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I would NEVER…Just Ask Me!

Christianity, homeschooling, Love one another, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , ,

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I would NEVER ……just ask me!

Yep, I thought I knew it all.  Had all the answers.

You’ve probably heard people say that phrase…  I was one of those women who would say things like…”If I were that kid’s mom, I would never let him throw a fit like that in front of people in a grocery store.”  Then I had a two year old.  And we went to a grocery store.

Or “No teenager of mine would be living in my house if he did___________!”  Then I had two teenagers that continued to live in my house.

How easy is it to say what we would do in situations in which we have no idea what we would really do!  It always made me feel better about myself when I could point out the failures in “parenting” as I came upon these situations.  

I asked the Lord forgiveness for that attitude.  And thankfully I was forgiven.

I think that the older you get, the less you realize that you know.  Oh sure, experience, trials and troubles have brought a bit of wisdom, but I don’t pretend like I know it all anymore.  That is not a characteristic of confidence.  The only thing I am confident is Christ in me.

Galatians 2:20-21: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

We have the opportunity to help others that have gone through parenting situations that we might have gone through.  And when parents are dealing with something that we ourselves have not dealt with, we have the opportunity to be supportive…not pass judgement.  We need to encourage one another.  Let the Christ in us encourage.

As for me, when I look at all the careers and jobs I have had over the years, being a parent was the toughest.  It was one of the most important things I ever did to be sure…but it was also the hardest.  The responsibility became overwhelming sometimes if I really thought about it.  So I had to learn to give it to the Father.  I had to truly trust Him with my children’s lives.

I told someone last night that God loves our children more than we can even imagine.

Luke 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Isaiah 49:15-16 : “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!   See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-6: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

We have to come to the point in our lives as parents when we realize that we simply do not have all the answers.  We do the best we can.  And we trust the One who created our children.  We were loaned a gift, one that He created.  Our job is to teach them in the ways of the Lord and love them unconditionally.  

Truly love them unconditionally, and realize as parents that we really don’t know it all.

Whether they throw a fit in the grocery store, or do something in which they should not be allowed to live in your house.  

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

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SNOW DAYS…Dance And…..

Christianity, homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

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Another Snow Day?  We dance!

What’s a mom to do???  Cabin fever has set in and the kids are burning up! 

As a one time public school teacher, I sometimes participated in the…gulp…”Snow dance” and then wished I hadn’t when the first day of June rolled around and we were still in school!  And as a one time home schooling mom, we were always looking for things to do after we completed our school work.

We really didn’t take “snow days” as homeschoolers, as we had other days that we took as “off school” days.  But when the snow did come around, we wanted to do some things that were special.  So we did.  I thought it might be a good idea to make a list of possible suggestions to repel that cabin fever.  These were tried and true in this house, especially when going out was not an option because of the temperatures. And quite honestly, it was just easier to plan these activities so I didn’t have to referee so many arguements!

1.   Collages- Kids like to glue.  I prefer glue sticks, based on my recent experiences in the public school with little ones!  But if you have magazines, or other “junk”, let them glue it on paper.  Come up with a theme, or allow them to make up a story from their “collage”.  With younger kids, simply cut out some items and have them available.  We always had some creative pictures.

2.  Make a movie.  My boys always liked filming themselves. Most of the time I let them do the creating, and that never seemed to be a problem! We have dozens of “movies” of them singing, acting.  Let’s just put it this way…at this point in their lives, I could probably bribe them!  Today with cell phones making it so easy to video, you might just have a masterpiece on your hands!

3.  Forts.  Need I say more?

4.  Let them write.  Don’t worry about spelling or even if it makes sense!  Give them paper, staple in pages for writing and drawing…and let them go for it.  I can guarantee you they will be able to “read” their story to you at bedtime!

5.  In an effort to leave the television off most of the time (we had set hours only), we DANCED!  That’s right, WE danced.  Burn off that energy!!  I even let my kiddos at school dance when I saw they were getting bored or too energy packed!!  And I ALWAYS danced with them.  It was good for me, good for them to see me dancing and having fun!  DISCLAIMER* You might want to make sure the video camera is turned off if your children are as capable of posting to a social media site as I think they could be!*

6.   Read a Bible story.  If it always seems like you don’t have time to read to them, do it today.  Let them pick the story and the place in which to read it.  Let them act it out, write about it, make a picture about it…if it is about David, you could even DANCE!!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:  a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance….”   

Dance means “raqad”.. to skip about, to dance, leap, to make to skip. (Strong’s)

So….more snow means more dancing!!!!  And yep, my husband and I just completed a three song set in the kitchen a little while ago!! 

Blessings dear ones,

IN CHRIST ALONE
Isaiah 55:8-9

*Strongs Concordance*

*Google image animation*

What MOM Can REST?!?

Christianity, Contemporary Christian Music, homeschooling, mom, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , ,

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Wait, they are Asleep!! Rest…Wait, Who can REST??….There is Too much to do!!

I have just written a post on “resting in Christ” on my other blog, and thought of motherhood.  How on earth do you rest, let alone “rest in Christ” when you are a busy mother of a toddler, a baby, teenagers?  Not to mention if you have a  job outside your home,  homeschooling duties, ministry opportunities …well you get the picture and I am sure you are asking yourself that question.  

My desire is to give practical advice. Just  STOP!

 Now don’t get too excited.  I did not mean to stop, hop on a plane and head to St. Thomas (although that does sound inviting…hmmmm).  But there are certain things as Moms we just have to do.  We run the household in one way or another.  In this household I taught the boys as soon as they were able to learn how to cook, clean and do their own laundry.  Did it make my life easier?…Well not really, it took some time to teach them… But it did teach  skills that they most certainly have appreciated later in life.

However you choose take care of the household, you are still ultimately responsible.  It is easy to get into that “guilt and condemnation” rut that spews at you…”You never spend time with God, how can you possibly be a good________ (fill in the blank).  Friends, that is not from the Father.  You may not do a personal in depth Bible study daily, but don’t let that stop you from seeking Him everyday!  Never give up!  

I remember that every single day I had on Contemporary Christian music. (You can access http://www.wbvn.org from the internet or google CCM)  I became very consistent in that fact after I caught my eldest at the age of 3 acting out a soap opera that I was just sure he was not paying attention to!  Oh my, that was eye opening!

I tried to always read Bible stories to the kids daily and we believed that spending time on the truth was the most important thing we could do as parents. Although  I didn’t always seem to find the time to personally study or concentrate on God myself, these times with the kids would always minister to me in some way. And “out of the mouths of babes” never became more true!  Some of the discussions we would engage in as they got older will forever be etched in my memory.

Christian Music played a major part in our daily lives as well.   It was either based on scripture, or was scripture.  A three minute song could minister to me as a young mother like nothing else I did. And catching the boys singing a tune without their own awareness spoke volumes!  I could listen while folding laundry or changing a diaper.  They heard it as they played.  Either way I was involved in the spiritual and it affected the climate of our home.  

As I have already said a number of times, my boys are adults.  They actually remember songs that they heard when they were smaller.  I know that scripture has come to their mind many times through a song they sang along with.  As a teacher, I know that many facts can be taught in musical form.  What a better way to teach, and to REST ourselves!

So, take it easy on yourself Mom.  Your heart is in the right place.  There will be a day when they are gone (trust me on this) and you will have all the time in the world.  These seasons of life the Father provides many ways….you just have to be creative in how you access His word daily. 

And when they are down for that nap….take one yourself, or read a verse of scripture…the dishes can wait!!

“Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Be blessed dear ones,

IN CHRIST ALONE
Isaiah 55:8-9