Lesson from Spin Class

I go to a spin class once a week at the gym. It takes a miracle to get to the 5:45 class (I call it the 6:00 class and even that's optimistic) so I usually make it to the 8:00 class. I've seen many instructors and I like most of them. Except the one I had yesterday. She was a few minutes late and took a lot of time setting up her microphone and adjusting the levels of her stereo. Like 15 minutes. And she would just yell out things for us to do. "Stand up." "Third position." But she wasn't sweating with us and I didn't feel very motivated. Then to add to all this, she walks up and down our rows of bikes, inspecting our form. She doesn't make any comments. Who knows what she's looking for? She's not even breaking a sweat!

I'm sure if I met her otherwise I would think she was wonderful. But in my mind, she stinks as a spin instructor. Why? She doesn't get down in the trenches with us. She didn't inspire us. She was laid back, distant and tardy.

What, you may be wondering, does this have to do with mothering? You know, our kids want to see us act on the things we say we believe. We can't just show up and say, "Read your Bible." "Pray." "Go to church." "Love your neighbor." Our kids need to watch us doing these things. I've got to be involved with my kids, grabbing each teachable moment I can. I want to experience life with them, not as a distant voice just telling them what to do. But as someone living alongside them, inspiring them to grow strong in their faith.

I was driving home from the gym and I was convicted. Maybe you want to join me in this prayer: Lord, help me to live out your commandments and instruct my children in your ways. Help me to inspire them to live for you. Amen.

Teach me O Lord to follow your decrees, then I will keep them to the end. Psalm
119:33

-Arlene

Is that COOKED bread?

My kids started school on Monday, (I'm not joking!) a full month before they would've started at their former school.  Both of my children are relatively sensitive to what others say to them.  My son, in particular, misunderstands a lot of things that are said to  him.  Sometimes he thinks people are trying to be mean when they simply say, "Hello."  I've worked pretty hard to get him to think about what people are saying and evaluate if they are being mean or if they just don't understand what they are saying is hurtful.  There is a difference!  He's starting to get that in his first grade mind.  

As he shared all the details of his first day, he told me of a little boy at lunch who was mean to him.  My gut reaction was to believe him, that this twirp was indeed mean.  As my son was eating his sandwich, the boy asked, "Is that COOKED bread?" with a snotty tone.  I asked my son how he answered him and he said he just kept quiet.  He was sobbing by this point in his storytelling.  I explained that a couple things were probably going on.  1.  The boy didn't know that all sandwich bread is cooked.  2.  He was jealous that you have a cool sandwich container that might look like something leftovers would be in, thus the cooked comment.  My son thought those made lots of sense but insisted that the boy was mean.  

I can't see that scenario has changed a whole lot in my adult life.  Sometimes people don't understand or don't want to understand and they just want to be mean.  We went on to discuss that people's hearts are sad or lonely and they say things out of their mouths as a result.  It's taken me almost 40 years to get that it's not personal.  I feel bad for people who are hurting and have to hurt others to cope.  What can we do in response?  Just like I told my first grader: be nice even when you don't want to be, pray for mean people, ask God to make lunch a pleasant experience next time.  We can do that as adults, too...I'm sure of it.  

If they haven't already, your kids will encounter mean people at school.  What will you say to them?

Romans 12:18

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  

Be lifted!

Sue

YOU HAVE AN ENEMY

When Baby Boot Camp was first released (eight years ago next month!), I was in the trenches of promoting it: doing book signings, building my very first website, interviewing on local TV and radio shows, and WHAM! I got my first negative e-mail. And it was a doozy! A lady had written to slam me for something that someone else had said on my website (which she had attributed to me) and then she proceeded to rip me to shreds with her words. Ouch, ouch, ouch! I was in the depths of despair for the next few days, repeating the words of her email in my mind. I knew they weren't true. I knew it was her opinion. I knew that she was even mixed up with what she had to say. I knew she hadn't read my book! But the words she hurled at me brought doubt and confusion to the new calling God had placed on my life.

A few days later, I was at a bookstore where the young manager, Jayson, had purchased 100 copies of my book. (That's unreal, let me tell you. He didn't even have permission from his supervisor to do it. He just did it, put them on an endcap, and sold every single one of them within a few months.) I told him about that email, and he said, "Praise the Lord!"

"What?" I said, completely confused.

"Hey," he explained, "don't you know you have an enemy? The Bible tells us to consider it pure joy when trials come our way. This email means that the enemy considers you a worthy opponent. You're messing with him! So be glad about it!"

That puts a different spin on things, wouldn't you say?

Now consider the life of a new mom.

• You're tired.
• You can't think straight.
• You've got hips and rolls and bulges that you never had before.
• Your house is a wreck.

This Mom Thing is a lot harder than you expected, huh? What if you took a moment right now to praise God for the chaos your baby has inspired? What if you just stopped and sang a worship song to put things in perspective? The enemy flees when we worship God in spite of our circumstances! You'll send him packing in no time when you stop and thank God for:

• Being tired (How many women long to rock a baby through a sleepless night?)
• Having baby on the brain (This is called bonding!)
• The hips and rolls and bulges (Arlene will help you get those off, but for now, they are battle scars that you earned for sacrificing your figure in order to bring life into this world!)
• A wrecked house (You have more important things to do than clean your house!)

After listening to Jayson's take on my situation, I began to thank God for that email. I praised Him for allowing me to bring a message of hope and renewal to new moms. I asked Him to help me develop a thick skin when people shared their views with me. I thanked Him for the opposition because that meant I was actually getting somewhere! In the same way, when you stop and remember you have an enemy who longs to sabotage your family from its infancy, be sure you stop and remember you have a Savior who offers you victory! Because of Him, you are undefeated, Mom! Live like the winner you are!

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4, The Message)

~Rebecca

Blue!

My daughter is 20 months old and of course to me, the smartest little girl on the planet! Except when it comes to colors. Everything is blue!

"What color is this?" I ask, holding up a yellow duck.

"Boo," she answers.

"What about this?" I ask, holding a green cup.

Yep. You guessed it. "Boo."

Well, the day will come when she'll learn purple, orange, brown, and maybe even mauve. But for now she's stuck on blue.

You know, as moms, we can get stuck in a rut as well.

"What's for dinner?"

"Pasta."

The next day...

"What's for dinner?"

"Pasta."

You get the picture. Being busy makes it hard to be creative sometimes. But I want to encourage you to find healthy foods you like and enjoy a variety of meals. Not every meal has to be "boo."

"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God." Psalm 52:8

-Arlene

Date night with THE KIDS

 I've read dozens and dozens of parenting books but somehow we've never tried one thing, one little thing that is about to change our lives.  My kids have been reading on this Sylvan Learning Center website (bookadventure.org) for three years now.  This summer their goal was to read enough books to earn a date night with either Mom or Dad.  My son chose Dad  and my daughter chose Mom.  They each got to go out for about three hours with just one of us.  We are blown away by what that one on one time meant to them.  We've decided to get serious about this and put future dates on the calendar NOW.  It was a great time of bonding without competing for attention.  We have a fairly demanding toddler so this was good for the big kids to be free of that for a while.  I cannot recommend this enough.  If you've never tried this with your kids, give it a  shot.  I know I've read about that and I thought it would be a hassle.  We let the idea go and never pursued it.  I'm now kicking myself for not doing this for the last decade.  We are now going to have random, scheduled date nights with all three of our kids.  We're  getting out the calendars tomorrow night at dinner.  I can't wait to see how God's going to bless our efforts, time, and relationships.  

Be lifted!

Sue

1 Corinthians 2:9

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

No More Whining (part two!)

Hey Everybody!

I have had a great Monday, spending it with one of my best friends, Ginger Plowman. Ginger was in town today doing a spot on her newest parenting resource, "No More Whining." If you would like to hear Ginger explain the reasons why kids whine and what parents can do about it, just click HERE. This link will take you to NewsChannel5 (Nashville), and you'll see a video box. The name of Ginger's clip is "Strategies to End Children's Whining." Take a look! It's just a couple of minutes, and Ginger maps out her three-step plan for parents. It's really easy and do-able! Like the rest of parenting, the key is consistency!

"For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

~Rebecca

I Just Wanted Jeans!

When was the last time you were frustrated with your post-baby wardrobe?

I remember after having Noelle, I wanted to wear non-maternity jeans so badly, but I didn't have any that fit. I was so frustrated! But instead of marching out to the outlet mall to buy a pair of new jeans, I just waited. Having nothing to wear actually works as a motivation to lose weight!

So here's an easy tip for you if you want to shed some pregnancy pounds: Have a pair of goal jeans handy. Not super skinny jeans. Jeans that are one size smaller than you are right now. Keep them where you can see them. Pick one day of the week when you will try these jeans on. Make it your goal to zip them up one day. Even if it takes several weeks, don't give up!

When I put on my jeans and they actually fit, it was a wonderful feeling. You can accomplish your goals if you put your mind to it. There are even many things you can learn spiritually from meeting a physical goal like losing weight. Traits like perseverance, self-control, patience, and the list goes on.

I'm rooting for you! Keep your goal jeans handy and be sure to come back and leave a comment when they fit!

"Love is patient..." I Cor. 13:4

-Arlene