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Wow, just – wow. Can you believe that it’s June 1 already? Where has the year gone flying off to? Can you believe that in just 207 days we will be celebrating Christmas again and getting ready to welcome in another new year? I haven’t gotten accustomed to this one yet! If you get paid bi-weekly – do you realize you will only receive 16 more paychecks until the end of the year? Kind of puts things in perspective now, doesn’t it?
I digress, I have a tendency to do that – oh squirrel! (See what I mean?) We have a nice little smorgasbord of items to tell you about this week so let’s get to it, shall we?
2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Today kicks off the official start of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season. June 1 to November 30 is the usual season each year when tropical storms begin to develop. This year, however, May 25 brought Subtropical Storm Alberto up through the Gulf of Mexico.
We’ve talked about being prepared for hurricane season here on the blog before. Cummins Home Generators put together a great infographic you should check out that explains the various storm seasons to be prepared for and provided us with a general list of things you should have on hand to be prepared. Their website has a variety of videos on each storm season as well – shameless plug for our friends right there.
A survey conducted by Ready.gov shows that nearly 60% of respondents do NOT have a household emergency plan with instructions for household members about where to go and what to do if a disaster strikes. (We’ve got ours together!) They also have an extensive list of items you need to check before storm season hits full force.
If you don’t have a disaster preparedness kit put together for your family, you can purchase them from Amazon using one of the links above.
Maker’s Mark Ambassador
I am now officially a Maker’s Mark Ambassador! The only thing remaining is for me to receive my Welcome Kit which should be arriving mid-July or sooner. I’m even going to have a barrel engraved with Kim at Life in a House and I’ll be sure to share those images when I receive them.
I cannot wait. Have you tried Maker’s Mark bourbon by any chance? I absolutely love this delicious bourbon and how Maker’s Mark came into being. You can read our Ambassador announcement post, and then make sure you head over to your local ABC store and try some for yourself!
Head over HERE to grab the recipe for these Chipotle Chicken Wings made with Maker’s Mark.
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Make Every Friday Family Movie Night
If you have kids, you know you need to schedule a “date night” with the rugrats just like you do your husband. The only problem in this household is that we rarely agree on what to watch because everyone has their own taste. So what are some movies you just can’t go wrong with – movies that appeal to everyone in the family?
Common Sense Media writer Frannie Ucciferri put together this awesome list of fun, family-friendly movies for every Friday night from June to August. These hand-selected films are popular with everyone in this family – so there won’t be any fighting over the remote (and the rest of the family won’t have to sit and watch a Godzilla movie for the 100th time).
Did I mention that all of these movies are available to stream on either Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Hulu or as a video-on-demand rental for $4 or less? Thanks for the great movie list, Frannie!
Common Sense Media believes in sanity, not censorship. This awesome non-profit organization is all about achieving a healthy approach to media and technology in our kids’ lives – and our own. (Yes, I’m talking to you – the person with the kids running helter-skelter at the park with your face shoved in your phone.) They believe in helping kids learn how to use digital media wisely so that they can accomplish amazing things. They are a really great resource when you need help, so stop by and check out their website and tell them Kim sent you.
Oh … and speaking of Common Sense Media … topic of discussion this weekend is Is it OK for me to read my kids’ text messages on their phone? You can click-through and leave your thoughts on the subject on their website or you can leave a comment below.
Personally, I think parents should read their kids text messages. I’ve always snuck and read my boys’ text messages – until they caught me and put passwords on their phones and their apps so that I couldn’t. At the time, they were not texting or doing anything untoward, but I know as they got older and became teenagers – lets just say that there have been a few instances where some pretty foul and horrible things were said via text messages. If you are unaware of your state laws concerning this matter – as we were – be warned that this could be considered a felony in your state and cause some serious legal troubles for your teen. It’s best to brush up on what the laws are in your specific state so that you can discuss these with your own children so they know what is and is not acceptable to send (or receive) via text messages.
The Ultimate Southern Summer Bucket List
If you’re planning a vacation this summer, check out this list of 22 amazing southern cities that are sure to please. We have been guilty ourselves of overlooking the beautiful cities in the south from time to time – including our own Williamsburg, Virginia. Since some of these cities are within driving distance and virtually in our backyard – we tend to forget that YOU might not know how awesome a vacation spot they are! You can check out the full slide show over on The Travel Channel.
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Dallas, Texas
- Waco, Texas
- Austin, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Biloxi, Mississippi
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Orlando, Florida
- Miami Beach, Florida
- St. Augustine, Florida
- Savannah, Georgia
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Williamsburg, Virginia
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Nashville, Tennessee
If you really want to be adventurous and you have the means to do so – take a summer road trip and hit all of these amazing cities! If you’re in the Northern states, start in Virginia and then go to Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and finally North Carolina.
When God Happens
A car flips over on the highway and bursts into flames. A father hears devastating news about his unborn child. A teenage girl follows a friend to a dangerous party.
Then God happens.
If you have ever doubted the miraculous power of God, prepare to be astonished. Here, real people share true stories of modern-day miracles—moments of divine intervention when the hand of God was briefly and beautifully revealed. Edited by bestselling authors Angela Hunt and Bill Myers, the eight stories in When God Happens include first-hand accounts of medical healing, angelic visitation, and demonic possession.
As Hunt and Myers write, these testimonies “are a reminder that the God who reached down to touch those He loved in Bible days has not changed. He has not turned His back on us or left us to our own devices. As Scripture also states, ‘[He] is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’”
We pray these stories inspire you to look to God for the deepest needs in your life as you discover how He has worked in the lives of others just like you.
“Reading When God Happens is like receiving an intravenous dose of hope in a world parched by hopelessness. It will remind you not just to hope for miracles but to expect them.” — Melanie Henry, Guideposts magazine writer and author of fifty-four books.
Many people wonder, does God still perform miracles? Is it even possible with all the darkness in the world today? Fewer Americans believe than ever, and that is why in When God Happens: True Stories of Modern Day Miracles (launching June 5, 2018), book editors Angela Hunt and Bill Myers set out to find true stories of God stepping in and solve the problems of regular people who had great faith.
When God Happens will encourage others with the fact that there are no laws of physics or science a loving God must follow to express his love. Each testimony is unique and features both the exciting and every day miracles readers will love:
- A good Samaritan couple are fighting to save victims in a fiery car crash with the help of two “mysterious strangers”
- A woman encounters angels after a terrorist attack
- A newborn who was diagnosed as medically dead is revived
- A teenage girl is saved from being kidnapped by a sex cult
- A woman is relentlessly pursued by God
- God heals a man on his death and the heart of a pastor
- Two men attempt an exorcism to save a hallucinating psychic
In When God Happens, readers will be astonished and inspired to look to God for the needs in their lives. For more information on the book, visit WhenGodHappens.com.
About the Editors of When God Happens: True Stories of Modern Day Miracles
Bill Myers – www.BillMyers.com
Bill Myers is a best-selling author and an award-winning producer whose work has won over eighty national and international awards, including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award. His work includes McGee and Me!, The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle, and Eli. He is the managing partner of Amaris Media International.
Angela Hunt – www.AngelaHuntBooks.com
Angela Hunt, ThD, is a bestselling author and Christy Award winner. She lives in Florida with her husband, two mastiffs, and an assortment of wildlife.
This is definitely one book that has been added to the Summer Reading List. If you go to the website, you can download a PDF document with a sampling of stories from the book!
Your Kid’s Gonna Be Okay
I’ve said it around my own household so many times, that the boys (and the neighbors) all finish my sentence before I can. Things sure are different these days from when I was growing up as a teenager.
When I was growing up, our main job as kids were to get good grades, keep our room organized and to help out with the chores around the house. And no, we didn’t get paid to do chores. We were part of the family so we were therefore equally responsible for taking care of the place we called home. If we didn’t do what was expected of us, you had privileges taken away (I wasn’t allowed to read anything but school books when I was on punishment) or you cleaned the entire house yourself on Saturday, or you went out and picked rocks out of a cow pasture for 4 hours.
Nowadays though, if you kid has trouble staying organized and on top of things at school, we coax and cajole and bribe with incentives. Right?
Michael Delman, author of the new book Your Kid’s Gonna Be Okay: Building the Executive Function Skills Your Child Needs in the Age of Attention, says not so fast. Our kids are driven by their own motives, not ours, or what we try to enforce upon them. They have to develop their own sense of purpose that comes from within in order to succeed. Learning how to tap into that internal motivation as parents is a crucial ingredient to helping them bring to the table their full capacities to whatever they attempt in life.
Don’t ask how you can motivate your kid. Cause it isn’t going to work. Instead, try to help your child find something that moves them, gets them motivated and then figure out how you can set up those conditions so that they find their own sense of purpose and drive.
Even as adults, unless we have the personal inner motivation to do something – and do it well – it may get done, but it’s not going to be your best work, your best effort.
You can pre-order the book on Amazon. It will be released June 15, 2018.
That’s it for another week my friends! You have some great vacation destinations, two great books to read while you’re on that vacation, a game plan for Friday Family Movie Night, a delicious chicken wing recipe using Maker’s Mark bourbon and finally some sound advice on putting together a disaster preparedness kit for your family – just in case one of those tropical storms decides to try to ruin your vacation in one of those southern states we listed above.
Until next week!
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