#7-3: Mother Care by Debbie Klinect

#1 · March 12, 2004, 9:24 am

Quote from Forum Archives on March 12, 2004, 9:24 am
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

#7-3: Mother Care by Debbie Klinect

March 12, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Hope Chest friends,

As I mentioned in issue #7-2, my friend Debbie Klinect wrote these short articles on Mother Care for a local home school support group. Since they mesh so nicely with the article I just sent on Mother Culture, I am pleased to send them along to you. Thanks, Debbie!

~*~*~

Mother Care through Prayer

Every mother, whether she has only one child or a house busting with children, needs to have mother care. What is mother care? What I call mother care is exactly what it sounds like. It is taking care of mother. You spend your entire day giving to others. You take care of your husband, your children, your house, your church if you are committed to one, and to how many other things that you are a part of. Each mother NEEDS to take time for herself. If you dont, you will come to a place where you just dont think that you have anything else to give. And you are right. You wont have anything else to give because you havent refreshed and filled yourself back up in order to have anything to give. Ill be putting together ideas each month for you for your taking care of mother so that you are able to take care of the others in your life.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. I want to share with you ways that you can put God first and by doing so you are taking care of yourself. Emilie Barnes in her book, Things Happen When Women Care, starts her book off by putting God first. The chapter is entitled Caring for God and she writes in it about her prayer life. She has developed a notebook that she uses everyday and it helps remind her what to pray for. Here is a sample of how her notebook is put together:

Monday Family. Use this section for each family member that you are praying for. Write down the date, item praying for, result, date answered.

Tuesday Church. Pray for the different pastors and staff members of your church. You can also include prayer requests for your church denomination.

Wednesday Personal. Organization: meal planning, home, weaknesses becoming strengths, relationships, goal setting, and whatever else you want to add.

Thursday Finances. Home, children, credit cards, overextending, retirement, investments, major purchases, auto/home/furniture.

Friday Illness. Here you will list all those who need your prayers for their health.

Saturday/Sunday Government/Schools. President, state and city leaders, schools and colleges.

Sermon Notes/Outlines - Here youll keep your notes from Sunday services. You could also keep your notes here that you take while doing your personal devotions.

When you pray, something happens. You take your eyes off of you and your problems and when you have your eyes and thoughts on God, you cant help but be filled and then you are able to give to others. Dont let DAYS go by without getting filled up. You dont want to run dry!

Mother Care through Reading

A couple of years ago, a mom asked me what types of books I read. At the time I was homeschooling two in high school, one in junior high, and doing school with a very bright pre-schooler, with a baby on the way. I answered her that I only read what we were doing in school because it was all I could do to keep up with that. Later I was put in the path of Karen Andreola and her book, A Charlotte Mason Companion. In this book Karen has a section called Keep Three Books Going. That really challenged me and once I tried it, it amazed me to see that I could actually do this and that I was growing. Here is some of what she says. The habit of grown-ups reading living books and retaining the power to digest them will be lost if we refuse to give a little time to Mother Culture. A wise wife and mother, when asked how with her busy schedule and demands, managed to read so much gave this answer, Besides the Bible, I always kept three books going at once. I would always take up the one I felt fit for. Always have something going to grow by. One book would be on Christian doctrine. Another would be a biography to see the life of others who have gone before us with their struggles and life with God. The third would be a novel of some sort for pleasure, like Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. Karen ends this section with these words: We mothers will make trouble for ourselves later in life by shutting up our minds in the present. We should continually take our minds out of the laundry bag of domestic perplexities, and give it a fragrant soaping, a rainwater rinsing, and a sunny airing in that which keeps it growing. Mother Culture is living the educational life with our children by learning alongside of them. But it is also learning and contemplating off to the side. There are lists of great books out there. You can find suggested reading lists in books or online. Take time to exercise your gray matter and to grow. Expand your horizons. Talk to others about what they are reading and even see if you can borrow their books so that you dont have to put out a lot of money.

Mother Care through Time for Yourself

As I have said before, one of my favorite authors is Emilie Barnes. She has written some great books and I have enjoyed all of them. This month I want to share with you what she has to say on the topic of caring for yourself. In her book, Things Happen When Women Care, Emilie starts out her chapter on caring for yourself with this verse: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind You shall love your neighbor as yourself. How do you love yourself?

At the end of that chapter she shares these words: If we are to stay on top of the pile rather than under the pile we must take time to smell the roses and to sharpen the saws of our lives. As I speak in front of various groups, I find many women who are defeated and burned out from their roles in life. Many women express to me, If I only had time for myself, I would! Emilie then gives a list of things that we as women can do for ourselves. I am going to share just a couple of those things with you. Get a professional massage. Exercise regularly by walking or doing some sort of activity. Read a book on nutrition and begin to change your eating habits. Take a quiet bubble bath by candlelight. Listen to good music. Spend time alone. Write a letter to an old friend. List everything for which you are thankful. Have a good cry. Have breakfast or lunch with a friend. Spend a weekend with your husband in a quiet setting. Buy a bouquet of flowers. Serve a friend in need.

There are many activities and people that are begging for our time. You only have so much to give. Take some time for yourself and do something that is going to refresh you so that you can carry on in the calling that God has given to you. It is okay ladies, Jesus took time to be alone and to get refreshed, you can too.

Mother Care in the Summertime

The summer can be a time for great refreshing. Here are some ideas for you to do to refresh yourself.

If you are unable to spend any time alone, put on some praise or classical music, pour yourself a glass of iced tea and put the kids on the floor with some plain paper and some crayons. Open a book of great works of art and let them try to copy the scene they see.
See if you can barter babysitting time with a friend. Set up two days that the two of you are able to set aside for each other. One of you watch all the children while the other one goes and spends no more than three hours out by yourself or having lunch with your husband or another friend. On the second day that you have set aside, let the other of you watch the children.
Take this time off from school to spend time reading FUN books. Read something that you would not normally take the time to read. Show your children that summer reading is important to you and they will be encouraged to pick up a book. Maybe set up a book discussion group that either meets at a restaurant or do it in a chat session on the computer if you cant all get away at the same time.
Remember to take time to be outside to sit or walk and smell the roses so to speak. Gods creation is always a good thing for busy mothers.
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Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

#7-3: Mother Care by Debbie Klinect

March 12, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Hope Chest friends,

As I mentioned in issue #7-2, my friend Debbie Klinect wrote these short articles on Mother Care for a local home school support group. Since they mesh so nicely with the article I just sent on Mother Culture, I am pleased to send them along to you. Thanks, Debbie!

~*~*~

Mother Care through Prayer

Every mother, whether she has only one child or a house busting with children, needs to have mother care. What is mother care? What I call mother care is exactly what it sounds like. It is taking care of mother. You spend your entire day giving to others. You take care of your husband, your children, your house, your church if you are committed to one, and to how many other things that you are a part of. Each mother NEEDS to take time for herself. If you dont, you will come to a place where you just dont think that you have anything else to give. And you are right. You wont have anything else to give because you havent refreshed and filled yourself back up in order to have anything to give. Ill be putting together ideas each month for you for your taking care of mother so that you are able to take care of the others in your life.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. I want to share with you ways that you can put God first and by doing so you are taking care of yourself. Emilie Barnes in her book, Things Happen When Women Care, starts her book off by putting God first. The chapter is entitled Caring for God and she writes in it about her prayer life. She has developed a notebook that she uses everyday and it helps remind her what to pray for. Here is a sample of how her notebook is put together:

Monday Family. Use this section for each family member that you are praying for. Write down the date, item praying for, result, date answered.

Tuesday Church. Pray for the different pastors and staff members of your church. You can also include prayer requests for your church denomination.

Wednesday Personal. Organization: meal planning, home, weaknesses becoming strengths, relationships, goal setting, and whatever else you want to add.

Thursday Finances. Home, children, credit cards, overextending, retirement, investments, major purchases, auto/home/furniture.

Friday Illness. Here you will list all those who need your prayers for their health.

Saturday/Sunday Government/Schools. President, state and city leaders, schools and colleges.

Sermon Notes/Outlines - Here youll keep your notes from Sunday services. You could also keep your notes here that you take while doing your personal devotions.

When you pray, something happens. You take your eyes off of you and your problems and when you have your eyes and thoughts on God, you cant help but be filled and then you are able to give to others. Dont let DAYS go by without getting filled up. You dont want to run dry!

Mother Care through Reading

A couple of years ago, a mom asked me what types of books I read. At the time I was homeschooling two in high school, one in junior high, and doing school with a very bright pre-schooler, with a baby on the way. I answered her that I only read what we were doing in school because it was all I could do to keep up with that. Later I was put in the path of Karen Andreola and her book, A Charlotte Mason Companion. In this book Karen has a section called Keep Three Books Going. That really challenged me and once I tried it, it amazed me to see that I could actually do this and that I was growing. Here is some of what she says. The habit of grown-ups reading living books and retaining the power to digest them will be lost if we refuse to give a little time to Mother Culture. A wise wife and mother, when asked how with her busy schedule and demands, managed to read so much gave this answer, Besides the Bible, I always kept three books going at once. I would always take up the one I felt fit for. Always have something going to grow by. One book would be on Christian doctrine. Another would be a biography to see the life of others who have gone before us with their struggles and life with God. The third would be a novel of some sort for pleasure, like Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. Karen ends this section with these words: We mothers will make trouble for ourselves later in life by shutting up our minds in the present. We should continually take our minds out of the laundry bag of domestic perplexities, and give it a fragrant soaping, a rainwater rinsing, and a sunny airing in that which keeps it growing. Mother Culture is living the educational life with our children by learning alongside of them. But it is also learning and contemplating off to the side. There are lists of great books out there. You can find suggested reading lists in books or online. Take time to exercise your gray matter and to grow. Expand your horizons. Talk to others about what they are reading and even see if you can borrow their books so that you dont have to put out a lot of money.

Mother Care through Time for Yourself

As I have said before, one of my favorite authors is Emilie Barnes. She has written some great books and I have enjoyed all of them. This month I want to share with you what she has to say on the topic of caring for yourself. In her book, Things Happen When Women Care, Emilie starts out her chapter on caring for yourself with this verse: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind You shall love your neighbor as yourself. How do you love yourself?

At the end of that chapter she shares these words: If we are to stay on top of the pile rather than under the pile we must take time to smell the roses and to sharpen the saws of our lives. As I speak in front of various groups, I find many women who are defeated and burned out from their roles in life. Many women express to me, If I only had time for myself, I would! Emilie then gives a list of things that we as women can do for ourselves. I am going to share just a couple of those things with you. Get a professional massage. Exercise regularly by walking or doing some sort of activity. Read a book on nutrition and begin to change your eating habits. Take a quiet bubble bath by candlelight. Listen to good music. Spend time alone. Write a letter to an old friend. List everything for which you are thankful. Have a good cry. Have breakfast or lunch with a friend. Spend a weekend with your husband in a quiet setting. Buy a bouquet of flowers. Serve a friend in need.

There are many activities and people that are begging for our time. You only have so much to give. Take some time for yourself and do something that is going to refresh you so that you can carry on in the calling that God has given to you. It is okay ladies, Jesus took time to be alone and to get refreshed, you can too.

Mother Care in the Summertime

The summer can be a time for great refreshing. Here are some ideas for you to do to refresh yourself.

If you are unable to spend any time alone, put on some praise or classical music, pour yourself a glass of iced tea and put the kids on the floor with some plain paper and some crayons. Open a book of great works of art and let them try to copy the scene they see.
See if you can barter babysitting time with a friend. Set up two days that the two of you are able to set aside for each other. One of you watch all the children while the other one goes and spends no more than three hours out by yourself or having lunch with your husband or another friend. On the second day that you have set aside, let the other of you watch the children.
Take this time off from school to spend time reading FUN books. Read something that you would not normally take the time to read. Show your children that summer reading is important to you and they will be encouraged to pick up a book. Maybe set up a book discussion group that either meets at a restaurant or do it in a chat session on the computer if you cant all get away at the same time.
Remember to take time to be outside to sit or walk and smell the roses so to speak. Gods creation is always a good thing for busy mothers.

  --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]