Are Your Kids Doing Your Job Mama?

I have been sitting A LOT the last 7 weeks. My morning sickness started at about 6 weeks and I am 13 weeks now. It usually lets up around 17 weeks. I am so looking forward to being on my feet more and being about my normal day to day activities and chores! I hate sitting around like this. But I am thankful for something it has caused me to contemplate.

I am sure you have all heard the saying: "Good parenting is working yourself out of a job." While I get the gist of it, I don't like it overall. Here is why. It feels like I have been out of a job these last 7 weeks as I shout orders from my recliner. I feel like this lazy woman (I know, I'm not...but it FEELS that way) barking at my little servants to do... my job.

We SHOULD train our children. They SHOULD be helping us because they live at home too and should be contributing when it comes to it's upkeep. BUT I am noticing something that is happening. I feel like more and more moms are spending more and more time on their computers/i-phones and less and less time keeping the home. Which we are commanded to do.

"...encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, WORKERS AT HOME, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Titus 2:4-5

"So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to MANAGE THEIR HOMES and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander." 1 Timothy 5:14 

When we aren't keeping and managing the home we are allowing the word of God to be dishonored and we are allowing the enemy opportunity for slander. 
Keeping the home WELL is no joke. There are many things that can be done everyday to make our homes run more smoothly and efficiently. We as the managers and keepers of the home are deciding everyday how well our homes will run and how chaotic and messy our homes will be. 

In a day and age where we have so many conveniences (dishwasher, vacuums, washer, dryer etc.) there is really no excuse for a home to not be managed/kept well. Some of us, myself included, need to be asking: "Are my kids doing my job?" The Lord has not called our children to manage and keep the home. Yes we should be training them and it will bless them later in life if we do so, but we should never be barking orders from our sofa all day with the laptop and i-phone in front of us because we are too indulgent and selfish. If our homes are falling apart it's on our shoulders.

I will be the first to admit I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to keeping the home. My poor mother always worked full time outside the home and she never really gave any thought to training us. I am starting from scratch AND I am a very un-organzied person by nature. But I know God wants me to keep my home well and so I know He will answer my prayers to be a better at it. I pray to Him for wisdom on how to be the best keeper of the home I can be.

Don't embitter your children toward you. Don't make them question if mom is training them or just being lazy. We are called the keepers of the home and we need to live up to that title. 

I Get My Groceries Delivered AND Save Money!

I love Safeway. I like their quality. I like their options. I just don't like their prices. But here's the good news! I have figured out how to shop at Safeway, get my groceries delivered for free, get a dollar off a gallon at the gas station AND save 25-45% off my grocery bill EVERY time!

Here's how I do it.

1) Go to http://www.safeway.com/.

2) Sign up for: Just For U and for grocery delivery (you will have to sign up for both separately).

3) Go to Just For U and "clip" coupons. It doesn't get much easier than this! You just push the button "add" and it's put on to your account! Easiest couponing ever! ALWAYS look for a 20 cent gas reward coupon. This means for every $100 you spend you will get 20 cents off a gallon. (sometimes even more!) I also just saved $10 off on frozen pizzas with my just for u coupons!

4) Go to your grocery delivery account.

5) Look for the promo codes that you need. Obviously you will want the one for FREE DELIVERY. This will mean that you have to purchase at least $150 worth of groceries (which is easy for me because I shop about every 1-2 weeks) and purchase 5 items from a list. I only buy 5 items that are on sale. Look for other promo codes that apply to your shopping list. For example, I had cereal on my list. I found a promo code that said: Save $3 when you purchase three of these cereals. I looked through the list to find ones that were already on sale. That means I got three bags of cereal already on sale and then an additional dollar off each one with that promo code. All with the push of a button from my comfy chair in the living room! :)

6) Always be sure to check out the buy one get one free sales. You can't beat that.

7) Next click "online savings" and click on "club card specials". Go through your list and only buy what is on the card savings. Always check what items are per ounce to make sure you are getting the best deal. My shopping list sometimes evolves as I shop online to get the best deals. Sometimes I don't get something on my list if it's not on sale.

8) Go to checkout after you have gone through your list and accrued at least $150 worth of groceries and enter your promo codes. Then pick a delivery time. (they have only been late for me once!)

It's like a mama of five littles dream come true!! Someone does the shopping in the store for me, loads it up in the truck, brings it to my door at a time when I am ready for it! Doesn't get any better than that :)

I know some of you out there are like: "I save way more money going here, there and everywhere." It's just not worth the few dollars I might save to drive all over the place wasting more gas and time. Time is a PRICELESS thing for me right now as I am pregnant, homeschooling and keeping a home.

So whatcha think? Gonna try it out?!

Go To Church

We've all heard it: "I don't GO to church because we ARE the church." I get it. I know the body of Christ is the church. But saying: "I am going to the corporate gathering of believers" is too long so we say "I am going to church". Many now say: "I don't go to church anymore. The church left me wounded. It's full of hypocrites."

Here is my response to that. Everyone is wounded in life. Family wounds us. Friends wound us. Church wounds us. Life wounds us. That doesn't mean we check out of all those things. Being hurt is part of life. Those who grow and mature from it are happier in life than those who "just can't move on". 

Being a pastor's wife the last five years has greatly increased my appreciation for the local church. My appreciation for GOING to church...consistently... week after week has grown. I see a difference in the lives of those who sporadically go and those who come every Sunday giving of themselves and being given to.

There is a "movement" to leave church. To walk away. To "do church in homes like the first believers did". I have not seen the sort of accountability and church government I believe God desires in these home churches. There is almost a sort of pride that I see from people I know who are like this. They look down on us silly Christians that meet in a "building". Um... a home is a building too. Ours is just bigger and functions better for how many people come here. Jesus went to the synagogues often. Once Christianity came on the scene there were no church buildings because it had just begun.

I do see the benefit of meeting in homes. That's why our church has so many home fellowships through out the week. I see how they encourage closer relationships and I am thankful for them, but I also see the benefit of having a place to meet corporately. I see the blessing of having a pastor study all week and present the Word of God to us each week as God feeds His sheep through that man.

No local church body is perfect. Just like you aren't perfect. No local church body lacks in hypocrites but I am pretty sure if I asked those who live with you if you are ever hypocritical there would be a resounding yes. The church exists for Christ and His glory, not you and your feelings. Being plugged into a local church body of believers is a blessing not only for you but those around you! It is such a gift to be part of local body of believers that you can benefit from and that can benefit from the gifts God has given you.

Go to church. Go to a church that says: "Turn with me in your bibles to...." Go to a church where there is an emphasis on destroying sin and rejoicing in your salvation. Get plugged into a local body. It provides accountability and encouragement. It provides a place you can consistently go to and feel like home. It provides a family like you have never known.

One of the biggest gifts I have witnessed for myself and for those in our church is the sense of community that we have! Oh the joy to know that if you go through something tough that your church family will definitely be there for you. Oh the joy of mourning with those who mourn and rejoicing with those who rejoice. Sharing life with brothers and sisters in Christ is how God designed us to live and yet so many forfeit this.... You were not meant to live on an island by yourself. You and your family were designed to be living life with your brothers and sisters in Christ through all the ups and downs. You were meant to have relationships with people that endure and withstand all those conflicts and annoyances. 

Don't buy into the lie that you don't need to be part of a local church body. Don't believe that you are too good for all those churches that just "can't get their act together". You're pretty messed up yourself. Just like me and everyone else. 
Once you get plugged in, expect to be let down. Expect to be hurt. Expect to be disappointed. But also expect to grow and be challenged. Expect to be loved. Look for ways to encourage others and don't go to church with such a critical heart. Look for ways to bless others and don't just sit there waiting to be blessed.

Go to church.