Family Musings

I've shared before that our family loves the Jesus Storybook Bible . Don't tell the girls but for Christmas they are even getting a CD copy of the book so we can take it along with us in the car. We've also really enjoyed watching the animated readings of the book on the Zonderkids YouTube channel. Here is my current favorite video (super long intro ends at ~0:45). As I've 'followed' the book on Facebook, I've also come to really appreciate its author, Sally Lloyd-Jones. And tomorrow night, we'll get to spend some time with her as she hosts a LIVE online Christmas Party. According to the press release I received: From 6 p.m.-7 p.m. EST, visitors will be able to tune in at http://www.livestream.com/Zonderkidz  for Lloyd-Jones’s live reading of her critically-acclaimed holiday children’s book, SONG OF THE STARS: A Christmas Story. The festivities will continue with a Q&A with the author, exciting prize giveaways, and special musical guest appe...

I love accessories. They can make any outfit go from just plain to something that looks like you actually care about how you present yourself. Something as simple as a single scarf can show that you put some thought into what you put on that morning. Recently, I was contacted by Versona Accessories to shop at the grand opening of their newest store in Lakeland, FL. Armed with a complementary $25 VIP gift card, I set off with both my girls to see what I could find. Initially, just from browsing around the Versona website , I did not have high hopes of getting too much out of my $25. They do not sell their items online, which means there were no prices. And my mom always taught me that if you have to ask how much something costs, you probably can't afford it. Plus, everything looks very nice so I knew it was going to be out of my price range. I. Was. Wrong. Versona Accessories is an amazing store to shop for just the right accessory. When I walked into the store the first se...

Sarah Bessey recently shared her open letter to women's ministries and it got me to thinking... ...mostly because I am the coordinator for a small group that ministers to women. It's called MOPS and has been around a really long time. I love it and it has been transformational in my parenting, my marriage, and my personal relationship with Jesus. I agree with what Sarah wrote. Especially this: We need Jesus. We are seeking deep spirituality. We are seeking fellow travelers. We are hungry for true community, a place to tell our stories and listen to another, to love well. But above all, point me to Jesus--not to the sale at the mall. She is so right. Even the women who don't know they are seeking him, are still doing it. Some of them will wake up one day and realize the void they are trying to fill with all sorts of things and activities just can't be filled, except by a personal relationship with Jesus. There are probably women in my church who are even trying to fil...

I've never met a kid that didn't like building with blocks. And apart from stepping on those tiny plastic ones in the middle of the night, I've never met a mom who didn't like having the blocks in her home. Mega Bloks allow children to be creative and just use their imagination. Sometimes though, if they need a kick start, it's nice to have a set of blocks with a theme, like the large Tubtown Farm themed Mega Bloks set we were able to play with at our MommyParties Mega Bloks play date. We love most any excuse to have our friends come over to play. But we like it even better when someone gives us the party favors and games to play. Mary was very excited about being able to give all of her friends their very own bag of Mega Bloks. Each of our guests was able to leave with one of these bags so they could take the Mega Bloks fun home with them. One of our guests was even lucky enough to win a large tub of their own. Before I got all type-A on the kids, we let t...

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I know people love a good giveaway and this week I'm giving away a copy of 50 Things To Make & Do , from Usborne Books (see below for details on how to enter). I am in love with almost every book in their catalog and have already ordered several of them as Christmas and birthday presents. I love them so much, I bought one with my own money to giveaway to one of you. You'll have to scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out how to enter. Also, I've received several books to review over the past year and it occurred to me that many of them would make excellent Christmas gift ideas. Browse this list and let me know which ones you think might work for someone in your life? Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates : This is a sweet throwback book based on the original Flicka, Ricka, Dicka series from more than 30 years ago. The updated edition includes paper dolls so your children can recreate the story from memory. I think this would be a great gift for ...

I love microwave popcorn. The year I was on Weight Watchers, I ate it almost daily. It's a great source of fiber and very filling, but I have since then realized that even though it may be low calorie, it really isn't that healthy. Those chemicals don't sound anything like food I can buy at the store and I just can't bring myself to eat it anymore. When I found  a Fox News article on 7 Foods You Should Never Eat , it occurred to me that other people might be interested in an easy way to make microwave popcorn at home. A while back on Pinterest , I found a link for how to make your own microwave popcorn. It was so easy, I jumped up off my couch and made it with my daughters right then and there. I can't find the original link, but here's how I make it now. Homemade Microwave Popcorn 3 Tablespoons plain corn kernels 1/8 tsp oil or butter (I prefer coconut oil) salt to taste Stir together all 3 ingredients in a cup or bowl, then pour into a brown paper...