Do You Really KNOW Who Your Friends Are?

You would think by now, since I’m 40 years old, that I’d have figured out this thing called “Friendship.” Perhaps I have so many hang-ups and insecurities when it comes to others because I still have that “middle school girl friendship mindset” at times. You may recognize it as, “I’ll be your friend if you don’t hang out with that other person,” or “I won’t be your friend because you talked to her.” Girl friendships while growing up are unpredictable and difficult. Nerve wracking. And I’ve learned to NEVER put girls together in groups of 3′s. (That can be disastrous in the classroom!) Girls really can be mean to each other.

Advice for the Brand New Homeschool Mom

Choosing to homeschool is a HUGE decision. It is a change of lifestyle that touches each person in your home. If you are on the brink of the homeschooling plunge, then I want to encourage you with this seasoned advice from other homeschool families:

Our calendar wall

Relax…you are your child’s best teacher.

Breathe!                     

God gives you enough time in the day to do what He wants you to do. If you don’t have time for everything (including sleep), you’re doing too much! And that is not how He wants you to live!

Take the first 18 months to figure out what works for you and your students. Make lots of changes at that time.

It’s ok to not finish a whole workbook – you can even change curriculum after a week if you want to…you get to make the decisions that are best for your child!

Don’t expect perfection. You are learning, just like they are.

Pray and Trust God because he will give you those little moments that you need to keep going.

From My Family to Yours: Our 2012 Christmas Card

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family!!  This year, we went to work, raised kids, went to church, updated Facebook, etc.  The highlights for this year have been the little moments.  Here are some of our favorites!

Dad: Ok kids. Let’s review. What is entropy?
RB: Moo moo pies!
Sweet Cheeks: Jesus!

Do You Vote the Way God Would?

We have an election coming up tomorrow. It’s a big day in the life of the United States. It seems that the loudest voices are heard, the media is a circus, and poor Ohio is inundated by political commercials.

So many times we Christians say, “We need to pray for our country.  It’s headed in the wrong direction.” But do we really do this? I mean, I’m not sure I remember the last time I prayed for Obama, or Hillary, or my state Governor.

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” ~ I Timothy 2:1-2

Issues are important: the economy, health care, abortion, foreign policy, education…but so many times we only consider issues that affect us directly. It’s hard to consider local, state, national, and international events and issues as the God of the universe does.

A wise man told me yesterday that no matter what happens tomorrow, God’s plan and mission will still be the same. For Christians, we should have ONE main purpose and mission.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” ~ I Timothy 2:3-5

Halloween with My Silly Family

Halloween can be a taboo issue in many Christian households. Some have nothing to do with it at all, others create their own haunted path in the woods and scare their kids out of their wits. We like to dress up in the costumes and try to get as much free candy as possible. We have found that the gold mine is our local fire station!!

The family at Awana before going to the fire station.

What did you do for Halloween?

12 Things to Say to Your Spouse Today

This weekend I learned how to be a better spouse. My husband and I are always on the look-out for practical things we can do towards each other to enrich our marriage. He might listen to a podcast. I might do a Bible study. We’re different in how we learn, but this weekend we went to a Marriage Retreat. It was wonderful! We got away from the kids for a few days. We were up in the beautiful mountains with the changing leaves. It was really nice.

We had a few keynote speakers and I will share more about what we heard and learned in later posts, but when I heard this list of encouraging statements we can tell our spouses from Mark Merrill, my ears pricked up and I knew I wanted to share them with you, Readers.

Why Do Good Things Always Seem to Happen to Wicked People? (Psalm 73)

Have you ever questioned this? How can God, who sees everything, allow evil people to be successful? It’s frustrating to watch the news, or even go through every day life and not get embittered toward people who, obviously, have nothing to do with God; and yet they are successful beyond belief. The example that comes to my mind is a high school friend of mine who speaks horribly against God and Christians. This individual was a successful banker before the economy collapse and he lost everything, accept a large bank account. I don’t think he’s had a job in 2 years. I get so frustrated with him at times!

It Pays to be “Old School”

Now that the kids are a little bit older, we’ve initiated “Family Movie Nights” into our schedules. Every month or so we choose a “good” kids’ movie, we all pile onto the bed, and snuggle while we eat popcorn. Now, I know the word “good” is relative, and my standards for TV watching, in general, are pretty high. But I have decided that if I can find the OLD Disney movies, the REAL Classics, then that would be a good start.

14 Truths Parents Need to Know

There are so many times that I feel defeated as a parent. It’s wearisome day in and day out to fix healthy meals, drive the kids where they need to go, and discipline in such a way that I don’t scar the children for life. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of joyous times as well, and I love my job! But there are moments of frustration when I really need my own moment of intervention. And as a Christian, I forget to turn to the One who can intervene for me.

I need to tell myself Truth every day. I need it engraved upon my heart. As a Christian, I have the power of the Holy Spirit within me. Why am I walking around with a long face and defeated attitude? Lies. I keep listening to lies instead of meditating on God’s Truth. Maybe you need some of these Truths as well.

May I Encourage You? – Stick it Out and Pass the Test

Tonight is the last night of Vacation Bible School. VBS is fun, exciting, and exhausting. Lives are changed. God moves. It’s wonderful, but service to others can become draining.

And there are so many things in life that are draining. Trials can just suck the life out of people.

But we Christians are called to persevere.