Praise Baby CD

A few weeks ago, I won a copy of the Praise Baby Collection: Born to Worship cd from a giveaway on the Praise Baby blog. Z and I have listened to this CD several times, and we both really enjoy it. The CD is a good mix of modern worship songs (We Bow Down, etc.), hymns (Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing), and at least one new song that -to my knowledge- cannot be found anywhere else (Made to Praise).

As a sidenote, when I hear the first song on the CD, Step By Step, I can't help but relive many nights of standing in my summer youth camp's chapel, stomping my feet to the words "STEP. BY. STEP. You'll lead me..." For some reason that song tends to remind me of junior high angst...usually with some now-long-forgotten boy at the center of my concerns... but, really, I love that I can share with my little son songs that I sang as a child & teenager, and songs that I enjoy and worship with as an adult.

I am enjoying the song "Jesus, I am Resting, Resting"- I believe I've heard it before, but I've never been familiar with the words, and I'm loving getting to know this song better.

And my favorite song? On the whole album? The one that makes tears well up whenever it comes on? Made to Praise. The song that's unique to this album. Want to see why? Well, you'll have to start by imagining that all you've ever wanted in your whole life is to be a mommy, and to raise children that love and praise and serve God. And then you waited years for God to bless you with a sweet baby. And then He did! And then, one day, as you're driving down the road, listening to your Praise Baby CD and glancing in the rear-view mirror at your sweet little boy, who might be sleeping or quietly listening in the back seat, you hear these lyrics:

From the earth to the sky,
I'm the apple of your eye
You created my form,
and knew me long before I was born

I was made to praise You
I was made to love
I was born to worship
the Father, the Son and Spirit of God.
Made in Your image and wrapped in Your love

From the sky to the earth
Lord, we celebrate Your birth
That You came as a man,
revealing to us Your wonderful plan

We were made to praise You
We were made for love
We were born to embrace You
The only God and Father above.
Made in Your image and wrapped in Your love.


Are you crying yet??? Anybody? Well, you may have to add some time-of-the-month hormones into the imagination mix if you're not... :) I seriously just cried re-reading the lyrics. :)
I just love the gentle reminder of this song that each of us are created and set into our place by God, FOR His glory- not just our own happiness (although happiness is found in serving Him as He has designed).

In short, Z and I adore this CD. We will be listening to it many times in the years to come, I can assure you. Check out the rest of the Praise Baby line over at www.praisebabycollection.com- they have videos that look really neat, too- and you can watch clips from them on their site!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning, as I played with Z in the living room, I happened to glance into the kitchen, and there on the table were a dozen roses and two gifts for me- one was a gift basket of rose-scented bath & body things, and the other was this:

I let Z play with the frog a little, but I drank all the coffee. :)

The thing is- Hubby had to work at camp last night with the group until 11:30 pm. And of course, being the master plan-ahead-er that he is, he did not have a Valentine's gift for me yet. I really didn't expect one & it wasn't that big of a deal to me. Anyway, he decided he wanted me to have a nice surprise, so last night, with his lingering cold, in the middle of a tiring retreat, he headed to Wal-Mart (a 30-minute drive). I think I remember him crawling into bed around 1:45, maybe... but I guess that's love for you. :)

So...as far as how we spent our Valentine's Day? Well, we have about 150 teens at camp for a retreat this weekend. So Hubby spent about 3-4 hours driving the tractor in the snow so the teens could enjoy the Snake...and in between that and Z's naps, we spent our day in the kitchen.

Here's our family in the camp kitchen:

Here's Z checking out the syrup boxes under the pop machine counter:

Here's my little 'wild thing' in Jill's fun hat:

And here is my musical prodigy, playing the recorder (a Valentine's Day gift from my aunt & uncle). He loves to walk around the house toodling away on it. In case you were wondering, he can only play one note. And, no, it's not really that annoying. :) He also received a tambourine & several other instruments, none of which have driven me crazy as of yet. :)

Did you all have a good Valentine's Day???

Will You Pray?

Okay, internet friends, I know I've already posted once today...hope you're not sick of hearing from me...

But I have a friend, Ashley, who really needs prayer. She and her husband are expecting a baby in August...she went for an ultrasound today, and they could not find a heartbeat (last week they did hear a heartbeat). This and several other factors lead her doctor to believe that she will miscarry this pregnancy...and there is nothing to be done but to wait. Ashley already suffered a miscarriage- in January of 2007, and then delivered a healthy baby girl in December of 2007 (five days after my Z was born).

So, please, take a minute to ask God to heal her baby. God's will is perfect, and un-knowable, I know, but I can't imagine why He would choose to bring Ashley through this pain again. I will update when I find out more. In the meantime, thank you for praying.

The Sweetest Sound

My ears have just begun to hear the sweetest sound.

The sound that I have been waiting and longing to hear for so many years.

A tiny voice, knowingly calling me 'mama'.

Sure, he's babbled the 'm' sound up to this point, so I've heard the sound 'mamamamama' come out of his mouth, but for him to lean towards me from Daddy's arms, or point to a photo of me on the wall, and joyfully proclaim, "Mama!" is an amazing experience. Each time I hear it, my heart overflows with love for my boy, and gratefulness to God for blessing me with this sweet lil' guy.



And can I just say...people-don't steal my joy. I know that on some long day I'll get tired of his chattering and of hearing, "Mommy, Mo-om, Mommy, mommy mommy mommy mommy MOMMY..." ad infinitum. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, in response to my jubilation about Z's emerging vocabulary, "Oh, yeah, it's fun at first, but before too long, you'll be wishing he would just be quiet." I understand that. I have taught preschool, after all. But for now, I'm enjoying it immensely, and will not give those statements the time of day. So don't waste your breath. :)

And I'm off to cherish some more minutes with my little boy before he grows even more before my eyes.

I'm entering this post in Scribbit's March Write-Away contest!

Why I Heart Blogging :)

This weekend, Mabel's Labels is running a contest, and the prize is a trip to the BlogHer conference in Chicago on July 24-25, 2009- now, wouldn't THAT be fun???** The question that we are to answer is "What have been the rewards and benefits of participating in the blogging community?" Now...where do I even start???

I have been reading blogs since the fall of 2007, and blogging since May 11, 2007- just a few weeks after I found out I was expecting my son, little Z. I never realized that I would enjoy writing, but the platform of blogging has helped me to discover that it is a great way to articulate my feelings about the things that God is doing in my life, and to share with others the things that I am learning on my parenting journey.

Through my involvement in the blogging community, I have learned a lot about parenting. For example, I had never heard of babywearing before I came across some babywearing bloggers. Now I wear my 14-month-old son in his Patapum often, and my new ring sling should be arriving in the mail next week! (yay!) I also didn't know that not all Christian parents spanked their children every time they disobeyed- there are so many different viewpoints that I have had the opportunity to be exposed to! It's so encouraging to read posts from mothers across the country and around the world, whether those posts focus on cherishing each moment they have with their children, describing their difficult day, or discussing tips and sharing wisdom they've gleaned from their years of parenthood. It's such a blessing to be able to drink in all this wisdom and counsel from women who have been at this years longer than I have and who have felt the way I'm feeling and yet, somehow, survived. :)

I also see my involvement in the bloggy community as somewhat of an opportunity for ministry. When I get time to 'fool around on the computer' during my son's naps, I pray that I would use this time to be an encouragement to someone, whether I've met them in real life or not. Through my blogging, commenting on other's blogs, twittering, and facebooking, my goal is always to bring glory to God and to encourage others through each word that I type.

I do believe that I am a stronger, wiser person for the time that I have spent blogging and reading others' blogs. I believe that God has used other bloggers and the difficult times that they have gone through and so graciously shared about to change and grow me and to deepen my relationship with Him and my appreciation for the blessings that my husband and my son are. The blogging community is unique because, to a point, you are free to be as anonymous as you choose, and you can share feelings or ask questions that you wouldn't dare to ask out loud. It is unlike any other forum, and can have great benefits, as long as it is used wisely.

**(the deadline for this contest is Monday, February 9th, so if you want to participate, you'd better get your entries in!!!)

Let it Snow...in my Kitchen?

Have you ever wanted to play in the snow with your kids, but you didn't want to pull out that hated snowsuit and wrestle them into it? Well, I have. Then I got this GREAT idea from MckMama- to bring the snow inside!

So, we did. Z isn't big enough to stand on anything & play in the sink, so I just brought a bowl of snow inside & put it on a towel on the kitchen floor.

You can see from the next picture that he's pretty excited about it:

Digging in the snow:

wiping the cold snow off his hands:

of course, eating the snow:

and a silly face about the snow:

It was so much fun!!! Thanks for the idea- I know we'll be doing it again! :)

Mommy Guilt

As Denise addressed in her post, most of us Mommies feel guilt about a LOT of things regarding our kids. I think it's a natural part of being a mom - we'll never be perfect, and there are always things we can do better! I think I need to read the book that Denise recommends in her post! :) But here are my 'guilty lists', just to share, and hopefully make some of you feel better about your parenting. :)

10 Things I do NOT Feel Guilty About: (this list is MUCH harder than you might think)

1. Leaving Z in the nursery at church and MOPS.
2. Letting Z go to sleep on his own in his crib.
3. Giving Z fruit instead of veggies at 4 of his 5 meals/snacks a day.
4. Letting Z watch Sesame Street in his exersaucer for an hour every day while I get a shower and check email.
5. Wearing Z while I work in the kitchen at camp or do housework.
6. Singing songs & reading books to my little boy all day long.
7. Hugging & kissing Z as often as I can.
8. The state of his wild hair, and the fact that it really does 'need' to be cut.
9. Letting him wear the same jammies two nights in a row.
10. Not making Z wear real shoes- Robeez work great for right now.

10 Things I DO Feel Guilty About:

1. Feeding Z junky 'toddler food' like mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and fish sticks every day.
2. Finishing a post or an email while Z cries or plays in his bed after he wakes up from his nap.
3. Wishing Z would quit being grouchy when I know he's in pain from teething.
4. Letting Z watch more than one hour of Sesame Street a day.
5. Z doesn't drink NEARLY enough whole milk, so I supplement with cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
6. When Z's schedule gets messed up by things I want to do like Mother's Group, camp or church activities.
7. Leaving Z with his Daddy so I can hang out by myself for a few minutes (and write this post). :)
8. Leaving Z with a babysitter so his Daddy and I can go out.
9. Not leaving Z with a babysitter more than we do.
10. Not disciplining Z consistently enough for certain things he shouldn't touch.

I am tempted to add lots MORE to the guilty column...and this doesn't even touch the other areas of my life- I feel guilty for the way I keep my house, the way I do my job at camp, the state of cleanliness in my office, how long it's been since I've written to certain people or called them...and on and on.

I know God doesn't want us to live in guilt, but in His grace. I guess I still need to learn this even more each day. :)

This should be a law of physics...or something.

If you put a tuna sandwich on your toddler's high chair tray, and you eat a piece of pizza yourself, your toddler will refuse the tuna and cry for the pizza. Smart kid, right?

The next day, if you feed your toddler a piece of pizza, and try to eat a tuna sandwich yourself, your toddler will scream, refuse the pizza, and cry for a bite of your tuna sandwich.

I think my new mealtime strategy will involve putting Z's meal on my plate and my meal on his highchair tray.


**Also, my cousin's son Weston needs prayer!** Weston is 15 months old, was born about 5 weeks prematurely because his kidneys were blocked & failing, but then after he was born, he wasn't toxic, so they decided to wait until he grew & got stronger to do surgery. He has been doing so well all along, that they still haven't done the surgery. But now his kidneys are toxic, blocked, and beginning to fail, so the original surgery they were going to do may not be enough now. He may need dialysis and a kidney transplant. Please pray for Weston, and for encouragement for his parents, Tausha & Matt! I can't imagine what God's plan in this could be, but I know He does have a plan.

How We Got Into Camping

(Alternate Title: People work at camps? Year round? Full-time? Really?)

Yes, that was MY statement, seven years and a few months ago. Does that surprise you? :)

Seven years and one month ago, Hubby (in his pre-Hubby days) began working at a Christian camp in southern Ohio as their full-time, year-round food service director. So you can see from my question that this turn of events must have come as something of a surprise to me. *ahem* UNDERSTATEMENT!

Seven and a half years ago, Hubby and I were enaged (full story here). He was planning on being a pastor and I was planning on being a pastor's wife. Our wedding date was set for May 25, 2002. And then God changed our plans, as He often does. Hubby heard about a job at the aforementioned camp in Ohio, had a couple years experience in food service at college, was 'getting tired'- his own words- of being in college after transferring once, switching majors, etc...and after praying about it & talking to his cousin Amy who also worked at the camp (and talking it over with me, of course, giving me the opportunity to make the above statement)... He decided that it would be a nice change of pace, and he could continue to work toward his degree through correspondence while working at camp.

One small problem remained. Remember how I mentioned our, you know, WEDDING??? Well, after we were to be married, I would still have two semesters of college left- one semester of elementary education classes, and one semester of student teaching. And it would be much easier to finish those classes at Faith, where I was already attending, instead of trying to switch to another state's teaching standards or another school's course requirements. So. After considering all the factors, and through the shedding of many tears, we postponed our wedding seven months until January 4, 2003. (Faith graciously allowed me to do my student teaching in Kentucky, near the camp, so we wouldn't have to wait a whole YEAR longer to get married.)

At the time, it was the hardest decision I had ever made.

Looking back, I have to remind myself that we even postponed the wedding because I don't think of it often- now it seems like our wedding was always planned for January of 2003.

So, on January 7th, 2002, Hubby headed to his new job & home at the camp, and I headed back to college, hundreds of miles from Ohio. I'm sure Heather could tell you stories of all the whining I did about this situation on the way to and from our jobs at Culver's. :) EVENTUALLY (it seemed like forever), we were able to get married, and we began to settle into the 'routine' of camp life.

For those of you who might know about as much about the camping ministry as I did a few years ago, I'll let you in on a little secret. The key to surviving a camp summer or even a busy retreat season, is FLEXIBILITY. At camp, you are there to serve a lot of different people all at the same time, and you never know when a mealtime will be changed or a sudden power outage will cause you to have to figure out what you can serve for lunch using only 8 gas burners & 2 gas ovens. Or, just speaking hypothetically here, you may have to postpone your celebration of Valentine's Day with your brand-new hubby of 6 weeks when you have 300 teens in for a retreat and you lose power because of a horrible ice storm and trees are being uprooted all over the camp and could kill people if they leave the buildings...but that's a story for another day.

When we got married, let me just say that I was possibly the antithesis of flexibility. NOT my strong point. :) When things changed suddenly, I was not (pardon the pun) a happy camper. I like to think that God has changed and grown me in this area, and that I would respond differently to certain situations if I were put in them today...but I honestly can't say for sure.

What I can say for sure is that over the last 6 years that I've been involved in full-time camp ministry alongside my husband, God has placed a love in my heart for the camping ministry. I love all the contacts that God has sent our way through the camp, all the people we've met through summer camp, retreats, volunteer work groups, and camp conferences. When I think of heaven, I think of all the churches we've been a part of and all the weeks of family camp and summer camp and camp conference all rolled into one- all of those people (and SO many more) united in God's presence with no sin and only one singular goal- to praise HIM every moment.

So, I guess what I'm saying is- Come to camp. It's like Heaven.

**Disclaimer for all of you theologians out there- that last sentence was not a theological assertion- it was just a joke. I doubt we'll be singing the "Shark song" in Heaven.**

I AM A WINNER!!!

Okay, I never win anything. Really. I enter bloggy giveaways sometimes, but I don't usually bother to twitter about them to get an extra entry or anything...because I never win. Really.

But this week, I have won TWO giveaways. First, I won a Praise Baby CD that I can listen to with Zachary, and I was psyched!!! Yay- I finally won something!!!

Then, yesterday, as I was working around the house, I was thinking to myself about when we have another baby...and I was thinking, "Hmm...I'd really like to have a ring sling and a wrap to use with my next newborn...but, maybe we won't be able to spend money on both of them...I'll probably have to pick which one I want." And the fleeting thought crossed my mind that I had entered a giveaway for a sling, and maybe I would win. But I dismissed the thought, because, as previously mentioned, I never win anything. I also had the fleeting thought that God would provide just as He provided much MORE than we needed when Zachary was born!

So imagine my surprise this morning, when I turned on the computer and saw an email from Stephanie, announcing that I had WON a ring sling!!!! I am SOOOO excited! I get to pick the one I want from KimzKreations Etsy store & she'll send it to me!!! I sent Stephanie an email back using about 1,000 exclamation points about how excited I was. :) Also, I REALLY wanted to win this sling, so I twittered about the contest to get an extra entry...and guess which entry of mine was picked? The one where I said I twittered it, of course. :) I guess I should do that more often. :)

So now I'm trying to decide between the fabrics- I really like all the pink ones, but should you carry a baby/toddler BOY in a PINK sling? I am undecided. So for now I am trying to decide between the Multicolored Cotton Batik with Dots (pink rings, of course); and the Red/Orange/Green Cotton Batik (with green rings). Anybody have an opinion???? I'll let you know what I decide. :)

So, isn't it cool all the different avenues God uses to provide things we need AND things we want? Who knew He would use a fun giveaway to remind me that He knows what I want and need and cares about the little things???