Song for Saturday

This song is so beautiful! It also really makes me think. Am I thankful to God only when He's dealing with me in the ways that *I* wish him to? Or am I thankful to God in ALL things, even when they don't seem "good" to me? Do I really, truely believe that He is good, all the time, in all things? Do I really, truely comprehend the magnitute of my sin against Him and His sacrifice for me, enough to be grateful for His grace alone?

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
‘Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You’ll provide in other ways
And if that’s the case . . .

(Chorus)

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger’s view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You’ll provide in other ways
And if that’s the case . . .

(Chorus)

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that’s the case . . .

(Chorus)

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please . . .

I Don't Mind

Judah is what some might call a "needy" baby. He can be very content at times, but when he's fussy, he's very fussy - it becomes difficult to console him. He requires alot of rocking, bouncing, nursing, and attention. And sometimes that is frustrating, inconvenient, and overwhelming.

But today, while studying his face as he nursed, I realized something. I don't remember my other boys' faces at this age. I'm glad I have pictures, because memories blur and fade so quickly. And little boys grow even more quickly. That realization gave me a whole new perspective.

I don't mind the time I have to spend with my baby in my arms, because all too soon he won't fit so snugly in them. I don't mind the middle of the night nursings in the quiet darkness, just the two of us, because all too soon comes the noises and distractions of the day. I don't mind the time and attention he demands, because all too soon it won't be my time and attention he is demanding. He will grow, just as his brothers have and are continuing to, and eventually, they and he will be men, and I will have to let them go.

I have frequently had older people come to me and tell me "it goes by in the blink of an eye", and even though my oldest is "only" 8 1/2... I know what they say to be true. So, despite the "inconvience" of these seasons, I cherish them, because I know they are fleeting, and one day, I will miss them. I'm thankful for the too-short time I have to nuture these little ones.

Quiet

I just wanted to do a quick update! I know its been quiet here, lately :-) We've been enjoying housesitting for my in-laws while they're on a vacation. They have a pool and an awesome jacuzzi tub that we've been enjoying immensely, so its been like our own little mini-vacation - free and only 10 miles from home! ;-)

However, their computer is a *bit* slow - as in, when I type, I have to wait a few seconds or even minutes for my letters to appear on the screen, lol! So that makes it a bit hard to blog well. However, since I'm not spending my time on the computer, nor having to stress over my clutter (for some reason, cleaning some one else's house isn't as burdensome, lol!) I'm getting alot of other necessities done, like planning and preparing for when we begin school again, reading some good books, starting a Scripture Journal, oh, and a bit of relaxing, too! I'll hopefully be able to catch up on blog posts next week when we return home. Talk to y'all then!

At the Well... Being an Efficient HomeWORKER

Over at "At the Well... In Pursuit of Titus 2", they're having a discussion about how to "Be an Efficient HomeWORKER". God has been putting this as an important theme in my life lately - after the death of a dear loved one, followed shortly by the birth of little boy #5, and the insuing recovery periods, things have gotten a bit... chaotic. Which makes it easy to fall into a trap of discouragement, frustrations, feeling overwhelmed, and even depression. I have let alot of my homemaking responsibilities fall to the wayside, and we are all starting to feel the effects. So I am eager to share what the Lord has been putting on my heart as He brings me back to restoring order and peace in my home!

First, His Word is where I turn to for encouragement, and here are some verses he has placed on my heart to keep me encouraged:

• 2 Thessalonians 3 - the whole chapter! It is about combating idleness, being sure to work for the Lord, and to not weary of doing good
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11 "...and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you..."
• Philippians 4:8 - "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." This one is so important to me when I get caught up in dwelling on the thoughts that burden me with discouragement or sadness
• I know I've mentioned this one alot, but it remains a great encouragement to me: Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

As far as my goals go, I have several:

• Decluterring and organizing the things in my house. Thanks to Brenda and her rave reviews, I am going to be using a Motivated Moms planner to help me accomplish this.
• Revamping a schedule for the family. We all seem to function better when we know the basic guideline for how our days will flow. I am rereading Teri Maxwell's "Managers of their Homes" for help with this.
• More consistant discipline with the children
• Keeping my priorities in line!

God has given us so many tools in the area of homemaking! First and foremost are His Word, and Prayer. When I don't spend time in these two areas daily, the struggle to serve him begins almost immediately!

Two more I rely on heavily are my children and my appliances. I am going over the children's chore lists and making sure they are up-to-date, as well as making sure the children know exactly what I expect when a certain chore is done, so that I don't have to constantly come back and say "you forgot this...". And can I just say there is not a day that goes by when I don't thank the Lord for my dishwasher and washing machine? Really! I use them each daily, and remember well the 3 years of my marriage without a dishwasher, and 2 without a washing machine, so I am always so, so thankful that I have these tools to use now.

Also, to keep myself focused and encouraged, I rely on other women's minstries as a tool, as well. A few I mentioned above, but a few others are materials from Above Rubies (any of Nancy's CDs will give you such an AMAZING vision and perspective on God's calling for us to as mothers, wives, and homemakers - I am currently listening to "Mothers with a Mission" and it is wowing me!), as well as Family Ministries and other resources from Titus2.com. There is a reason God's Word tells the older women to teach the younger women what is good, and it is a treasure to tap into these resources!

Do you have tips of encouragement to share in your ministry of homemaking? Be sure to stop by At the Well and share!

Lost in Translation

During our evening prayers, I've been trying to encourage Nathan to pray. To start him out, I just have him repeat me in simple prayers (in Nathanese, of course). Tonight this is how it went:

Me: "Dear God,"
Nathan: "Dear God,"

Me: "I love you"
Nathan: "I love you"

Me: "Thank you for sending your son Jesus"
Nathan: "Thank you for sending your son Jesus"

Me: "To die for my sins so I can be with you"
Nathan: "To die for mama's sins so I can be with you"

hmm....

Fitness Friday - The Rocket Science Edition

This week our assignment for Fitness Friday is to list our top 3-5 tips for health and fitness. Of course, at first I thought of the obvious ones - regarding physical effort:

1. GET MOVING! I'm amazed by the amount of people out there who will try every fad diet in the world but not get up and MOVING to assist their weightloss/fitness goals. We live in such an "instant gratification with no effort" society. Sorry folks, that's not how it works. Exercise, being active, actually burning calories and building muscle is essential for becoming more fit.
2. Another obvious one - watch what you eat. Eat in moderation. Don't eat emotionally. Try to eat non-processed foods. Avoid sugar, but also avoid toxic sugar substitutes. If you have to pick one over the other, go with the more natural type! Get the right balance of protein, whole grains, and fruits/veggies. This is something we've been taught since Kindergarten practically, so its a no-brainer. But I totally understand the issues behind poor diet... my diet is an example of that.
3. Drink water! Not flavored water (unless you want to use some fresh squeezed lemon or lime), which is loaded with artificial stuff. Not soda (or coke, if you live here in the south and to you "coke" includes every type of soda there is, except Pepsi, and I don't have to tell you not to drink Pepsi because no one would even imagine drinking Pepsi down in these parts). Especially not diet soda! That stuff is terrible for you and has been shown to help you hold on to weight. Water, its what God made for us to drink. Its good for you. You need it. Drink it.
4. Get some sleep. I don't do well in this area. I tend to burn the candle at both ends. But I've heard studies saying getting the right amount of sleep actually helps with your metabolism and weightloss. So go to bed at a decent hour, get up at a decent hour. Our bodies naturally follow the sun's rhythms, even if you consider yourself a "night owl". Your hormones react to sunlight, so do your best not to throw them out of whack by staying up too late or sleeping in too late.

OK, while I was walking this week, I also thought of some "non-physical" tips for fitness and weightloss. These are also pretty basic:

1. Set a goal. What is your exact goal? The more specific, I think, the better. Just "getting fit" or "being toned" is fine, but, say "walk 12 miles a week" or "run a 5K" makes things a bit more focused so you have something more tangible that you're working toward.
2. Commit yourself to reaching that goal. Of course, you think, well, duh - I just made a goal, why wouldn't I meet it? Trust me - I make goals all the time. And am so proud of myself for creating a goal. And then don't actually apply myself to meeting it. I was just excited to have a goal ;-) So really determine to take the steps required to meet that goal.
3. Finally, persevere - everyone who has set diet or fitness goals knows there comes a point of resistance - a wall, so to speak. Persevere past that point, and you will succeed. It will be hard! But keep your goal and your commitment in mind, and keep on moving forward, despite the frustration, discouragement, disappointment or setbacks you might experience. Git 'r done!

So there are my tips! As far as my week went, it was haphazard. Monday I spent 2+ hours at the grocery store preparing for my first ever attempt at once-a-month cooking, Tuesday I spent recovering from said shopping trip, and Wednesday was my cooking day, which took from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm. Phew! But I did get a small amount of "real" exercise in - I walked about 7 miles this week, but only did one day of weight training. But its better than nothing! I walked 3.5 of those miles by myself, wearing the baby and pushing the double stroller with Joel and Nathan in it, but the other 3.5 I was able to enjoy the company of my friend Marcy, which was much more enjoyable. I also went for a small outing with my friends, Duk-Sun and Paul Spillers, but it was more leisurely and relaxed than exercise. My husband has officially jumped on the running bandwagon. Perhaps when the baby can be content in the stroller and Joel is a bit more secure on his bike, I will start running also. I enjoy the Couch-5K plan alot. We'll see. I do actually own a treadmill, I could think about putting that into use.

Find more tips and join in the fun over at A Family Revised!

A Verse

This verse has been spinning through my head lately, so I just thought I'd share. Not much else to say :-)

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Fitness Friday - Literary Encouragement

This week the assignment for Fitness Friday is to share some literary encouragement that has helped me along with my fitness goals. I couldn't really think of anything that had to do with exercise, however, two excellent nutrition books I read recently are the "Real Food" books by Nina Planck. Her diet advice is very simple - eat food that resembles its natural state as much as possible. Raw veggies, lots of good quality, grass-fed meat, raw milk (Yes! Unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk! We drink it when we can, and it is SO much yummier than processed milk. And SO much better for us!), whole grains, and good, natural fats, such as olive oils, avocados, etc.

She discusses how she tried the "low-fat" diet and despite all the exercise she did, she could never drop her extra weight. Once she began feeding her body what it was designed to eat, her weight dropped to its healthy amount, and her energy level, moods, and health were better than ever. She does an excellent job of explaining not just what we should be eating, but why, and how to accomplish it reasonably. Granted, she writes from a secular point of view and discusses how our diets "evolved" with us, but the overall points she makes I find to be informative and accurate. I highly recommend her books! (My thanks to Suzanne at Adventures in Teething for her initial review of "Real Food", which inspired me to check both books out of the library!)

As far as my week has gone, we didn't go walking once. Not once! It was a really busy week. Thankfully, I DID start my weight training tapes (yes, good old fashioned VHS, lol!) and have been doing one body part each day. Monday was shoulders/back, Tuesday was abs, Wednesday was arms, Thursday was legs/buns, and Friday was abs again. I have Gilad's Quick Fix System (thanks Mom!). Let me just say that while Gilad is a bit "old school", his work outs are GREAT - very effective. And I happen to like that I don't have to be overly coordinated, contort myself in crazy ways, or have all sorts of fancy gadgets in order to get in shape - just a few light hand weights and I'm ready to go! I've been doing Gilad workouts since... well, ever since I started working out as a pre-teen! So he's familiar to me, and really, you can't beat that accent of his! So I feel like I had a productive week, despite the slack in walking.

As far as the junk food department, I went almost the entire week without any chocolate, and didn't do anyone serious harm! ;-) I did have Chick-Fil-A twice this week though (ack!) but I always order the Chargrilled Chicken rather than the breaded kind. And I only got fries one time, which is better than both times, right? *sigh*... I'm still working on this area, obviously.

Anyway, I don't know what next week will hold. Michael is toying with the idea of training for a marathon (he's toyed with that idea before, but never actually completed the training) so I might be losing my walking partner! :-( But no matter what he decides, I will do my best to keep at it.

For more fitness motivation, be sure to check out Fitness Friday at The Family Revised!

Joel's Adventure!

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my parents, sister, and soon-to-be brother-in-law visited. We had such a wonderful time - it was so much fun to have a bustling, full house with so many people I love! One of the adventures over the weekend was a boy/girl outing. We girls (well, Judah joined us, for obvious reasons!) went for a pedicure and wedding dress shopping, and the boys went to the park for a bike ride. Afterwards, we all met up for some Pirate Putt-putt and dinner at Olive Garden. DJ (the aforementioned soon-to-be) was able to video tape a fun milestone - Joel's first attempt on a bike! He then compiled his pictures and video into one production, and my sister has posted it on her blog!

Check out "Joel's Bike Ride Adventure" to see the fun!

It only took Joel about 2 more times at the park before he got really confident and comfortable. He's riding just like his big brothers now! Its amazing how fast they grow up!

Wordless Wednesday - Critters (Not for the Squeamish!)

Found in or around our house (such is life with 5 boys!)

Priorities

"It is true that many "perfect jobs" may come and go during the childrearing years, but only one of will absolutely never come along again - the job of raising your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home"

-Dorothy Patterson

I love this quote. It really helps me keep things in perspective about my priorities. I have no other "job" that is as important as the Lord's priorities for me right now. I can get so overwhelmed by burdening myself with things that just aren't what should be my focus. My sweet husband has to remind me frequently - "Keep it simple... sweetheart" ;-) because my brain starts going like a whirlwind thinking of all of the things I *think* I need to do. And then I collapse into an overwhelmed mess of discouragement and become completely unproductive in the few things I really DO need to do! Talk about a ridiculous cycle! But I know many women get stuck in it. So, I have a few tips - mostly gleaned from other wise ladies who have given me words of comfort during my times of discouragement.

First, recognize your REAL priorities. The first place to turn for this is God's Word. Find the verses relating to women, wives, and mothers, and see what His instruction to them is. Something that I am always having to remember is that He is just as concerned about our attitudes (having a spirit of peace, tenderness, love and encouragement, just to name a few) as our actions. If we're keeping our house spotless but yelling at our children to keep it that way, something is amiss!

The second place I turn to for a view of my priorities is my husband. Afterall, I am here to run his household while he is out working to provide for us... it only makes sense to see what are the main things he would like me to accomplish! His list for me was very basic, but its been a great guide to know just what I need to do to help him feel as if I'm helping him meet his goals for our family. His list included: meals, overseeing chores, schooling the children, and talking with him! If I cover those basics, he's a happy man! If I can do more, he's even more pleased! How easy is that? lol! What are your husband's top 5 priorities? God gave him to you to lead and guide you, don't neglect that resource!

The next part is, for me, the hardest. Eliminate all of the NON-priorities. Or at least structure your day so that your true priorities are getting the largest majority of your time and attention, while the non-priorities are being fit in when and if they can. For me, one of these time sucking non-priorities is the computer! Blogging, keeping in touch through email and facebook, and even reading or listening to online devotions... while not terrible things in themselves, certainly not a priority. At the recommendation of a friend, I installed Firefox's TimeTracker onto my computer. It tracks every hour, minute, and second spent on the internet. When the window is idle or minimized, it pauses, so its quite accurate for tracking "actual use" time. And, um... Wow! I'm embarassed to see how the time adds up. What I thought was taking me 5 or 10 minutes here or there is actually taking me... much longer. Which leads me to feeling like I don't have enough time to get to my true priorities! What a waste!

For some ladies, it might not be the computer, but the TV, telephone, reading a good book, or running around outside of the home trying to "do" to much. Whatever is your non-priority time-sucker, identify it! Repent of allowing that thing to take away your Godly focus and restrict it, or let it go completely! Our children really are only young once, and for such a short time... why are we so easily ensnared by non-eternal things? There will come a season in life where we will have much more free time to pursue non-priorities, we must always keep that perspective in mind.

Finally, I'll finish up with another issue that many women struggle with - condemnation. I can be very, very hard on myself when I don't feel as if I'm "doing enough". I take this ministry that the Lord has given me very seriously, and when I feel like I'm failing, I can really beat myself up. Now, in the areas that I *know* need work (as mentioned above), then I have no excuse - I do need to ask for forgiveness and change my behavior! However, there are times when I find myself trying so hard to "do right" and still struggling - and the enemy has a ball with my spirit at these times. Its so important to remember that God is a God of grace, and mercy, and will help me in my weakness, equip me, and not condemn me.

So, if I'm sparse in blog posts, or commenting on other blogs, or slow in replying to emails, please know that its nothing personal, I'm just attending to my priorities!

May's Treasures

Serving God in the Mundane at Your Sacred Calling

A Peek Inside my Heart - Its a REAL Job! Series #7 at Heart(h) Management

Biblical Descriptions of Mothers at Making Home

Released from Worry: A Theology of Parenting at Holy Experience

You Mean it's Not All About Me? at Breathing Grace

Fix Your Eyes on the Lovely Things at Domestic Felicity

Why Modern Motherhood is So Much Harder than it Ought to Be, Part 2: What You Can do About It at At the Well... In Pursuit of Titus 2

Mother: Oh That my Children Will Speak Such of Me at Generation Cedar

Analog vs. Digital at Large Family Mothering

Place Near Your Altar Part 2: Spiritually Sheltering your Children at At the Well... In Pursuit of Titus 2

Real Equal Opportunity Work at Holy Experience

The Temptation of Laziness at At the Well... In Pursuit of Titus 2

Mark Driscoll on Pride at Making Home

Get Behind Me Satan at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

HomeMAKING at ~Clothesline Alley~

When you Face the Light, the Shadows are Behind You and The Shame on Me Sea at Raising Arrows

Wise-Worded Women at Making Home

Patience in Motherhood at Divine Calling

Ways to Bless Your Household at robin's egg blue

Song for a Fifth Child at A Merry Heart

Just so You Know at A Planting of the Lord

The Divine Appointment at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home