Happy Homemaker Monday 3/7/2016

Happy_Homemaker_Monday

The weather…..

The weather is GORGEOUS.   I am sitting here at my desk looking at a sunny outside and thinking about a very VERY warm day in the 50’s almost unheard of for the first week of March in Upstate NY

Right now I am….

BLOGGING…LOL no actually Im listening to my son read his Health reader for school as I type.  In a short bit we will commence with the rest of our school day.

Thinking….

About all we need to accomplish this Spring.  There is a lot on our to-do list.

On my TV…..

Nothing.  I finished Fuller House on Saturday.   you can check my thoughts here I am totally going to take a break from TV.  I don’t watch much of it but I desperately need a break after that!

On the menu for this week….

Monday –  Pasta

Tuesday Hot Dogs and Mac and cheese (we are having a house full of munchkins)

Wednesday – soup in crockpot and Salad

Thursday –  Chicken sandwiches

Friday – hubby and I won’t be home  for dinner but I will have something super simple for the baby sitters

On my to do list….

~finish organizing the school room

~Craft room organized

~Finish organizing closet upstairs

~Kitchen cabinets cleaned out

~Garden decisions

Looking forward to this week..

The big banquet where I get to hear this really cute red-headed violin player…..I love hime So much!

Looking around the house….Generally pretty good but I have some spring cleaning to do for sure.  I think the carpets will get shampooed in the next week or so.

From the camera….

Rosie

On my prayer list…..

Unsaved friends and family

a funeral tied to our church this week.

my upcoming mentoring session this week.

kids in my house tomorrow night

my hubby and kiddos

Bible verse, Devotional….

As for me and My house we will serve the Lord  Joshua 24:15

This verse has been on my mind all weekend.   I plan on working through this concept with our kids over the coming year!

For More Happy Homemaker Monday posts Check out Diary of a Stay At Home Mom

Fuller House: A Promise Broken

Fuller House_

Fuller House is the 2016 reboot of acclaimed 80’s-90’s family TV show Full House and is based on the life of  DJ (Tanner) Fuller and her two “she-wolf” Clan members, Sister- Stephanie Tanner and life-longBFF-Kimmy Gibbler.  As a true 90’s kid I was giddy in anticipation over the return of such a classic CLEAN family TV show. especially since the breed has become virtually extinct since the 90’s.  I perhaps would not have been so giddy if I had not heard the interview with Candace Cameron Bure promising that the show had “THE SAME GREAT FAMILY VALUES” and that is exactly where it stayed. A promise…it’s a broken promise!!

Let’s Talk about the 90’s show for a minute…..(TRUE CONFESSION we own all 8 seasons on DVD and we allow our children…ALL OF THEM…to watch all 8 seasons freely.  the show is played out in such a way that they didn’t condone poor choices and unhealthy habits, so therefore it is easy to talk to our kids about the poor choices.

Alcohol is barely mentioned..an occasional reference to wine or champagne, and every once in a great while beer. AND you never saw them drink…ANY OF THEM.

NO references to drugs in positive light.

Except for the very first season, swearing was very minimal.

Marriage was held in high regard.

The kids were innocent and it was frowned upon for  young kids to make out.

Dancing wasn’t raunchy.

AND there was no general RAUNCHINESS.

Women weren’t pieces of meat to be pawed at, drooled over and treated as though they were only good for sleeping with, making out with, and obsessing over.

Now just to note Uncle Jesse fit the bill with a lot of the above but changed greatly at the entrance of Becky.  BUT I will say that uncle Jesse’s behavior was only alluded to and far less disgusting than the current lifestyle of Stephanie who is definitely a downright appalling version of Uncle J.

There’s a start.

So in the light of the above statements let’s talk 2016 reboot.

ALCOHOL.  There is a whole lot of drinking, being drunk, loosing self control while under the influence and we aren’t talking wine EITHER.  we are talking Hard stuff.  Tequila is mentioned A LOT!.   The especially disturbing part is the hard alcohol  in the midst of children’s parties.  There are 2 references. One at Ramona’s birthday party and another while Kimmy is setting up a party and she says, “it’s a kid’s party, of course there will be Booze”  There is some really intense making out, due to “having a few shots”…and really far more references and instances than the few I mentioned.  Almost every episode has some reference to alcohol and is a far cry from the original series.. (I would just like to point out that people in real life get arrested for the poor judgement of alcohol at kids parties) ARE WE FORGETTING HOW DJ AND STEPHANIES MOM WAS KILLED?  That’s right, a drunk driver!    Irresponsibly drinking.  Getting hammered while watching  your own kids let alone others children, it’s the very thing Danny protected his kids from…or at least tried to.

DRUGS.  There was one reference to drugs that really glorified them.  DJ was loopy after her first kiss with Matt and Stephanie asked her “You didn’t find my brownies did you?”  This is a clear reference to pot brownies.   And clearly they must have been in the house…with kids present…ALSO SOMETHING THAT GETS PARENTS ARRESTED EVERYDAY!

SWEARING- it’s prevalent and even comes out of the self proclaimed devout Christian’s mouth…. on MORE than one occasion.

MARRIAGE. there is a reference to Steve wanting to move in with DJ.  Kimmy divorces Fernando (because he cheats on her) just to accept his engagement proposal 30 seconds later (LITERALLY).  Kimmy was married to Fernando 4 months before Ramona was born.  Kimmy offers a special rate to moms who book bridal showers and baby showers within a year of each other. It doesn’t take long for DJ to recover from the loss of her husband before she is dating (AND MAKING OUT) with TWO guys, yep you read that right!!  Quite honestly there are far too many examples to keep going but you get the picture.

KIDS INNOCENCE:  Stephanie encourages kids at a thirteen year old’s birthday party to “pair up” when the power goes out.  with all the references to sex, well  I’m very afraid of what season two will look like.

RAUNCHY DANCING…. all I have to say is episode 3. 2 guys….2 Girls, One of them DJ…..even if it were guy and girl the Dancing was RAUNCHY and DISGUSTING!  we actually shut off this episode and from this point on previewed every episode.  In all honesty our kids watched 3 episodes and we wish we could pull them back.

GENERAL RAUNCHINESS… yeah at every turn there is inappropriate comments,  jokes, and  down right disgusting-ness.  The last episode Jesse refers to “giving himself the Becky Special” Ummm. ewww.  it’s laced throughout and almost every episode has something.

So there I’ve laid it out for you!   So let’s talk about the 2 elephants in the room.

  1. “same great family values”   WHAT VALUES!?!  There aren’t ANY!  At all, anywhere.  In the first episode Stephanie hands each of the two older boys a thumb drive with the “hottest dance music in Europe” to which DJ asks “there isn’t any drugs, sex or violence, is there? ” to which Stephanie quickly grabs the thumb drives out of their hands…..HOWEVER I find the hypocritical since sex is clearly a HUGE reference throughout the show AND apparently it’s ok to have pot brownies in the house…..with kids…..can you say DOUBLE STANDARD!?!  Just because it’s the same family, does not mean it has the same values!
  2. Candace Cameron Bure is an outspoken Christian…. quite honestly Im not quite sure how she could show her face on The View since the smut in her show is not any  different than the things she stands staunchly against in her world of unbelievers.  Let alone in church on Sunday.  How does she justify it all?  She has a platform… she has been given an amazing place to live out her faith, far greater than most of us will ever have.  I know that in the Christian blogging world she has a great many friends  and at most of her projects they sing her praises, however during this release they have been eerily quiet., but we as believers are supposed to hold each other accountable, so I am going to step out…..I will say it again.  THIS IS WRONG.  I could give you dozens of Bible verses to prove my point, HOWEVER I’m going to leave you with this one verse which I think stands alone in answering the questions of Christians in Hollywood:

Romans 12:2 New Living Translation
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

There is nothing that stands out different about her in this show.  NOT A THING.  If I didn’t know already what she professes, I would think she is just like everybody else.  As for the reference to “church clothes” in the last episode, it’s sad to say but my immediate thought was “oh they are Sunday Christians… they live like the devil all week long and look completely different on Sundays.”  I’m not quite sure how that fits int0  “be holy as I am holy” (Holy means be different or set apart from everything else).

I know the rest of the world is excited that Fuller House is all set for season 2, but in all honesty, we will get rid of Netflix at the end of this month, and when Fuller House returns…we will just ignore it and go on teaching our children, that to take the name of Christ is to be an image bearer……

1 Corinthians 10:31 New Living Translation
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Walk With Me Wednesday: Devotion

WalkWithMeWednesdayDepending on my phase in  my life, my devotions look very different. there have been many times where it has been minimal, and there have been times when it has been more in depth.  No matter what the circumstances are life needs to go on, and a very intregal part of my daily life.  It is a great influence of peace in my daily life.  So what are devotions?

So many people  look at it as a check list to be marked off as just a daily task.  We open our Bibles pick a passage sometimes blindly.  We think we are “good”and go about our day as if  God wasn’t even a part of our lives.  DEVOTIONS should be an outward sign of our obedience  to God’s word….you  know HIDING HIS WORD IN OUR HEARTS THAT WE MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST HIM!!!!  over and over and over again we are commanded to dwell on his word, hide His word< and on and on and on.  The question comes in “why are you doing what you are doing?”

Recognition?

to show love?

Tor grow?

to do the “right thing?

To do what good Christian boys and girls do?

To nurture our relationship with our  Loving Father in Heaven?

Some of those are great reasons, others, NOT SO MUCH!

Is there anything wrong with just reading a few verses a day ? how about reading the entire Bible in a week?  Again the  answer to these lie in the reasons and motives behind these decisions.  Only you can answer these for I do nt know the condition of your heart.

As a very busy pastors family certain seasons require a lot physically emaionally and spiritually here are a few ideas I have used to help me continue to grow in my daily relationship with my Heavenly Father

  1. Use any number of Bible studies
  2. write out passages of scripture or work on entire book.
  3. use the S.O.A.P. method
  4. use an inductive study methods
  5. read through the bible in a year…or two
  6. read a few verses at a time as you read through any given book of the Bible
  7. listen to the Bible while doing housework, driving in the car , exercising or anything thing else that is currently taking up time in your life

Needless to say the list can go an and on.  It may require some creativity at times.  The thing to keep in check though is your heart!  Constantly ask yourself ” why am I doing what I am doing?”

So as the weeks go on I am going to share with you what I am learning in my devotions.  Its good to share. Iron sharpens Iron.  we can encourage one another in our walks and when the going gets tough we can hold each other up,.  I look forward to journeying with you as we  Walk together!

SOOO what is your current  place in life? A busy mama with 4 kids under the age of five?  a Homeschooling mom? an empty nester? a single lady working her  way through college?   a working mom? .  No matter what your calling is this walk is for you!   And share with us what your favorite …or better yet current method of putting God’s word into yourself is?

I hope you have a blessed week!

Happy Homemaker Monday 2/29/2016

Let’s start off with a Big Ole’ HAPPY LEAP DAY!!!

What are you doing with you “extra”  24 Hours  today?

Me I’m Blogging…YAY!!!!!

It’s been a while…a rather long. Hard while, and while we are still feeling the effects of exhaustion stemming from a very traumatic event we are in a whole new normal and a very exciting time in our lives.

I know I have mentioned it briefly over the last year, but our story really is coming…I PROMISE!

So on with my Happy Homemaker post!!

On the weather front:   Rainy, wet, and very SPRING like…That’s saying a lot since we live in upstate NY (and  it’s FEBRUARY  29th)

On my bedside table: nothing really

On my TV: Fuller House (more  on my take on this later)

On the menu for tonight:Million Doller  Spaghetti Casserole found on this site here 

On the menu for this week:

Monday: Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole & Salad

Tuesday: Chili and Biscuits

Wednesday: Chicken Broccoli Rice Bake and Veggies

Thursday: Taco Salad

Friday: Meatball Subs

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: For the fellowship dinner cookies, for evening meal we will have something simple perhaps leftovers…if there are any !!

On my To Do List:

  • Cancel Netflix
  • Deep clean Kitchen cabinets
  • deep clean and re-organize the school room (did you catch that a hint of a new adventure)
  • craft room organized
  • kids clothes sorted and organized
  • Linen closet sorted organized and decluttered

There is a bunch more BUT this is plenty for the week!

New Recipe I tried last week:I didn’t.  last week was TOO crazy for new!

In the craft basket:  Home organization items, a bathrobe and a baby gift for a certain very anticipated niece and cousin!

Looking forward to:: Wednesday date night with my dear Husband !!

Homemaking Tip for this week: enjoy your space, make it  what you love.  OWN IT!

Favorite photo from last week:

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Lesson learned the past few days:  from yesterday actually I planned  a meal for 8 adults and 6 kids.  What I got was 8 adults and 9 kids….can you say 5 loaves and two fishes….everyone ate until they were filled! THEN THERE were leftovers!!

On my Prayer List:

  • 5 little girls
  • unsaved friends and family
  • a teen growing leaps and bounds in her faith with Jesus
  • a sick little boy in our house
  • my children
  • my husband

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses

Ephesian :4:1-6  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (NIV

For More Happy Homemaker Posts Check out: http://familycorner.blogspot.com

BOOK REVIEW: Stress and Peace by Stanley V. Johnson MBA

imageStress and Peace by Stanley V. Johnson MBA

Stress and Peace by Stanley Johnson is is a book based on how to deal with everyday stress and how to take those stresses and to achieve peace through them. The first three chapters of the book Mr. Johnson takes the time in each of those three chapters to:

  1. to define the purpose of Life
  2. Define Stress
  3. Define Peace

However this is a Christian book and Mr. Johnson quotes Hindu and Buddhist and Sikh writings along with Muslim and Jewish texts and a few other non-Christian writings. This is a problem because the Bible ris very clear about mixing faiths. If this is a Christian book it should be focused on what Bible says about stress and peace

The remaining of the chapters (and there’s a lot of them but they are relatively short) is based on life trials and the stresses that come into our lives along with the general parts of life as we grow and mature, Such as:

marriage

children

adolescence

end-of-life

growing older

financial

and various different areas of life

In all of these he talks about the Bible and he talks about an ideal. However we don’t live a life of ideals but that is what Mr. Johnson is communicating in his book. In this book the ongoing feeling is that this is a perfect world so you’re going to have stress. Stress isn’t in a perfect world but if you handle the way in which he tells you to your not going to have any stress. You could do all that he says, to make the stress easier or eliminate stress and still have some catastrophe that will create huge amounts of stress.

So then what do we do with this book? My review of this book is that I first of all didn’t Agree with the first three chapters. I think that if it’s a Christian book then those other religions have no part or weight in writing a Christ centered Bible based book. It’s like writinga Diet and exercise manual while citing a Paula Den CookBook for healthy eating ideas. It doesn’t affect me because I don’t read those books I don’t partake in those religions…they just plain and simple don’t apply to me and that’s fine. As I read the rest of the chapters I just quickly discovered that his ideas are good the principles are biblical. The things that he said are good but when you do the things that it says and things don’t turn out the way they “should” then what do we do when it doesn’t ?Mr. Johnson just doesn’t deal with that so I think that my review based on the first three chapters being 90% irrelevant to my walk as a follower of Jesus and the fact that his book talks about an ideal, I’m going to give it a two out of five stars and I can’t recommend this book only because I really didn’t Agree with it.

(WRITERS NOTE: I am NOT saying that the Bible is an ideal, the Bible never returns void and is good for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What i am saying is that the author does not provide adequate help for those who might follow his advice and things still don’t work the way they “should”)

I want to take this moment to think BookLook Bloggers for letting me review this book for free and without expectation of a positive review