Am I alone? Do other people have conflict all around them?
If I was counseling someone who had as much conflict with people as I have, I’d say, “What’s the common denominator?” “You, you’re the common factor.”
So what’s with me!?! Do I attract conflict in my life?
I am worn out and weary!
This quote has played over and over in my head lately: Motherhood is not for the faint of heart.
I’ve not had a really rough week or anything, I just am reminded about the daily selflessness that motherhood requires.
As soon as a mom tries to worm selfishness into her day, she’ll find herself frustrated, annoyed (mostly at her kids who are interrupting her time), angry, and down right ugly!
I’ve done it! I’ve found myself completely at the end of my rope with the kids and then I realize it’s because mama ain’t getting her way! God gentle reminds me that I am “to do nothing out of selfishness”.
Being completely selfless as a mom, in my opinion, brings pure joy to the tasks of mothering.
Life is full of little seasons, seasons we’re asked to trust and obey. Lay aside our will and our wants and let God have His way.
As moms we need mental breaks, but we’re not entitled to them. We are called to a life totally and completely sold out for the sake of Christ with no expectations or entitlements. To lay aside all selfishness for those around us: our kids and our husbands.
God gives us breaks. He takes care of mothers and He knows the task given to us to raise the next generation for His glory. Just watch for the breaks He provides.
Today was a very special day around here! We started kindergarten and pre-K!!
Wouldn’t you know Miles, who never sleeps in, woke up at 7:45! I realized then that the beauty of homeschooling is that homeschooling fits into our life, not our life fitting around homeschooling!
We got started about 9 am and it took about an hour. (Bible, math, phonics, science, handwritting) They were more excited about getting star stickers on their completed worksheets! Miles then had his chores.
We were given the complete curriculum from Christian Life Academy. Although this is more academic, I think it’s a perfect fit for Miles. Of course I plan on added on to this with studying the signers of the Declaration of Independence and more science projects.
Luke, we’ll do something different next year, maybe “Our Father’s World” or “Sonlight”.
I love these guys and can’t believe I have the honor of teaching them!
Over on Facebook I started a coupon update page. I realized you don’t have to be on facebook to see it!
Check out our little community of savers!
We officially begin kindergarten!
WOW!
This day came faster than I ever would have thought. We’re ready and excited.
I have everything ready, and we’re set to go!
We’re going to try doing things different. We’ll go 6 weeks of doing school, 2 weeks off, year round. Then in the summer take 4 weeks off. So we’re starting early to get 6 weeks in! I think knowing that a break is always less than 6 weeks away will make it less overwhelming (mentally) for me. Hopefully it works good for our family!
My main goal this year is to get into a good, solid routine of doing school. Of course we did preschool last year and I will continue that with Luke, but I never got into a good routine of it. The boys need to learn about hardwork and being responsible for getting their school work done.
So exciting!
John and I have prayed, since day one, that God would protect our marriage. That He would build a hedge of protection around us. Keep our hearts pure for each other. We still pray that God would protect our marriage and will continue to pray.
We’ve had the discussion recently about building hedges around our marriage, making sure we’re not allowing any porthole or stronghold for satan to come into our marriage.
There’s a few things we’ve done in order to insure protection of our marriage:
1) We make a point to have a meaningful conversation at least once a day. We talk about everything and share everything. Having kids doesn’t make it harder, we just have to be more intentional…you know turn off the computer or TV and talk or play a game.
2) We have “private married world” an emotional place that no one else is allowed into.
3) Always be each other’s best friend and #1 cheerleader! We’re playing on the same team: Team Patenaude, so we must act that way!
4) Never allow another person to come in between us…this could be a girlfriend of mine, or a guy friend of his.
5) Pray always for God to hedge in our marriage and protect it.
6) Pray together daily.
Christian marriages are under attack. We can’t ever think we’re “above” a temptation or our marriage is strong enough to withstand anything. We must be alert.
What have you done to protect your marriage?
Today I’ve written two Facebook updates that have caused a bit of a stir. I sure didn’t mean to…but I wanted to share my heart
Status 1: Apathy is the state of indifference, absence of passion…i am sick of apathy! I am tired of people not really caring enough to do their own homework and get the facts. I am tried of an apatetic church who is passive to sin. I am annoyed with apathy all around.
Status 2: People would rather believe a lie than seek the truth!
This is not directed at any one person or any one situation. It just seems like apathy is all around me.
Apathy in The church. (not directed at my church, but The Church)
Apathy in politics .
Apathy in doing hard things.
Apathy in being a better you.
Apathy in relationships.
Sure all this sorta goes along with my last post on letting God defend you. At times I want to scream to people, “WAKE UP!”
But that’s not my place. But I can still get frustrated by it.
Sure I could show examples of how apathy is/has effected my life, but then that wouldn’t be letting God defend me. People have to want the truth. They have to want to dig deep to find out what’s really going on.
I remember awhile back there was something in the local newspaper about a family member of a friend. It wasn’t a positive thing, but I called my friend and asked if this was true. I went to the source. I didn’t just believe it because the paper said so.
I think often we hear something about someone or we have an assumption about them and we never seek to find the truth about it.
Then when you know people are believing lies about you it’s just down right frustrating to see such apathy! Such a lack of desire to know if what people are saying is true or not.
Have we become a people who don’t desire truth in our inmost being?
I do know this, I will be a person who seeks the truth. I won’t believe something until I’ve searched the answer myself. I refuse to believe assumptions!
Join me won’t you? Be a person who looks hard for truth. Be someone who digs deep to get the real answer. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions! Knowing the truth will set you free!
If you walk in integrity: God will defend you.
If you walk in truth: God will defend you.
If you walk in uprightness: God will defend you.
If you walk in righteousness: God will defend you.
I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that God defends.
People may slander your name, they may gossip about you, they may try to hurt you, they may ignore you, they may believe a lie about you, they may not try to get all the facts, they may hate you…but it doesn’t matter because God WILL defend you.
It may not happen on your time table. It may takes years, but trust me God will defend you.
If you’re a professing believer and others around you know your take your faith in God seriously, then they are watching how you respond. They are looking for you to be cutting and cold, cruel and mean. But don’t! Let God defend you.
Be a person who gets the facts. Be a person who knows there’s 2 sides to a story. Don’t believe what you’ve heard. Do your own homework. Don’t be bullied. Don’t live in fear of a bully.
There’s people who live with pain so deep they act out, they lash out, build walls, give you the cold sholder and are down right rude!
Don’t respond, don’t react…rest in God. In His hands.
God will defend you!
My mom always used to say, “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.”
If you know you’re on the side of truth, trust that, with time it will rise again and God will fight for you!
In parenting I’ve found that it’s easy to get caught up in playing the comparison game.
For me it is not, whose kid is smarter or prettier. Or who is the most athletic or funny.
But for me it’s more what are those parents doing that I am not.
It makes me feel, at times, like a failure.
UNTIL I put my own vision and my own goals into perspective.
We’re going to all do different things and we’re all going to be passionate about different things.
Maybe you’re passionate about sports or healthy eating. Or maybe it’s AWANA’S or church activities with your kids. Maybe you’re focus is your kids education and being involved in their school.
Whatever it is, it’s different than mine (most likely). Instead of feeling guilty and thinking, “How can I add one more thing to my day or life?” I need to realize that’s your passion and not mine. That’s your goal for your kids, not mine.
We all have to have a vision for our kids. Then we filter our daily life through that vision. We have to have goals: spiritually, emotionally and physically for our kids.
Those goals are going to looks so different and even if they are the same they may be at a different level of priority in our lives.
Parenting is filled with challenges and joy, but we must keep our own vision in front of us and not get sidetracked by someone else’s goals and vision for their kids!
Okay…had to get that off my mind! 
I don’t need any more guilt!
A couple of years ago John and I did some pre-engagement “counseling” with a couple. It was more just having some intentional conversation with them about marriage.
John said, “If you know God’s brought you together, then hold hands and jump, jump off the cliff of life.”
Yes, isn’t that what we do when we get married…we jump off the cliff. We have no idea what is going to come our way, what issues we’d face, what sorrows would come our way, how we’d be challenged or changed, but what we do know is God put us together and we jumped together!
Yesterday I was looking through some wedding pictures and came across this one:
Oh our wedding day was filled with joy and happiness. It was the most perfect wedding I could have every thought of…but I look at this picture and we’re so young, so innocent, and had no idea what we’d face.
When we miscarried our first baby almost 6 years ago, we aged over night. I kid you not, we looked older the next day. Sorrow and trials have a way of aging us don’t they.
Then of course there’s morgages, insurance, taxes, bills, work, pregnancies, parenthood, and other things that are all apart of that jumping!
Last year John grew a gray patch of hair! It grew almost over night. I was sick with Clark, work was super stressful, and he is feeling the sadness of his dad’s dementia. I cut his hair and was shocked to find all these new gray hairs (before he had like two, now there were a ton).
This year we’re still facing issues and heartache with John’s dad. It feels like I am too young to be dealing with issues I thought we’d face when we’re older. It’s painful to watch a parent age, it brings us to tears often.
But we held hands and we jumped and I am so thankful we know God is our safety net, that this world is not our home, and that I have John by my side!
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