Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sewing Pillowcase Dresses

I made 5 of these this week. I have never made them before so they are getting better and faster as I go. I will write a tutorial for the next one I make. These are very easy to make. I'm just learning to sew and they are easy for me. Vintage pillowcases seem to be the cutest. I made one for each of my girls as practice dresses. I will make them each another one now that I have figured out how I like them.


Julia looks adorable. I feel like this dress is missing something? I think I may redo the bottom hem with a different fabric, or add rickrack.

Kiley. I'm not sure how I feel about the bigger girl dresses. I think we may use these as nightgowns. Modest though, no doubt. Just kind of shapeless. Maybe a nice vintage print shortened to be more like a top would be cuter.

The next set of pictures are of a pillowcase style baby dress I made for my friend who just had a little girl. I found this adorable blue toile fabric remnant about a month ago. I had no idea what I would use it for. It was only about a dollar and too cute to pass up. I was thinking I would  make a throw pillow cover with it. Anyway, it was the perfect amount of material for a baby dress.


This type of dress doesn't require a pattern, and is very simple and extremely forgiving of mistakes. I did make a template for the arm holes.

 I had no idea how to make a diaper cover so I found this tutorial online with a free printable pattern. The pattern makes a size 18-24m, so I modified it and took an inch off the top and side. I'm not sure what size I ended up with though. Looks about 6 months-ish


I hung it on a special baby hanger and made a gift tag. I used a vintage photo of a little girl that I found and printed it on card stock. I cut it with pinking shears and tied it to the hanger with ribbon. I love the boutique look of the whole gift.

I attached a clothes pin to the back of the hanger with ribbon to hold the diaper cover.

I'm sad this fabric will not be a cute pillow in my house, but it will be adorable on that baby girl.

It's hard to gauge the size of these dresses because they grow with you. the neckline can become wider and tied looser to allow for bigger arms and a bigger child. It can eventually be worn as a top with a skirt. Add a shirt underneath and they can be worn in the winter too.

Measurements for this baby dress were 12" L , 17" W, Arm holes cut at 2.5" L x 2" W J cut, the bottom hemmed with bias tape and ribbon. The armholes are lined with brown fabric made bias tape, and grosgrain ribbon for the tie. The diaper cover is just plain white fabric, also from a remnant. The entire dress cost about $5.00 to make.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Please Excuse our House

Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there,
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere!

For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the door.
I should apologize I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the door bell does not shine,
Their eyes will shine instead!

For when at times I am freed to choose
The one job or the other,
I want to be a homemaker
But first I'll be a Mother!

---Anonymous

I found this poem today and I really loved it.

Our days are usually busy...These kids are so much fun!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Father's Day Cupcakes

Kiley found these cupcakes in our Family Fun magazine. They were so cute we had to make them for Father's day tomorrow.





Ingredients


Brownie batter

Black food coloring

White frosting

Orange sugar (I mixed red and yellow)

Caramel creams (I found these in a Brach's assortment bag at Walmart)

Red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices  (I used Dots)

Hot Tamales candies



Instructions

To make a batch of 12, place liners in a muffin pan, oil them, and fill them two thirds full of your favorite brownie batter, then bake according to the recipe directions. Let the brownies cool.

(I had to cut the tops of the cupcakes off, so they would be flat)

In a small bowl, mix one or two drops of black food coloring with 1/4 cup white frosting. Transfer the frosting to a ziplock bag and snip a small section from the corner. Pipe grate lines onto each brownie and let them set for 20 minutes (I put them in the fridge to harden). Add embers with a sprinkle of orange sugar.


Prepare the grill food as instructed below and press it in place atop each brownie.


Kebabs = A caramel cream and red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices, cut into small pieces + toothpick skewers

Pork chop = two thirds of a caramel cream, molded with fingers + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

Hot dogs = Hot Tamales candies + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

Using the toothpick to add the grill marks was a little difficult, so I used one of my fine tip paint brushes.

These were really easy and fun to make. August did the kebabs.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

We made play dough


I made the girls homemade play dough today. I've never made it before. It was so very easy. Here is the recipe. (I had to substitute lemon juice because I didn't have any cream of tartar and it seems to be just fine.

Ingredients:

•1 cup flour

•½ cup salt

•2 tsps cream of tartar (you can substitue 1/4 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar for each 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar. Be aware if you use vinegar, the play-doh will have a vinegar smell)

•1 cup water

•1 tbsp oil

•Food coloring
First, combine flour, salt and cream of tarter in a saucepan. Mix liquids and gradually stir them into the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. Store in a zip-loc bag.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."



Horacio Spafford

Horacio Spafford was a prosperous attorney in Chicago. He was a devout Christian and elder in his church along with his wife Anna and four daughters.  In 1871 a great fire broke out in Chicago and most of Spafford's money and real estate investments were lost. Despite his loss he and his wife helped others who had lost their things in this great fire. His faith in God remained. In 1873 he and Anna decided to take a vacation to England. He was held up last minute by business and sent his wife and daughters alone, promising to be on the next ship out. The ship Anna and the girls were sailing on,  S.S. Ville de Havre was struck by another vessel on November 21, 1873 and sank in 12 minutes. Over 2oo people drowned including Spaffords 4 daughters. His wife, Anna was rescued unconscious at sea. When she arrived in England, she sent him a telegram that read "Saved alone. What shall I do"

Anna Spafford

He set out to England to bring his wife home, and the captain informed him of the place where their ship had gone down. He wrote in a letter, "On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs."

It was at this tragic spot in the Atlantic Ocean that he used a hotel paper and wrote the lyrics to the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul"

Spafford also lost his only son. It's been said it was in 1871 and also 1880. I have seen both stories, so I'm not sure which date is true. But this man and his wife lost their fortune and 5 of their children. (They had 2 daughters after this tragedy).

Spafford and his wife Anna moved to Jerusalem, to minister and preach the gospel to the Jews and Muslims. Spafford died in Jerusalem, in 1888, and is buried there.

If only our faith in God was just a speck of what this man's was. How great we could be for the Kingdom.



It Is Well with My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.


Refrain:

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain:

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.


Before you play this, you will have to scroll down to the bottom and turn off the auto music player. ;)

Monday, June 14, 2010

The newest member of our family

August and I had a mom and daughter day last weekend and on our way home we went to the SPCA to look at the animals. We really liked this little girl cat we met. She was such a sweetie and August wanted to bring her home, but $50 for a new cat was not in our budget. I told her to ask daddy and say her prayers, maybe God would provide a way for us to get the cat. I have been wanting another cat since shortly after our Jax kitty died in December. It took a little convincing to get Adam to agree. Getting a new cat is usually expensive with the adoption fees and shots and getting them fixed. He told us we could get a new cat after we saved first to pay for the initial care of the cat.

I shared with my mother-in-law about the cat we saw last weekend, and she told me not to go buy it because next weekend they would be free. Ohh,  I really wanted a new kitten. Sunday afternoon Adam and I went to look. We were alone thanks to a child free anniversary weekend. We first went to the pet store down the street and they didn't have any cats left. Then we went to the humane society and finally back to the SPCA where August and I had been.  They said sorry all the kittens were adopted the previous day. So I was a little bummed and decided to show Adam the sweet kitty August and I had met (that she was praying to get). She's not a kitten but that was okay. She went right up to Adam and started loving him, and he said sure we could get her. YES!!

August is such a loving hearted little girl. She has such faith in God. He answered her prayers for this little girl kitty, and provided a way for us to get her. She didn't cost a thing to adopt, she came with her shots for the year and she's spayed. God is so good and faithful to us in little things that probably don't really matter, but it it's such a wonderful reminder that He does care about our desires.

 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" Psalm 37:4

 
We brought the kitty home and set her up and then drove all over to collect our children from 2 sets of grandparents homes. We waited until we got home to tell them about the kitty. I had August come to my room first to show her. She had the biggest smile on her face, and said "Mommy, God answered my prayers, I prayed for her" He certainly did. He made the way. Had their been kittens still available, we wouldn't have adopted the cat August was praying for. He made it possible for her prayer to be answered. It increases my faith so much when He answers my children's prayers. It certainly increases their faith in Him.
 
Here is the kitty, she's a little shy right now. We're keeping her in our room until she gets used to the noise and smells of our house.
 
Twila

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Happy Anniversary!

Today Adam and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary. I hope we have 100 more!


2005
Snow trip 

2006
4th of July BBQ 

2006
with 6 month old twins

 
2007
 Maui

2007
Disneyland

2007
Disneyland

2008
Adams 30th Surprise Party

2009
Camping

2010
Zoo

2010
Baseball Game

I LOVE YOU ADAM!!!

 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:4-6

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Where are ya gonna go?

If you were to die today, do you know where your eternal soul would go? Would you go to eternal life in Heaven? Would you go to the eternal burning fires of hell? Are you not sure?

Heaven would be the most desirable place to go. It's easy to get there. You need only believe in Jesus Christ by faith alone. THAT'S IT!! "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). See, simple. Believe that Jesus Christ is God ("I and my Father are one" John 10:30) and that he died to pay for your sin and then rose again 3 days later. This is God's free gift to you. All you need to do is accept it. Once you have accepted this free gift of salvation, you can't lose it! You can't maintain it, you can't work for it, you can't sin it away. There is nothing you did to earn it, so therefore you can't do anything to lose it. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28) You are given eternal life. Something that is eternal can't end. It's everlasting. It's a common misconception that if you don't "live right" after you're saved then you are no longer saved. NOT TRUE! THIS IS A LIE! No where in the bible does it say you will lose your salvation if you don't "live right" What is right anyway? None of us can "live right", we are all sinners and still sin everyday.

This may be the only chance you get to determine your eternity. You could die today. Don't waste this chance to accept Him. Okay, follow these easy steps.

-Admit you're a sinner and believe in your heart and confess the Lord Jesus, with your mouth.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

-Realize and acknowledge that your sin must be paid for, and that death is the payment for that sin. Then ask God to save you.  (There is no magic way to pray, just talk to God)

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin has to have a payment. It's payment requirement is death. Either you pay for your sin by eternal death in hell, or you can accept the payment that Christ made already. Christ died and paid for all of your sin, past present and future. It's a free gift from God, and it's eternal through Jesus Christ ONLY!

- Believe that Christ died for YOU!

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He died for us, even though we are sinners. He was perfect and laid down his life for us. Who else would do that? He had no sin to pay for, he didn't deserve death for sin. But, he did it anyway. Know this, that if  you were the only person that ever sinned and needed redemption, he would have gone through his horrific death, just for YOU alone.

- Salvation is free to anyone who will accept it by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Salvation comes when you believe on Jesus Christ. Then you pass from death to life. - Romans 4:5 "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" This clearly states that you can't "work" or "earn" your way to Heaven. Anyone who tells you this is lying to you. Going to church won't save you, being a good person won't save you, doing rituals won't save you, helping the poor or sick won't save you, being baptized won't save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save you.

Let me know if you made the decision to be saved. All comments are moderated so it wont be publically published if you don't want it to. You don't have to even say who you are. Thanks for reading and I hope you were able to make a decision today. Don't wait, it may be too late. If you made the decision, get yourself a KING JAMES Bible. They are easy to get, you can even find them at the dollar tree. If you can't afford one, I have a few brand new ones sitting in my room, I'll mail one to you.


Friday, June 4, 2010

Sweetie Pie

Most recently my littlest girls have been into wearing ribbons or bows in their hair. They are SO expensive to buy. Long story short, I made some for them and the were so very cute, and not too difficult. I decided the older girls and I are going to (Lord willing) create our own bow making business. I've opened a seller account on etsy.com and am ordering supplies. I would like the older girls to learn how to make and start their own businesses. More on this later. It appears that bow making is quite common. So this may just be a great dream that produces nothing, but we're going to try anyway. I will post the web address link once we are ready and have some items listed for sale.

Here is a picture example of a set of bows and the cards I made. These are Emily's favorite.


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Having children will ruin your life


I happened across this article and thought it was a joke. I'm still hoping it is. The characters names are changed and this was written by a woman who has no children.

(the title is linked to the original website)

article in black, my comments in blue

(I found a lot of Shame in this article but no Glory)

Being a mother is hard. I do not know this from first-hand experience, but a close-personal-friend is a mother, and this post will be primarily about her. Let's pretend her name is something generic like Jane, okay?

Knowing a mother is not anything close to having a child, even babysitting is not even close. Sorry. A non mother can't even fathom the love that a mother has for a child, even when she is stressed out. As a close personal friend, she probably gets the moments of venting. "Being a  mother is hard". So are a lot of other things.

Jane has a ten-month old son. She lives with the father of said son, they both raise their son, and he - we'll call him John - works a full-time job and financially supports both baby and Jane, who is unable to work. (To clarify, Jane tried to work, but both Jane and John found the cost of daycare too prohibitive to make Jane's paycheck financially worth it.)

It would be ideal for John to actually make a family out of his girlfriend and son and marry her. He's already working to care for them, just do it. Go to the courthouse. Children (I know from experience) prefer their parents be married.

This man, leaves his home and family every morning to work all day long, even when he doesn't feel like it, to financially support the family he created.  Jane is not unable to work as this article states, she made a choice to have a family. Obviously, John makes enough money for her to enjoy watching her child grow and learn. Why would she prefer someone else raise her child? . A child in daycare is with a stranger most of the awake hours of the day being influenced by that stranger and not the mother. Ask ANY child if they would rather be home with Mommy or at a strange place with a stranger. They WILL choose Mommy. Where would you want to be if you were a baby? Jane should not be ashamed that she isn't dumping her kid in some place where they don't love him, she should feel lucky that her man works so hard to take care of them. This ungratefulness is probably the reason she is still unmarried.

Before Jane had her son, she had an exciting life. She had exciting jobs, that she did very well at, and that brought her decent paychecks. She had friends. Her life is drastically different, now. She only has a couple of close friends now, whom she isn't able to see very often. She doesn't have a job, and is financially dependent on somebody else, which bothers her to no end. She doesn't go out with friends - who wants to hang out with a baby? She can't really leave the house because with a ten-month-old, where are you going to go? Her interests and hobbies have dried up, and her life revolves around her son. She's trying to go back to school, but is restricted to online classes because, like I mentioned above, daycare is just not a viable option.

I actually wanted to highlight this entire paragraph. It sounds like Jane is very selfish. When you have a child, and husband (in her case a boyfriend), it's no longer about you and how you feel. People are so wrapped up in how things make them feel and forget that  commitment doesn't always "feel good". The way this is written implies that Jane's son is to blame for all her unhappiness, that he has sentenced her to a life of sitting at home and doing nothing. "She doesn't have a job", Ah, but she does have a job, it just doesn't generate a paycheck. Raising a child/children is the MOST IMPORTANT job a mother could do. She is cultivating and influencing a human being to someday be an adult and a productive member of society.

The "being financially dependent" on someone argument always irritates me. Obviously Jane doesn't like being financially dependent on the man who loves her, but would rather be financially dependent on an employer who doesn't care one bit about her or her son and could replace her in a blink of an eye. Ladies, you are ALWAYS financially dependent on someone, even if you're self employed. No one cares more about the interest of her and her son, than John does. He gets up everyday and works to make sure she and the boy are taken care of. She should be happy he does this. Again, selfish and ungratefulness could also by why she is still unmarried.

When you have children before your friends do, you will encounter friends not desiring to do things you do. It happens. There are a lot of women who have children who are also dying to be befriended. And there is nothing keeping her from actually leaving the house, she's having a selfish pity party. Pop that kid in a stroller, walk around the block, to the park (there are moms at the park, with kids), to the store, to an aquarium, museum, the library story time. Look in the phone book or Internet (it's free at the library) for local moms groups. Seriously, if you stay inside the house all day, you could go crazy. This is true even for those without kids.

Let's examine John's life. Before his son was born, he worked, hung out with friends, played video games, went hunting, fishing, and generally enjoyed a life of no strings attached manly freedom. After said baby was born, John works, hangs out with his friends, plays video games, goes fishing and about once a month goes out to the coast to spend a few days drinking and hunting and other various manly activities. When John wakes up in the morning he spends time with his son, and when he gets home after work. But he still finds time to do all the things he did before; his life has changed very little.

This is written to make John look like a jerk. When in actuality he works at least 40 hours a week, away from his girlfriend and son, not counting driving time. He only gets to see his boy for a small amount of time in the morning and evening. I don't think this childless author understands the stress that the sole financial provider is under on a daily basis. (I used to be the one who worked and my hubby stayed home, so yes I understand).

Jane has ALL DAY LONG to play video games (babies nap) hang out with friends (there are women with kids at the park), the difference is, if she doesn't feel like doing something she really doesn't have to. Unlike John, who has to work whether he wants to or not. Jane could show some interest in his hobbies and go with him fishing. A baby can go fishing. Babies don't walk, so they can go anywhere you want them to. His life may appear to have changed very little, but it has changed a lot. Before he had freedom to be frivolous and carefree, now he has to make sure there is enough money to care for 3 people. I'll bet if she stopped nagging him and resenting him he would want to be around her more (and probably marry her too).

There is nothing people love to do more than shame mothers. The glory and miracle that is breastfeeding is touted by doctors and parenting magazines a like, but stories of companies kicking out breastfeeding mothers - like this one - are far from uncommon. And let's not forget the job issues: according to a 2008 study, not only will mothers be "100% less likely to be hired" than non-mothers, and if they did get hired offered $11,000 less than their just-as-qualified-but-childless female coworkers, but "fathers got higher ratings than non-dads." And in academia, fathers are much more likely to receive tenure, even more so than childless men, while the reverse is true for women.

Breastfeeding is wonderful. It would be nice if all women breastfed. Still, breasts are seen by men as sexual body parts and it would be respectful of breastfeeding mothers to use a light blanket or cover while feeding their baby in public.

Out of the hundreds of job applications and interviews I have gone on, I have NEVER been asked if I was a mother. If you go in to an interview wearing your kids soccer photo pin, they may know you have children. A company hiring doesn't need to know anything about your personal life, they only need to know what qualifies you for this job. Telling them you are a parent is voluntary on your part.

Why are women punished (and shamed, don't forget shamed) for motherhood but men are celebrated as fathers? John (see above) has managed to cram fatherhood into his life without affecting his social life very much. Jane, on the other hand, is practically a different person than she was a year ago, with radically different interests and aspirations. Why is this?

Jane is not being punished. Jane is being put on a pedestal by her man. She needs to wake up and see the wonderful gift she has been given. His life hasn't changed much? He again has much more responsibility then he did before. She has ALL DAY LONG to do whatever she wants. He has to juggle work, a son, a naggy girlfriend (you know it's true), his hobbies, friends, the car, the bills, sleep etc.

Please don't get me wrong, her life did change drastically. And YES staying home and raising children is tiring, challenging, stressful and some days you just want to run away. But, Jane has much more freedom than she thinks she has. She has much more than if she was employed outside of the home. Then she would have to be told when she could see her child, when she could eat, pee or make a phone call. She would have to deal with her child being sick all the time from daycare, and would have even less time to worry about the friends and hobbies she no longer can participate in.

Motherhood is a lifestyle. Fatherhood is a job. That means that mothers never stop being mothers. They are always there to cook meals, wash clothes, help with homework and, if employed, litter their cubicle with pictures of their kids. Fathers? Well, men can wake up in the morning, go to work, and fatherhood isn't a big part of their life. They don't have to take time off for school events or paternity leave. Fathers aren't the parent that is called if the child gets in trouble at school. When men get home from their job, then they can be fathers. It's a hat they can take on and off, and no one begrudges them that right. Fathers can take business trips and relish their alone time. Mothers are only allowed these trips if they make sure and Skype with their children and poor lonely husband every night. Fathers have dens, and garages; mothers get kitchens and bedrooms.

There are so many things wrong with this. This makes it sound like he is going to work for fun, like he's leaving to drink beer and play poker with his buddies. He "gets" to go to work, he "gets" to go on business trips. HE'S WORKING TO SUPPORT THIS UNGRATEFUL WOMAN AND HER SON! Of course he's a father when he gets home, how is he supposed to father the child while he's out slaying dragons all day so she can sit on her fat butt and complain that she has no life?

My husband has neither a den or a garage. I wish he did have these things, since I get to have a kitchen where I can prepare food for my family and a bedroom where I can relax with my husband.

I didn't know that seeing your child in an event at school was punishment. Mothers have maternity leave because they gave birth to a human being, who needs to be held, hugged and fed. The child need his mother to train him, hug him, feed him, love him, teach him, take him hunting for bugs. Hold his hand, kiss his boo boos, show him how to color and make playdoh snakes. MOTHERHOOD IS A WONDERFUL GIFT. It's not a punishment.


You say we've moved beyond these 50's-era suburban parenting stereotypes. You say parents come in all shapes and sizes, and parenting is evolving. And I would say that you're right, except the "norm" is still that 50's-era suburban stereotype. Pop-culture articles attempting to explain why mothers can't be feminists is part of it. A man can be a father, a husband, an engineer, a democrat, a republican, an animal rights activist, an NRA sponsor, a race-car driver. A woman can only be a mother, or a feminist, or an engineer. Women are generally not allowed to define themselves under more than one category, so when a woman - who is a mother - is not acting as motherly as is socially accepted, here come the pointing fingers and cold stares.

The idea that women should abandon their small children and work outside of the home for an employer who could care less about them, then pick up their child who now has behavior problems and a cold from a place where he was neglected all day, then drive through Mc Donald's because she is too tired to have planned a healthy nutritious meal for her family, come home and put the child to bed, and then tell her husband she's too tired to be intimate with him, is better than the 50's stereotype? A 50's era stereotype where women were able to actually be home and raise their own children, to capture the miracle that only comes from seeing the world through children's eyes, to be able to actually prepare healthy meals, too make a warm and cozy place for her family to dwell, to be able to take a quick rest so she can share the beauty of intimacy and love with her husband. I'd rather take the latter. The lives of children would we better if more women went back to the 50's era of actually raising the children they create. It's about the wellbeing of the CHILDREN.

Maybe to the outside world a woman can only be a mother, feminist or engineer, but to her husband and children, she is life. She is, a hero, the one who makes life worth living, who keeps them safe, clean, fed and cuddled. She is a dancer, an actress, a storyteller, a teacher, a princess, a queen, a Dr, a healer, a genius, a friend, a soft and safe place to go, she is the air they breathe, the sun during the day and the stars at night. Their worlds revolve around her. Being a mother is the most important thing she could ever do. She is missing out on a lot of happiness and love.

Her job can replace her, but her husband and children can't. Who cares what the outside world thinks. To her husband and children she is the whole world. That is ALL that should matter.

Jane complained how it's not fair that John gets to spend so much time out of the house but she is stuck inside it. She received a lecture from her mother about how "that's just what being a mother is about." Jane attempted to take classes at a community college but ended up failing because John was not willing to rearrange his schedule - or sacrifice his social life - to get home in time for her to leave for class. Interestingly enough, this was not seen as a failure on John's part, but rather on Jane's. Jane did not work hard enough, and if she just put her head down and powered through...well, you get the picture.

Sounds like Jane needs to get a clue. Jane is a spoiled selfish brat. I feel sorry for her son. It must be depressing to be home with a mother all day who would rather you be away form her. I wish I could go get this sweet baby boy and bring him home. Sadly, he's not the only one who's mothers would rather hand them off so they can "feel good" and "look good" to people who don't matter anyway. I feel bad for John, who shows his love by taking care of her and her son, and will never receive any appreciation from Jane. The grass is not greener. Jane will find herself no longer being an at home mom, because John will get tired of her and leave her (still never marrying her), and she will have her dream of a daycare raised child and an employer who doesn't care about her. WAY TO GO JANE!!

It hurts my heart to see so many women have been brainwashed to think that they are more worthy if they bring home a paycheck. This is so not true. They hold the most worth in the eyes of their husbands and children. Choosing to raise your own children, could pose some financial changes. We went from a huge yearly salary, to a very very small one. We had to rearrange our finances, and budget better. I wouldn't have it any other way. I couldn't imagine dropping my girls off with strangers all day.

It's sad that people are more careful with their money than they are with their children. Their money is in a high security bank, and their children are with strangers. Just because they have a license doesn't make them love or care about your child. Background checks only check what has been discovered. There can be molesters, abusers and weirdos who's backgrounds have not yet been discovered.

I know there are situations where daycare is necessary, and I'm not saying all daycare providers are evil and abusive and don't love children. It would be nice if it was a very last resort choice and not a first. Kids need their moms, at home. Period. I'm concluding that the author of this article must be very young and/or brainwashed by anti-children/husband feminsta women.

Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Learning to be married

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:6

This is a glimpse into a few of my many failures, faults. Slowly I am learning. I have a long way to go.

Some things I've learned so far:

1. Divorce is not an option, don't even bring it up, ever.

2. Don't ever argue in front of your children

3. Be extra forgiving of the faults of your spouse

4. Listen, don't be so quick to speak what is on your mind

5. Smile and speak sweetly

6. Only take marriage advice from couples who have been married longer than you (preferably longer than 10 years). Don't take advice from divorced women or newly weds.


Our marriages are a life long relationship. They are a gift from God and have the potential to be the greatest earthly relationship we will ever experience. If our spouses should be the most important person in our world, why do we then place our children above our spouse? Why do we set them higher than our mates? Our children are also a gift from God, but the time they live with us is temporary. The time we are with our spouse is forever.

Why do we wives think we can push our husbands aside, and pour ourselves into our children, homes, friends and churches? What is left for the man that we have been blessed to share our lives with? We save the very last for them, and expect them to just deal with it.

My husband doesn't act the same as when we were dating. And, do I? Not at all. Our husbands deserve the best, our first. They put up with so much from us. They deserve our all. Of course this doesn't mean to neglect our children. duh! ;) If we gave as much to our men as we do to our kids, churches, friends, think how awesome our marriages would be. We wives have a lot of power over our marriages. We can make or break them most of the time.

I am purposing to pray more for my husband.  Not just the normal daily prayers, but really spending time with God focusing on praying for my husbands heart, his needs and his leadership in our family.

We set the precedent for our childrens' marriages. Our marriages should be ones our children want to emulate. Through my failures as a wife, I'm afraid I started off on the wrong foot in showing them what a help meet really is. The older girls are getting closer to the age where they will want to start looking for a mate and I hope that what they learn from me will be beneficial to a life long loving happy marriage. They see a lot more than we think they do.

I'm still learning to do things Gods way and not my way. My way has proved to be very wrong. As I learn God's way of being a mother, I notice my children are calmer, happier and better behaved. As I learn God's way of being a wife, I notice my husband being more loving, helpful, giving and a stronger leader.

I've tossed in the towel on the worlds way of raising a family and being a wife. I've seen the worlds children and marriages, and I want NOTHING to do with them. My marriage is far from perfect, in fact it's not one to model after. As we overcome struggles, work through differences and pass through those times of just not "feeling in love", we will become stronger. We want our daughters to someday come to us and be able to express their need for guidance because they saw us make it.

I thank God and my husband for their patience with me. 
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