“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

Are you a giver?  My husband and I try to be givers, but we often fall short by getting caught up with what our bottom line looks like.   We give our first ten percent back to the church and occasionally feel compelled to give to someone in need, but overall, we feel like our tight budget keeps us from being the givers we would like to be. 

Our pastor gave a really good word on “giving” last Sunday.  His sermon centered around Luke 6:38.  He gave a very good example of how difficult it is to tithe if you do not give God your very first ten percent.  He also gave an example for Luke 6:38.  If we give out of a thimble, then God’s word says He will give back to us in a thimble (…”by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return..”), but if we give out of a bull dozer, then God’s word says He will give back to us the measure of a bull dozer.   As a result, I chose to give above and beyond what we had already tithed for the month of January.  To most people, it would not be a lot of money, but it was more than God requires me to give and I knew that He would give back to me the same measure in return.  Guess what happened??  Within forty-eight  hours, I had a new client call me and ask me to work for her on Friday.  That will be an unplanned increase to our income for this month. 

As Christians, we often talk about how BIG our God is.  But do we really believe that?? Do we really have the kind of faith that supports that belief?  I DO!  Don’t get me wrong, I often struggle with unbelief, but I fight my flesh daily and stand of the word of God that I have hidden in my heart and I strive to have BIG FAITH in my BIG GOD.  I gave in faith on Sunday.  I gave with the expectation that God would bless me abundantly in return, and he already has…almost 100 fold!  As a result, my husband and I have determined that we will start giving bigger and keep a running list of things that we’re asking God to bless.  This month, for example, we are expecting God to bless Josh with a large raise (larger than we would normally “expect”), also we need both of our vehicles serviced and are afraid of what the diagnosis might be, and finally, we will be filing our taxes in the next month or so and are praying for a large return.  I plan on posting every single way that God blesses us in the coming months as we choose to be cheerful givers.  I encourage you to join me in this challenge.  After all, who doesn’t want to be blessed?!

~audrey

…Well, I guess I am a waitress to my kids (and husband) in a small kind of way…but I DO NOT take four different orders of food from four different people at every meal!

In efforts to get my kids to eat healthier and be hungrier at meal times, I have started something new in my house.  Most mornings my kids tell me what they would like for breakfast.  Oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, and every once in a while, waffles (homemade…not frozen!).  Lunch often consists of leftovers, pb&j, or macaroni and cheese.  Dinner, however, is always a battle.  My kids start off by hanging around the kitchen to see what I’m cooking for dinner, then I get remarks like, “I just want mashed potatoes…not the green stuff or the chicken…” , which is usually followed by me yelling for everyone to GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN! 

When I sat down to make our latest two week menu, I decided to change things up a bit and hope for the best!  I now have a menu for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.  Each day of the week (M-F) is different.  Here is an example:

Breakfast:

Monday: eggs with english muffin

Tuesday: oatmeal and a banana

Wednesday: cereal with yogurt

Thursday: pop-tart and a banana

Friday: bagels and cream cheese

(Saturday and Sunday are more flexible and fun)

Lunches:

M:  Quesadillas

T:  Egg Salad

W:  Mac N Cheese

Th: Tuna Salad

F:  Baked Potatoes and salad

I also changed our snack routine which used to consist of the boys letting me know when they were hungry and they would march off to the kitchen and get a granola bar, fruit snacks, a piece of fruit, or some yogurt.  Now, we have only two snack times a day.  One about an hour or two after breakfast and another snack an hour or two after lunch, and I give them only two options for their snack (both options are healthy and balanced).  For example:  string cheese and an apple, veggies and dip, yogurt raisins and nuts, or goldfish and an orange.  Today is Thursday and I would say ‘so far, so good’.  The boys are not complaining as much at dinner time because they are very hungry and ready to eat whats in front of them.  As for me, I spend a lot less time in the kitchen fulfilling two and three different lunch requests.  Overall, we’re all happy with the new change.  It will probably end up saving me money on food in the long run because I only buy what I need and what’s on the menu instead of “stocking up” on everyone’s favorite snacks and lunch foods. 

I’ll keep you posted on how the next week or so goes!

~audrey

I was reading last night in a book by Dr. Oz (and some other doctors I can’t remember), called “You: The Manual”. It is a fascinating book that I borrowed from my dad. The doctors tell you all kinds of wonderful facts about your body, from your head to your feet and everything in between and then give you ways to better yourself, get healthy, live longer, etc. Last night I was reading about our brain. One of the most powerful ways to exercise and strengthen our brain is to change up our routine regularly. Nothing complicated, just simple things. Like, for example, if you normally get to the office, pour your coffee, turn on your computer, check your messages, file papers… just do those same things in a different order! File your papers first, then turn on your computer and while your computer is booting, go get your coffee, etc…you get the picture. It’s as simple as that.
One of the ways I’m trying to change up my routine, is to do all of my housework while my children are sleeping (except for folding clothes, because they help me with that). If I discipline myself to wake up with my husband at 6am, I have about two hours to do PLENTY of things around the house before the kids wake up. Also, my children go to bed at night between 7:30 and 8:00. That gives me another two to three hours to do what needs to be done around the house or on the computer. I think it will help my brain (and my heart) immensely, to simply allow myself to have fun and play with my children all day rather than constantly setting my kitchen timer so Mommy can do her housework while the kids beg me to play a game with them or fix them a snack. This will likely lend itself to huge differences in my childrens’ behaviour as I show them that Mommy cares about them and values their time. Most of all, this will benefit me mentally and emotionally as I let go of the weight I’ve put over my own shoulders by trying to do it all at the same time and always falling short, leaving me feeling like a mediocre mom and a lousy housewife.
See, all we have to do is re-group once in a while. You’d be surprised at the many areas you find room for improvement. Whether it’s in your budget, the way you eat, time to exercise, or your schedule as a whole, there is always room for improvement and better efficiency. Where do you need to re-group?

~audrey

Happy New Year!
I’ve already addressed, more than once, my love of starting over. I want to encourage you to define what you want for 2009. Make a list of things you enjoy doing and promise yourself to do more of those things for yourself this coming year. Decide for yourself, that even in the midst of depressing circumstances in our world and economy, that you are going to live a complaint-free life. The power of our words and our thoughts is overwhelming to me. Even scripture says the power of life and death lies in the tongue, so choose life! You have the power to define the next year of your life.
Regardless of your vocation or occupation, think of yourself as “a service” to others, rather than “a servant”. You’d be amazed at how that changes your thought process and your expectations of others. If you are a ‘service’ to the people around you, you are telling yourself that you have value that others can benefit from. You provide your service to others because you have a gift that you are choosing to use to help people. As a result, you don’t necessarily expect anything in return for the service you provide. On the contrary, if you have a “servant mentality”, you feel that your “job” is more like an obligation, whether to your children, your husband, your boss, or your parents. When you have a servant mind set it is easy to develop a sense of entitlement…. “By golly, I’ve slaved over this house ALL day, EVERY day! The least you could do is help out a little around here! Or at least say Thank you!!” For me personally, I love the art of hospitality. I enojoy keeping my house clean and food on the dinner table, because I can see on my husband’s face that he enjoys coming home from work. He doesn’t dread leaving the office for fear of walking into a war zone with screaming kids, a filthy house, and an ungrateful wife. Instead, this is his safe haven, his place to find peaceful rest and refilling. However, when I allow myself to dwell on certain circumstances or become jealous or bitter of other peoples’ lives, I become a servant. I find myself looking forward to my husband coming home so I can “dump” the kids on him, retreat to my room, and hide for the rest of the night, because I deserve it after all the crap I put up with (get the ugly picture?)! I carry an angry chip on my shoulder for all the things I haven’t been thanked for, and I have thoughts of ‘going on strike’ just to show the males in my life that they could never survive without me. But see, if I am a service, it gives me great pleasure to know that the man and boys in my life really could not survive long without me. I am needed. I am loved. I am valued beyond any other person in their lives. That is truly rewarding.
I hope this all made sense and I’m not just running around in circles here.
You have the power to choose what your next year of life will be like. Regardless of how many curves life throws at you, you can be victorious! You can be the most valued service in the lives of the people around you. Go for it! Define your 2009!
~audrey