Parenting and Religion

You know how little boys are. They carry things around in their pockets, like frogs and leaves. They are constantly bringing things in the house to show me, and I always say the same thing “TAKE IT OUTSIDE!!”
Well, one thing must have gotten by me.
My boys have a couple of ‘bug catcher’ type things. A little carry around cage, screened so you can see the critters, and they can breathe. About two weeks ago, my 8 year old had it, and said “Mom, look what I got!”
I looked, and it was full of worms. YUCK!!!
I told him the usual, to take it outside.
Now, I am not a spoil sport, I just don’t want worms in my house.
Well, over the weekend, my 11 year old son came downstairs and said, “You are never going to guess what I found crawling under my bed- A WORM!”
I told him to throw it away.
Then he came back and said he had found two little worms under there too.
Now I was feeling sick.
Worms had reproduced in my house.
I kind of panicked, and told the boys that they had to throw away all the books, and stuffed animals that were stored in boxes under their bed.
Now, the eight year old says it couldn’t have been his worms. After all, they were in the bug catcher. Well, the bug catcher has a gapp between the door and the wall…..so……
Anyhow, the worms are gone (At least they had better be!!), the room is cleaner than ever, and I am paranoid now, about worms.
Kind of reminds me of when my little brothers used to chase me with them. I felt like there was no getting away from them, so I just ran around and screamed.
SO, off I go to inspect their room again, running around in circles…but this time I am only screaming on the inside.

National Gogeous Grandma Day.
My mom fits that description, as does my sister. I on the other hand don’t.
Now don’t get me wrong, it isn’t because I am extremely ugly, or have a self image problem.
It’s because I am not yet a grandma.
The gorgeous grandma status has to be achieved by being a grandma, and being gorgeous.
I miss it by at least the first qualification.
Whenever people who know me meet my mom, I get compliments. First they say “Your mother is beautiful!”
Then they say “You know, you look a lot like your mom.”
I can only say thanks.
I also have a gorgeous grandma of my own.
When my grandpa was alive, he took me in his living room, shoed me some pictures, and said \, “I am one lucky man. Not many men end up with a beauty like I have.”
He was right, my grandma was and is gorgeous.
So, to all you gorgeous grandma’s… Have a gorgeous day.

Today should be named boo-boo day. My 14 year old daughter accidentally sliced her thumb with a knife, and I punctured my middle finger with a piece of glass while washing dishes.
Life is full of such mishaps, but when a few happen in one day, I feel like I should start the day over again.
Today is also my oldest child’s birthday. He is 22, and still my baby.
Having adult children offers a different perspective on parenting. Being involved without being involved. Giving advice without being pushy, and also only when asked.
Being mom, without babying them.
Not always easy, but good none the less.
Parenting will never end, no matter how old they get.
But it does change.
Change is good, when we embrace it in what it is meant to be, finding a new way to coninue that precious relationship, of parent and adult child.
I guess it’s a good thing I have great examples of how to do that.
My mom and dad, and my inlaws…..the best examples possible, and I am thankful.

With all the switchover to a different server, the availability for me to write and you to read has been almost nothing. Hopefully all is well now.
Summer is already half over, and it feels like it has just begun.
Dan and I took the family camping a couple of weeks ago, and it was a blast. Of course a camper would have been better than a tent to sleep in, but the king sized air mattress we have helped with that part of it.
We have moved our church, and changed the name. God is moving us in ways that surprise me, and doing it suddenly. Things have happened so fast, and we are having our Grand Opening this week, Thursday thru Saturday evenings. I am expecting many good things to happen (and planning on baking cookies for whoever comes….wanna join us??).
This week will be full of writing (for me), working (at church)_ and fun (with kids).
Yesterday was my birthday, so I am older now. (really middle aged!!)
Hopefully summer will slow slightly so I can take a breath.
Tuesday is my oldest son’s 22nd birthday, and Saturday is mine and Dan’s 28th anniversary. How time flies.
Summer; full of fun, busyness and surprises.

With summer here, kids will be outside playing, going to the local swimming pools, riding their bikes, and having a great time. Parents will be enjoying (for the most part) having the kids around, more noise than normal, and laughter while listening to the kids play.
With so much fun and games ahead, it seems a shame to have to worry about safety, but as a parent, I do. Not so much worry, as remain constantly aware of where my kids are, what they are doing, and who else may be in the general vicinity.
I check my computer periodically for child predators who are registered in my area, and there are a few. I show my kids what they look like (most often there is a picture), and where they live. I give instructions about what to do if anyone scares them, acts suspicious, and if any people in cars pull over to try and talk to them.
I hate to have to do this, but every year we go through the same things, and every year, my children have been safe.
There have been instances when I have had to call the police, and when my kids have been scared by someone. There have been instances when a suspicious car tried to get my kids to come to the window, and then when my kids ran, the car drove away. In one instance, a car fitting the description my kids gave me, was being looked for later the same day, for picking up a child a few miles away.
Safety is worth the work , and worth the time.
Most people are good, most people are trustworthy. Unfortunately , I have to make my kids beware of anyone they don’t know, and sometimes of people they do know.
Keeping them safe may not always be full of fun, but keeping them safe is my job.

Summer is officially here, with all the great busyness it offers.
Some things we are looking forward to are things you may want to do with your own family.
A traditional mini vacation we take every year (Minus one, for the last 20 years), is Kingdom Bound in Western NY.
The Kingdom Bound Festival is a great family time. There is entertainment and worship that will be great for all ages. When you got o Kingdom Bound, you may just come away with a new outlook on not just life in general, but life as a Christian. There is something magnificent about worshippiing with so many people, who have a like faith. When there is corporate worship, as offered at KB every day, there is a special anointing that can spur you on to grow in your own walk with the Lord, as well as help you realize that there are so many other people who Love God too.
When the lazy afternoons hit, it’s nice to take a walk through Darien Lake Amusement park, where the KB festival is held, and go on some of the fun rides.
Campfires at night, or the late night jam session offer some relaxing fun to end the day.

Another great thing we are looking forward to is Camping. We have never gone camping, just to go camping. This is the year to give it a go. The kids are excited, and Dan and I are trying to figure out the most comfortable way to sleep in a tent. (middle age makes comfort a nessesity..lol)
We are also having picnics and a family reunion, weddings and other parties, cookouts at our house, and trips to a local park.
Summer fun can only be done in the summer, so I decided to try to relax and enjoy it all.

I am already getting overwhelmed with all the things that are going on this summer. When I think about everything I have to do, and everything I want to do (Thye aren’t always the same, you know!), I can wonder how all of it will ever get done.

I guess that’s where taking one day at a time comes in.

When your kids pass through a mile stone, do you tell yourself things like “One step closer to leaving the nest”, and sigh with sentimentality?
I have a longing inside me to hold onto each moment, and remember each one for each child. Even though I know it will be virtually impossible, I have moments that I try to file away and remember certain looks they have, or things they say, or special conversations betwen just them and me.

We had a couple of mile stones in the last couple of weeks. Andy, age 5, lost his first tooth. He is my baby, and my baby is growing up. Shawn, age 17, graduated from High School. He is my baby, and my baby is growing up. And Danny, turned 11. He is now a preteen, but still, another baby who is growing up. I want to hold the moments with them in my heart forever.

When I look at my older kids, I sometimes feel almost like I am having a flash back. You know how the TV shows do it, show them in the present, and then flash back to a previous episode of when they were younger?
That’s what my mind does at times.

I know that looking back isn’t always good, but remembering the times that were good is good, as long as we don’t try to live in the past, or let the past make the present look dull.

My memories of my kids are good ones. I hope their memories of time with me and Dan will always be good ones too.

My heart and prayers go out the Steven Curtis Chapman family, who lost a precious little girl on Wed.
There is no greater loss than the loss of a child.
The tragic accident that claimed her earthly life must not be allowed to claim control of her brother’s life, by harrassing him with guilt and condemnation.
Accidents happen, and sometimes they cause horrible things when they happen.
But accidents can be used against us, in our hearts and in our minds.
I am asking you to pray for this family, and specifically for the older brother who hit the little sister.
It was an accident.
But it happened with him at the wheel.
Please pray for peace, comfort, freedom from self condemnation, and that the enemy of our souls not reach his heart or mind with the lies he will try to speak.
Pray that the word of God rings loud and clear in his heart and mind, giving him victory and hope- even in the midst of pain.
Please pray.
I am.
If you want to read about the family and see what a special child their daughter was, visit this websit:
Steven Curtis Chapman.

Making a difference in the lives of people is a never ending goal. Writing things that will encourage, uplift, make a difference, and lead people to know and love God, that is my goal.
Knowing how to accomplish that goal, well, that is another goal.
I guess that in order to know how to do what the desire of my heart is, I have to keep doing what I know how to do.
That is not always easy, as it involves doing what I have been doing, and adding more to it all.
Oh well, I guess rambling on won’t help reach the goal, but knowing what I know might.
I know I have it in me to write.
I know who my redeemer is, and that He loves me and He loves you.
I know how to express myself, but sometimes find it difficult to be too honest, for fear of being thought too sentimental, too sappy, too much of a girl.
I am a sentimental, sappy, girl.
I am also a woman who has always found it hard to let myself feel, or more acurately, to let my true deepest feelings be known.
I have always struggled with emotions. With being real. With letting people see insideof me.
When I write, I am able to cope with expressing those things a little better,
but I still struggle with them.
Being open and honest isn’t always easy.
But that is part of the goal, of touching people, of encouraging them, and helping them see the truth……that they (you) are not alone, and they (you) need God.
Not just some higher power, but GOD.
GOD, who sent JESUS.
JESUS, who loves you enough to make a way for you to know GOD.
JESUS, who has taken the consequences for your sin.
JESUS, who is there, with you right now, waiting for you to call on His name, and acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior.
That is truth.
That is my goal, to show you the truth.
You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
I may be a sentimental, sappy girl, but I know who GOD says I am.
I am His.

There is a new autho on the Life as a Christian Woman website. Linda Williams writes about being a woman of faith, and living the Christian Life. I would encourage you to read her post “Who Sets the Example for Your Children?”Being the main example for your children is important, and too often parents in general trust in the world to be good examples. Maybe not consciously, but when we allow our kids to be greatly influenced by movie stars, video games, the latest fashions, and even seemingly innocent family programmes, we are not only allowing, but encouraging influence that may not measure up to the standard God wants us to have. (Read the Bible- parents are to be the main influence).
Being the example is a hige responsibility, but even if we allow others to be the example, we- the parents- are still accountable for who and how they are influenced.
Take control, be a good example of how to live, love, and serve God in your gifts.
Like the movie “Field of Dreams” says….If we build it, they will come.

May 15 is the International Day of Families, worldwide.
Happy family day, and remember to love and appreciate the ones who you call family.
Friends will come and go all through life, but your family is yours forever.

My daughter an her husband have a new baby. He is smokey gray, and his name is Bert.
I guess that makes me a grandmother??
This little guy is so cute, and he is very lovable.
What a nice first pet for them, and of course they will treat him like he’s their baby, because he is a baby.
Dan and I had a cat for about four years before we had our first human baby. I can relate to their excitement over him.

The one thing I can remember always wanting in life, even when I was a little girl, was to be a mom. For a few years, I wondered if my dream would remain just that, only a dream. Then God answered my prayers, and my dream was coming true before my eyes….and it has gotten bigger and better ever since.
I am a mom.
My greatest satisfaction with my life comes from the gifts God has blessed me with- being a wife and being a mother.
I was telling some of my kids today that whenever I have been given something that’s similar to what someone else has, I have always liked mine best…all of my life it’s been that way. I liked my dolls best, I liked my bike best….
Now that I am a grown up, I like my husband best (it’s a good thing since I am happily stuck ever after), and I like my kids best.
Not to ever make my kids seem like they are better than anyone else’s, but that they are the perfect kids for me to have…it’s a good fit and they are a gift from God.
Mother’s day to me is celebrating being mom, and rejoicing with the best example God could have given me of a mom….my mom.
Being mom is something I wouldn’t trade, and having my mom is something I wouldn’t trade.
Celebrate being mom, celebrate having a mom, celebrate the gift of moms- after all, life wouldn’t get very far without them.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Taking time for the important things is something that needs to be done on purpose, especially when you work at home and have deadlines to meet.
I find myself getting better at prioritizing my time, sometimes anyhow. Learning how much work is enough, and how much is too much. Turning down work when there is too much of it coming in, and taking the time to put first things first…that is my goal right now. (although first I need to be getting too much work!)
Being a freelance writer is nice. It gives me the opportunity to work from home, be available to my family, and make money.
One big benefit is that I don’t have to spend an ever increasing amount of money on gas to go to work.
Another is that I can choose when I work and when I don’t.
I can order my days around what needs to be done.
When I’m working on a deadline, though, it can be tempting to just want to work until it’s done. When my five year old comes up to me and asks me, “Mom, will you do something with me?”, the priority changes quickly. Now the priority is to play a game or go for a walk.
The wonder of it is, I always end up getting all of my work done, and have only once been a little late (as in a few hours) of a deadline.
Working from home is great….being mom is greater.
Bring on the games, bring on the spelling tests, bring on the time well spent with my kids.
The deadlines will be met, and there will always be more work to do.
Kids grow up too fast to put off the good times, the memory making times, the times I will hold in my heart forever.
One of my favorite questions is “Will you do something with me mom?”
I want my answer to be “yes!”