MelissaStuff

The following post was not written by me. I found it through the blog of a family who is adopting from the Congo. Their child is in this orphanage just waiting for them to come get her. How devastating it must be for a momma to know her child is in such need but not be able to do anything about it. {WARNING: This post contains some disturbing images.} Please read this post - and visit the sponsoring blog . Most importantly considering doing something to help these kids be comfortable as they await their forever homes. PROJECT FEET   ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” Matthew 25:40 Today, August 29, 2012, I returned from a 2 week trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and to Ethiopia.  My time in Congo was difficult, as it is every time I go.  The situation in DRC is difficult in every sense of the word.  This time, however, I was mortified and devastated by the physical co...

So I ordered this book for my husband - who is a self-professed non-reader - hoping that because it was a cross between an adventurous fiction book and a Christian living read that he would be swept up and not be able to put it down. Alas, that was not his reaction as I probably should have suspected. However, I still think this is a fascinating read. It begins as a high-action thriller - think something along the lines of a biblically accurate Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons . . . then goes through a metamorphosis to become a modern day parable. (I think a good example of a contemporary author who does this is Ted Dekker, and obviously no one can touch the great C. S. Lewis when it comes to symbolism in writing.) The basic premise is that ever man - including Jesus - has followed the same basic "map" and David Murrow points to the New Testament to show men how to find this map and how to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Try it out and let me know what you think ...

For anyone trying to read these as a series, I apologize for the gaps. We are selling a house, buying another, and starting school this week. But you can go back and read the previous installments while you wait for me to finish this crazy process.  Breakfast was included in our hotel package, so we got up the  next morning and tried to convince the kids that steamed tomatoes, nshima (a doughy substance used to pick up meat) and dried meat and cheese were breakfast foods. In the end, they settled for chunky bacon, cereal and toast. One of the awesome things about the Zambezi Sun where we stayed was the wildlife that just walked around as if we were a part of their normal ecosystem. Zebras, monkeys and even giraffes! But the giraffes were camera shy and didn't want to come out during the day much. Before you actually see the falls, you hear a roaring - here in Texas when we hear that sound we know a tornado is bearing down on us. Then you ...

There’s a new $1/1  Capri Sun product coupon  available! Thanks,  For the Mommas !

$10 for $20 in Unique Patches for Kids Backpacks, Lunch Boxes, and Clothes from Grab A Scab BABY AND KIDS How cute is this? These stick-on patches will make your child's clothing, backpack or fabric lunchbox look adorable and last a lot longer than they usually do. At just $3.50 to $4.50 a piece, this $20 voucher will go a long way to stretching your dollars and your child's wardrobe by patching it up and allowing you to send them on their way. Hurry and get it before the offer is gone. For some reason, it appears to be marked a steal, but IT IS NOT! You can use promo codes, Plum District dollars and earn referral dollars on this offer. I already got mine. Hope you'll join me.

Please see the first two posts about our Africa adventure !  After the stress of flying three days, losing luggage and having our ride be three hours late to pick us up, everyone was just glad to be on the bus together and headed in the right direction. We drove about five hours – talking the entire way of course – to Lusaka, the nearest major city. There we ate at a sit down restaurant and we had our first taste of Zambian-style food. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t Zambian food. It was just their version of an international restaurant and food choices. We tried new-to-us foods like Malawi Sun and Home Style Chicken Schnitzel. Then we stayed in a very “American” hotel, the StayEasy - clean rooms, great showers and even FREE Wi-Fi. The only negative to our evening was that we had been in the same clothes for about 72 hours at this point and we didn’t have anything clean to put on after we took showers. Thank goodness the boys had extra outfits in their bags, so they were...

We arrived in Ndola – tiny, dirt roads in and around the airport, one, tiny building for the entire airport - around noon on Sunday. It was great to finally be on the ground and we didn’t have any problems making it through immigration. Then we waited for our luggage. And waited. And watched other bags arrive. And finally realized not one of our eight bags had made it to Ndola with us. Definitely a moment of panic, then I headed off  in search of a place to inquire about “lost” luggage in such a small airport. It was honestly like a bad B movie. The guy didn’t speak very good English. He asked lots of questions about the color, style and size of our bags. None of which we knew very well since we had simply packed any and all available suitcases for the trip. Finally he tells me they will contact me – even though my cell number doesn’t work in Zambia and I don’t have any one else’s number with me – and let me know when my bags arrive. Knowing we don’t have toiletrie...

Well this was the time period I was worried about most. Specifically, being “trapped” on a plane with a 5 and 6 year old who didn’t want to cooperate and weren’t pacified with anything. I’m not a good flyer anyway and I didn’t know how we would juggle my own panic attack issues as well as deal with difficult children. And, you know, it didn’t happen. They were GREAT on the four different planes we took just to get to Zambia. In fact, they received more compliments on their behavior during these flights than the rest of their lives put together. Now, don’t get me wrong. That’s not to say that the trip hasn’t had its, ahem, challenges. We left Dallas mid-afternoon on Friday and flew to Atlanta. But before we could even get through DFW security we had to stand in a line for about 45 minutes because the computer system couldn’t find our reservation even with my confirmation code. Finally, this was resolved and she assured me that she “reattached” our luggage which had bee...

ScoreBig offer is back! This time pay just $2 for $20 in tickets to your favorite sporting event, concert or musical.

If you haven't been to the SEA LIFE Aquarium in Grapevine (sister attraction to LegoLand), you are missing out. It's absolutely gorgeous and engaging for even the smaller of children. It's not incredibly cheap however and they are having a special event on August 17 from 8 - 11 p.m. in honor of Shark Week. Sharks After Dark will give an inside look at the underbelly of the shark world. Snacks will also be provided and there will be hands-on activities for your kids. Exclusively through Plum District you can get your tickets for $15 each . This offer is running for a limited time so you will want to grab it while you can.

I know you can't tell on my blog, but I don't have the best hair around. I mean there's nothing really wrong with it, but it's not glorious, long, thick cooperative hair by any stretch.  I have a lot of hair, but I have the finest hair of anyone I've ever met. Think baby wisps and you'll have an idea of what my hair is like fresh and clean. It slides right through your fingers - and all hair accessories - and lays as flat and close to my head as it can get. Whenever I have a new hairdresser, I always have to laugh. Every last one of them thinks they can make my hair cooperate, curl, lay right, be full, not stick to my head . . . and they all fail miserably. This week I had the chance to go over to The DryBar in the Shops at Legacy. If you've never been in there, it's a long "bar" where there are a host of stations where your mixologist can create a new look for you primarily using a hair dryer. The look book had a host of fun opt...

I feel like I should start by apologizing. I don't mean to fall off the radar here on the blog, but if ever a time in life was overwhelming, this just might be it.  But in the midst of Africa chaos  we have had the chance to do several really fun things. Just this week, we went to the premier of a fun new kids movie, I had the opportunity to try out a new hair treatment and the whole family went on a fun outing together. My goal has been to get everything pulled together "early" so that as we approach Departure Day (August 10) I can have plenty of opportunity to remember whatever it is I am forgetting and get it all done. But in the midst of that my poor kids are spending some long and not so exciting days hanging out at the house. Our Monday outing to see an early screening of the new Oogie Loves movie was just the right solution. I can't tell you the details of the movie as they aren't released for the general public yet. (Ha! Doesn...

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. Wow, Back to School shopping is a little crazy! Even with my boys wearing uniforms to school, we have the challenge of finding shoes that are comfortable, meet the school standard and able to stand up to whatever a 5 and 6 year old boy can deliver! So I was quite intrigued when I heard that Famous Footwear was offering BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon  (20% off if you sign up for their Rewards program or if you are already a member). Famous Footwear makes it easy to shop with them - you can go into their stores and get out with three or four pairs of shoes in less than half an hour or you can shop their online store and purchase all of your school shoes from the convenience of your couch. I don't know about you, but I'm buying shoes for THREE boys and it just seems to cost more and more each year. A Buy One, Get One...