Why You Need an Out of State Contact for Emergencies


If an earthquake or other disaster strikes, you'll need to get into contact with family members once it's over. Maybe your kids were on a field trip, or maybe you were at the gym. Who knows? But we can't guarantee we'll be with our family when these things happen. So, what do you do?

Establish an out-of-state contact. If there's an emergency, chances are local phones aren't going to work. They may go down or there just may be too many people trying to use them at one time. That's why it's essential that your contact person lives in another state.This should be someone in your family, but could also be a close friend. Make sure everyone in your family memorizes her phone number and has it with them at all times (perhaps in a cell phone or an emergency card). Go over the plan with your kids regularly so that they're prepared. Here's the plan:

• Make sure  your kids have access to a phone when they're not with you.
• Make sure to tell them if an emergency occurs and they're separated from your family and cannot reach them, call the out-of-state contact. The contact will help you all relay messages to one another and find a way to get back together.
• It's also a good idea to have a local meeting place outside of your home in case of emergencies. You should put this into place beforehand as well.

*Make sure to set up an out-of-state contact ASAP and call them to explain your emergency plan to them to make sure they're willing to take on that responsibility. I know it can be frightening thinking about these things, but think how frightening it would be if it happened and your kids were helpless.

Please Don't Close Your Eyes...


While drawing my blood! I once fainted upon seeing my oldest son's blood drawn at the lab. It made me sick to see that the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein and was prodding around looking for one that would cooperate. I don't do well with blood or needles.


Today as they drew my blood, the phlebotomist to my right joked that MY phlebotomist liked to close her eyes just before she put the needle in--this was just after I told them I had to look away from the needle.

I tried to be open-minded in thinking she was just trying to be funny and help me stay relaxed. But, REALLY? How would that help me relax? And then I started thinking about her statement. Oh my gosh. Was she actually telling the truth, but just making a joke out of it because she knew nobody would actually believe it? I was scared.


I clenched my teeth. Stopped. Took some deep breaths, and sang the first worship song that came to my head. She stuck the needle into my arm and proceeded to take 3 or 4 tubes of my blood (which flowed freely because I drank almost 2 bottles of water in the waiting room). When she was done, I thanked her for not hurting me. I think she was the gentlest phlebotomist I have ever had. Maybe the secret is that she closed her eyes! 

10 Things to Tell Teenage Girls


We just had a guest speaker--an amazing guest speaker-- and person visit our church for a parenting seminar about raising teens with sexual self control. I can't say enough good things about the speaker, Karen Kropf--really! I must seem like a creeper or something because I've already emailed her AND posted about her on Facebook, and now here. But if I have something good, why would I hide it? I have to share it with others. I have to share HER with others.

Her blog post today was about 10 things she would say to teenage girls and it was fabulous. Check it out and let me know what you think. Click HERE to read her post. Enjoy!

5 Easy Ways to Save Money on Food During Vacation


We'll be leaving for vacation very soon. Though we can't wait and are excited to travel and live in hotels for a week and 1/2, we will definitely be saving money on our food choices. That's one thing that gets really expensive during vacation. I'm sure you can agree with that. But there are smart ways to save, and I'll share a few with you. Here's what we'll be doing:

1) Buy a case of water bottles and take them with you. This will save money on drinks when you eat out or in between meals. I just hate shelling out an extra $6.00 - $10.00 every time we eat.


2) Pack a whole suitcase of food. You can take it with you into your hotel. We'll be putting protein bars, applesauce, fruit, juice boxes, cereal, yogurt, and other healthy snacks.


3) Visit a Costco near you and eat all the samples for a light lunch if you really want to go cheap! (Haven't tried this one yet, but it sounds adventurous!)


4) Stay at a hotel that offers more than just bagels for breakfast. If you pay more for a hotel that offers this kind of "breakfast" it doesn't really pay off because the kids are hungry again in about an hour. Find a place that offers a substantial breakfast, just make sure it's still a good deal.


5) Scope out the restaurants that offer "kids eat free" deals. You can slash your bill in half this way, and there are so many restaurants that offer this. Your kids can eat free for several nights of the week if you just move around to different restaurants.


There you have it. The 5 easiest ways to save money on food while on vacation with your family. Happy travels!

Girls, Girls, Girls


I have boys. Needless to say I do not often hear the gossip talk that young girls share between themselves. I mostly hear talk that has to do with bodily functions, pranking people, inventing, crafting, or video games. Not that boys don't have their downfalls too, but gossip is one thing that I don't hear much of when I'm around my boys and their friends.

Add a few girls into the mix at a social event or something and that's when I hear the things girls talk about. Not all girls, but I have heard these things often enough (and can draw from my own girl-hood experiences) to know that it happens quite a bit. I was so saddened the other day when I heard two girls (not any that I know personally) who were about 9-11 years old, and were just ripping apart this other girl who goes to their school. 


I was at the ice skating rink and as I looked out from above to watch the kids skating around and around, these two tween girls stood next to me and laid out the details of how they "hated" this one girl who was out on the rink because she was so skinny. They shared the details of how you could see her ribs and that her stomach was so tiny, you couldn't even see it. "She's anorexia," they stated several times. They went on to say how gross it was that she was so skinny, etc., etc.


It was horrible! It was all I could do to bite my tongue and not interject something into their conversation. Anyway, it made me think about how girls and women cut each other down so much. I could write an entire book about it, and we all know there are so many things that add to our tendency to gossip and put each other down, so I won't get into that.


This is just a reminder to watch how we talk about people and maybe listen in on your kids to see if they're doing this to one another. It can be a terrible habit and the more we do it, the more naturally it comes to us. As women, and as Christians, we have so much counting against us in this world anyway, why add to the burden on our shoulders? We shouldn't cut each other down, nor allow our daughters to do so. Let's teach them to build one another up and pray for each other. Just something that's been on my mind for the past few days and I can't seem to shake it. So, I figured I'd share it instead!