Super Mom!

This has nothing to do with my post today, but I heard a scary statistic this weekend. Apparently, moms who stay-at-home have a 54% higher chance of developing cancer than moms who work outside the home. They say it's from our daily use of toxic cleaners and our extended exposure to their fumes because we are home so much. Don't quote me on it. It's from the movie Chemerical, but it is something to think about. On my to-do list this week? Search for some natural cleaning tips on Pinterest. Just a thought!

Daddy left for a business trip last night, and I was in need of some extra quote love today. I saw this and was blessed. I hope you are, as well:

While it is probably true that our kiddos wake up each morning and think of us as Super Mom, something else is true about this quote. As I was reading it through, I felt the Lord say, "I feel the same way, Kindra." As we move through our love week towards Valentine's Day, I want to talk about God's sweet love for us today. Yes, we fail as wives, mothers, and daughters of Christ on a daily basis. But God does not hold a score sheet marking us down for every unrighteous act. In fact, He does the opposite:

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:12

God does ask us to acknowledge our sins and repent, meaning asking for forgiveness, but then it's over! He doesn't dwell on them, He doesn't bring them to the surface each morning as a reminder of our failed human nature, He doesn't even remember them. You know who does? The Enemy. He would love for you to obsess about your daily shortcomings as a mother. He would love for the ways in which you don't live up to the perfect wife to overshadow the ways in which you do care for you husband. He would love for others' words to dig into your heart and shame you for following your calling of staying-at-home. When we hear those condemning words, we must remember that they are NOT from God. They are from the Enemy, and we have to rebuke them immediately. 

God looks at us each morning and says, "There's my girl! Super Mom is awake and ready to take on the day!" He cheers for us, desires to bless us, and wants so badly for us to lean to him for our many decisions throughout the day. He wants you to pray about your frustration with potty-training. He wants you to lay hands on your child and ask Him to protect your sweet baby from the flu. He wants to show you how to love your husband when he walks in the door tonight, or at the end of the week :-) He desperately wants to answer our prayers with a resounding, YES!

Someone once told me that God always answers prayer. He either says No, Yes, or Wait. Well, I would have to agree! I think we can get caught up in his Nos and Waits, and forget how often he simply says Yes because He loves us so much. Read below:

"I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and know you by name." Exodus 33:17

Keeping a prayer journal is a fantastic way of seeing God's work. He gave us our children, He hand-picked us as mothers for our unique children, and He thinks we are doing an amazing job. He is our biggest cheerleader! He wants to bless us with answers about toddler eating, behavior difficulties, and getting the stinkers to sleep through the night. But, Super Mom, you have to take your burden to him first! He wants to hear about it and work with you to solve it!

A sweet friend of mine once said that there will be a special crown for each mother when she gets to heaven. No, it isn't biblical, but the fact that the statement made every mom in the room tear up tells me that Rachael just may be on to something. This beautiful and challenging gift of motherhood was not given in vain. He gave our children to us while saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

"Sons (and daughters) are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3

He thinks you are Super Mom, and so do I. Let Him love on you, and let Him show you how to raise your children. You simply have to ask, and I imagine He will give you a resounding, YES! Today and everyday, be blessed!  

The 5 Love Languages

Greetings from the Y! My sweet husband gave me the opportunity to have a Starbucks date with myself today, but my ancient laptop couldn't find the Starbucks wireless internet. So...instead of foregoing my chance to have some alone time, I'm fully using all of the benefits our monthly gym membership. Don't worry...I wore yoga pants so people would think I worked out before lounging in the couch area :-)

Recently, my hubby and I had a big breakthrough in our relationship. I wanted to write about this a few weeks ago, but I thought I would save it for "love" week! I've mentioned that I've started to read The Five Love Languages many times, but I've never been able to get through the book. It's a great book, but I always get side-tracked into something else. Now, the author has included the love language quiz, and explanations of the five languages, on their website! Check it out at this link:

The Love Language Quiz

I took the quiz, read through the explanations, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I had actually guessed the order of my love languages with great accuracy. Here are the ways in which I love others, and how I enjoy receiving love from others:

• Receiving Gifts - 11 points
• Acts of Service - 7 points
• Words of Affirmation - 6 points
• Quality Time - 3 points
• Physical Touch - 2 points

I'm not that hard to figure out. Give me lots of presents and don't touch me! Just kidding :-) In his book, Gary Chapman explains that while we all need to be loved and to love others in all of the five methods, our hearts and spirits respond the most to our top one or two love languages. Meaning? My natural inclination is to love others by giving them gifts, and my heart leaps at a small token given to me in thoughtfulness. It's easy to think of "gift people" as materialistic. But in fact, it's almost the opposite. I don't accept gifts and buy things in order to collect stuff. To me, there is a story that I remember behind every trinket, each piece of home decor, and every Christmas or birthday present. The act of giving a gift to someone makes me just as thrilled as when I am accepting one, and I get pure joy out of simply shopping and buying things for others (on clearance and with coupons, of course!).

My husband will be the first one to tell you that he never quite got this concept until we both took the quizzes and explored what it meant together. I mean, he really never got it. Look at his love language profile:

• Words of Affirmation - 8
• Physical Touch - 8
• Quality Time - 6
• Acts of Service - 6
• Receiving Gifts - 1

My top two languages are his bottom two, and Receiving Gifts is nearly off his chart. It's not that he's just naturally bent in other ways of love, he truly doesn't see the need or the point of gift-giving and receiving. All of those painstaking hours I spent creating the perfect, and ginormous, sparkly Valentine for him, searching out for a ridiculous amount of perfect Christmas gifts, wrapping everything just perfectly in paper I had found to look exactly like out dog...it was how I naturally chose to love him. He always graciously accepted, but it was strange to me that he would rather keep a stack of my heartfelt cards easily accessible in his "man treasure area" (a.k.a. his corner in the basement!). I wrote a card for him in bible study a few months ago, and he hung it open on the side of the fridge for all to see as soon as they walk in the room. Wouldn't you want to display that fancy new snowboard instead?!?

Here's the point...I didn't get it, and he didn't get it. I would have said the physical touch was his top love language (by far!), but then I learned that he's just a man :-) He would have said that quality time was my top love language, but really I just like to hang out with him. He's kinda cute :-) Honestly, we have struggled over the years with me nagging him to bring me something fun from his business trip, or to pick up some flowers for me at the grocery store, or to leave me a note with my favorite snack downstairs before he left for work in the morning. On the other hand, I always thought he acted way too sensitive if I criticized his behavior, whined about how much time he spent at work, or used the "never" and "always" words when we would fight. Unlike me, hurtful words don't just bother him, they scar him. You see, as much as we enjoy receiving love in our primary language, we can get hurt the most when that language is used to attack us.

We have had several wonderful conversations since taking this quiz, and I truly feel like the Lord will bless our desire to better understand each other. I am making a point to shower my husband with affirmations, encourage him daily whether he needs it or not, and to keep a guard on my tongue whenever I am speaking to him. He is going to try and better understand how to love me with gifts. Gifts have always equaled money-spent to him, and for the sweet cheap-o that he is, it's a hard balance. But, gifts don't always mean money. Gifts simply mean a token that represents someone's feelings for another. We want to love each other better, and this book will definitely set us on the right track.

I pray that you and your husband will take this quiz together. It's super easy, fast, and you can even do it with The 5 Love Languages iPhone app! We really have no excuse to not figure out how to love each other better. Today and everyday, be blessed!

Purity and Reverance

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see purity and reverence of your lives." 1 Peter 3:1-2 (emphasis added)

Purity:  chastity - cleanliness - cleanness - innocence - clarity

Reverence:  respect - veneration - esteem - regard

As we embark upon the week before Valentine's Day, I'd like to take a few posts to focus on our relationships with our husbands. This, sweet mommies, is one powerful scripture. When we take the time to truly define words used in the Bible, a verse can really have a ten-fold meaning! If my behavior towards my husbands needs to show purity, by definition it means remaining sexually faithful to him, keeping myself clean physically, spiritually, and mentally, holding an innocence by not dabbling in things of the world and not of God, and not withholding my deepest thoughts, desires, and revelations from my husband. Now, let's move on to the next loaded word! To live in a state of reverence to my Lord and to my husband, I must practice holding God and my better half in the highest respect, I must have a profound awe for my authority figures, and I need to look up to my husband with the highest esteem and regard, whether he deserves it or not.

All of these attributes practiced on a daily basis will not only work wonders in the heart of my husband, but because I'm following a command of the Lord, my heart will be indefinitely changed as well. We know that every good and perfect thing comes from Him. If we dutifully and joyfully follow His instruction for how we are to live our lives, He wants nothing more than to bless us.

As we show gratefulness to the many people God has placed in our lives to love, and to love us, I pray that we take an extra measure of time to truly love our husbands. According to this verse, we are to keep our behavior in check, daily! Each man was hand-picked by God to love his individual wife, and each woman was hand-picked by God to love her individual husband. It's hard to remember that during the seasons of angst, frustration, and distance. But, setting a godly example for husbands can only help, never will it hurt.

To close, here is a neat website with a list of apps to encourage connection between spouses: Marriage Apps. Maybe you can choose one of these to cover him with blessings in the week to come! Today, and everyday, be blessed!

And, a new link on my "HOT Deals!" page:

Through February 14, 2013
Get a BOGO Starbucks drink with this coupon: Valentine's BOGO

Two Blog Recommendations

Hello! I found a fantastic new blog through the bible study that I attend. This woman's blog aims to "empower wives to joyfully serve." I love that! She has a whole page devoted to FREE printables that can be used just for you and around the home. Latefully, I've used these to pray on as I prepare our morning coffee:

31 Ways to Pray for your Husband

I did cut them out, but I couldn't find a ring or a hole-punch. They just set nicely beside the coffee maker, and I flip one over each day. I love looking at it throughout the day as I'm cleaning up another something in the kitchen :-)

I also want to mention to each of you, as my readers, that I'm in the process of hiring someone to re-design my blog! There is so much about the blogging world that boggles my mind, but one of my 2013 goals was to better understand what I'm doing each time I write and click publish! If you have any comments or suggestions that would make my blog easier to read, easier to navigate through, or simply more visually appealing, please let me know! This is such a fun journey to be on, and I am honored to do it with each of you. 

I'm off to make FREE printable toy labels for Caleb's things. The organizer within me can no longer stand to see trains, legos, and blocks mixed up in a shopping cart. Want to join me? Check out this link...Free Printable Toy Labels. Today and everyday, be blessed!

Family Ski Trip...on the CHEAP! (part 2)

Welcome back! To you and to me :-) We enjoyed a beautiful weekend in the Colorado mountains, but we were reminded that the days of complete and utter relaxation are behind us...toddlers are toddlers no matter where you sleep! Nevertheless, we loved sharing one of our passions with our son, and we all came home a little more tired, but with a weekend full of fun memories!

I promised pictures and more money-saving tips, so here you go!

If you venture to the Colorado ski resort area, check out the outlet mall in Silverthorne. You can find awesome deals while you let the men go hit the double black diamond slopes. I scored a few shirts for Caleb at Oshkosh for $1.25 a piece, and few shirts for me at Rue 21 for $3 each! We also enjoyed playing dress up while waiting for my friends to finish their shopping.

Don't be scared to venture out at night with your little ones! Bundle them up nice and snug in their strollers, and check out the many FREE festivals, shows, and activities that the mountain towns have to offer. Breckenridge was hosting the international snow sculpture festival. Very cool (no pun intended)!

You know how airport food is crazy expensive because they know you're starving and have no other option? Well, ski resorts are the same. Before you leave your condo, pack your coat (or a small backpack you don't mind wearing) FULL of granola bars, trail mix, a bottle of water, or a favorite healthy snack. You are already paying a pretty penny to ski. You don't want to waste prime skiing minutes eating lunch in the village! Use your time on the lifts to re-fuel then hit up a village restaurant when you're done for the day. The lifts typically close at 4pm, and worn out skiers start straggling in around 3ish (myself included). The restaurants will offer great food and drink specials around this time of day.

Need some alone time with your honey? We didn't use this option this time, as we had friends who we traded for babysitting time, but some of the resorts offer complimentary (a.k.a. FREE!) child care if you spend a certain amount of money in their village at restaurants and shops. Most of the time, your kiddo needs to be potty-trained, but look online or call ahead to your resort for details. For the evening babysitting at Copper Mountain, check out Copper Kids' Night Out.

Unfortunately, Caleb was a bit too young to ski :-( The ski school instructor strongly advised waiting until your child is 3 to begin lessons. They need strong quad muscles and a longer attention span. He did enjoy playing with his friends  at the condo and drooling all over someone else's home. He will only be 2 1/2 next year, but we're totally putting that kid on skis. It's just too much fun not to share with out little man!

Two more tips, then I'm off to make dinner.

• Some of the resorts only have a paid parking option, but others have a free parking option. With free parking, you have to do a bit more walking and take a shuttle to the lift area. At $25 per day at Vail (yikes!), I'll walk a mile in my ski boots to park for free. Be on the lookout for the free spots at your resort, OR have one of your traveling companions drop you off at the lift if they aren't skiing that day.
• I had no idea about this deal until I got there, but check this out: BOGO Lift Ticket. This is a fantastic deal if you and your honey, or a friend, are only skiing for one day. Buy 10 gallons of gas at a participating Shell gas station (look at the link for legit stores), and you get a voucher for a BOGO lift ticket at several different resorts! At Copper, a walk-up single-day lift ticket is $109. If you use this coupon, you and your buddy can ski one day for $54.50 per person. Score! If you are skiing multiple days, it is better to purchase a multi-day pass at a local ski shop or online.

I hope these tips help you and your family have a fantastic, and less expensive, vacation! Blessings to you, mommies!