Testing 1, 2, 3

Original I know…but somehow I’ve got to fix this commenting mess.

Commenting Woes

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Hello to my dear readers!

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your Memorial day weekend.  The kids and I just finished watching a beautiful red-headed woodpecker peck away at a tree right outside my study window.  It’s so awesome when you can see God’s creatures up close in the wild.

Well, I’ve heard – and saw for myself – that my last post was not showing comments.  Or maybe better said is that it didn’t give the option to comment.  I am not sure what’s going on, but I want to thank your for your patience and ask that you keep letting me know when things like that happen around here.  I always appreciate the heads up because I don’t usually notice those details.  You know…since I don’t really comment on my own blog!

Have a great weekend!

Comfort Thoughts

Yesterday I had the honor of spending time with a wonderful woman who has been a pastor’s wife longer than I have.

I won’t say how much longer! ;-)

In our conversation she directed me to Psalm 62 which has been a comfort to her and now I want to commit it to my own memory.

Let me share with you these words of comfort…

“My soul waits in silence for God only, from Him is my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.  How long will you assail a man, that you may murder him all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?” – Psalm 62:1-3

What words comfort you?

Would You Let Your Child Eat 6 Dozen Cookies In One Sitting?

Want to try my Chocolate Chip Cookies?  They are super yummy and have a whole lot less sugar per serving than Kool-Aid!

You can leave a comment below to talk to me or join me in my community forum to chat about kids and sugar!

Help Me Spread The Word: Earn A Free Fiction Read!

Are you on Facebook?

So is To Read, Or Not To Read – which is my book review blog!

And YOU can win a free fiction read by spreading the word! 

Want to know how? 

And want to know what book you’ll be getting?

The prize is a Deborah Raney’s newest book – Almost Forever and my review will be posted on Thursday.  But let me say this up front…you will want to read this book!

Now all you have to do is invite your friends to follow To Read, Or Not To Read on facebook!  Follow this link to go to our facebook page and then suggest us to your friends.  Then leave a comment under our current status to tell us how many friends you invited and then I will randomly draw a name to win this great new fiction book!  A winner will be drawn on Sunday, May 30th.

And if you would, I would really appreciate all the help to spread the word about this contest!  Thanks! 

The more the word gets spread, the more free books I can offer you!!!  And who doesn’t want a free book?!

I Am Not Ashamed!

Today I have something to share with you…but you have to promise not to laugh at me…okay?

I said… OKAY???

Okay!

*ahem*

I have a good friend who got some teens to participate in this special Video Bible that is being put together by Answers In Genesis at IAMNOTASHAMED.org.  After watching these 3 girls do their passage I was inspired to do one myself.  You can follow this link to see little old me!

Then come back and say something nice to make me feel good.  *giggle*  You would want me to be nice to you!

Oh, and then why not do your own video by yourself or with some friends!  Don’t worry…I’ll stop by and tell you that you’re cool!

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Link up your own little horn toot at A Silly Little Sparrow!

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And don’t forget to stop by To Read, Or Not To Read to enter the drawing for a copy of The Last Christian – a suspense filled novel about the year 2088.  Whew!

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Click on this button for more details and mark your calendars for one great BIG giveaway package on June 6th!!!

Music Monday – The Bible Book Bop

It’s Music Monday and you can join me by clicking here!

Oh, and by the way…my kids LOVE the Go Fish Guys!  We have all their CDs and you can too….follow the links below to get your own for yourself children!

OH!  AND DON’T MISS MY BOOK GIVEAWAY EACH MONDAY OVER AT TO READ, OR NOT TO READ!  THIS WEEK I’M GIVING AWAY A COPY OF THE LAST CHRISTIAN – A SUSPENSE FILLED NOVEL ABOUT THE FUTURE!

A Vicious Cycle

I am reading a book called Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety by Elyse Fitzpatrick and when I read the following portion I knew I had to share it with you.

Take a moment to read this excerpt…

The Vicious Cycle: 

“Fear not only affects your body and your behavior, but the reverse is true as well.  If you’re a person with a predisposition to react fearfully, you’ll be more likely to experience the physical symptoms of fear if you drink too much caffeine, eat too much sugar, or don’t get sufficient rest or exercise.

If you generally feel stressed about your responsibilities or fearful about your life, you won’t feel comfortable relaxing and you probably won’t take the time to eat properly or exercise.  The inability to relax or sleep soundly will heighten your sensitivity to alarm and danger, causing more adrenaline to be released into your body, which in turn, can bring on even more sleep problems.  Drinking caffeine to overcome the tired and sluggish feeling caused by lack of sleep will then simply compound this problem.

From this brief overview, you can see how easily fear can begin a vicious cycle of runaway thoughts, physical responses, imaginations, and neglected care of the body that can serve to bring about more fear and heightened physical responses.  It’s easy to see how the results of fear may create more fear, leading toward slavery.”

So?  What do you think?  Did you identify with this vicious cycle at all?

I did.  *Gulp*  More than I care to admit.

The portion that I highlighted in blue is like reading a description of myself.

After this happened I battled with fear more than I ever have in my life.  In fact, I lost more battles than I won for about two years afterwards.

Now I am doing much better.  But I still am not fearless like I should be – leaning on my Rock, Fortress, Shield, and Savior.  Unfortunately this quote hits home more than it should be able to and I’m digging in deeper to battle it to the end.

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Share your thoughts about fear with me in my community forum.

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This post is linked to Sunday Citar.

Five Question Friday – May 21st

1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?

No.  I wish!

2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?

I really can’t think of many memories…hmmm…  Oh!  Wait!  I have one…I remember memorizing Psalm 23 in our Primary Sunday School class and the teacher rewarding us with a group outing for dinner at Ponderosa.

3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?

Snakes.  Rodents.  Throw-up.  Insects.  Lots of things!

4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?

Angie Smith of Bring The Rain.  Yes!  I do consider her a celebrity!  And why?  Because I have been so encouraged by her and Todd’s faithfulness through deep waters.

5. What would you say is your best physical feature?

My hair.  I have nice thick hair and always get compliments from anyone how styles it.

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Join me and many others in the 5QF Fun!

Feed Me Books Friday: What’s Mommy Reading?

I’m vlogging my post for Feed Me Books Friday today!  Leave me a comment telling me what YOU are reading today! (Link up, too, if you want over at Janna’s!)

You can read more book about the books I’m reading over at my book review blog – To Read, Or Not To Read and today is the last day to enter the giveaway for a great book for teens! 

Are You A Church Member?

I’m A Girl!

I am so excited that I want to scream like a girl! 

Oh…I am a girl!

Anyhow, Danielle from ExtraordinaryMommy.com mentioned me in her most recent vlog and….

I AM JUST SO HYPED! 

I happened upon her vlogs on Youtube and have been following them now with great hunger to learn more.  While I am no pro by any stretch of the word, I certainly think I have improved.

Here, join the fun and watch for yourself!

Homemade Poptarts!

You’ve been waiting patiently…since yesterday…and I’m not going to disappoint you.

Let me introduce you to my homemade poptarts!

TrenchMommy’s Directions:

1. First make a batch of pie dough.  Or you can skip that step and buy pie pre-made dough from the store.
2. Get out all your supplies:
1. Jelly of your choice
2. Pastry Mat (optional)
3. Baker’s Roller or Rolling Pin
4. Cut ‘n Seal or cookie cutter
5. Small knife (bamboo works great!)
6. Baking Pans (stoneware works best)
7. Cooling Rack
3. Flour your pastry mat generously and place ball of dough in the center.
4. Roll out the dough, flipping over every few strokes, until very thin.  The thickness – or lack thereof – is very important.  Too thick and they will be soggy, too thin and they will tear.  The dough should be as thin as possible without tearing.
5. Use the Cut ‘n Seal (or a cookie cutter) to cut out circles of dough and place them on the cookie sheet.
6. Once you have a pan full of dough circles, use a small knife to gently spread a light layer of jelly.  I used strawberry, but really any filling you want would work – grape jelly, chocolate frosting, etc.
7. Now cut out circles of dough to top them.  Once you have a top for each tart, use the Cut ‘n Seal  to seal them by pushing down on the round handle.
8. Now bake them in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes on 425 degrees.   The should be “dry” looking as if the dough is all baked and not still “raw” and starting to brown.
9.  Pull them out and let them set for for 5 minutes before moving to the cooling rack.  After they are completely cooled put them in a container and keep them in the fridge.
10. To eat them, put them in the toaster on your desired setting and then ENJOY!

Tell me what you think of them!  Once toasted, they smell and taste like the ones you buy off the shelf at the store…however, if you make your own dough and use sugar free jelly, they can be a lot healthier for you!

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This post is entered into the Works For Me Wednesday blog fest!  Join by clicking here!

So…What Do You Think…?

Do you like my new look?

*grin*

I did it myself!

*eeeeeek!*

I feel like a little kid who just learned to ride a two-wheel bike for the first time!

*sigh*

Now to fix the comments….

Wanting What I Want…

For several years I have seen the flip flops and sneakers that hail the public with the promise of toning your thighs while you do your everyday walking. 

And I have wanted them.

At first there were only flip flops, before the sneakers came out, and since I don’t like things between my toes – i.e. flip flops – I didn’t buy them.

But I still wanted them.

Then I saw the sneakers and other various styles of shoes that supposedly were a work out without working out.

And I really wanted to try them.

Now the only thing that kept me from buying them was the fact that they were fairly expensive.  At least for my budget, anyways.

But I still longed to have a pair.

I soon began seeing reports on TV, in magazine’s, and online about these shoes.  And most of the articles said that they didn’t work like they said they would.  This article explains it pretty well.

BUT…

I still wanted a pair!

When I saw something online again today about these “miracle work out shoes” I found myself wanting a pair.  Even though I know they won’t really do what they say they will.

This made me think about how so often we simply want what we want.  Despite what we know.  All we can seem to focus on at times is our want.

So why would I want those bulky, expensive, non-working shoes?

• Because they look cool. 
• Because maybe…just maybe…they would actually work for me and tone my flabby thighs. 
• Because it would make me feel like I was doing something healthy. 
• Because I want to be on the “cutting edge”.

Thinking about why I would still want them got me thinking about what I was thinking.

Did you get all that?!

Anyways, I realized – once again! – just how much our thinking controls us. 

What we think controls our thoughts.  Duh!  I know!

But it’s our thoughts that control what we want, and our wants that control what we do.

Instead of thinking about how cool I might look in them…which is pretty doubtful…I need to think the truth that they don’t work and are too expensive for me to buy for a simple pair of shoes.

I need to think about things that are…

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

…like God loves me no-matter how flabby my thighs are…like God wants me to use my money wisely and not on foolish purchases…that I don’t need to be cool in the eyes of anyone…and that I should be focusing on how to share Christ with others more than on being “cutting edge”.

So, I want what I want…because I’m thinking what I’m thinking.

From the trenches of motherhood…where I’m changing my thinking…

-Mandy

What Clothes Work For YOU?

You can comment below…or jump over to my community forum and start a conversation there!

Everything In 2010 – Weeks 18 & 19

Please join me for another vlog highlighting goals 18 & 19 in my year long series of posts!

Stay tuned over at To Read, Or Not To Read for the review of Life, Inspite Of Me and more great books to read!

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Thanks again to Jamie from Mommy’s Camera for her blog button design!

When Life Is Hard

It’s 5 minutes long…but join me to hear my thoughts about a book that just encouraged me BIG time!  This book Works For Me Wednesday…I hope it will “work for you”, too!

To join or read more Works For Me Wednesday thoughts, click here!

It’s In The Law Book

Today* I did my bi-weekly errands and one of those included a trip to Walmart.  I took all the kids after school and while there I allowed them a special treat – individual bottles of chocolate milk.

*By “today” I mean the day I wrote this.

Since they had their own treats, I decided to take advantage of being out during Starbucks happy hour and swung in for my own treat – a caramel frapp!

I drank a little bit on the way back home but really didn’t feel up to finishing the whole thing.  I couldn’t resist a venti frapp for only $2.51!  So fortunately my husband’s office is not that far from home and so I stopped by to bless him with the unexpected drink.

As I drove through the light where I should have turned to go home, a little voice from the back – also known as Micah – asked me: “Mommy, where we go?”

“We’re going to take Daddy the rest of Mommy’s frapp so he can have a treat, too.”

Then the middle munchkin – also known as Emmy – spoke up with great concern: “But Mommy!  You and Daddy can’t share a drink…you’ll get germs!”

Of course it was time for the oldest and wisest of my children to speak her thoughts on the matter and so Abby added her sage thoughts with this comment: “No Emmy!  It’s the law!  It’s in the law book that husbands and wives can share drinks and germs.  It’s just people who aren’t husbands and wives who can’t share drinks.”

I just laughed from the front of my cool-mom-mini-van as I wondered where this “law book” is and how Abby knows what it says!  {giggles}

Have any of the small people in your life told you about any other interesting “laws”?!

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Don’t miss another funny thing from the mouths of kids by subscribing in the sidebar!

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MORE FUNNY STORIES:

• I Can Do Something You Can't Do! (fromthetrenchesofmotherhood.com)
• A Vote Of Confidence (fromthetrenchesofmotherhood.com)
• Daily Debriefing 3.1.2010 (fromthetrenchesofmotherhood.com)
• Chocolate Milk (fromthetrenchesofmotherhood.com)

Dear Emily… 5th Year Edition

Dear Emily,

Today you turned 5.  My parents were right, the time does really fly.  It seems like just yesterday that you burst into this world with a smile on your face.  Now, 5 years later, most everything you do is with a smile on your face…good or bad!

You are almost done with your first year of school and I have enjoyed watching you take on the challenge of learning with zest.  You are beginning to read and love to try and spell words.  Usually it’s just random letters and you’re disappointed when I tell you that they don’t make a word!

Faith is your middle name, but sometimes I think it should have been “flexible”!  You taught yourself to do cartwheels and you can almost stand on your hands.  You love it when Daddy chases you and are as quick as lightening on your feet.

While you put up a tough act, you have a tender heart and love to be snuggled and held.  I am so thankful for you and for how God has used you to teach me many things about His love for all of us.

I don’t know what the future holds for you, but I know I’m holding on for dear life!  God is going to use you in some mighty ways!

Love always, my precious little girl…

Mommy

I’m Not Greek

I’m not Greek. 

Not that I know of anyway. 

But I, the not-so-fond-of-yogurt-eating girl that I am, actually liked Yoplait’s new Greek Yogurt!

Wow!  Miracles do happen!

It has a different texture to it than “normal” yogurt – it’s a bit thicker and ever so slightly grainy which makes it easier for me to eat.

I know.

I am strange like that.  But what’s new?!

Anyhow….!  It comes in 4 flavors right now – Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla, and Plain.  I tried the Strawberry and the Honey Vanilla and liked them both.

Here’s a little background info for you…

With 12 grams of protein -- twice that found in leading yogurts-- new Yoplait Greek nourishes from the inside out. Available in four delicious flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain, the brand´s newest offering has a unique thick and creamy texture with the unmatched taste expected of Yoplait.

Yogurt is a healthy for you and with this coupon, it can add some healthy wealth to your wallet!

For those of you with kids who don’t like yogurt, I have a tip for you.  One that I think will make both Mama and Munchkin happy!

Buy plain yogurt and a box of your child’s favorite jello.  Make the jello according to the package directions but substitute 1 cup yogurt for the 1 cup cold water.  It makes a creamy dish of jello that is healthier than just our normal treat.

What other great ways do you have to help your kids eat healthy snacks?

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Thanks goes out to Yoplait and BlogSpark for making this review and coupons available.

 

On The Go…go…Go-gurt!

If you take a look around my blog you will quickly see that I won’t be winning a “Faithful Blogger” award any time soon. 

I have been, well…busy!  But who of us is not?!

During the busy times of life I grab onto as may quick, yet healthy, eating tools as I can.

One of those is quick and healthy food items is Yoplait’s new Simply Go-Gurt.  It’s yogurt in a tube for quick and less-messy consumption!  Here’s a brief explanation:

New Simply... Go-Gurt is made from simple ingredients moms look for and contains no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors. Each convenient portable yogurt tube contains a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Simply stated, Simply... Go-Gurt is a good-for-you, low fat yogurt snack that you can feel good about giving to your kids.   New Simply... Go-Gurt is available in two kid-friendly flavors, Strawberry and Mixed Berry.

My kids really like Go-Gurt, but they liked the Simply Go-Gurt flavors even better than the traditional ones.  (I have to admit, they were really good!  And I’m not a big yogurt eater!)

My other quick food, yet healthy food, is homemade granola bars which I happen to be munching on right now!  *wipes crumbs away* They make a great quick breakfast substitute if needed.  And pair a granola bar with a Go-gurt and you have a fairly balanced breakfast. 

Fairly!

*grin*

Hey!  Don’t look down on me…it’s better than some of the things we feed our kids.

You KNOW what I’m talking about!

Anyway, I need to thank BlogSpark and Yoplait for the opportunity to check out the new Simply Go-Gurt and also for the gift pack.

Now I want to know what creative ideas you have for eating this fun little tubes of yogurt….leave your comments below!

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Related articles:

• "Yoplait Simply Go-Gurt Giveaway + 30 Free Coupon!" and related posts (couponsavingfamily.com)
• Try Yoplait Simply Go-Gurt FREE On Me! (First 30 People)* (theplussizemommy.com)
• Simply GoGurt Giveaway (momreviews.net)
• "Yoplait Simply Go-Gurt Giveaway!! FREE Yogurt ~ Prize Pack ~ $1.10 Coupon!!" and related posts (frugallivingandhavingfun.com)

My Southern Vacation

Recently I enjoyed a wonderful trip down south with my dear friend Hillari.  We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine, warm rays, and good food.

It was wonderful!

It was relaxing!

It was fun!

And…

It was pure silliness!

Here is a picture of us…

Yes, that is my friend Hillari and there I am…in virtual form as a picture on her blackberry!

And here I am with Paula Dean!

Oh, and this is me with some of the very yummy food!

And I did all this from the comfort – and the cheapness – of my comfy blue chair!

Thanks Hillari for the fun vacation!

Good Morning…World!

Good morning!

I’m running behind today because after the girls left for school I fell asleep on the couch for 2 hours.  Can you say “TrenchMommy’s not feeling well”?

Well, even if you can’t…I am!

So now I'm going to have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off to catch up today.

Nice visual, don’t you agree?! {sarcasm}

I need to go fix lunch for my youngest two but I wanted to let all my fans – hmm…that would be Rudy Rukus and 3 under 4! – that I was really alive and well,…not so well.

And I also wanted to drop you a note that over on my book review blog you can enter to win a charming short story chapter book for your child.  In fact, if you read it with them you may just cry, too!

Not that I would do that.  ‘Cause you know…I just wouldn’t do that!  Okay, so now I’ve turned this into a “Not Me Monday” post!

Anyway…

Good morning!

Oh, uhm…Good Afternoon…{blushing}…it’s noon already.

Ahem.

I’m off to clean now.  Like a chicken you-know-what!