Extra in The Ordinary

I am horrible at scrap booking, but apparently I'm an ok blogger. I'm just going to go with it! Maybe one day someone will print my blog out, and the world will have a hard copy. Here's a few family memories that we can hang on to from January 2020 Punkin's birthday was the big event. She turned 12! She is finally allowed to wear powder and lip gloss. Homemade cake is pretty much all we do these days. It's fun to make and costs about $5 rather than the $30 store bought options. Home schoolers have to save $! We also have more time for fun projects like making a cake.  For her birthday Adi got a mall shopping spree with her friend from Dry Creek camp. We also got her a few small gifts. She got a bag to use as a Bible bag, gummy bears, and a smurf board game with Pez. Mall time with friends was her favorite part! That's a big gummy bear! Bella also had strep, which was terrible and she was in a lot of pain. That was all befor...

A couple of weeks ago, for spring break, we went to Arkansas and wound up climbing a mountain (Pinnacle Mountain). !! This is not something I would typically think of during vacation, but my sweet sister in law was kind enough to let us know the mountain was there, and offered for us all to go together there for the day. I was wanting some sort of workout, and I figured the view would be amazing, so why not? The small kids (including our youngest) and the SIL stayed at the base of the mountain while we went up. It was not a super hard mountain to climb, but it WAS a little bit challenging if it was your first mountain to climb and you had on bluejeans, trying to keep up with a few people that are WAY younger than you. My legs burned and I was out of breath. I kept going. The view got better and better. My shoes were also not ideal for the rocky path, but I kept going. It was a really fun experience to get to the top with the husband and one daughter, and a few friends. I will s...

After working full time for 13 years, always dropping my girls off at either school or daycare, and not seeing them until abut 9 hours later, today, I'm not. Today, I realize, I'm at a coffee shop at 10am on  a Thursday. I could never do that before. Normally I'd be in a meeting, gladly brain storming the best best way for the company to make more money. Business is in my blood. I liked it. But today, I'm not. I didn't like leaving my kids all the time. So, after 13 years of waking up around 4:30am and only having 2 hours or less with my kids in the evening, today I'm in a different situation. Today,  I dropped them off for a 2 hour, once a week art class. It's the only place I have to "drop them off" to this week, because now I'm a stay at home mom. Soon I'll pick them up and we will eat lunch together. Not a rushed dinner. We don't have to skip the details of their day. I have time to talk to them. I know their hopes and dream...

Every year I take off a week in the summer to take my kids to VBS at our church. This year, I decided that going to VBS was not enough. I had to make it interesting. So I volunteered to co teach a VBS class. We asked for a class of older kids. I was thinking maybe kindergarteners or maybe 3rd grade. No, it was the 3 year olds class that needed teachers, so we accepted the "job" and started planning. Getting ready to teach VBS took 13 weeks of planning time. It took calls, emails, shopping trips, to do lists, and filling out planning worksheets. I think I started over with the planning sheet 3 times to get a clean copy. And then I didn't even use it the week of. We were too busy taking care of 3 year olds! The theme this year was "Even the Winds and the Waves Obey Him". We talked about God's power over creation, his power over the floods (Noah), the plagues, and the storms in the sea of Galilee. It was a powerful topic, and I think it spoke to the kids as...

This post is a little late, but better late than never! Over Christmas break 2013 my husband and I took off about 2 week from work, and had a great Christmas/New Years. The big event was going to Tennessee to see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Jack. The 2013 Christmas Timeline: Friday December 20th : last day of work and Punkin's class Christmas party (no pictures, or I can't find them....) Saturday December 21st : Christmas with Nana and Papa, and the rest of Husband's family Password journal! Happy Happy joy joy!! MMM smell that soap! Sunday December 22nd: Church, and then road trip to Tennessee. We didn't leave until 3:30pm, which was challenging. Most of the trip was after dark. I wanted to stop and stay the night at Baton Rouge (after a big dinner at Cracker Barrel), but he did not like this idea, so he kept driving. At 2am I performed a very risky stunt by waking up, drinking coffee, and attempting to drive and act awake. After 1 hour of ...

Guess what?! We are starting to make soap so that YOU can have high quality, natural goat milk soaps from pure ingredients for soft and healthier skin! A few months ago we ordered 4 goat milk soap bars online. A bar for him, a bar for her, a bar for our 2 little girls, and a bar for Molly, our dog, and we all loved it. For the little girls it was especially good. We had been using a very gentle soap for them that was probably better for babies or small kids, and not strong enough to fight bacteria and germs from daycare carried home by a 6 and 8 year old  playing in dirt, and being around other sick kids. As a result of not using the right soap for the girls, they probably got sick one too many times, and had some skin issues. Our 6 year old (Punkin), had a rash that we'd been trying to fight for weeks. We'd used creams and oils and anything we could think of, and we were just about to get a prescription for an antifungal cream when the soap came in the mail. And I'...

Last week I was reading Family Fun magazine, and I came across a cute idea. Ya know all the crazy, funny, adorable things kids say- the things that make you giggle? Well, rather than feeling guilty that you don't have time to journal and scrap book every waking moment of your children's lives, try making a Giggle Log. This can be a notebook you keep at home in the book shelf, or a list you keep in the kitchen, or whatever works. I love the "notes" on my iphone, since it goes with me everywhere, so I keep my Giggle Log there. Anyways, you just jot down the funny things your kids are saying/doing about once per week.  First of all, the day before I started the Giggle Log I got this pic of the girls, which seemed fitting.  Ok, so here's what I have so far (I just got started) Giggle log: (general earlier memories) When IKP would go with mommy to the obstetrician while pregnant with Punkin, IPK wanted to go up the "alligator" (elevator). Pun...

A couple of weeks ago I learned a lesson from my kids in courage, and I just have to share this. It's a precious memory I'll keep with me forever. So, it was a hectic Saturday morning, the Saturday before Easter, and we were getting ready to go out to eat breakfast. IPK (our 7 year old precious daughter) wants to put on her magnetic earrings. Ok, I tell her. (She'll take them off in about 10 minutes because they pinch her ears, but until she has the courage for real piercings, this is what she likes to wear). So she puts them on and looks happily in the mirror. Big smile, and then she trots off to her room. 5 minutes later..... Punkin (our 5 year old daughter) goes into IPK's room and notices the earrings and wants to put them on, too. There's only one pair, so the conversation isn't getting very far. Mr. Extraordinary (husband) hears this conversation, and says- "Hey IPK, do you want to go get your ears pierced?". She gives me a look I'll ne...

Well, it's official, I'm writing a book! I decided to take the Tea Time concept, and for the next year, as I'm doing Tea Time with my own daughters I will give it a little more forethought as far as what we are talking about, and I'll just write it all down. I will turn it into a Tea Time devotional book for busy moms who want to be intentional with sharing God with their daughters.  I started recording our tea time conversations 2 weeks ago, and I've got my mom on the job of keeping me accountable and reviewing my work. Oh, and my husband has already been very helpful with guiding me through the publisher and marketing plans. I can already see that this book will be a family project, and will hopefully bless our family and many others for years to come.  Thank you for your prayers! Tink

So, what have we been up to lately? Oh, we have been extraordinarily busy! Here is an update so you know where we've been! (by the way, wet fingernails so excuse any creative typing) In the past 30 days: We got to see my mom (Memaw), and we had not seen her in 10 MONTHS. She was here in town for both Christmas as well as a special arrival you'll hear about in just a moment. The kids just couldn't get enough of Memaw while she was here (neither could I).  We took a wonderful, magical Christmas road trip to Tennessee to see Grandma, and it SNOWED. We left town at 3pm Christmas day and didn't get to grandmas until 4:30 am on the 26th. We arrived safely through snow and ice and after hours of going only 45mph (because of snow and ice). I've never been so happy to get somewhere! Thank you to Mr. Extraordinary for driving 90% of the way there and for just being the best husband ever. We got a new nephew, and for fun we will call him Mr. Ash. He is a teeny ...

For almost a year now, I've been counting my blessings on my phone. God has provided so many blessings for me and my family. There are almost too many to count, but when God blesses you with health, wealth, a wonderful family, great friends, security, peace, and love, how can you not? Ok, so,  I'll share how I've done it, and I hope you will consider doing something similar. How to do 1,000 blessings: 1.        Create a note on your iphone, ipad, or droid, and name it “1,000 Blessings”. 2.        Set a reminder on your phone to recur every evening about 5 minutes before bed time, to remind you to add to your list. 3.        Every evening add 3 blessings to your list. They can be people, things, and events. Look for things of value in your life that you want to be sure to take notice of. After a year you will have accumulated over 1,000 blessings! Here are a few of my blessi...

In the midst of a stressful election, I'd like to help everyone remember a core truth. The President is no doubt important, but the President of the United States is not the only position or person leading us. He's not the only leader that matters. Governors matter, Judges matter, elders of the church matter, bosses matter, fathers matter, and husbands matter. For many of us with Godly husbands, they matter a LOT. They are the ones leading our households day in and day out in the God-ward direction. They may not get a final say in gas prices or the unemployment rate, but they are building our families. The bottom line is that they are protecting our lives and souls with their whole selves. Mr. Extraordinary is my husband, and today I'll focus on the extraordinary Christian leadership he continues to provide for our family... A few things about Mr. Extraordinary: He loves his wife and little girls wit...

Have you ever learned a lesson from your child? It's usually the parent teaching the child, but I think God gives us kids to teach us the lessons we didn't even know we needed to learn. My girls teach me lessons all the time, and I'm sure you have learned similar lessons from your own kiddos. Here are a few of my favorites: Be a goober as often as possible - I'm usually the serious one, but after having two of the funniest goobers on earth (and being married to one), I'm finally learning how to NOT be so serious all the time. (as is evident by my mustache wearing IPK above). God gives us lots of chances - Punkin' must have learned this at school, and she says it a lot at home. It's a welcome reminder to me that as long as we are walking towards God and seeking him earnestly, He has wide open arms, ready to give us another chance. If you are sorry, act like it - When my kids do something wrong, and especially if they accidentally hurt someone, their re...

Dear Beautiful You (yes you),  Happy Friday! As our little Punkin' says- "it's my favorite week of the day!".  Now that there are more than 1 of you, I'll take a moment to apologize for this blog mess. I'm updating the look and feel, moving things around, and it looks like a completely different site. I still don't have it just right yet, so that's just a heads up. Tomorrow it might be neon pink or something. Is this a midlife blog crisis? I don't think I'm quite old enough for that yet. Oh wait. Anyways.....  Ahhhh I really do not like messes. If it feels chaotic I like to throw it away. BUT I love it when you visit me, and it's just way too like me to not have a "clean house" for you to see.  To explain, I decided to update my blog to make it just an ounce more personal. I try way too hard to appear like I have it all together. The truth is that I don't! Try as I might; God's strength is perfected in my wea...

Blessing # 593: Tea Time with my Girls !! Tea Time!!!!! (or the idea of it) I learned about Tea Time at my Aunt Wanda's funeral earlier this year. Several of her children and grandchildren brought up the tea times she had with them as their fondest memories with her. She used that time to talk to them about the Bible and guide them in Biblical principles and encourage them. Her funeral was a sad day, and I didn't expect to walk away with a treasure that would bless me and my family, but God works in mysterious ways.  Ok, so now the question is, what is Tea Time, and why do we do it? Tea time is quality mother daughter time when I put down the chore list (and my phone), and all of the other distractions of life, and I focus on the most important little treasures in my life. My baby girls.  We do tea time every Saturday at 5 pm. We have some sort of warm fruity tea (I'll add green tea if they are anxious or tired, or maybe chamomile if they are bouncing of...

Ordinary: Having a job Extraordinary: The opportunity to impact others (for 8 years!!) Ok, so I don't have a job. .....I have an opportunity to wake up (at 4:30 every morning) and go help other people be their best. So, I've been up to this for 8 years now. I worked in pharmacy, medical front office, vitamins, and now business management (in vitamins). One common thread- helping other people experience a better quality of life by enabling them to achieve their worthy goals naturally and passionately. What's my takeaway? You can have everything you need if you help enough other people get what they need. It's about contributing and helping others. It's not about me. It's about what I can do for YOU, or better yet, what we can do for them.    Teaching others to be helpful and useful is what I call- maximum impact. I love this about parenting, and I feel this way about business leadership. It's an opportunity to impact. It's a platform to live y...

There's just nothing ordinary about taking time out of a busy schedule to have a weekend of focus on your marriage. We have a traditional marriage weekend at least once per year, and this year we chose The Art of Marriage- Getting to the Heart of God's Design. It's only $49 for a leader kit, and you can invite a couple to join you since you get an extra book. It's designed to be reviewed in 6 weekly sessions. We decided to review it in one weekend, and it worked out great. It's wasn't too heavy or too much material. The thing we liked the most about it was the good group discussion questions, and the video material was great, too. It's not a Bible study, so you have to keep that in mind. It's a study, together, of marriage the way God designed it (so you definitely dive into the Bible of course). I liked the artistic interpretation of the elements of marriage, as it made them more memorable. When you have kids and have almost 9 years of marriage under yo...