Sleep-in Saturdays!

I LOVE to sleep in.

I look forward to it all week. It is my one day that I don't have to get up before the kids to be somewhere.

 

Sleeping in has changed some through the years...

In college, sleeping in meant I woke up in time for lunch.

In the first years of marriage, it meant waking up mid morning and staying in
bed until lunch.

After our kids were born,
we began to forget what sleeping meant!

We had to make an effort to switch out and allow each other to have this privilege while the other tended to the kids.  Now our kids are at the age that they still get up early, but we can coach them on the much needed rest for Mom and Dad on Saturday mornings.  This sets the tone for a morning of them occupying themselves for at least an extra hour in the morning.
 

Except for THIS Saturday morning.

We were greeted beside by a miniature waiter and waitress which presented a breakfast menu and proceeded to take our order. They were very insistent to serve us 'in bed'. We got treated to giggles from the kitchen followed by breakfast made to order. My coffee was made exactly the way I like it with the right amount of sweetener, cream, and even served in my favorite cup. This service was followed up by further pampering throughout the morning.

We had coached our kids on rest but received abundantly more in sweet service and kindness.  It was a great reminder of how no matter what we ask of the Lord, he always gives you abundantly more than you could ask for or imagine!
A mans heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
(Proverbs 16:9 NKJV)

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(Psalm 37:4 NKJV)

Back to school...

We have had a fun-filled summer!

When asked if I am ready for the kids to go back to school, it is a bittersweet response.  We have had so many adventures, vacations, stay-cations, fun activities, swimming until our poor skin can wrinkle no more. 
We have had camp-outs, camp-ins, sleep overs, sleeping in,
and late nights of catching fireflies!

But...YES,
we are ready for everything the Lord has planned for us this year!

Starting Kindergarten!

Starting 4th grade!

We have shopped, filled our backpacks, made cute back to school treats.  We have even started the 'back to normal' bedtime routine (even if it was unwilling at first). Ahh, how nice it is to get to bed at a 'decent' time again.

Now,

it is time for us to prepare our hearts and minds.

I pray for..

Armour of protection
Blessings over our teachers & staff
Calm our anxieties
Discovering of new abilities and self confidence
Encouraging, empowering
Firm faith
Grace, gentleness 
Humble hearts
Instruments of peace
Joyful and motivated throughout the year
Knowledge & understanding
Loving kindness
Mercy
Nuture the fruits of the spirit in our children
Obedience to God's word
Patience, Praise, & Perseverance
Quiet my busyness to be there for my kids & school
Reward good works!
Spiritual strength
Turn away from distractions and temptations
Unwavering hope
Victory
Wisdom, pursuit of God's truth
Xalted (For Jesus to be Exalted in all things!)
Yearning for learning!
Zeal for seeking His will

Vacation

va·ca·tion How do you define it? Is it defined by location or a state of mind?
I like to think of it as more of a state of mind! For me, it is a
change from the routine, a time to relax, to leave the daily tasks and focus on quality time with family and friends.
This week, we wanted to take a 'vacation' with the kids. We weren't sure where we were going, we had no reservations. We just knew that we needed a break from the norm and a time to be together.
We set off on an adventure and ended up at an indoor waterpark.

We had an amazing time. The next day we gave the kids several options for our next destination.
What we found was.....

There is no place like home!
We came home with a load of supplies to fish, build a fire, and have plenty of sweet treats.
What could be better than finding that you can be home and enjoy a vacation!

Kendall even caught the first fish!!

A lesson in grace

So, I have been reading a great book over the past year. Yes, I said YEAR. It is one of those books that you read, reread, then reference back to, it's that good. It isn't an easy read but definetly a worthy read. The book is called Give them Grace.  It is one thing to read about giving your kids grace and agreeing with the biblical teachings, but totally different to actually put it into practice. 

Yesterday, we had piano lessons. An hour before we left for our lesson, I reminded my daughter to get her books ready. Once we got in the car to leave, I asked her again if she had her books. She insisted
that she had her books. Of course you know how the story ends, we get to piano and my daughter had left the books by the door. It's kinda hard to do a piano lesson with no books. I must admit, on the inside I
was fuming. Thankfully, the student before us let her borrow her books. Our piano teacher shared a story of how when she was little and forgot her books, her father took away her allowance to pay for that
lesson. This sparked what I thought was an adequate punishment, after all- it WAS chore day. So, we agreed, my daughter would joyfully do the chores this week with no allowance as her punishment for being irresponsible. Seems fair and extending grace, right?

Well, the short answer is...No, not exactly

The next day, we got ready for school. It was an unusual morning. We were ready ahead of schedule. We took advantage of this 'extra' time and double checked the backpack to make sure we had everything. Then, we were off! It felt good to get there before the doors swung open. As my daughter got out of the car, I realized I had not put my daughters backpack back into the car. She had done her part and rolled in out to our car, but I forgot to load it!

Now, what about that responsibility thing?

Talk about getting my attention!

God spoke to my heart loud and clear,

Give Them Grace!

grace- Pronunciation: grās- The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.

Was this the reaction I had with my daughter?

Did I seek to extend love, kindness, and unmerited favor?

Are you filled with grace as you discipline your child?

Rejoice freely in His steadfast love

 and share that happiness with all those around you,

ESPECIALLY your kids!

Helpful tips

Okay, let me start by saying, this is not my normal blog post.  But, maybe it should be!  I love to get helpful hints from other moms, so I thought I would share mine today!
As a commitment to be a good steward of our money, I have decided to veto the dry cleaners and take on the duty myself.  I know, I know- you think that is crazy, let someone else do it but hear me out. 
My husband's love language is acts of service, so this also allows me to feel a sense of servitude to him. Kill two birds with one stone- I am speaking my husband's love language AND saving us money. 
So, I wash the first load of dress shirts and his favorite shirt comes out with a big stain on the collar! I am not sure what it was but it looked like grease.  So, I am thinking, "great, first load and his favorite shirt is ruined", maybe this isn't such a good decision.  Lucky for me, I have 'TIDE to go' stain remover pen and Shout.  I try both of these in two additional washes with NO luck.  UGH!! Now what? Should I just take them to the cleaners and let them deal with it?  No, that is not my nature to just give up so easily.  So, I do a little digging and find a recommended solution....SUNSCREEN!  Yes, you read that correctly!  I had no idea that sunscreen could be used to removed stains and frankly was a little hesitant to glob it on my husband's shirt.  But guess what? IT WORKED!!!  So, I thought it worthy of passing on this unconventional stain remover tip in case you too want to take on the dry cleaning task OR if you just need to get a stain out of the kid's clothes!