Lessons From Hugging Random People at Walmart

Posted on 02.09.10 in Parenthood and there are 9 comments.

Yesterday I was at Walmart with my 2 year old boy. On aisle 11, he walked right up behind a woman and hugged her. After apologizing (although the huge smile on her face said she didn’t mind one little bit) and proceeding to the next aisle, I said, “Sweetie, you shouldn’t hug strangers.”

He said,"But Mama, some people don’t get hugs. So I give them.”

Who knew a 2 year old has so much to teach?

How To Gain 250+ RSS Subscribers In 1 Week

Posted on 02.08.10 in Blogging and there are 5 comments.

Things have been a bit quiet around here. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy getting things up and running over at my new blog Inspired To Action.

And....

Week One

Wow! The response has been incredible. In ONE week, the blog has over 250 subscribers.  There have been an average of 30+ comments per post and the mailing list has grown to over 2,500!

Needless to say, it’s all pretty exciting. The best part though, is the feedback I’ve gotten. Women inspired to spend time with God in the morning, exercise and plan their days, moms praying daily for their kids and a community of readers encouraging one another.

The Point

I think there are 2 reasons the blog has been so successful:

1.  I’m truly passionate about the topic of the blog.
I desperately want to be a great mom. Inspired to Action has been a wonderful outlet for me to flesh out ideas and thoughts. I love being surrounded by women who desire the same thing.

Having an early morning routine has been one of the biggest and most beneficial changes I’ve made in my life. I love that blogging allows me to help other women adopt this life changing habit.

When you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to write about.

2. I don’t care about the numbers.
I admit, the numbers are fun and affirming, but as I wrote in the welcome post, I’d rather have 10 people who respond to what I write and make positive changes in their lives, than 100 readers who just move on to the next blog in their reader.

I have a folder in my email program from people who have taken the time to write to me and tell me about the wonderful things they’ve accomplished after reading the ebook and the blog. It inspires me every day to write well and focus on the people - not the numbers.

My Inspired To Action Twitter bio sums it up well:

If I’m not writing things that make you take action, then I need to stop wasting your time. Yeah, I’m all serious like that.

Are you blogging about your passion? What is one thing you could teach others?

Possibly The Most Gorgeous Song You Will Hear In A Long Time…

Posted on 01.25.10 in General and there are 11 comments.

This song has been on repeat for WEEKS on every musical device I own. I listen to it every morning and let it inspire me and challenge me every day.

I LOVE the fact that this song echoes in my house. I still can’t believe she sang this right here in my living room last weekend. God does the coolest things,

Here’s JJ Heller singing Only Love Remains (I really wish I’d been able to record from the beginning...):
(RSS and Facebook folks, click here to watch the video.)

Here are the amazing lyrics:

Scenes of you come rushing through
You are breaking me down
So break me into pieces
That will grow in the ground
I know that I deserve to die
For the murder in my heart
So be gentle with me Jesus
As you tear me apart

Please kill the liar
Kill the thief in me
You know that I am tired of their cruelty
Breathe into my spirit
Breathe into my veins
Until only love remains

You burn away the ropes that bind
And hold me to the earth
The fire only leaves behind whatever is of worth
I begin to see reality
For the first time in my life
I know that I’m a shadow
But I’m dancing in your light

Teach me to be humble
Call me from the grave
Show me how to walk with you upon the waves
Breathe into my spirit
Breathe into my veins
Until only love remains

What songs have earned the repeat button for you?

I Need Your Help: My Brand Spankin New Blog for Moms

Posted on 01.24.10 in Blogging and there are 2 comments.

I’ve launched the new Inspired To Action blog. I’d love it if a few of you could check it out, click a couple links, post a comment or two and give it a good tire kick.

Later this week, I’ll be emailing the two thousand plus people who downloaded the Maximize Your Mornings ebook to let them know about the site, so I’d like it to run as smoothly as possible first.

Can you help? Please let me know (via comments, contact form, email, smoke signals or flag waving) if you see anything that needs to be fixed or improved.

Thanks SO much!

(And major thanks to Natalie who designed my stellar logo. If you need a graphic designer, you need Natalie.)

Why Avatar Ticked Me Off

Posted on 01.20.10 in Thoughts and there are 17 comments.

Ok. First of all, I’ll say that it was an entertaining movie. I was amazed at the special effects. All in all, though, special effects won’t make me a better person and there were a few things in the movie that weren’t awesome, so as far as the movie goes, I could take it or leave it.

However, there was one thing that particularly annoyed me. It wasn’t in the movie. It was actually outside the movie. It was this:

Seriously? “Recycle” your 3D glasses?!

The movie was all about taking care of nature, being “one” with the earth, etc. So then they ask us to “be green” and “earth friendly” and “recycle” our 3D glasses in the bin that was RIGHT NEXT TO THE TRASH CAN. The TRASH CAN where we were supposed to put our PLASTIC water bottles, our PAPER napkins and ALL our other trash.

Clearly, their priority is the environment.

This was such a lame ploy that Jimmy and I made jokes about it most of the drive home and we KEPT our glasses.

We are rebels. Hear us roar.

I imagined myself attending the movie on a nightly basis and at the end, rising up in the theater, fist in the air, exposing the corporate greed disguised in the name of being green and leading a movement of people who fought against “the man” by KEEPING our 3D glasses.

Ok. Maybe not.

I don’t mind that they want their glasses back to cut down on costs, but I wish they wouldn’t pretend that they’re being altruistic about it.

So, if you go see Avatar, keep your glasses and “recycle” them elsewhere. Rise up, people!

Sigh. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to blogging about my cute kids. This revolution stuff is tiring. I feel the need to go hug a tree.

Have you seen Avatar yet? 

JJ Heller House Concert Recap and Video

Posted on 01.17.10 in Music and there are 10 comments.

Well, what a wonderful evening it was! (If you need the backstory on the event, you can read that here.)

Frankly, I was afraid I’d be pretty worn out by the time Saturday evening rolled around. Jimmy had been on vacation for THREE weeks and then his first day back to work he flew to Chicago for a whole week. That was a bit of a shock.

I survived the week, though, and so did my kids. We’ll call that a success.

Jimmy arrived back laaaaate Friday night and in about 18 hours we were having a concert at our house!

After a busy morning, Dave, JJ, Lucy (their 1 year old girl) and Jess (Dave’s sister who helps with Lucy) arrived in the afternoon. We watched the playoff game (Jimmy was thrilled Dave wanted to watch football), played with the kids and ate dinner. Finally, our friends started to arrive and the concert began.

Wow. JJ’s voice is simply amazing. I was in heaven having such incredible music IN MY HOUSE! Jimmy and I sat towards the back and I loved watching our friends enjoy the music.

The best part of the day was discovering that JJ and Dave are every bit as great as their music. They are genuine, unpretentious and really live out the music they write.

I’ll stop recapping now and just share a video (more to come) with you. This is JJ and Dave playing Your Hands....

If you don’t own any of JJ’s albums, I really couldn’t recommend them more highly. You can get them at iTunes or at JJ’s online store.

Amazing music, amazing people. Definitely an evening to remember.

I’ve never been more grateful for a sister-in-law who can dance.

(Incidentally, the pic at the top was taken well after the evening was over. That’s why my son is shoeless and in his pj’s. We decided he needed to get ready for bed when he started headbutting our guests. He cheerfully walked up to several people and introduced his forehead to their thigh. Ah, boys.)

Ok. Name an artist you’d like to have sing in your living room…

A Concert At My House!!!

Posted on 01.16.10 in Music and there are 5 comments.

JJ and Dave Heller are coming over tonight! And so are 30 wonderful friends (if you’re reading this and a friend and you want to come, call me).

I. Am. So. Excited.

Stay tuned.

It’s In My Story!!!

Posted on 01.12.10 in Parenthood and there are 5 comments.

My kids watch a show called Super Why. It’s a cartoon. It’s about super heroes. The characters have disproportionately large heads.

You know, standard kids show.

Well, these super heroes solve problems with their reading skills. If a book ends badly, and the main character says, “I can’t help (fill in the bad decision) it’s in my story...’the little boy (fill in the bad decision)!” - the Super Readers jump in and change the words to the story and save the day.

It’s SUPPOSED to teach kids reading skills.

So the other day my 2 year old son was picking on his sisters. I said,"Son, you cannot bother your sisters.” His reply?

“I can’t help it Mommy! It’s IN my stooory! ...da wittle boy bahders his sistews.”

Oh yes he did.

I have a feeling I’m going to have an interesting time when he hits high school.

How To Create An Awesome Morning Routine

Posted on 01.05.10 in General and there are 7 comments.

Today.

I love the serenity and solitude of the early morning. The day is fresh and full of opportunity. Anything could happen. Anything. ANYTHING!!

That beats sleeping in any day.

I don’t want to waste a second of the possibility before me. Today, I can run faster than I did yesterday. Today, I can use my time more wisely than I have in the past. Today, I can meet with the God of Heaven and Earth. The One who SPOKE the world into being. The One who raised the dead, healed the sick and called me by name.

The snooze button doesn’t hold a candle to that.

Today, I can partner with the Alpha and Omega to change people’s lives. To love the unloved. To serve the forgotten. To mentor the innocent. To incite a revolution of hope.

Today is hope. A fresh start. An empty canvas.

We can cover our canvas with accidental spills or we can paint with purpose and passion.

It’s my desire to be intentional about each day I’m given.

----------------------------

I’m incredibly passionate about the impact that a purposeful morning can have on the day.

A couple hundred people have already downloaded my FREE “Maximize Your Mornings” ebook (Does the word ebook sound spammy to anyone else or is it just me? I hate using it. Maybe I’ll just say ElectronicBook. Or maybe not.) My prayer is that many moms lives will be changed for the better as a result of this writing.

I’ve gotten some wonderful feedback so far. Here are a few comments:

“My friend @secretlifeofkat has a fab & free ebook for moms. I just downloaded & fully recommend it! http://bit.ly/5YJt0H” - Allison Worthington (Founder of Blissdom Conference and BlissfullyDomestic.com)

“Wowser, mcdowser.........I can’t wait to get up in the morning!!!! Very very nicely done. Encouraging, and inspiring. “ - Jamee

“LOVE it!! Simple and doable. “ -Nikki

“Usually- self help type books lose me because there is so much explanation and steps. I get lost in the process. This ebook is very clear- and I like the action items- keeps me focused on my mission!” - Tressa

If you don’t already have a solid morning routine, I hope you’ll download it and create a plan that works for you.

And I’d love to hear from you. Email me, message me, leave a comment here. I want to know what’s working for you and what isn’t. If you need me to email or text you each day to keep you accountable, I’m up for that. If you need help brainstorming a routine that you can stick to, I’d love to help. I really want to help moms figure out how they can start their day well.

You can download it right here, or you can go to the book’s homepage. If you have any trouble at all, just email me and I’ll make sure to get a copy to you.

See you in the morning!
-Kat

Of course, if you like it, please feel free to tweet, blog and facebook about it. Thanks!

This post is part of WFMW.

We Got Ourselves A Naaaahhhhder!!!

Posted on 01.03.10 in Parenthood and there are 8 comments.

My son loves the movie Cars. It’s his testosterone retreat from the pixie and pink he’s surrounded by having two sisters.

Let’s just say he’s seen it a “few” times.

So last night as he was going to bed, Jimmy turned on his bedtime music. And as soon as it started playing, my two year old boy said (with the same intonations used in the movie), “Dad! We got ourselves a nodder!”

So. Stinking. Hilarious.

What’s your favorite movie or movie scene?

If you haven’t seen Cars, here’s the scene:

A Snowy Christmas Eve

Posted on 01.03.10 in Family and there are 3 comments.

As Brody would say, “It was a Christmas Miracle!”

It snowed here in Texas on Christmas Eve. Jimmy and I The kids were SO excited. We had a real, honest to goodness family snowball fight.

Of course we had to SCRAPE snow off furniture and leaves to make the snowballs…

But we still had fun!

And when we were done, we warmed up in front of the fire, drank hot cider, ate popcorn and watched, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

You might have noticed that we did paint our bookshelves red. I’m not very daring when it comes to paint, but you all were so convincing that I went for it. And I LOVE it! Thanks!

Here’s a BEFORE picture:

What was your Christmas highlight?

A White Christmas Eve and A Completed eBook!

Posted on 12.28.09 in Blogging and there are 2 comments.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We had a great little family holiday. It was actually very relaxing. And the bonus was that it ACTUALLY SNOWED on Christmas Eve. We even had a little snowball fight!

Can You Help?

Well, I’ve finished the eBook I mentioned in my last post. I’d like to test out the download process, so if you have a minute, could you click here and sign up to download the book? Don’t worry, it’s free.

Please let me know if you have any problems or see anything that needs to be fixed.

If you’ve been around these parts for awhile, you’ll recognize the domain name. The previous blog had fallen dormant, so I decided to repurpose it. The new blog will launch mid January.

If you’re interesting in mentioning the ebook on Twitter, Facebook or your blog, please check out this page. You might also want to check out that page if you want to learn more about the new blog.

Thanks so much for your help! 

I’ve Been Up To Stuff - eBook and New Blog

Posted on 12.22.09 in Blogging and there are 4 comments.

Things have been quiet around here lately. I’ve been working on a new blog that is kind of an extension of the Momiversity post I wrote awhile back. Basically, it’s a blog dedicated to helping moms...be the best moms they can be.

Kind of like the army.

Except without the boots.

Unless they’re cute boots.

Get Your Red Pens Ready
Anyway, it’s a repository of everything I’m learning from the stuff I’m reading and the wonderful moms I’ve been able to glean advice from. To prepare for the launch of the blog (mid Jan), I’ve put together an ebook (that will be free) and I’d love for some of my wonderful friends here to take a look at it and help me refine it before I send it out into the cold, hard world.

The “book” (it’s only 20 something pages) is all about how to make the most of your mornings. I’m tentatively calling it Maximize Your Mornings. (Let me know if you have a better name idea.)

If you’re interested in reading it and giving some feedback (looking for about 10 people), shoot me an email at katssignups AT gmail DOT com or use the contact page .

Thanks so much!

I probably won’t be blogging much between now and Christmas, so I’ll just take this opportunity to say, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”

Much love,
Kat

Almost Awesome…But Not…

Posted on 12.14.09 in Family and there are 12 comments.

The girls were trying on their Christmas dresses and wanted me to take a picture. It was perfect. The kids, the tree, the couch.

If only I knew how to use my camera. Apparently, I had it set on BLURRY. Oh well.

(They don’t look as horribly blurry here as they do full size...Trust me, though, it’s sad because they’re unprintable. Sigh.)

The last picture of my boy CRACKS me up. He did NOT want his sisters to share the sofa with him anymore.

Pedal Power

Posted on 12.08.09 in Family and there are 2 comments.

We had a great time over the Thanksgiving holiday.

We hung out with family. Some of us more literally than others.

We went to a really fun Amish-like village where our kids rode horses and learned from Amish-like kids how to bake Amish-like breads.

And we also went out to the ranch (a grand title for the property and house Jimmy’s family owns.) We hadn’t been there in years and it was the first time our kids have really been. The LOVED it. Their favorite part was riding their bikes down the long dirt roads.

I could tell how much my oldest daughter savored the freedom of riding far down the road. I keep a pretty tight reign on them in our neighborhood, so she enjoyed being able to ride off by herself for a bit out in the country.

I had a blast riding my bike (a red banana seat Schwinn) when I was a kid. What about you? Did you love riding your bike when you were little?

Bonus question: What was your first bicycle?

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