Don't Make Me Count to 3

Moms of America - this book is for you! Do you find yourself threatening, repeating your instructions or raising your voice in an attempt to get your children to obey? Are you discouraged because it seems you can't just reach the heart of your child?

There are three main things that God tells me to teach younger women:
1. how to love (be fond of, adore and serve) their husbands,
2. how to take care of their homes (prepare nutritious meals, keep order, create sanctuary), and
3. train their children.

Older women are supposed to teach the younger women how to love (adore and serve) their husbands, take care of their homes (prepare nutritious meals, keep order in the simple home as well as establish the simple home principles, create sanctuary in the home and the master bedroom.

Older women are also supposed to teach moms how to train their children. And, since, I suppose I fall into the category of an older woman and I can't teach all of you . . . I want to recommend my very favorite child training book (which by the way moms are to train their children and serve their husbands - NOT train their husbands and serve their children).

Through personal experience and the practical application of the Bible, Ginger Plowman not only encourages but equips moms to reach past the outward behavior but to dive into the issues of the child's heart.

Don't Make Me Count to Three: a Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline

Don't Make Me Count to 3

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/05/dont-make-me-count-to-3.html

MOM Help 911 - Part 7 - sleep deprivation

I love helping MOMS and here's another MOMS HELP 911 and the first one starts here.

Most of the precious moms I know are sleep deprived. Many of the older gals I hang out with also struggle with getting a good nights sleep. And, I know that it's just plain tough for a woman to function in the day to day home front responsibilities without good sleep. Sleep like time for self is often a longing unmet.

It's surely difficult for a woman to create sanctuary in her home when she hasn't slept. I acknowledge that a mom can't even begin to think about organizing her linen closet or evalute the needs in her kitchen when she hasn't had uninterrupted sleep. And what wife can think about creating sanctuary in the master bedroom when sleep sounds more like a foreign language? How can even think about what margins I need to fill if I haven't had good sleep?

Sleep is such a gift. It's God's way to restore and heal our bodies and effects from sleep deprivation can be serious. I made up a list of a few of the things that I know can cause sleep deprivation: new babies, children not sleeping, worry, anxiety, late night work, menopause, eating too much, alcohol, undealt with anger, unresolved resentment, fear, stressors not managed, continuous and unrelenting stress. I'm sure there are about fifty or so more.

Sleep deprivation can have serious effects on health and relationships - especially marriage. The body needs recovery time and relaxation time. The more adrenaline that is dumped, the more rest is needed so the body can heal itself.

It's a growing issue that demands attention, support and as much resolve as possible - especially for moms.

My dad sent me this article. It has to do with cell phones and the effects they can have on sleep. Because I wanted to write something on moms and sleep deprivation, I thought quoting this article here would fit in great.

Cell Phones Have Severe Effect on Sleep Research raises new concerns about the effects of mobile devices. Mobile phones severely disrupt sleep patterns, according to scientific research into their impact on human rest, funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Association. The research undertaken by the Electromagnetic Academy based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the United States, exposed 71 men and women, aged between 18 and 45, to mobile phone radiation as they prepared to sleep.

According to the study, monitoring under laboratory conditions showed the initial ‘light’ phases of sleep in the subjects were affected. In addition, “exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected.”

The research also found that those exposed to mobile phones during their sleep appear to have more headaches, than those not exposed. The findings coincide with calls from UK company Exradia, manufacturers of the first device proven to neutralize potentially dangerous mobile phone radiation, for more government research into the health issues being raised.

David Schick, Exradia chief executive, said, “This study is yet another example of how using mobile phones can have a detrimental effect on humans. It is critical that the UK Government now undertakes a formal public inquiry into this issue.” France recently became the latest country to advise against excessive use of mobile phones, particularly by children. Other countries who’ve issued similar advice include Sweden, the UK, Israel and India. end of quote

I wonder sometimes if all our modern conveniences and hectic over scheduled calendars don't add to the issues we're trying to resolve in our life. If sleep deprivation is something you struggle with and I'm sure it is . . . consider the effects your cell phone might have.

MOM Help 911 - Part 7 - sleep deprivation

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/08/mom-help-911-part-7-sleep-deprivation.html

MOMS Help 911 - Four - Taking Beauty Pauses

I'm continuing my mini series MOMS Help 911 - today and picking up the theme of REST from this post, and I'm calling this:

Learning to REST with Beauty Pauses

I’m a firm believer in scheduled periods of REST. God gives us 168 hours a week and 56 of those hours SHOULD be spent sleeping (eight hours a night)– so that our bodies and minds can rejuvenate. If I've done my math right, that leaves 112 hours to manage and create margins over a seven day period.

But, if we are seeking to practice the “work 6 and rest 1 day” principle, that would force us to work, be disciplined and schedule our margins so that we could truly REST – have a Sabbath on that ONE day.

But, how in the world does a mom REST – or find REST at all?

I want to suggest some possibilities for moms to work in a few moments of REST that I call a Beauty Pause.

A Beauty What, you say?
Good question - let me explain!

First, true beauty starts in the feminine soul ~ a woman. When a woman's soul is refreshed and restored, her countenance shines with beauty and the attitude of her heart graces her to sail through just about any life storm.

Restoring Beauty is necessary. It's something we can't deny that our souls need and deserve. It's like proper skin care to the face - is proper soul care to the woman.

Too many women run here and there - running dry - chasing spins and living an un-Centered life. Is that you? Is your soul dehydrated, famished, or drained?

If you are groaning a whispered “yes” then please know, there is hope. Hope for the beginning of restoration can be found in applying and practicing a few “beauty treatments for the soul” – I call these Beauty Pauses.

Take 10
The first Beauty Pause is to take time out-of-doors to see the beauty of God’s gift: His created earth.

Go, take 10 (minutes). What do you see that you haven’t seen in a long time? What do you hear that you haven’t heard in a long time? What can you smell that you haven’t smelled in a long time? Doves cooing, orange blossoms blooming, a balmy breeze blowing, puffy white clouds lacing mountain tops, or baby Cactus Wrens chirping for their supper?

When we cease racing compulsively through mornings, afternoons or evenings, we grace our soul to recapture life and beauty.

God commanded us to observe a Sabbath rest. If I’m going to restore beauty then what’s required is a Sabbath rest from everything I’m striving for.

“Be still and know that I am God,” the Psalmist writes. When we never “stop to smell the roses,” we miss something of the Creator’s touch upon our souls. We miss the Gentleman’s whisper, wooing us to, “Come away, My Beloved. I am yours and you are Mine.”

Breakdown occurs within the feminine soul that has not created arenas for a Sabbath rest ~ for Sanctuary. When the feminine soul no longer “sees” or “hears” God, it may be that she's purchased idols with credit cards. These idols will eventually fall on her - and the bummer thing is that she'll tear her house down too.

Think about this. . . .
What would it feel like to have the arms of God around you at this very moment? What would it feel like to hear His gentle voice say, “I love you My darling one”?

You and I were meant for to have that communion with the One Who created us. Restoring Beauty creates arenas for our souls to be refreshed through Beauty Pauses.

More on Monday. . . Missed the series? Here's One, Two and Three and here's Mom Advice on Being Frugal.

MOMS Help 911 - Four - Taking Beauty Pauses

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/07/moms-help-911-four-taking-beauty-pauses.html

MOM Help 911 - Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of my new mini-series called MOM Help 911. For a review on Moms and anger issues go here. Part one is here.

I've been thinking about the many tasks of a mom and that the primary one is for moms to grow children. By this, I mean that a mom grows her children in three ways.

She models. She trains. She nurtures.

Today, I want to address the most important task and that is what she models. The most important thing a mom models is how she shows respect to their father – her husband. T

here’s nothing that will tear a home down faster than a mom undermining the authority of her husband. Respect for a husband/father is given – it’s not earned.

How does a mom model respect?
First, it’s got to come from the heart, if it’s not there find out why – perhaps there are some serious “dad” wounds that need to be addressed.

Second, don’t view your husband like your father. He’s not. And, seek to resolve conflicts in a biblical way.

Third ask for God to help you to honor your husband according to Ephesians 5:33.

Next, begin to think about ALL those things that you ARE thankful for in your husband. Count them and thank God out loud for them.

Then, begin to talk about those things that you are thankful for to your children. Do this for at least a week. Do it sincerely.

Practice speaking to your husband in a (sincere) gentle voice. Don’t yell. Don’t use a sing songy sarcastic voice – you know the one with the attitude!

Respect is so important. A mom needs to model respect for people and teach her childen how to have respect for other's personal property. I've got to be really honest. Nothing that bugs me more is when kids go to someone’s (my) house and they jump on the furniture or they get into things that aren’t theirs to get into. It's a mom's job to teach her children boundaries and respect. They must be taught that a NO means a NO – not a maybe – but a NO.

So, what are some ways that a mom undermines her husband's authority? Here's my little list:
1. She argues with her husband in front of her children.
2. She goes behind his back and does something for the children that she knows he clearly does NOT want done.
3. She says things like, "Don't tell Dad." Ahhhhhh
4. She talks about her husband - critically to the children or others.
5. She sulks or pouts when things don't go her way.
6. She complains that she can't do this or that because the family doesn't have enough money.

One final MOM Help is that IF your world revolves around your child – and IF your home is “child-centered” then I doubt you understand what it means to show respect to your husband. Go back here for some more biblical review. Hmmm . . .

MOM Help 911 - Part 2

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/07/mom-help-911-part-2.html

Tips to Live on a Little

If you read my Money Making Mama's Blog, you'll see that I think, "If I save money, then I have made money." Money is so much about attitude and how we steward the little or the much that God gives us.

I love reading Mom Blogs and one in particular is a good one! It's written by Crystal Paine. She's a mom of two little kiddos and has the wisdom of a 60 year old. She has found wonderful creative ways to steward (manage) what God has given them. This post just came out today and it's worth reading and re-reading!

Roses to you, Crystal - May God continue to use you in the lives of so many women!

I'd love your comments to what Crystal has written!

Tips to Live on a Little

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2007/11/tips-to-live-on-little.html

Women struggle with anger and more...

anger,
bitterness,
father wounds,
how to journal,
how to really listen,
how to deal with gossip,
how to deal with criticism,
dealing with body image,
creating a peaceful home,
how to have confidence in starting new relationships.

Women struggle with anger and more...

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2007/11/women-struggle-with-anger-and-more.html