tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68900631731463870982024-03-12T20:59:40.614-04:00A New ThingLMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-70556714222437474322017-02-15T15:52:00.000-05:002017-02-15T16:43:31.718-05:00The Year of Me I wrote a blog post on November 30, called <i><a href="http://heisdoinganewthing.blogspot.com/2016/11/parents-lets-be-kind-to-ourselves.html" target="_blank">Parents, Let's Be Kind to Ourselves</a></i>. Being a good parent is hard work and as much as we love it, it can be draining to us in many ways--physically, emotionally, and mentally. If we're always giving of ourselves and never letting ourselves be filled back up, we become burnt out. That goes for anything in life that requires our time and effort.<br />
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As parents, we sometimes feel like we're being selfish if we do anything at all for ourselves. I've been there and I'm still in that place sometimes. However, I decided at the beginning of this year that I'm going to take care of me---<i>and</i> my family. I don't have to neglect them to take care of me. They're not missing out on anything. I'm just adding myself to my schedule.<br />
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On January 1, I started exercising every day. I have to live in this body while I'm on this earth and I'm going to make it a healthy one. I'm going to chase my kids all over creation while they're growing up. I'm going to pick them up and swing them around, play tag with them, go swimming, ride bikes, and just be present. Then, I'm going to chase my grandkids all over the place and do the same things. That's my goal. Not to get a six pack (though I'll take one if it pops up) or look good in a bikini, but to be here with my family. I'm taking care of me and taking care of them at the same time.<br />
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Last fall, I decided I was going to cover up my grays. I hadn't ever had my hair colored because I didn't want to spend the money to do it and it's hard to find time away from the kiddos for hair appointments. I went for it, though! I feel a lot better about myself and my hair and hey--I also never have any trouble finding someone to stay with my babies. I also spent a little more money on some nicer makeup and products to take care of my skin. There's no need for me to neglect myself on the altar of "My Children Come First". I don't go into debt to do these things; I've just purchased them when I can. And I'm going to keep doing it!<br />
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I'm trying to make time for things that keep me healthy mentally and emotionally--journaling, blogging, playing the piano and guitar, having conversations with friends. All of these things keep my brain working and make my heart full.<br />
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I'm pursuing my dreams. Last year, I published my first book. Everyone who knows me knows my love for all things Disney. I've considered being a Disney travel planner before, but have always backed out of filling out applications. I would say, "Oh, I don't really have time to do that! I just need to take care of the kids and the house." In reality, I need something for me. I need something besides housework and homeschooling that makes me tick. Disney is my thing! When my best friend sent me the application to apply with Kingdom Concierge, I decided to go for it. I received an email the next morning requesting a phone interview and all of the pieces just fell into place. Kingdom Concierge is an amazing agency and I am so honored to be talking Disney with clients and planning magical trips they'll remember forever! I was working this morning and Kade put his arm around my waist and said, "You really like your new job, don't you, mom?" I felt guilty for a split second, as if I should only like being a mom. You know what, though? I can enjoy many, many other things and still be there for my family. Yes, I do like my new job! (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">And if you'd like me to help plan your Disney vacation, please contact me at leah@yourkingdomconcierge.com; I'd love to plan your vacation for free!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>It's the year of ME--and my husband and children. When I feel fulfilled, I can pour myself and my energy back out into the people most important to me. And what could be better than that?<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-7953667395164444712017-02-14T14:45:00.002-05:002017-02-14T16:45:30.555-05:00Disney Trip Report: Day 3 (Part 2)It's a perfect day here to finish a Disney trip report--cold and gray. If I can't be in the warm, Florida sunshine, at least I can relive it!<br />
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When we left off last, Michael and I had just eaten lunch at the Lotus Blossom Cafe in China at Epcot. We also got to see and talk to our babies. Full and happy, we walked outside to explore some more. Michael found some Chinese puppets.<br />
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We browsed through a shop with all kinds of Chinese clogs, chopsticks, kimonos, snacks, and more. Heading out of China, we walked past Japan and apparently (according to my pictures) </div>
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A Norwegian troll.</div>
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Traditional Norwegian clothing, similar to the time period and style of <i>Frozen</i>.</div>
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We must have walked past Germany, but at some point in the day I ended up going back and getting a delicious caramel apple oatmeal cookie at Karamel Kuche in Germany. They have chocolate covered caramel squares, chocolate caramel cupcakes, chocolate covered pineapple and strawnerries, as well as fresh caramel corn you can watch them make and it's all Werther's caramel. So yummy!</div>
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Our next stop was Mexico where a mariachi (I think) band was playing and talking about Mexican Christmas traditions. They played lots of Christmas songs and got the children in the crowd involved. We watched that for quite awhile! I should mention that each country was doing something to showcase Christmas in their culture and this was the point in the afternoon when it started. Each country also had a food stand that served traditional Christmas foods from that country. Most of it sounded really good!</div>
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Afterwards, we walked into the building across the pathway, which looks like a ziggurat. I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to be or not. Here's a picture from Google.</div>
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Inside is a restaurant called San Angel Inn, some shops, and a boat ride called The Gran Fiesta Tour, which stars Donald Duck and the Three Caballeros. We call the Gran Fiesta Tour, "Mexican Small World", because it's very similar to It's a Small World, but with a Mexican theme. The boys love it!</div>
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Looking into the shops and San Angel Inn. This is indoors, but it looks like you're eating in twilight. Very pretty!</div>
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When we came out, we decided to leave World Showcase for a bit and walk back over to Future World. We took some pictures in front of a huge Christmas tree.</div>
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We always have to take a picture of the monorail when it goes by!</div>
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With our Disney Visa card, we're entitled to a meet and greet at a select location with one or more of the Fab Five--Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald. The nice thing about this is the line is really minimal and you get a free digital download of your pictures.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Can I make a confession? I forgot to download them, so all I have is this screenshot. Whoops!</span></div>
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Mickey and Goofy were meeting together on that day and we had fun "talking" to them for a minute before we posed for pictures.</div>
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We watched a gospel group do a Christmas show right in front of the Fountain of Nations for a few minutes. They were incredible and had everybody in the crowd dancing and clapping. I thought a few people were going to shout!</div>
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One thing we hadn't ridden yet was Spaceship Earth, the ride inside the Epcot ball.</div>
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Michael always likes to lead the way.</div>
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It's far too dark inside of Spaceship Earth for my camera phone to take pictures (and there's no flash allowed), but it takes you on a journey of communication, from the beginning of time until, well.....recently. It kind of needs some updating at the end to bring it up to the current time. It's really neat and educational, though. Another cool feature is that there is a screen in front of you that has you pick some options at the beginning of the ride, including your language and where you're from. As the ride begins, a camera on the right takes your picture. Then, near the end of the ride, you are presented with questions like, "In the future, would you rather live in the city, country, or beach?"; "Is leisure, home, or health more important to you?" Then, it makes a video that shows "your life" in the future and your picture from the beginning of the ride is the head on the cartoon version of you. We always laugh at the way we end up looking.</div>
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In France, we saw Pere Noel telling a Christmas story! </div>
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We always love to stop and look at this miniature Bavarian train village in the Germany pavilion. It's so cute! It was decorated for Christmas, too!</div>
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In the American pavilion, we stopped and looked at this stand full of Disney Precious Moments dolls! Recognize any characters you know? I loved these!</div>
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We were both hungry for dinner and decided to check out the Holidays Around the World stand at the American pavilion. </div>
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I chose a turkey dinner, that had a large piece of dressing, mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. It was huge--and delicious!</div>
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In comparison, Michael chose the pork tenderloin meal that included some sweet potato wedges, some small pieces of pork tenderloin, and green bean casserole. It was much smaller, obviously, and more expensive than mine! It was still yummy, though.</div>
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Unfortunately, my phone went dead during dinner and I didn't get to capture the best part of the evening--Epcot's Candlelight Processional!</div>
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Choirs from all over the country are invited to sing at the Candlelight Processional during the Christmas season. Michael and I were fortunate enough to go with our high school choir in 2000. The music is incredible and includes sacred Christmas selections and narration of the Christmas story from the book of Luke by a celebrity narrator. On this particular night, Steven Curtis Chapman was the celebrity narrator, which made things even more special, because we knew he believed every word he was speaking. Confession--there were tears in my eyes almost the whole processional. It's just beautiful! The last song is the Hallelujah Chorus and--wow!--everyone was on their feet halfway through! It was a wonderful, marvelous, magical end to the night!</div>
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Hearts full, we headed out of Epcot and stopped by Ample Hills to grab one more ice cream. Then, we drove back to our resort, got most of our things packed up, and headed to bed. Our anniversary trip had come to an end and it was time to get back to real life--and most important, our babies!</div>
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But not before a 12 hour trip home, filled with good, uninterrupted conversation, loud music, and some Starbucks.</div>
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We were so excited to love on our kiddos and glad to be back home. We missed them, but it was nice to just be us for a couple of days. Every couple needs that now and then! We'll treasure the memories of this trip forever.</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-50716573127841139132017-01-16T15:55:00.003-05:002017-01-16T16:15:01.342-05:00100 Days!I'm still working on the second part of our day at Epcot, but I wanted to pop in and celebrate today for a moment--our 100th day of school!<br />
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I would love to say that homeschooling is effortless and easy and always peaceful and serene, but that would be a lie. Ha! There are days that I look around the table and get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Then, there are days when chaos seems to reign--no one is listening, Grace pooped in the tub (hey, just being real!), Luke spilled his milk all over the table and floor, and I wonder why in the world I would want to teach 3 children to read, write, and do 'rithmetic. Luckily, the warm and fuzzy feeling days win out and I grit my teeth and persevere through the not so good days. As a reward, I get to hear them read their first words in a book, see their eyes light up as they realize they've <i>finally </i>done it, talk them through their frustration because they just can't write that letter correctly, and watch their brains working as they try to add and subtract. Well, that, and a host of other things.</div>
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Anyway, 100 days of school is something to celebrate! We did a few cute activities I found on Pinterest after we finished our morning notebooks and Bible time.</div>
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The first thing we did was 100 exercises. The boys' eyes got big when I told them we were going to do 100 exercises, but I told them we were going to do 10 different exercises and do each one 10 times. Then, we counted by 10s to make sure that 10 x 10 was 100.</div>
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I didn't take any pictures because I was exercising with them, but they had to do 10 jumping jacks, 10 sit ups, 10 push ups, balance on their left leg for 10 seconds, balance on their right leg for 10 seconds, jump with their left leg for 10 seconds and then the right leg, do 10 ski sliders, do 10 kick boxing kicks with each leg, and touch their knee to their chest 10 times. They loved this <b><u>and</u></b> it got the wiggles out. Score!</div>
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Next, we did a 100 drops of water experiment. They had to predict how full a jar would be if we put 100 drops of water in it. Kade thought it would fill <i>almost </i>all of the jar and Luke thought it would be completely full.</div>
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Even I was surprised at the amount of water in the jar once we had squeezed in 100 drops. In fact, I couldn't even get it to show up in a picture, so you'll have to look at the boys' "Actual" picture to see how off target we were.</div>
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See how surprised Kade was?!</div>
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Next, we colored a 100 chart to make a picture. Actually, I printed a blank one off for Kade, so he had to fill in the squares with every number from 1-120. If you've never done one of these before, they're pretty neat! They come with a key so that you can tell your student (or give it to your student to use) which numbered square to fill in with which color. I knew what picture Kade and Luke's chart was going to turn out to be, but I didn't tell them. This activity was especially good for Luke, since we're working on number recognition with him.</div>
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It was a rainbow! I'm going to have to find some more of these for them to do.</div>
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After lunch, we celebrated some more by going outside to play in this unseasonably warm, over 60 degree weather! It was glorious!</div>
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Happy 100 days to us--and here's to the rest of our school year!</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-3494730659911114792017-01-05T15:15:00.001-05:002017-01-05T15:15:20.360-05:00Disney trip report: Day 3Epcot is my second favorite park over Magic Kingdom. I've heard plenty of people say that Epcot isn't a good park for kids, but we always spend a day or two there! There are so many things to see and do and learn about.<br />
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We got to Epcot, went through the bag check, and headed straight back to Test Track. If we had really thought, we would have headed even farther back to the new Frozen Ever After ride, since all the Fastpass + were gone by the time we booked our trip. Next time!<br />
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We really like the interactive features they added to Test Track a couple of years ago. While, you're waiting, you get to design your own car--every feature of it, from the shape, color, engine, and all that kind of car stuff.<br />
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The only disappointing part of this feature (especially for kids) is that when you get to the loading dock, everyone rides in the same car that looks nothing like the car you just designed. On the upside, as your car goes through the various tests, the ride rates the cars people designed based on how well they perform and shows it on screens along the track. The boys always get excited to see if our car will get 1st place. And of course, the most fun part is at the end, where your car bursts through the doors onto the outside track and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds. Hold on to your sunglasses!</div>
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We hadn't had breakfast yet at this point, so I grabbed a latte at Starbucks and then we walked towards The Land building to grab a bite to eat and see what the wait time for Soarin' was. I had a chocolate croissant and Michael had some kind of breakfast platter, with eggs, potatoes, sausage, and french toast. </div>
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After I finished my coffee, we decided to ride Livin' With the Land. It always has a relatively short line, if at all (though I just saw a picture from Christmas week where the whole thing was completely filled with people waiting). Livin' with the Land is a boat ride that takes you on an educational journey, learning about innovative ways of growing crops and controlling pests in various climates and other situations. It might sound kind of boring, but we think it's extremely interesting and always get lots of ideas for our home garden (that we never actually get around to trying).</div>
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We still had a little time before our Fastpass+ for Soarin', so we exited The Land building and walked over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. We rodethe Nemo ride, which is basically a ride in a clamshell through the Finding Nemo story.</div>
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There are quite a few aquarium tanks in this building, but we thoroughly explored them in February with the kids, so we decided to do Turtle Talk with Crush, which is an interactive experience with Crush the Turtle from Finding Nemo. The kids ask cartoon Crush questions and he talks to them. Very neat!</div>
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Next, it was time for our Soarin' Fastpass, which was back over in The Land building. On the way there, we stopped to take a couple of pictures of each other.</div>
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It was a beautiful day! We got onto Soarin' pretty quickly with our Fastpasses and got ready for a ride around the world--over the Hawaiian Islands, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Wall of China, the Sahara Desert, Sydney Harbor, and a couple of other places, ending at Epcot. I will always love the original Soarin' that only flew over California, but I daresay I like this version even more.</div>
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Having done almost everything we wanted to do in Future World, we decided to head over to World Showcase, which is the part of Epcot with all of the countries. </div>
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First, we hit up Canada, where I stepped into a phone booth and we took a picture in front of Disney's version of Niagra Falls. Not quite as magestic, eh? </div>
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The United Kingdom is next. We popped into a few shops to look around.</div>
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We even spotted the practically perfect Mary Poppins!</div>
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Continuing on and over the bridge, we came to France, but I don't think we even stopped. We were getting hungry for lunch and decided to eat in China at the Lotus Blossom Cafe.</div>
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I think we both got orange chicken and rice, with a side order of egg rolls. </div>
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The kids video called us while we were eating, so we chatted and made kissy faces with them for awhile. They had gotten Happy Meals for lunch, so they weren't jealous of our orange chicken at all.</div>
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What will do next? Come back and see!</div>
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LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-49521157757362845982016-12-29T08:57:00.002-05:002016-12-29T08:57:39.279-05:00Disney trip report: Day 2We always wake up early at Disney! I mean, who can sleep when there's so much fun to be had! Our goal was to get to the Magic Kingdom by 7:30 or before, because that is when they do their Welcome Show. If you haven't been to Disney or haven't gotten to the Magic Kingdom early enough to see the Welcome Show, you need to! It usually begins 15-20 minutes before the park is scheduled to open and it just gets you pumped up for a day at Disney.<br />
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We drove to the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) and rode the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. The monorail isn't usually running that early, but the ferry is a nice, relaxing ride. See the castle in the distance?!</div>
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We reached the Magic Kingdom in time to get my bag checked, scan our Magic Bands, and catch a spot for the big show. We got someone to take our picture, because usually we're taking the kids' pictures or just trying to keep them close to us so we don't lose them in the crowd.</div>
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After the show, we walked through the train station and onto Main Street U.S.A, with the other 3,000 people who were ready for a full day at the Magic Kingdom. I usually take pictures all the way down Main Street, but this time, I was just trying to soak it all in without my camera screen in my face. Magic Kingdom is always a sight, but first thing in the morning is one of my favorites. All of the cast members stand on the sidewalk and wave and call "Good morning!" as people stream down the streets. You can smell yummy treats as you walk past the Confectionary and delicious, delicious Starbucks as you walk past Main Street Bakery. And of course, in the distance, at the end of the street, is the glorious Cinderella's castle! </div>
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Our goal was to ride the Seven Dwarves' Mine Train before we did anything else. Although around 2-3 years old, the Mine Train is still one of the newest rides at the Magic Kingdom, and very popular. There was already quite a long line when we reached New Fantasyland, but we were on the ride in probably 15 minutes.</div>
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We're such kids at Disney! The Seven Dwarves' Mine Train isn't an extreme coaster by any means, but it is very fun, nonetheless. The individual train cars swing back and forth as you ride and it takes you around twists and turns and through the Seven Dwarves' mine as they sing "Hi-Ho". We love it!</div>
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Next, it was time for some breakfast! I had planned what I was going to have for breakfast on this day for weeks beforehand--the Nutella and fruit waffle. </div>
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You can find this little beaut at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, which is on the left of the castle in Liberty Square. They make these waffles fresh and hot after you order them and put on plenty of Nutella and lots of delicious, fresh fruit. I usually share mine with the kiddos, because it's more than enough for one person. As you can see, the tables beside this little stand also have a perfect castle view.</div>
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After eating and Facetiming with our babies for a few minutes, we headed on back to Frontierland to ride another one of our favorites--Splash Mountain! Another thing that was extra fun about this trip was that Michael and I got to ride rides together. Usually, one of us takes the boys while the other one stays with Grace and then we switch.</div>
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Next, we headed into Adventureland and hopped on the <strike>Jungle</strike> Jingle Cruise (they change the name of it for the holidays). I'm one of those people who laugh hysterically at every single corny joke on the Jungle Cruise. </div>
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I think we had a Fastpass+ for Pirates of the Caribbean next, so we did that. I love the smell of the water on this ride; I don't know why. Remember to look for the many Jack Sparrows as you ride through the different scenes. He's hiding everywhere!</div>
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Then, it was around 11:00, so we took a quick trip to Starbucks for a caramel praline latte and then back to the castle area to watch the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It Street Party. I took a little video of that for the kids and then, I think we headed over to our lunch reservation a few minutes early. They let us go ahead and check in, though. We were eating lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern, another one of our favorite spots at Disney.</div>
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I don't think I mentioned before, but when you check into a Disney resort, they usually ask what you're celebrating. We told them we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary and received these buttons.</div>
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However, they didn't have "10 years" on them yet, so everyone thought we were just married. Well, 10 years is an accomplishment, so when the hostess at the Liberty Tree Tavern congratulated us on being just married and we told her thanks, that it was our 10 year anniversary, she offered to write it on our buttons. </div>
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Our go-to meal at this restaurant is the delicious pot roast. We ordered it on our first trip with Kade in 2011 and have had it almost every trip since. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I read that the pot roast had been taken off the menu and I almost canceled our reservation; then, I read that the pot roast could still be ordered from the kids' menu, so that's what we did. It was a much smaller portion, but still very good--and cheaper, too, so win-win.</div>
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For dessert, I ordered the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake, which is a legend in its own right. It's sort of like Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, but round and with toffee chips and ice cream on top. It's one of my favorite desserts (I have a lot of favorite food at Disney)!</div>
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We paid and headed out and over to Fantasyland, where we rode It's a Small World.</div>
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I know that there are people who can't stand this ride because of the song, but I love it! We always sing through the whole ride and we always spot something new that we hadn't noticed before. There are so many details!</div>
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The last room of It's a Small World used to just have signs that said Goodbye in different languages. Recently (within the past year), Disney added screens that connect with your Magic Band and say goodbye to you personally as you ride by. Semi-creepy, I guess, but really cool!</div>
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Apparently, at this point, we walked over to Tomorrowland. We're the kind of people who just zig zag all over the park, doing what we want, even when we have the kids. We wanted to ride the Peoplemover, but it was down for a few minutes, and when the cast member standing in front of it saw our anniversary buttons, he asked what we wanted to ride instead and took us in the back entrance of Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Disney magic! </div>
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We also did Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, which is always hilarious and always different! The premise of the show is that the monster world is trying to fill up a can with laughter from the audience. Before the show, as you wait, there are signs that encourage you to text jokes in to a particular number. During the show, various monsters do stand up comedy acts that are very interactive with the audience. They always share some of the jokes people have sent, too. The gigglewatts in the can continue to rise until, at the end of the show, the can is full. </div>
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At some point, we walked back to the Peoplemover and it was up and running, so we hopped on. The Peoplemover is a nice, relaxing ride that takes you all around Tomorrowland, through the inside of Space Mountain, and has a great view of the castle. </div>
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We stopped and had our picture taken, coming out of Tomorrowland. I'm not exactly sure of the order of things after this, but I know we went to the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland, rode Voyage of the Little Mermaid in New Fantasyland, saw the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square, and I feel like there was something else, but I can't remember.</div>
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We did buy Grace this parasol. Is it not the cutest thing ever?!</div>
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I will say, we made a huge mistake on this trip. We thought, being the grown adults that we are, that we could open and close the park. Usually, we take a 3-4 hour break in the afternoon and go back to our hotel before returning to the park for the nighttime activities. If I have any regrets from this trip, it's that we didn't take a break. By 8 or so, I was done--and the park didn't close till midnight!</div>
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We wandered back up Main Street and walked through the Emporium. We found this trophy and sent it to the kids, hoping we hadn't scarred them too much by going to Disney World without them.</div>
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We walked up into the train station and took some pictures.</div>
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Ha! We <i>do </i>look tired. Then, we took a ride all around on the park on the train. We got back and debated staying for the fireworks, but like I said, I was done. There's always next time! So sadly, we headed back to the resort and grabbed some late dinner at the food court. I don't even remember exactly what we got, but mine was really spicy. I know it wasn't very late before we were asleep.</div>
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We needed a good night's sleep for a fun day at Epcot!</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-75892425591775308862016-12-19T15:48:00.001-05:002016-12-19T15:54:43.049-05:00Disney trip reportHello, friends! Sorry I haven't gotten to post every day of our Advent study, but we've been busy finishing up the first half of our school year and doing and family and church activities. This time of year is always so busy and fun!<br />
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I thought I would switch gears for a post or two and tell you a bit about mine and Michael's 10th anniversary trip to Disney! I always enjoy reading reports of other people's vacations--living vicariously, I guess--and thought you might like to hear about our little trip.<br />
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We knew we wanted to do something special for our 10th wedding anniversary and Disney is our favorite place, so it seemed like a no brainer. I couldn't help but feel guilty, though, for going on such a nice trip without our kiddos. Ultimately, though, I decided we deserved it (Michael thought we deserved it the whole time ha!). My reasoning was this: On our wedding night, an hour after we arrived at the hotel where we were staying for that night, I developed the stomach virus. By the next day, Michael had contracted it and we spent the next 3 nights sick at a very nice bed and breakfast. On our first anniversary, we decided to try the same bed and breakfast again and, as fate would have it, we both developed the stomach virus on our first day there. On our second anniversary, I was pregnant with Kade and smack dab in the throes of "morning" sickness, so we didn't do anything. On our third anniversary, we had a four month old baby and I made a dry pot roast, which I sobbed over. I think we ended up getting $1 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's. And so on and so on for the next 6 years. We went out to eat several times, but we never spent the night anywhere or did anything really special.<br />
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Our anniversary is on December 30, but we knew that would be a very busy weekend at Disney, so we chose the weekend after Thanksgiving, which is still busy, but less so than NYE weekend. I chose to host Thanksgiving for both of our families at our house this year, so after we had eaten and cleaned up, we finished packing and dropped the kiddos off at my parents' house. Did I mention we couldn't have gone on this trip without the grandparents' help?!<br />
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Michael and I are veteran all-night to Orlando drivers. Well, he does most of the driving, but I keep him company so he doesn't fall asleep. We talked, turned the music up really loud and sang, stopped a couple of times for gas and snacks, and were really close to Orlando by around 7:30. We stopped for Starbucks and Cracker Barrel to take a little break.<br />
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Then, we were really ready to get there! We started seeing all of the familiar sights that always make us excited to be at Disney World again--Magical Express buses, the Holy Land Experience, Universal Studios, and finally those sweet, sweet Disney gates! We were back "home"!</div>
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We checked into our hotel, Port Orleans Riverside, and thankfully, they had a room ready for us! It was beautiful!</div>
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We were both exhausted and running on adrenaline, so we decided we'd better take a little nap before we headed out. However, after 10 minutes, we knew we were too excited to sleep, so we freshened up and headed out to explore. One of the things we've never done before at Disney is to go to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to see the decorations and their life size gingerbread house. I'd like to say it's my dream to stay at the Grand Floridian but both times we've taken the boys there, we spent half of the time saying, "No! Don't touch that! Don't run! Shhhh, be quiet!" so not anytime in the near future. It is definitely a grand resort, though!</div>
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There was a gigantic, beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the hotel, garland and bows everywhere, and as I mentioned, a life size gingerbread house.</div>
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Though we've eaten at 1900 Park Fare, one of the restaurants inside the Grand Floridian, we had never gotten the chance to explore this expansive resort before. Everything was gorgeous!</div>
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By this time, we were starving and headed back to our resort to eat lunch. We ate at the food court, which is called Riverside Mill and I didn't take any pictures, but I think Michael had a create-your-own pasta meal and I had a roast beef melt with house made chips. Both meals were yummy! After walking around our resort a little bit and getting ready, we headed out to dinner at Disney Springs. We had a reservation at 6:30 for a new restaurant called Chef Art Smith's Homecoming.</div>
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One of the neat things about staying at Port Orleans is that there is a boat that takes you straight to Disney Springs. It was a nice, peaceful 20 minute ride and when we reached the dock, we were greeted by this gorgeous sight--</div>
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We checked into our restaurant and were seated about 10 minutes later. From what I had read, it was a very Southern style restaurant, similar to Paula Deen's. They had deviled eggs, fried chicken, cheddar drop biscuits, Hummingbird cake, etc. We ordered some hushpuppies as a appetizer, which came with pimiento cheese and pepper jelly dips. I could have made a meal out of just those! For our entrees, Michael ordered a sandwich called the Hamilton, which was double burger patties on white bread, with chow chow and I don't know what else. I ordered chicken and donuts, which were delicious enough by themselves, but they also came with the best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten. They had a creamy, brown gravy with bits of bacon or ham and chives. I'm telling you, I'm still craving those mashed potatoes weeks later!</div>
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Bellies full, we set out to do some looking and shopping (mostly looking, because things at Disney are ridiculously priced and we go for the experience, not the souvenirs). We wanted to bring something home to the kids--guilt gifts, if you will--so we went into the Lego store and found some Lego ornaments for the boys.</div>
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Each of the ornaments had a little Lego set inside to build and then leave inside the ornament ball. They've taken them off the tree, torn them apart, and rebuilt them dozens of times already.</div>
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Something neat (and new!) at Disney Springs this year was the Christmas Tree Trail. They had an enclosed trail with at least 20 Christmas trees themed to every Disney movie imaginable. There was Christmas music and "snow" coming down everywhere. It was magical!</div>
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One of the many nice parts of this trip was that, even though we missed our kiddos immensely, we got to walk around holding hands and just enjoying each other's company without pushing a stroller or making sure no one got lost in the crowd.</div>
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We wanted to get ice cream at Ghirardelli's, but the line was literally out the door, so we headed to a place we tried on our last trip--Ample Hills Creamery at the Boardwalk Resort. </div>
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I got an Ooey Gooey Butter Cake ice cream sundae. It had a piece of wam, ooey gooey butter cake in the bottom, with ice cream of the same name, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. Oh my word!</div>
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We also got an extra treat! As we sat on the Boardwalk, eating our ice cream, we had a perfect view of the Christmas fireworks at Hollywood Studios.</div>
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Full and happy, we drove back to our resort and went to bed, ready for another day of fun!</div>
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To Be Continued.......</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-52762705190845253972016-12-06T11:21:00.001-05:002016-12-06T11:21:04.945-05:00Advent: Day 5Yesterday was day 5 in our Advent study; I can hardly believe it! Kade and Luke were both wondering what the clue for the day was going to be--and it was Mary! We read the same passage of scripture we read the day before when talking about Gabriel. I appreciate that the author of <i>Truth in the Tinsel </i>repeats the passages of scripture because each time, you're reading from a different perspective and each time, there's something new to talk about.<br />
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They colored their ornaments while we talked about how scary it must have been for Mary to hear she was going to be a mom at such a young age. Her response, however, showed only obedience to God.</div>
The ebook suggested that the kids act out Luke 1:26-38 with their Gabriel and Mary ornaments, so that's exactly what we did! I was not disappointed! Here are 4 different takes of our video.<br />
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I love the natural creativity of kids! I love that Luke would make the "Ahhhhh" angel sound when he was coming down as the angel Gabriel. I love that Kade screamed and jumped back in fear. On one of the videos, it's hard to tell, but Kade had Mary doing some laundry when Gabriel appeared to her. I even loved the video where Luke, as the angel, told Mary that she was going to have a baby and call him Jesus and Kade simply said, "Ok." We laughed when he said it, but I thought, well, that's basically what Mary did. She didn't argue with the angel or refuse his message. I also loved the realness of Grace, who couldn't stand not to be part of our Christmas play, and kept sitting on Luke's lap. I hope these videos remind me, in 10 years or so, that I took the time not only to teach my children, but to have some fun and relax a little.<br />
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That's something we mamas (and daddies) need to try to do more often. Be present. Take time to giggle. Really breathe in your kiddos. I know it's kind of a sidenote to the Advent study, but it's also really related. Don't just read them a lesson or a passage of scripture and leave it at that. Make it personal. Tell them what it means to you. Ask them how they would feel in a situation. Tell them how you think you would feel. The only way they'll see faith as something special, intimate, and personal is if you show them how personal it is to you.<br />
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Yesterday, I forced my brain to stop moving ahead at ten thousand miles an hour and to stay right where I was. Grace was playing a game with me while I was making my bed and she kept running down the hallway towards me, grinning, and then, when I held out my arms, she backed away, grinning and laughing. I just stopped and watched her, trying to capture the image of her almost 2 year old grin in my mind to keep forever. The boys and I played a game of Life and several times, I just sat in silence, soaking in all of their silliness and laughter. One day, they won't be here all the time and I hope that if I take the time to just <i>be </i>and to mentally capture all of their wisdom and love and laughter, even when our home is emptier and quieter, all of the memories we've made will fill our house with light and joy.<br />
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Try to slow down during this joyful and often busy season. Make room for Jesus and make room for memories. Don't go, go, go until suddenly, the season is over and all you've done is run here and there and stressed. It doesn't take much to make moments that will last forever. Only time.<br />
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-45022628920376792522016-12-05T09:30:00.000-05:002016-12-05T10:27:34.967-05:00Advent: Days 2, 3, and 4The end of last week and this weekend was filled with a Christmas parade, driving around seeing Christmas lights, getting out some more of our decorations, shopping for Christmas sweaters for a party we have coming up, church, and family time--but we still had Advent time each day!<br />
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On Friday, day 2, our clue was "Kingdom".<br />
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We read the same passage in Isaiah as we had on day 1, but this time we focused on God's kingdom and what kind of kingdom is was. We decided it was fair, safe, peaceful, and would last forever. We talked about what kind of King Jesus was--Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. I told them that even though God's kingdom wasn't set up on earth (yet), Jesus was still the king of our hearts and our lives.</div>
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On Day 3, our clue was "Zechariah". </div>
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We read the story of the angel Gabriel coming to Zechariah in the temple and telling him that, at his and Elizabeth's old age, they would have a son who would be very special and they would name him John. However, Zechariah was in disbelief at this news and Gabriel told him that because he doubted, he would not be able to speak until John's birth. We talked about how important it is to believe that what God says is true, even if it sounds unbelievable! God can do anything!</div>
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I had them draw an X over Zechariah's mouth to represent his mouth being shut because he didn't believe.</div>
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`Notice Luke is still in his pajamas. He would stay in them all day if I would let him!</div>
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On day 4, we had our Advent time after church while Daddy was making lunch for us all! The clue was "Gabriel".</div>
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We read the story of Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her, a teenager, that she would be having a baby. We talked about what crazy news that would be and how Mary responded. She didn't say, "Nope! I don't think so! Not doing that!" She said, "It will be as the Lord has says." What an obedient response!</div>
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We also read several other passages that described the other jobs angels having besides being messengers. They deliver us from dangerous situations if we fear the Lord, protect us, and minister to us.</div>
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Kade especially is really getting involved in these conversations and enjoying what we're doing. It's hard to get Luke to sit still for longer than 2 minutes, but he adds some stuff here and there. I love this study so far!</div>
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Here are a few other pictures from our Christmas-y weekend!</div>
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Watching the parade with Daddy</div>
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Kade and Luke watching the parade with friends</div>
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Falling asleep in front of the tree</div>
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Digging out our Christmas decorations</div>
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Before lighting the Advent candle at church on Sunday</div>
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It's hard to get these 3 to sit still, but they make a pretty cute picture!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday!!</span></b></div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-13885604841364880482016-12-01T11:20:00.000-05:002016-12-01T14:17:09.016-05:00Advent: Day 1Every year, I tell myself we're going to do an Advent study and countdown at our house and every year, I fail because I just can't seem to get anything together by myself. I mean, we do lessons here and there about preparing our hearts for the Christmas season and about why Jesus came, but nothing daily. This year, I finally decided to purchase an Advent study called Truth in the Tinsel (this is not a paid review and I paid full price for the book and printables) that includes a lesson for each day, a passage of scripture, a craft, and several printables. The crafts are normal kids' crafts that use tissue paper, beads, pipe cleaner, glue, etc. However, they also sell a file that includes printable ornaments, if you don't have or don't want to buy all of the materials for the regular crafts. I decided to go with the printable ornaments this year, but we may do the regular crafts next year.<br />
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Today was day one and I was very excited to start the study with the kids. We made a really easy, inexpensive (I think I spent $2.50 total at Hobby Lobby for the materials) countdown to hang on the wall that has the clue for each day on the back. Kade keeps trying to peek at all of the days and I won't let him, so he will be really excited to find out the hint for each day.<br />
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Today, the hint was the word "Light" with a candle. </div>
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We read in Isaiah about Jesus coming to be a light in the darkness and how that darkness is in our hearts if we don't have Jesus. While I was talking, they worked on their ornaments.</div>
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Aftewards, we cut them out, punched holes in the top, and hung them on our tree. It would be nice to have a tree just for our Advent ornaments. We may have to find something.</div>
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We also sang "This Little Light of Mine" and I told them that when we have the light of Jesus inside of us, it can shine out of us and help others find their way to Jesus.</div>
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<i><b>Thank you, God, for our light, Jesus, who can pierce the darkness of our hearts and show us the way to You.</b></i></div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-13341563260893840072016-11-30T17:00:00.001-05:002016-11-30T17:00:29.597-05:00Parents, Let's Be Kind to OurselvesMamas and Daddies, do you take care of yourselves? If you're like most of the parents I know (including myself), you probably don't. You're always putting yourself last and those sweet babies first. Thinking of them above everything. It's certainly a noble cause.<br />
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You know how that makes you feel after awhile, though? Like old, chewed up gum, stuck on the bottom of someone's shoe. You don't see yourself as very important; those smiling, red cheeked, sometimes whiny little people are the ones who are important. But you know what? So are you! And I would like to propose that you can take care of them and take care of you, too!<br />
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It might take a little bit of planning, but it could take none at all. My kids got a whole box of brand, spanking new clothes for winter in the mail today. Of course, I didn't order myself anything (I don't think they make Gymboree in my size anyway), but that doesn't mean I have to sit here in my holey yoga pants and feel sorry for myself. I can go to my closet and find something I already have that makes me feel good about myself, go buy myself a little something new, or just put on some make up and fix my hair.<br />
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Sometimes, we just need to get moving! Find a yoga video on YouTube, pop in those dusty exercise DVDs, or go for a walk. I guarantee you'll feel better about yourself when you finish, even if you're a little sweaty.<br />
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Cut out the negative thoughts about yourself! I'm always telling my kiddos how smart they are, how handsome/beautiful, kind, but my thoughts about myself are far from the same. Remind yourself during the day how valuable you are to your family and friends, what a good parent you are, and how hard you work (outside and inside the home). Find verses from the Bible that talk about how valuable you are to God (John 3:16 and Psalm 139:14 come to mind immediately) and post them around your house, in your car, or on your work desk. Tell the devil to get out and make room for the Holy Spirit to encourage you and strengthen you.<br />
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Do something that makes you a little nervous (in a healthy way). Attempt something that sounds challenging, but exciting. I just applied for a job as a part time writing coach because while I don't get to use the academic part of my brain very much (and the thought of exercising that muscle gives me butterflies), doing something like helping parents and students learn to teach writing and write sounds like a perfect fit for me. And if it's not, I'm going to be proud of myself for taking the time to try. Apply for a job you really want to do, but haven't had the confidence to even approach. Get involved in a new group, hobby, or craft. Challenges can be exciting!<br />
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It's ok to take some time away by yourself, with friends, or with your other half, too. Call it a plug to share some of my pictures with you, but last weekend, Michael and I took some time for ourselves. The end of December is our 10 year anniversary and we wanted to do something special. We went back and forth about it because we (mostly me) felt guilty about leaving the kids and doing something extravagant. We don't often even go on dates, but after this weekend, I think we should really start!<br />
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We love being mom and dad, but it was nice to just be "us" for a couple of days. We missed our 3 babies like crazy, but we also enjoyed being together and doing something fun.</div>
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Take care of yourself today, parents. Be kind to yourselves, love who you are, and take care of you while you're taking care of others. I can bet you'll be better people and parents because of it!</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-19953162040966002572016-11-21T15:08:00.000-05:002016-11-21T15:30:07.088-05:00Santa Claus-yum!We decorated our tree this weekend, which was--as always--delightful!<br />
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I think the kids broke 2 or 3 ornaments and at least one of them got stabbed with an ornament hook; they hung bunches of ornaments together in one spot on the tree (which drives my somewhat OCD self bananas), and Grace decorated and undecorated the bottom part of the tree several times. But hey, what's tree decorating all about anyway, if not fun?</div>
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They definitely look more angelic in the soft glow of a couple hundred twinkling lights, though, don't you think?</div>
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In all seriousness, it's always fun to get into the Christmas mood when you have children. It was so sweet to watch Grace get the hang of decorating and hear her sweet little voice say, "Priii-ty!" every time she put an ornament on a branch. The boys wanted me to put on some Christmas music and they were all singing and dancing. I cherish evenings like that with my precious family.</div>
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Anyway, growing up, Christmas was a wonderful holiday at my house, but we didn't do much with Santa. It's not that my parents were all like, "Hey! Santa Claus isn't real, kid. The presents come from us, so don't be thinking some magical guy in a red suit is going to fly through the air with your presents on Christmas Eve." I just remember always kind of realizing that Santa was pretend. We watched movies with Santa and read stories with Santa in them, so we definitely weren't anti-Santa. Just neutral, I guess.</div>
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I know that some Christians are firmly in the anti-Santa camp, because they say what if they tell their children Santa is real and then they get older and realize he's not? What if they think mom and dad lied about Jesus being real as well?</div>
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When Kade was little, I remember telling Michael, "Let's not really do Santa. Let's keep the focus on Jesus" and I think I probably even told Kade once or twice, "Now, remember, Santa is just a fun story we talk about." If you think that's terrible, oh well. I was new at the parenting gig.</div>
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As the kids have gotten older, we have *ahem* kind of gotten more into the Santa thing. For some reason, Kade, all on his own, decided that he thought maybe Santa was real. What was I supposed to say? I didn't want to shoot him down and say, "No, he's not! Don't you remember? He's just pretend!" I think I just smiled and said, "Oh, do you?" Then, my parents took the boys to one of those Polar Express train experiences, where they got one of the bells from "Santa's sleigh" as a souvenir. They came home and kept testing me to see if I could hear the bell, too. So sue me! What's a mom to do? I had to play along! I would say, "No! I don't hear that bell at all. I think it's broken." They would smile sneakily at each other and say, "Oh, mom you must not believe anymore!"</div>
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Then, Michael (who didn't grow up in a neutral Santa house) got into the spirit of things. He found this app where you can have Santa "call" you and tell your children certain messages. He has Santa call the boys all year round. We now live in a fairly pro-Santa house. We still keep the focus on Jesus and giving but Santa is hanging out here, too. It's just another one of those issues as a parent where I have once again had to eat my own words. "We're not going to <i>do</i> Santa Claus!" Yummy!</div>
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So what do you do with your children? Are you pro-Santa, neutral Santa, or anti-Santa? Share!</div>
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Leah</div>
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LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-46417130210085744862016-11-20T23:38:00.001-05:002016-11-21T15:14:55.794-05:00TreasuresElection season--and now post-election season--has been so fun to watch on social media (NOT). The only thing I am thankful for is for managing to stay out of the fray, not because I don't have an opinion, but because at this point in the game, no clever meme or even well-phrased argument is going to persuade someone with an opposite point of view from me to see things my way. It's just not happening, y'all. I've seen Christians arguing with other Christians, Christians being ugly or smart alecky to nonbelievers, and nonbelievers being ugly to Christians.<br />
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Which brings me to something I've been kind of holding close for awhile. I've had a tough time growing up the last several years. Yes, I know I'm way, way into adult life and have been married for almost 10 years and have 3 children, but I never felt like a grown up, with a weight of worldly experiences from the school of hard knocks. I never had bad experiences with people, definitely not anything that might leave me bitter. I've always had so many people in my life, from birth, who I felt treasured me and I treasured them as well. I always felt like I grew up in this really safe cocoon. I didn't really feel like a grown up adult.<br />
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I've learned something in the last few years, though. I've kind of been forced out of that safe cocoon. I've realized that as an adult, other adults don't always make you feel treasured. They don't always watch out for your feelings or treat you with kid gloves--not even (and sometimes, especially) Christians. Now, you're probably thinking, "Really? You're just now figuring that out?" and the answer is yes. I guess I should consider myself blessed that it took me this long. For awhile after I experienced some things that made me feel, let's say, not so treasured, I felt really jaded. I felt like blinders had been torn from my eyes and I didn't like it. Not one bit. I didn't feel so treasured anymore. I felt kind of distrusting toward people in general.<br />
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Now the question is, even if this is a common experience for everyone at some point, is it ok? I don't think it is. We are all treasures--to God and to each other--and we should treat each other as such. The apostles spent a large part of the New Testament admonishing the church to live in peace with each other, to love each other, to avoid controversy and arguments, and to take care of each other. Do we do that? Sheesh, we as Christians don't do that to each other, much less to unbelievers. Maybe we would be a much better witness to the world if we did, though.<br />
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Starting right now, you have a chance to treat everyone you encounter (face to face or online) as a treasure. We all have different gifts and talents, various callings, and unique perspectives to bring to the table. Each one of us was hand crafted by God. Even if you can't find one good quality in someone, even if every one of their opinions differs from yours, they are a treasure to God.<br />
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Ask God to give you His eyes today, so that you can see other people the ways He sees them. Then, ask Him to fill you with His love so that you can treat others as the treasures they are, even when it's hard. This world is our home, for now. Make a difference.<br />
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Leah<br />
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-44666158262760451112016-11-20T07:43:00.003-05:002016-11-20T07:43:54.008-05:00ForeverThanksgiving is coming! We've been trying to make thankfulness the theme of our homeschool days this month. Our verse of the month (sometimes, when I feel really motivated, we do a verse every week, but often, we stretch it out) has been Psalm 107:1--"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."<br />
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Kade has been keeping a thankfulness journal and every day, he has to write about something he is thankful for and why. They have been very sweet.<br />
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I'm not going to pretend that every day, he says, "Oh yes, mom! I know exactly what I'm thankful for today!" because sometimes, he writhes around in his chair or on the floor, saying, "I don't know what to write!" in a very whiny voice. Sometimes, when he gets really aggravated (or just doesn't want to write), he says, "I don't have anything to be thankful for!" </div>
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Don't we do this as adults? There are days that we think, "I don't have anything to be thankful for! Everything is all wrong. We want to writhe around in the floor or lay in bed with the covers over our heads because truly, it feels like everything <i>is </i>wrong. If we sat down and made a list of all the things we have to be thankful for at one time, I'll bet we'd be really surprised--and feel much more thankful. </div>
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And sometimes, our children are more thankful than we realize--</div>
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I love this one! It's so simple, but I'm glad he doesn't take having food for granted.</div>
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I'm thankful that even on the days we don't feel thankful, God's love still endures forever. It's the same yesterday, today, and for all of eternity. His love doesn't ebb and flow with the times and seasons. It's certainly not some ooey, gooey feeling he gets by looking at us, our imperfections, our sins, and our ugliness. It's a fierce, protective love that wants to see all of us--because we were all created by Him and for Him--come to Him. It's a love that never gives up.</div>
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And that is really something to be thankful for.</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-64528617775126114792016-11-19T23:23:00.000-05:002016-11-20T07:19:03.842-05:00Always Something...I've thought many times about changing the name of this blog. I started "A New Thing" at a time in my life when my world was absolutely rocked by the birth of the most precious gift I never knew I wanted. Everything I thought I wanted in life changed. God did this crazy, wonderful new thing in me and I wrote--and <b><i>WROTE</i></b>--about it. He showed Himself in my life everyday, in a thousand, big and small, incredible ways. Despite my lack of trust or desire to control everything, He proved faithful to me.<br />
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Then, I had two more children and started homeschooling and dealt with some tough adult-ish things and over time, that passion in me--for writing, for sharing my experiences with <i>anyone</i>--kind of waned. Most of you mothers know how it is. Sometimes, you get to a point where you almost feel like you've lost yourself. Either you pour everything you have into your children or if you work outside the home, your job and your children. Sometimes, the real you seems lost to fear and anxiety. Or maybe you're just too darn tired to care.<br />
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Then, you have a moment (or two) of crisis. You think, "Who am I?", "Do I even like who I am?" and "Who am I supposed to be?" I've had those moments this year and I'm still not exactly sure of the answers. I do know that God is at work in me, though. He knows exactly who I am when all I feel like is worn out mom. He's always wanting to do something new in me, if I'll let Him. I want to be here to tell you all about it and I'd love to hear how He's working in you, too. I don't have all the answers, but I know Who does. And I'm a good listener. :)<br />
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Stay tuned.LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-4369089830830257252016-09-24T08:45:00.002-04:002016-09-24T08:45:44.718-04:00Bloom.......somewhere!There are probably times in all of our lives that we're not content where we are. Sometimes we aren't happy with where we are in life, generally. Other times, we're not content in a specific situation--the town in which we live, our house, the church we attend, our job.....you get the idea. Living with these feelings of discontent is not fun. We feel unsatisfied, unfulfilled, unmotivated.<br />
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I have something to say to all of us, today---bloom where you're planted........or plant yourself somewhere else! If you know for sure that God has called you to be where you are, dig in your heels and get to work. I'm sure you've heard the quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world". If you aren't happy with your situation or with the things going on around you, change it! Get involved, volunteer, organize, re-decorate, make new friends--do <i>something</i>, because <u style="font-weight: bold;">doing nothing is going to change nothing</u>.<br />
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And if all else fails, <span style="font-size: large;">replant</span> yourself and bloom there! We can do that, you know? And it's ok. In fact, maybe it will be the best thing you've ever done.<br />
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Just bloom <b>somewhere, </b>because living a discontented life isn't fun. It isn't the life God intended us to live. He wants us to live in a way that brings glory to His name and that reflects His greatness! There will be hard times no matter where we're planted, but if we water ourselves with the Word and let His light shine on us and through us, we will get through the hard times and continue to bloom and thrive.<br />
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Happy Saturday!!LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-37537775530502588342016-08-06T00:00:00.000-04:002016-08-06T00:00:09.080-04:00To the baby who made me a mom.....I didn't know I wanted a baby--until suddenly, I did. God knew all along it would be you.<br />
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You, who would change everything about me from the moment I first held you.</div>
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You grew far faster than I ever knew possible. </div>
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Sometimes, I'm afraid I'm too hard on you. You're the big brother with all of the responsibility of setting an example for your little brother and sister. I know it's tough, but I'm so proud of you.</div>
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Sometimes, you drive me bananas because your favorite phrase is, "I know, mom". You are so smart and so full of big thoughts.</div>
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Your favorite place is a quiet corner with a book or a big box of Legos. </div>
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You are invaluable to our family. As dad and I tell you all the time, you made us a family. We wouldn't be "The Bowman Family" without you. You are my favorite 7 year old of all time and I love you more than you will ever know.</div>
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Happy 7th Birthday to my first baby!</div>
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LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-47422866841420169202016-08-03T17:18:00.003-04:002016-08-03T22:03:04.153-04:00The Language of Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm married to a pretty amazing guy, y'all. That's why I snatched him up so early--I didn't want anyone else to get to him! :)</div>
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Plus, we make some pretty gorgeous babies.</div>
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Even though he's absolutely amazing, he isn't perfect. And neither am I. Once in a blue moon, he forgets to take the trash down on trash day. Occasionally, he doesn't read the honey-do list in my mind and do everything around the house. Sometimes, I'm too critical. Every once in awhile, I obsess over money even though we have always had enough and make him feel like he's not enough.</div>
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Something I have learned in the last several years though is to very carefully guard my mouth when it comes to talking about my other half. The things we say are so important in relationships; words can build up or completely tear down. If Michael forgets to take down the trash, I don't text a friend or my mom and say, "Ugh, Michael is so lazy. I can't believe he didn't take the trash down again! He never does anything around the house." If we ever have a fight, I don't give a play by play to my BFF or post vague statuses on Facebook. One of the main reasons I don't broadcast things that happen in my marriage is because they're between me and my spouse. We're the ones who have to work the issue out. Another reason is that any issues we have are usually very short lived and sometimes, even petty. We might resolve the issue in less than a day, but if we've vented to family or friends, they're much less likely to forget about it. If I vent to my family and friends about my spouse on a regular basis, they're eventually going to have a pretty negative view of him.</div>
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What I try to do is brag as frequently as I can about my husband, both in front of him and behind his back. I don't mean in an over the top or insincere way. I literally focus on all of his good qualities (of which there are many) and find opportunities to mention them--even to our own children! I want them to know that mommy thinks daddy is the best! The bottom line is that he is a wonderful, loving, hardworking, patient husband and father and I want other people to see that. I also want <i><b>him</b></i> to know that I feel that way. I want to encourage him to be who God has called him to be.</div>
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In Proverbs 31, the writer mentions a wife who brings her husband "...good, not harm, all the days of her life." I want to be that kind of wife--a blessing to my husband. I want other people to see how much I genuinely admire him and why. I want other people to respect him for who he is, not resent him for a few silly arguments that mean nothing in the scheme of things.</div>
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I challenge you to say <b><i>only</i></b> good things about your spouse today--in front of him/her and to others. You might be amazed at the way your relationship changes and thrives!</div>
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(I think it goes without saying that if someone is in an abusive marriage, they should definitely not keep to themselves and protect their abuser. Please, tell someone and protect yourself and your children)</div>
LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-51728266096607372272016-08-02T22:24:00.002-04:002016-08-02T22:24:43.909-04:00Back to SchoolI'm going to try to do some blogging about home school this year. I obviously have a hard time committing to blogging, but I really would like to put down some of my thoughts, if only for myself to look back on later.<br />
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Anyway, we are ready for another year of school! We started on the last Friday in July, because I like to start early and therefore, end a little early. There's nothing like that feeling of being through with school while everyone else is still slaving away. Just kidding! (I wish there were emoticons in blogging)<br />
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Kade is in second grade this year and Luke is doing pre-K/Kindergarten work. He's only 4, but he's so eager to learn that I wanted to do some structured lessons with him. Of course, we had to do the obligatory first day of school pictures!<br />
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Kade said this was a second grade pose.</div>
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We start our school year like pretty much any classroom. We get settled, go over basic things like the calendar, and do a first day of school activity. I found a worksheet on Pinterest that had a place to draw a picture of yourself and then had the student list all sorts of things about himself or herself--name, birthday, date, favorite food, favorite book, favorite color, etc. We did something similar last year and a friend of mine (who is also a retired educator) told me that she thought it was neat that I did "normal school things with my children". Well, yeah.</div>
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Luke was very excited about starting the day. He told me to take this picture while he yelled, "School time!"</div>
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This year, as usual, I'm using a variety of curriculum. I'm not really one to use a boxed curriculum. I like to piece together different programs I find or hear about. Here's a list of what we're using for each subject:</div>
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<i>Math-Math U See (Beta)</i></div>
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We usually try to begin at 9:00. Before then, I like the boys (or at least Kade) to be dressed, have eaten breakfast, made their beds, and have brushed their teeth. I'm not really a homeschool-in-your-pajamas person. Today is only our third day of school, but I like to have the majority of our school work done before lunch, with only 1-2 things left to do after Grace's naptime. I prefer to use naptime to do things around the house and relax for a couple of minutes while the boys play Legos or occasionally watch something on the iPad.</div>
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I love the flexibility of homeschooling. I love that we could begin later in the morning or not do any school until after lunch. I love that our learning is not confined to a classroom and field trips can be anywhere and anytime. I love that we can choose how we learn. I love the fact that I learn almost as much as my students.<br />
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This is not to say that every day is roses. There are sibling fights, whining, complaining, stomping, tears--the usual kid stuff. I told a friend the other day that I wish I could remember all of the good moments so that when the not-so-good moments occur, I could let them roll off of my back. The other day, while we were taking a snack break, Kade said, "Mom, you're the best mom. I like how you do everything. You're my teacher, you teach me and Rachel piano--and your other students--and you're just plain mom. I'm so glad." Those are the little moments I wish I could tuck away in my heart forever, but I know I'll forget them unless I write them down. </div>
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It's not always easy being teacher mom and "just plain mom", but it's so worth it. I love seeing light bulbs go off when they realize they can read a word or do a math problem. I love seeing their excitement when they learn about outer space or want to read further into a book to find out what's going to happen. </div>
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Homeschooling might not be for everyone, but it's for us. I wouldn't trade these moments for anything! When I was pregnant with Kade, Michael and I were talking about different thing we would/wouldn't do as parents and I said, "There are two things I will never do: stay at home or home school. Homeschoolers are weird!" Oh, how we eat our own words!</div>
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<br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-77927742041096799552016-05-11T22:51:00.005-04:002016-05-11T23:00:13.249-04:00Don't forget your helmet!I'm the kind of person who has a tendency to internalize every single thing that someone says (or that I interpret them to be saying) to me. I can mull over these thoughts for hours, analyzing the other person's words and tone, until I can hardly think straight. Sometimes, I let these thoughts define who I am--mediocre mom, atrocious writer, average praise and worship leader, and so on and so on. In fact, the longer I dwell on the other person's words, the worse the situation becomes, in my mind, and the lower I esteem myself. After awhile, I tend to draw my identity from these negative thoughts and resent the people who, I think, made me feel that way. Is anyone out there in the same boat?<br />
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We're doing a Bible study at church on Wednesday nights called "The Armor of God", by Priscilla Shirer. The study is all about the armor of God (duh!), what it is and how to use it. As followers of Christ, we already have this armor at our beck and call. The question is, are we going to put it on? It's as simple as this--if you're a baseball player and you have all the equipment (balls, bats, helmet, mitt), would you come to the baseball field, leave all of your equipment in the dugout, and then complain because you couldn't play properly? God has equipped us with everything we need to live this life for Jesus; we have no excuse to live unarmed. If we do, we're open to all of the devil's tricks and tactics.<br />
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Ephesians 6:17 tells us to "take the helmet of salvation". What does a helmet protect? Your head, right? Where does all of our thinking go on? Our brains--most specifically, our minds. If the helmet we wear is one of salvation, then we have to ask ourselves what salvation changes about us, that it would guard our minds, like a helmet. <br />
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There are several good verses about the subject, but Ephesians 4:22-24 says that, "...you lay aside the old self...and that you be <b>renewed</b> in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." When we decide to follow Jesus, our minds should be made completely new. We should see everything in a new light--ourselves, others, situations in our lives. We should see them all through the filter of Christ. <br />
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The second part of 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, "...but we have the mind of Christ." Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the <b>renewing</b> of your mind." These verses are just confirmation that salvation should change our thought patterns and thought process. The devil would love to worm his way into our thoughts and make them self destructive, as well as destroy our relationships with others and most importantly, our relationship with God. <br />
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The thing about the armor of God is that we have to <i>choose</i> to put it on everyday--just as we have to choose to follow Jesus everyday. We might not always feel like it and we might just plain not want to, but if we don't, we might as well be (spiritually) naked and unprotected. Sometimes, we just need to remind ourselves over and over who we are in Christ--we are loved (John 3:16), we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), we are God's workmanship, created in Christ to do good works (Eph 2:10), we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil 4:13), we are God's children (1 Peter 1:23), we are new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17), we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and many, many other things that the Word says about who we are. <br />
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Instead our leaving our minds open to whatever thoughts try to creep in, we need to keep that helmet of salvation on at all times. We need to let our minds be renewed by the Holy Spirit. If we really mess up, we need to fix the situation and move on. If we're truly living for Christ, though, the only person's opinion that matters is His, as hard as it is to get it through this thick skull and these tender hearts of ours.<br />
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This isn't just about having positive thoughts, y'all; this is about knowing who we are, <i>whose</i> we are, and confidently living that way. Our identity is found in Christ!<br />
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And of course, you can't <i>just </i>wear the helmet either, because that leaves the rest of you unprotected. All of the pieces of armor work together to keep every part of <i>you</i> covered and prepared for battle. Study them! Use them! I'm a work in progress and hopefully, you are, too.LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-85490173137893921252016-04-15T11:55:00.001-04:002016-04-15T11:55:47.083-04:00My BookAre there any <i>Little Women </i>fans out there? In 1994, when I was 9 years old, I was in the middle of reading the novel when the movie came out in theaters. My parents took us to see it one cold, snowy night and I was immediately enthralled with Winona Ryder as the independent, spunky Jo March. We didn't own many movies on VHS growing up, but I'm fairly certain that my parents bought me a copy of <i>Little Women </i>not long after it came out. My friends and I giggled at the kissing scene between lovestruck Laurie and Jo, and cried when Beth died, but one of my favorite scenes was when Jo stayed up all night to write the book that would become <i>Little Women</i>. <br />
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As an avid reader and writer, this was my dream--to pour all of my thoughts and emotions into a piece of writing that other people would love. I could see myself doing it all in one emotionally charged night, just like Jo March. </div>
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I became an English teacher at 21, but I didn't take much time to write for fun. After 3.5 years of writing papers in college, maybe I was burnt out. I don't know. When I was 24, Kade was born. The moment I saw him, God changed my heart. He softened it, He changed my wants, desires, plans, dreams--everything. God used a baby to wreck my heart. It changed the whole course of my life.</div>
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Anyway, several months after that, I started blogging. Sometimes, I typed with one hand while nursing a baby. I was in the Word all the time and God was consistently putting things on my heart that I would post on my blog. Over the course of several months, I wrote more posts, but didn't share many of them on my blog. I ended up sending them to a publisher, but it didn't work out at the time. However, several years and 2 more children later, I had the opportunity to publish my book. It's a 31 day devotional filled with scripture and hopefully, encouragement.</div>
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The book is called <i>Confessions of a Control Freak</i> because I have trouble (yes, I still do) letting God have control over everything in my life--and I put it all out there! I think almost everyone could relate to something that I've gone through, but if not, you can at least laugh with me. I pray that it touches at least one person, though. It's all for God's glory anyway! <br />
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If you want to purchase the Kindle version of my book, you can do it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Control-Freak-Month-Devotional-ebook/dp/B01E9N65CK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1460735502&sr=8-4&keywords=confessions+of+a+control+freak" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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If you read it, would you do me a favor? Leave a review at that same link and tell me what you think. I'd really like to know! <br />
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<i></i><br />LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-22215226355709965202016-03-17T21:59:00.001-04:002016-03-17T22:03:03.052-04:00"Irish you a happy St. Patrick's Day!"I don't get the chance to blog very much between mommin' it, homeschooling, taking a college class, teaching piano lessons, and leading praise and worship BUT I have a few minutes tonight, so here I am. Don't hold me to blogging on a regular basis, ok? I'll do my best.<br />
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We always do a little something for St. Patrick's Day. After all, my paternal ancestry is Irish. I've learned so much about St. Patrick since we started studying about him. Did you know he wasn't even <em>from </em>Ireland? And his birth name wasn't even Patrick? He was born in England and kidnapped by pirates who sold him as a slave in Ireland. After 6 years, he was able to escape and made it back home, where he finished school. Eventually, he felt God calling him back to Ireland--where he had been a <strong><em>slave</em></strong>--and he obeyed! He spent the rest of his life in Ireland, spreading the gospel and bringing people to Jesus.<br />
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This is a video my kiddos always enjoy watching--<br />
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So, really, St. Patrick's Day is all about the Good News--even the shamrock that some people see as a lucky charm!<br />
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We looked at a world map and talked about the distance between England and Ireland, as well as the distance between the United States and Ireland. We looked at the flag of Ireland and talked about why people associate the color green with that country. In the past, we've done some coloring sheets.<br />
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We had some fun, too! At breakfast, when I turned my back, someone turned the boys' milk green.<br />
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Then, we made Lucky Charms bar graphs. I found the graph <a href="http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-patricks-day-activities.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The boys separated their marshmallows and organized them onto the graph. Afterwards, Kade did a couple of math worksheets that had him write math equations (i.e. How many hearts and shamrocks do you have? Make a math equation to show the total) and use greater than or less than signs. Luke made patterns with his marshmallows.</div>
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Then, we threw away the marshmallows.</div>
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HA! Yeah, right! They ate every one.</div>
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We had to learn about the respiratory system after that and I couldn't find a way to fit that into St. Patrick's Day, so that was the end of our St. Paddy's Day fun.</div>
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Oh, tonight, my mom told Kade a couple of jokes:</div>
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"Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Irish." "Irish, who?" "Irish you a happy St. Patrick's Day!"</div>
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"What do you call a piece of furniture who is Irish?" "Paddy O'Furniture"</div>
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Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!!</div>
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LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-80295797812595685702016-02-08T22:29:00.003-05:002016-02-08T22:29:41.913-05:00ONE and FOUR<div style="text-align: center;">
My baby girl is ONE!<br />
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And my baby boy is FOUR!</div>
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They are both so special. Luke is a classic middle child--he craves attention! He is a ham and a half and keeps us laughing, even when we shouldn't. I wish I had the time to write down all of the things he says, every day. Grace thinks that everything he does is hilarious. He is also strong willed and stubborn, but very cuddly and sweet. Kind of like a Sour Patch Kid.</div>
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This is his robot dance. Also, he was proud that he buttoned his pajamas himself and tucked in his shirt. He also brushed his own hair and parted it right down the middle. He has his mama's sense of fashion.</div>
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And how did this--</div>
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get to this?</div>
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My sweet, baby girl, who sleeps in her own bed all night (most of the time) and has a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. Her brothers don't give her a moment's peace and I don't expect that they ever will. She is smothered with love all day, every day. I can't imagine our lives without her. </div>
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I can't imagine our lives without either of them. Or their big brother and daddy. God has blessed me with the most wonderful family, twice! I was born into an awesome family and God gave me the best husband and 3 incredible, sometimes crazy, but still amazing children. How much more could I ask for?</div>
LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-71943350726935288842015-06-25T11:54:00.001-04:002015-06-25T11:54:40.870-04:00I Have TimeI have 3 kids, now, y'all. THREE. That means we're a family of five. That sounds so huge, even though it's only one more than we had before.<br />
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Look at them! Are they not the cutest?! And they're smart, too. <br />
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Anyway, I thought having three children would be easy. I rocked one. I finally got a handle on two. And then God surprised me with three! What's one more, though? Oh, wow. I'm going to be really honest with you here, though. I had extreme--extreme--postpartum anxiety. For months. As in, I woke up every hour of the night sure I was going to find a dead baby in the cosleeper next to me. As in, I had to take my seatbelt off in the car and check her breathing every 5 minutes when we drove anywhere. As in, I had to Google every sound, every bump, every sneeze, sure I would find some deadly explanation. If you have ever had that kind of anxiety or are still going through it, I feel ya momma (or daddy). You can't just turn it off and it kind of takes over your every thought. Some people might say it's all the devil and he probably does take our thoughts and run with them, if we let him. But sometimes, it's just plain hormonal.<br />
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Also, my attention is now divided in 3 directions. There is a little more laundry. There's a little less sleep. A little more chaos. Homeschooling a 5 year old with a 3 year old and a newborn is also pretty tough.<br />
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On the other hand, there is more love. There's one more baby to nurse and cuddle. There are more cute baby clothes (girly ones at that) in the midst of the grass stained shorts and dirty underwear. There are more kisses than I can count from brothers who are wrapped around a little girl's finger. There is more.<br />
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Here has been the problem, though. Sometimes, when I want to distract myself from the chaos of life, I get wrapped up in something else. Something besides what's going on in the moment. Maybe you've done it before, too? Sometimes, I check Facebook too much during the day. Or research vacations. Or, just sit and get lost in my own thoughts instead of being present. Then, when one of my children needs my attention, I get really frustrated. Instead of being right there with them, I respond in anger, because I'm not present enough to consider the situation and respond patiently. It's like, "How dare you interrupt me from the reverie of my own thoughts?! I need time for ME!" <br />
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And you know what? That's selfish of me. I do get "me" time. My husband lets me sleep with the baby until he leaves for work. He makes me coffee and I get to enjoy it while the kiddos watch a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I get to take a hot shower every day and my children very rarely interrupt it. After they go to bed, I always get at least a couple hours of alone time before I go to sleep. <br />
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My children deserve to have me here, to have me present, <em>most</em> of the day. They deserve to have a mama who responds patiently, with my full attention on the problem at hand. Because I have the time. I have time. And they deserve my best.<br />
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So this week, I have been present for them. I've checked my phone less and read my Bible more. In fact, when I've been tempted to check Facebook too much, I've opened up my Bible (or Bible app) instead. And you know what? There has been peace in my home. Even when my boys have acted up, there has been peace on the inside of me instead of impatience. I have time. I have time to show them the right way to behave. I have time to display patience and grace and love and to have FUN! Lots and lots of fun!<br />
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Today, my sweet baby girl is five months old, <strong><em>already</em></strong>. I was getting ready to lay her down for her nap, when I looked up in the mirror and saw myself holding this 13 pound baby--who used to only weigh 6 pounds a very short time ago. So, I stood there and rocked her longer. And when she woke up smiling 20 minutes later--I wasn't mad. I have time. Time is my gift to my children and I promise I will give them all I can!<br />
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LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-30451596493413287692014-04-15T09:55:00.003-04:002014-04-15T09:59:52.549-04:00Christ, our Passover....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Growing up, our church always celebrated Passover, complete with yarmulkes and real lamb. The children always went on a search to clear the church of leaven (pieces of bread). Another child was picked was ask the traditional Jewish questions about when the Israelites first came out of Egypt. We ate lamb, matzah (unleavened bread), bitter herbs, charoses (a mixture of apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and I don't know what else), and parsley dipped in salt water (to represent the tears the Israelites shed in slavery). I didn't always understand exactly what was going on, but it always felt like such a holy experience.<br />
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I also didn't understand--simply because I was too young--the spiritual significance that Passover has today for followers of Jesus. It is amazing to me how so many things in Old Testament are shadows of what Jesus was to bring later by his death and resurrection. For Passover, originally, it was a celebration of the angel of death passing over God's people because of the blood of the lamb on their door posts. Because of that, they were then able to leave their life of slavery in Egypt.<br />
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In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul says, "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed (NASB). Traditionally, Jewish people get rid of all the leaven in the house before preparing for Passover and making their unleavened bread. After Jesus' sacrifice, this became a symbol of the way that we, as followers of Jesus, should cleanse our lives of sin and become a new person, free of sin. Because Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed for us (<i><b>once and for all!!!!!)</b></i>, we are now covered by His blood, (just as the Israelites covered their doorposts with the blood of a lamb) so that eternal death passes over us. We can journey out of sin and into the new life and the eternal promise that God has for us.<br />
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In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." The word fulfill here is "pleroo" (Greek), which means "to fill up". Passover was (and still is) a celebration of the awesome and miraculous thing God did for His people, but now--it's a symbol of the awesome and miraculous thing God did for His people (now made up of Jews AND Gentiles) through the lasting sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus filled up the meaning of Passover--he gave it it's full measure of meaning. He also did that in many other ways obviously; I'm just focusing on Passover today. In the last several years, I have just realized how everything Jesus did in the New Testament filled up the meaning of everything in the Old Testament. It's just mind blowing to me! And we can celebrate because the things Jesus did have lasting, eternal value to us! He gives us a place to call home for forever, that no one can ever take away.<br />
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Happy Passover, y'all! Resurrection day is coming!LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6890063173146387098.post-8399927005126099812014-04-13T17:42:00.002-04:002014-04-13T17:44:36.188-04:00A Palm Sunday tidbitThis isn't really about Palm Sunday. Or come to think of it, maybe it kind of is.....<br />
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I was just doing some dishes, which is when I do some of my best thinking. I was so stinkin' angry about something. The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. Finally, my anger threatened to spill out of my eyes. I walked over to my laptop for a second and the first post I saw on my Facebook news feed was from Casting Crowns. It said, "We love, because He first loved us. John 4:19" And then I did start to cry. We don't love because other people deserve it (they probably don't think I deserve it sometimes, either ;) ). We don't love only our friends or family. We don't love just the people we agree with. <b><u>We love because God loved us and sent His Son to die for us when <i>we </i>didn't deserve it</u></b>. Man, talk about a revelation I already knew that God had to remind me of in the moment I needed it.<br />
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When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He knew it was almost the beginning of His earthly suffering. He knew who would betray Him, who would deny Him, and who would cry, "Crucify him!" by the end of the week. Still, He showed love. Still, He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and let Himself be beaten and nailed to the cross. Whew, what a standard to try to live up to!<br />
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Jesus knew His future, though. And so can we, if we love and follow in His steps.LMBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14226819186274442766noreply@blogger.com0