Blogging my way through weaning and getting Ethan to sleep in his own bed:
I thought I'd make you all suffer with me. (Ooops that's not speaking in faith). Michael is out of town again so I am putting Ethan in his own bed and weaning him. ALL AT ONCE.
DISCLAIMER: Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT heartless, I promise. In fact, I feel horrible for him! This is AWFUL! But I severely need my body, sleep and bed back. I really really do. I have shared it with him for16 months and I am tired and worn out. And no, I am not doing this all at once with no warning. He was weaned down to only nursing overnight and he was sleeping by himself half the night. Now I am just working on putting him to sleep in another room and w/o nursing. Hopefully I won't get too much hate-mail for this now... (see why I need that book Denise? lol)
Anyway....back to making you suffer with me....
10:00 put him to bed after nice bath and massage with lavender lotion. (him, not me, unfortunately!)
10:05 went and told him everything's okay
10:15 went and told him again. patted him.
10:30 went again. he is quieting down some..I think I actually angered him more this time by going in there. :-(
[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Fasting from Negative Thinking
Pastor Gregory Dickow is holding his second fast from negative thinking. I didn't know about the first one, but I am participating in the second one. He sends an email each day with the thought we are fasting from. If you are interested, click here.
I really identified with today's fast. It is a thought I have struggled with from time to time. Here is what he says:
Thought 14
Today, we are fasting from the thought: “I feel like a fake; I feel like a hypocrite.”
For centuries, the devil has been weaving defeat and condemnation into people’s minds by getting them to feel like they’re not really saved, or they’re saved, but they’re not the person they pretend to be in public. Stop letting the devil rob you of your joy and peace through this lie.
We all at times have felt like hypocrites. We say we believe, then we sometimes doubt. We say we love God, but feel at times numb. We are supposed to “walk in love,” but we feel like hurting someone sometimes. Anybody been there besides me?
Paul the apostle knew this battle, and today we’re going to join him in victory.
He said, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (Romans 7:18)
Here is the secret to overcoming the feeling that you are a hypocrite or a fake:
1. Recognize the battle that you’re in. Your spirit (inner man) is holy and wants to do what’s right. Your flesh, however, doesn’t. One translation said, “I have the desire to do what’s right, but I cannot carry it out.” Jesus also said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) Before we’re done, your spirit is going to win this battle!
2. Realize that you’re not alone in the battle. EVERYONE deals with this. The fact that you realize you want to obey God, but are honest enough to admit you often fail, is NOT hypocrisy. It’s “truth in your innermost being.” (Psalm 51:6) The part of you that doesn’t want to obey God is not the real you – it’s your flesh.
3. Don’t worry about what other people think of you. Only the “self-righteous” think they have it all together. They think they are better than you. They think that you’re weak and they’re strong. But truly honest and humble people realize the battle and understand your struggle. Look to Jesus as your High Priest. That means, He goes to God with His blood, and says, “Father, this one has been cleansed by My blood. This is your child, and they are holy NOW because they are washed.” He goes to the Father on our behalf and paves the way for us to be forgiven, accepted and righteous—IN HIM. Also, Hebrews 4:15 says, “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, AS WE ARE, yet without sin.”
4. Take off the mask. You don’t have to be “Miss Perfect” or “Miss Never-look-flustered” or “Mr. Always has it together.” There’s something liberating to just be able to be transparent, and not have to pretend you have it all together. That doesn’t mean, you go out and sin deliberately. It doesn’t mean you throw all caution to the wind. It means, you humbly admit, like Paul the apostle in Romans 7:19, “For the good which I have a mind to do, I do not: but the evil which I have no mind to do, that I end up doing.” He’s not making a bad confession here. He’s making an honest one. THEN...
5. Declare your victory in Christ! Romans 7:22-23 Message Translation says, “I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”
6. It’s ok to need a Savior! Paul asked: Who can deliver me from this condition? Romans 7:25 says, “The answer, thank God, is that JESUS CHIRST CAN AND DOES...”
7. We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says you can serve God, now, even when you feel like a fake. Believe what God says about you, and don’t bow down to what your flesh and the devil try to tell you about your weaknesses, contradictions and mistakes.
THINK IT & SAY IT:
I recognize that I am in a battle between my spirit and my flesh. I will no longer give into the lie that I’m a fake or a hypocrite. I have a flesh trying to control me; but my spirit truly wants to obey God. I yield today, to my spirit, by yielding to GOD’S WORD.
Jesus Christ has delivered me from the wickedness of my past and my flesh. I am forgiven. Everything in me that doesn’t want to obey God IS NOT THE REAL ME. The real me is made in the image of God, and is more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ my Lord!
Let’s talk more tomorrow!
Gregory Dickow
I really identified with today's fast. It is a thought I have struggled with from time to time. Here is what he says:
Thought 14
Today, we are fasting from the thought: “I feel like a fake; I feel like a hypocrite.”
For centuries, the devil has been weaving defeat and condemnation into people’s minds by getting them to feel like they’re not really saved, or they’re saved, but they’re not the person they pretend to be in public. Stop letting the devil rob you of your joy and peace through this lie.
We all at times have felt like hypocrites. We say we believe, then we sometimes doubt. We say we love God, but feel at times numb. We are supposed to “walk in love,” but we feel like hurting someone sometimes. Anybody been there besides me?
Paul the apostle knew this battle, and today we’re going to join him in victory.
He said, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (Romans 7:18)
Here is the secret to overcoming the feeling that you are a hypocrite or a fake:
1. Recognize the battle that you’re in. Your spirit (inner man) is holy and wants to do what’s right. Your flesh, however, doesn’t. One translation said, “I have the desire to do what’s right, but I cannot carry it out.” Jesus also said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) Before we’re done, your spirit is going to win this battle!
2. Realize that you’re not alone in the battle. EVERYONE deals with this. The fact that you realize you want to obey God, but are honest enough to admit you often fail, is NOT hypocrisy. It’s “truth in your innermost being.” (Psalm 51:6) The part of you that doesn’t want to obey God is not the real you – it’s your flesh.
3. Don’t worry about what other people think of you. Only the “self-righteous” think they have it all together. They think they are better than you. They think that you’re weak and they’re strong. But truly honest and humble people realize the battle and understand your struggle. Look to Jesus as your High Priest. That means, He goes to God with His blood, and says, “Father, this one has been cleansed by My blood. This is your child, and they are holy NOW because they are washed.” He goes to the Father on our behalf and paves the way for us to be forgiven, accepted and righteous—IN HIM. Also, Hebrews 4:15 says, “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, AS WE ARE, yet without sin.”
4. Take off the mask. You don’t have to be “Miss Perfect” or “Miss Never-look-flustered” or “Mr. Always has it together.” There’s something liberating to just be able to be transparent, and not have to pretend you have it all together. That doesn’t mean, you go out and sin deliberately. It doesn’t mean you throw all caution to the wind. It means, you humbly admit, like Paul the apostle in Romans 7:19, “For the good which I have a mind to do, I do not: but the evil which I have no mind to do, that I end up doing.” He’s not making a bad confession here. He’s making an honest one. THEN...
5. Declare your victory in Christ! Romans 7:22-23 Message Translation says, “I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”
6. It’s ok to need a Savior! Paul asked: Who can deliver me from this condition? Romans 7:25 says, “The answer, thank God, is that JESUS CHIRST CAN AND DOES...”
7. We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says you can serve God, now, even when you feel like a fake. Believe what God says about you, and don’t bow down to what your flesh and the devil try to tell you about your weaknesses, contradictions and mistakes.
THINK IT & SAY IT:
I recognize that I am in a battle between my spirit and my flesh. I will no longer give into the lie that I’m a fake or a hypocrite. I have a flesh trying to control me; but my spirit truly wants to obey God. I yield today, to my spirit, by yielding to GOD’S WORD.
Jesus Christ has delivered me from the wickedness of my past and my flesh. I am forgiven. Everything in me that doesn’t want to obey God IS NOT THE REAL ME. The real me is made in the image of God, and is more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ my Lord!
Let’s talk more tomorrow!
Gregory Dickow
Abide in Me
After reading Susan's post about Andrew Murray's On Prayer, I "ran" to half.com and got myself a copy. I started reading it and realized that Andrew Murray writes in the form of a daily devotional. On Prayer is a compilation of 6 books. The first is called "Abide in Christ." I have been greatly blessed by this book and I am only on chapter 7. Each chapter is so wonderful that I have been reading and rereading them and meditating on each one and the verses he talks about. I wanted to share some of what I read today....(the italics are mine)
Murray starts Chapter 6 out with 1 Corinthians 1:30
Of [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.
"The whole Christian life depends on the clear consciousness of our position in Christ. Most essential to the abiding in Christ is the daily renewal of our faith's assurance, 'I am in Christ Jesus.' All fruitful preaching to believers must take this as its starting point:'Ye [are] in Christ Jesus."
"The same love and delight with which the Father watched over the beloved Son Himself, watch over ever member of His body, everyone who is in Christ Jesus. What confident trust this faith inspires, not only as to the being kept in safety to the end, but also especially as to the being able to fulfill in every point the object for which I have been united to Christ."
"The God who has chosen me and planted me in Christ has thereby engaged to secure, if I will but let Him, by yielding myself to Him, that I in every way be worthy of Jesus Christ. ... How it would quicken the sense of dependence and make me see that praying without ceasing is indeed the one need of my life - an unceasing waiting, moment by moment, on the God who has united me to Christ, to perfect His own divine work, to work in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure. "
"Would to God that believers would cease looking most at their old natures, and complaining of their weaknesses, as if God called them to what they were unfitted for!"
"From eternity Christ and I were ordained for each other; inseparably we belong to each other. It is God's will; I will abide in Christ. It is of God I am in Christ Jesus."
Hallelujah!That makes me want to dance. :-)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Adoption news
We got word from our lawyer today that Brittany's adoption is going to court on June 18th at 1:30!! My ex said he sent all the paperwork and it should be at the lawyer's today. As long as that is filled out correctly with no problems, Brittany should be a Lynn in just a few short weeks!!
UPDATE: Ex did NOT get the paperwork notarized. We are NOT in the clear yet. The lawyer sent it back to him. Please pray that it is done quickly and correctly this time!! We need to have it done by the court day. In the lawyer's hand and all correct!!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thank you
Patriotic Song "Thank You" Military Tribute
Thank you, especially, to Kyle Morris and Grant and Ryan Husky
representing not only America, but Our Finest Hour Church
10 Reasons NOT to homeschool
Ten Reasons Not to Homeschool
by Jim Muncy
January 12, 1995
Why send your kids to public schools rather than homeschool. Here are ten good reasons
10. Skill development: Public schools do a great job of teaching children to sit down and shut up while the teacher engages in crowd control and mindless administrative duties. The ability to put one's mind on hold, sit there and do nothing is a skill that will be in high demand in the competitive marketplace of the future.
9. Lack of ability: I couldn't teach my own child--I don't know how. After all, anything meaningful in life can only be taught by those properly trained and certified to do so.
8. Financial aspects: We can't financially afford to homeschool. Without the school based health clinics, how could we afford to keep our children supplied with condoms and birth control.
7. Goals 2000: I want my children to learn all the correct stuff. Given how fast history changes, I want to be sure they are up on the most recent version.
6. Scheduling benefits: Staying on the same schedule as everybody else has its benefits. That way, when we go to Orlando, we can make sure that we spend our time waiting in lines rather than wasting it on all those rides and attractions.
5. Close friendships: I like the fact that my children are spending so much of their time with people not in their family. I would much rather my children's closest friendships be outside the family rather than within.
4. Separation of church and state: As long as we keep church and state separate, then the more time I can keep my kids under the control of the state, the less time they can possible be under the harmful influence of the church.
3. Socialization: What possible better way could there be to give your children the social skills they will need as adults than to stick them with children their own age all day. Besides, the best influence on your child is the one randomly assigned to the seat behind him or her in home room.
2. Class size: Learning can't occur in groups of less than twenty students. There is nothing quite like being lock-stepped through material with thirty other students to really develop within a person that true love for learning.
1. Class pace: I want my child to know how to learn at the proper pace. If a child can't keep up with the class, then it serves that child right to be left behind in the dust. If the child is learning too fast, then he or she needs to learn to slow down. And besides, what gives any child the right to assume that he or she can learn things he or she wants to learn rather than what the board of education decides should be taught for any given grade level. Anything learned at the wrong time might just as well be left unlearned.
by Jim Muncy
January 12, 1995
Why send your kids to public schools rather than homeschool. Here are ten good reasons
10. Skill development: Public schools do a great job of teaching children to sit down and shut up while the teacher engages in crowd control and mindless administrative duties. The ability to put one's mind on hold, sit there and do nothing is a skill that will be in high demand in the competitive marketplace of the future.
9. Lack of ability: I couldn't teach my own child--I don't know how. After all, anything meaningful in life can only be taught by those properly trained and certified to do so.
8. Financial aspects: We can't financially afford to homeschool. Without the school based health clinics, how could we afford to keep our children supplied with condoms and birth control.
7. Goals 2000: I want my children to learn all the correct stuff. Given how fast history changes, I want to be sure they are up on the most recent version.
6. Scheduling benefits: Staying on the same schedule as everybody else has its benefits. That way, when we go to Orlando, we can make sure that we spend our time waiting in lines rather than wasting it on all those rides and attractions.
5. Close friendships: I like the fact that my children are spending so much of their time with people not in their family. I would much rather my children's closest friendships be outside the family rather than within.
4. Separation of church and state: As long as we keep church and state separate, then the more time I can keep my kids under the control of the state, the less time they can possible be under the harmful influence of the church.
3. Socialization: What possible better way could there be to give your children the social skills they will need as adults than to stick them with children their own age all day. Besides, the best influence on your child is the one randomly assigned to the seat behind him or her in home room.
2. Class size: Learning can't occur in groups of less than twenty students. There is nothing quite like being lock-stepped through material with thirty other students to really develop within a person that true love for learning.
1. Class pace: I want my child to know how to learn at the proper pace. If a child can't keep up with the class, then it serves that child right to be left behind in the dust. If the child is learning too fast, then he or she needs to learn to slow down. And besides, what gives any child the right to assume that he or she can learn things he or she wants to learn rather than what the board of education decides should be taught for any given grade level. Anything learned at the wrong time might just as well be left unlearned.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
~~Blush~~
ummmmm I guess I forgot about the other uses for the word memoir.
Mea Culpa.
I now officially un-name my friends morbid.
Sorry guys. :-)
I am the morbid one.
LOL!
A rather morbid tag
My friends have been participating in a rather morbid meme. It is about writing your own memoir. I am of the mindset that Christ will be returning before I "kick-the-bucket" so to say, but I will play anyway. ;-)
First the rules...
1. Write your own six-word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link it to the person who tagged you and to the place of origin.
4. Tag five more bloggers, with links. (my friends have broken tradition and gone with two, as will I.)
1. Write your own six-word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link it to the person who tagged you and to the place of origin.
4. Tag five more bloggers, with links. (my friends have broken tradition and gone with two, as will I.)
5. Leave them a comment and invite them to play.
I thought this would be difficult. I even put it off for a few days, to think about it. However, in my nighttime musings last night, it came right to me! And it was PERFECT!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
All About Me
My friend Susan did this and I decided to join in too!
I am - Daughter of the Almighty, a Wife, a homemaker and homeschooling mom of 4 here on earth, one awaiting us in heaven.
I want - to constantly be closer to God.
I have - more than I ever imagined.
I wish - I was more on top of things.
I hate - ants.
I miss - my grandmother.
I fear - not.
I feel - not so hot at the moment.
I hear - children chattering.
I smell - pizza in the oven
I crave - more alone time for prayer and Bible Study.
I search - for more of God, daily.
I wonder - why God made mosquitoes.
I love - my family and friends, dearly.
I dance - in the rain.
I sing - when cleaning, driving or showering.
I cry - not as much now that I am not pregnant.
I don't always - get what I want done.
I wish - (another I wish?) my house was already ready to sell.
I fight - to get The Word out.
I write - not as much as I should.
I never - eat Beets.
I listen - to what people don't say.
I need - my Saviour.
I am happy - with my life.
Anyone else want to play?
I am - Daughter of the Almighty, a Wife, a homemaker and homeschooling mom of 4 here on earth, one awaiting us in heaven.
I want - to constantly be closer to God.
I have - more than I ever imagined.
I wish - I was more on top of things.
I hate - ants.
I miss - my grandmother.
I fear - not.
I feel - not so hot at the moment.
I hear - children chattering.
I smell - pizza in the oven
I crave - more alone time for prayer and Bible Study.
I search - for more of God, daily.
I wonder - why God made mosquitoes.
I love - my family and friends, dearly.
I dance - in the rain.
I sing - when cleaning, driving or showering.
I cry - not as much now that I am not pregnant.
I don't always - get what I want done.
I wish - (another I wish?) my house was already ready to sell.
I fight - to get The Word out.
I write - not as much as I should.
I never - eat Beets.
I listen - to what people don't say.
I need - my Saviour.
I am happy - with my life.
Anyone else want to play?
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