Motivational Monday!

One Thing Remains!

His Love Never Fails

It Never Gives Up

It Never Runs Out on Me

HIS love is always with me and always with you.

As I live each day as a lover of Jesus,

sometimes I forget,

sometimes I need to be reminded
that He ALWAYS loves me.

Do you love me even when I don't listen to what your Word says?

Yes.

Do you love me even when I'm not thinking of others,

but only of MY needs, MY cares, MY wants?

Yes.

Do you love me even when I fail you day after day?
Yes, yes and yes.

Never?

But Lord, you know I've made many mistakes in my life.

"I know".

I mean, I won't even mention them here, but you know, I've committed every sin.

Father, EVERY sin.

And, you still....love.....me?

"Yes".

No matter what we have done,
the mistakes,
the failures,
the flops,
Jesus still loves us.
You
and
me.

For this, I am forever grateful.
Why is it so difficult for some of us to accept love?
Why is it so difficult to believe in the unseen?
Trust.

What if you were to trust HIM with your life today?
What if you were to trust HIM with ALL of your heart?
Then,
you would know,  without a doubt,  that
HE.
IS.
REAL.

My father was a proud man. He was a Marine who served the United States in the Korean War.
Did I say he was proud?
Being proud and being a Marine is redundant.

He allowed God into his heart at the age of 72!
Yes, he was that stubborn!
But you know what?
He was changed because of it.

The last 5 years of his life were the best.
His heart was healed from all the hurt he had given
and taken from this world.
He was softer, more loving and more forgiving

Don't be too proud.
Don't wait too long.
Don't say, "HE doesn't exist" just so you can be "right".
Don't be afraid.

Open your heart to the one who loves us-
who gave His life for us.


^{35 "}Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Godthat is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:35, 38-39

^4 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:4

I am so grateful that I can begin each day

loved,

forgiven

and 

saved.

How about you?

Let's not make this just another Monday!

How are you going to start YOUR week?

Be blessed!

 

Tickle Me Tuesday

Somedays you just need to giggle.

I would NOT have a happy life if I didn't laugh AT LEAST 5 times a day!

Did you know that it is actually therapeutic to laugh?

"Laughter therapy, also called humor therapy, is the use of humor to promote overall health and wellness. It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort."

So, here is to relieving some physical or emotional stress or discomfort!



For my friends who work out!
Totally me!

For my friends who believe God is fair- He is!

For all the mothers out there-

For my teacher friends and my friends who are writers-

For my friends who speak-

For my friends who are married-

For my animal lovin' friends-

- they call this "Dog Shaming"!

And this is for the rest of you-

Love you all~

Have a terrific day, filled with laughter and girly-giggles
and
stay clumsy, my friends!

Which was YOUR favorite?

Wednesday's Wish...

Hello Friends!

Today, I wanted to touch on Motherhood

and

how to let your children know in their heads and their hearts that 

they are loved.

I wrote about my son Luke, in the past.

Our relationship has become so much better and stronger

as I take intentional steps to understand him.

It hasn't been easy, and he has challenged me to become someone better than I was before.

In the past he has questioned me, pushed me away, ignored me and has disrespected me.

I didn't know that this was all a test.

He has stretched me to delve deep inside my heart to draw out the 

deepest and widest love 

that I didn't even know I had,  

so that I could show him- wholeheartedly, 

that I love him.

I love him regardless of his grades.

I love him even when he disobeys me.

I love him regardless of what he does,

and

how he acts.

He needs to know that he is important

every. single. day.

Because you know what?

He is.

We had another date night last month.

I found these pics and remembered what he told my husband the next day.

He said, "Dad, I had the best time with Mom last night".

I know he felt loved.

How do I know?

He told me!

:-)

By the way, this will work on any of your children

and/or your spouse!

We didn't plan this, but I know God did.

We ate what he wanted.

Now, I've stopped eating my MOST favorite thing in the whole world-

Hot Tamales,

but my girlfriend dropped off a box when she came to pick up her son from a little 

playdate, and I was saving them for an "emergency".

This wasn't an emergency,however, it did call for doing whatever I could to provide some sugar, er....candy for him.

He gladly accepted.

 We also watched whatever HE wanted to on T.V.  

I rarely watch any T.V. anymore, mostly because I don't want to waste my time,
but I was determined to do what HE wanted and he wanted to watch ......
"The Annoying Orange".

 I know what you're thinking, 

"Mother of the Year".

NOT the most entertaining, 

educational 

or 

inspiring show I've ever seen...

but I watched.

 Oh, that was the apple, and below is the orange, 

in case you forgot the names of fruit.

Nice lips, huh.

They talk and it's actually soooo silly that I had to laugh with him.

Oh, what we will do for our children...

The next show was "The World Largest Waterparks".

Here is a girl riding down a large slide-the longest in the nation...

riveting, I know!

Well, the night was a HUGE success and we both enjoyed the quality time.

My son is completely opposite from my daughter-

she bonds through conversation, shopping, and her basically telling me about school, church, life.

Luke's Love Language is quality time- 

time spent doing what he wants to do.
The key word is "he".

In what ways have you had to stretch yourself as a mom to show your child/ren

that they are loved?

Have a terrific Wednesday!!

Homey or Homie?

You can take the girl out of the "hood" but you can never take the "hood" out of the girl.

Hello Friends!
Happy Friday!

I subscribe to a number of blogs and one of them is a teaching blog.

Here is what I read :

MAKE IT HOMEY WITH FLOWERS {Whatever Wednesday}

I saw it and it didn't make sense to me, as my mind read it, "Make it HOMIE with Flowers".

The post is below...

I do not have a green thumb.

In fact, I don't "do nature" as a general rule.

But, I love the splash of color and touch of home that plants and flowers provide. This is a great time of year to add them to your classroom because its "mums season" and they are cheap, colorful and hardy.

I had a good little laugh at myself.

When I read "Homey", I thought it really said, 

"HOMIE",

which in Montebello (where I grew up)

it meant "friend",

"confidant",

"sidekick",

or

"buddy".

My "filter" sometimes gets in the way of how I see things.

I grew up in what I lovingly call, "The Hood".

It wasn't a bad neighborhood at all, and

I did learn a lot about the Mexican culture,

and even had a pinata for a few of my birthdays.
I loved my childhood.


Where does YOUR filter get in the way?

How does your filter affect the way you see things?

For example,
many of us look at God in similar ways we saw our own father.

My dad was a big man,
SUPER loving,
SUPER supportive,
SUPER forgiving,
but when you got him mad,
he was
SUPER ANGRY!

When I was little, if I disobeyed Dad, I would be spanked.
He was firm, yet loving.

We had alot of respect for my dad and really,
what I think he wanted most was
love,
respect
and
a relationship with him.

God wants that from us, too.
Love, honor and most of all
a relationship.

Luckily, my filter had one image of "my father" that positively affected my relationship with my
Heavenly Father.

Don't let your filter get in the way of your relationship with our
creator, God.

No matter what kind of relationship you had with your father,
Jesus Christ
loves you and more than you'll ever know!

New Living Translation (©2007) And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.   Ephesians 3:18

How does your FILTER affect the way you see God?
Positively, negatively?


Have a wonderful weekend!

Summer....

Summer has been SO AWESOME!

This summer we have:

traveled on an airplane, taxi, party bus, boat, pulled on a tube in the bay, driven by car & truck, motorcycle, walked, rode bikes, scooters, boogie boards, and waves.

We've been through the air, on land and in the sea.

We have one more trip left.

But, I'm TIRED!

What about you?

How are you holding up this summer?

Do you enjoy NOT having regular routine

or not?

I LOVE SUMMER,

however,

I LOVE the fact that when summer ends,

school begins.

A schedule and a routine are good things.

Getting up and having breakfast,

a good thing.

Going to school for the 3 R's,

a good thing.

Homework,

a good thing.

Going to sleep at "bedtime",

a good thing,

actually,

a GREAT thing!

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Tell me how you are feeling about Summer

coming to an end...

Is it about time to be done or

do you want some more?

What time is it for YOU?

God is a Comedian...

I'm speaking next week to a MOPS group that I have visited for the last 2 years.

This year, they had one small request.

"Janet, we would LOVE to have you back (maybe she didn't say "LOVE" in bold letters, but she did say, "love"), but can you do us a favor?

Uh oh.

"Sure, anything- what do you need?" (always here to please...)

"would you mind speaking on Organization?"

"Uh....okay", was my response.

"GREAT! Thank you so much, how about this date....time, etc".

Uh oh.

For any of you out there in Blog-Land who don't know me...

I'm not the most organized person.

I'm hardly organized..

God is a Comedian...

seriously?

Me???

Seriously?

I have stacks of papers in my office right now

(still there from when I spoke w/her 2 months ago!)

I'm so dis-organized that my kids are trained to put their hands up when they open the cupboards in case something comes falling out...

I'm so disorganized that when I try to file something or put something where it should be,

I CAN"T FIND IT!!!!!!

In fact...

"It sucks to be me ( as Nacho would say) speaking on Organization", was my first thought, embarrassingly so...

Then I heard a still, small voice....

It's not YOU...it's ME, speaking through you...

My heart is the vessel HE uses to encourage these women...

My mouth is the vessel used to present the message HE wants to present...

My disorganized mind is somehow used to focus on what HE thinks is important to communicate...

My body is a puppet HE uses while I attempt to step aside...

I am the vehicle HE uses to reach those Mommies, HIS Mommies...

It's all HIM...

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same SPIRIT. There are different kinds of service, but the same LORD. There are different kinds of working, but the same GOD works all of them in all people.

Now to each one the manifestation of the SPIRIT is given for the common good."

All these are the work of one and the same SPIRIT."

1Corinthians 12:4-7, 11

It does NOT "suck to be me", in fact, I am honored, blessed and humbled that HE would use me in this way...

sometimes confused,(me LORD? Seriously?)

but alas still honored!

And I know, that God will provide me with

WHAT to say,

AND

HOW to say it.

"My GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I AM WEAK,

then I AM STRONG."

2Corinthians 12:9-10

I'll let you know how it goes!

Trusting In HIM,

Janet

What is it about Costco?

Ok- What is it about Costco?

I went to Costco yesterday with my full intention of purchasing the items that I had on my list...and ONLY those items on my list.

I get there, and I'm not kidding, I feel like I'm at a Sale or something!

I LOSE CONTROL!!!!

Can anyone relate?

On the outside, I'm calm, cool and collect and on the inside, I'm like,
"What do I need, do I need some of those, do I need more of this, oh my gosh, what a good price, I've got to get that!" (repeating in my mind at light speed!)

Here is what I had on my list:

Fruit (it's healthy, we all eat a ton)
chicken (it's healthy, we all eat a ton)
trash bags
pizza (for mom's night out)
romaine lettuce (it's healthy and I eat a ton)

Here is what I purchased IN ADDITION to my list:

cute shirt for my daughter (only $10.00 for a brand name!)
cute shirt for my husband (only $15.00 but said he didn't like the color-too feme, but still cute)
cute shirt for me (only $10.00 for guess what, a brand name and excellent quality well worth over the $10.00!!!!!!!)

kids sour vitamins (we actually needed these)
kids fruit snack ( made with real fruit....but did we need 74?)
6 pack cans of soup ( weird thing, I like to have cans in the garage in case we someday DO go to war or get invaded by aliens or have THAT earthquake they've said is coming)

Do you overspend at Costco?
Do you ever feel like it's a frenzy in there?

Being in Costco is almost like having a drug induced episode (though I've never had one, I guess this is what I imagine it would be like?)

You go in and come out with things in your basket that you don't remember putting in, everything was a blur and all of a sudden you are in front of your car....

Maybe it's because I think I'm getting a totally awesome discount by shopping there?

Maybe it's because their drinks only cost .59 cents?
Maybe it's because I can feed three half-starving children for less than $2.00 each!!! Seriously!
Maybe it's because you can actually have lunch for FREEEEE by snacking at all their sample stations!
Maybe it's because you feel like part of an elite group when you are shopping there?

(Yes, I have a gold card- ha ha!)

Do you think God wants me to pray about where and how I'm spending money?
Well, it is HIS money, isn't it?

What about praying for self-control when going into the out-of-control zone?

What about praying for wisdom on what to purchase?

What about praying for peace, so that I don't do or buy anything to fill that gap I may have in my heart and ...Let HIS peace fill it...

I know this may sound silly, but I really believe God wants us relying on him for strength, wisdom, peace and self-control.
I believe that HE wants us to rely on HIM for even MORE, but you and I have a choice every moment of every day to say "YES" to the Lord or "NO!"

When I do rely on HIM more, I'm more like HIM. I make choices HE would make and, have the kind of self-control, wisdom and peace that HE would have.

Just for today~

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom as you make choices and decisions for your family.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7

I love those who love me and those who seek me, find me.

Proverbs 8:17

Ask the Lord for self-control in spending, eating, maybe even your tongue.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Romans 8:26

For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE and of sound mind.

2 Timothy 1-7

Ask the Lord for peace as you go on with your day, to be in the moment, fully engaged with the day!
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

On the journey with you~

Janet

Dinner Time, My Favorite Time!

How can a Mom NOT love dinner time?

After rushing around ALL DAY LONG, getting children here and there, doing the laundry, fixing meals, cleaning up, washing, drying, scheduling, shopping, educating, entertaining, encouraging, on and on...fill in the blanks, we can sit down, take a breath and enjoy a meal with the people we love.

I have to say that I LOVE dinner time!

It is the ONE meal that I actually sit with my family and eat WITH them.

I arrive home from the gym after they've eaten breakfast with my husband.

The children have lunch at school but now that it is summer, I have found myself eating something small after I've fed them.

But I RARELY miss dinner.

I loved dinner time as a child, too.

It was the ONE time that we all sat together and my mother was insistent on waiting for my Father to sit down before we all dug into our food.

It was a sign of respect which I think is lacking in our generation of children.

It was where we learned our manners

(ie: no elbows on the table, how to cut with a knife and fork, how to eat spaghetti,

where to put the napkin, and also,

no bodily noises from the mouth or bottom while seated at the dinner table).

It was also where we would learn about each other's day.

Where it wasn't just about me, but about my sister, brother, mom AND dad.

We learned how to listen and how to be a part of a conversation.

NO computers, games or toys at the dinner table.

We also had a lot of laughs!

It was where the one time each day, we were ALL on the SAME page. The one time each day that we were all doing the same thing at the same time.

In a family of 5, (and 3 teenagers)I know this was rare!

It was quality time that was well protected by my mom.

I'm making an effort to do the same thing.

Research has shown that children who dine with their family grow up healthier and happier.

It also provides for emotional and relational needs.

I want dinner time to be special, really special, family time.

How do I do this?

How can you do this?

YOU have the power to make it special.

Create an atmosphere that is light.

I have our children each help set the table.

One might get the plates, another the forks, another the cups and drinks.

Everyone is involved.

We all wait until Dad sits before we start eating.

We say a prayer of thanksgiving before we start eating.

I love listening to my children share about their day or whatever comes to mind.

Tonight, I was inspired to write because I was looking at my children and feeling so grateful for each one of them and what each one of them brings to our family, as well as what each one of them is contributing and will contribute to this world.

I made Tortilla Soup and Logan said, "I love this soup! But I remember when I didn't like it".

Luke said, "I don't like tomatoes, except in this soup". Then he asked me if I remembered how I tricked him into trying some tomatoes by telling him it was watermelon when he was little.

I didn't remember this story, but apparently, he did. He mentioned that while eating this tomato he was wondering where the black seeds were! Ha Ha!

It would be just like me to do something like that!

Kiana also commented how she does not eat tomatoes except in this soup and

Marguerita Pizza.

Make dinner time a special time.

YOU have the opportunity to create an environment that fosters

conversation and comfort,

closeness and community,

love & laughter.

It's never too late!

School Is Out, It's Really Out!

Wow, school is out, it is really out!

Hard to believe that another school year has come and gone. My children are leaving 6th grade, 4th grade and 2nd grade and moving into 7th, 5th and 3rd grades. Funny how my mind works, from "Even" numbers to "Odd" numbers this coming year.

When I was teaching, my year would mentally begin in September and end in June.

Every year, I would eagerly anticipate the meeting of my new class. Every class had it's own personality. Some would be easier than others, issues, no issues, good kids and yes, bad kids.

But I regress.

When I was little we would take a driving vacation every year. Every other year, we would go to Colorado to visit family on my dad's side. We would leave at the Butt-crack of dawn ( ha ha) and Dad would always stop at a donut shop to get us some warm glazed donuts right before we would jump onto the freeway. Then he would drive, drive, drive until Mom had to use the restroom or we would need to eat. Mom using the restroom usually came first! Dad would drive into the wee morning hours and I have many fond memories of looking out of the window of our old station wagon (the one with the fake wood panel sticker along the side of the car) and look up to see millions of stars just scattered across the entire sky! The most BEAUTIFUL thing I had ever seen!!!!! I can remember the hum of the car on the highway and it being pitch dark... no one else was on the road except us. Sometimes it felt as if we were flying through those millions of stars like a rocket, silently in space. Everyone would be asleep and it would be so quiet. I sometimes felt like I was cheating by waking up and seeing all the jewels God had thrown up into the sky and then I'd drift back to sleep. What a wonderful memory of my childhood summers. Dad gave us many memories of camping, fishing and great family times.

What are some of your favorite summertime memories?

I hope that if you didn't have any great memories, that you would create them with your own family or friends. It's never too late!

Happy Start to Summer, my friends!

Truly Blessed:

Have you ever thought about how blessed you are?

Today I feel especially blessed. Why?

I feel truly lucky and am so grateful:

I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me~

He has a job~

I have 3 healthy, pretty happy children~

I have a semi-neurotic dog~

I have a home and a bed and my children have the same~

I live in a safe community~

I can worship my God publicly and privately~

My mother and I are friends~

My siblings and I are friends~

We can feed our children 3 meals a day, and some snacks~

We have clean clothes and lots of unmatched socks~

We have water whenever we want it~

We have freedom that cost some men and women their lives~

We have soldiers protecting us 24/7~

Now here are some funny, but honest reasons I am also grateful~

I have a thick head of hair~

I still don't have to wear glasses~

I have enough energy to yell at my kids...ooops, discipline them!

We have sunshine most of the time in California~

My daughter and I can laugh but also talk about girl stuff~

My boys have healthy intestines...and I know this by all the farting they do!

We can sing and dance whenever we want to!

I survived the 80's~

I still have my own teeth to grind while sleeping~

My pap smear and breast exam were both fine this year, I know "TMI"...

What about you? What are you grateful for?

Make a list and add to it as necessary.

If you live in America, you do have a lot to be thankful for!

Rose

This is Rose. She is 13 years old and lives in Kenya. I have been very blessed to be associated with her support group called "Ordinary Women", who are a group of super Godly women who are moved to help these orphans.

I just sponsored her, and it was very easy. For only $35.00 a month, I've been able to get her:

- school (HS) tuition, room and board, bedding, personal effects, stationary
- family and placement supervised by a qualified social worker
- nutrition and basic health care
- school uniform, clothing, bedding, & mosquito net and a BIBLE!

These children need our help and I pray some of you would consider joining me in supporting this group.
They will be going to Kenya in August to see these children and their community.

1John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in DEED and in Truth.

This group of AMAZING Ordinary Women show their love in action! What an inspiration you ladies are!

www.ordinarywomen.org

........................HOPE

I saw a physical sign of HOPE in my front yard.
We have lived in this home for over 4 years and there is this one spot in our yard that has dirt, always had dirt and probably always will.....the sprinkler must just miss it by overshooting it or undershooting it.
Last week as I pulled into the driveway I saw something that surprised me....in the middle of this dirt patch was a very cute, sunflower standing up as straight as can be, all by itself.......in the midst of that dirt!!!

Do you feel like your life is "stuck in the dirt" sometimes? I know I feel that way occasionally, okay, more than that since I'm being honest. Sometimes I can look around and not notice all the blessings God has given me, I can feel sorry for myself or self consumed with WHATEVER I can come up with in my head at any moment...but in the midst of it all....there is HOPE...there is GOD!

GOD has promised you and me HOPE...
* HE will comfort us when we are feeling isolated like that flower, Psalm 23:4 "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me"
* HE will protect us when we are vulnerable to the world, 2Thes:3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
*HE will never leave us even when we don't SEE HIM there, Hebrews 13:5..."Never will I leave you:never will I forsake you"
*HE will quench our thirst, when the world leaves us dry..... John 4:14 "but whoever drinks the water I give her will never thirst."

Psalm 62:5
"Find rest, O my soul, in GOD alone;
my HOPE comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress,
I will not be shaken."

I am so at peace that I can have HOPE in the LORD: MY COMFORTER, MY PROTECTOR, MY STRENGTH and the WELL of LIFE.
Thank you father for being there for me whenever I need you, wherever I need you for whatever I need~
Let's HOPE in the LORD today!