Extra Room in Your Suitcase?

Are you traveling this year for work or play? If so, you might be able to help others while you travel.

John Piper, through the Desiring God ministry is looking for people that will carry evangelical resources across the world. You don't have to do street evangelism - they just need people to pack books in their suitcase and deliver the books to the people/organizations that have asked for materials. It's such an easy way to make a difference!

Find out more in their article "Help Us Offer Free Resources Around the World" from Desiring God Blog.

A Birthday Weekend full of Surprises

Today was my 3 year old daughter's birthday. I can't believe she's three!!! We had grand plans for the weekend, including soccer, a nephew's birthday party, weekend babysitting for friends, and my daughter's party with a few families. All of that came to a halt when my two of my kids (the birthday girl and her 7 year old brother) were diagnosed with swine flu Friday. The doctor gently informed me that our kids needed to be pretty much quarantined for nearly a week. Ugh!

Thanks to catching the flu quickly and medicine, we're doing fine. The kids are feeling much better, and we still had a great birthday celebration.

We started out the day by lighting a 'candle cake' at breakfast and singing to the birthday girl. Then we opened gifts about 10am, so the kids could play with the gifts before lunchtime. After rest/nap time, we celebrated with pink birthday cake frosted with a little princess on top. Then we had her favorite spaghetti dinner before popcorn and a movie night. It was a great family day that we all enjoyed - even without leaving the house.

While on the subject of birthdays, I wanted to share an article from my friend Aimee. "Simplified and Splendified" is full of simple ways her family has decided to celebrate birthdays. She is a whimsical, practical, creative and very loving mom - I think you'll enjoy reading her ideas.

Blessings,

The Comparison Trap

I don't know a single woman who doesn't struggle with comparing herself to others, so I really appreciated Courtney's post yesterday at the Women Living Well Blog. "Fit Friday: The Comparison Trap" is part of a series she's been writing about fitness. This short article talks about the many different comparison traps we fall into, and how we can prevent ourselves from giving into the temptation to compare ourselves to others. It's a quick read, but it may completely change your attitude, your friendships, your parenting, and even your marriage.

Best Kids Meal Deals

If you're looking for an inexpensive meal out with the kiddos, check out Ms. Cheap's Best Kids Meal Deals. She printed her tips in slideshow format, so it's not easy to scan quickly. But it's organized by days of the week, so you can skip forward/backward in the slideshow to find the day that best fits your schedule. The slideshow navigation bar is at the top right-hand corner of the page. Most of the restaurants listed are national chains, such as Applebees, Golden Corral, and Shoneys.

Our family has decided that it's pretty much easier and more enjoyable and definitely cheaper to eat at home, but we do occasionally like to eat out. We often land at O-Charley's, because the kids love the rolls and the children's menu is well-priced. We also like eating at CiCi's Pizza - their buffet is an expensive way to feed hungry kiddos!

If YOU have favorite places to eat out with your family, I'd love to hear about them!

Treasures I've Been Waiting to Share with You

I've been building a little treasury of posts to share with you. These women continually inspire me with their ideas!

20 Indoor Activities for Kids – besides TV from Simple Mom
Gift Ideas for Kids from Let's Explore
Chore Packs - Teaching Our Children to Work from Women Living Well Blog
Positively Speaking – Bullying from Pass The Torch
Deliciously Spiced Pumpkin Waffles from The Mother Load
Encouragement for Weary Mothers from Passionate Homemaking


For Middle Tennessee readers: Free fall fun from Ms. Cheap

I haven't abandoned the blogging world - I've just been blogging about positive child/youth development at www.TheAssetEdge.net and Twittering @TheAssetEdge. I'd love to chat with you on those sites too!