Tag Archives: homeschooling mom

The M and M World

Christianity, homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , , ,

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The M and M World!  Sounds like a candy title to me!!  

Mary and Martha actually….

I have never been much into housekeeping.  I did it because I had to do it.  I got no joy out of washing dishes, making beds, folding clothes, dusting….I know, I know…some moms take the time to pray during this time or get up at 4 a.m. to accomplish these chores.  Nope, not me.  I felt the need to “educate” my sons in these areas, so I would wait.  I am pretty sure I had a dust cloth in the eldest hand by the time he was 4!  Or was that 3?

I did have a friend that was just the opposite of me.  She always was buzzing around her house getting things done.  She was super organized, enjoyed housework and I would never catch her sitting down. She believed that no time should have ever been “wasted”, and activity was too important to ever relax.  Seriously, she wore me out.  

 But which one can you relate to?  Which Mom are you?  Are you constantly up doing something?  Do you have a hard time just sitting and being still?  Or is your life pretty balanced?

In Luke 10:40-41 Mary and Martha were dealing with very much the same issue. “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!’  ‘Martha, Martha’, the Lord replied, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'”

Sibling rivalry at its best!  And you are probably thinking…”Well if Jesus were visiting, of course I would sit and visit!” But do we now? That is a battle that we all face at one time or another.  Can we take time out of our busy schedules to sit at the feet of Jesus?  Do we have to learn to “Practice His Presence”?  Do we have to learn to be still?  I confess, I do.  In an age that is very goal oriented, we are all encouraged to be busy.

Jesus knew the importance of spending time with him.  Notice he did not tell Mary that what she was doing was wrong (there goes that Biblical excuse about not cleaning), it had to be done. But he did tell her not to be upset. Don’t get entangled in the things that can wait, those things that take you away from the foot of the Savior.

So our challenge is this…can we sit and be quiet and listen when we feel the “nudge” to do so?  Or do we put it off so we can finish up the vacuuming?  I have done that many times in my life…I have put the pressure on myself and I will miss that gentle “nudging” only to forget about it all together!

  I grow older, I would much rather be at HIS feet….and besides, my hubby has always preferred to do the housekeeping his way…so now I just let him… while I eat a few M&Ms!

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image*

Moms~Do you Realize?

Christianity, homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, teachers, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

momandchild

Moms…I wonder if you realize you are your child’s first teacher?

When I first started my teaching career, I had not yet become a mother.  In fact, as you will remember from an earlier post, I didn’t ever want to be one!  (Me a Mom?  Never say Never).  But I was an expert in raising children.  You could have asked me and I would have told you.

I have asked God to forgive me for the number of times I sat across the table from a mother and told her what she was doing wrong as a parent.  I am not kidding.  Why her child was having the learning difficulties he was having….oh, I was kind in my wording, but I still said it.  By the way, God did forgive me.  For I truly did not know what I was doing.  I was fresh out of college and at the age that made me an expert at everything!

Then, I became a MOM.  At first I thought the reason I read to my womb was because I was “officially” a teacher.  Then I realized that my profession did not matter.  I was my child’s first teacher.  I knew that the first few years were the formative years.  Playing “peek a boo”, walking, talking…all of these milestones happened before my child would ever step one foot into a classroom.

  I have found in my later years a couple of things.  First, some parents don’t understand that responsibility or they don’t feel like they are “teachers”.  Well you are!! One way or another you are teaching your child.  Their “ABC’s” and “1,2,3’s”and values… by actually helping them determine right from wrong, or seeing the example you are setting. You will teach your child morals and values…or someone else will.   But make no mistake about it you are your child’s first teacher! 

Remembering my first child’s birth, I gasped when I realized the tremendous responsibility I had.  I read all the books, compared him to friend’s babies….when should he crawl, is he on schedule?  Pressure.  And quite honestly, as good at telling parents how to parent before parenting myself…I was as good being that parent.  Or so I thought.  Then someone talked to me.

“Relax” she said.  “You cannot teach him everything he must know.  Children learn at different speeds, in different styles.  The most important thing you can do is love your child….and give him TIME. Teach him about Jesus and pray with him.”   I heeded her advice.  And I relaxed.

Moms….relax.  Enjoy your child.  Work his vocabulary when you take him to the grocery store and pick up can goods.  Talk to him when you take a walk, pointing out all the beauty of nature.  Read to him (this is one of the most important thing you can do in my humble opinion), sing to him (even if off key), play with him.  And the most important?  Teach him about Jesus.  Start early and never stop.  Learning is “caught, not taught”. In some cases that can be good…some bad.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

 Once I went back into teaching after my boys were mostly grown, I realized many things.  First of all, I quit sitting across from parents pretending like I knew it all.  Even though there were some things I was concerned about, I never was condescending.  I knew that parent loved the child more than I ever could understand.

Second of all, some moms just needed suggestions on how to “teach” their children.  Many times they began to realize that it wasn’t the “teacher’s responsibility” to do all the teaching.  All in all, my motherhood made me a better teacher.

So moms…always teach.  You are the first.

Blessings~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*NIV Bible, google clipart image

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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