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Do you have Just a Minute?

February 7, 2012 by

We have all been impacted by someone. As a teenager, I was deeply impacted by one of the leaders of my first trip to the former Soviet Union. We were standing in a pizza parlor in the middle of Red Square when he said something that I’ve never ever forgotten. It was a moment that would eventually come to define the person I am today.

I wrote about that moment here and much to my delight and surprise, Wess Stafford, President of Compassion International has used that very story, along with many others (including one from Shaun Groves who also wrote up a wonderful post about the book), in his newest book, Just a Minute. Compiling stories that reveal the power of just a quick moment to impact a life, Wess Stafford’s new book is inspiring, encouraging and filled with sweet moments that reveal the impact we can have on a child’s life if we’re willing to take the time to speak wisdom and encouragement and love.

And it only takes Just a Minute.

Tonight as I sent the kids to bed after what can only be described as a long and arduous day, Sloan asked me to sit down and read with him. I didn’t want to. The arduosity (that should totally be a word) of the day was mostly due to him and his eight-year-old boyness and quite frankly all I wanted was for the house to be quiet so I could curl up in the corner.

But then I thought about this quote from Just a Minute: “The time is now, while their spirits are soft and impressions are easily made. Tomorrow’s leaders, in whose hands the future rests, will still climb into your lap today, run to your embrace, laugh at your jokes, listen to your wisdom, and comfort you with tiny arms and big hugs. But not for long. In a few short years, the clay will harden, and they will inherit the corridors of power and start making the decisions that will shape your world.”

The selfish and tired part of me wanted to just shoo him off to bed with empty promises of “another night” but I couldn’t shake the thought that this moment was precious and fleeting. So we climbed into his bed together and laughed heartily at Calvin and Hobbes, while he sat nestled in the crook of my arm, still more boy than man but every day changing and growing with lightening speed.

And let’s face it, my first born truly does have the potential to wield great power over my world one day.

Will he put me in the scary nursing home where I’m left alone in a dark corner or the happy one that looks like a spa and serves me ice cold Jello and Nutella three times a day while I lay snug in my cozy feather bed?

Here’s to hoping he remembers the little moments when I’m old and frail, right?

Right Sloan? I know you’re going to read this…

If you haven’t considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International, I would really encourage you to do so today. We received another letter and picture from our sponsored child yesterday and I marveled at how much he had grown. He is the same age as my Sloan and in the two years since we’ve be writing to him he has lost his little boy look and is developing the more mature look of a young man.

How I pray for this developing leader, as I pray for my own children. We talk about him as if he were a part of our family and it’s because he is. And signing up to sponsor him? Well, it only took just a minute.

This isn’t meant to be a pitch or to make anyone feel guilty. I truly believe in the power of Compassion International to change a child’s life and give him hope for the future. I believe in this because I’ve spent time reading about the work they do, and seeing the hearts of those who lead.

If I can encourage you to do anything today it would be to purchase the book Just a Minute, to hug and encourage a young one near you and to consider how you can impact not only the children closest to you, but also those around the world who need someone in their corner.

For more information on the book, visit this site.

 

Filed Under: Compassion International, faith, Kids, Ministry, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Yes. Pick me. I’ll Go.

January 29, 2012 by

Comments now closed. The lucky winner is Emily! Emily I sent you and email. Send me your address and I will get the book in the mail ASAP. Thanks everyone for entering. Now go buy the book!

I’m currently nearly finished reading Kisses from Katie and I can barely contain the tears that have been flowing since I opened this book. Have you read it?

Why not?

“I fell in love with Uganda as soon as I arrived. After I woke up the first morning of our stay, I looked around and saw glistening bright white smiles against ebony faces; I heard happy voices, lilting language, and gentle laughter. I saw strength and depth of character in people’s eyes. I found Uganda to be a beautiful land filled with beautiful people.” Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie

Change a few adjectives and this is the exact way I would describe my feeling the first time I stepped off the plane in the former Soviet Union. It was as though a part of my soul – a piece of myself I hadn’t known existed until that moment – came alive and I would never be the same.

I am awed by Katie Davie and her willingness to say “Yes, Lord. I’ll go.” As I’ve read, I’ve found myself thinking more than once that somehow the decision she made was easier. She was young – she didn’t have anything tying her down. Of course she could just pick up and go. Of course she could say yes.

This thought is selfish at best and outright offensive at worst.

Katie was an eighteen year old Homecoming Queen with the world at her fingertips and the resources to grasp it. Instead, she “quit her life,” left everything comfortable and known – all her dreams and plans, her parents’ dreams and hopes and desires – and she moved to Uganda. Forever.

Katie Davis said “Yes.” And it was a hard “Yes.”

I am a wife with three young children. My “yes” may look different, but I have the exact same ability to say “Yes, Lord. I’ll go.” But would I mean it? Can I say it? Because honestly, the responsibilities in front of me are real, and necessary and daunting and when I think of saying “Yes, Lord. I’ll go,” my mind automatically thinks so big and so vast and I feel immediately incapable of succeeding.

I wish my “yes” could be in another country where the harsh but beautiful lilt of the Russian language filled my ears and the laughter of children in need quenched the thirst in my soul.

But that’s not where He has me right now. And I sometimes fear that maybe I long ago closed my ears, gave a resounding “No” and relinquished my ability to impact His kingdom.

Then I pull out the Math books and the history book and the Russian books and realize that I already said “Yes, Lord. I’ll go.” Every single day, as I shepherd and mold the small hearts entrusted to me, I say “Yes.” I didn’t want to home school. Honestly, most days I still don’t. But I’m supposed to. I know with all my heart that right now, at this moment, I’m where I’m supposed to be.

“Yes”.

Katie Davis’ “Yes” took her to Uganda. It made her the mother of fourteen children before she could legally drink in America. Her “Yes,” by my standards, is huge. Her “Yes” by any standards, actually, is huge. How many of us were willing to give up everything at eighteen to go serve the poorest of poor on the other wide of the world?

But guess what? We all have the ability and the obligation to say “Yes” to that which is right in front of us. My “Yes” to home schooling is not that big, especially when you take into consideration the reluctance with which I agreed. But still I said, “Yes.” Just thinking about it in these terms has renewed a passion in me for discipling my children this year while I have them home.

Consider Katie’s words: Sometimes, the everyday routine of my life feels so normal to me. At other times the idea of raising all these children seems like quite a daunting task. I realize that since I have chosen an unusual path it is easier for outsiders to look at my life and come to the conclusion that it is something extraordinary. That I am courageous. That I am strong. That I am apecial. But I am just a plain girl from Tennessee. Broken in many ways, sinful, and inadequate. Common and simply with nothing special about me. Nothing special except I chose to say “yes.” “Yes” to the things God asks of me and “yes” to the people He places in front of me. You can too. I am just an ordinary person. An ordinary person serving an extraordinay God.”

We can all say yes. We can say yes to the man on the street corner with a sign for food and a plea for help crying from his desperate eyes. Small? Not to Him and not to God.

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

We can take food to a neighbor in need, visit someone in a nursing home, hug a hurting friend or give out of the abundance of our resources to those who have little. “Yes” takes many forms, but we have to be willing to say it, then do it.

In the interest of giving everyone the chance to be inspired and encouraged and challenged and convicted, I have purchased a copy of Kisses from Katie to give away to one reader. Simply leave a comment for your entry. I will choose a winner randomly on Wednesday morning, February 1, at 9:00 am EST.

Filed Under: faith, Family, Homeschool, Ministry, Motherhood, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

McKenna: An All American Girl

January 18, 2012 by

Did you know I’m a ninja? Seriously, I’m like the master at stealth. I’m so good that sometimes?

Sometimes I take myself by surprise.

For example, today’s post about the recent launch of American Girl’s newest Girl of the Year, McKenna comes right on the heels of my post about gymnastics and what an impact that sport has had on my life and continues to have through my daughter.

And it just so happens that McKenna’s story is a gymnastics story.

See how I did that? You might be prone to think that I planned these two posts so that one followed the other – that I worked a bit of organizational magic. But if that’s what you thought, you would be wrong. I placed these two posts side by side without even thinking about it.

Because I’m that good…

Ahem.

So American Girl has officially launched McKenna and I couldn’t be more in love with this new doll. She’s adorable (no surprise there) and her story is inspirational as you would only expect from American Girl. I can’t wait to show Tia this new doll.

From American Girl: McKenna’s story is about a young gymnast who overcomes her struggles with reading by using her strengths. Through tutoring, friendship, and hard work, McKenna gradually develops a renewed, deeper confidence in her abilities. She learns that confidence lies in balancing strengths with weaknesses and using what you know to master what you don’t know. We hope that girls who read McKenna’s stories discover that by focusing on their strengths they can achieve great things, whether it is in academics or any other activities they want to pursue.

McKenna’s story is a chance for young girls to relate to the challenges and obstacles that come with passion and drive. McKenna loves her sport and excels in it, but when she struggles in another area of life, namely academics, she has to admit that she needs help. Mary Casanova, author of the two McKenna books, took some time to share a bit of her heart behind writing McKenna’s story.

“There are many aspects to McKenna’s story that I hope will inspire young girls,” says Casanova. “When McKenna struggles with reading and faces academic challenges at school, she must admit that she needs help and also be willing to accept help to overcome her challenges. That’s not an easy thing to do. It would be wonderful if success in one area, such as sports, equated success in every other area, such as academics. But life doesn’t always work that way. That’s why one of the life skills that is emphasized in the McKenna books is: finding balance.”

With this idea in mind, American Girl has partnered with Save the Children in support of their U.S. Literacy Program. By introducing a companion nonfiction book, Take the Challenge!, featuring various activities, games, and quizzes, American Girl strives to help girls explore their different strengths and abilities. And for every trophy a girl earns through the McKenna Take the Challenge online activity, American Girl is donating $.25 (up to a maximum of $50,000) to help Save the Children supply the tools children in grades K-8 need to increase their reading achievement and provide the guidance and support they need to grow as readers.

In addition to the Take the Challenge initiative,  American Girl will continue its partnership with Save the Children in May as part of their Summer Reading initiative, where they will be donating $1.00 (up to a maximum of $100,000) for every American Girl book purchased in the proprietary channels during the promotional time frame. More information on the initiative will be available on the American Girl website later this spring.

I’m not going to lie – American Girl dolls bring out the little girl in me. I may, or may not, have spent time brushing and fixing the hair of Tia’s dolls by myself on more than one occasion. I mean, I’m not saying for sure, but there’s a chance that that’s happened.

More and more, though, I find myself impressed with the company itself and their heartfelt desire to encourage and build up little girls. If any of you were thinking about taking the plunge into American Girl, McKenna is a great place to start – particularly if you have a little girl who needs a little inspiration and encouragement. Visit American Girl.com for more information.

Disclaimer: I am working in conjunction with American Girl to promote the launch of the Girl of the Year, McKenna. In return for my help, I received a McKenna doll. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are my own. I am grateful to American Girl for the opportunity.

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Tia Tagged With: , , , ,

The Doctor is In

November 29, 2011 by

First, let me start off by saying I thought up all manner of cheesy titles for this post involving doctors.  I finally settled on this one – the most cheesy and least inappropriate of them all.

Disclaimer #2: I really try hard not to push a lot of products on you all over here.  I’ve never been a big fan of product pitches myself so, for the most part, I aim to not recommend or talk about a product unless it’s something I really love and feel would be beneficial to you all.

With that said, when the Rug Doctor contacted me several weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in coming to St. Louis to learn more about their product, I initially said no.  To be painfully honest, I simply didn’t care about the Rug Doctor.  However, when they sweetened the deal by offering to fly the kids up with me, I decided to jump on board, not because I had a sudden change of heart but because I wanted to go back home for a visit.

And I really struggled with this decision.  It was a gamble of integrity and I wondered if I’d made the right choice.  Sure I got to go home, but I also had to write about a product now that I knew nothing about.  What if I hated it?  And worse yet, what if my readers felt duped and used?  All because I wanted a free trip to St. Louis.

After arriving, I set the kids up with sitters in our hotel room and I joined the Rug Doctor team and several other bloggers on a tour of the Fenton factory where Rug Doctor develops, tests and assembles their product.  And it was here that I got my first real glimpse at the Rug Doctor and the quality of the product.

From the Rug Doctor website: From its beginning, Rug Doctor has serviced both the professional and the Do-It-Yourself carpet cleaning market through the manufacture, sale, and service of carpet cleaning products and machines.

During the factory tour, we had the opportunity to see scientists testing and developing the carpet cleaning solutions with the intent of creating a superior product that truly does what they claim it does.  Rug Doctor’s products are made with a specific ph range that is effective for deep cleaning without damaging the fibers of your carpets or upholstry.  If a batch of product does not test to standards it is thrown out and they begin again.  Quality is of the utmost importance and the employees took great pride in that.

We were given the opportunity to speak with a number of different people from the head of the company to the head engineer in charge of building, testing and improving the features of the carpet cleaning machine.  And I actually found the whole thing very interesting.  It was nice to see a company take pride in who they were and what they offered.

At the end of the day, Rug Doctor informed us that we would each receive a Rug Doctor machine and a box of product so that we could try out it on our own carpets.  I must confess, this actually excited me a little.  The people that owned the house before us had animals and they weren’t big on the whole cleaning thing so our carpets are nasty.  Not to mention the fact that the Rug Doctor can also be used to clean upholstry, area rugs and cars.  Did you hear that?

IT ACTUALLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE MY MINIVAN HOT FROM THE INSIDE.  That mysterious brown stain in the back? GONE!

I have used my Rug Doctor in several places around the house and I can honestly tell you that I no longer question my integrity for recommending this product to you.  It is, no doubt, amazing.  Don’t believe me?  Check out this picture:

People of the world, that is a picture of the water that came out of my machine after I used the Rug Doctor on my couch.  MY COUCH!  The place where guests sit when they come to visit.  This is what it was hiding.

Horrifying.

I have also used the Rug Doctor on the kid’s mattresses after bed wetting and it lifted the stain and odor out immediately.  The only stain I haven’t been able to get out is the bright blue one on my office floor, which occurred when I dropped the paint brush while painting the room.  So let the record show that the Rug Doctor can’t correct stupidity.

I can now honestly tell you that I love my Rug Doctor machine.  It is absolutely worth both your time and your money to rent and use one.  I plan on using it on every piece of fabric in my house and I am oddly excited about that.  It was extremely easy to use and it absolutely did what they claimed it would do – deep cleaned my carpets and couch without damaging the fibers.

The best part of all this is you don’t have to actually own a Rug Doctor to use one.  You can rent one at grocery stores across the nation for anywhere from $20-$32 for a 24-hour period.  Add in the cost of product and you’re looking at no more than $50 for the opportunity to deep clean everything in your house.  The Rug Doctor machines are serviced regularly and are quick and easy to rent, use and return.  For more information about what Rug Doctor can do for your carpets, from removing allergens and pet dander to eliminating stains and odor, check out this page.

Disclaimer: Rug Doctor flew the kids and I up to St. Louis for the blogger outreach event.  I was not compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.  And yes, my couch was actually that dirty.

*hangs head in shame*

Filed Under: Domesticity, Product Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Bounce Dryer Bar: A Review

November 8, 2011 by

 

It’s no secret that doing laundry is not high on my “Things I Love To Do” list. In fact, it happens to hold steady on my “Things That Feel Like Legalized Torture” list right in between cleaning toilets and painting. Remember this picture?
IMG_0829

When a person hates laundry, she tends to put it off until it turns into this...

Right. It’s safe to say that the laundry and I are not BFFs. But, like anyone else, I have a family that prefers wearing clean clothes on a daily basis and my husband, for some odd reason, will not include buying new clothes and getting rid of the dirty ones into our monthly budget.

Weird, huh?

So anytime I hear of any product that has the potential to make doing laundry even one step quicker/cheaper/easier, I’m all game for giving it a try. Which is why I was pleased to try out the Bounce Dryer Bar.

In the grand scheme of doing laundry, pulling out a dryer sheet and tossing it in with the clothes is not that great of a time suck. However, the Bounce Dryer Bar, by eliminating the need to reach for a dryer sheet, has given me one less thing to think about and as a busy Mom with a 100 thousand things on my mind, that actually provides a tremendous amount of freedom. With the Bounce Dryer Bar, all you do is peel the backing off of what feels like a big bar of soap then stick it inside your dryer and voila! Laundry just got one step easier. It’s simple, convenient and automatic. There may also be a cost benefit as the dryer bar will last up to four months leaving your clothes smelling fresh, feeling soft and controlling static cling without the need to constantly run out for more dryer sheets.

This is the part of the review where I confess that I am actually a liquid softener kinda gal. I love how good my clothes smell when I use liquid fabric softener as opposed to dryer sheets. So I was admittedly a bit skeptical when I began using the Bounce Dryer Bar. But I needed not fear (and neither should you). The Bounce Dryer Bar not only makes my clothes smell amazing, but it also acts as an air freshener for my entire laundry room. And, oddly enough, that actually makes me enjoy doing laundry a little bit more. It’s a miracle! And look at how much my family enjoys their clothes after using the Bounce Dryer Bar!



See how happy they are? Look at their smiles!

So this is the part where you get the chance to win a Bounce Dryer Bar and see just how right I am about this new product. You may also win a $50 Visa gift card from BlogHer! To enter, leave me a comment or answer this question: What do you like the least about doing laundry?

If you would like more information about the Bounce Dryer Bar before giving it a try yourself, you can visit their Facebook page here. For more opportunities to win, visit the Bounce round-up page on BlogHer.com to read other bloggers’ reviews!

Rules for Entry: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here.

This promotion will end on Tuesday, December 6 at 5:00 PST.

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer on behalf of Bounce Dryer Bar. Although I was compensated, the opinions expressed are my own, which means that yes, I actually have become that girl who gets excited about laundry products. It’s official…I’m a grown up.

Disclaimer #2: While I was not in any way swayed or coerced in my review of the product, my family was totally and completely bribed with the promise of cupcakes if they complied with my request to look like they were madly in love with their freshly cleaned clothes.

Filed Under: Domesticity, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

A Little Pre-Holiday Cheer from Shutterfly

October 24, 2011 by

Comments are now closed. Winners have been chosen and will be notified tomorrow when I can think clearly. Right now I must sleep. Thanks everyone!

So Christmas is around the corner.  I’m not sure if you were aware or not.  Maybe the Santa Clause standing next to the Grim Reaper tipped you off?

At any rate, this is the time of year when we all begin to prepare for the holidays.  Despite the fact that I keep up with most everyone I know online, one of my favorite traditions remains: Christmas Cards.

I love receiving them and I love sending them, despite the hassle of addressing labels.  So imagine my delight when Shutterfly contacted me and asked if I would promote their holiday line of Christmas cards.  In exchange, I will receive some free cards and I have the great opportunity to offer three of my readers 25 free cards!

I browsed through Shutterfly’s selection of cards and I was more than thrilled with the broad array they have to offer.  There are tons of beautiful selections where you can add anywhere from one to six photos plus a customized greeting.  In addition to the cards, you can also do a bit of Christmas shopping through Shutterfly.  They have some wonderful personalized gifts that would be perfect for the adoring grandparents in your lives!

So, here’s how to enter to win 25 Holiday Cards from Shutterfly:

– Visit the Shutterfly website and browse through their holiday collection. Then leave me a comment and tell me one of your favorite Christmas memories.  (Or you could just leave me a comment that says I wanna win! Either way is fine – but I’d love to hear Christmas memories…)

You can earn more entries by doing the following:

– Tweet about this contest and leave me a second comment telling me you tweeted.  It could say something like, I’m a Twit who Tweeted! or more simply you could just leave a comment that says Tweet!

– Link to this contest on Facebook and come back and tell me that you did so and earn a potential third entry.

– You can also send me an email saying you would like to be entered if you’re not the commenting type.  My email address is kellistuart00 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

I will choose the three winners via random.org on October 30.

Disclaimer: This is a promotion sponsored by Shutterfly.  In return I received free holiday cards of my choosing.  I was not paid for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Christmas, Giveaway, Holidays, Product Reviews Tagged With: , ,
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