Friday Findings: Geek Lovers and Living the Life

Frieday Findings on Modern RejectThis Friday, I find myself sick to my stomach on Halloween candy–candy that I have stealthily stolen from my children’s stash, mind you. A person can only eat so many mini Twix before things start to fall apart.

But here’s the good news: It is November, which means it finally feels like fall here in Arizona. Now, I’m not one of those people who get all kooky and start pulling out the Chirstmas decorations on November 1st (please forgive me for calling you kooky if you are one of those folks), but I do find myself feeling extra excited for this holiday season. What about you?

Well, one thing that got me smiling is this list of 20 Awesome Geek Gifts. Are you a geek, like me, or do you know a geek? Would they love a gift decked out in <html>, comic book heroes, or Pac man? Then this list is for you. So fun.

Now, I know I’m jumping the gun since we are still months from January and all of those resolutions we like to make and then not keep. But have you ever dreamed of living a life free of worry, limitations, and restrictions? Have you ever dreamed of quitting a job and traveling? Or having your dream job that allows you to wake up and enjoy each and every day? Yes? Okay, then you should check out my friend Breanna Chanson’s new blog Rare Existence: The Art of Extraordinary Living. (How great is that name by the way…)

Breanna is a talented photographer, alongside her equally talented husband, and they are (without sounding totally cheesy) living the dream. They are free. She is now writing to help guide and encourage others to do the same. It is good stuff.

Lastly, how much of a difference do Christian bloggers make? Have Christian blogs influenced you or helped you in any way? Has this blog done that? Well, my blogging homie Moe, of Beta Christian, is asking just that in his post The Christian Blogger’s Influence. He offers some great encouragement and reasons why people should blog for Jesus, so to speak.

Alright, what has caught your eye this week? Got anything new and exciting to share with me? Read anything thought-provoking, challenging, or weird this week?

 

Why You Should Babysit for Your Married Friends

Today’s guest post comes from none other than my blogging buddy, Ally Spotts. Ally is a talented and insightful writer who blogs about faith, relationships, and life. If you’ve yet to visit her blog, you’re missing out. I’m glad to have her back on Modern Reject. Enjoy. (P.S. I’m guest posting for Malisa at her blog today, as well about How I Became a Blogger. Check it out!)

It used to drive me crazy when my married friends would ask me to babysit for them.

A group of people would be going out to do something fun – usually a group of married couples – and they would ask if I wouldnʼt mind staying back with their kids. I would think to myself, “Really? How come Iʼm the one who has to stay home with the kids – just because Iʼm single??”

The thing I started to realize is that Iʼm not the one who has to stay home with the kids, usually. In fact, most nights I get to go wherever I want and do whatever I want.

My friends who are parents are the ones who have to stay home with the kids most of the time. And even when they get to leave the house, itʼs usually to do something they have to do. Even then it costs them a bunch of money.

If youʼre single I would challenge you to re-think the way that you see babysitting for your married friends. I did and what I found was that all kinds of good things come from offering free babysitting for my friends who have kids. Continue reading Why You Should Babysit for Your Married Friends

15 Things You Should Tell Your Kids

People say that marriage is God’s way of magnifying your flaws. You may have heard the phrase, “Marriage isn’t only to make you happy, but also to make you holy.” I agree with this sentiment, but I have to say that nothing has given me a kick in the butt of self-evaluation and conviction like becoming a parent.

Kids repeat everything you say. More than that, they remember everything you say, whether they tell you or not.  A parent has more power in their tongue to build up or tear down than anyone else on earth. Daily, I can choose to bless my children with my words or curse them. It seems like practicing the former would be a simple choice, but you’d be surprised at how much God has had to train my tongue since I became a mom.

I can think of things my parents said (or didn’t say) that greatly affected me. I never want to abuse this power or fail to speak life to my kids. With that said, here are 15 Things You Should Tell Your Kids… Continue reading 15 Things You Should Tell Your Kids

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid…

I really like to be scared. Since I can remember, I have had a strange love affair with horror movies. I remember watching Alien for the first time, hiding under my mom’s covers, peeking out with just one eye (my mom told me not to watch).

I remember seeing the Howling at a friends house and being terrified and completely riveted as a man morphed into a werewolf in the bloodiest, gooiest, and icky-est of transformations.

And I remember convincing my mom, at the age of 11, that I was old enough and brave enough to watch Stephen King’s It. She agreed, but with one requirement: I had to watch it alone, in the dark. She was trying to teach me a lesson. Well, lesson failed…except that I was afraid to brush my teeth for a week, for fear that an evil clown hand would come up through the drain and grab me.

Since I like being scared, for many years Halloween was the perfect time to be freaked out! But alas, I have little kids now. They are easily frightened. I cannot dress up as a tormented zombie or a dead bride any more {sigh}. I have to be semi-responsible.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t sneak in the occasional horror flick from time to time. Or enjoy seeing and hearing about other people’s fright nights. Here are some images of just what Halloween is all about to me–the costumes, the good scares, and of course, the candy. Enjoy… Continue reading Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid…

Friday Findings

Frieday Findings on Modern RejectHappy Friday! I don’t know about you, but this week flew by. You may have noticed some changes here on Modern Reject. My little blog went and got herself a facelift. There are a few more changes to come over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Also, early next week I’ll be hosting the first ever Modern Reject giveaway, in honor of my new and spiffy blog design. I’ll be giving away a slew of goodies, so be sure to check back because you won’t wan to miss it.

Last week on Friday Findings, I mentioned Ally Spotts to you, a blogger extraordinaire.Today, my husband and I are actually guest posting for her. We are the addressing the issue of whether or not you can (or should) have friends of the opposite sex once you are married. We’d love to hear your thoughts! So please, hop on over and share some comment love.

Some other posts that caught my eye this week that you might be interested in: Continue reading Friday Findings

How to Find a Spouse

Christians place a whole lot of importance on marriage, whether right or wrong. Not only do they elevate marriage, but they also tend to over-analyze and over-spiritualize the process of finding a spouse.

They take spouse-hunting as just that–a sport or game of some kind complete with playbooks, rules, regulations and penalties. Or they treat the process of finding a spouse as a purely spiritual, holy, righteous, and sanctified event–complete with God coming down from heaven and lightning in the sky.

So who’s right? Is finding a spouse as complex as drafting your fantasy football team or just as holy as the transfiguration?

Here are some thoughts on finding a spouse and what God has to say about it: Continue reading How to Find a Spouse

Is Jesus a Lover or a Fighter?

from the archives

When I thought of Jesus, I used to think of a lover. He is the lover of our souls, after all. When we see images or interpretations of Jesus in Biblical times, He is always portrayed as gentle, kind, and loving. I always used to imagine Him almost whispering His parables, as if to say, “Hush, still your hearts, quiet yourselves before me, and listen to what I am saying…shhh.”

We have all seen the stereotypical Jesus painting: The Son of Man, in a white flowing robe, with children, sheep, or both, strewn around His feet.

And then I read the Book of Revelation for the first time… Continue reading Is Jesus a Lover or a Fighter?

Your Kid is Gifted…Who Cares?

I know I might step on some toes with this one and I (truly) apologize in advance. I’m really not trying to be divisive or mean. I hope you’ll be understanding.

I’m not sure when this trend began–somewhere in the eighties, I’m sure, alongside the self-esteem movement. Parents were suddenly thrust into a world of comparison and competition. Oh, well, my kid did this and my kid did that. Out of this movement grew the increased pressure for children to perform.

Labels were slapped around liberally. Excelling. Talented. Superior. And my least favorite…

Gifted.

I am tired of hearing about kids who are “gifted.” There, I said it. If your kids are gifted, please, don’t hate me. Let me explain… Continue reading Your Kid is Gifted…Who Cares?

Introducing Friday Findings

Frieday Findings on Modern RejectUsually Fridays here on MR are called Favorite Things, where I list out some of the stuff I love from nerdiness to splurges, and even some of my guilty pleasures.

And after over a year of writing about my Favorite Things, it turns out that while I like a lot of things, I don’t like enough to blog about it for 14+ months. Sooooo, I’ve got a new bag of tricks for Fridays which I am calling (in case you didn’t read the title of this post for some reason) Friday Findings.

Now, I admit it sounds eerily similar to Favorite Things, but here’s the difference: Instead of any one topic (i.e. kids, road trips, etc) I will be sharing with you anything that caught my eye that week–whether it be a blog post, article, song, food item, pin, book, quote, or nonsensical item that I may presently be lusting. Anything is up for grabs. Now doesn’t that sound snazzy?

This also means that I need your help. Yes, you. If you happen to read a post, spot an article, or chow on some amazing grub (I like food okay? What can I say?) please send it my way. I’m always interested in discovering new things worth sharing and that’s exactly what Friday Findings will be all about. You will, of course, score the credit for your finding. Finders keepers, as they say.

And now, the 1st ever edition of Friday Findings… Continue reading Introducing Friday Findings

Just Your Average Joe

Today’s guest post comes from my friend Destiny Alfonso, who is not only lovely herself, but has a stylish blog called  A Place for Us. She blogs about home decor, entertaining, and all things beautiful (If you’re into decor like me, be sure to check her out). She also happens to love Jesus and so I invited her to share with us today.

…Or Jane. Average is a word that’s followed me most of my life. I’ve always thought of myself as an average girl. Not horribly bad,not angelically good. Just average.

Maybe it’s because I had two super smart siblings, one older and one younger, who were both labeled “gifted a”t an early age. Meanwhile, I had undiagnosed panic attacks during those gruesome second grade multiplication tests.

But then again it might be because while straight A’s put students on the honor roll,  I brought home a mixture of A’s and B’s and the dreaded C. I was on the average roll.

Throughout high school I lived for sports. Volleyball was my passion.During the off season I ran on the track team. I certainly wasn’t the worst person on the team. Nor did I ever come in last place in a race. But the best? First place? Eh. Just average.

I also love music. I played the clarinet and used that knowledge to teach myself to play the piano. I remember recording myself on my pink and teal boom box singing Brandy and Monica “That Boy is Mine”…  It was ok. Not GREAT. Actually, it was pretty funny. Yep… just average.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that I was labeling myself average. Every time I would try something new and have some success at it I would find myself saying, well, you’re not the best so maybe this isn’t for you.

Then one day as I was doing my daily devotional I came across a line that hit home… Continue reading Just Your Average Joe