From One Mom To Another

A very important lesson from 1smartmom to all the older brothers and sisters out there. Do NOT put your finger in your baby brother/sister’s mouth!
I really love his accent! Hope you laugh as hard as me!

Quote of the Day: “We are trying to obtain by our efforts what God wants to give us by His grace.” Joyce Meyers

Selah! Think about this for a moment.

Ever had circumstances in your life that seem to have no resolution? You battle in your mind how to correct a problem in your life, how you can change the situation.
We can run something through our mind a thousand times to work it out.

There are times we are to put our hands to the plow, and there are times we are to rest in His security. I think our struggle is accepting His grace in every situation we fret about. Whether it be potty training, or our child’s education, our spouse (or lack there of), our waist lines that will not go away (Hello! I will raise my hand in guilt here) We feel that if we do not do something, then the world will spin off its axis and come to an end as we know it.

He wants to give us the grace to walk with confidence to know He will work it through. I have heard grace defined as “The Strength to do what we can not do ourselves”… What circumstances have you tried to work through yourself, and found yourself making it worse? We actually can make it harder for God to get through, by trying to do it in our own strength. I think we forget that God has not only given us grace for salvation, but for every aspect of our life.You know that there was no way you could save yourself from sin, and you did not dare try. You allowed yourself to be saved by ….. GRACE!

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (emphasis mine)

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:26-34

Let grace become a reality in every day of your life, not just a word you use. I need grace to get up some mornings, grace to forgive myself, grace for every day to be a mother to two girls who look to me as an example. And I need grace (Strength to do what I can not do on my own) to conquer my waist line. What do you need grace for today?

It would appear that I have taken a long journey and decided not to include my friends at 1smartmom.  True, I have been “journeying”, but not without thinking of you.    So, with that said, I’ll bring you up to date on my journey and I will get back to talking with you on a more regular basis. 
According to Zach we have had a very ordinary Summer.  I suppose from a 10 year olds’ perspective that is a fair assumption.  As the Mom in the house, I see it a bit differently.

We’ve had long days roll out before us with nothing to do, but eat, maintain the house and enjoy each other’s company. (Sometimes broken up by time with friends and the back and forth to a couple of day camps.)  My treat this Summer has been to actually lay down for a bit of time each afternoon and put my feet up.  Gabe (20 month old) is now taking one 3 hour nap and that is bliss to me! 

While I’ve been journeying I have decided that cloning me would be optimal for my family because then each son would have the “mother type” they need.  Being a mom of a 10 year old, an almost 9 year old that lives in Romania, and a toddler can make this one woman a bit crazed at times.  I have a new healthy respect for all those moms who have and are parenting a wide age range of children.   Many days I find myself blowing bubbles for the toddler, while discussing the trajectory of the sprinkler with my 10 year old.  All the while wondering, if the 9 year old was home would it be any easier? 

Probably not, but we would be happy.

Aww, the days of Summer.  I haven’t read one good book yet and I am not my usual tan self, but I am feeling pretty rested.  SHHHH!  Don’t tell my husband.  School starts soon enough and this now “part time” home school mom is not ready to give up her naps! 

It’s good to be back!  I look forward to blogging with you for the rest of the year.

~Journey’ With Kelly

I saw this, and thought what an amazing story. The difference one woman can make…

This is a wonderful side item for any dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Onion
• 1 bellpepper
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 3 tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
• Olive oil
• 2-3 cans Black Beans
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp. Cumin

Directions:

1. Saute Onion & bellpepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add garlic and saute’ another minute.
3. Add the beans, bay leaves, Cumin, and vinegar
4. Let simmer until the vinegar is heated through.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve over rice.

Here is the first episode of The Dr. Beth Show on Reallife360 featuring yours truly! Enjoy!

Some of you may know about a job I took last year, and some of you may not. Last Spring I was asked to do an interview for a new online Talk Show, The Dr. Beth Show. After interviewing me for 1Smartmom.com they asked me to come and work for them as a Writer and Producer’s Assistant for the show! My job is to find the guests for the show, and create the outlines. This is just another testament that as you step out and begin doing what you are called and directed to do, the opportunities will find you.

I have loved my job for the last year, and now the site, and the show, has officially launched!! YEAH!!  Everything on this network is family friendly, and positive message programming, from sports to talk shows, to sitcoms, and soon a feature film exclusively from Big3 Productions!

So check out Reallife360.com and my interview on The Dr. Beth Show. (On the Home Page you will find a link to The Dr. Beth Show and my interviews are the first two on “Smart Parenting”.) Also Kelly (From Journey’s with Kelly) has an episode on “An Inside Look At Adoption”

Four more weeks until my daughter is back in school. I know it seems that you have plenty of time to get ready, but it surprisingly goes by so quickly. We have enjoyed our time off, but I am already thinking ahead and mentally preparing myself to begin the new school year on the right foot.

Here are some things I have done the last couple of summers in order to make that first day of school the smoothest transition:

1) About 2 weeks before school starts (no later than one week before) begin re-establishing bedtime routines, and wake up routines. Now while Emily gets up at 6:30 on school days, I only make her get up around 7 or 7:30. Still, the routine of getting up and getting dressed and starting the day in a timely manner is the most important habit to get into, even for me.

2) I take the next few weeks to go through their clothes. Move things around in their closet, reorganize, try on the uniforms and school clothes from last year, see what works and what doesn’t. She/He may need some new tennis shoes, or their shirts may fit fine for now.

3) If you have not already been doing Summer Bridge Activities, begin doing at least one worksheet or activity that will help get their brain back in “thinking” mode. One website I recently discovered that is great both for Emily who is going into first grade, and Anna who is going into Preschool, is StarFall.com . The most user-friendly site I have seen and all educational activities! Also, in Target’s “Dollar Section” I picked up work books for both of the girls.

4) If you have the capabilities of getting your supplies list from your school, go ahead and begin collecting those items. i.e. - I know that I am going to need “treasure box” items for my girls classrooms, so I begin collecting in a bag the Mcdonald’s toys, dollar items, etc. This way I am ready to send those things in on the first day of school.

A friend of mine, Kelly (from Journey’s With Kelly), has been telling me about a website from Focus on The Family which reviews movies, t.v., music, and video games. While I have not taught my 6 year old how to even turn on the t.v. (thus ensuring I am always in control of what she watches), I saw last week what a useful tool this is for parents.

Here was the scenario: Kelly is in S.C. on a trip with us, and her brother calls. He is taking her 10 year old son to the movies. They were going to watch “Wall-E” but they have no viewings for the night. They are standing outside the theater and want to know if they can go see “The Incredible Hulk”. Rather than simply complying, she knew how to easily know whether this was something she would allow him to see. She went to the computer and pulled up PluggedInOnline, and found the review of “The Incredible Hulk”. She found the “no” she was looking for. Her conviction? “Sorry buddy it uses God’s name in vain”, end of discussion.

After looking at the site I found what I like most about this site is it gives you the facts, and the facts that a Christian, religious, or moral parent, would want to know. The categories they review for the movies are: Positive Elements - What good or moral lessons they may draw from this movie; Spiritual Content - Whatever spiritual connotations it may hold. i.e.- “the hulk” meditates, in the movie “Hancock” he is viewed as a descendant of “the gods”; Sexual Content- Even tells you if there are innuendos; Violent Content; Crude or Profane Language; Drug And Alcohol Content; Other Negative Elements- Example in “the hulk” it appears the military leader seems to not care about the lives of his soldiers more than his own agenda.

One great point Kelly made is that it is not necessarily that you may or may not let your child (according to age) see certain things, but you are made aware in advance of the content you may have to discuss with your child. For example in the latest Superman movie there was an illegitimate child, and this brought discussion with her 10 year old son, who is adopted and asks questions concerning his birth mother and the circumstances surrounding his conception. This actually, in her opinion, was a positive thing, as the movie actually helped to open the dialogue between them. She was prepared for the discussion because this site made her better informed of the content the movie would hold.

Obviously my opinion is that this is a great and useful tool for all parents of children of all ages. So check it out at PluggedInOnline.com