ideas and a very important lesson

I remember being younger and having all these ideas of what Mommyhood and being a stay-at-home would look like. My children would be on a perfect routine, be well-behaved, never ever have a blow out or massive spit running down their chin. My home would be "child-friendly" but never messy. My husband would come home after a long day working and help out and I would have it all figured out.

Yeah, my reality is far different from my ideas.

It really is quite hysterical when you think of it. I have gladly (ok, so not so gladly in the beginning) given up my ideas of living in a Pottery Barn catalogue and in the last six months, I'd have to say the most important thing I've learned is that at the end of the day, if the dishes aren't done and the house is slightly messy, what truly matters is that my children learned about Jesus today. That Mommy took time today to pray with them, share with them stories about our wonderful Savior; Mommy worshipped extravagantly right alongside them. Mommy taught them how to run to Jesus, not just about that man.

I looked around my home today and was so utterly content with what the Lord has done in our lives. I strive for more and yet am so thankful for this season.

Mommyhood.

My house was a "wreck" by most eyes, there were toys everywhere, three kids rolling, crawling and running around (my third was that little boy, remember Sammy?), but the sweet sound of kids' praise and worship was blaring in the background and I couldn't be more honored to have ministered to their little hearts, each in their own special way. I would this with 12 if the Lord so chose it...

So, in conclusion... Although being a homemaker is super important and I value such a calling, time spent is what truly matters.

What good is a clean home if my kids didn't get Momma today?

forgetting perfection

It's day like these that I have to remind myself of the high calling that being a wife, mama & homemaker is... sighh.

Mommy's battling some sore-throat thing. Daddy's getting home late. Laundry's piling up (both to fold and put away AND to wash), the house is a serious mess and I've been way too distracted with that blasted thing called television... sigh. The worst part is I just don't feel like doing any of it.

I will "get it" one of these days.

I have come to realize I will always be my toughest critic. It seems that I expect perfection from myself (though I am far from a perfectionist) and it seems I am uncapable of cutting myself any slack. None. I do not allow myself for "bad days" or "bad weeks" or even "bad moments." My expectation for myself is that I have to be "on" all the time. Going, seeking, pursuing, giving myself no rest and no ability to be human.

I have to be a rockin' housewife, mom, Christian, servant, writer, woman and overall individual. And woe to the day I wake up realizing I am human. My world comes crashing down and I just shut down.

But I don't shut down in a manner which I can re-charge and keep going. No, I shut down in a state of utter defeat and shame. Grrrr.

The more I journey on this life and this calling to "Mommyhood" the more I realize that I am not the only mama who feels this way. I am not the only mama who struggles with such feelings. We desire the very best for our families and therefore place every bit of pressure on ourselves to make it happen.

To such mamas;

I have no words of wisdom nor advice on how to make us stop it. What I do have is the simple reminder that Christ delights in us admist our weakness. He knows our heart. He will complete the work He has started.

And His tender mercies are new every single morning. I would go as far as to say that if at this very moment, you choose Him... Those tender mercies will be new and available for you right then.

I am going to go now. I have a date with a pile of laundry, an almost mobile six month old and a sweet Savior who delights in the weakness of my heart.

memory book

Valentine's Day at Church:

Moriah & Aaliya are matching! <3

Quite the candid shot :)

BFF's <3>

Mommies did quite the switcheraoo!

Aaand Aaliya has chosen not to sit still

Surprise?

yeah, no.

More pictures to come! :)

Happy half-birthday Aaliya Liberty!

Honoring our husbands with our words

Sunday night, seven mommies gathered together in a cozy living room to do and share life together. Titus 2 Mommies Ministry was underway.

We laughed, we shared our triumphs and our fails and most importantly, we prayed for one another.

As we begin this journey into the heart of Titus 2, our first step is to love our husbands. That is, after all, Paul's first exhortation to the younger women.

"...so that they may encourage the younger women to love their husbands, love their children." Titus 2:4

So, the very first aspect of loving our husbands? Honoring them with our words!

We live in a culture, where the "stupid husband" has become the epitomy of comedy and the "independent woman" the epitomy of the female psyche. Unfortunately, neither line up with the Scripture, and neither are God's best for His people.

Our culture relishes verbal disdain and dishonor, especially to men. Mostly because men work on a respect first, then love basis (read, Love & Respect). When we dishonor them, we are cutting to the very core of their being.

So, we discussed James 3. And James 1:26, perhaps one of the most convicting Scriptures I've read recently.

"If anyone considers [her]self religious, yet does not bridle [her] tongue, this [wo]man's religion is worthless"

Yikes!

So, I have made it my goal to speak life into my husband every day; in private and in public. I want my husband's reputation to be great, not only because of his godly character and immense wisdom, but because I speak volumes about him. I desire our home to be a refuge from this death culture, where life springs forth prophetically, day after day after day. Never lying, but never cursing nor insulting. As I've meditated on these truths these past few days, I know that I [mostly] honor my husband, yet there are times and ways where I slip up and let dishonor and disdain run out of my mouth... "Oh, yeah that actor dude, he's sooo cute..." "ALL MEN are slobs, bleh bleh..." "Why can't he just put the dirty clothes in the laundry? It's not rocket science!"

Ouch.

So, I have repented both to the Lord and to my husband, and have vowed to strive to honor him in every word I speak. Scripture teaches us that life and death is found in the power of the tongue and as wives, we can choose to bring life to our husbands in every way (their spirits, their identities, their giftings, their emotions) or to speak death and cause them to become like the cultural epitomy of comedy, the stupid husband who just doesn't get it.

In everything I choose life. I choose life for him and I choose life for me.

Do the words you speak about and to your husband encourage him or bring him down?

Titus 2 Mom's Ministry

The house is a mess. Kids are asleep. Mama's got laundry, dishes and sweeping to do before bed. Mama's also got to spend some time with Jesus to replenish her spirit-man.

As mamas, our lives are often filled with dirty diapers, dirty laundry and seriously messy houses. As followers of Christ and mamas, our main goal becomes to raise up and train up our children in the way of the LORD. We are to cultivate a culture of prayer and a heart that loves the Lord our God with all their little hearts, their little minds, their little souls and their little strength. As moms we become shepherds.

But, how do we do that? The Word is saturated with instructions for Mommies & Daddies that lead us in how to be diligent in child-rearing and family ministry. But, my all-time favorite is this...

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." -Titus 2:3-5

There is so much to learn from this rich text. So, this is why the Orlando House of Prayer has started a Mommy's ministry that will be devoted to studying and digging deep into this passage of Scripture as a group of us mommies learn what it means to "love our husbands, love our children, be sensible, pure and workers at home" (etc).

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this group of women coming together to fellowship in the Word together and to exhort one another in this very hidden and very rewarding ministry called Mommyhood. I believe it is so needed and so very neglected often.

OHOP's Titus 2 Mom's Ministry is a fruit of prayers from many mommies within our Church that desire to seek God and to glorify Him in our roles as mommies and wives. And what a beautiful heart that is. What a beautiful desire, and how much it pleases God!

We will be meeting at our missions base's director's home this Sunday at 7p. If you roll in Orlando or in the nearby area, I highly encourage you to come. :)

For more info email titus2moms@orlandohop.org

Using the "Motivated Mom's" Planner

A few months ago, Mary Jo over at Covenant Homemaking had a giveaway for a Motivated Mom's Planner and I of course, jumped all over it. I didn't win, BUT I was introduced to this fantastic planner that has changed my homemaking abilities as we know it. :)

Much like Mary Jo, I have struggled a bit to keep up with all the household chores that entail homemaking. Normally, I would just do one giant day of intense cleaning a week, and hope that the house didn't get too messy the rest of the week. I often overlooked little details, like exchanging the kitchen towel/washrag and little things like that. Sometimes, a week or two would go without a vacuum (yikes, that's our little secret) and I would forget to clean the tub (and/or the toilet, again... our little secret). It was never because I didn't want to, but because I felt like I was always cleaning, and therefore "forgot" that those things hadn't gotten done.

So, I previewed this Motivated Mom's planner (which is a printable chore list) and decided to give it a try. It has a list of every day chores (making the bed, laundry, dishes, sweeping the kitchen, etc) and a list of chores under each specific day to complete. For example (and this is what I'm up to today);

- Change dishcloth/towel
- Change hand towels in bathrooms
- Dust children/guest rooms

- Wash shower curtains

- Spend time working on basement/attic/storage space

Voila! Piece of cake! It also includes monthly, seasonal and yearly chores (like ordering a credit report for example) dispersed throughout the planner.

It has worked super well for me, and I feel I have already received my money's worth. My day is much more organized, and my home has never looked better. I find that it's so much easier to disperse the work through the week than to *try* and cram it in one day. I would encourage you to check it out, and see if it's a home management system that works for you. :)

Aaliya is almost six months old!

Aaliya Liberty <3

I can't believe my little one will be six months old in two weeks! Time has flown far too quickly and I'm not sure I love it. I want so very desperately to hold on to her little, squishy and cuddly. Just like she is now. So, I wanted to let you in on my little one's quirks, the little things she does that make Mommy && Daddy fall in love all over again...

- Aaliya now eats solids. And when she is being fed, she makes sure to say a great big "AHHHH" every single time she's ready for a bite. (Not to mention, she enjoys blowing raspberries with food in her mouth. This part, Mommy isn't so crazy over)

- She said "mama" last Monday and I've gotta say it was one of the highlights of my LIFE! She has yet to say it since then though, so, we're still working on it.

- Little Miss has such a BIG personality and is so very head strong. But in this big personality she's got a big smile, a big hug and big love.

- She's rolling all over the place and scooting. Not quite crawling, but I gotta say, I have a feeling it's right around the corner. Mommy loves rolling and scooting with her.

Little Miss is an amazing blessing and we are so blessed to have her and praise the Lord for her every day.