Monday, May 23, 2011

Day in the Life of a New Prayer Warrior--Days 4 & 5

I published something this morning about art, but since I don't think I'll get any writing time tonight, I wanted to update you now on my praying.

To read about Day 1 of a Day in the Life of a New Prayer Warrior, click here.

To read about Days 2 & 3 of a Day in the Life of a New Prayer Warrior, click here.

To read the first post in my prayer series Into a Life of Prayer--A Journey, click here.

Here I will chronicle Days 4 & 5:


Day 4 was my day to pray alone.  On the other pray-alone days, I started almost immediately after putting the boys to bed (unless there were dishes to do).  On night 4, however, I was thinking about the cute, new-hat pictures I wanted to download of my girls.  It had been a difficult evening with my older son, and I wanted to drink in the blessing of my girls--in photos.

Now friends, let me tell you, I failed.  The Holy Spirit said to me:  No!  Do it like the other nights. Put God first.  No photos, no e-mail, no news, no other writing.


I told myself I would just download the pictures, writing something about them another time--thereby getting to my prayer in a just a few minutes.

But no, my desire to put me first--my desires first--trumped my desire to be a prayer warrior.  I ended up writing about what my girls meant to me, instead of getting to the prayer.

In the midst of my post about the girls, Beth woke up coughing from allergy-related post-nasal drip.  After settling her back down, my Mary had a night terror, which occasionally happens lately.  I held her through it until she fell asleep.  While holding her, I fell asleep until Beth cried out again from her room.

You've heard people say you'll never sleep well again until your kids leave home?  Yeah.  Right on.

I'm not complaining, mind you.  I love my little ones.  And I'm sure I'll love staying up late, listening to my teenagers pour their hearts out.  That is coming, people tell me.  Teenagers take up your sleep time too, not with their snotty noses or night terrors, but with their complicated feelings.

I never got back to the living room at all that night.  I awoke at 1:30 AM, brushed my teeth and washed my face, and headed back to sleep.  If I had attempted to do much more, I probably would have suffered insomnia the rest of the night.

I was horribly disappointed in myself.....but I learned a lot.  Always put God first. I can't even entertain other ideas for my time, until I've put God first.  To experience all that He has for me, and for my family--in terms of relationship--I simply must put Him first.

The next day I tried to make up for the previous night's prayer time, by praying as I was nursing Beth to sleep for her nap.  This is a regular prayer time for me, but not a long one, or a particularly organized one.  I kept losing my focus, and never got beyond Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving.  My mind skipped around shamefully.  It made me realize that my prayer blog is my saving grace, in terms of disciplined prayer.  I can focus so well there, praying for thirty minutes without even thinking about it.

The next night, Day 5, was husband and wife prayer night.  We got back from church at 8:45 PM, and started putting the children to bed.  Peter's OCD flares up after church for some reason, so Sunday night is always emotionally exhausting.  As well, the children are all over-stimulated, which makes for a fun night  exhausting tuck-in time.  I can't wait until our schedule allows for morning church!

As soon as the last child fell asleep, I went right to the living room to join my husband.  I starting praying as soon as I sat down, so the enemy wouldn't have a single minute to work on me.

I prayed for about fifteen minutes, then it was husband's turn.  From sheer exhaustion, I partially reclined in the easy chair as he began praying.  I spent time in the sun that day with the children, which always seems to sap my energy.

Not that four young children can sap your energy or anything.

Yeah...it was the sun.

My poor husband.


I actually fell asleep toward the end of his prayer!   Can you believe how spiritual I am?

Other than this revealing information, I wanted to tell you about something I'll definitely use for tonight's prayer.

A list.

Yes, in order to consistently pray for the people in my life, I can't do without a list.

I plan on keeping a list taped to the side of the computer, which will include:

- my immediate extended family, husband's immediate extended family
- other family, less known to us
- neighborhood families
- friends from other states
- friends from Ohio
- my online friends
- church acquaintances, pastors

I will rotate praying for all the people and needs on this list.

So, friends, that's my update.

How is it going for you?

(Part 2) Art for Kids--Making an Investment




Last week I wrote about investing in art books for children.  Today I'd like to cover the art supplies you'll need on hand as your children explore different art techniques.

The book above, which we recently obtained (we bought a used, 2002 hardcover, 12x9 edition), teaches basic art techniques, including:

tissue paper collage
oil pastel resist
collage with ink drawing
dragged paint
tissue paper rubbings
cardboard and potato printing
cut paper
techniques for trees
printing with a sponge
fingerpainting
pastel and ink resist
creating textured papers
brushstrokes
techniques for skies
mixed media collage
painted patterns
patterns with plastic foodwrap
watercolor washes
tissue paper and glue collage
printing with an eraser
techniques for water
wet inks and chalk pastels
blow-painting
adding gold highlights
tessellating and transforming shapes
continuous line drawing
techniques for fur
wet-on-wet painting
magazine paper collage
wax resist and splattering
paper collage
oil pastel resist and splattering
techniques for feathers
watercolor effects
chalk pastels
lifting off watercolor paint
scratched paint and pastels
collage with found objects
pencil and eraser drawings

If you're like me, you've never heard of many of these techniques!  My own education lacked any art emphasis--no performing arts, no visual arts.  I want more for my children.  I can't very well jump into a music curriculum for them--me, who can't carry a tune--but I can do something.

I can make time for them to participate in the Christmas Pageant every year, and in other productions; I can sign them up for basic music classes when they're appropriate for our budget; I can purchase simple recorders (a basic musical instrument) and accompanying book; and especially right now, I can invest in art materials they can explore at home.  

Let me say again here that my boys (ages 7 and 9) use our new Usborne art book independently (as well as our Usborne drawing books), due to the excellent illustrations and explanations.  If you're busy with little ones at home, your older children can still glean much from a good basic art skills book.

You'll likely need the following supplies on hand, if you do invest in a basic art book.  I plan on keeping this list in my purse--purchasing them a little at a time.

Paints
- watercolor

- acrylic

- poster

- gouache

Pastels (usually sold in sets)
oil pastels
chalk pastels

Inks
colored inks, which come in bottles, or you can use ink from a pen cartridge

Paper
- thick watercolor paper that is 190gsm (90lb) or above that won't wrinkle too much when you paint on it

- bristol paper coming in pads or individual sheets (wrinkles when you paint on it)

- colored writing paper

- textured paper

- old magazines

Pens
felt-tip pens with permanent ink


Enjoy their creativity, letting it color your world!





Sunday, May 22, 2011

Let the Blessings Flow





My Gratitude List

- sisters in pink hats

- sisters side by side in the mud

- a dent in weed pulling (many hours left)

- sunshine making the greens so brilliant

- six people at the dinner table

- whole wheat and flaxseed pancakes with mixed berries ( 5 to 1 ratio on the wheat and flax)

- a quiet house after a noisy day

- a yard with shade trees

- flowerbeds full of weeds, to give us something to do together ( together is my favorite thing, when it comes to my family...together is beautiful)

- sisters who kiss each other good morning and good night

- sisters who squeal and giggle at each other as they ride bikes, and trade bikes

- penny rides at the ice cream stop

- the eyes of a child, when you put an ice cream cone in his hands 

- a yard to delight my children (I never watch my children on the lawn without thinking about all the children raised in apartments..or worse.  My children are blessed.)

- my heavenly father, who gifted me with daughters when I was 40 and 42 years old  

I think most women will tell you that their unplanned babies brought very special blessings....which is why I say....let the babies come!  Say no to anyone else, but never to God.  He knows everything!  My girls are pure sunshine to me--brightening even the darkest days.  My boys are just as wonderful, of course--hopefully that truth is evident on this blog.  But somehow God knew that without daughters--these two daughters--our lives would be too heavy.  That's the only way I can describe it, when I think of life without them.  Heavy.  The various disorders we've got going on here contribute to that word heavy.  What do we really know about our coming years?  Nothing.  Only God knows. We can't afford to say no to Him, can we?  

As an aside:  Whenever I say something like this--I'm sure it annoys some out there--I don't mean to imply that a woman should discount everything a doctor has told her about her reproductive health.  I know a woman who nearly died from preeclampsia, twice (her two children are healthy).  Her doctor asked her not to get pregnant a third time, as it would be too dangerous.  Unless God gives a very clear message otherwise, I think we should listen to our doctors--really skilled, experienced doctors--unless they advise something akin to abortion.  

I don't understand infertility, in terms of why God would allow such a horror, when so many woman have plentiful babies.  Infertility really is a horror.  But I do know Him.  I trust Him.  It is so hard to do that.....to trust Him.  But we must.  He provides the tools, the giftedness, the wisdom, the grace, to carry out His design for our lives.  When we trust Him, blessings flow....our lives are all that He meant them to be, here on Earth.

If you're like me, and your husband has already decided you will have no more babies, submit to the decision in your heart. (Yes, it is so hard!) In your coming years, maybe God has orphans for you to adopt.....and a changed heart for your husband?  Or a family member's children to care for?  We just don't know, but I believe God honors our trust in Him.  And He is pleased when we respect our husbands, who are just trying to do their best.  Leadership is hard.











Saturday, May 21, 2011

Day in the Life of a New Prayer Warrior--Days 2 & 3

To go back to Day 1 of Day in the Life of a New Prayer Warrior, click here.

To read the 1st post of my prayer series, Into A Life of Prayer--A Journey, click here.


Days 2 & 3 chronicled below:

My husband and I worked out three days a week for husband/wife prayer. This will occur on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday--days he is home by 10:00 PM.  On the remaining days I will pray on my own, after the kids have gone to bed, and husband is at work.

I also decided to give the boys three days a week to pray on their own, saving four days for corporate family prayer in the mornings.  The earlier they develop this pray-alone discipline, the more impact it will have in their lives, making them mighty warriors for Jesus.  They already read the Bible on their own seven days a week--from Psalms or Proverbs, or rereading what we've read together.

On Day Two of my prayer warrior journey, then, I prayed with my husband.  We used the ACTS acronym and prayed for twenty minutes.  It would have been longer, but he had a sneezing allergy attack halfway through our prayer.  He is so ready to move to Arizona.  The allergy shot series he had in California left him feeling good for several years, but now he is miserable again, and showing signs of mild asthma on exertion.  We had a lot of health issues to pray about!  Paul has had a few incidents of wheezing, but nothing like I've heard from husband.  This has turned out to be a severe allergy season for our family, for whatever reason.  Excessive rain--record breaking rain--is the only environmental change I've noticed this year. Rain itself is not supposed to aggravate allergies, but maybe it leads to more tree pollen over a season?

Anyway, we appreciated the time to pray together, uninterrupted by children, and we were happy to set regular dates for our prayer.  Being intentional is so important!  Marking a calendar or creating a prayer schedule helps the whole family draw closer to God.

I didn't have to convince my husband of anything to make this happen. While I wouldn't describe him as a prayer warrior, he definitely does value prayer.  We started our marriage being very consistent about husband/wife prayer, but when our first colicky baby came along, joint prayer suffered.  It has been good at times since then, and spotty other times.

If your husband is less receptive to husband/wife prayer, just pray about it consistently, letting God do the work in your husband's heart.

On Day Three of my prayer warrior journey, I was alone in the house, after putting the kids to bed.  I was exhausted, but thankfully I had done the dishes and shuffled the laundry earlier in the evening.  I drank some water and then sat right down to begin praying, using my new prayer blog.  I considered how nice it was that I didn't have to look for anything--pen, pencil, pad of paper, etc.  I just had to sit down and start typing.

As an aside:  I had done about an hour of research the night before on The Lord's Prayer, using sermons given by John Calvin (1507-1564),  John Wesley (1703 - 1791), and Charles Spurgeon (1834 - 1892).  I wanted to know why the ACTS acronym has us praying confession second, but the Lord's Prayer (not meant to be recited, but to model prayer after) has confession further down.  It makes more sense to me to ask for forgiveness up front, but I wanted to model my prayer along the line of the Lord's Prayer.

I will do a post on structuring prayer as soon as I'm done with my research.  Husband pointed out that the Bible, when taken as a whole, seems to point to the importance of confession up front, after admiration--though he agreed The Lord's Prayer clearly isn't structured that way. Interesting subject that I will look into more--although as I said before, I think the Lord is happy with any discourse, and his Holy Spirit will help us structure our prayer in a way that pleases God.

Anyhow, for Day Three, I continued to pray using the ACTS acronym.  The typing definitely kept me very focused and disciplined.

I had about thirteen minutes of prayer time before Beth woke up.  After nursing her for fifteen minutes, I came back out and resumed my prayer, going for another fifteen minutes.  I really think I've found what works for me!  It was so easy to sit right down and get started, despite my exhaustion.

So tell me....how is it going for you?


Friday, May 20, 2011

Art for Kids--Making an Investment



Do you know what makes me very happy during the day?  


Watching my kids create.  


If we want minimal use of screen time, we have to provide alternatives.  Art is a wonderful option.  We found a $34 Usborne Art Skills book for around $4.80 used, labeled very good condition, from the Amazon site.  I've found that the used book companies who advertise on Amazon actually have better service than Amazon itself.  And the books labeled very good condition always come looking like new!

At seven and nine years old, the boys were able to open this book (open in front of Paul above) and do the suggested techniques independently.  With a two year old running around, it would have been hard for me to direct them.  I was thanking my Lord for this book, and for the boys' enthusiasm! My Paul, especially, needs to create.  Art is inside that boy--waiting to be expressed!

If you start searching now, in a few months you'll have quite a nice library of art books on hand.  You will be very pleased with your investment.  The Usborne company is outstanding, and you can start with their inexpensive paperback drawing books shown above (I Can Draw Animals; I Can Draw People)


I am learning to distinguish between arts and crafts.  Ideally, kids should experience both.  The points listed below, found here, are good general distinctions between art and craft:

Art is a form of work that expresses emotions and expressions.  
Craft is a form of work, which has a physical form just like in moulding and carving. 
While Craft is quantified, Art seldom is.   
One can create duplicate craft forms, which is not possible with art.  
Art forms move people emotionally, whereas crafts attract people.  
Unlike craft, art is known to come out of the heart and soul.  
Crafts are a product of the mind.   
In art, it is the emotions that flow out whereas in craft no emotion is involved.  
Art comes out from a person’s innate talents whereas craft is the result of experience.