Our New Advent Calendar

I was so happy to finally find an Advent Calendar that my kids could be hands on with and also be able to use year after year after year.

This led me to looking at Story Time Felts. I have known about them for a long time. (Really quite some time, I had gotten a set when we girls were little ~ they are 14 and 11 now)

I had seen the Advent Calendar on the site but wasn't too sure about it... then, a friend on twitter that sells the STF ran a sale on Black Friday. So I ordered the Advent Calendar. We got it at the end of the week last week.

It is GORGEOUS! I love it! Better than that the little ones love it and we are going to use it along with the Christmas Story (Luke 2)

The color is vivid. The felt is thick and soft. I cheated and got the precut (I never have time to do things crafty anymore) It was great!

I encourage you to check out Story Time Felts. (www.StoryTimeFelts.com)

I ordered from Tammy, her site is www.learningfelt.com

Enjoy! I can't wait to be able to order more...

The Spirit of Giving

The morning is typical Tennessee winter weather. Starts out quite cold but as the sun has come up it has warmed up nicely. If you call the 40s warm... Today is an odd day. I should be enjoying the finishing touches on Christmas decorating and addressing Christmas cards.

Instead I am up tight. This year we are having a difficult go. While we know that God is in control and that the Lord will provide all of our needs, it's not fun to look down the barrel of the gun so to speak.

It reminds me to keep others in similar or worse circumstances in prayer. It also, remarkably reminds me of St. Nicholas.

As the legend or history of St. Nicholas goes, he was a generous man that had been dealt a difficult hand. While he was young his parents passed away due to the epidemic that was going around at the time. They happened to have money and he inherited it. Moreso, he was blessed because his parents raised him as a devoted Christian.

The scripture he seemed to revere was Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

As the story goes he secretly left money for dowry's for 3 sisters whose father had no money and they would have gone into slavery. He did it privately so that the attention was on the gift instead of himself.

How many of us are getting caught up in what we receive instead of whose lives we can touch by meeting a need?

What are you doing this Christmas to show the spirit of giving?

Be sure to check out the Christmas Section on ParentsForChrist.com it's at http://ping.fm/M2LsU

St. Nicholas Day, http://ping.fm/H4nXo

Day 6 of the Jesse Tree Devotion http://ping.fm/K1kFY

I pray we sent out yesterday's but just in case, Day 5 of Jesse Tree http://ping.fm/jsAoU

Like our tweets? tell your friends and get them to follow @parentforchrist

Day 4 of the Jesse Tree Devotion http://ping.fm/5WKcy

Day 3 of the Jesse Tree Devotional http://ping.fm/qnVnX (sorry I'm late guys)

Day 2 of the Jesse Tree Devotions http://ping.fm/Wx22W

Jesse Tree Devotion for December 1
http://ping.fm/TG7Ye

Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up.

God provides our job, God provides all of our needs. When things get rough we should already be looking to Him.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us REJOICE and be glad in it. God is our source, not the stock market, and not our jobs.

The Lord can control a king's mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases. (Pr. 21:1)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding... Proverbs 3:5
Get out there and Vote America!

Public Service Announcement

Just reminding everybody in the U.S. that tomorrow November 4th is Election Day.

While we may be voting for different people for different reasons, Please make sure to cast your vote.

Just look at it this way, if you don't vote tomorrow, you lose the right to complain about the administration for 4 years. Same goes for Congress.

Get out there and VOTE people.

I also highly encourage you to pray over our next president. It doesn't matter who wins, they will need the support of prayer as they take over the administration.

Join us on FaceBook ... http://ping.fm/otw6T

The Free Ride

All this economy stuff is just really causing alot of people headaches and worries. It really does shock you into reality about credit and finances doesn't it?

I was talking with our 13yo and one of the 11yos about the credit crisis. They were trying to understand why so many people are having such extreme problems. So, I tried to explain about how in society many people rely on credit in order to buy things. Some people have to buy food and clothing that way and others houses and cars. Of course the conversation turned to why don't people just save their money and then buy.

So, first off I am not attacking people with credit cards. I am however sharing how I at least attempt to teach my children about money.

In our family we do not have credit cards. I do have an account of credit for emergencies merely because we haven't had a chance to save a rainy day fund. We do not buy things unless the money is there. So, the girls were having a hard time understanding about people just going and buying because they wanted something.

I took them to the Bible. Galatians 6:7b ...for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

This verse and passage cover alot more important things than the economy, however it implies even with the economy that if you sow poor money management that it will come right back at you.

In the U.S. and elsewhere people are used to living above their means. Our government has enabled this with the easy loans and also with programs meant to help those in need. Fixing the problem starts at home. How are your finances?

In our house we are teaching our kids that while money does make the world go round, that it is not the source of life. Success in life isn't about how much stuff you have, it's about how many lives you have touched for good.

Perhaps I can have this view because the economic crisis isn't directly affecting us. Our mortgage isn't one of the ones in question, we don't have investments in these companies that are losing value. Yes, we are paying more for groceries, yes we pay more for gas, but we know that the Lord will provide. God is our Source.

WARNING:: Not a perfect parent

It can be scary how things in the past can creep up on you. As most of our readers know, I have been divorced and re-married. My husband and I are doing our best to raise a blended family. This of course gets complicated when we have ex-spouses, stepparents, and the whole mess.

It is on my heart to make sure that nobody reading this blog thinks in any way that I am perfect and have it all together. I think just for the fact that I am a mom with a blended family should say that. I have made mistakes, and when I make those mistakes, I realize it and I take care of it.

Have those days when you are trying to get the teenager out of bed and off to school and they refuse to get up and do morning chores? (We have simple chores for the kiddos… morning chores for the teenager are fixing her bed, straightening her room and feeding the dog) There have been mornings that I get very agitated with her and yell. The second I do it, I know I should not have and I apologize as soon as tension cools.

I believe all of this is to say that as a parent, I make mistakes and I have learned from those mistakes. We have a unique family in that we have custody of all of our kids, and three of our kids have developmental, medical or emotional issues. Two of the three have a lot of trouble with their emotions and reacting to things accordingly. We have one that will explode with anger even when he is extremely happy and one that will withdrawal from everybody. This is hard to deal with when you are not sure what triggered it all the time. The third child with problems is our youngest. He has sensory, issues along with having a heart condition, hypotonic, hypoglycemia and other developmental challenges.

I have been heard saying that God gave us our youngest to show us how we need to look at our children. In addition, because of the information we have received with him, it has helped us in handling all of the kids. We are a lot more patient than we used to be. We are a lot more understanding too.

It is amazing the journey that God will bring you through when you allow Him to. It’s not that the Lord will not allow more than you can bear, it is that he allows thins to happen so it brings you to Him. When Jeff and I got married, I thought I had it all together with child rearing. HA! Boy did I have a lot to learn.

Anyhow, the gist of this article is to PLEASE realize I am not perfect and I never claim to be. I thank the Lord in heaven that I am forgiven and saved by the blood of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I try to stay in the Word and I try to keep my eyes on Him. After all, how else could I parent the six blessing He has given me?

Random Thoughts

Smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other - it doesn't matter who it is - and that will help you grow up in greater love for each other.
~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta


Show love by being completely humble, gentle, patient and accepting each other. Do everything you can to keep the unity that the Spirit gives. Ephesians 4:2-3

And all they children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children. Isaiah 54:13

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Quote for the Day

"Let the first act on waking be to place yourself, your heart, your mind... your whole being in God's hands. Ask Him to take entire possession of you, to be the guide of your soul, your life, your wisdom, your strength."
~ Henrietta Loisa Sidney Lear

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing. Thank you Lord for the beauty you place around us.

Our Source...

This is a thought that I have been reminding myself of alot lately. All the media coverage on the economy and the bailouts and everything. It can be really scary.
It's been on my mind since June when we found out that where my husband works was doing a buy out and if enough people didn't do the buyout then there would be layoffs. The buyout deadline has passed and now, we wait for the layoffs which are scheduled for January 1st.
Five years ago I would be terrified. But now, as I have grown in my relationship with God, I know we will be okay. God is our Provider, He is our Source.
As Christians we are to look to God for our needs. Just as the Lord provided for the Israelites during the Exodus, He will provide for us.
We are however to be good stewards of all that he has given us. Spend wisely, budget, use our time and talents wisely.

Jehovah Jirah, My Provider.

I am posting today from email as we are just starting our day here at home. WE have decided to stay home today and just enjoy our family. In the last week my heart was stirred grately as news of Steven Curtis Chapman's loss hit the airwaves. My first thought was to pray for the family, especially Will. See, Will was either coming home or leaving and driving down the driveway. He didn't see little Maria and accidentally hit her. She was flown into Vanderbilt Hospital where the pronounced her dead. The grief that struck me.

Maria just turned 5 a week or two ago, she had just graduated preschool. She had her WHOLE life ahead of her. Then look at the rest of the family, The Chapman's oldest daughter just got engaged and they were celebrating the engagement that afternoon. Their son is a graduating senior. This is suppose to be a joyous time for the Chapman's and now, they are mourning Maria's death.

One can get all caught up in the loss of a child, it is gravely tragic. I pray I never lose one of my blessings. The key though is that as Christians, we have God. Jehovah Jirah, MY PROVIDER. God will provide us our needs. WE need strength to get through the day, all we need to do is ask and the Lord will give it to us. We need the calmness of the spirit? All we need to do is ask.

Being on several discussion groups one of the common threads is people having a hard time at making it. People losing jobs, getting caught up in debt, illness striking the family, and on and on. God will provide. In His time. I have found in my personal walk that when things get tough it's because I have been neglecting my prayer time or my devotions. For me, it's a wake up call. I have to turn back to God and put Him at the top spot.

Take some time today and think about how the Lord has provided for you.  Some examples would be money that you found or you received unexpectantly, somebody offering clothes to you for your kids, a utility bill being paid without your knowledge, or even more obvious, being healed from an illness. There are many more ways, and you should count your blessings.

The Lord is our provider and we have to turn to Him and stay focused on Him.

May you be blessed.

Passing On The Info

Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns Processed by April 15

Economic stimulus payments will be issued according to the last two-digits of the main filer's Social Security number. For joint filers, the payments will go out based on the person listed first on the return. Payments will be made by either direct deposit or paper check, consistent with how people filed their 2007 tax return.  People who use direct deposit also will be among the first to receive the payments starting April 28. Direct deposits will be made daily and completed by the date listed below: DIRECT DEPOSIT  Last two SSN digits:  Payments will be transmitted no later than:  00 through 20  May 2  21 through 75  May 9  76 through 99  May 16         Paper checks will also go out based on Social Security number. For Social Security numbers ending in 00 through 09, the paper checks will be mailed starting May 9 and will continue through May 16. A similar process will be repeated in the following weeks. PAPER CHECK  Last two SSN digits:  Payments will be mailed no later than:  00 through 09  May 16  10 through 18  May 23  19 through 25  May 30  26 through 38  June 6  39 through 51  June 13  52 through 63  June 20  64 through 75  June 27  76 through 87  July 4  88 through 99  July 11               People who file a return after April 15 will receive their economic stimulus payment, but probably about two weeks later than the schedule shows. A return must be filed by October 15 in order to receive a stimulus payment this year.

-- Source :: http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=180250,00.html

Difficult children....

We all know what I am talking about right? The one child in your kid's class at school or the one that lives down the street that runs the neighbor hood. We all know the difficult kids in our lives. In fact some of us are the parents to them.

These difficult kids are not that rare, I even remember knowing some while growing up. It's not anything the parents did necessarily, and it's not that they are ADD/ADHD or anything else. They are just difficult.

There is a little boy that is smaller than his peers in kindergarten at the school my younger kids go to. He has had a really rough time. He is a victim of child abuse and has lived in at least 3 or 4 different homes, counting where he is now. Each home having a different set of rules and a different value system. one or two were Christian, one was atheist, the others just went with the flow. Every home had a new mommy that swore they would be his "forever" mommy. Only for him to move again.

He has learned that if he lies about things he gets attention and that his teacher feels sorry for him. But in return, he won't listen to the teacher. He is in therapy, and it helps his parents and his siblings, but it seems to make things worse at school.

So what do you do with such a child? Do you send him to the child welfare system in hopes that the problem will disappear? Do you send him back to his birth parent even though that is where the abuse happened? What is it that you do?

I can answer that very simply and very easily.... you pray.

I highly suggest that you get a copy of The Power of the Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian and you use it as a tool to pray over any troubled or difficult child. You don't have to be the parent in order to pray.

The more people out there praying for the children, the more children will come to know the Lord. God will heal our kids. Sometimes all the kids need is to know somebody cares. And in today's world that is a high commodity that not all kids get.

The Power of a Praying Parent By Stormie Omartian / Harvest House Publishers Stormie Omartian revisits her bestselling book for parents---now with a new cover---by adding new material and the wisdom gleaned from even more years of being a mom. In 30 easy-to-read chapters, Stormie shares from personal experience as to how parents can pray for their children's safety, character, adolescence, peer pressure, school experiences, friends, and relationship with God. Now adults, Stormie's grown-up children also reflect on the way their praying parents raised them---and what a difference it made.

In Your Arms

This song is from Plumb off the Blink CD.

In Your Arms

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly que's
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight
Knowing

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books
Are full of fairy-tales
Of kinds and queens
And the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see
The truth for lies
When the

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
Cause you are never all alone
Cause I will always
Always love you

Hey I
Hey I
Will love

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

In my arms


I share these lyrics with you because the song absolutely touches me. I sing this song along with Plumb to my kiddos. I want my kids to know that no matter what, momma will keep them safe.

But you know what is even better? I pray for them. I know that I can't keep them 100% safe 100% of the time. They go to school, to church, playing in the neighborhood, to other family members, etc. So to protect them and shield them, I pray over them. I pray the Lord will protect their body, mind and soul.

His Word..... Hidden

Psalm 119:1 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.


I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this scripture in my devotion this morning. I was talking with a couple of friends just last night about how things will suddenly pop up and you have scripture that you didn't necessarily realize you knew.

When we stay in the Bible and read daily we feed our spiritual man. This is important as parents, grandparents and as people that are with kids because they learn from example.

Our children copy what they see. If they see their parents reading God's Word they will likely do the same. If your child hears you call somebody a jerk out of frustration, one day they will do the same. Trust me. Been There Done That got the T-Shirt.

So, we need to read the Bible with our kids. Have a hard time reading? Don't think you have time? Get the Bible on CD or tape and play it in the car while you go to softball practice or soccer. We keep praise and worship CDs in our vehicle to keep our focus on God.

You will notice that once you have God's Word in your heart that you will be more loving, your house will get a peace about it even in the chaos.


Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Strength For the Weary

Isaiah 40:29
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

This scripture is from my devotion this morning. It's interesting though because the devotion that was with it while I can understand it and I have been there, it's not what this scripture says to me today.

He (God) gives strength to the weary (me).

The last few weeks I have felt like I was running all over the place and emptied my cup completely instead of taking the time to get a refill and top it off. See, we have a child that has medical issues and there is alot of therapy involved to be done. He will be turning three soon so the early intervention services he has been getting will come to a close and everything will change over to the school system. This means getting all the evaluations taken care of and lots of paper work, extra meetings and if I'm not careful it can wear me down. I have to make sure to take the time to fill myself back up, spiritually and emotionally. Plus, we have 5 other children with their needs and activities.

In this day and age it is very easy to get worn down without realizing it before it's too late. As Christians, we need to make sure to stay in the Word. Our spiritual needs are met by keeping the Word fresh on our minds and our lips.

Distractions

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?"
"Yes, Lord," he answered, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Take care of my lambs." A second time Jesus said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

"Yes, Lord," he answered, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep." A third time Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" and so he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!"

Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep. I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don't want to go." (In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.) Then Jesus said to him, "Follow me!"

Peter turned around and saw behind him that other disciple, whom Jesus loved---the one who had leaned close to Jesus at the meal and had asked, "Lord, who is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?"

Jesus answered him, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So a report spread among the followers of Jesus that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die; he said, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you?"
(John 21:15-23 GNB)

When you read the above passage it looks as just a typical conversation that Jesus could have had with any of the disciples. But look deeper. Peter became distracted with what others were doing instead of what the Lord was telling him.

Do you have times when God is pointing you in a direction or bringing you through something and instead of focusing on Him, your focus is on other people? I know I have in the past and probably will in the future. Perhaps God is bringing you though some rather difficult times and instead of seeing how God has strengthened you and blessed you, you look and see that there are others around you that seem to have it easy. It can be difficult if you get distracted. That is why we have to keep our eyes on the Lord.

Peter looked away from Jesus to see John. Let's strive to stayed focused on the Lord.

Another Chapter and An Awesome Blessing

Hello, seems like forever since I have posted. I feel as though I disappoint people when I don't post. But then I wonder if there really is anybody out there reading this blog. I suppose it's one of those internal struggles we all have from time to time. So, after my delay in posting here... I would like to share why.

In early hours of December 8th, I was nudged away by our youngest, Benji. He had brought a loaf of bread to me. The night prior he didn't eat very well because he had a lot of congestion and just seemed to not be hungry. So I looked at him and then to the alarm clock and it said 4:29am. I looked at Benji again and said, "Go back to bed sweetie... we'll have breakfast later."

When my husband woke up at 6am to give Benji his propranolol (he takes it for his heart) he noticed Benji had been sweating and seemed to be a little chilled. Thinking maybe he had a fever during the night or got to hot in his PJs, he put him in bed next to me. Benji snuggled into me and daddy went to start on the day.

At 7:15am I woke up to the bed jolting. My first thought was one of the boys or my husband decided it was time for me to get up, what I saw scared me. I turned to face Benji and his arms were above his head, teeth gritted and he was jerking, his skin was ashen almost blue. I yelled for Jeff to call 911 and started praying a very anguished prayer. As Jeff was talking to dispatch I flipped Benji up on his side and hit him on his back, that allowed him to breath, but he was rasping horribly. I tried to do CPR, but his chest wall was so tight I was afraid I would break something.

I wasn't positive to what was going on on the phone, I knew there was coordination issues with getting EMS out. (We live in the middle of two towns and about 15-20 minutes from the closest hospital) At 7:35am a volunteer fireman pulled up to the house with and oxygen tank. Once we got it to him the ashen/blue color started to go away, but he was still having seizures. He looked so scared in his eyes.

About 7:40am First responders got there with an O2 mask that fit instead of the adult sized one. They also had a pulse ox to check his blood oxygen level. Remarkably and totally giving glory to God, his oxygen was 94-97% Which is normal for Benji.

While we were waiting for the first responders I had called my mom and according to her I said I thought Benji was dying. Her and dad said prayers all the way to our house and got here right behind the ambulance.

And this is where we realized that God had things under control. (He did the whole time but this is when we started seeing it with our fleshy eyes) On the ambulance was the EMT deemed as the best EMT in our county. The first thing they did with Benji was check his blood glucose level, it was either 21 or 23. For those that do not know... under 80 is hypoglycemia and under 60 is life threatening. Immediately they ran an IV and gave him DP50. Once that hit his system, he was coming out of it quickly. They ended up having to give him Valium to calm him down and keep him from yanking the IV out.

We had told the paramedics that we wanted Benji to go to Vanderbilt Children's but because of the situation, we had to go to the local hospital. I rode with and Jeff stayed home until my sister in law got there. Mom and Dad went to the hospital and also notified everybody to pray.

When we got to the local hospital, they took a urine sample (this ended up being an awesome thing! How can you get excited about pee?). The continue the glucose and monitored them. The ER doctor contacted VCH and they agreed to a transfer. If I remember correctly it was about 12-12:30 when we loaded up. By this time Jeff was there with me and followed. This ambulance ride was the scariest in my life. I rode in the back in order to keep Benji calm and I looked out the back window once we got on the interstate. The semi trucks looked like they were standing still. Praise the Lord we had His blessings on the way in. And Benji enjoyed the sirens.

At Vanderbilt, they looked over everything and monitored Benji. Gave him some lunch and a new sippy cup. Checked his blood glucose and it was 110. It was 83 right before we left the other hospital. At this point I really had no idea what they were thinking happened. Jeff had talked to the pediatrician and was told that seizures can cause hypoglycemia and hypoglycemia could cause seizures. It just really depended on what else was going on. The local hospital said it looked like an extremely rare case of hypoglycemia in a child.

VCH discharged Benji and set up an appointment with endocrinology the following week. As we got Benji dressed and went to leave, he demanded to "wok". (Benji was diagnosed with apraxia of speech in June due to a nearly 50% delay. Prior to this day, he never said walk). So, we let Benji walk while holding his hands... He was very wobbly but we expected that with the seizures and the Valium. He slept alot that evening.

The following morning we were awakened by Benji "hungry. anna eat." Obviously we got up and fed him. And it was like he was off to the races. He started jabbering and we were able to make out what he was saying. We were concerned that he was still very wobbly though. He did well at church. He didn't want to stay with us during worship but wanted to go to nursery on his own power. That evening he enjoyed about half of the kids Christmas musical and the other half he was running daddy every which way in the parking lot.

We were just so blown away with the blessing of God bringing Benji back to us. We got home and were getting ready for bed. And all of a sudden Benji started throwing up. My SIL's sister let us use her glucose meter and I checked Benji, he was at 78. The ER had told us if it went below 70 to call. If it went below 60 bring him in. So we got him calmed and cleaned. Made him a peanut butter sandwich and he settled down. We all went to sleep and in the morning he was droggy and difficult to get up. I checked his glucose it was 83. So, I called the doctor and took him in.

The pediatrician felt that Benji had a bug of sorts and that was ultimately what caused everything. Told us to keep monitoring his glucose in the morning and when ever he appeared to be cranky, irritable, sick, etc and then to wait for the endo visit. If the glucose went below 80 to call him though.

He woke us up the next morning throwing up and his glucose was 87. So we figured okay... it's a bug.

With all of this insanity, the blessing is that once again we were reminded that God knows what we need. God is in control. We just have to let God do what He does and not get in the way.