Amy

I am a follower of Christ, wife to my Jeremy, and Mommy to my two sweet boys Jordan and Ethan. I graduated from college with a degree in music and spent a few years teaching, but I have found my greatest joy {besides my relationship with Christ} in being a stay at home Mommy. I love decaf chai tea, photography, and making life beautiful. On any given day, you can find me shopping at Trader Joe's, Skyping with my far away family, or taking 101 photos of my kids.

The Habit of Tangible Photos with Groovebook

Technology Habits 3 Responses »

May 012013

I’m not even sure I have the words to describe what a treasure family photos are to me. They are definitely one of my most important possessions. My parents have never had a fancy camera, but they have always been faithful take a photographic journal of our lives. I remember the excitement I would feel when we would pick up our envelopes of newly developed film and look through them. I remember even more excitement filling the air when Mom would get all the photos labeled and put in a photo album. I’m pretty sure I would spend hours pouring over those photos and reliving all the fun memories they captured.

Today, I capture photos of my own family in a couple different ways. I, of course, have my favorite DSLR, but I also have my iPhone for those moments that I don’t have my big girl camera with me. I have managed to wrack up over 1,000 photos on my phone in just the first few months I’ve owned it! Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Having a simple way to share digital photos with friends and family is so amazing (seriously, it takes only a few seconds to send a photo in a text or email), but what do you do with your photos after you take them? Do they just sit in your phone ? Do you even think about printing them off? Yes, it is convenient to have your photos so compact and out of the way, but what about your kids and grandkids? Will they have the fun experience of seeing printed photos, or will they only associate pictures with images on a screen? There is just something about holding a tangible picture in my hand that takes my breath away.

This is where Groovebook comes in. I discovered them a couple months ago, and I am so glad I did! It is so simple to use, and you will have a little printed book of 100 photos in your hand in no time!

You start by downloading their app to your mobile device, and follow their simple instructions to start uploading photos! You sign up for a monthly subscription, where you get the book for free, and pay only $2.99 for shipping! Seriously, it’s true!

I will tell you that these are not professional quality prints by any means, but phone photos aren’t usually professional quality, anyway! I do love the fact that they print the date and time and sometimes the place that your photos were taken beside the photo. No more hours of trying to figure out dates and write them on the back of your photos. . . Also, if you decide you want to pass a few photos out, the pages are perforated for easy removal.

To make this all even better, I have a coupon to share with you! Use the coupon code below, and you will receive your first book for free. . .no shipping cost even!

Hop on over here to try it out, and let me know if you love it, too!

P.S. I was not asked or paid by Groovebook to write this post; I just wanted to share a product that’s been helpful to me!

P. S. S. I just asked my four year old if he likes having pictures in a book rather than on Mommy’s phone or computer, he replied, “Yes, that’s better.” There you have it, you really should try it

Your book would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift!

~ Written by Amy @ JerAmy

Scripture Memory and my iPhone

Habits for a Happy Husband, Habits for a Happy Wife, Habits for Happy Kids, Habits for life, Heavenly Habits, Technology Habits 5 Responses »

Mar 052013

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

Over the last couple years, my gracious God has been working in my heart about being more intentional with Scripture memory. Oh, I’ve gone through spurts where I would come up with a system and regularly be memorizing, but then I have always fizzled out. Last year, I heard about this book and devoured it as soon as I could get my hands on it. It was so convicting, and at the same time so uplifting and challenging. Who wouldn’t want to have large portions of God’s Words to us packed into our minds and hearts?! The challenge, though, for a busy mom of two littles is WHEN to have time to sit down and memorize. I tried writing verses on chalkbaords and scattering them throughout the house, and that worked for a while; but then came along those days when I would run out of time, or not be feeling well; and the chalkboards didn’t get updated…

…I hate to admit it…for weeks at a time.

And then, I received this for Christmas. I know, my Jeremy spoils me The other day, I was once again gently reminded by my Jeremy of the fact that I REALLY need to get back into my Scripture memory again. As I thought about how I could incorporate that into my days, I thought, why not use my phone?

I did some searching for Bible memory app, but none of them had exactly what I was looking for. And then, I remembered that my phone already has an app to record voice memos!

I was so excited to find out how easy it was to record myself reading a passage of Scripture and then play it back over. . .and over. . .and over. . .and over again.

I haven’t been doing this very long, but the benefits I am reaping are already great! I memorize well when I hear something over and over again; so this is perfect for me. AND, I normally play it back using the speakerphone; so not only am I hearing it over and over and over again, but so are my boys!! My oldest is picking it up quickly! So, why not pick up your smart phone and use it for something other than Facebook and Instagram?

Now, you may be saying “But, I don’t have a smartphone!” The whole point of this, really, is to find a system that works for you and memorize! I can assure you that it will reap benefits beyond what you can imagine!

~ Written by Amy @ JerAmy

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett: Your Passport to Learning Adventures!

Little Moments

Habits for a Happy Mom, Habits for life 4 Responses »

Feb 072013

We all have them. . .little, insignificant moments that make up our days. They follow one after the other, and they are easy to forget if we don’t find a way to hold onto them. I have learned that photos are one way to keep our memories forever. I discovered as a young adult that my parents were right all along. . .you can buy that sweatshirt when you’re at the Grand Canyon if you’d like, but the photos of the memories you’ve made are what you’re actually going to keep for a lifetime and beyond.

Many of us are good at snapping those pictures when we’re on a family vacation or at a ball game, but how many of us remember to capture the small memories that are growing in our homes every day? Yes, we’ll want the memories of that big vacation we saved for forever, it seemed; but someday, our children will also want to remember what the kitchen looked like, what toys they played with the most, and what they baked with Mommy.

Now, I don’t expect you to become paparazzi for your family {although, I have been accused of that at times }, but what a treasure we can leave behind for our children by taking time to document our every day lives. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Don’t feel like you need to get every picture perfectly posed with everyone saying “cheese” at the same time. Capture your children doing what they do best, playing!! Of course, you will get some silly faces, too; but, seriously, silly faces can be just as cute as a smile!

Photograph your children at the places you like to go. . .your favorite park. . .

Don’t forget the details! You’ll want to remember those chubby hands someday.

Take your camera along on a simple walk, you might just find some of your favorites come from that. . .

Boys and dirt. . .it might be a mess to clean up now, but some day you’ll miss those dirty little toes. . .

What are their favorite activities?

Take a moment to photograph it from all different angles. . . even if you really should be making lunch.

You’ll be glad you did, later.

Pajama days are worthy of memories, too! Try photographing them at their level. . .yes, you may actually need to lay on the floor with them to do this

Try photographing them from above. . .

Photograph them from below their eye level, and you’ll find a whole different perspective.

Most of all, enjoy it!! You don’t want picture-taking to become a drudgery; so know when to stop and actually spend some time playing with them. . .not every single second of every single memory needs to be in a photo album.

~ Written by Amy @ JerAmy

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Hearts and Trees: Art, Handicrafts and Nature Study for your Homeschool

Time. . .

Habits for a Happy Wife, Habits for Happy Kids, Habits for life, Housekeeping Habits, Technology Habits 4 Responses »

Jan 032013

. . .it is precious, it goes by way too quickly, and we only have a certain amount of it. How am I using my time? Am I using it to glorify God? {So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31} A few months ago, I was quite convicted by the way I use my time. . .especially how much time I spent on the internet. I wouldn’t have said I was “addicted” to Facebook, but I would catch myself sitting down to the computer “just for a minute,” to see what was going on. I also read quite a few helpful blogs. . .some spiritual, some on homemaking, some on photography, some that belong to friends; and I also love Pinterest. None of these things in themselves are bad, but I was not using them in the best way.

About that same time, I watched a web seminar on life balance. The teacher showed us her daily schedule. It was amazing!! I will never be as detailed as she, but I knew it was time for me to make a schedule of my own. One thing she mentioned that stood out to me was that when we get distracted from what we are working on, it takes about 10 minutes for us to really get back into the task we left unfinished. For me personally, I know that I would waste precious minutes deciding what I should do next, and if I couldn’t decide fast enough, I would sit down to check FB or something while I thought about it. . .well, I’m sure you know where that usually leads. . .30 minutes later, I’m caught up on everyone else’s life, but still hadn’t decided what I needed to do next with mine!

This has been SUCH a huge help to me over the last weeks!! There are times I am not able to stick to the schedule, but when I can, it helps me keep my mind on track. One advantage to all this is that I don’t have to feel guilty about my computer time, because it is in the schedule!! I have three times a day that I can sit down, and enjoy catching up with the world. At one point in my struggle, I thought maybe I should cut out FB or some of the blogs I read, but I know it is important for me as a Mom to continue growing and learning from others, and it is wonderful to feel like I can connect to far away friends and family members that I can’t see in person.

I was also careful to schedule in times when I can play or read with the boys. Maybe this isn’t a struggle for you, but I am such a task-oriented person, that I can forget to slow down and spend fun time with my kids. Also, I purposely put in time for reading for myself! No kids books allowed during this time ! At one time, I was months behind on the magazine subscriptions I had been given, and I was having a terrible time reading any books. There are so many books out there that are helpful to me in this stage of life, that I felt it was very important to schedule reading time in. Plus, I needed a “down time” for me.

To help me with the “what chore to tackle next” dilemma, I scheduled each day to have its own task. That has been a HUGE time saver for me! I no longer have to think about which area of the house needs help the most; each area has its own day. Adding 15 minutes of deep cleaning and organizing to each day has been a life changer for me. I will have a difficult time completing spring/fall cleaning for my foreseeable future, but doing a little at a time is SOOO helpful! It doesn’t seem like much time, but it is amazing what you can accomplish in it!

Another resource that has been a huge help to me over the last few years is a book called Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney. In it, she encourages her readers to start their day early. . .as in around 5 am early. As I read that, I thought I could NEVER get up before 6:30 or so. As you can see by the picture below that I took some time ago, my day used to start at 6:30. Well, when my husband’s job changed a few months ago, he started leaving for work by 5:45. If I were going to be up to kiss him goodbye, my day needed to start at 5:30. It has been one of the best habits I have ever formed in my life. My children do not get up until 7:30 or 8; so I have quite a bit of time in the mornings to get my day started off right! Now, don’t get me wrong, getting up that early is NOT easy; it is a daily struggle; but it is a struggle that is worth it.

One thing to remember is to be careful not to make the schedule into THE SCHEDULE!!!!! Too often, we search for another list or formula to follow, rather than depending on God’s grace to help us do what He calls us to do. Having the best-laid schedule in the world will not help me in the long run if I depend on my own strength to accomplish the tasks before me, and then become prideful at all that “I” finished that day. This is not intended to be something that everyone in the house has to follow to the exact second, making everyone within the house completely miserable {no, son, I cannot help you go potty right now; I will in 11 more minutes when my 15 minutes of organizing is done}. Please don’t do that to your family This is to be a flexible guide that will help us use our time in a way that will bring the most glory to God.

Now, go make out a schedule, and tell me how it works for you!

~ Written by Amy @ JerAmy

Hello – Introducing Amy

Habits for a Happy Husband, Habits for a Happy Wife, Homeless Habits 2 Responses »

Dec 062012

Today we introduce our newest author, Amy! Amy and husband Jeremy have been married 7 years and have 2 small boys. She enjoys chronicling the simple adventures of their little family through photos, and is also an expert at making a beautiful home out of yard sale/flea market furniture! You can visit Amy at her blog, JerAmy ~ Kim A.

Well, hello there! I am so very happy to be joining Habits for a Happy Home! I look forward to our adventures together.

Since my husband and I did not meet and marry until our late twenties, being a wife and mom is a gift I do not take for granted. I thank our God daily for His graciousness in giving me this beautiful life that I live. Life definitely comes with its challenges and changes {which we have seen quite a bit of over the last year;} but I am so thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who delights to give us good things, even in the middle of changing circumstances. My little family is definitely one of those good gifts.

Here we are!

~ Written by Amy @ JerAmy