HomeEducatorMom

Encouragement for Moms

August 16, 2012 by Betty

I came across this article from Focusonlinecommunities.com that touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you. It’s a letter written by Trevin Wax who is the managing editor of the Gospel Project. The letter is written to a “stay-at-home mom” and it talks about our inadequacies and God’s grace. To me, the article applies not only to stay-at-home moms, but to single parents or parents who have lost hope in “raising the perfect” child. I won’t give everything away…you have to read it.

Below is the letter and I love to get your reaction to it.

Dear Stay-at-Home Mom,

You are a gift of God to your husband and your kids.

But you don’t always feel that way, do you?

There’s a low-level feeling of guilt that creeps into your heart from time to time. Sometimes it bubbles over into tears, usually on lonely, difficult days.

You scan blogs and read books about being a good mom. You find some helpful tidbits here and there, often from women who are grandmothers now. Women you can learn from but who seem to have forgotten the struggle. They seem to have it all together.

In your heart, you want to be the kind of mom who trains up kids to make a difference for the kingdom. You know it’s an honor to be entrusted with these kids. You know you’ve only got one shot. You want to be the mom who teaches them the Bible, models how to pray, and trains them up in the fear of the Lord.

But most of the time you feel like you’re barely holding it all together.

Your house cleaning can’t keep up with your kids’ mess-making.

The kids embarrass you by acting up right when your guests arrive.

Your husband doesn’t get just how worn out you are by the end of the day.

You come to the end of your patience. You lose your temper. Then you feel worse.

The last thing you consider yourself to be is a “good mom.” And you think to yourself, It’ll be a miracle if my kids turn out okay.

And – surprisingly – that’s right where God wants to meet you. The place where you admit your powerlessness and your need for Him.

It’s only by God’s grace that any kid grows up to be a force for the kingdom.

You see, there are no perfect kids and no perfect mothers. No matter what you read in blogs, see in magazines, and learn in books. There are sinful kids and sinful moms and dads.

And the only thing greater than both is the grace of God. The God who says “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The God who loves to forgive, to transform, and empower.

God loves you – not because you are a good mother but just because you are His precious child.

God loves you – not because you’ve mastered all the skills of parenting but because He has.

It’s divine grace that will transform your parenting – not guilt.

It’s grace that will keep you going and serving and scrubbing when you’re exhausted and worn out.

It’s grace that will conquer your feelings of inadequacy and remind you of God’s love for you in Christ.

It’s grace that goes for the heart of your kids, not just their behavior.

God has demonstrated the fullness of His love for you through the cross of His Son, even while you were still a sinner.

He has promised you His presence.

He has spoken His approval over you in Christ.

He is the perfect Father who delights in you as a daughter.

Find in Him your Treasure and Joy. Be to others what He is to you.

So walk in freedom. Let Him hold you together when everything seems to be falling apart.

Bask in His unfailing love for you. And rest in His promise of power.

Betty

Filed Under: Encouragement Tagged With: parenting, Raising kids

The Juicing Encounter

August 16, 2012 by Betty

Juicing…hmm…was my first thought when my friend, Heidi, brought it up in our phone conversation. Then Bubba and I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. (If you haven’t watched it, I would recommend it.) After the documentary, we both decided to take the plunge. Now, eight months later, we were glad that we did it! Here are a few reasons why we did:

Juicing breaks down the veggies so your body could absorb the nutrients faster than eating veggies whole cooked or raw. In juicing, your body doesn’t have to work so hard on those fibers.
Not very many of us eat the recommended 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. Juicing allows your body to intake greater quantity of veggies more efficiently.
Many of us tend to eat the same vegetables in our salads. In juicing, on the other hand, it’s easy to put in a variety of veggies, especially vegetables that you wouldn’t normally eat.
Juicing raw fruits and vegetables provides your body with live enzymes and all kinds of needed nutrients for optimal health.

If you are new to juicing I suggest you do a little research on juicers. I personally own the Breville Juice Fountain Plus and I just love it. I purchased it from Bed Bath and Beyond for $133.00 including shipping after the 20% off online coupon. You can also get the Breville Juice Fountain Plus at Amazon.com at a very good price. I went with the Breville because it was easy to clean-up. It only took me a couple of minutes to clean up immediately after juicing. Also, it comes with a big feeding chute which allows fruits and vegetables to go down easily without having to work so hard. This is a big plus and thus the Breville is my choice. Above all else, it’s reasonably priced for a good quality juicer.

Any thoughts or experiences with juicing? I’d love to hear your comments.

Betty

Filed Under: Healthy News Tagged With: health benefits of juicing, Vegetable juicing

How to Cut Open a Young Thai Coconut

August 15, 2012 by Betty

Here’s my hubby, demonstrating on how to cut open a young Thai coconut. This is one of our favorites!

Filed Under: Videos

Fred Meyer Family and Friends Discount Pass

August 14, 2012 by Betty

Starts August 10-15

Ready to score some deals? Fred Meyer has released their Friends and Family Shopping Pass that “will help you save like a Frey Meyer Associate!” The printable pass is valid from August 10-15 and it’s reuseable. Get a preview of the discounts before you head on over to Fred Meyer!

Here are the savings:

20% off Apparel, Shoes, Cosmetics and Accessories
15% off Home, School Supplies, Toys, School Supplies, Sporting Goods, Auto & Garden
10% off Home Electronics
10% off Nutrition (organic/natural section)
10% off Private Brand products (Kroger, Big K, Private Selection + more)

Thanks FrugalLivingNW!

Betty

Filed Under: Coupons Tagged With: Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Family and Friends Discount Pass, Fred Meyer savings

How to Grow Kale From Seeds

August 13, 2012 by admin

For my first post, I wanted to share about a super food that I have grown to love, kale. It’s one of those hardy greens that can be easily grown from seeds or starts. In my rooky days, I’ve used kale starts purchased from the farmer’s market. But after a couple of years of growing organic produce in my backyard, I started my kale bounty from seeds. You can start seeds directly in your planter box or use small pots or paper-type egg cartons like I did below. These Costco egg cartons are great because they are free, biodegradable, and easy to transplant when they are ready. I’m all about reuse and recycle!

I started my seeds in early spring, sometime in April with seeds I purchased from New Seasons and Fred Meyer. You can also buy your kale seeds from Amazon or you might try Kale Toscano or Lacinato variety from Amazon. By two to three weeks old, like the picture below, they are ready to be transplanted. I simply use my hands and pull the individual “egg slots” apart and put it in the soil, egg carton and all!

Once your kale looks like the picture below or younger you can harvest the leaves for a yummy baby kale salad. I personally love baby kale salads, that’s why I planted them closer together so that they don’t grow too big and I harvest them often. Kale likes moist soil so make sure you water those babies. For a fall and winter harvest, plant kale again in July or August. Kale tastes best in cold weather. Heat, on the other hand, has a way of making kale bitter tasting. By the way, my kale survived the snow last year and I had the sweetest kale after the frost.