A Mother's letter to her son

I've studied Proverbs 31 many times, but my focus on it over this last weekend has changed my view on this chapter. I was always one who read the wife of noble character and felt overwhelmed. It's about a woman who wakes up before dawn, works with eager hands, makes sure her family is fed well, goes out of her way to help those in need, even has a little side business outside of the home, her husband and children respect her and speak highly of her, her family is clothed well and prepared for a long winter, she does all of this with joy and above all she puts God first in everything she does. Who is this woman? I would like to meet her.

I decided to dig a little deeper and learned that Proverbs 31 is a letter written from a mother to her son. Okay! Now we're getting somewhere. If the Proverbs 31 woman sounds like someone I'd want my sons to marry then it would only make sense for me to do my best to be like that woman as well. I realize now that this portrait the mother is painting to her son is what he should look for when seeking a wife. Proverbs 31 explains not just one day in this woman's life, but what the picture of what her entire life looks like. The letter is written as a list to her son using the Hebrew alphabet. When I read the list there are things I can check off that seem to come easy to me and there are other things on the list that either needs work or I need to consider doing.
I now see Proverbs 31 as an encouragement to become a woman of noble character. I pray that one day my daughter can look at my life and want to imitate these things she saw me doing. I also pray that my sons seek out a woman described in Proverbs 31.

I encourage you to spend some time reading this chapter in Proverbs. Wrestle with the challenges it brings you personally. Is this woman someone you would like to see your son with? Is this a woman you'd like to become yourself? Is this a woman you'd like to see your wife become? Is this a woman you're seeking to marry? You can't change anyone else, but you can modify yourself. Let God be your focus through all changes. Pray about it and spend some time in solitude thinking about it.

Please vote!

It is so important to vote! I know many people who do not vote simply because they believe that their vote really does not count. This is a myth that has been made up due to lack of HOPE! If you do your part to register, educate yourself about the candidates, and vote then you have done your best. Sometimes the results are in your favor and sometimes they are not. Our government was designed to have a balance of beliefs. When it becomes over run by one belief it does not work and it results in too much power which is bad for citizens. In my humble opinion I believe that is what is happening now.
If you have questions about voting I'd be happy to help you find the answers.

Here are some links to help you if you live in Michigan:

This form is your registration to vote. Their are deadlines to register before each election. You only need to register once, unless you move. Then you need to register your new address.
Register to vote in Michigan


Once you are registered or if you are already registered you can use this link to find your voting location. (called a precinct or polling location) You can also view sample ballots to see who your candidates are. This is important because then you can research each candidate.
Voter Search

Here is another link to help you research candidates.
Michigan Candidates

This link will show you the upcoming election dates and registration deadlines for each election.
Michigan elections

Register to vote today! Your vote counts!!!!!

A few things to catch up on...

Digging Out Of Debt!
Time to get serious. Being in debt has hindered our ability to give and serve our community. Jeff and I are on a mission to get out of debt ASAP and begin serving more. We are over half way through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Each class has taught us common sense and we are starting to think and act differently. Becoming an adult is actually fun. :) Our marriage is getting stronger and in turn our kids are getting stronger. There is hope in this world full of sin!
We still suffer from a little bit of "stuffitis." But learning to say no more often has been the best treatment so far.

To learn more about getting out of debt, check out Dave Ramsey's web site. Click Here.



Let's Get Dutch!
My in-laws are a humbled Dutch heritage. They are such a joy to be around. They are a family that enjoys celebrating birthdays and holidays together. There is always good food, good wine and laughter. It really makes me feel blessed. When it comes to money they know about good deals. They are pro bargain shoppers. I admire that in them. I've begun my own ways of becoming a better bargain hunter. About a year and a half ago I joined a web site called Savings Angel. I began grocery shopping in a different way. Matching sales and coupons and building a stocked pantry is challenging yet rewarding. There are times when I get discouraged because of the work involved, but the savings usually encourage me to work harder. My old ways of shopping included making a shopping list of the items we needed. Then going to the store to purchase them. With a family of 5 our grocery bill was anywhere from $150- $200 a week!! Unacceptable in my book! =) I was only really buying store brand products and even shopping at stores like Save a Lot. Now I spend around $50-$100 a week at places like Meijer, Family Fare, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart, and Target. I buy brand name products and we have about 3 times as much food as we did with the old way of shopping. I listed all of those stores, because there are weeks when I shop at 4 different stores. As I said before there is some leg work in this program, but you can save some serious cash doing it. Most weeks I only visit 2 stores.

If you are interested in Savings Angel click this link:

If you're not quite ready to try Savings Angel, but are thinking about starting to use coupons read this blog post called Coupons 101



Living on Love!
What a blessing this life is. There are uncountable blessings in each day. Waking up from a world view on things makes life more pleasant. When you can really rejoice in your suffering and praise God through hard times it makes it easier to go through them. I find myself challenged in new ways whenever I learn something about being a follower of Jesus. It is incredible to hear bible stories that I've heard my whole life and I still get a fresh lesson as if it were the first time I've heard it. That tells you to never stop or give up learning. Especially when it comes to God. The most amazing thing I've learned recently is how to love. There is still lots to learn, but to actually LOVE everyone has made me realize how much work there is to be done in my own heart. I am beginning to recognize when my actions or words are not out of love. Something I would have ignored in the past. I think we all have that inner sense when someone truly loves us. It can even be someone you've never met before. It's like you can feel the truth and warmth in the way they interact or speak to you. I want to be that person. I want to be someone everyone feels welcomed around. I know there are a few things that need to continue to be worked on to get there.

Slime!

Last week during spring break we made homemade slime. The kids loved it and played with it for days. The ingredients are 1 cup white glue, 1 tbsn borax, 8 drops of food coloring and water.

1. In a glass or ceramic bowl, add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup white glue.
2. Stir in 4 drops food coloring if desired.
3. In another bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon borax in 1/2 cup water.
4. Slowly add the dissolved borax mixture to the glue mixture. Stir well.
5. When not in use, store in a tightly sealed jar.

It was a mess! After playing with the slime for a while it was time to clean up. I started to hose off the utensils and bowls when Zoey and Hunter decided they wanted to help me. They were already all sticky so I just let them play in the water.
Then they realized there was a mud puddle near them from all of the water that was sprayed. Hunter got a lesson from Zoey on how to jump in a mud puddle. He picked this up pretty quick.
It wasn't long before they were soaked and cold. So I took them in and they enjoyed a warm bath. It was an awesome day!

Philipians 4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving , present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:4-7.

These verses are filled with wisdom. I have been trying to memorize them like it's been tattooed to the back of my hand. I feel like I fall off the wagon often while living out these verses. I am embarrassed to say that my "gentleness" is not as evident as I would like it to be. Too often I lose me temper at my kids or my spouse or another driver on the road. Each time it happens I feel red in the face with embarrassment as if God is standing there shaking his head.

Tristen was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I have had so many different feelings about it that sometimes I just need to cry. It may seem minuscule to someone who has not delt with it, and to be honest, I had no idea how it affected an entire family before it happend to us. It was a shock to hear Tirsten's teachers suggest that something needed to be done on a clinical level. Before the actual diagnosis we have just delt with Tristen's rambunctiousness. He was our strong willed child.

I have been trying to find out as much as I can about the ADHD disorder and all of our treatment options. We refuse to let ADHD define Tristen. We have gained a lot of patience with him since learning about why he feels and acts the way he does. Jeff and I used to be against medications to treat ADHD, but now we are considering it. We are considering all of our options. No matter what we choose it is going to be a lot of work and also very expensive. The four most common treatment options I have found are Neurofeedback, Diet changes, medication and psychological therapy. Does any of that sound scary to you? It all scares the heck out of me. Mainly because my dear 7 year old son is the one who will have to experience it. Luckily he has a mom and dad who will not give up and will be there with him every step of the way. We remind him of that often. We have an appointment coming up to meet with a physician who specializes in behavorial disorders. I have so many questions and it's all so overwhelming. It makes me anxious. Which reminds me of Philipians 4.

In Philipians 4 I feel like Paul is telling me to thank God for what is going on with Tristen. Maybe it will make our family stronger. Hopefully it will make Tristen a stronger person. Too often I look for peace from other people when I should be seeking out peace from God. I am so exhausted. Pray Pray Pray. Thanks for your ears! Grace and Peace.