Discipline

What does God say about Disciplining our children? Proverbs 23:13 says that "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die". I believe that you do not always have to use physical punishment, there are other ways to discipline, however, I do believe when the children are smaller its not wrong to give them a pat on the bottom. The scenario that is almost often used is "If a child runs in the street you will pull them back and smack their bottom". That ultimately saves them. The scripture says in Proverbs 19:18
"Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death". I think that once a child gets to a certain age, physical discipline should not be used. I know of people who were still getting disciplined well into their teen years. There is no need for that if you teach them when they are younger. I truly believe that the toddler age is the time when you really rear your kids into the things that are acceptable and whats not. I have this issue now with a very strong willed 2 1/2 year old. He wears me out! I am trying to come up with different ideas in the way we discipline him but he rarely responds to a "time out" whats a parent to do? It truly does hurt me more then him if I need to pat him on the bottom. Lord knows I don't want to but I fear if I don't train him now, what will the future hold? I can only pray and trust God. As parents thats the number one thing we do and trust the scripture when it says Proverb 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart".

Time Management

Why do the weekends go so fast? Its 2 days and seems like its over before it starts! How come Monday and Tuesday don't go that fast! I love spending the time with our family and friends relaxing watching Football or just hanging out. I heard a very sweet christian woman say to me one time that the Lord gave us the amount of days and hours he knew we would need and we should never complain about it. We should never say "There are not enough hours in a day" and things like that. Sometimes it seems as moms that we never do have enough time. I am guilty of not managing my time wisely and maybe that is something that I need to work on. I have already made changes regarding the computer time on social networks and that frees up a lot of time. I see some woman who have this list of things that they need to complete for the day and they check them each off and make sure it gets done, wow! We have a list but very rarely does it all get done! Atleast I am on the right path though. Sometimes I feel like a failure in that department but I like to say "Life happens" things happen, kids get sick, laundry needs washed and things like that. I try to remember to make the most of everything we are doing even if it is laundry, life is so short. I think of the scriptures when they say "life is but a fleeting moment" or "life is a vapor". Things like that really make you realize its not so much what you are doing in that time as much as it is how you are making the best of that time. What does God say about managing our time?

Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Social Networking

I have been very convicted this past week about the time I spend on the computer and Facebook. I am ashamed to even say how many hours I would spend surfing around the internet when I could be using my time where it is needed, in my own house! I think that blogs are awesome and its a great way to peek inside other peoples homes and hearts to see what they do and to get great ideas from them, however, Facebook I have noticed is becoming and invasion of privacy for many. You know that saying "less is more" well I feel I am beginning to learn too much and its not needed. Honestly, I don't care that someone is on their way to the pick up a can of tomatoes or that someone else's husband is being a jerk. Really, its a little much. I think Facebook is a great outreach tool to spread news of important things but it can very easily take a lot of time if not careful with it. I like the fact that I can see pictures of distant relatives and friends and that will be about the extent of my use other then trying to encourage others in the Lord and encouragement for myself. I do not want to offend those who use it, like I said its a great tool and maybe I just don't have the discipline to limit myself. Since we homeschool it takes a lot of concentration on my part because I have 2 kids under 3 and its so hard to teach the oldest with the distractions I already have so I am trying to simplify my daily life and what I do with the hours given. I have been to The Homeschool Channel which is a great tool and loads of info and movies for parents and the kids to view. You should check it out those who wish to enrich their teaching with other information. I watched a video yesterday morning on Noah and DNA, very cool. I plan to continue to blog here and this will be sent also to my Facebook page graciously given for the friends I have there and really cherish, I will pop in maybe once a week or so for messages there so God Bless you all and I am off for some Math time, send some prayers :)

180 Movie

I was so excited to finally see the Ray Comfort 180 movie. It is definitely a movie that will get even the biggest skeptic thinking, I love stuff like that. I know that topics like Abortion, Murder, Holocaust, and the Right to Choose are not the favorite things that talk about or debate but they are things we need to discuss. I am so floored at the amount of people who didn't know who Adolph Hitler was, really!!!? I mean have they stopped teaching our kids in school about the holocaust? I am only 36 but when I was in school we learned of it. I am teaching my children about it, its not something that should be forgotten, ever. The connections Ray made about Hitler and Abortion were very good, I mean we would never sit back and watch people be killed for no reason so why would someone think its ok to kill a child? Doesn't make sense to me. God says its murder and I believe it is. What if Mary was Pro Choice?

Well this has been one sad week. At the beginning of the week we get word that my husbands 34 year old cousin was killed in a car accident. A young man, a father, loved one taken way too soon. It breaks your heart when anyone dies but the premature deaths are the hardest I think. A few days after that we get word that my sweet aunts ex hubby, father of her 2 girls, 39 years old dies suddenly. Wow, what is going on, so young. I feel so bad for these families. Words can't say anything to help the pain, I guess sometimes the only thing we can do is to just be there. So yesterday my parents call too tell me that my cousin, mid 40s is in the hospital, he just collapsed at work. They believe it could be his heart and copd. Another young man with kids. It really goes to show you that you just never know. Its the famous saying we all have said I am sure but its so true. The bible says we are not promised tomorrow and this week was definitely a wake up call to me to try to be more relaxed, enjoy the little things. I have a tendency to stress over so much, really stuff that I can't even doing anything about. Why do we do that? What is it with us that we think worrying will change something? Just like Jesus said, "Don't worry about tomorrow or what you will eat, your clothes, or anything" Matthew 6:25 My goal for the week is to try to get into a pattern of relaxing, trying not to stress and worry so much, it really doesn't get us anywhere does it? I want to relax like this little monkey picture, so cute and care free :)

Holiday wreaths and easy crafts

I am in a crafty mood and have been making bandana wreaths, I love them and they are so cheap! I also have all the stuff to make the bottle cap jewelry that is my next mission. Its fun and easy and the whole family can do it! This one is our Halloween one, so cute the kids can help!!

In time of Loss

I woke up this morning and signed on to check email and messages and seen that a precious little girl named Gabby whose Facebook page many of us followed had lost her battle with cancer last night. My heart just sank. Its every parents nightmare. I can't imagine because my mind won't even allow the thought, its not the normal process of the way things are "supposed" to happen. I remember listening to a preacher talk about the tragic loss of his daughter who was going on a missions trip and her plane went down, she was 18, a christian and just wonderful by all accounts. Why? Why do these horrible things happen to the innocent, thats the million dollar question. The preacher said that there was NO emotion that goes with the loss of a child thats normal, its normal for us to grieve the loss of a grandparent, parent and even sibling. Not a child, there is no emotion that is normal to go with that. Its not how its supposed to be. There is only one way to cope with this kind of loss and its God. When King David lost his child he said "Why should I go on fasting, can I bring him back? He will not come back to me, I shall go to him" 2 Samuel 12:23 As Christians we have one hope and that is in God and that one day we will be reunited with our loved ones. My cousin was tragically killed when hit by a car at the age of 3, my aunt and uncle were not christians at the time. My aunt said the only thing that got her through was that she could be with her again if she believed and trusted in the Lord so her and my uncle got saved and eventually because pastors of a church, they are still serving the Lord and one of the sweetest couple I've ever met and love the Lord so much. Words from me won't be of much comfort to the family of Gabby, there is probably not much anyone can say. As of right now we need to just pray for them that God give them strength and all of those who've lost a loved one, a child or someone tragically. God is their only Hope.

Psalm 33:20

"Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield"

Rainy Days

Its been raining so much here that it starts to get me in a lazy mood of wanting to do nothing but bake, cook and relax. Not always good! However its these times that I appreciate all we have. When you are forced to stay inside with little kids when the weather is bad you find all kinds of things that make you realize how fortunate we are, like having a Wii, playstation, computer, internet, movies and cable. It makes me feel like "How spoiled are we"? What did they do 100 years ago? I am sure that was some good old fashioned family time. I sort of envy that in a way because with all this technology it seems we get lost in so many things that we have no time for family time. I remember hearing someone say that they text the kids when its dinner time. I try to keep an even balance because I think we do need to remember that times change and we change with them but I don't want to lose the closeness of the family. Its easy too do. So tonight I think after dinner we will read a book together and just enjoy each other. One day these "Rainy days" will probably be the days I long for the most.

Sick Days and Schedules

As much as we shoot for abiding by our schedule there are days where things happen that you can't control, such as today, our oldest is suddenly sick. At least we completed our prayer journal and our english test. I will use this day to get some laundry caught up and enjoy some time just relaxing with the kids. I can remember when our son was in school and he would get sick I would rush to the school to get him and be so worried. I am so thankful that I am able to homeschool them and be here with them when they are sick, sad, or even scared. I never in my wildest dreams thought we would homeschool, I had never even thought about homeschool. I had no clue how anyone would even start at that. Honestly there is such a misconception of homeschool that it turns most people away. I remember reading EVERYTHING I could about homeschool and looking at people who were home schooled and thinking "Wow they are really smart, this may work"! I also felt in my heart that even God would approve, right?! I understand that every family is unique in their own way and have things that work differently for them but for us, this works! I will never act as if its not hard because this is the biggest challenge of my life, aside from being a parent, homeschool is really hard and you have to work a lot as well. So when days like this pop up and I may be frustrated because it strays me from my schedule I am just going to be thankful to God that I am able to be at home with my sick kids and enjoy every moment with them that I can. After all God has Graciously Given them too me Genesis 33:5

Blogging, too much or not enough?

I love to blog, even if I don't have many followers I feel like my blog is like an "online journal". I always journaled as a kid and early adult. I was the girl who always had the diary too. I am sure my brothers read it more then once! I think writing is a therapy in a way for some. Its a place you can vent, chat, complain, voice opinions and not feel like you need to be careful. I am thankful for any and everyone who pops by and reads this. I hope that someway my words can encourage any of you. Sometimes I wonder if "blogging" is a good thing, sometimes we get so caught up in it that it can take priority over other important things that need to be done. I think as long as we maintain a happy balance that blogging is great. I have read many of your blogs that have inspired me or given me ideas that work for our family now! I think its great that we can meet so many wonderful people we other wise wouldn't have if there were no internet, Facebook and blogger! I hope you all continue in your blogging journey and I look forward to continuing to read them! God Bless and have a great Sunday! We are off for a Family Sunday dinner!

Summer Memories

I can't believe that its almost September. You know what that means right? Closer to the Holidays! Its like a countdown, as soon as school starts and summer is over it goes so fast. I pray that everyone had a great summer. I was thinking about when I was a child and spent so many summers at my grandparents homes, I only have one grandparent left now. I miss all of them, I sometimes sit and just reminisce of all the fun, innocent things we did. Catching fireflies, running in the fields, climbing trees, digging in the dirt, staying up late and chasing down ice cream trucks. Oh the memories of a time when there was no stress. I used to pray that God speed time up so I could be 18 a move out, own my own home and not have to listen to my parents, HA! So naive. If we only knew then, right? I pray that my own kids experience the things that we were able to as kids but I am a realist and know that the world is a little different now. When you could stay out until the porch lights came on now you have to play right in front of your porch light. Kids can't walk to the nearest parks alone, parents need to go with them to everything. I often feel guilty that my kids won't be able to experience that stuff. I think when we get to heaven it will be like a fun summer day, no worries, carelessly playing, no fear, constant joy, happiness that is unspeakable and of course, seeing the Lord. What a perfect eternity, does not get much better then that. What are some of your childhood summer memories? I hope you all cherish your memories and have made the best of your summer.

Psalm 71:5
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.

Such a beautiful, chilly morning. Reminds me of when I was a child and our first day of school always seemed cool outside. Today we will work on our school work and do some laundry and I will be making soup for lunch and dinner since hubby has a dentist appointment. Not our favorite :( I pray you all continue to have a blessed week and great first week at school those of you who have started. So much too do and such a busy time right now. We need to remember to take time for ourselves, moms need to have some down time to unwind from the daily activities ect...last night I got the kids bathed and in bed by 8 and actually had time to lay in bed and read my kindle! It was a miracle! I know that we need that time for ourselves, I think it makes us a better parent too. We all need our rest. So remember with all the things going on right now, doctors appointments, lessons, and school activities take time for yourself! I know its hard, as moms we always put ourselves last, really we need this for our own sanity and for the good of all our family.

" Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him." ~ Psalm 62:5

Back to School

Well today is the “official” first day of school for our family. We worked today from 10am until 3pm and it went very smooth. I was pleasantly surprised but at the same time I realize not all days will go this easy. I remember the first few months when we first started I would get so discouraged when things did not go according to our schedule and I would feel like a complete failure. Since then I’ve learned that schedules don’t always get followed! Its ok. Things happen, Life happens and we get up the next day and start over, right? I think so. Prayers to you all as you begin back to school and prayers for the safety of our children. God Bless

“Great is his faithfulness, his mercies are fresh every morning “~~Lamentation 3:23

Quiet Time

How many of you long for Quiet Time? I feel like life gets so busy sometimes that there is NO HOPE for it! I have been taking advantage of my Kindle at night when the kids go to sleep so I can sneak some reading in. I used to LOVE too read, I read all the time. I remember even as a kid I would take my "allowance" and buy Sweet Valley High books and read them. I look back now and see that my love for reading started very early on. I try to instill that in my own children as well. Its a nice "escape" to grab a good book and just drift away into it. I also feel lately like I have been neglecting my Bible reading as well. I downloaded the KJV Bible on my kindle so I can make sure I get that in at night. I used to be able to sit at the table for hours and study my bible, those were the days. I keep reminding myself as the kids get older it will get easier to sit and do that but for now, a season, they are small and I will enjoy and take advantage of my "Quiet Time" at night. How many of you long for that time as well?

Friends

Ive been a little preoccupied the past week or so. I have been so busy catching up with some old friends, family and we have had quite a few family functions. Everyone is getting ready to go back to school and there are a lot of end of the Summer activities. I hope everyone has had a great Summer! Its been SO HOT! I am ready for the fall. I am glad that I have started talking again to my BFF from middle school through high school. It makes you remember what it was like to have that best friend from your childhood who you had sleepovers with, first boyfriends, parties, and proms. It takes you back to good memories but also brings you to where we are today and realize that time goes so fast. Its scary. Its so important to have people in our lives that bring happiness and joy. Life is so short to be surrounded by things that don't even matter, arguing, drama, and silliness. Over the past year or so it seems like every corner I turned there was some sort of drama going on whether it was family or friends and emotionally and mentally it takes its toll on you. I am at a point in my life that unless you are bringing positive things to the table then I am not interested in a relationship with you. I am too old to answer to people or explain my actions for what I do in my life or what friends I have. I want to live life to the fullest and be happy. I have a great family, wonderful hubby and kids and I am going to enjoy it. I hope you all enjoy yours too and remember life is short, cherish each moment with your loved ones and true friends. God puts people in our lives for a reason I believe, I want to enjoy them :)

Best Summer Salad!

This is the BEST summer salad! Romaine lettuce, steak strips, red onion, oranges, honey and olive oil, sprinkle with some pepper then done!! I was not sure we would like this and now I have hubby asking "Can we have the steak salad"! We usually stick to the same things we like around here for fear of wasting money and food! However, I made this a few months back for a party and I barely got a plate! I am having hubby a 40th birthday party this weekend and this is on the menu. I am making it mostly "guy food". BBQ, chicken buffalo dip with bread, chips and salsa, wings, steak salad and hot dogs for the kids. Someone is spoiled! Try this salad if you can, its awesome!!

Blessed

Wow, today has gone by super fast. I am sitting here thinking "where does the time go"? I guess its true that when you are busy the time goes by fast. We were a little slow moving this AM since we slept in a little later then usual, we ate and started school at 11:30 and the little kids napped. I love doing school when they are sleeping, when they are awake they want to be right at the table doing whatever we are. Its sweet and they have learned a lot too but its hard for our oldest to concentrate sometimes. I believe home school is a blessing for us but its easy to get discouraged because I am a schedule type of person and I can't always follow it. I guess thats the beauty in home school, you make your own schedule and go with the flow. We usually get a good days worth of school in about 4 hours and then we do extra "fun" stuff later. We are working through the summer until November 1 then we break until January, we can't wait!! We love the cooler months and this works great since our son has horrible allergies! Camping is better in the fall :) Also with the holidays during that time it tends to get a little crazy. I am praying for God to continue to give me strength to teach our children the way he wants and continues to bless our family the way he has. I pray the same for all of you.

Heaven is real!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVtNzONbaiU

Its a girl!!

We have been blessed with 3 children, 2 boys and a girl who is our baby. I am used to little boys since that is where most of my experience is. Our oldest is 10 middle child 2 1/2 and our daughter is only18 months old. I can tell you a few things that I have learned so far about little girls, they are so sweet, dainty, gentle, obedient (so far), loving and they definitely know how to melt your heart. Our oldest is very smart, kind and loving and our middle, well, lets just say he is one of those kids that when we wake up we hit the floor RUNNING! I wouldn’t trade any of it! We were very nervous about having a girl, we wanted all boys since we felt safer with them. I am aware that all children are at risk for certain things and we need to watch all of them closely but there is something that makes you into MAJOR protection mode where girls are concerned. Its safe to say with her daddy and 2 older brothers she will be watched, closely! I watch in amazement sometimes at how by instinct my daughter will pick up paper off the floor and bring it to me, then thank me for taking it! My boys, well they just walk on it. I watch how she is ALWAYS in her play kitchen just like mommy,and she tries to help when I fold laundry. It is so awesome to see how boys and girls are so different and God made it so we would fit perfectly with one another. I can’t wait until she is older so I can teach her things and pass traditions to her, so many ideas flood your mind where girls are concerned. Of course there are things you pass to your sons as well, like how to treat females. Now that they have a sister she is watched over like a HAWK especially by our oldest. He has already let us know that nobody will be dating her, EVER! All of our children are a blessing but little girls are like the cherry on top. I am so thankful and not a day goes by where I don’t look at them and know it. I see the way my husband looks at her and how his face lights up and when she sees her daddy its a look that she has for nobody else but him, its so precious. We are truly blessed. The picture at the top is what the sonographer gave me and I took home and we let our oldest open and read it, Congrats you’re having a baby girl!!! He was the first to know and that was so special to him.

Our children need prayer!

Most people will agree with me that children are a blessing to us, however, what is wrong with people these days that just toss them away like they are trash? Do they not fear the Judgement of God? Do they think that this goes unseen? I have struggled with issues like this where the accused walks away as if nothing ever happened and its boggled my mind many times how the Lord could allow this. I have come to the realization though that we are given "Free will". We are not robots who can be made to do a certain thing or act a certain way. We have a choice and its unfortunate that many people suffer at the hands of evil people. I do believe though, that one day, they WILL stand accountable, don't you agree?? Justice ultimately belongs to God. My blog is titled "Graciously Given" because of the scripture Genesis 33:5 where Esau asks Jacob who all the children are that are with him and he replies "These are the children that God has SO GRACIOUSLY given me". They are a gift, they belong to the Lord. We have a job here to raise them right, teach them morals, how to have empathy and sympathy towards others so that when they are older they are a blessing to this World and to society. We can only do the best we can as long as we know in our hearts we are raising and treating them right. Children are innocent and defenseless and we need to take a stand and protect them. I pray now that God keep my kids safe so when the times comes that they leave my house I can only trust them in the care of the Lord. Of course I would like to keep them home forever :) I know that I can't. Its a scary world and there are plenty people out there who care, changes need to be made to keep our children safe. I pray that things will change, laws be changed, that parents hearts grow soft and not cold towards their children. Thats all that we can do. Prayer changes things. Will you all agree to pray that way with me, daily? I know you will. God Bless.

Anxious

So, I haven't been able to blog for a few days due to my hubby being admitted into the hospital. He went to the ER Wednesday around noon and was admitted for chest pain. I was so worried, home with 3 kids my parents live an hour away and obviously I can't take little kids into the ER where he was kept, needless to say I WAS STRESSING!! I tend to either get really worried when things happen or I kinda shut down and try to ignore it as if it will go away, NOT! So my hubby had a whole workup down along with bloodwork, EKG, Stress test and check for clots. The diagnosis was STRESS. The Doc said it can and will cause physical problems, which we all know, and it is something we really need to try and control. There are many factors that play into it however we are really trying to live a stress free life. Wonder how hard this will be! I am reminded of the scripture Phillipians 4:6 "Do NOT be anxious about anything" Well that is easier said then done. We are going to try though. Sometimes there are things you have to limit in your life or people you have to limit your contact with in order to be stress free. So many things that are actually painful to remove. Hubby is home now and we are working on the things that cause us the most stress and cutting them out! I am praying that the Lord help us because we will need it. Life is too short so why be stressed so much, why give any of your time to things that just upset us? It seems so silly when you think about it. If we were to count the amount of minutes, hours or even days we stress it would such a shame to think that was time we could have used for happy things. Making happy memories instead of being angry or upset. Please remember my family in your prayers and I will keep everyone in mine. Life can really be difficult. We need to surround ourselves with people who lift our spirits and not bring them down.

Thankful Heart

Hello, I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer. We are! I love spending time with the family and relaxing. Kids grow SO FAST! I enjoy watching them everyday learn new words, songs, animal names and so much more! I am so blessed to be able to Homeschool our children and I am blessed with a wonderful husband as well. I am always thankful to God for putting him in my life. We are not perfect, and have ups and downs like the next but the important thing is we work through it, and for that I am extremely blessed. Our neighbor's wife passed away about 3 months ago and I just found out that the elderly man has passed as well. I always find it interesting that when a spouse passes away, within a few months to 2 years the other goes. Its not in all cases but in alot. I guess when God created Adam and the Eve as his "help mate" when one goes there is such a void the other seems to sort of just go on behind them. I pray that whoever goes first in my marriage the other one goes on awhile, we do have kids and I want them to have their parents as long as the Lord sees fit. I am reading the book "Heaven in real" right now and its about Colton Burpo and it talks about his experience when his appendix ruptured as a 4 year old and his visit to heaven. Well, It will be like a family reunion there! How exciting, gives us so much hope and so much to look forward too! That will be the biggest family reunion ever! Awesome. I am on a mission to learn how to cherish all the time I have now with my kids, one day when they are older I WILL miss it. That is a fact. So I am so thankful for my Marriage, My husband, kids and the ability to stay home with them. I pray for blessing in all your lives as well. I am trying to have a new outlook on what I have and not what we don't.

Phillipians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

How many of you out there are the type who need to follow a schedule? Since we homeschool and I have 3 kids I do best with a schedule. Most days its extremely hard to follow but for the most part I feel organized at least to have one. I have the personality where I HATE things to be out of sorts and with having 2 kids under 3 and a 10 year old, I am out of sorts ALOT. One day we may be extremely productive and get a ton of stuff done and then the next 2 days we do nothing. I am trying to learn to not sweat stuff that doesn’t matter, you know the saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. Life is so short and so what if my house isn’t always clean, who cares if there is a dirty dish in my sink right? These are things I struggle with since I am always trying to make everything perfect. I am learning that my need to be that way also robs me of precious time with the most important things in life, my Family. So starting this week I am going to make a schedule, set our school time, activities, and then when those are complete its free for all! I may even say from 9-1 is school, 1-2 is crafts/activities and then after that its whatever we want to do as a family and have fun, no cleaning, no stressing about the house being perfect and just live life and cherish the time! We live in a super fast paced society today and its very easy to let things that are most important slip right by. I don’t want that to happen. Like my hubby always says “The dishes will be there in the morning” Well DUH of course they will, how many men wash them! So in saying all this I just want everyone to revaluate the way they use their time, is it with the things that matter, or are you spending most of it stressing and not cherishing?? I hope this is a word that would encourage someone!!

Psalm 144:4

I hope everyone had a good day today. Monday's are always so hard for us to get moving. I was extremely exhausted from all the work and cleaning I did on Sunday and trust me, I felt it!! Now I am only in my mid 30s but some days I feel like I am 60! Having small kids will wear a person out. I just love it when I feel like I have everything taken care of and I sit down and then I hear "Mom, josh spilled my milk" or "Mom, sissy stinks" and I know what that means! Its a never ending cycle of up and down. I do know though that as much as I am tired, I would not change it for the World! We live in a world where people just do not appreciate what they have, people don't have time for their kids, they don't have time for family PERIOD! I do not want to be that way. My goal in raising our kids is to raise them with strong family morals and to be close with one another, try to get along and appreciate each other, defend one another. We need more of that....We won't always get along, that doesn't mean we still can't love and appreciate each other. One day we will be gone and it's the memories we leave that will matter most. I want to leave good ones.

Beautiful Saturday

Well today my husband took and on call shift so me and the kids have done NOTHING. Aside from getting dressed and brushing our teeth we have literally, played all day, watched cartoons and now we are snacking....It feels so good....I hope you all are enjoying your weekend and relaxing. The weather is beautiful, just a bit too hot to take the little ones out without a pool. I don't think they could handle 90 some degree weather and no way to cool off. Maybe next year a pool is just what we need! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I will be back Monday for my blog!!

Guilt Free Home School!

Today started out as a sunny, hot day, and quickly turned into a thunderstorm with hail and dark skies. I had some things planned today and whenever it rains there is something about it that just makes me want to be lazy! I don't know if its in my head since so many think the same or is there really something about it?? Whatever it may be I did very little. I often feel guilty since we are home schoolers if I do not do something every minute of the day. Why is that? I am used to how a public school system works and therefore I compare what we do at home to what they do at school. That does not make sense does it, after all we home school because we don't either approve or like the way the public schools run. I need to drill in my head that its ok to just chill once in awhile, we all deserve to relax and be guilt free. I often feel like my need to always do something is because so many people judge me for our decision in home schooling our kids. Therefore I feel like I always need an answer as to what we did today or what we do tomorrow. I think one thing I am going to try to come to grips with this summer is, its ok to do NOTHING!! It really is.....It is not hurting anyone! We are home schooling all year round so there is PLENTY of room for learning...Relax, I need to relax and trust God that I am making the best choices for our kids. This will be hard for me but I am willing to try!! Pray for me in this area :)

Justice?

I can't help today but struggle with our Justice system, its a disgrace it seems to me. I am so tired of holier then though people saying things to me like "Well its not our place to judge"! Well whose place is it then? Are we not allowed to hate sin here on earth, are we not allowed to pray that justice be served for a child who was murdered? Is that asking to much? Does that make us judgmental and casting stones? I remember that King David prayed for justice. Was that wrong, a man after Gods own heart? We are human, we parents look at our children and cannot help but only touch the tip of what a loss would feel like if they were taken. I am allowed to be angry at that, I am allowed to be angry because a 3 year old was murdered. What would it say if we did NOT become angry. It only shows me that the end times are drawing near. In the end people are hard, they have no sympathy, only care about themselves and what feels good. Lets not hurt anyones feelings. I am sick of it. I am tired of feeling like I have to walk on egg shells because I am a "christian" YES the ultimate Justice will come from GOD and that is the only true justice we will ever get and that is the only justice those who walk free on earth may get. Better them then me. I would much rather stand before a jury of my peers then the God of the universe. He IS just. So today I learned that the God of the Universe, the maker of EVERYTHING will see that justice be served. Its in his hands. It doesn't mean that I am not upset about how our earthly justice system has failed. God does not and will not. He can't. Luke 18~ "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

God's word endures forever

1 Peter 1:23~25 "The grass withers and the flowers fade but the word of the Lord endures forever." I am so glad that in life we have the word of God that will never fail. It is so wonderful to have a book of promises by the God of the Universe that we can trust. When men fail us, family and even closest friends we can go to the Lord.......As a parent I know that when we have our children there is no book on how to raise them, no list of what to do and what not to do. We go by our natural instinct and what is right. I am so glad that Gods Word is our book of what to do and what not to do in this life. Its hard to abide by it all the time, we are human. Its nice that we have something that we can go to and will lead us and will never fail us. We just need to listen and obey it and him as well.

A home in Heaven

Good Morning.How is everyone today? I hope great! This is my morning scripture I want to share with you...John 14 "Let not your hearts be troubled, Trust in God; Trust also in me. In my Fathers house are many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. If I go to prepare a place I WILL come back and take you with me..." How great is that! To think that the Lord is creating a place for us so that one day we will all be together. A huge family reunion! Wow, I think this scripture is so awesome. I have often wondered, "what will we do in eternity" do you think we will get bored? I think it will be so awesome to not only meet the Lord but David, Abraham and Mary.....I can imagine we will want to sit and talk for hours....Will there be coffee and food in heaven? Oh I hope so. I think that all the things like eating and drinking here on earth we will do there too. So many questions I have about it and the bible does not really tell to much about how it will be when we get there, like what we will do. Of course we will worship the Lord which will be the best but will I be able to hang out with my parents and kids? I hope so too! What are some of your thoughts on it??

I love Sunday's

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this time everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another".

There is something about Sunday's that I just LOVE. To me Sunday is the one day that you get together with Family and go to Church, have a big dinner and relax and enjoy one another's company. Our family ALWAYS went to Church on Sundays then Grandma's after for a big yummy dinner, it was like a holiday. I want to carry that on to my kids. Traditions are very important to me. I love the idea of one day my kids saying "We used to do this when I was a kid". I want to pass down good things that will bring the family close. Unfortunately in the world today, so many families are not close. We need to love one another and get along. God gave us one another for a reason and even though we don't always see eye to eye we still need to love one another. I hope all of you had a great Sunday and many more great ones to come! I am going to post the recipe and pics tomorrow of our Yummy Dinner we had, Hillbilly Spaghetti.......It was our first time making it and it was so yummy!!!!!! God Bless!!!!

Edie's Yummy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My husband has been helping me today to make my grandmother's yummy pineapple upside down cake. There is nothing better then a passed down recipe and sharing it with others. My grandmother is gone now and everytime I make this it reminds me of her so much, I have alot of recipes from her that do that. Its really easy. You will need a yellow cake mix, pineapple chunks and slices, cherries, brown sugar, eggs, oil and butter....Oh and don't forget the best part is the cast iron skillet to bake it in :) Use the cake directions as it says except you omit the water and substitute it for the juice from the pineapples, you also want to add the drained pineapple chunks to the cake mix, you need to coat your skillet with butter and once you do that spread brown sugar on it and layer your pineapple slices and put cherries in the middle. Pour your cake batter into the pan. The cake needs to bake a little longer then the time says, usually around 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let it cool when its done before you try to flip it from the skillet...This is also one of my hubby's favorite cakes as well..........Enjoy!!

Grandma Edie's YUMMY pineapple upside down Cake
Gather all the stuff you need
Rub skillet with butter, add brown sugar and pineapples and cherries
Mix the Cake and pour
Bake in the oven at 350 for 45 min or so
I hope you enjoy!!!

The "Good ol Days"

I have often thought about how we live today compared to when my mom was younger and I can't help but think today times are very hard. Today the price of things make it to where most families need 2 incomes to stay above water. That is so hard. Whats going to happen when 2 incomes are not enough? Here is a list of things I came across today about the price in 1955 for some things.

1955:

Car:$1,950

Gas:29 cents/gal

House:$17,500

Bread:18 cents/loaf

Milk:92 cents/gal

Stamp:3 cents

Average Annual Salary:$5,000

Minimum Wage:75cents per hr

WOW!!! Is it even possible that people could survive on that? Yes, I guess it is!! Sometimes I wish that I was growing up during this time, when Sundays consisted of Church and Dinner with the WHOLE family, picnics, family game nights, you could let your kids play outside and not stand at the window hawking them like a stalker!! They really seem like the "Good ol Days" to me. I hear many people argue that it only seems worse today then back then because of technology, the TV, internet, news channels, Law shows ect....While that may be true to some extent I do know one thing and that is the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:1-4 that "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, WITHOUT LOVE, unforgiving, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather then lovers of God". WOW

That is a list! I do believe though as time goes by it gets worse, the Bible says so. I am sure there are many reasons why, I personally think pornography is a huge reason why, people lust after anything and everything. Envy is a huge problem, money is something that there seems is never enough and that leads to ALL kinds of problems, robbery and murder. People kill for their own desires. I know there is a reason I am living in these days, God has a reason. I do sometimes wish it was in another Era, but, I am happy where I am. When watch the news it really worries me, it concerns me for the world my kids are growing up in, it worries me for the kind of friends and people they will come across. All we can do is pray, pray that when Jesus does return we are ready. In the meantime I will pray that we are kept safe and we try to be pleasing to him. I will pray for our Country and the innocent children in the World and pray for all people in general. The ends times are going to only get worse, its hard to imagine things could get worse but they will. I am glad we have hope. Jesus is our Hope.

Summer

Is anyone doing anything fun this Summer? Any good vacations? We are trying to figure out what we can all do, its hard when you have a 10 year old and then 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 year old. Their likes are very different. We have been doing some swimming which we all love and since we will still continue school until September, we are not going to be taking any trips. I would love to take them to Yogi Campground in September, we love it there. The first time we went it rained the whole weekend and we were kinda stuck in the cabin but it was SO FUN! We had limited TV and internet. We still roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. I realize its the little things that we do that bring the most memories. The quiet times we spend together just enjoying each other are priceless. I often think about when I was a child and the memories I have. We didn't do big vacations of Disney World and things like that because my parents could not afford it. However, we did do were things like fishing, camping, cookouts and amusement parks. So fun! I look back now as an adult and I didn't have a care in the world. What good times. I want my kids to have great memories no matter what we are doing. One day memories are all we have and I want them to be good.

Father's Day

This weekend we will do our Father's day ritual which consist of going to see my dad, the kids and I will make their daddy a card, we love making home made ones. We will have good food and relax with the family. I am blessed to have a good Father and I have a great husband and he's a great father. I realize that not everyone is so blessed to have that, some Fathers have passed away, others are not a part of their lives. It is very sad to see how many people there really are that deal with this. For the believer we have the comfort in knowing that God is our Father, his word says in Psalm 68:5 that he is "a Father to the Fatherless." So no matter what our earthly relationship or lack of may be, we know that we have a Father in heaven who loves us and who will always be there unconditionally. I pray that everyone has a blessed weekend!!

Holy

Romans 12:1~3 says that we are to "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice , holy and pleasing to God. We are not to conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds." I struggle daily with this, I am not even gonna try to fool myself and say I don't. It is a daily struggle to to keep our minds in clear thinking, with the struggles of life it is very easy to get side tracked. I need to remind myself daily who I am in Christ and that I am worthy of his grace and mercy. Our flesh is a hard thing to die to. I want to live a Holy life and be pleasing to God. I want people to see Jesus in me and I want to set an example for him. There is nothing worse then making a 1st bad impression and how are we to share the love of Jesus with others if our lives are not pleasing to him. When I meet someone I want them to say "There is something different about her". I remember as a teenager going to church, we went faithfully, and I became friends with the pastors daughter. Well, I would look at her and almost be envious because she seemed so sweet, pure and had a glow I could not put my finger on. Now that I am older and I have formed my own relationship with the Lord I know that the "glow" I could not put my finger on was Jesus. I want to live in that. Its the best place to be, its a safe place, a place where there is hope. I want others to be in that place as well. My prayer is that the Lord help me to live that holy pleasing life for him. I pray that you do as well.

Steven Curtis Chapman on Early Show

What a wonderful family and Steven is a great singer, for many years he has blessed people with his music. I can't imagine what the family has went through. I love this song "Cinderella"

"Because of the Lords great Love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I WILL wait for him." Lamentations 3:22~24

What a day!

Well today was one of those day's where it was so hectic! It was like everything was out of order, the laundry was piled up, the kids were whiney, school was taking forever and I just could not think straight for one second! I almost gave up at one point and was going to just stop everyone and put the books aways and put a cartoon in and be done! I remembered though I cant just stop when I am not feeling like I can make it. I have kids, they need to have school and they have a routine, even if we are off sometimes we still try to abide by it.

Its so easy sometimes to just throw in the towel. The truth is , if you keep plugging along and make it over that hump its only downhill from there. So, we managed to get school complete, my oldest cleaned his room and the 2 youngest had nice naps :) And mommy got to sit and relax in the QUIET!! I am the kind of person that has to keep moving, if I sit to much I get tired and then its harder to get moving, but to sit and relax for an hour is more then enough to get me relaxed and ready for round 2! I was reading in the word and in 2 Thessalonians 3:6~10 Paul was talking about people being Idle and becoming lazy. I do not want to become that way, when we put things off and do not keep our hands busy we reach for other things to do, it could be too much talking which can lead to trouble and gossip or not finishing chores that are necessary to run your home. I have found in the past few months the busier I stay the better. With saying that we get tired and have crazy days and I don't think that will slow down until the kids get older, when they are young and we homeschool there is so much going on during the day. I am trying to cherish every moment even if it is a bit hectic :)

Galatians 6:9 is one of my favorite verses "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"

Trust

I was reading in Mark 9 this evening about the Father who brought his son to Jesus to be healed of a spirit he was tormented by. I can only picture it, a father wanting more then anything to have his precious child healed from something so horrific. Waiting and going to the Disciples only to be in the midst of arguing. Jesus came and asked them why they were arguing, and it was due to the fact that the disciples could not cast out the spirit. Jesus called them "unbelieving generation." The father then asked Jesus "if he could" do anything, would he? HA, That is laughable yet it is something that I myself have been guilty of! Would God really help me in my time of need? Would Jesus heal our loved ones, would he supply everything we need? So many times I have been an unbeliever and doubted God. Why is it that we think our God is so small? Its something that even 2,ooo years ago they struggled with the. Jesus said to the man that "ALL things were possible if you believe", the man said "I believe, help me with my doubt."

I must say that I can relate to that. I have so many times had a lingering doubt with things and I have had to ask the Lord to help me believe, I don't think that is a bad thing. I believe the Lord is there for everything we need, we are to be honest with him. Even if that means going to him and asking for his grace and mercy to help us trust and believe in him more. Jesus healed the boy. Jesus is compassionate and understanding. If we believe, all things are possible with God! That should give us the hope we need in this life, with God everything is going to be ok.

Forgiven!!

I THANK God that we are Forgiven!! I remember as a child I would say my prayers and ask God to forgive me a numerous amount of times DAILY! I would become so afraid that I would go to hell if something happened. I lived in a constant state of fear. I am so glad that as an adult I am learning about his Grace and that we are NOT perfect people. We are human, we make mistakes and we will continue to make them. The thing that sets us apart from others is that we believe in Jesus as being our Lord and Savior and we have that personal relationship with him.

This is not an excuse to sin, Romans 6:1 " Should we go on sinning so that Grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer?" I know that I am a sinner and everyday we have to strive to do our best and live a life pleasing to God. I mess up and still ask God daily to forgive me. I do not have that fear anymore though, since I understand that God is not a God that is ready to punish me at every little thing. I know he is a just God and will NOT tolerate sin and let us continue to get away with it. Its a daily walk, its a hard thing to die to the flesh that we are so comfortable in. I pray that God continue to help me be the best person I can be and be pleasing to him. When we stand before him I want him to say "Well done."

Memories

This Sunday we were supposed to try a new Church but my husband hurt his back and ended up at Patient 1st. We will go next Sunday though. I LOVE Sundays, I have great memories of them growing up and big family dinners. I try to so the same for my own family. Today we made a huge spaghetti and italian sausage dinner with garlic bread. Yum!

I can remember as a child my mother would take my brothers and I too church every Sunday morning and night. She also took us Wednesdays and anytime the doors were open in between. I used to raise a fuss about going as I got older! I mean was she crazy making us go that much!! I was a teen and wanted to hang with my friends and sleep in I did NOT want to go to church. I mean there were shows I wanted to watch, "Who's the Boss", "Roseanne", "90210"! When I was there I can remember falling asleep in the pews MANY mornings. Ugh, what a brat I was!!

I can honestly say now that I am in my 30's that I am so thankful for the times that she made us. We were too young to make a wise decision and foolish and she made it for us. She did what she believed was best for us and it paid off! I hold firm to Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will NOT turn from it." I used to think she was crazy as she would quote that scripture. Now I find myself saying it with kids of my own. Its funny how we get much wiser with age and we start to see things from our parents point of view! I still cant believe I am saying that :)

My mother called me this morning to tell me that one of my brothers decided he would go to church this morning, alone, and he really enjoyed it! She was extremely happy! The most important thing we can pass on to our kids is the truth of God and his word and that they can always have that personal relationship with Jesus and he is forever faithful. When life gets us down and things go wrong we have a constant, and that is the Lord.

Thank God for Grandparent's

Today we went shopping with Mom Mom and she LOVES to buy the kids clothes which helps the parents so much!! Every year for Christmas my mom will buy TONS of summer clothes for the my kids and my nieces, I appreciate that so much! So many times these things that we "expect" begin to go unappreciated. I guess you can say at times we take things for granted. I pray that I do not become like that. I am thankful and pray that God continue to remind us of our blessings and all of the things we are to be thankful for. Its so easy to let things get overlooked due to our expectations and our wants.

Its very important that we appreciate people for what they do, their kindness toward us and most importantly be Thankful for our relationship with God. Above all else, he should be our number 1 priority and we need to Thank him for everything.

Psalm 100:4 "Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name."

Sympathy for Eve??

I have heard many times the comment "If it wasn't for Eve" that there would not be pain in childbirth, the bible never says that childbirth was without pain, it was made more severe though Genesis 3:16. Eves sin has trickled down. That is how sin is, there are consequences for it. However, I think that Eve is a woman who we should have sympathy for. Just try to picture her life, she is the first woman, wife, mother, grandmother, and mother in law...All these things except 1 is missing and that is "daughter". Eve had no mother to help guide her, give her advice, teach her to cook or be a good wife. Eve was on her own without the help from God. I wonder how I would be if I had no friends, family or a mother. Who in the world would I talk to! I bet Adam wished sometimes Eve would shut up! After all she had nobody else but him. Until, she became a mommy. Eve had her boys Cain and Abel...I bet she was so happy with being a mother, the 1st mother! I wonder how she dealt with all the issues of 1st time mothers, earaches, sickness, teething, fussiness and so on. There were no resources at all for Eve, she was literally going on natural instinct. Obviously as the boys grew there became issues between the brothers. I think we all as parents know how that feels, kids are fighting, screaming and yelling. We usually play referee and I am sure Eve had on many times as well. Except one day Eve wasn't there to play. The unthinkable happened. Murder. I can only imagine and I am sure that would not begin to touch the surface of how Eve felt to have had been the first mother to bury a child. That is so heartbreaking to me, I wonder did she have anyone to hold her while she cried, a person to talk to about her pain, someone to listen other then Adam? I love my husband and confide in him in everything but sometimes its nice to have that "girlfriend" that we can really open up too and she can also relate to us. I heard a pastor talk about the death of his child and said that there is NO emotion to go with the death of a child because its so unnatural, its natural for us to bury our parents, even our spouses but our kids that is just not the way things work. Eve has my sympathy. From one mother to another the pain that she suffered in the death of her child really makes me feel for her on a level that I have never thought before. So she usually gets the bad rap as the one who ruined it for everyone, and while there are forever consequences for our sin. I am thankful that we have Jesus and that we can be forgiven, saved and have that relationship with God. There are alot of women in the Bible that we look at for a way we should be, or what kind of life we want to model after. I can say that Eve is not one that I envy, but she has my sympathy.

Psalm 119:105

School's out for Summer!!!

Most kids are nearing the end of the School year. Its an exciting time, I can remember when I was in school marking down the days to have off and be free to sleep in, stay out later, and NO homework! Life was good! The situation for my kids is different, we are Homeschoolers and I have been debating back and forth to continue to school them OR have a summer vacation as well.

I think I have come to the conclusion that what we will do is continue to work through the summer and our vacation will begin September. This works good for my family right now since we also have a 28 month old and a 17 month old. Not much to do outside in the heat with the little ones except we do go swimming at mom mom and pop pops on weekends. I love the fall and there is so much we can go and do. I swear I don't know if its just me or what but the summers seem to keep getting hotter and hotter! Maybe as kids we are just so oblivious to all that stuff but it sure feels like its hotter to me!

So with that being said I was pleasantly surprised when our son agreed with the plan. Sometimes in life you just never know!! I am looking forward to some fun things that we can get into this summer to incorporate with our school books and I would love to find a good children's bible study that we could work on as well. I hope and pray that God continue's to give me strength in teaching School to them.

I hope that all of you have a great summer and do lots of fun things with the family. Stay cool:)

Prayer

This weekend turned into a crazy one! Started out smooth sailing then by Monday and 2 trips to Patient 1st, ER, and an Orthopedic Surgeon we were wore out! Wow, sometimes things look like they are moving perfectly then BAM it hits ya!

So, it was a possibility that our 10 year old had appendicitis so naturally I was very scared of that, turned out to be a stomach flu...Our 16 month old little girl thinks she can run with the best of them and somehow dislocated her arm. I was very worried about her as well...It breaks your heart to see one of your kids in pain, even if its something as small as a broken finger it still hurts. It reminded my of the scripture in Phillipians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING by prayers and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God." I find it extremely comforting to know that we sever a God who cares about the smallest things in our lives. I never feel ashamed or embarrassed to go to him about ANYTHING..it doesn't matter the issue is he is always there waiting.

So many times I think people feel like their problem isn't big enough to get God's attention and that holds them back from the little things in life. Don't let it! Don't ever let anything hold you back from BOLDLY going before God. Hebrews 4:15 "For we do NOT have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses , but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find Grace to help us in our time of need." I am so glad that we have a God who above all else can sympathize with us, to me that means the most. There is nothing greater then having that close relationship with someone that you feel so safe to tell them anything and you are never afraid of judgement, ridicule, laughing, mocking or whatever other emotions that hold you back from opening up. I only pray that I can become the kind of person who is like that.

Thank's for everyones prayer's today. Our daughter has a dislocated elbow and the Doctor said it should be ok but it can happen. I was trusting God it would be nothing serious. I guess it can alway's be worse but it scares you when something is wrong, anything when it comes to your kids. I am praying she sleeps tonight. The Doctor said we need to keep the arm still, HA, she is 16 months old, not happening! I will try my best though. Again, thanks for the prayers and PRAY she sleeps and gets her rest so she can be good as new!!! I hope you all have a great night!

Good Afternoon. I hope everyone is having a great end to a wonderful weekend! We had a great weekend. Did alot of good family stuff and now we are ending it with our oldest at patient 1st with my husband. He is having some stomach pains on his left side. I am home praying he is fine and I think he may have pulled a muscle, they can hurt very bad. Psalm 23:1 "The Lord IS my Shepherd, I shall NOT be in want." I hope you all enjoy the rest of the day.

Raising Children

Today we had a nice family day, the weather was perfect, the kids were WELL behaved and my hubby had off of work. So many times we get so busy that those kinds of moments are far and few between. Its nice to take the kids out and spend good time doing something that they enjoy, showing them that what they like to do is important too.

So we had off of School today and that was a great break for me too! Yesterday during School I was talking to my oldest about the scripture 1 Timothy 4:12 "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I had a chance to talk about things that make them feel like they are less important because they are younger, I got their point of view that they do feel like they have a disadvantage because of age. I was able to share the scripture and what it meant and let him know that just because he is young he has other siblings that he sets an example for, family members and neighborhood friends and the list goes on. I love it when I am able to have the opportunity to get the other point of view.

Time goes by so fast, they years seem to fly. I am so glad that we are able to share these things with our children and we are able to talk about Gods word whenever we want and how we can apply it to our lives. I love watching how they interact with others and I can see the different traits that the Lord has given them and its so awesome to watch them grow. I will always remind my children to NEVER let anyone look down on them for anything! Especially age, they are just as important as the next.

Be angry and Sin not

I was doing some reading this morning and came across Psalm 37:8~9

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret~it leads only to evil.” I thought to myself about how many times I have been so angered and mad about things. I just could not believe that would lead me to evil. My thinking was “well I am angry, I want to sulk in it awhile then maybe I will be over it. Time will tell” Well the Bible clearly states that we CAN be angry, just don’t let it take hold of us. Get over it fast, do not let the sun go down on it. We do not want to let satan have a foothold on anything. If we sit and let it fester in us that even makes you angrier. Have you ever heard someone say the expression “I just want to stew awhile” well that means to sit and dwell on the issue at hand. Anger is like a cancer. Its no good! We all get mad at one another and have issues but we need to get to the root quickly, say how we feel and MOVE forward.

I know its much easier said then done, its something that we need to pray and ask God to help us with. I don’t think its something that over night you just become a person who will forgive and move quickly over things, its a process and with God’s help and his mercy we can become people who when angry confront, deal with the issue, and move forward. This is not to say that we become a door mat, there is a time when we are treated wrongly and become angry that we may need to step back away from the person and allow God to do a work in them. We are not to be treated badly and just accept it. We need to pray for that person.

So I think the bottom line is, its ok to get angry, its a normal emotion. We are not to let it take hold of us. It WILL lead to evil. We are not to let it sit in us and control our lives. We need to give it to God. Trust him, and pray that he would help us to move past and forgive. It does nothing for you to dwell on it. The problem is, we are the ones angry and the person that made you feel this way has no idea and they are going about their lives like everything is fine. Don’t let it ruin or steal your joy. Don’t let it take one minute of your life. My prayer is that God would help me if or when I am angered to confront the person, deal with the issue and move forward!

I hope this was of some encouragement to somebody. I know that it has opened my eyes a little more into what anger is capable of doing to us.

I love to see the kids playing so content with themselves.......If it only lasted. :) We need to come up with some creative ideas for crafts......I am on the lookout...I did find a good craft for Easter Crosses out of clay. I think we will try that. Its fun for my 2 year old to join in too.

BEAUTIFUL Day out! I am loving the weather, have the windows open, been doing some spring cleaning along with Homeschool. Now I cant wait too see the flowers blooming although my son does have allergies so not so excited for that. I guess its time to get the Zyrtec out!!!!

Good Morning........I am praying that I can blog more and learn more about blogging. I would love to be able to show our homeschool work and things we do this summer with the kids...I hope everyone has a great day. We have alot to do.

Good Morning, I can't wait until Spring. I am so ready to take the kids outside and smell the fresh air......I am looking at Curriculums for next year already. My son will be a 5th grader! Where does the time go??? We love Homeschooling our kids, our little one who is 2 is learning so much just by watching his older brother. Its such a blessing to be the one who gets to show them and teach them their shapes, numbers and colors. Everything.. I am very blessed.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Psalm 103:8