S Club Mama

I can’t quite remember how I got Simply Tuesday in my hands. Probably a book review. But since the beginning of that book, I have adored it’s author, Emily P. Freeman. Reading that book was very pivotal in my life to see God in the ordinary, to live life as if God is in the simple things on a Tuesday. And so I am a fan of Emily P. Freeman. When she started her podcast, The Next Right Thing, back in 2017, I had my earbuds in and I listened to every word. I've possibly listened to every one of her podcast episodes since. I never felt like I had decision fatigue but I really have been helped by the podcast. She walked with me through some hard times in my life: depression, my son’s second brain surgery, awful morning sickness, the birth of my fourth child, and the continuing every day chaos of life with four children. When Emily announced that she was writing The Next Right Thing as a book, I was so thrilled. I have friends who are readers but not podcast listeners (and vice

Like most moms, some days are hard and I dream of running away to join the circus. In reality, I would take my kids over smelly animals any day. But it’s fun to think about what it would be like to actually join the circus. If I were to join the circus, my job of choice would probably not be one that most people would think of. I would not be a trapeze artist or a lion tamer. I would not be a bearded lady or the world‘s shortest woman. I would love to be the ticket taker. In college, I was pregnant with my first child and worked in the cafeteria. I had a horrible morning sickness all day long and could not stand to be around food. So the manager, a dear friend of mine, made me the cashier. I loved every second of it! As the cashier or the ticket taker at a circus, you get to see everyone come in. You are the face that greets them and ask them how they are doing. Those kind words of greeting can make a person’s day! I am very extroverted and I usually gain energy from b

I have to be honest that I wanted to read this book because I'm a fan of Alistair Begg. I've listened to him on podcasts and LOVE his accent (you guys, I'm a sucker for accents). I do realize you cannot listen to a paperback but I knew of Begg enough to realize this content was going to be GOOD! "Made for His Pleasure: Ten Benchmarks of a Vital Faith" by Alistair Begg is a fantastic book! image via AmazonSmile Even the two forewords were great, written by John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul - admonishing us as readers to "rejoice in the treasure you are holding in your hands, because it's richness will provide a clear path to follow...to that monumental face-to-face meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ." "Made for His Pleasure" itself was a joy to read. A humble urging to help us align our lives with Christ. I want to share some of the takeaways I wrote as I read: In regards to spiritual fitness, Begg says that "our commitment to o

Which came first in my life: Jennie Allen of IF:gathering? Hmmm... I'm not sure it matters because she is the visionary behind IF. Both have helped me grow with God these past five years or so. I read Allen's book, "Anything," a few years ago. I'll be honest, it wasn't as life-changing as I thought it would be. The premise is surrendering your life to God, giving Him "anything." For Allen and her husband, anything included adopting their son and starting the IF:gathering (among other things, I'm sure). But I'm not sure my anything prayer had quite the same trajectory. However, my life had a few detours- my son's seizures and brain surgeries and two more children. I do think praying "anything" opened my eyes to follow God through these hardships (babies may not be traditional hardships but I have difficult pregnancies and I think the baby stage is quite difficult). Regardless, I was thrilled to hear Allen was coming out with a

Princess hasn’t been to a movie theater yet - she will be four this summer. I have been attempting to find a movie to take her to and a lot of them could have scary/intense parts (I’m looking at you Toy Story franchise!). I have heard rumors of Frozen 2 but I’ve also heard rumors of a plot twist I’m not a fan of. So her future movie watching was looking bleak until Dumbo. Princess loves The Greatest Showman, and Dumbo is circus-themed too. Barring any intense scenes (I’m a huge fan of Plugged In movie reviews and Common Sense Media reviews to help me filter media for my kids), I think we have a winner. image via Grace Hill Media Synopsis:  From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and J