Yelling, Hebrews 4.14-16, and 1000 Gifts: Monday Musings {02.20.12}

I Hate Yelling

I really hate yelling.

And yet I’ve been yelling a LOT lately. Way too much in fact.

David has stopped listening, and I’ve started yelling to try to get his attention. Only problem? He still doesn’t listen even when I yell.

So I’m really just yelling for no reason.

Yelling

And, because she’s heard me yell so much lately, Jenny has started yelling a lot lately, especially when David is bothering her or not doing what she wants him to do.

Today, neither of the kids was listening and it was getting extremely close to being time to leave the house. After asking, then telling them to get the house picked up and get themselves ready to go, they were both still messing around and were not listening at all.

The yelling began.

I yelled: “Please do what you were told to do. I’m getting upset, and I really don’t want to be upset with you!”

All I could think was, “I hate yelling. I really, really hate yelling!”

Thankfully, Jenny got the message – Mommy was at her breaking point – and she began to do as she had been told.

David, however, was a different story.

But such is the case with him most of the time lately.

Any ideas on getting a 3.5 year old boy to listen and obey?

—

Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart

Hebrews 4.14-16

{Be sure to link up your Scripture memory posts below!!}

—

Counting My Gifts: #136-160

coffee date with a friend

extra diapers in the church nursery {I donated our old diapers when David finished potty training MONTHS ago, only to have him end up needing one during a meeting on Wednesday night}

productive meetings

Little Man’s first visit to the dentist

no cavities or other issues with my teeth

lunch dates with my family

the local Chinese buffet

a new iPhone

helpful and knowledgeable sales people

kid-friendly AT&T store

a new client

renewed Amazon Prime membership {I heart two-day shipping}

kids who play well together *most of the time*

time spent with my aunt

time spent with my parents and sister

“Grandpa-time” for David

“Grandma-time” for Jenny & David

games and puzzles that educate while the kids play

green lights and light traffic when I’m running late

a line at Starbucks to prevent me from spending money on a coffee I don’t need

well-behaved kids {mostly} while grocery shopping

a clean car

a package from Amazon.com

an OtterBox for my new phone

“quiet” time for my kids

—

Link up your Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart posts:

—

Be sure to see where I link up…

Top 10 Tuesday: YOUR Favorite Bible Verses

Caffeinated Conversations - Thanksgiving {11.04.011}

Caffeinated Conversations {01.27.12}

Monday Musings {02.13.12}: Obedience, Failure, and 1000gifts

Obedience:

At our house, obedience is doing what you are told to do when you are told to do it.

We have a couple of songs that are “popular” in helping us to remember how to obey:

{If you cannot see the video below, please visit the blog to view it.}

Songs to Help You Teach Your Kids to Obey

Lately, my efforts in training my kids in how to obey have been extremely conscious in my mind. I’ve begun to go past the how to obey arguments in my own heart and I have begun to explore the why to obey arguments. As I’ve explored the why to obey arguments, I’ve realized that many times the “why” I want my kids to obey is because it somehow conveniences me when they obey {or inconveniences me when they disobey}.

While training my kids to be conscious and considerate of others {too many kids today – and adults, too – are so absorbed in their own desires that they often are a public nuisance without even knowing it} including myself isn’t wrong, my frustration when they fail to obey and it affects my comfort {i.e. being quieter in the car, playing in another area of the house, etc.} is often greater that when the failure to obey does not directly impact my comfort.

It’s when these moments of frustration occur that I need to start by first considering my own heart:

Is the issue really their disobedience? Or am I getting upset because I have been inconvenienced?
What is the proper reaction to their disobedience – do I need to discipline them or would a heart-to-heart discussionbe more effective?
Why am I getting upset? Am I upset over the sin issue or over the issue of my discomfort?

God has definitely been showing me areas in my parenting where I have become more interested in my own comforts than in actually parenting my kids, teaching them how and why to obey. He, through the guiding of His Holy Spirit, has been opening my eyes to situations where I need to seek His heart before I am able to lead my kids to His heart.

—

Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart:

I failed this week. I looked up my verses for this week late in the week, but I never wrote them out, and I didn’t make a plan to work on memorizing them. I am thankful for God’s grace {and yours} as I seek to start fresh this week.

If you’ve worked on hiding God’s truths in your heart this week, be sure to share your journey in the linky below!

—

1000Gifts {#101-135}:

spell check

combos

IMGA0003

gift cards

snow

unexpected thank you notes

financial resources beyond our imagination

safety

dry roads

great timing {i.e. got the last item before it was sold out – hubby’s birthday gift}

time with my husband

time away from my kids

cuddles with the kids

my own bed {after sleeping in a camp bunk bed for two nights}

opportunities to bless others

a new camera

relationships with added benefits {i.e. being related to a camera salesman}

an abundance of the Word of God in our language

the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to my heart

the opportunity to sit under the teaching of the Word

going “home” to Camp Barakel for the weekend

packing an extra blanket

multiple winter coats to choose from when some have none

a new book in the mail

grace when life doesn’t go as planned {see “Hiding God’s Truth” above}

a beautiful sunset

teachable moments {see “Obedience” above}

gorgeous blue skies

making new friends

in-laws who are willing to watch the kids for the weekend

overnight shipping – for free

hot coffee to start my day

the freedom to choose how our kids will be academically educated

the opportunity to catch up with old friends

coconut milk on my cereal

a {mostly} internet-free weekend

—

Share your Hiding God’s Truths posts with us…

Blogging Through the Gospels {Matthew 24}

Caffeinated Conversations {04.29.11}

Top 10 Tuesday: My Scripture Journal {Fearing the Lord}

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal {recipe}

We’ve been eating a LOT of take-out lately. I’ve been lazy in the kitchen {avoiding it at all costs}, lazy in my grocery shopping {only picking up the bare essentials when we’re out}, and lazy in my money management {spending oodles of money on take-out instead of making frugal food at home}.

As one of my efforts toward simplicity, I’ve decided I need to be more intentional about making fast and frugal food at home in order to better feed my family.

I started by making a six week dinner menu plan. That was great, until I neglected to implement it.
Monday night, I got out my crockpot recipes and shopped my pantry and freezer and ended up with a delicious chicken & rice in the crockpot.
And Tuesday night, I looked at my menu plan and saw we were scheduled to have baked oatmeal for dinner. My baked oatmeal recipe is for “Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal,” but I didn’t have any apples. So I, once again, went shopping in my freezer and pantry and found some blueberries I’d frozen this summer.

And that’s how we came to have Blueberry Baked Oatmeal for dinner on Tuesday night.

I shared a picture of my dinner {via Instagram} on Facebook and Twitter, and I was instantly bombarded with requests for the recipe.

So, here’s the quick and easy recipe for Blueberry Baked Oatmeal.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

{P.S. Please don’t copy/paste this recipe on your blog/website/Facebook – instead, if you’d like to share it, please simply share a link to this post. Thanks!}

Melt 1/2 cup of butter & stir in 1/2 cup of brown sugar & 1 cup of milk{I used coconut milk}.
Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanillaand mix well.
Mix in 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Add 3 cups of oats {I used quick oats} and 2 cups {or so} of blueberries{mine were frozen}.
Fold all the ingredients together and put into an 8×8 glass pan{or whatever you have on hand that is similarly sized}.
Refrigerate or bake immediately – I usually refrigerate mine for a few hours before baking.
Bake at 350 degrees {Fahrenheit} for 25-30 minutes {oatmeal shouldn’t be runny when done}.

Get a printable recipe card for Blueberry Baked Oatmeal here: Blueberry Baked Oatmeal {recipe}

—

Be sure to let me know what you think of the recipe if you try it!!

What I Wore & Wrote Wednesday {01.04.12}

Happy 5th Birthday, Jenny!!

Homeschooling, SAHM, John 15.15, and 1000gifts {Monday Musings on 01.09.12}

On homeschooling and being a SAHM:

**Note: I wrote this as a piece of free-writing, and thus, it has not been edited and some of my ideas/thoughts have not been “checked”. Please keep this in mind as you respond in love.**

I feel as if I am about to open a can of worms. Normally, I’m one who shies away from conflict, but I feel as if I need to say something – to take a stand for my sisters-in-Christ.

Recently, I read an article that basically said that if you’re a Christian mom, your heavenly calling to to stay home and homeschool your children. No exceptions. Well, I disagree. And I’m tired of the SAHM “club” rubbing their position in the face of those who can’t or have chosen not to stay at home with their kids and/or homeschool them. No where in the Bible does it say that moms must stay home with their children and homeschool them.

I am honestly quite disappointed in my fellow SAHMs. I feel like we take for granted our privilege to stay home with our kids, and we lord it overs those who can’t and shame those who choose not to.

It’s not a biblical mandate. It’s a personal choice. Each family must decide what is best for their family in the season of life they currently find themselves in.

And homeschooling. It’s NOT the only option for Christians, and it’s not even the best option for many families – even when mom is at home.

Now, that doesn’t get families off the hook. Parents (moms AND dads) have a responsibility to raise their kids in a biblical manner – teaching them “all things [CHRIST] commanded”. But does this require homeschooling? No.

So let’s stop pushing our families’ decisions to have mom at home with the kids and to homeschool our kids onto our sisters. Let’s allow each family the grace and freedom that Christ offers to prayerfully choose what is best for their family in their current season of life.

And if you must know, we don’t homeschool out of conviction. And I’m not cut out to be a full-time SAHM (at least not in the traditional sense that is preached about from so many SAHM blogs). We are simply following God’s leading one day at a time, seeking His best for our family as we walk through life with His Spirit guiding ears, each step along the way.

—

Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart: John 15.15

Hiding God’s Truths in My Heart {John 15.15}

—

Counting 1000 gifts

#6 – a love for reading/books

#7 – a front loading washer

#8 – the ability to stay home with my kiddos

#9 – puzzle time with Jenny

#10 – a backup of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe {I can’t find the original!!}

#11 & 12 – a new winter coat and jeans that fit!!

#13 & 14 – my husband getting home from work on time & being able to go to small group sans kids

—

Link up your Hiding God’s Truth in My Heart posts:

—

***I love comments, but please remember to comment “in love.” Comments perceived as attacking or disrespectful will be edited and/or deleted. This blog operates under Ephesians 4.29.***

From the Overflow {Part One}

Caffeinated Conversations {11.25.11} - Give Thanks to the Lord

Merry Christmas from the Picheas

What I Wore & Wrote Wednesday {01.04.12}

Welcome to “What I Wore & Wrote Wednesday”!!

I don’t get dressed for the sake of being fashionable but in order to set the tone for my day and my family. Without the accountability of this weekly post, I’d probably live in sweats. In order to live each day with intentionality, I start by intentionally getting dressed…

What I Wore Wednesday