He Who Is Mighty

I found this song via my sister's post on facebook....

What an amazing Christmas song!

What a marvelous thing the Lord has done for us. Rejoice and be glad that he made himself like us and chose to redeem us! 

Merry Christmas!!!

You know, a Christmas letter is quite the daunting task. I mean! To come up with all the memorable events of the past year??! *okay. breathe. you can do this*  They've gotta be good ones, right? Well... truth be told, no one will really know if you missed THE MOST memorable... right? :-) Hmmm....*i'll come back tomorrow after i scour my journals. i kid.*

Here'goes!

Jonathan Paul

    This year has been one of taking chances for Jon. He has applied for position advancement in his company and is well regarded there. Besides his regular tasks, he often is assisting and teaching others how to use tools and run machines! His boss doesn't want to let him transfer to any other departments. :-) At least not yet.
     He has  put his genius to work here at our home *whiiich we affectionately call Honey Tree Hill.*. His foresight is incredible; a complete gift from the Lord! We were faced with finding a new heat source this winter as our natural gas line sprung a leak. It was minor and no one was hurt. *thumbs up* However, before it could be repaired Winter came and over-ran Fall with 16 inches of snow in 24 hours. *  thanks winter, we love you too.* Our natural gas line is our source of heating, cooking, and hot water. Thankfully, over the past year Jon has been working on installing a wood stove which is connected to a water line connected to beautiful radiators in our house. We are in the process of re-wiring the kitchen for an electric range, and eventually we'll have something for hot water- Jon has ideas that I don't understand. His work at home has been revolving mainly around winterizing our home.  *I highly encourage you to ask him what the Lord has been teaching him....its fascinating and marvelous... and I can't recap it here.*



Erin Elisabeth Joy

      My year has mainly revolved around two things. Loving the simplicity of homemaking and finding an incredible amount of emotional healing. OH yes, and Goats. I do work outside the home as well. I am an RN and am currently being trained in to a Transitional Care Unit here in town. It is a great opportunity to learn new skills! I really appreciate the job being so close to home and the hours will be great! *and yes, the pay check too. that's always a plus!*
     I've been dealing with hurts in my life and processing through them with a professional counselor. THE BEST thing I've ever done. When my mom told me that years ago, I didn't believe her. *sorry, mom* When emotional hurts and baggage are taken care of, there is so much freedom to discover who God made you to be and to walk out the calling he has for you. Not to mention the wonderful physical manifestations of "cleaning house" are incredible! So much more to that story...keep in touch!
     Goats... goats...goats! I'm in love with my little herd. We have always wanted a four legged animal to clear out the under brush of our woods while at the same time producing a commodity. We found an opportunity we couldn't pass up and got three beautiful goats: two nanny's and a billy. Because we're now expecting the arrival of baby goats (or kids) we needed to acquire a male goat with no capabilities of reproduction to keep our billy company when separated. So- four! We will begin milking our nanny's about 8 weeks after they kid. New experiences all around, but we're looking forward to it! Part of our "Goat Tale" includes cooperative farming. Our good friends dove into this adventure with us and we split costs and produce equally. More or less, we've started living in a modern community with this family. What a blessing! Our little herd has been nothing but a blessing all around!

Levi Justice

    This little dude is 5! Yes, 5! He is very talkative and active. He has started enjoying earning small pay for his chores and I really enjoy having a "tag-a-long"! He and our Billy Goat are of the same caliber and have fun with each other! Levi is also the only one in our family who can fully interpret Nathan's language as they are close buddies. They share a room and neither one likes to sleep without the other close by.
     Levi has found a new love: LEGOS. Yes. My brain literally does a mini freak out session every time I think of the potential mess. However, Levi has done a fantastic job of keeping them confined to a small table in our living room.We also recently put in a  "Toy Library" which decreases the clutter, and for whatever reason keeps the Legos where they belong.

     One of the major events for Levi this year was accepting Jesus in to his life!  What a great honor it was to be with him when this happened. I'm so proud, that even at 4 1/2 he realized he had a need for Jesus to help him and save him.



Nathan Melchizedek

     Mr Talk-A-Lot.  I've got two of them! The boys are so good for each other. As much as Nathan is a talker, he is very content to play by himself. He always wants to show us things, though. :-) He is very much 2 years old and fascinated by the world around him. Everything is "look, mama!" and "wasch (watch)!" I think my favorite age is this one. So far, anyway. The whole world has just opened up to him, and everything is new.
     This week was one of firsts for Nathan. He began to say "you too!", meaning, "I love you!" while he leans in for a hug. Its precious. No, really. :-) He also just started pointing to parts of his face and calling them by their names. Adorable. He is becoming increasing interested in potty-training. I don't know whether to cheer or cry, or both.
     Nathan is also in to cars and airplanes just like his big brother. This summer we spent some time at our local small airport watching the planes take off and land. That also inspired Jon to take Levi to the airshow in Blaine. BIG hit! Nathan was too young to really enjoy it, therefore didn't go. But, taking cues from Levi, every other word out of his mouth this summer was "Payne! Payne!" Sweet, sweet boy!

Amakalin Jubilee

     This one is our bundle of joy. We are bathed in smiles every.single.morning. And, of course we love it! She is generous with her joyful heart and lightens the atmosphere always.
     She came this summer with some coaxing, but came! When she arrived we asked that she be weighed twice- as a joke, sort of...- because her cheeks were so enormous and well, anyone with those cheeks can't weigh just 81/2 pounds! Those precious cheeks get lots of raspberries!
     Her big brothers have adored her from day 1. The first time Nathan held her at the hospital I attempted to adjust her position and he pulled her away quickly and said "No! MINE!" Thus the love has continued. Levi is the perfect big brother. Always doting on her and concerned for her welfare. He couldn't be more proud!!!






This year has been full. I mean- jam packed! I haven't even written about our ministry! We have loved just about every single second. Sure- the hard things aren't quite as lovable, but they've all been worth it. If there is a small portion of scripture that sums up our past year is would be this:

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be matureand complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
~James 1:2-5

This year we've had the immense privilege of soaking and taking in the Word of God and having every day applications for it. I deeply wish I could recount every instance where we've had a question and a verse comes to mind with the very answer we needed- and most times did not expect. The Word of the Lord has been an extreme comfort to us and has proven over and over again the Lord's faithfulness to those who call on him in any circumstance! 

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
~John 20:31

We pray with all sincerity that you will discover the faithfulness of God in your life. In a season of reflection and celebration I hope you can see that the Lord has been good to you regardless of the outward appearance of each circumstance. 

All our love and best wishes!!!

Jonathan, Erin, Levi, Nathan, & Amakalin Selin

ps-Jon approves this message. ;-)

The Oil of Joy

     I've been itching to write again. Clearly, its been a while. As much as this blog reflects my ambitions to relay to everyone my discoveries in healthy living, it is also my avenue to relay my discoveries of a happy and healthy heart. 

     My latest journey has been through the names of God or Yahweh. This study has yielded so much good fruit in my life at just the right time. Each one of the names reflects the character and/or nature of the Lord. 

     I began my study with the simple name "Yahweh". The definition I found most consistent and impressionable was this: Personal, eternal, and non-contingent. Whew! Get a load of that! All three contain a depth that, well, I really haven't even begun to scratch the surface on.

     There are twelve names of God that I have found to be independent from each other while at the same time each one upholds the others. This is quite simply....amazing. God will always be true to himself, no matter what name he gives his people to call him. 

     Although I have found every single one to be insightful and deeply impacting on my own walk with the Lord, I am only going to share what the Lord revealed to me about this particular name...

Jehovah Jirah

(or Jireh depending on your translation, however, it means the same thing)

"The Lord my Provider"

(Genesis 22:14)

     This is a part of the Bible where the Lord offers a parallel from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Here he reveals a deeply personal name. Here he asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the promised child between Abraham and his wife, Sarah. 

     Though Abraham was willing and prepared to do exactly what the Lord requested, it was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do. 

     Scripture doesn't detail what went down between Isaac and his father...maybe he was questioning him the whole trip (my son probably would be), or trusting him, or freaking out. But, scripture does say that Isaac said this, "where is the sacrifice?" And Abraham answered him honestly, and in faith that God would provide the sacrifice. Abraham went so far as to address his servants who had come with him to a point, that he and the boy would be back after they offered a burnt offering to the Lord.

     What I find so amazing is that even though Abraham was opporating out of complete faith, even speaking out his faith, the Lord didn't come through until the very last moment. I'm talking like 11th hour kind of stuff... as in 11 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds! Abraham was actually about to lower the knife and follow through! My guess is at the 11th hour Abraham was probably trembling, shaking, and like "Okay God....any time now... I trust you... so...."

     And God did.

     He came through. Poor Abraham must have felt overwhelming relief! Isaac too, probably?! And there, with the ram the Lord provided for the sacrifice, Abraham built an alter to the Lord and said, "My God provides." 

     My guess, from being a parent, is that this name, "Jehovah Jirah", "My God provides" was very personal to Abraham in his heart.

     As much as it's a personal statement that Abraham doubtedly ever forgot, its a very accurate and personal statement of the Lord's provision of Salvation (Yeshua- Jesus) to us. He provided the ram to Abraham as a demonstration of love- of rescue. He provided Jesus to us as a demonstration of rescue- of his intense love for us.

     God gives himself this name of "provider" because he loves us. A provider cares about those he is giving to. As a parent, it is a deep responsibility for provision for my child. As a parent, I go to the longest lengths to provide exactly what is needed and best for that child. 

     Jehovah, God, Yahweh (a non-contingent (on my status), personal, relational God) went to the greatest lengths to provide the very best for his people. 

     Total reconciliation.

     Which is total protection from the enemy. Total provision to supply us with every thing we need to walk out victory. Total blessing because we are MORE than conquerors through God who loves us.

     This God. This God who provides, equips us to walk out total obedience which in turn yields perfect fruit in our lives. The fruit of Righteousness.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

~James 1:2-4

Summer is right around the corner! In my world this means, smoothies! Although, lets be honest, during those cold winter months the best way we've gotten our nutrition is through those same smoothies. But, here is a great way to wake up with a little fresh sunshine and nutrition.

I like to be a DIY person. So, my primary ingredient list is made primarily from things I either made or grew in my own back yard. However, I do not have a green thumb. We're working on that. My goal would be to grow all my own greens and freeze them for year 'round smoothie goodness. As you can see, I've been buying most of my produce...in bulk. So, don't be fooled, I'm not the greatest over-achiever. Though, I do what I can. :-)

Kefir Berry Smoothie

3 Cups of homemade raw milk kefir
2 Cups of frozen organic berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry)

2-3 cups organic frozen kale or spinach

3 tablespoons of maple syrup (we do make our own!!!)

5 drops of Young Living Lemon Essential Oil

Things I would ideally add
3-5 tablespoons organic cold pressed coconut oil

1/4 cup of ground flax

2 ml's of fermented cod liver oil

I know. I'm weird, right? What can I say? I've gotten on a kick of trying to get my family the best nutrition possible with the least amount of work. I'm not a foodie- although, maybe this post makes me one- and I'm not a kitchen-dweller. 

The reasons for all the strange ingredients is 3 fold. First off, my son has leaky gut syndrome from an over growth of yeast in his intestinal tract. This has caused him to be lactose intolerant. "But, its milk kefir", you say. Yes, yes it is. That is because it is so chalk full of probiotics that he can actually handle it. The way the probiotics come about is the kefir grains (not an actual grain like rice, wheat, etc) actually digest the lactose in the milk and give out healthy probiotics. This leaves the milk protein and fat which my son's metabolism and brain actually need. We've noticed significant changes in his diet and behavior- but that's for another post. 

Secondly, my husband and I have very soft teeth. We've both been cavity prone for many years. In order to resolve this I've been looking in to adding fermented cod liver oil (FCLO) and coconut oil to our diets. FCLO is not an easy thing to eat straight up, so we try to disguise it as best we can. Smoothies offer a beautiful cover for a multitude of yucky tastes (ie; liver!).

Third and lastly, in the last trimester of this pregnancy I've had to deal with minor liver issues. My body is just exhausted and stressed. In order to help out my digestive friends I've decided to incorporate foods that will boost energy and detox my liver and give over-all support. Here is where the Young Living Lemon essential oil comes in. Lemon is a great detox-er. It helps to balance pH, is an anti-septic, antioxidant, and flushes out the system! We love our lemon oil! I try to incorporate it where I can in my foods. Not to mention, it gives me just a little energy boost that I need with two active boys and a baby on the way! 

But, what about the other ingredients on the list? Do they have a purpose? YES! They absolutely do! I would not incorporate ground flax seed in to my smoothie for kicks and giggles... its a pain the the neck to rinse out of sippy cups after it has sat for any length of time- with a toddler, this is quite common. With boys, one of my goals has been to always give them as many healthy fats as possible. Knowing that boys need more Omega's in their diet, I try to provide that. There has been some debate over the efficacy of flax as a great Omega 3 source... but I still incorporate it on a semi-regular basis. Like I said, its a pain the neck, so sometimes I don't. Especially if I know they are getting their FCLO which is extremely high in the Omega 3's. :-)

Coconut oil has so many beneficial effects... I don't know that I can begin to cover them all. But, one of the reasons I do really like it in my smoothies is for the taste and the way it can cover up any bitter flavors. It is yet another extremely healthy fat to give to little boys for their growth and development, especially in the brain. So, we down the stuff. :-)

The berries and kale/spinach are self explanatory right? Well, other than taste they are a great antioxidant and supply your body with so many vitamins and minerals its hard to pass up adding more fruits and veggies to your diet when they can taste so good.

Enjoy creating your own smoothie mix! And, remember, healthy can taste good. Don't buy the lie that "if it tastes bad it must be good for you." The less refined foods you put in your body, the more your taste buds will adapt to the natural flavors found in good, whole, God-made food!

A Heart of Flesh: Romans 12

If you're in a relationship of any kind, with any one, at some point there is usually a conflict. Its the way of nature... the way of life. The deeper the relationhip, the harder the conflict, the more there will be the possibility of hurt and a deep well of pain just waiting to spring forth at the slightest opportunity. I've noticed that there are two sides to every conflict (yes, I know - two people in order to have a conflict, blah, blah...but thats not what I mean.) with a potential for hurt or a potential for victory. Oh, and I'll let you know a little secret- its okay to be angry. Yup- it is. It just depends what you do with that anger that really counts. Go ahead and process those emotions or they will sit at the bottom of your soul and create rot and muck that distorts EVERYTHING else.

Not that I'm some wise old sage here, but I figured sharing my encounter with the big guy above was a good route to go in both processing my own hurt and maybe offering a solution to others who might happen to stumble on my rambling mess. I suppose I'll write verbatam out of my journal- my origional words seem to describe my thought processes best. In all my short comings, in all my desires to vent, steam, fume, etc... applying scripture to my life seems to ease the most pain and put the burden of it where it belongs- not in my lap. God promised to take it, so there. He can have it.

I don't often read Romans. It's just not a book I'm 'drawn' to. But, one of my mentors and good friends brought up one of the verses burried in there, so I decided to digest the whole chapter surrounding the verse and here is what I found....

The great thing about the Bible is that its very applicable to every day life... regardless of circumstances or history. So thankful for that, you know? My question was: "God, how do I apply this to conflict, to hurt, to pain, to my circumstances?" Below are his answers.

Romans 12:2
"do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will."

1. Do not comform to the world's standards of hurt and victimization. Instead, renew your mind: understand you're not a victim but wounded- and now healed. It's already done because of Christ's work on the cross. Walk out a healed lifestyle. Renewing your mind means gaining God's perspective of you and taking it upon yourself as WHO YOU ARE.

Romans 12:3
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith that God has distributed to each of you."

2. Keep a true perspective that you AND the other person are BOTH HEALED individuals. You're not the only healthy person working through this conflict. SEE that it can be two sided: The healing can come. Undestand you've both wounded the other (even if you're not sure how - or know you didn't intentionally make an offense) and thus both play a part in walking out repentance and extending forgiveness.

Romans 12:4-6
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to us..."

3. We all BELONG. We ARE part of the same body for a reason. God has called each of us in to the body (or family if this is a family situation) for a purpose and reason. Our gifting will be required and used: Don't scorn the other's ability for any reason. Undestand their giftings are a blessing and allow each other to walk in those callings and purposes with grace, that by doing so each member will build up the body and make it strong.

Romans 12:9
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

4. Be sincere in your words, in your love. Act out of love. Be wise to know that evil tries to walk in the door (or any opening) or will try to create an opening. Guard against this by your sincerety for truth and sincere love for the other people involved. Turn away from evil and instead choose what is good in every situation or conflict. **Side note: This does not mean comprimising on truth and integrity just to make yourself 'seem' loving. Seek out if the position you're standing on is Biblically based, and stay with it. You are accountable to God- love Him, love the other people.

Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

5. Put up the other. Call out the good in the situation, in their lives, and build up the truth in each member. Consider their qualities before you brag about your own. **Side note: Though I know I just said to stand for truth and integrity in your conflict- know your timing and when to bring things up... it may instead be a time to press the pause button on your zeal for truth and righteousness to be known, and it may be a moment to simply honor the other person and lift them up and listen. Your soap-box, if it is on the heart of God, will have a chance to be stood on again. God is his sovereignty and love will never leave a leaf unturned that can uncover healing and bring life instead of death. The beauty of all of this, is that, he is very driven to offer us a second, third, fourth, chance to reach out and grab the healing. He will constantly bring to the surface topics, issues, heart matters, until we deal with them. Closer and closer to home until we face our struggles and fears and let the Holy Spirit move. If your bit of soapbox is grounded in that truth- though you see it and stand for it - it may only be a soapbox the Holy Spirit can fully stand on and speak from without criticism or denial. Ask for discernment, and always revert to honoring the other- esspecially your elder.

Romans 12:12
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."

6. Litterally, be joyful! Do this when each has something to look foward to, or when you see hope after a long and arduous conflict. Be patient when trils and conflicts appear "For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." (Psalm 66:10-12) Conflicts happen, ride them out and glean what you can. Take it as an opportunity to grow and be faithful. In EVERY conflict/argument etc... be faithful to pray for the other person and lift them up daily. If you don't know what to pray in the fumes of your anger (which, remember? Thats okay) ask the Lord to show you, and then listen and pray accordingly.

Romans 12:13
"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

7. Obviously- give. Give out of your need; out of your emptyness. I promise you, God will return it and fill you up. Do not let the situation cripple you. It's easy, you know? Intense conflict IS crippling. Especially when we feel wronged or when all that consumes our thoughts is the very situation and the movie runs over, and over, and over in our heads about how hurt we are and how much we were wronged.... STOP. Fix your eyes on something else! Fix your eyes on the truth. Go to scripture. Remember we said 'renew your mind'? Yeah- that applies here! As believers we are CALLED to serve God's people- called to be witnesses of his truth, called to inspire others to remember HIS promises and cling to HIS words. Get your heart and head out of your belly-button. It's no good sniffing your own lint all day (ie; focusing on your own problems). Move on and serve through prayer, through hospitality etc. Its okay to spend part of your day thinking and praying about your conflict and sorting through your own emotions and feelings- You have to... its neccesary. Just don't let it cripple you for God's daily work.

Romans 12:14
"Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse."

8. Bless and DO NOT curse the other person. no matter who. Do not put yourself above; keep in mind you have been brought through and out of muck just like everyone else. Keep a thankful perspective. It is extremely important to keep your tongue guarded. "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45) "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth' keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left' keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:23-27) Nothing else really needs to be said here. What you sow, you will reap.

Romans 12: 18-19
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge, I will prepay,' says the Lord."

9. Let God do things HIS WAY. Bring matters to him and live with each other well. Do as much as you can - You are responsible for you - to live at peace. Let God do the lawful end of things. There will immediately be a lawyer in your flesh who will rise up to defend you. Tell that lawyer, its not his job and to hush up. Keep your ways before God. Keep yourself walking in the light. God is your defender. Your job is to bless.

THIS, is the way to approach an argument and conflicts of any nature. In many ways I have yet to walk this out. It is a daily, and I mean daily, battle to keep these 9 principles going when you've been badly wounded, when trust has been broken, and when conflict may continue to resurface. Its a daily choice- it doesn't just 'happen' naturally. Naturally all bridges would be burned, all doors and gates locked tight with a thick stone wall around your heart. That is the natural human response. BUT- that does not take care of the pain- it will come back because God is more interested in healing your heart than locking it up tight in a vault so that no man can hurt it. We get to experience conflict because its practice for keeping a heart of flesh alive and well. It's practice to stay soft so that we can be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It's practice because we will get to walk with others and help them warm up their hearts of stone and become living, breathing, life-experiencing children of God who have been so turned away by personal pain and personal protection. Believe me, that lawyer and security guard that sit on your shoulder are probably more on your enemy's (and when I say 'enemy' I mean the devil himself) side than yours.


Ezekiel 36:26
"I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Keep soft my friends, keep soft.

Coming off the Caffine...Part II of the 'Wanna-be'

     So, apparently I think I can be funny. After re-reading last night's post a few times, I starting thinking I need to go back and take English 101. Homeschooling and two college degrees just didn't do it for my grammar and punctuation.

     As you can tell, I've been contemplating mother-hood and all that goes with it. The in's and out's of daily life can become very mundane, frustrating, and downright a nerve wracking experience if I let it. Finding the humor in the quirks of individuals is an extreme necessity.

     Society has granted us the privilege of living in deception if we really want to. Most of the mass media paints a picture of motherhood that is unrealistic. Not because of our own efforts, but because each child is an individual and will annoy and bless you in his or her each unique way. No parenting magazine can prepare you for your child.

     I believe the reason there are so many blogs dedicated to fellow comrades in mommy-hood spilling their hearts out in comical pros is because they are learning how to live out life honestly. It is a process to learn there is humor in the ten-billionth time disciplining your child for something you told them to quit at 9am and now its wayyyy past bedtime. It's humorous because our expectations are RIDICULOUS! Not to say we shouldn't set a goal or aim to raise intelligent, polite, respectful, adults ( I mean, after all they do eventually get released into the wild of this bat-crap-crazy world)... But, I think we need build our goals around communicating to each child the heart of a good and glorious God in a way they will individually understand.

     I am currently raising two very different boys. I mean, night and day folks! Will I hold them to the same standard? You betcha! Will I choose the same method of discipline? Probably. So, how then am I communicating to them in an individual manner on the important topics? Well, honestly, I don't know. There you have it. I.Don't.Know. And, that is okay. Just as much as my two boys are growing, so am I. Sad to say, but there isn't a class on how to parent your unique children. There are methods and tactics that others have found helpful. There is psychology papers, texts, and studies, but the annoying thing about them is that they don't address my child. They never will.

     But, there is hope, right? Yes. There is. My only source that has been tried and true is the Holy Spirit. If you want a text on how to raise your children, a specific field guide for your rambunctious toddler and tea-sipping little lady - its out there. Of course most of you would probably know I'm referring to the Bible. Yep. Cliche. The only thing that makes this fit is that our God is the one who created your fun-sized humans. (Refer to Psalm 139)

     When Jesus ascended in to heaven to be with the Father (Book of Acts) he said he would leave us a counselor - The Holy Spirit, who would teach us and guide us in truth. Good deal!!! Since the Holy Spirit is part of the tri-une God-head we can trust that He will counsel us on how to raise the children he so specifically created. Yup. There is your 'How-To-Raise (insert child's name here) book.

     I 'Wanna Be' that perfect mom you find in the magazines. I want to have it all together and be cool and hip. The sporty mom who is awesome and has her kitchen flawless. Step inside my house and you find blocks everywhere, you find the last vacation's suitcases still needing to be unpacked. You will find my table is full of arts and crafts that are only half done, left over plates from last night's supper. You will see the correction of my boys. You will see tears, you will see laughing and smiles. My children are not always well behaved, they do not play well for hours with one toy.

     My life is far from the 'picture perfect' of what all of mass media tells us is the way to go. But, you will find my children to be honest about their feelings, their likes and dislikes. You will see that they are allowed to explore their interests, you will see that we strive to implement biblical principles in our home. It's hairy and awkward some days because we are all learning. I'm learning how to be a mom of boys (Oh my gosh is that a trip and a half), and they are learning how to function in this world. Its a steeeeeep learning curve that will never go away and that's the beauty of it- room to grow and breathe and be who we are!

     I've just finished going through a book of the Bible with the sole intention of learning how to raise my eldest son. I asked begged the Lord to show me what to do (he's quite the wild one, you know, my little Einstein). He quickened to my mind the book of Deuteronomy. HUH!?! That's right. I will, hopefully, be starting a little series on here soon to recap what I've learned. That sounds so nice and awesome... I will probably have to have a dashboard confessional with every lesson letting you all know I have to walk out my understanding and how I fail EVERY STINKING DAY. But, raising Godly men in this house is a high priority, and the grace of God, Christ on the cross makes this entirely possible

Watch for the up-coming blog series, Raising Boys with Moses.

Confessions of a 'wanna-be'

After reading like 3 bajillion posts on parenting and mothering, and people who must be organic, I decided my life needs some humor to it... besides the whacky things my almost 4 year old says daily. He actually is quite brilliant, inventive, analytical (as much as can be at 'almost 4').... I blame it all on the avocados he inhaled for the second six months of his life.

I have a deep propensity to covet the 'organic-milk-maid' life style. That being said, I preach about eating organic, gardening, have jars of strange looking fungus known as 'Kombucha' sitting on my counter (most house guests don't know what to make of me), and I would love to be the family who all peacefully sleeps in one bed on the floor (- ha-ha! Yahhhhh right). I nearly bought cloth diapers,  only to discover I loathe my washing machine and deeply loathe my dryer. I would love to never use make-up and embrace my blonde eyelashes. And finall, I would enjoy love to have my own cow....minus the milking, mooing, pooping, charging, feeding, and dealing with 1500 pounds of raging hormones for half the year.

*side note? We actually do eat organic most of the time, we do love our animals, and we do love to steward the land...as best we can.

Instead a regular day looks like this:

4am: bloody murder being screamed down the hall from the resident piggy (he litterally oinked and squealed most of his first 24-ish hours of life). With that, comes the bed buddy. All 22 pounds take up more than half a queen sized bed. Gee, thanks, buddy. Its a good thing I adore you!

7am: Return said piggy back to his crib on tip-toe with  bated breath hoping we don't wake the genius 'almost 4' year old. Who, by the way, has a brain that runs so fast he rivals a sonic boom. Occasionally mr. Genius can be seen walking into our room begging for food. Um... wrong room, kiddo.

The rest of the day: The Pigglet and Einstein duke it out for who gets which toy. Einstein has the brains... and the braun. Very physically oriented. He usually wins the toy wars. Oh, and most of the time I get the most charming smiles from my monsters children... usually followed by a 'whack, whack, whack' as my deeply rythmic-blonde haired, blue eyed 'almost 4' year old casually tells me he is hitting me about what a good mama I am... Thanks, buddy.
You will see me sneaking jolly ranchers out of the treat jar and sipping the half empty, slightly uncarbonated coke bottle.... followed by a glass of the fungus produced 'Kombucha'. Everybody has their vices, right?
My day is then full of thanking God I don't have more than two dogs, changing lots of disposable diapers, walking by my over-stuffed laundry room with averted eyes, and picking up all the things my toddler has decided don't belong in the garbage.

 I praise God daily for the invention of the water hose. Amen.