Give-away!

WE HAVE WINNERS! Congratulations to:

ToKnowHim: http://toknowhimjesus.blogspot.com/
Calista: http://canigetawitness-calista.blogspot.com/

It's time...for a give-away! This week, we have two copies of Nancy Rue's book, "Healing Waters." I personally read this book a few months back and absolutely loved it. Two copies mean...TWO WINNERS!

If you could have lunch with one person (currently living!), who would it be? Remember, if you don't have a blog profile, leave an email. We'll draw a winner in one week!

Tissue alert: It's time to get in the game

What if...we left our "holy huddles" and mixed more with the world around us?

What if...we showed the world God's love rather than talk amongst ourselves about how much the world needs it?

What if...we put our judgments aside and concentrated more on showing others God's grace and mercy?

What if...we looked for ways to serve others without expecting anything in return?

What if...we left our comfort zones and brought the message of God's love and forgiveness to others rather than wait on them to walk through our church doors?

Wait, isn't that exactly what Jesus commanded us to do? What this school did reminds me of the quote by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." What a beautiful picture of a loving God who reminds us time and time again, that He is "in our corner." We are no different than the boys at Gainesville State School. We don't deserve God's presence at the game, much less the forgiveness He offers for our crimes. Praise God, Jesus left His holy huddle to associate with the likes of me.


Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

An Rx for the gloomies

I woke up grumpy today. Not sure why, but it sure didn't help matters when a snarky email landed in my inbox before I could polish off my second cup of coffee and have my daily devotion. Why do some people feel such a need to parse through each and every word you say and draw faulty conclusions? Grrr.... Anyway, it was overcast and chilly outside, which I'm pretty sure was a another factor that spurred on a sudden case of the gloomies. I'm a summer girl and yesterday was sunny and warm, so I think I was getting my hopes up that summer was right around the corner. And then I woke up and looked outside and blah, it wasn't.

After trying unsuccessfully to write for a few hours, I finally decided to do what any sensible woman with a case of the gloomies knows to do. No, there wasn't any chocolate in the house, so I was forced to resort to Plan B. Road trip to Target. A few months ago, a brand new Target opened up about two miles from my house and I have yet to grace it with my presence. How's that for self-restraint? To ward off the gloomies, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door for a therapy session with Dr. Mossismo. Never mind, that my husband has been sounding like a broken recording lately with his daily reminder to "Watch your spending." He's also been using other depressing words like "budget" and "coupons." Can't imagine why I'm suffering from a bout of the gloomies, can you?

So, I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat dying to know if my road trip to Target did the trip. Hardly. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I tried on swimsuits while I was there. Seriously, what was I thinking?! I was standing in front of display after display of the new 2009 line of swimsuits that were, oh-so-cute ON THE HANGERS. In my moments of standing there in my swimwear trance, I somehow managed to rationalize that I should take advantage of this rare moment when my size was for once, amply stocked. And yeah, next thing you know, I'm in the dressing room trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. Because hey, there's just nothing that will cure a case of the gloomies quicker than trying on swimsuits. Two-days after scarfing down Valentine's Day candy. Within 30 minutes of eating lunch. With a pasty winter-white faded tan. In your mid-40's. I know, you're shedding tears for me right now, aren't you? That's so sweet.

But the day wasn't entirely lost. I came to my senses and promptly exited the dressing room, leaving a mount of tankinis in my wake. I then headed straight for the candy aisle and proceeded to load my cart with Valentine's candy that was marked down 50 percent. Most importantly, I stocked up on more chocolate. As a bonus, I tossed in a new pilates DVD that I saw on an endcap on my way to the checkout. Because just having it in my cart made me feel a little bit better about the ten lbs. of candy. And then at the checkout, I threw in some some Midol. And yes, I'm doing better. Much better, thank you very much. :)

Sledding, Texas-style

Compliments of my vintage, video vault, 1996:




Kids bored and driving you crazy today? Try this fool-proof activity to distract them for oh, say 5 minutes.

Have a great weekend!

Another Nintendo DS game give-away!

UPDATE: We have winners! Congratulations to:

Anonymous - Monica - monica.rogers@tracecreek.org
Anonymous - Tricia Simmons - tntsimmons@suddenlink.net
Michele - Gigi and all her Peeps - http://gigiandallherpeeps.blogspot.com/
Kasi - real...true...honest - http://realtruehonest.blogspot.com/

Okay moms, do you remember the give-away we did a few weeks back for the Nintendo DS game? Well, I have another one for you! This time we have a Nintendo DS Ener-G Dance Squad game and here's the good news: Ubisoft Entertainment has donated four (4) copies! Here is the product description from Amazon.com:

Embody an athletic and passionate girl who is ready to work as hard as it takes to become a world champion of modern dance. With the help of an eccentric coach and his charming son, learn new skills and reveal your full potential as a dancer. However, the road to victory will be full of surprises. You will meet and challenge a lot of different dancers on a huge of variety of music and styles.

We are told the songs are clean and the rating is E for "everyone." In order to enter all you need to do is comment below and hmmmm... how about this time you tell us your favorite dessert. Remember, we need a blog profile ID or an email address in order to contact you if you win. We will draw four winners and announce them on this post one week from today. Note that I will be out of town with spotty or no Internet, so you may not see your comment right away!

They don't call it the "boob tube" for nothing...

This morning, I was reviewing a recent article on USAToday.com about a new study that has linked television and adolescent depression. Here are a few highlights of the study: (You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Television and Adolescent Depression
February 03, 2009

Scientists have long been puzzled over whether video gaming, watching TV, and Web surfing are healthy or harmful. The question gained urgency after a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation study found that children average 6.5 to 8.5 hours of media exposure a day. It's as if kids are putting in a full workweek in front of the screen. The problem is, no one knows the risks or benefits of that full-time job.

Brian Primack, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who studies how teenagers' use of media affects their health, analyzed survey data that followed 4,142 teenagers from 1995 to 2002. Teenagers who watched TV were more likely to report symptoms of depression, with the rate increasing 8 percent with every hour of TV watched. That's a pretty impressive increase, particularly considering that most teenagers watch three to four hours of TV daily.

It could be that one reason the depression risk goes up with TV dosage is that it keeps kids away from activities known to reduce the risk of depression, such as time with friends and family, sports, and exercise. But that's just a theory.

Another hypothesis involves the high advertising content in TV (an hour of programming typically contains 12 to 15 minutes of ads). The ads show perfect people being incredibly happy, which sets a standard that no one can meet in real life, the theory says.

Now, mind you, this study was conducted from 1996-2002. One can only imagine what the impact might be when you add to the mix the countless hours spent on iPods, cell phones, and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. I'm depressed just thinking about it. As media becomes more accessible through Blackberries, cell phones, and other wireless devices, we can expect the problem to broaden to adults as well. In fact, as a writer who is commonly faced with a deadline, my laptop is not far from me throughout the day or evening. Last year, I was having problems with insomnia and my doctor asked me if I was working on my computer up until bedtime. Sure enough, I was guilty. I noticed a remarkable improvement in my sleep patterns when I made an effort to put it away and give my mind a rest in the hour before bedtime.

What about you? How do you monitor your child's media intake? I loved hearing some of your rules for texting, so share you wisdom once again! Also, what are some healthy activities that you have incorporated into your family life to give your children other positive outlets?

Families who dance together, stay together

Yet another clip from my vintage video vault. There is nothing cuter than a dad who will dance with his youngins. Never mind those short shorts! We'll cut the guy some slack since it was 1996 and very much in vogue. And pssst...., let me tell you a little secret: He still dances with his daughter when she's home from college for a visit.

If you have little ones, this is a reminder to get out that camcorder, put on your favorite tunes, turn the volume up and get your dance on!

A weighty topic...

The following excerpt is from my newest release, 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter:

Always a work in progress

Recently, I went in for a doctor's appointment for a sinus infection and the nurse said the words most every woman dreads. "Step onto the scale, please." I’ve mentioned previously that in an effort to improve my attitude regarding body image, I put my scale away several years ago. Overall, it has done wonders in adjusting my attitude. Until now, that is. I felt too crummy to argue with the nurse, so robotically, I slipped off my shoes and stepped on the scale. I stood there as motionless as possible as she fiddled with the metal sliders and continued to move one further and further to the right until it landed on a number. I felt my heart begin to beat faster and faster. Dag-nabbit. Was that a primal scream going off in my head? Immediately, another number came rushing to my mind. You know the one I'm talking about: that stupid "magical number" that had defined my worth for so many years. I wish I could tell you that I immediately recognized the enemy's scheme and quickly readjusted my attitude by changing those negative tapes. Not so. Here's a glimpse of the tape that was playing in my head as I stepped off that scale:

"Oh my gosh! Are you kidding me? Can that number be right?"

The tapes were briefly interrupted when the doctor entered the room and I was forced to focus on the real reason I was there--the other sickness in my head. But the tapes picked right back up again when I drove away, en route to get my prescriptions filled:

"Okay, it's 2 p.m. and I've had breakfast and lunch, so that has to allow for at least 2-3 pounds. And my clothes, they have to weigh around two-ish pounds. Add another pound for this cute, but very HEAVY Brighton necklace. And all that congestion in my head--that has to be another couple of pounds, right?" (Wow, losing weight has never been so easy!)

At this point, something snapped and I realized the absurdity of the tapes running through my head. I gave the devil a stern talking-to in my car and thanked God out loud for seeing me as "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14) I asked Him to help me with the ongoing pursuit to define my worth according to His standard of beauty rather than the world's narrow, not to mention unrealistic, standard.

Since that visit to the doctor’s office, God has convicted my heart with a timely reminder from His Word regarding the endless pursuit women face to be beautiful. “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8) Truly, the quest to meet the world’s standard of beauty is vain. Every thought that consumes my heart, every moment that my focus is deterred off Him and onto myself, is nothing more than vanity. For the sake of our daughters, let's put an end to this silly game and redefine beauty according to God's perfect standard. After all, He is the Author of all things beautiful.

Living the Life broadcast airs today!

Yikes! I meant to do a reminder post yesterday and completely forgot! My 2nd interview with Living the Life airs this morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on The Family Channel. I will be discussing this here, blog and my newest book! Woo-hoo! Tune in if you can and sorry for the late notice! Click here for the show's website.