disney shirts And, have I said it enough…HIS SERVICES ARE FREE TO YOU!! Okay, I’ll get off this one…but seriously…do it. And, if you want, tell him I sent you, and we’ll both get a sweet treat!

2. FAST PASS PLUS + RIDER SWAP. I already mentioned how we were able to get the best Fast Pass Plus reservations thanks to our Disney travel agent, but you seriously don’t want to do Disney without them! Especially on the newer rides. We would never have stood in line to ride Avatar (which is my all-time favorite now) without Fast Pass! We “waited” (although, it really wasn’t waiting as much as it was just walking to the actual ride destination…INside…in the cool air) maybe 15 minutes with our FP…while the standby line was never less than 110 minutes in the blazing hot sun! And that’s just one example! We did this to meet the princesses, to ride popular rides, and even to see shows! But here’s where it gets even better…if you have a child that can’t or doesn’t want to ride the ride, you get a rider swap. And, while it’s a great idea to rider swap, it’s even more awesome that Disney doesn’t make you do it back to back (because what 3 year old wants to wait that long for two cycles of a ride they can’t enjoy?) — Disney gives you a Fast Pass ticket that is good YOU PLUS TWO for that ride ANY time during that day! So, for us, we would ride Avatar (as an example) — one parent and two older kids…get a rider swap ticket for later, go do something the little one enjoyed, and then later, make our way back for the other parent AND the two older kids to get to ride again…still with little to no wait! It was amazing.

We were told by a cast member that this paper version would likely be going away soon, so make sure to ask when you go!

3. RIDE VOUCHERS FOR FAST PASS. So, what could possibly be more disappointing that getting to a Fast Pass ride only to see that it was closed for technical issues or weather issues?! We had this happen several times during our last trip…sometimes for technical issues…sometimes for weather. But, we quickly learned that if something like that happens during your Fast Pass reservation hour, CHECK YOUR EMAIL! Disney sends you a nice email that explains that your Fast Pass ride has been temporarily closed, and they not only offer you a new Fast Pass that is good for the entire rest of the day (should the ride reopen), but they also give you a nice long list of OTHER options you can use as a Fast Pass in place of the one that was shut down! Since, there were a few rides that we had FP reservations for that my youngest daughter couldn’t or didn’t want to ride, this was an even bigger blessing in disguise for us! One of those said rides shut down temporarily (and the older kids had already had a chance to ride it), so we were able to use those ride vouchers to visit a few characters that we just hadn’t wanted to take 60 minutes to wait in stand-by for. It was win-win for everyone! The cast members don’t always know what you are talking about if you tell them you had this option sent via email, but they offered to “let us try it” to see, and sure enough, every time it happened, our bands would recognize it as a FP, no matter what we chose from the list! The only thing is that I wish I would have known this earlier than day 3 of the parks, because, I wasn’t checking my email regularly until I found this out by chance. We would’ve had even more chances on those first 3 days when several rides were down. They DO NOT alert you via My Experience app, although that would have been handy, since everyone uses that to keep up with their reservations, etc. So, if you are in the parks, and you see a ride closed that you had a FP for, CHECK YOUR EMAIL…seriously…here’s part of what one of my emails looked like:

4. MAGIC BAND CUSTOMIZATION. Magic Bands are awesome! I love not having to carry cards around everywhere like we did before! But they are plain colors…unless you plan to spend $25-50 on average for specialty bands. UNLESS you know about Etsy! I found the cutest vinyl decals for our magic bands on Etsy for $3-7, so we decided to try them out! They were quite easy to put on, and they lasted the whole week, even in the pools, etc., without issues. We had soooo many cast members ask where we found our bands because they had never seen any like it. It was the perfect way to customize without breaking the bank! Here’s the link to my two favorites: Mermaid Glitter and Princess Glitter

Mom & Addison’s “glitter magic bands (thanks to vinyl stickers!)

5. DINING PLANS. I have told my husband again and again that you really can’t “do” Disney “carefree” without being on a dining plan! It is so nice to be able to treat the kids (and yourselves) to smoothies or slushies or any other number of deliciously satisfying snacks while in the parks (especially when it is over 100* heat index), without having to feel the hit on your bank account. The Disney dining plan is definitely the way to go! And, if you go in the fall, you may even get lucky enough to have it FREE with your resort booking. However, our big take away from our most recent family trip was that we would have rather had the quick service/snack ONLY plan. Our plan gave us snack/quick service/table service for each day. And, while the table service does allow you the character meals, it also means fancier meals (that my younger kids often didn’t care for)…reservations (which meant we had to plan our days around leaving early enough to get to the dinner destination)…and tips for a meal that in Disney “cost” $150-200 for a family of 5, which meant you basically paid for a quick service meal out of pocket each time you left a tip at a table service restaurant. If you are going for fancy…wanting lobster, steak, etc., then you probably would not want to leave out the table service meals. But if you’re like us…doing Disney on a budget…with young kids…who aren’t used to “fancy” food…trust me when I say, quick service will do you best! And the options are endless on quick service meals, too! You aren’t limited to hamburgers and fries all week! We preferred it to our fancy meals about 75% of the time! Just food for thought…

6. CHECK YOUR BILL AT CHECKOUT. So, this should go without saying, but just putting this out there due to our experience. Magic Bands are wonderfully convenient. When you need to purchase something or pay a tip, scan your band and it’ll be added to the card you have on file. It basically charges it to your room, which is less convenient for people like me who watch each transaction as it posts…because, it’s a little harder to keep up with your many receipts from your dining plan throughout the week, to compare it with your bill at the end of the stay. However, my bill was astronomical, and I knew it shouldn’t be because I had kept pretty accurate records of each spending. Come to find out, they had somehow managed to bill someone else’s complete family table service meal (same evening, later time) to mine. They took a bit to research the issue, and did credit it back, but it really had me wondering, how does this even happen?! And how many times does it happen on smaller things that we may have overlooked? So, my suggestion, faithfully keep ALL of your receipts (even though it’s frustrating), and check your bill very carefully! Mistakes can (and do) happen…

7. OPT-OUT OF MAID SERVICE. When we checked into our resort, we were offered an immediate $60 gift card if we “opted-out” of maid service. Basically, telling them they didn’t have to make our beds daily (which, honestly, I preferred, since we could keep them fixed as we wanted them). They still came through and checked daily for security reasons…they still refilled our soaps, etc….they still took out the trash. (And honestly, they still sometimes made our beds, even when we told them not to). But, hey! We got an extra $60 to spend in the gift shops! If you’re given this option, take it! What’s not to lose?

Addison’s “Mickey” bed — it’s a child size murphy bed, and it was PERFECT for her!

8. PURCHASE THE MAGIC DISNEY PHOTO PASS. Our travel agent told us about this early on and added it to our package, so we knew in advance that we would be able to download high resolution images from ANY of the photographs taken by the cast members, so we took full advantage of it! We got amazing pictures (and even some videos!) of roller coaster rides, character meet/greets, shows, family pictures, and so much more. Of course, we had our phones for our own photographs, but it was so nice to let them “do their thing” with their high quality cameras and not feeling regret for not bringing my own. Each time they take a picture of anyone in your group (even if you aren’t together), they scan your magic band, and it “magically” appears in your Disney My Experience account for viewing and downloading. WIN!!

Addison’s first “big” rollercoaster — her picture looks concerned, but she said she loved it!

9. PRE-ORDER YOUR FOOD. I know I already touched on the whole dining thing, but many of the quick service meals can now be pre-ordered at Disney! When I saw this, my first thought was, “I won’t be doing that, because I won’t know when I’ll be there.” But oh, I was so wrong! You can pre-order at any time (the night before…or even when you just walk in and find the only available table and you don’t want to lose it)…pre-order from the app, tell them “I’m here, make my food”, and wait for it to magically appear! This is a LIFE-SAVER when you have kids, especially young ones! I’m hoping this catches on and even MORE restaurants offer it soon. But you can filter the restaurants on the Disney My Experience app to show the ones that do offer it (we did this often!). Because it is just SO convenient and stress-free. And for a mom with three kids at Disney World in one of the busiest times of the year, that means THE WORLD!

10. BE FLUID…GO WITH THE FLOW. I struggled to decide what would be my final “take-away” from this trip, but this was my husband’s one main take-away, and I felt that it was a very important one…one that helped us to enjoy our trip to the fullest! Buses don’t always arrive on schedule (actually, if they are on schedule, you should count that as magical!), weather isn’t predictable, health (or how exhausted you are) isn’t always what you expect, etc. Things happen. Life happens. It’s good to have a “suggested” plan for each day, but know that it’s just that…a suggestion. Sometimes, you need to leave early and take a nap, then return later. Sometimes, it’s best to sleep in instead of getting to early magic hours rope drop. Sometimes, you need a little extra time at the resort’s amazing pool/water park area. And sometimes, you need to take a late afternoon nap as a family, so you can enjoy the cool, breezy late extra magic hours that go til 1am (because even as typical “morning people”, this ended up being our favorite time of all due to the temperatures and lesser crowds)! Just be okay with change…when you don’t stress about it, the kids don’t stress about it, and you all have way more magical fun!

This is a “bonus” image from our Disney Photo Pass from one of our favorite shows!

Okay, I’m done. Well, not really, but I titled it the top 10, and I’m at 10 now, so I’m making myself stop for you. But, if you have questions, especially while it’s so fresh on my mind, let me know! I’m glad to share any of my “learning” with you. Maybe it’ll help in your future planning! And mine, too!! (Because I’ve already begged for a Mom/Dad only trip to Disney as an anniversary trip in the future…and he just loved that idea…haha…well, he didn’t…but he loves me, and that’s enough.)

Hatching Chicks | Our Learning Adventure

marsha0727 — Wed, 16 May 2018 18:20:07 +0000

For the last month, we have (thanks to the wonderful teaching and help of a sweet lady we know) been watching the cycles of a chick!

Yep, I said chick. Three, to be exact… because, well…if you have kids, you know they can’t “share” an egg.

We have listened to those eggs “turning” in the incubator for weeks.

We’ve added water almost daily.

We’ve watched.

We’ve waited.

We’ve “candled” the eggs to see their changing progress inside (very cool)!

We’ve heard the chirps from within.

We’ve seen the movements from within.

And finally, after 3 long weeks (and what felt like an eternity to my three-year-old), we’ve watched them hatch!

Each different.

Each on their own time.

Each in their own way.

And, we couldn’t help but laugh when we realized that somehow through these last few weeks, those chicks “inherited” traits from their “kid parents” that they would be born with…hilarious!

Katie’s chick is a Silkie (she named it Kinkajou…don’t ask…but I think it came from some character in a book series she’s been reading)…Kinkajou was the first to hatch. Well, it wasn’t the first to start hatching, but once it heard that another was taking first place, it put it’s beak to work and rushed it’s way into this world. DRAMA. In the middle of the night. DRAMA. And, unfortunately, it was born with something called spraddle leg, which basically means it couldn’t walk…it always stayed in the “splits” position. DRAMA. So, it had to be hand-fed. DRAMA. And returned to our sweet “chicken lady” to help make it leg braces to correct it’s problem, so it could have a normal life later on. Did I mention, DRAMA?!

Remember when I mentioned that Katie’s chick wasn’t the first to “start” hatching? Well, Addison’s egg, the “cochin” chick, was actually the first to start chirping, moving, and trying to hatch. It worked hard for an hour or so prior to Kinkajou’s hatching, and then it decided to sleep for a whole day! But, when it did finally decide to completely hatch, it came out strong and LOUD. It chirps (if you call it that, since it sounds more like a loud, almost obnoxious, squawk) ALL. THE. TIME. It’s cute and fuzzy, but don’t let it’s cuteness fool you…it thinks it’s the BOSS! It will peck at anything that it feels is in it’s way of food. It’ll pick on both of the other chicks, for no reason at all. It’ll cry like something is wrong, just to get attention. And, although it’s name is nothing like it’s personality, Addison calls it “Hei Hei”.

And, finally, after waiting past it’s due date, Austin’s “cream legbar chick” arrived. It made us all worry that it wasn’t going to hatch at all. Seriously, I thought we were going to have one majorly disappointed child when he found out his egg was a dud. But, we listened closely to the egg past it’s due date, and there, just as content as could be, his chick chirped and wiggled inside. It took two days after the due date, but Austin’s chick finally hatched. And, when it was finally ready to get out, it did it in record time! This chick was named “Aspen” from within the egg. I have no idea why. Austin just thought it was a cool name, I suppose. But, after it was born and dried so we could fully see it’s feathers, it looked just like a chipmunk because of it’s coloring and stripe down the back. So, we renamed him “Alvin” very quickly. He’s smart, and strong…he stays behind the scenes…just watching the drama around him…but he always finds the perfect time to pester his sibling or steal some food. He has been slow from the get-go…marching to the beat of his own drum.

Now, if you know my kids, which many of you do, I’m pretty sure, if you read my above post, you’ll think I’m totally describing my three kids, too…not their newly hatched chicks!

You can’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor…

Throwback Thursday | Polar Opposite Siblings | May 2012

marsha0727 — Thu, 10 May 2018 14:21:41 +0000

Just in case you were in doubt, Katie & Austin are polar opposites! They always have been. They probably always will be. They rub each other like nails on a chalkboard…

ALL. THE. TIME.

I am in hopes that one day, they learn to keep their pestering balanced with extra love…that they know when to stop before they cross the line. Only time will tell…

But, I found these pictures this week, and it made me laugh! Even at these young ages of almost 4 and almost 6, their polar opposite personalities (much of the same personalities we see even today at almost 10 and almost 12) were shining proudly…

See for yourself…

Austin…

He is all boy! He loves to get dirty…the more slimy, the better. This was his first time to really fish, and when he was told to dig the hook out, he never questioned it.

Bait a hook? No worries! I’ll do it for everyone! (He’s exactly who I need beside me when I decide to fish!)

He’s adventurous (sometimes even recklessly so…again, I’m hoping age will balance that with a little extra common sense haha)…he beats to his own drum (and on school days, that drum is very slowly beating).

But he LIVES life…and loves life.

He’s the one who brings laughter, spontaneity, and adventure to our family, and I couldn’t imagine life without him.

Then, you see Katie…

She sees the fun had by her brother, and she wants to experience it.

She tries to find the fun midst the yucky dirt and slime. But bless her, she can’t even fake a smile!

She likes control of the situation. She wants to already know how to perfect something before she’s even tried it. And if there’s any chance she may fail, she’d almost rather not try at all.

She’s spirited, passionate (sometimes even overly so…we’re still working on managing those emotions)…smart…and would rather be hanging in her hammock with a good book any day than touching fish guts!

But she also loves quality time together…and she’ll go out of her comfort zone again and again, if it means spending time with her dad or grandparents! She is our constant…our responsible helper…our “balance” for Austin (and I’m ever so thankful for that!)

But you know, even with their crazy differences, these two will forever have these memories. And they will cherish them for a lifetime. Maybe different parts of it…and that’s okay…

Even polar opposites find common ground when it comes to spending time making memories.

And, I can’t even imagine adding our Addison into this mix! She’s a fireball mixture of Katie, Austin, and her own personality…

I love this crazy-beautiful life God has given me!

10 Things I’d Tell My 20-year-old Self

marsha0727 — Tue, 01 May 2018 17:52:23 +0000

I’m getting close to that next threshold of ages on surveys…you know, when you can no longer be grouped with that 20-35 group? And, I must admit, it makes me feel old! I’ll be officially closer to 40 than 30. That’s right…I’m almost 36…eek! And in my “old” age, I’ve spent more time lately in retrospect…not living in regret, but thinking of what I want to make sure I teach my daughters as they much-to-quickly grow up in front of my very eyes. So, here’s a few things that came to mind when I considered what things I’d tell my 20-year-old self:

Don’t rush into living buying the “American Dream”…when we got engaged and married, there were things you were just “supposed” to have and do. You were supposed to be working toward buying your first house. You were supposed to have certain pieces of furniture…real china place settings…and so on and so forth. But, looking back, I think of the many “things” we hurriedly purchased or requested as gifts that are seldom (if ever) used. I think of how we so early in our journey together, put ourselves in holes financially that we would end up spending years to get out of…all because we thought that was just “what you do”. Don’t be afraid to live WITHIN your means…even if it is different that what the norm is. Just enjoy life together.
And, since it goes right along with the previous statement… Material things really are just things, and they don’t last. The older I get, the more I realize how little the “things” mean…and how much stress and clutter (physically and emotionally) they add. Be mindful of getting necessities and non-necessities confused. No, it isn’t wrong to have nice things, but don’t try to find happiness and fulfillment in things…you’ll fall short every time.
One of the biggest things I’d tell a “younger” me…Travel abroad while you’re young and not in the midst of parenthood. When I was young and just married, I wanted to hurry to get that “American Dream” style life much too quickly. I wanted a dog…and when I had a dog, I wanted a house…and when I had a house…I wanted a child…and, well, everything changes after that. Looking back, although we were young and in love and growing closer to each other daily, we didn’t give ourselves much time to travel and enjoy the world together. We always planned for those moments…we dream of those moments even now…but those dreams often have to take a side seat to life with kids. I’m not saying that you can’t travel with kids or while you have kids, but I am saying that you have way more responsibilities (physically and financially) once kids are in the picture. So, if you have the chance, don’t rush so fast into that cookie-cutter life you think you should have as a couple. Live a little…see new things…find passions together…don’t run so fast to the next stop on your journey that you forget to enjoy the views along the way.
Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks you should be doing. I’ve always been a people-pleaser…I’ve spent my life trying to please everyone else, even when it made me unhappy…because, well, that is just me. But, in my “old age”, I’ve realized that it’s okay if I’m not doing everything exactly as someone else thinks I should. I’m not going to please everyone ever…and I don’t have to. In life, if I am doing what God has led me to do, then I’m doing exactly what I should be. Is it easy to be different from the crowd? NO. Do I still find myself comparing myself to others? Yes. But, I’m working daily to remember this…and it’s something that even at their young ages, I’m trying to teach my kids.
Make time to learn life skills alongside of your grandparents/parents while you have them able to teach. This is still a hard one for me. I lost my grandmother last year to dementia/Alzheimer’s, and still to this day, there are so many things I wish I had spent more time asking her or learning from her. But you see, when I was young, I couldn’t imagine needing, let alone wanting to know those “old” ways. Then, when I was in my early adult years, I was away at college and then busy starting my own life away from home. And, before I knew it, I had kids and longed for those days to return when I could spend the day with my grandmother and learn, when instead, I was taking care of my own little ones. I don’t think there is ever enough time with your loved ones…and, even had I spent every day with my grandma before her passing, I’d still want more. But, if you do still have grandparents, soak in their stories…ask them about your heritage…learn some of their how-to tricks. Those things are so hard to learn when they are gone. And, I promise you, you will want it one day…one day when it just may be too late to get it.
Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart…it isn’t easy…ever! But it’s single-handedly three of the greatest blessings I’ve ever had in life. It’s full of scary responsibility, and sometimes, I’d love to hide from that responsibility (I think most would say the same). You’ll make a million mistakes…and they are great at keeping you humble in so many ways…but I wouldn’t take anything for my kids and all that they have and are teaching me as they grow up and I grow “old”. The days are sometimes oh so long, but the years are gone in a blink!
Life isn’t easy…and trials…hard times are guaranteed to come. We so often live in a “Hallmark movie” dream world…where there are always happy endings…life just somehow “works out” before the movie ends. But, that’s guaranteed not to be real life. There will be great moments — bask in them…but there will also be sad ones…challenging ones…incomprehensible ones. And you aren’t always going to be prepared for them in the ways that you feel you should be, because you never see them coming. But, I remind myself often…God has never failed me…and I fail myself often…so there is no reason for me to ever question our journey, but just learn from it and find joy in it. It doesn’t have to be easy to be enjoyable. Often, the hardest journeys in our life have been the very things that brought us the closest to each other and to God.
Be willing to forgive…over and over again. We are human…we live life with humans…and we are never going to be perfect. People have and will continue to hurt you, intentionally and unintentionally. Make a decision now to be forgiving of others…again and again and again. Do it for yourself. It will affect others, but it will affect you in ways you cannot even fathom.
Marriage isn’t 50/50…it’s 100/100. This is one time that math doesn’t work. If you only put 50% effort into your marriage and your spouse only puts 50% effort into it, even though it adds up mathematically to 100%, it truly only equals a half effort at best…and that isn’t enough to survive, let alone thrive in a lifelong marriage relationship. Marriage is 100% from both…giving it your best…your all…every day. And, if you do that…you’ll both see that effort pay off in ways even movies couldn’t dream of portraying.
Live with NO REGRETS. We all know this, but sometimes you get those sobering reminders (I’ve had quite a few lately)…life isn’t guaranteed…tomorrow, even the next hour isn’t a sure thing. If you love someone, make sure they know it. Don’t go to bed angry…make amends as soon as you can…even if your pride has to take a hit. Don’t put off snuggles, pillow talk, bedtime stories, or sunset walks til tomorrow…none of us know how long God has planned for us to have here on earth with our families. Make time to live in the now, seizing the moments we have today, and never give yourself any reason to look back with regret.

So…this isn’t an “exhaustive” list by any stretch. But as I think on life now, and things that I’ve learned over the last almost 16 years, these are the things that stick out the most. What would you say to your 20-year-old self?

My Lil’ Coffee Addict | Funny Friday

marsha0727 — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 06:30:01 +0000

So, earlier this week, Addison and I decided to try our local Walmart pick-up. We’ve used it before (and loved it — here’s my previous full review: Walmart Grocery Pick-up Review), but the one that is right down the road from school just opened their grocery pick-up, so we decided to do it again.

One of the “extras” we have always received from our Walmart grocery pick-up is a nice freebie bag with goodies inside. This trip was no different! I got a nice reusable bag filled with new Coke products, Vitamin water, and Dunkin Donuts iced coffee.

I have saved my DD coffee for a “needed” day…which turned out to be yesterday for me. Thursdays are my most challenging mornings…over halfway through the week…a late, and usually draining, night of Awana at church, and tasks left to complete. So, I decided to break it out.

“What is that drink, Mom?”

“It looks really yummy.”

“Can I try it?”

Even telling her that it was coffee did not lessen her desire this time. So, thinking she’d taste the “coffee” in it and leave me alone to enjoy my DD, I gave her a sip.

Not my best idea.

This child literally begged for (and even tried to sneak sips of) my coffee! So, I hesitantly gave her a small sip here or there, while I tried to enjoy most of it for myself. But, when she saw that there was very little left, she took it for herself and told me she needed the rest because I had had enough.

She liked my coffee…

I mean, she really liked it…

Did I fail to describe just how much she liked it? Watch this…

Happy Friday, y’all! I hope it’s full of as much enjoyment and satisfaction as she got from my freebie Dunkin’

Throwback Thursday | Our 3 at Age 3

marsha0727 — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 07:14:51 +0000

Don’t you just love looking back at comparison pictures of kids? I am always hearing, “Addison looks just like Katie.” And she definitely has similar features at times…but other definite differences.

Addison has a crazy mixture of Austin’s fun, free spirit and Katie’s deep emotion and independence. They are all so different. But each so special. I can’t wait to see how God uses them and their similarities and differences for His glory in their future!

One thing is for sure…they definitely can’t deny the curly hair gene!

Recipe Faves | Easy “School” Breakfast Muffins & Casserole

marsha0727 — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 17:29:00 +0000

Tomorrow starts our “school year” routine, whether I’m ready or not! So, I decided that today was the perfect day to cook up two of our favorite easy school morning breakfast recipes — though, now I’m thinking I probably set the bar a little too high for myself for the rest of the school year! {Surely they won’t think they will have these every day, right??} Either way, there are few things that I’ve tried that are any easier to prepare that will actually keep the kids full until their lunch time! So, I’m going to share these two favorite recipes with you! {Keep scrolling for recipes}

Sausage Muffins

Ingredients: 1lb sausage (cooked), 1c bisquick, 1c shredded cheddar cheese, 4 eggs (beaten)

Directions: Mix all 4 ingredients…place them in a muffin pan (I love to use my washable cupcake liners, because these don’t stick at all, and it keeps my pan from needing all of that scrubbing later!). Bake at 350* for approx. 25-30 minutes, until fluffy and golden brown. These are like little “sausage balls” without having to get your hands all messy!! We love these! I let them cool and then throw them in a ziplock bag or container, and store in the fridge until we are ready to reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds at breakfast. (Even the kids can do that!)

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients: 1lb sausage (cooked), 1-2c shredded cheddar cheese, 6 eggs (beaten), 1 pkg canned biscuits, 1/4c milk

Directions: Spray bottom of casserole dish with non-stick spray. Cut canned biscuit dough into 1/4 pieces and place in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle cooked sausage over biscuit layer. Cover sausage/biscuit layer with shredded cheese. In a separate bowl mix milk, eggs, and salt/pepper (if desired), then pour egg mixture over the other layers. Bake at 350* for approx. 25-30 minutes, until fluffy and golden brown. If you don’t get the eggs mixed well enough, you may see the “white” of the egg in your casserole (as mine shows above), but don’t worry…it’s still SUPER delicious! Even the kids love this! Store in fridge and heat individual pieces as wanted for breakfast (or whenever). **I sometimes add green chilis to the egg mixture sometimes for a little extra flavor…the kids don’t care for that, so I usually save half “plain” for them.**

Walmart Grocery Review | It’s a GAME-CHANGER, Folks!!

marsha0727 — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 22:01:00 +0000

Today I had my first Walmart Grocery (online ordering/pick-up) experience, and let me just say…this could be the biggest game-changer for our family, ever!

A couple of weeks ago, I received a mailer “introducing” me to the Walmart Grocery experience and offered a $10 credit on my first order. I looked at it, and tucked it away in my coupon holder, and hadn’t really thought much about it. Until today…

You see, I have put off buying groceries for days… dreading the task of taking all three kids grocery shopping — with all of the kid drama, long lines, scorching heat, and the inevitable frustration when I get home to realize I missed half of my list of items needed due to trying to focus on the kids and their antics. I had already decided that I would just go get groceries this evening, even though that’s when it’s craziest, just so I could go without the kids and hopefully have a little less crazy in my grocery shopping. But then, I remembered that Walmart Grocery coupon, and it expired in just a few days, so I decided now is truly the perfect time to “give them a try.”

Guys, I didn’t have big expectations, at all. It’s Walmart, after all…not Publix. But, small or large expectations, they blew me away today!! So, I’m here to share my personal experience (good and bad) with you, so you can decide for yourself if this may be that game-changer for your family, as well.

So, let’s start with the website…Walmart Grocery Website + $10 off coupon

It was much like any online shopping website (Walmart/Target/etc)…you can shop by category, you can search by general name (ie. milk), or you can search for a specific name (ie. Almondmilk Original Unsweetened). And, once you find your item, you easily add it to your cart.
It gives you the option to choose the Walmart Grocery location you’d like to use, as well as “reserving” you pick-up time slot (you have an hour for your pick-up window).
In my experience, I had approximately 30 minutes to complete my order before it made me reselect my reservation time. {Most people could probably have been done in half that time, but since I was home, I would think of something and I’d go “check” to make sure I needed it…not to mention the occasional kid interruption…but I digress…}
Once you finish, you will check out. {This is also where you will put your $10 off coupon code if it didn’t already apply it for you}.

Once you’ve checked out, you’ll receive a confirmation email that gives you a run down of your order, as well as details on pick-up…

Here’s a “snippet” from my email: {note: I did not receive a call to alert me that my order was ready for pick-up, but I arrived 2 minutes prior to the beginning of my pick-up time window, and they brought it out within just a few minutes!}

Your confirmation email tells you about the “edit” option, where you have a small window of time that you can add/remove/change your order. For me, I ordered at 10am, and my email said my “cutoff time for changes” was 1pm. I did try to add a forgotten item at 11am, and it would not allow it, as it was already “processing”. Honestly, I thought I just wasn’t finding the right “area” online to make the changes, so I contacted customer service, but they said they couldn’t “add” anything once the edit button disappears, whether it is before the editable time indicated or not.

I will say, however, on a side note that customer service was super quick to respond (via phone AND email) to my question and offered an account credit for my trouble. They also said they were escalating the call so that they could fix the problem for future, as they want their cutoff times to be accurate for the customer.
Hindsight (and suggestion for you), it is probably best to order the day before you want to pick up, so you can easily add/change/edit before cutoff time when you remember things you forgot. I just needed groceries today, so I didn’t have that option this time.

Now, for the pick-up process…all I can say is Wow! Kudos to Walmart for getting the job done and doing it RIGHT!!

Upon arrival at Walmart, it was very easy to see where to go for “pick-up”…there was a huge awning with Grocery Pick-Up written on it.

Once you get into a pick-up parking spot, you have a speaker system on the driver’s side and also a sign in front of you that tells you a number you can call to pick-up. I chose to call, and I immediately got a courteous employee ready to help. I gave her my name and told her I was picking up, and that was it! I sat back and waited. {I arrived about 2 minutes prior to my 1-hour pick up window, and I did not call and give them any advance notice of my arrival…I wanted to see how well they’d be prepared without any notice. I kid you not, she was at my car within 5 minutes, if that, ready to confirm my order and load my groceries!}

The employee greeted me cheerfully, handed me a complimentary ice-cold bottle of water, and began the “order confirmation” and loading process.

Part of the “order confirmation” was to confirm that a couple of substitutions were made in my order, and whether or not I was ok with those substitutions. In my case, it was a small “size” difference, which did not matter at all to me! So, I signed and we were on our way to her loading the groceries. {Once I got home, I realized that they conveniently added a “substitution” sticker to the bag which held those items, if by chance, I was not ok with those items and they were taken off my order.}

I had one kid napping through the entire grocery experience {it was so nice to be able to get groceries and do nap time at the same time!} The other two, sat playing their ipods as our groceries were quickly loaded.

They also labeled the “fragile” items (like my eggs) with stickers…probably more for their benefit, but it helped me, as well, so I knew which bags not to give the kids to unload.

It was a bit of a drive for the closest Walmart Grocery (about 25 minutes from my house to Madison Blvd), and it took less than 10 minutes for the entire pick-up process…So in way less than an hour, my three kids and I purchased and had our car loaded with groceries, never having to set foot out of our air-conditioned car! It was the easiest shopping I’ve ever done for groceries, and it didn’t cost anything extra!! For me, it’s a game-changer, folks. I’m sure, at some point, there will likely be a “fee” associated with the service, but until then, I’m sold. And when that time does come, I’d likely still be sold.

Now, one final thing…Walmart Grocery currently has it to where you can earn a $10 referral credit for each friend that signs up and places their first order (each friend gets a $10 credit, too)! Talk about a way to “earn” free groceries/save money. So, go ahead and sign up HERE to get started on your Walmart Grocery addition

Every Day Moments | July 24, 2016

marsha0727 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 19:10:00 +0000

Outside my window…is rain, rain, and more rain.

I am thinking…of my to-do list for the day, and which to prioritize during nap time

I am thankful for…my garage and my umbrella.

From the kids’ rooms…it’s eerily quiet…being only the second week of school outside of our home, I’m not quite used to it.

From the kitchen…I see a clean {and EMPTY} sink, thanks to my sweet husband’s work after lunch.

I am going…to enjoy Addison’s nap time by blogging before church this evening.

I am reading…“Say Goodbye to Survival Mode” by Crystal Paine

I am hoping…to “reclaim” the garage for our car by completing my major purge project this week.

I am hearing…Austin being loud and waking Addison early from her nap…{sigh}

Around the house…it is looking organized {at least more than normal} for once! My purging may actually be making a difference!!

One of my favorite things…is when I get my 45 minutes of Les Mills Body Flow in my day! Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates.

A few plans for the week…is to get school supplies purchased and organized…start getting the kids up a bit earlier to prepare for school days that are soon approaching…and finding time to go out with my mom {and no kids} for my birthday this week!

Here is a picture I’m sharing…This is Katie wearing a necklace from Africa that she found at Unclaimed Baggage yesterday — she immediately picked it up and said she had to buy it as a reminder daily to pray for her sweet friend Zoie and her family, who are missionaries to Zambia, Africa.