Simple Truth.

I was reading in my favorite devotional " Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon when I came across this sentence, " Doubter, believe this sure truth-that prayer must and will be heard and that never, even in the secret of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, " Seek me in vain" ( Is. 45:19). Isn't that comforting? It is to me. Sometime the only truth I can hold on to is the fact that God hears my prayers ( and some days, even that's a stretch!). I will repeat it to myself over and over. " You hear my prayers. You hear my prayers. You can't lie and  if the Bible is true and if it's Your Word, then You have to hear my prayers".  I do a lot of repeating on days when things are very pressing. I have been going through some pressing times lately, and haven't been seeking the Lord and praying as I should. That hinders my faith and causes me to be weak and susceptible to despair. Not to mention, we've had  a bad stomach flu go through the house and take down each member, so this Mama is very tired. But a good place for me to start, is at the beginning. :) Which is what I'm doing today. Starting back on track. How about you? Need to get back on track? The best place to start is at the beginning. Pray and believe the Lord hears your prayers. Even when you think your speaking into the wind. You're not, your voice is going straight to Him. :) So pray. Pour it out. He is Faithful.

Don't waste your summer.

It's summer time!! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the days are longer and the kiddos are on summer break. You might be wondering what to do with all the time. Well let me encourage you to not waste it! You have this chance to build and grow with your children.

How do I not waste my summer? Here are some thoughts, are there any area's that you have been wanting to work on with your children but with the business of the school year, you haven't had the chance? Are there some things you wanted to start building in your children? Maybe you wanted to work on some character issues or want to read the Bible together? Here's your chance. Maybe you want to work on some chore training.Maybe you want to do some light schooling with the children.  You will not be given this time again. Your chidkren won't be this age again. Take hold of it!

How? You might ask. Maybe your thinking, " Oh, Janice, there's so much I want to do with them. Where do I begin?". The best place to start is at the beginning. 

Let me encourage you to make a summer schedule. It's a great way to get things done that you want to and it keeps the day moving. Here's some thoughts of how to schedule so you don't waste you summer...

First, Make a list of all the things you think you would like to do/ work on. Some things that are on my list are; start a Bible reading plan, work on some much slacking table manners ( and manners in general), build a summer reading list ( ours includes one chapter book and one christian biography a week) and work on our summer chore list. What ever you can think of, just write it down. Ask your husband if he has any thoughts on the subject too. ou might be surprised at what he suggests. 

Second, plan some activities. ( Don't forget to have fun!). Maybe it's a once a week trip to the park, library or zoo.  We are planning a once a week trip to the library. They have many wonderful activities during the summer ( and they're free!). The older four will be taking swimming lessons for a few weeks.Take a nature walk, go to the public pool or have a playdate. 

Third, Don't overwhelm yourself or them with a FULL schedule. Summer is for enjoying the warm weather and having fun. Schedule only a few things at a time , giving yourself lots of breathing room. I know many people who jam pack their days with activities and outings, but by the end of the day they ( and the kiddos) are worn out, and that leads to a cranky evening.

Finally, remember to build the Word into your day. This is a great time to have a Bible time with the children. We will be doing a Psalm a day, talking about it, then I'm having each child use something they learned from the Psalm to pray. This is a great time to teach the children about the Lord. You are investing in them the MOST important thing of all. The Lord! Teach them to pray. And Mama's, don't forget your time in the Word and prayer DAILY.

Enjoy this summer my friends. Enjoy your children. Don't waste your summer. You won't regret it. :)

A Prayer of Weariness.

I'm tired. How bout you? I'm not only sleepy tired, but worn down from the heaviness of many stressful situations tired. Can you relate?  I came across this today and wanted to share it with you. It's called " A Prayer of Weariness" by Randy Alcorn. May it be a blessing to you as it is to me...




I AM WEARY, Lord…bone-tired.

Weary to the point of tears, and past them.

Your Word says you never grow weary;

But I know you understand weariness

Because once you dragged a heavy cross

up a long lonely hill—

Many times you had nowhere to lay your head—

And people who needed you pressed upon you

by day and by night.

My reservoir is depleted, almost dry.

For longer than I can remember I've been 

Dredging from its sludgy underside

Giving myself and my loved ones the leftovers

Of a life occupied with endless tasks.

The elastic of my life is so stretched out of shape

It doesn't snap back anymore.

Just once I’d like to say “It is finished,” like you did.

But you said it just before you died.

I guess my job won’t be over till my life is

And that’s OK Lord,

If you’ll just give me strength to live it.

Deliver me from this limbo of half-life;

Not just surviving, but thriving.

You who know all, You who know me

Far better than I know myself—

Deposit to my account that as I spend myself

There may be always more to draw from.

Give me strength

To rest without guilt…

To run without frenzy…

To soar like an eagle

Over the broad breathless canyons of the life

You still have for me both here and beyond.

Free to be you PART 2

I want to continue on with some more thoughts and encouragement in our fight against comparison.  I shared a snip it in my previous post from a wonderful little devotional I had read. I shared how it helped me in my times of struggle with jealousy. Today, as I was reading in another devotional, the title was " Uniquely you. Be the best Mama that GOD made YOU to be " Here are some highlights that stood out for me...

"Mama's tend to imagine that our friends live in sparkling home. Their children have spot free clothes and shinning faces, neatly completing their work assignments for school. We imagine their husbands bring them flowers at the end of hard days and maybe even a pizza so cooking isn't necessary. The key word here is IMAGINE.  In real life, we ALL face trials great and small. We often trip head long into the pit that is comparison. Comparison accomplishes nothing but breeding self-pity and discontent ( 2 Corinthians 10:12). The Bible tells us to be content in all circumstances ( Phil 4:11). Why? Because the Lord handpicks our circumstances for US. He allows those trials which will enable us to better turn our faces to Him. He allows the trials that will best prune away the unsightly growths on our hearts so that they reflect His imagine. Oftentimes, we can not change our circumstances, but we can change our responses to them. As christian mothers, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and focus more on encouraging each other in the Lord. You may have a creative friend, or a friend who keeps her house clean and sparkly. None of that matters if you are seeking to encourage her by speaking about that which really matters; the works of God in her life and in the lives of those she loves ( Prov. 31:26). God made YOU, just as you are. He chose YOU to be the mother to your children. He chose YOU to be the wife to your husband. These are the only jobs you will hold in which you are irreplaceable. Choose to do these jobs well. Choose to be thankful for the gifts that the Lord has given to you and try to grow in the areas that have rough edges. Choose to rejoice int he days to come, because you will be facing them hand-in-hand with the One who created them-and you!-and spoke them into being." 

 I loved her comment " Comparison accomplishes nothing but breading self - pity and discontent". It's so very true. Nothing good ever comes from it. We never feel better about ourselves, our family, or our life when we are comparing.

Comparison doesn't just effect us Moms. It effects all women. Single and Married.

Be encouraged as I am in this. You ( and I ) are free to be ourselves. We are unique. Let's work on thankfulness today. Thank the Lord for your life and all the blessings He has given you. Be blessed!! 

Free to be you!

Did you know that you are free to be yourself? I know that it can be hard when you see so many " perfect people" out there. I have had a tendency to struggle with jealousy and coveting when it comes to certain people. I see certain people who SEEM to have it all. The perfect family. Perfect relationship with their husband. Perfect children, house, homeschooling environment.  They have a perfect ministry. Perfect attitude and always look at the good. They seem overly blessed. So I sigh and think, " boy, I wish I could have that life.". I start to get sour about my life, then I get ungrateful. I grumble in my heart and start feeling terrible about myself. I say things like, " I am a lousy mom compared to so and so." Or, "Why can't my house look like so and so."   It only snow balls from there and down down down I go in thought. The saying is true, " Comparison is the thief of joy".

During one of my ruts, I came across a wonderful little devotional that really spoke to my heart. It was titled "Free to be you!". I wish I could share the whole thing here, but I will highlight some things that really helped me. She started. " How amazing that God individually fashions each new inhabitant of the earth, There is not one who is the same. Not only does this cause us to worship our awesome God but it also liberates us to be the special person God created us to be. I am different from everyone else in the world. I am free from the bondage of having to be like anyone else. You are also unique and different person. That means you don't have to measure up to anyone else"s standard for you.  Dear mother, you don't have to try to be someone else to find your identity. You don't have to mother the same as a particular mother you admire, or some rules in a book. All you have to do is to mother according to your own heart and your individual personality.  You were born to reflect a special image of God on this earth. you were born to reveal the creative love of God from your heart in a way no one else can. Pour yourself out to touch others with God's love. Don't hold back and don't deprive the world of seeing the unique hand of God upon your life. Your will find your true identity as you pursue God and pour your life out for others. The more you know God the more you'll understand who He created you to be."
WOW!! I really needed that. It is truly freeing. If your struggling with any kind of comparison, jealousy, coveting, or anything of that nature, know you don't have to. Your free to be yourself. God has a purpose for YOU and the life He gave YOU. Start embracing your life. Look around and count your blessings then be thankful. I pray this blesses you and it has me. Let's be free to be ourselves! Be blessed. 

Encouraging each other through our faith.

A friend and I are studying the book of Romans together. During our time last week,  we read Romans 1 vs. 11-12. It says, " ...impart some spiritual gift to strengthen you- that is that we may be mutually encouraged by each others faith, both your and mine".  What a wonderful gift! The gift of two believers being strengthened in the sharing of their faith.

Have you ever met with somebody and walked away feeling refreshed, happy and..well...encouraged? Or have you ever chatted with someone who has been in the same valley you have or experienced the same trials and left thinking " Someone gets it! I'm not alone.". This is what I believe this verse means.  Your faith has been strengthened. You have been encouraged. This is a gift that we get to experience when we "do life" together. We aren't meant to be alone. We get to " weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice" Rm 12:14-16. I know it can be hard to reach out and ask for help. Or call someone to just talk. We think " I don't want to be a bother.". But in those times that you did reach out, didn't you feel lighter? I sure have. I've even felt hope in situations were I thought there was none. My faith had been strengthened.

Another way to strengthen your faith with someone, is sharing praises and things your thankful for. When you tell others what the Lord has done in your life, or how you see Him moving, or what you learned about Him in the Word, you are strengthening your faith. Maybe the person you were talking to has been pretty low and the Lord was using you to be a " breath of fresh air" to their poor spirit. Their faith was being strengthened!
When you share with someone the things you are thankful for, it opens your eyes to the many blessings the Lord has given to you and in turn, it breeds more and more thankfulness. Again, your faith is being strengthened.

I want to encourage you today to strengthen your faith. Take a moment to think of someone you can chat with this week. Send them a text or email or an ol' fashion phone call. :)  Give them a word of encouragement or share a Bible verse that has ministered to you. You will bring refreshment and encouragement to someone as well as yourself. May you your faith be strengthened and encouraged today!

Redeeming " those days".

"Those days". We all have them and we all dislike them. I am having one today. I have not been a very good mother. I have been too grumpy and too irritable. All I kept thinking was " Lord, can we skip to tomorrow?'.  Of course, the answer is no.  I was trying to keep it together, but Mount Mama kept erupting. I finally got everyone down for naps, I grabbed my Bible and sat down on the couch. I had no idea what to pray. I didn't even feel like praying. I was just in a bad mood. You know those moods, don't you?  Then I just started to crying out to God for forgiveness. Forgiveness for all that I did and said to the children this morning. Forgiveness for not wanting to pray to Him. Praying for Him to come and help move me out of the pit that I put myself in. I opened to Psalm 51:10 and read " create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me". I used that as my prayer. I really did need a heart and spirit change. I don't feel " all better", but I don't feel as bad as I did before. I know I am forgiven and I know the Lord is my "very present help in trouble" Ps. 46 :1.  Now when those little ones wake up, I need to walk in faith that He will help me love them and care for them the right way. I will take many deep breathes and remind myself that they are a gift from the Lord. They are blessings. They are precious and unique. I will touch, hug, and kiss them more.  I will also pray this verse as I go. I want to get to the end of this day with out regret. I want them to go to bed knowing they are loved. With the Lord's help, I can. On my own, I can't.

Are you having one of "those days" today. Be encouraged. We don't have to stay there. I know it feels like you can't get out of that icky pit.  On your own, in your own strength, you can't. Cry out to the Lord for His mercy. Use Psalm 51 :10 as your prayer today. Confess your sin and ask Him to forgive you. Then get up and walk in His  forgiveness and strength. You too can finish out this day well. Your not alone on this journey of motherhood.
Be blessed.

Meal planning 101

Having a large family I get asked lots of questions about home management, homeschooling schedule, and routine. While there are many topics I could share with you, I thought I would share how we meal plan.

There are lots of different ways family meal plan. Some do a month to month plan.I know one family that does a whole year of meal planning! Others might only plan out a week. One thing this family CAN"T do is get to 4 pm and THEN decide what to eat. Life is too busy and too chaotic try and think of dinner in the late afternoon. One thing I tell everyone is " If I didn't meal plan, this family wouldn't eat!" :)

Meal planning was something I had to learn. I am so thankful I did. If you've never done it, have no fear..here's a few pointers to help you get started. You will find that it will help you have less stress when dinner time comes around because you will be well prepared. 

I meal plan out two weeks. I find that a week is too short and a month ( or longer) is too overwhelming. I have a half piece of paper that I label with the days of the weeks and I conveniently place it on my fridge. Each day of the week has it's own certain  type of meal. Example, Mondays is a ground beef meal. That means every Monday I will make a dish that has ground beef in it. Tacos, meatloaf, sweet and sour meatballs, etc. With this planning, I only need 4-5 ground beef recipes and then I rotate through them during the month. Wednesday is chicken, Friday is Italian, Sunday left overs. You get the idea. :)
I also have a Master recipe list. This has all the names of all my main dishes on it. Instead of riffling through all my recipes and  cookbooks, I just pull out the master list and plug away! I have found that this saves SO MUCH TIME in meal planning.
I don't use elaborate recipes. My thinking is, It needs to be simple, easy and yummy. :) I also use my crock pot multiple times a week. If you have one...let it become your best kitchen friend. :)

Tip..In using my crock pot, I have found that if a dish only needs to cook for 3-4 ish hours, I get it ready and in the pot in the morning. I get real tired in the afternoons and when nap time rolls around I want to rest, not make a meal. This way, with it being done early enough, all I have to do is turn it on and go rest. My girls also like to help me when I get dinner ready in the morning too. It's a win win all around. :)

You don't have to be a mom to meal plan. It works for anyone. It has helped us tremendously. Knowing what I'm making early enough in the day, helps cut down on the stress of figuring it out later in the day.Not sure how to get started? Or don't have any recipes? Let me encourage you to ask around to your friends or relatives. Compile a list, decide how long you want to plan out for, then plug away!
Happy planning :)

New year, new challenge.

Here we are, a new year. A time to start anew. What are something you wanted to start this year? Exercise? Maybe become more organized? Start cooking healthier? Find ways to save money? Reading through the Bible is a year?   I had plans to get back into running.( Yes...I said had. I am battling severe bronchitis at the moment).We all have plans, dreams and goals for this year don't we?

While we think about all that we want to accomplish, let me throw a challenge your way. 12 books in 12 months. One book a month.  The goal of this is to get you reading and growing in your faith in the Lord. You can pick any books, but they need to have a Biblical base. Maybe you want to learn about how to be a godly wife and /or mother. Maybe you want to know about what being a godly women looks like, or you want to learn about prayer. Maybe you want to read biographies of those who have gone before you in the faith? Or you just want to learn about God and what He is like. I just finished " The Attributes of God" by A.W. Pink and am now reading " Idols of the heart; Learning to long for God alone" by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I want to encourage you to take a few days and think about you would want to learn about this year. If you would like a list to get you thinking, check out the challenge on our Women's Ministry page.  There's also a link to give you some different options of Bible reading plans.  Be encouraged, this is a new year. Let's use this year to learn and grow.