Hi friend! I am so glad you have stopped by the site. We have such a wonderful community of moms here and we would LOVE for you to join us as we share life and learn together!
t’s hunting season here in Montana, which means the men in this family are pouring over maps and pulling out camo. Saturday night my husband and his brother headed out, going east for a scouting trip. This wasn’t a big deal for us, but it was hard for my brother-in-law to leave his wife and three young boys alone for Sunday.
Twenty-four hours is a long time when a woman is parenting little kids by herself.
A really, really long time.
As mom to 7, I'm often asked if they are "all mine." After I briefly explain our beautifully-blended family, then I'm usually asked a second question. "So you had six of them?" The saucy side of me wants to reply "No, they hatched." But thankfully, the Spirit restrains me and I answer with "Yes, all 6." And then a conversation follows with something like "How in the world do you stay thin?" I am not telling you this typical conversation for any reason other than a woman's weight is a very tricky conversation topic. I'm half embarrassed that it draws a frequent conversation. Now mind you, I really want to be healthy, just like you. And I definitely want to be attractive to my husband, just like you.
But just like any other woman on the planet, my physical weight has fluctuated. In fact, my personal weight has varied as much as 60 lbs. over the course of bearing my 6 biological children. I'm guessing that many of you can relate to wishing that after baby weight didn't stay indefinitely or at least dropped off faster. Maybe it's been years and you are still struggling with weight gain. Maybe your weight gradually crept up and you are currently in a stage of moving forward to a healthier weight. Maybe you struggle with a thin unhealthy weight. Wherever you are on the scale, today I wanted to focus on remembering that your weight is not your worth.
Some days seem longer than others.
Those days when I am not the mom I want my kids to learn from.
The other night after each of my children fell asleep I went into their rooms. I felt like I didn't enjoy them that day.
It wasn't until they fell asleep, when I realized that my patience level was embarrassing to admit. I held each of their hands and watched their peaceful faces as they were sleeping. I began to cry and ask God for help. I thought about how it was the only time I had asked him for help that day.
I talked to each of my dreaming babies about how much I love them. How much I really do enjoy them but I forget about what really matters. I forget that speaking truth to their hearts is much more important than how they act on the outside.
Our children are in a stage of shaping and growing while under our care. They have so much potential and we have so much influence in this season. Often we have goals and ideals for our children that we want to implement but aren't sure how to do that in a practical way.
And sometimes I think we can overcomplicate something that can really be quite simple. Sometimes it's not always easy making the hard decisions for our children, but the Bible gives us some great direction as parents.
So here are 4 things you can do to reach the heart of your child.
"Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed." Romans 12: 1
Early one morning, my chatterbox little boy ran into the room, jumped on the couch next to me, snuggled and said with a sparkle, "Come on, admit it, mama! You must love me the best because I am the most fun of all your kids."
Followed by, "Nuh huh! She loves me best because I help her the most and you just get into trouble!"
Cooking is something I do every single day and I am guessing you do too ;). Whether you enjoy your time in the kitchen or not, when you have a family waiting with rumbling bellies, you MUST make something....NOW! One of my go-to dinners for as long as I can remember is the tried-and-true Spaghetti dinner.
