Advent - Hope

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

The theme for the first week of Advent is Hope. Not only hope of the coming of the Baby Jesus, but hope in his return, His promised second coming. Jesus tells His disciples in John 14 that He is going to prepare a place for them and that He will return to take them there.

As Christians, we know that this world is not our home. Heaven is our true home. Yes, we are to live our lives here on earth and spread the Gospel while we are here, but this life is temporary. Our home in heaven is eternal.

For me, thinking about eternity is difficult. The only existence that I know is one that is marked by time, by the passing of minutes and hours and days. Eternity will not have minutes or hours or days. That's a difficult concept to grasp.

Yet I long for my eternal home. Why? First, it is there that I will be constantly in the presence of the Lord without all the distractions of this world. And second, because we will be reunited with our loved ones. I long to be with our first daughter. I miss my friend. I cannot wait to be with them again.

When the crap of this world gets us down, we have hope that this is NOT all there is. If not for the hope of eternity with God, how can we make it through the tough stuff of life? How do you face another day when you can't make sense of tragedy? HOPE. I don't know how a person can face another day without hope.

I encourage you to take time to reflect during this Advent season and not rush into all the busyness of the Christmas season. Reflect on what it means to have hope.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm counting my blessings today. I hope you are too!!




And don't forget to have some Pumpkin Pi!

Best Blogging Advice

Thanks to those who asked questions to help me get over my blogging slump. If you haven't had a chance to ask me a question that you are dying to know the answer to, feel free to your question on this post.

The first question comes from Tracy, and Miriam said "ditto." They asked for my top three words of wisdom regarding blogging and making money with a blog. I am not an expert. I can share what I have learned in the 2+ years that I have been blogging. (Can't believe it's been that long!)

To be totally honest, I make about $25 every 4-6 months through the ads on my blog. Not a lot, but I call it my "ice cream money."

The way to make money is to build up traffic to your blog. You can do this artificially by hosting giveaways and contests and making one of the requirements that they subscribe to your RSS feed. Blergh. I hate that. Those followers won't stick around unless you are so over the top informative or witty.

In my opinion, the best way to build a loyal readership to your blog is network. Comment on other blogs. Participate in blog carnivals. Connect with people. Get on Twitter and find great people to follow.

Also, make your blog reader friendly. Allow full RSS feeds. Most people don't like partial feeds and will unsubscribe simply because it's annoying to see only a partial feed. Also, DO NOT have auto-play music on your blog. This is one of the biggest pet peeves of most bloggers, especially moms who might blog hop while a kiddo is taking a nap.

And one more piece of advice that has really helped expand my readership and increase page hits (on which my ad revenue is based) is that I link my blog feed to my Facebook. I reserve Facebook for IRL friends, family, and bloggers who I would like to meet IRL, so by linking my feed there, people who KNOW me now have easier access to my blog feed. Make sense?

Above all else, be genuine. Blog about your passions. I'm not into blogging for the money. Some people are. But whether you want "ice cream money," or additional income for your family, be yourself. That will draw people to you and your blog and help them to stick around and become long-term readers.

Top Ten Things I Need to Prep for Thanksgiving

1. Tuesday: bake bread for the stuffing (done!)

2. Tuesday: finish grocery shopping, just a few small things since I did the major shopping trip last Friday (done!)

3. Tuesday night: soak garbanzo beans to be used in the pumpkin hummus

4. Wednesday: bake gingersnap cookies

5. Wednesday: make pumpkin hummus

6. Wednesday night: prep bread for stuffing (basically rip it into small pieces and let it set out overnight)

7. Wednesday night: prep turkey for frying

8. Thursday: fry turkey (this is actually Hubby's job. He is apprenticing under a master turkey fryer!)

9. Thursday: make stuffing, all other sides are being brought by family.

10. Thursday: set table and do last minute clean up, since I was able to do most of the cleaning on Monday during kid-free time!)

Thanks to everyone who asked me a question or two (or ten) in yesterday's Ask Heather post. I still could use more questions to help with blog fodder, so feel free to add your two cents!

For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com

Ask Heather

I admit it, I'm in a bit of a blogging slump. I need your help!

I've seen lots of other bloggers do this and it results in some good blog fodder. It's time for you to ask me some questions and I'll do my best to answer them in coming blog posts.

Since I usually blog about parenting and faith, you can ask something from those topics. Or something totally random. All I ask is that you keep it respectful and clean!

Leave your questions in the comments!

Finding Time for Learning

We are busy. So are you. So how do you find time to teach your kids the things that they need to know? We do a lot of learning on the go!

1. We sing in the car. I'm not much of a have-to-listen-to-music-all-the-time person. I actually enjoy the quiet in the car. But to keep Ladybug entertained, we sing songs that we have learned at home or sing at church.

2. We incorporate signing into as many of our activities as possible. My best guess is that Ladybug knows close to 200 signs. We are currently working on the alphabet and numbers.

3. Change the words to songs. Ever notice how "Twinkle, Twinkle," the ABC song, and "Baa Baa Black Sheep" have the same tune? We also sing numbers 1-20 to the same tune. (She can count up to 30, or 20-10 as she likes to call it, but singing the song helps with signing the numbers as well.)

4. We talk to Ladybug when we go places. We ask her what she sees, to count something, and we tell her the names of things she doesn't know.

5. I am learning to take advantage of those sometimes annoying toddler obsessions. She currently LOVES turkeys and fire trucks. So we have been reading books and making crafts that incorporate these as well.

6. We spend more time reading books than watching videos. And if she wants to read the same book over and over, we try to accommodate her. Yes, the repetition can be annoying to an adult, but toddlers love the repetition because it helps them feel secure.

7. We are still doing our ABC Bible verses, I'm behind in posting them.


In a way, we see all of these activities as pre-homeschooling. We may or may not homeschool, we haven't decided yet. But we want her to be "academically" prepared when the time comes. Our learning is unstructured, fun, and flexible. It's more about the time that we spend together than what is accomplished.

Of course, these tips are based on what we do with our toddler. If you have older kids, how do you incorporated learning into your busy lives?

Top Ten Things I Do Before Leaving the House

Alternate title: Why I Feel Like I'm Losing My Mind

1. Tell Ladybug to close the door, Mama's not ready yet.

2. Find my shoes

3. Find my keys

4. Find my cell phone

5. Tell Ladybug to close the door, Mama's not ready yet.

6. Remind myself what I was looking for

7. Get my travel coffee mug, Ladybug's water cup, and a snack

8. Tell Ladybug to close the door, Mama's not ready yet.

9. Pick up my purse, put down my purse, put my shoes on, pick up my purse again, pick up whatever other bags I need (Ladybug's school bag, reusable shopping bags, etc), pick up my keys, make sure my cell phone is in my purse, THEN....

10. Tell Ladybug she can open the door now, Mama is FINALLY ready to go.


Can anyone else relate????

For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com

Football and Church

Football is a team sport. It takes eleven men working together to make plays happen, to move the football down the field, or prevent their opponent from doing the same.

One of my pet peeves about football (seen mostly on the professional level, but I'm sure it's there at all levels) is when one player thinks they are the most important person on the team. Yes, it's fine to celebrate after you've made a good play, but grand-standing and show-boating and even pouting when you don't get the ball are not acceptable behaviors. They are not acceptable in civilized society, why would they be acceptable behaviors on the football field?

You know what I'm talking about. That wide receiver would waves his arms trying to tell his quarterback that he's open when he really isn't. Then he stares daggers at the QB because he wasn't given the ball. Then he pouts on the sideline or shares a few choice words to express his displeasure. He thinks the game is all about him. (Yes, this happened in a game yesterday.)

Football is not about the individual player. Yes, there are stars. But the fan favorites are almost always the players who work WITH their teammates to make great things happen.

Church is like that too. From 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 -

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

The church (either the local church where you worship or the universal Church as a whole) is not made up of individuals who can get things done on their own. The church isn't about the priest or the pastor or the pope. The church is about people coming together to work together.

Do you have a beautiful church building that you appreciate every Sunday morning? Guess what? Someone else works to keep it that way. Are the restrooms clean every time you use them? Are the bulletins nicely printed and folded? Does the choir or the praise team sound good? It takes people working together to make those things happen.

Speaking from the music perspective, we would not sound good if we didn't have a good sound system, a good sound system operator, good musicians and good singers. We need all of those. Sure, one person could stand up and lead singing a Capella (yes, that's really how you spell it), but that's not the style of music that we want to present. (Not saying that style isn't fine, because it is.)

And in Bible studies, fellowship dinners, and service projects, the team can always, always accomplish more than one individual alone. We not only get more done, but we benefit in immeasurable ways when we work together. Group Bible studies bring to light thoughts and ideas that you might not encounter on your own. Fellowship dinners, well, you can't fellowship by yourself. And it's a bit difficult to rebuild someone's house in a day when you are working all by yourself.

We need each other. As the saying goes, no man is an island unto himself. We can't do this thing called "life" alone. We can't do church alone. And we can't play football alone.

First Golf Lesson

We are a golf family in addition to being a football family. Hubby has worked in the golf business for many years. We enjoy watching golf together. I know we're weird. I actually learned about the game when we were courting long-distance. We would sit on the phone for hours on a weekend, watch the golf tournament on TV, and he would explain everything to me.

We are REALLY hoping that Ladybug (2.5 years old) chooses golf as her sport. Yes, I know, we're weird. She'll be getting her first golf clubs this Christmas. We are so excited. Yes. I know. We are weird.

Last weekend, Hubby gave Ladybug her first golf lesson. He was out in the backyard working on his chip shot when she woke up from her nap, and she HAD to go out and be with Daddy.
Whaddya think? Is a natural or what?



Hosted by Cecily and JENNIFER

How to Keep a Toddler Entertained When Housework Needs Done

Alternate title: What I Learned From My Mom

Have I mentioned how much I enjoyed my mom's visit? She was here for three weeks, and she and Ladybug (2.5 years old) had so much fun together. It was great to have a built-in babysitter too. Hubby and I had a double date with friends and a date by ourselves while she was here. I had a girlfriends' lunch, got my hair cut, and was able to get errands done by myself.

We also got a lot of projects done around the house. Having an extra pair of hands and eyes was wonderful!

Even though it's been 30+ years since my mom has had a toddler of her own, she's definitely a natural. It was amazing to watch her interact with Ladybug. And my mom had this magical ability to get work done while keeping the toddler entertained! When I realized she had this ability, I spent a lot of time observing her with Ladybug so that I could maybe learn this skill.

Here is what I learned:

1. My mom encouraged parallel play. If Grammy was cooking, then Ladybug was "cooking." If Grammy was raking, they "shared" the rake. Kids want to be just like there parents and older siblings - let them do what you are doing!(Ladybug "helping" Grammy rake and bag leaves)

2. If Ladybug wasn't interested in mimicking what Grammy was doing, my mom had a ready arsenal of activities to keep her occupied. A new activity that was a big hit was play dough! Grammy made animals that kept Ladybug enthralled. (We have now let those play dough animals dry out so that Ladybug can play with them. And we have purchased new play dough.)
(Ladybug enjoying play dough)

3. Often, Grammy gave Ladybug her undivided attention for 15-20 minutes before she needed to do something else that required her attention.

4. And the most important observation I made was that my mom kept an easy-going attitude. If Ladybug made a mess while "helping," Grammy said, "Oh well," and cleaned up.


Yes, these are all things that I *know* that I should do, but in the normal course of being a wife, a mom, and a domestic engineer, along with all of the other hats that I wear, it's easy to forget. Thanks for the reminder, Mom!

Works for Me Wednesday

Top Ten Reasons I Didn't Post Yesterday

1. I try to post something inspirational/faith-related yesterday, and I have had so many thoughts spinning in my head, there wasn't one that I could narrow down to 100-200 words.

2. Monday mornings are so hectic, if I don't write the post on Sunday afternoon, it doesn't get written.

3. Sunday's schedule was messed up due to stewardship stuff at church. My whole day was out of whack!

4. When I finally had time Monday evening to sit and think of something to write, I figured "why bother? Monday is almost over."

5. I'm try to spend less time staring at my computer and more time playing with Ladybug.

6. It is sometimes difficult for me to keep one train of .... ooo, shiny!

7. Every time I do sit down to write a blog post, I get interrupted. Like just now. What was I saying?

8. I only had one cup of coffee yesterday. Oh, wait. We did get a new Keurig coffee maker in the church office. (you know how I love coffee!)

9. I actually read from a real book yesterday. It was a good thing!

10. I started doing research for upcoming blog posts regarding Santa Claus (and our alternative to SC).


For more thought-provoking Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com

Growing Up Before Our Eyes

My mom's visit is over. She was here for three weeks and the time flew by so fast. But in those three weeks, Ladybug (2.5 years old) seemed to grow up before our eyes. She is now speaking in full sentences. Her vocabulary grew by about fifty words. She learned to be okay with touching play dough.

Grammy and Ladybug were constant companions, and now Ladybug keeps asking for Grammy. It makes me sad that my mom lives so far away (or I should say, we live so far away since she still lives where I grew up). But it makes me happy to see my mom and my daughter forming such a strong bond.

Grammy took this wonderful picture a day or so before leaving and I think that it captures the big girl who is starting to emerge from our baby. She's growing up, and there isn't anything we can do to stop that. But we can take a moment to pause and enjoy each moment as it comes.





Hosted by Cecily and Emily

Bible Verse Craft - I

Time for letter I. I adapted this idea from No Time For Flash Cards.


I outlined the letter I for Ladybug to color while I drew an ice cream cone and ice cream scoops. She colored them before I cut them out. Then I let Ladybug glue them on the letter I. I gave her a little guidance so the ice cream cone would be upright, but let her decide where to actually place everything.

And then I realized that she had drawn on her face! One of the many reasons that we use washable markers!
For our Bible verse, we used Psalm 13:5.


After the fact, I realized that I should have chosen a descriptive word to highlight instead of a personal pronoun. Oh well. I'm learning as we're going.

Top Ten Reasons I Need Coffee

I'm going to cut to the chase today. These are in no particular order.


1. Ladybug (2.5 years old) hasn't figured out this time change thing yet. It's Tuesday, and she's been awake since 4:45am. I NEED COFFEE.

2. It's a soothing way to start the day.

3. I recently found a sugar-free vanilla caramel powdered creamer - YUM! (I go for sugar-free powdered creamers so it's a little more guilt free as well. I don't need my coffee with a side of guilt, thank you.)

4. There is a reason that people in their 20s have babies. They have the energy to run after them. As an older mom, I don't have all the energy I need to chase Ladybug, so I rely on caffeine at times. (although I do drink half-caff so I don't get the jitters.)

5. I actually enjoy coffee.

6. I have previously blogged about my frugal coffee enjoyment, again, with less guilt!

7. I like being able to say to mommy friends, "Let's meet for coffee." Makes me feel suave.

8. A little bit of caffeine keeps the gastro-intestinal system moving right along, if ya know what I mean. ;-)

9. Coffee gives me something to blog and tweet about.

10. And did I mention that the toddler has been awake since 4:45 this morning? Coffee will be what keeps me awake while I teach Bible study this morning.


For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Halloween Reflections

I have so many thoughts in my head regarding Halloween. I realize that Halloween is over, but I hope you'll allow my mind to ramble for a little while.

I mentioned to Amanda on a post at Impress Your Kids that I had a lot of thinking to do about how we are going to approach Halloween and celebrate it as a family. In conversations with Hubby over the weekend, we as a family have A LOT of discussing to do before this is settled. Thankfully we have eleven months before we need to tackle the next ordeal.

Most of the difficulty I have with fully participating in Halloween is with trick or treating. I love the dress up part when the kids are cute, fun characters. But when they want to dress up like witches, the undead, and other scary characters is when I get uncomfortable. And some of the houses in our neighborhood go all out with their decorations, including gravestones, skeletons, and (ew) monstrous spiders.

I personally do not like being scared. Scary images stay with me, and yes, they tend to give me nightmares. I remember when Hubby and I were dating the M. Night Shamallan movie Signs was brand new. I had nightmares from that movie, and I can still get freaked out about it even seven years later. Some of those images are engraved on my brain.

And those are not the things that I want in my mind. I want and need to fill my mind with good things. With things of God.

Reflect on this: your mind is like the open candy sacks that kids held open on Saturday night. They were asking others to fill their sacks with whatever they wanted to give. What if they were handing out real scorpions instead of candy?

Your mind is the same way. It is an open vessel waiting to be filled. Will you allow others to make choices for you and fill your mind with what they whatever they want to?

We need to be careful about what goes into our minds.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8