Week One -- The Thumb of Michigan

I would be lying if I said that the start to this grand adventure that God is taking us on started out smoothly. Our plans were to leave on a Thursday afternoon, and by God’s grace we did, but not without our fair share of obstacles to overcome that morning. First of all, we thought we were a lot closer to getting rid of/sorting out all of our stuff, but the stuff just never seemed to end! We spent the morning packing the van (which is stressful in itself to try to fit your life and the life of your family into a minivan!) and organizing/getting rid of the rest of our stuff. I guess it was just a high stress time, and to top it off, Aurelia gave us a pretty good scare when she lost control of the little four wheeler that she was riding on, started to go down a pretty good sized hill, and rode straight into a tree. Thankfully, and with God’s hand on her, she didn’t hit her head hard enough to have a concussion -- just a fairly large goose egg and some bruising and scratches.

That was our morning -- the morning of the day that we had been waiting for; the day of our grand adventure. That is not at all how I had pictured it in my head. I thought I was going to be very excited to get in the car for the first time as we took off for our first destination, with the kids singing and happy and Josh and I excited and on the same page. In reality, by the time we got into the car, it was the last place I wanted to be. The kids were tired and fussy, I was irritable, and Josh and I were at odds from all the stress and craziness leading up to that moment.

Whew. Now, I don’t want you to think that I am just going to whine about all the negative things that happen on this trip. My goal is to tell you the positive things that God shows us, and the ways that we get to see God moving. I just had to tell you this so that you know that even though we have, by faith, given up everything to go where God is calling us to go, there are still hardships. But I believe that God uses these hardships to bring us even closer to Him and to rely on Him more still. This is still hard for me – I try to fix things all on my own instead of looking to Christ to be my rock and my foundation. When we look to Christ in not just the big decisions, but even the little decisions we face on a daily basis, our relationship with Christ will grow.

Okay, so we finally made it to the Beutlers’ home, and we were so thankful that we did! We have been able to bless them by doing some odd cleaning jobs around their home that they haven’t been able to do because of time restraints or other things. (To learn more about the Beutlers and how they live out their faith daily, you can tune in to my newest blog, Everyday God, coming soon!) We have been able to wash windows, clean out their pool and get it ready for the summer, and mow their lawn.

The lawn mower was especially fun to use, and it was the first time either Josh or I had used a zero turn mower. And Aurelia really enjoyed helping clean off the blinds (although it seemed like we ended up getting sprayed more than the blinds did…)

Beyond cleaning and helping out our friends here, it has been really great to just talk and catch up. We’ve been able to hang out with our friend/sister Jody as well (if you watch the video Aurelia talks about our trip, it is the same Jody that she refers to two times!)

We were also able to go to the youth group of a church near Caro and play some live music and just hang out with the teens. God is always working, and we are able to see Him in the everyday things by putting aside our schedule and helping others. We are planning on being her until Thursday, and then we will be headed to the Chicago area. Thank you for your payers and support. God is good!

Let the Adventures Begin...

This last week has consisted of organizing, packing, and more organizing. I am not even sure how we came to acquire so much stuff in the last six years! (And most of it was probably within the last four years, since we have become parents...) This past week has been very tiring, going through stuff and putting them in piles only to go through them again to make them smaller piles. At that point, we put them into a tote and then sorted them one more time before packing it into the van to make sure it was all something we might use on the road... WHEW!

It has been some hard work, but we have finally gotten the van packed with pretty much everything we own. I knew when we heard God calling us to this adventure that I would learn many valuable lessons from it, but I didn't know it would start so soon. We haven't even hit the road yet, and God has me learning that my possessions -- the things that I thought I had to have -- are just that... things. Aside from a few totes of memorabilia from my childhood or pictures that Aurelia has made for us, everything is replaceable. We know that God is a God of provision, among many other things, and so we have decided to take a giant leap of faith and let Him provide for us by giving away all of our earthly belongings that we don't need on our trip.* It has been challenging, but now that we have finished the task at hand and have just what we are planning on taking with us, I can already feel my faith being restored. The verses of Matthew 6:19-21 came to mind often in our sorting: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth nor rust destroys, and thieves do not break in and steal; For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Tomorrow, we set off to see our friends in the thumb of Michigan, and we hope to reconnect with old friends as well as make some new friends to love, serve, and encourage. If you know of a place that needs some extra hands for a project, some good music, or someone who just needs some encouragement, please let us know -- we would love to add them to our list of places to go!

Thank you for your prayers and support as we make this decision to throw off everything that entangles us and follow Christ. We love you all and would not be able to do this without you!

Pictures to come of our new 'home' all packed and ready to go!

*The only thing that we have in storage right now is a few totes of keepsake items and a few large musical instruments that we are thinking of possibly selling...

Parenting is Hard, and it is Okay.

Parenting is probably one of the most difficult, most humbling job a person can ever have (and will ever have, I think). It doesn't matter the age of the child, with each new stage comes new challenges.... In the beginning, it is just learning to love a child who is completely dependent on you- loving and taking care of someone with NOTHING in return goes against our human needs. After that, when the babies start gaining personalities and routines (or lack there of, in our case), it is learning patience because though the baby gives recognition cues, baby can't speak or really control himself. After this, for about the next 18 years and in varying degrees, come the training up of the babies into respectable young men and women.. teaching right from wrong, good vs. bad, and love vs. hate. (I am pretty sure the younger years are the hardest in this stage, as we are in year four, and having the most difficult time yet, but I will let you know which stage is the most difficult in about 14 years :P)

Our daughter is a beautiful and talented little girl who shows love in such sweet ways to her brother, her cousins, her friends, and even to her daddy and I sometimes. She is thoughtful, curious, and super polite to her teachers and friends' parents. She is overall, a great kid. All of these traits, however do not excuse her from have human tendencies such as greed, pride, selfishness and other things that are not so desirable (okay, not at all desirable.) Maybe we should call it what it is -- sin. And we ALL do it! We are all selfish, and greedy, and prideful sometimes. Sin is something that is in us from the day we are born, but kids learn from what they OBSERVE as well. I know that some of the ways she acts is due to MY being impatient one too many times, or my short reactions when asking a question. But it is still so frustrating!

None of us are perfect people, let alone perfect parents. The difference (hopefully) between us and our children is that we have already learned the correct way to deal with our feelings -- we should know that it is not okay to hit and kick and scream when we don't get what we want. It is our job to teach our children how to deal with their feelings, and help them channel negative (and positive) energy into a healthy way to release it.

Okay, so all of this to say, that really, I feel frustrated. I feel frustrated that my four year old insists on screaming and hitting when I tell her she needs to sit in time out. I feel frustrated when I forget that she is in fact, only four years old, and is still learning how to deal with these feelings. I feel frustrated when I make a wrong choice and get short with her.

And sometimes, I feel hopeless. Is she ever going to learn right from wrong? Will she grow up and go down the wrong path because of my choices right now? Am I doing all that I can to help her grow into the beautiful person I know that she is? And most importantly, HOW DO I MAKE THE SCREAMING STOP!!!?!?!?

I don't have the guide to perfect parenting. I am just being real and letting you know that you are not alone in the frustrations. Let's keep trying, and lets not give up on our kids. Let's pray for them, and when we are frustrated, lets step away and pray before making any rash decisions. This, too, shall pass, and our children will grow, just like we will. And, even though it might seem like they hate you during the 4 minutes that they have to sit in time out, the kisses and hugs afterward are totally worth it.

Know that you are not alone. We all go through different struggles, and its okay. I will be praying for you today, because I know that not every day is perfect, like maybe our facebook pages show. We all have bad/hard times too. But YOU can get through this, we can get through this. Tomorrow is a new day, a fresh start :)

Stay encouraged!

The No More Excuses Diet

So, I was a little skeptical to review a book with a smokin' hot mom on the front cover, but as I read the back of the book, I was definitely intrigued. Maria King, aka the smokin' hot lady on the cover, used to be like me... I couldn't believe it! She was a woman who struggled with her weight, and after having three babies, was not happy with herself physically. So, she decided to do something about it -- she committed her time to getting healthy, and made it a top priority in her life. She set a goal, and the set out to reach that goal. The body that she shows off on the front cover of this book is the product of her hard work.

Kang does an amazing job at setting you up to succeed. In the book, she not only shares a TON of ways to help you get fit and healthy, but she also shares her battles with weight and her reason that she chose to shape up. Unlike a lot of other 'diet' books that I have read, Kang is down to earth and realistic about weight loss. The book is laid out into three different parts: The beginning of the weight loss journey when you are pumped and ready to tackle anything (ie the first three days of your journey :P), the middle of the journey when you feel like all hope is lost and you have lose your motivation (this section is FULL of encouragement and help to keep you on track with the 3 month plan Kang has you set up for yourself) and the last part of the journey, which is maintaining the new healthy lifestyle.

As someone who has had two babies (one recently) and has always struggled with my weight, this book was a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that it IS possible to get healthy, and it did so in a down to earth way that doesn't have me spending hundreds of dollars on groceries that I have never even heard of before. The best part is that it helped me set up a plan that I could stick to and helped me set attainable rules to live by.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE who is looking for an amazing, practical, encouraging 'diet' book. If you let it, this book and Kang's advice will change your life!



You can check out more about this book and the author here!

I received a copy of this book for free from Blogging For Books.

In This House, We Will Giggle!

Our homes are a place where our lives takes place: we laugh, cry, yell, and learn there. Our children will learn many difficult life lessons in the place we call home, whether that be an apartment, a mansion, or a camper. As a parent of a very lovable yet strong-willed four-year-old, I admit that there are days when I feel like I do more reprimanding (which often turns to impatient yelling) instead of effective parenting. I am so thankful for the grace that God has given me when it comes to life and parenting, and I am also thankful for people like Courtney DeFeo, who writes books like In This House, We Weill Giggle: Making Virtues, Love, And Laughter a Daily Part of Your Family Life. 

DeFeo is a mom, and knows what it is like to lose her cool, and have her focus slip to the "in the moment" moments instead of looking at the big picture. When she realized that she was spending more time on giving instructions to her kids and making sure they follow through instead of living life with them, she decided to make some changes. In each chapter of her book, she tells how she was able to bring more important virtues into her home, like forgiveness, joy, love, respect, service, and patience (among many others).

The book is 12 chapters, and works so that each month, your family can focus one virtue. DeFeo gives ideas on how to bring giggles to your home every month, monthly memory verses, catch phrases to use to help ingrain the virtues in each family member, and activities to do as a family to use what you are learning about the virtue. And another added bonus if you enjoy the Jesus Storybook Bible: She has a story that goes with each virtue every month! This is great if you have young ones, so that you can explain the virtue in a way that they can understand.

I really enjoyed this book, because it helped me to remember the important things in life. It is a great read, and will be especially helpful if you are looking to get out of the 'daily grind', and bring true joy and life into your home.

I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com

Learn more about the book, and read some for yourself here!

A Fun Book Review Involving Dinosaurs

When it was time for me to pick a new book to review, I was perusing my choices, and this book caught my eye immediately... I decided that I needed an easy, hands-on book for my next book, just to get a break from heavy reading. While I don't consider myself an artist in any way, shape, or form, I always think it is fun to try. Which is why I ended up choosing the book "Draw-a-saurus: Everything you need to know to draw your favorite dinosaurs" by James Silvani.

 To start out, the cover is very bring and intriguing, with a few pictures of brightly colored dinosaurs among the title itself. Inside, the pages are also very colorful, and it even has  comic strips/pictures in the introduction as well as throughout the book to keep the tone light and fun. The author starts the book with teaching the basics, so a person of any skill level is able to pick this book up and draw dinosaurs (even people like me, with NO drawing ability!)

I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for a fun time. As you can see from my attempts, following written instructions and looking at the very helpful pictures of each step, even someone like me can become a dinosaur artist :) 

To learn more about the artist or to check the book out for yourself, click here.

I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.org

Be The Messenger, Live Like the Message

Be The Message: Taking Your Faith Beyond Words to A Life of Action, is written by a pastor, Kerry Shook, and his wife Chris. It is a book written from feelings of not doing enough. The authors "felt a gap between what they were saying and the needs of people around them", so they decided to start living out the Word, instead of just preaching it. The book is written in four sections:

Transforming: Your Words into a Life Message,
Discovering: Your Unique Life Message,
Understanding: The Message That Confounds the World, and
Taking: Your Life Message to the World Around You.


While I believe that this book is well-written and is full of good advice to motivate Christians to get out and actually live like Jesus did, I do not agree with some of what the pastor says. The biggest statement that I question is one of the basic building blocks of the book, which is why I even address it: "Jesus is the Word. The Word is the Gospel. Christ, the Word, lives in you, Translation. You are the gospel...Friend, you are I are the gospel." While I understand where the author is trying to get across, what he is saying is not that we are the gospel. To continue translating it the way that he does, he would end up saying we are Jesus. 

This is simply incorrect. I believe that we are to be messengers of the message, who is the Word, who is Christ Jesus, but no human will ever be perfect, like Christ. The message us messengers should send to the world is that OF Jesus, for He died on the cross and rose again for our sins, for us to tell the world of all He did for us, and continues to do.

I reiterate that much of the advice on how to get out and live like Christ in this book is very helpful and encouraging. I cannot, however, agree with the authors' main base for this book, which is that we are the message. We are simply the Messengers. 

For more information about the book, visit http://bethemessage.org.

I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com.