Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom...

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened..." (Luke 11:8-10)

So, I sort of had one of those "aha" moments tonight while praying and reading. I know this verse; many of us know this passage and how Jesus, in the original language, is saying to "keep on asking" "keep on seeking" and "keep on knocking". Of course our Glorious and Gracious God and Father knows our needs before we even know them ourselves. Of course He has promised to "add all these other things unto us" as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6) and of course He will clothe us like the lilies of the field and He will feed us like the birds of the air, but we have to ask...and not just ask, but keep on asking almost as if we are being - annoying?
I went in search of this verse tonight. I just wanted to read it in context and I am so glad I did, and so glad that I started in verse 1 so that I experienced verse 8. The man who came to his neighbor in the middle of the night for bread did not receive the bread because he was such a good friend of the man to whom he came, but because of his persistence. Dictionary.com says "persistent" is:
1. insisting, in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.;
2. lasting or enduring tenaciously
3. constantly repeated
So now, to my "aha" moment. My relationship with God is directly related to how I parent. Can I just tell you? I HATE when my children ask me for the same thing more than once - even if I know I am going to give it to them, it is good for them, I plan on doing it - "just ask me once and wait patiently for me to do it!!!" This is how I am with God. I ask once! And I wait. Perhaps I was told "no" a lot as a child and just learned to accept it. If God doesn't "answer" immediately, I take it as a "no" or a "not now" and I move on to something else.
What am I missing out on by not persistently asking my Father, who longs to give good gifts to me, His child, over and over and over again, according to His will, the things I need, want and long for? And, as a parent, what can I teach my children about perseverance and persistence in life by shutting them up so quickly and commandingly? Can I be teaching them about imploring God for their own desires, surrendered to His will, that they have by instead telling them to "ask me again later, now isn't the right time?", or something similar to that? I think I should try this.
Now, granted, there are times when the answer is "no" and children need to accept that graciously and move on, or the answer may be "yes, but wait", or "not now" and obedience should be practiced as well, but I am taking ti as a personal challenge to answer at least one of my children's requests tomorrow with, "that sounds like a great idea, but can you remind me in a couple minutes?" and see what that does for all of us.
Just a thought about God, our Father, and mothering...

I'm Busy!

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

Tonight, after dinner and baths and evening "straightening up", while sitting on the couch, nursing Cadel to sleep, I realized, I am busy! Between homeschool (determined to have Naomi reading fluently by Fall), curriculum and homeschool-method research, birthday planning (Beckham is turning 3 on Saturday), housekeeping (wouldn't it be nice to be able to take a day off from this, but not have it accumulate only to have twice as much to do the following day), shopping, planning, fellowshipping, playing with my wonderful family, and oh yeah, breathing - life just seems a little hectic these days and tonight I realized it.

Tonight, when I sat down, after the kids were asleep, to do my evening devotions, I realized that even my time in God's word, is busy! Reading systematically through God's word is amazing, and having the whole counsel of God in my heart and at my disposal is priceless, but sometimes a psalm and proverb in the morning and 3 pre-arranged chapters every evening become like everything else, a duty! Tonight, I needed intimacy with my Sweet Savior.

I sat on the couch and hugged my bible like a little girl hugging her favorite teddy bear (and to continue with this analogy, my bible is the equivalent of the raggedy old teddy bear that is missing an eye and whose nose stitches are all but gone - ha!). I genuinely wanted to "snuggle" with my Lord, feel Him wrap me up in His arms and say, "Rest. Find peace and solace in Me." Those three chapters of Joshua I missed tonight will still be there tomorrow night, and God will speak to me in them just like He has spoken to me from Genesis and Revelation and every book in between, but tonight I turned to a favorite place, a place filled with underlines, notes and encouragement - Philippians!

Oh what Joy we have in Christ! What encouragement that He who began a good work in us will complete it! What encouragement to be reminded to do things in love, with likemindedness and with a spirit of humility, preferring others before ourselves. To press towards the goal, the prize, not that we have already attained it, but laying a hold of it, because Christ has laid a hold of us. Our citizenship is in heaven - Amen! And "finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8).

My Jesus met me right there on the couch and wrapped me up in His loving arms and encouraged me. He reminded me of what I already knew and comforted my weary mind. My heart is not weary - Praise the Lord. Serving Him through serving my family is my joy and my calling. I am so grateful to be where I am, and doing what I am doing, but in the hustle and bustle of "life", I forgot about where to put my mind - on the true, noble, just, pure and lovely things that surround my life!

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear

May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer

Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there

Starting from Scratch - A Series?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I had a thought the other day about blogs and how almost every (if not every) blog you read is about the things we all do right! I haven't seen very many blogs about the cookies we burnt, the icing that melted, the party that was a flop or the homeschooling mom who got burnt out and sent her kids back to public school. Oh no! Blogging is for our victories that we want to share with others to give them insight and inspiration that may spur them on to great things in their own journeys towards greatness, and I LOVE that these blogs exist. I have gleaned so much from the amazing women whose blogs I have chosen to "follow". From recipes to party planning, and homeschooling to housekeeping: blogging women have come into my home and head and have inspired and launched many of the disciplines and creativity's that are a part of our home today. But I thought I would do something different!

I named this post (perhaps a series if I get inspired) "Starting from Scratch" because that is what I am. I am a first generation Christian, Homeschooling and Stay At Home Mom who happens to be in a very happy and successful marriage. I was raised by my agnostic (at best), atheist (at worst), choleric and very type-A father. I am the oldest of two (I have a brother) and we didn't have a "great" childhood - but neither one of us ever really complained. I came to the Lord in my teens (Senior Year of High School) at a Greg Laurie Church service around Thanksgiving in 1995. It didn't take much for me to realize that things needed to change in my life - immediately - and I didn't seem to have too much trouble allowing the Holy Spirit access into my life to make those changes.

It just seemed natural that I should change my plans for studying abroad at the American University of Paris after graduating high school to go to Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murietta, CA. I needed to put some knowledge behind this "faith" that I had newly acquired. I am certain God gave me the gift of faith upon salvation, although I didn't know it at the time, but because of my need for head knowledge and understanding, I needed to not have "stupid faith". I needed confidence and cohesiveness in my new way of life! And off I went to study the bible - what a culture shock!!!

My first day on campus, I cussed! Loudly! The "F" word! Starting from scratch, right!!! Hey, the only book in the Bible I had read at this point was the Gospel of John (isn't that where we all start?) and a little bit of Genesis and Psalms. I didn't know that it says,"Let no corrupt communication proceed from your mouth..." in Ephesians. Oh, but boy did I know that it was not okay to do that again after seeing the looks of the faces of those five people sitting around the pool with me that day.

No one taught me about devotions (or what this "Christianese" word even meant), or praying before meals (and why?) or so many other things that those who are raised in Christian homes take for granted (don't get me wrong...I find "no fault" in those who were raised in Christian homes and pray to God every day that my children too will be raised in such a way that they "take for granted" these disciplines of a faith-filled life). But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I learned them, all from scratch. I learned the relevance and necessity of spending time with Jesus in the morning before my day began, and spending time with him the evening before I went to sleep (read Psalm 55:17). I learned that praying before my meals was not because the food I was eating may have been sacrificed to idols, or because it was "unholy", but because it was just another opportunity for me to recognize Jesus Christ and what He did for me - the sacrifice that He made for me on the cross to forgive my sins, and just to thank Him - for anything and everything. I learned that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and if I put in "good", those "bad words" won't come out anymore! I learned that I was indeed, a new creation in Christ!

And now, fifteen years later, here I am. A first generation Christian mother of four amazing children, who was never led by a parent in prayer or family devotions - yet endeavoring to do that with my children. A mother, not raised by a mother but by a father (she is in my life now, and I love her dearly, but she was not around at pivotal times in my childhood), who was not taught how to make a bed (my husband taught me after we were married!!!) or how to clean a house properly (I am getting better - and actually have a "cleaning date" planned with my grandmother who is going to "teach me" how to thoroughly and deeply clean an entire home - I can't wait), but eager each day to create an environment of loveliness in my home by being dilligent, not eating the bread of idleness and tending to the ways of my household (Proverbs 31). I am a public-school taught, self-motivated and natural learner who is stepping out in faith to bring my children home and teach them a Classical Education with a Christian worldview, completely unsure how to do it, where to start, what to buy and not to buy and whether or not it will "work" in our house.

I am making mistakes. I am uncertain and definitely not an expert. But, I have victories in Christ. He is my strength. He is my joy and He is the lifter of my head. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and walking in the center of His will for my life makes these impossibilities (homeschool? Four children? My step-daughter? With a preschooler, toddler and a baby? really Lord?), possible and even exciting. I feel empowered and think I will document my mistakes and my victories and perhaps someday someone else who has never been led in family devotions, but feels called by the Lord to raise her children in the way they should go, might feel encouraged by my mistakes and failures (oh, we've had plenty of setbacks, but that will be another post) and carry on! Perhaps!

Freezer Cooking - Revised

As my freezer slowly regained the space it once had before I loaded it down with over 30 meals in various shapes, sizes and flavors, I started to realize that the opportunity I was provided to spend an entire day cooking was most likely NOT going to present itself again, but I really enjoyed the freedom Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) gave to me as well as the money it saved at the grocery store (being able to buy in bulk when items were on sale instead of buying what I needed, when I needed it, at whatever price it happened to be). So, I decided to do a revised version of freezer cooking:

I was still able to buy all of my meat on sale (no cut above $2.00/lb) and all at once. I bought a good variety of different cuts of beef, some chicken legs, thighs and breasts, as well as some pork (I didn't buy pork last time because it isn't our "favorite", but it was only $.97/lb - how could I pass that up?). This time, however, I came home and put it all in the freezer, instead of the refrigerator, and decided to take it slowly. I made my menu for the month and took the how-do-you-eat-an-elephant-?-one-bite-at-a-time approach:

Saturday - Slow Cooker Roast (3 1/2 lb)

• 1 1/2 lb - Saturday Evening with Roasted Veggies
• 1 lb - Monday Tacos with Rice and Beans
• 1 lb - Into Freezer for a meal later in the month

Sunday - Salad and Fryer Chicken (no left-overs)

Monday - BBQ Beef and Shrimp Kabobs with Rice (no left-overs)

Tuesday - Chicken Drumsticks (5lb)

• 2 lb - Chicken Soup (2 servings - one for tonight and one for the freezer for later in the month)
• 3 lb - in slow cooker to be shredded and used in 3 different chicken meals for later in the month
• Bones, Broth and Left-Overs will be used to make Chicken Stock tomorrow for the rest of the month's cooking

Wednesday - Pork Loin (5 1/2 lb) - cooked in slow cooker

• Wednesday Night - BBQ Pork with Baked Potato and salad (1 1/2 lb)
• The remaining 4 lb will be used in 2-3 other meals for later in the month (haven't found anything yet, but at least one of them will be BBQ Pork Sandwiches)

Thursday - Chicken Breasts (5 lb) - Broiled

• Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu with mashed potatoes and veggies
• The rest of the chicken will be cubed and made into three different dishes for the freezer- chicken pot pie, Chinese Chicken Chow Mein, Chicken Taco Salad

Friday - Ground Beef (4lb) - used in various ways

• Friday - Mexican Lasagna (Brown 2 lb together, use one for Lasagna and one freeze for tacos later in the week)
• 1 lb make meat balls for Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup - so good)
• 1 lb make Meat Loaf (we never finish a meatloaf made with 2lb so one if fine and we just use a smaller pan) for later in the week

Saturday is left-over day and Sunday we'll start pulling stuff out of the freezer. After this week's cooking and freezing, I will still have about 10 lb of meat in the freezer waiting to be used, but I will also have about 14 meals already prepared and waiting to be served. I will alternate between freezer meals and "from scratch" meals throughout the remaining weeks until all of my meat is gone and then start the process all over again. I think this might be a good adjustment to OAMC for me!

I did it!!!

This is an "aside"...no verse directly related to this, but I had to post it.

Today I cooked over 30 meals (dinners and some lunches for the next month) and I am so excited!!!

I have been doing some reading about Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) and thought it would be fun to try, but with our income the way that it is, I didn't think we'd ever be able to have enough money to buy all the stuff we needed for the whole month in one shopping. Well, we got a gift card in the mail on Friday for $150 from Verizon (for signing up with FIOS) - free money basically. I decided this might be the chance we needed to "get ahead" and went to the grocery store on the hunt for good deals on meat.

This is what I came home with:

8 pounds of Lean Ground Beef

10 pounds Round Steak

3 1/2 pounds Rib Eye Roast

3.7 pounds Flank Steak

4 pounds chicken drumsticks

4 pounds chicken breasts

2 pounds shrimp

After a couple more grocery stores (Sprout and Trader Joe's for produce) and 13 hours in the kitchen, it turned into over thirty meals, inlcuding:

Hamburger Patties

Taco Meat

Meat Loaf

Albondigas

Shepherd's Pie

Chicken Soup

Shrimp Soup

BBQ Chicken Pasta

Chicken Pot Pie

Crunchy Chicken Sticks

Fajitas

Stir Fry

Swiss Steak

Beef Stroganoff

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

And oh so much more...

So, for less than $110 (which, really, net it was $0 because I used the gift card from Verizon) and a REALLY long day in the kitchen, I have my entire menu planed until the middle of May and all I have to do it remember to take the "dinner" out of the freezer the night before, heat it up with some side dishes (some of which are also already in my freezer -- thank you!) and dinner is served!

So much fun! You should try it :-)

Bigger is not always Better

"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar" (Proverbs 31:14 NIV)

As the manager and keeper of my home, and without a real income to assist in the expenses of our home, I see it as my job to cut costs as a way of contributing to the bottom line of our family. I have already cut our "food" budget from over $1200/month (for a family of 6 - including non-grocery items like cleaning supplies, baby supplies and personal care items) down to less than $600/month, but I am determined to do more. So, in an effort to be like our lady of example, bringing my food from afar consists of checking the weekly ads from various grocery stores, determining what to buy where and distinguishing the advatages and disadvantages of going to multiple or a single store in any given week (depending on how great the sale and our needs for that week).

For weeks I have been debating on whether or not to invest in a membership to Costco. I fear that if I buy in bulk (snacks especially) that we will eat in bulk! But, I know that if there is a huge difference in cost for things like meat, I can freeze, or prepare meals ahead of time (thus adding to our savings my insuring that we will not eat out because I will always be prepared with meals in the freezer!!!). Since Costco doesn't send out those handy little weekly ads that let you know what is on sale, I had to make one myself. Armed with a pad of paper and a pen, I walked in Costco like I had a membership (pretending to be on the phone and distracted) and I began my investigation. Here is what I found:

When Bigger is Better:
Snacks - prices on snacks are fairly impressive at Costco. I know everyone buys different things for her family, but here are a couple examples of how much cheper some of the items we buy are at Costco

• Nutella - about $3.00/jar savings
• Gummies - about $6.00 savings over 2 month supply
• Pistacios - $1.75/lb savings
• Sun Chips - $.45/individual bag savings
• Microwave Popcorn - $.63/bag savings
• Go-gurt - $2.50/package savings
• Pretzels - $1.60/package savings

Cleaning Supplies - I won't bore you with details, but if I bought all of my cleaning supplies at Costco v. my regular store, I would save about $10.00.

When Bigger is NOT Better - Meat and Produce! I was so bummed. This is the reason I went there. I was so ready to get a membership and come home with pounds and pounds of meat to have a day preparing meals for the next month and NADA! Just by way of example on a couple items:

• London Broil Beef was $1.00/lb more at Costco than the advertised price in the Stater Brothers Circular Ad
• Stew Meat was over $1.50 more at Costco than the Albertson's Ad
• Chuck Roast was $1.75 more than the Vons' Ad
• Whole Fryer Chickens weren't expensive ($.99/lb), but this week they are on sale for $.67/lb at Stater Brothers
• Chicken Breats were $1.80/lb more at Costco than the non-sale price at my regular grocery

The other items I buy frequently were very similar in price (but of course in larger quantities: Pro-less frequent shopping; Con-higher grocery bill at least one week out of the month). So, my fact finding mission led me to this conclusion - if someone wants to buy me a membership to Costco for my birthday, I will accept it :-), but for me to make up the cost of the membership in savings, it will take me months (and if I factor in the drive and the time spent doing it, I might as well stick to store hopping right here in my own neighborhood, checking the reduced to sell quickly bins for meat and seafood and buying our extra-special snack-treats when they are on sale and appreciate them all the more), and I am not sure that is worth it!

How are you contributing to the bottom line in your home? I'd love to hear!

What about bad days?

"She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27 (NASB)

God really is amazing, and has such an incredible sense of humor. You know, while I was in the shower this morning, this exact thought went through my mind, "What about bad days? Did the Proverbs 31 Woman ever have a bad day?" Did they forget verse 32 where she laid down and took a nap, or asked her husband to watch the kids so she could go to Starbucks for a break? Did she ever just not feel like (fill in the blank) and not do it?"
As I looked back at the past two weeks I see days that I neglected my schedule (the kids were sick, I was sick, we had appointments, blah, blah, blah), days that I wanted to nap more than I can remember wanting to nap than when my babies were only weeks old; days when my chores were not completed the way they should have been and moments when I did not encourage my children to complete their chores or daily disciplines the way that they should. And then, this morning at church a word of Prophesy is spoken over me where which I am told, "Concentrate - you have many decisions to make in the coming months and years. God will use others and His word to show you what to do, but you must be self-disciplined"

What other word can best describe the Proverbs 31 woman than self-disciplined?

• She gets the job done no matter what it takes (v.11)
• She works hard enough to even make a profit (vv. 11-15)
• She delays her own gratification and pleasure to invest her profits and then tirelessly works those investments for further gain (vv. 16-19)
• She generously participates in the larger community by giving to the poor (v. 20)
• She has no fear of the future (vv. 21-27)
• She is honored, respected, admired, praised and rewarded (vv. 28-31)

What is self-discipline? Well, it is obedience to God's word and His call on our lives. It can be defined as "the ability to regulate one's conduct by principal and sound judgment, rather than by impulse or social custom"*. It is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, and training to run the race with endurance and fight the fight with power and strength! But not our own strength, the strength that the Lord gives us. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul tells Timothy, "For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline". God has given me a spirit of self-discipline. I don't have to earn it or muster up the power or the will to do the right thing over and over again. But I do have to be diligent and self-disciplined to seek the Lord and concentrate on His word and the promises contained in it.
So, if the Proverbs 31 woman really did exist, then we can be certain that she wasn't perfect, and perhaps she did have "one of those days" every now and then! But the important thing here is that those days did not mark her character. Her nobility, her strength and dignity and her diligence are what she is remembered for. Because she did not "eat the bread of idleness" on a regular basis, on those days when she needed a break, she was allotted it with ease and pleasure (I speak out of assumption, not based on biblical teaching) by those around her who knew her hard work and desired to reward her with rest. She is a woman of composure, patience and self-possession who was productive, dependable and influential. By seeking to live a life marked with self-discipline, we all can be known as women with a genuine sense of calling and purpose for our lives, and with self-discipline governing the practical and spiritual areas of our lives, verses 10 through 29 of Proverbs 31 will be second nature to us and no longer an impossible mountain to climb. Then we too, along with this woman will, be given the product of our hands, and our works will praise us in the gates (v.31)