Archive for the Category »Family Life «

August

Home, it is a great place to return to! We arrived home after a 17 day vacation tour of Texas that included 4,008 miles in the car! We live in Pennsylvania, which is over 1400 miles from one of our Grandparents homes. The majority of our family is dotted all over Texas and it is a big state. After driving to see them as well as good friends from years past (about 1200 miles) we have the 1400 mile return trip. Why would anyone drag a family of 6 through 4008 miles of Suburban driving? We love people, family and friends who we do not see often, that is why!

Eleven years ago the Lord lead us to Pennsylvania, a wonderful move for our family. We came here as a family of three and while here the Lord has added three “moore” to our numbers We love Pennsylvania, it is home! But it does not change the fact that our roots are Texan and our family lives in that big old Lone Star State. We try to make trips back once a year or something close to it.

I was thinking that this vacation of ours would probably be an introvert’s nightmare! We went from one social occasion to another, visiting with people each day. And I loved it! I guess I am an extravert for sure! It is amazing how the Lord makes us uniquely different. We are even different in the ways we relax and re-coop. Give me a room full of family and friends who will sit and talk deeply about heart issues as well as laugh and joke along the way, and I am ready to go.

I hope you are grabbing a family vacation this summer, and that it is tailored just right for your personality.

PS Check back tomorrow for my top ten things you need for a family vacation road trip

Category: Family Life, good friends, Mandy, Pennsylvania Life, vacation Tags: family, roadtrip, travel Leave a Comment

Extra Hot Coffee, & Other Deep Thoughts

June

written by:mandy | Leave a Comment

I like my coffee hot, extra hot that is. You might not know that you can order your specialty coffee extra hot, but you can. Well you have to be in a decent coffee shop, I have tried it in places where they just look at me like I am crazy. A normal temp for coffee is about 82 degrees, ordering it extra hot can go as high as 170. I like mine extra hot so that the heat lasts longer at my perfect temp and is not gone with in seconds of me getting my coffee.

Recently, I was pondering my coffee temp deli ma. When I get it in the drive through the first for the first few seconds or maybe a full minute I can not drink it. Then it hits the perfect temp and I love it for 10-15 minutes however it then reaches a temp that does not excite me and at some soon coming point I wish I had a microwave in the back of my suburban, or in the dash board for that matter! Back to my pondering. As I was driving I started thinking wouldn’t it be great if they made a coffee tumbler with a built in thermometer and a heating device. If one could set their travel tumbler to the perfect temp they enjoy and the tumbler did it’s magic my coffee would remain at my desired hotness! Maybe they already have these, but I have not seen one yet so we will just pretend it is a somewhat original thought.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful for my coffee to be at the perfect temp all the time? On second thought maybe it wouldn’t. If my coffee was always at the perfect temp would that steal the joy? Is there something about the process of getting to the perfect temp that makes it so perfect? Isn’t that true in life as well? It is summer time and usually that means people are taking vacations. I know on our vacation we always have moments that are just perfect. Being a family of six they are only moments instead of being the entire vacation, someone always has something going on or an attitude that needs to change.

Perfect moments come and go, and I think some of what makes them perfect is the contrast to the not so perfect and even the dreaded horrid moments.

If there is a travel tumbler out there with a built in heating device and thermometer, I don’t think I want it I want my coffee to hit it’s perfection for only a short time, so that I can savor it all the more. This summer I am going to savor every perfect moment that comes our families way, they will be a treasure I am sure and I just might have an extra hot no whip mocha to go with them!

Category: coffee, Family Life, Mandy, Starbucks Leave a Comment

Loving the iPad!

May

written by:mandy | Leave a Comment

My birthday was at the beginning of the month and my husband and kids surprised me with an iPad2! I should have known something was up when my kids kept begging me to open my gift from them I love figuring out how to use this technology in my life, for both fun and for productivity! I keep researching best ways to use it and my kids keep stealing it away to take pics, videos, play games and make music in GarageBand.

Our church is currently in a series of sermons that have memory verses included, one for each week. As a family we have been working to memorize these verses. I decided to video the kids saying them and have fun on iMovie putting together the different clips.

The other day, I found Isabelle watching the video clip of her and her siblings saying their verses. I then saw her begin to tape herself re-saying them and including the “good job” comment I added at the end. This got my mind to thinking!!

Isabelle currently is not able to count higher than 13, she always messes up when we get to 14. I have been thinking we would work on this during the summer as well as other things.

The two thoughts came together for me!

I decided to video myself counting objects up to 20. I thought maybe she will watch it over and over and actually count with it! When I made the first video I did not even get it finished before she and Owen showed up wanting to watch it over and over. The second video I spontaneously captured on our driveway after we wrote out numbers 1-20 with sidewalk chalk.

I am looking forward to see what will come of this little experiment! I already found her watching one and counting along! I will let you know how it goes Numbers 14-20 may just be in her vocabulary sometime soon!

My love for my iPad2 grows.

Category: Family Life, iPad2, Isabelle, Mac, Mandy, Motherhood Leave a Comment

PJ DAY!

May

written by:mandy | Leave a Comment

I wrote this back in February, never posted it but I still want to…

I love the way my children are so forgiving!

Isabelle had been super excited about pajama day at school, scheduled for February 2nd…ground hog day. She had been talking about it for a week! I was super excited because the first time she talked to me about it she said “Mom, Mrs Riedel told me….pajama day, slippers, pajama!!” Isabelle has worked very hard to overcome a significant speech delay all of her life. It was years before she talked and talking in sentences only happens every now and then. To hear her say those four words together that are a proper use without significant words left out was music to my ears “Mom, Mrs. Riedel told me…” I love it!!

Back to PJ day! She was super excited! Turns out February 2nd we had no school, snow! So our next day of school I sent her without PJ’s, bad decision! When I picked her up she was more than just a little sad, to say the least. Everyone else had worn PJ’s. There mom’s read the sent home paper that said what to do if there was snow. As well those little kids were able to tell their mom’s much more than “Mom, Mrs. Riedel told me…” They were probably able to tell paragraphs about what to do in case of a snow day on February 2nd. Needless to say I shed a few tears on the way home that day! I had failed my little girl and her PJ day, and she was not able to communicate with me like other little kindergarteners. So what is a Mom to do?

Once we arrived home I decided it was PJ day at our house. Isabelle, Owen and even myself headed upstairs to change. Such a simple thing, but both of my kids thought it was AWESOME. We had lunch in our PJ’s with a blanket, an episode of Dora and a good book reading. We had our PJ day right here at home, and my sweet Isabelle was thrilled. I am thankful to have forgiving kids! When Brian got home that night he looked at me in my PJ’s with a question in his eyes…”it’s PJ day!” was my response!

I am thankful that the Lord has made each of my children uniquely! And I am thankful that he blesses me with their love and forgiveness!

Category: Family Life, Mandy, Motherhood Leave a Comment

Mandy’s Monday – New Oceans

January

written by:mandy | 2 Comments

“The hour has arrived!” I had a professor in college who always started his class with these words, “The hour has arrived”. With them he declared the beginning of our class time. I always found him intimidating. Once when I was late I just decided to skip the class altogether rather than enter late and have him draw attention to my tardiness. Today I would like to declare…”The hour has arrived!”

Today I find myself officially and formally in a new stage of life. Yesterday, I said goodbye to being a Youth Pastor’s wife. It is official…I am now a Pastor of Creative Ministries’ wife! I can hear you already “What does the Pastor of Creative Ministries do?” My response goes something like this…. “OK le’me explain…No, it’s too much! Le’me summ up! …Humperdink is going to marry Buttercup in little less than half an hour….” It is complicated, it is new, it is still forming, and it is messy at times. The Lord has lead Brian to a new ministry at Calvary Church, and since it has always been our passion to be in ministry together the Lord is leading me to something new as well.

I am not going to pretend that this has not been hard, it has been. I am not going to pretend that I am not scared, I am. I am not going to pretend that I have all the answers or know what lays ahead, I don’t! However, I know the one who does and I desire to serve Him in the way He desires for me to do so! Brian will now be involved in crafting the over all program for the Sunday morning service at our church. He will also lead teams that create our church web presence, on-screen presentations, videos, all things in print, and more…His passion is to communicate the word of God in many creative and moving forms that will inspire individuals and families of all ages to deepen their walks with the Lord.

Last night our family had Chinese food, something we always do at the end of the Winter Retreat weekend. Isabelle had the following “fortune” in her cookie “You cannot discover new oceans unless you are willing to lose sight of the shore.” How very fitting for the day we said goodbye to Student Ministries. We have LOVED being involved in the lives of students for the last 18 years! The Lord has had us serve Him in three different churches and blessed us with the opportunity to see many teenagers begin and deepen their walk with the Lord. We have been honored that the Lord would choose to bless us with the gift of serving Him. And now he asks us to head out to new oceans and in order to do so we much lose sight of the shore we have known for so long. As the Student Ministries shore slips into the distance I cast my eyes on the new horizon and declare “Where you lead me Lord, I will follow. Where you lead me Lord, I will go. Come and heal me Lord, I will follow. Come and lead me Lord I will go…I will go!”(listen to the song)

If you find yourself standing in a boat that is leaving the comfort of a familiar shore headed out to new oceans, I pray you know the one to whom even the wind and the waves obey. He is trustworthy, on that I stand sure!

Category: Family Life, Mandy's Mondays, ministry, Student Ministry 2 Comments

Mandy’s Monday – Resolutions Review

January

written by:mandy | One Comment

In 2010 we set a goal as a family to each read 20 books. I learned a great deal from the books I read as well as the process of trying to reach this goal. I will reveal right up from that I did not accomplish 20 books I love to read, I have said that many times, and I loved reaching for this goal but just fell short. I read more books than I would have with out the goal. It pushed me to continue reading and therefore it is a goal I am going to set once again in 2011!

Below is a listing of the books I read in 2010. I will not be listing them in order for one main reason, I lost my list two different times this year and had to recreate it both times. There is a good chance I forgot a few books and I know I did not remember them in order!

1. Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson
2. Stomping Out The Darkness by Neil T. Anderson
3. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
4. When People are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch
5. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
6. Emma by Jane Austin
7. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
8. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin
9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (why not throw it in there one more time!)
10. Jesus, 90 Days With the One and Only by Beth Moore
11. The Poor Will Be Glad by Peter Greer & Phil Smith
12. Helping Your Kids Deal with Anger, Fear, and Sadness by H. Norman Wright
13. Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton & Tim Keown
14. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (still finishing this one with the kids)

I really believe there are a few books I forgot about, that I read in the beginning months of 2010 and were lost from memory when I lost my list. It is amazing how long ago January 2010 feels from today!

This coming year as I set a 20 book goal once again I decided to add a layer to the resolution. I desire to read at least one book from each of the following categories: marriage, parenting, classics (Jane Austin does not count…I have now read all of hers), NY current best seller list, spiritual walk, and theology. I look forward to reading and blogging in response!

Now to reveal a few of my new resolutions:
1. I have fallen in love with my slow cooker! Therefore, this year I will use my slow cooker at least once a week, with the exception of the summer time. During the summer I use the grill all the time…and love it completely!! I found a blog with great slow cooker recipes, A Year of Slow Cooking. Be sure to check it out if you do not already know about it.
2. Run a second marathon with a new PR! I can not say enough about how much I loved running the San Antonio Rock N Roll Marathon in November. It was such an encouragement to me in many ways.
3. Attack the basement…AARRGGG!! For years I have wanted to do something drastic down there, just too many things are down there that need to be given away or thrown out…too much clutter.
4. Do a Bible Study with Addie and Emma. They are at a wonderful age and I want to take full advantage of the opportunity to disciple my daughters!
5. In 2010 I started a twitter journal of sorts for God’s love. I began in Genesis and as I read through the Bible I noted where I saw God’s love. I tweet each of these and am currently in I Samuel. In 2011 I plan to continue with this #God’sLove twitter journal.
6. In a restatement: I will work to read 20 books this year with at least one from each of the above stated categories.
and lastly:
7. I want to be faithful to post a blog for each of the Monday’s in 2011! (I missed one last week, but I am OK with that.) Hopefully, there will be 51 Mandy’s Mondays at the close of 2011. Writing is enjoyable for me, so this goal is for me to force myself to take the time to do so!

I am looking forward to a new year, the old has gone the new has come!