Tis the Season

It’s December, and a few days before Christmas. As we inch closer to Christmas, I wanted to share a little holiday “hack” that’s been working for me.

Whenever I drive, I use the Waze app for navigation, and during the holiday season, I’ve set it to Santa’s voice. Let me tell you, having Santa guide your drive is surprisingly delightful. It’s like having a cheerful co-pilot who’s full of holiday spirit!

One of my favorite things Santa says is, “You make 10,000 steps a day; Santa makes 10 million steps in one night.” Can you imagine that? Ten million steps in one night! The sheer effort and magic behind that number are mind-blowing.

Another gem is when Santa casually mentions, “Did you know Santa speaks all languages?” Of course, it makes sense—if he’s delivering presents around the world, he’d need to speak every language. It’s a little detail that highlights how magical and universal Santa really is.

But the one line that made me laugh the most was when Santa said he has an HR problem. It’s such a relatable, modern twist on Santa’s otherwise mythical image. I mean, not everyone views HR as their best friend, but imagining Santa navigating holiday HR issues with elves? That’s comedy gold.

Little moments like these remind me of how small touches of creativity can make everyday experiences, like driving, feel special and connected to the holiday spirit.

So, if you want to sprinkle some extra cheer into your day, I’d highly recommend switching your Waze voice to Santa. Who knew a navigation app could spread so much joy?

Let me know if you use Waze and what voice you set it to!

What being a Mother has Taught Me!

Motherhood has taught me:

1. It is not social media!

2. It is not doing it by yourself.

3. It is not always “mom guilt”.

4. It is not being a Wonder Woman but learning to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

Instead of social media, it is about learning and sharing what you have learned. You are sharing hacks about how to cook, how to entertain kids without dumbing down things, and so much more.

It is about building communities instead of being by yourself or being the Lone Ranger. There is so much information about how to raise kids, be a good mom, or fight for what is yours. Rather than figuring it out all by yourself the hard way, the long way, find communities that have the things you value and the ideals you have and join them. There are on YouTube, Facebook, churches, mosques, soccer fields, homeschool groups, and so much more.

Could mom guilt be something that makes us better? I fight any mom’s guilt that I get, but is it possible that there could be some truth to it and thus help us be better moms? Let us talk about it in a separate post.

In my few years as a mother, my journey has been about a lot of learning. I have come to pray that God please help me during each season of growth for each of my kids. I am trying to figure out what to do and want to get everything right!

The one constant I have seen in a book filled with age-old wisdom (The Bible) is that mothers who were present in the lives of their children (the kings in the Bible); their children were good kings. For the kings who feared God, their mothers' names were listed. I learned here their mothers were present in the lives of their kids.

So, this year, 2024, and in this season, I am praying again: Dear God, help me be present! in words, in mind, in work, in this season.

I do not want to just celebrate another year as a mom, and my mind is somewhere else. In all my getting, please help me get wisdom—Proverbs 4:7!

I will pray for you, what I am praying for me. I wish you lots of wisdom for this season and the ability to be present.

Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

The Little Aloe Plant

I cannot make things grow beautiful- or have a green thumb, as others will call it. So, this little aloe plant here surprised me.

About two years ago, I wanted to have an aloe plant. I bought one from Wal-Mart and left it in the little pot it came in. I watered it and sometimes too much, but I learned not to overdo it and kill it. When we moved, I transferred the aloe plant to a new pot because it grew big. Some squirrels hid their nuts in the put and dug up one of the little plants growing beside it. This little plant is what I put in this tiny pot I had got; I placed it in the Solo cup you see here and let the pot sit on my windowsill. 

The plant looked like it was dying, but I could not bring myself to throw the pot and the plant away, so I left it alone. A few months later, I looked again and beheld this green plant. It had not died but was thriving. I showed it to my husband, and we were both surprised.  

This got me thinking: What would have happened if I had just given up and thrown this away? I would not have experienced the joy and excitement of seeing this aloe plant blossom into what it is today.

This brings back what I read in Psalm 1:3 about a tree planted by the river of water. It brings forth fruit in season. This year, let us not be hasty to move, change goals, or make decisions without thinking and praying about it. Like the aloe plant, what we think may be dead might not be after all. 

 Do you love gardening? Do you have a similar experience with your plants?

Have a great week! God bless

E!

Happy New Year! Hello 2024

I cannot believe it is 2024!

2023 came and is past, and we are in 2024!

2024 is filled with hope and oh so many promises and happiness! And I wish you a lot of them and other good things.

I hope that you can achieve all the goals you have set. I hope that all your prayers are answered, too!

Happy New Year! Hoping that there will be more blogs and podcasts in the next couple of months.

How?

Happy Fall to You all!

In the last post, I talked about working on homework that I was late to turn in. I ended up dropping that class. It is not easy to work almost 12-hour days and then come home and work another shift at home- i.e., spend time with family, do some chores, and then do homework.

How do your mommas and dads manage all you do without help? If your family lives far away, do you have a babysitter, a nanny, or friends you trust with your kiddos so that you can finish tasks or goals you have set?

I am curious.

Leave your comments below!