You're Invited!

Finally!! I am posting on chapter 9! I am really sorry for those of you that follow my blog that I have been incognito for the last 2 weeks. But now! I am really excited about this chapter. Not only does it have good advice, but its advice that helps me DAILY! The title of Ch. 9 is "The Ladies Pity Party- Dont Accept the Invitation". I know that I struggle alot with just wanting to pull the 'poor pitiful me' jibe. And I am sure I am not the only busy mom that does. As women I think its hard for us to not want to do this because all day we are taking care of other people and sometimes, we just want to complain and have someone take care of US! Karol gives 3 good reasons why we 'like' to complain sometimes. 1- "Complaining is Easy, 2- "We Tend to Find Fellowship in Common Complaints", 3- "We want some attention". The last two are definitely ones that I think we can get a grasp on. We like to talk to other people that have the same problems and we want someone to pity us. We usually dont think of complaining as necessarily easy, but it is a fact that people talk more about the bad things that happen to them than the good ones. In my hospitality classes every instructor is always saying how important it is to be consistent in giving quality products and services, because a customer will tell 3 people how bad their experience was and only 1 person how wonderful it was. I think this makes a good point of how much more likely we are to complain than just talk about all the good things. We all have a problem with complaining. One way I like to keep myself in check is that every time I notice myself complaining, I think of someone else that really annoys me when they complain and remind myself that I DO NOT want to be like them.
"The Secret to Contentment"-
I like how Karol states: "Our contentment is INDEPENDENT of what we have or who surrounds us." You know those days that there is just nothing stopping you? You know God is on your side and even though that person just gave you a dirty look your not even going to get upset about it. THAT is being content. It isnt in getting everything you want, or feeling how you want. If you are content than your feelings change. Sometimes I think discontentment comes from us not doing something that we feel we ought to do. Even if we may not know what that is! God could be pulling us in a certain direction but we havnt really caught on to what he wants us to do, and in that time we feel... lost. Discontented. Because we arnt doing what we SHOULD be doing. The times that I feel most content is when I know that I am where I should be, doing what I feel God has given me to do. If we have a bad day it is so hard not to pity ourselves, but the awful truth is that YES someone probably has it worse. And I know we hear that AALLLLLL the time, but its true isnt it?? We have so much to be thankful for, and there are people that have it so much harder and they are more content than us. Why? Because as Karol says, "contentment... is based on how you choose to view life." If we view it pitiful, it will be.
James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

I am going to end this post here for now and in the next few days(yes I really mean the next few days this time) I will be posting the last part of the chapter which has to do with "Heading off Bitterness and Anger". Three Tips to help you throw away that invitation to the pity party!

Chapter 8

I am just going to sum up Ch. 8 for us this time! It continues to stress how important prayer is in our lives and how it can change lives! Karol gives some tips for your prayer time. I love how she states that "prayer cannot be reduced to a formula." Prayer is our conversation with God. There might be days in a row where our prayers are pretty much the same, but then there are some times that our emotions just flood out. Here is an acronym Karol suggest using if you are just starting out with your daily prayers. ACTS.
A: "Adoration"- Praise God!
C: "Confession" - Confess your sins to God, let him know that YOU know you can do this without him.
T: "Thanksgiving"- Thank God for all that he has given you.
S: "Supplication"- You can ask God for things, thank him, adore him and confess to him, but dont just leave it at that. Don't just ask God to help you throughout the day and stop there, but ask for specific things, like wisdom or patience in a certain situation or when you come into contact with someone at work.

Karol also suggests getting together with a friend to have a special prayer time. Being with someone who cares for you and that you trust, praying with and for each other can strengthen your bond not only with each other but God as well. :)

7th Heaven

Chapter 7! This chapter is basically an extension of Chapter 6. It continues on with the point of prayer and how important prayer is in our lives. Its focus is on the importance of "casting our cares to the Lord" through prayer. It can be a daily, even hourly need for all of us. Things are constantly going on that cause us to worry. Some are very small problems, others can have possible major impacts on our lives and the lives of others. Karon's main point is that the Lord tells us to give our cares to him. With worry being a regular thing in not only our lives, but society as well, it can be hard to just... stop. I think of it as a learning process, like developing a habit. Within the last few months I have gotten into a better habit of just not worrying about things that I have no control over, but it is a continual re-learning process every time a new problem arises. If you have the power to change something than yes, you should think carefully about the situation and what you should do, but if not than try not to worry about it! I always try to think of it like this.... If I give it to God to worry about than I know that the best decision will be made. Yes, you will probably still think about the problem or situation, but if you find yourself getting worked up over it stop yourself! I do that alot, where I begin thinking of all the circumstances and what someone else might do and I stop in mid thought and just have to tell myself, STOP, there is nothing you can change by getting worked up about it. I have to remind myself that I already gave it to God and move on to new thoughts. If we can learn the habit of continually giving our cares to God, life seems much less complicated. Key Point: You cant change somebody else's actions by worrying about the problem. 

 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

Chapter 8 Also deals with the "Power of Prayer". I will post a short summary of the key points of that chapter within the next few days and then the pace will pick back up again with Chapter 9 "The Ladies Pity Party- Dont Accept the Invitation"! :)

Thought this was good!

Since school has started up again we are all probably feeling extra busy, here are some good tips if your feeling overwhelmed or discouraged!

From the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver:

"5 Strategies for Fighting Discouragement"

1. "Allow for Rest Stops" - Allow some time for yourself to get some extra rest.

2. "Get a New Point of View" - Try to look at the situation differently! It might not really be as bad as it seems, or there could be worse circumstances.

3. "Have Patience" - I think this one pretty much explains itself :).

4. "Mingle" - Go out with friends! Whether its just a lunch date or a day of shopping. It will give you time away from the busyness and keep you from thinking about what else is going on. Or you can use friend time to vent :)

5. "Set the Timer" - Sometimes we can  all use a "good cry". So do as the author suggests and set your timer! Give yourself 5 or 10 minutes to let it all out and then pull yourself together, cast your cares to God, fix your makeup and go on!

This telephone line is never down :)

Hello All! Well... I am back! lol..finally! It has been a while. We are now on Ch.6- "A Positive Mom is a Praying Mom". I know that we hear this alot... "Pray". And I think because its one of those things that sometimes gets put on the back burner unless we are extremely happy or extremely sad, that we dont realize how much prayer is needed and helpful. Karol stresses the fact that it is oh so important that we pray for our children (and also for ourselves that we will raise them right :) ) I know that God already has a plan for each of us, but we dont know what that plan is. We should pray that our children will have the wisdom and strength to do whats right and that God will show them the way that they should go. God is SOOOOOOO POWERFUL. He can do anything. But his will WILL always be done, and we must except that fact as well. He always answers prayers. Sometimes it is yes but sometimes it is 'not now', 'no', or 'you dont need that'. By praying we must put our full trust in God that he will see our children through the good times and the bad. When they might be a few months old, when they are teenagers, and when they are adults. We can even pray when they are babies for when they will become adults in the future. It is that important! Karol gives three important reason for why we should pray.
1.) "We pray because God tells us to bring all our requests to him." - The Lord already knows what we might want or need but that does not give us an excuse to not pray. James 4:2(the end of verse 2)- "You do not have because you do not ask God."
2.) "We pray because we need wisdom from above to be good mothers"- There is no way we could do this job by ourselves. I know the times that I get overly busy I tend to try and rely more on myself and think about myself more than I do God, and it bites me in the rear-end every time!
3.) "We pray because it turns our eyes toward God and off our problems." By asking for God's help we are telling him "hey!, I trust you and I know that you can do this!" For the past few weeks I have been overburdened with a few things. Everyday I have to just stop and pray. I give all of my cares to Lord and after I pray I dont even let myself think about them. Sometimes it is very hard, because I just want to worry worry worry. But every time I pray I except the things that I cannot change and leave it to the Lord because I know he is the only one that can. It has taken time, and should I say practice :), for me to stop worrying so much but I must admit I feel so much free-er and like a weight has literally been lifted off my shoulders. Prayer WORKS. All you have to do is literally... believe that God knows what he is doing and let him handle it.

Mark 11:24- "Therefor I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Challenge for you: If you dont already have a daily prayer time, make one! I like to pray while a drive in the mornings. Pick a time for you and God, it doesn't always have to be the same time everyday, our schedules change! But just make time for God and you. See what happens :)

Follow Up

Well it has been much more than a week since my last post! Life got busy as usual! But hopefully many of yall took up the challenge and did a week of 'smiling more! If you did I hope that you got some positive feedback or noticed how it gave you or somebody around you a better attitude and joyful feeling during the day. Since I am just going to do this post as a follow up I will tell you what I call my shining moment of smiling week. -- I had gone to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and unfortunately I had to go inside the store instead of going through the drive-thru. Of course there were a couple of people in front of me, who they were I have no idea. But anyways!.. One of the ladies was being rather rude to the pharmacist, and although she had a reason to be a little upset, it was nothing that the pharmacist could control or change. I felt really bad because the pharmacists was trying to be very polite, but it was obvious she was ready for that lady to take her medicine and go, and that it was not the first incident like that that had happened during the day. So as soon as I got up to the counter I smiled as big as I could (without looking like a maniac lol) and at first she looked taken- a -back and then she smiled back and looked relieved. And that is my story of success for the week. Not exactly heroic or anything, but I felt rewarded to have hopefully made her day better. I sincerely hope that you were able to visually see if your smiling helped someone you came into contact with, but sometimes we dont always get to. Keep it up! You eventually will if you havnt yet! I will be posting a much more interesting post in the next few days lol but until then, Orevwa!

Smiling always gets you farther faster than frowning ever will.

Show those pearly whites!

Hello again! We are now at Chapter 5! This chapter is also pretty straight forward. I am going to talk a little about it, but am going to present it more as a challenge and would love some feedback from anyone that tries it out!
SMILING...That is what this chapter is all about! First question: Have you ever been told that your prettier when you smile? I have! And not just from my mom lol. Naturally I am a smiley person. I can usually find joy in just about anything but not always! I can get very frustrated when things go wrong or dont turn out as I planned. Sometimes we dont notice that we are putting out the persona that something is very wrong, we are mad or we are frustrated. We are so focused on what is wrong we dont realize that hey! people are really looking at me! This happened to me one day at work. We were very busy and I wasnt feeling well. Just kinda that 'blah' mood. -Im sure you know what I am tlaking about :) - anyways!.. All of the sudden a co-worker looked at me and said "you know your prettier when you smile." And it really struck me that hey! Why dont I smile? Sure I was having a rough day but that shouldn't have stopped me from being my normal welcoming self. And honestly, who wants to wear a look that makes them look bad? Second question: Do you know anyone that seems to be continually smiling?? My brother is definitely one of those people! And I have other people tell me this as well. He is usually in a very good mood and ALWAYS has a smile to give away.
We dont always have to have a specific REASON to smile. I have had so many people ask me.. why do you smile all the time? And really.. there is not always a specific reason! Quite frankly I find smiling more enjoyable then having a blank face or a frown! As Karol says "I'm not suggesting that we wear a fake smile 100 percent of every day for the rest of our lives." Sometimes smiles are not always appropriate and this is okay. But if you are not in one of these situations where it is not a good time for a smile, then smile! When you have cooked dinner for your husband, family, kids and you are exhausted and really just want to put on that 'oh my goodness I'm tired so feel sorry for me look', SMILE! You just might be surprised at the reaction you get. When you wake up SMILE at everyone you see that morning.

Here is our challenge! I am going to do it as well and post what happens!
For the next week SMILE! At every opportunity you get. Think of a smile as something to give away! A gift! I know that I love the way I feel when I am able to give someone a special gift. Not only will giving away a smile make the other person joyful it will give you pleasure as well. And keep it up! Not just for this week. You might just find it becomes a habit that people continually comment on :)
Smiling tips:
1. Think of a smile as a gift you are giving away! You are giving someone something to brighten their day. This should make you happy!
2. Smile not only with your mouth but with your EYES! If you dont have joy in your eyes people will know your faking!!
3. Smile at strangers! Ex. The lady checking you out at the grocery store, the attendent selling tickets at the movie theatre. We have contact with more people than we think, and we can influence them more than we will ever know!
4. Remember, if you are acting out in a bad mood you will probably put others in a bad mood as well and it only makes things seem worse. So if you have no other reason at all to smile, do it so there wont be anyone else to put you in a bad mood as well!
5. Even if someone acts like they dont appreciate a smile from you dont let it stop you. Think of how you would make them feel it you had a frown on your face. Keep smiling, if only for yourself!

So good luck this week and I hope to see a few comments about what happens because you are smiling more!! :)

Remember... if nothing else we have the JOY of the LORD with us! And that is MORE than enough to give us a reason to smile :)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18- "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Look at all that Potential!

Hi! Hope that all is well and on to Chapter Four! ... This chapter, entitled 'Great Expectations' is pretty straight forward but offers some good advice and insight none the less. Everyone is different in some way, and no one is ever just alike in there interests and abilities either. Our children have so much potential and it is very important for us to help our children find their talents and encourage them to use them to the fullest. It seems to be a very common story however, that parents push their kids to do good at what THEY WANT them to be good at, not what their children have natural talent in. Not all children will be good at sports, or playing instrumental music, or dancing, or speaking to crowds. And many times we all seem to have more than mediocre talents at many things, but these things are not what we are BEST at. As mothers, it is important for us to tap into what our children are BEST at and what they LIKE to do. Usually people enjoy doing what they are really good at. God gave us all a natural talent or talents! As our children grow they will also learn what their best abilities are without us pointing them out, but we should always encourage them in their endeavors. I remember when I realized that I was okay at basketball but I was better at other sports so I decided not to play after my freshman year. And then my senior year I quit the sport that I had loved most of all to try something new, which turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. Our children's interests will change just like our own and we should not pressure them to do something just because they ARE good at it or because they have done it for so long. Because they dont want that to be the main focus of their life, doesn't mean that they just flat out dont like it or consider it wasted time. If it helped them grow and gave them joy it was NEVER a waste of time. Karol lists four steps to help us recognize and develop our children's natural talents.
"Step #1: See the Potential"- Do not focus on our child's worst traits, or what they are not good at. If they arnt good at it there is no reason for us to PRESSURE them into it. Karol sugggests writing down any of the abilites or potential we might see in our children using the areas of growth including: 'mental, spiritual, physical and social'. Karol also makes the point to PRAY!! Pray that God will help you see their talents and that you might be able to help them find what abilities God has given them to develop and use. She also expounds on the point that I had made earlier... "An aptitude for the piano may offer your daughter a lifelong outlet for relaxation and pleasure, not a career at Carnegie Hall." Just because they are good at something and like it, does not mean that there are not other talents just waiting to be found and used!
"Step #2: Offer Opportunities for Growth"- This one is simple! Let our kids try their skills with many different things. Ice Skating or hockey if they might be great at roller blading, Dancing if they like to dance, Writing Club if they write well, Football, Theater, Drawing. If they want to do it, do what you can so that they can see if they might like it or be good at it. Just remember that we can only do so much, and we cant let our kids (or ourselves!) get burned out to the point we dont have an interest in doing anything. A GREAT point that Karol also makes is that we should not be worried if it seems like they are being left behind from their friends or other children they go to school with, for example, all of their friends are playing a certain sport and our kids just are not interested. They might have not realized that they might like it, or they may have realized that they like something more. They will develop at their own pace.
"Step #3: Set Realistic Goals": Realistic and measurable goals help us get to where we are heading. Set some goals with your children for what they might want to do and get better at but also be open to change. Help them think of ways that can help then reach their goal(s). Their minds can change in an instant! "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2.
"Step #4: Support Their Endeavors"- It is so important that we encourage our children if they do good and then they dont do so good! It can have a major impact on the person they will and are becoming. It has been found that people perform better when someone, especially family, is their to support them.


Jeremiah 29:11-13 -- "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Sticks and Stones Might Break My Bones and Words Can Sometimes Hurt Me...

Well it has been a while since my last post and I have been itching to write the next one! This past week was pretty busy so it has been a longer lapse this time. Hope all is well for you! I will be talking about some of the things mentioned in chapter 3 in this post. Chapter 3 also begins the 7 Principles for being a positive mom throughout the book. The next 3 Chapters will be elaborating on Principle #1- The Power of Encouragement. Chapter 3 is talking about "The Positive Impact of a Good Word".
   We have always been taught to be kind to others, but many times we do not think about the effect that what we are saying could cause someone great joy or grief. Karol does a great job at elaborating on the importance of a kind and encouraging word, especially for our children! I like the way Karol uses the description of emotional "bank accounts". All of our children and the children around the world have one. The more positive things that we put into it the bigger it gets, allowing our children to become positive, self reliant and kind. If we deposit only discouraging things the bank account has no choice but to lose profit. Of course we dont want the accounts to dwindle so we try not to offer discouraging remarks, but also remember that a bank account cannot grow larger unless something is deposited! It is so important that we tell our children (and even other's children) how well they are doing! And what kid doesn't like to hear praise from an adult?! As mom's it can be easy to point out what your child did wrong and how they can do it right, or do it a better way, but this should not always be the case! Our children have minds of their own and we should always respect that. So next time they are coloring let them use whatever color they want! Its okay if the girl on the page is purple instead of peach. If we constantly put into our children's heads that they do everything the 'wrong' way, they start to believe that they cant do anything right. Karol gives four principles that can help our words have a more meaningful impact on our children.
Principle #1: 'Be Specific'.  It is so simple but very true. It is so easy to give out small compliments such as 'oh you look pretty' or 'you did a great job', and not that these compliments are bad or should never be used but elaborate! Tell them that you think they are pretty because they are nice and have beautiful blue eyes, or that they did a great job on that coloring page and you love the colors they used. Your child will know that you are really paying attention and not just telling them a general statement you tell others everyday. (Kids are so observant!! Today I was doing a funny walk into the kitchen and when I looked back Riley was imitating me! You never know when they might be watching AND listening!)
Principle #2: 'Be Prepared'. I am just going to use mostly Karol's words for this one. "It may seem insincere to prepare positive comments in advance, but preparation doesn't undermine the sincerity we want to convey to our kids." We can always reuse and reword comments, we do it everyday! A couple of Karol's prepared comments: "Your hugs are so special. Can I have one right now?" or "You did a fantastic job! Your hard work and preparation paid off!" I like to think of them, not so much a pre-prepared comments but rather as things tucked away to use at the opportune time. And most of them can always be re-used at a later date!
Principle #3: 'Be Creative'. I LOVE this one! Honestly, who did not love it when your mom or dad would leave a note for you in your lunchbox or backpack?! I remember when my mom would do this; it made me feel so special! Sometimes it would be written on a napkin and other times it would be a little note of encouragement you can buy at places like Hallmark and bookstores. There are so many different ways to let our children know that we are thinking about them. What creative way can you think up for letting your child know that you love and care for them?
Principle #4: 'Be Resourceful'. With this principle Karol suggests using things like books and movies as ways to initiate a kind word. I agree with Karol, the Bible has some great ones! Whether they are acting out in a good manner as someone else did in a story or NOT acting the way someone wrongly did  in a story. As you are watching a movie or TV show you can use things just like this to help get a point across to your child that they are doing whats good and make you a very happy mom!

Key point: If we compliment our kids on how good they are acting or doing, why wouldn't they "want to keep up the good work"?

Ephesians 4:29- "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

"She needs to sort out her Priorities!"

So moving on to Chapter Two... This chapter is entitled 'the secret to your success'. One of the main points of this chapter that really touched me was the message that we CAN say 'No'. I have always been a people pleaser, so whenever someone asks me to do something I have a hard time ever saying 'no'. This always tends to lead to a lot of stress and exhaustion. Karol points out that we NEED to have our priorities sorted out so that we can help avoid this. As mom's it is very easy to want to be the best and do everything you can for your kids, family and yourself. We feel that if we say no, we are letting someone down or missing out on something. But the fact is, is that when we overload ourselves like this we are losing valuable time to spend with God and our family. When we have sorted our priorities (and I mean really thought about them!), whenever someone asks us to do something we can ask ourselves 'does that fit in with what I need and what I want to accomplish'? If it doesn't IT IS OKAY to say NO :). Karol suggests thinking about all of the activities you do for yourself (workouts, groups your involved in, church, work), then think about your children's activities (school, sports, extracurricular activities). Then listing them if you need to so that you can really see what all you do everyday or every week. Do you even have time to think? If you dont then maybe its time to reevaluate what is most important out of these activities. Perhaps another way to look at it would be to see which activities benefit you, yours kids, or your family as a whole the most? I like to look at it that way anyways! Sometimes what I want and whats important doesn't go together. Last November I started working at a Country Club in Richardson as the Private Events Assistant. I loved my job but quickly found out that with school, Riley, AND work I had no, and I literally mean no time to breathe and my grades really suffered. When I decided to take some classes during the summer I knew that there was no way I could continue working and doing school and the same time. I had to decide which was more important and choose. It has been soooo nice ever since. (Not having the extra money stinks!) but now I have more time to focus on Riley and school and have a little time for myself!
  I know that I have my major priorities that are always at the top of my list but there are so many small things that creep up onto it that I am constantly having to re-evaluate. It is a continual process. But now whenever someone asks me 'can you do this with us?' 'Can you do this for me?' 'Do you want to get involved?' I ask myself is this in line with what I need and what my family needs. If you have time then go for it!! If you dont, then its OKAY! Just tell them that you cant do that without it interfering in the other important aspects of your life. Just remember, 'no' should ever be used as an excuse to shy away from a responsibility, or something that you SHOULD do but just dont WANT to. :)
Ecclesiastes 3:1: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"

Chapter One...

Well! ..Hope that you, whoever is reading this, has had a fabulous day! This is finals week for me (totally stinks!) so my head is overflowing with accounting and diverse workforce information. Bear with me.. considering this is my first real post. :) In chapter one of Karol Ladd's book she talks about how we, as mothers have GREAT influence and that being a mother IS a job. Not a part-time or just when you have the time job, but a FULL time job. I will agree with Karol in saying that today's society does not always see the need for mothers (or fathers as well), and this is so untrue! I love this from the book, "mother describes not only what we do, but who we are." We chose the job of caring for our children. God would not have blessed us with anything so precious if he didn't think we could handle it. We might be doctors, nurses, secretaries, teachers, CEO's, etc., but nothing is as important as caring for a family. A year ago I was completely focused on starting my career as an event planner. I knew what I wanted to do, how long it would take me to get there and what I needed to do to get there. Riley of course has completely changed my focus. Sure, I want to get done ASAP!!! I am ready for us to be able to get along by ourselves, but I also except the fact that things have happened that I cannot change which has slowed progress a little bit for us. I always swore up and down that I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. That was the worst thing I could imaging was being at home cleaning all day. Now of course I would looooove to be able to stay home with Roo at least for a few days out of the week. I get to do that now and I am dreading when I wont get to anymore. I love getting to do things with her and for her. There is nothing as rewarding as her giggling when we play in her tent, or when she runs and gives me a kiss out of the blue. Im sure all of you can understand :)
Below I am going to type up the 3 myths regarding mothers that Karol talks about in this first chapter. Maybe they will get you thinking!
"Myth #1: Genetics and Peer Pressure -- Not Mothers -- Influence Children Most"
"Myth #2: Motherhood Causes Women to Miss Out on the Exciting Things in Life"
"Myth #3: Being a Mother is a Waste of a Woman's Talents and Abilities"
Colossians 3:23 -- "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

In the Beginning...

Hi! Most everyone reading this should know me. If you dont, then you will at least know a little but more about me after reading this! The past year and a half of my life has been one of the craziest ever. I have experienced the most joy and the most indescribable pain I have ever had to go through. I became a mom (the best job in the world!!), got some experience as an event planner and much much more! But I also had my life turn a complete 180. I had to watch the person that I cared for most in this world turn into someone unrecognizable. I have been lost and felt alone searching for something to help me keep hold of reality and get what needs to be done, done. I think that we all go through things that to each of us is the most awful thing in the world. And I believe that to each person the term awful (or other terms like it) means something different. Not everyone has the same definition. I believe that God truly has a plan for everyone and everything, we just dont always see it. (Or it usually seems the case we dont see what we WANT to see). Life is SOOOOO busy! Believe me, I know! But through this blog I hope to be able to help others who are just going through the business of daily life, or who really need help just making it through the day. I will be going through the book "The Power of a Positive Mom" by Karol Ladd. She has some great advice and tips to be not just a positive and Godly mom, but also a better person. So if you are not a mom, please dont be deterred. I will be posting my experiences through each chapter week by week. If you can get a copy of the book I HIGHLY encourage it! And if you keep up with this blog at all, please post your comments, advice and insight. We could all use a little advice if you have it! I dont want to teach or preach, I just want to get in touch with moms who also need a little lift when it gets busy with kids, husbands, work and LIFE!