Beware.... a housewife to do list, never ends!

Today I am catching up... with laundry! It seems as soon as I had my third child, laundry just never ends. It starts sitting in different piles, whites or colored clothes... wet towels, swimsuits and a ton of work clothes... there is a pile of mismatched socks... Lucky me, I am the one for the job. No one else takes care of the laundry, except me... I guess that makes me an expert, huh? My hubby didn't even know how to use the washing machine or how to use the dryer. Yes, past tense, now he does know... I hear that a lot of husbands tend to miss out on doing laundry... lucky us!!

Keeping house organized is my specialty as well... cleaning out closets, bookshelves, girls room and making sure the girls have clean clothes is on my to do list always....

Cooking and cleaning the kitchen is my forte as well, no one else thinks of cleaning the spilled milk in the fridge, or wiping splatters off the stove top, nope... if I don't do it, it will sit there until Jesus second coming.

I always wonder, is this how God created women in general, to be housewife's, homemakers, mothers, and caregivers... as well as loving wives to our dear husbands?

Its a very fulfilling role to be able to do all of the mentioned above, and be a happy, optimistic wife. The number one reason why it is fulfilling and promising, is when we know that the way we clean, fold laundry or take care of our children can never be done any better by someone else. You look behind you on everything that you accomplished, some days more, and some days less and congratulate yourself on the job well done.

A lot of women I know don't really love the job that they are given. They do it out of responsibility, and complain about doing it every minute, which makes it an exhausting chore. They always ask themselves is this what I am to do for the rest of my life? Clean after my children, cook for my family, wash dishes and wipe after my husband when he always splatters water on the sink top?

Sometimes my list of things to do is way too long... and never gets done... because by the time I finish the whole list of things to do, I need to start over from the beginning, since everything is a mess again..:)

Being a woman, a homemaker, a housewife, a mother, a wife is a hard job... but we are blessed with little feet, and little hands, and sticky kisses.... with strong embraces, scratchy chins.... with a clean house, a home, a family.....

Two are better than on, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? {Ecclesiastes 4:9-11}

They flourish like a palm tree.....

I always loved trees... Magnificent old oak trees, a willowy, white birch trees... Green, blue spruce trees or tropical, prickly palm tree... Our God is an amazing creator, if we want to count all the species of trees there are we would never be able to remember or recollect them all. On our honeymoon almost 10 years ago, my hubby and I spend a day wandering through the San Diego's many museums, art galleries, and gardens... there was a palm tree conservatory, that collected, if I remember correctly, about 50 if not more different varieties of palm trees... so beautiful, so tropical... A palm tree always reminds me of being on a vacation... spending time on a beach, with the warm ocean lapping at my feet.... the sun, the palm trees swaying in a breeze..

'The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, the Lord is upright, He is my rock..' Psalm 92:13

'Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers...' Psalm 1:1-3

So if we seek to do right, to live with integrity, to help others, to seek God... we will be like a tree growing by the water... we would not wither and die, but live and flourish like a palm tree...:)

I am happy its friday, and You?

The sun is saying goodbye, the clouds are filled with light pink cotton candy. The day is almost gone... Friday night, the candles are lit, the dinner is cooked, the kids took their baths, the table set for celebration... the first week of school has ended with no additional troubles...:) My little 5 year old is a happy kindergartener, wakes up at 7:30am willingly, gets dressed and off to the bus stop she goes... comes home full of bubbly energy, full of stories, of the things they did, and the words she learned.

The tiredness lays on my shoulders, time to rest... to sit down, close the blinds, wrap the kids into a hug, and tell them a bible story... Read the bible as a family, sing songs, spread love and happiness. Giggles and kisses.... Time to relax, time as a family, a time to stop and rest.... To revere in God, in his love.

My cup is full... and I drink my tea....

Shall we all just follow each other??

A person can accumulate immense knowledge and still lack wisdom. Wisdom requires compassion, justice, humility, and spiritual discernment.

The second day of school went by really well, not counting the second bus fiasco…:) Ariana got on the bus in the morning, after me talking to her about it the previous night. As soon as I put her on the bus, I ran to my car and drove to school to see how she is did on the bus. Getting there a few minutes after the bus did, I saw kindergarten kids but no Ariana, I went to the class, she was not there, I asked Mrs. B, her teacher, and she told me that she was probably with the class on the playground, I went there, and nope she is not there. So here we are running around looking for her, where could she be? The bus is empty… Finally I spot her following some 4Th graders down a pathway… talk about feeling relieved! Apparently after getting off the bus, she started to follow the group of kids not knowing where she was supposed have went… Yeah! Hey, good thing I was there, and I hope this fiasco will not happen again… I will probably start getting gray hair pretty soon, and start taking sleeping pills, to make me sleep, since I have insomnia from stressing about my 5 year old getting on the bus, and then actually knowing where she is supposed to go… whew! What a day...

I am happy that there was no lasting impression with my daughter about following the 4Th graders, and she enjoyed her 2ND day of school. Singing, clapping hands, laughing at something funny the teacher did, playing on the playground, and walking single file into the cafeteria for their daily snack...:)
Well, I hope tomorrow, day #3 will be better.

First day of school...

Worlds can be found by a child and an adult bending down and looking together under the grass stems or a the skittering crabs in a tidal pool. (Mary Bateson)

First day of school, how scary is that? My five year old is a little trooper. She didn’t cry, didn’t complain at the early rising. She was actually very excited, which makes my heart glad.
Now I understand why home schooling is better for parents and kids.
1. Kids don’t have to wake up at an extra early hour. They can still sleep in.
2. Kids don’t have to go anywhere out of the house, if its raining, snowing or windy.
3. Kids don’t have to wait for the bus to arrive to pick them up, and parents don’t have to pay for the bus to come and pick them up, all the way down the block, across a busy street.
4. Parents don’t have to spend money on new clothes for school, and buy so much school supplies, that the school requires.
5. Parents don’t have to make and pack snacks, and lunch for their kids.
6. Parents don’t have to worry if your child will be OK, upset, crying, hungry or wanting to go home.
7. Parents don’t have to worry that their child may get colds, or other infectious diseases from other kids…
8. Parents don’t have to worry that the child will get on the right bus to drive home, to pick them up, and wonder how their day went.
9. Parents don’t have to guess what their children are being taught at school, they know what they, as parents teach their kids. Can pin point the trouble spots in learning, and work harder in correcting them.

The good reasons why its nice to send the kids to school.
1. Parent gets some peace and quiet from the kids.
2. Parent don’t stress on what to teach the kids, or worry that they will be illiterate.
3. Kids get interaction and play with other kids their age.

So which ever choice the parent makes should be from the heart, and the commitment the parent is willing to undertake. Which ever one you chosen for your child is the right choice for your child and you.

The first day of school went very well, if I don't call the incident of my child not wanting to get on the bus to ride home. She completely refused... so here calls the school to have me pick her up, which is fine since I am home today.. but tomorrow I will be working. I hope it goes OK, I really hope so. That's all I can do... hope, and pray...:)

I am so thirsty, thirsty for You.....

You are the living water...

'Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,

'but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.' John 4:13

I want to drink the living water, so I will not be thirsty again...

Every time I look at you...

Its amazing how fast the years flew by. It seems just yesterday I gave birth to my 5 year old, just yesterday I nursed her at my breast, and now my oldest child is starting kindergarten on Monday. And I am so nervous. Its so hard for me to let her go, I feel that it is too soon for her to go somewhere, where she will be without me. I know that she is ready, she has her backpack packed since last year... and is very excited at the prospect of riding the big yellow bus, and playing and learning with other kids her age. I am sad that now that she is starting school, her summer is coming to an end. A new road of learning will soon begin.

Maybe next year she wont have to go to school, maybe next year I can home school? A few of my blogger friends are homeschooling mothers, what a big commitment to make! With Gods help I will be able to let my little one go to Kindergarten and not dissolve into tears. I will let God keep her safe and sound in his hands while I am not there to watch her. May God give me wisdom and guidance on how to help my daughter adjust to this new, exciting road for her.

It is just that every time I look at you... you are still my firstborn little girl...:)

Dear Father in Heaven.....

How far away is heaven? It is not so far as some imagine. It wasn’t very far from Daniel. It was not so far off that Elijah’s prayer, and those of others could not be heard there. Christ said when you pray say, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Men full of the Spirit can look right into heaven.
D. L. Moody

My day is not going as well as I planned it. Everything just seems to spin out of control, my job, my family, my children, and the emotional upheaval is probably not a good combination. I yelled at my husband for no reason... oh what a day. My five year old asked me if I was OK? Then she turned around and said that she is going into her room to pray for me. Shame, humility and amazement hit me with a jolt, as I realized that my little one knows how to calm the storm in our hearts. Just close your eyes and pray.

We all need someone to pray for us, when we are feeling down, when we are angry or upset. We need someone to stand there for us holding the ground, petitioning for Gods help. Even if that someone is only five... it still works. Amazing! The awesome power of prayer... our thoughts, soft words spoken in half whisper, a song sung from the heart... God hears the soft request, the tired sigh, the cry for help.

Dear Father in heaven,

Forgive me for my anger, impatience and the childish outbursts..
Teach me to come to You when the going gets though, rocky or when my spirit feels bruised. Heal my heart and help me to be a better mother, a loving wife, and a better christian everyday. You can hear me, like you heard my little five year old. Increase my faith in You and teach me to be like a child in my walk toward you.

Amen.

A city where you could settle...

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.

They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men....

(Psalm 107:4-15)

The busy bee..

Golden gate...

Golden gate bridge... isn't it just gorgeous?

What a busy few weeks I had. Work, family, relatives visiting from a different state, the baptism of my nephew and niece. Going to see wonderful places, and seeing the beautiful ocean... Getting up early in the mornings, and staying up late in the evenings. Registering and testing my 5 year old for kindergarten... Summer is almost over, how sad.

Now I hope the life will slow down a bit, and I can enjoy some of my blog friends...and the life you write about.:))

I had a dream....

The road was narrow and steep... up the hill, higher and higher it went.
I was struggling with the closeness of the rocky tunnel, the darkness,
the claustrophobic feeling of being closed in. The suffocating, heavy
feeling in my chest increased as the darkness tries to swallow me whole,
I can't see. I look up and there high above, is the sun streaming in,
the warmth is sipping in. I reach up my hand and grab the sunshine, the
bright light. I hold on to it, so the darkness can not fill me, can not
scare me. I can walk the narrow road now, I am holding on to the light.
I can finish the dark, claustrophobic tunnel of pain and confusion,
because The Light is guiding me higher to the end of this road. I am
out, I am free, I am alive. The sunshine engulfs me, fills me with
warmth, love and happiness. I can see whats around me now. My road is
not totally clear of the suffocating dark tunnels in the future, but as
long as I hold on to the light I will survive. If your road is dark,
know that there is light if you look up.. It is there ahead.

One of my favorite words--- Abundance.

I love the word 'abundance', its one of the blessings that God provides and blesses my family with... for example an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden...




An abundance of little grape tomatoes...




An abundance of sunshine and shade....



An abundance of little feet running around my house...



An abundance of flowers surounding me....




An abundance of little girls in my little family....:)




An abundance of basil leaves in my garden....


O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.... He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:2,6)

In the begining.....

To see is to feel
To feel is to love
To love is to want
To want is to get
To get is to have
To have is to give
To give is to lose
To lose is to look
To look is to find
To find is to save
To save is to increase
To increase is to overflow
To overflow is to share
To share is to love
To love is to feel
To feel is to see.

How our Body parts can serve God.

In view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. (Proverbs 12:14)
...Lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger of disputing. (1 Timothy 2:8)



Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.
(Isaiah 55:2-3)



She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)




Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. (Proverbs 4:25)


To guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:79)
Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep you foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:26)

So you see, all body parts can serve God in its own way. Eyes are the windows of our soul. Mouth will speak no evil, ears will hear no evil, hands will only be used in doing good deeds, and our feet will walk the path of righteousness. May God bless us in our mission to serve God with our whole body.

Life in general... is it always busy?

Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us and the art of life is to the message. (Malcolm Muggeridge)

I have been kind of busy lately.. My nineteen year old sister is visiting me from Missouri, and there hasn't been much time for me to enjoy my blogger friends. :)) Well life goes on, work, housework, laundry, cooking, gardening, decorating, and going on little family trips.. enjoying the beautiful weather we are having. I have been so busy that at night I get insomnia, with all kinds of thoughts swirling in my head, waking me from my dreams.

Some days I still fight the avalanche of depression, the darkness, the sadness... especially if I have to work long hours. Not believing in taking the anti-depressants I fall to my knees with the heaviness of my load and petition God to help me. To heal me, to shine his light into my soul, to pour down his sweet love, to comfort me. He does. How wonderful to have this awesome God we can turn to, in our darkest hour. When our hearts are torn and bleeding.

Its amazing to be loved by our heavenly Father. I read somewhere that we as humans, usually compare the heavenly father to our human fathers. Its nice when we have great dads, but when we don't... we need to realize that God is love. He will never hurt us, but heal us. I am so thankful for being found by Him and to be his daughter. It would be amazing to see Him face to face. Will you be ready when He comes again?

Remember...

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day