Getting Things in Order: Free Printables

Orderliness means to arrange, or set into place.  As Moms, it is so important to be organized.  If we are not organized our time spent searching for lost things, and cleaning will keep us from other things God has for us to do.

     Orderliness is having a place for everything 

and everything in its place. 

     I want to give you a few helpful hints to get organized and stay that way:

         1.  Take 15 minutes a day and clean an area and organize it.  Throw away or give away anything you are not using in that area.  For larger areas like basements, attics or garages, spend a weekend or two working on it, be sure to only keep what you use, and once it is cleaned up, vow to never allow it to return to an unorganized and cluttered area!

         2.  Make yourself a cleaning schedule, and be diligent.  

         3.  Go through your home every few months and get rid of anything you haven't been using for   over 6 months, except for holiday decorations.  

         4.  Teach your children how to put things where they belong.  Make a place for everything, and   keep them in that area. 

        5.  Have fun while you organize.  Put on some good worship music and allow it to lift your       mood as you work!

         6.  Maintenance is the key to keeping things in order :)

     As parents, we must be organized, so we can be good examples for our children to follow.  We want to be sure they understand that if they keep up on things, they will have more time for play and other activities.  Work together as a family, and do it with a good attitude.  Chore charts are great for kids to see what they are responsible for doing to help maintain their home :) I have some great free chore chart printables here: http://letsgetreal2016.blogspot.com/2016/09/free-printables-chore-charts-for-kids.html

Here are some wonderful grocery list printables to make your trip to the store a little easier.

To save these lists, just right click on each and choose "save image as..."

FREE PRINTABLES: Character Quality of Kindness

There are 3 worksheets here.  To save them to your computer just right click each one and choose "save image as...."   I pray they are a blessing to your home. 

This coloring page is wonderful for toddlers, preschoolers and lower elementary children.

This worksheet is great for upper elementary and middle school kiddos.  

Thursday's Thoughts on Marriage: A Firm Foundation

   

     In July of 2016,  my husband Mike and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary.  It has been such a roller coaster ride over the last 23 years.  We have had our ups and our downs.  Over the last few years, I have found that many of the issues I thought were my husband's fault, were issues of my heart.  I wanted him to fill voids that only God could fill.  I find this to be true in many marriages.  We look to our spouses for fulfillment that only Christ can bring.  It puts pressure on the marriage that actually can have physical and emotional effects.

    That is why it is so important  for both the husband and wife to seek a relationship with their Heavenly Father on a daily basis. As a couple we get closer to each other as we get closer to God.  I love the marriage triangle.  It is a visual of what happens when we seek the Lord individually and as a couple.  Our marriages will flourish if we build our relationship on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.  Without a strong foundation, our relationships will have a hard time weathering the storms of life.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” ~ Matthew 7:24-27

      I want to encourage each of you reading this to establish a time for prayer and reading your Bible each day. It is also important to have a time of couples devotions. Read the Word and pray as a team. Allow your children to see you doing this. It will let them understand how a marriage becomes strong. A relationship built on the foundation of Christ is firm and not easily torn apart. As we go about daily life, it is so important to go to the Lord in prayer for your marriage.  Wives, pray for your husbands.  Husbands, pray for your wives.  As you pray, ask the Lord to guide you both in your roles.  Men, pray for your wife to be a good mom and to have patience with your children.  Women, pray for your husbands to lead your family in the ways of God.  Pray for physical and spiritual protection.  Pray that when temptations do come, that they will be able to flee.  Pray that they will follow God's word as they do everyday activities.  Pray that they will be a witness for Jesus both in their words and actions.

     Have you taken the time to sit and pray with your spouse lately?  Do you pray for them each morning as they get out of bed?  Prayer is a powerful tool.  God is our strength to get through every fiery dart that Satan throws at us.  I encourage you to go to the Lord in prayer right now and to pray for your marriage, family, and spouse.  Pray also for the marriages of your friends and family members.



For some great printables on Kindness, please click this link:  http://letsgetreal2016.blogspot.com/2016/09/free-printables-character-quality-of.html

FREE PRINTABLES: PRAYER

In order to save and print these prayers just right click and choose "save image as...."

Free Printables: OBEDIENCE

Here are some great free printables for teaching OBEDIENCE.  The coloring page is for toddlers, preschool, and lower elementary children.  The worksheet is for upper elementary and middle school children.   ENJOY!!!!

In order to save and print these documents, all you have to do is right click on your mouse as you hover over the picture and hit Save Image As.....

   

Homeschool Creations Link-up

Tuesday's Training Time: The Top Three

     Good morning readers :)  Today is Tuesday's Training Time.  I believe there are 3 character qualities that we must learn first before the other ones are taught.  Obedience, Attentiveness, and Self-Control must be learned before the other character qualities because without them in place the other qualities can not be established.  How can we be kind, gentle, or diligent without first being obedient, attentive and self-controlled?  See what I mean :)

     There are many ways to teach these character qualities.  You can even play games with your children to teach them how to be obedient, attentive and self-controlled.  One fun game is Simon Says.  Instead of saying "Simon Says:"  use "Mommy or Daddy Says".    This game allows them to practice being obedient, attentive and having self-control.   Red Light, Green Light is another great game to help them learn these important character traits.

     Do you have kiddos who have a hard time sitting still and being quiet in public places?  Well, Moms and Dads, they need practice at home in order to learn.  A great way to curb having to discipline your children in areas is to train them in the behavior you expect instead.   If you would like little Sally or Johny to show self-control while at a restaurant, then you must establish these behaviors at your dinner table.  If you want them to sit still and be quiet during the church service, then you must teach them at home during a devotional time.

     Training our children takes time, effort and tons of patience on our part.  We must be consistent in our training and encouraging of good behavior.  In order to be a good parent, we need to look to our Heavenly Father for strength and guidance.   He is the ultimate example of a great parent.  He disciplines with love and he trains us in righteousness throughout his Word.

     I am excited to share ways our family teaches these wonderful character qualities.  I hope you enjoy our blog posts on training with practical methods.

The character cards pictured above in the first picture are from one of our favorite websites called We Choose Virtues. We decided to frame our three top qualities as a constant reminder.

For some great printables on OBEDIENCE follow this link: http://letsgetreal2016.blogspot.com/2016/09/free-printables-obedience.html

Scripture Card Printables

   To go along with our post on resting in Jesus, I wanted to share these great FREE printables.  These are some great scriptures on strength, discipline and overcoming temptation! After you download them, print them out as 3x5 pictures. That is a great size for keeping them on hand.  I have laminated mine and placed them on a ring to take with me where ever I go.

Here are mine that I carry. 

FREE PRINTABLES: CHORE CHARTS FOR KIDS

      As we parent our children, we want them to grow up knowing they have responsibilities.  One way to teach them to be responsible is to give them chores.   Here are some great FREE chore charts for you to print and use.  All you have to do is add the chores to the top of the chart and then you can use stickers or check marks to show what chores have been completed each day.  To save these to your library: Right click on each image and choose "save image as....."

Friday's Fun with Food: Fall Favorites

Our yummy peanut butter frosted brownies :)

We rarely have desserts like these, but when we do, we like to have something scrumptious!

I would like to share some great recipes we use.  Desserts are a special treat that the whole family can enjoy making together and eating together. 

Here is a great recipe for brownies: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10549/best-brownies/ 

We like to add a peanut butter frosting to these delicious brownies.  Here is where you will find that wonderful recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-peanut-butter-frosting/3b3b77bb-939a-4607-bd0f-428f1876903f

Now that Fall is here, we love making soups and stews.  I want to share some of favorite recipes.

Tortilla Soup

http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/235997/unstuffed-cabbage-roll/

Crockpot Potato Soup

http://simplymadewithlove.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-crockpot-potato-soup.html

And my own chili recipe: 

1 or 2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

1 large onion, diced into small pieces

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cans of light red kidney beans

2 cans of organic tomato sauce

2 cans of organic diced tomatoes

1 can of organic tomato paste

2 cups of frozen corn

1 to 2 tbsp of chili powder depending on your taste

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce

You can add jalapenos if you like a kick :)

Brown the ground meat with the onions and garlic in a ceramic or iron skillet.  

After you are finished cooking those up. Add them along with the rest of the

 ingredients to a large soup pan, and stir intermittently  until it comes to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer as long as you like.  The longer the better :)

We often serve our chili with rolls, biscuits, or corn bread.  

We also like to add cheddar cheese and sour cream right before serving.

Surrender

   

     Today I would like to talk about surrender.  I believe it is a choice we make daily.  When we wake up, before we place our feet on the floor, we should pray a prayer of surrender.  We need to give Christ all of ourselves.  Our time, our words, our worries.... all that we are must be surrendered to Him.  We can not possibly live godly lives and teach our children godly character, if we do not give Him everything.  

     Surrender is not easy.  It means taking our hands off of things and allowing God to work His plans for us and our families.  It is not being rigid to our daily schedule.  It is praying a prayer that gives Him our anything and our everything.  

     I remember the day I decided to surrender to God.  This was years after I had been saved.  It was just a few years ago to be honest.  I had been reading an incredible book that really taught me what surrender was.   It was more than just following Christ.  It was allowing Him to be in full control of my life.  Every aspect, not just the things I was willing to give up.  I had to trust in Him fully!!!!  I had to trust He had a better plan for my life than I had.  I had to have faith that He knew what was best for me, my husband, and my children.   I couldn't control these things.  It only caused anxiety and sleepless nights when I was trying to control it.  GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!   I had to believe this with my whole heart, soul, and mind.   

      If we really want to raise our children in a godly home, we have to SURRENDER.  We have to obey God's Word and the Holy Spirit.  This means making some changes in our everyday lives.  It may mean doing things that some people do not understand.  It means taking up our cross, no matter the cost, and truly following Christ.  

       Will you pray for me as I pray for you?   Will you pray that we can all deny ourselves and allow God to do a good work in our lives and homes?    

      If anyone needs specific prayer for something, never hesitate to comment here or message me on our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/TrainingInGodlyCharacter/

Learning From Past Mistakes

      I feel like I bore my soul to you all yesterday.  It felt good!!!  I was able to share some real experiences with you and I feel that allows me to share what I got from those.

      In 2011,  our family attended a homeschool convention that left me with a hunger to teach our children godly character.  In teaching godly character, we head off the need for a lot of discipline. I had never thought of this concept before.  We had always waited to discipline after the fact instead of teaching qualities that might preempt the need for discipline.  IT WAS LIFE CHANGING!!!!!  Our older three where all in their teens at this point, so it was not accepted as easily as it was with the younger ones.  The concept of teaching character rather than having the need to discipline on a regular basis was strange to the older ones.  The teens thought we were going soft with the younger 3 and we knew they had a right to think this way.  Mom and Dad were changing things they had known all their lives.

     We began having family devotions on a regular basis.  We used our character qualities as the subject for our devotions.  We really were hoping that these godly qualities would soak into the hearts of our children no matter what age they were.  I began teaching the younger ones certain character qualities during school as well.  We did some great activities and games to drive these Biblical values into their minds and hearts.  It was working well.  They were getting it.  The need for discipline was becoming less and less.  All I would have to do is remind them of the values they were learning and it was helping them learn to grow in Christ.

       That is what we will be focusing on as we do our daily blog.  We will be talking about how these wonderful character qualities changed our household.  I will be sharing ways to teach them and some helpful hints in how to instill them.  Our children, who still live at home with us, are not perfect, but we see godly behaviors daily.  Their hearts are soft and they are displaying character traits that they have learned and are still in the process of learning.

      Are you ready to learn?  Are you ready to mix things up a little?

OUR PLANS

     Starting Monday, September 19th, we will be doing a daily blog centered on a specific subject.

I pray each day blesses you in a special way!