So, yeah, this week.

“When is Kid’s Day?” they ask with the tiniest hint of bitterness.

I smile and always answer with the tiniest hint of triumph, “everyday is Kid’s Day. Yay!”

And then I jump up and down. Once.

Well, everyday is Kid’s Day. But I can’t blame them for trying.

My kids are easy to please. Their entire day can turn into THE BEST DAY EVER with a visit to the gumball machine or a visit to the Sassy Box (a box we keep with goodies for extra great behavior). Although as they get older, they want the gumball machine that’s giving away the iPods. I’m just saying. But in return, my kids MAKE MY DAY when I catch them humming an inspiring song or watch them in the rearview mirror dancing to the beat.

We’ve been skipping around to Hillsong Kids JR Crazy Noise CD lately and I’m excited to give away a bunch of them! Let’s make today one that our kids won’t forget!

The Hillsong KIDS are back with an energetic collection of kid-friendly praise
songs, guaranteed to get your young ones on their feet and singing along! But
that s not all, for the fi rst time ever Hillsong Kids presents an album especially
for preschoolers and early school age children. Crazy Noise is an album full
of catchy new songs for fans of The Wiggles and Yo Gabba Gabba. A couple of
Hillsong KIDS favorite songs and an appearance from JD, lead singer of Hillsong
United, are also added into the mix to complete this wonderful collection.
More than products, Hillsong KIDS albums are resources, thoughtfully created
for Hillsong Church s Children s Ministry. For a long time we have wanted to
create an album for this age group and we are so excited about producing this
album for the preschooler, Hillsong Children s Pastor Dave Wakerley says.
Crazy Noise is full of brand new songs that your little ones will enjoy singing,
dancing, and praising God to.

Everyday is Kid’s Day {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

My home has become a gallery of inspiration.

The walls are peppered with more than decor: Inspirational art makes a statement and issues a challenge.

I made a decision a long time ago that I would only hang what inspires me. From my kids handmade art in the laundry room to the canvas cross in the kitchen to the tree of life in the bathroom, I can’t tell you how many times in a day I’m encouraged by inspirational art.

I want you to be too.

I love Show Off Arts newest pieces:

Show Off Arts is one of my absolute favorites! Not only is their story (behind the art) beautiful, their products are fun and warm and truly inspirational!

Today, Show Off Arts is offering one reader a $50 gift certificate for anything in their store, plus free shipping. Plus, all my readers can receive an extra 20% off with code watf20

Take a look around and leave a comment with what art inspires you.

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

Art to Inspire {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

She called my name. I put down my book and looked up from the patio chair. “Hmmm?” I sounded.

“Mom, please help me,” she said and pointed to the swings.

I got up and walked toward her. “Will you please help me swing on all of them?” I didn’t understand and so she explained.

I frowned. “I don’t think it’s possible, honey.”

“Will you just try to help me? You’re the only mother I have,” she whined.

I bit back a laugh.

And then we did this together:

I pushed her awkwardly and she looked triumphant.

Later I showed her the picture as she snuggled up next to me in bed. “We did it!” I said and tickled her.

“Mommy? I love you.

But…” she paused.

I waited.

“You’ve got to do something about your spikey legs.”

Ah, motherhood. Some days are smooth, others are, well, spikey.

But I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

——————————————-

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m giving away 5 copies of my book, Don’t Make Me Come Up There!: Quiet Moments for Busy Moms!

Fill in the blank as your entry “I’m glad I’m a Mom because_______” OR if that doesn’t apply “I’m glad for my Mom because______”

I’m Glad I’m a Mom {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

I just registered my tot for Kindergarten.

{Sob}

How did we get here? She’s reading short words, can write her entire name and has perfected her sassy look.

We are soaking up her days before she’s in school full time and her appetite for learning grows daily. So, when friends over at Time for Tots asked if they could help me help my daughter, give my readers an awesome deal and benefit Mercy House–I said YES!

My oldest played hooky a couple of weeks ago-she needed a mental health day (shhh!) and she “played school” with my youngest. She had no idea she was learning. I loved watching them work together for hours!

Summer Kit Includes:

Summer Themed Prewriting Strips

Flower Playdough Mat with Playdough

Bumblebee Dice Game

“Plant the Seeds” Color Matching with Mold

Flower Alphabet Matching

Sticker Matching Grid Game

Targeted Skills:

Color Identification

Letter Identification

Number Identification

Counting

Matching

Fine Motor Skills

Visual Discrimination

It’s perfect for summer learning, long days, homeschool, trips, etc. (I’m taking ours on our trip to Africa!)

Today, I’m giving away THREE kits on this post. Leave a comment to be entered.

This kit is available to purchase right here (until supplies last). It’s regularly $25 (plus $5 shipping).

You can purchase it for only $15 (plus $5 shipping) and 25% of every sale benefits Mercy House!

Visit Time for Tots and check out their other resources. You can also follow them on Facebook.

Time For Tots {Giveaway} & Awesome Deal is a post from: We are THAT Family

I’m a big rule follower. I like to color inside the lines.

Lately though, I’ve been trying to break my own rules and be more flexible.

And guess what? My house is a little messier, my laundry pile is a bit bigger, my to do list longer, but my life is more peaceful.

2+2 doesn’t always equal 4.

I stink at math. But I’m always reminded that time with the beautiful people in my life is really what life is all about.

That’s why I absolutely love RULES like this: (Plus, who doesn’t love subway art?)

I think when I focus on making these rules a priority, I remember life isn’t about things at all.

Alexander Creative has some awesome art for your walls!

I love this one for a boy’s room.

They sent me the  family subway rules poster and they are giving one away on my blog today to a lucky reader.

Everyone else, shop here!

Tell me what you’d love to hang on your walls from Alexander Creative and that will be your entry.

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

Rules to Live By {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

My real life intersects with my online life more and more.

I love it.

Except when people see me mopping up a broken pickle jar in the middle of The Wal Marts and say “yep, you are that family.”

I will deny and run.

But usually, it’s a great experience! It turns out another preschool mom has been reading my blog for awhile and when we bumped into each other, it was so fun! She has a heart for God and Mercy House, plus (bonus) she has an adorable business called Tippie Toads that offers fun, awesome personalized gifts!

She created some darling items to benefit Mercy House.

Cute, huh??

She’s selling them in her store and get this: 100% of the profits from the Love Mercy line go to support our girls in Kenya!

Cute with a cause is my kind of shopping!

Check out all her awesome items here.

Plus, Tippie Toads is giving away a Love Mercy tumbler set and choice of Love Mercy clipboard or Post It Note Set today to one lucky reader (more than $75 value):

Leave a comment if you’d like to win.

Tippie Toads {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

UPDATE:  Congrats to comment numbers 70, 63, 54, 50, 5 – Jen Harris, Rosa Y., tsmith, Tonya Moyer, & Karen you have been chosen as winners of the TWFM E-book!

That Works for Me! Contest

We are running a contest on the website thru the month of April for a gift card for house cleaning ($150 value). We are asking readers to “submit a tip” as an entry. You can submit as many as you’d like (for multiple entries) with 25 categories! This contest will run thru April 30th.

TWFM E-Book {Giveaway & Contest} is a post from: We are THAT Family

Moms everywhere have one thing in common: they all know how to replace toilet paper rolls when they are empty.

If your house is like mine, this is a rare gift.

It doesn’t matter what mothers “do” for a living, how famous in infamous they may be, moms also do one other thing well: they fiercely love their kids.

It’s in our blood.

I think that’s probably one of my favorite things about Christy Nockles. (Her brand new worship album Into the Glorious debuts this week!) She’s a fantastic singer, an inspirational worship leader, a renown recording artist, but her greatest legacy is her three young children.

Plus, y’all: she writes some of her songs in her minivan with her kids. It just doesn’t get more real than that.

I almost wrote a song once in my van, but I couldn’t think of anything that rhymed with I’M SO TIRED.

This week, Christy launched her new CD, Into the Glorious.

I asked Christy Nockles a few questions-I think you’ll love her Mom-heart as much as I do:

1. How do you juggle being a mom and a recording artist?

Well…juggle is certainly the right word.  When they were little I
think I tried to compartmentalize my world…but later I realized the
best thing for me and for my family is that we are all in the middle of
it together.  In order for them to see me walk in my gifting and my
calling, I’ve learned that to involve them and invite them in is the
best way to also mother and mentor them inside of it.  When I was
getting ready to write songs for this record, I sat all 3 of them down
and asked them to help me write the songs.  They looked at me really
funny…  I asked them if they knew some ways that they might could help
me write the songs… It was crickets at first, but then our youngest,
Annie Rose (4), spoke up… “we can be kind to each other!”  She totally
got it. Then the older two began to spout off all the ways that they
could help me while I was songwriting. I now see allot of fruit from
that decision to invite them into it.  Even yesterday, our son Noah saw
my finished record that had arrived at our house in the mail and he
looked at it and said, “I remember when you were writing these songs,
can’t believe it’s already done.”  I was really excited that he
remembered the writing process and it appeared to be a good memory for
him. : )  So… all in all, it does take juggling.  I do have some great
helpers who love on my kids!  We have 3 young women from our church that
take turns…they nanny & tutor & even sometimes fold clothes and do the
dishes!  We do kind of a “hybrid homeschool” program where they go to
school twice a week and then homeschool the other three days.  It works
well for our lifestyle, but I need lots of help!  But you know what?
Even the Proverbs 31 woman had help!  It says she gave a portion to her
servant girls… I think it’s a beautiful thing to invite some young
women into your life to help you, and in turn you are helping them have
means to live and they are getting to see inside of a mother’s life.  It
can be a real win/win thing… I also have learned to write songs during
the mundane, ordinary things… I write while I’m cleaning, running
errands and in the carpool line!  That’s what “Into The Glorious”
means…we are invited into the glorious every day of our lives…all we
have to do is accept the invitation and step into it.  A few years ago I
asked my friend Terry Price, whose a mother of 9 and a songwriter this
very same question…”how do you juggle it all?”  She said, “you have to
invite the glorious into the mundane”.  That stuck with me from that day
on… The invitation is ours.  The minivan really can become a sanctuary
and a place of worship…and a much needed songwriting session.

2. Tell us about your children:

Our oldest is Noah Luke, he is 11.  Noah is very passionate… He
loves music, is a very naturally gifted drummer and his newest passion
is film making.  He’s witty, creative and sensitive.  He walks closely
with his Daddy, we realized early on, even at the age of 9 that Noah
already needed accountability in his life.  They talk openly about life,
love and other mysteries and I’m so grateful for their relationship.  It
allows me to be just “mom” in his life…the one who comforts, cooks,
and sits on the edge of his bed every night to talk about life… while
I scratch his back of course.  Elliana “Ellie” is 9.  She is so much
like her Daddy…quiet, even keel most of the time, inward,
peacemaker…she looks around to see what needs to be done and she does
it.  She’s our little artist…she loves painting, drawing and creating.
Annie Rose is 4, she’s spunky, funny, and a little bit too smart for her
own good sometimes. She actually appears kind of serious a lot of the
time, which I think is her own way of just playing it cool… I have
loved getting to mother 2 girls!  I’m constantly amazed by their love
for each other, despite the occasional spats, and I realize more and
more that it’s my job to mentor them first.  It’s a new season of life,
moving from child-bearing to child-shepherding on a daily basis, but
what a privilege! So rewarding…

3. What inspires you to write a song?

It usually starts with needing Truth to cover my own heart…then it
branches out from there.  It will sometimes start with a passage of
scripture, something I heard a teacher say, something we are
experiencing together at church…or even something my kids say.  It’s
different all the time, but the main motivation is Truth.  I have always
loved putting truth to song in an artful way, and I love that it helps
people articulate things that their hearts want to say to God, but they
may not know how to say it.  Songs do that and I love it!  I love the
idea of helping people communicate their heart to God…so incredibly
inspiring.

4. What would you like to tell moms?

I love how motherhood is being celebrated in our generation.  Now
there are so many moms who can connect to each other all over the world
and share stories, art, and beautiful photographs of their children and
feel like they are walking closely with others in the same season of
life.  However, I think there are still the days that some of us wake up
and we let the season we are in completely overwhelm us.  Maybe there
are dreams and plans that you had early on that stretch beyond the walls
of your home…maybe you have a cause in your heart…a passion that has
been lying dormant in your soul. There’s a verse of scripture that
probably all of you know well, but it’s Psalm 37:4-6.  The first part
says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of
your heart.”  For many years I read that like, “if I do this for God, He
will do this for me”…but instead, He began to show me that the word
GIVE in that passage can also mean SHOW or INSTILL or PLACE IN… He
will show you what your desires are… He will place desires IN you for
different seasons of your life.  Then it goes on to say, “Commit your
way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your
righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of your cause like the
noonday sun”.  The Message says it like this: “He will validate your
life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high
noon.”  Isn’t that beautiful? It’s such an amazing way to live to be
able to trust God with our dreams and plans.  He says if we do, HE will
validate our lives and He will lift up the cause of our hearts for all
to see… We have assurance in the every day ordinary things of life,
that God will take our faithfulness in the ordinary and truly do
something extraordinary that we never could have imagined on our own!
“Into The Glorious” is proof that I can be a very normal wife, mom and
homemaker and the times I choose to give Him the mundane moments, He
sweeps me up and shows me that the cause He put in my heart is His to
lift up…and He does just that.  He will do the same for you…

In honor of moms and Christy’s amazing new album, Into the Glorious, (click to listen or purchase),  NINE commenters are going to win a copy  of her new album, Into the Glorious plus her Life Light Up CD. In addition, one Grand Prize Winner will win a Mom Gift Basket!

Grand Prize: Mom Basket Contents:

$15 gift card to Bath and Body Works

$10 Starbucks gift card

$50 gift card to Toms Shoes

Plus, Christy Nockels new CD, Into the Glorious and Life Light Up

A Mom Like Me {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

If you’ve ever caught vomit with your hands.

If you’ve ever considered a trip to Target alone a mini-vacation.

If you’ve ever told a group of adults you need to go potty.

If you’ve ever hidden in the bathroom to talk on the phone.

If you’ve ever had a funeral for a cricket or pulled a soggy lizard from the washing machine.

If you’ve ever used your own spit to clean a face or adjust a wild cowlick.

If you’ve ever thanked God for Magic Erasers.

If you’ve ever hidden chocolate in the house.

If you’ve ever lied to children.

If you’ve ever shaken a pile of crumbs from your purse.

If you wouldn’t trade your unpaid job for all the money in the world.

If you’re not a mom, you certainly had one

And she (you) deserves to be celebrated! Mother’s Day will be here before you know it. Mothers are beautiful and they deserve a bit of beauty.

Today, in honor of the women who make the world go round, The Vintage Pearl is offering two $50 gift certificates!

Take a look around and tell me what you’d give a mom (yourself included) in your life. And for fun, fill in the ____.

You might be a mom if . . .

This giveaway ends Thursday.

You Might Be a Mom. . .{Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family

Pssst . . . pull up a chair and I’ll tell you a secret. You’d better lean in close for this one.

Ready?

You don’t have to do more, be more, have more.

I’m sure there are security alarms going off somewhere. You should probably hide this book when your in-laws come over. And this could be the makings of a Sunday morning scandal.

But it’s true.

It’s the kind of true that will change your life, set you free, and make you wake up smiling for the first time in a long time. I know because that’s what it did for me. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of other women too.

So watch out, sister. If you keep reading, you just might be next.

-You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holley Gerth

My sweet friend, Holley, knocks it out of the ballpark with her new book! It’s exactly what we all need to hear. I’m a do-gooder, I’m a try-harder kind of girl. But to Him, I’m already enough. Just like I am….

This brand new bestseller is also the Bloom Book Club book over at (in)courage!

And get this:

If you are able to purchase a book for someone in need, DaySpring has set up a sweet deal for you starting today.

In addition to purchasing your own book, you can choose to purchase a second book for someone in need for an additional $9. (Feel free to give more than one if you can! To purchase a “Sponsor” book,just go here, click on the image of You’re Already Amazing with the green sponsor button on it and purchase the Sponsor book for $9. This option expires March 30)

So, what are you waiting for, girl? You need this book. You are already amazing!

Plus, Dayspring has got great new coordinating items featuring messages that will brighten your day and speak directly to your heart. All regular priced items in the Holley Gerth – Loved by God Assortment Set are 25% off with coupon code HOLLEYG25. This code is valid through 3/31/12.

I’m celebrating with Holley: Today, I’m giving away THREE copies of her new book.

To be entered, leave a comment with something good you have to say about yourself.

Go!

This giveaway will end Friday.

You are Already Amazing {Giveaway} is a post from: We are THAT Family