New DoTerra Products! Available October 3rd!

I didn't make it to convention this year - that is my goal - to make it one of these years!  However, I did get to see and hear all about the new products DoTerra has coming out in October!  I am very excited and can't wait to try them all out!

Spikenard essential oil

Petitgrain essential oil

doTERRA® SPA Line: Moisturizing Bath Bar, Refreshing Body Wash, Detoxifying Mud Mask, Exfoliating Body Scrub, Replenishing Body Butter, 3 Moisturizing Lip Balms, fragrance-free Hand & Body Lotion, Citrus Bliss® Hand Lotion, and Rose Lotion.

PB Assist® Jr

doTERRA a2z Chewable™ now available in watermelon flavor.

doTERRA Serenity Restful Complex™ Softgels

Updated: doTERRA Serenity® Restful Blend.

Emotional Aromatherapy™ Touch Kit

- See more at: https://doterra.com/US/en/blog/events/doterra-one-convention-recap#sthash.2banAqIU.dpuf


And Shipping Price changes!  If that's what's been holding you back - now is the time to jump in!

What product are you excited about?!

Rita

Our Kindergarten Year

I've officially finished homeschooling my last kindergartener . . . while it's exciting to move forward, part of me is also sad.  I've taught all my kids how to read, all of them even used the same book!  Kindergarten seems to mark the beginning of the learning journey, and while it never really ends, this year was the last beginning.

Baby Girl all done with her reading book!

That said, I've mentioned in a couple of other posts that I would be looking back at our Kindergarten year and sharing how we do Kindergarten here at The Gorbics Academy.

We have basically followed the Charlotte Mason method with all the kids- you can read about what that is here.  There are many good sites out there for implementing this method.  My favorite and most used is Ambleside Online.  It is a great resource for understanding the Charlotte Mason method and for free schedules, book lists and many links to curriculum. Kindergarten or Year 0 on Ambleside Online isn't really a structured school year.  I do use their great book list which I shared here.  We worked through this book list during the Kindergarten year, reading one book each day of the week for an entire week.  

In addition to our book list, Baby Girl participated in our Morning Time.  I have loosely done Morning Time in the past, but after reading this post about using a Morning Time Binder, I made my own binder, filled it with good things and made it a priority each school day.  Well, almost every day - we participate in a Co-op on Wednesdays, so to be realistic, I did not include anything for Wednesday!  

I have LOVED this addition to our day.  It proved to be a great time for all of us to start the day together, because we were focusing on what was really important - Him and each other.  And on days that this is all we were able to accomplish - and there were many of those - I could still call it a win!

Here is a quick breakdown of what our Morning Time looked like:

Monday
Prayer (We always start with what we are thankful for and then use Prayer Calendars from Cheri Gamble)
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse (we are working through these verses from Ann Voskamp) and Co-op Verse
Poetry - A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Kujifawa
Read Aloud - Fiction
Copywork

Tuesday
Prayer
Bible New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Math Songs
Read Aloud - Life of Fred, Math series
Copywork

Thursday
Prayer
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Parts of Speech (printables found here)
Read Aloud - Life of Fred, Language Arts series
Copywork

Friday
Prayer
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Art Study
Read Aloud - Fiction
Copywork

After our Morning Time, our Kindergarten schedule was pretty simple and we usually finished fairly quickly. We included Math (Math U See Primer), Reading (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), the Handwriting without Tears curriculum, Character Training and our read-alouds. Most of these we did once a day, with the exception of our Character Training which we focused on once a week.  

That didn't mean that our learning was done for the day!  Baby Girl still participated in many of the other learning experiences going on in our home.  Plus we had co-op, field trips, cooking days, educational shows, playdates and most importantly, lots of PLAY!  

Hopefully this is helpful to you if you are beginning your homeschool journey or just trying to reevaluate your homeschool year.  As always, please do not let my suggestions add to your list of "things I should be doing" or "yet another thing I need to do".  Use these resources as ideas to lighten your load, not add to it!!

Rita

dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick Review and Give Away!

  This past year dōTERRA came out with some great new products. I have previously reviewed the dōTERRA Natural Deodorant, - here. Not only did I review it, I also gave one away!  I have decided this month of May to do another review and give away!  Why you ask?  Well, this month dōTERRA has another great promotion for its Wellness Advocates!

Earn a FREE 5 mL of Cardamom, 15 mL of dōTERRA Breathe®, dōTERRA Breathe Vapor Stick, dōTERRA Breathe Respiratory Drops (Retail Value $91.99) by placing any 200 PV order from May 1st thru May 31st 2016.

These are basically FREE oils!!! And I want to share with you!

I am a big fan of the dōTERRA Breathe™ Essential Oil Blend and dōTERRA Breathe™ Throat Drops, so I was thrilled when dōTERRA came out with the dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick. What's not to love - all the great benefits of dōTERRA Breathe™ in an easy to apply stick?!

dōTERRA Breathe™ has some specific benefits:

• Maintains feelings of clear airways and easy breathing
• Promotes a restful night’s sleep
• Helps minimize the effects of seasonal threats
• Provides a cooling, soothing effect both topically and aromatically

I have used dōTERRA Breathe™ in the past in our diffusers (both night and day-time), topically diluted on our chests or applied a drop on my hands and inhaled. (There should be some joke there about not inhaling . . . but I've got nothing right now :/ )

While roller balls are a great way to apply diluted EO's, especially on younger children, and I frequently make my own roller balls for easier application, to extend the life of my oils and to create my own EO blends, the Vapor Stick has made application so much easier!  I can let my Baby Girl (she's almost 7) use it herself and her older brothers too.  There is no need to dilute and make a mess of one's hands.  Just open up the stick, give it a little twist up and apply to your back or chest.  I've even applied to my throat and just dabbed under my nose.

Now that you've heard all about dōTERRA  Breathe™ Vapor Stick, it's time to enter - Just leave a comment on this post and I will be picking a random commenter at the end of the month.  Good luck and Happy Oiling!

Rita

Forgiveness

Pinterest Image

Every Sunday evening, my family gets together with a few other families for a focused time of fellowship and food - for our bodies and souls.  One could call this a small group, missional community, bible study or even, church.

The past few weeks we've been going over the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) and it was these specific lines that lead me to do a post on forgiveness:

"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

This could also read - sins, trespasses - but what does it really mean?  And what is FORGIVENESS really?  I have been wrestling with these 2 questions this week and the concept of forgiveness even longer.

In the Lord's Prayer, we are asking God to forgive us as we have forgiven those who have sinned/wronged us.  Wow . . . in as much as I forgive, I will be forgiven?!  That is a hard thought to process.  Read Matthew 6:14 - " For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."  And this is not the only time it is mentioned.  In Matthew 18:21,22, "Peter asks 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven'".  And then he proceeds to tell the parable of the king who forgave his servant a vast amount of debt, but then the servant proceeds to throw a fellow servant into prison for a much, much smaller amount of debt.  When the king hears of this, he becomes angry and has the first servant delivered to the torturers (!) until he can repay all of his debt.  (Matt. 18:23-34).  Then there is this in verse 35 - "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses".  

How can we, as mere humans forgive on this level?  


What sticks out to me about these verses?  They are not talking about forgiving our enemies - though there are plenty of those in God's Word - but forgiving our brothers and fellow servants .  I, personally, find it easy to forgive those I am not super close to.  It seems easier to me to forgive someone and offer them grace, see the situation through their eyes if they are not in close relationship to me.  It is so much more difficult to not let bitterness and unforgiveness build up when I have to interact with that person every day, when I see them not changing, when it hurts so much more because of our close relationship.  But not only does Christ call us to forgive our enemies, but our brothers (family), fellow servants (other Christ followers) . . . those we are close to.  Does this seem impossible to you?  If I'm being honest, it does to me!  But God has also given us His Spirit and tells us in Matthew 19:26 - "but with God all things are possible," and Jeremiah 32:17 - "There is nothing too hard for You."

First, what is forgiveness NOT?

Forgiveness is not the absence of angers at sin, forgiveness is not forgetting the wrong, forgiveness is not forgoing justice, forgiveness is not enabling and forgiveness is not necessarily reconciliation, as that requires both sides participating.

So then, what IS forgiveness?

I found this series of articles - specifically 1,2,& 5 by Focus on the Family, extremely helpful and have pulled a few quotes out that really seemed to speak to me. (Note: these were written for those dealing with divorce/infidelity - this is NOT something my husband and I are working through and I pray for protection in our marriage regarding this - but the articles are very applicable to forgiveness and the process it is).

Most importantly, forgiveness is a PROCESS - it may happen overnight, it may not.  It may take days, weeks, months and even years to truly embrace forgiveness.

"Forgiveness is a gift of God's grace . . .  and we must give ourselves the grace our healing requires as we move forward to full forgiveness."

 Many times, a situation requires time, perspective, more information and rebuilding the relationship. I think that saying "I forgive" and trying to act as if everything is the same doesn't allows us to take the time to really be open to complete forgiveness.

"When we've been deeply wronged something inside yearns for justice. If we don't forgive, our desire for justice becomes revenge, subjecting us to the bondage of bitterness and self-righteousness. When we choose to forgive, the justice we seek is for the other person to feel our pain."

Wow, I don't know about you, but that hits the nail on the head.  Isn't that usually what I want - an acknowledgement and validation for what I am feeling and going through?!  But even if I don't get that "justice", I am still freed. When I forgive others I am released from the bondage unforgiveness can cause in my own life - bitterness, resentment,etc.

True forgiveness takes place when we release our hurt and let go of it, acknowledging that our spouse  is a fallen human being, who is perhaps doing the best he or she can with the limited resources in their emotional, relational, and spiritual arsenal. When we anchor our hearts on the rock of God's love, the forgiveness of our spouse enables us to release our pain into God's healing hands. As grace shatters the threat of growing bitterness, it plants the seeds of a more intimate relationship. 

Where does this lead me?  To this:

Forgiveness is releasing the person who wronged me - whether a spouse, friend, child, co-worker, etc. - and myself from the wages and bondage of sin (death) as God has released me! Forgiving someone doesn't place them in right standing with God, it places me in right standing with God! I think I need to hear that again :

Forgiving someone doesn't place them in right standing with God, it places me in right standing with God!

When Christ died for me and I accepted His free gift, I no longer had to pay the punishment for my sins - they are completely forgiven. I praise Him for that and pray that He will enable me to pass on that forgiveness to those around me.

Rita

Changing How We Do Chores - In 4 Easy Steps!

Last month, I wrote a post here about how we are in the process of changing how we do chores and technology at our home.  This is a follow-up post-most likely one of many-as this is a process that we are working through, not just a quick, easy fix.  A quick, easy fix would be: 1) Hire someone to clean my home, 2) Get rid of all the technology in our home.  Granted, I like quick, easy fixes, but I don't think either of those are realistic for us right now :)  I guess I could start a Go-Fund Me site for my cleaning bill?


Step One:

Since this is not a quick, easy fix . . . I did some research (aka browsing Pinterest) and printed off LOTS of printable,Thankfully, I also have a super-organized friend who has made her own printable!! (and she's letting me share it with you!) She uses it for her Spring Cleaning and breaks down what needs to be cleaned in each room.  Since her form is for Spring Cleaning, there were a few things on it that I could take off for our weekly cleaning - they don't need to be done every week or even, every month.  I do not use all the printables, but when processing all this, I need something in my hands to look at.

Step Two:

Next, I looked at what our week looks like - this is important because every family their own rhythm, their own routine.  For example, we have co-op on Wednesdays for 12 weeks in the Spring and 12 in the Fall.  This means, that on Wednesdays, there will be no cleaning!!  After a busy day at co-op, I'm lucky to get dinner on, let alone tackle anything else.  Our trash gets picked up on early Tuesday.  Also, I like to keep Sundays as a day of rest (no chores, no technology-unless it's a family movie).  Take a look at your family rhythms and routines and decide what would work best for you!

Step Three:

After looking at what needs to be done and what days we have to do it, I then began placing specific rooms to be cleaned and chores to be done on a specific day. I ended up using the blank chore chart from this site.  I've opted to print her blank page with the days out and laminate it . . . I like the flexibility of that option :)

Step Four:

And here it is . . . I started to s-l-o-w-l-y implement these.  So far, these have all been a whole family effort.  Really, it's "ok guys, it's time to all clean the kitchen.  Here is what needs to be done, what would you like to do?"  It was helpful that half a week into it we had Spring Break.  That meant all the kids were at home and we had a little bit more time.  It wasn't helpful that I went out of town for 3 days . . . I guess that is where adjusting one's expectations come into play.  I did leave a list of things to be done each day - not the complete list - and they did get done!  For me, that's a win.

We are now officially on week 2 - and I am making some adjustments as we go along.  For example, do I really need to wash our sheets every week?  After reading this . . . yes, yes I do!  But our extra blankets - I'm OK washing every other week, less in the summer if we aren't using them.  And cleaning those windows . . . in my dining room (where the dog slobbers all over the back door) every week or twice a week! Bedroom windows . . . I am good with once a month.  Again,this is where there is no set rule, but it is best to look at your family and your schedule and do what fits best for you!

And I've had one unexpected blessing come from this.  I can look around my house and not feel ANY guilt for the things I see that need to be done. I know they are on the schedule and will get done by the end of week.  And that is WONDERFUL! Oh, yeah . . . any my house is clean! Win, Win!

Below is what I've come up with:

• Daily - Fill/Empty Dishwasher, Wipe down Kitchen, Make Bed

• Monday - Kitchen & Dining Room; wipe table & counters, sweep/mop floor, vacuum rugs, dust, clean windows, wipe down stove, micro, fridge, dishwasher & oven. Take out Trash. Laundry; Boy 3, kids sheets.

• Tuesday - Bedrooms; Pick-up, dust & vacuum, clean windows (1/month). Laundry; Baby Girl, kids blankets.

• Wednesday - Laundry; Husband, Master bedroom sheets & blankets.

• Thursday - Living Room & Back Room; Pick-up, dust & vacuum, clean windows (1/month). Laundry; Boy 1, Bathroom rugs, towels & kitchen towels.

• Friday - Bathrooms; floors, counters, sinks, tub, mirrors & toilets.  Take out Trash. Laundry; Me, all Norwex.  

• Saturday - Breezeway & Entry; floors, pick-up, dust, clean windows (1/month). 

• Sunday - Rest! Laundry; Boy 2.

Next up . . . adding extra chores for pay/tech time, putting parameters on technology use . . . oh, the fun to come . . .

Rita

And again - my disclaimer: "And, with anything, please do not let these add to your list of 'things I should be doing' or 'yet another thing I need to do', but use these resources as ideas, motivation to lighten your load, not add to it!"

How I - Inadvertently - Tamed the Laundry Monster

It's cold here in Indiana!  Not much to do except sit next to the fire, put a warm laptop on and write a blog post - about laundry.

 I know, it's not your favorite subject, nor is it mine, but it is something we all must deal with.  As my recently ill husband said when I mentioned I would have to wait to wash the sheets when he was out of them . . . "Yes, just like clothes, it's much easier to wash them when you're not in them"!

As a family of six, we have a lot of laundry, clothes, running/work out clothes, towels, sheets, delicate's, hand wash . . . the list goes on!  Thankfully, quite a few years back we had an old house issue that inadvertently led to a laundry solution.

Have you ever heard of a "dry well"?  WELL, I hadn't!  ;) I guess it's something that may come along with an old home such as ours. Our dry well was right next to our driveway and front step and apparently, it was full.  Yes, our dry well was full . . . of laundry water . . . As I type this, I realize how little sense this may make, so if anyone out there can explain it to me, please do.

Until we were able reroute our laundry water, we couldn't wash more than one load at a time or the water filling up the dry well would seep up out onto our driveway, walkway and yard.  And since this was in the middle of winter, freeze.  "Welcome to our home, watch out for the small, ice covered pond on your way in!"  

So, I started washing one load a day . . . and then I assigned each member of the family  a laundry day  . . . and then I started to teach my kids how to do their own laundry!  Aaahh, yes, you can see where this is going!!! Freedom!!!  Ok, maybe not freedom, but freedom from the Laundry Monster!  No longer did I have 4-5 loads to do at a time.  No longer did I become extremely b-o-r-e-d washing, drying, folding and putting away laundry.  No longer was this another chore for mom to do.  This became an opportunity to instill a life skill to my children, to lessen my load as a mom and to give up some areas of control.  My boys (Baby Girl-6, is still learning) can now wash, dry and put away their own laundry!  Granted, they may not fold them, but if they are ok wearing wrinkled clothes, good for them! They can also help out if I need a load of sheets put in the dryer or a load of towels put on to wash.  

These days, we sometimes have to do more than one load a day and we can, since we have rerouted our laundry drainage. But I still stick to a load a day for each family member.  There have been 2 other changes since then that have helped lessen our laundry - the most recent, Norwex Towels - the other, we know what clothes we need and what clothes we don't!  With my kids washing their clothes once a week, they need enough pants/shorts, underwear/socks, and shirts to get them through a week.  If they are only using the top half of a shirt drawer, we get rid of some!  If they stay in their pj's because they have no clean pants (and not because they are homeschooled), we need to go shopping.  

Now if I could only find a way to get my whites WHITE as Snow!

Field Tripping

We are all getting ready for Spring up here in Northern Indiana.  What does that look like?  Taking any and every opportunity to get out of the house!  Sometimes, that is easier said than done.  One great option here are the Potawatomi Conservatories. Admission is only $3 for adults, $2 for kids ages 3-14.  It was wonderful to see fruit on trees, flowers in bloom and so much green!  Our favorite room every time is the Desert Dome.  Not only is it war, but has such an array of plants that we don't see around here.  We even brought home our own Aloe Vera plant.

Next up was a field trip with our home school co-op to Oxbow Park for Maple Syrup tapping! We learned which maple trees are the best for tapping, how to tap and taste-tested syrup straight from the tap. With a gate fee of only $2, we will back to explore the many trails and check out the newly rebuilt Ox Bow Tower. 

Family Portraits

Yes, you heard correctly - Family Portraits.  Oh why do these cause me so much stress?!  Is it because they so badly need to be done, but nobody wants to do it? Or is it the difficulty of finding outfits that coordinate but don't "match"?  And then, what if the weather is bad, the kids cry or don't smile, or I am having a bad hair day?  Or what if we are just having a bad year as a family?  But then, I read something like this and there is no putting it off any longer.

Family portraits had been in the back of my mind -  maybe it had something to do with the fact that the last time we had them taken, Portrait Innovations was, well, an innovation!

You may be able to tell that this was quite a few years ago!  Baby Girl was just that, a 6 month old baby, The boys still looked liked boys instead of on the verge of manhood.  And yes, hubby and I look young!

So what better motivation that mommy guilt, so many years lost and a homeschooling friend who takes great pics! After one cancellation due to cold weather, a few $$ spent on outfits that at least wouldn't look bad together and a trip to my Fix Salon . . . .

Yeah, so we've grown a little!  Here's to building family and self-esteem! Oh wait . . . now I need to order prints, get frames and put them on the wall!

A Mother's Calling - Part 3

A Mother's Calling

This is the final post of three, from a lesson my own mother have given to me many years ago. 

Part 1, Part 2

My Mom

We are part of the body of Christ

I have learned that I am important in God's eyes.  My child should feel important in his mother's eyes.  He should feel worthwhile and loved.  As they get older, they will be able to see that they are a part of a bigger family.

The family unit is the ideal place for us all to learn how we fit into the body of Christ.  If I, first as a child of God, then as a wife, and then as a mother, take my proper place in the family, God can use me in the larger body.  So with my child: he learns interaction, sharing, how his feelings and actions relate to others, and how they affect others.  My child learns, in the safety and love of his home, how to relate to others, and how to use his talents for the good of God's kingdom.

Final thoughts

God keeps telling me to slow down, don't rush through my children, take the time; they are the task He has for me now.  I am to rest in motherhood as I rest in Him!  

As my children are being raised in the truth, I rejoice over God's faithfulness.  Oh Lord, that the love you have placed within me causes me to protect, trust, hope and to persevere in training my children.  Where I fall short, your love never fails.  Thank you, Lord.

I hope these posts have been encouraging to someone in their role as a mother. Rereading these, has not only been an excellent reminder for my role as a mother to my children, but also has given me a greater appreciation for my mother.  I thank God for her in a new and different way. She has always made me feel important, has shown me the 1 Corinthians love and most importantly, has shown me the how to be a follower of Christ. I hope and pray that my children learn much from me, but above all, to love Christ and follow after Him first.

Rita

A Mother's Calling - Part 2

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. "

Part 2 in a series given to me by my own mother

Help Comes from God

God wants my heart 

When a child is born, his heart is quickly given over to those that love him.  It isn't hard for the child to trust, love and look to his mother.  So, as I look to God, my first love, the infant and child in the beginning looks to his mother, his first love.

Wouldn't it be good for each of us to read the above scripture everyday before relating to our children? I believe God wants our children to begin getting a glimpse of this kind of love through us.  So, as I am mothering my children, I must strive to show the love of 1 Corinthians 13 - which I can only have through the power of the Holy Spirit and Christ living in me.

Happiness in Jesus

I have and will be spending many years mothering my children. When am I most happy in Jesus?

• When I allow Him to order my life 
• When I enter into regular prayer and fellowship with Him
• When I allow myself to be dependent on Him
• When I am obedient to Him

When I allow Him to order my life: My child will function best in an orderly life as I do. With routine, he will learn what to expect and be able tor relax in it. Without routine, the child will not have the security he would otherwise have.  Through prayer, God can show me how to best set up my household so I may serve Him in raising my children and caring for my family.

When I enter into regular prayer and fellowship with Jesus, I can also commit my children to God daily, their spiritual and physical welfare.  In order to glorify God, I must be consistent in communicating with Him. Sometimes my children will see me doing this, and other times, God and I will meet alone.  There are occasions when I include my child in "meetings with God", impromptu and planned. 

I am happiest when I am dependent on God.  I, by an act of my will, have chosen to turn my life over to the God who created me.  My child is naturally dependent on my from birth through much of his childhood.  He is happy and secure in this dependency while learning responsibility.

Obedience to God brings joy.  I experience that joy when I am obedient.  My child must be taught obedience to experience joy. Obedience is taught through discipline. We must discipline out of love, not anger or impatience. It must be done in a way that the child will not be belittled or feel rejected. Through correction the child learns that he is capable of proper behavior and encouraged, even motivated, to do better. Correction must be done in such a way that the child does not question our love for him.

Ways of discipline for each child may differ and only our Lord can reveal the best way for each child and situation.  We will make mistakes but love (the kind we talked about in 1 Corinthians) will cover these mistakes.  It is important to remember that our sweet babies learn early to manipulate their parents. With that in mind: a)parents should make all decisions for the very young and still many as they get older, b) parents must be consistent (no matter how the day is going), c) parents must not avoid conflict, they must deal with it, d) parents must not expect too much or too little from their children.


What do I notice when I read this?  Freedom.  As odd as that sounds and as our culture says that dependency and obedience are opposite of freedom, I see freedom.  I am free to be the person God has created me to be and get my identity from Him when I am in relationship with Him, depend on Him and am obedient to what He is calling me to do in my life.  The same is true for my children.  They have the freedom to be themselves within the security and love of our relationship.  

A Mother's Calling

This following is the first part of a lesson that was given to me by my mother in 2001.  She had given a talk many years before (I was probably 8-10 years old) at the church we then attended. At that time she gave this to me, we had our first two sons and they were 4 and 1.  Two more children, 14 years more years of parenting and the need to plan a devotional for a weekend retreat and I was led back to this. 

Not only did fill the need for that weekend, but it has spoken to my heart. As only a mother can fully understand a mother's heart for her children, it has given me a wonderful view into the heart of the woman who has been and continues to be one of the greatest influences in my life.  I hope it is as encouraging to you as it was to me.

A Mother's Calling

"What any of us has to share about our experiences in parenting would benefit the rest of us.  I have been asked to share today so I pray each of you will be encouraged and hopefully, better equipped in your parenting.

Vision for my Children:

1) "bringing them to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives"

2) share in God's blessings

3) develop dependence on God, trust in God, and love of God that only our God deserves

The Scripture Basis for carrying out this Vision:

Colossians1:28-29, "We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone (our children) with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone (our children) perfect in Christ.  To this end I labor, struggling with all His (Christ's)energy, which so powerfully works in me."

This scripture emphasis the importance of having that personal relationship with God.  In having that relationship, we can help reach that end (so our children may be perfect in Christ).  In having that relationship, we have His (Christ's) energy to do it.  God knows we need energy!"

Many times I am unable to focus on a specific goal or task when parenting.  Especially as a mom who also teaches her children during the day, the roles and responsibilities frequently overlap or run together.   Is it that they are learning to read today, having a hard time being kind to one another, getting those multiplication facts down, learning to work with a cheerful heart or, sometimes, that we are just trying to make it through the day?!  For me to have the vision above is not so much what we do during our day, but how we do it.  

What a powerful reminder (and one that I so desperately need) that this task of parenting is not something I labor at by myself!  I not only have my husband, family and friends to encourage and help me, but ultimately I have Christ and with Him, nothing is impossible!