Careless Words

The Library of Congress has acquired the entire Twitter archive. From their site, "That’s right. Every public tweet, ever, since Twitter’s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress. That’s a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day, with the total numbering in the billions."

That puts a little more importance on your tweets, doesn't it? Twenty years from now your children can look at your tweets. And twenty years after that your grandchildren or great-grandchildren can see what you thought was tweetable!

Matthew 12:36 says, "people will give account for every careless word they speak." I think we can safely include every word we type- emails, blogs, texts, comments on blogs/sites, tweets, status updates, and anything else the future holds!

Before we hit enter or publish, maybe we should think about the power of our words.

• Know your attitude- When I have pride, anger, jealousy, I care less about my words. Check your attitude to make sure your words are not the fruit of a sinful heart. You know yourself- if you aren't in a good mood, don't get online. This is especially important when leaving comments on blogs. I'm amazed at what someone will say to people they don't know. I'm not saying you can't disagree, just make sure you communicate kindness, even in (especially in) your disagreements.

• Know your audience- I've learned this lesson a couple times. Like when my mother-in-law called to discuss one of my Twitter updates with my husband. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't have written it if I had known she was reading my Twitter page. Your small circle of friends on Facebook may know you are kidding when you make a joke or use sarcasm, but the hundreds of "friends" you have may not understand. Your audience is always bigger than you think it is!

• Know you're accountable- You are an ambassador for Christ. That means you're held to a higher standard, and, unfortunately, open for attacks from those looking for an excuse to discredit your faith. It all comes back to Matthew 12:36- people will give an account. You aren't only accountable to God, but also your employer, your family, your church, and other organizations you represent. We should all remember we are accountable to someone!

Because our words will live beyond hitting the enter button, we need to remember they have power. It helps to know your attitude, know your audience, and know you're accountable!

Healthy Breakfast Make-Over

I've been thinking a lot about the food I feed my family lately. Our three year old is on a dairy free, gluten-less, sugar-less, and food dye-less diet. When you start reading labels, you realize just how much dairy, gluten, sugar, and food dyes are in our food! After months on our new diet, I realized there was still one meal that hadn't gotten the healthy make-over yet: breakfast. It's easier (especially for my husband who is usually in charge of breakfast) just to open a silver foil wrapper or pour something colorful and fun into a bowl. This just doesn't cut it anymore!

Here are a few steps I'm taking to make breakfast healthier:

1. Cook ahead of time. Instead of buying boxes of waffles and pancakes, I make extra batches and freeze them.
2. Speaking of pancakes, we now make dairy free/gluten free pancakes (using a box mix and almond milk, adding ground flax seed). How do they taste? Actually, not bad! Especially since I add a handful of blueberries to the mix.
3. No more blue yogurt for us. We now get plain organic yogurt and let our oldest mix what he wants in the yogurt! Strawberries and blueberries are his favorites so far.
4. Speaking of fruit, both boys eat fruit at breakfast now. My youngest has prunes every morning (I highly recommend them to help keep everything regular the most natural way!) and our oldest either has fruit in his yogurt, pancakes, or his most favorite--a grapefruit!

How are you cooking healthier for your family? 

Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is right around the corner! Here are a few gifts on my list (just in case my husband and boys stop by the blog today!)

Monogrammed Umbrella in pink from The Palm Gifts

Autistic Love necklace from The Vintage Pearl

Grace Tile Pendant from Our Daily Chocolate

Rain or Shine, So Glad You're Mine necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

Fruit of the Spirit candle from Red Letter Words

Women's t-shirt to benefit The Mercy House in Kenya

What's on your list for Mother's Day?

Spring Clean Your On-Line Life

Doesn't it feel good to sit down with a glass of lemonade and look around the house after a good spring cleaning? You feel more organized, less cluttered, and the things that are most important to you and your family come into focus. There's another important area of your life that might need some sprucing up this spring. Studies show the average American spends 32 hours a month on the internet, and that 40% of that time is on social networking sites, email, and games. Take a few minutes now to "Spring Clean Your On-Line Life" to save some time when the weather is just too pretty to be looking at a screen!

Email

• Unsubscribe to any newsletters, coupon sites, advertisements or blogs that you don't use every day (or every week).
• Organize your in-box into folders. This is easy to do in most email services. I have twelve folders in my Hotmail account to keep everything straight. When I need to find an email later, it's must faster when it's filed in the appropriate folder.
• Make sure your spam or junk filters are set correctly so you get fewer of those emails.
• Have more than one email account you check regularly? Forward them to your primary account so you don't miss anything!
• Create a new email account just for businesses and to give as contact info to people you may not know. Do not have any contacts in this account so if it ever gets spammed, there's no list of contacts to email and infect with the virus! Just remember to forward the emails from this account to your primary account.

Facebook

• You can unfriend anyone you aren't really friends with, or any pages you follow that you don't enjoy or need anymore.
• If you don't want to actually unfriend, you can hide people, pages, or even applications from your news feed. Just put your cursor to the right of the person/page's name and an X will appear. Click it and you can choose from "Hide this post" or "Hide this friend/page/application." If you change your mind, just scroll all the way down to the bottom of your news feed, click on "Edit options" and everyone you have hidden will show up on a list. Just hit X to put someone back in your news feed.
• For more on this, see Courtney from Women Living Well's excellent post "Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Account."

Twitter

•  Twitter is easier to clean-up usually because you know fewer of your Twitter followers in real life. Just click on someone's profile page and "unfollow."
• If your stream really needs help, you can use a service like Twit Cleaner. You put in your info and it generates lists of people who haven't updated in months (or even years). It also shows you the pages of people or sites you follow that only Tweet links, rarely interact with others on Twitter, or have their Twitter account connected to another feed. You can decide if you want to unfollow anyone who comes up on your lists.

Blog Reader

• This one has been huge for me in the last couple weeks. I traveled a lot one week and didn't check my reader. When I finally did, I hit "mark all as read" and realized how little I was missing some of the blogs I subscribe to. So I combined two reader accounts and just have the ones I love or use. Take a hard look at the blogs in your reader and see if you can downsize.
• If you do downsize, you can follow blogs you still want to keep up with on Twitter or by becoming a fan on Facebook.
• You can streamline your reader even more by creating categories. I have a "must read" category for the ones I never want to miss!

Take time this week to "Spring Clean Your On-Line Life" and feel better about the time you are on-line, knowing you are only spending it on what you really love!

~Sandra

Big Impact Gardening

Originally posted May 5, 2009

Our new home in Georgia. My flower beds haven't quite filled out yet, but I've chosen a lot of perennials and mixed in several containers.

I've always enjoyed having nice flower beds. I'm not the best gardener and often my thumb is less than green, but I love looking out my windows and enjoying the view. It can cost a lot though to fill flower beds with annuals each spring. So I created a perennial garden when we lived in Virginia. It was so easy to take care of. And I loved that the flowers came back every year. It made it very affordable to maintain because once you invested in the plants, they were there to stay. And most of them looked bigger and better every year. A few of the plants that I included were hydrangeas, day lilies, hostas, black eyed susans, and daisies. Once I established the bed, I could fill in with a few annuals each summer to have a full, bed with constant blooms and color. Sadly, I don't have a single picture of my old flower bed. But it makes me smile when I think back on how beautiful it was.

I learned my second tip for making a big impact without spending a lot last summer when we were living in Connecticut temporarily. I knew that we would only be in our home over the for a few months and didn't really want to invest money in flower beds that weren't even mine. My solution was a large mixed container at the front of my porch. It was beautiful, was easy to take care of and didn't cost a lot of money. Here's how I create a mixed container:

1. Decide on the location and the color scheme. I don't like to mix pinks and reds. Beyond that, there are lots of colors that work together. Red, blue/purple and white. Pinks and purples. Purples and bright greens. Think about whether you want plants with lots of flowers or with interesting foliage. Your location will determine what kind of plants you need to look for and the container size. I suggest a full sun location to maximize the choices available to you for your plants. (More about this later!)

2. Choose your container. I like the plastic pots because they are easy to move and still look nice. A very large container will hold 5-7 plants, but a medium sized one will only hold 3-5 without getting crowded later on. Keep this in mind when you are choosing your pot.

3. Select your plants. Think 3 levels when you are choosing plants. You want 1-2 plants for each level to balance the size of the pot and make the container look full. Choose a very tall plant that will rise above all the others. This level will need to be a full sun plant, as it will get the most sunlight all day. The second level is your upright, medium sized plants. You want these to be full sun or part sun plants. The last level is your small, trailing plants. This level can be shade plants because they will be partly to mostly shaded by the the other plants in your container. Full sun plants will not do as well on this level because they will not get as much sun as your plants fill in the space.

4. Prepare your container. Make sure your container has drainage holes. If it is a plastic pot without holes you can drill them with a large bit. Fill the container with good potting soil. I like Miracle-Gro brand because it already has fertilizer in the mix and you don't have to worry about feeding your flowers for 3 months.

5. Plant your tallest plants in the back of the container.

6. Plant the medium plants slightly in front of the tall plants.

7. Place the trailing plants at the front of the pot, hanging over the edge.

Water and enjoy! The best containers get better and better as the plants fill in and grow together.

Do you plant more in containers or in your beds?

What do you like to mix in your containers?

Seven Savers for Sick Days

I've had a little cold this week. It's no fun being sick when you're the mom.  Here are seven things that save me on sick days!

1.Snack basket- Twice a day we have a snack. Twice a day my oldest goes to the snack basket and pulls out what he wants. He can have one of anything in there. He also gets a snack for his brother. 

2. Self-serve- My oldest son can use the ice and water dispenser on the front of the fridge to get himself a drink. It's nice when he can serve himself!

3. Soft tissues- How did we ever survive before tissues with lotion?

4. Sticking to the schedule- When I don't feel well, I can switch to "auto-pilot" and just do what comes next, instead of having to make decisions in the fogginess.

5. Sweet husband- He picks up the slack around here, including helping with my least favorite things to do like unloading the dishwasher.

6. Sleep- I've been going to bed early and catching a nap when the boys are in quiet time.

7. Sonic Happy Hour- It's only around the corner, so if I can't stand another minute in the house, we find all the change we can, load up in the car, and get a treat that gets us through the long afternoon!

What works for your family when you aren't feeling well?

Reading about Jesus

One of my favorite things to do with my girl is to read. It is the special thing we share together--just the two of us. (Daddy doesn't typically read. Daddy likes to pretend. Momma is no good at pretending.)

This spring I wanted to take time to read about the REAL reason for Easter (I do enjoy the egg dying and hunting too). This year she has been asking lots more questions regarding death and dying. She understands and can tell me what sin is. She has been asking what a Savior is and why we need one. Great questions, but trying to explain all that in 5 year old terms can be challenging at times. That is when I went on a hunt to find some good books to explain the Easter story which could in turn help me find child friendly answers to her questions.

First of all, yes, I know the Bible is the best place to get all the true details, but LilE is only 5 and there are lots of words and zero pictures for her visual mind to see. We do have a couple of children's Bibles that we are reading through this week, specifically the Holy Week stories in the Jesus Storybook Bible and The Beginner's Bible. But again, I am wanting multiple venues to share the same story (kinda like hearing the lesson at church and then going over the parent page multiple times during the week to get the point across).

As for library books, after multiple online searches, several trips to the library, and a facebook questionnaire (with no response), I have found a couple that are okay.

What is Easter? by Michelle Medlock Adams.

This is a book we have had for several years. It is a board book, making it better for the younger ones. I do like how it discussed the secular things we do at Easter and explains that this is not the real reason we celebrate, but Easter is because of Jesus.

Love One Another: The Last Days of Jesus retold by Lauren Thompson

Bright, vibrant pictures depicting the story of Jesus, beginning at the start of Jesus' ministry on Earth. I love the colors in the pictures, but the people all have square faces. And there is some blood shown while Jesus is hanging on the cross. Despite the minor artwork issues, the story is Biblically accurate.

On that Easter Morning by Mary Joslin

A book full of colorful pastel pictures telling the story of Jesus from Passover through the Resurrection. This story included many of the details of the weeks, such as the Jesus in the temple, washing the disciples feet, and meeting with Pilot. There are not any questionable pictures--Jesus is fully clothed without blood in all pictures (although not accurate, but not as scary for little ones).

As for my personal study during the week, I will be reading through Let Your Kingdom Come: Preparing our Hearts for the King. Sandra had actually mentioned it via a blog post a few years back. I love it! It is meant for family study, but it is a bit too in depth for my 5 year old. I think it would be perfect for elementary and up. The author has some great ideas for a visual reminder for you family to put up during the week (think resurrection eggs on a tree).

We do plan to make Easter Story cookies this weekend. I think it is a great, hands on way to tell the Easter story for little ones.

How do you share the story of Jesus with your family?

3 Minute Cleanup

Tracks, trains and wooden pieces all get sorted and put in their proper place in less than 3 minutes!

Do you struggle with getting your kids to pick up their toys? It was a constant battle in our house. I had to nag and yell and then ended up doing half the work. I often found myself cleaning up the boys' mess when they were gone or asleep just to avoid the battle of cleanup - until I found "3 Minute Cleanup."

This idea is in no way original. I first read about it in Family Fun magazine. But that particular article explained the concept with older children in mind, so it really didn't stay with me. The next time I saw this concept was months later on a blog. (Sorry! No idea which one!) The author wrote about involving the whole family in cleaning up and making it a game. Suddenly, it clicked with me that I didn't have to wait to making cleaning up both fun AND productive for my kids.

My boys are 3 and 5 so my first step was to squeeze "5 Minute Cleanup" into 3 minutes. I knew there was no way that my middle child could stay on-task with cleaning for 5 whole minutes. Plus, with our current toy system the boys rarely have more than 2 different kinds of toys out so sorting and putting away is fairly simple. We didn't really need 5 whole minutes to clean up. We just needed to focus for a couple of minutes.

I also knew that there had to be an incentive. I didn't want it to be a prize or a treat. I really wanted it to be the accomplishment of completing the job of cleaning up. So I knew that my presentation was key. I told the boys that I had an exciting game we were going to play and in this game we were all one team. Our goal as a team was to beat the timer. And if we beat the timer we got to do a special dance together. All we had to do was work together to get all the toys put away before the time went off in 3 minutes.

It worked even better than I thought it would. They were so excited to clean up and see what happened when we beat the timer. We cleaned up the toys with time to spare and proceeded to dance around singing, "We beat the timer! Oh yeah, we did it! We worked together! We cleaned our toys up!" They were cracking up and have loved playing it ever since. I was worried that the novelty might wear off, but it's been a couple months and it hasn't even waned. They love playing the game and I love that the toys are being picked up properly and that the boys are learning good habits for maintaining their room/play areas. It's been a wonderful addition to our daily routine.

What tools do you use to encourage the whole family to participate in housework?

Seeing is not necessarily believing

Source CB

  This week, I started thinking about the topic of faith and how especially during the Easter season our faith is celebrated in the promise of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In John chapter 20, beginning in verse 24 we read about Thomas and his faith or lack there of....

 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

   But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

 

   I started thinking about my own life and where I stood in terms of my faith. How many times in my daily walk do I believe only when I see?  How many times do I say, I know God is in control but I need to see the proof ? I find this especially true when experiencing trying times with unclear solutions.

  

  Continuing on in the passage, we read again how Jesus appeared to the disciples this time Thomas is with them:

 

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

 ²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

 ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Regretfully, I find myself  many times saying yes I believe God you are in control but only once I have seen proof. I find myself acting more like Thomas by placing worldly expectations upon God.  Second Corinthians 5:7  reminds us  that we are to " live by faith, not by sight." We don't believe in God because we see him, but because of the calling of the Holy Spirit, we believe in that which is unseen, but has a powerful presence in our lives.

Source CB

The last verse in chapter 20 of John simple states:

 ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

 My hope for you this Easter season is that you take some time and ask yourself, where do I stand?  Am I like Thomas and believe only when I can see? Or do I put my full trust in God having faith in Him, something in which our finite human senses can not comprehend?

Cassie is a military wife and mom to six who blogs at Day of Bliss.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

My husband and I each take our lunches with us almost everyday, him to work and me to grad school. Not only is it less expensive to pack lunches, but it's a lot healthier (and tastier) than eating out as long as you pack the right things. I discovered early on in our marriage that the best way to ensure that we each had delicious, filling lunches that would rival anything at a restaurant was to spend some time in advance doing some lunch preparation. So I started spending an hour or so every Sunday after church prepping our lunchtime vegetables and making a grab-and-go main course option. Then, every week night while we're cooking dinner or cleaning up, we assemble our lunches for the next day. Having components in the fridge ready to go makes it a snap!

Pasta salads are one of my top choices for packed lunches as they are good served hot or cold, are customizable, and can be quite filling depending on the ingredients. I love that I can make a big batch to eat from throughout the week. This Greek-inspired dish was born out of the need to finish some random ingredients taking up space in my fridge such as a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives that I used in a recent dinner, Pantry Pasta for Two. Each bite is a little different, and the sweet tang of lemon and tomatoes coupled with the bite of olives and the rich flavor of feta cheese is incredible. You'll have to try it to believe it, but one bite and you'll be hooked. It's like a trip to the Greek Isles without every leaving your lunchbox! Not that I've ever been... (hint, hint husband!) I'm not sure this is a super kid-friendly dish depending on picky eaters' palates, but I think it'd be great for girls' lunches or family gatherings. Enjoy!

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad [adapted from Allrecipes.com]

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked (or any small pasta)
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (I used the oil that my tomatoes were packed in for extra flava!)
• zest of 1 large lemon (maybe a couple tablespoons?)
• juice of 1 large lemon (perhaps 1/4-1/3 cup?)
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/3 cup spinach leaves, torn and packed
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pasta water, reserved

Directions:

Prepare orzo according to package directions. Before draining, be sure to reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. If you're like me and don't have a fine strainer, place a (unused) coffee filter inside your regular strainer. Then drain your pasta carefully so as not to tear the coffee filter and spoon the pasta into a medium bowl. Immediately stir in sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, olives, lemon zest, spinach, and parsley. Mix gently to combine, then add lemon juice. Add feta cheese after a minute or so to let the pasta cool off (unless you don't mind melted feta cheese). If needed, incorporate a little pasta water to make sure everything is fully coated, especially if you'll be storing the salad for more than a day, as the sauce tends to be absorbed by the noodles over time. I used about 2-3 teaspoons of water. Season with black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Be sure to check out more of my recipes at The Pajama Chef! Have a great Thursday!

Favorite Family Movies

As my boys get older, I love getting to do new things with them. Recently I took my five year old out on our first movie "date." (Tangled at the cheap theater--less than ten bucks for the movie, candy, and a drink!) We also like movie night (or rainy afternoon) at home. Here are a few of our favorite family movies:

• Toy Story (1, 2, and 3!)
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• Mater's Tall Tales

What are your family's favorite movies to watch together?

In the Basket Goes...

My original goal for this post was this cute surprise egg project. They are even labeled "The Easy Way" and you can't ask for more than that, but my problem came in egg organization. It seemed I would never remember I needed the egg shell when I was in the middle of baking and cooking with eggs. I constantly broke the egg right in the middle, which meant that I didn't have enough egg shells to do the project. While I still think it is very cute, I decided that I needed to find something else. That's when I ran across this cute bunny sachet pattern.

Originally, I thought it would be so cute to fill an Easter basket with these little bunnies. They could have a party all by themselves! But my mind started working, and before I could actually get to the material I had changed my mind yet again, and decided that "mini" wasn't going to work. These needed to be a little bigger. Her pattern does have a big and a little bunny, but I made my bunnies to fit the fabric I had, so I didn't ever actually print out her pattern.

Here you can see the bunnies sitting on the outside steps, so while they are a pretty good size, they aren't horribly huge. Simply put, they are adorable little bunnies to hold and squish. I adore the flat ears, and the embroidered face. I love simple, and these couldn't have been more so. I do wish I had actually printed out her pattern, because my ears ended up being a little too separated for the ribbon to hold them together. I did a top seam around the face of the bunny to keep the stuffing in the face and out of the ears. It's the next best thing to the ribbon. I also simply used stuffing material rather than any of the sachet filling ingredients.

Truly, this was a quick and simple project that took me less than 4 hours to make all three bunnies. Do you have any simple stuffed animal projects that you would like to share with us?

What makes a home?

We've been house hunting - again. It's hard to believe it's time to transfer from one duty station to another so soon. That means selling our current home and looking for our next one. It can be such a hard thing to do. While it's always exciting and full of promise, it makes me think about all the wonderful things that happened while we were living in our current house. Our boys grew from toddlers into little boys. We brought our sweet baby girl home and made countless memories together.

On my recent trip to our new duty station looking for a new house to make memories in was often over-shadowed by first impressions of gross carpet, tiny closets or orange walls. It was quickly becoming overwhelming trying to find a "home" for us. But is it the house that makes our home? As beautiful as I believe our current home is, that's not what makes it our home. It's our home because we live there, and more importantly because we love there. It's the place that God has been gracious enough to give us and call us to be faithful in. And He will give us a new home in the same way and give us His Grace to live faithfully there as well.

It really has nothing to do with my ability to choose a house or my taste in decorating. We can be a family and make a home wherever we end up. (Even with royal blue carpet!) And wherever that is, I know it's going to be exactly where we are supposed to be. Psalm 127 tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. I pray that He will be the one that we let build our new home even if it doesn't look exactly like I first imagined it. I hope that will be your prayer today as well.

The Beauty of Accountability

The world often tells us “if we want something done, we have to do it ourselves.” Today’s society frequently applauds those who have accomplished much, especially when completely by themselves.

But we are made to participate in community. As sisters (and brothers) in Christ, part of our command is to encourage one another in our journeys with Christ, holding each other accountable for progressing to be more and more like Him.

In Christ, we are each separate parts with unique gifts of one unified body. Romans 12:4-5 describes this membership: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” We belong to each other, because we all belong to Christ. Our purpose of serving Him unifies us in our faith, aims, and actions. With so many different talents, we can help each other grow and strengthen our witness of Him.

In our faith, we can hold each other accountable for experiencing growth, listening to discipline, and building trust and reliance. Accountability boosts growth in faith. We can discipline, rebuke, and guide each other.

Discipline – To discipline literally means “to train.” By motivating each other to study God’s ways and His Word, we can better train each other in this righteous race. Disciplining each other in our faith through teaching, sharing, fellowship, studying together, and encouraging increases growth.

Rebuke – Rebuking another does involve correction – meaning that we made a mistake in some capacity. But, as we are all imperfect until Christ’s return, we will make mistakes! As members of the family of believers, we need this correction, especially from like-minded people. Rebuking another doesn’t mean harsh yelling or angry reprimands (though it can be stern or tough when necessary), but rather speaking the truth in love.

Guide – I often turn to my husband for guidance, or perhaps my parents or others who have gone through a similar situation. People currently in similar situations can guide each other when done with the wisdom and knowledge God provides.

Colossians 3:16 instructs us in our accountability with each other: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Here we see two more tips on how to hold each other accountable – teach (guide) and admonish (advise or caution) with wisdom. We can teach and advise through “psalm, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” – meaning God’s truths!

As the body of Christ, we can encourage each other to stay on the right path, fostering unity through truth in love. Ephesians 4:15-16 illustrates this love in fellowship: “…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Loving accountability enhances us, allowing us to witness God’s name spread much farther than if we tried alone.

Suggested further reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Above image from http://office.microsoft.com

How have you grown from accountability partners or fellowship in your faith? Have you been able to help others stay accountable for growing in faith?

Author bio: Caroline is a wife, mother of a beautiful and charming toddler son, avid reader, and writer.  She is honored to write with Today’s Housewife.  You can also find Caroline at her personal blog (Under God’s Mighty Hand) and on Twitter.

The Webel Family

Hello! I am glad to be back on Today's Housewife and I just wanted to tell you all a little about myself and my family!

I guess my journey started as I was finishing high school. I had a lot of ups and down in high school... and found that at the end of all those challenges, I was finally ready to listen to the Lord. And because I was finally willing, He began working in my life and my heart. Over the last semester of high school I found that my whole demeanor and personality was changing. My outlook on life became less 'me' focused and I started to see the world around me.

It was at that time that I went with my mom to get signed up for my college classes. I was headed to my school with the idea of becoming a lawyer... but while in the car, I was all of a sudden hit with the realization that practicing law was not at all what God had in His plans for my life. I also realized that I was being called to serve overseas as a missionary.

I didn't know what that meant... all I knew was that missionaries went to Africa, so that HAD to be where I was headed. I had every intention of changing my major to Bible, or Religion, but I was given some very sound advice, that has proven to be spot on in my life. I was told that I can study the Bible at seminary, but I would be wise to get a degree in something that could be useful no matter where God called me. I was told that there were countries in the world that were 'closed' (meaning they didn't allow missionaries to enter), but that if you went to those places with another job title (this is called creative access), it could allow you much more freedom and the opportunity to go places where you might not be able to go otherwise. To be perfectly honest, I didn't understand what this person was talking about, but I just knew I needed to listen. So I got my BBA in Business Management. During my 4 years in college I went on several short term mission trips which just over and over confirmed in my heart that I was where I was supposed to be.

At times waiting to get a degree was hard, and I struggled with being in school when I wanted to be overseas, but I made it through... and the second I graduated I found myself in training and heading across the ocean for 2 years.

In my mind that was it. I would go for 2 years, go back to the states and attend seminary, and then return overseas. But once again God's plans were different than mine. While in training I met a special guy. I wasn't looking. Far from it actually! We became friends and got to know each other a little over the time we were together. But then our time of training was up, and we boarded different planes, but those planes were going to the same country! (A large country in Asia... :)) We emailed occasionally, and met up with a group of friends about 7 months later. After seeing each other again, Steve talked to me about his desire to pursue a relationship with me. At that time in our lives we were busy... completely focused on our own personal ministries many many miles apart, yet we felt God's hand in our relationship, realizing that this was indeed HIs doing. We got to know each other long distance, and were always very intentional with the time we had to communicate. I appreciate this so very much. A year later found Steve surprising me in my city with an engagement ring! We finished our time overseas and flew back to the US to meet each other's families, and plan a wedding! We were married in 2002.

2003 found us back overseas in the city where Steve had been serving. For him it was like coming home... for me it was a huge adjustment. Same country, but a completely different part of the country. I also went from having a lot of sweet heart friends around me, to just having my husband. And when I say 'just' please know that my husband is wonderful... but there is also a need for women to be around other women. And I missed that. It was a hard and lonely time for me. Then in the summer of 2004 I found I was expecting. Our first baby, Elizabeth, was born in April of 05. It was kind of a rough pregnancy, so that coupled with the feelings of loneliness made me a bit of a mess. Steve was a real trooper during that time. And just as Elizabeth was getting on a schedule, I found out I was expecting again. May of 06 brought Anna into our family. She has challenged me like nothing else and I love her so much for it! So there I was, 2 baby girls and having a hard time being overseas. I had moments of encouragement, and then moments when I really wanted to pack up and GO HOME. Then, surprise surprise, I was pregnant again. We returned back to the US for a 9 month time of rest and connecting with family and friends again. I was 34 weeks pregnant. November of 07 brought our baby boy into our lives and Nate has been such a joy to us! We were in the states long enough that I got really settled. My girls got settled. It felt SO good to be there. Everything was so much easier and I was so thankful for the conveniences that life in America can bring. And I started praying. "God please don't have me go back. I am not cut out for this. America is so much easier. It is so much better for my kids. I did my overseas thing...", but deep in my heart I knew that I was to go back.

I was a mess as I boarded that plane with my 3 little kids for the really long flight back to Asia. We landed in the capital city and then got on a bus to drive us the 2 hours to our city that we had been living in the last 4 years. And as the van drove, I started to feel a change come over me. I started to feel my heart softening and my love for the people return. A feeling that I had been void of for the last 4 years. And I started to feel a peace rush over me that God was in control. That He was not calling me to an easy life, or a comfortable life, but to a life of obedience. And I had obeyed. I could have told Steve & God "I'm done with the overseas thing," but I didn't. I trusted God and obeyed... and He in turn gave me PEACE. Oh there is nothing like His peace. As we got close to our city I was just amazed at how, despite my bad attitude, and my inward selfish focus (a theme I have always struggled with), He was showering me with His Grace. I didn't deserve it. But He gave it anyway.

That was almost 3 years ago. And while it hasn't been all roses since then, I can honestly say that I feel at home here (as much as we can!). And while I have days that the culture and the people make me so frustrated, I am confident once again that I am were He wants me to be.

We are now expecting our 4th baby and I love looking back to where I was during my first pregnancy when I felt so alone and scared and homesick, to now. Still daily needing His grace, and still having hard days, but still loving the peace that comes from obedience. And I still choose to obey. Even when it hurts and even when it is hard.

I just wanted to share a few things that you can pray for my family about!

• First of all, the birth of our 4th baby, a girl who is still nameless! I tend to have difficult pregnancies, so we are just praying that all will go well when this baby girl arrives the end of August.
• For my 3 children who, because mom & dad were called, they are also a part of that calling. Pray for their salvation, and that they would more and more understand what our family is called to do.
• For our extended family, who love us and support us well, but also struggle with not being around us and our kids as much as they would like.
• And pray for the people in the city we live. It is a city of 5.5 million people, and less than 1% has ever heard of Jesus Christ, and how He died for them... and longs for relationship with them.

Thanks for letting my share my story!
Erica

webelfamily.com

Prayer through Lent and Beyond

When I began this Lenten season I began it with a plan. I was going to add more prayer to my life by praying the Divine Hours. I purchased Eastertide: Prayers for Lent through Easter by Phyllis Tickle and began with great gusto praying through the book three times a day. This lasted about a week. Honestly, I know there were a few days where I picked the book up once or only twice, but I don't remember the last time I picked it up or deciding not to do it anymore. The great thing about Lent is that it is not a pass/fail experience. It is a time to grow closer to God, like any other day, but we are slowly moving towards Easter to celebrate Christ and his Resurrection. I truly felt as if the one thing I wanted to do was add more prayer, and it still is. And so, as I have done many other times in my past, I will try something new again.

This time I decided to keep a prayer journal. The ideas for this project came from two places. I have a friend in Texas who keeps her prayer requests on index cards. She keeps the request, any verses she feels speaks to the situation, and the answer, and then keeps the card as a memory. I have always loved the idea. When I ran across this tutorial for an envelope book I knew that I had found my next attempt for more prayer in my life.

I followed her tutorial, and instead of turning it into a scrapbook I will use it as my prayer request book. Each envelope holds my index cards, and I labeled each envelope for different categories. Each index card is labeled for a certain person, and the requests are written down. As time goes by I know this will change and grow to fit me more perfectly, but I love this start.

Truly, the point isn't necessarily to have this plan work and be the last one I ever use, but to have more prayer in my life. Do you have a way to keep track of your prayers and prayer requests you would like to share with us?

Stacey Lozano regularly shares her latest craft endeavor and other parts of her day at My Unfinished Daze.

My Cute Little Toilet Scrubbers

In our house, we share the housecleaning chores. We are all part of this family. We all need to do our part. Our kids have many responsibilities. One of them is to clean their bathroom. Even though they are 6 and 9, they have been cleaning the bathroom for years. They can scrub a toilet with the best of them!

Training The Kids To Clean

When we started, I didn’t just stick them in the bathroom and tell them to clean it. We started with baby steps. First, spray the mirror or the counters. Every kid loves to use a spray bottle! Then, we move on to using the cloths and actual cleaning. The kids and I worked together until they got it down. Now, they can do it all on their own.

Instructions

Kids are kids. They forget things. They ignore things. So, I made a cleaning instruction sheet for them that we keep under the sink in the basket that holds the cleaning cloths and cleaners. This helps them stay on task and get the whole job done.

1. Pour a splash of tub & tile cleaner in the toilet.  Scrub with brush and let sit.
2. Clear counter tops.  Wipe dust off with dry cloth.
3. Spray mirror with glass cleaner and wipe off with paper towel or microfiber cloth.
4.Spray counter top, sinks, toilet and tub with tub & tile cleaner.  Wipe off with damp microfiber cloth.  Wipe toilet last.
5. Put everything back on counters.
6. Pick up anything on the floor so Mama can mop.

That’s how I make cleaning the bathroom easy for the kids. If it were difficult, they wouldn’t do it. They can clean the bathroom and do a good job in just 20-30 minutes!

Do your kids share in the housework? How do you make it easy for them?

Sanctification through the Cross

The Easter season usually starts for me when I start teaching the 3 & 4 year-olds at my church the verse Mark 11:14: "...Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"  That verse is the start of a 3 week study that will culminate the week before Easter with a resurrection message.  Teaching that lesson this past Sunday started me thinking of the cross and what it, and it's benefits, means to me.

Here are a few I have come up with:

• Heaven  There is no possible way we would enter into the gates of Heaven without Christ's sacrifice.  Romans 10:8-10.

• Holy Spirit  Without Christ's death, the Holy Spirit wouldn't have been poured out on us.  Acts 2.

• No More Sacrifices Let's look at this one a little more closely.

 
Prior to Christ's death, any time you sinned you had to go before the priest and offer a sin offering.  Not only that, but any time you had your monthly cycle or even had relations with your husband, you were now considered unclean and had to go before the priest and give an offering to become clean. (Leviticus 15)  I don't know about you, but I would have been horrified to have to admit to those things to a priest! 

Christ did what no one else could possibly ever do.  He used His blood to pay for our sins.  Never again do we need to take an animal to a priest and offer up to God an offering for our sins.  Hebrews 10:14 says, "For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."  Christ's one single offering of HIS blood perfected me for all time.  Not just me, but all who are being sanctified.

Does that mean we are off the hook from our sins?  Absolutely not!  1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  We still are accountable for our sins and we still need to ask forgiveness, even though we have been sanctified.  1 John 3:9-10 says, "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother." 

Thankfully, being born of God we are able to offer a simple prayer asking for forgiveness rather than taking a few animals to the priest to atone for our sins. 

In this Easter season, what does the cross mean to you? 

Elizabeth is a military wife and mom of 3.  You can find her blogging over at Elizabeth's Treasure Chest. 

Photo can be found here.