I often find myself asking, “Where does the weekend go?”

Saturday morning is truly the only day of the week when in all reality I could sleep in, but that never seems to be the case! Since I have 3 lovely children on Saturday I get the joy of being the “DD” - “Designated Driver” and with three kids in the house there is always somewhere that someone needs to be and of course I (or occasionally my husband) have to be the one to get them there. Sporting activities, dance classes, competitions, birthday parties, play dates, and on-and-on the list goes. It’s surprising to me that children can have such busy social lives when they have only been alive for a few short years. I’m very thankful for my children and I’m sure if they were forever just around the house I’d be encouraging them to get out and be busy.

Ah well I guess these are just the woes of a mother on-the-go, but I’m sure there are many other parents that can relate too.
I invite you to share your comments & let me know what your Saturdays are like? If you can offer any insights on how to reclaim my Saturdays, please share your thoughts. In the meantime I’ll continue to anxiously await the day when my kids are old enough to drive. I’m sure the issue will then become who gets to use the car? And when? At least I still have a few years to go before having to cross that bridge so I won’t worry about that for now…

Nina

With Family Day already behind us - it’s time to start planning for the next big break from school - March Break!  So in an effort to prepare in advance I thought it might be helpful to offer some suggestions of how to keep the kids busy.  There are usually a lot of activities happening around the GTA and surrounding areas during the March Break so here are 10 things to consider for some family fun…

1.    Spring Fling at the Rogers Centre
2.    Sign the kids up for a Parks & Recreation camp experience
3.    Check out the your local movie listings - there’s bound to be something for the kids
4.    If you’ve never been in a castle before Casa Loma is a great option
5.    Consider a dinner theater show that the kids will love, Medieval Times is a good alternate too
6.    For the animal lovers - there are always special exhibits at the Toronto Zoo
7.    If classical music is the thing your child adores then Music & Truffles would be a good fit (this event does not fall over the March Break - but deserves an honorable mention!)
8.    Go for a round of skiing or snowboarding right in the city
9.    Habourfront always has something happening…
10.  You can always just spend time at home with the ones you LOVE!

Hope this can at least get you started with the planning for March Break.  If anyone out there knows of any other exciting things happening around the city be sure to share your comments here!  Don’t forget that we’d love to have your whole family join us for our Sunday morning Worship Experience over the March Break (or any other Sunday too!).  We have lots of exciting activities for the kids every Sunday - so check us out.

Nina

As I look back over the year of 2009, I recall it being a time of extreme busyness.  For out team at Liberty it seemed as though we moved from one season of being busy right into another one; whether it was moving to new location, travelling with the Rumble KIDZ, participating at World Vision’s FreeForm Seminar, or taking 200 kids to camp this summer.  I’m sure there were moments of calm and quiet but for the most part I recall it being a busy year!

In the middle of being busy God knows that we all need rest & even if we don’t find the time for ourselves He will provide exactly what we need, so I’m just sharing this story as a reminder of that.

Earlier this year my husbands best friend told us that he planned to get married on the beautiful island of Turks & Caicos!  We were very excited for him and both wanted to attend the wedding but recognizing our financial position we decided that we could only afford for my husband to attend.  So we went ahead and booked his package in the spring and he was set to leave on November 29.  Even though I was a little disappointed, I knew that he needed to be there for his best friend.

Just a few week before his departure date I was feeling very weak, got sick, and ended up in the hospital for a day.  The doctor recommended that it would be best to take time off and rest.  I found it hard to follow the doctors orders because I’m so passionate about our ministry, the work we do, and the people we serve - so “resting” didn’t come easy.

Well, on November 27 I found out that I would be traveling to Turks & Caicos in my husbands place because of an error at the time of booking.  With the sudden change I intended to check my emails & stay connected to work even while I was away.  When I arrived at the Beaches Resort & Spa I was quite surprised that I got no service on my cell phone, nor was there an internet lounge near my room - so all I could do was REST!  To make it an even better experience my husband ended up joining me in time for the wedding.

God really worked out every last detail so that we could be together, get rest, and have memories that will last a lifetime.

Nina C

This year the event will be presented by the Rumble KIDZ on behalf of Liberty International Church.  We invite you to join us on Sunday, December 13, 2009 for an unforgettable Worship Experience lead by children giving back to their community!

Everyone has heard the economic reports but as a church we are believing in faith that God will provide for the many families needing help this Christmas. We are encouraging children and their families to really focus on the spirit of Giving & Generosity this Christmas.

If you are in need of a gift for your child please complete the GGG Registration Form and join us on December 13th during our Worship Experience.  If you are in a position to “give” this Christmas than we would encourage you to join us any Sunday during the month of November to get information about our iReach Campaign.

Regardless of whether you give or receive this year, we want you to be a part of these celebrations, as we  highlight young men and women doing amazing work for God’s Kingdom!

We hope to see you soon, be blessed always.

Dave & Jess

Well this is my first official blog - so I’ll start by saying “Hi!”

This week I had the opportunity to participate in one of the Learning Group sessions that launched earlier this month.  As a parent of 3 children (one of them being a pre-teen boy with raging horomones) I thought it would be a good idea to get some Value Packed Parenting advice on the art of child-rearing.  My husband had attended the first session and offered some encouraging feedback, so I figured it would be best if I joined him the next time around - which was exactly what I did!

Not only was it great to get some positive guidance from Dr. Kevin Leman what I enjoyed the most was the open discussions with the other parents present. It was inspiring to realize not only can I learn from others in the group but parents are learning from me too!  The experience confirmed that no one (except our Lord & Savior) has all the answers - but we all have some valuable insights to offer each other - and we can only try and do our best everyday.

I’m looking forward to our group meeting next week, and anticipate that it will be just as rewarding as the last one.  I’ve decided that every week if I can take just 1 tidbit of information away, that my husband and I can begin to apply together, than we’ll be just a little bit better off than we were the week before.

To be really truthful I think the most enjoyment comes from spending time with other adults building a real sense of community, while discussing something relevant to all of us is the rewarding part of the evening. Learning how to be a better parent is just an added bonus!!!

Those are my thoughts, if you have any suggestions feel free to share.

Nina

 I’d like to thank my producer, the director, the songwriters, the craft service department (that’s the caterer)….a bunch of really important people- but most of all I’d like to thank God.  

It went something like that as I watched the American Music Awards last night and it got me thinking.  

First of all what does this mean to most people?  Who is God, why are you thanking Him and what does He mean to you?  Maybe I’m reading too much into it- but I know why I’d thank Him so let me share with you my top 8 reasons (in no particular order). 

I’d like to thank God because of:

1. A million second chances

2. A beautiful family

3. Amazing wife & best friend

4. Incredible church family

5. Health & Safety

6. Opportunities to use my gifts

7. Opportunities to Share my life story with others

8. My new haircut

(who knew that a simple “test post” on Facebook by Jess about my upcoming haircut would create such a stir).

There you go, that’s my short list.  What are your thoughts? Send me a comment, send me a video.

Dave

So for the past little while I have been thinking about what it truly means to live in the moment.  Does it mean that I don’t plan, or look ahead? Does it mean that I should compartmentalize my life so much that I can’t live a fluid life?  Besides, I often justify to myself - I usually do my best thinking  at random times - when I should be doing other things - like cooking (sorry about the burnt toast Dave:)). 

It’s not really that I don’t think that living in the moment is important and healthy - it’s just that in terms of practicality I don’t know how I would going to go about executing this task without my brain feeling twisted.   Cuz - I don’t know about you, but my life is busy as it is - I don’t need another thing to think about doing.  

That being said today I had an amazing experience. It’s Monday night which in our house means swimming lessons.  Usually this is a time where I catch up on emails and calls that I haven’t been able to return all day - and when I get the chance I lift my head up and give my kids the thumbs up or a uber happy parental wave.

Today however I thought I would practice living in the moment and I just sat and watched them swim.  The most incredible thing happened to me as I did this - this overwhelming feeling of gratitude and joy came over me and I almost couldn’t contain myself (don’t worry I did contain myself - I thought it might be a little strange if I started crying over Amira’s front float).

 I am convinced that this happened because I made a conscious decision to live in the moment.  Sure it took at little effort and maybe a few phone calls weren’t returned as quickly as I would have liked but I was able to engage wholeheartedly in a specific moment in time that will never again be repeated.  And that to me was priceless. 

How do you practice living in the moment?

Jessica

 

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