4th of July (For The Children!)

Celebrating each holiday with our children has brought so many fun and amusing memories. Our little town of Monument has one of the biggest 4th of July parades of any in the United States. Many years, our children would decorate their bicycles to ride in the 2 1/2 hour parade. Candy is thrown to the rowdy audience, fire engines play their sirens, mini-autos and clowns drive in circles through the entire parade, and soldiers are remembered.

A fair filled with booths of aromatic scents, fragrances of grilled barbecue beef, sizzling, fried funnel cakes, of pink and purple cotton candy, greasy brats surrounds the parade route so that eating is a near possibility at any moment.  All of us pink-up with  sunburn every year, no matter what precautions we have taken.

Later in the cool of the early evening, we gather with the same friends each year for a huge pot luck picnic and we anticipate all the food and antics for weeks ahead of time. Finally, all of us, 25-35 people, trek down to our local Palmer Lake and watch the fireworks sparkle in the sky while being reflected on the lake's shiny water. Many wonderful memories! This year, we will forego the firework because of the fires, but we will celebrate living in friendship and make fun of the whole evening.

The 4th of July is a wonderful opportunity to bring family together, relax, create new traditions, and have a great time. One common issue with holidays is when our little ones used to have little attention spans. Planning  advance helped me to  make sure that there would be many child-friendly activities even at our adult get togethers.

Craft for Children: 4th of July paper garland

What You Need: red, white, and blue construction paper, scissors, glue, string, ribbon, or twine (color of your choice), hole puncher (optional), star template (optional)

How To: There are a few different ways you can modify this craft to make it age appropriate for your child. If your children are older, you can have them use scissors to cut out the stars, then they can use a hole puncher to place a hole at the top and bottom of each star. They will weave the string through each star, creating a fun, colorful, festive garland that can be used to decorate your party! Children love being a part of things. Crafts make them feel like they are contributing to the event (and it is tons of fun!).

Remember that cutting out perfect stars can be a frustrating task. Consider printing out a template in advance that your children can use as an example. If you have younger children, cut out or print out colorful stars in advance. Allow them to glue the string to the stars, rather than tying and using a hole puncher.

The New Favorite Treat: 4th of July Marshmallow Kabobs What You Need: 

1 packet red jello,

1 packet blue jello,

lollipop sticks, marshmallows

How To: 1. Place each jello packet into it's own small bowl. (The jello should be JUST the packet. It will just be dry colored sugar.) 2. Dip each individual marshmallow extremely quickly into a bowl of water. 3. Roll each marshmallow into a color. 4. In the order of red, white, and blue, place your marshmallows onto the lollipop sticks. 5. Serve these to all the children at your 4th of July soiree! Nutritious Alternative: If you want a healthier choice at your 4th of July event, use your lollipop sticks and instead of doing the colored jello, do your red, white, and blue by using strawberry slivers, marshmallows, and blueberries.

May you have a wonderful 4th with your families!  Try these fun, child-friendly ideas to insure that every little one at your event makes memories they will never forget!

The Best Midnight Snack: Homemade Granola with Fresh Blueberries

Last weekend, 14 of us bloggers and writers met for a visionary pow-wow to plan, pray and study scripture together. Our goal is to write relevant blogs, ebooks and books that will transform the lives of women all over the world. But, have you ever noticed that talking (or living!) makes you quite hungry? (Must be all of those calories from our mouths flapping!) After midnight one night, while many of us were still up talking, I heard someone padding softly to my kitchen, squeaking open the door of our cupboard  in search of the best midnight snack. Three more of us piled in and announced our famished hunger needs that demanded satisfaction.

"Oh, have I got a treat for you!"

I pulled out fresh blueberries, real organic yoghurt in a bottle (the sour kind--and I had added my own vanilla and maple syrup) and our homemade granola. You would have thought we were eating candy! "Oh, this is wonderful, great, perfect, can we have more?"

In our fast paced, fast food culture, a healthy lifestyle for your family can feel quite difficult. With different children all running in various directions, a quick, simple, healthy breakfast can provide the start their day needs (and yours, too!) Mornings can feel a bit crazy...nutty, in fact. This nutty granola is the perfect go-to for bustling breakfasts in your home.

This recipe for homemade granola is not only delicious, but it is simple, quick, and something that you can prepare in advance and keep handy for those busy, hectic mornings, and late night evenings, in your home. Granola is also a wonderful, cost effective breakfast option if you are having numerous guests in your house at one time. Simply display your yummy masterpiece in your favorite bowl, and leave out milk, yogurt, and fruit for your family, or guests, to cultivate their own ideal meal.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup honey (or if maple syrup--a little less)

1/3 cup hot water

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

just a tad dash sea salt

3/4 cup chopped walnuts 3/4 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup sliced almonds (sometimes I add whole almonds) 6 cups rolled oats

1 cup craisins (optional--we love them, but we do not prefer raisins, which can also be substituted.) 1/2 cup dried cherries (if you chop them, they do not feel as obtrusive!)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the oil, hot water, honey and vanilla. Add a sprinkle of sea salt. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, pecans, and walnuts. Pour the honey mixture into the oat mixture and stir until the oats and nuts are evenly coated. Spread out the granola onto 2 baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and bake 10 more minutes, or until toasted. Allow granola to cool completely before stirring in the craisins and dried cherries. Your granola will harden as it cools. Break apart any large lumps, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy a relaxing, healthy morning in your home with this delicious recipe.

**used Blog 7/22/21) Remember, someone is always watching and listening

Weariness did not even begin to define the bone-deep exhaustion I was feeling. Lifting the weight of my body off of my bed in the mornings felt like an impossible task. Three hormonal teenagers,  a budding year old, Clay with a ruptured disc that caused him excruciating pain with each step; a book deadline; a daughter in and out of the hospital being tested for a brain tumor and my mom falling and breaking her hip were just a few of the issues that occupied my thoughts each day.

Resentment was exploding inside my brain. "No one appreciates all that I am doing to keep this family together. Cooking, washing, teaching, caring for everyone, running them to appointments, lessons, doctors and listening beyond midnight to teens pouring out their angst," and I mounted up the lists of my depleting responsibilities in my mind. This fueled my frustration with Clay, laying next to me in bed, and seeming not to notice my burdens.

The sun was just beginning to peak through the crack in the window curtain reminding me that there was little time left to sleep. I was willing Clay evil, selfish thoughts when the Holy Spirit gently nudged my conscience. "He needs you to encourage him. He is so discouraged because of bills, pain, and the insecurities of life all around him."

"Really, Lord? I am the one needing encouragement!"

But slowly, willing my arm reach over to him and gently scratching his back, I  confided, "I just want you to know that I really love you and respect how bravely you have born your ruptured disc.  I know you are in such pain every day, but I am praying for you," I softly whispered, in sheer obedience to God.

Quietly, almost imperceptible, he responded,"I am so relieved. You have every right to be mad at me.  I thought you were disappointed in me for not paying attention to you or taking care of you. But I have been so down about the overwhelming issues in our lives and constantly in pain, and I have not meant to neglect you--there is just so much. Thank you for being patient with me. I really appreciate you and love you."

And he reached over and gently embraced me before crawling out of bed, grimacing pain painted on his face.

I turned over and slowly slipped out of bed, donned my soft, well worn robe and padded quietly toward the kitchen for my first cup of caffeine.

As I approached the door of my bedroom, I saw my 10 year old son laying quietly on our bedroom floor, cuddled in a comforter and staring up thoughtfully from his soft pillow.

"Mama, I was sleeping here because I had a real bad dream, but I knew you were so tired I didn't want to wake you up. But I heard you and Daddy talking. It made me feel happy to hear you all comforting each other and saying, 'I love you.' I want a marriage just like you when I grow up---where my wife and I love each together and are partners in life. That would be so much fun to live with your best friend."

I didn't know he was there. I am so glad I didn't lash out from my own feelings of frustration. I realized you just never know when your children are listening or watching.

No Time to Waste On Stress

Many years ago, our family left the city where we were living, all the stresses, duties, chores, tension of living in close quarters with too many sinful people, .....We left our life amongst the world of responsibility and the closer we drove into the cool, refreshing mountain air, away from traffic, noise, our hearts began to rest and breathe.We had piled in our car to drive up into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to have an evening exploring the stars with beloved friends in the backyard of their mountain home that bordered the national forest. I have written the story in a chapter in Own Your Life.

The grandeur of that evening still lives in my heart. The spectacular views of the twinkling stars above contrasted with the sparkling city lights below, and viewing an amazing sight in the lens of a telescope looking into the heavens, gave me a different perspective of my life. I was so hyper-focused on the mundane, the immediate, the work of life, and yet there was so much more of beauty, light, life to be tasted, experience, enjoyed every day, but I could not see it because the false lights of the world and the noisy voices of others had drowned out the beauty of God.

Bible stories really are amazing. We identify with the characters that lived, we struggle with the same things, we have the same excuses.

"But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." -Luke 10:40-42

How did I get to this seasons of my life? I meant to enjoy each day, to remember each funny antic of my darling children, to memorize the golden moments that had made the love in our home so special to my heart.

howMuch of my life was lived at such a pace, however, that I felt like I was always in a hurry to get some place or to complete a task. Perhaps in some ways, I was also trying to prove myself--to justify my decisions, to perform well. 

These overcommitted times turned me into more a drill sergeant  than a loving companion. How easy it is to focus on all of our "to do's" and to miss the magical moments of childhood and celebrating it together rather than gutting it out in frustration. How easy it is to focus on all of our "to do's" and to miss the magical moments of childhood and celebrating it together rather than gutting it out in frustration.

I am more aware than ever that life flies by. The most important investment I have made in my life is to seek to love deeply, when I took the time to do so. Learning this took time and a heart to learn to see what really mattered.

Loving my children and husband has required sacrificing my schedule and expectations in order to have time to listen, to be a friend, to share mutual joys and to cry together. Taking time to love well usually requires a simpler life that has the flexibility to cultivate "best friendships" with those are most dear. But, we live with such piles on our shoulders and feel so strongly the "Oughts" and "Must do's" that we work and work and work and exhaust ourselves and miss so much of life.

S-T-R-E-S-S!!!!!!

Statistics show that 88% of mothers feel severely stressed and overcome with anxiety due to poor time management and difficulty prioritizing. In a hectic world that is over-stimulated on our phones, computers, social media, and Starbucks addictions, are we losing sight of what is truly important in the midst of the balancing act? My mind ponders the fact that we were simply not designed to multitask to this extent. We often try so

to juggle one million ideals, and once we drop one of them, we feel defeated.

As mothers and wives, it is absolutely crucial that we learn to breath, relax, and focus in on what should be prioritized. Life is short and ideals are constantly interrupted, so be sure to focus on the most important. The people in our lives should be the priority. Do the priority people in your life (your children, your husband, your friends) feel that you are often distracted by all the things you do? Do they comment on how much they appreciate your ability to give full attention to them or do they complain that you are not listening?

Are you so stressed about making your home squeaky clean that you don't make time for game night or a stroll at sunset? Is your mind so preoccupied with getting back to the kitchen to clean all the dishes that you forget to actually enjoy dinner with your family? Did you fill your day with so many errands and "have-to's" that you ran out of energy to extend a kind word, an affectionate kiss and warm greeting to your husband? Are you so busy noticing the immature antics of your toddler or noisy boy or girl, that you have forgotten to really look at them and see the wonder of their unique personality and heart?

Indeed, we must learn to stop and smell the roses. God even made them smell like perfume, so that besides giving the vibrant reds to please our eyes, he gave them a fragrance that would engage our senses.

Psalm 90:10,12 tells us:

"As for our days, they contain 70 years or if due to strength, 80, but soon it is gone and will fly away. So teach us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom."

Worst of all, busyness is the neglect of our Father. He is so ready to give peace, to guide us in wisdom through His gentle voice, but if we do not still our souls, we are likely to get into a snit as Martha did. We create our own snits by refusing to take time to be comforted in the presence of our living, loving Father.

We must make time to sit at His feet so we don't get into a huff. If you are too busy, the consequences will be grumpiness, frustration, and missed opportunities.

What is causing you the most stress and depleting your life? What can you do about it?

Being women of wisdom means setting realistic goals so that we don't become drained. When we are constantly operating on a tank of gas that is almost empty, we have little in our hearts from which others may draw. It is so easy to listen to the voices of others and feel the guilt of performing up to other's expectations, instead of committing to the limitations and strengths of our own puzzle of life.

Make a list today of what you can reasonably accomplish and cut out those drainers that are unnecessary. What do you need to cut out? What do you need to add to your life to give your children more of a sense of love, peace and affection? Getting our priorities in order enables us to be better mothers, wives, friends, and women of God.

Today, each of has a choice--will we take time to celebrate the joys that God has provided? the beauty that He wants us to explore? The sweetness of intimacy that comes from investing heart time with those we love.

Take time to experience His pleasure. Remember: "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

The chores and responsibilities will always be there, but the time to invest in the ones we love, will soon be gone.

A Life that says, "Welcome!"

"Welcome" greets each weary traveler as they drag heavy suitcases awkwardly up our little entry steps. Candles flicker, music softly wafts through the air and chocolate almonds, tiny wrapped gouda cheeses all say, "you are a valued person and we want you to find rest and peace as you enter our home."

The past few weeks, giggles, tears, antics and life-stories amuse the walls of our home, as countless friends have filed into this Clarkson homestead.  Bible studies, dinners for students visiting at a local ministry, a leadership intensive, sweet friends coming for a "cuppa" and a few minutes shared rocking on the front porch, sweet children home for limited days, and a friendship talk. all mark the occasions of a visit.

Always there is endless eating; and hearts wanting to be loved and encouraged. Sanctuary has been on my mind the past few months as I have sought to understand the importance of having a home where all can expect to come for life, beauty and peace--and to feel the touch of Him in a tangible way through our words, hands, and embraces.

Godly women shape their homes into sanctuaries where the love of God, the comfort of Jesus, the celebration of joy sings through the very oxygen of the cracks and corners of her home and brings just what each one needs as they enter there.

"We view the ministry of hospitality in our home as God's tool for us to train our children in graciousness. When someone comes to our home, our children know that we expect them to be gracious and quick to serve. That means welcoming adult guests properly, asking if there is something they can get for them, taking their coat, or whatever is appropriate to the visit. (Hospitality drills are a helpful way to train them in this area).

Our children know that being well-mannered and gracious is more than just a cultural formality...it is the way we show respect to another person, affirm their value as a person made in God's image, and strengthen our testimony to them not only as a Christian family but also as a homeschooling family.

It is the practical expression of treating others the way you want to be treated, regarding others as more important than yourself, and looking out for the interests of others. Even when we go to someone else's house, we will still practice hospitality. We rehearse with the kids before they leave the car how to be gracious guests who are polite, respectful, and helpful." -Educating the Wholehearted Child

Even though my children are now young adults, they still help me every time we welcome anyone into our home. Joy will be bustling around, setting up for tea time, and before I know it, another child has already cleaned up the entire kitchen. The dishes will be washed, the counters tidied, and each guest is sure to have been welcomed and served.

This desire to serve, help, and host does not appear out of thin air. In order for your family to be a team that works together as a unit when you have guests over, your children must have TMI (no-not "too much information.")

-Training: Train in grace behavior (manners). Value and pursue priority relationships. Train your children how to pray.

-Modeling: Moms-set the example. Be gracious and kind to family members. Show grace and love to strangers.

-Instruction: About our relationship with God. About the power of the Holy Spirit--lived out through real people to real people.

Proverbs 22:6 states:

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

It is absolutely crucial that we train our children in the ways of graciousness. This also means that you must have patience and grace with your children as they learn how to serve others.

Start practicing by assigning your children different ways they can help the next time you have friends or family over for dinner. If you remember TMI, your little ones will flourish into adults who are loving, gracious, polite, and respectful.

Social Media is like a fickle lover

Eponine-A-Rose-in-Misery

"He slept a summer by my side, He filled my days with endless wonder,

He took my childhood in his stride, but he was gone when autumn came."

"I Dreamed a Dream" From Les Miserable (Fantene)

Passionately singing this song, above the resounding notes of Sarah's piano playing, the three girls in our family find this song  hauntingly beautiful. The image of a young girl, innocently convincing herself that she is deeply in love, giving her whole being to one who is there to consume her. When with child at the end of the summer, Eponine, the young girl, is left with scars, a pregnancy, responsibilities; her so-called lover is no where to be found.

Gripping my heart with its poignant insight, this song has hauntingly called to my heart of compassion for women since the first time I heard it sung on stage. Such a waste to see precious women taken, abused and then spit out to deal with soul devastation and rejection alone.

I meet so many precious young women who gave themselves so such men. Women, longing for love, acceptance, purpose, a place to belong and to be validated, gave their souls to one who could never be a source of long-term love, strength or goodness.

So many voices lure us toward the very relationships and decisions that will, in the end, destroy our souls.

I see that social media, success, prominence, illusive material possessions, status--all fo these "Idols" could be this kind of boyfriend--here to entice you today, but gone tomorrow, where you are left to clean up a life with scars, loneliness and rejection or just silence, the  feeling of being invisible.

Social media is the newest version of promising what it cannot deliver. Thousands of friends, but no one who has the time to talk to me personally. Now social media has its place--we can write articles of encouragement to be read by others all over the world. We can connect with old friends and meet like-minded friends on the internet. We can show pictures of our children, birthdays, holidays. There are many amazing revelations through the internet.

But there is a possible down side to this is "just virtual" relationship. I do not deny that social media and the web can fill some very important needs in our lives and can give us information at a moment's notice. But throughout history, life was never meant to be lived this way. God designed us to live in such a way as to leisurely be able to observe His handiwork, to breathe in creation with all of its color and variation. We were to  to see His beauty in the seasons, a rainbow, to feel the course of nature.

Relationships were to be slowly simmering through seasons of shared time, work, love, seasons and years, with a knowledge that people would be in our lives endlessly through our whole lives without ever moving to another location. The gentle comforting hands of God wiping away our tears; the heart-smile that comes from being mutually understood; joyful celebration of life milestones, as kindred spirits walked through the cost of ideals together--these are the deep fulfillments God intended us to share in real life with present and engaged friends. f

God intended that we have time to sit and ponder mysteries of the universe, to have to work out our thoughts, to have time to work and read and create food and gardens and the works of our hands. He longed for us to seek Him, His presence, His relationship to us as God and savior, to fill in our hearts' needs--pondering and loving Him through time that is focussed on prayer.

God intended that we have real lovers, loyal, present friends, who would be here for us to celebrate life's daily moments and the tragedies and momentous occasions.

However, contemporary culture has forgotten these realities.

Perhaps, on the internet, we build up a couple of thousand of friends--that does not mean they know us, our real lives, our silent aches of heart, our loneliness, our dreams, insecurities, needs or doubts, or love us. Often it just means, they, too, are trying to build their list. Our social networking friends cannot bring us a hot, delicious meal or a fall bouquet of blooming flowers when we are sick or depressed or just need to know we are on someone's mind.

Our social media friends cannot hold our hand or give us a gentle embrace, when we  pray  through a heartbreak or  sit and drink a real cup of tea on the porch as we watch a fall sun melt into the sky, and share secrets. Our social media friends are not here to touch, see, experience, giggle, to validate the memories of real life.

Our children also long for us to see them as the important ones--they long for our words of love and laughter at their jokes and engaging in their hearts and attention. Our children are only with us for a window of time, to receive our attention, loving touch, tasty meals, to celebrate life as we pour into their souls. If we are looking to the internet for our relationships, our children will look for love and attention wherever else they can find it--away from us.

We are their first choice, but they will settle for others if their needs are not met at home with our intentional and present attention.

Suppose, we get lots of comments on our blogs today, or an increasing number of visits. The pressure is on to try to keep that going tomorrow. If we feel good when people respond, must we feel bad about ourselves if they don't leave a comment? If we are one of the most popular blogs or web sites today, eventually there will be a "cuter girl on the block", where people will search for something more, something new, leaving us longing for the same affirmation and love we sought in the beginning.

I think that many young women become addicted to social media and neglect their families and children out of a God given desire to be loved, to have friends who care, to feel a sense of importance--to push away the feeling that we are invisible in this world of ours. The desire to be loved and known and validated is God-given. Yet, He intended for us to have real community where we are loved and have a place to fit with family--cousins, grandparents, parents, siblings. For thousands of years, neighbors were to be those who knew you your whole life, who were there for you in the tragedies and celebrations of life. Purpose and meaning came out of relating and giving of ourselves to a community of people called to live, serve and validate the meaning of life together, to preserve righteousness in the presence of our children as a common group of people who loved and served God together.

Now, we live in an isolationist culture where we move from place to place, seldom knowing our neighbors; go to mega-churches where it is possible to be personally, intimately unknown in  our inner-life needs or desires. Often grandparents and siblings have different values, live half-way around the world, or are of no support at all--many who have been separated from us through divorce.

So, we seek to replace that which God intended to be real and present, with something--anything--that can help us to "feel" connected, loved, validated.

So, social media can spend a summer by our side, but might be gone when autumn comes. A fickle boyfriend--here today, gone tomorrow. Just a thought for today.

Moms, Live Your Real Life!

The UnWired Mom offers encouragement, vision, practicality, and a two-week challenge designed to equip you with healthy online habits so you can live fully present and purposeful in your real life.

I am so very excited to tell you about a new ebook today by Sarah Mae. She and others have known how concerned I am about the terrible effects the internet is having on our children. In The UnWired Mom, Sarah Mae has poignantly put her finger on the problematic issues for children and parents and she has given us hope and practical ways to move to more healthy choices. Sometimes, moms need to know how to return to a more natural life.

Recently, a friend asked me, "Sally, what did you do to occupy yourself and your children when you didn't have the internet, media, blogs, facebook and gaming devices? My kids would be so bored."

Engaged minds, vibrant hearts for God, godly character and moral strength in my children came from pointed intentionality. I do not believe I could have built these life attributes if I had been on the internet a great deal of time. To stretch our children's brains and ability to think, we must live a real, not virtual life!

Engaging children in what is real--real books, real hero stories, dress-up clothes, art pencils and paint, gardening, cooking, carving, studying to master a musical instrument, discussing important ideas while sitting together on the porch drinking tea, hosting people, groups and bible studies for dinners, events, singing potlucks, camping on our porch under the stars, going on evening walks every night, holding game nights for friends, insuring an hour of quiet time and reading every day---these were many of our habits, but also our pleasures when I was raising all of my children--even Joy, who grew up in the era of cell phones and computers.

Children who are constantly entertained, spend hours each day on internet and media have slower brain function and retard some areas of their learning. Recently, I wrote a blog post that considered some of the havoc that our addiction to internet has created!

Research of every kind has suggested that media, constantly being indoors, over-entertainment, trying to manage children into little adults, too much exposure to sexual material and immoral values at an early age, is destroying the soul of children. They are being pushed and pulled and dragged from one place to another, endless activities, lessons that are supposedly “good” for them,  and forced to fit into the time boxes convenient to adults.  

This stress is wreaking havoc and creating horrendous results on a generation of children who are growing up with emotional adult illnesses at early ages, lower vocabulary, more depression, vastly growing obesity as a childhood disease, and so much more. Premature addiction to sexual images and news stories and acting out adult values is damaging to their souls. Innocence and purity of mind is healthy to becoming healthy adults.

(from Killing the Soul of Children Revisited)

I hope you will consider buying: The Unwired Mom by Sarah Mae

For many reasons, I am passionate about this subject and this book.

You will be encouraged to take a look at your own habits to consider how to move from wasting too much time on the internet to cultivating a more vibrant, real and satisfying life with your family. I hope you will buy The Unwired Mom today and begin a journey back to real life and less stress with your children. 

...

You can get a copy of The UnWired Mom for only $4.99 as a PDF or on Kindle.

"Oh my, what an AMAZING read for moms! There is so much in this book that is 100% relevant to those who find themselves over using *any* sort of escape (reading or other hobbies included) OR even just struggling in being disciplined with parenting duties."

Michelle, Amazon Review

Clean Kitchen=Happy Mom

 

Millions of guests, it seems, have passed through my home. Not only have I cooked thousands of meals for my family, but literally countless people have eaten a meal or celebrated a tea in our home over the years. Consequently, the kitchen is a focal point of our whole home. Meals are the way to bring pleasure to all of my peeps and a way to open hearts! Consequently, making it efficient, orderly, and beautiful has been a constant challenge for me over the years, as I spend hours in this room each day.

One of the pleasures of my year was getting my old kitchen a make-over. Over 20 years old, my kitchen floors and cabinets and sink had become even more dirty, stained, coated with cooking residue and I had become accustomed to it, because I was in it every day. Only when I replaced almost everything, did I realize how inefficient, and outdated everything had become. (Kind of like sin--you get used to what you live with and you don't even know how bad or unspiritual your life has become!)

As mothers, we have to get creative sometimes in order to maintain an all natural, non toxic home environment for our children...on a budget. A while back, I found myself in a sticky situation (no pun intended). I had spent the week entertaining guests. Numerous people, in and out of the house constantly. My tables were sticky, counters were icky, and the kitchen was an overall wreck. I had a major problem: I was completely out of my usual cleaning wipes and products and really didn't have the time to make another trip to the store.

The majority of household cleaning products are expensive, harsh on our skin, and hazardous for the health of not only ourselves, but our children and pets.

Did you know that you could be saving loads of money each month simply by making your own household cleaner? Best of all, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry right now! Here's what you need:

A spray bottle Water Lemon juice All natural dish soap White vinegar

Fill up your spray bottle about half way with water. Add a couple squeezes of lemon juice (this helps cut grease and also makes everything smell fresh). Add about half a cup of white vinegar, then just a TINY teaspoon of all natural dish soap (it goes a long way). Shake it all up. You can use this as an all-purpose cleaner in your kitchen, bathroom, tables, counters, and window sills.

Not only is this mixture simple and non toxic, but it is also very budget friendly. Now you can enjoy a clean, fresh home without breaking the bank or filling your house with toxins & chemicals.

Clean Kitchen=Happy Mom

Mentoring Monday Faithfully Teaching our Children the Stewardship of Life

Joy's mountain-top garden--herbs, flowers, parsley, tomato plants.

Way # 12 We take care of what we have using it responsibly.

Memory Verse

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." Luke 16:10

As a small child, my mother brought me with her into her garden when she planted a rose garden, cultivated irises and daffodils, and made our yards beautiful. Though it is very hard to grow plants and flowers at 7300 feet altitude, and on the rock of our land, which is basically a mountain, I have attempted to grow many different plants. I love flowers and so I will keep trying until I find the perfect garden.

Each year I would take my children with me and have them do the work by my side. Now, Joy, my youngest, is still inclined to plant her own garden each year because she also gained an appetite for beauty, by me training her to be a steward of our home and garden. So, even returning from college, the first thing she did was to buy herbs, two tomato plants and a few cutting flowers. The training and breathing into her these appetites have formed a pattern in her heart for being a steward of beauty.

I hope this video will encourage you today:

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

What are your biggest fears, doubts, inadequacies in your walk with God?

Charles Burton Barber

This was a favorite picture that was framed in my girl's room--a little one praying amidst her pets.

A project has come into my life seeking to address the spiritual needs, inadequacies, doubts and struggles for women. I would love to really address the heart issues that so many women face. Could you please help me today  by telling me the inner heart struggles that swirl about in your heart the most?

I would really like to address some of the deep issues that follow many women every day, even if they are not always aware of them. God is so often misrepresented, misunderstood or seems far away to many and it would help me to know specifically some of these issues in your lives.

Thanks so much.