It Starts Young

photo credit found at http://www.creative-preschool-activities.com/

I few days ago I posted about winning our daughters hearts.  I am very passionate about it.  So much so that I wish I had opportunities to take young mothers aside and talk with them about it.  I am a frustrated Titus 2 woman in that way.  I am quite a shy person.  In some ways, I probably fight a bit of self-centeredness in that I don't break out of my shell.  Often I am worried about how people will think about me and other such nonsense.  To be truthful, I have begun to realize that these are the very things that I want to help my daughters work through as young girls.  I desperately want them to not struggle with being people pleasers.  I must fight my own tendency to people please so that I can model it for them.

When I was a young mom I joined a mother group at church centered specifically around preschoolers.  It's a national group that has the goal of encouraging moms through the trenches of raising preschoolers.  The basic premise of the group is that mom need to take care of herself so she can take care of her children.  The idea still makes me cringe.  At first I liked the group.  I even sat on the steering committee for a while.

At the same time I was heavily involved in this mom's group, I was receiving message about mothering through some of the homeschool websites I was searching through.  These message were quite different.  It was basically about dying to my needs and living to meet the needs of my children.  The fact is, however, these messages about dying to self for the sake of your children were coming directly from scripture.  I couldn't honestly find much in God's Word to support the "take care of yourself first" model.  In fact, I began to realize that the more I sought to take care of myself, the more discontent I became with being a mother.  I didn't want to be with my kids as much.  They were a bother to me.  Goodness, I was taking care of myself so I could take care of them.  They were in the way.  I also began to notice that I wasn't the only one.

By God's Sovereign hand, I ended up in a position where I had to pull my children out of the mother's day out I have put them in so I could take care of myself.  Oh the joy of bringing them home.  It was awkward at first.  But I soon began to find that I really did like having them around.  It's taken years for me to truly learn how to die to self in taking care of them all.  Truth be told, I am not very good at it.  But I pray alot and seek the Father's grace in helping me do the rest that I fail so miserably at when attempted on my own.

So why the title "It Starts Young" and revisiting the idea of winning our daughters hearts.  Because it starts early.  If moms in this world are receiving messages that they need to look after number one so they can look after number two, that is exactly what they will do.  They won't believe in Christ's words that we must die to self.  Here are His own words to us.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38-39)  

How can we justify seeking to take care of ourselves first when we're asked to lose our lives for His sake?  Many would ask, "How is possible to do that?  I get so tired by the end of my day."  The answer:

 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

This is my favorite verse.  If you ever send an email you will see it in the reply.  If you look to the side bar of my blog, you will see it there.  It is the very center of my blog. . .Living By Daily Grace.  

The point I originally wanted to make is simply that winning the hearts of our daughters (or children for that matter) doesn't start when they reach the tween or ever teen stages.  It starts from the womb.  It start with the attitude in the heart of the mother toward her baby (or children in general.)  Generation Cedar has a wonderful thought provoking post on this idea.  It's rather sobering to read it.   What we believe about children will effect how we raise them.

Being in the trenches shouldn't be about survival.  How many times have we met moms just simply trying to survive their little "monsters" until they are ready for kindergarten when they can begin to live again?  Oh those conversation break my heart.  So many people send the message of survival.  I think I probably have in the past but I am rethinking it.  Being in the trenches is the hardest work any mom and dad will ever do BUT if they use that time to pursue the hearts of their children and build that relationship they will definitely reap what they have sown.  It will be a beautiful relationship.  But if a mom is encouraged to pursue her own needs first, she will miss it.   It's my passion to help young moms avoid that and run after their children by lovingly embracing the call to lose their lives in order to find it.

  

Winning Your Daughters Heart

I am very passionate about winning the hearts of my little girls before they reach a point where they have been deceived into thinking that I no longer matter in their lives.  Notice I said deceived.  I meant it as well.  There is nothing a young girl needs more in her tween and teen years than her mother.  Sadly, so many moms have decided that these years are to be survived and that the fight for the hearts of their girls isn't worth it.  They leave the raising to the schools and often times the peers of their children.  But this is the time to engage their hearts in meaningful conversation that is centered on the gospel and how it will be lived out in their lives.  Will they waste these years or will they live them fully for the glory of God?  And lest you think that tween and teen can live for the glory of God, I challenge to NOT to find example of this in scripture. 

Think if David against Goliath. 

Think of Daniel when we stood up boldly against taking the diet of the king.  Daniel insisted, instead, on a diet that wouldn't defile his body and in the end he proved to be trustworthy.  He did that while still a young man.  This strength of character later led to him being able to defy the kings orders to bow to no one but the king.  He continued to bow to God.  This also found him face to face with a lion.

Think of Jesus in the temple.  Is He not our most excellent example?

What about the boy with the fish and loaves?

What about Miriam as she followed after her baby brother and was able to bring him back to mom? 

What of Joseph who as a young man served faithfully as a slave?  His faithfulness eventually led to the salvation of his family int he midst of a famine.

What of Ester who was thrust into the roll of queen and whose action eventually saved the lives of all of God's people?

These are all young people in the Bible who made a significant impact on the course of history.  Unlike most tweens and teens of our day, these young people showed a love for the Lord and was lived out in circumstances that were sometimes frightening and many times dangerous. 

Are we winning the hearts of our children and leading them in this direction?  Or are we allowing the culture to drive them?  If it's culture that drives our children then they will likely have a focus on self.  This focus on self will manifest itself in the worship of clothing, make up, teen idols, social media, ungoldy self-centered music, and an empty relationship with you.  Instead of handing them over to this culture to be influenced and lead astray, become pro-active in winning their hearts.  Be willing to say no, especially to social media too early.  Teach them to learn to love letter writing.  HA!  OK, so maybe that is a bit too far back.  But I admit, I don't allow email or cell phones for my young people because I do think it is a good discipline to know how to write a personal letter.  Writing is a lost art anymore.  There are even schools that are beginning to drop handwriting.  So sad.  Writing can bring such joy to our children, young and old.  I digress.

Ladies, run after your girls.  Do not let them get a taste for this culture.  Certainly help them understand what is out there but don't let them taste it's deceptive delicacies.  Equip them to engage the culture.  But I believe it's possible to equip them to engage the culture without throwing them to the wolves in the process.

Perhaps I am naive.  My oldest daughter is only now entering her tween years.  I am crying out to God in so many ways right now.  I may learn along the way that this stance is not realistic.  I may learn that my daughter doesn't want me to have her heart.  There is so much that can happen.  But right now this is my belief and it is what I attempting to practice with my own children.

Your thoughts?  Am I naive?  Is it possible to keep the hearts of our daughters from this culture?  For those of you with older girls.  Any advice?  I am all ears.

Parenting a Tween

I feel as if I have been thrust quickly into the throws of parenting tweens and teens in the past few weeks.  I have seen my precious little girl begin to say things and act in ways that are foreign to her personality and character.  Regardless, this is my favorite season in life.  While most moms and dads dread the teen years, I have been waiting for them and I am excited to walk this road with my daughter. 

Regardless of my enthusiasm toward this time in her life, I have been very surprised by some of things that I have come out of her mouth recently.  Surprised and concerned.  Recently I heard her tell me she thought she was fat.  WHAT?!!!!  I had to think back to my our conversation and remember if I had ever said that about myself.  I remember my mom talking about being fat all the time.  She still does.   She's not fat.  She's an beautiful aging woman.  She won't listen to me though.  The culture has brainwashed her into believing that it all matters. 

How did I not turn out like that?  Well, my first admit that I do place an emphasis on the opinion of men and woman around me way too much.  But I have begun to ground myself in the Word as I have grown in my adult years and so the truths about my worth and even my appearance have begun to take root.  I had to face the truth of all this when I suffered some health problems that robbed me of my make-up.  I looked like a monster for a good portion of my oldest daughters first year when I developed an allergic reaction to make-up I had been wearing for years.  I was so insecure but it started to make me think about it.  Through the years I have rested on one particular verse in Proverbs 31. 

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (v.30)

As I have wrestled with that verse and what I knew of this world's values, I have found that I can rest in it's truth.  I am not so worried about my weight anymore.  Mind you, I will not let myself go or anything.  But that is more of a focus on my health as a means of glorifying God than it is vanity.  Wrapped up in the little verse is a truth that I am constantly telling my girls.  If you are spending more time in front of the mirror than you are in front of the Word of God (thus learning to fear Him) then your priorities are way out of place.  That is what I live my life around. 

Regardless of what I have preached to my daughter, the enemy has launched an all out attack on my daughter and her heart.  She confessed to me tonight that she knows I am trying to win her heart and she just doesn't understand why she won't give it to me.  I am seeking the Father to understand if there is something I am doing to push her away despite my efforts.  I trust He will show me.  But I also know that she's simply fighting and fighting hard.  Sending her off to the university school for a couple of hours two days a week has exactly where God has her.  But I do believe that some of these ideas and struggles are coming from that situation.  She's exposed to friends that are allow certain "priveleges" that she is not.  Many of her friends already have phones as well as have email and Facebook accounts.  Really?!!!!

That idea blew me away!  I got off Facebook for my sanity and to gain extra time for my family.  I still wonder what purpose the social networking sites actually have.  It's wasted time, in my opinion.  I know that people use it to keep in touch with family and such.  That is all well and good.  But for the vast majority of people, it's not used that way.  I am learning that teens are using it to abuse each other with cyber hate mail or simple gossip (as if gossip were that simple.)  There are way too many provocative and suggestive pictures posted on others.  At times, I wonder if some posts contained a secret language between two people.  Many people say they are using it to further the gospel.  Really?  Is that why people keep posting all those personal pictures of themselves or kids?  Does that really glorify God and yourself?  This is not a world I ready to introduce to a child that is already self-centered in her very core. 

I heart is crying to protect my daughter.  I am trying not to tighten the reins too much but that is where my heart wants to go.  She's just a little girl.  When I was 11 yod, I wanted to still play with my dolls and be a little girl.  I moved a suburb of Dallas when I in 5th grade.  These girls were wearing make up.  They were concerned about boys.  They didn't play with dolls anymore.  Once I got into 6th grade I realized that I ever wanted to fit in I was going to have to put all that stuff away.  What I really wanted was for my mommy and daddy to take me back to a place that I knew as fun and innocent.   We thrust our children so quickly into grown up situations.  The problem is that we never teach them or equip them in how to respond Biblically in these situations.  And the enemy is winning our children. 

I don't want this for my daughter.  I want to lead her to the cross so that she can find her security in Christ.  She belongs to Him.  She's a princess of the King of kings.  A princess.  Have you ever considered that?  If you have been bought by the blood of Christ, you are His princess.  That idea has impacted my life recently.  A princess would be faithful to her father, obedient, trusting.  Do I live my life like that toward Christ?  Sadly, I act like someone that doesn't want to belong to the King.  But I do.  This is what I want for my daughter.  She doesn't need fancy clothes, phones, social networking.  if she's going to place her hope in those, she will be lost and miserable.  But if she is courageous enough to follow Christ wholeheartedly even when it's a bit painful to do so, she will find her confidence lies ONLY IN HIM. 

21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
(Proverbs 3:21-26)

I love this verse.  As one who has fallen prey to the lies of the self-esteem movement, I found great comfort in knowing I know longer had to look to extrenals to find my confidence.  God is my confidence.  I still struggle as an adult at times not to worry about what others think of me.  "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but those who trust in the Lord will be kept safe." (Proverbs 29:25)  Ironically I learned that verse while seeing a counselor my first year of marriage.   I continually have to remind myself not to make man's opinions into an idol.  Unfortunately, I am going to through a major overhaul and reteaching from the Lord because much of my life had become about pleasing man rather than pleasing God. 

I digress.  I am writing this about my daughter.  She's a beautiful young girl.  I want her to know, however, that she is beautiful not just on the outside, but that it's the heart that really matters.  Her beauty will eventually fade.  Where will she be when that happens?  If her hope lies in her looks, talents, friends, etc., she will be hopeless.  But if her hope lies in Christ, she will be very rich indeed.

What about you?  Are you raising a tween/teen girl in these volatile times?  How are handling these years with her? 

Why Is it So Important?

(Picture borrowed from Raising Homemakers and 

taken by Robin of Robin's Blue Egg)

Raising Homemakers is having another giveaway for their first week.  The article today is worth the read without the giveaway.  It discusses the reasons why it's important that we invest our time raising godly daughters.  Along with that, they are giving away a copy of a 9 week online mentoring course called "Evenings With Victoria Botkin."  I have enjoyed reading the book that her two daughters wrote several years ago called So Much More.  And in my mind, when a woman produces that type of wisdom and maturity in her daughters, then she's probably got something pretty important to offer.

Homestead Blessings 10 DVD Set GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited to announce another giveaway at Raising Homemakers.  They are giving away all TEN "Homestead Blessings" videos from Franklin Springs.  The set includes:

• The Art of Quilting
• The Art of Sewing
• The Art of Dairy Delights
• The Art of Canning
• The Art of Gardening
• The Art of Herbs
• The Art of Cooking
• The Art of Soap Making
• The Art of Candle Making
• The Art of Bread Making

This is a homemaking curriculum priced at $99 all for free.  Check out the video preview.





Go to Raising Homemakers to check out the details for the giveaway.  

Raising Homemakers

Raising Homemakers

I am so excited to see the launch of a new website called Raising Homemakers.   This is a site for moms and daughters alike to learn the ins and outs of keeping a home for the glory of God.  Here is an excerpt from their front page.  

To fully understand the purpose of Raising Homemakers, read The Invisible Hope Chest by RH contributor Breezy Brookshire…here is an excerpt:

“As young women not yet married, we have the responsibility to become as well-rounded and useful as we can be.  Right now you probably don’t have the full care of running the home—this is an excellent opportunity to prepare yourself for the rest of your life. The more helpful skills we acquire, the more useful, the more of a blessing we will be to our future husbands and families.”

We are the women...the mothers who will be teaching and training our daughters in how to fill their invisible hope chests.

How true this is.  We must be using this time in our lives to give them the skills to full succeed at running a home.  And from my perspective, I do not desire for them to struggle as I have in learning to run my home.  I must be purposeful in teaching them as they are young to find joy in this high calling.


By the way, they are having a give away.  Go on over to check it out.

Daughters

Any day now, I will become the blessed mother of four daughters.  Their ages will be newborn, 18 mod, 7 1/2 yod, and 11 yod (at the end of May.)  They are beautiful girls.  I know that my newborn will match their beauty, after all, she will be their sister.  All of my children have very large blue eyes.  It's is what most people use to identify if a child truly belongs to our family.  They also smile alot.  Each one of them has been given gifts as well as weaknesses.  The gifts, we pray, will be use to glorify the Lord.  Their weaknesses, the same.  For when they are weak, He is strong.  


As I sat up last night having a middle night snack to soften the hunger pangs, I sat across from the wall that holds pictures of my children.  My girls particularly stood out to me though.  I have an inner struggle within me that causes me a great deal of confusion and, well, waffling back in forth about what I believe to be true.  It centered around the roll of women in society, the church, and particularly the home.  I grew up with the message of feminism all around me.  Women can do anything men can do.  Women are often smarter than men (as was often played out in the classrooms of my public school where a good portion of the boys were simply not "smart enough" for the honors classes or the top reading groups.  They were also in trouble alot.)  Women should go to college, get a degree, and work before they marry.  If they do marry, there should be a period of time for getting to know your spouse before you have children.  A good four years wait is best.  When it comes to working in the home, well, that is the job of both spouses, especially if both are working.  


So, as I have grown in my faith over the past few years, I found much of what I was learning to be in conflict with what I was reading in scripture.  I honestly felt very confused.  What do I teach my girls?  What direction should I lead them as they grow?  College?  Being a stay at home daughter?  Do you get a job after college - assuming that is the right direction - or do you seek the possibility of marrying right away?  


I have relatives that are very insistent that MY girls should go to college and get a degree.  And while I have that inner conflict, there is also a part of me that isn't so sure about it.  College campuses can be a dangerous place for a young woman these days.  Even so called Christian college teach feminism and model it to the girls that attend.  Is that really what I want for my girls?  Is this what God would want?  I did it.  I went to a Christian college.  I met their father there.  Would it be so wrong?  


As I prayed last night for my girls, I asked God to give me Biblical conviction for HIS ways.  He knows my girls.  He know their future.  He also gave them to me to raise to be godly women.  I do not want to send them mixes messages about what is God's best versus what the world thinks is best.  


As I prayed, He brought the very simple, to the point scripture of Titus 2:3-5 to my mind.

 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Let me break this down just a bit.  First of all, older women are to teach younger women.  That is something that is really missing in our day and age.  The older woman, having listened to the lies of feminism, has abandoned their responsibility to encourage and teach younger women to be and do certain things as wives and others.  I would be an older woman to my own daughters.  It is sad to me that so many moms have found that they have no relationship with their growing daughters because they do not pursue them in relationship, nor do they want to.  Again, they've believed the lies of feminism, sought to be more fulfilled by pursuing their own agenda, and in the process have lost their daughters.  In the process, many of these younger girls, desperate for a mother's teaching, are desperate for someone to teach them the ropes.  Who is going to do that?  Movie stars?  Rock stars?  Their own peers who often have no clue either?  


I take this command very seriously.  I am the older woman to the four young girls given into my care.  But what am I to teach them?  I think this is where so many moms are very confused.  Many of them having grown up under the lies of feminism just simply don't know what to teach their girls.  So many times there is compromise rather than a boldness to lead their girls in God's way.  .  


So what is that we are to teach?  


* to love our husbands
* to love our children
* to be self-controlled
* pure
* keepers AT home
* kind
* submissive to their own husbands


That is a pretty rebellious list of qualities and ideas in our society.  Our society often asks:  How can a young girl love her husband?  She's not even married.  And children?  Shouldn't she really be set toward getting a career just in case she never marries or has children.  Self-control?  Pure?  Those are such out dated ideas.  We should be our own women and not let anyone dictate how we live or act.  Keepers AT home?  That is for lazy women who just want to live off the government or their husbands and not contribute?  Don't even get me started on submissive?  It's an antiquated, patriarchal idea that men have used just to control women.  That is typically the response women who believe God's word receive, many times from fellow believers who should know better.  This is God's very own word to women.  This what He has called us to be and do.  And if we believe that this Bible is the inerrant Word of God, then we must believe that what He is telling us here is for our very best.  We are not called to listen and follow the changing whims of our society.  We are called to follow and obey Him.  


Why does He ask us to do these things when they are so hard to live out in our society today?  This is what made me realize that I already have a Biblical conviction in what to teach my girls.  Look at the last part of this verse:  

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (emphasis mine)

Other translations of the Bible use the word blasphemed.  According to Webster's 1828 version of the dictionary, blaspheme means: 

To speak of the Supreme Being in terms of impious irreverence; to revile or speak reproachfully of God, or the Holy Spirit. 

We are representatives of Christ to this fallen world.  But if we do not live in a way that brings Him glory but only glorifies ourselves as women, then we have blasphemed the Word of God.  As Christian women, if we do not love our husbands or children, remain pure, have self-control, take care of our homes, or are not submissive to our husbands, that is blasphemous.  I didn't say it, God did.  I don't have the authority; He does!!


So my conclusion last night, as I wrapped up my prayer, is that I am to teach my girls to reject the messages of feminism (which are directly contrary to God's Word) and come along side them to boldly embrace God's call for them to godly women, walking in obedience to what He defines as a godly woman.  As I look around our society, I see many aspects of it that just are something that I should not be permitting in my girls.  Girl power should have no meaning to a young girl who wants to live in obedience to the Lord.  In fact, she will never do any of this truly in her power.  As sinful fallen creatures, we can't do anything on our own to obey the Lord.  That is why we need a Savior.  We need  Christ to save us and give us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may have the power to obey Him.  As women, we will always run after the messages of feminism.  Eve believed the serpent and thus feminism began.  But as redeemed woman of God, He wants us to reject it all, trust, and follow Him.  He wants us to believe Him no matter how much it goes again the cultures of our time.  


My vision for my daughters just took a new turn.  No longer to do I find it necessary to question the counter-cultural way I am taking my daughters.  My enthusiasm to teach them a different way, God's way, is growing. And as I draw closer to the moment of my fourth daughter's arrival, it grows even more.  As with JB, Schmoo, and Pinky Poo, little LeeLi (as she will affectionately be called now) is a gift given to me by a gracious God.  He's got great plans for her life and they include the message of Titus 2.  Each one of my daughters will live this out in different ways.  But still, it's their message.  It's their love letter from their Savior.  He wants to take care of His girls.  He's given them very special jobs as His girls that will ultimately bring Him glory.  And I find it such a privilege to be able to walk on that path with them.  Not only do I lead them there, but I am also learning much of these lessons as well.  I am walking away from feminism and embracing the call of God on my life to "love (my) husband and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to (my) own husband, that the word of God may not be reviled."  What a joy to serve my Savior in such a way.  

   

 

 

Feminine Dress - Monday

I was afraid this would happen this week.  I failed to get a picture of the girls.  I thought about this morning but then we were so busy trying to get back into a good school week that I forgot.  So, I'll just have to describe what they were wearing and what they did.

Schmootzy Poo was wearing a yellow dress (her favorite color) with a denim top.  It also had little blue flowers all over it.  She didn't do much with her hair today.  That was my fault for not checking chore cards in which she has one specifically for taking care of her body each morning.  Her activities for the day included doing her school work and laundry.  We do all of our laundry in one day so there is alot of work to do on Monday.  Still, there was time to play.  Now, I think this is where many people lose the idea of the girls wear dresses to play in. It's really quite easy.  Right now her choice of play in the backyard is the trampoline.  It was damaged last spring in what we think was a small tornado or straight-line winds so it's been out of commission for a while.  Dad fixed in a few weeks ago so it's getting much use these days.  And indeed, even the girls in their dresses jump on it.  How?  Very simple. . .you require them to wear either bloomers or shorts under their dresses.  They can jump to their heats content when there is something under their dress to keep them covered.  They can do the same on a bicycle, although I admit they struggle to do it sometimes.  They are still learning where to put their dresses and such when they ride like that.  But the undergarment keeps them modest and feminine at the same time.

JennaBear wasn't much different today.  She was wearing a red floral dress with a denim top.  She did a great deal more school today than Schmoo did so she wasn't outside as much.  She did jump today though.  She forgot her shorts and actually came inside late morning and announced to me that she'd forgotten them.  Her younger brother and sister wanted her to jump so she asked them to wait while she got her shorts on.  Jennabear's love is the kitchen so you will find her there on must days.  Today she was learning how to make pudding. . .for a box.  LOL!!!  We have a recipe for homemade pudding but had no time to make it so I just bought a box this time around.  But she faithful stood at the stove in her dress and stirred the pudding until it was ready.  Normally we put on a apron while we cook but mom forgot and Jennabear doesn't have one that fits.  She and I have a summer project on the sewing machine now.  A new apron.

Pinky Poo did not wear a dress today but daddy dressed her and forgot we were doing our challenge this week.  I didn't want to change her as a means of submitting to daddy and not changing what he helped me out with this morning.

What about mommy?  Well, yes I was wearing a skirt today and (unfortunately) a tighter top than I prefer.  Today was grubbies day so I was wearing something I don't normally wear.  This top is more like a blouse but it's sleeveless.  I don't wear much sleeveless anymore simply because I don't think they are as modest.  If I can find a good tank top to cover then I might.  Not when I am pregnant though.  But I did put on a skirt even though it's really not as comfortable to wear.  Tomorrow I will put on my favorite dress as we have a going away party to attend.

So that was our day.  Hopefully I will get pictures tomorrow.  I want to get some of them in action not just standing their with smiling faces.

Feminine Dress - Sunday

I decide to go ahead and get our post for first day of Challenge done this afternoon.  My children have a passion play planned for tonight so I want to be available for that.  

Today, of course, is Resurrection Day.  I would love to sew more clothes for my girls but the size and age of my family makes my time rather limited right now.  Nonetheless, I do sew our new Easter clothes.  My girls like to match in their clothing so sewing allows us to match and coordinate in this way.  I took a picture of all three girlies.  My 17 mod wears alot of dresses as well.  

This is Schmootzy Poo (7 yod), JennaBear (almost 11 yod), and Pinky Poo (17 mods).  

Pink's dress matches the girls long skirt.  Don't these young girls just look lovely.  

And just to prove that housework can be done joyfully in a skirt or dress I took a picture of JennaBear vacuuming the front room.  We don't normal do this kind of work on Sunday but boredom and set in and she walked into the wrong room to complain about it.  

For the record, mom is wearing a dress behind that camera but I am almost 36 weeks pregnant and really don't want to record what that looks like.  

Feelin' Feminine Challenge

Modesty is a topic that is very close to my heart.   Now that I have little girls this area has become even more important to me.  I talk with my girls alot about guarding their bodies.  We must keep them covered in order not to cause our brothers in Christ to stumble.  But we must also guard and protect them FOR our husbands.  A godly women does her husband good all the days of her life.  I believe this begins when they are young and modest plays a roll in this.

We start early talking about modesty with our girls.  For me this has always kind of started around 3 or 4 years old.  But recently I have felt convicted that I should even be helping to guard the body of my littlest girl.  What habits we start now (like running around naked or in a diaper) could potentially become problems in the future.

We have no specific conviction about wearing dresses and skirts only, at least not right now.  I will admit that my jeans and pants are a bit of stumbling block for me.  I love wearing them.  They are more comfortable to me sometimes.  Recently Underdog and I discussed the idea of simply making sure that if we do wear jeans or capri (no shorts above the knees anymore) that we would also attempt to wear a shirt that would fall belong our hips and backside.  My almost 11 yod, JennaBear, has grown to prefer that look but I remember many years ago being very convicted by her desire to dress in a distinctly feminine ways, much like her 7 yod sister now.

I post this in on behalf of my Schmootzy Poo my 7 yod.  I found a blog that I saved just for my girls to read when they are old enough to start visiting a few sites.  Feelin' Feminine is one such blog.  I love this site because it's encouraging to me to see older teen girls who are taking the call to modesty very seriously.  And they don't look frumpy in the least.  They honestly look very modern but are simply promoting the idea of distinctly feminine dress.  When I told Schmoo about the challenge she wanted to do it immediately.  So promised her when they did another challenge I would sign our blog up and blog on it for a week.  She convinced Jennabear to do this with her.  Mom is on hold as she struggles to find clothes to wear right now.  But I wear as many dresses and skirts as I can find that are comfortable and not too tight.

You can find more about the Feelin' Feminine Challenge here.  We will be taking pics of the girls and posting how they went through their day in feminine dresses.  This should be fun for all us.  Please join us in this.  Dresses are what make women in our culture distinctly feminine.  In many ways, pants are rather uni-sex but that is a topic for another blog.

Tea Time

What happens when 4 boys/men leave 4 ladies by themselves? Tea Time!!!! We had 2 cupcakes and 2 cookies left over after My Little Lady's Party this weekend. So we pulled out our new tea cups (which we got to use this weekend at the party) and made ourselves some yummy zinger teas. I ate a cupcake with mint green frosting. The girls ate an oatmeal cookie and half of a cupcake.

While we drank our tea and enjoyed our leftover desserts, we read a few pages of the spring edition of The Girlhood Home Companion.


What a lovely little magazine this has turned out to be for us. Little Lady is just now starting to read it. I just love looking at the bright photos. While this is written so that young girls can enjoy, I find such encouragement as a wife and mother. In this particular issue there is a small section dedicated to Beatrix Potter as a naturalist and an artist. This has been especially inspiring to me as I journey with the Lord to venture outside the "school" box and making education something completely centered on Him. But that is for another blog. We have just enjoyed reading some of the quotes by Beatrix Potter and are growing more excited to be out at the Heard Museum to walk the trails and sketch the landscape and wildlife.

One of the most exciting moments we had in our brief tea party was when I remembered something I bought for Pinky Pooh over a year ago when I found out we were having a girl. I found a package with a cloth tea set (made by the Pottery Barn, I believe.) I was going to put Pinky Pooh down with her noisy computer but them I remember this little set. I immediately ran to get it. It was such a hit for all of us. Why? Well, several weeks ago I read a blog about simplifying toys. This blog led me to another article that was even more convicting (to find this article, scroll down to the bottom of the blog and she has a download called "The Issue of Toys, Children & Materialism".) I have wanted to simplify toys and bring in more natural toys for a long time. I finally found the courage to do so and purged so many of our plastic and noisy toys. So when I remembered that I had this lovely little cloth tea set I ran to get it. She was overjoyed. Here is a picture of Pinky Poo with part of her tea set right after I gave it to her.

(I love her crinkled nose. That is new. She was hold one of the
little plates and using her new fold skill of clapping
her hands together. )

This next picture is of all three girls enjoying their tea.


The girls wanted a picture of mom but I wouldn't let them. I think I need to start breaking out and letting them do more of that.

We have spent the better part of our day in the craftroom. I am working to finish an apron I cut out for Schmoosty Pooh in January 2008!!!! Little Lady is working on "thank you" notes after her party on Saturday. And Schmoo is working on anything crafty that will hold her attention. We been trying to complete The Laundry Game as well (which you can see piled up on the love seat behind the girls in the picture above.) This has been such a great Memorial Day. We decided against going out and doing anything "special." As a family we decided to be home and get some things done around the house. The days isn't over so I suppose to should go be a home keeper. But this blog was too good to pass up.

Prairie Girls!!!