Ever wonder your purpose in life? I have more times than I could think to count.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 KJV
https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/eph.2.10/572
Have you ever wondered why things weren’t happening the way you planned? I have way too many times to count.
I started working at a company I’ve worked at before, but now I’m in a different position. For the longest time I was applying to jobs left and right with nothing in sight. I didn’t think I would ever get a job, let alone be able to get a pay check.
I have a family, and too many bills. My student loans are ridiculously expensive. That accounts for the majority of my bills. The pay date for them were coming closer every day, and I didn’t think I would be able to pay for them.
I kept asking everyone to keep me in their prayers for a job. Our preacher kept telling me to be patient….. Luckily, the month my loans were due, I finally received a job. God’s plans were obviously bigger than mine. He knew all along what job He wanted me to have, but I didn’t realize the job I needed was in front of me while I was visiting with old friends.
I have thought and thought about what my preacher had said to me to prior of me obtaining my job…be patient. We tell people all the time to be patient: our kids, our friends, and our family. Being patient is a lot easier said than done. I finally understood what my preacher was wanting me to do; He was wanting me to be patient with the Lord. The Lord had better plans for me than what I had for myself.
I pray a lot, and the majority of these prayers are short. I call these mayday prayers. We don’t have to have a lengthy five page sermon for our prayers to the Lord. All God wants us to do is seek Him, all day, every day. We are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I am beginning to learn to do this more, even if they are my mayday prayers. My #1 prayer is for patience. I am human, and I have kids. That being said, I believe I need to consistently pray for patience or thank God for the patience He has given me.
My prayers for patience made me think about my job, and how the Lord gave me the work I needed on His own time. I had applied for jobs for over a year to a year and a half without anything to look forward to. Looking back, this helped to give me a new perspective on how to look at my life. The time I was looking for a job gave me more time with my children. Yes, my family needed the money, but my children needed me more than we needed the money. I believe the Lord wanted me to spend the first year of my daughter’s life home with her until I was able to wean her.
All in all, we can make all the plans in the world, but honestly we need to say to the Lord “what are your plans for me?”.
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 KJV
https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/pro.16.9/27116
We all do it….worry! We worry if we’ll have enough money to cover a bill, or worry if our car will make it from destination a to destination b. The bigger worrisome issues are related to our health, family, and finances. We as individuals worry, and sometimes it can impact how we handle and perform from day-to-day.
Honestly, I could call myself a “worry wort”. For myself, personally, I worry over if my family will have enough money from week to week. I worry over my children as well as finances, and I do that a lot! Sometimes when I’m worrying over an issue, it can be hard for me to focus on other tasks at hand. I tend to let the worry take over.
Sometimes I think of the song by Buliding 429 ‘We Wont Be Shaken’. The song has a verse that says “We will trust in you, and we won’t be shaken.” I think of this verse in this song, and it reminds me to trust in the Lord with all the issues that may arise in my life. His will is bigger than my wants!
“25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
As humans, we tend to worry a lot. Have you ever thought back about what you was worrying over and realized it was senseless? I honestly have too many times to count. I need to do as Jesus stated and not worry about tomorrow, because as He said in Matthew “It will take care of itself.” I believe if I put my trust in the Lord first, then I will have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately being human this tends to be on big stepping stone I am having a hard time to jump over.
As we age and we have to go through many up’s and down’s, we learn to put the Lord first. Sometimes we have to go through the rough patches in our lives to get a closer relationship with our heavenly father.
The one thing I would like for anyone who reads this to understand would be to seek the Lord first for all your problems!
-LaTasha H.
It isn’t always easy to determine the best place to take a vacation with kids and on a budget. Kids have a tendency to want to do everything they see, whether they’d like it or not.
My husband and I bought a travel trailer not long ago. We have decided that it is the best way to travel with kids. All the things we need are in our camper. When we do travel we don’t have to worry about anyone besides us entering our place where staying at. We also know who has slept in our beds (e.g. no bed bugs to worry about).
(We have took our travel trailer to Cherokee, NC on a min vacation, but that description is in another post.)
Our children have been wanting to go to the beach. We thought about it, and decided we haven’t been in a couple of years we might as well go. I looked up campgrounds in Myrtle Beach, SC. There were three close to one another. I couldn’t decide which one to book, so I let my husband decide. He chose Lakewood Campground Resort. From our experience, I can honestly say I really liked it. We didnt have to worry about all the noise and traffic that they have on the strip at Myrtle Beach.
We wasn’t that far from the beach within walking distance. If you do happen to get a spot farther from the beach, there is an option to rent golf carts. (Honestly if for on a budget, renting golf carts are too expensive. They were for us. The prices were between $40-60/ day depending on what type of golf cart you rented.)
There were a couple of different places to eat within the campground. These places included Snappy Zappy’s, Sandcastle Creamery, The Coffee House, Stage Door Subs, and The Trading Post. If you didn’t pack or buy enough food for your stay, you could choose to eat at one of these places. We ate at Snappy Zappy’s, and the food was really good. If you don’t want to wait in line, they have the option for you to call ahead and your order will be ready after the allotated time given for them to prepare the food.
There is something here for all ages. I included a couple of pictures, but not everything this resort has. The list includes: the water park (who wouldn’t love that), volleyball, basketball, an arcade, horseshoe pit, bag toss area, and High Steppin’ Country performance.
I really liked that this resort was Christian based. We didn’t get to any of the things they had listed, because we didn’t realize what they were doing until afterwards. I have come to the realization in my 30 years God has given me that if we put the Lord above all else, everything will fall into place how He see’s fit. This Christian campground is seeing the benefits of putting the Lord first.
If you are not a Christian, which don’t have to be to stay at this campground they don’t force anyone to take place in their activities, I would still recommend you to look into Lakewood Campground Resort!
Best wishes,
L.H.
Being a mother to five children, my life is constantly on the go, never stopping kind of day(s). From football to gymnastics to our story time days at the library, there are hardly any time in the days for myself. I know many women and mothers will say I need to take time for myself, but I have always been the type of person to put others first and I do that with my children also. Anyway, I’m always looking for what can make my life just a little bit easier. Honestly, who isn’t looking for an easier way in life… we all are. Whether it’s an app for your church so you can tithe easier without writing a check, or the pickup section at Walmart so you can order your groceries online and pick them up at a convenient time for yourself, we all want the easiest fastest way for ourselves.
I love beauty products, and if I think I’ll like it I will try the product. (As long as it isn’t expensive, and time consuming to use I’ll try the product.) Seeing all the commercials about in-shower body lotions saying that it’s easy to use and faster than putting on lotion. made me want to try it. I like how lotions help dry skin, and help for skin to feel hydrated. That’s what I was wanting in the in-shower body lotion as well.
There are several of these types of lotions to try. Some to pick up at drug stores are Nivea and Jergens, but the one I am writing a review on are the two Avon sells. Both of these products are from Avon’s Moisture Therapy collection. One of the in-shower lotions is called Ultra Hydration, while the other is called Intense Healing & Repair.
The Ultra Hydration from Avon Moisture Therapy worked alright. The bottle states for dry to extra dry skin. You apply this to wet skin after cleansing and then rinse it off. This product has a little stronger scent than Intense Healing & Repair.
Ultra Hydration from Avon Moisture Therapy
The Intense Healing & Repair from Avon Moisture Therapy worked the best for my skin. I thought this product gave my skin a creamier feel like lotion. This product didn’t have a scent as the Ultra Hydration did.
Both of the lotions were a white creamy lotion. They both also blended well into the skin, and rinsed off fairly easy. As shown in the pictures below.
All-in-all the in-shower lotions from Avon did help the process of applying lotion to go faster. If one would wanted a scented lotion it would be best to use the Ultra Hydration, and if one would rather not have a scented lotion it would be best to use the Intense Healing & Repair.
If any one would like to purchase these products or any other Avon products, you can always go to youravon.com/lholdway.
I am in no way promoting or being endorsed to write or suggest these products. This review is my own personal experience from using products from Avon.
Adding to our family was an exciting time. Little did I know two kids are a handful. Our son was born in Iowa in 2013. Due to my husband’s job we moved many different places before we settled back in our home state of Tennessee a couple of years ago. Moving from state to state with my child and my step-children was not an easy task.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the idea of seeing our beautiful country. The United States has eight distinct physiographic divisions. You can read more about the geography of the U.S. on Wikipedia. Living in the mountains and mid-west was a great experience. Not only did we get the ability to live in a different region, but we were able to immerse ourselves in different types of individuals with different religions. I loved getting to understand other religions and how other people lived in different regions. Along with all the engaging with new surroundings, our children were having to adapt as well. There are times when it takes children a little longer to adjust and become accustom to their surroundings.
The moving wasn’t easy on my husband. Even though my step-children would stay with us for the summer, he still had to come home once a month every month to visit them. He was ready to be closer to his kids, and our son was getting where it was getting longer for him to adapt to environment.
A couple of years after moving back to Tennessee, my husband and I found out we were going to be parents to another beautiful baby. My husband got the girl he has been wanting to have, and I know when she is older she will be a daddy’s girl. Since having our second child, the old saying “two is a handful” is something I can relate to. I am constantly feeling tired, as well as feeling as though I can never get anything done.
Since I still need to cook food for everyone in a state of tiredness, I am always on the look out for quick and easy dinners. If I cannot put it in the crock pot or it takes longer than 30 minutes to make, the recipe will passed up or thrown to the back of the cookbook. I choose things that are simple such as McCormick Grill Mates in Smokehouse Maple on some pork chops.
![20180614_181150[1]](https://onthegomommy.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/20180614_1811501.jpg?w=220&h=294 "20180614_181150[1]")
![20180614_181140[1]](https://onthegomommy.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/20180614_1811401.jpg?w=392&h=294 "20180614_181140[1]")
Sprinkle the McCormick seasoning as much or little as you would like and put the item of choice on the grill. This seasoning gave the meat a sweet smokey flavor. This was very easy and tasty.
After having my first child my world changed for the better, as many individuals would say. It was an adjustment at first, then we (my child and I during the day) got into a routine. I had to learn to sleep when he slept, which is easy because I didn’t have a job. If I was employed that would be easier said than done. I thank the Lord above that he granted me with a wonderful, loving husband who gives me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mother to our children. As our daily routines became a norm in our household, I never even thought about adding another little addition to our family.
Our family isn’t perfect. In fact, there are many days we could be the farthest from a perfect family. I have been told by a wonderful lady, who attends my lovely church, that I am her hero. To think I am one person’s hero leaves me baffled. Why would someone look to me as their hero? I can see all the places and crevices I fail. One place of the many places I don’t feel up-to-par would be my marriage. When I found out I was pregnant with our second child, mine and my husband’s marriage was falling apart. They say children are not a way to fix a marriage, and I would agree. Children do not fix a marriage; prayer is the answer.
Our children have helped me to become closer to Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I continue to pray for my husband and our marriage. There are many obstacles marriages will have to endure. Adding children can add more hurdles to jump over. Two children can be a little difficult to adjust your daily living habits. Even though my daughter is eight months now, there are some things that are still difficult for us to acclimate to. It isn’t easy to sleep when the baby sleeps, since I have a four year old who either doesn’t want to sleep or decides he wants to wake me up whenever he feels like it. I believe everything is a work in process, and as long as I put God first everything else will fall into place.
“But seek ye the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
-Matthew 6:33
Latasha Holdway
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was thrilled! Little did I know that being a mother comes with a lot of fear, heartache, joy, happiness, sadness, and the list can go on with all the emotions one can/ does encounter with your first experience of being a mother.
You never really think about all the emotions you will go through watching your child grow until you just sit back from your hectic lifestyle and realize this child, who is your life, has brought so many emotions that you never thought anyone could bring to you or you never thought you would ever go through.
My son is in his terrible two’s (but I’ve heard it lasts longer than just the two’s), and there are some days I want to pull my hair out. I know one day I will miss this stage in his and my life. I already miss him being complete dependent on me. I miss feeding him, trying to teach him how to walk and talk, and showing him new things that he doesn’t think anything about now (which I am still showing him new things it just isn’t the same as when he was first discovering things).
This little person is growing and there are times you just want to freeze to remember the events forever. I have a book that I write things down my son says, because I know when he gets older I won’t be able to remember everything.
This is just to say that no matter how hectic, stressful, or caotic your life can be, remember that this little child who changed your life will not be little forever.
“Children are a gift from the Lord: they are a reward from Him.” Psalms 127:3
Latasha
Honestly, blogging is something I came across one day searching the internet. I have noticed through the years that many individuals are “blogging” now, so I figured I would give it a try. I know I am not the best individual at keeping posts updated, but I am going to try. We will see how and where this may go.
I plan to give many individuals, who would like to read these, my craftiness as well as what I learn from being a mother and trying new things.
Thank you all, and may God bless you.
(OTG) On The Go Mommy 