Sunday, November 22, 2015

Hoodwinked: Ten Myths Moms Believe and Why We All Need to Knock It Off


Have you every watched a TV show or read an article and thought to yourself, "If I knew those girls in real life we would be best friends"? Well those were my exact thoughts about Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk while I was reading Hoodwinked: Ten Myths Moms Believe and Why We All Need to Knock It Off.

I have had the absolute pleasure in being a part of the Hoodwinked Launch Team. I have spent the past couple of weeks dissecting the myths that mother's place on themselves. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking "they get it... they really get it". Karen and Ruth do a fantastic job debunking these myths and leading us mothers to live a free, fulfilling, and faithful life. I don't want to spoil all of the goodness that comes from these pages but here are a few myths and excerpts that I found particularly inspiring...

Myth #1: Mothering Is Natural, Easy, and Instinctive

[In following the footsteps of women in the Bible...] "We let go of the race to replicate someone else's mothering experience and instead fasten our seatbelts and prepare ourselves for the unique ride that Jesus will take us on in this whole mothering experience." Did you hear that... unique ride! All mothers are not the same. I don't have to cook from scratch like the mother down the street, I can use disposable diapers unlike my best friend, my children do not need to be in every after school activity and I do not need to aspire to be the president of the PTA like the mother from my church. My mothering experience is unique and made just for me. "We [need to] get our eyes off of other mothers... and fix our eyes upon Jesus."


Myth #3: I Am "Just" a Mom

"God has set apart the home as his. Home is a place where his presence is to be felt and his purposes are to be pursued. He places parents in those homes as watchmen, pastors, priests, shepherds, teachers, and warriors who have been called and commissioned to pass on their faith to their children for the sake of the world. Motherhood is not an easy mission. But it is God's." How awesome to know that God placed us in our children's lives... We are not there to 'just' pack lunches, wipe noses, and fold little articles of clothing. We are to guide our children in their walk with the Lord for the sake of the world. That's huge... 

Myth #7: Motherhood is Luck of the Draw

I recently began potty training my son and my hope was that I would just 'get lucky' and he would get it. I didn't know how to approach it, which method to use, how to respond to him, etc. How many times as moms to we just cross our fingers and hope that we get lucky? We hope that our little boys will take one swing at a baseball and hit it, we wish that our little girls are natural born dancers... There  is nothing wrong with wishful thinking but do we do this with our child's spiritual well-being? We can't live a 'do as I say, not as I do' lifestyle... "If we want our children to be disciples of Jesus, then we must first be parents who are disciples of Jesus." We need to provide them with a Christ-life to follow. Will we make mistakes? Of course, no one is perfect, but even in our failures we can still set an example for them. Instead of wishing for luck, let's turn to the Bible. "As parents, our understanding of the right picture needs to be more biblically defined than culturally informed."

This book has been so refreshing to read. I feel like my 'hood' has been lifted. I can look at these myths now and take them for what they are... myths! I know the truth and I know where the truth comes from. To all moms... do yourself a favor and but this book on your Christmas Wish List! (It would look great peeking out of a stocking or wrapped up under the tree) You can purshase Hoodwinked Here

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Join me in the Making Your Home A Haven Challenge

It's fall... and for me that means wanting my household to be just perfect! Why? I'm not really sure but year after year the fall seems to be my time for a clean house, an apple aroma of some sort, hot chocolate, kind attitudes, loving words and lots and lots of family time. I am joining Courtney and many others over at Women Living Well (have you checked out her blog...? It's a must!) in the Make Your Home A Haven Challenge. Will you join me?

Weekly challenges are designed to help make your home a place of peace. Too many activities pulling you in different directions? Stressful day at work or with the kids? Lots of errands to run? A To-Do List a mile long? This challenge will help you to be intentional each day in finding the calm.

Interested? Head over to Women Living Well to watch the video.

Week 1's challenge was to buy a large candle and light it each day praying for peace in your home. I will be using my candle lantern that Mark and I got on our Honeymoon!





Dear Jesus,
Please bring peace to our home today. Please help us all to use kind words and to practice patience with each other. Please allow us to spend time together and enjoy each other's company. Thank you for this home... for the walls that surround us and the roof over our heads. I pray that we can use it to glorify you.
Amen.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

HOODWINKED

So as I was walking up the driveway with little Lily in one arm and our home cooked dinner that Chick-fil-a was kind enough to make in the other hand, up pulls the UPS man. As he was walking up to me I'm only thinking of the millionth thing my Amazon-obsessed husband just ordered. (Although I shouldn't complain because he is very generous in pampering me) Much to my surprise it had MY name on it though... It was for me! The girl who never orders herself anything. After tearing it open I found out that I am one of the lucky ladies who gets to read and review Hoodwinked by Ruth Schwenk from The Better Mom and Karen Ehman from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

I am so very excited about this opportunity. It takes me back to K-Mart when I was a little girl and picked the winning ring and won a Magic Nursery Pet. Does anyone remember those? I carried that thing around like it was my baby. Likewise, I am honored to be able to read a copy of Hoodwinked before it is released. Stay tuned for my thoughts...

Friday, September 11, 2015

Our Sunday Morning Life Saver

So since Lily has been born our Sunday mornings have been cRazY! We barely made it to church on time with just Jase... And now I am teaching the youth Sunday School class so being on time is a must! (Come on, I can't have high schoolers getting there before me... they are the ones who are supposed to be late!)

I started to make it a habit of packing the diaper bag and laying out clothes on Saturday. It has made a huge difference. Then Mark can even help dress the kids and guess what?!? They will match!  (I love my hubby but sometimes his clothing choices are sub par) While shopping at Kohls one day (It was my first day out with out any kids so let's just say I scoured every inch of the store to make it last) I found two little chalk board hooks on clearance for just a few bucks. I snatched them up, added a little paint, and viola!

(Sorry about the poor lighting... when it's dark outside that is as light as their room gets with their little lights... but hey, they are the same lights that were in my husbands room when he was a kid so that's the price you pay for nostalgia...)


Saturday night, if not before, both kiddos have their entire outfits hung (I even hang up one shoe and place the other one near by on the dresser because as any parent will tell you... shoe searching while you are on your way out the door is a beast). This has been such a lifesaver!