Today is Dr. James Dobson’s 70th Birthday. This morning on the Focus on the Family broadcast, the announcer read birthday greetings to Dr. Dobson from George W. Bush and several other prominent people. This man has impacted our culture for good like nobody else.

If anyone at Focus reads blogs, all of us here at Mom 2 Mom Connection wish Dr. Dobson a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY and a happy decade ahead.

[picture of birthday cake or hat coming soon, when I finish cleaning Mountain Dew from my freezer.]

The Carnival of Beauty is in full swing over at Allison’s Autumn Rain blog. Ten bloggers have submitted essays on The Beauty of Rainy Days. As always, thanks to Two Talent Living for being the official sponsor of this lovely Carnival, which gathers posts by Christian women bloggers.

I was reading this morning in the Bible about the Resurrection — and this is what jumped out at me:

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:1-3).

“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:9-11).

And also here:

“Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying …

‘Woman,’ [Jesus] said, ‘Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him.

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary'” (John 20:10-16).

I was thinking this morning how amazing it is that Jesus appeared to the women first. Why? Why didn’t he appear to His disciples first? Why the women? Why Mary?

Does Jesus appear to you first in the morning? Do you meet with Him before you meet your day, your family?

These verses give me a lot to think about. I’m rejoicing with all of you fellow believers in the celebration of Easter.

We have hope … The tomb is empty … He is Risen!

Hello LBY group (and others visiting):

How was your week? We’re deep into the Easter weekend, so I don’t know how many of you will have time to post. We’re off to various egg hunts and family activities, so I apologize that I won’t be able to get around to visit many blogs until probably Monday morning.

This week’s lesson was the best yet — our topic was love, teaching us how to move toward a selfless agape type of love. Here’s another verse I need to hang up around my house: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). A home full of grace is one where everyone can relax in the blessings of agape love.

I wonder how many of you are sharing all this with your husbands, if you’re married! I am. I know that one of you said your husband was watching the videos with you. That’s awesome! Well, I’ve been reading out loud to my husband, and he said the other night, “I like all that stuff you’re learning. I think I need to call up Beth Moore and see if I can make her a cake and send it to her.” OK — this was funny. My husband doesn’t make cakes! But that just shows you — we’re learning great things!

[I’m not going to blog about this — but p. 50 of the homework — that last paragraph before the questions. Whew! Amen to all that. And if it’s missing from a marriage, as Beth said in the video, this is a definite flag; in fact, it’s “Six Flags over Texas!” If you didn’t watch the video yet, you won’t know what I’m talking about — sorry!]

Here’s what happened to me this week: I have two people to thank for a MAJOR MIRACLE in my life — the first person is of course Beth Moore. In an earlier lesson, she encouraged us to get out of our comfort zones. Well, I immediately started thinking about missions — which is what I blogged about last week. And I can’t thank y’all enough for your encouraging comments and private emails. (Thank you, N. for those pictures.) Yet some of you reminded me to be content with where God has me right now — and to pray for God’s timing. It was so hard to open myself up completely last weekend … yet it ended up being a blessing after all.

The other person I have to thank is Carol, who hosted the Carnival of Beauty this week on the topic of “Aging Gracefully.” Carol’s essay has really stuck with me. And I began to realize what my comfort zone is … and what I must do.

The one thing missing from my life — are you ready? You might think I’m going to get all spiritual and say it’s God’s Word, and that’s not true. I love reading my Bible!

What I’ve been missing is EXERCISE, specifically … how can I say this without sounding gross? Sweaty exercise. Where I work out so hard that sweat pours all the toxins out of my body, and I feel like a different person when I finish. It’s not happening when I take walks outside pushing a baby stroller and watching my dog sniff things — this is fun and relaxing, but I don’t sweat at all.

SO! I know the only place in the world I’ve ever been consistent with exercise is Curves fitness center. It’s a 30-minute circuit workout for women only. There are no bulky men in tank tops and short shorts grunting in this room — what a relief. I wrote last week about how I sometimes think it would be nice to work outside of my home — well, taking the plunge to join Curves is my JOB now.

When I set my mind to do something and take it seriously, it will get done. The last time I joined Curves three years ago, I lost 55 pounds. You can read my story here. Since joining this week, I’ve already worked out three times and earned me $2 in Curves bucks! Woohoo! They have a program where if you work out three times a week during the month of April you get some special dollars that can be used to win Curves prizes — clothes, water bottles, fun stuff. I also won a hula hoop contest last night — got another buck. That was hilarious — I haven’t hula-hooped in years — but I’m actually pretty good, especially in a room full of clapping ladies saying, “Woo — you go girl!”

So, I’m hurting today. Every muscle in my legs is aching. The first two times I worked out, I couldn’t even do the machines to full capacity — I’m too weak and tired. But I did last night — I thought, “This is my job. I’m going to put effort into this.”

The humiliating part about going to Curves is that you have to be measured and weighed (if you want to). Of course, since I live in a small town, I know the girl who works there. So now she knows every detail about me — and my fitness goals as well. I wrote down that my goal is to tone up and lose 25 pounds. It’s written down — on a card! And I have a weigh-in day next month. I gotta do it!

Let me just tell you — I’m so happy there. I’ve seen tons of people I know, and I can talk while I work out. I don’t have to reset any of the machines — I just do them. No thinking involved. In fact, while I’m working out, I’m like a sponge, soaking up all the great conversations going on around me. I’ve got to remember to bring a notepad in my car to jot down some of these funny things people talk about. Y’all probably know I don’t watch a lick of TV — no time. And we only get a couple of local channels and PBS where we live. (We don’t want cable — we want out kids to be bored enough indoors so they’ll play outside! Which they do!) So I’m out of it, except for reading headlines of magazines in the grocery store.

Well, I’m catching up on the culture gossip now. For example, I’ve learned that Natalie Portman looks good with a bald head, and everybody wants to go see “V for Vendetta.”

While watching Beth Moore’s video of our lesson, I filled in the blanks to complete this sentence:
“Through the infiltrating power of the Holy Spirit, I can do things I couldn’t, feel things I didn’t, and know things I wouldn’t.”

On my own strength, I could NOT have walked into Curves — I had thousands of excuses. But this study and Carol’s gentle admonishment to take better care of my physical body — forced me to do it.

Here’s what I predict will happen:

Month 1 — Nothing will happen. I’ll see no results and feel like I’m wasting my time.
Month 2 — I’ll GAIN weight and feel even more discouraged! This is because muscle weighs more than fat. As I gain muscle and lose fat, the scale will make me feel worse.
Month 3 — Let the games begin. If I’ve been consistent with going three times a week, the pounds will drop and my husband will say, “You look like you’re getting toned up.” My arms will stop looking like tree trunks, and I’ll be able to stop wearing stretch pants and actually fit into some of my old clothes again. And have an excuse to go shopping for a new spring outfit!

I’ll let you know my progress. Also — exercising like this where I really work hard and sweat makes me thirsty. Which means I crave water … not caffeinated drinks. Drinking a lot of water further cleanses toxins from my body … and my mind. I’m looking forward to thinking clearly again, something I haven’t been able to do since Baby #5 entered the world a year ago.

Thank you for reading, if you’ve made it through today’s post. This is really for me … since I’ll print this out and put it in my notebook. Someday, I’ll look back on this and see how God is working in my life — getting me out of my comfort zone to get my body in shape, so I’ll have more energy to run this marathon He’s called me to run.

I wish you all a glorious Easter, full of JOY — as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Addie	Heather*	Carol
M	Rach	Jeana
Jenn	Amanda	MamaB
GiBee	Boomama	Maria
Blair	Heather	Nancy
Janna	Flipflop	Robin
Sherry	Patricia	Tara
Lauren	HolyMama!	Faith
Christy	Eph2810	Karin
Leann	Rachel	Janice
This is a list of the women participating in the study and the links to their blogs. New postings on the study will be published for the next ten weeks, between Friday 8pm – Saturday 8am. Please feel free to visit each of us and comment. Everyone is welcome to participate in this discussion as we seek to live beyond ourselves. May God bless you richly from the hearing of His word.

Have you been feeling stressed out lately? I have. I’m stressed. You’re stressed. We’re all stressed, right? As women, we’re rocking the cradle, raising up the next generation, and carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders … at least, that’s what it seems like at 5:00 in the afternoon when everybody’s hungry and we gotta feed ’em. Do you ever feel like saying, “I need some time to BREATHE!”

Ah …. We’re in for a treat today. I’ve discovered a mom who is an expert on teaching women how to find the breathing room we need to survive. Everybody say “hello” to Keri Wyatt Kent! She’s a mom and author of several books for women, including Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life and her newest that releases this week (woohoo!) Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life.

Hi, Keri. Thanks for visiting Mom 2 Mom Connection. We’re all glad you’re here!

Thanks, Heather, for inviting me.

Keri, not all of us here are moms, but we all know how it feels to be pulled in 20 different directions as we try to please everyone. It’s impossible. Is there something missing in our lives? I know you write and speak about a woman’s soul and what we really need. Can you tell us more about this?

I think we neglect our soul because we think caring for it is a luxury. But really, it’s a necessity. Parenting is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Would we run a marathon without breathing? Of course not. Would we prepare for a marathon by not eating anything for a few days prior? We need to take in air and fuel in order to run.

In the same way, if we are going to love and lead our children, those are spiritual activities. They are ways of expending spiritual energy. We can’t do that very well if we haven’t taken in energy — fed our souls, so to speak. That’s the kind of thing I write about — how to breathe and feed your soul.

How can a woman find a place where her soul can breathe?

Well, she can’t do it by waiting for someone else to give it to her. As women, we often worry about other people’s needs, and we secretly wish someone would give that kind of care to us. But typically, they don’t. Rather than feeling frustrated by that, we need to choose to care for ourselves. Decide to do this. You’re an adult, you don’t have to ask permission to care for yourself.

Do you have any suggestions for how we can enlist help?

In practical terms, that means you have to get a sitter or a friend or relative to watch your kids, and get out of the house. You need to trust that God is in control and someone else can handle your children. Decide where to go — there are a lot of retreat centers all over the country. Or, if it’s nice, go to a park or beach. If it’s not nice outside, go to a library or even a coffee shop — but not one where you’ll run into people you know.

Some churches keep a chapel or room open where you can go for silent prayer — that’s a great option. Another idea is to have a friend watch your kids at your house, and you go to her now quiet and empty house for some time alone. Make sure you return the favor for her!

Do you think getting away alone is something we should try to do every day?

It depends. I suggest trying to get a bit of time (say five minutes) each morning, to just offer your day to God, ask Him to help you to notice Him in your day, just to ask for His help with whatever challenges you’re facing. Trying to have a long time of solitude or prayer with very small children underfoot is a recipe for frustration. If your children are very young, aim for five minutes a day, and then once a week, plan ahead for a longer time, even if it’s only for an hour.

The time away from the kids is as important as anything you read or pray about. Give this as a gift to yourself. If you trade babysitting with a friend, it won’t cost you anything.

I love the idea of giving this as a gift to ourselves. How can we convince our families that we need this time away?

That can be a challenge. Don’t start with asking for an entire weekend away. Start with an hour. If your spouse won’t help, get a friend to watch your kids. Take the time. Too often we say, “Oh, my husband won’t help,” or “My kids won’t let me,” or whatever. Don’t fall into the trap of letting other people make decisions that you are supposed to make.

Wow! That hits close to home for me. I have a hard time admitting that I can’t do it all.

Explain that in order to be the best mommy you can be, you need to have some time alone. The old “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is really true. I think our families can see that — it’s not usually them that needs to be convinced. It’s us. We have to let go of thinking we are the only ones who can do things around our house or with the kids.

Also, if your husband is the one with the kids while you are gone, don’t come home and complain about how he handled things, or re-do the dishes he washed. That’s one sure way to dissolve his support in an instant.

Those are great ideas, Keri. I’m always so thankful when my husband keeps our kids for a while — and they end up doing fun things that are different than when I’m home. What about women who need to find support outside of their home? Can you tell us how you got involved with MOPS?

MOPS stands for “Mothers of Preschoolers.” It’s a wonderful international organization that provides resources and support to mothers of young children. There are chapters all around the world. You can find out if there’s one near you by going to their website.

They typically meet in churches but are independent and are a very comfortable and accepting environment for all moms, regardless of their background or where they are on their spiritual journey.

I got involved with them through my writing — my first book, God’s Whisper in a Mother’s Chaos, was a popular resource with groups. MOPS eventually put it in their catalog, and did the same with my second book.

I think we’re all looking for God’s whisper in the midst of our chaos. That sounds like something I need to read!

Because of these books, a lot of local groups have invited me to come and speak to them. My third book, Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life, was co-published by MOPS International. After it came out, several more MOPS groups invited me to speak. I was also invited to teach a workshop at the MOPS International convention. My newest book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life, is featured in their magazine, MomSense, this month. I also write articles for that magazine pretty regularly. It’s a great resource for moms.

Yes, I love reading your stories in MomSense. Can you tell us what people do at MOPS meetings? Is this only for moms with preschoolers?

A typical MOPS meeting depends on the group. There’s childcare (called “Moppets”) provided, which is great. They often have coffee and a snack, but some groups serve a buffet breakfast. Usually there’s a speaker talking about some aspect of parenting or spiritual growth, often about how those two areas of life intersect. Some groups do a craft and there’s usually time for small group discussion and sharing.

What about moms who might have teenagers or an empty nest? Is there a way for moms to get involved as a mentor of some sort to the younger moms?

Each MOPS group is run by a committee of volunteers, which usually has at least one “mentor mom,” whose kids are beyond the preschool years. Obviously, some moms have kids who are spread out in age so they might have one preschooler and a couple of older kids. There are also groups for moms who are teens themselves, as well as single moms — although sometimes those moms are included in a regular group.

MOPS groups always need mentor moms, and it’s a great ministry. All the mentor moms I talk to say they get so much by giving in this way.

Keri, you have given us all some fantastic ideas. And I can’t wait to learn more about how we can find space for ourselves to breathe and listen to God. I’m looking forward to having you visit again tomorrow.

Thanks. I’ve enjoyed it!

Tomorrow, Keri will be back to give us more details on what we can discover in her new books for women. If you’d like more information about Keri Wyatt Kent, please visit her website, as well as MOPS . You can also read Keri’s latest MomSense article here on the Christianity Today website.

Today’s topic for the Carnival of Beauty is “Aging Gracefully.” HA! I almost skipped out on this one. I wrote a rough draft yesterday, trying to be humorous about it — then I remembered I’m not funny; it sounded like someone trying to BE funny. But I thought of another idea as I drove home a few minutes ago after dropping off my son at preschool.

When I was 19, I spent a month living with a French family an hour outside of Paris. One weekend, we went to visit an aunt and uncle who lived in Antwerp, Belgium. We were sitting outside in a cafe one afternoon, and I didn’t say much — my command of the French language limited me to a few trite phrases and lots of smiling. These French meals usually lasted at least two hours, so I had plenty of time to people watch. I kept seeing young men hurrying by, dressed in business suits, with chains attached from their belt loop to their briefcase.

Finally, I asked someone, “Why do they do that?” And they explained to me, “The suitcase. It’s full of diamonds.”

Oh, diamonds. Those rare and valuable jewels that are a girl’s best friend. Valuable enough that a man would attach a briefcase containing these treasures to his hip.

Years later, I heard a speaker say we’re all like diamonds, and God is constantly refining us, polishing us, cutting away our rough spots so that we can sparkle like a rare and beautiful jewel.

So, this is what aging is to me. We’re being polished in this process of growing older. I can’t say it any better than Carol of She Lives, who says this:

What we put inside of ourselves in the way of food, drugs, even our very thoughts, all have an effect on our physical bodies. If what we put inside of our bodies is pure, free of chemicals and toxins, and if we maintain pure thought lives, free of worry and bitterness, if we exercise in moderation and avoid extremes, we can actually slow down and even reverse the negative effects time can wreak on our physical selves. We can age gracefully. We can age in God’s grace.

Thank you, Carol. That last sentence is something I’ll always keep with me. I like to think that in the process of refinement, I’ll learn to give myself more grace as well as others around me. If someone offends me, I should continue to love through God’s grace … and not let that offense dull my sparkle. If I mess up in my own life, I can let go of my self-loathing and sense of failure by knowing I’m God’s child, and to Him, I’m perfect. I’ll always mess up this side of heaven. The older we get we realize more how imperfect our world is here, and we long for that place we cannot see without faith.

One day, I’d love to go to a diamond cave somewhere and see how a diamond looks when it’s uncovered from the ground, all gray and dusty. Then I want to go visit a jeweler and watch the process of how a diamond goes from dull to brilliant. That would be an exciting process to see.

We’re not a diamond hidden in a briefcase, attached by chain to a man’s hip; we’re a rare and beautiful treasure, being polished by our Master Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

I can’t thank all of you enough for surrounding me with encouraging comments over the weekend. Your words meant so much — and I have read and reread everything you wrote, wondering if God is speaking to me through any of your words. I know that He is, and I know without a doubt that’s why I’ve been blogging this year. I can’t believe you’re out there. There is no way in the world I could have written my Saturday post thinking it would disappear into a black hole. Thank you for reading my dream; your words have watered that seed a little bit, and now we’ll see what God chooses to do.

A REALLY funny thing happened only a few hours after I wrote that! You know I wrote about how my dream is to take my children through an open fruit market somewhere near the sea — in a different culture. Well, later in the afternoon, I went with my parents and daughters to a 90th birthday party of a special family friend. The party was at a gorgeous old country club, right by a lake that had one of those fountains in the middle of it. The surrounding gardens were exquisite, vibrant with tropical hues of purple, red, and gold.

Inside the club, the room was set up like a tea party, and one table was overflowing with piles of fresh fruit — slices of juicy pineapple, strawberries, and melons. There were wooden skewers, and I told my girls, “Oh, look — we can make fruit shish-kabobs.” We started putting the fruit on the skewers, and then my mom came over and noticed the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN.

I’ve never in my life seen one of these — but you take the fruit on the skewer and dip it into this ever-flowing fountain of pure chocolate — voila. Chocolate-dipped sweetness. We had a blast with that discovery! Talk about a fresh fruit market!

One whole side of this ornately decorated room was windows, overlooking the lake and golf course. I saw a boy about my son’s age striding toward the course with a green leather bag of golf clubs slung over his shoulder. Like every other player, he was decked out in golf shoes, khaki pants, and a solid-color cotton shirt. I thought to myself, “This is so far from our lifestyle. I can’t even imagine.” Then it hit me — this was my “cross-cultural experience.” So, you see — I got to enjoy my fruit in a different culture after all.

This morning, I was able to witness another extraordinary miracle. If you get a chance to hear today’s Focus on the Family radio broadcast, I hope you can. James Dobon is interviewing Duane Miller, the pastor of the church in Houston who once lost his voice because of a virus. For three years, he couldn’t speak above a raspy whisper. He had to step down as pastor, but his Sunday school class begged him to teach. They rigged up a very sensitive microphone and attached it directly to his lips so everyone could hear his whisper. The doctors told him he would never be able to speak again, and that his raspy teaching was causing even more harm to his permanently damaged vocal chords.

He was Beth Moore’s pastor, and I’d read his story in Week 3 of the Believing God study, but I honestly couldn’t imagine it. Here’s how Beth described what happened:

One Sunday morning at our church he rasped his way through part of a lesson on the Psalms with the help of his sensitized microphone … Duane taught his class that morning that God is neither a genie in a bottle nor an apathetic bystander … By this time the pain in Duane’s throat was excruciating.

He continued the lesson with the mention of the next benefit: He redeems my life from the pit. He started to refer to his own ordeal, but the moment the word pit slipped from his mouth, whatever seemed to have choked him for more than three years suddenly released. Before the ears of his loving class and prayer warriors, God performed a miracle!

It’s true. It’s on tape, the whole thing. During the interview, James Dobson played the tape, and I got to hear this miracle take place. There’s a moment when Duane Miller pauses, as his voice suddenly booms strong … and you can hear the whole class gasp, then start laughing and clapping, and they spontaneosly sing the Doxology:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

This radio broadcast is called “Breaking the Silence,” and you can listen to it here.

Carol of She Lives is hosting this week’s Carnival of Beauty on the topic of “The Beauty of Aging Gracefully.” Ha! Send her something by 3 pm tomorrow — I’ll be curious to see what everyone comes up with.

P.S. For the ladies in the Beth Moore LBY group — so many of you have shared over the weekend how cool it is that we’re able to write out our thoughts and read what we’re all learning. Many of us are the type who wouldn’t say a word in a group of 30 women — we’d just listen.

I encourage you to PRINT OUT your weekly blog post that goes along with the lesson, including all of the comments people send you. Put this in your notebook along with your homework. I know without a doubt we’re all going to use these notes someday for something. So far, at least two of you have used this study to give you strength to speak in front of large groups.

These notes will help us remember what we’re learning and to show others the fellowship we’ve discovered. You never know — maybe our study will be a prototype for others to follow. Just think of all the housebound people in the world, or those in hospitals, who can’t get to a group meeting. Our study group may be a solution to help these people enjoy interacting with others from their homes or hospital beds. Eight more weeks to go!

There are a whole lot of blessings going around today that I wanted to share with you.

First of all, we’ve had a big celebration over at Susan’s new blog — she has been searching for answers to some spiritual questions lately and finally found the ANSWER! After communicating with some members of our Beth Moore Bible Study, Susan is beginning a new journey! (Thanks, Jeana!) You can read more about this on Carol’s blog — but please visit Susan and wish her a note of encouragement. Isn’t this awesome news? What better reason do we have for blogging than to help lead someone to a relationship with Christ?

The Carnival of Beauty is up at MzEllen & Co on the topic of “technology.” If you have a chance, there are some thoughtful essays on how technology has brought many blessings to our world today.

Be sure to visit the new April edition of Darlene’s Christian Women Online magazine. I’m always amazed at how pretty the photos and graphics are that accompany the stories. If you’re in need of a positive place to read a few minutes, this magazine is full of inspiration. I’ve also joined her new webring.

Darlene is too funny! I had to laugh while reading her Letter from the Editor about how life changes as we head into our 40s.

So, if she happens to be reading this post, here’s something I saw in an author’s autobiography last week:

They say “life begins at forty.” A certain phase of mine certainly did, for I was just forty when my first novel was published.

(Does that make you feel like you’re in good company, Darlene?)

I’ve given this some thought. Do any of you out there agree that life begins at 40? Those of you who are over age 40, did anything happen to you in this new decade that you could share with us?

I’m looking forward to turning 40 — which is only a few years away for me. I started thinking about how I’ve spent the last few decades:

Ages 0-5 — Infancy. Learned how to walk and talk … and haven’t stopped since!

Elementary school — Early academics, spiritual awakening with a sincere child-like faith. Prepared for middle school.

Middle school — Began to realize I liked some subjects better than others. Developed hobbies. Prepared for high school.

High school — Prepared for college. Started thinking about my future husband … and began looking for him! (Why, oh why, was I even thinking about that when I was 16? I should have been doing more volunteer work in my community, helping others. There’s no rush to hurry on to college and marriage!)

College — Prepared for a career by narrowing down the subjects I studied. Began seriously trying to figure out if I would be single for the rest of my life or if God had other plans for me. Constant focus was on the future. Time of amazing spiritual growth for me.

20s and 30s — For most women, these are the busy foundational years of marriage and childbearing/ childraising. I’m sure you moms agree — things ain’t the same with your body, mind, and spirit after you go through the transformation of becoming a mother. During these years, the constant demands of small children are first and foremost on our minds.

40s — OK! Does life begin now? These are the years when our kids might be older and more independent. We might even be able to have time to take a shower and put on make-up! Our husband may be more settled in a career. I don’t know — I’m not there yet. I’m just thinking it might take my mind off getting older if I could look forward to the excitement of having a little more “me-time” than I do now.

What do you think?

Many thanks to a Mom 2 Mom reader, Luanne, who visited us from the Philippines and left a message in yesterday’s comments. I’ve added this map and picture. What a lovely place!

Luanne writes:

“I live on an island! Maybe not the sort you have in mind, but a tropical island nevertheless. I live on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines. We are missionaries and have lived here for 18 years. The weather is usually warm humid and sunny, or warm and humid and rainy.

The best part for me is that there is green everywhere I look! I can’t hear the ocean from my house. We live in the city, and the sound of traffic is what I hear most of the time. But we have a nice yard and in the mornings I hear exotic bird sounds, and in the evenings, our local geckos sound off, as well as the occasional frog.

It is April, summer in the Philippines, and the neem tree outside my window is in bloom! The wonderful smell of those flowers will be floating through the house for over a month! I look forward to April all year!

We can drive about an hour and go to a white sands beach. It is in a bay, so there are no big waves. Big shady trees grow practically to the water line. The water is warm and blue, and the snorkeling is amazing! It is like flying over another world, a world of strange shapes and flashing colors. Amazing to think there is a world like that under the water that God made, and so few have seen! What other wonders might there be that are yet undiscovered?

We buy most of our food at the open market. The fish is fresh and smells like the ocean. We love the fruit here, lansones, marang, durian, rambutan, mangosteen, mangos, pomelo, guavas, nangka, guyabano, atis, to name a few! The sad and battered tropical fruits you see in the grocery stores in America for such high prices, are nothing like the real thing we have here!

At the supermarket we can find the more familiar vegetables, many of which are grown in the mountains; broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, cauliflower and even zuccini along with things like ferns, fresh bamboo shoots, taro roots and bitter gourd. We like to cook with coconut milk, lemon grass and ginger.

We have a large house and two guest rooms… wanna come? :-)”

My answer: YES! Now I have at least two people I want to visit in the Philippines!

I’ve been noticing that my Travel category in this blog is a bit wimpy. I mostly focus here on books and parenting issues. But if you’re like me, blessed with little ones at home, you may have to do a lot of your adventure-seeking from your armchair (or should I say rocking chair? Or maybe I should even say laundry room, after seeing a picture of a mom tapping away on her laptop a la washing machine over at the recent contest on Mommy Net).

Did you know people all over the world are writing travel blogs? This technology did not EXIST when I did some international traveling in my late teens/early 20s. As I mentioned once, when I lived in Japan, I spent every evening writing letters, one by one, BY HAND telling my family and friends (and my special pen pal who later became my husband) all about my adventures living overseas.

But now the technology is here to be able to update everyone instantly — with words and pictures. This is also useful for anyone preparing for a trip somewhere. I mean — why read a guidebook that was written like two years ago when you can read about a traveler eating in a trendy bistro this morning?

The best site I’ve found so far is one called Travel Blog: Live Travel Journals. Have you heard of this site yet? I recently went to Rome — and before that, I climbed a mountain with a traveler somewhere along the coast of South America! The pictures are stunning. Of course, since the blogs are not edited, you never know what you might read. But for the most part, I’ve been interested to hear people’s fascinating stories.

You can choose any continent in the world, and hundreds of countries. The site owners pick different blogs to feature on the home page — I’m not sure if they’re updated daily or maybe weekly. Today’s front page features:

— On March 30th, a traveler named Keith took pictures and wrote about seeing humpback whales off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

— An explorer dubbed Honest Abe reports on sheep herding and eating curry on the island of Fiji.

— A traveler shared views of life on Penang, a large island off the northwestern coast of Malaysia.

— An April Fool’s Bike Ride through Pittsburgh (I suppose exotic to someone).

— A duo who call themselves “Cumberland Sausage” share pictures of a Holi Festival in Udaipur, India. You won’t believe their pictures. And they close their brief post with this: “No more blogs for a month I’m afraid, we’re off trekking in Nepal.” Ughhh!!

You gotta love it. I can travel the world for free via reading these people’s blogs — and you can too.

With two more months until summer, I’d love to hear back from you readers who don’t live in America. I know you’re out there! You may not realize it, but your home is very exotic to me. I know where a few of you live, but I’d love to learn more. Can you write me and tell me what it’s like? You don’t have to send a picture — I can probably find one on Google.

Do you live on an island? Anywhere near the ocean? I don’t. So in my opinion, you’re on vacation year-round. I want to know what the ocean sounds like for you. What color is the sand? Do you eat fish from the sea, and what kinds? Do you cook it at home or eat it at a restaurant?

You don’t need a blog to write — and you can email me, and I’ll use only your first name or initial. I just think it would be so interesting to use this blog technology to bring the world to my home — and yours.

If anyone else knows a good travel website, I’d love to hear about it.

(Sigh … bigtime sigh.)

Edit: (after much sighing) — If anyone reading this happens to live on an island and is in need of a family to herd your sheep for a while, we’d be happy to consider your offer. I think I’m kidding, but I might not be.