Category Archives: positive living

posts about living an abundant, happy life

Grace………..

Wow it has been a few weeks since I have been on here, the Lord dealt swiftly with my  wrong doing and I am thankful that he gives me grace to learn from my mistakes.

I was feeling guilty that I wasn’t doing what I was 1st called to be—a wife.  I was putting all my selfish desires above my husbands and I was in the wrong.

The Lord knows that sometimes I don’t listen so he was able to have my laptop, actually both of our laptops be broken during this time, so that I was in no way going to be able to do my blog no matter what.  Thankfully he is showing me His way, not my own.

I plan to ask the Lord before I “assume” it is what He wants.  Seeking Him in prayer each and every day about how my day should unfold.

I failed………I failed as a wife……I failed as a child of God.

 

but God is so wonderful in his infinite power and wisdom to allow me something called

Grace

Grace for another chance……grace to say its okay we all make mistakes, and grace to say tomorrow is another day.

Let’s learn from this and move on.  Being ready for the next.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will
boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

 
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Failing at being a wife……

Today I failed as a wife…………………………….
My husband,whom has worked a lot of hours this past month, just wanted to spend some quality alone time tonight and I shunned him. Instead he is off in the bedroom watching a movie, and I am out here writing my blog.

It doesn’t seem right………

But of course I justify my actions because I have been up since 7 am this morning, running the household alone, while everyone else got to sleep in and take relaxing times today. The baby has been extra fussy and wants to be held more, the 2 and 3 year old are louder than usual—and blah, blah, blah,–I am exhausted and just want to crawl into bed alone and take a long nap.

So I sulk In my head, knowing that I am in the wrong for what I am justifying. I think to myself no other wife does ALL the work like I do. I compare and contrast different husband and wife situations and where is it getting me?

Further away from my husband and God.

Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

I need to remember that it does not matter what I think is “fair” in my life. Jesus Christ did not get treatly fairly in his life. Most godly people, taking a stand for Christ are not treated fairly in their lives. If I believe wholeheartedly that God is in control of my life and that all of these “unfair acts” are necessary tools to mold and make me be a better person then I need to take my cross and bear it. I need to realize that I will keep failing in my duties as a wife and mother if I succumb to these lies and temptations. I need to quit these self pity thoughts and move onward.
What do I do from here? I ask for forgiveness. I admit I am a failure and I get back up again and change my attitude for tomorrow. I go above and beyond my duties as a wife to show my husband that I do love and care for him deeply. I apologize for being in a fleshy mood.

…………………onward to another day, another chance at redemption

20 interesting facts on sleep

I received a text from a friend, who had been working outside in the fresh air all day, and it said,

” I slept like a baby last night.”

 

I had to laugh for a moment and I quickly replied back,

“well, if you are one of my babies then you probably didn’t sleep very well last night.”

 

Lack of sleep

That has become my motto in life these past few years.  We have had 6 babies in the last 8 years and I admit, I am tired.  But I am still amazed at all that God enables me to do on so little sleep.  It is like it is inbred in my soul, to want to do, do do, and I just keep going and going.  I don’t understand it at times, I just chalk it up to God saying, “it is what He wants me to do right now in my life.”  that is all plain and simple.

So I thought it would be fun to look up interesting facts on sleep.

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 Here is a list of 20 interesting facts on sleep.

  1.   Man is the only mammal that willingly delays sleep.
  2. The world record for not sleeping was set by 17-year-old Randy Gardner in 1964 when he was awake for 264 hours and 12 minutes.
  3. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster and the Chernobyl nuclear accident have all been attributed to human errors in which sleep-deprivation played a role.
  4. Humans sleep on average around three hours less than other primates like chimps, rhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys and baboons, all of whom sleep for 10 hours.
  5. Ducks at risk of attack by predators are able to balance the need for sleep and survival, keeping one half of the brain awake while the other slips into sleep mode.—I so need to be able to do this.
  6. In general, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours.
  7. Shift workers are at increased risk for a variety of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.—The body never adjusts to shift work!
  8. When you die you will have slept about 1/3 of your life, which for the average person is approximately 25 years.
  9. The British military figured out a way to reset soldiers’ body clocks so they can go without sleep for up to 36 hours by simulating a sunrise on their retinas.
  10. Both whales and dolphins literally fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres take turns so they can continue surfacing to breathe.
  11. If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep then very likely you are sleep deprived. The ideal amount of time is about 10 minutes.
  12. It’s impossible to tell if someone is really awake without close medical supervision. People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even being aware of it.
  13. Humans can survive longer without food than they can without sleep.
  14. During the first two years of a baby’s life, new parents will miss six months of sleep on average.
  15. Giraffes sleep only 1.9 hours a day in five- to 10-minute sessions. Koalas, however, are the longest-sleeping mammals, sleeping up to 22 hours a day.
  16. The average amount of time people sleep has dropped from nine hours in the pre-light bulb era to seven-and-a-half hours today.
  17. A snoring partner wakes his non-snoring partner an average of 20 times per night, with an average sleep loss of one hour a day.
  18. One in four married couples sleep in separate beds.
  19. Approximately 74% of stay-at-home moms report they have insomnia almost every night.
  20. Experts say one of the most alluring sleep distractions is the 24-hour accessibility of the internet.–anyone up for reading blogs tonight!!!


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sleep well……………………….

“Mom, I am bored…..there is nothing to do” part 2

Yesterday we talked about viewing discontent in our own lives and building that as an appetite for our children to think that they need this or need to be doing that to be happy. I also mentioned to take a media fast to foster some creativity. Children will never jump in and learn skill sets if the other option is media. We need to remove that, if only temporarily for them.

Children need to be taught to use their time wisely and pleasing to the Lord. Yes, there are many activities that do no harm, but we need to think is this the best possible way to use our time? Putting our children in this fast paced world, they are naturally going to want thrills. That is what our society is made of. The shock and awe of amusement parks, movies, even teen youth nights is what our children are being taught to crave. We need to train them in a more simple path of life, or as adults they will struggle with discontentment.
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Now worldly amusements may not be all together wrong, we just have to ask the Lord, “Is this activity going to be pleasing to you?” Or is this activity going to benefit my future?

We as parents need to offer constructive activities for our children.
The following is a list of things we can teach our children that will be of value to their future.

* Sewing
* Gardening
* Cooking
* Baking
* Craft making
* Wood working
* Small engine repair
* Basic car maintenance

There are a thousand other skills to teach them and yourself if you don’t know how to.

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Key is to teach them to be industrious, to enjoy working, and to be good stewards if their time.

The next time your children say, “Mom I’m bored”….start thinking creative pursuits instead of let’s go out and do something.  Teach them that living a plain and simple lifestyle in the end will bring much more happiness and contentment to their souls.

 

 

“Mom, I am bored….there is nothing to do” part 1


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Have you heard these words come out of your child’s mouth lately? I know with the summer break from school there has been more free time in my children’s day. That has led to more discontent, more arguments, and more “Mom, I’m bored, there’s nothing to do…” syndrome. Really??!??!! With 8 other children home all day and your bored???Makes me want to turn from vacation and head straight into a new school year. What’s a mom to do?

Well I could quickly rewind their life. Taking away all media influences which means no TV no internet no cell phone. I put them in a box and never let them see the outside world again. Yeah that will never work .

or I can take a step back….

I need to exam  my life and see if I am struggling with discontent in any area. Do I struggle with unrest? Do I need to be constantly amused with the latest movies, newest music, or that top-selling christian book? Do I have to be involved in numerous activities that take me outside of my role as mother? Do I feel I deserve a vacation or time away each week with friends?

All these things show discontent in my life. I am not happy in my calling so I need to fulfill it in other ways. What will I be teaching my children?

What kind of appetites will I be creating in my children that they will carry into their adult lives? Do I want them to constantly feel that they need free time and social time with friends/media?

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Of course not I want my children to learn happiness in the home. Quietness and simplicity are very healthy appetites to encourage in our children. I want my children to value and enjoy the pleasure of simplicity, to enjoy the ordinary tasks in life. Instead of always looking for the extraordinary.

Our modern society provides many quick escapes from boredom,. In movies, internet, games, and social media circles these have all replaced simplicity in the home. We need to remove these escapes to allow for a bit of boredom, to foster some creativity in our children.

It’s amazing how numb our culture has become to the simplicity’s of life. Our children need to be taught to be bored, to foster creativity in their lives.

After about a few days of media fasting your children will begin to play together, create together, and will look forward to spending time with one another.

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Look for part 2 tomorrow to see how we as Mothers can help spark that creativity in our children