5 Tips to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

I have lost 30 lbs so far this year and have kept it off for over 6 weeks! I am not about to let the pounds start piling on again during the holidays. My goal is to keep maintaining and then hit it hard again in the new year to lose the last 10 lbs! Who's with me?

1. Keep Moving -- Try to get in a little exercise everyday if possible. If not, then at least several times a week. If nothing else, get outside and walk around the block a few times. To get the most out of your workouts, workout in the morning and include intervals. Working out first thing in the morning will get your metabolism going and intervals will increase the amount of calories burned, allowing you to keep burning calories long after your workout is over. And by intervals, I simply mean change up your pace during your workout. If you are on the treadmill, instead of walking at the same steady pace the entire time, try walking at a moderate pace for a few minutes and then speeding up for a few minutes. Keep these alternating cycles going for your entire workout. Not only will working out counteract your calorie intake, but also the stress of the holidays and we all know that stress leads to weight gain!

2. Don't Overeat -- Stop eating when you are full. Don't keep eating just because it is sitting there staring at you or because you are bored. Remember that portion sizes should be no larger than the palm of your hand and that it is better to eat several small meals in a day than a few large meals. It's okay to splurge but just a little bit at a time. When the temptation is just too strong, get out of the house. Go for a walk or drink a glass of water to take the edge off.

3. Count Calories -- Keep track of what it going into your mouth. Journal it if you have to. Count calories or Weight Watchers points. Don't just eat everything in sight, all day long. You would be surprised how much you eat when you are not paying attention. They say 80% of weight gain/loss is what you eat. Only 20% is related to your exercise regimen.

4. Drink Water -- And lots of it! You should intake at least 64 ounces a day, or more. Water speeds up the weight loss process and will help cleanse your body of the extra sugar and fat you will be consuming over the holiday season.

5. Eat Early -- Make sure to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going. And try not to eat after 8:00 pm or at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Avoid late night snacking because those calories will not get burned off. But do make sure to get some good, quality sleep which also assists in weight loss.

Hope everyone has a blessed holiday season with loved ones! Enjoy some of the fabulous food but don't blow what you have worked so hard to achieve!

Feel free to leave comments with any other ideas that you have for avoiding holiday weight gain!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

{Hope for the Home}: (Gluten Free) Pumpkin Donuts

When Ben and I adopted our little Judd man, we had no clue how to deal with, navigate through, or 

prepare in any way for food intolerances. In fact, we really didn't know anything about them. We were adopting a 7 year old boy from a mental institution in Eastern Europe with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. That was pretty much the extent of our knowledge.

Neither of us were experienced in special needs. None of our children had ever had so much as a learning disability or allergies to foods (that we knew of). And when you adopt a child that you know has not received anywhere near what he or his little body has needed to grow and heal properly and who seems desperately hungry at all times, you just want to feed them. Anything, everything. Watching him eat, and smile, and get full brings you immense joy.

But after months of tummy issues, and many doctors, and many tests for parasites, we were still no where near finding a solution. He also had many skin issues. We had treated him twice to get rid of the scabies he had, but his poor face and bottom were constantly breaking out and itching. Refusing steroids and treating with lavender oil did help alot, but was not the cure!

One day I just woke up and made a decision, which I attribute to God. I decided to go dairy and gluten free for Judd. Overnight. Here we go. No clue how to do it, but we were off to see the Wizard!

Although I had read that children with DS can be much more 

apt to have Celiac's, Judd had tested negative. And I know I had a blog reader mention to me months prior that the testing for Celiac's can be tricky, but I really paid no mind to any of it. Until that morning!

Judd had a routine doctor's appointment that same week and I informed the Doctor of what I was in the process of doing. He laughed at me! He said that Judd's tests for Celia'cs were negative and that removing both items was not wise. He then laughed and said his gut feeling was that if there was any issue at all it was the dairy. Laughing at me makes me more determined!

Within 2 weeks of removing these items Judd had his first solid (if you know what I mean)

in 8 months! Within 6 weeks he was completely toilet trained, a HUGE issue resolved. HUGE!

And after about 4 solid months on this diet, I added back in a few things to see the reaction. He can handle a little Yogurt and cheese causes IBS type symptoms, so we keep mostly to our non-dairy diet. And gluten causes his skin to go haywire, not to mention the tummy issues and the most-likely behavior issues as well. Those can be hard to determine because we have so many things going on and Judd for the most part is non-verbal. 

I could go on and on. And many of you reading may be very familiar with gluten sensitivities,

and food allergies and issues. But since our decision we have met many parents that ask us questions like...

- How did you get Judd's skin so clear? 
- How did you get him toilet trained?

I tell them, beg them practically, to remove these items from their children's diets to see if it helps.

Usually their response is "Oh that would be too hard!" But if I can do it, anyone can do it! I'm not the most organized, goal-oriented or disciplined person around. Just do it. The results could be life changing! 

Your child may not have DS, but gluten especially, can cause many negative reactions in children and adults alike....behavioral, skin, health, learning, etc. Not everyone will test positive for Celiac's, but gluten sensitivity is just as real.

Now, on to the good stuff! Here is our new, favorite recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts!

These are delicious and EASY, and the ingredients are some of the easier ones to find.

1 Cup Sorghum Flour

1 Cup Potato Starch

1/2 Cup Almond Flour

1 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup cane sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. Sea salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all above ingredients, sifting flours.

3 eggs beaten

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup expellar pressed canola oil

Beat together and add to dry ingredients.Then add 1 14oz can of Pumpkin.

Fill a donut pan 2/3 full and bake on 350 for approx 18 minutes. Make sure to spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.

(I found my donut pan at Bed Bath and Beyond for less than ten bucks!)

Original Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess.

We frosted half of the donuts with our favorite cream cheese frosting!

4oz cream cheese

4 oz butter

2 tbs Vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Beat with hand mixer until nice and creamy.

Random Houshold Tip: 

I just read in one of my favorite Magazines (Mary Jane's Farm) to store a sheet set in one of it's pillow cases! Brilliant!

Go here for more ways to make God apart of your everyday life and home!

Linking up with:

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About the Author: Melanie Hartman blogs about her life on the farm and her family's rescue adoption over at Happy Hartman Farm. Her, her husband Ben, and their 5 children are just an average American (Military) family trying to serve Our Lord and Risen Savior, hoping not to live their lives in vain, with hearts that are burdened for the orphan crisis in this world.

Black Bean Dip...my all-time favorite (go to) party appetizer + tailgate party game ideas!

I cannot believe our 31 day series has come to an end! And I cannot believe I blogged about 1 topic for 31 consecutive days, without missing a day!!! It was so much fun! :)

I have saved the best for last! Today I am sharing my absolute favorite party appetizer...Black Bean Dip! I'm sure you will love it too, assuming you love all things Mexican like I do! It is SO easy to make and would be the perfect dish to kick-off your tailgate party!

When I was in college, my mom used to make this every Sunday for me and my volleyball team! We would go to her house to do laundry, study and just get caught up from a long weekend of games and being on the road. She made us all kinds of treats but this was always my favorite!

Ingredients:

-1 8 ounce package cream cheese
-1 15 ounce can black beans with jalapenos (or without, but I think they give it more flavor)
-1 can Rotel tomatoes
-shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions:

Spread softened cream cheese in bottom of pan. Drain and rinse beans and layer on top of cream cheese. Drain juice from Rotel tomatoes and spread on top of black beans. Sprinkle layer of shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

While your guests are munching on this yummy appetizer, have them fill out game sheets with their predictions of the game (winner, final score, player who scores first touchdown, quarters when touchdowns are scored, etc) and have prizes for who gets the closest!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit! And be sure to join us every Friday as we continue our "Dress Up Your Tailgate" series, now that our "31 Days to Dressing Up Your Tailgate" series is over!

Linking up with:

.

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Boo! Teacher Halloween Treat...plus a few ways to make Halloween about God!

Some Christians choose to avoid all things Halloween and I totally "get" that and completely support their decision.

We don't "celebrate" Halloween either...but we do participate in cute, fun fall activities such as carving pumpkins, dressing up in (non-scary) costumes and going trick-or-treating!

Check out the following links for a few ways we have tried to make Fall and Halloween about God:

The Pumpkin Patch Parable
Fall Focus on God
How a Christian is Like a Pumpkin
Raising Biblical Superheroes

I happen to agree with this article from Focus on the Family, challenging families to pursue light instead of darkness during the Halloween season.

Tonight, my boys are dressing up as Transformer Bumblebee and Wolverine to attend our annual church fall festival. Should be a good time...will post pics afterwards!

For now, I wanted to pop in real quick and share this cute and easy "treat" I made for Little A's teacher today...

I simply dipped Milano cookies (Little A's and my favorite) into a bowl of melted white chocolate baking bars (followed instructions on package), let them sit for a few minutes, put mini chocolate chip "eyes" on them, let them sit for about 30 minutes and then packaged them up with this cute and free Boo Printable from Anders Ruff with a sweet note written on it.

We'll see if he actually gives it to her...he is super-shy when it comes to those types of things! :)

I hope you and yours have a safe and fun day, whatever you choose to do!

Happy Fall, friends! :)

Linking up with:

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Football Cake Pops

When we lived in Green Bay (land of the Packers), we attended a fantastic Superbowl watching party every year...best game-watching party I have ever been to!

Everything was green and gold (including the popcorn and the snow out front), the food was delicious, the decorations were fabulous and the party games were a blast!

Last year, to top it off, she even had football cake pops!

So fun and so yummy! Little A loved them! In fact, all the kids (and adults) loved them!!

Go here for a tutorial on how to make your own football cake pops, guaranteed to make your tailgate party the talk of the town!

I hate that we will not be in Green Bay for the big game this year but I know the party will go on without us! :)

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

Linking up with:

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Southwest Seven Layer Sliders

Big A frequently fires up the grill around here...burgers, dogs, you name it! I have seen this image floating around Pinterest recently and I think it looks like such a fun twist to the regular tailgate burger!

Image Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff

Yum! They remind me of the Chili's Big Mouth Burgers (which we LOVE) and I can't wait to try them at home! Go here for the recipe.

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Our Annual Pumpkin Party!

Every fall we host some sort of fall party for the boys! Sometimes it includes costumes, sometimes trick or treating...but always pumpkins...pumpkin decorating, pumpkin games and pumpkin treats!

This year was no exception! We served pumpkin pie croissants and pumpkin cupcakes...and we gave out pumpkin cookie party favors. Everything was orange and yummy! I got all the paper goods and cookie packaging supplies from the dollar bins at Target when I went with my friend Kara a few weeks ago. I love a good deal and they always have such cute things in those bins!

The boys and their friends had a blast decorating their pumpkins with paint, glitter, buttons and stickers!

They also enjoyed games of pumpkin ring toss and pumpkin bowling!

And of course a game of baseball broke out! You can't tell from the picture because Big A had just mowed, but we actually have a baseball field mowed into the grass in our front yard...we play lots of baseball around here!

I wanted to get a picture of all the kiddos with their decorated pumpkins, but I thought that might be pushing my luck! :) I did get a picture of Little A and Little E's finished pumpkins!

Pretty creative! I think I have a couple of little artist's on my hands! ;)

All in all it was a great party!

What about you? Do you have any fun fall party ideas?

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Pumpkin Pie Croissants

This afternoon we had our annual Pumpkin Party for the boys and their friends! Look for a post soon with the details of the party. For now, I wanted to pop in and give you this quick and easy recipe for the Pumpkin Pie Croissants that I served. They would be perfect for your tailgate party, or any fall party!

Ingredients:

- 2 tubes crescent rolls
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
- pumpkin pie spice
- sugar

Open and separate the crescent rolls. Beat together cream cheese, 1 can of pumpkin, 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 4 tbsp sugar. Place one spoonful onto each crescent and spread. Roll each crescent up and then roll each one in a mixture of 4 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until browned.

Recipe courtesy of Shaken Together.

So easy and a perfect party finger food!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

(Free) Football Party Food & Drink Printables

Image Courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess

Hop on over here for a whole collection of (super cute) football party food and drink printables, including popcorn boxes, beverage holders, cupcake toppers, pretzel bags and snack baskets!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

DIY Football Candy Pouches...the perfect tailgate party favor!

These football candy pouches that I found over at Craftaholics Anonymous are super cute and they would make the perfect tailgate party favor!

And the best part is that you can make them at home! Go here for the full tutorial.

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Chocolate Covered (Football) Strawberries

This is such a simple way to dress up any game day party this fall...

Ingredients:

-fresh strawberries
-melting chocolate
-a tube of white icing
-wax paper

Directions:

1. Wash the strawberries and let them dry. (Do not slice them and be sure to keep leaves on them for dipping)

2. Melt the chocolate (follow instructions on package). Make sure to use a brown chocolate (not white chocolate) if you want them to look like footballs.

3. Hold strawberries by the leaves and dip them into melted chocolate, leaving only the tops uncovered.

4. Place strawberries onto wax paper immediately after dipping. (Seriously, do not skip the wax paper or you will be sorry. The melted chocolate will stick like glue to anything else. Wait until the chocolate hardens before you move the strawberries off of the wax paper)

5. Carefully squeeze white icing onto each strawberry, to look like laces.

Enjoy! :)

You can refrigerate them and serve later but I recommend serving immediately because the strawberries will begin to "sweat" upon refrigeration. They are still delicious that way, but the presentation is not quite as good and they don't "melt in your mouth" like they do when they are freshly made.

By the way, these were a HUGE hit at my house! All of my boys love chocolate...and strawberries...and football! And I do too!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Kitchen Aid Mixer Giveaway!

 

Welcome to the Ultimate Kitchen Aid Mixer giveaway event! 

Why ultimate? Keep reading! 

Musings From a Stay At Home Mom and Fabulous Finds by Tiffany have teamed up with Only A Breath, Worthy of the Prize, The Mama Report, and Triple Braided, along with more fabulous bloggers to sponsor this great prize!

The Prize:

One lucky winner will receive their choice of color/style Kitchen Aid Artisan5 Quart Stand Mixer, with a value of up to $350 from Amazon!

Entry:

Enter below with the Rafflecopter form. You can come back everyday for the daily tweet option - that gives you a lot of extra entries!

Rules:

This giveaway ends on November 14, 2012 at 11:59 EST. The winner will be picked randomly and will have 48 hours to respond by email before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen.

  Open to the US and Canada*

*If the winner is Canadian, they will be given a $350 Amazon.ca gift card to be used toward the purchase of the mixer.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Paula Deen (Pumpkin) Gooey Butter Cake

Today I am sharing with you one of my all-time favorite desserts. It would be perfect for your tailgate party or any fall party!

A few years ago my mom, my 2 sisters and I traveled to Savannah, Georgia for one of our annual girls trips. While there, we of course ate at Paula Deen's famous restaurant, Lady and Sons, and we fell in love with her Gooey Butter Cake. Seriously, to die for.

We each ordered 1 dessert (4 total, all different) to share. We laughed when my Gooey Butter Cake came out, because it was tiny in comparison to the others! But it didn't take us long to figure out how rich and delicious it was. You don't need a lot and it will melt in your mouth. Amazing. It is a hit every time I bring it to a party!

She actually has several different versions of the Gooey Butter Cake but since it's fall, I figured it was the perfect time to share the pumpkin version with you. You may never eat pumpkin pie again! :)

CAKE                                                                           1 18.25-ounce box yellow cake mix                                                             1 egg 1 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted FILLING 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling 3 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 16-ounce box confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

After gathering your supplies and ingredients...

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well.

Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie filling. Dump in confectioner's sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgement call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. (The hole in the middle is where I stuck a fork in it to make sure it wasn't too gooey in the middle still!)

Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half (I left off the pecans). Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go along way.

For the original Gooey Butter Cake version (without pumpkin), simply leave out the 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and use 1 less egg in the cream cheese filling. Enjoy!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.