An Open Letter to the size 2s in the dressing room beside me

Dear teenage girls in the dressing room beside me,

A few days ago, I had the rare opportunity to spend 30 minutes shopping for clothes BY MYSELF.  :)  As I looked through the racks of dresses for spring, I noticed the two of you pulling off clothes to take to the fitting room.  You seemed very stressed, which surprised me, given how many cute clothes were available on your rack.  [MY rack, however, was definitely NOT a size 2, and the cute clothes were in much shorter supply. ]  I got distracted by my own shopping and forgot about you for a few minutes.

However, a few minutes later as I was trying on clothes, I could hear the two of you talking in the dressing room beside me.  As I struggled to find something that would fit AT ALL, much less be modest, I could hear the two of you moaning and complaining about how "fat" you looked in the outfits you had chosen.  Amidst complaints of "this fat roll" showing or "my bottom looks huge," you both questioned whether or not "he" (whoever HE is) would like what you chose.   You tried valiantly to encourage each other as you tried on clothes, but it seemed to me that you couldn't see past the image in the mirror to who you really are.   At first I was slightly envious that you could fit in such a small size, while I struggled to find something in a size bigger than what I normally wear.  Then, I must confess that I was a little angry that you "dared" to complain when you obviously did not have "fat" issues like so many of us.  Just as quickly as those emotions came in to play, however, I was just sad.  Sad, and sorrowful for you.  

I debated about waiting for you when you came out and letting you know how beautiful you both are, but I decided that would seem totally creepy.  Especially in a discount clothing store.   I don't mean beautiful in how you look.  As a matter of fact, I don't even remember what color hair either of you has, how tall you are, or anything else about your physical appearance.   What I DO know, though, is that you were created in the image of God.  He loves you enough that He created you special and unique in His sight.   While He does want us to be humble, I believe He also wants us to see us as He does...a soul with great value to Him.  Your souls are so valuable to Him that His son DIED FOR YOU.  Too often we get way too caught up in what we look like (I'm talking to me here, too!!) on the outside and forget what REALLY matters!   I became aware that day that we all have "body" issues or "self-image" issues, despite our size, and I realized how effective this area is for the devil to reach us. As you complained about your non-existent fat rolls, I cringed. I, too, had been grumbling about the dresses I was trying on that day.   It made me angry that Satan has such a strong grip on women, especially young ones, in making them feel worthless, ugly, or "not good enough."  The truth is that, without God, we can never be "good enough."  However, with God, we are made perfect!  Complete!
As the two of you wondered what "he" would think about your outfits, I wondered what HE (God) thinks about my choice of clothing.  Not so much my "fashion sense" (or lack thereof), but what I choose to clothe myself in every day.   Am I making sure to clothe myself in righteousness?  Have I been washed clean and fully covered by the blood of Christ?   Do I strive to "fit" into worldly things, or do I look for a way to be a good fit in Christ's body?  How often do we care more about what people think than what God thinks?  Girls, let me tell you from experience, if "he" only likes you because of what you are wearing, he DOESN'T LIKE YOU.   He likes what he SEES of you, but not what is hidden in your heart and mind.  You don't need to impress someone who only notices the clothing (or lack of it!) on your body.  You don't need to impress someone who is counting your fat rolls or blemishes or whatever other things you see in the glass mirror of the dressing room.  We need most to "impress" the one who sees our hearts.    

I have prayed for you several times since that day in the dressing room.  I feel like I missed an opportunity to help and encourage someone, and I am hopeful that someone will remind you of your value to the One who created you.   I also have prayed that I will keep my "self-worth" and "self-image" in perspective and not get caught up in what size dress fits or the number on the scale or even how many gray hairs I have (by the way, it increases daily!).

Sincerely,

The not-size-2 in the room beside you  :)

How we Homeschool: Dinosaurs

In January we studied Dinosaurs.  Specifically, we talked about when they were created (day 6), how they lived at the same time as man, and some specifics about various types.   At the culmination of our unit, we visited a local dinosaur "park..." straight out of Jurassic Park!  We were the only ones there and never once saw an employee, but the bathroom even looked like the one in the movie, so I stayed far away from it!  Ha.

Our resources mostly came from Apologetics Press, and the kids loved reading Dinosaurs Unleashed and various Discovery Magazines dealing with the topics.  

We made salt dough fossils with some cheap plastic dinosaurs, as well as "wanted posters" for dinosaurs of their choosing.

Wall-building with Nehemiah

Our ladies just finished up the February study for Digging Deep, so here are the Nehemiah notes!  I didn't expect to learn as much as I did this month!!  I have a new level of respect for Nehemiah's tenacity in the face of persecution.

Digging Deep Feb. 2016- Nehemiah: Persecution of a Wall-builder

N-  Never compromised

E- Exhorted/Encouraged

H- Heartbroken over sin

E- Enemies mocked

M- Mind to work

I- Interceded with God

A- Artaxerxes’ cupbearer

H- Helped rebuild the wall

What should be our general responses to our enemies and persecution?

·         1 Pet 3:15 – always be ready to give a defense

·         Php 1:27-29 – let your conduct be worthy of gospel; stand fast

·         2 Cor 6:3 – give no offense that ministry not blamed

·         Gal 6:9 – let us not grow weary while doing good

·         Col 3:5-17,23 – whatever you do, do all in name of Jesus

·         1 Thess 4:11-12 – lead quiet life; walk properly;

·         1 Thess 5:15-22 – do not render evil for evil; rejoice always; pray w/o ceasing; abstain from evil; test all things; hold fast what is good

·         2 Tim 2:15 – study to show self approved

·         1 Cor 15:58 – be steadfast, immovable

·         2 Thess 3:13 – do not grow weary in doing good

·         Titus 2:1-15 – speak sound doctrine; be pattern of good works; “one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you”

·         2 Pet 2:9 – Lord knows how to deliver godly out of temptation

·         2 Tim 4:2 – be ready in season and out

·         1 Pet 5:8-9 – be sober, vigilant; resist; be steadfast; know others share sufferings

·         1 John 4:7 – love one another, for love is of God

Category of persecution	Nehemiah’s response	Our response
Reproach because the Lord’s kingdom looked bad	1:3 – great distress & reproach – Neh. Wept, prayed, mourned, and fasted 2:17 – saw city broken down & burned – “Come let us build the wall of Jerusalem 5:9- outcry from people – Neh confronted and chastised their sin; encouraged them to not be a reproach in the view of others	1 Cor 5:5 – deliver such a one to Satan 1 Cor 5:7 – purge out old leaven Eph 5:1-5 – let not be named among you
Mocking by enemies	2:19 – Sanballat “laughed at us and despised us” – Nehemiah answered “God will prosper us.” 4:1 – mocked – Nehemiah responds in 4:6 “So we built the wall.”	Matt 5:44 love enemies Luke 6:27-31 – love enemies Matt 7:12 golden rule 2 Tim 1:7-8,12 not ashamed Rom 1:16 not ashamed 1 Pet 2:21 Christ = example,     not revile or threaten Heb 10:32-36 –  cast not away confidence; know that you have a better reward 2Tim2:25 – in humility correct those in opposition
Category of persecution	Nehemiah’s response	Our response
Anger and Threats	4:1 – responded with prayer and hard work 4:7-9 – conspiracy; made our prayer and set a watch 4:16 – ½ worked and ½ stood guard; builders held hammer and sword – not intimidated 6:7 – when told matters would be reported to the king, Nehemiah responded with “you are making these up” and asked God for strength	Matt 5:38-42 – turn cheek, go 2nd mile, give cloak Matt 5:10 – Blessed are persecuted; kingdom of heaven 1 Cor 4:12 – being reviled, bless; being persecuted, endure Col 3:22-23 – do all as to Lord
Financial distress	2:17 – I told them of the hand of my God 5:1-13 – Nehemiah reproached the people	Matt 6 – do not worry Php 4:4-7 – be anxious for nothing James 4:13-17
Deceit	6:2 – sent messengers to them and told them	2 Jn 7, 8 – many deceivers; look to yourselves 2Cor 11:3,13- fear minds corrupted from simplicity; false apostles transform Gal 1:6-8 – do not turn to another gospel; let him be accursed Titus 1:10-16 rebuke, deny 2 Cor 13:5- examine, test selves Heb 13:9 – do not be carried about Eph 5:6 – let no one deceive you 1 Thess 5:21 – test all things Matthew 7:15 – 20 sheep’s clothing
Category of persecution	Nehemiah’s response	Our response
False accusation	6:5-9 – Nehemiah told them it was not true and asked God to strengthen them	Matthew 5:11- blessed when reviled; great is reward in heaven Luke 6:22-23 – blessed; reward in heaven
Treason	6:10-14 – Nehemiah realized trying to cause evil report and refused to flee 13:4 13:23-29 – Neh had the children of Israel end their mixed marriages and he prayed for them; cleansed them of everything pagan	1 Cor 6:7 – accept the wrong Eph 5:11 – no fellowship with darknewss 2 Tim 4:10, 14 – Demas; beware
Forsaking true doctrine from within	1:7- Neh admitted the people had acted corruptly and had not kept commandments; prayed for them 13:4-Tobiah allied with Eliashib – Neh threw out all that belonged to Tobiah; Neh cleansed rooms and made offerings 13:10-Levites not given their share; Neh contended with rulers and had them bring what they should 13:23- - had married foreign women 13:15 – selling on Sabbath – Neh warned them and confronted them (v 17) – Neh shut the gates	Matt 7:15-20- beware 1 Thess 5:21 – test all things 2Thess 3:6, 14, 15 – withdraw from disorderly 2Tim 2:15-18 – study so you know! 2Tim 3:1-14 – continue in what have learned Heb 3:12-13 – exhort & beware! Titus 3:10 – reject divisive
Category of persecution	Nehemiah’s response	Our response
Outsiders bringing temptation very close to God’s people	13:21 – sellers brought things in to sell on Sabbath; even when kicked out, slept around the walls; Neh sent them away and cleansed priests and sanctified Sabbath day	1 Cor 10:12-13 – remember way of escape; God will not tempt beyond what can bear 2 Cor 6:14 – not unequally yoked 1 Thess 5:22 – flee all appearance of evil 1 Tim 6:11 – “flee these things” James 1:12-16 – endure temptation, receive crown of life; not tempted by God James 4:7-10 – submit to God, resist devil, humble selves 2 Pet 2:9 – Lord knows how to deliver godly out of temptation

How we Homeschool: Dr. Seuss Day

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day, yesterday's school was centered around his books and characters.  Even though my kids are a little older than when schools would typically have a Dr. Seuss day, we had a blast making it a little "older."   It was a nice change to our routine, and yet we accomplished all of our basic subjects and still had some time at the end of the day for some free play with the "oobleck."  :)

We started the day with just some time for me to read aloud to them.  Even though they are getting older, they still LOVE to be read to, so I try to take advantage of that any time I can!  We are currently in the middle of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.   Edmund just wandered off to meet the White Witch!!

Next came an episode of "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That" on Netflix during breakfast.  It's a little young for them, but it reviewed some subjects we have learned this year and entertained the 21-month-old we were babysitting.

While the baby napped, we read several of Dr. Seuss' "lost" stories and compared them to the originals we had read before.  We also read Bartholomew and the Oobleck, which they had never seen.  After lunch, we made our OWN oobleck, and they were quite fascinated as they tried to decide whether it was a solid or liquid!  We made lists of why seemed more like a solid and why it seemed more like a liquid, and then read some explanations of it being a non-Newtonian fluid.  They played with it for over an hour and begged to continue when we finally had to stop!

I put together a packet of some Dr. Seuss word problems for math, and they giggled as they solved how many stars the Sneetches received, how much money it cost, and how many daisies Daisy Head Maisy would pick from her garden.

For spelling, we found a Dr. Seuss font/alphabet and printed several copies of it in color.  Then we cut out the letters and the kids would have to rearrange the letters to spell a word I called out.  We used their current spelling list, and they begged to keep going when we quit.

We didn't fit geography into Dr. Seuss, but tonight was our "Peru" meal, so we decided that was okay. :)

All in all, we had a great day, and the kids are hopefully refreshed and ready to get back to "normal" this morning!

Ebates, Rebates

I have recently jumped in to online rebates, shopping apps, etc. to earn some extra "free" money for my family...  So far I have earned over $100 just doing my normal shopping, so I wanted to share! The links below are my referral links to these sites or apps, so if you choose to click on them, I DO get a little bonus for referring you.   I am trying several others sites as well, but I don't want to recommend them until I have used them a little more to make sure they are worth the time and effort (and are legitimate!!).

Side note:  My husband and I have decided to use this as our "fun money."  We are on a VERY tight budget, so date night funds are rare.  These apps have allowed us to earn a little "free" money we can use for dates.  As a matter of fact, when I cash out what I have saved up right now, it will pay for a weekend trip we are taking on FRIDAY.

EBATES

The first program I started using is Ebates.   The premise is simple.   You shop online, and you get rewarded with cash back for your purchases!  The easiest way is to either shop through the app or to install the Ebates button on your toolbar so that it always alerts you to cash back!   Once a quarter you get a "big fat check" from Ebates with the money you earned in the previous 3 months. Most major online retailers participate, and they periodically run "double cash back" promotions, or "app-only" promotions, etc.   You can even get cash back on pictures ordered from Walgreens!!  To date, I have earned over $75 from this site alone, just by doing shopping online that I would have done anyway!!

Try it out for yourself!  Just click on my link first. :)  Ebates referral link

IBOTTA

This app is free and SO EASY to use.   You simply click on rebates available at the store where you shop, scan your receipt, and voila! You have instant rebates!  It only takes a few seconds.  A few stores (Food City is one) actually let you link your card to the app so that you don't even have to scan receipts.  One of my favorite things about it is that you can also get rebates on generic things like produce.  Several of their rebates are also "any brand" rebates, meaning that you can redeem them no matter which brand you prefer.  This is great for those of us whose budgets necessitate store brand purchases.   Most major retailers are on there.  You can also link up with your friends to create a "team" and work together to earn extra bonuses.   This app takes a little while for the savings to add up, but every little bit helps.  They have a decent referral program as well. If you use someone's link, you both get bonus $.  There is a minimum amount before you can "cash out" (I want to say $20 or $25?)

Try it out for yourself!  My referral code is : xikbwdy

WALMART SAVINGS CATCHER

If you shop at Walmart, this one is a no-brainer.   You simply download the app (or you can go online and enter your information), scan your receipt within 7 days, and Walmart price-matches anything you have purchased with other retailers around you.   It's like their price matching at the register, but you don't have to hunt for deals!  It is super easy, and I rarely submit a receipt that I don't get a few cents.  

CHECKOUT 51

Either I haven't used this app enough, or my grocery habits aren't quite what it is designed for, but it does seem easy to use!  They offer rebates on just a few items at a time, but they often have produce on there!  

I am trying a few other apps to see how they are any good.  If they are, I will post soon!