God gives us strength!

Just a word of encouragement for you mothers out there. If you are anything like me, you could use all you can get.
Seems like everything falls apart when I start to cook dinner or sit down to write out the bills. My oldest wants a freezer pop, the middle one gets a stinky or smashs her finger, and the baby starts crying. As soon as I get one pacified then I have to take care of another's needs. It gets rather frustrating at times. I know there are times I feel like I haven't accomplished anything.
I thought about these things as I was listening to my dad's lesson this morning. He spoke about being exhausted in your marriage. I know I get exhausted many times when it comes to being a mother. We faint. That point when you say "I can't take it anymore" or maybe you just want to cry. But he pointed out a scripture that I am sure we have all heard.
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31
Maybe you have been helping your child off to college this week, your pulling overtime at the job, or just plain tired of your day to day route. Don't faint! Look to God for your strength. Are you praying yourself out of those stressful situations or are you counting? This scripture promises that the Lord will give you strength in those hard times but you have to rely on him. PRAY...PRAY..PRAY.. So keep slaving over that stove, wiping those snotty noses, and kissing those boo boos. God is right there with you. You are raising those children for the glory of God.. and every little thing you do counts!

Rainy day activities.....

Blah...on those rainy days I wish I could sleep all day! I don't know about you but my kids get cabin fever easily. They need some way to get their wiggles out so they don"t feel couped up. I have a few ideas to keep those little minds and bodies busy.
....CARD MAKING- get out some construction paper and let the kids color and draw whatever they want. If you really feel frisky, let them finger paint or use chalk on black constuction paper. Then when grandmommie or daddy's birthday comes up, fold in half and add a title on the front and names on the inside. Wah..la...instant card and it saved you from spending 5 bucks at Hallmark.
.....MOVIE TIME- grab some popcorn and a classic movie. Its a great way to get the kids settled down before nap time.
.....WATER CRAZY- now for this one you must go beyond your natural instinct mothers. Let them play in the rain. Get that great plastic pool out and dump some bath toys in it. They will love it...and trust me, they will live through it.
.....MEMORY VERSE- don't forget to practice those memory verses...and rainy days are the best days to catch up.
.....BOOKS- read, read, read....read to your children, have them read to you, or if they are old enough let them read to themselves....this is a great way to increase their vocabulary and thinking skills.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas that can kick the gloom out of your rainy day. Keep your mind and body active and that rainy day will fly by.

Structure is Best....

Whether you have one child or five....I have one word that is a must STRUCTURE STRUCTURE STRUCTURE.
A schedule...I don't know about you but my children do better in any situation when they know what to expect. This holds true to even something simple such as going to the grocery store.. Surprises are not welcomed...like a UPS delivery man ringing the door bell during nap time..talk about a damper...first the children don't get to the rest they needed and second they are completely grumpy. Something I like to do is park beside a buggy return at the grocery store. Next I explain to the children what we are going inside to do and if they behave in a decent manner than I will reward them. From there I load the children in a buggy and truck it to the inside. Try to keep some type of schedule this keeps the children knowing what to expect and helps you avoid the ever so dreaded temper tantrum.