Weather Station

Welcome to our Weather Station. This is a spot on the front window of our house that CJ can monitor the weather. (I will hopefully be able to make the Weather Report Card available for you to download for yourself soon.) At the Weather Station she can monitor the temperature, and check the clouds and sky. Then based on the information she finds out she can decide what kind of clothes she should wear to go outside. This also gives her a chance to practice writing numbers. 

This has been a fun little activity.
CJ loves to record things on her Weather Report, especially if she notices a change in the weather.
The was really fun when it snowed. 

In addition it has been a great way to watch the transition between the seasons take place. 

The thermometer is a vinyl cling that attaches to the outside of the window. 

I bought it off of amazon for about $6. My only complaint is that it doesn't show all the numbers in between. But, we have used this as a learning tool, and just counted the tick marks in between the larger numbers.

We may have a meteorologist on our hands! Whatever the future may hold, we have a preschooler who is engaged and learning about her surroundings! 

Mamma shouldn't get sick-- Part One: Prevention

In a perfect world the Mommy would never get sick or hurt. We would always be in great health and able to run after our children. For many women this is not their reality.
According to my husband (the guy who majored in Math) I am sick at least one week out of the month. This is in addition to chronic pain caused by benign hyper mobility syndrome and recovering from a spinal fusion less than a year ago. When you are slow going to start with and easily tired out, you have to set life at a slower pace. This is something that I struggle with.

Also, when your month revolves around getting sick, being sick and getting better you have to make your routine in that ebb and flow.  I find myself constantly moving through three stages:
-1. Prevention -2. Survival Mode -3. Recovery to Routine. This article is focused on Prevention.

Of course I don't want to be sick in the first place! I take my vitamins, eat healthily and try to stay up on my physical therapy routines, and get as much sleep as possible. I am even on a regime of apple cider vinegar. And we pray! I would love to see the end of this cycle of sickness!

Another detail my husband has noticed about my regular pattern of sickness is that I usually get sick after we have a busy week. Even if it is a week full of 'fun' activities. I have pretty low stamina and get tired, or exhausted easily. It seems that when I reach this overtired, exhausted phase I am most at risk of getting sick.

Here are a few ways I am trying to prevent getting overtired.

* Find out what my body perceives as stress versus what my mind recognizes as stress.
I have recently started trying to reduce 'stress' in my life. In order to do that I have had to step back and take a look at what my body perceives as stress. This is very different from what my mind thinks stress is.
I think for me, I often look at activities and ask the question--- Is God in this? Is this fun? Is this something that I want to be doing? Is it good for my kids? --- I somehow got into the habit of thinking--- well if it is 'good' then it isn't stressful. Too much business, visiting, activity, church events, etcetera does not add up to a good thing.

*Start with the basis of sleep and rest and create a schedule from there. 
I have been starting with activities I want to do and revolving my day around them. I have been approaching our activities backwards. Activities are not the priorities. I need to ask the question--- How much rest do I need? How much time at home do I need? How much rest and home time do my husband and kids need? Once I come up with that answer I need to work backwards from there.

The girls enjoying some home time. Just hanging out!

After we have put the right amount of sleep in our schedule. What about quiet time reading and studying the Bible? I can't forget to allow time to plan and prepare good healthy meals. How about all that time to do my physical therapy to keep recovering from back surgery? Then comes the housekeeping and home schooling. How much time is left?

* Change my currency from hours in the day to energy for the day--- Instead of looking at things based on how much time something will take up--- The question is --- How much energy will this take out of me? Will I be able to come home and care for my family after participating? My problem, is that I don't usually like the answer to those questions. I want to be free to go out and do things! (Spending six months mostly in bed will make you a little stir crazy!) What I can handle well is so far below what I think I should be able to do.

For me, too much activity equates to a stressed-out body. I think this might be contributing to the amount of sickness I have been experiencing. When I make choices that leave me too sick and tired to care for my family it causes stress for them. This behavior is selfish when I think about it. Doing more than I can handle--- especially when it is optional is ridiculous! Keeping the house, making meals and keeping up with my kids is hard enough and not always possible. Adding extra curricular activities on top of it leaves me an empty shell of a Mamma and Wife.

So I am going through the painful process of cutting out the extras and learning to keep it simple. But I am excited to realize the joy set before me!

From the capillaries of the heart

There are so many instances in life that produce an instant response or reaction. We hear about a situation--we react. We are invited to go somewhere or do something--we respond. When introduced to someone new--we react. In every day interactions and encounters, we in turn respond with our every day reactions. Every passed day infuses our new days with either wisdom or bitterness. Old experiences taint the new, we find each fresh experience laced with something familiar, either sweet or sour flavors from our past.

Sometimes reactions and responses can happen so naturally. We don't stop to consider the Lord or the scriptures. Our past experience starts to justify our current response rather than aligning ourselves up with God.

Since I work with Women's Ministries and have been involved in more than one church over the years, I have noticed a trend. Women are afraid to get close or interact with other women. Our life history has taught us that women can be cruel and unpredictable. They can be gossips and back biting. They can be full of complaints and talk bad about their husbands and men in general. For some women, (more than you may think), spending a day or a weekend with a bunch of other women sounds like torture.

There is no denying it, women are horrible sinners. We often find ourselves succumbing to torrents of emotion, and letting the hormones loose on those around us. Others of us allow the green-eyed monster of envy to ruin relationships. For some an absent or unstable mother has taught us to keep our distance. And for many the betrayal of a good friend has turned us from opening our hearts up to anyone else.

This is just one example of how our automatic responses can stop us from evaluating each new situation through the lens of the scriptures. Our past does not lie, it is really true, there are times from our past that hurt and were not good experiences. However, a wonderful question to ask the Lord in the present is: "Lord how would you like to redeem that past situation today?"

Sometimes the answer is simply, to let it all go! Sometimes there are valuable lessons that you can learn from bad experiences to help you be part of solutions or prevent a similar event from replaying itself.

Let the Lord examine your heart. Every reaction stems from a source in your heart. Where is this response flowing from? Does it stem from a well of bitterness and resentment? When you respond to others are you splashing cold and bitter water on those around you? Or does your response stem from a joyous spring that is fed by the Word of God? Is the water flowing out of your soul bringing tides of encouragement and nurturing growth in those around you?

Jesus taught that our hearts are where evil thoughts come from. In Matthew 15:18 He said, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man." (NKJV) The Amplified version of the Bible puts it this way: "But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles (him)."

The wonderful Psalm of David offers a perfect prayer to invite Jesus to come and search your heart and cleanse it out. Invite Him in, let Him dwell in you and change you from the inside out. Test each reaction and opinion with God's word to make sure it is true. May the Word of God flow from your heart as naturally as breathing.

Psalm 51

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
         And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence,
         And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
   
 ¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
         And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
         And sinners shall be converted to You. 

**( Mark 7:18-23 and in Mathew 15:18-20)