Thursday, April 22, 2010

Dressing Up Standards, Dumbing Down Schools

Dressing Up Standards, Dumbing Down Schools

I am often asked if I give my children tests. My answer is always "no". I know everything that my children know. Every now and then we play the board game Smarter than a Fifth Grader. My husband will read a question and I know that Chick #2 does not know that yet but, Chick #1 read about that in such and such book. My children can read as much as they want, and there is no time limit put on it. If they want to get lost in their books until noon, I let them. They will get to their math and other subjects later. I have never made them right out a book reports because they are constantly telling me about every story they read. I do not have to test their comprehension skill because I see them being used every single day. They have a love of learning that is very beautiful. My children will spend hours looking at maps, reading in encyclopedias, listening to books on tape and discussing books with one another. They are developing a strong sense of family and a understanding about caring for one another.

This job of home educating my children is a difficult one. They are always under foot and I have to be able to answer many many questions. I have fears of messing up and not doing a proper job, but I don't think that will happen. Even though we have bad days and fighting does go on in the house. Grace is given to us. Our sins our forgiven and Christ in me will take proper care of these children.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Pass the salt please

Sometimes I love the weekends, they are lazy, calm, uninterrupted and just plain nice. Then there are other times when I do not like them because of them being lazy, calm, uninterrupted and nice. My personality and the children's change, the day to day things are just to much and we need a break. Isn't that such a strange thing? I fear that our next weekend maybe a bad one. My dear husband has to work next Saturday and none of us are looking forward to it. I fear that it may feel just like a Thursday when it should not. Saturdays are referred to as Daddy day. The Rooster wakes up and makes a big breakfast for the family and we just hangout together all day.




The Rooster does so many things for me and I am so thankful for him. He saves me from things I can not handle a pile of laundry, to many dishes on my counter, my racing my mind, the children. God intended for families to work this way. A husband and wife are placed in the family to help each other and work together. He, my husband, provides for us by working every weekday so we can have a comfortable home, food, and things we need for this life. I stay home caring for children. Everyday he is free to leave our home and work. He can do this with peace, knowing that things are being taken care of at home. His children are safe and their needs are being meet by his wife.




A marriage is more than just helping one another, there must also be a respect for each other. My husband still thanks me for cooking meals, and cleaning up things. This is something that happens daily. If he needs me to help him he still always includes please in his sentience. I try to do the same with him. If I need him to help with a sick child or a very messy diaper, I try to ask nicely. Sometimes I think that this respect for one another in a marriage is disappearing in the world.




Husbands, in the world, think of their wives as nags. They blindly follow what their wives order and develop hard feels about the situation. Wives, in the world, think of their husbands as another child that they must keep under their thumb. Dealing with their husbands is a chore and never thought of as a joy. I find this has also become a standard in this era. We can find this scenario playing out in TV sitcoms and in movies. It happens in reality TV shows and right under our own noses. Once something starts to touch every aspect of our lives, it is hard to think of this as being incorrect.



As a stay at home mother I rely upon my husband for everything. There is a lot of guilt involved with this. During times when money is tight, I wish that there was some way that I could help out. I really do not have any skills that I would be able to use to make money. If I were to help, it would be in a very plain way such as working in a retail shop. We would then have to add in the cost of gas for driving to town. There would be added stress placed upon the family caused by me not being here. I do not think that the pros out weigh the cons on this issues. Right now the vocation that God, our Heavenly Father, has given me is the vocation of wife and mother. I am pretty sure that it is a full time job and for now my plate is full.


In order to help next Saturday go smoothly, we will be taking a trip to the big zoo that is close to us. The kids will love the change of pace, the exercise, and the picnic lunch. This will also be the first time that Baby Chick will be involved with the whole zoo experience. I am sure that her excitement and the change of pace will be just what we need to make it through the day without the Rooster.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Papa's lap

I stole the title from our pastor. Yeah, I admit it, but you will see why.

When we pray Our Father who are in heaven what are we saying? Another Lutheran way to say this is what does this mean?

With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him and dear children ask their dear father. (Luther's Small Catechism)

A small child will confidently run up to their father and call out, "Daddy, Daddy". The father will then sweep up the child into his safe arms and comfort the child. Once when I was a teen we experienced a earth quake. At the time we were living in Germany and the quake was very tiny, but something that I had never experienced before. The quake woke up me and my sister and we were both frightened. In that moment of fright we did not call out for our mother, but for our father. I remember looking back thinking how funny it was that we called out to him without any thought, both of us at the same time. At our moment of fear we went to our father.

We have the confidence to call out to our Father in heaven the same way. In our fear, despair, joy, happiness and all other emotions we can call on God, our Father Heaven. He is our daddy in heaven, our Papa who's lap we can crawl into and find peace. He loves us, cares for us, provides for us, and forgives us. We pray to our Father because he has promised to hear us. Psalm 65:2
He has given us this perfect prayer, The Lord's Prayer, for us to pray. In this prayer we call on him, and ask him for all things. In this Lord's prayer he gives us forgiveness of our sins, and reminds us of how he provides for us.

We are poor sinful beings and have been forgiven for all of our sins, the ones we know of, the ones we are unaware of and the ones we have yet to commit. Our Father in Heaven gave us his Son to die for our sins. We have been washed clean and do not need to fear our Father. Jesus Christ, His only Son, has made it possible to approach our Father and confidently pray to him.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Light hearted

This has been a heavy week. I won't lie and act like my life is perfect because there are many things that are not. Yes, I do stay home with me children, I educate them, cook for them, clean, and care for husband. Life is stressful and difficult even though it may not seem so on the outside. This week I have been missing family and friends that are far away. I have questions things about myself but I have not been shaken. I look forward to receiving the grace given to me by my Father in Heaven, his own Son's body and blood poured out on me for the forgiveness of my sins.

For this weekend I plan on enjoying this beautiful weather. The dog needs to be taken for a long walk and so do I. Some spring cleaning will hopefully get finished up around here. It is not really spring clean in the sense that I am washing curtains, I am simply trying to declutter things. I would like to clean out some flower gardens and find the new little plants growing under the old dead leaves. The baby chick needs to spend some time outside in the sun that will put me on shadow duty, following her around watching her discover her world is a treat.

On Monday I plan on doing some serious blogging and will stretch out my writing wings. I hope to do a little reading and I might even pick up my knitting needles. Have a great weekend.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Water washes me

I have been thinking about baptism lately. For a few years I have wanted to blog about it but time is always short and other things would distract me. I am a fan of the Duggar's TV show and chick #1 and were watching the episode when their little preemie baby was born. The tiny little infant looked so small and weak. The Family were rejoicing that the little babe was born and alive but many of the Duggar kids were also crying as they looked at the weak infant. Chick #1 looked at me and said "That baby is baptised, isn't it mom?" My heart broke when I told her no. The Duggars are Baptist and they make this very well know during their TV show. They are Christians and know that Christ's forgives them but they do not baptise little babies. That is just how the doctrine of the baptist church is. I could tell that this fact upset chick #1.

Baptism is such an amazing and beautiful thing. Very simple water is combined with God's word and you have a baptism. This simple act brings faith to a tiny baby. A faith that is stronger than any human, a faith that can persevere through many things, a faith that is not of human making. The faith is Jesus Christ's perfect faith. Our sinful lives can not trust in Christ blood to forgive our sins but His own faith, in us, can trust in him. When our heavenly Father looks at us he does not see our sins, our faults, or our ugliness. Our Heavenly Father gazes upon his perfect Son when he looks at us. We are sinless beings in God the Father's eyes.


This hymn has been playing in my head lately and I thought I would share it with you.



Baptismal waters cover me

As I approach on bended knee;

My Father's mercy here I plead,

For grievous sins of thought and deed.



I look to Christ upon the tree,

His body broken there for me;

I lay before Him all my sin,

My darkest secrets from within.



Lord, may your wounded hand impart

Your healing to my broken heart;

Your love alone can form in me

A heart that serves You joyfully.



Baptismal waters cover me;

Christ's wounded hand has set me free.

Held in my Father's strong embrace,

With joy I praise Him for His grace.



Lutheran Service Book #616



Here is a link to a Internet radio show talking about baptism.



Or if you want to read something you can go here.



If you like to buy a book about it you can go here.



Now let us all rejoice in the gift of baptism that has freely been given to us.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Love and honor each other

Teens and young adults think that they have a right. For some reason they think that they can do things that mess with other peoples lives and families. I do not care if they are being "careful", there are still sins being commented against future husband and wives. In this world a kid gets in more trouble for steeling then from committing adultery. Teen should not be having this "romance" with each other. If young men and women are not ready for the responsibility of being a Daddy or a Mommy they should not play Daddy or Mommy. They have no idea of the commitment that is need to raise a child. These young children, the teens, have no idea how many people are effecting by this behavior.

God has given husbands and wives a very special gift. This gift is to be loved and enjoyed inside of marriage. We are meant to have a sexual relationship with only one person. Only that person should know you in that way. I don't care what teens or young adults say. They do not know that type of love. They should not act like they do or love another person in a married way until they are married. God has given teens parents to guild teens through those horrid years. Parents need to have the strength to do their job and realize that they are still the parents. Should a teen be sleeping with his girlfriend under his parents roof? No! There, that is the answer and I said it and everyone knows that I know that it is wrong. The parent is sinning against the child by not being a parent, the child is sinning against it's parent, against their future spouse and against their girl or boyfriends future spouse. They are sinning against God and living outside of the union that he intended for husbands and wives.

Boys need to learn that they are boys unless they have the means to provide for a family. I do not know of any 16 or 17 year old that could provide housing and food for a wife and child. If you can not do that then you should not be sleeping around.

Girls need to understand what it is to take a care of a child. To care for a baby does not mean that you drop it off at the daycare center in your HS. It does not mean that you have your parents care for this child. It means that you care for this child 24/7 and it is hard. It is the hardest job that there is in the whole world and if you can't do, don't sleep around with boys.

Parents of teens toss up their hands and declare, "we can't tell them no." Really? I think parents could if they are willing to wear their parent's pants. Do these children need cell phone, games consoles, and cars? NO. We are not here to be our children's friend. It is hard to make your children mad but God gave us children to teach them to be responsible adults. Our job is to protect them, tell them no and give them rules.

Is someone being responsible by letting the govt. provide food or housing for them? NO! So many problems of this world could be fixed if people would just learn how to keep their legs together. If you do not have the means to pay for a baby to be born in a hospital then don't participate in the practice of making babies.

I have been tossing a lot of law out in this post. I know that I have made many people mad and upset over this. To be honest, I have not said anything that you did not already know. Everyone that knows me knows that this is how I feel. I am not going to apologize for saying any of this.

Is there hope after teens having fallen into this behavior? Yes. Does our Father in Heaven still care for them? Yes. Has our Father in heaven poured out forgiveness to all sinners? Yes.

A sinner must first realize his sin and then repent of it. To learn of your sin is a hard thing. It breaks you down and makes you feel like crap. It causes sorrow to run through your body but it does not last. God loves us. God loves us more than his own Son. We sin and we deserve death. That is the bill handed to us. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay that bill. We have done nothing to earn this but God have freely given it to us. We can rejoice in this forgiveness of sins.

If you desire to read any further on this topic I urge to read about the sixth commandment here.