2011 Gratitude Challenge - November 10th

This is the 10th day of the 2011 Gratitude Challenge. Today I am grateful for my husbands understanding.

OK, I am very hormonal right now, and I just butchered the chicken I was trying to make for dinner. So he is bringing home dinner. Isn't he sweet?

He is very understanding, especially around this time. He appeases me when I am hormonal. lol

I am lucky to have him for my husband. 

2011 Gratitude Challenge - November 6th

Today is day 6 of the 2011 Gratitude Challenge. Today I am grateful for weekends. I love being able to spend that extra time with my husband. The kids love having their dad home all day, and we usually go out and do something fun. It is usually something simple and free, but still fun. We love being together.

Something else I am grateful for is that my husband likes spending time with us. He isn't one who likes to go out with his friends. I am so grateful for this. I know how many problems that can cause in a marriage and a family.

Anyhow, I am grateful for the weekends when we get to spend extra time as a family!

What are you grateful for? Join us in the Gratitude Challenge over at Garden of Learning.

2011 Gratitude Challenge - November 2nd

Today is day 2 of the 2011 Gratitude Challenge. Today I am grateful for my husband. Well, always, but you know what I mean. lol

My husband is such a great person. He is hardworking, always provides for us, and allows me to stay home with the children.

He is the one who thought of homeschooling in the first place. I have so many friends who's husbands are not supportive of homeschooling, or who's husbands won't let them homeschool at all. I am so thankful my husband is a full supporter of homeschooling.

He is a great dad. He always wrestles with my son. If you can call it that. Wrestling for my son is punching, kicking, anything goes. lol

He takes my daughter shopping for new clothes, and loves to play games with the kids. He tries to take each of the kids out for a special breakfast once a month. They really like this time with daddy.

I never have to worry about things with my husband. He works very hard, and even if something were to happen to our current situation, I know that we would be taken care of. Of course I know that God plays a bigger role in that, but my husband would also make sure to take care of us.

He is just great! I really love him. We are about to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. I can't believe we have been married that long. We got married when I was only 16 and he was 18. Sometime I'll tell that story. It is not one that I am proud of, but God really blessed us.

If you would like to join in with us today, just write up your post and link it up over at Garden of Learning. I look forward to hearing what you are grateful for.

A Glimpse into the Future

 

Yesterday I saw first hand what happens to a marriage when both parents are not on the same track, parenting wise.

I realized what happens when a woman steps outside of her biblical role, and tries to control her husband.

It made me so sad. Sad for the husband, sad for their marriage, and sad for my family because I see myself doing the same things.

I have studied the Bible, and many great Christian marriage books, and I know that a marriage can never be as good as God intends it to be if we are stepping out of our God given roles.

I know so many of us look at a woman's role in marriage as an awful thing, but it really isn't.

Yes, it is hard sometimes to submit to your husband when you don't agree with something he says, but we must remember that scripture tells us to submit to our husbands as unto the Lord.

We are not really submitting to our husbands for their sakes, as much as we are for the Lord.

We must remember that. You may feel like your husband doesn't deserve it, or that he doesn't make the right decisions, but you are submitting as unto the Lord.

We must still do the right thing. Even if he is not. We can't make excuses for ourselves.

I have had a lot of personal experience in this area.

Years ago I read a book called The Surrendered wife. This book changed my life.

I began to understand what God was asking of me in my marriage, not just what my husband asked of me.

When I first began to follow the advice in this book, it was hard. I had to keep my mouth shut, even when my husband said something that wasn't very nice.

One thing in particular that really bothered me was that my husband slept so late, and never wanted to get up and do anything.

Of course, I thought the best way to handle this was to yell, gripe, try to make him feel bad about about it, etc.

Of course it didn't work. lol

After reading this book, I decided to stop saying anything about it.

I decided that I would just be happy when he did wake up, and stop giving him a hard time about sleeping so late.

I can not believe the difference that it made! It was no time at all, a couple of weeks I think, before he was getting up early, and taking us out of the house to do fun activities together as a family.

I couldn't believe it. He must have not wanted to get up and face the crap I was giving him. Who could blame him really?

I have seen so many of this type of thing happen in our marriage. But it all started with me.

My husband was responding to my actions. Now, yes, I know he is still ultimately responsible for his own actions, but it really does make a huge difference when you are being the godly wife you are called to be.

You know how many ugly things the Bible says about living with a nagging wife.

I don't want to be that nagging wife.

I saw how much it can affect a marriage, even after the kids are grown, when you try to overstep what your husband says.

He is ultimately responsible for the whole family, and as hard as it is for us to submit, it is even harder for him to have all of that responsibility on his shoulders. 

I want to try to make that easier on him, instead of harder, like I have been doing lately.

I know it is hard for us moms to submit to what our husbands ask when we don't agree with him.

But think about this. What will be worse? You going ahead and being on the same page with your husband, even if you don't fully agree? Or letting the kids see that you and their dad are in disagreement, and letting them pull the two of you apart?

I honestly think that you are better off siding together, and then if you really don't agree with something, talking to him in private and praying about it, rather than letting the kids see that you can be divided.

I know we all have different circumstances, but I urge you to take a look at your marriage and see where you can improve, and I bet you will see improvement in other areas too.

I also wanted to mention a couple of other books that I have read that I really found helpful.

Daughters of Sarah
Created to be His Help Meet

Now, I don't think I agreed with everything in these books 100%, and you may not either, but they are still very much worth reading.

Let me know how things go when you try to implement what God puts on your heart.

November 2010 Gratitude Challenge Day 2

I am thankful for my husband and my children. 

My husband is such a wonderful man. 

He is a great provider and father. 

He is the type of person that would rather take on two or three jobs rather than have me go to work. 

He has always been supportive of  homeschooling, in fact it was his idea.

 

My kiddo's are very sweet, and even though they sometimes argue, they love each other so much, and are best friends.

My daughter loves to read, draw, write, sew, and play her keyboard. She is talented at many things. She has learned to play the keyboard all by herself. The keyboard teaches you, and she and my five year old son, have both learned to play it well. (OK, the 5 year old can play a few things only!)

My son is sooo sweet. All he wants to do is catch crickets and other bugs outside. In fact the other day, I asked him if he was ready for me to teach him to read, and he said, 'No way! Maybe when I'm 15!", Such a character, and then a few minutes later he came back and said, "Maybe you better teach me now, because when we move, I will be too busy outside catching crickets and other stuff that I won't have time to learn how to read!" He cracks me up!

My husband and I have been married for almost 14 years, and we love each other more every year it seems.

Aren't they sweet? We had such fun on this trip! This was at Sulpher Springs!!! FUN!!!

I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful family. I couldn't ask for a better family! (I could possibly ask to add to it though! lol)

If you want to find out what the other ladies who are doing this challenge are grateful for, you can check it out at Garden of Learning.

Tomorrow is my anniversary!

Wow, 13 years. I can't believe it. I never could have imagined being married for thirteen years.
It has been a wonderful 13 years and honestly each year has gotten better.
In the beginning of our marriage it really was not good, but it changed and has been getting better ever since.
I will blog sometime soon about what changed our marriage. It might help someone else.