MOM FILTER

     I have been a Mom for 6 years tomorrow.  When I first started out I was sick with anxiety.  I wanted so badly to be a perfect mom which we all know is impossible.  I wanted other's to think I was a "good mom."  This threw me into what I would call "ta da!" parenting.  I was a good mom, I loved my kids discipline consistently and had fun with them but I was living under this extra pressure that wasn't from God.  About 9 months ago God put a spot light on my "ta da" or show off parenting.  He helped me get over myself and thinking my worth was some how connected to my kids behave or how they turn out.  A common misplacement of value or so I have heard.
     Being a good Mom can become an idol that makes us a calm calculated parent in public and not so much that way in the home when no one is watching.  Being a good Mom can not be our goal.  The goal has to be obeying Christ.  When we parent with any other motive we start projecting standards on our kids that God did not intend.  Fear of what others think will never give us the clear mind to shepherd the heart of our little sinners.
     All that is the foundation of where I have come from in my Mom journey.  What I am learning now has more to do with my parenting with in the 4 walls of our home.  The place that God has given me to love, discipline, train, play, and laugh.  It is to be the safe place that my husband and kids want to be because they are loved accepted and cherished.  So what do you do when you feel like your adult world is falling apart and you still have 3 wonderful little sinner's in your home looking to you for stability, standards and fun?  There is no way to manufacture peace in and of yourself.  Believe me I have tried.  So the first step I have found  is to trust the LORD with your whole heart.  This is the first step in progress of every single life experience.  As you trust the Lord with the adult things going on you will receive peace to do the Mom job better.  There is no greater deterrent that I have found to being the Mom God has called me to than a storm going on in my heart. The only thing that has ever calmed that storm is TRUSTING the creator of heaven and earth!  Then you FILTER.  You ask the Lord how much of what is going on do you share with your kids so that when God provides their faith is built.  You press on with the day to day.  Even when what you really want to do is go to bed and wake up with all your problems are fixed.  You do the morning routine, you do the laundry, (for Me) you keep up with the lessons (home school) and play.  Never stop playing.  We are always going to have trials.  ALWAYS.  Christ promised it. S o play and laugh anyways.  When the storm brews in your heart in the middle of a good game of hide and seek, hand it over to Jesus right then and there. God cares about the things that trouble you and has a plan for your life to give you hope and a future. DIG YOUR HEALS INTO HOPE.  When you mess up and scream at your kids, not because they are that terrible but the issues of life (that you can't share with them) are weighing heavy and you just used your kids as your out let.  Apologize, nock it off,  and move on the the next task or just stop altogether and read a book with your little ones. These are not things I have mastered but by God's grace am growing in.

 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart

Proverbs 3:3

     This is how we do it Mom's. We hang on to mercy and truth. Mercy in the Hebrew is kindness and beauty. Truth= stability! STABILITY! 

     In my current season God has shared with me that my faith will manifest itself in stability with my family. I do not walk by faith every moment of the day but I am growing and I will brag on my Lord that He has done a mighty work that makes me look forward to, or smile if you will (prov. 31:25) at my future with Him. 

     Trusting Him is the greatest thing you can do as a Mom.  

BOOKS

     How we do books

     Some may think this is not a worth while thing to share but book play a big roll in our home so I wanted to share anyways. Its sad but I am gong to confess I did not start really reading to my kids until Abi came along. I had a friend encouraging me about reading books to my kids right at the same time as God was giving me a new identity. I have always struggled with reading, writing and anything academics so I just didn't read to my kids. My husband did and let me just say I love listening to him read. He does voices and accents. He makes it really fun. 

     I do read to them now almost everyday. That's the goal anyway because its not just the reading that's wonderful. Its the discussions on life that come with it and the snuggling close. 

     We also use books a buffer. If there is a crazy moment or Mom and Dad just need to go in the other room and talk or that crazy 30 min. before dinner. Every one grabs books and sit far apart and "reads". Troy is actually reading many words our of regular books now and the excitements is contagious! Bear is wanting me to teach him to read as well. Abi will sing any entire books to you by memory! (Mainly hungry Caterpillar) Books have brought so much joy and enrichment into our lives. 

     How we do it. Every couple of weeks or when I can see that the books we have don't hold their attention any more we go to the library. I try to time it with a story/ craft time but not always. The kids usually don't look at books at the library and I don't mind that. Our library has such rockin' toys and kid computers that if I was a kid I would gravitate to them as well. While they are all occupied I walk around the library and pick our 40-50. I don't put alot of thought or effort into it cause lets face it there is a whole rest of our day to live and I'm not going to read every book before I pick it. We use a suit case on rollers. I am a little embarrassed when I have 30 lbs. of books making the suit case wheels ever so loud on the tile floor but then I get over it. 

     When we get home we load up our book shelf. In our current home the kids have their special toys in their rooms. We have toys that belong to everybody down stars and no toys in the upstairs living room. Just books. The books are right by the snuggliest place in our house and a constant joy in our home. 

Our little book shelf

Mamo enjoying books with Abi

Busted took a book to the bed room :)

Blurry, but this is Paul and Abi
picking out books to read

Troy and Abi again 

This was a craft time at our library! I love the library! There
wasn't space at the tables this day so we created on the floor. 

     Oh, yeah....when we have library books in the house ALL other books are put in a box and up our of reach in a closet. I can't handle the stress of loosing a library book. Also the library books don't leave the living room unless a parent takes them to another place in the house to ensure a timely return. So that it. I post these "How we do it's," not to show off or say our way is the best, its just what works for us and if its encouraging to another I like to take the time to document. If nothing else maybe my Abi will be encourage if she gets to be a homemaker some day. 

FOCUSED

     If you are a mom you may have said this to your child one or a million times, "Please, focus on what I am saying."  You say this because you know that if you can give your direction once to a focused child you are more likely not going to have to repeat your self as many times (there is always the kid that forgets the moment they walk away no matter what).  I value functioning well with my children in the command and obey area not because I want to lord over them but because then we get to spend more time on the fun stuff.
       Focus is worship. What we focus on is what we are worshiping.  Just like my desire to get to the fun stuff with my kids God desires to show us His lavish love.  We will miss it if we take our eyes off Him and focus on the trial or hard thing happening.  There is always something wonderful God is doing to show you His love.  It could be healing Cancer in some one we love or it might not be huge. It might just be that you prayed over your laundry soap and you are convinced that it is lasting longer that it should.
  Lately God has been whispering to me to check my focus.  There are a number of difficult circumstances at our door and I have been extremely tempted to take my focus of God and hone it in on what is going "wrong."  The crazy part is its not that hard to make the switch.  You just have to choose it.  If you don't even what to choose it you can ask God to fix your "want to" and He will because to worship Him in spirit and truth is His desire for you.
     I just wanted to pass on the visual of our focus being worship.  What is your focus today?  What or who are you worshiping. We know that if we give it whole heart/mind focus to God he will direct our steps!

EAT UP

     Feeding our kids.  Man, this can be so tough especially if you have a kid that bucks your system. We have been fortunate to get 2 that eat well.  We do have one that doesn't like to try new things, doesn't want food to touch (ever) and puts up a fight often.  Our house rules are you eat what we give you or you don't eat.  We have had all of our kids at different times challenge our resolve and go at least 3 meals without eating.  Before you gasp remember that God gave us the role as parent and often with food issues the kids are rebelling against the authority God has given us over them.  Its good for us to teach our little sinners to obey weather they like it or not.  A lesson they will surely use in their lives to come as we have.
     That is our take on food and picky eating.  To each their own.  I wanted to give that back round because I don't think my new discovery would have been such a hit if our kids were used to picking and choosing what they eat.

      The last few nights I have been doing veggies like this.  I put the plate in the middle of the table and they can eat as much as they want.  I think the novelty of getting to just grab it when ever they want in the meal has been really fun for them.  Each meal that I have done this there hasn't been one single thing left on the veggie plate.
     Just wanted to share in case it would be encouraging for you and yours to get their veggies.

HAPPY MEAL TIME!

1 King =2 Twin

Check this out! if you cut a king size comforter in half then you can hem it and make 2 twin comforters! Our boys have fun character sheets and now matching comforters! Yay for using what you have to make something new!

JUST

     I just can't keep it in. I am not to full understanding about what God is teaching me right now but if I don't share some of the tiny nuggets I will burst at the seems.
     I have shared some of the trials my family has gone through. Mostly financial and if you compare it to others it would pail but God knows what gets us desperate and this is working.  I'm not talking about a God that enjoys making us miserable I am am talking about this God:

1 Samuel 2:6-10

“The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
⁸ He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
⁹ He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
“For by strength no man shall prevail.
¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces;
From heaven He will thunder against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

     He is in charge in control and involved in all we go through. Roman's 8:28 is the only thing that makes it OK with my soul. 

     So here is what I am learning. There are season's for "looking" for the good in a situation. I think with this next round of hard in my families life its not that season for me. I believe God is calling me to abandon my own understanding completely (Prov. 3:5-6). When I go through something hard I often want to feel better about it but even that right now in my life is "my own understanding." Its a little scary for me to get vulnerable with Jesus and JUST TRUST HIM. Nothing else. Trust Him with my whole heart/mind. That means every time thoughts are suggested by Satin or others that are not in line with God's word I am to shut it down and trust Him. Sheesh, now that I am trying to articulate it doesn't seem as powerful as it in in my heart. Hopefully this encourages someone. 

     Is there something in your life that brings you the the brink of complete confusion and desperation? You can't for the life of you figure out what in the world God is doing and what good will come of it? TRUST. JUST TRUST. Offer your mind as a living sacrifice and weather you feel like it or not and choose to believe the truth of God's word. He will meet you in it with a peace you couldn't describe with all the words in the world. (and then you will struggle again...JUST TRUST AGAIN.)

Taking things one moment at a time.