Oh, The Symbolism!!!

Posted on 07.01.09 in Parenthood and there are 4 comments.

Speaking of raising children. Isn’t this picture a great representation of what we do as moms?

We bring home the chubby little caterpillar, nurture it and help it become what God intended - something more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

....and aren’t those just GORGEOUS kids?!

Have you ever raised a butterfly?

It was absolutely fascinating for all of us. (You can order a butterfly kit here.)

Motherhood Video from Christy Nockels, pt. 2

Posted on 06.30.09 in Parenthood Music and there are 1 comments.

I loved reading all your comments on Motherhood from the posts this week. They’ve encouraged me, challenged me and reminded me that I’m not alone on this journey.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the Christy Nockels video (if you haven’t seen it yet, please take a moment to watch it.) As promised, here is Part 2. It’s soooo good and the way it ends? Perfectly priceless.

Share the Videos

Please take a few minutes today to share the videos on your blog or link to them via Twitter or Facebook. There are so many moms out there that need this encouragement.

To post them on your blog, just click the video and then click the “embed” button. Copy the code that appears and paste it into the html editor on your blog.

If you want to share it on Twitter or Facebook, just use this short link - http://tinyurl.com/m9ndgr.

Share the Music

While you’re at it, don’t forget to tell your friends about the FREE song that Christy is offering. You can get the free song here.

CD Giveaway

I’ll be giving away another copy of Christy’s CD Life Light Up - except today, I’m giving it away on Twitter/Facebook so be sure to follow me on Twitter and add me on Facebook if you want a chance to win

Remember

Finally, remember that what you do today MATTERS. I challenge you to lose yourself in Jesus today so that your children might find Him.

Thoughts on Motherhood from Christy Nockels (and a FREE song)

Posted on 06.29.09 in General and there are 12 comments.

Really. I’m so excited to share this video with you. I’ve been watching it for a few weeks now and I’ve been deeply inspired and encouraged by it.

The journey of motherhood can be solitary. Everyone wants to be the perfect mom, even though they’re not. And we’re all left thinking that everyone ELSE actually is.

The Video

I love the insights Christy shares and I especially appreciate her realness. Even rockstar moms have to lock themselves in their rooms for a few moments of peace. I hope and pray that you are as encouraged as I have been by her words…

(This is part 1 of the video. I’ll post part 2 tomorrow.)

The FREE Song

But wait! There’s more!

Christy’s giving away a free copy of her album’s title song Life Light Up. To download it, just click here.

It’s been a really powerful song in my life these past few weeks - kind of an anthem of who I want to be.

Get the CD

I’m also giving away another copy of the CD today. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment and answer one of these questions:
1. What bit of advice impacted you the most from this video?

or if you’re not a mom and couldn’t relate to the video at all...

2. Tell me how hot it was yesterday where you live. It was 103 here (for the millionth day in a row) and that’s just ridiculous.

Spread the Word

If you find the video encouraging, I encourage you to copy the embed code and put it on your own blog. If you don’t have a blog, please send your mom friends here or email the video link to them. We need more truth and wisdom spoken into the lives of young moms.

The Power of Motherhood

Posted on 06.27.09 in Parenthood and there are 29 comments.

The past few weeks have been more of a journal writing season than a blog writing season. Thoughts on Motherhood have filled the pages of my journal.

I’ve written about it before, because it’s a constant battle for me to fully embrace it. To lay down my pursuit of power, influence and prestige in the working world.

Here’s an entry I wrote the other day that reminded me that, contrary to popular belief, the power, influence and prestige of Motherhood is far greater than anything the business world could offer:

AN EXCERPT FROM MY JOURNAL

A mother is the most important person in a young child’s life and she has the power to have the greatest influence.

That may sound like an overstatement. But here’s a good example.

I never knew my mother. She died when I was 9 months old. I don’t recall her voice, her scent or her touch.

Yet the mere mention of her name brings tears to the eyes of this grown 33 year old woman.

Whether present or absent, positive or negative - a Mother has deeper power and influence in the lives of her children than she could anywhere else.

Motherhood is powerful.

I want to encourage you that WHAT YOU DO TODAY MATTERS.  Love well. Give all you have. It’s worth it. It matters.

POWERFUL VIDEO JOURNAL

On Tuesday I’ll be sharing a video journal from Christy Nockels. In it she shares some wonderful wisdom she’s gleaned on this journey of motherhood. I’ve watched it at least a dozen times. I’ve been so encouraged by it and I hope you will too. When I post it, I’ll share the link so that you can share it with your readers or email to your friends.

I just don’t think most moms get enough wise counsel. This video has been like water in a dry land for me.

ALBUM GIVEAWAY

(I feel like this sounds like an un-authentic transition, but please know that I wouldn’t write about something unless I truly loved it.)

Christy’s new album has also been a breath of fresh air for me. I’ve always loved her voice. Her song Invade is one I play daily in my house as I pray for my family. The new album is called Life Light Up and all I can say is, these songs have led me to the feet of Jesus over and over these past few weeks. There’s such a sincerity of worship behind them.

All that to say, I’ll be giving away a copy of the CD each day this week.

To participate today, just leave a comment here.

You don’t have to be a mom to participate, but if you are I’d love to hear your best piece of mothering advice. If you’re not a mom, just say, “I want the cd!” ....or something like that.

Enter here.

And remember: What you do today matters. Love well.

My Happy Place and Christy Nockels News

Posted on 06.22.09 in Parenthood Blogging and there are 11 comments.

Napping with my children is one of the great joys of motherhood. Yesterday my boy fell asleep while we were cuddling in the rocking chair.

I took WAY too many pictures. It was wonderful.

Christy Nockels News

Later this week I’ll be posting a really powerful video on motherhood from Christy Nockels. I’ve watched it nearly every day for the past week and I can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned.

Also, if you’re a blogger and would like a review copy and/or a giveaway copy of Christy’s new cd, please let me know in the comments or via email (if you’ve already contacted me, you don’t have to do it again). Thanks!

So, what’s your “happy place?”

The 5:30 Club

Posted on 06.17.09 in Faith Family and there are 5 comments.

photo by Extra Medium

My friend Jamee has started something very, very cool called the 5:30 Club. In fact, I love her idea so much I even joined the 5:30 Club Facebook group.

The idea behind the club is to inspire and encourage one another to wake up early and start the day off right with Bible reading and prayer.

It’s not easy to get into a routine of rising early, but it has been one of the most powerful habits I’ve ever developed. It sets such a wonderful foundation. I think the 5:30 Club is the perfect way to stay accountable and inspired.

Won’t you join us?

Question for You

What time do you wake up in the morning?

Moving and Music

Posted on 06.15.09 in Blogging and there are 25 comments.

Things are a little crazy ‘round these here parts.  Jimmy and I are entertaining the thought of moving. And by “entertaining” I mean house hunting, packing boxes and putting our house on the market.

We’re serious entertainers.

So we’ve been working hard fixing things up, moving things out and losing ourselves in the vortex that is online house hunting.

Moving + Summer + Kids = C.R.A.Z.Y

With it being summer and ALL the kids home ALL the time, it’s a wee bit stressful at times.

Take last Friday for instance. I hadn’t gotten much sleep, all the neighborhood kids were over and I was planning a party for 50 the next day. At noon I was beginning to wonder how I would survive the next 5.5 hours without an intervention, an injection of some sort or The Super Nanny.

Then it happened…

The mailman dropped off a package with this inside:

I was so excited. SO. EXCITED. Have I mentioned I love music? Well, I do and apparently Vanessa at EMI is a mindreader when it comes to cd’s I’ve been wanting. And these couldn’t have come on a better day.

Christy Nockels new album is so good. Of course, she has such an incredible voice I think I’d enjoy hearing her sing the dictionary in monotone. I’m happy to report that this album is much more lyrically and musically diverse than that.

The good news for you is that there are 5 Christy Nockels cd’s. That means 1 for me and 4 for you. I’ll be giving them away in the next week or so. Stay tuned.

A Question For You

So how many times have you moved in your life? Or for those with an aversion to math, what is the most interesting place you’ve ever lived?

Look At What I Found On My Daughter’s Pillow…

Posted on 06.05.09 in Faith Parenthood and there are 14 comments.

Please do not judge my parenting abilities based on this picture. I had nothing to do with it.

She’s amazing all by herself.

The Small Person (6) is somewhat addicted to reading the Bible. She reads it in the car. She reads it while her sister and brother are playing outside. She reads it when going to bed and when she wakes up. She reads it out loud to us.

She reads it every single day.

She loves it.

She inspires me.

Question for You

Honestly, I never read the Bible as often as I wanted to until last year when I started having my daily reading emailed to me. That simple change has helped me to be much more consistent.

Do you read your Bible as often as you’d like?  Do you have tips to help others who want to dig in but don’t know where to start?

Christy Nockels and an iPhone Make a Really Good Week

Posted on 06.03.09 in Music Tech Stuff and there are 20 comments.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks ‘round these parts. Crazy. Some good, some not as good.

And some super, duper cool.

My New iPhone

I have an iPhone now! A sweet friend of mine, who recently upgraded to the 3g iPhone, gave me her old one.

Gave it to me. How incredible is that? I’ve been having a blast figuring it all out and buying fun new apps.

Here are the apps I’ve bought so far: Things, Flight Control, iFitness, BibleReader, Kindle for iPhone, Remote, PacMan, AniMatch and Pandora.

What are you favorite iPhone apps?

Christy Nockels

Another fun moment was when I got an email from Christy Nockels’ (of Watermark) PR team. They wanted to know if I’d be interested in helping them get the word out about her new album.

Um, YES!

I only play Christy’s song Invade every single morning. I love listening to that song as a prepare for the day and pray for my family. If you don’t own it, you need to buy it - here.

Even cooler, is that they want to know if you all would be interested too.

Christy and her team have some VERY cool ideas up their sleeves AND they’d love for you to be a part of it all. So, if you are a blogger, Twitterer, Facebooker or anything like that, please email me, leave a comment or message me on Twitter. I’m compiling a list of folks interested in getting the inside scoop on it all.

Question For You

It’s AMAZING how far cell phones have come. I remember the bag car phone my grandmother used to have back in the day. When I was in college I had a big black brick phone (no comments about my age please...) that I never used because it was only for emergencies. And did I have a doosy of an emergency. I’ll have to tell that story sometime…

I’m curious - when did you get your first cell phone? 

What Every Mom Needs

Posted on 05.29.09 in Marriage Parenthood and there are 9 comments.

Honestly, it’s been a very long couple weeks. We’ve been extremely busy and for various reasons my days with the kids have been markedly longer. I’ve had very little time to be alone (perhaps I’m part introvert?) and recoup.

I’d felt on the verge of tears for two straight days.

The smallest things annoyed me. I was emotionally exhausted.

And Then Yesterday Happened

When Jimmy (who’d been out of town) woke up he informed me that I would be taking the entire day off.

He told me to gather my things and then he’d take me to the Baylor campus (which is gorgeous and one of my very favorite places anywhere) and pick me up at 4pm.

Of course, I did what any mother would do. I said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that. That would be a long day for you...”

His reply was simple. “You’re going.”

I wanted to cry. I couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful than an entire day to myself. (I realize that sounds selfish, but I trust you mothers understand.)

Really? It was the MOST completely amazingly wonderful day. I truly couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. Not if I’d been on a tropical beach or a mountain cabin. Not in Paris, France or the coast of Australia.

Here’s What I Did on My Day Off

The Perfect Movie Location
I’d rented Pride and Prejudice while Jimmy was out of town, but for two straight nights I was unable to watch it because it took so long to get the kids to bed and finish the chores.

So, on my day off I .....watched Pride and Prejudice in the Armstrong-Browning Library. I’m sure if Jane Austen had any inkling that movies and laptops would one day exist, she would have specifically written that any movies made from her books MUST be watched in the Armstrong-Browning Library.

If you’ve never been there, you must plan a visit. It’s gorgeous. Just being inside makes me want to read and write and dream.

The Perfect Writing Location
I know this phone picture doesn’t do it justice, but there are some beautiful gardens on campus. I sat on a wooden porch swing beneath a huge oak tree and soaked up the perfect spring weather, the singing of the birds and the scent of hundreds of roses. I just sat. Alone. In silence.

Wonderful.

The Perfect Working Location
I also spent a couple hours at a great coffee shop here in Waco called Common Grounds. It’s right off the Baylor campus and their drinks make Starbucks coffee taste like dirt. So good.

I sent a few overdue emails, organized and planned for the summer ahead.

The Perfect Time
Another great thing about the day was that classes let out last week, so there weren’t many students on campus. For the whole day, while people walked around in the distance, I didn’t actually have to interact with anyone out of necessity. My thoughts were never interrupted. I truly had an entire day all to myself.

I so needed that.

Husbands, Take Note
So, all you husbands out there. The weekend is coming up...consider giving your wife a day away. It doesn’t need to cost anything. She doesn’t need to go anywhere exotic, but just a day away at her favorite spot will do wonders for her as a wife and mother.

Moms, Take Note
Even if your husband is unwilling or unable to give you a day off, I encourage you to trade with another mom or hire a sitter. I was completely amazed at what 7 short hours did to refresh my soul.

Sounds dramatic, I know.

That’s because it was.

When was your last true day off (where you were really able to relax)? What did you do?

This Little House on the Prarie Thing Has Gone a Bit Too Far

Posted on 05.26.09 in Parenthood and there are 10 comments.

Yes, that’s a bonnet on his head.

Oh, the trials of being the youngest brother of two older sisters.

Africa, Stockholm Syndrome and That’s Pretty Much It

Posted on 05.23.09 in Music Blogging and there are 4 comments.

My friend Annie is leaving for South Africa with Mocha Club on Thursday.

She’ll be blogging about it here and I highly encourage you to follow along She’s a wonderful writer.

Oh, yeah, and she’s hilarious! And my kids love her. And she’s written some great articles for me at the Bloggable Music Network.

This, my friends is called a segue. Watch and learn. Watch. And. Learn.

Speaking of the Bloggable Music Network...

This was an amazing week for the site. I wrote a post about Derek Webb’s alleged controversy with his label regarding his upcoming album, Stockholm Syndrome. That post and subsequent ones were linked to by various bloggers AND the likes of CCM Magazine, CM Central and New Release Tuesday. Pretty fun stuff.

Here are my posts from last week:
FREE Music From Joel and Luke - Amazing.
The Derek-Heist?
Free Music - Take Everything by Joel Rakes (One of Kat’s Favorite Songs…)
Derek Webb Heist Update - Free Song And Clues

I hope you’ll stop by and enjoy the free music and fun.

That’s all folks! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

My 2 Year Old Tells You a Joke

Posted on 05.21.09 in Parenthood and there are 16 comments.

The Smallest Person is a character. He’s not shy. He says hi to people everywhere we go. And he doesn’t just say hi. He says, “HI PEOPLE!!!”

So, his latest thing is to tell this joke. Enjoy!

(Note: The second thing he says is, “Cow impatient cow” He’s supposed to just say, “impatient cow” but, you know, he just turned 2....)

Speaking of jokes, my kids are VERY into them. Sadly, at 2, 5 and 6, they don’t actually know any jokes and mostly make up ones that don’t makes sense and aren’t actually funny.

So, help a mom out, know any good, short, kid jokes?

5 Tips for Surviving Summer Road Trips

Posted on 05.19.09 in Parenthood and there are 11 comments.

Last year, Jimmy and I took a huge road trip with all three kids. 26 hours in the car, 1700 miles of travel.

Needless to say, I needed to have a plan or else Jimmy and I would be victims of death by whining. So here are the tactics I used to make it a fun and successful trip.

1. Packing

I planned what each of my kids wore on each day of the trip. I made a little pile for each day that contained pajamas, outfit for the day and any accessories. I then put all those items into a ziplock bag, compressed it and labeled it with the child’s name and the date it was to be worn.

This was helpful for several reasons. If you’ve ever traveled with little ones you know how annoying it can be to try to search through a bag for one tiny pair of socks or pants. It can also be tiring to try to figure out what they will wear WHILE trying to get them dressed.

With this method, Jimmy or I could just grab a bag for each kid and then we had everything needed for the day.

It also took up less space in the suitcase.

2. Snacking

Instead of bringing a giant bag of pretzels or trail mix and passing it out in the car, I divided up the snacks into little snack bags so that whenever someone needed something we didn’t have to worry about crumbs or making sure little hands didn’t drop things.

We could just pick out a small bag and hand it to them.

For my baby, I premeasured all the baby cereal he’d eat for the trip into small bags. Before each day I put together 3 meal kits (containing the baby cereal, baby food, spoon and disposable bib) in preparation for the next day. In the morning, I’d just put the kits in my diaper bag and I was ready for the whole day.

3. Play and Presents

In addition to packing their favorite toys and books, I also went to the dollar store and bought a few new surprises. I wrapped the new items along with some old forgotten favorite ones and hid them in the basket of books and toys.

Every few hours or when they got really restless, I’d let them dig for and open a “present.” They LOVED it.

4. Stories on CD

We also had several stories on CD that we listened to and that was something everyone really enjoyed. My kids were literally mesmerized by Pollyanna and Anne of Green Gables. It was especially nice when Jimmy and I needed them to be quiet (like when their brother was napping) because they didn’t want to talk for fear they’d miss any of the story.

5. DVD Player

Now, we did bring a DVD player on the trip, but out of the 25+ hours on the road, they only watched 2.5 hours of tv. Everything else kept them so entertained that they didn’t really ask to watch videos, although it was certainly a nice option. We bought them a Hillsongs Kids video and it was neat to hear them singing worship songs in the back seat.

Well, that’s what worked for us. If you go on a road trip anytime soon, I hope some of these ideas work for you.

What’s Your Story?

If you have any tips to add, please share them in the comments.

Did you take road trips as a child?Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

(This post is a part of WFMW.)

Okay, So How About A Little Music And Controversy?

Posted on 05.19.09 in Music Blogging and there are 2 comments.

Well, it seems that sharing “About Me” pages isn’t what you all are into. Major props to Kjaere (who has a MUST READ testimony), Beachmom and Lori Jo for sharing their pages!

So instead of talking about yourselves, how ‘bout a little Derek Webb. In light of a couple interesting and cryptic emails he sent our recently regard the label controversy surrounding his new album, I’ve written a post at the Bloggable Music Network with my take on the whole situtation. Check it out.

I also posted this entry about the new FREE album from Joel and Luke, a couple Australian brothers who have a sister you may know - Rebecca St. James. The music these guys put out is simply stunning. Almost Brooke Fraser level, which if you know me, that’s saying a lot.

So go, check out my other blog - The Bloggable Music Network. Join in the discussion and download the awesome EP from Joel and Luke.

Any Derek Webb fans out there?

My Twitter Posts