Cleaning for Christ

I am not a clean freak. This is no shock to the ones that know me best. I actually HATE cleaning! However, I thrive in a clean, and organized environment. I can't function when the house is messy. The cleaning process just doesn't come easy for me. I'd much rather sit down, play a game with the kids, or relax with a good book. While I am still not quite as "clean" as I would like to be, God has brought me a long way in this part of my life. When we were first married you could barely see the floor from all the "stuff". That's really all it was, stuff. I was a terrible housekeeper. I would have ran from articles like this: "Home is More Than Dirty Laundry"

My husband and I have been married for 9.5 years, and it wasn't until around year 6.5 that I really started to snap out of the slump I was in, and start taking care of my home. Scripture has a lot to say about laziness. "If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks." Ecclesiastes 10:18 "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor." (Proverbs 12:24) "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest." (Proverbs 6:6-8)The old and New Testament has plenty to say about laziness! Yet, taking care of our home, and staying on top of the cleaning, tending to the children...goes beyond productivity and staying away from being lazy. It's about serving Christ. WOW - ouch. That really hurts. If I am not doing my best in the home then I am not fullfilling God's purpose for my life. He has specific roles for men and women. Both are equally important in serving our Maker. Titus 2 tells women to be keepers of the home. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us that WHATEVER we do, we do it all for the glory of God. That is the scripture that really touches my heart, and the scripture I need to hear the most. In my cleaning, homemaking, training of children, and serving my husband, I am serving Christ. He has allowed me to stay home, and has blessed me with a home to raise my family in. A common thought among people is that stay at home moms lack socialization and education, or that we are slaves to our husbands barking orders, and becoming doormats to his demands. A Stay at Home Mom - is NEVER "Just a Mom". It's a calling that God has placed on your life. Embrace this calling with joy! You sacrifice your schedule, your time, your wants, your desires, your needs for your family - joyfully, because in doing so, you are serving Christ, and showing His love to your family. Please don't think that I am saying that ALL the cleaning needs to be done with a smile on your face, with excitement in your step, and with a love for cleaning, cooking, and training. Just joyfully serve Christ. If you remember WHY you are cleaning, cooking, and training, it will make those task much easier to handle because you are doing them for the glory of God. I am not there yet. I still battle, and kinda have a little temper tantrum in my head when once again the dishes are piled, and the toilets need cleaning - AGAIN. That song that I sang in Sunday school goes through my mind though: "He's still working on me, to make me what I aught to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars; the sun and the Earth, and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be; He's still working on me." Those words remind me that He's not done with me yet. If the cleaning doesn't come easy, or if you find yourself leaning toward laziness - don't be discouraged. Change - today! Step by step, day by day, pray for God to give you the strength to joyfully serve Him in your home.

More Than We Can Handle

We've all had those rough days. The kind that make you throw your hands over your eyes, and just weep. Perhaps your child has been disobedient, the laundry is overflowing, the dishes are piled up, and the toddler is playing with his poop...again. We have all been overwhelemed, felt defeated, and at times, incapable of this tast of being mom. Surely God wouldn't give me more than we can handle right? I mean, that's what everyone says when they try to console you, when you feel like throwing in the towel, at the loss of a pregnancy, or the diagnosis of a disease, people always say "God doesn't give you more than you can handle". To that I say "Where in the Bible does it say that?". I've looked, I've searched. It's NOT there. It sounds awesome...and in my earlier mothering years I clung to that phrase. I found hope in knowing that God doesn't give me more than I can handle. But guess what? That's a lie. God does not promise that it's going to be easy. In fact...he says to count these trials, these battles, these moments of feeling defeated...to count them as JOY! You see, apart from Christ, we are NOTHING. I am nothing without him. I CAN'T be a good homemaker, an effective helpmeet, or a loving mother without God's grace, and his strength. So in those moments of desperation, helplessness, and defeat what do we do? RUN! Stop everything you are doing and RUN! Run to the cross, fall into the arms of Christ and lay it at His feet. Because our hope, our strength, and our endurance comes from HIM! Dear sleep deprived mother, overstressed homemaker, and exhausted wife...He has given you so much more than you can handle, so that you will cling to Him! During the battle of the wills, the diaper changes, the multiple baths, and the many many loads of laundry, God has placed a mountain, a struggle, SOMETHING there that pushes you to your breaking point and keeps you on your knees. Please find hope and assurance in knowing that God has a perfect plan for your life - all of it. During the highs, and the lows God is in complete control of it all. Run to Him! You can't get all the laundry done. You can't homeschool your children. You can't lead them to Christ. You can't be a sufficient housewife. You can't. But through Christ you can! Find hope, joy, and strength in your Creator! In the trials, and tribulations the go along with being a mother - Christ is drawing you to Him. He's teaching you something through those battles, and moments of being completely overwhelmed. Pray, and joyfully allow it, to keep you on your knees.

Battle of Wills

I have a difficult child. I have MULTIPLE strong-willed children. However there is one child that makes a battle out of EVERYTHING. I honestly think if I told him to go get some ice cream out of the freezer to have a snack, that he would argue, backtalk, or fuss about what KIND of ice cream. I feel from the moment this child's feet hit the floor in the morning, to the second he falls asleep I am constantly engaged in a very extreme battle of wills. It has escelleated to this child yelling at me, growling at me, and yes...I've even had a fist raised at me. I'm not over-exagerating either...the battle is with EVERYTHING. So what does a mom do? How can we help with the disobedience, and the arguing? One Faithful Mom has put it in words so much better than I ever could. Head on over to her page and check out her thoughts on these issues in her post: Just Be The Mom

A little sluggish

How's everyone doing today? Any year round homeschoolers getting anything accomplished today? We are - sluggish. Not totally letting the day go...but we are having a very relaxed kind of day. It's absolutely wonderful. So - here's what has been going on around our home today Benjamin is being a busy worker - and chose to help momma indoors. Matthew is relaxing with the ipad Then Benjamin joins him The others are happily hanging outside...although very curious why I needed the camera, so not many "action" shots. :) Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful day! We'll be up and moving soon enough around here, these lazy summer days are just awesome though! How about you? How are you spending your Thursday?

The New Schoolroom

With the excitement of a new school year...comes a new school room. Now, let's face it...we ALL know that schooling takes place everywhere - kitchen table, car, field trips, nature walks...and yes, as in our home - sometimes the bathroom. I NEED a space in our home for our school. Not necessarily for our SCHOOLING...but definitely for our school STUFF. =) We are going on our 4th year of homeschooling...and we have created quite the collection of various items, books, curriculum, books, toys, puzzles...and did I mention BOOKS? So after much planning - measuring, and saving...my hubby and I headed to - IKEA I had never been to ikea before, but knew a little about what to expect from talking to friends who have been. The entire time spent in store from moment of entering to departure was about 3 hours. I would like to say that the kids would have LOVED going. We had a lot of shopping to do, so this particular trip was not the best one to do with the kiddos in tow. However...I think for our next trip - we'll let them tag along. The store is set up with tons of displays of living rooms, kitchens, offices, bedrooms, etc. It's like a dream come true for the decorating dummy that I am. =) We chose not to eat lunch there - but there is a restaurant if you need a little energy boost while doing all of that fun shopping. We made our way through the store...shopping carts loaded, and then came the check out - we did it ALL ourselves! I'm a Uscanner though, so it wasn't too bad at all. We loaded the expedition and headed back home. I was sooo giddy and excited! So after 2 nights of assembling, the hard work of my husband, and a lot of help from ten little hands...the new schoolroom was done - ala ikea! Here's the finished room! And just in case you didn't notice - the school room has gotten a HUGE uplift that goes beyond the new ikea toys. Here's what it looked like not long after moving into the house. See something in our room that you like? Want to get one for yourself? Check out the list of what's in the schoolroom: * 1 Trofast storage Frame * 3 red trofast storage boxes * 3 white trofast storage boxes *1 Bygel Rail *6 blue bygail containers *3 white Vika Amon Table Tops * 12 VIKA Amon Table Legs * 1 expedit book shelf/ room divider *1 Expedit desk * lots and lots of Kassett boxes! I'd love to hear if you have a school room! Do you spend more time in it, or your kitchen table, or outdoors? We mostly use ours for math, reading, and spelling...all other subjects are done @ the hub of the home - the kitchen table. =)