Organizin' and Prioritizin'

My April calendar is a sea of scribbles and activity. It makes me cross-eyed just to look at it. But, it's all good. Married as I am to the man I am - I've come to expect April to be like this. Ball season and so much more is upon us. My husband coaches two teams. Spring fever hits and active schedules make for some tired, cranky kids. As a mom, I have to take all my planning and organization up a notch to keep everyone functioning. Here's some of the things I do:

• First things first - Ask yourself - what can I do about this schedule? Do we really have to do THAT THIS month? What can we eliminate? Can I get some help carpooling kids so I don't have to drive around like a maniac? What nights are currently unscheduled that we can declare off limits for further activity?


• MORE menu planning - realistic planning - which for me means bring realistic about what nights we are eating out and realizing that it's okay to plan for popcorn and apples as a meal - and cereal night if it brings me more peace. AND I need to plan for the whole month instead of just 2 weeks. AND when I do cook, I need to double or triple it because I'm not going to be spending much time in the kitchen. Note to self: Store up some freezer food next March.


• BAGS - I've got about 3 bags with various items we need for various places we will regularly go. My waiting at sports practice bag has granola bars and other snacks and some entertainment items, extra water, sunglasses, and other items that might be useful. I don't really have time to be Ms. Coupon clipper right now, so I have a bag that I shove all the deals and useful adds into. So yes, I am probably THAT chick in Walmart blocking the aisle saying, "Didn't I have a coupon for that?"


• Careful planned leave times and more time for getting out the door. I have to know when I am walking out the door and spend the 20 minutes before making sure everyone has it together. I yell a loud 10 minute warning, and my kids know they better get themselves together.


• Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. I can let myself relax some of my standards in housecleaning -(I'm sure my husband's laughing right now at that one). I now declare April no company month - so don't come to visit our house this month, I won't let you in- and so there you go - it won't be "company clean." There are currently a lot of moving boxes that have to be navigated through anyway.


• As part of prioritizing, I have to realize the priorities of other members of my family. Baseball and softball come just below God and church to many members of this family. So at the top of my list is keeping all sporting clothing clean and quickly available in a bag on a hook in the laundry room. My husband also insists that children are incredibly early and excessively prepared for each practice and game. I submit to that ruling - though it is not something I particularly feel strongly about - for this month it's high on my priority list just because it is high on his!


• Finally, oxygen mask. oxygen mask. oxygen mask. You know, they tell you on planes if there is a crash mom's goes on first - then you can help the children. Find your oxygen mask this month and make time for it. Quiet time with God may have to start earlier - or come while waiting for kids at practice - or both. I gotta make sure I stock plenty of that fancy vanilla caramel latte stuff I love - and just for this month I may need a secret, hidden stash of chocolate kisses and Coca Cola. And don't even think I'm sharing them!

This too will pass - I am just holding out for some lazy summer days! Bring it on!

Crush!

We spent ALL day with Ally's softball tournament and Daniel's practice. All outside in the like mid 90's heat -although it felt like more! It was like August hot - and it's still March. It was HOT! Did I mention it is still March? That's just wrong! It is expected to be in the 40's in the morning, though. Crazy Texas weather. My camera batteries died so I didn't get many pictures.

Gracie had so much fun being the bat-girl. She now has two white spots in a very sunburned face from these stickers.

Ally's team is called Crush - which always makes me think of Romans 16:20 and the song with the same verse, "the God of peace will soon CRUSH Satan under your feet." Such an awesome verse! Although I have to say that for this team, maybe the verse of the day should be, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not CRUSHED; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted; but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. Let's just say it was a hard-pressed & persecuted kind of day on the ballfield.

God analogies in Parenting

I was so overwhelmed with a new spiritual awakening when I had nursing babies. Each time, the image of nursing brought home to me such great spiritual truth. As I was the giver and sustainer of life it reminded me of God and his role in my life. Not to be strange, but I prayed as I fed my babies, "Lord just like this little one, let all that I need be funneled directly from you, may you be my sole source, let me cry out for Your comfort."




I know that so many stages of parenting have offered us "Wow!" kind of moments where we see our parenting as a picture of our relationship with God. And I really thought I knew ALOT about teenagers after years in youth ministry. But, recently I've been having some cool realizations about God from my 3+ months as an actual parent of my own teen. Here are some thoughts:



1. God gives us parents for a chance to work on those "submission and trust muscles" we all need so much throughout life. As parents we are wrong if we don't regularly help with that exercise.


2. God keeps secrets from us sometimes for a reason. Now certainly we've kept plenty of secrets from our kids throughout the years - but older kids often think they are entitled to know everything. Kind of like I feel about God sometimes. How many times have you prayed, - "God, why can't you tell me straight up what your will is for this situation?" We keep secrets from kids to:

• protect them
• because knowing everything would change the way they act toward certain situations or people
• because they aren't ready for that knowledge just yet
• or because I want to reveal it at a special time and blow their socks off with unspeakable joy!

These are ALL situations we've encountered in our parenting - how much more has God had the same ideas for you?

3. God doesn't give us everything he could give us. My 13 year old was devistated when she left her Ipod nano in her pocket and it went through the wash and fried. That Ipod has become a large part of her spiritual life - with worship and especially during her quiet times, we knew its importance to her and hurt along with her at its loss. It wouldn't hurt our family too terribly much financially to go out and replace that Ipod, but then what value will be placed on it? If she earns the replacement - won't she be more responsible with it?

This is Byron with a Tylenol cracker for our over dramatic Gracie who is having a hard time swallowing pills. After several HOURS -I kid you not - of her crying and trying to swallow a pill - B crushed it up on a cracker covered in Nutella. Once we got that nasty medicine into her - her headache stopped. Don't you think God thinks about us like that sometimes? If you'd just do what I ask you, you'll be better off! Now quit the dramatics and just do it!

God loves you and he ALWAYS is thinking of your best interest - in his silence - when tough things are happening - when we just want our way! He has a plan for you - and you are just going to have to have patience and trust him for it! Ah, parenting! Who knew it was such a time of discipleship?

Passport Through Darkness Review

Passport Through Darkness is the amazing story of Kimberly L. Smith, who was an average American woman—a wife, mother, corporate executive, and faithful church member. But she knew something was missing from her life. When a bone-chilling experience awakened her desire to find true purpose, Smith and her family began a lifelong adventure serving those who never knew a greater purpose could exist.

Traveling around the world and deep into the darkness of her own heart, Smith’s worst fears collided with her faith as she and her family discovered the atrocities of human trafficking. But in that broken place a self-centered life was transformed into an international effort to save thousands from modern-day slavery, persecution, disease, and genocide.

As Smith and her husband risk everything for orphans in Eastern Europe and Africa, they see God work again and again in impossible situations, especially in their own lives and marriage. They see God change them—even in their exhaustion, marital struggles, and physical limitations. They see the beauty of living out God’s dreams.

This was a really gripping book! I had a hard time putting it down, but it was not an "easy read." Kimberly Smith really paints a vivid and often graphic picture of some truly terrible things. Your heart will hurt with her, and for the people and children she seeks to protect as you read it.

I really like when an author is this vulnerable, Kimberly really shares her spiritual struggles and wavering with her call. We see her brokenness and desperation as she seeks God and his meaning for her life. She says at the end of the book, "I pray my journey helps you to discover -then dare to uncover- whatever shame, fear, or lies Satan uses to keep you bound and barred from living the life God dreams for you." This is truly a book that is meant to bring change.

I highly recommend Passport Through Darkness, it is a well written, passionate book that reflects the heart of God for his people. You can purchase it HERE from David C. Cook for $14.99
Kimberly has a great website HERE that even has a chapter of the book available for download, and some great photo albums of many of the people and places from her story. There are also links to her ministry Make Way Partners. It is an amazing ministry reaching out to some desolate areas.

You can watch a trailer for this book HERE

I was given Passport Through Darkness by B&B Media Group and David C. Cook for the purposes of review only.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love THIS ART PROJECT (not the one above) for St. Patrick's Day from a neat little art blog called That Artist Woman. I'm hoping to convince the kids to try it. Although with the weather as it is - they are racing through their schoolwork as fast as they can these days - no time for extra projects and mom's paint piddling. :(

St. Patrick's Day is such a nasty holiday - green beer drinkin' and all that kind of mess. But I love to focus on the message of the Shamrock. We like to watch the Veggie Tales Version of the Legend of St. Patrick. I believe it is on the Legend of the Sumo Veggie Tales DVD.

A few days ago we celebrated another holiday - Gracie's Spiritual Birthday. We keep it simple for these occasions, usually just a devotional or Christian book and a sweet card with a long encouraging note. BUT - the kids have all been really wanting the new Adventures in Odyssey - The Green Ring Conspiracy - especially Gracie.

Have a Happy Day!

Preparing for a Move

With two months to prepare for our upcoming move we are able to plan carefully with our big Spring Clean and massive sort through and throw away binge. Then, we are planning a garage sale and making sure every thing gets organized before it is packed. We'll start pretty soon with a box or two everyday and the actual box packing won't get too overwhelming.

If you have ever been through a move where it was "go, go, go" and you ended up dumping nonsense together - it certainly makes for a mess! With a move the more organized parts of me kick into high gear and we get everything squared away! I am usually COMPLETELY unpacked from a move in less than 2-3 days. That's just how we roll in the Ayers household. My husband knows I like to be settled and he practically kills himself to help me get it done. However, there are a couple of other really important things that we do when we move:

FIRST and foremost - we believe STRONGLY in spending time praying for the house. Now, naturally the whole moving process and decisions have been covered by prayer - but what I am talking about is different. This is partly my husband's spiritual conviction and partly a spiritual truth passed down by my father. I have never moved (before or after marriage) that my dad wasn't a part of praying through a house, anointing all the doorposts with anointing oil and consecrating or setting it apart for the Lord. My husband takes leadership of this now and he walks the entire property claiming it for God and His work and rebuking any spiritual darkness that may be present. We really believe this is so important.

SECOND - as a family we have been searching for great scriptures to put on the walls of the new house! We've had a lot of fun with this - and if you've followed my blog for any length of time you probably know that this is a bit of a passion of mine anyway, with my painted verse signs. However I have always wanted to take it up a notch - and this house is going to give me just that opportunity. We are going to be painting a lot of scripture verses on the walls - and I am really looking forward to that. I'll share pictures when I get everything done.

I know that this is my soapbox, but I can't tell you how a simple thing like a sign drills the words of the Lord into my kid's heads. My youngest LOVES kind of an ugly sign we have in the living room with, "Whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men." -Col. 3:23. What an awesome truth for a young man to love! I don't really like the looks of the sign and was planning to repaint it - but he wants it for his room. I'm thinkin' that can be arranged - I mean who am I to deny the kid some truth?

We are really excited to really cover this new house with the Word of God- in more ways than one!

Jesus in the Present Tense book review

I think this is about the 5th book by Warren Wiersbe I have reviewed for the blog - and I must say it has been my very favorite. My husband always likes Wiersbe, he puts things simply, he has incredible insight, and he is always theologically sound. We both love his "Be" series and Bible commentaries. This is the first actual book in a regular format by Wiersbe I have read - the others have been more devotionals, commentaries, or Bible studies.

Byron and I both enjoyed reading Jesus in the Present Tense and it is a very readable book. I like to read books on spiritual topics, but I don't really like to read those that are so theological that it hurts my brain, you know? It is always kind of refreshing particularly when you are bogged down in your quiet time to find a resource that just focuses on Jesus. You just can't go wrong there.

Jesus in the Present Tense focuses on places in the Old and New Testaments, where the Lord “filled out” or “completed” the name I AM to reveal more fully His divine nature and His gracious ministry to His people. These areas are explored throughout the Bible, particularly through the words and I AM statements of Jesus himself. I like the way Wiersbe gently weaves great practical application and personal events into the message.

I'd highly recommend this book - it is meaty enough -and contains enough Word in it that you can read it as a devotional. I've been reading my Chronological One Year Bible and I like to do another Bible study or devotional too. This book was just the perfect compliment to add to my normal Bible reading.

Jesus in the Present Tense sells for $14.99 from David C. Cook you can purchase it HERE.

I received Jesus in the Present Tense by B&B Media Group and David C. Cook for the purposes of review only.

Exciting Times

These are exciting times in the Ayers household! We made an offer on a house and it has been accepted! Yae! We will be moving into the country with 7 acres to roam. Spring planting will have to wait until May! I am excited about having so much more room to plant - so we are starting some seeds to take with us. Daddy's gonna hate the thought of moving these bad boys without getting dirt everywhere! Car cupholders maybe?
This is the first time I have ever stored leftover seeds in the freezer until the next planting season. I heard it was a good idea, but I'm not exactly sure. So we'll see if these little guys sprout! I'll let you know how it all turns out.

I can't give you any house details - besides you never really know until closing and that's still a whole month away! Our kids know we are moving into the country -but the actual house details will have to be a surprise.

Spring Clean Update

We've done pretty well on our Spring cleaning checklist. 2 out of 3 kids have done a fabulous job and the piles of stuff that have gone out of this house have been wonderful. Makes me smile to get rid of STUFF! I have a pretty big pile of garage-saleable items and a bunch of trash! Daniel really surprised me and got rid of lots of stuff he had been hanging onto for quite awhile. My husband told me that when we moved he would be dropping the TV cabinent he hates and it would break into many pieces - I guess I can add that to my garage sale list.

I'm slowly tackling closets. I don't seem to be finding a lot of stuff to get rid of - but a lot that needs re-organizing. Sheets and pillowcases are crazy piled and stuffed by children all over the linen closet. I'm going to look for some tubs and label them by size - that would be so much neater - and easier to find what we're looking for.

I made a pretty nifty make-shift shoe organizer. I had a nice one and I broke it and my shoes were a sloppy mess. This little organizer is made with a board from the garage on top of 4 coffee cans. How's that for cheap and easy? A tiny bit redneck - but, hey, It's my closet - I'm okay with that. Maybe I'll get all Martha Stewart & build something nicer at some point, but for now, it works for me.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Art Fraud Detective

This is probably violating some copyright law, but I turned this great book, Art Fraud Detective, into a FABULOUS game for my Art Class. The book is very available at used bookstores and used on Amazon for next to nothing. I bought mine for $2.50 at half priced books. I cut the book up and reworked it into a great, fun activity.

The book is like a giant logic puzzle basically. The basic storyline is this: 30 paintings from the Museum of Art have been stolen and replaced with fakes. Using a magnifying glass, you have to carefully compare photos of the originals with the pictures of paintings in the museum. 4 rival gangs have done the crimes - use clues well hidden in each painting to reveal who did what.

For my class - I pretended my friend was the museum security guard & explained the situation. They need US to solve this case because if they go to the police, the reputation of the museum will be ruined! I split the paintings into 4 centers and they rotated around filling in a worksheet to determine the truth. Groups with correct answers will get candy bars.

I was planning for this activity to take only one class period, but they were having such a great time -they didn't want to rotate to the next center until they were sure they had completely investigated each painting. They really enjoyed this game and I heard a lot of art terms being discussed as they collaborated together in their groups.

Field Trip

My husband is building a new school in our area. Instead of using cranes, they chose to lift 36 air conditioning units onto the building with a helicopter. So - naturally we had to go check it out.

It was so neat to watch - we were all highly impressed.

They did it so fast too! All 36 units in 1 hour.

Parenting & Submission

The world certainly promotes parenthood and family makeup as a democracy - where kids have equal say and input with their parents. Now most parents I know don't agree with that mindset, but society kind of has a way of leaking those ideas into your thinking without your knowing it. Even classroom teachers generally give students input into their classroom rules because it gives them more "ownership" into the process. I am amazed at how much "ownership" and "voice" kids are given today.

Now - there are certainly areas of our parenting that we are "Team Ayers" in it together and we promote that team way of thinking and joint input! We tackle tasks together and are careful to listen to our kids. But we've made such a giant leap in our society from, "Children should be seen and not heard" - to the view of children our kids see on the Disney Channel.

I'll never forget when my 1st born was a toddler and I complained to my mother that we would have war over eating. I would ask her, "Are you ready to get in your high chair?" She would answer, "No!" and conflict would start. My mom looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Don't ask, just do." Wow! Problem solved - the simple command sweetly given, "Time to get in your high chair," and she would willingly comply. I know. Duh - but as a new mom I just didn't realize.

But - the long-run impact of TOO MUCH of this democracy kind of parenting and way of thinking is an adult who has a hard time being led - a hard time submitting to leadership - a hard time with that valuable lesson, "Let go and let God." Kids today aren't exposed to a dictatorship that often. Sometimes as parents this is the best thing we can model for them.

We have struggled with our upcoming move. The kids know we are planning to move soon - they know we'd like to be in the country - they know we are seeking God and following His voice. But that's all they know. They are going to have to TRUST and SUBMIT to our leadership for better or for worse. They'd like to look at houses and give their opinions; but we really don't need their help. Not only is this good practice for them -experiencing patience, trusting, submitting, but it also protects them from heart-ache. Byron and I have already fallen in love with a house or two only to have it not be the one God had in store for us.

It just kind of opens your eyes to how much our simple parenting is preparing our children for their future walk with God later in life. And how much our parenting is similar to our relationship with God. He wants us to submit - and Let Go of having our own input! Our walk with God is not a democracy and we don't get a vote about his will for us! But it's all good - it's because he loves you and wants to protect you and his plan is better than anything YOU could EVER dream up!

Spring Clean-out

The possibility of a move looms over us - but the details are still sketchy. Anyway - these thoughts and the Spring-like planting weather have caused me to kick into higher than normal levels of Spring Clean-out Fever.

So - here's our plan. I made a list of every area that needs to be gone through - broken down in manageable areas. There are about 20 items/areas on my list and it is my goal to focus on 1 per day. I would LOVE it if this meant I could take out of this house a bag of junk to get rid of everyday! Like a GARBAGE BAG. Ahh, that would be so awesome. High hopes? Yes. I'm beginning to think 2 of my 3 children might be packrats. Can that be unlearned? I am trying.

I always like to take the "Clean Sweep TV show approach" and empty the entire space so that you can really see what you've got. I put tarps out for keep, throw away, & garage sale. This has been SO effective in the kid's rooms in the past. Mainly because you can say - okay, you have 5 purses - which 2 do you want to put in the keep pile? It is time consuming, but really for a pack rat kid it is the only way to get them to let go.

My biggest personal challenge? Piles and PILES of papers! Unbelievable stacks! Graded homeschool work. UNGRADED homeschool work. Great ideas for homeschool work. Stacks of things I am planning for later - stacks and stacks and gobs. Lets just plan for 3-4 days for THAT clean-out. Yuck.

Cool New Toy

We were blessed with an unexpected gift! Dad's friend gave us a go-cart. It needs some work, but then ...

that's what Daddy's are for, you know. It's gonna be the coolest go-cart ever! We are going to Nana's house all weekend to test it out and maybe race a lawn mower or something!