Some things I think you might like reading

Okay, folks, here’s the deal. I read a lot (a LOT!!) of blogs and online publications. That results in a) eye strain, b) information overload and c) a backlog of great articles I want to share with you.

The problem? I’m not sure how to best share these articles. Though I use Delicious, Stumble Upon and sharing through Google, I don’t know that you necessarily will find the things I tag, stumble or share. And I want to make it easy for you.

Because, yes, I truly believe you’re all sitting on the other side of your screens, hitting refresh all day, waiting for me to tell you what to do. Riiiight.

Anyway, I’ve decided to begin posting a list of links regularly (or, let’s be honest, semi-regularly, because, yes, I am aware that I promised an amazing post about a couch way back when and have yet to deliver). I used to do this on Saturdays and call it “Random Readings.”

But I’ve decided I don’t like that. I would hate for anyone to feel that I consider his or her article random. This decision, however, leaves me with a dilemma: What do I call my semi-regular link posts?

So far, I’ve come up with Remarkable Readings, Lovely Links and Sunday Suggestions.

Clearly, I need help. Would you help me? Please – send me your ideas, share with me your suggestions, tell me what to do.

Because you know I like telling you what to do. For instance, read these:

• Mama Kat cracks me up! I love her take on cleaning in No One Ever Told Me.
• For a different perspective on cleaning (although still from someone who reportedly hates it), check out Christine’s new blog, I Dream of Clean.
• I’ll be making these fancy-schmancy (but not really fancy) deviled eggs for Easter lunch. Or dinner, depending on where you live. Because they have bacon. And cheese. And – really? You need another reason?
• Are you a blogger? Or a blog reader? Or both? Then you need to read OhAmanda’s tips for making bloggers happy and making your readers happy.
• Ashleigh writes beautifully about her husband’s recent deployment and what that means to her. Read What It Is, Going it Alone, and Rollercoaster. I’m so very thankful for the sacrifices her family and countless others are making every day.
• For the past few weeks, Mark and I haven’t spent much time in bed together. Yep, that’s right. I said it. Now get your minds out of the gutter. I'm talking about a situation caused by crazy coughing fits and supposed snoring. Thank you, allergy and sinus issues. Because of all that, Missy’s post about the marriage bed simply cracked me up.
• Following up her weeklong series on beauty, Sarah has posted links to everyone else who wrote about beauty. These stories are amazing.
• If you don’t already read Lisa-Jo’s blog, The Gypsy Mama, I highly recommend it. This woman has heart, humor and an unbelievable talent for painting pictures and moving hearts with her written words.

Have a great weekend! (And don’t forget to tell me what to name my link posts! I need HELP!)

I'm linking this post to Mandi's Saturday Stumbles!

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Weekend Links

Do you use social bookmarking? I’m talking Digg, Delicious, Stumble Upon. I’ve been experimenting with Delicious and Stumble Upon, and I’ve noticed lately that some bloggers do a weekly recap of the articles they’ve tagged, dug or stumbled.

I’m not going to do that.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d like to. But I don’t know how to do it. Yes, I realize I could just look at my list and re-type it. I think there’s some automated – or easy – way to do it, though. So until I can get that figured out, I’ll keep experimenting . . . and using my old system.

What’s that, you ask? Um, yeah, it’s keeping a list of my favorite recent posts and articles on a post-it. Or maybe a half-sheet of paper if the list gets too long.

If that method doesn’t work for you, check out Christine’s reviews of social bookmarking sites and see what you like. And then come tell me how to do it!

Now for the links I want to share with you:

• Missy is raising money to adopt a baby from Ethiopia by selling the cutest shirts.
  
• Amy has the cure for your bad mood or your case of envy. I’ve thought about these words every day since reading it.
  
• Did you read all the posts by the Compassion Bloggers? I still have a few saved in my Reader. It’s hard to digest all that they’ve shared with us.
  
• Shelly is writing a series called Intentional Parenting. She is a wise mother, and I love reading about the decisions she and her husband have made with their girls. I cannot wait until she writes a book!
  
• Have you heard? Savvy Blogging is having a conference in Breckenridge this summer. I’m pretty sure this just went on my wish list!
  
• Sarah is publishing a series of posts written by five women next week about beauty. She’s calling it We Are Full of Beauty, and she wants to know what you think about beauty, too. 
• Charlie dances away to a beautiful tribute to her readers - after telling Cover Girl exactly why she deserves a chance in their video contest.

Have you read anything good lately?

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Random Readings, 1.23.10

You all, I am FRIED. My bad mood just got worse and worse today. My morning started with Annalyn waking up an hour early, then moved quickly into news that a client had blasted me for a small mistake that I’d already apologized for and offered to fix by emailing my bosses about it. And then I ended the evening by backing into a truck when leaving my friends’ house after what had been an otherwise lovely visit.

So. These links are about as random as can be, and I don’t even think I can offer you much explanation. Please just know I’ve been collecting them all week, and for various reasons, I think you need to know about each and every item. Enjoy.

• Shelly began a series about intentional parenting, and I can’t wait to read her insights. She’s a wise lady who is raising teenaged girls, and since I know I’ll be there sooner than I think, I am trying to soak up as much of her knowledge as I can!
• Have I mentioned I love Chuck, the TV show? Yeah, just a few million times. Well, it turns out that the actor who plays Chuck is a Christian. I love that.
• Matthew Paul Turner, an author, blogger and husband of a fellow (in)courage writer, spent the last week in Uganda with World Vision. Read about his journey in Uganda Week.
• Shaun Groves is amazing. The work he does – and the passion with which he does it – for Compassion blows me away. And he’s doing it again, bigger than ever. Stay tuned for more info about the benefit he’s planning for Haiti.
• What do you do when you see homeless people? I always feel weird and end up doing . . . nothing. Jenn has a great solution and detailed instructions: Keep care packages for homeless people in your car, including items like toothbrushes, hand warmers, water bottle and more.
• Did you read the Babysitters Club books back in the day? Apparently, they’ve been out of print for a while, but they’re coming back and there’s a prequel. I might have to read that!
• If you’re a blogger and you’re not reading Savvy Blogging, check it out now. These ladies are offering up honest, realistic and so very relevant advice, and everyone who wants to improve their blog should be reading every word. I know I am. 
• And I'm over at (in)courage today, talking about a time (not the only time, believe you me) I got in trouble for rolling my eyes. You don't want to miss this one.
  

That’s all folks. Have a good weekend!

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Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today.

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I found out over the weekend that one of my dearest friends has left his wife of more than a dozen years.

As I learned about his affair and the battle that’s already begun over his two children, I sobbed. I didn’t know what to say, how to react, what to feel. I just knew that nothing about this situation is okay.

And I was reminded of a couple years ago when three of our couple friends (friend couples?) got divorced, all within a few months of each other. One couple went through a very public split that involved betrayal and infidelity; another couple lost a business, their house and eventually their love for each other. The third couple just stopped fighting and moved on.

I don’t say any of this lightly. Though I was close to each of the couples I’m describing, I’m well aware that I have no idea of the pain they’ve been through. All of my friends who have experienced divorce have hurt – they’ve hurt each other and they’ve been hurt themselves – and I know they still bear the scars of broken relationships, broken promises, broken hearts.

Thinking about this, facing this – it just makes me so sad. I don’t presume to know the details of anyone else’s relationship or what is right or wrong for anyone’s life. But I do know that each of my friends made promises to God and to each other, and those promises have been broken.

I’ve broken promises, too. Mark and I have been married for 10 years (woo-hoo!), but the majority of those years have been peppered with fights and frustrations and tears and tantrums and disappointments and – hmmm, I wish I could think of something else that started with a “d.” But you get the point.

We came into marriage with expectations and assumptions, and we each let the other down in every way possible. We’re going through a Bible study about marriage right now, and the chapter we just finished talks about focusing on the good things about your spouse and ignoring the bad things. Let’s just say we had that reversed for more than a few years.

Early in our marriage, we even considered whether or not we’d made a mistake by getting married in the first place. I said I didn’t know if it would work. I thought that maybe it wouldn’t.

I’m not sure how we made it through. Not without scars of our own, that’s for sure. But somehow, we kept putting one foot in front of the other. We kept coming home to each other. We kept trying to fight it out and figure it out. We talked, we cried (Okay, I cried. Mark handed me Kleenex.), we prayed, we screamed, we planned, we promised – and then we did it all over again.

Why did we stay together? Is it that we couldn’t stand breaking our promises for good? Were we afraid of disappointing our families? Were things really not that bad?

Well, no. They were bad. We’ve had, ahem, issues. But in the end, we still loved each other. (Even when we didn’t like each other at all.) And we realized that our problems didn’t make us want to escape the relationship. Instead, they just made us anxious – no, desperate – to fix what had gone wrong.

I am not judging my friends or anyone else who has ended a marriage. I know that it’s only by the grace of God that I have not been in their shoes. Those situations break my heart, but they also remind me of how blessed I am. I spent the afternoon after learning about my friend’s affair patting my husband on the arm, just making sure he knows that I’m still here, and that I’m glad he’s still here, too.

A few of my friends have written some beautiful posts recently about marriage, and I want to share them with you.

• Lisa-Jo wrote about expectations and the Prince Charming myth.
• Sarah wrote about her affair and how God redeemed her – and her marriage.
• And Alece shared the story of her husband’s betrayal and how she’s picking up the pieces.

I also want to hear from you, about your relationships, about your experience. How have you made it through tough times in your marriage?

Random Readings, 10.3.09

Looks like lots of folks are starting fun things in October. You’d think it was the beginning of a new season or something!

• Simple Mom is so smart. I may not be as green or organized or simple (in a good way) as her, but I am definitely going to try to take advantage of her latest plan for simple living. 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas starts with a budget and takes us through the cleaning (ugh.), and overall, looks like something I need in my life.
• Do you know The Nester? She is amazing. And sweet. Her creations and ideas blow me away, even when she says things like, “Tuck red and orange berry picks into your current arrangements and wreaths .” My current arrangements? Seriously. But this month, the Nester is hosting 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest, and I think even decorating dummies like me can handle it.
• I listen to K-LOVE most mornings on the way to work. And yesterday, I heard the morning team say that they’re doing the same thing I am this month: reading the 31 chapters of Proverbs during the 31 days of October. It’s not too late to join us! (I say, as if they really know me and we're in it together...)
• Have you read any good blog posts or articles lately? My favorite post of this last week was Becca’s post about measuring up.
• By the way, you can see other posts I recommend through Google Shared Items. (They're also featured in a widget in my right sidebar.)
• And don’t forget: get your favorite Halloween stories, ideas, recipes and memories ready for my carnival on October 30: Giving Up on a Perfect Halloween.

Have a great weekend! I suspect we’ll be up to our ears in banana-flavored treats, monkey-themed decorations, pink tissue paper and little girl giggles!

Random Readings 8.22.09

I haven’t done a Random Readings in a while, but since I read some really great posts in the past week, I decided to share them with you. Have you read anything inspiring, hilarious or interesting lately?

• Discipline: MckMama shares tips on disciplining kids. So timely for our house – anyone else relate?
• Ask me what I did last night: Amy wrote about freedom in Christ. And she blew me away.
• Checkout lines are no place for non-church attending Catholics. Jennifer had a terrible experience a couple Sundays ago. Made me feel sad…and mad…and a little guilty…
• Hope and Hope, part 2: Colleen bared her soul about her childhood, some changes she’s considering and how it’s all connected.
• Before I Was a Mom: Jill wrote about how motherhood has changed her. (And to think she claimed to have writer’s block before this? I’m not buying it!)
• Prayer: Why We Struggle (and how not to): Ann writes beautiful poetic words, and her post about prayer and why we don’t do it brought me to my knees.
• For class of '13, times are a-changin': Beloit College takes time to make me feel old. Thank you.
  

Have a great weekend. I’m hoping to clean my house, balance my checkbook (yawn), take the kiddo to the park and eat up this amazing weather, go with Mark and Smitty to a birthday party, and make it to church on time for choir practice before worship service. And then? A nap. With the windows open and the breeze blowing . . . and the Zyrtec on call.

Because I really don't have enough things to read.

I haven't been to the library lately. I have two overdue books and one book on reserve, but I just can't make myself go there. Partly because it's a pain to go with Annalyn these days. Apparently, it's more fun to push buttons on the self-checkout machine than to sit still while Mommy checks out her books. But partly because I just can't handle picking up one more thing to read.

But that's crazy! I love to read! Reading is my favorite thing! How can I feel this way? Where are these feelings coming from? Why am I exclaiming so loudly on my blog?

Oh yeah. If it's not the 118 blogs I subscribe to, it might be the five (5) magazines I'm reading at one time.

And I wonder why my head hurts and my eyes are getting blurry . . .

What's your favorite thing to read? How many magazines do you get each month?

Random Readings

Some serious, some funny. This…..[insert Ryan Seacrest pause here]…is Random Readings.

Two takes on why writers write:

• Want to Know the Real Reason Why You Write?
• Loving the Giver More than the Gift

Many bloggers wrote about the anniversary of Audrey Caroline’s birth this week. And many of those posts made me cry. Interestingly enough (because I can’t quite decide if I love this guy’s blog or not), Matthew Paul Turner’s post is the one that truly spoke to me. In the face of a perfect example of our God of grace and mercy letting bad things happen, Turner wrote, “I'm not sure that faith can truly exist without doubt. Doubt is what makes it faith and not science.”

Jo-Lynne writes touching reflections on parenthood, insightful recaps of American Idol and sweet, funny words about everything from kids to entertaining to fashion. But her post called Imperfect Christianity is the most beautiful, clear, convicting thing I’ve read this week. Nothing I can say here could add to it.

And because I just couldn’t bear to leave you with only serious, grown-up thoughts, please don’t miss MSNBC’s Facebook survival guide for awkward adults: What you need to know to avoid embarrassing your kids (and yourself). A few notes from this educational slide show:

• It's theoretically possible to set your privacy settings up so none of this happens, but honestly, you're probably not smart enough.
• In a sufficiently large population, 50 percent of everyone is below average. And now you have to listen to them sound off.
• There is nothing funny to say about Facebook applications.

There you have it, folks. What did you read on the internet this week?

Random Readings

• The Facebook Fast – Rock star blogger and author, Anne Jackson, gives up social media for Lent and explains that she believes online communication offers connection, but not community.
• Blood:Water Mission – Drink only water for 40 days (between March 1 and April 9) to help provide clean water for people in Africa. I’m doing it – will you?
• Her story, His words – I’ve only recently discovered Angie’s blog, Bring the Rain. If you haven’t met her yet, you can read her story here. This post brought me to tears as I consider the blessings God has given her and the work He’s doing through her – and how it’s all being made possible with Christian publishing.
• Renewing the View of You – Is it possible to leave the rubric of perfection behind for a day? This Gifted for Leadership article addresses the way we women are constantly judging and comparing ourselves. Here’s a snippet:
  

  “I know that comparison is a black hole of inadequacy, that there is not a more
  beautiful identity than fearfully and wonderfully made, that being bought at a
  price is the greatest expression of worth the world has ever known. . . And yet
  it never ceases to amaze me how we—smart, capable women—screw this up.”

• Top Websites to Visit When You’re Laid Off – Thanks to Worthington Wire for this relevant find. (And if you haven’t checked out that site, you should!!
• Why Facebook is for Old Fogies - Thanks to Heather for this one!

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Random Readings

It just so happens that most of my good finds for this week were about nerdy stuff - punctuation, word definitions, etc. So, go ahead and geek out with these random readings.

• Watch Yer Language reports that Birmingham, England is doing away with apostrophes. (I particularly like the AP Story that calls it an apostrophe catastrophe.)
• Brandilyn Collins talks about the Washington Post’s list of alternate definitions from 2008. These are really funny, although I was bummed when I couldn’t find a list for 2009.
• Buzzwhack is a site dedicated to de-mystifying buzzwords. (WARNING: If you can use more than three buzzwords in a single sentence while keeping a straight face, this site is not for you.)

I particularly liked these definitions from the Buzzwhack site:

• buzz.word (buz´wûrd) n. A usually important-sounding word or phrase used primarily to impress laypersons.
• buzz.whack.er (buz´wak er) n. A person who receives some degree of pleasure in bursting the bubbles of the pompous.

Heard any good buzzwords lately? A couple that I hear around my office are "turnkey" and "proprietary" - annoying, empty words that don't mean a thing. And they are used All. The. Time.

Random Readings

I read a lot of stuff on the Internet. A lot. And since I’m hoping – for your sake – that you don’t have this same problem, I thought I’d share the funniest, helpful, thought-provoking or otherwise interesting articles I’ve read recently. Here you go.

• Christianity Today names the most redeeming movies of 2008
• The Art of the [Facebook] Status Update
• Shaun Groves Discusses the Power of 456 Words a Day
• Karaoke Rage: When Innocent Singing Turns Violent
• 50 Ways to be Cheap on Valentine’s Day Without Looking Cheap

What about you? Read anything (online) good lately?