Family Life With the Babler Family

New Blog....Again!!

2011-03-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I know I haven't posted on this blog in a very long time. Awhile ago I started a new blog on Wordpress, and was going to delete this blog. I had the other blog for awhile, and then our lives became very crazy. We had a death in the family, another pregnancy/new baby, and many other happenings, that caused me to stop blogging altogether. Because of so many changes in our lives in the last year (again), I decided to come back to Blogspot and start a whole new blog from scratch. The name of the new blog is Twenty Shoes, and I would LOVE any of my previous followers from this blog (and my former Wordpress blog) to join me at the new blog!
I plan to make this new blog all about life in general for our family of now 10! I hope to keep up with this blog better than my previous one, and I hope that friends and family will find it a great way to keep up with what our family is doing on at least a weekly basis!
So...come on over to www.twentyshoes.blogspot.com, to keep up with what is happening with the Babler Family!

Have a great day...and I hope to talk to you soon!

BLOG IS MOVING!!!! PLEASE JOIN ME AT THE NEW BLOG!!

2010-01-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hello to my faithful readers, or those who have just recently found me. I wanted to tell everyone that I have decided to merge my family and homeschool blog into one! I have been developing another blog, and although it isn't completely done yet...it's done enough to start directing people over there. I will now write all posts about all aspects of life over there!!
I'm praying that anyone who genuinely reads and is blessed by anything I write will come on over and subscribe to my new blog! I tell more about my decision to move on the introductory post of my new blog!
I hope to see you over here at my new blog http://www.principledfamily.wordpress.com/.
Gods Blessings to you all!

Elizabeth :-)

In His Word Wednesday- LOWLINESS OF MIND

2010-01-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."

If you really take the time to analyze this verse..it is full of conviction. The key words in this verse (in my opinion) are NOTHING, SELFISH AMBITION, VAIN CONCEIT, and LOWLINESS OF MIND. These are the words that really bring conviction to my life. I think when you grow up in church and in a Christian home, it becomes easy to just gloss over the scriptures, and think..."yep, that's nice", or "I could probably do better on that...starting tomorrow". Something I have been convicted about recently, is serious study and meditation on the scriptures. To really let it sink in to my core. It's a scary thing, because it's when we do this that the genuine conviction occurs, and we KNOW that we need to repent. Repentance isn't fun...our human nature has wired us to not want to admit our mistakes.

So, as I analyze this verse, and look to truly study what God is telling me here....it certainly brings its conviction!

First we look at the premise of SELFISH AMBITION and VAIN CONCEIT. What does that mean exactly. I pull out my trusty Websters 1828 dictionary (the only one I trust for true original meanings), and I see that SELFISH means: "regarding one's own interest chiefly or solely; influenced in actions by a view to private advantage. AMBITION means: to go about or seek by making interest. The word ambition has its origin in the practice of a Roman candidate for office who went about the city to solicit votes. So we see that selfish ambition together means to go around seeking your own interest chiefly or solely, acting out your own private advantage.

VAIN means: empty, worthless, having no substance or value, fruitless, inefectual, proud of pretty things, or of trifiling attainments, elated with a high opinion of ones accomplishments or with things more showy than valuable., unreal , showy, unsatisfying, False. CONCEIT means: That which is conceived, imagined, or formed in the mind, idea thought image. Understanding, power or faculty of conceiving, apprehension. Opinion, notion, fancy, imagination, Pleasant, gayety of imagination. A striking thought; affected or unnatural conception. Favorable or self flattering opinion.

So, VAIN CONCEIT means: Any empty, worthless, fruitless, inefectual, high opinionated of yourself, unreal, showy, or unsatisfying thought formed in your mind, imagination, understanding, apprehension, opinion, notion, or fancy.

Now, God is telling us that we should do NOTHING out of these two things. What does NOTHING mean? Well....it means nothing...not one thing, not anything. That is easy to gloss over, but it really means absolutely nothing. Nothing includes well....anything you can think of. It includes going to church, it includes washing the dishes, it includes buying gifts, giving to others, blogging (ouch right), homeschooling, reading, training our children, watching tv, playing video games, making a sandwhich....etc...etc. I could obviously go on and on about what it means to not do anything with VAIN AMBITION or SELFISH CONCEIT, but I think you get the idea...as did I when I was studying this further.

Now, God doesn't ever leave us hanging with the negative...what does he tell us to do. Do everything with LOWLINESS OF MIND, and esteem others better then ourselves. LOWLINESS means: Freedom from pride, humility, humbleness of mind. Now, I would love to go on with this and share with you the definitions of humility, but I will let you do that on your own. So, HUMILITY OF MIND, a mind FREE from PRIDEFUL thoughts is what God wants us to replace this vain ambition of selfish conceit with.

WOW...this is quite a thing God asks us to do here. EVERYTHING we do should be for His sake, and the sake of others. We should do nothing for our own sake, with our own AMBITION in mind. Our minds should be cleansed from pride and selfishness, as should our actions.

Is this even possible? I think it is! We can do all things through Christ, when He lives in us. It is a daily choice that has to be made, to allow His Spirit to bring this out in us. It's something that I have a long way to go in...but I will definitely be contemplating the ways that I can grow in this area.

I would love to hear any further thoughts on this verse, and how to work towards applying them to our lives.

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday, and my prayer request for the day is to be able to more affective in living out this command from my Lord! Help me to be all that you want me to be Lord...not for myself, and my own furtherence, but only for Your Glory...AMEN!!

Welcome to 2010!

2010-01-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hi all and Happy New Year! First of all, I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas! As always, the start of a New Year has been a time of reflection for me on what I can do better, and what I can change altogether. I like to make goals for myself every year. I generally put them into categories. Spiritual Goals, Personal Goals, Physical Goals, Parenting Goals, Homeschool Goals. I won't tell you every single one of my goals or "resolutions" as many call them...but I will share some of them.

Spiritual Goals

1) Be closer to God through more regular quiet time with him!

2) Seek to share Christ with more people this year than I did last.

3) Use Philippians 4:8 as a guide to what I do, watch, listen to, etc..

4) Seek to have a meek and quiet spirit.

Personal Goals

1) Look for more ways to serve others this year.

2) Spend time blogging at least 4 times a week.

3) Spend a little time weekly working on relearning my violin.

4) Take a picture every day for my 365 project

5) Look for a way every day to show Rob that I appreciate him.

6) Find a time to do something no matter how little every day one on one with each of my kids.

7) Get and stay organized

Physical Goals

1) Lose at least 25 pounds before I get pregnant again ;-) through exercising at least 5 days a week, and watching my calories more closely.

2) drink more water daily.

3) Be in shape so that I have energy to keep up with everything I need to do.

4) Try to keep myself looking nice daily for my husband instead of looking sloppy.

Parenting Goals/Homeschool Goals (to save a little time I will put these together)

1) Speak more quietly and gently to my older children (no sarcasm)

2) Be consistent with my little ones (stop what I'm doing to correct..even when I don't feel like it)

3) Be consistent with grading and recording their school work (giving them daily feedback on their work)

4) Make sure they see me working and learning as well on a daily basis (don't sit on Facebook while expecting them to be working hard!)

5) Make sure I have everything planned and ready for them to go in the mornings so as not to waste time.

6) NEVER skip time in the Word for the sake of academics...keep priorities straight!

These are the things that I will be working on this New Year. I have verses written out for many of these, to memorize and help me stay on track, but for now as I get ready to go to bed....if you haven't yet thought about what you want to work on this year..let me encourage you that it is never too late! As a Christian I am called to do everything heartily as unto the Lord, and each new year that God gives us is an opportunity to start fresh, to recognize our sins of the previous year, repent and move forward with His Holy Spirit to guide us! If we aim at nothing...we will hit it every time! I hope to be able to come back to you this time next year and tell you that I mastered at least a couple of these goals...for the glory of my Lord! Blessed New Year to all of you, and if you get a chance I would love to hear about what you all are working on for the upcoming year.

In His Word Wednesday- Renewing your Mind!

2009-12-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

This verse has taken new meaning to me here recently, as our family is sort of on a mission of revival and renewing all our minds. I recently did a word study on the word renew, to gain a better understanding of what it means to renew our minds. Some interesting ideas came of it. Some of the words that are main ideas included in the meaning of the word renew are to rebuild, to repeat, to revive, to repair, to confirm, to renovate! If you then take these words and break them down by their meanings, it really gives you a picture of what God is telling us when He says He wants our minds to be renewed! I won't go into all the different meanings here (although I may share them on my homeschool blog), but let me tell you...I had pages worth of info on what it means to renew your mind! God wants our minds to be filled with Him. He wants to revive us back to Him, to rebuild our minds with thoughts that are pleasing and Holy. He wants to renovate our thinking into what will be useful for His Glory. We all know that what we think in our mind...comes out in our actions and attitudes. I don't know about you, but for me it is easy to overlook my mind, and focus only on the outward behavior. Well, as long as what I think doesn't come out in my actions, I'm ok. But, Christ gave us a different picture. He told us that when we look at a woman to lust, it is adultery, when we have hatred in our hearts, it is murder! Our thoughts and our actions are one in the same to the Lord. When you think about it, we really need to recognize our thoughts as sin, and repent of them the same we would for the action itself. God wants us to take our thoughts captive, and allow Him to fill them up with Him! This has been a very convicting study for me, and yet, very refreshing, in knowing that with God all things are possible. We can capture our thoughts, and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds!

Please join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday....and if you have never done a word study in your study of the Bible...I highly recommend trying it! If you have any questions about it, I would be happy to pass on how I go about it! It will really help you to meditate further on what God is communicating to us in His word!!

New Business!!

2009-12-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as an exciting day for us! I wanted to go yesterday and get our official DBA (officializing our new business!) because yesterday was the one year anniversary of the day that our little foster daughter left us! I wanted what was a very sad anniversary for our family to become a happy day for us. We know that God works all things out for good to those who love Him, and I wanted this sad day to be overshadowed by something good! So....we are now an official photography business recognized by our state and Uncle Sam!

If you had asked me several years ago if I would be a small photography business owner...I would have laughed my head off! This whole process was entirely a God thing! Our goals are different than many photography businesses in that we want to make some profit off of it, but more importantly we want to be a blessing to others through the talent that God has given us! We are being uncovential in our discounts for pastors, military, missionary, and homeschool families for photoshoots. We are also keeping our overall prices generally lower than those of many who do the same kind of photography. I've been warned not to do that, by professionals who want me to value my work. Although I do generally want to be paid for my time away from family during photoshoots, and for the time spent editing images, I don't want the prices to be so cumbersome that the average family could never conceive of hiring me. If this was a make or break income for our family, I would likely reconsider the pricing, but in my mind, God has given me this gift of photography, and I don't want to be steeped in pride about what I have done! I know many people will call us crazy when we choose to give freebies, or discounts on our work, but we feel that if we are not being a blessing to others through this business, then we are not doing it for the Lord...we are only doing it for ourselves!

We are excited about this new crossroads in the life of our family, and look forward to getting the kids involved in it as they grow older (they are already great photography students, and my Ethan loves to help me edit!). This is what we love about being a homeschool family, in that we can enjoy these adventures in what God is doing in our lives with our children!

So...if you have not already seen or been a part of our new business, you can find out more about what we are doing in several different places. You can fan our Facebook page, which you can see to the right of this post. Or you can visit our Smugmug site here: Smug Mug Or...you can start following our blog here: Blog Or....you can visit our still a work in progress website here: Website. If you follow our other blogs already you will see this same post in all places. I apologize for the redundancy, but it will be easier for me to share this all at once.

We are not only selling nature and scripture prints through Smugmug now, but we are also set up to start doing family photoshoots, senior pictures, engagement pictures, and special outdoor events whenever the weather is warm enough here in Southwest Michigan, Northern Indiana!

I hope that we can find a way to bless all of you in the coming years through this gift that God has blessed our family with!!

I Miss my Blogging, and exciting news!

2009-12-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I basically was just wanting to pop in and say hi, because my poor blogs have been so horribly neglected ever since the school year started! The big excitement around here has been that we are very close to opening up our own official photography business. This has been entirely a God thing, and we feel very blessed (and sometimes terrified), that He has brought this opportunity into our lives.

We have been selling scripture prints, and are finally preparing to expand into a family photography business as well! We have set up a Facebook fan page, and have acquired a smugmug account, which I am excited about. You can find that here: http://blessingsphotography.smugmug.com/.

I really hope that I find the time to get back into some of my blogging, as I still enjoy doing it very much. I hope that all my friends here in blogworld are well, and that God is remaining in the center of all of your lives! I am thankful for all of you, and I thank you also for all the prayers for my Dad, as he is doing really well!!

Loving Your Husband Friday- What a Great Hubby!

2009-11-20T07:28:00.001-08:00

Today is another Friday to focus on loving our hubbys. I love how flexible my husband is about watching our 7 children, when I need or want to do something. Last night he rushed home so I could go to a monthly girls night out that some of the ladies of our church have. We've been really busy lately, and haven't seen a whole lot of each other recently, but instead of insisting that I stay home because he's tired....he let me go, and took care of getting all the kids into bed! I'm very blessed to have him!

Join Shannon over at the Peer Review for more Loving Your Husband Fridays!

In HIs Word Wednesday- Greater Love

2009-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

Today being Veterans Day, I can't help but think of a particular verse.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.

Not only does it astound me that so many men and women are willing to give up their very lives (and their families) so that we can have freedom, but I am also impressed with the sacrifice that the families of these men and women make. We should all take the time to be grateful for the men and women who are willing to give up their lives for us. Most importantly, I am remembering the savior that gave up His life for me!

I have also been thinking today about that verse, and although giving up your life can sometimes mean actually dying for someone else, it can also mean something else. What can we do to sacrifice our time, our money, our talents and our efforts for someone else today. When you do something to help someone else when you could be doing something for yourself, that is laying down your life also. There are many ways to lay down your life for others, and make others more important then yourselves. Whether that be the others inside your own household, or the others in your neighborhood, church, city, or another country....we can all find ways to lay down our lives for others! This is what Jesus called us to do! It's not always an easy calling, but if we take the time daily to think about how we can lay down our own lives for someone else, it will eventually become a habit!

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday!

Updates, a new look, and At The Well

2009-11-02T05:49:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning to all my blogging friends. I know that I have neglected my blogs horribly, but I wanted to pop in a give an update on what our family has been up to, and show off my new look for the season :-).

I have been very busy in recent weeks. Some of you know that I aspire to have our own family photography business. I would ideally love to do family photography (taking pictures of families, babies, seniors etc.), but I am not quite ready yet to venture out into that realm yet. A little more practice perhaps, and a portfolio will help. If anyone who's a local friend of mine would like to let me practice on your family and include the pictures in my portfolio, I would be happy to do that, and you could only pay for prints that you would like to have.

Although I am not ready to branch out that far yet, we have started our own small business on Etsy. I have taken many of the pictures that we have and turned them into scripture prints! I've really enjoyed doing this, and now we have started our own little business, that I hope will supplement our income, but also be a blessing to others while spreading the Word of God! If you want to check it out you can find it here.

This is exciting, but there are many other things going on in our lives too. Audrey has been practicing twice a week now for her role as a little mouse in the Nutcracker. She has been in the clouds with excitement over this. She is such a little performer, and social butterfly. We are looking forward to seeing her perform on December 11th and 12th. Of course I have volunteered to be a chaperone for long rehearsals, and that is fun!

Our family has also been going through a spiritual revival of sorts here in recent weeks. We are purging things from our lives that are not profitable, or not honoring to God. We are getting back to more Bible Study, and we are even changing our homeschool curriculum to fit these goals. It's really going back to our original goals for our family, that we seem to have wandered away from amidst all the trials in our lives over the past couple of years. We are glad to be getting back to the old paths. I will talk more about this on my homeschool blog, along with sharing more about our new curriculum, and what I'm learning.

We enjoyed a different kind of Halloween this year. We have never celebrated Halloween, but this year we decided to take the kids out during trick or treat time, not dressed up, and collect canned goods for our local food pantry. It was a blessed time, and a way for us to use a day that is characterized by things of darkness, and bring some light to it!

So, those are some things going on in our family. I really want to do a Monday post on At The Well, as they are discussing hospitality today, which I think is important. I am out of time for today, but let me just say....I often feel like I can't be hospitable because of the state of my house, and my somewhat anti-social husband. But, I believe in it, and it is something Rob and I both hope to change in the future! Have a read by clicking on At the Well. It's a great article, and I hope you all do a better job of this then our family does!

Have a great day!

In His Word Wednesday- Worthy

2009-10-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Phillippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves worthy of the gospel of Christ.

This verse is so convicting to me. I find it so much easier to conduct myself worthy of the gospel of Christ when I am out of my own home, than when I am in it. I think about how many times a day I am not slow to anger with my own children, or not putting the needs of my husband above my own, and I realize that I am not conducting myself worthy of the gospel of Christ! Let's always remember that although it's important to shine the love of Christ to others outside of our home...it's maybe even more important to be shining His light to the people who reside within our home....the people we love the most!

Lord, I pray that you would forgive me for not showing your love to my own children and husband, and that your Spirit would shine through me, not just to those outside my door, but to those in it as well! Thank you for what you did on the cross for me...let my life and my actions be worthy of Your name! Amen

Join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday.

Loving your Husband Friday- Brag Session

2009-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's time again to focus on Loving our Husbands! I'm going to brag a little bit about my husband. On Monday I was not feeling well at all. Rob decided to take the day off so that I could rest, and so that I wouldn't be breathing on the baby all day. So, he was here all day while I got to stay in bed and rest. But....it get's better. Not only did he stay home and take care of the kids, but he worked with the older kids all day and got the house really cleaned up! By the time I came out for supper on Monday night...the main areas of the house were sparkling clean and organized! Yea Hubby!! I really appreciated this as we were gone alot over the weekend and the housework had been neglected! It set me up for an easier rest of the week, because the house just needed to be maintained. I'm so thankful for him doing this.

If you have a something to brag about your hubby today, or some insight into marriage...head over to Shannon's blog for more Loving your Husband Friday!

In His Word Wednesday- Kindness

2009-10-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I was reading again today in my mom's bible (as I often do). Mom had so many notes and "goodies" as I call them, in her bible. She was definitely a student and lover of God's Word. Anyhow, next to this verse in Ephesians mom has an asterisk with a note down at the bottom of the page. I just wanted to share it with all of you! The note says this...."Be kind, everyone you meet is facing a battle". Hmm..whether that was just my mom's wonderful insight, or whether she was simply copying down a quote from someone else...It sank in deep today. It is true that everyone is facing a battle of some kind. How far would it go to show a little kindness...even when we don't feel like it. Isn't it true that our spouses and our children are also facing daily battles. How encouraging could a heavy dose of kindness be to them? This was a very convicting thought to me today. I hope it will spur you also onto kindness to all.

Help me Lord to pray for the saints daily, and to show kindness to all in every situation...so that I may not just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also. Help me to remember that anything I do for others, if it is not done with love....it means nothing! Kindness is a great first step towards love! Join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday.

Laudry tips the natural way!

2009-10-06T04:38:00.001-07:00

Good morning all!! I'm sitting in my chair early in the morning, watching a beautiful sunrise come up through the woods in my backyard. All I can see is red through the trees. Very beautiful. Anyhow, I'm writing this morning to pass on some quick homekeeping tips that I have stumbled across in recent days. These both relate to one of my most daunting daily tasks....Laundry!

I have discovered that in place of fabric softener, which can be expensive and hard on the skin, if you are an allergic type person, there are two natural products that can be used that work great! They are vinegar and baking soda!! Yep, when I put in a load of laundry, instead of putting in my fabric softener, I put in some vinegar (up to the fill line in my washer), and then I sprinkle in some baking soda slowly. It will bubble significantly, which is why it's best not to just dump it in! It's fun to watch, and a good science lesson for the kiddos! It works just as well as fabric softener, and although your clothes won't come out smelling like a mountain breeze....they will smell fresh and clean!!

Now, in the event that you do what I often end up doing on my busy evenings, and leaving a load overnight in the washer...ugh! Here's what I stumbled upon to fix that musty, been sitting overnight smell issue. I take a small sandwich baggie, put some baking soda inside of it, and poke some small holes into it with a fork (very carefully). I make sure the baggie is tightly closed, and then I throw it into the dryer with the smelly load. Works like a charm! After the load is done...I just throw the baggie away!

I hope these tips will be helpful to someone out there, who is looking to save money on laundry products, but still wanting to maintain the freshness!

I would share more here about cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, but due to lack of time I would love to point you to the blog of a friend of mine who is a great homemaker, and has blogged already about how to make and use homeade cleaners! Check her out here. It is so important for us wives and moms to find as many ways to keep our homes clean without breaking the bank, or without exposing our families to harmful substances.

Have a great laundry doing day!! God Bless!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Purity

2009-10-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

It's Loving my Husband Friday, and I'm glad to be finding some time to participate again this week! Shannon is the host for Loving my Husband Friday, and as a personal testimony to some dear friends of mine, I wanted to make sure to stop and praise her for being such a godly wife. She is an example to me and to many around her I'm sure. Thank you Shannon for your example, and for reminding every week of our roles as wives!

Last Sunday our pastor preached on keeping purity in our marriage. It was a wonderful reminder for me of all the ways that I need to work to keep myself pure for my husband! He reminded us women that we need to keep our emotions for our husbands and not give them away to other men. Let's face it ladies, although many of us do not struggle with the visual lust, we get trapped when it comes to emotions. If you allow yourself to get emotionally close to another man...then you are giving yourself away to him. I believe that this can often even include fictional characters (such as tv characters, or characters in a novel). Anytime that we find ourselves wishing that our man was like THAT man, we have crossed the line. " But....he treats me so much better, or....can't I just fantasize a little that that fictional character is real and he loves me??" If we are thinking these questions in our minds at any time...then we are putting our marriage in danger!

Some ways that I have worked over the years to avoid these pitfalls in my marriage, and kept myself from temptation are these:

1) I stopped watching soap operas years ago. Not only are they immoral on so many levels, but they also are notorious for causing us women to put our real life men up to impossible standards!

2) If any other tv show or movie causes me to emotionally lust after the main male character, then I have purged it from my viewing list, and my daughters!

3) I purposefully choose not to be alone with a man that is not a relative, or someone who is basically like a relative to me. I know in my heart the men that I can "safely" be alone with, and which ones I cannot. Most apply to this rule!

4) I do not call/email/facebook with any man that I know might be a stumbling block to my emotions. If I feel that they are "safe", and yet I find myself having improper thoughts about them.....I let them go! Better to hurt some feelings and be pure than to compromise what belongs only to you and your husband!

These are some of the ways that I have chosen to safeguard myself, and one of the biggest ways I know of, is what brings us together every Friday, is to work on staying focused on loving our husbands daily. If we stay focused on their needs, and what we love about them...we are less likely to stumble.

And I want to share too, that one thing I love about my husband is that he also has a list of "safeguards" for himself to keep our marriage pure, and keep outsiders from causing him to stumble. Let's remember to pray for our hubbys in this area as well. It matters to my guy, and I'm very grateful for him, and his example to our four boys!

Join Shannon for more Loving Your Husband Fridays!

In His Word Wednesday- Heartily for the Lord

2009-09-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

Colossians 3: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.

It is so easy to want to please men, and even easier to want to please ourselves. I can't tell you how many times during a day I think of myself, and it keeps me from giving my best to God. We know from Colossians here that God wants us to do everything heartily for him. Not for men, and not for ourselves. How much better would our marriage, and our parenting, or our friendships, and relationships with family be...if we took this verse more to heart. If everything we ever did or said was for the pleasure and delight of our savior, and not for any other reason! I think we would see a level of joy in our lives that we are not accustomed too.

I don't know about you, but when I am working for others, or for myself, I often find myself lacking joy because it never seems to be quite right. It's easy to let yourself down, or to let others down. It's easy for others to let us down. But, if we are working only for the praise of our savior, then we know that He can see our hearts, and He will be pleased with our efforts.

Lord, I pray that you will help me to remember daily to do the work you have called me to do, and to do it only for you, not for others, or myself. Give me a servants heart, and remind me daily of all the things that you want me to be doing, so that I can do them heartily as unto you. Thank you for your Word, and thank you for guiding my steps. Help me to be a good example to my children every day of a mother who works heartily for the Lord.

Join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday.

Check out my new blog..oh..and apologies!

2009-09-29T09:47:00.001-07:00

Hello to everyone! I know I have been less than diligent in my blog posting lately. Life around here has been quite crazy with catching up. After being down in Indianapolis for a week, and really still getting used to our school year to begin with...I have neglected my poor blogs. I doubt anyone has been pining away for me..but I still thought I should apologize. Priorities often have to be made, and sometimes the things we enjoy the most get put at the bottom of the list. As things are starting to settle down a bit, I am again attempting to start posting regularly on my blogs.

I started up a new blog yesterday for the other thing that I really enjoy doing...photography. I am working to learn to get better at it, and I would even love to be able to some day make some money doing it. But, until that time I wanted to have a place to share what I am learning, and the pics that I feel are the better ones that I have either taken myself, or the ones that Rob has taken (he also enjoys photography), that I have fixed up! If you are at all interested in photography and can give me any feedback, I would love for you to check it out! Or....if you just like to see pictures, mainly of cute children and nature...than please head over and follow me! It can be found here: http://elizphotos.blogspot.com/.

I have been learning many things from the Lord in recent months that I look forward to sharing again on my blogs, and of course, my children are always doing things that are worth bragging (I mean sharing :-)) about!

You will notice if you visit this blog, that there are some issues with my sidebar, that are kind of...annoying. A very kind brother in the Lord who knows WAY more about computer stuff then I do, is trying to help me fix it, and hopefully that will be resolved. If not, I hope that you would continue to visit me, simply for content and not be concerned about how it looks!

I will be talking to you all again real soon! Blessings in the Lord today!

Elizabeth

I Heart Faces "candid"

2009-09-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme for I Heart Faces is candid. I had a hard time choosing which picture to use for this one, but I finally decided to use this picture of Audrey as we were just leaving the beach a few summers ago. She was peeking around the van with her towel wrapped around her, and I captured the shot. This is one of my favorite pics of Audrey when she was real little.

update on my Dad

2009-09-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give an update on how my Dad is doing. He went down to Indianapolis on Monday for a second attempt at the surgery to remove his pancreatic cancer. The surgeon believes he was successful in removing all the cancer. Dad has been in the hospital down there recovering all week, and he is doing remarkably well. The doctors are actually amazed at how well he is doing. There are tests being done on his tumor, and the lymph nodes that were removed, that will tell us more about whether any cancer might remain in his body, and what the future might hold as far as prognosis. We are still awaiting the results of those tests.

Dad is in good spirits, which is such a relief for my brother and I, and we are hoping he will be released to come home in a couple of days. This last week was challenging as my family was seperated for the week. I was staying down in the Kokomo area all week with my four oldest kids, and driving back and forth to Indy every day from there with the kids. Rob and the littlest ones were up here staying with his parents, and Rob had to work a lot also. It was a rough week, but we are all back together for now, and if Dad continues to be well, we will likely not seperate again, and hopefully just bring dad home here soon.

Thank you everyone who has been praying for our family through all of this. The prayers were definitely felt this last week!!

I Heart Faces- Contemplative

2009-09-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge for I Heart Faces is Contemplative. This is a shot I took of Lillian at the local Tea Party that we attended on the Fourth of July. She was just standing all by herself, and you can just see the contemplation in her face! I also love her hands in this photo! I actually had a few pictures of Lily that I couldn't decide between..she's such a beautiful subject :-)!

Join I Heart Faces for more great contemplative pictures!

At the Well- Change and Clinging to God

2009-08-31T05:15:00.000-07:00

At the Well today the discussion is on change. Much like the author of todays post, I struggle with change that I cannot control. Oh, I like to change my hair, or my furniture. I like to change things for myself, or my family. But...I really hate when change is thrust upon me! However, many times in our Christian walk, God, not only wants change in our lives, but He often demands it. He will often allow circumstances of tremendous change in our lives to grow us, and make us more like Him. Some of the changes are scary ( a new job, a new baby, a new house or church), and some are just very sad (losing a friendship or family member, or moving far away). God doesn't ask these things of us just to make us mad, or frustrate us. He does it because He loves us. He knows that learning to deal with change and trust Him through all of it is one of the most important things for our lives.

Many Christians in other places in the world have to live with continual changes in their lives, because of their faith. They may lose their homes, their jobs, or their family members, simply because they believe something that is not too popular! I often remind myself that we may also be in that situation in America some day and I would contend it is happening in small doses already. If we can't learn to deal with changes in our lives, we may falter when it comes down to standing up for the Lord. If we can't handle change, we may miss out on a tremendous blessing in our lives, because we disobey when He calls us to do something simply because we were afraid.

When I think about change it brings to mind for me..stress! Thinking about stress leads me to think on Psalm 23... The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in paths of righteousness

For His names sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For you are with me;

Your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of mine enemies;

You annoit my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Read it carefully, it is a wonderful reminder that no matter what kind of change God brings into our lives, whether it's good change or bad, it is for a purpose! Everything that God brings into our lives is there to serve His purpose for us. So, if you are experiencing a big change, and it has you scared to death. Read over this Psalm again and remember that God is there, walking with you, and using you for a plan that will last for eternity! As I wrote this Psalm just now, it touched my heart, and reminded me that the big changes that may be surrounding my family are for God's purposes, and that I have nothing to fear in allowing them to happen. I hope this will do the same for you today!

A Little Frustrated

2009-08-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a little frustrated with my blog. For some reason it has been doing some really strange things, and I can't figure out why, or how to fix it. The sidebar is stuck on the bottom instead of on the side where it belongs. I've tried taking out a couple of things to see if they were causing the problems, but to no avail. If anyone has any thoughts on why my blog is doing this, and how I could fix it...I would love to hear about it. My homeschool blog has had no problems, so I'm not sure what is going on with this one! I would like to get back to posting more on it again, but I want to fix it first.

Any ideas would be wonderful!!

I Heart Faces kids- Nostalgia

2009-08-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

This week's theme for I <3>

Stop by I Heart Faces to see more nostalgiac pictures.

Blog Awards

2009-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

A great friend and blogger Laura was sweet enough to award me this award!~ I would love to pass this award on...so here are my picks:

1) Collette at Jesus Loves Mums

2) Megan at Daily Essentials and Deals

3) Brook at Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

Now you need to:

1) copy and poste this award on your blog

2) pass it on to as many people as you would like

3) leave the people you choose a message letting them know that you have awarded them.

Thanks again Laura :-)

In His Word Wednesday- Anxious

2009-08-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing: but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving , let your requests be made known unto God.

I'm working really hard on this today. I admit, as I think about the next few weeks, and even the next few days, I'm feeling very anxious! Pray for me that I can have peace about the circumstances, and not be too overwhelmed! I wrote another post today that gives a better idea of what I am anxious about. You can read that here.

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday.

Update on My Dad

2009-08-19T07:30:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. I wanted to give everybody who has been praying for my dad an update. For anyone who doesn't know the situation with dad read here to hear the whole story.

Last week Dad's oncologist told him that the CAT scan that he took showed some shrinking in the cancer, and no spread, so that they were going to proceed to operate again to try to take the cancer out. Well, yesterday I took dad to meet with the surgeon, who had attempted his surgery the first time. What the surgeon said was a bit different than what the oncologist said. He said that he will not attempt to do the surgery again. He said that attempting this surgery a second time, especially after weeks of radiation is extremely complicated. He wants dad to have another endoscopy, to get a better picture of the area, and then he is going to send dad's pictures down to a surgeon in Indianapolis, to see if he will attempt the surgery. He did not sound terribly convinced that it was going to be possible.

So, that is where things stand right now. If dad is going to go to Indy, it will be (hopefully) next week. The oncologist said that for this surgery to be possible, it had to be done within 6 weeks of the end of radiation, which will be next week. Obviously, the surgery being done in Indianapolis, during the time when Rob will be going back to work, and my kids need to start schooling again, is a logistical nightmare for our family. Indianapolis is 3 1/2 hours away from us.

Please pray that Dad will be able to have this surgery in Indy, and that the pieces will fall into place for me to be able to stay down there with him...at least for most of the time. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my dad already!

Please Pray tomorrow!

2009-08-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I would appreciate prayers tomorrow as I take my Dad to a doctor's appointment to find out the results of his CAT scan from Monday. This will tell him whether his cancer has spread at all, or if it has shrunk enough that they might be able to remove it this time. I will give an update when I know more!

In His Word Wednesday- Walking in The Spirit

2009-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. It was around 1:30-2:00 in the morning, before I finally got to sleep. I just had a lot of things on my mind, things of the past and the present.

I find on these nights....God always speaks to me. It's as if He is waiting for it to finally be quiet enough that I will be ready to listen. Anyhow, as I was fretting about things that I cannot change, or fretting about things that I will not be able to change if they happen, I began thinking about my reactions to things that happen in my life. The Bible says that we as Christians are to walk in the Spirit. What exactly does that mean? Well, my interperatation of that is this. Galations 5:22-24, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Walking in the Spirit is something that we are always to do, despite the circumstances. The evidence that we are walking in the Spirit lie in these nine attributes, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God reminded me last night that even when things seem bleak and difficult, I don't have an excuse to walk outside of the Spirit. I don't have the right to be mean to someone, simply because I'm frustrated with the circumstances. I don't have the right to yell at my kids, and be crabby with them, just because I am angry about something that is happening in my life. I still need to exercise joy, and patience, and kindness, gentleness and self-control. It's easy to make excuses, but if we are truly Christians, the call to walk in the Spirit does not change no matter what is going on in our lives. I tend to think too, that it is during these times that these fruits should shine the most. It is these difficulties in life, that help to build these qualities in our lives.

Now, I also recognize that God, in His pure love for us, shows us undying patience and mercy when we fail to walk in the Spirit. He is always working on us, and teaching us. He knows we won't be perfect. He knows that our sinful nature will sometimes get in our way. But....that, my dear friends, does not excuse us. We all know that when the World looks at us...they should be seeing a reflection of Christ. I would add to that also that when our children look at us, they should see a reflection of Christ. Do we walk in the Spirit when we deal with our children, even when we are tired, frustrated, or even angry? God revealed to me last night, that over the course of the last several months, I have not done a very good job of this! I have too often lost my cool, or been impatient, or allowed myself to get angry. Now, by many people's standards, I haven't done anything wrong. I've certainly never been abusive to my kids, or mean to them, or done anything to them that would traumatize them. But, I know, and God knows, that I have not walked in the Spirit with my children the way that I should.

When God was showing me this, and I was repenting...I asked Him.....how can I walk in your Spirit when somedays I just feel overwhelmed, or frustrated, or even angry at life? He showed me the answer, in His Word... Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Just give it all to me, He says. I felt a little foolish, because I've known this verse practically my whole life, but it really is that simple. When I'm feeling angry about the outcome of something...I need to give it to Him. When I'm feeling sad about something...I need to give it to Him. When I want to see justice...give it to Him. He really is big enough to handle it, and then I don't have to bear the burden. And then, when I've given it to Him, and I've thanked Him for all the many blessings He has given me....that is where the peace comes in. This is the peace that guards my heart, and keeps me walking in the Spirit. If you have peace, you are going to be loving, gentle, kind, joyous, peaceful, faithful, and self-controlled. That is why it is so much easier to walk with these fruits of the Spirit during good times in your life, because you are naturally calm and peaceful during times of blessing. But, when the storms blow, and the waves start crashing in.....we need to reach out to Him. This is the same Jesus who spoke and the storm calmed. How can we be anxious when we have Him walking next to us. It's when we don't reach out, that we sink. Much like Peter....to take our eyes off of him, even for a second, will cause us to sink!

As tired as I am today, I'm so grateful that God loved me enough to keep me awake last night so that He could remind me of this!

Join me today in asking God to heal my Dad, and our dear friend Lenore. My dad will find out on Friday what the next step will be for him. Lenore continues to have good days and bad days. She is still in the ICU, and has been there for 5 weeks. Also join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday!

"Training Up a Child" - Family Raising

2009-08-10T19:53:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share this for my Child Training Tuesday. I agree totally with what this article has to say about training our children not just to obey, but to do everything with excellence and to the Glory of God! What do you think about this? Have you observed the downfall of this idea in society today? What are some ways that you work on this with your children? Just today I was talking to my boys about doing everything to the Glory of God. It definitely takes training, because our sin nature wants to be lazy, and give up when something gets hard! But..we do our children a disservice when we allow them to quit before a job is done right. I'd love to hear your thoughts...

"Training Up a Child" - Family Raising

Posted using ShareThis

Saturday Steps of Faith- God's love

2009-08-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

Join Lisa today for more Saturday Steps of Faith!

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These are my life verses. It is always so comforting to realize that no matter what is happening, or what I do, I cannot be seperated from His love. His love has no begining and no end! That is difficult to wrap your brain around when you live in a world where love is so fleeting. I hope that this verse will bring comfort to you today as we walk this sometimes weary road!

Thank you Jesus, that nothing can take your love from me!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Laughter

2009-08-07T06:44:00.001-07:00

It's Friday again...and today was the day for loving our husbands. I spent most of my day at the Right to Life Booth at the fair, and so, again, a late post!

But I wanted to be sure to talk today about laughter. I can't tell you how many times laughter has been the medicine to help heal wounds in our home. I can't tell you how often Rob and I have laughed together, and subsequently forgotten what we were upset with each other about. I believe that God gave us laughter to comfort and heal us.... and it is so important to a marriage. We are all going to fall, we are all going to let each other down. Marriage is about committment. You stay with someone even when they are unlovable, because that is what it means to be committed. Sometimes that committment is really hard, when times are hard, and when that spouse lets you down. Our husbands are going to let us down, and we are going to let them down. But, one thing that I know of that can help to heal the hurt in our marriages is laughter! When my children come to us for advice about whom they should marry, one of the first questions Rob and I would ask them about that person (other than the obvious, are they a believer, do they have the same goals), would be if you can laugh together! If you can't laugh together, and have fun together, you will be hard pressed to make it through the hard times together!

Now, obviously, a good laugh cannot undo all the pain and hurt of your spouse hurting you or letting you down, but it's a good start. If your marriage is hurting, find something to laugh about! Think about the good times you had in the past....reminisce. What did you laugh about when times were good? Spend some time thinking about those times. It might just help you start to heal and move on! I can't tell you how many arguments that Rob and I were so serious about, were forgotten simply because something else made us laugh!

This is one thing that I love about my husband, that I can still laugh with him, even in the hard times!

I hoped you joined Shannon today for more Loving your Hubby Fridays.

In His Word Wednesday- Persecution

2009-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my post being so late today...it has been a busy day!

Matthew 5: 11-12 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In the course of the last several months, I have often thought of these verses. We have personally experienced this in our family. We were insulted, persecuted, and had many false, evil things said about us, because we chose to do what we believe is right and biblical for our children. Not to get into too many details, but we were humiliated, and we even lost a (foster) child through this whole process. It has been very painful for our whole family! It has often been dificult to rejoice in this circumstance, but I know that is what Christ tells us to do! I so often think of those believers in other places in the world, who are daily persecuted and even have their children killed because of their faith! Here in America, we have no concept of what that is really like, but Christ rejoices with these dear believers who keep plugging away, never denying Him. It's just not always easy to stand up for what we know is right, and to claim Christ, and it can sometimes mean tremendous pain and loss, but we can rejoice. I pray that I will always have the courage to stand up for the name of Christ, no matter what kind of suffering I may have to endure because of it!

Please continue to pray today for our dear friend Lenore, as she is still fighting infection. She does seem to be showing improvement, but still needs lots of prayer, as does the family, who has been riding this roller coaster of emotion for over a month now!

Pray for my dad also that he will be healed of his pancreatic cancer!

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday!

Saturday Steps of Faith- From the East to the West

2009-08-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Today I join Lisa for Saturday Steps of Faith. The idea is to focus on the promises of God in our lives.

This morning as I was working on folding my laundry and listening to some music, I was thinking about Psalm 103:11-12 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

This is a stunning picture to me of what the sacrifice of my Jesus has done for me. How the sins that I have committed, which are a stench in the nostrils of our Holy God, can be thrown so far from us, that God no longer sees them. It's a concept that our finite minds cannot even fathom. That's how great His mercy towards us is! I love the way that Casting Crowns puts this in their song.

Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west?, cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again. In the arms of your mercy I find rest, cause you know just how far the east is from the west........From one scarred hand to the other!!

There is another part that says that in the arms of your mercy I find rest...because you know just how far the east is from the west....from one scarred hand to the other.

What an awesome thought! Once we have repented of our sins, and accepted the sacrifice that Christ made for us....our sins are cast away, as far as the east is from the west! It is only through the scarred hands of Christ that we can fathom that! We can rest in his mercy, without fear that He will keep bringing up those sins, that is the Satan's job. It is Satan that wants to continue reminding us of our sins. He is the deceiver. He doesn't want us to remember that God has thrown our sins away! I don't know about you, but I don't want Satan to have his way. I want to rest in the knowledge today that my sins have been thrown as far as the east is from the west!

If you are reading this and you don't know how to have your sins thrown away. If you aren't sure how to obtain this mercy and peace.....I would love to share more with you about our savior and what He has done for me.....and what He will do for you dear one! My email is rebabler@comcast.net, if you want to discuss it privately!

Rest in His promise today!

Family Vision

2009-08-01T07:39:00.001-07:00

On Monday for At the Well....there was discussion about Family Visions. Although at the time I didn't have time to put down what our family visions are.. I wanted to come back and take the time to do that. If you missed the original post, it was here. Here is a statement page that we have developed that contains the vision for our family.

Family Mission

To Serve Him

Bible

Prayer

Loving each other (kind, edifying, treating each other as most importatntly)

Loving others (volunteering, ministering, evangelizing)

Educated (knowledgable and critical)

Exhibiting Christian conduct In life

Study and meditate on the Word of God daily, both individually, and corporately.

Educate our children in the ways of God and in

The Mission of the Babler family is as follows:

1) Authority:

Love God with all our heart

Prayer and Bible study

Live within the Biblical structure of the family

2) Relationships:

Love one another

Serve one another

Encourage one another

Serve others

3) Possessions:

Thankful

Content

Generous

Responsible

4) Work:

Diligent

Take initiative

Cooperative

Take responsibility

5) Attitudes

Humble – thinking of others before ourselves (actions – even what we wear,

Joyful

Peaceable

Patient

Gracious

6) Choices

Do right

Ask before acting

Exercise self-control

Tell the truth

Again, I highly recommend sitting down together and thinking about what your goals and "visions" are for your family. This will help you when you have even minor decisions to make about your family. Does it fit into your plan for your family, or will it detract? Will it help to facilitate your vision, or bring you farther away from it. I've always liked the saying..."if you aim at nothing, your bound to hit it." In these days, we need to be clear about what we seek to accomplish for God with our families. We cannot afford to aim at nothing! I hope this will somehow help someone pin down what their family vision is.

Loving Your Husband Friday- Selflessness

2009-07-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's Friday...and that means time to focus on our marriage, and things that we love about our husbands.

This last week, Rob decided that we should go on a trip to Michigan's Adventure ( an amusement/water park) in Muskegon. It is something that I had requested to do. Since we can't go on a regular vacation this year, I was hoping for just one day of fun. So we went and took the five oldest kids. One reason I wanted to go to the amusement park was because the last two or three trips that we have made to an amusement park...I have been pregnant. It is no fun to go to an amusement park when you are pregnant. It's hot, you are miserable, and you can't ride anything! But, I've gone and watched Rob and the kids have fun (which I do enjoy). So, Rob informed me on the way to Muskegon, as we were kind of planning out who would ride what when, that this trip was for me, and he wanted me to be able to fit in all of my rides, even if it meant he didn't get to ride anything. Now, this is a big deal, because Rob is a bigtime rolller coaster enthusiast. He stuck to it the whole time we were there. He did get a chance to ride his favorite coaster, but for the most part, he stuck with Elias, while I rode rides with the other kids. Once again....thinking of me above himself! I so greatly appreciated that, knowing that likely the next time we get to an amusement park...I may very well be pregnant again!

Be sure to link up with Shannon, for more Loving Your Husbands Fridays.

At the Well- Family Vision

2009-07-27T04:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning all. Today the ladies At the Well are discussing having a Family Vision. I'm not going to have time today to share with you all, our family visions because we are leaving for a fun family trip this morning. However, I plan to share what we have written down for our family visions in a later post! I also want you all to think about the importance of having a vision and goals for your family! Please click on the At the Well link above, and check out what they have to say about it this morning, because they have already taken the words out of my mouth about it. It is so important!

Although I don't have our general family vision handy to include right now, here is an example from my homeschool blog of our family homeschool mission page. This is just an idea of what it means for our family to set goals based on scripture. Click here to see this. I hope you all have a blessed day, and begin to think about how you can put to paper what you want to see happen in your family today! Now....off for a day of family fun!!

Saturday Steps of Faith- The Big Picture

2009-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday, a day where with Lisa I choose to ponder what promises of God I am being blessed with! This morning I was looking through one of my mothers bibles (she had three of them that I took after she died). I found a bookmark in the Bible, and I was very blessed by what it had to say. I wanted to share it today.

My life is but a weaving, Between my God and me.

I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,

Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not 'til the loom is silent, And shuttles cease to fly.

Will God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful In the skillful weaver's hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned!

`G.C Tullar

I'm praising God today, that although I don't always understand that which he brings into my life, and the lives of others that I love....I will someday! When I meet my savior face to face, I will have a full understanding of it all, and will see how God's plans and purposes in our lives were perfect and without fault! What a wonderful day that will be, to see the big picture the way our Lord does. He is faithful, His timing is perfect, and He is the skillful weaver, who brings all things about for his glory and our good! Praise the Lord!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Putting Me Above Himself!

2009-07-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday...which means focusing on our hubbys and what we love about them. I'm thanking the Lord today for a husband who stayed home with all seven of my kids for two whole days, while I went with my Dad to Dayton. The trip meant a lot to me, and he didn't even flinch about allowing me to go. He took good care of the kids while I was gone, and that even including getting them to church on time Sunday morning (even though the power went out). I knew it was going to be rough on him, but he was thinking more about me, and not about himself! I praise the Lord for a husband who is not only capable of taking care of our children when I need to be gone, but for a husband who cares enough about me to allow me to be gone when it is needed! He's a caring husband, and a great daddy! All 7 of them were alive and even dressed when I got home :-)!!

Join Shannon at The Peer Review for more focus on our husbands today!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I like to go back to the oldies for the Thousand Word Thursdays, because between here and Facebook, I usually share my newer pictures with everyone. The other day as I was looking for a different picture...I came across this picture...I had almost forgotten how little our Lily was.
This was our Lillian when she was born...five weeks early. She was 5 pounds and 1 ounce. The one on the left is Audrey's baby doll!
She looked so much like a doll when she was a baby. My mom used to call her my "little dolly"
Here she is today.....a bigger little girl. She will be two in early October...hard to imagine. She's still rather small and petite! But, there's nothing small or petite about her personality!!

Join Cheaper Than Therapy for more Thousand Words Thursday

Thinking Healthy Thursdays- How much?

2009-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all. If any of you follow my homeschool blog, you know that I am attempting to lose weight, and get healthy. So, I like to follow up my Weight Loss Wednesday over there, with Thinking Healthy Thursdays here. I think being healthy is important. We as Christians know that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and from a purely logical perspective, if we are taking good care of ourselves, we can accomplish much more for the Kingdom. So, I'm attempting to pass along anything that I learn on my journey to help my entire family become healthy. These might sometimes be tips on general health and weight loss or fitness, but I may also pass along anything that I find that has anything to do with our health! I would also love for anyone to pass anything they have learned along to me! So, please feel free to share anything having to do with health for adults or children!

This week I've been working on a new game plan for my family in eating and drinking. I discussed the first week how we should be drinking lots of water. Well, I realized that hubby and my kids are not drinking as much water as they should be. So, in my quest to keep everyone eating right, and drinking the water that they should, I did some research on daily calorie needs, and daily water needs for my children. What I found out from my family doctor was that a 9-13 year old needs about 1800 calories a day (this can rise depending on activity level). A child between 4-8 around 1200 calories, and the littlest ones 1-3 need only 1000 calories a day. This gives me a good starting point for them of how to help my young ones who tend to want to eat things just because they taste good even though they are not hungry...learn to balance their eating. So, ideally we should be eating only healthy foods that would be lower in calories anyhow. But for the times we don't...we can look at serving sizes, and keep our eating reigned in to how many calories we actually need. For my older ones, they can earn more calories with more activities! This is kind of how my doctor does things with his kids.

Now, for water, I just looked on the internet. I discovered that the general rule of thumb is 1 quart of water per 50 pounds. Again, this is baseline, and more might be required for greater activity level. So, for my family that translates into between 3-4 quarts a day for hubby and I ( a tad more for him), which I fill up my 4 quart container and try to finish it every day. For my 11 year old, 2 quarts a day. For my 9 year old, 1 1/2 quarts a day. My 8 year old, 1 quart a day. My 5 year old, also about 1 quart (he's small for his age...she's big for her age!). My 3 year old needs about 1/2 quart a day and I don't worry much about the baby, she drinks 32 ounces a day with her bottles! Again, more is requred for more activity, especially on hot days, but this should be the minimum amount every day for each of them. So, my plan for them is to go out and get them each a container that will hold the right amount of water for them, and they can each make sure that they are getting the right amount every day when that container is empty!

So, that is my new health knowledge for the week, I hope it was helpful to someone out there. I will also give a plug for www.sparkpeople.com. If you are thinking about trying to lose weight, or just stay healthy and fit, I just joined this yesterday, and so far, I am pretty impressed with it. There are different groups you can join for encouragement, and it helps you set goals, and keep track of stuff. Pretty neat.

Happy Health!

Thankful Thursday

2009-07-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to join Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday today. The key is to write 5 things that you are thankful for.

1. I'm thankful for the forgiveness that God so graciously gives me on a daily basis.

2. I'm thankful for the delicious veggies that our pastor's wife passed on to me from their garden, and the fellowship of believers.

3. I'm thankful for the fact that my dear friend who has been fighting for life in the last few weeks, appears to be showing some improvements.

4. I'm thankful for God's Word, that gives comfort when needed!

5. I'm thankful for my 7 children, and how much they enjoy life and each other.

These are just five things that I have been thankful for in the past week. Head over to Truth 4 the Journey, to see more things to be thankful for!

In His Word Wednesday- Where is your House?

2009-07-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

This may seem a little odd, but this morning I am reminded of a children's song:

The wise man built his house upon the rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock.

The wise man built his house upon the rock...

and the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up...

and the house on the rock stood firm!

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

The foolish man built his house upon the sand....

and the rains came tumbling down...

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up..

The rains came down and the floods came up...

and the house on the sand went....SPLAT!

So build your life on the Lord, Jesus Christ,

and the blessings will come down!

This song was created based on a parable that Jesus told about the house on the rock, and the house on the sand. This last year and a half...the rain has been coming down for me and my family! The last couple of weeks, the rain has been coming down for one family very close to me! For the last few days the rains have been coming down for another family, who lost a son and a brother! I have learned in my life, how important it is to have my life built on the rock...which is Jesus Christ. Though the rains come down, and the winds blow hard...I can keep my faith and trust in Him. I can even have joy, despite the many difficult circumstances that God has led us through! These other families that have had much rain in their lives in the past couple of weeks are also keeping the faith...because they have this same foundation...the Rock, which is Jesus Christ!

Does this mean that we do not grieve? Or that we do not have days where we are down, and sad? No....we all have our days. Sometimes life seems overwhelming, when there are so many crises, and so many losses. But, there is always a peace, a peace that we cannot understand, but it is there, holding us up. This is the peace of our savior. There is the point in which we cannot go on alone, and God lifts us up in his arms and carries us to where we need to be.

If there is anyone reading this who doubts that they have their house built upon the rock, which is Jesus Christ, then I would love to talk to you about how you can have this foundation. If you fear that your house is built on the sand, because perhaps it is has already gone splat, and you have already lost your way in your trials, and you don't know where to find this peace..then it's time to think about how you can find that peace, in the savior, who died for your sins!

Please pray today for the Maines family, who on Sunday lost their 21 year old son in a horrible accident.

Please pray for the Peer family as their wife, mother, mother-in-law, is barely hanging on to life today in the hospital, and will have a very long road, if God chooses to allow her a recovery.

Please pray for my dad, as he has finished his cancer treatments, and will be having some scans and finding out whether these weeks of treatments have done what they were intended to do.

Please pray for my family, as we come to grips with all of the grief around us. We have grown weary of loss, but we continue to cling to the cross and it's promises for our lives, and rejoice in the name of the Lord!

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday.

Child Training Tuesdays- Walking the Walk

2009-07-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for a few days about what aspect of child training did I want to discuss today. I just couldn't make a decision. Then it hit me this morning as I was traveling to the tennis courts for my children's lessons. We can talk to our kids, discipline our kids, pray for our kids, preach to our kids, take them to church, read them good books....etc. There are so many things that we can do to train our children in the way they should go. But, what happens if we ourselves are not modeling the attributes that we want to see in our children? This is so very important. We all have faults and things that we struggle with in our lives. We all have areas that we want to see our children do better in because we know how that negative aspect complicates our own lives. However, if you are always telling your children to do something better, or if they know that the Bible says something, but they know that their parents aren't doing it...then we become hypocrites.

Now, I personally believe that because we all struggle in some areas, that we cannot avoid sometimes being a hypocrite with our children. It doesn't make sense to sit back and watch your child make mistakes, and not do anything about it simply because you don't have complete control over that in your life either. What I believe is of utmost importance in this area is to be real and upfront with your children, first off, and then be working. I think if our children know that we struggle with something in our own lives, but that we are working on making it better, then they will not see us as hypocrites, but will understand that sin needs to be recognized, repented of, and then worked on.

This aspect of training applies to every area of our lives. Do we expect our children to read their bible every day, but we are not doing it. Do we expect them to eat healthy, but we sneak around eating junk food all the time? Do we tell them to control their temper with one another, but then they see mommy and daddy having a blowout with each other, or perhaps with someone else. Or, do we blow up at them when they push us to that limit? These are all areas that we can become hypocrites, if, we do not recognize them in our own lives, repent, be upfront about it with them, and then show them what we are doing to work on these areas in our own lives.

I would love to hear thoughts from other parents on this aspect of training. What are some other ways you can think of that we should be mindful that we are not being hypocrites with our children?

It seems to me that Jesus was most upset with those that were hypocrites. And that Bible is also clear that we are not to provoke our children to wrath. So, with those things in mind...how can we do our best in making sure that our children are learning from us how to better love and serve him, and not to turn away from him because they have not learned how to truly walk the walk? Please share your thoughts with me on this matter, so that we can all encourage one another in this area.

I Heart Faces Kids- Feet Week

2009-07-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces, it's feet week. This picture I call Little Feet on the Go. This is my little Elias. I have always loved this picture and how his little feet are taking him to big places. Although the picture doesn't focus completely on his feet, I am always drawn to his little feet when I look at the picture. His little feet are getting bigger now....it's so sad!

Be sure to click on the I Heart Faces above for more feet!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Stand By Me

2009-07-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

I love my husband today because he loves me enough to want to help me make things right. When I do or say something that causes hurt or offense, even if I did not intend it that way, he gently helps me to see how I could have done better. He does not get angry with me, even if I have done something that reflected badly on him. He is willing to listen and understand that my intentions were good, and he looks at my intentioins, not on the negative action. He gives me the benefit of the doubt, because he knows me, and wants me to be the best person I can be. He's a great husband for this. I've been very thankful for him this week, in being so understanding, when I have had one of those kind of weeks where it seemed even my best intentions ended up coming out the wrong way!

And even better, in the past when I have said or done something, and my intentions were not good, he is always willing to forgive, because he understands that we all fall short, and we all will do things to let each other down. I only hope that I do as good a job at this as he does!

Hopefully next week will be better, and he can only be proud to say that I am his wife, the same way that I am proud that he is my husband!

Please Join Shannon for more Loving Your Husband today, and pray for the marriages of others!

Friend Makin' Monday- Favorite Things

2009-07-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

The topic for this weeks Friend Makin Monday is favorite things. Now, I'm already starting out on a bad footing here, because I see so many others have included neat pictures to go with their list of their favorite things. As much as I would love to find pictures to go with all of my favorite things, I could likely get another load of laundry done, and vaccuum the living room and feed the baby in the time it would take me to do all of that. So, I'll try to be descriptive, so that you can close your eyes and envision what I am talking about. So, here are my 5 to 10 favorite things.

Sandals....yes you heard me right. I think sandals are one of the best things ever invented. If you know me, you know that I would go barefoot all the time if possible. Who wants to be bothered with socks and tying shoes and all of that? My feet are rebellious, and long to be free. Now, since it isn't practical to go barefoot all the time, everywhere, then sandals are the wonderful compromise. I also wish that my children could wear sandals all year long. How, how much easier life would be. I look forward to summer for the simple fact of sandals weather. Ok, everyone, throw on your sandals/crocs, and let's go! Sooo easy! Give me a good pair of Birkenstock sandals, and weather warm enough to wear them and I am happy!
Blueberries....ahh...one of God's greatest creations. I'm thinking alot about blueberries as I am thinking next week, we are going to head up to our blueberrie place (the one we go to every year), and get about 30 pounds of blueberries. MMM....just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Delicious and nutritious, you can't beat that can you. Not to mention all the berries that I will freeze, that will supply us with blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberry smoothies, and blueberry pie for the whole winter. I personally never tire of blueberries, and my kids love them too!
My MP3 player! I go crazy when my player loses it's charge. I like to listen to my own music while I am doing my chores. I've been a music junkie my whole life, and I think and MP3 player is one of the best inventions. Gone are the days when I had to fast forward through songs I don't like. Now, I can just put the songs I like on there, and I'm good to go. Love it!
Little House on the Prairie. Ok, this sounds silly, but I love Little House on the Prairie. I love the books, I love the show (except the last season or two kind of went downhill). I can sit down and watch episodes with my kids, and it is entertaining, but there is always something to teach them something valuable about History, or character.
Chocolate...ok, I can't talk about things that are my favorite without mentioning chocolate.
Lake Michigan. I love Lake Michigan. I have lived within an hour of the Lake my whole life, and I would rather go to Lake Michigan than the ocean any time. With Lake Michigan, it's so big, that you get the benefits, and feel of the ocean without all the irritating things about the ocean (salt water, sharks, jelly fish, crabs). Now, granted it might not always be as warm as the ocean, but the trade off works for me. There are also so many wonderful small towns on the coasts of Lake Michigan, that you could spend days just going up and down the coast, and have a whole vacation right there.
The Bumbo seat. I got one of these from a friend when my Lily was just learning to sit up, and I have loved it. I use it to feed the babies there baby food, when it is too cumbersome to use a high chair for them yet. It also helps them learn to sit up on their own, and balance. I am now using it with Donna, and it works so well for me to sit in my recliner, feed her some bottle, and then sit her little seat on the foot stool of my recliner, and then feed her some food, then back to the bottle. Those were a great invention.

So, these are 7 of my favorite things. I look forward to hearing more from others. Sorry, no pictures! Have a great day, and head over to Dandelion Wishes today for more Friend Making Monday.

At The Well- Living in the Spirit

2009-07-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

How can you react when someone tries to undermine you as a parent or encourages something with your children that you do not agree with? Do you get mad or angry like a momma bear? (I used to.) How can you better react and still stay in the Spirit?

What ways can we rebuke un-Godliness and still be loving? Maybe it is a display of an un-Godly relationship or public drinking or something else that you have taught your children displeases the Lord?

How do you react when your small child asks a family member who is doing something wrong why they do that? Do you hush the child or make excuses? Is your reaction understandable to the child and in the Spirit?

These are the good questions being posed by Penny At the Well today. Head over there to see her entire post.

I've been pondering these questions this morning, as I've been doing my laundry and other chores.

To understand how to respond to anything in the Spirit, we need to think about what the Bible says about such matters. We need to think about what the Bible says in regards to the words that we would use with others, and how we should use them. Psalms 19 :14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Proverbs 15:1 tells us that "A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Verse 4 then tells us that " A soothing tongue is a tree of life...", and Ephesians 4:29-32 is very clear..."Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice. Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you."

I think these verses make it pretty clear as to how we should address the actions of others that we might encounter, and how we can teach our children to respond to others as well.

One thing that I think we all need to remember also is that our children need to first be very grounded in the word of God, and understand what is sin, and what is not. Then, I feel, that we need to help our children see that the unbeliever cannot be held to the same standards as the believer. We teach our children that there is a different standard. An unbeliever does not need us to point out sin in their lives, without also pointing out that everyone sins, and that there is a Savior who died to save them from their sins. If our children understand that compassion for the lost, and a genuine desire to see them come to true repentance, should supercede our desire to change their behavior, they will have a better picture of what Christ came to do for all of us. It is our job as Christian parents, not just to teach our children what is right and what is wrong in God's eyes, but also to teach them that mixed with this abhorrance for what is wrong, there needs to be a compassion for the lost, and the weaker brothers and sisters in Christ. If I, as a mother, approach someone about what I perceive as sin, with anger, and malice, then I have just slapped the gospel in the face. Christ came to seek and to save the lost. He loved, he served, and he made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. We know that Christ was not silent when it came to pointing out sins. We need to carefully remember in front of our children, what sins he was most vocal about. It was the sin of hypocrisy. The sins of the pharisees, who took it upon themselves to point out how others were sinners, and they were perfect, because they kept the law. This is what we need to be careful of.

Our words to others, should always be gentle, kind, seasoned with salt, well chosen, and used, only when absolutely needed. The words we choose when responding to someone who has wronged us or our children, should always be equal to the words of our savior, filled with compassion and concern for their hearts, not just their actions. I think this is one of the most important lessons that we can teach our kids. If they are grounded in the word, they will know sin when they see it, but how will we model their responses to it? If they have parents that can only accuse, and never show kindness, love or compassion, then we are teaching them to be like the pharisees.

Our children,in their innocence, will always have questions for someone who they see doing wrong. I think it's ok to allow them to ask the tough questions, if they can do it in a fashion that does not insult or tear down. A very young child, will often sound offensive, because they do not yet understand how to use words of compassion, but I think others also understand, and the woords of that little one with high standards might just make them think about their actions. Children can be taught by example how to mix their "rebuke" with compassion and kindness, and when is an appropriate time to use them. Behind the scenes it is most important that we are continually having dialogue with our children, not about what pleases us, or makes us mad, but what pleases our savior, and what doesn't. We can be very vocal about what we see in the world that is wrong, and sinful, and still be vocal in our compassion for the people themselves, and our desire to show mercy and love to them. We should teach our children to hate sin, but also to love the sinner.

I have many other thoughts on this matter, but not enough to time right now to get them all verbalised. If anyone has any further thoughts on the matter, I would love to hear them. God's blessings to all the parents out there who, like myself, are plugging away, and trying to teach our children what God desires in all our lives.

I Heart Faces Pets Edition

2009-07-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

These are our outside pets for the summer. These baby birds were born a few weeks ago in our pear tree. They were just waiting for mama to come feed them!

Head over to I Heart Faces for more pet pictures.

I Heart Faces Kids- Sports in Action

2009-07-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

This week's theme is sports in action. I love this picture of my three oldest boys playing football. The little brother's are so obviously enjoying "taking down" their older brother. They are taking it very seriously. Owen is so obviously not enjoying it! There is a lot of emotion in this picture!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more sports in action pics.

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-07-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

My little patriot!

Go to Cheaper Than Therapy for more Thousand Words Thursday!

Thinking Healthy Thursdays- Foods to eat before you Workout!

2009-07-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

Since I am still sick today I am going to just pass along this article that I received about what kinds of foods to eat before a workout, I found it pretty informative, as I'm attempting to lose weight, and work out! Enjoy, and let me know if you have any further thoughts:

There are lots of opinions about how to eat before a workout. Some say eating a pre-exercise meal gives them the energy they need to keep up the pace or go the distance. Others say food sits like a gut bomb and gives them cramps. We all grew up with Mom's rule about no swimming for an hour after lunch. Who's got the right answer? Mom comes closest.

Anything you eat right before you workout is unlikely to digest enough to provide the fuel your muscles need immediately to perform well. Instead, your body uses stored energy. The major source of fuel for active muscles is glycogen, broken down from carbohydrates and stored in muscles hours and days before exercise. That's why many athletes do carbo-loads the night before big events; so they have time to digest and store fuel.

Working out on a completely empty stomach isn't your best bet either as low blood sugar can cause rapid fatigue. Many athletes snack before they lace up their shoes. But what's best to eat?

The American College of Sports Medicine says, "Research suggests meals with a low or moderate glycemic index provide sustained energy to significantly boost exercise capacity, increase endurance, and extend the time before you need to refuel."

What's a glycemic index? It's a nutritional tool that suggests how fast the glucose in common foods respond to insulin, is digested and absorbed into the blood. Many food factors work together to affect this rate including the amount of fiber and sugar in the food and even cooking method. Typically, foods with a low glycemic index have high fiber content (like apples and bran cereal) and only elevate blood sugar moderately. Foods with a moderate gycemic index include oatmeal and bananas. Donuts have a high glycemic value. They break down into glucose that enters the blood stream and elevates blood glucose levels quickly. They also cause a large release of insulin that subsequently slams blood sugar to the ground. That's no way to start a workout.

Your best nutrition plan is to maintain a consistent, balanced healthy diet. If you know you'll be doing a big weekend run or all-day soccer tournament; load up on healthy carbohydrates like whole grain pasta, along with lean protein and healthy fats for a few days before your event. An hour or two before you exercise, have a small meal or snack that includes whole grain bread, cereal, fruit or yogurt. Include a little protein for a longer lasting fuel supply. Toast and peanut butter are good choices. When you finish your workout, a healthy meal provides the fuel your body needs for cell recovery.

Updated: June 17, 2009

In His Word Wednesday- How are We spending our Time?

2009-07-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I apologize again, for another late post, but I am still recovering, and trying to do many things. I've taken up all my sick days :-)! Anyhow, I was reading in one of my mom's old bibles today, which I am very blessed to have in my possession since her death. My mom has so many notes, and writing in her bibles, that they are all falling apart. As it should be...I could only aspire to be the fervent studier of the word that my mom was. Anyhow something stuck out to me that she had underlined, and it goes along with something that I was already pondering before I read it.

James 4:14...For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. My mom had a full understanding of this verse, as both of her parents passed away at very young ages. I too, now understand this verse in ways that I could not before. Our lives are a vapor...and what are we doing with them? In this vapor of life that we have, how are we using our time? How are we using our money? And dear ladies in blogland, and otherwise......how are we using our words? Are we looking to serve, to minister, to bless, to encourage, to build up, to plant seeds, to promote the savior and his good works? Or, are we wasting this short time on this Earth with quarrels, and cutting words. Are we wasting our time with celebrities, and entertainment? Are we wasting our money on things that we will not be taking with us when we meet our glorious heavenly Father? These are questions that I have to stop and ask myself everyday. There is a song that I really love, by a group called the Marshalls. Part of it goes like this....Is there anything I would not do for you Lord, for the one, who came to die for me. Leaving my desires for you Lord, open my eyes that I might see. Father, take my heart, cleanse it in every part. Incline me to, always loving you, Longing to do your hearts desire......I wonder have I done enough for you Lord, when you have done so much for me.

We can never do enough for Jesus. Even though we don't have to do anything, but trust in Him for our salvation, we should never stop wanting to please Him, and let me assure you, we may not have as much time to do so, as we would like! I would like to spend all my time working for the Lord, and I know there are days when I won't, but perhaps our prayer for every morning should be.....tell me what I can do for you today Lord, so that I won't waste my time on the things that are not of you!

Don't forget to join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday!

Child Training Tuesdays- Picking your Battles

2009-07-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon all! Forgive me for being so late with this post. I've been sick and miserable the last couple of days. As we speak I am sweating out a fever, and hoping that this massive headache of mine will go with it! But, I always enjoy these posts on Tuesday, so here I am.

The last couple of weeks we have been attending a small group bible study on parenting your young children. The study is a video series from Les and Leslie Parrot. There is a book that goes along with it, and the fellowship and trading of ideas has been wonderful. I do not neccessarily agree with everything that the Parrots say, but the overall messages are good.

We have discussed many things during this study, and one of the things that has stuck out to me has been talking about how we can keep a good relationship between us and our children. Last week we talked about discipline, and how to pick our battles. This is always a tough one for me. I often feel like I need to learn when to pick certain battles. We shared with our group how our 3 year old is soo very picky, and when he doesn't get something exactly the way he thinks it should be, he throws a major fit. I'm talking a MAJOR fit. He's very dramatic in his fit throwing. This is something I struggle with, because even though he is my 5th child, I have never really had a child who acts this way. If you give him a blue cup, he wants the red. If you give him a whole sandwich, he wants it cut in half. If you give him a little bit of milk, he needs more. And on and on.... I don't want him to be spoiled, and get what he wants all the time, but dealing with his tantrums gets very tiring. Someone suggested to us, that it would help if we always tell him ahead of time that this is exactly what he is getting, or how much he is getting, and then only if he then throws a fit, is it worth being disciplined, because then he is disobeying. This made some sense to me. So, in other words, make sure everything is spelled out for him ahead of time, and it might help him feel more prepared for things, and less out of control.

So, here is where you all come in. Tell me what your thoughts are on this matter. Do you have a child who acts like this? If so, how do you deal with it? How do you as a parent learn to pick your battles, not just with the little ones, but with your big ones too? I have always felt that you have to learn the difference between childishness and genuine disobedience, but that is sometimes harder then it sounds. Tell me what you think. How do you go about choosing which battles to fight, and dealing with a child who seems to want to fight battles all the time? I'm dying to hear from all of you out there.

At the Well- Selfishness and Self Pity

2009-07-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

Ah...selfishness and self-pity, those are topics that I know a lot about. That is what is being discussed At The Well today. In thinking about this topic, I am thinking back to what I wrote about last night, and how God is longing to forgive us for even the grievous of sins (like murder and adultery). If you have missed that post check it out here! I am glad for that, because the sin of selfishness and self pity can often abound in me with my husband and children. How about you? It's easy to say that we love our husbands and our children...of course we do right? But, are we acting out that live, with selflessness, and servitude, or do we gripe, complain, feel irritated, frustrated, and feel sorry for ourselves, because we work so hard, and noone appreciates us? Sigh...I don't know about you, but this is often me.

How often do I feel sorry for myself, because I have to work so hard for them, and I feel like they don't do enough for me? Far too often. I know it's not right, but I find myself going there anyhow. Now, I have a great husband. If nothing else, he stays with me :-). That is saying a lot, in this day and age, when it seems so easy for even Christian men to be found straying from their wives. He is very good with the kids, and has a great heart for the Lord, and yet I still manage to find myself not feeling like doing stuff for him. Shame on me. We wives were made for our husbands, to be their helpers, not the other way around. The only thing that ruins this is when we wives start thinking about our rights and our needs. We can gripe to God all we want, but the bottom line is that he created us to help, and submit to our husbands. This means that if we want to show the proper kind of love to them, then we will help them in everything, and we will submit to their final decisions on things. This is how we can genuinely show love to our husbands. I personally find myself not wanting to help my husband because I've got things that I want to do instead, or not allowing him to have the final say in what I do, because I don't agree with what he said. I am not loving my husband if I do this, no matter how many times I say I do. Love is an action, it is not always a feeling. If we truly love them, we will support them. This means respecting and acting out on what they want us to do. That means keeping their house clean, or having healthy meals on the table, or keeping the children in line, or finding ways to supplement the income, if that is needed. It means finding ways to help him in his daily work, and his spiritual work, so that He has the time to fit in everything that he needs to do. Why? Does he deserve this? It really doesn't matter, it is what we wives are called to do by God.

Now, what about our children...surely we always love our children don't we? Well, I will always tell you that I do, but I would also tell you that my actions do not always show it. Do I show patience and kindness with them? Am I slow to anger, and quick to praise? Do I take the time to listen, or am I always busy when they have something to tell me? Sadly, I often fail in these areas. And here's another thought that really condemns me....am I loving them by loving their daddy in the ways that I should. This is so important, because if we show love to our children, and yet fail to show proper love and respect to our husbands, we are sadly still failing them.

It is so easy to get caught up in ourselves. We mothers have a tendency to tout our own selflessness and self-sacrifice, but if someone were to ask our husband and our children if they know they always know that they are loved by us, by the things that we do for them...what are they going to say? I would be afraid to know!! I fear that I would be ashamed of their answers. I spend far too much time thinking about my own wants and needs, instead of selflessly serving. Yes, I've made sacrifices for my husband and my children, but were they truly selfless? Or has there been a little part of me that just wants to play the martyr and get my pat on the back? Ouch...this self reflection is very painful! I pray that all of you wives and mothers would do what I have done today, and examine yourselves and your actions of love to your family. Do you truly act out of selfless love and sacrifice, or does there always have to be something in it for you? Do you children know you love them because of your actions, or do they doubt your empty words? Do you spend your days fulfilling yourself, or pleasing the Savior in your actions by serving your family? I know that I am in need of repentence and a turning away in my life in this area. How about you? If you feel that you are always struggling with this in your life, leave me a comment or send me an email at rebabler@comcast.net, and I would love to pray for you, because I know how important it is to be right with God in this area, and yet how easy it is to stumble! God's blessings to all of the wives and mamas out there.

Be sure to read more over at the Well. Click on At the Well, up above!

Sunday Meditations- On murder, adultery, sin, and forgiveness!!

2009-07-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today our pastor was giving his sermon. He has been speaking about breaking up with the world. This has been his topic for the last few weeks. It has been very thought provoking, and insightful. Well, I missed some of his sermon today, due to a sweet, yet cranky Donna Jane in the nursery, whom only mommy could rock to sleep again. But, there was something he said before I was paged to go comfort my baby, that I have been pondering all day, and I wanted to take the time to share it with all of you.

He was talking about hatred, and the Bible's view of it. He talked about Cain and Able, and how Cain had hatred in his heart for his brother Able, which led him to kill his brother. So, he became the first murderer. Now, this brings us to 1 John 2:9-11 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Ok, so what does all that mean? Well, first you have to understand what it means when it talks about the Light and the darkness. To be in the Light is a reference to walking in the Holy Spirit, or with Jesus. Jesus is the Light (which is why it is capitolized), and this would refer also to being born again, or fully trusting Jesus to save you. Now, darkness is a reference to being without Christ, and being totally in sin. So, what these verses are saying is that if you hate your brother you are in darkness, and if you love your brother you are in the Light. I have known those verses for many years, and have always struggled with them to some extent. Christ tells us that in the eyes of God, hate and murder are one in the same. 1John 3:15 reminds us of this when it says that, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him." So, it is clear that to harbor any kind of hate in your mind whatsoever, makes you a murderer! It is also clear that no murderer can be walking in the Light or have eternal life? Wow, that pretty much condemns everyone doesn't it? Is there any person who has never had a hateful thought about another human being before? I know I'm guilty!

This is where it gets good....keep reading. This is where forgiveness comes in! If you have trusted in Christ as your savior, and you have the Spirit within you, then you are forgiven. Now, the confusion comes with the verses and their insistence that you cannot have eternal life if you have comitted this murdering offence of having hatred in your heart. But, here is something that I was reminded of today, that gave me a good reminder of God's forgiveness, and how it envelopes our sins. Think of David. NOw, if you are not all that familiar with David and his life, then here is a brief synopsis of the story that I will reference. The most familiar story of David is when he slayed Goliath with his sling, but what happened after that in his life, is a roller coaster of sin and grace and forgiveness. David became king of Israel, and was loved by his people. He developed a rather big head, let's say. Well, one day he was on the roof, and he saw a beautiful woman, who was also on the roof (his roof would have been taller then hers), and he began watching her. Now, of course, we know that he was lusting after her...the Bible is clear that she was very beautiful. So, not only did he lust after her, but he decided that he wanted her for his very own!! Now, Bathsheba was her name, and she was already taken, as was David. But, hey, I'm the king...I'll get what I want....right? So, David did something shocking (shocking because up until this point, it was clear that he was a man of God, a man who loved God). David, sent Bathsheba's husband Uriah off to war...and made it clear that he wanted him to not come back!! Stunning! He then took Bathsheba as his own wife! Wow, talk about murder and hatred (not to mention lust and greed, and adultery, all of which are clearly sins!!). So, Uriah is now dead, and Bathsheba belongs to David. But, David had a trusted advisor, a prophet of the Lord, who came to him, and reminded him that what he had done was very wrong in the eyes of the Lord!! David's eyes were opened to his sin, and he deeply repented of this sin. The consequence of this sin was the loss of a son that they had just had together. This was devastating to David, but he recognized that he needed to be punished, and he called out to God in repentance. And then David picked up and moved on with his life, trying to walk in the right way! Now, David would make some other mistakes, but every time, he cried out in repentence. God tells us in his word years after David's death, that David was a man after God's own Heart.

Think of it....an adulterer was a man after God's own heart. Adultery is something else that God is clear about in His word, that if you even lust after a woman in your heart, you are walking in darkness as an adulterer. David did not just stop at lusting, he became a full fledged adulterer. So, how did he end up becoming a man after God's own heart......repentance. Acknowledging his sin, accepting his consequences, the destruction of his son, and family. But, moving on from it, in repentance, and vowing to do what is right!

This adultery also caused him to become a murderer (a slippery slope is sin indeed), and yet still...he's a man after God's own heart! How?? Again, repentance, and a turning from his sin!!!

Do you realize what this means for us?? This means dear ones, that we can be adulterers, or murderers, or liars, or drunkards, or any other sin that keeps us in darkness, but we can still leave this world as a man or woman after God's own heart!!! Wow! What a thought! All we need to do, is repent from these sins, and to turn from them, and God is eager (yes, eager) to forgive!! If you have been an adulterer, or even lusted after someone in your heart, God wants to forgive! If you have been a murderer, or even had a hateful thought about someone, God wants to forgive! If you have any sin, none is too great, He wants to forgive!! And you know what else...after He forgives, He wants to bless you!! Can you imagine, after all that David did against God, that God would still bless him...but he did. After his repentence, Bathsheba became pregnant once again. This time with another bouncing baby boy....you may be familiar with him, his name was Solomon. Solomon, would later become the King, and be known is History as the wisest man that lived, and he was also the builder of the temple! God was not only eager to bless, but also to forgive!!

Praise God for his mercy, for his wanting to forgive us of our sins, and give us eternal life with him! No sin is too large for him, no amount of sin is too many for him. If we only acknowledge our sin to him and turn from it, than He is DYING to forgive us, and Bless us. In fact, He did die to forgive us, because when he sent Jesus to the Earth to die on the cross for us, this wiped away all our sin for eternity...and all it takes is acceptance to obtain it!!

If you have any questions about this, I would love to discuss it with you. Email me at rebabler@comcast.net, or leave a comment if you like. If you can't tell, I was excited to share this, so if you do read it, feel free to comment, if it blessed you or left you with questions!

Saturday Steps of Faith- God's love and Presence!

2009-07-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday Steps of Faith is when Lisa reminds us to think about God's promises in our lives! Please go to Passionate Pursuit to see more! You will be blessed.

I was thinking this morning about a truth that has become so evident in my life in recent times. God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5

What does this mean exactly? Does it really mean never? When you think about this, it is astounding. Never is a word that we might throw around a lot. We say things like "I will never do that again?", and my kids are famous for saying...."I'll NEVER get to......" What does it mean when we say never? It usually means for awhile. When we say never, it is likely not never, but for a time. But, when God says never, He means for all eternity, with no end. Think of that....God will not leave us or forsake us for ALL eternity. This is truly never!

If we beleive in Him, He won't leave us for anything EVER! Romans 8:38 tells us that "Neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor things to come, nor any other created thing, will be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I think that about covers anything that could possibly take God's love away from us. That is two different times that God assures us that He will always be there, and He will always love us. What a wonderful promise He gives us that we can cling to in difficult times, not only in our personal lives, but with things going on in the world as a whole. God sees and knows all, and He will follow His believers into the depths, and still love us, no matter what the world, or our government throws at us! Praise God for his love, and that He will never leave us, or forsake us!!

Favorite Family Pics of the Week!

2009-07-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is Elias at the Tea Party that we went to today. He loved the flags

Janie, being "worn" by daddy at Fernwood!

My boys getting ready for the 4th festivities

I love this pic of Audrey and Lillian.

Once again, I couldn't pick just one picture this week. These are all from this weekend! Enjoy, and have a great 4th!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Sharing my Values

2009-07-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Good morning on this Friday morning! It's time to focus on our husbands today, and why we love them. This morning, I was thinking of some of the basic reasons why I love my hubby. I love the way that Rob and I believe in the same things.

Of course, there are times when we disagree on this or that, but overall, for the big stuff, we are always on the same page. We have always wanted the same things in life. To love and serve God, to raise a large brood of children, to homeschool, to live as simple a life as possible. We generally laugh about the same things (although, not always :-)), and we get upset about the same things. We share our faith, our political ideas, and our ideas of what a Christian family should look like. Even though we are different people in personality, he is definitely a Kindred Spirit. This may sound a little silly, but it sure does make life more enjoyable to be married to someone who shares the important views of life with me! Makes me feel very blessed that God introduced us.

Share today what you love about your husband. Join Shannon for more Loving Your Husbands Friday.

Happy BIrthday America....and many more??

2009-07-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday is America’s birthday, and I have question marks, because I wonder if the America that has existed for 232 years, will have many more celebrations. I’m worried about America. You see, the United States of America is our child. Our ancestors gave birth to it, and it belongs to us. In the same way that I worry about my children, I worry about America. I often find myself worrying about a path that my children might be going down, and it’s time to sit them down and discuss with them how this path will bring bad things into their lives. In the same way, I fear that America is going down some very wrong paths. I fear that America is on it’s way to losing it’s relevency. We are gradually losing the spirit, the faith, and the power that we once displayed in the world. I loved the way that Ronald Reagan described America, as the city on the hill. Wow, what an inspiring picture. An America founded on biblical principles, setting an example to the world of Philippians 4:8. In the past we have been the example to the world of what is true, what is noble, what is just, what is lovely, what is of good report, and of what is praiseworthy. Now, does this mean that we have been perfect. Of course not, America, like any child born with original sin, has had it’s share of sins. But, we have always come through the fire, and come back a stronger country for it. Over all America has looked to do what’s right, and be a light in the darkness of the world. When another country is in trouble, who is the first one to their aid….America. When a people is struggling under oppression, who comes to the rescue with the prize of freedom from tyranny…America. We are, after all, the land of the free of the brave.

There really is no place in the world that compares to the United States of America, our lovely city on the hill. But, is our country continuing down the same path that will keep it strong, and free, and brave! It does not appear that way to me. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. There are many of us out there, that think it is time for discipline. It’s time to get in the face of our “child” and tell them that they are taking the wrong road, and convince them to turn back…before there are consequences! When our child is in trouble, we mama’s fight to keep them in line. We will do anything to keep that child from having to suffer the consequences of their incorrect actions. As Americans, it’s time to do what we can to keep our country on the right path. Sadly I am aware that sometimes you can do all that you can, and the wrong choices are still made. God gave us our freedom and, like our children, we will often use our freedoms in ways that God never intended.

You may be asking, how is our countrie's free will taking us down the wrong path? The first step came during these last elections. Much of America chose to worship a man, instead of the God that gave us this country to begin with. Much of America voted for the men and women who made them all kinds of promises to better their lives, even though they don’t have the power to do so. We made our bed, and we are now lying in it. Many of us did not vote for these people, but what did we actively do to prevent them from gaining the power they now hold? In the same way we need to be proactive parents, and not reactive parents, we need to guide, correct, and purposely shape our country. If they choose to use their free will for wrong, well, at least we can say we tried, we did our part!

Now, we are seeing the consequences. There are many things on the table now, that make me fear that we are going to lose our “child” altogether. There is the Freedom of Choice Act, the ratification of the UN’s Rights of a Child, Cap and Trade, Universal Healthcare, the movement to keep citizens from being able to sell homes if they are not in regulation with someones idea of Eco-friendliness. There are bailouts of incredible proportions, there are broken promises and there is a general attitude that America should no longer be a powerhouse, but should silently fade into the “international community”. What about our city on a hill? What about our national security? What about our pride, and bravery? Where has it gone? It is slowly being chipped away. The unborn and the elderly in America are no longer important, the authority of parents is no longer acceptable. Many in this country who have died for our freedoms, now have a different eulogy, one that says they shouldn’t have bothered because who needs freedom? Soldiers will no longer die for their country, they will only die for their government to have the right to oppress their people. Other countries around the world will no longer look at us as the powerhouse, that they don’t want to mess with, they will look at us as just another one in the “global community”, that can be threatened and pushed around. When has America ever allowed itself to be pushed around?? The answer to that is…. NEVER! Now, our president is going around asking the very people who would behead us all, to forgive us, and be our friends…why? Because we are no longer a Christian nation!!! My Jesus died for the sins of all men, men who then laid down there lives for my freedom and the freedom of my country, and now we must be ashamed of not only our freedom but the Savior himself! You don’t speak for us, Barack Obama. You don’t speak for those of us who love freedom, and who love God. You don’t really speak for America. My “child”, my America, was founded because of the thirst for freedom, and the thirst to worship the God that created us all! My America does not make excuses for itself, and it’s core beliefs! My America values life…ALL life. My America believes in the rights of its citizens to make their own decisions for their families and their children. My America is One Nation under God! My America is being taken away from me, in ways I hoped it never would. It is being forcibly turned down the wrong paths. We need to pray dear Christians, we need to be involved, and active “parents”. Let’s not just let them take our child away from us without having something to say about it. I want to still be singing Happy Birthday to the same America that I have always known many years down the road. I want to still have to crane my neck to see our beautiful city on a hill, when I am old and gray. If my boys choose to serve their country and they lose their precious lives, I want to be able to say to everyone, my boys died for your freedom, not the governments!

I will now step off of my soapbox, and get back to my regular life, but I will keep my armor on. I will need it in the coming years. I will fight to keep my “child”. Although, I will accept what God allows to happen in our country with faith, because God is always in control, I will not stand by and do nothing. If all is said and done, and the America I once knew no longer exists, then at least I can say, I tried. Perhaps we are no longer a “Christian nation”, but I am still a Christian, and I will fight on the Lord’s side. The Lord who wants us to value life and individual freedoms!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear America……Happy Birthday to you….and many more…

Thinking Healthy Thursdays

2009-07-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Most of you have probably seen those commercials that say, "I'm thiking Arbys"...well, this is a little different, and hopefuly not as annoying as those commercials are! Some of you may know that I started a Weight Loss Wednesdays on my homeschool blog. To supplement that, I will be passing along a Healthy Tip on Thursdays on this blog. I have a couple different sources that I receive health tips from on a daily or weekly basis. I will be passing some of those along, as well as anything else that I have learned over the years about health and fitness! These will not neccessarily be simply eating healthy tips, but also anything that involves our health. Health is important, although we should never let wanting to be healthy take the place of God in our lives. Even our desire to be healthy, can sometimes become an unhealthy obsession. If anyone wants to join me in talking about our health of Thursdays that would be great! If not, than just enjoy the tips that I pass along, and hopefully they will help everyone take one more step forward to being healthy!

My first tip is one of the most simple. Drink lots of water. Most people know this, but knowing and doing are two different things. Drinking water does a lot of different things for our bodies. It keeps us hydrated, it gives us energy, it helps us lose weight, it nourishes our skin, it keeps our bowels regular, it helps fight infections, it keeps us from feeling thirsty. There are so many benefits to drinking water on a regular basis. Water is better for us then pop, juice, coffee, tea, or even milk. Without it, we can't live. I have heard that we should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. What I have done in the past to help me get my water drinking in, is to fill up a 4 quart container of water, and put it in my fridge. I commit myself to drinking all of it by the end of the day. This way I don't have to count how many glasses of it I've had, I just know that when that container is empty, I have had at least an adequate amount of water for the day. So very important for us. I personally know that drinking water can help with weight loss, and help you stay energized during the day. Try going a few days drinking the amount of water that you should, and see what kind of difference it will make in how you feel!

If you are joining me in losing weight, I also drink extra water before and after a workout, or any strenuous exercise. This is in addition to my 4 quart container! And, if you are a nursing mama right now......this is essential to helping you keep up a good quality milk supply. So, as the Wiggles would say...."gulp, gulp, drink some water, it's so good for you!"

If you have any other thoughts on water, please share them, and join me next week for my next Thinking Healthy tips! God Bless!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-07-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

I had to use two pics this week. I wanted to use the picture of Elias with the baby bird, but I also just had to put in the close up the bird. We think this may be a baby hawk. My boys spent an afternoon babysitting this baby. We didn't realize that they had found it, until it was too late to tell them that they probably shouldn't mess with it. Our fear is that the mother would reject it, with human smell all over it. We hope he/she is still alive. They took him/her back into the woods and left it (with much tears from Ethan). We have so many animal adventures at our house!! Go here for more Thousand Words Thursday.

Weight Loss Wendesdays-Intro

2009-07-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Ok all, I'm starting something new on my Living, Learning and Organizing blog called Weight Loss Wednesdays. I would love for anyone who is wanting to also start losing weight and getting healthier to join me, or if you just want to give some encouragement that would be great too. There is a better explanation in my introduction post. Let's encourage one another! Click this link to read the intro, and follow me on Wednesdays for this journey over there.

Thanks all! I hope to hear from some other moms out there who are wanting to get healthier, and thinner!

In His Word Wednesday- Partiality

2009-07-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

James 2:1-9 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well: but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

I read these verses this morning, and I couldn't help but think of what is going on in this country in recent weeks. It made me think of Jon and Kate. It reminded me of what we watched last night about Michael Jackson. Celebrity is a powerful thing in this world. If you can act, or sing or play a sport well, you become a celebrity, and you make LOTS of money. I would say that the world most definitely shows partiality to celebrities. To the point where they completely ignore the negative things that the person has done, and will fill the streets in anguish over the death of that person, even though they never met them! Partiality to the rich, wealthy, and talented is definitely prevalent in our country (and all over the World). But, we as Christians are called to be set apart from this World...do we show the same partiality? Do we show preference for someone who is on TV, or the richer, or more well known members of our church congregation? We can see from the verses above, that this is not pleasing to God. God wants us to treat all people with love and concern, and to give the poor the same attention ( and perhaps more attention) then the rich! This obviously goes against what our World teaches us in our example!

My thoughts go back to Jon and Kate. Jon and Kate are a good example to me of the fact that Jesus told us that the love of money is the root of all evil. No, not money itself, but the love of money. I don't believe that when Jon and Kate started out, it was all about the money. But, it does seem to me that at some point, they crossed over. The love of fame and money took over.

I had only seen the show a couple of times (we don't have cable), but everyone I know would talk about the show, especially Christian women. So many people watched them religiously, and would never miss an episode. They became stars, and they were becoming very rich. It was this partiality, that, I believe, destroyed their marriage. This modest, Christian family, couldn't handle the stardom, and everything that went along with it. Now, am I saying that it was our showing partiality to them, that caused their downfall...not exactly. They still made their choices, and I believe that could have recognized that they were sinking, long before they sank, and pulled the plug. However, the fact that so many brothers and sisters in Christ chose to follow their every move, and give them some kind of extra grace in their downfallls, that may have contributed to their pride, and inability to handle their fame. Just a thought.

So, lets propose together, to not show partiality. Let's love all men the same, rich or poor, "celebrity", or common man. Everyone needs our love and compassion. We need to spend more time serving the poor man, than worshiping the wealthy, and popular. If there is a wealthy, or popular Christian, than it is still our job to admonish them in the sin we see in their lives, in love. As much as we would the average person sitting in our church congregation.

God doesn't like partiality, and as we are called to be set apart from the world, maybe we should think about how we can keep from displeasing God in this way. If you have any further thoughts about this, I would love to hear them, and please join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday.

Child Training Tuesdays- Chore Edition- GIve me your ideas

2009-06-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I have a busy day today, but today I want to hear about other households, and chores. What kind of chores do your kids do, and how do you handle payments, or do you pay? If you do pay, how do you help them manage their money, or do you just let them spend at will?

If you have a good system, that works for your family....please share it with me. We are in the process of reevaluating our chore/payment system. I would also love to know what you do to keep your kids motivated to do the chores that you have for them!

Blog about this for me...and come back to leave me your link! If you don't want to blog about it, leave me a comment. We need your help, so help us to be encouraged as we work to develop the best chore/payment system that we can for our kids! Thanks all, and God Bless!

4th of July Picture!

2009-06-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

I said in my Friend Makin' Monday post that I would put up some of my favorite pictures of 4th of July's. This one is a family classic, of my son (the cool blond on the right) and my nephew, hanging out waiting for the fireworks to start!!

Friend Makin' Monday- Fourth of July!

2009-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! It's time for a friend making Monday! The theme today is 4th of July! Oooh fun, I thought. I love the 4th of July for many different reasons. First of all, I love our country, and so I really love celebrating it. I also love fireworks, and food, which is the annual crux of Independence Day celebrations for us. Then there are the memories associated with the 4th. The many childhood memories, and the memory of the first full day/date that my hubby and I spent together. It just happened to be the 4th of July! So, needless to say, it's my favorite summer holiday. I also love patriotic music.....The Anthem, Battle Hymn, God Bless America etc... so many of our countries songs are such a great reminder of how God was at the forefront of the minds of the founders of our country (sorry for the runon sentence there). All I can say is God Bless America..land that I love!!! Now here are the questions that are given to answer.....

What are you doing this July 4th?

Well, we don't have any definitive plans yet, but we will definitely hang out with family, eat, and go to the fireworks nearby!! We live the simple life!

What is your favorite dish to pass when attending a 4th of July party or summer barbecue?

My hubby makes awesome grilled chicken, and I personally cannot have a cookout without potato salad, and brownies!

Do you have any July 4th traditions?

That was covered in the previous question. Our traditions include listening to patriotic music as loudly as possible, eating good food, spending time with family, and we always have to go to the fireworks no matter how late the kids stay up!!

Share your favorite July 4th picture.

I will look for my favorite 4th pics, and put them into a seperate post later!!

Finally, here is a fun quiz to test your 4th of July knowlege. Bring your kids around and see how many of them you all can get right. Tell me all about how you all did.

1. How many stars are on the American Flag?

2. What do they stand for?

3. How many stripes are on the flag?

4. What do they stand for?

5. How many stripes are red?

6. The first stripe is which color?

7. Who sewed the American flag?

This quiz was from Shawn, who is hosting Friend Making Monday this week. Hop on over to her place, and join in, and again, God Bless America!

At The Well- Mean Girls

2009-06-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

The topic for today, At the Well, is mean girls...be sure to check out the post, and participate!

I remember the mean girls. I grew up with many of them. I don't believe that I, myself was ever a mean girl, but I know there were times when I would say a mean thing. However, growing up in the public school, and in a Christian home, I was many times the victim of mean girls. I was criticized, taunted, and made fun of by many a mean girl ( and boy). I was the goody tooshoos girl that nobody liked. I was the girl that would play with the special ed kids that all the other girls would make fun of, because I liked them better then the mean girls. I wasn't allowed to do the things that the other girls were allowed to do, and that made me very different. The mean girls don't like different.

Now, I'm not trying to pat myself on the back here for not having been one of those mean girls, because for me, it was only by the grace of God that I was raised differently. I had much potential to be a mean girl, based on my personality. And, as I said, I said my share of mean things about people in Junior High and High School myself....things I regret, and have since repented of.

One question that was raised is how do we keep our daughters from becoming the mean girls. Being a mean girl today seems to be even more involved than the mean girls that I remember. Today, the torment through internet, and cell phones, to the point where a young girl loses so much self respect that she will commit suicide! I've heard that even sometimes the "mean girl" mothers get involved, having never gotten over their own mean girl status!

I have three daughters myself, and they all have potential to become one of those awful mean girls, but my line of defense is the Word of God, and modeling a gentle spirit. I feel that the best way to deal with outword actions is to deal with inward attitudes. If my little girls accept Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them, then that is a wonderful first line of defense, but more needs to be done. They need to learn about the humility and caring, and serving that God calls them to. They can learn that best from their mothers. If we fail to teach our daughters the qualities that God wants them to possess, they may never learn it. They may feel a conviction about their attitude, but never really know how they can replace those attitudes with what is good and right. I also feel that when they are little, we mothers need to not allow them to be mean to others, simply believing that that is natural, and they will grow out of it. Girls have a tendency toward meanness, even with their siblings. Let's show them from early on that being mean is not part of what God wants for their lives. Let's teach them the second most important command that God gives us.....love our neighbors as ourselves. If we raise them to be concerned about serving others, and not thinking about themselves, then they will learn to not be mean. If we teach them about 1Corinthians 13, how love is patient, kind, slow to anger, forgiving....they will learn not to be mean.

Of course, there will always be times when we as women will exhibit meanness, if not in person, then in our thoughts. But, we can work on taking those thoughts captive before they overtake us. Our daughters are the next generation of Titus 2 women, and if we are not purposeful, and proactive in teaching them to love, serve, and speak with kindness, then we may find them choosing to be one of those awful mean girls that we all grew up with, or worse yet....a mean girl adult, who has something negative to say about every other women in the church.

I have always said to my children, that meanness comes from selfishness, and pride when we don't consider others above ourselves as we should. This is also true of adults. When women have nothing to do but criticize others, even in the church, it comes from their own desires to lift themselves up, and make themselves better than others (I know this, because that is where I am coming from when I criticize others). We adult women can also avoid being mean girl busy bodies, if we too seek to think only of others, and how we can serve. If we are busy serving and loving, we will have no need, no place, and no time for meanness! It's a difficult lesson to learn, but it is one that we desperately need in this time where it is so important that we Christian women reach out to this dark world. If I was an unbeliever, I would not be at all interested in a Christ who's women remind me of those mean girls that I grew up with!

These are my thoughts on mean girls, little and grown. I would love to hear the thoughts of others, and don't forget to go to At the Well, to read more about this.

1Corinthians 13 4-8 Love suffers long, and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek it's own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things!

If you are reading this and wondering how you can have the same kind of relationship with God that can change your heart, and can help you to not be a mean girl, then let me know, and I would love to discuss this with you.

God Bless

Photo Contest to win National Geographic for a year!

2009-06-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite, Fall in the Midwest pictures. It captures the colors right at their peak, before all the green is completely gone. I also like the way the dark clouds are rolling in. Makes me chilly, just looking at it.

This is our son Owen and the baby hognose snake that he caught a few years back!

Here are the two pictures that I am entering for a neat photography contest that can win you a years subscription to National Geographic, and some Energizer batteries. Check out how you can enter this contest here. I'm not sure if I can enter both pictures, but I saw that a couple of other people did, so I thought I'd give it a shot!

My Favorite Family Pictures of the Week

2009-06-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

It was a tough choice this week, about which picture I took that was my favorite. I decided to go with two of them. I like the top picture of my oldest at the park. It kind of reminds me of a senior picture. I also realize that I usually choose pics of the little ones, because they are always doing cute things, but I thought this was a nice pic, of him, and I wanted him to be included. Then, I had to include this pic of Audrey and her cousin Rachel. It's not the most professional looking picture or anything, but it really captures these two girls and their personalities!! They are the same age, and they are really good friends (when they are not bossing each other around that is!).

Cap and Trade- Our senators need to hear our voices on this!

2009-06-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning all. I just wanted eveyone to read this. This is important stuff, and if you haven't yet contacted your senator about this, please do. Thanks Jessica for being so diligent in informing other's about what is going on in this country. Check it out here, and then take some time to call your senators. It's important we all be educated, and be active! Check it out here.

Loving Your Husband Friday- My Hero

2009-06-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm loving my husband this morning. Of course I do every morning, but this morning I'm feeling very grateful for His coming to my rescue! I have been having a nasty flare up of my Psoriasis in the last few weeks. I finally got to the point where I can't take it anymore, and I decided to call my dermatologist. and get an appointment so he can prescribe me some of the nasty steroid cream that will help clear this up. Well, I called, and the receptionist promptly told me that there is nothing available until December 2nd!!! What!!?? I couldn't believe that, and I was frustrated at the idea of having to wait that long to do something about this. But, I took the appointment and figured I would talk to my family doc, and see if there was anything he could give me to tide me over. .....for 6 months!! I was feeling quite irritated with this as I know my dermotologists office does a lot of botox and plastic surgery, that kind of thing. I couldn't believe that they would not get me in to see the doc, while all these botox women were getting their appointments.

When I got off the phone, and told Rob, he was upset, and promptly got on the phone with the office, and in a calm manner, managed to get me an appointment for this coming Tuesday!! My hero!!! I felt very loved, for him to care enough to make a stink, and make sure that I was seen, as he knew how badly this flare up has been affecting me (very itchy,and burns). He's my knight in shining armor, and I just wanted to take this day to brag about him a little. He stood up for me, when I didn't have the courage! Now, just so everyone knows two things. He was not beligerant with the lady at all, just insistent. Also, it turns out they do have a seperate appointment list for medical issues, and botox/plastic surgery issues. I was glad to hear that!!

Join Shannon for more Loving Your Husband Fridays!

Philippians 4:8 Challenge

2009-06-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

Check out my post today on whatever is lovely at my homeschool blog, Living Learning and Organizing at Sinai. I would love to have you stop by and share your thoughts with me. Have a Great evening!

Universal Healthcare

2009-06-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday everyone. I wanted everyone to take a minute to read this article on a blog that I follow called MAinfo. Read the article here about President Obama and his admission that he wouldn't want his family to be limited in their healthcare, in the way that he is proposing the rest of America be. Just some food for thought. We really need to be in the know about such things, and not just let our government railroad us! I am personally against universal healthcare, and I won't be offended if you are not, I would only ask that you might read this, and consider....Look into it, and make an informed decision. If you find that you agree with me on this issue, than let's be active in letting those in power know that America does not want this! God's blessings on all of you today!

Slow Cooker Thursday- Hungarian Goulash

2009-06-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I really had to get in on this one. I love cooking with my crockpots. I have three of them, and a pressure cooker, and a roaster. There is nothing better then being able to throw something together in the morning, and not having to worry about the rush at supper time. Here is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes:

Hungarian Goulash

1 ½-2 lbs of stew meat

1 clove of minced garlic

2 TBS flour

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 TBS paprika

¼ tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 can tomatoes

1 c. sour cream

Place stew meat and garlic in the crock pot. Stir in flour and mix to coat. Add all remaining ingredients except sour cream. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 7 to 10 hours on low or on high for 5-6 hours. Add sour cream about 30 min. before serving and stir in thouroughly. Serve with wide egg noodles, and biscuits and honey and butter.

This is good stuff, and I've been eating it for about as long as I can remember. My mom made it frequently. It is typically more of a fall, winter dish, but it can be enjoyed all year long! This feeds my family of 9, although we typically don't have leftovers like we used to! If you decide to try this, come back and let me know what your family thought of it!

Go here to see more of slow cooker Thursday.... Happy Slow Cooking!

Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

A good nap in the middle of all the chaos!!

Visit Cheaper Than Therapy for more Thousand Words Thursday.

Philippians 4:8 Challenge- Purity

2009-06-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Head on over to my homeschool blog today for the Philippians 4:8 Challenge, and leave me your thoughts on purity. You can find it here: http://wwwlivelearnorganize.blogspot.com/2009/06/philippians-48-challenge-wednesday.html. Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-23T19:36:00.001-07:00

An oldie but goodie!

In His Word Wednesday-

2009-06-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

II Corinthians 4:8-18 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-always carrying about in the body of the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

For all things are for your sakes that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, Even though your outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction , which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Lord, let me always remember that every occurence on this Earth is only temporary, and that you can see deep into my heart, which will carry on for eternity. Let me be mindful of your eternity every day, and be willing to die for you in every sense. Allow me to be renewed by you and not lose heart. Thank you for doing a work in me that will live on forever and ever. Come Lord Jesus...but until you do....use me in mighty ways!

Join Megan for more In His Word Wednesday today!

Child Training Tuesdays- Toddler Edition

2009-06-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for mommy's of toddlers today. I personally have had several toddlers. Lily is my 7th toddler. I say 7th, because as most of you know, she is not our 7th child, but we had a foster daughter for 18 months, and she was a toddler. Next year we will be dealing with our 8th toddler. As you all know, toddlers are challenging. If for no other reason then they want to touch and play with everything!! If you have ever had a toddler, you know what I'm talking about! So, how do we train our toddlers, without breaking their spirits?

I have some thoughts that I will share, but I would love to hear what you all think about training toddlers as well. We practice training with our toddlers. We have training sessions in which, the toddler is set up in a room with something that they shouldn't be touching. We know that they are going to touch it (the tv for example), and we are right there, ready to take the time to train. So, I'm sitting there, and Lily (for example) goes for the tv (for the millioneth time). What we will do, is tell her no (to start off with), and when she goes to touch it anyways, we take her little hand, and just give it a quick little thump, along with the word no. There are no angry words or tones here, no slapping, no yelling, just a quick light thump on the hand. The toddler doesn't really get at first what happened, so she will go ahead and touch again. Again, the thump to the hand. She's realizing slowly that there is something about this word no, that makes it uncomfortable for her to touch the tv. It depends on the stubbornness of the child, but she will get the picture after awhile, and learn not to touch the tv. She is also learning that when she is told the word no, it means that if she goes ahead and does it, there will be a consequence.

Now, two things to keep in mind here. Again, this is a calm, and even cheerful process, if it's done right. Secondly, even very young children need to learn to associate the word no, with physical consequences. As they grow, they will learn that the world comes with physical consequences for not obeying the rules. Some of these consequences are very painful. I don't want my children to have to learn this the hard way. This is one reason why I believe so much in the biblical mandate of spanking. Now, I also believe that there is a wrong and a right way to go about it. But, we are not talking about spanking on these small ones. This is training. You do not want your toddler to grow to think that they can get away with doing what they want. The world will not be so kind to them. You want them to learn boundaries from a young and impressionable age. If they learn the boundaries young, then you can do away with much need for discipline as they get older. Although we believe in spanking, our 11, and 9, and 8 year old children rarely ever have need of one. They were taught when they were very little that there are boundaries and physical consequences. Does this mean they are perfect and never need any form of discipline....no. No training will produce a perfect child, but it will help them learn much more self control, and respect for the rules, than a child who has never been so trained.
These training sessions that I am talking about are about being proactive, not reactive. We as mothers are much more likely to loose our cool with a toddler that we have not trained, because they can often seem very out of control, and it tries our patience. It is much easier to be calm, and give them controlled training sessions when they are small, then to wait until they are a tad older, and you end up snapping at them all the time, because they are continually doing things that they shouldn't. No toddler will be perfect no matter how much training, but believe me, it helps! I know this is true, because we had a foster daughter that we could not do this kind of training with (no physical discipline at all was allowed), and it was often more difficult to handle those toddler issues, when all we could do was seperate her from the situation. I have seen how seperation teaches our children only that they cannot do this thing for a brief amount of time, but they can do it later, once they are back to business. They cannot make the connection. I use seperation (time out) with older children, when I can come in and we can discuss what they did, and why it was not right, and work things out that way. But, for little ones, I haven't found time outs to be at all successful in teaching those children anything.

Most important, is to love, laugh, enjoy your toddler. They need lots of love and attention, and you need to work to keep them safe, but for us, part of keeping them safe in this world, is to effectively train them in boundaries. They need it, and mama's...so do we!

If you have any further thoughts on training toddlers, I would love to hear them. I actually have further thoughts, but I've got myself a toddler, who needs my attention right now, so I will continue this perhaps next week. Please share your thoughts today, either on your blog, and let me know, or here in the comments! Enjoy your toddlers today!!

Today's Challenge- Whatever is Just

2009-06-23T11:50:00.001-07:00

Come to my homeschool blog today, to check out the Philippians 4:8 challenge for the day, whatever is just.... I'm hoping to get some thoughts from others! Have a great day. Check it out here: http://wwwlivelearnorganize.blogspot.com/2009/06/philippians-48-challenge-tuesday.html.

Philippians 4:8 challenge Monday- check it out!

2009-06-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about whatever is noble... on my homeschool blog today. I hope you will join me in this Philippians 4:8 challenge. Click on the Philippians 4:8 Challenge banner here on the sidebar, if you missed it before, and you want to know more about it. Thanks, and have a great day! Click here to go directly to today's post.

I Hear Faces-Adults-Let's hear it for the Boys

2009-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

I've always wished that Rob wasn't wearing his sunglasses in this picture, but I love the look on Elias' face. They all love sitting up on his shoulders!! He's big strong daddy!

Check out I Heart Faces for more manly pics!

I Heart Faces- Kids- Let's Hear it for the boys

2009-06-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week is Let's hear it for the boys! This one was easy for me, as I have 4 boys, and tons of pictures that have my boys in them! I noticed as I was looking at other entries that most of the pictures are action shots. Well, I could have gone that route....but this is my all time favorite picture of my three oldest boys together! This was taken to be a gift for my uncle who was on his death bed with cancer. We took the picture, framed it, and had it sit next to his hospital bed, shortly before he died. I have always loved this picture. I did realize, though, that I don' t have a good picture of all my boys together (this picture was several years before Elias was born)....every pic I have of all four of them, has at least one girl in it too. So, I'll be working on that. Plus, on my Ethan's birthday (he's the little blond), this picture really captures his love for his older brothers!!

Go to I Heart Faces for more celebration of boys!!

Philippians 4:8 Challenge

2009-06-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to tell everyone that I am starting something new, starting tomorrow on my homeschool blog. It is a daily challenge based on the verse Philippians 4:8. I hope that you will all hop over and join me on whatever days you feel led to. You can click on the Philippians 4:8 Challenge banner on the sidebar here to find a description of the challenge. You don't have to follow my homeschool blog to be involved! I hope to see you there, starting tomorrow. Prepare to be challenged and refreshed with what God wants us to be using our time and mental energies on.

Saturday Steps of Faith

2009-06-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 7:9 Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Are you believing God's promises today? Do you believe that He is faithful? I believe today that if I love the Lord and keep His commandments, that He will be faithful to me.

When my mom passed away suddenly last year, He was still being faithful to me! When our foster daughter left us after we were in the process of adopting her.....He was still faithful.

Now, when my dad is suffering through cancer treatments and we don't know how long he will be with us.....God is still my faithful God. He never leaves us or forsakes us...He is faithful for a thousand generations (that's a lot of generations). If you love Him, He is faithful. Believe this with me today, as I have seen it in my own life, and in the lives of others close to me.

Join Lisa here at Passionate Pursuit, for more of God's promises today.

Loving Your Husband Friday

2009-06-18T21:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I spent almost the entire day alone with my husband. That was the first time we had been alone together like that in many months. It was such a nice day. It was strange though. We quickly realized, that we barely knew what to talk about. It is hard to reconnect sometimes when you go for a long time just being mom and dad, and not cultivating the husband and wife relationship. It made us realize how important it is that we take steps to cultivate our relationship more, even if we can't find time to be alone. Our relationship has to come first, not just for us, but for our kids. It's easy to forget this in the busyness of life and raising kids. I'm fortunate that I have a husband that is concerned about this, and wants to take steps to make sure that our relationship stays strong. I am truly blessed!!

I hope that you all out there will do the same. Take the time to do things that will cultivate your relationship with your husband....find ways to maintain your friendship, and your intimacy. Read a good marriage book (together)...or look up scripture together about marriage, to remew your marital vision. Someday the kids will be gone, and you will have to remember how to relate to each other! I'm hoping those will be good years together, instead of years in which we are just going our seperate ways....as I sometimes see with retired couples. I hope that we are still friends who enjoy each other's company. I believe that in order for that to happen, we have to work on it now! Remember, love is a choice that we make, and it takes hard work to keep that love strong and growing.

For more Loving Your Husband Fridays.....join Shannon by clicking the banner above!

Thousand Word Thursday

2009-06-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

This picture is of my son Riley at Christmas time. I think it speaks for itself. Visit Cheaper Than Therapy for more Thousand Word Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a little one yet that isn't fascinated with the water fountain, and who hasn't almost drowned themselves with one!

See Kai Run Shoe Giveaway!

2009-06-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, Megan has another great giveaway going on, and you could win a brand new pair of shoes for one of your little ones from a company called See Kai Run. Check it out if you have kids who could use FREE shoes that are comfy too!

In His Word Wednesday- Kindness

2009-06-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:29 -32 Let no corrupt word proceed from out of your mouth, but what is good for neccessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Just recently I got myself involved in commenting on someones blog in which the women involved were cursing, swearing, and trying to tear each other to bits over what the woman said on her blog. It was a debate over what's harder, working at home, working outside the home, or just being a stay at home mom like myself. Admittedly, my first reaction was to be upset, and want to calmly put some of these ladies in their place. However, these verses came to my mind. Now, these verses are written for believers, as unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit within them. So, although I can't hold an ubelieving woman under the same standard as myself...for me it is essential that I choose my words and my attitudes in kindness. I carefully, and kindly presented my opinion. This is often easier said than done, with our children, our husbands, our friends, and other mothers that we connect with through our blogs. It also includes what we post on our blogs, or what we say when we meet with other women. Do we speak with bitterness when we talk to our mommy friends about our husbands? Do we have wrath towards our children when we talk about them? It is my conviction this morning that I want to put all these things away from me. I would like you ladies to hold me accountable for my blog, or if you know me personally, for the things that I speak to others about. I want to be one who speaks in kindness about all things, and to all people, and put any other attitudes away from myself. If you see something that I post, or a comment that I make that doesn't sound kind, let me know. If you ever hear me degrade my husband or my children, or speak unkindly about anyone, let me know. I want to be kind, so that I don't offend the Holy Spirit within me. Thanks for listening to my heart this morning, and head on over to Focusing on the Bible, Family, and the Great Deals for more In His Word Wednesday.

Another Great Giveaway!! I Spy Books

2009-06-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

I came across a new great giveaway that I had to get in on. My kids would love the I Spy Books. That's right up their alley. Check it out if you think your kids would benefit from them! Click here to check it out. This is a great site too!

More Pro-Life News

2009-06-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you can access this link, if you are not on Facebook, but if you are please check this out, it describes the Freedom of Choice Act, and a bill that was passed by the House, and is on it's way to the Senate, that will promote abortion overseas. Hillary Clinton says that this should be a goal of our country. If you are concerned about pro-life issues, or just want to know more, read about this group, and scroll down to where you can send a quick email to your senator to oppose this bill, and the Freedom of Choice Act. It's so important that we have a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Also, if you are unsure about how our president views abortion, because you have heard different things, please read here, the statements that he made during his campaign, from his own website.
You will often see me discuss pro-life issues on my blog, because the issue is dear to my heart, and I want people to be educated about what is happening in our country. However, if you have a differing opinion, and would like to discuss it in a calm and nonoffensive manner, then feel free to comment, or send me an email. I will be happy to discuss with anyone why I believe so strongly the way that I do about the lives of the unborn. Thanks and God Bless!

Great Giveaway

2009-06-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Rich Gifts is doing a blog makeover giveaway, and I'm personally excited about it. If you are looking to spruce up your blog a bit, head on over and check it out. It ends of Friday! Click here to read more about how you can enter!

Child Training Tuesday- Listen In

2009-06-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday again, and time for Child Training Tuesdays. Now, last night I confessed in my Friend Making Monday, that I sometimes tune out my children with my mp3 player while I'm doing my daily chores. Although I don't always do this, it is a bad habit of mine in the mornings, while I am doing laundry or working in the kitchen. Writing this confession, reminded me of something very important in child training, listening. Now, I don't think it is always such a bad thing to listen to some music while working, or to have a little bit of time, where your kids need to not bother you, however, it is also of utmost importance that we listen when our children talk to us.

Now, some of my children talk a lot. They will talk and talk without saying anything of any real value. I think many kids are like that. This is why we mothers are often tempted to want to tune them out. But, I have found that we have to be careful not to miss the things that are really on their minds.

For example, my son Ethan is going to be 8 on the 22nd. He is my quiet kid. While his older brothers, and his younger sisters tend to talk just to hear themselves talk a lot of the time, he will often not have a whole lot to say. Because of this, we often have to wonder what is on his mind. He is a tremendously intelligent kid, but most people don't realize it, because he doesn't share his thoughts terribly often, and he has only recently started being able to handle conversations with people outside of his family.

The other day, I was putting clothes away in my bedroom, and Ethan wandered in. I think he was supposed to be doing some chores of his own, but somehow I had the werewithal, to let him come in and sit on the bed rather than kicking him out. I was glad that I did, because after awhile of just sitting there, he started talking. He talked about missing his grandma, and Haylie (who had been our foster daughter for 18 mos, before she had to leave us), and then about how he hoped that Grandpa wouldn't die. We talked for quite awhile, and I was so glad that instead of tuning him out, or kicking him out to go do his chores, I stopped to listen to what he had to say. I was able to discuss things with him that I never would have, if I hadn't taken the time to listen. I remembered through this incident that sometimes, even for my kids who talk all the time, that if we take the time to really listen, then we won't miss the really important stuff.

This is an important aspect of child training, on many levels. For one, we are teaching them that it's important to listen to others, the same way that our heavenly Father listens to us. Also, that we value the things that they have to say, and that we value them. This helps us to have their hearts, and let's them know that they can trust us to be there for them.

Believe me, I know how hard it can be sometimes to listen to our children, when it often seems that they say so many things that aren't valuable. But, we need to learn to be diligent in being ready to hear the things that are on their hearts (which for me might mean, no mp3 while I'm working). There is a time too, I think for teaching our children to use their words more wisely, and there are several Proverbs that can be used in those ends, but in the event, that they are ready to share their hearts, let's be ready to listen and respond!!

Thanks for listening to me today, and I hope that you all will participate and share with me your thoughts, ideas, stories, and wisdom in the area of child training. Is there a book that is helping you, or a specific passage of the Bible? Share it today. If you blog about it, please link back to me, and stop by to let me know. If you want to just leave me a comment, that would be great too. Have a great day, and keep those ears open!

Friend Making Monday

2009-06-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Kasey at All that is Good, came up with this, and it sounded like fun to me. The theme for this week was confessions. So...here goes.

1) I sometimes listen to my mp3 player, just to tune out my kids while I am working on something. ( I feel really bad about this one!)

2) I occassionally eat the candy (chocolate) that my kids get from AWANA, before they have a chance to. Not all of it, just a piece or two. ( ok, I feel bad about this one too!)

3) I am a little afraid to walk outside by myself at night, even in my own driveway.

4) Although I'm touched when someone asks me how I'm doing, I never know how to respond, because if I'm doing badly, do they really want to know about it?

5) Every once in awhile, I will pretend that I can't smell the dirty diaper in the hopes that someone else will change it. (ok, now I fear that everyone will think, what kind of mother am I?)

Ok, that's all I can handle of that for one night. I hope someone will ease my pain, by leaving me a comment saying..."hey, I've done that too!"

Good night, and remember, it feels good to confess to each other, and realize that we all have our weaknesses, but there is also a God who is waiting to hear from us tonight, and pour out our indescretions to Him as well. He longs to forgive! Good night!

Thank You!

2009-06-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Megan, for the nomination for the Kreativ Blogger award! This is my first nomination, and I'm honored! I'm supposed to turn around and nominate 7 people for the award, then they should pass it on to 7 others! My nominations are:

1. Shannnon at The Peer Review.

2. Sarah at God's not Finished With us Yet.

3. Sweet Serendipity

4. Wendy at On the Front Porch.

5.Genesa at I want to Be like you.

6. Sarah at 8 Muddy Boots.

7. Brenda at The Tie That Binds Us.

So, those are my 7 nominations. It was a hard decision, and I hate to leave anyone out, but I don't want to break the rules.....so I will have to save the other many blogs that I find creative for another day.

Now, I am also supposed to give you 7 things that you might not know about me...

1. My hubby is 7 years older than me.
2. I was a foster parent for a year and a half.
3. My sixth pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.
4. I played the violin for twelve years, and am attempting to pick it up again.
5. My favorite dessert is cheescake!
6. I'm afraid of spiders
7. My hubby and I had only known each other for 3 months when we got engaged.

So, everyone that I nominate needs to nominate 7 people, link to them in your post, thank the person that nominated you, and then leave them a comment telling them that they were nominated. Oh, and don't forget to include in your post, 7 things about yourself, and to copy the award picture into your post!

Thanks again Megan for the nomination, and I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say about themselves!! What fun!

Petition

2009-06-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Click here if you are concerned about the nomination of judge Sotomayor to the Supreme court. I was made aware of this petition from the pro-life blogs! If you are concerned about our freedoms, and the cause of life, please take a few minutes to sign it. Sotomayor believes that it is her job to make laws from the bench. We should not have a Supreme Court justice who believes that. Thanks all.

I Heart Faces- Adults

2009-06-14T13:57:00.001-07:00

This is my entry for this weeks I Heart Faces, adults. This picture was taken at a historical reenactment of the Revolutionary period. The boys especially enjoyed that day, because they demonstrated how to shoot the muskets!

Click here at , to see more I Heart Faces about this weeks challenge!

I Heart Faces- Kids

2009-06-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

This week for I heart faces, the challenge is Sepia tone.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Audrey, that I fixed up with Sepia tone. I love the sweetness of her face in this pic! Check this link out to see more I Heart Faces- Kids.

Small Town Snapshot Sunday- Middlebury, IN

2009-06-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

For this weeks Small Town Snaphot Sunday, I want to introduce everyone to a small town in Indiana, called Middlebury. The pictures you will see are from the "hot spot" in Middlebury. This town is nestled in Amish Country, and this restaurant draws people from all over. It's a family style, Amish cooking kind of place. There is also a gift shop, and a country bakery. There are a couple other buildings on the property where you can explore the simpler life. The food is amazingly good, and the service is always friendly. The name of the restaurant is Essenhaus, and if you are ever in Middlebury, IN, I highly recommend trying it.. Yummy! It's always been a family favorite of my side of the family. Be careful of the buggies though :-)!

Entrance to the bakery
front entrance

inside the gift shop area. Yep...my hubby and older kids!

Advertisement for the shops that are seperate from the restaurant!

My little Lillian enjoying her meal. The food is delicious for all ages!

I hope you enjoyed my small town for this week. I know I did, and now I'm hungry! Don't forget to join Wendy, On the Front Porch, for more Small Town snapshots.