Favorite Accidental Artist Remedies September 29, 2006

Before we get to our "Friday Favorite" for this week, we wanted to give you a heads up on our blog topic for the next couple of weeks.  We’ll be talking about the importance of planning ahead for our children’s future with the topic, "Soon They’ll be Teens:  Preparing for Adolesence Begins Now."  Whether you have toddlers or school age children, we hope this topic will serve you well!  Please don’t hesitate to give us your feedback through making comments along the way!  Now to this week’s "Favorite"….

A couple months ago I had "one of those weeks" and realized I have a budding artist on my hands.  My 2 ½ year old son, Alec, had a particularly “creative” week.  Apparently crayons and construction paper weren’t exciting enough for him.  His preferred canvas?  Furniture!  His preferred medium?  Markers! YIKES!  (You must understand that this was new for me, as my oldest son wasn’t this bold!)

It all began while I was working on my computer. Alec was playing right behind me.  When I turned around to check on him I discovered that my nice leather chair was COMPLETELY COVERED in marker – the back, seat, arms, and sides.  Not one area was untouched by his “artistic” hands!  I wish I had taken a picture of it (I take pictures of everything!), but I wanted to clean it up as quickly as possible!  This leads me to my first FAVORITE product…washable markers.  I just know God Himself gave someone the wisdom to come up with them!  Actually, any kind of art supply (crayons, paint, etc.) that I buy says “washable” on it, and it has made my life a much easier!  I have only used the Crayola brand, because I know they work.

On to the next exciting “art project” of the week.  Alec decided he wanted to color without asking me.  He got a piece of paper, sat at the table and used a marker to color his picture, only this time it wasn’t one of my precious washable markers; it was a permanent, black, Sharpie Marker!  Unfortunately, he doesn’t always stay on the paper. In fact, he seemed to like the table top better than the paper for his art!  YIKES, again! (A little more panic this time as I saw what he was using…but I still managed muster a chuckle.)  That’s when I grabbed my FAVORITE CLEANING PRODUCT OF ALL…(drum roll, please)…the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!!!  Let me tell you, I love that little white block of, well, whatever it is!  It seems to clean like magic, J and with a little work, it took the Sharpie right off my table top, with no damage to the wood.  Now I can’t guarantee that this will work in every situation, but it certainly did in this one!  I have also used it to clean the refrigerator, kitchen table chairs (as they are always covered in some sort of leftovers from dinner the night before!), the baseboards, exterior doors, walls…well, you get the picture!  The nice thing is that you don’t have to use chemicals, just water!  It takes a lot of the “muscle work” out of cleaning jobs.  (As a side note, I have heard that these are really helpful for those who have arthritis in their hands.)

So, that is my testimonial for my two favorite products right now! Hope they save you a little time and stress…and help you enjoy a chuckle at your accidental artists!

Posted by Stephanie

I’m Right Behind You September 28, 2006

Bonnie is our second guest contributor and helps us to close out our "Moms Who Have Inspired Us" theme.  As we wind down testimonies on moms whose lives have provoked us to godliness through their example, let’s not walk away and forget the ladies we’ve met.  Better yet, let’s all make a comittment to embracing our biblical responsibility to live with God-centered abandonment to His purpose and plans for our lives.  As we grow in godliness and in biblical femininity, He can give us the power and humility to be an inspiring example to others, too!  Ladies, people are watching….most importantly, our own children.  Let’s commit ourselves afresh today to, like the mom you’ll meet below, be "messengers of hope" to those we may not even realize are looking for help.

Right from the start, I loved being a mom.  There didn’t seem to be too much of a struggle going from being a wife to a wife and mother.  I can remember the joy I felt as I held each of my four babies in my arms.  We had done the Lamaze classes and read countless books on childbirth and child rearing.  It seemed like an enormous job, but one I was happy to have.  I embraced my new season.

In just a minute, it seemed, I found I had become a mother of teenagers.  Wow, that was fast.  I wish someone had written me a note to open in ten years that explained to me what was ahead!  But, I discovered, God did.  He sent the note by messenger.

One morning several years ago, during our Sunday celebration a new couple stood up and I was immediately drawn to them.  This was the birth of one of those “Spirit born” relationships that you hear about.  How funny it is to think back that I felt like I was reaching out to welcome a visitor and really God had sent her for me.

As we got to know each other, Pat Oleck and I discovered that we have many things in common.    Our backgrounds are similar including the fact that our husbands are both engineers.  The difference is that her children were just a few years ahead of mine.  We both had a son first and then a daughter, and our sons were very similar in personality.  She would share about fruit in her children’s lives and how God brought them and her through their trials.  She and I would laugh together about the things that our kids would do and how teenagers view the world.  She gave me hope as I walked a few steps behind her.  She had a different perspective.  She could see how God used the past to shape the future.  She would share with me how God’s sovereign hand had molded her children into vessels that God was using.

Pat has been my messenger of hope and I am very thankful for her!

Like Mother, Like Daughter September 27, 2006

Over the years I have often heard the phrase, “You are so much like your mom!”  As a teenager, I was like most adolescents and didn’t always appreciate the significance of that comment.  Now I accept it as a treasured compliment!

Let me tell you a few things about my mom, Cindy Gilland, and some of the ways I want to be just like her!

My mom has loved my dad and has been a faithful, godly wife for 30 years!  What an example she is in the way she follows him – with faith and joy!  She is an excellent mother, because she is first an excellent wife. She is passionate about her home and her family.  If you know her, then you know that her home truly is where her heart is.  She sacrificially cares for her family – serving my dad, my brother and sisters and myself without seeking recognition.  She has created a home of hospitality and warmth, felt by all who enter. She stayed home and cared for us – her children – seeing that the time and training she invested in us had eternal significance.  As a result, she not only has good relationships, but friendships with each of us!

Mom follows the Titus 2 mandate for older women to “train the young women to love their husbands and children…” (Vs. 3-4)  She regularly encourages me – especially when it comes to “mothering issues.”  She helps me regain focus when I get distracted by circumstances.  She reminds me that all the hard work of training my boys now will pay off in 10 years!  I guess you could say she is kind of my cheerleader! 

There is so much more that I could say, but I just want you to know that my mom inspires me as a mother.  I hope that in my mothering I become more and more like her!  And I pray her example inspires you, too.

I love you, Mom!

Posted by Stephanie

Hats off to our Metro Moms! September 26, 2006

This week we have the privilege of hearing from two seasoned moms as guest contributors to our theme "Moms Who Have Inspired Us."  Both these ladies could easily be the focus of our thanks and honor as mothers and as selfless servants at our church.  Today we hear from Emily Jessee.  If you have visited Metro more than once, you surely ran into Emily who is constantly and joyfully serving!  Thank you, Emily, for sharing your heart for our young moms…and for the numerous ways you lay down your life for all of us!

When I think about honoring the young moms of Metro Life Church, I can’t imagine only getting to honor one mom ~ in my eyes, they are all heroes.  As the mother of one son (who is married to the most terrific young woman, by the way!), the grandmother of 2 boys, and blessed to be involved in the lives of so many others here at Metro, I watch many of these young moms lay down their lives and their own desires to serve their husband, children and this local Church selflessly. 

Sunday mornings are just a small glimpse into their lives as I watch them go from their seats to the nursing mom’s room with newborns, the training room with toddlers and the restroom with those who just can’t wait!  They walk up and down the aisles many times during a worship service to make sure their children are taken care of ~ even if this means they have to discipline them to help them understand that when we are at the meeting, we are here to worship and honor the Lord.  It is often months, maybe years, before they can actually make it through a worship service and the message without interruption. 

Many of these young moms have husbands who serve on various ministry teams ~ whether it be the worship team, the tech teams, ushering or children’s ministry.  They wholeheartedly support their husband’s role.  By so doing, we, as a local Church, are blessed because of the gifts and talents of these young men.  And if that’s not enough, to watch these young moms in their own sphere of influence is most amazing ~ the way they minister to one another and come alongside each other in their daily lives.  The phone calls and cards for encouragement, the special meal that will just ‘show up’ at dinner time when they know someone has had a particularly hard day, watching each other’s children so they can have a few minutes to shop for groceries without distraction, run an errand, go for a Dr.’s appointment, or have a much needed date night!  Again…these young mom’s step way outside of their own comfort zone to see to it that others are taken care of as well. 

I am confident that these young mom’s are storing up for themselves treasures in heaven because of the investments they are making in the lives of their families and friends, and I THANK MY God upon every remembrance of them ALL. 

An Example Worthy of Emulation September 25, 2006

We continue this week with testimonies of mothers who have inspired us.  We pray their examples will inspire you, too.  Enjoy!

One of the greatest blessings I’ve enjoyed as a member of our local church is being surrounded by so many Godly wives and mothers who are committed to fulfilling their roles in a way that brings honor and glory to God. None of them would profess to be doing a perfect job, but they are joyfully persevering by the grace of God, and are humbly endeavoring to grow as wives and mothers. The fruit in their lives would, first, be evidence of God’s kindness and faithfulness, and, second, be evidence of their obedience to the word of God. It is a privilege to have such women as personal friends because their lives are helping to shape my own.

Kim Carbia would be a wife and mom I respect greatly because of the humility that saturates her life. A few moments with her reveals the humble assessment she has of herself and the Biblical assessment she possesses of God. I walk away from our times together desiring to grow in humility because of her example. Kim is always asking questions and wanting to gain knowledge about being a wife and mom. Her primary means of acquiring knowledge is by studying the Word of God on a regular basis. As a result, Kim is not only a "hearer of the word" but also a "doer of the word."

One specific example of being a "doer of the word" comes to mind about a conversation I had with Kim about growing in affection for her husband. She put truth into action by placing kind notes in his lunch simply to bless him…without expecting anything in return. She not only confessed her love for him, she DEMONSTRATED her love for him. Her affection for him grew as she meditated on the things she had to be grateful for about him. This simple act repeated over a period of time, along with other endeavors to grow in affection for him, has had its intended affect.

All too often I have done things for my husband not only expecting, but desiring something in return. The sin culprit here would be selfishness, I believe…yuck! I pray that by emulating Kim’s example, the Lord will help me to grow in selflessly demonstrating my love for my husband.

Time spent in fellowship with Kim also reveals a woman who deeply loves her children. She is committed to serving them and is also committed to growing in ways to better serve them and grow in affection for them. The way she spends her time is evidence of this love. She is definitely not a woman who "eats the bread of idleness." She enjoys finding ways to bless them and demonstrating her love for them.

Recently she threw a birthday party for her youngest son, Nicholas. It was so encouraging to hear a mom taking such delight in all the "little" details of preparing for such an event. She even allowed him to change the whole theme for the party spontaneously as his heart’s desire for a "shark-themed party" changed the moment he encountered all the "Chicken Little" paraphernalia in the party store. The point being….it was all about his special day and what would bless him…not about convenience and sticking with an already decided upon theme. Her flexibility demonstrated affection to her 3-year old in a very tangible way.

I’m glad I’ve had a few moments to introduce you to a woman whose example is worthy of emulation!

Posted by Michelle

Favorite Colic Drops September 22, 2006

Whoops….this post was inadvertantly up last Friday for a couple of hours.  So if you saw it then and are thinking, "Hmmm….haven’t I seen this before?"  Yes, you did.  This time we’ll keep it up for the whole weekend.  One grandmother has already requested a bottle of this stuff for her twin infant grandchildren.  Jaime just happened to have an extra bottle onhand and we got it to Nana really quick…

Jaime is the mother of three: Kayla, 5; Wyatt, 18 months; and Anniston, 7 weeks.  She shares with us today her favorite product that helped Wyatt, who suffered with severe colic and infant reflux for his first 5 months.  She is now is finding it surprisingly helpful for a common infant malady…hiccups.  If you have ever paced the floor with a crying, colicky baby you may find some help here!

My lactation consultant recommended Colic Ease when Wyatt was having severe digestive problems. It was also given the ok by my pediatrician. Although nothing prior to this had helped him get better (and, believe me, I tried them all!) Colic Ease really did enable him to dispel his gas, and it seemed to settle him down after eating. I now use it with Anniston during her gassy times of the day and also to get rid of hiccups.  One-half teaspoon gets rid of them everytime. (My Mom says it’s magic!)  I never leave the house without my Colic Ease and dropper. It has taken the place of Mylicon drops for gassiness, plus the added bonus of no more annoying hiccups! I highly recommend this for anyone with a baby,whether they have colic or not.

The obvious question all mothers would want to know is, "What is it made of?"  Colic Ease is FDA approved gripe water. Gripe water is a well-known remedy in European homes (and other countries) used to ease the pain of colic, reflux and hiccups. Colic Ease uses all natural ingredients. The herbs are dill weed seed oil, caraway seed oil, cinnamon bark oil, clove bud oil, and cardamom seed oil. Sounds gross, doesn’t it? Yet, both of my kids that have used it LOVE the taste and suck it down easily. All of these herbs have different purposes: aiding digestion, relieving vomiting, relieving stomach upset, stopping diarrhea, killing bacteria, helping to dispel flatulence, and generally settling the stomach.

Wyatt continued to suffer from colic and reflux, but Colic Ease really did bring him some relief.  Here is the link where you can learn more and order it for baby’s comfort and your peace of mind!

www.colicease.com <http://www.colicease.com/>

Now if anyone knows of drops that help with temper tantrums, please let me know!

Go Ahead and Laugh Now! September 21, 2006

I can still hear her saying, "Honey, if you’re gonna laugh about this eventually, just go ahead and laugh now."  As a young mother, I wasn’t naturally prone to laughing about messy or inconvient things with my children.  Years ago I didn’t understand why it was halariously funny, for example, that little Jaime had woken from her nap, taken off all her clothes and her diaper, pooped in her crib, and then wiped the poop all over her bedding and stuffed animals.  When I called Mom that morning I wanted her sympathy, not her "getting tickled to death."

My mom left quite a legacy including devotion to God’s word, lavish love for family, servanthood in spite of pain, and perserverance through trials unlike most will ever experience — including living with chronic pain, having a son who became a quadrapalegic at age 21, and being widowed at age 49 after dad’s fatal heart attack.  (Both Randy and Dad died within 8 months of each other in the mid 70′s after years of similar tragedies in Mom’s large extended family.)  But one of the most precious gifts she gave me was her simple love of laughter.  Although she died over 6 years ago, I think I can still remember what her laugh sounded like. 

Mom laughed so hard she often cried.  And in her later years she would frequently be seen walking very quickly to the bathroom before her roaring laughter resulted in an embarrassing moment.  Mom laughed as she told stories about her childhood, saying, "The only thing we could afford to entertain ourselves as kids was laughing at one another!"  She found humor in things others would completely miss — like the time we saw a sign on the side of the road that said "Hidden Driveway Ahead."  She had me laughing for a good ten minutes about "why in the world someone would build a hidden driveway…and then put a sign on the road telling everyone where they hid it!" 

But mostly Mom laughed at her children and grandchildren.  Whenever one would do or say something remotely silly, she was on the phone with her sisters telling them about it.  She found great joy in spreading joy.  (And she loved any excuse to talk about any of us.)  Some of my favorite memories of her final years are of going to her apartment in the basement of our home to watch her laugh about things I would otherwise have dimissed as childish antics.  Within minutes I knew she would be "dying laughing" about it on the phone with Aunt Vergie.

Earlier this week Jaime and I sat visiting with my son Jesse and his wife, who are temporarily living out of state.  As our time of biblical fellowship wound down, we started sharing funny memories.  Before long we were all laughing really hard — like Mom did — about the time I walked off the stage and slid across a newly refinished wood floor in front of a room full of people after speaking at a conference some years ago.  I was able to laugh about it then…and now…because the gift of laughter had been passed along to me by a woman who was able to smile through a life peppered with tragedy and heartache. 

A few years ago my friend Marie commented that she remembers me laughing alot when our kids were young.  It was then that I knew Mom’s legacy was continuing.  I don’t have the daily challenges and dramatic heartaches she faced in her 73 years, but I do love to laugh.  I learned to laugh until tears fall from my eyes from her.

If you’re a young mom, please remember Mom’s delightful advice.  Often the duties, challenges and sometimes exhausting responsibilities of caring for and training children can overshadow the sheer halarity of motherhood. If you know you’ll laugh about it eventually, go ahead and laugh now.  When "little" Jaime, who is now the mother of three children 5 and under, called me last week to tell me her Wyatt had pooped on the carpet and she had chased him down as he tracked it through the downstairs, she was laughing.  And I didn’t even have to encourage her to.

Thanks, Mom.

P.S.  If you have a funny short story about one of your children, please post a comment so we can all spend time laughing together today!

Posted by Sheree

A Mom of Faith September 20, 2006

The mom whom I greatly respect has been involved in my life since the late eighties. In the early years it was from a distance. Now she is my mentor and friend. She has been faithful to hold up a banner of what godly motherhood looks like. Sadly, I fell far short of that standard. I would leave from hearing her teach and boldly declare, “from now on things will be different!” Change would come, but it was “line upon line, precept upon precept.” I wanted the quick fix; however, I began to see that change, lasting change, most often happens in small, faithful steps, not in big leaps of faith.

In observing my friend from a distance I could see the faith of a mother for her children. I saw a mother devoted to passing on the Truth to her children that they might reach their children for the glory of God. I saw the big picture of motherhood, and it was contagious. I wanted to stand with her one day with the same faith for my children that she so passionately held for hers. I longed to know the reality that she seemed to enjoy, yet we lived so far apart. What I gleaned from her came in the form of teachings and books. Little did I know that God had a big surprise in store for me.

In 2000 this woman that I had learned so much from moved to Orlando with her husband and large family. It was right in the middle of the most challenging season of being a mom for me. I was at the point where I felt that all the rules had changed, and no one had told me what they were. In desperation I cried out to God for help! And He heard the cries of my heart, by sending Sheree Phillips to be not only my guide, but my friend.

The faith that she always demonstrated for her husband and family was now directed at me and for my family! How could this be? I had made so many mistakes along the way, and I believed that the fruit I was reaping was what I deserved. I’ll never forget her looking me square in the eye and rebuking those thoughts. She said, “Stop it! You’re forgetting that God is the One who changes hearts – not you!” For one of the first times in my life I was speechless! I knew immediately that what she was saying was exactly what I needed to hear. But her words were more than words to me; for they carried with them the reality that I saw lived out in her daily life. What a gift her friendship would become to me. I affectionately call her “my reality friend”, because she so often reminds me of the Truth, which gives me faith in God for the difficulty I’m facing.

I don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for Sheree. God has used her in my life to bring me to a place of faith, not in myself, but in the Big God that we love and serve. Thank you, Sheree, for being a faithful representative of what a godly mother looks like.

Posted by Debi

A Friend Like Sunshine…Helps You to Grow. September 19, 2006

You know, there are some people you just love being around. Some friends that you just can’t help but grow when you are around them.  Some women that just comfort, encourage, challenge, correct, and make you laugh ~ histerically. I am blessed to know one of those women and I am so excited to be able to share with you how she has affected my life.

Since my first son, Jacob, was born I have benefited from the example I see in Kristen.  She has been so patient with me when I had no idea what I was doing.  I watched as she joyfully laid down a job she enjoyed to become a mommy. Year after year she has kept a home that is beautiful and inviting (and very clean!). I have watched as she has bonded with each one of her girls. I have seen her desperately cry out to the Lord when things became difficult in her mothering. I have watched as she sought counsel from others that have gone before her and humbly admited when she has made mistakes. I have seen her be an example of what it is to be both consistent and loving in her training. I have watched her have a blast with her girls. They both are a true joy to be around. I have benifited from her wisdom, and I’ve grown because of the loving correction she has brought when she noticed sin in my life and my parenting. I have been encouraged by her keeping the gospel before me when I didn’t know where to turn. I cried on her shoulder when my son, Joseph, needed surgery in the NICU and rejoiced with her with evidences of grace that I have seen in both of our children’s lives: when they potty trained, learned how to tell the truth, stopped getting out of bed, learned how to obey the first time, asked questions about the gospel, or stopped sucking their fingers!

What more could I ask for in a friend? Kristen, thank you for being a woman who loves her Savior and wants to please him with your whole life.  I can’t thank you enough for the example and care you have given me over the years.  What an amazing means of grace you are in my life! I love you dearly!

I pray all of you would benefit from other women like this in your life, it is women like this that remind me of how benificial and necessary it is to be tied into the local church. If someone else came to mind when you were reading this that has blessed you why don’t you drop her an email today encouraging and thanking them for how she has blessed your life!

Posted by Taraleigh

Birthday Surprise September 18, 2006

Over the next two weeks we want to highlight God’s grace in the lives of mothers we know.  The purpose of this is to provoke us all to emulate the examples of these women and to remind us to cultivate humility by noticing and learning from the example of others. And perhaps you’ll think of a mom who has inspired you to grow in godliness, too.  If so, why not drop her a note or email to thank her…and to let her know others are watching and learning from the evidences of God’s grace in her life.

Or please send us your testimony about her!  (Please keep it to 350 words or less.) We’d love to consider including it on our blog so others can benefit from her affect in your life.  You can email your testimony to sheree@joshmp.com this week or next.

I was recently at the 50th birthday of a dear friend.  At one point during the evening, several of us took turns honoring her.  Many things were said, all of which I knew to be true, but the overriding theme was how she had given her life to serve others.  My friend would have been the last one to see these things in her life and that is probably why they were true. 

As we left the party and again as I write this, I am so aware of the beautiful picture of the fruit that her life has borne and all that it teaches me.  She is only nine years older than me and yet she already has 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren, while all my children are 7 and under. 

That night I was able to see her children rise and call her blessed.  They honored her for the big things she did for them like homeschooling, but it was the small things she did for them that they mainly spoke of and which so affected me.  So many times we as moms feel that these mundane, small tasks like laundry, cooking and cleaning go unnoticed and are pretty meaningless.  Well, her children noticed.  They honored her for the way she unselfishly served them by doing those small things without complaining or looking for anything in return.  They also honored her for the ways in which they saw her serve others. 

That night I saw the fruit of years of the joyful service of an ordinary mom who laid down her life for her husband and children and the Lord’s reward to her.  It has encouraged me to continue on in the little things which don’t seem to matter much now.  Next time I feel overwhelmed (because of my self-sufficiency, of course) with the everyday tasks of being a wife and mother, which I’m sure will be soon, I want to remember my friend.  Instead of complaining, I want to look toward the faithful God we serve, knowing that He sees my heart in all those little things and that each one does make a difference. 

I want to honor Him in all that I do as I have witnessed my friend do for so many years.  Hopefully, her example will help you do the same.

So to my friend Ann Roberts…thanks for your compelling example.  I only pray my children can say the things about me someday that I heard (and know) about you.

Posted by Elyse