Jill
-She has one day a week that's her cleaning day, helps her get it done with focus.
-She tries to have a special activity planned for her kids during dinner prep time to lessen her stress.
-One of her struggles is giving too many "just a minutes", she wants to make time for more focused time with the kids.
-They try to do devotions over meal times, she wants to be more intentional and consistent with this.
-Jill encouraged us to do what we need to do without guilt to get the rest/sleep that we need. Rested mom equals better mom.
VERSE: Colossians 3:12.
Karla
-She tries to get up before the kids for quiet times
-She has her kids have quiet times in their rooms each day, everyone benefits from quiet/alone time.
-They try to get out of the house as a family after dinner some nights for fresh air and some fresh perspective:).
-Some of Karla's struggles include letting go of her schedule to be more present with the kids and planning enough time for meals so everyone doesn't feel so rushed.
-Karla encouraged us to memorize verses together as a family, make a prayer jar where we can give prayers to the Lord and let go.
-She shared how her husband takes her kids for a bit in the evening so she can have some breath time.
-From Sally Clarkson in Mission of Motherhood-"Choosing to be a servant mother means willingly giving up myself, my expectations, and my time to the task of mothering and choosing to believe that doing so is the best use of my time at that moment."
-She shared how she shoots Aaron a text during the day asking him to pray for her in certain situations.
-Encouraged us that it's not about perfection, but about how we respond to struggle.
-Encouraged us to share the Gospel often with our kids, to pray for their salvation always.
-Toddler occupiers: run to the door and back, have them thread cherios on yarn.
-Time flies! Write memories down.
VERSES: Psalm 51:10, Proverbs 3, Isaiah 40:31
Katrina
-She tries to make the most of the time in the car with the kids to and from school, praise music, praying, talking.
-She encouraged us to be playful with our husbands in front of the kids.
-She confessed to struggling with laziness at times. She shared how her husband encourages her to make smaller to do lists so she feels like she really accomplishes them.
-Encouraged us that the kids won't remember if the house was clean, so spend quality time with them.
-She reminded us that we often compare our behind the scenes with others highlight reels (social media sets us up).
-Shared how they listen to VBS cds to get everyone's heart in the right place.
-Little prayers throughout the day go a long way.
-Keeps devotionals in the bathroom (get it when you can!).
VERSES: Isaiah 55:8-9, Colossians 3:23, Philippians 4:19
Creative Abiding:
-While washing dishes, rocking babies, driving.
-Praise music to start your day.
-Getting up before the kids, hard but worth it!
