Tear Jerker

So its been "one of those last couple of days" that everything I see, think or watch makes me cry.  Why do us women have to be this way?  I'm going through this stage in life where I'm realizing that I'm not 25 anymore (nor do I want to be that age again, lol) but just something has really hit me here so hard.  The fact that I'm edging closer to 40 than 30.  I have enjoyed mother hood so so much!  Every part of it, the pregnancy, delivery, the nursing all hours of the night, being the only one they wanted when they cried, teaching them to walk, talk, just all of it!  I do enjoy the ages that they are at now also.  Seeing them realize that they are big enough to have their on responsibilities.  The changes that are among us are not going to always be fun, (tweens!) sigh...... but I am embracing each part because I know it only last for a short time and then it moves on to the next thing.

But where I'm at as mom feels devastating.  I enjoyed the baby stage so much!  So now its like that word "Final"  no going back, no experiencing the nursing, burping, baby food, teething, teaching to walk, all these sweet moments are over for me.  I have to wait to become a grandmother to experience this again. (excuse me while I wipe the tears off the keyboard, because I am crying as I write this.  My husband says I'm nuts.... we have four precious, beautiful, healthy children.  I have been pregnant 5 times.  (I lost twins in between baby 1 and 2)  My husband feels like we have finally "arrived"  could you hear the music playing dun ta dun dun...... as I said arrived.  We for the most part,  get to sleep through the night and have everyone in their own beds now.  But for me it's heart breaking.  I don't know why I feel this way.  I would love to have a couple more but I know that this chapter of my life is over.  I guess that's what make me so sad.  Hear lately I have been listening to this song by Nichole Nordeman called Slow Down.  I boo hoo every time I listen to it.  Its the perfect song for the way I have felt lately.  I listen to KLove all the time and they play it all the time, but if you don't listen to that station, please take a few mins and watch this video and listen to the song.  Of course listening to it a couple of times makes it even more special.  It is a excellent song, for all mothers!   Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman

Please be in prayer for me, that these sad feelings pass soon.  God knows best, there is a reason he made us to be like we are, but closing a door of life is always hard.

Oh and feel free to sob, I was in the car the other day singing and crying at the same time, while my husband looks on with this dazed and confused look, says, "what?" I'm wiping the tears away saying, "Don't you get it?"  Nope, No they don't! So I cry through the rest of the song thinking, "How beautiful!" but then when its over I'm mad??? So like what alien took over my body?
 I look at him, while he is waiting for me to explain and say, "STUPID SONG" and he's like OOOOK.... Thank Goodness I have a patient man!  Well, I hope that you, if you are a mom, that is struggling like I am with loosing the baby stage you will enjoy this song and the good cry that goes along with it!

XOXO
Hayley

 

The 3 Do's

Where are you at with Parenting? Teenagers, children under foot, kids in elementary school? Where ever you are it's a tough job!  I know this because I have all ages except high school, haven't gotten there yet.  You know how hard this life can be sometimes, especially when raising children. 

 As I was listening to one of the best pastors in the world in my head phones during my quiet time he was passing on some of the best advice I've ever heard.  He says that trying to raise children is like trying to push a car that's in first gear, with the emergency brake pulled, with a load of sumo wrestlers inside from New York to Hawaii and back!!! Boy does this sound so true! But with that said you also want to raise them with patience and love! Wow, talking about hard... If you know me well, you know that I'm a parent that wants to raise my kids with a firm hand.  I was raised that way.  Obedience was very very important.  I feel this is something that our country lacks today.  I don't want to make this one of those long winded post that drags on and on forever. So to get to the point.....

The reason for this post is because after listening the other day to this message it made me want to help others.  Some of the information in the message I knew from being taught from my parents, but a lot of it changed the way I looked at parenting.  The message is so clear.  Children MUST obey their parents because it is RIGHT. Ephesians 6:1 

If you are needing some good guidance on what the bible says about parenting please please listen to this message.  Its by James McDonald on WalkintheWord.com

This is the link The Matter of Parenting

Please check it out.. The messages are about 26 mins long.... You can pull it up on your phone on the way to work.  I use my head phones and listen to his message every day.  Sometimes when I first started learning to do quiet time, I wandered, "What preachers on the radio can be trusted?"  This one can.  He is legit.  My husband and I have listened to him for years and have went to hear him speak.  He is a true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ and gives good sound advice and follows the word.  

Once I started listening and got used to the way he teaches I wanted to hear him every day and I miss it when I can't listen.  If you are having to leave really early in the am and find it hard to have quiet time or time to read your bible, this is a great way to hear Gods word and its only 26 mins long... Most people have to drive at least that much time on the way to work.  Please I encourage you to give it a shot....Or if you don't have data, I have this series on the family on disk, I would be glad to share it with you!  Especially those who are just starting out with small babies. While he is speaking, take notes, you will need them!  

You need to bring them up in the Lord... after all it's the most important thing you will do in this life! I by no way am a perfect parent and I'm learning this all myself, so any help I can get is very much appreciated.   After all, these other things will come to pass, life in eternity with Jesus and our loved ones is what matters most!

I loved loved what he says... these are things we implement in our home as well.  

3 Do's

1. Do what you are told.

2. Do it immediately.

3. Do it with a good attitude!

If you have any questions, or need to speak to someone about becoming a follower of Christ please feel free to email me...knowlescrew6@gmail.com   or to comment about the message or if you need to borrow the disk, leave me a comment below...

Love all you guys!

Hayley

OVERWHELMED?

Do you ever feel like "Yes the world is spinning, and Yes I know this, but my world is spinning around, forwards, backwards, and upside down!" This is the way mine gets sometimes.  Between homeschooling my kids, crafts, group, church, and just daily chores and activities I think OK it needs to slow down just a second.  I start to notice so many changes in myself when I give way to these things and loose my focus on God.  Once the enemy has us in his web of business we loose that still calmness that God gives us and the next thing I know I'm crying to my husband saying, "I can't get it all done, or how did I get so out of wack?" (poor guy) Cause believe me I can be a nut case A LOT!

So every time I get like this, somehow, someway, God will whisper to me, Hayley, its time to slow down.  Step Back just a second.  I was so blessed last week with being able to go to Charleston, SC for my 15 year anniversary.

It was such a awesome trip! For the first time in 15 years we were able to go and spend time together, more than 24hrs!! YAY! It was a much needed trip to help me restore myself.  It was expensive which I wasn't exactly happy about, but I will never forget it and we made wonderful memories.  Sometimes we need time like this to restore, but during the daily walk of life you can't just take off and go to another state.  

God wants us to know that we need to come to him for our quiet, rest, and restoration.  

Let me tell you about how when you are toned into our Fabulous Lord and how he works things out! 

On the way to Charleston it poured down rain! I mean it gushed all the way there... 

By the time we got there my husband was exhausted from the drive. We had pulled over at least 3 times because it was coming down so hard we couldn't see to drive.  This makes me nervous because 2 things was running through my mind.

  1. I don't like it when I can't take the wheel myself and he was driving and I had to trust he was gonna drive the best he could.

 2. I haven't made any plans for my kids if something happens to me and him at the same time!! So like where would they go? Who would raise them?  AH!!!!! 

So instead of being a Co-Captain and driving him crazy, I just opened my bible to Psalm and come across this scripture.  

Talking about Good! Our God IS that large, that AWESOME.  At the time I didn't know why I was doing this particular one.  That's how God does, I will study it, draw it and then sometimes a week to 2 weeks later all that you have fed yourself in God's word comes back!!! This is why it says Put on the Full Armor of God.  Fill up your barns with his food so that when the drought comes you have something in your Food Bank!!!

Anyways, back to my scripture, it is from Psalm 56:8-11

Your have kept count of my tossings,

put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?

Then my enemies will turn back

in the day when I call.

This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord whose word I praise, 

in God I trust, I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

Isn't this Awesome!!!! I read this and then I do what I always do I google pictures of eyes and tears and then just start sketching to see how it's gonna turn out.  Other than the fact that I was uptight and God knew at that moment I needed to have something else on my mind so that I could relax and know he had everything under control..  But then once I got home and the week started back up and things start to get crazy, I realized that its not just for a stressful ride to the coast, its for daily walking. 

 He knows our tossings, he puts our TEARS in his bottle... Do you hear this???? He knows how many hairs we have, he catches our tears!!!! How can you not love our creator? How can people believe there is no GOD??? He loves us so so much! So back to my 2 things I was worried about. 

1. I wanted to take the wheel in the van!  

Well God says let me take the wheel its to heavy, and strong and you need to let me drive.

2. I don't know who will take care of (the kids) basically my family? 

God says if I can catch your tears in my bottle I think "I've Got This!" 

This morning when it occurred to me how Magnificent he is and how he has worked out all these things in my head just since the drive down to S.C. the song came on by Meredith Andrews. 

The main part of the song is this. 

AFTER ALL,

1. your are Constant

2. you are always Good

3. you are Sovereign 

and Not for A Moment did you forsake me!

There really isn't much more to say after that.  I urge you, if you are reading this and haven't made a decision to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, please get with someone knowledgeable that can help guide you and make that decision! It's the most important thing you can do in this life.  He can give you Restoration that a trip, vacation, money, none of these things can do.  He will give you Peace unlike any other. 

He will catch all your Tears!