Are You Prepared for a Disaster? National Preparedness Month This month is National Preparedness Month for disasters, a month set aside for preparing the family for emergency situations. Given after what has happened in California last month I thought it might be helpful that I share some tips about how, as a family, we can prepare for the unexpected. This is more than having a radio or extra batteries around the house. Some situations require a plan. Disasters strike without any warning, and family members may not all be in the same place. It’s important to make a plan now so that you will know what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate in an emergency. Here are steps on How to be Prepared for an Unexpected Disaster -Start with holding a family meeting to discuss and make a plan. Remember everyone needs to be on the same page. Although disasters can be scary remaining calm and knowing you have a plan is important. -The first thing you should do is make a communication plan. How will your family connect? How will you get in touch with each other? Pick one designated person to get a check in with. A family member that lives out of state will be a perfect person who will be able to keep communication with. Talk about phones being out of service. Discourage tying up phone lines for emergency workers and encourage using text messaging. -To this generation it is important to take some time to have all household numbers memorized. Do not rely on cell phone contacts to store all of your numbers. Encourage children and teens to still memorize numbers to essential people that are part of your plan. Although we live in a digital age, cell phones can get damaged in water and batteries can die. -Where will you reunite? Depending on the disaster the location can vary. Agree mutually on one place to meet that is out of the neighborhood in case your home or apartment is unable to be traveled to. Agree to save cell phone batteries after time and turn phones off. Before doing this create disaster check in times so when traveling family members can be assured of your safety and/or needs along the way. Pick a time to touch base again with the same person for each family member to call. Consider email as an option. Visit Ready Gov Disasters may strike. The rain may come down. The world may be crazy at times but remind everyone to remain calm and stick to the plan.

Elizabeth Norton is admin of NJ Digital Moms and is a believer in people and in change!

This week our kids attended camp.
This was a first for our family.
I knew our oldest would flourish as large groups of people, less rules than usual, and platforms to express himself are right up his alley.
Our middle son didn’t quite have the same experience-which totally suits his persona.
He had a harder time adjusting as we very well expected.
But on the very last day he showed us just what he was capable of!

This post probably isn’t going where you think.
Yes my kids loved camp.
Yes they made lots of new friends, learned to play new games, felt self sufficient as they were forced to go out of their comfort zones, but most importantly they renewed and developed their relationship with Jesus.

Our family has really been in a rut the past few months.
Our church home has been in transition for about a year now.
Our young, amazing, fearless, welcoming, Pastor whom we loved, cherished, and who MARRIED us (hello!! that’s a big one!) felt the calling to move to another church home in OHIO 😦
And while our family was downright devastated by this news we decided we were going to stick it out.
We were going to stand strong, and continue to grow with our already centered church family.
The same church family where 2/3 children were baptised, who came together and got our family through my stroke, and where my husband took communion for the very first time-ever!
But a few weeks after our amazing pastor left….we could feel a piece of our hearts had left too.
It just wasn’t the same. The sermons weren’t the same, the service wasn’t the same, and most of all the connection wasn’t the same.
That fire that once was burned inside of me to completey devote our lifes work to our church and His word had gone out.
The passion and empowerment I once felt waking up and getting our family ready, heading out the door, and pulling into that parking lot no longer existed.
Something had changed. Shifted.
For the past couple of months I haven’t been able to put my finger on what exactly it is, but there has been a huge void.
A void in my heart, in my head, in our family.
This week all that changed.

Each night that I came home from work and walked in the door I was flooded by overly excited, eager children who couldn’t wait to tell me all about their day at camp.
They proudly told me all about their counselors, the games they played, the lessons they learned, and the friends they made.
But mostly what made my momma heart skip a beat happened probably on day #2 of camp.
I could hear them upstairs proudly singing a song at the top of their lungs….together….in unison.
At first I listened very quietly, not wanting them to know I was listening for fear of them stopping 🙂
This is what I heard:

“Whatever is true, whatever is right,
whatever it pure, whatever is light
lead me in your wayeverlasting
 don’t ever stop, don’t ever stop”

“I saw the light
I saw the light
No more darkness
No more night”

When I tell you my momma heart was bursting at the seams….boy oh boy was it!!!
It straight up exploded!
My children. Our family. We NEEDED this.
We needed this connection. A refresher of our faith.
To see their little faces light up, hands in the air praising our Lord like that?! OH MY!!
There simply are no words for just how I felt. 
There is only tears.
Big ole hot tears welled up in my momma eyes.
Partly because it has been so long since I have been moved by a church service.
Partly because I finally had that calling, that pulling, that notion saying, “you’re right where you are supposed to be”
and partly because it was one of those moments where every part of my heart and soul, all of my momma being, that I spend day in and day out pouring into these little ones of mine, is finally coming to fruition.
Right before my eyes.

I don’t want their faith to be fleeting.
I don’t want their faith to be this inconsistent-only use it when you need it-thing.
I don’t want their faith to be uncomfortable and awkward.

I want them to be completly comfortable in their faith.
I want their faith to be second nature…an extension of who they are.
I want their faith to be the first thing they run to when they have a problem, and the first thing they go to, to give praise and thanks.

I want them to realize that all of our blessings come from above.
They come from Him.
And this week…..I saw that. 

Tomorrow our oldest turns 8.
E-I-G-H-T!!!!
Where has the time gone?
Seriously I feel like I blinked my eyes and in a flash he’s almost double digits.
Making the decision to have children early in life, hasn’t always been easy.
Making the decision to have 3 children in 4 years, hasn’t always been a walk in the park…in fact most days I look around at all of the messes, the fighting, the piles of laundry, and dirty bathrooms and I think to myself, “what the heck was I thinking?!”
Making the decision to pour all of who we are, to shape and influence our children, and raise up our 3 boys to be men…that is what makes it all worth it!
 I couldn’t decide exactly how I wanted to get my feelings out on our first born turning 8 and then it hit me…
I should write a letter to him.
Something he can look back on one day and know that, if nothing else, exactly how loved he is and always has been.
Something that would give him a tiny peek into his life at just 8 years old .
A letter that reassures him that even though we may not have always seen eye to eye I truly did always want the best for him.
So here it goes…

Dear 8 year old boy of mine,

Do you know how much we love you? We love you to the moon and back!
I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.
Mommy had two very special people with her in the delivery room-Daddy and Kristie.
Your whole ENTIRE family was patiently waiting outside for you to be born…
and the moment you were, you instantly sealed our two families together as one.
You are the one special little person who made me a momma.
8 years later you have lost 6 teeth.
You enjoy playing baseball, basketball, and video games.
Your biggest obsession at 8 years old is WWE.
You know all of the characters names, their story lines, and their rivalries.
You still believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny- and I secretly hope you do for a little while longer.
You are certainly an outgoing, people person who is not afraid to try new things, and you are always the life of the party-in fact you never want them to stop!
You are a party animal 🙂
You have this voice. A loud, resounding, boisterous voice. A voice I sometimes wish would learn to speak quieter and too often I have a tendency to hush…but I know you were given that voice for a reason.
I hope someday you find that reason.
You recently had your first sleepover and I think it was much easier for you than it was for me!
You have always been and continue to be our most independent child-a skill that will lead you far in life, but for now I have to remind you that you are not as old as you may think.
I admire the amount of self confidence you have at your age…nothing and no one can stop you…
Yet at the same time I love seeing how gentle and caring you are with your brothers-when you WANT to be of course!
And as far as other people’s opinions are concerned you already know who’s opinion matters and how to let the others roll off your back.
You have a genuine love for your entire family and I can see the way your eyes light up when there’s a family gathering.
I admire the way you are able to mentor your younger brothers, always and forever sticking up for them and showing them the way to do things.
You also do the same for your friends.
You know right from wrong, and while at only 8 years old you don’t always make the right decision at the end of the day you make your rounds and say your apologies.
The relationship you have with your youngest brother Aaron is unlike anything I have ever witnessed and is the exact reason I knew I wanted a big family!
I know a day will come when you will no longer want to be called “baby angel” but for now you still like it and so does my momma heart.
 Every single night when daddy comes home from work he still walks in and checks on you and your brothers.
He makes sure to cover you back up with your favorite Mario Kart Blanket.
Your room is also blue and covered in Super Mario Brothers 🙂
Your favorite foods are: chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and McDonalds.
You also inherited your sweet tooth from me!
While it hasn’t always been the case, you are my pickiest eater…in fact I have had to re-name certain foods just to get you to eat them! When you are in college and find out “noodles” are and always have been called Spaghetti by everyone else I am sure I will be getting a phone call from you!
As the oldest of three I do hold you to a higher standard than your brothers, and I am sorry if you feel that is sometimes unfair, but I truly do want the best for you and I know that you have capabilities beyond anything we could ever imagine.
 I want to make sure I am molding and shaping you into the very best person you can be.
Someone your future wife will be thankful for.
You are smart…so,so smart! You are in second grade and Mrs. Silver is your teacher.
While English and reading haven’t always been your favorite, or easiest subjects, I can tell the steady progress you are making and seeing you grow to have a love for reading and finishing chapter books just warms my heart!

When it comes to math you are basically a whiz-you must get that from your Daddy!
You can add, and subtract numbers in your head, solve word problems, and are steadily working on multiplication and division.
You are learning and growing by leaps and bounds.
You weigh 58 pounds, half my height and are officially out of a car seat of any kind!
While I don’t know exactly what the future holds for you, I know what I wish for you:
I wish that you will always stay true to who you are…
I wish that you will do whatever it is that speaks to you.
I hope that you never settle.
I wish that you will fulfill every single dream you have, even if those dreams may take you far away from me.
I wish that you will always hold onto a tiny bit of your innocence because that too makes you who you are.
But most of all, and more than anything, I wish you all the happiness in the world!
As a momma nothing makes my heart pitter-patter more than hearing your laugh, seeing your face light up, and the genuineness of your soul.
You have got a great, great soul.

Thank you for allowing me to call you mine.
Love,
Your momma

Last night I sat and watched American Blogger.
I’ve always been a huge fan of The Wiegands.
This movie totally hit home with me.
2 hours felt like 15 minutes.
Every.single.blogger was so humble.
So true to who they are, and why they do this.
It made me think…
About why I started this.
5 years ago feels like 20 years ago in my world.
I was wedding planning.
I was looking to share with friends and family about our upcoming wedding and was hoping to connect with other bride to be’s.
Alllll these years, 3 kids and nearly 5 years of marriage later I am at a completely different place in my life.
But the reason still remains.
This is still a space for me to be me.
A space for me to share about me, my family, and who we are.
Where I come from, and where I hope to go.
I tend to get so caught up in the craziness of life that I forget what a great outlet blogging is for me.
How much fun I used to have with it.
How much joy it brings to my life.
I love the sense of community it brings.
The joy that is shared and spread.
The light that shines brightly through it.
That is why I started and that is where I want to get back to.