Praises of a Wife and Mommy

Had fun with a few of my students creating this little display for Red Ribbon Week!  What do you do for Red Ribbon week?   How do you talk to your kids about drugs? 

2014-  Witches Walk and Trunk or Treat This is our 2nd year that our church opened our parking lot up and decorated or vehicles and ourselves!   My husband and I both picked a book character!   Can you guess who we are?   I'm sure you all could guess my husband-  "Where's Waldo!"  But many of you might be struggling with me....  I'm not Rainbow Bright, or the Rainbow Fish!   Still confused about me?  It is the character from the book,  " A Bad Case of Stripes ."  I love the story and it was a delight when kids knew who I was!   EAT your Lima Beans!   My two kiddos were the cutest around, we have an adorable Lady Bug and Hulk!  Then I have a few of the other vehicles that came out!   I think we had 17 total vehicles/trunks in our lot and next year I hope we have even more!  We were also blessed with a 70 degree day for this so tons of families were out!!   IT WAS A BLAST! ...

12 years ago I was 18 and still praying for a miracle as our family surround my mom to say our good byes. My mom might not have been healed here on Earth but she did have victory as she went to be with her savior on October 30th 2002. Her pain was gone and the stupid leukemia was no more!! Selfishly I was very angry the cancer took her life and it took a long time to understand Gods plans for me and my family. Now 12 years later I look and realize how my faith has become much stronger through this and amazed how often God has used my testimony to love on others as they go through tough times. I may have had her physically here on earth for 18 years but her prayers she prayed through out the years are still coming to light. I often still ask, what would my mom say or do or think of many different situations I face! I know I am her legacy and I pray God would bring me deeper and deeper in his love and understanding so I can be a light all of my days like my mom Bette Norden! I love you...

It's National Red Ribbon Week and I am in love with my daughter's school theme for the day-  "I 'mustache' you to say NO to drugs!"   I will be honest, I wish my school would have been as cool as my daughters and did this theme.  :) Back to the real topic-  SAY NO TO DRUGS!  At what age do you start to talk about drugs with your kids?   

This year we took the easy route when it came to pumpkins.   I am still thinking that we might carve them on Friday since we might not trick or treat for very long since its going to be very COLD!    Last year I found these Mr. Potato head pieces in a package for pumpkins on clearance so it was an easy buy.   My kids had fun picking and changing their pieces for their pumpkin.  

About the book: D-I-R-T.  What kind  of dirt are you? Eyeballs are on U. U know it. What kind of light R U? Dare U 2 Open this Book  is not your typical 90-day devotional for guys. It’s an all-out open space for you to explore and learn more about yourself and your faith. With prompts to get your mind thinking and your creative ideas flowing, turn your thoughts and emotions into dynamic doodles, fill in the prayer blanks, solve puzzles, and more. Each of the short, single-page devotions includes a topic, quote, Scripture summary, plus doodles, journal prompts, lists, puzzles, quizzes, fill-in-the-blank prayers, and unique activities that explore Bible truths and ways to apply them—everyday. — Dare U 2 Open this Book  challenges guys to follow Jesus. Best. Idea. Ever. My Review: Getting tween aged boys excited to read is a hard enough task!   This new devotional for boys is not just about reading scripture it truly gives boys time to reflect and...

About the Book The  Adventure Bible for Toddlers  starts children ages 2-5 on the journey of a lifetime, teaching them about the Bible’s great stories and themes. It helps young children grow in their relationship with God using stories and art from the wildly popular  Adventure Bible Storybook . With ten beautifully illustrated and beloved Bible stories from the Old and New Testament, this sturdy padded board book will stimulate toddlers’ minds and fill their hearts with love for their heavenly Father. My Review I have a 3 year old son and he fits the age group for this fabulous  Bible board book.   Each of the ten stories are stories that we have talked and discussed before which helped him make connections when we turned the page and he knew what the story was before even starting to read it.  I like board books for my son still because he can get a little rough still and I don't have to worry about pages being ripped.  Board book...

AMAZING TASTE—POWERFUL NUTRITION We’re two brothers who love to snack! We think everyone deserves to crunch and dip without compromise—to enjoy a snack that tastes great and is good for you. But we just couldn’t find a snack that fit the bill… so we created Beanitos © . Beanitos are an honestly delicious snack made from super nutritious beans that have fiber and protein grown right in them. They’re real food, full of crunchy flavor, free of preservatives, and made with only natural non-GMO ingredients. Some call us revolutionaries. Others call us and say, “C’mon over and bring some Beanitos.” We think you’ll call Beanitos your new favorite snack! My Review: Thanks Beanitos for sending me chips to conduct a review.   I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   You all know I am a fan of Beanitos since I reviewed them earlier this year.   I am and will always be a bean fan so a chip that is better for me made from beans is a win...

Thank you Adagio Tea for sending me samples in exchange for an honest review and sponsoring a giveaway to one lucky fan.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.  Fall is here and the cooler temps are giving me shivers in the morning.  For the past several months I have started to drink tea but typically only drinking green tea but after getting these samples last week I am now a new tea fanatic.   I can't get enough and these flavors are crazy amazing. Adagio Tea is a fun site with the biggest variety in tea.  You literally could spend hours looking at the tea.   I found the site very humorous because if you click on the bottom where it says, "self ban" you can fill out a form and get yourself banned from the site for a few days  ranging from 1-7 days if you become too addicted to the awesome site!   That is hysterical!  After getting a good belly laugh from that one I got to see the more seriou...

I love my church family!   Today was our potluck but instead of being at church we went to one of the members house who lives out in the country.   Apple bobbing...have you done it?   It is all about committing and knowing you are going to get wet!   We also went on a fun nature treasure hunt in the fields.  Some of the kids even saw a snake, a baby mouse, and a dead bird.   Just visiting with people and admiring my son playing with some of the kids made me quite content where I was.  HAPPY!   Grass stained pants just make me thank my Daddy God for health in my family... plus thoughts about finding a wrestling team for him to join.  

My Review: Thank-you Ozeri for sending this product in exchange for a review.   All opinions are 100% mine and I was not paid for this review.   How many of you saw the picture and thought this was a speaker and not a fan?  I DID!!   I love that fact that this fan looks more like a speaker but I tell you what this fan is NOT noisy like a speaker!   The tall but skinny look allows this fan to fit in many spots in a house, I prefer to have it in the corner!   The technology in this fan is amazing...it is so quiet! Quiet on all three speed levels!  Beyond the look and the quiet performance of this fan I also like that the remote is small and fits on the fan as well as the timer feature! Summer might be done as autumn is here and winter is soon approaching but this fan is much needed in any home.   Currently I have it blowing out of my kitchen on low to help bring the yummy smells to my living room!  You can order this fan right ...

Anyone remember me telling you my kids have a fear of anything in a costume?   I mean a real fear with shaking, crying, and screaming involved? We go out of our way all the time to avoid anything in a costume.   I have two kids immediately hiding behind me if there is any costumed person aproaching in a parade.  We even almost missed a friends birthday party because my daughter was so afraid of Chuck E at Chuck E Cheese but I convinced her to go but she left the area when Chuck E came out.   Last week we went to our local fire station for fire safety awareness night and at the beginning of the night she was her normal self and avoided the Sparky the fire dog.   Then as we were waiting in line and she was kind of hiding behind me when Sparky approached but as she watched her friend interact with him she all of a sudden burst forth with a new trust and no fear attitude and hugged Sparky!   Quite literally I paused with my mouth hanging open unable...

Space Scouts is an affordable monthly subscription club designed to engage your child in the worlds of space exploration, space science, and astronomy. Space Sco uts is not your typical grab-bag subscription box!  This is a fun, educational experience where each month builds upon the previous.  It's a great way to learn!   Space Scouts is for kids ages 6+.  Price is affordable at $11.95 per month + $3 shipping.  Discounts for multi-month purchases . Product Details: ROXY and JETT will guide your child on a scouting expedition through the solar system, with focus on a specific place in space each month. Begin the adventure with the Space Scouts lunchbox to use as a backdrop and storage for the monthly magnet collection, the Space Scouts solar system poster to map and mark with the monthly exploration sticker, and the Space Scouts constellation card startup kit to hold the monthly constellation card collection. Each monthly packet will...

Book Description: Moses asked God, “Are you sure I am the right man?” The Israelites are in slavery in Egypt, and God wants Moses to help set them free. But Moses is afraid no one will listen to him. And the Pharaoh is stubborn! He doesn’t want to let God’s people go. Even when God sends many plagues to Egypt, the Pharaoh still says no. Then God sends the tenth plague. Will Pharaoh finally let God’s people go? This level 2 I Can Read! book is designed for newly independent readers and is based on the  Adventure Bible —the #1 Bible for kids! My Review: Most of us know this story but once your child is able to read it on there own with a I CAN READ! book it truly makes them process the story a little bit more.   This version really made us think more about how hard it must have been for Moses.  The story was easy to relate to because how often do we question our abilities or gifts when really we should not worry about our abilities and fully trust ...

You won't have to turn your head once the video starts going.  :)   I am so proud of my husband and all his talents that God has given him!   This poem, "Words" is such a great word for all to hear.   Words do have power! I hope you are blessed by it.   

Dream Team Pets is much more than a bedtime toy-it's an innovative kid's sleep aid that helps end the bedtime battles of trying to keep your child in bed. Developed with the help of a pediatrician, Dream Team Pets bedtime routine empowers kids as they reward their Pet with stickers and a certificate for a good night's sleep. If the child wakes up from a nightmare, there are no hard feelings because the responsibility is on their Pet, but when they successfully sleep in their own bed, the kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they reward their Dream Team Pet. What makes this unique is that the kids think they are training their Pet, but really they are sleep training themselves! My Readers receive 30% Off Dream Team Pets with Promo Code: USFGUIDE http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_toys-and-games?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=OIC+Toys%2C+LLC&node=165793011 I am really looking forward to writing my full review after I receive this product!   My son truly ne...

I saw this on Amazon and I got so excited because my kids love chalk...I love chalk and I grew up using the Spirograph for pen and paper so the little kid at heart in me bought it right away.    I am very disappointed in it.   The big purple ring is hard to keep still on sidewalk!   My designs looked like scribble marks because the chalk would not glide on the sidewalk like it does on paper and pen.  Don't waste your money buying this... if it is too hard for a 30 year old to do it then it must be for kids too!   I do give the inventor props it is a great idea it just is not working well.    

Book Description: “Man and woman had been created in God’s image … that meant people were extra special to God.” God spent seven days creating his world. He made the stars and the moon, the plants and the trees, and the birds and the fish. On the last day he made Adam and Eve---people like you! God loved everything that he made. But one day Adam and Eve disobeyed God. This level 2 I Can Read! book is designed for newly independent readers and is based on the Adventure Bible---the #1 Bible for kids! My Review: We have read many kids Bibles which include many favorite Bible stories.   This I Can READ! book does a great job at extending the story to create more discussions with relating to our own lives.   Eve gets tempted and being able to sit and discuss temptations and punishments after making a bad choice was a great connection!  My daughter is also turning into a book worm and becoming a better reader each and every day.  

Book Description:   From Jago and Sally Lloyd-Jones, the creators of the bestselling   Jesus Storybook Bible , comes this gorgeous and innovative collection of 101 simple-yet-profound thoughts on faith.   Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing   Deluxe Edition   shares profound spiritual truths from the Bible told in a conversational tone—drawing insights from creation, history, science, the writings of great thinkers and preachers and writers, and more—to turn the reader’s eyes toward the God who loves them with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. The deluxe edition also includes audio from award-winning actor David Suchet, allowing read-along opportunities or inspiration wherever you go. Perfect for family devotions, bedtime, story time, or even as a companion to  The Jesus Storybook Bible , this accessible yet theologically rich book reveals biblical truth in word and image, all working together and designed to do...

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY!!!! This was the first birthday party that my daughter had where she invited school friends and got to go to a different venue!   We went skating and let me tell you I was very brave to take 6 and 7 year olds skating!  Praise God no one got hurt and 100% of them had a blast!   WOOT!! I do have to say that this was the easiest party to plan... I usually spend a lot of time and money on throwing birthday parties but this was as easy as inviting friends and showing up!!   YEP no stress was the way to go when time is lacking to plan!  

A Lesson on the Golden Rule In the newest addition to the VeggieTales I Can Read series, S heerluck Holmes and the Case of the Missing Friend , our Veggie friend Sniffy’s feelings are hurt, and he disappears from the Pizza Place. His friends are worried and ask Sheerluck and Dr. Watson for help finding him. Will they find Sniffy before the hounds of Baker Street do? And will Sniffy ever forgive his friends for treating him poorly? My Review: Books that will help teach my kids how to treat people are books I want to read and reread to them.   The Gold rule is one that aligns with the loving others a command God gave us!   This book takes the kids on a little mystery before discussing hurt feelings and forgiveness.  This book is only $3.99 on Zondervan!