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Enjoying the Joys of My Heart

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Daily Truth: “God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.”  Ecclesiastes 5:20b

Summer is FINALLY here!  You know what I love the most about summer?  It is the fact that I P1070010get to spend it with four of my favorite people and the “joys of my heart” – my kiddos!

I thrive on “no schedule”.  (This is why I could never home school my children.  Everyday would be a field trip!)

It drives me CRAZY when the kids want a minute-by-minute briefing of the day. I love the fact that we can wake up in the morning and do whatever we feel like that day.

Now don’t get me wrong.  We do lay out a game plan for the summer.  I sit down with the kids at the end of the school year and we talk about what they want to do that summer.

These things can range from places they want to go, people they want to have over, food they want to eat, or things they want to accomplish.  For example, the Creation Museum is always on the list of places to go.  However, so is getting frozen yogurt, playing in the sprinkler, having water balloon fights, and tenting in the backyard.

425332_10151671458303489_97493834_nRight now we are accomplishing one of the many items on our list.  We are vacationing at the beach in one of our favorite places – Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Time is FLYING by!  My kids are growing so quickly and I often forget to savor the moment and to enjoy the “joys of my heart”.

This past week my Sophia graduated from kindergarten and Alexandra finished 5th grade.  I was pregnant with Alexandra when I taught my last 5th grade class.

Did you know we are commanded to enjoy the life God has given us? (Ecclesiastes 11:9) It’s true!  God commands us to enjoy life while we are able.

However, there is a warning.  We will stand in judgement for our actions.  Therefore, we are instructed to enjoy life within the parameters that God has given us.

My challenge to you is this – enjoy each moment you have with your kids this summer.  Find ways to spend time with them doing things that THEY enjoy.  Don’t forget to take lots of pictures so that you can relive those moments together when school starts again.

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I saw this notebook at Target the other day and couldn’t resist.

So, excuse me for having sticky floors this summer, a messy kitchen (what else do you expect when the kiddos want to help you make cookies), and piles of laundry to fold.  I am enjoying the”joys of my heart”!

 

 

Until next Monday,

Rebekah

 

klink

 

 

 

 

“Hi Ho Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go”

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Daily Truth: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10

 

We’ve all heard the Snow White classic song, Hi Ho Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go sung by the seven dwarfs a million different ways.  We kind of chuckle at it, but you know the dwarfs might have had something.  Singing on your way to work and singing as you work is a good way to get the kiddos to do their jobs.

I know….jobs.  It often takes more time to get the kids to do the work, check the work the kids did, and sometimes have them to the job again than to just do the job ourselves.  However, if we do that the only thing we are teaching our kids is how to be lazy, not to be responsible.

P1060907So, here are some jobs that little guys can do.

1.  Pick up their toys.

2.  Make their beds. (Forget military style made beds. Remember, that’s not the point.)

3.  Empty the dishwasher.  One child does the silverware, another the plates, and another the cups. (Side note:  Put your plates in one of the lower cabinets so that your child can reach them.  Brilliant…I know!! Thank you to my aunt.)

4.  Set the table.  One child puts on the napkins, another the silverware, and another the cups.

5.  Clear the table.

6.  Clean the bathroom sink.

7.  Empty the trash.

8.  Dust the railings.

9.  Feed the animals.

10. Fold towels.

11. Put their clothes away. (My boys REALLY struggle with this one.)

The list could go on, but these are just a few ideas.

Now the hard part.  How do I encourage my children to do these jobs and to them correctly?

P10609091.  An award chart.  This could be a sticker chart.  When they get so many stickers they get some kind of reward.

2.  A ticket or marble jar.  The children earn tickets or marbles for each job completed. The tickets or marbles can be exchanged for prizes.  We are currently doing this system with our kids for them to earn money to buy a souvenir on our vacation.

3.  A penny jar.  This is the same concept as the ticket jar.

Their are two keys to our kids earning their tickets.

1.  The job must be completed immediately and with the right attitude.  If they have to be reminded more than once or if they do the job pouting the whole time (umm….my youngest has the least amount of tickets due to this problem) then they do not earn the tickets for the completed job.

2.  The job must be done correctly.  This falls on me.  I must first show the child how I want the job done and then I must take the time to check the jobs to make sure they are done correctly.

Why rewards?  Well, let’s face it.  Doesn’t God reward us for jobs well done and if we keep His commandments?  The Bible is full of verses that support this. Here are just a few.

Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 4:40,  Matthew 25:21, I Corinthians 9:25,

I know there is the whole debate out there on allowance vs. no allowance.  I am not here to start a debate. Rather, let me explain why my husband and I decided to do allowances.

1.  It teaches them how to save their money.  If a child wants to purchase something, say a Lego set, then that child has to save for that set.

2.  It teaches them to tithe.   Ten percent of their allowance each week goes into the offering plate on Sunday. We want them to understand that God want us to give back to Him.    (Malachi 3:8-10)

3.  It teaches them to give above their tithe.  Not only do the children give ten percent of their allowance but we also teach them to give a little more encouraging them to do so cheerfully.                         (II Corinthians 9:6-8)

4.  It teaches them to appreciate the items that they have saved for. Besides, I LOVE seeing the pride in their face and the shock on the cashier’s face when they empty out their wallet full of change and dollars on the counter!

So, if part of my job as a mom is to represent Christ to my children, then that includes teaching them to be responsible and to be helpers around the house and to reward them for work well done.  After all, isn’t that we Christian moms are also striving to hear?

“Well done.”

Until next Monday,

Rebekah

klink

 

 

Motherhood- An Amazing Race

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Daily Truths:  “Let us run with patience [endurance] the race that is set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1

 

 I am a mother and I am a runner.  This weekend I ran an amazing race and when I went home after the race, I continued running another amazing race – the race of motherhood.

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This weekend, a number of my friends and I ran the Indianapolis mini-marathon.  It was a perfect running day and the air was filled with excitement as 35,000 runners and walkers took their places to begin their 13.1 mile journey.

Someone would finish first and another last.  The participants came in all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnic backgrounds.  Some had trained for months and others only weeks. Some would walk and others would run.  However, we all had the same goal in mind – to cross the finish line. As I hit mile 11, my body started getting REALLY tired.  One thing that kept me going was that I would see my hubs and kids cheering me on near the finish.

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The Christian life is compared to a race.  However, let’s take it one step further – so is motherhood.  You stand at the start line eagerly anticipating the arrival of your baby that will catapult you into this race of motherhood.  When the moment comes to finally cross the start line, you are so excited to finally be called a mother. As you continue your run, people cheer you on, encourage you, and give you refreshment from from God’s Word.

Then you stumble, get tired, and the race starts to get more difficult. At times it becomes painful.  You just want to take a break.  You can’t and you keep going because you know that you HAVE to run this race and finish as strong as you can.

Then your children give you little trophies along the way. One child tells you that you are “bootiful”.  Another givP1060980es you a bouquet of dandelions.  Another wraps her arms around you and says, “I’m so glad you’re my mommy.” (If you know our story you understand the depth of that statement).  Your 10 year old writes, “My my is hot stuff” on the back of her shirt and wears it proudly for all to see.  These are little trophies that mean the world to only you.

What is the medal we are striving for as Christian mothers?  It is to hear our Heavenly Father say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant [mother]” (Matthew 25:21).

There are mothers at all stages of this race.  Some are holding a newborn, while others are chasing toddlers.  Some are teaching middle school children, others are chauffeuring teenagers, and some are encouraging college students.  Some are embarking on another part of the race called “grandmother”.  Some have had their race cut short by a miscarriage or the death of a child.  Yet, we are all mothers.

I saw a shirt this weekend that said, “Motherhood is hard.  It’s like running a marathon every day!”

Yep.  It’s hard and there will be times you want to quit.  Ecclesiastes 9:11 states, “The race is not to the swift”.  In other words, ‘hang in there –  this is a long run’.

So, as we draw close to Mother’s Day this weekend, keep your eye on the Savior, cherish those little moments with your children, and be thankful for the little trophies they give you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Rebekah Klink

klink