Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.  In all your ways remember him.  Then he will make your paths smooth and straight."

Trust is something that I struggle with.  I have a hard time letting all of myself go to another person.  If I let myself go 100% I will more than likely get hurt.  So I build walls up to protect my heart.  Iron clad walls, that you need a key to get through.  And if you don't have that key or you lose it... it's really tough to get through again. 

I build the walls, and when I read this verse last night I realized that I am also building those walls against God.  I cannot do that!  He is the only one who knows my heart inside and out.  He knows my deepest, darkest fears.  He knows.  So why can't I just trust him with the unknown, with the scary, with the simple, with the complicated?  He has never failed me.  Even at my lowest of lows when I had no idea where to turn... All I had to do what look up.  I ran to him.  He picked me up from the heap that I found myself in.  So why do I still struggle with trusting his plan for my life?

I struggle because I try to do it all on my own.  My walls, although my protection, are also my demise.  I struggle because I need the control.  I am in the passenger seat but I jerk the wheel when I feel uncertainty.  If I give up control... how do I know where I will end up?  That thought alone terrifies me.  I am a planner and when I see that things are not going in the direction that I planned they go... then I get scared.  This is something that I have been trying to work on, but it doesn't seem to be working very well!

This morning I read a couple verses that I will hold in my heart...

Philippians 4:6-7  "Do not worry about anything.  Instead, tell God about everything.  Ask and pray.  Give thanks to him.  Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus.  God's peace can never be completely understood."

Philippians 2:3 "God is working in you.  He want your plans and your acts to be in keeping with his good purpose."

Proverbs 16:9 "People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do."

Proverbs 29:25 "If you are afraid of people, it will trap you.  But if you trust in the Lord, he will keep you safe."

"Intentionally Focused"

I am doing the Good Morning Girls study "Intentionally Focused" with my Bible Study ladies!  I have only completed the first week of it, but it is honestly everything I have need to hear!  My life at times gets so focused on all the unnecessary things... you know Facebook, pinterest, making cleaning a priority over spending time with my kiddos, just putting the TV on because it's convenient... And I miss out on so much because I am not intentionally focused on what is important.  I can make up tons of excuses as to why I do what I do, but none of it really matters, because that's what they are... excuses.  Excuses to check out when life gets to be just too much to handle.  So with this Bible Study I am really wanting things to change... I am all talk a lot of the time and lack the follow through.  But I know that I can do this!

So the goals that I have decided on after this first week are...

1. Realize that the time I do have with my kids is short.  This life we live is short.  It is but a breath in the eyes of the Lord and that is something we so easily take for granted.  We live in what we can see and feel, and forget that we are living for something bigger and better.  I need to live in the moment and breathe it in because it will be gone before I know it!

2. I need to not spend so much time with the unimportant.  This goes along with number one.  But I get really stressed when things are not in order. When things are not in order I end up focusing on that instead of what my kids are doing or saying to me.  I feel as I am writing this that I am the worst mom ever!  But I know I am not alone.  We all get lost in the unimportant and we have to realize when we are and switch that up.  There needs to be a slotted time for me to focus on the unimportant, and it shouldn't be when my kids need me.

3. I have deleted all the apps on my phone that take my attention away from my kids and husband.  My phone does not rule my life, and I need to realize that.

4. Hebrew 12:2 "Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect..." I am going to focus fully on the Lord when I am overwhelmed.  I am going to turn to the Word to give me peace instead of turning to anything else that give me a false hope or a false sense of peace.  The main one being food. When I am feeling like I can't take another step forward I need to rest in the promise that God will pull me along when I no longer have the strength.

5. I need to go back to giving thanks in everything.  I highly recommend One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp to start your journey in recording your blessing in each day.  By giving thanks and writing it down it will help to change your perspective on life and will help you to live a happier and healthier life.

6. Finally, I need to realize that God is not done with me.  He will never be done with me.  He will always be tweaking me into who He wants me to be. Philippians 3:12 "I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be.  I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his." (NCV) I need to stay focused on that fact. God made me in his image and I need to continue to strive for that.

I trust fully that the Lord will give me the strength to do all of this.  And I am looking forward to this journey of learning how to be Intentionally Focused on him and all that matters.

So, what are some things that you need to change in order to be Intentionally Focused on the race the Lord has set before us?

Homeschool-itis....

Is there such a thing as "Homeschool-itis"?  It's kind of like senior-itis, but for homeschoolers!  The weather is nice (well... it's supposed to be), we are bored of doing the same curriculum everyday, and are ready for summer to come and play outside, go to the beach, go swimming in the backyard, have fun at the park, go to the zoo, picnic, go camping, etc... The summer fun list seems endless!

I have to be honest this year, probably due to the super cold winter, our homeschool-itis is at an all time high!  I am having the hardest time getting back into the swing of things!  My punky wants nothing to do with school, it's like pulling teeth (literally for her) to get her to do anything!  And once we decide to do something it takes about 10 minutes too long because we are both being pokey and just don't want to do anymore work!  Anyone else feel the same way that I do?

So a couple weeks ago I started something new that has helped!  You know those packs of paper lists that you can hang on your fridge? I started to actually USE those!  They are now my kids check-lists!  It is the perfect size for what they need to get done for the day!  So in the morning I just write out what they MUST get done today and then at the very end, I ask "All finished?" And if they are then they get 20 minutes of screen time... iPhone, iPad, computer...supervised of course and with a timer going!  But for my kids who ask constantly to play on any of those things, I figured this was a great compromise!  Finish what is expected and then you will get rewarded.  And every year more things will be added to their responsibilities.  But for now I am just hoping this will help get us through the rest of the school year!

I've also noticed with "homeschool-itis"... complaining, arguing, and just poor attitudes are never far behind.  My hubby and I have instilled the Consequences Chart again and I have faithfully kept up with it. Our Consequences Chart is something that my hubby and I did earlier and then stopped.  So we ended up having a family meeting and getting the kids input on it.  The kids decided that we would give a warning, 1 reminder, and then if we had to ask a third time for them to do whatever it was then they would have to move their magent to whatever consequence was next.  We have about 7 color coded consequences on the chart... we start with a time out and get "worse" as they move down the chart.  The first few days that we implemented this, the kiddos had a tough time, but now they know that if we ask them to move a magnet that they made a poor choice, and they immediately regret their decision.  Now, I must say that not everything get the grace before magnet moving.  Things like physically hurting someone else is an immediate consequence.  I'm hoping that the longer we are able to do this the kids attitudes and behaviors will improve.

So, What are some ideas that you have that help get through "homeschool-itis" and the attitudes that the kids show?  I'm always looking for different ways of doing things!

Clean Eating Favorites

I know that I mentioned that I was a part of a clean eating challenge.  It was so much fun, and a huge eye opener for me.  I came away seeing how horribly I had been eating and really poisoning my body with all the processed, sugary foods.  One of the biggest changes that I made was how I drink my coffee.  I was going from about 2-3 cups a day (!) to half a cup in the morning.  I no longer use creamer (which is HUGE). I now put in a little agave raw syrup and some cinnamon and I'm good to go!  But not only that I found some new recipes that I really enjoy as do my kids!  So I thought that I would share some of them with you!

Honey Mustard Chicken (Seves 4)

4 chicken breasts

8T dijon mustard

2T honey

4t parsley (or to taste)

Mix all the ingredients together and cover the chicken.  We usually grill it or you can bake it at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Serve with brown rice, and a nice mixed green salad.  

 

Teriyaki Salmon (serves 2)

8 oz salmon filet

3T teriyaki sauce (i used Soyaki from Trader Joe's - then marinate overnight)

 

 

 

Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm7zcgcUoyg

Easter is right around the corner now. Tomorrow is Good Friday and this year more than ever I am wanting my kids to realize the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He came to this earth to live, to love, and to die... all for me... all for them... all for everyone who has ever lived and will live! It's almost impossible to wrap my mind around that God loves me so much that He would send His Son to die for me, a sinner. A person that is so unworthy of His grace and forgiveness. Jesus loved ME so much that he gave up his life for me. I would do anything for my kids and Jesus loves me even more. He took my sin with Him to the cross and held it there for me, for my kids. I need to give my kids that kind of grace for all the mistakes they make. They are imperfect beings and I tend to forget that more often than not. I have such high expectations for what I want them to strive for and when they don't meet those I get discouraged and criticize them. I have been reminded lately about how many times I mess up... and with things that you think I should learn from. But instead of being criticized for messing up YET AGAIN, my God gives me a "do over". I want my kids to see that from me. I am giving them a "do over" because daily God gives me a "do over". I am so far from who I am supposed to be but I will strive to be that person every day. I will strive to teach my children how to become that person that Jesus wants them to be. He made the ultimate sacrifice of love, and I want them to live in that truth every day!

Kari Jobe is one of my ultimate favorite singer/songwriters. She just came out with a new CD and has a song titled "Forever" on it. It gives me chills when I listen to it, and reminds me of what Jesus did for me. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do.

I'm Back!

It's been a long time since I've written anything.  We have been so busy here, and I just haven't had the inspiration to write. But I am feeling better and thought I'd just write about what has been going on here these past few weeks!

For starters, my girls and I chopped our hair!  We ended up donating 30 inches of hair to locks of love!  It was so fun doing it with my girls.  (We still have to mail out our hair, but here are some before and after pics of us!)

Sweet Stuff before and after...

My Punky before and after...Myself before and after...

Let's see what else have we been up to?  My hubby and I did a clean eating challenge with some friends.  I was kind of skeptical about it.. like how much could I really lose with this challenge.  Since I'm being honest I will post my pics.  Here are the results.. I was amazed as to the difference in just 5 days of doing clean eating and p90x!

    It's always nice to see RESULTS! :)

The kiddos got another piece to their clubhouse in the back yard thanks to Grandma and Grandpa S!   This is not the final resting place for the swings, but the other swing set is still frozen in the ground from this horrible winter!  So as soon as we get it out this one will be over by the clubhouse!

A visit to the Children's Museum!

 Playing with some water!Riding the dinosaurs and digging for fossils

 Chalkboard fun, playing with bubbles!

 A bus driver, and a very tired Mr. Mailman!

It has been a fun, busy past few weeks!  But this mama is looking forward to some routine again :)