Still Moments (Giveaway Winners Announced!)

The WINNERS of a copy of Don't Make Me Come Up There! are:

#1: Hillary Adams
#4: Jessica Ryals

Congratulations!
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Today has been an off day.

Maybe it's because I went to bed before my toddler last night.

Maybe it's because I woke up at 11:30 and couldn't fall back asleep until two hours later.

Maybe it's because the weeks of waking up once or twice at night with B are catching up to me.

Maybe I'm just tired, lonely, emotional, and hormonal.

I used to mock women who would "excuse" their behavior and lack of self-control with "hormones." These days, I feel like I get it.

N had an doctor's appointment at nine o'clock this morning. He had an hour or so to spare after he got ready for the day, so he took B out with him after breakfast to pick up a couple odds and ends we've been needing. I had a blessed half hour to myself. A long, speedy list of things I could do -- should do -- ran through my head, but instead, I curled up on the couch with my copy of Don't Make Me Come Up There!

I've been following Kristen's blog for about a year now. What really attracted me to her writing was her passion for Africa. She traveled to Kenya in 2010 with Compassion International and it so rocked her world that she and Maureen, a former Compassion child, started up Mercy House, a home for young, homeless, pregnant/new mothers and their babies. It also changed the way Kristen and her family lived, surrendering the American Dream to pursue God's Dream for their lives. But really, what has forever connected my heart to hers is that one day, as I read the list of needs for Mercy House on her blog, I came across this: "Plastic sofa covers, because cloth-diapered babies leak."

"Oh, no, they don't!" I thought to myself. So I emailed Kristen right away, and through a series of emails, Cotton Babies (the makers of the fabulous bumGenius diapers that we use for Little B) agreed to generously donate 100 diapers to Mercy House!

Have you realized how, when extending a helping hand, you come away feeling blessed, too?

Anyway, continuing with my off day ... B declared he was "vewy tired" at ten o'clock this morning (several hours before his regular nap time). I made him wait until he was ready to go potty, because I've discovered that one of the secrets to a longer nap is making him go beforehand so he stays drier longer.

As soon as I had him all tucked in, I went right back to my spot on the couch to pick up where I'd left off in Don't Make Me Come Up There!

I finished it half an hour ago. The irony is, the subtitle to the book is: "Quiet Moments for Busy Moms." I think the idea is to read the short, uplifting chapters and pray the accompanying prayers whenever you find those "quiet moments."

Well, let's just say that my quiet moment was a long one, and what's more, I needed it. I found myself crying as I read some of the Bible verses that reminded me of God's promise to take care of me, of my family, to always carry my burdens even when I feel overwhelmed to the point of wanting to just lie in bed and hide all day. I felt Abba wrapping His arms tight around me as I told Him about my most recent disappointments with myself and with others. And I smiled at Kristen's brutal honesty as she shared some of her most challenging parenting moments and the grace that shone through those times.

Kristen generously sent me two autographed copies of Don't Make Me Come Up There! to give away. If you'd like to win one for you or for a friend, just leave a comment below (just one entry per person, please). And invite your friends! Giveaway ends Friday night, July 19.