Uncategorized

It’s the season for giving.  But before we get caught up in all the cyber deals and door busters, let’s take a moment to think about those who are less fortunate than us.

Did you know that every five seconds a child dies of hunger related causes? This is definitely something I need to be reminded of when I’m feeling dissatisfied with the way my life is going. Even though compared to America’s standards my family is not rich, in many countries we have luxuries that only the wealthy can afford. Things like running water, insulated walls, a car… When my children want grapes I can just reach into the refrigerator and there are most likely grapes in there. If we have run out of grapes, I can hop in the car and drive the half mile to the store and buy more grapes. Meanwhile many children in South Africa, Haiti, and Mexico are starving.

“In response to Jesus’ command to feed the hungry, Outside the Bowl is dedicated to eliminating physical and spiritual starvation in impoverished communities by building super kitchens, and working with established community partners to serve hot, nutritious meals to those who need them most.”             –Outside the Bowl

What makes Outside the Bowl so unique is the way it is set up. The kitchens partner with local organizations to distribute food to impoverished communities. The food coming from the kitchen is cooked using locally farmed ingredients. Local residents are hired to cook and serve the food. One “Super Kitchen” can serve up to 6,000 hot meals a day. The impact is incredible.

I really don’t feel like I do Outside the Bowl enough justice with my words, so please watch this brief video that explains in more detail what it is that they do.

Today I read a story with my class, Dragonfly’s Tale. It’s a story of how a group of people wanted to show off their prosperity after the harvest. The elders hosted a grand food fight and invite people from neighboring villages to come see how there was such an abundance of food that the townspeople threw batter like snowballs and trampled cakes into the mud for fun. Of course, the neighbors were disgusted. The rest of the story plays out the consequence for the townspeople’s lack of gratitude.

Where do we stand when it comes to our blessings? In the story of the townspeople, the wealthy were exaggeratedly arrogant. But still the message resonates with us because we recognize the error in not being appreciative of what you have.

Via OTB on Facebook

I know times are tough for all of us. It costs less than 25¢ to feed a child a hot meal through Outside the Bowl. The Tuesday after Cyber Monday is becoming more widely recognized as Giving Tuesday. I challenge you to pay it forward this#GivingTuesday. If not through Outside the Bowl, then through another charitable organization that makes a positive impact on the world.

This post was not sponsored by Outside the Bowl. I have not been compensated in any way for my opinions. I’m merely spreading the word about an organizations that is changing lives in hopes that you may join me and donate today.

Three years ago today, we became parents of twins. 

I remember that first 24 hours in the hospital and how much pressure we felt to do everything right. Our eyes constantly on the clock, we tried so hard to make sure that they ate for the correct number of minutes and at the correct interval of hours. We changed diapers and scrubbed little bodies with such care.   We took our two princesses home and our lives instantly went from organized and predictable to clutter and chaos.

  But among the piles of laundry, toys, and sippy cups, wonderful memories were made.

We looked on with adoration as our growing babies found new adventures everywhere.

  We’ve seen plenty of struggles and encountered countless frustrations, but none of those matter when your house is filled with the sounds of toddler giggles.
  Twins share a special bond that is unlike any other pair of siblings. As they grow, so does their devotion to one another.    You can never be fully prepared for having twins. The birth of multiples will throw your life into turmoil, but you will find that you wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Although these last 3 years have been the hardest of my life, every minute was worth it because when I look into the eyes of my daughters, I see my blessings outnumber my trials. 
 

Ever have one of those days when you just can’t seem to get the ball rolling? That was me, pretty much all day on Saturday. The house was clean, babies were napping, Big Boy and hubby were gone. Everything was in perfect alignment for me to sit down and work on next week’s lesson plans, without feeling guilty for not doing some other family responsibility. See my tidy workspace (those books are my planning stuff-all ready and waiting for me!)?

Usually a neat, quiet work environment is all the motivation I need to get started on a project.

Here’s what actually ended up happening:

I went on an infographic-making detour. I just love infographics, and I made this one from a free site called tagxedo.com. It twists your text into a customizeable word cloud. Isn’t that cool?

I window-shopped on Etsy (can you call it window shopping if you aren’t looking through windows?).

I recorded, then deleted a vlog.

I googled Macgyver inventions. Not sure why, but I needed to know what he invented. By the way, for an interesting compilation of 11 absurd inventions, check out this post.

I wrote this blog post.

I sat on the floor (once the babies woke up) and shared a quesadilla.

And that was Saturday.

Could I BE any more lazy?

I just discovered this free site that turns your text into word art! It’s so neat! My little geek brain is whirring with the many uses it could provide in the classroom. Check out the image I made!