One September Day

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Don't You Just Love it When....

Don't You Just Love it When:

 - You find that last piece of gum in the bottom of your purse or gum container?  Just when you think that there isn't any left.  Ahhh!!

-Someone else has replaced the toilet paper roll...Not you.

-There is a clean cup available for that thirsty moment.. no scrambling and using a glass mason jar.  Which we do...  a lot.

-The gas gage on your car goes a little farther than you thought it would... especially when you spent your gas money on a latte... or two.

-There is actually some hot water left for your shower,, and the tank isn't asking you to take a frigid one.

-When you get something other than a bill in the mail..  No,,, This is a more than a love moment!

-It is time to leave the house and your children actually have found their matching shoes... and better yet,,, have them on after you have driven down the road.  Pure relief.

-You wake up to a friend texting you that they have been praying for you through the night.  Blessings.

-Your kids tell you that you look so pretty,,, five minutes after you wake up,,, no fuss pretty I call it.  My kids Love it!

-When you find money in a book that you are re-reading ,,, used formerly as a book mark!

-When your toddler wakes up in the middle of the night to use the potty, and she has permanent marker all over her legs in big circles and shapes that was NOT there when she went to bed.

-When your teens all stay up suggesting "Don't you love it when..." Ideas!?  
Crazy ones at that!

I do!

Add to the list...
Don't you Just love it When:



-

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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Don't Deny It...

Perhaps we are all in denial once in a while... 
well...
maybe more than once in a while.

I will be the first to admit that I have those moments...
Distracted with tasks..
Overwhelmed with responsibility...
Upset with my priorities..
and..
desiring a different surrounding..

Here is what I am seeing today,,, because I purposed in my heart not to deny God the blessings that He is giving me.

- Quiet moments with my little one's - singing songs full of His love, and watching their eyes as they study my lips, and follow my voice as I sing to their hearts.  
Don't miss the moments... they are always there.

-Watching my son mimic his father's ways... and taking the steps to becoming a man - someday.

-Listening to my girls cook in the kitchen and chat up a storm with their plans of when they are grown...their own restaurants... missionary to China - living underground... and drawing in Europe.

-Washing the baby in tub,,, finding one little toe-nail painted bright red.  Her big sister playing a little joke on me, and I am finding it rather funny.  Something I would normally get up-tight about.

-Sitting up late nights talking with our oldest children about the Lord, laughing about the funniest things, and knowing that some day I will be able to sleep... these are the days for meeting with their hearts.

-While having devotions with my children, and looking up to find attentive eyes,,, so big and full of learning... eagerly awaiting the next part of what God's Book has to say.
How can I ever deny this moment?  

-Laughing at a silly song with my children. singing and singing until our faces are hurting from laughing.

-There are many moments in my life that I have not captured and seen as blessings.
Days of weary to the bone,,, resenting the moments of noise and demands.
I will not deny that.

But when I deny the blessings to be lived out in my life,
then...
I am denying the Lord's good work he has planned for me that day.

He Chose me.
He Chose me for His own.
He Chose me for these very purposes.

I will not deny His Good Work.

There shall be showers of Blessings...
Are you DENYING his Blessings daily?
It is easy to do.


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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

10 Points of Joyful Parenting

Because I speak face to face with many of the readers at One September Day..
And because I know the pulse of my own path in Motherhood...
and feel yours as well..

I share this Wonderful Manifesto from Ann, here at


holy experience

I know this will encourage you...
She has a free download of this when you visit... or you can click here to print one as well.
http://www.aholyexperience.com/10-points-of-joyful-parenting-printable/


As I read #4 right now..

I am clinging to it:
4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!


Be sure to stop by and thank Ann for her encouragement today...
Just click on her button above, and it will send you will have a peaceful visit with her today..

10
Point Manifesto for Joyful Parenting

(any text in turquoise links to posts for more explanation & encouragement)::
2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.
3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.
4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!
5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.
7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child’s behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.
8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals — because children’s hearts feed on touch. I’ll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible — the taller they are, the more so.
10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!



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Monday, August 22, 2011

It seemed a little FISHY to me..

We were camping for two weeks...

and yes..

we went fishing...

I sat on the end of the dock ..
camera ready for the "big catch,"....
  when...
 out of the Deep Blue....

Maryahana pops her pole, hook, and fish...

right in front of my lens:
Hence.. My face..


But that's ok...















We all had fun!
Camping... more to come!

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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Enough love to go around?


Ya know.... I get a lot of comments about having a large family...

But the one that I am always puzzled about is this..

"How do you have enough love to go around?"

Spend a little time with our family, and you will see that there is enough love in our bundle of 12 people to go around, and more importantly,, as I tell my children daily..

To SHARE with the WORLD!

Loving more than one child is not the tricky part... it is showing them all in their own unique ways of receiving love and giving it as well.

Look at your children...
Have you been able to hone in on their unique gift of love?

Here are a few examples:

One of my children loves Quality time...
I will often find this child sitting amongst my husband and I when we are talking with others in the evenings,, and she also tends to choose family togetherness as her special pick when we are trying to decide what to do on a particular day.
She thrives with "just being" around us...
She loves to be all together, rather than everyone going their separate ways.
QUALITY TIME

Another of my children loves gift -giving...
She will do extra chores to save out that money,,,
and buy special little gifts for everyone.
She will write little cards, and mail them,
and I will often find home-made notes of love to my husband and I on our pillows when we go to bed at night.
She is filled with JOY when we give her an extra special little token of appreciation or love.
GIFT-GIVING

I have a few children who thrive on the aspect of Physical touch and closeness..
As in...
Back-rubs
Hugs
Holding Hands while on a walk
A Thumbs-up of affirmation from across the room...
And plain ole; being held ... even if they might be 12!
CLOSENESS

These are just a few examples of simple, yet profound ways of finding out HOW to connect and share the love with your children in a more EFFECTIVE way.

God gave each of us endearing qualities of giving and receiving love.
Find those in your children today, and fine -tune your skills as parents...

A Little Love goes a Long way - the RIGHT way!!
Imagine how far a LOT of love will go?


Can you guess what Lydia's Love-Language is? 


Yep,,, This is me..not the most flattering picture..
but Lydia LOVES Quality Time!

What are your children's Love -Languages?



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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Whining.. Do you hear it?

I don't know about you...

But...

Whining drives me crazy.

Crazy.

Do you tend to hear whining in your children daily?
It comes in all sounds and noises...

Like:
"I want a snack..."
"Do I have to..."
"Mommy, mommy, mommy..."
"I don't want to take a nap.."
"She is touching my armmmmm...."
"Her foot is near my car seat,...."

" Can we have one of those?"
"My food is too hot.."
" I'm bored..."
"It's too hot out here!"
"I wanted to wear my other flip-flops..."

and so on...

Squeaky, scratchy, high-pitched voices 
trying to convey their irritation, their desires, their complaints, or their only form ever learned of communication.

Tip 1:
What you don't encourage or allow from the beginning won't become a habit.
Tip 2:
If you answer a whiner,,, then they will always expect a response.
Tip 3:
Explain that whining is not allowed ,.,, in any shape or form,, even if it is to convey a positive request... and 
Tip 4:
TRAIN how to NOT whine.  The correct and expected form of communicating... that way there is no confusion of what you are expecting.
Tip 5:
Train and Re-train - Training is not a One-Time Deal.


Whining is a selfish way for any of us to communicate,
It is elevating our noise, our desires above another persons.

Whining doesn't have to ruin your day or any one else's for that matter.

Our children will only act out what we expect and train them to be.

Much happy noise is better than a little whining!


Even our children are happier with guidelines,,, and happy communication.  I am sure that even though it may seem like they ENJOY whining.. that they really, truly don't!


Much better!

What are YOU working on in your home right now?
Whining also?



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