Hey Everyone!
I'm back, didya miss me? Huh....Huh, didya? Well, with the holidays comes . . . . . well, stuff to do. Crafts to make, stuff to bake, and computers to break. Yep, you heard it right. I caught a worm. Ahem, I mean my computer did, cuz that would be really gross if I did. (Not to mention inappropriate for me to share that little bit of info with all of you.) But alas, my computer acquired a worm (evidently the size of the ones Kevin Bacon fought in Tremors) and I have lost all my forms, files, pictures, and sanity. I will say this though, I think it was sweet and thoughtful for the thing to croak on the biggest sale weekend of the year:)
So, after being out of cyber touch, I braved the cold and crazy, and I went to Wal*Mart at 3am this morning. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, "Are you stoopid?" and as a matter of fact, yes, I am. I did however, acquire a doorbustin', smokin' deal on new laptop. I am now back in business and riding in the fast lane on the cyber highway. Whoo Hoo!!!
I decided it only proper since I have new stuff, my web page should get a face lift too. I will try to get all my gadgets and links back on over the next few days, so please bear with me. I also thought it would be nice to add music to my blog. If you are listening to something else, or if you just need some peace and quiet, feel free to hit the pause or you can change the song if you would like. I will add some more music over the coming weeks, too.
Well, I'm off to work on my new laptop. Please leave comments and let me know what you think about the changes so far. Also, if you have any topics you would like me to blog about, drop a line.
Special Note: Thank you so much to my niece, Anna Kate for all her help on my blog. I couldn't have done all of this without her.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Plan to Plan
Well, it's about that time again! Time to change out those summer tank tops and bathing suits for some snugly sweaters and jackets. Time to dust off the "comfort food recipes." Time to look at that budget (with a magnifying glass) to gear up for Christmas shopping. Time to fill our calendars up with holiday gatherings. Okay, I'm tired already! I vow every year NOT to wear myself out and over commit to . . . well, . . . STUFF! This year I want a simple, Christ-centered Christmas. So, how do I accomplish this? These are my thoughts:
***Look for ways and opportunities to talk about the birth of Christ***
* Watch movies about the Nativity
* Have devotional time with your children 2-3 times a
week (maybe go through The Birth of Christ from the Gospels)
* Display Christ-centered decorations (a great idea for small
children is to have a nativity they can actually touch and move the pieces
to re-tell the story)
*** Begin planning ways to minimize the commercialism***
* Make presents by hand
* Shop online for gifts (keeps you out of the stores)
* Make your Christmas cards by hand
* This would be a great family project, in fact Jackson (my 10 y/o)
drew our cards last year, I treasure those far more than any I have
ever bought
* Turn the television off and the Christmas carols on (the carols are focused
on Christ, the TV is focused on the latest, greatest toy that the kids must
have)
*** Commit to NOT over-committing this season***
* Talk to your husband and decide how many "events" you will attend this
season. I think this is important, because without limiting your parties,
you will end up spending more time, energy, and money than you planned
on. It's always the last minute dessert or gift that gets you. All of these
"little" things add up.
*** Celebrate this season with other believers***
* The holidays aren't the same without "family"
So, get your notebook out, and start your planning. Plan to make this year the BEST holiday season ever.
***Look for ways and opportunities to talk about the birth of Christ***
* Watch movies about the Nativity
* Have devotional time with your children 2-3 times a
week (maybe go through The Birth of Christ from the Gospels)
* Display Christ-centered decorations (a great idea for small
children is to have a nativity they can actually touch and move the pieces
to re-tell the story)
*** Begin planning ways to minimize the commercialism***
* Make presents by hand
* Shop online for gifts (keeps you out of the stores)
* Make your Christmas cards by hand
* This would be a great family project, in fact Jackson (my 10 y/o)
drew our cards last year, I treasure those far more than any I have
ever bought
* Turn the television off and the Christmas carols on (the carols are focused
on Christ, the TV is focused on the latest, greatest toy that the kids must
have)
*** Commit to NOT over-committing this season***
* Talk to your husband and decide how many "events" you will attend this
season. I think this is important, because without limiting your parties,
you will end up spending more time, energy, and money than you planned
on. It's always the last minute dessert or gift that gets you. All of these
"little" things add up.
*** Celebrate this season with other believers***
* The holidays aren't the same without "family"
So, get your notebook out, and start your planning. Plan to make this year the BEST holiday season ever.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Just give me one Gilligan and two Handy Mannys, and I'll get it done
"I wish I had more time, but I only have an hour before I need to be at my appt."
"There's only an hour before supper, not enough time to get anything done."
"The kids need to be in bed in an hour, I better not start anything now."
Do any of these sound familiar? How many times have you ended your day, wishing you had a little more time to get your chores done? Maybe you looked back on your week and saw nothing but unfinished projects, or mounds of things left to do. It's always easy to become overwhelmed when you look at the whole. But when you dissect it into smaller bite-sized pieces, it becomes possible, even imaginable that you could achieve success with that scary to-do list.
Let's look at the hour. Sixty minutes. Three Thousand Six Hundred seconds. Two episodes of Brady Bunch. One Paula Deen. Two episodes (grueling though they may be) of Barney. You get the idea. It really doesn't seem like a whole lot of time. Quite frankly, it can be easy to lose hours everyday if you are not careful. As a child, I could get lost in a book for hours. Now our kids get lost in video games. Hmph. Adults can lose hours too. I think we can all think of "grown-up" ways to waste an hour; waiting in a doctor's office, surfing the net, stuck in traffic, etc.
Maybe there are some ways to make better use of an hour.
Instead of flipping through magazines in a doctor's office:
1) Make your menus for the week
2) Make your grocery list
3) Plan short term and long term goals for yourself
- What you would like to have done in one week, one month, 6 months, one year, etc..
4) Read your Bible reading for the day, or a devotional
Instead of jumping from site to site surfing the net (needlessly, not when looking for something specific):
1) Clean out one drawer in the kitchen, two if you have time.
2) Dust one room in the house, thoroughly.
3) Make a meal for the freezer.
4) Bake cookies with the kids.
5) Read a book to your kids.
6) Play a board game with the family.
7) Organize your linen closet.
Instead of complaining about being stuck in traffic:
1) Clean out your purse, throwing away all old receipts, gum wrappers, and other icky stuff.
2) Pick up all the trash on the floorboards in the car. Now....please do not do this when you're just at a red light, it is very easy to rear-end the person in front of you, and you want to talk about hours wasted!? Man, we're not even gonna talk about insurance companies, and court dates. Seriously, let the kids pick it up. After all it's their mess :)
3) Practice spelling words or Bible verses in the car with the kids.
4) If the kids are not with you, put in a sermon or audio book.
5) Meditate on the passage you read for your devotional.
6) Call and make any appointments you need to schedule.
I know it doesn't seem like much, but after a while, you will notice that things are starting to get done, and you don't feel so far behind. There's a reason we don't eat a T-bone steak in one bite. Aside from it being really gross, we would choke. But by taking small bites, we are able to enjoy its flavor along the way, savoring each bite. When its all gone, we can sit back and relax, feeling completely satisfied. Let's face it, sometimes it's just nice knowing there's nothing left on our plate.
"There's only an hour before supper, not enough time to get anything done."
"The kids need to be in bed in an hour, I better not start anything now."
Do any of these sound familiar? How many times have you ended your day, wishing you had a little more time to get your chores done? Maybe you looked back on your week and saw nothing but unfinished projects, or mounds of things left to do. It's always easy to become overwhelmed when you look at the whole. But when you dissect it into smaller bite-sized pieces, it becomes possible, even imaginable that you could achieve success with that scary to-do list.
Let's look at the hour. Sixty minutes. Three Thousand Six Hundred seconds. Two episodes of Brady Bunch. One Paula Deen. Two episodes (grueling though they may be) of Barney. You get the idea. It really doesn't seem like a whole lot of time. Quite frankly, it can be easy to lose hours everyday if you are not careful. As a child, I could get lost in a book for hours. Now our kids get lost in video games. Hmph. Adults can lose hours too. I think we can all think of "grown-up" ways to waste an hour; waiting in a doctor's office, surfing the net, stuck in traffic, etc.
Maybe there are some ways to make better use of an hour.
Instead of flipping through magazines in a doctor's office:
1) Make your menus for the week
2) Make your grocery list
3) Plan short term and long term goals for yourself
- What you would like to have done in one week, one month, 6 months, one year, etc..
4) Read your Bible reading for the day, or a devotional
Instead of jumping from site to site surfing the net (needlessly, not when looking for something specific):
1) Clean out one drawer in the kitchen, two if you have time.
2) Dust one room in the house, thoroughly.
3) Make a meal for the freezer.
4) Bake cookies with the kids.
5) Read a book to your kids.
6) Play a board game with the family.
7) Organize your linen closet.
Instead of complaining about being stuck in traffic:
1) Clean out your purse, throwing away all old receipts, gum wrappers, and other icky stuff.
2) Pick up all the trash on the floorboards in the car. Now....please do not do this when you're just at a red light, it is very easy to rear-end the person in front of you, and you want to talk about hours wasted!? Man, we're not even gonna talk about insurance companies, and court dates. Seriously, let the kids pick it up. After all it's their mess :)
3) Practice spelling words or Bible verses in the car with the kids.
4) If the kids are not with you, put in a sermon or audio book.
5) Meditate on the passage you read for your devotional.
6) Call and make any appointments you need to schedule.
I know it doesn't seem like much, but after a while, you will notice that things are starting to get done, and you don't feel so far behind. There's a reason we don't eat a T-bone steak in one bite. Aside from it being really gross, we would choke. But by taking small bites, we are able to enjoy its flavor along the way, savoring each bite. When its all gone, we can sit back and relax, feeling completely satisfied. Let's face it, sometimes it's just nice knowing there's nothing left on our plate.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I'm the Queen, my panty hose say so!
On the heels of the last post, I will tell you about something that God is currently working on in my heart. I have let my mind be consumed with negative thoughts about my physical appearance, more specifically, my weight. Before I go forward, let me go back a little.
Before children, I didn't struggle with my weight. I wasn't a chunky child, thick teen, ample adult, or a bulky bride. (How'd ya like that alliteration?) Now, I don't say all of this to say that because I didn't have a weight issue growing up, I am better than people who did. Not by any means. I say it, because as our circumstances in life change, so does our focus. When I married, I was the "ideal" weight for my height and build, and almost never thought about my size. I was still wearing jeans from high school. Shortly after I got married, I had surgery to correct some female type problems, ahem, and was given medicine to shut everything down. This was in hopes that I would be able to conceive in the future. (Thanks be to God, we have three beautiful children.)The problem is, the stupid stuff shut everything down, alright, including my metabolism! I gained 20 pounds in 4 weeks. (I jumped the whole alphabet in panty hose in one month) I believe I must have developed an unhealthy physical attachment with those pounds, because they are still with me today. Hmph. Not only that, they invited a few friends to come and live with them, a few after the first child, a few more after the second, and a few more still after the third. You get the idea.
Since the birth of my first child, I have not been able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, or even within 20 pounds of it. Okay, who am I kidding? I'm not within 50 pounds of it :( It's so hard. I don't think a day goes by without me; wishing I could lose weight, thinking about how to fit more time in to exercise, looking for that new thing to try, or calculating how much money I would save if I didn't have to put foundation on 6 chins. The point is, my thoughts are sinful. I have traded contentment with Christ for conviction by culture. I have allowed advertisements and society to dictate what is of value and acceptable, instead of looking to God and His word to place the value. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 Somewhere between Richard Simmons and Weight Watchers, I lost my discernment. You see, I forgot that man only sees the external, but the God sees the heart. "For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:12 I forgot that be beautiful than look "beautiful."
Now, don't hear all of this and think, "Yipee, I don't have to do anything with myself, and I can eat Little Debbies all day long." On the contrary, we should take care of these precious bodies that were bought with a very dear price. We need to understand that no facial cream, organically grown vegetable, or multi vitamin will lengthen our lives, even by one day. However, our stewardship of our body is an offering of thanks back to God. We need to take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But if we are seeking after the Lord's will, and being "transformed by the renewing of our minds," we won't be neglecting our bodies, minds, and souls.
So whether it is your weight, your complexion, your hair style, or some other insignificant, outward entity, don't let your focus on the external let you neglect your internal relationship with God. In the end, there is only one thing God wants you to be consumed with, and that's Him!
Before children, I didn't struggle with my weight. I wasn't a chunky child, thick teen, ample adult, or a bulky bride. (How'd ya like that alliteration?) Now, I don't say all of this to say that because I didn't have a weight issue growing up, I am better than people who did. Not by any means. I say it, because as our circumstances in life change, so does our focus. When I married, I was the "ideal" weight for my height and build, and almost never thought about my size. I was still wearing jeans from high school. Shortly after I got married, I had surgery to correct some female type problems, ahem, and was given medicine to shut everything down. This was in hopes that I would be able to conceive in the future. (Thanks be to God, we have three beautiful children.)The problem is, the stupid stuff shut everything down, alright, including my metabolism! I gained 20 pounds in 4 weeks. (I jumped the whole alphabet in panty hose in one month) I believe I must have developed an unhealthy physical attachment with those pounds, because they are still with me today. Hmph. Not only that, they invited a few friends to come and live with them, a few after the first child, a few more after the second, and a few more still after the third. You get the idea.
Since the birth of my first child, I have not been able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, or even within 20 pounds of it. Okay, who am I kidding? I'm not within 50 pounds of it :( It's so hard. I don't think a day goes by without me; wishing I could lose weight, thinking about how to fit more time in to exercise, looking for that new thing to try, or calculating how much money I would save if I didn't have to put foundation on 6 chins. The point is, my thoughts are sinful. I have traded contentment with Christ for conviction by culture. I have allowed advertisements and society to dictate what is of value and acceptable, instead of looking to God and His word to place the value. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 Somewhere between Richard Simmons and Weight Watchers, I lost my discernment. You see, I forgot that man only sees the external, but the God sees the heart. "For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:12 I forgot that be beautiful than look "beautiful."
Now, don't hear all of this and think, "Yipee, I don't have to do anything with myself, and I can eat Little Debbies all day long." On the contrary, we should take care of these precious bodies that were bought with a very dear price. We need to understand that no facial cream, organically grown vegetable, or multi vitamin will lengthen our lives, even by one day. However, our stewardship of our body is an offering of thanks back to God. We need to take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But if we are seeking after the Lord's will, and being "transformed by the renewing of our minds," we won't be neglecting our bodies, minds, and souls.
So whether it is your weight, your complexion, your hair style, or some other insignificant, outward entity, don't let your focus on the external let you neglect your internal relationship with God. In the end, there is only one thing God wants you to be consumed with, and that's Him!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Idol Time
I love watching Food Network, and on the Food Network, I love watching challenges and competitions the best. While I was watching The Next Food Network Star last night, I couldn't help but wonder, "Do these people live, eat, and breathe food? (OK, ummmm, live and breathe food, ahem)" But seriously, not just the contestants, but the judges too. Take Bobby Flay for instance; he owns four or so restaurants, has his own line of cooking products, stars on Boy Meets Grill and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, he's an Iron Chef on Iron Chef America, AND he's a judge on Next Food Network Star. This isn't even counting all the guest appearances, photo shoots, etc. The man lives for food! When does he have time to be in the Word? When does he have time to minister to his wife, serve in the church, or just meditate? That's just ONE person on Food Network. I was looking at all of the contestants, too. It's just sad to me. These people are worshipping an idol.
Idols come in many shapes and sizes. They don't have to be guilded in gold and placed in a prominent place. An idol is defined as; a representation or symbol of an object of worship, or an object of extreme devotion. I teach my children that it is anything that consumes your time, energy and resources, in short, anything that takes a higher priority than God and His Word. When we pour ourselves into something, we better make sure it is to further the kingdom of Christ, and to bring honor and glory to Him.
Idols can change for us, too. This month it may be a special gardening project we are working on, or a scrapbook for a Christmas present. Next month may be re-decorating the guest bathroom or planning your daughter's slumber party. These things in and of themselves are not bad, but don't let them steal your time from God. When the projects and plans pull us away from our time with God, both physically and mentally, they become an idol.
One of the biggest idols we Americans have is money. We work to earn it, plan to spend it, and stress for lack of it. If we are not careful, it can consume our thoughts, daily. God's word is very clear when it comes the way we should handle our money. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " Hebrews 13:5
So, enjoy the gifts God has given you in this world; food, entertainment, home decor, gardening, etc. But keep them in their proper place with a clear perspective. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." I John 5:21
Idols come in many shapes and sizes. They don't have to be guilded in gold and placed in a prominent place. An idol is defined as; a representation or symbol of an object of worship, or an object of extreme devotion. I teach my children that it is anything that consumes your time, energy and resources, in short, anything that takes a higher priority than God and His Word. When we pour ourselves into something, we better make sure it is to further the kingdom of Christ, and to bring honor and glory to Him.
Idols can change for us, too. This month it may be a special gardening project we are working on, or a scrapbook for a Christmas present. Next month may be re-decorating the guest bathroom or planning your daughter's slumber party. These things in and of themselves are not bad, but don't let them steal your time from God. When the projects and plans pull us away from our time with God, both physically and mentally, they become an idol.
One of the biggest idols we Americans have is money. We work to earn it, plan to spend it, and stress for lack of it. If we are not careful, it can consume our thoughts, daily. God's word is very clear when it comes the way we should handle our money. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " Hebrews 13:5
So, enjoy the gifts God has given you in this world; food, entertainment, home decor, gardening, etc. But keep them in their proper place with a clear perspective. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." I John 5:21
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
First Things First
Have ya missed me? :) I took a huge hiatus to take care of stuff, stuff, stuff! Let's see, I've had the home school curriculum fair, my nephew's wedding, the end of the home school year, and moving into my parents house while they are away for two months. Whew......it's a good thing they have a pool. The kids and I are finally starting our vacation. I'm continuing math and Abby's phonics through the summer, but all other subjects have halted until September. I think I'll start lesson planning in Late July or August, that way I can take a little break to be with the kids.
We recently found a new church home, and we began attending Sunday school, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday evening services. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for us it has been a big change, but a welcome one. Lemme splain-for about 4 years, we have been members of a wonderful, Bible teaching, God-centered church........in McDonough (that's about 80 miles away). Our church had one main service on Sunday, and Bible study on Wednesdays. (The men and women would alternate weeks to meet on Wednesdays.) Our services were AWESOME!! Everything from the music to the message was centered around the Word of God and very meat filled. However, due to the distance and schedule issues, we were only able to attend on Sundays. With the sermons alone lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours, we were definitely loaded for the week. I digress, back to the point. You would think that with attending church 4 times more than I was before, my tank would stay "full." Not so much. It seems that no amount of attending church, going to Bible study, and listening to sermons replace actual individual time in the Word.
Lately I have been convicted that my individual time should be first thing in the morning. I know what you're thinking, "I can't first thing, the kids need breakfast, the dog needs to go out, etc..." I'm right there with you. I'm not saying sit down for an in-depth Bible study while your two year old is helping himself to last year's Christmas candy and chasing it down with Hershey's syrup. I'm just saying the first thing we feed ourselves should be the honey of the Scriptures. Something as simple as the Proverb of the day (there are 31 Proverbs, just read the one corresponding with the current date) will make a profound difference on the way you view the rest of your day. There's something special about our "firsts" we have to offer. God spoke several times about the first fruits. Why do you think those fruits were more special? Why do you think it's important to write your offering check before writing any others? When we give God the "firsts," we are trusting Him for the seconds, and thirds, etc. By giving our time, resources, and offerings right away to Him, we exhibit faith. We don't know if we will have anymore time in the day to study, but we are trusting God to use what we have offered Him to bring glory to Himself.
Bottom line, don't let all the distractions of "doing" your day keep you from being obedient to what God commands of His children. Topping off your tank in the morning will allow you to fill all the other ones in the house. ;) Col. 2:2-3
We recently found a new church home, and we began attending Sunday school, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday evening services. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for us it has been a big change, but a welcome one. Lemme splain-for about 4 years, we have been members of a wonderful, Bible teaching, God-centered church........in McDonough (that's about 80 miles away). Our church had one main service on Sunday, and Bible study on Wednesdays. (The men and women would alternate weeks to meet on Wednesdays.) Our services were AWESOME!! Everything from the music to the message was centered around the Word of God and very meat filled. However, due to the distance and schedule issues, we were only able to attend on Sundays. With the sermons alone lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours, we were definitely loaded for the week. I digress, back to the point. You would think that with attending church 4 times more than I was before, my tank would stay "full." Not so much. It seems that no amount of attending church, going to Bible study, and listening to sermons replace actual individual time in the Word.
Lately I have been convicted that my individual time should be first thing in the morning. I know what you're thinking, "I can't first thing, the kids need breakfast, the dog needs to go out, etc..." I'm right there with you. I'm not saying sit down for an in-depth Bible study while your two year old is helping himself to last year's Christmas candy and chasing it down with Hershey's syrup. I'm just saying the first thing we feed ourselves should be the honey of the Scriptures. Something as simple as the Proverb of the day (there are 31 Proverbs, just read the one corresponding with the current date) will make a profound difference on the way you view the rest of your day. There's something special about our "firsts" we have to offer. God spoke several times about the first fruits. Why do you think those fruits were more special? Why do you think it's important to write your offering check before writing any others? When we give God the "firsts," we are trusting Him for the seconds, and thirds, etc. By giving our time, resources, and offerings right away to Him, we exhibit faith. We don't know if we will have anymore time in the day to study, but we are trusting God to use what we have offered Him to bring glory to Himself.
Bottom line, don't let all the distractions of "doing" your day keep you from being obedient to what God commands of His children. Topping off your tank in the morning will allow you to fill all the other ones in the house. ;) Col. 2:2-3
Friday, April 24, 2009
Washing clothes and Saving Money
Drum roll please......................Preeeeeesenting the best laundry soap recipe on this blog! Tee hee - Seriously, as I stated in the last post, I made and tried a recipe I found on the internet for homemade laundry detergent. I absolutely LOVE it, and I will never buy store brand again. This particular recipe came from the Duggar Family website. However, I have found it on several other websites as well.
Our family of 5 does about 10-15 loads of laundry a week. This recipe will last us approximately 15 months. (We have a high efficiency washer and dryer) Each batch will make a 5 gallon bucket full, which will produce 10 gallons. I'll explain in a minute. Each batch costs about $2.00. The only cost outside of that is the initial investment in a 5 gallon bucket and lid. So, here we go......
Ingredients:
* 4 cups water (for melting soap)
* 1 bar of soap (I recommend Kirk's Hardwater Castile, found in Kroger)
Other suggestions are Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Sunlight, or Zote bars - DO NOT USE HEAVILY PERFUMED SOAPS
* 1/2 cup Borax (Found in Kroger in the cleaning aisle, I think they call it 20 Mule Power Borax)
* 1 cup washing soda (Also found this in Kroger, right beside the Borax)
Directions:
Grate bar of soap and melt in 4 cups of water in saucepan on med-low. Fill 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add melted soap mixture, Borax and washing soda to the 5 gallon bucket. Stir well. Fill bucket to rim with hot tap water. Put lid on and let sit overnight. After sitting, take off lid and stir. Get an empty container (like used laundry detergent bottle) fill halfway with soap mixture. Fill bottle rest of the way with water. Gently shake. You are ready to wash some clothes!!!! Be sure to gently shake container before each use, as the solution will gel. For front loading washers, use approximately 1/4 cup. For top loading washers, use approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup.
Front load machines (approximately 640 loads)
Top load machines (approximately 180 loads)
Inexpensive Softener Idea- I have tried this also, and it is working well.
* 1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
* 4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half
Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket (you can probably use a smaller bucket, depending on the size of your softener bottle). Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet. I put some of the mixture in a small container by my dryer, and keep the other bucket in a storing area.
Hope these recipes work out for you. I told you in the last post that I was making homemade liquid soap; I did, and I don't recommend it at this time. It was very labor intensive and did not yield much. I think for now I will stick to the dollar bottles at Kroger or Wal*Mart, or maybe baby shampoo from Dollar General. The baby shampoo makes a great hand soap, and it's very gentle on the hands.
As always, I hope these recipes will be helpful. Let me know if you try them, and how they work for you.
"She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27
Our family of 5 does about 10-15 loads of laundry a week. This recipe will last us approximately 15 months. (We have a high efficiency washer and dryer) Each batch will make a 5 gallon bucket full, which will produce 10 gallons. I'll explain in a minute. Each batch costs about $2.00. The only cost outside of that is the initial investment in a 5 gallon bucket and lid. So, here we go......
Ingredients:
* 4 cups water (for melting soap)
* 1 bar of soap (I recommend Kirk's Hardwater Castile, found in Kroger)
Other suggestions are Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Sunlight, or Zote bars - DO NOT USE HEAVILY PERFUMED SOAPS
* 1/2 cup Borax (Found in Kroger in the cleaning aisle, I think they call it 20 Mule Power Borax)
* 1 cup washing soda (Also found this in Kroger, right beside the Borax)
Directions:
Grate bar of soap and melt in 4 cups of water in saucepan on med-low. Fill 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add melted soap mixture, Borax and washing soda to the 5 gallon bucket. Stir well. Fill bucket to rim with hot tap water. Put lid on and let sit overnight. After sitting, take off lid and stir. Get an empty container (like used laundry detergent bottle) fill halfway with soap mixture. Fill bottle rest of the way with water. Gently shake. You are ready to wash some clothes!!!! Be sure to gently shake container before each use, as the solution will gel. For front loading washers, use approximately 1/4 cup. For top loading washers, use approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup.
Front load machines (approximately 640 loads)
Top load machines (approximately 180 loads)
Inexpensive Softener Idea- I have tried this also, and it is working well.
* 1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
* 4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half
Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket (you can probably use a smaller bucket, depending on the size of your softener bottle). Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet. I put some of the mixture in a small container by my dryer, and keep the other bucket in a storing area.
Hope these recipes work out for you. I told you in the last post that I was making homemade liquid soap; I did, and I don't recommend it at this time. It was very labor intensive and did not yield much. I think for now I will stick to the dollar bottles at Kroger or Wal*Mart, or maybe baby shampoo from Dollar General. The baby shampoo makes a great hand soap, and it's very gentle on the hands.
As always, I hope these recipes will be helpful. Let me know if you try them, and how they work for you.
"She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Living rooms, Dens, and Kitchens, OH MY!
So, how are those bathrooms and laundry rooms lookin'? :) This post will be about general organization and order in our living rooms, dens, and kitchens.
The MOST important advice I can give is that, Everything should have a place, and everything should be in its place." I know that seems elementary, but I think it is fundamental for order in the home. This is especially true if you are living in a limited amount of space. Find a home for everything, and if it doesn't seem to go anywhere or with any group in particular, contemplate whether you use it or need it.
Okay, on to living rooms/dens. I will combine the two because not everyone has a separate den. Sometimes they are combined into a great room.
Living room/Den-
* Try to minimize knick-knacks. Some items for general decor are fine, but really evaluate whether that seashell sculpture from Myrtle Beach that Grandma Mable brought you is worth keeping around. Remember, everything you have must be maintained, (ie: dusted, cleaned, etc..) and that means, t-i-m-e. Sometimes, less is more.
* Make sure the items in your living space are season appropriate. For instance, you don't need fleece throws when it is 96 degrees. By the same token, you might want to put away the box fans when it's 34 degrees. You get the picture.
* Have designated areas for toys. Our kids are older now, but our dog has a basket of toys, and another one for rawhide chews. I know, pretty sad. But he actually has learned where his toys are, and goes and selects one to play with. However, like toddlers, he gets out five at a time, and never puts them away. With a basket or some type of container though, children can have access to a few toys, but also have an easy way to clean them up.
* Ditch the junk mail. Try to make a habit of throwing junk mail away as soon as you walk in the door with it. Then take the "good" mail (even bills) to a pre-designated area. This will cut down greatly on the paperwork that can accumulate so rapidly on various surfaces around the house.
* One thing we tried a while back was; we purchased three (one for each child) baskets that complimented the living room decor, and labeled each basket with the child's name. Whenever I would find something lying around that belonged to a child, (sunglasses, video game chip, book, stickers, stuffed animal) I would place it in their basket. This way, I wasn't constantly running back and forth through the house "delivering" their belongings. Then a couple times a week, I would have them take their baskets to their rooms and put their things away. This was also great when they would call out, "Mama, have you seen my charger for my DS?" I could tell them to check their basket. Ta daaaa Just one more way to help instill responsibility.
* Do a "quick clean up" a couple times a day. A quick clean up is a 5-10 minute pick up of the main living areas. The kids and I quickly scan the areas and pick up any items that are out of place. We return them to their correct locations, and Voila, the living room is clean again. (We do this in the morning, late afternoon, and usually right before bed.)
* Make a little "desk in a tote." I bought an inexpensive scrap booking tote from Wal*Mart, and filled it with pencils, pens, stapler, scissors, tape, notebook paper, Sharpies, highlighters, erasers, dry erase markers, and a dry eraser. I was so tired of trying to find a working pen, or a pencil that wasn't broken. This has been a lifesaver many, many times. We keep it right in the living room. We just have one important rule with this, if you take it out, put it away.
* Here's my favorite:) Try moving your furniture around. Sometimes you just need a new perspective to get you motivated. Not to mention all the baseboards that have been neglected over the years, and pacifiers under the couch. I love moving my rooms around, it really helps me keep things clean. You have no choice but to go through things when you tear apart your room.
Alright, enough about living rooms, how bout those kitchens?
Kitchen-
* If you haven't already, go through your cabinets, one at a time. Clean them out, completely. Donate or yard sale any appliances, dishes, pots, pans, etc... that you are not using. Weed through the 73 sippy cups and 45 coffee cups you have. How many do you really need? Remember, less is more. The more you have, the more you have to manage. Don't create unnecessary work for yourself.
* Clean your pantry out. Throw away anything that has expired. You would be suprised how many boxes of jello and cans of peaches that expired in 2006. Of course I'm totally guessing here. No first hand knowledge. Ahem
* Get a small container for frequently used meds, and put them in a cabinet. Put all other meds in bathroom, or other designated location. If you just put the ones you need on a regular basis (Tylenol, Benedryl, Claritin, Neosporin, Tums, Zantac, children's Tylenol) you won't end up with a cabinet that looks like Rite Aid. It will also make it easier to find them when you really need it. Just pull the container down, andpass out the valium to the kids give the kids their vitamins.
* Make out a menu for the week. I know, this seems lame, but it really works. You don't have to be totally detailed with it, just a general idea. But it makes it so much easier for you to see if you have all the ingredients, as well as the time prep you will need. Remember, you must manage your home. It should be the exception, not the rule, to be unprepared at supper. Things happen, and schedules get bumped, but if you have a general idea what you're fixing, you can always swap meals if you need to.
* Keep a running list on the side of the fridge, or some other strategic location, for items you need to buy at the grocery store. When you use the last tea bags, add "tea bags" to the list, and you when you go shopping, your list will be complete. It is so easy to forget something while you're in the store, and have to make another trip. Guard that time.
I pray some of these ideas will benefit you. As I've said before, I am no authority, just another mom trying to find out what works and find ways I can better manage my time and home.
On a side note, I recently made homemade laundry soap, dishwasher soap, and oatmeal bath. I'm in the process of making my own liquid hand soap, I'll let you know how that turns out. The laundry soap is AWESOME! It costs about $2.o0 for a batch that will last me approximately 15 months! Yep, you heard right, over a year for 2 bucks, that's about .13 cents a month. I'll be posting these recipes on my website in the next few days. The dishwasher soap was great, too. Incredible savings. And Jackson and Abby throughly enjoyed the oatmeal bath (separately, of course). Who knew it could be so easy? I could beat the snot out of myself for spending all that money on the brand name stuff. But never again!
Be sure to leave your comments or suggestions. If you would like, you can become a follower of this blog. You'll find the "follow" button just above Calvin and Hobbes at the bottom of the page.
The MOST important advice I can give is that, Everything should have a place, and everything should be in its place." I know that seems elementary, but I think it is fundamental for order in the home. This is especially true if you are living in a limited amount of space. Find a home for everything, and if it doesn't seem to go anywhere or with any group in particular, contemplate whether you use it or need it.
Okay, on to living rooms/dens. I will combine the two because not everyone has a separate den. Sometimes they are combined into a great room.
Living room/Den-
* Try to minimize knick-knacks. Some items for general decor are fine, but really evaluate whether that seashell sculpture from Myrtle Beach that Grandma Mable brought you is worth keeping around. Remember, everything you have must be maintained, (ie: dusted, cleaned, etc..) and that means, t-i-m-e. Sometimes, less is more.
* Make sure the items in your living space are season appropriate. For instance, you don't need fleece throws when it is 96 degrees. By the same token, you might want to put away the box fans when it's 34 degrees. You get the picture.
* Have designated areas for toys. Our kids are older now, but our dog has a basket of toys, and another one for rawhide chews. I know, pretty sad. But he actually has learned where his toys are, and goes and selects one to play with. However, like toddlers, he gets out five at a time, and never puts them away. With a basket or some type of container though, children can have access to a few toys, but also have an easy way to clean them up.
* Ditch the junk mail. Try to make a habit of throwing junk mail away as soon as you walk in the door with it. Then take the "good" mail (even bills) to a pre-designated area. This will cut down greatly on the paperwork that can accumulate so rapidly on various surfaces around the house.
* One thing we tried a while back was; we purchased three (one for each child) baskets that complimented the living room decor, and labeled each basket with the child's name. Whenever I would find something lying around that belonged to a child, (sunglasses, video game chip, book, stickers, stuffed animal) I would place it in their basket. This way, I wasn't constantly running back and forth through the house "delivering" their belongings. Then a couple times a week, I would have them take their baskets to their rooms and put their things away. This was also great when they would call out, "Mama, have you seen my charger for my DS?" I could tell them to check their basket. Ta daaaa Just one more way to help instill responsibility.
* Do a "quick clean up" a couple times a day. A quick clean up is a 5-10 minute pick up of the main living areas. The kids and I quickly scan the areas and pick up any items that are out of place. We return them to their correct locations, and Voila, the living room is clean again. (We do this in the morning, late afternoon, and usually right before bed.)
* Make a little "desk in a tote." I bought an inexpensive scrap booking tote from Wal*Mart, and filled it with pencils, pens, stapler, scissors, tape, notebook paper, Sharpies, highlighters, erasers, dry erase markers, and a dry eraser. I was so tired of trying to find a working pen, or a pencil that wasn't broken. This has been a lifesaver many, many times. We keep it right in the living room. We just have one important rule with this, if you take it out, put it away.
* Here's my favorite:) Try moving your furniture around. Sometimes you just need a new perspective to get you motivated. Not to mention all the baseboards that have been neglected over the years, and pacifiers under the couch. I love moving my rooms around, it really helps me keep things clean. You have no choice but to go through things when you tear apart your room.
Alright, enough about living rooms, how bout those kitchens?
Kitchen-
* If you haven't already, go through your cabinets, one at a time. Clean them out, completely. Donate or yard sale any appliances, dishes, pots, pans, etc... that you are not using. Weed through the 73 sippy cups and 45 coffee cups you have. How many do you really need? Remember, less is more. The more you have, the more you have to manage. Don't create unnecessary work for yourself.
* Clean your pantry out. Throw away anything that has expired. You would be suprised how many boxes of jello and cans of peaches that expired in 2006. Of course I'm totally guessing here. No first hand knowledge. Ahem
* Get a small container for frequently used meds, and put them in a cabinet. Put all other meds in bathroom, or other designated location. If you just put the ones you need on a regular basis (Tylenol, Benedryl, Claritin, Neosporin, Tums, Zantac, children's Tylenol) you won't end up with a cabinet that looks like Rite Aid. It will also make it easier to find them when you really need it. Just pull the container down, and
* Make out a menu for the week. I know, this seems lame, but it really works. You don't have to be totally detailed with it, just a general idea. But it makes it so much easier for you to see if you have all the ingredients, as well as the time prep you will need. Remember, you must manage your home. It should be the exception, not the rule, to be unprepared at supper. Things happen, and schedules get bumped, but if you have a general idea what you're fixing, you can always swap meals if you need to.
* Keep a running list on the side of the fridge, or some other strategic location, for items you need to buy at the grocery store. When you use the last tea bags, add "tea bags" to the list, and you when you go shopping, your list will be complete. It is so easy to forget something while you're in the store, and have to make another trip. Guard that time.
I pray some of these ideas will benefit you. As I've said before, I am no authority, just another mom trying to find out what works and find ways I can better manage my time and home.
On a side note, I recently made homemade laundry soap, dishwasher soap, and oatmeal bath. I'm in the process of making my own liquid hand soap, I'll let you know how that turns out. The laundry soap is AWESOME! It costs about $2.o0 for a batch that will last me approximately 15 months! Yep, you heard right, over a year for 2 bucks, that's about .13 cents a month. I'll be posting these recipes on my website in the next few days. The dishwasher soap was great, too. Incredible savings. And Jackson and Abby throughly enjoyed the oatmeal bath (separately, of course). Who knew it could be so easy? I could beat the snot out of myself for spending all that money on the brand name stuff. But never again!
Be sure to leave your comments or suggestions. If you would like, you can become a follower of this blog. You'll find the "follow" button just above Calvin and Hobbes at the bottom of the page.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Spring is in the Air (Along with other stuff)
It's time for that yearly favorite activity......Spring Cleaning! Aren't you excited? Over the next few posts, I will attempt to provide some helpful tips and ideas for getting your house tippy-top, ship-shape. Now, I am no expert, just another mom sharing things that have been tried. Somethings may work for you, some may not, but please feel free to leave comments and suggestions with your own ideas.
So, like I said, I'm going to spend a few posts covering the whole house. We will concentrate on different areas for each post. Today, let's look at the laundry area and bathrooms. Keep in mind alot of the ideas I have come from; 1) living in limited space 2) having kids 3) and being a bit meticulous, yeah, that's a good word for it....ahem. So, with that in mind, adapt these suggestions to fit your family. Here we go!
Laundry Room/Area
* Combine partially filled detergent/softener bottles to limit the number of bottles out
* Have a specific place for empty hangers, and put them there when you find them lying around (I keep mine in an empty laundry basket, separated by children, adults, and pants hangers) Train children to return hangers there. Even a two year old is able to do that and it's fun for them to do "grown up" things.
* Change clothes from washer to dryer as soon as they stop! Re fluffing wastes electricity and time. Your time is valuable, guard it! If you have to re fluff to take care of something, just be sure to get them out as soon as possible.
* When you fold a load, put it away, right away. The neatest trick I have found for this that has worked for our family for about 6 years, is to buy dishpans (you can get them at the Dollar Tree, Wal*Mart, or Kroger) and put a label or write each child's name on them. As you fold, drop the clothes in the appropriate pans. Then call the kids to come and get their buckets and put their clothes away. When they were too young to put all their clothes away by themselves, I would do it. But having them separated at the time of folding was awesome. It also helped the clothes stay neatly folded while transporting them to their dressers. Definitely a plus. Don't want to do double work, guard that time.
* I have 4 stacking laundry baskets in our master bath. The baskets are marked, "towels," "whites," "lights," and "darks." This system makes it very easy for the kids to sort their clothes, and a breeze for me to grab a load and toss it in. I absolutely LOVE this system. It also has really helped me keep a close check on the amount of laundry to do so that I don't get too far behind.
* Try to do a load everyday, even if it's towels or jeans. If you can't, or you family is too small to produce enough laundry, just try to put a load in before you have nine loads to do, and your husband doesn't have any scrubs to wear to work. (Speaking hypothetically of course. I don't know anyone this has happened to. Ahem)
Bathrooms
* If you have older children, train them to wipe down the bathrooms daily, or every other day. (Clorox type wipes are great for this, and you can buy those disposable "food prep" gloves to wear if you don't want them to handle the chemicals.) If you have younger children, doing a quick wipe down daily will help you prevent a built up mess in your bathroom. This is a great way to keep it fresh and sanitary when you don't have 20 minutes to deep clean. It is also nice in case unexpected guests pop in.
* Get small baskets for each member of the family, even babies (can be found at Dollar Tree....Can you tell I go there often?) and put each person's belongings in them. For instance: the baby's basket may have, lotion, powder, baby wash, washcloth, rubber ducky, Desitin, etc... - a teenager may have, Clearasil, deodorant, razor, shaving cream, etc.....You get the idea. Place the baskets either on a shelving unit over the toilet, or under the sink. They are easily available to grab and then all of their things are kept neatly in one place, not all over the counter-top.
* Make a "boo-boo box" and place it in an easily accessible location. This is probably one of the most used items in my house. Below is an example of the contents of a well stocked boo-boo box.
Neosporin
Band Aids-a varitey of sizes
gauze
tweezers
cleaning wipes/foamy stuff
Cortisone
When you have those little hangnails, or splinters, or paper cuts, etc.. you can grab the small box and fix it up without having to get all the first aid stuff out. Take it out, suture, and put it back. Ta daaaaa
Well, that's about it for laundry room and bathrooms. Please feel free to comment and leave your suggestions. I am always looking for helpful ideas to help me manage my family and household duties more efficiently.
Tune back in for the spring cleaning sequel, when we will tackle......living rooms, dens, and kitchens. Oh my!
So, like I said, I'm going to spend a few posts covering the whole house. We will concentrate on different areas for each post. Today, let's look at the laundry area and bathrooms. Keep in mind alot of the ideas I have come from; 1) living in limited space 2) having kids 3) and being a bit meticulous, yeah, that's a good word for it....ahem. So, with that in mind, adapt these suggestions to fit your family. Here we go!
Laundry Room/Area
* Combine partially filled detergent/softener bottles to limit the number of bottles out
* Have a specific place for empty hangers, and put them there when you find them lying around (I keep mine in an empty laundry basket, separated by children, adults, and pants hangers) Train children to return hangers there. Even a two year old is able to do that and it's fun for them to do "grown up" things.
* Change clothes from washer to dryer as soon as they stop! Re fluffing wastes electricity and time. Your time is valuable, guard it! If you have to re fluff to take care of something, just be sure to get them out as soon as possible.
* When you fold a load, put it away, right away. The neatest trick I have found for this that has worked for our family for about 6 years, is to buy dishpans (you can get them at the Dollar Tree, Wal*Mart, or Kroger) and put a label or write each child's name on them. As you fold, drop the clothes in the appropriate pans. Then call the kids to come and get their buckets and put their clothes away. When they were too young to put all their clothes away by themselves, I would do it. But having them separated at the time of folding was awesome. It also helped the clothes stay neatly folded while transporting them to their dressers. Definitely a plus. Don't want to do double work, guard that time.
* I have 4 stacking laundry baskets in our master bath. The baskets are marked, "towels," "whites," "lights," and "darks." This system makes it very easy for the kids to sort their clothes, and a breeze for me to grab a load and toss it in. I absolutely LOVE this system. It also has really helped me keep a close check on the amount of laundry to do so that I don't get too far behind.
* Try to do a load everyday, even if it's towels or jeans. If you can't, or you family is too small to produce enough laundry, just try to put a load in before you have nine loads to do, and your husband doesn't have any scrubs to wear to work. (Speaking hypothetically of course. I don't know anyone this has happened to. Ahem)
Bathrooms
* If you have older children, train them to wipe down the bathrooms daily, or every other day. (Clorox type wipes are great for this, and you can buy those disposable "food prep" gloves to wear if you don't want them to handle the chemicals.) If you have younger children, doing a quick wipe down daily will help you prevent a built up mess in your bathroom. This is a great way to keep it fresh and sanitary when you don't have 20 minutes to deep clean. It is also nice in case unexpected guests pop in.
* Get small baskets for each member of the family, even babies (can be found at Dollar Tree....Can you tell I go there often?) and put each person's belongings in them. For instance: the baby's basket may have, lotion, powder, baby wash, washcloth, rubber ducky, Desitin, etc... - a teenager may have, Clearasil, deodorant, razor, shaving cream, etc.....You get the idea. Place the baskets either on a shelving unit over the toilet, or under the sink. They are easily available to grab and then all of their things are kept neatly in one place, not all over the counter-top.
* Make a "boo-boo box" and place it in an easily accessible location. This is probably one of the most used items in my house. Below is an example of the contents of a well stocked boo-boo box.
Neosporin
Band Aids-a varitey of sizes
gauze
tweezers
cleaning wipes/foamy stuff
Cortisone
When you have those little hangnails, or splinters, or paper cuts, etc.. you can grab the small box and fix it up without having to get all the first aid stuff out. Take it out, suture, and put it back. Ta daaaaa
Well, that's about it for laundry room and bathrooms. Please feel free to comment and leave your suggestions. I am always looking for helpful ideas to help me manage my family and household duties more efficiently.
Tune back in for the spring cleaning sequel, when we will tackle......living rooms, dens, and kitchens. Oh my!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Just go vacuum the lawn
Do you ever have one of those days when: ......... you wake up to the sound of your children arguing.........when your bug man comes for his regular spraying and manages to exterminate your good summer sandals that were sitting on the carpet..........your child puts a nice filthy, food caked spoon and half filled glass of milk in a dishwasher loaded with clean dishes ........... you can't remember your child's name, but you know all the words to, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (and sing them incessantly).........you go around saying things like you need to "mow the carpet" and "vacuum the lawn"..............you turn the dryer on to fluff the clothes, and wait patiently to switch the wet ones over, only to realize an hour later the dryer was empty.........you think of a many really important things to take care of while you're lying in bed, and can't think of a one the next morning..........
So, do you ever have those days? ....... Yeah, me neither:)
So, do you ever have those days? ....... Yeah, me neither:)
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Day is His
Discipline.........a word that evokes a range of thoughts and reactions, depending on the hearer. When spoken to a child, they may think of punishment or correction. When spoken to a businessman or woman, they may think self-control or order. But when a homeschool, Christian mom hears it, it is convicting. There are so many areas in our lives we feel we are lacking. It seems like the children are always arguing or aggravating one another. The chores are never ending. And if doing the laundry, housework, and playing peacemaker are not enough, we have the added responsibility of educating and training our children. What an awesome compliment God has given us by trusting us with His children! I don't always feel adequate. Quite frankly, I'm not. My adequacy comes from Christ. HE has called me to teach and prepare my children. And HE is the one that equips me. It is from Him that I receive strength. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 Left to myself, I would choose laziness, arrogance, and pride. But in Christ I can be diligent, merciful, and humble. What a contrast!
There are so many times I forget that I am not in control. As a parent, I am used to making the decisions, managing the house, and giving the instructions. (A shared responsibility with the head of house, my husband) I must be careful though, I have to remember that everything I do should be done for Christ. I should desire no personal gain from selfish motives. I must constantly check my heart and keep a clear perspective. All of this is easy to say, but how is it accomplished? By daily feeding on The Word of God. By constantly immersing yourself in the Truth. It is so easy to get caught up in the petty things of this world. The juice spilled on the carpet, the kids arguing who's turn it is, the bathroom sink with toothpaste caked in it, or the thrown together supper because you're late for ball practice. This world and everything in it will pass away, but God's Word is forever! "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Isaiah 40:6b-8 We must contend with the "inconveniences" in our day, but we cannot let them dictate our lives. We must keep our eyes on Christ, so that there is no question in our children's minds where our devotions lie. "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:1-2
So, when you're doing that fourth load of laundry, or changing the 33rd diaper of the day, pop in some uplifting music (I love Fernando Ortega) or download a sermon. (Hmmm, like Mark Dever, or John MacArthur) Make 3 x 5 index cards with encouraging scripture and place them in strategic locations so that you can meditate on them throughout the day. (I like putting mine on the bathroom mirror, or eye level at the kitchen sink.) I have some awesome links on the sidebar for places to download sermons, or truth-filled devotions.
Don't get discouraged when you day looks grim. Remember, God has called you to a special task, and He has provided His Word for all your needs. His Word is sufficient! "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." II Timothy 3:16-17
There are so many times I forget that I am not in control. As a parent, I am used to making the decisions, managing the house, and giving the instructions. (A shared responsibility with the head of house, my husband) I must be careful though, I have to remember that everything I do should be done for Christ. I should desire no personal gain from selfish motives. I must constantly check my heart and keep a clear perspective. All of this is easy to say, but how is it accomplished? By daily feeding on The Word of God. By constantly immersing yourself in the Truth. It is so easy to get caught up in the petty things of this world. The juice spilled on the carpet, the kids arguing who's turn it is, the bathroom sink with toothpaste caked in it, or the thrown together supper because you're late for ball practice. This world and everything in it will pass away, but God's Word is forever! "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Isaiah 40:6b-8 We must contend with the "inconveniences" in our day, but we cannot let them dictate our lives. We must keep our eyes on Christ, so that there is no question in our children's minds where our devotions lie. "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:1-2
So, when you're doing that fourth load of laundry, or changing the 33rd diaper of the day, pop in some uplifting music (I love Fernando Ortega) or download a sermon. (Hmmm, like Mark Dever, or John MacArthur) Make 3 x 5 index cards with encouraging scripture and place them in strategic locations so that you can meditate on them throughout the day. (I like putting mine on the bathroom mirror, or eye level at the kitchen sink.) I have some awesome links on the sidebar for places to download sermons, or truth-filled devotions.
Don't get discouraged when you day looks grim. Remember, God has called you to a special task, and He has provided His Word for all your needs. His Word is sufficient! "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." II Timothy 3:16-17
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Coffee Filters Make Cents
In this day of trying to make your pennies stretch, I thought I would list a few different ways to use a coffee filter. I came across this several months ago, and just stored it away. Hope it's useful to you. Coffee Filters are super cheap, too. You can get like 1000 for a buck at the dollar store!! How's that for stretching?
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
5. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
6. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
7. Hold tacos or sloppy joes. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
8. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
9. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
10. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
11. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
12. Use as a bowl for snacks like goldfish, cookies, etc.. Easy clean up.
Please leave comments and tell me your ideas for the coffee filter. I'd love to hear from you.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
5. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
6. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
7. Hold tacos or sloppy joes. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
8. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
9. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
10. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
11. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
12. Use as a bowl for snacks like goldfish, cookies, etc.. Easy clean up.
Please leave comments and tell me your ideas for the coffee filter. I'd love to hear from you.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
That "sinful" Pollen
I don't know about you, but I am thankful for the rain. My car is clean, the yellow is gone from the deck, and my grass is growing. My allergies have been such a nuisance lately and it has really left me feeling drained each day. But man, those storms come in and whoooosh, all that nasty pollen is swept away, clear head, open nose, and good rest. So let it rain, let it rain, let it rain! It takes a good storm with strong winds, and hard and heavy rains to effectively clean out the staleness that has accumulated. The winds carry the dust and pollen away, and the rains nourish the soil, trees, plants, and flowers and wash away the bedraggled surfaces.
What a picture of what Christ does for us! We are like the grass and flowers. We are growing, but we sometimes get dry spells. Sin is like that nasty pollen that seems to be on every surface. No matter what we do, it still seems to be wherever we look. Then comes the storm; affliction, hardship, disaster, sorrow, trial. Whatever we call it, it's a storm. The winds kick up, and the rain is so hard it hurts. We take cover. But after we've weathered out the storm, the sky clears, the sun comes out, and there is peace. This is when the new growth begins.
These storms or trials in our lives are ordained by God. They are to clear out that which is sinful or that which is obstructing our spiritual growth. For me, these are the times I come face-to-face with my pride. It's a time of confession and repentance. It is a time to have joy. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3 We can take cover from the storm, but we can't hide, but God will comfort us. "who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Corinthians 1:4 These hardships are meant for our good, and His glory. They are to make us stronger. "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
So, while it's raining outside, I will read His word and enjoy the "calm" I have inside. Because the next sunny day could bring a storm, and I want to be ready:)
What a picture of what Christ does for us! We are like the grass and flowers. We are growing, but we sometimes get dry spells. Sin is like that nasty pollen that seems to be on every surface. No matter what we do, it still seems to be wherever we look. Then comes the storm; affliction, hardship, disaster, sorrow, trial. Whatever we call it, it's a storm. The winds kick up, and the rain is so hard it hurts. We take cover. But after we've weathered out the storm, the sky clears, the sun comes out, and there is peace. This is when the new growth begins.
These storms or trials in our lives are ordained by God. They are to clear out that which is sinful or that which is obstructing our spiritual growth. For me, these are the times I come face-to-face with my pride. It's a time of confession and repentance. It is a time to have joy. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3 We can take cover from the storm, but we can't hide, but God will comfort us. "who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Corinthians 1:4 These hardships are meant for our good, and His glory. They are to make us stronger. "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
So, while it's raining outside, I will read His word and enjoy the "calm" I have inside. Because the next sunny day could bring a storm, and I want to be ready:)
Monday, March 30, 2009
What does the Bible say about being green?
Have you ever wondered if being environmentally conscious is biblical? I have. I struggle sometimes as a homeschool mom with the whole, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." I am not a tree hugger, but I'm not deliberately wasteful either. (I turn off the water while I'm brushing my teeth. Thank you very much.) I just know that mankind is not going to "save the Earth." II Peter 3:10 states, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." God is sovereign. Praise the Lord! So, with all the talk on the news and TV about the myriad of environmental issues; ozone layer, global warming, recycling, toxic levels of fuels from vehicles/factories, etc.. it is necessary for Christians to know exactly what the Bible states about these concerns, how we are to respond to them, and our responsibilities.
In Genesis 2:15, God established man as the care-taker of the earth. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." So what does that mean to us now? The obvious, we mow our lawns, weed (or is it de-weed) our gardens. The not so obvious, we keep our vehicles in good repair so they don't leak fluids or gases. The list goes on.
Moving to Psalm 8:6-8, God states we are to have dominion, or to be stewards of His created world. "You (God) have given him (man) dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas." WE are the managers, or stewards. WE, mankind, are the decision makers, not animals, plants, or vapors in the air. This is a huge responsibility. And when deciding how best to steward God’s resources, we must remember, Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” We don’t want man’s praise to influence our decision making, we want God’s glory to define it!
Finally, according to Jesus, in Matthew 20:28, we are servants. “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…” and then again in John 13:15, after He had washed the disciples feet…. “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” We must be willing to serve others with the resources God has entrusted us. Clean up litter off the highway, plant a tree in a park, recycle your Coke cans, or volunteer your time at a local food bank.
Whether you recycle your cans, make your own compost, or carry reusable grocery bags, just remember we are just the caretakers, stewards and servants of God’s creation, not the owners. It all belongs to Him. The best way we can thank Him for the gifts He has allowed us to use it to glorify Him with them.
In Genesis 2:15, God established man as the care-taker of the earth. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." So what does that mean to us now? The obvious, we mow our lawns, weed (or is it de-weed) our gardens. The not so obvious, we keep our vehicles in good repair so they don't leak fluids or gases. The list goes on.
Moving to Psalm 8:6-8, God states we are to have dominion, or to be stewards of His created world. "You (God) have given him (man) dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas." WE are the managers, or stewards. WE, mankind, are the decision makers, not animals, plants, or vapors in the air. This is a huge responsibility. And when deciding how best to steward God’s resources, we must remember, Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” We don’t want man’s praise to influence our decision making, we want God’s glory to define it!
Finally, according to Jesus, in Matthew 20:28, we are servants. “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…” and then again in John 13:15, after He had washed the disciples feet…. “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” We must be willing to serve others with the resources God has entrusted us. Clean up litter off the highway, plant a tree in a park, recycle your Coke cans, or volunteer your time at a local food bank.
Whether you recycle your cans, make your own compost, or carry reusable grocery bags, just remember we are just the caretakers, stewards and servants of God’s creation, not the owners. It all belongs to Him. The best way we can thank Him for the gifts He has allowed us to use it to glorify Him with them.
Friday, March 27, 2009
6 Ways to Teach Your Child Responsibility
1. Keep them busy -
You don't want a child to be idle for long. Everyone needs down time, and time to play or rest; but too much idle time leads to laziness. Children like the sense of accomplishment and praise they receive when a chore is completed. Give them regular chores and duties. Praise regularly, and always correct in love. An attitude of willingness with many mistakes is worth much more than perfection with resentment.
2. Teach them to work "smarter" not "harder"
This is where supplying the right tools will benefit greatly. Let them use a canister vacuum to "sweep" the kitchen floor, instead of frustrating them by teaching the proper way to use a broom. Besides, it's fun to watch the dirt get sucked up:) Use glass wipes instead of the spray and paper towels. These little short cuts will go a long way when a child is learning to help and be a responsible member of the family. Don't worry, they will learn how to sweep before they move out of the house.
3. Make checklists
By making a list they can check off as tasks are completed, children can have a visual picture of what is to be done, and what has already been accomplished. This is a great way to develop time management skills for them as well. I make lists all the time, and there are many that remain up (like; all the steps to taking a shower, or how to clean a bathroom properly, etc).
4. Give them a reason
Now, I don't mean we must explain why we expect them to clean their room or any other task we expect of them. I do, however, think we should make sure we point them to Christ every chance we get. Our children should know they were created for the same purpose we were; to glorify God. "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31. There should be no mistake as to why they do anything and what attitude they should have while doing it. "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may become blameless and innocent children of God." Philippians 2:14-15a
5. Hold them accountable
Short and brief.....what you expect, you must inspect. Don't tell them to complete a task and never follow up. You will be setting them up for failure. It's like on-the-job training, they must be constantly evaluated until there is mastery.
6. Model it
The best way to teach you children responsibility, is to show them what it looks like every chance you get. When they consistently see you being diligent in your life, they will understand better what is expected of them.
You don't want a child to be idle for long. Everyone needs down time, and time to play or rest; but too much idle time leads to laziness. Children like the sense of accomplishment and praise they receive when a chore is completed. Give them regular chores and duties. Praise regularly, and always correct in love. An attitude of willingness with many mistakes is worth much more than perfection with resentment.
2. Teach them to work "smarter" not "harder"
This is where supplying the right tools will benefit greatly. Let them use a canister vacuum to "sweep" the kitchen floor, instead of frustrating them by teaching the proper way to use a broom. Besides, it's fun to watch the dirt get sucked up:) Use glass wipes instead of the spray and paper towels. These little short cuts will go a long way when a child is learning to help and be a responsible member of the family. Don't worry, they will learn how to sweep before they move out of the house.
3. Make checklists
By making a list they can check off as tasks are completed, children can have a visual picture of what is to be done, and what has already been accomplished. This is a great way to develop time management skills for them as well. I make lists all the time, and there are many that remain up (like; all the steps to taking a shower, or how to clean a bathroom properly, etc).
4. Give them a reason
Now, I don't mean we must explain why we expect them to clean their room or any other task we expect of them. I do, however, think we should make sure we point them to Christ every chance we get. Our children should know they were created for the same purpose we were; to glorify God. "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31. There should be no mistake as to why they do anything and what attitude they should have while doing it. "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may become blameless and innocent children of God." Philippians 2:14-15a
5. Hold them accountable
Short and brief.....what you expect, you must inspect. Don't tell them to complete a task and never follow up. You will be setting them up for failure. It's like on-the-job training, they must be constantly evaluated until there is mastery.
6. Model it
The best way to teach you children responsibility, is to show them what it looks like every chance you get. When they consistently see you being diligent in your life, they will understand better what is expected of them.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Movie Night
We watched the movie Bolt with our kids tonight. I love Disney movies; lots of action, good plot, humor for both children and adults, and always a happy ending. One thing I have noticed, however, most of the time, these movies are lacking one thing, a father. There is a mom, but very rarely a dad. And if there is a dad, he's lazy, clueless, or helpless and needs the kids to rescue him. Not exactly the picture God paints in the Bible.
You see, the world wants little girls to know they can do or become anything they want. What a shame it doesn't teach them they are not supposed to be just anything they want. It doesn't tell them the hard truth that they are easily deceived, fragile, and in need of protection. We are not helpless, but fragile. I think of a woman like a fine china cup, and a man like a strong coffee mug. Both are effective and used for the same purpose. But one can take a whole lot more banging around than the other. God designed men and women differently; Equally, but very differently. It is not God's design for a woman to lead a man in a relationship. But instead, it is His design for the wife to submit to the husband. "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church..." Ephesians 5:22-23a Too often, Hollywood portrays the wife as the "smart" and "strong" one in a relationship. She has to figure out or fix all the problems and dilemmas. This is considered normal, and just comes with the territory of being a woman. Plaeeeeeezzzze. Spare me. I am so thankful I don't have to figure it all out. I can mess some stuff up, let me tell you.
Now, before I go on, I know there are single mothers out there, as well as single dads. I believe God equips these special people with what they need to fulfill His purposes. It has to be difficult to play both parenting roles, as well as providing for the family. I think of relatives in my family in this situation, and I stand amazed at how strong they are.
Even being a single mom or dad, you still have the opportunity to teach your children how to submit to authority, or lead a family. Even though both verbs denote action, they are also an attitude of the heart. Submission and authority are responses to an obedient heart, and obedience is a choice.
So, while Hollywood and Pixar continue to keep us entertained, don't miss the chance to use the stories and lives they present to teach the truth to those precious children in your life. The movie may only last an hour and a half, but Lord willing, the lessons will remain a lifetime. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
You see, the world wants little girls to know they can do or become anything they want. What a shame it doesn't teach them they are not supposed to be just anything they want. It doesn't tell them the hard truth that they are easily deceived, fragile, and in need of protection. We are not helpless, but fragile. I think of a woman like a fine china cup, and a man like a strong coffee mug. Both are effective and used for the same purpose. But one can take a whole lot more banging around than the other. God designed men and women differently; Equally, but very differently. It is not God's design for a woman to lead a man in a relationship. But instead, it is His design for the wife to submit to the husband. "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church..." Ephesians 5:22-23a Too often, Hollywood portrays the wife as the "smart" and "strong" one in a relationship. She has to figure out or fix all the problems and dilemmas. This is considered normal, and just comes with the territory of being a woman. Plaeeeeeezzzze. Spare me. I am so thankful I don't have to figure it all out. I can mess some stuff up, let me tell you.
Now, before I go on, I know there are single mothers out there, as well as single dads. I believe God equips these special people with what they need to fulfill His purposes. It has to be difficult to play both parenting roles, as well as providing for the family. I think of relatives in my family in this situation, and I stand amazed at how strong they are.
Even being a single mom or dad, you still have the opportunity to teach your children how to submit to authority, or lead a family. Even though both verbs denote action, they are also an attitude of the heart. Submission and authority are responses to an obedient heart, and obedience is a choice.
So, while Hollywood and Pixar continue to keep us entertained, don't miss the chance to use the stories and lives they present to teach the truth to those precious children in your life. The movie may only last an hour and a half, but Lord willing, the lessons will remain a lifetime. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Learning by paradox
Feeling quite rested from my little vacation, I thought it would be a great idea to change the clothes out. (Switching winter clothes with summer) What was I thinking?! I believe I am ready to go back camping now. With my living room, bedroom, closets, etc looking like Goodwill threw up, I decided, in lieu of a regular post, I would post a devotional/prayer from one of my all-time favorite books; The Valley of Vision. I have added a link on the side that takes you to a daily devotion from this book. If this book is not already part of your library, I would highly recommend picking it up. (The best price I've found is at Westminster Bookstore)
Thanks for reading:) Look for new recipe on tomorrow's blog.
Thanks for reading:) Look for new recipe on tomorrow's blog.
The Valley of Vision
LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.
Amen
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Little R & R
Okay, Blogger is NOT cooperating tonight, and it's late. So, pics come first.
Look who caught the 1st fish!
Abby and Jeff in school. Jackie is doing laundry:)
Look, Daddy! I'm fishin'
Just look what smiles a few worms, chicken livers and barefeet can bring:)
The R & R began immediately upon arrival. The kids began fishing with Grandpa, and Grandma and I began preparing lunch. The meal was simple, just some sandwiches, chips, pickles, and fresh fruit. We ate every morsel:) Even after our hearty lunch and despite all the snacking throughout the day, we were all famished at supper time.
Now, when I cook at home, I always plan to over fix so that Chuck can have leftovers for lunch. However, when you're camping, it's a little different. Even though my parents' RV has a refrigerator in it, space is still limited. In fact, most of the time when you go camping, the only storage for your food is in the coolers you bring. You have to keep checking to make sure the food stays cool and does not spoil. For this reason, you try to fix only what you can eat at each meal with few or no leftovers. The kids seemed to anticipate each meal, as if they hadn't eaten for a week. Everyone ate outside together in the fresh air, and savored every bite.
So why is the food so much better when you're away from home? Could it be the fresh air, or maybe the change in scenery? Possibly the fact there are no outside distractions, like TVs, telephones, video games, or errands to run. I think it's a combination of all of them. When your camping, there are so many new adventures, "chores," and activities that you are experiencing; your body gets hungry, seriously hungry. When you're that hungry, food tastes good!
Just as sandwiches and fruit are satisfying to our stomachs; God's Word is satisfying to our souls. With the daily distractions of "life" at home, it's easy to put off the responsibility we have to feed our souls with truth. "Danger, Danger Will Robinson." Be careful. We must be diligent to saturate our souls and thoughts with Christ like attitudes. "Finally, Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8
While camping, I am feeding my body great, healthy food (ok, and a few snacks). Out here, food is not an after thought, it's an event to be carefully planned. So should our souls' meals be planned. We need to carve out time to satisfy them; daily Bible reading, prayer, meditation of the Scriptures, and audio sermons are just a few ways. Though grabbing snacks during the day are great to keep us level (like quick articles and 5 minute devotions), we can't expect them to keep us healthy and satisfied. We must feast on the the meat God has prepared for us. "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4
So, next time you go camping, don't forget to pack your toys, games, and snacks. But more importantly, pack the one thing that will keep you satisfied, The Living Word of God.
Stay tuned for pictures:)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
What God Would Have For You.....
Contentment=Happiness . . . . . . Happiness=Contentment
Not exactly what is preached by society. The world sounds more like this.." Well, this isn't exactly what I planned on, but since I can't have what makes me happy, I guess I'll be content with what I have." Sound familiar? Contentment is not settling for what your left with, it's understanding that what you have is what God would have for you. Our unhappiness and discontented attitudes are not from what we lack, but from our desire for what we lack. Too often we confuse America's dream talk to God's will for our lives. God has given us exactly what we need, at exactly the right time, and the right amount. We must seek to learn what He would have us learn.
We live in a small house, about 1200 sq ft. I have to admit, there have been times, ok, many times when I have longed for a larger house. Thankfully, God's sovereign plan has kept my family in this home. I have come to understand that He has not finished teaching us what He wants us to learn. For instance, I never would have learned to simplify our household goods, like I have been forced to, by living in a larger space. God is gently teaching me to become an efficient manager of our home by doing "more" with "less." I guess you could say that I am earning my Master's in More Stuff Equals More Work. I'll let you know if I ever get the degree on that one:)
I have also learned being content means being thankful. When I am thankful for all God has given me, I am more content with my life and circumstances. This should be a no-brainer, but it's not. It's very easy, in our selfish ways, to focus on the negatives and forget, or conveniently overlook the positives. Let me explain. See if any apply.....I am ashamed to say many do for me.
What do your pour your energies into.....
*being frustrated because your husband "never listens to you"
*being grateful your husband comes home to you every night
*tired of seeing the laundry pile up
*happy your child finally understood the difference in lay and lie
*wishing you could buy some steaks, but grocery prices are ridiculous
*grateful you found some one-dish meals the kids actually like
*complaining about all the housework to do
*thanking God for the opportunities you have to serve your family
*thanking your husband for providing for your family
*admonishing your husband for neglected house projects
Contentment comes from where we look and what we believe in, not from what we have. We must also be careful not to fall into the trap of comparing our lives with others for prideful reasons. "I should be content with what I have because others have less" or "Look how much they have, and they aren't even thankful." We can always find someone who is worse off than we are. Likewise, we can find others who are better off. We cannot allow this world to skew our perspective. Contentment is Christ. "In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13 Paul learned the truth, that he deserved nothing; he had no rights or claims to anything. We too must learn that, and when we do it will not matter what we don't have, because everything we have will be seen as a gift.
So tonight, in my "small" home, I am thanking God for the big changes He continues to make in my heart. Rest tonight knowing what you have is what God would have for you. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6
Not exactly what is preached by society. The world sounds more like this.." Well, this isn't exactly what I planned on, but since I can't have what makes me happy, I guess I'll be content with what I have." Sound familiar? Contentment is not settling for what your left with, it's understanding that what you have is what God would have for you. Our unhappiness and discontented attitudes are not from what we lack, but from our desire for what we lack. Too often we confuse America's dream talk to God's will for our lives. God has given us exactly what we need, at exactly the right time, and the right amount. We must seek to learn what He would have us learn.
We live in a small house, about 1200 sq ft. I have to admit, there have been times, ok, many times when I have longed for a larger house. Thankfully, God's sovereign plan has kept my family in this home. I have come to understand that He has not finished teaching us what He wants us to learn. For instance, I never would have learned to simplify our household goods, like I have been forced to, by living in a larger space. God is gently teaching me to become an efficient manager of our home by doing "more" with "less." I guess you could say that I am earning my Master's in More Stuff Equals More Work. I'll let you know if I ever get the degree on that one:)
I have also learned being content means being thankful. When I am thankful for all God has given me, I am more content with my life and circumstances. This should be a no-brainer, but it's not. It's very easy, in our selfish ways, to focus on the negatives and forget, or conveniently overlook the positives. Let me explain. See if any apply.....I am ashamed to say many do for me.
What do your pour your energies into.....
*being frustrated because your husband "never listens to you"
*being grateful your husband comes home to you every night
*tired of seeing the laundry pile up
*happy your child finally understood the difference in lay and lie
*wishing you could buy some steaks, but grocery prices are ridiculous
*grateful you found some one-dish meals the kids actually like
*complaining about all the housework to do
*thanking God for the opportunities you have to serve your family
*thanking your husband for providing for your family
*admonishing your husband for neglected house projects
Contentment comes from where we look and what we believe in, not from what we have. We must also be careful not to fall into the trap of comparing our lives with others for prideful reasons. "I should be content with what I have because others have less" or "Look how much they have, and they aren't even thankful." We can always find someone who is worse off than we are. Likewise, we can find others who are better off. We cannot allow this world to skew our perspective. Contentment is Christ. "In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13 Paul learned the truth, that he deserved nothing; he had no rights or claims to anything. We too must learn that, and when we do it will not matter what we don't have, because everything we have will be seen as a gift.
So tonight, in my "small" home, I am thanking God for the big changes He continues to make in my heart. Rest tonight knowing what you have is what God would have for you. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sick Day
Well, the inevitable happened.........I got sick :( I ended up with the crud all the kids have; bronchitis and an ear infection. Hmph. I think the worst part is not having a voice. So, I finally broke down and went to the doctor. After the rocket-sized shot I received, I will hopefully start feeling better tonight or tomorrow.
Since I don't feel like writing much, I thought I would take this opportunity to post some pictures from our recent trip to Dauset Trails. We had a blast. My parents, and my niece and nephew were able to go with us. So much fun!! Enjoy.
I loved watching these two otters
Here Kitty, Kitty
Hanging with just one of many pieces of chainsaw art
All the kids at Dauset Trails
This is a picture of Abby dressed up for an American Girl party.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
One more reason.....
"Celia, I've been in an accident......I'm ok." The first part stuns you, the second relieves you. Not a call you want to receive at 8am, or any time of day. One more reason I always answer the phone. Such was my morning. Chuck was involved in an accident on the way to work his part time job in the ER this morning. A lady ran a stop sign and blew right into his path. He didn't have time to think, brake, or brace for the impact. Thank the Lord the only things hurt were the two vehicles.
On the way to pick him up at the scene and give him a ride to work, I realized this was the closest we (me and my children) have ever been to losing Chuck. I used this opportunity to first, Thank the Lord for his gift of mercy on us, and second to teach them how precious life really is. We are not promised tomorrow. Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am." Psalm 39:4 We must love one another and honor God every moment we have. We get so caught up in the daily junk, that we lose perspective. We have an opportunity every minute we have breath to glorify God. How many minutes are wasted on "stuff?" In this fragile moment, God allowed my children to be soft and receptive to all I had to say. Reason #152 I was glad to have them home, with me. If they had been off at school, I would've lost such a tender moment. (Selfishlessly, they help me keep it together, too)
As Chuck and I stood at the scene watching the tow truck leave, I walked over to the lady that caused the accident. I hugged her and told her I was thankful she wasn't hurt. She looked at me, stunned. As tears welled in her eyes, she said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt nobody." I assured her Chuck was fine, and again told her I was glad she was safe, and I would pray for her. Would I have done the same if he was hurt? I don't know, but I pray the Lord would grow me that I could show love, no matter the circumstances. I have nothing to offer without Christ. But in Him, and through Him, I can bring glory to the King of Kings. "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away." I Peter 1:24
Treasure everyday with one another. "Stuff" can be replaced. Thank you Lord for allowing me more time with the precious man you gave to me. Help me be a good steward with that time. :)
On the way to pick him up at the scene and give him a ride to work, I realized this was the closest we (me and my children) have ever been to losing Chuck. I used this opportunity to first, Thank the Lord for his gift of mercy on us, and second to teach them how precious life really is. We are not promised tomorrow. Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am." Psalm 39:4 We must love one another and honor God every moment we have. We get so caught up in the daily junk, that we lose perspective. We have an opportunity every minute we have breath to glorify God. How many minutes are wasted on "stuff?" In this fragile moment, God allowed my children to be soft and receptive to all I had to say. Reason #152 I was glad to have them home, with me. If they had been off at school, I would've lost such a tender moment. (Selfishlessly, they help me keep it together, too)
As Chuck and I stood at the scene watching the tow truck leave, I walked over to the lady that caused the accident. I hugged her and told her I was thankful she wasn't hurt. She looked at me, stunned. As tears welled in her eyes, she said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt nobody." I assured her Chuck was fine, and again told her I was glad she was safe, and I would pray for her. Would I have done the same if he was hurt? I don't know, but I pray the Lord would grow me that I could show love, no matter the circumstances. I have nothing to offer without Christ. But in Him, and through Him, I can bring glory to the King of Kings. "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away." I Peter 1:24
Treasure everyday with one another. "Stuff" can be replaced. Thank you Lord for allowing me more time with the precious man you gave to me. Help me be a good steward with that time. :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Comforting, huh
I can remember when I was sick as a child. Sometimes the TLC from my parents helped me more than my medicine did. The comfort of my Daddy's big lap surrounding me as I sat on him, the sweetness of my Mama's voice singing as I lay on her chest, and the security of their "big" bed to snuggle in when I was scared to be alone in my bedroom were all provided freely without so much as a second thought. Even though my parents aren't physicians, there is much to be said for the healing power of love.
As the baton is passed on, I find myself caring for three sick children that want to be held, sung to and snuggled in the big bed. Though I can not make it "all better," I thank the Lord for the ability He has provided me to love my children, unconditionally. I cannot perform this perfectly, but nonetheless, I can perform it. Without Christ, this is an impossible feat. In Christ, our love can now, bear all things, hope all things, and endure all things. (I Corinthians 13:7)
As I think about that comfort provided by earthly fathers, I can't help but marvel at the constant comfort our Heavenly Father provides. "Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant." Psalm 119:76 Again in Psalm 119:50, "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life." God's Word, that's our comfort. As sinners, our hearts are blackened from sin. We have a sin nature, and though, we as Christians sin less, we are not sinless. We must seek God's comfort daily, many times a day to keep from becoming "ill." We are exposed to many "diseases" and "plagues" in the world. Our only hope to combat these "illnesses" is to inoculate, if you will, ourselves with the healing and protective Word of The Living God.
So even as I administer meds and hugs to my sick little children tonight, my prayer is their real source of comfort will come from the Word we read to them and the prayers we lift up to the Lord on their behalf. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Corinthians 1:3-5
As the baton is passed on, I find myself caring for three sick children that want to be held, sung to and snuggled in the big bed. Though I can not make it "all better," I thank the Lord for the ability He has provided me to love my children, unconditionally. I cannot perform this perfectly, but nonetheless, I can perform it. Without Christ, this is an impossible feat. In Christ, our love can now, bear all things, hope all things, and endure all things. (I Corinthians 13:7)
As I think about that comfort provided by earthly fathers, I can't help but marvel at the constant comfort our Heavenly Father provides. "Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant." Psalm 119:76 Again in Psalm 119:50, "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life." God's Word, that's our comfort. As sinners, our hearts are blackened from sin. We have a sin nature, and though, we as Christians sin less, we are not sinless. We must seek God's comfort daily, many times a day to keep from becoming "ill." We are exposed to many "diseases" and "plagues" in the world. Our only hope to combat these "illnesses" is to inoculate, if you will, ourselves with the healing and protective Word of The Living God.
So even as I administer meds and hugs to my sick little children tonight, my prayer is their real source of comfort will come from the Word we read to them and the prayers we lift up to the Lord on their behalf. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Corinthians 1:3-5
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Humility 101
It's very humbling when God uses your children to teach you a lesson. It seems I have been learning many of those lately. I spend my days trying to get across to the kids that "it's not all about you." "Be a servant." "Stop being so inconvenienced with everyone. Make sure you are not being easily provoked. Be long suffering. Have patience with each other. You mustn't demand your way, in your time." These are pretty common phrases spoken, by me, in our home. These need to be spoken, but more importantly, they need and must be modeled. How many times a day do I get "inconvenienced" or demand my way? Let's see.......when the traffic is not moving as I think it should - when someone pulls out in front of me and then drives slowly - when the dog needs to go out, and I'm the only one that notices - when I'm ready to sit and relax but have a sink full of dishes to do. Who am I to get irritated? I spend my day teaching my children to live their lives for Christ and respond with love no matter the circumstances, but then fail to show them what it looks like. You see, my children may never hear my words, but I know they will see my actions. That's why a child's mannerisms are so much like their parents; they mimic. The mimicking becomes habit, and the habit becomes ingrained as part of their character. I keep learning, time and time again; the most effective teacher is one that teaches by example. Jesus lived this example, perfectly, for us to see. "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:3-8
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Picking Oranges, Pulling Weeds, and Paying Mortgage.....Oh My
We received a Wii on Christmas from my husband's parents, and it has been a blast for the whole family. My husband and I have struggled in the past with the amount of time and exposure we allow our children to have with video games. We currently own a Nintendo 64, an XBox 360, three DS Lites, and now a Wii (personally my favorite).
Just to provide a little background history; we began "using" video games with our oldest child, Jeff, when he was around 6 (now 12). Jeff has vision in his right eye ONLY, due to a cataract that killed the nerves in his left eye. He had surgery when he was 31 months old, and steps were taken to restore his sight, but all attempts failed. Jeff is quite a survivor, though, and has adapted beautifully. That said, we began to notice that his hand-eye coordination left a little to be desired. My husband and I decided to try Jeff on a handheld game system, I believe it was a Leapster of sorts. We noticed right away that he definitely had a knack. To this day Jeff can pick up just about any game on any system and master it within a fraction of the time it would take you or me.
When we bought our original XBox, my husband and I actually purchased it for the two of us to have "date night." We don't have a regular babysitter, nor the funds to eat out, so we figured we could play a game when the kids went down and have some fun. However, we soon discovered that he was not the gamer I was. Bess him heart. He was good, don't get me wrong, he just didn't enjoy it. The games tended to frustrate him instead of relax him. So the XBox became family property and ultimately the kids' box.
Bear with me, I am going somewhere with this..........
With each added game system added, the time spent on video games increased, and essential things, like reading and chores, decreased. I don't blame my husband, nor my children for this. My husband was at work, and the kids only do what I tell them. ...... HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry, let me wipe the tears from my eyes, I just cracked myself up. Okay, anyway, it was MY fault. I was allowing it. It seemed easier than hearing, "Mama, will you...." or "STOP!!! I had it first!" or my favorite, "There's nothing to do...." The fact is, the more time they spent on the games, the more trouble I had, and the more I had to intervene.
Alright, let's fast forward to present day..... We have a few games for the Wii that are only enjoyed by the children, but for the most part, we have a lot of family games. Our (mine and the kids) favorite game is Animal Crossing: City Folk (we'll call it AC). AC is only a one player game, but you can have up to 4 "files" on which to play. Your character lives in a fictional town, which you get to name, with about 10 animal neighbors. The town has a general store, tailor, coffee shop, museum, and town hall. Each character gets to furnish their own house. You are not employed, per se, but you are able to earn money by a variety of means: picking fruit and selling fruit, catching and selling fish, just to name a few. You must pay off your mortgage in order to increase the size of you house, donate money to make major improvements to your town, or plant flowers and greenery to make it lovely:) In addition to this, your neighbors talk to you and respond to the ways you talk to them. (Be rude and they may move, or nice and they may stay.) So......I have a house, and each of the three kids have a house. What we do, could affect the other players.
While watching one of the children play recently, I realized what a great teaching tool this game could be. For instance: Jackson, my 10 year old, likes to leave clothes, fishing rods, and furniture on the ground around the town. Jackson doesn't like to pick weeds either. Periodically, weeds will appear. You do not get any gain or reward for picking them, however, not picking them will cause negative results. I was explaining to him that we could not get a good "rating", for our town, if we had trash and weeds all over the ground, and that what he did affected the rest of the townspeople. Then it hit me......our fictitious AC town is like our REAL house; if you trash your room, it affects your brother (roommate) and your mother (Landlord).
Hmmmmm, let's see how else we could use this game. Let's try Jeff. Jeff likes to hit the animal neighbors on the head with a net which infuriates them. This action causes the little guys to move away from our town. That can be an issue if someone else in the family was friends with that animal. Worse yet, it leaves the door wide open for another animal resident to move in (maybe someone mean). Ugggghhh, say it isn't so! When I asked Jeff to stop, he said, "Awww, Mama, it's just a game." Is it, or does it actually shed light into their true character? Well, it is just a game, but I am finding they play a lot like they live. You see, this game is an opportunity for them to build friendships in a very safe environment. Though the relationships are not real, and the children know that, the animals respond according to their efforts.
Now, what about Abby, the 7 year old? Abby loves to play and is generally very kind to everyone. What I see with Abby is that she is lazy. Abby doesn't want to work to help out the effort, she just wants the reward. She's not concerned with her mortgage, even though it is her debt. I have used this to teach the obvious lesson of accountability.
You see, whether you are teaching your children from textbooks, worksheets, DVD lessons, field trips, or a video game, the message is the same; Don't waste any opportunity to hold your children accountable and teach them the Truth of God's Word. What a blessing to have my children home all day with me! There are so many "teachable moments." I just pray God will continue to allow me to see them, and not miss them out of my selfish need for a few moments of silence.
Thank you Animal Crossing for allowing me to remind my children that; "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!" I Corinthians 10:31
Just to provide a little background history; we began "using" video games with our oldest child, Jeff, when he was around 6 (now 12). Jeff has vision in his right eye ONLY, due to a cataract that killed the nerves in his left eye. He had surgery when he was 31 months old, and steps were taken to restore his sight, but all attempts failed. Jeff is quite a survivor, though, and has adapted beautifully. That said, we began to notice that his hand-eye coordination left a little to be desired. My husband and I decided to try Jeff on a handheld game system, I believe it was a Leapster of sorts. We noticed right away that he definitely had a knack. To this day Jeff can pick up just about any game on any system and master it within a fraction of the time it would take you or me.
When we bought our original XBox, my husband and I actually purchased it for the two of us to have "date night." We don't have a regular babysitter, nor the funds to eat out, so we figured we could play a game when the kids went down and have some fun. However, we soon discovered that he was not the gamer I was. Bess him heart. He was good, don't get me wrong, he just didn't enjoy it. The games tended to frustrate him instead of relax him. So the XBox became family property and ultimately the kids' box.
Bear with me, I am going somewhere with this..........
With each added game system added, the time spent on video games increased, and essential things, like reading and chores, decreased. I don't blame my husband, nor my children for this. My husband was at work, and the kids only do what I tell them. ...... HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry, let me wipe the tears from my eyes, I just cracked myself up. Okay, anyway, it was MY fault. I was allowing it. It seemed easier than hearing, "Mama, will you...." or "STOP!!! I had it first!" or my favorite, "There's nothing to do...." The fact is, the more time they spent on the games, the more trouble I had, and the more I had to intervene.
Alright, let's fast forward to present day..... We have a few games for the Wii that are only enjoyed by the children, but for the most part, we have a lot of family games. Our (mine and the kids) favorite game is Animal Crossing: City Folk (we'll call it AC). AC is only a one player game, but you can have up to 4 "files" on which to play. Your character lives in a fictional town, which you get to name, with about 10 animal neighbors. The town has a general store, tailor, coffee shop, museum, and town hall. Each character gets to furnish their own house. You are not employed, per se, but you are able to earn money by a variety of means: picking fruit and selling fruit, catching and selling fish, just to name a few. You must pay off your mortgage in order to increase the size of you house, donate money to make major improvements to your town, or plant flowers and greenery to make it lovely:) In addition to this, your neighbors talk to you and respond to the ways you talk to them. (Be rude and they may move, or nice and they may stay.) So......I have a house, and each of the three kids have a house. What we do, could affect the other players.
While watching one of the children play recently, I realized what a great teaching tool this game could be. For instance: Jackson, my 10 year old, likes to leave clothes, fishing rods, and furniture on the ground around the town. Jackson doesn't like to pick weeds either. Periodically, weeds will appear. You do not get any gain or reward for picking them, however, not picking them will cause negative results. I was explaining to him that we could not get a good "rating", for our town, if we had trash and weeds all over the ground, and that what he did affected the rest of the townspeople. Then it hit me......our fictitious AC town is like our REAL house; if you trash your room, it affects your brother (roommate) and your mother (Landlord).
Hmmmmm, let's see how else we could use this game. Let's try Jeff. Jeff likes to hit the animal neighbors on the head with a net which infuriates them. This action causes the little guys to move away from our town. That can be an issue if someone else in the family was friends with that animal. Worse yet, it leaves the door wide open for another animal resident to move in (maybe someone mean). Ugggghhh, say it isn't so! When I asked Jeff to stop, he said, "Awww, Mama, it's just a game." Is it, or does it actually shed light into their true character? Well, it is just a game, but I am finding they play a lot like they live. You see, this game is an opportunity for them to build friendships in a very safe environment. Though the relationships are not real, and the children know that, the animals respond according to their efforts.
Now, what about Abby, the 7 year old? Abby loves to play and is generally very kind to everyone. What I see with Abby is that she is lazy. Abby doesn't want to work to help out the effort, she just wants the reward. She's not concerned with her mortgage, even though it is her debt. I have used this to teach the obvious lesson of accountability.
You see, whether you are teaching your children from textbooks, worksheets, DVD lessons, field trips, or a video game, the message is the same; Don't waste any opportunity to hold your children accountable and teach them the Truth of God's Word. What a blessing to have my children home all day with me! There are so many "teachable moments." I just pray God will continue to allow me to see them, and not miss them out of my selfish need for a few moments of silence.
Thank you Animal Crossing for allowing me to remind my children that; "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!" I Corinthians 10:31
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Where Does the Time Go?
Well, after 1-1/2 hours of sleep, co-op lesson planning, and the passing of two lovely kidney stones (may they rest in peace), another day in the Griffith household has almost come to a close. As I sit and ponder how I am going to use this blog, my prayer is it will be a journal for me, and an encouragement to others who feel like they are alone on this unique journey called......homeschooling. Sometimes it's just nice to know you are not the exception, but the rule. We ALL fall behind at some point in time, we ALL find ourselves juggling the school schedule, once again, because of unexpected appts, a "quick" call to the insurance company to question a claim, and let's not forget the contractors that completely disrupt the school day when they come to do repair work, and we ALL wonder if our kids are learning anything. But in the midst of this chaotic storm called life, God provides His quiet, ever faithful, peaceful calm to keep you sane enough to endure another day:) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
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