O Me of Little Faith

Do you ever struggle with faith issues and questions about life as a follower of Jesus?   I do!  And I was so excited to get a chance to write about my struggles with faith in my guest post "Haunted by Questions" over at the blog of Jason Boyett, author of "O Me of Little Faith: True Confessions of a Spiritual Weakling" .  

 I'd love to beg invite you over to see it.  And, if faith is something that you struggle with, I encourage you to bookmark his page, grab his book etc.. It's been such a comfort to me to see other Christians struggle yet still follow.. 

Blessings,

Dana

Monday's Mom-tage Mom: Mandy at "Life's About a Dream"..

Meet Mandy from Life's About a Dream:

Preschool teacher, dear friend to everyone she knows,   fun and witty mother of three vivacious boys and the only person we know that's clever enough to give a life lesson with just a picture and a few words.  Mandy is also the star of one of the pictures in our header (top second from the right).  Thank you for sharing with us Mandy!  The Mom-tage loves you!

1.  Edward or Jacob?  

Who?? Is this a Twilight reference?  I think I am the only person on the planet who has NOT read these books or seen the movies.  And I have no plans to do so.  I don't do vampires or werewolves no matter how hot they are.

2.  Bette Midler in "Beaches" or Lea Michelle in "Glee"?  

I have never seen Glee, but from what I know, I am going with Lea Michelle.  Bette is a little much for me.

3.  My quirky habit is:

I cough when I clean my ears out with Q-tips.  Please don't stop reading because I am weird....

4.  My biggest pet peeve is:

It really irks me when people make comments about my all-boy clan.  Things like:

"You sure have your hands full!"

"Don't you know how to stop having kids?"

"Are you going to try for that girl?"

One time I was in line at the pharmacy in Publix with all three boys.  The baby was in his infant seat in the buggy and the older boys were in the top part "driving" the shopping cart.  All were behaving nicely (which, I admit, is a feat in and of itself).  A woman behind me said that dreaded comment, "Boy you have your hands full!"  I smiled and said, "ummmhmmmm," not wanting to converse with her.  The baby then piped up with a coo and the woman exclaimed, "Oh my!  There's another one in there?!?  You DO know how to stop having kids, right???"  Oh how I wish I said the things that were crossing my mind....

5.  My most dreaded "mom chore" is:

ALL "mom chores" are dreaded around here.  

6.  The thing that surprised me most about motherhood is:

I find it incredibly empowering that I had the ability to bring three beautiful sons into this world.  I never knew feelings of euphoria existed as the ones that come just after giving birth.

7.  On average I wipe _______ bottoms a day that are not attached to myself.

I am currently wiping 2 in my own house, with plans to whittle that down to one very soon.  My four year old can be heard across town when he screams, "Moooom...c'you wiiiiiippppeeee me??!?!  As an added bonus, I get to wipe more bottoms AND noses at the preschool where I teach.  Sweet.

8.  The one item I should throw out but probably never will is:

I have yet to trash my bouquet of flowers I carried at our wedding 10 year ago.  Each time I dust (one of those "mom chores" I hate), I knock off a few petals from the roses.  Hey, don't hate.  It reminds me of one of the happiest days of my life.

9.  The last time I swept and mopped was:

Today.  Yes, Mom, you read that correctly.  Baby Frog will put anything and everything into his mouth.  I am sure once he is out of that stage, my answer will go back to d) not applicable. Again, this is something that falls under the yucky "mom chore" category.

10.  My children are my:

Entertainment.  They say the funniest.stuff.ever.

Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Mom to Boys

29AUG20103 Comments

by Mandy  

_________________________

Motherhood throws you for a loop.  I still fret over the smallest of issues and baby Frog is my third child.  I have joked with the boys’ pediatrician many times since Frog was born about still feeling like a first time mom.  I don’t think that feeling ever goes away, regardless of the number of children you have.

I was eating lunch with some friends a couple of weeks ago.  All are or will be moms to all boy clans.  Our conversation was wildly entertaining about motherhood and the antics of our children.  Listed below are some of the finer points we covered.

Since school has/is started(ing), the teacher in me is currently demanding these valuable nuggets in a list format:

1.  People are going to say stupid stuff to you while you are pregnant.  Really stupid stuff. You know the comments…“Oh wow. You have really gotten big.” Gee thanks.  “Don’t you know how to stop having kids?  You will never have a girl anyway.” Is it any business of yours how many children I have?  And my personal favorite (insert sarcasm HERE) “Another boy?  You sure are going to have your hands full.” DUH.  Now leave me alone with my chocolate.

2.  It’s OK to ask for help. And I don’t just mean asking someone to cook you dinner.  Although, that would be great.  By the way, this one goes for moms of boys and girls.  I seemed to sail through postpartum with my first.  After having #2, I felt as if I was drowning.  I have never been in a place so dark and isolating, yet I was anything but alone with my supportive family all around me.  I was a victim to postpartum depression and it’s NOT FUN.   If you ever feel this way, don’t be ashamed.  It’s not worth it in the long run.  Get the help you need.  Your kids and husband will thank you.

3.  Having all boys automatically earns you a special place in heaven.God said so.  Ok, maybe that was only in a dream I had, but who else deserves one than a mom of all boys?  I mean, c’mon.  Only the strong can survive theconstant wrestling, growling, and bodily functions.  For realz.

4.  Children make you plan for the future. Think about it.  When else do you get your junk together as far as your will, pick out godparents, and start saving for college educations?  Not to mention the hopes and dreams for great daughters in law and  adorable grandDAUGHTERS.  I need to dress SOMEONE in pink.

5.  It’s an excuse to watch more sports. This one may only apply to me, seeing as how I actually taught my husband everything he knows about the sport of hockey (Let’s Go Pens!).  I seriously go into withdrawals when I cannot attend Clemson games or watch Steeler games on TV.  Thanks to my dad, Pops, for instilling this love of sports in me.  My husband thanks you, too.

Life has changed so much since welcoming three sons.

And I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Visit Mandy at: Life's About a Dream

Perspective... It's a beautiful thing.

Being a grown-up stinks sometimes.  As a teenager, I couldn't wait to be out on my own, looking at adulthood as pure freedom...  Eating out whenever you want, staying up late, answering to no one-- all seemed super fun and extremely enticing.  What I didn't realize was the obvious-- Budgets don't allow you to eat out when ever you want, staying up late is the last thing you want to do (but have to since your 9 month old is cutting four teeth at the same time), and you answer to more people now, than ever before:  The mortgage company, your five fussy children, and your husband, just to name a few. 

Some days a pity-party is in order, and well-deserved.  Others, you just need to put your big-girl panties on and face the day. 

Recently, I decided it was a pity-party kinda day, and felt deserving of the Guest of Honor title.  To start the party off right, I threw a giant hissy-fit in front of my husband, complaining about our budget that is now so tight it's strangling me, and I stormed out the door for story-time at the library.  Sitting with my three preschoolers, listening to the librarian read, I glanced around the room, as I am an avid people watcher.  One particular family caught my eye.  I noticed that even in the 105 degree weather, the two small children both had on sweat pants.  The mother, had on rugged clothes as well, and looked exhausted. The father, who was unshaven and also dressed in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt with several holes, lovingly held his son, and pointed to the librarian when his 2 year old seemed to be losing interest. 

When story-time ended, I continued watching this family.  They all went and plopped down in the bean-bag chairs with a large stack of books.  My children love to play in the same area, while I look for books to check-out.  As I went to retrieve my crew from the play area, I listened in on the following conversation taking place between the tired looking couple, and their winter-attired children:

"I know they're getting restless.  But, it's just too hot to go anywhere else.  We can just hang out here a while longer."  The little girl in sweat pants interrupted in quiet voice, "Mommy, I'm really hungry."  The Mother replied softly, "I know, sweetie.  We're trying to figure that out, okay?" 

Tears filled my eyes.  Wishing so badly I had the financial ability to help, I smiled sympathetically at the weary mother, and said a prayer for her.  Then, I thanked God for my blessings.  Maybe that family wasn't homeless, or starving, maybe they were just behind on laundry and discussing what to do on their day off.  But, I don't believe that.  As I drove across town, to my air conditioned house, fully capable of preparing a balanced meal, even if we do have to eat PB&J sandwiches and Ramen on a regular basis, I realized what a blessing it had been to witness that conversation.  I sent my husband a text, apologizing for being such a brat, and admitting when I get upset over our financial situation, it doesn't help matters any.

That same day, my friend was having some tests run on her 2 year old daughter, at Children's Hospital.  She called me and described her fears going into the hospital that morning, then how quickly her fears turned into sheer relief and thankfulness as she passed by the many parents and patients whose illnesses and disabilities were far greater than even the worst case scenario of her daughter's possible diagnosis.  She choked up saying, "Holly, right then I realized, no matter what the out-come, I'm still so very blessed."  With a heavy heart, I hung up the phone and cried. 

My disappointments in adulthood are my own fault.
Seeing the daily blessings are a choice, and counting them an important task to complete.

I'm going to dig my big-girl panties out of the laundry pile now.  It's definitely time for me to put them on.

Love,
~Holly

Tuesday's Tidbits-- Ridding your Facebook page of Farmville, Once and For All!

Oh I just learned a trick that is going to make me some friends and probably some enemies too but it's so worth it to share it with those of you that are going to LOVE this little tidbit.

I just learned how to remove all the annoying facebook status updates.. Okay, not all of them.. I can't stop your Uncle Bob from telling you when he pees.  Or, about  the mouse that just crawled across Aunt Thelma's foot.  Nor will it stop Holly and me from telling you about all about The Mom-tage.. But, it will allow you to de-clutter your facebook page by removing Farmville and quizzes and the like.. So read on my new friend and go to bed tonight feeling like you've had a productive day de-cluttering your life.

Instead of hiding each individual app, you can download  F.B Purity .  It's a "Greasemonkey script that alters your facebook homepage to only show the most relevant information to you.

The script is compatible with Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera running on Windows, Mac or Linux or Apple Safari runing on Mac."





I can't tell you how to make a 3 year old stop whining (Tips for that would be greatly appreciated).  But, I'm giving myself points for silencing the cows!

Blessings,

 Dana

Monday's Mom-Tage Mom: Andrea Steed

Today, we welcome Andrea Steed to The Mom-tage!  Andrea, wife to Ben, and mother of two beautiful children, Ayla and Paxton, has a true passion for scrapbooking.  As if Andrea wasn't busy enough being a stay-at-home-mom, she also works for Scrapbook.com maintaining the Learning area of the site and writing occasional articles.

In addition to scrapbooking, Andrea also makes and sells personalized signs.  You can see her incredible handiwork and marvel, as we have, over at SIGNS by Andrea. 

 She's incredibly talented and though Dana and I are not true scrapbookers by nature, Andrea's works of art leave us drooling, and motivated to finally tackle the giant boxes of old photos in our closets.

 Here, Andrea shares some wonderful tips for novice scrapbookers, but first we asked her to complete our silly survey...

1. Edward or Jacob?

60% of me says Edward, if you only read the books. 25% of me says Jacob, if you catch a glimpse of him in the movies (after all, he rarely wears a shirt), and 5% of me wishes Edward would be re-cast for the films. Then I could stop trying to do all this goofy math and just say 100% Edward. But frankly Rob Pattinson gives me the heebie jeebies.

2. Bette Midler in Beaches or Lea Michele in Glee? Did you ever know that you're my hero? Definitely Bette Midler. But then, I've never watched Glee.

3. My quirky habits are:

Order. I like order. It means I'm picking jazz up off the floor and putting things away ALL. DAY. LONG. But it makes me happier to live in order, so I do it. And lists. I LOVE crossing things off of lists. Deleting is no good. It has to be pen & paper. I also feel an incredibly strong urge to eat a bowl of cereal every day. If I don't have it for breakfast (which I usually do), you can bet that sometime later in the day, I'll have a bowl -- or 6. What can I say? I like my cereal.

4. My biggest pet peeve is:
When people say "fixin' to". You're not fixing anything. You're getting ready to do something. Get it right. I also stand firm in the fact that a "toboggan" is a sled, not a ski hat. Perhaps it's the journalist in me that makes me so adverse to these inaccurate terms. Then again, I have been known to speak gangsta just for fun, so maybe I don't have room to talk.

5. My most dreaded "mom chore" is:
Trying to get kids to eat food that's good for them and not snack all day. It's a constant battle, but one I'm determined to win. I think it makes me a better mom. They just don't know it yet.

6. The thing that has surprised me most about motherhood is:
It's 24/7. I'm usually only good to "work" about 6 hours a day. So I have a hard time with those other 18 hours. It's a good thing my kids sleep all night!

7. On average I wipe ____ bottoms a day that are not attached to myself.
1 and 1/2. It's currently a high priority to teach my 4 year old how to wipe her own bottom after going #2. However, at the current rate of independence that my non-walking 16 month old has, I may very well be wiping bottoms for 5 more years.

8. The one item that I should throw out but probably never will is:
A broken (taped-together) 6" glass stir rod that my boyfriend and I stole from chemistry class my junior year of high school. I justify the theft, because after all, I married the guy! It's a reminder of when we first began.

9. The last time I swept and mopped was
a.) two days ago.
b.) two weeks ago.
c.) two months ago.
d.) not applicable.
My husband or I "sweep" every day, and mop about once a week. We don't actually fight over who gets to do it, but we do have tools to make it SO much better. I even blogged about it. And sometimes whoever sweeps and mops gets out of bath time duty, which is always a plus. :)

10. My children are my:
Anchors. They keep me from getting lost in a world of crafty projects, photography sprees, fashion obsessions, and decorating disasters.
Subjects. They're beautiful. They photograph so well. They have gorgeous skin and smiles. They do funny things that I want to remember forever. They make great topics to write about. And I love to record everything they do in photos, words and stories.
Mirror. They're a constant reflection. While I try to improve their behavior, I'm often forced to fix my own first. Because after all, they learn some of their worst habits from me. Lead by example is one of the hardest things to do, but certainly the most effective!

5 Tips to Take Up Scrapbooking

by: Andrea Steed

I love to take pictures, I love to write and I love to create works-of-art. So, it was a no-brainer when I took up scrapbooking as my hobby of choice. Not everyone falls into it so easily. But it doesn't have to be an overwhelming feat either.

First, you need to decide why you're scrapbooking. Is it to record stories? To have a place to put your photographs? To be crafty? All of the above? Any reason is fine, but whatever your reason is, it will be the strongest factor in how you create albums and layouts and it will define your approach to scrapbooking.

For instance, if want to remember specific dates, stories, and reflections, your albums and layouts will be very journaling-focused. If you're looking for a method of displaying and viewing photographs, you may lean more towards photo-album-style books. And then there are those who like the crafty element of creating a work of art, who will spend more time thinking about which products to use on a page, than the photos and words that go with it.

Whatever your reasons, here are a few tips for making it fun and do-able:
1. Set reasonable goals and expectations. Break your scrapbooking projects (which can feel overwhelming and impossible to "finish") into smaller tasks.

Choose photos for an album one day and write your journaling another. On a different day, pick a group of coordinating products to match your theme. In just a few days, you'll have created your own album kit ready to go whenever you are ready to scrapbook those memories.

Instead of scrapbooking *everything*, you can tackle years of back-logged photos with subject-themed albums such as sports, birthdays, school, holidays, etc. Or, divide a year into months, making monthly collages and dedicating only 2-4 pages to each month.

Here are several examples of album organization that I use:

Through the Years Album

Baby's First Year Photo Album (These make great baby shower gifts!)

Basic Baby Album

Elegant Wedding Album

2. Buy product kits. Kits are fabulous. Everything coordinates, you have all the elements you need on hand (paper, stickers, die cuts, embellishments, ribbon, etc.) and you can store it all together with your project, which makes it easy to get started anytime you have an opportunity to work on it.

3. Keep organized. I can't stress this enough. Keep your photos filed and dated, your supplies organized and easy-to-access, and you'll always be able to jump right into a project. There's nothing worse than feeling the urge to scrapbook and having to spend all your time getting organized instead.

See how my room is organized: Scrap Room Video Tour

4. Write what you won't remember. My memory is terrible, so I write everything down - names, dates, locations, and most importantly, the story. What happened? Who was there? What did they say? How did you feel? Keep a journal, a calendar, or a blog to help you write it all down immediately so it isn't forgotten by the time you scrapbook it.

5. Photograph your world. Sometimes the perfect smiling-at-the-camera portraits aren't what become the most treasured photographs. Don't forget to take pictures of everyday activities, the house you live in, the places you go, and the people you love. No matter how blurry, how dimly lit, or how messy the background, you'll treasure the memories of those simple everyday things.

Week in the Life Album - This is one of my favorite albums, full of photos of mundane, boring, everyday tasks. But two years later, it's a great record of our everyday life. I might do this one again in a few more years.

Most of all, stay true to your reasons for scrapbooking and make it fun--for you. Don't worry about how other people do it - just do what you like and what works for you!

~ Andrea Steed, http://www.andreasteed.com/

And the WINNER is.........

Thanks to all who entered to win a copy of GOOD GIRLS don't have to DRESS BAD 

Our WINNER is (drum roll please) ------ JAMIE WHITT

Congratulations, Jamie!!!


For those who didn't win and are interested in reading the book, you can order a copy from Amazon by clicking HERE.  And to browse a few chapters before purchasing, click HERE.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for Monday, September 20th, 9pm Eastern/8pm Central to chat with Shari Braendel about GOOD GIRLS don't have to DRESS BAD! 

Shari says, "Hey all! I can't wait to be with you all on September 20th! We're gonna have a GREAT time! I'm soooo looking forward to it..Make sure you get your color analysis by that time at

 http://www.colorenalysis.com/ so you know what I'm talking about when it comes to color. It's free to do. Love ya!"

Tuesday's Tidbits: Shoe Shopping-- Saving Your Sanity

Brought to you by Becky at Five Mockingbirds 

I loathe, with the full on stink eye, shopping. WAIT WAIT WAIT...hear me out. I don't mind the looking process (enter obsession with junk/thrift/antique stores and yard sales.) But if I have to do anything that requires actual forethought for buying or heaven help me, trying anything on, I'm pretty much out. However, as the house manager, I discover more times than not that one of my little team players is in need of something in a bigger size (STOP GROWING ALREADY!!) This was the story a few weeks ago. Both boys needed school shoes. I have only taken my kids to try on shoes one time, EVER. For as long as I can, I will avoid it from now on. Here's how.

1. Grab your biggest most cooperative and at home during school hours cutest kid and some card stock (or scrapbook paper...or newspaper...or...you get it.) Don't judge the mound of clothes in the background b/c they are coming to some lucky friends out there.

2. Stand said child on the paper, leaving enough room to trace around each foot.

3. Make sure those lines are a little crooked at the toes and the heels. (If not, you just missed out on an opportunity to play with your kid for the only 2 seconds you can devote at the moment cause you only have about 6 loads of laundry to put away!!) I'm sorry. Where was I?

4. Once you have traced their very boy and Fred Flintstone looking feet, cut out around the tracings.They don't have to be perfect, but get the outline as close to the line as you can and hit the high points on the toes. And yes, I realize it's spelled wrong in the picture. sorry. I knew it didn't look right.

5. Label those jokers...especially if you have kids similar in age, you know...like twins...or quads. Be sure to put if it is their right or left.

Cause if you are on the brink of sanity one day, and you are out trying to find said sanity by getting out of the house, and you find yourself at a yard sale or thrift store, you don't need to teeter on the edge because you don't know your (or their) right from their left. Am I right?

6. Laminate 'em. You can be done after #5, but if you are going to multiple places and want to keep up with them for more than one day, i wouldn't choose that option. Or if you only use paper and not something heavier like card stock. I used Duck brand "Clear Laminate" (basically clear contact paper...cause I'm not as cool as a teacher.)

7. Punch holes in the foot and stick them through a paper clip or unused key ring. Stick them in your purse and go shoe shopping.

8. When you find some cute shoes, slide those puppies on the inside and see if it's a fit. Look at the top and be sure there is toe room. Look to the side so that you can see if the curve of their foot lines up with the arch support.

9. Be sure they are on sale and bring 'em home. I'm gonna guess you'll have happy feet (and more importantly will have avoided having to buy Hulk or Transformer shoes.)

and there you have it...how to save your mind shopping for the mythical unicorn shoes that fit.

Thanks Becky for sharing this wonderful tip! 

Look forward to a more thorough introduction to Becky coming soon at Monday's Mom-tage Mom 

Monday's Mom-tage Mom: Robin O'Bryant

Today's Mom-tage Mom is Robin O'Bryant, a stay-at-home mom, humor columnist and author.  Robin shares with us a couple of her posts from her personal blog:

Robin's Chicks, where her goal is "to make other moms laugh and realize it REALLY is funny, when it's happening to someone other than YOU!"

We asked Robin to complete our silly survey...

1. Edward or Jacob?Yes, please. No seriously. I read the books and I loved both characters. I love a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to fight for it, so I was Team Jacob for awhile because he never waivered and Edward was all mind games and what not. But I'm also a hopeless romantic so as soon as I realized that Edward and Bella were meant for each other I was Team Edward!

2. Bette Midler in Beaches or Lea Michele in Glee?
Oh definitely Lea Michelle in "Glee"! My secret dream is to be a Broadway star, but seeing as how I have absolutely zero coordination (click here to read how walking and carrying my baby was too difficult for me to manage) and my singing voice isn't so great either. Also I hate sad movies, because they ruin my life for weeks. I figure there is enough to be sad about in the real world and if I am going to spend my time and money to "escape" I don't want to go some where worse than my current reality. Also, I wish it was socially acceptable to burst into song in everyday life, it would make my life significantly better.

3. My quirky habits are:
I drink Diet Dr. Pepper a few sips at a time. I probably only drink one or maybe two a day but never all at once. I open a can and sip on it then put it back in the fridge a bajillion times a day.

4. My biggest pet peeve is:
Misuse and overuse of the phrase LOL. It is out of control, people and must be stopped. "I forgot to get orange juice at the store, LOL!" is NOT an acceptable Facebook status. You did NOT laugh out loud when you realized you forgot the OJ...at the very least you were like, "Aw crap! I've gotta go back to the store." It drives me BANANAS.

5. My most dreaded "mom chore" is:
Unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher AND moving wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. Something about wrestling with inanimate objects all wet and tangled up makes me cuss everysingletime.

6. The thing that has surprised me most about motherhood is:
How absolutely constant it is. I understood I would be a mother 24 hours a day once I had kids but I didn't realize they would actually need me for practically all of them. Even when you are sleeping you aren't really sleeping, not like you were before you had kids. You are always ready to leap out of the bed and into action. I'm 32 years old and my mother still jumps out of the bed whenever one of her kids needs her. It is exhausting.

7. On average I wipe ____ bottoms a day that are not attached to myself.
Just one! For awhile there I thought I wouldn't ever do anything else. I had two in diapers at the same time for about 4 years.

8. The one item that I should throw out but probably never will is:
My sorority t-shirts. I realize I look like an eejit wearing a t-shirt that reads, "Kappa Delta Pledge Formal 1997" with all three of my kids with me, but they are some of the most comfortable shirts I have and amazingly don't have any stains on them.

9. The last time I swept and mopped was
a.) two days ago.
b.) two weeks ago.
c.) two months ago.
d.) not applicable.
Geez, I've been out of town for awhile but I did it the day I left...about a week and a half ago? I have a cordless vacuum, aka The Cheerio Picker Upper and I use that until it is no longer safe to walk on the floors barefoot before I suck it up and use an actual broom and mop. (I have a bri-zilliant idea about sweeping, called Sweep-A-Meal-Later. You can read it and thank me later.)

10. My children are my:

students, my full time entertainment, my task-masters, my teachers and absolutely, without a doubt, the best things that have ever happened to me.

GOOD GIRLS Don't Have to Dress BAD

We are excited to announce the details of our next book chat!

 
Please make plans to join us MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central and meet SHARI BRAENDEL, author of GOOD GIRLS don't have to DRESS BAD. 

As the most sought-after and successful Christian speaker on fashion and beauty, Shari Braendel uses her twenty plus years of experience in the fashion field to inspire and motivate women of all ages and sizes to 1) learn to appreciate themselves regardless of what they look like or how much they weigh, and 2) understand exactly how they can look their best.


Description:

In Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad, Shari Braendel teaches you how to appreciate the body God gave you and how to always look your best—from conquering the battle of finding the right swimsuit, to choosing how many bangles you should wear or how big your purse should be, to wearing the right style jeans that will best flatter your thighs or hips, to finding the best places to shop to suit your unique personal style.

Many of us are watching reality TV shows to get a clue on how to dress right and look good. We hungrily purchase fashion magazines any time the cover article has something to do with how we can hide our despised body parts. We make mad dashes to the local department store to pick up the new anti-wrinkle cream Oprah promised will take ten years away from our face.

We care about how we look. Why is that? Because we’re women, and women love to look and feel good. God made us that way. And this is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a wonderful thing. God loves beauty. He doesn’t want us to reflect his image being sloppy, disheveled women of God who don’t pay any attention to what we look like.

Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad will show you how to look and feel your best, no matter what day it is or what the occasion. And it will also stop you from screaming at the top of your lungs, “I have nothing to wear.”

Zondervan Publishing would like to give-away a copy of GOOD GIRLS don't have to DRESS BAD. 
To be entered in the give-away.... simply leave a comment!!  Winner will be announced this coming WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18TH at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central. 

If you would like to go ahead and order your copy of GOOD GIRLS don't have to DRESS BAD, and start your transformation now, you can order it HERE.

Shari Braendel has a great Fashion Makeover Contest!  Check out the details of her fabulous Sweepstakes, where the Grand Prize includes: $500 Visa gift card, a web camera, a one-hour fashion consultation with Shari Braendel via Skype, a set of color swatches, and an autographed copy of Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad.




Full contest details and registration can be found at:
http://www.sharibraendel.com/contest.html

Have a GREAT day and don't forget to LEAVE A COMMENT if you would like to be entered to win a copy of our September Book Chat Book!

Back To School-- Two Toned Sandwich

Okay, so this was totally lifted from Disney Family Fun online but I just loved it and wanted to share..   My kid is totally going to be impressed when she opens her lunch the first day of school!

Two-Tone Sandwiches

 

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Surprise your kids on the first day of school with this too-cool-to-trade lunch idea.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread (one white and the other whole wheat, roughly the same size)

• Cookie cutters, 1 large and 1 small (ours measure 3 1/4 inches for the hand and 1 1/2 inches for the heart)

Instructions

1. 
   
   Set the 2 slices of bread on a cutting board. Cut out the centers of each with a large and a small cookie cutter.
2. 
   
   Swap the center cutouts, so the wheat bread has a white bread design and the white has the wheat, then assemble your sandwich.
   
   ~Dana

Monday's Mom-tage Mom: Susan @Practically Green

  Motivated by different health concerns that were going on with my family, I have been on a quest for healthier living for some time now.  Problem.. I'm a stay at home mom and I run my family on a tight budget.. And, since going completely green takes a lot of time and money, of which I have neither, I've tried to make changes, a little bit at a time.   I must admit that some of the guilt-inducing information about turning "environmentally friendly" can be overwhelming.  That is why I immediately fell in love with Practically Green.   Practically Green was started by Susan; a mom who started on the path to natural living because she discovered her child had food allergies..  It was Susan's goal to provide a framework, which made it easier to understand what to DO to live healthier and greener by assessing the daily decisions we make as mothers. The result of her efforts was an easy-to-use survey that enables you to assess  daily habits and then makes simple suggestions that will allow you to move in a greener direction, one small step at a time...  (and we all know the value of baby steps).   I was surprised to find that I was doing better than I thought  when I took the survey and made a 7 out 10, (Yay me!),  and I've already started to incorporate some small suggestions that the site made.  I hope you find the site as helpful as I did.  And thank you Susan, for taking the time to share with us!  ~Dana

Susan was kind enough to indulge us by answering our fun little survey questions:  So please stick around and meet Susan and let her tell you a little bit more about what's going on over at Practically Green!


1.  Edward or Jacob?

Uh Oh.  These are the twilight guys, right?  Is one of them really smart and funny?  If so, that one.  


2.  Bette Midler in "Beaches" or Lea Michelle in "Glee"?
 Totally Lea Michelle


3.  My quirky habits are:

I love "imagining" what it would take to fix places to be beautiful and vibrant--an old house, a small town with boarded up stores, a run-down neighborhood.  I once spent 3 hours with my best friend mapping up a new urban design for a town near my graduate school--just for fun.  My current obsession is my backyard.  It needs serious help.


4.  My biggest pet peeve is:

Laziness.  It even bugs me when I'M being lazy.


5.  My most dreaded "mom chore" is:

Probably bath time.  I'm still amazed how a huge protest about going in changes in less than 5 minutes to a huge protest about coming out.


6.  The thing that has surprised me most about motherhood is:

How much it helps you to be a kid again.  It had been probably 15 years since I'd played Yahtzee and Backgammon, swung on a swing, shot goals on a soccer net, dressed a doll, and colored.  Now that all happens in a weekend.


7.  On average I wipe ____ bottoms a day that are not attached to myself.

Does picking if up after the dog count?  If so, 3.  If not, 2.  My 5 year old still yells "I need some wiping!"  I'm hoping kindergarten peer pressure nips that in the bud.


8.  The one item that I should throw out but probably never will is:

I have almost every letter ever written to me--even christmas cards and those silly "camp-grams" that you used to send to people you liked at summer camp.  Most probably need to go, but I can't bear to part with them.


9.  The last time I swept and mopped was a.) two days ago.

I've been on a mopping frenzy.  yesterday, our dog had an anxiety attack and peed all over the kitchen floor.  last weekend we went on a basement cleaning binge.  I SO wish it were C!
                             
a.)two days ago.
b.) two weeks ago.
c.) two months ago.
d.) not applicable.


10. My children are my: 

guiding lights.  They help keep me focused on what really matters in life and remind me to take pleasure in the little things.

Susan Hunt Stevens @Practically Green


Almost four years ago, I tossed my first bottle of conventional baby lotion and banned plastic from our microwave.

My toddler son had just been diagnosed with a whole range of food and environmental allergies. This got us reading labels — and we quickly learned a lot about the impact that chemicals, hormones, antibiotics in foods, and other nasty stuff have on us and our kids.

The process was confusing, time-consuming, and complex–and it was filled with a lot of contradictory information.  And that was just the cleaning, food, and personal-care stuff!  When we decided to embark on a major home renovation focused on other ‘green’ things — like saving energy, saving water, reducing waste, and selecting products and services that were better for us and the planet — it got REALLY hard.  So hard, I decided to do a graduate program in sustainable design to understand it better!

I learned a lot about LEED® in my courses.  LEED is a system for developers, builders, and architects to earn points for incorporating green features into buildings.  If they do a really good job, their projects become LEED Silver, Gold, or even Platinum.  LEED® has sparked a boom in green building.

What I especially loved about LEED® was its framework, which made it easier to understand what to DO to live healthier and greener.  There was only one problem with LEED®.  It wasn’t helpful for the majority of decisions I was making on a daily basis as a mom. How many points for bringing bags to the grocery store?  How many for ditching my petroleum-based lipstick or switching to cloth napkins?  When I do these things, am I still just barely green or have I improved a lot?

I wanted LEED® for moms like me, my neighbors and friends.  And that’s the vision for Practically Green: a new online service that figures out where you are today and provides a personalized list of what you could be doing to “move up”. 

We try to make it comprehensive, we try to collect the best expertise and real life experience, and we try to make it fun.  Here’s how it works:

Step One:  Are you Level 1: Barely green?  Or are you Level 10: Superbly Green? The diagnostic quiz provides a “best estimate,” but you can easily add things it missed from over 350 actions in our database.  

Step Two:  Make a plan to reach your personal goal based on personalized, recommended actions.  Each action has points based on impact, along with why it’s green, how to do it, and recommended products and services.  (My goal is to get to a 10.  But I’m one of those who always wants to get a top score.  Very Type-A!)

Step Three:  Celebrate your accomplishments!  Whether it’s getting your gold badge in health or making it to the next level--it’s a big deal and we make it a big deal!  You can share your achievement with your friends too!

How am I doing?

Our four years of big efforts (a micro co-generation system) and little efforts (all-natural dish soap), adds up to 127 actions worth 4,380 points, which is “Wicked Green” or a Level 9.  If I want to get to a 10, I need slightly more than 100 more points, mostly in energy.  

This is where “superbly” and “practically” collide.  

Two big things I could do to get there would include:

1. Reduce Air Travel Significantly: 150 energy points

This isn’t happening.  My parents live in Washington State.  My husband’s parents live in Florida.  We are in Massachusetts.  We are going to see them--and we aren’t spending 4 days with 2 kids on a train to do it.  

1. Reduce red meat to 1x/month:  100 energy points

I’ve taken the “Meat-Free Monday” pledge and have very consciously shifted all our ground beef to ground dark turkey.  But I really enjoy a good steak and pork chops.  We’ve accepted the fact we’re carnivores, but we choose to Buy sustainably raised meat and settled on our 50 points for that. 

Fortunately, Practically Green encourages me to try and achieve my goals using a number of smaller, less dramatic changes too.  If I go this route to the Level 10, my journey probably looks like:

Install smart power strips:  10 energy points

Line-dry laundry in summer: 25 energy points

Plant a vegetable garden:  20 energy points (caveat:  I’ve done this, but before I claim the points, I want to see if I actually can grow anything!)

Insulate your pipes: 20 energy points

Install insulated window treatments: 20 points

What  about the 5 points left to go?  I turned my attention to the health, water and stuff categories and found lots and lots to do.  Here’s a fun and easy one:

Get something, instead of buying it, from Freecycle:  5 points

I have no illusions these actions will happen overnight, but the whole point is to just put one foot in front of the other and to keep going.  When I look back at how our life has changed over time, I’m truly amazed at what we’ve accomplished.  We’d dropped our electricity usage almost 70% in the winter.  We have significantly reduced our toxin exposure from food and products.  My son no longer snores so loud you can hear him two floors down from dust mites.  We truly live more consciously and I do feel like I’m contributing to a healthier life for my kids and perhaps doing my part for the greater good. 

What about you?  Where are you in your green journey and what actions get you to your own goal? We’d love to hear from you and hope to see you as part of Practically Green.