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Being Intentional-2023 New Year’s Focus

Being Intentional-2023 New Year’s Focus

by | Jan 3, 2023 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

So it begins…

Hey there mommas! Welcome to 2023!

As I sat down to write my annual new year’s focus I couldn’t help but feel a little astonished that this is the 3rd year I am sharing it with the OBM readers. Where does the time go!

Let me just take a moment to say thank you to everyone who reads our posts, and thank you to the other blessed momma authors, Julia and Melinda, along with our extensive list of outstanding guest writers. What a blessing it is to be a part of something so encouraging and inspiring.

Give me focus!

As many of you know from reading my previous new year’s focus posts, I don’t do new year’s resolutions any more. Instead, my husband and I try to think and pray about one particular area or characteristic our family needs to add or improve in. Once that has been identified and decided, we strive to make all decisions for the year through the lens of, “Is this going to help or hinder us in accomplishing this goal?”. I have found this to be very helpful.

Moving on to this year, it has actually been very difficult to decide what our focus should be. We have been through, what feels like, an insanely difficult year. Really, I think it is actually a culmination of several rough years. Whatever the case, life as we knew it has changed drastically, and as with all things, good or bad, there is grief in change.

I have felt unable to even comprehend writing a new blog post for the past several months which has made me incredibly thankful for re-runs and my sweet sister and sister-in-law for filling in for me. I am truly One Blessed Momma!

Consider it pure joy.. when you face trials…

As with most trials we walk through, we come out stronger on the other side. God through his infinite wisdom and matchless grace can, and will, use every situation for good, if we love him. I have spent much time in self reflection over the past few months and have found that I have allowed many things, many good things, to become idols in my own life. First and foremost I have let pride become an idol.

Pride is never spoken of highly in scripture. I know this. I grew up knowing this and I certainly never made a conscious decision to serve pride. However, I made many small decisions that led me down that path. It was extremely hard and humbling to back that train back down the track, but it brought about so much peace in knowing that we are following God’s will and drawing closer to Him. Even when you can’t see where you’re stepping, if your eyes are on Him, you will always find solid ground.

I love the quote from holocaust survivor and globally acclaimed inspirational woman, Corrie ten Boom:

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Choosing our focus

With all that being said, I was really struggling with overwhelm and had begun a journey of simplifying our life by decluttering both physical things as well as our time. I cannot express the amount of stress that has been eliminated nor the amount of peace that has replaced it!

So when discussing with my husband what our family focus for 2023 should be, he suggested something along the lines of the decluttering journey we have started.

Being Intentional with our time, money and things is really what we have been working on. That just happens to include quite a bit of decluttering.

“Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor – it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.”

Effects of a decluttered life

When you free up space in your home, you have an easier task in keeping it clean. Which in turn frees up time.

When you free up time, by not only spending fewer hours being a “stuff manager”, but also by being intentional about what activities you choose to participate in, you are freeing up mental space.

When you free up mental space you can choose what you want to do with that space. One of my biggest goals was (and still is) to memorize more scripture and to help my kids to as well. I can also spend more time praying for myself, my husband, my children and friends.

Beyond those worthy goals, freeing up time and mental space gives you the ability to use and pursue the gifts and talents God has given you to serve His kingdom as well as time to ENJOY the life he has blessed you with!

Conclusion

So many times we as women wear “I’m so busy” as a badge of honor. We have been deceived ladies! It’s far more rewarding to care for the things God has put in our lives and not go looking for more.

As 2023 gets rolling, I pray that each and everyone of you sees the blessings you have and the blessing you are as you seek the truth in every aspect of your life and draw closer to the One who created you.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things

by | Oct 10, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Have you ever read the old testament accounts of the many times the children of Israel turned away from the One True God and started worshiping idols and false gods instead?

If you’re like me, this is so hard to understand after just reading the multitude of miraculous ways God has shown his provision for them. It’s pretty easy to think, “Wow, so glad I am not as short sighted as they were…” Until we remember that their story is a physical version of our spiritual lives.

I don’t know any christians who worship idols made of stone, wood or precious metals, and I have never met anyone who worshiped by sacrificing their childrens’ physical lives (Thankfully!). However, I have found myself guilty of worshiping idols that I create in my own life by prioritizing my time to those things. I also believe people figuratively sacrifice their children by the environments they put them in and the things they allow them to watch and listen to, but that’s a discussion for another day.

My Idols

The things in my life that I struggle with idolizing by giving a large part of my time to include, but are not limited to, perfection, production and comfort.

Comfort is something we all want, right? We like comfy clothes, comfy shoes, comfy chairs, comfy blankets. We even have our comfort foods! Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying a bowl of mac-n-cheese while sitting braless in your favorite sweatshirt and yoga pants in your treasured corner of your worn but oh-so-comfortable sofa. BUT, when we make being comfortable a priority that we are willing to sacrifice our spiritual growth for, we have made it an idol.

Another way I idolize comfort is by not wanting to get out of my “comfort zone”. Recently I have been inspired by several great examples of people doing hard things that were certainly not in their comfort zones.

Melannie

My first example is my mother-in-law. She recently went through a very hard and stressful move all while helping to care for her dad who’s health was failing. Watching her prioritize her parents over her own “comfort” by giving them all the time they needed and sacrificing her time to organize her move the way she wanted to. She truly showed how to honor your parents as an adult. Her dad passed away not long after she got moved into her new place and she handled all the emotions and hardships that losing a parent brings with so much grace! I know it wasn’t easy for her, but she leaned on the Lord and family to get through a really tough time. I’m so thankful for her example! 

Cole

My sons, Orren and Cole, both participated in 4-H this past year and showed animals in the county fair. My youngest son, Cole, is a little shy and really struggles with getting up in front of people. He also struggles with doing anything that he doesn’t think he will be perfect at (Yup! He’s definitely my son!). He has cried over one wrong letter in one word on a spelling test before. If he doesn’t think he will do well, he won’t even try. However, this year at the fair, he decided he would try showmanship with his goat. He had never done it. He had never even seen anyone do it, but he still got out there in the ring, in front of many, many people and he tried! He didn’t win any ribbons in showmanship but my heart couldn’t contain one more ounce of pride in my boy! He did something VERY hard for himself. He did a hard thing.

Orren

In contrast, my son Orren is extremely outgoing and willing to try just about anything. He puts his whole heart into his projects. Orren wanted to show a steer for his first year in 4-H. For any of you 4-Hers out there, you know that showing steers is hard. Especially with no experience in any animal showmanship. To top it off, the time he was supposed to be working with his steer, his daddy was dealing with serious health issues and I had a handful of surgeries that made it hard for either of us to help him. He watched YouTube videos and asked a lot of questions of people he knew had shown steers. He was out there almost every day working with Chester (his steer). Orren basically did everything on his own. After working super hard, Chester did not make weight at the fair which disqualified him from being sold at the big sale. Orren was very bummed but I watched my ten year old son take that disappointment and put it away. He still had to be at the fair all week and he still needed to show his steer in his weight class as well as showmanship.

Orren had never done showmanship at all but he had worked hard with his 900lb steer and went on to win fourth place overall in showmanship! That is a very impressive feat! He also won second place in his weight class. Another job well done.

As happy as I was that he had won a couple ribbons, I was more impressed that he had not let that disappointment overwhelm him. He had kept his head up and walked through the ring with confidence. Orren went on to secure a buyer for Chester and made a handsome profit. God is so good!

The lessons my boys learned while walking through their own individualized hard things are absolutely priceless!

My Journey

While watching all this family do hard things, I have been encouraged during a hard undertaking of my own. Through God’s grace and provision (Lots of provision!) I have been teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math at the private school my children attend. I have never taught math before and I never really considered myself a “math person”. This has absolutely been the most challenging thing I’ve ever taken on, but I’m doing it! I am so far outside my comfort zone I can’t even see it on the horizon anymore, but I have learned so many life lessons through walking out in faith.

God’s Call

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him. Where is he asking you to go? What is he asking you to do? Seek his will in all things. You will find your greatest fulfillment in serving his purpose for you.

Know what’s really cool? By denying ourselves comfort and seeking wholeheartedly after Jesus, we will find our greatest comfort of all. Peace.

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Be ready, and willing, to say, “Anything. Anywhere, Anytime.” to the one who made you and knows what’s best.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

by | Aug 9, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Summer time flies by SO fast!

Some places have already started school and others, like us, have a couple more weeks of summer freedom.

At my house we have mixed emotions about the upcoming start of school. My seven year old CAN”T WAIT to start second grade. While my 8 and 10 year olds feel differently.

No matter how you or your child feel about going back to school (or, for the homeschoolers out there, getting back to school) here are a few ideas to make it a little easier.

 

One

Take an inventory of backpacks, clothes, shoes and school supplies. You might have everything, or close to everything, you need already! I love “shopping” my house first. This year my boys needed shoes (I think they have grown a foot this summer!) and my daughter needed a new backpack. We had pretty much everything else.

TIP: Try checking discount stores for supplies to stay on budget!

Two

Do something special with each of your kids before school starts. This could be as simple as walking to the mailbox and asking one kiddo to walk with you. Ask them questions and truly listen to their answers. Most kids love talking about what is special to them. If time and money avail themselves, you could go out to lunch one-on-one or take your daughter to get her hair shampooed at a salon or a manicure and pedicure. Anything that helps show them you care what they think and are available to them.

Three

Amp up your prayers for them. Life is a spiritual battlefield and kids are under attack constantly! Pray protection around them as they go back to being around many other influences outside your home. I cannot stress this enough!

 

Four

Help them memorize scripture.
The Proverbs are a great place to find short, easy to memorize verses that are packed with practical wisdom. I also like to help my kids (and myself!) memorize scripture about God’s love and faithfulness like Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:16.

Other ideas: The fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22-23. Loving others- 1 John 4:20. Think on good things- Philippians 4:8. 1 Corinthians 2:5, 1 Corinthians 15:33.

When you help your child equip his mind with the power of God’s word you are helping him fight battles you may never even know about.

Five

Stay involved through the school year. Your kiddos need you-even if they think or act like they don’t. Write them notes to stick in their lunch bags. Make them their favorite meal. Do things that show that you know them and you love them.

I hope some of these ideas will help make your family’s transition back to school a little smoother. I would love to hear your ideas, too!

Download Free Printables

Memory verses for kids

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Helping Your Daughter Have a Positive Self Image

Helping Your Daughter Have a Positive Self Image

by | May 9, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

When you look at your daughter, what do you see?

I see three adorable little girls with perfect features, beautiful hair, gorgeous smiles and perfectly pudgy legs. I see three future young ladies. I see three future wives and mommas that will ROCK mom fashion-because mud boots go with everything, especially sparkly unicorn dresses.

I see three beautiful souls that the Lord loves more than I ever could, even though, right now, that feels impossible..

Now, look in the mirror. For reals, do it.

What do you see?

I see that pimple that has been hanging around for a week. I see stretch marks and saggy skin. I see pudgy legs-not perfectly so. I see a lack of abs and an excess of fat. I see plain brown hair. I see the gaps in my teeth. I see imperfection. I see ugly.

Unfortunately, all that negativity carries over into the words I say out loud about myself. This hit me like a ton of bricks last Saturday when I was having a “fat day”. You ever those days where you just feel, well, fat? Like more so than usual. I do!

Saturday was definitely one of those days. Every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I would shudder and say something negative.

Now, what made me realize this was affecting my kids was their instantaneous reactions to my comments..

Without thinking they would say, “Mom, you’re not fat!” , or, “You look good!”

Don’t get me wrong, I love that their sweet little hearts wanted me to feel better, but I started thinking if they are hearing me say negative things so often that they have memorized their replies, what kind of message am I sending them???

Answer: The WRONG one!

I see my little three year old, Rosie, talking to herself in the mirror as she brushes her hair. She is telling her reflection how beautiful she is. She looks right past the chocolate syrup on her face and the many uneven layers in her hair from all the haircuts her aspiring beautician sister has given her. She just sees beauty.

As I pondered that it brought me to tears thinking she would lose it. The thought of ANYONE telling her (or my other girls) that she is ugly, imperfect, too fat, too skinny, etc.. makes my heart ache! Realizing it would probably be herself saying it and me teaching her how to, was more than I could take.

Physical beauty is not to be our focus, but God made us beautifully in His image. So it is important.

Realizing God’s standards of beauty are NOT the same as this world’s standards is a good place to start.

Here are some ideas I have either done or plan to do to help my daughters keep their positive self image.

One

Help them memorize Proverbs 31:10-31. My now 5 year old, Rebekah Jewel, started memorizing this passage when she was three. I would make up hand motions to go along with each verse and she would master one verse at a time. It was surprising how fast she picked it up and even more surprising how many times since then she has referred to one of the characteristics of the virtuous woman (She used to say, nurtuous woman. So CUTE!). I highly recommend doing this with your girls. Don’t be afraid to start this young! My 1 year old loves to practice with us.

Two

Teach your daughters that true beauty is much deeper than looks. This goes along well with the Proverbs 31 memorization.

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but the woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Three

Most importantly, model a positive self image for them. A good friend of mine was telling me about an article on body image she  recently came across. The mom writing the article said she used to shy away from cameras, even when it was her kids that wanted the picture. She always had something negative to say about pictures of herself. She soon realized how detrimental that attitude was and determined to always be up for a picture-no matter if she felt beautiful or not. This mom took it a step further by making at least one positive remark about her appearance in each picture.

I can’t wait to try this!

Now I pray that as I look in the mirror I will see the 99% clear skin. I will see the belly skin that so incredibly stretched over each of my five babies as they grew. I will see the marks that stretching  left behind as a reminder of how blessed I am to have FIVE healthy babies! I will see two healthy, working legs that are perfectly squishy for little people to sit on as we read together. I will see a belly that housed and protected a growing human five times. I will see that the Lord has blessed us with plenty to eat. I will see shining brown hair that is starting to streak with silver. I will see healthy strong teeth the Lord has blessed me with. I will see perfect imperfection. I will see me.

Because when I look at those three little girls I see my daughters, and they are worth it.

Oh, daughter mine

my heart does pine

to think that you 

may just think, too

that you’re not enough

and on yourself be rough.

It breaks my heart

to know how smart

and truly beautiful you are

to see the hurt, the wounds, the scars.

But you don’t know!

Where did that innocence go?

You think you’re fat!

What’s up with that?

Our creator the Lord 

made you with His spoken word.

The value He placed on you

is high and right and true.

His love for you is so much

he sent his only begotten Son.

To live for you and then to die.

To raise again and ascend to the sky.

To work on mansions for you

so you can live with Him, too.

And so, my love, your value is great!

You’re beautiful. You’re loved, each and every trait.

Please recognize just who you are!

You are my bright and shining star!

So smile, my love, and get down on your knees.

To praise the Lord and thank Him for everything.

Your smile, you see

Is so beautiful to me.

When I see you, I think every time,

How blessed am I? Oh, daughter mine.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Learning To Let Go

Learning To Let Go

by | Apr 11, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

What a beautiful time of year we are in!

The month of April holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it my parents’ wedding anniversary month, April is also the month I met and began dating my husband (11 years ago) as well as the month my first-born son entered the world. Along with hosting the birthdays of 3 of the grandparents in my life.

April is a time of new beginnings. There is so much new life popping up every day! I think the grass grows greener over night and the trees are starting to put out leaf buds. The hope and excitement of a chance to start everything over can’t help but be felt.

For my little family this is truly a blessing as we have recently walked through some difficult times. Praise God for His provision, faithfulness and enduring love!

As I mentioned before, my oldest son’s birthday is this month, he is turning 10 years old! In honor of him hitting the double digits, I have chosen to write a little about him and my experience of parenting him through the early years and now learning to let go as we enter this new phase of life.

My husband and I had a whirlwind romance.For more details about our beautiful love story click here.
I can’t say we planned to have a kid nine months after marrying but, looking back now, I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Orren Maverick made his appearance on a cloudy Sunday evening. Weighing in at 9lbs 7oz, he was quite the chunk for a first baby! Right away we knew there was something special and different about our little bundle of joy. Even as a newborn he seemed to be able to understand what we were saying and doing on a higher level.
I always say, I was a baby raising a baby and we grew up together.

Suffice it to say, Orren is my little buddy. He is my right hand man and one of my biggest fans. I love all of my children equally but my relationship with him is different. I am truly so honored the Lord chose me to be his mother.

The past year or so, I have started to realize that we have moved out of the little kid phase and into a new, unexplored territory of starting to let go.

I know all you moms with teenagers and grown children are laughing at my mourning of this time as my oldest turns 10, but it starts somewhere, ya know?

The more independent he (and all my kids) grow, the more I feel that loss of control and loss of my child but I also feel like I am gaining a friend.

The scripture tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Our time with our littles is SO vital to their adult life. As they grow up it is no less important but we have to be adaptable as we ask for the Lord’s guidance in transitioning through adolescence and all that brings with it. We no longer pick out their clothes (even if we feel like we should at times). My kids are starting to cook a lot and they like to have a say in grocery shopping and meal planning. They now have projects, roles and responsibilities they have taken on in different parts of life.

One area that I have seen my 2 oldest grow in that makes me so very excited and thankful, is spiritually. My boys are starting to form their own study habits and prayer life. There is truly nothing that makes me happier than to see them embracing their own relationship with our Lord outside of mom and dad’s.

As I reflect on our parenting, I picked out a few ideas I felt were beneficial in the letting go process with our kids.

Give Them Responsibilities

This is easy to do on a farm because there are so many things to be done! Everything from gathering eggs to driving a tractor. However, for those who don’t have those options, housework is a great place to start.
When you give a child responsibility you help them to feel valued. They now see themselves as a very important and valuable member of the family.

Another thing we do is have each of our kids plan and prepare a meal each week. They absolutely LOVE this job. They learn so many valuable skills and have fun while serving others.

Have Fun!

Try to assign some responsibilities they can have fun with. We are all too aware that chores and housework are not always the most fun things to do. But most of us have certain tasks that are more enjoyable than others. Some things can even be downright fun! Well, kids are no different. I have one kiddo that loves to clean bathtubs and another that enjoys washing windows. I try to take that knowledge into consideration when assigning jobs.

 

Model and Provide Time

My final and most important point is to provide time for them to grow spiritually. When they are small that means you reading and praying together but as they mature that starts to look quite different. Allowing them to see you reading and studying as well as hear you praying is the best thing you can do.

Beyond that, carving out time for them to be able to cultivate their relationship with God by praying, journaling, studying and reading or listening to scripture is an awesome way to teach them the importance and the how-to of walking the Christian walk.

My parents have a saying that makes more and more sense the older I get. They would say a parents job is to work themselves out of a job. I know I am in the very beginning phase of learning to let go but I hope some of these ideas will be helpful to you as you strive to bring your children up in a godly manner.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family