Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to do a post about my

amazing Mom on Mother's Day.

(btw, isn't she beautiful!?)

She has sacrificed so much for me and my

family that there aren't enough words

to express my thankfulness.

She has been through my cancer journey and

my back surgery and recovery with such

faithfulness!

She has been a real blessing not only to me, but

also to my children!

We have many happy memories with her and look forward

to making many more!

I love my Mom!

Her children arise up, and call her blessed;

Prov. 31:28a

Restating the Goal

I saw this quote today-loved it!... and decided it should be my post!

"There needs to be a homemaker exercising some measure of skill, imagination, creativity, desire to fulfill needs and give pleasure to others in the family.
 How precious a thing is the human family. Is it not worth some sacrifice in time, energy, safety, discomfort, work?
 Does anything come forth without work?"

— Edith Schaeffer (What is a Family?)

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Titus 2:3-5

Just a little encouragement to you Moms...

Press On!

You've got the most important job in the world!

Just a reminder :)

May God refresh your spirit today as you do His will by caring for your family!

Moms: Your Thought for Monday

"How can it be a large career
to tell other people's children about arithmetic

and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe?

How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone

and narrow to be everything to someone?

No, a woman's function is laborious

because it is gigantic,

not because it is minute."

G. K. Chesterton

Don't listen to the world's lies. You have the best job in the world!

Now, have a great day doing it!

JOY!

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Above: My mother, my brother-Dickie, and me (my sister Laurie wasn't born yet) :)

" Who is it that loves me and will love me forever with an affection which no chance, no misery, no crime of mine can do away? — It is you, my mother."-- Thomas Carlyle

Sunday was a day set aside for Mothers. This special day set me to thinking about motherhood. Here are some of my thoughts...first, I want to say how blessed I am to have my Mom! She's such a wonderful mother to me! She encourages me, prays for me, and helps me in a million ways! And we have a lot of fun together! We like to cook, shop, play games, laugh, and just chat together. I enjoy her company. I love her deeply. She's my mother.

Secondly, I want to thank these two below...if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have earned the blessed title of Mother.

The years have gone so swiftly by! And as I've passed my midlife point already, I can say that being a mother is the highest calling in my life after being a Christian. (I wish I had a big family with 12 children!) But God didn't have that for me.

Mothers have a special way of filling homes with love, and when the home is filled with love -you'll always find God spoken of there.

- Helen Steiner Rice -

Being a mother is an awesome responsibility. It's a job that never ends. It's rewards cannot be measured by monetary standards.

But, I don't just want a mother. A praying mother. I want to be a godly mother.

Attributes of a Godly Mother ...

She has accepted Christ as Savior
And Lord of her whole life;
She has peace with God,
That calms her inner strife;
She knows how to trust
The Father for all things;
She is right and just,
In the guidance she gives.

She knows how to pray
For her family's daily needs;
She can point the way,
Which God wants all to go;
And always seeks to guide
Her family towards God;
For she abides in the Lord,
Walking the way He leads.

She knows how to share
the importance of the Holy Word;
And seeks to reach her child
From the depth of her heart;
She always tries to be
Loving, gentle, and kind;
She helps her child grow
In divine wisdom, insight, and grace.

She takes a house and makes it
A pleasant home for her family;
And if her children stray
A forgiving love they will find.

One who aspires to be all of this,
A Godly Mother she is indeed;
For she has not been remiss,
In reflecting the Almighty God
In whom she believes,
For all her children to see.

-Treasury of Quotable Poems

I still fall very short, but I'm still trying. And, I love my job!

Top Ten Ways to be Productive at Home!

I ran across a new blog that Carmon writes, and saw this great post there, found it was great for Mother's Day!

I haven’t posted a Top Ten list in ages, so here are ten ways a keeper at home can make her home a rich and productive place of godly service. I’m sure you all could think of even more:
Top Ten Ways to Be Productive at Home

1. Education: Dr. Allan Carlson has chronicled the decline in the family, and he notes the change from home-centered activities and work due to first fathers and then mothers leaving the home and turning the teaching of their children over to “experts,” to the detriment of relationships in the home and the ultimate demise of cultural values. He sees homeschooling as a positive return to a family economy of sorts, reclaiming the important functions of household cohesion through working in this primary function of learning together, rather than outsourcing huge amounts of time to social engineers. Many homeschool mothers have also discovered that their own educations are greatly enhanced (a well-known benefit to those who teach others) as they learn along with their children. They also have more time to read good books.

2. Financial rewards: The accepted wisdom is that it takes two incomes to keep a household running. While the tax burden in our statist society does make it difficult to make ends meet, the cost for a woman to work outside the home is often higher than the income she might bring in. For any family, there are many economic contributions a homekeeper can make to help her husband, who is called to be the primary breadwinner for the home. Some have home businesses or help in a family business. Others become frugal shoppers, from groceries and clothing to insurance and real estate. Women can use their time to make their husband’s salary often stretch much further than the amount of money they might bring in from a job which takes so much time and energy they end up having to spend more on convenience food, eating out, gasoline and car upkeep, wardrobe, and other incidental expenses which come from working outside the home.

3. Hospitality: The ministry of hospitality is not optional in the Bible. We are to share freely what we have with others in order to bring glory to God, especially other believers. It can also be a tremendous opportunity for evangelism. Many Christians do not even know their neighbors. Our homes can be resources of service, but someone needs to be home to make it happen. One of the qualifications for eldership is showing hospitality, as is a qualification to be a widow worthy of support.

4. Creativity: The world seems to be getting the idea that one’s home can be an artistic canvas. A plethora of home decorating and cooking magazine and books are available with ideas for domestic bliss, ranging from the simple country style to elegant and ornate. While much of this advice is overdone and materialistic, there is a gold nugget of truth in the notion that we ought to create beauty within our homes. The purpose is not to present an untouchable showpiece to evince envy in others, but we imitate God’s creativity when bring beauty to our homes and we minister comfort (strength) to others—our family and friends and neighbors—when we bring order out of chaos in our sphere of influence, as we invite them to partake of the beauty we offer. In addition, the homekeeper has more time to add special touches to meals, to learn and practice skills which are forgotten in the busyness of modern life, such as sewing, knitting, quilting, and gardening. Music can be another means of beautifying our homes, whether it’s on a CD or even better, produced within our own family.

5. Spiritual pursuits: While she may not have a glamorous “ministry” in a foreign land, the keeper at home is nevertheless busy in important ministry work. First, she is intimately involved in the spiritual training of her children, modeling as well as teaching them the Gospel and obedience to God in every area of life. She also has the important job of praying for her family, praying fervently each day for their spiritual well-being and other requests regarding their daily lives. She also has a love for her local church and finds opportunities to serve there depending on her season of life, but always building loving relationships within the body of Christ, teaching the younger women and learning from the older women. She is especially aware of the blessed opportunities for humbling which come from the daily interactions at home, and she learns to be content in the place God has given her.

6. Romance: There is this silly idea that it is much more glamorous to be in a career, particularly one which involves travel and power lunches. Those poor shoulder-padded, besuited women don’t know what they are missing. It is much better to be besotted with your own husband, spending time and energy on pleasing him, rather than worrying about making finicky clients happy in endless meetings and never-ending projects. Make a project out of loving your husband, remembering the special romance you enjoyed when you first loved one another, and renewing that love in a deeper way by showing him how important he still is to you. Learn again what he likes to talk about, what food he prefers, how he wants to spend the evening with you. When you expend that effort to let him know how special he is to you, you may find that your husband is much more romantic than you believed he could be after all those years of marriage.

7. Health care: This is controversial, and I am not saying that you need to avoid doctors and hospitals, but you can avoid them more often if you gain some basic skills and practice some common sense about taking care of your family’s health. Some find that home is a fine place to have a baby, and it can be very exciting to have a home birth, and very challenging learning about and living through the details of childbirth, whether at home or in the hospital. Every family has to endure illness, and a wise mother learns how to discern whether a doctor is needed or whether she can deal with the sickness at home. Though there were many superstitious old wives’ tales regarding how to treat certain illnesses, there also was once much more practical knowledge about how to deal with common fevers, scrapes, sprains, aches, and other health problems. There is much to learn in this area that doesn’t take a nursing or medical degree.

8. Gardening and animal husbandry: It doesn’t take a lot of land to grow some vegetables or even to raise some animals. Not everyone feels called to the agrarian life, but once upon a time it was unusual for homes even in neighborhoods to not produce some of their own food. We live in a time now when we can run to the store in a few minutes and buy almost any kind of treat that our heart desires, and taking care of a garden seems like a “fruitless” and unnecessary pursuit. But, as the Paul Overstreet song says, it can be a way of “Sowin’ Love” for your family, teaching your children many lessons about patience, hard work, and responsibility. Home-grown food can sometimes be much more flavorful and a reminder of the richness of God’s blessings as you watch the entire process, from seed to harvest, unfold. Caring for animals (and this can include pets) is a reminder, too, of compassion for beasts, nurturing creatures who depend on us totally. The tenderness many children feel for their animals is worth cultivating, and sometimes the death of those animals, whether to provide food for the family, or the loss of a beloved pet, is also a vivid reminder of the consequences of sin and the hope we have in God because of the immortal souls He has given us and our salvation through Christ.

9. Organization: This is not the most popular aspect of keeping a home for many women, but it is an important and necessary aspect of it. One of the consequences of the sin of our first parents, we well know, is that there are now a lot of weeds to pull as we do our work. Within our homes these weeds manifest themselves as dirty laundry, piles of papers, toys littering the floor, dirty dishes, and even squabbles among our children. We never lack for something to straighten up or straighten out. But just as our husbands need to find contentment in their calling and not complain about the trials that accompany it, so we ought to roll up our sleeves and determine to tackle those things that always need our attention. There is great satisfaction in a job well-done, and though some of those jobs never seem to end, we can take proper pride in bringing order out of chaos, keeping our homes running smoothly and not allowing life in our dominion to spiral out of control. If we don’t do it, then who will? We must not denigrate the crucial task of directing and organizing our homes.

10. Counselor: Dr. Laura is a household name, for dispensing advice and helping those who seem unable (or unwilling) to help themselves. She seems to rely on a lot of good old-fashioned common sense, mixed with a bit of exasperation for those who foolishly insist on violating her brand of morality. Well, you don’t need to have a title in front of your name or millions of listeners in order to be a good counselor. The only title you need is “Mom,” and your listeners may only be counted on both hands (you might need some toes if you are really influential, or so blessed). As a Christian, you are in a far stronger position than Dr. Laura to give good advice, even if you haven’t heard of Piaget or Pavlov. The important thing is that the law of kindness be on your tongue, and your advice works best if you practice selflessness as much as possible, something in which you probably have received much practice already if you have a few children. Unfortunately, it is a skill which cannot be mastered, and sometimes you need to use some of the counseling skills you have learned on yourself. If that’s the case, you might want to forego Dr. Laura and try this much more practical advice from psychologist Bob Newhart: “Just stop it!”

DO AS I SAY!!!...

This year my daughter is doing some intensive homemaking training to prepare for her future. :) Of course, me being a homemaker, (and her mother), I am the principle trainer at present... Honestly, this has not been a chore! It's mostly exciting and fun for me, as I see the joy my daughter has been having while learning and practicing her skills.
Not all of the teaching is cooking, or cleaning...sometimes it's verbal instruction. Things such as...don't panic if you don't have all of the specific ingredients for a recipe, learn to make do and substitute, and then I go on to give her examples (face it ladies, we hardly ever have all the exact ingredients-ya know?) Or, I might say, don't panic if you're in the middle of homeschooling your children and your mother in law calls to say she's 10 min. away and is stopping by--do the 10 Min. tidy before she gets there! (never mind that she's actually had years of practical application in that area! LOL) Hey--I did that on purpose!

So anyway, yesterday I was telling her something like this: You know, we've been concentrating on teaching you skills that you can use for your homemaking...but I want to tell you this...

don't forget that your family comes first. Don't neglect your husband or children to clean the house or decorate etc.... don't push the children that need attention aside to sew, or garden... they are your first priority, your real job. The other things are just to bless them-not replace them...

And then I said OUCH! Hey, who needs to learn here anyway?

Do as I say...Not as I (sometimes) do....

Humbly yours,

Sharri

The “Me Time” Myth

The “Me Time” Myth
Amy Roberts
The Old Schoolhouse

I once heard a talk show host give a very compelling argument for why moms need time away. He said mothers give and give to the point of empty. They must refuel themselves so they can continue to give.
It sounded quite reasonable to me. Then why did my search for this hallowed “me time” always leave me feeling as though I needed more? While taking time for myself, I definitely felt refreshed, but the moment I got home and realized the sink was still full of dirty dishes and I would still have to give baths to all the children before the night would be over, I wanted to head right back out the door.
This left me feeling sorry for myself. Why couldn’t I have one night where I wouldn’t have to do the same things I do every night? Why couldn’t I come home to a spotless and trouble-free place where dishes were washed and children were in bed? Why did I have to go back to my duties so soon? To punish those who were making my life difficult, I would loudly sling dishes and be curt and hurried with everyone until I could get children into bed and escape to the sewing room or the computer for the remainder of the evening.
The next morning, feeling dissatisfied with the amount of me time from the evening prior, I would take my coffee, sit at the computer, and completely ignore my daily duties. I would get irritated with the children because their antics were cutting into my time. I was stressed and edgy and desperate for more. My children would call out for me and I would answer, “She’s not here right now.”
Then, I began staying up much too late in order to squeeze in more alone time. I dreaded going to bed because it meant waking up to children’s needs and a disaster of a house.
I became increasingly upset by my husband’s time off from work, along with the business lunches and the business trips. To compensate for the perceived unfairness of the situation, I chose to do nothing on weekends: no laundry, no dishes, no parenting. Soon, my weekends were spilling over both ends and into the weekdays. All of this only served to overwhelm me even more and feed into my desire to escape.
In a moment of clarity, as only the Lord can offer, I saw my behavior for what it truly was: selfishness. Along with this epiphany came the conviction to quit seeking Me Time.
Me Time is a myth. It is an unattainable, always interruptible, never satisfying piece of junk psychology. Me Time, by its very name, suggests that who we are during the daily grind is not who we truly are. It begs us to search for fulfillment outside of the titles of “wife” and “mother.” It accuses precious little ones and God-given spouses for suppressing us. It reduces motherhood to a disease in which little dirty faces and endless monotonous tasks slowly suck the life out of us. It says we can never be refreshed by spending time in the presence of those we care for day in and day out. It points out a perceived hole in our world that needs to be filled, a tank that must be refueled, a monster that will swallow us if we neglect to feed it Me Time.
The more we indulge the thought that we are somehow owed this time away, the more we will seek after it. The more we seek after it, the more every little opportunity afforded us to take a break will seemingly end too quickly. The everyday life of being a mother will become drudgery. We will dread every aspect of this role. We will snap at our children any time they try to draw us out of our precious time alone. Not getting this time will ruin our day, and if we do manage some time away, we will despise the re-entry.
However, with any lie, there is a certain amount of truth hidden within. There is an emptiness within us that needs to be filled, but only God can fill what you are aching for.
“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:24–25
Our time away should be spent seeking Him. Anything else we try to fill that emptiness with will fall miserably short. Likewise, the company we seek during our time away should be spent with people who are about the business of edifying and strengthening us in our role as wife and mother, not tearing at the very foundation of our home. We will never gain anything but resentment from the counsel of those who encourage us to seek self.
We must cease to see the role of wife and mother as a job we put aside at the end of the day. We must do our daily tasks cheerfully, as unto the Lord. We must learn to enjoy being home with our families. We must find contentment in serving others. We should spend more time drinking in the beauty of our children, searching their eyes, holding their hands, being Mom. When we do feel neglected or overworked, we must immediately seek the Lord to refresh us and keep us from sin.
There will be days when we are afforded opportunities to do things alone or with other women, but if we are content in our God-given role, we will no longer cling so tightly to these moments as the only way to save our sanity. Our need for Me Time will fade as we begin to see motherhood as a blessing not to be escaped, but embraced.
Published on January 26, 2009