Balancing The Scales

After taking a lengthy blogging break, I am feeling refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things around here.

I have been working hard on maintaining my priorities and trying to keep the important things in my life in balance. I don’t know that I have found the perfect solution, but I have made strides.

What ways have you found to balance your blogging time with your other responsibilities?

Posted on February 2, 2010 | 3 Comments

A Strong Woman Or A Woman Of Strength?

I found this poem many years ago and keep a copy handy to remind me where my focus should be!

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength

A strong woman works out every day,
Pride in her appearance she portrays,
But a woman of strength kneels to pray,
Keeping her soul in shape, God leading the way.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything,
Looking forward to challenges each day will bring,
Women of strength show courage in the midst of fear,
Knowing triumph through faith because the Lord is near.

Strong women won’t let anyone get the best of them,
So skilled in defense even if they have to pretend,
Yet a woman of strength gives her best to everyone,
Being anointed with divine blood from the only begotten Son.

A strong woman relies on the physical attributes making her tough,
In her search for power and money she will never have enough,
A woman of strength understands that it’s not about material stuff,
Knowing that before becoming a diamond first she’ll be in the rough.

A strong woman sometimes disguises her feelings shadowed by clouds,
Unhinged when challenged on her policy becoming boisterous and loud,
A woman of strength concerns herself not with judgment from others,
And will not let business interfere with commitments as a wife and mother.

A strong woman is easily impatient back and forth she will begin to pace,
Counting on her holier than thou attitude instead of depending on faith,
A woman of strength is assured trust in God will always carry her through,
And at the Creator’s appointed time she’ll receive all that is justly due.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same for tomorrow,
Refusing to take time looking back with reverence and Godly sorrow,
The woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes no matter how slim,
While thanking God for the blessings as she capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks head first with no doubt in her mind,
Again, no matter what, she’ll not make this mistake a second time,
But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls,
So when a situation arises again, she’s not afraid to answer the call.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
Always doing whatever it takes to finish, seeking only first place,
The woman of strength competes with an emotional sense of grace,
Understanding it’s more important to run a Holy  spirit filled race.

A strong woman has faith that for the journey she’ll have enough,
No matter how uneven the terrain or roads being rocky and rough,
A woman of strength knows it’s in the journey she will become strong,
And the love of God is forever with her, no matter how difficult or long.

A strong woman when uninformed thinks that she is being mistreated,
In the end her physical attributes fail causing doubt to become seeded,
A woman of strength will compromise as a little give and take is needed,
Why? Because a lesson not learned the first time is soon to be repeated.

© 2006 by Luke Easter & Dee Cheeks

What do your goal priorities look like today? Do they reflect a desire to be a  strong woman, or a woman of strength?

Posted on January 20, 2010 | 6 Comments

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.

“A right delayed is a right denied”

For many years I ran a preschool from my home, and then I formally taught kindergarten for 3 years at our church school. I love planning lessons around themes, unit studies, decorating up my classroom around a particular theme etc.

Fast forward several years, and as a homeschooling mom of 3, I have often dropped the ball in this area. Just keeping track of who is doing what, reading what, or who is supposed to be doing those things leaves little time for elaborate thematic lesson plans. But every now and then I get inspired. And this year, for some reason, I feel especially inspired to make my children aware of what a great man Martin Luther King Jr. was. But of course, I didn’t actually sit down to pull anything together until late Sunday night so my options are limited. Yep, that is me. Mrs. Mommy Big Plans But  (un)Organized.

But thankfully I still have this book from my teaching years on our bookshelf, add in a few online printables and I am  pretty sure I have my act together enough to share this great man with my children.

Oh and I have the story.

The one that took place when I was in 5th grade. I will never forget it.

Our teachers decided they needed to give us a real life example of what prejudices existed for African Americans. So they seperated us into groups: blond hair, blue eyes, and not blond hair, blue eyes.

The blond hair/blue eyes group got special privileges. The children who didn’t have blond hair/blue eyes were not allowed to sit near them, use the same bathroom as them, eat lunch with them, play in the same play ground area as them etc.

We didn’t know there was  a lesson involved. We just thought our teachers were doing some crazy new thing at school.

Did I mention that I do not have blond hair and blue eyes?

The blondies really took advantage of having the upper hand. By mid afternoon, things were getting slightly out of control, and I was in the bathroom crying and feeling sick to my stomach. I wanted to go home.

Being a minority, looked down upon, and treated unequally because of my hair color was awful.

Our teachers sat us down and shared with us the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and about the injustices done to the African American people. I remember being so shook up that this really happened in my country. I couldn’t believe that people treated each other this way.

It’s a story I have never forgotten. And I don’t want my children to ever forget either.

With Obama as our President, it is hard for my children to ever imagine a day when a man of his color was not allowed to have the same privileges we have. But they need to know that it wasn’t always this way.

Debi Pearl shares a moving story in her article Listen To My Dream. It reminded me again of the lesson learned in 5th grade. I have not yet purchased her Listen To My Dream book, but it is on my wish list.

Thankfully we live in a nation where prejudices (for the most part) are a thing of the past. But there is good reason to let our children see what can happen when there is, and what can happen when one person decides to bravely stand up and boldly proclaim their beliefs even if it costs them dearly. After all, our Savior wasn’t afraid to do it. And doesn’t He calls us to the same boldness, even if the cost is high?

After reading Happy Birthday Dr. King together, we have this coloring page, will complete this Martin Luther King Jr notebooking page, and making this hand banner.

And then we will pray that our nation will never again treat others unfairly because of their skin color, hair color, whether they are rich or poor, tall or short, small or large. And we will also pray that we will be able to be as courageous and walk as boldly as those who have gone before us if and when God calls them.

Do you do anything special to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. in your home?

Posted on January 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Haiti: How We Are Helping

My husband and I had a rare moment alone last night and our talk wasn’t of the kids, the budget, the car that needs tires, the puppy we need to get rid of.

It was for those who are in Haiti, who have been devastated by a monstrous earthquake. They have lost everything. Everything. I tear up when I think about it. I can’t even watch the news because the despair haunts me.

But there are few things I can do. And while I have taken a break from blogging for a season, I can think of no better reason to hop back in and come together in this virtual world than this.

While there are a lot of things I can’t do during this tragedy, (like fly out there on the next plane to help) there is so much that I can do.

::I can pray. A lot. Even though I can’t be there, He can, He is, and He hears them. God’s heart is broken when His people intercede for the needy.  I can teach my children to pray, we can pray as a family, we can pray as a church, I can pray when I am awake at 2:00 in the morning thinking of those people and wishing I could do more. Praying may not seem like much, but how great a thing it is.

::I can give financially. There are many great organizations that are there helping, and the need funds to continue to serve and provide. There are many great organizations listed in my Help For Haiti post.

::I can give participate in a giveaway Another reason why I love blogging is the ability to unite in large numbers to make a huge difference in times like this. Hope For Haiti is a blog where you can donate a prize or service and for each dollar given, the donor receives a raffle to ticket to win. We just signed up to give a  $50 gift certificate to Christian Book Distributors.

::I can join others. Bloggers are amazing. Many have offered to help in incredible ways. Crystal has rallied together other bloggers who are committed to helping.  You can find more information over at Money Saving Mom.

How can you help?

Maybe you don’t have a lot of money to give, but every dollar counts. Do what you can. There is strength in numbers. We can make a huge difference with a little or a lot. If 1,000 people gave a dollar, that is $1,000. Your dollar may not seem like much, but when you add them all together it adds up.

Every dollar counts. So that is why I have a Mr. Linky here.  Link up a blog post about how you are helping those in Haiti,  and my husband and I will donate $100 for 100 links, (or $1 for each link, whichever is greater)to Compassion International . Together we can do A LOT. Let’s join together and make a difference for those in Haiti.

Share how you are helping here:

Posted on January 15, 2010 | 30 Comments

Help For Haiti: Organizations You Can Donate To

It is devastating what happened to Haiti. I can’t even bring myself to watch the news coverage it is so heartbreaking to see the despair. We want to help in anyway that we can, and I am sure you do too. So I rounded up a list of a few repuatable organziations you can donate to that will go directly to helping these poor people. If you know of any other way to help, please let me know and I will add it to the list. And don’t hesitate to give, they need help immediately or thousands will lose their life:

Samaritans Purse

Compassion

Salvation Army

World Vision

Operation Blessing International

If you are on Twitter, follow the hashtag #helpforhaiti to connect others that are seeking ways to help.

Another way you can help is through the blog Hope for Haiti. If you are a fellow blogger, you can donate a prize or service to give away and for every dollar donated the donor will recieve a raffle ticket. This is an awesome way to get involved with some great prizes available.

Remember to keep these people in your prayers as the tragedy is far from over.

If you know of any other way to help, have an additional list of resources, or know of an organization that I don’t have listed please let me know so I can share the link here.

Posted on January 15, 2010 | Post a Comment

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art
of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the
elimination of non-essentials.
-  Lin Yutang

Posted on January 13, 2010 | 1 Comment

Taking Some Time

It has been quite some time since I have written here, hasn’t it?

The hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, and it is time to embrace the New Year with our goals set and our hearts ready for great things in 2010!

I am a big believer in setting goals and each New Year I become very excited about the prospect of setting and achieving new things. Over the years I have really learned how important it is to seek God to direct my paths in all things instead of just selecting some random things to accomplish. By seeking Him in my goal setting it helps me gain direction and focus, and also helps me prioritize and eliminate things that just aren’t in His timing or will.

Which brings me to this blog. It is the one area that I feel I don’t have any clear direction on yet. I have prayed and waited, prayed and waited and have come to the realization that Jesus isn’t going to just speak to me on this matter just because it’s the first of the year. That is a man made time frame. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us that the beginning of the new year God is going to answer all your prayers so you can outline your goals! (And if it does somewhere, could you please forward me the Scripture, I would like to send up a little reminder prayer J)

So if you are wondering where I am, I am waiting up the Lord to lead me in whatever direction as far as this blog goes. It is only through Him that anything I accomplish will prosper, so I am committed to waiting upon His leading.

In the meantime I want to share with you this amazing, life changing book that I finished recently. It is definitely going into my “Best Books I Have Ever Read” file

Passion For Jesus by Mike Bickle

Waiting on Him!

Posted on January 5, 2010 | 3 Comments

See You Next Year!

I’ll be posting pretty lightly around here over the next two weeks as I am taking a little break over this busy holiday season.  I plan on taking lots of time to pray about the direction and focus of this blog too, and can’t wait to share with you where the Lord is leading me in 2010!

I hope you all have a blessed and very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted on December 21, 2009 | 1 Comment

Some New Christmas Traditions For Us (and maybe you too!)

We began enjoying the Back To The Bible radio broadcast of the Twelve Voices of Christmas this week. Each of the 12 key character from the Bible stories relating to Christ’s birth give their perspective in a dramatic presentation that will bring to life the amazing events surrounding the birth of our Savior! It has been so enjoyable and meaningful that we are  definitely going to add it to our Christmas traditions for years to come. There are also loads of wonderful Christmas sermons on this site, so type in Christmas and I am sure you will find yourself  blessed and encouraged by them!

I also found this wonderful Christmas program from Teri Maxwell that you can do using your nativity. I am so excited to do this with my family on Christmas Eve!

One thing I have learned about making Christmas meaningful and keeping traditions this year is that I have to keep things simple and manageable. Needless to say, I started out strong with our Jesse tree, thinking I could “find the time” to finish up the rest of the ornaments.  Our Jesse Tree sits, ahem, half done and the ornaments have gone in my sewing box for next year, when perhaps I will truly learn not to be an overachiever at one of the busiest times of the year.

How are your family traditions going this year? Have you added or taken away any? And please tell me I am not the only mom who starts out with grand plans only to shelve them a few weeks later in favor of sanity?

Oh and if you are seeking to make your holidays memorable, you will enjoy this free ebook titled Family Memories and if you’re feeling a little stressed, you may enjoy these resources too!

Posted on December 17, 2009 | 3 Comments

Mommy Blogging: Counting The Cost

I want my children’s childhood to be full of memories of a mama who was by their side, playing with them, laughing with them, reading to them, cooking with and for them. Not a mama with a face glued to a computer screen.

~Stephanie, Keeper of The Home in her article Pro Mom, Not Pro Blogger

Are you a mom blogger? Then you must read Stephanie’s article.

Her article put into words things that have been on my heart for a long time. While I try very hard to keep my blogging time in balance,  I admit that all too often I spend far too much time in the online world and not nearly enough time doing the things that count.

I try to carve out and stick to a 2 hour time frame per day Monday-Friday  to do bloggy stuff. That may seem like a lot to some, but have you ever tracked how much time you spend online? It is easy to lose time and you may be surprised that you spend much more time than you thought.

If I stuck to my 2 hours a day Monday-Friday, that would be 10 hours per a week. 40 hours per month. 480 hours per year. Figure a regular work week as 40 hours per week. If I translate that into my time spent online, I figure I am losing 3 months per year with my family. I admit that there have been times I have spent more than those 2 hours online so I am sure that 3 months is a fairly conservative figure. A lot can happen in the lives of my children in 3 months. Is blogging really worth missing that time?

As Stephanie says, blogging is a career because “let’s face it, when blogging requires this much of you, it’s more than just a hobby”. How many of us stay home to be with our children, yet are caught up in the career world right in our very own homes through blogging? How many times have we not read that story, played that game, or pushed our children away to finish one more post, answer one more comment, ask one more question? I know I am guilty of it more than I’d like to admit.

What does this mean? I am not really sure. I have a lot to think on. A lot to pray about. Some decisions to make and some priorities to refocus. Perhaps you do to.

My mantra has always been don’t be so busy building a blog that you forget to build a life.

I think it’s time I take my own advice.

Have you counted the cost of the time you have spent on the computer, away from your children, your husband, and your duties as a homemaker? Is it worth it?

Posted on December 16, 2009 | 9 Comments

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