Vacation Postcard 

We are on vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Two nights ago, Kevin, the boys, and I toured the historic bathhouse row in downtown Hot Springs. These famous bath houses use steaming hot water that comes up from the ground out of several natural springs. Our family walked in front of the bathhouses on the main street and admired their stunning architecture, and we walked behind the bathhouses on the Grand Promenade and saw the water bubbling to the surface and the steam rising up out of the springs. We all appreciated the beautiful landscaping, the brick pathways, the ivy covered hills, the fireflies glowing, and the antique architecture. “Spa City” is truly a magnificent city! 

Today, we are still on vacation here in Hot Springs, and I get out my Bible to do my morning devotional, and it just so happens that the scripture I read is all about springs.

James 3:10 – 12, “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus, no spring yields both salt water and fresh.” 

In Hot Springs they built bathhouses on top of springs that were always, consistently hot. Would they have built these spas on springs that were sometimes hot and sometimes cold? I doubt it. Why? Because they were building businesses that needed reliable springs. They needed springs they could count on to always be hot.

The one and only Great God wants to build something on my life. My kids are building lives, and I need to be a steady, reliable spring for them. People are counting on me to be consistent. Am I reliable? Am I always hot? Or am I sometimes hot and sometimes cold?

I thank God that HE is that for me. People will fail. I will fail. God never fails. HE never changes. HE is reliable, faithful, consistent, and trustworthy, and I am supposed to grow more and more like HIM every day. 

It’s been a great vacation! If you haven’t been to Hot Springs, Arkansas, I suggest you take a trip here sometime. It’s a gorgeous town!

Love,

Martha 

25 Things to do with Your Son Before He Turns 13

Just look at him – He’s officially taller than I am. His feet have been bigger than mine for years. He weighs more than I do. He has football and basketball practice before and after school. He has pep rallies. He has homework. Suddenly, his dad is much more interesting than I am. He has to shower daily and use deodorant. He has to wash his face so he doesn’t get zits. His dad’s phrases are constantly coming out of his mouth. Sportscenter is his favorite show. He doesn’t watch cartoons anymore; he doesn’t color anymore; he doesn’t play with toys anymore.

And right now as I’m writing this, I’m a mess.

I’m emotional about my son growing up too fast at the moment, but I must admit, I do love who he is growing up to be. I’m proud of him. I love his sweet spirit, his kind heart, how he tries so hard at school and at sports, how he is respectful of adults. Don’t get me wrong. He definitely has his faults that we need to work on. He still aggravates his brothers and fights with them on a daily basis. But, I know that God is shaping him into the man that He wants my son to be.

As I’m becoming more and more aware of how fast time is passing, I keep thinking of things that I can’t do anymore with my son, or things that I wish I would have done more of with my son, or things that I did with my son that I am so glad I did.

So, to moms of boys, here’s a list of 25 things to make sure you do a lot of with your son before he turns 13:

1.       Kiss him

2.       Hug him

3.       Pray for him every day

4.       Let him hear your praying for him

5.       Cuddle with him on the couch

6.       Teach him Bible stories

7.       Get in the floor and play with him

8.       Dress up and play pretend

9.       Make lots and lots of videos of him

10.   Take lots of pictures

11.   Turn on fun music and dance with him

12.   Take him to the zoo and enjoy his reaction to the animals

13.   Let him get dirty

14.   Let him try new things

15.   Introduce him to new foods

16.   Teach him to clean

17.   Encourage him to sing with you

18.   Sit next to him and color

19.   Listen to his stories

20.   Save the notes he writes to you

21.   Save some of his artwork from school – (I know this is a sentimental list, but there is no way you can save ALL of that crap.)

22.   Let him help you decorate the Christmas tree

23.   Make time for him to get to know his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents

24.   Hold him in your lap and read to him

25.   Make sure he knows that he is loved



“Make a Declaration for Your Family!”

Summer before last  I saw all of these pictures on Pinterest of wall art people had made for their homes with these great sayings on them. You know the ones I’m talking about – most of them have sweet and clever phrases or scriptures or have family names or important dates painted on rough looking wood planks. Well, after seeing all of those super cute signs, I thought that maybe this was a craft I could actually make.

You see, I’m honestly not much of a crafter. Most of my crafts are definitely not “Pinterest-worthy.” My glue dries lumpy, my handwriting usually slopes upward; I can’t cut a straight line to save my life; I’m too cheap to buy proper supplies. Regardless, I still try to make things occasionally, especially in the summertime. As a teacher, summer is my time that I enjoy dabbling in crafts, redecorating my home, and doing all sorts of fun things with my three boys. I just love summer.

Anyway, my husband had just made a new fence for our family Golden Retriever, Bear, and he had lots of wood planks left over. I thought those planks would be perfect for one of those signs for our home. Then, I had to think about what I should write. I knew I wanted to write a scripture, but which one? I had a hard time choosing. I thought about where the sign would be placed in my home. I had the perfect wall for it, on a wall in my kitchen that I would look at every time I did dishes, and my husband and boys and I would see every time we were in the kitchen; the boys would pass it every time they would go up or down the stairs to their bedrooms, so we would all see it a lot. It would be a huge part of our lives.

I even prayed about it. I felt a strong direction from the Lord that I should use this wooden sign to make a “DECLARATION.”  It would be like our family’s slogan or motto or vision statement.

                This is how it turned out –

According to Deuteronomy 6:9, we followers of God should write His commandments on the “doorframes of our houses and on our gates.”  I love how the ancient wisdom from God’s word still offers up-to-date practical help for raising kids! This simple sign has done something profound in my children. I hear them read it aloud often. They are speaking God’s Word and a Prophesy over our family every time they do that! I love it!