The Great Wolf Lodge

A few weeks ago, Nathan and I took the kids to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC for the weekend. Now, I say "weekend" because we were there for almost 2 full days but only spent one night. In my opinion, the rooms per night seemed quite pricey but after seeking advice from some friends, we learned that you can use the indoor waterpark almost all day the day you check in and until it closes on the day you check out. So spending only one evening still gave us 2 full days in the waterpark. And that's my little tidbit of wisdom for the day. You're welcome.

Using our gifts.

Today my mind is on gifts.

As women, it's easy to compare ourselves to others. To what others have. To what others can do. To how others look.

I wish I could sew like her.

I wish I could sing like her.

I wish I were as smart as she.

I wish my house looked like hers.

I wish I was funny like her.

I wish my body looked more like hers.

I wish the inside of my car looked like hers and didn't have dried french fries and socks and paperwork falling out of it (oh, is it just me?)

It's a dangerous place to live. Comparing ourselves to others. Especially when God says we are remarkably and wonderfully made. And we should know that full well! God has gifted us all in different ways. And during different seasons of life, we may experience different gifts. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, let's cling to His promises and steward well what we've been gifted.

Here are a few tangible examples.

Heather is crafty. And so full of peace. She can sew. She can smock. She can take a $2 find from a yard sale and turn it into a gem. So she started a craft club. Once a month she is inviting several friends over for a peace-filled craft night and is using her gifts to bless others.

Sally's gift is listening. And facilitating discussion. So she does that as a literacy coach in her full-time job but she also blesses others with her geniune, sincere listening personality in her all interactions. Every time I have dinner with her, I leave with a new nugget of wisdom on how to be a stronger, more intentional listener.

What are your gifts? You have them. And they aren't the same as your friends or your neighbors. How can you use your gifts to bless others?

Maybe your gift is baking. Bake stuff and bless others with it.

Maybe you have a big house. Invite people over and love them to pieces.

Maybe you have a bunch of money. Invest well and give generously.

Maybe you have a great voice. Sing.

Maybe you have cable. Invite me over to watch the game this weekend.

You're blessed. Stop looking at others talents and blessings and gifts and, instead, look at your own. And use them.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

Happy Halloween!

Catch Up

1. The following blogposts are coming soon: "The Great Wolf Lodge Extravaganza", "Halloween 2011", and "Boo at the Zoo". Just hold your little horses, Mom!

2. Less than 10 weeks until Christmas. I shopped all morning and had the best time with Connor Man. The cool thing about shopping with a two-year-old is he's still oblivious enough to not even notice when I buy a huge 3-wheeler for him.

3. Connor has been in speech therapy for two weeks now and I'm blown away by his improvements! He is imitating sounds that I make and has learned about 3 signs. He is consistently saying, "Momma", "Daddy", "ball", "mmmm" (more), "doggie", "whoo-whoo" (train), "hey", "bye", "esss" (yes), "k" (milk or yuck), and "wafa" (waffle). He's also doing some babbling on his own while he plays with his toys. Gooooooo Connor Man!

4. Our HOUSE IS FOR SALE! If you send us someone who will buy our house, we'll give you some commission...like definitely at least a five dollar bill.

Happy Friday!

From my twin boys

Happy Reading!

Nathan and I read to our kiddos each night before bed. And we love it. Nathan is currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia to Landon. Connor's really into his Bible and books about dogs and pajamas. Reagan loves books about princesses and Pinkalicious and Biscuit. All three kids are obsessed with Shel Silverstein's poems.

We value our nightly reading-in-bed-to-our-kids ritual. But lately, I've realized how little our kids see Nathan and I reading books. They see me reading recipes, letters, magazines, coupons, menus, forms, and directions. And that's important. But, I tend to read books after they are in bed. That got me thinking about how to change that.

So, our family has added something new to our evening routine. Before we read to the kids in bed, we all gather downstairs in the den to read independently but near one another. Landon calls it "Independent Reading" because that's what he calls it at school. We all sprawl out on the floor or couch and each of us reads our own books. Right now, our family have about 15 minutes of independent reading stamina. The two-year-old has a little less....about 10 minutes. It has become a predictable, consistent part of our evening and has encouraged meaningful conversations about books.

I believe reading books together as a family:

1. helps the children see Nathan and I as readers.

2. promotes meaningful talk about books.

3. models for our two- and four-year-old what reading looks like.

4. gets the kids interested in each others' books and encourages them to try a new author.

5. is just plain fun.

Quote of the Day

"Mommy" -Connor, age 2