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



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)::

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

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.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I willcreate daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

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.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

Take time to be there

So many days seem to go by with busy chores, school, work and all of those things that may keep me from wanting to open my eyes in the morning.


Having a lot of free time in the middle of the night to feed the baby, and to be awake... keeps my mind turning and my heart praying for many.
I am thankful that the Lord gives me this quiet time... although, a little sleep would be nice too...
Prayer is a gift, a privilege, and the Lord wants us to come to Him.


During my time in the night of thinking and pondering, I re-hash the days, and the week to come.
I am so busy as a mom... doing the duties that keep a home running.. but, there comes a time, when we need to STOP...
LISTEN...
and
BE THERE.

Be there...
Holding our little ones
Hugging our spouse
Listening to our teens
Sitting and chatting with out interruption
Reading to our children
Singing along with their joyful noise
Reading the Word of God and Sharing the Good News with others

Take time to be there..
Put off the task before you.. is it really that important that it has to be done this second?

We only get just "One time around.."

Look around for what is really calling your name today...

and, Be there.

Spring Addictions and Herbal Bee Sting Remedy

I will the first to admit...
I have addictions.
Addictions to nice weather, flip flops, rocking on my porch, Ice Cold Lattes, Children Laughing...

and
SPRING!!

Here are a few pictures of my addictions,,,
AND
A Bee Sting Remedy Recipe!
It is that time of year!

If you have a love for trying your hands at herbal remedies, or saving money..
TRY this!
I visit   here often, and I am sure you will love it too..
Just click on the button below:

and be sure to tell her that you visited from One September Day!

Don't forget to copy down this Recipe and try it.

Herbal Bee Sting Paste
2 Parts Coconut Oil
2 Parts Baking Soda
1 Part Plantain Powder
1 Part Calendula Powder
3-5 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
One capsule of Vitamin E Oil (prick it with a needle, and squeeze the oil out)

It is a combination of healing, soothing ingredients to address the irritation/pain of bee stings or bug bites. (Make sure to carefully remove the bee stinger before applying the paste.)

Please note: This paste will not serve as an antidote in the case of a bee sting allergy; that is a serious medical emergency. Keep a close watch for symptoms of an allergic reaction (such as difficulty breathing).

I repurposed little spice jars for storage (a glass one for home, and a plastic one for the car kit). The one in the car is stored inside a reclosable sandwich bag, in case of leakage. (Yes, I even decorated it with a little “bee” sticker, for non-readers.) 
( written by Frugal Granola Blogger - Michele @ http://frugalgranola.com/about/my-story/

A great “wilderness medicine tip:” If you are able to recognize plantain, and find the plants nearby, you can chew the leaves into a paste, and apply directly to the sting. However, not everyone will have that option, so a pre-made paste is an essential addition to a basic medicine kit.

Also, if you don’t have the herbal powders on hand, and are in the midst of a “bee sting crisis,” just a paste of baking soda and water (with or without the lavender oil) can still be helpful; definitely better than nothing!

Don't be intimidated by the ingredients.

Once you get them on hand.. you can make this for your car, your medicine cabinet, your friends, and family!

What will make me beautiful? I just had a baby!!

So, here we are again.... 9 months behind me.. ( literally)  :)
.. a sweet-smelling, awesomely unfathomable creation of perfection in my arms..
and a blessing of restored health...

I am blessed... beyond measure.

And then, I look in the mirror..
Well... actually, I have been avoiding that...
but the stretchy clothes,,, the lines of exhaustion marked under my eyes,, maybe permanent?
... and the shoes that are 1 size larger for my slowly shrinking feet...

Well, some times... I wonder.. What will make me beautiful?

Actually.... I just plain wonder if I will just look normal again... forget the beautiful.  :)
Because.. I just had a another baby!

So,, here is what I know.
And I will dwell on.. Whatsoever is lovely, Whatsoever is True...

But here it is....

What is on the outside is not what makes me beautiful.
The stretched skin...
Wrinkles of time..
Hidden grey strands...
Puffy fingers and toes...
These are not even ingredients of a beautiful woman.


The canvas of art that my Creator has molded..
the investment of His love..
the investment of His life...
The outpouring of His work IN ME.


THIS is BEAUTIFUL!!!

I will be obedient to investing time in His Word..
I will allow Him to do HIS WORK in me...
I will pray and praise Him for his commitment to me.

And then...
His magnificent plan..
His plan to make me BEAUTIFUL will shine ...
Even if I did just have a baby.

It is my prayer, that I will continue on this path...
Not in vain...
Not for vanity.

But searching and living for the ultimate beauty..
No artificial cover-ups..
No man-made plans to alter some outward appearance.

Beautiful for Him.
May we all have an outpouring of beauty...
HIS life in us.

Blessings to all you Beautiful Women!!

It is ALMOST that time

This is the path we walk every year...

This path leads to a sweet reward...

Takes cold days, long nights, patient tending, and careful accuracy...

This is where the path ends...

it is ALMOST that time....

Time for what?

Can you guess?

A Mom's Christmas List

What's a mom to do?

Her kids, her husband, and various others ask her what she wants for Christmas....

She thinks, and she ponders, and what does she find herself continually coming up with?

Lists like this:

**Pots and Pans

**Towels for the Bathrooms

**More Silverware

**Her own hammer/drill

**More hangers

**Organizing totes

**Boots for the kids

**New tile in bathrooms

**New broom/dustpan
**New mailbox

**Shelving in mud-room

**New pillows for some of the beds

**Towels racks

**Garden tools

**New shop-vac

**Matching cups/glasses

......and on and on...

Moms do this don't they? The first things that come to mind are those household projects, the broken or worn-out things that need replaced, or what her children might need at the time.

It's just the way it is. Probably always the way that it has been. That is part of what makes us, "Mom!"

So, What's a Mom to do?

(Ask for pots and pans, and a blog make-over.

And that's what I did. A little excited I am - to say the least.)

But, the Best GIFT OF ALL - to wake up in the morning, with health to enjoy smiles like this..

Who needs a list any ways?