Category Archives: Family

Operation Organization!

For the past month or so I have been diligently organizing my home especially the kitchen, playroom and living room. I have been challenged to become more organized so that I do not waste time trying to get organized at difficult, high-stress times of the day. I have found that the more I organize my home the more efficient I am at making meals, cleaning up and planning ahead. I would like to include a disclaimer before you read this post. When I refer to organizing I am not talking about maintaining a perfect home by any means, homes are NOT meant to be perfect they are meant to be lived in, I am talking about how to keep your home organized so that you can enjoy living in it. There will be days when the inevitable happens and messes rage like a forest fire in our homes but  like forest fires they can be contained and taken care of when we act strategically! I hope some of these tips and tricks help you out to maintain a simple and peaceful home. My first tip is to buy a label maker and begin to label everything that can be labelled:)

The Kitchen

My kitchen is one place that I spend a lot of time and therefore it has been beneficial to spend a lot of time organizing my cupboards. I label my jars and organize my fridge so that I can access incredients and food products easily. I know where all the snacks are, I know how much of different food items we have and I can whip up meals quickly without trying to figure if I have the proper ingredients. This is especially important when my kids are hungry. I use glass jars as storage which allow you to see how much food is available so that if things are running out I can take a quick inventory and mark the necessary items on my grocery list. Glass jars are also good to keep food fresh and to avoid plastic leaching. I find that glass jars are great to store food in the fridge as well, they are space savers and because they are clear you can see what you are looking for.

The Playroom

Our playroom is the one room in our house that we are the hardest on. Toys, running, jumping, hockey, crafts, music, homeschooling, and various other activities take place in this room. It is so important for me to keep things in order here otherwise it can become a war zone very quickly:) Our rule is that crafts (playdough, crayons, markers) stay at the craft table and everything is always returned to its place right after we are done using it. When we are done school in the morning, all our books go back in the book shelf. If we do painting or stamps, the aftermess is cleaned up immediately after we are done to avoid future messes:)

I have organized all the toys in such a way that if I need to take a quick sweep through the playroom I can have everything in its rightful place within 5 minutes. Having bins that are labeled also make it easy for our children to put away their toys without needing direction or instruction on how to do so. I go through our playroom on a regular basis and purge any toys that are broken or unused. Playrooms can quickly and easily become junk rooms so to avoid this I go through it every month.

Living Room

This is the room that we spend the most time in as a family. It is also the room which is the most visible in our home. I have had many people comment on how clean my house looks when they walk in and how clutter free it is. I can honestly say I do not spend every waking moment cleaning, in fact, it is quite the opposite. I do have a TRICK though and I will share it with you. Are you ready? Here it is…..drumroll please…“I always clean up right after an event takes place”. Profound isn’t it?:) Whether it is crafts, toys, eating lunch, bathtime, reading books, puzzles, playing dress-up, whatever the activity if you always pick up right after you will never end up playing catch-up. For example when we wake up in the morning, first thing we do is make beds and get dressed that way there is no room for messes to start in the rooms. After the toys are played with in our living room, everything goes back into it respective drawer; puzzles in the puzzle drawer, books in the book drawer, etc. And with toys and kids activities THEY cleanup their own messes and I stand by to help them tidy up, I am NOT an advocate of cleaning up after your kids all the time, they need to learn!

When we come in the house from an outing, all shoes, bags, coats, are put away immediately before we move onto something else. When we eat, all the food, is taken out, consumed and cleaned up right away. The only thing that they are allowed to keep out are their water bottles which they can access at any point during the day. We also have distinct times when we eat; breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack. I quickly learned the importance of scheduling meals when I had children. If I let them, they would graze for the entire day I would end up making and cleaning up meals 24/7! Having set meal times also really encourages the kids to eat well at each meal because they know they cannot eat whenever they want.

It is easy for our homes to get out of order quickly because there can be so much going on. I firmly believe that we can maximize our time as homemakers by maintaining organization and not letting things get out of control. Cleaning up can can be a daunting task it we wait too long and then become overwhelmed with a vast array of items spead everywhere. Maintenance is always best! Like a vehicle, it is better to take it in regularly to get checked rather than have it break down and need to get fixed because of necessity, and in turn find out that the breakdown could have been avoided if you would have come in a month ago for a check up:) Our homes need regular organization or “check ups” to avoid larger disasters. If you don’t already, try this “maintenance trick” for a week and I guarentee you will see great results:) It has made my life more simple and stress free and blessed me with even more time to spend with my little ones and enjoy being a mommy!

May you be free from the stress and worry of trying to be organized and enjoy the things that really matter in your life! May you experience the freedom and joy of living a simply beautiful life in a simply beautiful & organized home!

Challah Bread

I have had many of my readers and friends ask me for this challah recipe so I am going to post it on my blog rather than facebook it or email it out:) This recipe has taken many weeks even months to tweek but I have finally found a recipe that our whole family enjoys.

Challah is a traditional jewish sweet bread, we eat it Friday nights when we celebrate Shabbat as a family. It is delicious and uses all natural ingredients. We also eat it on Saturday mornings as challah french toast and Sunday afternoons as challah grilled cheese!! I hope you enjoy it, I would love to get feedback as to how you liked the bread once you try making it. Let me know!

Challah Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cups of honey

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 eggs (divided)

1 tbsp sea salt

4 cups multigrain all purpose flour (Or you can use whole wheat all purpose flour)

4 cups unbleached white flour

Directions:

In a large bowl mix warm water and yeast. Mix in honey, oil, 2 eggs until well mixed. Stir in flour a cup at a time making sure that it is gradually kneading until the dough becomes smooth not sticky. Sometimes you may need to add more flour if it is still too sticky. Once dough is mixed cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours until dough has doubled in size.  Remove dough from bowl and divide into two equal pieces to make it easier to work with. Knead both balls of dough for 5 minutes each, take one ball and divide it into three more equal size pieces and roll out in long snake like rolls. Pinch the three pieces together at the top and braid, then pinch the bottom pieces as well. Place on a large greased cookie sheet and repeat with the other ball. This recipe make two large loaves. Once the two loaves at done, cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the tea towel from the bread, loaves should have doubled in size again. Beat 1 egg in a glass and use a kitchen brush to paint egg onto the two loaves. Transfer loaves into the oven on the cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 mins. When you take the loaves out they should be completely cooked through. (My test to make sure they are cooked is by knocking on the bread and if it seems to make a hollow sound they should be done.) Remove from the cookie sheets and serve!! This bread is excellent with jam, honey, butter, etc. I usually wrap the leftover loaf/pieces up and put them in the fridge, they will keep for a week or so.

Enjoying the Seasons

I have always lived in a climate that experiences all 4 seasons in a year. While there are certain seasons that I favor over others the Lord has been showing me how blessed I am to be able to live in a country where I can enjoy each season and its uniqueness. The season I struggle the most with is winter but I am starting to open up to the idea that I need to be creative in order to enjoy the cold and sometimes dark days:)

One of our family’s goals this year was to really embrace the outdoors and to thank God no matter what the weather. We have been puddle jumping in the rain, walking and hiking in the sunshine, making snowmen in the winter and raking and jumping piles of leaves in the fall. As I have allowed these seasons to become part of my life and have stopped complaining I have really been able to show my kids that there is always joy and together we have been cultuvating a heart of thanksgiving for EACH day! I even find that enjoying the outdoors as a family really helps my husband and I in our marriage. Being outside allows our children time and space to interact and play while we are able to talk and reflect on our life together. We will often take our family out for a walk if we want to have a good and lengthy conversation.

I have noticed that in each season there is a different feel that begins to stir in my heart. In the fall I feel the need to nest and really prepare my household for the long months ahead. In the summer I love to be out basking in the sun and going on daily adventures to local parks, beaches and pools. In the winter I love to snuggle up with a warm cup of peppermint tea and a blanket and read a book or study the Word. In the spring I love to clean and prepare my gardens for new life to arrive.

Each season in many ways relates to the seasons of my soul. Life is such a beautiful journey and each day is a gift to us from the Lord. I seen in many ways how my life experiences correlate with the seasons and even simple smells can bring me back to my childhood. For example the smell of fresh cut grass bring my back to mornings I would awaken in the summer and my father would be outside mowing the lawn…it is a memory that I love and brings so much warmth and joy to my heart.

Our creator is SO amazing, that we have the ability to link emotions, times and smells together. We can feel the sun beating on our face and remember the summer vacation we took 20 years ago! I am so thankful for this gift of life! I am blessed to be alive! When my emotions try to get the better of me on a rainy day I am choosing to embrace each day and its simple pleasures!! May you embrace the seasons and bask in the gift of LIFE!

Help! I’m out of control!!

This past week has been a challenging one as our kids have been very sick with the croup and we have had to stay in ALL week! Thank God it’s Friday and they are finally getting better. As a mother, my most fearful times in life are when my children are sick because I feel so out of control. I’m their mother and I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of them, love them, protect them and to heal them! However during these past 5 days God has been showing me through their illness (Romans 3:23) that I am NOT their healer, He is!

I think as mom’s we assume the role of being everything for our kids, we try our best to do it all and help them to be all that God created them to be. I think there is a very fine line that we can step over when we try to be their ALL and I am thankful that God showed me this very thing this week. I DO believe that as mothers we are called to be the nurtures and advocates of our children, it’s in us, it’s who we are created to be. However, I don’t want to portray a wrong picture to my children that I am their everything because I am human and I cannot fix everything, only God can! If we place ourselves in a position of “god” to our children we show our children that we are the answer to everything and in turn rob them of the most important life lesson. Trusting that God as their everything is the most amazing gift that we can pass onto our children!

God is in control. He is the only one who can save, heal and protect them, we, as mothers, are their advocates, and need to recognize that as wefollow Christ our children will follow us. Eventually our kids will learn that they can go directly to God for their own salvation, protection and healing. If they learn their valuable life lesson than as mothers we have SUCCEEDED!!! May you experience the liberty of trusting God with the lives of your children today!!

Yummy Vegan Treats!

A wonderful friend of mine gave me the website for these amazing treats and I have since lost the link to the site but still have the recipe. These delicious “treat balls”, as my kids call them, have become a family favorite. When I make them I usually triple the recipe because they get eaten so quickly:) They are a completely natural and healthy way to enjoy some treats while pumping your body full of iron and protein. They are called Cocoa Coconut Balls. The recipe makes 12-14 balls depending how big you make them. Here is the recipe, try them and let me know what you think. My kids actually think they are chocolate because they are so sweet and appear to be brown because of the cocoa colour:)

1/2cup raw almonds

3/4cup raw walmuts

10-12 medjool dates (or 20 smaller dates) – pitted

2T unsweetened cocoa powder

1T coconut oil

2T unsweetened shredded coconut

1t vanilla extract

In a food processor blend the almonds and walnuts until they become a crumble. Empty them into a bowl. In the same food processor process dates, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla. Add nut mixture back into food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are combine, do not mix too long. Empty into a bowl and form the mixture into small balls. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Take them out and wrap in ceran wrap and store in the fridge. ENJOY!!

Encouraging words…

While I was doing my daily devotionals yesterday I came across an amazing article by best-selling author, speaking, teacher and mother, Angela Thomas. I wanted to share it with you, it is from her book Prayers for Mothers of Newborns. It has been a real encouragement to me today and I want to share it with my readers. If you are feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand know that there are other woman walking in your shoes and we can be an encouragement to eachother in these days. May these words bring comfort to your heart and rest to your busy days…

In the words of Angela Thomas;

“Dear God of Solomon, Our disheveled bed remains unmade another day. It’s lunchtime, and I still haven’t eaten breakfast. I’ve attempted to unload the dishwasher for hours now; just a dew more free moments and it will be done. Diapers and blankets and spit-up clothes clutter every catchall place. The garbage can is full…well maybe I can cram in a little more trash. It’s Thursday,and Sunday’s paper waits to be read. A new baby. How can one precious, cherub-faced newborn bring such devastation and disarray? I thought It was all ready for the challenge but here I sprawl, knocked flat. My greatest daily accomplishment is survival. My kids go through the day semiclothed and partially fed. We quickly gave up on the goal of getting anywhere on time. We are just about ready to leave, and there’s another poopy diaper or spit-up incident. Spit-up is the worst. Most of the time I have to change my clthes as well as hers, then clean up th car seat and any other objects within projectile distance. My preoccupation with accomplishment is freed by the words of Solomon: “What has been done will be done again (Ecc 1:9).” Some things take lower priority. “Catching up” lasts only for a moment. These are the days of mothering my baby. Caring for the family is important. Loving You is important. Everything else can wait. Nothing else really matters right now. Thank You for the release from accomplishment. Help meto focus on the things that matter. There is rest in the truth of Yor word. Amen.”

I really thought that these words from Angela Thomas were so uplifting and encouraging. There are days where we measure our worth by what we accomplish. We need to remember that in this season of motherhood we are not called to accomplish, we are called to love God and our families! So savor these moments, don’t worry if the dishwasher isn’t unloaded yet or all the laundry is done. Snuggle your little ones and enjoy their giggles, and laughter, smell the baby and give her lots of kisses. May to experience the fullness of motherhood and the patience and grace to love the Lord and your family today!!

Homeschooling starts tomorrow!!

Our journey is about to begin! Starting tomorrow I will be taking on the role of homeschooling mom to my 4 year-old-son. (And my 2 year-old daughter – she will most likely be colouring and doing crafts during our classroom time.) Hopefully our one-month old little girl will start to regularly take her morning naps during this time as well! I feel so blessed to have the oppotunity to teach my children, I always remember thinking that it would be so much fun to be a teacher, who knew that I would school my own kids one day:) I love watching them grow and learn! I feel like it is a priviledge to be able to spend each day with them, knowing that the season of childhood goes by so fast and each day brings about new changes. Over the past year I have sought out many people who have had experiences with homeschooling, friends, family, complete strangers, all of them had their own bits and pieces of wisdom and insight that I could glean from. I spoke with homeschooling parents, students, some who were homeschooled all the way through others who were just schooled for a couple years. I read articles and listened to radio programs, read statistics and compared the numbers, I think I went a bit overboard. But through it all I loved learning about everyone’s different experiences and it made me that much more excited to start our oun journey. Judah, my son, is so excited as well, he has been telling me for over a year nw that he really wants to be homeschooled, he doesn’t want to go to school, he wants me to be his teacher. I was actually surprised at first but then thankful that God has been preparing his heart and that he too is looking forward to the experience. My husband has been amazing as well, he and I are a team in this and have preparing through much prayer and discussion for this new season!! It will take discipline and sacrifice. We have decided that we are going to oversee different parts of the curriculum and add in our own classes as well. For example, Jim is going to be doing the french portion and I will be doing the phonics, numbers and letters. It is nice to know that we can teach in the areas of our strengths to give them the best we can and cover more courses. I was sitting in the room this mornig, praying for God’s will to be done in our home. I was asking for strength, endurance and creativity as I embark apong this adventure in the education world. I look forward to watching them grow in the academic area of their lives and ultimately my prayer is that; God would give me the grace I need for this season and that HE would teach my children everything that HE wants them to learn so they can be all HE created them to be!

Atirah’s Birth Story

Atirah Kaiya Prayse

“Prayer, Life and Praise!”

July 28, 2011

7lbs 1.90z, 19 inches

4.28pm

The events surrounding Atirah’s birth are truly a blessing from God. As a mother I have been challenged and humbled through them, the Lord has taught me much through bringing this little girl into the world, for which, I am truly grateful! The name Atirah means “prayer” in hebrew and little did we know that you would rely so much on prayer leading up to your arrival as well as during labour and birth. You came to us on July 28th at 4:28pm. You were 2 weeks and 2 days past your due date but still a tiny little peanut, the smallest of all my children thus far. The final month of my pregnancy leading up to your birth was frustrating and challenging for me. I had tons of prelabour contractions, I would be awoken in the middle of the night because these contrations were  so intense. It was hot and I was getting impatient. However I was having a great pregnancy and I was determined to rely on the Lord’s timing and to allow Him to bring your forth at the right time! There were many nights when I thought that you were going to come but by the next morning things would stop. I listened to many of my fellow pregnant moms and tried all the “tricks in the book”; evening of primrose oil at 36 weeks, hot baths, spicy food, long brisk walks, we even restorted to castor oil at the end but you didnt budge:) The midwives started doing stretch and sweeps at 38 weeks but it still didnt do anything! I should also mention that we were planning a homebirth if I went naturally however I was somewhat doubtful because your brother and sister were both overdue and we had to be induced at the hospital. Judah was 8 days over, induced with prostin gel and born 12 hours later at 8lbs 1oz. Mercy was two weeks over, induced with prostin gel and born 5 hours later at 8lbs 5oz. Both healthy beautiful babies but both very much overdue. There were a couple issues such as an aged placenta and meconium aspirations that we were warned about so naturally we wanted to be sure that we would make a choice that was the best for you. July 12th, my due date, came and went as did the next two weeks. I had one ultrasound that we thought may be more accurate and it was for July 20th, however that date came and went as well. I think you were pretty cosy in my belly little one:)

As the days passed I felt like an israelite wandering in the dessert, wondering when I would see the promised land! I would grumble and complain, I was getting frustrated that I couldnt got into labour by myself and wondered what was wrong with me? Everyone else was having their babies and there were a lot of them! My sister in law was due after me and ended up having her little guy 5 days before me! But through prayer the Lord would gently remind me of His faithfulness and plans for my life, I knew that He was good and knew what He was doing so I would surrender, repent and move on. I finally decided to fully surrend it to the Lord and completely trust that whatever happened I would trust Him as he worked in my heart! We spoke a lot with the midwives about your birth and discussed for how long we should wait. There were no signs that you were dropping into the pelvis, and there was no dialation of the cervix that would lend itself to labour coming anytime soon. Your dad and I prayed A LOT about it, and felt like with my history and the amount of time that had already passed we would wait as long as we could before scheduling an induction, and we did. We trusted the Lord to intervene if he wanted to but we both felt peace about being induced with the prostin gel if we came to the 28th of July. And we did. To be quite honest I doubted that it would even work as the baby’s head was high and I hadnt dialated much. We now realize that because you were so small there was no need for you to “drop” and therefore there was no pressue on my cervix wchi was the reason for little to no dialation. You may have stayed in there for another few weeks which could pose as a threat for your health and mine. The day prior to our induction I tried castor oil to see if it would “naturally” induce me but it only gave me contrations 3 minutes apart lasting 1 minute for about 6 hours and then they stopped and after it was all over I was really tired. On wednesday night our kids had a sleepoverat Gramie and Grampies house, so we enjoyed a nice evening together and had a great night sleep, which would prove to be a blessing the next day. On Thursday morning we woke up and headed up to the hospital for 7:30am. We met our midwife Kathy there as well as the oncall OB, Dr. Egboula (amazing ob, very kind and respectful), and they induced me at 8:30am. Immediately the contractions started, they were intense and about every 2 minutes. Jim texted our family and friends and everyone began to pray for our journey ahead, and boy would we need it! I laid in the bed for an hour and then walked the halls for 45 minutes, as I walked they intensified and at 10:30am the nurse checked me, I was 4-5cm and having regular intense contactions. I was still doubtful at this point, thinking that it could stop at any time, I had felt this before and nothing came of it. They decided to admit me and I immediately got in the shower, unfortunately there were no tubs at the hospital so I had to settle for the shower. My mom met up with us and our midwife returned. Everyone thought that it was going to be really fast, and so did I. I laboured in the shower, still doubtful but hoping that this was it. As the water teamed down on my back I began to sing with the music that Jim had put on and worship the Lord, I felt his presence in that room and knew that he was in control. I was continuing to surrender this labour to him and I began to weep as I thought of the reality of meeting my little girl. I was overwhelmed by love, excited and anxious and in pain all at the same time. I was praising him to the priveledge of carrying this life. Labour continued for the next 4 1/2 hours, contractions 2 minutes apart, lasting for a minutes, I was getting tired. Everyone was just waiting for my water to break, wondering what the hold up was. I was getting pretty tired by this point, so Kathy my midwife decided to check me to see if there was any progress. Again Jim sent out an email asking our intercessors to keep praying for the health of the baby and myself. In my mind I was thinking I should almost be fully dialated after all this work but I wasn’t. At 3:15pm I braced myself the uncomfortable exam and we found out that after 6 1/2 hours of labour I was still 5cm and the head wasnt engaged at all! I felt God’s peace come over me in that moment and felt like I zoned out. I heard Jim and Kathy talking about pain management, breaking my water, etc. But I felt like I wasnt really present. I had peace that Jim could make that decision as I was too tired to think about anything. He knew me, he knew that medication wasnt an option for me and I trusted his discernement. We decided to break my water, Dr. Egboula was still there and he agreed to do it. At 3:40pm he returned to my room and broke my water, it was painful and I felt a bit scared as I knew that this was it and at any moment I was going to feel this labour kick into high gear. They put me on the monitor to make sure that the baby could handle these contractions and she did perfectly. In 5 minutes of my water breaking, I began to feel the most intense conctractions of my life. They would last at least a minute and were one on top of each other. It was in agony, I had never experienced such intensity. I sat at the edge of the bed, and held onto my mom while Jim pressed into my lower back. After the first 5 contractions my body began to transition into the pushing phase, I began to bear down uncontrollably. This continued with each contraction. In my mind I knew that it wasnt going to be long now. I just needed to make it through each contraction. The pain was enduring and it was all I could do to breathe. I cried out to the Lord and clung onto my mom and my wonderful husband. In the next half hour I went from 5cm to 10cm and I could actually feel the head descending into my pelvis. My body began to push and with three short contractions I push out our precious baby girl! (my pushing was completely involuntary, my body just knew what to do, it was amazing). Our second midwife Audrey showed up 2 minutes prior to her birth so she was able to assist in the birth which was amazing because both Kathy and Audrey have attending all of our children’s births. Jim told me afterwards that at the end I said “I can’t do this” and within 5 seconds Jim handed me our beautiful baby girl. It was amazing! I love that her daddy caught her and brought her into the world. We were all in tears and in awe of this new little life. It is such an amazing and humbling experience to know that you are the only one in the whole world who can comfort your child in that moment. As soon as she heard my voice she was silent! Jim cut the chord and immediately Kathy started collecting the chord blood so we could send it away for storage. Once Atirah was born I felt like a million bucks! That feeling of complete relief is amazing! I was so in love with this little baby lying in my arms, feeling her and seeing her brought such great joy to my life. I was so thankful to the Lord for bringing me through such a hard and long labour. As I lay there with her on me, everyone kept saying how tiny she looked, at this point I thought she was about 9lbs because of how overdue she was so they weighed you and I was in shock that I had such a tiny baby, you were an answer to prayer! I had always prayed and asked the Lord for a little baby and he gave me you, we nicknamed you “little prayer”:) I feel as though with each baby the wells of my heart grow deeper and I have the capacity to love even more. I have such a deep love for you Atirah, word cannot express it. Perhaps, it is because I had be anticipating your arrival for SO long or many it is simply because God gave me this love, whatever it is, I fully embrace you little one! You are perfect and you are another precious gift from the Lord. Atirah Kaiya Prayse, birthed through life-giving prayer and praise you came to us. May your life testify to the goodness and faithfulness of our God!

Building…

Wow I feel like it has been ages since I last blogged, although it has really only been 2 weeks. For me, that is a long time, I am used to journaling and writing down my thoughts daily. Life has been busy with the Wilson tribe. We are currently building a home and with building comes much sacrifice! Our family time is sacred during these days as Jim is often working in the evening at the house. We had a wonderful Father’s day yesturday and are gearing up for another exciting week!

The entire foundation of our home is now complete, praise the Lord! It has felt like a long time, although I am told that it was actually faster than normal.

It amazes me as I stand back and observe this large amount of concrete in the group that this will one day be the foundation of my home. Our lives will revolved around this place, it will be where my babies grow up, where we make memories, where the walls of our house and lives will be built. I am in awe of how much sweat and labour has gone into this part of the house (and money). The foundation is completely buried underground yet the true test of its strength depends on what we see above ground. I feel a spiritual parrallel coming on:)

Isn’t it true that the foundation of our lives is what really matters? The exterior can be beautiful and decorative yet if the foundation is faulty EVERYTHING will crumble! We need to be people who a committed to developing a firm foundation and making sure that we are connected to God who is our strength! I firmly believe that we cannot rush our relationship with Him. Just like we cannot lay the foundation of a house quickly, we cannot rush through our relationship with Him – our foundation. It takes time. Life takes time. To heal, to be made whole, to trust, to love, to have faith. It takes precious time to build these things, just like it takes time to build a home. If you rush you will miss important steps that could jeopardize the security and stability of your home.

We live in a culture that craves speed, power, and efficiency. We are constantly stimulating our minds on computers, cell phones, videos, games, and various types of multi-taking in order to accomplish as much as possible. We need to make time to rest. To be still. To be quiet. To know that HE is God so that all nations will be blessed! Our physiological make up is designed for down time, if we deprived our body and our minds of sleep for long enough we would actually die! I believe this is true spiritually as well, if we do not slow down and rest we will run out of steam. Take a couple minutes today to be still…rest your Spirit and listen to the Lord…what is He saying?

May to experience a time of peace and quiet where you can reflect and know that HE is God!

When it rains it pours!

Today it was pouring rain in my world! It is funny because I have recently been telling people that motherhood has been fairly simple these days. The kids are at nice stages as they are both sleeping at the same time, eating well, and playing together. But in the last 24hrs, it has been a different story! Mercy woke up at least 4 times last night – she is teething, they were both cranky this morning, Judah was drama king and extra emotional, they both cried at the same time on multiple occasions, fussy about eating, Judah woke Mercy up and at nap time Mercy woke Judah up, everything was a fight and no one listen to mommy! Judah kept telling me to go to work, he wanted to see daddy. (love that line, can’t you feel love and appreciate in those moments:) – NOT)

What did I do? What happened? I kept trying to pinch myself all morning wondering if I was sleeping and needed to be woken up from this nightmare. I often see this pattern in motherhood, things go ALL wrong at the same time and also at the most inconvenient times! Hence the saying “When it rains it pours”!

Once I finally got these two little angels to sleep, for their afternoon nap, I sat alone in peace, quiet and stillness, ate my breakfast (it was now 1:30pm) and had a little debriefing session with God. He knows my kids better than me so I often go to Him for advice:) I really believe that when life challenges us we can do one of two things:

1. Complain and wallow in our frustration

Or…

2. Reflect and learn from the situation

I chose the latter and as a result I really learned a lot about my perception of life. Everything was chaotic this morning because inside of me I had a plan or a picture of what things should look like, it was an EXPECTATION of my babies and our day. The Lord slowly and graciously helped me to lay down my selfishness, my agenda and my desires and remember that in HIS kingdom selflessness and humility come first! I truly believe that my reactions to the day and what I was telling myself had everything to do with the difficulty level. I was tense, stressed and negative. I now realize this. Next time I am going to be calm, relaxed and positive.

Kids are unpredictable. Life throws us curve balls. You are NOT alone! God is in control. Our priorities are to love Him and love our kids! May you experience the peace that passes all understanding today, may it guard your heart and mind in Christ!  May the Lord bless you and your household today!