Mothers
He gives more grace when
the burdens grow greater.
He sends more
strength when the labors increase,
To added
affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied
trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of
endurance,
When our strength
has failed 'ere the day is half done;
When we reach the
end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full
giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no
measure.
His power no
boundary known unto men;
For out of His
infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and
giveth and giveth again."
- Annie Flint
Spa
At Home
The stress
of being home with children all day, every day can take it's toll on
the best of us. There are some days when the thoughts of a hot bubble
bath are just what I need to make it through those last few hours
until the kid's bedtime arrives! Occasionally I let myself dream of a
real pedicure and wonder what it would be like to actually visit a spa
for such a thing. But, as most of us "Tired Moms" know, finances are
generally tight in a one-income family and the likelihood of me ever
arriving for a 10am Tuesday appointment at a day spa is pretty slim.
:o) What I have found though, is that lack of funding doesn't have to
mean lack of pampering myself. I have experienced quite a few wonderful
day-spa experiences within the confines of my husband's recliner.
Here's how:
On
an occasional Saturday afternoon, I tell the kids that I am opening a
salon and would like to hire them all as employees. (Incidentally, it's
amazing how many kids will happily work for non-monetary pay!). I take
a hot shower, wash my hair and leave in my favorite conditioner, wrap
myself in my best house robe and wrap my wet, conditioner saturated
head in a sparkling clean white towel. OK, so I hide the jelly stain on
the inside - doesn't take away from the experience in the least. :o) I
slap on a refining mask (homemade of course) and stroll into the
treatment room.
Austin
(10) is my pedicure-man. He has a foot bath waiting for me and after
sitting down for a 5 minute soak brings a dry towel for my feet. I
relax in the spa chair (a.k.a. Dad's recliner) and put up my feet. He
gives a mean 5 minute foot massage for the privilege of sitting in the
front seat on outings for a whole week.
Next,
Joshua (almost 6) brings in the lotion and rubs it into my feet and
ankles. He dislikes the feeling of lotion between his fingers, so we
swap by rubbing hands together. During the lotion trade, he massages my
hands and fingers. His pay? One hour uninterrupted time on our new
typing program. I feel guilty slipping in a school class as payment so
I throw in his pick for our Friday night family movie.
Abby
comes into the spa room next with cuticle cream and a nail buffer. She
rubs cuticle cream into, well, my hands AND my cuticles. But she
is so happy while she's doing it that I couldn't ask for better service
from a veteran nail technician! She won't get rich working for this
kind of salary (25 cents) but at five a silver coin is still coveted in
our house!
During
all of this treatment, Luke (2 and counting), climbs aboard my lap for
the occasional kiss and softly pokes my stiff and shiny cheeks with his
chubby toddler fingers. Man - it doesn't get any better than this. I
announce that after my bubble bath (and rinsing of my now soft, shiny,
well-conditioned hair) we will all indulge in milk and cookies.
Now
that I think of it, there's not a spa in America that could build my
self-esteem like this one does. Not one of the high-dollar, appointment
only establishments could come even close to this kind of treatment.
Throughout the hour I get to hear, "Oh you are so beautiful!" from my
Abby, "Mom, can I cook supper for you?" from my Austin, and "Ya know
Mom...you should take a day off." from my strong, silent Joshua. I think I'll tip them with an
extra bedtime story. :-)
Herbal
Baths
Tie one
cup of dried herb or two to three cups fresh herbs into a loose bag of
cheesecloth or nylon hose. Place bag into enamel pan. Cover with water
and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover with lid and let steep for
15 minutes. Pour into tub of warm water and enjoy. Suggested herbs: Lavender
flowers, rose petals or lemon balm leaves.
Lavender
Bubble Bath
bunch lavender
1 large
bottle clear organic shampoo
5 drops
lavender essential oil
Place the bunch of lavender head
down in a clean, screw-top wide mouth jar. You really only need the
flowers, so cut off any long stalks. Add the shampoo and the lavender
oil. Close the jar and place it on a sunny windowsill for two or three
weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain the liquid and rebottle.
Scented
Dusting Powders
5
tablespoons unscented talcum powder
1
tablespoon cornstarch
5 drops
rose or jasmine essential oil
or 2 drops
peppermint oil
Makes 2
ounces
BathTime
Resources
FitsMyBudget.net
SoapNaturally.com
GreenChronicle.co.uk
KitchenCraftsNMore
Homemade Cosmetics
Tea
Time
I can't begin to tell you how we
enjoy teatime in our home! We try to do it every school day, but
honestly we don't enjoy it often enough. Just after our afternoon rest
a cup of tea and a special snack are just what we need to get going
again. Plus there is just something special about sitting down to tea -
even the boys enjoy it! It provides a much-needed respite during
which time I can enjoy just being with my children. There are no
deadlines, our schoolwork is generally finished for the day and we can
just BE.
To begin with I purchased some quality 100% cotton fabric in a variety
of prints. From each yard of fabric I cut 12 - approximately 12"
squares. After hemming the edges with a simple zigzag stitch we have
REAL napkins to use for afternoon tea! This also affords Abby a great
opportunity to practice her ironing skills. Being all cotton they do
require ironing if you don't take them right out of the dryer when the
cycle completes! Sometimes we have a fresh bouquet on the table
and nearly always there is a candle or two lit in sparkling crystal
holders.
During tea, which consists of a
beverage (not always tea) and a simple snack, I read from a favorite
book. Generally I read from The
Book of Virtues by William Bennett. Every home should have
this book! It has such a wonderful variety of stories from which to
choose - all of which have beautiful moral themes without being
preachy. While I am reading the children snack on anything from popcorn
to biscuits to store-bought snack cakes depending on how much time and
energy we had to prepare. No matter what the fare, it is always a time
enjoyed and places a quiet, restful atmosphere in our home.
Tea
Time Links
Victorian
Rituals
Victorian
Teatime Quotes
Towne
Victoria
Teatime @ Seeds of
Knowledge
Victorian Bizaar.com
History
of Tea Time
Home
Is How The Heart Is
Miss Mason
wrote much on what she termed "the atmosphere of the home". She
placed utmost importance on the impact this atmosphere has on our
children - for better or worse. I know of no quicker way to turn
a house topsy-tervy than for Mother to get agitated, distressed, or
angry. My sweetheart gently reminds me that "as Mom goes, so goes the
home". How true. Through tea time, taking time for myself for prayer,
Bible reading and exercise, I find it easier to be the Mother my Lord
called me to be.
If I could encourage Mothers to do ONE thing for their husband and
children it would be this: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF spiritually,
emotionally, mentally and physically. This is not selfish or wrong!
Rather it helps keep this "temple of clay" a place where peace reigns
and a servant's heart resides.
A
friend loveth at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
- Proverbs 17:17
Pregnancy
& Home Birthing
Nursing Bras
Home Birth Reference Site
Home Birth
Article of Interest
Midwifery Today
Water
Birth Supplies
Homebirth Interactive
Forum
Fetal Monitoring
Pros & Cons
In His Hands Birth Supplies
Birth Partners
Granola Threads
Birthing
Methods
The Compleat Mother
Dear Midwife
Children
Are blessings!
Qiverfull.com
Dedicated to
providing encouragement
and practical help to
those
who are
striving to raise a large and growing, godly family in today's world!
Hannah.org
Natural
Family Planning & the Christian Family
Open Embrace
How
the Pill & other Birth Control Methods Work
Children: Burden or
Blessing?
And a ministry close to our heart:
Blessed
Arrows
a sterilization reversal ministry
Blessed
Arrows is a ministry and email support group for people who are
committed to trusting God with their family planning. This means no
birth control. We specifically minister to those seeking to
reverse sterilizations. This ministry exists with a primary purpose
of getting people together to pool their finances through
donations to
Blessed Arrows to FUND the reversal surgeries.
Shawn and
I are praying for the Lord to provide for a reversal. Please
lift this up to the Father on our behalf. We covet your prayers in this!
Long
Hair Care
One's
hair style or length should hardly be a plce for division among
Christians but alas, sadly it is often just that. It
seems that even this can be a stumbling block for some. I
will offer my testimony here so that it may be of encouragement to
others, as is the rest of this website, and in no way do I endorse the
bashing that goes on among Christian women when one keeps a
shorter-style.
My
hair was shoulder length. Not long by many standards but not short by
any means. My husband desired my hair to be grown out long but I didn't
like the idea. I thought a fresh shorter cut was most becoming for me.
Truth be told, I held onto having short hair tightly for it was, in my
heart, my last hold on "freedom". I thought myself to be submissive,
and in most other areas I was. This one area though I thought my
husband had no right to. Afterall, he didn't wear his hair the
way I liked did he? Oh prideful heart! I "wanted" to "choose" my
hairstyle. Afterall, in the grand scheme of things it didn't really
matter. It was "my hair". I grudgingly bargained my way to
shoulder length hair, resenting it and not willing to give my dear
husband his desire for it to be longer.
A
note here: His reasons were not scriptural exactly. He just has a
preference for long hair.
And
so, I kept it barely at my shoulders, "toeing" the line of submission,
or so I thought. You see, as with ALL other matters in marriage, it was
my heart condition that the Lord chose to deal with first. Through a
series of events I was terribly wounded by my husband and in a fit of
depression and hurt I went to the salon and had them cut my hair. OFF.
Here is the picture I brought with me:
I
even spiked it up like that when I got home. And then I cried. And
cried and cried. I couldn't believe what I had done nor why I had done
it. I am still so ashamed of doing this! But I share it here so that
you can see that the length of hair is NOT what is of utmost importance
to Jesus! When I cut my hair, it is as if a mantle fell from me... the
annointing perhaps as wife and mother? Not because God cared about the
length of my hair but because I had turned against my husband's wishes
on a very selfish matter. (Some would argue that this hairstyle is a
man's, thus contrary to Scripture and I would agree now.) I struggled
spiritually, emotionally, physically. It was an outward sign of an
inward sin and I was paying the price. Jesus was there to hold my head
as I cried but cry I did. Slowly, it is growing back and with it
I am learning true submission. It's not about "WHAT WE DO"!!! It is
about our heart!!!
In your journey to becoming the godly woman we are called to be,
consider this:
You yourselves are our letter,
written on our hearts,
recognized and read
by everyone, since it is plain
that you are
Christ's letter, produced by us,
not written with
ink but with the Spirit of the living God;
not
on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.
-II
Corinthians 3:2,3
It
is our hearts the Jesus wants, not anything else. He will deal with the
outward things in His own time.
I have met some head-covering, looong hair, dresses-only ladies who are
anything BUT the model of a godly woman. We have no business
pointing fingers and whispering about how Mrs. So&So was so UNGODLY
because she has short hair!
Please accept this testimony as just that. MY testimony. The Lord has
asked me to share it. I know some will disagree with much of what I
have said here, and that's ok. We aren't all alike (Praise the Lord!
What a dull world THAT would be!).
Hair
Barrettes (How to fix them to be more hair safe.)
The Ultimate Long Hair Care Site
-free
Winter Long Hair Care
Long Hair Tips
Some
beautiful braid how-to's
Headcovering.com's
Hair Care Page
When To Cut Your
Hair For Maximum Growth
