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I’ve been a mom for 7 years now and in no way am I am expert, but I am getting much better at this gig than I was when I first became a mom.
A few weeks ago we hosted small group at our own home for the first time and I was amazed by how young, yet grown up the other couples were. When I think back to my early mothering years I wasn’t anywhere close to how mature, financially responsible or spiritually strong these couple are now.
My husband was finishing his doctorate and I was finishing my degree, we were broke and just beginning to learn about real health and real food. And we were addicted to Diet Coke. I could never imagine we’d have the pleasure to be where we are now.
Over the 10 years of our marriage we’ve experienced needing governmental assistance while we were in school, having dreadful jobs, asking for help from family, not able to give gifts to others, to church or to each other, dealing with what seemed like one closed door after another, heartache and pain, but also so much blessing through all of that.
We’ve learned to wait on God, to look at situations through a godly lens, that it’s OK to not have it all together, and when trials come, they’re to bring glory to God.
The past couple of years when I’ve shared my days, I had been going through hard seasons of trustand now I am in a season of peace. Not always clearly knowing God’s plans, but always seeing parts of his plan living out in a way I would have never thought possible.
So I’d like to share with you one of my days from the beginning of the school year. I have a kindergartener, a first grader and a 6 month old. We “do” school with a 3 times a week co-op and homeschool. (You can read more about it here if you are interested.)
August 21, 2014
8:08 a.m.
I woke up to my husband saying goodbye and thought I’ll rest for a little longer. It’s a Thursday, I went to bed later so I slept in a bit later than I had planned. If you are an early bird, I want to be you! I just couldn’t do it today. 
I rolled out of bed about 30 minutes after he left.
It’s a homeschool day, and it’s going to be filled to the brim, so I better get up… to finish reading about my day, click on over to Keeper of the Home, where you see the rest of my jam-packed day!
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The middle of summer means a lot of heat, sun and hopefully fun.
In the midst of summer business of swim lessons, vacation Bible school, and staying up later, we love to have fun outside. We go to splash pads to keep cool, play in the back yard with the hose and often go for bike rides in the evening as the sun is setting.
Always remember to use a good sunscreen or cover up in the sun to prevent skin damage.
Another thing we love is a delicious, healthy popsicle. If you’re wanting a healthy choice, you don’t have to get ones from the grocery store full of unhealthy sweeteners and the bright colors. You can easily make your own!
If you purchase some molds you can make your own popsicles over and over again. We’ve had our molds for about three years. I like the silicone push pop molds
Today, I ‘d like to share with you this recipe, you can find it over at Keeper of the Home.
Do you ever make your own popsicles? What are your favorite recipes?
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Before you start reading this, I just want to let you know that I do not do all these things with blissful glee. I want to, I’m a work in progress with the intention of being a more godly wife, probably much like you.
Sometimes when I read about the Proverbs 31 wife, I feel in adequate, that I’ll never measure up and that I’ve failed A LOT!
At times, instead of lifting my husband up, I put him down. I’ve been quick to reply with harsh words, and since my nature isn’t touchy-feely, I’ve avoided giving the kisses and hugs when he gets home from work even when I know he so desperately needs them.
So with that said, here are 7 Ways to LOVE our husbands, or as I’ll look at it, to be the BETTER wife that I so desperately want to be. And as Valentine’s Day approaches and we begin thinking about loving our husbands, I hope this list can inspire us to be just that–become better, more godly wives to our guys.
7 Ways to Love Your Husband
1. Be full of encouragement.
Be supportive, helping him fulfill his needs and goals in life.
I once heard someone say that one of the most attractive… read more over at Keeper of the Home where I share 7 ways to love our guys!!
What other ways do you love your husband? What are your best suggestions on learning to be a better wife?
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For the past few years, I have loved being able to participate in packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child with my kids. I usually let each of them choose the items at the dollar store, we decorate a card and pack the boxes all while listening to Christmas music and drinking hot beverages. It’s been a tradition of trying to teach them to care about others around the world that might not have as much as they do.
And this year won’t be any different but after I met Alex at a conference I attended a few weeks ago and learned about this ministry of Samaritan’s Purse more in depth, I knew I wanted to help out more and get even more people involved.
And that’s when I learned about “Packing Parties”. There are several ways to go about a packing party, you could have a play date where the kids help pack, a homeschool group could get together, really the options are endless so today I’m going to share with you how to host a packing party and these ideas will be centered around a Mom’s Night Out Packing Party.
How to Host a Packing Party:
First, find out who you want to be involved with the party whether it’s kids, families, school groups or others. Since I have a heart for Mom’s I went with a Mom’s Night Out. We just had our packing party this past weekend and…. read the rest of the post over at Keeper of the Home.
Do you pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child? Have you ever considered a packing party?
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I’m over at Keeper of the Home with a post about taking unhealthy pantry staples and replacing them with healthy alternatives.
sneak peak:
Back in the days before most of us were even born, when our mothers or grandmothers were girls growing up, pantries were stocked very differently than in today’s world.
Here’s a picture of a pantry from the 1940s:
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Today, most pantries are stocked with stuff that is not even real food, with unhealthy fats, loads of sugar, BPA-laden cans of condensed soups filled with MSG and lots of other “junk” that most people have no idea is unhealthy for them.
Don’t get me wrong: I am all for eating foods like Chick-fil-a or some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in moderation, but eating unhealthy foods in moderation is simply not the case for most people today. It’s an everyday occurrence in our culture.
I often question: Do people not wonder why there is an obesity epidemic or why diabetes is on the rise? Do they not understand that what you eat really does matter? Food can be detrimental and harmful to your health, or it can help you to be vibrant–full of energy and life.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” -Hippocrates
In today’s culture, food is not our medicine, the source that is supposed to sustain our bodies. It is, in fact, the opposite of that. Today’s food (fake food, rather) is making us sick. Most of us… to read the rest click here.
How do you stock your pantry? Do you think the food you eat affects your health?
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I hope you’ll join me over at Keeper of the Home where we’re talking about an essential oil that you’ve probably heard of before or have even seen in recipes for homemade cleaners: tea tree oil.
Tea tree has such a diversity of usefulness that’s both practical and convenient that you’ll never want to live without it again! And the good news is that it is very inexpensive in comparison to other essential oils.
What is Tea Tree Oil?
Tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca alternifoliais, is an essential oil that has been around for quite a while but not until the past decade has its healing benefits been catching on like wildfire. The oil is extracted from a plant native to Australia and cannot be found naturally occurring elsewhere. Tea tree oil should NEVER be ingested and is only to be used as a topical remedy.
What are the healing benefits of Tea Tree Oil?
Tea tree oil is a “jack of all trades” as far as remedies go. The easiest way to grasp the benefits is to think: skin issues + tea tree oil = healing (in most cases). Tea tree oil is known for its… click here to read about 25 different ways to use tea tree oil, the most versatile substance that can help anything from soothing a burn to removing ticks to freshening your house!
What is your favorite way to use tea tree oil?
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Today I’m over at Keeper of the Home taking about reading food labels.
sneak peak:
When it comes to reading food labels, you may be wondering where to start. And I have definitely been there, standing in the aisle holding up a can or box, feeling overwhelmed and questioning why the grocery store just can’t have all real food instead of a bunch of ingredients that seem to be in another language.
There are all kinds of things to look for on food labels. These include: nutrition facts, serving sizes, DV or daily value, ingredients, and even symbols as well as other claims that are often misleading, such as sugar free, low fat, fat free and others.
So where do we start?
If you are looking at food labels with a real food magnifying glass, you won’t be looking for what the FDA directs you to, such as the calories, fat grams, etc. And you certainly won’t be using the recommendations of their food pyramid, but, instead, you’ll be looking at the ingredients. The ingredients make up the contents of the food item and what nutrients it holds. If you look for… to read more click here.
What do you see as the most important thing about reading food labels?
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There is something about this time of the year that makes us love having a hot beverage treat to warm our hands and indulge our taste buds.
The favorites seem to be the gingerbread latte, eggnog latte, peppermint mocha and then the pumpkin spice latte.
Join me over at Keeper of the Home to take a look at the recipes!
And check out these Free Printables!
Give the gift of a warm holiday beverage this Christmas! Print recipe “tag” cards for all four of these holiday lattes and attach them with ribbon to a pretty mug. Hand deliver your neighbors, friends or family members their lattes! (Alternately, you can print these out for yourself and stick them in your recipe box/book!)
- Click here for all four tags on one sheet.
- Click here for 4 gingerbread tags per sheet.
- Click here for 4 eggnog tags per sheet.
- Click here for 4 pumpkin spice tags per sheet.
- Click here for 4 peppermint mocha tags per sheet.
Note: If you’re looking for more crock pot recipes, check out Stacy Makes Cents’ new eBook–Crock On! The book even includes crock pot desserts–like chocolate lava cake and pumpkin apple cake! Read my review here.
What’s your favorite holiday beverage? Have you ever made a latte in the crock pot?
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I’m always on the look out for natural alternatives and healthy recipes, and I’m sure you are, too–especially if you read this blog.
With all the gluten intolerances, food allergies and reduced sugar guidelines so many readers face today, I’m glad to be able to make quick substitutions like these:
You can also substitute 1 cup sugar for 1 teaspoon of… find the rest of the recipe here at Keeper of the Home.
What is your favorite recipe to use healthy real food substitutes?
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Here’s a sneak peak into my life:
I am 30. This might be young to some while older to others, and even though age isn’t significant in motherhood, at 30 this year has been the hardest year of my life. Although I would like to give you my “ideal” scenario day, this is my life… for now and sometimes the day that I think would be better if x, y, and z, I know the Lord is preparing my heart for something beyond my dreams!
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 Message Bible
This year I went from being a stay at home mom to a working mom and now a part-time working mom with the intentions of being a stay at home mom once again… while going through a much awaited upon vision from the Lord, pregnancy losses, starting a new adventure in homeschooling and growing in the Lord more than ever before. I have 2 types of days, the working ones and the non-working ones, not including weekends, which sometimes are working days and most of the time are family days. Also, this year we enrolled our kids at a University Style school, meaning they go to school part-time and homeschool part-time. We just started our first year, Pre-K and K and we are all enjoying it.
Working days
With a huge life changing mission comes much “blood, sweat and tears” and although there hasn’t been any blood, this year has shown me that with diligence, sacrifice and hard work, you can really help change peoples lives.
You see, God created you with… continue reading here.
If you are a working mom, how do you manage motherhood and working?
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