girltalk Blog
Back to School Prep, Part Two. Here are your favorite tricks for a peaceful morning routine. See if you can detect a theme here… From Julie To make my mornings flow easy, I prepare the night ahead: set up the serving tray with bowls, spoons, vitamins, juice cups etc. Set out the cereal boxes, measure the water to boil for oatmeal and cover, set out my husband’s lunch box and pack the non-perishable things (chips etc.). I find that this keeps ME much more positive the next morning and able to focus on the people instead of thinking what I need to do. From Joy Absolutely essential: get up before the kids! The other thing I do is pack my husband’s lunch right after dinner the night before. We homeschool, so I don’t pack the kids lunches. I also will frequently set the table for breakfast and also set out any non-perishables like cereal, bagels, bananas, etc. Then all we have to do is get out the milk and juice. I have little ones, so I make their sippy cups of juice or milk and have them waiting in the fridge. And last but certainly not least, I pray before everyone wakes and I turn on some quiet praise and worship music to set the tone in the house. From Cheryl The best trick for us in getting ready for a school day is preparing the night before. Lunches made, clothes ready, backpacks ready, showers done, knowing where your shoes are, etc. From Mandy After eating breakfast, my step-son usually has a few simple chores like making his bed and taking out the trash. This usually gets his blood pumping and before he leaves for the bus stop, he’s ready for the day! From Audrey My mom would always have her Quiet Time before seven o clock. At seven she would wake my brothers and I up so we all could make our bed, wash up, and get dressed. After waking us up, she would pack my dad’s lunch and make breakfast. When us kids reported downstairs at seven thirty, breakfast was ready to go. The rest of the day slid into place after breakfast was over. And, your ideas for happy carpools…. From Donette To keep us from bickering and arguing, my mom used to have us sing praise songs on the way to school. We even had a folder with the words printed up and each child took turns choosing the song we would sing next. From Kim Whether we are carpooling with one friend, four friends, or just our own gang of girls, everyday we pray on the way to school. It is a wonderful opportunity to set their hearts on honoring their Savior, respecting their authority, showing kindness to their classmates, and asking Jesus to help them with their day—whether it’s a field trip or a final exam day! From Cheryl Before every trip (carpooling) we pray for our safety and for our attitudes to be honoring to the Lord. Most of the time it’s me as the driver who needs prayer the most for my attitude. Worship music can be a blessing during our driving time. Or I’ll have the kids take turns telling me about their favorite part of the day.
“I forgot how hard it is,” I told Mom the other day—referring to the nausea of course. My doctor predicted this. “The maternal desire in women is an amazing thing,” he said. “You all endure months of sickness, severe pain in childbirth, and even suffer serious complications. Then, you turn around and do it all over again!”
Go figure. We as women all suffer from the same unique variety of amnesia. Maybe they inject something in the hospital IV that erases the pain from our memory. Or maybe it’s just one look into our baby’s eyes. Powerful stuff.
I have so much to be grateful for. I know the nausea will only last through my first trimester. And I know that “morning” sickness is a good sign. And at the end of this yuckiness, Lord-willing, is a long-awaited blessing. I’m smiling.
But being sick is hard. There’s no denying that. And it turns my thoughts to people I know who really suffer…friends and family who live with chronic pain or illness. How do they do it? I wonder. How do they joyfully live with constant pain, never knowing when it will end? Of course I know it is only by God’s abundant grace. And feeling sick myself reminds me to pray for them.
One of my all-time favorite authors, David Powlison, has recently written a wonderful primer on praying for the sick. It’s addressed to pastors, but very instructive for us all. Here are a few lines to convince you to read more:
“Sickness, like any other weakness and trouble, should force us to stop, to face ourselves, and to look for the Lord. It’s a chance to find sins we have been too busy to notice and…a chance to find a quickened need for Jesus’ mercies and a deepened delight in God.”
I’m glad for this fleeting nausea, this reminder to stop and face myself and look for the Lord. I pray God will help all those who are suffering—really suffering—to do the same.
2006 at 5:02 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
In our first installment of “Back to School Prep” here are your creative ideas for “How to drag those half-asleep kiddos out of bed in a fun—yet effective—way.”
Pancakes and Land Sharks
From Kathy
I get up early (and motivate the kids to wake up early) and make them pancakes. It doesn’t have to be the difficult recipe Aunt Martha made with egg whites and berries—just batter and a skillet and a big, messy ladle. And lots of syrup (allow plenty of clean-up time following the meal).
For kids under 12, I yell “LAND SHARK,” and hurl myself onto them in bed. This also works when Dad or older siblings do it. Allow 2 minutes for fun and frolic.
Rise and Shine with Juice
From Nichole
My mom used to wake my sister and me up by singing “Rise and Shine.” And we would then join in. You know, “Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory…”
Small children’s blood sugar is low in the morning since they have not eaten in so long. A bit of apple juice first thing makes them more cheerful real quick.
The Night Before
From Jessica
The best advice for getting a kid out of bed is putting them to sleep at the proper time!
Reading My Girls Awake
From Rebecca
I noticed that it was taking a lot of prompting to get some of my daughters out of bed and that I was tempted to anxiousness and anger. At the same time, I desired some read aloud time with them that I just couldn’t seem to fit in. So I decided to read my girls awake in the morning. Of course, my routine had to change to accommodate the extra time, but it was time well spent. We all benefited from starting the day off in this way. It built our relationship as we laughed and cried together over the various stories.
Wake-Up First
From Kim
My only advice would be to make sure you are WIDE awake before making the attempt.
For Middle-School Boys
From Mandy
My step-son is twelve years old and in the 7th grade this year. He is soooo hard to wake up in the mornings. It could take about thirty minutes to get him out of bed. So, instead of us all getting frustrated, I bought him his own alarm clock. We placed it across the room so he has to get out of bed to turn it off. He can hit the snooze button one time and get back in bed, but at the next one, he’s got to get up and get in the shower. We got one of the beeping ones and had to set it to the loudest setting! He’s only slept through it once!
Coffee in Bed?
From Karen J. Low
My mom would bring me coffee in bed. Most moms now probably don’t want to get their kids hooked on coffee, but perhaps a small glass of water or OJ would work just as well.
It’s All About the “Why”
From Karen
Talking to my children about the importance of getting to bed on time makes it much easier to get them up in the morning. As moms, part of our “training” of our children must include the wonderful reasons “why” we are getting up early…to have our quiet time, to start our day with the Lord, to get in the habit of “rejoicing for this is the day that the Lord has made.” All of these wonderful things can’t happen unless we are learning the discipline of getting to bed on time.
A Wake-Up Tune
From Audrey
My mom and dad would whistle a tune at the foot of our stairs; it was nice to wake up to their whistle every morning and we never slept through it.
I tried a new recipe this weekend – Chocolate Fudge Layered Banana Cake. Part way through making the cake I discovered I had underestimated the amount of bananas needed for 2 1/2 cups mashed plus 2 bananas, sliced. I was at Kristin’s house, babysitting my grandsons, so Andrew, Liam, Owen and I went on a little excursion to Safeway to buy more bananas. After the boys were in bed, I set out to finish the cake only to realize I had the wrong chocolate for the ganache filling. This meant no more cooking that night.
Yesterday, I headed back to the store to purchase the semisweet chocolate. Equipped with the right chocolate, I started to prepare the filling. As the heavy cream was simmering on the stove I went to get the sour cream out of the refrigerator. However, no sour cream was to be found. I had left it at Kristin’s house the night before and Kristin wasn’t home and her house was locked. I had to go back to the store for the THIRD time (or the FOURTH time if you count the initial shopping trip when I supposedly had purchased all the ingredients in the first place) to buy sour cream.
Now the cake would have been worth the trouble if it had turned out to be mouth-watering delicious. But it didn’t. I don’t think I’ll be trying any new recipes for a while. However, in moments like these, I can rejoice in the sovereignty of God. Because every trial—big or very small—is working for my good. Even recipes that flop.
Our faithful reader Rebecca sent in this cute anecdote. Out of the mouth of babes…
“One of my sons innocently showed me the mirror of my own sin of grumbling and complaining when he asked me sincerely: ‘Mommy, which one of these is the “stupid” drawer?’ Oops!”
May your wekend be full of wonderful memories!
Carolyn
for Nicole, Kristin, and Janelle
“Scripture…gives us no physical description of Eve. Her beauty—splendid as it must have been- is never mentioned or even alluded to. The focus of the biblical account is on Eve’s duty to her Creator and her role alongside her husband. That is a significant fact, reminding us that the chief distinguishing traits of true feminine excellence are nothing superficial. Women who are obsessed with image, cosmetics, body shapes, and other external matters have a distorted view of femininity. We need to go back to Scripture to see what God’s ideal for a woman really is. And the biblical account of Eve is an excellent reminder of what a woman’s true priorities ought to be.”
When I read this paragraph, I was struck by this truth: Eve’s beauty was not what gave her value! I tend to accept the “fact” that beauty is important because that is what the culture screams at me from every street corner. But this chapter was a fresh reminder to me that my priority should not be my outward appearance, but rather my God-assigned role as comforter, nurturer and helper.
One young reader, fifteen-year-old Joanna Linn, understands the importance of these priorities. You may remember Joanna’s story, which we shared with you last November. If not, read it now and you will be all the more encouraged by her answer to this week’s question:
How did this chapter influence how you think about your true priorities as a woman?
Being a young teenage girl, my true priorities would not be very different than a saved mother, grandmother, single woman, or any other lady. My true priorities as a girl are first and foremost to honor and glorify God in everything I do. After honoring and glorifying God, my priorities are a little different than some other women. My priorities are to respect and honor my parents, and to be submissive to their leadership. Just as Eve’s priorities were to honor God and serve her husband, mine need to be to honor God and serve my parents.
This chapter influenced me to think more about the Lord and my family. I need to be more aware of God and his desires for me at this point in my life. I also need to be aware of my parent’s desires for me. Being a young teenage girl, I am still under my parent’s instruction and care, and need to be submissive to them just as if the Lord was there telling me what to do. Ultimately, he is the one that I am obeying when I obey my parents. I need to keep God and my family as my true priorities.
Thank you so much for your thoughts, Joanna. You’ll be receiving your very own copy of Twelve Extraordinary Women, personally signed by John MacArthur.
For the rest of you—please keep sending us your answers! Here’s next week’s question from Chapter Two about Sarah (taken from page 36):
Like Sarah, what “earthly inconvenience” are you experiencing, and how is it “mitigated by the promise of eternal blessing”?
We are eagerly anticipating your responses, and hope you enjoy and benefit from Chapter Two!
2006 at 5:06 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
In his book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D. A. Carson examines several of the Apostle Paul’s prayers and encourages us to align our own prayer life with Paul’s theology, priorities, and practices. One petition Dr. Carson works through in his book is Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Thessalonica found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (“Worthy Petitions,” Chpt. 3). From this chapter, I have adapted a prayer that I regularly pray for my own family. I want my intercession for those I love best to reflect the Savior’s priorities for them. This prayer helps me do just that.
Father, I pray today that you may count us worthy of your calling. Enable us to become increasingly holy, self-denying, loving, full of integrity, steeped in the knowledge of you and your Word, ever delighted and eager to trust and obey you. We are not strong enough or disciplined enough to live up to your calling on our own. But I ask that you will so work in our lives that we may grow in all things that please you so that you ultimately judge us to be living up to the calling that we have received. Help us to establish and pursue only those plans, goals, and purposes that are in keeping with your will and intent for our lives and by your power cause every good purpose and faith-prompted act of ours to bear abundant fruit. I pray this so that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in our lives and our lives in Him. Lord Jesus, thank you that you are transforming us into your likeness with ever increasing glory by your marvelous grace. It is only by your grace that we can become fruitful. It is only by your grace that we can persevere. It is only by your grace that we can mature. It is your grace that enables us to love others more. It is your grace that enables us to cherish holiness and a deepening knowledge of God. Therefore I ask all these things on the basis of your grace.
Don’t forget to send in your answer to this week’s question from chapter one (by midnight tonight):
How did this chapter influence how you think about your true priorities as a woman?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
2006 at 5:53 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
It’s that time of year again. Drive to any nearby shopping center and you will see that “back to school” sales are in full swing. This was always my favorite part of the school year—the part before school actually started. I loved getting new pens and pencils and fun supplies. Unfortunately for my mom, my excitement about going back to school didn’t carry on into the school year. Sorry, Mom!
Here at girltalk we have decided to join the “back to school” craziness. We want to collect and share ideas from all of you—to provide you with helpful tips, and also add a little splash of fun to your school-year reentry.
So, here is what we need…
- Wake up ideas. How to drag those half-asleep kiddos out of bed in a fun—yet effective—way.
- Your favorite tricks for a peaceful morning routine.
- Thoughts for making that first day of school special.
- How about those boring lunches? Any suggestions for making the PB&J a little more exciting?
- Ideas for happy carpools.
Flood our inbox with your emails! Suggestions about any of these five school-related tasks would be most welcome. We will need all of your stuff by Sunday evening so that we can give you the goods next week.
2006 at 1:43 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
Do we have a treat for you!
Sovereign Grace Ministries has just released their most recent worship CD based on the classic devotional book, The Valley of Vision—a collection of Puritan prayers.
I love this book! For years, my own prayer life has been informed and enriched by reading the prayers from The Valley of Vision during my morning devotions. Now to have a number of these theologically-rich, Christ-exalting prayers put to song—how neat is that?!
So let me encourage you to order this CD today by going to www.valleyofvision.org. Also at the website you can listen to samples of the songs, download the lyrics, lead sheet and chord charts and watch a trailer. As a special bonus, you can now watch an interview with my dear friend Shannon Harris (wife of Josh Harris) who sings several songs on the album.
Finally, the kind servants at Sovereign Grace have extended their offer of a free download of one of the songs performed by Shannon, “The Precious Blood,” until THIS FRIDAY, August 11. Don’t miss it!
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