When Children Don't Listen

I dropped my husband off at the airport this morning. He is taking a business trip to China over the next twelve days.
After the children came home from school, they complained, whined and ignored every thing I tried to tell them.

I hate yelling at my children, and when my husband is gone, I am stressed out more than usual.
That is no excuse, but the lack of respect my children have been showing really got under my skin today.

I have been asking my daughter to clean her pet mouse's cage for two months. Yes, two months, and she has continuously said, "Tomorrow," or, "I need help." She is ten years old, and perfectly capable of cleaning out her pet's cage.

Today I threatened to get rid of her beloved pet Cuddles. My exact words were, "Either the cage gets cleaned out NOW, or Cuddles will no longer be here for you to ignore."

She cried, and whined, and went to hide in her room. So, I went right into her room, and said that if she was going to act irresponsibly, she would no longer have the responsibility of caring for a pet. I would get rid of Cuddles, if she did not start to clean out the cage now.

She cried as she cleaned it, but it got done.

When she asked me to help her put the cage back together, I refused at first, because my daughter cried, claiming she could not do it herself.

At what point do I push my children to do things for themselves?

I am a teacher, and have always loved to teach people to do things.
I have taught my daughter how to clean the pet cage. I have taught my children manners, and how to be polite.
They still don't listen to me, or follow directions.

I pray that God will guide me in teaching them the proper interaction with their parents, and how to obey the directions they are given.

There is a very fine line between directions and consequences for not following expectations, and I am striving to make it clearer for my little ones.

I pray that my diligence in this area is working, and I have evidence that it may be.
My sweet little daughter said to me tonight, "Mommy, why are you so nice to us when we're so mean to you?"

This was so nice to hear after I had yelled at them for not listening or following directions!!

I was very relieved that God sent my sweet daughter the message I needed to hear.
Hopefully He will help me to continue to see the sweetness in my children, and that He grants me patience, grace, and gentility to deal with the issues that may arise during their daddy's business trip.



"Each of you must show great respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:3 (NLT)

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

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." Colossians 1:11-12

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:12-13

Musical Monday - Overnight

Thank God for the grace that we don't have to change for Him Overnight!!!

Overnight by Amy Grant

So, you've handed in your resignation
Contemplating why nothing turns out right
A little fed up with all the disappointment
So what's the point in wasting any time?

It's only temporary, so what's your hurry?
No need to worry, don't you know that?

If it all just happened overnight
You wouldn't know how much it means
Yeah, if it all just happened overnight
would never learn to believe in what you cannot see
Oh, what you cannot see

I feel like my pace is at a standstill
Do I wait till it falls into my hands?
A long highway ahead, getting started
Steady hearted is what I think I am

There's something to be said for experience
Who knows what's ahead.
Keep on going

If it all just happened overnight
You wouldn't know how much it means
If it all just happened overnight
You would never learn to believe in what you cannot see
Oh, what you cannot see

Take it a day, a day at a time
One foot in front of the other
Take it a day, a day at a time
No need to hurry, hurry
Take it a day, a day at a time
It won't happen overnight
It won't happen overnight

Have a little faith
Must appreciate
Every single day
Don't give up, no

Have a little faith
Must appreciate
Every single day
Don't give up, no

If it all just happened overnight
You wouldn't know how much it means
Yeah, if it all just happened overnight
You would never learn to believe in what you cannot see

If it all just happened overnight
You wouldn't know how much it means
If it all just happened overnight
You would never learn to believe in what you cannot see

Have a little faith
Must appreciate
Every single day
Don't give up, no

Have a little faith
Must appreciate
Every single day
Don't give up, no

"Iron Man 3" - Movie Review

WOW!
I LOVE "Iron Man 3"!

Usually, I am not the type of person to enjoy Superhero movies, but I LOVE Iron Man!
Part of it has to do with the fact that  Robert Downey Jr. is amazing, and nice to look at. But more than that, is the way the movie is written to be almost plausible.

Iron Man makes mistakes, VERY stupid Human mistakes. Those errors, combined with the humor in the script, make for superb entertainment. Even for someone like me, who does not really care for the action-packed superhero genre.

There is a young boy in the movie, who reminds me a bit of my own children, and he really creates a human-breakthrough feel for Tony Stark. I love how the writers played off Iron Man's fame, and created some humorous moments in the movie, where the awestruck fans of Iron Man approached Tony Stark and really came across as many Americans do around celebrities. 





I HIGHLY recommend "Iron Man 3" to all of my readers.
Please keep in mind that Iron Man 3 is Rated PG-13!!! It is NOT suitable for younger children. I might take my 9-year-old to see it, if she really wanted to go, but not my 6-year-old, or 5-year-old!

“Like” IRON MAN 3 on Facebook

“Follow” IRON MAN 3 on Twitter

Visit the website: http://marvel.com/ironman3

FREE Christian Fiction Kindle Books 5/3/13

Christian Fiction
FREE Kindle Book!!

Things We Once Held Dear (Legacy Series)

Things We Once Held Dear by Ann Tatlock

Like an artist working with small chips of colored glass, Christy Award–winning novelist Tatlock takes multiple characters and fragments of their stories and pieces them together into a tranquil mosaic of commitment, faith, love and homecoming. When artist Neil Sadler's wife dies suddenly in New York City, he is drawn back to Mason, Ohio, the hometown that he fled almost three decades before. He spends the summer helping remodel an old "Gothic Horror" farmhouse into a bed-and-breakfast, trying to reconnect with his past and his cousin Mary Beeken. After a childhood spent caring for an invalid mother, Mary is trapped in a 23-year-old marriage to a troubled, alcoholic cop and feels her life has never quite gotten started. Mary's mother's murder years earlier and questions of innocence and guilt cast shadows on the lives of several Mason families. As Neil and Mary try to make sense of what has happened to their lives, they both discover that "[y]ou don't have to understand something completely to know it's true." Tatlock moves back and forth between different characters and earlier time periods, sometimes confusingly so. But Tatlock is one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Don’t have a Kindle? You can download free versions for Windows, iPhone/iTouch, iPad, PC, Mac, Blackberry & Android

Amazon has a selection of Kindles here (prices start at just $69)

Please note: Amazon pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change at ANY time without notice. Please confirm the price is $0.00 before completing your purchase

Thanks to Living Chic On The Cheap for the list of FREE Ebooks!

Saving Lives by Giving Blood

Today, I feel honored to say I earned my 1 Gallon Pin at the Blood Bank.

I have donated a FULL gallon of my blood to those who need it to survive!

I have no way of ever knowing who might be blessed by my donations, but I do know that I feel good about donating my blood in the effort to save a life.

I have had many people say, "Oh, I could never donate blood!"

There are so many excuses, from hating needles, to the fear of getting a disease, to being afraid their blood might make its way into the body of someone with whom they have moral differences.

Sure, there may be very good reasons that people cannot donate their blood. I am truly blessed to be healthy enough to give live-saving blood to strangers in need.

I pray that one or more of my readers might be inspired by this to donate blood themselves!



"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35





"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you." Deuteronomy 16:17


"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."
Proverbs 3:27  


"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38