My Ashton

It's Ashton's turn to travel with mom and get some attention. She deserves it and never demands it. She is my middle girl and is sandwiched between two strong personalities. Her quiet and cautious ways make many unaware of her deep thinking, artistic, yet comical personality! I always say let her get to know you over time, trust you and you will have an amazing friend for life.  

She is so great with words and expressing herself in art.  You must check out her blog www.sunshinelaine.com and you will be encouraged.  She also shares her talents and personality on www.YouTube.com/3sisterzinstyle and I find it interesting that the camera doesn't bother her. It's the best way to see what matters to her and a little idea of how she expresses herself. I have none of these abilities so I'm always amazed!

I have to work at getting inside her thoughts and heart. Her heart is so genuine and full of love. She has it hurt often by people that don't stop and realize the value of knowing her. I struggle watching it and pray for strength, peace and her heart. I can't change the world or people just help her love those that are hardest to love and grow as a person. 

She is dedicated to her Heavenly Father and loves Him so deeply for her age.  It shows me that praying for my children mattered and specific prayers even more.  I love hearing her thoughts after Biblestudy or in family conversations on what we are learning. 

She was my second girl, my second blessing and my second chance to figure out the mom thing.  Ashton, thank you sweet girl for being exactly who you are and forgiving my mistakes as a mom and in grammar(lol)!  Love you Ashy Bashy Boo!

the rock, the solid rock: My Victorie

the rock, the solid rock: My Victorie

My Victorie

It looks like my posts are going to be written on airplanes! Great time to reflect for me! These thoughts are going to be about my baby girl, Victorie!  Okay, she's not a baby but a teenager! She is my youngest and with each new season I have a bittersweet one since she is the last one.  

I hope you get to meet her someday, she has personality galore and is not afraid of people!  She came into this world ready to go and is always wondering what is next! The girl has no desire to be in the present time. I make her use that oil so I can handle all her ideas!  

She is a strong-willed child that does not understand the words 'no' or 'can't'!  I continue to learn each day how to parent and direct all that without ruining it! Biggest challenge I think for parents is seeing beyond and developing character in love.

She is traveling with me this time and sitting a few seats away, no problem for her since she got a window seat and a grandma by her!  I love knowing she will keep me organized, focused, happy and laughing! She will also keep me on track financially. LOL! 

I'm loving all her thoughts lately on kids and babysitting!  She is great with kids. It's interesting to hear her talk about enforcing rules and being firm when she made that the hardest as a little one. I guess I did something right.

She had also been key to our family eating really great lately. I've been preparing for this trip and not on top of meals.  She knows how to take charge and comes up with healthy and tasty meals!  I think my favorite this week was Paleo Scrambled Egg and Ham wraps.  I love doing nutrition lessons with her and both of us connecting the dots.  

Victorie fits perfectly the meaning of her name and is growing up so much right now, even faster I think being the youngest.  She has been joining me at Torah study and sharing her take aways. 

She has a great desire to learn, grow and connect to G-d! So amazing to me that she is only 13! I think at 45 I'm just starting to figure it all out!  

I'm so blessed and I hope you are also by reading about, knowing or meeting my beautiful Victorie! 

Airplanes and people and thoughts!

The dynamics of people are the best at the airport, boarding a plane, sitting next to strangers and especially exiting the plane! I always wish for people that will talk but it rarely happens! Sleep or headphones seem to prevail! This morning I even found sleep, rare for me! 

You see people in a hurry, working on laptops, reading, eating and mostly alone! We are all onsies on our way to our group. It's an odd feeling to be alone but yet surrounded by so many people. 

Do we follow such strict rules anywhere else in life? Pack luggage accordingly, take out liquids, stand in lines, put our arms over our head to be scanned, hope we don't have to check our carry on. It's amazing to stop and think that we just automatically do and never question it. It's the part of us that wants to follow when required.  What happens when it's time to exit the plane?   Lots of people ready to leave all at the same time and manners seem to get lost at our place of departure. I always wish for etiquette to prevail like it does at a golf range or library.

All kinds of people, old, young, tall, short, happy, unhappy, tired, creative looking, business looking and all going somewhere.  We all love the convenience of flying but do we all see the opportunities! I personally miss out much of the time being focused on feeling good and anxious. I can't read on planes so I watch people and wonder about their heart. I choose to start praying for all the people and their hearts. 

Today being September 11th makes me think about these people around me being the ones to help, protect, cling to and say goodbye with in tragedy.  It seems strange to think about but G-d made us that way and in times of need I think are true self and His love stand out most.  We really do care for others and desire connections, it's just easy to pretend for two hours we don't.

What do you think of when flying? Any tips on engaging people on airplanes?  Please share.

Thoughts as a mom lately!

So G-d has been prompting me to share my thoughts as a mom lately and what I have been learning.  My life has changed so much and yet it is the same in the ways that matter.  I love G-d more then ever, my husband, my children, my home and my season of life.  He has put me in Arizona and for that I am very thankful.  I don't know how to explain it but it is where I am meant to be and grow and expand.

My parenting has definitely taken a new direction with 4 teenagers in the house.  It is fun, crazy, busy, changing, full of conversation and going way too quickly.  It starts out so simple and then it just goes speeding by you and only because I pray do I make any sense of it and feel at peace in the middle of all the changes and hormones.

Prayer is the tool and reading G-d's word that has equipped me for each and every stage of this journey as a mom.  It is the only way I remove fear, anxiety, crabbiness, distractions and lonliness.  Those feelings completely overwhelm me at times.  They take over when I'm not hiding G-d's word in my heart and trusting Him with all of it.

Prayer is simple and yet so difficult.  It's talking to my best friend and its safe, freeing and also very convicting.  I realize so many things when I let Him speak to my heart and my mind.  I am a prayer journaler so I have for years kept journals of my prayers to G-d.  If you ever want to know the real and raw me that would be the source and some of my most intimate and desperate thoughts and emotions.  I need to do it that way, see it on paper, stay focused and not think a zillion things and try to pray, remind myself, go back and see where I have come from and how He has answered and just write a letter from my heart.

Update to this post:  I have 3 teenagers in the house and 1 away in college.  I was asked by many if I was sad or doing okay with her leaving home.  Honestly, I was so excited for her I could not begin to be sad.  I miss seeing her daily and her contribution to our home but this season is so amazing for her I would never want to take away from it by focusing on me.  I raised her to be independent, self sufficient and ready for learning and opportunities so she will do great.  Her siblings have had a bit of a tougher time without her but are adjusting and reconfiguring their relationships and roles in our home.  My prayers for my children will not change and my trust that He has them covered and protected remains the same.

If you need a good resource to help you with praying for your children I recommend "Praying the Scriptures for your Children" by Jodie Berndt and also "Praying the Scriptures for your Teenagers" also by Jodie Berndt.  The chapter on Teens Driving was a huge blessing and much needed.  I always joked I'd rather potty train 50 more kids then teach my kids to drive.  So far, we've made it thru two and two more to go and I think those that work in the student driving industry are pretty crazy and amazing!

Comment if you have other resources you recommend or areas of life not at peace so I can pray for you friends!

Today I chose the wrong language!

I have had a series of opportunities lately to learn and grow in my understanding of G-d, conscious language, thought, communication, dreams, connection, friendship and more.  It never seems to come from one place when G-d decides to guide and challenge me, usually everywhere I look!  I've always found in my walk that I don't get to experience a lot of naiveness but always fully aware and challenged.  I will admit that half the time I'm good with it and the other half I'm stubborn, irritated, not willing and try to ignore G-d and all the "awareness" He is giving me.

My big learning recently was the words I use such as I want, I hope, maybe, I want to have and upgrading to I can, I am, I will, I choose, I have, I love, I create, I enjoy.

Did you know we actually speak from our heart?  So what I'm learning is that I can't just say these words, I have to say them with my heart and believe them.  This quote really connected the dots for me "Your greatest weakness shall be your greatest strength!  I would not say something I didn't believe in.   Believe means Be Alive!"  Bob Stevens

I choose to allow myself to agree and love my words, not fix them.  I choose to not coach others words and let them discover in their own way and time.  I am renaming my world and reversing my patterns as I realize those words impacted my heart and thoughts.  Heart already has pure speech I heard recently and that I give what I will receive.  I can use language that will bless others and myself.

The other opportunity that has connected more dots for me in this area is beginning to read the Torah the last three weeks.  I did not realize I could gain so much from Deuteronomy and have always skimmed it or avoided it.  My takeaway from last week was Deuteronomy 25:15 "A perfect and honest weight shall you have, a perfect and honest measure shall you have, so that your days shall be lengthened on the Land that HASHEM, your G-d gives you."  I pictured my words as my weight and measure and G-d abhors dishonesty.  My word is my authority and what is new and different for me is that I dream and speak of my dreams.

I have also been reading the book "Good to Great in G-d's Eyes" by Chip Ingram and just finished the chapter Dream Great Dreams.  I never have coincidence always lots and lots of "awareness"!  G-d speaks loud and clear to me when I choose to listen.  My takeaway from this chapter was Write it down, Read over my dreams regularly, Pray over them and Watch for G-d's intervention.  A quote from the book I want to share is this "To dream of doing great things for G-d's glory is a biblical goal, and being able to articulate the result we want to see keeps us focused on our priorities and helps us perceive through obstacles and difficulties."  Chip Ingram

So this week has been super amazing and also full of a crazy amount of deep thoughts, readjusting my mind, crazy dreaming, moods and overall the beginning of a new upgrade in my heart, words and mind.  Today I chose to fail miserably and wallow in I'm tired and I can't do it and the world is against me until my best friend and husband reminded me to just stop and be and not get ahead of myself or off course.  He is inspired, encouraged and also attracted to this new "Christie" language.  Putting all of this into words has been so helpful and brought so much of it together.  I will share more of my dreams in this blog and my journey to create and enjoy the life He has given me.

Feel free to ask questions and I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts on this reflection question from the Good to Great book.

How can you tell the difference between a self-inspired dream and a G-d-given one?  What would happen to each kind if you brought it to the cross?