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Our Journey

~ Jul. 3, 2009
Fitness Friday July 3, 2009

Posted in Fitness Friday


Hello, I'm back. I missed last week's Fitness Friday because I was at Walt Disney World for the Florida Mom Blogger Mixers. I haven't worked out all week :-( I am just now walking normally after the weekend at Disney! We also ate like royalty on our trip. The social media and Disney Moms Panel cast members took us to The Wave, California Grill and Hollywood Brown Derby for meals. Due to all of this great food, I was afraid to step on the scale but I am proud to announce...I lost 2 pounds! I am right behind schedule lose 20 pounds before I go to IZEAFest, but I am moving in the right direction. I will be back at EA Sports Active this week too.
Bananas Foster
This is the Bananas Foster dessert from Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was AMAZING!

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~ Jun. 30, 2009
Sunday's Sermon Notes-Complaint Free Living Pt 1

Posted in Sunday Sermon


Complaint Free Living Pt. 1-Complaining in the Wilderness
Pastor Don Carter Journey Assembly of God

"Don't complain and talk about your problems-80% of people don't care; the other 20% will think you deserve them."~Mark Twain

Deuteronomy 1:26-27a (NIV)
 "But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You grumbled in your tents..."

1. Complaining is Rebellion Against God
Numbers 14:26-35 (NLT)
"Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about Me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against Me. Now tell them this: As surely as I live, declares the Lord I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against Me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.

Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years;a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have Me for an enemy I, the Lord, have spoken! I will certainly do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against me. They will be destroyed here in this wilderness, and here they will die!"

Definition of a Complainer:One who complains, or expresses grief; one who laments, one who finds fault; a murmurer.

Israel's Complaints:

  • Complained by the Red Sea-Exodus 14:9-12
  • Complained they had no water to drink-Exodus 15:22-24
  • Complained they had no bred to eat and they wanted to return to Egypt-Exodus 16:1-3
  • They cried out again for water- Exodus 17:1-3
  • Complained again when Moses took too long to come down from Mount Sinai and began to worship a golden calf-Exodus 32:1-4
  • Three days after leaving Mount Sinai, they complained again-Numbers 10:33-11:1
  • They complained about Moses' wife's skin color- Numbers 12:1
  • Complained about giants in the land-Numbers 14:1-4
Because of Israel's Complaining the 11 day journey from Egypt to the Promised Land took approximately 14,600 days!

2. A Complaint Against a Leader is Actually a Complaint Against God
Exodus 16:8
"The Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us (leadership) but against the Lord."

When we complaining against the people in our church who are diligently serving the Lord we are actually complaining against God.

3. Our Complaining affects those around us.

4. The Lord urges us to learn from the complaining of the Israelites.

1 Corinthians 10:5, 9-11(NIV)
 "God was not pleased with most of them (the Israelites); their bodies were scattered over the desert...We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us."

Luke 12:3 (NKJV)
"Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."

5. Complaining get God mad.
Numbers 11:1a (NKJV)
"Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused."

6. Complaining stops when we meditate on the right thing...
Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
"
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

"We can complain because rosebushes bear thorns, OR we can complain because thorn bushes bear roses."~A.L. Todd

7. We all need to change our outlook on life.

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~ Jun. 30, 2009
New Feature

Posted in General

Starting this week, I am adding a new feature to this blog "Sunday's Sermon Notes". Here I will write out the notes from Sunday's sermon at Journey Assembly of God in Bradenton, FL. This is a multi-purpose feature. I will dig deeper into the message so that I can share it with you and hopefully you will in turn be blessed by the message. You can always feel free to visit our website at www.journeyassembly.org.

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~ Jun. 19, 2009
Fitness Friday June 19, 2009

Posted in Fitness Friday

Well we are past the 1/2 way mark on the EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge. The scale didn't move this week, but that is ok. I am completing the running portions without being told I am too slow and I have burned over 1000 calories since beginning the challenge!

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~ Jun. 18, 2009
Destination Disney-Epcot-Germany


I'll be honest, I don't spend much time in Germany when I go to Epcot. With a last name like Schultz you would think I would visit Epcot's Germany but...the stench of sauerkraut wafting from the Biergarten makes me want to hurl (sorry). I do enjoy the Hummel store and when the wind is blowing in the right direction I peek in there to see what's new. On my birthday trip I did take a picture of one of the buildings so here it is.

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~ Jun. 12, 2009
Fitness Friday June 12, 2009

Posted in Fitness Friday



Ok, I know what you are saying...here we go again. Yup, you are right, here we go again. I have made some life and mindset changes and I am tackling my weight again. This time I have set a specific, short-term goal instead of the ultimate goal. I want to lose 20 pounds before October 1st. Why that date? Well, I will be attending IZEAFest which is one of the largest blogging conferences in the world. It is being held at SeaWorld Orlando and on October 4th I will be riding Manta! If you want to know more about IZEAFest click on the graphic below.
I am working towards my goal by participating in the 30 Day Challenge through EA Sports Active. I purchased the Wii based workout with a gift card I received for my birthday and it is quite the workout. Today is day 12 and I have lost 3 pounds to date. Keep drinking water, working out, and trying to eat healthier.

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~ Jun. 4, 2009
Destination Disney-Magic Kingdom-Liberty Square


This week's Destination Disney Topic is Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom. Liberty Square has only 3 attractions but lots of personality. Liberty Square looks like it it was transplanted in Florida from Massachusetts during the 1770's. The architecture is beautifully colonial. In the Center of Liberty Square stands the Liberty Tree, a 135 year old oak. The Liberty Tree was the meeting place for the Sons of Liberty during pre-revolutionary war times. The music that plays in the background is often the song "The Sons of Liberty" from the Disney live action film Johnny Tremain, based on the classic book by Esther Forbes. There is also a replica of the Liberty Bell that was cast for Walt Disney World and placed in Liberty Square in 1989.

The Haunted Mansion is the primary attraction in Liberty Square. A fun and spooky dark ride with the grim grinning ghosts. The Hall of Presidents is the educational attraction, and a great show to see while you sit and relax in the air conditioned theatre in the middle of a hot Disney day. Lastly, you have the Liberty Square Riverboat that takes you on a relaxing 17 minute tour on the Rivers of America.

There are great places to shop in Liberty Square. The Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe, The Yankee Trader and the Heritage House all have great colonial themed merchandise. If you want to eat in Liberty Square you can chose from the character meals at Liberty tree Tavern, conter service at one of our family favorites-Columbia Harvest House or grab a snack to go from Sleepy Hollow of the vendor carts in the Liberty Square Marketplace.

In September of 2004 we were blessed to take 3 friends from our church with us to the Magic Kingdom for the day. They had never been to the Magic Kingdom before and we had a lot of fun introducing them to the Magic of Disney. It was a beautiful day and there were no crowds so we were able to ride rides multiple times! It was so much fun. Our friends: Laura, Lisa & Luke chose to get a turkey leg to eat while we were in Liberty Square. As you can see from the photos-they really enjoyed it.







Jordan, aka TheGoof, also had fun in Liberty Square that day!

If you love Disney too, join us in this fun meme. visit http://homeschoolblogger.com/reviewsbyheidi to join.

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~ May. 29, 2009
Destination Disney-Disney's Boardwalk


Today's topic is Disney's Boardwalk. I have been to Disney's Boradwalk several times but, alas, I can't find any pictures of my time there. My husband and I like to go to Disney's Boradwalk in the evening when we are at Disney without the kids. It is a great place to stroll and relax and just enjoy the boardwalk atmosphere.

The last time I was at Disney's Boradwalk was December 2007 and we ate dinner at Big River Grille and Brewing Works. The meal was delicious and the restaurant has a sports bar kind of feel.

Disney's Boradwalk has several shops and restaurants around the outer edge of the boardwalk while part of the inner edge includes some carnival games, food kiosks and street performers. Someday I would love to go to Jellyrolls at Disney's Boradwalk. Jellyrolls is famous for its sing-alongs and dueling pianos. Jellyrolls is for those ages 21 and up and charges a $10 cover charge.

If you are a Disney fanatic like I am, stop by Reviews by Heidi and take part in this fun meme.

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~ May. 22, 2009
Random Photo Challenge 5.22.09

This week's challenge
9th picture folder
or September 2008
18th picture


This picture was taken on June 27, 2007
It was taken in the aviary at Cypress Gardens
My husband's aunt, uncle, cousin by marriage and his sons
were all visiting Florida from Pennsylvania so,
we met them at Cypress Gardens along with hubby's parents
We had a fun day enjoying the park and each other

If you want to join the challenge go to http://4littlement.blogspot.com

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~ May. 21, 2009
Destination Disney-On or Off-Site Accomodations


Today's topic is easy for me. I actually wrote a post on this very subject on my The Mom Maven blog's Walt Disney World Wednesday post. It asks and answers some important questions.
"There are several questions you need to ask yourself before making this important decision.
  1. Will you have a car while visiting Disney World?
  2. Will you be visiting other non-Disney attractions while visiting central Florida?
  3. How many people, adults and children, will be traveling in your party?
  4. How much time do you plan on spending in your room?
  5. What is your per night budget?" to read the rest of this post- Should You Stay On or Off Disney Property?
I have stayed both on and off property at Disney World. One of my goals is to try every Disney resort at least once...someday. I have stayed at all of the Value Resorts, all of the Moderate Resorts (except for the Fort Wilderness Campground),  and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

All-Star MoviesAll-Star Movies Resort

Pop Century Resort

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Map

Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby

Port Orleans French Quarter

I'm excited! I will be at Epcot on Monday 5/25/09 celebrating my birthday! It has been 16 months since my last visit to a Disney park and I can't wait.

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~ May. 7, 2009
Destination Disney-Animal Kingdom-Asia

Today's topic is the Asia section of Animal Kingdom. Asia is home to 4 attractions-Kali River Rapids, Flights of Wonder, Maharajah Jungle Trek and Expedition Everest. Kali is a fun ride on a hot day. you WILL get soaked on this fun family ride. In my opinion, Flights of Wonder is the best, most educational bird show I have ever seen. Maharajah Jungle trek is a walking tour that takes you to see animal habitats. Some of the animals you can see are gibbon, tapir, tigers and fruit bats.

According to my family the main reason to go to Asia is to ride Expedition Everest.
I haven't ridden it yet, but I will the next chance I get. I'm told it is fast and smooth. It is an exciting ride through the mountain. You go forward and in reverse and even happen upon the Yeti.


My family of non-coaster enthusiasts loves this ride. Give it a try on your next trip to Animal Kingdom.

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~ May. 3, 2009
Destination Disney-Disney Hollywood Studios-Pixar Place

This post is a few days late because I was waiting for my pictures. Jordan, my soon to be 14 yr old was at Walt Disney World April 30-May 2 with my dad. You see, they share May 29th as their birthdate. Back when Disney announced that this year you could get in to one park for free on your birthday, Poppop, my dad, promised Jordan they would go. Our seasonal passes expired in January of 2008 so this was a big deal and they had been talking about their birthday trip for months. My father teaches some weekend classes at the local community college and when he got his summer schedule a few weeks ago he found out he would be working on May 29th! Since he was unable to take Jordan on that day he instead planned a 3 day trip for just the 2 of them. I sent Jordan with a list of photo ideas based on the upcoming topics of the Destination Disney meme. So n ow that you have read my disclaimer...on to my post.

 

This week's topic is Pixar Place. Pixar Place is the street formerly known as Mickey Avenue. This is now the home to the Toy Story Mania attraction. When I was at Disney in September 2007 this is what Pixar Place looked like...




Yes, all Pixar Place was in Septemver 2007 was signs on a fence-teasing park visitors about what was to come.

Fast forward to 2009. In the last 2 months both of my children have ridden Toy Story Mania on their birthday trips to Disney (someday I'll get to ride it). They both said the very long wait was worth it. The queue themeing is amazing and the ride was a lot of fun and seems longer than most rides. This is the picture Jordan brought back from Pixar Place.

Remember, if you are a Disney fan and you want to take part in this fun meme, stop by Reviews by Heidi and check out the info in her right sidebar,
 

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~ Apr. 29, 2009
Learn to Study the Bible-Book Review

Posted in Ministry

I like to mix it up when I am studying my Bible. If you were to look in my study journal you would see that I use several different methods of studying the Bible. I recently came across a book that teaches 40 different Bible study methods. That book is "Learn to Study the Bible" by Pastor Andy Deane. Deane, a youth pastor, was trying to teach a group of middle schoolers how to study God's Word. Unfortunately, instead of inspiring them to dig into the Bible, they were left confused and frustrated. That incident was the springboard for Deane's research into different Bible study methods and the result is this book.

Some of the 40 different methods included in "Learn to Study the Bible" are:

  • The Timothy Method
  • One at a Time
  • Verse by Verse Charting
  • Chapter Overview
  • Biblical Topics
  • Word Studies
  • 30 Days Each
  • Heart Monitor
Each chapter contains step-by-step directions for a different method. I suggest you try each method at least once. Some methods will click better with you than others, make note of them in your book so that you can use them again in the future. After the "how-to" section of each chapter there is a handwritten example of journal pages written using that particular method. This is an awesome bonus especially for visual learners who will see how to set up their journal pages.

"Learn to Study the Bible" is a very good tool for advancing your study of God's Word. You can get your copy of the book from Learn to Study the Bible (40 Bible Study Methods).
The book costs only $13.99 plus shipping, you can break that down to only $0.35 a Bible study method!

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~ Apr. 29, 2009
Ride the Flying Ray in Orlando

Posted in General


In less than a month the coolest new roller coaster is opening in Orlando. Manta is opening May 22nd at SeaWorld Orlando. Manta is a flying coaster, one of just a handful in the world. I am not a roller coaster expert, I don't even like most coasters but, I want to try this one, I think. I am intrigued by the flying aspect of the coaster and I want to try it, at least once.

Even if you aren't a roller coaster enthusiast, Manta still has something for you. The attraction boasts multiple aquatic habitats which house more than 3,000 animals. There are 300 rays from 8 different species, sea dragons, sea horses, over 2,000 exotic fish and one Pacific Octopus! There are "pop-up" aquariums where kids can "pop up" in the middle of the aquarium and be surrounded by fish. There is also a 220-square foot over head viewing panel so the guests can experience hundreds of rays swimming over them!

SeaWorld Orlando has set up a website to whet your appetite for Manta. It is an interactive website, I just spent about 45 minutes learning all about the ride, watching an interesting behind the scenes video with izea's Ted Murphy, and learning about all of the marine life that are part of this attraction. When you go to www.ridetheflyingray.com you register for a free account and participate in 6 different activities.
  • Take the Manta quiz
  • Submit to Flickr
  • Fill Your Row
  • Submit to YouTube
  • Make a Manta Mask
  • Follow & Tweet
If you complete 2 of the activities you will earn ONE complimentary electronic photograph from your Manta ride experience at SeaWorld Orlando. If you complete all six activities, you'll go straight to the front of the line when you earn a Manta "front-of-the-line" pass (see rules on the actual website) at SeaWorld Orlando. I have completed 2 activities and I am going for all 6. I figure if I have a front-of-the-line pass then I have less time to chicken out! I hope to get to SeaWorld Orlando this summer and I hope to see you there!

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~ Apr. 28, 2009
Chipo's Gift Winner

Posted in Giveaway

Congratulations to Janet @GAhome2mom on Twitter. She is the winner of the "Chipo's Gift" book and lessons. If you see Janet on Twitter please congratulate her!

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~ Apr. 27, 2009
Random Photo Challenge 4.27.09


2002
8th folder - July
25th picture

I have only a few digital pictures from 2002. This is definitely one of my favorites though.

It was taken 8-16-02.
My "baby" Jordan lost his front tooth!
Age 7 years 2 1/2 months.

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~ Apr. 23, 2009
Destination Disney-Epcot-China


I'm baaaacckkk! My computer is back from the shop and my photos were spared, Praise the Lord!
This week's topic is China. I'll be honest, we don't usually stop in China at Epcot. We aren't big fans of Reflections of China-the Circle Vision 360 degree movie. I do have 1 China picture though so here it is...
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

The Dragon Legend Acrobats that perform in China are very fun to watch. It is always so crowded I never get good pictures though.

I did want to let you know that I am now writing a weekly Walt Disney World Wednesday post at my main blog.  Please come over and take a look. http://themommaven.com/2009/04/the-disney-resorts/.

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~ Apr. 22, 2009
Chipo's Gift Book & Lesson Review & Giveaway

Posted in School


Chipo's Gift by Deb Troehler, is an adorable book for children ages 4 and up or grades Pre-K-2. It is a story about a curious, South African mopane worm that steps away from the norm and follows her drems. The book is written and illustrated by Troehler who was a special education teacher for fourteen years. The story is lovely and encourages the reader to follow their dreams, you don't know where you will end up. The illustrations are simple yet beautiful and appear to have been originally done with colored pencil.

Here is a brief trailer video for the book.
To enhance the book Troehler has written some lesson plans that could very easily be used in a unit study about Africa or metamorphosis. Some of the lessons are listening comprehension exercises, 1-to-1 correspondence, art-symmetry and science comparing and contrasting insect species. All of the Lesson plans can be found here.
You can purchase the book at Amazon.com by clicking this ad.
 
Chipo's Gift would be a nice addition to any school curriculum.
Since my children are in high school, I am going to give away my copy of Chipo's Gift along with a bookmark, some of the worksheets and a sample of Mopani wood from South Africa where Chipo lived.

To Enter: Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed and leave me a comment letting me know that you did. That part is mandatory. All of these other are extra "bonus" entries.
1. Fave this blog on MomFaveshttp://www.momfaves.com/faves/3103
and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.http://twitter.com/MomMaven
leave me a comment with the URL of your tweet in it.
3. Stumble Up this post with a review, and leave me a comment.
4. Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites and leave me a comment.

This giveaway is for US residents only and a winner will be chosen Monday 4/27/09 at 10:00pm

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~ Apr. 17, 2009
I'm Sorry I have neglected you

Posted in General

It has been weeks since I have posted here, I'm sorry. I have been busy on my main blog. I just moved it to WordPress so it is now located at http://themommaven.com.

I haven't posted a fitness Friday post in weeks because I gave up and fell off the bandwagon. I got bored with the Wii Fit. I have gotten back on the bandwagon as of today. I got My Fitness Trainer for Wii and this will be a great complement to the Wii Fit.

I haven't post a Destination Disney post because 2 weeks ago the topic was the Disney Cruise Line and all my post would say is-Never been hope to go May 2010. Last week the topic was Typhoon Lagoon. I wrote a post and it disappeared off my screen and I didn't have time to re-write it. This week's topic is Frontier Land. I have pictures for this...on my laptop that has a virus and is currently in the shop. If they don't have to wipe my hard drive then this may get posted eventually. If they have to wipe my hard drive I will say goodbye to 5 years of digital photos that are not backed up anywhere. i know, I know-my fault. I've been beating myself up for days.

So, that is where I have been. I am working on a review of a book and homeschool curriculum that I will post here sometime next week. Thank you for your patience.

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~ Mar. 27, 2009
Destination Disney-Epcot~Norway

Don't forget to visit http://homeschoolblogger.com/reviewsbyheidi so that you can join the Destination Disney meme too.
I couldn't find any of my Norway pictures so I decided to share this Youtube video of the ride, Maelstrom. Enjoy.

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