S Club Mama

If you are in the Omaha area and want to go to Women of Faith, I do have one ticket to give away. It's a first come, first serve thing. I'm also putting this on my Facebook page. I just happen to have this extra ticket and would really love for someone else to have the opportunity to go to the conference.

<p><p><br><br><br>In <br></p></p> In about 2 weeks, I am going to be attending my first Women of Faith Conference in Omaha, NE with my very best friend, LJ. I am so excited, not only to be spending time with her, but also learning more about God. I don't know what all to expect from this event other than learning and having fun. The line-up for this event is AMAZING...or so I've heard! I don't know most of the people speaking or entertaining, to be honest. I am looking forward to Amy Grant and Blaire from "The Facts of Life" (I'm sure she has a real name but I can...

Hi MOB Society ! I am Randi aka S Club Mama. On the S Club 4 blog you will find posts about God/faith, motherhood, autism, silly boys, and reviews and giveaways (right now I'm giving away a MyMiBelle Pacifier Pocket ! This is a super useful product if you have a pacifier baby or as a shower gift!). I am a SAHM of two young boys. I enjoy reading (I majored in English in college), watching movies (just saw Captain America & Harry Potter at a drive-in!), and running (training for my 3rd half marathon in September). I'm the president of the women's ministry team at my church - so excited about our upcoming year as we strive to connect the women in our church. I've been a Christian for several years but feel like I'm really just digging deep into my relationship with Jesus Christ - it's amazing. I've been married to the best husband ever, Big A, for 5 years here in about a week. We've moved 6 times in those 4 years but finally feel like we're going ...

Since I can't remember to post this on Mondays I'll be turning it into Tuesday Meanderings. :)  *Edit, I wrote this on Tuesday and it saved as a draft instead of scheduling. Ugh* Bible Study... Preparing to start Breaking Free but also doing Beth Moore's Paul. Memory Verse... I don't have one... Husband Encouragement... ♥ Be supportive of his softball tournament this weekend. ♥ Get dishes done. ♥ Set up a meal planner so I'm not scrambling for supper & he ends up making pancakes. ♥ Something special but I'm not sure what that means yet. Train Them Up... * Work on scissors with Moose. * "Play" ABCs on starfall.com with both boys (more for Squirt but Moose can work on fine motor skills with using the mouse). * Keep planning playdates. Personal Goals... * Run 3x, workout 2x a day.  * Take a bath 1x (shower the other days). * Finish a book for an upcoming review. * Get my shorts hemmed & taken in by a seamstress. New Habit of th...

Name: Randi S aka S Club Mama 2. Age:  25 3. Zodiac sign: well, it used to be Aries, but didn't all of that change? So I don't know. 4. Male or Female:  female 5. Hair color:  blonde 6. Tall or short: I'm short but I prefer tall.   7. Are you ticklish:  yes.  8. Dress or jeans: dress 9. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be: I could do so much more with a million dollars. 10. How many drugs have you done in the last three days: Does a frozen mocha count? 11. What did your last text message you received on your cell say and who was it from: I have no idea; it's been years since I've gotten a text (it's blocked on our phones) 12. Name one thing you worry about running out of: time and diapers 13. Five things you would need to survive, if left alone on a deserted island: an umbrella, a knife with a serrated edge, iodine (to purify my water), a lighter, and a cooler to keep food in.  ...

MiMyBelle is an adorable Etsy shop full of various items: purses, wristlets, changing pads, headbands, tampon taxis (love this!), and pacifier pockets. Michelle sent me a train pacifier pocket for Squirt's "pa pas." Oh let me tell you how much I despise when we cannot find his "pa pa" while traveling (heck, even sometimes at home!). I know that other moms (and dads) with little ones who have pacifiers/binkies/pacis/pa pas must have this problem, too. Baby (or toddler) is crying and you're frantically searching your purse, the diaper bag, the backpack, the bedroom, etc. It can make for some tense moments - at least in our house. picture via MiMyBelle Etsy site because they are better than my own I'm not a sewer, but I do know beautiful craftsmanship when I see it. My pacifier pocket has "Paci" embroidered on the back. As you can see in the above picture, there is a swirly, quilted design throughout the train fabric. The stitching is ve...

-Proverbs 15:1 Moose learned this verse awhile ago. I know it speaks volumes of truth. I know that I have a temper and I let it flare - at my boys, my husband, myself, and (if I'm being honest) with God at times, oh and those random strangers (specifically drivers). Our pastor let the truth flow from his lips. Hear this great sermon about Anger Management here . Truly God has not only gifted Charlie with the gift of being a great speaker and charismatic man, but He has blessed him with the ability to really share God's Word and be a shepherd to his congregation. I'll share 5 of his 4 points (I missed the first one having a wonderful talk with a couple of friends prior to the service). 1. Practicing unoffendability (yes, he realizes this is not a real word) limits anger. Proverbs 19:11 Basically when you get over yourself, you have more patience. And impatience is often brought about by pride. We can see the unoffendable nature of God in Exodus 34:6-7 and Micah 7:18....

it's not officially summer until I've had my sweet corn which means it's been a few years since it's been summer...

Wow! It's been hot here! I had a friend ask me before church how I keep my two boys entertained during the day. Made me think about it, for sure, so I thought I'd share my ideas. - We head to the park early (8-10am) - We hit the air conditioned library - I had the boys hit the thrift store with me (I shopped for clothes, they played in the toys) - They play trains, cars - the norm around here - We have a great easel that we put to good use (thanks Jaesi!) - watercolor paints (thanks Gina!) - although to be honest, my boys paint one picture and are done but it helps a lot - read books - lots and lots of books. Don't like reading kid books? Read them what you're reading! The Bible, a magazine. As long as it's not inappropriate, they are all words to them. - bounce house/ball pit (thanks Mom and Amber!) - some time this week I'm going to pull out the slip n' slide in the evening; we have some great shade in the early evening. - Audio books - get CDs ...

We started off our 4th of July weekend with a Firecracker 5K Race. My first 5K finished in 29:47. Then we went to Nebraska City to watch fireworks. We hadn't been to this show in 4 years. Last time was the day before my Moose was born. Here he is playing with our best friends' Kurt & Laura's nephews, foster son, and cousin. I was so proud of him sharing his cars & not arguing about it. My little sweaty head! Squirt, once again, didn't care for the fireworks. This year the noise seemed to bother him as much as the brightness of it all. He didn't cry, though, just cuddled (sweatily) in his daddy's arms. He warmed up about halfway through the show and at least put up with it.  On the 4th itself, we went to a local Kansas town to watch their fireworks. We went there last year and enjoyed them - they put on one heck of a show. We did stop at their awesome playground (where we had the boys' friend birthday party) to play before the show. It wa...

Bible Study... Beth Moore's Paul & Francis Chan's Crazy Love. Also will be starting Beth Moore's Breaking Free next week. Memory Verse... Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Husband Encouragement... ♥ Not be grumpy. ♥ Date night? Train Them Up... * Be consistent with discipline when Squirt bites. * Be consistent with discipline period. * Quit yelling at them and take a time out if I feel like it. * Review ABC Bible Verses with Moose. * Hopefully get their Veggie Tales Storybook Bible in the mail & read. Personal Goals... * Run 3x this week. Do a DVD 3x this week. * Complete each daily assignment in Paul study. * Take a nap 1-2x a week. New Habit of the Month...   I'll be totally honest here. My new habit is actually breaking a habit. When I first met Big A, I struggled with cursing. I was doing so well for a long time and it's been sne...

 Kiddo, You came in very expectantly. Planned & induced - we knew you were coming, but you took us by storm! Those big blue eyes and ornery little self was almost more than this mama could take! We've grown into love ...even for your screams. I love when you sing (even if you can't hold a tune). It really is music to these ears. Thank you for pushing boundaries for yourself and Moose. I can't imagine life without you. You are this fireball of energy life (and yes, still that orneriness). Happy birthday, sweet little baby boy!

Saturday, July 2, 2011 was my very first 5K. That's right, 3 halves under my belt and no 5K. Anyway, this was our little town's 4th of July run. There were 273 participants (runners & walkers) and I finished 116th with a time of 29:47. The first mile was just kind of tough to get going. There was one hill which I just took at my normal slow & steady pace. That first hill, I passed quite a few people. We looped by our house to a water station at the hospital to get going on mile 2. About mile 2.5 there was another good hill. I was doing ok - I just kept thinking I should be going faster but my pace was normal. Sometimes I think I'm a fast runner - I'm not! Gotta get that through my head! During mile 3 I had a mental breakthrough. I know that I've ran 10 miles more than this, so 3 miles is nothing. I just have to push through! And I did - well. There were two women I was familiar with running ahead of me and I set a mini-goal to beat them. We probably had ...

Congratulations to my friend Cheryl from A Pretty Cool Life ! She and her family just welcomed  a daughter in addition to her 2 adorable boys! As I write I only know the gender BUT she's sure to be a doll! (and well-dressed ) Congratulate Cheryl on her blog , Facebook , Twitter , Etsy !!

A little boy was lost for an hour or two on Saturday in our town. Just a few years older than Moose with red hair and autism. My heart immediately went out to his mother; I know how panicked and afraid I'd be if Moose were a wanderer. My son hasn't shown to be (yet) but as he grows, who knows, so I try my best to be vigilant. He doesn't play outside by himself ever. Today (the 4th) I took a walk up to the train tracks about 1/4 north of our house with my boys. They love the trains and I was bored sitting around watching them play cars. So we took hands with 2 rules: 1) hold mommy's hand, 2) listen to mommy. They did really good listening - they even got to pet someone's pet rat (yuck). On our way back home, there was a little boy with red hair and no shirt came up to talk with us. He'd been talking to these two high school aged girls but trailed us. He just started talking; I could tell this was the same boy who had been lost just two days ago. I let him wal...

Moose doesn't show a wide range of emotion - mad, happy, REALLY mad, excited, anxious. I don't remember ever seeing him sad but it's possible it's come out as another emotion. Many autistic children don't show a wide range of emotion; I know this doesn't mean that they don't feel or have a wide range. They just may show it differently or not know how to express what they're feeling. That can make it tough when you're the parent. Sometimes I have to put words to Moose's expression of emotion and pray I'm putting the right words to what he's feeling. I had the opportunity to review the Emotion Dominoes from the store From Fragments to Furniture and Beyond Etsy shop. Megan's own son is autistic and the inspiration for these emotion dominoes. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to find a shop so tuned into my world. ha! Megan also has listings for texture buttons, opposites buttons, alphabet buttons, and number buttons - all wonde...

Independence is such an important part of life. We raise our children to be independent. We move out on our own to be independent. Our country fought to have their own independence. Our country now fights for the democratic independence of other nations. Independence is also freedom. Freedom from persecution, fear. As much as I enjoy my personal rights and freedoms in the USA; my freedom comes from the Lord. I know that I have freedom from all the brokenness of my past. Any hurt, struggle, or fear I've had is laid to rest by the blood of Christ. This Independence Day may you, too, find the freedom of Christ!

Happy birthday, Moose!! My firstborn, my pal. I have seen you grow so much this past year. Thank you for being so easily teachable and working SO hard! newborn baby Moose, only 3 days old!  Life is going to be challenging for you, but I know that you are ready. You are such a sweet boy; always ready with a hug or up for a "snuggle party."  1-year-old Moose cruising to pick up chicks My gentle giant (who isn't always so gentle with his brother) my musician my lover of water, cars, trains, and food. 2-year-old Moose with his beautiful curls You have brought so much to my life; thank you so much, Lord, for this boy. Life is so much fuller with joy and love and hope. 3-year-old Moose showing his beautiful smile! I love you, kiddo.  -Mama

I have a few winners to announce going into this holiday weekend: Aurora ID Tag : Jenditty ! Animal ABCs & 123s DVD set : Ashley ! Ladies, congratulations. You were the only two to enter either giveaway, so I'm thankful you each won a little something! Please contact me with your mailing address (I will be sending you an email today) by Thursday, July 7, 2011. I'll give you a few days to catch up on things after the 4th of July.  Thank you for entering! Be sure to keep coming back to the S Club 4 because you never know what we'll have to give away next (and my kids are awfully cute).