Idols

Photo: A portion of July 11 devotional from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

After reading this last week, I began pondering what idols we can have in our lives. Sometimes we are so blind to the idolatry we have in our lives. So I began listing some. Below is the list I have begun. Some of these have been or are idols in my own life or ones I've seen in lives close to me. 

Some of these things are sinful on their own, while others are sinful because they become and idol: when they hold a higher standing than God in our lives, when they are a stumbling block to our walk, or when they interfere with us doing the ministry of God. 

Beware, we can fall into the trap of justifying our idols. Even things that are good in moderation- uplifting to the soul can become so important that God takes a back seat. 

Perhaps you can relate to some of these. Comment below with additions to the list. 

...

Sport stars

TV personalities

Someone you are in love/infatuated with

Pastor

Friend

Sex

Drugs

Job

Technology

Control of money

Food

Clean home

Desire to have a spouse that has the character of so-and-so's spouse

Obedient children

Porn

Finding a spouse

Getting pregnant

Clothes

Shopping

Books

Music

Desire to have a marriage like so-and-so

Busyness of life

Popularity/reputation

Desire to be right

Having own way

Time as a family

Time with spouse

Time alone

...

For me, I've noticed that I have fallen prey to these idols: wanting a godly husband, wanting to feel loved in particular relationships, wanting more time as a family, wanting my own way. 

These are not necessarily sinful on their own, but they have become more than desires. When I treat people wrongly or think negatively of them because I don't get what I want, then what I want has become an idol. When desires get in the way of me being Christ's light and love in the world, they have become idols. 

I may desire that my husband have a deep relationship with the Lord, but focusing on that rather than on building my relationship with the Lord so that I can share His love, is making my desire an idol. Likewise, focusing on the lack of love I feel in a human relationship rather than on focusing on filling myself with Christ's love and sharing that love with others, makes it a idol.

What things are getting in the way of your relationship with your creator, your savior? Take those things to the Lord and ask for his help it removing idols. You cannot do it alone and under your own strength. Beware, the idols will likely try to creep back in and take over. Keep taking it to the Lord in prayer. 

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other Gods before Me. (NKJV)

Heavenly Father. I have not put you above all else. I have allowed other things to become gods in my life. Help me to rid my life of these idols and place you as my one and only God. Open my eyes so that I may identify these idols and so that I may see these idols as you see them- as stumbling blocks to our relationship. Give me your strength, your patience, your love, as I remove these things. Replace these things with more and more of you Lord. Forgive me, love me, help me, I pray. amen. 

Jobs (chores) for small children

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. - Ephesians 6:1 KJV

Do everything readily and cheerfully - no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! - Philippians 2:14 MSG

When children are encouraged and praised for being helpful from early on they seem to have a desire to help. 

Now, my children do not always want to help, but usually the are willing. When they don't want to help, they are still required to obey if I tell them they have to help. And they have been taught to respectfully respond "yes, ma'am" or "yes, sir" in various situations... And this is one of those. 

Just because they want to stay and play Legos instead of helping with a job doesn't mean they get to stay and play. Nope, they are expected to help. Sometimes I will say that they can play for a little longer before starting the job, other times they are required to stop what they are doing and help immediately. 

Here are some jobs that my little girls (just turned age 5 and 3.5) help with:

1. Filling the toilet paper caddy in the bathroom

2. Picking up or sweeping up chunks of food (especially moist food) off the dining room floor

3. Taking dishes to the sink after a meal

4. Emptying the dishwasher of items they can reach (except breakables and/or sharp knives until they show they are trained for those)

5. Wiping down table after it is cleared

6. Picking up living room of toys

7. Making beds - helping with other not just their own

8. Vacuuming one room

9. Putting groceries into lower cabinets, and lower shelves in pantry or refrigerator.

10. Sanitizing doorknobs 

11. Organizing books on shelf

12. Putting dirty clothes in hamper or transporting them to the laundry room

14. Putting laundry away in drawers, on shelves or on bars they can reach

15. Setting the table for a meal

Comment below with what your kids do to help or your tips of what small kids can do. 

Don't stop driving (living) just because of some potholes

I don't know about you, but sometimes we hit bumps in the road and feel coming to a complete stop and giving up and feeling discouraged. 

Today our bumps were manageable but I learned that they can't keep us from living. 

Both of my preschoolers had negative attitudes during parts of our school worksheets today. After trying to be encouraging and even firm, I decided we would just finish what they are willing to do and move the other pages to tomorrow. 

Since they did do a some work I said the three of us would each get a jelly bean to suck on while reading after lunch. So after lunch, we all picked a book or two, I set the microwave timer and we sat quietly to read. This was such a pleasant time. 

I was so pleased that I said we would go to the library to pick out a couple books and get them each a library card. 

And even this time went well, despite it taking a few extra minutes to get cards and check out. 

We had gone while my husband was out of the country. We wanted to pick out some books about where he was. I think we read one of three books that time. This time we just picked books they wanted and were geared for smaller children. 

Whenever we go out - the three kids and pregnant mama- I try to make it a short trip and let them know it will be a short trip. Overall my kids are well behaved but they have their moments. Letting them know that we will not be gone for long gives them an idea of the timeframe. So if they aren't happy with where we are going they know they don't have to be there long, and if they do like it, they have been told ahead of time that we will not be there long... So they are less likely to have a fit or bad attitude when I say it's time to leave. 

So my lesson I learned today: when you hit bumps in the road, you don't have to stop, you can push through or change course. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

Oddly enough, the day after I wrote this post I was involved in a car accident with all three kids in the car. We are all fine and I only went to the ER to get checked out since I am pregnant. 

Not quite the bump in the road I would expect on any given day! God protected us. And the accident could have been far worse. 

Photo taken from my driver side door. No fatalities. Everyone conscious and as far as I am aware no major injuries. One other person was taken to the hospital. She was able to speak to my adjustor the next day... Which was encouraging to hear. 

Mommy down time.

Tonight I'm thankful to have so many restaurants and stores close to our home. Kids are in bed. I made a run to aldi before they closed at 9. Now I am sitting at Applebee's ready to enjoy half off appetizers - may I suggest the chicken wonton tacos? My husband even likes them and he isn't the bigger coleslaw fan. 

As I sit here I am checking out the weekly ad for a local 24 hour grocery store, since that's where I'm headed next. 

Maybe by the time I get home I will be out of mommy mode and can perhaps clean up some of the basement. 

You see, if I plan to homeschool, which seems to be the way we are headed, I need to get my act together and organize a dedicated space for storing all our educational items. Right now we use the kitchen table for schooling but we have no real storage area upstairs to contain the supplies. 

Anyway, so my downtime is productive time really. Anyone else find themselves in the same boat? Do you feel differently when you return home after being out alone?

Mommy moments, brought to you by Applebee's restaurant. ;)

Children praying for their dad

A few days ago I started our praying for daddy bible lessons based on http://kidsintheword.net/10-verses-kids-pray-dads/

I decided to take one week for each scripture since our kids our young (preschool) and it take a couple days to focus on one scripture. So we are currently praying for daddy to trust in the Lord and not lean on his own understanding. 

I love when the kids ask faith based questions. They have asked at times why daddy doesn't go to church with us and I encourage them to pray for daddy. Tonight for dinner our 5 year old prayed aloud that daddy (who was sitting with us for this meal) would "go to church with us  so he could learn more about Jesus, God and Moses." 

I am not a very organized person so we rarely stay on track with our "schooling" and Bible lessons are no different. So I'm trying at this point to encourage them to be in prayer for daddy based on what scripture says. Who knows if I will stick it out for 10 consecutive weeks. But for now, they are praying for him and that makes my heart glad. 

"Daddy can I tell you the bible verse we learned?" ... "Proverbs 3:5-6... Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" ... I was so glad she remembered the reference to the verse for this week but giggled that she quotes Joshua 1:9 instead :)

After only a few days they need very little help to say proverbs 3:5-6. My heart rejoices. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight. 

Laminator- cool!

Well I bought a laminator since we seem to be heading in the direction of keeping our almost 5 year old home for schooling. So far I have laminated two things- a math chart backed with sight words, and three addition problems activities. 

I made a YouTube video about using the laminator (see link below) and plan to make one about some of the things I am/will be using it for. I will have to come up with a new way to use my math matching activity on the right in the photo... Shoe laces aren't long enough. I do have some ideas. I will update once I try them out. 

I will add a link once I upload the YouTube videos. Laminator was $20 at Walmart and target. 

Using the laminator video: http://youtu.be/lkxeXWGG66k

Organizing and Cleaning Journey of a Type B personality... Living with a Type A

Spend a day in our home overseeing our daily interactions and it will not take long to see that my husband shows many Type A Pattern behaviors while I show many Type B. I am more relaxed, patient, and it takes more physical stressors to get under my skin compared to my husband. I also am expressive of my feelings whereas he is more likely to express emotion when it's negative and he wants something done about it. He is more organized and more of a minimalist while I'm more crafty and a packrat. 

So... When it comes to the home he is often stressed. I desire to have a happy husband and a happy home so I am trying to create a place where he can unwind instead of the home adding more stress. This is not an easy task for a Type B personality... In my experience... I've been at it for nearly 8 years now. 

Sure, I can do a superficial clean when company is coming over, cleaning the necessary areas but I'm so inconsistent on a regular basis. 

So I'm working on it... Again... And Still.

 

A month or so ago I saw a temporary free video e-course which contained two videos from which I gleaned a lot of help. One was about laundry and the other about dishes. I started with these and have added some things along the way. I am also reading the ebook Chaos to clutter free. 

(My tip, if you want to try these steps with me, is to focus on adding one step each week or maybe two weeks. It does not need to be in the same order as I am doing. Get the routine started before adding another step! Don't add if you don't feel ready or you feel you haven't had the time to complete the current steps. Refocus and press on with current steps... Add another once you feel you can handle it)

STEP 1: TAMING THE TOWERING DISHES!

I'll start with explaining my dishes routine since I'm consistent with that. Dishes used to pile up and I hated doing dishes once they were overflowing. So, now throughout the day I will load whatever dirty dishes I have into the dishwasher. Sometimes this happens after every meal or snack but usually it's about 2-3times a day, finishing with my goal of having no dishes in the sink for bed. This has greatly helped since I wake up and no longer feel disappointment, or a sense of being overwhelmed upon entering the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the kids. It also doesn't feel overwhelming since it only takes a few minutes each time since the dishes aren't towering... Usually. Unless the dishwasher is less than half full ,I will start it at night so I can either have it opened at night to dry or open in the morning to dry. Putting them away before lunch is important since by then I already have dishes to go back in. So the sooner they can be put away, the less stress later on. 

Photo: this is a partial day of dishes. I went to visit someone at the hospital last night and by the time I got home at midnight, my cutoff time for cleaning, I told myself it'll have to wait. This is not the norm anymore, so it did not discourage or stress me to have to do them today. (Added June 27)

STEP 1.2: KIDS HELP WITH DISHES

As part of the dishes duty, I have cracked down on the kids leaving dirty dishes on the table when they finish a meal. They often have to stop playing or doing an activity to come get the dishes they've forgotten and bring them to the counter. The kids are 5 and 3 and are certainly capable of handling this task. They also help me when I unload the dishwasher. They are responsible for anything in the lower cabinets and drawers, and now they have started stacking the things for the upper cabinets on a clean counter so I can put them away quickly.

Yes, I can do it more efficiently alone, but they will never learn if they don't get the chance. They can also be doing this while I am cooking a meal so that I am still getting something else done and available to help and supervise. Most of the time they are happy to help... But not always!

STEP 2: TACKLING THE TOWER OF LAUNDRY

Now for the laundry. I tried the routine from the video ecourse, which says to complete the laundry cycle from start to finish before giving yourself permission to start a new laundry cycle. So... Do not start the washer again until the previous load has been washed, dried, folded and put in its proper place. Start by focusing on completing one load a day. This has been hard to stick to because of some crazy things in my schedule lately which have landed me with many loads to do on one day. So occasionally I've had a massive laundry day. The massive laundry day(s) is similar to the ideas in the book Chaos to Clutter free. In the book you basically tackle the laundry pile by washing it all and sorting into baskets (one for each family member's clothing) and only folding it (one basket at a time) once it's all done. 

STEP 2.2: FAMILY HELPS 

I noticed that my husband would wear a pair of shorts for maybe three hours at the end of he day and I'd pick them up off the floor to wash. So I've asked him to move things to the bathroom when they need to be washed so I'm not washing things that aren't really dirty and will be worn the next afternoon after work again.

STEP 2.3: CLOTHING ORGANIZATION 

Something that has helped us with the laundry cycle- the putting away part- has been the installation of a second -lower- bar in the kids closet. Now all outfits are matched and the kids can hang them up in the closet and get them out easily to get dressed. Previously, they would rummage through drawers which made  all the folding I had done absolutely pointless. I feel so much more organized by having most of their clothes hung up. Also organized hubby's shirt drawer so he wouldn't dig around for tshirts. Here is my video about this step. http://youtu.be/vIfb7VWatxo

STEP 3: DITCHING THE DINING ROOM DISASTER 

We may not be a family that stores all our mail, books, magazines on the table (though our counters end up as catch all many times), but our table often has coloring books, crayons, dishes, baby bottles, or miscellaneous items on it after the kids are in bed. My newest task has been to clear the table completely before going to bed. This gives me a clean slate for breakfast. Having dishes done and a clean table to sit at makes it so refreshing in the morning. 

7/1/15

Ok I'm ready for a new step!

STEP 4: CRUMB CLEANUP

I'm ready to add something. Now I will be picking up and vacuuming the dining room and kitchen before bed at night. No one likes stepping on cereal, eggs, noodles or whatever other item may have fallen down on the floor from the table or counter. 

Last night I was on a roll and even vacuumed the living room and hallway! I am not adding these areas to my expectations list at this point because they do require that the toys be picked up in order to vacuum the carpet. So I will add those areas after I've added picking up toys as part of my routine. 

Remember: one step at a time. Make it happen for a couple weeks then add more. 

This is where I am in my quest for cleanliness. I will add new steps as the weeks go on. Stay tuned. I may even make a few videos for youtube.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

Comment below with any questions! I'd love to hear them. 

My YouTube channel

I have a YouTube channel if anyone wishes to check it out. 

So far just secular videos about cloth diapers and homeschool items. 

Check me out, channel name: Gardening God's Way

A rainbow photo is my icon. 

Organizing clothing

So recently we've made changes to help control the madness that is our laundry. 

I noticed that the kids (age 3.5 and 5) would dig through their neatly folded drawers looking for something to wear and in the process tossing some clean clothing on the floor. This was frustrating for a couple reasons. First of all, it made my efforts to fold clothes and put them away meaningless. Secondly, the clothes that were clean and ended up on the floor would accidentally be mistaken as dirty ones that would be put in the hamper... Making extra laundry that wasn't necessary. 

So now, although we still have their dressers those are mainly used for PJs, sweaters and jeans. All of their outfits are paired up and hung in the closet. To help with this, my father in law was so kind as to install a second bar in the closet so the big girls could reach their outfits and get dressed in their own still. They all share the same closet space. 

Pajamas however are in whatever room they sleep in. This way when the baby is sleeping, there is no need to disrupt her if someone needs to get dressed for bed or change in the middle of the night from an accident. 

We also organized my dear husbands drawers. I used to lay his tshirts folded and flat in a stack in the drawers. Now I fold and roll (really it's a trifold)basically so they can all be seen without having to dig. He loves how organized it looks and it doesn't require re-folding to keep it looking nice. 

Pictures to come!

Baby announcement to our children

Psalm 127 tells us what a blessing it is to have children. You can find verses elsewhere but this chapter comes to mind first when I think about children. 

My husband and I differ in our views of having children and the number of them. I think my spontaneous personality and his planned personality play a role in our views. Realizing this has given me a new respect for his views and respect for his responses to the news each time. 

So we found out in February that we are expecting baby #4. My husband's response to this possibility was "I was actually thinking recently how the two older girls are buddies and it would be nice for K3 to have a buddy too." Not that he would have planned on having one, rather that it didn't hit so hard to find out for sure that we are indeed pregnant... Again.

Tonight, we wanted to tell the children since we would be giving the announcement photo collage to his parents tomorrow. 

I think it's funny how he and I approach sharing the news differently. I wanted to record the kids reactions so I took video while the kids talked to daddy via FaceTime (video chat) since he is overseas for a couple weeks. He just said "mommy is having another baby" right off the bat. My take would have been a tad less direct... Maybe a "so girls, how do you like having a baby in the house? How would you like to have another around later this year?"

No way is right or wrong... Just different. 

Oh and add unpredictable children to it and it's bound to be a weird video to show them when they are older. From the questions they ask, to the picking their nose right in the middle of it all. Yup- that video is not getting posted unedited! 

Since our second pregnancy we have had a birthday pattern going. 

For our first pregnancy we told our families at Christmas - about 10 weeks along- via special Christmas presents with key words like grandma, grandpa, aunt, and uncle. For our second pregnancy, we waited until our first child's first birthday party- when we were 20 weeks along. She was wearing a Big Sister shirt. It was funny because we went to my dad and brother first and they held her and chatted for a minute with us but never read her shirt! Then we went to my mom and grandma... Yup mom read it right away. Then my husband's parents... They had to be led to reading the shirt... Of course at that time everyone else saw it and we're watching for their reaction so all eyes were on them. 

For our third pregnancy we did shirts again. Our second child was turning two and she and her sister wore Big Sister and Bigger Sister shirts to the party. We were about 16 weeks along. This was the pregnancy where we had an early miscarriage and later found out that there was another baby alive and well in there. We did not tell of the miscarriage until the one year anniversary of it. (This story can be found here in my blog in two posts). 

So sticking with the birthday theme, we are telling them again for a birthday. Our third is turning one year old. This time though we won't announce at the party. 

I uploaded pictures of her and her sisters into a collage card and added a poem I wrote. This is being given along with the party information to our immediate family. We will probably post the poem and pics to Facebook on her birthday to announce to the rest of our friends. 

So... How have you announced a pregnancy? Or How have you seen it done and like it? Or how would you do it, given the chance to plan something?

Comment below. Thanks for sharing. 

Parenting

It seems like my kids are becoming more and more disrespectful (disobedient and defiant). I know this means I need to change my parenting style. I need to foster a loving atmosphere and yet have boundaries and teach mutual respect. 

Getting the ball rolling will be tough but I know I need growth in the area of parenting - God has made it clear- and I am trusting Him to guide the way. I still need to do my part- research and practice. 

Praying for peace. 

Bad mom day

I know I've had different mood swings depending on my hormone levels (ie pregnant, nursing, PMSing, or "other"), amount of sleep, kids amount of sleep, how full my love tank is, how distracted I become with technology or with laziness. 

Today is a combo but I think lack of sleep is top rank. Sometimes my husband has to work late and I mean really late. I don't even know what time of the morning he came home maybe 1 or 2? My baby was up at 7 I think, and crying so I was up and moving them. Add in a couple bathroom breaks or waking up because I hear one of the kids and it doesn't add up to much sleep. It's one of those days where I know I'm ready to snap and I'm just trying to make it through the day. 

It's hard. I know the wrong behaviors and yet I do them. I'm not perfect and I'll never be, this side of heaven. But it's days like these that make me feel like a "bad mom". I am struggling to keep my sanity, how can I expect to take valuable moments to train my children. 

Ever had moments where just playful kid behavior gets under your skin... As if you expect them to act like mature adults? Yup that day is today. 

2 Corinthians 12:9King James Version (KJV)

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Psalm 3, proverbs 3 and March 3

I've been a Christian awhile but I will admit that I am far from being who God intends for me to be.
I have struggled in following his commands to pray, study, and serve.
So today I was working yet again on study. I'll take it one day at a time but for today it was good. Since today is March 3, I decided to read psalm 3 and proverbs 3. I've heard many times the tip to take one chapter of proverbs each day of any given month- whatever the date in the month, read that chapter. So that's what I decided to do today... And add psalm 3 to it.
So with proverbs 3 I began to notice a pattern... One or more commands are given and then the promises followed. So I used colored pencils to underline the commands (Crimson-red) and promises(purple). for example: do not forget/store my commands in your heart (command), and your life will be satisfying (promise).
It was neat to see this pattern. I had not noticed it before, though I knew the bible was full of both commands and promises and didn't really link the two until now.
Then in psalm 3, I took the psalm and rewrote it to be my own psalm- the cry of my own heart. sometimes we have enemies that are quite close to us, for some it's a neighbor, others a family member or spouse. Here is my prayer concerning someone in my life. Perhaps you too could rewrite this psalm too. Read the scripture and see if God places something on your heart. I read it from the new living translation. My own psalm is below.

Psalm 3 rewritten as a psalm of autumn sparrow:
O Lord, I have a close enemy,
One who is much against me.
He is saying,
"There is no hope for you."
But you O Lord, are my hope and my shield around me, you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cry out to you O Lord and you hear me from your holy mountain.
I go to sleep with a broken heart and injured spirit, yet I wake in the safety of your peace, for you are watching over me.
I am not afraid when my enemy offends me from every side.
Arise, O Lord!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap my enemy in the face with your truth.
Shatter his hardened heart that you may piece it back together in a new way.
Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people.
And may my enemy, like Paul who was an oppressor, become one of your blessed people too.

Reading, writing and reality

March 2015:

I recently went to a parent forum for parents to find out about kindergarten- what the students may know before entering, and what they will learn during the year. Our kindergartener to be is pretty much set for the things she should be able to do (and they test them in May to see where they are academically). I have slowly been working with my two older girls in phonics (sing spell read write program) and math (math u see primer). We have discussed if we want to keep them home to homeschool or send them to public school. No verdict reached yet. Partly because I am unemployed and if I can find a decent paying job similar to my part time job I lost, we will likely send them to school to lower the cost of childcare. But if I am still unemployed this summer we then have to decide for ourselves rather than the situation deciding for us.
One of the things I was reminded of at the parent forum that I had swept under the rug, was the importance of reading to children daily. That very night when I returned from the meeting and the kids had just finished daddy time (watching videos of how things are made) I grabbed some books and read to them. Lately I've invited them to curl up in my bed to read. I love reading to them now. I love starting the sentence and pausing to give them a chance to finish it. Most of our books are just basic children's books. But we have some gems- books about the Bible and character building. The girls like Dave Ramsey's children's books- teaching integrity, giving, consequences of debt, etc. they also like The very hungry caterpillar and some dr Seuss books.
K2 loves doing schoolwork but K1 is not thrilled about it. She doesn't want to practice writing whatever letter she is practicing that day, yet I notice that when I ask if she wants to make a card or note for someone we are praying for she enjoys writing it. It is amazing how, even with a a masters degree in education with a concentration in differentiated instruction, I am having a hard time letting go of the structure of the SSRW book in order to let her practice in her own joyous way! It's almost as if I am afraid of her "missing something" by not sticking to the pattern of the book. Yet, the repetition in the book has me a bit bored too. God is teaching me to let go. Children need some space for expression.

June 2015: 

I get so wrapped up sometimes I don't make time to read. One f my weaknesses is that I find something I love and start with it but fail to be consistent in doing it. It is not much different when it comes to doing things with the kids.  I am inconsistent with our schooling, inconsistent in my quiet time with God, inconsistent in cleaning. It's awful! I get all hyped up about something and it fades out of my life. This is something I really need to work on and pray that God works on in me!

Five kids age 5 and under... For one day

I recently babysat two young children in my home. It is amazing how, somehow with a 5 year old, 4.5 year old, two 3 year olds and a 9 month old, I was able to do the dishes, vacuum, make lunch, prep for dinner, provide snack, wipe bottoms, change diapers, nurse, oversee playdoh time, do laundry, troubleshoot problems while teaching encouraging character building, and really not feel stressed! The children did not watch any TV while I watched them. Rather than checking email, reading statuses on Facebook and clicking links to interesting articles I was just living life. It was great. From the moment the children (5 year old and 3 year old) were dropped off, the interactions among them amazed me. I loved listening to them and I enjoyed focusing on how they were solving issues and making suggestions about what they wanted to do. They occasionally hit a snag and couldn't resolve the issue and would come to me and we would work on it. But when I think about how just listening to them taught me so much about instructing them better when they came to me for help, it fills me with joy. If I hadnt been listening to their progress in problem solving I may have taken a different path to solving the issue.
Sure there were times when I wasn't listening to their every word, but it was so nice to listen as I worked around my home.
Prior to them coming over I prayed that God would bless this time with the kids, and He did just that. I didn't worry or stress about what could go wrong with 5 kids age 5 and under I just jumped in with both feet trusting God would not give me anything I could not handle with His help.
Now, I do believe that it would have been significantly more challenging if there was a large gap in character qualities between my children and the visiting children. They did have different strengths in character but clearly they have all been taught certain things about appropriate play etiquette. They are not perfect (none of us are) but no one slugged anyone, spit on anyone, swore at anyone... You get the point.
Had the children been this way it would have been a different ballgame but with God we would have made it through the day too. And had they been this way, I still would have strived to show God's love and care, it just may have been a bit more physically and emotionally taxing by the end of the day.

Psalm 127:3 children are a blessing from the Lord.

Funeral

Today (feb 13) I attended a funeral or shall we say celebration of life service for an awesome woman of God. I did not know her well but we are sisters in Christ and someday I will get to see her again in heavenly splendor. The service was wonderful.
Here are a couple scriptures that I was reminded of today. Proverbs 31 and Titus 2:7-8.
The testimony given by her husband was beautiful. You couldn't help but feel inspired by the way she lived and the way she died... Forever praising her God and her Savior.

Her daily mission was "how can I help someone else today?"
She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and it was throughout her body. Doctors gave her a maximum of 3 months. God blessed the world with her presence for nearly 6 YEARS!

Just a reminder that God's plan is best.

Philippians 1:21-24

How I dress- my personal convictions

Romans 12:1-2New International Version (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


I was recently reading another blog about a woman choosing to change how she dresses because of her eyes be opened and her heart being convicted about how men view a woman in various types of clothing.
I know this type of story. Over 5 years ago, just before I became pregnant with my first child I felt a similar conviction. I was a teacher in a middle school and it was common for me to wear fitted style dress pants or fitted jeans (on dress down days). My eyes were opened about how men view women. I often would catch my husband noticing women in tight or skimpy clothing. I noticed them too. Their attire drew the attention. Though for me there was not a sexual attractiveness about noticing it. I knew there were already plenty of women who chose their style of dress to help curb the sexual attention of men. The more I thought about it the more I felt convicted about how I dressed. Sure, I thought I looked okay in tight pants but could it be drawing attention that does not honor the God I serve? I was a teacher, in front of numerous pubescent youngsters each day. Could it be that I was being a distraction to their learning by how I dressed? Could I somehow be encouraging lustful thoughts?
I don't consider myself to be particularly beautiful, so why would anyone have any attraction to my outward beauty? Well, men (and boys) do notice. No matter what size or shape or what color hair you have, men notice you.
As a teacher I was in front of students all day. They saw me from the front and the back. If I was talking or if I was writing on the board, their attention was expected to be on me. To think that a young teacher wearing tight jeans or dress pants would not be noticed by students, was just incorrect. No matter how much I would love to believe that I would not draw that kind of attention, it most likely did happen and probably more than I'd like to think possible.
So, what was I going to do about? Summer of 2009 I switched how I dressed. From that day on, every school day I showed up in a skirt- none that hugged my bum. If I went out in public I was in a skirt. It also made me feel more professional. I felt more like a role model and teacher rather than someone who dressed like the students. I am a petite 5'2 and had be occasionally mistaken as a student in the halls. So dressing better had even more benefits.
I became pregnant that fall which worked out well for my wardrobe since many skirts had elastic waists. In May, 6-7 months pregnant, we took a field trip to NYC on a Saturday. That day I wore maternity jeans in front of that small group of students. although I was not fully comfortable with wearing them, they were the best balance of practical and modest that I had for the trip.
It was good for me to "quit cold turkey" in terms of wearing pants in public. Over the years I have made some compromises in my wardrobe. I do occasionally wear capris or knee length shorts. And I have, on occasion run the the store in yoga pants- though I am very self conscious and if I can I wear something to cover my bum (a sweater/cardigan/jacket).
This has been my conviction. I impose it on no one. I don't usually talk about it unless people bring it up... And they do. I have no issue talking about it. And I am glad when they ask me about it since that means they perhaps do not want to make assumptions and/or spread gossip about my clothing.

So how did my husband like my change in wardrobe??
Well, at first he liked how I looked in skirts. Perhaps he liked the more well kept look on me. But over time he would complain that I wasn't wearing something tight fitting in public. This has been a topic of discussion many times for us. I do make the effort to wear form fitted things around the house for him. I realize he is my husband and would like to have some visual tease from ME. So when I can I wear yoga pants and even go braless which makes him smile when he arrives home from work. I have no issues with dressing that way for him. As our girls grow older we will have to make some alterations and find new ways to be good role models and yet good spouses too :)

Overall this change has been good for me. I enjoy wearing skirts most of the time and just feel better in them. I know God desires for me to follow Him, not the world. He does not desire for me to intice men. I know that there will still be men who will lust after women regardless of how they dress but if dressing more modestly will help their hearts be pure when they look at me then I have "helped keep my brother [in christ] from sin." Intentionally dressing to get sexual attention is not God's will. Therefore, I chose not to conform to the ways of this world. I'm not perfect and never will be but my heart is in the right place.



MY Pros to my more modest dress:
1. Professional look
2. Respect more easily attained
3. Less sexual attention from other men
4. More flexibility with weight gain/loss
5. More discussion on the topic
6. Less likely to be distracting to teaching


MY cons:
1. Had to go shopping for clothes (but would have needed to anyway since I became pregnant shortly after)
2. Had to find ways to keep legs warm in winter under skirts without too much static cling!
3. Finding a balance that works and adjusting it as I go

Parenting Hack #1 glow sticks

And God said, "let there be light." And there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. - Genesis 1:3-4

I like the dollar store for some things. You know, cheap happy birthday/it's a girl balloons, cards, pregnancy/ovulation tests, puzzles, coloring books and glow sticks.
Who wouldn't want glow sticks!? Aren't they cool.
Well they are more than cool. Sure kids think they are cool but as a parent it's beyond cool. It's a sanity saver.
Power outages are not foreign to our area. Our kids have been in and out of "afraid of the dark" stages. Glow sticks can be a great alternative to flashlights(and way cooler!) for kids during evening or nighttime outages. For $1 you could get a glow stick wand or a pack of bracelets/sticks. Depending on your child's age, you would determine if he/she could handle them alone without getting into trouble or it they should be attached high out of reach somewhere in their room.
Both of our kids have been allowed to have one at night. Our kids (age 3 and 4) are reminded that they are not to throw, swing, smash, or break their glow sticks. We first put a couple on the rails on the toddler bed. Then if they left them alone we added a couple more. One night they got to wear them as bracelets to bed. They know that they would have it taken away if they misuse it. So far we haven't needed to take one away.
We have only used them a couple nights- none of which were power outage nights. But it sparked the thought that I should have some stored for a power outage. Our kids would likely be scared and want to be with us during an outage. Generally speaking our kids do not sleep with us in our beds. Occasionally they are allowed on the floor of our room if it's a really rough night (usually that's a sign that they may have ear infections we haven't discovered yet).
I know some parents are co-sleepers. That's fine. Doesn't work for us. We tried it in a king size bed on vacation. They ended up sleeping on the floor. They move all over the place. We also like to keep the bed for mommy and daddy and not let the kids get between us- literally.
So in an effort to keep our bed and room to ourselves this winter, I think glow sticks will be our fun tool to take out for power outages.
What do you think? Will you be adding this to your bag of tools? Do you have other tools you use?