2010 April

The Unveiling of My Brand New Website!

April 30, 2010 by Courtney 8 Comments

I am beyond excited to unveil this brand new website that has been made especially for the Good Morning Girls Groups!

If you are struggling with your quiet times this site is for you! And if you already have a Good Morning Girls group (last session we had nearly 50 groups – woohoo!!) – head over to the site and sign your group up for the 2010 Spring/Summer session!

In the coming months, I will be adding resources to encourage you in your walk with the King!

There’s a video blog waiting to welcome you – and if I could, I’d welcome you with a big hug and serve you some cookies and lemonade! So grab a drink and head on over to GoodMorningGirls.Org I am praying God does a mighty work in your life!

Walk with the King!

*I want to say a special thank you to my dear friend Angela who has worked so hard on this site. And thank you also to her husband for sharing her with me! You guys are a blessing!

Filed Under: Good Morning Girls

The Winners of Seeds Family Worship ARE…

April 30, 2010 by Courtney 2 Comments

The winners of the Seeds Family Worship CD’s ARE…

Melanie (Signed Soli Deo Gloria!)
Shannon @ shannonleibold.wordpress.com
Katy @Country Blossom
Melissa Land
Larissa!

Please email me ( courtney(at)womenlivingwell(dot)org )with your home address and I’ll put these in the mail to you!! You are going to LOVE them! Enjoy!

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Giveaways

Teaching Our Children to Do Chores

April 29, 2010 by Courtney 18 Comments

I was at my friend Jen’s home, when I caught sight of this gem box! I had to take a photo and share it with you!!!

In our home we use chore packs which I blogged about earlier. I copied this method from the Duggar’s Show (the Duggar’s use the Maxwell’s system from Managers of Their Chores).

But in my friend Jen’s home, they are using the gem method! Here’s the box she has made of gems and this is how it works:

Each time she sees something that needs to be done – she asks one of her girls to please do the task. When they are finished she has them take a gem out of the box and drop it into their own cup. If it was a minor task she has them get a 10 cent gem. If it was a major task they pick a 50 cent gem. At the end of the week, she tallies up the gems total value and gives the children their allowance and then they start over fresh the next week.

If I remember correctly, she also awards them with gems for other good deeds that may go unnoticed. If they help without asking she would award them with a gem. This is a simple method for someone who has groan to loathe charts (I loathe charts because I am terribly inconsistent with them!)

As I walked through Jen’s kitchen I saw another interesting system on the window sill! These cups sat there:
I again inquired about her cups and she shared how she moves the marbles from cup to cup based on good and bad behavior. This visual reminder that mommy is watching and daddy can see how the day went is an incentive to do what is right and gain praise rather than do the things that make mommy and daddy sad.

Mrs. Joseph Wood (a blogging mommy of 10!) speaks about chores over at A Moment with MOM and she says:

From the moment my children are born we teach them that they have a vital role in the family. Our family can not do all that God has planned for us if we do not all work together in harmony. We continually express the Biblical directive to serve others, esteem others, and to lay down our lives for one another. My husband and I have had to be the first example of this type of love and service. We were created to serve for His Glory and we are honored to do so!

In fact in my home, there is no greater honor to strive for than to be called, A Servant of Christ. That is the highest honor that we can attain! Therefore, we must learn to crucify our selfish desires and lay down our lives daily for each other… starting right here in our home!

Don’t fool yourself in thinking that your child can be so good and serve so well in public but is quite the opposite in your home. Sometimes you will see this type of “eye service” in children but that is the not the heart work that God desires. If a child truly has a heart of service they will be serving at home first and then in their church, community and the world. If they can not serve in the home then all they do in the public eye is of little worth.

Take the time today to “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” Proverbs 22:6.

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Homemaking, Parenting, Pleasing God

Pursuing Excellence

April 28, 2010 by Courtney 11 Comments

Word Filled Wednesday: Proverbs 31:24 “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.”

Is anyone else overwhelmed by the Proverbs 31 woman yet? Let me be completely honest – I am! Over the past 16 week series, we’ve watched her be a jewel to her husband, children, servants and even the poor. We’ve watched her rise early, stay up late, plant a vineyard, sew her own clothes, her family’s clothing, the tapestries and beddings! And now we see that the Proverbs 31 woman knows she is capable of more and she does more! The cherry on top of all of this woman’s work is excellence!

The lesson in Proverbs 31:24 is she is willing to use her talents to add to her family’s finances BUT she does not sacrifice the family pursuing them.

The Proverbs 31 woman doesn’t just make linen – she makes “fine” linen. She applies excellence to her work. Excellence is not perfection but rather offering quality work. And as a result – her product was in demand by the merchants. The merchants were most likely from Canaan and Egypt and most likely wealthy. So she could interact with people from all walks of life from the poor to the wealthy and she did it with excellence.

The Proverbs 31 woman’s family, the merchants and the poor benefited from the Proverbs 31 woman’s diligence in her home business. As you ponder this verse ask yourself:

1. What are my talents?

2. During this season of life, if I use my talents to benefit my family financially will I be sacrificing in other priority areas?

3. If the answer to number 2 is no, then am I performing my talent with excellence? In what ways could I be better trained or put more time into becoming excellent at what I do?

For some, this is not the season of life to pursue your talents to be used outside of the home. For others, now is the time to spread your wings and use your talents in a new arena. The lesson in Proverbs 31:24 is: she is willing to use her talents to add to her family’s finances BUT she does not sacrifice the family pursuing them. Seek God and your husband’s wisdom in this decision making process and then whatever you do – do it with excellence like the Proverbs 31 woman!

Walk with the King!