Jesus' Birthday Cake

I saw this idea quite a number of years ago and fell in love with it! I hope you also enjoy it!

My Bridesmaid's Ribbon Cake or Cake Pull Adaptation

A new bride would place charms (attached to ribbons) in the cake. The single ladies at her wedding, or her bridesmaids, would  each pull a ribbon revealing a charm. The charms have symbolic means to them. I won't go into that here though. What I want to do is introduce to you an adaptation of this for Christmas. In all actuality you could adapt this for any occasion.

These are all cute ideas, for a wedding. How can we do this for Christmas though?

Instead of using charms I typed up Scripture references one year and another year I listed people that were involved or related to the birth of Christ; the shepherds, inn keeper, Mary, Joseph, etc...
As each person pulled out the paper (by pulling the ribbon it was attached to) we read the Scripture or discussed the character who was listed on that paper. In order to make sure the paper was not affected by the cake or frosting I covered it in tape prior to putting it into the cake. (You could also put it under the cake and have wax paper between the cake and the papers.)

After all the ribbons were pulled we enjoyed a delicious cake while listening to Christmas music. 

The kids loved being able to participate in learning more about the birth of Christ and not just sitting there listening to a story. It also helps refocus their attention away from receiving gifts and on the Saviour's birth instead.

I hope you liked our little Christmas cake idea. Even thought my boys are older I think we will revisit this idea this year.

I urge you, be that man.

The man I want you to become....

I dreamed of a man who would sweep me off my feet and make me feel special every day of my life. I dreamed of a man whom I could live my whole life with knowing I was secure in his love. Prince Charming comes to mind.

Instead I have a man who is so much more. Through dirty cloth-diapers washed by his hands, scrubbing vomit out of the carpets at 3 am, comforting children screaming from night terrors... through Asperger's, Moebius, allergies, meltdowns, hissy fits, fibromyalgia, depression and debilitating migraines... through surgeries, therapies, unending doctor appointments... I have a man who has thrived. He is so much more than Prince Charming. He is so much more than I ever dreamed.

Be that man. Be so much more.

Being a man does not come from your genes. It comes from commitment and love and selflessness. It comes from within.

Be that man. Commit to your marriage. Commit to your love. Commit to being selfless. Commit to your wife. Commit to your children.

Know that a man will hold a crying baby at 3 in the morning so his wife can rest. They will  bandage skinned knees, wipe tears away, hold the Kleenex for a booger-filled nose. A man will tell his sick wife (who hasn't showered all day and looks like she just got run over) how beautiful she is. A man will hold her close and tell her that he will make dinner tonight and put the kids to bed.

A real man will desire a woman who is modest in her clothing. He will know that true beauty is inside and that by her covering herself she is respecting the temple of God. He will not compare her to others because he knows that degrades her. He will show her his love through his actions, not just his words.

A real man will read Scriptures to his wife while she does the dishes. A man will help with those very same dishes. On days that the house is a mess and the wife is exhausted a real man will bring home KFC or take the kids to McDonald's. If money is tight, as it often is, that man will just make hot dogs and mac and cheese for the kids instead.

A man knows that in order to raise children who will become wonderful spouses he must first be one himself. If he ever desires his children to have healthy relationships he must model that for them.

He will show his wife he loves her in front of the kids. He will act out that love in his daily interactions. He will talk kindly about her to his children. His friends will know he loves her. His friends will know that through problems he will persevere.

A real man knows that family comes with messes, disagreements and chaos. A man won't mind that as he knows it's only temporary. He knows that anything worth keeping will require struggling through the messes, chaos and disagreements. He knows that struggling through will strengthen him and his family.

He knows putting God before all is what makes it all worth while. He knows that by leaning on the Savior he can stand tall.

So, my sons, I urge you, be that man.

Is homeschooling really a choice?

Homeschooling...

To some it's a choice. To some it's most certainly is not a choice at all. Some know right from the birth of their child that there is never really a choice IF they homeschool. To them it's a given that they will. To some, homeschooling may not even be a thought. The idea of not putting one's child in school is preposterous. Every child goes to school, right? I mean, who would want to have their child home all day, every day?

If children were homeschooled would they even listen to your instruction? How would you control them? How would they learn anything valuable? Wouldn't it badly affect their future? Would they ever be able to go to college or get a good job?

If you have special needs children there must be no way you could ever homeschool them, right? How would that work? They need so much help. There is no way you can provide all they nee, right?

If I homeschooled my children would they ever have friends? Would they graduate high school? How would that affect them emotionally? Socially? Academically?

To me, it never was a choice. I was certain I would homeschool my children for all of their educational years. My husband thought we would only homeschool until 3rd grade. We ended up homeschooling from 2000 until 2006 then again 2009 until the present. We did put our children in public school for a bit and it was clearly a mistake to me. My husband thinks it was a lesson learned for both ourselves and our children.

Anyhow, it was a time I regret. This post is not about that though. This post is about how any one can homeschool and how everyone should.

 You CAN homeschool. Anyone CAN homeschool. It only takes commitment. It requires nothing else.

Are you committed to your child's well being? Are you committed to helping them be a productive person in society? Are you committed to teaching them the ways of the Lord as the Bible describes? Then you MUST  homeschool. It's the only way to ensure that your child will be the best they can be and that you have done everything to help them be that person.

As a believer, follower and acceptor of Jesus Christ can you honestly say you are doing everything possible for your child and still put them in public school? I cannot. My thoughts are simple. I'll state them in bullet points for you. These are strictly from a Christian born again perspective.

1 - If I am to the be the guiding force in my child's life, leading them to God's righteousness and ultimately to His gift of salvation, how can I do that while sending them away 8 hours a day?

2 - God instructs us to train up our children in the way of the Lord. How can I do that if I have no control over them for 8 hours a day?

3 - What influences are coming into my child's mind?

4 - Who are his friends and what are they talking about, watching, doing? How much of the world is being pressed on my child by his or her peers?

5 - What is the teacher teaching? What books are being read in class? What is being discussed and from what perspective?

6 - How much of what is influencing my child is pushing God out of the picture?

If I were to come from a non Christian perspective I might think things like how best might my child learn? Are they falling through the cracks of academic success? Might they learn better if they learn at their own pace? Might they be able to explore academic areas beyond those in the school? Or be able to delve more deeply into areas of interest? Is my child being held back; socially, academically, emotionally?

What can I do about those things? How best can I help my child be the person they are destined to be? How can I help my child be best they can be?

Homeschooling isn't seclusion. It isn't socially inept children. It is not public schooling at home. It is so much more!

It is about learning and loving to learn. It is about exploring and creating and broadening our horizons. It's about bringing the world in and learning about all it's facets. Using moments to teach not just text books. It's about living life.

I encourage every parent to homeschool. I encourage every parent to at least explore the idea - mull it over, process it, delve into the idea... see what it's outcome might be. Consider it before jumping to a conclusion that it's only right wing radical's who homeschool.Just don't, please don't dismiss it before considering it. Your child's life is at stake.

The rantings of an extrovert living with introverts

I say this is the rantings of... because I feel like I am ranting. I'm not meaning to so please bear with me.

I am extrovert. I like people. I like being around people; hearing their conversations, seeing their activities, watching and participating in their lives being lived. In my house I see little of that.

My children are introverts. My husband is an introvert. That means that most of the time during the day it is fairly quiet around here. If a project is being worked on they are focused - which keeps them quiet. The boys are either in their room or on the play station or computer. Daniel also works on his school work independently and Adam goes for hour long walks. All that leaves little conversation with me, actually aside from playing the PS3 it leaves little conversation between them also. They are happy with that. They like the quiet from what I can tell.

I'm an extrovert. I'm not a person who reflects often. I'm not one to contemplate things. I'm a doer. I have learned to be a planner. I someone called me up right now and said "Hey, let's go somewhere." I would jump up and say I'll meet you there! IF I had a car. Which I don't. And no one calls me. So that doesn't happen. What does happen is quietness.

How do I cope? Some days I get depressed, withdrawn and quiet. I get bored... I sleep, I watch tv, I eat, I stay bored - some days. Boredom is the enemy for me. I have to get creative. I have to keep busy.

Some days I find things to keep me busy. I clean, I cook, I scrapbook. But I can't do those things all the time. Cooking only goes so far when no one eats as much as I make. It ends up just wasting food. Not a good thing. Cleaning can only be done for so long before it's all done. Scrapbooking is a great activity for me. I love doing it. It keeps my mind occupied and active. However, now that we have the tree up for Christmas I have no room to scrapbook. It will have to wait until January.

In warm weather I walk. I go to the library. I visit my neighbor when she is home. I sit outside and watch the activity of others.

For now I just have to think. I have to get creative in how to keep my mind sane. I will do it and spring will be here soon. Then I can be more active. I can find more things to keep me busy.

Disclaimer: I'm not looking for suggestions or for anyone to "solve" my issue. I'm not looking for pity. I'm only sharing this to get it off my chest.

Pain that causes agony

This year.... it certainly has been rough. In July I had a car accident. It changed everything. I thought at first I was healing and recovering so nicely. I thought "Oh, I got this covered. I'm going to be back to normal really soon. It is not going to take me 6 - 12 months to heal...." Well, that was a delusion. The bumps and bruises went away fairly quickly. The aches and pains have not yet. That has made this past year a rough year. I thought I was used to living in pain. I have fibromyalgia. I have had it since I was 7. I have had broken bones, sprains, strains, pulled ligaments and tendons... you name it. I have had daily pain, daily migraines for a long time. I thought I can deal with this. I am having a hard time though. My muscles are so tight I can stretch out my leg without wincing and limping. Knots make it seem like I am leaning on rocks. Migraines are a common occurrence again. It's hard to drive, hard to sit and hard to stand - some times. Not all the time. Some days are far worse than others... Some days I feel as if I am perfectly normal. I live for those days.

Pain can take over your mind. It makes you think things you never wished a person would think. In fact you would wish no one EVER thought such things! Thankfully I have not gone down that path. Thoughts do cross my mind but never hurting myself in any fashion. Never suicide. Thankfully. Some do though. Some do.

That makes me think about others who suffer so. I do not wonder how people can think of suicide as a way out anymore. Some days, anything to end the pain might sound nice. It's not something anyone actually thinks will be best but pain clouds the mind. It clouds perception.

There is physical pain and emotional pain... I wonder which is worse. I wonder which is more devastating.

Emotional pain can seem so much worse... it brings with it despair, loneliness, lack of worth... it brings with it a degrading quality. It feeds upon itself. What is one to do? Physical pain can be bad enough. Emotional pain is worse I think. When you combine both you get a possibly lethal combination.

I praise the Lord daily that both my physical and emotional pains have been kept at bay enough not to lead me down a destructive path. I praise the Lord daily that He has given me the blessing of a wonderful family; a husband who loves me and will do anything to help me and children who are attentive and caring and helpful not to mention loving. It's on my worst day they make it possible to continue.

I pray for those who feel they are not blessed because they can no longer see the blessings around them. Their eyes are clouded with agony, with loneliness, with emotional devastation. My heart goes out to them. I pray for them. May they know that there is one who does not know them but prays for them. One that cares for them. One that wishes they would seek the Father above for comfort. Only in HIS comfort do we find strength!

That is what gives me strength. Some days I do not want to get up. Some days I do not want to teach, to clean, or to do anything productive. But it's those days that God shows me how much He loves me. He blesses me with loved ones and family. He wraps His arms around me ad holds me tight, never letting go. He brings me comfort and peace like nothing else on Earth can!

As I write this I know it sounds like I am depressed today. That is far from the truth. Oh, I have been in the past. I have been so badly that I wanted nothing in life, not even my newborn child. I have been so badly depressed I wish life would just cease to be. It's in those times that I needed to reach to the Father and grasp His loving hand that is reaching for me.

I pray that those who are depressed today might see this and that they might know there IS hope and His name is Jesus.