Hello Sunshine

How has the weather been where you are this week? It’s be delightfully sunny, and it’s put me in the best mood. I forgot how much the sunshine affects my mood for the good. Despite having a VERY full week, it’s been manageable with all the sunshine!

So there are some fun things in the works for HebrewDawn, and I cannot wait until I can share them with you. If you follow the blog on Facebook, you’ll have an idea about one thing that’s coming. As for the other, you’ll have to hold tight for now. Just know that I’m excited for what’s coming, and I hope it encourages and inspires you on your journey.

Now it’s time for some Friday Fun!

Ready to feel old, or at least thankful for how far we’ve come? Check out this video of teens reacting to Windows 95. Oh the days of dial-up!

Have you seen this story about this mom of triplets? Apparently a Delta employee gave her a first-class seat so she could pump in private! I’m super impressed this mama is nursing three babies! One was hard enough for me. So glad this mama received well deserved rock star treatment!

Do you like to bargain shop? Only a couple more days left for Target’s sales and coupons on clothing! I was able to snag some super cute things for my daughter, nieces, and nephews.

Oh toddlers! They have such a way with words, or making them amusing for us adults!

Are you a candle person? I love having a few around the house to keep things smelling delightful. I’ve tried one of the Herb & Irma candles, and thinking about trying more. Do you have a signature home scent? I’m thinking mine might be lemon and sage, because I want this candle burning all the time.

Have anything fun going on this weekend? We have dinner with friends, an ordination service, and a baby shower So much celebration in such a short window of time.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Quiet Time

I shared the other week that I find it most helpful to wake up earlier than my family and making sure to begin my day with quiet time. That post has led to some folks asking what resources I like to use and how I do my quiet time. So I thought I’d share today!

I’ll begin with opening Shauna Niequist devotional Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are to see what the selected passage of the day is:

Next I’ll read the entire chapter for the selected passage of scripture in my bible. As I go along, I highlight any passages that my “jump” out to me. I try not to analyze or evaluate the passage that sticks out to me, but follow where the spirit leads.

Now I return back to my devotional book to read what thoughts the writer (Shauna in this case) has to say about the piece of scripture I just read. Then I take some time to reflect on the verses of scripture I highlighted in my Bible and what the devotional had to say. Some mornings this can look like me sitting in quiet meditation and prayer. Other mornings, like my ideal morning, I’ll take the time to write out the verses I highlighted and my prayer for the day.

No matter what happens with my time constraints for a given morning, my focus is first on reading the bible, then considering thoughts of a devotional writer. I find that devotionals are a great start for quiet time for me to know what to read, and provide variety so I’m not reading straight through the bible. I will admit that I’m fairly particular about the devotionals I use because some writers like to cherry pick scripture, aka pick scripture that fits what they’re trying to say, but the verse may not mean what they think. I do recognize that many devotionals are written by folks with no theological training, so their writing comes from the heart, not necessarily from a scholarly perspective. But the Bible scholar in me dies a little inside when I see this happen and I turn away from what could have been a great resource.
I will admit it’s hard for me to find a daily devotional written by a biblical scholar of the Old and New testament that provides the reflective imagery I personally desire. I will accept what I can get and have have found three favorite devotionals to this day:

Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are by Shauna Niequist
Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

How do you spend your quiet time?

Please note there are some affiliate links in this post. As always, I only link to products I trust and use!

Preparing for Daylight Saving Time with Children

In six days daylight saving time begins, and I’m excited for the extra hour of sunshine this provides us. As a parent I’m not excited about what this time change does to my child’s sleep. This is our third round of time changes, and whether you gain or lose an hour of sleep, as a parent I dare say you always lose. This year I am determined to be prepared!

What’s the game plan? Beginning with bedtime Wednesday evening, my daughter will be going to bed 15 minutes earlier than night before. Over the course of the next four nights, her bedtime will get reduced to being an hour earlier than normal and getting her on schedule for the time change. So for us this will look like an 8:00 bedtime tonight and tomorrow, 7:45 on Wednesday, 7:30 on Thursday, 7:15 on Friday, and then 7:00 on Saturday.

The best laid plans…I had hoped to make it a gradual process throughout the week of making bedtime ten minutes earlier over the course of a week, but with our schedule for the week it won’t quite work. We have a group of church friends coming over for dinner tomorrow and VHP will be devastated to leave “the party” early. Friday is going to be our biggest challenge as we have company coming for dinner, and I don’t think she will be too keen on going to bed at 7:15.

I’m hoping and praying our plan works so that the daylight saving time transition goes a little smoother than in the past. Have you had luck with your kids getting accustomed to the time change?

Happy Weekend!

It is the first Friday or March and I couldn’t be more excited!

Reasons I love March…

it is my birth month
spring begins
spring festivals and outdoor concerts begin again
pretty flowers
more outdoor fun with the family

Time for some of my favorites of the week!

For my mom friends with newborns and babies fighting sleep, this is for you….thoughts every sleep deprived mother has ever had according to Amy Poehler.

Would you let your baby nap outside in the cold or your elementary aged child take the subway on their own? Check out these intriguing parenting trends from around the world that haven’t caught in the U.S.

Kids say the funniest things! Do your kids have funny ways of mispronouncing words? My daughter is starting to say “jumping” correctly, but still slips up and says “gumping.” It’s especially funny to me when she’s reading Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed with me.

Enjoy your first weekend of March!

The Joyful Feast

Worship with a two year old may not always be as calm or introspective as it was before having a child, but it has definitely become more meaningful. I’ve shared before that we try each week to keep VHP in service with us and she is beginning to really understand the different parts of the service. She has come to love passing the peace, loves to sing, and really looks forward to communion (Eucharist). Watching my little girl’s faith blossom and grow is one of my greatest joys.

A few weeks ago I had a moment that nearly made this mama cry watching her little girl in worship. As is often the case, we didn’t make it through the entire sermon before we needed to step out of the sanctuary into the hallways to get some wiggles out. Thankfully we can still hear what’s happening through the speaker and soon it was time for communion. VHP was anxious to head back in as soon as the pastor began to say the words of institution, break the bread, and pour wine (juice in this case) into the cup. When the feast was set we made the attempt to quietly head back to our seats and wait our turn, but VHP was too excited to be quiet. She squealed and tried to run forward, and I managed to catch her before she took off for the front of the sanctuary. Miraculously this did not result in a toddler fit of screaming!

source: https://stocksnap.io/photo/P7JB9GA027

We waited our turns and held hands as we walked forward. The church member who was serving the bread leaned down so VHP could help me break off a piece of bread for her. This little girl tore off the biggest piece of bread she’s ever had for communion! Then our pastor leaned down to her level with the cup so she could dip the bread herself. VHP then slurped up her bread and juice as if it was the best meal of her life, and had the biggest smile on her face. Mommy may have helped break the bread, but she essentially had communion all on her own. Watching how our church family helped her partake of this meal put a whole new meaning on the phrase “the joyful feast of the Lord.”

Mom’s Purse Has It All

The For the last year I have been trying to reduce how much I carry in my bag and debating what NEEDS to be in there. The Girl Scout in me wants to be prepared, but inevitably my purse turns out to be heavier than necessary. Now that my daughter has said goodbye to diapers, I no longer need to carry a diaper bag and my purse. This is great from one perspective, but the question remains what do I NEED in my bag?

Here is the current mom bag purse of the moment:

This was a TJ Maxx find last year. I love that this bag is a neutral color so it matches almost everything, and it has a removable strap so that I can wear it like a crossbody. The other great about this bag, but also dangerous, is that it is nice and big so it can carry everything!

I don’t blame the bag for it getting too full and heavy, but I do blame what’s inside. Here are the current contents minus some receipts, checkbook (because I don’t carry it all the time), and random things that didn’t belong needed to be put away.

1. Kate Spade Wallet (similar) 2. Pentel Pencil and Pentel Energel Pen 3. My work iPhone 6 in a Spigen wallet case. 4. Coach Wristlet (similar) 5. Sugar Lip Balm, Rose Salve, and bareMinerals concealer 6. Ruby Stone nail file, tweezers and nail clippers 7. hair ties and safety pins 8. car keys 9. personal iPhone 6 in a LifeProof case

1. Greenroom notebook 2. Jonathan Adler for Skip Hop bag (came with our diaper bag) 3. snacks (GoGo Squeez and Annie’s cheddar bunnies) 4. business card case purchased at a local Hallmark store. 5. Plan toys cars (2 of 3 in the set) 6. Honest wipes 7. Apple earbuds and LifeProof adapter

I know that none of these things are absolute necessities, but I do believe that the wallet and phones are purse must haves. But where do I cut back and carry less? I’m working on keeping less in the coach wristlet. It’s not uncommon for me to have every size bandaid known to man in the wristlet, but I have reduced the number to have only a few along with the items listed above. I prefer to use my own pen when I’m out because of germs. The notebook is great for making notes so I don’t forget things (hello mommy brain is no joke), plus it keeps the toddler entertained with the pencil when we’re out. The kid items and snacks aren’t always in my purse, but they don’t always make it out after the weekend is up. Thankfully I’ve been good about removing the extra panties and wet bag so I don’t have those fall out of my bag during work.

So what do you keep in your purse? Are you someone that likes to be super prepared or are ou more of a minimalist? Thoughts on what to scale back on in my own bag?

Please note there are some affiliate links in this post. Have no fear, they won’t hurt you if click on them, but I may receive a little financial benefit from your purchase. This means that the funds from your purchase go towards growing this blog and providing better content for you and all the other HebrewDawn readers. As always, I only link to products I trust and use!

Books to Read and Things To Do

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a lover of books. In elementary school my nerdiness had no limits. I couldn’t get enough of the adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, or learning about the journey along the Underground Railroad. But don’t think I wasn’t your typical 80s/90s girls because I did love the entire Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High series. At that young age I was all about savoring one book at a time, but by high school and college I was mixing in fun reading with required reading. It was then that I began reading multiple books at a time, and has now led to my current dilemma. I am currently reading six books! Yes six books, and have a stack of at least 12 other books that I want to read this year as well. Some of the books that I am currently reading or wanting to read have been in process for the last couple of years, and the list of books I want to read is ever growing. Despite my huge stack of books I am determined to finish all of them in 2016. I’m telling you, my faithful readers, so I’m accountable to someone else to follow through on this plan. If I don’t finish these books by December 31st off they must go to a new home, because clearly I’m not reading them.

So are you reading anything good right now? Now to share some of my favorite random things for the week…

Every now and then I stumble upon all kinds of greatness, and this Lemon + Olive Leaf candle at Target is just one of those things. I was in “need” of some new candles for the house that didn’t smell like Fall or Christmas. I’ve been burning the candle the last two nights and I am in LOVE. It’s such a light refreshing scent without being overpowering.

If you’re not familiar with Glennon Doyle Melton, I highly recommend checking out our her blog Momastery. I love the pick me up, encouragement, and inspiration I get from her writing and stories on her blog, Instagram and Facebook. Now she has a book coming and I couldn’t be more excited. I guess I need to hurry up and finish my stack of books so I can add hers to it!

Are you a sleep deprived parent or remember those days? Then this parent fantasy hot-line is going to hit very close to home!

Happy Friday and may you find moments of peace this weekend!

For those that saw last week potty training started in our house, I can share we’ve now survived two weeks. If you’re in the beginning stages,you’ve got this!
Please note there are some affiliate links in this post. Have no fear, they won’t hurt you if click on them, but I may receive a little financial benefit from your purchase. This means that the funds from your purchase go towards growing this blog and providing better content for you and all the other HebrewDawn readers. As always, I only link to products I trust and use!

Peace Be With You

Evenings in the Parker family can be a mix of sweet and chaotic, but on your average Wednesday chaotic seems a little more accurate of a description. I rush from work eager to see my daughter and I’m greeted with squeals and hugs. Sometime after that delightful greeting, I encounter this rage-filled ~~demonic being~~ toddler who is angry with me over God knows what. My great sin could that I buckled her car seat rather than allowing her to do it, I used the keys to drive the car rather than let her hold them, or I dared to make dinner without allowing her to help with every step of the process. Whatever the case may be, there is great angst between pick-up and dinner being set on the table. If I’m lucky there are other sweet moments before bed, but there are nights there is a long wait for bedtime.

Last Wednesday evening was a night with more delightful moments than I could have expected from my two year old. I expected things to be like most nights in which VHP gets her plate first and begins inhaling her food before my husband and I can sit down to the table to eat as a family. Instead our ~~little~~ big girl was nibbling at her food trying to wait for us to come to the table. Once my husband and I sat down we began to eat our meal, because we were starving. Instead of digging in too, VHP fussed at us adults. “No eat yet, pray,” she declared. My gracious, us adults completely forgot to bless the meal and she kept us in check! My husband asked her if she wanted to say the prayer and she agreed.

“Dear God. Thank you soup. Amen.”

Her prayer was much simpler than her first mealtime prayer and much more to the point than her friend Elle’s, but it was enough to convey thanks for the soup her daddy made.

The fact that she at two reminded us to bless the meal melted my heart, but it turns out she was not finished. Shortly after dinner I was taking on kitchen clean-up and it was my husband handling bedtime. We were all getting bedtime hugs and kisses, which turned into us receiving a few bise (French for kisses on the cheek). Next came more toddler of fun like high fives and fist bumps.When I thought we were finally done, VHP came back for more bise. Or so I thought. She asked for my husbands hand and then said what we thought was “bise” again. But my husband realized she was saying “peace”.

Suddenly it hit me that my daughter was passing the peace to my husband like we do on Sunday mornings at church. He responded as if the custom at church by saying, “and also with you” and gave her the biggest hug. Before I could catch my breath, it was my turn to receive the Peace of Christ from my daughter. She turned to me and said “peace to you”. My heart was and still is so full. The adults at our church have no idea that by passing the peace to our little girl how much they have taught her. Since she was a baby in worship members have greeted her during the passing of the peace, and still do. VHP has been paying attention more than we knew, and is taking what she learns in church out into the world with her.

Potty Training Update

I confessed awhile back how I dreaded the impending days of potty training. Over the last few weeks my daughter has been fighting putting on diapers and requesting big girl panties. Well last Monday her petitions were stronger than ever she and decided she was done with diapers. What’s a mom to do, but to throw always all the diapers follow her lead and begin the toilet learning/potty training process. Through my years of babysitting, teaching preschool, and being a nanny, I’ve really come to believe that toilet learning is the better, more accurate term for this process.

If your toddler is anything like my daughter, they are independent and determined to do things their way and in their time. As much as we may want them to do things the way that we would like and/or think they should, there will be resisting and screaming until they do it their way. It’s also not uncommon for these little ~~monsters~~ people to do it just as we wanted, but they had to decide it was the right course of action. Repeatedly I’ve seen this play out with every child when it comes to using the potty. As much as we may want them to do be done with diapers, they’re not done until they decide they’re good and ready. This level of determination and independent thought doesn’t seem all that different from us as adults, but for some reason it’s more maddening with a little person.

I’m not one to be told to do things when I don’t want to, and the apple doesn’t far fall from the tree with my daughter. For the last few months my daughter has expressed an interest in using the potty and wearing big girl panties. I’ve really tried not to force the issue, but provide her the opportunity to try. Yes these opportunities have resulted in wet floors and mommy getting peed on (perhaps all over your neck while they ride on your shoulders), but we had some successful attempts too. Occasionally my daughter has spent most of the day out of diapers, but inevitably she asks for her diapers back on. This last week has been much different than the past.

VHP decided with the first diaper change of the day that she was done with diapers and has not allowed me to put them back on her since outside of times when she will be sleeping. We are still using diapers at nap time and bedtime, because I’m not a complete glutton for punishment (remarkably there hasn’t been much fighting about this). There have been accidents, there have been more than a few of messes to clean up, and we have questioned if she is ready. However, we have now survived 7 days in panties, the accidents are happening less often, and they are happening at fairly predictable times (i.e. usually when she is too engrossed in her current activity).

So how have we been going about it?

We start the day out with a quick attempt to use the potty. If it’s not a successful trip (aka nothing happens), we try again after a half hour because we know she’ll need to go after waking up.
We have been using Gerber training underpants because they are more absorbent than the cute Frozen panties. If we’re leaving the house we make sure to use a Bummis pull on cover over the training underpants.
We make sure to keep at least 2-3 extra pairs of pants and underpants with us wherever we go in a ziploc bag or wet bag (to store the soiled clothes).
At least once an hour we ask if our daughter needs to use the potty. If VHP hasn’t asked to go within 60-90 minutes of her last successful trip we take her to the potty to try.
No matter what, we never pressured our daughter to go and wouldn’t push the issue if she refused. Too much pressure leads to outright refusal, and then potentially to full on toddler determination not to use the potty. We do ask a couple times in a row if she seems distracted/unsure/is blatantly ignoring us, which is typically met with palpable annoyance…and then a trip to the potty which is usually successful (uh, told you so kid).

I know that some folks get really nervous about leaving their house with a potty training child, but so far it’s not been the end of the world for us. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we were lucky to have her at home all day due to a snow day and then being with her grandmas. Wednesday and Friday were preschool days, and I think seeing classmates using the potty were a good source of encouragement (nothing like a little peer pressure). Our first trip out Tuesday evening was to church and a casual dinner with friends. There was only one accident at church, which wasn’t a mess with the Bummis cover being used. Besides that accident, we averaged two during the day and one in the evening. The recurring timing for one daytime and evening accident was meal time, because little miss couldn’t be torn away from a good meal. Sunday was an even better day as we managed to keep the day down to one accident! Here’s hoping we’re on the right track!

Happy Friday!

How as your week been? My week has been a good one, but full of many unexpecteds. My daughter decided this week that she was done with diapers, so we’re on day five of POTTY TRAINING. I’ll share next week about how it’s been going and our technique. Have any fun plans for this weekend? Looks like I’ll be on the lookout for the nearest restroom.

Let’s be honest ladies, there’s a strong chance we will each be making a trip to Target in the next day or two…. and this video explains how it will go so well! While you’re there, don’t forget to use Cartwheel and your Red Card. I’m a firm believer that if I’m going to buy what I must have don’t need, at least I can use my two favorite ways to save money at Target. Um, have you seen this adorable giraffe? I have a girlfriend that would totally flip for this, so I might have to buy her birthday present EXTRA early.

Are you an Emily Ley fan? I’ve been a huge fan of my simplified planner and mommy notes. I’ve also loved her simplicity challenge, but I’m so bummed I missed completing it with her. Anyone want to do it with me? It will be 30 days of purging, simplifying, and getting our lives house a little more organized and tidy.

I hope you have something fabulous planned. I hope my daughter will let us sleep in and that our weekend is filled with those we love and doing what bring us joy.

Please be aware there are some affliate links in this post. Have no fear, they won’t hurt you if click on them, but I may receive a little financial benefit from your purchase. This means that the funds from your purchase go towards growing this blog and providing better content for you and all the other HebrewDawn readers.