Love can be hard work

Love for Enemies


27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful

So I recently had this situation in which I was falsely accused of being shady. This hurt my feelings. I replied with grace pretty easily through the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Praise the Lord.
Then, the accuser did more accusing. And it really really hurt my feelings, especially since I had already gone out of my way to illustrate just how much on the up and up I am. And when I went to respond, it was A LOT harder to follow Jesus' command in the above chapter. And I have something that I could write right here, and it would be a really funny jab at one of the accuser's shortcomings. But.I.am.not.going.to.write.it. Because there is a still small voice gently prodding me toward being a gracious person.
 
I have a bit of practical advice to share. Write what you think would be an appropriate response. DON'T SEND IT. Then, read it the next day and see if it reflects God's love. Because, as I was just reading in a magazine called Above Rubies, "a few words spoken (or written, in my case) hastily under provocation can cut the cords of influence that bound their hearts to ours."
 
That's really all I have to say about it. Loving your enemies is a lot harder when you actually do it (as compared to just reading it and nodding). LOL.
 
Love.
 
Joce
 
 
 
 

Sourdough Bread...because God loves us and wants us to be happy

Sourdough Bread

2 T sugar (I use only one)
1/2 C olive oil (or melted butter)
1 t salt
1 1/2 C warm water: 105F-115F
6 C flour
1 C sourdough starter
3 t butter, melted

Combine the sugar, oil. salt, water, flour, and starter.Stir. Form into a ball. Place in greased bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let stand overnight.
The next morning, punch dough down and divide into thirds (or halves for bigger loaves). Knead each piece on a floured board 8-10 times. Grease loaf pans and turn each loaf over once to coat. Cover with tea towel and and let rise in pans until doubled in size, 4-5 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the bread until the crust is nice and golden brown, about a half an hour. Remove from oven and brush each loaf with 1 teaspoon of melted butter (Or rub with the end of a stick of butter.). Let cool on wire racks.

from: The Amish Cook at Home by Lovina Eicher.

XOOX
Joce

To do today

Read the Bible.
Pray to God.
Go to town to the park to play with other MOPS mommies.
Make Cheese.
Crockpot roast
Weed more carrots
Get out 12 months clothes for Jessup.
Finish crochet block for Blankets for Haiti.
Go to Prayer Shawl meeting at church.

Lots of other small tasks that are always on the list, but don't actually make the written list:
Milk the cow, feed the baby, clean up clean up clean up, take a nap, etc.

There's a bit of what I am up to.

XOXO
Joce

Nancy Pelosi...still a goat

So, I couldn't get this little clip to embed, but you can follow the link if you want.
Nancy Pelosi simply astounds me.
XOXO
Joce

Something stinks

Francis Chan says, in Crazy Love, this:
         I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives. We say things like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.

A page before that we writes:
      My suggestion as you think, make decisions, and discern how God would have you live is to ask yourself, "Is this the most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbor and my God by living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I talk?" I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ.

I copied these words here because I agree with them so wholeheartedly and do not think even if I took the time that I could write them more succintly. So now, I will just expound on his words a bit.

I feel bad about the example established Christians set for new Christians. This is a real life example. If you recognize yourself in this example, give me a call. A person I know came to Christ a few years ago. God made a HUGE difference in her life. Because some Christian ladies cared enough about her to make her feel welcome at a church-y thing. And then, she came to know GOD! Which is awesome. That will totally be a star in their crown in heaven. Jesus is psyched.

But then, those Christian ladies gave her a bad list of what is important. They, through the way they live their lives, modeled their "Christian" priorities. And she sucked it right up. Here's the list: nice house, 3-4 kids, minivan, tasteful clothes, healthy weight, extra-curricular activities for the kids (soccer, ballet, etc.) , financial responsibility, college education, and the list goes on. Those are not bad things. But they are a wrong focus. We should not live in such a way that a new Christian comes to believe that that is the POINT.

When a new Christian observes a Christian with a few years under her belt, what should she see?
A new outfit or love that gives a new coat to a homeless lady?
A new hairdo or joy on your face?
A college education or peace in knowing that God uses you in your weakness?
A row of sparkling children or patience as you direct your child in how stay on the sidewalk?
A gas-effecient minivan or kindness in a old Blazer that stops for the old lady walking home from the grocery store.
A 'good steward' who sells all the kids' outgrown clothes or goodness to those who could never afford that Children's Place outift?
A well-planned financial system that ensures all 4 kids go to college without too much sacrifice or faithfulness in giving to the single mom whose oldest son is attending the community college?
A shiny sink or gentleness in teaching your children to put their dishes on the counter?
A Yoga-firm body or self-control in buying/growing and eating only what you need and giving what you saved to the soup kitchen or your extra produce to the people all those children?

I am writing about this today not to point fingers. Because, I honestly smacked my kids while I was writing this because they kept interrupting me.  Really.  And that is not gentleness (or patience or love or...). Because I can't do 'gentleness.' But the Holy Spirit can. And He does. When I let Him. But that is a whole other topic.

I am writing because that example I gave? It rips my heart out when I see that person striving for the wrong things. Things that lead her AWAY from trusting and serving God. Things that lead her to trust and serve herself under the guise of "taking care of her family."

I'll end with a quote and a question.

Quote: "Christians are like manure. Spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they really start to stink."

Question: "Which are you? The kind that reeks, around which people walk a wide swath? Or the kind that trusts God enough to let Him spread you out- whether that means going outside your normal group of Christian friends, increasing your material giving, or using your time to serve others?"

Milk A1 or A2

New Milk Article

Nice to know I have a Jersey.
XOXO
Joce

Givers....or takers

I am reading Crazy Love again. Because now, I am taking action on some of the commands of Jesus...and it is a little scary. I have stepped out in ways that if God doesn't come through, I'll be up the proverbial creek. And, so now, instead of reading it for conviction and motivation, I am reading it for encouagement and assurance.

I have two things to share from the book. One is a scripture passage that brings me to tears. Actual tears. For those of you who know me in real life- I don't spend a lot of time crying. I actually didn't shed a tear from like age 13-19. Like, none. God (and Joe) have been working on me to be a little more open emotionally, but not to the point that I would cry while reading the Bible, and not in front of other people! It must be the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord.
(For those of you who are curious, I start to tear up around verse 6.)

Anyway, here are the verses:
     
from Isaiah 58

2 For day after day they seek me out;


they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come near them.



3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,

'and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

and you have not noticed?'

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers.



4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.



5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the LORD ?



6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?



7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?



8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness [a] will go before you,

and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.



9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,



10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.



11 The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.



12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.



13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the LORD's holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,



14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."

The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

And then, here is what I read today. Chan was talking about Christ's command to love your neighbor as yourself. And how most Christians, when we here about others taking that literally- we are moved. We think it is so awesome! But, we do not step out in faith and follow that command in our own lives. And here is the really sucky part (sucky because I see it to be truth):

"Non-churchgoers tend to see Christians as takers rather than givers. When Christians sacrifice and give wildly to the poor, that is truly a light that glimmers. The Bible teaches that the church is to be that light, a sign of hope, in an increasingly dark and hopeless world. Matthew 5:16 says, 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'"
~Crazy Love, pp. 140

I used to be annoyed at like Kingdom Bound or whatever when Compassion International would beg and plead and show pictures and TAKE A LONG TIME before a concert trying to get people to give. Okay, okay, there are poor people far away. Now, let's get on to Newsboys.

Now, I am annoyed that people (me) (CHRISTIANS!) were not clamoring to give and save and rescue those poor starving children. How is it that for all the church I have attended, that it had not been pounded into my head: GIVE. Give yourself. Give your money. Help the poor. That's pretty much all that Jesus talked about. How did I miss that?!?

Well. I am not missing it now. I have a clear focus. As Martin Luther said, "There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day."

Ball Blue Book of Preserving....GIVEAWAY!

In honor of Memorial Day, and also because I find myself blessed with two copies, I am giving away the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. It is a great resource for, well, preserving.
Speaking of preserving, I watched a fun DVD the other night: The Art of Canning with the West Ladies 
Please leave a lovely comment here and I will enter you to win the canning book.
XOXO
Joce

In a hurry bread

Hey.
Bread is a staple of our meals around here. We don't really eat pasta or potatoes very often- we like to eat bread. Sometimes, I forget to start a dough in time for dinner.
Here's the deal:
Italian Bread
from Joel Smith via Kara Riedl
5-6 C bread
2 T yeast
1 T salt
2 T sugar
2 C hot tap
 Combine 4 C flour with dry ingredients. Add hot tap water, combine. Add 1-2 more C flour while kneading 8 minutes. Shape into 2 round loaves, brush with water, cut an 'X' in the top and bake at 400 F from a cold oven for 40 minutes. Place a bowl of water on lower rack in oven for crusty crust.

Yum yummy yum yum.

Now, I am going to go eat it.
XOXO
Joce

Don't forget.

Thank a Veteran. Walk over to the guy who stands up in church on Sunday and shake his hand.

Visit a cemetary and say thanks. Show your kids the little flags, tell them what they stand for.

Happy Memorial Day.

XOXO
Joce

Mulberry Cream Muffins

From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Cream-Muffins/Detail.aspx, with my personal tweaks in italics.

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1cup oat flour
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups yogurt
2 cups mulberries
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2.In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla and yogurt. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
3.Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
4. Mix 1/2 C sugar, 1/3 C flour, 1/4 C butter, 1 t cinnamon until it looks like crumbs. Sprinkle appr. 1/2 T onto each muffin.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Yummy.

XOXO
Joce

Some of you may know that I do not watch TV. Zero, zip, zilch, nada, none, not any, none at all.
I have not had time to post about all the reasons I do not watch TV (one of which is that I do not have time, LOL). However, this rhyming lady sums up one of the reasons I do not watch the BOOB TUBE.

So cute

Please head on over to Just simply Live and check out the pics of Brilyn and Kylie. Holy cute.
XOXOX
Joce

Love Language: Gifts

So, I read a blog post that I liked. And I wrote a huge long comment. I was like, man, my posts aren't even this long usually. So.
Here's the link to the post.
And here's my comment (with a few alterations to make it more post-y):

I agree that it IS SO HARD to understand your spouse's gift style. It makes you want to change how that person gives and RECEIVES gifts. But. It doesn't work that way. It shows more love on your part to give how the other person enjoys receiving.


I like a gift that says you know me...so ice cream, chocolate, books, and warm fuzzy things (like socks, mittens, etc.) make me feel so happy. Expensive gifts don't mean much to me unless they are something I really need.

Like Towels. I could use a new set of towels for my bathroom. LOL.

Maybe my husband will read that? HAHAHAHA.

Every thoughtful gift (the ones I didn't eat that is) I have ever received is placed carefully in my home so that I see them frequently. Because when I see them, I feel loved.

Anyway, my husband doesn't like gifts at all. He thinks they are shallow. Buy what you need at a good price when it becomes available. He thinks things are just that. Things.

However, a clean house or a job marked off his to-do list without him having to do it makes him feel so loved. This thought is as hard to cram into my brain as my liking presents is for his brain. Honestly, I just don't like to do dishes and I don't understand how that is a present to him. But It Is.

So, slowly, we have tried to get this down. And, when he doesn't get me a gift, (Like for Mother's Day and our anniversary yesterday- not kidding-) I remember that he really does love me and he shows me in a different way. Like, he let me sleep in yesterday. He did all the outdoor chores, milked the cow, and gave the kids a snack, a movie, and directions not to wake the mommy. All before he left for work. So, I knew I was loved. And, he did the grocery shopping while I was at choir practice. I knew enough to put "ice cream for Jocelyn" on the list, and he knew enough to get chocolate with peanut butter swirl. :)

Learn to give and receive gifts according to your spouse's style. It's cool like being bilingual. You can speak it AND understand it.

XOXO

Joce

The One-Third Rule

My rule for book reading is, that if after the first 1/3 of the book I am not thrilled, I do not keep reading. Life is too short to read mediocre books.
Well.
I have now been married one-third of my life. And, since I have enjoyed the story so far at least as much as any book I have read (well, maybe with the exception of Harry Potter, and The Hobbit, and ...no, no, never mind, just those two. LOL) I think I will keep reading to see where this story heads next. To tell the truth I think I will enjoy what is to come even more!

10 years today! Whoa.

XOXO
Joce

Raw milk discussion

Read the article if you want.

Make sure you laugh appropriately at this:

“Geographically speaking, the area where the manure is isn’t that far from the utters where the milk comes from,” Sarah Klein, an attorney for the Washington, D.C.-based food and nutrition think tank

I can't let that one go. Rarely do I find such an amazing example of stupid.
1. Geographically. Perhaps she was using a map.
2. Manure. FYI- wiki says: "Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. In the past the term "manure" included inorganic fertilizers, but this usage is now very rare."  Maybe she means they park the spreader near the milk house?
3.  Utters. Holy cow. I am not even sure how to make fun of that. A talking cow joke? A comment about how many 'utters' does she think a cow has? Goodness gracious. People are taking her seriously, QUOTING HER IN A NEWSPAPER.  Utters. LOL.
4. And, I just can't help but bash her for her dangling preposition. Please Ms. Klein, at least have the self respect to spew your drivel using proper English. "...utters where the milk comes from." Heaven help me.

Anyway. The article was okay...that quote was just irresistable to me. LOL.

For a good article on raw milk..go here.

An excerpt:


For the past century, however, we’ve done our best to wall ourselves off from microbes. In 1989, David Strachan put forward the “hygiene hypothesis,” which posed that this separation could be causing the increased incidence of immune disorders. As the years have passed, many studies have helped refine his proposal. Scientists found that hygiene itself wasn’t a problem. People who never used antibacterial soap were just as likely to have asthma as those who scrubbed obsessively. In a 2006 study of thousands of children living on farms in Shropshire, England, Strachan and another scientist, Michael Perkin, found that raw-milk drinkers were unlikely to have eczema or to react to allergens in skin-prick tests. “The protective effect of unpasteurized milk consumption was remarkably robust,” Strachan and Perkin wrote. Then, in May of 2007, a group of scientists published a paper after surveying almost 15,000 children around Europe. They found that children who drank raw milk were less likely to have any among a wide range of allergies. Either there’s something about industrial milk that’s harmful, Perkin wrote in a commentary that accompanied the paper, or there’s something in raw milk that’s beneficial.

Or visit Real Milk for more info.
XOXO
Joce

Aborted babies used to develop vaccines..read it here

Well, I think it is time that I post about this. I keep hearing from folks, when I say, "There are fetal cells in vaccines," they say "I've never heard of that." And judging from facial expression and tone, what they mean is, "So it must not be true."
And honestly, I am terribly upset that I didn't know this information when making vaccine choices for Brilyn and Cade. I want to spread the word to help other parents make informed decisions.
A new article was just published today. It talks about the link between the fetal cells in vaccines with the rise of autism. That is not my main concern, but it covers that topic as well as the plain and simple fact that vaccines do, in fact, contain cell lines "derived from the bodies of aborted children.”


Here's the website, and here's the article (below) for you non-clickers.

****************************************************************
Study Confirms Autism Boom - Correlates with Aborted Fetal DNA in Vaccines
By John Jalsevac

Washington, DC, April 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed 1988 as a “change point” in the rise of Autism Disorder rates in the U.S. - a date that pro-life leaders say correlates with the introduction of fetal cells for use in vaccines.

While the EPA study does not speculate into the cause of the jump in autism rates, and makes no mention of aborted fetal cells, the researchers point out that it “is important to determine whether a preventable exposure to an environmental factor may be associated with the increase.”

According to the pro-life group Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute (SCPI), which specializes in vaccine research, that “environmental factor” may well be the use of aborted fetal cells in vaccines.

The group pointed out in its most recent newsletter that 1988 is the same year the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices began recommending a second dose of the MMR vaccine, which included cells derived from the tissue of aborted babies.

Analyses of autism rate data published by SCPI identify 3 clear change points in U.S. autism disorder trends: 1981, 1988 and 1995, all of which the groups claims roughly correlate with the use of vaccines (Meruvax, MMRII, and Chickenpox) that were cultivated with the use of tissue from aborted children. The group says that it has been unable to identify any other factor that might correlate to the change in autism rates.

“The only environmental event correlating with these statistical autism trend ‘change points’ which would impact almost all children was the introduction of vaccines produced using human fetal cells and containing residual human DNA and cellular debris,” said SCPI.

Pro-life groups say that the research by EPA adds to an increasing body of evidence implicating the use of aborted fetal cell material in the nationwide vaccinations impacting nearly every child born in the United States.

American Life League has joined Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute in calling for a Fair Labeling and Informed Consent Act in light of the findings.

“For years the evidence has pointed toward the link between vaccines using DNA from aborted babies and the rise of Autism Disorder rates,” said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League.

"Parents need and deserve to know the risks associated with vaccinations made from lines derived from the bodies of aborted children.”

SCPI has affirmed that they are continuing to study the impact of residual human fetal DNA in vaccines on the brain development and autism in children, and will present their studies at the International Society for Autism Research in May 2010.

For more information:

• Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute http://www.soundchoice.org/
• Click here to read Sound Choice's April 2010 newsletter. http://www.soundchoice.org/Images/SCPINewsletter_April_2010.pdf
• Environmental Protection Agency: Timing of Increased Autistic Disorder Cumulative Incidence (10 July 2009)
• http://www.all.org/pdf/McDonaldPaul2010.pdf

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

• Is Aborted Fetal DNA in Vaccines Linked to Autism?
• http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09072106.html
• Fetal Tissue in Vaccine Production May be Linked to Autism in Children Claims Campaign Group
• http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09070611.html
• Abortion-Tainted New Flu Vaccine From Vaxin Uses Aborted Fetal Cell Lines
• http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05020703.html

************************************************************************

And now, for the chart I showed my pediatrician:
http://www.cogforlife.org/
Click on the 'vaccine sources' listed on the left.
Feel free to peruse the entire site, you'll find it to be worth your time. The part I found most convincing were the actual Manufacturer's package inserts describing the fetal cell lines.

Let me just say that my pediatrician was very concerned. And? SHE DIDN'T KNOW! She kept asking, "How did I not know about this? Why didn't they tell me in med school? Or during my residency?"
And then she started asking, "What am I going to do about this?" Because her office is a part of Strong and they won't order special moral vaccines those of us who are appalled by this. They order from the company that gives them the best deal. Period.

So, I am doing my part today to inform folks about what is in vaccines. Because, if my child's doctor didn't know I bet there are a bunch of regular folks out there who have no idea.

So. Now I've done it. I've put it all out there. I would ask that you spread the word. Because, like I said before; I wish had known. I would never have chosen to inject the cells of murdered babies into my own babies.

XOXO
Jocelyn

Trouble

I found this poem in my 'pile.' You know what I mean.
The Thing that grows and grows and eventually takes over your desk and buries your computer. That's what happened. I closed my lap top and it disappeared under the Pile.
So. I went through the Pile. And I found a poem I wrote, oh, up to a year ago. Yep. That long. I let the Pile grow That Long.
Anyway, the second page is missing, but I don't want to lose the page I have, so I am writing it down here.

In this world
You Will Have Trouble
Grief and pain
sickness and strife
will come your way
Don't let it be
a surprise.
Don't let Satan convince you that God has
forgotten you
Abandoned you
withheld His protection
from your path.
In this world
you will have trouble.
Following Christ
will not lead you
down Easy Street.
Your path is straight
But narrow
Sometimes it will be
hard to find.
Do not despair!
The path is there
beneath your feet
Follow the lead
of that kindly light.
No matter how dim
it may appear through your veil of tears.
Because this path
leads to Hope!
Rejoice in your suffering
it is the Way to hope.
Travel that road
from suffering to perseverance
from perseverence to character
from character to Hope
Hope!
Hope that does not disappoint.

XOXO
Joce

Be bold!

I am in a hurry. But I wanted to post.
Today I was encouraged by a song I learned a long time ago. It goes like this:
Be bold! And be strong.
Banish fear and doubt.
For the promise of our God
Is of blessings coming in and of blessings going out.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
I just want to impress upon all the mommies out there that teaching your children Christian songs is really a wonderful way to allow the Holy Spirit to work in them later in life. The songs may not be your idea of awesome music to jam to, but they are working in your child's heart (and yours).
The same with scripture memorization. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit uses verses I have hidden in my heart to help me on my way.
Help your children learn verses, and learn some more for yourself while you are at it!
Proverbs 22:6 (New International Version)
6 Train [a] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Well, I really really really have to put my peas and lettuce in if I want to eat anything green anytime soon.

XOXO
Joce

My Day: An Overview and an Excerpt

I would like to share my daily schedule for two reasons-
1. I would like to solidify some of the things I have found that work.
2. It might help someone else with their daily routine.

The times are relative- if small people decide to sleep in, I do not wake them. :)
6:30- Get up, get dressed, milk.
7:00-Process milk
7:15 Feed baby
7:30 Feed two kids
8:00 Clean up kitchen, straighten up downstairs
8:30 Make my breakfast, help kids clean up playroom,
9:00 SuperWHY! And I eat and do my devotions, make list of things to do today.
9:30 Kids get dressed, clean up their room, I straighten up the upstairs. Then the kids do morning chores: Brilyn does the breakfast dishes, Cade vaccuums under the table.
10:00 Kids go outside, I feed the baby, and then I do some Big Jobs-like vaccuuming, make cheese and bread, or sort through bags of kids clothes, etc.
11:30 Lunch
12:00 Read aloud and nap for kids, clean-up the downstairs again, do phone calls, emails, eat my lunch, play with baby
1:00 Feed the baby, take a nap
2:00 Choose supper, get it started, finish list, do school with Brilyn
3:00 Cade wakes up, spend time with him.
4:00 Joe comes home, kids go back outside, I feed the baby, and then do a job like sewing or something else that requires quiet
6:00 Supper
6:45 Feed the baby
7:00 Milk
7:30 Kids to bed
8:00 Time with Joe
8:30 Eat ice cream
8:45 Shower
9:00 Feed the baby, Bed

That's the main idea, I will add more as it comes to me.

XOXO
Joce

And, now for some Cade humor.

Narrator: Cade and Brilyn are playing out on the deck. Brilyn comes in to use the bathroom, Cade follows. Mommy notices he is eating something. A huge mouthful of something.

M-"Cade, what are you eating?"
C-"Dis." Holds out handful of grass/weeds.
M-"What is that?"
C-"Gwass"
M-"Why are you eating grass?"
C-"Brannan div it to me"
M-"Brilyn, why is Cade eating grass?"
B-"He's the animals in the zoo and I am the zookeeper."

Mommy pauses here to think the thought- No, I am the zookeeper around here. Goodness gracious.

Continue conversation:
M-"It is not okay to eat plants you pick outside unless mommy says it is okay. Like, you may eat the onion plants because mommy showed you."
M-"Look at me. What are you allowed you eat?"
C-"Pizza?"
M-"Hmm (smirk). Well, what shouldn't you eat?"
B-"The picnic benches? HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
M-"Don't eat grass. The end."
The end.
XOXO
Joce