Welcome to Facebook Like-You-Back hosted by Kelly’s Lucky You, Coupon Mommy of 3, Simply Stacie, Stockpiling Moms and Heavenly Mommy!

Are you looking for new Facebook pages to follow and new friends who like your page? Then join us!

1. Add your Facebook page to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Facebook link for the five hostesses and “like” them on Facebook. Leave a comment on their wall and they will like-you-back.

3. Like as many more Facebook pages as you want, leaving comments with links so they’ll know where to like-you-back.

Want to help spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog?

Write your own post telling your readers about FLYB. Below the linky box, you’ll see “Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code”. You can also find the code for the Facebook Like-You-Back Button on the sidebar at the right.

The Facebook Page of the Week is Stash Mama! She takes the #6 spot on the linky and will get a shout out on each of the hostesses Facebook pages! Next week’s page of the week will be drawn from all of the entries from this week’s hop.

Thank you for participating and let’s have fun!

By the way, we’d love to have you stop by our blogs too & here’s where we are:

• Kelly’s Lucky You
• Coupon Mommy of 3
• Simply Stacie
• Stockpiling Moms
• Heavenly Mommy

Please link up directly to your Facebook page only. All other links will be deleted.

Happy Wednesday!
Heavenly Mommy

As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us not to worry and to give all our cares to God. Since we are a nation of worriers, I would say this is great advice, especially for the way our world is changing around us.

Here’s the passage our pastor, Greg Laurie, spoke from this morning:

Matthew 6:25-33 (New King James Version)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Tip #1 - The believer should not worry. Worrying aggravates the problem, it doesn’t make things better.

Verse 25 – “…do not worry about your life…”

The most common thing people worry about is their outward appearance. They worry about what they’re wearing and what others think about them. I know I do this when I’m going somewhere I want to look nice. It seems as though I can never find the right outfit to wear. In the end, is it really a big deal what I was wearing? Of course not.

Verse 26 – The birds don’t worry – Look at them, they’re always singing!

Verses 28 to 29 – Flowers don’t worry – Look at them, they’re always pretty!

Tip #2 - Worry doesn’t make life longer, just more miserable.

Verse 27 -  “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (New Living Translation)

Psalm 90 – God determines the length of our life.

Worrying just causes more unneeded stress.

Tip #3 - Worry is an indication of a lack of faith in God.

Verse 30 – “…O you of little faith?”

It is said that worry can actually be considered a sin because you aren’t trusting God to protect you.

Tip #4 - Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life.

Verse 33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God…”

If you put God first and think about Him often, it will make all the things you are worrying about seem trivial and meaningless. We are on this earth to glorify God and enjoy today. That’s it. Simple.

Tip #5 – When you put God and His kingdom first, your life will find its proper balance.

Verse 33 – “…and all these things shall be added to you.”

You will have everything you need if you put God first.

Tip #6 - The best antidote for worry is prayer.

Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

When you’re feeling worried, pray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the last time I worried about something it didn’t make it better or make it go away. In fact, it tends to make things worse because you start letting your mind wander and take over. This is Satan, the enemy, taking control of your life. He’s the last person you want making decisions for you.

Well, how do I become more faithful and put my trust in God??

This answer is easy. You need to start making changes in your life right at this very moment.

1.) Study the Word of God. Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2.) Believe the Word of God. If you’re a Christian and you don’t believe what the Bible says, you need to change your thinking.

Matthew 6:33 – Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (New Living Translation)

I’m up nice and early on this beautiful day because today’s my birthday! Woo hoo!

Last night my hubby and I were out shopping with the kids for my birthday gift. I had been wanting an eReader for the longest time and couldn’t decide between the Nook (Barnes & Noble) or Kindle (Amazon), but I finally chose the Nook!

Check it out!

Here is my cute cover by Kate Spade. It says, “once upon a time” on the front cover.

And then, “happily ever after” on the back of the cover.

The inside is a cool turquoise color.

I also got a reading light just in case I want to read in bed while Todd is sleeping.

I’m so excited to start using it! I set up my account and charged up the Nook so it’s all ready to go.

I’ll let you know if it meets all my expectations and soon as I break it in.

Well, I must go so my special day can begin! We’re all off to IHOP for some breakfast. Then I’m taking Ruby with me to get a manicure and pedicure. Should be a fun day!

Welcome to Facebook Like-You-Back hosted by Kelly’s Lucky You, Coupon Mommy of 3, Simply Stacie, Stockpiling Moms and Heavenly Mommy!

Are you looking for new Facebook pages to follow and new friends who like your page? Then join us!

1. Add your Facebook page to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Facebook link for the five hostesses and “like” them on Facebook. Leave a comment on their wall and they will like-you-back.

3. Like as many more Facebook pages as you want, leaving comments with links so they’ll know where to like-you-back.

Want to help spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog? Write your own post telling your readers about FLYB. Below the linky box, you’ll see “Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code….” You can also find the code for the Facebook Like-You-Back Button on the sidebar at the right.

The Facebook Page of the Week is Baybee Luv! She takes the #6 spot on the linky and will get a shout out on each of the hostesses Facebook pages! Next week’s page of the week will be drawn from all of the entries from this week’s hop.

Thank you for participating and let’s have fun!

By the way, we’d love to have you stop by our blogs too – here’s where we are:
Kelly’s Lucky You
Coupon Mommy of 3
Simply Stacie
Stockpiling Moms
Heavenly Mommy

Please link up directly to your Facebook page only. All other links will be deleted.

Thanks,
Heavenly Mommy

Heavenly Mommy on Facebook
Heavenly Mommy on Twitter

Tuesday night was the worst night of sleep EVER in my entire life.

After Ryan had been sleeping for about an hour, he woke up screaming for me. He sounded miserable and I could tell something was really bothering him.

When I went in there, besides his crying, everything seemed fine. He reached up to me from the crib wanting me to pick him up. Unfortunately, this didn’t end the crying. Todd and I took him downstairs trying to calm him down with some ice cold water and some Barney. After about 15 minutes of the purple dinosaur, he calmed down.

It’s really hard when your child isn’t old enough to tell you what’s wrong. We asked him if it was his teeth that hurt and he said yes. His stomach – Yes. His head – Yes. He said yes to everything we asked him. We gave him some Tylenol (generic because of the recall) because we weren’t quite sure how to narrow down the problem.

Poor kid didn’t want to go back to bed. I held him and rocked him and then put him in the crib. He finally fell asleep for 30 minutes and woke again. He did this the entire night!! Just when I’d fall asleep, he would start screaming again. We even tried to see if he’d sleep in our bed with us. This always leads to lots of jumping on the bed and “Mama!” and “Papa!” conversation. One sided, of course. For the hundredth time it didn’t work, so back to the crib he went.

Finally, at about 3 in the morning he woke, we put him in our bed, and he fell asleep. He must have been so exhausted at this point that he gave in to sleeping. We all slept peacefully until about 6:45. Needless to say, we probably had about 4 hours of sleep, at the most, that night.

The lack of sleep made yesterday a very difficult day to get through. Fortunately he took a long nap so I was able to rest. Todd had to work so he was extremely tired when he made it home at 6 p.m.

It was also very obvious why Ryan was up crying all night. He had developed a cold and it must have given him a stuffy nose. Apparently he was so stuffy, he wasn’t able to breathe, which ended up keeping him awake all night. By nap time it had turned into a runny nose.

Simple, yet so complicated!

At this point you are probably wondering why I titled this post Thankful Thursday. So far I haven’t said anything very positive.

Well, here it goes…

Last night Ryan slept from 8:15 until 7:45 this morning…11.5 wonderful hours! For that, I am very thankful on this amazing Thursday!

I actually woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

And yes, Ryan is feeling much better today.

I guess good can come from something bad!

Welcome to Facebook Like-You-Back hosted by Kelly’s Lucky You, Coupon Mommy of 3, Simply Stacie and now Stockpiling Moms and Heavenly Mommy!

Are you looking for new Facebook pages to follow and new friends who like your page? Then join us!

1. Add your Facebook page to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Facebook link for the five hostesses and “like” them on Facebook. Leave a comment on their wall and they will like-you-back.

3. Like as many more Facebook pages as you want, leaving comments with links so they’ll know where to like-you-back.

Want to help spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog? Write your own post telling your readers about FLYB. Below the linky box, you’ll see “Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code….” You can also find the code for the Facebook Like-You-Back Button on the sidebar at the right.

The Facebook Page of the Week is Mama to a Sweet Thing! She takes the #6 spot on the linky and will get a shout out on each of the hostesses Facebook pages! Next week’s page of the week will be drawn from all of the entries from this week’s hop.

Thank you for participating and let’s have fun!

By the way, we’d love to have you stop by our blogs too – here’s where we are:

Kelly’s Lucky You
Coupon Mommy of 3
Simply Stacie
Stockpiling Moms
Heavenly Mommy

Please link up directly to your Facebook page only. All other links will be deleted.

Thanks,
Jennifer

Heavenly Mommy Blog
Heavenly Mommy on Facebook
Heavenly Mommy on Twitter

I seem to be using those words frequently this week.

I just feel tired and have found taking care of a 23-month-old quite difficult the past few days. He definitely has a mind of his own, likes to test me, and…did I say he likes to test me? Yeah, he pretty much tries to see what he can get away with when he wants to get my attention. I think he just might be smarter than me at this point.

I know a lot of the problem has been me. It has been so hot this week that I don’t want to do any outdoor activities. Of course if you keep a toddler confined to the house all day, they’re going to get a little crazy on you.

At least next week will be a little different. We have plans a couple days so that will force us to get out of the house a bit more.

I was just wondering what all you other moms out there think about taking vacations with your friends while leaving your spouse and kids at home. Do you think about vacations too or do you actually take them? Please fill me in.

P.S. My husband always tells me I can take a vacation anytime I’d like, but I just never do it. I think I secretly want to stay home with my little Ryan - even though he can make me crazy!

Motherhood has pretty much drained me today. I’m so tired, this is going to be a short post.

I’m not quite sure how a little boy, that’s half my size, can wear me out so badly. I feel like today has been such a challenge. He didn’t really nap and woke up screaming for me. I tried to put him down a couple more times, but he just kept waking up. I’m still not sure what the problem was at nap time. Basically my mid-day break never happened.

I took him to get a new pair of shoes once I knew the nap wasn’t going to happen. He was great in the store, but when we went to leave he wanted to sit in the front seat. Obviously he can’t since he’s not even two yet. So I picked him up to put him in his car seat and he pinched me with both hands. Oh and that was after I stepped in gum that someone left on the ground by my truck. I just love the gum tossers!

Then right before Todd got home, Ryan was playing in the kitchen sink. I’m not sure why, but he’s fascinated with playing with the water and making a big mess. {Oh…so that’s why he likes to play in the sink!} He filled up a bowl that was in the sink and sort of set it on the edge. I told him to put the bowl in the sink because the water was going to spill. Well, it did more than that. He took the bowl with all of the water in it and chucked it on the floor!

How dare he do such a thing! Ugh! I was so mad – and so tired – that I started crying. I wasn’t in the mood to clean up another mess.

I put the dog in the cage and Ryan on the stairs for a time out. I really don’t think he had any clue that he did something wrong. He didn’t even get upset after seeing the bowl shatter everywhere and having his mom scream at him. He could hear me crying in the kitchen and he started copying my noises.

Anyway, he finally went to bed at 8:15 after 10 minutes of crying. Hopefully he will sleep through the night because he’s so exhausted. I know I will. Tomorrow’s a new day!

Welcome to another week of Thankful Thursday! I will try to share with you every week what is nearest and dearest to my heart. These posts will force me, in a good way, to look at all the wonderful things going on in my life this past week, at the present moment or coming up soon. I tend to be a glass half empty type of gal and I want to change!

This week I’d have to say I’m thankful for…

• My step-daughter, Ruby. She’s growing closer in the Lord each and every day. It goes to show you that if you put your faith in Him, He will be there for you.
• My son, Ryan. He goes through spurts in his language development and he’s definitely in one right now. He’s saying new words all the time. I have to be careful what I say because he’s starting to repeat me more and more! Uh oh!
• My hubby. I am so blessed that I get to stay home with Ryan while Todd provides for the family. He never ever tells me I am spending too much money and he never questions what I buy. I’m sure it helps that I’m not a crazy spender, but still!
• Our house. Todd and I want to move to the county that we’re from, but it just isn’t in God’s plan right now. As far as we cant tell anyway. God is always working, so you never know what He’s up to! Until then, we are so very thankful for the house we’re in and our big backyard where Ryan can play everyday.
• Our marriage retreat coming up in November. We are grateful that we can afford to go away for the weekend together, while getting closer to God as a couple.

My hope is that you will leave a comment about what you are thankful for this week or leave a link to your blog post discussing your Thankful Thursday.

Here’s my new Bible I bought at the Harvest Crusade last weekend. It’s the New Testament edited by our Pastor, Greg Laurie.

Basically it’s the New Testament, but with notes so it’s easier to understand.

I’ve already read the NT, but I’m hoping to get more out of it this time around.

Sometimes we need a little help while reading our Bible!

Ok, so this wasn’t exactly “Wordless” Wednesday, but pretty close…