Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2011

Encouragement for Entrepreneurs

There are a lot of people out here on the Internet telling you that you can make money.  I'm not saying that they are all scams, some are.........but not all.  Even when it's a legit opportunity it is very hard to make money and keep making it.  The people that make the most money are the individuals that own the various opportunities and/or products.  I believe that the best way to make your own living in the times we are living in today is to get your own gig.  We all have a niche.  Somewhere is a hole in the marketplace and your service and/or product will fit perfectly.  However it takes time.  It takes time to really find out what your "niche" is in today's marketplace.  We have lots of strengths and gifts but it still takes time to find out how that all fits into filling a niche.  It also takes time to figure out where the "hole" is that you can fill.  It can take years.  If you look at our history and individuals who started extremely successes es

Meditations

1 Tim 2:15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. Phill 2:12 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; These are my own meditations that came up today.  I have seen the work that God has done in me as a SAHM.  The first scripture reminds me of that work.  God has given me charge over my daughter's development in so many ways and empowered me to to know and influence and manage that development.  I am so glad to know my daughter in such a way where God can use me to keep her healthy, keep her moving forward to reach all her milestones and to help her to develop spiritually.  God has turned me into a mom who knows that her purpose is to raise her children in the fear of the Lord.   I had dreams before we had Noah, but now my biggest dream is to see God's purpose come to full fruition for Noah's life.  I want to be the best I can be for my family.  The best wife for Reggie and the best

Really good day!

A friend and I met up for Coffee this morning and then went to see "Water for Elephants".  It was a great day with her.  I hadn't been to a movie in awhile.  This is the first day since Noah has been in school that I didn't do any work at home.  My husband is awesome with encouraging me in these types of endeavers.  Right now, I'm taking some quiet time.  Letting my daughter know that I need my space right now.  My husband is going to be leaving for a whole week very soon, and I'm trying to get use to making some very important boundaries with my daughter, so I can survive the time my husband is away.  I'm also working on handling her in a calmer fashion when she is misbehaving, another lifesaver I believe.  Yelling and spanking takes so much energy out of you.  As does arguing and there is really no point in arguing with a 3 year old.  They don't know how to "fight fair" and they really don't care about your opinion, feelings, or lack of

Well spent!

Noah and I have had a good day!  She is contently playing with her dolls which tells me that she has definitely gotten in enough of her "mommy time" today.  We just came from playing outside a bit ago.  I love my little girl so much and it's hard often times to resist her requests "to play".  I love to enrich her life through the simple things like just spending time together.  It is very tiresome but hey what else do I have to do right now.  Time is really the most expensive thing you can offer to anyone.  You time is actually far more costly and valuable than any amount of money.  I'm glad to be able to give it to her.   I am really burned out right now.  At least I'm burned out for the right reasons.  I mean what does God give us "energy" for everyday if he doesn't want us to spend it??? Right?  

The right to not do anything

As it gets warm and sunny there is a great temptation to get outside with Noah, but I have to remember that sometimes I get tired and sometimes I need to stay inside even when the sun is shining.  "Experts" would have you to think that you absolutely have to get kids out everyday.  While I agree with that to an extent.  I do think that it's ok to take a break and just hang out inside.  The kids won't die from being indoors.  Plus, for me sometimes I get exhausted from running around outside with Noah then coming in and having to get my chores done.  Sometimes I want to have a slow day.  I have to admit.  It feels good.  It gives me a chance to spend some time just hanging out with Noah and gives her a chance to have some downtime and some practice at keeping herself occupied.  You never want to box yourself into certain routines.  Give yourself freedom, God gives it to you.

My day

I am excited and reminded that I am living God's plan for my life out today.  My daughter is at home with me today and it is the last day of the week that she is at home with me.  She goes to school Thursday and Friday.  I really do miss her on those days.  I hope to take full advantage of having her home with all the ups and downs.  As she has been in school more, our time together has become so much more important.  It a time for her to feel loved and enjoyed, a time for her to be herself, a time for her to have the mom who is also a playmate.  She needs to be reminded sometimes that she can still count on me to be her playmate.  Today I have some learning activities for her.  We are working on the letter "H" this week.  We will do our devotional, we will do some computer games, some learning and some just fun.  I promised her we would go on the Disney website and play games.  We'll play some hide and seek and maybe some blocks.  We will clean her sink and her batht

Sometimes I sit and wait

Awhile ago I wrote a post about being "on duty" as a SAHM.  When I have Noah all day, I'm normally "on duty" from 6:30am to about 8:30pm.  Sometimes I'm just "sitting and waiting" Sitting and waiting for the next need, sitting and waiting to conjure up some energy to do the next chore, cook the next meal.  Sitting and waiting for my day to be over with and I can be "off duty".  I have to be careful during this season of my life because during my "sitting and waiting" I often times let my mind drift off to thinking I need to be doing something else with my life.  But I remind myself now that I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing right now and I know it for a fact.  Sure, it's not necessarily glamorous. Sure, my days consist of pretty much the same stuff.   Sure, I get restless at times.  But one thing I know..........this all comes with the season of life that I am in right now and I count it a privilege and a gif

Update on "me"

Writing about things helps me to keep my mind focused and on task.  It also helps me to stay balance.  So here we go.  I'm getting a little tired in the middle of my 15 minutes cleaning drills here, so I decided to write a little of what I have been learning.  I have learned that as a wife I can only be the best that I can be.  I can be a mom to my daughter and a wife to my husband.   I cannot determine what type of father my husband should be nor can I overcompensate for areas that might need work.  I can't be it all and do it all nor can I make anybody else do more.  I think I'm also learning that I need something in my life that I enjoy so much I could get lost in it.  Not that I would get lost in it, but I believe people need that one thing they enjoy doing that when they need to get lost in something for awhile they have something to turn to.  I don't believe in neglecting family and responsibilities but I do believe that sometimes you need a break, and you need to

Loving people

I've had some things on my mind lately.  One of those things is "loving other people".  There are a lot of people around us that need our love and support.  But it's not always easy to know how to give it. I'm thinking that I want to create more space in my life to love others.  I believe you get a lot of fulfillment in being there for others.  But there has to be boundaries as well.  You can't love without boundaries.  You cannot love in a way that will compromise where God has you in your life or what God's purpose is for your life.  There is a balance. Finding that balance while letting others know you care can be difficult.  But there is a lot we can do with a couple moments in a day to show others that they are valued and cared about. 

What is God trying to tell me

I really believe God is trying to show me some things through Noah.  Noah goes to bed very well at around 8:30pm every night.  She is up at 6:30ish every morning and she doesn't nap. I've really been praying about all of this because, the issue I have is that our days are so long I believe she watches way too much T.V.  Frankly I don't like the effect T.V. is starting to have on her attitude.  The television is just not producing any good fruit right now in our home when it comes to our 3 year old.  I believe I am fully capable of handling Noah, but there is something that God is trying to show me about how to handle her.  It's like He is trying to give me "the key" in a sense.  Noah just does not do well when she watches a lot of T.V.  She gets lazy, sassy and restless.  So, I'm seriously thinking about taking her shows completely away from her and only letting her watch television on the weekend.  T.V. makes her way too dependent on us when it comes

Just things

Things I'm attempting to improve on with my mothering: Speaking to Noah in a gentler voice, even when I'm upset. Not letting her fustrate me. Understanding that this is a time where she needs much more instruction from me on proper behavior.

Out of whack

I have been fighting allergies this weekend and even though I feel better, I don't quite feel like myself.  Drowsy from not getting a good nights sleep in awhile.  My daughter was waking me up in the wee hours of the morning last week and then being up because of allergies this weekend.  I don't feel like myself, but I know I still have to act like myself.  Which is not easy to do.  It's hard to do what you normally do, when you don't feel like  yourself.  On top of that, I came on my cycle this morning.  I have a lot to do today.  Noah and I have to finish out our learning activities for the letter G, which we started last week.  We have to make 1 more Easter card then we have to run to the post office to mail them, I have to go to target and I have to go to Trader Joes.  Then I need to come home and make lunch.  Later on I have to wash and Do my daughter's hair, and have dinner cooking at some point during the day to be ready for 5pm.  A part of me is thinking I

A Hard Lesson

My daughter loves social interaction and her favorite thing to do is having conversations with barbies.  Ever since she could say "hi"  she would do this.  She would expect you to carry on whole conversations using her "Little People" just from her saying "hi" over and over again.  The problem with her being highly social is that when she is at home she expects someone to play with her all the time.  I've seen her "independent play" skills" decline drastically and I've seen her become way to reliant on others in this area.  I went through a short stint of just letting her play by herself for days in a row and she did good.  But as soon as we started play with her again like normal, she fell back into the same pattern of constantly wanting somebody to play with her.  What's bad about that is she also begins to act like she has nothing to do, as if she needs someone to guide her play.  I know she is very creative and more than capa

My authority

After 3 years of being at home with Noah I am very thankful to say that my authority in our relationship has been established.  There is something very comforting about knowing that you can control your child.  My husband is going out of town for almost a week and although I will miss him, I am glad to know that my authority has been established in our home so things won't go crazy while he is away and he won't came home to a crazy woman.  Being at home has given me such confidence as a mom. 

Moms and the "Guilt Factor"

Sometimes I think when you become a mom you all the sudden become a gluten for punishment. It's weird because we tend to punish ourselves with guilt and we never think we are doing enough for our children and family.  Oh, the big one is that we don't think we deserve to rest or have downtime, unless we have done a certain amount of work or had a certain degree of busyness in our day.  Stay-at-home moms feel guilty if they are not constantly busy at home and working moms feel guilty about other stuff, I'm not a working mom so I don't know what working moms specifically feel guilty about, but I do know all moms seem to have this guilt factor at work in their lives.  Guilt really serves no good purpose in our lives.  I try not to do things outta feeling guilty.  If I have the day at home while Noah is in school and there is nothing in the house that is really pressing for me to do, if I want to sit on the couch and watch T.V.  for a couple hours I do, guilt tries to creep

Things today!

Went mall-walking this morning after dropping Noah off at school - Haven't done that since before Noah was born Learned that little things can definitely make a huge impact on the lives of others, you'd be surprised how God can use you to let someone you don't even know, know that He cares. Eating pizza at 10am in the morning.  I was just in the mood.  It is so good. Stay away from "All or None" mindsets. People who have extreme opinions about things also normally end up being wrong about a lot of things.                                                       Proverbs 17:28 (New King James Version) 28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;        When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

Changing stages of family life

Noah is now in school 3 whole days a week.  This is our first week doing it and today is the first day she will have gone to school back to back.  She seems fine with it.  I really believe it was time for her, but it is also a reminder to me about how quickly time goes.  I have to get used to not being with her on Fridays now.  I didn't think that it would affect me like this, I mean she was already going to school 2 days, but that doesn't matter.  Friday's was our free day, we would get together with friends and just hang out together.  I mean we still have Monday's and Wednesday's; and the weekends.  I know it's good because Noah loves playing with her friends and in most cases prefers playing with peers over playing with me.  I've seen that shift in her over the last couple months.  I've also seen sort of a restlessness coming over her at home and I just sensed, that in order to keep our lives balanced and happy, it was time to up the days in school. 

Things that caught my attention today

People in denial about certain things Taking major control over my own dental health A book called  The Secret Life of the Grown-up brain - I knew I was getting better as I got Older Last night at around 9:30pm I checked the weather and it was 80 degrees and tonite it's suppose to get down to the 30s.  CRAZY! Words of Wisdom - As you gain greater knowledge on who you are (gifts, strengths, likes, dislikes) trust what God is showing you about yourself and grow more fully into THAT person everyday.  

Operation freshen home

Today is operation "Freshen Home".  That means Cleaning both bathrooms. (Sinks with Windex and Toilet bowels with Baking soda, vinegar and Eucalyptus oil and bathtub with very hot water and dish soap) Wiping down kitchen counters with soap and water, putting a lemon down the garbage disposal to freshen it up. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it makes a hell of a difference.  

Spring Mindset

Now that it is getting warm.  I'm trying to break into the Spring mindset.  For the Winter we were inside doing activities, crafts, cleaning, etc.  Now that's it Spring, it's time to get out.  But that means that some things are going to suffer.  Cleaning won't get done as much, sandwiches, soups, and pizza will start to take over for dinners.  That's ok right!  I can't do it all and I'm definitely not missing out on all this nice weather.  There is a season for everything!

Fast forward

I was just telling my husband, that last night, even though I was tired I did not want to come to bed because I knew that as soon as I hit the pillow, time would fast forward and it would be time to get up and do it all over again way before I was ready too.  My husband said "that's how life is" and he was right.  You have to allow children to pull you out of some many comfort zones if you want to have peace in your home.  If you are not an early bird, if you're child is an early bird, there goes that comfort zone.  If you hate routine and thrive off diversity and variety and change, you better thrive off something else because children thrive in routines.  They need their routines and they instinctively know it.  Even though routines can be difficult day in and day out it can really help you and your child keep peace in the home. 

Will it ever happen

I don't know about you, but there are some certain things in my life that feel like they are never going to happen.  I have spent almost 5 years without a church home and living in a city that I've never felt at home.  It's been hard to say the least.  We have also been renting apartments and now a townhouse for almost 5 years.  We've almost gone forward to buy a house quite a few times, but it seems to always be something standing in our way holding up the process. The hardest part is not necessarily not owning a home, but not feeling at home anywhere.  When I got saved I was passionate about my church family and serving the Body of Christ and I never would of thought that I would be 5 years with no "church home" that's crazy to me.  It's been so long, I don't even think I know what it feels like to belong to a local church anymore.  I know I've missed it so much, but I have learned to accept it.  I guess the best thing for me to do now it to

Randomness

We go see the Cherry Blossoms tomorrow after church, so excited!  Tomorrow all I'll be doing at home is cleaning the downstairs toilet, laundry, and straightening up Noah's play area.  I'll make a simple dinner.  I know I bought something that I can make for dinner, just don't remember what (lemme go look).  Okay, so maybe I didn't buy anything for dinner.  I was tired when I went to the grocery store today.  I'll have to wing it somehow tomorrow.  We won't starve, I'm sure of it! More randomness - I really have it good!  One of the things that I love about being at home full-time is that when the weekend comes, I don't have to spend it cleaning or running lots of errands.  I get to have fun or relax with my family.  I really have it good!

Daily nit pick list

So, my daily "Nit pick list" keeps me sane.  We all have our pet peeves that annoy us, so when it comes to keeping my home, to keep stress down, I just tend to the items on my "Nit pick list" and don't worry to much about anything else. I clear the dining room table off everyday after lunch and put chairs on top of it to give me room to vacuum the rug underneath it and it lets everybody know that the dining room table is "off limits" until dinnertime. That way we don't get clutter and toys all over it before dinner.  One less thing for me to do to prepare for dinner. Floors,  I vacuum area rugs downstairs almost everyday and use my "Vac then Steam" on my wood floors to keep crumbs up.  I HATE dirty floors. Take all jackets and clothes off the main floor and put up in bedrooms where they belong Clear clutter off buffet and all dishes and "pantry items" off counters. Make my bed. That's my daily nit pick list.  It's

Gotta do what you gotta do

Ok, my closet has gotten out of hand and I have a habit of doing something I'm tired of.  When I wash clothes, I start folding them and when I run into an item that either needs to be tossed, given away, or stored away; instead of doing that, I just throw it back in the dirty clothes hoping I can put it where it belongs next time.  Or it gets thrown in the closet until I can get to it. I've spent months pondering to get this product.  But I finally bought it! I believe this simple product will help me get much more organized.

How do you see yourself seriously

Your authentic self.  Learning something about my authentic self.  The person who I am, who I wanna be, whom I love.  When I became a mom, I had more important things to be concerned about than impressing the world around me.  I use to want to impress people when I was younger, I wanted to impress people with my clothes, my body, my hair, my brains, etc. etc.  But all that started to fall off me 3 years ago.  It created space for God to start showing me "who I really am".  I'm like "Hey, I'm kinda cool.".  "I like this woman a lot more, than the other woman."  Now I'm even able to shop with a knowledge of who I really am instead of just worrying about how I want to look.   I just want to look like me.  My hair is a little past my shoulder, straight, shiny, black; I have on comfy, fitting, sweat pants that stop at the ankle, a comfy long white button up shirt and some white socks.  That describes me.  I seem to have this vision of myself as this

What's wrong with a little passion

My husband and I got in a little argument today.  I use to be a little nervous about getting into arguments in front of my 3 year old.  But then I thought "What's wrong with a little passion".  Most of the time when I argue with my husband it's because I am passionate about something.  I believe many women are like that, it's great!  It's how God created us.  We are created to be "passionate". God is passionate, look at the scripture below:   John 2:13-16 13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” "Made a whip of cord