S Club Mama

Snow has not come our way (yet)  so we took the time to play  OUTSIDE probably one last time for the year. Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree - what Moose said this branch was dirt - oh dear "Little Bear" fishing surprisingly, he didn't stick this in his mouth (that I noticed) who doesn't love a good run through leaves? yeah..so the little one doesn't stick a pinecone in his mouth but the big one eats dirt ... BABY DOWN BIG BOY DOWN not pushing, I promise, just tossing leaves at him Too bad the weather can't stay this way.  Merry Christmas Eve!

I have wanted a Billy Graham book for a long time. I don't buy many books (they aren't cheap) but I figured his books would be well worth the money for the content. So I got the chance to review his daily devotional, Unto the Hills, I jumped. This is not the first printing of this devotional - that speaks volumes about any book, if you ask me! I have really enjoyed this devotional. Although it will take me a whole year to read, I have been reading it every day. This is made to fit every lifestyle; devotions are one page - anyone can fit that in! And it's not fluffy reading; it makes you think about your relationship with Christ and your worship. These late days of December have focused their Scriptures in Revelation - end of times for the end of the year, I guess. Generally, I've avoided Revelation because I can't make sense of it one way or another - I know God wins. The 29th's devotion talks about the devil's power - we don't talk or think about it m...

While I don't make fancy or complicated meals for my family, I do enjoy cooking and baking for them. I tried the Artisan Bakeware small unglazed loaf pan for my latest adventure in baking; the loaf turned out pretty good! I like this bakeware - not only is it pretty with its decorative thyme hand-painted, but it's functional. You do have to be careful of how you wash the bakeware - very much like Pampered Chef bakeware (I have a small brownie sheet thing of theirs). With holiday baking over, perhaps you will find the time to make goodies for the fun of it (rather than as gifts like we did). However, if you have last minute gifts to buy (because not all of us are done celebrating with family), do consider Artisan Bakeware - 100% lead-free and really priced well. I'd like to try their deep dish pizza pan, myself. Disclaimer: I received the Artisan Bakeware in order to facilitate this honest review. Others may or may not have the same experiences as I had with the company ...

I went to rock Squirt to sleep last week when Moose cried out from his room. I put Squirt down and went to check on the big guy. When I came back, Squirt had decided to rock himself.

I'm sitting here with my littlest booger boy, waiting for his brother to wake up from his nap. I'll admit, I've enjoyed the quiet of nap time much more today than I have in the past. I took the beginning to spend time in prayer and read the Bible. It's been awhile since I've done the latter - not that I don't read the Word but it's usually on the computer or in a book of some sort (like a devotional). But I read a little bit in Ecclesiastes - which is not a book I'm very familiar with. I thought I would share it with you. Ecclesiastes 6   1 There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. 2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.   3 A man might have a hundred children and live ...

While I'm off celebrating Christmas with my family, I do hope that you all have a Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for following my blog and keeping up with my family's antics. I'll leave you with pictures from our gingerbread decorating fun from last week. "a bite? a bite?" MORE

My foot has been aching when I run so I moved my New Year's Eve Treadmill Half Marathon up to this past Sunday so I could suck it up and then rest my foot. I don't know if that's a smart move but it worked out for me! I started running while the boys napped, so Big A moved the 'mill to the living room so I could watch Netflix while running. Well...our computer doesn't get loud enough to hear and Netflix offers ZERO captions on their instant movies, so I ended up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu instead. That lasted for not even an entire episode before Squirt decided he needed to wake up (he's been a terrible napper lately <2 hours). So I moved BACK to the bedroom and put in "Fireproof." I love this movie, I sure do! However, it's not a running movie...I was struggling, so I popped in "National Treasure" (and wished I hadn't sent back Eclipse before I ran this distance). It worked (mostly). I didn't run the half in ...

We all know this time of the year can lead to stress and the blues due to the hustle, bustle, and preparations made for family festivities and other gatherings. There is a lot to do: buy gifts (after thinking of said gifts), go to Christmas programs, bake or make Christmas goodies, travel or prepare your home for guests. It really is astonishing how much we must accomplish this time of the year. However, I urge you to take some time and relax. Christmas is not about gifts, Santa Claus, or even getting together with family. The true meaning of Christmas is the miracle of a virgin birth and the baby boy who came of that union between Mary and the Holy Spirit. That baby boy who would grow to become the King of Kings. That baby boy who humbly became flesh after sitting on a throne in heaven. That baby boy who died for your sins (and mine) on a cross at Calvary. So, while you are preparing for the end of this week, please keep this in mind: C - Come      ...to the seas...

" Unstuff " by Hayley and Michael DiMarco is about "making room in your life for what really matters." The premise of the book is that our world, your world, is full of stuff and God. We have a relationship with both stuff and God. Unfortunately, for so many, the latter often takes a back seat to our love affair with stuff. Hayley and Michael started by Unstuffing their house - moving into an RV with their young daughter, going on a 3-month "tour" of the country, taking on the necessities. They wrote this book to share their findings - stuff too often gets in the way of the most important things in life - and our relationship with the most important "person*": God.   While this book did get my attention through fun fonts and writing styles, it didn't offer me really anything I hadn't heard or read before. I know that too often stuff gets in the way of my and other relationships with God. Stuff is a broad term and it can mean anything...

Yes, this kid's name is Pocoyo . It looks much harder to say than it really is (trust me, Moose can say it, so can you). And, yes, I'll admit when I received my first Pocoyo movie, I wasn't too impressed at first glance. However, it's a really cute show. And a pretty big hit! You can even get Pocoyo bath figures . We received a copy of Super Pocoyo for review. My boys loved it, just like they do their other two Pocoyo DVDs. The animation is pretty simple, the plots aren't too demanding. I personally like that it's not a loud show with a lot of action. I prefer my boys' shows to be pretty simple, if not educational. Pocoyo is educational but not like Blue's Clues or Sesame Street. It's more like it's subtitle: Learning Through Laughter. This title is not up for release until January 11, 2011 so if you're looking for a nice present for your kids for after the New Year (perhaps so you can rest on the couch while they watch), I highly recomm...

I always find this an interesting question. It's hard to judge what to tell another person what you want for Christmas. Too often, the first thing out of the mouths of too many people is "oh I don't know" or "I don't need anything." Instead of those remarks, why can't we ask for what we want? If you want flat screen TV stands , ask for them. If you want a Kindle, ask for it. If you want a Barbie Bubble Spa for your Mr. T doll, ask for it (that happens to be a reference to a Christmas story told by our MOPS mentor). I know, I know, perhaps what you want is out of the price range of the buyer. I only jokingly ask my loved ones for expensive gifts and would be astonished (and uncomfortable) if they actually bought them for me. However, what I like to do is gift a variety of ideas. For example, my SIL asked what me and my family want for Christmas. I almost wish my boys were old enough to answer this question for themselves because it's hard to ...

 " God Loves Me More Than That " by Dandi Daley Mackall (illustrated by David Hohn) is a beautifully illustrated story book for kids. As soon as I got the book, I sat down with my boys to read it. The poetic lines are simple - telling how high, how deep, how long, how soft the love of the Lord is for me (and you). Moose's favorite part of the book was how soft the Lord's love is: softer than a kitten's sneeze. He keeps flipping back to the page with the kitten sneezing. Squirt liked the butterflies on the cover so he kept shutting the book to point to that. The illustrations are beautiful - worthy of being called true art. Even if you don't enjoy children's books much, this book is definitely something for all ages. My favorite part was that the words speak truth - God really does love you more than that. Hohn's art is enjoyable - simple and childlike but done well enough that a true artist would appreciate the work. This book is available for $9.9...

Ruby Vegas Designs is this modern, sophisticated line of handcrafted wire jewelry found not only on Etsy but on her own website , too. I could spend way too much time just browsing on either site, just thinking about who which piece of jewelry would be perfect for. I am definitely in gift-giving mode as the holidays approach. I am guessing that you, my friends, are too. And you may have someone hard to shop for on your list (I know I have several). Too often, those people are women because we can't seem to make up our darn minds about what we want - or we say "I don't know" because we are too busy thinking of ourselves. Ruby Vegas Designs is perfect for those people! Robbie is the owner and designer of Ruby Vegas and she's great to work with. Her spoon jewelry was recently purchased by a Biggest Loser star - so you could enjoy the star treatment for yourself or those on your "nice" Christmas list. I had the opportunity to review the Sassy Kilt Pin ...

Bible Study... Right now I'm reading "Unstuff" for a review. It's about how we let stuff overcome our relationship with God and His Plans for us. Memory Verse... our church verse for the month is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  So important for us to remember to always be joyful - not superficially but have that joy that only Christ can bring; for us to pray continually - I'm still learning exactly how to do this but I am encouraged at how often prayers have been on my lips and mind these past few days; and give thanks in all circumstances - too often our circumstances have us down but even in our downtrodden moments, we can give thanks for the salvation that we can find (or have found) through Christ. He helps us through all things; he carries us when things are hard.  I would like to get a lot better at actual memorizing verses. I don...

Congratulations to Rae from 5K Rae ! She has won my Applied Labels giveaway - a gift certificate worth $25! The winner has been emailed and has until Sunday night to email me back to receive her code. Thank you to all who entered. For the knowledge of my readers: this giveaway only had 3 entrants. So it is in your best interest to enter my giveaways - you have a great chance to win!

Look at this video from Aboutone.com - Moose is so cute chatting away!

My days are messed up this week and my mind's on all I have to get done before this weekend (leaving the grandparents with the kids while the hubby & I go to his Christmas party)...so Wordless Wednesday is today! I waited until Moose was almost 2 before I even cut his bangs; and after 2 before he got his hair actually cut. So it was with a sad heart that I cut off Squirt's hair, but he was getting a little mullet.