“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” -Psalm127:3
It is with the most intense excitement that I announce that my husband, children, and I are expecting baby #5. We are so grateful that our prayers have been answered and that another sweet blessing is being added to our family. I covet your prayers during the early stages of this new one’s life.
Photo credit: ugaldew
Below you will find a video on how to grow your own Salad Bowls (with a big thanks to my mother, who sent me this link). This is a perfect way to start your children in gardening. They will also love to make their own salads for dinner when they have grown the produce themselves. Enjoy!
Kimberly Eddy’s Momma’s Guide to Growing Your Groceries is an excellent book for those beginning gardeners who have the passion to feed their family from a home garden. I wish I had had this book years ago as it very clearly lays out the best way to start a garden for someone like me who has very little gardening experience. If you don’t know where to start growing plants to use for food then I highly suggest this eBook.
Mrs. Eddy begins with a chapter on how to objectively look at growing food for your home. She gives examples of going through her pantry and noticing what her family did and did not eat and the notes she made in order to make her garden a better fit for next year. Moving on, she explains how to choose the best location for your garden and how to begin making a plan of where things in your garden will go.
Gardening “jargon” oftentimes found on bookshelves in libraries and book stores make those of us who aren’t experienced feel behind even before we start. Technical speak can cause the most determined of us to give up before we begin and to feel defeated. This Growing your Groceries eBook is written in such a way that you can learn practically and easily just what steps need to be taken and how to go about starting a successful garden. You won’t stumble over unfamiliar words or processes that the novice gardener will not know. I especially appreciated her section on Fruit Trees and Espaliers because it was straightforward and I have not found before now such helpful instructions on this subject before.
Information on dirt, herbs and flowers, climates, food preservation is offered and helps one choose what exactly your individual family can and should plant. There is also one whole chapter called “What do you need to grow?” that is entirely dedicated to guiding you towards making the best planting decisions. 6 questions are provided that give you a chance to think through the necessary processes towards making this garden to be the most successful it can be. Do you have a question as to whether you should start with seeds or plants? Mrs. Eddy provides information on this as well.
A list of “Helpful Resources” is provided at the very end is provided for those who would like more reading.
This is one eBook that I feel I cannot recommend highly enough. It is affordable – if you wish to download it is only $7.95 -, easy to read and understand, and was written with the family’s best interest and best use of mother’s time in mind. Mrs. Eddy has used her own expertise and experience to provide a practical manual that at 69 pages is small enough for busy mother’s to find time to read. Make sure to visit this page and order it for yourself. She also has many other eBooks available to help homemakers in their journey towards providing the best that they can for their family!
*A copy of Momma’s Guide to Growing Your Groceries was provided to me to review. The views contained herein are my own.*
We have always encouraged our children to do things with a “happy heart” (a phrase taken from Veggie Tale’s Madame Blueberry.) Chores, serving family members, and school work must be accompanied with the right attitude, the one that truly brings honor to Him who made us. Grumpy faces, scowls, and moaning and groaning are not allowed.
Yet often I forget one of the most important ways to teach my children how to have this genuine joy for doing what they are asked to: my own happy heart. How often have I grumbled as yet another dish is dirtied? Or when water is again spilled on the table have I moaned at one more thing that must be done? When nap time hasn’t gone as well as I would like I have been known to scowl and stomp around the house, making everyone else as unhappy as I am?
It generally hits me when I see my children displaying poor attitudes that they may be picking up a bit too much on Mom’s sin. I could gloss it over and tell myself that I’ll “try harder next time.” Or I could recognize the extreme seriousness in not showing our children the right way to live.
Moms, when your babies and young ones watch you they are learning how to behave, believe, and how to have the right (or wrong!) relationship with God. Just as they are being taught their ABC’s and 123′s through repetition the continuing pleasant or poor attitudes on our parts are burned into their memories. As I have said before, mothering is serious business. Sure we will make mistakes and we will not one of us become perfect. But we can point our children to our sinless Parent while we ask for forgiveness and strive to better model for them just what God expects of us.
Being a mom is hard and exhausting and continuously reminds you of your humanness. But all the hard work now, whether in training them, or encouraging them, or living out before them self control can have eternal consequences so worth the price.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing. . .”-Philippians 2:14
Photo credit: drniels
If you have little ones, you must get a lettuce knife. Just what is a lettuce knife? We’ll talk about that below. For now let’s discuss why preparing a salad is a great idea for children. Making a tossed salad is usually one of the first things my children learn to make for meal time. It is perfect for young minds and small hands since all a salad consists of are some type of leafy greens and other ingredients that require little to no prep work (such as nuts, apple slices, cranberries, Chinese noodles, etc). Children can easily be taught to rinse and dry the salad, cut it up, and tossing it. Then have them add the appropriate bottle of salad dressing and you have one less thing for you to have to do during the dinner time rush.
Now back to that lettuce knife I mentioned. I have always been hesitant to give my children any sharp objects. Dory is especially accident prone so it just would not be wise. When my family and I were over at a friends’ home last year we noticed that the daughters of that family were using these plastic thingamajigs to cut up their salad leaves. I inquired as to what they were. Quite simply, these tools are a must in any kitchen. They are serrated, nylon plastic cutting tools. They are just right for salad because, due to their serrated edges, the leaves will not turn brown prematurely. And because they are not metal your young ones will be able to safely prepare that tossed salad for dinner.
(I am sure that your child could somehow get cuts from this if they were not careful. I suggest supervising the first few tries until you feel comfortable with your child handling it.)
I paid under $3 for one at the kitchen store in our local mall, but I will probably invest in nicer ones very soon. I suggest getting one for each child. I only bought one and I will be going back to get a few more so that Dory, Sally, and Mater Boy can all work together at the same time.
Check out the Zyliss Lettuce Knife to see what I am talking about. What other necessary kitchen tools do you recommend that are appropriate for little hands?
You have decided that you will no longer allow an atmosphere of stress in your home. You have a good arsenal of reasons as to why home organization is important. You are pumped up, full of adrenaline, ready to change things in your humble abode. You wake up one morning and say “This is the day!” You are going to become a cleaning, dust-conquering, laundry tackling, bathroom wrangling woman. Perhaps after this moment of euphoric determination you come to a terrible realization. This type of will-stopping thought generally keeps most of us who are perfectionists from even starting in the first place. Just how do I start? Where? How do I get organized?
First things first.
Breathe.
Take a moment to slow down and get off that “I’m going to conquer the chaos in my home” high or climb out of the pit of “I don’t know what I am doing!” despair. Organization starts with a calm attitude. You need to be able to see the forest and not just the trees. You can be organized, I promise. But you need a plan and in order to devise that plan you need a clear head and maybe a cup of coffee.
Next, remember this: you will not become organized in one day. Small, focused steps will make more of a difference than trying to learn a brand-new way of living all in a 24-hour period. While you may want everything to happen right now, at this minute, you will more than likely wear yourself out and become discouraged. Unless you suddenly get a call that the Queen of England is going to visit your home tomorrow morning, do not try to get it all done today. Don’t do it.
After you have come to this understanding, get out a sheet of paper and your favorite pen. Look around you and jot down a few things that you notice. You may write down something like these:
And so on.
After you have made all your observations, read through them. You will notice quickly what your biggest stress factors are. Do not try and list everything as the point of this exercise is not to nitpick all the faults of your homes’ mismanaged ways. Instead list what immediately comes to mind and you will get a clearer picture of where you need to start. Keep these in the back of your mind.
There are a few “get organized” online and book form resources I will recommend in my next post. Until then, just to get you started, let me suggest you do the following that will help you make those needed small steps:
What tips do you have to getting started in home organization?
If you enjoyed this post, may I recommend “A Disclaimer on Home Organization?”
Photo credit: Mattox
Today is the first post on my series on home organization. While I am not the most organized person you will find, I am light years ahead of where I was just a couple of years ago. I learn on a continuous basis, either through trial-and-error or through new information I glean from other women or the Internet. You will find in the next couple of weeks these answers to home organization:
To begin with, the very basic question of why organization is important must be addressed. After all, if we are unsure as to the necessities and benefits of running a home that has order at its helm then reading this post and following series would be unnecessary. Keep in mind that I myself am a work in progress and definitely do not have it all together. I only desire to share what may be helpful to others.
Organization is important because . . .
1. . . . God is a God of order, not of chaos.
We must follow His example: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace. . .” -1 Corinthians 14:33a
2. . . . it provides a framework on how our days are run.
What happens we do not have our to-do lists or our schedules or our routines? We see everything that needs to be done in one huge jumble of a mess. Stress elevates as we get bogged down from the get-go because we do not even know where to start. Generally this means that very little if anything gets done and tomorrow will be the same. With organized days we are able to see very simply what we should be doing at any given time and are able to order our days according to our priorities. Let me tell you: you definitely get more done in a day when you have some rhyme or reason to it.
3. . . . our family’s well being depends on it.
What happens when Husband comes home and laundry is piled everywhere, Mom and kids are gone to get items for dinner because she didn’t think about mealtime until 4:30, and bills are piled up that should have been paid a week ago? What happens when children need to be ready to go to the grocery store yet there are no clean clothes in their drawers? What about when a neighbor who needs encouragement drops by but she can’t be shown in because the floor hasn’t been cleaned in 6 weeks and the bathroom looks like it belongs at a gas station and not in a home?
Stress. Unhappiness. Illness. Fear. Embarrassment. Disunity.
Just ask me how I know.
4. . . . we are accountable before God on exercising stewardship of our time.
Just like financial matters, we must be careful with the resources – in this case, our time given to do the work set before us – God has given us. Squandering time is irresponsible and in the end we will have nothing to show for it. What woman wants to look back on her life and say “I’m sorry, Father God, that I did not do what you asked of me because I misused my time?”
Hopefully this gives you a small idea as to why an organized home is important not only for the homekeeper herself but for her family. I pray that this series of post will bless you and yours.
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If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading:
Photo credit: iotdfi
My heart is bursting with excitement right now. Many of you will probably remember that one of my desires as a young mother is for more Titus 2 relationships amongst women. I have asked the older women in our lives not to be afraid to mentor us younger moms. And as I have looked carefully into my own heart, I have encouraged moms to be teachable. Unfortunately our churches fall short in this area. I have personally been in much prayer over this area. Imagine the joy I felt when I read last night that Sally Clarkson is planning on starting Mom Heart Groups?
Friends, this is an amazing opportunity! If you are in an area where older Titus 2 women are not available, or if you are one of those more experienced moms, this could provide that valuable common ground to start those much needed relationships between women. I realize this has just been announced and all details and information have not been shared, this is a great starting point for thinking about how you can be involved in this in your own church and community.
Be sure to read more and pray about what you can do. Share this information with your church. Why not approach a mom in your church family and say “Hey, I think you would be perfect for this!” In the meantime, be in prayer over Christian women and ask for His blessings on those trying to fulfill their special roles as homemakers, wives, and mothers.
A couple of months ago, I did something I thought I never would do. In two hours one morning I walked through the house, boxes in hand, and confiscated every single one of my children’s toys. Dolls, blocks, dress up clothes, trains, cars, etc. They all went in. My children then were allowed to choose one single toy to keep out. After they did so all of the toys were taped shut into their boxes and moved up into the attic.
What caused this decision? What made me march through the house like a mad woman on a mission as I quickly threw any unsuspecting dolly into a box? Why did I take their toys away?
Those toys had become idols to my children.
Over the months I noticed my children had been fighting more often than usual. Siblings fight, I get that. As sinful human beings in a household of other people it will happen. Yet this fighting amongst my precious brood was elevated. It became too much and I struggled through some of my days to gain control of my household.
I would pray and think about the reason. I beseeched God to give me wisdom as to what steps I needed to take. What was the reason that the fighting had become normal instead of a rare, unfortunate occurrence? As I looked about my home that one morning my eyes noticed the same thing strewn about everywhere. On the floor, counters, couches, and under beds:
Toys.
And what were my children fighting over?
Toys.
It hit me like that proverbial brick wall: my children’s hearts were captured by their toys. Just like adults will allow their cars, jobs, and houses become the idols of their hearts, children will often view their “stuff” the same way. It is a symbol of “mine, mine, mine.” Their little selves are enamored with pretty, shiny, fun things. And well-meaning grandparents and parents give in.
How do we teach our children to be content? How do we start at such a young age to show them that having little means having much? I Timothy 6:6-10 says “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Are we showing and teaching and training our children just what “godliness with contentment” is? Do they know what is important – food and clothing – and that any more is just extra?
Despite what popular psychologists may say, childhood is not all about play. As I have said before this early period in a child’s life is absolutely a time of necessary training and disciplining. Giving their days over to endless and free-will play without anything else allows them to shape their hearts to what they feel is important.
On the other hand, playing is not a bad thing in and of itself. Their needs to be a definite balance. And that can be hard to find.
So what is a parent to do? Below are some tips on how to train your children’s heart towards godliness yet at the same time allow some play time. I would love to hear your thoughts as well!
What else do you have to add? What have I missed? I would love to hear your thoughts!
photo credit: FOX_DNE
There is enough interest to start a Passionate Housewives Desperate for God online study group! I will talk to my husband and set a date. I would prefer the discussion to take place privately instead of on a public forum such as Twitter. I am looking into a few options.
The trouble I am running into is time. As in “what time of day” should this be held? My own personal rule is that when husband is home I do not use the computer unless it is for my family’s needs. My husband and I use evenings as date nights of sorts. I know most of those who indicated their interest in this group have children that they are raising. However, I think during naptime would be feasible. As this will be a chat room discussion and not an audio chat, I think this would be best for all involved.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
Also, if you still need to purchase the book, I would appreciate if you would buy through this link. I will make a small percentage off of any sales from this particular link. Thank you. 