Please Hand Me a Clorox Wipe

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I spent the better part of my night helping out a little boy who finally ate everything on his plate last night without complaining.

Lucky me got to see it all again later.

I could give you several reasons why a child should not sleep on the top bunk.

I could, but I won't.

Off to disinfect.

Reflecting His Heart

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In a book I'm reading, The Mentoring Mom: 11 Ways to Model Christ for Your Child, there are several questions at the end of each chapter for "individual reflection". Normally those are things that I tend to gloss over. Avoid. Move on.

Because that requires me to shift into "think" mode. Dig a little deeper. And sometimes digging can lead to a whole big, fat mess. Stuff can go flying everywhere...and well, it just might not be pretty. Mainly meaning I might not like what I see when I get down and dirty.

But I'm pushing myself to reflect. Not just skim the surface. Pay attention and perhaps actually apply something. A novel idea, I know.

There have been people in my life that I would definitely consider a 'mentor' to me, and thinking of myself as a mentor to my children is a bit strange. Even though I know I am - and have such an incredible opportunity to leave an amazing mark on my children's lives. I know that in my own life, my mom has been a huge mentor to me...yet transferring that idea to my children and myself seems different. Maybe because I know myself and sit here thinking 'seriously'?

The thought scares me in some ways. Because it reminds me again of the gravity of my influence over my children. An influence that can either be positive or completely crush a little spirit.

Children learn through imitation and that thought makes me wince at times. Do I want the habits that I have, the attitudes that they see to be reflected in their lives and stamped on their hearts? Ouch. Truthfully there are some areas that I would rather they quickly forget. Some that I hope to see continued on in their lives.

But mostly I truly pray that my life, my attitude, and all that is in me is an example to them of Christ. That I am a reflection of Him and that His heart and His image are what they see and the mark that is left on their lives.

Slather on the Vicks!

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Since it's a lovely season for getting colds, and my kids seem to be rotating through the cough cycle, I thought I'd share a little something that has helped during the nights when the kid's coughing is enough to keep them (and us) awake.

Slather some Vick's Vapor Rub onto your kids feet, put some socks on their feet, and the coughing stops (or goes to a bare minimum) within 15-20 minutes. I didn't belive it would work as well as it does, but we have a big ol' container on hand now and put it on before bedtime if they've been coughing a lot. My mom will even vouch that it works for adults too.

So, if your kiddos are coughing like crazy, try it out! I'm so glad my friend passed the tip along to me and the kids don't mind since they think it's a giant tickle-fest.

Kay-Bub TaDa!

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We're trying to get Kaleb to tell us his name and since he knows and says the names of everyone else, we figured he should pick it up quickly.

But everytime we ask he thumps his little hand on his chest and says "ME!" and not his name.

Until the other day, when he got a proud little look on his face and answered, "Kaybub!"

(just to0 sweet hearing his version of his name)

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I mentioned recently that Kaleb is beginning to figure out the times he needs to go potty and I will also preface this by saying one would think that I would know better than to leave a naked two-year-old alone in the house and then turn my back to run water in the tub.

Surely at some point in my parenting life the consequences of that oversight should have made an impact on me to never do it again.

Because we all know that the sound of running water can have a certain effect on little boys.

And yet I turned my back.

Only to be greeted several moments later with Kaleb shouting, "TA DA!", so I turned around to see what was so wonderful it deserved praise.

Kaleb stood next to the potty pointing proudly to the floor. And while I'm happy he is figuring some things out, I'll be happier when I can be proud it is IN the potty.

Be sure to visit Mary at Not Before 7 to read some more Tiny Talk Tuesday.

Total Money Makeover Book Giveaway

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So with the economy being what it is, I thought now would be an appropriate time to share a little something with you all that was and still is a huge help in our household.

A few years ago, right after Zachary was born, Rick and I sat down and realized that in the 7 years we had been married we had done NOTHING to pay down any of the debt that we had since the start of our marriage.

It seriously was at the same level of over $60,000. Yes, that's over 60 thousand. Not including our mortgage.

We had paid off credit cards or a small loan, but had quickly managed to replace it with a car loan, home equity loan or something else. Even though those that we owed money to had changed, our overall balance had not.

At that point we decided it was time to get downright serious and get a handle on our money and so we both sat down and read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. We started hammering away at our debt, got 100% serious on getting rid of it - and did. It meant actually coming up with a budget (and sticking to it), Rick's working a lot of overtime and a second job, and making some major changes in our spending habits.

Dave Ramsey gives some wonderful principles to follow and walks you through the process step by step. If you've never listened to his show or been to his website hop on over and check it out. He also has a site devoted to Total Money Makeover.

Dave Ramsey teaches 7 principles called "Baby Steps"to help get your finances back in shape:

1. $1,000 to start an emergency fund.
2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball.
3. 3 to 6 months expenses in savings.
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement.
5. College funding for children.
6. Pay off home early.
7. Build wealth and give.
   

Because we have learned so much from the book Total Money Makeover, I would love to share a copy of the book with two of you. If you would like to win a copy of this book, leave a comment on this post by Friday at 8pm and I'll randomly pick 2 commenters and post the winners next Sunday. I would really encourage you to check out his site - there are TON of free resources and forms for helping you out.

Bible Stories Songs Winner!!

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Thanks so much to all of you that entered the contest for the Bible Stories Songs cd! And congratulations to Ebie - she was the winner and very appropriately has a little one named David. Congrats, Ebie!