The Joy of Folding Laundry

We all have our own feelings about things like dishes, vacuuming, dusting, and laundry (folding/putting away). I'm not going to get into all of that right now. I wanted to share one reason why I like to fold laundry with the hope that it would be an encouragement to you and perhaps spur you on to love and good deeds. :)

Years ago I came across this bookmark published by Navigators that shared 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids.  I also happened to find a blog post on praying for your children that had this prayer calendar from Inspired to Action. The calendar was adapted with permission from Bob Hostetler, the man who wrote the bookmark. So, after a while of realizing that I needed to figure out a way that I could actually USE this calendar instead of just keeping it nicely folded in my Bible, I decided to type it up large enough so that I could read it while it was hanging on the wall. I made it pretty to look at and taped it on the basement walls and washer which aren't always pretty to look at. Then as I pull clothes out of the dryer to fold I pick a prayer and begin praying it for each person (whoever "owns" the item I am folding...even myself). :) Anyway, I don't always have time to enjoy folding laundry, but making laundry folding time a time of more concentrated and intentional prayer has been no less than a delight. So click through on the links above and get your own calendars and start praying! Here are some photos to inspire you. :)

 

 

And this is who I'm praying for: 

 

 

I have a little boy...

I have a little boy. He really is a super sweet little boy. Sometimes, however, I don't understand little boy ways and I get frustrated. For instance, I'll ask my boy to help clean up. When I turn around I see him slowly working with one hand...the other hand is tightly clutching some special toy that he doesn't want anyone else to get. This almost always makes me angry. I try to explain to him that he can't clean as well when he is holding onto something and only using one had. He would be able to work much more efficiently if he had both hands free. I pray that this doesn't reflect how selfish he is, that he can't even set one little toy down for fear that his sisters will snatch it away. Over and over I explain this to him, day after day, it doesn't help. He doesn't understand. I don't understand.

So, one night when we had a chance to discuss some different things, I shared this with my husband. I want to be understanding.

By wisdom a house is built, 

by understanding it is established. 

Proverbs 24:3

The Lord suddenly, clearly filled my mind with understanding. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned here, bit by bit, little by little, about letting go, surrendering. Just as Abraham believed in the Lord and was willing to let go of his only son as a sacrifice on the altar, we too need to let go of whatever it is that we are holding to too tightly. What is my Isaac? What is it that I need to let go of in order to be more useful to the Lord? Could my boy slowly learn this lesson too, just as I am slowly learning it?

OR could there be a good side to this boy habit? I only call it a boy habit because I've only ever seen little boys do this...I'm sure there are little girls who must do it too though...I'm a big girl and I do it to- in a different way, a heart way. I began to reflect the wisdom that Jean Fleming shares in her book A Mother's Heart.

In one part of the book, she encourages moms by reminding them that there are usually two sides to everything. Yes, your child might be very messy, but perhaps that means she's also very creative. Not that we can overlook the bad habits of being messy, but that we should be careful to also see the good in our children. So, I began to think what this habit could reflect other than selfishness! 

Perhaps there is a good quality in that part of my boy that drives me crazy that I'll one day rejoice about! Perhaps, he's being protective. If he is this protective of this little toy now, will he grow to be a protective brother, son, husband, and father? I pray he will!

Thank you Lord for giving me understanding in this matter! I won't be so quick to scold him now. Now, I can address him as I ought rather than responding in frustration. I still need to teach him to set his toy down so that he can do the job well, but instead of sharply snatching it away myself or putting it out of his reach as a punishment for being selfish, I can encourage him to set this toy that he wants to protect somewhere safe, so that he can use both hands and work diligently. 

416. lessons learned from little boys

417. Selah's big hugs

418. baby sign language

419. unexpected help

420. warm baby cheeks with heads and eyes still heavy with sleep

421. a new coat

422. the helpful advice of my children

423. privilege of praying for friends

424. a chorus of birds singing outside my window

425. bright sun breaking through heavy gray winter clouds

425. winter walks

426. new fabric

427. clean rooms...even if but for a night

428. the smell of fresh roasted coffee

429. lingering evidence of a good workout

430. beanbag chairs, books, and bedtime

431. This poem by Irene Foster (taken from the book mentioned above)

Today's the day!

        

Today is the day!

Today, Mayme is excited to throw away all her diapers and wear big girl underwear! I'm going to take the next three days and spend a lot of focused time with her to work on potty training. It is time. She is ready! So, pray for us!  :)  I'm going to turn off my computer and phone and get rid of distractions, to help ensure our success. We are all excited and ready...and a little nervous. This is such a good thing though and it is definitely time. Still, please pray for us. :)  This is our third attempt. The other times, I know part of the reason for failure was our fault. This time I'm gleaning from the wisdom in this potty training method. 

I didn't want to JUST post something about potty training though. So, as a blessing to you, head on over to Ann Voskamp's blog, "A Holy Experience", and check this out. I love this so much that I printed out the printable version and laminated it! Hope you enjoy it and are blessed by it too!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Talk to you soon!

Perfectionism?

Are  you a perfectionist? Am I? I'm afraid to answer that question...probably because I wouldn't answer it perfectly. :)  Do I expect my kids to be perfect? I think sometimes I do. Where did I ever get the notion that I would have kids who obeyed me perfectly? Where did I ever get the idea that I would be able to train them to obey immediately and perfectly? Do I really believe that? I think that sometimes I do. Why else do I get so frustrated and upset when they don't? 

Now, obedience is important! I DO believe we need to train and teach our children. However, I know for myself, somewhere along the way, my mind, my heart, tends to lose focus of what the real goal is. Instead of training them and leading their hearts to see the Lord in everything, I slip and want them to be perfect...to make it easier for me. Instead of seeing their mistakes and sins as great teaching and learning opportunities, I sigh at the inconvenience it is going to cause me. I'm tempted to throw in some explanations and cover-ups, lest I really make myself sound THAT bad, but then I'm reminded. I am sinful. Sin is ugly. 

There are a LOT of parenting books out there. I don't want to mention any of them because I know my focus is to focus too much on this book or that book and lose the bigger picture. However, I do want to give credit to the person where the idea for this helpful chart came from. While I never read his book, our Sunday School class went through a DVD series on the book, Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Tedd Trip. (And actually you can buy DVD's of the teaching on Amazon!) Anyway, as the title suggests, a lot of the focus here is on the child's heart. So many times we try to only deal with the behavior. Ted talks about how you can't just put good fruit on a bad tree and expect that to make a difference, inside, the tree is still bad. 

So, I made this chart to hang up in our room...a nice private place where a lot of our discipline and training talks can happen without embarrassment. These are charts that Tedd used in the videos. 

At first, I mostly used this chart with Lucy and Jude, but now, it is really hitting home with Mayme. Even, if I just remind her and ask her where her heart is, is it clean or is she sinning, a light goes on in her head (sometimes). Sometimes, she even runs to the piece of paper and tells me where she is on it. 

This first part, explains that when we have sin in our heart, we will consequently behave badly. When our heart is clean, right with the Lord, free of sin, our behavior will reflect that as well. Now, notice that you can't immediately go from bad behavior to good behavior, or from good to bad. You have to go up through the heart, and even through the cross. You make a decision of what you will do with Christ. 

The bottom of the chart explains Ephesians 6:1 and Deuteronomy 5:16. When, the child is in the circle of honoring and obeying, he is safe. When he chooses to disobey and step out of that circle, he is in danger. 

Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” And my role as a parent is to keep my child safe and bring them back into the circle. 

If you want further explanations of how I use these charts, you can contact me. They are pretty self-explanatory, which is the point, even our 3 year old understands them. Sometimes she even tries to tell stories about them and change their meaning. :) haha This is one thing I don't want her to confuse though, so I straighten the story out and she finishes it correctly. And of course, it is a good reminder for me as well. Where is my heart? Where is your heart? 

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 23:19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.

I didn't mean to upload this picture, it just was there. :) What a good reminder. Have fun and enjoy those kids! They are just kids. It is not my job to make them perfect people,
but to help shepherd their hearts and direct them to their Shepherd.

Oh yeah, one more thing...going back to the perfectionist thing. (How's that for a summary statement? :)
God, who we all agree is the ONLY perfect parent, has children who go astray and rebel against him.

Isaiah 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the LORD has spoken:
“Children^a have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.

So why would I think I could do a better job and expect my children to behave perfectly? This is a good reminder to go back to the heart of the issue. Lord, where is my heart?

Little flowers all in bloom...

So, have you heard that Andrew Peterson is coming to Baraboo? That's right! Saturday, April 16th at 7:00pm...I just need to find a babysitter. :) I don't want to ask anyone because I want everyone to go to the concert! You can buy your tickets here. So, while we're talking about Andrew Peterson, let me share a little bit about why I enjoy his music so much. GREAT LYRICS!!! I really appreciate the way his songs bring my focus and attention to the Lord, encourage me in the Lord, and help me align my thoughts with truths from the Bible. I also really appreciate how he writes songs about his wife and kids!! I love that actually! I love it when it is just so evident that people love their spouses and children! What a blessing that he even shares his love for his family with the world through his music because we can relate to those songs with our families. So, want to know some of my favorite lyrics of his? Well, I'm going to share...here they are:
From the song "Don't Give Up on Me" from the album Resurrection Letters, vol. II

Now I wake up in a golden dream: angel voices in the rooms where the children run, all covered in light.

From the song "World Traveler" from the album Counting Stars

Tonight I saw the children in their rooms

Little flowers all in bloom

Burning suns and silver moon

And somehow in that starry sky

The image of the Maker lies

Right here beneath my roof tonight

Don't you just love that? I love keeping these lyrics in mind...it's easy when the kids are acting lovely...it's extremely helpful when they're acting not-so-lovely. It helps me remember what a gift, a blessing they really are. They are so precious. They bear the image of their Maker.

Changing subjects a bit...Recently some friends gave Jude a good size toy fire truck because they had two. He was so excited about it. It wasn't long after that he came to us and said that he wants to be a Fireman when he grows up. :)  Tonight he came and told me, "Mom, you know what I really want to do when I grow up? That God wants me to do? Be a Fireman! I prayed about it and asked God that I wanted to be that, and I heard His voice speak to me and He said yes!"  So cute!! I'm a little nervous about the reality of that right now, but if it does in fact happen, I know I can trust in God's abundant grace to get me through. Anyway, so cute. Had to share. He is having a "cute day" today. This morning (and all day) he wanted to wear his shoes in the house because that's what Daddy does. (They don't understand that we have too because our feet ache if we don't. :)   Then at lunch he said that he never wants "to shoot a Mommy or Daddy deer with his bow and arrow only things that are built." :) He doesn't want to hurt the deer. We'll see if that changes as he grows because you all know that I wouldn't mind the extra meat in the house. :) But if not, that's just fine. 

Well, I better stop. It certainly is nice to enjoy a sweet boy day though...especially after a week of grumpy sick kids (and mama). But, yeah...buy tickets to the concert and I'll see you there!

Breakfast in Bed, Mary Cassatt

If this post is too long for you to read, just skip down and read the last paragraph. Sorry, I tried to not write too much because who has time to read long posts like this.  Just don't miss the quote at the bottom. :)  Heather

Frustration has set in. I know how a two year old feels when she wants something but doesn't have the words to express herself. I want to write. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head but have the hardest time getting them to flow correctly on "paper". Suddenly, however, I feel the desire to write growing, so I'm going to try. Perhaps this is the moment of inspiration.

Where to begin? Too many choices. I'll just begin with this thought and hope it makes sense.

Recently, I heard a pastor on the radio speaking basically about being "intentional" when it comes to turning from our sins. I don't remember who he was or everything he said, but what I do remember was how he explained that we make lists and plans for so many things like going to the grocery store, ordering product online, gift purchases, daily tasks, etc. I am a list maker myself, so this caught my attention. We make lists and plan out our steps for these "trivial" things, however, when it comes to something big, like trying to change a bad habit or a sin of ours, we often don't think about it beyond the small superficial prayer that we offer up. This of course isn't always true, but often it is. I know this is true for me in many areas of my life. Let me go further.

After I had Mayme, about 6 months after I had her, I found myself, well, I suppose you could say in a state of depression almost. I don't know what technically qualifies for depression, but I certainly was struggling. I would have sudden outbursts of anger toward my children and even towards Tyson. I had a VERY hard time controlling myself. These times came in waves I began to see with my hormones fluctuating. I knew that something needed to change or I was going to become destructive. I seriously was going to call my doctor and ask for medication to help control these waves I was feeling. I understood completely how and why that medication is necessary at times for certain people and looked on them in a new light of understanding and sympathy. Sometimes, that kind of help IS necessary. After praying more in that moment of frustration while I sat on our stairway trying to calm myself down, I felt the Lord nudging me and telling me to try to exercise first. Part of the reason I was so frustrated was because I hadn't lost any weight since my two week check-up. I also knew that exercising can have a big impact on your overall well being...emotions, hormones, etc. So, probably the next day, I started working out and determined to stick with it. It helped tremendously! I immediately began to feel better and little by little things came under control.

Needless to say, with Selah's arrival I've been waiting for this to return and determined to NOT let it take over as it did before. I've been watching and praying and hoping and wishing and purposing in my heart. While, I'm not anywhere close to where I was before, I have been having some problems. I think though this time it is more normal. I have only been able to gently exercise randomly. That will come with time I know.

Last week though I noticed more struggles surfacing. I don't want you to think that I yell at my kids all the time in private because I know rarely do you hear me yell in public, and if I did you would argue with me and say it isn't yelling (because I'm pretty sure I used to tell my mom that that tone of voice I was speaking with wasn't yelling. :-). Anyway, the anger and frustration behind it, in my eyes, makes it yelling. I have this struggle that most moms have, I think, where we don't address the "issue" properly when it should be addressed. We try all these quick fixes or just ignore it completely because either we are busy or lazy or selfishly don't want to stop what we are doing to take care of things. Yes, this happens to me too. Then my frustration and anger are allowed to build and build until I can't take it any more. Then, most of the time, I don't handle the situation correctly. Some of the time I do though and the results are glorious.

Yesterday, I sat down to create my list, my plan for tackling this problem. Not as easy as it sounds. I know that changing these attitudes and wrong behaviors that have been established in us over time, isn't always as easy as flipping on a switch. It also isn't something that we can do by ourselves. Anyway, I attempted to write down what I was struggling with and the consequences that action produced. Then, I tried to start finding some helpful verses for my struggle, hoping that as I prayerfully did this the Lord would lead me to some revelation. Time interrupted, time to stop, time to shower and get on with the "schedule", so I put my things away and moved on eagerly awaiting more study time tomorrow (which is today).

The morning began and after all that time thinking about my struggle, what did I do, but fall headfirst into it again! I failed miserably. Of course I knew I would still struggle and fail. I have a goal though that I'm running towards. I share this all partly for accountability, partly to gain your prayers, partly to encourage others struggling with the same things. We are not alone. We have a great high priest who understands our weaknesses, that we are but dust, and who intercedes for us. Think about that! Jesus at this very moment is praying to God the Father on your behalf! Wow! I don't think about that enough. I think that may be one reason we struggle so much: we are so busy thinking about our BIG problems that we make God so SMALL. It should be the other way around. When we make God BIG (or really just attempt to see Him as He really is) our problems become so SMALL. Things get put into proper focus. Our worship is directed towards God and not our issues. We become people of praise and thanksgiving rather than...the opposite.

That is who I want to be. That is what I want to do. I failed, but I'm getting back up and trying again. One thing I'm learning is how to fail and get up again. We often feel hopeless when we fail, but really failing can be a blessing in disguise. In the same way, being caught in sin is a blessing because it gives us an opportunity to repent and know God's grace. I read this last night in the book that I'm currently reading, "Jim White wrote recently, 'One of the devil's key strategies is to convince a Christian that God has no future for failures. The truth of the matter is, failure is sometimes the very experience that enables God to later use us and still get all the glory.' Properly viewed, weakness can be wonderful."

Now is the time...

You can barely see the puddle here, but we took a moment to enjoy it.
When we were done, the puddle was completely splashed away.
Go figure, the only puddle on the block was in front of our house. :)
God knew just where to put it. 

Now is the time to get things done...

     wade in the water, 

     sit in the sun, 

     squish my toes

     in the mud by the door, 

explore the world in a boy just four. 

Now is the time to study books, 

     flowers, 

     snails, 

     how a cloud looks;

     to ponder "up,"

     where God sleeps nights, 

why mosquitos take such big bites.

Later there'll be time

     to sew and clean, 

     paint the hall

     that soft new green, 

     to make new drapes, 

     refinish the floor--

Later on...when he's not just four.

                        Irene Foster           

                        "Time is of the Essence"

Enjoying life: a gift from God

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)

 ¹⁸ Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

"The Bath" Mary Cassatt

It has been a busy, long, stressful, tiring, hard month or so. Don't get me wrong, it has been full of great blessings and joy, but difficult nonetheless. 


Lately, I've found myself mostly tired and lacking joy in many areas. You would expect me to be tired of course, weary from the call of mothering a newborn and a 2yr old, and a 4 yr old, and a 6yr old with this body of mine that is slowly recovering from it's fourth major surgery. Sigh. I look around me though and KNOW that this calling, these precious possessions (if I can even call them that since they are the Lord's and not my own) are the wealth, the riches, that God has blessed my life with. I want to enjoy every minute with them...even the hard and weary ones. I don't want my lack of zeal to rub off on them. I don't want them to be burdened by my weariness, or worse feel that they are to blame for it. 

A friend of mine shared this verse from Ecclesiastes with me about a year or so ago. I don't even remember what the discussion was that brought the verse to her mind, but I do remember that this verse has stuck with me ever since then. I've been meditating on it all day today. Really, I want to paint it on every wall in my house to remind me to simply and fully enjoy and accept what the Lord has given me. I lack nothing that God in His grace can't give me to allow me to accept my lot and enjoy it too. "Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." God is so good. What a gift that not only did He give us life, but he wants us to enjoy it as well. 


Are you enjoying the life that God has given you? What is keeping you from enjoying it? I have lots of good reasons I could give you, but really no valid excuses for not having that joy overflowing in my life right now. I know that my sinful attitudes are to blame. I'm so thankful for being able to see this because now I can take the next steps to move from the darkness to the light.