Family Rules

Good Moms.

Character

Proverb 31:10-11 ~ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than Rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and she lacks nothing of value.

Thought:
"It is my desire to be a noble, capable, wife and mother, who exemplifies wisdom and grace to my husband and children. I know this is only possible through the power of God's Spirit and my submission to God's transformation process (as He remakes me into the likeness of Christ) in my life."

Challenge:
"View all challenges and difficulties as an opportunity to grow in character, to trust in Gods faithfulness, and to rely more completely on Him. Call on the power of God's Spirit inside me; to desire to do the what is right, to enable me to become all that God desires for me to be, so that I truly do become a wife of noble character""."

Prayer:
"Lord, keep this goal in the front of my mind, give me Your power, as I submit to Your ways moment by moment. Lord I give to you full control of whatever it takes to transform my life and my character into the image of Christ."

Calendula

My daughter has had awful dry skin/eczema since birth (literally). I've tried everything from baby lotion, shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, Eucerin cream, etc... and NOTHING has been as effective as CALENDULA cream!!! I purchased this from a local Mother's Market. The brand name is Weleda, but I'm sure there are other brands that make lotion/cream/oil with CALENDULA (a type of flower). If you have kiddos that have eczema or have extremely dry skin.. try this!!

Toxic Faith

The author of Who Switched Off My Brain talks about removing the toxic emotions in our lives. In later posts, I will be writing more about Dr. Caroline Leaf's anecdotes to removing other toxic emotions, such as Toxic Love, Toxic Seriousness and Toxic Dreams. Recognizing and removing the toxic emotions in our lives will help us to become bolder women of God.

Here's what Dr. Caroline Leaf says about Toxic Faith:

A growing body of scientific research confirms that prayer and actively developing your spiritual life increases frontal lobe activity, thickness, intelligence and overall health.

Have you had a negative experience in the church? Have people of faith hurt you?

When you sweep away those experiences, you will be able to see God and His unfailing love for you, past any negative memories that may be polluting your spiritual life.

Jesus wants us to be completely healed - spirit, soul and body.

These Brain Sweep questions will truly help you move past any seeds of Toxic Faith!

As you think about your walk of faith, notice what your five sense are telling you. Are there any toxic memories or thoughts that come to mind?

Are you reading your Bible daily?

Are you praying all the time?

Are you spending time with God building a relationship?

Are you going to church?

Are you part of a church community?

Are you feeding your spirit?

Make the Word of God come alive in your life. Find what you are passionate about and apply the Word to it, because through your passion and gifting you can become closer to God.

Blessing by Laura Story

I love Laura Story.

I love Laura Story's "Mighty to Save".

And today I heard her song "Blessings."

So beautiful....

You can listen to it here. Enjoy!! :)

Brick Building

If you're a mom, you know the daily mundane cleaning, cooking, diaper changing routine that can make you a little crazy some times.. Well, just when I happen to be going through one of these days.. a friend shared with me an analogy that she recently heard.. It goes something like this:

There are two men building a wall with bricks..

Everyday they pile bricks on top of each other one by one..

First man is asked, "What are you doing?"

And he answers, "I'm just building this wall with bricks..and I have to do the same thing everyday..and pile the bricks one by one.."

The other man is asked the same question, "What are you doing?"

He answers enthusiastically, "I am building a cathedral!!"

Same task. Different purpose. It's all about perspective right? Our daily chores may seem mundane...but what a difference if you take your focus off those things, and focus on the fact that you are "building a cathedral!"... God has us doing what we're doing for His kingdom and glory!

Gardening is a lot like Parenting...

I love this excerpt from AshleyAnn's blog:

"For a month my garden was neglected. It got watered, but other than that it was ignored. Weeds took over. Grass grew high. It survived the neglect, but sure didn’t flourish. Gardening is a lot like parenting…know what I mean? My kids need more than food and shelter. They need time & nurturing. They need me to know what they need and when they need it. They need attention & care to flourish. They would survive without all that, but they wouldn’t flourish. Weeds in their lives would choke out potential and dreams. They’d make it though. But I don’t want my kids to just make it. I want and dream of so much more for them…..I’m learning to garden…..just like I am learning to parent. So far to go, but so very worth it."

Want Something

(image from www.tarawhitney.com)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day

to all the Mommies out there!!!!

I think I want to start a new tradition... every Mother's Day, book a night at a resort & spa with some girlfriends for a fun getaway/pampering!! I think that would rejuvenate me for at least a few months!! We'll see if that happens next year... I mean, I'll make sure to make it happen! ;)

I hope you had an incredibly blessed day with (or without) your family!!! ;)

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her."

Proverbs 31:2

The Desperate Mom

I heard Wendy Hagen speak at MOPS today.. and really loved her talk! It was inspirational, uplifting...but most importantly REAL!

She spoke on "Taking Care of Mom" which is always a great topic! ;) Wendy is a mother of four (one in heaven) so she really gets the craziness and business of it all...and knows the importance of taking care of US.

What I got out of her talk mainly... is that us mommies, we are "life surgeons"... because God has placed these little lives in our hands. And that a life surgeon:

1) Needs to take care of her body (sleep, exercise)

*Scheduling "sleep-in days"- at least once a month. One day for mommy, one day for daddy!

2) Needs to take care of her mind (take breaks, serve outside of our home)

*Get nights off- going out with friends, going out and doing something fun!

*Get outside of yourself and serve others- and serving with your children too!

3) Needs to take care of her man (communicate in the bedroom, guard your heart)

*Ask your husband how often, and try for 30 days!

*Guard your heart, because women are capable of affairs too!

4) Needs guidance from the Master surgeon (get in the Word, talk to Him, and listen to Him)

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:8

Her talk was fun, hilarious and filled with great tips! I bet her book is a winner too!

Best Lovies

I don't know about your baby/toddler/child... but ALL my kids LOVE and GOTTA HAVE their lovies/security blanket!! My first, just got attached to a plain old blanket that was part of a gift set when she was born... and hasn't let go since... My second, also started sleeping with a blanket (and thumb) early... and since this time, I knew about "security blankets" I purchased a small one by Swaddle Designs (which is great to take around)... And now that my third is wanting to sleep with a blanket for her naps and at night... I did a little research and found this great sight!

10 Best Lovies for Babies

Swaddle Designs was in the top 10 (which I thought of buying another for my new baby)

But I also saw that Aden & Anais sells lovies (2 for $19.95!) which is great because I learned to purchase 2 just in case 1 is lost... and their blankets are SO soft!

If you're in search for a security blanket for your child.. I think you'll find this site helpful! ;)