Jennifer

God’s Amazing Beauty

October 3, 2012 by Jennifer 4 Comments

God’s amazing beauty surrounded us tonight after we ate dinner. My husband walked out on the porch and called for me to come and join him. As I walked out onto the porch, I was greeted by this gorgeous sunset. The colors were so vibrant. Today had been a particular busy and somewhat stressful day. I have mid-terms coming up for this semester, putting the finishing touches on the fall festival with a silent auction, and of course my job that brings home the bacon. The sunset was the sign from God that I needed to calm the stresses and the worries.

I opened up my e-mail tonight after finally getting the girls in bed and this verse was in my daily devotion email.

Philippians 4:6-7. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Once again, another sign from God. Isn’t he great to put his love in front of us at the moments that we need them? We have a lot of uncertainty going on in our family and I tend to let it consume my thoughts on a daily basis. The sunset and the bible verse are signs that I grasp onto as my ray of hope that everything will be fine. As I was ready to start crying tonight, my sweet friend Nan, started typing to me on Google Chat. She didn’t have all the answers but she said this:

“Just keep saying your prayers and relying on God. He will answer your prayers, you know He will.”

Those two simple sentences meant so much to me. I got a hold of my self and immediately said a prayer. I do not want to be worry wart, a stressful mom yelling at her two beautiful daughters, or snapping at my husband. I do just need to rely on God and let him take control. He has our plan for us, we just need to be patient and willing to accept his plan.

Do you ever grasp onto signs after a stressful day? Also, I am not the only mom that yells when she is stressed right?

Traveling with the family? Grab the CityPASS!

October 2, 2012 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Recently, as you know from my 9/11 post, I was able to visit New York City. I was there for a blog conference but after a full day of conference, it was time to experience the city.

Thanks to CityPASS, the experience was amazing. As you know, you visit different areas but the admission fees into attractions can be very costly. CityPASS helps reduce those costs by almost 50%. The New York CityPASS is only $89 for adults and $64 for children.

The pass will get you into:

– Empire State
– Building Observatory
– American Museum of Natural History
– The Metropolitan Museum of Art
– The Museum of Modern Art
– Top of the Rock or Guggenheim Museum
– Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island or Circle Line Cruises

Pretty amazing to see all these attractions for one low price right?

We went to visit Top of the Rock on Saturday night. Seeing the city all lit up at night was priceless. I stood there in awe for a few minutes just taking in the moment. We were able to see the Empire State Building at night as well.

Empire State Building View from Top of the Rock

The next day we went on a journey through NYC in order to be able to see the Empire State Building during the day. We rode the elevator to the top. WOW. The views were spectacular.

Last but certainly not least, we visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was perfect timing as I am taking an Art History class this semester. I was able to see Starry Night in person. As I stood beside the artwork to grab a picture, my arm bumped up slightly against the artwork. Security comes running fast. Never a dull moment HA!

Here are a few more photos from my NYC travels:

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I will be recommending CityPASS to everyone visiting major cities in the US. You just can’t beat the price.

Disclosure: Thank you to CityPASS for providing my full pass in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Do you have weekly one-on-one mother/daughter talks?

September 27, 2012 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Today’s society and dynamic leaves parents busier than ever. We can easily put our children on the back burner when it comes time to talk personal conversations. If you start at a young age setting a time aside each week, then it will be so much easier to keep the weekly conversations going with your child.

As my oldest daughter is getting older, I want more than ever to make sure the lines of communication are always open. I know, I may not be the first person that she will always come to talk to…but I hope I will be most of the time. I want to be there for her always. Over the next few years, I know there will be lots of questions about the changing body. For one, I want to be prepared and be able to answer all the questions.

Over the past few months, I have been using the U by Kotex website. There will be a time when a period may pop up and it could be during the day at school, just like mine did… sigh! There was no preparation when I was growing up, so I told the teacher to call my mom. I was really sick on my stomach. I did not know what else to do unfortunately. It will be different for my girls.

U by Kotex has a place dedicated for girls to share about their first period experience. This will allow girls to know what to expect and see how other girls their age are feeling about the whole experience. There are articles written on what to expect as well.

It is suggested to go ahead and purchase a small and cute bag that your daughter can keep in their book bag or locker. Fill the bag with pads such as the U by Kotex Tween pads so they will be prepared just in case the period decides to come when they are at school.

It is so hard to believe that I am reaching this time in my parenting journey. Time just seems to be going by so fast but I do not want to sit in denial and not be prepared. I am thankful for such a great resource and hopefully this will all go over well.

I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Weight Loss Journey 3 Month Update – Pictures & Video

September 24, 2012 by Jennifer 5 Comments

Has it really been three months since I started the Shaklee Cinch Weight Loss Plan?

As I was flipping through the pictures on my phone this weekend, I couldn’t believe the progress. There are days that you may not think you are making any traction but pictures tell a different story.

Instead of writing an update about my journey, I decided to do a video update. Grab your favorite drink and a healthy snack… and let’s chat.

Now for that Pumpkin Recipe!

Pumpkin Vanilla Cinnamon Shake

Two Scoops of Vanilla Shaklee Protein Mix
Two Tablespoons of Pumpkin Puree
One Teaspoon of Cinnamon
One Teaspoon of Nutmeg
One Cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
Three Ice Cubes

Pour all ingredients in blender and mix well for two to three minutes.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Shaklee is providing me with 6 months of product in exchange for my honest review and weight loss journey. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

I want to be on fire for Jesus

September 23, 2012 by Jennifer 6 Comments

The title of this blog post came to me this morning in service as I was standing at the altar with tears streaming down my face. The pastor had one hand on me and one hand on my husband. Afterwards, I turned to my husband and we just hugged for the longest time. It was one of the best moments in our marriage.

Today’s message spoke to me so much. Right before the end of service, I just started crying so hard. I had this huge block it seemed sitting on my chest. As soon as I went to the altar, the block was removed and I was at peace and filled with comfort. I know the Good Lord is going to take care of us as a family but I want to do my part as well. I want to know that I am giving back to him like I should be. I want everyone around me to know that I am on fire for Jesus.

As soon as this post goes out to my subscribers list, I may lose subscribers. I am at peace with the number dropping as I do want to incorporate faith more in my posts here at One Moms World. Faith is a huge part of my family and I want to be able to portray that here on the blog. Faith, Family and Travel are three key words to my blog but it doesn’t seem our faith is covered enough. This really hit me today during service. My words are ready to shout to the world.

So much has changed in the last five years with my family. Each and everyday, I see us grow closer to God. We are not where we should be, but I love the results that I am seeing. It is not unusual for our family to be singing as loudly as we can in the car to K-LOVE. The girls know the words better than I do actually but that doesn’t stop me from singing as loudly as I can. My soul is warmed from head to toe when I am singing praise songs.

This is one of our favorite songs right now and it is so fitting right now in our lives.

I am not too sure what direction God is moving me in but I am waiting with open arms for his guidance.

Jennifer

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