by kathilipp | Mar 14, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Is it all just too much sometimes?
I felt that way back in January as I was preparing to launch my new talk for The Marriage Project. you may remember that the day before I was to present that talk for the first time, our row of townhouses caught on fire.
After being relieved that everyone was OK, my next thought was, “How am I going to finish this speech?” (Now if you’re thinking, “Wow, it is the day before your speech and everything is not neatly wrapped up, printed, and put into a labeled folder?” Well, you and I can’t be friends.)
The night before, I called in the cavalry. I wrote to a bunch of my speaker friends and asked for prayer.
And they prayed. Oh how they prayed.
I went and spoke and it was a Jesus-is-the-only-one-who-could-pull-it-off kind of morning.
After speaking, two people booked Roger and I to come and speak at their groups. Right while I was standing there. Several women came up and talked to me about how the message hit them right where they were struggling in their own marriages. It was a morning that only our Maker could pull off.
When I reported this back to my prayer peeps, my friend (and fellow Harvest House author) Cindi McMenamin sent me and my fellow speakers this reply:
Kathi (and her praying friends):
Your experience paralleled what I read this morning from J.I. Packer’s “Rediscovering Holiness”: “The Pattern is that the Lord first makes us conscious of our weakness so that our heart cries out, “I can’t handle this.” We go to the Lord to ask him to remove the burden that we feel is crushing us. But Christ replies: “In my strength you can handle this, and in answer to your prayer, I will strengthen you to handle it.” Thus in the end our testimony, like Paul’s is: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” …For only at the point where the insufficiency of natural strength is faced, felt, and admitted does divine empowering begin.”
God was truly strong in your weakness. Way to go, girl. Way to go, God!
Love, Cindi
Doesn’t that just kill you?
“For only at the point where the insufficiency of natural strength is faced, felt, and admitted does divine empowering begin.”
Do you feel ashamed of your weakness? Of your feelings of being overwhelmed? I need to recognize and face my insufficiency every single day, admit it and ask God for His empowerment.
What area do you need to feel His strength today?
by kathilipp | Mar 11, 2010 | Uncategorized |
“Therefor
e confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous woman is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 The New Kathi Version
Asking for Prayer
Hey ladies – it has been quiet here on the blog this week. I have been working and speaking but mostly I have been writing.
I have a new book, “The Me Project” that is coming out at the end of the year, but it’s due in three weeks.
Oy to the Vey.
So my HP laptop and I have become one. But not in a bloggy sort of way.
And that makes me sad ’cause I miss you girls.
So here is a way for me to stay connected with you, and stay focused on the whole putting words on paper thing:
- Would you pray for me? Just for today? Here are some of the things I would love prayer for:
* That I would meet my deadline for this book – April 1
* That I would write effectively and in a way that honors God but also reaches the hearts of women reading the book
*That I would continue to honor Roger and the rest of the family in the process (in other words, that I don’t go all witchy on my family…)
- Can I pray for you? In the comments, please leave your prayer request. I promise to pray for you! If your prayer is too personal and you don’t want to leave it in the comments, e-mail me at info at kathilipp.com and I will pick it up there.
Thanks my friends. I consider it an honor to pray for each and every one of you and to get to know you better!
by kathilipp | Mar 7, 2010 | tips and ideas, Uncategorized |
We have been doing the dating challenge this month and when I asked you for your top reasons why you don’t date – time was at the top of the list.
The irony? Some of the first people who answered were my friends on Facebook – one of my biggest time suckers if I’m not careful. (Anyone else? Or am I alone in this?)
I know you are going to expect me to say things like “Give up 30 minutes of TV,” and for some of us, that may be required, but I also know that your 60 minutes of Glee may be the only real downtime that you have. (And by downtime, I mean watching Glee, folding laundry, paying bills on your laptop and packing kids school lunches in the next room…)
So here are a few things that have been working for me lately. (As technology changes, so does my list of how to save time.)
- Getting Groceries Delivered When I’m on deadline for writing a book, and showering suddenly becomes optional, I go to my saved list on Safeway.com and have my groceries delivered to me. Sometimes I get coupons in my e-mail for free delivery, and sometimes it costs me around $7. But, if $7 can be traded for a shower, I’m on board. Another variation on this is to swap off with a neighbor for that mid-week Oh no we are out of milk and peanut butter. Be sure to give detailed lists so it doesn’t create more problems than it’s worth.
- Making the Kids Do It OK, if your child is 18 months, skip this tip. Wait – no! Read it! Be planning in advance when your kids can take over certain chores – dishes, garbage, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. Training ’em early, train ’em young, train ’em often…
- Limit Computer Time I am now trying to give myself a two hour window each night where I don’t get on the computer for work, play or Facebook. When 90% of your job is on your HP laptop, that can be a challenge, but I have found that if I know I am going to have a definite end to my work day, I tend to get more things finished than if I fool myself into believing I have all night.
- Make an Appointment with Your TV Remember when we were growing up and we knew we had to be home on Thursday nights because that was the night that The Cosby Show was on (OK, maybe it was just me who had a thing for Heathcliff…)? Now I never know what night anything is on because our TIVO is recording something, every moment of the day. How great – I can watch anytime I want. The problem? I can watch anytime I want. I am setting aside some time to watch the shows I really love (Modern Family, Kell on Earth, 30 Rock etc.) and shutting off the TV so I don’t watch hours of Dateline on ID. (OK, if I am sick in bed with a cold I will have an ID marathon…)
- Nighttime Routines Setting the coffee the night before, putting out my walk-the-dog tennies, packing up my bag to put by the front door the night before, all of these little items not only get me out the door faster in the morning, but they let me sleep better the night before as I don’t wake up every three minutes thinking to myself “Wait, did I remember to…?”
Q4U – What is the best time-saving tip you have been using lately? Please share your wisdom in the comments below. I would love to put together a resource of all the best ideas – won’t you contribute your brilliance?
by kathilipp | Mar 3, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I HIGHLY suggest that you make a point of getting away together with your man, by yourselves, at least a couple of times a month. HOWEVER – sometimes the only way you can date is accompanied by some of the shorter people in your family.
So I asked readers of my newsletter what some of their favorite kid dates were. Here are just some of my favorite answers… (more to come over the next couple of posts.)
We have several things that we do with our kids in tow, but I have one favorite date in mind. We order in a pizza, rent a movie, start a fire and roast some marshmallows (maybe even do smores), blow up a mattress and watch a movie by the fire with the kiddos. We then put the kids down to bed and sleep in the living room on the blow-up mattress by the fire by ourselves. It is a lot of fun and makes great memories for the kiddos too.
MISTY CARRUTH
We go to a local shopping area in Allen, Texas. They have a really big fenced in outdoor play area for the kids. There are also restaurants and ice cream/coffee shops nearby. We get dinner/dessert for all and head to the play area. There are picnic tables and all inside. So, we let the kids run and play and hubby and I get a date while the kids occupy themselves with the play area. We can see them from one end to the other when we sit in the middle. It never seems to be crowded and because it is outdoors you get to take advantage of stargazing while enjoying each others company.
Janeen
I like to get a bunch of nickles and little Dixie paper cups and head to the local fish hatchery where we buy fish food and feed the fish. There are rows and rows of fish and they fight for the food. We love doing that.
We love to go to the drive-in movies and get a pizza or subs sandwiches and have a tail gate party before the movie stars.
Linda Kaehler
Q4U – What are some of your favorite kid-appropriate dates?
by kathilipp | Mar 2, 2010 | Uncategorized |
We are continuing with our cheap dates week and I want to show you what one clever blogger did with the dating kit that I sent her. Check out Spotted Smiles Blog to see the VERY creative way of using the dating kit. (It required her husband to get a facial – and I am glad to say he was man enough to do it!) It is worth going over to her blog and read all about it!!
Have you entered our dating contest? You could win some very big prizes! Check out this blog post and see how to enter!
by kathilipp | Mar 1, 2010 | Uncategorized |
My assistant, Monica, has been doing a lot of babysitting recently for many families from her church, for friends and friends of friends. I’ve asked her to write a little about what babysitters wish the parents would have done/told her.
Recently I have been doing a lot of babysitting. I went from doing it about once a month to 2-3 times a week. I have absolutely loved it as it lets me get to know the kids better from church (I’m the Children’s Ministry Director) and it lets me get to be a part of families that might not be open to setting foot in a church. The kids have ranged in age from just a few months to twelve years old and some of the kids i’ve known since they were born and others I met for the first time as I walked into their homes.
- Lists. I LOVE lists. While babysitting, lists in my opinion are a way to help keep children in their day to day routine, while their parents are away. It is great to know the times for everything (snack, bath, meals, bed) as well as little notes like favorite cups/plates or books that will help make meal or bedtime more smooth. It’s great to have it on a list because you can refer back to it throughout your time there rather than having to rack your brain for what the parent said as they were trying to leave the house.
- How stuff works. Stuff that is second nature to you might be the first time that your babysitter has seen this particular model. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this one, but dropping the sides of some cribs is difficult. They all have their own special tricks and when you have a sleeping (or nearly asleep child in your arms) its not the best time to figure out how to drop the side of the crib. While some sitters might not have a problem with this, I’m quite short and can’t really reach over the side of the crib. I’m also sure that i’m not the only one who has struggled with a baby gate that’s both child and 27 year old proof. (There was one time I was pretty sure I was going to be stuck upstairs until the parents got home because I could not figure out how to operate the gate–good thing there was an 8 year old to show me how it worked!) I also have some very fancy friends who have technical entertainment systems and it’s always nice to have a quick tutorial if they are going to be out late and the kids will be in bed early.
- Pay. This is an awkward one. I don’t really have a rate as some people ask. It is even more awkward when they ask you with an open checkbook. It’s always easier and less awkward when the parent either states what they are able to pay upfront or the price is agreed upon before hand. I usually just tell the parent to pay me whatever they are comfortable with or able to.
- Clean or dirty. Is the dishwasher clean or dirty? I hate parents having to come home to a sinkful of dishes, so it’s nice to know if the dishwasher is clean or dirty. When I’m in doubt, I just end up hand washing everything.
by kathilipp | Feb 28, 2010 | Uncategorized |
The second most noted reason for not dating besides the lack of a babysitter was the cost of dating. So here is a quick list of ideas for dating on a budget:
Have some cut of meat in the deep freeze? Find a recipe that has some ingredients you already have on hand and then challenge yourself to make a fab dessert for under $7. cooking together is prefered. Look at this recipe for Velvet Painting Pie from A Daily Recipe Blog. Um. yum.
- Two reasonably Tall Drinks at Starbucks.
- Three Redbox Movies (One guy movie, One girl movie, and one you can agree on…) 2 bags of popcorn and some Crysal Light.
- Four episodes of The Office on a DVD from Netfilx (this can be free if you finally return that once DVD that has been hanging around your house for a month.)
- Buying a small bottle of massage lotion from Bath and Body and give each other a 5 minute massage.
- Have breakfast in bed. The night before get a half dozen of donuts and the newspaper. Set the coffee pot the night before and wake up to the smell of fresh-brewed Columbian Roast and the funny papers.
I would love to have your creative ideas for saving money but still dating.
Q4U – What is your favorite date to do on a budget?
by kathilipp | Feb 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |
There has been some great advice and tips given so far this week. Today’s question is, what do you leave for the babysitter? Do you leave a list with the important information and detailed schedule of the kids routine? Do you just toss out some pj’s? Are snacks and dinner planned out? Are you lucky enough to have people who know your family so well they have the whole routine down?
What do you leave for your babysitters?
by kathilipp | Feb 24, 2010 | Uncategorized |
How many of you are participants in a babysitting co-op? If you are not (or have never heard of one) are you interested in starting one in your neighborhood. Below is the advice of some moms who have found babysitting co-ops to be invaluable.
Amy:
I’ve done 2 different types of babysitting swaps/co-ops. Both might not be considered a co-op because it’s not a big group – but regardless, I love it and it works!
I have one friend that we swap kids/errands – she will watch the four kids while I go to Target, Safeway or Costco and get both of our lists done. We just decide who is the errand runner and who has the kids based on our load – that is, who needs some alone time 🙂
I also have multiple friends that we will babysit swap – one of us gets date night on Fri night, the other on Sat night. What I really love is the down time when I babysit! When you put your friend’s kids to bed and you are alone in someone else’s house, you don’t have any laundry or dishes, etc to do – so I bring over a book, my laptop or just relax and watch TV – all by myself – it’s great!
Julie:
We have a point system that we use to keep track of sits and keep it fair. You get 20 points when you join the group. One point per hour for the first child, 1/2 point per hour for any additional children. For example, if someone watches my three kids for 2 hours, they earn 4 points. We exchange popsicle sticks to keep track of our points.
The reason we use popsicle sticks is to make the payments more tangible. We used to take turns being a “secretary” and that person would keep track of everyone’s points (instead of exchanging sticks). This became a problem because one family kept in the “negative” month after month even though she knew that she was in the red. (Even though, according to the by-laws, she wasn’t supposed to even ASK for sits because she was in the red, and she continued to and one of the other very nice moms could never say no. The nice mom became very resentful).
We also keep a directory of which everyone has a copy. This includes parents’ names, phone numbers for home and work and cell, pediatrician’s name and number, hospital preference (God forbid!), childrens’ birthdates & allergies. Also answers the questions, “Is your home child-proofed? any pets? smokers? guns?”
Beside the obvious benefit of free babysitting…the new friendships that we have made have been awesome! These are the neighbors I know I can always count on, and we have so much fun with them.
Tami:
We used a plus/minus system. Additions/Subtractions were calculated per child (1 hr for 1 child, 2 hr for 2 children, etc.) Each member rotated being the bookkeeper (commitment of one month) and at that time was kept in a binder. Now could be online. The person doing the sitting called in hours and received the credit while hours were deducted from the other. No one could have a debit of more than 10 at any time. We had two dozen members.
The best benefit was meeting other women with children with the same ages as mine. Also, I was a stay at home mom and that allowed me to do things without kids during the day. I rarely used this at night, but did in a pinch.
I would do it again in a heartbeat! I made lasting friends who I still keep in touch with in IL (I am now in TX and my kids are 27 and 30)
by kathilipp | Feb 23, 2010 | Uncategorized |
It is great how many of y’all have promised to date your spouse in the next two weeks! Today’s step in the dating process is figuring out ways to find an affordable and reliable babysitter. In the comments, share your experiences and your advice to help other moms!
Is it all just too much sometimes?
