Mom's Prayer

I was reading this at Sprittibee's blog and wanted to post it here, ENJOY!!!


Oh, God, my Father in Heaven, please make me a better parent. Help me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to respond to their questions kindly. Help me to look not only to my interests, but also to theirs. Help me to see in them the gifts that you have placed, to nurture those gifts and add to them skills and experience. Keep me from interrupting them, talking back to them, and contradicting them. Let their words be precious to my ears. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Prevent me from uttering words that are careless and do not lift them up. Fill my mouth with sound instruction and encouragement.

May I grant them all of their wishes that are reasonable and have the courage and strength to always withhold a privilege or gift which I know will do them harm - no matter what anyone else thinks. Let me test all things against the laws of Your Word. Let me give light to your Word in every circumstance, talking about it all the day long so that their entire world-view is wrapped up in your promises and truth. Let me base my decisions in love and be consistent in my parenting according to your precepts. Let them see me give you first place in my life and let them see me faithfully devote myself to the study of your Word and prayer.

Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. May I cease to nag; and when I am out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. Blind me to the little errors of my children and help me to see the good things they do. Give me a ready word for honest praise. Let me fall in love with them every day all over again. Help me appreciate the giggles and wiggles that you have placed in them instead of seeing them as an annoyance. Oh, that I could find joy in their laughter and not be so serious and distracted by the anxieties of life that I miss the short time I have to play with them and pick them up. Let me hold and kiss them each day.

Help me to treat my children as those of their own age. Let me not expect from them the restraint and judgment of an adult. Allow me not to rob them of the opportunity to wait upon themselves, to think for themselves, to discover for themselves, and to make their own decisions whenever possible. Help me to foster an environment of learning and a full knowledge of your Word. Lead me on straight paths in choosing what I teach to my children and help me be a thorough educator, never forsaking the building of their relationship with you or the character you desire in them for academics only.

Forgive my children any sins they commit - bring them to the surface so they may be dealt with early on. Forbid that I should ever punish them for my selfish satisfaction or out of anger. Give me the courage to confess my sins against my children and ask them for forgiveness when I know I have done wrong. May I not vainly hurt the feelings of my children. Forbid that I should laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame and ridicule as punishment. Let me not tempt my children to lie or steal. Guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that honesty produces happiness. Let me be used by You to guide them into Your arms by my life.

Make me so fair and just, so considerate, companionable, and gentle - that they will have a genuine esteem for me. Fit me to be loved and imitated by my children as a Proverbs 31 woman. Let your Son shine in my heart as a beacon for them. Bless them and the future mates they will marry, protect them from physical harm and the spiritual wickedness that seeks to devour them in this world. Keep their minds, souls, hearts and bodies pure before you. Give them a heart that seeks to obey and please You. Let them desire to know You. Let their earthly father and I be the example of love and loyalty that they need to feel secure and know what to seek out in a relationship when they are grown. Oh, Father, give me the calm, poise, grace, wisdom and self-control that I need to ensure that they see You in my life.

Help me to display order, good stewardship, responsibility and patience in such a way that it will become part of who they are as well. May I bless you in honor for your trust in me to raise them. Let them grow to be oaks of righteousness - plantings of the Lord for the display of your splendor. Let goodness and mercy follow them through their whole lives. May they be bound to You forever, Amen.

Summer Time Blues

Well not much has been going on here, I thought our rebate check was going to be mailed out the 9th of May, NOT!!!! Our check won't be here until the middle of July :0( so we are awaiting it patiently so we can buy a new pool for the kids. They are so bored right now with the slip n slide.....
We took baby Nickie to the hosptial Sunday night with his mouth covered in white and crying...he has the "THRUSH" and its so painful. We got some Nystatin for it and today it looks horrible....praying he will feel better soon!!!

Pray for Steven Curtis Chapman's Family

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

McPherson said no charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."

Dr Jeckyl or Mr Hyde?

Okay, Im really fuming right now.....I am posting a website to read about this dr who is performing sex change operation's on children as young as 7 yrs old. It's already a shock about the recent ban lift on gay marriages but this is just horrible, Christian's in America "WAKE UP" out of your placebo and we have to pray and seek God like never before....


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356592,00.html

Holy, Holy, Holy

Just wanted to post this, I love this song by Paul Wilbur its so awesome!!!

I saw this and had to post it here, enjoy!!!

Why are you crying, Mom?

"Why are you crying?" he asked his Mom. "Because I'm a
woman" she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His
Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will"........

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother
seem to cry for no reason? "All women cry for no reason"
was all his dad could say........

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering
why women cry...

Finally he put in a call to GOD; when GOD got on the phone
the man said, "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"
and GOD said.......

When I made woman, she had to be special. I made her
shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the World;
yet, gentle enough to give comfort....

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the
rejection that many times comes from her children......

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when
everyone else gives up and take care of her family through
sickness and fatigue without complaining......

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her
very badly...

This same sensitivity helps her to make a child's boo-boo
feel better and shares in their teenagers anxieties and
fears.......

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults
and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts
his wife, but, sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.....

I gave her tears to shed. They are hers to use whenever she
needs them. They are her secret strength. They make her
more like ME.....
Author Unknown

Habit Cough?

Today we went to the allergy dr for a 2 month check up for ds-12 and a follow-up appt for ds-9, the dr is referring ds-9 to an ENT for x-rays and a check up to make sure that he doesn't have something else going on, then he will be sending him to a speech therapist for bio feedback......for a "HABIT COUGH", never heard of it but its some sort if tick , and it just gets worse. He has had this cough now for 3 weeks and it's continuous and driving us all crazy!!!
On the lighter note ds-12 is doing great and it rained today so hopefully it will wash some of the pollen away.....below is a description of a "Habit Cough"....


HABIT COUGH IN CHILDREN

A habit cough is a cough that occurs in the absence of any underlying disease. It is very common, affecting boys and girls equally. Habit cough most frequently affects school age children, usually those in later primary school or early high school.

Features
A habit cough is usually loud, harsh, honking or barking. It may follow a viral illness, but can go on for weeks, months or even, in extreme cases, years.

It can occur many times in a minute, and often becomes more severe when other people are around and if the cough is the subject of the conversation. Even though the habit cough can sound ferocious, the child is usually quite comfortable between coughing bouts. Classically, a habit cough only occurs when the child is awake. It does not occur during sleep.

Habit cough is not associated with shortness of breath or wheeze. If these symptoms develop, it is more likely the cough relates to an underlying disease.

Diagnosis
Your doctor can diagnose habit cough by confirming the presence of the above-mentioned features and excluding any underlying medical conditions that could be causing the problem. This will require a physical examination, and possibly also lung function tests, a blood test and a chest X-ray.

Treatment
Firstly, it is important to recognise that despite the disruptive nature of the cough, and its harsh sound, habit cough is not a dangerous condition, and your child in fact is healthy. Sometimes the simple reassurance that the cough is not serious and will go away helps resolve the symptoms.

The use of cough lollies or a sip of water can also help suppress the urge to cough. It is important to give positive reinforcement in the form of praise and positive comments when there is any evidence that the cough is diminishing.

Habit cough is generally a manifestation of a perceived stress or anxiety. Your child might be able to isolate this stress by identifying situations in which the cough gets worse. For example, bullying in the schoolyard and travelling to and from school is a common trigger of habit cough.

If your child is not improving, your doctor may suggest referral to a child psychologist or similar health professional.