Have you ever noticed how you can think of something and before you know it you're smiling? We want to put smiles on your faces so we compiled a list of "smile worthy moments." These are things that make not just our face smile but our hearts smile too. See if you agree.

Our Top Ten Things Today:

1.  The smell and feel of freshly laundered sheets.
2.  The warm sun kissing our face.
3.  A child's sweet embrace.
4.  A card in the mail from a dear friend.
5.  Dark chocolate.
6.  A photograph of a treasured memory.
7.  Someone else doing the dishes.
8.  The aroma of fresh brewed coffee.
9.  Planning get togethers.
10. Giving compliments.

What's on your top ten list? Let us know!

Smiles are contagious. Spread some happy today. 

#topten #smile #start #happy #worthy #moments #contagious #angels #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme #kids #books

Is your wedding dress still hanging in your closet? Are you torn between keeping it, selling it, or just not sure what to do with it? There is a worthy organization that does something very special with wedding dresses. It honors both your dress and the receiver.

The organization is called Care Wear. They take wedding dresses and make baby dresses out of them for preemies, stillborns, and other little ones in the hospital. There are 500+ hospitals around the country that accept donations if you can not find a Care Wear organization near you.

I donated my beautiful wedding dress. The volunteer who took it suffered the loss of a baby 40 years ago. Her testimony made me cry. She was soo grateful to receive the dress and told me that they make dresses for stillborns and the need is great. Who knew? I was glad to be able to do my small part. 

If you have a wedding dress or know someone who does, please share this blog or tell them about Care Wear (carewear.org).

What you wore on your happiest of days will be the most beautiful gown a baby will ever wear. That gesture of kindness to a family in their hour of pain will bring them gratitude because someone cared.

#carewear #caring #kind #wedding #allaboutthedress #stillborn #grief #donate #angels #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme #kids #baby #children

...when they're with other people. Anyone else relate? I know you do because I've talked to you and we've shared the same sentiment. We've even languished together over our paradox.

Why is that? Maybe our kids are soo comfortable being around us they let loose and are without restraint. Maybe it's us. Maybe we scrutinize their every move that we don't see the good they do as easily as others notice. Could be a combination of both.

Possibly we expect more from them because, after all, they are our kids. In a way they represent us and our family. Their behavior reflects on us for good or bad. And maybe we just want some peace and quiet in the house and they don't know what that looks like because we are juggling so many balls.

My Mom and Aunt stay the night when my husband and I go away. I think they watch the neighbors kids. Because the kids they describe - those sweet angels - my husband and I don't recognize. Those angels they describe get out of bed and get ready for school without a peep being told to them. They do their morning routine early enough to even watch tv before school. ALL without being told once what to do.

Now when it's just us, there are several attempts to rally the troops out of bed. Then comes the circus of getting dressed. Let alone getting breakfast on the table and eaten; backpacks and lunch boxes packed; teeth brushed and out the door without huffing and puffing to get to school before it starts. Go figure!

Thinking about this I'm learning to cut myself some slack. In reality, if they are going to be angels anywhere I would rather it be with others. I will love them whether they act like the devil or not. Others love is more conditional. And that "p" word - "patience" - maybe that's what they need more of from me.

Love 'em and keep 'em  - angels or not - they are ours. It's a paradox of parenting.

#angels #kids #paradox #parenting #not #others #whereisyourangel
#angelwatchingoverme #books 

Don't you just love good news? It lifts your spirits and gives you hope in the present and for the future. Well, yesterday offered the best news the world has ever known and we have a poem to cap off the Easter weekend.

We posted it last year and it was such a hit here it is again for you to soak in and relish the good news.

It's Empty!
by Evangeline B. White
4.2.18
​
The day started somber on the way to the tomb.
Spices in hand, grieving hearts, a sense of doom.
The earth shook suddenly, a violent quake.
An angel came down and some noise he did make.
The guards were first to see this marvelous sight.
As the stone was rolled away by the angel's might.
Like dead men the guards froze and fell.
Then scurried to the priests their story to tell.
The women went in to the tomb to see
Their Savior called Jesus from Galilee.
His body was gone. The tomb was empty.
Two angels appeared and said, “He is risen from the dead!”
In wonder the women went out to tell the men
What they heard, saw, and where they had been.
In amazement Peter and John ran ahead,
To see if it was just as the women had said.
Inside the tomb only linen clothes lay,
Folded and neat; then the men went away.
Jesus appeared to the women with greetings.
Then along the road and in the midst of a meeting.
Jesus is alive and holds in His hand,
Keys to death and hell, under His command.
Good news to all, to all who will hear.
The Savior has risen, no need to fear.
Respond to His knock and answer His call.
His blood paid the price once and for all.

You can find the stories in this poem outlined in Matt. 28,  Luke 24, John 20, Rev. 1:18 ​

#goodnews #easter #yay! #empty #done #hope #future #angels #kids #books #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme

In keeping with tradition where we write an angel poem that relates to the holiday, we have one for Good Friday. It appeared on our blog last year. We repost it today as we commemorate the day of Jesus' death on the cross.

As you read and reflect on the words, may the significance of this holy day resonate anew inside your heart.

Darkest Hours
by Evangeline B. White
first posted 3.30.18

On the Mount drops fell from His forehead down
Sweat and blood dripped when no one was around
The others fell asleep, unable to pray
It was the beginning of the darkest day
An angel came and ministered to Jesus
Gave Him strength for the price He'd pay to free us
The crowd who praised Him the week before
Came to betray Him, honor Him no more
With swords and false words they came to indict
Rome against the Savior, yet He withheld His might
His disciples scattered no more in sight
They knew this wasn't good and shrunk in fright
Brought before Pilate and Herod He was
beaten, mocked, insulted, spit upon because
Darkness reigned during those hours
When the Son of God relinquished His power
Angels could have come at the sound of His voice
But they watched and waited as this was God's choice
Women mourned and wailed for the cross was His fate
On His shoulders sat the whole world's weight
A crown of thorns was forced upon His head
The charge against Him, "King of the Jews," it read
His skin ripped apart from His head to His feet
Beyond recognition He had been beat
With a final cry He breathed His last breath
It was the darkest day, the Savior's death.


#Easter #goodfriday #cross #angel #darkest #king #crown #beaten #sin #savior #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme

Are you a half full or half empty kinda person? How about one of your kids?Are you looking for something to help them see the silver lining?

One of my kids has a tendency to be grumpy. (I even bought him the book, "What Are You So Grumpy About?") In order to curb his negativity and start him off early on seeing things in a better light, we started a "Grateful Journal" when he was about 2 years old. He understood happy and sad and was able to articulate himself well.

Our Grateful Journal comes out at dinner time. We go around the table and ask, "What are you grateful for today?" The date is put at the top of the page, then the family member's name and their answer. The journal is nothing fancy. I bought it at Walgreens and it's about 2" x 2". We have been doing this off and on for about 6 years. 

As a family, it gives us an opportunity to reflect, to connect, and find out about each other's day. We like to go back and see our answers from the past too. Some are funny, some serious. Here's a don't crack up in front of him answer from Grumpy when he was 3: "There is nothing to be grateful about." Oh my!

Even though he can still be grumpy and fuss he has been given the tools to look at life with a better outlook. Sometimes he will ask if he can be the scribe for our journal. It makes this Momma smile.

#grateful #journal #memories #family #kids #grumpy #better #smile #angels #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverm

Looking to make Easter a lil more meaningful than a bowl full of jelly beans? When my youngest was 4 his preschool teacher introduced us to a special way to celebrate the season. Our family quickly adopted the idea and it's part of our DNA now. So far, anyone who experiences it because of us is absolutely delighted!

This is what we do. We egg people's homes. Not just anyone's homes. We egg people we know and are fond of. We have egged teacher's homes, pastors' homes, neighbors' homes, friends' homes, relatives' homes. No one on our radar is immune. We even add more homes to our list every year. We call what we do "Operation Egged." It's our stealth mission and we take it very seriously.

Just last night we egged a friend's house. They were going away for Easter, leaving today, and they were on our list so we had to act quicker than we usually do. (Angela if you are reading this, it might not have been us...just saying.)

This is how it works. We take plastic Easter eggs and fill 11 of them with sayings. Sometimes we have put candy in them but lately we just put Easter sayings in them. That way the eggs are 100% ant proof. You can do it however you want - sayings, candy, prizes, etc. One egg has nothing in it, it's empty! We hide the eggs in their yard and the front of their house. (Because we are stealth, we try to do this when the sun goes down.) The last thing we do is put a notice on their door that is in the shape of an egg telling them they've been Egged!

Now here is a treat for you. On our website, for the rest of the week, under the Kid's page are all the sayings we put in the Easter eggs and the "You've been Egged!...." saying. You just have to cut out the sayings and put them in your eggs and cut out the saying in an egg shape. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the true reason we celebrate Easter.

As a family, we are spreading Easter joy a dozen eggs at a time.

#easter #eggs #eggsellent #joy #dozen #empty #goodnews #stealth #fun #almostbusted #memories #kids #family #dna #angels #whereisyourangel

Are you passionate about Pinterest? Before getting on the Pinterest bandwagon, I knew friends who were crazy over their Pinterest Boards and all the ideas they found on Pinterest. They wouldn't throw a kids' birthday party until inspiration struck while browsing Pinterest.

We have caught that same bug here at Where Is Your Angel?™ We started out with 3 Boards and now we have 10 Boards and over 1,400 pins. Now some of you may snicker because those numbers pale in comparison to other "Pinners". But we are quite proud of our over 1,000 pins on Angel Recipes alone and we continue to add more Pins.

Let me introduce you to more of the Boards on our Pinterest page. One of our "newbie" Boards includes parenting advice for younger kids. It's called "Parenting Lil Angels". You will find lots of good go-to practical parenting advice there.

Our local Chick-Fil-A has us come in a few times a year so we decided to add a Board with all that we do there. I wanted to call it "Holy Cow!" but instead it is aptly titled "Chick-Fil-A and Angels." It's always a treat to go to Chick-Fil-A for Family Night.

This Angel Blog we started putting up on Pinterest too. So you can read it on whichever social media platform you like. Need a pick-me-up or an inspirational quote? We've got you covered on our Sound Advice Board.

Want to see where angels pop up and with who? Check out the Angel Antics Board. Those angels show up in some fun places making all kinds of friends along the way. Want a peek inside the angel books or see where we introduce the angels? Then the Where Is Your Angel?™ Board is something that would interest you. 

If angels and Pinterest are your thing, then we've got you covered. Follow us to keep up with all things angels!

#pinterest #angels #crafts #recipes #halohair #chickfila #books #kids #memories #parentingadvice #whereisyourangel

Not sure about your household and your kids but my kids fight and say mean things to each other on occasion. I started implementing something that was successful with my niece and nephew when they were growing up. 

My nephew (who is 6+ years older than my niece) would belittle her regularly. That was not good for her self-image and quite frankly wasn't healthy for him to be saying those things either. When it happened in my home instead of having him apologize I had him do something else.

I wasn't just interested in the words he was saying. My concern was the matter of the heart and the condition of their souls. Sticks and stones may break bones but oh those words will do someone in!

When my nephew starting in on my niece, these are the steps I took to turn it around. I had him stop saying those things. Then he had to look his sister in the eye and say 10 nice things about her. And NONE of them could be about her appearance. He couldn't say, "You have a nice shirt on." or "I like your hair." It had to be about her - as a person, as a sister, as a member of the family.

He struggled through the first few things nice to say. Then when he got to the 5th or 6th one something shifted. He started being sincere and her posture started to improve. Admit it or not, it was as if he was grateful to speak life into his sister's heart. His posture towards her changed. It wasn't "lording over" it was "speaking over." As his dialogue towards her changed, she changed. And you know what, in her head she was counting to make sure he got to 10 and she was relishing in his compliments! What a difference it made.

Well, this past week I had to pull that tool out of my parenting tool box. I dusted it off when my youngest started berating the oldest. To which my oldest jumped on the name calling band wagon and reciprocated. Mommy said, "Pause!" Then I had them stand face to face.

The youngest proceeded to say 5 nice things or something they appreciate about the older one. (Five because of their ages. The number will go up the older they get if they repeat this behavior.) After each nice or uplifting statement, the other sibling had to say, "Thank you, (the child's name here)." Then it was repeated with the older one speaking kind things and the younger verbalizing thanks. It ended with a hug.

Whew! It changes the atmosphere, gets them to think, and makes a difference in their interactions. Change the words and change the course.

Here are some good Proverbs about words and how they are spoken:
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Prov. 15:1
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Prov. 16:24

May peace and harmony be in your home as you use the tools in your toolbox well!

#words #fighting #uplifting #atmosphere #tenthings #toolbox #turnaround #angels #kids #books #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme #sweet

We love Wingsday around here. In your office you may call it hump day but here we affectionately call it "Wingsday!" If angels are your thing then feel free to call it "Wingsday" where you work too!

To tickle your funny bone and get you to the weekend, we have a funny Walmart story about a husband and wife who are retired. 

It allegedly goes like this:

Walmart sent a letter to the wife stating that the husband was no longer allowed in the store. Walmart had documented all the things he was caught doing while she shopped unaware. 

On different trips over the course of 3 months he:

*set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off in 5 minute intervals
*made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms
*went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway
*moved a "Caution Wet Floor" sign to a carpeted area
*set up a tent in the camping/sporting goods section and told other shoppers they could join him if they brought pillows from the bedding section
*when a clerk asked if they could help him, he cried and said with a shriek, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"
*in the Auto Department he practiced his "Madonna look" using different sized funnels
*he hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through he yelled, "Pick me! Pick me!"
*went to the TV/Electronics section of the store and made videos of himself picking his nose and eating his boogers on all the recording devices.

Now, I'm not sure how true this story is but we can imagine the wife would be utterly humiliated by her husband's actions. We also admonish you not to try these at your local store. You wanted to be greeted when you walk in not banned.

Happy Wingsday!

#happywingsday #walmart #funny #husbandantics #wifeshopping #trip #angels #booksfor kids #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme