Stepping out of my comfort zone: Trust and Obey

I'm going to step outside of my comfort zone just a bit today, and I am going to use my personal blog as a vehicle to do so. I don't talk about or share my faith with others as much as I should. I am certainly not ashamed of my faith; It's just that doing so isn't always comfortable. This is something I am working on.

There are other things I am working on, too. I have, in recent months, lost my focus. I haven't been attending church like I should, and I haven't been praying and reading the Bible as I should. This is something I am trying to change.  I am not a transparent person and it is very hard for me to share personal details about my life.

Some of you are laughing right now, because you are thinking about the fact that I publish two blogs, have a Facebook account and an Instagram account. I'll agree, based on those details, it sounds like my life is an open book. It isn't- it is easy to share anecdotes about your kids, or talk about your cleaning/decorating/organizing habits and never share a thing about what goes on inside your head.

Being transparent is surprisingly hard for me. I hope this post will not offend anyone- that isn't my intention. My intention is to talk to you a little about my faith and to share a bit about what's going on in my life at the moment. Although I was saved by Grace nearly ten years ago, I still consider myself to be very new in my faith. I'm not perfect, but I serve a perfect God.

2014 has not been an easy year. My Daddy was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in January. He went in for a routine scan, had a major surgery and was diagnosed with colon cancer. He has since completed radiation treatments and is nearly finished (we hope so, anyway) with his chemo treatments. As you can imagine, this has been difficult for our family.

I am also facing a struggle personally. I am not ready to share this one with everyone yet, but I will when I feel the time is right. Please don't worry about me- my health is good and it is nothing serious. It is something that will require a lot of trust and a lot of patience. Please pray for me to have the patience and faith to trust God and his timing.

I was driving to church on Sunday morning and was busy worrying about several things. I was also listening to one of my favorite songs, "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redmond. When I'm in my car by myself, I really get into whatever I'm listening to, and I just have a blast. As I'm singing this song and worrying, a thought occurred to me: what if I put as much energy into my relationship with the Lord as I put into worrying?

What a thought. The old hymn says to trust and obey. We know, as Christians that God does not forsake us EVER. We know from past experiences in our lives that God takes care of us and He answers our prayers. Why are we still so quick to worry and stress than to simply trust him? We know prayer works. We know God has plans for us.

I am not perfect, but God is. I am trying hard to remember that He knows my needs and struggles. I am trying hard to remember that my prayers will be answered, even if the answer is "not now." I'm also trying to remember that God has a plan, even if "not now" is his answer.

I honestly didn't mean to pour my heart out on the Blogosphere today, but I did. When you say your prayers tonight, please include me. Pray that I'll simply stop worrying and struggling and just trust God and his timing.

A milestone week

My kiddo turned three this month, which meant she was finally old enough to attend Vacation Bible School at our church. She went every night and had a blast. She loves to sing and she loves going to church, so I knew she'd love it. Each night, she went right to her teacher with no trouble.

As she is a little shy at times and she doesn't always like to be up in front of people, I was a little nervous about how she'd do in the commencement program. I got nervous when the kids were walking into the church, because I was worried she'd see me and all bets would be off. She simply just waved, said ,"Hi, Mommy!" and kept walking. Sure, she looked a little scared at times. Even though she didn't sing the entire time, but she did a fantastic job.

She was so proud of her certificate :)

Shopping guide: Disney's Frozen

My three year old daughter is obsessed with the Disney movie Frozen.  In addition to having a Frozen-themed party for her birthday, we also have several Frozen books and toys at our home. She even has Frozen themed underoos. Some of these items were given to her for her birthday. Since I know this movie is hugely popular and there are plenty of other little girls who love it just as much as mine, I thought I'd share.

My girl absolutely loves coloring and painting, so the coloring book and paint kits were both big hits for her. 

She also received the read along book for her birthday- this one is neat because it includes an audio CD so she can follow along. Elsa's Icy Magic  is actually two books in one. The other side is a book told from Anna's point of view, called Anna's Act of True Love.  It follows the storyline of the movie, but from Anna's point of view. All of these books are directly based on the film and all of them are available at Wal-Mart. 

We have a few Frozen themed toys as well. My kiddo loves Barbies, and has received several Barbies as prizes for using the potty. She specifically asked for these two Frozen princess dolls. 

Disney Frozen Sparkle Anna of Arendelle Doll- $12.99

Disney Frozen Sparkle Elsa Doll- $12.99

There are also Prince Haans and Kristoff  dolls available. 

We don't have any Frozen plush, but you can find plush Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Haans, Olaf, and a very cute plush version of Sven. I almost want to buy Sven just for the cuteness. 

There are some very nice Frozen princess costumes on Amazon and I've seen some at Wal-Mart and Target, too. I don't remember how much the ones at Target were, but the Wal-Mart costumes were $15. They don't come in toddler sizes, but I think the size 4 would fit my three-year-old. 

Due to the musical nature of this movie, there are so many neat musical toys available. 

There are also a number of games and puzzles available. I'd buy her the Memory game, but she already has two Memory games. 

 

If you're wanting to spend a little more money on a big present (we buy one big present and some smaller presents for both birthdays and Christmas), here are some great options. We don't personally buy a lot of big toys because we don't want to clutter up the playroom. We also don't usually spend a lot on toys as she outgrows or loses interest in them. These playsets are really neat. 

 

If you're birthday shopping for a little Frozen fan, I hope I have given you some good ideas. Thanks for reading! 

Mama School

My kiddo and I are doing some "schooling" on the days she doesn't go to daycare. We keep her in daycare two days a week during the summer to hold our spot for fall. I used to feel a little guilty about this, but then I realized it is good for her because it keeps her in routine, and it's good for me because I get things done around the house.

I've collected ideas from Pinterest, and utilized some materials I had from before I switched from teaching elementary school to middle school. We've been working on letter sounds and recognition, counting and sorting, and number recognition. We're also doing some science and nature lessons and Bible lessons, too.

Throw in some art, free play both in the playroom and outside, and we've got ourselves a full day. Emorie really loves learning and she loves the one-on-one attention, so it works well for us. I thought I'd share some of my favorite things we have done so far.

We are currently learning about seeds and growing plants. Emorie has been helping us water our garden and our flowers, so she already knows a plant's basic survival needs. Not in those terms, of course, but she knows they need soil, water and sunlight. I thought I'd make it more personal for her by having the two of us plant something together and observe it. We also read The Tiny Seed  by Eric Carle a few times so we could talk about how plants grow. When I was teaching elementary school, I purchased a Toysmith Root Viewer kit. I still had it on hand and decided to use it for "Mama School."

The kit comes with three root tubes and a wooden stand, three peet disks, and three packs of seeds (radishes, onions and carrots.). So far, only our radishes are blooming, but we have really enjoyed watching them.

The best part is when the veggies are ready, you can eat them :)

You can purchase the kit here on Amazon. com. 

A third birthday party fit for a princess

My little girl turned three last week. We celebrated with her daycare friends the day after her birthday. She had a small party with her classmates where they dined on cupcakes, chips and juice boxes. Emorie thought that it was the best thing ever.

My girl is just a tiny bit obsessed with the movie "Frozen." She just had to have a Frozen party. She even got some "Frozen" books for her birthday.

Her big gift this year was a wooden swing set which my Dad and I spent a day and a half putting together for her. It was about 100 degrees and I got a terrible sunburn, but she was so excited that we didn't mind. She also got her first bicycle. 

A good time was definitely had by all! 

Summer vacation has begun!

My summer is off and running...literally. I will be participating in the Triangle Race for the Cure tomorrow morning at Meredith College. This is on my bucket list and has been forever. I decided it was time to stop talking about it and just do it. And what better time then now, right?

I know I've been a bad blogger for the past two weeks, but with school letting out, I just needed some free time. Today marks my first official day of summer vacation...and Emorie's last full week of daycare until August. We always send her twice a week in the summer so she can stay in the routine, and to reserve her spot for fall. I used to feel guilty for sending my kiddo to daycare while I'm off work, but then I realized what an awesome opportunity this is for me to go to the grocery store, clean, work on projects, or anything else difficult to accomplish with a little one. On the days when she isn't in daycare, Emorie and I will be at the pool or library, or here at home having "Mama School."

"Mama School" is this really neat preschool curriculum I found online. We'll be doing science experiments and working on math skills, as well as letter recognition and phonics. Emorie loves to learn and she loves to read, so I know she will enjoy it. Before you ask, No, I don't plan on homeschooling Emorie in the future. This is just a way to prepare her for preschool this fall and to help keep her mind busy this summer.

In addition to "Mama school," the pool and the library, here are my other summer plans:

1). Read the novels we are using for literature circle this year
2). Complete several home projects, such as reconfiguring closets, refinishing my cedar chest and re-purposing a TV armoire
3). Re-organize several cabinets and drawers
4). Re-do my laundry room

What about you all? What are your summer plans?