Well for those of you that know anything about me, please stop laughing! For those who don't, all the better :-D. Let me splain.... I am not known to be the neatest person in the world or on the street for that matter. I am much better now then I have been before. Please know that in this post I am not trying to excuse filthiness. I don't believe anyone would describe me as filthy, but I definitely don't have neatness tendencies.
If you come to my house at any given time you will probably see a mess. Now that doesn't mean that the whole house is a mess but somewhere I promise there will be a mess. Even if it's just in the three year old's pants. My mother wasn't big on teaching home-ec to her girls and I by no means put the blame on her. I'm a grown woman and can learn for myself.And I have! But it has been hard. I talk to people all the time who are "neat-freaks". Matter of fact my MIL is one of them. I have almost given myself a heart attack trying to become one. Recently I have decided it's time to learn a new saying..."Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, "Prov. 14:4a. That is the new motto of the Allison family. It is ridiculous for me to home school 2 kids, teach 12 piano students, run 2 church ministries, assist my husband with 2 more and have a spotless house.
I can hear some of you now, "well maybe you should not do so much outside the house and maybe you should..." yeh, yeh, yeh. The simple fact is, even if I weren't doing the outside extras, my house still wouldn't be spotless. Why, because I will only have my children for a certain length of time. I'm not promised tomorrow and neither are they. Even if we all live our 3 score and 10, I have today only today. The laundry will still be there long after we're all dead and gone.
So no more trying to kill myself trying to have my house look like Nelly Neaterthanyou's. No more screaming at my kids because there rooms are spotless like the kids down at
Mr & Mrs Spotlessbutnolove's house. From now on I'm going to relax, still strive to be as clean as possible but I'm a wife & mom first.
The laundry will still be there tomorrow, my family might not.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Are you sure God answers prayers?
I first came to church as an 8 yo girl on a bus to Trident Baptist Church in N Charleston, SC. The church building has since relocated to Goose Creek, just a few miles down the road from its original location. My home life was not a good place by any stretch of the imagination. Now to be honest it wasn't always bad, but it was rarely good. Get the picture?
Any way, as a little girl and a teenager and admittedly even as an adult I was jealous of those who lived in a Christian home. Not just a "christian" home but good Christian homes. I would spend hours and hours praying and crying and begging God to please give me a Christian home. I would get so angry at him for not giving me what I thought was my right to have.
Look at it logically with me for a minute. Doesn't the Bible command us to "set no wicked thing" before our eyes? Every day and every hour of every day in my home there was constant wickedness in one form or the other. I'm sure some are thinking, "well every home has some sin because all are sinners." I agree with that but I'm not talking about sin, I'm talking about wickedness! If God command me to do something isn't it His obligation to control the things that I can't control to give me the opportunity to obey His commands? In my finite mind I reasoned that this was God's responsibility. He was not answering my prayer the way I thought He should and therefor He didn't love me. In fact for years I thought I was God's idea of a practical joke. That He would purposely put me in circumstances beyond my control so He could have a good laugh at my expense.
I never understood how can God command you to do certain things or not do them and then put you in a place to where you couldn't follow His word! For years this boggled my mind. As I grew older and daily life got a little easier because I moved out of my parents home, I began to realize a truth that has never occurred to me before. In reference to the before mentioned command, " I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes," Psalm 101:3a when I had to witness wicked things and I had no control over whether or not they were put before my eyes, then that sin was put to my charge if in my heart I was abhorring and rejecting it. Now if I was inwardly enjoying it, then it was my sin to confess but that's another topic all together.
I never did realize until my late 20's that I had a Christian home. No I'm not saying that my illustration from before was some psychotic delusion! What I am saying is that I am my home. Home is the people not the building. Home is not determined by birthright or DNA or location. It is determined by a group or even single person of like minded faith and ideals. You see I had that all along and didn't even realize it. I keep looking for God to do this supernatural thing without, all the while restraining Him from doing a supernatural thing from within.
Now I have a Christian home (that is when I remember to behave in a Christian manner) from without and within. You see, God answered my prayers when I got saved. God answered my prayers when Jesus Christ became my brother and the two of us formed a Christian family.
And when I feel that God is not answering my prayers the way and in the time that I think He should, before I get frustrated or angry or even disappointed that God hasn't given me want I think is "my right" to have, I need to take some time to examine if He already has before I start complaining that He hasn't.
The next time you think that God hasn't answered your prayer, think first of this: Has He answered it and I just didn't listen.
Any way, as a little girl and a teenager and admittedly even as an adult I was jealous of those who lived in a Christian home. Not just a "christian" home but good Christian homes. I would spend hours and hours praying and crying and begging God to please give me a Christian home. I would get so angry at him for not giving me what I thought was my right to have.
Look at it logically with me for a minute. Doesn't the Bible command us to "set no wicked thing" before our eyes? Every day and every hour of every day in my home there was constant wickedness in one form or the other. I'm sure some are thinking, "well every home has some sin because all are sinners." I agree with that but I'm not talking about sin, I'm talking about wickedness! If God command me to do something isn't it His obligation to control the things that I can't control to give me the opportunity to obey His commands? In my finite mind I reasoned that this was God's responsibility. He was not answering my prayer the way I thought He should and therefor He didn't love me. In fact for years I thought I was God's idea of a practical joke. That He would purposely put me in circumstances beyond my control so He could have a good laugh at my expense.
I never understood how can God command you to do certain things or not do them and then put you in a place to where you couldn't follow His word! For years this boggled my mind. As I grew older and daily life got a little easier because I moved out of my parents home, I began to realize a truth that has never occurred to me before. In reference to the before mentioned command, " I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes," Psalm 101:3a when I had to witness wicked things and I had no control over whether or not they were put before my eyes, then that sin was put to my charge if in my heart I was abhorring and rejecting it. Now if I was inwardly enjoying it, then it was my sin to confess but that's another topic all together.
I never did realize until my late 20's that I had a Christian home. No I'm not saying that my illustration from before was some psychotic delusion! What I am saying is that I am my home. Home is the people not the building. Home is not determined by birthright or DNA or location. It is determined by a group or even single person of like minded faith and ideals. You see I had that all along and didn't even realize it. I keep looking for God to do this supernatural thing without, all the while restraining Him from doing a supernatural thing from within.
Now I have a Christian home (that is when I remember to behave in a Christian manner) from without and within. You see, God answered my prayers when I got saved. God answered my prayers when Jesus Christ became my brother and the two of us formed a Christian family.
And when I feel that God is not answering my prayers the way and in the time that I think He should, before I get frustrated or angry or even disappointed that God hasn't given me want I think is "my right" to have, I need to take some time to examine if He already has before I start complaining that He hasn't.
The next time you think that God hasn't answered your prayer, think first of this: Has He answered it and I just didn't listen.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A little about my family
It has been almost a week since my first entry. It has been a little scary. You are very vunerable with a blog. Some people may not feel that way, but think about it, it is. Things you say and comments you make will follow you for a long time, even after you have forgotten all about it. Anyway as the saying goes: No Guts No Glory...
I'd like to give you a little insight into me. I am a 33 year old mom of two and wife. My husband and I are quite the opposite in personalities. As a matter of fact, when Jerry and I were having our premarital counselling we each took a personality test. We were as far apart on the spectrum as two people can be. At times it can be difficult but most times it works very well. I don't know if the world can handle two of me anyway! My husband is very quiet and calm. He gets excited over few things. Where as I can be accused of being a little dramatic at times. Jerry is very smart. He has spent most of his adult life completing 5 degrees including his last doctrate in business administartion and also has a CPA liscence. I on the other hand, have a measly little Associates degree. With all that my husband treats me like the smartest woman on earth. I love him so much!
I have 2 kiddos, Colleen who is 13 and Connor who is 3. They keep me pretty busy. They are both pretty typical kids. Connor is always going and gets bored easily. Colleen is very smart and quite talented. I have been teaching her piano for almost three years now and I can already see that she is going to be a much better pianist than I am. We homeschool our kids for several reasons. One of those is it just works out best for our family. My husband is an instructor at a local college here and as such his schedule is not the typical 9-5 , 5 days a week w/ two weeks vacation in the summer. We have found that homeschooling gives us the flexability to allow my husbands schedule to dictate our family as opposed to a school calender. For instance, this semester Jerry is working Tuesday and Thursday nights and doesn't get home until close to 10 o'clock. While that's not reall a big deal seeing as he leaves the house @ 12:30, it would be a problem if the kids were in traditional school. Between work and church commitments, my kids wouldn't see their dad from Monday night until Friday night. That just won't do for us.
I am a pianist and have been playing for 23 years. (Wow, you know your old when you've been doing something for that long.) I love to play. When ever I am sad I can sit down and play and instantly feel much better. It doesn't work well when I'm angry though. lol
I am currently pursuing a degree in herbalism. I am very fascinated with herbalism and naturopathic care. That's not to say that I am totally against traditional medicine. I believe its very much needed on a daily basis for a good number of people. Including our family. Our children like to see the docs in the ER on a regular basis. lol I also feel that God has given us what we need to maintain proper health in the form of herbs and naturopathic medicine.
My newest hobby of course being blogging.
Well its late and tomorrow is Monday. We get to go on a feild trip to Jeremiah farms and milk the goats. Connor and I are excited, but Colleen's not exactly looking forward to it. Till next time.
I'd like to give you a little insight into me. I am a 33 year old mom of two and wife. My husband and I are quite the opposite in personalities. As a matter of fact, when Jerry and I were having our premarital counselling we each took a personality test. We were as far apart on the spectrum as two people can be. At times it can be difficult but most times it works very well. I don't know if the world can handle two of me anyway! My husband is very quiet and calm. He gets excited over few things. Where as I can be accused of being a little dramatic at times. Jerry is very smart. He has spent most of his adult life completing 5 degrees including his last doctrate in business administartion and also has a CPA liscence. I on the other hand, have a measly little Associates degree. With all that my husband treats me like the smartest woman on earth. I love him so much!
I have 2 kiddos, Colleen who is 13 and Connor who is 3. They keep me pretty busy. They are both pretty typical kids. Connor is always going and gets bored easily. Colleen is very smart and quite talented. I have been teaching her piano for almost three years now and I can already see that she is going to be a much better pianist than I am. We homeschool our kids for several reasons. One of those is it just works out best for our family. My husband is an instructor at a local college here and as such his schedule is not the typical 9-5 , 5 days a week w/ two weeks vacation in the summer. We have found that homeschooling gives us the flexability to allow my husbands schedule to dictate our family as opposed to a school calender. For instance, this semester Jerry is working Tuesday and Thursday nights and doesn't get home until close to 10 o'clock. While that's not reall a big deal seeing as he leaves the house @ 12:30, it would be a problem if the kids were in traditional school. Between work and church commitments, my kids wouldn't see their dad from Monday night until Friday night. That just won't do for us.
I am a pianist and have been playing for 23 years. (Wow, you know your old when you've been doing something for that long.) I love to play. When ever I am sad I can sit down and play and instantly feel much better. It doesn't work well when I'm angry though. lol
I am currently pursuing a degree in herbalism. I am very fascinated with herbalism and naturopathic care. That's not to say that I am totally against traditional medicine. I believe its very much needed on a daily basis for a good number of people. Including our family. Our children like to see the docs in the ER on a regular basis. lol I also feel that God has given us what we need to maintain proper health in the form of herbs and naturopathic medicine.
My newest hobby of course being blogging.
Well its late and tomorrow is Monday. We get to go on a feild trip to Jeremiah farms and milk the goats. Connor and I are excited, but Colleen's not exactly looking forward to it. Till next time.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Final Fronteir
I consider myself to be somewhat techno savvy, but until recently, I never thought about doing a blog. I knew what a blog was, had read some blogs, thought they were kinda cool, but for me? It never crossed my mind! Well I have arrived to a final fronteir of sorts for me. I mean I'm sure it's not but it is in some weird way. Anyhow, here I am in all my blog glory going for it. Putting myself out there to be... praised, ridiculed, laughed at, cheered on, wept over (in a good & bad way) and many more responses I haven't even thought of. [Do you get the impression I don't spend alot of time just thinking?] Well, I can help you understand why by telling you a little about myself.
I am married to my wonderful husband Jerry who is a college instructor here in SC. We have two children, Colleen 13 and Connor 3. I'll explain the age differences on a later blog. It's kind of a long story. I am a stay @ home, homeshooling, thrying to persue and herbalist degree Mom that is all about home and all about family. If anyone reading this has known me for a time and hasn't seen me in a while you are probably laughing right now but it's true. People can change and I have. Hopefully for the better but...we'll see.
I love being at home with my kids. I think it's the greatest job in the world. I don't understand women who choose to work. I get the have to work thing although I believe that excuse isn't always true. I think people just assume that you are entitled to have a nice house, a car for every driver, brand name clothes and eat out three times a week. While these things are nice no one is entitle to this or any other form of the "American Dream".
My American dream is for my children to live in a world where they serve God in His calling(not mine or some "preachers"), faithful to church, themselves, their spouses and their children and not get ridiculed for it.
Well anyway those are all great topics for later posts! I should probably go now, the kids are swinging from the chandeliers! (We don't have chandeliers) LOL
I am married to my wonderful husband Jerry who is a college instructor here in SC. We have two children, Colleen 13 and Connor 3. I'll explain the age differences on a later blog. It's kind of a long story. I am a stay @ home, homeshooling, thrying to persue and herbalist degree Mom that is all about home and all about family. If anyone reading this has known me for a time and hasn't seen me in a while you are probably laughing right now but it's true. People can change and I have. Hopefully for the better but...we'll see.
I love being at home with my kids. I think it's the greatest job in the world. I don't understand women who choose to work. I get the have to work thing although I believe that excuse isn't always true. I think people just assume that you are entitled to have a nice house, a car for every driver, brand name clothes and eat out three times a week. While these things are nice no one is entitle to this or any other form of the "American Dream".
My American dream is for my children to live in a world where they serve God in His calling(not mine or some "preachers"), faithful to church, themselves, their spouses and their children and not get ridiculed for it.
Well anyway those are all great topics for later posts! I should probably go now, the kids are swinging from the chandeliers! (We don't have chandeliers) LOL
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