Oh the fun of Chore Sticks

Last summer I was inspired by my frister (friend and sister in law) to create "chore sticks" for our boys.  We started it with the boys as an incentive to teach them that hard work really can pay off.  Literally.

Basically at our house we have three boys and they have standard chores each week such as, making their beds, picking up their room each night before bed, taking the trash out, setting the table and cleaning the basement when they mess it up.  These chores generally earn them $1 each week.

So what are chore sticks?  They are craft sticks that have chores and dollar (or in our case mostly cents) values assigned to them.

It is a way for our children to earn more than the specified allowance when they are trying to save for something special.  But it has turned into so much more than just chores.

Basically, we sat the boys down and explained that chores around the house are a family responsibility.  This house we have and all that is in it, has been entrusted to us by the Lord and so we need to be good stewards of all things, which means taking care of things and keeping them up.  We also wanted our boys to learn a valuable life lesson...that sometimes there is no limit on your income, if you want to work harder you can earn more, if you don't work at all you don't earn anything.

But then of course, we had to balance this new found source of income with grace and truth and developing a servants heart in our boys.  So, when we sat the boys down and explained that with chores sticks as an option each week, the only limit they have in terms of how much money they can earn is themselves...and yet executing chores is a vital part of keeping our home and family running smoothly, and there are times when chore sticks can be chosen and done, simply to serve one another.

To do so, you can choose a chore and just quietly do it without mentioning it to collect the amount, or it can be done and a parent can be told, so no one duplicates the chore, but with the child specifying they would not like to be paid.

For the year we've been doing them, we've tweaked many things, taught through many scriptures with regard to money management and serving others, and tithing.  We've also been extremely blessed....we have seen the Lord develop servanthood within our boys, particularly the older two.  I can't count the times, my older two have said, "no I don't want to be paid for that I just want to do it for our family."   or "I'd like to do this just to earn money to give to  the homeless or the kids we support through church."  or simply, "I want to put this in the offering at church"

We do limit how much they can do most of the time, but every once in a while, I will dump the entire container out and say...have at it boys....clean the house and there will be no limit.  Today was one of those days, I've pulled my back out and can not clean the house as I need to, and so the boys got to work.  My oldest got to the point after $6 of chores where he said he was working just to serve our family, and the others quickly followed.

So today, I was able to speak to the boys about 'bonuses' a life lesson worth learning early on.  It was neat because as I told them sometimes depending on your job you can earn a bonus, it's a little extra every now and then that is not expected but earned and today because they were all so good, so cheerful and helpful, I  gave them a 10% bonus...if they could calculate and define what 10% was.

They did, and it was fun..because at the end, again, another child said, "I'd like to give my extra 10% to the Lord...can you take it to your offering box with you Mom?"

I am blessed and for sure, it's the little things like craft sticks turned chore sticks that open the doors wide open for life lessons.  Teaching our kids about serving, working, rewards, and even a little extra math lesson (for the math nerd in me).

I Confess: I'm the Clean Home Mom

Lately my newsfeeds are filled with articles about messy homes and the women who have them, not being judged and how they are living life and won't feel guilty about having a messy home because it means their house is lived in. 

Well, I must confess.  I'm that clean home mom.  Yup.  You can drop by my house any hour of the day and chances are....it'll be relatively clean, if not really clean.

My kids are living life.  They are playing non-stop, they are getting homeschooled, they are creating and making messes and breaking things, spilling things, dropping things, throwing things, and building things.  They are all over all the time.  They eat without ceasing and leave trails of evidence even with my best efforts to teach cleanliness.  All the while, I'm 'managing' my home, pursuing my writing dreams, teach classes at our co-op, studying, training for a half marathon, cooking, helping my husband recover from knee surgery...and I'm still cleaning.

You see, I'm doing the cleaning for two people...and only one physically resides in my home.

I'm that one.  I'm the one who lives here and experiences the messes daily.  But I'm also the one who feels peaceful when things are in order.  I enjoy clean counter-tops, although they aren't always ready to be eaten off of.  I enjoy a clean floor, or dusted furniture.  I like to wake up to clean dishes in the dishwasher instead of dirty ones.  I like empty laundry baskets, instead of full ones.

All those things done mean that I've had to ability to do them.  I've been blessed with the health to be able to walk through a home and care for a family that an amazing God has provided.  I get to wash the never ending loads of dirty clothes for three amazing boys that He has entrusted me with.  I get to iron the wrinkly shirts of a husband who works with all his heart to provide for our amazing little family.

The other person I clean for is the Lord.  Yes, I'm sure that sounds like a cliche but that's okay, because the Lord worked something amazing in my heart the first few years of parenting that has given me a fresh perspective on keeping our home clean.

 Bottom line, I'm somewhat type-A, in fact I had a friend once say "You're type A+" I like order and cleanliness and so when I started having kids and staying home I figured it would be a cinch to keep the house clean, I mean I'm home so I've got all the time in the world.....

Have you ever heard that saying, "You're the perfect parent until you become one?"

Well.  Reality kicked in when our oldest was 20 months old and we welcomed our second son.  Then just 30 months later we welcomed another.

I used to allow frustration with things being out of order navigate my mood.  Chaos and clutter don't mesh well with type-A.  But the Lord in His kindness began to speak to my heart about the messes and the peace I felt from having a clean home.  Just because things are physically in order in your home, doesn't mean they are spiritually in order in your heart.  If having a clean home has become an idol then the value you ascribe to the clean home will supercede the value you ascribe to God.  Our God is our provider, the giver of all gifts.  He is the One who grants the ability to clean.

He provides the messes to clean and the ones who cause the mess.   He is the One who made me, and gave me the personality that I have.  So He is the One I must trust to marry my personality with His word to live a life that expresses His grace and love to those around me.  He does all of it for a purpose.

As my kids entered the toddler years and I felt all I did was walk from one mess to another to tidy up, the Lord began to set me free from myself and my need to clean as a way to create a peaceful environment, and lead me towards trusting in Him to create the peace in our home.  As Phil 4:7 says, "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

See then I was cleaning to create peace, now I clean as an act of gratefulness to the unseen resident of our home.  The Prince of Peace.  The Lord.  The one who owns it all.  

"For every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.

  I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains."

Psalm 50:10-12

We receive our mail here, and we pay the mortgage note, utilities and taxes...but it's all God's.  He is like the landlord, and we are the renters.  My heart has transitioned from Type-A about cleaning to Type G.  Grateful.   Grateful for the three little warriors I've got living their lives in this place making the messes that I get to clean.  The messes that as they age, they are learning to be responsible for and clean up so they can grow into mature responsible men one day.

So chances are, when you drop by my house it'll be clean.  Not because I'm better than anyone.  Not because my kids aren't living life.  Not because I'm a control freak and can't handle things out of order.  Simply because I want to live my life with an attitude of gratitude for the One who has done more for me than I could ever do for anyone else.  I want to use what He has put into our care for Him, I want everything we have to be ready for Him to pick up and direct.

And if you have me over to your house and it's a mess...I won't care.  Remember in the Word it says:

"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."   James 4:17

and 

"One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind."  Romans 14:5 

I keep our home clean because of what the Lord has impressed on my heart, not because it looks good for others.  When I see others with clean homes or others with 'messy' homes I am reminded of how infinite our God is in His creation.  We are all unique.  Which means though we possess similarities we are all different, and Praise Him for it!!

So as a clean home mom, I'd ask....don't come to my house and feel weird because it is clean and please don't think for a second you need to clean to have me over simply because my house is clean.   

  

Unexpected Answers

New Year, new changes.  Bit by bit.  That's how it's going down in our house.  We are just taking it one step at a time. 

On New Year's Eve Day we sat our boys down, and taught them about goal setting.  We talked through what our goals were, personal, professional and spiritual.  Honestly it was a really neat idea my husband came up with.  We had finished eating lunch and he just started the conversation and we went around the table asking each child what they wanted to learn about, change, or achieve.  When you have a nine, seven and five year old you get some really cool responses.

One thing I wanted to do was put ideas into action. So yesterday since we are still on Christmas vacation from school, I made a list.  Our older boys are growing up and it's a transitional point in their lives, they need some encouragement embracing maturity (don't we all at times really?).   So one idea I had was to re-do their rooms.  Nothing major, just updating furniture, rearranging and removing the toddler era toys and making their rooms more grown-up.

Well, we've got three boys and buying new furniture isn't something we do everyday.  So we started with our seven year old because his birthday is this month.  I sat each of the kids down and talked to them about growing up, and gaining more responsibility and freedom.  What that entails and how they have to earn certain privileges by proving they are responsible and stepping up around the house to show us they can handle things.

As I was making my list of all the things I wanted to get done in the first three months of the year, I began to realize, some where pretty inexpensive while others were not.  So my specific to-do list yesterday included the less expensive options, and a lot of prayer.  I began praying asking the Lord to guide us to what He had for our boys.  Specifically our oldest.  It may sound silly, but I prayed and asked the Lord, "for a good deal on furniture for Joseph or even maybe if someone has a free set to pass on." 

Well, I've got a sister in Christ that loves to deal hunt as I do, and she lives locally.  She finds amazing deals sometimes so I sent her a text asking if she had over the holidays seen any good deals on a headboard.

A few hours later, and several bags of toys to be donated and rearranging two bedrooms of furniture, I got a text with an offer for a free headboard.

I mean, are you serious Lord? 

See, sometimes I ask God for things, and in the back of my mind I might be thinking they are "pie in the sky" and a "Long-shot."  So I don't even know that while asking I really expect to see the fulfillment of what I asked for.   Now I am not preaching "name it and claim it." Not by any means.  

What I'm suggesting is that in the busyness of our everyday, sometimes we pray without expectation.  We whisper a prayer here and there, and sometimes we even pour out our hearts to God begging for action.  But over time, our hearts grow stagnant.  As if we know God will do what He wants to do when He wants to do it, and so yes we are praying, but no we are often not expecting.

Wrong.

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matthew 21:22

I am not suggesting the Lord will give you everything you ask for.  To be honest, we need to shout a Hallelujah that He does not give us everything we ask for!  But we can be confident that when we pray, He hears us, He provides for us, He loves us, and He answers us.


He answers things sometimes in the exact way we prayed, sometimes in the exact opposite of what we prayed.  But our God is a faithful God who loves His children dearly and knows our needs before we even ask, He knows our wants before we present them to Him.  And at every moment He gives us exactly what we need.

So, yesterday...I had the parenting privilege to explain to my boys that the Lord knew my request even though I had spoken it to no one other than Him, and He chose to grant that.  He blessed us.  Not because of who I am, they are or my husband is.  But simply because of who He is.

This is our God,   “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?  Exodus 15:11

You may be wondering why I am blogging about free bedroom furniture.  You know what? It's not about the gifts, it's about the Giver!   Our God is gracious, and He cares about every little detail.

Sometimes in the dailyness of life we can forget that.  But God.  He comes unto the mundane and shows us Himself.  He is who He is, and He is majestic. 

Can I encourage you today to ask the Lord to guide you in praying expectantly?  Put those 'pie in the sky' requests before Him, He knows they are there anyway, you may as well lay them before Him, and watch and wait.  Our God is a mighty God who is able to do exceedingly more than we can even ask or imagine.  Cover your to-dos with prayer.  Cover your day with prayer.  Then work diligently and ask God to guide.  He will.

Then, let me encourage you to share...give Him praise even when it may seem small, or you may wonder if people will think you are crazy.  It's okay.  It may be small, and people may think you're crazy.  But the Lord won't.  Nothing is too small or too great for our God and He alone is worthy of Praise!

**so go ahead, Praise the Lord, and if you wanna share with me, leave me a comment, I will gladly praise Him with you!**

An Unexpected School Vacation

So last week the kids got an unexpected break from school.  Four full days off.  Yup, no fall break or special holiday here.  I got sick.  I'm not sure if I had the flu because I never took the test, but I'm pretty sure I had the flu I had a fever for three days and couldn't even get out of the bed for two straight days.

I have boys.  I do not have any cutesy domesticated girls who can cook or take care of mom when mom goes down.   Monday morning, I ran my six miles and just before starting school I started to feel yucky...by 2:30...forget it, homeschooling mama down.  I crawled into the bed, and I didn't get up until the next evening sometime.  And even that was a challenge.

Last week was interesting.  My oldest is only nine.  He stepped right up and made breakfast and lunch for his five and seven year old brothers.  He tried to defuse any tense situations between them, and carried around the iPad so I could "text" him if I needed anything.  He brought me ice packs, Gatorade and saltines.  He even tried to help me out of bed a few times.  I didn't eat for three days, not sure exactly what the kids ate...but the Halloween candy was in tact so they must have found real food.

So this morning, as rain continuously falls outside and it's dreary and pretty cold here in the south, we are about to start school.  Yup.  Every.  Day.  This.  Week.

Just before school this morning I decided to have some 'me time.'   So guess what I did?  I brought the shop vac in from the garage and vacuumed the laundry room, behind the dryer and all the baseboards even the lint trap in the dryer.

Yeah, I'm 35.   That may sound boring and 'over the hill' to some.  But as I was vacuuming my heart was overwhelmed with gratitude.  Really.  I know it may sound a little silly.  But what I began to think of, is here is this 35 year old woman, walking around in my body.  My mind doesn't feel that old, and honestly my body doesn't either most of the time.  But I'm a wife now, for the past eleven years.  And a mom too, for the past nine years.  Those titles may sound daunting to some, boring to others or exciting to a few.  But the truth is, those titles define my life and were given to me by my Lord.

He chose me, not just to be His child and to serve Him, but He picked me out to be my husband's wife.  The one who gets to grow old with him, embrace all his quirks and love him anyway.  That's what I get to do.  He picked me to be the mother to three boys.  Three boys just barely four years apart.  Three intelligent, energetic and challenging boys.

So even in the mundane and seemingly disgusting job of vacuuming the laundry room, I can be grateful for many things.  The health and ability to vacuum, a house to vacuum, a vacuum that works, the ability to homeschool and teach our children how God is in all of life, the husband who supports me even in my craziest endeavors, the boys who although they boys they stepped up last week and did the best they could.  The reflection of a 35 year old woman who enjoys vacuuming looking back at me because life is a gift from God.

We have so many, many things to be thankful for, we often overlook the smallest of details.  Yet, I believe it is there in the smallest of things that we find the most profound provision of our Lord.  He goes after the small, the mundane all the seemingly insignificant areas of our lives and fights for us.  He fights for our hearts and lives to Honor Him.  He doesn't give up, He doesn't let go.  He relentlessly pursues us.  Not because we deserve it or are worthy, but just because that is Who He Is.

I am amazed at our God how He fights for us.  He wages war against the evil one on our behalf, in fact Christ lives to make intercession for us.  Our Savior prays for us.  Really?  I mean here is our Lord seated in Heaven, and praying for us.  For you.  For me.  We do not know what He prays, but we can be assured it is in line with God's will and it will honor God.  We can trust the One who prays, that the prayers are for us.

So, this month has spurred a season of thanks, and my newsfeeds are overflowing with my sweet friends expressing their thankfulness.  I am encouraged every time I log onto a social media site.  All around me, I am reading the thankfulness of others.  I think it is wonderful!!!  Absolutely fantastic to testify to God about how thankful we are.  I love it, but I also fervently believe that thankfulness is a characteristic of a believer, "in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Last week,  I needed to ask God to draw the thankfulness out for the mundane. For sure, laying in bed day after day with no strength and three young kids, and my husband was so busy at work he couldn't take time off.  It was just the kids and I.  It's hard to be thankful during tougher times.  But I've seen the Lord work in our lives, if we find one thing to be thankful for and express it, more thankfulness follows.  Sometimes we just need to take that first step. 

How about you?  In this 'season of thanks' are you struggling in your heart to offer thanks for the seemingly mundane?  For the little moments when the Lord powerfully speaks truth into your heart revealing what you need to thank Him for, even if you don't feel like it?

Are you leading your kids in a lifestyle of thankfulness? Are you showing them in God's word that we are to be thankful, it does honor God and we can be thankful no matter how small or insignificant? 

Take that first step, thank God for something small.  All the littles add up and that's what life is made of.  Little details, one by one, filtered through the loving hands of the Almighty, fitted just for each one of us to bring Him glory.

What's Running got to do with Parenting?

This weekend I had the opportunity to run in my second race.  It was much different than my first, untimed, Color Vibe run.  This was a timed 14 mile relay where I ran with three other ladies.  We were running to benefit a local organization that provides support to the Autism community where I live.

This issue is very important to my heart because I have a nephew who is Autistic.  He is now twelve years old, and has been living with Autism for over ten years.  He is amazing.  Not because he is Autistic, but simply because of his spirit.  He has a tenderness and love about him that is sweet to the soul.

So, I'm not going sugar coat this.  The relay was hard.  Which to be honest, I thought it wouldn't be.  My portion was only 3.35 miles, and I'm in the middle of training for a half marathon right now, so my longest run is 8 miles.  I figured I could knock out my lap in under 30 minutes and then go run another with my friend who was next, so I could get the miles in to keep my training schedule up.

Guess what?   There was three insane hills.  I train on flat ground primarily to prevent reinjuring my hamstring.

Hills take endurance.  Endurance is earned. 

Earned only by hard work, discipline and commitment.

As I started down the second hill, thinking it may not be that bad....I got to the bottom and began the ascent.  The 1/4 mile ascent.  Yeah, it was tough, and I kept my eyes on my feet and just kept going.
My mind began to wonder, I began to think about my nephew.  Here I was mentally complaining about a hill, and daily Stephen has challenges.  I began to think on the things he can't do, and quickly thanked God for the ability to run this challenging hill.

(my favorite snapshot of the day, LOVE this boy)

Then I began to think about my sister in law.  She is always saying that she wished she had my motivation and discipline.  But she does.   She parents Stephen with  endurance.   She's earned that endurance.  She has an unwavering commitment to her son.  She pursues therapy for him, she fights for him.  She's been doing this for over ten years.

I ran that hill in maybe a few minutes, and at the top I had some relief.   She has no relief.

Running is hard, running long distance takes time and commitment.  It is mentally taxing. 

I think parenting and running have a lot in common.  It takes commitment, you can't run a marathon tomorrow because you decided to today.  You have to physically prepare.  You also have to mentally prepare.  There comes a point in your training where the mental aspect of the running is almost more of a challenge than the physical part.

Just like parenting.  You have to prepare your mind to stay the course despite all the 'bumps' in the road.  You've got to have endurance.  You don't get endurance for free.  It comes at a cost.  If you want godly children that "walk in a manner worthy of the gospel" (Phil 1:27) then it will interrupt your life, it will require your time, it will wear on your nerves, it will humble you in public, it will require self control in your own life at home and in public.

My friend and I who were so gung-ho about running two laps to get distance in both needed a break.  But we did it, we got the motivation.  My second lap was slower than my first.  There wasn't the pressure of the team depending on me to get there, it was a 'volunteer' lap.  But I found that as I ran with a friend, I had accountability and encouragement right there.

Just like in parenting.   We need our spouses to be an encouragement to us in this.  We need other moms to come alongside us and let us know our kids are not the only kids in the world who challenge authority and test boundaries.  We need community to speak truth into our hearts so that endurance is nourished properly.

I want to parent with endurance.  God given, Christ centered and grace filled endurance that leads my boys to Jesus, their Creator so that one day, they will parent their own with an even stronger endurance.  See, my boys do what I do.  They do what my husband does.  In fact, yesterday in the store, I did something my mom did when I was growing up.   They imitate us.  It's a scary truth.

I want my life to point to Christ, that as they imitate me, they will find their Savior.

(this is our youngest, stretching after each lap I did, because I do,

not because he ran, but because his mommy did)

Pumpkins Still Need Carving, Even Five Years Later

This morning, my youngest walked into my room and said, "Hey mom, it's halloween today."  Ahh, yes it is.  I forgot.  Then as I began to think about halloween, because we let our kids participate..but we don't get into all the craziness of it, I began thinking...I have three pumpkins to carve...and today is the day!  Then, I remembered, 5 years ago, the Lord gave us a really special day together as we 'carved' pumpkins.  I thought I'd update that blog and share with you...I pray you are blessed by it.

 

 

(the following is my 'halloween' blog from '08,

the above is my sweet 5 year old with three pumpkins ready to be carved)

 

So today is November 1st, and technically halloween was yesterday. I could honestly care less...I mean really...I'm not into it at all, I think it's waste of time...and quite honestly there are a million things we could do to bring attention to our need for Jesus as believers and unbelievers alike....because let's be honest...we all need Him..daily...just in different ways. At any rate...we allowed our boys to get a pumpkin this year...I don't even know why...I can't even say...isn't it ridiculous for someone who doesn't care for Halloween?     Oh the irony of parenting.

So here sits this 16 pound pumpkin on my kitchen counter for the last two weeks....every time I look at it, it's begging the question..."what am I going to do with this crazy huge pumpkin?" So today, as my spouse was out of town and we've already passed halloween... and I do not bake pies...I thought..alright here goes...I vaguely remembered from my childhood how nasty the inside was of a pumpkin and how slimy the seeds were...but I've got boys so they should enjoy it. We got started...rather I got started my two oldest boys sat at the counter and watched...it was tough.  Seriously the pumpkin was hard to cut into.  Finally I got to the inside and it wasn't nearly as disgusting looking as I thought it would be. So I instantly thought...ah this should be easy. Well...it wasn't too bad at first, we started digging out the slimy seeds, and yes they loved it...we collected them, because I wash them and bake them for a snack. 

We're elbow deep in pumpkin seeds and goo and the Lord reminds me of something I had heard, I think while at the Seminary. People are like Pumpkins! So I asked my oldest...I said, "can Mommy tell you about how pumpkins and people are similar?" He said yes...and I told him, we are like the pumpkins and Jesus is like the carver...when we ask Him into our hearts...He comes in...and He takes all the yucky stuff out and replaces it with His light...just like we take all the yucky stuff out of a pumpkin and put a candle into it to make it shine. Okay...he's 4 he wasn't overly impressed....but all day I kept thinking about that...and even now I as I'm reflecting on it...you know...it was TOUGH to cut into that pumpkin.  Just like me.

 I'm tough to "cut into" I'm stubborn, I have to learn lessons over and over...I'd be arrogant to even say that there are certain things I've got "whipped" because I know that uttering those words opens me to the possibility of failing..."let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall" 1 Cor 10:12 Okay...so I've been recently struggling with my attitude with my kids.... I absolutely love them...I mean I would do anything for them, I want them to love Jesus so bad it hurts....I want them to be God-fearing, God-honoring leaders in His church...but I've just been really struggling with them lately...okay I've got an almost 3 year old who will not obey...the words "strong-willed" do not hold a candle to his behavior...and my almost 5 year old seems to be just down right mean to get attention...all the while this precious 4 month old just wants some love from Mommy. Going in 3 different directions is not easy... it's tough and gets tougher everyday.  Parenting is tough.

And as I was teaching my son about pumpkins and how they parallel our lives and our relationship with Jesus..I just kept praying...God SHOW me Yourself...I NEED you to change me and give me the love and the strength because I am overwhelmed...I've been begging God to speak to me from His word...I need that so intensely I just can't give up....I won't give up....because I know in ALL things God is teaching me...He's working out sanctification in my life to His greater glory...and there are days when I just feel so callous and so tough to cut into (like that pumpkin) I feel like not even God's word can get through because I'm such a sinner...and then I read "Arise, cry aloud in the night, at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water before the presence of the LORD." Lamentations 2:19...I thought, I I can do that because I just need HIM!!!

 2 Timothy again... "...and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 3:6-7 How my heart longs for a steadfast immovable spirit as in Psalm 51:10...how desperately I need to have His love increase and overflow within me as in 1 Thes 3:12, and how fervent I must be about praying without ceasing 1 thes 5:17.

So this morning as I was carving out that pumpkin every time I would scrap away a layer of the "yucky stuff" I'd think I was almost done...and I'd dump out what I had scraped off only to reveal a little bit more that needed to be scraped off.....this adventure I'm on...following after Christ, is like that...every time God refines my heart and scraps off a little more of the yucky stuff that has to go for His glory to shine bright...it reveals a little more that needs to go....and what I noticed was this...sometimes I could scrap really hard and sometimes I could scrap gently...it just depended on how nasty the yucky stuff was....so I guess I'm more like a pumpkin than I thought....and how thankful Iam that Jesus is the Master carver and I know He has a perfect image of what He is making me into...not some haphazard drawing of an unskilled artist...Praise God!

Hunting for Toads

Lately I've been blogging about the new season of motherhood I'm entering.  The toddlers days are gone...perhaps they've been gone longer than I'm willing to admit seeing as my baby is 5.

There are things I will miss about the toddler years for sure.  The pudgy baby cheeks is probably top on the list.  Baby cheeks are simply irresistible to me.  Oh and baby chins.  Something about those baby chins are just breathtaking!!!

There are things I won't miss, like planning an outing and never really knowing how it will go because at any given moment they could break down into a full blown toddler tantrum, and the stress that goes along with that.

But this new season, even though I know there will be challenges,  I'm really embracing the fun stuff.  Like the ability to surprise the kids with field trips!   It's so fun!  On the days when everything clicks and we have extra time it's amazing.  We can load up and go somewhere fun!

Yesterday was one of those days.  School just clicked the boys did what they were supposed to do and I found a local scavenger hunt called Toads on Trade.   

For my local friends check it out, it's fun and free, the website will give you the background story and the printable hints to find all the Toads.  There is a great city close by for a picnic.  Unlike our Epic Corn Maze field trip, we rocked the Toads on Trade, and were able to find all ten!!  Praise God that was a first!

Yup...I'm that Mom!

I am that mom.  You all have seen her, the one with the "Mom's Taxi" bumper sticker on her minivan.  Yup, that's me.  The funny part of it is, I'm not just the taxi, because we homeschool.  So we do a lot at home.  But, I'm a little older now, and so are my kids...which means, I'm in that season of motherhood.  Marking my calendar with their events, not just mine.  Driving them and their friends not just mine.

Our Family Calendar
 

So, yesterday I woke up yesterday and it was Monday morning.

Reading.  Studying.  Running. Clean Kitchen.  Write. 

Homeschool.

Laundry.  Vacuum. Lunch. 

Homeschool some more.

Write some more.

Dinner....ahh...what's for dinner?!?!?!  Cook something random.  Eat.

I gathered a short list for the grocery store, loaded up the car...and as I was driving it hit me about 6:30, "Ahh...I can't wait for 10:00, I'm going to get to watch a new episode of Duck Dynasty."

I ran into the grocery store, to grab a few things along with a snack for my 7 year olds' ballgame on Tuesday.

Ugh, like a ton of bricks...it hit me.  It was still Monday.

Yup, one of those kinds of days.  Where so much was done and happened, by the end of it...I really felt like it has been three days.

I went to bed last night, and it was Monday night.

Even though I felt like three days had passed, in the midst of all that madness, I am blessed in this new season of motherhood. I get to cuddle up with my best friend each night and drift off to sleep listening to him snore.  I get to kiss three little boys, entrusted to my care, goodnight.  Then I get to wake up and do it all over again.  God is good!!

I'm living proof that the older we get the faster time goes.  Oh yesterday was a blessing, and busy and we accomplished much.  I am thankful for it, but I am also thankful that today is Tuesday, and however much activity today holds, I am grateful that I know Who holds today!

Batman isn't real...yet...

No frilly tutus or hair bows or sparkly shoes floating around my house.  Just millions of Legos, an abundance of camo, hot wheels cars and tracks, random plastic bugs...a few squishy FAKE snakes....yeah...I'm surrounded by a houseful of boys.

The most recent trend is Super Heroes.  The boys all have a favorite.  Super Heroes are over running our house almost to the point where now I've picked my own favorite.  I'm actually starting to be partial to Wonder Woman.  My sweet boys have even given me their Wonder Woman Lego Mini figure and she resides on my desk lamp.  It's really thoughtful.

Last weekend I got some special one on one time with my middle son.  We try to carve out special time for each kid with one parent so they feel special.  We just spend time together, talking hanging out.  It's a really cool time.  Especially with my middle son.  I do not have favorites.  I don't believe that's a good or biblical thing.  My middle son is particularly quiet, so my dates with him are very special because that is when I really get to know him.

His favorite is Batman.  While walking through a store we found a Batman Fedora, and he was smitten.  It was super cute on him, but for $10, it stayed at the store.  As we talked that evening, I asked him if he knew Batman wasn't real.  He looked at me and without skipping a beat he responded..."not yet he isn't" 

I asked him what he meant, and he went on to tell me that when he grows up, he is going to become Batman.  He is going to design his own bat mobile and then build it.  Then he is going to buy land and design and a build a bat cave.

I am amazed at his imagination.  He is seven and has decided he will design and build what he needs to become Batman.   That's pretty cool!

This is one of my gifts, one of the countless blessings given to me by my God.  A unique, passionate, energetic, sensitive and creative little ball of fire wrapped up in flesh given the name Braden (though he assures me he is changing it to Bruce Wayne when he is old enough).

He doesn't know it, but the Lord spoke volumes to me in his "not yet" reply.  Braden, at seven is thinking, calculating and planning.  More than likely as he grows he won't execute his master plan to become Batman.  But his vision is there.  I'm much older than he is and yet I struggle with long term vision.  I struggle with planning my future today.

Every day the Lord uses my kids to teach me something new of who He is.

Every day, as I instruct my boys, the Lord instructs me.

"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
 the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!"

Psalm 8:3-9

Embracing the Season

My oldest does his own laundry. My middle started vacuuming the house yesterday.  When I went to the doctor last week, he repeatedly called me "mature" in lieu of  "old."  To top it all off, with this past birthday, I moved up age groups...you know...with every form you fill out...when you 'check' your age group...I moved up to the next one now.  I have white hair and wrinkles.  When I run I get injured...and it sticks around.  It's not fleeting like it was in my youth.

Time flies.  People tell you that all the time. 

But no one prepares you for that moment when you look around, and see no more toddler traces.  Honestly I loved my boys when they were in the infant and toddler years.  Terrible twos did not happen at our house, all three of our boys were wonderful.  Then four came.  Four it started getting crazy.  Then five. Then six, then seven...well you get it...and each year comes with it's own unique challenges.

There are so many things I miss about their toddler years but there are also things I do not miss, like diapers, or sleepless nights.

One thing I've learned over the years of parenting is that I have to fight 'survival' mode.  The default retreat to survival mode where I just do it all so it gets done.  I think we've all been there, it's overwhelming at times being a mom.  It's hard because being a parent isn't all sunshine and roses.  Discipline, structure, and guidance aren't always smooth sailing.  In fact, rarely when you correct a toddler do you hear, "Thank you Mommy for showing me how I was wrong, I am so glad you love me enough to correct me."  

When our third son came along, our oldest was only four.   So for many years I felt in a perpetual state of survival mode.  I would go from task to task.  I would get it done, making sure all the boys had what they needed and most of the time I did everything myself.  It just went smoother that way.

What I've found when I retreat to survival mode and I just get it done, it does not help my kids.  In fact the older I get and the longer I parent, the more the Lord shows me that survival mode may as well be dubbed 'selfish mode.'  After all, I'm doing it all to make it easier on me.  Not my kids, sure it lets them shirk responsibilities...but that does absolutely nothing for them.  It is not reality.  It will not be reality.  I read this this morning:


"The grace of Christ has been given to transform me at the level of the deepest, most profound motives, thoughts, desires, purposes, perspectives, and cravings of my heart.  Christianity that does not promote a spiritually of the heart is not true biblical Christianity."  Paul Tripp.


My purposes as a believer in Christ that parents are to be in line with the way the Lord parents me.  I need to be guiding my children to see that their greatest need is for a Savior.

 I can not do that when I am in survival mode.  I can not do that when I am focused on what I don't have, what I miss (like my kids being younger), or what could be if a few changes were made.

In fact, my purposes, my perspectives and the cravings of my heart as a parent can not and will not be right and pure before God if I am not first seeking Him.

I am not promoting an apathetic approach to life.  I am echoing the words of Paul, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."  Phil. 4:11.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven"   I'm entering a very different season of life.  Gone are the newlywed days, gone are the first time parent days.  Gone are the "first year homeschooler" days.  All those identities have washed away.  My husband and I are seasoned.  With each circumstance and in every season, we need to be content in where and what God has for us.

However, one thing must remain.  The identity of child of God. "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple."  Psalm 27:4

So, I'm embracing my white hairs, my wrinkles, my running injuries...my 'mature' age (according to my dr.) and I'm loving the fact that my children are learning responsibility.  The vacuum lines aren't always perfect, and sometimes the white shirt turns pink...but they are doing it themselves.  They are owning it!  They need the responsibilities and the opportunities to thrive...but the room to fail.  They need to see their weaknesses are made perfect by the LORD's strength.  They need to learn that a life of independence from man is dependence upon God.

Wonder Woman

I found this coffee cup yesterday, and since I really enjoy coffee and my second favorite cup recently broke, I thought for $3.99 it would be a nice treat!!  This cup made me smile.  For so many reasons, and as I was thinking over all of them, I kept coming back to this thought, "I wonder what my boys think of me as their mom?"

Here are just a few, first, when I was a little girl, I had some Wonder Woman underoos and I even have pictures of it, which is really hilarious.  Second, sometimes at the end of the day, or as a response to "What did you do today?" I honestly pause in absolute wonder at what the Lord does with my days.  I mean, I can list all the 'things' I do each day, it's highly likely I will leave some off the list.  But each day, the Lord wakes me up, and I start again.

Wonder means, "to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel." 

I'm no wonder woman, but this cup sure is a nice reminder that each day I wake up, I've got a lot of responsibility before me.  Responsibility given to me as a gift from our Creator.  He chose me to be the mother of these three boys.  Just as He chose you to parent your kids.  You and I will never be the perfect mother.  It can't happen, there's a minor detail we often like to forget about...called our 'sin nature.'  But, as we profess Christ as Savior, we can trust in His  power to strengthen us each day to parent our kids for His glory.  Parenting is hard, have I mentioned that?  It means putting your needs second (sometimes third, fourth...or even just dead last).  It means early mornings whether you want to or not, it means late nights whether you want to or not.  It is a journey that refines the heart.

One very wise mommy friend of mine once said, "You will never be the perfect mother, but you are the perfect mother for your kids."   It's taken me years to wrap my mind around that wisdom.

So the next time someone says to me, "I just don't know how you do all you do."  I may just tell them I'm wonder woman.  I'm a regular woman, who submits her day to the Lord and watches with wonder as He works all things for His glory each day.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting

Psalm 135:3-4

Full Circle

Rough.   Day.

In my last post I talked about how our minds are a battlefield.  So wouldn't you know that I'm having a raging battle lately. 

As I sat in church this Sunday listening to the Pastor teach through Luke, one thing he said that  has been on repeat in my mind  was about obedience.

Sometimes, obedience is a touchy subject.  Actually a LOT of times.  Especially in our house.  We've got boys.  THREE of them and there is only four years separating the oldest from the youngest.  So there are days when I say "just obey" countless times....there are days when I hear responses like "I can't wait til I'm grown up and I don't have to obey anyone and I can do whatever I want."

Ahh, I just have to laugh.   Not at their back talking, that's not funny because it's sinful.  But at the fact that all parents will inevitably hear words they once uttered to their parents in their youth. 

Full Circle. 

So, today....as the battle was raging and I was working through a great deal of emotion in my mind, the Lord in His infinite wisdom and great grace spoke to my heart through a passage I had hidden there, not one I read recently but one I taught through with my boys for over a week....

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right."  1 Samuel 12:23

My response to all that wars around me, is to respond in obedience to the Word of God.  I read this quote from Spurgeon today, "Each man should use the word of God personally, practically and habitually, that he may see his way and see what lies in it."

It is absolutely my responsibility to read the word, study the word, and hide it in my heart so that I would not sin against the Lord.

As Samuel says in that chapter, I'm responsible for myself, my responses to others.  No matter how 'shocked' I am, if the wrong done to me, my family or my friends by a believer is not outright sin, then I am instructed very clearly to simply pray for others.

So today as the war was waging in my heart and mind, and I run through all the 'options' of my responses...it all comes down to a simple choice.  Obey God or don't. 

It's like I respond to my boys all the time, "God Himself gives us boundaries to live within.  Within those boundaries He guides us and protects us, if we stay in those boundaries we are not living in sin, if we step outside of those boundaries we are.  We have to trust that following God within the boundaries He has given us is for our good and His glory. So, yes even as adults Mommy and Daddy still have to obey someone."

Sometimes they smile, sometimes they roll their eyes....my prayer is one day it sinks in...so that in those moments when they are fighting their battles, they choose obedience.

That was a good cup

It's easy to look at a great cup of coffee and realize you've only got half of it left. I'll be honest when I realize it's half gone...sometimes I slow down....I try to savor it.  I really enjoy coffee, so it's really easy for me to drink a cup in a matter of minutes...sometimes without paying attention I pick it up to take a sip and it's gone.   All.  Too.  Fast.

In our society, no one wants to be 'negative Nancy' but let's face it,  we can all fall into that negative thought pattern at one time or another.

I don't think I'm alone in admitting there are days I wonder if my kids are missing something amazing by being homeschooled.
 
There, I said it.

It's true...I think most parents who homeschool at one point in their journey will wonder..."Am I really doing the best thing for them? Will they turn out okay? What if they don't turn out as smart as I think they are..." On and on the questions will roll through your mind.

Funny thing about our minds....they are battlefields. Really. There's a war going on inside each one of us, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. A little over a year ago a dear friend recommended a book , "Teddy's Button." The book is wonderful, the boys really enjoyed it they never wanted me to put it down, and to be honest...it spoke powerfully to my heart. A simple children's book.  It very realistically and simplistically presents the warfare we face as believers.  The war against ourselves.

Over the years I've learned it's better to acknowledge the battle rather than ignore it and hope it just goes away.

God tells us, "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."
  2 Corinthians 10:3-4

I think one of the best comments I've read recently on the battle within is from Paul D. Tripp, "If you do not accept your ongoing struggle with sin, if you entertain the thought that your greatest problem in life exists outside of you and not inside, if you try to convince yourself that you are more righteous than you really are, you will not seek the forgiveness and righteousness that can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ."

You see, of course I will wonder if I'm doing the right thing by my children.   I don't think I'd be a 'normal' mom if I never questioned the choices I make for my child.  Parenting is HARD!  I'm not just talking about the basics, like feeding, clothing and grooming them.  I'm talking the dailyness of teaching young boys to become men.  To become responsible yet fearless, self-controlled yet passionate....dependent upon Christ...yet independent of peers.  Yeah, being a parent it mind boggling.


I don't believe the battle is sinful.  I believe it's what we choose to do in the midst of it.   Are we actively choosing to rely on His word as truth?  Are we walking in the truth?  Remember, "I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth."  3 John 1:4

Is it normal I will question whether or not I am doing the 'best' for my kids?  Absolutely.  That I don't think it a sin, I think that's part of parenting.   See, we aren't God.  We don't know without doubt what is best.  We do not see the future and know the outcome.

As Christ followers, we know the One who does.  Therefore, we can trust unwaveringly in His plan and His faithfulness to His children.  "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

I remember well, dropping my oldest off at K5.  Thinking private school would be a sacrifice, but it would be worth it.  Four years later, two weeks in....I am thinking, wow homeschool is a sacrifice, but it is worth it.

God changes us...through time, through circumstances...but most effectively and powerfully through His word.  It's living and active...and waiting.  Chances are you've got a copy available at your fingertips if you can access the internet.  I encourage you...open it up, ask God for fresh eyes to see....and a pure heart to receive.  Undoubtedly God will change your life.

So living in the battle no longer becomes seeing the coffee cup as half empty, but rather choosing joy in the midst of the empty cup.  Finding thankfulness for the ability to have and drink the cup rather than grumbling at how fast it went.

Choosing to be Satisfied

So, last week we decided to sign our oldest up for a local sports camp.  He's been asking to play sports for  awhile, and we thought maybe a trial run at a camp would give him  a taste of what it's like before we invest and commit to a season long of a specific sport.

So, two things...this is really cool because I grew up playing basketball.  I played for over ten years, coached for three, and to be honest...my 'dream' job where I would get paid...would be to be a basketball coach.  So when he said basketball I was so thrilled.

Monday: Day One Basketball Camp.   He hates it.

Tuesday: Day Two Basketball Camp.  He hates it.  Even More.

Wednesday:  Day Three Basketball Camp.  I had to get him dressed.

See, it may seem mean, but we aren't letting him quit.  There's no reason why the camp is bad.  The coach is nice and knowledgeable.  It's physically challenging, and there is plenty of help....good ratio of coaches to players.  He just hates it.  Bottom line, he is not our most athletic kid. 

For an athletic parent...that is a lot to come to grips with.  When I first started having kids...I had these  pie in sky visions of raising my own basketball team.  Yup.  Everyone of them was going to be a stellar all star basketball player.   So, nine years later...how many play basketball in our family?  One....yeah just me.

As a mother, I feel awful.  I don't want my son to be somewhere he hates and can't wait to leave.

But, often in life, I have to be places I don't want to be, I have to finish things I don't want to...in fact sometimes the hardest part isn't finishing something I don't want to do...it's actually starting it in the first place.

So, if we let our son 'talk' his way out of something he hates...what on earth would we be teaching him?  Quit, just walk away...if it's not your thing...that's fine you can quit.   NO WAY!  

Life is hard, lessons are tough, things we don't like or enjoy are all around us.  No one willingly signs up for something they hate.  

But you just do it.

I began to wonder how the Lord looks upon us when we are going through something we "hate."  Something that perhaps we would have never signed up for, or ran the OPPOSITE direction of had we known what it was really like.

What if you would've known how hard marriage is?  Would you have said yes?

What about parenting?  Would you have been so eager to have kids had someone told you all the challenges you'd face?

I've come to conclude...I can choose frustration in the challenges I face, or I can choose satisfaction.  Listen to the word of the Lord, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."  Psalm 90:14

Think about the trials of marriage....from petty disagreements to times of despair.  We all have them.  It's just part of life.  Marriage is a blessing.  A tool.  Something the Lord uses to refine.   Silly us, we think marriage is for our benefit...and while it is, I've come to experience, the spiritual benefits of marriage far surpass those of the earthly realm.

Parenting.  Oh.   Honestly.....this is a CAN of worms isn't it?   I mean every time I ask my children, "Why won't you just obey?"  I can hear the Lord sweetly whispering the same to me in my areas of sin.  He is GOOD!    He uses it all.   Refining.

I can't see the benefit Joseph will reap from sticking it out at this camp.  The mother in me is torn.  I can't see the outcome.  I'm human.

My God is not!  Amen!  He sees the outcome.  He knows how it goes.  He knows what Joseph will gain from not being allowed to quit. 

Whatever the situation or circumstance...God knows the outcome.  He knows the details of the journey, and I've said it many times to myself lately...."God is not as concerned about the destination as He is about the journey."    It's the journey...whether through a dark valley or a glorious mountain top...that every step of the way He is with us (Heb 13:8) and He is our guide (Psalm 48:14).

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."  Psalm 107:9

Let your soul hunger for the Lord.  He will fill it dear friend, He will abundantly satisfy the hunger of your soul!! He will overflow your cup with His goodness and grace!!!

"old fashioned" hope....

I read a lot lately...more now than ever before, books, theories, philosophies on parenting.  It seems that parenting is one of the most popular topics (at least in the Christian subculture, in America).  I've been judged for how my children behave, I've been judged for my responses to them.  Let's be honest, we all have.

Let's be honest again, parenting is H A R D!  It's not all blissful and wonderful filled with hugs, kisses and laughter.  It's hard.  It requires more than any person can actually give.  That's why I often wonder how people parent without Jesus.  But as hard as parenting is, it is rewarding, refining and challenging.  Countless times I am blessed by the still quiet voice of God speaking to my heart as I teach my children each day.  Sometimes it's refining, sometimes it's a blessing. However it is that the Lord is using  my children in my life, I pray that He uses me that much more in their lives.

As I was reading through the Psalms this morning, I came across this verse and it was so fresh for me.

See, as crazy as this may sound to some.  I don't have a parenting philosophy.  All I do have is HOPE, and for me it's found in Christ.  I'm believing Him  and His word with everything that is within me.  Especially when it comes to my children.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope."  Psalm 130:5

So seven years into parenting, I wait.  My waiting, however is NOT passive.  It is aggressive.  I am relentlessly pursuing the throne of grace on their behalf.  I'm praying for their souls...I'm praying for their hearts to crave His word...I'm asking God to refine them according to His word.  I'm asking Him for the wisdom to parent according to His word.  I'm asking Him for the strength to obey His word in what He calls me to do as a mother.  I'm clinging to my Jesus and resting in Him for the outcome.

Then what?  I'm waiting.  I'm trusting.  Because I know that my God is greater than this world, greater than a bad attitude and any sinful heart.  How do I know that?  Not only does His word tell me so, but I look in the mirror and I see....the greatest sinner...saved.  Because of Christ.  I know my God and His word does NOT return void.  I know that speaking the word into their lives daily will bring about a harvest.

My hope in Him is steadfast.  It has to be.  We have to keep our hope in God...without hope in God...what is there?  This weekend my husband and I had a wonderful conversation about these boys.  They aren't ours.  They belong to Him first.  He just chose us to parent them.  HUGE responsibility.  I do not want to fail them.....and yet I know I can not do it on my own. 

"The grass withers, the flowers fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."  Isaiah 40:8

Yes, Son....Bread too!!

I am blessed with a super best friend.  She encourages me to seek Jesus.  Honestly, we've got the type of friendship that, I don't even have to talk to her to be encouraged by her to seek the Lord.  She lives it.  So I know daily she is seeking Him and sometimes that's all the encouragement I need.

So how fitting was it, that after my evening with Braden and talking about how the Lord does want us to eat bread, He wasn't just saying eat all meat and obey Him.  (Although I was so blessed by his sweet little heart, taking God at His word, literally!!)...I found this (which my sweet friend probably used with her children and passed along to me):

It is a poster, that reads, "I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  John 6:35   It now hangs above our school table!   It was a wonderful conversation starter with my sweet five year old about the Lord and His goodness towards us.

I love that although my sweet little five year old may not have the best handwriting, or my seven year old doesn't spell every word right when he writes stories (...just yet..). I am privileged to stay at home and school my children.  Which for us starts in His word.  Then in all the "important" stuff.  I can honestly say...if after yesterday, I am still praising God for the call to homeschool.....I know it's from Him.   There are challenging days (yesterday was my 'public school' day...the day it's so hard to get our work done here, public school seems to be the best option), there are amazing days, there are blah days....then there are the moments that the Lord just whispers to my heart in the midst of the madness and reminds me of the PURPOSE in homeschool...for our family.  While I may not homeschool all the way through....I do believe that the Lord is using me in the lives of my children.  I love this verse:

"Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix  their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who  richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good  works,  to  be generous and ready to share,  storing  up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed." 1 Timothoy 6:17-19

I want to enjoy the good gifts of my children, and more importantly I want to give them the foundation of Christ.  That's the treasure, teaching them how Christ is relevant in all of life.....showing them that He is the foundation of all things. This is life, Christ!

I also want to be a diligent teacher, showing my children that as God calls you to do something, you should do it with diligence and persistence...until He leads you elsewhere.  This morning as I was reading through Jeremiah I was so convicted by this, "Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness..."  Jeremiah 48:10.  If I feel that homeschooling our children is a call that God has given me, then it is His work that He has given me to do.  So...I've got to step it up....keeping  a watchful eye and a very prayerful heart that I would not approach homeschool with slackness.   Really, that I would not approach being a wife and mother with slackness.  That's my 'job' right now.  Impacting my family for His glory! Anyone who does it knows, it is a tough call, and yet in the eyes of our culture...not a very "valuable" call.

So, I'm off to "change the world" this morning, one little heart at a time....armed with the word of the Lord!!

"Jesus in our hearts" by Braden

Just the meat....really?

I got to take my sweet five year old on a date tonight. Grocery shopping! He is such a great helper and I just adore having special Mommy time with each of my boys. On the way home, he asked for a hamburger. He is in a McDonald's hamburger phase. Pains me to think about it really, can't stand them myself...but sometimes...you just gotta feed them what they'll eat.

I handed him his burger, and proceeded to drive home. About five minutes into his hamburger, he says to me, "Mommy..you know why I only eat the meat and not the bread? Because God says, 'Man doesn't live on bread alone, but by obeying His word.' So, I just don't need the bread...just the meat...that's all...and to obey God."

I was . . . . speechless.

Did I mention he is FIVE?

One sweet autumn day last year while we were driving he asked me to pull over and explain what salvation was, and after reading through Romans 10 together, he asked if he could pray for Jesus to save him, because he believed everything the Bible said. He was four then. Jesus has no age limit on accepting His salvation, though at times our 'church culture' makes us question if they really know what they are doing then. Maybe they don't fully...but God does, always. At four...or at eighty four. He knows.

Sometimes, I wonder...I teach my children day in and day out. I am hanging on for dear life with them some days. I mean, I am correcting them with the word of God, teaching them His word, praying for them and over them...and yet they still disobey. Then....in His mercy the Lord gives me glimpses of His work in their hearts. Just like tonight. I'm trusting God with everything I've got that He will accomplish His purpose in the lives of these boys, afterall....before they are mine...they are His.

Sweet sweet Braden, just wanting the meat. Oh do I know how he feels. I just want the meat....just the word. That's it. Just give me the word. So many mornings as I wonder downstairs to be in the word before the rest of my family awakens...I am literally on my face begging God for a fresh revelation from His word.

I can't live without it. I love the way His word is so fresh. So applicable, so satisfying.

As I drove home, I kept thinking, man....I just want the meat...but so often I need to bread too. I need to be eased into things sometimes with the Lord. Or sometimes I can read the same scripture numerous times and have it apply in so many different ways. Fresh eyes, a willing heart...a HUNGRY soul. That's what I need. Really, I think that's what we all need.

So, I did respond to him, probably not the most awe-inspiring answer, but I explained that he was right....we do live on the word of God, but we can eat bread..all in moderation. To which he responded, "well yeah, little kids can eat more bread than adults because adults get bigger than kids if they eat too much."

I am blessed beyond measure by my boys!

The High Call of Mothering!!!

I have long felt that as a follower of Christ, convinced within the depths of my soul that mothering matters...beyond words and is kingdom work, that the high calling of mothering is all but spat upon by our modern society.

As I read the words of this sister in Christ this morning, I was blessed!! Thankful and encouraged. I pray her words do that for your soul as well. We must not forget that children are a blessing, and the Lord uses them in countless ways in our lives....ways we never would have imagined when we first thought, "I'd like to be a mom one day." Our desire to be a mother comes from the Lord, and yet....we learn that being a mother is so much more than about being called "Mom, Mommy, Mother or Mama." Being a mother reaches to the depth of your soul...and transforms you from the inside out....to God be the glory!!!

Entrusted to the gospel!!

It's no secret really, I love the Pauline epistles. In fact the Lord has used them in my life so much I often run to them for comfort, strength, and encouragement.

"On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised.". Gal. 2:7

The Greek "entrusted to" is "used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul." I just love this....a higher prerogative...yup. We have a purpose that is eternal!!

Lately I've been wrestling through a lot of issues. Nothing major, but just things, that if left untended, could crop up into major things. I feel so much more purposeful in my parenting lately. In my call to school my children at home. This word from Galatians just reverberates within my soul. Why do I do what I do? Why do I stay at home, and teach my kids. Why not ship them off to public school and enjoy some "me time?" Because I have been called by the Lord to homeschool my kids. Me personally. Not everyone, me personally. I've been entrusted with the gospel to them. They are my sweet little mission field.

I struggle at times. With just how to disciple my kids..I never had that relationship with my parents, but I do have the loving and perfect example of Christ. I am blessed beyond measure by the power of God's word and the way He uses it to transform me.


I have also the abundant grace of God that covers me. I love the word! Oh how I praise God for it! It truly revives the soul and refreshes the spirit! I just blow it over and over again with my kids, my spouse, friends. I love how the Lord convicts me instantaneously. Seriously, this is a gift. It is a humbling and refining thing, to parent for Jesus. Not one of us is perfect. No..not one. So I would encourage you dear friend, show some grace to those around you as they parent, especially if they confide in you when they are struggling. Come along side them, love them, pray for them...encourage their souls. Trust me, if anyone struggles like I do, they need the encouragement.

I am thankful that in this tough season of parenting I can rest in His truth! His truth tells me:

"Behold children are a gift and a reward." Psalm 127:3

"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6


And this I love, because all too often we think being a mom is about us, and it's not (at least, from the 7 years I've been a mother, I've learned it is not about me the way I thought it would be):


"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Col. 3:23-24


Over and over and over again, the Lord uses my children to teach me of His grace and glory. He lovingly whispers correction as I need it and correct my own. He shows me patiently His love and mercy, as I fall short of being the parent He is. I've learned, being a mom, is not about a worldly position or title, but about being entrusted by God, impelled within my inner man to raise those entrusted to me for His glory. These three boys, little bundles of unending energy to see Jesus in all of life. To love Him passionately and pursue Him purposefully.

God is good dear sister, and if you are a mother, you are called to be transformed through that role He has given you. He will not fail you, "faithful is He who calls you, He will also bring it to pass." 1 Thes. 5:24 You have been entrusted with the gospel to the children He has given you. You are on mission...in your very own home!!

Making Tracks to Great Destinations!

Over the last 16 months, the Lord has been teaching my husband and I a whole new meaning to hard work. I think most of our closest friends would not say we are lazy..by the grace of God. It is so refreshing to my soul, that the Lord in His omniscience, gave the following verse to my husband and I as our life verse when we first got married:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Col. 3:23-24

Along with Colossians 3:23, my sweet husband and I have been encouraging one another with "anything worth having is worth working hard for." This applies to everything. Marriage. Parenting. Work. Homeschooling. Friendship. Family.

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

I know some people think, well what could possibly be so hard about your "job" you stay at home. Well....I have to admit I used to wonder what stay at home moms did all day. Yes....I did. That was before the Lord made me one. Now I know the question is not, "what do stay at home moms do all day?" but rather it is, "What don't stay at home moms do?" I joke often when my good friend, "I've got stay at home mom induced ADD." I am so used to running from start to finish always doing more than two or three things at once, I can't focus on just one!

So, this weekend, our sweet three year old, who by the way is not just interested in Thomas, but thinks he is Thomas....said, "Hey Mommy, Daddy is making tracks to great destinations." I just smiled. Really, I treasured that in my heart. I just kept meditating on that.

Because if Daddy is making tracks, who is following them? These boys! So where are his tracks leading these boys? Let's be honest...in the words of a three year old...the "greatest destination" is a relationship with Jesus Christ. That does not mean a perfect life...but rather a surrendered one. A hopeful one, a trusting one. A hard working one. I'm not talking about the work that we all can fall into thinking will somehow earn us favor with God...but rather working hard in the roles God has ordained in our lives. For my husband, that is husband, leader, provider, father, friend and son. For me, wife, mother, friend, aunt, sister and daughter.

We have roles that God has given us, He leads us each day. He does it by relationship. You know, the more you are in His word, the clearer your purpose becomes. The deeper your relationship grows with Him. Your heart is transformed by His word...remember dear friend, "He sent out his word and healed them,and delivered them from their destruction" Psalm 107:20

One day, I want to reap a harvest of three boys trusting in Christ for salvation. I'm not expecting or even asking for perfect children. Just begging God to save their souls for His glory. To empower them to one day, understand His grace...and seek after Him with their whole hearts!!!

I'm asking God daily for the grace to make tracks before our children that lead straight to Him. Be it when I fail miserably and sin against God, that through the humility of repentance or when God graciously leads me in victory over sin..whatever circumstance it is, the God get the glory...that these boys see what a life trusting in Jesus looks like!!!

Let me encourage you dear one, if you are in relationship with the Lord, nurture it!! Get in His word, be on your face in prayer!! If you are not in relationship with Jesus..well let today be "the day of salvation"....oh friend, thank you for reading this blog....and please consider asking Christ to be your Savior!! We all need Him, and He welcomes us freely with open arms....constantly. Not just in saving us, but daily in relationship...because it was He who created us for His glory!!!