i don't want to go...

i first need to say...

i heart leapin ministries.

leapin is a free clothing shelter here in marion that me, heath and our kids get to go and volunteer each tuesday folding and putting away toddler clothes.

but today...

today...i don't want to go. its rainy and i just want to curl up in a blanket and hang at home. no real good excuse not to go. i just don't.

but this picture has been on my mind...

with this quote:

"we teach what we know. we reproduce who we are."

this is our 2 year old, garrett. also lovingly called destructor, g, bubbs. heehee.

anyways, when we first started volunteering, we just assumed garrett would play while we folded and put clothes away. we thought wrong! and i'm so glad i had the camera to capture how wrong we were!

i needed this reminder tonite. so its off to leapin we go!

what are some things you do, that you don't think your kids are watching you do? OR. what are some things you do, that you don't think your kids are old enough to help you do?

more info on leapin at www.leapinoutreach.org

family nights

i have a crush on them.

family nights, that is. they make me so happy!

the romance began last fall. i had put on my calendar to watch an online live conference on http://www.leadingandlovingit.com/. i remember before watching it, that i wanted to see someone on there that wasnt put together. preferably no makeup. maybe their house could be a wreck... (wink).

i was in the middle of being a momma. being mrs. coach. being a leader of 'real' in other areas in my community and church.

looking back i realize that in that moment its not that i wanted someone to be a mess. i desperately wanted to see what 'real' looked like for mommas in ministry. i am a lover of 'real'. i love when people are real with ya. ok, rambling....back to my crush.

so when laid back, fun heather whittaker http://www.whittakerwoman.typepad.com/ got on talking about 'being intentional with family time'...i was hooked!

its quite simple.

we spend time together. we laugh together. we relax together.

I. LOVE. IT.

thursday nights are our nights.

here's a peek a boo at last thursday...'snuggle night'.

after school i asked the girls what they wanted to do for family night. they pick most the themes and get creative which is half the fun. but that thursday i told them i just wanted to snuggle with them on the couch and do nothing. so we came up with make a tent, movie and popcorn daddy style...which means pourable butter. happy.

so after dinner we got on our tent making skills! fun fun!

family nights are health to us. they are the discipline i was missing. i was spending so much time with time outs, spankings, yelling and beating my head against a wall of what would work so they would just listen to their momma. and now...well i still have those times but they are fewer and farther between. spending time together is really the attention they were wanting. and i love it.

no matter what your family dynamic is...what do you do to spend time together? we're always looking for ideas!

oooo and one more pic! when we are plum out of ideas, we made this...

i got the idea from debra parker www.debraparker.blogspot.com who makes one for summertime...aaaahhhh summer...

Listen to andrea hintons Playlist

changes

i've been thinking a lot about changes lately.

how i react to them mostly.

when change comes at me do i react in...

sadness?
anger?
happiness?
fear?
confusion?
confidence?

there are changes that cause my heart to hurt and be heavy. there are changes that make me happy and want to dwell in that change. there are changes that cause me to retreat and hide. there are changes that make me say 'im not ready for this'. there are changes that i think...'this looks different than i thought'.

i like change for the most part.
i like changing my blog. i love the freshness of it.
i change my house around all the time. it makes me happy to repurpose and redecorate.
i like to change things up in our gals group to keep things fun, flexible and laid back.
i like to change things up at home so we can spend more time as a family.

but what about when the change is not my decision or a change that interrupts my comfort zone?

january is a time for new beginnings. everyone makes new years resolutions of what they want to change in the new year. our change was made for us. heath will not be coaching football for harding high school next year. the year ahead for the hinton family holds many changes. im not sure what at this point. but change is inevitable.

what we do with change...however...IS in our hands.

i have went thru all the emotions i've listed and probably some others...but what it boils down to today is this...

i will live as if there is no tomorrow.
i will embrace the people around me.
i will be a part of something bigger than me.
i will inspire others to be part of something beyond themselves.

no matter where we live or what we are doing.


im not really sure how i want to end this post.

i do know that my ministry is being real with others.

and on this blog the change that occured before christmas is a stepping stone to what's ahead for the hinton fam. and i just had to include it here before i could write or share anything else.

what change is before you? how are you reacting?

so i've been wanting...

...to change things up for awhile on this blog.

i'm in a quiet mood lately. a 'just listen' kind of mood. so i'm going to take this time to mess with all the fun settings on this blog. hopefully pictures, music, fonts...we shall see.

fun,fun, fun!

so...here's to andrea trying her hand at being techie.

time

take time to laugh MORE!

love this! saw this last night and i started thinking...today i want to...

take time to love more.
take time to kiss my heath more.
take time to look my babies in the eyes when they are talking and laughing more.

no matter...

how many dishes there are.
how high the piles of clean and dirty laundry are.
that every room in our home seems to have exploded with toys and clothes.
how busy i 'think' we are.

time is such a precious gift.

give time this christmas season. check out www.adventconspiracy.org. we spend a little less on our kiddos so we can love on kids in our community www.leapinoutreach.org and kids across the globe www.water.cc.

happy 12 twelve days of christmas left!

it's a known fact...

It's a known fact...
that I get overwhelmed and stressed at the Christmas season. Sad...but true.

It is also a known fact...
that when I spend time in God's Word, I relax and things don't seem to be as 'BIG' as I make them out to be.

So...I saw this reading plan ( http://withoutwax.tv/2010/12/01/rediscovering-christmas/ ) on one of the blogs I follow. And I'm going to include it here.

Dec. 6 - Acts 20:35, 1 John 4:10

Dec. 7 - Exodus 25

Dec. 8 - Matthew 25:31-46

Dec. 9 - Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 19:1-16, 1 Timothy 6:11:16

Dec. 10 - Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 7:10-15, John 1:14

Dec. 11 - Genesis 1, Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:1-10

Dec. 12 - Revelation 2:1-5, 1 John 3:1-3

Dec. 13 - Psalm 150

Dec. 14 - Acts 15:22-31

Dec. 15 - Luke 1, Jeremiah 32:17

Dec. 16 - Matthew 2:1-12

Dec. 17 - Galatians 4:1-7

Dec. 18 - Isaiah 58, Matthew 6:16-18

Dec. 19 - Luke 11:1-13

Dec. 20 - John 1

Dec. 21 - John 21:25

Dec. 22 - Psalm 100

Dec. 23 - Matthew 25

Dec. 24 - John 3:16

Dec. 25 - Luke 1:26-56, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-40

I started yesterday. I'm not going to go back and read the days I missed. And I will probably be hit and miss on the other days for the rest of the month. But I love being in random books of the Bible on given days. I love JOY on my face and anxiety OFF my chest. I love fresh focus and new perspective. I love enjoying Christmas season...the giving, the get togethers, the giggles, and so much more.

Will you join me?