Seriously, a company that tried to put sizes on the outside of women’s clothes would go out of business pretty fast.
(FYI-these are Jimmy’s jeans in the picture so don’t even think of making fun of the person wearing them...or I’ll boot you faster than a company who puts sizes on the outside of women’s jeans goes out of business...)
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Emptying my inbox, writing a brilliant post, rescuing small kittens from trees and generally saving mankind.
Unfotunately, I needed to take a Benedryl and have been rendered completely and utterly useless.
Like my mother, I am rather “petite.” As a result, most medication doses are way more than I need. But when it’s a little pill there isn’t not much I can do about it.
Except to put on my jammies, kiss Jimmy goodnight and wobble to my bed.
It’s taken forever for me to write this little post. I’m sure glad I don’t slur when I type…
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Pardon my excitement, but I just discovered that one of my very, most especially, super duper favorite songs is available for free.
FAH-REE, I said!
I won’t tell you what song it is or who it’s by.
Can you guess? No cheating now...take a guess in the comments.
Who is the artist? What is the song?
I’ll post the link to the free song in the comments.
(I’m seriously so happy for you...Come on, get excited now people!)
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It’s my blog-friend Kristin’s birthday today.
I met Kristin through her husband Brody who I met through Shaun who I met through Kevin Bacon.
Ok. I made the Kevin Bacon part up, but the rest is true.
Anyway. Kristin is one of the few blog friends that I’ve actually met in person. Our families had dinner together over the Christmas holidays and I have to say, she and Brody have a very sweet family.
We were a sight to see with our six kids all crammed into a booth at a pizza shop. Babies throwing food, kids begging to play video games and the adults having that weird “we’ve never met but we know all about each other” conversation.
Kristin has played a huge part in the development of Inspired To Action and this year’s 40 Day Fast. I love reading the amazing quotes she posts on her blog and laughing about the funny things her kids say. As Anne of Green Gables (we’ve been listening to the audiobooks 24/7 for the past month...) would say, she’s a “kindred spirit.”
So, Happy Birthday Kristin.
Brody has hijacked Kristin’s blog and posted a card for everyone to “sign.” Whether you know her or not, head on over and wish her a happy birthday!
(Read more positive posts here.)
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Today’s blogger for The 40 Day Fast is Jason Gray, a great singer songwriter who shares his heart for the poor and the work he’s done with World Vision.
He went all out on this post. It’s very intersting, informative, and inspiring.
(Sorry, for you old school CCMers, I couldn’t resist that title.)
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It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one who feels like this.
Well, being a task oriented sort of person, I have (with Jimmy’s encouragement and help) come up with a plan of action to keep my sanity and stay refreshed during this season of life. Here are a few of the things we’re going to do:
1. Rest - Even though the girls don’t nap, they will have “rest” time each day. We’d sort of implemented this during an earlier meltdown a week ago, but I haven’t been consistent with it.
2. Plan - On Sunday afternoons, Jimmy will watch the kids and I’ll head to the coffee shop to plan for the next week and work on the final web project I’m finishing up. (We used to do this but haven’t done it for awhile. It’s good time to start it again.)
3. Push ups - 100 push ups a day. (Sounds random, but exercise is very important to me.) I’ve been doing this for a few days now and it’s been a great way for me to sneak in exercise throughout the day (because, unlike you, I cannot do 100 push ups at one time. I have to do them in little tiny increments.) I really feel it by the end of the day, but I don’t really sweat, which is good, because showers are not always an option.
4. Dive In - We’ve been swimming a lot this summer and the worst part of swimming is always getting in the water. I loathe leaving my nice cozy towel and I shiver and chant “it’s cold...it’s cold...it’s cold...” until I just suck it up and dunk myself. Once I do that, everything is fine and I have a great time.
I think I need to do the same with this season of Mommyhood. I need to let go of my cozy selfish ambitions and dive into this amazing, wonderful and fleeting time with my kids.
What about you? What do you do to stay refreshed during the crazy seasons of life?
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Today’s blogger for The 40 Day Fast is Licia. She and her family run a child rescue center and medical clinic in Haiti.
I’ve been reading her blog for several months and it has quickly become my absolute favorite. No other blog has challenged me or moved me more.
If I could only look at one website a day - this would be it.
Please read her post today and bookmark her site.
You will be changed.
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Last night, Jimmy found me sitting in the minivan, in the hot garage, in the dark. I was having my own personal meltdown.
These past few weeks have utterly and completely kicked me in the rear. For various reasons it has been extremely busy and extremely difficult.
Last year, I averaged about 4-5 hours of “free time” each day while the kids slept. Time that I could use to shower, read the Bible, run, blog and have uninterrupted conversations with Jimmy.
Now, I have about 1 hour. And while I have been trying to simplify my life - I just can’t fit everything (or anything...) into 1 hour.
I’ve tried streamlining what I do. I’ve tried to be more efficient. I gave up designing web sites. I mostly stopped reading rss feeds. I’ve stayed up WAY too late just trying to get everything on my plate done. (Much to the joy of family and friends, I’ve decided NOT to give up showering.)
I feel like I’m hanging on to the very last thread of me.
And I can’t decide if it’s something I’m supposed to hang onto or not.
Part of me doesn’t want to be “just” a mom. I know that sounds horrible, but I’m just being honest here. I adore my kids, I love being a mom, I chose to be a stay at home mom and I wouldn’t do anything differently.
But part of me still wants to own a business. And run a marathon. And work in the music industry. And write an excellent blog. And change the world.
I daydream about attending conferences. I take my kids to the office supply store for fun. My brain is constantly barraged with various business ideas. The thought of working in an office from 9-5 makes me giddy.
Right now, though, I’m called to be a mom. Full time. And more.
Craft stores give me the hives. I can’t stand being interrupted. I’m very task oriented. And I enjoy going to the bathroom alone.
Can you see why this mom-thing is a tough fit for me?
Here’s the beauty in it all...I have never been more challenged, changed and refined than I have these past six years. And I don’t think anything but a mother’s furious love could have molded me into who I am today.
God has honored me with the task of raising these three beautiful children and I will give it everything I’ve got…
Even if it means the end of me.
(Although, if you ever see me at the craft store wearing a denim applique jumper...please intervene.)
Can any other moms (or dads) out there relate? Any advice? (If not, just pretend. You know, so I don’t look stupid. Thanks.)
]]>“Um. Kat...I have NO idea what you’re talking about.”
Ok. Let me clarify.
It’s been an exhausting week and I have nothing to say, but some of my favorite bloggers are writing some really amazing posts.
That I can link to.
So my blog isn’t empty and lame.
And linking to awesomeness increases one’s awesomeness.
See, aren’t you glad I’m not writing long posts this week...?
Anyway...today, I’d like to introduce you to a blogger I’ve been meaning to introduce you to for a long time. Her name is Annie and I refer to her as the next Boomama. The first time I read her blog, I spent an hour reading the archives because she made me laugh so much.
She’s inspiring, hilarious and an all around great writer. She’s also today’s blogger for The 40 Day Fast.
Go read her post. It’s awesome…
P.D. Ross is the Team 2 blogger today for The 40 Day Fast. Read how he’s fighting poverty and need - one t-shirt at a time.
]]>ht: shaun
]]>So instead of trying to eek out a lame post, please read this post, this post and this post
...and let your soul marinate in the wisdom of Mother Teresa:
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.”
“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you
know your next door neighbor? “
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can
be no more hurt, only more love. “
Today was a very big day because my very little girl turned a very big 6 years old.
It’s hard to believe how the years have flown.
I’m so proud of her. Here’s a little glimpse of the wonderful little woman of God she’s becoming.
About a week ago, she (The Small Person) woke up before anyone and went to the living room, curled up in a chair and spent some time reading her Bible. Not a children’s Bible - a real-no-pictures-in-it Bible.
She then proceeded to memorize Psalm 25:2a. And then she wrote it down on papers for Jimmy and I to memorize when we woke up.
Yesterday I gave a piece of gum to both of my girls. My 4 year old (The Smaller Person) accidentally swallowed her gum and began to cry. She was very upset.
As Jimmy was consoling The Smaller Person, my 6 year old got up and walked around the corner.
When she came back, her gum was gone. Jimmy asked her what happened to her gum and she told him that she asked God what was the nicest thing she could do for her sister. Since she couldn’t give her own gum to The Smaller Person, she thought she should swallow hers too. That way her sister might not feel so bad.
When I grow up, I want to be like my 6 year old daughter. Happy birthday, precious.
(Read more positive posts here.)
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“A child cries
I have seen
death in the eyes of a child
I cannot live life for myself
alone
again
A child cries
and I must cry too
So, now
what is it that I will do?”
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How do we change the world? By changing our hearts.
How do we change our hearts? By changing our habits.
Follow along and you’ll never be the same.
I challenge every one of us to commit to reading each post of the 40 Day Fast. Let’s make a habit of being involved in the needs of others.
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The schedule of bloggers for this year’s 40 Day Fast is out.
Check it out at InspiredToAction.com
We hope you’ll follow along and even join in - unlike last year, this year you can join the team at any point during the event.
Just register here.
Remember it all starts on Monday with a post by Brant.
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Well folks, today is the last day of camp. It’s time to put our arms around each other, jot down everyone’s address, take pictures and sing a rousing chorus of Friends.
Today is the day I want you to brag about yourselves. Tell us about a great accomplishment. What’s something cool that you’ve done? What are you really good at?
While you’re thinking of something to brag about, I’d like to take a minute to brag on four people.
Amy, Kristin, Texas in Africa and Euphrony make up the team at Inspired To Action. They are awesome. Last night we put together the schedule for The 40 Day Fast and they were scheduling ninjas. Here are a few reasons why you need to get to know them. (Besides the fact that they are ninjas. Of course.)
Amy - Is an incredible, diligent and faithful woman. She has been managing Inspired To Action for the past few months and has done an excellent job. I’m so thankful to her and proud of her. She loves to read and teach others to read. If you’re into books, you’ll DEFINITELY want to check out her blog.
Texas In Africa is a genius and an adventurer. She’s getting her PHD from UT and she’s usually on her way to some country that I’ve never even heard of. If I recall correctly, she’s been to almost 30 different countries. I can’t NAME 30 different countries. Being that she’s traveled to some of the poorest places on Earth, she’s provided an excellent “front lines” viewpoint on Inspired to Action.
Kristin - Is one of those people that you just like. She’s one of the most consistent writers on Inspired To Action, she’s a great mom and even though I’ve only met her once, I can just tell she’s a really tenderhearted, thoughtful and compassionate person. I’d like to think that if I lived in Nashville, we’d be good friends.
Euphrony is also a genius. I’d tell you what he does, but it’s so complex that not only can I not pronounce it, but I can’t even type it! He’s been very dedicated to the Inspired To Action site and has written some incredibly interesting interviews.
These four people are making The 40 Day Fast happen, they’re doing a great job and I’m profoundly thankful for each of them.
Have you thought about something to brag about yet?
A weird talent? Famous uncle? Sixth toe?
Please tell us about it in the comments!
And while you’re at it, post a link below to one of your favorite blog posts or if you can’t pick one, just to your blog in general (as long as it’s family friendly.)
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