When I Grow Up…

I just love mornings.  I'm usually propped up in my bed reading my Bible when my 5 year old gets up and comes in to snuggle with me.  He's so active during the day that I rarely get a chance to sit and spend time with him.

The conversations we have in the mornings are absolutely priceless.

This morning I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up.  I had no idea what he would say because it's always changing from a fireman to a policeman to Daniel Boone or an Indian.

But he said, “I want to be a Pastor.”

“Really?!”  I thought about commending him for the wonderful choice he had made.  I would be honored to have a son grow up and become a Pastor.

But I just couldn't.  Instead I had to say,  “Do you know what I want you to be when you grow up?  I want you to be whatever God wants you to be.”

He simply replied, “That's awesome.”

And it is.  Whether he ends up being a garbage collector, a doctor, a woodworker like his dad, or a pastor, it's just awesome to be doing exactly what God wants.

Trust and obey,

For there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus,

But to trust and obey.

Time, Money, Health (Part 5)

If you missed the other posts in this series, you can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, and part 4 here.

This isn't the right time to tell you everything we learned from The Total Money Makeover, but I will tell you about one change that we made.  We decided to make the switch to a cash budget.  We weren't really sure it would do much good because we were always so careful about how we spent our money.  Plus, when we put everything on a credit card, we earned points that could be redeemed for cash when they had been built up enough.

But, I had seen several people online talking about how well it worked for them, and there were a number of real-life examples in the book as well.  We decided it couldn't hurt anything to give it a try.

When I first made the switch off of coupons, I was spending about the same amount of money by shopping at ALDI; I just did not have a pantry fully stocked with the newest products anymore.  I was actually spending less money if you factor in the gas and time that I spent shopping at multiple stores with my coupons.

When we switched to the cash budget, the grocery bill dropped even lower.    It was a challenge to me to see how much leftover cash I could have at the end of the month, and I began to menu plan every week, making sure I was only buying what was absolutely necessary for the meals I had planned.  I  ruthlessly scrutinized each item that went into the cart, trying to determine if there was any way we could make do without it.  Every dollar's worth that I put back on the shelf added up surprisingly at the end of the month, and I would sometimes have a hundred dollars left over!  (Have you tried a cash budget yet?  You might be surprised what it will do for you even if you're already very disciplined with your money!)

Things were going extremely well.  Due to the lack of free-with-coupon convenience foods, we were eating healthier meals.  Our grocery budget was lower than it had been in a long time.  I was ready to settle into this well-balanced plan for the long haul.

Then, we hit another bump in the road…

I’ll be sharing the next step in our journey in the next post in this series.  Be sure to subscribe to email updates or follow me on Facebook so you won’t miss it!

Christmas J-O-Y

Have you ever heard the song that goes, Jesus and others and you – What a wonderful way to spell JOY! ?

That is the theme for our family this Christmas.  My oldest is five, so my kids are still learning what Christmas is all about.  I wanted to do something that would help impress on the minds of our kids that Christmas is not all about getting presents.  Christmas is focusing on the fact Christ came to give his life for us.

He “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

I've seen a lot of activities posted around the internet that are designed to help families focus on Christ at Christmas and I appreciate the bloggers and website owners who make those ideas available.

The problem was that I could not find something that was simple.

Around here, if it's not simple, it's stressful.  Stressful is not the mood I'm going for during the Christmas season.

So, I ended up making up my own idea, and it's perfect for my young children.

We are making a paper chain out of Christmas scrapbook paper and adding two links to it every night before bed (one for each child who understands what is going on.)

We have talked about how Christ came to serve others, and we are thinking of ways that we can be like Christ and serve others.

I am letting them choose their own ideas by themselves so that their acts of service will come from their hearts.

So far our paper chain contains things like “sharing my toys with my brother/sister” and “helping Mommy clean with a happy heart.”  I'm sure there will be some bigger things that we decide to do like visiting someone in the nursing home or baking something for the neighbors, but it's really nice not to have the stress of trying to do something time-consuming every day for a month.

I am loving this!  It's just what our family needed.  It only takes about 5 minutes every evening, yet we are reminded all throughout the day to follow Christ's example by serving others.  I have been hearing the kids catch themselves and each other in the act of service.  “Oh, Mommy!  I just swept the floor for you without complaining!  That was serving others!”  It is such a blessing to me to hear them get excited about serving others.  They spend time planning out what they're going to put on their link of the paper chain each night, and they have been trying to practice those things throughout the day.

What is your family doing to keep your focus on Christ this Christmas season?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Relishing the Ordinary

It was an ordinary evening.  I was unloading the dishwasher while dinner was heating up on the stove.  My 15-month-old was “helping” me, while my 5-year-old ran around the kitchen like a wild Indian, playing with his new ball.  My husband was in the other room spending time with our 3-year-old daughter.

I stopped to take it all in, and I realized I was having the time of my life!

It wasn't a special holiday.  Everything that was going on was very ordinary, but I was enjoying myself immensely!

I could have this much joy every day if I would only choose to.

I don't need to wait for something special to happen to enjoy  life.  I can choose to enjoy every moment.

When I'm cooking an “ordinary” supper, I can stop and thank the Lord that I have food to prepare for my family and a stove on which to prepare it.

When I'm doing an “ordinary” dishwasher unloading, I can be thankful I have the luxury of owning a dishwasher.

When I'm changing an “ordinary” diaper I can be thankful for these little ones God has entrusted to me.

If I stop and think about the blessings God has given me, the ordinary things seem so much more special.

Just since that evening a few days ago, I have tried to stop and think throughout the day about God's blessings and to make a conscious choice to enjoy what He has given me – not just on the special days.

What will you enjoy today, my friend?  The smell of a Christmas candle?  The sound of Christmas music on the radio?  The love of your family on this ordinary day?  The pretty things God has given you to decorate your home?

Stop.  Look.  Listen.  Enjoy.

Everything we have is a gift from God.  He loves us, and has given us “richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

So let's enjoy what He's given.

Free Time Management E-book (Highly Recommended!)

Update:  The price is now up to $2.99, but still very worth it in my opinion!

Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews is currently free on Amazon.  If you've never read this e-book, I highly recommend you do so.   This is one of the most helpful books I've ever read on the subject of time management.

If you don't have a Kindle, you can still get the e-book for free, then download one of these apps to read it on your computer or another device that you own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend as you meditate on the goodness of God.

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.  Psalm 34:8