8 things to do instead of scrolling

You know it... We all do it.

There is an empty little block of time, or you don't know what to do with your hands or no other reason than it is just what you do.

So you pick up the phone and scroll. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... whatever you are feeling that moment.

We have developed a bad habit.

I have developed a bad habit.

Ps... I don't think scrolling everyone once in a while is bad... It's just when you do it at every spare moment. 

So I have thought up a simple list of things to do instead. All be it some of this are still on your phone, I would say that most are more productive, helpful and fulfilling than just scrolling.

1) Budget... 

Seriously if you don't have a budget you can make one in just a few minutes using Every Dollar (my favorite right now) or Mint. Spend two minutes that you would have spent scrolling each day managing your money- boom you will be budgeter!

2) Read scripture... 

The Bible app and She Reads Truth have great plans that you can jump on anytime you are on you phone. 

3) Read a book... 

Whether is an actual book you can hold in your hands or an ebook, I can almost guarantee you that reading will be more fulfilling than scrolling.

4) Memorize Scripture- 

I have made every excuse in the book about what I can't do this. But it is actually easy to do in spare moments in the day. Make a note on your phone with scripture you want to memorize. Go to that three minutes of the day that you would have spent scrolling. Viola :)

5) Pray... 

What if we spent half the time we scroll in serious prayer? For real y'all, I think it would be life changing.

6) Write... 

Journal, grocery list, blog, or whatever you need to write. Fellow bloggers... I wrote this whole post in time I would have been scrolling.

7) Be still... 

Do nothing. Yep I said it. For some reason in our world today we can't just be. We have the cumpulsion to pick up our phone at a stoplight, during a lull in conversation and everywhere in between. It is okay to have stillness in this productivity driven world!

8) Be present... 

Maybe you should get on your phone at all. Maybe you need to be totally present with you friends and family.

What about you... What do you do instead of scrolling? 

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Six Goals for 2016...

I am usually come up with so many goals (like here). Seriously, I have made many a unattainable to do list.  But this year- just 6 things. And what does not fit into the 6 things? Well, I might just have to say no (gasp). Can't do it all, but what I do I want to do well:)!

All this to be said, my word for the year is FOCUS.
Focus on what matters, focus on what God is calling me to, and focus on what I actually can get done!

One

Continued growth in my relationship with God. This past year I read the book Women of the Word and really learned to study my Bible. I have studies Ruth, 1 John and Galations since then and I love the depth that I am learning scripture. I hope to contunue to study scripture with this depth.

I want work on praying continually and intentionally. With each breath and with each step.

Two 

I want to grow in my relationship with Andrew. My prayer is that this would continue to happen as we serve together, pray together, study together and just do life together. That our relationship would give a picture of Christ and the church.

Three

I want to soak in each moment with our precious kiddos and really disciple them! Not an easy task and not one I take lightly.  I want to really show them the Gospel and Grace day in and day out. 

Four

Self-care.  This sounds so selfish when I say it, but getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising and not stressing need to be priorities.  As I tell other mamas all the time, 

"You need to put your life mask on yourself first before you put it on your child."  

Can't help the littles or anyone else if you aren't taking care of yourself.  It is time I take my own advise.

Five

Ministry. Serving.  Particularly focusing on the College/20s ministry and preschool ministry at our church.  I know those seem like opposite… but I just really like both :).  

Six

We have had one car since I was 16, 12 years, and it has over 200,000  miles on it.  We have another that has over 175,000.  We would like to save cash to buy a car.  I will be working a couple of part time gigs this next year- some nannying and working in the preschool ministry at our church (get to take the kiddos with me for both:)).  Working these jobs and saving the money will be a priority!

Even though I limited myself to 6… this is still an intense list.  It is still a lot.

That being said… anyone notice something not on there?

The good old blog.  

I am not shutting it down.  I can't.  I just love it.  The writing that is…

Anyways, in times like this, when my cup runth over- something has to be at the bottom of the totem pole.  So the blog it is.

I will write, but maybe not as often.

So what about you?  Do you have a mile long to do list this year? Or just a few priorities?

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If you like this post you may like…

The Budgeting Diaries 

To the mom deciding between full-time work, part-time work and staying home…

Embracing the Teachable Twos

The Christmas Challenge: Shop local/WAHMs

We have talked about giving as much as you spend.

We have talked about shopping stores that give back. 

Another great option this Christmas??? 

Shop local and work at home moms!!! I am not going to lie and tell you I have never purchased something from Amazon, because I do, BUT choosing to take some of our spending to our own community makes a difference!  Those local stores that you love visiting… purchase a few gifts off your Christmas lists there.

You can also support work at home moms (dads, friend, etc).  Many times people are using these businesses to help ends meet or even raise money for adoption or other ministries.  Buying from these places is a cool way to 

1. Support a family/person

2. Get a unique gift

So check out Etsy, a local shop or your friend's business and use this as an opportunity to connect with them!

The rest of the series...

Introduction
Week 1: Give as much as you spend!

Week 2: Shop stores that give back!
Week 3: Shop Local/WAHMs!
Week 4: Make gifts!

Week 5: Serve!

Hope you will follow along!!! :)

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Prayer Wall

I am excited to share our new prayer wall!  (You can see our old one here)

Having a prayer wall is a great way to put Christmas cards and save the dates to good use.  We display them year round and go in and pray for our friends and family.  If you want to be added to the wall send us a Xmas card this year! :) Ps this was so easy. Hung one board to put pictures on that we already had.  Painted one piece of scrap wood and tied string to it.   _________ What do you do to remember to pray for your friends and family?  What do you do with your Christmas cards?  Would love to hear your thoughts! BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN'

Ten years ago...

Have you ever woke up in the morning an pondered what your life was like ten years ago?   Well, there is the stark realization that ten years ago I was 18… a freshly graduated high school senior… and about to start college. But there is more, I can remember ten years ago today. Because is this a day and a date of an experience I will never forget. There are days like this through out the year… I generally don't forget my birthday or our anniversary.  However, unlike those days this day brings back some of the most difficult memories of my life.  But I have found from even the most unpleasant moments- that God is victorious people come to know Him I learn I grow even ten years later. You see ten years ago I was on a mission trip to Kenya with a fabulous group of leaders and students.  

We were training students there and sharing the gospel for three weeks. It really was an amazing trip. And then there was today.

On this day ten years ago our team was attacked.  It was spiritual warfare as I had never experienced it. And I can tell you that in those moments I thought, "This is happening, I am going to die for the sake of the Gospel."

I am not into sharing the details here, because really it is not just my story to tell.  If you want to get in touch with me I wouldn't mind sharing with you more about what God taught me… but this is just not the place for details.

Upon our return to home, things were hard. Flashbacks happened and I got help with handling those things.  But for me each day got better.  Not that I never struggle with this incident, but I can honestly say I don't think about it everyday now.  And when I do, many times I think about it as if it were a story that were told to me… something that happened to someone else (all you psychology majors and counselors out there probably know the reason for this… probably to protect myself???). 

But this year coming up on the anniversary was different.  As I started to ponder the fact that it was TEN YEARS AGO, something hit me differently.  I started thinking about Paul's writings from Philippians 1  

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,  so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Philippians 1:21-26

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In those moments ten years ago, if that had been the end of my time on earth, what a glorious celebration it would have been to be with Christ.  But that is not what happened- I was gifted with the other side- more life.  And as the verse says… to live is Christ.

This begs the question that has been on my mind for the last few days… with this gift of life have I been living with this mentality- that to live is Christ.

What have I done with my last ten years? 

How have I served?

How have I worshipped?

How have I reached my community and the world for Christ?

I am confident that God kept me here for a purpose and plan. And I can see how HE has used me.  And I don't know how much longer that plan is… but no matter what I want to live each and every day for Christ- His glory and to make Him known.  

And as I go through the next year, ten years, fifty years or one hundred years (okay not one hundred)- however many days are left for me on this earth, I want to live with a sense of urgency, and abandon for the sake of the Gospel.  

And that is my prayer for you as well.  That you will know Christ and live Philippians 1:21 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Guest Post: How to Give When Money is Tight!

A month or so ago a blogging friend of mine asked me to share my thoughts about giving/being generous on a budget.  It was so cool, because God has been teaching Andrew and I so much about this lately.   Soooooo… you should check it out: How to Give When Money is Tight

How do you make sure to give when you are on a shoe string budget?

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The Christmas Challenge: Shop Stores that Give Back

Did you ever study econmics? Now, I am no economics expert, but I did take the class in high school. One of the concepts that stuck with me is 

"there is no such thing as a free lunch"

Basically, this means that if you get something for free or really cheap, someone is still paying for it even if it is not you.  In other words if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There are a million examples... but I will use something I know a lot about- cloth diapers (and stick with me even if you have no interest in cloth diapers, I promise I have a point :)) 

People ask me all the time why I would spend $20 a diaper when there are places I could spend $5 (or less) a diaper. This is very tempting especially for someone as cheap frugal as me. But it comes down to this, someone is paying for that $5 dollar and it is probably someone that is working to gather the goods to produce the product overseas. They are paying for it by working in dismal conditions and/or not making a fair wage or both.  I don't want my baby, myself or anyone in my family wearing (or using) something that was produced in that way if I can so prevent it.  

So what do we do about this?  How so we buy gifts and assurance that we are not supporting dismal work conditions, unfair wages or even slavery just so we can get a new sweater?

1) Do your research.

This can be painful.  It can take a little more time and effort than running to the closest mega store.  But do it.  One great resource that  have found is Free2Work.  The give an A+ to an F rating to apparel companies, toy companies, coffee companies and more!  They go to each brand and ask them 61 questions for each of the three stages of production.  The question fall into four categories- policies, transparency and traceability, monitoring and training and workers rights.  It might be a bit convicting… go over there and check out your favorite stores.  See how they do.

Take is a step further and...

2) Shop Stores that Give Back...

Some stores take it a step further.  Each of these company's goals is slightly different, but their over arching theme is to give back.  Some have people working in specific countries in fair environments for fair wages.  This helps build the economy of the country giving real people real skills.  Others raise funds for orphans and vulnerable children.  These are my favorites and I recommend adding a few to your Christmas list.

The Sound of Hope

My pick…This handwoven scarce from Thailand.

Noonday Collection

My pick… this necklace 

Raven + Lilly

My pick…This recycled cotton travel journal

Mata Traders

My pick… this set of reversible headbands

The Root Collective

My pick… these mustard colored flats

There are lots more…

Funky Fish Designs

The Hunger Site

Come Together Trading

Preemptive Love Coalition 

Aldea Coffee

International Blessings

Furnace Hills Coffee 

Open Arms Shop

CommonThreadz

Global Girlfriend

3seams

Trade As One

Also… if you have another, email me or comment below, I would love to add it!

3) Give a Gift that Someone Else Receives...

For the person that says they don't want anything or does not need anything.  You don't have to give a physical item at all to your friend or relative!

Samaritain's Purse

World Vision

Compassion International

Heifer International

And I know there are more… send them my way friends and I will add them!

The rest of the series...

Introduction
Week 1: Give as much as you spend!

Week 2: Shop stores that give back!
Week 3: Shop Local/WAHMs!
Week 4: Make gifts!

Week 5: Serve!

Want to see the whole series???

Follow along….

Stasia:    BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN'

So I hope you will think about.  How are you going to shop this season in a way that gives back?

The Christmas Challenge: Give as much as you spend

When God first started tugging my heart about our Christmas habits, one of the first things I was convicted about was how much we give during the Christmas season.  To be honest, our family does not go crazy during Christmas with our spending.  We have never spent thousands of dollars or wracked up credit card debt, but we have never really given much either.

As I have been processing all of this, God has been tugging at my heart.  

Stasia, you should be giving at least as much as you are spending.

For me (and others I suspect), I get caught up in a string of excuses with this…

"I give my 10%."

"We don't have that much to give."

"I will give when we have more."

"But we are still living with my in-laws." (okay… this one probably only pertains to us)

etc etc etc

As these excuses have run through my mind, this scripture hit me 

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7~ (read in context here)

It is not about giving 10% and it is not about giving comfortably.  It is about giving cheerfully and sacrifically.  Tweet this!

So, where does that leave us?

We have a budget for Christmas… and for every dollar we spend we are going to give away at least a dollar.  To church, to missions, to charity.  

So where, where does that leave you?

Won't you join our family in the joy of giving this year (and maybe, just maybe it will run into other times in our lives:))?  Pray about it and join the challenge… 

Give as much as you spend this year! Tweet this!

The rest of the series...

Introduction
Week 1: Give as much as you spend!

Week 2: Shop stores that give back!
Week 3: Shop Local/WAHMs!
Week 4: Make gifts!

Week 5: Serve!

Want to see the whole series???

Follow along….

Stasia:    BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN'

The Christmas Challenge: An Introduction

Some of you are probably pretty offended right now… you are just getting a chance to sip on your pumpkin spice latte and here I am talking about Christmas?  Just not allowed, right?

While is seems early, the commercialism and rush of the Christmas season is about to be upon us, and I feel like I need to get a slight head start.

Sometime back in May, God started working in my heart on this.  Stirring me. Challenging me.  Causing me to ask questions about the way we give at Christmastime.  

It has been exciting as I have began to explore where God is leading me in all of this, but it has also been overwhelming.  We love gifts. We love Black Friday.  To be honest, we love to spend money at Christmas. And no worries, I am not going to say stop our gift giving all together… there is something so special in it when done in love and sacrifice.   I am just going to say we take time to reevaluate.  To take a look at how we are giving.

And this is our journey too.  I have a general outline for this series… but to be honest, it has yet to be written. It may even change as we go! I am learning here and excited to share with you along the way!

So here is the plan… 

Week 1: Give as much as you spend!

Week 2: Shop stores that give back!
Week 3: Shop Local/WAHMs!
Week 4: Make gifts!

Week 5: Serve!

I hope you will make it back each week… her are some ways to follow along :)
Stasia:    BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN'


And I will just leave you with one more thing- this video from the Advent Conspiracy… please take a minute to watch, it is awesome!

It takes investment...

If there is one thing I have learned lately is that there is no such thing as a get rich quick scheme.  Okay, sure there may be a few exceptions, but this is the general rule.  Becoming successful, making an impact usually takes time and resources.   Think about it this way, to get most jobs nowadays, you have to have a four year college degree.  That is four years of your life and four years of tuition to land one job.  And to reach your next job or the next level it takes years of hard work and experience.  I think about blogging.  This is embarrassing to admit, but at the beginning I just thought I would write and my blog would automatically grow a following (humble right?). Growing a blog took more than just the writing time investment, it took pondering why I blog and connecting… aka lots of time.  But now, after some time of really investing I am seeing serious growth and impact. Then I ponder my little cloth diapering side business.  I thought, "I love cloth diapering, and everyone comes to me with their questions… obviously I will be successful right away."  But that was not the reality.  I have spent time answering peoples questions and showing them how cloth diapers work, just to see them go buy the same diapers I have shown them off of Amazon.  Using my experience and willingness to help, and then just dropping me!  But after time and networking, I am also starting to see growth in my business.  It did not just happen, it took nine months of work and some financial investment. And you know, this goes more than just for jobs, blogging and business. It is true in ministry and community as well. As many of you know, our family just moved to a new city about two months ago. And we are still waiting to feel really connected again.  To find our places of community and support.  I think back to New Orleans and how much I LOVED our community there.  I honestly long for it back.  Then I remind myself that we lived there for three years.  I remind myself that the first six months I cried often, longing for community and routine and stability.  And it came, eventually, with time and effort.   So now I must take time to invest in people and places here before I feel that kind of connection again! Or even from a ministry stand point.  My husband has been working really hard in a new ministry position and I really want to work beside him in it.  But it is new, and we are still not exactly sure what this looks like.  We pray for growth and invest.  But ultimately change and growth in the ministry will only happen in God's time, not ours- so we must work and wait.

It takes investment to make an impact! (Tweet this)

So, if you are in that beginning stage.  The one with tons of investment and little payoff.  I want to encourage you today!  Things generally don't just happen over night.  They take hard work and investment.  They take commitment.  They take releasing the project/goal to God, understanding that it is His will and timing on your life, not yours!   So keep working, pushing and most of all trust God, His timing is perfect and you are probably already making more of an impact than you know!