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Picky Eaters
From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-One
Picky Eaters
Scripture Memory: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” Ezekiel 4:9
Photo Credit: Kid Fresh
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Oh, the joys of motherhood. Cooking supper in your pretty apron with your hair fixed and a sweet helper washing the dishes as you go…
Oh, wait – this is real life! I don’t know about you, but supper time can be stressful. I enjoy cooking for my family. I really work hard to prepare healthy meals that look and taste good. Unfortunately, there is always at least one child who is less than thrilled with the menu. Whether it is Emily’s dislike of broccoli, James’ dislike of eggs and mayonnaise, or Sarah’s dread for coleslaw, it seems out of five kids the only nights everyone is thrilled is when I make spaghetti.
We have a rule in our house that no one is allowed to be picky. This rule starts at around the age of five. Before that, I encourage, but do not insist that they eat what is served. They must eat something of everything and they must eat what they take. I do not believe in forcing a child who feels full to continue eating. In this case, my children have the option of finishing their dinner at a later time. They know they will not be allowed to waste the food.
Children who are allowed to eat only the foods they really love grow up to be adults who don’t like vegetables. Over the years my children have grown to love greens, salads, spinach, and asparagus. Emily is even beginning to like broccoli! Our taste buds change over time. Not only that, but you can retrain your own taste buds by eating foods you don’t care for on a regular basis.
Some foods that my own mother did not serve – which I grew up disliking – were beets, mushrooms, olives, asparagus, sauerkraut, spinach and more. I am happy to report that thanks to my husbands encouragement, I LOVE all of these foods now and cook them frequently.
Children should not be allowed to waste food. I can’t count the times I have attended a potluck dinner and watched as children piled their plates high with good food only to throw most of it in the trash minutes later. God is not honored by our waste. Children need to learn that food is a blessing from God. Part of being a good steward is eating the food we are provided and avoiding waste as much as possible. My children know when we go to a potluck or eat at someone else’s home that they are to politely eat what they are served.
Teach your children about nutrition. Let them help you choose healthy foods at the grocery store. Tell them why you do not eat certain foods or why some foods should only be eaten in moderation. Teach them how to properly care for their bodies. More importantly show them by your own example.
Host a Cookie Swap!
This year, why not host a fun Cookie Swap with your friends? Or how about with the women in your church? This would make a perfect social for Women’s Ministries!
How it Works:
Each person bakes one batch of their favorite cookie for each guest attending the cookie swap. So, if there are 12 guests attending, each guest will bring 12 dozen cookies. Be sure everyone brings the recipe along with their cookies!
You can print out our Cookie Swap Organizer for free!
Note: I suggest printing the recipe cards onto cardstock paper.
Have you ever hosted a cookie swap? What is your favorite cookie recipe?
Colonial Times from A – Z Lapbook
Here is a great free download – Colonial Times from A – Z - for homeschoolers from Hearts in Training. Justin time and perfect for Thanksgiving!
Scripture Memory – Chapters of the Bible
My girls and I decided recently to work on memorizing entire chapters of the Bible together. We are currently working on Psalm 91. This is a beautiful psalm. I printed out the chapter – one sheet for each of us and as we work on each verse, I am highlighting the current verses in yellow. We are learning one and then adding the next and so on. We practice the verses during morning worship as well as throughout the day.
What is your family doing for Family Worship this week?
A Thanksgiving Moment
Ever felt like this?
20 Ideas: Thanksgiving Kids Table
Every year I have a kids table at Thanksgiving Dinner with activities to keep the little ones busy while they wait for dinner. Here are some fun ideas:
- Thankful Turkey from Artists Helping Children
- Shindig Thanksgiving Printables from Shindig Parties to Go
- Celebrate Thanksgiving from Anna and Blue Paperie
- I am Thankful Chain from Silverbox Creative Studio
- Activity Placemat from Family Fun
- Thanksgiving Mad Lib from Family Fun
- Mayflower Treat Holders from Sheek Shindigs
- Chalkboard Placemats from La T Da
- Fabric Napkins and Rings from The Celebration Shoppe
- Thanksgiving Table Setting Printables from Lily’s Laundry
- Kids Place Settings from One Charming Party
- Turkey Chair Covers from Wild Olive
- Kids Table Setting with Printables and Tutorials from Frog Prince Paperie
- Decorating the Kids Table at Fiskars
- Squirrel and Acorn Decorated Table at No Fuss Fabulous
- Corn on the Cob on a Stick from One Charming Party
- Placecards, Napkin Rings, Stickers and More from Parenting.com
- Kids Thanksgiving Table from Skip to My Lou
- Gobbling Turkey Apples from Make and Take
- Candy Cups from Make and Take
The Sabbath Day
From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-Two
The Sabbath Day
Scripture Memory: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11
Photo Credit: Jonathon Monk
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Today, I want you to reflect again on what God’s holy day means to you. Is it just another day for catching up on chores or do you set aside that time solely for worshiping your Creator?
The Sabbath is not just a day for holy convocation. (1) It is a real 24 hour period in which we are called to put aside worldly cares and spend time with God. The fourth commandment begins saying, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”
The fourth commandment in all its beauty is still relevant today! One of the most famous evangelists of all time, D.L. Moody said, “The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word ‘remember,’ showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?” (2)
By not setting aside the Sabbath as holy, we as Christians lose a tremendous blessing! There are many ways to keep the Sabbath holy and still enjoy the day. The Sabbath is a perfect day to enjoy being with your family while at the same time helping your children to learn more about God.
Some of our favorite activities (3) for Sabbath include:
Afternoon walks
Going door to door witnessing
Visiting a park to enjoy God’s creation
Playing games such as Bibleopoly or Bible Trivia
Have a picnic and feed the ducks
The Sabbath should bring you joy! Make a list of things you would like to do with your family this Sabbath.
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13-14
Footnotes:
1. Leviticus 23:3 tells us: “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
2. D.L. MOODY, Weighed and Wanting, page 47.
3. Making the Sabbath a Delight: 100 Ways to Keep the Sabbath: avirtuouswoman.org/2005/08/15/making-the-sabbath-a-delight/
Children and Chores
From Chaos to Calm: Day Twenty-Nine
Children and Chores
Scripture Memory: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12
Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt
This is perhaps one of the hardest lessons a mother will have to learn: teaching your children to be respectful and helpful all at the same time is rarely easy!
If your children are still small, include them in your daily chores now so that they will learn early on that it is very important to be a good helper. Praise your children when they do help or offer willingly to help without being asked.
No matter how old your child is, he should be required to complete a number of chores daily to help keep the household running smoothly. Children today are given far too many privileges and much too much free time.
Make time today or over the next few days to make a family chore chart and assign every member or every child chores. You may want to have rotating chores or you may want to simply change the chores out/ add to them as your child ages.
Set Consequences.
Do not despair if your child immediately cries foul and seems bent on not doing as you have asked. For a child who is not used to doing chores, there will be an adjustment period. However, it is very important that you do not waiver in your determination to make them follow through.
For a child who rebels, you will need to have in place consequences for their disobedience. Do not yell. Do not beg. Do not bribe your children to obedience. The root of all disobedience is a rebellious heart. It is a heart issue! So, determine the punishment for not doing chores and make them clear ahead of time to your child so that he knows what to expect.
Follow Through.
Part of training your children is working along side of them. If you have assigned your twelve year old son the bathrooms, do not just say, “Go clean the bathroom.” Go with him. Show him step by step how to do it the first time. The second time, go with him and tell him what to do step by step and correct him if he is not doing it right. Continue to check his work every time until you are certain it will be done to your standards (not his) and that you can reasonably expect that he will do his chores in a timely fashion and to the standard you have set.
If your children are required to put away their clothes, don’t just send them up the stairs to put away their clothing. Explain how you want it done. Do not forget to check that they did it correctly! You will end up with clean clothes back in the hamper if you aren’t diligent! Or the clothes, once neatly folded, will end up crammed into drawers and wrinkled.
Even the youngest child can help put away his toys, help wash the windows, or scrub the
floors. My children used to fight over who got to mop the floor. I would hand them each a sponge and they would have so much fun. Now that they are older they don’t enjoy it so much, but it was nice while it lasted!
Make It Fun!
You can make a chore chart on the computer. You can write it out by hand or you can even make a super cool poster with neat stickers and lots of colors. The important thing is that you put the chart in a central location of the house – the kitchen or family rooms are good choices. You may also want to make individualized charts for each child to place in their bedrooms, in the bathrooms, or in their school binders.
Training your children today will reap rewards tomorrow! Ask God to show you how best to instruct your children to be hard workers with cheerful attitudes.
Early Morning Wake Up Call
From Chaos to Calm: Day Twenty-Five
Early Morning Wake Up Call
Scripture Memory: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.” Proverbs 31: 15
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At the beginning of this challenge, I encouraged you to rise early in the morning and have your daily prayer and devotion. I hope that you have learned to be fairly consistent in this.
Today, I want to talk about the importance of the early morning routine and how, if you are not used to it, it can change your life! The Bible talks a lot about laziness. “Lazy hands make a [woman] poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4. (NIV) We talked briefly about self-discipline and I want to touch on it again today.
Having a lack of self-discipline is a form of laziness. The verse above tells us that a person who is lazy will be poor, but a person who is willing to be diligent will be wealthy. I can think of so many ways a person can be “poor.” You can be poor in spirit. You can be poor in relationships. You can be poor financially. You can be poor or “lacking” in just about anything.
I have heard so many women over the years tell me, “I am not a morning person.” Or, “I don’t get up early.” Or, “I just can’t wake up!”
If you are a woman with a husband and/ or family and you do not rise before everyone else, you are being self-centered and lack self-discipline in this area of your life. You will never be “rich” in your marriage if your husband must fix his own breakfast and get himself out the door in the morning. If your children must come in the morning and ask you to get up, you are robbing them of something special – a mother who cares enough to greet them in the morning with a sweet smile, a warm hug, a cheerful, “Good Morning,” and a good breakfast. Mothers who do not get up in the morning are also teaching their children to be self-centered, and be lazy when they are grown.
By not waking before the family, centering your heart on Christ first, and seeing that the needs of your family are met before your own, you have shown them you are more important than them. This is not Christ like! Jesus came to serve others – not to be served. We are to follow in His example.
Perhaps you are thinking, “But, I am so tired and grouchy if I get up early!” I would say to you, “Whose problem is that? Yours. You need to force yourself to change.” Change is possible. Before I had children, I was most definitely a “night person.” I loved to read books late into the night and sleep in late. It took me a number of years before I learned to simply wake up in the morning. I had to change my patterns. I had to go to bed early enough that I could get up early. I had to learn a new way. I had to learn that some things aren’t easy, but those things become easier when you do them every day. Now, I usually wake up before the alarm goes off in the morning and I even wake up at the same time on weekends.
Successful people rarely ever sleep in late. They get up early and go about their day. I am not just talking about people who have careers and earn a lot of money. People who have neat homes, nice yards, must work hard to meet those goals. I am sure you have heard the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man wealthy and wise.” It is true!
Re-read the memory verse above. We are told that the Proverbs 31 woman rises early before the day breaks to prepare food for her family. God gave us this verse for a reason – it is important!
If you have not already made it a habit to prepare food for your husband before he leaves for work and make him a lunch, think about how surprised he’ll be when he wakes up to delicious smells and a well thought out lunch. You can even tuck a note in his lunch sack telling him how much you love him or that you will be praying for his day.
Men are fairly easy to please. They want to be loved and cared for by their wives. If he leaves home in good spirits; feeling like he is the luckiest man in the world with a beautiful, content, thoughtful wife at home; how likely is it that he will fall prey to temptation? He is more likely to walk away from temptation if he feels loved at home!
Continue to practice this daily. It will get easier! Ask God for the will to wake up if you really struggle. All things are possible through Christ!
The Prayers of a Mother
From Chaos to Calm: Day Twenty-Four
The Prayers of a Mother
Scripture Memory: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
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I want to encourage you today as a mother. There are times when we as moms feel discouragement, worry, fear, or heartache. Whether it is fear for your child when he is sick or worry that he is not safe or heartache when you see your child make unwise choices, you as a mom will face days when you need the help of your Savior to pull you through doubt, fear, and sorrow.
I love Psalm 46:1. It is one of my favorite verse. The words encourage me when I feel hopelessness and fear. I can know that God knows my pain and sorrow. That he understands the worry I feel. He is there when I need Him the most.
As a young mother with only one child, being a mom often just seemed hard! My first born, was and is a very strong willed child. Taking him to the store was often unbearable and I can remember many tears shed as I wondered what to do. And while my son no longer throws himself on the floor kicking and screaming, there are new challenges every day. I thank God that my only concerns are whether he is responsible on a daily basis and completes his chores and works hard in school. My heart goes out to the mother who faces drugs, alcohol, sex, and anger. My heart goes out to the mother whose child was born with special needs. As moms, whatever the crisis we face might be, it is real and we need to go to God in prayer.
Remember to go to God in prayer daily over your children. Pray for them on days when everything seems fine and lift them up to your Heavenly Father when things seem oh so wrong. Will listen regardless and will give you wisdom as you guide and direct your child in the ways he should go.
Don’t forget to pray for your child’s future as well. Ask God to guide your child as he grows, that he might find God’s will for his life. Ask God to help him choose the one whom God would have him spend his life with. Lift up your child and pray that he draws nearer to HIM every day.
There may be times when you feel as all hope is lost for your child. Many mothers will face unforeseeable heartache. But even for those mothers who simply want their child to be respectful or who need wisdom in dealing with temper tantrums, God is there to carry you through.
“Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. (NLT)
