Sunday, July 20, 2014
5 No-Nos that are Generally Accepted
What is a no-no? The word "No" defined by Webster is a negative response. So "no-no" is a double negative or twice as negative as one no. In other words, a no-no is a worse degree of no. In our society today, I'm not sure the no even means no anymore. It may mean yes or maybe or I'm not sure. But to me, it still means flat out no, never, ain't happening, you can't make me!
This morning I was thinking about a few things that I believe are "no-nos" that are generally accepted by the majority of the American population. I'm sharing them with you. Leave me a comment whether you agree or disagree with my 5 No-nos that are generally accepted:
- Dye your hair. Dyeing includes coloring, frosting or highlighting. My daughters and I have virgin hair. Eventually, we will have a natural highlight and color. Gray.
- Overeat. I have less discipline with this one. I hate the feeling of being overfull. Overeating poses all kinds of chronic disease threats.
- Buy on Credit. Several years of concentrated effort alleviated my frivolous credit habits. Yes, I still use credit cards but very carefully paying off the total amount due each month or using only with a strict repayment plan with little to no interest incurred.
- Think of yourself first. People are so self-serving these days. Thinking of others before yourself, I believe, is a parents number 1 job. I pray my husband and I have taught our children to put others first, themselves last.
- Electronic Devices for Kids. Our eldest child got a cell phone when she started driving for safety reasons. Her younger sister got one at the same time for communication purposes. Sydnee was Sloane's chauffeur for us. I think cell phones should be illegal for anyone under 16 years old. My thoughts on other electronic devices...I attended a Boys Choir Performance in May where I witnessed a 10 year-old boy play the same video game on an iPad continuously for two hours while his parents watched the performance. What was wrong with him watching the performance? Electronic devices should not be used as baby sitters.
Probably not acceptable,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Epparksford: Our Madeup Language - For Mature Audiences Only
As a baby, she did everything a little late. Cut her first tooth at 12 months, walked at 13 months and was always slightly under percentile on the growth chart.
Her first word was tractor at the age of 12 months. So unexpected! We were in the barn looking at her Pa's tractors. Her Dad said the word and she repeated it. From that moment, she tried to say every word her Dad and I said. She pronounced tractor perfectly. One word she couldn't pronounce was "hotdog". I'm almost ashamed I fed her hotdogs. They were healthier in 1989, right? The way she said hotdog was so cute and so funny we still use it today. Are you ready? Please don't take this the wrong way. She was 12 months old when she made up this word innocently. She named a hotdog....
COCKDOG!
Cockdogs are still one of her favorite foods today. You may never look at a hotdog the same way again. Every time me and her Dad says cockdog, we see a darling baby girl with kinky curly locks wobbling around in a diaper and small t-shirt. She pulls up on the refrigerator door, turns to us on her knees, points and says cockdog? asking if she can have one. We understood her precious language. Still do!
Love is a language,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Love is a language,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wiggy Wanda: A Kid-Friendly Way to Learn about Disease
Kathy Mashburn has a talent for writing children's books that deal with sensitive subjects. Her latest book, Wiggy Wanda gives mommies and daddies, grandparents and caregivers a sweet tool to talk about an emotional subject: cancer. Imagine trying to find the words to tell your precious child his/her mommie has cancer. Don't do it alone. Wiggy Wanda is here to help you.
Keri Fields is only seven years old when she learns the reason for her mother's sickness. She has seen firsthand how badly her mother feels when she is sick. Keri listens carefully as her mother tells her about a boo-boo called cancer that is causing her to be sick enough to throw up and tired enough to lie down often. To help explain the things that will happen while her mother is being treated by the doctor, Keri's parents present her with a very special gift. Keri quickly discovers this is no ordinary gift!
To further explain the challenges of cancer, the book has an optional Wiggy Wanda doll with her own wigs - curly, straight and pageboy!
Kathy is an exceptional mom and grandmother being the nucleus of her family since the passing of her dear husband several years ago. Read a review of her book A Birthday Clown for Archer here.
Order your copy of Wiggy Wanda here or from the Amazon box in the right sidebar. The book can also be purchased on Amazon. Get your precious Wiggy Wanda doll by clicking here to be redirected to Kathy's Online Shop.
Would Kathy's book been a godsend in a situation you've encountered? Leave me a comment to share how you see this book helping you and others.
Kudos to Kathy,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Money Saving Thursday #2: Eating FREE on Vacation
The trick to eating FREE on vacation is joining chain restaurants clubs and using coupons. Many restaurants have clubs but I'm sharing my favs. These restaurants continually prove to me they don't send junk mail! I receive valuable coupons and you can too! Coupons can be printed or conveniently shown to your server right on your smartphone for redemption. It's that simple! Below are a list of restaurants with FREE food.
Chili's Email Club Receive a free endless Chips and Salsa with registration. Requires the purchase of one adult entree. You will receive coupons from Chili's 1 to 2 times a week for FREE food options. Their Molten Cakes are to die for plus they have a $20 Dinner for Two that is awesome. Find a Chili's close to your vacation here.
Red Lobster Email Club. Get a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two adult entrees. Receive emails for special food events and discount coupons. Find a Red Lobster for your vacation here.
Arby's Get Deals. Receive a free roast beef sandwich with the purchase of a drink when you sign up. Arby's is always sending a free coupon for their latest taste crazes too! Find the nearest slicer here.
Long John Silver's Coupon Club. Get a free drink for signing up. LJS sends emails about current promotions and deals. For example, they have $1.99 Fish & Fries this week. This is my Dad's favorite place for fish. LJS gives Dad's a FREE meal on Father's Day. Score for Dad and me! Search locations here.
Longhorn Steakhouse eClub. Free appetizer with purchase of adult entree. Receive occasional coupons for free appetizer or dessert. Search for a Longhorn Steakhouse here.
Other perks of these restaurants and clubs:
- Serves FREE Water. Make FREE Lemonade by adding FREE sugar packets and FREE lemon to your FREE water.
- Sends FREE birthday coupons so it's sweeter if your vacationers celebrate birthdays in the same month!
- Join the clubs with multiple email addresses for more FREE stuff.
- Welcome customers to share food.
- No plate charge for sharing food.
- Allows customers to eat from the kids menu.
More tips:
- 50 or older? Always ask for a senior drink. They are usually FREE or reduced price.
- The Combination Meals (sandwich, fries & drink) are not always the best value. For example, you can get the same or comparable food individually from the value menu at Wendy's, Burger King and Arby's cheaper than ordering a combo.
- Dipping sauces. Save your extras on vacation or for vacation. Extra sauces are .25 each.
- Check your local newspaper for chain restaurant coupons like Steak n Shake and McDonald's. McDonald's has Buy One Get One FREE coupons a lot!
- Pack individual Crystal Light or Koolaid packets to flavor FREE water.
- 55+? Look for restaurants that offer reduced senior pricing like IHOP, Outback Steakhouse (AARP members), Golden Corral, Arby's, Carrabba's Italian Grill (AARP members receive 20% off) and Applebee's.
- Save 25% at Papa Johns on pizza when ordering online. Use coupon code AARP25
- Take advantage of the kids menu whenever possible
- Pack some sandwich food and have a picnic at a rest area
Like these tips? Make sure you don't miss another Money Saving Thursday, join this site or sign up by email. Scroll down and look on the right side of the page to see how!
Getting hungry writing this,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Demystifying Speaking in Tongues
DISCLAIMER: Before I get into this topic I want you to understand about my attempt to explain speaking in tongues. This is my belief as I perceive it from God. You may disagree, agree or think about it. If you'd like to express your opinion or ask a question, simply reply to this email. I, in no way, want to take anything away or add anything to the Holy Scriptures.
I've read commentaries and opinions on speaking in tongues. I'm not sure exactly what happened in Acts when people spoke in tongues. I do know when I need an answer , I seek God for wisdom. Speaking in tongues tends to be made too mysterious by us. Things we don't understand becomes taboo or only for the highly spiritual. Hold on! You are about to read how God explained tongues to me.
Let's talk about music, golf and computers. Can you identify an 8th note or play a B flat scale? Do you know what penalty to take if you hit your golf ball out of bounds or how to calculate your handicap? Do you know how to ping a device or format a hard drive? You may be asking yourself what is an 8th note or, kind of laughing under your breath thinking I don't want a handicap, or wondering what kind of hammer you need to ping a device. If you're asking yourself these questions, you don't speak these languages. If you can do all these things, you know their tongues. I know all three of these languages better than most and not nearly as well as others. Every person, tribe, country, subject, job, denomination, etc. have their own language or tongue.
The Bible says in I Corinthians 14:6-7 "Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?" I love that last sentence because it's easily understood. If a pipe and harp want to communicate to be understood they must be speaking the same tongue or the same "key" as it is referred to by musicians. Two or more instruments that aren't in key or synchronized with one another makes an awful noise. Oftentimes the song being played cannot be recognized.
How does this relate to you and me as a Christian? We have to be careful distinguishing our "tongue" so people understand. Think about this. A visitor comes to your church who knows nothing of your service or your religion. Think about all the things they might hear during your service that may confuse them. Hymnal. Drink this, it is my blood of the New Testament. Sunday School. Gifts of the Spirit. Get the idea? Additionally, we, as Christians, have God's Spirit to guide us to understanding. An unbeliever does not have his indwelling enlightenment. They struggle to understand what we mean when we say "I was saved yesterday." Saved from what? "My friend was baptized." Why? "We took communion." Where did you take him? Christians have their own tongue.
I Corinthians 14:5 says "I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." God wants us to proclaim his love, his forgiveness and future coming simply. Prophesy means to tell of future events. We should tell people of Christ's love and forgiveness in a way they can understand. Folks can understand if they commit sin they are responsible for it. People feel the guilt of their sins they just don't know The Remedy for them. We also need to be aware when we are talking around unbelievers. Our best topics to proclaim Jesus are probably not The Great White Throne Judgment, speaking in tongues or The Holy Ghost. These subjects would be an unknown tongue to most people.
Does this make sense? I don't think there is anything in God's storehouse that is unavailable to us, even speaking in tongues, if, we can comprehend the meaning. In short, if you don't have specific knowledge, you can't speak the tongue. You can certainly speak the Christian tongue with fellow Christians. They should know the language.
Sorting it out,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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