Are you comfortable?

I am, all too often.  But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable.  He calls us to step out of our comfort zone and follow HIM.   No matter what. 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

It’s scary sometimes to think “Where will I go?”,  “What will I eat?”,  “What kind of house would I live in?”,  “What would I have to give up or do without?”, “What will THEY think?”.

God’s word tells us not to be anxious about these things.  To let HIM be our PROVIDER!  One of my favorite group of verses is Matthew 6:25-37 (click to read) where He reminds us that we do not need to worry. 

What is God calling you to do? Something that seems impossible? Something that seems HUGE to you and way out of your comfort zone? Something that makes you think “No way! That’s crazy!”  No matter how big it seems to you, it is small in the hands of God.  He’s got it covered!

I wonder how Noah felt when he was told to build a huge ark…especially considering it had never rained before.   

What about Gideon when his army got cut down from 32,000 to 300?

Or Joshua, who was told to use marching, trumpets, and yelling to knock down the Jericho walls?

Think about little David, a young teenager, who was called by God to kill a GIANT with just a stone and a slingshot?

God calls us to do uncomfortable things! Things that require us to depend totally on HIM for our strength, courage, provisions.  

WHY?

Because HE did big things for us!! His only Son came to earth, suffered and died for our sins!  He was born in a stable and placed in an animal’s feeding trough for his bed.  He never lived in a palace, or even had his own home.  He didn’t travel around in the fanciest of chariots.  He was uncomfortable…for US!

You can do it for Him! 

Copywork from the Bible

The other night, Bug got in a little trouble.  She made a couple bad choices and was being disrespectful and disobedient.  I know, shocking from my sweet girl, but it happened.  :-)

Praise God! He was right there helping R and I, as we told Bug we would be back in 3 minutes after we’d had a chance to step away and talk as parents.   We calmly left her screaming to herself while we discussed what to do.  Boy, was she mad! These 2 offenses are directly addressed in scripture, so we focused on that. 

We explained to Bug (not for the first time) that these are not just our rules, but they are God’s rules.  We are just the people that God put in her life to teach her these rules so that she can grow up to obey Him!

Then, for the first time, we implemented “writing sentences”!  Remember those from when you were a kid?  I know I had to write “I will remember to bring home my spelling workbook” a few times, and probably a few other things!

Since she’s only 5 and still fairly new to writing, we only made her write 2 sentences, but they were great ones!

First, Ephesians 6:1, and then Leviticus 19:3.

Thank you, Lord, for being right there with us during all of that!  We were calm, we brought the whole lesson back to scripture, reinforced it in her mind by having her write it, and most of all – disciplined out of love, not punishment!  She even had fun doing it!  That’s when we have to remind ourselves as parents that discipline is about LEARNING, not about feeling miserable!

It’s official! We’re starting Kindergarten!

The Decision

Our only child, Bug, just turned 5!   Over the past year, R and I have been discussing whether or not to start homeschooling Emily in Kindergarten this fall, or wait until next.  We weighed several pros and cons, prayed about this decision, thought we had decided to wait…in fact, wanted to wait, but ultimately we ended up deciding to move forward with school.  God has a way of shaking us up like that, but that’s a whole other post another time!

So, this fall, we will be the parents of a Kindergartner!  WOW!

Changes at home
On one hand, not much will change.  Since we homeschool, I will still see her every day.  I don’t have to go drop her off anywhere.  I don’t have to get her up early, or pack a lunch the night before.  We will still read, do crafts, go on field trips…all very much like the last year.  I am so incredibly thankful that He has provided us with the opportunity for us to homeschool Bug and to ensure that God and His creation are the focus of all that she will be learning!  I am also thankful that I get to spend each and every day with her.  To watch her learn, to see her excitement, and to share in that with her….priceless!

On the other hand, things are changing!  This year, we will be focusing on a curriculum (My Father’s World), and will be supplementing with some extra things, like Rosetta Stone’s Spanish program.   We are setting goals and making lists of things we want to teach her this year.   I am a big fan of Charlotte Mason, and the fact that her methods are less structured than most.  However, we have come to terms with the fact that both Bug and Mommy need some structure, so we are doing the best of both worlds!  We will follow the curriculum as a guideline of what to do each day/week, but will also implement CM methods in order to keep us from getting too bogged down in the structure. 

Changes at church
Another big change for her will be at church.  This fall, she will move upstairs to the KDOG (Kids depending on God) program that is for K-6 grades.   On Sundays, she will attend her Sunday School class during the first hour, and then will join us in worship service during the second hour.   I am so excited about this!  We’ve been bringing Bug into worship with us from time to time for some time now and we all really enjoy being together during that precious time.   Bug is also excited!! The new Kindergartners get a special green tote bag to carry to church, and she has already seen so many of her older friends with these over the past year.  She is so excited to get her green bag!

I’m very much looking forward to the next year.  It will be amazing to see how God works in our family and how we grow together, and in Him.  Not only is my little girl growing up, but God is using her each and every day to help me grow up in Him!  It’s going to be a great, ever-changing, year in our family!

Best toy EVER!

I don’t know what took us so long to get this.  We should have had this 2 years ago!  We recently bought Bug an exercise trampoline, and it is the best thing we have ever given her! 
Bug is extremely high energy, and she is a sensory seeker! That just means she is always on the go – moving, touching, bouncing, taking it all in!  Sometimes it is hard to adequately meet those needs inside our home, and we just can’t always go outside and swing, to the park, or the pool. 
Now we have a perfect indoor tool to help meet her needs!  She uses it first thing in the morning, off and on all day long, and before bed.  Anytime she feels she has extra energy she needs to “get out”.   For many kids, this might wind them up too much at bedtime, but for Bug, it actually helps to get out some of the extra energy so she can settle down and relax. 
Who knows, maybe she will even give Mommy a few minutes to get some exercise on it!   R is enjoying it too!  Just watch my handsome hubby!  He is the most amazing dad ever!

Mommy Time

Over the years, I have read many books, often geared toward moms, that tell women that we need “me time”.  That our families shouldn’t expect our undivided attention.  That we need to think about ourselves and take care of ourselves first, so then we can take care of our families.  That if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of them.   The whole “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” line of thinking.  Unfortunately, I think many of these books go way overboard and the enemy can use these to make us into selfish, self-centered, resentful women.

On the other hand, I have also read some books that basically say we shouldn’t want time away from our family.  That we are to be devoted wives and mothers, with our entire focus being our family.  Some of these almost make it sound like you are sinning if you want to spend some time away from your husband or children from time to time.

I simply adore my husband and my daughter.  I absolutely love spending time with them!  My husband is truly my best friend, and we can have fun doing anything together.  My daughter is a true blessing to me, and I honestly love spending time with her.  She makes me laugh, she renews my childlike spirit, and she notices many of the things in life that I take for granted.    I love our family times! Our vacations, camping trips, game nights, and lazy weekends! 
However, I feel there is also an incredibly healthy balance that can be found.  

I enjoy time with just myself.  I love curling up with a cup of coffee, a good book, and quiet.   I love sitting at Starbucks with my iced tea, maybe a sweet treat, and my laptop with nothing but time to write.

I also love time with just my friends.  I work with a very special group of leaders in my discipleship group and I cherish the times that we meet together to help each other grow in the Lord.    I love getting a chance to meet a friend one-on-one for a cup of coffee and to catch up.   I enjoy getting away once a year to hang out with some special mommy friends of mine from all over the country.
I also love times when our family gets together with other families.   Sometimes we have a couple over for dinner – some with kids, some without.   It’s so nice when we can sit and chat as adults while the kids play together.   I also often meet with another mom and her kids for play dates.  We chat, the kids play, and it’s a glorious time!

I think the important distinction is our motives.  I don’t spend time with my friends because I want to spend time away from my husband.  I spend time with my friends because I cherish the friendships God has given me and I want to deepen them.  This means that I am careful about who I spend this focused time with, and I look to God to direct this.  I don’t spend time alone because I want to get away from everyone.  I spend time alone so I can meet with God, or do things He is calling me to do – sometimes write, sometimes rest. 

I also work with my husband, not against him, in planning these times.   My family comes first.  If R or Bug need me, I will be there.  My true friends understand that and feel the same way.   When I have a meeting and will not be home for dinner, I make sure that dinner is planned and/or prepared for my husband before I leave.   When I am going to be away, I make sure that the timing is acceptable to R’s schedule and that he approves of what I am doing. 

Right now, I am out of town for 5 days to spend some annual time with some mommy friends.  This was planned with R’s approval and encouragement.   Before I left, I made sure his clothes were all clean (and almost all put away!).  I also created a meal plan for him for the days I’m gone, and made sure most of the food he would need is already purchased and at home.   He is perfectly capable of planning and cooking his meals, but this is something he likes that helps him, so I do it.  He likes to know what is for dinner, even if it means he’s cooking it, without having to think about it when he gets home.  He wants to spend the time playing with Emily while I’m gone, so I do what I can to make that easier for him. 

So, my focus is still first on God, then on my family.  When my priorities are in order, I can also make time for myself and my friends.  God uses all of these times – alone, with family, with friends….to grow me closer to Him, and I pray that He uses me to bring others closer to Him as well.

Teaching good stewardship to children

I’ve answered a few different people recently about how we do “chores” and “allowance” at home, so I thought I’d write a post about what we do in our home.
Earning Money
First, we don’t do allowance. You don’t get paid for doing nothing in our family. Instead, Bug (age 5), has JOBS that she is responsible for, and for which she can earn money.

We started this when she turned 4, so we gave her 4 jobs. I’m sure we’ll add another soon since she just turned 5. She is responsible for:
* Making her bed each morning.
* Keeping toilet paper on the roll in her/guest bathroom.
* Setting the meal table with napkins, utensils, and her plate/cup.
* Cleaning up her own toys each night before bed.
For those 4 jobs, she gets paid $4/week. It’s a lot for a child her age, I’m sure, but we also teach tithing and saving, so we wanted to make sure she had enough left over to actually save to buy something in a reasonable amount of time.

Where does the money go?

$1 goes in her God bank, $1 goes in the Saving bank, and $1 in her Spending bank. Then, she has $1 left over to choose which bank she wants it to go in. 9 times out of 10 she puts it in the God bank. She’s our little giver! All of her “God money” goes to church with us each week where she gives it to the benevolence fund because she wants to “help the church buy food and clothes for people that need it”.
Yes, I realize she is tithing 25% or more, but it was easier to split into quarters when we started. As she gets older and we do more math, we’ll allow her to tithe 10% or more.

Extra Money
In addition to her regular jobs, she has a list of extra jobs that she can ask to do anytime to earn extra money. This rarely happens because she doesn’t care much about earning money to buy things, but it’s available. One day she did all of them in one day as she was saving for a horse toy! For those jobs (mop floor, sweep patio, wash sliding glass door), she does them for a certain amount of time (5-10 min) and earns $1 (which gets split out among the banks).

She also gets money for birthdays & Christmas from some relatives. She must tithe on this money, but we don’t make her save from it.

Just because you live here!
Day to day, Bug is also expected to do some things just because she is a member of our family and needs to learn to contribute and someday run her own household. She often helps me empty the dishwasher by putting away the silverware, all her dishes, and anything else she can reach.
She is also responsible for putting her dirty laundry in the laundry room, and then once I wash and dry her clothes, she puts them all away. I put her clean clothes in a basket, then she hangs up her shirts, folds, and puts away everything else. She has a low hanging rod in her room so she can reach everything she needs.
How do you teach good stewardship with money in your home?

Bug’s Birthday Weekend!

Friday night, we had dinner at “560”, the Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside Reunion Tower.   Bug saw Reunion Tower a little over 6 months ago when we were out driving one day, and she asked me about it.  “What is that ball on a stick?”, she said.  When she found out there was a restaurant in it, she decided right then and there she wanted to go there for her “5 birthday”. 
I’d been there before, and while it wasn’t super cheap, it wasn’t bad.   What I didn’t know, when I said “sure!”, was that it had been remade into a fine dining restaurant! With “fancy” food!  Good thing my little girl loves SUSHI!
So, we gave her the choice – a birthday party with friends, or dinner at the restaurant with family.  She chose the restaurant and never changed her mind.  
I’m so glad she did! She had the best time! We celebrated with my parents, R’s mom, and R’s grandmother.  She ate tons of sushi, some samples of everyone else’s food, and an entire apple crumble dessert all by herself!  Such a big girl!

The next day, Saturday, we had the family back over, along with our dear family friend, Aunt Chelle.  We had cake & ice cream, opened presents, and mostly played with Emily in the little pools in the backyard.  It was a fun, relaxing day!

Now, my little girl has been 5 for 2 days, and she’s growing up before my eyes.  All I can do is pray that this next year goes by a little slower than the last, and that I cherish each and every moment with her!  I am so blessed to be her Mommy!