Parenthood
Remember when I told you...
And then I said I'd share with you some of Anne and Bryant's parenting wisdom?
I've been sitting on this awhile, but now I'm ready. Are you?
Throughout the night, Anne and Bryant bantered back and forth relating experiences, sharing wisdom through scripture and answering our many questions. Their first point of advice came straight from the Bible:
Love and respect your spouse.
Bryant made sure to emphasize the difference for the wife and the husband in respect to this command. There is a difference in priority between the wife and husband when it comes to love and respect. The husband cherishes respect from his wife. He relishes in it. It can be as simple as a kind word about how good he is at something to as elaborate to a home-cooked five course meal with the kids tucked away in bed. The point is he craves respect and thrives on it.
A wife on the other hand desires love. Now it's up to the husbands to figure out how his wife knows she's loved. For me, hint hint, it is acts of service. If my husband say, hangs a toilet paper holder and two hooks in my bathroom for me, I will be assured of his undying devotion. If he were to touch up the paint in AE's room, I would know I am loved. If he would help me put together a trampoline for the girls to jump on, I would know I am loved. Get the picture?
While some wives crave to-do list items to be crossed off, others need only hear the words, "I love you." Others want to be hugged or kissed. Others want a new bracelet or ring. Others would like to spend the day together. I just want stuff done. But we could do it together!
The next point of the night was, according to Anne, "A wife can destroy or build up her husband, real quick." Makes you try to edit what comes out of your mouth, right? Me, too.
Another idea: Children feel more secure in a home where love is evident. How often do my children see me hug my husband? Do they ever hear me say, "I love you!"? Will they learn how to love others if they don't see me showing love to my husband?
And it seems like a no-brainer, but belittling your spouse crushes your child's spirit. And that goes for the in-laws, too. Our children are a part of each of us and our parents, so if we say something negative about our mother-in-law or husband, we are in turn criticizing our children and fostering feelings of doubt in our children. They will doubt our love for them. Our unconditional love for them which they deserve.
Now finally, dedicate your home to the Lord.
From The Message:
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?
Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?
Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.
Phriday Photos
I'm thinking about making these next week for some folks who just had a baby and requested "NO CHEESE". I don't know of ANY casserole that does not call for cheese, so what do you think? Would you be happy or offended if I showed up with a whole chicken all Paula Deen'ed on the grill with some Bud heavy?
You Spoke
Wow. An overwhelming 17 people voted in our first poll! I'm not being sarcastic; I'm pretty excited.
Summary of results:
- 10 folks agree with this mama (last one up gets the job)
- 3 folks love each other enough to do it together
- 3 folks are traditional and think the wife should do it
- 1 lucky soul all the way from Northern Ireland has a husband who insists!
I was asked what sparked this question; did we have an issue in our house? No, not really. Sometimes The Daddy does it. At least he did the day after the poll was published! Most days I do it while the girls are napping. I usually do it just to feel like I accomplished something that day!
Today I am washing the sheets, so the bed is naked. Looking forward to a night in a crisply made, freshly ironed, sheeted bed!
Imagine That!
So we headed downtown yesterday with Nana and Papa to the Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta.
AE driving the tractor
HJ sliding down a banana peel slide
AE and HJ accepting a shipment of foods ready to go down the conveyor belt
AE operating a forklift
AE really loved tinkering with the life-size tinker toys
HJ fishing
AE and HJ donned raincoats to avoid getting soaked
Two crazy girls in the tree house
AE cooking in the castle
Preparing bread
HJ getting in on the food preparation
Serving Mama on her throne
HJ's turn to serve
Mama enjoying some medieval grub
That raincoat didn't protect HJ so well!
HJ and Papa settling in for story time
AE was brave enough to pet the bird, while HJ was not
Making a Valentine's Day craft
Playing in the moon sand with Nana
A mound of sand before lunchtime
We had a blast and I enjoyed our family time together! Having three adults to watch over two children made the morning a lot less stressful. It's nice when you outnumber the little ones!
Happy Happy
Cheerios!
Valentines stuff AE's envelope
Making cookies with Nana
HJ was the taste-tester!
No nap for her!
The girls' bounty: candy necklaces, Reese's peanut butter hearts, stickers, and M&M's. Plus a new book to read tonight! Thanks, Nana!
We're off to the Children's Museum today with Papa and Nana and then to have Valentine's dinner with The Daddy's grandparents, Mema and Paw Paw.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Phriday Photos
A Reminder of How Time Flies
Last February at the Children's Museum
HJ can still wear that dress as a swing top!
AE at the beach over Valentine's Day weekend last year
Sweet face and short hair!
Wednesday's Word-Part II
Praying for His Walk With God
Praying for my husband's walk with God (as well as my own) is praying for his eternal life as well. What is our destination? Where is this "walk" going?
Begin with praying for you and your spouse to walk on the same path in regards to your walk with God. There are plenty of marriages where one spouse goes to church while the other doesn't and other difficulties. Just think how much more in sync you and your spouse would be if you are walking in the same direction, on the same path, toward the same goals!
In the meantime here on earth, praying for his walk with God will affect every area of our family life. Because my husband's attitude, state of mind and behavior are all impacted by his walk with God, I am even surer that my prayers are needed. I'm not just praying for his walk with God, I'm not just praying for his obedience, his repentance, his deliverance, and his faith, but rather I'm praying for our family as a whole. He is an integral part of our family. His walk with God will make lasting impressions on our children, on our marriage and in our eternal lives.
Poking around in Ephesians, I found the perfect prayer for our husbands and for ourselves:
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph. 1:16-19a)
Dinner Conversation
Right now, AE is giving HJ a lecture on eyebrows.
AE: Mommy, HJ doesn't have any eyebrows!
Me: Yes, she does. They are just hard to see because they are blond.
AE: Oh, HJ, you have to grow some eyebrows! Mommy has them. Daddy has them. You have to grow up and get eyebrows. When you're bigger, you can have eyebrows. Just keep eating.
Crazy girl.
Wednesday's Word- Part I
I guess this week I was convicted of the idea that my prayers will make an impact on my husband's everyday life and his eternal life. I was convicted that my prayers can help my husband better hear God's voice. If my husband is supposed to be the spiritual leader in our household, doesn't it make sense that I pray for his spiritual life? Duh.
Another big point, for me, this week was the idea that our time here on earth is really training for our time in Heaven. As I'm training for a half-marathon right now, this analogy struck me and makes me think, "How much more enjoyable will Heaven be if I am more prepared? If I am closer to God? If I know Jesus up and down? Don't I have more fun and feel more relaxed at a party when I know the host well?"
Am I prepared for an eternity in Heaven with God?
Here's The Message version to the race analogy:
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
I've got a lot of "stuff" to cut out of my life, so I can run without hindrance. I do so much preparation to run, but am I preparing myself and my family for life in Heaven with God?
I map out my run and the distance I am going. I stretch before I go. I make sure I have eaten and have drunk enough water. I tie my shoes. I pull my hair back. I put on the headphones. I take a deep breath.
And I run with a goal. With a destination in mind.
Can I go deeper in my preparation for my spiritual life? Can we map out a course for our spiritual life as a family? We sure can. We started by making a family mission statement.
Even though we have done this, I feel like I need to live this life with the idea that the way we are living our lives here on earth is supposed to be growing us for the future. We should be learning from our experiences, getting to know God through prayer and getting to know ourselves as God made us. Only then can we become what he wants us to be.
So how has my training been going? I'm doing well with the encouragement of my husband and friends. Hmmmm. I'm doing well with the encouragement of my husband and friends. The Daddy's kind words are working. His extra effort to take care of the kids while I run is working. I don't know if he's prayed for my perseverance, but I kinda got a feelin' he is.
So there's my proof. I need to encourage my husband in his "training" through my words, my actions and my prayers.
I've got some work to do.
A Question for You?
Oh, and please vote!
Mommy, Are You Jesus?
Over the weekend, AE talked a lot about Jesus. A LOT.
She even got to the point when she asked me whispering, "Mommy, are you Jesus?"
"No honey, I'm not, but I've got Him in my heart."
Another evening I read to her from her "First Bible" three stories which related the events of the Last Supper, Judas' betrayal and the Roman soldiers coming to take Jesus away. In hindsight, it would have been better to end with Jesus' resurrection but...I'm not perfect; only Jesus is.
As AE got into bed, she sounded very sad when she said she couldn't have Jesus or God in her heart. I asked her,"Why not?"
"Because Jesus is dead. God is dead."
"Oh no, honey! Don't you know what happens next?"
"What?"
"God brings Jesus back to life! Jesus is alive!"
"Really? REALLY, REALLY!"
And a smile ensued as big as I've ever seen on her sweet face.
No honey, I'm not Jesus, but I'll gladly introduce you.
We Were Invited...
...to our Pastor's house for dessert on Friday night. Along with the rest of our Sunday school class. So after some yummy Mexican food, we headed over to get some parenting advice from Anne and Bryant. Along with 20 other couples. And it was FUN!
I've got all the sage advice broken up into a three-part series that I'll be posting this week. Just wanted to give you a teaser!
And the desserts were phenomenal!
Last Wednesday's Word
So, better late than never?
Let's start with my favorite point from the week:
God has a purpose for our suffering, but it does not necessarily have to continue on forever.
It kinda brings me back to the idea that all we are served in life will strengthen us, IF WE HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE about it all. (Meaning no more pity parties for me.)
This week's study was all about praying for your husband's choices, protection, health, relationships, and fatherhood. Here is a list because I ran six miles today and don't have the brain power to formulate paragraphs.
- Stormie started in Deuteronomy 30:19-20. Our will is our own, and God has made it clear: we are to make our own, right choices. So we should pray for our husbands to make good choices in all areas of his life, our life.
- Praying is better than telling and even politely suggesting. Genesis 21:12 reminds husbands to listen to their wives, but we as wives need to pray for our husbands to hear us and understand us.
- A wife's words are seeds planted in a husband's heart.
- Even if a husband makes a bad decision, continue to pray for god to make good out of the situation. (There goes having a good attitude despite our circumstances!)
- God sometimes uses physical ailments to get our attention!
- God wants us to have good relationships with Him, wives with husbands, husbands with wives, with our children, with our coworkers, with in-laws, with neighbors, and with friends.
- The way to becoming a good father is having a good relationship with THE FATHER. Pray for your husband's relationship with the Lord in order to better his relationship with your kids.
Now, Stormie had on a really distracting outfit during this video session, so I may not have gotten as much as I could have out of it. I mean, the sparkles! Whoa. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about. Whew.
No Longer In My Hands
I found this post that I began and never finished. It was just after the elections. Please feel free to add in the comments section what is no longer in YOUR hands.
Yesterday I went and had no problem. No wait. No worries. No longer in my hands.
I am glad all the commercials and banners and debates are done. It has really made me feel pessimistic. Both sides of the political scene are NOT without fault in making the political campaign so disgusting. Those Jim Martin and Saxby Chambliss ads were really over-the-top. If you live in Georgia, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. No longer in my hands.
The winners have been announced. No longer in my hands.
I've been amazed at the response of many Christians across the nation. Many are praying (or at least saying they're praying) more than ever. I wonder if God's calling us to Him through these times. I wonder if Americans are being called closer to Him through this huge prayer movement. Are we now called to realize that the government is not controlling our lives and neither are we? No longer in my hands.
We Took Pictures
Look how big HJ is getting!
Yeah, that's TWO black diamonds behind me!
And there's the run we actually took down the mountain, Orion
The Jordanelle Gondola at Deer Valley
was absolutely thrilling!
The Daddy conducted ski school
Bracing against the wind and snow on the ski lift
Here they come!
Make a funny face!
Uncle C's funny face
HJ came out for a while
AE was just old enough to go tubing
Rope pull up the mountain/hill
The ride up would have been good enough for AE
But the ride down was fun, too!
The Daddy and AE
Out to eat with Nana, AE and The Daddy
Papa, HJ and Uncle C -Don't you love her smile?
Glad to be home, but oh the fun we had! Thank you Nana and Papa!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)