Songs That Sing My Life

If you know me at all, you know I love music. I've always loved music. In every stage and season of life I take on different interests, different hobbies, focus on different causes, but music has always been the one constant all throughout my life. 

There's something about a good song with meaningful lyrics that can make you feel like you're not alone. Someone else thinks like you do, feels like you do. 

When I became a Christ-follower, music took on a whole new meaning. It became a new way to worship my Creator and share Him with others. Notes and lyrics became infinitely more meaningful when they became prayers and love songs to my Savior. It makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it!

So in this post, I wanted to try something different...

When I'm singing for the Savior, I focus very hard on the words that are coming out my mouth. I once heard a preacher tell a gymnasium full of people that if they did not mean the words that they were singing then they were essentially lying, so they should just not sing at all. Something about that stuck with me...big time. I think about that statement everyday, and I don't want to be a liar. 

This is my little experiment. A transparent look into what the lyrics of a song mean to me. 

One of my very favorite songs out there and one that has spoken to me in so many ways is "The Real Me" by Natalie Grant. This one is found on her Awakening album, and tugs my heart in so many directions every time I hear it.

Here goes the experiment! The words in italics are the song lyrics, and my commentary is in bold. I've also posted a YouTube video of Natalie performing this song live on this post. (Really hoping that it works!)  Let's see what happens, shall we? :) 

The Real Me
Artist: Natalie Grant
Album: Awakening


Foolish heart looks like we're here again
Same old game of plastic smile
Don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache, will this glass house break 
(How many times have I tried so hard to hide how I'm really feeling? What's the worst that could happen if they knew how I really felt about what they just said or did? No doubt about it, it would make them and me completely uncomfortable. It's just not fair to keep this to myself while expecting them to change, but I just can't say it. Just can't risk it.)
How much will they take before I'm empty
Do I let it show, does anybody know? 
(I'm just so tired. Sometimes I wonder if I have anything else left to give. Everyone just wants and wants and wants, and I just want to give up! If I gave up, what would that do to my witness? To my ministry? I can't give up, but how much longer can I keep this up?)
Chorus:
But you see the real me
(Thank you, Father.)
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
(It is such a relief to know that I can't hide from You.)
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me
(Oh Father, explode in all that I am. Cover my imperfection with Your perfection. Give me the strength that I need to continue giving of myself. You know that I am no good on my own. Use the broken parts of me to help make others whole. When it seems that my purpose in this life is running out, re-purpose me. You will not discard me just because I am broken. It hurts, Lord. It hurts so much, but I know that I can be myself completely, and fall apart completely in Your hands. )
 
Painted on, life is behind a mask
Self-inflicted circus clown
I'm tired of the song and dance.
(I'm tired of doing it my way/ their way. I want to do it Your way.)
Living a charade, always on parade
(This way of life is unforgiving. Exhausting.)
What a mess I've made of my existence
(What made me think that this was better? This is all my fault.)
But you love me even now
(Amazing.)
And still I see somehow
 
You see the real me
(What a relief! I can breathe!)
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
(It's all Yours, God.)
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me

Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me
(Your unconditional love brings me to tears.)
You're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
A perfect tapestry
(You've given me blessings beyond number, and I have done nothing to deserve them. I praise You for taking someone so broken and small as myself, and transforming my life into something that has meaning. You give me meaning whether anyone else sees it or not. My worth is in You, and nothing else matters.)
I just wanna be me

(I just want to be what You want me to be.) 

You see the real me
(No one else on the planet may see value in the "real me," but that doesn't matter as long as I matter to You.)
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
(I don't have to hide anything from You...not like I could hide anything from You!)
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Cause you see the real me
And you love me just as I am
Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me

(Incredible.)

What makes a mom?

NOTE: This entry is not intended to be a commentary on the state of our culture, or to spur on a sociological debate. These are only thoughts from someone who has limited authority to have thoughts on anything at all, so please put away any and all soapboxes for another day and go hug your mother. Thank you.

With this being the week of Mother's Day, I've been thinking a lot about my continuing journey as a mom, and what makes a mom. 

How does someone become a mother? Where do mothers come from? 

 I'm not talking about the birds and the bees of life, but rather matters of the heart. In turning this over and over in my head, I've come to the conclusion that there are lots of different types of moms, and they all come from different places. 

Now I've only been a mother for a little over 4 years now, but the journey started a long, long time ago. When I was still a girl, God placed it in my heart to be a mother. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't born with the desire to be a mother since I don't ever remember picturing my future without children! 

On the other end of the spectrum, I have known women who have no burning desire for children, and even some that seem to be completely turned off to having children altogether. I have also known women who want children more than anything else but cannot have a biological child, and women/ girls who have reluctantly become mothers in a moment of unplanned passion. (Oops!)

Mothers are made out of all kinds of different cloth, but the one common thread that can be found is this: they have been chosen by God to play some part in the next generation.

Whether reluctantly or intentionally, new life is no accident. There is a Creator that fashions each one of us together, and he uses a mother as the vessel. 

For the reluctant mother who makes the very difficult decision to put her baby up for adoption...For whatever reason, you made a decision to carry that child to full term in a world that says that there are other options. You took that child's best interest at heart in giving him/her over to a family that has the heart, desire, and means to raise them up to adulthood. What else but love would drive someone to do such a thing? One of the most agonizing things that I have ever bore witness to was watching a 13 year old girl hand her newborn daughter over for adoption. She sobbed for days, but she knew that it was the best thing for her baby. This perspective gave me a whole new respect for that side of the adoption process. At 13 years old, she had a mother's heart.

For the mother who cannot bear children...God has a special call for you. A call to raise children to which you did not give birth. He has given you the heart and desire to raise a child, and there are children and reluctant mothers that need you! God made you a mother when He placed that desire within you. He can turn anything that the enemy would intend to use for evil into a great blessing. That child will always know that you chose them, and you should always know that God chose you. 

For the grieving mother...I cannot imagine any greater loss than the loss of a child. Whether the loss happened in the womb, at birth, or when the child was 30 years old, there's so much pain in knowing that everything that you could do as that child's mother was not enough to keep them here on this earth. As moms, we would like to think that from the moment that child is conceived, there is nothing that we can't and won't do to protect them, but it's just not true. We simply do not hold that kind of power. The good news is that there is a Father who holds all of the power, and He can and will sustain us in the most unimaginable circumstances if we let Him. Grieving mother, don't grieve alone. Find someone to talk to, to remember with, to hold you up or just to hold your hand. Please don't walk this one alone.

For the stepmom...When you met the man of your dreams, it probably didn't occur to you that you were taking on a bigger role than you initially realized. Maybe you had children when you met him and his brood, and maybe you didn't. Either way, you now have an important role in the lives of his children whether you wanted it or not, so now what? You have the opportunity to prove every negative thing that anyone has ever said about stepmoms wrong. If you truly believe that God placed you with this man, then it's very likely that God knew he had children from a previous relationship, and He's going to expect you to step up. If the children's mother is still living, then it can really add a twist to the dynamics of the whole situation! Let's not beat around the bush. Two mothers on the scene rarely ever make for days filled with sunshine and roses, but that is no excuse for not trying to make it work with the kids. They can see in you that God is the God of second chances, and that they are worthy of great love from someone other than their birth parents. That is a great responsibility!

For the single mom...Perhaps you are in the reluctant mom category but grew to love it over time, or perhaps you started out with a dad in the picture but then things took a turn for the worse. However it came about, you are now doing the job of two parents, and there probably isn't anyone around most of the time to take notice of just how hard you work. Your children may not fully appreciate all that you do for them, but that doesn't mean that they never will. Keep hanging there. They may be ungrateful, selfish, and inconsiderate sometimes, but after all, they are just kids. They need you whether they know it or not! Someday they will realize that when other people were walking in and out of their lives, mom stood firm. Teach them about their Heavenly Father, and that He will never leave them nor forsake them...and don't forget that He will never leave or forsake you either. 

For moms in general....Don't forget how blessed you are. When you notice that things are hanging lower this year than they did last year, or that your last pregnancy left your stretch marks with stretch marks, or that there's a pacifier in your purse where your lip gloss used to be, remember that you were chosen.  Your job is never ending, leaving little time for yourself or anyone else, including the kids. To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine, "Sometimes all I can do is keep my children alive." Moms, we can't get so busy doing the job that we forget to enjoy the ones that we are doing the job for in the first place. I have another friend that will remind me that "the monster is always hungry," meaning that there's always something to be done. We are chosen to be moms, but we are not chosen to be perfect. That job was only given out to one human being in the history of the world, and His perfection covered the imperfections of the rest of us. 

It is an incredible thing to be chosen to be a mother, regardless of the logistics of how it happens. 

When I'm standing in the middle of a puddle of spilled milk and cheerios with one child climbing the pantry shelves and the other chewing on the business end of an extension cord while my eggs burn on the stove and my coffee gets cold, I have to remind myself that this is a blessing...over and over again. 

But then when I see those same kids playing together on the floor or greeting their daddy with big smiles when he walks in the door, or feel their little arms around my neck, I know that this is a blessing.

Couponing Resources

After so many requests from friends and family, here are some links and downloads of different couponing resources that I use and text from some handouts that I put together. I've also included a link for meal planner print outs since meal planning can help stretch your grocery dollar even further. Have fun!

Coupon Basics courtesy of Colin from www.Hip2Save.com
Meal Planner Downloads


Couponing: Putting On Your Game Face

Before clipping the first coupon, the game face is a must! Getting in a good mindset can be key to coupon success. Complete transparency: this can be a stressful game, but it can also be incredibly enjoyable!

PRE-GAME
•    Drop your pride! If you’re afraid of how you might look to other people when you pull out your binder full of coupons in the check out lane, decide right now that you don’t care. Other people are not going to work to save money for your family!
•    Be ready to work on it! The more money you want to save, the more you have to work at it. It’s all about what you want to put into it.
•    Know what you need and what you don’t. When you start uncovering one deal after another, it can get overwhelming. Before you know it, you’re buried and you haven’t saved a thing. Have a plan, stick to it. As you get more comfortable with couponing, add a little here and a little there as it makes sense for your life.

GAMETIME!
•    Smile! This is where the rubber meets the road. Smile the moment you hit the door of the store. It really makes a difference in your attitude!
•    Cashier having a bad day and taking it out on you? Be the bigger person. “People are more important than things.” We are Christ-followers first, and $1 off Cheerios is not worth blowing your witness. Continue to be friendly, educate your cashier as they will allow you to do so, but at the end of the day, any store can turn down any coupon at their discretion. Arguing with them just makes them dislike you, everybody gets their blood pressure up, and it’s a mess! Bottom line: go home happy. Your family deserves it!

POST-GAME
•    Celebrate! Do a little dance, call a friend to brag about your shopping trip, put it on facebook, frame your receipt…whatever thrills you!
•    After the celebration, find some way to track what you’re spending and what you’re saving. Are you being effective? Do you have what you need? Are you using what you’re buying? It’s even a good idea to track frequently purchased items and come up with a “price point” for each item. How cheap does something have to be for it to be worth it to stockpile that item?

DEAL SITES TO CHECK OUT
www.Hip2Save.com
My favorite site, and one of the most popular ones out there! There are lots of giveaways, online freebie deals, and tips and tricks to save even more money.

www.CouponKatarina.com
This site has a lot of the same stuff has Hip2Save, but there often different deals. In addition, Katarina posts Kroger deals while Hip2Save does not.

www.mojosavings.com
Again, a lot of the same deals as the other sites, but sometimes you hit the jackpot!

www.southernsavers.com
This one is great! Kroger deals, CVS deals, Walgreens…hits them all! Also, you can print out customized lists of the items that you’d like to get on your shopping trip. Anything that makes it easier is worth it!

www.organicdeals.com
Who doesn’t want to give their family the best? We don’t have to feed our families a meal in a box every night to save a buck! Check this one out if you’re looking to go the organic/ whole foods route.

FREE! FREE! FREE!
Don’t turn your nose up at free samples! Sign up for everything that you would use, or could give to someone else to use.  There are lots of money-saving uses for free samples, and every now and then you’ll get full-sized items. Use toiletry items to give to over night guests, food samples for spare snacks in the car, or use beauty samples to make a “pamper yourself” package for a friend. Lots of times freebies come with coupons, so that alone makes it worth it. Some things in life really are free!

Here are some places to sign up for stuff:
www.kraftfirsttaste.com
Get coupons for 100% free items that Kraft is rolling out. They mail you the coupons, and you redeem them at the store. So easy! This is a great way to try out some of the newest products without paying a thing for them, which is the purpose of the program.

www.pgeverydaysolutions.com
Here you can get great coupons, and sample packs. Again, 100% free!


$$ OTHER GREAT WAYS TO GET STUFF CHEAP, FREE, OR EARN CASH $$
www.ebates.com or www.shopathome.com
If you do any online purchasing at all, they’re worth it! It’s really easy. Use one of their online retailers (there are 1000’s to choose from), go through their site to make a purchase, and get cash back 4 times a year! The more you buy online, the bigger your check. Even if it’s just a couple of dollars, it’s more than you had before!

www.swagbucks.com
Earn swagbucks by simply doing online searches, filling out surveys, shopping online…there are lots of ways to earn! Redeem your swagbucks in the swagstore for stuff or gift cards. My favorite is the $5 Amazon eGift cards. They work just like cash on amazon.com, which leads me to the next thing…

Amazon Mom and Subscribe & Save
Sign up for a trial membership of this service and you get free shipping on hundreds of items that moms need, from groceries to baby products to beauty…you get the picture.  When you place orders using your trial membership, it extends the trial. Combine this with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save service, and the savings just keep adding up. Look it up!

Surveys
This one is a little time consuming, and there are a lot of frauds out there, but there are legit survey sites that can allow you to earn real money.  A couple of the legit ones are www.opinionoutpost.com and www.mysurvey.com. Before you go for any survey site, check them out. If they ask you for card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers, DON’T DO IT!!

www.groupon.com, www.livingsocial.com, and www.weshop.com
These are daily deal sites. Each site sends out an email everyday with the daily deal to a retailer local to you. Most of the time the deal are gift cards at 50% off or more, and then sometimes they’re coupon codes for online purchases. These can be great for cheap date nights or gifts!