Signposts and Roadblocks

     I went to a graduation party today of a son of some dear friends of ours.  He was graduating from eighth grade and is excited for the next chapter of his life.  What struck me most were the prayers that his grandfathers prayed for him.

     Both of them prayed for his protection as well as giving thanks for how God had led this young man so far.  One of them prayed specifically a prayer of thanksgiving for the roadblocks and signposts so far in his life.  The roadblocks that kept him from sin and the signposts that led the way in many situations.  He prayed that there would be more roadblocks and more signposts along this next journey he was taking.

     I started to think about what roadblocks God had used in my life ...

The roadblock of a party when I was younger, that I couldn't go to.
A relationship ending that wasn't healthy.
The roadblock of a finished job that wasn't good for my family.


And then the signposts...

The friendships that encourage me to hunger for more of Christ.
Our  Small Group that challenges our family to serve in real ways to share the love of Jesus.
My family that supports me with laughter and love.

How truly blessed I am that God uses these things to protect me and to draw me closer to him.

In the same way,  I can be a roadblock or a signpost for my children.

For roadblocks:

I can educate them on the dangers of sin and what consequences have happened in my life because of them.
I can encourage family nights on the nights when there might be an inviting, yet not so healthy, party to go to.
I can guard their bedtime routine and make it a time of reading the Word instead of hurried goodnights.

For signposts:

I can guide them in the Truth with family devotions and the example of me reading the Bible.
I can challenge them to pursue holiness as a standard rather than the world's sin.
I can talk of God's grace, forgiveness, and unfailing love.

I pray that God will use my life as a roadblock for temptation and a signpost for His glory in my life and my children's lives.

Obeying God brings great joy.  ~ Psalm 1:1


I am thankful for the prayer of a grandfather, demonstrating pure love, and encouraging all who heard him to a life filled with pointing to Christ in everything we do!
May I bring great joy to my children as I encourage them to obey Jesus.

Whether I be a roadblock or a signpost, let my actions point to Jesus Christ and His gift of grace for us.

My Baby's Last Day of Kindergarten

Don't cry because it is over,

smile because it happened.

It is over.

His kindergarten year.

The year of half days.

Lunches with Mommy.

Lunches with Grandma and Papa.

The year of firsts.

Field trips, school boxes, 

and full weeks of school.


Playdates (some are coming this summer)
Science experiments, 
parties,
and a special Restaurant Night where it was all about him.

As I reflect on this year, and I think about his growth, both in reading and writing, but more importantly in character and Christ...I think about the ways that his journey is not ending, not even just beginning, but continuing.

And with his continuing journey comes mine...  My journey of shaping, shepherding, and shared trials and triumphs.

This path we are taking is unfolding before us.  


A path of questions, 
scraped knees, 
broken hearts, 
lost library books, 
late night sickness, 


but also


a path of answers, 
healed bruises, 
full hearts, 
backyard treasures and 
laughter in the morning.

"Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path."

Psalm 37:34 The Message

I am thankful for God's grace in getting me through this year.  This path.  This path of joys, and  promises that he is always with us and always loves us.


In. Every. Moment.




I have treasured the friendships, the opportunities, the fellowship.  I am thankful for education, for prayer and for grace.  I am blessed by this year


 in my
-now-  

first grader's life.

What have you treasured this year in your life?  I would love to know!

Thank Me Out to the Ballgame!

No, you read that right...

THANK Me Out to the Ball Game!

Baseball season is upon us and today was perfect for it!
Sunny, 80 degrees, a cool wind once in a while, and my 7 year old playing his very first baseball game!
Baseball where someone is throwing a ball at my son!

This ain't T-Ball folks!

My Jonathan did awesome!

He made two plays on first, got another two guys out on third, and got two HUGE hits!

What a game!

I was super proud of him!

But not only because of his great game.

It was another moment.

It was right after the game...

After the big hits...
After the shouts of praise when he came running into home plate...

After the game.

Coach was giving his post game talk and then said he had a surprise for the team.
He started handing out wooden bats to each of the players.  Nice ones.  Heavy ones.  With the White Sox logo on them!

Apparently, a friend of the coach works for the White Sox and got them all for him.  What a wonderful treat!

And here is where the THANK Me Out to the Ball Game comes...

Jonathan is the ONLY one who said thank you.

The only  one.

There were eleven boys there.  Eleven boys who got a REALLY cool bat!

And one said thank you.



Now, the whole Jesus story and the one leper saying thank you went through my mind just now while I was writing this,


(And if you do not know that story in the Bible, it is a great one and you can find it here),


 but the real MOMent that the Spirit was reminding me of was not the actual saying,  "Thank you," but  the proud MOMent that came after the game.

AFTER the game.

We spend our days running like a baseball player.
Sure, it isn't running bases, but it is carpooling, going to the office, cleaning, worrying, blogging, burping, planning, running from here to there, and everything else a mom does.

But we are not necessarily going to get our "Thanks" during the game.

More often than not, we will not get thanked for the countless things we do as mothers.

Your daughter will not thank you as you hold her hair back while she vomits for the fifteenth time with the flu.
Your son will not thank you for staying up all night looking for his baseball cup so he can play in the game.
Your husband will not thank you for getting all the cute cupcakes to your child's Valentine's Day party on time.

Not that they wouldn't ever, and not that they always won't, but most of the time...they just do not realize the extent of what you do.  What you did.  For them.  Out of love.

And that, my Friend, is you.

It is me.

We do not fully realize what our Jesus did for us.
Our simple minds cannot fathom where we would be without him.
We just will never know the extent of what He did for us.
On the cross.
And everyday since.
We will never know...
Until after the game.

After the game.

On that day, when we are whole.  When we are made perfect.  When we are fully aware.

We will see his pierced hands and feet.
And we will look into his eyes.

On that day, we will know.

And we will say, "Thank you."

To Be A Homeschooler or Not to Be

Okay, I see posts all the time asking for advice...advice on what car to buy, where to buy clothes, even where to work out.  My answer for that last one is, "You can always just run around chasing my four kids," but no one ever likes that answer...

This is not really advice, per se, but a call out for facts.

Facts.
And Opinions.

So here is my question:

If you homeschool...


WHY do you do it?
Please tell me the benefits, tell me the reason you would never do "regular" school, tell me the 1000 perks that make you do it...tell me all about the joyful MOMents you experience!

Or even tell me why it is crazy hard, but you love it!

I really want to know.

We always evaluate schooling each year...Now is the time...

We are looking to you for the facts.  Your facts.  Your Opinions. No, not to make up our mind, but to give us real honest answers.


And...if YOU DO NOT HOMESCHOOL...

WHY do you send your kids to school?

What are the things that you love about school?
Be real, be honest.


What do you gain?  What do your kids gain?


Your facts. Your Opinions.

And to say thank you and to show you how important this is to us. 

I am offering a free give away. 

Okay, I guess that is redundant.  If it is free...someone is obviously giving it away!

So, how do you enter?

It's simple.

Rule #1- You must be a follower of my blog to enter.

Rule #2- Following my blog? Great. Now type your schooling MOMents and why you do it day in and day out! 

You can also get more entries by 3 different ways:
     -Follow me on Twitter, and type your Twitter name into the comment box.
     -Tweet about this giveaway, and copy a link of your tweet into the comment box
     -'Like' my Facebook page, and type your Facebook name into the comment box


  Check it out:

 

Winner can pick the print that they want.

Gel pens, thin markers, and shorter pencils fit in the rolls as well.

Aren't they adorable?!

I bought them from a wonderful friend of mine who has her own ETSY site:

http://www.etsy.com/people/CutieBoots

Oh, to be that creative...

Two Big Winners Will Be Chosen!
One Homeschooler
One  Non-Homeschooler

Now, for those families with older children...I still want to hear from you, so winner could either get this for a younger loved one, or choose a $5 Starbucks gift card.

The winning name will be chosen using RANDOM.ORG.

Giveaway will end June 3, 2012. 

No International winners.  I just can't afford the shipping...

So,  here is your chance...

A chance to be a winner,

A chance to get it out why you do what you do, and 

A chance to help out a family with a big decision!

Thanks so much for this wonderful gift of MOMents...

Am I ready?

My Dear Husband gave me a night to myself.

A night to write.

A night to get things done.

And this is where I sat:

He even took my children to my In-Laws to really give me peace and quiet.  

(The last time he tried to do this, I went to take a bath and I had one boy in the tub with me and one pooping right by me.  Not a very relaxing bath...)

So I wrote.

And tweeted.

And wrote.

And night came.

And I wrote some more.

And morning came.

And I wanted to write more, but they were home.  

Giggles and shouts.

And snuggles that I needed to have.  I hadn't had any bare tootsies in my cozy spot for a while...

But I wasn't ready.

I wanted to write more.

I wanted to get three loads of laundry done.

I wanted to clean up the pantry.

I wanted to organize my closet.

I wasn't ready.

And although I long for the day when I see my Jesus face to face....

Am I ready?

Have I met each day with the desire to show His love to everyone I meet?

Have I set aside time to be with my Lord in order to learn to love him more?

This is not just a list of "good enoughs."

I will never be good enough to get into Heaven.  That is what grace is for.  Jesus loving me,  

a sinner, enough to die for me.

In order to give me eternity.

In order to give me full life here on earth.

In order to make me ready.

I guess I am ready...

but my prayer is that everyday: 

He strengthens me more,

He teaches me more,

He uses me more.

And He continues to allow me to encourage others to be ready too!

Blessings,

The Tornado I Try to Control

I love a good bath!

I mean I really love a good bath!

So do my kids.  I think it is because I make such a big deal out of bath time.  We have special toys we use.  We play music sometimes.  And if they are really lucky, they will get candles and a foot rub after!

One day when one of my sons,  the Bug Whisperer, was done taking a bath, he was letting the water come out.  All of the day's playing and questions soaped away with the sinking level of the now 

semi-cloudy water.

And right at the end...in between "not quite" and "all done"... came the tornado.  

That little swirl of light and liquid that squiggles and dances on the edge of the drain.   Barely visible, then bigger than the drain itself.

And my son called out,  "Mom, look at what I made!"

And he proceeded to stick his finger in the swirl.  But when he did this, the tornado then disappeared. 

 When he stuck his finger in, he could not make it.  He thought he had made it, 

but in fact, he ruined it.  

But when he sat back and just watched for it.  Waited for it.  Looked for it.  The tornado was created with the sinking water.

Not with his hand, but by the Mighty One who created the water, created the pull, and created the physics that explains it all.

Isn't that so much like us in our everyday life as moms?  The minute we get ourselves to stir up something that is not in His plan, it somehow gets ruined.  Goes wrong. Gets misunderstood.  Gets broken.

Whether it is a relationship that you tried to mend with excuses and the passing of blame.  Or the decision you made without the time going to God in prayer for his wisdom.  Or maybe it is just the day that did not start off with prayer and turned into a day of lost tempers and sad sighs.

As moms and daughters of the king, we need to sit back and watch the tornado.  Watch His mighty work being done and meet him and come along.  He allows us to be a part of His plan, but only if we know His plan by reading His letter and be guided by His words.

He created the tornado and He will bring us through it, guide us around it, or watch it go away.  No matter what,His plan is, we are not in control of it.  The minute we stick our hand in it, it will go away.  And we might miss out on the coolest dance of light and water that we could be blessed with!

And if we do wait.  And watch.  We will call out, "Look Daddy!  Look at what you made!"

 Praise him, you highest heavens 

   and you waters above the skies.

  Let them praise the name of the LORD, 

   for at his command they were created 

Psalm 148:4-6

Blessings,

WELL, TODAY IS BACKWARDS NIGHT!!! 

Well, at least it was at my childrens' AWANA night at our church.

Everyone dressed with backwards shirts, caps on backwards and even pants on backwards!

I looked up what Backwards means

Backward or back·wards means

1. To or toward the back or rear.

2. With the back leading.

Or

3. Done in a manner opposite than a previous way

That’s the one we are going to focus on:

3. Done in a manner opposite than a previous way

Does anyone know what this is?

ZYXWVUT

SRQPONM

LKJIHG

FEDCBA

Looks pretty weird, huh?

But if we sing it backwards, you could all sing it with me.

Let’s try it now.

ABCDEFGHILJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

You knew that was coming, huh?

Nice job!

It is hard to do a lot of things backwards:

Walking backwards is tough,

Running backwards is even tougher.

Reading backwards is really tough unless it is a word like:

MOM.  

Or

WOW.

Or 

RACECAR.

But you know what, friends?

God asks us to live backwards.

He does!

In the Bible, it says:

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

Basically He is saying live in the world, but not of the world.

To be transformed is to live backwards by the world’s standards.

TO the world, it seems backwards for a Christian to get up on Sundays for church!

TO the World, it seems backwards to spend time praying and reading the Bible instead of watching TV.

TO the world, it seems backwards to go on mission trips and maybe live without running water or never seeing your family on holidays…just to tell others about God. 

TO the world, it seems backwards to give your money away to Jesus.  Like we do for our offering.  

TO the world, it seems backwards when people are kind to other people who some people think are unlovable. 

When I was in first grade…I had a friend... Maria Pitssario.   Some of the kids would make fun of her, calling her The Pitts.  Now, I did not make fun of her, but I did not stick up for her.  I was not backwards like I should have been.  I still think about that.  I know I am forgiven for that, but sin has consequence and that one has remained in my mind for a long time.  I should have been backwards for Maria and Jesus!

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VtiHkkbq18

DO you see how it all looked wrong and backwards until he turned it upside down and we could see Jesus?

That’s what will happen if we live backwards for Jesus.  We will see Jesus more and more in our lives!

When we are kind, people will see Jesus in us and we will be living backwards for Him.

I would encourage you to think of ways you can be backwards or act more like Jesus today:

Backwards and being patient with your little ones when you are tired.

Backwards in snuggling 5 more minutes even though you have laundry to do.

Backwards in playing a card game with you child instead of checking email.

Backwards in letting her bed look like that because she made it herself.

Backwards in giving up the extra flat screen and sponsoring a child overseas.

Being backwards and saying, "I am sorry" first.

How else can you be backwards today?

Thanks for your time...

And Hello!  It’s backwards night…get it…Hello?  :)

May you be a backwards mom for your kids today!

Blessings,