Real mothers

I received this in an email from my sister -- a mother of three (including a TEENAGER) -- it made me smile . . . but I had to add a bit of commentary found in brackets:

Real mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it. [I actually do make quiche, and my husband eats it, too! ;)]

Real mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox [or being used to create playdoh sculptures].

Real mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens [don't even look in mine; the microwave could use a little work right now too] and happy kids [at least most of the time].

Real mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets [which is why we don't use playdoh anywhere NEAR carpet].

Real mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up. [Fortunately, we have a bagless that we can recover any "treasures" that were inadvertantly vacuumed up].

Real mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best.' [Jaden is famous for saying, "I love you, you're special and you're precious!"]

Real mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade . . .

It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The years pass so very quickly, and they are growing up so fast. Some days I'd like to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head -- or at least change my name for a couple of hours -- but I'm so thankful to be a mommy. I can't imagine my life any other way! It just doesn't get any better than this!

Parenting resources give-away!

Values Driven Family.com is having a give-away of some wonderful parenting resources as well as some that will encourage moms in their own spiritual walk. You can check it out here to find out more (and to sign up for the drawing)!

By the way, check out their website as well -- they have lots of resources of their own. I have listened to several podcasts of their seminars, which have blessed me tremendously.

Father's Day fun!

Here's Daddy with his children on Father's Day!

We love you so much Daddy!

Jaden says, "I love you, you're special and you're precious!"

Lael says, "There isn't a better daddy in the whole wide world than you!"

Brent, you are such a wonderful daddy to our children. I thought I knew what loving you was all about when we got married, but seeing you as a father showed me parts of you I would have never known any other way. Thanks for being committed to our family, for lovingly leading us in the ways of the Lord. I thank God for you!

Reflections on discipleship

I've been very contemplative lately . . . it amazes me how quickly time is passing. My children are growing up right before my eyes, and if I'm not careful, I'll miss it. It's so easy to have misplaced priorities, placing importance on things that, in light of eternity, don't matter at all.

I've been challenged about the importance of discipleship -- my pastor-husband has been preaching about it at church the past two weeks and a conference I attended in May had discipleship as its main thrust.

In the midst of all that, the Holy Spirit reminded me that my primary disciples are the little ones that live under my roof, that I need to be PURPOSEFUL (there's that word again) in how I mentor them and help them to grow to follow Jesus. They need to be able to follow my example as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Like my husband said in his message yesterday, discipleship is often inconvenient. It is time-intensive and requires sacrifice. It isn't a one-time event or a class. It's not simply reading my kids a Bible story and making sure we pray before we eat. It's a lifestyle of pouring into them what God has poured into me.

It happens while we're sitting on the couch cuddling, driving in the car, grocery shopping, playing at the park . . . just going about life. As I PURPOSE to invest into them, my prayer is that they will be continually transformed by the power of God at work in their little lives. And as one of the conference speakers reminded me, transformed people will leave behind transformed places!

I read this poem today and it touched me -- probably because of all that God is speaking to me right now about the importance of really investing into my children. That happens by purposing to connect with them, valuing what's important to them and taking the time to really listen.

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

Id take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the new house later.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.

~~Diane Loomans

One of the things God is challenging me to do in 2008 is to be more PURPOSEFUL -- to know why I'm doing what I'm doing and to make sure what I'm doing is what I'm supposed to be doing.

In my visiting to other blogs, I came across this article about being PURPOSEFUL in praying for your children . . . I really liked what the author shared and want to incorporate some of his thoughts into my prayer time for my children. Here's the link in case you want to check out the article in its entirety -- http://www.bobhostetler.com/writing/bestof001.html

31 Ways to Pray for Your Children by Bob Hostetler

Following is the list I have developed, complete with brief suggestions for prayer from Scripture. Feel free to duplicate it--or improve upon it--to help you pray specifically and purposefully for your children to experience and evidence:

1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

At the end of this list of things to pray over one's children, the author shared that he not only prayed these things for his children in his personal prayer time each day, but he would also pray it over them when he prayed with them at bedtime. Over time, he began to hear them praying for the same character qualities to be developed in them that he was praying about. His commitment to PURPOSEFUL prayer changed not only his own prayer life, but also that of his children. This is such an encouragement and challenge to me as I desire to PURPOSEFULLY parent my children and see them grow up to pursue God passionately.

National Day of Prayer, Part 3

Well, the National Day of Prayer has passed for 2008, but I wanted to share our special "prayer shields" (thanks to the moms on the Five in a Row boards for this idea):

Here are my little "prayer warriors in training" holding their shields . . .

Jaden says, "I like my prayer shield.

It's special to me because it has pictures of people that I love."

Lael says, "I'm going to use my prayer shield to remember to pray for other people, like my grandparents, the president and people around the world that need to know Jesus."

This is a close-up . . . with room to add more pictures!

Even though the National Day of Prayer has passed for this year, I know that God has stirred within our family a new focus on prayer -- and that's exciting!

A quote that I am pondering

I heard this quote on the radio the other day and had to write it down to think about later. I'm still pondering . . . here's the quote:

Raise children that make heaven rejoice and evil shudder.

As I've thought some about this quote, it really reminds me of what my priorities are as a parent. Yes, I want them to be well-educated and able to interact with others in social settings. I'd love to see them excel in the gifts that God has given them, whether that be in music or sports or the arts. I dream about what the future may hold for them in terms of marriage, ministry, career. But ultimately, none of those things are what matter most.

The deepest desire of my heart is to see my little ones grow to love their Savior more and more each day . . . that they will follow Him wholeheartedly and serve Him faithfully. I want them to be more focused on making a difference for the Kingdom of God than they are on making a living. So when things get busy and I feel overwhelmed with all that parenting entails, I want to come back to this quote and remember that my goal is to raise children that make heaven rejoice and evil shudder. As I concentrate on being purposeful this year, this is a good reminder.

But that's what mothers do!

My dear, sweet son and I were having a conversation this afternoon about why he doesn't need to change his clothes fifteen times a day! (Okay, so this was only the third outfit he wanted to put on today! And in his defense, I just got out his summer clothes this weekend, so there were some "old favorites" that he hadn't seen in a LONG time!)

Anyway, back to our conversation . . . I tried to explain to him that by wearing multiple outfits each day, it makes extra dirty laundry for Mommy to do (which is extra work). Without missing a beat, he said, "But that's okay, Mom . . . that's what moms are 'apposed to do!"

After saying that, he marched out to the backyard with his sister to play, and I was left to ponder the reality of that statement. There are so many things in the course of a day that I just "do" because that's what mothers do. And even though I may grumble momentarily about the influx of laundry created by a little boy with both a desire to "look sharp" like his daddy

and an inexplicable passion for climbing any and everything, jumping in mudpuddles and other equally messy things,
I wouldn't trade my mommy "to do" list for anything in the world. I am so very blessed to do all the things that mothers do for my two precious gifts from God. Thanks, Jaden, for that reminder!

A sweet sibling moment

It's been one of those days today . . . when I felt like all I did today was referee between two children that love each other completely and drive each other crazy almost at the same time! In the relative calm after dinner, I was checking my email and then cleaning up from dinner while they played. All of a sudden, I tuned in to what was going on in the other room. Lael was snuggled up next to Jaden on the couch, reading him a story. That's actually a rather common occurrence here as she loves to read and he loved to be read to. What made this especially sweet was the story she chose to read. It's The Legend of the Easter Egg by Lori Wahlberg, which is the book we are focusing on in homeschooling this week.

The children have heard this story for two days so far (we read our "focus book" every day for five days), so there were a few words that she didn't yet remember and spelled to me so I could help her out. It's a beautiful story of the true meaning of Easter, but it also features the love of a brother for his older sister who was sick. As I listened to my little princess reading, I could hear in her voice the same enthusiastic expressions that I used in reading the story to them this morning. And as Jaden commented on the events of the story, I heard bits and pieces of discussions we had yesterday about the main character and his feelings.

As I blinked back a tear or two, I realized that when you think they aren't listening . . . they are. When you feel like you haven't gotten anything across . . . you have. And when it seems like it won't make a difference . . . it does. Parenting these two treasures from God is a huge task, often overwhelming. But in moments like these, God gives me a reminder of how blessed I am -- and I wouldn't trade this job for anything in the world!