The Modesty Debate

The modesty debate. It rages on and on around us with endless variations and bunny trails. Dresses. Skirts. Jeans. Leggings. Mini skirts. Tank tops. Yoga pants. Cleavage. Don't offend. Not my problem. Don't judge me. You're causing lust. And on and on and on it goes.

Can I just say I don't think it's about jeans or tank tops or the length of your skirt? It is about Jesus. What if we would quit applying men's opinions to our lives and just look at what the Bible says? I think there are 2 main questions we need to answer in a completely honest way and the debate could disappear.

1. What does "modest" mean?
2. Who am I glorifying/dressing for?

What does "modest" mean?

"And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes." 1 Timothy 2:9

Modest: unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.

If we put together the Bible command for modesty and the dictionary definition I think we can reasonably say that modesty is dressing in a simple, unassuming way that doesn't draw attention to ourselves - in an egotistical, look at me sort of way.

Who am I glorifying/dressing for?

I think maybe this question alone could answer the modesty debate. I personally don't like the "keep our brothers from lusting" argument. It is putting the focus on people. If we keep the focus on God the rest will fall in line. If a girl would ask herself in a brutally honest way why she chose to wear whatever she put on, then immodesty in the church just might disappear. 

Girls, we are the bride of a King!! The bride of an almighty God who died an agonizing death, with our sin on his shoulders. Shouldn't we always be conscious of this when we go in public? When you get dressed to go shopping you can choose to dress for man's glory and satisfaction or God's glory and praise. It's actually a pretty simple choice.

What will you choose?

DIY Fleece Sleeping Bag

A couple weeks ago I told some friends it would drive me crazy to do a diy blog because I wouldn't want to take the time to take all the pictures. So I don't know why I got inspired to do this post. But I did. And when I got started it was actually a lot of fun! I don't always have a lot of time for all the projects I want to do, but having one of my wonderful sisters around for a few days helps  lot! :)

I had seen this idea for a doll sleeping bag and just converted it to toddler/child size. So, here goes!

First step, get your fleece. I got 2 yards, 21 inches of my main fabric. {Because that's all there was. I was going for 3 yards. But I got the 21 inches half off of fleece that was already 60% off so I didn't complain. :) } I got 1 yard and 20 inches of the accent fabric. {for the same reason}

I was delighted to find some hedgehog fleece, because I think they're adorable and because Jakki loves all little forest animals. The only stories she tells are about bunnies and squirrels. They usually sound like this: "Bunny! Squirrel! Squirrel is sad! Him got an ouie. He fell off the train. Bunny fall of too. Squirrel is crying. Sorry squirrel." or "Bunny! Squirrel! Squirrel is playing. It's up in tree. Him is at Grammi's house. At the stream! I want to see him."

Anyway. I was happy to find this fleece because she is also fascinated with porcupines. :)

Next get a scissors  {the sharper the better!} and something to measure with and turn on some awesome music.

Trim off the white edges, because it will just look better.

Cut your accent fleece 40"x60" I used chalk to mark all my measurements.

Cut 2 pieces of your main color in the some size. I did mine on a fold to make it easier. You should have 3 separate pieces of fleece, each 40"x60".

Lay one of your main color pieces right side down. Place the accent piece right side up on top of it. The put your second main color piece right side up on top of that. Make sure it is all even on the edges.

Fold the top piece down about 14".

 Now you're ready to start cutting! I cut the tassels 5" deep. Start by cutting a 5" square out of the corners.

I didn't measure for the width of the tassels. They were about 1/2"-1" each. They don't have to be perfect. As long as they are within half an inch of each other I don't think you notice the difference.

Try to make sure the edge pieces come out the size of a full tassel. It just looks  little neater I think. I did use chalk to mark 5" all the way round to keep it uniform.

This is what it should look like when you're finished cutting.

Now for the fun part! Separate the tassels {there will be 2 at the the top part of the sleeping bag, 4 at the fold and 3 around the bottom half}

Tie them in a knot, like you're beginning to tie your shoe. Tie a knot on top of that. You want it snug, but not to tight or it will change the shape of the whole sleeping bag.

Continue around the whole sleeping bag. When there is just 3 tassels hold 2 in one hand and one in the other to tie the knots. When there is 4 you will hold 2 in each hand. {Obviously ;) }

And you're finished! I was hoping to have enough left over to make a pillow too, but I have just enough for a scarf or 2 for Jakki.

Jakki is absolutely delighted with her sleeping bag. I think it will be perfect for weekend trips to Papa and Grammi's to visit the squirrel that lives in the tree and plays in the stream with his bunny friend, when they're not falling off of trains. :D

A Cup of Water

I have been reading a lot of "weary Mom" blog posts lately. They are so good.

They are so...true. Mommy work is never done. Mommies are tired, because they are super-vigilant. Mommies don't hear very many {unprompted} "Thank you's" Stay-at-home Mommies don't get very much credit from the world. Some Mommies don't get very much support from friends, parents or even their husbands. A Mommy house is often cluttered with toys, laundry and dishes. Freezer meal boxes lay out on the counter all day. 

Exhaustion. Should I even go there? Being a Mommy is exhausting.

 But the good news is: We are needed. We are loved. We are important. So important. We are shaping little lives that will shape the future. Our little tiny people we work so hard to teach and train and love are the future.

All these blogs are such a balm to my heart and soul. They give me the strength to keep going and going and going. And going.

But...I do think there is something missing in them. Do you know the real reason our work is so important?

We work, not just for our husbands. Not just for our children. Not just for the future.

We work for Jesus.

Jesus said "If you give a cup of cold water in My name, you are doing it for ME." The cups of water we give to our children are countless. And that is only a tiny part of being a Mommy.

I believe every thing we do for our children, through the love of Jesus, is being done to Him. We are serving Jesus every day of our lives, every minute of our day, when we care for our children. Perhaps even when we wash their faces and put lotion on soft, baby skin it is a reflection of Mary, washing Jesus' feet and anointing him with oil. Is that too radical of a statement? I don't think so. Children are so close to the heart of Jesus.

Mommies...It doesn't get any better than that. There is so much joy and purpose in this wonderful journey.

So go...give your children ever ounce of love and strength that you have today, because you are doing it for Jesus!

It's Ok To Be THAT Mom.

I just want to take a shower in peace. Before the sentence had even fully formed in mind I was trying to erase it. "No! Don't think that! Don't be that Mom." 

Because when I used to hear Mom's say that I would think "But being a Mom is a calling - a very special calling - from God himself! How can you think you need a break from it? Why aren't you just enjoying every second of it?" I determined in my heart I would never allow myself to start thinking that way.

So I purposed to enjoy ever bit of Mommyhood. I enjoyed deciding what to feed the kids. I enjoyed picking out their clothes. I enjoyed making sure they got their vitamins. I enjoyed singing with them. I enjoyed teaching Jakki how to do little chores. I smiled when I cleaned up a mess because I know I am lucky to have children and be able to take care of them all day long. I smiled when they interrupted my work and my "me" time. And I even smiled when little voices called through the shower curtain. 

I love being a Mommy. So why would that thought find it's way into my mind? I didn't like it. It made me feel guilty. It made me feel like a bad Mom. It made me feel selfish. 

But then in the midst of all the guilty feelings I felt God telling me that it's ok for Mommy's to want a little time to refuel. It means that we are functioning just like we're supposed to. We are pouring our heart and soul into these little people. Just like a car needs to refuel after a while, so we need to stop and refresh ourselves every now and then. We need to take some time to rest our mind and let God refill our love tank to pour out again. 

So Mommies, tomorrow...

Cuddle your little ones when they wake up.

Feed them breakfast.

Comb hair, find clothes.

Read books.

Wash dishes.

Clean the floor.

Play peek-a-boo.

Fold another load of laundry.

Make lunch.

Fix another bottle.

Plan supper.

Color another picture in the coloring book.

Read another story.

Sing another song.

And lots more in between.

And if you need 30 minutes to take a long hot shower every now and then after Daddy comes in, savor it. Don't feel guilty. Open yourself up to rest and peace from Jesus and let Him fill you up to do it again. It's ok to be that Mom. <3

My Favorite Books

I love books. I absolutely adore a good story. True stories, fictional history and a good medieval type tale are some of my favorites. I can get so wrapped up in a book I'm reading that when I glance out the window after a story I'm surprised to not see snow on the ground if the book was about Christmas. I have almost had to look twice when I look out and see the highway full of cars after reading a story from a couple hundred years ago.

Books have done so much to inspire me and help me grow and change in my personal life. I never like to not be in the middle of some good read. So I thought I would share some of my favorite books here and I hope everyone that read this will share their favorite books in a comment so that I can have some new books to look up. :) 

Here are a few of my favorites {in no particular order} and why I like them. I hope you will find some new books for these rainy fall days!

The War for Mansoul: 
I think some of the best books are old books, and this one has been around for a very long time! It was originally written by John Bunyan and called "The Holy War" It has been rewritten by Ethel Barret and is absolutely wonderful! It is an allegory of the battle for our souls in the spiritual realm. "Mansoul" is a town portraying man and is run by Lord Mayor Understanding with the help of Will be Will and Lord Conscience. The story is intriguing, convicting, eye-opening and humorous. It's a very easy read and would be a great book to read to your kids.

The Kingdom Series and the Knights of Arrethtrae Series: 
Knights, ladies, evil lords and a call to take up arms for the King of Kings! These series are amazing. The Kingdom Series is an allegory of the Bible and the Knights of Arrethtrae is a series of allegories pertaining to the Christian life and the battle between the angels of light and the angels of darkness.  The Knights of Arrethtrae are definitely my favorite of the two as they are easy to apply to my personal life. The best part of these books...they're fully dramatized. Perfect for road trips!

Stepping Heavenward: 
This is another old book, written by Elizabeth Prentiss. Stepping Heavenward is the journal of a young girl and it chronicles her struggle to make Jesus the center of her life in a very real way. It has had me crying through one journal entry and laughing at the next. The author "Kate" is very obviously an outgoing "sanguine" person and her ups and downs with friends, family, marriage and children are so true to life. I have lost count of how many times I have read this. I may or may not have claimed Mom's copy of it. ;)

The Jerusalem Chronicles: 
I don't like a lot of the Biblical novels that are out there, but I do love the ones by Bodie and Brock Thoene. The Jerusalem Chronicles is a new series they are working on, with only 2 books out so far. I have only read the first one When Jesus Wept. They portray all the characters in such a real way, not nearly as stereotypical as many Bible novels are. They also have a series out called "A.D. Chronicles" and I love those, but there is a lot more gruesome details in those books and they can be a little bit hard to read.

Kisses From Katie:
If you want to read about someone applying themselves to Jesus in a very real way read this book. It is written in such a captivating way and the author makes herself very vulnerable in a sweet way by sharing bits of her actual journal at the end of every chapter. Katie Davis gave up her entire life for the African people while she was still a teenager. One of my favorite parts is how she was in the process of adopting 13 girls by the time she was 21. This book is popular right now for a reason!

Safely Home:
This is a very well written novel about Christians in modern day China. It's a very hard book to put down! Ben Fielding and Li Quan were college roommates in the States. Ben was the strong Christian and Quan the atheistic skeptic. 20 years later they reunite in China and find their roles have switched. Ben quickly learns that things in the large oriental country are not as they seem on the surface.

When A Man's A Man:
I love this book! Harold Bell Wright is one of my all-time favorite authors. This is the story of a mysterious and determined "greenhorn" {Patches} who becomes an all around cowboy on a ranch and learns what it means to be a true man on the way. If you like the wild west, suspense and interesting characters you will love this book! 

So here are 7 of my favorites books and series. My top 10 books list switches around quite a bit but these books have always been on it. Now, your turn to share your favorites with me! :)

Honor the Daddies

Our husband. We honor him with our words. Our support. Our submission.

But how often we forget to honor him with our appearance. Especially when we become Mommies. You know, like on one of those stay-in-our-pjs-don't-look-in-the-mirror-days. The days after a night we were awake more than we were asleep. They happen. Sometimes a lot.

A friend has been such an inspiration to me in this area of my life and it's just too good not to share. {She should clearly be the one writing this ~ you know who you are. Go start a blog now. :) }

Why is it so easy to dress our kids "to the hilt" so we have little angels to look at all day, and then avoid the mirror ourselves? Maybe this isn't something most people do. Maybe it's just a few of us. But whatever the case, our husbands definitely deserve to the effort it takes for us to make ourselves beautiful for them.

So this is a challenge, and encouragement, a suggestion, whatever you want to call it to start focusing on you a little more. Because, you know, I think we Mommies can actually become selfish. We want our little ones to look nice for us. We don't care as much how we look for the love of our life. And he deserves the little extra effort it might take to show him we still care about what he thinks. 

So, next time your shopping and you see that adorable little outfit or pair of shoes that your little munchkin really doesn't need but you'll buy anyway, put it down. Go to the women's section. Buy a new shirt, a new accessory, some make-up, or whatever will make you feel beautiful. Go home and put it on, pretty yourself up for your munchkin's Daddy. 

 Make him feel special. 

And then chances are, he'll make you feel special. 

Honor your little one's Daddy with your physical beauty as well as with your inner beauty.

Every day.

It's so worth it. <3

I wish I had...

There are a few things I wish I would've done before we had baby #2.

 And I probably didn't think of them because:

a. I've never had to take care of a baby and a toddler before

b. Pregnancy brain {I think I get a double  dose.}

Probably mostly {b}. ;)

But since I have several friends that have a toddler and a baby on the way I thought I'd share my thoughts with you. Although most of you probably have it all together and will have smooth sailing.

So, the few things I wish I would've/could've done:

• Potty Train Jakki

Seriously, a few less diapers a day would save some time! IF she would be thoroughly potty trained, anyway. I had started potty training her, but then I had to go on bed-rest and it never got finished.

• Planned Meals

It would've been so handy to have a list of at least 10 very simple meals written down, and the ingredients on hand to all of them once or twice. Since I didn't, Rice-a-Roni has become a very good friend of ours. Mrs. Stauffer's lasagna is pretty awesome too. :)

• Organized Activities for Jakki

This is the big one. I love to involve her in what I'm doing as much as I can. But I am learning more and more that her little mind needs to get engaged in some kind of activity for her to be able to feel happy all day. It must really be growing and stretching and her busyness needs to be channeled.

And Kade and I are almost defenseless while I'm feeding him. And she likes to sit on top of him and give him kisses and suck her thumb. Because she loves him a whole lot. But I would like him to survive to be her bff. :)

So, if I would have it to do over again I would go buy a cute box, ziplock bags and little "crafts" or "activity" ingredients for her. Then when I needed to do something, or she needs something to do I could just stick her into the highchair {another Mommy best friend} and pick out a bag for her instead of wracking my brain and rummaging through my house for a new, mind-building activity for her.

If I would've done this, I would feel like a Supermom. Totally! Add some CDs of some good Kid's music and I would feel like a super Supermom. :)

It doesn't take much to keep her occupied...a highchair, some buttons and an empty wipes container kept her going for a very long time. And she asks for it again every day. I'm hoping she doesn't get tired of it before I can get some other projects lined up.

Love that look of concentration! :)

I tried playdough...It took a lot of involvement on my part to keep her interested. Maybe when she's older...

She was super unimpressed with the taste of playdough. Lol

She finally got into it when I made snowmen for her.

And she like looking for the buttons I hid in little balls of dough.

Another thing I really like for her is the Scribble and Write by LeapFrog. I don't let her play with it a lot, but I think it's going to be a great way for her to learn the alphabet! :) You can get one here: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-19139-Scribble-and-Write/dp/B001W2WKS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397014706&sr=8-1&keywords=leap+frog+scribble+and+write

A no spill bubble bucket and a closed in porch or yard is great, sidewalk chalk, a coloring book, or tablet and crayons and a wooden doll with magnetic clothes all seem to work pretty good or are on my to-do list for Jakki.

This lady has a lot of good ideas: http://www.simplelittlehome.com/2012/03/50-ways-to-distract-toddler.html

If I would've had all this stuff together before the baby was born, maybe I could've kept to my goal of never getting flustered because I now have 2 little people in my care. ;) Overall it has been pretty easy though...and totally worth it!!!

So...a super practical post, that probably has info in it that everybody already thought of. :) But it was fun to write! If anybody has some other good ideas I'd love to hear them.