Celebrating Motherhood Monday: 10 Commandments of Motherhood

1. You shall spend time with the Lord everyday before your children wake up. Spend time with your Creator, seek His will and His ways, and He will grant you strength and wisdom for the days challenges.

2. You shall not esteem or accommodate your children over your husband. God. Husband. Children. In that order.

3. You shall not misuse your position as mother by making ridiculous demands of your children. Rules and  guidelines bring structure to every home. Your children may not like the rules. They will challenge your authority. Stick to your guns. You are not to appease their every whim, but neither are you to exasperate them by endless angry commands. Encourage them. Praise them for a job well done or an attitude improved. As much as possible keep a loving joyful atmosphere in your home, finding a balance between work and play.

4. Observe a time once a week for the whole family to engage in an activity. Let children take turns choosing and planning a weather appropriate engagement. This will help each child feel valuable to the family unit.

5. Honor your father, mother, and in-law's presences in rearing your children. Grandparents add a special family tie to your child's life. Grandparents are also willing to share advice on parenting do's and don'ts from their own parenting successes or regrets. Honor their advice. You didn't turn out so bad, did you? :) Thoughtfully and respectfully consider their advice, ultimately choosing what is best for your situation.

6. You shall not kill/crush your child's spirit by degrading them privately or publicly. Speak kind words. Sometimes its OK to let them wear a mismatched outfit or have that hairstyle. Does their choice really matter or is it more about you not wanting to be embarrassed? Is it really necessary to speak of your child's behavior or are you trying to shame them into obedience?

7. You shall not secretly or verbally wish your child was like so-and-so's child. Again, speak kind words. Never make them feel as though they don't measure up. They have enough of that from their own peers. Don't devastate them by stripping them of the security found in your unconditional love.

8. You shall steal a few moments for yourself. Reread that! :) Whether its sipping a quiet cup of coffee, indulging in a salon appointment, or hitting the gym, take some time to love yourself. You'll feel better equipped to tackle the next demands of your day.

9. You shall not speak a lie to your child nor live a lie in front of your child. Speak truthfully. Walk with integrity. Mess up? Admit it. Vow to do better. "What we are at home, that we are indeed." ~ Charles Spurgeon

10. You shall not love one child more than another child. Playing favorites causes lifetime pain for your child and generations of separation in the family.

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Shared at....Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, My Joy Filled Life,Golden Reflections Blog

Celebrating Motherhood Monday: Boots On The Table

"What are you doing?!! You know not to use half a bottle of bubble bath!"

"Why is it necessary to use half a roll of toilet paper on your itty-bitty rear?!"

"RRR! Get those muddy boots OFF MY FLOOR!"

....on and on it goes...escalating as time wears on...the dreaded mommy rant...

So, where else would I have her put the boots? The table?

That's exactly where she put them.

And that's the moment I realized I was ridiculously roaring around the house like a grizzly bear.

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh at the boots or curl into a ball and cry at my bear-like character.

Something had to change. Something other than the boots on my table needed to be booted.

I took a deep breath, asked my daughters to come sit on my lap and we had a heart to heart.

I acknowledged my burly, bad-mannered behavior. They agreed.

I asked how it made them feel. They said,"Sad, mom. Very sad."

I asked for their forgiveness. They obliged.

They hugged me and said, "You're the best mom ever. We love you."

In a fun-loving manner I chased them, giggling, out of the house.

Then I went to work, cleaning more than just the mud on my table. There was some dirtiness in my soul that had to get gone.

Why is it the ones we love the most are the ones we hurt the most?

In the daily exchange of doing family life, the waters get muddied and inevitably that mud gets flung around.

Why?

Maybe its because we lose sight of the priceless gift family really is and start taking them for granted.

Or, maybe its because family has the same bloodlines and familiar tendencies we are comfortable with. And when we are comfortable, we act like ourselves.

Who are we kidding? Every person, every family member, struggles with it: that dreaded "me, myself and I" attitude.

When we allow our emotions to rule our actions we allow Satan to mess with God's design for family.

Can we change overnight? Nope.

But we can celebrate daily victory, sometimes moment by moment victory, when we consistently strive for improvement, choosing to operate with an attitude of love and acceptance, forgiving and accommodating those we rub shoulders with.

"as much as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

"Be completely humble and gentle;be patient bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Eph. 4:2-3

It's time to do some booting and rebooting, don't you think?

Boot the attitude. Its really not all about me.
Reboot: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant... He humbled himself..." Phil.2:5-8

Boot the huffing. A huff, a forceful sigh, shows annoyance, contempt and sulking anger.
Reboot: "Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." Pr. 12:16

Boot the words. Would you want to be spoken to as you are speaking to another?
Reboot: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Ps.19:14

Boot the body language. Muscles are used to control your body. Do so by choosing not to slam, stomp or fling your body parts around...seriously, we're adults here, right?
Reboot: "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and let without walls." Pr.25:28

Boot the facial expressions. Tightened lips, clenched jaws, eye rolling and eyebrow knitting speak of fierce displeasure.
Reboot: "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Pr.16:32 ESV

Boot my self. Again, it really isn't all about me and what I want.
Reboot: "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded." 1Peter4:7



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The Road to 31.

Hopkins Homeschool 'Hearts for the Home' blog hop

Graced Simplicity

A Mamas Story

CONGRATULATIONS! Your Body is Ruined!

"What a beautiful baby! Too bad your body is ruined and you'll never be as beautiful as you were before."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

Fierce anger welled up. I felt hot all over as my blood began to boil.

Before words could form I quickly walked away, cradling my beautiful 2 month old as she peacefully slept in my arms.

I couldn't grasp how someone could say the perfection I was holding was my ruin.

As I gazed at her precious face, caressing her velvety skin, burying my cheek in her soft silky hair, I felt nothing but joy. I was in complete wonderment at this little person; a miniature me.

I was in awe that my body had done exactly what it had been created to do...to give life.

Later, as I looked at my body in the mirror, running my fingers over the scars, I didn't see a woman ruined.

Sure, my hips weren't as slender as they once were. But now they were the perfect padded perch for my little one to hitch a ride.

My once taut tummy was now scarred by the emergency c-section. The stretched skin and seperated muscles forever softening my mid-section, making a soft warm place for her to rest against.

The stretch marks proof that she grew to a healthy full term baby.

My once perky boobs would never hold the same form after breastfeeding.

But I didn't find my now softer, curvier body a disappointment.

Rather, I saw a beautiful reminder that it had given life to another.

What I saw was a woman completed.

A woman stronger.

A woman empowered.

A woman kinder...

Gentler...

Sweeter...

More loving...

A woman in her zenith.

I was no longer beautiful as I once was....I had become more beautiful.

Since then, my body has given life to two more. With each one I became more.

More scarred...more soft...more jiggly.

Less ruined...less shallow...less weak.

More beautiful...more beautiful...more beautiful.

And tonight, as my three and I tumbled and played, they noticed my tummy shakes when I laugh.

They touched it. They tickled it. They patted it. They poked it.

They squished it. They pinched it. They laid on it. They laughed at it.

They loved it.

So do I.

 "Her children arise and call her blessed" Proverbs 31:2

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Celebrating Motherhood Monday: 5 Verses to Pray Over Your Children (in prayer format)

The greatest influence a mother can have on her children's lives lies in the power of prayer.

Yet we tend to underestimate it. Due to the busy days of a mom, we often revert to reciting and mumbling through payers at mealtimes and bedtimes. Throughout the day we lift short prayers of desperation like these,

"Lord, I need patience in about half a second."

"Father, give me grace."

"Jesus, protect them from harm today."

"Jesus, heal my child."

Many times as I collapse into bed, exhausted, I've uttered the prayer, "Lord, please just make them turn out all right!"

We barely cover the bases.

We question why we need to use precious energy to ask Him for anything. He already knows what we need better than we do, right?

We take on the mindset that He doesn't want to hear from us because we don't know how to speak great and fancy 'prayer talk' using thee, thou, thy and thus.

Lies.

It is true He knows better than we what we need and even before we ask. (Matt.6:8) However, He wants us to bring to Him "all kinds of prayers and requests"! (Eph.6:18) All kinds! Those are His words. Not mine.

We are a mighty force against the enemy of our souls and our children's souls when we purposely place ourselves in the gap, inteceding on their behalf.

So, when it comes to praying for our children, be it a small desperate, yet heartfelt prayer, or a big elaborate prayer with all the thee-ing and thou-ing, we can be sure He hears us and He will mightily answer the prayers of the righteous.

Consider Ezekiel 22:30. I have added my own words in the brackets [ ].

This is the Lord speaking, "I looked for a man[parent] among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land[children/future generations] so I would not have to destroy it[them],"

Won't we as mothers, who are told to love our children, (Titus2:4) show the greatest possible love, using the power of prayer to build up a wall around our children to deflect the fiery darts of the enemy? (Eph.6:16)

If we do not take action, and He finds no one to intercede, He will do as He said in the continuation of Ezekiel 22:30-31:

"...but I found none. So, I will pour out my wrath on them [parent/child] and consume them [parent/child] with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord."

Sobering. Very, very sobering.

May you and I bravely stand in the gap, fully "convinced that He is able to guard what I [we] have entrusted to Him for that day" (2Tim.1:12) and every day.

Below, I have shared 5 verses and scripture sections to pray over your children.

There are numerous interceding scripture lists on other sites, so I tried to stick to some you may be less accustomed with to freshen it up and keep it less habitual. I've added bracket words and made the 5 verses into one continuing prayer. Afterwards, I encourage you to look them up in your Bible.

Let's fight the good fight, dear mothers! May you and your children be blessed!

1. Micah 6:8...Lord, I pray my children will always know what You require of them: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your[their] God."
                                                                             
2. Isaiah 54:13-14...I release them to You, Jesus, declaring, "All your sons[my children] will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your[my] children's peace. In righteousness you[they] will be established."

3.Jeremiah 32:38-40 KJV...Father, may You say of them, "They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they my fear Me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:...I will not turn away from them,...but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from Me."

4. Isaiah 49:25...May You do as You promise when You say, "I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children will I save." (here 'save' means salvation, protection, healing, comfort, etc.)

5. Psalm 119:109-112...And when they are grown, Lord, may they boldly proclaim to You,"I will not forget Your law. ...I have not strayed from Your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end."                                            
And all the mothers, with a resounding voice, said... "Amen!"



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The Life of Faith

Celebrating Motherhood Monday: Come Play With Us

Today I had an agenda. It went something like this: breakfast, laundry, homeschool, early lunch, kids nap, then I would have a blissful three hours of silence to read and study God's word. I desperately wanted to spend some time with Abigail of 1 Samuel 25.

All went as planned, with kids either sleeping or in bed by 1 o'clock. I got settled in with Abigail, a few other readings about her and a cup of coffee.

Half an hour later Little E woke up.

Upon hearing their brother, C and L made an appearance. (I had fed them chicken noodle soup in hopes to further induce sleep....not happening, mom!)

I knew there was no way any of their cheerful faces would get anywhere near sleep. There was simply no more quiet to be found.

Half an hour later, daddy came home. For a brief minute I dared hope to run to a quiet room while he took care of the kids. But, by the time I had filled requests for snacks, he, C and L had made big plans of playing wii.

Excitedly and hopefully they asked if I wanted join them.

I looked at my forsaken pile of literature.

Then my gaze shifted to my four favorite people.

After a moment, I tentatively said, "Suuure. I'll play with you."

                                          (photo credit: have seen on Shutterstock)

We played wii for three hours. Competitive spirits came out very loud and very strong. There were tears, frustrations and poor sports to be dealt with. There was bragging, jealousy, pouting, and injustices hollered out. There was jumping, victory dancing and squealing. There were near collisions of wii remotes with Little E's head. And did I mention loud?

But in all the drama, there was a unity. In the close confines of our living room there was an extra sense of togetherness. A tie that binds.

There was laughing, cheering and smiling. There was love, acceptance, belonging, encouragement, happiness, learning and helping.

There was fun. Lots and lots and lots of fun as we did family.

I would have missed all that, had I pursued my all important agenda.

You see, In the split second before I reluctantly said yes to playing, I realized I might one day wish I had said no to Abigail. She'd wait till tomorrow. Her story wouldn't change. But I had the opportunity to change today's story and build on our families legacy.

I wonder if you too, have an Abigail that needs to be put back on the shelf for now, to allow time for engagements of priceless, spontaneous moments with family?



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My Joy Filled Life

Celebrating Motherhood Monday: Let Us Wash Dishes

Last night at 7 o'clock, I was done. Exhausted.

I desperately wanted to crawl to bed, collapse into the softness of St. Mattress and listen to the whisperings of  Captain Pillow, while drifting off to a world of sweet, sweet rest.

But, here's the reality:

Due to extremely cold weather, the kids and I  had been cooped up inside all day. I had a splitting headache, which pills wouldn't help, and because of loud chaotic rowdiness it wasn't going anywhere soon.

At the aforementioned time, we were finishing up a very late supper, which included a mind boggling discussion which is not to be related. Oh, the questions kids ask!

After the meal, seven year old C and five year old L, asked to help with the dishes...ASKED!

Why, absolutely, my dears! The dishwasher is empty! Enlighten yourselves!

C responded with,"No, mom, we don't want to put them in the dishwasher. We want to WASH them."

I was a little annoyed at her response, then I realized she wanted to wash them by hand in a mound of suds.

It would have taken 5 minutes to stack the dishes in the dishwasher. It was going to take 20 minutes to wash by hand, mop up the pool of water on the floor, keep little E out of the mess, deal with sopping wet kids and listen to their squeals of delight, all while having this relentless headache.

I desperately wanted them to stack the dishes in the dishwasher. Desperately.

Then daddy piped up from the couch, "Sure, girls! That's a great idea!"

I gritted my teeth wanting to ask, "Do you plan to help?"

But, I didn't. Because in that split second, I knew he was right. It was a good idea.

Why squish helpful hearts? Why not let them experience the fulfillment of  serving others? Why not let them bless me in their own special way?

So, they did dishes by hand. They got soaked. My kitchen floor around the sink could have qualified for a splash pad. Little E, teetering on a stool, stretching onto his tippy-toes, peeping over the sink edge, managed to dump water in his face. Suds went flying causing gales of giggles and shrieks.

With head pounding, I tried to smile, every once in a while thanking them for their helpfulness. Praising their cheerful attitudes. Encouraging willing hands. Turning a blind eye to the fact that not all the dishes were clean.

Somewhere in all that loud wet mess, I realized this is a precious time.

This is a beautiful moment.

This is family.

This is home.

This is love.

Soak it up, mama!



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Honored to share at A Mama's Story.

When Mama Ain't Happy

When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, So daddy's gonna make mama happy tonight....

Tracy Byrd sings a song that goes like that, and that's exactly what my husband did for me! Oh, the excitement of date night! A few hours of just me and my husband! Sweet bliss!

But, the event that took place that evening was anything other than sweet or blissful.

I shared the rest of the story with Michelle at Letters For My Littles. You can read it here.



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