Wordless Wednesday ~ Pepsi & Club Penguin

Photo taken by Cole Mashburn, my super cool nephew!

Pepsi , Club Penguin, and the pool...what could be better on a beautiful summer day!

For more Wordless Wednesday pics head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Book Review ~ Preparing Your Child for Dating

I love great books and when I get my hands on a GREAT book I can't wait to tell everyone about it. Especially when it is a book that I think can and will help so many of my friends like this book, "Preparing Your Child for Dating" can.

I was blessed to pickup a copy of the book a few months ago but hesitated on reading it because 1) I know the author, 2) I know the author's kids (which he references in the book) as adults, and 3) I just don't want to really "think" about my kids dating.

But, you and I both know that none of these are great reasons to hold back, so I cracked open the paperback and brought out my highlighter ready to take extra special notes on things that I "knew" would help me. What I didn't expect was to spend so much time highlighting that it left very few lines on the page that were not highlighted.

My boys are 13 and 15 years old and the reality is that "dating" is knocking at the door and this was a book that I probably should have read while they were in elementary school because the principles taught in this book are rock solid and actually start to lay the foundation of what your "Dating Plan" will be for your kids.

I didn't know a single thing about a "Dating Plan" but after Dr. Bob Barnes laid it out that we don't just hand the kids the keys to the car without "teaching" them how to drive, then why would we just throw our kids into dating without preparing them ahead of time with a plan.

WOW! That was just what I needed to start a great dialogue with my boys about the in's and out's of dating, especially in South Florida, as well as what our expectations are as parents, and as Christians.

Even though this book wasn't written recently it is jam packed full of great godly wisdom for anyone who wants to prepare their child for a successful transition into the dating world.

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

By Clicking EVERY Day you too can make a DIFFERENCE!

Pearl Girls

Today I have the precious privilege of spending time at the blog of some "new" friends, the Pearl Girls. I would love for you to come by and visit with me over there as we learn to "Do Not Fear".

Here's a little bit about what we're talking about today...

Do Not Fear

You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear.”

Lamentations 3:57 NIV

Cancer is a funny thing. You hear all the statistics, you know it is happening all around you, but until it hits close to home it’s hard to even imagine how you might deal with it.

To read the rest of the post come on by and visit with me and the Pearl Girls, here.

From the Pearl Girls Blog...
It all began with the metaphor of the oyster – which was swimming beneath the waves when something unexpected happened. A piece of sand got stuck inside its shell and caused great pain. Nacre soon coated the piece of sand and transformed the unexpected source of pain into a beautiful pearl. Like the oyster, we, too go about our everyday lives when the unexpected happens. Yet God’s grace covers our pain and transforms it into a beautiful pearl. The mission of Pearl Girls™ is for women to collaborate and help make a difference in the lives of other women and children. Yes. We all can make a difference. Please visit the Charity Links at the Pearl Girls website to see specific organizations which Pearl Girls™ will help with the first project – a collection of essays written by women to inspire and encourage others who are facing a similar journey.

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

PS - Don't forget to keep clicking at the Breast Cancer Site this month...each and every day your click counts.

Speak to My Soul Sunday ~ You Will Be Changed

Thought 4 Today ~> For it is impossible to be in the presence of Jesus and not be changed. ~ Joanna Weaver

Verse 4 Today ~> Jeremiah 29:13 ~ You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart.

I love that God's Word says that if you seek Him with all your heart that you WILL find Him. What peace, what comfort, and what a joy that is this bright beautiful Sunday morning.

It doesn't matter what else is going on in your life.
How "bad" you are or how messed up you are.

It only matters that you come to Him with your heart ready to receive the blessings He has for you today.

I pray that you'll seek Him and His peace because once you do your life will never be the same.

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Then Sings My Soul ~ We Live

I love great Christian praise & worship music and I love being able to share the different types of music there is in that industry. I didn't grow up on Christian music so I don't generally know a lot of the older songs, but what is coming out these days is incredible and I consider it pure joy to share some of it with you!

If you'd like to hear more great songs for "Then Sings My Soul Saturday" then head over to my friend Amy's blog called Signs, Miracles, and Wonders. She's got an incredible list of music over there and you'll even get to meet some great new friends too!

This week I picked Superchic(k)'s song "We Live"...Enjoy!

Lyrics for "We Live"

There's a cross on the side of the road
Where a mother lost her son
How could she know that the morning he left
Would be the last time she'd trade with him for a little more time
(so she could say she loved him one last time)
And hold him tight
But with life we never know when we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then
With tragedy around the bend

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

There's a man who waits for the tests to
See if the cancer had spread yet
And now he asks why did I wait to live 'til it was time to die
If I could have the time back, how I'd live
Life is such a gift
So how does the story end?
Well, this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we were meant to do

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

Waking up to another dark morning
People are mourning
The weather in life outside is storming
But what would it take for the clouds to break
For us to realize each day
Is a gift somehow, someway
And get our heads up out of this darkness
And spark this new mindset and start on with life cuz it ain't gone yet
And tragedy's a reminder to take off the blinders and wake up
(to live the life)
We're supposed to take up
(moving forward)
With all our heads up
Cuz life is worth living

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

[Thanks to Paige (llamaobsest1@aol.com) for these lyrics]

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Family First Friday - Solid Yellow Lines

It's my goal to share with you some tips, ideas, and strategies on how to keep your first things first with this series. I first have to be quite honest with you...I do not have it all together, my kids are not perfect, and I am a work in progress, just like you. I do, however, have two teenage boys, have been married for 16 1/2 years, and have had some very "bumpy" seasons in my life which have forced me to really evaluate what really was my first priority.

I think that is why I am so passionate about keeping your FAMILY FIRST. I had to learn it the hard way and because I have I would love to share some of that insight with y'all. So let's get started on making choices today on how to keep the family first.

Let's start with SOLID YELLOW LINES...

(photo from Flickr user Clearly Ambiguous)

Solid yellow lines by definition is something that you do not cross. It is a boundary. It keeps you in line and on track, right?

We need some solid yellow lines in our families so that we can keep our Family First. One way we do that in our family is that we actually schedule out our family time. I know, I know...it sounds weird and silly, but if you think about it, we schedule everything else out, don't we?

Doctor's appointments, cheerleading practices, soccer games, car pools, youth group, and everything else that keeps our Mom Taxi constantly on the road.

Why not take the time while you are scheduling out your calendar for the week and make sure you schedule in some FAMILY time. When you do that you are saying we are making an effort to make sure that we keep our family first. Otherwise things will come up, and you know they will, and you'll push it aside, you'll postpone it, you'll say "can we do that another time honey?" and all the other great things we come up with on the fly when we have too many things going on. I know because I have said them (more often than I care to admit).

When you schedule that Family First time in your calendar, agenda, outlook it becomes just as important as all the other meetings, appointments, calls, errands that you do. Yes, some things can just "happen" and you can run out to get ice cream (preferably Coldstone, ha!), but when you plan it out, schedule it, and keep that solid yellow line on it (which means that it is so important that you won't reschedule or cancel) then you are telling your kids that they count and are important to you.

Hey, it's a step towards making your Family First, and after awhile these steps will add up and you will begin to see the fruits of your labor.

Apply it:

Some time this weekend sit down and schedule a family outing, something simple, something big, whatever it is that you and your family want to do (hint...let the kids be a part of the decision, they might just surprise you), then draw solid yellow lines around that appointment so that there is nothing that will keep you from making it (I like yellow highlighters).

Father God, as we seek to keep our Family First would you guide our steps. Help us to realize that our kids are the most sweetest and precious gift. We want them to grow up to be world changers for you God and we thank you that you've entrusted them to us. Show us how to put up Solid Yellow Lines so that our kids know that our family really is the most important thing to us. We love you Father, we ask for blessings on our families, in Jesus Precious Name, Amen.

Come back next week as we take another step on this journey of keeping our Family First in this crazy, busy, & hectic world.

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

PS - Don't forget to keep clicking this month for FREE Mammograms at the Breast Cancer Site...every click counts, thanks!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Click to Give FREE Mammograms every day at the Breast Cancer Site, where every click counts!

Today starts October, and I couldn't be more excited about it...for us, living in South Florida it means the "cooler" days (which are in the 80's instead of the 90's) are coming, it means Fall is here, and it means that Christmas is coming.

But, what I love the most now is that October is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS month!

Your going to be hearing bits and pieces of my mom's breast cancer journey, facts and information for you (for early detection), websites you can check out, and anything else I can do to get the word out about it.

If you could please take a minute to click on that button above or go directly to the Breast Cancer Site every day and Click to Give FREE Mammograms every day this month I would really appreciate it. It takes less than 30 seconds...you can do it! It really DOES make a difference!

My mom was diagnosed in mid-February 2009 with Breast Cancer and she's on her last ten radiation appointments today...she's had surgery, chemo, and now radiation...what a strong and beautiful woman (mom) she is...and there are so many other amazing and brave women just like her dealing with this RIGHT NOW.

This is a picture of my mom & I during one of her many doctor's appointments & chemo days.

This is my mom getting her LAST chemo treatment...yay!

The Susan G Komen for the Cure web site has a great list of ways you check out your Risk Factors and Prevention. I hope today starts a NEW day for each of us and our awareness of what we are dealing with.

I'm also praying for a day when no one else has to go through this...thanks for being on this journey with me!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,