Trista Laborn's Blog, page 15
May 9, 2016
P072: The heart of a homemaker pt. 2
Proverbs 31: 10-31 (amp)
10- An Excellent woman (one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent and virtuous), who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than Jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.
11- The heart of her husband trusts in her (with secure confidence), and he will have no lack of gain.
12- She comforts, encourages and does him only good and not evil all the days of her life.
13- she looks for wool and flax and works with willing hands in delight.
14- She is like the merchant ships (abounding with treasure) she brings her household’s food from far away.
15- She rises also while it still night and gives food to her household and assigns tasks to her maids.
16- She considers a field before she buys or accepts it (expanding her business prudently), with her profits she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.
17- She equips herself with strength (Spiritual, mental and physical fitness for her God-given task) and makes her arms strong.
18- She sees that her gain is good, Her lamp does not go out, but it burns continually through the night (she is prepared for whatever lies ahead).
19- She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle (as she spins wool into thread for clothing).
20- She opens and extends her hand to the poor and she reaches out her filled hands to the needy.
21- She does not fear the snow for her household, for all in her household are clothes in expensive scarlet wool.
22- She makes for herself coverlets, cushions and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is linen, pure and fine and purple wool.
23- Her husband is known in the city’s gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
24- She makes fine linen garments and sells them and supplies sashes to the merchants.
25- Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure, and she smiles at the future knowing that she and her family are prepared.
26- She opens her mouth in skillful and Godly wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue, giving counsel and instruction.
27- She looks well to how things go in her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28- Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired), Her husband also, and he praises her saying,
29- Many daughters have done nobly and well with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness, but you excel them all.
30- Charm and grace are deceptive and superficial beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord (reverently worshiping, obeying, serving and trusting Him with awe-filled respect, she shall be praised.
31- Give her of the product of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates of the city.
You can check out my last episode here
Episode on: You are a Proverbs 31 woman!
I can’t believe the file is lost, but here you can hear me sharing my heart on being a homemaker from a different point of view. Also here is the free download from Erin at the Humbled Homemaker
Want to find out more about Erin and her blog, Check out her…
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May 2, 2016
P071: The Heart Homemaker
Erin Odom, from the humble homemaker, shares her story on she came to know the Lord and a life changing event that really solidified her faith. The scripture she shared: 1 peter 1:7- “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
She shares the story of how she met her husband of over 10+ years of marriage. At the same time-sharing hard moments in her life God walked her through.
I LOVE Erin story, She shares different tough moments that rocked her faith but at the same time holding on to her faith.
Erin gives tips on becoming a successful homemaker
– Seek a Mentor
– Pray
– Reading blogs and books
– Get involved in a women’s group
Want to find out more about Erin and her blog, Check out her…
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P071: The Humbled Homemaker
Erin Odom, from the humble homemaker, shares her story on she came to know the Lord and a life changing event that really solidified her faith. The scripture she shared: 1 peter 1:7- “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
She shares the story of how she met her husband of over 10+ years of marriage. At the same time-sharing hard moments in her life God walked her through.
I LOVE Erin story, She shares different tough moments that rocked her faith but at the same time holding on to her faith.
Erin gives tips on becoming a successful homemaker
– Seek a Mentor
– Pray
– Reading blogs and books
– Get involved in a women’s group
Want to find out more about Erin and her blog, Check out her…
The post P071: The Humbled Homemaker appeared first on A Purpose Driven Wife.
April 27, 2016
The Military spouse community #MilspouseFest2016
I talk a lot about being part of a community but never really shared with you what that is or what it can be. I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a military spouse event hosted by militaryoneclick, here in San Diego. Militaryoneclick is a resource dedicated to enhancing the lives of the military families and friends of the community in just one click. Their website helps provide the latest news, jobs, opportunities, deals, and events. They just hosted an event called: MilSpouseFest 2016. The theme was “YOU be YOU!” Which I loved because as military spouses we come from all different types of background, experiences, knowledge and when we come together, We can be a blessing to each other, Militaryoneclick did just that with this event. For future event dates and places in your area check out their website for more information.
A community by definition, according to, Merriam Webster dictionary, It is a group of people with common interests and experiences, living together within a larger society. During hard times military spouses, find out a lot about themselves, you discover activities or hobbies you never thought you would enjoy. It’s events like this, that brings all of those ups and downs in life worth it. Events like this you get to experience other spouses going through the same things you went through or are going through, friends with similar interests and hobbies you both enjoy. Where else can you be part of a community of Military spouses sharing, laughing and best of all, eating together, talking about topics you don’t normally discuss with anyone else that would understand?
When I married my husband and was learning my way around the military community, there wasn’t a lot of military spouse events going on. and I was blessed with older, more experienced spouses that showed me the ropes, the ins and outs of the lifestyle. I also learned, with a lot of trial and error. To prevent the long nights of depression, crying and loneliness during deployments, I highly recommend going to events where you can learn, share and meet others in the same situation as you.
MilspouseFest is the event every military spouse should attend. When I arrived, there was such an excitement in the air, everyone was full of smiles, expectations was at an all time high! It was AWESOME!
The event started off with breakfast and an ice breaker to help get to know each other which was fun. We spent a good amount of time getting to know each other and moving around and switching tables. The next segment was Financial Feud, (from the website) Financial planning is like the latest fad diet; you already know what you are supposed to do and you have the best intentions to do it—but you keep getting in your own way. This segment includes a fast paced game that will help you think outside the box for new solutions. It was pretty fun learning from an expert on how to budget our money.
Next was lunch, which was SUPER yummy and then was the 3D survey and the 3E’s of employment. This was BY FAR, my most FAVORITE SEGMENT Of the event. For those that know me and that have following me on my blog, know that business, entrepreneurship is my PASSION! and to even have a segment on this spoke to me in so many deep ways in my heart. In the 3D survey segment, you will learn and (from the website), “find out what kind of employment will suit you best and how “you be you” in the employment world.”
In the 3E’s of employment, there were 3 categories, Enterprising, an Employee or an Entrepreneur, in each category you get connected to an expert that will help you with advice, tips and resources to help you along the way. I LOVED it. I walked away with questions answered, resources and inspired to know that I can do so much more!
Then the event was ended with a segment on marriage, which is another one of my favorite topics…MARRIAGE! The topic was, “The Marriage Vows We Should Have Said” In this segment you are re-writing vows according to the branch your spouse is in and together everyone come up with vows that speak to the experience and love you share with your spouse, marriage and the military, in a comical way. This was a fun exercise to end the day, In addition to a BUNCH of giveaways and cool swag!
All in all, I had a great time, I was able to meet Jo from Jo, my gosh in person and JD Collins, a blogger from semi-delicate balance and one of the author’s from the book Modern Military spouse, which you can check out here. Jo and JD were also at the event, giving away and signing books, to the first 100 attendees, I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to help support, my fellow military spouses!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received compensation from MilitaryOneClick; however, all opinions and work are mine.
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April 25, 2016
P070: Success includes rest
I LOVE to talk about business, entrepreneurship, motherhood and being a military spouse, battling odds that are stacked against them, to pursue their passion in business. At the same time, I’ve learned and written a book about my battle with “balancing” my role as a wife, mother, entrepreneur and everything in between. I don’t believe you have to grind in your business, promote “team no sleep” or work on your business 24/7 hours a day of the week. In the scripture I’m about to talk about, God created the heavens and the earth in a 7 day process, at the same time, Success is not a constant grind in your business, where you will hope to be successful. I believe when you follow the principles God layed out in the bible you can be successful, “balancing” being a wife, mom, entrepreneur and everything in between. You can experience good health, rest and abundant blessings, in every area of your life, for the rest of your life!
In Genesis 1-2:1-2 God created the earth in (a step by step process) 7days. The earth we live in today, didn’t happen in just one day and now were experiencing the success of God’s creation, It was a process.
Day one, “God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Genesis 1:3-5)
Day two, “And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. There was evening and there was morning, the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)
Day three “…And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. (Genesis 1:9-13)
Day four, “…And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. (Genesis 1:16-19).
Day five, “…So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. (Genesis 1:21-23)
Day six, “…And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:24-31)
Day seven, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. (Genesis 2:2)
Success includes rest. He did His work each day and on the seventh day, He rested. “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2)
Rest should be part of our “Success” routine that we have for our business. Let’s continue doing what God has called us to do and allow God to handle the rest. Podcasts and blog post, I’ve written about rest in your business
A Purpose Driven Wife Entrepreneur
A successful work/life balance at home
Success habits for entrepreneurs
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April 20, 2016
3 mistakes I made potty training and tips to help you be successful
I have three, beautiful children, with a HUGE age gap, almost a 10 year difference. Twins that are entering into that teen stage and I’m preparing my youngest for potty training, so needless to say, I’m pulled in different directions. During this season of potty training my daughter, I tried to think back to the experience I had potty training my twins and I just cringed at the thought of some of the mistakes I made, being a first time mother of twins, learning to potty training two children. I’m going to talk about the top three mistakes I’ve made in potty training…
Mistake #1- Comparing
Comparing my children, to each other, was a mistake and even with other children outside of the family. I felt like a failure as a mom. I didn’t want to be a “Lazy mom.” I was a new mom and didn’t have experience at all taking care of children. I just followed what others did and found really quick that was a HUGE mistake.
Mistake #2- Rushing
I have a boy twin and a girl twin. I was EXTREMELY blessed by having a daughter that, as soon as I showed her how to use the potty, she learned and used it on her own, with no accidents. My son on the other hand, was the complete opposite, It took him until he was almost 4 years old, training him was an awful experience for both me and him. My mistake was comparing my son to his sister, thinking it would be a quick process… It was not!
Mistake #3- Listening to bad advice
I was very frustrated with my son and trying to get him to potty. I would ask friends and older women for advice on how they were successful. I literally had one person say to me, they were able to potty train their child at 6 months and that because mine we’re older, I can be successful to… Ummmm…Yeah… anyway, I didn’t know any better. I felt like if she can do it, then so can I.
Now that you have read my awful mistakes, here are some tips, I’ve learned from the mistakes I’ve made…
Success tip #1-
Don’t Rush the process. If you see that One child was SUPER easy and your next child is the opposite, take your time no matter what. Don’t rush.
Success tip #2-
Make potty training fun. When I started potty training my oldest children, I dreaded it so much. I heard all of the hard, terrible stories of potty training and just carried that same negative energy into the “work” of potty training. I’m taking my time with my youngest daughter, I’m not in a rush at all, I want to ENJOY these moments.
Success potty tip #3-
Reward, Reward, Reward. Rewarding is the BEST part for both you and your child. Let the reward be their favorite candy, ice cream or stickers, etc for using the bathroom, you can share in the rewarding enthusiasm as well.
Success potty tip #4-
Be patient, every child is different… even twins.
Success potty tip #5-
Don’t punishment accidents. When my son made accidents, I felt like a failure as a parent and wanted to fix the problem. Soon I realized, he was learning, just like I was.
I pray these tips helped. Looking back at the mistakes I did, I’m a lot more patient and I recognize signs of when my youngest is ready. With that in mind, It will be more of an enjoyable ride for both of us.
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April 17, 2016
P069: The secrets to success in real estate and home buying
The secrets to successful real estate and house buying tips… Part two. I love the information Elizabeth from the blog, Reluctant land lord shares about the process of home buying and the business side. If you are in the military and feel like its impossible, I’m here to tell you it’s not. You can do it and Elizabeth shares tips on how you can do it.
The mindset of when you buy your first house as a business…
There is a lot of information when it comes to home buying and in real estate, she admits that she makes a lot of mistakes to get to where she is now. She is successful in buying 8 homes in different states and is making a business for her and her husband. All is stated in Part 1 of this episode of house buying as a business.
Elizabeth gives a GREAT analogy of the journey of buying a house for your family or as a business comes with trial and error and she compares that to when you have your first child and you figure out that an apple is his favorite fruit, that came with trial and error.
Even being a mom of twins, it was tough and is still tough but you keep going, you don’t quit. If house buying for your family or as a business is something you want to do you keep going through the tough stuff, Elizabeth explains its not easy and shares some stories of some hard times that her and her husband went through, the key thing is she kept going and is now sharing stories and encouraging others to do the same on her blog.
There is a way to make it work. DON’T QUIT!!!
Elizabeth shares that the military community is here to help you. She talks about her 1.3 million dollars in loan debt but is making money, I showed her October income report, in part one, check it out. She also, gives last words of encouragement for anyone looking to do this as a business, or you just want to buy a house for your family.
You want to check out what Elizabeth is doing or have a question, check her out here…
Website: http://www.reluctantlandlord.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReluctantLan...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reluctlandlord
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April 15, 2016
How to start a podcast
In the past couple of months, I’ve had several people ask me about podcasting. How I got started and how they can get started. I want to share with you some resources that have helped me and tips that keep me motivated as well. I’m not a professional podcaster, I’ve been doing it now for 2 years and I LOVE EVERY BIT OF IT!!!
I want to share what has helped me in the process of building and putting together my podcast. My story of how and why I got started, you can read here.
My podcast as grown a lot since I started and there’s still so much to learn but since then the number one thing I’ve learned about podcasting is to take it one step at a time and KEEP GOING!
Tips to get started…
Topic
Find your topic, you will be interested in talking about and listen to what other Podcasters are saying (Pun intended). You can go to iTunes (Apple users) and Stitcher radio (Android users). If you have any questions about adding your podast to iTunes, Check out iTunes website for more information.
2. Stay Consistent
When you start podcasting, it can be overwhelming, this website is AMAZING. This website, will help you get started with the basics of podcasting, it has a Free option and a paid program as well, to do deeper and learn more about podcasting. I linked the FREE option, it will show you the different programs to edit your podcast using either Mac or Chrome users. What I use is Garage band on my mac. I just “YouTube” the basic’s and learned from there, I’m still learning a lot.
3. Speak what’s on your heart
Once you decide whether or not you need a mic, (I don’t use a mic, right now, maybe later), Start recording. I use Garage band to record and edit all of my episodes and the website link, I mentioned talks about everything you will need to start recording, you can decide and also budget accordingly. You can also use Audacity, which is another FREE recording and editing program, that the website, I mentioned talks about as well.
4. Research, Research and Research
I talked about picking your topic, staying consistent and speaking from your heart. Once you decide to start your podcast, research your topic or Niche, you will be discussing. Once you start, get a Journal and write, write and write some more. For a FREE option to store all of you recording episodes you can go to Soundcloud and start there or you can go to another program I LOVE which is Buzzsprout. I LOVE them for a few reasons, #1– They are VERY helpful, any kind of crazy question, I had they were VERY quick to answer it. #2– They’re affordable. (Enough said). #3– They even show you other areas where you can promote your podcast, which I thought was cool.
5. Have FUN!!!
Don’t get so serious with podcasting that you lose out on the fun you can have with it. Many people will be listening to your podcast, getting to know you and maybe even changing lives. Don’t get so caught up in the “game” of podcasting that you lose the focus on the positive side podcasting.
I listen to a lot of helpful podcasts that helped and still helping me in my journey…
Michael Hyatt is one of them, Here is a blog post he wrote about starting a blog in 20 minutes.
He talks about starting a wordpress blog, which is a little advance, you can start with blogger and I have a post where you can start blogging and write your “Show notes”
I also have a friend over at “Living my someday” she is a vlogger and blogger and shares how you can use a different platform called: Squarespace than blogger and wordpress. She is AWESOME!
Another podcast, I believe is AMAZING called: Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur, great podcast and fun!
Lastly, another good podcaster you can listen to is Belah from Delight your Marriage. AMAZING content you will love and marriage.
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April 14, 2016
8 simple tools for raising healthy, thriving military kids
I received this book for review all opinions are 100% honest and my own.
I’m all about simple, add a game plan and you got my attention. I’m a busy entrepreneur mom of three beautiful children, that I love dearly. Living a lifestyle that is not very predictable, can be challenging at times for the children. My husband being in the Marine Corps, deploying and movie every 2 to 3 years to different locations can be stressful and tiring for military children growing up in an unstable environment.
So have tools in my back pocket to help with the crazy demands of a military lifestyle, I know will make life easier all around. I have eleven, going on thirty-three years old, boy and girl twins and think they know-it-all, want to do their own thing and sometimes navigating that on my own is tough and hard to deal with. I want to be able to raise my children in a Godly household and raise them up in God’s word, but sometimes I question, what does that look like?
I didn’t grow up in a christian household, so I don’t have any ideas to pull from or model after. I dependently, rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me through the ups and downs of parenting. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to come across this book, to be given an opportunity to read from Godly professionals about raising my children up healthy, without destroying their lives too much.
The 8 simple tools that Todd shares in his book: 8 simple tools for raising great kids and breaks down are:
Talking
Listening
Influencing
Connecting
Teaching
Encouraging
Correcting
Leading
Todd Cartmell, walks you through the nuts and bolts of healthy, effective parenting. Using examples from his home and 20 years of professional practice, Todd gives eight essential and practical tools to help you:
Maintain a healthy relationship with your child
Develop a nurturing home culture
Correct behavior in lasting ways
If you find yourself saying things like: “I love my child, but parenting is hard.” then this book is for you, whether you are in the military trying to navigate the world of parenting in an unstable world or you are not in the military, but you are a parent, a grandparent, aunt, uncle or guardian, trying to figure out how to be parent without destroying your child but raise them up in the word of God, then this book is for you.
This book: “8 simple tools for raising great kids” is designed for busy parents, with 8 simple tools breaking each tools into five short chapters that includes a summary tip and application questions. Even if you use only half of the tools in your parenting and you’ll help your child flourish and your family thrive. Using the word of God and years of experience from his practice Todd breaks it down, simple and easy and I LOVE it.
Interested?! You can get 50% off retail price of the book: 8 simple tools for raising great kids, when you purchase it at moodypublishers.com
Just type in the code: “GREATKIDS16” Expires May 15th, 2016.
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April 13, 2016
The struggles of a military child
This is the hardest post for me to write but sharing my heart helps. If you are new to my blog, I’m a military spouse, married to a marine, we have three children together, (Tween) boy and girl twins and our “Semi newest addition” 2 almost 3-year-old baby girl.
A New Season
I’ve been a parent now for over 10+ years and I’m entering into a new season of growth as a parent. My twins are entering into that tween and teen stage and attitudes are at an all time high.
During this season my husband is away for six months. My children are not new to deployments. My husband deploys a lot, my children grew up with him working hard.
This season is hard for me because I’m always questioning my parenting abilities. I want to train up my children in the teachings of the word of God (Proverbs 22:6), so I take it day by day.
When your son says to you (Out of the blue), “Why should I respect you?” the question he has asked my mom, his grandmother and even his father. He asked this question as a serious, “I’m not being treated fair” question.
How do you deal with that? I talk, and talk and talk, pray, share the word of God and try to live out the word, but I still feel like I failed as a parent. What do I do? How do I teach a child to respect you?
I didn’t grow up in a christian household and have no idea what that looks like. At the same time I want to teach my children God’s word and share with them the freedom that God’s word bring, especially in today’s world.
1 Corinthians 13 Parent
I’m so thankful to come across this book by Lori Wildenberg and Becky Danielson, called: Raising Big kids with supernatural love. This book came at such the right time in my life because I had no tools in my belt, other than prayer and reading this book helped me in so many ways.
This book answers the question, what does love look like when going through tough circumstances with your tweens or teens. It reveals qualities of love to infuse into your family, by bringing 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter in the bible, to life in parenting your children.
This book really encouraged me and has helped put some of the strategies mentioned into practice. One of the tools they mention in the book is patience. Patience being the foundational quality when showing love to your tweens or teens. One of the things I practice is patience with both of my twins and the different perspective, the word of God and other parent’s stories, similar to what I’m going through helped encourage me.
One of the most powerful things that was mentioned was about patience during the attitudes, the rolling eyes, stubbornness, the big sighs, etc, is that, It’s self-control in an out of control circumstance. I LOVE that because I don’t have the answers to different situations, I turn on that patience button, pray and give it to God.
Patience is self-control in an out of control circumstance. @1c13P
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Today, I still take it day by day and continue to pray for my children. I’m still dealing with attitudes, big sighs and rolling eyes but I now have tools and strategies, that I know will help, It won’t be an overnight success, this will be a Journey that I’m now prepared for. If you are in a similar situation as me, know that you are not alone. I recommend this book to anyone, who is looking to gets tools and strategies for your child(ren). This book will teach you:
Realizing the difference between kindness and enabling
Discover how to adjust your parenting approach
Increase family cohesiveness
Put respect back into your family
Replace rivalry with relationship
Deal with your anger (and your child’s)
Provide tools for your young person regarding temptation and more!
For more information about the authors and books, check out their:
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