The Father's Mother's Day Gift.

Mother's Day, the day that mothers get doted on, recognized, appreciated, and spot-lighted. Children say the sweetest things, do all the chores, and recognize all the sacrifices moms make. Unfortunately, I found myself having to steer the boat of "recognize me, honor me, celebrate me," and I found myself very frustrated and hurt. I knew this wasn't right but I knew this wasn't anyone's fault but my own. It's not even their fault for being princesses that don't know how to celebrate others because I do it so naturally they never have to. The problem was nowhere but in myself.  You know what though? That's my favorite type of problem. I know that my Daddy God will tell me the secrets of heaven and make me more like Him. During worship at church this frustrated and confused Mother's Day morning, I turned my eyes off myself and focused on the Lion of Judah. Let me tell you what I learned about myself when I turned my eyes off of me:

He is the Lion, the King of all kings, and I am a warrior princess, equipped to take enemy schemes and turn them into Kingdom victories. What a powerful place for a mama to stand! And, I'm not just raising other independent warrior princess lionesses; I am raising warrior princess lionesses to work as a unified force, in a pride, for the glory of the Lion King. Mmmmmmm. So good! Such a parenting strategy shift! What a nice gift; better than the Melting Pot's Brie and Bacon Fondue (which is saying something)! Thank you husband, for not cringing at the price tag of that Mother's Day gift. 

But that wasn't all He wanted to give me. He also showed me that I had been looking for accolades, recognition, and the gift of being known, from my kids. How frustrating is THAT?! What kid can actually recognize the gift of their mother until they themselves are a parent?! No forced art project from school will ever touch that place in my heart--and it shouldn't! The Father was offering for me to get my recognition, accolades, and known-ness as a mother, from Him rather than my kids. What a divine shift! It takes the frustration off my heart and the pressure off my kids and husband. I'm not even mad right now that instead of diamonds and bubble baths, I have a sink full of dirty dishes and a couple extra pounds from the fondue splurge. 

Mom's, that invitation is to you as well. Go have a quiet moment (even if it's with headphones at the kitchen sink full of dishes), and ask Father God what He wants to say about you as a Mother. I promise it's only kindness, adoration, and hope He wants to bring to this conversation. Be brave. Ask Him. Then go worship Him through your mothering! 

GAME PLAN

I blew it this morning. I lost my cool with my kids this morning. I lost it bigger than usual. I woke up early for my alone time with Jesus and asked for His help in strategizing our morning. But as soon as I woke the kids up, I could feel myself building in irritation. I can see it coming when I give them short, one-word answers, avoid eye contact, and tell them to do things for themselves when they ask for help. They were behind in getting ready, so when they’d usually be leaving for school, we were scrambling to get to family devotion time—just to eek it in. But rather than being attentive and engaged, they  were distractible and distracting. When it came time to pray for them and their day, I offered a prayer of frustration and thanks. “Thank you Father, that you love these girls just the same every day. My frustration with them doesn’t indicate a frustration of Yours. Be with them Jesus and let you r love be known to them.” I tersely told them to get going to school, but Middle girl couldn’t find her coat. Apparently, that was the straw that broke my allotted grace. I am not proud to say that I was yelling at my sweet gifts, like they had killed my dog, over a coat. The older two found the coat, tears streaming, and left for school. The youngest one went to take a bath, saying no thanks to my offer for a hug. Now that’s when it REALLY hit. She never refuses a hug. Trying every psycho-babble trick I knew for calming down, trying to pray and repent, crying my face off, texting my husband, I realized this morning wasn’t really about my kids and their inadequacies, or even my inadequacies, it was about a battle being waged in the spirit realm. What really tipped me off, was that I couldn’t even problem solve or reason with myself. I even believed for a moment, that my children would be better off if I’d just wake them up in the morning and have them get themselves ready for school, while I could just go back to bed. I recognized that these were not my ideas, but the ideas of a dark enemy.  But in my inner chaos, I couldn’t think of how to form a battle plan. And to top it off, I wasn’t really interested in talking to Jesus, because I felt so ashamed of myself (isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard?!).  I called a dear friend, knowing that she could help me sort my thoughts out and help me get set on the right track again. She listened while I spewed. She asked helpful questions that led me in sorting my thoughts. She encouraged me, reminding me of my strengths as a mother, as a child of Father God. Then she prayed for me. In her prayer, she got a picture. The picture was that this battle was like a video game, and when I beat this level, there’s going to be a new level. I’m going to win a new power to help me with the new levels. She exhorted me to ask Holy Spirit for strategies for this level, and to ask what that special reward was for beating this level.

After hanging up, I grabbed my prayer journal, having a course set before me, I wrote out what Holy Spirit was telling me about this video game. I write this for two reasons: 1. I want to remember what this battle looked like and what the victory will look like. 2. I wonder how many other moms need to hear this today.

• Hero character: Mom
• Setting: Our home
• Objectives:
  • Get all kids to school with lunch, homework, fed and feeling secure, empowered, and Spirit-filled.
• Obstacles:
  • Dog likes to run (and never turns down a snuggle from a distracted daughter.
  • Kids are distractible—VERY distractible.
  • Enemy Snake wants to choke as much life, joy, and abudnace out of the morning. He seeks to separate the family (divide) and have the kids sent to school angry, lonely, and already having failed.
• Complete Objectives to receive authority and a sword of the Spirit. This sword is required for access to future missions. You are allowed unlimited attempts to pass this level, but BEWARE: The longer it takes to complete this mission, the more damage the children take and the more relationships will suffer.
• Strategies
  • Work as a team
    • Share objectives with family
    • Battle as a unified front.
    • BEGIN the morning with worship and devotionals, THEN get ready for school.
  • Watch for these red flags:
    • Minimized eye contact
    • Not wanting to hear stories or concerns.
    • Not wanting to be helpful
  • To counter red-flags:
    • Remember the TRUE objective is send out children overflowing with love to the community we’ve been set in!
    • Give a hug
    • Stop, listen, and giggle.

I know that this revelation isn’t going to make our mornings run smoothly. My kids aren’t going to be able to stay on task any better than they do without my revelation. What changes, though, is who I recognize the enemy as and what he’s trying to steal. The ultimate goal is to bring up little people who really do look like Jesus.

China on my heart

I woke up from an enchanting dream this morning. Chuck and I were taking our new Asian baby boy through the Wal Mart parking lot on a toy motorcycle. He was so sweet and funny, and we were enjoying his silly faces. Please note, at this point, I have no intention, nor desire to adopt. I wish I did, but I just don't. When I told my friend Nicki about my dream, she mentioned that her husband's first grade class was praying for China today.

At that, I felt an urgency to pray for China. And I shared that urgency with the girls. I asked them to join me in seeking God's face for how to pray for China. We put on some worship music, got out our favorite pillows, and asked Jesus to show us what he wanted to show us about China. We utilized a new tool we learned about, called soaking, and lay there individually waiting for what God wanted to show us. Sometimes He shows us pictures, sometimes, He tells us secrets, and today, He did both.

Rebekah shared that she saw a maze, with fire all around. There was only one way through the maze, and it was dangerous, but the reward at the end, was gold and silver and riches! Maddy shared that she saw Chinese families having church in their houses, and the bad cops were being defeated by good cops! Izzy said that God had presents for us, and those presents were all of God's power in us. I saw a map of China, but not an aerial view. I saw fingers stirring the atmosphere above China, then an open Bible rising from the soil. From the sky, a fiery meteor filled with jewels and gems began to fall.

I wonder if disaster is headed China's way. I know this, though: God is stirring the spiritual atmosphere of China.  Whatever disaster comes, it brings beauty and healing with it. Hardened things must be broken in order to be renewed. I pray for the Christians in China. That when disaster strikes, they will rise up to be Christ in a dark time--in very practical ways. And I pray for China's government. That the "bad cops" would be overtaken by the "good cops." 

And did I mention? I'm crazy giddy that my children are encountering Jesus! The secrets that He's telling them are straight from the Bible! All I can say about that, is "Yay God! Do it some more!"



Let the Lion Roar

I've been reading through the minor prophets in my Bible lately. My Bible College days are far behind me now, and it's hard to remember why they were called the minor prophets,as their message is not minor! The prophesies in them are silver-tongued. They are concise and cut to the core of the issue. I want to be that way! Being silver-tongued is actually something that was prophesied over me once, but for those who know me, concise and cutting to the core is not my specialty, but it's something I believe God wants to do in me. I pray that this post would be anointed, would speak to your heart in a way that I cannot-that only the Holy Spirit can.

I'm reading in Amos right now. It was particularly cutting this morning. I wanted to use this post as a call of repentance to the church. If you have asked Jesus to save you from the consequences of your sin, you are part of this; part of the church. Amos 2:11-12 God says that He raised up prophets and Nazirites, but we gave wine to the Nazirites and commanded the prophet saying "Do not prophesy!". Ouch! The church in America (with some exceptions of course) has told the prophet to stop prophesying because his message is uncomfortable. Let the prophet fear God rather than men. Amos 3:7 says that God does NOTHING without revealing it to His prophets. The prophet is a roaring lion! He speaks forth God's word, His heart, His purposes.We would be far less surprised when good things happen, when bad things happen, if we were allowing the prophets to speak. Repent, on behalf of the church, for quieting the roaring lion, telling God we didn't want to hear His voice. No longer do we want to let lies lead us astray. We weren't meant to be comfortable! Amos 2:4 tells us that the lies we believe came from the generations before us. Let it stop here!

Now, regarding the Nazirite: A Nazirite was a person that was set aside from birth to live a life of devotion to God. How often do we discourage the Nazirites in our lives by persuading them to worldliness?! By mocking the ways in which they are different?! Our strengths are not our own, but God's. It is Him alone that is our source of strength and boldness.

Lord, prepare the way for your prophets to roar, and your Nazirites to be a true light!

Free indeed!

I've been a little hush-hush (in the blogging world anyway) about my health journey. But today is my unveiling! Today I finished a 60 day on-line, Bible Study, weight-loss course, called Setting Captives Free. They have several courses relating to freedom from eating, pornography, drugs and alcohol, sexual sin, etc. Here's the testimony I shared on my last lesson:

"I had been on a diet for the better part of 6 years. Most recently, I was on a 1400 calorie diet, burning 400 calories/day through exercise, and could not lose weight. If I did lose weight, I would just yo-yo between a 10 pound range (gaining and losing for over 3 years). I would do well on my diet for a short time, just looking forward to my "cheat day." On my cheat day, I would eat whatever I wanted for the whole day long. One cheat day was never enough. One day, I become so frustrated with this cycle and the lack of results that I told the Lord I was finished. I knew that if I would give it to Him, it would be fine. Why didn't I realize this years ago?! Not much later, I found Setting Captives Free. It was an answer to prayer. I realized that everytime I went to food when bored, excited, worried, frustrated, socializing, etc, rather than to God, I was putting food before God. I was letting food be my god and I was practicing idolatry. Even on a diet, food was my god because I was always thinking about it, seeking salvation through a diet. No wonder I couldn't lose weight. God had left me to my own devices. I see now, that my lack of weight-loss before, was God's grace to lead me to Setting Captives Free. I have found FREEDOM! I am free at last! Food does not guide my life anymore! I don't have to buy diet food or look for diet meals at a restaurant, and there's no need for a cheat day. I just enjoy what God has given me (and yes, usually it's not a salad). I have lost 23 pounds! But mostly, I have found a deeper, closer walk with God! I will never diet again! I don't need a cheat day anymore! I have found satisfaction in Him (and lost the weight to confirm it's effectiveness!)!"

So, I am currently the lightest I have ever been in my adult life. At my heaviest, I weighed 250 pounds. While pregnant with Rebekah (7 years ago), I had gestational diabetes. Never wanting to deal with that again (and vomiting several times a day due to pregnancy hormones), I lost some weight. For the last 4 years, I was stuck between 210 and 220. When I stared Setting Captives Free, I weighed 222 pounds. Today, I weigh 199 pounds. I wish I had before and after pictures, but I don't. I'm sure if I really wanted, I could conjure some up. I want all the glory to go to God though. For the first time in my life, I'm not worried about it. Now all I need the scale for is a barometer of my obedience to God, to keep me accountable to if God is my God, or if food is my god. I have never enjoyed my relationship with God more than I do now!

Next step, I've signed up for the Mentor Course to become a mentor for Setting Captives Free. Click here if interested in the program for yourself. There's an option to add a friend to be your accountability partner. If you'd like, you can add my address (mombeem@yahoo.com).

Movie Review:: Judy Moody and the Not-so-bummer-summer.

WHY is it raining in the middle of July?! Apparently, the rest of the nation is taking all of the energies of the sun and it doesn't have the energy to shine here (not bitter, just annoyed). I HAD to get the kids out of the house for little to no money. Since The Science Factory isn't open until 12:30 this week, we chose the buck-fifty theater. Except on Mondays (the day we went), tickets are only 75 cents!!!!

Judy Moody is such a fun movie! Judy Moody has the fashion sense inspired by Rebekah (I'm sure), and an attitude inspired by a 9 year-old that wants to be more mature. It's the kind of movie that reminds you what it's like to be a kid, teaches you to take time to have fun with your kids, and what's important in life. I totally want to make a family thrill chart (much like Judy's in the movie).

There's friendship, forgiveness, family, and FUN! It's clean (aside from using "crap" a couple of times--which I'm guilty of nearly every day). There are some parts that some kids might find scary: A Big-foot sighting in the middle of the night that scares the characters, and a spoof horror movie that Judy and her friend go to in an attempt to earn Thrill Points. My girls didn't mind these scenes at all and they are usually kinda chickens. I was always amazed how REAL Judy Moody seemed. And it's always nice to see kids learn a lesson the full-circle sort of way.

Although the lack of sun in Oregon might try to ruin our summer, we will choose to have a not-so-bummer-summer! Thanks, Judy Moody, for the inspiration!

A Funeral Fit For a Fish

Cutie Patootie, of the Beem home, was a good fish. He was the object of several art projects and the subject of Rebekah's first 2-point expository paragraph. He is survived by his first owners Rebekah, Maddy, and Isabelle. Cutie was a successor of the late-great Red Rover. Although he made several nests in hopes of a family, a mate never came, baby fishies never ensued. Cutie Patootie, you will be missed. Your tricks brought joy to our family as did your fishy kissy faces.

Shhh....we accidentally did home-school today.

Thanks to rainy-day Oregon, the girls were forced to get creative in their play time. They got their counting money jar out and started sorting, counting, and (dare-I-say?) learning.

• Isabelle started counting coins as she put them in the counter. She counted to 38! Last I knew, she could only count to 12 (which I was impressed with)
• Madeline counted her nickles by 5's and her dimes by 10's!
• Rebekah multiplied by 4's to figure out how many dollars she had in quarters.

And this brings me to the first ever Bringing Up the Princess give-away! As many of you know, I

have quite the little Mary Kay inventory. And what does every woman need, but a miniature brush set?! Who ever guesses how much money we have in our money counter, will get an eye brush set (4 brushes and a pretty carrying case)! Let the guessing begin!

Money saved equals pedicures gained?

Today I was given the opportunity to share my love for homemade cleaning and beauty supplies at church with some really fun ladies. My husband laughed when I said that I was going to teach a homemaking class because, as my close friends know, cleaning/organizing are not my strong-suit. They're barely on my list. I am good, however, at being a super cheap tightwad.

This class was a ton of fun! It fills me to the brim to be around groups of ladies (particularly being the center of attention for a while *wink wink*). As you know, I have been loving making laundry soap, dishwasher detergent, and all purpose cleaner. Today, I used the teaching opportunity to try some new recipes out that I have been putting off. It energized my passion for this stuff!

We made homemade deodorant, toothpaste, bug spray, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, laundry

soap. I loved the toothpaste (even came home to use it with my toothbrush, as opposed to my finger in class)! I keep running my tongue over my teeth to feel how smooth they are! It's sorta like I just went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. The deodorant is a little goopier than I anticipated, but I'm sure I can add more baking soda and cornstarch. As for now, I'm storing it in my fridge. The verdict is still out on the all purpose cleaner. It did remove a pen mark off the table during the class, though.

And I even learned new things!

• You can use old soap stubs to add to the laundry detergent and save on FelsNaptha.
• For yummy smelling laundry (something I've missed with the homemade detergent and the recent allergic reaction to fabric softening sheets): put a few drops of essential oil on a wash cloth or paper towel and throw it in the dryer (too much can be dangerous though).
• For static cling: add a ball of aluminum foil to the dryer! Reuse over and over and over!
• Store homemade deodorant and toothpaste in baby food jars.
• Don't confuse the deodorant with the toothpaste. The deodorant may be edible but it kinda tastes like vaseline!
• Citric acid is optional in the dishwasher detergent (in fact I heard it counteracts the washing soda, not sure how true that is). I'm still toying with that recipe to find what I like.

I'm excited to do this again! Next time, imagine the things I will learn as the student!

Enjoy your homemade cleaning/body care supplies making! Feel free to add any links or recipes that you have, and if you've used em or not! Oh that would be fun to read! Who knows, if you save enough money (which you will), you can use that extra moolah for a pedicure!

Cupcakes and Proverbs

When Chuck told me that he was assigned dessert to take to a work pot-luck, I knew this would be prime time to show off his wife's cupcake skills! His wife makes YUMMY cupcakes. Plus, he bought her a cake decorating kit for her birthday, so it's a win-win situation. (okay, I'll stop talking about myself in the third person).

All the time I was making cupcakes (mini ones and regular sized ones), I couldn't help but think that everyone will love these cupcakes so much and "her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land (Proverbs 31:23)." I even made little Symantec symbols on all of them.

Now that I'm done patting my own back...

I'm sure they'll get eaten, but I like to dream of higher things for my cupcakes. My cupcakes are a ministry to my husband! So silly I'm sure, but I'm sticking to it.

Movie Review :: Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil

In true Oregon style, it rained on our campfire/bike riding plans today. Because the girls got all smiley faces at bedtime (AGAIN!) this week, we treated the family to the cheap theater and some (not-so-cheap) popcorn. We didn't let it rain on OUR parade!

I had already checked the movie reviews , and knew that although rated PG, Hoodwinked Too was more appropriate for my girls than the G-rated Rio.

Hoodwinked Too is full of some big voices like Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Andy Dick, Brad Garrett, and Martin Short. But its the content I was most impressed with.

This is a movie all about hope! When it seems there's no way out, no way for good to overcome evil; that is when victory is the sweetest. Most impressively, it displayed forgiveness, redemption, justice, teamwork, and admitting when you're wrong. I can use the theme of this movie to teach my kids! When's the last time you could say THAT about a movie?!

It did have a lot of potty humor (which the 12 year-old boy in me totally enjoyed), and some innuendo. If I'm not mistaken though, none of that innuendo was sexual. There is a part where Twitch the squirrel comes out of his trailer with a couple of hot-babe-squirrel-girls, however (not a plus). Rather than using curse words or almost-curse-words, the movie resorts to "muffins." This is something I'm fine with my kids doing, so I wasn't disappointed by it. The reviews on line don't really agree with me on this movie, but as we all know...

I'm right, they're wrong!

Frugal and Homemade :: Dishwasher Detergent

I promised some posts about my homemade cleaning supplies. And I'm ready to deliver on one!

This is the easiest homemade thing I tried yet (besides diluted tea tree oil for sanitizer/cleaner)! And it worked marvelously!

1 tsp. Borax

1 tsp. Washing Soda

1 tsp. white vinegar

I mixed equal parts Borax and Washing Soda into a sealable container. Eyeballed a tablespoon-ish into the dishwasher and added a lid-full of vinegar (fun to watch the fizzle).

I was very pleased to find clean and sparkley dishes! A friend of mine read that if you add citric acid to the rinse aid compartment, it acts a rinse aid. I'm too lazy or cheap (or a combo of both) to go to that extra mile, but I don't honestly see the need for it!

Happy dish-washing blogging friends!

Making Memories with My Mom

The girls and I trekked out of the house for a few days. There was a 2-fold purpose for this visit. 1. Visit my mom. 2. Give Chuck a quiet house to focus on his end-of-quarter dealings.

This was Hamilton's first trip out and about.

We went camping for the day with our cousins and their friends. We spent the night at their house.

Grandma took us out for lunch. Then introduced us to a Chinese Buffet for dinner (the girls had never been--am I really sheltering them that much?!). We watched the sunset on the beach.

We grocery shopped and had picnic lunches near the beach.

We spent HOURS on the beach. Burrying each other, making mermaids, building castles, chasing waves, planting a sea weed garden in the sand.

Grandma bought us a kite.

Then let it go...oops! It flew all night long, tangled in the tree branches. I'm thinking it's a good character for a children's book...

Grandma made us dinner, sharing her home canned tuna in a yummy tuna noodle casserole. Then we read a few more chapters of Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (we've already read Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie).

The kissy monsters attacked grandma in bed the next morning.

We went on a guided tour of the tide pools (so amazing). I don't have any pictures though because I left my camera's battery charger at home and the previous fun used up all of our battery life. We played at the beach again (mom and I chose to close our eyes and lay on perfectly contoured rocks for our play time).

After dinner, the girls and I trekked the 2 1/2 hours home. Maddy and Izzy slept while Bekah and I listened to Roald Dahl books on CD, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantatic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Magic Finger.

It's good to have some Daddy time again. Thanks for some GREAT memories, mom!

Drapery Drama

Our curtains have been through a lot today. And we've only been home a few hours today!

So, I like to let the children write on the sliding glass door with dry-erase markers. It scares most people, but if you know me, I naturally don't see any problem with it. There are boundaries: don't draw on the walls/floor. Apparently, Isabelle needed to have it clarified that we don't draw on the curtains. She drew pretty little puppies all over the white curtains (the ones that belong to the apartment, not me).

After 30 minutes of stain removal scrubbing, with Isabelle repeatedly telling me how sorry she is, I filled the bathtub with some bleach water. It was a desperate moment, I dislike bleach, which is why I like homemade cleaners. Left it to soak while we galavanted along the Pacific Coast. Upon our arrival, I drained the grayish tub water, rinsed the curtains, and tossed them in the dryer.

As dark fell, I began to miss my curtains. Began to hope no one was spying on me. Hoping no one would walk by and notice my large pile of Mt. Laundry. Or my unvacumed floor. Or cop a peek at my Netflix rental. So I checked to see if my battle scarred curtains were dry.

Yay, they're dry!

But they're stuck :(

Don't worry, my strong and handsome, hero of a husband, saved the day! He managed to get them unsnarled and then hung them up! Ummmm, they were really dirty, but they're clean now!

Bekah's two-point expository paragraph

Bekah wrote her first paragraph today! There are some form issues to take care of, but this is a fabulous start!

"I have two favorite animals. These animals are brown and blue. My first animal is a guinea pig because he is soft and kutly. My second favorite animal is a fish. He is my favorite because he does tricks. I like my two favorite animals because they are fun!"

Please take note of the drawings at the bottom. Super cute! Super proud mama!

We use Shurley Grammar and it makes grammar so easy! I wish I would have had Shurley Grammar as a kid! I would not have had to wait until after my Master's Degree to know about prepositional phrases.

Memorial Day 2011

First off, we got to sleep in until 10 am (thank you Phineas and Ferb for entertaining the girls for that long)! Then we got all dressed and went go flag hunting. After explaining the significance of this holiday, we decided to take a drive to see how many flags we could count. Initially, we were disappointed in the lack of holiday spirit shown in our town. Only 40 flags. That is, until we found a Memorial Day memorial to fallen soldiers in Oregon. Touching. I got teary eyed standing there, remembering why my husband REALLY had the day off. It brought it close to home to see a picture of a friend of Chuck's from his hometown. I was proud to tell the girls that they come from a long legacy of soldiers (uncles, cousins, grandparents). Final Flag count: 170!!!

We spent HOURS exploring a park in town. I've been to this park before, but this time was especially fun because the girls got to explore and I got to see the park through their eyes.

Geese, ducks, osprey.

Art.

Science (Rebekah was worried about all the litter,

so she headed a clean-up initiative amongst the family). The park has a scale model of the solar system. Pluto was miles away, so we only got to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, and the moon. Someday, we'll have to take a bike ride to see the whole solar system...

Tree climbing.

Playing catch with Dad.

What a great day!

P.S. when exploring in the Willamette Valley, don't forget your allergy medicine. This results in a migraine that lays you out for the rest of the day :(

Compared to Whom?

We often spend so much time comparing ourselves to others that we forget to measure ourselves up to Christ. When I look at others, I can pretend that I am righteous. When I compare myself to Christ, I know that I’m not saved by my good works, I am saved by HIM!

There have been times that I have been proud and self-righteous in so many areas. Not because I’m all that, maybe because I forget to realize that Jesus is my righteousness. When working with abusive parents, it’s easy for me to believe that I’m a great mother—doing everything right. In the past year, my circumstance has changed. I’ve been spending more time with parents that are “good parents”. Then I start the comparing game. But, DANG IT, they’re not who I’m supposed to comparing myself to either. It is CHRIST that I need to compare myself to. NO ONE ELSE. It’s about Him, not about me! I want to parent my children as Jesus would. Not so that God will love me more, be impressed with me, make my children successful. But to bring Him honor, glorify Him. And to teach my kids to do the same.

Do I compare myself to the "bad parents"? NO!

Do I compare myself to the "good parents"? NO!

Do I compare myself to Christ? Yes, please.

Recently, it's come to my attention that I haven't been speaking to and treating my children as Christ would treat them. I've had more days than not, of just putting up with them, being short, and annoyed by them. I've spoken to them in ways that I would NEVER allow them to speak to me, or others to speak to them. I'm asking for heavenly help to soften my heart toward them. There's a cliche that says that "knowing is half the battle." I believe it's more than half--it's probably MOST of the battle!

Movie Review :: Gnomeo & Juliet

Bekah and Maddy were invited to a Birthday party today. Leaving Izzy to a date with just Mom and Dad. We decided a movie was a great way to make the afternoon special. So, we made our way to the $1.50 theater in town. Izzy chose Gnomeo & Juliet over Rango.

Let me start by saying that I am in TOTAL support of movie makers creating Rated G movies! It just doesn't happen much anymore. And like the difference between 6 and 7 on my TV's volume, there's a huge leap between G and PG sometimes.

This movie is a re-make of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are the reds (Montague) and the Blues (Capulets), two families (these families are yard gnomes) feuding for generations. Of course, Gnomeo Capulet falls in love with Juliet Montague-- a forbidden love. The whole time, I'm wondering how they're going to make such a tragic love story into a kids' movie, but I was actually surprised how well they did it in a WAY LESS TRAGIC way (without ruining any endings for you). All in all a cute movie. I was quite impressed with this movie that received nearly no recognition or kind ratings.

There is one main problem, however, with this movie. It is a blatant love story. One with rebellion, full-mouth kisses, and the end of the world when it doesn't seem like it's going to work out. Cute for me and my not-so-interested-in-boys-in-that-way daughter. NOT cute for my 4 year old that is just plain boy crazy (who just happened to be at a princess Birthday party)! In the end, Chuck, Isabelle, and I agreed it was a good movie--worth our time and $1.50. However, not a movie I will be allowing my 4 year old to watch. She doesn't need any help getting ideas about love from the media.

You might think I'm overreacting. I'm pretty secure on this stance. Click here for a GREAT article that does a fabulous job giving reason for my stance on this issue.

“Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe and you’re ready.”~ Song of Solomon 2:7

Calorie Cutter :: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese!

A family favorite: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (my kids like it best with quesadillas, but I prefer to have the bread soak up some tomato yumminess!)

I track all of my calories on livestrong.com (it works a lot like weight watchers--so I hear, but it's free!).

Today, I made my tomato soup with water instead of milk (a practice I've been at for a while). That saves about 40 calories per serving (1 cup of prepared soup).

The grilled cheese is where I REALLY cut the calories. I lightly buttered ONE slice of bread (I like Milton's Multi-grain bread) and toasted in the pan. I added finely shredded cheese (it covers more area with less cheese, equaling less calories!

Altogether, my lunch was 310 calories! The usual way would have been 550 calories! Look at me go!

Anyone else care to share a calorie cutter?

Journey of Health

About twice a year, I get uber motivated and start eating better, working out, and losing weight. I mentioned in a previous blog, that I was going to start training for a 5k (click here for a training plan)again. Well, I wouldn't say I'm motivated, so I guess I just have to fake it this time. I have GOT to do something about this. The girls did a couple of free tennis workshops through Willamalane and I love that they're learning to be active! But I can't teach them to be active and healthy if I'm not willing to do it myself.

At my heaviest, when I graduated from college in '03, I weighed 250 pounds. Between some hard work, and some sickly pregnancies, I managed to get down to 205. That was 9 months ago and I've gained about 15 pounds since that dreamy vacation to Jamaica (where I threw my new eating habits and exercise routines out the window). I had one meager attempt at it since then, but that ended quickly with yet another vacation.

Today, May 20, 2011, I determined to get to work, and to do it semi-publicly as a means of accountability. I used my elliptical for 30 minutes today burning 260 calories, running 2.3 miles. Then I spent 10 minutes doing some yoga stretches. I'd like to get it to where I can run 3.2 miles in 30 minutes on the elliptical (not sure how that will translate to running outside).

Notice the mess all around in the picture. There's laundry piled on the couch (in my defense, much of it folded), and kid toys on the floor. Since that stuff's not usually a priority anyway, why make it a priority over a good workout?

When I lose my first 10 pounds, I need some good running shoes. These ones make my feet feel numb well before the end of mile one and therefore, get thrown off. There's the short-term goal and the reward. When I'm below 200, Connie and I are going to the Cheesecake Factory in Portland (to SHARE a slice of cheese cake).

What are your goals (weight loss or otherwise)? What gets you motivated?