Praises of a Wife and Mommy

A new chili cook off has started in our town to help raise funds for different projects.   My husband was determined to make a great spicy/hot chili.   He ended up winning 3rd place but claims he could have done better had one of the judges actually liked hot... sadly for him this judge was the mayor of town and had to take several drinks to tame the fire.    We have a lot of fun getting to know more people in our town.   I encourage your to reach out and get to know your neighbors more.  

Description: The first book in  The Reading Game  learn-to-read series tells the story of a skunk without a stripe who is rejected by the other skunks but finds acceptance among some cats and becomes their defender.  It’s told in rhyme, is beautifully illustrated, and is 32 pages long.  It will be the first book the student reads, and there are five more to follow in this groundbreaking learn to read program. Each of The Reading Game's six stories is told using just thirty new words.  These are broken down into six sets of five words.  The student learns to read each set of five words by playing a simple word matching game.  Frequent exposure through play hard wires these words into long-term memory.  Rote learning is transformed into a fast-paced game with a winner every few seconds. After completing Skunk, Game 1, the student has learned five words (can, cat, is, me, not).  Playing Game 2 adds an additional five w...

Book Description: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 In this newest 8x8 softcover title in the Berenstain Bears Living Lights collection, the Bruins join the Bear family for a cookout and bring their cousin Tommy along. It isn’t long before the cubs start up a game of baseball and Sister soon notices that Tommy doesn’t play like the rest of the group. When Sister asks about Tommy, Mama takes the opportunity to talk to Sister about how God makes each of us unique in our own way. And that we all have special gifts and talents to share with the folks around us. My review: Thanks Zondervan for sending me this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.   I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   I loved this story!   Since I have a nephew who has disabilities this is a great story to share with my kids to help them understand and discuss their cousin better and to show love and patience...

Online specialty Food Company stands the test of time - Spice Company creates custom spice blends, sesonings and dry soups. Olde Westport Spice & Trading Company is a 33-year-old spice manufacturer that is still going strong. This online company operates a small plant in Goodland, Kansas, and knows a thing or two about spices, seasonings and soups. This family owned and operated company was originally founded in the Kansas City area and has stayed true to its mission of making custom spice blends for main meal dishes and appetizers as well as nearly 20 varieties of dry soups. The products are available online at www.oldewestportspice.com; at food-related craft and trade shows throughout the Midwest; and at gift and gourmet food shops. Olde Westport's spice blends and seasonings include Italian, Cajun, Taco, Fajita, Chili, Jalapeno, Beef Sauce, Salsa, Garlic and many more. All of the products use quality ingredients for a balanced flavor that compliments meats, pastas and ...

About the Bible: The  Little Chick’s Bible  is a soft, cuddly Bible that children age 2-5 can call their own.  Throughout this plush-covered book little ones learn that they’re loved and cared for by God as they hear about God’s faithfulness in stories from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  With sweet, rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this soft and cuddly character storybook Bible is sure to become a classic with preschoolers. My Review: My 7 and 3 year old love the fuzzy soft book... they even said it could be a stuffed animal because it's so soft!  I did go double check their beds and was hoping to see if they were cuddling with their Bible but nope they weren't... that would have been an awesome picture.   Over all there are 9 key stories in the Bible.   I love the rhymes on each page as well as the pictures. We actually read all the stories for bedtime rather than one per night.    Once my kids get...

This year my daughter participated in the Jump Rope for Heart- to raise awareness on heart disease partnering with American Heart Association.   I was surprised that 1 out of 3 women die from heart disease and 80% of it is preventable!!!    Here is her page if you would like to donate:   http://jumphoops2015mwa.kintera.org/selahgracielou Here she is with her group that  she jumped rope with.   They got silly and had a lot of fun!   I have to giggle when I look at this picture.   Yes she is jumping rope... no she is not doing ballet.  LOL   She sure is adorable with her method.  

I am so thankful for my husband that last couple weeks!   He has really done a great job at being the active parent.   I have had a couple hard weeks at work... some days I love my job and other days I long to just be at home with my family.   It changes often so I know I need to be where I am at and wait for God's direction.   These two pictures of my kids were sent to me via text while I was still at work.   Our local library had a fun Valentines Day planned and my daughter got out of school early so my amazing hubby to the kids to have fun! My word this year is intentional with time and I have made more time for meeting and having people over for dinner but some days I truly miss doing more crafts and fun stuff with my kids.   PRAY for me!  I guess the word should go to BALANCE!   Balance all my hats I wear.  

Look at this gem!   She is more and more independent doing her hair every day and requesting different hair styles.   This time she kept the swoop bang but got many more layers.   All her blonde seems to be gone so I think spring and more sunshine is in order.   Since I leave for work before she is done getting ready for school and my husband doesn't quite seem to care if her hair is well kept or messy I found that we needed to thin it out a bit and get more layers.   With more layers and a little shorter she can manage her hair much better!  I have noticed that her swoop bang is a bit shorter so sometimes the bangs go all the way across like  normal bangs... I have to admit I kinda like that style on her!

Book Description: “White snowy Angels with wide sweeping wings --- Let’s find the wonders that God’s winter brings.” Children explore the delights of winter from A to Z in this charming softcover edition that celebrates the season’s blessings: from the sparkle of lights to the warmth of a quilt and the scent of fresh-baked cookies. As children review the alphabet, they discover the joy and beauty of wintertime, whether revealed in the bustle of the holidays or the quiet of a snowy walk. S is for Snowman is the latest installment in Ms. Wargin’s alphabet-centered picture book series that includes K is for Kite, F is for Fireflies, and P is for Pumpkin. My Review: I sit here on a freezing day... so cold there is a 2 hour school delay.  The East is getting another round of snow and there are cold temps in the south as well!   Some people might not want to get this book since it has been a long winter but maybe I can convince you.  "S is for Snowman" is a delig...

A huge shout out and thanks to The Nerds Wife blog for giving out this awesome freebie.   After several minutes of browsing Pintrest my daughter finally picked this for her 2015 Valentines.  Bubbles can be found very affordable at Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart.    What Valentines are your kids making this year?   

In this newest Berenstain Bears Living Lights 8x8 book,  The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag , Grizzly Gramps teaches Brother and Sister a valuable lesson about bragging and boasting. When he happens to overhear the cubs bickering about who can see the most unusual cloud formations, Gramps puts a stop to the argument. He reminds them that being proud of a special talent from God is one thing, but bragging about it is foolish. “Pride goeth before a fall!” My Review: Thanks Zondervan for sending me this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   Overall the message behind this book is an important one for all people...kids and adults alike.  I like the story of the cubs grandpa.  I think this story line is easy for kids to follow and relate to... we all have moments of being prideful.  I am a little frustrated with the Proverbs 16:18 listed on the cover because it...

Thanks Zondervan for sending me this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.   I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   Happy Valentines Day!   As a mom with two young kids it is hard to even imagine the years when they have crushes and asking if they can date... oh wait just last month my 3 year old son told me he had a girl friend.   They just get younger and younger... JK!  Anyways this book is adorable with Brother Bear finding out he has a secret admirer.  The big debate for many christian parents is what age should kids start to date.   I do believe every parent needs to determine this with their spouse as every child is different!  The book did show Brother Bear skating with his admirer but I like that fact that Sister Bear was also there... always having accountability at any age is important.   At the end of the story the author brings back the truth- "Anyone who lo...

These are the handmade string boards that my husband and our church intern made.   Several hours were spent construction the entire project.  The importance of these new string boards is truly the message that is on each of them.   Each one represents a series that my husband has preached on. -Give Me Faith -Show Me Hope -Make Me Love Our mission at Riverside church is Have Faith, Give Hope, and Be Love so each of these series fit in to the overall mission of the church.  

I have had moment after moment this week of God's beautiful artwork.... and yes it is from snow!   Sunday the 1st of February we were having  blizzard conditions.   We cancelled church and the schools cancelled on Monday.   I think after both days we had about 13-15 inches of freshly fallen snow.  The biggest snow fall I have seen in about 5 years!   I know I am very guilty of complaining about bad weather and being a nag about it.     To be honest though... this big dump of snow was awesome!   It has been awhile since I have seen this much snow in a short time.   Last year we were hit with cold cold and more cold.   So to be fair I am a complainer when it comes to cold but I occasionally can be excited like a kid on Christmas Eve for a good ole big snow storm. I was excited to be trapped at home for two days and so thrilled to spend each minute with my two kids!   (My husband might not say t...

With the big snowfall it was time to change the bulletin board and do some creative writing.  Our writing started said, "if I lived in a snow globe..."  It was a fun topic but challenging for others to get creative.