Take a Peak Behind the Scenes.... by Betsy Ringer

On December 6, 1986, we drove the truck with all our possessions in it into Louisville, KY. We moved from sunny California to Kentucky. Hmmm. I thought we might stay here five years but that would be about it. Twenty-four years later we are still here. After settling into our rental house, we asked where to get a Christmas tree. Our Realtor directed us to Huber’s Orchard in southern Indiana. This year was the 24th year we went to Huber’s to cut down our Christmas tree.

So the Saturday after Thanksgiving, our three now-grown kids plus our newest family member, Ally (Eric’s wife) piled in the car for our Christmas tree outing. As we crossed the great Ohio river into Indiana, with Dave Barnes’ singing Christmas tunes in the background, I watched a barge emerge from the locks. From the bridge, I looked down on the quiet river town; quite a contrast to the big shiny buildings we just left behind in Louisville. We soon left the highway taking twisting back roads, passing a small white church, creeks, pastures and an occasional farm house nestled into the hillside.

Excitement rose as we turned into the familiar, comfortable entrance with the twin ponds and farm buildings. We grabbed a saw and hopped on the trailer pulled by a tractor that would take us to the site where we would select the white pine that would bring us cheer throughout the holidays. We pondered the 20 foot trees and finally decided they simply would not fit. We chose a nice fat round tree. Brendan wielded the saw this year – many times it’s Eric – and we headed back to where the tractor would pick us up.

I remember the first year we went to the farm. Brendan was barely three. Rich cut the tree and carried it on his back. Brendan and I laughed and laughed because it looked like the tree was walking! All we could see was the tree and Rich’s legs. He zig-zagged with the tree and we laughed harder!

We have chosen a tree in snow, 60 degrees and rain, sunshine, and days like today with just enough chill in the air to feel Christmasy.

When we got back to the farm buildings and loaded the tree on top of the car, we went inside the farm store. The warmth felt good and the smell of the fresh bread in the bakery was enticing. It’s become a family tradition to take a family picture at Huber’s. Here is one from several years ago. You can see this year’s picture below.

Please use the comment section to share something fun you and your family have done this year. If you have a memory you’d like to share, we’d love to hear that too!

Sand Through the Hourglass by Tara McClenahan, iBloom Christian Mommy Mentor

If you are a mom, one or more of these will probably sound eerily familiar (if you are honest with yourself anyway- don't worry, we won't tell):

• Piles of laundry at your feet at 9 PM and your only thought is "I wish I could lay down on them and nap"
• Bathtime will result in more of a mess to clean up than the current grimyness of your kids' bodies so you decide to skip it tonight
• Tag-teaming with your hubby between ball practice and the dance recital makes you want to disguise yourself as a gypsy and head for the hills
• You lay your head on your pillow at night and worry if you have truly touched your child's heart that day

We've all been there.  We've all been exhausted, overwhelmed and ready to turn in our mom card.  And at one point or another, we all worry that we are letting the chaos of everyday life distract us from truly reaching out to our children and touching their hearts.  We look up and see that the time that we will have our children with us is running out like sand in the hourglass and we throw that worry on top of the big ol' pile we accumulate as moms.  Then we feel guilty.

It's true - time really is ticking away.  But we don't have to just watch it pass.  We can actually do simple things to make sure that we touch, impact and shape our children's hearts in the ways of God and His Word.  It is difficult to think that we can do that in the middle of our crazy-busy lives, isn't it?  But it can be done when we choose to not allow the daily chaos to distract us from this vital role we have as parents.

So often we love to hear how other moms tackle common parenting struggles so I have put together a FANTASTIC Mommy Panel - a group of Christian moms who have already "been there, done that" and some that are still "there".  These moms are just like you and me - normal, human, and prone to mistakes.  I have purposely not allowed anyone who thinks they are Supermom to be on this panel!  This panel simply has a heart to share with you and other moms the struggles they faced and how they got past all the chaos of everyday life to purposely shape their childrens' hearts toward God.  Some of the topics that will be discussed include:

• The #1 distraction of a mom
• How to avoid the chaos trap
• The key habit to develop to stay focused on what is really important

Join me for my FREE phone chat with the Mommy Panel where it is my prayer that you will walk away encouraged as a mom and with some practical and easy ideas to help you navigate the chaos of everyday life to truly shape your child's heart toward God!

The Overwhelmed Mom:  Christian Parenting in the Chaos of Everyday Life

Monday, September 20th, 2010

8:30 PM EDT (7:30 PM CDT, 6:30 PM MDT, 5:30 PM PDT)

Don't let guilt paralyze you from doing the most important things!  Join us to find out how to bust through the chaos and start having the impact on your children that you so desire to have.  Your time of influence is so short!

Even if you can’t make the LIVE call, be sure to register because the audio download will be emailed to registered attendees.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/theoverwhelmedmom to find out more and to get registered.

40% of Your Happiness is Up to You by Betsy Ringer

Researchers have found that:
• 50% of our happiness quotient is a result of our genetic makeup
• The other half of our happiness involves what happens after we are born.
• 10 % of that “environmental” happiness is the result of circumstances.
• That means 40% of our happiness comes from our own intentional activities – what we CHOOSE to be, do or have.

Let that sink in. Our feelings of overwhelm, hurriedness, perfectionism, insecurity, and indulgent living lead us to believe we are victim to our circumstances: my kids need scholarships so I must have them in fifty activities; OR if I can just get through this week/month things will slow down.

Okay, my house gets messy. Well my LIFE gets messy too. I clean up my house and I can clean up my life. Now this is HUGE: distractions cause messiness in my life. These distractions are disguised as:
• Physical unhealthiness
• Poor systems of doing things
• Dysfunctional surroundings
• Mental overload
• Time management issues
• Frail relationships

When our surroundings, work, and life are chaotic, so is our day-to-day living. We don’t want to live less than spectacular; we want our lives to BE spectacular. That doesn’t mean perfect. It means you have some tools and resources that help you know where you’re going, untangle some of your messes, and make a plan to live in a way that matters most to you. When you understand who you are, where you are headed, and how to manage strategic areas of your life, you will find happiness and joy in even the most mundane parts of your life. The BIG picture is crucial for the everyday picture to come into focus and clarity.

Choose your happiness today! “…there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” - Ecclesiastes 3:12

Join me for my upcoming FREE teleclass where you will get the BOOST you need to overcome the frustration of days, months and years slipping away. You will gain tools to start de-cluttering and recalibrating your life so you can experience passion, balance, purpose and fulfillment. I’ll share five secrets I’ve learned about turning good intentions into real results so you can shift from surviving to THRIVING!

Make the Shift from Surviving to THRIVING
Five Secrets that will help you live life with balance and purpose
Thursday, August 26
8 PM EST (7:00 PM CST, 6:00 PM MST, 5:00 PM PST)

During the teleclass on August 26, I'll share vital “secrets” that will help you leave your exhaustion and overwhelm behind! You will look at twelve important life areas then take first steps to bring vibrancy to these areas. Get the BOOST you need to overcome the frustration of days, months and years slipping away. Start de-cluttering and recalibrating your life so you can experience balance, purpose and fulfillment.

With the right tools, a plan and people we value, we can THRIVE!!

Even if you can’t make the LIVE call, be sure to register because the audio download and handout will be emailed to registered attendees.

CLICK HERE to find out more and register.

Shift from Surviving to Thriving

FREE Teleclass!

Shift from Surviving to Thriving! Five secrets to help you live life with balance, purpose, passion, and fulfillment

• Are you exhausted or overwhelmed?
• Do the pieces of your life need some de-cluttering, sorting through, and recalibrating so you can experience joy through all circumstances?
• Do you feel like the days, months, years are slipping away and you WANT to make your life count – REALLY COUNT – for something?

During her teleclass on August 26, iBloom Associate Betsy Ringer will share vital “secrets" to help you shift from rushing and cramming way to much into a day to actually THRIVING! You will look at twelve important life areas then take first steps to bring vibrancy to these areas. Gain insight that you can apply to your life immediately. Get the BOOST you need to overcome the frustration of days, months and years slipping away. Start de-cluttering and recalibrating your life so you can experience balance, purpose and fulfillment.

Date: Thursday, August 26th

Time: 8 PM EST (7 PM CST, 6 PM MST, 5 PM PST)

Even if you can’t attend LIVE, go ahead and register because the audio download will be available after the call! Plus, it’s completely FREE!!

Are you ready to ready to "Shift from Surviving to Thriving?" If so, enter your name and email below to get officially registered.

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5 Things Happy People Do Every Day: Part 4 by Betsy Ringer

This blog series is focusing on five things happy people do every day. You’ll be glad to know you can CHOOSE to do these things!! If you missed the first three segments, visit our iBloom blog to catch up:
1. Find something to be grateful about.
2. Find your funny bone.
3. Let love ooze out of you.
4. Allow yourself to be playful; i.e. don’t take yourself so seriously.
5. Find something meaningful to do.

Allow yourself to be playful; i.e. don’t take yourself so seriously.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato

Remember when you were young and in love? You were probably very playful! If you have young kids or grandkids you are probably playful with them. Does your playfulness show other times? Are you still playful with your spouse or do you just talk about things that need to be done? When was the last time you sang gleefully while doing housework or stopped by a lemonade stand?

My husband has a wonderful sense of humor. The things he says tickles my funny bone. They are actually kind of corny and I guess I could choose to just groan and go on. But instead I choose to be playful and allow myself to laugh until I get tears in my eyes. This has made a great impact on our kids over the years. Our boys, now young men, have often commented, “I hope my wife laughs at my jokes like that.”

One time a friend and I went to our church women’s retreat. Our husbands got to have some quality time with the kids. On the way home we stopped at a mall in another city. We were admiring all the prom dresses. Before we knew it, we scooped up a bunch of them and went into the bridal dressing room with a platform and tried on prom dresses. Yes, I was in my forties and she was in her thirties!! We laughed and had a great time. Then we went to the hat department and tried on hats and giggled again. Our next stop was the jewelry store. A clerk asked how he could help us. With a twinkle in my eye I said, “I’d like to try on the biggest diamond ring you have.” He knew we had escaped our normal routine and were looking for a thrill so he had a great time showing us lovely rings that I can only afford in my dreams!!

Life zooms by so quickly. Happy people renew their spirits by engaging in play. They cast aside, for a time, their to-do list and drink in the freedom that comes with dancing in the rain, swooping down a slide or picking wildflowers.

Oops! Gotta run. A goofy friend is outside! It’s a warm summer day and she’s here with the top down on her convertible. Going for a ride!!!

“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” Robert Fulghum

“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good.”
Lucia Capacchione

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson


We invite you to sign up for our FREE iChoose2 journey. iChoose2 Love My Life is one avenue we use to equip you with the essential tools needed to really live a life of passion, balance, purpose, and fulfillment.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to iChoose2 Love My Life and sign up (fill in your name & email in the box to the right of the page)
2. For the next 40 days, you’ll receive an email from iBloom with your daily iChoose2 challenge.
3. WARNING: At the end of this 40-day journey, if you’ve really participated in each challenge, then your life will be different! You’ll be on your way to really living a life that you love!

You're Invited to a PARTY!

Twitter will be the place to be on Monday, June 28^th, especially if you want to choose2 have FUN and meet lots of fantastic women!

You’re Invited to an iBloom Party!

We invite you to join us for a fabulous iBloom Twitter Party.  The fun starts at 9:00 P.M. EST on Monday, June 28^th. We will be using the hashtag #ichoose2.

Your hosts include:

• @KellyThorne
• @TaraMcClenahan
• @LeighAnnNapier
• @BetsyRinger

You Could Win GREAT prizes!

iBloom has partnered with several GREAT organizations to bring you the BEST twitter party prizes!  We have 10 prizes that you won’t want to miss.  Stay tune to @ibloom as we tweet clues about these fantastic prizes.

Don’t forget, it all happens on Monday, June 28^th from 9PM-10PM EST. The hashtag for the party is #ichoose2.

Are you new to Twitter Parties?  Click here to get a FABULOUS resource "How to be a Cool & Hip Twitter Partier" by iBloom Associate, Tara McClenahan.  She'll teach you what a Twitter party is and walk you through a step-by-step process for participating!

Will you be there?

Please RSVP with your twitter handles. We hope to see you there!

5 Things Happy People Do Every Day: Part 3

This blog series is focusing on five things happy people do every day. You’ll be glad to know you can CHOOSE to do these things!! If you missed the first two segments, visit our iBloom blog to catch up. To review, here are the five things happy people do every day that we are focusing on:

1. Find something to be grateful about.
2. Find your funny bone.
3. Let love ooze out of you.
4. Allow yourself to be playful; i.e. don’t take yourself so seriously.
5. Find something meaningful to do.

Number 3: Let Love Ooze Out of You

Yeah, yeah. We all know we are supposed to love. We all know that even when someone gets us all riled up or when we strongly disagree with them or when they just plain irritate us we still love them, right? Really, way down deep inside we love them. But what good is all that way down deep inside kind of love? When I keep it stuffed inside and what is showing on the outside is disgust, offense, irritation, and disappointment, then the message I am conveying to the other person is, “You aren’t good enough. There’s something wrong with YOU. You’re a slimeball.”

If my love isn’t oozing out so people can see it, then I’m no different than the Pharisees Jesus said “Woe!” to. (Matthew 23, Luke 11)

Please don’t gag when what I’m about to say sounds syrupy sweet to you: HAPPY PEOPLE LET LOVE OOZE OUT OF THEM.

It’s very difficult to let our love show. We’ve gotten in the habit of critiquing others, engaging in “innocent” gossip, or fearing WE will be rejected or ridiculed.

So what’s the key? How can I let my love ooze out?
1. Happy people choose to know they are secure in God. WOW!! God sent His precious son so that we might have LIFE. He tells us over and over in His word how much He loves us… no matter what!
2. Also happy people choose to love others because GOD loves them. Just as God loves us when we make mistakes or behave in hurting ways, He chooses to love the people WE think behave badly.

Choose to know you are secure in God. Choose to love others because GOD loves them, not because they behave the way we want them to behave.

Okay so I just typed out 10 ways you can show love and I deleted them. TMI. Just focus on interacting with people in a warm loving way, even if you don’t “feel” warm and loving. Smile and tell people how they are valuable. You will feel good and they will feel even better. Let your love ooze out!

Jeremiah 31:3 (New International Version)
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.


We invite you to sign up for our FREE iChoose2 journey. iChoose2 Love My Life is one avenue we use to equip you with the essential tools needed to really live a life of passion, balance, purpose, and fulfillment.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to iChoose2 Love My Life and sign up (fill in your name & email in the box to the right of the page)
2. For the next 40 days, you’ll receive an email from iBloom with your daily iChoose2 challenge.
3. WARNING: At the end of this 40-day journey, if you’ve really participated in each challenge, then your life will be different! You’ll be on your way to really living a life that you love!