No One Gives Quite like a Mother, Its a season of Self-sacrifice

Man, I was looking at my book shelf hoping to find something to lift my spirits and I found the book, "Mommy Dreams" my mom gave to me when I was pregnant. It instantly warmed my heart, just as I found encouragement as I opened up the pages not just from the words that shook my body, but because of the fact that my mom and I don't talk as much as we'd like and see each other as much as we'd like, it reminded me that she still is always in my thoughts.... A mother/ daughter bond is so special.

But here are a few things that really spoke to me... Maybe they will lift you up also.

"My kids place their food and drink orders all day. My husband stays after work to have a beer, comes home, eats and goes to bed. I feel like no one thought of me at all the whole day."

The encouragement to that-

You know when sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; your are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 

Where can I go from your spirit?

Where can I flee from  your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the seam even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 

"KEEPING UP WITH THE KIDS ISN'T THE HARDEST PART OF MOTHERING; its the loneliness."

The encouragement to that- 

How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. But I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. 

New Blog on Couponing!

I started a new blog on couponing and pretty much the best deals from the stores I shop at in Genesee County. Check it out and come back to it often because it's still a baby but there will be lots of deals to come!!

http://geneseesaver.wordpress.com/

New Toys, Like New Car?

My husband was out in the parking lot of Toys R Us yesterday, while I went in to look for a play vacuum for our daughter, and I called him while in the store and said, " It's 20 bucks.. think I could find one at a garage sale?"

 Then when I got back to the car I told him how I saw the same xylophone toy we got for our daughter for $.50 at a garage sale last summer for a regular price of 18.99 there! He said, Buying New Toys is like Buying a new car... STUPID!! 

 But think about it? Isn't more less, and less is even better when it's cheaper?! 

 Toys with kids are like new cars… as soon as you buy them they can get scuffed up chewed up … or what to me seems the worst, not played with at all. I’ve gotten a few comments now on how clean our house is with a toddler… I think what most people mean is how do you keep all her toys organized and cleaned? 

Easy…. She doesn’t have a lot of toys… ( but that changes based on every individuals perspective, because somewhere out there.. plenty of kids have less then her too) which brings me to my next piece …

 Do you have everything you need? 

 Need and want.. always such a battle between the two isn’t? You start with I want, then a few more sentences inside your head justifying your need and then before you know it your want turned into a need and boom its on credit of some sort… This family's story really spoke to me and got me thinking and saying to myself, Yes Lord, I do have everything I need, and that's found in you.

 Check out this inspiring story about a family of FOUR who Live in a 168 sq foot home!! (Its only a few minutes worth it!!)

 My personal example of falling into the curse of the worldly ways was just a month after having Riley. I started thinking about the idea of having 2 kids in our home. Because of the overwhelming push of accessorizing everything when you have a baby, I said this house is WAY TO SMALL!! 

 What a crazy thing to think about when we have 4 bedrooms in this house... 2 kids each could have their own room, and we have 2 bathrooms... isn't that already more than enough? I started realizing it's so much better to be content with what you have instead of always wanting more and more and more. Not to say it's not hard, because that is the push of our world. And with all of us hooked up to the internet it's a pool of temptations. The same goes for me with toys for Riley. 

So quickly they add up and get shoved to all the corners of every room until they are overflowing and you start to say to your kid, YOU HAVE TOO MANY TOYS!! .... funny thing isn't? You think as parents to your child, I've given you all these things, you have all these toys, and you want to play with a spoon? Or all these toys and you want more? I'm sure God has the same thoughts.... he's given us all these things here on earth, all these natural beautiful things, and sometimes we don't care because we want more.... 

Why do we want more? 

Are we looking over our shoulder at someone else? 

Maybe we want more spiritually.. and not sure how to fill that void. 

 Man has created all these distractions all these material things that take us away from all the natural things.. Funny when you think about how our food is shifting and we are now demanding more "natural food" How did it get to be that we are hoping the food we eat and put into our bodies is REAL? We have everything we need... we are just letting the worldly things cover it up.

 Salvation isn't found in stuff. 

Let the one who created who who knows what brings the greatest joy to your soul, fill you up and guide you. 

 When you think about the Bible, do you think it's simply a message about how to get to heaven?

 Or does it also hold a message for the here and now that radically changes how we should live, today, right now?

 "Don't store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value." Matthew 6:19-20..

Good deal at Tops today!

Hey! So I just wanted to share that at Tops today with their sale and this printable you can get

SOLO BARE cups or Plates for .50.

On Sale for $2.00
Use .75/1 printable coupon doubled $1.50
Final Cost- $.50!

Here's some of my Freebies!

Alright so I got all the items in the picture for a whopping total of....... $1.80! And it was all with coupons. The funny thing is I never clipped coupons before because I always thought by glancing at the ones in the paper that I would never use it. So wrong. The key is to clip the coupons and wait for a sale. I have learned that you don't use a coupon on an item unless it's on sale. 

Another great deal you can get right now is the Mossimo Tank tops at Target they are on clearance for 5.60 and there is a coupon at Target.com for $3 off Mossimo, so I paid 2.50 for the tank top!!

So there are coupons out there for totally FREE items and coupons that paired with a sale get you items FREE!!! Just keep checking the money saving blogs and you will be on your way to saving money like me!!

Here's the picture broken down... I should have kept my receipt for an exact total next time I will!! 

 Glade Airfreshner

-          Was on sale at Target, used Target coupon for $2 and a manufacturer coupon for .55 Price Paid= FREE

Method Kitchen Cleaner

                -On sale at Target, used Target Coup for $1 and a manufacturer coupon for $1 Price Paid= .60 for a natural no chemical cleaner!

Up and Up Ibprofuen

-          Price was .97 each used Target Coupon for $1, Price paid for both= FREE

 Rayovac Batteries

-          On sale at Valu Home Center for .97  Used a manufacturer coupon for $1, Price paid for both= FREE

Cheezits

                On sale at Tops, used manufacterur coupon that was .75 that gets doubled at tops , Price paid- .50 a box.

Reveal Lightbulbs

                On clearance at Target for 2.68,  used a Target coupon for $2 and manufacturer coupon for $1 Price paid= FREE

Single Light bulb

                Value’s facebook page had a coupon to get this item free, with no minimum purchase, so price paid= FREE

Feeling Inferior?ll

I read a post on facebook. From someone who is my age and feeling like everything they try to succeed at isn’t perfect. Feeling like everyone around them is better and that at the age of 26.. ( oH MY GOSH I Just realized I am not 26, I'm 27 right, OH wow!!)  they should be succeeding more and it reminded me of how I felt just after having a baby.

I'm sure we all feel like that.. But here are my thoughts on that post.

After I had Riley and my job was eliminated while on maternity leave, my head was all over the place. Even if I still had my job ladies you know it’s an insane time, your head is all over the place. But adding the fact that I was a college graduate and wanting to stay home to take care of a baby just was not working with what the world has programed into my brain.

So of course my confusion brought me closer to God. Crying out to him in what was the answer. Its too bad so many of us are so fixated on what we are supposed to be doing for the future, so confused with thoughts of what others will be thinking of us. We forget to just stop and be content in what we have.  How could I feel like I was nothing, when I was staying home perfecting my momma skills? Everyone else can see how precious and blessed I am to stay home right?  That question wasn’t easy at first until I started seeing Riley grow and respond to others and feel purpose and thankfulness… Feel God more in my life.   

When we feel inferior to others, we are probably comparing ourselves to people who of course are out of our element right? I mean you can compare yourself to a serial killer and say, Well I’m not out killing people so I can’t be messing up that bad.

Then you could compare yourself to someone who just landed a recording deal, or a promotion at work and let yourself say well what am I doing why can’t I have that?  Then you have to stop. You can’t compare yourself to anyone else because we are different. God created each one of us, and that means no 2 people are alike. So quit wasting your time comparing yourself, instead if you want to feel success and contentment ask God where he wants you to be. Ask God to help you see what he sees, because he is looking at you seeing so much potential and seeing how beautiful you are inside and out.  He created you so of course he knows what will give you happiness and joy, ask him to show you what path you are supposed to be on. All it takes is a single moment to change forever. 

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

This blog is back with more truth pounding words!

It's been awhile. And with staying at home now some days I find I would rather sit down and write then get daily chores finished and better yet, I'd rather write then scroll through Facebook reading what other people are up to. I enjoy Facebook, mostly because I have so many close friends away and mostly I enjoy it for my family. But it seems it's another thing added to this world that can poison you.
  How many hours do you spend wondering what other people are up to that are not really part of your daily life except for this online world? Do you find yourself comparing what you have to what they have? Facebook can be a great tool but it can always pull you into a closed up path.                                                              But enough about that. I don't have things to vent about now with work but I have a lot to talk about and share with this journey I've been on with a new baby and a very very sick brother who means the world to me.  If you have been faced with a very close family member experiencing physical and spiritual battle wounds, who wants so badly to fight but their body won't let them, then you will be able to relate. And even if you have not God ties all our experiences into a way they can relate to you.
 The ONLY way I can wake up each morning with a smile on my face is because of God. And maybe that doesn't make total sense to you or maybe you don't really understand what a REAL relationship with God is like, but maybe you'll join me on this journey and agree with some things, see things in a new light and get a good laugh or cry and see that believing in God, committing to be in a relationship with him is not so different from our relationships here in this life with others.                                                                                            
So there it is, my introduction. Now from here on out I can get into the deep stuff, the good stuff, heartbreaking and joyous paths.  So for today I'll end with this.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                "A gentle tongue ( with its healing power) is a tree of life." Proverbs 15:4.
Maybe you'll meet me back here tomorrow.