Guttersnipe to Princess: A New Look at an Old Romantic Movie

(And Why It Matters to You and Me)

What is it about transformation stories that draw us in and get us so excited?

One of my favorite movies is the 1964 musical romance film “My Fair Lady“, an Academy Award winner. It tells the story of a conceited phonetics expert, Professor Higgins (played by Rex Harrison), who accepts a bet that he can change an ignorant Cockney working-class girl into a cultured lady who can pass for a member of high society. Audrey Hepburn played the initially grimy and raucous Eliza Doolittle, who by the end of her tutorship becomes transformed into an elegant, lovely woman mistaken for royalty.

After undergoing 6 months of rigorous training and tutoring, Eliza not only manages to charm and delight members of aristocracy, she also attracts the attentions of a handsome, high-bred suitor!

Trying to understand where she truly belongs, she returns to the surroundings where she lived before her transformation. But she discovers that she no longer fits in there. In fact, she has become unrecognizable to her former friends and acquaintances! Her change has become too complete – she is like an entirely new person and must learn to live with the life her metamorphosis now requires.

Isn’t this just like what our lives should resemble?

For anyone who chooses to follow Christ as Lord and Savior, the old ways of speaking, thinking, behaving, and presenting ourselves should be so deliberately given up to the “new management” of the Spirit of God that we become entirely changed.

No area of our lives should be withheld – we are called to represent Christ as His ambassadors, and as such need to allow His guidance, correction, and teaching to shape and mold us to what will most reflect His brilliance and wisdom.

Eliza’s natural intelligence, perseverance, and the strengths of her character were not diminished or overshadowed by her rigorous training – it actually allowed them to shine more clearly and winsomely. By the end of the film, she has become an indispensable part the household, and to Professor Higgins in particular as he confesses, “I’ve grown accustomed to her face.”

The same should be true for us. When we submit humbly to the (sometimes) grueling, repetitive tutoring and teaching that we agree to as servants and disciples of Christ, we are allowing Him to polish off the rough edges and pieces that detract from who we were made to be. We only become more of who we really are – in a beautiful, attractive, and appealing way – so as to show off our Master’s glorious skill. We become trusted, valuable members of His household, familiar with His ways and more at ease with our new role and expectations of behavior.

“…Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NLT

We shouldn’t be able to return to the ‘old’ lives or comfortable with the old selves we were before coming to Christ. We should be so changed that we can only live lives that are in harmony with our transformation.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT

Like Eliza, I want to be a stunning transformation. I want to show a humble, diligent, and eagerly teachable heart, becoming a person who brings honor and acclaim to my exceptional Teacher. There is no greater joy than to fully trust in our “Professor”, allowing Him to shape and mold us to who He created us to be, throwing off the old with its abrasive, grimy, and crass behavior and walking in the new with grace, poise, loveliness, and beauty.

I’m so grateful for this glorious purpose and His promise to faithfully bring this transformation to completion (Phil 1:6), aren’t you?

The elegant, beautiful “Miss Eliza Doolittle” at the Embassy Ball, where she is mistaken for foreign royalty due to her impeccable speech and manners.

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Outsider? No More! How to Find Belonging – and Joy

What does it take to create a true connection and communication? How can a family be created from strangers?

In People of the Deer, author Farley Mowat writes about his experience of living among the last surviving people of the Ihalmiut in the tundra of northern Canada. A people who lived traditionally and almost entirely off the migrating caribou herds, they had warmly welcomed Mowat into their camp. 

Farley was delighted by the opportunity to learn from and experience the way these unknown and isolated people lived, but there was a significant problem: He spoke no Ihalmiut, nor did they speak any English. Initially they communicated brokenly through an interpreter who had learned some of their dialect, but the man was leaving the Barrens for good. It seemed pointless for Mowat to stay if communication was not possible.

Mowat made a decision: despite being told that their language was complex and incredibly difficult to master, he would learn it, as best he could.

This decision became the pivotal point in the relationship between him and the Ihalmiut people.

He writes that when he acted out his desire to learn their language to the two Ihalmiut men who had befriended him, the effect was astonishing. Once they understood what he meant, they in turn emphatically and repeatedly acted out complete acceptance of him as an adopted member of their people, claiming that he was now one of the Ihalmiut.

Humbled and deeply moved by the unexpected love these people showed an outsider, Mowat resolved to study their language with great effort. He was surprised to find, in the months following, he was able to make rapid progress and began communicating quickly. He was pleased by the seeming ease with which he mastered the basics of their language.

Somewhat arrogant about his success, Mowat tells of an encounter about a year later: Encountering a man who was a member of another related people group, he casually made a long, complicated remark in Ihalmiut – and was met with utter bewilderment. The man had no idea what Mowat was saying: it was unintelligible gibberish.

Mowat came to realize the stunning truth: the people of the Ihalmiut had deliberately created an extremely simplified version of their language to allow him to communicate with them.

Not only had this “pidgin” Ihalmiut been developed and used by the two men who were his self-assigned tutors, they had made sure the entire tribe used this simplified form of language!

The Ihalmiut language was incredibly sophisticated, with many distinct nuances and multiple precise tenses – all of which would have been too hard for him. He would have given up in discouragement immediately if he had tried to learn their language as it actually was.

Because of the love of these people for a complete stranger, and their whole-hearted acceptance and kindness in adopting him as family, they all willingly changed their language to allow him to live among them.

This is a story of unconditional love, undeserved kindness, and grace.

This is also a picture of the breath-taking love God has shown us.

In stunning kindness to us, this all-powerful, all-knowing Being chose to create a “pidgin” language to help communicate with us – He came to us as a human, Jesus Christ.

His Spirit inspired men to write in human words to help us attempt to comprehend Him, His character, and explain His glory. Yet even the most exquisite words can give only a feeble sense of His nature, His worth, His power and holiness.

It is when we make a decision to pursue a relationship with Him that everything we previously knew shifts. He knows we cannot grasp the extent of His greatness. He knows that we cannot fully comprehend the magnitude of His worth. But when we have taken that first step of stating our desire for relationship with Him despite the impossible challenge – He sees our feeble attempt and roars with joy as He rushes to meet us.

As we move toward Him, awkward and faltering, He exuberantly reaches out to us with His arms wide open and an enormous smile of joyous welcome. Declaring we are His forever and assuredly a member of His family, we are loved and accepted completely and finally.

There is no percentage in this relationship we can take any credit for – He gave us life, gave us the desire to seek Him, and then enabled the connection through Jesus’ sacrifice. This is no “lion’s share” of relationship. This is the entire share.

Why? Because He is love (1 John 4:8-10). And encountering this mind-blowing loveliness of God is what give us our greatest joy, deepest delight, and purest pleasure (Psalm 16:11, 36:8).

May we all come to a place where we, though awkward, stammering outsiders, experience the richness of love and kindness that makes us family with our King, though we have done nothing to deserve it.

The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 1:14, NLT

-Maria

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Make Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Today! (Plus a Quick Shortcake Variation!)

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Hot, flakey biscuits with a tender, steaming center and a slightly golden, crisp exterior, spread with melted butter and fragrant-sweet honey or jewel-toned jam… Who’s hungry to get baking?

I used to find biscuits rather painful to make in large quantities for my large family (biscuits for ten hungry people means a LOT of biscuits), with all the cutting-in of shortening and scrubbing out of measuring cups and such.

But now, thanks to this recipe that uses oil instead of shortening, mixing is a snap. Then a quick rolling out, cutting up, and then the blissfully brief baking time (12-15 mins) means that you and I can enjoy the delightful biscuit-joy much sooner. And much more often.

(As a quick side, I’m using this dough to make pigs-in-a-blanket tonight – one of my kids’ favorites!)

Heat up that oven, lovely, and let’s get baking!

Makes 12+ biscuits – Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 2/3 cup buttermilk (As a quick substitute, I use whole milk or cream mixed with about 2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice, stirred and left for about 5 mins)
  • 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and oil.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, combine till well mixed. Shape into a ball, place on floured surface and knead 4-5 times (too much kneading will make the dough tough).

3. Roll dough out to desired thickness (I aim for 1/2″ to 3/4″), and using a cookie cutter (or just a round glass dipped in flour), cut out 12 or so biscuits. (My mom used to use a sharp knife and make rectangular biscuits – whatever floats your biscuit boat.) Place about 1″ apart on a baking sheet.

4. Bake in center of preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or till biscuits are starting to turn light brown. Serve with butter and jam. And honey. Or lemon curd. And whipped cream. Or for lunch with tuna fish. Or chicken salad. Or with Chicken a la King. Or as a side to a hearty beef stew or a vegetable-rich broth or a creamy chowder or spicy chili… (I’ll stop now.)

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* Quick & Easy Shortcake Adaptation!

For when you have fresh fruit and want a delicious, quick (and easy!) dessert or brunch option:

To flour mixture, add 2 Tbsp white sugar.

If desired, add 1/2 tsp vanilla to buttermilk/oil mixture.

Proceed as directed. After baking, quickly halve and butter shortcakes, then top with sliced fruit or berries sweetened as desired, with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

UBER-EASY Option for when you DON’T have Fresh Fruit: Substitute freezer jam. Then top with whipped cream. I do. It’s amazing. No one complains – they’re too busy snarfing it up and making happy, thankful sounds.

Enjoy as soon as possible.

Happy baking! (Let me know how your biscuits turn out! And then please post a link to this article on your social media, thanks!)

– Maria

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How to Make Your Meal Plan a Monthly Success!

(Confessions of a Mama of 8)

Stress, frustration, tears, and woe: this was my frequent reality at dinner time because food wasn’t ready, my people were crying from hangriness and low-blood sugar, and I was trying to fight through a new recipe. With meat that wasn’t thawed yet because I had forgotten to plan ahead.

If any of this rings a bell with you, read on!

I never used to meal plan until this past year. In fact, I’ve been trying to figure out a meal planning method that actually worked for my life (feeding 10 people daily, wide-range of cuisines we love, lots of littles, a couple picky-eaters) that I could maintain.

It is with great joy I now share with you the successful method I have found, hoping you find some helpful ideas too! Adapt and modify it as you need for your own life. This is supposed to lessen your stress, not increase it.

1. Schedule about 30 minutes to meal plan for the first time (this is only because of the extra time making the Menu Guide List that you will use each time thereafter). After this first time, it should be relatively faster – more like 15 mins, or less!

2. Assess your current season of life. Be very honest. Do you have infants, young children, erratic schedules, late night commitments, or heavy workloads?

Do you deal with special food requirements due to allergies/sensitivities, or super picky people? Is it easy for you to get to the store/get groceries or will you be trying to use produce or food you raised or already have a lot of?

Is it cold outside (scheduling soups, stews, chilis, etc) or warm (planning salads, outdoor grilling, lighter fare)? What do you have on hand in your pantry/freezer?

3. Make your Menu Guide List, keeping your current season and what you already have on hand in mind. This means simplify and go for maximum efficiency over fancy or complicated meals.

Try to get at least 10-15 regular meals that you and your family eat and generally enjoy.  Ask your children for their suggestions and input, if you want (I do – it helps me remember meals I forget about, and also lets them feel involved and less likely to complain about what’s planned!)

Some friends I have use a smaller number of repeating meals. I tend to go bigger – often using up to 20 meals.  Make this list ideal for you, and keep it in a place you can reference often! 

*UPDATE your Menu Guide List as your life/schedule/the weather changes. Be honest about meals that just aren’t working well for you anymore, and need either updating or replacing.

An important category to include on your Menu Guide List is your Hero Meals! These are the 3-4 meals that you can make quickly or easily that are generally well-liked by a majority of your family, which you always have ingredients for, that you can make without stress. If it’s something that you find easy and enjoyable, put it on the list.  Try to get at least 3. And find a cape to wear when you make them – one of our favorites are these amazing baked hamburgers!

4. Find a calendar format you want to use (Google calendar, a paper calendar, a monthly planner, your phone, whatever you find works well for you), and note the days that already have appointments or commitments – anything that will impact your time to prepare an evening meal.

5. Begin putting in your Hero meals on the days that will contain the highest stress-level or the shortest available prep-time.

6. Fill in any days that are “Family Tradition” meal days – like Taco Tuesdays, or Pizza Fridays, or Leftover Mondays… whatever it is that you routinely make or eat on a specific day, write those in! Our Friday tradition is this amazing al fresco-style supper!

7. Plug in the meals from your Menu Guide List on the rest of the days, trying to keep a rational flow – For example, if you’re having a roast on one night and you know you’ll have leftovers, plan a basic stew or nachos with the leftover meat within a day or two afterwards.

CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! An entire month of meals planned and suddenly you’re feeling empowered and positive about the weeks to come because you know that you have a plan in place!


A few final important notes:
– Always have a “Magic Hat Meal” or two as a backup, for emergencies or unexpected life happenings. These are the freezer-to-table-type meals that can be prepped in 30 mins or less (for example, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, frozen pizza, frozen potstickers, jarred spaghetti sauce and a box of pasta, pancake mix…).

Because life happens and sometimes we all just need to grab something from the freezer or pantry that will feed our family with the minimum amount of effort. Like pulling it from a magic hat.

– Thaw meat often and early. Always have something in the fridge that is thawing or ready to cook. Look ahead at the next few days on your plan and pull out whatever it is you will need and put in a pan in your fridge. Why the pan? Because thawing = leakage. Ask me how I know this.

– Tweak or ditch the plan if you need to. It’s just a plan! You can always go back to it as written the next day. The plan was made for you, and not the other way around. So give yourself grace and hold it all with open hands. You got this!

I’d love to know what you think – so please connect with me and give me your thoughts and any suggestions you might have as well! Let me know what you and your family do that works for you!   Please share this post on your social media if you found it helpful, thanks!

[Easy] Best Baked Burgers! Be a Dinner Hero Tonight!

Juicy, mouth-watering burgers, prepped early, then baked and served hot from the oven, means you get to hear the cheers without a lot of last-minute work. One of my family’s favorite dinners!

My kids love burgers!

I love this recipe because it’s delicious, easy, and I can prep it early – even a day before – and then bake the foil-wrapped burgers for about fifteen minutes, and suddenly I feel like a hero!

Saving yet another day with an amazing, scrumptious, low-stress dinner. No cape necessary. (But no judgment if you want to wear one while serving.)

Boom.

(adapted from justapinch.com)

Who knew one little foil packet could contain such happiness? (Well, my kids do, now!)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 12 hamburger buns
  • 12 hamburger patties, made, seasoned, and cooked any way you like (I make my own – see bottom for recipe)
  • 12-24 slices cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, Pepper Jack… whatever you want!)
  • 1 lg onion, sliced
  • 1-2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)

SUPER SAUCE:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup or barbecue sauce
  • 2-3 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 Tbsp finely diced dill pickle (about 4-5 baby dills, or 2-3 medium pickles) – I add more!
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (I use smoked paprika)
  • dash hot sauce or cayenne powder, optional

Mix together in bowl, stirring well. Set aside if using shortly or refrigerate till ready to use.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare and cook the burger patties till almost done, set aside. (They will continue to cook in oven.)

3. Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in saute pan on stove on med-low heat. Add sliced onions, stir. Cook till softened and golden, about five-ten minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired. Set aside.

4. Spread sauce on top and bottom of hamburger buns, then place a slice of cheese on each side. Or only one side, depending on how cheesy you feel.

5. Placed cooked hamburger patty on one side of bun and top with a spoonful of caramelized onion and then the other side of bun.

6. Wrap in foil (I use about 12″ square and wrap on the diagonal, but you do what you want.), and bake in oven for 12-1 5 minutes, till cheese has melted.

7. Serve warm with whatever sides make your heart sing: fries and salad, chips, potato salad, steamed broccoli, sautéed green beans… Go side crazy.

8. Be a hero. I always feel like I’m one to my kids when I serve this meal! They get so happy unwrapping that foil to eat the juicy, cheesy, delicious burgers inside. And I get happy hearing about their feelings of happiness. 

Enjoy (the burgers and the compliments)!

*BONUS RECIPE!

HAMBURGER PATTIES A LA MARIA

  • 2 lbs ground sirloin or lean ground beef
  • 1 packet dry onion soup mix
  • 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (Don’t judge. I’m trying to stretch my beef to feed my horde. Leave this out, and the egg, if you are a purist and don’t need the extra stretch. Note that you will likely have fewer/thinner patties.)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2-3 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup diced bacon (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients gently but thoroughly.

2. Divide into twelve equal parts, shape into balls. Gently press into evenly flattish patties with hands, maybe about 1/3 of an inch thick. Make an indentation in the center (this is to help them cook through the middle). I put my finished patties on a baking sheet until I’m ready to cook them.

3. Cook on medium heat on the grill or griddle or skillet till done, turning once, about 2 mins or less each side. (I use my big electric griddle and cook about 8 at a time.)

4. Place on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, set aside till assembling hamburgers.

Open This Now! Discovering Beautiful Gifts in Every Day

Hey Friend!
A couple of months ago I took an online course. While the course was good, the biggest thing that I took away from it was a short, daily pre-bedtime routine that the instructor encouraged.

A guided journal page was provided, for both the morning and the evening, and at first I was wary: Another time commitment? Seriously? How helpful could this really be, especially when it was the same format each day? (Did these people get that I have a lot of little kids and not a lot of free time?)

And yet, to my surprise, I have found that this small practice has been deeply significant because it has helped change the way I look at each day.

Plus it only takes me five minutes at most.

Every night in a journal, I write answers to a few questions. Two of those questions have been especially transformative for me, and I’m hoping they might be for you, too.

The questions are:

– What three gifts were you given today?

– What three gifts did you give today?

The first time I saw these questions, I was slightly smug about the first (I’m always harping on being thankful to my kids, so surely I could easily find three things each night to remember with gratitude!), and slightly irritated by the second (what if I was super busy being a household executive and mama all day?  Did making three meals a day qualify as a “gift”? What about vacuuming or folding someone’s underwear? Did giving a hug count?).

But, each night, I committed to thinking, remembering, and listing: Three things I had been given, three things I had given.

Asking to remember things I had been given as a gift quickly turned out to be a little bit different than merely jotting down “things I was thankful for”, because even if it turned out that I was writing the exact same things, to see them in the light of a gift was to create a shift in thinking.

It meant that I was acknowledging my place as a recipient of something (rather than continuously in the illusion of control), and that I was also acknowledging the giver and their kindness and intentional thoughtfulness toward me.

A gift is something given on purpose. So to recognize anything as a gift is also to recognize the meaningful action that someone made so that I could experience it.

Our God is the best gift-giver, of course, delighting to give good things to his children (Matthew 7:11). For me, many times a gift I wrote down has been from Him. To list something on the page and then be nudged by my own writing to tell Him, “Thank you for this today,” has been an incredible reminder of the tenderness, incomprehensible kindness, and deeply intimate nature of my Father.

He knows best what will give me the most joy and greatest encouragement, and it has been so precious to have my heart cared for in such a personal way. I have discovered that He often tucks little gift-moments for me throughout my day – but like a treasure hidden in plain sight, I have to be aware and alert to notice them or I pass right by.

For example, the other day a few of my children were in another room, discussing their favorite smells. I wasn’t in the conversation, as I was busy in the kitchen. I happened to overhear one of my younger sons tell the others that his favorite was the way Mom smelled when she first came out in the morning. (I guess he’s a fan of my shower gel and perfume!)

What made this sincere, funny comment so precious to me was the reminder that of all the people in the world, I am the one who has the ability to bring him the most comfort and sense of loving well-being – even if it’s just from the way I smell as he gives me a hug in the morning.

The gift here was not only knowing I am my child’s favorite smell (!), but that God has given me the humbling task of being such a pivotal and foundational part of my child’s formative years. He loves the way I smell because of what and who I am to him, and that responsibility is a gift from God to me.

It can often be a more intangible thing, like a thoughtful text from friend checking in on me. Or the way my husband calls me on his way home from work, then quietly listens while I tell him how hard and exhausting my day was, and then tells me he’s proud of me and thinks I’m doing an amazing job. (Yep, my husband makes it on the list very frequently.)

As for the second question: What three gifts have I given…?

To know that I will need to write answers to this question means that during my days I have started looking for things I can deliberately give: five minutes reading a short book with a struggling child who needs a little attention and a cuddle. A loving text to a friend who has been on my mind. Making a special treat for afternoon snack time that I know my kids will enjoy. Holding a toenail-painting session for my girls in the kitchen. Stopping for a minute to look one of my sons straight in the eyes and tell him something that I am really proud of and love about him. Giving my exhausted husband a shoulder massage. Writing an encouraging email to another weary mama of littles. Sending a card in the mail to a lonely long-distance loved one…

Because of this one little question, I have found that it motivates me to be much more intentional and take action on the many little things that could make a strong difference to others. And on the days when I don’t manage to complete what I had hoped, I know I will try again tomorrow.

I am grateful for grace and fresh starts.

Listing these things each night doesn’t make me feel arrogant, as I had initially thought I might. It actually only strengthens my sense of gratitude that I was able to do things that gave joy to others, and to discover the joy it gave my own heart when I did.

It’s become like an exciting challenge each day – what can I give? What can I notice that was given me? Both experiences bring joy. Both are beautiful gifts that come each day.

Each day can be full of beautiful gifts if we choose to see it that way.

There is joy found in receiving. There is joy found in giving. Becoming more aware of these joys has been a practice that gives more depth, intentional awareness, and delight to my days.

And it will for you, too.

Want to join me in my short-yet-meaningful evening journaling practice of looking for the gifts in each day?

Each night, take five minutes before you jump in bed. (Or fall in bed, or collapse into bed. Whatever it is you do, do this first!) Just grab a pencil and a blank notebook page, and answer these two questions:


– What are three gifts you were given today?

– What are three gifts you gave today?

Commit to keeping it up for a month. Then you can quit if you want. But you might find, like me, that it becomes a very valuable practice, and you might not be willing to put it aside.

Creating awareness of the gifts you have been given and the gifts you can give each day is also creating awareness of joy.  Living with a heart abundant with joy and gratitude – that is the most beautiful gift ever.

– Maria

Please share this post on your social media! (It’ll be a gift you gave today, wink wink.) I’ll be thrilled and grateful!

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How to Impact the World Forever: Purposeful Parenting Now!

Your child is an eternal soul in a transient body.

Pardon my bluntness, but from what I understand, as a human, there is a 100% chance of death.

This may seem like a grim thought, but it really needs to be considered. Because how else will we decide how to live, how to spend the life we have been given, if we do not first understand that we only have it for a relatively brief span of time? 

How else would we recognize the immense precious worth of the moments we have been given now to impact not only our children, but through them, their children and children’s children?

A common current way of thinking is to work to establish a ‘kingdom’ in one’s own lifetime, of things, money, and a reputation that will bring a sense of success or value while one is alive. But a far more reasonable and worthwhile mentality is that, while recognizing our own mortality, we deliberately aim to produce value and lasting impact for when we are no longer here.

The best way to do this is to invest in our children’s character and relationship with their Creator-King.

As immortal souls, they truly will be one lasting thing that we will have had the privilege of helping create while on earth. Businesses may close, wealth may be spent and pass to others, reputation and significance will fade. But to impact another person’s character – to help imprint them and shift them from one aspect into something different – that is to bear the weight of co-creation, in a way. It’s working to build up a Kingdom that is going to last through eternity – God’s Kingdom.

That God has seen fit to allow such a flawed and imperfect person as myself the exquisite honor of using my time and efforts to guide my eight young children’s minds and hearts on a path that leads towards Him is something truly incredible. How I choose to steward my time with them impacts their minds, hearts, and lives. I have the opportunity to shape these eight little people like no other human will.

So how am I using this season I am assigned to this work?  How are you using the time you have?

Once we recognize our limited time given for this task, not only because we are all mortal, but because there is only a relatively short span when we have the undivided attention and respect of our children when they are young, parenting becomes (rightfully) something we should look at with seriousness and earnestness.

And probably a little something akin to a holy panic.

Because how in the world are we actually supposed to do this?!?

Exactly.

Again to be quite blunt: We’re not. Our job is to enable God to do His in the hearts and minds of our children, while allowing Him full authority over our own.

We are to be the under-gardeners. The under-shepherds. The teaching assistants, the mentors, the stewards, the butlers and housekeepers. None of it is truly ours to hold in the first place.

It all belongs to the Great Overseer of our souls, our Good Shepherd, our Teacher, Master Gardener, High King and Lord of all. We can find comfort knowing that our children are ultimately not our responsibility, but our Father’s.

He is the One who will plant the seeds – we are to help keep the soil soft and as weed-free as we can, watering and fertilizing, building fences and staying vigilant to keep marauders and pests out.

He is the One who the sheep listen to – we are to help guard the lambs and teach them to know His voice and follow Him quickly to find life-giving food, clear water, and nurturing care.

He is the Teacher – we are to help with the lessons and homework He gives, provide encouragement and pointers during hard tests, and cheer and congratulate when successful learning takes place.

And in that knowledge, we can find the galvanizing reality that we will answer to Him for how we have spent our time with the littles in our charge, whether they be our own children or anyone in need of guidance and discipleship that He has brought into our lives in the season we’re in now.

He has chosen each of us specifically for good works that He has planned out for us before time began (Ephesians 2:10). So, we can find the strength, hope, wisdom, love, and courage to walk in those works only as we daily seek direction and help from our Father.

And the main source of direction and help that He has lovingly provided for us: His Holy Word. Click to read my article on Why a Bible-Shaped Life is Vitally Important to Any Parent.

There is a saying that God has no grandchildren. Our faith is ours, and our children must grow and develop their own faith-relationship with Him. Our job, then, is to enable and encourage and guide that relationship, not to try to be a representative or surrogate for them to God. It would perhaps be more accurate to say that God wants you to represent Him to your children!

We should disciple and teach our children while holding the idea that eventually they will become mature adults and followers of Christ – and as such, will become our brothers and sisters in God’s kingdom. This means we should behave toward them with the respect, kindness, and grace we would give others outside our family, and not grow careless or lazy in how we treat or train our children, even when they are young.

“Who then is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). As stunning and overwhelming as it may seem, if you are a parent or a caregiver of young children, God has chosen you to carry out this awesome task. And He promises to give you everything you need for it:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

(2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT, emphasis mine)

Our children don’t need us to be perfect. They already know we’re not. They just need us to keep shining out the Light through our broken places so that they can see the path toward our perfect God for themselves.

And the brighter the better.

We are not promised tomorrow. Let’s make the most of the time we have today.

Make a commitment to yourself and to God today to be the parent He has called you to be. Pray and commit yourself and your kids to Him entirely. Want extra accountability? I would love to hear your story! Send me a reply, and I will read it and pray for you. Parenting is a high and challenging calling, my friend.

You do not have to walk it alone.

With you in this!

Maria

(To connect to the companion article that shows how a Biblically-based life is foundational to raising children who walk with God, click to read Why a Bible-Shaped Life is Vitally Important to Any Parent!)

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Why a Bible-Shaped Life is Vitally Important to Any Parent

If you truly want to have a lasting impact and raise your children for the Kingdom of God, the Bible must have a foundational, central, and overarching role in your home and heart life.

Read it, speak it, sing it, pray it, write it, discuss it, study it, and memorize it.

“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”

(Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NLT, emphasis mine)

Look for ways to honor and invite Scripture into your life and thoughts and routines until it becomes like second nature, your native language, completely familiar and beloved.

Because it’s going to be hard to tell your kids how crucial it is to them if it’s not essential to you, first. Kids are smart. They won’t buy hypocrisy, and they’re watching to see if it’s the real deal to you. So make it real!

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to make it so addictive to you and so attractive you can’t miss it without missing it. Ask Him for creative ways to include it in your daily routine. Ask Him to help you with memorizing it. Ask Him to help you love it. Ask Him to help you make time to read it.

Then obey. Make time for reading it. Even if you start with only five minutes in the morning.

Busy moms still snatch a few minutes to eat throughout their day. (I know because I’ve been doing it for years.) Even if it’s later than everyone else, I still find a moment to eat something so I can keep going. I still make time for those two minutes of making my small cup of espresso each morning (and oh, the joy that creamy, deeply-rich-and-dark coffee brings my heart), so I know that I can also choose to take a couple minutes to crack open my Bible, quiet my heart, and let the words inspired by the Holy Spirit wash over me and feed my soul before I get into the flurry of a busy day with many little children. And often at the end of the day, I choose to spend a few more minutes with Scripture, as a comforting grace to hold in my mind as I drift off to sleep.

Time with the Bible shapes my thoughts and sets my heart in the right frame to handle my day with grace, courage, and intentional choices that lean toward righteousness. In parenting, I need this. (I’m guessing you might, too.) I can sure tell the difference on the days I miss my Bible time!

If you truly think you can only manage five minutes, perhaps start with just one chapter of the Gospels a day. Begin with the Gospel of John. When you get to the end, start Matthew, then keep moving through them. 

If you make more time, read one Psalm a day as well. If you accidentally skip a day, ditch the guilt and pick it up again the next day without hesitation. Keep going. Don’t stop – if you don’t feed your soul with the Word of life, it will starve. What this world has to offer is temporary and unsatisfying at best. Nourish your heart with what will truly sustain you, grow you, and transform you.

Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

(Hebrews 11:6, NLT, emphasis mine)

The Bible should so permeate our thoughts, words, and behavior that we are known for being people of the Word anywhere and everywhere we engage with others. It should carry a certain lingering fragrance and presence that wherever we go we are noted for leaving the undeniable tang and strength of a life steeped in and shaped by the Scriptures.

The Bible is our tangible link to knowing and understanding who the stunningly loving, all-powerful, glorious, terrifying, and holy Spirit-Being who created our universe and our human race is – and why He deserves our adoration and obedience:

Because He, in spite of His perfect power and glory, became a man, and suffered and died a horrible criminal’s death to bring us life – demonstrating His love by paying the cost of our wrongdoing. Then by rising again, alive forevermore, He once and for all broke the power of sin and death, demonstrating His power, authority, and worthiness of our love and allegiance.

And this story and revelations of His character, as well as clear guidelines for how to live our lives as well, are found in the inspired Holy Bible. This is not something to hold with little esteem.

  • Here is where the Holy Spirit can speak to us each day.
  • Here is where we can find hope for our lives and the future to come.
  • Here is where we recognize the beautiful kindness of God’s love that suddenly seems to gleam from so many aspects of our own lives.
  • Here is where we see the mercy of God in the histories of other broken people, and find inspiration and courage for our own.
  • And here is where we find the wisdom to teach and lead our children in a way that truly points them toward God and a life lived in His love.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

(Hebrews 4:12, NLT)

Time spent prayerfully with the Bible is time allowing God to transform us into the godly people He desires us to be. It is time that gives us the strength to overcome the long-term sins and temptations we struggle with. It is time coming to know and love more deeply our One, Truest Love. And that will give us the deepest, most delightful, pleasurable joy we can ever experience this side of Heaven.

I may daily come short of adequately demonstrating the holiness and beauty of my God, but His Word never will. And I would rather faithfully stumble toward Him and daily fight to pursue Him than carelessly dance on my way in a life full of shallow pursuits, low standards, and vain regrets. He is worth my all, and His Word is worth every moment spent with it.

How many minutes will you spend reading the Bible today? Will you commit to reading it at least five minutes a day for 30 days? (If you miss a day, just keep going on the next!)

May a love and a desire for the Holy Word of God be ignited in our hearts, and an earnest pursuit of time with it be vibrantly evident in our homes and lives.

Walking with you in this!

– Maria

Surprise! How to Look at Teaching Anything in Life

Have you ever noticed how sometimes you think you know something, but then you have to explain it or teach it to someone else, and as you do, that’s when you realize that it is suddenly clear to you for truly the first time?

For me it’s like a shot of excitement and even adrenaline as I experience the joy of learning. My kids sometimes just stare at me as I get enthusiastic and start waving my arms around, coming up with all kinds of (sometimes kooky) metaphors and analogies to get them as excited as I am. 
(I guess I’m making it clear that I am a total nerd. Often.)

The act of teaching it to someone else helped me learn!  I’ve read that this is a common experience.

I think this is why God often allows our life to hold other people who need to learn something from us.  Whether it’s our children, our younger siblings, our colleagues, or our clients, He’s graciously giving us the opportunity to learn something well by needing to teach it to others.

In my life I am constantly humbled by how little I know – but because I am constantly parenting my kids, I am (usually) thrilled to find I have the opportunity to learn things alongside my kids each day!

For me I find these learning moments often come during our family devotional or Scripture-reading times, or when I’m expounding on some theological truth to my children – and I’m overcome with tears because an aspect of God’s goodness or beauty suddenly became clarified to me.

These are moments of God’s grace. This experience is like a little love-note from my Father, who never gives up on me and who knows exactly what I need, every single day.

I’ve decided, in fact, that pretty much every time my family has a devotional or reads the Bible together, it seems that God is more interested in changing my heart and helping me learn something from His Word than about me making sure my children understand each theological nuance.

And maybe that’s what’s important. 
Teaching may really be about learning.

I’m going to be in a better place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if I’m staying humble and listening to MY Father. I appear to teach better – in no matter what sphere of influence – when I’m also an eager and listening student.

So what are the places in your life where you have been given the role of teacher? And have you found, too, that often those are the areas where you can be startled by discovering your own learning growth, even as you teach? 

I challenge you to ask God for a humble, learning heart. Give Him the permission to surprise you with a fresh discovery and brilliant illumination in a place in life or a topic you already thought you knew with your eyes closed.

The revelations come like a sting of joy. And it’s worth every ounce of the humble courage it takes to receive them with open hands and gratitude.

I’m so excited for us both as we continue to grow and learn and delight in fresh discoveries!

What’s something you learned recently that was surprising and unexpected in a good way? 

Send me your response and let me know!   Also, if you haven’t yet, sign up for your free set of 5 Parenting Reminder Cards printable and I’ll get those sent to you ASAP!

– Cheering you on in this!

Maria

How to Make Writing for K-3rd Grade Painless & Efficient!

I totally just requisitioned the little whiteboards someone gave my kids and use them for school days. Yep, shameless. But efficient. They can have them back when I’m done, OK?

So here’s the thing.

I have a lot of kids. And not a lot of space.  

There are currently six children in varying grades homeschooling here, not counting the two toddlers who are doing their own thing. (Mostly flooding the bathroom or dumping out beads or decorating the window sills with markers they unlawfully swiped, or teasing each other till they both scream. But I digress.)

So we do most of our homeschool on the kitchen table, all clumped together, because it’s the best place with a flat surface that’s moderately clean. The toddlers often join us, with coloring books and crayons.

Although, as I write this, it occurs to me that actually the majority of my true teaching time is spent next to a child on the floor… hmm.

Anyway.

Because of these two things (lots of kids, not lots of space), the most streamlined and efficient way for me to teach is to try to get the most kids I can learning from the same textbook AT THE SAME TIME, and adjust the lesson as needed for varying ages/grades/abilities. 

Sort of like a one-room schoolhouse approach.  Or “Clump and Conquer”, as I like to think. (It’s the large-family better half of divide and conquer!)

Here’s how it works for writing in my house:

I take this wonderful writing workbook by Susan Wise Bauer:

and I use it as a source text for several different kids at the same time, because it’s so easily adaptable! It can be found on Amazon for a little over $25 dollars new, or less if you purchase used (see here for Amazon purchasing options).

Each week is broken up into only four different work days, alternating copy work and narration. This is great if you need a break day, or if you need a day to catch up.

For copy work days, I first copy out the two sentences given in the workbook on a small whiteboard. We briefly go over the point of the lesson for that day – for example, capitalizing proper nouns – and then I have the kids tell me where examples of those are in the sentences.

Once it’s clear that each child grasps the concept taught that day, they copy one or both of the sentences in a notebook (I use the composition-type notebooks). I check for letter form and spelling, encouraging or correcting as needed, and then they’re done for the day. 

Narration days include reading a short selection in the workbook, usually from a classic children’s book, and then I ask a series of questions (also in the workbook), to train the children to listen carefully and thoughtfully.  They must answer in complete sentences (there are example answers given in the workbook), and then at the end, they each answer the question, “What is something you remember from the passage?” I write down the (complete sentence) answer from each child on the white board.  Each child can copy their own sentence (or everyone’s, if they want!). 

It’s amazing how much more fun and interesting writing can be if you’re writing down your own created sentence! My kids surprise me often by how interesting, long, and varied their sentences are. Then they cheerily write them down in their notebooks.

Quick side note: My older children write in cursive, my youngers in print.I provide handwriting/penmanship workbooks to each of my children to supplement their schooling. I think training them in cursive is a great discipline for hand-eye coordination as well as helping increase patience, control, dexterity, and memory/increased retention in learning. For more info, check out this article here.

The lessons are simple, short, and completely achievable, usually less than 15 minutes.

The reading selections are usually quite interesting and have stimulated my children’s curiosity and interest in many other books (requiring more trips to the library, or great birthday/Christmas gift ideas!). 

I love that they are getting a dose of Language Arts, grammar, penmanship, spelling, reading comprehension, and exposure to great classic literature all at the same time, across varying grade levels, while all together at the table.

This model is so simple that after using the workbook (it is designed for use by one child, with blank lined spaces for the writing corresponding to each lesson in the back, but I obviously put my own spin on it based on my family’s needs), you could easily design your own simple daily “writing class” using material taken from your family’s favorite stories and classic books. 

Efficient, comprehensive, painless – just how I wish all the rest of homeschooling was more often!

Did you enjoy writing as a child? What about now?

You’re doing an amazing work in teaching your children, and you should be proud of yourself!

Cheering you on!

– Maria

If this post was helpful or encouraging to you, please share it on your social media, and let me know – I’ll be delighted and pleased! (Thank you!)