From Frazzled to Fun

Happy Memorial Day!  Some interesting things about today...

Your child is gifted.

 We all know Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” In translating from the original Hebrew language, which is more precise than our English, the Amplified Bible reads:

“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6, TAB

From the original Hebrew we see each child has a gift or bent -- a direction he should go that fits with his God-given passion -- that he will never abandon once trained in it.

Discovering this is one of the most important things we can help our children do.

God might even use it to reform that sector of society for His glory.

George Washington Carver is a great example of using his gifts.

Though he was from a humble background, he did great things that had an impact worldwide and , revolutionized the farming industry.

In Carver's day peanuts...

The Lord bless you
    and keep you, 
the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

God bless you, mama!

The Lord sees and knows the many ways you serve your family each day.

Comment below one thing you are thankful for this Mother's Day.

How would you like to say bye-bye to those nagging laundry piles?

Laundry is one of those things that always seems to be hanging over moms' heads, and it can be terribly draining. These are just a few of the problems:

• It takes so much emotional energy to sort the clothes back to the owners...and there are so many clothes
• Laundry sits in baskets for days awaiting folding
• Folded laundry sits in piles waiting to be put away
• Mom is the only one doing it

Here's an idea - LET EVERYONE CARRY THEIR LOAD (pun intended).

Can you imagine a world where everyone ages 3 and up does their own laundry?

How would that impact your life on a week-to-week basis, and how many extra hours would that buy you in a month?

 I dare you to try.

 To make the change, communication will be important. These are questions to ask each family member that can help set them up for success -- it simplifies, equips and tailors their experience:

 1. What can you get rid of from your drawers and...

Mama, is Santa real?

Do you know the history behind that jolly red-suited gift-giving legend?

Check out this documentary, hosted by historian/archeologist Mark Wilson. 

Instead of traveling to the North Pole, he goes to modern day Turkey to explore.

There he digs up clues that tell us a lot about the man behind the legend.

Maybe you will want to share this with your kids, too? You can watch at this link or find it on Amazon Prime.

Praying you are having a blessed Christmas season.

May that Saint Nicholas spirit of giving and generosity prevail in us not only this month, but throughout the year.

Thought about family photos this year yet?

While we most likely have all had more time with our children than we had anticipated this year, we may not have thought much about how they have grown and changed through the course of it.

Because our mental space has been filled up with the "extras" of pandemic and election concerns, I thought you might appreciate a little nudge that this might be a good time to think about a family picture.

Here are a few questions to help you make a great plan for family pictures this year:

• Color theme?
  • some solids
  • mix in a few touches of patterns to tie colors together
• Pose considerations
  • try to have everyone touching at least one other person (i.e. hand on a shoulder, etc.)
  • for older kids, remind them that if it bends, to bend it a little (elbows, knees, etc) so they don't appear stiff
  • when in doubt, lay on your tummies and pile the kids on top (hides bigger waistlines and also gets everyone really close in for the picture)
  • ...

We must be diligent in discernment these days, momma. Things that look good from their titles aren't necessarily what they seem.

We could talk about current organizations, movements and governmental committees with names that make them seem right and good even when they have an evil agenda.

But for today, I'd just like to look at two seemingly "Christian" books. 

The two books are called Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, by Neal D. Walsch, and are being promoted by Oprah. 

The books' titles make them seem Christian, but their messages go against the Word of God. They not only contain false doctrine, they sometimes quote (in error) the Word of God.

They have been on the New York Times best sellers list and are made available to our kids through the Scholastic Book Club.

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice...

Praying you and your family are well in these challenging times.

Our July 4 celebration is tomorrow. While the Declaration of Independence proclaimed to the world that the U.S. is an independent country, the Constitution laid out guidelines and rules on how the country should run or work.

How many believe now might be a real good time to review our Constitutional rights as American citizens? As we focus on America this next week, this would be a great time to share a little about the Constitution with our children: Schoolhouse Rock teaches the Constitution.

Speaking of our nation, we are a mess right now. Our health, government, freedom, even our republic seem to be under attack. God is on His throne, and we must repent and turn back to the Lord. We must be constantly in prayer.

Will you pray with me this prayer?

Dear Father, 

We need you. Across our nation, righteous men and women are harder to be found. As a result, cruel and dominating powers...