What’s This Blog All About, Anyway?

I am a woman.  I am a homemaker.

I like girly things and homey things and crafts and recipes and things for my kids.

I like to blog about those things because I know many of you like those things too.

But those things do not completely define me.  In fact, my life would be meaningless without one vital element.

Jesus Christ.

He is everything to me, and without him everything else I do would be worthless.

As Peter and John said in the book of Acts, I “cannot but speak the things which [I] have seen and heard”. I've seen his provision for and protection of my family. I've experienced his comfort and peace in the midst of trials.  I've been given wisdom when I didn't know the right answers.  And most of all I've been given the privilege to have fellowship with the creator of the universe and have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven with him.

How can I keep all that to myself when it is freely offered to all?!

So while the homemaking tips, recipes, and crafts will continue, the overarching reason for it all is to point people to Jesus Christ.  If you don't know him, you can!  The creator of the universe wants to have a personal relationship with you!  Read How to Get to Heaven here.  If you already know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, it is my desire to point you to him through everything that I say.  My goal is to encourage you to be the best homemaker you can – not so that you can feel awesome – but so that you can bring glory to the only One who matters.

Apparoo App of the Week – Tic Toc Time

This post is sponsored by Apparoo.

I’ve partnered with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week. These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!

From a kid’s perspective, time is a bizarre concept: there are 60 seconds and 60 minutes, but 12 hours… unless there are 24! And phrases like ‘a quarter til’ and ‘half past’ that we take for granted just seem to make their brains melt. Tic Toc Time takes a holistic approach to teaching time; a family of beavers leads a progression of fun games that first explain using a compass and the movement of the sun and shadows before logically arriving at both digital and analog time-telling. A good time is guaranteed for all! Download it here now.

Download Tic Toc Time here!

Finding Time for God When You Can Hardly Find Time to Breathe

With a house full of children, it's generally busy and loud! Finding time for God seems like a monumental task!

But spending time with God isn't really about marking something off a to-do list. It's about being mindful of our relationship with Him. He loves us and he wants to be with us. And when we realize just how much he loves us, we will want to be with him too. When we have a true relationship with God, it will be more about acknowledging his presence with us always; not just a one-time formal event that we  might call “devotions.”

When you're a mom with young children in the house, it can be extremely difficult to find time for a designated Bible and prayer time.  When I had small children and toddlers, I was busy from the time my feet hit the floor until I finally fell asleep at night – wiping noses, changing diapers, cleaning up messes, and listening to childish chatter.  But, oh how desperately I needed the Lord!  Most days the first two words I thought of when I woke up were either “Help, Lord!”  or “Lord, help!”  Managing a household and nurturing young souls is HARD! There is no way I could do what needs to be done with my own strength and wisdom.

I'm sure many, many of you are in the same boat, so I want to share some practical ways I have found to stay mindful of God's presence even when it's not possible to get up earlier than everyone else and have a dedicated quiet time.

1. Memorize scripture – Even if you have only a minute or two of quiet time, you can make that time go further if you spend that time putting scripture to memory rather than just reading it. You can then spend time meditating on God's Word all throughout the day, and you're not confined to whatever quiet time you may have the chance to enjoy.  (See also: 10 Ways to Help Your Child Memorize Scripture – these will work for you too!)

2. Keep scripture around the house – This goes along with #1.  You can be thinking on the words of Scripture as you see it throughout the house.  It only takes a little effort to print out verses and post them all around the house.  I can remember memorizing several verses as a child just because they were hung in places where I would frequently look.  Over time I just simply knew them without even trying. (Find a free printable of Philippians 4:8 right here.)

3. Pray in the shower or while you're getting dressed – It may only be a few moments, but these are moments of quiet that you can claim to connect with God.

4. Read and pray with your children – If your children are already awake when you wake up, you don't have to forgo reading your Bible or praying.  You can simply allow your children to join you.  That way you can still learn from the Bible, and your children can learn as well. They'll also see how important it is to depend on the Lord every day and learn to treasure the scriptures for themselves.  (See also: How to Help Young Children Develop Their Own Relationship with God)

5. Meditate on scripture as you fall asleep – Rather than letting your mind race thinking about all the things you have to do the next day, meditating on Scripture can quiet your thoughts and keep your focus on Christ rather than on your problems.

6. Keep a Bible handy – If you keep multiple Bibles stashed in different places around your home, you can pick one up in the cracks of your time and read a little bit.

7. Listen to scripture on audio – there are several audio versions of the Bible available. Search apps on your phone for Scripture on audio.  You can listen to scripture as you do your work around the house or drive somewhere.  We also use these Scripture song CD‘s for our kids to keep scripture going in the house throughout the day.

Can you think of any other ways to stay mindful of God's presence even when life is busy?

Keep Good Going

This post was sponsored by New York Life. Find out how New York Life can help you and your family Keep Good Going by visiting newyorklife.com/keepgoodgoing

How can you keep good going in your life?  In the video below, you'll see how a young man was encouraged through the example of his uncle.  Then keep reading and I'll tell you a little about myself and how I hope to keep good going.

(If you could not view the video above, be sure to watch My Uncle’s Gift on Youtube.)

I know firsthand how important it is for families to use the gifts they have to encourage the next generation to be all that they can be.

From the time I was a little girl, I was encouraged to work hard and develop the talents that God has given me.  My most noted ability was in the area of music, and my parents recognized it as a special gift from God.  They ensured that I had piano lessons at the earliest age possible, and did everything they could to give me every opportunity to use my gift.  My mother was musically gifted and I she taught me by her own example to use my gift to be a blessing to others.  Our family often sang together in church, and performing music for the others was almost always a part of family get-togethers.

As I grew, my musical gifts grew too.  My parents did not force me to practice and take lessons, but they made sure my circumstances were conducive to making my love of music flourish.  Lessons were always provided with no hesitation even though there were times when it was probably a financial sacrifice.  Music books were given to me as gifts and good music was constantly being played on the tape player or radio in our house.  My family endured countless hours of hearing me practice boring, repititious scales, repeating difficult sections of songs over and over, and often had to listen to my mindless doodling on the piano as well.

If they would have complained about having to listen to my constant piano pounding or made a scene about having to pay for lessons, they could have easily squelched my love for music.  Instead, they did everything they could to help it flourish, and today I love playing, composing, arranging, and teaching music just as much as I ever did.

I hope that I can pass that love of music on to my children and to the students I have taught in the past and hope to teach again in the future.  I hope that the music I play and sing will be a blessing to others when they hear it live or on a recording.  I hope that the music I compose and arrange will be used by other music lovers for years to come to touch the lives of others as they play and sing it.

Music is a gift that can be passed from generation to generation, and I would be thrilled to know that my music has touched the life of someone else who in turn can touch the life of someone else.

How can you keep good going?  Do you have a special ability that you can use to bless others?  Maybe you don't feel that you have any incredible talent.  But by being a loving parent, faithful friend, or caring spouse, you can have a greater impact on people than you could ever imagine.

Learn more about how New York Life can help you and your family Keep Good Going.

Cooper Tire Spring Savings Event

This post brought to you by Cooper Tire. All opinions are 100% mine.

As the warmer weather comes, so the opportunities to get out and do more as a family.  That makes me happy!

When we go places as a family, we want to make sure we are as safe as possible as we drive.  One of the things my husband does is to make sure we have good tires on our suburban.

Cooper Tire is offering some great savings and amazing prizes for their customers this spring.

Cooper wants to help prepare drivers for safe travels by offering up to an $80 Visa®prepaid card on popular passenger and light truck tire lines during its national “Spring Savings Event,” as well as the chance to win a “Roll With Cooper” prize pack to get travelers started on their journeys.

Starting now and running through April 15, you can get a rebate when you purchase a new set of four qualifying Cooper tires. Visit Cooper Tire Rebates or stop by a participating Cooper Tire deals to see eligible products, obtain full terms and conditions and a mail-in reward form.

In addition to the rebate offer, Cooper Tire is celebrating life’s everyday road trips with a $1,000 prize pack sweepstakes. Visit Cooper Tire on Facebook to post favorite moments of daily travels in the car, or tag #RollWithCooper on Twitter or their new Instagram page to be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for a gas card and Cooper merchandise. They want to hear how you #RollWithCooper, whether it’s singing along to favorite songs while carpooling to school or commuting to work.

Where would you go if you won the gas card?

Apparoo App of the Week – Blinkbuggy

This post is sponsored by Apparoo.

I've partnered with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week.  These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!

How do we always find time to post super-adorable kid pictures on Facebook, but somehow never get that long-planned baby book done? Well, guilt-trip no more. Blinkbuggy is an online baby book that puts all your photos, milestones and funny stories in one place – and it’s as easy as a status update. You can keep it completely private, link to social media (it can even grab the photos you’ve already posted), or share with whomever you choose – great for grandparents! These precious years will disappear faster than that photo you posted last month, so don’t spend another moment procrastinating. Create an enduring – and endearing – album with Blinkbuggy online and in print!

Download the Blinkbuggy app here.