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Spice Up Your Marriage – It’s Leap Day!

How fun is this! Based on the old Irish tradition, Leap Day is the day that a gal may propose to her guy! Consider adding a twist to this tradition to spice up your marriage. Instead of waiting for your man to take you on a date or bring you flowers, shake it up and do something fun for him!

Take some time today to ‘propose’ to your guy! :

– Send him a love note or text
– plan a great date night tonight
– create his favorite meal and dessert
– pick up a gift on his wish list
– clean your bedroom, light some candles, and plan for some after dinner conversation :)

Have fun showing your husband he’s important to you. But don’t just wait for Leap Year (remember it only comes around every four years!) – plan a day every month or even every week. This could become a tradition! Just a little special attention speaks volumes to a man. You might get addicted to the gift of love.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Time With Our Children – What Money Can’t Buy

By livingabovethenoise

Life is busy. This season seems to be especially eventful for our family. We just spent a second weekend visiting our son while he and his wife transition to having two baby girls. Yes, you heard right. Their firstborn is petite at 16 pounds, and is only a year and eleven days older than her new sister, so they really have two babies! “Sugar and spice” abounds in their home.

We’ve enjoyed having an excuse to see them again, as we bring our children, in shifts of a week at a time, to cook and care for their little nieces. Everyone is enjoying and appreciating the benefits of family.

On our way home, we stopped by to see our oldest daughter who is expecting her second child. She’s only seven weeks pregnant but is already so sick – so we asked her if we could ‘borrow’ her little boy for a few days. Now this is a win/win scenario! She gets to rest, her husband will get some much-needed work done, and we get to have sweet innocence in our home again!

With most of our helpers away, my nine-year-old son and I are caring for this nineteen month old, ball of energy! This has rekindled some not-too-distant memories for me. Interrupted sleep being one of them!

Now, I’ve had my share of disrupted nights. It was only a few years ago that I realized it had been 24 years since I had not been awakened by a hungry baby or by my momma’s instinct to check on a little one! My last child no longer needed me to check on him, not even to make sure his blankets were in place. I was now the one sleeping through the night, not just my babies! :o) So can I offer some perspective for you young moms? It will be nice to sleep the whole night through, but you’ll miss cuddling and petting those sweet smelling, velvety-soft babes. Believe me, I know.

As I sat and rocked my grandson last night, memories of all the little ones I rocked and held, cuddled and kissed passed through my mind. I realized again (now with some verifiable proof via parenting for 31 years) that no amount of highly recommended baby items, the best educational toys, or the perfect homeschool curriculum matter more, in the course of raising children, than one commodity.

Here’s a little culture shock – “The most sought after gift for 6 – 12 year olds this year was an Ipad – 44% wanted this more than any other gift”, according to Nielsen ratings! What an era we live in!

The commodity that matters most is time. Time spent together. Time spent offering a hug or cuddling, talking and listening (while making eye contact!), working and playing. Time spent showing our children that we truly love them and will put anything else aside for their best interest.

And the fruit of that time spent? – Trust. Time breeds trust. Trust breeds obedience while they are young, and acceptance of counsel when they are grown. Give your children the best gift imaginable! Time.

Hmmmmm – I think I’ll play a game with my son before my grandson awakes from his nap…..and then we’ll take a walk.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.

Psalm 103:13-18

On Becoming Grandma ….

By livingabovethenoise

Grandma with Annabelle and Jenna — Our First Sibling Grandbabies!

Our daughter-in-law delivered her baby on Thursday. We now have a new member of our family – a sweet baby girl named Annabelle!

My daughter informed me that I’m now Grandmomma to four! These three years since my first grandson was born have been quite a transition for me. You might think that becoming a grandmother would come quite naturally, but for me that was not the case.

Transitioning from Momma to Grandmomma has come with many new emotions. Add questions about what love and responsibility look like in my new role, to the already tiring and flooding feelings of menopause: hot flashes – sleepless nights (not from babies needing a feeding, but from my estrogen dominant hormones!) – a newfound sense of being less needed 24/7 by my own little ones – and you have a recipe for some depressing and confusing thoughts!

What is a woman’s role once her children don’t really ‘need’ her anymore? What service does she render to society, especially after spending the last 30 years raising children? Yes, I still have ten years to go, but those will be so easy compared to the last few decades!

I have to adjust to having more ‘me’ time than I can stand. I should have time to do things I couldn’t get done before, but my hormonal brain is a bit “fuzzy” (said like Meg Ryan in Who’s Got Mail!).

What is my role to my grandchildren? How much can I teach, train, reprove, or cuddle them? Will my adult children be offended thinking I might be trying to mother their children or prove a point?

And for a new question recently posed in our home – what happens when my adult child lets their child do something that we don’t allow in our home? Hmmmm? Something new to consider while we still are raising our younger ones!

I’m not trying to create problems that many of you may never have, but just sharing honestly some of my experience. I’m sure you’ve heard older adults say things like, “Grandparenting is so much more fun that parenting!” This always makes me smile kindly at them, while inwardly knowing that nothing in this life will trump being a mother!

Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the glory of sons is their fathers. Proverbs 17:6

But, God is always growing and teaching us, and these last three years are not an exception. Although they may be awkward, I’m loving the lessons! And in recent months, God has given me a gift. The gift of new perspective. And this new view has made me grateful for this next phase of my life.

Somehow this fall, as our families were camping and all the grandbabies were with us, something clicked with me and I was able to cuddle, squish, and smooch them just as if they were my own babies! I was suddenly able to see these little people as the next ‘layer’ in my love for my own children! God helped me to see the next chapter in my life, my next role in this ‘play’.

So be encouraged! Know that God has a beautiful plan for your life – like a painting in process!

– We begin life dependent – needy for love, instruction, and protection.

– We move into independence as we become adults (never from God, of course, and hopefully we stay connected to parents and siblings!).

– But then there comes a shift from independence back into dependence when we marry. Two independent persons connect and create a healthy dependency on one another’s love, skills, and personalities to build a beautiful, stronger unit – family.

– This unit is now ready to take on the challenge of creating new life – raising new, little people needy for love, instruction, and protection!

– Now this is where the picture gets completed! As our children move forward in this cycle of life, we become part of an extended, multi-layered, multi-generational family.

God’s great plan uses our roles as mother and grandmother to lead, teach, protect, share life’s lessons and God’s love with this legacy that we call Family! We really can enjoy the journey.

What Do You Value?

By livingabovethenoise

What is the value of a coin?

A car?

A house?

A person?

A human soul?

The term ‘value’ has many connotations. What is valuable to one person may not be to another. A coin might be added to a beggar’s pocket to buy a cup of hot coffee, but it will be walked over in a parking lot by most others. Simply owning a working car means the world to a single mom, but that same car would embarrass a car buff unless it’s waxed and in perfect condition. And a house – just look around! A man’s home is truly his castle. Some will be content in a shack as long as it is warm and dry. Others seek fine architecture, stonework, and landscaping before they will be content.

What is the value of a person? Some value a person only for what that person can do for them. Others value their creativity. Some are valued for their money or their generosity with it. Some for their skill, and others for their wit. And the list goes on.

And what is the value of that person’s soul? Some don’t consider that a soul exists, not thinking one thought about what happens after death, only living for today. Others think the soul moves into a new life form, maybe as a dog! In modern culture, most people are only seen for who they are and what they do today or for what they can offer tomorrow. Even as Christians, it’s easy to fall into that same pattern. In our busy lives, it’s easy to forget about eternity, especially that of our neighbor, the cashier, or even our friends or family.

Lately, I’ve been pondering value. What do I value, and how does it compare with what God values? What is the value or worth of a person and how does that value affect their future and their soul?

I’ve come to realize that I am more motivated to excel in life when I am valued by others. I am more motivated to help others when I know they value me. Isn’t this true for you? (Caveat: This could get complicated – I’m not saying that we only need to excel and help when we feel valued – that would be conditional.) But consider the reverse. When others feel valued, they may be more motivated to excel in life and help others. Now I’m not suggesting that we manipulate others to get results! Only that we consider the benefit to others when we value them. And get this – the ultimate picture of this is seen in how God values us!

My true value is found in God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice for me. He gave the perfect example of proving our value when he sacrificed unto death to give us new life. Only God knows the absolute value of each and every one of us. And as we discover God, we discover our value. As we learn that He created us in His image, we see our value. As we hear of His gift of perfection through His Son, Jesus, we find our value. God values us so much that He even offers us a second chance when we ignore His perfection. All we need to do is ask.

Isn’t value what we live for, ultimately? And if we really think about it, isn’t gratefulness for God’s value for us why we obey His Word? We feel the innate value of our worth because of His greatness and His great sacrifice for us. I’m taking much time to ponder what this kind of value looks and feels like. I believe it’s missing in the world and in many Christian homes today. We’ve forgotten to see the value God has for us, and instead, we spend our lives looking for it in the world’s tools and treasures.

I’ll continue my musings and how we can live out valuing one another in my next post, A Quintessential View of Value.

“Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the LORD, and may He deliver me from all distress.” 1 Samuel 26:24

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