Are You Prepared?

72hours.org is a great guide for preparing families for natural disasters. For earthquakes, fires or flooding, there is a step by step guide to make a plan, build a kit and get involved. Here is an example from 72hours.org about preparing for a power outtage:

When a disaster occurs, you might not have access to food, water and electricity for days, or even weeks. Store enough emergency food to provide for your family for at least 3 days.

• Store food items that are familiar, rather than buying special emergency food. Consider any dietary restrictions and preferences you may have.
• Ideal foods are: Shelf-stable (no refrigeration required), low in salt, and do not require cooking (e.g. canned fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, jam, low-salt crackers, cookies, cereals, nuts, dried fruit, canned soup or meats, juices and non-fat dry milk).
• Mark a rotation date on any food container that does not already have an expiration date on the package.
• Include baby food and formula or other diet items for infants or seniors.
• Store the food in airtight, pest-resistant containers in a cool, dark place.
• Most canned foods can safely be stored for at least 18 months. Low acid foods like meat products, fruits or vegetables will normally last at least 2 years. Use dry products, like boxed cereal, crackers, cookies, dried milk or dried fruit within six months.
• After a power outage, refrigerated food will stay cold longer if you keep the door closed. Food should generally be consumed within 4 hours. Food in the freezer will normally remain safe for 2 days

Reality Discipline

7 Principles of Reality Discipline

(Excerpts rom Dr. Kevin Leman's, "Making Children MIND without Losing YOURS")

1. Establish a healthy authority over your children.
-Ephesians 6 says, God has placed parents on authority over children.
-If you don't establish your parental authority, no one else will.
-Your authority needs to be a display of love more than power.

2. Hold your children accountable for their actions.
-As parents, we're all home-schoolers. We should be teaching our kids every day that there are consequences for their actions, some positive and some negative.

3. Let reality be the teacher.
-Look for teachable moments when you can use reality to deliver a powerful lesson.
-Don't be afraid to let your kids fail.
-Your home needs to be a place where your kids can fail-and learn from their failure. Surround them with love, show them how important they are to you, but don't try to undo their failures.

4. Use action more than words.
-With reality discipline, you need to state your expectations clearly. Let your children know their responsibilities to the family, to the school, to others. But then you don't need to keep repeating yourself. Let your actions speak for you.

5. Stick to your guns, but don't shoot yourself in the foot.
-You're the boss. You made the decision, so stick with it.
-Your decisions won't always have the wisdom of Solomon, but you need to teach your kids that what you say goes.
-Outlast them, and they'll learn that it's pointless to whine.

6. Relationships come before rules.
-The principles of reality discipline aren ot set in concrete.
-The goal is always the same: teaching your children to love others, to put others first, to be givers and not takers, and to realize that it makes a difference how they conduct themselves.
-As children see that their parents are committed to the family, they will commit themselves too.
-Josh McDowell says, "Rules without relationships lead to rebellion."

7. Live by your values.
-Your children learn from watching you.

Easter Joy

Easter Joy

Jesus came to earth,
To show us how to live,
How to put others first,
How to love and how to give.

Then He set about His work,
That God sent Him to do;
He took our punishment on Himself;
He made us clean and new.

He could have saved Himself,
Calling angels from above,
But He chose to pay our price for sin;
He paid it out of love.

Our Lord died on Good Friday,
But the cross did not destroy
His resurrection on Easter morn
That fills our hearts with joy.

Now we know our earthly death,
Like His, is just a rest.
We'll be forever with Him
In heaven, where life is best.

So we live our lives for Jesus,
Think of Him in all we do.
Thank you Savior; Thank you Lord.
Help us love like you!

By Joanna Fuchs

Birthday on a Budget

Planning a birthday party for your child can be a very stressful time for a Mama. You don't want to (or can't) go overboard, but you still want to make it special for your precious little one. Below are some tips to create an intimate and memorable birthday party on a small budget.

Location: Host the party somewhere that does not cost any $ (i.e. your house/backyard, park, parents' house, etc.)

Invitation: Take advantage of Evite! Or if you prefer to send cards, no need to spend a lot of $. They end up getting tossed away anyway!

Food: Make your own. If you can find some friends and/or family that can help you, it's easy and less costly to prepare food for the party. Especially, if you get the ingredients from stores like Costco, you can easily feed a ton of people (you can serve sandwiches, salads, fruits, vegetables, etc).

Decoration: You can decorate by using simple decorations like balloons (from PartyCity), streamers, flowers, etc. The decor can look great just by keeping it simple and throwing something personal in the mix (maybe something that was handmade by you, or something that is personal to your child).

Cake: If you enjoy baking, this is where you can add your personal touch. You can get really creative with the cake and make something unique and yummy for your child. If you don't/can't bake, don't worry, there are many bakeries that offer delicious cakes at a reasonable price.

Supplies: Again, take advantage of stores like Costco & PartyCity where you can save $ on plates, napkins, utensils, tablecloths, serving bins & utensils.

Party Favors: It's true. Kids get excited about anything that's new to them.. so don't invest too much $ on favors. Stickers, crayons, toy necklaces and rubber balls, are some of the things that are inexpensive and entertaining for the little ones (Target has a great selection of little toys/favors in their "party supply" section)!

Just remember, that a birthday party is a celebration of another year of your child's life...so don't stress about the details and don't feel like you need to impress. Instead, enjoy this special day with your friends and family that are important to you and your child(ren)!!

Aloe Vera Pizzaz!

Drinking aloe vera juice has many health benefits. It builds the immune system and helps with digestion. Check first with your doc if you're pregnant.

Here's a great description of aloe vera juice by the American Chronicle.
The health benefits of aloe vera taken internally include: improved circulation, regulation of blood pressure, promotes healing of bones and joints, strengthens the immune system, defends the body against bacteria, heals internal tissue damage, heals ulcers, improves and even eliminates constipation, blood sugar regulation, and reduces itchiness in psoriasis helping it to heal. Drinking two to four ounces a day is all that is required to gain the many benefits of aloe vera juice. If you drink it daily, aloe vera can aid your digestion, improve your circulation and detoxify your body and cleanse your colon. One of the most important health benefits of aloe vera juice is its operation as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent, helping to prevent the onset of disease in the body. Thus, taking aloe vera juice daily helps to maintain good health and provide a sense of wellbeing and energy.

It's great to see how God provides healing and wellness through his creation. This aloe vera plant is packed with delicious goodness! Just what a parent needs to start the day!

Being Proactive

"Be PROactive, or else you will be REactive."

-Dani Johnson

Husband's Health

Recently, my husband has been dealing with health concerns that have been consuming him and also distracting him from the things that he wants/needs to focus on. As he is going through this, God has been teaching me to pray more fervently for his health (which is good because we're both aging quickly and I need to learn how to pray for his health more effectively).

Whether your husband is dealing with mental health issues, chronic pain, diabetes, bad diet, etc.. as wives, we all need to pray perseveringly for their health.



Below is a prayer written by Stormie Omartian in "The Power of a Praying Wife" (chapter 11- His Health).

Lord, I pray for Your healing touch on (husband's name). Make every part of his body function the way You designed it to. Wherever there is anything out of balance, set it in perfect working order. Heal him of any disease, illness, injury, infirmity, or weakness. Strengthen his body to successfully endure his workload, and when he sleeps may he wake up completely rested, rejuvenated and refreshed. Give him a strong heart that doesn't fail. I don't want him to have heart failure at any time.

I pray that he will have the desire to take care of his body, to eat the kind of food that brings health, to get regular exercise, and avoid anything that would be harmful to him. Help him to understand that his body is Your temple and that he should care for it s such (1 Corinthians 3:16). I pray that he will present it as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You (Romans 12:1).

When he is ill, I pray that You will sustain him and heal him. Fill him with your joy to give him strength. Specifically, I pray for (mention any area of concern). Give him faith to say, "'O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me' (Pslam 30:2). Thank you Lord that You are my Healer." I pray that my husband will live a long and healthy life and when death does come, may it be accompanied by peace and not unbearable suffering agony. Thank you, Lord, that You will be there to welcome him into Your presence, and not a moment before Your appointed hour.