“ME” TIME

“ME” TIME
Guest Post by L. Elizabeth Krueger from Raising Godly Tomatoes

I was about to write that I just got up to a nice quiet house and was sitting in the sun, looking at the lake and enjoying my morning cup of coffee (ok, it's really a chocolate diet shake – I don’t drink coffee), ALL ALONE....but then I realized that I'm not alone. My 24yo son was already at the table when I got here and we just had a nice conversation about toasting my homemade bread and about the sad state of affairs in Detroit when they want to elect a basketball player to be mayor. Hmmm. I guess what I'm trying to say is that apparently I've learned to enjoy "solitude" even when I'm not technically alone.

Victory Over Depression

Victory Over Depression

Guest Post by Iora M.

When I was in high school, I was very wacky. I used illegal drugs to self medicate; usually I used uppers to maintain the "maniac" phase of a "bi-polar" disorder. The maniac phase always seemed better to me, even though I was off the wall with running/racing thoughts, and crazy behavior. I hardly ever needed to sleep, and was always going somewhere.

Are Mothers Called To Minister Too?

One of my dear friends recently asked me how I felt my "calling as a missionary" related to my "calling as a wife and mother".  I pondered this question, answered her email, and decided to expand my answer into this article.

Anyone who knows me in real life would easily affirm that I definitely feel my #1 ministry is in my home, to my children and my husband, and to support my husband in whatever he is doing, in his calling in the Lord as well.  In recent years, there has been a lot of teaching in the church about focus on family and the godly priorities of raising godly children and building strong marriages. And how necessary these teachings have been!  Our families are the cornerstone of our society, and of the church as well. We cannot have strong churches without strong families, and we cannot have a strong society without strong families. I have known parents in full-time ministry that have sacrificed time raising their children "for the sake of the call", and the results were not good!   However, I have been realizing something else too.

Night Owl or Early Bird?

One night we had a provoking talk at our church, for ladies, about women being "busy at home", from Titus 2.   The thing that stuck out to me most, that night, however was this little quote, by Martha Peace:

"I have heard of women who pride themselves on being "night people". That means they have trouble getting up in the mornings because they come alive at night. They may stay up till all hours reading, watching television, or pursuing some sort of interest.  They next morning they are too tired to get up and care for their family... these women are not "night people". They are lazy and selfish.

Arrogants Anonymous

Guest Post by Megan:

Hi.  I'm Megan...and I'm arrogant.

Sure, it's a misquote: but if alcoholism is destructive enough to warrant intervention like A.A. groups, multiply the Destructo-Factor by the power of ten to describe the effects of arrogance in a person's life.  If there were an organization called Arrogants Anonymous, I'd be a card-carrying member; and just like an alcoholic, I know it won't ever matter how many years I've been sober.  Arrogance is always a constant danger.  Ask Moses, the humblest man who ever lived...and who could not enter the Promised Land because for a time he looked to his own glory and honor instead of God's.

Lessons from the Ironing Board

Lessons from the Ironing Board

My mother was a fulltime homemaker and loved it. She always said that she enjoyed cooking, keeping the house tidy, and even doing dishes. She kept up well with the laundry and often had something good baking in the oven. She homeschooled us children and found time to do extra projects with us as well.  She often offered hospitality for a meal and many times even long-term, for missionaries, friends, and those in need.  I have much to thank her for as an example to me of a homemaker.

What Will Our Children Remember?

About a  month ago, we went to a local restaurant that we hadn't been to for quite a while. My husband and I were *shocked* when we pulled into the parking lot and our 6 year old told his sister, "Yay! This is the place that gave me a free ice cream cone!"  We were shocked because that happened about 4 1/2 years ago, when I was still pregnant with his sister; he was just barely turned 2 years old. We have not talked about it since it happened, so how could he remember that?

Family Vision

Written in December of 2008

Think about it honestly: what has shaped your thinking, and therefore your actions, about what a family is, how a family should operate, what the roles of the husband and wife are to be, and how the parents are to relate to their children? Is it the culture we live in? Is it the way that you yourself were brought up? Is it the teaching of someone you know or a book you have read? Or is it simply the Word of God?

The Lord constantly challenges me in this area: is my thinking lined up to the Word of God? Am I allowing HIM to impart His vision to me so that I can live out His heart in every area of my life, or am I just doing what comes to me naturally, living in my “default” mode?

Getting it All Done

 

Question: How do you get it all done?

Answer:

1. spiritual strength – learning to lean on the Lord
2. physical strength – on eating and supplements
3. practical strategies – organization and discipline

First of all, I want to start by saying that I am in the learning process myself, and merely sharing some things that have been helpful to me. I do not have things “all together”, by any means! I could make just as long of an article on all of the areas that I need to, and would like to, improve on! In fact, maybe I will do that in the future, so that you can all give me suggestions! Anyway, for now, here are some things that I have found the most helpful: 

To be busy at home

By Lori O'Dea, originally published on MamaKnowsBest.net

Busyness has become a badge of honor in today’s society. Ask anyone how they are and they usually respond with an automatic “fine”, closely followed by “I’m so busy”. In most cases, what they mean is busy everywhere else besides home.

One Big Key to Cutting Stress: Prepare in Advance

Picture this:

You are running out the door, already five minutes late for an appointment, when you realize that the baby needs a diaper change. You drop your purse, diaper bag and toddler’s hand and run to change the baby. Now, you are finally ready to head out the door. But then you realize that your toddler only has one shoe on! You ask him where his shoe is, and he answers, “I dunno…” You turn back toward his bedroom and frantically search for the missing shoe. Finally locating it under the bed, you shove it on his chubby foot and hit the door running, baby and bags in one hand, two-shoed toddler by the other. Once everyone is buckled in the car, you realize that you left your cell phone in the kitchen charging, so you dash back into the house to retrieve it. Now, instead of five minutes late, you are fifteen minutes late! What else could go wrong?

The Vine and the Branches

Raising children is such a challenging job!  There are so many things you need to do – train them for life, train them in obedience, teach them how to relate to people, provide them with stimulating experiences, correct them for defiance and misbehavior, give them opportunities to explore the world and encourage them in academic pursuits as well.
But I believe that one of the most important things we can do as parents is build a loving relationship with our children.
I learned this in a very poignant way a couple of years back when we spent a month in Brazil, visiting my husband’s family.
There were eleven of us in a tiny apartment, plus aunts, uncles, cousins and friends over visiting every day. Everywhere we went, it was in a huge group. We had virtually no time alone with the children.

Bible Times for Busy Mamas

If you are like  me, it is hard to have a “quiet time”, since the house is rarely quiet! So, I thought I’d share something that has been a real blessing to me lately: the audio Bible!

We have had the children listening to these CDs for several years now at night while they are falling asleep, but I only started myself last summer, when I picked up an extra CD player at a garage sale. I used to think I wouldn’t like to listen to anything at bedtime, but I have found it to be wonderful!
Many times, I have a hard time controlling my thoughts after the lights are out. I don’t think about anything bad, but I can’t seem to shut my thoughts down to be able to fall asleep! Trying to focus on the Bible playing has helped me to keep my thoughts from wandering a million different directions while falling asleep. And, as I usually keep the same CD in for a week or more, it has really helped me to “lock it in” my mind and heart, and I often contemplate during the day what I listen to at night.  Sometimes if I’m up with the baby in the night and feel wakeful, I will push play then too.

I still try to read my Bible during the day, but getting it in at night provides a richer quantity of Bible time than I would be able to do only by my reading.  I highly recommend it, for yourself and for your children!

Postscript: It has been over four years since I wrote the above. Since then, we have moved to Brazil and had to leave our CD players behind, among other things. They wouldn't have worked here anyway, as the voltage is different. Anyway, I wanted to add a more "modern" solution that we have found to be a blessing: the audio Bible on ipod or other mp3 or mp4 device. Works the same way, and is the same blessing. :)

Strength for the Day

Does anyone besides me ever feel tired?  Like there are way too many things to do and not nearly enough time to do them?
Right now I am in my ninth month of pregnancy with our fourth child, and with having the other three young enough to still be rather dependent on me for most things, I can approach the end of the day feeling rather exhausted and spent. In that case, I can even start the day feeling that way!
The other day, I was really encouraged by finding this gem of a verse, and so I thought I would pass it along:
“As your days, so shall your strength be.”  Dt 33:25b

Ideas for Family Devotions

My husband is very creative when it comes to family devotions. He loves to use hands-on visual aids to bring a point home with the children. Here are a few ideas that we have used, which I hope will spark some ideas in you to try with your family! I would love to hear of your ideas as well! You could leave a comment below, or post separately.

I Pray for My Children

I  made this list some time ago and thought someone else might find it helpful as well. Many of them speak to using different parts of their little bodies for the glory of God. I like to pray this while holding or nursing a baby, touching feet, hands, etc as I pray. 

I Pray For My Children:

Cultural Issues in Marriage

It is my firm belief  that one cannot overstate the impact of a person’s culture and upbringing on:
how they talk
what they mean by the words they use
body language
overt actions
responses to what others do and say

Several years ago, I wrote a few articles for Heart of the Matter Online, and I just decided to post them here so I don't lose them. :)

Once a Homeschool Kid, Now a Homeschool Mom

By Elizabeth K. Tsukayama

I have been asked many times to compare what it was like being a homeschool student to what it is like now being a homeschool mother – what I do the same, what I do differently, and how my experiences as a child have helped me now that I am homeschooling my own children.
When I first sat down to write about it, the first thought I had looking back to my years as a homeschool child, was of all the wonderful memories I have of our times together as a family.

Several years ago, I wrote a few articles for Heart of the Matter Online, and I just decided to post them here so I don't lose them. :)

Putting the Homeschool Cart Before the Horse

By Elizabeth K. Tsukayama

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7

I started attending our local homeschool conference when my oldest child was 22 months old, and I am so glad I did! At that point, my husband and I were not looking for information on the nuts and bolts of teaching different subjects, but rather inspiration on the visionary aspects of homeschooling – the big picture.
Our firstborn is “one smart cookie”. At 22 months, he knew the alphabet backward and forward, could count to some fairly large number, and talked like a five year old. I was understandably proud of my little genius and was constantly looking for ways to increase his scholastic abilities.