Mommy Jammies

Dealing with Mom Guilt with Felice Gerwitz

Overcoming Mommy Guilt (Scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN to get to the player)

We’ve all done it – you know thinking we are not good enough or it is all our fault. Where did I go wrong – what could I have done differently –

When I was expecting my first child I thought – how can it be that hard? I was a teacher and handled an entire classroom of kids, one little kid can’t be difficult after that!

I was filled with my own self importance, my own skill set – my own...well, degree! I had an education degree in Early Childhood, Elementary Ed and Specific Learning Disabilities – I was degreed for K-12 I was all set, right?Wrong!

Along came Neal, this beautiful bundle of joy – and he was the first and most perfect baby. He slept well and for hours, he barely cried, he nursed really well. In fact, I thought he was the easiest child ever! And, compared to my other four he was a very easy baby...

But fast forward and let me tell you I began to second guess every decision because the experts began to weigh in.

Well meaning family members, friends, the lady next door – everyone was an expert!

I began listening to my friends talk about their kids and their parenting methods were all over the board from the way permissive to the super, super strict—train up a child and that is the way he will grow crowd and don’t spare the rod crowd.

While I was very comfortably somewhere in between I began to realize that moms in general were a mess –

They were threading water – barely surviving.

I listened to people share:

1. I’m not good enough
2. I’m going to ruin my children
3. I’m not an expert
4. My kids are going to grow up to hate me which is why I am going to be sure to spoil them
5. It is all my fault!

Friends – if you hear nothing else I say ...please hear this. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT – Let me repeat that – IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.

As a Christian we have the tools to be super parents

– after all as Christians aren’t we heirs of the KINGDOM isn’t GOD OUR FATHER? Didn’t God promise not to forsake us but to send HIS spirit to guide us?

I understand you are on overload – I understand your child may be lost – and you know what? God has given us and them free will...

We can not mold our children in our image – however we can introduce them to the Almighty God

And we often preach to the choir – we ask our children to do the heavy lifting – to demonstrate to us God’s love and to show us they really understand.

We can see their walk with the Lord in the fruit they demonstrate

And if we don’t like that fruit – guess what? It is up to us to pray. And we pray – God do this and this and this – NO – we need to pray YOUR WILL LORD NOT MINE

God did not give us a spirit of fear New International Version 2Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or ...

Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will neverleave you nor forsake you. .... and hope; unto us is this gospel preached, as well as unto them; he will never fail thee, nor forsake thee, Heb 13:5.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit...17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans;I will come to you. 19In a little while, the world will see Me no more...

Redeeming Childbirth & Leaving a New Legacy Together

Join the Mommy Jammies Night guest, Angie Tolpin. How do we, as homeschooling mothers, engage the childbearing years, which can be physically, spiritually, and emotionally draining, with grace and joy? What legacy are we, as the church leaving with regard to our view of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood? Since childbirth is such a controversial topic within the church, Titus 2 Mentors often struggle to know just how to encourage the next generation during this season. Let’s partner with Christ to redeem childbirth together and leave a new legacy of embracing this season in a woman’s life!

Special Guest Speaker — Angie Tolpin.

Who is this talk for: Women, husbands, wives, daughters, Titus 2 Mentors, doulas, midwives, and other women’s health care professionals who want to strengthen ministry with their clients.

Leaving a Legacy: http://www.angietolpin.com/

Choose Growth : http://www.choosegrowth.com/
Redeeming Childbirth: http://redeemingchildbirth.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/leavinganintentionallegacy
Redeeming Childbirth Facebook: http://facebook.com/redeemingchildbirth
Twitter: @Angietolpin & @RedeemingBirth
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/angietolpin

UPDATE:

Angie recently launched a new site http://CourageousMom.com! You can check out her new page at @CourageousMom!

She also launched a parenting course as well which is “The 11-Day Challenge to Encourage the Courageous Mom in You,” which you can find here: More about Angie

The post Mommy Jammies Night – Angie Tolpin appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Our tongues are mighty enough to inflict wounds or build one another up. How often do we stop and think about the power we have to build up our business through our speech? Tune into Mommy Jammies Podcast as Gina talks about keeping our conversation holy.

Embrace Life

In our last two podcasts, we’ve taken a look at setting our priorities on the right course, those aligned with our values. Let’s talk a little today about how to build your business while building each other up.

When Jesus came to Earth he created a community – a community of the Redeemed. God Himself is a community in the form of the Trinity!

It’s hard wired in each one of us to desire community with one another. It’s one of the ways we can truly embrace life – by reaching out to others! While sin separated us in the Fall, and we still don’t love one another perfectly, Jesus wants us to experience it. Though we experience God’s saving grace individually, we can be transformed (sanctified) within a community. This community isn’t just the church or our family, but also our business relationships.

Indeed, our businesses can require a good portion of our attention and can be a primary way the Lord sanctifies us, desiring that we would in fact- embrace life.

See the Day Fill up with Good

That brings me to seeing the day fill up with good. Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? You complain, procrastinate, and compare to the point that you just want to crawl back in bed. While those days sometimes happen outside of our control, often those days can be a result of what the rest of the verse says to us.

In our business dealings, how often do we fall prey to sharing screenshots of conversations, saying things we shouldn’t, or taking concerns to a friend first- rather than the Lord. I know I’ve been guilty of all of those and in fact struggle with this. It’s a distorted version of community, isn’t it?

What can we “put off” and “put on” in order to overcome this struggle? How can we build trust, friendship, and respect with our business colleagues using these put off’s and put on’s?

Say Nothing Evil or Hurtful

Just yesterday a friend called me deeply hurt by words said to her. Words! She wasn’t physically harmed and she wasn’t threatened. No, she was laughed at for a business idea by a friend. This hurt her in the moment and she was still dealing with it the next morning.

It’s hard for us to realize that if we speak without weighing our speech (thinking how it might impact another), we can deeply would someone we actually care about.

How likely is this friend I mention going to be willing to share her business ideas with others again? What will she have to overcome and forgive in order to now show up in the world with her awesome idea?

Snub Evil and Cultivate Good

What can we do when a business friendship is based on a list of who to like and who not to like? Is it possible that maintaining these types of business friendships actually harm your own business and reputation? They can and they do.

We all know that person (and in fact, if we look in the mirror we’re guilty, too) who can’t wait to tell you the ten reasons not to like so and so. While it’s good in business circles to give general warnings and guidance to friends in order to keep them from a bad business deal, it’s not necessary to attach personal descriptives about another person.

Honestly, this is a difficult situation sometimes, but having a policy of carefulness and seeking Wisdom on the subject of sharing about another individual is a good one. Most business mamas are savvy enough to recognize a fraud or bad business relationship.

Run After Peace for All You’re Worth

That brings us back to the beginning. Remember in our last podcast, we determined Who gives us our Peace and Worth. If we’re to run after peace for all we’re worth, let that sink in. God created us for a purpose. Our businesses have a story to tell to the world and pursuing peace in our business relationships will (in the long run) build up our businesses.

Action Point:

Spend some time in prayer, reflecting on ways you tend to run after discord instead of peace. How does knowing what you’re worth and running after peace have the potential to build up others and by extension, build up your own business?

The post How to Build Your Business While Building Each Other Up...

What is a Biblical Worldview? How does our worldview affect the quality of our lives? How does it shape our words, our actions and choices? Armed with a Biblical Worldview, our children will be more equipped to walk with the Lord as adults. We don’t have to be perfect parents or super spiritual to impart a Biblical worldview; we only need be aware and purposeful and often humble. In this talk, Jeannie will explore these issues and give specific ideas for giving your children an eternal perspective and a strong Biblical Worldview, so that they will be ready to face the world.

Jeannie Fulbright is a homeschooling mother of four and the author of Apologia’s Young Explorer series: Exploring Creation. Those titles include Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1, 2 and 3, Anatomy and Physiology, and the new Chemistry and Physics for elementary through middle school students.

At the age of ten, Jeannie wrote her first book, and later continued her writing journey at the University of Texas. There, she wrote for the newspaper and spent evenings as a primetime newscaster for the student radio station. After graduating from UT-Austin, she married her husband, Jeff, who is an attorney. They live in Metro Atlanta with three of their four children.

Jeannie’s children range in age from 13 to 20. Her oldest graduated from homeschooling in 2011 and was accepted on scholarship to the University of Georgia where she is on the Dean’s List.

It’s her love for God’s Word, her family, homeschooling, and other believers that inspires her to continue writing and speaking. She has a heart to encourage homeschoolers everywhere. Not only does Jeannie continue to create curriculum, she also writes a monthly newsletter, a weekly blog and is very active on social media. She can be found on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, sharing homeschooling ideas and inspiration.

The post Mommy Jammies Night – Jeannie Fulbright appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

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Show notes: What I’d like to share tonight is a way to embrace the vocation and high calling of motherhood that keeps our eyes on Christ.

First, let’s look at how Jesus taught. This will help us in our daily, minute-by-minute instruction of our children no matter what age they may be. This is also called relationship.

If we look at the life of Christ we see that Jesus was loving. He repeated spiritual truths over and over so that people might understand. He walked among the people healing them, by asking them questions, and by imparting truth through ways they could understand (Mark 4:34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.)

Jesus was someone who attracted others. He had a way of pointing to the Father that satisfied the needs of people. He knew how to satisfy their greatest spiritual needs. Even when they just returned for more bread, he knew they had a greater need.

6 Ways to Show Love to Your Children

Here are ways he did just that, and how as Moms we can be encouraged that if we will follow the master Jesus will meet their needs and our own.

1. Children need to feel safe, loved, and important. Do you have a consistent temperament? Do you meet as well as you are able your children’s basic needs for clothing, shelter, and food? Is your discipline consistent or are your children unsure of what to expect? Can your child confide in your? We are especially admonished not to provoke our children to anger or discouragement (Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.Jesus makes us feel safe, loved, and important in his very life (lived sinlessly), death (for our sins), and resurrection (for our justification) that we might have peace with God the Father, Romans chapter 4.
2. Children must trust their parents Do you keep your word to your children? Do you keep your word to others so your children witness this? Do you do your best to make sure that trustworthy adults influence your children? Remember when we talked about how Jesus patiently repeated things to his followers (and for our benefit) so we’d understand? This built trust. We can trust him because He did exactly what he said he would do. Read Mark 8,9, and 10. He said he would suffer, die, and rise. He did.
3. Children need to know their worth Do your children understand that their value as a human and made in the image of God? Do your children see how important they are to you by the time and real attention you give to them? Are you full of distraction? God’s Word tells us children are a heritage (Psalm 127) and fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139), and that the Father would hold nothing back in saving them should they stray, and in fact he didn’t hold back his only son. (Matthew 18 and the parable of the lost sheep)
4. Children need to see their purpose and calling Do your children see that they’ve been created by God and live in the culture and time we live in “for such a time as this”. Do you? Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
5. Children need chores Constant entertainment is soul-destroying to anyone, especially a child. There is value in work that sparks their creativity and curiosity and helps them see their place in God’s world. Again, Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
6. Wisdom and role models- Children need your guidance and the guidance of trusted adults, especially as they become young adults themselves to help grow discernment. Who do you know that exhibits wisdom that would be a good influence? Do you exhibit wisdom to your children? Proverbs 13:20 tells us, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Learn more about Susanna Wesley