When You Are Misunderstood

We've been misunderstood many, many times.  Most of us have.  You say something only for it to be misinterpreted or misunderstood.  You do something and the motive is questioned.  We've personally been misunderstood on our motives to be involved with foster care, move out of state, be involved in ministry, how we raise our kids, our choice of homeschooling, God's timing in our lives, our forms of communication, the strength of our marriage, finances, along with a lengthy list of others over the years.

Many people will assume they know more about your life than you do.  They are looking from the outside, in.  When others don't understand or want to know why you are doing what you're doing, they many times try to fit the limited pieces of information they have together to form a picture in their mind.  They may feel they know better than you.  They cannot comprehend what it is you are doing, so they fill in the gaps with false information, and their own limited knowledge of your life and history, in hopes of trying to figure it out and resolve it in their own minds.

True friends and family will really listen and try to make sense of what you are saying.  If they don't understand, they will ask questions with a sincere heart.  They will discover with you, they will pursue with you.  They will take what you say to heart, and then support you in your endeavors, provided they are not contrary to God's Word.  They can challenge you according to scripture, yes! but should not doubt and question you or your motives when you share what God has shown you, unless you are blatantly going against God's Word.  Job's friends misunderstood his relationship with God, berated him, and tried to pull him down in his darkest times, telling him there was un-repented sin.  Joseph's family misunderstood his dreams, refused to listen to him, and ended up selling him into slavery, which eventually is how they were saved from drought.  David, a man after God's own heart, was highly misunderstood, so much so that they were trying to kill him.  Jesus was misunderstood and it cost him his life in exchange for ours.

The world likes to offer worldly advice.  When you are sure God is leading you somewhere, God is moving in your life, or God has spoken to you, no human on this earth has the power to say you are wrong, tell you you are going against God, or to stop you.  You have the power of the living God on your side!  He has spoken to you!  He has given you direction!  He is moving you and changing you!  Be at peace and follow his lead no matter how long he takes to accomplish it.

Friends and family that cannot accept God's will for your life will attempt to assume God's role to tell you what you're supposed to be doing, that you are in error, or make you question God or His timing.  This is the enemy at work.  There is someone there to sweet-talk you out of doing something God is clearly telling you to do.  Or to sweet-talk you into doing something you aren't supposed to do.  Either way, when God speaks clearly to us, it doesn't matter if man can accept it or not.  We trust and obey, whether we are misunderstood or not.  We stand strong in His strength (1 Corinthians 16:13).  We should evaluate ourselves to be sure we are in God's will (2 Corinthians 13:5-6), then, as the Penguins of Madagascar would say, "Just smile and wave, boys.  Smile and wave."  Or as Jesus would say, "Turn the other cheek."  Matthew 5:38-40 says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well."  This demonstrates compassion, not retaliation.  We are to let God have the vengeance and we are called to love.  Not be led astray, against God's will for our lives, but to love those people that hurt us, misunderstand us, and cannot accept what God is doing in us, and forgive them.

Your true body of believers, the ones God chose for you to walk with on your Christian journey, will accept God's will for you, and encourage you.  They will stand with you and help you on your journey, no matter how long it takes.  They will pray for you and not belittle.  They will encourage and not discourage.  They will acknowledge God has spoken to you and help you get to your destination.  

Don't worry.  Your reputation belongs to God.  He will restore you (1 Peter 5:10).  He will fight for you (Exodus 14:14).  You have only to listen, trust, and obey (Proverbs 3:5-6).  He knows your hurt from misunderstandings and He's there to help you push through and walk forward.  Your identity is in Him.  When others see God working in your life, and what He did in and through you, you don't have to worry what the few will say.  Your life will speak volumes to those who were blinded from seeing the light in you.  Be faithful in your pursuits of Jesus.

Why Is There A Cracker On My Light? And Other Head Scratchers

"Why is there a cracker on my light?"  I asked today.  "I don't know," one of them offered, "Maybe the bird took it up there."  The bird?  As in our pet bird?  The one that probably weighs less than the cracker itself?

No, my dear son.  It wasn't the bird.  But asking who did it will only lead to blank stares.  It's like an unspoken code between the three of them to not rat the other one out.  They have probably crawled into one of their many forts together and had a #brocode meeting where they swear to each other not to tell Mom who does what.  Leave her guessing.  Yes, that is how we'll survive.  To get in to the club, you must do one random thing to drive her crazy.  "Oh!  I know!  Go stick a cracker on the light!  That should do it.  We got your back, bro."

Is this a battle I need to win?  What does it matter that it's there as long as one of the culprits gets it down.  Choose your battles.  I repeat this to myself often.

Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that there will be many head-scratchers that we would love to know the answer to.  You know, who stuck the poopy diaper to the wall, smearing it up the wall.  Or who stuck the cucumber pieces in my shoe.  How the fresh roll of toilet paper is now soaking wet in the toilet bowl.  Or the now pee-soaked towels.  Who keeps forgetting to flush the toilet.  Or when the toothpaste made its way to the ceiling of the bathroom.  Or why the neighbor just showed up to return little boys clothes to us discovered in his backyard.  I could ask, fight, plead, prod, punish, reward, or do any number of sweet-talk dances with them, but in the end....it really doesn't matter.

It's one of the stories I get to tell about life with boys.  It's another giggle at night with my husband.  It's some unspoken #brocode.

But just out of curiosity, one time at least, I'd love to know who was creative enough to get it up there, what their thought pattern was, and why.  Just why.

Finding Happiness In A Messy House

"My house looks like I'm losing a game of Jumanji."  I wish I knew who originally said this so I could tell them how much these words made me giggle, and cry.

I used to be embarrassed at the condition of my home.  I dashed around like a mad-woman in sheer terror to pick up and clean the second someone said they were dropping by.  I panicked.  I turned into a psychotic clean-o-matic capable of screaming, shoving cleaning supplies in my kids' hands, and a little bit of head-spinning mixed with amazing agility and speed, such as had never quite been seen before.  That sticky spot on the kitchen floor that's been there for a week?  Gone in a second.  The bird poop on the back of the chair that I hadn't got around to yet?  Vanished in a swipe.  Those totes and tubs that need to get to the garage?  Picked up, and with a spin to grab that dirty sock on the way, placed in the correct spot on the shelf.

And then....I could shut it off as quickly as I turned it on, and smile with a calm disposition (while trying not to show them that I was still out of breath from my previous calisthenics), and greet the human at my door like a civilized adult.  Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?  Perhaps to sit on my freshly cleaned sofa?  Would you like to see the top of my ceiling fan?  Or would you like to visit my clean bathroom?  Just don't open that closet door over there....


I did this until one day I realized five things:
1.  I was trying to show others that I was someone I wasn't.  I was putting on a show.
2.  I was comparing myself to all of the other mom's homes I had visited that looked like magazines.
3.  We homeschool.  Unless you have discovered the magic code, all homeschoolers have messy homes.  (If you have discovered the magic code, please share.)
4.  My kids are seeing a Jekyll and Hyde side of me that shows them that we behave one way at home, and a completely other way when friends come to visit. 
5. I was a maniac.

Living in a messy house means we lived here.  We did life together.  Our priorities were with each other.  While I agree that we should maintain a certain level of cleanliness for bacteria's sake, and we should try to get to those spaces that can border on disease-breeding playgrounds, we can also get dangerously close to our home being an idol.

When I look around at a messy house, and all of the things to be put away, it reminds me again to live life.  That puzzle that now has pieces strung across the floor?  It was fun to put together with three little boy hands.  That cup in the living room that never got picked up?  It was a treat to watch that movie with the boys and break the no-food-in-the-living-room rule.  The dirty sock on the floor?  What a joy to remember the boys shedding their clothes to run outside to play in the water with laughs and shouts of glee.

I'm not advocating we become hoarders and sit lazily around watching the house become a junk yard.  But I am saying let's be real.  Our homes are where we (hopefully) spend time with our loved ones and make memories to last our lifetimes.  I asked my teenager the other day what things I say to him regularly.  He said, "Do the dishes."  "Really?" I asked him.  He followed up with, "And I love you."  Phew!  At least he followed up.  I want him to remember the fun times, the things I said with love, the words spoken that bring life and love to their hearts.  Maybe I'll just add some twinkle lights around the house and call it "retro."

This reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha from Matthew 10:38-42. "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' ^'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'"  Martha was so worried about the appearance of her home that she neglected the most important thing, the thing that could give her happiness and life...Jesus.  

I pray that my boys know that our home may not be perfect or clean, but it's the love we share together and with our Savior that matters most.  We do attempt to keep up on the things that help us live in cleanliness like dishes, and laundry, and bathrooms.  But everything else can wait when we are spending our time as a family, together. 

If you come to visit now, please know that in our home we do life.  Push those crumbs to the side of the table, move the basket of laundry to be folded over on the couch, and don't open any closet doors for your own safety.  But join in on our shenanigans!  Sit down with us while we chat with you!  Let's enjoy each others' company and talk about the things of the Lord.  

It's A Boy's Life

I love our life with three boys.  While they are a loud, rowdy, and a somewhat stinky bunch, I'm glad I have them.  God gave me these dudes and my life sure has grown with these guys in it.  Psalm 127:3-5 says, "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court."

Boys have so many sides to them.  The tough, rough, and tumbly side.  And the caring, sweet, and I'll-pick-my-mom-flowers-every-time-I-take-the-dogs-for-a-walk side.

I'll take it.

Just two nights ago, they had a wrestling match with their dad on the living room floor.  It was brutal in my eyes.  I've learned over the years that not only do they LIKE this, they ASK for it and even bond over it.  They know to leave Mom out of it.  I usually sit and watch them with a why-is-this-fun-to-you expression frozen on my face.  To me, it hurts.  It's pain and suffering, and not an ounce of fun.  But I'm not a boy, and sometimes you just gotta let the boys do their boy things.

Body noises come with the territory.  It's funny.  Every time.  To them.  While I have to reel them back in from time to time when it gets way too out of hand, they could laugh about this all day long.  They get in trouble when they try something at the table, or in public, but at home, they can be themselves within reason....and I guess these noises, and consequently smells, just come with the territory.

Dirt and stink are just part of it all.  How many times have we been ready to leave and I look outside at the three of them, shirtless, jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath?  Wet, dirty from the dust, and far from ready to walk out the door.  At least there was water.  Perhaps that could count as their shower for the day?  And stink.  Stinky feet, stinky sports gear, stinky bodily functions, stinky everything. 

I have to remind them to shower, use soap, flush (!), clean their rooms, wear deodorant, and even brush their teeth.  Even at their current teen and pre-teen ages, brushing their teeth seems to be an optional thing.  Like choosing to nap, or take a walk, or visit a friend, or fix a broken toy.  They don't seem to deem it necessary to accomplish daily, so they don't do it.  It's up to Mom to remind them, apparently.  They would have done well as cave-men.

Each of the boys get to go on a date with their mom around once a month or so.  They have learned from their Dad how to treat a lady, and they take it seriously.  They open my doors, offer to pay for our treat, pick me flowers, watch out for me.  They treat me special, like a lady.  As a mom of boys, I really am treated like a princess in my own home.

Manners and organization?  Oh dear, sweet, future daughter-in-laws.  I try.  I really try.

We teach the boys to put on the Armor of God so they can be warriors in this world, we've learned about the Code of Chivalry last year in school, their Dad leads by example, and we teach scripture to them so they know how to behave in light of God's Word.  3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

While I have so much to learn about the boy world, I have learned so much already.  I'm not perfect, and I'm sure I'll look back at the mistakes I made in raising them.  But I do try hard and with God's help.

I love my three sons.

What I've Learned Through Friendship

God gives us such beauty this side of heaven.  Friends and family fulfill such deep holes in ourselves.  God gives us friends to enjoy, help us heal, help us grow, laugh with, and encourage us.  Sometimes these friends can, in our eyes, be good friends or bad friends.  We can learn through both!  They all teach us something.  Proverbs 12:26 says, "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

In all of my friendships (good and bad: Proverbs 18:24), I am always looking to see what I can learn from them and how I can grow through them.  I learn what I like, what I don't like, and how to better myself.  So, if you've crossed my path, thank you.  You've more than likely taught me something!

I've learned to relax at home and not feel guilty.

I've learned to take time for myself and not feel guilty.

I've learned to take my convictions seriously.

I've learned to pray with more confidence.

I've learned how to make small talk and have conversations more easily.

I've learned how not to remember all of the wrongs in my friends.

I've learned how to confront lovingly.

I've learned why it's a good idea to be honest always.

I've learned not to gossip.

I've learned to love unconditionally.

I've learned how to apologize.

I've learned how to decorate my home and love it.

I've learned how to dress modestly.

I've learned that friends can easily turn on you but it's your response that matters.

I've learned how better to lead someone to Christ.

I've learned how to make memories that last with my family.

I've learned to put my family first always.

I've learned the value of friends' input in our lives.

I've learned to let go of the mommy-guilt.

I've learned how to be a better wife.

But most importantly, and above all, I've learned that even though God is Creator, King, Jehovah, Master, Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, and Everything you need Him to be, He is and wants to continue to be our friend.  And there is no greater friend than Christ Jesus Himself.  Proverbs 18:24, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

When God Speaks

God speaks in so many ways to us.  Let that sink in.  The God of the Heavens and our earth, the one who created everything in existence (Genesis 1), and could speak another galaxy into place with a breath, speaks to us.  He breathes life into our bodies.  He speaks life to us.  Oh, that our hearts would be full of joy and peace knowing that he loves us enough, and cares about us enough, to speak to us!  Teeny, tiny in comparison to the universe...us!  Never, ever tire or become complacent with God talking to you.  Never take it for granted.  Never wish that He wouldn't.  He loves you enough to speak your name . Isn't that breath taking?

When God speaks, our hearts should ignite!  Our very being should shake with excitement and fear and stand in awe of Him.  Our minds and souls should engage with Him and we should be on the edge of our seats just waiting for His next words.

When God speaks, we listen.  And obey.  As Christians, we have to.  We can't live with both feet in the world and out.  We can't live half in obedience to Christ.  We embrace Him and His Words, or we don't.  There is no in between.  Deuteronomy 11:1 says, "Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always."  John 10:27-28 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

When God speaks, anything man says won't matter in comparison to His Words.  If He tells you to move, you move.  If He tells you to stay, you stay.  His ways are higher than our ways.  His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  If we truly trust Him, we will obey.  We disobey when our trust in Him is shaken and we choose to turn away.

God speaks to us in the most creative ways.  He uses His people, His Holy Word, the Holy Spirit, visions, music, nature, friends, and family (Job 33:14-18).  We can hear him when we truly listen.

The enemy will always be there to make you question and doubt what God is telling you to do.  These doubts come in so many forms: friends, family, doubt, fear, timing.  The enemy tells us we will never be enough for God to use.  We will never succeed.  Why would God tell you to do that, go there, or say that?  You must have heard him wrong.

The world tells us we're not right.  That God doesn't exist.  That you can do what you please and still be a Christian.  That there are no rules.  That you are too hard-core.

But that's okay, because my God calls me Redeemed and He's greater.  I don't answer to this world.  I don't answer to family.  I don't answer to friends.  I don't answer to doubt.  I don't answer to fear.  I don't answer to the enemy.  I answer to God!  He knows.  He knows us. He knows our situations and our trials (Matthew 10:29-31).  He knows our triumphs and rejoices with us when we overcome.  We serve a Great, Great, God!

Never tire of saying the name of Jesus.  Never believe the lies of the enemy and the world.  Never compromise.  The God of the Heavens is speaking your name right now.  Listen and obey.

Mother's Day 2016 Pictures

While one didn't get the memo to smile, I still love it. 

My monkeys.  Don't know what I'd do without them.

Full of shenanigans, there's never a dull moment.

They have such a great model to look up to, though.

So it's no wonder these boys are totally awesome.

Foster To Adopt Paperwork and Assignments Process

Has it really been five months since I've posted about our progress with the Foster-to-Adopt program?  My intention was to document each step of the way, however, summer, life, craziness, and a thousand other things must have crept in.

We did submit our initial application, and now, five months later, we are ALMOST CERTIFIED!  What?!  It seems almost surreal.  We're doing this!  We're almost done!  We're....going to have more kids in the house??!

Our initial packet of information arrived in the mail from Koinonia and we excitedly jumped in.  Names, addresses, general information about us, our families, our kids.  No problem.  A checklist of things to complete like photocopies of our marriage certificate and driver's licenses, vehicle registrations, trainings to complete, DMV driver's records to aquire, employment income verification, and the list goes on.  It really wasn't daunting.

We plowed into our To-Do list with gusto.  Doctor appointments for physicals - which were mostly listening to heart, lungs, blood pressure, weight, height, and a tb test.

Then the trainings began.  Most of these were on a Tuesday night or all-day Saturdays.  There weren't too many and between those and the CPR training, we made it to all of them, meeting two wonderful families doing the exact same things as us along the way.    It was difficult to find someone willing to watch our boys for that length of time at times, but our dearest friends would all work together and pull through for us every time.

A second packet came along requiring more information on our extended families and relationships with them.  None of the packets or applications took much time.  A third and final packet was more signing your understanding of the process and what is required of you.

The inspections for the home were not nearly as horrible as I had worked myself up to believe they would be.  No, they did not scrounge around through every single cabinet in the home.  (I may have had a friend come over and completely organize my linens closet - but this was very much unnecessary.)  They aren't inspecting with white gloves.  They aren't looking to hope to find something.  They are inspecting to be sure it's a safe environment for a child to live.  We had to fix the usual...install locks on cabinets for knives and meds, make sure our trash can had a lid because it sits in the pantry, and a few other things that were small.

After all of these were complete, we began our home study...the interviews.  I stressed about those just as much as someone looking at my house.  And the stress was also unnecessary.  The social worker that came asked us questions together about us as a couple, how we operate as a family, and then asked us individual questions based on the previous applications we had submitted.  She asked the boys questions, but we were able to stay with them during the interview.

I would say there was not one part of this whole process so far that was unbearable, or too intrusive, or too difficult.  Yes, there were challenges, but we tend to be more of open books.

So far, so good!  Our final home study visit to have us review the Home Study packet is in a week.  Two more employees of Koinonia will review it, which usually takes a couple of weeks, and then we will be officially certified!  And accepting placements!

Oh....and did I mention we are considering sibling sets?  :)

Busy Is Right Where Satan Wants Us

I'm happy I only have one person to answer to.  I've had to make some pretty drastic decisions lately to accommodate the growing needs of my family.  They were not popular decisions or ones that were approved of by probably anyone outside of our family.  But the only approval I'm seeking is God's.  If he says go, I go.  If he says stay, I stay.  Regardless of who thinks what or if I'm thought to be a fool.

Some of the decisions I've had to make are withdrawing from activities that we love, but that create more work for us in the long run, and not agreeing to every activity that presents itself.  I've found myself struggling to keep up with the daily grind, much less extra activities.  If I cannot return a text, a phone call, an email or a message because I'm too busy....maybe I'm just too busy.  If I cannot handle the demands at home to maintain a healthy environment (laundry, dishes, food, time) because I'm too busy....maybe I'm just too busy.  If the boys are not seeing their dad at all at night when he gets home because we're too busy....then maybe we're just too busy.

Cutting out all of the excess that doesn't promote a family and God-centered home is a must. There is no way we can have a family-centered and God-centered home when we are on the go all the time.  After removing us from extra activities, we've had time for family devotions again, we've had time to play games together and really talk again, we've had time to grow together without having to run to another place, or organize another thing, or be somewhere else again.  We're free to enjoy each other, our home, and God.

I believe satan wants us to be busy.  When we're busy, we try to fit in more than we can handle, and the things that we think we can cut out are the most important things that we need to fit in.  We do what we need to do to "get by" and all of the things that mean the most to our family are forgotten or dismissed.  In our home, we always pray together at night, whether busy or not.  But we tend to skip our family worship times and devotions.  We tend to see each other and be together, but not really spend quality time together.  And we tend to be grumpier, snap easier, and w'ere not as patient with each other.

I usually notice there's a busy-ness problem when one of the boys mentions they would like to do something as a family that we haven't done in awhile.  I may hear, "Hey, Mom...I'd like to play games as a family" or "Maybe we could all go to the park together" or "Mom, can you sleep in my bed tonight?" or "When do I get a date night with you and Dad?" or "Can Dad shoot bb guns with me soon?"  The final clincher when I decided to quit my photography business years back was my oldest son saying, "Mom, you love the computer more than you love me."  Well now.  That did it.  It's hard to let go and step back.  But when we do, we have peace and rest.

Think of Mary and Martha in Luke 10.  Mary sits at Jesus' feet and listens as he teaches.  Martha was distracted with serving and doing.  She was trying to make everything perfect, but in the process, didn't realize perfection was sitting in front of her.  The Bible never tells us to be busy.  It tells us to rest and be at peace.

Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God..."

It's not popular to go against the world's standards of living.  It's not easy, either.  But listening and obeying God regardless of what man thinks or says is what God requires: an open, willing heart that fears God more than man.  Lord, give me strength to do what you have us do regardless of how popular the decision is within our circle of friends and family, and give us wisdom to know how to carry it out.  We know we will be blessed in our obedience and we pray we will live our lives to the fullest while we serve and worship you...not our schedules and calendars.  

Family Pictures

We had our family photos taken this past week.  We have a friend and her family who we "trade" with.  She takes pictures of us, I take pictures of them, and we all live happily ever after.

It becomes an all-day event, where the two families walk around together, staking out the best spots for pictures in locations that are gorgeous no matter where you turn.  We let the boys explore (she also has three boys) and play along the way, which makes them much more willing to smile when the time comes.

Would you believe me if I told you this was not posed?  It wasn't, I promise!

We both said it was photo-worthy as soon as they all went over there to check out the creek that ran through the park.  These six little guys have spent the last three-ish years growing up together and playing together.  I can't imagine what memories they will share with us once they are old and grown.  You know, those memories where the Mom says, "You did WHAT?!" years after it happened.

And in light of the Thanksgiving holiday that just passed, I'm going to say again that I am so very thankful for my family, friends, and life that God has given us.  It's not without it's challenges, and I wouldn't want it to be, because that's where my faith grows.  But it is beautiful.

In Everything Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Talking frankly here, I don't know about you, but I have a tendency every now and then to get in a habit of complaining.  About what?  Everything.  Anything.  Big and small.  I know in my heart how blessed I am, but sometimes that overwhelming urge to say something negative and off-hand carries more weight than I realize, and isn't uplifting, and I rarely feel better.  As a matter of fact, complain too much and you'll drop friends faster than you can make them.  

God asks us in the Bible to give thanks.  To pray continually.  Rejoice always.  If our hearts are in a place of worship and resting in God, talking with him non-stop, rejoicing in his faithfulness, it's pretty safe to say you won't want or need to complain.  If you are always rejoicing in God, if you are always praying, and you are always giving thanks, your heart has little room for negativity.

This month of November, I am attempting to take this verse to heart.  Constantly thinking about God and his blessings to me (regardless of whether those blessings are misbehaving again today).  Rejoicing always (even when I find another sticky mess in the house).  I want to be uplifting (rejoicing in my trials as well as my blessings, as those produce deeper faith).  

I found this great calendar (I know it's from 2013, but it's still just as good) as a FREE download on Pinterest.  You can follow the link here:  http://www.pinterest.com/elisapulliam/.  

I am excited to start this at our family devotion time, where we are reading straight out of scripture, and taking one thing a day to focus on being thankful for.  What a better way to get us in a groove of giving thanks to God!  

(Click the photo to go to the link for a FREE download)

I hope this helps you also as we open our hearts to being thankful this season and getting out of the habit of complaints!