Love Notes for Mom

Have you ever received something really special, so special that you tuck it away for safe keeping? Then, you go to retrieve it and can't remember where you put it?! :-)  That happens to me more than I care to admit! Specifically, it happened to a special little note I received a few years ago. Then over the weekend I was cleaning out the junk drawer, and there it was. A handwritten letter from a dear elderly friend in Wisconsin. I stood there, admiring her cursive penmanship, her sweet words of encouragement and the message of wisdom it contained.

What a sweet surprise to find this treasure! It was inside of an old address book and the moment I read it, I was filled with warmth and love and wonderful memories. It was sent during a time of great excitement and life challenges in our family. We had welcomed our beautiful daughter through adoption and were also expecting a new baby through my (surprise!) pregnancy. In addition to that, my father was dying of cancer. This little note from a woman who had raised a family and experienced lots of hard times in her day, was a beautiful gift. Her prayers and support helped to uphold me. And all it took was a small love note.  On the front is printed a "Homemakers Prayer"

Dear God, give me the grace to see

The blessings which have come from thee;

Give me the strength to do my duty,

Tolerance and decent living;

Make our home a place of sublime,

Where there's no room for hate or crime,

A place where good friends gather 'round;

Where laughter, mirth, and cheer abound.

Not selfish thoughts nor worldly greed,

Let this, dear Master, be our creed.

Today, I pray that little message will bless you as well. From a beautiful wise friend who lives in a log cabin built by her husband in a log cabin in Wisconsin, consider it a love letter to YOU too, mom.  I pray you'll tuck it away in your heart for safe-keeping where it will never get lost. :)  God bless you. And thank you, dearest sweet Jeanne for loving me through a simple letter. 

Love and prayers to you, this day.

My Precious Angel

Hello lovely ladies! 

I wrote this as I thought of some moms who have shared with me recently some tragic news about having miscarriages.  I can't imagine how difficult that must be to cope with.  Recently, my cousin had their own loss and although I'm not a poet, these words came to me and I'd like to offer them to you as you may be coping with a similar loss of a child...

My Precious Angel

I already had your name picked out
The colors that you would wear
I had ideas of what your voice would sound like
And the color of your hair

I imagined how you would smile at me
And how I'd kiss you and hold you tight
I dreamed about our snuggle time
Before I'd tuck you in at night

You've always been my precious angel
A gift from up above
God Himself blessed me with you
And filled me with a new love

A love that only a mommy can have
for her sweet baby
A love that was shared from my heart to yours
as you grew inside of me

I don't know why God took you so quickly
He had different plans
Plans much greater than my own
And that I  may never understand

But as you leave me to go to Jesus
It's His eyes that you will meet
And you'll be His precious angel
From now until eternity

My Precious Angel, I'll never forget you
Or the impact that you made
In my heart I will hold onto you
Until in heaven we meet again

God bless you, Moms.  Here's a big {{hug}} from me to you!

Love You?

Happy Valentine's Day!  It's all about loving our spouses, our kids, friends, family, and others, right?  How about yourself, do you love yourself?  Well, I am here to tell you, you need to love yourself.  Of course, love God first and most, but then love yourself.  I don't mean to be self-centered, I mean to respect yourself, protect yourself, and care for yourself.  Guess what?  It's ok!

Have you ever been on an airplane and heard the flight attendant say, "In the event of a change in cabin pressure, panels above your head will open revealing oxygen masks.  Pull the mask down toward you to activate the flow of oxygen.  Cover your nose and mouth with the mask.  Place the elastic band around your head ad continue to breathe normally.  Remember to secure your own mask before assisting others."

If you don't take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically, you won't be able to take care of anyone else healthy or correctly.  OK, so what does this look like?.......

Spiritual Health
Try and block out 10-20 minutes a day to pray, listen, meditate, journal, read the Word, and be alone in silence.  If you can't wake up any earlier, be creative and think of times that you are alone (the bathroom, driving in the care, exercising, etc.). 

       John 15:4 Jesus said, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot      produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me."

 

Emotional Health
Positive spiritual and physical health can really help your emotional health.  And if there are emotional wounds that  you have, meeting with a counselor or therapist can be very helpful.

Philippians 4:6-8  "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  And now,.... let me say one more thing....  Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

 

Physical Health
Many of us feel guilty for taking time to improve ourselves, but exercise not only is good for your physical health but also your mental health.  You really should try and work your way up to vigorous exercise (that means huffing and puffing!) of strength and cardio 20-30 minutes, at least three to four times a week.  If you don't have a lot of time all at once, break it down and do 5 minutes at a time throughout the day to add up to 20-30 minutes.

Eating healthy is another way to help your physical health.  Make small changes that will last a lifetime.  Cut out the unhealthy snacks, a lot of sugar, and make sure to eat at least 6-9 servings of fruits and vegetables along with protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates. 

Getting enough sleep is very important too.  Most people need at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.  So you must honor God with your body."

So go ahead, love yourself!  Be the example of how to take care of yourself, so that you can love others.

For exercises and healthy tips to help you get started go to www.get2thecorefitness.com.

"Mom, I'm bored!"

Hello Moms!  I pray that all is well with you and that you are keeping safe and warm in this wave of heavy snow and cold winds.  Well, if you're a stay-at-home Mom or have the option to be home when the kids are home, you may hear this famous phrase "Mom, I'm bored!".  Or you may look up and see your kids playing video games and watching tv the entire day.  So I wanted to give you ten things you can do with your kids on these cold days inside the home.  Maybe you can try these over the next couple of days and let us know how it goes.  Have fun and make the best of these snow days with your little ones!

10 Things To Do So You Don't Hear "Mom, I'm Bored!" on Snow Days:

1. Do a science experiment.  We had so much fun "making snow" during the last arctic vortex.  It's super easy.  Just boil some water and throw it outside, up in the air.  Before it hits the ground, it'll turn to snow.  The kids love it and I think I got a bigger kick out of it than them! :)  Or try other experiments that have a dual purpose.  A great one is to put some baking soda down your drain and follow it with white vinegar.  Yes, it will bubble up and make a "volcano" but it will also clean your drains at the same time!
2. Build a fort!  There is no greater time to build a fort and imagine that you're somewhere else than on snowy days when you have cabin fever!  Use all of your pillows and blankets and make a nice, big fort.  You could even bring snacks into the fort and "camp out" indoors. 
3. If you're anything like me, you are always trying to figure out when to clean the house.  Snow days are perfect for that.  This is a great time to go through the kids closets and toys and make a donation pile and a throw-away pile.  If your kids are old enough, ask for their help in making these choices.  It will teach them about the importance of donating and make them appreciate what they have (and you'll have clean rooms and closets when you're all done).
4. Get them excited about food! Get your kids involved in cooking dinner.  They can help you get things out of the refrigerator or pantry or they can help put things on the stove for you or stir the pot.  Whatever you have planned for dinner, get them excited about it too.  They'll feel so proud of themselves come dinnertime!
5. Valentine's Day Project! One thing we did in February last year was that we cut out hearts from construction paper and then we each wrote several things that we loved about everyone in our family.  After all of our hearts were filled, we glued them onto ribbon.  Each person in our family had their own ribbon filled with hearts that said nice things about them.  I hung them up in February and kept them up all month long.  It was so sweet to read them and it was a great encouragement on days when we were feeling down.
6. This does require you leaving the house but... Snow days are a great time to visit the amazing museums we have in our region.  I live in Northeast Ohio so the museums that come to mind are the Children's Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, our new Aquarium, and the Science Center.  I love all of these so much and the kids can have a great time learning.
7. Make it a movie day - either indoor or at the theatre. If you go to the first showing of the day, it's typically a cheaper rate for the ticket.  Or if you really don't feel like going out, make it a movie day in your house.  Make some popcorn and some yummy treats and bust out some old family movies or actual kid movies.  Snuggle on the bed together and watch some good movies.
8. Just Dance!  Here is another dual purpose activity.  We love to dance in our house (although none of us are great dancers).  We love to play Michael Jackson's wii game and we have the Just Dance video game.  We will put it on and Just Dance.  It's so much fun.  It brings the entire family together and it's great exercise!!  If you don't have the video games, just throw on some music and have a dance party.  I love sporadic dance parties in the middle of the living room!
9.  Make a dream board.  This is a great way to teach your children goal planning and to stretch their imagination.  Grab a piece of paper and some magazines, glue, scissors, and crayons.  Tell the kids to cut out of the magazines words or pictures that describe what they want for their future.  Maybe it's a house or a dog or the word "peace".  Whatever it is, they can glue it on their piece of paper.  When their paper is all filled up, you can talk about what it takes to achieve those things. And your children can hang it in their room to help them remember what they're working towards.
10. Paint.  There is paint that you can make out of pudding for the young ones (http://babyparenting.about.com/od/miscellaneousrecipes/a/fingerpaint.htm) or you can use actual finger paint.  But just have a good time painting, get your hands dirty, and be creative.  At the end of the day, you'll have your own masterpiece that you can hang on the fridge!

Well, here are just a few suggestions to get you started while you're at home for the next couple of days.  Let me know if you try any of these or if you have any other suggestions to share with our moms out there!  Thanks and have fun!!

What Are You Rooted In?

My son, Emmanuel (8 years old), and I were driving to school the other day.  He asked me which I liked most: trees or flowers.  I told him that I like trees more because they mean so much.  They are ever changing and growing.  I also mentioned that below the surface, they have deep roots and we don't know exactly how big or long they are. .

Emmanuel thought that everything I said was interesting yet he decided to expound on the importance of the roots.  He went on to tell me that it's important that we plant small, baby trees by large, grown trees because the baby trees follow the roots of the big trees.  He then said something that stopped me in my tracks.  He said, "just like us, Mommy.  Kids need their parents so that they can learn and follow what you do."

This statement from this little person has been in my head for the past week.  It's such a profound concept.  It made me think of the importance of my job as a Mom.  It's not just pick them up here, take them there, cook this, clean that, pack their lunch, kiss them goodnight.  My children are learning from me and they will follow my "roots".  They will follow my example.   And it made ask the question to myself "what am I rooted in?" 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:7-8:
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

My Mom Prayer in this season is that I would trust in the Lord and be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream, who does not fear or worry and that my children, raised with the knowledge of God and living to glorify Him, will be the fruit that I bear.

Who knew that a simple question from a child would lead to a transformative parenting revelation? I pray that you would also take a moment to ask yourself "what am I rooted in?"

Have a blessed week!

Ready to Move?

What do you think of when you hear the word, "move"?  Does it bring up good memories that leave you full of anticipation and excitement for something new to begin in your life?  Or, does just the mention of that word strike a chord of fear in your heart?  What if God is the one telling you to move?  Will you move then?

Hello ladies!  My name is Kathleen, and I can tell you that God has told me to move several times throughout my life.  That is, move out of His way and let Him take control! 

One of those times, in particular, that I had to move out of God's way was the summer of 2011.  I didn't realize I was on autopilot overdrive until God put the brakes on for me and forced me to stop.  When God finally had my attention, He used the music on 95.5 The Fish to perform major reconstruction on my heart! He put a desire on my heart to move, that is, to change.  I didn't want to continue going through life on autopilot.  I wanted to reach out to others and help make a difference in the world.  

God knows that songs have the ability to reach my heart faster than just words on paper alone.  One song that spoke to my heart in 2011 was "Move" by MercyMe.  The song not only started my feet moving, it reminded me to stay positive even when life doesn't play fair.  It reminded me that God will never give us more than we can handle, even though we feel like it's too much sometimes. There will be brighter days!  

Another time God told me to move is when I heard Brooke mention that they were looking for moms to be a part of the new Mom Squad.  I felt called to respond, but I was scared.  I wondered, "What could I contribute to the group?"  But, I prayed about it and realized that God has been preparing me my whole life for this.  He reminded me to think of all the blessings He has given me and how those blessings have prepared me to help others, especially other moms.  This was my chance to help make a difference.  I just had to trust Him and move.  He would do the rest.  

What about you?  Has God put a desire on your heart to move, to change, in some way?  We would love to hear from you about how God is moving in your life.  "Jump" over to the The Mom Squad Facebook page and share your stories with us!

Then, get your feet moving by clicking on the link below to watch the official music video, "Move" by MercyMe (from www.godtube.com).  (The song will play automatically after the advertisement).

MercyMe "Move" (Official Music Video)

Blessings to all,

Kathleen

Moms on a Mission

Hello Beautiful Mothers. My name is Rachel and I am blessed to be a part of The Mom Squad. Today I am filling in for one of our Dynamic Moms, Chef Robin. When she asked for someone to fill in for her today as she is away serving as a chef with the US Olympics and had a few kinks with her computer, God placed in me a topic that was fitting for the opportunity. Chef Robin and so many others fall into a group of moms that I consider to be Moms on a Mission. Although we have all been called to something great, occasionally God will give some of us an assignment that requires us to travel in order to accomplish it. These mothers not only serve but sacrifice time with their families to serve. I began to think of other mothers that would fall into this category such as those serving in the missionary field, overseas in the military or simply being away from their family to support their family. This is no simple task but they have been chosen to fulfill it. They have an assignment and they are on a mission.

As a group of mothers I believe that we have been mandated to cover these Moms on a Mission in prayer.  I would like to take a moment to do so.

Dear Heavenly Father, we first want to thank you for being a Loving and Kind Father. Thank you for being not just our King but our friend. Thank you for choosing all of us to disciple your children and showing us your grace as we raise them up in you. Lord today we are coming together to interceded on behalf of Chef Robin and ALL the other mothers that you have assigned to complete missions that are away from their families and homes. Lord we ask that you would protect them as they fulfill the assignment you have given them in this season. Strengthen their minds and spirits so that they will accomplish that which you have set out for them to do. We thank you in advance for their safe return home and for keeping their families protected and in good health. Lord we love you, we honor you, we adore you and we Thank You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Mothers lets continue to cover each other in prayer. As mothers we wear so many hats but one that I believe never comes off is, “The Servant”.  As we serve our families, we Honor God. It is not always easy, convenient or comfortable but we have been selected and we are ALL on Assignment. With all that being said, I’d like to ask,

How do you feel your assignment as a mother better enables you to serve God?

Have a Blessed Week,

R. Scott

The Mom Squad Sisterhood

 

Hi Moms!  So excited to meet you.  My name is Ruth.  As I continue to read the description of the Mom Squad, the word that keeps sticking out to me is the word "sisterhood".  I don't have any sisters so I'm super excited to belong to a new sisterhood... and a sisterhood of awesome women that share the same values!

Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting new moms who have inspired me, challenged me, and imparted wisdom about motherhood into me.  They have been a great support for me in this transition and many times, an energy source when I’ve been worn and weary.  They are a group of women that I can talk to about marriage, motherhood, and money.  They keep me grounded in Biblical principles and help me to stay on course when the world tells me to get off course.  They are life-givers and are beautiful in their own way.  I appreciate each of them for who they are and the mothers that they are striving to be.  I cannot imagine being a stay-at-home mom without my mom friends.  I probably would have given up by now.  They empower me and I’d like to think that I do the same for them. 

I know that I'm blessed to have a group of mom friends and that not everyone has the same support around them.  But guess what?... now you do!  Welcome to the sisterhood of the Mom Squad!

Have a blessed week!
 
Photo Source:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/508815606/