The Treasure Principle

This book was not at all what I expected, but also just the message I needed to hear as well.  It reminded me of a time in my life when I was more giving, and I want to get back to that.  Life changes, a move happened and I changed my habits, but I can easily get back to it if I make it a priority.  Giving is important, and something that is important to God. 

Raising Grateful Kinds in an Entitled World

I finished this book a few weeks ago.  It was a great read, easy read with practical ideas and a pep talk for my parenting.  There were several things I already attempt to do mixed with some new ideas to try.  But even more than that it was a reminder to keep going, stay dedicated and keep going.  It was the motherhood pep talk I needed.  Sometimes I get tired, stressed, lazy or fill in the blank with 1045 other emotions and I loose sight of what's important and get lazy in sticking to our plans and goals and structure for the family, this puts me back on track: reading encouragement, reminders, good friends and my Bible.

Falling Free

This book has been on my to read list for awhile and about a month ago I found it on the shelf at Ollie's and picked it up.  It quickly rose to the top of my pile to read.  It was not what I expected and just what I needed all at the same time.

I expected more of a memoir through her life.  And while there was an element of that to the book, it was about following God and how she did that in her daily life with her family.  It was a story about it being a great neighbor, opening your door, welcoming people and being like Jesus. 

Thoughts in my head that have swirled around without depth to them, I saw in words in this book. 

It was a great read, and it's already on it's way to a friend.  Good books are always shared!

Keeping Up

I've been sturggling, espeically since the weather has turned nice, to keep things caught up at the house.  We have a to do list crazy long of spring chores and finishing touches to complete the bathroom and house projects, but I'm struggling to keep up with the daily chores. 

I feel as though I can never keep up with the laundry for the six of us.  I know it's a never ending chore, but it always seems as I'm behind.  Keith and I folded probably 5 loads of laundry last night, so we have some clothes and dish clothes.  I had to use a bathroom washrag the other night for the dishes.  We have those now!

However, when I showered this morning, I noticed we have one towel left, and no hand towels clean left.  And guess what, tonight is shower night for the kids and I have a dinner for work.  Diapers were finishing in the washing machine, so I couldn't switch anything over.  I did a load of clothse last night before the diapers though so we would have clean underwear for the morning!

I've briefly thought about purchasing more, but that only makes the mounds of laundry higher because I can wait longer to get it done.  Yet there isn't a day that goes by that I don't do laundry.  at least one load a day, often many more.  On a good day I can get two through in the morning and a few at night.  More regularly though it's one in the morning and one at night. 

I'm especially behind on laundry after Elinore was sick last week and we had extra sheets to wash and diapers that needed bleached.  Hopefully we'll get to a more managable system again soon.

It's not just the laundry though, getting the shopping done is increasingly harder too.  Getting to town, getting motivated to get it done, and having the time are hard to come by.  I tried Amazon Pantry for the first time last week to help with the shopping.  It was well overdue.  We ran out of toilet paper in our house over the weekend and ketchup too.  We were out of more of course, but those stamples caused issue.  Toilet paper for obvious reason.  The ketchup Caden really wanted on a leftover cheeseburger he ate for dinner earlier this week.  I ran through the list of other options we had to put on it and none of them satisfied him.  That's when I realized that we had fast food ketchup packets in the van.  I sent him to the driveway to retrieve one for himself.  After I assured him the date was okay on it so it wasn't spoiled, he ate his cheeseburger happily. 
I didn't tell him there's no dates on the ketchup packet and I had no idea how old it was.  It was from Sonic, and the last time I remember going there was in September, so it may have been a bit old, but it was ketchup. 

In all the household chores, I try to delegate a bit more to the boys for some help and to teach them responsibility as well.  But I also try to remmeber that this is my opportunity to serve my Lord by serving my family and caring for them.  I try to do the chorse with a grateful heart and willingness to accomplish them chores.  I think of it as a serving opportunity.  It's one way, I can serve Him. 

Grunts

Ruthie grunts a lot.  We think it's adorable, and we always know she's around! 

Last weekend, she was sleeping, and the kids and I were in the same room watching Full House.  Keith and I gave the boys the entire series of Full House on Amazon instant for Christmas.  We decided it'd be a great family show for us to watch after they were introduced to it on our Pittsburgh vacation via Nick at Nite. 

Anyway, I asked Caleb to look at Ruth and see if she was still sleeping.  Without missing a meat he says, well if she was awake she'd be grunting! 

And we all laughed!

Hospitality

For well over a year now, I've been following She Reads Truth.  It's an online, women run, daily devotional.  It's flexible in that it's in my email, in my RSS feed reader and now on my app on my phone too.  They have an online community converastion daily about the devotional too.  I've not really participated there, but now with the new app, I am reading in there more than I ever have too!

Anyway, the plan we finished over the weekend was a devotional plan about Hospitailty, and it was very moving. 

In our modern culture today, hospitality seems to be about hosting parties and dinners and celebrating with friends, but from a Biblical perspective, hospitailtiy is about opening your heart to everyone and loving your neighbor as yourself.  It's not easy, and it's doesn't come naturally, at least not to me.  But it is so important to consider when trying to live our your life like Christ. 

After I finished the study, I've gone and ordered their paper study pack to go with it because it's something I can see myself revisiting and sharing.  It has had me thinking a lot!

One day's devotion espeically has stuck with me.  The theme of which was to allow myself to be interrupted. 

http://shereadstruth.com/

Community Support

I've never written much about our community and how its supports its own.  While we live it an embrace it daily at home, I want to write it down to remember it and to share with the kids when their older to remind them the importance of being there and supporting others.  I've seen this in action in our community several times over the last 5.5 years we've lived here. 

Recently, our family participated in a Beneft Brunch that has had me thinking about it more and more.  There is a gentelman in our community who is in his 50s and works part time at a processing plant in our town.  About a year ago he was very ill and spent over a month in the hospital.  A friend of ours from church was close friends with him; she and her husband stepped into help.  They found that the place he was living was no longer inhabitable and he needed a new place to live and a lot of things to fill the place.  Back in the late winter or early spring they got him set up with a new apartment in town and took donations of needed items and monetary too.  We supported him then of course, and we were happy to see him able to move into a new home once he was relaesd to live on his own again.

Months later, the medical bills became a lot of him and so the party and conference center in town used one of their Sunday Brunch meals as a fundraiser for him.  My family of 5, plus my mom attended with us, and it was a great experience.  He was there at the door greating and thanking everyone for their support.  Elinore even went right to him and let him old her, which is rare for her!  We supported the raffle, and won a few things too.  (The boys love the witch, and we have new padding for the high chair for the new baby now too!) 

A week later the kids and I ran into him at the bank in town, and he thanks us again for being there and talked to the kids.  He just had a great spirit about him and was certainly showing his appreciation.  It was a wonderful thing, and something I'm glad we could be a part of and our kids too.  The event raised about $3,800 to help pay for his medical bills, which is awesome!

This whole experience with the bunch had be thinking about other things in our community.  I try as best I can to help regularly serve the SOUP dinners at our church.  They are twice a month and are a open to anyone free meal no questions asked.  Keith has attended occasionally with me and the kids take turns participating too.  When Elinore was younger it was commong for her to be on my back in the carrier hanging out while we served others.  Now she stays home with Daddy more often, but the boys take turns coming and helping; I want them to experience service to others. 

Later this month the community is also holding a 5K.  This is the second 5K in two years held at our local high school.  Each year it has been to support a student in our school system fighting a disease.  The boys ran in the first Miles for Madison Fun Run early last year.  This year, we are registered as a family to walk the 5K together. 

A group in our church with the help of our local Lion's club, which Keith is a member of, also provides 'Baskets of Hope' at Christmast and sometimes Easter to families and individuals who are in need for the holidays.  As a Lion, Keith helps deliever those baskets out into the community. 

There are so many more examples of the love and support in our community, but these are on my mind as something to capture about our current community and family commitment to helping.  For as many as we particpate in, we miss just as many.  It feels wonderful to be able to tell our kids that there is a community of support around us showing their love for the Lord and people.