21 Years ~ God's Grace...God's Gift ~ Marriage

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

21 Years Ago Today

Symbols of our marriage covenant...

By God's grace, a bond that has been forged and continues to be strengthened to this day...

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

endures all things. 

1 Corinthians 13:7

Blessed by His providence in making me a wife to this man and the mother of our seven children ~

Balm for Souls

Because He is faithful...because His way is perfect (because He is perfect)...because He loved me, before I loved Him...because in Him alone is hope and joy and peace...

May you be encouraged, as His word is my encouragement...
(emphasis added)

Psalm 16

You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A Miktam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."


3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.


4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.


5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.


6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.


7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.


8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.


9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.


10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.


11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Because of Him ~

Desire for a Fruitful Week ~ My To-Do List

Well, have you ever wondered what a day or week is like in our home?  I can tell you, not a day goes by that I don't have a list going.  As the summer quickly passes, so do the days I have to get things in order for our season of life and the days ahead.  So much to do, so little time...only the truth of the matter is, God daily gives us enough time to do all He directs us to do.

Okay, I have a lot I hope to accomplish this week and thought it would help keep me motivated and accountable if I did a To-Do List post...of course, the Lord will direct my steps this week (as He does every week).  As I typed out my book list, I already found myself analyzing it to see what could "realistically" be completed..."realistically" being that it will be a four day week for me, with three dependant little ones every day mixed into the equation (onewho is potty training - she's really doing it herself mostly...she couldn't wait for me any longer) and then I'll be down two of my older helpers on Monday and Tuesday.  Okay, with that real picture painted here goes...no rose colored glasses here.  :-)

To-Do List for the Week of July 12, 2010 (Monday – Thursday)

(with hopes to complete it through delegation and teamwork this week AND in addition to our normal daily chores)

Family:

o Take Mom on her errands Tuesday
o Read aloud to the children each day

Errands & Appointments:

o Water heater replacement on Monday
o Make appointments

Homeschooling:

o Complete a curriculum plan for each child (that would be three this year)
o Complete a Curriculum Fair Battle Plan to use on Friday & Saturday (and as I make online purchases
o Set up bins for each child to hold curriculum, school supplies, daily schedule, portfolio notebook for the current year, etc.
o Prepare folders/clipboards for each child to utilize during the Homeschool Convention on Friday & Saturday (older children: note taking supplies; younger children: “busy kits” to help occupy their time during workshops)
o Go through a growing corner of homeschool materials (3 baskets) and either put away, donate or sell
o Type a master sheet of all the curriculum, learning materials and books I desire to sell online (I’m doubting I will have enough time already.)
o Order Girls' Group curriculum

Home:

o Stay on top of laundry every day (wash, dry, fold, hang AND put away)
o Cook according to menu plan each day
o Work on menu plan for remainder of this month
o Work on a revised 4 week rotating menu plan (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack & dinner) for upcoming school year
o Clean off bedroom desk
o Organize movie bins (going through and determining what to keep, donate & sell)
o Clean sitting room which means:

1. Go through EACH toy bin and weed out excess to donate, give or trash
2. Go through book basket removing some and rotating summer fun reading books in (all remove excess to donate, sell or give away)
3. Thoroughly dust furniture & shelving
4. Thoroughly bleach the window tracks & wipe all paneling

o Go through each child’s closet & dresser drawers/clothes baskets to REDUCE, REORGANIZE and RELOCATE (via storage, donation or giving away)
o Front entry items to do:

1. Wipe all screen and aluminum framing, as well as ceiling
2. Clean side light windows
3. Prune plants
4. Polish door knocker
5. Create small sitting area (look for consigned chair/table)

o Clean inside of the refrigerator

Home maintenance:

o Install terra cotta bird bath
o Replace sensor light bulb
o Add chlorine to fountain & clean stone border
o Clean window tracks

Well, that should do it for this week.  I'll try to post to let you know how it goes...one thing's for sure ~ we won't be bored this week!  Maybe, we'll try to go to the beach one evening as a reward and further motivator (not for me, but for the kids) to work together and get it DONE! 

In retrospect...I should probably write down ~ SLEEP.  :-)

Blessings ~

List Making

I find that making lists (like To-Do Lists for example), helps to keep me focused and on track. When I write things down that I hope to do or that need to be done, not only does that list serve to channel my energy one task after another, but I actually accomplish more. Lists can save you time…save you money…save you energy…save your voice…save you brain cells (in my season of “mother to many”, that’s a precious commodity).

I make list for so many things…

• Daily tasks (each day I make a to-do list of things needing to be done)
• Grocery & home purchase needs (I try to keep an ongoing list so when shopping day comes I am ready with a quick final scan before heading out the door)
• Extra home tasks for the children (each day I try to jot down a few extra tasks that need to be done around the home – some may be chores while others may be paying “jobs” – for the children to do)
• Checklists for school work, chores, etc. (during the school year our schedule serves as a guide for what should be done each day and when…sometimes it helps to make a checklist for the children to “check off” as they complete each item…a friend put her child’s school checklist in a sheet protector to be checked of as they completed each item, reviewed by her when all items were “complete” and erased to be used again the next day…great IDEA!)
• Inventory of pantry, freezer, curriculum, etc. (this helps to reduce duplicate purchases and/or to take advantage of sales at the store…knowing what you have is key to saving money)
• Good books to read (this is a list of books broken down by genre that can be referred to when going to the library…serves to point children in a good direction when needed and/or for reading assignments)
• Family activities (this is a list our family compiled for days when we want to do a fun spontaneous activity…a guide of ideas)

Making lists for your children serves a two-fold purpose. For example, regarding chores…when you make a list for each child of jobs needing to be done, specific to them, writing it down on paper allows them to have something tangible to refer to for keeping them on track and for you to be able to follow-up with to make sure they complete the tasks. How many times have you given your child something to do (told them verbally) and then you became distracted and never followed-up on that assignment…the task, let’s say you assigned them to take the dirty laundry to the laundry room and sort it. Instead of following up, you go about your business and forget to check back. When you go to do the laundry later, you remember/discover that the clothes never made it there or maybe they made it to the laundry room but not sorted…only left in this stinking heap! Well, a list may have helped you to hold them accountable before it got to this point. Now, this becomes another issue..a need for training or possibly a character (laziness) issue or maybe it’s a different character issue (lack of diligence)…they didn’t follow through because they got side-tracked. Is that dear mother, not the same example you have set? Distraction has caused you not to follow-up or follow-through and your child has just imitated the same behavior. Ouch. Don’t I know it!

I know I am stretched to the point that some days I feel like Stretch Armstong.  Having things down on paper helps all of us stay on track. I know when I am being pulled in many directions, I can easily forget what I assigned, forget to follow-up and then become stressed. Making verbal demands under pressure, spatting off 5, 6, 7 items as I see them becomes stressful for everyone and no one remembers and nothing gets done. It is so much better to write it down, then check it off. Everyone knows what is expected and has a paper guide to keep them focused.

I have run across some great resources on line for using list. Check out some of these sites and start your list making today.

http://organizedhome.com/printable (love this site for creating an “Organized Home” notebook…calendars, party planning, lined paper, checklists, etc.)

http://donnayoung.org/index.htm  (love this site for homeschool forms, lessons, printables, etc.)

http://highland.hitcho.com.au/Forms.htm  (other fun homeschool forms, charts, and journals for many subjects)

http://www.paperprintout.com/templates/check-list/index.php  (free printable paper, signs, templates)

http://www.chartjungle.com/printables.html  (free printable charts & calendars)

http://www.allfreeprintables.com/checklists/index.shtml  (free printable checklists for to-do’s, grocery, math, spelling, etc….color graphics)

http://www.teas2dine4.com/4printable.html  (a site containing hundreds of printable forms, charts, lists, party planning pages, coloring sheets, crafts, etc.)

If you have a treasured resource to share for free printable lists, charts, schedules or home organizing/home schooling forms, please share it with us by leaving a comment.

Blessings as you check off you way to completion ~

Goals and Regular Assessment...

I know in my season of life I have a lot of seasons happening at the same time… being a helpmeet to my husband and active in the business, children at many ages and in many phases (infant…teething, learning to walk, still nursing, etc. and young children…ACTIVE toddler and preschooler, a mother’s helper in training, a young man in training, one entering into young manhood, another going on into further education), ministering to my mom, serving the brethren, witnessing…and so forth.  It can be overwhelming at times. Taking time to write down goals (something that was mentioned during my husband’s continuing education class) can help us stay on track. What goals do I have for spiritual growth? For showing honoring and love to my husband? What goals do I have for child training? And how about expressing love toward my children? What goals do I have for keeping my home? For hospitality? Etc.

Making a list of goals, or in better terms, a list of what the Bible says about being a woman, wife, mother, sister in Christ is a great place to start. I tend to be a list maker, so having a place where this is listed serves as a great point of reference and as a reminder of what I am striving toward as a follower of Christ. Under each heading, list virtues and Scripture references to remind you what the Word says about each.

I find that regular assessment of the activities I am engaged in (or ideally, prior to engaging in them) helps me to discern whether these activities are profitable in meeting my goals.  Sometimes, upon assessment, things must be redirected...sometimes, upon assessment, things can be taken on.

 Asking questions like:

— How will this affect others in the family? (counting the costs)

— Is this something that is creating a hardship on my family? (hardship is to be endured however, if it is what God has called you to do – for example, caring for your children is not easy, however it is our duty as a mother to do so…caring for aging or sick parents may not be easy, but it is honoring and our Biblical responsibility to do so…we may need to adjust the other things in our life to allow us to do what is Biblically correct…so many lessons are being taught to our children and testifying to those around us, as we live out our hardship – whatever that may be. The hardship I am referring to in this question would be more relating to taking on extra-curricular activities, ministry opportunities, pursuit of interests, etc. There must be prioritizing, so as not to cause neglect in areas of responsibility for the sake of the interest.)

— Is this an opportunity for growth in the character of myself (my children) or will this cause me (them) to stumble or neglect other areas of responsibility? (once again, if it means neglecting duty/responsibility, it must be considered carefully…growth in character could mean though, ministering to those in need…just be careful not to neglect one area for the sake of another)

— Is this causing me (them) to draw closer to the Lord, therefore working toward my (their) goals of spiritual growth?

— Is this an opportunity to bear witness to His word (via hospitality, encouragement, honor, serving others before oneself, standing up for those that are perishing, poor and needy, etc.)?

— Is this an area I can use God’s given-gifts to minister to others (unless it would cause me to once again neglect my primary responsibilities)?

I’d love to know how you assess and keep track of your goals. Leave a comment with your practical tip or a resource you have found encouraging in helping you do so. We can benefit so much from others…my next post will be on list making with some links to free printables.  Be sure to check back soon.

Because of Him ~