Making Your Home Sing Monday - The LOVE Edition

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Today is Valentine's day. Now this is one of my favorite days of the year. Maybe because of all the hearts and flowers (I'm a sucker for romance).
Maybe it's because of the fact that it's right after my birthday.
Eh, who am I kidding? It's all about the CHOCOLATE!


Just kidding (sort of).


My husband doesn't like Valentine's day. He thinks it's a marketing ploy. And yes, it is, but it's FUN!
I think he just wants all the chocolate to himself.


But this year, Valentine's day hasn't been as big a deal. It really hasn't been on the top of my agenda.
You see, I love my husband every day, and I try to show him that - every day.
A touch, a whisper, a soft kiss on the cheek, a word, a hug, encouragement . . . ALL these things are important on an every day basis.


Proverbs 31:12 says:
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life


Now I know that they didn't have Valentine's Day in the time of Solomon, but this does NOT say "once a year" it says "ALL the days of her LIFE".


So, show your hubby some love!


Some of the fun ways to show your husband you love and appreciate him EVERY day:


♥ Get a bag of chocolate miniatures. Leave one on his pillow or in his car with a love note.
♥ Put some love songs on his MP3 player.
♥ Write a cheesy love poem on the bathroom mirror (with white-erase markers, of course)
♥ Hug him close, and whisper your devotion in his ear.
♥ Share a favorite bible verse or devotion with him.
♥ Massage his feet/shoulders/back.
♥ Get/make him a CD with some favorite songs from his childhood (if you know them) or some favorite songs of his now.
♥ Put the kids to bed early, and break out that fondue pot you've never used.
♥ Put the kids to bed early, and set the table with your nicest china, cook him his favorite meal and enjoy a candlelit dinner just for two.


For many of us, especially we Stay At Home Moms, our husbands work hard all day.
I hear so many women complaining about what their husband DOESN'T do -
they forget to be thankful for what their husband DOES do.
Remember, love is a two way street - you must give it in order to receive it.
And we must give it fully, wholly, and unconditionally.


Incidentally, for Valentine's Day this year The Hubbs is trying to find something non-food related to give me. He's trying to not be an enabler since I started Weight Watchers.
THAT in and of itself is an amazing Valentine's gift.
Of course, I DID remind him that sugar-free dark chocolate is a "power food" . . .


Have a blessed week!

God and Housework . . . ?

I went back to "Sink Reflections" last night, and read Marla's take on marriage. Then I read it again, to make sure I really understood the message. The jist of it is (what I get out of it anyway) is that we CAN do it all, we just have to stop thinking that everyone has to do "their fair share".  In other words - if it's not getting done, just do it yourself. I need to go back and re-read this message periodically.  I'm notorious for using the words "It's not MY mess" and "Well, if they're not going to clean, I'm not . . . ".  Of course, I've gotten much better about that over the past few months and realized that I can't EXPECT them to do it. No, it SHOULDN'T all be on my shoulders, but most days if I don't do it, it won't get done.

So, I need to take a deep breath and forget when DH forgets to take the trash out - just pack it up and take it myself.  And I need to forgive when DD doesn't clean her room - just grab a trash bag and get after it.  The point I'm trying to make is this - if you are a wife and mother, and especially if you are a stay at home mom, more falls on your shoulders.  That's just the way it is.

If you want to look at it from a biblical standpoint, Titus 2:4-5 says "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Proverbs 31 speaks of the Noble Wife throughout. Verse 13 says "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands". Proverbs 31:15 "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." And verse 17 "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." And 27 "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." The point I am trying to make here is that we should be looking at it all as a blessing to our families and to God.

It is for God that we wash the dishes.  It is for God that we make the beds.  It is for God that we vacuum, mop, scrub, wipe, and plan. It is for God that we raise our children. If we go through our days with God in our hearts and minds, then the "details" about who's doing the work (us) is forgotten.