Mother4Jesus

For years we've seen the reality tv phenomena happening. People all over are loving reality tv shows. From Dance Moms to the Duggars, people are watching.  Why?  Why are we so interested in reality tv?  Could it be that we're sick and tired of fake tv? Romantic shows? Phony Sit-coms?  The question, "Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?" has been answered.  Neither!!  Today shows are being used to try to influence us politically. People are walking away from Cable television. With Youtube, people have become their own stars. Hollywood isn't needed. People are choosing what they want to watch and are no longer relying solely on Hollywood to tell us what to watch.  This has me really thinking. Why do we love reality tv?  I was taken back to the beginning of my walk with the Lord and I can remember wanting women to mentor me. It was hard. I was a young mom, new to homeschooling, new to the Lord.  In...

"Clean your home and keep it clean!"  We've all heard and read this advertising ploy. Isn't that what we're all looking for? We clean our homes every day. We're always looking for a faster, better & more efficient way to clean out homes, but the reality is that we're all looking for a way to keep our homes clean.  Go to any store today and you'll see a large array of storage. In fact, the storage sections of most stores today are usually one of the largest. only surpassed by the cold cereal aisle.  Kitchen storage, laundry storage, bathroom storage. Why?? Could it be we have too much stuff??  I think we do. Sometimes less is more!! Look at all the books (Please do not look at my book hoard.. Errr.. I mean collection.) about "Simplifying" and Marie Kondo's book. These all talk about getting rid of excess *stuff* and only keeping what you LOVE and what is really NEEDED!!  What's at the root of this? Sure,...

That's right!! Today marks 30 years of wedded bliss. Ok, maybe not bliss, but certainly a blessing!!  Rob and I got married 30 years ago today!! It was a freezing cold day in November and neither of us knew what we were getting into. Four children and 30 years later, we still have no idea what we're doing but have learned a few things along the way.  I see meme's on Facebook and Instagram and I'm usually amazed by the fantasy expectations that women have about marriage.  Love isn't fancy flowers or things.  Love isn't him thinking about you and you being his only thought. If you think you're going to get married and your spouse is going to think about you all day, you're in for a HUGE letdown.  That is a fantasy. Something you saw on TV?? Not the real world. We are setting up our children to fail in marriage if we don't teach them what true love looks like.  What did Jesus do??  He died for us!  He put us first. He tho...

Click Here to download October is almost here, and I'm very excited. There is nothing like chilly, crisp fall mornings. In my case, the start of Fall means that my weather is still in the '90s. I'm not complaining. Ok, I'm complaining. I don't miss the snow of NY, but I do miss the beautiful fall mornings and fall leaves.  I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but my children seem to love when I surprise them with new covers.  There's nothing like a cute notebook or planner cover to start your new month of on a celebratory note!  These can also be used as a planner divider.  I created these sets. I use The Happy Planner discs for my children's planners.  These covers or dividers are A4, letter size. I have uploaded them as a PNG, so that you can resize them to any size you use. If you use the mini, classic or full-sized planner, these can be resized. I've also included back covers with out any labels.  I also created a cut...

Expectations.  What do you think when you hear that word?  Dictionary.com   has a few different meanings for that word.  The underlying meaning is, "To expect something.".  This one word has been the killer of many relationships. Uncommunicated expectations are the silent killer of friendships, relationships, marriages, work environments, and many more. Too many to list. I'm sure many of you could add to that list.  Some expectations are reasonable and cause growth. Proper expectations help us to grow, and our children to mature. Even our relationship with the Lord has expectations. Some expectations are also needed for our education, to work, and marriage.  What makes for healthy expectations??  That is the million-dollar question.  For me, expressing, explaining, and thoroughly laying out one's expectations is essential.  I'm not always good at this, and it's something that I continue to work on.  ...

I had to threaten David with losing video games to get this photo. #TruthBomb See this picture above? I love this photo. This photo can give you the illusion that my children are well behaved and love each other..... ALL THE TIME.  Nope. Not even close. David loves to ruin my photos. Right before I took this photo I said to him, "If you ruin this picture with your jokes, you will lose all video games for a week!!"  I didn't say it as nicely as typing it out makes me look. Just being honest. We've all been there?? right?? or is it just me? It's just me. My kids are the worst!  ********************************************************* There is nothing worse than looking at your child's behavior and thinking, "My child is the worst one here."  The fact is, we've all thought that at times. As an older mom, I've been through it. I have two adult children and also two younger children.  What wisdom has that gained me??  N...

I love Galatians 5:22-23.  The kids and I have been memorizing this with a cute song.  I enjoy creating wall art. I like to create these posters. I send them to my local walmart and have them printed. This is a 12x18. I can get an inexpensive frame and BOOM!!! Wall art.  Since you all can download this for free....you save money!!!  How can I create these and give them away for free?? Easy.. I have so many creative ideas, i'll NEVER be able to use them all. I love to share them. I make money from the advertisers on my blog. Please don't share this file directly with friends and family. Please have them come to my blog to down load this. I don't require an email. I don't require that you follow my blog. It's appreicated if you do. You can also follow me on Instagram. #Mother4Jesus. Please share this blog link or pin this blog.  Enjoy & Happy decorating,  Laura Click here to download. 

We want our children to be independent. We want them to get their work done without having to tell them.  Isn't that a little fantasy we all have?? I know I STILL need a reminder for some things that have to get done. I love making lists. These help me to stay organized and accountable. I make lists for my children. I love to create bright colorful lists for them.  Lists help them to stay accountable to themselves!! They have the list. I even did this with chores. You know how you send your child to clean a room, then they come back and you begin to question them?? "Did you wipe your furniture?" Did you clean UNDER your bed?" Did you pick up ALL your dirty clothes?" That drove me nuts! I decided to put it all on a check list. This way, if they checked it, then it means that they did it!!  One side has their morning and evening routines and the other has zone cleaning or room cleaning. I personalized them . Now my 10 y/o daughter knows what she ...

I haven't blogged in a long time. For those that don't know, we moved from NY to NC last February. I love NC. Homeschooling here is so much easier and the numbers are so high, we're actually in the majority !!  That brings me to my topic for this blog: Whether you homeschool or send your child to conventional/private schools, each choice has it's benefits and....problems. That includes homeschooling. There, I said it!! Out loud!! Homeschooling, while a great choice and I LOVE IT, has it's problems, or potential problems.  It's time that moms and fellow homeschoolers discuss these issues OPENLY. I certainly don't feel judged but i'm sure there are many that do. We can't help each other with these issues if we don't discuss them.  My issue that I'm going to tackle today is "Screen Time". So many moms confide that they let their children play video games and watch tv but do so secretly. Why?? Why all the secrecy??  ...

Yay!!! You're pregnant!! Now the choices come and along with that , the mommy guilt.  Here's what I have to say to that...... Natural birth? Medication?? Home birth??? Wine ??  **Go with your gut!! Formula?? Breast feeding?? Chocolate?? **Go with  your gut!!! To vaccinate, or NOT to vaccinate??  **Go with your gut!! Cloth diapers?? Disposables?? Naked??  **Go with your gut!! When to start solids?? Extended nursing???  **Go with your gut!!!! (See where I'm going with this?? )  Oh the list goes on... it gets better.  Co-Sleeping?? Crib?? Floor??  **Go with your gut!!! Gentle parenting?? Positive Parenting?? Figure it out as you go??  **Go with your gut!!! When to Potty train?? 2? 3? 24??   **Go with your gut!!! Binki?? No Binki??  **Go with  your gut!! Organic?? Non-Organic?? Dirt??   **Go with your gut!!  Preschool?? No Preschool?? Co...

There are so many "Chore Cleaning" Systems out there...how does one choose?? While I love everything that has to do with organizing, chore charts and systems have really eluded me. My children clean with me. We homeschool, they're with me all the time. We usually are working side-by-side. So chore charts aren't really needed. I only have 2 of my 4 at home with me, so those elaborate systems aren't necessary. Chore charts where you check off the work doesn't fit for us. Simply telling my 5 y/o , "Go clean your bedroom" doesn't work. Many times they don't know where to start or they're not really capable of listing in their own minds what to do first, next, etc. The Zone cleaning looked good but a bit too complicated. While I love the idea of itemizing what they had to do in each room/zone, the flip chart was annoying and the the days of the week on each card wasn't necessary. Again, we work side-by-side. What was I looking f...

There are so many "Chore Cleaning" Systems out there...how does one choose?? While I love everything that has to do with organizing, chore charts and systems have really eluded me. My children clean with me. We homeschool, they're with me all the time. We usually are working side-by-side. So chore charts aren't really needed. I only have 2 of my 4 at home with me, so those elaborate systems aren't necessary. Chore charts where you check off the work doesn't fit for us. Simply telling my 5 y/o , "Go clean your bedroom" doesn't work. Many times they don't know where to start or they're not really capable of listing in their own minds what to do first, next, etc. The Zone cleaning looked good but a bit too complicated. While I love the idea of itemizing what they had to do in each room/zone, the flip chart was annoying and the the days of the week on each card wasn't necessary. Again, we work side-by-side. What was I looking f...