"Pairing" Down

As I sit typing this, my house is full of piles. Each room contains its own. And although it looks chaotic, I know exactly where I want each pile to go. I'm just waiting for time to put it all away. Doing a little each day should get everything done, oh say, by the time we are ready to leave again.

As I go through all our belongings and look at the things I leave home so often, I realize that I really have more than I need. Like that pair of shoes that I have to go with that one outfit. You know what I mean, we all have things that we are waiting for just the right time to use. 

Let the purge begin! Time to go through all the closets, drawers, bookshelves...and maybe the attic if I think I can survive the heat. Purging can be tedious and not always my favorite thing to do. Purging can also be rewarding. Less stuff means not as much to dust or launder. Most importantly, I'm praying that God will direct me to who I can give our "stuff" to. We have been so blessed by friends who have given to us in this way. I can't wait to share the blessing.

Several years ago, I spent a few weeks in Panama. It was my first time to go outside of the country. It was also my first time to really see how blessed Americans are with ALL that we have. Coming away from that trip, I was determined not to be attached to accumulating possessions. It is so easy to loose site of that goal. Taking stock of what I have and what I don't really need keeps me in perspective.

What about you? Summer is a great time to purge your possessions. Pray that the Lord will direct you to give your "purge pile" to someone who needs it!

Check this out...

Great summer giveaway on a "new-to-me" Elizabeth George book. (Breaking the Worry Habit...Forever) Enter this giveaway for yourself here.

Enjoy her blog too :-)

A Mom After God's Own Heart book review

These days it is rare that I am able to finish a book. I love to read, but have very limited reading time. This book however kept me wanting to come back for more! There are many days throughout my motherhood where I feel like nothing has been accomplished. I am a failure as a mother. No progress is being made. Have you ever felt like that?

But mothering isn't a job where you will see immediate results. The subtitle of this book is "10 Ways to Love your Children." The Lord wants me to get my focus off of seeing results and turn it toward loving my children. Titus 2:4 states that younger women are to learn "to love their children" (among other things).

Elizabeth George gives 10 practical, yet intensely spiritual ways to love your children everyday. I'm not going to list all 10 of those ways because I want you to read the book!! I will highlight a few of the major points just to whet your appetite.

• Take time to grow in your own walk with the Lord - Very elementary, I know, but when there is a baby in the house, it is hard to find time to spend with the Lord. Every little moment counts. I may not have an hour to spend each day in God's Word and prayer, but I have little minutes to meditate on His Word. I have small chunks of time here and there to pray. "The prerequisite for teaching your children about God successfully is that you love God completely." (pg 39)
• Talk to your children about God - "Do you want your children to love God? Then simply talk about Him. Why talk about God? Because we talk about what's important to us. And when we don't talk about God, we send a loud message to our children that God really isn't that important." (pg 71)
• Talk to your children about Jesus - "Until  you and I wake up every single morning and know without a doubt that 'Today, if I don't get anything else done, I must teach my children about my Lord Jesus,' we are aiming at the wrong target." (pg 89)
• Try your best - This is especially for those days you feel like a failure. Remember what your priorities as a woman and a mom should be.
• Know who you are - My number one goal in life, apart from my own walk with the Lord, should be being "supportive and encouraging to my husband and children." (pg 195)
• Know what it is you do - Have you ever tried to please everyone? What about burning your candle at both ends by taking on extra work, whatever that work may be? I have!! My focus right now and the place where I spend my time and energy (apart from the Lord) must be on my husband and children. Do you know how much tension is relieved when I live this way? When I am trying to be all things to all people, I start snapping at my family or ignoring them in some way. I get frustrated at them because they get in the way of the projects that I am trying to accomplish. God has given me this time with my children. I don't want to miss it!

There is so much more I could mention, but this post is getting too long. You'll just have to read the book!

A few things to help my sanity

I can't count on my hands any more the number of days I have felt like I am completely losing my sanity. Sometimes I feel like I am running from one mess to another...one emergency to another...while still trying to do all the other tasks of running a household. These are the days when I feel like my sanity walks out the door. (Lack of sleep and lack of conversation with anyone older than two also contribute to loss of sanity.)

It is on these days that I am thankful for social networking. It is so nice to be able to read blogs of friends who have either been there, done that or who are in the midst of it right now. It's kind of like being able to sit down and have a good meaningful conversation with someone and walk away encouraged, with spirits lifted.

So I just wanted to share with you a few of the blogs I like to keep up with. And when I say few, I mean few. Wish I had time for more, but I don't right now.

Joy-filled Days (http://www.joyfilleddays.wordpress.com/) - Sarah has been a wonderful encouragement to me through all her posts. She's been in my shoes (5 times over) and has encouraging biblical advice to share. I was privileged to stay in her house for a week and see christian motherhood in action. I kind of feel like she is a "kindred spirit." Maybe it's because we both share a love for anything by Jane Austin :-)

For His Pleasure (http://www.allforhispleasure.blogspot.com/) - Great creative blog by a wonderfully creative girl! I love reading about all her decorating adventures! She also has an adorable line of accessories for girls on etsy. You can find the link on her blog.

Happenings at the Haines (http://www.happeningsatthehaines.blogspot.com/) - My sister shares of her adventures with her little guys and also shares some great homeschooling tips and activities she is doing with her preschool/toddlers.

Only From Scratch (http://www.onlyfromscratch.blogspot.com/) - Another great blog to inspire creativity and culinary masterpieces that are do-able for a busy mom.

So if you have a minute, check these places out! Maybe you'll find a new "friend" to help you keep your sanity.

The Merry Month of May

What have you been up to this month? We made our first family visit to Massachusetts. It was fun exploring the Mayflower and seeing Plymouth Rock. By the time we made it to the plantation, Hudson started (and continued) to cry so we only stayed long enough to see the Indian village...um, I mean the Native People village. (those of you who have been there will know what I am talking about!) To bad I forgot my camera!!

Our next week was spent in Radford,VA. That's where these shenanigans occurred...

From there we went to Toms River, NJ for a week and were able to see the ocean again!! This time Ethan and Daddy put their feet in the water. We also had a sweet visit from Grandma Cowser. She only lives about 2 hours from where we were located, so she came to spend the day with me and the boys.

Our next stop was Indianapolis, IN. Both the boys came down with runny noses while here. They both very well may have had a cold, I think both of them are teething...Ethan with his 2 year molars and Hudson with his two top teeth. The still have runny noses this week and Hudson is just randomly cranky (which isn't like him) so I do believe it is teething. Hoping we have something to show for it from Hudson's mouth soon! So while we were in Indianapolis, we spent a little bit of time at Build-a-Bear. Ethan chose to make a bunny rabbit. Here he is stepping on the peddle to put stuffing in his rabbit. He creatively chose the name "Peter Rabbit" for his bunny :-)

Time to give the bunny a bath!!

Here's the bear I stuffed...I mean, here's a cute little onlooker.

Story time for stuffed animals and happy children

A Home is for Hospitality

What would you do if a family of four showed up on your doorstep one night with four suitcases, garments bags, a pack-and-play, a box of toys, a potty chair and various and sundry bags besides? My first instinct would probably be to turn off my front porch light and close the door and post a sign on the door saying "No room in the inn." Ok, not really, but my jaw might drop in amazement at the task before me of fitting all that stuff with those people included in my house. Not just for one night mind you, but for a whole week.

This is us...every week. I wish we could interview those who we've stayed with to get their initial reaction of all our stuff that kept coming off the truck bed and into their house. Maybe I don't want to know. But in my defense, I've gone over and over how I can pack lighter, but there is just no way with two toddlers to take care of. 

Needless to say, I've learned MUCH about hospitality these past several weeks. I guess I've also learned how to be a better house guest too :-) I find myself wishing I were home more so I could put into action what I've learned. So I am by far not the expert on this subject. The Lord has just given me opportunities to learn from the experts as I've stayed with them.

So if you ever find of family of four standing on your doorstep with loads of luggage or even if you are having someone over for dinner these tips might be of some use to you.

• Make sure you have enough comfortable seating. I'm putting this one first because it seems like something I always forget, especially when we have couples older than ourselves over.
• Whether you are entertaining overnight guests or just having dinner guests, inform your guests where they can put their belongings while at your house. No one wants their things in the way or in high traffic areas. Also remember to help them gather their belongings when they leave.
• If you know you will be entertaining kids, toddlers or babies...
• Scrounge up any age appropriate toys you may have and set them out for your little guests to play with. Kids have excellent memories and will associate you with those special toys you let them play with while they were visiting.
• Put up any breakable or not-so-easy to replace items. It relieves parent's tension if they know there is nothing their child could accidently (or purposefully) break.
• If you have some kid-friendly silverware, cups or plates, set them out for your little guests to enjoy. Make the meal simple for them by providing them with lots of paper napkins or having them eat in a place that is "spill-proof" (ie: you may not want to seat a child on your newly cleaned white carpet).
• Do they need a place to sleep while at your house? Toddlers and babies might. Let the mom know where they can lay their little ones down in a quiet part of the house.
• Be considerate of their schedule. Try not to keep them out too late if possible.
• For out of town guests or overnight guests, offer them something special. Try to find out what their favorite snack is or maybe their favorite dish. My husband loves when people ask him what his favorite cereal is. Another fun idea is putting a gift bag of goodies on their bed. You can give them anything. Candy bars, snacks and drinks for the car, a map of the area, lotion, soap... Just make sure it is something they can fit in their suitcase :-)
• If you have out of town guests, suggest interesting places for them to visit while in your area. Take them to a favorite area restaurant or out for ice cream. If you know of good deals in the area, give your guests the "inside scoop." Just recently we were staying near Plymouth, MA and our gracious hostess, Sarah, helped us get discounted tickets to visit the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. She also watched our boys so we could go on date :-)
• One of my favorite tips (also learned from my sweet hostess, Sarah)...let them have access to your personal "library" of books/movies. I love to read, but as I travel across the country, my space is limited and I can't go to just any library. How nice it was to read something new!

To sum things up...when you have visitors in your house, let your house become their house during their stay. You want them to feel at home! I have been so blessed and refreshed by so many who have opened their homes in such a gracious way to our young family.

Let me encourage you not to shy away from being hospitable. It is so easy to talk yourself out of having guests in your house, whether for an evening meal or overnight. But if you are waiting for "just the right time" to have people into your house, that time may never come and you will be missing out on a blessing. 

"Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality." Romans 13:13