There is hope for the weary mom!

http://www.hopeforthewearymom.com/get-your-book/

If you are a Christian parent, praise the Lord!  Right now I am going to talk specifically to Christian moms out there, nothing against dads of course. Since I am not a dad and can't relate to spiritual issues that men face, then I guess I have to relate to other moms out there since well, I'm a mom. God is good.

I am going to be honest, the past few months have been a struggle emotionally speaking.  Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and my children dearly as they are my world but there are times I am learning that moms can get emotionally drained and weary.  On top of these normal feelings I have been battling other issues but I know God is in control.

The Lord just recently led me to a another wonderful Christian book titled: Hope for the Weary Mom: Where God meets you in your mess.  The title alone caught me eye immediately and God ministered to me through this book.  The authors: Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin share their personal experiences with what moms tend to battle with on a daily basis.

I took Kelly (8.5) to Pioneer Girls last night. From there I decided to head to the mall to get a couple of things then sit down in the food court with my Kindle Fire and finish Hope for the Weary Mom.  The Lord met me right there in the food court. (Isn't it neat that God can meet us anywhere?) I began to cry and give it all to the Lord.  There wasn't a whole lot of people present and I found the most isolated spot I could but you know what? If someone saw me, it's okay. Our goal in life is to be a Christian witness right?  I must admit, I did try hiding my tears in fears that someone would think I was battered or something lol but the Lord is so good and faithful those fears were relieved and peace surrounded me no matter who was present.  And this was in the food court of the mall!

After reading Hope for the Weary Mom, it gave me a different perspective on things with the appropriate scriptures.  Do I still struggle?  Absolutely, but the Lord is teaching me to speak against those lies that try to torment us.  If this is you too, you are on my heart and in my prayers.  We don't want depression sneaking in and stealing our joy and blessings.  I know that there have been countless times this has tried to overtake me but thankfully, God always pulled me out of that pit.  He can for you too.

"Lord, please bless the mom who is reading this today.  I know that it's good to connect with others that go through the same things in life.  Jesus, we as moms need your help on a daily basis to be Godly wives and mothers to our children.  We most certainly cannot do this without you.  Help us go from weary to joyful.  Weary may be in the title of the book, but we don't have to adopt the title over our lives.  I love you Lord Jesus and need you this day.  I pray for peace and strength over all of us who our mothers.  We can't do this without you Lord!  Thank you for another day to serve you.  In Jesus name, Amen!"

Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and mom

Being content with what you have!

Whether you are a Christian homeschooling mom/parent or not, there are days motherhood/fatherhood can be such a discouragement right?.  We know that they are only little once and we shouldn't take things too hard but in all reality, it just happens.  We love our children dearly and we want to raise them up in the Lord, right?  I know it's my heart's desire as I really just want to do the Lord's will.  He entrusted these precious children to us and we are going to be held accountable of how we raise them.  It's a scary reality but I don't want to steer off the narrow path.  Oh Lord, please give us discernment.

There are so many worldly influences out there that can cause major distractions in our parenting and in our spiritual walk.  Material things are a big one.  Right now, we are in a fairly small house but we have learned to be content with what we have because we know that God can strip it away in a heart beat if He so chooses.  For quite a few years our family really had to learn how to budget as we were coming out of debt and learned quite a few lessons along the way.  The Lord has us in a place now where we are financially blessed but don't want to step out of line because of it or because others are doing it.  We have to be good stewards with our money and as badly as we would like to just throw a for sale sign up on the lawn, God wants us to be patient and pay off our mortgage first.  Right now we are getting improvements completed.  We understand our house isn't ours but it is God's.  If we step out of line, well I don't want to know what could happen.

I am not saying this because I am in any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in.  Philippians 4:11

The Lord is having Ron and I teach the girls how to be self sufficient and that the size of a home doesn't matter.  Even the size of a home doesn't always prove someones financial status so always keep that in mind too.  I'd rather be content with something small and be able to do other things rather than having to live for a house.  That is most definitely not the way to live, at least this is what I am learning.  In due time if we seek ye first the kingdom of God, He will take care of everything and at this point if the Lord wants us here for whatever reason, then we have to be obedient.  Can't dwell on finer homes, etc.  Those are all going to pass away.  I'd rather be diligent in doing for the Lord rather than "doing" for material things.  Sure, the Lord's blessings are rich and He wants to bless His people, but we have to be wise in how we approach them.  If you can't afford it, don't do it.  If you can afford it but God is making you wait, then you better wait.  This is where we are at.  It's tough and very humbling but honestly, my family is so blessed and happy why mess with that?

Thanks for letting me vent on this subject, it's a place to share my heart while sharing with others.  I didn't intend for this blog to be published live online but for accountability for myself, but the Lord told me to publish it as there are others being blessed by this.  I don't keep track of page views on this blog, etc. so if this just blesses one today, that's all that matters to me this point in time.  God bless you!

Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and mom

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Family Bible Study: Being a good helper and having a servant heart

As a Christian homeschooling family, my goal is to always include Bible into our curriculum.  Well, at least this is what I had hoped for.  Growing up in a Christian school Bible class was always a required course.  This was obviously a wonderful thing but now being an adult I can honestly say that I think I took that part of "Christian Education" for granted.  Don't get me wrong, I was very blessed that my parents sacrificed some things so that we could attend.  I wouldn't change that for anything on top of the life long friendships and relationships that I have established.  What I am saying is there were many times that I looked at the Bible as just another text book.  Uh oh, right?  Through the years the Lord has showed me a lot regarding that.  And though I may have seen it that way, I was still being educated in the things of God and I have surely not departed from it.

For my concern of learning the Bible during homeschooling, the Lord showed me not to make it a part of the curriculum but simply as a part of every day learning. This struck a chord in my spirit as the Bible is of course supposed to be a part of our daily Christian walk with Christ.  I have been seeking the Lord on a new "Family" Bible study that we can all be a part of on a daily basis yet keeping it completely separate from our schooling.....

The Lord just today, led me to FamilyBibleStudyTime.com where I found the perfect Bible study for our next family Bible times.  It is titled: "Being a good helper"  It is a 5 week Bible Study about being a good helper and having a servant heart (servanthood).  I just downloaded this blessed Bible study to my Kindle Fire for only $0.99.  I look forward to getting started and really digging in to teach not only my children but myself about servanthood.  I know that my husband will also want to be a part of our Family Bible Time which realistically, it just wouldn't be the same without him since he is, after all, the priest of the home.

I plan to start the new study on Monday, February 27th and be diligent with it for the next five weeks. After that time, I will share our journey in the Bible Study.  Greatly looking forward to it.  Since I am dedicated to writing in my journal, I will be documenting parts that really speak to my spirit and my heart.  Kelly (8.5), just started journaling so I look forward to her writing down things that are beneficial to learning about servanthood.  Though Lyssa and Bethany are on the young side, being the example of servanthood will still be the seed that plants into their little hearts and minds.  Such a blessing.

What "Family" Bible studies have you and your family studied together?  Please share your experiences with me, I would love to hear from you.

Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and a mom

Image: www.familybiblestudytime.com

Northern Adventures

Last week we packed up our family and headed north of our state for some much needed rest and relaxation. Well, okay as much R&R you can get with children lol.  We also brought our homeschooling journey along for the ride making it quite an adventure, a "northern adventure" to be exact.

The girls were anticipating snow up there in northern Michigan and guess what?  They got their wish.  Good thing this mom was prepared.  I packed up all their snow gear from snow pants to scarves.  They definitely enjoyed the winter weather up there with no regrets.  Now, for those of you who know me really well, you know that the snow and the cold are not my cup of tea, ugh.  But, I do enjoy watching my girls play in the snow as I reminisce of the days my brother and I used to play in the snow.  Our favorite past time is sledding!  It was such a blast.

Though we didn't go sledding we did build a snowman, okay, "snow-girl" and a mean snow fort.  It literally snowed every day that we were present.  There was already a good amount of snow on the ground when we got there.  It was result of a huge snow storm that took place a month ago.  Because it started melting it refroze and left a natural ice rink.  Though we didn't pack our ice skates, we did some boot skating, haha! So fun and yet creative, another fun past time.  They put on a little show, it was so stinkin cute!

In the midst of our northern adventure we did get pampered.  My hubby took all of his girls out for a yummy Valentine's Day dinner with amazing desserts.  Good thing I was prepared yet again.  I made sure we brought some snappy clothes for the dinner.  I even applied just a little amount of makeup just like mommy to really make them feel like princesses!

Like everything else, all good things must come to an end right?  We were so not ready to come home.  We are already planning our next northern adventure.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I did bring learning activities and worksheets. We did take a break from curriculum but I didn't want to leave homeschooling behind completely, you know what I mean?

Anyways, like I said before we are ready to plan our next northern adventure.  We stay in my in-laws cabin and it's always such a blast.

If you are a homeschooling family have you ever taken your "homeschooling" on a trip?  Would love to hear about your adventures.

Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and a mom

Creative Valentine's Day Box Expressions

Today, the girls entered their Valentine's Day creations into a contest at Palaestra.  (Palaestra is a program for homeschoolers offering a variety of courses in our State.)

All the children were to create Valentine's Day boxes for their traditional Valentine cards and candy exchanges.  The boxes with the most creative would win a special prize.  We all were informed of this contest.  Seasoned families that have been there for years started their boxes as early as after Christmas.  Well, since we are kind of new to Palaestra, we are learning about all of their fun activities, events, and contests that are available.  Time kind of got away from us (well, yeah I forgot oops, super busy ugh) and my girls decided they would put their boxes together the day before.  I told them "good for you, but to be prepared that there would be many boxes with magnificent designs due to the extra time that they used to create them."  They were fine with this as all they cared about was getting goodies from their friends, haha!  Makes sense.  Such good little sports.

Well, in the end the most amazing Valentine's Day box expressions received special prizes such as Valentine's Bears and candy.  There must have been 40+ boxes total.  Other boxes received special little awards such as "Very Unique" or "Very Colorful."  Kelly (8.5) received a little award on her box that read "Very Funny" and Lyssa (5) received one that said "Imaginative."  They were very proud of those but then were anxious to get home and tear into the boxes to see all the cards and goodies their friends placed into them.  My goodness, the boxes were full.

I love helping spark creativity in my girls. It is such a joy to see what comes out of them once their little creative juices get flowing.

Have a blessed weekend!

Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and mom

The Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook

As part of my homeschooling journey, I can't forget that I am also a wife.  I most definitely do not want to neglect my wifely duties.  The Lord is teaching me how to master homeschooling all the while being a Godly wife and domestic diva.  Ha! Yeah, had to throw a little sense of humor in there.  We all need that from time to time.  But seriously, it has been a definite challenge being a homeschool teacher, parent, and wife all the while staying on top of domestic duties such as house cleaning, laundry, healthy meals, etc.  I know that the Lord is teaching me a lot and I want to stay opened for what he has for me and my family.  I don't want to steer off onto the wrong path and make decisions that I think are right when really they are selfish and don't line up with God's Word.

Just the other day, I downloaded a book on my Kindle Fire.  It is called the Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook. I came across the website first. This most definitely caught my attention.  It was only about $7 to download, gotta love Kindle.  I started reading it and my goodness it is awesome.  The author, Lara Velez, founder of momsoffaith.com is the author of this life fulfilling book.
In a nutshell, The Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook was not just something that was put together over night.  Here is Velez's direct quote from her website on the "About" tab:

"The Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook has been a long time coming and took many hours of inner struggling and cries out to the Father. During the studying and initial writing stages, there were many obstacles and trials that needed to be overcome." ~Lara Velez

I do believe that the instant you go through misery, it indeed becomes your ministry.  That I have learned through my Moms of Angels Outreach Ministry after losing my precious son.  How could I possibly reach out to other moms who have lost babies if I never went through it myself, right?  Same thing for Mrs. Velez.  She went through trials in her marriage, decided to write a book, but then was attacked in the process.  I can totally relate crying out to my father while putting the ministry together.  And now my focus is on writing a book.  Boy, it's been a struggle and I am still struggling but God is faithful and will help me craft the words that I need to relay to others.

Because I just started The Proverbs 31 Wife Handbook, I can't really talk about it just yet but can't wait to share it with you in a later post.  Here is a summary of what I have read thus far:

Basically, Lara Velez, author, describes the scriptures within the chapter of Psalm 31 in detail then breaks it down for a Godly wife to really understand.  She then prays for the journey through the book as it is a detailed handbook as well.  You can purchase the handbook but I am just going to do the study of the scriptures that she makes reference to. 

As you can see I have not obtained a whole lot of info yet but what I have grasped so far has open up my heart and mind to what the Lord has for me as a wife, which is a noble calling for sure.
~Proverbs 31:10

Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.
Lindsey
Blessed to be a wife and a mom

 Image: jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net