Back to School Fashion for Tweens

Back to school shopping can be stressful, particularly when you have picky fashion conscious teens/tweens.  We managed to get our back to school clothes shopping done with very little stress by providing the boys with a budget and letting them spend it as they saw fit, provided they got the things they really needed first {like new shoes}.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well they managed the money!

I had the opportunity to submit some questions for my readers to some fashion “experts” including two teen/tween fashion sensations, Elle and Blair Fowler.

As an added bonus, the folks from Sears/Kmart are providing me with a $25 Sears gift card to help a lucky reader with the back to school shopping expenses.

To enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment with your best back to school clothes shopping tip.

For extra entries (after completing mandatory entry above):

• Leave a comment about favorite advice from the video above
• Have your child complete an entry for the in the Crush Your Style contest and leave a comment letting me know you did.

Giveaway closes September 3rd and winner will be chosen via random.org.  This giveaway is open to residents of continental US only.  I was not compensated for this giveaway.  I posted it for the benefit of my readers.

So, what happened to homeschooling?

This summer has been a roller coaster ride of indecisiveness.  Confusion.  Soul-searching.  Heart break.  On my face before my Creator asking “why” and then remembering it is often not my place to ask.

 {Situations that I can’t share here that shook my faith and made my soul ache but at the same time brought my family closer together and provided us an even firmer foundation upon which to serve our Jesus}

Don’t get me wrong…there were good times, too!

 But, I have carried around a heaviness that I was finding hard to shake.   And, in the midst of that, we {my husband and I} were praying about whether or not to home school our boys this year.

We pray every year about what their educational journey will look like.  Usually, the answer is clear.  This year, it was muddled.

Just for general information, we Type A mama’s don’t handle “muddled” well.

My husband does well with cutting through the mud in muddled.  My motherly emotions tend to get in the way and the emotion that was muddying my waters was fear.

In God’s Word, He does not hesitate to tell us not to fear.  Yet, I don’t hesitate to let fear invade my thoughts and my heart, particularly when it comes to the balancing act of motherhood.

So do not fear, for I am with you {and your children}; do not be dismayed, for I am your God {and your children’s God and Father too}.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you in my righteous right hand {and there your children rest too}.  Isaiah 41:10

The italicized portion is obviously mine but it is how God spoke to me.  That no matter the decision of where to be schooled and how to be educated, God holds my children close to His heart and I have nothing to fear.

Raising teenagers these days is scary and downright overwhelming {especially when you work with teen moms and see some grim realities of our fallen world}.  As my boys head off to public school {the final decision the hubby and I came down to} again this year, my heart is at peace.

As for their spiritual education, that will continue at home.  And this mama is kicking that focus up a notch this year. You can NEVER be to close to the One who beckons you not to fear.

New at Multitasking Mama’s shop!

Reasons I am opening an OpenSky shop on the blog:

1. A lifetime pipe dream of mine has been to own a little boutique (where I would sell an eclectic blend of products that I love)…OpenSky provides the opportunity for this to become a reality right here on my little ‘ole blog.
2. The opportunity to provide my readers with products that I use and like!
3. I attended an OpenSky presentation at BlogHer and fell in love with their vision and focus.
4. All my friends are doing it (Makeover Momma, OrgJunkie, Amy and more)
5. The ability to raise money for a cause dear to my heart- all the proceeds from my OpenSky shop will be donated to YoungLives, the organization I work with that provides mentoring and support to teen moms.

So, here are the inaugural items I am offering (with many more to come):

Above, you will find the link to purchase this paper organizer for busy (multi-tasking) mama’s!  I know there are many electronic options for keeping your calendar under control but I am still a paper planner type of gal.

Using under the bed storage space is a great way to maximize the space in your home.  These under the bed storage bags are also chic and cute (always a plus).

I came home from BlogHer with some whole coffee beans and no way to grind them. Problem solved!

Shop away, and keep an eye out for weekly posts featuring my new, hand picked just for you, favorite things!

As a special bonus, use coupon code EXCITE25 before August 20 to receive a 25% discount!

Just along for the ride…

The Lord foils the plans of the peoples: He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.  But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.  Psalm 33: 10-11

I am pretty sure that God sits in heaven, watches me make my plans and laughs.  Not just a chuckle, but a deep belly guffaw. Yup, He finds my insane desire to “have a plan” hilarious and uses the changing of my plans to grow me on a daily basis.

Allow me to illustrate:

There were several blogging and  writing conferences as well as other trips I wanted {and planned} to attend this year.  Blissdom was fabulous in February and apparently on God’s agenda too.  It has all been downhill since then.

The next was EVO ’10.  I was excited about that one.  Not only because I won a complete site redesign for my organizing site {to be revealed soon} but because the location was beautiful!  Alas, at the very last minute {and have I mentioned that we [recovering] Type A personalities do not deal well with last minute changes?} I had to stay home to deal with an issue with our oldest son.  I was beyond bummed.

But, I had the Savvy Blogging Summit quickly approaching and was totally pumped for that as well.  Not just to soak in the incredible knowledge from the speakers and take my blog/ministry to the next level but to see so many of my online friends in person.  Yeah, you guessed it.  Last minute….middle son gets horrific ankle infection and mama couldn’t go. 

Har-dee-har-har, God!

Then there was She Speaks.  I had the most amazing experiences at She Speaks last year and could not possibly believe that it wouldn’t be God’s will for me to go again this year.  After all, I had my appointment with not one, but two publishing companies confirmed, when I learned that God had other plans.  I really grumbled to God about this but there was a local ministry opportunity that I am so glad I did not miss!  God does know what He is doing.

That brings us to Young Lives camp.  As most of you know I work with pregnant and parenting teen girls as a mentor.  I truly love this ministry and the camp they put on for the girls every year is ah-mazing!  Ever the optimistic one about my physical limitations I was looking forward to attending the week long camp with my girls and seeing the transformation that God has in store for them firsthand.  They left for that camp this morning- without me.

That would be my husband’s fault.  He mentioned to my MS specialist that I was planning to go to a {mostly outdoor} camp experience in August {heat and MS don’t mix} and asked my doctor’s opinion. {I was going to go the route of not mentioning it to the doctor}.  Of course, the doctor said it would NOT be a good idea for me and my husband nixed my plans =( {yeah, yeah..I know he loves me..blah, blah, blah }  I was totally upset about that and felt like I was letting the ministry and my girls down.  But God!  He provided and they are on their way to have a blast and will tell me all about it when they return.

And what will I be doing while they are gone?  Funny you should ask.  I will be going to the one conference I didn’t have any desire to attend {except for the opportunity to see my friends}.  BlogHer ’10 is happening in NYC this weekend and tomorrow I will be on an Amtrak train with my friends going to stay at the Hilton in NYC and having a grand ole time!  I won a ticket from Global Influence {a wonderful network that I write for} and then got lucky enough to be on this #smores #roadtriptoblogher train. 

BlogHer ’09 was not my cup of tea.  Except, again, for forging real life relationships with my online friends.  I know that God obviously has something He wants me to get out of this trip as He so masterfully executed my attendance.  And, how lucky am I that I will be rooming with the fabulousness of @scrappinmichele, @reallifesarah and @carissarogers? 

I think I am going to have a great time, whether this was my plan or not!

We interrupt this blog for….

Vacation!

I am in Florida visiting my family and having a grand time playing with this sweet nephew:

I tell ya…this is the life!

I will return to blogging next week.  In the meantime, go read Betty’s take on our Holy Housewives book club pick this week and stay tuned for more pictures of my favorite cutie, Trey! I will be back soon =)

Chance to win a trip for 4 to the Teen Choice Awards

My boys are now in the retainer stage of their orthodontia process.  Everytime I mention Invisalign they whine and say “why couldn’t we have used that?”  Truth be told, I didn’t know about the option two years ago.  But, Invisalign Teen, is now a great option for kids who need braces! And, they promote a lot of fun stuff for our kids as well.  Here is info about their latest contest and the details:

TEEN CHOICE 2010 will celebrate the hottest teen icons in film, television, music, sports and fashion in the choicest, star-studded two-hour event airing Monday, Aug. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Additionally, Invisalign Teen® will join Dr. Pepper as an official sponsor of the star-studded special for the first time.

Fans ages 13-19 can vote once each day for their favorite TEEN CHOICE 2010 nominees at www.teenchoiceawards.com. Winners of the coveted Surfboard awards will be announced from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA.
Invisalign Teen is proud to be working with FOX as a sponsor of TEEN CHOICE 2010 and will be presenting the “Choice Smile Award” during the show.

Invisalign Teen is hosting Straight to Stardom sweepstakes.  The winner will receive a VIP trip for 4 to the Teen Choice Awards 2010!
The grand prize includes:
    * Trip for 4 to attend Teen Choice 2010, including air, hotel, and transportation
    * 4 Post-Show VIP Party Tickets
    * 2 Flip Cameras
Runner up prizes include:
• iPad
• Laptop computer
• 3 iPod touch mobile digital devices
• Authentic Teen Choice 2010 surfboard
Total Approximate Retail Value of all prizing is $10,000.00
Deadline to Enter: July 11, 2010 (like two days from now, so hurry and go enter!!!)
This Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of all 50 United States (not including territories and possessions) and the District of Columbia. Entrants must be aged 14 and older for entry. You may enter ONLINE DAILY by visiting the Invisalign “Teen Choice 2010” Sweepstakes page at http://invisalignteen.com/teenchoice completing all information requested on the entry form and clicking on the “submit” button to complete the entry process. ALL ONLINE ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59:59 PM (EDT) ON July 11, 2010.
Links:
Enter to Win: http://www.invisalign.com/teen/tca/Pages/teenchoice.aspx
Full sweepstakes rules: http://www.invisalign.com/teen/tca/pages/teenchoicerules.aspx
Invisalign Teen website: http://www.invisalignteen.com
About Invisalign
Teens now have a modern choice for straightening their teeth. No more wires and brackets required – Invisalign Teen is the clear alternative to metal braces that uses a series of virtually invisible and removable aligners that gradually move teeth over time. For teens, the benefits include: no food restrictions, no interference with sports or other activities, and teeth get straightened without people knowing they are in treatment. Learn more and find a preferred provider at www.invisalignteen.com or call 1-800-INVISIBLE. Invisalign Teen is designed, manufactured and marketed by Align Technology, Inc, the leader in clear orthodontics.  Align Technology was founded in March 1997 and received FDA clearance to market Invisalign in 1998. Today the Invisalign product family includes Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Invisalign Assist, Invisalign Express and Vivera Retainers.

This is a compensated post.

Random Musings

First of all, I am honored to have been nominated for a CEO (Chief Executive Organizer) SocialLuxe blog award (sponspored by Avery) for my organizing blog!  I am so excited and would be ever so grateful if you would click here to vote for me (once daily) through July 12th. 

Next, July is a crazy month for us.  Jason is on a break from school (which makes my days quite a juggling act), we are going out of town for the 4th of July weekend, Mike and I are celebrating our 13th anniversary on the 6th, we are taking our first day trip as an entire family (all three boys) in three years the following weekend, Jared is then leaving for a week of mission camp, then we all go to Florida to visit my family and leave my boys there for two weeks. 

In addition, I am super busy getting ready to launch CWA TV, going to physical therapy for a flare-up, hosting a radio show, running a ministry at church- you know- the everyday stuff =)  Not to mention, I am taking online classes,  I have a local site to manage and an organizing blog and some other stuff I can’t even mention on here.

What is my point?  Posting here at Multi-Tasking Mama may be a little scarce (even though this is my favorite place to write) for the month of July because this multi-tasking mama is little busy!

See you, much more frequently, in August!

Holy Housewives Book Club

I am excited to kick-off the Holy Housewives book club, co-hosted by Betty from Peace Creek on the Prairie.  Betty and I share a love for Jesus and a desire for women to understand His word and His will.  But, we are also very different.  Betty homeschools, my children attend public school.  She is a much better homemaker than I, being that I can’t sew, I have a black thumb and God laughs when I attempt to cook beyond a recipe.  I feel blessed that we will be able to bring two varied outlooks to this book club and hopefully provide insight to women in all stages of their Christian walk. 

I chose the name Holy Housewives because I love to be reminded of the fact that, through the sacrafice of the body of Jesus Christ, we are made holy (Hebrews 10: 4-10).  We don’t have to strive to be holy, we don’t have to do things a certain way to be holy.  We are holy simply because Jesus is our Redeemer.  Please remember that as we discuss the truths in our first book choice, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God.  The truths we will discover may be convicting but should never be felt as condemning.  Remember the words of Romans 8:1 anytime that you begin to feel condemned. 

Betty has created a forum so that we can get to know each other better through this process and continue discussions that may begin each week as we read the assignments.  Each week, we will post our thoughts on the assignments and host a linky for you to link up your thoughts as well.  I am so excited to learn and grow alongside you.

Week one assignment: Read the preface and chapter one of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God.  If you have a blog, write a post about what you discovered, learned, etc. in the reading.  If you do not have your own blog feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments of my blog or Betty’s.  We will post our thoughts next Monday, June 28th.

Discussions will also take place on twitter using the hashtag #holyhousewives.  Happy reading!

Taking care of the Dads in our lives

When I met my husband, he was underweight.  I mean he weighed less than I do now by about 30 pounds underweight and he was 6’2″. 

After we had been dating for a few months, I felt like our relationship was established enough to suggest that he go to the doctor.  He said, “I don’t have one”.  At twenty-three, he hadn’t been to the doctor since he was a child.

And at twenty-three you feel kinda awkward going to the pediatrician.

I found the man a doctor and he was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer.  Antibiotics, antacids and changes in diet and how he handled stress made him better and within six months he gained 30 pounds and stopped looking emaciated.

You would think that would be enough of a personal success story to make my hubby a believer in seeing the doctor regularly.  Notsomuch!

I still have to nag strongly encourage each time he needs to go.  I get him to go maybe every other year.  He has had two inguinal hernias and getting him to agree to surgery was as difficult as scaling Mt. Everest.

So, as you can imagine, when I learned of this important campaign called Dad to the Doc, I had to participate.

As wives (and daughters and sisters and friends) we are the people that will get the men in our lives to take care of their health.  That is a responsibility we need to take seriously!

Visit Dad to the Doc and send the men in your life an e-card that encourages them to take care of their health.

Encourage your father, hubby and brothers to take the Healthy Man quiz here.

Have the men you know visit ahrq.gov/healthymen, which provides recommended ages for preventive medical tests, a health care quiz designed to test knowledge of preventive health care, tips for talking with doctors, a glossary of consumer health terms, and links to online resources to find more medical information.  Also, keep an eye out for the new PSA’s encouraging dad’s to take care of their health.

Did you know that new research has found that men are 31 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year?  In fact, men report making fewer routine health care appointments compared with women (56.5 percent vs. 73.8 percent).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council are launching a new movement on behalf of their national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage middle-age men to learn which preventive medical tests they need to get and when to get them. 

National Men’s Health Week is June 14-20th.  Let’s commit to taking the health of the men in our lives seriously and convincing them to do the same!

Thank you to Global Influence for making me aware of this important campaign!

Road to Relevant

I started blogging in June of 2008, a few months after my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and in the midst of a period of being bedridden.  Prior to that I had no concept of what a blog was, let alone the idea that it was something I could do or would grow to love.

My blog grew from something I did for myself to something the Lord does through me.  It has been a humbling experience to write in a way that helps other women and their relationships with God, their spouse, kids and themselves.

I attended my first blogging conference in July 2009.  I went so excited to meet people I interacted with online and (I thought) to learn ways to grow my blog.  I left that conference disheartened, discouraged and not even certain if blogging was for me.

Since then I have attended four other blogging conferences of various sizes and venues.  I have found that the smaller the conference the more connected I feel.  Then I heard about Relevant.  I instantly knew I wanted to go.  The concept is exactly what has been lacking at the other conferences I have attended (even the good ones).  Getting together with like minded women who view the internet as their mission field, while remembering and honoring the fact that our primary mission field is our home.

There have been rough periods of blogging for me as well.  Whenever I lose focus of why I blog and get caught up in blog stats, comments and “measuring up” my writing and my passion for blogging suffer.

I can’t wait to meet so many of my twitter and blogging friends in real life.  And I have no doubt that I will leave Relevant refreshed, inspired and revived.  Can’t wait until October!

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