Make the "best day" the BEST day

Well, for many of us we have our favorite day of the week. Seriously, I heart Mondays! Seth works from home, we take it easy, that's an evening we plan fun things as a family (having someone over for dinner) whatever. I also LOVE Saturdays. It's the day I can sleep in. Seth is here to get the kids up and I can veg. out. BUT...favorite days do not trump the fact that the "best day" is Sunday. God set up the whole week and worked that week. In Genesis 1 God creates. We all picture him creating like "ZAP" there's Sun. "ZAP" there's animals. "ZAP" human beings! But obviously...it was work because God felt the need to rest. He wanted to take time to look at all he had done in 6 days and spend the 7th loving and enjoying it and RESTING. The Sabboth was created for our day to worship the living God and REST. It's His day, so it's therefore, the BEST day.

Now, for many of us it isn't the best because we do get up early for church. We spend most of the day doing church things that prevent us from even resting. Some of us may even go to our jobs on Sunday, so we don't get to take a load off. For children, it is wearing. Kids have to get out of bed too. They have to spend their day at church too where some churches do not have a children's church to entertain the kids on their level, so they sit in the sanctuary possibly bored, possibly having a horrible experience. I won't lie, I loved the Lord at a young age, but I despised church on so many levels. Sunday was NOT the best day for me.

So, how can we make "the best day" the best?

I was forced to think about that question while reading an INCREDIBLE book on child training called "Hints on Child Training" by H. Clay Trumbull. It's over a hundred years old, but he talks about setting Sunday apart and making it something kids look forward to. (You can get his book for under 10.00 on Amazon.com)
Ideas of how to separate Sunday from the other 6 days are as follows:
Be prepared for it. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. Some of us are so busy rushing around to get ready for church, we don't have our best foot forward. Our clothes are wrinkled, and Heaven forbid, we actually get into a fight with our loved ones on the way to church. (Gasp, not you?!) Oh, I have fought my hubby on more than one trip to church. And that is Satan trying to destroy our heart of worship on the morning of going to be fed spiritually and worship corporately. One thing to help: Take your kids by the hand on Saturday night. Pick out their clothes with them. Iron them the night before and have them laid out. Give baths on Saturday night so the kids wake up and only need their bed-head combed. "Sunday morning starts on Saturday night" I chant to Landri many a Saturdays. I don't know where I heard that quote, but it's true. Prepare on Saturday for things to go wrong Sunday so that it doesn't throw your spirit and heart off to a point that you can't worship properly. Set the coffee pot on a delay brew so you have plenty of time to have it. Lay your Bible by the door with your packed diaper bag. Repent and get a clean slate with the Lord. Reconcile to your spouse or kids if you had a riff that day. (That's every night...don't go to bed with unresolved conflict.) Easier said than done, I know...but it will make such a difference for your peace and rest.

Another way to set Sunday apart: have something special for breakfast on Sunday that is not a typical breakfast...maybe have something that is strictly something you only get on Sunday mornings so your kids (and YOU) look forward to waking and facing the day with your best foot forward. It may be something as simple as buying some powdered donuts and special juice or going through Starbucks for a latte on the way to church. I have a special coffee cake that has a cinnamon streusal topping that I will get up early and make many Sundays. It's a healthy coffee cake made with wheat flower. It's SO YUMMY. Seth and Landri devour it. And, do the same for lunch. Even if lunch isn't something you only have on Sunday, at least have it planned/prepared. I dread Sunday lunches when I'm sitting in the pew unsure still of what I'm serving. Seth hates having to let me run into the grocery store b/c I need to pick up stuf for lunch that day. I am still a work in progress on this...but Trumbull says, have special food. Make the day special. Sometimes just buying special buns to serve your sandwiches on for lunch makes it special. Getting your deli meat from the deli or your cheese sliced in the deli can take the ordinary sandwich to a NEW LEVEL. Or just eating that sandwich on a blanket outside makes it special. You can take the kids to a special pool or place to ride bikes only for Sunday afternoon. You could toss meatballs in a crockpot with red sauce so that all you have to do is boil pasta when you get home. Throw frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour bbq on top for pulled sandwiches when you get home. Crockpots are best friends on Sundays! If it is a day where you set aside eating out money, do it after church. Growing up, we didn't get to eat out much, but my parents would take us to this pizza buffet called "Pizza Inn" on Sundays b/c all 4 of us kids ate the buffet free. It was the biggest treat, and I approached my morning DIFFERENTLY knowing I was going there after church. Remember we aren't bribing our kids to love Sunday or church or God for that matter, but they are little sinners who need guidance and shown the right way. The same goes if you have an unbelieving husband. He will feel differently about Sunday without a word from you: just the way you approach the day will show him it is special and different.
I Peter 3:1 "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives." We need to instill good emotions about God's day every way that we can until the Holy Spirit gets ahold of our families and really shows them the most important reason that it is the "BEST DAY!"

Dailey verse:
Genesis 2: 2-3
2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

With a heart of purpose,

Thrifty Mama

This is a short and sweet post especially for you Moms on a budget:
So, Landri LOVES jello and pudding right now. Who doesn't? It's heaven in a little cup, especially for a little girl who's gettin' good with her spoon skills. Well, the pudding and jello cups cost like 10 times what a little carton of pudding or jello costs. I have a trick to save you money and keep your little ones lovin' their little treat cups.
At Kroger a few weeks ago, I found the four packs of pudding 10 for 10 dollars. So, I bought some. I also bought the packages of jello and pudding you make yourself for like less than 50 cents per package. After Landri finishes a jello or pudding cup, I save the cup, wash it, and put it in the cupboard with all the little kiddy plastic cups/bowls. When I make jello or pudding, I refrigerate it in those cups. I've even saved some of Malachi's baby food containers (the plastic ones with lids) and used those. Your kids won't know the difference, but your pocketbook will:) Remember, we want our kiddos to have fun treats, but we have to get creative sometimes. God Bless you thrifty mommies out there!

Scripture of the Day: excerpt from Proverbs 31
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
On the side: A great book about being an excellent wife is called "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace OR "A Wife After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. The first one is a little more challenging for our stubborn wills as women/wives. The Elizabeth George one is my FAVORITE. For you nonwives out there, she also has "A Woman after God's Own Heart" and for you Mommies: "A Mom after God's Own Heart." You can probably pick any of them up on Amazon.com for under 10 bucks.

With a heart of purpose!

Serve...and be served?

Well, today I had a little angel of a neighbor come over so that I could mop my floors. She offered to play with my kiddies to let me be productive. I totally took her up on it. Something I'm learning to do is let others have a blessing in serving me too. I pride myself in loving to take a meal to somebody or pray for them or whatever! However, it is difficult to accept those love gifts of service. After my first baby was born and I saw the outpouring of love -- the body of Christ reaching out to me and being the hands and feet of Jesus -- I had an ah ha! moment. It is an incredible thing to bless someone else w/ your service, but it's ok to let them be blessed by helping you. It's what we're to do. Our hands need to reach, our feet need to go, our mouths need to encourage, and we need to serve in the way we feel led. When my sweet neighbor said "I love to play with kids. I'd love to come over and play with yours any time to let you get work done." I was like, Ok! And we talked about a date that worked and we did it. So today in just a few hours having a little help, I felt like I could conquer the world. Any of you Moms out there know what I'm talking about. Sometimes, you can conquer the world in 30 minutes if you don't have your child/ren in toe:) So, I was so rejuvenated, and I know that she really did want to do it. What a blessing to me she was, and what a blessing she had serving! We all won!...even my kids who had focused one-on-one attention uninterrupted by my multi tasking. Tomorrow, I will take them to the library for the first time in forever because I got my chores done. So, the next time someone wants to help you specifically ( and I'm not talking about the ole' line of "if you need anything let me know") but if they really say hey, can I come over and play with your baby or can I bring you dinner...LET 'EM! Just be sure that you are looking for avenues to be the hands and feet of Jesus. So, serve...and yes, BE SERVED!

Daily Scripture
Philippians 2:14-15
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

The First One

For the past few months I have felt convicted to do more, be more, reach more people, share more of the gospel, encourage more, serve more, affect more, MORE MORE MORE. I have really felt led to start a blog. The purpose of this blog is to hopefully start doing some "more" I know I need to do. I have always said my most noble calling as a woman is as a wife and mother, but something I'm learning is that all of us have a noble calling to be and make disciples for Jesus Christ. Through this blog, I will focus on sharing our Father's love by posting various topics: devotional type of stories and scripture, but there may be some days where I share mom-friendly tips and ideas. In the process, I will pray dilligently for anyone who finds my blog and pray that it will affect lives and do on a kingdome level something I could never do. May God have his Sovereign hand in this new adventure.

Remember that to live for Christ is our most noble calling. It's a priceless gift that is placed on your life by God. That is the most humbling thing that I cannot fathom. Why our Heavenly Father would choose to have grace and mercy on any of us is beyond me. But he does, and while I fall far short every single day, the thing to remember is IT DOESN'T MATTER. God isn't caught off guard that we fall short. He knew we would and always will. That's why he sent Jesus in our place. Jesus already paid it all. Let Him do what He was purposed to do: be your righteousness. Just open your heart to him in obedience and find a fulfillment in your life that you never dreamed possible.

Daily Verse: I Corinthians 1:30-31

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

With a heart of purpose,