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Being a little girl’s mom

February 3, 2009 by Marissa 3 Comments

After a few years of experience as a boy mom, they tell me this one’s gonna be a girl. As excited as I am about buying pink, I’m a little nervous about this. (And not only because I spent most of my adolescence yelling hurtful things at my own mother.) The other day when I was praying for my kids and their marriages and future spouses, I was reminded again of the weight of responsibility that comes with raising a girl. When raising my boys to be godly husbands and fathers, I can point to their father and say, “Look at how hard he works to support his family. Look at how he helps me when he gets home and cares about spending time with you.” Thankfully, my boys have a wonderful example to follow.

But this little girl will learn the most about being a wife and mom from MY day-to-day example. What will she see? Will she see laziness and selfishness, or diligence and service? Will she see respect or resentment toward my husband? Submission or manipulation? Patience in disciplining my children, or a lack of self-control? Will she learn to be frugal and wise in her spending habits, or will she see me rationalizing and spending on my own desires? Will she see me seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, or will she see me seeking after the things of this world?

I am not perfect. There are sin patterns in my life that I know my daughter will see, and I pray that God will protect her from following when I am a poor example. I know that God is probably bringing a little girl into my life to provide even more accountability than my sons already have.

A couple of ideas

January 13, 2009 by Marissa 4 Comments

Occasionally I have a good idea. It doesn’t happen often. In fact, I think in the past year, I have had exactly two good ideas. The second is the reason I’m writing this post, but I’ll share the first as a bonus.

Firstly, I have friends who teach their children the “Interrupting Rule”: when mom is talking to another adult, either in person or on the phone, and the child has something to say, the child quietly puts his hand on his mom’s arm. The mom puts her hand on top of his in acknowledgment, and when there is an opportunity, gives the child a chance to speak. I’ve always admired this rule. Last fall, I decided to teach it to Christopher. As I was explaining what I wanted him to do, I had a moment of brilliance . . . I called it our “secret signal.” There is something intriguing to a 4-year-old boy about having a secret signal, and he caught on right away. He is terrific at giving me the secret signal! Sometimes he even gives it to grandparents and other adults who can’t quite figure out why he is standing there with his hand on their arm. 🙂

My recent good idea has to do with praying for my kids. I have used a couple of different books in the past, and they have been a great help. My struggle recently has been wanting to spend in-depth time each day praying for my children. Last summer, I typed out topics and Scripture from Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt. I have used them some, but not as consistently as I’d like.

So the other night I cut and pasted the verses into a small notebook, making a flip calendar for myself. I put it by my bathroom sink, since I spend 10-30 minutes there every morning doing mundane tasks such as brushing my teeth and drying my hair. I realize this is not as ideal as sitting quietly, devoting myself only to praying these Scriptures for my children, but at least I am reminded of the topic and some verses that I can call to mind during the day. I also find the verses to be edifying for my personal walk with the Lord each day. When I’m done with Berndt’s topics, I may cut and paste my notes from
31 Days Of Prayer For My Child
–another great resource about praying for your children.

To My Faithful Readers (All 6 Of You!)

September 12, 2008 by Marissa 3 Comments

I seem to have fallen off the face of the Blogging Earth. It makes me feel a little better that I’ve seen several similar posts by others in the blogosphere. With the start of school and activities, it is such a busy time. Part of my excuse for a lack of posts is that I am expecting a baby! (The other part of my excuse, I have to admit, is an addictive little game on Facebook called Word Challenge.) I am just 6 weeks along, and this little bean is already kicking my butt. It takes all of my very limited energy to take care of the kiddos, throw food in front of them, find clean clothes and try to minimize the amount of filth we are living in. So things like blogging, dinners that involve the oven, and mopped floors are becoming a distant memory.

Despite the butt-kicking, we are so excited about this huge (and at the moment, very tiny) blessing God has given our family. I would appreciate your prayers for a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby. After falling off the disciplined-quiet-time wagon for a couple of weeks, I am happy to have started back to Bible Study Fellowship and can’t wait to see what God has to teach me through the life of Moses. I hope to be back with you soon, my dear cyberfriends.

Proverbs, Part 2

August 27, 2008 by Marissa 2 Comments

I’ve been reading Proverbs this summer and finally finished. It was excellent! (Of course.) Here are some of my favorite encouraging and convicting verses from the second half of the book:

Proverbs 14:29: Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. Very convicting–the last thing we need around here is more folly!

Proverbs 15:28: The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. I really stink at pondering how to answer. I prefer to pour out whatever comes to mind. I want to ponder like the righteous!

Proverbs 23:12: Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. This one is for me and for my kids. I’ve been praying for a verse for our part-time homeschooling next year, and I think this may be it.

Proverbs 27:14: Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! I stink at waiting even more than I stink at pondering how to answer.

Proverbs 29:17: Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. What a fabulous promise! Did you see that, moms?!? He said REST!!

Proverbs 30:5: Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. What great truth and comfort.

Proverbs 31:11, 26-27: The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

I’ve been inspired by the Proverbs 31 Woman for a long time. This month, verse 11 stood out to me with regard to my spending habits. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Can my husband completely trust the way I handle our money and run our household? Am I doing all I can to make sure he has “no lack of gain”? Or am I adding to his stress as he works to keep up with my spending? (Answers: No, No, and Yes.) What can I do differently to be more worthy of his trust and add to his gain?

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