Self: "Is it working for you?" (I think I heard Dr. Phil ask this of one of his guests and this is what I begin to think as I look at all this laundry that I have to do.) Self: "Well no it's not." Self:"Don't you think you might want to try something new then?"}in my best Dr. Phil impersonation. Self: "Yes, yes I do." And my brain starts to rattle around a couple of ways to help defeat the laundry clutter once and for all. Self: "I need something that will work for the long run and not have me doing all the work. After all my children are 8, 5, and almost 3, they can help out, they N-E-E-D to help out. They can fold their laundry and put it up!!! And I'm the mom, not the maid and I want to do more with my day than just laundry and dishes. I want to enjoy actual T-I-M-E with my kids while teaching them practical life lessons as well as math lessons."
Okay, sometimes we need to be our own cheerleader cause let me tell you it is so easy to get stuck in the routine of laundry, dishes, lessons, naps, dinner, dishes, house clean up, bed times…… it can become more than boring it can become overwhelming, depressing and feel rather pathetic. And when I get to this point I just yell:
"Stoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop, focus! Where is your focus?" I can usually get more of a perspective when I ask myself how I can involve the children in what needs to be done. And that is how I came up with my latest attempt in conquering The Laundry Monster. Today, with computer and T.V. off, each time a load is done we will all gather in the living room with our own personal laundry basket by side to claim our clean clothes. I'm thinking this will also be a good time to review AWANA verses, math memory work, or have some fun discussions. And here I am starting to get all excited about laundry again!!!!!!
Speaking of focus today is December 1st and if you haven't already started Advent, the countdown to CHRISTmas has begun!!! If you have never done an Advent or Jesse Tree countdown for Christmas I would suggest that you prayerfully consider taking time to do it this year. A couple of weeks ago, after neglecting my quiet time God posed this question to me: "L2L, if you are too busy to keep me in your daily life, you are too busy doing things that just don't matter!!!" So to help you get started here is today's reading from this Jesse Tree devotion and here is my post on other things you can do. And to show you how simple it really can be, here is all you need to read today:
Genesis 1
Heaven and Earth
1-2First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
3-5 God spoke: "Light!"
And light appeared.
God saw that light was good
and separated light from dark.
God named the light Day,
he named the dark Night.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day One.
6-8 God spoke: "Sky! In the middle of the waters;
separate water from water!"
God made sky.
He separated the water under sky
from the water above sky.
And there it was:
he named sky the Heavens;
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Two.
9-10 God spoke: "Separate!
Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place;
Land, appear!"
And there it was.
God named the land Earth.
He named the pooled water Ocean.
God saw that it was good.
11-13 God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties
of seed-bearing plants,
Every sort of fruit-bearing tree."
And there it was.
Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,
all varieties,
And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
God saw that it was good.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Three.
14-15 God spoke: "Lights! Come out!
Shine in Heaven's sky!
Separate Day from Night.
Mark seasons and days and years,
Lights in Heaven's sky to give light to Earth."
And there it was.
16-19 God made two big lights, the larger
to take charge of Day,
The smaller to be in charge of Night;
and he made the stars.
God placed them in the heavenly sky
to light up Earth
And oversee Day and Night,
to separate light and dark.
God saw that it was good.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Four.
20-23 God spoke: "Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life!
Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!"
God created the huge whales,
all the swarm of life in the waters,
And every kind and species of flying birds.
God saw that it was good.
God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean!
Birds, reproduce on Earth!"
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Five.
24-25 God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind:
cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds."
And there it was:
wild animals of every kind,
Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug.
God saw that it was good.
26-28 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God's nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
"Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
29-30 Then God said, "I've given you
every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds,
everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."
And there it was.
31 God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Six.
Genesis 2
1 Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.
2-4 By the seventh day
God had finished his work.
On the seventh day
he rested from all his work.
God blessed the seventh day.
He made it a Holy Day
Because on that day he rested from his work,
all the creating God had done.
This is the story of how it all started,
of Heaven and Earth when they were created.
Or present to your family in another format the Days of Creations. Here are some other resources on the web you might want to check out.
I pray that this greatly blesses you and gives you just what you need to help you focus on the reason for the season: Jesus!!!
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