Some exciting things!

Hi all!  Eeek, has it really been that long since I last posted?  Keeping up with a blog is something you  seem to need to be disciplined at....which I'm not.  Oh well, sometimes is better than not at all, right?  So, a few quick "plugs" for you today!  I just finished reading a great book that has described how I feel about motherhood.  "Desperate: Hope for the Mom that Needs to Breathe" by Sally Clarkson & Sarah Mae is amazing!  I got it on Monday & finished it on Tuesday.  Great, great read for mothers with littles.  Totally encouraging, inspiring, motivating & awesome.  My dream is for every young mother to have a mentor & this book addresses that.  So, go get it!  Sallys blog is itakejoy.com.  She is a great woman with a heart for motherhood.  She is my role model & I admire the way she has raised her children.

Next thing, today I went to "Cupcake Wars & Prayer Victories."  It was awesome!  It is by Moms In Prayer, a group whose focus is to have every school in the world should be covered in prayer.  Awesome.  So excited to be a part of this when my kids are in school.  For a group near you, go to http://www.momsinprayer.org/.

Enjoy friends!

Quick Update...

Hi all, so sorry for the length of time between posts.  Since I'm new at blogging consistently, I'm not sure what I should expect of myself yet, so bear with me....Just a quick update on life here in Sioux Falls:

* We found a church, thank you Lord!  Sioux Falls First is a vibrant, dynamic, Spirit filled church!  It reminds us so much of The Vineyard we attended & loved in IL.  We sang all Vineyard songs a few weeks ago & I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.  Laugh because of God's goodness or cry because I miss my friends there SO MUCH!  Which is another topic...

* Moving to SD in the fall/winter + being home + not finding a church for a while = hard to get connected!  I am really doing what I can though.  I'm trying/planning on hosting a mom's Bible study in our home to make some deep girlfriends here, I joined a MOPS group, we are doing LifeGroups....what else do you suggest for making good girlfriends?  We have moved a few times & I know it takes time....just trying to be patient.

That's all I've got for now - kids are sick, so my brain is a bit more fried than normal, lol!

Until next time........

Teaching kids to reach beyond themselves....

Any friends have ways they teach kids to reach beyond themselves?  I'm thinking of serving, making something for people who are sick, etc.  Anyone have a way they practice this in their families?  Thanks!

Wintertime fun!

For all of you picture people, here are some fun things we have been able to do this winter here in SD!  

* Winter Wonderland - a huge display of Christmas lights at Falls Park.
* Sledding - SO much fun!  

Look Up!

One of my favorite parts of our new house here in Sioux Falls is in the ceiling.  This is the ceiling over our dining room table.  I LOVED our old house in Illinois.  Yes, I loved it so much that I have shed several tears over leaving it.  I still tear up sometimes thinking about it.  It was my dream house - it had everything I ever envisioned in a house & then some.  So, it was very bittersweet to leave it.

Don't get me wrong, I like our new house here too.  It is beautiful!  It is very different than our other house in Illinois, which is hard.  I am so good at comparing what this house doesn't have that our house in Illinois had or wishing this house had something it had, etc.  You know the drill.  

Today, I was looking at the ceiling here & thinking about how often I don't look at it.  It is one of my favorite things here but I get so caught up in my day to day life that I overlook this beauty.  It made me wonder how often I do that in my daily life.  I get so caught up in what is going on around me that I miss what is above me.  How many times do I engrossed in wishing I had something else that I forget what I have?  How often do I forget to look up & thank God for all He has generously given me?  I encourage you, my friends, to look up today & be thankful!

  

Would I be a better mama if I worked?

That is a question I often ask myself.  If I wasn't home all the time with my kids, would I be a better mama?  Would I enjoy my time with them more?  Would I be more present when I am with them?  Would I feel like I had something for me?  A way to interact with adults & use a different part of my brain?  These are some thoughts I have multiple times during the week.  What are your thoughts?  Are YOU a better mama because you work?  I love my kiddos & am so thankful for them & to be able to be home with them.  I don't want to take that for granted, yet at the same time, I have a need to have adult interaction & use another part of my brain.  Thoughts?  It's your turn, please:)

Today's Bible nugget....

From my One Year Bible - "Then, I pray to you, O Lord.  I say, "You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life." ~ Psalm 142: 5.  May that be my desire for my life!