Category: Motherhood

Motherhood

Eight Years

momsenseblogs

 

57C49993-2D63-490D-9BB0-4D932103E39B.pngToday marks a special anniversary in our family. Eight years ago today, just six weeks after we received two sweet little boys into our home, they had their first play date with their baby sister. They had never spent the day together, as they had been in different foster homes in different cities. In the past, the two boys had occasion to spend time together and knew each other well enough to know they were brothers. But this baby sister was a whole new idea to them. By this time they were quite comfortable in our house, and they were very excited to meet this little girl.

I remember that day so well. We loaded the two younger ones into the stroller and walked several blocks to the park where we played on the equipment and the swings. I took turns pushing the two-year-old and the one-year-old. The boys were rambunctious as always, but this sweet little girl was as quiet as could be. I captured this picture on the couch during a lulll in their playtime.

It was only a matter of weeks until this little angel was also residing in our home. This quiet little baby has become one of the most outgoing little girls I have ever seen. She is loved by many. And those boys…they continue to grow and transform, and never cease to amaze me.

What a beautiful thing adoption is. What an awesome opportunity to share the love of Jesus. What an incredible way to live out our lives. I am forever grateful…to God for bringing them to us, and to them for loving us with all their hearts. Eight years have passed but we look forward to a lifetime of fun and laughter, cuddles and hugs, tickles and giggles, and growing up together.
#adoptionrocks #mykids #love #family

Motherhood

Baby Rodriguez Series: Sharing the Happy News

momsenseblogs

Today we are continuing with Alison’s journey through infertility…

Slightly Outnumbered

Baby Rodriguez LogoAfter I found out I was pregnant in late April 2017, I wanted to tell everyone right away! I read a blog from a couple who suffered multiple miscarriages, and they told extended family immediately after finding out they were pregnant. Their philosophy was that they didn’t know God’s plan for each of their babies, and wanted to celebrate their life every day possible. That stuck with me so strongly. Now having had a miscarriage myself, that will also be my philosophy if God blesses us with another baby.

We wanted to tell as many of our family and friends as we could in person. They had all come alongside us in our infertility journey… praying for us, crying with us, and giving lots of hugs and advice. We wanted to see their reaction and enjoy this with them.

Nine short days after finding out we were going to be…

View original post 1,015 more words

Motherhood

What Kind of Child Will This Be?

momsenseblogs

0FEC0320-7DCD-4680-9A71-5AB5200729FE.png

And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with them. (Luke 1:66)

We are familiar with the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was to give birth in her later years. When the angel Gabriel told Zacharias this, he was quite doubtful due to his and his wife’s advanced age. Because of his doubt, he was struck mute. We also know that when Mary, pregnant with the Christ child, went to visit Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby jumped within her womb at hearing Mary’s voice. This unborn child was already so special…already so in tune with the other unborn baby who would became King of Kings. After his birth, at his circumcision, there was much fuss about what name this new child should have. But Zacharias, being obedient to what the angel had spoken, announced that his name would be John. His voice was immediately returned to him after this proclamation, which made all those around him stand in awe. What kind of child will this be? That was the question on all their minds that day so long ago.

We are no different. Our baby is born, we look at him (or her) in amazement and pure love, and we wonder…what kind of child will this be? Will my child be like me, or his father? Will he have my eyes? Will she have my smile? Will he love sports or will she love to dance? Will he grow up to be an astronaut or will she grow up to be President? So many questions, so many things to ponder.

The truth is…God already knows what His will for our child’s life is. He knows everything about that child, down to the number of hairs on her head. He has great plans to prosper him and to give her a hope and a future. His plans for our child are far greater than anything we could ever imagine. Opportunities are limitless when they are guided by our God.

Perhaps we should stare down at our newborn and wonder not what type of job they will have or what hobbies they will enjoy. Perhaps we should set our focus on this:

What kind of child will this be? Will he love Jesus with his whole heart? Will she be obedient to God’s word? Will he impact this world for the gospel in ways big or small? Will she be a light that shines love, grace, and compassion to those around her? Am I ready and equipped to guide this child to the cross? Am I ready to hand this precious baby over to God and let Him be the ruler of her life?

Only God knows exactly what kind of child this will be. He knows that our mama hearts want only the best for our children, no matter what age they are. When we trust in Him, when we pray daily and lift our children to Him, He takes those children and those prayers and He does His marvelous works. And as we nurture them in the things of God, and as we watch them grow and mature, we see just what kind of child (and adult) they are. Then, just like Zacharias , we lift our voices in praise.

Motherhood, Uncategorized

We Are Better Together!

momsenseblogs

C1EF3769-5536-4B6C-86A2-8589CCD4E325.png

Hi Mom-Sense followers!  I pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for.  My family enjoyed a day of serving the community, followed by a family celebration on Friday.  We topped it off with a camping trip to the desert which seems to be becoming a tradition as some of my children get into adulthood.

As I sit here around the fire with my babies gathered around me, my heart is thankful for family.  I am so grateful for the joy and privilege of being their mama!  There are so many joys to motherhood, and there are also times of fear, pain, and uncertainty.  That’s why I feel that Mom-Sense is so important.  We can all use a little encouragement at times, right?  We all have funny moments, scary moments, tense moments, joy-filled moments, and moments of uncertainty that we can share, right?

My hope has been to create a place where we can share, encourage, acknowledge, and pray for one another.  That is done on the blog and also in our Facebook group. If you haven’t joined our Facebook group or if you haven’t subscribed to my blog, I invite you to do so today.  The Facebook group is Mom-Sense and the blog is https://momsense.blog/.  I welcome your questions, your stories, your moments of triumph, and your requests for prayer.  Let’s join forces as mamas and keep each other encouraged and uplifted on what is the greatest of all journeys!

Many blessings to you all!

Betty Predmore

 

Motherhood

Service Starts at Home

momsenseblogs

382A3DC2-2235-48B7-AA03-D41A52920AD9.png

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity (Titus 2:7)

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find myself acting like a complete jerk in front of my children. I lose my patience, get frustrated, or just get stressed out and they are the ones who pay the price. Isn’t it amazing how we can give so much to others, but when we get home we have nothing left to give some days?

The Lord has really been speaking to me in this area. Who is my most important ministry? Who are the special ones He chose specifically for me? Who does He call me to be a mama to? THOSE are the ones who deserve my best. THOSE are the ones who need to see me walking with dignity and integrity, demonstrating the gospel with my words and actions.

Our children need to see us loving Jesus. They need to see us living that out in our homes and in our workplaces, with our friends and families. Our little ones (and even our big ones) need to see us extend a hand to those in need, share a smile and a kind word with someone who needs encouragement, shake a hand or give a hug to someone who needs reassurance. They need to see the love of Jesus flowing from us. That love will radiate from us to our children, covering them with comfort, reassurance, and peace.

They also need to see us doing good works. Do you involve your children in outreach and service? Are you cultivating a servant’s heart within them? With seven kids, I can honestly say that some of them have more of a servant’s heart than others. But they have ALL had service demonstrated in their lives. They have all watched me serve countless times, and I have stressed the importance of being the hands and feet of Jesus to them. My 10- year-old blesses my heart with his huge heart to serve others. He will find the scruffiest homeless person and shake their hand. He will serve in a food assembly line with great joy. He is…to put it simply…a servant of Christ. My heart just can’t wait to see how he uses this in his adult life. I know God has amazing plans for this sweet little boy.

Oh, how thankful I am for my family. How grateful I am to be able to help lead them to Jesus. What a beautiful treasure it is to mold and shape their little hearts to be like Christ.

Thank you Lord for trusting me to do this job. Thank you for guiding me and showing me that my family is my first and most important ministry. Help me, Lord, to make a true and genuine effort to give my best to my most precious. And my Lord, help me to not give in when Satan calls me to act in frustration and impatience, but to seek your calmness and peace when dealing with the ones I love so dearly. Amen.

Motherhood

A Gift and a Challenge

momsenseblogs

392F3CA8-D334-42BB-A8AF-F29D955472E7.png

And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” (Hebrews 2:13)

As I ponder what my mama heart is thankful for today, I am thankful for the children He chose to give me. Think about it for a moment…God picked YOU specifically for the children you have. He knew YOU would be the one He could entrust to guide them, teach them, and love them. He knew YOU would lead them towards His light and His love.

Most of you reading this today are probably grateful for the children you gave birth to. You can probably still remember the moment each of them was born. I can remember those special details from the births of all four of my children. But I also very specifically can recall the moment I first laid eyes on the three that God brought me through adoption. The three children that God gave me as an extra special gift. He chose ME to be their mother. What a blessing that is!

I do not pretend to be close to knowing all there is to know about raising children. I do not try to trick anyone into believing that I have it “all going on” in the mothering department. But what I DO know is that I trust my God. I believe in Him. I want to be obedient to Him. I am very grateful for the gifts I have been given. I have been given so much. I have had the opportunity to learn many life lessons. I think one of the most important things I have learned is that family is not always defined by shared bloodlines. In our home, it is more defined by a deep sense of love and respect, tons of laughter, many tears, and a fierce sense of protection. Family is those who will hold you when you are scared, cry with you when your heart is broken, and laugh at the jokes that aren’t funny. Family is unending patience and much forgiveness. It is praying together and staying together. In this house, family is a blended bunch of craziness that comes together to create something awesome…something only God could assemble together and make it work.

Yes, I was chosen to be mama to this rowdy brood. It is my greatest gift and often my biggest challenge. My family may not, and probably doesn’t, look like yours. But that’s okay. God chose YOU to be mama to the special ones He knew would make your life complete. Take a moment…ponder the gift of motherhood…let gratitude and thankfulness sink into your soul. Then close your eyes and whisper a soft thank you to your Father in heaven, who knows you so well, and knows just who you need to make up your family.

Motherhood

You Can Do It: A Day in the Life of a Mommy Living Without her Baby

momsenseblogs

Slightly Outnumbered

I live for days like yesterday.

Early mornings spent packing ice chests and loading the trailer. Stopping halfway to gas up the quads. Feeling the biggest smile come to life as our Jeep crosses pavement to dirt. Jumping out of the car and taking a deep breath. Feeling the sun warm every inch of your body. Looking out to see miles of dirt, bushes, trees, and mountains.

The desert!

My husband and I share a love for the desert, and all things desert. We love camping, riding our quads, and taking out the Jeep. We love the desert silence that is only broken by the sound of dirt bikes and quads zipping around in the distance.

IMG_3452We were looking forward to yesterday. For the first time in a long time, both of our quads were working, and we were ready to ride together.

One of our favorite places to go…

View original post 1,033 more words

Motherhood

Pass It Down

momsenseblogs

CE3E53FE-9BDD-4E9F-905A-C5A69B35A2F5.png

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6)

I have discovered one of the most awesome things about having children…they grow up and give you grandchildren! I am finding my role as Grammie to be one of the sweetest, most precious things I have ever experienced.

You might still have youngsters and feel like this stage of your life is still a long way off. Let me assure you, the time goes so fast when we are raising our kids, and before you know it, they are grown and on their own. You are left standing there, befuddled and wondering where the time went. Did I teach them enough? Did I love them enough? Did I help them understand grace and compassion? Did I prepare them for this world? Did I guide them as close to the cross as I possibly could?

We do our best, then they are grown. And then we get the opportunity to share all our love, wisdom, and guidance with those darling little creatures called grandchildren. As our children move into adulthood, we have the opportunity to consider this… are my children proud of me? Not because of any accolades or wealth, not because of the ladder of success I might have climbed, but because of the human being I am. Do they take pride in my beliefs, my attitude, my ability to show grace and compassion, my unconditional love? Are they proud of the way I raised them and the home they came from? Most importantly, are they proud of how I represent my Savior?

Life is a multitude of opportunities…opportunities to make a difference in our homes with those who are most precious to us, opportunities to watch the generations of our family unfold and continue the traditions of love and honor that that our families can take pride in, and opportunities to continue to lead our family towards the light of Jesus. The greatest joy is to be able to take our love of the Lord and pass it down through the generations.

Father ~ thank you for the opportunity to experience the joy of being a mama, and thank you for the awesome privilege of being a grandmother. Help me to always make my children proud, and help me to always point them towards your loving arms, in Jesus’ name ~ Amen.

 

Motherhood

I Didn’t Lose You

momsenseblogs

Slightly Outnumbered

Not Lost

I’ve been so busy lately… busy with finalizing our adoption home study visits… busy with several 12+ hour days in the office… busy with several long weekends in the office… busy with special family guests at our house.

While all that busyness doesn’t keep me from thinking of our sweet angel baby, it does minimize the time I have to truly feel our baby’s absence. After a series of long days, I’m usually asleep within the hour after we’ve had dinner, which means I haven’t cried myself to sleep in a while. With so much going on at work, my mind is usually far ahead into my day on the commute into the office, which means I haven’t cried myself to work either. My husband is a few months into teaching, and much of our dinner conversation is brainstorming ideas to help Kid A do better in reading and Kid…

View original post 642 more words

Motherhood

Second Chances

momsenseblogs

image

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when. They are old they will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

One of the things we can be so very thankful for as mothers is that we get the privilege and opportunity to teach and train our children in the ways of the Lord. What a difference we can make in our families and communities! What a difference we can make for the Kingdom! God chooses each of us specifically for the children He brings into our lives.

For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised. (Genesis 18:19)

God promised Abraham descendants more numerous than the stars. We are those descendants. And as we parent our children, we continue to pass down the precepts of our Father. What an absolute honor to be chosen for a purpose such as this. How grateful we should be that God sees us as worthy of this calling.

God chose me to not only guide and teach my four biological children, but also three through adoption. They are extra special gifts to me because they are “second chance” kids. What do I mean when I say “second chance”? Obviously, they are getting a second chance with parents who can love and provide for them, who can nurture them, who can teach them about Jesus and his great love and sacrifice. But, I too, get a second chance. Like all mamas, I have made a lot of mistakes in my parenting. I have learned many lessons the hard way. But God is so good! He gives me a second chance to parent children, to utilize what I have learned along the way, and to make a lasting difference in their lives. Oh, what a blessing that is to this mama’s heart!

Guiding our children towards Jesus isn’t always an easy task. This world is a little crazy sometimes, and it is often difficult to find the ribbons of love flowing through the fabric of hatred. But if we look hard enough, we will find it. Then we can point our children towards the light of Jesus Christ. We can offer them the hope and promise that walking with him brings. We can share salvation with them and direct their eternity.

If you feel you have been failing in this area, don’t despair. God is a merciful God and He will give you more opportunities to be that lamp post for your children. He is a God of second chances…and for that I am very grateful.