Another Reason Why We Do What We Do

I just watched this video on Heather's blog and my heart ached immediately.  This is just another reason why we do what we do.  Josh  & Tasha Via Ministries partners with Arise Africa, a mission based organization in Uganda, Africa.  We have had the privilege to go there personally many times and Josh's parents take a team every summer.  When you buy ANY merchandise, whether it is a CD or Josh's Devotional Book (all linked on the sidebar) the proceeds don't go in our pockets.  A portion of it goes to buy more merchandise and helps fund other projects and mission trips but a percentage of everything YOU buy goes directly to Arise Africa to help their pastors and orphans like you just saw in this video.  Wow, you have to watch this.  Your life will be changed!

Words Of Wisdom - Lovin' The Ladies

We just had to get out of the house so I took the kids to Target to pick up a birthday present for a friend and I got each of the kids a Kid's Meal for $2 each while we were there. You can't beat that!!!

Anyway, the lady serving us was being really sweet to the kids. After she went to go retrieve our order Zeke looked up at me with googly eyes and said, "I LOVE ladies!"

Then...

While we were sitting down and eating he shouted out to the lady workers, "I love you ladies! Mommy, I told the ladies 'I love you'.=)"

Man, I'm really in for it if he's already hittin' on the women=)

Facebook Fast

Okay, I'm going to be brutally open and honest here.  I have decided to partake in a Facebook Fast.  "What the heck is that?" you ask.  Let me explain.

The only reason Josh and I got a Facebook account was for our ministry.  This was before I figured out how to make a Josh & Tasha Via MUSIC page so we just went with a joint "Personal" page.  We soon found out it is a GREAT way to get and stay connected with people.  All sorts of people from past, present and even future people we may meet.  

For me this has become a bit difficult during these hormonal pregnancy days.  As a women one of my biggest struggles is playing the comparison game.  Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about...

I might see one of my good friends hanging out with what appears to be all my other friends and it makes me a little sad that I can't be there.  

Then, I see one of my high school buddies out having a good time and drinking way too much but having what seems to be the time of their lives.  Still single, with no attachments, and a huge smile on all their faces.  Am I sad that I can't be there?!  No way, but something begins to tug at me.

Then, I'll go to a fellow musician's page where they have all these HUGE events lined up and all these awesome gigs to play.

Then, I'll go to yet another friend who is a mommy to adorable little children.  She is hugging on them, kissing on them, and playing cute games with them.  She appears to be the perfect mom.  Then I totally feel like a failure as a mother...

Okay, you can see where I'm going with this.  It appears that everyone always feels like they have a ton of best friends, it appears like their life is more fun or better, it appears like their ministry or career is taking off better than mine, it appears that she is a better mom than I am...

You see, you can make your life look however you want it to.  Is it a bad thing to post pictures of you and your friends having a good time?  No way!  Do I think Facebook is a bad thing?  Absolutely NOT!  Do I ALWAYS get these feelings when I hang out on Facebook for more than 5 minutes?  Not at all!  It's just when I start to dwell on other's lives and blessings instead of my own.

So for me, right now I am working on being content with where God has placed me, being content in who God has made me and being content with how God has blessed me and it's hard for me to do that while I see just the appearances and the surfaces of other's lives.  When my heart is ready then I'll jump back on the Facebook train but for now Josh will just have to take my messages for me=)

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is

honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - 

if there is any moral excellence and if there is

any praise - dwell on these things."

Philippians 4:8

What We're Having - Easy Beef Goulash

Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE All Recipes?!  All you have to do is do a search with the ingredients you want to use and a whole bunch of recipe links come up.  It's awesome!

Well, last night I did a search for "stew meat" and "noodles" and chose this yummy, easy, healthy recipe for Easy Beef Goulash.  I didn't have a few of the ingredients but it turned out really good anyway ... and filling!

You Should NEVER...

...wear purple undies with a sheer pink princess dress!

Unless you are THIS cute and funny of course=)

Taking The Time

Zeke and I had a rough night last night (I think it had something to do with hot sauce and red pepper powder on his thumbs=)) so he was pretty cranky this morning.  I was feeling a bit nauseous so I was a bit cranky.  That's when I decided it was a perfect day for an exclusive Mommy and Zeke Morning!

After I took Rainy to school I came home and took Zeke for a long walk.  Again, it's been beautiful outside today=)  We saw some kites in the sky, played with ladybugs and watched the pretty birds.  We also found some "perfect" rocks to bring home and show daddy!

I've also gotten some GREAT ideas from my friends Kelly and Jenn about "school" at home and decided to do a lesson with Zeke today.  He was thrilled to "go to school" today!  We learned about the color ORANGE!  We colored with ORANGE crayons, put on an ORANGE shirt, went throughout the house looking for ORANGE things, and then we completed our lesson by finding ORANGE things to eat for lunch=)  

Sometimes we just need to stop and take the time to enjoy our kids.  Not one time during our morning together did he throw a fit or whine.  We both needed this time together.

Diaper Free ... Well, For A Few Months Anyway=)

We are officially diaper free!  

Areyna has been out of pull-ups at night now for a week, accident-free, yippee.  I was talking to my friend last week about how it usually happens; the parent sees that the child has been "accident-free" for months while wearing a pull-up at night.  So, you decide to try big-girl undies and save the pull-up just to have accident after accident in the middle of the night.  It must be a mental thing.  But, last week when we went to pick up the kids after CharlotteONE the people that kept the kids couldn't find a pull-up for her so just kept her big-girl undies on but we didn't know until she woke up dry the next morning.  Shew, that could have been disastrous.  We decided we made it one night so we'd try it again.  She has done excellent.

Moving on...

Zeke has been a champ through this whole potty training experience.  We weren't even thinking about potty training him yet.  He just did it on his own.  Now, he'll go all by himself and bring us his undies to put back on him afterwards.  Wow!  He's even been in big-boy undies for nap times with NO accidents..  He just wears a pull-up at night time now.  

Man, I hope #3 is as easy as Zeke was and PRAY he's not as difficult as Rainy=)  So, we start the stockpiling of baby diapers.  We decided to keep getting the really good deals on diapers to stock up now so we aren't breaking the bank when the next one arrives.  

This is the first time in 4 years that we don't have someone in diapers, Praise The Lord!!!

A Sunburn In February

God has really blessed us with some BEAUTIFUL weather this weekend and today!  We went from snow on Wednesday (the kids were still eating the leftover chunks on the ground 3 days later...gross!) to in the 70's on Sat., Sun. and today.  You'd think we were in Colorado or something, right mom?

Yesterday after church we ate a picnic outside before we put the kids down for a snooze.  Then, Josh and I went back out in the backyard and took a nap on a blanket.  It was SO nice.

Today has been even better.  Josh took the day off  and did yard work this morning/afternoon while the kids and I worked on Thank You cards for Christmas on the deck (better late than never, huh=)).  We were literally outside from right after breakfast until they went down for a nap at 2pm.

I must say that my nose (and Josh) is suffering though.  I have been sneezing, sniffing and snotting so bad that Josh just ran out to get me some Claritin.  I must have been really grossing him out=)

I didn't think to put sunscreen on in February, and now my back has the beginnings of a sunburn.  Not bad, but I wasn't planning on working on my tan just yet!

Make A Covenant With Thine Eyes

Josh and I have an awesome opportunity.  Our ministry has just been approved as an affiliate of Covenant Eyes.  It is an internet-based accountability program.  

As a female, I never really understood the challenges that guys face on a day-to-day basis until I started dating Josh.  I'd heard people talk about it a lot, but nobody, especially a boyfriend, had ever changed the channel while we were watching TV because a provocative commercial would come on or ask me ever-so-politely to go change into a different shirt.  I don't think I will ever completely understand what goes through a male's head or why God made our men so visual but I do know how much I appreciate and respect my husband for striving to be above reproach in this area.  See, he knows that he is not above this temptation and that it could come knocking at anytime.

That is why, last year Josh set himself and his 3 brothers up as a group with Covenant Eyes and they do this together.  As a wife I feel blessed that my husband would take this step to stay pure.  There is so much out there that can become a temptation but if you know that others are checking up on you to see where you have been on the internet you are less likely to "go there".

If you, your family, or your church are interested, you can get a free 30-day trial using our promo code "joshandtasha".  If you sign up with our promo code it actually helps support our ministry as well - so we can keep on making music, leading people into worship and taking mission trips around the world.

Josh said it perfectly when he said:

"So, think about it.  I highly recommend it.  And really, you can't afford not to have accountability.  Your wife (or future wife) and kids (or future kids) will love you for it!"