Taking Life by the Reins

Today started off poorly, very poorly!  It was one of those days when I just wished I could have pulled the covers over my head and gone back to sleep!  The first couple hours of my day challenged me tremendously – my household’s weaknesses, needs, and questions for the day were overwhelming me.  I finally felt like everything was just “too much”, and I ran to my husband’s office (“man cave”).  I locked the door behind me, and within moments floods of tears arrived.  I cried… I prayed.

 

“Oh God, please help me!”

Inside I was giving up, surrendering the day and its good intentions, thinking life would just become aimless today.

“God, please show me what I am supposed to do”.

It didn’t take long.  God prompted my heart and reminded me what I was called to do.  I am a mother, a homeschooling mother, nonetheless.  My job is set before me, clearly.  Sure, there are days when I need to take breaks and set a different course for the day.  However, today was not that day!  God revealed to me that I was giving in to my circumstances, and I needed to take life by the reins!

I walked upstairs, with a clearer head and a resolve to take charge.  I declared the rules and guidelines for the day to my children and went to work!  God blessed my efforts, and the day went fairly well in the end.

What has God called you to do?

Are you letting circumstances and emotions rob you?

Ask God to help you take life by the reins!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
(Philippians 4:13)

Linked up at "Simply Living"

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

I remembered I had seen bacon put in waffles and wanted to try it.  I scoured the internet and cooked up this recipe. 

Per a suggestion on one of the reviews, I added about a cup of cornmeal instead of a cup of the flour.  Cornmeal just sounded good with bacon!

These waffles were soooo yummy!

Tasty waffles with a bit of slightly sweetened (turkey) bacon in almost every bite! 

YUM!

Spelling Helpers for the Hands-On/Creative Child

Do you have a hands-on/creative child in the bunch for whom you have to “think outside of the textbook” at times? 

I do!  Spelling has not come naturally for her, and I have been racking my brain, trying to come up with ways to help her.  We did a couple things over the past week that helped, so I wanted to share them with you.

My daughter LOVES to write on whiteboards!  I found this cute one in the dollar bin at Target.  I pulled it out of our school store, gave it to her as a present, and said, “Okay, we’re going to do spelling on here today”.  She lit up, and it worked wonderfully!

We also used our large whiteboard in the kitchen one day to play hangman for the words she had gotten wrong on her spelling list.  She loved that, too!

Another resource we found recently is Spelling City.com.  They have all sorts of activities on there to reinforce your child’s current spelling words or with a random list to try.

Whatever you do, remember to pray!  God knows what our children need!

The Good Wife’s Guide: Embracing Your Role As a Help-Meet by Darlene Schacht

The Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene Schacht is a great book for any wife who desires to live a Biblical life before God and unto her husband.  Darlene is the author of the “Time-Warp Wife” blog.  She truly delivers a message that is not of this world and age where selfishness and personal rights are the driving forces. 

Many of us want to become better wives. We read book after book and blog after blog, looking for the “hands-on” solutions. Darlene emphasizes that “change begins in the heart where a battle is constantly taking place.” (Chapter 4) When we tackle the heart issues of our lives as wives, we can move forward much faster!

Darlene’s book is Scripturally-based, giving the reader a proper premise for living.

I love what she says:  “Scripture isn’t a candy bowl by which we pick and choose our favorite words hoping to satiate our palette.” (Chapter 10)

That is the truth, and if we are going to become the wives God wants us to become, we must look to His Word for our ultimate guidance.

In her book, Darlene covers wonderful topics, such as:

Self-discipline	Order
Priorities	Submission
Heart attitudes	Unity
Planning our days	Weekly schedules
Organizing our homes	Simplifying

Darlene’s message reminds us that the essence of good wifehood and motherhood is servanthood, something God has been greatly impressing upon my own heart recently!  She addresses the realities of our lives with good, solid thoughts, encouraging words, and practical advice! 

“Are you a stay-at-home mom so that you can care for your children or your internet friends?” (Chapter Three)

The first part of Darlene’s book covers heart and conceptual issues to think and pray about, while the second part of her book includes many practical tips for caring for your home.  I guarantee you will glean something beneficial from this book!

I highly recommend The Good Wife’s Guide E-book!

(You can purchase it by clicking on the above image or on the button in my side bar.)

May God give us the strength and vision to be great wives!

Supporting Your Husband

A quick reminder:  I am hosting a Lilla Rose blog party through Tuesday, February 28th.  If you are interested in purchasing some of their lovely hairpieces, you can register as a guest here and check out their products.

Sometimes my husband’s job gets insane.  Correction – most of the time my husband’s job is insane!  We always think it is going to get better “soon”, but you just never know what’s going to happen when you are an IT manager. 

With his long hours, sleepless nights, and a 24/7 on-call expectation, I tend to get grumpy sometimes.  I miss him.  I get frustrated that his work seems to encompass our lives.  I feel angry at times.  I think about how his job is affecting him, his health, his sanity, my sanity, our children, our schedules, etc.!

There have been times when I would, inevitably, distance myself from my husband and/or make known to him my concerns and emotions in a not-so-great way.  In the end, I realize this is not helpful for him.

He needs my support,
especially when he is weak and extended past his limits.

He needs my love.

He needs my tender care.

He needs my encouraging words.

He needs me to have a positive attitude.

Yesterday my husband worked from home – a rare thing these days.  He was awakened, just after four hours of sleep, at 3 a.m. in the morning and had problem after problem arise.  I had compassion for him.  I wanted to do something for him (of course, I was praying!).  I prepped his lunch on a tray, trying to make it a bit more special than usual, and included a small note to him, reassuring my love for him.

It was just a small way I tried to let him know that I was still there for him, thinking about him and loving him.

Are you supporting your husband these days?

Our husbands need our support and our love.

Green Monster Smoothie!

A quick reminder:  I am hosting a Lilla Rose blog party through Tuesday, February 28th.  If you are interested in purchasing some of their lovely hairpieces, you can register as a guest here and check out their products.

Looking for a yummy, nutritious way to start your day?  The green monster smoothie is it!

The original recipe is found here, but I switched it up a bit to make a bigger quantity and use a little less spinach in proportion to the rest of the ingredients.  Honestly, you can not taste the spinach in this smoothie.  My family says it tastes like a peanut butter smoothie.  It’s so yummy and good for you!

Green Monster Smoothie

Printable Recipe

2 large handfuls of spinach

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 frozen bananas

2 T peanut butter (or almond butter)

2 cups milk

1 handful of ice.

Blend to your heart’s desire!

Drink and enjoy the goodness!

My Niece’s 18th Birthday, Part Two: A Surprise Adventure for Four!

A quick reminder:  I am hosting a Lilla Rose blog party through February 28th.  If you are interested in purchasing some of their lovely hairpieces, you can register as a guest here and check out their products.

After my niece and her friends finished eating their lunches, I sent them out of the house on a surprise adventure!  I planned three destinations with my niece’s preferences in mind.

When the girls were ready to leave, I handed my niece three envelopes.  In each envelope was a poetic instruction sheet, a map to the surprise location, and money to cover the expenses.  The girls were to open the first envelope before leaving the house and could not open the next envelope until they were finished with the previous activity.

My niece excitedly opened the first envelope, which read:

Your first destination is a colorful place.
I’m sure it will put a smile on your face.
During your visit you will feel pampered.
Your beauty and style will not be hampered.
Follow the map to your destination. You have appointments made for a special service for all of you.

The first location was a nail salon where each girl received a manicure.

The second location was Maggie Moo’s, my niece’s FAVORITE ice cream store in the “WORLD”!

The third location was For Love 21, an affordable accessories store.  Each girl was given $10 to spend.

The girls had a BLAST!

According to my niece, it was “one of the most fun days of their lives”!