I have created a Storify of today’s Teach Them Diligently Convention highlights with speakers Sally Clarkson, Pam Tebow, Mark Hamby and more. I hope the Storify below blesses you as it has me!

If you would like to attend a TTD Convention, there is still one more taking place, June 30th in Omaha. If Omaha is not doable, you might want to look into the new Teach Them Diligently Marketplaces… coming to 9 locations! Marketplace is an extension of the Christ-centered encouragement and trusted resources you’ve come to expect from Teach Them Diligently.

Now for some encouraging tweets that are going to bless your socks off , be sure to follow the #HSTTD hashtag on Twitter for more tomorrow! ….. Enjoy!

Disneyland – 30 years ago.

I’m so stinkin’ EXCITED!

• I’m excited to grasp nuggets of wisdom from the amazing speakers they have lined up for us.
• I’m looking forward to networking and hanging out with some smart, funny, creative people.
• I’m still trying to wrap my head around participating in my first Disney Fun Run with Biggest Loser winner Ali Vincent.
• I’m overwhelmed at the thought of being a part of Disney history when we attend Merida’s royal coronation ceremony of at the Magic Kingdom. She will soon be the 11th Disney Princess!
• I was hoping we would get a sneak peek at the new Monsters University movie coming to theaters June 21st. Today we found out that we will indeed get a 2 week advanced screening of the movie. Yippee!
• I’m feeling incredibly blessed to share this experience with my sister and her family.
• I’m super excited my sister and I will celebrate Mothers Day together at a Garden Party themed Mother’s Day brunch.

It’s truly overwhelming!

From the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration Team

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was created as one of the first family-friendly conferences where social media savvy moms and dads can network, learn, and share knowledge of social media while experiencing the magic of Disney with their families. Our goal is to provide an intimate experience packed with access to industry leaders and opportunities to network with peers.

Why Disney?

You might wonder why it is that I love all things Disney as much as I do.

Disney Cruise in October

Once upon a time, I worked as a Disney Cast Member, 10 great years of pixie dusting guests both young and old. It was as a Cast Member that I had the opportunity to learn what the Walt Disney Company was really about. Walt Disney, affectionately known as “Uncle Walt” to those who love him, created something so special and left a beautiful legacy for the world to enjoy. He created wonderful family friendly movies with life lessons to carry us into adulthood. He created a wondrous fantasy land where families could enjoy spending time together while making magical memories that would last a lifetime.

“Walt Disney liked the purity of childhood. If you look at all of the animated films he did, the ones he directed and had a great deal to do with, there was no slang ever used. He had Jack Cutting checking all of the different countries, so that there was no hand movement or body movement that meant anything but good.” – Alice Davis

Cast Members are privy to much of the Disney “magic” found behind the scenes, “backstage”.

Have you heard of the Seven Disney Service Guidelines? The world would be a much happier place if we all followed them…

1. 

   1st born in the tummy.

   Be Happy…make eye contact and smile!

2. Be like Sneezy…greet and welcome each and every guest. Spread the spirit of Hospitality…It’s contagious!
3. Don’t be Bashful…seek out Guest contact.
4. Be like Doc…provide immediate service recovery.
5. Don’t be Grumpy…always display appropriate body language at all times.
6. Be like Sleepy…create DREAMS and preserve the “MAGICAL” Guest experience.
7. Don’t be Dopey…thank each and every Guest!

All of the above and so much more is what makes Disney so special!

Of course, long before I was a Disney Cast Member, I was a Disney baby.  I grew up in a Disney loving family; trips to Disneyland and Walt Disney world with immediate and extended family were taken often. Many wonderful memories were created at the parks, and continue to be made with our own children.

Disney Social Media Moms conference is no different, the coordinators of this one of a kind conference go above and beyond to make the conference as magical as possible for the entire family. This year’s conference is already proving to be an experience of a lifetime. Thank you Disney Social Media Moms Celebration Team!

I think the phrase “Go BIG or go home” was coined by Walter E. Disney.

Motherhood is one of the greatest callings a woman can have. It’s an honor, a privilege and a blessing to be called mom. Motherhood is by far the greatest gift I will ever know. It has changed me in every way imaginable; I became a protective mama bear over night and instantly knew that I would give my life to protect my child from harm. Regardless of class, religion or ethnicity, as mothers, we have a common goal – we want to protect and nurture our children. Sadly, motherhood is cut much too short for many women around the world. This year, more than 7 million children will die before their 5th birthday. Nearly all of these deaths occur in poor countries, and almost all of them are preventable.  Every mother and child deserve the chance to live a healthy, happy life together, regardless of where they live. It is for these mothers and in honor of my own mother that I have decided to make a donation this Mother’s day.

The mothers and children I met on my trip to Guatemala with Save the Children.

We can help mother’s in developing countries keep their children healthy for only pennies a day!

Link up, comment and share with
Sisters From Another Mister
and 20 allcaps awesome bloggers
Making a difference May 8th thro May 18th

FUNDRAISING ON BEHALF OF GLOBAL MOMS

Sisters From Another Mister, proud Champion for shot@life and the UN Foundation

I’m honored to take part of this great campaign and collaborate with 20 amazing bloggers who have each linked a post about Motherhood to raise awareness for the importance of global vaccinations.  We would love for you to join us and write a post, donate to link and share with us on our main link page here. All posts will be tweeted and shared between May 8th and May 18th, and readers are encouraged to leave as many comments as they like on the main page with a min. $1 donation for each comment.

Both linkers and commenters will be in the running for the giveaways that have generously been donated.

Here’s how it works:
1. Join us by writing a blog post on MOTHERHOOD and link up!- $10 dollar min. to link your post – include why you donated, or if you will be donating on behalf of someone.
2. Donate $1 for every comment you leave on a Shot@Life Motherhood blog post!
3. Donations are tax deductible
4. Once you have written a blog post and linked up ($10) or left a comment on our main page here, please visit the donation page to make your donation.
5. Both blog post links and comments left on participating blog posts are eligible for giveaways!

Every twenty seconds a child dies of a preventable disease.
Twenty dollars can save a life
Twenty bloggers are making a difference.

Sisters From Another Mister is proud to present Twenty Bloggers for shot@life and the UN Foundation

CONTRIBUTE A BLOG POST AND/ OR COMMENT HERE!

MAKE YOUR DONATIONS HERE!

MOMS AROUND THE WORLD THANK YOU!

From my trip to Guatemala, a health post where mothers waited to receive life saving vaccines for their children.

This week is World Immunization week, the perfect time to talk about the importance of global vaccinations.

Nicole of Sisters From Another Mister, together with shot@life and the United Nations Foundation are very happy to announce a link up to share our stories about motherhood.  A Mother’s Day meme link up opening on May 8th and running until the 18th.

We invite you to join us on this journey.
And just who are WE? And what is this quest?

With a mantra of, Every twenty seconds a child dies of a preventable disease.
Only twenty dollars saves the life of a child.
Twenty bloggers are making a difference!

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to these amazing twenty bloggers.
Each one looking to make a difference in the world.

Twenty bloggers were invited to be a part of this link up.

I am ONE of them!
And here we are…

On May 8th, the link up will be live on Sisters From Another Mister. Each photo on the grid will take you to the post on the blogger’s own bloghome. Linkers and commenters will have a chance to win one of several giveaways. Set aside some BIG chunks of time over those ten days – they are a fab group of writers.
You will want to share them all!

Here is how you can help:

1. Write a post about anything relating to motherhood.
2. Link your post to the main link up page here between May 8th – 18th
3. Make a donation when you link up your post and or comment on a Shot@Life Mothers Day post - all donations are tax deductible.
4. Tell your friends, share and tweet, and read them all.
5. Leave lots of comments, maybe win a prize and … know that YOU are making a difference!

This year I am also tackling a new kind of spring cleaning… digital spring cleaning with the help of Office 365 Home Premium.

Home / Family - I don’t know about you, but the one area that is completely out of control on my computer is my photos. I have thousands of photos and images in complete disarray. I’m finally getting my photos organized along with all of the other media on my Mac. Im also working on keeping all of our calendars organized, if your like me, you have a few. Our family currently has a calendar for home/family, homeschool and business.

With Outlook, you can color code each of your family members’ activities, share it with your spouse, and in general keep the whole family better organized.

Tip: You can share videos, photos and documents with SkyDrive’s free cloud storage solution and access the files on your computer via a Windows Phone. Save your lists and scheduled to the cloud with SkyDrive and the whole family can update it in real-time. SkyDrive can be accessd from any computer using the OneNoteWeb App, available on most phones.

Homeschool - I have created new schedules for the last semester of our homeschool in Excel 2013. It has allowed me to easily organize projects, lessons plans, grades and notes to take us through the summer months. With a simple click of the “New Week” option, Excel will automatically create a new schedule tab ready for input!

Business - I have a Mac, and while I love all that my Mac has to offer, I always find myself struggling to open filed and documents sent from P.C.’s. This week I found myself searching for a program that would open a template for invoicing and nothing on my Mac could open it. Finally I tried Excell, found in the Office 365 Home Premium and it worked. Fast and smooth, it opened it and editing was a breeze. Power Point is another great tool in the Office 365 Home Premium package.

If you are a note taker and a list maker as i am, you will like that your notes go with you! Take notes that save to the cloud. The new offerings from OneNote allow you to take your notes anywhere on your phone or tablet.

About the NEW Office 365 Home Premium: Office 365 Home Premium gives people the flexibility to do things how and when they want – whether they’re are at home, at a coffee shop, waiting to pick up  their kids at school, or anywhere in between. It is subscription-based, which means you can use one license for an entire household on up to five devices – plus all your documents are saved automatically to the cloud on SkyDrive for easy access to your documents and personal settings from anywhere. The new offering includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications; works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs; and comes with extra SkyDrive
storage and Skype calling.

What it Includes:

The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and get Office on Demand from any Internet-connected PC An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology Automatic save to SkyDrive, so your documents — and even your personal settings — are always available from virtually anywhere and on your favorite devices

Office 365 Home Premium Pricing and Availability: For just $99.99 for an annual subscription, Office 365 Home Premium costs the equivalent of $8.34 per month. It can be purchased online at Office.com or in your nearest Microsoft Retail Store.

Now for a giveaway – Microsoft is giving away TWO copies of the Office 365 Home Premium!

To enter to win please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Social Influenz and Microsoft for Office 365. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

My husband has been blessed with the opportunity to mentor the children in his program but there are so many more still in need of a mentoring.

One of the greatest mentors in my life is a women named Connie Hultquist, a dear women who goes out of her way daily to mentor girls, women and wives. I learned so many great lessons from her, she shared encouragement and wisdom that helped form the woman and mother I am today. I am thankful for the years of mentoring she so graciously volunteered and the time, energy and heart she continues to give.

This week, we celebrate National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate people doing extraordinary things through service. Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week focuses national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service as an integral aspect of our civic leadership. Nowhere else is this seen more dramatically than when an adult becomes a mentor to a youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Another great need is the need for Latino Big Brothers and Big Sisters. About 20% of the children served by BB BS are Latino – a number quickly increasing.  Yet, only 9% of our Bigs are Latino. Latinos know all too well the variety of challenges Hispanic children face in America today. Many of the organization’s Latino Littles come from immigrant families and are adjusting to the nuances of a new culture.  And, like all young people, they face the lure of dangerous influences such as gangs and the temptation of drugs. In addition, while more than 70% of the children ready and waiting to be matched with a mentor are boys, only 3 of 10 volunteer inquiries come from men.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is currently seeking fellow Latinos to volunteer as Bigs to the Littles in their own community. Latinos have a strong heritage of volunteering.  You can make a substantial difference by not only helping one child, but  your entire community. Let’s celebrate National Volunteer Week by giving back to our youth!

“A hallmark of the Latino community is to help one another” – Astronaut Ellen Ochoa

Start something big in the Latino community by becoming a Big Brother, a Big Sister or a donor today. Visit  www.latinobigs.org or www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org for more information about volunteering as a ‘Big.’ You can also follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook to learn more.

Did you have a mentor growing up?

This is part of a supported campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Big Brothers Big Sisters.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

As a proud sponsor of the Billboard en Concierto series in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and New York, Net10 Wireless is celebrating Latin culture and music.

The annual Billboard en Concierto concert series, which leads up to the Billboard Latin Music Awards is an invitation only music series. Billboard En Concierto broke ground in 2010 by being the first live concert series that featured performances by finalists from a major Latin music award show: The Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Net10 Wireless and Latina Mom Bloggers invite you to celebrate Latin talent in the “Latin Moves” Twitter Party on Tuesday, April 23rd from 9-10:30pm ET. We’ll be sharing what moves us – food, culture and la música!

Net10 Wireless is a 10 in wireless service for the whole family with no-contract wireless service and phones! They are a smart way to control spending and usage for every member of the family, tweens and teens included. Plus, with Net10 Wireless, there are no hidden fees, no monthly bills, no long-term commitments, no credit checks, no age limit and no hidden fees. ¡Nada malo y todo lo bueno!

And, now with the new Family Talk Plans, Net10 Wireless is even better for families! They give you all the great savings of a contract plan without the contract and Nationwide Coverage on America’s Most Dependable Networks. Plus, no activation or cancellation fees. The first line is $50 for data, text and talk; each additional line is just $40.

2 line family plan: $90 for unlimited nationwide data, text, talk, 411
3 line family plan: $130 for unlimited nationwide data, text, talk, 411
4 line family plan: $170 for unlimited nationwide data, text, talk, 411

So say ¡orale! or ¡Wepa! and join us to find out what moves you!

About Net10 Wireless:

Net10 is a prepaid wireless service offering local, long distance and even international mobile to mobile calling. All Net10 prepaid wireless service is provided by TracFone Wireless Inc., America’s largest “No-Contract” cellular service provider in the U.S. with over 23 million subscribers. They provide coverage on America’s best networks and they offer the latest phone models, including Androids as well as unlimited calling, text and data plans for as low as $50 per month.

Party Details:

What: Latin Moves Twitter Party with Net10 Wireless
When: Tuesday, April 23, from 9 to 10:30 PM EST
Where: Twitter
Hashtag: #Net10Latino

Who to Follow:

Co-Hosts: @MamaXXI, @Thrifyninja, @Couponmamacita, @SocialSavvyMom @Ninasay

Moderators: @JollyMom @LatinoMarketing @LatinaMomBlogs

Brand: @Net10Latino

Prizes:

Winners will be selected at random, for a total of five (5) winners:

Prize Pack 1:

Autographed guitar from 3 Ball MTY
$10 iTunes gift card

Prize Pack 2:

Autographed microphone from 3Ball MTY
Autographed canvas from 3Ball MTY
$10 iTunes gift card

Prize Pack 3:

Autographed guitar from Tito El Bambino
$10 iTunes gift card

Prize Pack 4:

Autographed microphone from Tito El Bambino
Autographed canvas from Tito El Bambino
$10 iTunes gift card

Grand Prize:

Autographed canvas from 3BallMTY
Autographed canvas from Tito El Bambino
Autographed microphone from 3Ball MTY
Autographed microphone from Tito El Bambino
$50 iTunes gift card

This should be a fun party, a short distraction from an otherwise somber week. Join us next week to share what makes you move – – food, culture and la música!

RSVP HERE to be eligible to win prizes!

Make-A-Wish ® has been making children’s wishes come true for 30 years! Last year alone, Make-A-Wish granted nearly 14,000 life-changing wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Make-A-Wish experience can often be a turning point in the course of a child’s treatment, making them feel better, giving renewed strength that can even help them get better!

In the past year, I have seen many friends struggle as their precious children battled life threatening conditions. The depth of strength, faith and resilience it takes for a family to get through such an ordeal is nothing short of amazing. Any glimpse of hope or joy is always welcome. This is where Make-A-Wish can have such a meaningful impact on not only the wish child but the entire family. A wish-come-true brings hope and provides moments of happiness and inspiration for the child, the family and the community.

6 Make-A-Wish facts you might not know:

1. Make-A-Wish is one of the nation’s leading children’s charities.
2. Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes.
3. Make-A-Wish has granted more than 226,000 wishes in the U.S. since its inception in 1980
4. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to kids with life-threatening medical conditions.
5. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can influence the physical health of wish kids.
6. YOU can help make wishes come true!

A child’s wish experience has been described as the turning point in wish kids’ battles for health. Nearly three-quarters of wishes involve air travel, the largest cost associated with wishes.

Did you know that along with monetary donations, you can donate frequent flyer miles? {That are also tax deductible!} Every mile and dollar we donate reduces wish costs and allows Make-A-Wish to reach more kids with life-threatening medical conditions.

Make-A-Wish needs 2.5 billion air miles per year to grant wishes involving travel. From now through April 29, World Wish Day, WWE Superstar and wish granter John Cena will personally match every air mile you donate, up to 4.5 million. United Airlines will also support World Wish Day by matching the donations of its MileagePlus super members, up to 3 million miles, through April 30. To learn more or to donate miles go to wish.org/tickets, and help wish children take flight!

This year, 10,000 wish kids and their families will travel for a Make-A-Wish® experience. That’s 50,000 roundtrip tickets or 2.5 billion frequent flier miles. In honor of World Wish Day®, the day of the wish that inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish, visit wish.org/tickets and donate miles and dollars – and help wish kids take flight.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Make-A-Wish®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Pho happens to be my families comfort food of choice. It’s our go to soup in the winter but it’s definitely a soup for all seasons. Pho is especially good if and when one of us gets a cold since its hot, spicy and aromatic.

The traditional flavors in the broth are star anise, ginger and garlic. Common broth bases are chicken, fish or beef. In this recipe, I use a chicken base. I cheat by shredding two breasts from a plain flavored rotisserie chicken.

Hope you enjoy this very simple twist on Vietnam’s national soup.  Whether you enjoy your next bowl of pho at home, in a restaurant or at a noodle bar, you’ll be sure to add this tasty, ethnic soup to your list of favorites!

ăn ngon miệng nhé
Bon Appétit
Enjoy Your Meal!

We work hard to make sure that the boys are getting a solid education, that they work around the home to do their part but most importantly that we get to spend quality time as a family. It can be a struggle at times to find that balance between work and play.

There are a few things we try to do as a family to keep that balance: we eat meals together daily and try to have a game night each week when all electronics are turned to the off position. To manage household needs better, we do our daily chores together and though we are working, it doesn’t feel like such a chore as we work together to get it all done. I find that the more organized and efficient our home can run, the more time we have for the fun stuff. This includes purchasing products I can trust for our family and for the money!

You get what you pay for, usually, and I prefer to pay a little more to get a product that does its job well. One of these products is AngelSoft with its soft-shield layers now stronger than ever to hold up better when wet. Thankfully, with AngelSoft, I get more and pay less! AngelSoft is an ideal balance of softness and strength at a great value.

Grab a coupon to try AngelSoft for yourself and visit their facebook page to learn more!

How do you balance household needs so that you can spend quality time with your family?

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Angel Soft. However, all opinions expressed are my own.