If Jesus Built a Parking Lot

Check out William Vanderbloemen's Blog today. I'd love to hear your thoughts....what would your sign say?

Today mine would read: RESERVED FOR THE TIRED

Pounds Down

Down 6 pounds after my first week of taking better care of my body.

Yes...that's 6 boxes of butter.

I apologize if this is TMI.

For those who've wondered...AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?

As a mom, as each new year dawns, I have a special talk with myself....it goes something like this:

Self: How's it going with the kids? Are they healthy? Growing? Happy? Learning? Exploring?
Where do we need to re-strategize? What changes need to be made? Where do they need to be taught more? Disciplined more? Guided more? Where are they struggling spiritually? What can you do to help?

Have you ever been there? Wondering if you're doing this parenting thing right or not? Well, I will testify that I make my fair share of mistakes, but there have been a few things that I have learned along the way, or that others learned and passed on to me, that have helped me.

Here are just a few:

1. Put my husband first.
2. Hug and Kiss my husband in front of my kids (they laugh and snicker...but it's good and healthy for them to see us affectionate towards each other)
3. Divide and conquer. Thankfully Bruce is an excellent father and is more than willing to help with the kids...this has included our nightly rotation with the kids when they were younger . We alternated nights to care for the babies when they were still waking in the middle of the night. That ensured we each got a good nights sleep at least every other night of the week. And a good nights sleep goes a long way in a marriage...and in parenting.
4. Pray with and for your kids...even when they are babies.
5.Don't over schedule- for yourself or the kids.
6. Make sure that you are excited about the things of the Lord. That will spill out to your kids.
7. Talk about spiritual things with your kids. Let them see you living your faith out every day.
8. There are plenty of ways to correct your children. Spanking is only one of them.
9. Don't start allowing your kids to do, wear or act one way when they are 2 years old and then change the rules when they are 13. You'll save yourself a ton of heartache.
10. Don't let media have a greater influence on your kids than you. Monitor TV, music and literature. Talk with your kids about pop-culture and explain appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

Without exception, my own private prayer life has been strengthened by being a parent. We place expectations on ourselves and our children that are sometimes unreasonable. Seeking God's face  and searching for His plan for our family are key in any parenting plan. Thankfully the Lord gives us plenty of scriptures to dive into regarding his plan for the family.

See Deuteronomy 4:9-10, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Deuteronomy 11:18-19, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 22:15, Proverbs 23:13-14 , Proverbs 29:15 , Proverbs 29:17 , Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21.

What are you doing right? Share your thoughts- I'd love to hear about them!

That's What I Love About Sunday

Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey posted this video last week on her blog. I can honestly say this video brought back a flood of memories from my childhood. Sundays were sacred at our house. No shopping, no eating out, the house was quiet, we read the paper, books, took a nap and ate a big meal at lunch, and attended church for Sunday School, Worship and Evening Service. I loved Sundays.

I am thankful for this reminder of the good life. I am also thankful for a God that didn't require his children to work 7 days a week, but knew and afforded us the goodness of a day at rest. Shame on us if we don't observe this.

Just Sayin'

Well, I am at the end of the first week of trying to take better care of my body. Here's a few things I learned along the way...

1. 2 packages of oatmeal for breakfast are amazingly satisfying...and can get me to noon before I want anything else. (Yes, I know all the other values to eating oatmeal...but essentially for me, is that I feel "full" and don't want to eat a dozen donuts between 10:30 and 11:00am.) Just sayin.

2. 2 apples a day also help satisfy my hunger issues, plus gives me a little something sweet.

3. Unsweet Tea with a Hint of Peach helped me get through my diet coke withdrawals.

4. I did eat out 2 times, once at Arby's and once at Sonic. At Arby's I got a turkey sandwich and an unsweet tea and at Sonic I got a chicken strip wrap and water. No fries, no onion rings, no tater tots, no curly fries....you get the picture.

5. I ate whatever I fixed my family..I just ate a reasonable portion. I didn't eat a second helping except for green beans one night.

My 1 treat to myself this week was 2 pieces of homemade banana bread. Yummy!

I will post my pounds down results on Monday morning.

I'd love to hear what you are doing to stay or get healthy in 2010...leave me a comment!

Catching up....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Easy Topping for French Bread

Tonight with Bruce's birthday dinner of chicken spaghetti and salad, we added a little treat.  Our favorite french bread recipe:

1 Stick Melted Butter (yes, use the real stuff)
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded in green can/jar at grocery store)
1/2 Cup Mayo (don't waste your low fat stuff on this recipe)
1-2 Tsp Garlic powder (or more depending on your taste)

Mix it up and spread it generously on a loaf of french bread. Broil for less than 5 minutes (be careful, watch it closely because it burns quickly).

You will think you died and went to a heavenly Italian restaurant.

Enjoy!