I'm Back! Updates & Advice!

     So, I had to clean the cobwebs off this page before I could write anything!  :)  Not really, but I was looking and it's been almost a year since I last posted!  That is sad, y'all!  I'm just gonna give you a little rundown of everything that's been happening, and then a bit of advice on how I keep my plates spinning!  (In case you are feeling overwhelmed yourself!)

     Well, to begin, our family has taken on a couple of new projects over the last few months.  We have returned to Scouting, and now have two boys in Scouts, and a boy in Cub Scouts.  Daddy and Mommy run the Cub pack, and Little Sister goes along for all the adventures! 

    School is back full time now, and we tackled several projects over the summer here on the grounds.  Including cutting a big hole in the wall between the classrooms and adding a window!  Our Fearless Leader is also taking on another teaching job at a local Christian school...two math classes....his favorite!

     I have added another teaching job to my repertoire as well... piano lessons!  I have been teaching (read: forcing) my boys for several years, but this past school year, several students expressed an interest in learning piano as well.  I am by no means a professional music teacher, but I'm excited to share the fun of music with more kiddos!

     I have continued with my parenting classes at the local pregnancy resource center as well.  I am about to celebrate my 1 year anniversary there!  It has been a good year, with a chance to get to know and encourage some young girls in this adventure of motherhood!  And it is always an opportunity to praise God when someone chooses life for their baby!  There were at least two girls in my classes this year who came into the center deciding on abortion, but changed their minds!  What a blessing!! 

    I've also entered the world of direct sales.  This is more of a hobby for me, and a challenge for me to grow in an area personally.  I am selling Plunder jewelry, and having a blast!  It has really encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and tackle something I didn't think I could do.  Plus, it's really fun, and I get to wear amazing jewelry! :)

    Of course, this is on top of teaching, wife-ing, & mommy-ing full time.  So, you might be wondering.... how do I do it?  (That's okay... I wonder that myself sometimes!!)  Here's a few tips that help me stay sane in the midst of the chaos! 

     1) Quiet time.  Nearly every day, first thing in the AM, I sit down with my current Bible study book, my Bible and a pencil and have some study time.  I really feel that I am more centered and focused on God's voice through out the day if I start my day this way. 

     2) Exercise.  I know.... this isn't a fun one.  But, really, y'all... it helps!  I'm not running any marathons or winning any Crossfit challenges, but I try to walk a mile every other morning, and do some kind of muscle exercises (crunches, squats, etc.) the other days.  Like I said, not fun, but it really helps me to feel better about the rest of the day, even if nothing else goes right.  "At least I got my mile in this morning!"

     3) Make your kids work.  Now, I know this seems like something "mean," but come on y'all.  Get serious.  Do you really need to be waiting hand and foot on the miniature people living in your house?  Do their legs and arms work?  Then they need to be cleaning their rooms, making their beds, and helping with other chores.  Currently, the chores in the house are divided up like this: Middle Biscuit and Stitch are responsible for the dishes and KP every day.  First Born and Little Sister are in charge of the laundry for the household, and First Born also has to clean the kids bathrooms.  I handle the vacuuming and the adult bathroom, along with the other extras.  It takes a little effort on your part, but believe me, when your kid is grown, and you don't have to go to his apartment and clean it, you'll thank me.

    4) Google Calendar and a notebook. I write out a weekly schedule in a notebook on the weekend and put all appointments in Google calendar.  Fearless Leader has Google Calendar too, and anything we add shows up on each other's schedule.  Life saver for busy people. 

     So, those are the things that help me juggle my busy life!  And while I'm busy and tired at the end of the day, it's worth it.  Because I know it's the path God has put me on, and there's no place I'd rather be!  I hope that I can get back here soon... I've had a couple of book review requests, and I really need to keep this going!  Thanks for checking in with my little family, and I hope it was a bright spot in your day!  Here's the most recent pic of the crew...so much change this mommy can barely handle it! :)

Lesson from the Shepherds

     So, have you ever read or heard something so often that you practically have it memorized, and then something new strikes you in a way you've never noticed before?  I had that this Christmas season, and wanted to share it with you.  It was really an encouragement to me...I hope it is to you as well!
 
     As a mom and a teacher, I have taught through or read through the Christmas story in the Bible a lot of times.  Kids memorize and learn through repetition, and this is one story I want to stick with the ones I come in contact with.  So every year in class we memorize a portion, and in the month of December I teach it through from Elizabeth to the flight to Egypt.

    This year as I was teaching, the thought struck me: why did God choose to announce the Messiah's birth to the shepherds first?  I mean, why not the faithful priests serving in the Temple?  Weren't they the ones who had been praying and looking for so many years?  What made these shepherds special?
   
     And then it hit me--maybe they weren't special.  Maybe they were just shepherds.  Shepherds doing their job in the tough season of the year.  Shepherds who had a spirit of obedience.  Shepherds who weren't afraid to sacrifice their comfort to get their job done.  Shepherds we can learn from.

    Let's face it, shepherding isn't a glamorous job.  I'm sure there were times that they really questioned their career choice.  Frustrating, complicated, stressful, smelly, tiring.  Kind of like being a parent.

    Maybe God chose the shepherds as a way to encourage us.   To remind us to keep being faithful doing the tasks He has called us to...no matter how unlovely they might be.  He chose to reveal His glory to a group of tired people in the middle of a field just doing their job the best way they could.  He saw their hearts.  He knew their spirits.

    And that's what I want.  God to reveal His glory to me in the middle of a stressful day.  When I'm tired, frustrated, and busy.  I want my heart to be open so that God can show me His plan and give me His peace.  Just like He came to the shepherds first.  Because He knew that they would be ready to stop what seemed important to be a part of what was important--God's plan and purpose in their lives.

    So, that's the new lesson I got from the familiar story this year.  Be faithful in the crazy, tiring, frustrating work God has called me to.  Because you never know when He will reveal His glory in the every day.  :)

Grocery List Christians

     Well, our pastor (aka my dad!) preached a sermon from Matthew chapter 16 yesterday.  It really resonated with me, and I wanted to share what I took away from it with you...maybe some of you can relate!

    So, anyway, in this chapter, Jesus and His disciples are arriving on the shore after a trip across the Sea of Galilee.  This is right after He had fed the 4,000 with seven loaves and a few fish.  That's the background for where we pick up.  In verse 5, the author tells us that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them for the trip.  The next verse says that Jesus gives them a warning to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. 

    Well, the disciples' minds immediately went to the spiritual application, of course.  I mean, they were the Lord's chosen 12... of course they were more spiritually minded than the rest of those who followed Jesus.  Umm, nope.  They began whispering among themselves: "See! I told you He would notice, Peter! He said that because you forgot to pick up those baskets of leftovers!"  "Me?!  Why was it my job?  I thought Matthew or Nathanael would get them...they're the responsible ones!  You know I never remember anything!"  "Well, now Jesus is upset with us, and He's trying to prove a point!  What are we going to do?" 

     Of course, Jesus noticed all the whispering and knew exactly what was going on. (As He always does!)  I like to think maybe He sighed a bit and shook His head.  Once again, the guys had missed the spiritual lesson.  So He patiently explained in the next few minutes that He was not talking about actual bread...why would He be concerned about that?  Didn't they remember that He had just feed thousands of people with a few small loaves and fishes?  Why would He be concerned about forgotten bread?  He was warning them not to get caught up in the trap that the Pharisees had fallen into of adding to God's law to try to prove their own righteousness.

    This struck such a chord with me because I totally do this!  It is so easy to get caught up in being a "grocery list" Christian!  You know... making sure all the "right" things to do are crossed off our list of what we think Jesus wants from us.  Like making sure we sit down and have our "quiet time" so we can say we did it, but not actually having communion with our Lord.  Or praying down the prayer request list without really giving voice to heartfelt, intercessory prayer.  Or making sure we are on time for church with dressed and pressed kids, but being so frazzled and stressed that we get nothing from our time of worship.  The list.

    So, once again, I get to learn from the disciples.  Who were just regular guys like you and me.  Concerned about the grocery list.  And I am so thankful that I have access to the same patient, merciful Heavenly Father Who sighs, maybe shakes His head a bit, and patiently redirects my focus to what is important.  Not the list.  Not the bread.  The truth.  :)