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Gift Card Giveaway

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To all who serve and have served our country, thank you.  I can’t imagine our great country without the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to our service.  Thank you.

Memorial Day is also the unofficial start to summer.  To celebrate the beginning of summer, I’m giving away a $25 gift card to a blog subscriber.  To enter is easy, subscribe to the blog here.  If you are already subscribed, you are included in the drawing.  Please forward to your friends who are interested.  If they subscribe, you will receive an additional entry for each referral, just send me a quick message with their name so you get the credit.

You must be subscribed by May 31st at 11:59pm.  Winner announced June 1st.

May we enter this summer with intentional purpose, taking charge of the time, drawing closer to God, and making memories with our family and friends.

Happy Memorial Day!

A Mother’s Day Giveaway

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It’s been a long time since we’ve had a giveaway.  In honor of Mother’s Day, I will be giving away a $25 gift card for Sweetland Soaps.  My sister’s company.  Yes, I’m biased.  But.  The stuff really is spectacular!  Totally handcrafted using goats milk from their own farm.  Check them out! (for giveaway details see the end of this post)

When we were little, Mother’s Day was always a day for us to make mom breakfast in bed.  364 days of the year she was up before the rest of us.  1 day of the year she magically stayed in bed, allowing us the perfect opportunity to surprise her.  Eggs scrambled a little too hard. Toast cold and a little on the burnt side.  Glass of orange juice sticky from little hands doing the pouring.  All arranged on a tray, maybe a little flower on the side, handmade cards telling her she was the best mom in the world.

To a child a mom is their world.  She is the one.  The only.  The everything.  The one who listens.  The one who wipes.  The one who fixes.  The one who calls.  The one who laughs.  The one who plays.  The one who is always there.

She is the one who walks into the room when they are sound asleep.  And prays and pleads with God on their behalf.  She is the one who behind the scenes is praising God for every aspect of their lives and boldly asking for more.  More of His goodness sewn into their hearts.  And yes, she even asks God to use them as mighty warriors for His kingdom, knowing full well what this may bring.

She is the one who stays up later than the rest.  Making that costume into the wee hours.  Washing that special shirt that must be worn the following day.  Cleaning up the messes that are evidence of life lived fully.  Making that home one that is warm and inviting, fresh for the next morning’s awakening.  Putting her special touch on life.  Little lunch notes, a special light she leaves on, a special candle she burns, a special place she sits.  She is the one up before the rest.  Meeting with God so she can be the mom they need.  Preparing lunches.  Preparing lesson plans.  Preparing their hearts.  Paving the way for a blessed day.

She is the administrator.  The scheduler.  The balancer of it all.  Whether she works or stays home or does a little of both doesn’t matter.  Because her heart is with her little ones and she does it all for them.

She is the one who pours out her heart so completely into those little ones for so many years that she can hardly envision a life that looks any different.  And she is the one whose heart will be ripped open wide when she realizes she is no longer their everything.

Lord willing, the Lord will be their everything.  They will look to Him to be their healer, their fixer, the lover of their soul.  They will have been loved so well by that mama that they won’t need her to be their everything.

Her role will change but the memories will remain.   Her legacy will live.  The pouring out of love.  It hurts.  The pouring out of self.  It’s hard.  But that is exactly how God needs it to be.  When that mama’s heart breaks, He will heal it.  When that mama is lonely, He will comfort.  When that mama needs someone to nurture, He will bring her the hurting and the needy.  When she needs to put her special touch on life, He will bring Her the ones who need a special touch in their lives.

To the mamas whose babies are grown, you will always be a mama.  Even when you don’t need to mama to your babies, God needs you to mama to His people.  Keep pouring out for Him.  And be thankful for how He has used your life to impact your children.

To the mamas in the trenches, this season….well, that is all it is.  It’s a season.  It will pass.  So grasp every single second.  Sniff their sweet cheeks every chance you get.  Hold them when they are too big to hold.  Pray your heart out for everything you can imagine.

And to the ones who desperately want to be a mama, and you wait.  And your heart physically aches as you long to use the mama in your heart.  That mama heart that God gave you.  As you cry out to God asking for this blessing.  Use that heart right now.  Right where you are.  Use that mama heart to love and nurture the ones God is putting in your path for this season.  A mom is more than a position in the family.  It’s a heart.  A heart that loves.  And there may just be someone who needs some of the heart that only you can give.

Happy Mother’s Day a little bit early.

*********Mother’s Day Giveaway**************

To enter: (one or all of the below.  Each earns 1 chance to win)

  1. Like Barefoot Walks on Facebook
  2. Leave a comment-Anything you want to share about Mother’s Day, your mom, your kids, favorite memory.  You get the picture.
  3. Share any post on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.  Please be sure to comment with what you shared and where.

Entries must be in by Monday, May 6th 11:59 pm.  Winner announced here on Tuesday, May 7th.

10K Parent Training Plan and Another $50 Giveaway

Training for a race is not much different than walking the road of parenting.  To become a runner, to train for a race, requires planning, intentionality, priority setting, discipline, and perseverance.  You will shed blood, sweat, and tears.  It takes pushing through the cramps, wiping off the dirt, and continuing to put one foot in front of the other.  Even when all you want to do is throw in the towel.  Even when you wonder if each step is making a difference at all…….

To read the rest of this article,  click the link and join me over at The Better Mom  where I am contributing today!

I’m so excited about contributing over at The Better Mom that I thought a giveaway was in order.

Prize: $50 Amex gift card

How to enter:

  1. Leave a comment about how $50 could be useful to your family, a favorite fall activity or tradition, or anything you like!
  2. Like me on Facebook
  3. Subscribe to receive email notifications of posts delivered straight to your inbox.  Upper right corner of the home page.
  4. Follow me on Twitter
  5. Pin today’s post on Pinterest so others can join the fun of the giveaway.
  6. Share Barefoot Walks on Facebook or Twitter.  Comment with your link backs please.  Share the giveaway.  Share your favorite post.  Share whatever you like.
  7. Did you read this list and find yourself in the category of “I’ve already done #2-4?” Awesome!  Do #1, 5, and/or 6 and get credits for #2-4 as well!  Just a way to say thank you for your faithful support!

Not So Fine Print:  Winner will be chosen at random.  Giveaway closes Wednesday at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be announced here at Barefoot Walks on Thursday, so be sure to check back to see if you are the lucky winner.  You can have up to 6 chances to win.  Each item in “How to Enter” makes you eligible for one chance.  The more you do, the more chances you get.  

*****Updates made to Not so Fine Print Sunday, September 30th*************************

A Sweet Storytelling Tradition & Giveaway

(Photo courtesy of Rebecca Kryshtalowych)

One of my favorite times of the day is bedtime.  It is a sweet time of the day when the kids have quieted down, and their hearts are softened and eager to give and receive.  Sword fights have ceased, the little boy smell has been washed clean and replaced with a fresh scent, the brotherly bickering has ended, the heavy running feet have slowed to soft little tiptoes, and the loud demands have been replaced with softer tones sharing stories and asking questions.

One of my very dear friends, Rebecca, was over one day with her son James, who is great buddies with my youngest son, Andrew.  Rebecca was telling me about their bedtime routine and how James would tell stories and include Andrew in his story every night.  Rebecca and her husband Greg have a bedtime story tradition with James where they begin the story and let James create the rest of the story prompting and guiding him when needed.  What a sweet way to go to bed at night!

Here is what Rebecca shares with us about their family’s bedtime tradition:

“We always start the story…’once upon a time there was a small boy named…’ and then, James will say his own name. We continue to feed him “ideas” and he fills in the gaps with people, activities, places, etc. For example—

 Once upon a time there was a small boy named:  James

And another small boy named:  Andrew Robinson (he ALWAYS says this one next!)

And his other friend:  Mallory

 One day they decided to play: baseball with blue bats

they met at the: baseball field

 and so on and so on…James develops the story with a little guidance from us. It’s fun and different every day. And, James loves it! The reason Greg started to do this is because James wouldn’t let us sing him songs before bedtime. He didn’t like it….our tradition with Andrew was to sing songs to him after we read bedtime stories. So, we have a different tradition with each child”

For so many reasons, I just love this tradition.

  •  Creativity is ignited in the child.
  • The child has a say in what will take place.  His little voice is being heard in a positive light.
  • It’s the same but different every night.  Same setting, different story.
  • You have the opportunity to learn and understand your child better when you are hearing what is in their heart and mind
  • Could be a great tool for the child who isn’t as verbal or doesn’t express feelings well verbally

I’d love to hear some of your bedtime traditions.  Please feel free to comment to share your thoughts with us!  One lucky commenter will receive Rory’s Story Cubes.

Comments must be submitted by Sunday night at 11:59 pm.  Leaving a comment gives you one chance to win.  Leaving a comment with links to posts on twitter, Facebook, pinterest, or your blog referencing this post will give you two chances to win.  Winner will be drawn at random and announced Monday.

Would a $50 gift card kickstart summer for you?

As a grand opening of sorts for Barefoot Walks, I will be giving away a $50 American Express gift card to a lucky commenter.  Use it to bless someone in your life, use it for a family vacation or outing, use it however you desire.

What is Barefoot Walks you ask?  Step on over to the menu pages at the top of the page to read About Me, Why Barefoot Walks, and Traditions.

Barefoot Walks is all about the journey to create moments, memories, experiences, and traditions with your family.  It’s about recognizing the moments that are right before our eyes.  It’s reaching out and grabbing them before they slip away.  It is a journey, a walk, we can take together to inspire and encourage one another.  It’s a step at a time.

This walk is not just for those of us in the child rearing stage of life or just those of us with children.  Grandparents, aunts and uncles, empty nesters, we want you to take this walk with us.  This stroll is for anyone who desires to create moments, create memories, capture hearts, and invest in the lives of the ones they love.  When you invest this time, you are providing security, stability, acceptance, and strength to the individual, which they will carry on to their own families one day.

Barefoot Walks is an attempt to help you (and me) focus on the joy in the moments we are given.  Focusing on the simple things, the beautiful things this life has to offer.  Joy is all around us.  Joy is a choice.  Even when life looks messy, beauty is there, waiting to be discovered beneath the mess, dusted off, and beheld.  You will be my accountability partner.  I promise to be genuine, truthful, and authentic with you.  I can’t write from the heart if I’m not living it out.  I fail time after time.  I mess up constantly.  Thankfully, there is grace and mercy from our Heavenly Father.  And though I feel unworthy and ill-equipped to write or to inspire, the Lord has laid it on my heart.

Through Barefoot Walks I hope to encourage you in your quest to spend time with your loved ones.  Therefore, I vow not to post something that will take you 30 minutes to read.  I will not fill your inbox with more resources than you have time to muddle through.  I want you living, experiencing, creating, loving, and making the most of every single moment our Lord gives us.  I will try not to post more than twice a week, unless you beg for more of  course 🙂

My prayer is that my blog will not become a distraction to your moments.

So, let’s take a little barefoot walk together, shall we?  Each step along  our walk leaves a footprint.  Our footprints create a path to a legacy.  When we reach our destination, we can look back on the richness of the moments in our past with a sense of peace and satisfaction rather than regrets and sadness.

It’s never too late to start your barefoot walk.  Let me repeat:  It is never too late.  Even if you have adult children.  Even if you have grandkids.  It doesn’t matter.  We all have moments in our life to behold.  We all have people who love us and we love back.

Ok, so let’s kick it off.  Here is the nitty-gritty:

In order to qualify you must :  leave a comment AND include which of the following you participated in with link backs.  If you do all, you increase your chances!

  • Post on your Facebook page and become a friend
  • Tweet this and follow me on Twitter
  • Pin this on Pinterest
  • Subscribe to BW via email subscription
  • Post on your own blog with a link back to Barefoot Walks
  • Send an email to your friends sharing Barefoot Walks
  • Be the second to comment and you are entered for 2 chances (my comment doesn’t count 🙂
  • Be the last to comment and you are entered for 2 chances

You can leave your comment on any post I’ve posted or any page (About Me, Why, etc).  You can leave any comment you like or you can comment on your favorite summer memory or tradition to this post.  Don’t forget to include which of the above you participated in with the links.

How many chances in all could you potentially have? 8!!  Comments must be submitted by 11:59pm Thursday night.  Winner announced on Friday.