Is this week half over already? I still haven’t recovered from my weekend!

Last Thursday, Annalyn flew to Nashville with my parents, and I flew to meet them on Friday. We were all there to support my brother, who accompanies a high school show choir that was competing in a national competition at the Grand Ole Opry.

Think Glee meets real life. Kind of.

(If you add miles of walking in work shoes, because you didn’t bring tennis shoes; hauling a 2-year-old in the 80th percentile for weight on about half those miles; missing most the choir performances due to a cranky little girl; and sleeping with said girl, who happened to believe the full-size bed was all hers. I’m just saying.)

Reportedly, Annalyn was awesome on the flight down. And I won’t make you wait to find out: she was pretty good on the flight back, too. She was definitely a squirmy, tired toddler. But, thanks to several (yes, several) bags of berry Yogos, three laps to climb over and a mommy who can recite her favorite books from heart, we had no 45-minute screaming fits. So I call that a success.

And the weather in Nashville? It was beautiful. The whole Opryland complex was covered in blooming flowers like this:

Unfortunately, Annalyn’s cold – and the chaos of travel and the constraints of a quiet, dark auditorium – brought us some of this, too:

On the bright side, though, my brother’s choir was AWESOME. And they got Best Combo of the whole competition. That means “best band,” which is his part. So, you know, we were a little proud.

I know we’re mid-week now . . . but how was YOUR weekend?

—————————————-

Can’t get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.

I started a blog because I was bored. And a little lonely. I thought it would be a good place to get my thoughts out and maybe keep in better touch with my friend, Chelley.

I never intended to make friends all over the country.

And yet . . .

*****

When I was in college, I had a few friends who went on mission trips. And then at the first church we attended after moving back to Kansas City, we became close friends with a couple training to translate the Bible for the people of Indonesia. Later, when we moved to the church we still attend, we met lots more people determined to answer that Great Commission . . . overseas . . . far away . . . in the mission field.

And every time I’d meet another missionary or learn that one of my new friends was, in fact, a missionary (gasp!), I’d say the same thing:

*****

At first I only read a handful of blogs. Chelley’s, of course, and the blogs her grad school friends wrote. But one day – maybe nothing good was on TV or I was up late, letting my newborn cry it out – I branched out. I read other blogs.

Those other blogs led to more blogs, which led to even more blogs.

And somewhere between just reading a handful of blogs and the hundreds of blogs that clog up my Google Reader today, I stumbled onto a group of women who have changed my life.

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.
Sophie at BooMama.
Melanie at Big Mama.

Are these ladies funny? Sure. But while I do enjoy their rambling, clever posts, it was their hearts for Compassion International that moved me.

Moved me to tears.
Moved me to sponsor a child in Ghana.
Moved me to reconsider how I spend my money.

I used to thank God for not calling me to missions. But now I know differently. He’s called me, all right.

To what, I don’t know.

Maybe just to sponsor a little girl named Elizabeth.
Maybe to use the money from a job change to pay off debt faster – instead of getting a new cell phone.
Maybe to tell you about what I’ve learned from Compassion.

Or maybe something more.

I don’t know. But this sure isn’t why I started a blog. THIS is what I would call an unintended consequence. Since stumbling on the first Compassion blogger posts . . .

I’ve been glued to my screen every time a group goes on a trip.
I’ve applied to go on a trip myself.
I’ve cried tears of joy – and maybe a couple of envy – when each new blogger mission trip group is announced.

Shaun Groves has asked how God has changed and surprised us. Well, this is it.

Because of the Compassion bloggers, I am changed.
Because of the Compassion bloggers, my heart is broken.
Because of the Compassion bloggers, I can no longer say, “I’m so glad God didn’t call me to missions.”

Has God changed or surprised you lately?

—————————————-

Can’t get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.

Okay, folks, here’s the deal. I read a lot (a LOT!!) of blogs and online publications. That results in a) eye strain, b) information overload and c) a backlog of great articles I want to share with you.

The problem? I’m not sure how to best share these articles. Though I use Delicious, Stumble Upon and sharing through Google, I don’t know that you necessarily will find the things I tag, stumble or share. And I want to make it easy for you.

Because, yes, I truly believe you’re all sitting on the other side of your screens, hitting refresh all day, waiting for me to tell you what to do. Riiiight.

Anyway, I’ve decided to begin posting a list of links regularly (or, let’s be honest, semi-regularly, because, yes, I am aware that I promised an amazing post about a couch way back when and have yet to deliver). I used to do this on Saturdays and call it “Random Readings.”

But I’ve decided I don’t like that. I would hate for anyone to feel that I consider his or her article random. This decision, however, leaves me with a dilemma: What do I call my semi-regular link posts?

So far, I’ve come up with Remarkable Readings, Lovely Links and Sunday Suggestions.

Clearly, I need help. Would you help me? Please – send me your ideas, share with me your suggestions, tell me what to do.

Because you know I like telling you what to do. For instance, read these:

• Mama Kat cracks me up! I love her take on cleaning in No One Ever Told Me.
• For a different perspective on cleaning (although still from someone who reportedly hates it), check out Christine’s new blog, I Dream of Clean.
• I’ll be making these fancy-schmancy (but not really fancy) deviled eggs for Easter lunch. Or dinner, depending on where you live. Because they have bacon. And cheese. And – really? You need another reason?
• Are you a blogger? Or a blog reader? Or both? Then you need to read OhAmanda’s tips for making bloggers happy and making your readers happy.
• Ashleigh writes beautifully about her husband’s recent deployment and what that means to her. Read What It Is, Going it Alone, and Rollercoaster. I’m so very thankful for the sacrifices her family and countless others are making every day.
• For the past few weeks, Mark and I haven’t spent much time in bed together. Yep, that’s right. I said it. Now get your minds out of the gutter. I’m talking about a situation caused by crazy coughing fits and supposed snoring. Thank you, allergy and sinus issues. Because of all that, Missy’s post about the marriage bed simply cracked me up.
• Following up her weeklong series on beauty, Sarah has posted links to everyone else who wrote about beauty. These stories are amazing.
• If you don’t already read Lisa-Jo’s blog, The Gypsy Mama, I highly recommend it. This woman has heart, humor and an unbelievable talent for painting pictures and moving hearts with her written words.

Have a great weekend! (And don’t forget to tell me what to name my link posts! I need HELP!)

I’m linking this post to Mandi’s Saturday Stumbles!

—————————————–

Can’t get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.

Update: After reading your posts, I have come up with four new goals. First, I’m bringing my exercise ball back into the house and will use it this week. Second, I will work hard to avoid emotional eating (this is huge for me). Third, I will aim for a gallon of water a day. And fourth, um, shoot. I don’t remember.

So – if I commented on your blog about a goal, would you remind me? Thanks. You guys are great. And, yeah, next week I’ll take notes as I read your (obvioiusly) inspiring posts!!

Guys, I have a confession: I have no idea what week we are in. Can someone tell me? Please?

You may not know this about me, but sometimes I’m just not good with the numbers. Or I’ve lost more sanity than pounds. I don’t know.

I’m not weighing in today, but not because I’m afraid of the scale (for once!). More about what I am doing today later. What I can tell you now is that I’ve written down all my food and counted my points this week. That might seem like a small thing, but it’s HUGE for me.

The trick will be keeping it up this weekend, because it’s going to be a hectic one.

How do you stay on track when you get busy?

Wonder what I’m talking about here? Each week for the next few weeks, Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Ashleigh from Heart & Home and I will be sharing a peek (or in the case of this wordy ramble, an oversized bay window) into our weight loss journeys.

If you’d like to take the challenge to Lose It (#LosingIt10 on Twitter, by the way), write about your own journey, link to this site in your post, and share a link to your blog post in our weekly carnival. The bloggers who link up at least six out of the 10 weeks will be eligible for our prize package of a six-month subscription to The Six O’Clock Scramble (a meal planning service), a Weight Watchers pedometer and a gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of his or her body weight during the 10 weeks.

I can’t wait to read about how your week has gone! (Although, I’ll warn you: I will have to wait. Because of the previously mentioned hectic weekend. You know.)

—————————————-

Can’t get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.

Why is it so hard to find good [not annoying] kids’ music?

I’ve mentioned before that Annalyn is sometimes less than awesome when it comes to car rides. Right? Thankfully, I’ve found that making a big deal about playing “her music” while we’re driving makes a difference.

[Sometimes.]

And that means I get the opportunity to listen to kids music – or, even better, kids singing kids music – a LOT.

So when I heard about The Rizers, I was pretty excited. Fun music and Scripture memorization? Yes, please!

The Rizers are a cartoon (ahem, animated) band that sings scripture verses in upbeat, kid-friendly songs. Their mission is to instill in kids a love for Jesus Christ and his Word through scripture memorization and worship.

Never mind my 2-year-old; I need this myself! (KIDDING. We can listen TOGETHER. In the car. All the time. Over and OVER.)

That’s just it, though. You can listen to it over and over. Your kids will love the cute characters, and you can connect with the band on Facebook. (There’s really something for everyone with this group, isn’t there?!)

 You can buy their album, Meet The Rizers, on Amazon, as well as iTunes.

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

Have you heard of The Rizers? What’s your favorite (I mean, your kids’ favorite – no, I mean your favorite!) kids’ music?

Disclosure: I received a preview of The Rizer’s album from their publicity firm.

—————————————–

Can’t get enough of Giving Up on Perfect? Subscribe here, follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page.