Family of Three Now a Family of Four! ;)

   Since my last post we have joyfully welcomed our second sweet little angel into the arms of our family. It's an overwhelming happiness and love that fills you beyond anything you can plan to expect. I'm sitting here right now watching them both as they nap with sweet peaceful little faces that light up my world! 

   You wonder all kinds of things as you find out you are expecting your second child... One of my main concerns (that was more of a pre-baby arrival concern) was a healthy pregnancy and safe arrival of our little guy. We have had some wonderful and special people around us go through some very tragic experiences. The weight of those experiences left a lot of fear in my heart and mind. I just wanted to be sure to do all I could to make baby healthy and myself healthy because my oldest needed me and our little one needed me to make sure I did my part to be healthy for him as well. I am beyond thankful God brought us both safely through. It was a healthy pregnancy with little issue except I throw up all 9 months with my boys! :) They are worth every bit of those minor issues though! The key in all of my worries is to trust and try to find calm in that we can only control we we can which are the daily choices of how we treat our body's while pregnant and if we are making every effort then let the worries and concerns go because those are harmful to you as well as the baby. Let go of your fears and let trust God has His arms around you. 

  One of my top concerns for after baby arrived was making sure my oldest felt included and still special along with making sure I loved on the second as well. I promised my oldest the entire pregnancy that if he was just patient I'd be back to normal soon and we could jump and play just like we always have. We also made sure to explain how much baby brother loved him and how he could hear him in my belly while I was pregnant even to encourage his feeling/knowing there was a special connection already between him and his brother. Since baby's arrival my oldest has had his moments of needing attention, but that's to be expected! However, he absolutely endlessly loves our littlest and just yesterday told his baby brother he was his best friend in the whole wide little world! So all is going extremely well on the new family member front!!!!! 

   My biggest thing to share and be thankful for is how I see our beautiful family growing and progressing. We are still adjusting to all of life's little changes since our newest addition, but we are ready and enjoying the ride! 

   I am just very thankful for all we have been blessed with and hoping to encourage others through our experiences. 

Lots of love from Momma Mia and family

From One to Two Beautiful Blessings

 Tomorrow morning I leave for the hospital. Scheduled to be induced for the delivery of our second baby boy. I just wanted to share my thoughts before it all changes tomorrow and our family of three becomes four. 

   First thing is I'm scheduled to be induced because I tend to deliver quickly and my doctor is concerned I will deliver before arriving at the hospital. I'm not a fan of this idea either. I want our baby here safely and further down the list of importance ofcourse I really want an epidural! So there is the reason I am being induced this time. My prior pregnancy was due to preeclampsia just three weeks prior to my first little guys due date. 

   My little boy is so excited to meet his brother with moments mixed in of hesitancy and "That's my baby stuff so why am I going to have to share it again mom?" He has such a beautiful heart and disposition though that I know all the kinks will smooth and he will be amazing to this new little member of our family. I've been directed and informed by wonderful blessings around me who have gone through this transition. They have offered me ways to hopefully make my oldest know how special he is, how big of a helper he is to me, and how needed and loved he is by all of us including our new little one. Thankful for this advice and nervous for tomorrow's events to unfold. I'm just going to pray, kiss my little guy a million times, and focus on getting home and loving on our newly increased family!! 

   I thank God for my family and friends that surround us with love and support and before I fall asleep tonight I will pray a thankful and excited prayer for the blessings we are experiencing. 

   To my oldest blessing and heartbeat, "I love you my sweet oldest angel and eagerly anticipate introducing you to your little brother and our newest little blessing tomorrow!"

   Thankful for a healthy pregnancy and praying for a healthy and smooth delivery tomorrow. 

So much love and thankfulness is in my heart tonight

~~Momma Mia~~

Sharing a friends new creation :)

   This is just a post to share a friends recently published cookbook! It's filled with delicious desserts planned around being able to ship them to loved ones and also able to just be made for your loved ones nearby as well. I just had to share because I'm excited for her and wish her the best success following her passion to make wonderful things for her family's enjoyment in the midst of a very hectic professional life as a wonderful high risk OBGYN. Just love her and wanted to share her new project! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1490882537/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?qid=1440819102&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=dr+kathleen+edmunds

Thanks for stopping in!

Lots of love,

Momma Mia :)

   I pray for my family, friends, daily decisions, and the example I set to show others and encourage others. I pray and search for guidance to a strong person relationship with God and also for my family to have the same. I pray at the center of our family for a strong focus and faith in God. I read this post on http://kirkcameron.com/praying-lords-prayer-marriage/ and just really felt the need to share it. I hope others enjoy it as much as I did. I enjoy his posts regularly. It's constant focus on family and relationships with God and each other and they are very wise and encouraging pieces I feel. 

Praying the Lord’s Prayer for Your Marriage

By Darlene Schacht at Time-Warp Wife | January 31, 2015 

It was about ten years ago. I was sitting in the basement with a couple of friends, huddled around our desktop computer. If memory serves me right, they had stopped by to get a little help with setting up their own blog and to taste my borscht. Blogs I knew, but ask me anything else about the computer and I had to call the kids in for help. You know how it goes…

It was around 5:30 pm. That I remember because we had just finished eating dinner together before we went down stairs. Laughing and chatting and clicking away, we kept ourselves busy until something stopped us dead in our tracks.

It was my 12-year old son.

“Thanks for the wonderful meal, Mom!” He hollered down from the kitchen.

Spinning around in her chair, my friend gasped, “What decade are we in?”

And with that we broke out in laughter.

Obviously this was a foreign concept to them, but to us it was an everyday thing.

I remember specifically training my children to thank me after each and every meal. “Bring your dishes to the sink, and thank the person who cooked it.” That was our rule whether they were at home or away.

And not just a simple, “Thanks,” either. I wanted them to pause for a moment and express a little more than one word. I’ll admit it felt silly at times asking someone else to stop and thank me, but it’s my job as their teacher to lead them in truth.

[Read the rest of the article at Time-Warp Wife.]

Gods Little Blessings

   There have been a lot of changes in my surrounding friends and family's lives lately and through it all both happy and sad prayer is the thing that is the foundation!  

   There are prayers of need and sadness for lost mommy's with little ones, husbands, parents, siblings, and friends left here to pick up pieces and really connect them in a totally different way... For lost baby's before a mom could ever see them open their eyes, for family and friends and sudden tragedys. 

   There are also prayers of thankfulness for blessings of all kinds: safe travels, new baby's, clean bills of health, new milestones in life, close relationships with Christ no matter if newly found or just stronger than ever.

  This may seem confusing to some, but based on some of the things we have experienced lately I am at this second to the point of tears just from feeling overwhelmingly blessed, grateful, honored that my son can call for me and find me. That he can say Mommy and not have to keep looking with no knowledge his mommy went to Heaven and will no longer be able to love and care for him on this earth. I pray for a long and healthy life in which I can pester and harrass my family to the very last because though I know I'm going to Heaven and I'm blessed to have that opportunity I also love my little piece of Heaven God has granted me on this earth. 

   Prayer is the very first and yet also the final place your heart and lips go to cry and to rejoice! He is our beginning and end and He is our full unending support on earth. I just feel incredibly blessed and am reminded daily even more so really by the minute at some times how very blessed I am to have His love and through His love to have an amazing and faithful family and close knit group of friends to move through life with.

Dear Lord,

   Thank you for your gifts of love unchanging and for my beautiful blessing of a family and extended family through friends. Please always allow me to work more every day to shine and honor you! Please let me work to never take for granted my blessings on this earth and in Heaven. Amen 

   Thank you as always for stopping by and taking the time to share in my posts, thoughts, life, mommy moments, and projects. 

~~ Love Momma Mia

A Gift You Cannot Buy

   In the past year I have stumbled across and thoroughly enjoy now regularly following Kirk Cameron's Facebook and blog posts. It's wonderfully encouraging to see families thriving in Christ and not changing their values for anyone. 

   I always feel blessed by these articles and I wanted to share. 

   How can you give the gift of Gods word to your children? A gift you cannot buy...

http://kirkcameron.com/gift-buy/

Out of the Box Extra Income Ideas for You and Your Family

   As a mommy and an individual just wanting to improve their family's well being I have set out on a mission to find ways and options to make additional income out of the home and in other less traditional environments! I am working constantly to find, research, and make sure my finds are legitimate so that I can provide for my family and share with your family so that it may bless you too! 

   My drive is that I want to be with my babies and I want to provide for them in the best way my husband and I can. I know I am among many who feel this same way and I am hoping to be able to research and share things that will give us all an informed direction needed to make progress in these hopes. 

   If anyone reading this post or reading posts to follow related to this topic has options and suggestions that they are willing to share what a wonderful blessing that would be as well! 

   I am in the middle of studying many different possibilities so you will hear from me again soon as I continue to study and pray to be lead to opportunities that are blessings for my family and your families!! Excited about this project!!

A few things I have found so far:

1) Blogging

   What I am doing right now can provide extra income for your family! Blogging! If you enjoy writing and expressing your thoughts in a way that others can share, learn from, or maybe even just giggle at then this might be an option for you! Share your day to day activities, knowledge, ideas that inspire, mommy advice, event planning concepts, photos, travel experiences, recipes, and any other special thing unique to you that you are passionate about! Your passion shines through in your words and will inspire others as well. That alone is a big personal reward and source of enjoyment. 

   The energy you emit will not go unnoticed and will be viewed, shared, and repeat! You will gain a following and they will create a traffic and following for your blog. What is more wonderful than doing something you love that discuses things you hold dear to your heart and will help take care of your loved ones while doing it?!! WONDERFUL!!  

   Once you've established a blog you can apply for and activate accounts that advertise small and tasteful ads on your website. These ads generate income based on views, clicks, and other activity. As your traffic increases your income will increase. Blog consistently, make It quality content, and you cannot go wrong. There are many free hosted sites you can join to blog and establish ads with: Blogger, Word Press, HubPages to name a few. 

   Give it a shot! There is no reason not to right? :) 

2) Rental Car Customer Service Telecommute Jobs 

   Rental car companies, such as Enterprise and Hertz for examples, will outsource various jobs such as customer service positions to people with at home offices to work from. Example: a friend just became employed for one of these type companies at an hourly wage of $13.00 per hour. It's a customer service position with Monday-Friday hours! What a blessing. This was not a rare occurrence either. Upon finding out about this I wanted to know more! It turns out this is a common and possible job to have a chance at so check this out in your area. 

 

3) Web Based Self-Employed Business 

   If you have a talent or a passion and you are willing to invest the time to market it you can build your own business in the comfort of your home via a personalized website. This is an incredibly realistic and affordable way to build a business. There are many sites that offer already made or easily editable website layouts if you are not comfortable in this area. My only warning is to watch for those sites that offer layouts and then once you establish a website with them they own it and will never let you move it to another service for hosting. Your domain should be yours. 

   Go Daddy is an example of a site with layouts available and the option to purchase a domain name through them. You still have the flexibility to take you domain name to anyone else you want as well. 

4) Etsy, EBay, Amazon

   These sites all offer options to set up a business storefront with a grouping of products your company sells. There are fees, but you can control them and your audience is immediately all over the world! 

5) Local Sales 

   Don't forget free opportunities for extra income on a local level such as Craiglist, regular yards sales, and community gatherings. All of these are free possibilities to bring a talent to your local community and generate income. 

6) Large Companies Turn to Telecommute Jobs 

   Many companies are outsourcing for various positions including customer service, admin assistants, data entry, medical transcription, and personal assistants. Keep your eyes open and continually scan Craigslist and other job posting sites for possibilities! 

   I plan to research more, but hope this article gives some thoughts and possible direction to anyone looking for options and lost as to where to start!!! You will hear from again as I learn more and again if you have suggestions to share please comment and we all will help each other! 

Thank you for stopping in to read my posts!!

~~Momma Mia

Real Work From Home Job Opportunities

You don’t have to own a business to work from home.

Although there are plenty legitimate home-based businesses you can start, existing companies will pay you to help them from the comfort of your own home.

So get your home office set up, here are 20 real companies that will pay you to work in your slippers.

Comfy!

Real Companies That Will Pay You To Work From Home

1. About.com

Love to write? Are you an expert in your field? You can share your tips with About.com readers and make money per article you produce. There are a wide variety of topics that you can write about (pun not intended).

2. E-Poll

Looking for something easy to do to make a few extra bucks? E-Poll lets you take surveys in exchange for money in your PayPal account or gift cards in your wallet. You’ll receive e-mail invitations to take surveys, earn points, and redeem! Simple and easy. If you’re wanting some free stuff, try out Swagbucks.com.

3. Applied Medical Services

If you have at least two years of experience as a medical transcriptionist, this job is for you. You’ll receive competitive pay rates, premium weekend and holiday pay, and best of all: you’ll be able to work from home!

4. Brainmass.com

If you have a graduate degree, consider joining Brainmass.com. Brainmass uses online teaching assistants to help students solve all kinds of problems. How do you get paid? Students purchase credits to have questions answered, and as a teaching assistant, you’ll be paid a portion of the credit.

5.Speak Write

Want to transcribe non-medical information? You can do so with Speak Write! Take one hour shifts where you simply type out spoken audio. Fast typists can earn upwards of $15/hour! This is a great opportunity for college students; pick your own hours and have a flexible job!

6. WiseBread.com

If you’re a personal finance expert, you can get paid to write for WiseBread.com. Three sample blog posts are required. Take a look at this article on WiseBread for some tips on how to apply. If you’re interested in blogging in general, be sure to check out Blogging Your Passion University and Bob’s hit article, How to Make Money with a Blog.

7. 1800Flowers.com

Hiring full-time and part-time seasonal work, 1800Flowers.com hires employees, not contract laborers. Pay is about $9/hour. This is a reputable company with several opportunities. 1800Flowers.com has more than just flowers: you’ll find cakes, cookies, candied apples, chocolate and candy, fruit baskets, gift baskets, and spa gift baskets! The only problem? You might be tempted to spend your earnings on all these yummy goodies!

8. U-Haul

During this work-at-home job, you’ll receive inbound calls for general moving questions and scheduling. You’re able to choose hours that you want to work, so if you are a student, this might be a great way to make a few extra bucks.

9. WeGoLook.com

Want to complete tasks other than writing or communicating as a customer support representative? Try becoming a “looker!” You can perform tasks online and off. The tasks start at $25 and work their way up depending on the project.

10.BalanceYourBooks.com

If you’re a bookkeeper and/or a CPA, this is a great opportunity for you. Bookkeepers must have at least 2 or more years of bookkeeping experience, and CPAs must have 5 or more years prior public accounting or controllership experience. You’ll be able to telecommute to work from the comfort of your own home.

To read this entire article please visit: http://christianpf.com/real-companies-that-will-pay-you-to-work-from-home/?hvid=3kVfC

As I have mentioned before on my blog ChristianPF.com if an excellent blog for financial guidance and all kinds of other pertinent and useful hints, tips, guides, and ideas to improve your family, home, and finances. Excellent blog. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and I hope you found these tips useful! I certainly thought it was a great guideline and source for information and had to share this with you all and say thanks to its writer!  :D 

~~Mia~~ 

Mommy Moment / For the Parents

   There is nothing more special than a sweet little one in your life. No blessing quite like them and no love so honest and deep as the one they give! I'm such a blessed and thankful mommy. I just pray I can do the best I possibly am able for him every moment of every day. It is an honor to be his mommy and I always want him to know I am here for him with all of my heart. 

   There is a wonderful site I follow and have mentioned on here before (ChristianPF.com) that offers advice and information on a wide range of topics, but I specifically really enjoyed this post that I will give a link for below. Moms and dads offering their advice and knowledge for a new parent as per requested by a new dad. There were so many strong and smart things people listed for the new daddy who posted for helpful advice and tips from his audience. I really found it a great thing to read and a wonderful reminder as a parent and wife. 

http://christianpf.com/advice-for-new-parents/

   My little one is just now one and a half years old. He is our first and currently only little one. So I feel I am so new at so much! I feel badly he has to experience me learning as I go, but I know we all do it. My time to pray and my mom and dad's advice is our rock as we experience all of these new things. As long as we learn as we go with every bit of love in our hearts for them we are doing the best thing we possibly can for them and they will know that (Now as parents we need to remember that as well for the moments we feel we fall short. As long as we are offering them all we can we are doing our very best and need to remember that is the most we can do and it's definitely a great start :D) Cherish every moment with your children as I cannot even figure out where time went in just this past year and a half. He's so grown up and big now! So expressive and such a big little adult is the best way I can explain it. He's the most loving little guy and an absolute blessing every second. My husband and I just want to teach him and guide him to follow the Lord and be the person through out his whole life that we already see so impressively in him now. 

   Hold your little ones every moment you are with them. Love them as if they are a gift of the most priceless value because they are absolutely just that. Learn who they are and listen to what they want to share with you. Don't miss time and moments because of things that can wait. They are the most important thing. Involve them in the activities you know you need to do and they will learn to be responsible and helpful. Always be kind and patient. Step back and rethink before you ever respond with anger as that only teaches them how to respond as well. No one is perfect, but if we try with every bit of us they will know that and all will be okay! Just remember they are such perfectly precious gifts from God! Children are the bright sunshine in our every moment offering true love, honesty, faith, innocence, entertainment, and joy like nothing else. If only we could harness and keep hold of every one of their characteristics as adults. This world would be a totally different place. Cherish their presence in your life. :D 

   I also wish the best to the gentleman and his family who posted the blog link listed above that really enriched my evening and made me write this "Mommy Moment post". 

New Year Thoughts

   I have already had so many meaningful learning experiences and special people cross my path in this new year. I want to share and plan to share many of those things here on my new connection to others through this blog. I feel it is most definitely a year of change and growth! I am eager to experience whatever blessings this year plans for me and my family and hope I am able to encourage many others to do the same through this new year as well! 

   So many times one can get to a place in life that seems like you are stuck. You cannot move forward, backwards, or anywhere. You are scared to change because of the chance you are taking and the possibilities of loss from one angle or another. The fear is embedded in the concern for the family for whom you have to provide or maybe as a single person your concern is for providing for yourself with no fallback plan if you fail. It is hard to know and see everyone's special scenario, but the key for all cases is faith. Taking the step that you feel in your heart you are led to is most important. Learning the lesson of trust and then smiling as the blessings unfold! This year I want to know I am trusting and stepping out in faith. I hope those experiences and steps can allow me to take care of my family in new and awesome ways throughout 2014 and also lead others to feel encouraged and inspired to do the same for themselves.