KristenLunceford.com

Love That...Paper Solution

I'm pretty sure the only thing I dislike more than Paper is voicemail...and maybe clowns. Yes, definitely clowns. Oh, and ice cream trucks. Gah. Anyway, I avoid Paper whenever possible. I can’t stand the piles he makes. I gave up scrapbooking when Mac boogied into my life and wooed me away from him. I have myself on every don’t-you-dare-send-me-junk-mail list that exists out of spite for him. I resent my printer for being such an ugly dust collector and belittle it for being so mechanical and archaic. I roll my eyes every time I have to make photocopies for my kids' teachers (why is this not a one-to-one laptop school?). And, judging by the sorry state of my handwriting these days, I clearly can't be bothered to actually write on him. So Paper and me? Yeah, we don’t really hang out anymore.

Except for…ahem…on Tuesdays.

For all my digital snobbery (and I’ve got it in spades, folks), I have this one weakness—this one lasting soft spot—for Paper. I don’t know what it is, but I have never played well with his much younger friend, Mr. Digital Calendar. Mr. Digi has failed me too many times, mostly because I can’t stand looking at him. I realize this isn’t his fault, but I need someone to blame for me forgetting that I was supposed to help out in Landon’s class last month or that our coffee supply needed restocking last week, so I blame him. 

Which brings me back to Paper. Every Tuesday I sit down with my two favorite printables and marvel at how happy they make me. The first is my Week at a Glance friend, Mr. Awesomesauce. Everyone say, “Hello, Mr. Awesomesauce.”

I love him. He’s been so good to me. Click here to make him yours.

Next up: Mr. Eat Sheet. He listens intently while I choose recipes. He escorts Selah and me to the grocery store. He whispers sweet nothings into my ear so that I don’t forget anything important. He serves his purpose well and takes no offense when he hits the recycling bin as soon as the groceries are unloaded. He’s wonderful, and he's available here. 

All joking aside, I have noticed a real change in my attitude since I started using these two printables at the beginning of January. I don't dread meal planning quite as much, and our very full schedule seems less overwhelming each week because I can easily see everything in one place whenever I'm in the kitchen (which, um, seems like all day sometimes). Sure, I still use iCal which is synced up to Ryan's Google calendar, but only to copy stuff down from it onto Mr. Awesomesauce. I know it's a little old school in the era of iThis and Siri that, but iDon'tcare. This paper solution to my calendar woes has improved my attitude toward certain aspects of homemaking, and...

“If there is anything I have learned in the course of my fast and furious mothering journey, it is that there is only one thing in my entire life that must be organized. The kids can be running like a bunch of hooligans through a house that appears to be at the bottom of a toaster, and yet, if organization and order can still be found in my attitude, we are all doing well. But if my attitude falters, even in the midst of external order, so does everything else.”

~Rachel Jankovic

Love That...DVD Series

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd bring back Love That Tuesdays with my current favorite DVD series for kids, What's In The Bible.

Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer designed this hilarious, informationally-dense series to walk families through the entire Bible, and we all love it. It's perfect for older kids who have outgrown the Veggies, and great for parents who need a refresher on things like primeval history, the Pentateuch, the Davidic Covenant, and how we got the canon. And did I mention the hilarity? The characters are super witty, the songs are a riot, and I love hearing my kids belly laugh in unison over the antics of Buck Denver, Sunday School Lady, and Michael. It's a solid, well-paced series with downloadable curriciulum, crafts, flashcards, coloring pages, and more.  

Here's an overview:

 

 

Love That...Big Truths for Little Kids

We're all about routines in our home, the newest of which rolls out each school day morning between 7AM and 8:35AM. It goes like this:

Breakfast, brush teeth, make beds, get dressed, wait for Mom to pour her second cup of coffee, devotions, free play (in separate rooms when possible to promote a bickering-free morning), shoes & backpacks, leave for school. 

Today I want to highlight the devotions portion of our morning to tell you about a great little book we've really enjoyed having in our home called Big Truths for Little Kids. The book is broken up into a number of short, thematic stories about characters named Caleb, Cassie, Angus, and Daniel that are paried with a list of applicable catechism questions and answers.

Each morning we review the previous story's catechism questions (ex: Are there more gods than one? In how many persons is the one true God?) before starting the new set of questions, and at the end we go through some compreshension verification questions that allow the kids  to reitterate what happened in the story and what they learned about God from the story. 

For example, we recently established an allowance/tithing system for Landon and Evan, so today we read Chapter 22 where Cassie (one of the "Catechism kids") begins doing chores to earn money for a new doll. Along the way she learns about tithing, saving, and spending as well as about how easily things (like a new doll) can become idols for us.  So the boys and I were able to have a very directed and informed conversation about their allowances, their tithe, and the importance of being careful to not let other things (like earning money for new Legos) become so important that we start loving those things more than we love God and his people.

In 15 minutes we were able to cover everything from: how God provided enough money for us to adopt Selah; to the kinds of things our family's tithe will pay for in Advance Church's new facility; to how important it is that we be generous because God has been generous to us;  to why obeying the second commandment is difficult, even for Mommy and Daddy.

(You see now why me pouring a second cup of coffee before we sit down for devotions is a crucial part of our morning routine!)

So I love Big Truths for Little Kids because it leads us into some really important, timely, and even challening conversations with our children that we don't have to spend much--if any--time prepping for. And the stories keep the kids entertained and interested along the way. A lot of it is definitely over Selah's head (she's 3), but our intention for her during our morning devotion time is that she a) learn the discipline of it and b) learn to sit still and listen. 

For days when we need something a little lighter and quicker, we pull out one of these by Sheila Walsh:

I am Amazing Because God Loves Me

God's Mighty Warrior Devotional Bible

I am Loved (God's Little Princess) 

Love That...Secondhandasaurus

While scoping out the Vegas thrift store scene last month, I accidentally drove past a funky little place called Dinosaurs and Roses that made me do a u-turn. I dragged the kids inside and, to our surprise, we had a blast looking through all their second-hand goodies and touring the upstairs art gallery. I even spied this great coffee table that we desperately needed to replace the one we bought before we knew three kids and a dog would destroy it. 
Dinosaurs and Roses is a newer non profit resale store dedicated to supporting charities throughout the Las Vegas community like The Caring Place, the NSPCA, pokergives.org, the Women's Development Center, and local schools. Though slightly pricer than some of the traditional second-hand stores, I love it because it offers just a bit more in the way of ambiance. It's fun to be able to browse downstairs and then take the kids upstairs to wander around 30 'lil art studios that are home to more than 45 different artists (many of whom kindly chat with us while we scope things out). 

You can find the shop on Facebook, Twitter and, for those of you who are locals, on the southwest corner of Charleston and Jones. 

Love That...Shaun White for Target

I'm crushing on Shaun White. But it's not what you think. 

Of course I love his snowboarding (who doesn't?). And I can appreciate his signature hairdo. But what I'm liking most about him these days is the clothing line he and his brother Jesse consistently bring to my beloved Target sales racks. 

The super affordable, subtly saker/surfer/snowboarder line is more perfectly suited to my boys' personalities than anything else I've found. I dig the line's West Coast vibe and practicality, and I love that Landon and Evan get excited about wearing anything and everything I pick out from Shaun (for example). 

Evan's shoes & shorts below are from SW, as is Lander-man's entire outfit:

(photos by Kristin Rogers)

Beyond the cool clothes, I have to confess to also loving Shaun's sarcastic series of YouTube videos about the line. For those of you who know me, the fact that I find these hilarious will come as no surprise to you. :0) Here are two of several videos:

 

 

Love That...Vegas Must-See

When my brother and dad came to Vegas in January to help us move in, they kept telling us about how they just HAD to go visit the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. Something about a TV show and dude named Chumlee? I was so confused. I knew my dad liked to look at old junk, but my brother? Huh.

Before they headed back to Santa Barbara, they told us to start watching Pawn Stars on the History Channel. After one episode, we were completely hooked and learning all kinds of crazy things about old stuff, "The Old Man," and Vegas.  So when my mom came into town a couple weeks ago and offered to babysit, Ryan and I jumped at the chance to head downtown to check the place out.

Sometimes there is a long line to get inside, but we walked right in and had fun searching through the shop for things we recognized from the show. We didn't expect to run into as many "I heart Chumlee" souvenirs as we did, but they did make us laugh. 

Anyway, if you are already a fan of the show and coming to Vegas soon, head three miles north of the Strip on Las Vegas Blvd. and you'll be there. If you don't already watch the show, start watching it. You will be thoroughly entertained and may actually learn a few cool things, too. :-)

“Rick, I don’t want to hear it, you had a lady in here the other day that you could have talked down another couple thousand dollars, but you were just standing there smiling like a possum eating peach seeds.” ~The Old Man

Love That...Totally Bearable Kid's Music

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.  ~William Stafford 

In my better moments, I'm a pretty cool mom. (For the sake of this post, we'll ignore those other moments when I'm...um...totally lame). For example, every week I make sure our kids have a fresh basket of library books to devour, new documentaries to learn from, and silly music to sing along with. Truthfully, though, most of music I help them check out sends me reaching for the "fade to rear" control in my van before we are even out of the library parking lot. A person can only listen to so many Veggie Tales & Disney Jr. songs before she wants to hurl some tomatoes and lock Minnie in her overly-pink Boutique. You know it's true. Don't judge me.

That's why it's more than great when every once in a while a children's album comes along that I willingly allow to serenade us from the van's back and front speakers. 

I love Sovereign Grace's Walking with the Wise album because the songs are catchy, inspired by verses from the book of Proverbs, and completely fun to sing along to. I confess to listening to my favorite track off the album ("A Generous Heart") even when the kids aren't in the car (see, I told you I am equal parts lame).

Evan loves "W-I-S-D-O-M" and Landon's favorite is "Where it All Begins." I think Selah is partial to the slowest track of the bunch, a tune called "Who Can Say" because there are lots of opportunities in it for her to sing "Geeeesus." :-)

Because the kids and I love this album so much, I bought an extra copy to give away to one of you. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook telling me what your favorite book is for kids in the 10-and-under crowd. Please comment by this Friday and I'll announce the winner this weekend!

Until then, enjoy these lyrics from Track 9: Lazy Bones

Inspired from Prov. 6:6-11; 16:3
VERSE 1
Have you heard about Mr. Lazy Bones?
You can find him sleeping on his couch at home
When there’s work outside for him to do
He is working hard to find another excuse

VERSE 2
Mr. Lazy Bones tells you he’s afraid
Never ever finishes the plans he’s made
When you want his help around the house
You can try to find him but he’s never around

CHORUS
Lazy Bones can help us see
What we never want to be
Doesn’t have a hope or a clue
When we work to please the Lord
God will make our plans secure
And He’ll be glorified in all we do

VERSE 3
See the busy ants working all the time
No one has to tell them how to stay alive
Getting ready for winter days ahead
Gathering their food until the times comes to rest

Love That...Curl Control

"I wear it up. I wear down. I wear it twisted all around. I wear braids and pigtails, too. I love all the things my hair can do. In barrettes or flying free, ever perfect tresses you’ll see..."

If there's one standout gem among the gobs of curly haircare products I've tried on Selah's locks, it's the Curly Q Milkshake Organic Curl Lotion from Curls. It's my absolute best friend when it comes to taming and styling her high-maintenence tresses.   

I love it because it really defines, hydrates, and tightens her curls without making them look (or feel) greasy; plus, I can always count on it to help me work quickly and easily, whether I'm getting Selah to sport any number of pom-poms or trying to achieve a well-defined fro. (I also get a little help from Sesame Street by singing "I love my hair" to her while I work :-)

I've used several other products (shampoos, conditioners, detanglers, etc.) from both Curls and Carol's Daughter, but so far this is my favorite product to recommend. If you want to try it out on your kids, or order something else for yourself, visit RetailMeNot first for some budget-friendly Curls discount codes.  

Love That...Song.

The David Crowder Band has done it again; the guys have hijacked my computer mouse and lured it toward iTunes/Controls/Repeat/One.

It happened to me in college with All I Can Say. It happened to me before our wedding with Open Skies. It happened to me at the beginning of our adoption process with Remedy. It happened to me in Ethiopia with How He Loves.

And it’s happening to me again this week with Sometimes.

 iTunes/Controls/Repeat/One

 Sometimes

(You can listen to it here while you finish reading this post.)

Given the enormity of what we have gotten ourselves into (moving to Vegas to plant Advance Church), sometimes it feels like we are a stone that’s been hurled into the ocean…and sometimes that is so terrifyingly awesome that we can’t decide which emotion is stronger: fear or freedom. So sometimes I feel like we are living every lyric of this song, and sometimes I am sure other people are living these lyrics, too.

So this week’s "Love That" is a shout out to the precious handful of families—some of them future “Advancers,” others of them new friends from our church planting training in CA—who are midflight, bravely headed away from the shore. Sometimes, you guys, we just just need you to know: We get it. He's worth it. Keep going. The water is deep, but it's also warm... 

Don’t be afraid / just set your sail / and risk the oceans, there’s only grace / let’s risk the ocean, yeah, there’s only grace 

Love That...Caffeine Fix

In his book, Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God, CJ Mahaney tells husbands that romance can be communicated quite effectively through small, frequent, and thoughtful gifts. For him this means occasionally picking up some Chewy Spree candy on his way home from work because it's his wife's favorite. For my husband it means surprising me with a yummier alternative to the nasty-for-me creamer I am always pouring into my coffee in alarming quantities...   

I love this chocolate powder from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf because it affords me a mocha (or three) from my own kitchen each morning...and it doesn't expire like my flavored creamer. Plus, the tin can just makes me happy. Even more than all that, though, I love it because it reminds me that my husband pays attention to the simple things that make me smile and then goes out of his way to grow our marriage with small and thoughtful gifts. Of course the occasional bigger surprises are appreciated, too, like the second-row seat I found myself in last Friday at Cirque Du Soleil "O." But that's another post entirely. :-) Still, the coffee cup is fun, right?

What about you? What are some of the simple (even silly) gifts you love to give or receive?