I Am Blessed With a Beautiful Mess
Every day I face mountains.
Mountains of laundry.
Mountains of dishes.
Mountains of exhaustion, frustration, and confusion.
Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever done.
Last night my husband took the kids out for a couple hours, and I had a quiet house to myself. (Well, I had the baby with me, but she seems like no work at all when you're used to three other tornadoes in the house!)
You would think I would have enjoyed the quiet. Having a chance to go to the bathroom without having to referee sibling bickering through the door should be blissful, right?
But you know who the happiest person was for those kids to get home?
Me!
I hardly knew what to do with myself while they were gone! I was (dare I say it?) bored!
You see, while they are a challenge to face each day, every one of those mountains in my home is beautiful.
Those mountains of laundry represent a little boy who is full of healthy curiosity about the world God made. They represent siblings playing outside with one another, climbing trees, playing on the swing set, and picking honeysuckle together.
I want these to be the memories my kids have of home; not of how mom was always complaining about how hard they made her work.
Those mountains of dishes represent meals around the family table, talking and laughing together. The discussions about how to read the clock on the kitchen wall will all too soon turn into discussions about how their college classes are going. I don't want to waste precious memories that will pass too quickly by spending my time focusing on the dirty dishes.
The mountains of exhaustion, confusion, and frustration represent long days teaching children how to be kind, responsible, honest, and obedient, even when they are not the most cooperative students.
But each “Yes, ma’am” that I hear brings a renewed energy and determination to work diligently so that one day those “Yes, ma’am”s will turn to “Yes, Lord”s.
And one day when I see my grown children living a life for God’s glory, I will look back and reflect on this beautiful mess that defines my life as a young mother. And I will declare that every mountain I scaled was worth the effort ten times over.
Fight Laundry Stains with Biz
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Biz Stain & Odor Eliminator. All opinions are 100% mine.
As a mom, I deal with stains every single day.
When I given the opportunity to try out Biz stain fighter, I was happy to put it to the test.
I had stains of all types to fight: mud, grass, food, baby blowouts, you name it.
Here is just one example of one of the stains I worked on (or that Biz worked on for me).
I know, I know. I just had to show you the grossest one!
After treatment with Biz:
You can see that it worked quite well. Biz contains more stain fighting ingredients than other types of stain fighters. It contains ingredients to combat all 4 types of stains: protein-based stains, inks and dyes, brightening/whitening, and granular stains like mud and dirt.
Although the instructions say to use Biz by adding it to a load of wash, or to wet the area with warm water and apply Biz for 30 minutes before washing, I found a favorite way to use it that worked well for me. If something got stained I would immediately put it into a bucket of warm water and add Biz. That way I could allow the garment to soak in the stain fighting power without having to remember to come back and wash it in 30 minutes. I could get it into the wash whenever I happened to make my way back into the laundry room.
I had the opportunity to use it on a wide variety of stains.
For instance, my little girl smeared peanut butter all over a white shirt. After treatment with Biz, it came out whiter than ever.
Another time my little man got grass stain and mud on a pair of tan pants. The grass stain came out without a trace, which surprised me as that is usually one of the toughest stains to fight. On the other hand, the mud did not come out nearly as well.
My overall opinion was that although there are certain types of stains that Biz had a harder time fighting, the ones that it fought well were fought extremely well.
Take a look at where to buy Biz and be sure to be on the lookout for the new look:
You can also save $1 on Biz with a printable coupon!
Be sure to connect with Biz on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for lots of stain fighting goodness.
Apparoo App of the Week: Grandma’s Kitchen
This post is sponsored by Apparoo.
I’ve partnered with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week. These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!
This week's app: Grandma's Kitchen
Grandma’s cooking up a storm in this fresh-baked app that stirs kindergarten and first grade skills into the batter. Kids can “bake” compound words, make and decorate a cake, tell time to see when the cake will be ready, and even help Grandma wash the dishes. Reading, math, and pattern-recognition are seamlessly integrated into eight fun mini-games, and live-action instructive cooking tips add to the deliciousness. Customize the games to choose which skills to activate. So hide the knives and step aside – your eensie-weensie Emeril or junior Julia Child will be whipping up dinner – with a side of reading and math!
Download it here for only $0.99 (limited time only!)
Apparoo App of the Week: iStoryTime
This post is sponsored by Apparoo.
I’ve partnered with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week. These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!
This week's app: iStoryTime
Sometimes simple is best. No matter how many fancy toys your kid has, they always end up on your lap saying “Mama, tell me a story.” iStoryTime is like a central library for kids’ books, and they wisely left off extraneous features, letting the stories shine. It includes four free books and then you can buy more à la carte, or pay a monthly or annual fee, Netflix-style, for unlimited books. With new books released in the app every week, there is always fresh content to enjoy. Stories can be narrated or silent, allowing your child to read independently when they’re ready. Download it here for free.
Make Mother’s Day Easy with eBay
Disclosure: This post was written for Splash Creative Media on behalf of eBay. All opinions are 100% my own.
My sister-in-law is an eBay fiend.
Every time you compliment her on something she's wearing she says, “Thanks! I got it on eBay.”
I occasionally shop on eBay myself, although I sell a lot more than I shop.
The thing I love about selling on eBay is that I can get rid of my junk and put a little money into my PayPal account at the same time. Then when I do have something for which I want to shop, I don't feel like I actually have to pay for it since the money was just sitting there in my PayPal account anyway.
This Mother's Day I'd love to re-do the bedding in the master bedroom. We've had the same bedding since we got married almost 8 years ago, and while I'm not necessarily tired of it, it does need to be updated just because it is getting a little ragged.
Both sets of sheets are ripped and the comforter is stained.
I love getting those bed in a bag sets because my shopping time is limited, and I'd rather just buy everything all in one shot and be done with it. Plus, I feel like it also ends up being cheaper than buying everything individually.
For instance, just a quick look on eBay shows that there are plenty of complete sets for $50-$70ish including shipping.
I love the fact that I can find what I'm looking for at comparable or cheaper prices than just getting something from Walmart or Target (which I don't really have the time to do anyway as a busy mom.)
And if I want, I can even lounge in bed and shop since there is a new and improved eBay app for all types of smart phones. It's totally free and can be found in whatever app store you use.
The bigger pictures and wider variety of search refinement options make it a cinch to shop from your phone.
I may just go ahead and get myself that new bedding set for Mother's Day!
Do you enjoy shopping on eBay too? How about joining the #ebayMobile Twitter party on May 7 from 12-1 PST? RSVP here to be eligible to win of the $25 eBay gift cards or the $100 gift card grand prize! (I'm planning on going for sure!)
What would you shop for with an eBay gift card?
Summer Fun at Dollar Tree
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.
I was just in Dollar Tree on a “date” with my littlest man, letting him pick out a prize for himself and something to bring home to his siblings. I was excited to see all the great options they have for summer toys this year, so when I had the opportunity to partner with Dollar Tree on a sponsored campaign to tell you all about the Dollar Tree Summer Fun products, I was more than happy to do so!
All the Dollar Tree Summer Fun products are…you guessed it…just $1 each. We already bought a sand bucket and shovel, and there are lots of other beach and pool toys available like sand molds, hula-hoops, swim goggles, swim rings, beach balls, noodles — you know, all that fun stuff that kids love to play with during the summer! And I noticed that some of the beach tools are available in multi-packs, making them an even better deal!
In addition to the summer fun toys, there are lots of other summer fun products like colorful flip-flops, summer tableware, and party supplies that will provide you with everything you need for a fun-filled summer at one low price. Selection will vary by store, so be sure to stop in to your local Dollar Tree soon to see what goodies you can find! But hurry, supplies are limited!
For a sneak peek at all the Dollar Tree Summer Fun products, take a look at their website.
Want a chance at a $500 Dollar Tree Gift Card? The Summer Fun Flip-Flop Frenzy Craft Contest is going on now. Submit a photo of an original flip-flopcraft at DollarTree.com and you’ll be entered to win! And while you’re there, you’ll want to sign up for Dollar Tree’s weekly emails so you can stay in the loop about future contests and new products. Plus, you can join the free Value Seekers Club for exclusive crafts, recipes, and tip ideas every month!
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