I Am His {Thankful Thursdays}

Think about to whom you belong. While most of us will think about our family, Christians can say we belong to Jesus, I am thankful I belong to Him. I am thankful I am His.

I AM HIS

We all know the excitement that is on the face of a child when they are given something to be their own. As long as that child is encouraged to love and care of that item, they will do it. They will be excited to tell people that it belongs to them. I can only imagine the excitement Jesus must have felt when He was given me; to be able to pray for me. It’s nice to know others are praying for me, but to know Jesus, Himself is praying for me – amazing!

In John chapter 17 we find the Prayer of Intercession. This is the true Lord’s Prayer, not the model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. In verse 9 of the Prayer of Intercession, we read, I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are mine. When I think about those words there is a lot of comfort found there - Jesus prays for us, He considers us His own, He has not left us in the world to survive on our own.

You and I both can say, I am His.

Five Cheap Alternatives to High Priced Paid Services

I love sharing frugal ideas that we do to save us money because just like you, I love learning new ways to pocket extra money.   Many of us are more frugal than others because we simply sacrifice things others have not been brave enough to do, yet. Becoming more frugal is not an overnight process, Lord help us if it was. Being frugal is a lifestyle, it is something you decide to do and work to achieve a little at a time. Today, I want to share with you Five Cheap Alternatives to High Priced Paid Services. Making a change in one of these areas is a step closer to being more frugal with extra money in your pocket.

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Five Cheap Alternatives to
High Priced Paid Services

• Cable/Satellite: Roku Box (highly recommend). If buying a Roku is not in the budget at the moment. Hulu Plus and Netflix can be played on your laptop and game consoles. Purchasing an HDMI wire and connecting your computer to your TV is an awesome way to go until the budget allows for a Roku box or some other device. (we did this before we bought our box)

• Movie Subscriptions: Amazon – you have a choice to either rent or purchase movies. We recently purchased a movie because after watching it three times it was paid for and we don’t have to store any Blue Ray or DVD discs. Of course, if you are Prime Member then you have access to many free movies. Crackle(free), Hulu Plus, and Netflix – we dropped Netflix because we had rather watch newer tv programs. Many new shows are aired the very next day, we like that! The Public Library – has many movies and family shows just waiting to be checked out.

• Haircuts: Learn to cut your own hair. There are tons of Youtube videos on how to cut hair. Find a friend who cuts their family’s hair and have them cut your hair. My husband and son have a friend cut their hair. As soon as I have the money put aside for clippers, he is going to teach me how to cut their hair. Before we moved, I always went to our local cosmetology school for haircuts and always very happy with the outcome. My hair has been professionally cut one time since we moved here. I finally found where a cosmetology school is located and I can’t wait to give them a try.

• Phone Service: Paying for both landline and cell phone is crazy! If you’re not comfortable with letting go of the landline altogether, cancel your long distance and use your cell phone. My parents have done this to save money and they are very happy. Verizon Wireless Home is an inexpensive option that has unlimited local and long distance. Three months in and we are still happy with this choice.

• Magazines: I’m not a big buyer on magazines, although, I do have one favorite. Shopping around for the best deal can be a drag, I normally go through EBATES to buy magazines. I get a good deal on the subscription and I get money back for making a purchase. It’s a win-win!

While these are just 5 areas to help you in becoming more frugal and saving money, there are tons of ways to pocket a little more money every day.

What are some ways you save money?

5 Ways I Pray For My Husband

With all the nonstop discouraging headlines of a young Christian reality TV show family, it only shows that Satan is out to destroy ANY family he can. It doesn’t matter who the family is from the famous and rich to the unknown and poor, Satan wants to destroy Christian marriages. While I’ve never been drawn into watching this particular TV program because I did not agree with the way the family was exploited and several other things in their lives, I can’t help but hurt for another Christian family. As a wife, I know I have to pray for my husband, there is no one else to do it for him but me. These are five ways I pray for my husband, daily.

As wives, we have to be on our guard - we can’t sit by with our eyes closed to things going on in our lives just because we are Christians. Being a Christian does NOT automatically keep us from these problems. While many of us are in a “protective” environment at home, our husbands are exposed to things daily in their lives while at work and around other people. Those things are easily brought into the home when they return.

If we don't pray for our husband, who will?

Five ways I pray for my husband

Protection – this is far more than just getting him back home from work or errands. He needs a hedge of protection around his mind, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, and feet. His whole being needs to be protected from the things of the world. (I Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:11-18)

Obedience to God – My husband needs to be obedient to God’s will for his life. Whatever God’s will is I pray that my husband will be willingly obedient to it. (Proverbs 3:5-6, James 4:17)

Leadership – God designed the husband to be the leader in the marriage and home. I pray that I am the kind of wife my husband can be that leader for; I don’t want to be a hindrance that causes him to not be able to lead. (Ephesians 5:23-25, I Peter 3:7)

Wisdom – My husband needs wisdom in everything. I pray that his heart and eyes are open to understanding and that he will continue to fear the Lord. (Proverbs 1:5-7, Ephesians 1:16-19)

Strength – My husband’s job requires strength, living a Christian life does too. I pray my husband’s physical strength will continue so he can work to his fullest. I also pray my husband's spiritual strength will be strong in the Lord in is daily life. (Ephesians 3: 16, Ephesians 6:10, Joshua 1:9)

I pray that God will be the center of our marriage. He is the only One we can truly depend on to keep ourselves pure and our marriage pure and together.

Ask for Wisdom {Thankful Thursdays}

Have you felt like a bumbling dope when it comes to certain things? I have and I do right this very week. My son is tackling Chemistry this year. I was not ready for it as a 10th grade subject, but he felt up to it, and so we learning it together. I didn't take Chemistry in high school I wish I would have because it is actually a lot of fun.

All the math and having to refresh my brain on some things reminds me of a verse I learned as a young girl. A verse ( James 1:5 ) that told me to

ASK FOR WISDOM

when I needed it. Today, I’m thankful for the freedom that I can

ASK FOR WISDOM

without being made to feel horrible, when I need a little extra help.

ASK FOR WISDOM

We serve a God who created each and every one of us. He created our strengths and our weaknesses; He knows what comes easy for us and the things we struggle with. The Lord has compassion on us when we repeatedly go to Him for wisdom over a situation. He doesn't say, “Oh, No, not again, I just told you what to do last week. Can't you get it through your thick head?”. Thankfully, the Lord we serve doesn’t do that, He loves us enough to keep giving us the wisdom when we go to him for it. I'm thankful I can ASK FOR WISDOM and know I will receive it.

Raising a Future Husband

I cannot for the life of me remember where I read “I am raising someone’s future spouse.” But I do remember how I felt when those words struck my inner core. I was shaken into a realization of what part of my job is as a mom. While I am to train my son to be a productive and capable adult, I also have to realize, that one day he will be a husband and father if the Lord allows. I am raising a future husband.

RAISING A FUTURE HUSBAND

While my sweet son is almost 16, it is a little hard for me to imagine him being married with a family. When I see him, I see the precious tiny gift God gave to me. Yes, I know it won’t be too much longer, but with my husband’s help in guidance, we are training our son to attend college, work and prepare for his future before the thoughts of marriage even enter his mind.

We are not training him with the mindset of riches and money. We are training him to work and work hard for everything he has and to put aside for his future. We’re teaching him to get his “playing” and “growing up” finished before he plans to marry. The one thing I cannot stand is immature parents who have not grown up trying to be friends with their own children. Parenting does not equal friendship.

As a mom, I try to teach him he will have a wife and family who will depend on him to work and provide for them whether his wife works or not. It is not up to her to provide for the family; being a slacker is out of the question.

While having money is a must to survive, it is not the most important thing for a Christian. Having a personal relationship with Christ is of utmost importance. Spending time daily with the Lord will help him as he seeks guidance concerning his life’s choices.

I work to teach my precious son what kind of man he should be towards women – STRONG but GENTLE. While many women do not like to hear they are the weaker vessel, my son is being taught they are. He is to respect them, open doors for them, allow them to enter and exit first. Speak kindly to them and to remember they are someone’s daughter. Men can be strong and gentle at the same time. Women who are honest don’t want a weakling of a man. They want a man who can throw a bale of hay, wrestle a steer, and put their gentle, loving arms around them when the tears are flowing.

I’m teaching my son to be like his father. He has a wonderful example of a hard working, strong but gentle man in his life. I’m a little selfish in my prayers that the Lord will only give him a woman who truly deserves my son.

As parents, we are raising future spouses.

Cleaning My Self-Cleaning Oven Safely

In many kitchens, there are found self-cleaning ovens. The convenience of pressing a button to clean a grimy mess is much more appealing than scrubbing the inside by hand. There are several concerns regarding this not so new convenience. It took only one lesson for me to start cleaning my self-cleaning oven safely.

Cleaning my self-cleaning oven safely

My first ever self-cleaning oven was when we lived in western Montana. I was excited about being able to use the self cleaner to keep from having to really get in there and clean the oven. The first and only time I ever used it just about caused problems for me and my son. During the middle of winter and below zero temperatures, I tried cleaning my oven before my husband got home from work one night. While the oven was cleaning, I noticed a strange feeling of tiredness and a weird headache. Not long after that, the carbon monoxide alarm went off, scaring me to death! After talking with my husband, I opened up all the windows and Jamie and I put on our coats and sat on the back doorstep until he got home. Thankfully, we were okay. But that one experience has me never using the self-cleaning function on my stove.

I use the oven ALL THE TIME except during the middle of hot summer time. The biggest mess makers are pans of bacon and the occasional frozen pizza.  Have you tried baking bacon? Oh my word! The bacon doesn't shrivel in the pan like it does on the stove top, nor does it burn as quickly if you get distracted with something else. Even with a greasy oven,you don't have to worry because this cleaner is AMAZING!

Earlier this year, I began looking for a safer than store bought cans of chemicals to clean my oven. I found several online and finally decided on this recipe to try. I'm glad I did because it is awesome.

The first time I used the recipe, my mixture was not as pasty as I would have liked, but it worked. The second time I made a few adjustments and I ended up smearing the paste on by hand; it went much faster than brushing it on. I also learned how to removed the oven door before the cleaning, so I wouldn’t have to stretch to reach the back of the oven.

Cleaning the oven:

• Remove your racks to be cleaned separately.
• Wipe out any dry bits in the bottom of the oven.
• Mix up the ingredients and wipe all over the inside of the oven and door and close it.
• The next morning, wipe and scrub the paste. Wet your soap pad and scrub those hard to clean spots.
•  It will take several rinsing to get the paste completely out of the oven. Do a final wipe of the inside to see the sparkling clean.

While the cleaning paste is doing its thing, I clean the racks with ammonia water. I place the racks in a large garbage bag, spray them very well, tie them up and set them outside in the sun. Several hours later, I use a soap pad to scrub off the grime and spray them down with the water hose. I leave them outside to dry. As you can see, I'm not so concerned with the perfect clean racks. I know, I should be.

Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons of liquid dish detergent
• 1 ½ cup baking soda
• up to ¼ cup vinegar

In a bowl, mix the detergent and baking soda. Stirring, add the vinegar. Only use however much you need to get a good paste that will be easily spreadable. I don’t use a full ¼ cup since it is too liquidy for me.

What do you use to clean your oven?

Valuable Gifts {Thankful Thursdays}

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if it were not for the early days of expansion in our country? I did this week while reading my son’s history book; I wondered what my beautiful state of Montana would be without the Louisiana Purchase. Today I’m thankful for valuable gifts.

 

~*~Valuable Gifts~*~

Everyone knows the story of Daniel Boone and how he blazed a trail through the mountains for other pioneers to follow and how he built the fort at Boonesborough to protect those families.

Davy Crockett, with a sense of humor, was a frontiersman who became a statesman and later gave his life at the Alamo for the independence of Texas.

For many, the name Jedediah Smith is not too familiar. He along with many other men blazed the path to the West. Smith was known to be a Christian because of the life he lived in front of the other mountaineers. He found the South Pass in the Rockies for travel into California. While scouting ahead of a wagon train on its way to Santa Fe, Jedediah Smith was killed by a band of Comanches.

These are just three of the many men and women who gave our country valuable gifts. I’m thankful for them and those gifts.

Can you think of any valuable gifts you've been given?

Homeschooling in Montana

Today, I’m sharing about Homeschooling in Montana. Home education is a beautiful freedom we have here in America. While the laws for every state are different, any family can choose to homeschool whether it is for religious reasons or just giving children a more well balanced, individualized education. The range in what is required for each state is vast; some have very strict regulations while others are more relaxed and even requirement free. It’s been three years since moving and living in a state that is more relaxed than what was required in the past. This new found freedom for me was/is hard to get used to. At first, I felt like a rebel (I still do) for not giving achievement tests every three years and I still write my year-end progress report just so I can remember any changes in my son’s learning and any curriculum failures.

Homeschooling in Montana

The laws in Montana are simple

•  File a letter of intent
•  Keep attendance and immunization records
•  Provide the required amount of hours during the year
•  Teach the required subjects
•  Follow health and safety regulations

Groups and Co-Ops:  Montana is a large state and we have many homeschool groups throughout. There are Facebook groups for many of them.

Field Trips: Depending on where you live in Montana, field trips are a ton of fun. If you’re like us and live in the middle of nowhere and away from all the exciting places Montana has to offer, some field trips become mini-vacations.

•  Glacier National Park
•  Garnet Ghost Town – our first trip was pre-blogging and digital camera days
•  Little Bighorn National Monument
•  Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center – on our list to visit
•  National Bison Range – on our list to visit
•  Pictograph Cave State Park – on our list to visit
•  Pompey’s Pillar
•  Yellowstone National Park – our first trip was pre-blogging and digital camera days.

If you plan on visiting Yellowstone, you may want to check out the Complete Guide to Yellowstone from Live Once Live Wild. It's full of facts about the park and many of the trails and activities for families.

Of course, there are many local museums throughout our state. Our county museum is home to Steer Montana, once noted as the World’s LARGEST Steer.

Curriculum Shout-Out: I’ve been sharing our curriculum choices for several years now. But my most favorite program to use is Teaching Textbooks for math. The newer versions are all self-grading and they keep up with all the work, so my work is a little lighter and I don’t have to teach math.

Recommended Books: As a home educating mom, I would like to be able to share a list of books I would recommend to others. For some, what I am about to say is sad. In eleven years, I have only read ONE book written to the homeschool mom and while it was many years ago, I can’t remember anything from it. But I do remember it being a blessing to me. I’m sure there are some great books out there, but honestly, I don’t depend on other’s opinions and experiences. Every home is different, every mom is different, and every child is different. While we look for advice from others, we tend to forget where wisdom comes from. The Bible and prayer (James 1:5) are my recommendations to anyone. I honestly believe if you put your trust in God’s strength to give you wisdom on matters concerning your home and school, He will provide an answer. He will not fail you.

Advice: 

• Pray and pray some more. I’ve mentioned many times this is a journey and a way of life. There will be sacrifices (many) to be made along the way with some bumps in the road. No, praying doesn’t stop the problems from happening, but it does help in smoothing the rough edges.
•  One thing a parent can give their children that cannot be taken away from them is an EDUCATION. Do your BEST to make sure your children get a top notch education whether they attend college or not. Make sure they meet all the graduation requires for your state. Plan ahead and look at possible college’s requirements for admittance. More times than not, a child will want to attend college and if they don’t meet the requirements, they are going to feel horrible. Give them what they want and need, an EDUCATION.

•  I had someone tell me they wanted to homeschool their two but just couldn’t do it; they were not ready for the commitment. I listened to what was said and I agreed with them. If you are not totally committed to giving your child an education, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. While I am probably one of the very few to not encourage someone to take this step, I’d rather see a child in a school getting an education than for them to spend all of their school years at home not learning, not being prepared for life.

Are you a blogger with a blog post about the homeschool laws in your state? Leave me a link I’d love to read about what your state requires.

Do you have advice that was given to you that has helped in your home education journey? I’d love to hear about.