You are worth more than rubies

She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. –Proverbs 3:15

I am writing this for my beautiful daughters but it really could be directed to all of the women out there, young and old.

First and foremost, I want you to know how much I love you! I have loved you since before I even met you. I don’t want you to ever doubt that in any way. As your mother it is my responsibility to protect you and look out for you. Please don’t ever think that I am trying to be critical or trying to discourage you. I only want the best for you and if I say something about a guy you are interested in I am only being honest because I have learned some traits to look for and some traits to avoid. In the end I will be there for you no matter what and I want you to know that.

I want you to know how wonderful you are. Everything about you is perfect and I don’t want you to ever feel like it isn’t. How do I know that? Because God was your creator and He makes no mistakes. He has lovingly created you and He only wants the best for you because before you were my child you belonged, and still belong, to Him.

I know life is hard and especially when it come to the romance department it can be really tough. I want you to remember that you deserve the best in whoever your partner is. I want you to set your standards high because you don’t need to settle. You should never settle because God has someone in mind for you and that someone will not only meet those standards you set but he will exceed those standards. How do I know that? Because God has a plan for each of us. He loves us and truly only wants the best for us. He can do the impossible.

You deserve to be loved, but not just loved like the general idea of love, you deserve to be cherished. You deserve someone who is loyal and honest. You deserve someone who longs to be with you just as much as you long to be with them. You deserve someone who will look after your heart as they look after their own. If you will take your requests to God He will supply. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but according to His timing which is always right on time.

So for now I want you to take things slow. Learn to be patient and trust in the Lord. Develop your relationship with God because His love is the only perfect love. When you have a close relationship with God everything else will start to fall into place.

Use this time wisely. Ask God to help you and to show you the areas that need improvement. He is molding you and training you into the person He wants you to be. When we don’t give Him control then it makes this process so much more difficult.

Don’t just pray for yourself but pray for this future partner. You may not know him right now, you may live in different zip codes, or you may know him and not even think of him as ‘the one’. God knows who He is. Ask God to work in His life as He is working in your life. When you both are ready God will reveal him to you.

Don’t chase guys or waste time on guys who refuse to meet your standards because when God puts His plan into motion the right guy is gonna find you! I promise! I joked before that the guy for me would have to be driving the UPS or FedEx truck as I never went anywhere for anyone to find me. I was wrong. God put me where I needed to be and He will do the same for you.

Don’t let these guys tell you that your standards are too high! Don’t let them make excuses!  Your standards are your standards and they have no right to judge them. This is just a sign that they are not the one for you. When you find the one God intends for you then you will be just what He was looking for, just as He will be just what you have been looking for.

Don’t settle because you think that you will be able to change them! That kind of change can only come from above. It is possible that the guy you like right now may be the guy God has chosen for you but it may be that God is not finished with him yet. God is working on the perfect man for you.

I may not be a relationship expert but I have made my fair share of mistakes when it comes to not waiting on God. I don’t want you to make those mistakes and deal with the heartache that goes along with them. Every heartbreak will leave a scar and will make it that much harder for you to love someone in the future.

I have faith that there is someone out there who is waiting for you. He has made his list and he knows what he is waiting for. You are worth the wait!

Daughters, you are beautiful, smart, funny, and wonderful. Anyone that thinks otherwise or puts you down is not someone you need to be with. Please remember that you are a daughter of the king and He wants what is best for you. If you trust in Him He will provide you with so much more than your heart can imagine.

I am praying for each of my children and their future/current spouses. Times are especially hard right now and it will be so much harder for our children to remain pure and to keep their focus on God.

Lord, I ask you today to watch over these young women. Show them how beautifully and wonderfully made they are. Lord, guard their hearts and keep them pure. Be with them as they wait on you and help them to develop the character traits that they will need for their roles as wives and mothers in the future.

Please watch over their future partners and protect them. Keep them pure, guard their hearts, and help them to keep their focus on You, Lord. Help these young men to develop the character traits that they will need to be the husbands and fathers they will need to be in the future.

Thank you for you mercy and grace on all of us. Amen!

Below are some links that young women and their parents can check out:

Traits of a Godly Wife

Having the Right Perspective When Praying for a Future Husband

Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His

How to use the Bible to Pray For Your Future (or Current) Spouse

6 Prayers For Finding A Godly Spouse

12 Ways to Pray for Your
Child’s Future Mate

Five Prayers for Your Daughter

Prayer for my daughter who seeks a relationship.

A prayer for my daughter to find a godly husband.

 

** Featured image is from Mr. Amari Soul on Facebook.

April Holidays

I will try to update this list with some fun activities as well. Feel free to click the links to find out more about the origins and meanings behind these special days. I plan to incorporate a few of these into our normal homeschool routine to add a little fun and excitement to our days. Have fun and maybe make up your own personal family holiday or tradition for the month!

This month is also know as:

  • National Humor Month
  • International Guitar Month
  • Keep America Beautiful Month
  • Lawn and Garden Month
  • National Kite Month
  • National Poetry Month
  • National Pecan Month
  • Stress Awareness Month
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The weeks are known as:

  • Week 1 Library Week
  • Week 1 Read a Road Map Week.
  • Week 2 Garden Week
  • Week 3 Organize Your Files Week
  • Week 4 Administrative Assistants Week
  • Week 4 National Karaoke Week

(Links will be updated closer to the dates of each holiday.)

I found this list and more here:

April Fool’s Day (1st)

**see April Fool’s Day for more activities

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day (2nd)

** be sure to check out Homeschool: April on Pinterest for some interesting recipes.

Caramel Popcorn Day (7th)

** see Microwave Caramel Popcorn for an easy recipe

Draw a Picture of a Bird Day (8th)

** how to draw a bird for kids on YouTube, also see my Pinterest board linked below.

Palm Sunday

**see Palm Sunday for more activities

Passover

**see Passover for more activities

National Siblings Day (10th)

**see National Siblings Day for more activities

Barbershop Quartet Day (11th)

**barbershop quartets for kids on YouTube

Good Friday (14th)

**see Good Friday for more activities

Easter (16th for 2017 but the date varies)

**see Easter for more activities

National Cheeseball Day  (17th)

National High Five Day (3rd Thursday)

Look Alike Day (20th)

Earth Day (U.S.) (22nd)

**see Earth Day  for more activities

National Jelly Bean Day (22nd)

National Zucchini Bread Day (23rd)

** see Zucchini Bread for a recipe

Pig in a Blanket Day (24th)

** see Pig in a Blanket for links to recipes

World Penguin Day   (25th)

**see Penguin Awareness Day for more activities

National Pretzel Day (26th)

** see Easy Soft Pretzels for a recipe

Arbor Day (last Friday)

**see Arbor Day for more activities

National Honesty Day (30th)

**see Honesty for more activities

Also check out:

Homeschool: April on Pinterest

March 21, 2017

Good morning everyone! We are up and somewhat ‘at it’ this morning. I was so lazy yesterday! I did the basics like feeding the kids and washing up the dishes but not much else. I did finish up a load of laundry last night because it was sitting on my bed but the clothes are still sitting in a basket waiting to be put away.

Yesterday was just one of those ‘off days’ for me. I had been pushing myself a lot the past couple of weeks and it finally caught up with me. Well put that with the time change and dealing with kids who are exceptionally tired and cranky too and I was due for a lazy day.

I didn’t even make it to my closet yesterday morning. I did take a few moments here and there to talk with God but it wasn’t the same as my usual devoted time and I really needed that. So last night I stopped in the middle of folding laundry and headed to my closet for a bit. It was just what I needed. Each of the devotions and verses I happened to read last night were talking about the importance of rest. This really helped me not to feel so guilty about being so ‘lazy’.

Mark 6:31 (KJV)

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

One of the verses I read was Mark 6:31, it helped me to see that rest is just as important as work. It is also important for us to remember to take some quiet time to be with the Lord. He will refresh us and give us the strength to keep going, even on the toughest days.

Psalm 119:44 (KJV)

So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

This was another verse I read from ‘Starting Your Day Right‘ by Joyce Meyer. She reminds us that we don’t have to go into a private room to have time with God. We can talk to Him anytime, anywhere, about anything! Take every opportunity to spend time with Him and I guarantee you will see changes in your life.

I know how hard it is to be a parent, a single parent at that, and I know how busy life can get. I know how tough things can get and just when you’ve about reached the end of your rope the 3 year pulls the cereal out of the cabinet and pours it all over the kitchen floor. Or you decide to mop the floor instead of taking a nap only to have someone walk in with chicken poop on their shoes. I could go on and on but I won’t.

No matter what you are going through right now. God can help! He is there, waiting, just talk to Him. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be out loud, just talk. Tell Him about your troubles and ask Him for His help. He is there and He will help. All you need to do is ask.

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

I want each and every one of you to know that I do pray for you and for whatever your circumstances are, I pray that God will supply your needs and bring you rest when you need it.

Have a blessed day!

Character Training Starts at Home

One of the benefits of homeschooling my children has been that I can focus more on character training. I will use this page to link to various resources that I have found and/or used in our homeschool.

Please feel free to add links to your favorite resources in the comments.

Honesty

Other Links:

Large Families on Purpose: Character Training For Children

Doorposts – Biblical Character Training

Teaching Character to Your Kids | Focus on the Family

Kids of Integrity: Free parenting resources for teaching kids Godly …

What Is Character? – Thoughts On The Importance of Good Character

Character Traits Kids Can Develop | DiscipleBlog.com

Christian Character Traits for Kids | Parenting Like Hannah

Joyful Heart Character Overview — Hubbard’s Cupboard

Teaching Character Qualities | – Preparing the Soil

49 Godly Character Qualities | Grace Online Library

100 Kids Activities To Build Character – Moments A Day

Character Building Activities for Kids – Kids lovetoknow

Character Building Activities for Kids: Ready-to-Use Character …

Also check out:

Homeschool: Character Training on Pinterest

Honesty

Honesty is an important character trait that we all should have. April 30th is the day set aside to remind us about the importance of being honest. Click here to learn more about this holiday.

Below are some of the activities I found to celebrate this day:

(Use at your own discretion.)

1000+ ideas about Honesty Lesson on Pinterest | Honesty lesson …

Teaching Children About Honesty – Simple At Home

Fun Activities for Kids on Telling the Truth | LIVESTRONG.COM

Honesty | Teacherplanet.com

Over The Big Moon An Object Lesson for kids on Honesty

Hands-on options | Honesty | Kids of Integrity

Teaching Kids to be Honest – Kids Activities Blog

4 Fun Ways to Teach Children about Telling the Truth – Moments A Day

Also check out:

Homeschool: April on Pinterest

Homeschool: Character Training on Pinterest

honesty for kids on YouTube