Lazy Mornings

Sometimes I just need a reminder to get up and going. Particularly on Monday! I love the first line of this song "lazy mornings, they multiply". No kidding! So get up and moving on this fine Monday morning!

This band has been featured on our Christian radio station, but I don't think there's anything overly Christian about them. I do really like their style of music. The lyrics are meaningful and simple. I listen to it while running or on the elliptical because most songs on their new album The Reckoning have a really great beat!

Don't get me wrong, some mornings are just tough to get going. It takes me a few cups of coffee and a few repeats of this song just to start to function. I do think that if you start your day off with some good, inspiring music you can have a change of attitude that will carryover through your whole day.

Cleaning A Family Activity

Embarrassed to have people drop by your house unannounced? What would Jesus think if he came to your house? Are you taking care of the things God has provided for you? These thoughts had me thinking that I need a better plan to maintain my house with help from my family.

Okay, so my character might look a little sinister, but I really want to talk about this website called Chore Wars . I came across this site while looking for a way to keep motivated to clean. It's a website where you make your own characters, parties and adventures. You pick the adventures (where you clean), how many points, any treasures (you make up treasure names) and any monsters (you make up the monsters).  Wow!! Now I have a plan. My husband is an avid gamer and sci-fi lover. We rarely clean together or help each other clean. Bam! The light bulb came on. I immediately emailed my husband the site and set up our family an account.

Now instead of nagging each other do do chores, we are often "battling" over who gets the points for doing the dishes or making the bed. It has also helped me to stay focused because we added the adventures (cleaning areas) that we want to tackle every day or week. The best part is that my husband gets to see what I am doing throughout the day and I feel more appreciated.

CHAOS (click here to learn more)

Another website I really like is FlyLady. Her motto is really encouraging "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?" That was what really got me hooked on her "program". Baby steps and more baby steps. Let's be honest, with two young children there are days I do not have more than a few minutes to clean. I follow her "focus" on the days I have time (or remember). I've already seen results and I do not follow her list every day.

I have the flylady app on my smartphone, so I can plan my cleaning or quick check and see what she suggests for the day without having to go to my computer. I wish there was a phone app for Chore Wars. I think that would make it even easier to use. 

So between these two sites, I have been able to maintain a cleaner house, lessen the conflict with my husband and feel more "worth" in what I get done in a day. I can SEE the points I get for doing my chores every day! And I like to read the fun adventures when I encounter a "monster" while cleaning. This morning I chose the adventure "Evacuating the Kitty Krunchies" (cleaning the litter box). While doing that I encountered the monster Hairball of Horror. I ultimately defeated it and gained myself some experience points and gold coin. Not too bad for a few minutes of work.

Distracted

I have to admit I have been really distracted this week. My daughter had her second eye surgery last week, so I've been lacking sleep and a steady schedule. Praise God her recovery has started to go better. She had more pain this time, but the surgeon was pleased with how her eyes look so far.

I have also been distracted by our new kitty. Sophia had decided to name her Gumball and now likes to call her Shadow. I have never owned a cat before. To be honest, I never understood them and didn't like them. BUT I have come to love our kitty. She's very playful and full of love. Here she is in her favorite spot.

And here is our family project...building the cat condo. Kudos to my handy hubby for his craftmanship and design.

Book Review: The Messenger by Siri Mitchell

Rating: 4.5 of 5
Genre: Christian Fiction

I found this book listed as a limited time free kindle book on Gospel ebooks website.  (Thank you Lori for telling me about this free book resource.) I haven't read much Christian Historical Fiction, so I was excited to find this book.

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell is set during the American Revolutionary War. Jeremiah and Hannah are the main characters. Jeremiah was injured in a previous war and was unable to enlist in George Washington's army. Though he serves the Red Coats in his tavern, he is loyal to the Patriots. Hannah is a Quaker girl who was instructed by her Meeting to stay away from all aspects of the war and not to voice any political opinion at all.

This is my first read by Siri Mitchell and I think she chose an interesting way to write the book. She wrote the book from the viewpoint of two different characters and she used different language. The use of "thee" instead of other pronouns was a little tough to read in the beginning. I must admit, I put the book down for a few days because it started out slow and was a little difficult to read. BUT I really came to appreciate how Siri had very cleverly used older English in this book to bring on the feeling of a different era. I really like the way Siri had the separate characters flow together as she weaved the tale of living life in danger during the American Revolution.

There wasn't too much "Christianity" in this book besides Hannah's struggle with lying and a few bible passages that weren't actually quoted from the Bible.

There were a few times I didn't agree with the wording because I felt that the author went back to today's English, but overall I was impressed by Siri's story telling skills. In the end, I gave this book 4.5 stars because while it did have some stumbling blocks in the beginning, once I started about the third chapter, I couldn't put the book down.

Turmoil in the American Dream

Turmoil...confusion...inner conflict. I feel it. I feel it every time God presses on my heart to do something against the status quo...against the American Dream. More is better. Watch out for Number One. Super-size everything. What's a Christian to do in this materialistic society we live in?

I think that David Platt's book Radical has some answers. He asks if you would really "take up the cross" and follow Jesus. He goes into what that really means...what did it mean and biblical times and what does it mean today?

Growing up in the current climate here in the US might seem like the perfect place to spread the gospel. We have protection under free speech and little worry about any true dangerous persecution. BUT have we become complacent in our comfort?

I encourage you to read Radical and really think about how you live your life. I am only about 4 chapters into this book and it has really made me think about whether I am living a truly Christian life.

Here is a wonderful song to remind us what we should really be giving up to live in line with what God bids us do in the Bible. Sidewalk Prophets - You Can Have Me