Tips for meeting Mommy friends.

Face it.. When we become moms a lot of the time we have no social life. except maybe the few minutes we have on facebook and Instagram here and there.. And when we do go out with old childless friends it can get kind of awkward at times due to the fact they're sitting there telling you all about their life while you're trying to calm and pay attention to your toddler (unless they're like some of my childless amazing friends who buy Evie cookies and love on her!) Honestly though, whether or not your childless friends are amazing (like mine) You NEED Mommy friends. Because sometimes nothing feels better then getting together with friends who also have kids around your age to entertain each other so you ladies can have social time to talk, drink coffee together and encourage one another.

When I first had Evelynne my only friend who was a new mom as well lived in NC at the time. We were actually prego buddies. So I often felt quite lonely at times because I felt like I had no one who understood me and what I was going through as a new mom.

And then when Evelynne was about four months old I ran into a mom on one of our walks and her oldest daughter who was the cutest thing walked up and talked to me telling me how cute my baby was which led her and I to small talk about our kids, how old they were and exchanging adorable baby compliments. She has a son that's only three months older than my Evie and from there on we've grown from being play date buddies to actual friends.She gave me my first taste of  what a play date was and how fulfilling  it was for a mom and the kid too! After our first play date I remember Evelynne taking a 3 hour nap.. Which has never happened before! I was a fan.

Since then it has been a main goal of mine to build a community and just befriend as many moms as  I could. It's so much fun (when the moms are down to earth that is) It's really hard for me to enjoy conversations when moms are all about correcting other moms.. If you're one I still love you, though!

I've been asked many times on how I make Mommy friends so easily.. So, I thought I'd share it with all the Mommys in the world.

Honestly. it's really simple.. I think the only reason why it's so hard for many of us is because we're either shy, too consumed with our kids, we feel awkward just randomly talking to other women, ooor we've been under a cave for so long that we've  forgotten how to socialize! So, with that being said here is some advice.

1. Get out//  Parks, gyms, libraries, mommy and me classes. Go to their watering hole. Places like that where we are almost forced to socialize can make it so much easier to make friends.

2. Start a conversation// Or at least try too. If you're pushing your kid on the swing right next to a mom who is pushing her kid on the swing who looks around the same age as your kid talk to them. start out by saying "He's so cute! How old is he?" and see where the conversation goes from there. You could always make a statement on how nice the weather is today, or where did you get your kid's shoes? they're so cute!" We moms always like to hear that our wardrobe choice is appreciated.  ;)
Small talk can easily turn into a play date opportunity however if it doesn't, don't loose heart. Truth is most of us moms are desperate for a good mommy friendship just as much as you are! Seeee!!!

3. Start a group// I haven't done this, yet! But I do plan too once we move and get our own place. Maybe you could put an add out there or join a group from Mops  or Thrive moms or look into a group in your community that is already leading one.


Aaaaaand I'm just throwing this out there! I believe every mom should start a blog! You know, that's if socializing and writing is your thing. ;) I've met so many amazing mamas through blogland that have not only become my sisters but have filled me so much!

They say "I'm missing out."

I'm twenty three years old.. I've been married for almost three years. I have one beautiful little girl and I have another one on the way coming December.

My Instagram is entirely full of my little person and husband.

And my bedtime is no later then 9:30 and 10:00 at the latest if I'm trying to catch up on something.

My definition of fun is family trips to the farm or park.

And the greatest pieces of art I carry are scribblings from a almost two year old and thoughtful words from a Beloved.

So what blows my mind really is when someone tells me or mentions that women like me. Who marry young and start a family are "missing out."

Missing out on opportunities, college, having a life, being successful, traveling the world, Having fun, partying, getting a great career and making a substantial amount of money.

But you know what? Maybe I never wanted to go to college?

Maybe I wanted a family to travel the world with?

Maybe my definition of fun is spending time with a family I call my own.

Maybe my definition of partying is having a tea party with a very special girl.

And just maybe my goal in life isn't to make a substantial amount of money but instead to seek first The Kingdom of God and let Him apply everything else in my life.

Did they ever think about that?

I have no need or desire to cross off every country as places I lived or visited before I turn thirty. Even though that would be pretty cool.

I have no desire for a huge house, nice car and everything a great career offers. I don't need that.

Because my number one goal in life is to serve, minister and to bring joy to others.

To lay down my life as a living sacrifice and serve the One who gladly laid down His life for me.

A girl who was helpless.

And for me, what better way to do that then to marry a man and raise little humans.

To be in a place where my life is never about me and my will is never mine but instead it's over there changing diapers and continuing to choose joy in stressful situations.

To live with a man that doesn't fill my every need and isn't meant to however,  I serve him with everything I am anyways.

My life.. It's hard, stressful but Oh so worth it! Because even though my life isn't about me Jesus never fails to favor me and pour blessings over me.

Because when we're all about Jesus and when we do things for His glory and not our own. He really makes it about us.

If anyone were to ask  me why I married so young and quickly became a mom. My answer would certainly be this:

"Being a wife and mom has not only been my life dream, it's also my calling in life. A calling to be needed, to minister, to teach, to serve, to raise and to choose others before myself."

 And in this place of giving there is really nothing more fulfilling here on earth then to be a mom. I never wanted to live life for me first because I have found in this life journey that a life is more beautiful when you give it away.

I'm not missing out, but instead I have gained so much more then living any other life in this world.


 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. 
-Proverbs 31:28

For the mom who sees herself as ordinary.

         For the mom who sees herself as ordinary.

          Can I share something with you?

                                You may feel like just a mama. 
                        
                         You may feel like just a woman.
    
 There are times when motherhood makes you so joyful.
   
And if you're anything like me there are times when you   want to make a run for the door when your husband walks in. 

There are times when you may feel ordinary. An ordinary person, woman, wife, and mother. 

But let me tell you..

You are the furthest thing from ordinary.

You are the extraordinary in the every day life.

You are the beauty in the ordinary that so many search for and some take for granted.

You are the one who wakes up and gives and gives.

You get tired.

You lose it sometimes and that doesn't make you  a bad mom. Despite what the world thinks what a perfect mom is.

  Jesus has something else to say about you!

He has a plan for you and your family! To prosper, to bring hope and a great future.
(See Jeremiah 29:11)

You are a mom for such a time as this!  
(See Esther 4:14)

Because your hope is in Him His strength lives in you and girlfran,  You will soar even on the hardest days!  
(See Isaiah 40:31)

You have been called to heal the sick and raise the dead!
(See Matthew 10:8)

We are not just moms but also Daughters of The Most High God! Because of Jesus we can not only come boldly to our Father but also confidently into His Awesome presence anytime we want and need to! 
 (See Eph 3:12)

You are clothed in strength and in Dignity! And there is no need for you to worry about your future. 
(See proverbs 20:25)

God is within you and you will not fail!!
 (See Psalms 46:5)

You are loved with an Everlasting love! 
(see Jeremiah 31:3)

God is in the Midst of you and you will not be moved!
 (see Psalms 46:5)

There will be days when people will question you as a mom.. They will question your ability, your boldness, your wisdom, your beliefs and your parenting skills.. 

There will even be days when people criticize everything you do as a mama.. 

But don't lose heart dear sister..

God doesn't think that... at all!
 In fact He sees your heart, your soul, your intentions and He is pleased. He sees that you try your hardest with what you have and that you are doing what you feel is best!

In His opinion you are most qualified to raise the children you have! And if anyone can raise that little joy running around your house like a little crazy person, you can!


 You are an extraordinary mama doing an extraordinary job. You are raising the future and making a difference for tomorrow.
                                                 

The very Random Link Up #6 "The Girl behind the blog".

Before I go anything further.. I want to wish my favorite person in the whole world a Happy 23rd Birthday!!!
               
Happy Birthday Leon! God has seriously shown me favor by blessing me with you for my husband.Words can't even describe my love and admiration for you.. Evie and I are so incredibly blessed to have you as the man in our lives!

Now where were we?? Oh yea!!

It's Tuesday!! Which means it's time for The Very Random Link up!!
Hosted by me and my girl Sarah!  

Did you happen to see her recipe from lasts week link up!?! It's a must try!!!

The very random Link up is not your ordinary link up. We will be doing topics different months.

Example: A vlogging month, about me month, and trying new recipes month.

One of my most favorite things about blogging is the relationships that come with it. the relationships that start out as a fellow blogger and turns into  a friend or even  a sister.

That is what these two ladies above have become in the last year. We've started out as fellow bloggers, to friends, to sisters and it is just so so amazing how God could use such a thing as blogging to bring us together. and we want that same relationship with you. That's why Sarah and I decided to start this fun random link up is because we wanted to find fun ways to get to know you and meet more of you! Will you join our very random community? 

 Each Month Sarah and I will pick a topic. It may be a vlogging month, a month of encouraging posts. anything. Some months we'll ask the questions and other months we just want to hear your thoughts and your heart. Have a topic or question  idea?  We'd love to hear it!

 

Today's question is:

 Who is your favorite person & why?

My most favorite person in the whole world is someone I have admired greatly since day one.

He loves the Lord with all of His Heart And His fire for God is so contagious.

He is a missionary Police officer in the most dangerous district in our state and is changing so many lives down there. And then he comes home to his wife and beautiful daughter.

This man is my husband.

He isn't just my favorite person  because he's my husband by the way.. He's my favorite person because he was by best friend before he was my hubby wubby! 

He is the only one who can bring out the "man" laugh in me.

 He irritates me like no other!
He likes to surprise me with Starbucks every now and then.
He knows when to be gentle towards me and he knows when to be straight forward.

Leon Balances me as a person.. He's got my back in the places I struggle in. Like organization, being prepared, and learning to enter the fast paced life sometimes when I'd rather just slow down. We are so different and it's a good thing! 

Leon is such a hard worker! I always enjoy watching him work not just because he's a major hunk but also because I love to see him put his all into something. When he's task minded he doesn't stop until he's finished. I've always thought he would be amazing at opening his own landscaping business because yard work is his specialty! Not so much as planting but he sure knows how to make things look beautiful along with hard work such as digging and all that man stuff. But God had other plans for Him to become an officer.

           
       
Leon is a wonderful Husband and Father! He tries his hardest to give us his all when he's off and the way he is with Evie just melts me sometimes.

 Again we balance each other out as parents and we are constantly learning from each other. Disciplining for instance. Evie use to have mama wrapped around her finger and I used to call Leon a military discipliner. We really had to come together to be in oneness about how we would handle things when I was letting her get away with to much and he wasn't letting her breath without his permission haha. Finally, I came up and he came down.. And instead of butting heads in parenting we balance each other wonderfully!

He's also the roller coaster daddy for sure!
He does everything that Evie loves that mama is to afraid to do haha!

              
             

Who is your favorite person and why?

 

    2/18 What is a passion that you have that you don't normally blog about? 
              

          Have fun and Link up!

Give Him your mornings.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  - Is 40:31

Ever since  I became a Mother Jesus has really been encouraging me to wake up before light and spend some quiet one on one time with Him. Those quiet mornings are so important to me, it's a breath of fresh air, it's life, it's peace and it's powerful.  It's something I need and without a doubt would go crazy without. It's a love encounter. A love encounter that makes me stronger, energizes me and encourages me to love throughout the rest of the day which is much needed!

Some mornings it can be a huge struggle to get out of bed before the sun shines through my windows and sometimes I'm so tired I can't even open my eyes to get up. But when I don't get up I find myself even more exhausted, and tired throughout the day then I would have if I had gotten up earlier..
 Mornings have become my favorite part of the day.. Minus the annoying frog ringtone I have on my phone that goes off.  But after I manage to hurry up and turn it off my mornings are golden.

 I start of by thanking Jesus and asking Him to use me this day even before putting my feet on the floor.  I want both Jesus and the devil to know that as soon as I put my feet on the floor I am mission minded. I want all of Jesus and I want Him to do all He wants with me for that day.

Then I go upstairs, make my breakfast, pour my delicious and creamy season  flavored  coffee  and continue to thank Jesus and sometimes check my phone for random texts that was sent to me from my late night friends sisters. After that I go into the living room, sit on my comfy couch with a blanket and cup of Jo and just sit and soak. I read my daily prophetic book given to me by this girl,  and of course The Bible. And then I write in my journal while worshiping Jesus.

Something so intimate and something so powerful!  And by that time I am ready to go get my darling girl who is for the most part one happy baby in the morning. She also benefits a great deal of me waking up in the morning because this is where my patience and love for the day is fulfilled. It is very rare when I feel like my patience is tried, or tempted to be loosened. Because it is His patience.. His love and patience that has been renewed in me. And it is extremely good because she has been really testy lately so I thank Jesus that His patience and love in me  never ends and is always overflowing. .

 I also pray that Evelynne takes this with her.. That every time she wakes up Jesus is the first she goes to and gets her mind renewed, her strength strengthened, her love deepened, and her patience refilled.. Because it is definitely needed.

Darling, Today Jesus wants me to encourage you to do the same.. He wants to have a love encounter with you and give you strength before you start your day.. Would you let Him strengthen and love you more than you have  ever experienced before? I'm telling you It's awesome!

So, close your eyes, grab your journal and pen, get a nice warm beverage, turn on some classical music and be loved sister!

                                             Love ya!
                                       xoxo Heather.
                      
                                                

Santa Clause.

 So, I have been asked lately considering it's Christmas time if  Leon and I were going to teach Evelynne to believe in Santa Clause. Now Leon and I both grew up without believing in Santa. And we both don't feel like we missed out on a exciting Christmas  tradition. Yes, my parents had Santa Clause decor around the house (That honestly would creep me out a bit!) But they were always teaching us kids that Jesus was the real reason for the season. In fact on a majority of our gifts they would put "Love Jesus" to remind  us of His true gift.

Now, hear me out when I say I have NOTHING against parents who teach their kids to believe in Santa. Nothing at all. You are a great mama if you  encourage your child to believe in Santa  and you are a great mama if you don't. Now with that being said..


For us, the choice has really come down to our relationship with Evelynne. We have and will always want her to know that we will teach her the truth. And that  the true meaning of Christmas is not about a white bearded man who lives in the south pole and loves cookies.

But the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Who has come into the world to heal the sick, raise the dead, to bring joy and life  into this world once again.

Who sacrificed Himself on the cross for us so that we may have everlasting life in His Magnificent presence. For Leon and I we believe that's magical enough. And that Jesus should have ALL the Glory at Christmas and every day for that matter. And not have to share it with a man of imagination.

Of course we'll teach her about Santa and how he came from St Nick and the beautiful history behind that.

Some may think we're taking the fun out of Christmas for Evelynne by taking Santa  from a child’s Christmas experience, but Leon and I  don’t see or feel  that way at all! In fact, if taking Santa away from Christmas takes away the “experience” of it, then why  are we really celebrating Christmas  anyway? What is the real meaning of Christmas to you?

We believe Jesus is forever the real reason for the season. And we want our daughter to know this her whole life. Not just when she's to old to believe in Santa.