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Friday, April 25, 2008 - Bite Back! |
| Posted in Deep Thoughts |
If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you’ll know that we are now sponsoring a little Tanzanian girl through Compassion International. My desire to do this was brought to a head as I read the blog posts from a group of bloggers who recently went to Uganda on a Compassion trip. One of those bloggers was BooMama. She has now brought to my attention an initiative by Compassion to provide mosquito nets for families in malaria-prone areas, such as Uganda and Tanzania. If you feel that you want to help the children of Africa but can’t currently commit to a monthly sponsorship, read on. You can easily have a huge impact on a family with a small one time donation. From BooMama’s blog:
“I sat next to one of the hospital’s doctors, and after a few minutes of pleasantries, I asked him if it was frustrating to be a physician in Uganda. Much to my surprise, his eyes filled with tears. And he nodded.
“It’s tough,” he said, “because our children die from preventable diseases. AIDS is preventable. Malaria is preventable. But our people don’t have access to medicine. They don’t have access to mosquito nets. Mosquito nets are so inexpensive, and they can save children’s lives. But there aren’t enough to go around.”
Today, April 25th, is World Malaria Day. And through the Bite Back campaign, you can give a one-time donation of $10 and provide a mosquito net for a child - or a family, if they’re all sleeping in the same place - who otherwise would have no protection from this completely preventable disease. That $10 will also provide education and treatment for people who are already sick with malaria.
Click here to donate $10 that will provide a mosquito net for a child (you can donate more than that if you feel led and can still donate after today). Each net lasts three years, so for $3.33 a year - less than a penny a day - you can save a child’s life.
Please prayerfully consider donating to this cause if you are able. And if you just can’t spare $10 right now but still want to help, then link to BooMama’s post from your blog. Help to get the word out and encourage your readers to give.
Technorati Tags: Africa, Compassion, malaria, biteback
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Friday, April 4, 2008 - Choices - C.S. Lewis |
| Posted in Deep Thoughts |
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before…either into a creature that is in harmony with God…or into one that is in a state of war with God. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other. — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Technorati Tags: quotes, CSLewis, choices, Christianity
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - Prayers - Elisabeth Elliott |
| Posted in Deep Thoughts |
Sometimes our prayers are for deliverance from conditions which are morally indispensable — that is, conditions which are absolutely necessary to our redemption. God does not grant us these requests. He will not because He loves us with a pure and implacable purpose: that Christ be formed in us. If Christ is to live in my heart, if His life is to be lived in me, I will not be able to contain Him. The self, small and hard and resisting as a nut, will have to be ruptured. My own purposes and desires and hopes will have to at times be exploded. The rupture of the self is death, but out of death comes life. The acorn must rupture if an oak tree is to grow. — Elisabeth Elliott
Technorati Tags: quote, prayer, Elliott
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Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 9 Great Ways to Live a More Positive Life |
| Posted in Deep Thoughts |
Is it just me, or is it hard to be positive a lot of the time? My life is pretty good, everybody is healthy, we're provided for, and I'm doing what I always wanted to do (be a mom and a teacher). Yet it seems like little things have a way of getting under my skin and making me more irritated and negative than is really warranted.
I just found this post today and thought it would be a good thing to share - you know, just in case anybody else out there has this little problem from time to time. And I know you're out there...I do tech support for the site, remember? I get the emails and see the complaints. Most of them are completely valid, but once in awhile I do come across someone who could probably benefit from contemplating the following. I also need to work with a certain child in my home who has a generally negative/anxious view of life - I think this makes a good outline for some of what I need to teach him.
I'll give you the bullet points from the other site along with some thoughts of my own on each one. You may want to go read the original post at the Ririan Project blog. They expand on each point in a different way and have some other interesting things to read there. It is not a Christian blog as far as I can tell, but I think a lot of it is adaptable to those of faith. A lot of the things I've seen there are things I've learned myself as I've recovered from anxiety and depression and also gone through Christ-Life Solution. So I think it's good stuff, for the most part.
On to the list!
- Appreciate as much as you can.
Who more than we, that are home with our children all day, are in a position to truly appreciate all the little moments in life? We have so many chances to appreciate the gifts we are given, the opportunities we have in educating our children, the time we are able to spend enriching lives and truly knowing our little legacies. To be able to do all of this at all is something to be appreciated every day, even when the day hasn't gone totally to plan.
- Stop comparing yourself to others.
I don't know that there is a group of people who are more inclined to do this than homeschooling moms! We compare ourselves to other moms, our kids to other kids, our families to other families, and how well we educate our children compared to how we perceive others are doing. Well, stop it! You will either wind up making negative judgments on yourself or on others. It's a no-win situation. Realize and appreciate your differences (see point #1).
- Realize that it is possible to choose how you react.
I'm a control freak. Well, a recovering control freak. I am doing much better. What has helped me to loosen my grip on everything going on around me? Some words of wisdom from a counselor: You cannot control Others or Outcomes. You can only control your own actions and reactions toward them. Very basic but very true. It is a waste of time to try to control others or outcomes, you simply do not have that power. Instead, focus on your own reaction and spend that energy working toward a more healthy perspective. Things are rarely made better by over-reacting, but often are improved by under-reacting. Try it and see!
- Educate yourself.
I'm sure homeschooling moms do not need to be told the value of this. I think we learn more than our kids do as we educate them! If something is bothering you and making you think negatively, educate yourself about it. Look for a solution or a way to improve the situation. Or just learn about something you're interested in. This can make you feel so much better about yourself and is a great example for your kids! The best way to transmit a love for learning to your kids is to model it.
- Act as if.
I've been told this before and I've had a bit of a problem with it. I'm an extremely honest person, so I have had issues with what I have seen as 'lying' through my actions about how I really feel. However, I am learning the value of "acting as if". Having a horrible day? What if you acted as if it was a wonderful day and put a smile on your face? Having trouble loving a particular child as much as you'd like to in a difficult moment? What if you acted as if you loved them more than ever? I have come to the realization that this is not a lie - it's a change in mindset. I am choosing how I will react (see #3 above). Most of the time, if you 'act as if', you actually do begin to feel the way you are acting! So act how you would like to feel and your outlook will almost always brighten.
- Live in the now.
As much as we'd like to believe otherwise, we only have the present moment. The past is gone and the details of the future are unknown to us. Be in the moment. Put your energy into right now so that you can live it fully, rather than wasting precious time and thought on times that cannot be changed or predicted. Don't worry about how your kids will turn out, instead be HERE, NOW and be engaged in what is happening around you. Another thing I've been taught is to take some time to just sit and 'be'. Notice all the little things around you and focus on them. Notice the color of the walls, the sound of the birds chirping, the temperature of the air, the texture of the chair you're sitting in. Center yourself in the here and now, which is the only place you can really live.
- Do some mental rehearsal.
This almost seems to contradict the previous point, but it does have its place. This is not imagining future events and letting them take on a life of their own. This is a matter of playing out in your mind situations that you are going into in a positive way. Rather than thinking, "What if I trip and fall on my way into the room?", visualize yourself entering gracefully with a smile on your face. Visualize a positive experience. See it going well in your imagination and prepare yourself this way. Remember, garbage in, garbage out. Don't let any garbage into your plans - plan to succeed.
- Redefine failure.
Oh, how we dread failure! And as homeschooling moms, we are constantly battling that fear. We are afraid to buy the wrong curriculum or that we'll miss teaching our children something they need. Instead of seeing these situations as a failure, what if we see them as learning experiences? We now know that type of curriculum doesn't work well for us, so we avoid it in the future. We find that our children really do need to learn about a certain subject, so we go back and teach it - and are ready for the next child, too. Failure is subjective. You can decide if you see a situation as a failure or not. Turn that negativity around and see it as a positive.
- Focus on what you want, not on what you don´t want.
This is a hard one for me, but it is so true! We just discussed this in my Christ-Life class. If you focus on the negative, that is where you will go. You need to keep your eye on the target, not on all the areas you don't want to hit! My instructor gave this example. He was on a bike ride with his young daughter and she was riding behind him. He noticed a big hole in the pavement and directed his daughter's attention to it, telling her to be careful not to hit it. She then focused on the hole so much, that like a magnet she was pulled right into it! Here's another example. What if for some insane reason, I decided to give up eating chocolate. (Gasp!) How much success am I going to have if I think, "I'm kind of hungry and chocolate sounds so good. But I can't eat any chocolate. No chocolate for me. No matter what, do NOT go to the cupboard and get out that chocolate you know is in there on the second shelf in the silver bag. I really shouldn't eat even one Hershey's Kiss. Nope, I won't eat any chocolate. I sure am hungry...for chocolate..." How long will it be before I'm standing there with my hand in the candy bag? I am actually driving myself to do the one thing I'm trying NOT to do. If I instead think, "I'm kind of hungry, I think I'll go find a healthy snack. An apple sounds good and I could use some more fruit today", what are the chances I'll be making a detour to the chocolate? Much less than with my first inner conversation! Make positive goals to strive for rather than focusing on what you don't want to do. Remember what we have learned while raising our children - even negative attention is attention!
There is a reason for Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Keep the negative out of your thoughts as much as possible and your life will feel much more positive!
Jodi |
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Saturday, December 9, 2006 - Yet another crazy week |
| Posted in Deep Thoughts |
Obviously I've been busy, from the looks of my blog. I don't mean the redesign (although I did work on that, too) - I'm just talking about life.
We've had something going on every day since last Saturday. For most people maybe this isn't a big deal, but for this homebody, it's way way too much! Between gatherings, doctor's appointments, vet appointments, grocery shopping, book shopping, Christmas shopping, sick kids, sick parents and a *very* sick dog...I'm ready for a vacation! Oh, and we can't forget the blog maintenance coming up tomorrow, for which I needed to send out 2 announcements to every blogger on the site. There sure are a lot of us!! For some reason I can only send 50 at a time, so I was sitting at my computer clicking the send button over and over and over...until I about fell out of my chair from boredom. Twice. I took the opportunity to snuggle my poor little pooch with my free arm. Of course once I got the messages sent out, the help requests started pouring in from those needing to know how to backup their blog. (See the FAQ page for that information if you need it.  )
But here is the good news - your reward for hanging in here with me this far. I'm pretty much done preparing for Christmas!! I decided to try this 6 week Christmas prep system. I didn't do everything and I wasn't completely on the same schedule as they laid out, but in the end I met my goal of having all gifts bought by December 4. All but the last 3 things I got are wrapped. I have a list of cookies I want to make and have had my pantry stocked with the needed items for a few weeks already. I got my Christmas lights hung outside with less trouble than usual, thanks to a nifty extension pole and clips I bought and a 3 plug extension cord, which was desperately needed. I also got the inside decorations done - a pared back version, but more than enough for a festive spirit. I'm feeling more relaxed at this time of year than I have in a very long time - which was the whole idea.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I haven't truly enjoyed the Christmas season for many years. I want to enjoy it - but then the preparations and expectations and procrastination gets in the way. I feel hurried and harried and generally grumpy, just wanting to get it over with! I should be able to enjoy Christmas with my children and family. Everyone else but me seems to enjoy it, so I guess I was taking care of them well enough. But I was just surviving and really not having the time or energy to concentrate on the Reason for the Season.
There have been some adjustments in my thinking and attitude lately which are really changing me as a person. I'm letting go of being a perfectionist (to some degree), letting go of anxiety (trying to, anyway) and grabbing onto actually enjoying my life! Instead of moping around about all the things I wish I could do and can't - I'm actually doing some of them! What a novel concept, huh? These aren't big things for the most part. Simple things like learning to knit, getting braver with my haircut, baking more, getting out in the world, even updating my blog template which was VERY overdue.
Guess what? Some other things that I would have said were 'important' before are falling by the wayside. I'm not abandoning them, but I don't feel the urgency to have everything done all the time. Our house is not clean by any stretch of the imagination and you might have to dig through a laundry basket to find some socks. But we have a much happier and relaxed Mommy!
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I'm just feeling pretty good about things right now. Even though this was a stressful week, I didn't get very stressed out. That is pretty amazing for me. For a long time I've been fueled by stress and didn't think I'd be able to change. But I have. And it's wonderful! So for anybody out there who may be stressing out over holiday preparations, take a deep breath. Make a list of what you really have to get done and let go of the rest of it. Find a way that works for you. There is much more to what I've been doing, of course, but it's a start!
I'm going to finish up for now to spend the evening with my family. I'll try to update again with some of the 'interesting' things that have been going on around here, keeping me so busy!
Jodi
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