I love sibling relationships - in shows, books, real life... whatever. I think it would be so interesting to do a study on siblings in the Bible. My husband and I wanted a large family with kids close in age so they could have siblings for playmates. Neither of us had that but we grew up with parents who came from large families. We both had lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I only had one brother but he was a good one. He was the one who taught me how to turn on the shower, tell time, and tie my shoes. Then when I was older he taught me to change a tire, shoot a gun, and drive. He left home when I was in the fifth grade so most of my memories of him were from early childhood and then later in life. He went to college and then into the Coast Guard. Anytime he was home he made time for me and spent time teaching me. He did the normal amount of pesky brother things and wasn't always the best role model, but overall he did a great job and my life has been much better because of the impact he's had.
Our oldest is a very good oldest child. Sometimes it seems like a "baby" of the family accidentally got stuck there but in our case she's a pretty classic oldest child. Both of our two older girls forget to be good big sisters to their little brother sometimes though. At times like these I remind them that God chose them to be his big sister and it's their job to treat him well and take care of him. Being a big sister is a very important job. The best big sister I can think of from the Bible was Miriam - Moses older sister. When Moses was put in a basket she watched at a distance to see what would happen. Pharaoh's daughter found him and took pity on him and Miriam offered to go find a Hebrew nurse - their mom. What a special way God used Moses sister in his life. If you have more than one child, God not only chose you to be their mom but chose the children He wanted as siblings. It's not all about you. There is no reason your children can't be close, even if they are years apart in age. It's your responsibility to see that they treat each other well. And it's your responsibility to treat them fairly.
Life isn't fair. You know that and your kids will learn that. Not everything has to always be equal for your children. But you do need to treat them fairly and do for one what you would do for the other. How can you expect your children to be friends if you pay for things for one child that you do not pay for with the other? Or spend time doing things with one child that you expect the other to do on their own? There are lots of examples of children in the Bible who's parents played favorites and those stories show how it affects the relationships of the children. Genesis 37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Joseph's brothers hated him so much that they sold him into slavery! Now we know that God used that for good but the brothers were still held accountable for their sin. I do not ever want to cause my children to sin because of how I treat them.
I think it's natural to identify with one child over others. Sometimes you will click with one child more or just have more in common with them and that's ok. Being a mom is a hard job and one of those hard things is working at knowing and loving your children equally. God tells us not to exasperate our children and another way we can do that is by asking our children to do our jobs. Parents sometimes ruin the relationships their kids could have with each other by having one child be the parent. If you allow one child to act like your partner in parenting how can they go on to have a normal sibling relationship with their siblings?
One of my goals as a mom is to see that my children grow up to be good friends. The health of our family tree depends on it and generations of people will be affected. Have you spent much time thinking this far ahead? Your children will have children and they will be cousins. Do you have special memories with your cousins? I do! Your children will be aunts and uncles that have a big impact on their nieces and nephews. Do you have aunts and uncles that impacted your life? I do! It all starts with my kids relationships to each other though. Oh Lord I need your help with this!
Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
The Stuck Kitten
Our family recently acquired this. Or we're
at least trying it out for a week.
We weren't looking for a kitten, I've got enough to do. But a friend needed to find her a home quick.
She is very cute and the kids love her. The problem is she keeps climbing up on top of our RV and getting stuck. She has spent more time up there than on the ground. Every evening after work, my husband goes out to get her down. The sweet man is out there in his work clothes climbing on top of things and rescuing this kitten. Again.
It struck me yesterday how much this is like our Heavenly Father. No matter how many times we get stuck, He comes to rescue us again.
Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
at least trying it out for a week.
She is very cute and the kids love her. The problem is she keeps climbing up on top of our RV and getting stuck. She has spent more time up there than on the ground. Every evening after work, my husband goes out to get her down. The sweet man is out there in his work clothes climbing on top of things and rescuing this kitten. Again.
It struck me yesterday how much this is like our Heavenly Father. No matter how many times we get stuck, He comes to rescue us again.
Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Girls can lift weights too
My mom always said to not be the enemy of your spouses dreams. Meaning, if you marry someone who you know loves cats and has always dreamed of having a pet cat, don't be surprised or act like a jerk if someday your spouse wants to get a cat. Now she maybe should have qualified her statement because I ended up marrying someone who has LOTS of dreams. We have a kitchen full of gadgets, bookshelves packed with books and a garage full of other "dreams". It's hard to keep up with all these dreams and to be honest, one of needs to stay grounded in reality. But being married to a dreamer is also pretty great. Because of my hubby's many interests and hobbies I now know what a chocolate genoise cake is. I know the basics of smoking meat, making a cutting board, and drip line irrigation. I've gone camping, done P90x, listened to John MacArthur, and have my own boxing gloves. I'm so thankful my husband has tons of interests! He can be hard to keep up with but I'd be living a narrow little life if it weren't for him.
His more recent interests have been about health and fitness and I'm so thankful that he's taking care of his body Part of his reason for this phase is that he wants to be around for his children and I. He's putting us first and I love that! My husband had read several books by Lou Schuler and told me about all the wonders of weight lifting.
He went to great lengths to peak my interest and even bought the book Lou wrote for women, read it himself and then just told me different parts of it. I finally gave in and started joining my husband for these weight lifting workouts. We've exercised together before and I loved it, I just wasn't interested in lifting weights. But now, after doing it for six months and using the work out plans in this book I love it. I've read the book and would recommend it!
It's called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. It's funny, well written, and very informative. Pardon the very long quote, but here is an intro to the book:
The First thing you'll notice about this book is that it's a diet and workout guide for women, written by someone who isn't a woman. In my career as a nonwoman, I've written at least four books for men. I've been fitness editor at Men's Fitness magazine and fitness director at Men's Health, and when I wasn't writing for either of those magazines I did some articles for Men's Journal. I used to write a weblog called Male Pattern Fitness, on which I wrote primarily about the health and fitness issues affecting men.
And yet every time I explain the premise of this book to a woman, the reaction is something like this "Oh, hell yeah!" or "How long do I have to wait?" Those responses have nothing to do with my charm or good looks - I can produce sworn statements attesting to my deficiencies in both areas - and everything to do with the quality of information about strength training specifically targeted to women.
At a certain point, just about every woman who's ever picked up a dumbbell or walked into gym reaches the same conclusion; "I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and it isn't working." The reason: What you've been told to do isn't what you're supposed to do. In the quarter century since the idea that women could benefit from strength training kicked in, a powerfully counterproductive notion rose in tandem. That's the idea that women should use exercises and techniques different from those used by men.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It goes on to talk about all the different myths of weight-lifting and the truths we need to embrace if we actually want to see change in our bodies.
Here is a link to a list of some of the benefits of weight lifting. http://weighttraining.about.com/od/benefitsofweighttraining/a/benefits.htm I think the very best one is that it increases bone density and strength. Can you believe it - it increases your bone density!! It's also good for weight management, improving strength and balance, boosts immunity, improves sleep and increases self confidence. Women obsess about weight loss and here's another article that addresses that part of weight lifting: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-fitness-jewel-why-havent-i-lost-weight.html
I couldn't find her exact quote but once author Lysa TerKeurst said that it was a blessing that she wasn't born thin and perfect looking. If she had been, she wouldn't be motivated to exercise, drink lots of water, and work at being healthy. This was a nice way to look at things on a morning when I really felt like eating cookies for breakfast. These verses are also good reminders. This passage is talking about sexual immorality but I think could be applied to also taking care of ourselves with a healthy lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
And here's another good one. What is your goal for working out? If it is purely for earlthy selfish reasons of having a hot bod, then maybe you should rethink some things...
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
His more recent interests have been about health and fitness and I'm so thankful that he's taking care of his body Part of his reason for this phase is that he wants to be around for his children and I. He's putting us first and I love that! My husband had read several books by Lou Schuler and told me about all the wonders of weight lifting.
He went to great lengths to peak my interest and even bought the book Lou wrote for women, read it himself and then just told me different parts of it. I finally gave in and started joining my husband for these weight lifting workouts. We've exercised together before and I loved it, I just wasn't interested in lifting weights. But now, after doing it for six months and using the work out plans in this book I love it. I've read the book and would recommend it!
It's called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. It's funny, well written, and very informative. Pardon the very long quote, but here is an intro to the book:
The First thing you'll notice about this book is that it's a diet and workout guide for women, written by someone who isn't a woman. In my career as a nonwoman, I've written at least four books for men. I've been fitness editor at Men's Fitness magazine and fitness director at Men's Health, and when I wasn't writing for either of those magazines I did some articles for Men's Journal. I used to write a weblog called Male Pattern Fitness, on which I wrote primarily about the health and fitness issues affecting men.
And yet every time I explain the premise of this book to a woman, the reaction is something like this "Oh, hell yeah!" or "How long do I have to wait?" Those responses have nothing to do with my charm or good looks - I can produce sworn statements attesting to my deficiencies in both areas - and everything to do with the quality of information about strength training specifically targeted to women.
At a certain point, just about every woman who's ever picked up a dumbbell or walked into gym reaches the same conclusion; "I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and it isn't working." The reason: What you've been told to do isn't what you're supposed to do. In the quarter century since the idea that women could benefit from strength training kicked in, a powerfully counterproductive notion rose in tandem. That's the idea that women should use exercises and techniques different from those used by men.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It goes on to talk about all the different myths of weight-lifting and the truths we need to embrace if we actually want to see change in our bodies.
Here is a link to a list of some of the benefits of weight lifting. http://weighttraining.about.com/od/benefitsofweighttraining/a/benefits.htm I think the very best one is that it increases bone density and strength. Can you believe it - it increases your bone density!! It's also good for weight management, improving strength and balance, boosts immunity, improves sleep and increases self confidence. Women obsess about weight loss and here's another article that addresses that part of weight lifting: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-fitness-jewel-why-havent-i-lost-weight.html
I couldn't find her exact quote but once author Lysa TerKeurst said that it was a blessing that she wasn't born thin and perfect looking. If she had been, she wouldn't be motivated to exercise, drink lots of water, and work at being healthy. This was a nice way to look at things on a morning when I really felt like eating cookies for breakfast. These verses are also good reminders. This passage is talking about sexual immorality but I think could be applied to also taking care of ourselves with a healthy lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
And here's another good one. What is your goal for working out? If it is purely for earlthy selfish reasons of having a hot bod, then maybe you should rethink some things...
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Managing the Home - getting started and menu planning
The other day I was out running errands and got a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror. I was HORRIFIED at my eyebrows. They were out of control!! I had no idea when I'd plucked them last and it showed! When I got home I told my husband that he needed to tell me when that happened and he was so confused. Like "you do something with your eyebrows?" :) It's easy to be so busy taking care of our family that we forget to do things like that for ourselves. Maybe for you it's not your eyebrows but painting your toes or something as basic and being able to eat! Finding the balance of taking care of our families and finding time for ourselves can be hard. I read somewhere that when taking care of our families we should focus on the people first and then the building. I liked that because sometimes it's hard to know where to start. The main physical needs our people have are food and clothing. Getting those two areas organized will help our homes to run more smoothly and give us more time for ourselves (hopefully).
When I had my first baby I was OVERWHELMED by the job of taking care of this fussy kid on top of a husband. My wise mama told me to start by making a menu. If I had my meals figured out for the week that would take some of the stress off. And it did! Menu planning can help save time and money. Most people find that the fewer trips to the store they make, the less money they spend. And with four kids now it's a lot of work to run to the store if I've forgotten something. I started menu planning by making a list of the meals my family would eat. Then I print out blank calendars for each month and fill in with meals. http://www.printfree.com/Calendars.htm One way to simplify it is to have similar meals on each day of the week. Chicken on Mondays, hamburger on Tuesdays, something easy on Fridays etc. I don't follow my menu exactly but if I make my grocery list based on what I need for the recipes then I at least know I have those ingredients in the house.
Another way to make meals for your family is to do batch cooking or make freezer meals. I haven't done this in a while but should because it's so nice on busy days to have something in the freezer to pull out for dinner. Something that's healthier than frozen pizza. Batch cooking means you make a bunch of things at once - for me it means I double a recipe and freeze half. You can search online for recipes that freeze well - I have found most of mine on http://www.food.com/ and searched for OAMC (once a month cooking). These are some of the recipes I have tried and liked:
http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-chicken-oamc-79944
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-packets-oamc-50767
http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-stuffed-shells-oamc-57772
http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-salsa-dump-chicken-oamc-107570
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-black-bean-salsa-chicken-oamc-103572
http://www.food.com/recipe/oamc-chicken-divan-352419
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-teriyaki-chicken-oamc-252650
http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-oamc-429659
Here are some other ideas for making the "meals" part of life easier. The first is to clean as you cook. This makes after dinner clean up easier. Sounds basic but it's easy to forget the basics sometimes. Next, do your food prep things like grating cheese in the morning or when baby is napping. I think that one of the hardest things about having babies is getting dinner cooked. For some reason it seems to be their fussiest time of day so if I could get as much done beforehand as possible, it made the last half of the day easier. I cook dinner in the morning when I can too (if it's a meal that can be reheated). That is the time of day I would prefer to be in the kitchen and the kids are less fussy then. When you have young children it's a treat to get to clean dinner up right after dinner. Usually I've had to leave it till after they are in bed because we had to go from dinner to bath time in order to get them in bed on time. Now that my kids are a little older I work at getting dinner cleaned up right after we eat and that is when the kids go outside to play. If I start the dishwasher then, I can unload it before bed making the next morning that much easier.
I have friends that use http://emeals.com/ and find it helpful. For a small fee you can select the type of recipes you'd like (gluten free, clean eating, regular) and they'll send you the menus and grocery lists. I mentioned Food.com for freezer meals and also like http://allrecipes.com/ to find recipes. You can search by ingredient, check ratings, and read reviews.
So - that's the food part of my post. Now to laundry. How do you organize your laundry? I do laundry by room because less sorting makes it easier for me to put away. My two oldest kids share a room so that's one or two loads a week. The other two kids also share a laundry basket, then there is towels, bedding, husbands work clothes (and anything that needs ironed), our regular clothes, and our whites. I used to do all laundry on one day of the week. I didn't do other chores that day - just laundry. We have too much with a family of six, so now I do some every day. I use a weekly cleaning list to organize my household chores Each day of the week has different chores and certain loads of laundry on it. http://moneysavingmom.com/downloads/household-management-forms If you do and put away just one load a day, the laundry might not be so overwhelming. And if you're not good about ironing, get rid of the clothes that really need it. The middle of the night can be a good time to start a load/put a load in the dryer, if you're getting up with kids.
I am always interested in how people organize their days, their chores, and the work of running a home. I have more info for getting the house clean but for today hope you can find something useful!
When I had my first baby I was OVERWHELMED by the job of taking care of this fussy kid on top of a husband. My wise mama told me to start by making a menu. If I had my meals figured out for the week that would take some of the stress off. And it did! Menu planning can help save time and money. Most people find that the fewer trips to the store they make, the less money they spend. And with four kids now it's a lot of work to run to the store if I've forgotten something. I started menu planning by making a list of the meals my family would eat. Then I print out blank calendars for each month and fill in with meals. http://www.printfree.com/Calendars.htm One way to simplify it is to have similar meals on each day of the week. Chicken on Mondays, hamburger on Tuesdays, something easy on Fridays etc. I don't follow my menu exactly but if I make my grocery list based on what I need for the recipes then I at least know I have those ingredients in the house.
Another way to make meals for your family is to do batch cooking or make freezer meals. I haven't done this in a while but should because it's so nice on busy days to have something in the freezer to pull out for dinner. Something that's healthier than frozen pizza. Batch cooking means you make a bunch of things at once - for me it means I double a recipe and freeze half. You can search online for recipes that freeze well - I have found most of mine on http://www.food.com/ and searched for OAMC (once a month cooking). These are some of the recipes I have tried and liked:
http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-chicken-oamc-79944
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-packets-oamc-50767
http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-stuffed-shells-oamc-57772
http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-salsa-dump-chicken-oamc-107570
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-black-bean-salsa-chicken-oamc-103572
http://www.food.com/recipe/oamc-chicken-divan-352419
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-teriyaki-chicken-oamc-252650
http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-oamc-429659
Here are some other ideas for making the "meals" part of life easier. The first is to clean as you cook. This makes after dinner clean up easier. Sounds basic but it's easy to forget the basics sometimes. Next, do your food prep things like grating cheese in the morning or when baby is napping. I think that one of the hardest things about having babies is getting dinner cooked. For some reason it seems to be their fussiest time of day so if I could get as much done beforehand as possible, it made the last half of the day easier. I cook dinner in the morning when I can too (if it's a meal that can be reheated). That is the time of day I would prefer to be in the kitchen and the kids are less fussy then. When you have young children it's a treat to get to clean dinner up right after dinner. Usually I've had to leave it till after they are in bed because we had to go from dinner to bath time in order to get them in bed on time. Now that my kids are a little older I work at getting dinner cleaned up right after we eat and that is when the kids go outside to play. If I start the dishwasher then, I can unload it before bed making the next morning that much easier.
I have friends that use http://emeals.com/ and find it helpful. For a small fee you can select the type of recipes you'd like (gluten free, clean eating, regular) and they'll send you the menus and grocery lists. I mentioned Food.com for freezer meals and also like http://allrecipes.com/ to find recipes. You can search by ingredient, check ratings, and read reviews.
So - that's the food part of my post. Now to laundry. How do you organize your laundry? I do laundry by room because less sorting makes it easier for me to put away. My two oldest kids share a room so that's one or two loads a week. The other two kids also share a laundry basket, then there is towels, bedding, husbands work clothes (and anything that needs ironed), our regular clothes, and our whites. I used to do all laundry on one day of the week. I didn't do other chores that day - just laundry. We have too much with a family of six, so now I do some every day. I use a weekly cleaning list to organize my household chores Each day of the week has different chores and certain loads of laundry on it. http://moneysavingmom.com/downloads/household-management-forms If you do and put away just one load a day, the laundry might not be so overwhelming. And if you're not good about ironing, get rid of the clothes that really need it. The middle of the night can be a good time to start a load/put a load in the dryer, if you're getting up with kids.
I am always interested in how people organize their days, their chores, and the work of running a home. I have more info for getting the house clean but for today hope you can find something useful!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Pet Peeves
Years ago I remember sitting down and making a list of my pet peeves. I don't know why I did this. I think that I said "Oh that's my biggest pet peeve!" about something but then got to wondering if it really was and what were my others. So I went around for a week thinking "Oh that bugs me" and "that bugs me too!" and jotting them all down. And pretty soon all I had on my mind were complaints. This verse came to mind and brought me to my senses.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
These are the kinds of things we are to be thinking about. If I have a pet peeve on my mind, it might be true but isn't noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy - so why am I wasting precious head space thinking about it? To think of this verse another way, God tells us not to think about things that aren't true, aren't pure, aren't lovely... This isn't a suggestion it's a command and to not follow God's commands is to sin.
I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth George. She talks about how to take every thought captive, win over worry, live one day at a time, and put the past in the past. Here is a quote from the book that I really liked. I'm sorry it's so long.
A healthy thought life - a thought life that is pleasing to God - comes out of a close relationship with Him. .... Through His Word, God calls us to use our mind to think about what is true and real. Once we determine what is true and real, we can then function according to these facts instead of our feelings or fantasies. When we aren't functioning according to what is real, it is much like trying to function when you have the fever or the flu. You know how limited you are when you're not healthy. Even though you continue to fulfill your responsibilities something is missing. The demands of each task and your body's ability to respond are out of sync You may do your work, but thee is little, if any, enthusiasm. Many times tasks are half done or done poorly. Poor physical healthy means less energy and lesser performance. The same thing happens in the spiritual realm. Like a virus, our thoughts have the ability to drain our energy and cripple our usefulness. Our thoughts can, however, also be a source of strength when we dwell on the powerful truths of Scripture and let God work through those truths to change our way of thinking.
If we focus our thoughts on the things that bug us or ways we've been hurt, we will not only be unhappy but it will cripple our usefulness. I want to be be useful to God. I want to have a sweet disposition and for people to love being near me because I'm pleasant to be around. Have you ever tasted an old green olive? It's nasty because it's been sitting in it's own juice for too long. (Maybe it was nasty to begin with depending on whether or not you like green olives but you get the point) How many people do you know that are like that? Who are crabby and bitter because they've been sitting in their own juice for too long? Complaining and focusing on our frustrations will drain us of energy, cripple our usefulness and cause others to sin. Oh Lord may I never do that! May I take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
These are the kinds of things we are to be thinking about. If I have a pet peeve on my mind, it might be true but isn't noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy - so why am I wasting precious head space thinking about it? To think of this verse another way, God tells us not to think about things that aren't true, aren't pure, aren't lovely... This isn't a suggestion it's a command and to not follow God's commands is to sin.
A healthy thought life - a thought life that is pleasing to God - comes out of a close relationship with Him. .... Through His Word, God calls us to use our mind to think about what is true and real. Once we determine what is true and real, we can then function according to these facts instead of our feelings or fantasies. When we aren't functioning according to what is real, it is much like trying to function when you have the fever or the flu. You know how limited you are when you're not healthy. Even though you continue to fulfill your responsibilities something is missing. The demands of each task and your body's ability to respond are out of sync You may do your work, but thee is little, if any, enthusiasm. Many times tasks are half done or done poorly. Poor physical healthy means less energy and lesser performance. The same thing happens in the spiritual realm. Like a virus, our thoughts have the ability to drain our energy and cripple our usefulness. Our thoughts can, however, also be a source of strength when we dwell on the powerful truths of Scripture and let God work through those truths to change our way of thinking.
If we focus our thoughts on the things that bug us or ways we've been hurt, we will not only be unhappy but it will cripple our usefulness. I want to be be useful to God. I want to have a sweet disposition and for people to love being near me because I'm pleasant to be around. Have you ever tasted an old green olive? It's nasty because it's been sitting in it's own juice for too long. (Maybe it was nasty to begin with depending on whether or not you like green olives but you get the point) How many people do you know that are like that? Who are crabby and bitter because they've been sitting in their own juice for too long? Complaining and focusing on our frustrations will drain us of energy, cripple our usefulness and cause others to sin. Oh Lord may I never do that! May I take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Alone time
I remember the very first time I felt baby flutters. I was pregnant with our oldest and I was laying in bed. When I felt it, I thought "I'm not alone!" Having young children makes you so appreciative of time you get to spend alone. It's hard to fine that time when you have little people constantly needing you. Everyone needs alone time though - even Jesus sought time away.
I used to think I was a morning person. It was a surprise to realize that I'm actually really crabby when I first wake up. Don't you love it when you suddenly realize something about yourself? My children have always been early risers and I hated that the first thing they heard was a "WHY are you awake!" from their crabby mama. Now I they are not allowed to come out of their rooms until 6:30am but they are usually awake before that. In order to not be crabby with them, I've discovered I need to be awake at least thirty minutes before they are (two cups of coffee also really helps.) So that makes 6am. If I want to have a morning quiet time, that makes 5:30am. And if I want to exercise too that makes 5am. So. 5am is early. And it takes some adjusting. If I want to wake up that early I need to go to bed before 11pm (my favorite time to go to bed). I don't keep this schedule every day, but on the days that I do our house runs so much smoother.
Now one of my favorite times of day is 5am. It's the one time of day that I have to myself without someone needing something from me. When could you carve out a little time for yourself? Nap time? After the kids are in bed for the night? You don't have to wake up early to do it, that's just what works for me. It's helpful to think through what you want out of your day and plan around it. Even Jesus sought time for himself!
Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Luke 5:26
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
I used to think I was a morning person. It was a surprise to realize that I'm actually really crabby when I first wake up. Don't you love it when you suddenly realize something about yourself? My children have always been early risers and I hated that the first thing they heard was a "WHY are you awake!" from their crabby mama. Now I they are not allowed to come out of their rooms until 6:30am but they are usually awake before that. In order to not be crabby with them, I've discovered I need to be awake at least thirty minutes before they are (two cups of coffee also really helps.) So that makes 6am. If I want to have a morning quiet time, that makes 5:30am. And if I want to exercise too that makes 5am. So. 5am is early. And it takes some adjusting. If I want to wake up that early I need to go to bed before 11pm (my favorite time to go to bed). I don't keep this schedule every day, but on the days that I do our house runs so much smoother.
Now one of my favorite times of day is 5am. It's the one time of day that I have to myself without someone needing something from me. When could you carve out a little time for yourself? Nap time? After the kids are in bed for the night? You don't have to wake up early to do it, that's just what works for me. It's helpful to think through what you want out of your day and plan around it. Even Jesus sought time for himself!
Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Luke 5:26
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Help your children too!
I have learned a few things from being a mom. If you let a kid play in the sink you have 7.2 minutes before they get carried away and there's water everywhere. I now know that ibuprofen lasts six hours and Tylenol four hours, so if there's a fever at night use the former. I know that one symptom of an ear infection is eye goop, Caillou is the most annoying show ever, and in our town girls may play tee-ball but do not play in Rookies. The average child weighs 20 pounds at 1 year and kids start losing their teeth around 5. The cream for athletes foot called Clotrimazole works great for diaper rash, a child will not grow up with mental problems if you don't breast feed, their brains will not turn to mush if they watch TV, and if your child misbehaves it's not necessarily because you are screwing them up.
They say that no one knows a child better than their mother. That's bunk because I've seen lots of oblivious mothers. But a a mother Should know her child well. Getting to know your child is something you have to work at and trust God about. When I had my first child I read to her lots. I mean LOTS. She was very verbal and talked early and I thought it was because of me. Then I had my second child and read to her lots too. She was not as verbal. It was a good thing to realize that my first child did not have certain gifts because of me. She had them because God created her that way. It's my job as a mom to recognize my kids gifts and encourage (push?) them in that direction. My mom was wonderful at this. If she thought I might be good at drawing, she bought me drawing books. If I showed interest in horses I got riding lessons which she figured out how to pay for in a creative way. What is your child good at or what are they interested in? How can you help them?
This is a good book. It talks about the different types of temperaments and helps understand your child's personality type.
This is another good book that talks about the different ways kids give/receive love.
If we continually treat our kids like someone they are not, we cause stress. The Bible tells us not to do that.
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Work at getting to know your kids. In the process you will probably get to know yourself a little better too and we always have room for improvement. Our children are precious to God and He has a plan for each of them. Pray for them! You are going to mess up but God is good and can redeem anything. This is another good book and is about the different ways we can pray for our kids.
They say that no one knows a child better than their mother. That's bunk because I've seen lots of oblivious mothers. But a a mother Should know her child well. Getting to know your child is something you have to work at and trust God about. When I had my first child I read to her lots. I mean LOTS. She was very verbal and talked early and I thought it was because of me. Then I had my second child and read to her lots too. She was not as verbal. It was a good thing to realize that my first child did not have certain gifts because of me. She had them because God created her that way. It's my job as a mom to recognize my kids gifts and encourage (push?) them in that direction. My mom was wonderful at this. If she thought I might be good at drawing, she bought me drawing books. If I showed interest in horses I got riding lessons which she figured out how to pay for in a creative way. What is your child good at or what are they interested in? How can you help them?
This is a good book. It talks about the different types of temperaments and helps understand your child's personality type.
This is another good book that talks about the different ways kids give/receive love.
If we continually treat our kids like someone they are not, we cause stress. The Bible tells us not to do that.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
.jpg)
Work at getting to know your kids. In the process you will probably get to know yourself a little better too and we always have room for improvement. Our children are precious to God and He has a plan for each of them. Pray for them! You are going to mess up but God is good and can redeem anything. This is another good book and is about the different ways we can pray for our kids.
God chose you to be their mother and that's a big job. Help them to be who God would have them to be and when you are old may Proverbs 31:28 be fitting:
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
her husband also, and he praises her:
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