I am a huge Jason Mraz fan and read his blog daily. Something he posted this past week has stuck with me and I have been showing it to others and watching them smile and decided I had to post it here.
Why is it in this life it is so easy to put ourselves down, and think negatively of ourselves. What happened to our innocent selves in our youth who LOVED ourselves!?! Imagine what it would do for your life and your self esteem to start your day off like this young lady in this Youtube video, JUST LOVE THIS... I think she has it all figured out (sooooo reminds me of Lauren):
So.................. start singing your own praises...............
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
HOUSE
Our church (River Hills Christian Church) started a new series this past Sunday called "HOUSE". What a wonderful series and I am so excited about it already. I learned so much at the first service that I wanted to share the outline for you here.
Essential Investments From God's Word to Build a Blessed Life at Home............
1). Invest in Mutual Acceptance
- This is HUGE isn't it. None of us are perfect, we each have our own quirks. My favorite thing they shared was "stop judging each other". In our families we need to accept and love one another for who we are, not hoping to change them into something they are not.
Accept one another just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7
2). Invest in Effective Communication
-You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry James 1:19
That's a HARD one isn't it. Do you know that the AVERAGE couple talks to eachother alone only FOUR MINUTES per day!?! AND they watch an average of 47 hours per week of television together. What a sad and startling statistic. I will make sure that our home does not ever live out this statistic.
3). Invest in Considerate Behavior
-Show your love by being helpful to each other Ephesians 4:2
SO important. This was such a touch one in the beginning of our marriage as we had to let go of the "I" and concentrate on the feelings of the other person. I think Tim and I have grown so much in this area and I'm proud of how strong our marriage has become as a result, NOW the struggle is getting our children to learn these lessons and apply it to their lives as well.
4). Invest in Deliberate Surrender
-Love does not demand its own way 1 Corinthians 13:5
-Love one another deeply, from the heart 1 Peter 1:22
5). Invest in Encouraging Words
-This one really struck home with me and Tim and I talked about it and we have really concentrated on encouraging one another this week as well as encouraging the children. We have always done a decent job at this, but we know it can be better and it WILL be better.
-Ephesians 4:19 "Don't say anything that would hurt another person"
-"Encourage one another and build each other up" 1 Thessalonians 5:11
6). Invest in Real Affection
"Love one another with genuine affection" Romans 12:10
"Let the husband render to his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife to her husband" 1 Corinthians 7:3
Tim and I do not hide our affection from our children. Luke and Lauren have grown up in a home where their mom and dad hug and kiss eachother daily and they see this. I kiss my kids and hug my kids and tell them "I love you" every chance I get. I think it is important for them to be surrounded by love and for them to have the example of what a loving marriage is, that should not be hidden from them.
7). Invest in Ongoing Forgiveness(this one of course can ALWAYS be a struggle).
-"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colassians 3:13
-Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.WOW, that can be a tough one, but I will be working on it.
I want to have a strong marriage and to have a positive relationship with my kids. I am taking these steps to invest in our HOME by following these biblical principals that will make our HOME BLESSED.
-Lesley
Essential Investments From God's Word to Build a Blessed Life at Home............
1). Invest in Mutual Acceptance
- This is HUGE isn't it. None of us are perfect, we each have our own quirks. My favorite thing they shared was "stop judging each other". In our families we need to accept and love one another for who we are, not hoping to change them into something they are not.
Accept one another just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7
2). Invest in Effective Communication
-You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry James 1:19
That's a HARD one isn't it. Do you know that the AVERAGE couple talks to eachother alone only FOUR MINUTES per day!?! AND they watch an average of 47 hours per week of television together. What a sad and startling statistic. I will make sure that our home does not ever live out this statistic.
3). Invest in Considerate Behavior
-Show your love by being helpful to each other Ephesians 4:2
SO important. This was such a touch one in the beginning of our marriage as we had to let go of the "I" and concentrate on the feelings of the other person. I think Tim and I have grown so much in this area and I'm proud of how strong our marriage has become as a result, NOW the struggle is getting our children to learn these lessons and apply it to their lives as well.
4). Invest in Deliberate Surrender
-Love does not demand its own way 1 Corinthians 13:5
-Love one another deeply, from the heart 1 Peter 1:22
5). Invest in Encouraging Words
-This one really struck home with me and Tim and I talked about it and we have really concentrated on encouraging one another this week as well as encouraging the children. We have always done a decent job at this, but we know it can be better and it WILL be better.
-Ephesians 4:19 "Don't say anything that would hurt another person"
-"Encourage one another and build each other up" 1 Thessalonians 5:11
6). Invest in Real Affection
"Love one another with genuine affection" Romans 12:10
"Let the husband render to his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife to her husband" 1 Corinthians 7:3
Tim and I do not hide our affection from our children. Luke and Lauren have grown up in a home where their mom and dad hug and kiss eachother daily and they see this. I kiss my kids and hug my kids and tell them "I love you" every chance I get. I think it is important for them to be surrounded by love and for them to have the example of what a loving marriage is, that should not be hidden from them.
7). Invest in Ongoing Forgiveness(this one of course can ALWAYS be a struggle).
-"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colassians 3:13
-Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.WOW, that can be a tough one, but I will be working on it.
I want to have a strong marriage and to have a positive relationship with my kids. I am taking these steps to invest in our HOME by following these biblical principals that will make our HOME BLESSED.
-Lesley
Monday, May 10, 2010
Beautiful Inside and Out
My sister n' law took this picture of Lauren on Mother's Day, when I opened it I was just taken aback by her beauty:
What I love about my daughter is that she is just as beautiful (if not more so) on the inside than on the outside. What a blessing she is to me.............
-Lesley
What I love about my daughter is that she is just as beautiful (if not more so) on the inside than on the outside. What a blessing she is to me.............
-Lesley
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
I hope you have had a wonderful Mother's Day today.
I spent it with my two wonderful children who the Lord has blessed me with and my amazing husband. I was able to spend time with my own mother who I am fortunate enough to live close to and we shared a fun day together as well. I also was with my brother and his wife and got some cuddle time in with my nephew.
Today I spent a lot of time reflecting on how fast my children have grown. It seems like only yesterday I was carrying each of them in my belly,bringing them home from the hospital for the first time. I just can't wrap my mind around how blessed I am by my amazing children, I just love them so very very much! I cherish these days where I am still the center of their universe. They still say "mom, will you play with me?" "Mom, can you snuggle with me?" Ohhhhhhhh how I cherish that and I know that it will be gone all too soon and it makes me cry.
I am thankful for my own mother and for her example to me over the years of how to be a mother.
I hope that one day my own children will grow up and view me as a true friend as I view my own mother.
Happy Mother's Day! I hope it was a great one for each of you, I know it was for me!
-Lesley
I spent it with my two wonderful children who the Lord has blessed me with and my amazing husband. I was able to spend time with my own mother who I am fortunate enough to live close to and we shared a fun day together as well. I also was with my brother and his wife and got some cuddle time in with my nephew.
Today I spent a lot of time reflecting on how fast my children have grown. It seems like only yesterday I was carrying each of them in my belly,bringing them home from the hospital for the first time. I just can't wrap my mind around how blessed I am by my amazing children, I just love them so very very much! I cherish these days where I am still the center of their universe. They still say "mom, will you play with me?" "Mom, can you snuggle with me?" Ohhhhhhhh how I cherish that and I know that it will be gone all too soon and it makes me cry.
I am thankful for my own mother and for her example to me over the years of how to be a mother.
I hope that one day my own children will grow up and view me as a true friend as I view my own mother.
Happy Mother's Day! I hope it was a great one for each of you, I know it was for me!
-Lesley
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Feeling Free
We recently took a wonderful trip to Kiawah Island South Carolina. Being able to sit on a beach with my family and soak in the rays is something I will never take for granted. My favorite picture from the trip is this one:
I love how the beach allows my kids to just be kids and be FREE! There is way too much technology in this world and I am just as guilty as all of the other parents out there with the portable DVD players, Nintendo DS's, and I have two kids (well one more than the other) obsessed with online games such as Club Penguin. That is why I cherish these FREE moments, when it is just "us" being a family. Those are the experiences in our family that will mold my children into who they are in this world, it is what brings us together as a family and bonds us. I hope you get away some this year with your family and experience some freeing moments and make memories, it's what our life here on earth is all about!
-Lesley
I love how the beach allows my kids to just be kids and be FREE! There is way too much technology in this world and I am just as guilty as all of the other parents out there with the portable DVD players, Nintendo DS's, and I have two kids (well one more than the other) obsessed with online games such as Club Penguin. That is why I cherish these FREE moments, when it is just "us" being a family. Those are the experiences in our family that will mold my children into who they are in this world, it is what brings us together as a family and bonds us. I hope you get away some this year with your family and experience some freeing moments and make memories, it's what our life here on earth is all about!
-Lesley
Monday, April 19, 2010
So... You are going to Disney... Where should you stay??
So…… you are going to Disney World, where should you stay?
The big debate when planning your Disney vacation is should you stay ON property or OFF property? We have weighed these in our minds over and over and on property has always won for us, but I do understand why those who are more budget minded would opt for the off property locations. In this Disney planning installment I will discuss ON property and the next I will discuss OFF property.
The PRO’S for staying on property are:
-If you are flying free Disney Magical Express bus service to and from the airport to your Disney resort.
-Location Location Location, you are RIGHT on property so you don’t have to fight traffic, you simply get on your Disney convenient transportation bus at your resort and at the park and are at your destination in no time.
-The other LOCATION perk is being able to hop on a Disney bus (or boat depending on the resort) and go back to your resort easily and quickly for afternoon pool breaks or naps (this has been HUGE for us over the years).
-You will have the option to use the Disney Dining Plan
-You will have a “Key to the World Card” which serves as your room key, if you are on the dining plan your “dining key”, your park tickets (if you book a package that includes tickets), and you can use it for room charges.
-Any purchases you make at the parks or Downtown Disney can be sent back to your room at no charge so you don’t have to lug them around with you.
-The theming – you are on Disney property so the theming of these hotels are great.
-The customer service, when you stay on Disney property you are surrounded by Disney cast members, I have not seen customer service like this in any other hotel we have stayed in, Disney just knows how to do it right.
-You can make your dining reservations 180 days in advance PLUS 10 days, so all of your reservations can be made in one phone call for your entire trip when staying on property.
I’m sure I am leaving some perks out, but these are the biggies.
Now, if you decide you will be staying on Disney property for your vacation then you need to determine where you would like to stay. Disney has several levels of hotels: The Disney Campground, Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, and Vacation Villas.
Before I go into the resorts I want to tell you to check out www.mousesavers.com GREAT site that is always updating the current deals on Disney including the discount codes, this is where I found my first discount code years ago for only $124 a night at Wilderness Lodge and we were hooked on deluxe resorts and NEVER looked back.
MY FAVORITE Disney website is www.disboards.com if you are planning a trip to Disney you MUST visit this website, look around and post questions, they answer you quickly, GREAT forum!
O.K, onward to the on property resorts:
The Disney value resorts range from 82.00-130.00 per night depending on the time of year you travel, type of room you request (you can request a preferred room that is closer to the food court and bus stops, I do NOT recommend doing this, I recommend saving your money and putting a specific location request on your reservation instead). These are the RACK rates for this room and often throughout the year Disney will give public discounts that really knocks the price down per night.
Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet. We stayed in a value our first year and we had a great stay and the kids LOVED it!
If you decide on a value resort our FAVORITE is the POP Century Resort.
It is the newest of the Value’s, has great larger than life icons, a nice main pool and pool bar with pools in each “era”. You can stay in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s locations. Each decade has it’s own theme, icons, and music to go with the theme, just LOVE that about this resort, and it’s own POOL! Pop has a nice big food court, doesn’t share buses with any other resort (which is a huge plus for us), and a nice arcade which our kids loved. Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet.
The next step up are Disney’s Moderate resorts. The average price for moderate resorts are $149-$249 per night (again these are the RACK rates, often they come out with discounts). You still have the exterior access to your room, but the rooms are a tad bit bigger, beds are bigger (queen sized), and the pools have slides and hot tubs. Our favorite moderate resort is Port Orleans French Quarter.
The theming here is great, kids love the pool with the huge serpent slide, and they have a boat that takes you to Downtown Disney. The other reason we love this moderate is it is BY FAR the smallest Disney moderate resort so your walk to the food court and bus stops is minimal, the other moderate resorts are SO spread out. We also love Port Orleans French Quarter because it does share transportation with Port Orleans Riverside but French Quarter is picked up first and dropped off first so we have always gotten a seat to ride on (I don’t like standing and riding on Disney buses). The food court here is good, and the arcade was nice as well, we really enjoyed our stay at this resort.
Also included in the Moderate category for the same rates listed above are the Fort Wilderness Cabins. This is a great option for larger families and it includes a full kitchen as well. We have not stayed at these but have heard wonderful things about them.
The NEXT step up are Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. There are two big differences in prices of the deluxe resorts. If you stay on the monorail you will pay a LOT more. Our favorite deluxe resorts that are not on the monorail so are in the lower tier of pricing are Wilderness Lodge:
or the Animal Kingdom Lodge:
These resorts are VERY similar (the all under one roof concept and so you have covered walkways from the bus into the nicely air conditioned lobby – this is GREAT in the summer). They have sit down restaraunts as well as food courts at the deluxe resorts, they have the pool slides, etc. The difference between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness lodge is the theming, obviously there are Animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge and that is just AWESOME! Both resorts are incredibly beautiful and have wonderful pools with pool slides. Wilderness Lodge is VERY close to the Magic Kingdom and offers a boat to and from the Magic Kingdom which is a GREAT perk. These two resorts range in price from $240-400 per night (depending on room size, view, etc). Both of these resorts do offer a bunk bed option so you can have 2 queens in your room or a queen and a bunk bed which is great for families with kids. All deluxe resorts also offer a balcony which we loved because when the kids were falling asleep we could step outside from some privacy.
So those are the Disney ON property locations in a nutshell (that was hard to summarize and it was STILL wordy) . Next Disney blog I do will be on OFF property perks and locations, then I will do one on our favorite tips and tricks to getting around the parks and avoiding crowds.
Don't worry, I did NOT ignore the other part of the survey results that said many of you still want to hear about my family, I am NOT abandoning that either, more updates on our family will be continuing on this blog as well. Thanks for reading!
Lesley
The big debate when planning your Disney vacation is should you stay ON property or OFF property? We have weighed these in our minds over and over and on property has always won for us, but I do understand why those who are more budget minded would opt for the off property locations. In this Disney planning installment I will discuss ON property and the next I will discuss OFF property.
The PRO’S for staying on property are:
-If you are flying free Disney Magical Express bus service to and from the airport to your Disney resort.
-Location Location Location, you are RIGHT on property so you don’t have to fight traffic, you simply get on your Disney convenient transportation bus at your resort and at the park and are at your destination in no time.
-The other LOCATION perk is being able to hop on a Disney bus (or boat depending on the resort) and go back to your resort easily and quickly for afternoon pool breaks or naps (this has been HUGE for us over the years).
-You will have the option to use the Disney Dining Plan
-You will have a “Key to the World Card” which serves as your room key, if you are on the dining plan your “dining key”, your park tickets (if you book a package that includes tickets), and you can use it for room charges.
-Any purchases you make at the parks or Downtown Disney can be sent back to your room at no charge so you don’t have to lug them around with you.
-The theming – you are on Disney property so the theming of these hotels are great.
-The customer service, when you stay on Disney property you are surrounded by Disney cast members, I have not seen customer service like this in any other hotel we have stayed in, Disney just knows how to do it right.
-You can make your dining reservations 180 days in advance PLUS 10 days, so all of your reservations can be made in one phone call for your entire trip when staying on property.
I’m sure I am leaving some perks out, but these are the biggies.
Now, if you decide you will be staying on Disney property for your vacation then you need to determine where you would like to stay. Disney has several levels of hotels: The Disney Campground, Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, and Vacation Villas.
Before I go into the resorts I want to tell you to check out www.mousesavers.com GREAT site that is always updating the current deals on Disney including the discount codes, this is where I found my first discount code years ago for only $124 a night at Wilderness Lodge and we were hooked on deluxe resorts and NEVER looked back.
MY FAVORITE Disney website is www.disboards.com if you are planning a trip to Disney you MUST visit this website, look around and post questions, they answer you quickly, GREAT forum!
O.K, onward to the on property resorts:
The Disney value resorts range from 82.00-130.00 per night depending on the time of year you travel, type of room you request (you can request a preferred room that is closer to the food court and bus stops, I do NOT recommend doing this, I recommend saving your money and putting a specific location request on your reservation instead). These are the RACK rates for this room and often throughout the year Disney will give public discounts that really knocks the price down per night.
Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet. We stayed in a value our first year and we had a great stay and the kids LOVED it!
If you decide on a value resort our FAVORITE is the POP Century Resort.
It is the newest of the Value’s, has great larger than life icons, a nice main pool and pool bar with pools in each “era”. You can stay in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s locations. Each decade has it’s own theme, icons, and music to go with the theme, just LOVE that about this resort, and it’s own POOL! Pop has a nice big food court, doesn’t share buses with any other resort (which is a huge plus for us), and a nice arcade which our kids loved. Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet.
The next step up are Disney’s Moderate resorts. The average price for moderate resorts are $149-$249 per night (again these are the RACK rates, often they come out with discounts). You still have the exterior access to your room, but the rooms are a tad bit bigger, beds are bigger (queen sized), and the pools have slides and hot tubs. Our favorite moderate resort is Port Orleans French Quarter.
The theming here is great, kids love the pool with the huge serpent slide, and they have a boat that takes you to Downtown Disney. The other reason we love this moderate is it is BY FAR the smallest Disney moderate resort so your walk to the food court and bus stops is minimal, the other moderate resorts are SO spread out. We also love Port Orleans French Quarter because it does share transportation with Port Orleans Riverside but French Quarter is picked up first and dropped off first so we have always gotten a seat to ride on (I don’t like standing and riding on Disney buses). The food court here is good, and the arcade was nice as well, we really enjoyed our stay at this resort.
Also included in the Moderate category for the same rates listed above are the Fort Wilderness Cabins. This is a great option for larger families and it includes a full kitchen as well. We have not stayed at these but have heard wonderful things about them.
The NEXT step up are Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. There are two big differences in prices of the deluxe resorts. If you stay on the monorail you will pay a LOT more. Our favorite deluxe resorts that are not on the monorail so are in the lower tier of pricing are Wilderness Lodge:
or the Animal Kingdom Lodge:
These resorts are VERY similar (the all under one roof concept and so you have covered walkways from the bus into the nicely air conditioned lobby – this is GREAT in the summer). They have sit down restaraunts as well as food courts at the deluxe resorts, they have the pool slides, etc. The difference between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness lodge is the theming, obviously there are Animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge and that is just AWESOME! Both resorts are incredibly beautiful and have wonderful pools with pool slides. Wilderness Lodge is VERY close to the Magic Kingdom and offers a boat to and from the Magic Kingdom which is a GREAT perk. These two resorts range in price from $240-400 per night (depending on room size, view, etc). Both of these resorts do offer a bunk bed option so you can have 2 queens in your room or a queen and a bunk bed which is great for families with kids. All deluxe resorts also offer a balcony which we loved because when the kids were falling asleep we could step outside from some privacy.
So those are the Disney ON property locations in a nutshell (that was hard to summarize and it was STILL wordy) . Next Disney blog I do will be on OFF property perks and locations, then I will do one on our favorite tips and tricks to getting around the parks and avoiding crowds.
Don't worry, I did NOT ignore the other part of the survey results that said many of you still want to hear about my family, I am NOT abandoning that either, more updates on our family will be continuing on this blog as well. Thanks for reading!
Lesley
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Votes are In!
So, the votes are in (thanks for those who voted) and Disney Planning won with 74% of the votes cast, I didn’t get a single comment telling me what you want me to discuss in Disney planning, so I will just start blindly but PLEASE if you have anything Disney Planning related you would like me to discuss from Hotels, itinerary planning, budgets, Disney dining (including meal planning, our favorite places to eat, making reservations), favorite tips, etc. PLEASE post a comment.
I’m off to work on my first installment “So you are going to Disney, where should you stay?”, stay tuned!
-Lesley
I’m off to work on my first installment “So you are going to Disney, where should you stay?”, stay tuned!
-Lesley
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