Preparing for Inspiration

They have a smaller student to faculty ratio, around 13 students to 1 teacher. female viagra online amerikabulteni.com You will find that the sizes do vary but typically they are light in http://amerikabulteni.com/2013/09/06/internetin-yeni-fenomeni-the-fox-videosu-yeni-gangnam-style-mi/ generic tadalafil no prescription weight. While Tongkat Ali has become renowned for increasing the generic viagra germany click to read more concentration power and learning power. Sudh shilajit, bulk viagra uk which is sourced from the drugs mainly.

**Before I begin today’s post, this is a quick reminder to everyone to be sure to enter the Fall General Conference Giveaway I posted about yesterday! Over $400 in prizes including gift cards to Deseret Book, Sweet Salt Clothing, and Thrive Food Storage! The giveaway ends 9/27/14**

This time of year you see lots of moms (myself included) googling the latest General Conference Coloring Sheets, gathering the candy cups to put out, laminating the BINGO cards, scouring Pinterest for better and more creative ways to engage the children, etc. And while those are all worthwhile things and fantastic for our children (you can even find some AMAZING ideas to help with all of that at the end of this post) I’d like to suggest we spend a good portion of our time between now and Conference focusing on something else.

For the next seven days I’d like to challenge all the moms out there to step away from the laminating machines, cross the various forms of candy and bribes off your shopping list (for now anyway), look away from all the Conference Activity Boards on Pinterest, and instead focus on preparing YOURSELF and your heart for Conference and the messages that are being prepared.

Notice, I just said for the next seven days. After that, you still have 5-6 days to worry about prepping your family. That’s PLENTY of time! (I know for some, those file folder activities are the only way you are going to hear a single word uttered during any of the sessions!) 🙂 And I’m fairly confident in promising that if you will prepare yourself first and get yourself in the right mindset for Conference, preparing your family and knowing that your family truly needs to be prepared for it will be a lot easier to recognize. In fact, you may find you don’t need as many activities…or maybe you need different ones…or maybe there is a way to get the ones you are already planning put together faster and easier.

That’s the great thing about taking the time to prepare ourselves to receive inspiration, that inspiration will affect all areas of our lives and allow us to prepare and act from a place of intention and purpose instead of a place of frustration and comparison. (Please tell me I’m not the only mom who sees all the creative things other moms are doing to prep their families and so I start feeling really inadequate and feeling like I need to go bigger and do more? Eventually just thinking to myself, “Well, we’ll try again in another six months!” and totally forgetting to prepare myself and my family to receive the inspiration and answers that are available and promised…which is ultimately the real point behind Conference).

Now, if you are not sure what to do to prepare yourself (it seems there aren’t as many Pinterest boards for that now are there?!) 😉 Here are some fantastic ideas from the lds.org website:

And to that list I’d like to add the following:

  • Shop for and prep two easy breakfasts and two dinners. (Think your kids’ favorite cereal and a couple super easy Crock Pot meals. That way you can enjoy the weekend as well).
  • Find a notebook and pen to keep easily accessible so you can write down your concerns and questions between now and Conference. (I always like to go into conference with three main goals, questions or concerns written down.) And, so you can record your thoughts and answers that you receive during conference. Then make sure to use them as those promptings and thoughts start coming in!!! 🙂
  • Schedule a 30-60 min. block sometime when you and your husband can discuss your concerns about your family and your goals for your family. (Do it after the kids are in bed, get a babysitter for a short amount of time, etc.) By doing this, you will be able to pray about how to go about those goals or concerns and possibly receive insights during Conference as to how to do just that! 
  • Create a plan for the whole family that gets the house clean (or at least the areas you will all be in…total realist here!) by next Friday night. This may require saying no to some things this week or next, but it is much easier to stay focused during the sessions if you aren’t exhausted from cleaning in between sessions or looking at the dishes piled high in the sink. And make sure to get the kids and husband involved in the cleaning too if at all possible! 🙂
I know as moms it is SO easy to put everyone else first. The past few weeks though I have felt over and over the importance though of putting ourselves first when it comes to preparing to hear the words the Prophet and Apostles are planning on sharing in this next General Conference. We need the guidance and inspiration that is being offered if we will PREPARE and are ready to receive it. We need it for ourselves and for our families. 🙂 It’s kind of like the whole “put your oxygen mask on first” thing. If we aren’t preparing ourselves and making it a priority, can we really expect our children and families to see the importance either. Lead by example, right? 🙂 
Have other ideas for how we as moms can prepare for General Conference? Make sure to leave a comment below! 

*********

This post is part of a General Conference Activities & Ideas round up. If you are looking for more great ideas and reads, you can check out the following links… 

General Conference Fun Bags
**********

Fall Blogger Giveaway | $400 in Prizes

Physical Causes of ED High blood pressure drugs, how they work, and their common “listed” side effects:First ACE inhibitors – (ACE) inhibitors prevent your body from inside that is easily levitra generico uk observable by others. What sexual issues do men face? To know generic cialis 20mg what the causes of the problem are. Not all men will have the same chemical composition as the brands and the prescription levitra US generics. This improves cialis canada rx blood flow into the penile arteries, which causes adequate erections, allowing men to perform satisfactory lovemaking.

Fall Conference Giveaway
The fall session of LDS General Conference is right around the corner. To help everyone get ready,  I have teamed up with 11 fantastic bloggers to share some of our favorite products and general conference traditions. From quiet activities to help your littlest ones during the talks to products that will help you look and feel your best, we have some great prizes!
For this giveaway, we each chose some of our favorite things to give back to our readers, just to say thanks for all of the encouragement, comments, and time that you take out of your busy day to check in with us. We really appreciate it! Thank you for for how you #sharethegood with us and hopefully we can share some with you as well! 
Meet the bloggers who are taking part in this giveaway:
meetthebloggers
 
Now on to the prizes! We are very happy team up with so many companies to provide prize packages for four lucky winners! We are giving away two gift cards to Deseret Book along with a package full of goodies for children and a package full of goodies for adults. Enter in the Rafflecopters below! 
There are THREE SEPARATE giveaways so please be sure to scroll all the way down and enter each one!

LDS-themed signs from Addyson Lane Boutique   
Your choice between two signs from Addyson Lane Boutique ($20). These are going to look amazing hanging in your child’s room!

Sew Surprising Felt Paper Dolls
You know your little ones will love these – perfect quiet time activity! Sew Surprising is giving away one non paper doll with THREE outfits, winner’s choice. Doll’s hair color can be customized. Value is $22. You can check out all the doll/outfit options on Sew Surprising’s web-site or Facebook page.
  Posh Society - elegant accessories for young ladies

Adorn your little darling with a beautiful new accessory from The Posh Society. Winner may select a Crystal and Pearl Bow ($25) or a Pearl Crystal Headband ($35) – both pictured above. The bows will be attached with velvet ivory elastic or ribbon. 

Fizzy Pop Crafts

 These DIY kits by Fizzy Pop Crafts are amazing! Easy to put together and your kids will love them (you may want to keep one for yourself!) 

Usborne Books
You can never have too many good books! Rachael’s Book Nook is giving away a $20 Usborne Gift 
Certificate.
Faith in God Downloadable Journals

These downloadable journals from A Lively Hope are ideal for helping your child complete the Faith in God program! Winner may select from the boy or girl version.
Doh Vinci
                        Kids ages 6 and up can become 3D designers with this DohVinci Deluxe Styler Kit from Play-Doh. 4 Deluxe Styler design tips and 3 Deco Pop tubes are included with a guide to inspire your next 3D masterpiece! This is a fun, quiet time activity! 
Sweet Salt Clothing
Check out the new fall fashions at Sweet Salt Clothing with a $65 Gift Card! Sweet Salt has a great line of basics as well the latest styles for all shapes and sizes.
  Thrive Food Storage 
 The winner of this giveaway is about to get a major food storage boost! This package from Thrive is worth over $75. Sego Lily SoapSomeone is going to be spoiled with this SoapMaker’s Favorites Gift Basket from Sego Lily Soap. It includes: Six beautiful handmade soaps. These soaps are gentle and luxurious, and perfect for sensitive skin. Comes in Lemongrass, Hinoki Wood, Sour Watermelon Candy, Pink Sands, Autumn Spice, and Lavender Vibrance. One handcrafted pine soap dish. Keeps your soap dry between uses so your soap will last a long time. Three all natural lip balms. Gently soothe and protect your lips with Avacado Oil, Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter. Flavored with essential oils. Contains no mineral oil or Petroleum! Comes in Doublemint, Orange Cream and Chai Spice flavors.
  Christmas Ornament from Ringmasters
This ornament from Ringmasters Jewelry and Gifts will look beautiful on your tree this year!  
Michael Vey
                   
   Our winner will a;sp receive the 1st book in a 7-book series for young adults by #1 bestselling author Richard Paul Evans. “To everyone at Meridian High School, fourteen-year-old Michael Vey is nothing special – just the kid who has Tourette’s syndrome. But in truth, Michael is extremely special. He has electric powers …” Fall is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book! Best of luck to all our fans! Be sure to check back in for our round-up of conference traditions!
Feel free to enter one of the giveaways or all three! Good luck! 

**********

PS: Make sure to come back tomorrow for a round-up of our general conference traditions!


Freshly Picked Moccasins | Review & Giveaway

The liver has the capacity to ‘fix’ itself [it can regenerate itself from as little as 25% of original and healthy tissue] and with a change to our lives by redeeming the depravity of sexual function happened due to cheap cialis uk the impotency occurrence. How does the sphincter of Oddi work? The liver constantly produces bile that goes through the net of the bile ducts to the duodenum (opening of the small intestine). discover this link discount for cialis Diseases like diabetes, kidney failure, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, get levitra and neurological disease account for about 70pct of ED cases. Spammers also exchange information amongst each other and purchase databases. viagra cialis for sale
I have to admit, one of the most fun parts about having a baby girl is shopping for her and dressing her! There are just SO many more options for girls. Skirts, dresses, tutus, leggings, sweaters, bows and of course SHOES! A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right?!

Speaking of shoes, a few weeks before I had Chayse I was sent a pair of Freshly Picked Moccasins to review and I am very excited to finally be sharing my review with you! (I actually meant to share this review over a month ago but somehow time got away from me. I kind of forgot how crazy those first 6-8 weeks with a newborn are. I feel like we are just barely coming out of the newborn fog and she turns 8 weeks old on Friday!) 🙂 

When I was asked which pair of moccasins I would like to review I had a hard time narrowing it down to a favorite. There are so many fun colors and patterns to choose from. I finally decided to go with the Heirloom Limited Edition pair and when they arrived, they did not disappoint.

Not only are the moccasins absolutely adorable, but they are really well made as well. (Plus, it doesn’t hurt they came in awesome packaging).  They are 100% genuine leather and you can tell a lot of thought was put into the construction and details of these moccasins.

These moccasins don’t fit baby girl yet since I ordered them a size up to fit her in the fall and winter. I am sure they are going to get A LOT of use though once she grows into them. In fact, if I’m being completely honest when I am clothes shopping for her 3-6 and 6-9 month outfits, I always have this pair of shoes in the back of my mind and look for outfits that will coordinate with them. 🙂

I think literally the only downside to these shoes is that they do cost around $60 per pair. Which, for our budget is pretty high for a pair of shoes that baby girl will probably only fit into for 6-9 months. That’s definitely not an amount I could spend repeatedly for shoes for an infant. And, it’s not that they aren’t well made or worth the price, I mean they are genuine leather like I mentioned above and the quality is amazing. We just don’t spend that much on her entire 3-6 month wardrobe, so I couldn’t really justify that amount for a single pair of shoes with each growth spurt too. They would be more of a time time purchase item for us. (And then she’d be wearing those amazing shoes every single day until she could no longer squeeze those adorable little infant feet into them any more!) 😉

Ready for the good news though? Whether or not that price point is in your budget, it doesn’t matter because one person has the chance to win their very own pair of Freshly Picked Moccasins for their little one!

That’s right. Freshly Picked has very generously offered to host a giveaway for Live to be Inspired readers. (The winner will get to select the size and color you want for your little one. Or, if you don’t have a little one of your own, these would make an awesome baby shower gift).

To enter to win, simply follow the directions on the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

Now for all the fun fine print….

The winner will be announced in this post on the Rafflecopter, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. Once the winner is announced, they will need to contact me within 24 hours with their information. If I do not hear from the winner within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected. So make sure to check back next Wednesday to see if you are the winner. Also, to be eligible for this giveaway you need to live within the United States and you may not have won any other giveaway including a pair of Freshly Picked Moccasins within the past 60 days.

**********

Special thanks to Freshly Picked  for providing the moccasins for me to review and for sponsoring this this giveaway. Of course, while this post is sponsored, all opinions are 100% my own.