Sometimes Parenting Sucks....Sometimes...

Being a parent sucks sometimes. Let's just throw it out there and be real for a minute. We all see the Facebook posts of our friends and family who show how joyful and sweet being a parent is. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother, it is in fact one of my greatest joys, but I do not have rose colored blinders on that keep me from seeing the unpleasantness that come with being a mother. There are so many of us who feel like we are failing at this job called parenting, while we are reading unrealistic posts of rose colored lives where nothing is irritating and nothing goes wrong. Hello! Am I the only one living in the real world?

Parenting sometimes sucks.

Kids fight, we fight to keep the house cleaned, and hello, when was the last time you go to the bathroom uninterrupted? When was the last time you got to take a shower with a child running in and complaining about their brother throwing pancake into their hair? Seriously? I am the only one this happens to?

Have I mentioned that I love being a mother? There are joys that come with raising children, but they are not every day and they are not 100% of the time. Today for instance, S, M and myself all watched, Night at the Museum, together. No one fought, we all laughed and it was a rare time of uninterrupted family time. No fights ensued, not name calling and no hogging of the snacks. It was rare...did I mention this? Normally when we all try to watch a movie (and keep in mind K and A were elsewhere), there is fighting over the snacks, who sits in what spot, who is closer to mom, who gets to hold the remote (why are we holding the remote? There are no commercials to fast forward in a movie from Redbox) and the list continues.

There are the moments where our beautiful little angels are actually bad. They throw tantrums in the store (so not fun), they deliberately make a mess to make a point (what I am not sure). Or the times when you have to discipline them....not my favorite moment in parenting.

I love being a parent and if for some reason all of this went away I would miss it. Sure my house would stay clean, and the milk would get put away and the clothes would stay folded in the drawers and the million other things that kids are not going to do until they have their own house and realize mom was right, but I would miss out on the best thing that ever happened to me...motherhood.

I don't see the world through rose colored, everything is perfect glasses, but I do see the joy in the mess, the fights, the constant state of frustration. I see the love they have for each other (yeah, really they do). They can pick on each other all they want, but look out if anyone outside their sibling bond messes with any one of them. The protect and defend each other. They actually, on occasion, say nice things to one another. The mommy time snuggles, the kisses, the hugs, are all the best parts of being their mom. Yes I may get frustrated. I may yell. I may completely pull out all of my hair, but I wouldn't change a thing where K, A, S & M are concerned. They are my not-so-perfect little angels. I am proud to be called their mom.

Until the Next Scribble.....

Faith Realizations

I can honestly say that on the day I took my vows, I never saw myself as as a single mother, let alone a single mother without help from their father. I never saw him as the man I see him as now. Never knew how much I could love a person and then hate them just as much. I never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt this person that I loved more than anything. Ever been there? Divorce is a scary place. It shows you a side of yourself that even you never realized was there. I kept asking why God did this to our family, to our marriage.

He didn't. We did. Satan sent people to steal, kill and destroy, and we let these people destroy not only our marriage, but our the home our children felt safe and secure in. Where they felt loved and protected. We took the very foundation of their lives away and for what? For nothing. I can't speak for my ex-husband and I won't try. I am sure he has justified his mistakes and his part in taking away this security from our children. I know he fights his own battles with how we ended our marriage. 

I was young when I got married and I can honestly say I didn't know the first thing about commitment and marriage. About the sacrifices that came with home and family. I am a pretty good mom, and I love my children. I loved my husband, (something I never truly admit, because then I would have to admit to the hurt that came along with what he did). I look at my children and I wonder, who would they be today, had I fought harder for my marriage. Had we taken the time to realize that divorce had never been apart of God's plan for our family. Would they be the same as they are today and honestly I can say No, they wouldn't be. In a sense we broke them, and the sad part is, he doesn't even realize this. They have hurt, anger, bitterness and emotional scars they would not have and it is our fault. Not my fault, not his fault, but ours jointly. We broke the very people we promised to love, protect and keep from harm. 

This was not God's plan for our lives. 

Being a single mom is hard. It sucks. It was never the way it was meant to be. There are times when I want to yell and scream at God for allowing this to happen. For not stopping these people from interfering. When I look back, I blamed only one person and while her part is big, and she alone has to deal with God for her part in my broken family, we do too. We have to admit we gave up, instead of remembering that we promised to love, honor and cherish one another. We promised for better or worse and when worse came, we bailed. I distinctly remember God telling me to fight for my marriage, but I didn't know how. I didn't have the strength to fight and I failed to remember that God is my strength. 

Satan won this battle and we let him. We gave him the tools to do it and he had a field day. 

So what does this have to do with anything? Simple. Faith. I didn't have faith that God would heal what was damaged. I didn't have faith that God would give me the strength to fight for my marriage. My faith was lacking, big time. Not only was my faith lacking, but I gave in the lies and doubts that Satan was telling me. If I could go back, I would. Not just for my children, who deserved to have a mother who would fight for their family, not just her marriage, but for their home; but to undo all the ugliness of that time. To unsay all the hurtful things I said. You see, when I fell hurt or threatened, I attack and not in a nice way. I will aim for where I know it will hurt the most, I will then twist it until it hurts even more and that is what I did. 

Today I look back and realize just how much I had to have hurt this person who once was my life. How much I destroyed the person I loved. We both did this to each other. I gave in to my hurt, my anger, my bitterness and my children paid the ultimate price of that. No, I am not solely to blame, but I can own my part in it. 

What I realize today is God never left us. He never abandoned us and left us to our devices, we just ignored him. We let our worldly views cloud our spiritual ones. What I have learned through this difficult process of being a single mom and completely on my own raising these children, is that I am stronger than I give myself credit for, but I am only strong because my strength, (even when I didn't acknowledge it) comes from God. Phillipians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I can be a single mother. I can raise my kids on my own. I can make a way, where this no way, because it is not me doing it, it is God. He makes the way where there is no way. He gives me the strength to get through each day. 

Someday I may get married again....(there was a time when I wanted absolutely nothing to do with marriage again), and I can take what I have learned with me. However, I will fail again if I don't put God first in the next marriage. God has to come first. God need to be first. When we set our sights on Him, there is nothing we can't overcome. Satan can't destroy a foundation that is built on God's word, God's love and God's promises. I have learned so much about myself and my walk with God in the last little while. I can only pray that one day, I will be the woman God wants me to be. I can say this, I am not going back to the person I had become after my divorce...More on that later! Now its time to get ready and spend the day with my Little Man, to celebrate the miracle of his life...a.k.a his birthday!!! :) 

Until the next Scribble........

The Family Dinner Table

I love setting the table. Finding the right table cloth (if needed), place mats, dishes, glasses and even creating theme dinners with my kids. (Something I have not done in a long time). There is something so profound about cooking a meal, sitting at the table with your family and having a conversation about the days events, or whatever you all feel like talking about. It is a peaceful way to end the day.

The family dinner table is symbolic, I think. It shows that family comes first and this table will hold so many memories in the future. It saddens me when I think of how many family dinners we have missed since I got divorced and it no longer seemed important. What I am realizing is that it is important. Family is the most important and I have a renewed sense of this importance. The family dinner table has become my new focus. I am spending insane amounts of time on Pinterest looking for the perfect table idea. There are some many styles, ideas and concepts surrounding tables that it is hard to choose just one.

I want one that is special to my family. I want one that will last and that possibly my grandchildren will sit at. It has to be perfect to me. Perhaps it something I will have to make, or perhaps I will find it somewhere. All I know is that in today's messed up world we need to make the family unit more important that it has been. We need to surround ourselves in ea
ch other and make our children know that time with them is important and that we need them too.

Good meal and your favorite people! 

We need to make this a priority. We need to. The dinner table is a time to reflect and have conversation. No cell phones, no television, no electronics what-so-ever, should be present. Just good ol' conversation and people. This has been on my mind a lot lately (Hence he need to write this blog). I just see so much awful stuff on the news and it breaks my heart. We don't know how much time we have with each other, but it is time that counts. We need to put family at the top of our priority list, not at the bottom. Our kids are growing up, and when they are gone I want them to know that they are loved and to have these precious memories (even though I am sure they are going to fight me on this) of us eating together and being together as a family. I feel so disconnected from my children lately, with all the each of us have going on and I want that to change.

It all starts with one of these and go from there!

Let's bring the fun back to dinner and eating. Make theme dinner nights, say grace, read a bible scripture, have fun with it. I am going to post this blog every Tuesday. Each blog I write on Tuesday (or at least the main one) will be in regards to the Family Dinner Table. New ideas, maybe new kid friendly recipes etc... I am also going to post this on my other blog Simply Chic, because I do believe this is important and God is telling me to put my family first and to come back to the table.

I know that it is unrealistic to make it an every night thing, but I am going to make it a priority and Sunday nights are going to be mandatory family dinner together night. I will work on making more nights, but this is a first start. Sundays in this family are going to be about family.

Proverbs 31: 10-31 Pt.1

As women, (sorry men I can't speak for you on this one), we struggle don't we? To be everything to everyone and when we do this, we struggle. We try to put on the garments of perfection, something we know can't be obtained, because to be human is to be imperfect. So why do we try to be something we know we can't?

Tonight, as with most nights, I read Proverbs 31:10-31 The Virtuous Woman (or in the NLT: A Wife of Noble Character). This passage always gets to me, because on the outside, without delving deeper into it, she seems like the perfect wife, mother and person. She seems to be something we strive for but can never obtain. But what happens when we inspect it and we dig deeper into this passage?

10: Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. (NLT)

What does this mean to you? To me, it means to simply be there for your husband, make him the only one you turn to and never turn to any other man over your husband. I pray this is the kind of wife I will be, when the day comes that I am a wife again. No one should come above, before or even after, your husband, except of course God. Being virtuous means to be faithful and to have high morals. Keep this close to you and honor your husband.

What does this mean if you are single (after all this is a blog written by a single mom and for single parents right?) Well let me tell you what I think that it means. I think it means that we need to strive for and prepare for our future husband. Prepare to be the kind of wife that you want to be in the event you find the one who will be your husband. Live a virtuous life. (This is easier to say than it is to do).

11-12: Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (NLT)

This should be simple right?! Trust is not easily fixed, and should never be broken, but it happens. Can it be repaired? I believe it can, if done in the right context. If you are trying to fix a relationship (and this can go for dating as well) and trust is broken early on, then maybe its a sign of what is to come and maybe it is a way to work out the major kinks before marriage. My theory and again this only my opinion and it could be wrong, but if it you are just dating and trust is an issue, maybe it is best to move on. Life is too short to keep repeating mistakes you made in the past. Marriage is going to take a lot of work and you both are going to say and do things that will hurt each other. As a wife, it is our goal to try our best to not hurt the person we love. It is our duty to love him and to be there and to help him, not harm him. Can your husband trust you? Does he know that without a doubt you are his and his alone? Does he know that you will do whatever it takes to keep him in your life. You will fight the devil (and you may have to, whether it be spiritual or in human form) to keep him. Sounds simple, but some days it will exhaust you, but it will always be worth it.

In verses 15-17 she is working to keep her home running and her family taken care of. She is preparing meals, taking care of business, and keeping her home the way she sees fit and in a way that honors God, her husband, herself and her children. Now as a mom you know how hard this is and at the end of the day we just want nothing more than to just fall into bed and end the day, except K needs help finishing her homework or M is throwing up in the bathroom and needs his mommy. Sometimes it seems like our days never end and we keep on doing. It is a gift to be able to do this, believe it or not.

16: She goes to inspect a field and buys it (NLT)

I know you are looking at this and thinking, "why does God want me to buy a field?" "I live in the city, what do I need a field for? Where would I even get one?" Well I don't believe that his is actually talking about buying a field. Look deeper...delve into the meaning behind considering a field and then buying it. As women we take on more than we can handle, because we feel compelled to be everything to everyone. I know this all to well, as many of you do too. What are you contemplating? Taking on a new task? A new job? A big move? In my bible I wrote this next to this verse, "Before taking on new tasks, consider how they affect you and your family. Do you have the time?" Saying no does not come easily to me. I want to help those who need it, even if I just don't have the time, and I know I don't. Just recently there is a situation that needs help, and I know in my heart that all I can do is pray. I don't have the time to do this, even though part of me wants to do it. Consider how what you are about to do or take on will affect those around you. Your kids, your husband, your family. If they are negatively affected in anyway, its not meant for you to do. However, if it is a God-given task, like Peter in Acts, do it and don't ask questions. If it is God-given, He will make it work. Consider before you buy.


Tomorrow, I will discuss the next section. The thing to remember is that while perfection seems like something we need to be striving for, what we need to be striving for is the only one that is perfect...God. As Philippians 4:13 tells us, we can do all things through Christ who is our strength. As I write this blog, I know I am preparing myself as well as digging deeper into God's word. Sometimes I think we take for granted those we love the most. We tell ourselves there is always tomorrow. We have time they can wait. Then we wake up tomorrow and find they are no longer there waiting for us.

As I write this, I struggle with a situation of my own. All I can do is pray that everything works out according to God's will. I gave up for awhile and I didn't trust God enough to handle this situation. In the end, I know if I lose, it is my fault for not trusting in God. Our relationships are never going to be easy and God does not promise us easy. So as I end this here for now, I pray that it is not too late and that even right now as it all seems lost, I have hope and hope can change everything. I pray that whatever you are struggling with right now, God gives you direction and patience. His timing and His will are far better than what we can do on our own. So be a virtuous woman and be a woman you would like to know.

Until the next Scribble....

The Submissive Wife

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, "submissive" wife? Do you find yourself chained to the kitchen? At your husbands every beck and call? Do visions of 50 Shades of Gray scenes? I know when I first heard it, I scoffed and then laughed. There was no way, I would ever become submissive. Not to mention, you could be envisioning every feminist woman chasing after you with bats or trying to run you over with a car because you dare to undo years of women becoming equal to men.

Now before you pick up your cast iron skillet to beat me over the head and ask me if I have lost my mind, remember that the bible does tell us in Ephesians 5:22 "wives submit unto your husbands as to the Lord." The key word here is submit. Not bow down to, cater to, and have no voice or opinion.

So what does it mean? 

Today's society has warped the words submit and submissive. It has turned into something of a sexual nature with whips and chains and all things unholy and that do not belong in the bedroom. Or it has turned into something even worse...a slave to your husband and he commands you at his will to do his bidding. It has corrupted the beauty in being a submissive wife. Yes, I said beauty. 

God created marriage to be a beautiful union of two people to build a life together. TOGETHER. Someone to share the ups and downs with, someone to help you when you are feeling down. The husband is not the controller, he is the leader. He is the strength behind the family that builds their foundation on God's word. The husband "leads with strong hands", as it says in the song Lead Me, by Sanctus Real.

Submission simply means that you let go of control and let your husband lead. Let him hold your hand and guide you. It means that you listen to him and you make decisions with him. Its a relationship that is based on faith in God and faith in each other. Being submissive is trusting in your choice to make this man your husband. Trusting him as your partner in this life. 

Now here comes the bats, I do believe that the wife belongs in the home. She cares for and tends to the home. She makes it a place of warmth, love and family. She takes care of her family. The breakdown of the family and of society began when the family got put on the back burner. That is probably another blog later, but truly Proverbs 31:10-31 is the instructions for a wife and mother. It is what we as women are called to be. It is the perfect description of how we should want to be. 

I am not telling every wife and mother out there to go and quit their jobs, some of us can't. Single mother's can't for sure. I am saying that if it is feasible, do it. If it means cutting a few things out of your budget, moving to a smaller home, then isn't it worth it? Isn't spending the few short years raising your children and being home when they get out of school worth giving up a few material possessions? 

Being a submissive wife is about love, honor and respect, not bondage, chains. It doesn't mean you can't argue with your husband, personally I would rather not. It does not mean don't voice your opinion, but remind yourself that if your husband feels that something is best for the family, definitely know that it probably is. I mean, common sense here, if he is telling you to bomb and abortion clinic, you definitely might want to reconsider this and pray for him. Chances are, since your relationship is based on God's Word, he is not telling you do this. Chances are he has given it a lot of thought and prayed about it. 

I want to also point out, that while I believe the wife belongs at home, caring for the home and all that, I also believe that you can be a submissive wife and work. Not all women married or single can be stay-at-home wives/mothers. Some choose to work from home, which allows them to stop working and go pick up a sick kid from school or run a quick errand that came up. 

Your husband should be the one you look to for answers (aside from God, that is a given), he is the one you should seek comfort from. He is the one who you should comfort when he needs it. He is the one your heart belongs to. Submit to your husbands as to the Lord and I promise you, you will not regret it. 

Messy house....A Blessing?!

Motherhood the land of a messy house, kid wars, food wars, the occasional embarrassing scene at the grocery store where your toddler throws a fit because you wont buy her (or him) the cookies she wants. That place where you look at the little angels who came from your body and see monsters who have invaded your home. Motherhood. That title you wished for and planned for since childhood when you played with your dolls and pretended your bedroom was your house and the neighborhood boy down the street was your husband ( because you were not going to be a single mother, no little girl plays single Mom house).

There are numerous times when I have walked into my house and the only thing I can see is the mess. The toys on the floor, or the odd scraps of little papers and things that seem to make their way onto the floor. The hair ties, shoes not put where they belong and backpacks thrown about wherever they land. The mess. How many of you can relate? I mean really, what if the neighbor down the street comes by to say hello? It never happens, but because your house is a mess you know they will.

As I walk through the door I close my eyes and pray silently that when I open them it will all miraculously be clean. Of course its not. So the other day I was struck by a thought. A simple thought that made me stop and relook at the house as I walked in.

What did I see? Still a mess, but it wasn't that I saw a mess it was what the mess reminded me of that day. (Funny isn't it, God gives us these little messages and unless we in the mood to hear it, we may miss them). This mess, that can so easily aggravate me, became something totally new. There are little people living in my house. These people that God gave me and that I am blessed to come home to. I am lucky to be their mother. I have little ones (and not so little ones) to come home to, where some mothers only have memories. This mess signifies that I am blessed to have my children at home, able to make these messes and aggravate me. While I would still love to come home to a clean house (and occasionally, like yesterday) I do, the mess is now a welcomed site and a reminder that regardless of what we need or don't have, I am blessed, because I am a mom to 4 amazing children.

I'm not perfect, so I will forget and I will get aggravated because I am not perfect and occasionally, like all human mothers do, will yell and pull my hair out, and later that night I will ask for forgiveness for my yelling and aggravation. I will every night thank God for them, pray over them and pray over myself that I will remember that mess can be a positive thing, even if my personality doesn't agree.

So the next time you walk into your messy house....(and for a brief God-less moment wish for vodka or perhaps a spotless home) remember there is a mother (and father) out there who now wishes that they could open their door to a mess, to fighting siblings or loud music playing and be thankful that you still have that. I know I am.

Until the next scribble.....

Family Time....Photographs...

Have you ever looked at your children (and I know you all have) and wondered how they grew up so fast? K is going to be 15 in March and my baby is going to be 6. It is amazing how much can change in just 15 short years. So my new years resolution is not to lose weight (though God knows that would be great), not to eat healthier (pizza and hamburgers are my weakness), and since I don't smoke, drink or do drugs I don't need to quit those. My new years resolution is to spend more time (quality time) with my children.

This past weekend we went to Sn Francisco for the day and then Napa. Most people you know go to Napa for the wine (well the adults do) but we go to Napa to play at the park....Seriously. We found a park, the kids got out and we spent pretty much all our time there. O and I did find my dream house...it's only 795,000...I am thinking my new career path might have to be lawyer for the mob...HAHA.

Here are photos from our trip to Napa.....They all want to go back...for the park....Seriously!

 My dream house, trust me it looks better in person and in the pictures from the brochure. I took it fast, was getting funny looks by neighbors...it is empty...:)

The Pictures below are taken from the park we visited. The kids fell in love with Napa and so did I...we all want to move there...

Had to go to Ihop for Pancakes!! Nothing like pancakes to end the day...Although we had to get new shirts (see pics above where they are wearing new clothes...and we went back to the park.

 

He thinks that he is the king of the playground...

 

 A with his goofy grin...

My Princess S...

                                                 

 

                       Swing time...S loves the swing...had to buy her some pants...

I am also making it a challenge to take more pictures and to take better pictures. I am still learning my phone. Perhaps a new camera is in order......

 

In today's society it seems like family has taken a backseat to other stuff. Family time is no longer a priority and it is easy to let it slip to the wayside with work, school, bills, activities and what not. I think that we all need to make it a priority to spend time and photograph our family outings while our children are younger and while they will still go hang out with us...

 

I thought about posting a new photo every day....although not sure how well that will work out. So my challenge is for you...find new ways to spend time with your family. Document it. Photograph it. Enjoy it.

 

Until the next Scribble....

This blog...and more...Enjoy!

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this blog and the direction that I wanted it to go. What did I want to use it for, and then I was sitting in church this week and the pastor was talking about Hope (the next two weeks will be faith and love). While listening to this sermon, I kept thinking that I need to use this blog for more than just witty and whimsical posts about my family. I will still post those, but we need more God in our lives. Not just on Sunday, where we get dressed up for church, and sit through the sermon, greet friends and new comers and then go home. We need God Monday - Saturday as well. So this blog, while still about the struggles of being a single mom and the day to day amazement my children bring me, I am directing it  towards God and his work in our lives. I also thought about what Faith, Hope and Love meant to me. So I will be working on a blog that deals with these. Especially since Friday, when all our hearts were broken when an armed man, (I am not using the name of the gunman on purpose) came into a school and wreaked havoc on the lives of our most innocent. I have a blog outlined (in my head) for one related to this, because as probably almost any parent here can relate to, when you hear something of this magnitude you automatically do not want to send your children to school anymore. Homeschooling sounds like a much more viable option than sending our children to school where this can happen.

So I encourage you to join the blog as a subscriber. Read this blog and tell your friends about it.  Hopefully I can do my part in spreading God's word. We need more of God and not less in this world. There are those who claim to be spreading God's word and really they are only spouting out Satan's word. Westboro Church for instance who protest military funerals and who know want to protest at the funerals of these innocent children and brave teachers. God did not use an armed gunman to brutally murder and terrify children and teachers to seek vengeance on this world for gay marriage, or for any other horrible sin this church feels that society is making. Our God might be a jealous God, he mourns for those who do not follow Him, he does not kill them in His name and he certainly does not take vengeance out on innocent children who can't possibly know or understand any of this. Shame on this so-called church for intruding and possibly intruding on these funerals where parents are mourning the death of their child, or their loved one who so bravely protected these students to the best of their ability. I can't watch the news anymore, it is heartbreaking and even Morgan Freeman had a valid point, that by watching and retaining the name of the killer we are validating him in a small way. He pointed out that what is remembered in these kinds of tragedies is the name of the killer and not the victims. It is the victims that matter here, not the murderer. It doesn't matter how many were killed, whether or not this is the worst or close to the worst school shooting tragedy, simply because one is not more tragic than another. All are tragic, senseless and something that we will never understand.

Pray today for these families. Pray that God brings them some amount of healing and comfort. Their hearts are broken and their lives are forever changed. Only God can bring peace, healing and comfort for those mourning their loved ones.

As a parent I can't imagine my 5 year old not coming home from school to share with me his excitement over his day and that he got a green note today or being good. Or my 12 year old who may not always have a good day, but does try to find something good in her day, and who loves to tell me about her day after school. My 13 year who has a rough day at school most of the time, but still has a loving heart. My 14 year old and first born, who I have watched grow up into an amazingly independent individual. These children, a gift from God, are the joys of my life, they aggravate me, they frustrate and anger me better than anyone else can with their petty fights and senseless torture of one another, but they also bring me joy and wonder. I am constantly amazed at each of them and the things they come up with. If one of them did not come home, my world would be truly broken. Saturday I woke up to these little one's fighting and I started to yell at them, and then I stopped and thanked God that they were still here to argue with one another. I did ask them to stop and directed them to better and more productive activities. We need to thank God each and every day for our precious gifts. We need to put Him first in our lives.

Until the next Scribble.....

To Read or Not to Read....

     So this morning, with my usually morning cup of a Java I ran into a blog a friend posted on Facebook, called Fifty Shades of No by Jill Savage. I have been on the fence regarding whether or not to read these books as everyone in every age bracket seems to be lining up to get them. I enjoy a good book as much as the next woman (or male) and a lot of the books I read have a sex scene or two in them, but these books are filled with nothing but pornography from what I can tell. Now as a single mom, I don't feel that I would be in anyway lusting after something that or someone that is not my husband, I am not married. However, the question remains do I really need to subject myself to this type of literature that even a few years ago would probably have not been on the shelf for the general public? Now when the next James Patterson novel comes out for the Alex Cross series.....
    
     When I became a parent my husband-at-the-time and I agreed that the method of do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do parenting was not how we wanted to raise our children. I fear I have back-slid on this a little and need to get back to it. Would I want my children to read these types of books? No. Jill had the right idea when she said that they lead us to unrealistic expectations of what we are suppose to look like, act like and to tell us that the immoral behavior of the characters are OK and we can behave this way and not suffer any consequences. It is time to get back to the saying: As For Me and My House We WILL Serve the Lord. I am not perfect and I sometimes do things that perhaps may not be in line with that statement, but God knows we are not perfect and he loves us anyway. Just as long as we try to live our lives God's way and keep our hearts and homes pure, we will be alright. I still have no idea the direction this blog is going to go, I only know I wanted to start getting back into writing and this was a way for me to do that.

     I realize also that we can go overboard in what is right and good for our hearts and minds, but this is one book series I don't feel compelled to read, nor do I feel that we should be reading this kind of material. It is for everyone to decide what they are going to do, what they are going to read, and for me, I am with Jill Savage on this one, Fifty Shades of NO!

Until the next scribble....