I recently had the chance to chat with Heather about DeliberateKids, being a mom and what it’s like to be married to one of Christian music’s biggest stars. Click the player above to listen in!

Some of the tracks on DeliberateKids:
1. Good Morning!
2. “boom Chaka-Laka-Laka”
3. He’s Got a plan
4. New Testament
And MORE!

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“ ‘I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.’” JEREMIAH 29:11

But I thought my own plans were perfect! My plan: To redo our couch, stained from years of wear. A cousin had successfully spray-painted her couch, so that was the plan. Also, I would recover the giant throw pillows with some kind of leafy green and peach material. I imagined a new room with a soft Oriental feel. I said my prayers, then went off to the fabric store. My options were incredibly limited, but I began to realize something: If I completely gave up my plan, perhaps God had something even better.

There it was: Some wonderful rust-colored upholstery remnants and a black-and-white remnant, in the exact sizes I needed, at a price I could afford. It didn’t turn out “Oriental,” but I ended up with the coolest room, better than I’d imagined. A zebra-striped lamp was on sale, and some black-and-white prints completed the look. I redid the room very economically, and it coordinated in a spontaneous way with the rest of the house. And it’s withstood the test of time– I’m still happy with it years later. It’s amazing how God’s plans always end up better than mine.

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Jennifer Cote’s cookbook, From the Land of Milk and Honey, is available online at Winepress Books. (Or at Amazon.com)

Check out recipes at Jen’s PC Cuisine Home Page.

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I’m a 30-something women, married 14 years, blessed mama of 5 beautiful children with a dream of being my own business owner.

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I think each child should be 4 years apart. By age 4 a child is more secure. He does not cry when separated from you at church, he can go potty, he (hopefully) is no longer clinging to a self soothing toy, bottle or paci except maybe at bedtime. He is in preschool and about to start Kindergarten. He can fetch a diaper and play alone for at least a little while. Perfect!

I think 9 years is way too long. Bigger siblings sometimes regret the new addition. They liked things the way they were and feel some resentment towards you (the parents) for rocking their perfect world with this crying, pooping baby. They feel like they have to do “everything” if you ask them for help in fetching, rocking or attending to the baby while you make this post. Nine years is TOO far!

I may be jaded (because I am still adjusting to this) but 2 years is way TOO close! I have never been so stressed as a mom than I have been in the past 4 months. I have had both “babies” crying at once and often have 2 messes to clean up all at once. Since I can’t keep a close enough eye on the 2 year old while feeding the littlest one, he tends to get into things– like Sharpies! Then the biggest kid gets angry because when she comes home and there is a nice new drawing on her wall– well take it from me, she is not happy. And then just forget about her babysitting while you take a shower! I can easily say I am definately of the opinion that 2 years (or less) is WAY TOO CLOSE!

What do you think? Is there hope for 2 siblings both clawing for a mothers attention? Can a mother survive having 2 babies? I think about Kate (the mother of multiples on TV) and slap my wrist. I must be some kind of weanie mom. Help!

As often as possible, I’m going to post things that I’m grateful for. Some may seem silly, some will be serious, but I pray all will bring glory to God.

I invite you to join me! Simply post a comment below to join in.

Today I’m grateful for:

Breathe. I’m struggling with some health issues at the moment and it has really made me think hard about how short life is. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow. We need to take advantage of every day - every moment - and make the most of it. How can you bring God’s joy to someone’s life today?

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. - Psalm 39:5

Do you struggle with Anxiety? I want to encourage you that you are not alone. It is more common than people realize. First we want to look at what anxiety is before we can address how to deal with anxiety. A summarized definition of anxiety is: Having a uneasy, overwhelmed, apprehensive, fearful, concerned, and worrisome state of mind with the feeling of inadequacy to cope.

Anxiety also affects us internally to where we can become physically ill if untreated. There are different levels of anxiety but we will be dealing with anxiety in general. If you feel you are dealing with severe anxiety I encourage you to see a doctor who can give you a full diagnosis.

Now that we have established what anxiety is, we now have to look at the core of the problem which is what causes anxiety. The key of understanding the cause for anxiety is in the above summarized definition which is that it is a “state of mind”. The root of having any particular state of mind begins with our thoughts. Our thoughts whether good or bad lead our mind into a direction, and how much thought that goes into that particular direction affects not only our minds, but our point of view, our feelings and our emotions and that can then turn into our actions or reactions.

For example; A professional NFL football player injures his knee and was told that he had to sit out for a few football games to heal. His mind went from sitting out a few games to the coach putting him on second string to he’s going to be fired from the NFL to he’s going to lose his car and his house because he can’t pay the bills to his wife will probably leave him and take his children to he’ll be alone and homeless with no one around.

This poor guy went from hearing that he needed to sit out a few games and let his mind roam to him being homeless and lonely living off the streets. all over a matter of a few minutes. He allowed negative self talk scenarios lead him down a path that caused him to be anxiety filled and panic stricken. Although this is an extreme example this situation is more common than we want to admit.

So how can we deal with anxiety and negative self talk scenarios that lead us to anxiety? We can start off by accepting the fact that we need to re-program our minds on how we respond to the negative thoughts that enter in and practice using tools through the Word of God to combat those thoughts.

To begin, always begin with prayer and ask God to help you through what ever trial you are going through so remember to pray before during and after. (Phillipians.4:6-7)

I’m going to share helpful tools on how you can prevent those thoughts from turning into anxiety. Here are five preventative measures you can use:

1. Restrain your Thoughts: When the wrong thoughts come into our minds that are negative and untrue, we are to remove them and take them captive by not allowing them to run free but restrain and remove them by not entertaining or dwelling on them. Simply put “Don’t Go There!” (2 Cor 10:5-6)

2. Redirect Your Thinking: Redirecting your thoughts means to change your thoughts that are not true and negative to thoughts that are true and biblical as it is said in (Phillipians 4:8) This passage says to think thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely etc…. Memorize this scripture and ask yourself if your thoughts are true, nobel and right or are they being carried away in the negative self talk scenarios. Re-direct your thoughts to the Word of God and your mindset will begin to change. (Phil 4:8)

3. Renew Your Mind: With any habit we want to change we not only need to stop the cycle but replace the bad habit with a good habit. This is where we practice renewing our minds by memorizing scripture and replacing negative thoughts with thoughts that are edifying, pure, holy etc….We need to replace those thoughts with thoughts that are true through scripture memorization as mentioned in #1 by reciting a scripture or by spending time in the Word. It’s amazing how our thoughts can change when we read scripture. Renewing our minds takes constant practice but as we create a new habit we will find the old one is left far behind and far away from us. (Romans 12:2)

4. Redefine your Priorities: One other issue that causes anxiety is feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks or thoughts at once. To help alleviate this problem; you can sit down and write it out 1. What’s a real problem and what’s not. 2. Sort out your concerns and prioritize them. 3. Weed out what’s not important by either delegating it or putting it on a separate list to do. 4. Narrow down your list and focus on one task at a time and do the most important ones first.

Focusing on one task at a time will help you to not feel so overwhelmed and at the same time will organize your thoughts as well as your tasks into a doable plan and help you regain your ability to cope.

5. Carry it Out: Now that you know that these thoughts are not good and do harm you need to follow through with what you know is true and take them captive, remove them, don’t entertain them and replace them with good and pure thoughts. Changing our behavior takes practice and as you work on this faithfully you will have a new habit and renewed mind before you know it. (James 1:25)

If you do these things with prayer and by faith God will provide His strength in the midst of your weakness and give you the power to overcome for our victory comes from Him.

Scripture References:

(2 Cor 10:5-6) “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thobught to make it obedient to Christ.”

(Phil 4:8) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

(Romans 12:2) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will”

(James 1:25) “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.”

Filoiann is a Pastor’s Wife, Work at Home Mom, Woman’s Biblical Counselor, Bible Teacher, Writer and Columnist. Her work can be found on a number of home business and Christian websites and blogs. Visit her website and sign-up for her monthly newsletter. www.filoiannwiedenhoff.com

Life becomes much clearer when you understand that things can never satisfy the deep longings of the heart. When you grasp this truth, you are freed from the constant drive for instant gratification. You are free to enjoy possessions without being controlled by them, because you know they cannot meet all your needs.

So how do you switch your focus from finding satisfaction in worldly stuff to finding satisfaction in God? Consider these three steps that will help you:

1. Recognize that there is a problem. Things God gives us to enjoy can easily stand in the way of our enjoying God. Have you allowed yourself to be so filled up on junk food that you don’t have room left for God’s feast? If you’re not sure, ask God to show you ways in which you regularly look to sources other than him for fulfillment. When you ask, be ready to be surprised at what he may reveal! You may realize that some other seemingly harmless habit isn’t as harmless as you thought.

2. Release that problem to God. Once you have identified problem areas, invite God into the situation to help you change. Ask Him to suppress your appetite for quick fixes and temporary highs and to replace it with a healthy hunger for the lasting satisfaction only He can give. In addition to asking for His help, do your part by positioning yourself to better connect with him. Spend some extra time in prayer. Listen to praise and worship music. Participate in a new Bible study. These activities will help you draw near to God so you can experience fulfillment in Him.

3. Remove yourself from problems before they start. Make a commitment to avoid those situations in which you are tempted to seek temporary gratification. If your downfall is shopping at the mall, go only when you have a legitimate need. If you are a sucker for mail-order catalogs, don’t even open them before throwing them away. If you look to entertainment for your feel-goods, restrict the frequency of your restaurant or movie outings. Break the control these hindrances have over you by controlling your contact with them.

Have you been trying to find lasting happiness in temporary pleasures? If so, you are eating a greasy burger and fries when you could be dining on lobster and prime rib! But as you learn to depend less and less on things, you will find the clarity of satisfaction like you’ve never known before.

[Excerpt taken from: From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out © 2007 by Nancy Twigg, published by Standard Publishing (www.standardpub.com). Used by permission.]

Byline:  Nancy Twigg is an author and speaker who loves inspiring women to live more simply. She is the author of three books and the editor of Counting the Cost Ezine (www.countingthecost.com/index1.htm). To learn more about Nancy’s speaking and writing ministry, visit her online at www.keepitsimplesister.com

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We’re launching a series of teleseminars to give you an edge in marketing and growing your business!

We’ve put together “Teleseminar Packages” so that you can purchase more than 1 at a time and save some money! Click HERE to learn more!

The teleseminars will be held every three weeks on the following topics:

* Press release Writing - Article Writing (7/30 - DONE!)

* Blogging / Newsletters / Social Networking (8/20)

* Marketing - Part II - “Out of the Box” Promotional Ideas, Other Marketing Tips, Direct Mail, Online Marketing, and more

* Choosing a Business / Telecommuting — Types and businesses & What’s Right for You

* Business Basics — Business Nuts and Bolts — Licensing, Taxes, Bookkeeping, and more

* Success Tips — An entire segment dedicated to Do’s and Don’ts to Running a Successful Business

* Interviews with other successful CWAHMs

* Working at Home w/ Kids - 20 Foolproof Ideas & ” Balancing Life, Family and Your WAH Business

* Recruiting 101

* Creating Your Own Opportunity - don’t wait for the right opportunity to come to you - create your own success!

* Disaster Preparedness - Backing up your computer, etc.

* Your Questions and Answers – Jill and Diana answer your questions.

_{NOTE: These are subject to change as necessary.}

So, ambitious as our family is, we decided to embark on making homemade marshmellows. We carefully measured the ingredients and followed the instructions to the letter. We boliled the syrupy mixture to a whopping 360 degrees. The next instructions left out important details which would have been helpful. We next needed to pour this piping hot mixture into a bowl of other ingredients and using the mixer, whip it up to a thick creamy texture. I did just that.

As soon as the mixer started, piping hot mixture went spraying all over the kitchen. Turns out my bowl was too small to catch the cast off liquid from the high speed beaters (did I mention it was piping HOT?). Our clothes saved us, but one small drop fell onto my flip flop ladden foot. I screamed and instinctively wiped my foot across my calf. OUCH! I have for several weeks now been doctoring my serious burns. THe marshmellows were terrible and we threw them away!

Martha Stewart may make homemade marshmellows, Kathy Firkins does NOT!

Just so I don’t feel so stupid, please share a recent cooking or craft blunder with me.

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First let’s define “drama tween.”

Well, we know that a “drama queen” is a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions. Merriam-Webster definition.

“Tween” is a derivation of the word “between” which means, in an intermediate space or interval. The word “tween” means a boy or girl not yet thirteen years old. A “tween” can also be referred to as a “preteen”, according to Merriam-Webster.

Therefore, a “drama tween” is a boy or girl (usually a girl) not yet thirteen years old given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions. In other words, any given situation, no matter how minor, has the potential to turn into a dramatic uproar. – MOTHERS BEWARE.

Next, let’s discuss some of the characteristics of a “drama tween.”

· If your tween has ever started a sentence with: Mo`THER…!

· If they use the word “like” in a sentence when it’s grammatically incorrect and/or they use the word “like” redundantly (5-7 times) in a single sentence.

· If they have destroyed the sacredness of short-hand. (i.e., ttyl, ttfn, bff, pofn, lol, lmbo, etc.)

· They tend to dress in colors that are bright enough to blind you.

· Tweens have the ability to hold a phone conversation for hours at a time.

· They often display the inability to control laughter.

· Most moms would agree that tweens are musically challenged.

· More often they are dependent upon visitations from swarms of friends (at any given time).

· Some tweens actually believe that money does grow on trees.

· An over abundance of lip gloss and bracelets.

How does a mom relate to her tweenager who seems to be living on another planet? Here are a few tips:

1. Communication. This is vital in your relationship with your tweenager. Talk to them till they are blue in the face. Exchange dialog with them. Share your thoughts with them, and ensure them your trust while reminding them that they can talk to you about anything. Don’t be their friend, they have plenty of those already however, they only have one mother.

2. Quality Time. Spend time with your tweenager. This is one of the most important times in a child’s life. They are in a between stage and looking for acceptance. Reassure them that at home, they are always accepted. Sow seeds of confidence and a healthy balance of self-esteem when talking with them.

3. Unconditional Love. Love your tweenager unconditionally. Everyone has the need to be loved and your tween is no different. Show them love by talking with them, spending time with them and especially when they make mistakes. There are always mistakes made in life, you made them as a tween so keep that in mind when your tween makes a mistake. None are perfect, but we should be teaching our tweens to strive for perfection.

These are just a few survival tips to help you in your effort to survive the “drama tween” experience. I would just like to offer one last bit of advice to my fellow mothers: When in doubt, don’t pout, pray. Prayer really does change things. However, it should not be used as a last resort. The scripture tells us to always pray and not faint. If your tween is easy breezy you’d better get a head start on praying for those teen years; I hear they can be pretty intense and the bottom line actually is – YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET.

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Margaret has been featured on Greg Wheatly’s “Prime Time America,” TLN’s “Aspiring Women,” and LeSea’s “The Harvest Show.” Margaret writes freelance articles for The Daily Herald, the largest suburban Chicago newspaper. Notable interviews include Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Kinkade, Susan Branch and Dr. John Gottman. Margaret also wrote a feature article for crosswalk.com.

With a master’s degree in international business, Margaret became a vice president in the corporate finance division of a New York City bank and worked there from 1986-1993. Supporting charitable causes is important to Margaret. For the past five years, she has served on the board of directors for WINGS, an organization that helps abused women and their children get a new start in life.

Sample tracks can be listened to on Amazon and more information can be found on Martensen’s website.

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I recently saw your movie, “No One Would Tell,” on TV, and loved it! It was eye-opening and powerful. Even though I thought that the overall message defeated some of the sinful things in the movie, it didn’t make them go away. I’m wondering what your thoughts on the movie are from a Christian viewpoint.

The only thing that really bothered me was when your character slept with Bobby (even though we didn’t see it, it was definitely implied), and when I found out you were a Christian, I was a little torn on the judgment there. I’m not even sure if you were a Christian when you shot this movie, but I really just wanted to know your thoughts on some of the things that movie portrayed.

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Thanks for your email. I’m glad you enjoyed watching “No One Would Tell.” I’ve had a lot of email from people over the years who have watched it and learned a lot from it. I think they still show it in some schools today.

I think it’s wonderful how you were aware that some of the movie made you uncomfortable from a Christian point of view. I filmed it about 13 years ago, and although I considered myself a “Christian” at the time, I was not living my life for Jesus. I remember being uncomfortable that my character “Stacy” had sex with her boyfriend (only implied by the script, not shown), but I also knew that the movie was based on a true story and they were trying to keep to the real story as closely as possible.

As a mother and woman following Jesus, I can look back at the movie and wish there were some things that weren’t in it. I may have made some other choices within the movie. And that’s always the tricky part for a Christian actor, because a lot of people can’t disassociate a character they are portraying with the real life person they are.

Overall, I’m still proud of the movie because it has opened the eyes of many teenagers, giving them insight into abusive relationships. Do I wish that Stacy had not been intimate with her boyfriend? Of course. But it was important in keeping true to the real story.

I think it’s so great that you’re discerning the difference between God’s ways and the world’s ways. Keep it up!!

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I read your article from “Broward Family Life,” and was very enlightened. I grew up watching you on “Full House,” and now my daughter Nicole, who is 8, is watching you too. She has every season. How funny is that?

In the article I read that you are involved with 4 Kids of South Florida. I very much wanted to be a foster mother, but they want you to attend some 40 hours of classes at night, which is impossible for me since I have an 8-yr-old and I work fulltime. Is there anyway you could possibly help me become a foster mother without the classes? I have raised a 23-yr-old son, and an intelligent daughter, who is very helpful and well liked in school.

Any advice you could give me would help me, and maybe some lucky foster child. My daughter always said she would like a sister, but I can’t have any more children so why not be a foster mother? Look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Thank you so much for writing. I’m glad you enjoyed the article in “Broward County Life” magazine.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any way to become a foster parent and skip the training hours. Most foster parents are more than capable but the training is to ensure that those wanting to become foster parents really are right for it, willing and able. It’s crazy to think that some people may foster with impure motives, but I’m sure the state and counties have seen these cases and do everything they can to make sure it doesn’t happen. Also, with an organization like 4 Kids of South Florida, it’s also important that the children are placed in loving Christian homes. Again, people can say anything they want on an application, so the training is a must to protect the children. I think the only type of full time care that wouldn’t require training would be adoption.

If you’re really serious about fostering, prayerfully consider the 40 hours of training. God can make it happen even with your work schedule. What may seem impossible for us is never impossible with Him. Ask Him, and be prepared for Him to answer you.

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The ultimate goal of Virtual Assistants is to partner with their clients. By partnering the VA learns all they can about their clients’ business to become a trusted and valued member of the team—an extension of their organization. At the same time, the VA only charges for time on tasks so it ultimately saves the client in overhead expenses while affording them the necessary time to take care of more business.

A perfect example of a Client/VA partnership is the sole proprietor; let’s say a consultant, who charges $300 an hour for his consulting services. The consultant is spending time each week preparing presentations and teleseminars, rummaging through paperwork, marketing his business, keeping up with the social networks, generating mailings and sorting through the tons of email he gets on a weekly basis. Since the consultant is doing this work himself he is paying $300 an hour for these services when, in reality, it would benefit him to partner with a VA at a rate of $40 to $95/hr (depending on specialty) and save tons of money a year. Plus, he could be generating more revenue because he would have more time available for doing what he does best—consulting. See how it works? As evidenced in this example, clients can’t afford NOT to have a virtual assistant on their team.

In addition to the financial rewards for the client, the following list reinforces other areas clients benefit when working with a virtual assistant.

Personalized attention – The virtual assistant works one-on-one with clients and often knows their clients’ business better than they do. That personalized attention allows clients to keep things under control and more organized and often relieves the pressure of having to do it all and remember it all. How great would it feel to just say to your VA, please handle this for me and know that it was done.

Exceptional service – Virtual Assistants are a proud bunch and take great pride in the Virtual Assistant Industry. One of the ways that VAs protect the integrity of this Industry, is to always offer exceptional services. Virtual Assistants want their clients to tell others about them and how having a VA on their team is one of the best business investments they have ever made. Therefore, most Virtual Assistants go above and beyond what is expected of them to make sure the work is done accurately, professionally, and successfully.

Experience in the latest technology – A virtual assistant knows that there’s always an easier and better way to do things and are constantly looking for those ways. Most continue to update their skills and network extensively with others to learn the latest and greatest tools out there.

A colleague to brainstorm ideas with - Have you ever had this great idea, but just couldn’t bring it to fruition because you couldn’t get it all together? Not anymore. Virtual Assistants are there to brainstorm and work with you to help you bring those visions to reality. No benefits/no equipment/no office space - That’s a given. It’s obvious that clients won’t be paying for their Virtual Assistants’ office space or equipment. But in today’s economy, think how truly important that is. By not having to pay for someone’s electric and office use, that saves money. Money clients can spend in growing their businesses.

Specific knowledge of your niche – This is perhaps one of the greatest benefits that a virtual assistant can offer - specific knowledge of a clients’ particular niche. Virtual Assistants specialize in different areas, fine tuning their skills always striving to be the best in that niche. Therefore, when you partner with a virtual assistant that specializes in the area of your business, you have someone who knows the lingo and knows the ins and outs and what works and what doesn’t. It’s a win/win for all.

What types of services can a virtual assistant perform? Sit back and be amazed. Virtual Assistants can assist with tasks as simple as transcribing every day correspondence to as detailed as implementing an entire marketing campaign. Virtual assistant services include the following: publicity and marketing, article and press release writing and distribution, social networking updates, legal, medical and general transcription, bookkeeping, web design, administrative tasks, and so much more.

As Virtual Assistants become as commonplace in the workforce as the computer in everyone’s office is now, there’s never been a better time to analyze what your business needs are and how the right virtual assistant will meet those needs. Stop by our site at Virtual Word Publishing, www.virtualwordpublishing.com for complete information on what a virtual assistant is and how you can find that virtual assistant to add to your team. Also, if you feel a career in the Virtual Assistant Industry is right for you, email me at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com for our free business informational package. Today’s the day to start running your business better. The start begins with one simple step – Hire a Virtual Assistant.

Article by Diana Ennen

Diana Ennen is the co-author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and the co-host of the MomCast Live Radio show. She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com. Email us at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com for a free business informational package. Articles are free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.