Take a Look, it's in a book!

I absolutely love to read.

When I'm in the reading groove, I can read about a book a week.  I love how reading transports you to new places.  I love getting all wrapped up in a story.  I love cuddling up under the covers and losing myself in a good book.

I have always wanted to share my love of reading with my kids.  When they were little, I would read to them all the time.  We would listen to audio books and audio stories together.  We went to the library once a week and came home with stacks and stacks of books.  I made sure my kids always saw me reading too.  My love for reading is something I really wanted to pass on to my kids.

For a while, it didn't seem like they valued reading as much as I did.  Technology, computers, and Xbox all vied for their attention.  And as they grew, books got pushed to the side.

Well, the other day, my grown son came over and we were having a conversation.  He was telling me about this new book he was reading!  He was all excited about it! He got me wanting to read it too!  He was telling me how hard it was at first for him to get into reading.  So he started listening to audio books.  The more he listened to the easier it was for him to pick up a book to read.  My heart soared!  He's caught it!  The reading bug!

My daughter also reads.  She's a researcher.  She is a sponge for information and I love it!

Now my grown kids are growing and sharing the info they've read with me!

Now my hubby is not a reader.  So to remedy that situation - I've always read books to him!  One of our favorite things is to go to the park, pull out the sleeping bags, pick a quiet corner and read. It's a great bonding time.  And he also gets to experience the power of a book.

Books can be powerful. Reading transforms us, stretches us, makes us think, enlarges our vocabulary,

Reading does that.  It is a door to other places, other times,  other worlds.

If you're not a reader, I highly encourage you to try.  Start with audio books!  If your kids are young, try Adventures in Odyssey!  Focus on the Family radio theatre is also wonderful for the classics!

So, have fun reading to your kids!  and pick up a book yourself!  Summer time's a great time to start!

The thing about Money

So money is an interesting topic.  Most people are always wanting more and never seem to know what to do about their current situation or even how they've gotten in the situation they are in now. The Lord entrusts us with money..so what are we to do with it?

I'm thankful for my hubby who had a lot of wisdom when we first got married in this area.

First of all, we decided we'd never be in debt.  We do use a credit card but we always pay it off in full each month.  Our house is a debt -technically- but early in our marriage we were able to pay it off early and use that big chunk in investing in other houses. (More on that later)  We also consider a house an investment instead of a liability.  Most all the time you can sell your house for more than you bought it for.  I say most because the market is unpredictable and it has been known to drop.

We've never owned a new car or had college debt.  New cars are usually a liability because the depreciation on them is enormous!  And most people are still paying off their college debts way into their 30s and aren't even using their degrees!

Now, the kicker is this- most people when they are trying to get out of debt are trying to get their money to zero.  They would like to not be under water anymore but just tread water.  My hubby's great wisdom has always been this-why just be at zero when you can be way ABOVE zero!

Our thinking has never been.."Well we have $100 what can we spend it on?" or "Do we have enough to go to the movies tonight?"  If you have to think if you have enough ..then you probably shouldn't go.

So how do you get to that point? Well, we did a lot of scrimping and saving in the early days.  We rarely ate out and if we did nobody got a soda and we had a $2 per person limit on what you could get.  We tried to find all the free things we could do and rarely spent money on stuff for the kids and big outings, amusement parks etc.  They never asked us for anything either because it was just understood that mom and dad wouldn't buy them anything while we were out and about.

We also always had the mindset that we are to leave an inheritance not just for OUR kids but for our children's children!  Can you imagine!! Proverbs 13:22 says "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children"

We always tried to look down the road 10-20 years not just to the next payday.

My hubby had plans upon plans and backup plans upon backup plans for when he lost his job, when big expenses came up etc.

When we first got married, I knew I would want to stay home with the kids. So I was working, but we pretended like I didn't make anything and just stashed all that money away so that when we did have kids we would be used to living on one income AND we'd have a stash to start out!

As we paid off our first house, we used that capital to start investing in other houses.  These houses we've always known to be for our kids later on.   They aren't making that much money in the short term but eventually over the long haul they will be paid off (by other people paying them!).

Now it's never too late to get started.  I highly encourage everyone to not just get to zero but go way above that!

Save, invest, think long term, don't get caught up in status symbols, think drastically--maybe getting rid of a smart phone, or cable, or going down to only one car, or moving to a lower income side of town where the housing is cheaper!  These are all really drastic things to do!

Now I'm not saying you've got to live like misers and reuse paper plates!  But just think ahead and count the cost of decisions. Luke 14:28 "28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—"

And long term they could have a huge ripple effect on not only your kids but your kid's kids!

Free and super cheap date night ideas!

Going on dates with your spouse is so important!  We can get caught up in the daily monotony of life. Day in and day out the same things.  Especially when the kids are little, it's easy to slip into "crisis" mode and completely forget who you are married to!

I highly encourage you to make your marriage a priority!  Marriage is a constant act of work.  It takes a lot of effort to maintain closeness.  You must be intentional in your efforts to connect with each other.

That's why we have always tried to fit in date nights!  Even when all our kids were little we would trade babysitting with another couple so that we could have some alone time together.

Date nights don't have to cost a lot of money either!  In fact, a lot of the times it can be free!

Just a few ideas for date nights (We've done all these!!)

Go for a walk

Play a board game together

Read a book out loud to each other

Go to the book store and look through books together

Geocaching!

Take a Sunday drive though country roads

Make up a scavenger hunt and have your spouse look for stuff!

Go to a coffee shop and people watch

Work a puzzle together

Find out the free days at your local museum

Have a picnic at the park

Turn up the music and have a dance party in the living room

Memorize Scripture together

Plan a trip somewhere

Find out when the moon rise will be and pick a place to go see it

Lay out sleeping bags in an open field and watch for shooting stars
Go fly kites in the park

Go share one dessert and coffee at a fancy restaurant

These are just a few of the things we've done for dates.  I'm so glad we have cultivated our love toward each other over these last 26 years!  Especially as our kids were young.  Not only did it show our kids how to build a marriage but it's also helped us not to be strangers now as we have an empty nest!

What date nights have you all enjoyed? Would love to hear new ideas!

Mottos, Mantras, and Resolutions

It's a brand New Year!  2016! A great time to start things off fresh!

It's hard for me to make a bunch of resolutions.  I'm so goal oriented that I feel like I either need to make actual goals I can reach or just not make any at all.

That's why this year,I'm thinking instead of making resolutions, I need to make a mantra..or a motto..or a saying.

For instance,   

Move more!

or how about  ...serve!

or Love others!

or Be Healthy!

or Keep Memorizing!

These are a little vague..but I feel like I can accomplish these things.

These can be my mantras and I can mediate on these throughout the year.

What's will your mantra be for 2016??

Year in review 2015

So another year has come and gone.  Time just keeps speeding up faster and faster as I get older.  I'm not sure how that works but so it does.

A few highlights from the year in no particular order.

Trips galore this past year!

Larry and I went to Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Colorado, San Diego, several trips to Austin & a cruise to the Western Caribbean!  Larry went to Virginia with one son  and and Zion National Park with the other son!

We moved apartments (again!)  Downsized a bit more but got a larger living room--became true empty nesters!

Youngest son joined the Marines!

I've been working on memorizing the book of Phillipians.  I'm midway through chapter 2 now.

We got electric bicycles that are so much fun! Larry also got a new (to us) truck! Finally!

Lots of 

book reading 

game playing

geocaching

hula hooping 

walking

bike riding

domino playing

Bible memorizing

laughing

Enjoying our grown kids

Life is good.  It's been a good year for us and we thank the Lord for all His many blessings.  

Praying you all have a wonderful 2016!

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving comes every year and every year people are posting 30 days of Thankfulness.  It's good to reflect on thankfullness this time of year. It's just  too easy to slip into a rut and forget to be truly thankful.

I'm not talking about a thankfulness of "I'm glad I'm not like that poor soul over there." or a thankfulness like "I'm glad for these material possessions that most people in the world don't have." but a true attitude of gratitude.

Psalm 100:4 says "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

Philippians 1:3 " I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Ephesians 5: 19-21 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God."

All these verses speak of being thankful.  I see no mention of stuff.  Just a heart that is thankful. They all have to do with our relationships to people and our relationship with the Lord.

God put us here on the earth with people - annoying as they can be sometimes.  But we are to speak to and encourage one another.  Be thankful for each other.

God warns us what ungratefulness can do to us.

 Romans 1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This verse is speaking to the one who doesn't believe in God--they not only did not glorify Him but they weren't thankful -- and their hearts were darkened.

This Thanksgiving and this season...focus on Giving Thanks!  For He has given us so much for which to be thankful!

Moving our kids toward being an Adult!

There seems to be an epidemic going on in America today.  Maybe worldwide.  I've seen it time and time again.

Parents not encouraging their kids to grow up.
Parents today are coddling their kids more and more and for longer periods of time.  They aren't expecting anything out of them.  They let them freeload for far too long.
How is this doing a dis-service to our kids?

Well, they won't learn life lessons for one thing.

Teen:  mom I need a ride to so-and-so's house
Parent:  well, I'd love to help you but I've got plans tonight.

So how will poor teenager make it to their friend's house with out the help of the mommy or daddy?

Well, here's an idea... He/she can figure it out!

There's multiple options available to get there if they wanted to, but by the parents taking the responsibility to come up with the plan and implement it-then the kids lose out on a valuable skill!

But how will the poor baby get to work without my help...  well, not my problem!

Kids nowadays need to learn to solve these problems on their own.  Yes, I will help you sometimes, but the kids shouldn't  be entitled to my help just because they live at my house!

In parenting, the goal is to raise kids that are INDEPENDENT!  How are they learning that independence if I'm solving all their problems, washing all their clothes, buying all their food, paying all their bills, cleaning up all their messes??

What kind of lessons am I teaching them by coddling them so much?

Well, I'm teaching them that I don't trust them to make any decisions.

I'm teaching them I don't love them enough to give them room to grow.

I'm teaching them that my role will always be the parent and never change to a peer-to-peer relationship.

But if I  don't make all the decisions for them they will make mistakes!

Yes they will!  And that's where grace in parenting comes in.  We don't hold mistakes over our kid's heads.  We encourage, love, guide and direct them with a loving parenting heart.

Let's help our boys become men and our girls become women who can be responsible human beings!

It starts early on.  From the moment they are born there is a constant letting go.  Please don't stunt your kids' natural growth by keeping them "babies" too long.  Let them do their own laundry, go buy the groceries, help around the house, get where they need to go with money they've earned their selves!

You will be happier and they will be too!