G rief is daunting! I have been down the road of grief many times and oddly enough, it has always been different. Never fun, never easier, never unforgettable…...just different. Well, I have recently had to learn that when you add tragedy to grief it’s a whole new ballgame! I feel like a load of laundry. Some days I feel like I am drowning. Then I go through the back and forth, back and forth, back and forth roller coaster of crazy emotions. I feel tossed up and down, around and around and then all concepts of space and time seem to fade. Then there is the “spin cycle”. Feeling wrung out, twisted and squeezed until there is barely air to breathe. Have you been there? If not, you are so blessed. If so, I am so, so sorry that you ever had to experience this. You see, grief in the midst of tragedy stuns our senses. Then it sends us into a world of disbelief followed closely by a strange twilight existence where you see yourself going through the movements of daily life, yet there are no e...

So, this post is all about my opinion.  That is okay, because Guess What?????  This is my blog!  I have heard absolutely wonderful things about this book and I have also heard it come under some severe scrutiny.  I figured, since I have actually read the book, that I would let y'all know what I think. First things first.  Is this a "Christian book".  I would say maybe.  The author professes to be a Christian woman and does use Scripture and Christian principles throughout the book.  She does speak on issues that are usually taboo in the church....like sex.  And she does tell stories that may not aligned with perfect Christian Principles. Here is my take.  She is not a perfect Christian, she has since and she shares her since and struggles.  HELLO!  So, she's like me ;)  But, seriously, none of us are perfect or walk our Christian Life perfectly.  On to her topics.  Well, there again, I applaud her.  May...

As a mom, I feel like my number one job is always to take care of everyone else.  I rarely, if ever, have someone babysit my kiddos and I really never go anywhere without them.  They are MY gifts from God and therefore they are MY responsibility.  This has always been my thought process for 15 years of marriage.  When I would hear mom's talk about monthly date nights or mom's night out or a vacation without the kids I would gasp!  Yup--totally was judgemental.  Truth--as women, we most often are!  But then something changed.  I would laughingly say it was Young Living, but it was a strange by-product of joining Young Living that I never expected.......FRIENDS! I met some of the most wonderful women ever.  I also started to learn more and more about self care and how advantageous it is to my entire family when I take care of me sometimes, even if for a short time. Last year I took my first ever vacation without my family!  I was a w...

OKAY, so I took some of your advice on changes to make before embarking on camping trip #2.  So let's chat about how those changes planned out and what I think of camping now. Many of you told me to plan more activities for the kiddos to keep them busy.  That worked pretty well on this trip because it happened to have been a campsite that is attached to an amusement park.  We did morning rides, back to the camper for lunch and naps, out for afternoon rides, then back for supper.  Little kids usually went back to the park for fireworks or more little rides while the bigger girls and I hit up the amazing concerts available! Even though everyone was way over tired and exhausted, everyone seemed pretty happy because they just wanted to keep doing things.  This made life easier for me!  I also made SURE that I did not forget my hormone loving oils and supplements.......HUGE difference that made!  No crazy mom syndrome on this trip!  We were loc...

Have you ever thought about the daily, sometimes insignificant choices that you make?  What do you do first thing in the morning?  Why?  Just because that's what you have always done and you really have never thought about doing it a different way? What if you were to think about the choices you make every day and actually CHOOSE to make sure that the small daily disciplines of life are actually benefiting you and not harming you.  For example, do you eat sweets every night while watching TV for a few hours?  Do you do this just because you always have?   What if you choose to change the process and eat some fruit while you read a book???  Small choices compound over time.  Think of the long term effects of the two choices above. The TV and sweets over five years will gain you some weight and probably very little to no knowledge.  The fruit and a book will gain loads of knowledge and better health! We make small choices every day t...

Do you ever feel like you are walking in circles in life?  I do sometimes!  Especially when it comes to family situations that seem to keep coming around full circle.  It makes me wonder why.  Why do we stay on this endless road that keeps going and revisiting the past over and over. This song speaks to be in so many ways!  THERE'S A BETTER LIFE!  I traded in my lost and painful life many years ago for freedom and I gotta say, I have never looked back!  Although my mind tries to take me back often.....I know that I have a Savior who has taken it all! Listen to this song with an open heart and mind and know that you do not need to be bound!  And the past is definitely not the place to be Bound in! Chain Breaker

I love when I hear people talking about relationships being 50/50.  As far as I know, putting 50% of yourself into anything is not going to give you the best return.  This seems to be common sense.  Or better yet when people say that it should be 100/100.  This sounds so nice and "proper".  It also sounds like Disney to me!  The idea behind the 100/100 is great, but flawed.  I like to think of one of the most rewarding relationships - my kids.  Guess what?  Any mom knows that you put 100% in almost every day and you DO NOT get 100% back.  So, why are we okay with this and why are these relationships still the most rewarding for us? This is partly because we don't generally expect much at all from our children.  It is also due to the old adage that it is better to give than to receive.  Although we may give everything we have to our children and expect very little in return.....these are still the best and most rewarding rel...