our family grace

20 July 2014

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Welcome to Mommy Moments! Last week we had some great new link ups! Let's keep it up by sharing and promoting Mommy Moments and the wonderful community we have here! I have enjoyed getting to know all the new mamas linking up and sharing their lives with us! I can't wait to hear more from you all again this week!

Motherhood has its seriousness and frustration as well as its laughs. That's why we are here. Life is much easier when traveled with companions! So mamas, let's join together in the spirit of motherhood and share our moments together. We want to hear the happy, sad, tough, terrible, hilarious moments that make being a mother the best job in the world!

The top viewed link this week belongs to our very own Heather and and her post Keeping Marriage Alive After Baby! If you haven't stopped by to check out our Thursday One Year and Beyond Link Up, you are missing out! We have lots of fun topics for mamas to read up on! Thanks for sharing this great post Heather!

The Life Of Faith

The Not Quite Military Wife

Beautiful Family Affairs,

Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

Now, link up your post!

Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends!

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

We would also love it if you could add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up! If you are not able to copy/paste the code on your page, please e-mail one of us and we would be happy to send you the code!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up

16 July 2014

Dealing With Discontent

Lately, I've been struggling a lot with not being content with where I am in life. I find myself yearning for more. Not much. Just a house with lots of land where it's safe for Bug and Little Guy to run around and play. A house with a better layout and a wider living room.

I guess I've just been feeling trapped in my house. But that's what happens when you're operating with one vehicle. There isn't much room for us to go, Bug and me. You see, currently we live in a 1200 square foot house (which is almost 3 times as big as our first place) that has a very odd layout. The layout is very strange and difficult to explain. Our biggest problem is the living room. It is long and narrow and there is nowhere for furniture and with Bug's toys, it gets crowded very easily. Sometimes I get claustrophobic and feel like the walls are closing in on me. The bedrooms are great, no complaints there, and the kitchen/dining room combo works but isn't my favorite. The bathrooms are odd. I don't know what these builders were thinking when they built our guest bathroom, but who only puts a tub and not a tub/shower combo?! I mean, it's great for bathing Bug and soon to be Little Guy because the tub is huge, but eventually they're going to grow up and want a shower and I would prefer them not to use mine. And what are our guests supposed to do? Go through our room to use our shower? That's just awkward for all involved.

Then there's the yard. Though it's a big yard, it's a hill. And a pain. Taking Bug outside to play is no easy feat because she has a problem just walking around. We have a swing set to put up for her, but can't because there isn't a flat spot to set it up in! We need to get a truckload of dirt in, but that unfortunately costs money that we don't have.

And the neighborhood doesn't really have any kids. I would love for Bug and Little Guy to have others to play with, but there just aren't any kids here and it makes me sad. Most of our neighbors stay to themselves and don't mingle. I guess that can be a good thing, but being a homemaker, it would be nice to have some neighbors to hang out with.

So I find myself dreaming of a different setting and a different house. I browse Zillow and Re/Max weekly (sometimes multiple times). I've found plenty of houses with lots of land that I love and would buy in a heartbeat. When I do have the chance to get out and about and drive around (yay for weekends and Bibi's who rescue us from time to time), I am constantly scanning the streets for those "For Sale" signs. It's silly, I know, but it's something that I do.

I understand right now that we are in an odd season of life. With the hubs in school and working full-time, we are committed to being here for a while. So I guess you'd say we're in a season of waiting. We have no idea where we'll go once he finishes school, so to be looking at houses is silly. We'll go wherever he can find work. And, more importantly, we'll go wherever God leads us. But I still can't help looking for another house.

But then God gives us a day like today. It was beautiful out, so Bug and I decide to attempt playing outside. We wander up near the street and find a nice little spot in our yard where it's actually flat and we can play! Plus, the hubs's truck is up there and provides a good blockade from Bug wandering out onto the road. It was so much fun! I definitely have a rough and tumble princess on my hands! She's wearing her favorite red, tutu Minnie Mouse dress with tennis shoes on, in one hand she has a stick and the other a flower, and all the while she's chasing her ball and jumping the tree roots. And the whole time she's loving it. I had a great time too, until Bug discovered how fun it was to throw the ball under the truck and make me go and get it. This third trimester belly was not to keen on that idea. But it was fun and I'm glad we found that little spot! Now I hope we can get out and play more often.

I'm trying really hard to be content with what we have. I know God has us here for a reason and by not being content with these things, I could be missing out on a huge opportunity. My prayer for this week is that I learn to be content with where God has me. Has us.

13 July 2014

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

The top viewed link this week belongs to Crazily Normal and her post Being A Working Mama. I love Alycia's attitude towards working mamas, working at home mamas, and stay at home mamas alike. We all have a job to do and we do it well. That's what's important! Thanks for the great post Alycia!

The Life Of Faith

The Not Quite Military Wife

Beautiful Family Affairs,

Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

Anne from All In A Day's Work

Now, link up your post!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends!

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up

06 July 2014

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

The top viewed link this week belongs to Saved By Grace and her post The Most Important Thing. Wow, what a powerful reminder of what is truly important in our short lives. Thank you Laurie, for sharing!

How often are we distracted by piles of junk accumulating in our life, while neglecting the riches found without fail in our Bible? Why do we worry about our “stuff” instead of storing treasures in Heaven, where we can enjoy them forever? (Luke 12:16-34; Matthew 6:19-21)

The Life Of Faith

The Not Quite Military Wife

Beautiful Family Affairs,

Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

Kristin from Sounds Of My Pitter-Patter

Now, link up your post!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends!

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up

03 July 2014

A New Bump-date!

I am currently (almost) 32 weeks. I think now I've reached the "whale" stage, and I still have 8 weeks (+) to go! I'm living in maternity clothes, gym shorts, and the hubs's t-shirts. It's summer in the south, so you do what you gotta do.

Last week, I pulled a muscle in my abdomen. I don't know how. Probably rolling over at night. How sad is that?! Oh the joys of pregnancy. It made life pretty difficult for a while. Everything hurt. And it soon became little guy's favorite kicking spot. My midwife checked it out and informed me that his feet were all in the muscle. And what made it better was that was the side that I carry Bug on. Picking her up and holding her became another act after that. But luckily it has healed and I am back to full (as full as pregnant women get) mobility.

This pregnancy is flying by! It's hard to believe my due date is next month! When did that happen?! Of course, I'm taking bets on whether this guy will be early or late. I'm thinking he'll be late like his big sister, which will make him a September baby. I think my mom is hoping he'll come on her birthday (September 3rd). I personally am just ready to meet him!

It comes in waves that we're having a little boy. I think our family is so conditioned to little girls, that we won't know what to do with a little boy! I know these are normal feelings of anxiety, but it still hits every once-in-a-while. We've got almost everything. I just have to go pick up our swing and some more clothes from some friends of ours, and then we'll have everything. But as far getting everything ready here...that's another story. Bug's room is still a mess and nowhere near set up for her brother to come. She's also still in her crib. We've decided to skip the toddler bed and go straight to the twin bed. Right now we're on the lookout for an inexpensive twin mattress. Hopefully, switching her to a twin bed will go better than switching her to the toddler bed did.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Don't forget about the two awesome giveaways that I'm hosting/co-hosting! You can check them out here and here.

01 July 2014

A New Adventure and a Giveaway!

As I shared a while ago, God has given my a great opportunity with Norwex while the hubs goes to school. I am amazed at how He has continued to provide for us during this time. I am also amazed at the perseverance that my husband has displayed in all of this! He's doing such a great job at school and still taking care of us! I just hope the little that I am doing helps him out as well.

One thing I love about this new adventure with Norwex, is the new way that I have been introduced to cleaning. No more harsh chemicals! Instead, I clean with just water! That's it. Nothing more. All I need is a Norwex Enviro Cloth and water, and then I can go to town with cleaning.

Not only that, but cleaning now takes half the time! It's amazing how quickly it goes, even with a toddler in tow! And right now, I'm all about getting things done quickly. This whole third trimester energy loss doesn't allow for things that take a long while. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm in my third trimester? Only 9 weeks to go until due date for little guy! Here's a sneak peak at my 30 week bump, it makes a good seat for Bug:

So, with another little one on the way, I was looking for a way to simplify things while reducing the harmful chemicals that come with cleaning supplies. It's amazing how God places things in your lap, and Norwex pretty much fell into mine.

My three favorite products for the home can be found in our Household Package: the Enviro Cloth, the Dust Mitt, and Window Cloth (which you can enter to win at the bottom of this post). Together, these three make the dream cleaning team. By using these three products, you save so much money by not having to buy all those cleaning supplies and can replace most of your cleaning supplies!

The Enviro Cloth is used wet to clean everything! And I mean everything. It is generally referred to as our "all around" cloth because it is just that. It can be used in every room and replaces all those nasty chemicals. I personally have a few of these cloths and they each have a room they belong to. Also, these cloths come in four different colors so that you can match the colors you already have in your home (red/pink, green, yellow, and blue).

The Dust Mitt is my saving grace for dusting. I hate dusting. I really, really do. It's beyond frustrating for me to dust. I don't know why, I love a dust free home, but boy does it bother me. This mitt is used for dry dusting and picks up all the dust it touches! It can also be used wet to clean those pesky blinds!

The Window Cloth is used to dry polish and shine windows, mirrors, stainless steel appliances, so on and so forth. Paired with the Enviro Cloth, these two eliminate window cleaners and the wasteful use of paper towels!

There are tons more amazing products on the website! Check out my website www.alliwoody.norwex.biz and if you have any questions feel free to contact me {at} beautifulfamilyaffairs{at}gmail{dot}com. And remember to enter to win your very own Norwex Window Cloth!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway