I love you more than stuff

What is this you may ask?

Well this is Zachary's model car paint.

Where was I when this happened ?

About 10 feet away changing a poopy bum.

The child who did this I love more that words could ever say. And I am thankful for the husband that I have that I could go into the bathroom and have a really good cry on the phone to.

Im thankful at the work the Lord is doing in me cause it's just stuff right?




"What does the bad eye refer to in Matthew 20:15? It refers to an eye that cannot see the beauty of grace. It cannot see the brightness of generosity. It cannot see unexpected blessing to others as a precious treasure. It is an eye that is blind to what is truly beautiful and bright and precious and God-like. It is a worldly eye. It sees money and material reward as more to be desired than a beautiful display of free, gracious, God-like generosity." John Piper

Passion

I have been thinking a bit about passion, I tend to be a very passionate person about things. But passion doesn't  mean in the world what it means from heaven. From heaven, it is beautiful, it's pure, it's lovely, it's Godly.

For me as a Woman, wife, mother I am passionate about my role in these things God has placed and called me to do. My passion comes by God's Word's, His standards. In my life I have to be willing to "wash the feet" of my Father with my daily commitment to time with Him. This may not happen at time I want it to but they have when I need them too. When I go to him and bow my soul at His feet. In turn He blesses me by just being there.
I have to be willing to "wash the feet" of my husband.making him feel like the King in his home.
As a mother "washing the feet" of my children by keeping there needs above mine, and what I want. And as a homemaker I am still "washing their feet". I wash my floors! I am willing to bless my family and wash the floors that all those who are precious to me walk on. I do this because I can find happiness there.

This life may sound mundain and boring and I can't and don't expect to just FEEL the passion... You have to make it happen.
You have to create it, and you have to bring it back when you think it is hidden. With this type of passion it takes work to keep it alive. It takes wisdom that emotions can only remain steady when you make a choice to keep it alive.

Crafty Character

"Character is what you are in the dark." Unknown

Jude is my little explorer baby, he found the big box of oatmeal packages and takes one in each fist and drags them all over the house until they bust open.

So tonight I decided to make him some bean bags. They were really quick to sew up and I put them inside the empty oatmeal box for him to "find".

This week with the older four/five we are working on *truthfulness*. We made this poster for our dining room to remind us of being truthful. The Lion you see here is to remind us that lions never lie, you can always tell what a lion is going to do by his ears and tail. The other things are to encourage others to be truthful, do not cheat or steal, admit when you are wrong, and do not exaggerate. I told them a few stories from when I was a little girl and lied and how it made everything so much worse. Children just love to hear stories about mom and dad.


"The proper time to influence the character of a child is about a hundred years before he is born." William R. Inge

Reality Check

I know 100% that the Lord is with me in every moment of my mothering. He is with me when I feel overwhelmed and even when I feel I can’t cope. He is with me in all the frustrations. He is with me when I tackle another mound of dishes. He is with me as I scrub and clean. But the other night I decided I would try this mothering thing out on my own and the weight fell.

I literaly took it from Jesus and chose to carry it on my own for about 2 hours. I let fear and worry take over, the weight was too much for me to carry on my own. I cried and tried to talk through it but the fact was, I felt like the worst mom ever.

Mothering is wonderful and joyful when you do it with the Lord. He takes care of all the heavy stuff for you. I have never had such a revelation like this on how much we need the Lord in the day to day.

So here's what happened...

The other night while I was putting up my last blog post I said to Chris " every time I take a picture of Zach his eye always goes white." I thought it was my camera or the angel I was taking the picture. That was until I googled "white eye refection in photo" My world stopped.
You seen Zach is blind in his left eye all he sees it a mush of light and color. Chris and I went back in our photo's to 2006 and sure enough it's every photo and in his "bad eye". Fear took over, google is bad for that. I sobbed and sobbed how did I never put this together? What kind of mother am I to never notice?

The next morning I called an opthamologist and thankfully got in a few hours later. Even the fact they got me in like that made it worse and fear was eating me alive.
So it turns out his lense is mis-shapen and that is why the camera goes funky on me. His eye is pulling in now too because it's weak.


So this little 12 hour roller coaster ride was enough to make me sick. But also caused me to really look at my mothering. Am I truly loving my children? do they know this? is my face showing love to them?
I believe every minute has the potential to be a special one. Quality time is perspective. It is everyday life!

So today I choose to rest in my Abba Father to take care of me. Today I will curl up on my sofa and nurse my baby. He is with me as I read stories to my children and in the daily disciplines of teaching and training my children. My whole attitude, and the atmosphere of my home, changes when I understand that God is powerfully with me in every mothering moment.

Oh God, help me to raise my children with joy. Help me to fill my home with thanksgiving all day long. Amen.”

Painting, naps, and warm baby's

Baby Jude's new Noggin Cozie from Nurtured by Nature.

Warmth is of vital importance for all young children, especially the younger ones. Children do not develop an accurate ability to interpret and understand their own body temperatures and needs until after their 8th birthdays. One constantly sees young children and babies with little limbs poking out, sometimes bare feet, no hats on, in strollers or hard plastic car seats or in slings – and yet look at the parent! S/he has a jacket on and perhaps a hat too – and is moving about. All babies under a year should wear a hat at all times. Silk-cotton is best and this can protect baby from heat as well as from cold and just adds another layer of protection to his delicate and vulnerable head, where so many sense impressions are centered.

Rachael following in her mama's foot steps, co-sleeping with her babies.

These are the older three kids oil paintings. They have been working on a few times a week. Austin's is of our dog Cash. Natalie's is her first oil painting of flowers in a vase.

And I had asked Zach to paint me one in blues he called it "a snowy night"

Time well spent.

Today was a really productive day, the children and I really enjoyed ourselves. We made a goal together of stopping whatever we are doing at 11:30 and bundling up and going for an hour walk. It has been wonderful, such a mild February. I love the warmth of the sun on my face. Today we walked to a play ground the children ran around for a good while. When we returned home we made lunch and got babies down for naps.

During quiet time I read to the older four from our * coffee table books* We are sticking to a theme a week. Last week was famous composers. Did you know Mozart died at 35 and there is two stories about his death? One is believed he died of fever and the other is that he was murdered by a jealous composure.
This week we are reading on different painters, today we read a story about Monet.

After all our schooling was done the boys headed outside with hammers and a box of nail to build a fort, while Natalie and I made chili together. I am sure enjoying this age with her. She is such a nice young girl with a soft heart and such a strong desire to serve Jesus. I took her out on a date Saturday night just me and her. While we sipped on our drinks she says " you know whats depressing mom? Polly Pocket has no babies" Oh she makes me smile. After our coffee we went to the bookstore where she picked out a book about kittens. I was impressed at her diligence to read the whole book.
Her and I also spent some time decorating the girls bedroom for Valentines day. We cut out hearts and hung them all through the bedroom.
It is never a waste of time to invest in your children. Whether they are 5 or 50, today is the day to chase after their hearts and win them for the glory of God.
Praise God who gives us the gift of children and makes our lives sweeter on earth with their presence.

Love never fails....

“I am patient with you because I love you and want to forgive you.
I am kind to you because I love you and want to help you.
I do not envy your possessions or your gifts because I love you
and want you to have the best.
I do not boast about my attainments because I love you and want to hear about yours.
I am not proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.
I am not rude because I love you and care about your feelings.
I am not self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.
I am not easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your offenses.
I do not keep a record of your wrongs because I love you,
and ‘love covers a multitude of sins.’ “





When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.
C.S. Lewis