Train Up Tuesday: Consider the Source

As a parent or wife seeking to be godly, it is tempting to find good resources (other than or in addition to God’s Word) to help us grow and understand our roles. I say this from personal experience. I’ve tried to be very careful in recent years not to be quick to pick up every resource I hear recommended, even from other Christians. In the muddle of pop psychology mixed in with “Christianese” and presented by what we have come to know as well meaning Christians, the line of what is truly Scriptural has become blurred, unfortunately.

When I became a young, new wife, I often found myself seeing what I did NOT want to emulate although I was not sure what it was that I should do (though searching the Scriptures with the Holy Spirit as my guide would have done me good). I’ve been blessed in recent years to come across some great, Scriptural-based resources for being a submissive woman of God. The caution, however is finding resources that really fit that description and don’t simply tickle our ears by “empowering” us in the wrong ways.

I’m still a “new parent” with very young children (and another on the way). In my early days as a parent of one, I was overly eager to find effective ways of discipline. As a result, I’d take a little from here and there (like psychological development books that also addressed “discipline” as well as those “helpful” free subscriptions to parenting magazines) and mix it in with the teachings from God’s Word that I knew were right. My intentions were right, but my methods were all mixed up. (Sidenote: I can’t WAIT to share with you a godly resource on parenting in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!)

What is the problem here? As women eager to fulfill our roles we have to be careful that we don’t just absorb everything out there, even if it comes under the guise of “Christian counsel” (there are many Scriptures on the cautions of false prophets - consider Jude 4). And contrary to the idea that you figure out what you are supposed to do as a parent, we certainly can’t just follow what our heart tells us to do! (Jeremiah 17:9)

So how do we know what is Scriptural verses what simply seems to have worked for someone else? I recall a program sometime ago about those who go to great lengths to protect our monetary system by finding counterfeiters. You might think they research the tricks and deception that are currently out there, but really, they make themselves so familiar with the original bill that it it second nature for them to find a fake. Sister, we should be likewise minded - knowing the “original” book of advice and instruction so well that we can easily spot something that would lead us down the wrong path, no matter how “well-meaning” it may seem. We HAVE to be on guard, because the Enemy would love nothing more than to creep into our homes and destroy our families by influencing our roles as wives and mothers.

Much love,

Ashlie

Stay at Home Saturday

TNT TIP

Out of buttermilk? Try this homemade version: Put one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup, then add enough milk to make one cup. Stir and let stand for at least 5 minutes before using. You could also buy buttermilk and freeze in ice cube trays. Then when you need some you can just defrost it!

Your medical lesson for the day

My post today may seem a little . . . jittery. I am on a seriously strong antibiotic that makes me shaky and a little hyper. I've been knocked out the past two weeks with a cold that morphed into one nasty infection so I'm so grateful for the meds. I've had sinus problems forever, and I've been on a lot of antibiotics over the years. I always dreaded this because the antibiotics wreaked absolute havoc on my already-sensitive-tummy. It wasn't until a kind pharmacist told me about something that changed my life: Probiotics.

When you take an antibiotic, it not only kills the bad bacteria but also the good. This is why people often have cramping, diarrhea, etc. when they are on antibiotics. However, you do not have to suffer! There is a natural way to save you from this! On drugstore shelves you'll find products called probiotics. These are capsules that are filled with good bacteria to replace what's lost in the system while you're on antibiotics. Trustworthy brands include Align and Culturelle. Probiotics are also great if you suffer from digestive upset while traveling, or if your little one is constipated regularly (talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how much to give your child). Probiotics also help you avoid feminine problems you might get from an antibiotic.

Probiotics are also found in yogurts, but if this isn't enough, then a capsule might be for you. In fact, I'm off right now to put some in my daughter's milk, since she's on an antibiotic too. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I'll be more than excited to try and help you out!

Love,

Amy

Wednesday In The Word: Flaming Arrows

Ephesians 6:16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

You know, there are times in our life that we get so preoccupied with what is going on within our own shpere of life that we loss sight of all that is going on outside. We miss out on bigger events that God may be calling us to. I learned a great lesson when I read this verse many years ago.

The illustration in this verse is literally of cities being surrounded by walls. There would be battles taking place on the outside and the enemy would send flaming arrows over the walls into the city so that the people within the walls would be so consumed with putting out those fires that they could not fight the enemy on the other side of the wall.

From the rooftop:
We all have distractions and flaming arrows that discourage us and keep us from fighting the bigger battles in live.
When you ask Jesus to guide you throughout your day you are putting on the shield of faith
That shield will enable us to have control over the little flames in our life and keep us focused on what is important.
Most of the time life is a battle and we can be victorious if we call out to Jesus and stay focused on Him.

I am praying for you that you will pick up the shield of faith. So that you can put out all the little fires that are distracting you from all that God wants to do with your life.

I love you,
Glenda

Train Up Tuesday: Lovey Fun

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I’d share some of the activities we’ve been working on at our home to encourage you to get creative with your little ones.

This first idea I found on Chasing Cheerios. It’s basically a tub that is (supposed to be) filled with sand or rice. I didn’t have enough of anything, so it’s a little dried oatmeal, grits, lentils, and rice :) My boys have always like playing in dried foods (like an indoor sandbox), and with this activity, you can switch out treasures to find throughout the year. For Valentines, we have foam hearts, erasers, rings, and confetti. The boys dig to find their treasures (sometimes there is a wrapped chocolate in there, too)!

If you’ve had a baby in the last few years, you may already get the weekly emails from babycenter.com (if you aren’t it’s a good resource for tracking your child’s development and it offers fun activities for their age). This week, they mentioned making heart shaped crayons using scrap crayons and melting them in silicone molds (Target sometimes sells these in their Dollar Spot around Valentine’s Day). My 4 year old helped peel the paper and my 22 month old was able to help with breaking the crayons. You can get detailed instructions here.

Voila! I wish I would have saved up enough crayons (or bought a box when they were on sale with back-to-school) to have been able to make these as Valentine’s gifts for the boys’ friends. Maybe next year.

Speaking of Valentine’s gifts/cards, the last 3 years, I’ve used my boys’ handprints/fingerprints in making their cards for the family. I wish I had photos of them to share with you, but I took the ideas from things I found in Oriental Trading magazines, which, by the way, you can also find online. If you go to their site and search the term “handprint” you will find lots of inspiration for your own cards. One year, we made our own version of this handprint heart and last year we made this ASL symbol for “I love you” inspired by this pin.

This year, we’ve made our own version of this card. I really like the phrase for the front of the card. On the inside of our card, I have both of the boys’ hands (one as a handprint from the toddler and the other as hand tracing from the preschooler). I have a feeling that it will be especially meaningful to the great-grandparents who don’t live close by.

Finally, one last thing. Here is a video of our family's favorite little “lovey” song. It’s a song by The Roots band called “Lovely Love My Family”.

Have a happy Valentine’s! (hey, I know it’s considered a “fake holiday” created by the greeting card families, but sometimes we need a little boost to remind us to how important our friends and family are to us, right?)

Much love,

Ashlie

Disney Deals!!! And, "You've Got Mail"

DISNEY DEALS

Happy Monster Band plush toys are on clearance for $2.99, PLUS - right  now, everything in the store is an additional 25% off! That makes these cuties just $2.24! I got these for Valentines morning. They will be sitting in the boys chairs when they get up for breakfast!

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

I found these CUTE little mailboxes at Target (in the dollar bins!). Starting February 1st, up until Valentine's Day, we will have these mailboxes out in our kitchen. If your flag is UP...YOU'VE GOT MAIL! My boys love the element of surprise, so they are really excited about this activity. As you can see, the flags are UP! Can't wait until tomorrow morning. Chop, chop - go to Target and get some! A lot of fun for only a buck!

                                       

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stay-at-Home Saturday: How Condensed Soup Can Change Your Life

WAIT! Before you blow off this post, will you trust me? It isn't all about the joys of cream of chicken soup, I promise.

One of the greatest joys I have had as a homemaker is finding small ways to change someone else's life. That may seem a little strange, as I spend most of my time in my home with my 2 kiddos. However, being at home doesn't confine the ways I can bless others; it just encourages me to be creative with it. If you are feeling a little stuck at home, feeling like you aren't making a difference (we've ALL had days/weeks/months like that!), may I suggest a small way you can help others in need?

Thanks to couponing and shopping the sales, I am able to walk away from the grocery store almost every week with items I haven't paid for. Many times I get items that I won't use in my own kitchen. That's where the excitement of it all comes in. I have a bag in my coat closet that I fill up with just such items, and when that bag gets full, I take it to my church's food bank. Presto! I've just made a difference. Toothbrushes, cereal, pasta sauce, blood glucose monitors (seriously!) - I've donated it all. This week I combined a sale and 2 coupons to get 4 cans of high-priced condensed chicken soup for $0.60 each. I will keep two and donate two.

I challenge you to set up a paper bag in your pantry/garage/trunk/coat closet to begin collecting items for a local food bank. Even if you don't choose to coupon, you can still set the goal of buying one item each week that you can donate. Even if you buy a $1 can of sliced peaches, someone out there needs it and can use it. Start small and I promise you that you will be excited to watch your "stash" grow!

And now for the joys of condensed soup . . .

Why not save some $$ and make your own? (I realize that I just told you I bought 4 cans, but hey, I go through a lot of condensed soup!) My goal is to make batches of it and freeze in can-size proportions. However, if I'm ever stuck without it, I'll have my back-up cans! And you know what the best part is? There are no yucky little squares of dark meat chicken!

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Courtesy of http://www.tammysrecipes.com/

Yield: 3 cups (about 2 cans)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt (or less, taste to test)
1/4 tsp. parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 c. milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Love,
Amy

Wednesday In The Word

Have you ever noticed how much visiting with a good friend can refresh your soul?

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22:

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

There are times when we just feel like dry bones and need God to breath life into us and our daily lives. We can remember happier times when everything seemed brighter but we just can't recreate that time no matter how hard we try. That is exactly the time that we need to call out to God and ask Him to give us the vision and passion that we need for this earthly life.

It has been my experience that God often provides friendships to encourage us when we are at this impasse in life. I have sat across the kitchen table over a cup of coffee with a friend whose joyful cheerful heart has always been medicine to my soul.

From the Rooftop:

If you are in a point in your life that your heart is full of joy, ask God to put people in your path that need the medicine that your heart and life can provide

If you are at a point in your life where you feel like dry bones, without much life, ask God to put a person with a joyful cheerful heart across your path. It will be medicine to your soul.

We all need to help each other when we are cheerful and when we are empty.

I am praying for you, that you are blessed and that you will be a blessing.

Love,
Glenda

Train Up Tuesday: Nothing Quite Like Quantity Time

I’m writing this after a weekend of being “snowed in” with my family at home. Believe it or not, I loved it, although at one time in my life this probably would have made me “stir crazy”! I think part of it is partly due to the habit we have been in lately of spending quantity time together every weekend by having a “theme night.”

No doubt, most of you have a special movie night or game night as well. We started out with movie night a couple of months ago. In the last few weeks, though, we’ve had a game night (which is interesting when the oldest child is 4 years old) and an arts and crafts night. No other agendas. No looking deeply for “teachable moments” (although if they clearly presented themselves we wouldn’t neglect them). No “goals” for teaching something new or important. Just enjoying each others presence, personalities, and silliness. My 4 year old begins to look forward to our special Friday or Saturday night at the beginning of each week, when we’ve discussed what we might do.

So, here are some activities from our last “arts & crafts” night (which was more of a day, night, and into the weekend!) that you might enjoy. First, we put paint into small containers and then placed marbles (and I think a die ended up in there) and swirled them around to cover them. Then, we placed paper (cut to size) in cylinders (potato chips, oatmeal, and grits), dropped in the paint covered marbles, and sealed them back. The boys then had fun pushing, rolling, and shaking the cylinders. Finally, voila, a masterpiece!

Another bit of silliness I rediscovered was a fun food called “squid dogs”. I honestly can’t remember the blog where I first saw them, but familyfun.com showcased them this month. Basically, it is hotdog segments with dry noodles shoved through them. Then, the whole creation is boiled until cooked. Both of the boys enjoyed making these...”creatures”. What an appropriate dinner for an “art day”!

As I mentioned, it was a cold weekend for us, and fortunately, I saw this great idea for such weather on Nikki Mans' Whimsy-Love site - a nature sun catcher. Super easy to make, fun, and pretty! The weather allowed it to last for a couple of days, too!

We also did other simple projects like playing with stamps, doodling, taking pics of their doodles for future projects, and gluing magazine cutouts to construction paper.

Like I said, nights like these have helped us each to love our scheduled time together...which in turn helped us to enjoy our unplanned time together.

What type of things do you do enjoy quantity time with your family? Do you have any favorite “theme nights”?

Much love & have much fun,

Ashlie