Just Say No

Hey Everybody,

My daughter returned home from babysitting for some friends last night with this report: "Emily likes saying, 'No.' She likes it a lot!"

Little ones are great at saying No. So what happens to us big girls--us moms--that we seem to forget how?

Sometimes we say yes with good reason. Someone asks us to do something that we feel led to do, or that we know won't be too difficult, so sure, why not? But then it snowballs, and suddenly, we feel like we are standing at the end of the buffet line with a full plate and wondering, "How will I ever take care of all this?"

Priorities.

How does a mom get her priorities in order? I think it starts with a vision for what you want for your children. In my book, Baby Boot Camp, I shared my vision for my kids. I came before the Lord when they were little bitty and asked Him to show me what my vision for my children should be. Here it is, in part:

"My vision for my children is that they become mature Christians: leading godly lives, holding the Bible as the standard by which all else is measured, capable of offering wise counsel to others, and totally accountable to God for their whole conduct and every thought..."

Whenever I was asked to do something, I went back to my vision to see how it matched up. Try writing your own vision for what you want to accomplish as a mom, and then when you are asked to take on something new, whether in ministry, at work, or in your community, ask yourself:

Will this take time away from what I am trying to do as a mom?
Will this add to the benefits I want for my family?
Are my children at ages where this is do-able, or is this something I need to put off for a few years?
Is my energy best spent in this capacity?
Can someone else do this better? Am I being asked because I am the right person for the job or because I am a warm body for the job?
Is God calling me to this?
Is this really going to be all that difficult and time-consuming?
Am I bringing a spirit of dread to this endeavor if I say "yes"?
What is my motivation if I say "yes"? If I say "no"?

Sometimes, the choice is not necessarily between what is good and what is bad, but what is good and what is best.

Think about it.

If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over
themselves; But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed.
(Proverbs 29:18, The Message)

~Rebecca

STAYING ORGANIZED!

With the change to summer weather, it's time to go through your baby's closet and drawers and weed out the things that can no longer be used. If you hope to have more children, keep potential hand-me-downs organized by using plastic storage tubs that are clearly labeled with size and season. Things that are stained, torn, or beyond repair simply need to be thrown out. And if you're on your last baby, give freshly laundered clothes away to Goodwill or a neighboring family. Take a couple of mornings this week to spend 30 minutes or so getting your baby's things organized. Next, tackle your closet!



When my kids were young, we would take a couple of days in the fall and then again in the summer to weed out clothes. My daughter's clothes were given away, my older son's clothes were stored for the younger one, and the clothes that my youngest had grown out of were passed on as well. Organization is the key! We were able to save lots of money on clothes just knowing what we actually had and what we really needed to buy.



These days, with the rising cost of gas and consequently, everything else, it's going to take some smart living in order to make wise money choices. So much of that can be done by simply being organized. I am definitely not organized by nature, and it is something I have to constantly work at--but my family is worth it, and I know yours is, too!



Check out my favorite helps:

http://www.flylady.net/

http://www.familymanager.com/

http://www.organizedtimes.com/

"Double protection: wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes
its owner" (Ecclesiastes 7:12, Msg)

~Rebecca

Chocolate Anyone?

Okay, I admit it. I love chocolate. Yes, I am the "losing weight after baby" website lady and I do encourage moms to make healthy choices. But I DO love chocolate ever-so-much!

Now by loving chocolate, I don't mean I eat a big bowl of chocolate chip ice cream everyday. I try to keep my treats in moderation (like a 100 calorie chunk of dark chocolate).

I'm in maintenance mode right now, which means I want to eat enough calories to maintain my current weight. When the scale begins to creep up, I know it's time to kiss the chocolates goodbye for a few days.

If you've just had a baby, you're probably in "weight loss" mode. When I wanted to lose weight after my last pregnancy, I saved treats like chocolate to enjoy every 2 weeks or so.

Does it sound too radical to pass up chocolate for 2 weeks? Then do what my friend did. Only eat chocolate (or other favorite treats) every other day. That will cut your chocolate consumption in half if you're nibbling on something sweet everyday. The beauty of every other day is when you feel like you really want a treat, you just tell yourself, "Oh, I can eat that tomorrow," and that seems really doable.

Once you are comfortable with treats every other day, you can move to treats twice a week. And then graduate to once a week. Just remember the beauty of delayed gratification. It may be hard to say no to chocolate, but you'll be thrilled when you can put on your old jeans again. When you see the scale moving in the right direction, you'll know it was worth it to skip a treat or two.

The fruit of the Spirit is...self-control. - Galatians 5:22-23

-Arlene

Bod for God

This week on The 700 Club, I watched a pastor named Steve Reynolds being interviewed about being a biggest loser. He’s lost more than 100 pounds. Being overweight all of his life, he grew to 340 pounds and developed diabetes. He knew it was time to do something about his weight problem. He developed a weight loss program to fight obesity and wrote about it in his book Bod 4 God. Now he’s called "The Anti-Fat Pastor."

Pastor Reynolds asked God to give him a passage in the Bible to keep him motivated. He said God directed him to Matthew 16:24,

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

For Reynolds, that verse meant giving up foods that were harmful and exercising again after years of inactivity.

Today is Good Friday, a day we remember the incredible sacrifice Christ made for us – His very life. Moms, I want to encourage you to give your "bods to God" as Pastor Reynold’s book talks about. The least we can do for our dear Savior is give Him our bodies. To be healthy and active so we can do good for His glory.

Use this day to say thank you to Jesus for loving you so much. Dedicate your heart and body for His use. During the busy activities of Easter weekend, make sure you take a moment to be still and say thank you to your Heavenly Father. You’ll enjoy your Easter much more as you do. Happy Easter friends! Have a blessed weekend with your precious baby!

-Arlene