Don't Forget to Play

In the craziness and the chaos of motherhood never forget to enjoy it. So many times I get so caught up in the chore of life and mothering I forget to play. It is so important that I bless my children in spending time enjoying them, so in return they will bless me. There is a scripture in the bible that says "Her children rise up and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:28 If we sit down and enjoy some of our time playing with them we are blessing them. I can tell you the other day I sat at the table with my kids and we colored and played with stickers and you would have thought it was Christmas at our house! They were so happy to see me coloring with them. I was blessing them and in return I was being blessed. Sometimes we need to just put down the dishes and not worry about dinner or laundry right then and sit down and play. The chores will always be there but your children won't. I have heard it best said by my mother whom was the mother of 3, "I would do anything just to hold my children in my lap and rock them." I think we forget that all kids get older and one day we will not have these moments to play, rock or teach them. It starts now. Enjoy everyday God has given you with them and don't forget to PLAY!!!

This makes me feel like.....

This!

Came across this photo today on a friends facebook page. Such a powerful photo of exactly what our words do to our children whom one day become adults. Be careful, they are listening:)

My Process

Sometimes humility is a process. With me that is defiantly the case. What can sometimes seem to be an injustice can really be God trying to humble you.  Pride that I never realized I had and failure to be truly anchored in Him has caused me to be deeply shaken. I am learning and that indeed I had a deep root of pride and just like the Bible says, "pride goes before a fall". It is the most important thing for me to learn to be only anchored in God because in Him and only Him will I find true hope and belief. If I put my hope in man I will only be discouraged, hurt and let down, time and time again. If I anchor myself in God, man can never let me down. God should be my rock and foundation, in Him I should trust. I must lay down my pride and allow God to humble me daily so that I can rely and trust in Him. There are journeys and lessons for all of us to learn and even if it hurts and you go down kicking and screaming, hang in there because at the end of the road, you will be so much closer to God. We think the process is going to kill us and we are never going to see light at the end, but God is metamorphosing you and bringing you up to a higher level. Just go with it. You will look back and see that you more than just survived, you arrived to where you were destined and created to be. They call it "growing pains" for a reason:) Be encouraged, none of us have it figured out and we all fall short. Just don't give up on the process.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 NLT

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Hebrews 6:19 NLT

Intentional Living

What does it mean to live life everyday with intention? I think it means taking everyday that God gave you and living it out purposefully with guidance from Him. I think about my day with the kids and how monotonous it can be at times. I mean we wake up and do pretty much the same routine every day. It's not that I get bored, I think its just that I loose sight and I get lost in the mundane. When I take a step back and look at what God really wants me to do in my day, I can re-focus and get back on track again. I am living my life with the intention to teach, raise and grow healthy children. I am living my life to have a healthy, functional marriage with the help mate God gave me. I am living my life to bless and help others around me. Most of all I am living my life with the purpose to serve my Savior and show the love of Him to all of those I come in contact with through out my day. I am living my life with the intention to not to be like everyone else and to go against the grain. I am living my life with the intention to have joy and love everyday that He has given me with the people in my life. So my question to you is....are you living out your days with intention and purpose?


Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT

So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
1 Corinthians 9:26 NLT

My Loves!!

I Love this Girl!!

I Love this Boy!!

I Even Love this Guy!!

Labels

This past week my little one had been sick with fever and coughing. She is adamantly against taking any kind of medicine, ever. Mind you she is 2 and has been this way since about 6 months of age. This resulted in an all out struggle for me to get this chewable Tylenol in her mouth, with her consistently spitting it back at me. My frustration was building, as was hers. I was determined to get her to take that medicine just as much as she was determined to not take that medicine. Which resulted in the battle of wills. I remember just giving up and sitting on the floor and beginning to think "Oh dear God, she is just like me!" That is when the tears started to flow because just as that realization hit me, she came and crawled in my lap for a hug. I couldn't help but feel the need to pray and ask God for guidance on how to raise a strong willed child. Later that day after talking with my sister I began to think about how I was labeled as a strong willed child my whole life and how these labels given to us at an early age stick to us like glue. Have you ever noticed that? For instance when someone calls you shy, in your mind from that point on you are a shy introverted person. When you are called strong willed, like I was, you feel like you are a difficult person. Why can't we focus on the positive and say instead of strong willed, "strong" or "decisive". These labels not only attach themselves to kids but they attach themselves to adults. I have heard everything from "you are too loud" to "you are introverted" in my adult life and both resulted in me believing I was those things. I am clearly neither. Your words are powerful, so be careful how you label your kids, your friends, even yourself. Also be careful with the labels others will try and attach to you.  If God created you with a strong character trait, that people turn negative, just know that He put that in you for a reason that is higher than what any man can demise or diminish. Here are a few examples of some labels and how you can put a positive spin on them.

Strong willed- decisive, strong, determined, bold and strong in what they believe in.

Shy- discerning, careful, thoughtful, genuine.

Flighty- creative, good imaginations, inventive, exciting.

Hyperactive- fun, outgoing, makes friends easily, life of the party.

Bad listener (ADD)- great imagination.

Tattle Tale- seeker of injustices made right, law abiding.


Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.  Ephesians 4:29