Pray for Your Children

This is my prayer for J today.  My hope is that he will grow up serving and loving the Lord.  Does that mean he won't make mistakes?  No, we all fall short and make mistakes every single day. I know that no one is perfect, and I know that many times we make mistakes along our journey of life.  My prayer is that despite mistakes made, my child will continually grow more in tune with his Abba God.  That he will know that he is forgiven and that God doesn't remember or hold his sins against him.  My prayer is that J will catch a glimpse (even during the hardest times in his life's journey) of how God really sees him. The way God sees every single person who has and will surrender their lives holistically to Him. As, Pure. Precious. Righteous. Completely Loved. Holy and Valuable. 

Be encouraged!  Pray and intercede over your children. Every day. No matter their age.  Even if you haven't even conceived a child yet.  Pray for your future children that God will give you.  Whether He blesses you with them through the process of Foster Care, Adoption and/or Biologically.  Pray for them--today! 

Hugs

I think we've all most likely seen the studies on how crucial physical touch is, especially for children.  I don't know about you, but I just LOVE hugging my son.  I love the fun--grab them as you are playing or rough housing with them and giving them a big bear hug. I also love the --sitting in a rocking chair, blanket around us and him sweetly falling to sleep kind of hug. Those hugs are so important, and so are the cuddles after he's had to be in "time out" or has fallen down and gotten a boo boo. Healthy physical touch is a MUST when it comes to building a strong foundation with your children.  So, go give your kid (s) a hug--just because & no matter how old they are--and let them know that they are loved and significant to you.   

Feel free to post picture, but please give credit to the photographer. 

Photo by Matt Gruber
www.CreationSwap.com

Pregnancy Journal Entry

Today starts my 29th week of pregnancy with our second child (also a little boy). Throughout this pregnancy I have been keeping a journal. I update it whenever I fill inspired to do so (which is usually every couple of weeks). Here's the entry for today:

Good Morning Handsome Boy! 

It is nearly May and this weekend begins your 29th week inside Momma (7 1/2 months) and also begins the countdown of 11 weeks until your Guess Date.  This week you weigh around 3 lbs, and you are getting bigger and longer every day. This past week you have been moving and kicking a lot, and you have had the hiccups a few times too. Your Daddy, Brother and I are getting more and more excited to meet you face to face and hold and kiss you, and play with you too.  We pray for you every day and your brother loves touching Momma's belly and is nearly able to say "Baby". 

We love you and pray you continue to grow and develop these last couple months. See you soon, Little Love. 

Love, 

Momma

Below is the picture I found and then I decided to place this scripture with it. It just seemed perfect!
 Feel free to post it, but please make sure to credit the photographer. Thanks!

Photo by Matt Gruber
www.CreationSwap.com

Daddy's Work

I had to write a quick post about J's and my visit to his Daddy's work.  Yesterday was the National Day for Taking Your Kids to Work and nearly 40 million parents and children took part in this fun day, including us! 

D didn't actually take J (our 15 mo. old) with him to work, but J and I went and spent lunch time with Daddy and checked out his office.  It was so fun seeing J run around and so excited and filled with energy as he saw where his Daddy works.  It was also really neat to see D's face and his excitement at having his firstborn at work and lunch with him.  It was a special day and we are excited for next year and hope to celebrate this day again as a family. 


Until next time....

Moment by Moment

I have been told by my family that even when I was in the womb, there was a specific song that I would respond to and continually get really active during.  They'd turn off the song, I'd stop, they'd turn back on the song and I'd get active again....but it seemed that other songs did not have the same affect on my little soul. I was told later, that the song I'd responded to was a worship song to the LORD.  Isn't that amazing?  Even in the womb, babies instinctively can and will worship the LORD. And why not?  He is the One who is creating them, and knitting them together (Ps. 139), atom by sweet, adorable atom. 

We as created human beings, we're made to worship.  We have it within our very core. We will worship something or someone.  I want to encourage you today to worship the LORD in the midst of your day.  Especially within those moments that are the most difficult, and our body and soul would rather do anything else but turn the focus to God. While on bended knee, we are outwardly humbling ourselves and expressing an attitude of the heart--the realization that we need guidance from the One True Source of Strength--our Heavenly Father. 

For me, some of my moments this week have included: a son with temper tantrums, and being so tired that all I want to do is take a nap, instead of chase after a 15 month old.  It's during those moments that I try to worship the LORD (sometimes praying aloud or turning on some worship music and singing/dancing) and in doing so, many times, He gives me strength, where I am weak and gives me guidance, wisdom and perhaps a different perspective on how to help J work through his own frustrations.  

Plus, an added advantage--your baby, kid(s), or teenager(s) have the chance to witness you praying, seeking and worshiping God in the midst of hardship. A great teachable moment. :)   

Photo by Matt Gruber
www.CreationSwap.com

Productivity & Tantrums

He loves to vacuum. 

Today was a good and productive day.  My mom came over and spent the morning with J. and I.  She and I cleaned our place for 3 hours....she did most of the work. Which was great because getting up and down at this point is beginning to get a little more difficult. We focused on cleaning spots from our carpet in the living and dining room, vacuuming (J. helped us), folding clothes and deep cleaning the kitchen floor and kitchen. She brought over this really good carpet cleaner that had no smell (that I could detect with my Super Preggo Nose), which made me very happy.  

In other news, J. has been getting really attached to his Grandma's these past months and today, when Nana had to leave he threw one of his first, "I don't want you to leave" tantrums. He threw himself back--arching his back--and got beet red in the face, while letting out a very loud and long cry.  He and I had a little heart to heart after that, which lasted about 1 minute (because that is the scope of his attention span at this age) and then he fell promptly asleep on my shoulder as I rocked him to sleep for his nap.  He took a nice long nap and woke up much happier. 

Motherhood Quotes 1

Motherhood does take a brave heart, a lot of support and many moments of spending time seeking the face of God for guidance, peace, humbleness and wisdom. There are a lot of momma's (including myself) that at one time or another need to read or hear some positive words of affirmation and as I woke up this morning I felt very strongly that the Lord was inspiring me to combine quotes, scripture and photography together and create some visual encouragement for mother's specifically.

Every day for the next little while I am going to be posting a new piece. Please enjoy and be encouraged! :)  

Photo by Travis Silva
www.CreationSwap.com

This Week

After a couple of busy and full weeks, the days ahead are looking open and I'm hoping to get some much needed chores around our home completed.  On this week's agenda: organizing and cleaning our closet and room, cleaning the carpet (a spot at a time), working on the boys' room and finishing an acrylic painting of a monkey (for their room).

THIS WEEK WITH J.-We are working with J. on a few signs like: "milk", "please", "more" and "thank you". We are also working on saying "hi", "papa", "grandpa", "baby" and "diaper".  Sidenote: Last night I did the sign for "poop" a couple times and THAT is the sign that J. decided to learn the first time around. LOL!  He keeps signing it with a big smile on his face. :)  The last thing we are working on this week is putting his sippy cup up on a table when he is finished drinking, instead of throwing it on the ground and walking away.

Until next time....have a great day!

Year-Around Fun Activities-Toddler

My 15 month old is a very normal, healthy, active little bundle of joy. His days are currently filled with walking, running, climbing and mass amounts of exploring and learning. As a stay-at-home momma I have found it increasingly difficult to keep his energy focused in a positive manner. He gets bored pretty easily and with boredom comes getting into mischief and continual focus on things he is not supposed to be doing.  Little Stinker.  :) Along with that, I am in my third trimester with our second baby boy and am finding my energy and agility beginning to wane.  So over the past several weeks I have been compiling a list of fun and frugal indoor/outdoor activities that a child around his age might really get a "kick out of". As stay-at-home parents we need to learn that we can lean  on each other for support, encouragement, and fun, safe ideas that bring creativity and freshness into the home. 

**This is not a complete list and I'm always adding to it. If you have any fun activities you'd like to add, feel free to leave a comment.  :)

Fall/Winter (indoor type activities)

• Finger Paint (edible)-plain yogurt/vanilla pudding and food coloring * Let them finger paint while in their high chair.
•  Foam Shapes-peel off back and let them stick it on paper, then display their artwork. 
•  Non-toxic big crayons and let them color on a big piece of paper. You could even tape down a huge piece of paper on a table and let them just have fun coloring all over it. 
• Magnet fun on the fridge (of course with your supervision)
• Listen to music, sing and dance together
• Grab some books and read to/with them 
• Give them some paper to tear up (good for motor skills)
• Make some homemade play-do out of cornstarch, food coloring, water and salt, that way if they eat some, it is non-toxic.
• Homemade slide-pull crib mattress out of crib and prop it up against couch. Don't forget the pillows in case of falls. 
• Pull cushions off of your davenport aka couch and let them crawl over them.
• Build a fort-grab some blankets and place them over furniture
• Check in with your local library on story times for your toddlers age group.
• Grab a ball and roll it back and forth
• Boxes! Need I say more? Toddlers LOVE climbing in and out of them and taking things in and out of them.
• Grab an old pair of socks, sew a couple buttons on and you have yourself a sock puppet.  *Remember to put out of reach when you're done, as the buttons could be a choking hazard. 
• Peak-a-boo Farm style-cut out some pictures of farm animals and laminate them, then play peek-a-boo with the animals and your little one. *Great time to work on sounds of the animals.
• Shaving Cream or Whipped Cream & Food Coloring-combine in a ziploc bag and let them squish it or "finger paint". 
• Laundry Basket-fill it with their stuffed animals and them and then push them all around as if they were in an imaginary car. Vvrrrrrmmmmm!!! 
• Laundry Basket-fill it with safe odds and ends, such as plastic spoons, Tupperware, lids, hats, socks and they will have fun taking those items out and putting them back in. 
• Little Helpers-let them help with things like dusting with a wet rag, or vacuuming. My son literally "make believe" vacuumed for 25 minutes one day. 
• Take a little trip to the mall and walk around. 
• Check out a children's museum or an art shop that caters to toddlers. 

Spring/Summer  (outdoor type activities)

• Go for a Nature walk (letting them pick up rocks, sticks, etc. which could be used for a craft later.
• Go to the park
• Kick a ball back and forth
• Set up a couple huge boxes and cut out windows and a door and you have an instant playhouse.
• Hang up some construction paper and give them a spray bottle so they can "paint" the paper with it. 
• Hook up a sprinkler and let your little one run through it.
• Water balloons-your water-baby will love running around and popping the balloons on the ground.
• Fill ice trays with water & food coloring, then empty tray into a baby pool and they'll have fun playing with the rainbow colored ice. (This can also work during bath times.)  *Never leave your child unattended when they are near or in water. 
• Go to the zoo. 

***Some of these are my ideas, others I have gleaned from other sites.***  

Here are a couple of the sites I found the most helpful.  

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a2576645/ideas_for_at-home_activities_with_15-month-old

http://www.city-data.com/forum/parenting/321379-activities-15-month-old.html

http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/children-parenting-190/toddlers-pre-schoolers-12-months-4-years-59/773832-activities-very-very-very-active-15-month-old.html

http://www.circleofmoms.com/stay-at-home-moms/what-are-some-activities-my-15-month-old-daughter-and-i-can-do-together-429804

Bridegroom

One of my most favorite descriptions of Christ (that the Bible speaks of) is Christ as the Bridegroom and we, His Church, as the Bride (Isaiah 62:5; Matthew 25; Ephesians 5:25-27). 


How does this apply to us personally?  Well, for me, it reminds me of my wedding day. 

Photo by Joelle-rose.com

When I think back to the days and weeks preceding my husband's and my wedding day, I recall that my emotions were in such a constant and heightened state of being, that I felt everything all at once.  I had never felt the full array of emotions that I was experiencing. 


From the moment I woke up, until the moment sleep met my eyelids, I could think of nothing but my soon-to-be husband,  our wedding, and this new chapter in life that we were about to embark on. I counted down the days, the hours and yes, even the minutes until the moment our lips would meet--as an outward seal of affection that would let those witnessing our joyous day, catch a glimpse of the melding of our two hearts.
  

Photo by Joelle-rose.com

If you are married, odds are that when you think back to your own wedding day, most of it probably seems a blur, except for bits here and there.  I know that is the case for me.  However, I am so thankful that a friend shared a helpful piece of advice with me.  She said, "Stop now and then throughout your wedding day, and when you want to remember a moment, take a mental snapshot of that memory and hold on to it."  What a great word of advice she gave me. Today as I think back over all of the events of that day, I have a beautiful photo album full of mental snap shots and the feelings that were tied to every single one of them.

Photo by Joelle-rose.com

Probably one of the strongest feelings I felt that day was my heart seemed to be beating this amazing unique rhythm of joy and adoration, soaring with excitement and passion for my Bridegroom!  


Why am I going into such detail about what I thought and felt?  Because I believe that is how Christ feels about His Beloved, His Bride...Us. Whether we are female or male.  All of us. He longs for the day when we will be with Him forever. His love, excitement and passion grows as the day, and the hour draws near.

So as you continue on with your day, remember this, Christ passionately loves you and His   excitement and delight in you grows every day!!




Until next time, have a glorious day, for you are the handiwork of God, created by His very fingertips. 

** Photo's are the copyright of Joelle-rose.com**

Blog Header Update

Hello all,  

I have only received a handful of votes thus so far. Remember, voting ends tomorrow (Wednesday, April 17th @ Midnight (PST).  

We have two headers that are tied for 1st at the moment and they are.......  

 Entry #1

Bright and Cheerful

(Click on to enlarge)

Entry #2

Vintage/Flowers

(Click on to enlarge)

Don't forget to vote ya'll. Which one will YOU vote for?  

Details on How to Vote

You may either leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or on my Facebook page (by clicking this link) https://www.facebook.com/MotherhoodACallForTheBraveOfHeart  ( or click on the Facebook icon on top right side of blog) then comment on the link. Remember, you can vote up to three times.

Until next time....

Vote on Blog Header

Ok all my peeps, thank you for your patience!  Now is the time that you get to do your part and vote on which blog header you like best.

Details on How to Vote

You may either leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or on my Facebook page (by clicking this link) https://www.facebook.com/MotherhoodACallForTheBraveOfHeart  ( or click on the Facebook icon on top right side of blog) then comment on the link.  Voting will close this Wednesday, April 17 @ Midnight (PST).  The entry that receives the most votes by that time, will win!!! You can vote up to three times.

Sidenote:  I am in contact with a friend that is working on a drawing of a "brave" looking Momma cartoon character that will be--cross fingers--hopefully added to the logo at a later date.  :)

Thank you for your time and now.....LET THE VOTING BEGIN!!!

 Entry #1

Bright and Cheerful

(Click on to enlarge)

Entry #2

Vintage/Flowers

(Click on to enlarge)

Entry #3

Keepin' it Simple

(Click on to enlarge)

Entry #4

Retro and Green

(Click on to enlarge)

Entry #5

Mirror

(Click on to enlarge)

New Blog Header

Hello all,

Need your help! I've posted four entries thus so far and am currently working on the fifth and final entry. Come back over the next few days and vote on your favorite. Thank you!  Which one will you choose?  

Entry #1
Bright and Cheerful

(Click on picture to enlarge)
If you like this header, scroll down and leave a comment.
Thanks!



Entry #2
Vintage/Flowers

(Click on picture to enlarge)
If you like this header, scroll down and leave a comment.
Thanks!



Entry #3
Plain and Simple

(Click on picture to enlarge)
If you like this header, scroll down and leave a comment.
Thanks!



Entry #4
Retro and Green

(Click on picture to enlarge)
If you like this header, scroll down and leave a comment.
Thanks!



Entry #5

I'm having so much fun with getting my creative juices flowing, that I've decided I'm going to do one final entry.  Stay tuned!  :) 

LIFE

This poem was inspired by another poem I once read by Ted Loder.