3 hours ago
Recently Lisa Marcia from The Little Mustard Seed Co. and WAHM University gave me and some other members of the Influence Network a chance to review her new ebook, A Work At Home Mom's Ultimate Guide To Building A Business, Blog and Brand. I was excited to be able to review her book, because even though Through Clouded Glass is more personal blog than business, I was thinking I could still glean something from her book.
Lisa's book is 58 pages long and covers basics of Wordpress design, tips on hiring and working with a designer for a website/blog, questions to answer while branding your business or blog, encouragement for outsourcing tasks, and different ideas and resources for income opportunities.
I work with Blogger, not Wordpress, so I didn't have a good frame of reference for the Wordpress tips, but I felt like she explained each concept and task well - if I did use Wordpress I think this would be a good resource for me starting out.
I like the section listing different income opportunities. While the book doesn't give a step-by-step guide for pursuing each opportunity, it gave a lot of ideas that I hadn't thought about, and some that I might be interested in researching.
One thing that stood out, that I haven't seen in other e-books, is the different links and resources for further research that Lisa provides. I liked that the information and learning doesn't just stop on these pages.
This book doesn't do all the work for you, so if you are looking for a complete how-to kind of guide, you will probably be disappointed. I feel like this book is more of a jumping-off point, a guide for women who want to work at home on getting started on a business concept. It doesn't cover how to gain more readers or sales or advertising revenue once you have already started a blog or business, and it doesn't tell you what kind of business you should have or how to get your business to make lots of money. But I think it's valuable because a good foundation for a business is important, and that includes website design, branding, and an idea of what exactly you want to do.
Design, branding, and vision is going to look different for each blog or business. I wouldn't call this book a comprehensive guide to each of those topics, but the tips given in this book would be useful for someone still trying to figure those things out for themselves. So if you've always wanted to start an at-home business, this could be a place to start to get your wheels turning. Certainly worth the $2.99 to buy it, I think!
Note: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Imagine if you could impact that many people.
What you might not realize is that you can. And you might be even now, without realizing it.
I recently read a book called Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis (highly, highly recommend this book for all moms - it was so good), and this caught my attention.
"A woman who has two children and whose children each produce two children for ten generations will by the tenth generation have 1,024 offspring. But a woman who has four children and whose children each have four children will be the tenth generation have 1,048,448 descendants!"
(Quote was taken from "Turning the Tide: Having More Children Who Follow Christ" by Holly and Bill Elliff.)
I always considered motherhood a calling and a ministry - that is something that my mom passed on to me. And I have thought about the big picture of the fact that my work as a mother is not just affecting my children, but their children and everyone else they impact. But I never really thought about the fact that the number of my own descendants could be that large, and that I have the power to impact them all for good or ill.
I don't think I'm over-stating it. In most cases parents (particularly mothers, since they are typically the ones spending the most time with the kids) have more of an impact on their children than any other people. They affect them more deeply than anyone else can. In countless little ways they affect how their children view the world, how they behave, how they treat others, how they feel about themselves, how they view God. And those things don't just stop with that child, because that child may grow up and have children of their own and pass down the things they learned from their parents.
For all you moms - don't let anyone tell you that you are wasting your talents or time on motherhood. You are making more of an impact than you think. Use your influence wisely - pray for wisdom to give your children a godly worldview, teach them how to be polite, teach them about loving others and treating them kindly, make them feel like a blessing and not a burden, teach them about following Jesus and living to further His Kingdom.
These seem like small things, but they aren't. These are the big things. These are the things that will truly last when you are gone.
Don't short-change yourself or minimize everything you do as mother, as if it's not a worthy use of your gifts. It is. You are making a difference.
You are changing the world.
After reading Splitting Harriet, I decided I'd like to read more books by Tamara Leigh, so when Faking Grace came up I requested to review it.
Maizy Grace Stewart needs to be able to pay the bills, so even though her faith has been on the back burner for years, she fakes being a strong Christian to get a job at Steeple Side, a Christian magazine company. But then her boss at the local newspaper wants her to investigate Steeple Side's employees and write an article about all their dirty laundry. Will Grace betray the friends she makes at Steeple Side or risk losing her career as a reporter?
I like Tamara Leigh's books - they are so fun to read, and often they make me laugh out loud while I'm reading, which is always the sign of a good story to me. I like feeling emotionally invested in how the story plays out, and Leigh's characters and funny situations drew me in.
The main character, Grace, was likable even when her deceptions were making me cringe. The story kept me interested clear to the end. I also liked the message of not being just a "cultural Christian" and extending grace to our brothers and sisters in Christ when they make mistakes. Two thumbs up!
Note: I received this book for free from Blogging For Books in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Recently I was given the opportunity to review a book on photography by Jane Goodrich entitled Capturing Every Day Life. Jane Goodrich is a child and newborn photographer based in New York. The description read: "The no-nonsense, cheese-free, read-while-they-nap, easy-as-pie guide to taking top-notch, world-class photos of your kids." That sounded good to me!
I was excited to review this book because I feel like when I read books or articles on photography my photos just get better because it's a good reminder of the basics and different techniques to use with my photos. I was looking forward to reading a book about photographing kids in particular.
I felt like this book was very informative. It covered all the basics of DSLR photography, and her writing style is very conversational and easy to understand. Beyond giving just the basics of photography concepts, Goodrich also included ideas for photographing children and getting creative shots. I also appreciated that she included a section on tips for photographing different ages, from infants to teens. I liked the tips for my kids' age groups, and it gave me an idea of what I have to look forward to in photographing them in future years!
The entire book is filled with gorgeous photos that Goodrich took herself, and more than once I found myself staring at and admiring one of the images on the pages. I even got a few ideas for photos I'd like to try with my kids, so that was inspiring.
The entire book is only about 63 pages, so it really is a read-while-they-nap guide - which is perfect for me! I was able to glean ideas and inspiration in a relatively short amount of time, and that's a plus to me because I like immediate results - tips that will help me improve my photos right away.
The only con I can mention about the book is a few typos I caught here and there - but I'm kind of a grammar/spelling nerd, so I catch typos everywhere. Even on my own blog (whoops!). So while it was enough for me to notice, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me.
Overall, I'd recommend this book for any mom who is just starting out in DSLR photography, is trying to learn their DSLR camera, or just wants some photo ideas to use with her own kids.
To learn more about the author and get more photography tips from her blog, you can check out her website, Jane Goodrich Photography.
Note: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
So I have a confession. I've been watching the Bachelorette.
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That's a confession because after watching the Bachelor and learning that they have overnight dates I was sure I would never watch the show again. And I still think that's pretty horrible. I suppose it's reflective of where our culture is, but to include it as part of a TV show? I still don't like it.
But back to topic. I think with Derek being here and then gone so much, I just needed something to look forward to during the week, and so I got sucked in again. I'm still evaluating if this is okay or not.
So I watched this last season. And I watched the finale last week. There was one thing that stood out to me.
In the "After The Final Rose" show, Chris was talking about when he felt confident that Desiree's feelings for him were the real deal, and he mentioned that moment when she told him he was the greatest man she'd ever known.
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I watched his face when he said it. He absolutely lit up. And then I wondered - when was the last time I told Derek he is the greatest man I've ever known?
I think every girl tells that to the man she marries in one way or another while they are dating or engaged. That is a time when you are in love and carefree, when everything is fresh and new and exciting, when you want to say everything you are feeling because you are so in love.
Then after the wedding things settle down. This isn't a bad thing. You figure out who you are together as a couple, you get into a rhythm, and your love grows less heart-pounding and flighty, and more steady and deep.
But in the midst of this deepening, I think it's easy to forget that your man still wants that affirmation. He still needs to know that you think he's the greatest man in the world. He fell in love with you when you looked at him with adoration and told him how wonderful he was at everything, told him how brilliant his ideas were, told him how great he was.
I think seeing Chris's face light up on the show reminded me of that time of early love in my relationship with Derek. It made me think. I know even more about Derek now than I did then, the good and the bad. And I still think that he's the greatest man I've ever known.
I want to make his face light up like that again.
It was a good reminder to say the things that I sometimes assume Derek already knows. Because he still needs to hear it.
Maybe these shows aren't completely worthless after all.
This last Sunday my pastor spoke on the tongue. This is not a new sermon or message to me - I've read through James many times, and it speaks pretty clearly about what kind of damage the tongue can do.
But unfortunately this is something that is all too easy to forget.
My pastor said something that stood out to me - he said the best indicator of spiritual maturity is the level of control a Christian has over their tongue.
Ouch.
I know I too often use my tongue to complain. I too often use it to say negative comments about others.
Something that I feel like the Lord was trying to tell me is that letting loose and "venting" is not a good thing (contrary to popular belief). My perceived need to vent is not an excuse to tear others down with my words, but it's all too easy to excuse it - because don't we all just need to get our frustration out sometimes?
I know I'm not alone in this. How often do we say whatever we want and then justify it because we "just needed to vent"? And it's not okay. Nowhere in the Bible are we given a pass to say whatever we want when we are frustrated.
My next thought was that I'm not so bad, because I don't go venting to just anyone - I only vent to Derek or occasionally my mom, and I know they aren't going to repeat anything I say. No harm done, right?
But that's not how God views it.
In Numbers, an exchange between Miriam and Aaron is recorded, in which they complain about Moses. They weren't complaining to the people or undermining his authority in a public way. It was a private conversation. They were just talking to each other about their frustrations. They "just needed to vent".
But Someone was listening. And He didn't like what He heard.
It doesn't matter if I'm only complaining to one person - that's enough for God. And He hears everything.
I think it would be a much better thing to control my supposed need to vent, and take my frustrations with people or situations to the Lord. When I vent to other people, I usually leave feeling justified in my frustration. Speaking the word out loud to others somehow makes my feelings seem more valid in my own mind. But when I take my frustrations and "vent" to God? He usually shows me where my attitude is wrong and helps me to change it.
The end result of taking it to God is much better, and encourages me to grow spiritually (1) because I'm spending time with the Lord, and (2) because it is good practice at controlling my flesh and taming my tongue.
It is true that hearing someone vent doesn't exactly make you think "Wow, this person is really mature in their faith". And that's because my pastor's words are true. If you are spiritually mature, you will learn to hold your tongue. More positive words will leave your lips than negative, even when the situation is frustrating.
I don't expect to ever be perfect at this. But by God's grace, I hope to get better. I needed that reminder on Sunday.
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And on a completely frivolous note, here are more pictures of my new 'do!
Happy Weekend!
I hear her cry one more time, and I bury my head in the pillow. I am so exhausted I can hardly think straight. Why won't she sleep? This is the fourth time she's been up tonight, and it's only 2:30. No, I'm not exaggerating.
I get up, calm her down, give her a little more to eat, and then back to bed I go - and I just pray that she sleeps.
And she does. For four, glorious hours I get some uninterrupted sleep.
I think the lesson this week is how wonderful it is to have rest.
I've been running ragged all week, trying to keep up with two energetic kids. One who won't sleep, and one who is potty-training, and I'm running on nights where I haven't gotten more than two hours of sleep together. I haven't been this tired out in a while. So when I get them both down for a nap at once, even if it's only for an hour? When I get more than two hours of sleep at a time at night? Those moments have been glorious.
We, as humans, need rest. We can't function without that time to rest and re-charge, to take a break from all the things we have to do and recover.
Ironically, I've also been reading about a different kind of rest this week.
"For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefor be diligent to enter that rest. . ."
Hebrews 4:8-11
In case you missed it, this passage isn't talking about physical rest. It's talking about the spiritual rest that God gives us when we come to faith in Him.
We don't have to work anymore. We don't have to strive to be a "good person", go to church, follow the "rules" in the hopes that it might save us. How exhausting! No, God wants to give us rest. And when we believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross, we truly have that.
We don't have to work for it. We just trust in Jesus, and we can rest from all the pressure of doing - not a temporary break, but a permanent vacation. Because getting to Heaven is not about getting the good to "outweigh" the bad. It's about what we believe about Jesus.
And even more ironically, once we give up all our good deeds and just believe in Jesus to save us, the "being good" seems to come more easily, because God can start to change us from the inside! And we want to do what's right so we can please the One who died for us. But that's a different post.
What a relief it is to know that I don't have to work to get to Heaven. Jesus did all the work for me. I just have to believe it, and enter God's beautiful rest.
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