This is mainly for married women, but not just for married women. There are many things I learned about being a wife that I wished I had learned before I became one. In the more than seven years that I was in relationship with my husband before he became my husband I did and said many destructive things. I am very fortunate (and grateful) that God taught me early in my marriage what His perspective and expectations are about my attitude, words, and actions towards my husband. As with anything, it is a journey. There are days when my heart is in the right place and there are days when it is not. As I strive to follow God’s regulations for my marriage I have seen and tasted the wonderful rewards of having a Godly perspective on my marriage and of my husband. I love my husband more today than I ever thought possible.
Does it really matter? Some people may ask. With the number of single parent families today, is a healthy marriage really important to moms and their children?
The answer, unequivocally, is YES. Study after study has shown that a healthy marriage has a huge positive impact on children.
Rewards of a Healthy Marriage
Marriage is supposed to be rewarding. Marriage is supposed to be fun. Marriage is supposed to be full of love. I am often completely amazed at what God has done in my marriage. Not that it has ever been tumultuous. It’s never been rocky or in danger of ending. I can honestly say that we’ve never been even close to that point. On the contrary, by the grace of God, as good as it was in the beginning, it has steadily gotten better. My heart often overflows with love for my husband and I sit in awe at the increase of love God has added to my marriage. I never imagined that I would love my husband more and more as time passed in our marriage. I’ve seen too many marriages fall apart and studied marriage enough to know that of love does not always increase.
These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.
Don’t get me wrong, however. I’ll never claim that my marriage is perfect. Of course it isn’t – it’s made up of two sinful, imperfect people. There have been bad moments and bad days. There are still times when I’m not really happy with my husband and he’s not really happy with me. But we have learned to work through those moments and those days and grow together. We have learned that it’s more important to focus on what’s going right than what we’re doing wrong. And we’ve learned that it takes work to maintain a healthy relationship, especially with several small children. We’ve also learned that putting the effort into our marriage is worth it. The rewards far outweigh the costs.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A book to buy, read, and give away
As you can tell by now, I’m an avid reader and love sharing great books with others. Sometimes, I wish I could by 20 copies of a great book and hand them out at will. The most recent book put in my hands is one of those. It is “On This Day in Christian History” by Robert J. Morgan. This daily devotional is full of history briefs of saints, martyrs, and heroes. Some of them, you’ve probably heard of. Others will be completely new. All of the stories are interesting, encouraging, and inspiring. The book holds true to its promise.
If you ever doubt that God does amazing things with ordinary people, this book will convince you otherwise. These 365 stories, each highlighting a different individual who lived radically for God, are about ordinary people. It tells of people born in every type of circumstance and living during all time periods, dating back to the second century.
The key theme is that anyone can live a life that shines for God. The history that is included in the stories, how individuals fit into changes in the church, reformations, and missions, is an added bonus. This book is well written and the only problem is you won’t want to stop at reading one a day.
If you ever doubt that God does amazing things with ordinary people, this book will convince you otherwise. These 365 stories, each highlighting a different individual who lived radically for God, are about ordinary people. It tells of people born in every type of circumstance and living during all time periods, dating back to the second century.
The key theme is that anyone can live a life that shines for God. The history that is included in the stories, how individuals fit into changes in the church, reformations, and missions, is an added bonus. This book is well written and the only problem is you won’t want to stop at reading one a day.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Addressing our Hubbies
As I write this I want to let you know that I am well aware that there are moms that will be reading this whom are in all sorts of situations. Many moms are married to the man they were married to before they had children. Many moms are married to a man who is not the father of their children. Many moms aren’t married due to divorce, death or other circumstances. Many moms are married but separated for a variety of reasons. Our family and marital situations are as varied as our personalities are. As we begin to talk about our other relationships, especially our most important earthly relationship, my goal is to encourage you in the relationships you have. I hope to help you to understand the importance of relationships built on Biblical principles. I hope to provide a view of relationships that shows they are meant to benefit us as moms, those we’re in relationships with, and our children.
We’ve talked about the importance of friendships with other moms (and girlfriends.) There, I believe, the foundation for the blessings of such relationships was laid. God created us as relational beings and we are to thrive and grow through and in our relationships. Our female friends are an important part of our lives. They help keep us on track, support us, and increase the joy we experience in life. As important and beneficial as our girlfriends are to our lives, our husband should be much more. Our relationship with our husband, for those who have one, should be our highest priority human relationship, but too often it is not.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
It breaks my heart how often I hear women say negative things about and to their husbands. Other women don’t speak badly to or about their husbands, but don’t pay a lot of attention to them either. Many women are so involved in their careers and/or their children that they don’t foster and enjoy their marital relationship. It often seems as if husbands are extraneous, attested to by the attitudes of many wives, the divorce rate, and the number of women choosing to have children without an involved father. Please know that I understand that there are women who really are in bad marriages, women whom have very legitimate reasons to get out of a marriage, and women who find themselves in bad situations. My heart is not to pour condemnation on anyone who has ended up in any of these circumstances. There is just a trend that has happened in our culture which has had severe negative effects on us collectively and individually. And I believe, that one by one, in making sure that we shift our perspectives to be Biblical, we can begin to experience the fruit and blessings of healthy, loving relationships with our husband.
We’ve talked about the importance of friendships with other moms (and girlfriends.) There, I believe, the foundation for the blessings of such relationships was laid. God created us as relational beings and we are to thrive and grow through and in our relationships. Our female friends are an important part of our lives. They help keep us on track, support us, and increase the joy we experience in life. As important and beneficial as our girlfriends are to our lives, our husband should be much more. Our relationship with our husband, for those who have one, should be our highest priority human relationship, but too often it is not.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
It breaks my heart how often I hear women say negative things about and to their husbands. Other women don’t speak badly to or about their husbands, but don’t pay a lot of attention to them either. Many women are so involved in their careers and/or their children that they don’t foster and enjoy their marital relationship. It often seems as if husbands are extraneous, attested to by the attitudes of many wives, the divorce rate, and the number of women choosing to have children without an involved father. Please know that I understand that there are women who really are in bad marriages, women whom have very legitimate reasons to get out of a marriage, and women who find themselves in bad situations. My heart is not to pour condemnation on anyone who has ended up in any of these circumstances. There is just a trend that has happened in our culture which has had severe negative effects on us collectively and individually. And I believe, that one by one, in making sure that we shift our perspectives to be Biblical, we can begin to experience the fruit and blessings of healthy, loving relationships with our husband.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Website for You
I came across another great website last week. I'm always up for educational and fun, and with my 7-year-olds newfound desire to be on the computer, I searched out something new for her. What we found was www.coolmath-games.com. I even got on and quizzed myself on the game where you have to name the states. I didn't do to badly, but next time I'll have to try the hard level instead of easy. :)
I highly recommend this sight for those who have computer-kids. (But always remember, limited time is best, even when the games are educational. Nothing can replace creative and active play!)
I highly recommend this sight for those who have computer-kids. (But always remember, limited time is best, even when the games are educational. Nothing can replace creative and active play!)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Children's Bible Review
Did you ever wish there was a Bible for your children that they could read on their own? Not one that is a paraphrase of a selection of stories, but one that is a translation specifically for them. I recently received the International Children's Bible - Big Red - with updated graphics. This Bible is perfect for my seven year old, who's beyond toddler Bibles but not quite ready for adult translations. The updated graphics aren't my favorite, because I don't like the new style of graphics, but they're done well and I can see that they'd attract little ones' eyes.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Great Deal
Interested in Busch Garden's Christmas Town? Go to their twitter page to get the promotion code for $5 Christmas Town tickets. That's not $5 off. That's $5 cost! Click, link, and have fun!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Never Enough
Do you ever feel like you're not doing enough? I think this is a common issue for moms. No matter what we do, no matter how much the lie is touted, we simply cannot do everything.
I know this, acknowledge this and believe this. Yet, no matter how much I do, I always feel like I could be doing more. Now, there are times I do nothing (meaning, sit in front of the tv and be a vegetable, usually not eating vegetables.) And times of rest are good to keep us balanced.
Recognizing what you are doing is good for balance, too. I recently had this feeling in relation to what my children are learning. There's a lot of pressure on a homeschooling mom to teach enough and the right things. I often question, Are they learning the right things? What if they don't learn enough about certain aspects of science or social studies or history? What if I'm not that effective of a teacher? Often, doubts reign.
Then, I look at what they are learning. Yesterday I literally did so. We are participating in Classical Conversations and my kids are learning amazing things. This week's lessons included:
History sentence about the Renaissance
Latin 1st Conjugation Future Tense
English - Possesive Pronouns
Science - 6 forms of pollution
Math - 11 & 12 multiples
Geography - European Features
What other 2nd graders and Kindergarteners are learning those things? So, while I recognize that they aren't getting every experience or lesson that are available through other education venues, I must recognize that they're getting unique lessons and experiences.
I think we all work this way. Whether it's in regards to our children's education, our work situation, our house-keeping situation, etc, we all do it differently. There are somethings that should never be comprimized (raising your children in a balanced, healthy, loving environment that holds them accountable, values education, and loves God), but the details in how these things are accomplished are individualized. I can love God and my family and stay at home full time. I can love God and my family and work full time. I can value education and teach my children myself, or send them to public or private school.
I cannot do everything. I wasn't meant to do everything. I don't want to lower my expectations, but I want to make sure that my expectations are in line with what God has called me to do and how He's called me to do it. Then, nothing is impossible. Nothing that's in His will for me. And He'll make sure that the rest is taken care of, one way or another.
I know this, acknowledge this and believe this. Yet, no matter how much I do, I always feel like I could be doing more. Now, there are times I do nothing (meaning, sit in front of the tv and be a vegetable, usually not eating vegetables.) And times of rest are good to keep us balanced.
Recognizing what you are doing is good for balance, too. I recently had this feeling in relation to what my children are learning. There's a lot of pressure on a homeschooling mom to teach enough and the right things. I often question, Are they learning the right things? What if they don't learn enough about certain aspects of science or social studies or history? What if I'm not that effective of a teacher? Often, doubts reign.
Then, I look at what they are learning. Yesterday I literally did so. We are participating in Classical Conversations and my kids are learning amazing things. This week's lessons included:
History sentence about the Renaissance
Latin 1st Conjugation Future Tense
English - Possesive Pronouns
Science - 6 forms of pollution
Math - 11 & 12 multiples
Geography - European Features
What other 2nd graders and Kindergarteners are learning those things? So, while I recognize that they aren't getting every experience or lesson that are available through other education venues, I must recognize that they're getting unique lessons and experiences.
I think we all work this way. Whether it's in regards to our children's education, our work situation, our house-keeping situation, etc, we all do it differently. There are somethings that should never be comprimized (raising your children in a balanced, healthy, loving environment that holds them accountable, values education, and loves God), but the details in how these things are accomplished are individualized. I can love God and my family and stay at home full time. I can love God and my family and work full time. I can value education and teach my children myself, or send them to public or private school.
I cannot do everything. I wasn't meant to do everything. I don't want to lower my expectations, but I want to make sure that my expectations are in line with what God has called me to do and how He's called me to do it. Then, nothing is impossible. Nothing that's in His will for me. And He'll make sure that the rest is taken care of, one way or another.
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Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Secrets to a Great Marriage
This is mainly for married women, but not just for married women. There are many things I learned about being a wife that I wished I had learned before I became one. In the more than seven years that I was in relationship with my husband before he became my husband I did and said many destructive things. I am very fortunate (and grateful) that God taught me early in my marriage what His perspective and expectations are about my attitude, words, and actions towards my husband. As with anything, it is a journey. There are days when my heart is in the right place and there are days when it is not. As I strive to follow God’s regulations for my marriage I have seen and tasted the wonderful rewards of having a Godly perspective on my marriage and of my husband. I love my husband more today than I ever thought possible.
Does it really matter? Some people may ask. With the number of single parent families today, is a healthy marriage really important to moms and their children?
The answer, unequivocally, is YES. Study after study has shown that a healthy marriage has a huge positive impact on children.
Rewards of a Healthy Marriage
Marriage is supposed to be rewarding. Marriage is supposed to be fun. Marriage is supposed to be full of love. I am often completely amazed at what God has done in my marriage. Not that it has ever been tumultuous. It’s never been rocky or in danger of ending. I can honestly say that we’ve never been even close to that point. On the contrary, by the grace of God, as good as it was in the beginning, it has steadily gotten better. My heart often overflows with love for my husband and I sit in awe at the increase of love God has added to my marriage. I never imagined that I would love my husband more and more as time passed in our marriage. I’ve seen too many marriages fall apart and studied marriage enough to know that of love does not always increase.
These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.
Don’t get me wrong, however. I’ll never claim that my marriage is perfect. Of course it isn’t – it’s made up of two sinful, imperfect people. There have been bad moments and bad days. There are still times when I’m not really happy with my husband and he’s not really happy with me. But we have learned to work through those moments and those days and grow together. We have learned that it’s more important to focus on what’s going right than what we’re doing wrong. And we’ve learned that it takes work to maintain a healthy relationship, especially with several small children. We’ve also learned that putting the effort into our marriage is worth it. The rewards far outweigh the costs.
Does it really matter? Some people may ask. With the number of single parent families today, is a healthy marriage really important to moms and their children?
The answer, unequivocally, is YES. Study after study has shown that a healthy marriage has a huge positive impact on children.
Rewards of a Healthy Marriage
Marriage is supposed to be rewarding. Marriage is supposed to be fun. Marriage is supposed to be full of love. I am often completely amazed at what God has done in my marriage. Not that it has ever been tumultuous. It’s never been rocky or in danger of ending. I can honestly say that we’ve never been even close to that point. On the contrary, by the grace of God, as good as it was in the beginning, it has steadily gotten better. My heart often overflows with love for my husband and I sit in awe at the increase of love God has added to my marriage. I never imagined that I would love my husband more and more as time passed in our marriage. I’ve seen too many marriages fall apart and studied marriage enough to know that of love does not always increase.
These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.
Don’t get me wrong, however. I’ll never claim that my marriage is perfect. Of course it isn’t – it’s made up of two sinful, imperfect people. There have been bad moments and bad days. There are still times when I’m not really happy with my husband and he’s not really happy with me. But we have learned to work through those moments and those days and grow together. We have learned that it’s more important to focus on what’s going right than what we’re doing wrong. And we’ve learned that it takes work to maintain a healthy relationship, especially with several small children. We’ve also learned that putting the effort into our marriage is worth it. The rewards far outweigh the costs.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A book to buy, read, and give away
As you can tell by now, I’m an avid reader and love sharing great books with others. Sometimes, I wish I could by 20 copies of a great book and hand them out at will. The most recent book put in my hands is one of those. It is “On This Day in Christian History” by Robert J. Morgan. This daily devotional is full of history briefs of saints, martyrs, and heroes. Some of them, you’ve probably heard of. Others will be completely new. All of the stories are interesting, encouraging, and inspiring. The book holds true to its promise.
If you ever doubt that God does amazing things with ordinary people, this book will convince you otherwise. These 365 stories, each highlighting a different individual who lived radically for God, are about ordinary people. It tells of people born in every type of circumstance and living during all time periods, dating back to the second century.
The key theme is that anyone can live a life that shines for God. The history that is included in the stories, how individuals fit into changes in the church, reformations, and missions, is an added bonus. This book is well written and the only problem is you won’t want to stop at reading one a day.
If you ever doubt that God does amazing things with ordinary people, this book will convince you otherwise. These 365 stories, each highlighting a different individual who lived radically for God, are about ordinary people. It tells of people born in every type of circumstance and living during all time periods, dating back to the second century.
The key theme is that anyone can live a life that shines for God. The history that is included in the stories, how individuals fit into changes in the church, reformations, and missions, is an added bonus. This book is well written and the only problem is you won’t want to stop at reading one a day.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Addressing our Hubbies
As I write this I want to let you know that I am well aware that there are moms that will be reading this whom are in all sorts of situations. Many moms are married to the man they were married to before they had children. Many moms are married to a man who is not the father of their children. Many moms aren’t married due to divorce, death or other circumstances. Many moms are married but separated for a variety of reasons. Our family and marital situations are as varied as our personalities are. As we begin to talk about our other relationships, especially our most important earthly relationship, my goal is to encourage you in the relationships you have. I hope to help you to understand the importance of relationships built on Biblical principles. I hope to provide a view of relationships that shows they are meant to benefit us as moms, those we’re in relationships with, and our children.
We’ve talked about the importance of friendships with other moms (and girlfriends.) There, I believe, the foundation for the blessings of such relationships was laid. God created us as relational beings and we are to thrive and grow through and in our relationships. Our female friends are an important part of our lives. They help keep us on track, support us, and increase the joy we experience in life. As important and beneficial as our girlfriends are to our lives, our husband should be much more. Our relationship with our husband, for those who have one, should be our highest priority human relationship, but too often it is not.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
It breaks my heart how often I hear women say negative things about and to their husbands. Other women don’t speak badly to or about their husbands, but don’t pay a lot of attention to them either. Many women are so involved in their careers and/or their children that they don’t foster and enjoy their marital relationship. It often seems as if husbands are extraneous, attested to by the attitudes of many wives, the divorce rate, and the number of women choosing to have children without an involved father. Please know that I understand that there are women who really are in bad marriages, women whom have very legitimate reasons to get out of a marriage, and women who find themselves in bad situations. My heart is not to pour condemnation on anyone who has ended up in any of these circumstances. There is just a trend that has happened in our culture which has had severe negative effects on us collectively and individually. And I believe, that one by one, in making sure that we shift our perspectives to be Biblical, we can begin to experience the fruit and blessings of healthy, loving relationships with our husband.
We’ve talked about the importance of friendships with other moms (and girlfriends.) There, I believe, the foundation for the blessings of such relationships was laid. God created us as relational beings and we are to thrive and grow through and in our relationships. Our female friends are an important part of our lives. They help keep us on track, support us, and increase the joy we experience in life. As important and beneficial as our girlfriends are to our lives, our husband should be much more. Our relationship with our husband, for those who have one, should be our highest priority human relationship, but too often it is not.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
It breaks my heart how often I hear women say negative things about and to their husbands. Other women don’t speak badly to or about their husbands, but don’t pay a lot of attention to them either. Many women are so involved in their careers and/or their children that they don’t foster and enjoy their marital relationship. It often seems as if husbands are extraneous, attested to by the attitudes of many wives, the divorce rate, and the number of women choosing to have children without an involved father. Please know that I understand that there are women who really are in bad marriages, women whom have very legitimate reasons to get out of a marriage, and women who find themselves in bad situations. My heart is not to pour condemnation on anyone who has ended up in any of these circumstances. There is just a trend that has happened in our culture which has had severe negative effects on us collectively and individually. And I believe, that one by one, in making sure that we shift our perspectives to be Biblical, we can begin to experience the fruit and blessings of healthy, loving relationships with our husband.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Website for You
I came across another great website last week. I'm always up for educational and fun, and with my 7-year-olds newfound desire to be on the computer, I searched out something new for her. What we found was www.coolmath-games.com. I even got on and quizzed myself on the game where you have to name the states. I didn't do to badly, but next time I'll have to try the hard level instead of easy. :)
I highly recommend this sight for those who have computer-kids. (But always remember, limited time is best, even when the games are educational. Nothing can replace creative and active play!)
I highly recommend this sight for those who have computer-kids. (But always remember, limited time is best, even when the games are educational. Nothing can replace creative and active play!)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Children's Bible Review
Did you ever wish there was a Bible for your children that they could read on their own? Not one that is a paraphrase of a selection of stories, but one that is a translation specifically for them. I recently received the International Children's Bible - Big Red - with updated graphics. This Bible is perfect for my seven year old, who's beyond toddler Bibles but not quite ready for adult translations. The updated graphics aren't my favorite, because I don't like the new style of graphics, but they're done well and I can see that they'd attract little ones' eyes.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Great Deal
Interested in Busch Garden's Christmas Town? Go to their twitter page to get the promotion code for $5 Christmas Town tickets. That's not $5 off. That's $5 cost! Click, link, and have fun!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Never Enough
Do you ever feel like you're not doing enough? I think this is a common issue for moms. No matter what we do, no matter how much the lie is touted, we simply cannot do everything.
I know this, acknowledge this and believe this. Yet, no matter how much I do, I always feel like I could be doing more. Now, there are times I do nothing (meaning, sit in front of the tv and be a vegetable, usually not eating vegetables.) And times of rest are good to keep us balanced.
Recognizing what you are doing is good for balance, too. I recently had this feeling in relation to what my children are learning. There's a lot of pressure on a homeschooling mom to teach enough and the right things. I often question, Are they learning the right things? What if they don't learn enough about certain aspects of science or social studies or history? What if I'm not that effective of a teacher? Often, doubts reign.
Then, I look at what they are learning. Yesterday I literally did so. We are participating in Classical Conversations and my kids are learning amazing things. This week's lessons included:
History sentence about the Renaissance
Latin 1st Conjugation Future Tense
English - Possesive Pronouns
Science - 6 forms of pollution
Math - 11 & 12 multiples
Geography - European Features
What other 2nd graders and Kindergarteners are learning those things? So, while I recognize that they aren't getting every experience or lesson that are available through other education venues, I must recognize that they're getting unique lessons and experiences.
I think we all work this way. Whether it's in regards to our children's education, our work situation, our house-keeping situation, etc, we all do it differently. There are somethings that should never be comprimized (raising your children in a balanced, healthy, loving environment that holds them accountable, values education, and loves God), but the details in how these things are accomplished are individualized. I can love God and my family and stay at home full time. I can love God and my family and work full time. I can value education and teach my children myself, or send them to public or private school.
I cannot do everything. I wasn't meant to do everything. I don't want to lower my expectations, but I want to make sure that my expectations are in line with what God has called me to do and how He's called me to do it. Then, nothing is impossible. Nothing that's in His will for me. And He'll make sure that the rest is taken care of, one way or another.
I know this, acknowledge this and believe this. Yet, no matter how much I do, I always feel like I could be doing more. Now, there are times I do nothing (meaning, sit in front of the tv and be a vegetable, usually not eating vegetables.) And times of rest are good to keep us balanced.
Recognizing what you are doing is good for balance, too. I recently had this feeling in relation to what my children are learning. There's a lot of pressure on a homeschooling mom to teach enough and the right things. I often question, Are they learning the right things? What if they don't learn enough about certain aspects of science or social studies or history? What if I'm not that effective of a teacher? Often, doubts reign.
Then, I look at what they are learning. Yesterday I literally did so. We are participating in Classical Conversations and my kids are learning amazing things. This week's lessons included:
History sentence about the Renaissance
Latin 1st Conjugation Future Tense
English - Possesive Pronouns
Science - 6 forms of pollution
Math - 11 & 12 multiples
Geography - European Features
What other 2nd graders and Kindergarteners are learning those things? So, while I recognize that they aren't getting every experience or lesson that are available through other education venues, I must recognize that they're getting unique lessons and experiences.
I think we all work this way. Whether it's in regards to our children's education, our work situation, our house-keeping situation, etc, we all do it differently. There are somethings that should never be comprimized (raising your children in a balanced, healthy, loving environment that holds them accountable, values education, and loves God), but the details in how these things are accomplished are individualized. I can love God and my family and stay at home full time. I can love God and my family and work full time. I can value education and teach my children myself, or send them to public or private school.
I cannot do everything. I wasn't meant to do everything. I don't want to lower my expectations, but I want to make sure that my expectations are in line with what God has called me to do and how He's called me to do it. Then, nothing is impossible. Nothing that's in His will for me. And He'll make sure that the rest is taken care of, one way or another.
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