Day 8

First off I want to do a shout out to Money Saving mom, she featured me on her blog and I am so thankful for that. I am also thankful for all the wonderful ladies that have been checking out my blog from that post. It is great to hear about you who are challenging to reach out to others this holiday season.

Second, I want to share what has been happening in our house since we have started this challenge. My five year old has been changing. Kindness is spilling over in to all parts of his life, yesterday he let a child get in front of him to use the slide. Also when we went to see Santa instead of asking for a bunch of things for him, he asked that all the boys and girls whose parents can't get them much would get extra presents from him this year. The talk of presents has pretty much stopped here all together. Which was my goal. Presents at Christmas are great and wonderful, but I really don't want that to be the focus in our house. I want him to think of others and it is happening. It is so great to see this wonderful character trait growing in my little boy.

Now on to our act for the day, I have been baking pumpkin cookies for a few get togethers we have coming up. Pumpkin cookies are a staple in this house at the holidays, we call them Christmas Crack because they are so good and equally addicting. So we wrapped up some cookies with a note and left them for our neighbors! Ayden had fun sneaking up to their front porch and leaving them there. Maybe I need to invest in some Santa hats for us to wear while we are blessing others.... defiantly something to think about!!!

Day 7

Today was shopping day. Ayden had a great idea to gather up all the carts that were not put away so they didn't bump into anyones cars and scratch them. I thought this was a great idea for the day.
We gathered up the carts there and then later at the px where we saw santa. It has been great to see Ayden thinking about others this week. I have seen it spill over in to all parts of our life, I think this lesson is working :)

Day 4

Last night a Friend of mine posted about her daughter breaking her hand while goofing off with her Dad. I thought this was a great opportunity to do an act of kindness. Ayden made her a card and we walked to her house to drop it off with a box of chocolates. It was a nice surprise for her it was great to make her day a little better!

Day 2

Last night we made some Cinnamon ornaments, well tried to and they all got stuck to my cookie sheet :(. So I took out my crafting supplies and made some stocking ornaments out of felt instead, crisis averted and this morning my son wasn't as upset since we still had ornaments to leave on peoples doors.

Armed with our ornaments taped to cards we VERY quietly stuck them on people's doors Ayden had a lot of fun with this he even made up a secret sign to show me the card was secure.

On the way home we counted the cards and he was excited that there were already three people had picked up off their doors!

Can't wait to hear of others ideas today!

December 1

Tomorrow is December first, day 1 ofthe 25 days of giving. I have been thinking about what we are going to do. This week is range week for my husband so unless I really need the car it isn't going to happen, and there is nothing I need the car for. So that limits me to what I can do in my neighborhood. I think we are going to bake some pumpkin cookies and Ayden can make some cards and we will deliver cookies on the door steps of neighbors with note to pay it forward this holiday season.

What are you planning on doing?

Acts of kindness ideas

Thursday marks Day one of twenty-five days of giving! I have talked with some friends and a lot are excited about this adventure for the holidays. There were some concern about coming up with ideas and low cost ways to do this. So here are some low cost/ no cost ideas for this up coming Challenge.

• At the store gather up all the loose carts 
• take a plate of cookies to firehouse or police station
• go through your kids toys with them and have them pick some to donate to a shelter
• Pick up trash in your neighborhood, park or beach
• Have kids make cards to take to residents in local nursing home or children at the local hospital
• Make ornaments and leave them on neighbors front porches
• Let someone get in front of you in line

• Leave an extra few dollars on the tip when you go out to eat

I hope this list gives you some ideas to make this work for your family this holiday season, please add your ideas in the comments to help other think about how they can give and show love to others this holiday season.

Courageous

Tonight my husband and I were able to to go on a date night and saw the newly released movie Courageous it is by the same people who did Fireproof and Facing the Giants. I strongly suggest going and seeing this movie, I don't think I have gone from crying, to laughing back to crying this much in any other movie.

With out giving to much away, it is basically about a group of fathers that make a decision to be the kind of Fathers God has asked them to be according to scripture. It is very moving and I don't think anyone in the packed movie theater walked out the same as they walked in.

After the movie we walked to Jamba Juice for a quick treat before heading home. As we talked about the movie, my husband shared the points that hit him the most. One of which just being around isn't enough, he feels he needs to actively engage in our sons lives. 

We also talked about men being the spiritual leader of the household. That is where it hit me, do I  allow my husband to lead our boys? Do I actively listen to him and God when I need to take a step back? Do i push my agenda on him, instead of suggesting something and listening to how he feels about it?

I am going to take a risk and make a HUGE generalization here but I believe many women in our culture have been taught that they shouldn't have to let go of the right to run the family. We were raised to be strong independent. How can you do that when you are being submissive?

Submission is not about being a doormat, it is about knowing only one person can lead the family and God decided it was the husband. It doesn't mean you don't have a voice, it just means when someone has to make the decision and there is no agreement, the husband has to take on that responsibility. One day our husbands will stand before God and be held accountable for their families that is why they get to lead.

The main verse they use in the movie is in Joshua "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" we have always used this as the foundation for our family. We want people to know when they interact with us that we love God. Tonight that verse took on another meaning, God wants my Husband to be the leader of the house, and for me to let him.

If we are to take  " as for me and my house we will serve the Lord" and try and live it not only should the outside world see God working in our family, but our sons should see what a family is in Gods design my husband leading and me following him.

6 Years

A few weeks ago my Husband and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. We had an romantic candle light picnic on our living room floor while the kids watched a movie upstairs ( plan B when there are no available babysitters). It was a lovely evening and we spent sometime talking about were we started and where we are now and how unexpected things can get. Since then  I have thought about how what things I have learned so far in our adventure in marriage and parenting. Here is a list of what I have come up with, ENJOY!

1. You make plans and God laughs.
2. You can love someone more than life it self
3. I would be able to speak Army speak fluently. 
4. Never say never
5. Being a stay at home Mom is the most rewarding job on the face of the planet
6. Home is where you make it
7. Looking for a new church is the hardest part of moving
8. Family isn't just those who share your DNA
9. It only takes one afternoon for movers to pack up your entire life
10. No matter the distance there are friends who will be there no matter what.
11. When you have to you can make it through anything.
12. Mom's don't get sick days.
13. God puts you in the right places at the right time. 
14. Even if you can't see it at the time God is using everything for your benefit. 
15. Marriage is the most wonderful thing, even though your spouse can drive you up the wall at times.
16. I can teach my kids.
17. Technology is wonderful.
18. No one will agree with everything you decide, or what you do for your kids, but that is okay as long as you are okay with it.
19. Don't count on anything till it is actually happening.
20. When you husband is gone your phone is never out of site.
21. Kids are resilient.
22. You do the best you can, and that just has to be enough some days.
23. Having kids changes everything, in a good way.
24. Marriage is hard work, but more than worth it.
25. you can miss the dirty clothes on the bathroom floor
26. It doesn't matter how long you have been Married, you need to make the effort to date.
27. A good babysitter is worth her weight in Gold.
28. After 13 months of deployment a dirty stinky uniform is the best thing you  have ever smelt.
29. Doesn't matter how many times you have said Good bye it doesn't get any easier. 
30. At first you think it is going to take awhile to get used to sharing a bed, then at some point you can't sleep in an empty bed. 
31. You can still get butterflies when you see him for the first time in weeks or months
32. No matter how bad your day is " I love you mommy" and a hug can make it better :)

I hope you enjoyed my list, leave some of things you have learned in this crazy journey of love in my comments.
Until next time

New Year's Resoultions

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, to put it plainly because by February I have failed and they never  bring about real change. I do take time at the end of the year to reflect. Reflect on how I have been as a Christan, Wife, Mom and Friend. Then set realistic goals to change my behavior so I  can do better in these aspects of my life.

This past year has been good and hectic for us , last January my husband was half way through a year long school that was high stress, he graduated and that meant another move this time to Hawaii. We also welcomed a new member to our family while he was in school. We made a trip home for a month while we were moving, and lived in a hotel while we waited on a house. That was a challenging time but we made the best of it and can laugh about it now.  Our oldest has turned in to a  little boy right before our eyes, this year he will be 5, where has the time gone. He is so smart and can learn and retain things so fast.

It was a good year full of fond memories and good times. Along with all the good there is one big bad I was diagnosed with fibromialgia and since we have arrived that have been our rain cloud. It seems like that colors everything we do. It is looming in the corner, my husband is concerned I am overexerting myself and one minute I can be fine and the next I am done for the day. We are coping well and are blessed to have some amazing Dr's here who are helping me make the best of this diagnosis.

My goals as a Christan be in the word more. Pray more. Stand out more.

My goals as a wife this year are to meet my husbands needs better. He doesn't always make them known, so I am going to commit to pray specifically that God will show me what he needs so I can meet his needs. He takes care of me fully I want to be able to do the same.

As a mother make sure I am doing what I can to give my children the best I can to help them be the best they can be even if it makes no sense to anyone else.

As a friend, check in more. Call, e mail, text, just keep in contact and encourage.

I hope you all had a wonderful 2010 and wish you a blessed 2011!

Priorities

Priorities funny how different people place different value on the different things and people in their life. Not all people have the same family values, enjoy a good book, listen to music ect. However, the bible makes it clear how we as Christians are supposed to prioritize our lives.
1. God
2. Spouse
3. Children
4. Home
5. Yourself
6. Outside the home

Starting with God is the only place to start the bible is filled with examples of "rising early" or having "quiet time" with the Lord. We need to make sure our spiritual tank is full before we try and take care of anyone or we will fall flat on our face. God is the only one who is able to help us love in the most pure unadulterated way. If we don't meet God first and keep our relationship right with him then we are pretty much at a lost.

Second is to our spouse we were created to be his help meet. There to pick up the extra slack, meet his needs and take care of him. Our husbands need to be made to feel special and we are the only ones who should be doing it.

Third your Children we are commanded to raise up our children in the way that they should go. They are gifts from God and entrusted to us no one else. It is our job as parents to make sure they have what they need.

Fourth the home, we as women are the climate of the home. If the husband comes home to a frantic house, everything is turned upside down, kids are running around, wife is yelling he is going to get all riled up too. The opposite is also true, we can make or break the evening in our homes, amazing how much power we can hold over the moods in our home.

Fifth yourself, I guess you were wondering were you fit in on this list. Well now you know. Being last doesn't mean you get forgotten, I have found in taking care of my time with God and my husband, my kids and my home I am taking care of me. That is who God created me to be. This is the season where I rock crying babies, kiss boo boos, wonder what mess I am coming to when I hear " mommy come look what I did''. One day there will be no need for kisses, or checking for monsters under the bed. So I don't want to miss it.

Lastly is the outside world, we are called to go and be disciples of every nation baptising them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. So go, but take care of your family and your self first because God gave you them first and in time you can go forth and conquer the world.

Chivalry is not Dead

At least not in my house. My husband reminded me tonight that he is a rare breed of man and that I am a very lucky woman. He may not be the most romantic, sweep you off your feet kind of guy but it is the little everyday things that count. He takes care of me, wholly and fully and puts my needs and safety first which is hard to come by in a man these days.

While we are out walking he always walks on the street side, if we cannot walk side by side he will walk behind so he can " keep an eye on me". He still opens my door, dishes up my plate when we are out places ( sometimes even at home) pulls out my chair for me. No I do live in a fairy tale, he is just this wonderful.

The icing on the cake is the simple thoughtfulness of the little things like not making me get up to take him into work( we have only one car), he will just ride his bike since I am not used to getting up that early and really need my sleep. He goes above and beyond and is truly amazing and reminds me that chivalry is not dead.

When I mention this to him he just says this is how a husband is supposed to act. Be jealous, I am blessed, I know.