Time To Say No

 

Dear Gail-Friends:

Nancy Campbell is a mentor to me and scores of other women.  This is her most recent email devotional.  It's so important.  Please share it.  She has given me permission to share her writings with others.  I recommend her website and her podcast.  I pray for her mantle to fall on each of us.  We were born for such a time as this - to stand strong against the evil one's plans to steal, kill, and destroy. 

June 02, 2022

Dear Gail, This is the latest Women's Devotional.

Time To Say No “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).

The devil wants our children. He will take the souls, minds, and hearts of our children if we let him. He wants to take them down his road of destruction. We cannot give him an inch, or he takes a mile. We must be fierce guarders! Because the devil hates everything that God loves and planned for His creation, he robs women of their God-given home and mothering by wooing them into their careers. He robs children of being raised in the home which is their inheritance. He robs families of children that God has eternally destined for them by contraception, sterilization, and abortion. He robs marriages through pornography and adultery. He robs our silver and gold by tempting us to spend it on wasted material pleasures instead of God’s kingdom. We see an example in the life of King Ahab in 1 Kings 20:2, 3. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria sent messengers to king Ahab of Israel: “Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.” How dare he take ownership! They did not belong to him. But what did king Ahab answer? “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.” He even stated: “I denied him not” (1 Kings 20: 4, 7). Can you believe it? Because of the fear of man, or because he didn’t have the courage to stand up against king Ben-Hadad, he surrendered to him. He gave up everything that was most precious to him. How sad to read such a testimony? And yet we can so easily get caught. God gives us our children to raise for Him and for God’s destiny. And yet we give them to daycares and hand them over to the state education system. Somehow, even some Christian parents don’t mind that their children are taught that Islam is a peaceful religion (while we watch Islamic terror on TV). Many children in state schools have been asked to draw posters of the Five Pillars of Islam and pictures of the Prophet Muhammad, sing Islamic songs, wear Islamic clothes, construct a 3-D model of a mosque, design an Islamic prayer rug, and do calligraphy for “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” Yes, this is in American schools. They don’t seem to mind that their children are openly taught about alternative lifestyles and that transgenderism is a choice for them. They may even be ignorant that the gay agenda now pushes their lifestyle in our state schools through books and curriculums (even on-line school). One of their latest books available to schools is “It’s Perfectly Normal” which contains material so sexually explicit that, according to the American Life League, it has been ruled inappropriate for prisoners by a Washington State court. Did you know that Ontario (Canada) passed a bill where children could be taken from the parents if they oppose their wanting to change their gender? Some parents don’t mind that their children are taught that abortion is a woman’s right. They don’t seem to mind that their children are brainwashed in socialism.  Let’s not give in like Ahab. Let’s have the courage to rise up and say No to the enemy! No to his robbing of all that God has given us. Speak your confession out loud: “I will not give anything to the devil. He has no right over me. I am God’s possession. He has no right over my children, and I will not give him any authority over them. They are God’s possession, and I am their guardian.” It’s time to say No. Nancy Campbell www.aboverubies.org PRAYER: “Dear Father God, please give me courage in this hour. Please save me from handing over my children to the devil’s plans. Help me to stand strong against liberalism and socialism and the lies and deception of the devil who wants to steal my children’s mind and hearts. Help me to guard them well. Amen.” AFFIRMATION: As a mother, I am on the guard against all deception and lies from the enemy. I say No to liberalism, socialism, progressivism and all plans steal my children from their God-given destiny. New Ontario law allows govt to seize children if parents oppose their ‘gender identity’ — RT World News

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell. I know you will be so blessed. A new podcast comes out each Tuesday morning. You can go to the home page of Above Rubies to click on to it or go to: http://ARPoddy.buzzsprout.com

Thankful Thursday - The Mundane

So much to be thankful for this week.  I'm praising Hashem for my wrist being healed.  I've struggled with this injury for eight months.  This week, my ability to use it has returned.  I have a twinge now and then, and I still am aware of not over-using it, but it is much, much better.  Haleluyah!

My title for this post is The Mundane, and the happenings at Golden Cottage have been anything but that.  My thought on that subject will follow all the happy, and not so happy, things I've experienced over the past few weeks.

I didn't share about our trip to the Florida Folk Festival.  How did I miss that?  We enjoyed a great time, with perfect weather and a safe, uneventful trip up there and back.  First thing before we went to the festival, we visited and cleaned Mama and Daddy's graves and added fresh flowers.  It was a beauty-full blessing to have the church bells ring while we were working.  The song is Come Thou Almighty King and it was so worship-full.

After that, we headed on to the hotel.  We always love seeing the stars and bars and are glad it's still waving  There's a memorial there on private property, so it won't be removed.  We're glad to see our Confederate relatives honored for all the passersby on the expressway to see.

This is the entrance to the Stephen Foster Memorial Park and the beautiful bell tower.  I'm so thankful that the funds have been raised to repair the bells.  We were blessed to hear them ring while we were there.

We got to hear my favorite mountain dulcimer player, Bing Futch, perform. He's just amazing.

Comedian Jim Stafford was there, too.  It was fun to join the audience in singing along with him to his hit songs, I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes and My Girl, Bill.  If you're not familiar with those songs, check them out on YouTube.  He's not only a clever songwriter, but is uber talented on the guitar.  It's hard to believe he's eighty years old.  We saw him with his wife, who is a whole lot younger than him.  My guess is thirty or forty years younger, so he has to stay in shape to keep up with her, right?

The only dark spot on our trip was that we both got tick bites. Jem got one and I got three.  Two bites I didn't find out about until two days later. Had to go to the emergency room  because of the swelling, burning and itching.  I learned something from the attending physician.  She asked where we were when bitten. I told her White Springs.  She said, "In that case, we have to do the antibiotic for prevention of Lyme disease."  She said the ticks get infected by biting deer that live in North Florida.  Here on the Space Coast, the bites are not a problem.  Who knew?  So, if you ever go up there for the festival,  wear long pants, spray yourself really well with tick repellent, and don't walk through woodsy areas.  Stay on the beaten paths.

I saw this pretty thing at the gift shop.  That's so true for us, and I'm so thankful for my sweet husband..

And I had to get a picture of this cute little cottage near the park.  I'd like to meet the person who created such beauty.

The peace lilies are blooming here at Golden Cottage.  Aren't they gorgeous?

My dear friend, Brenda, came down for a visit last week.  We had great time together at Cafe Margaux in Cocoa Village.

We celebrated Shavuot last week, and I made a yummy sugar-free cheesecake.  Everybody at the synagogue loved it.  It was a traditional filling, with a nut crust, strawberries and Skinny Chocolate drizzled over the top.  If you want the recipe, it's in the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook.

Speaking of Trim Healthy Mama, I listened to one of their podcasts this week.  The topic was being grateful for the mundane.  Instead of grumbling about having to cook, clean or wash dishes, we can take the attitude of "I don't have to . . . I get to."  I love that thought because it reminds me of a time when I didn't have a kitchen or a laundry room.  I had to wash dishes in the bathroom sink and wash the clothes at the laudromat.  I developed a deep gratitude for being able to have a sink and my own washer and drier.  This sign is one I think I'll duplicate as a reminder to be grateful.  I'll add the words, " And I Get To . . . Haleluyah!"

I hope y'all have a blessed and thank-full week.

I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

  Spiritual Sundays  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays

 Hearth and Soul Link Party
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday  Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

The Silent Tragedy Affecting Today's Children

“I know that many would choose not to hear what I say in the article, but your children need you to hear this message. Even if you disagree with my perspective, please, just follow the recommendations at the end of the article. Once you see the positive changes in your child’s life, you will understand why I say what I say!” ~V.P.


Victoria Prooday is a registered Occupational Therapist and an outspoken advocate of children and hands-on parenting. I share her post with her permission because I believe her advice is absolutely on target.

The silent tragedy affecting today’s children

by Victoria Prooday

"There is a silent tragedy developing right now, in our homes, with our children. Through my work with hundreds of children and families as an occupational therapist, I have witnessed this tragedy unfolding right in front of my eyes.

Talk to teachers and professionals who have been working in the field for the last 15 years. You will hear concerns on kids’ mental health similar to mine. Moreover, in the past 15 years, researchers have been releasing alarming statistics on a sharp and steady increase in kids’ mental illness, which is now reaching epidemic proportions:

• 1 in 5 children has mental health problems
• 43% increase in ADHD
• 37% increase in teen depression
• 200% increase in suicide rate in kids 10-14 years old

How Much More Evidence Do We Need Before We Wake Up?

No, “increased diagnostics alone” is not the answer!

No, “they all are just born like this” is not the answer!

No, “it is all the school system’s fault” is not the answer!

Yes, as painful as it can be to admit, in many (not all) cases, WE, parents, are the answer to many of our kids’ struggles!

It is scientifically proven that the brain has the capacity to rewire itself through the environment. Unfortunately, with the environment and parenting styles that we are providing to our children, we are rewiring their brains in the wrong direction and contributing to their challenges in everyday life.

Yes, there are and always have been children who are born with disabilities and despite their parents’ best efforts to provide them with a well-balanced environment and parenting, their children continue to struggle. These are NOT the children I am talking about here.

I am talking about many others whose challenges are greatly shaped by the environmental factors that parents, with their greatest intentions, provide to their children. As I have seen in my practice, the moment parents change their perspective on parenting, many of these children change.

 

What is Wrong With Our Children?

Today’s children are being deprived of the fundamentals of a healthy childhood, such as:

• Emotionally available parents
• Clearly defined limits and guidance
• Responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement and outdoors
• Creative play, social interaction, opportunities for unstructured times and boredom

Instead, children are being raised by:

• Digitally distracted parents
• Indulgent parents who let kids “rule the world”
• Sense of entitlement rather than responsibility
• Inadequate sleep and unbalanced nutrition
• Sedentary indoor lifestyle
• Endless stimulation, technological babysitters, instant gratification, and absence of dull moments

Could anyone imagine that it is possible to raise a healthy generation in such an unhealthy environment? Of course not! There are no shortcuts to parenting, and we can’t trick human nature. As we see, the outcomes are devastating. Our children pay for the loss of well-balanced childhood with their emotional well-being.

 

How to Fix It?

If we want our children to grow into happy and healthy individuals, we have to wake up and go back to the basics. It is still possible! I know this because hundreds of my clients see positive changes in their kids’ emotional state within weeks (and in some cases, even days) of implementing these recommendations:

Set limits and remember that you are your child’s PARENT at this time, not a friend.

Offer kids well-balanced lifestyle filled with what kids NEED, not just what they WANT. Don’t be afraid to say “No!” to your kids if what they want is not what they need.

• Provide nutritious food and limits snacks. Avoid toxic foods.
• Spend one hour a day in green space: biking, hiking, fishing, watching birds/insects.
• Have a daily technology-free family dinner.
• Play one board game a day. (List of family games) Allow for unstructured play.
• Involve your child in one or more chores a day (folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table etc).
• Implement consistent sleep routine to ensure that your child gets lots of sleep in a technology-free bedroom.

Teach responsibility and independence. Don’t over-protect them from small failures. It trains them the skills needed to overcome greater life’s challenges.

• Don’t pack your child’s backpack, don’t carry her backpack, don’t bring to school his forgotten lunch box/agenda, and don’t peel a banana for a 5-year-old child. Teach them the skills rather than do it for them.

Teach delayed gratification and provide opportunities for “boredom” as boredom is the time when creativity awakens:

• Don’t feel responsible for being your child’s entertainment crew.
• Do not use technology as a cure for boredom.
• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, malls. Use these moments as opportunities to train their brains to function under “boredom”.
• Help them create a “boredom first aid kit” with activity ideas for “I am bored” times.

Be emotionally available to connect with kids and teach them self-regulation and social skills:

• Turn off your phones until kids are in bed to avoid digital distraction.
• Become your child’s emotional coach. Teach them to recognize and deal with frustration and anger.
• Teach greeting, taking turns, sharing, empathy, table manners, conversation skills,
• Connect emotionally – Smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, or crawl with your child.

We must make changes in our kids’ lives before this entire generation of children will be medicated! It is not too late yet, but soon it will be…"

I hope you will visit Ms Prooday's blog where you will find some very practical parenting tips:   Your OT Victoria Prooday 

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I sometimes share my posts with these friends:
  Spiritual Sundays  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Wisdom Wednesdays - Children Grow Up

When my children were growing up, I had a decorative plaque on the wall that read:

Cleaning and dusting can wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up we learn to our sorrow.

This quote was a guiding light for me in my house-keeping / cleaning routines.  It reminded me that my children were more important than a spotless home.  Yes, our home was clean, but I was not a neat freak as some of my friends were.  I've even quoted the saying to other mothers to remind them to keep priorities straight.

I did not know, until this week, that this quote was part of a poem:

Children Grow Up 

Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby, loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.)

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby. Babies don’t keep.

~Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Isn't it a lovely poem?  I wasn't looking for it, but stumbled across it on another blog.  I'm so glad I did because I will treasure it, 

The days of childhood are so short.  Think of it, Gail-Friends, childhood is only ten to twelve years.  These are golden, precious years to enjoy their sweet kisses and hugs.  Ten to twelve short years to play together and be as silly as you want to be.  I look back on those days of my daughters lives as the most wonderful days of my entire life.

I remind you, young mothers, you will have decades to pursue your own interests or to have a career.  Treasure and make the most of the lovely days of baby and childhood because you'll have so many lovely memories to look back on.

As a grandmother, I'm now treasuring the childhood days of my grandson and enjoying every minute with him.  It's hard to believe he's going on eight years old because the years has gone by blindingly fast.  I'm trying not to blink because he'll be graduating college before I know it.

Jem & me with him at the pumpkin patch in 2009.

Out to eat together on Mother's Day 2017

Every day is precious, Gail-Friends.  Make the most of it

Blessings,
GG




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I sometimes share my posts with these friends:
Spiritual Sundays     Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life     GRAND Social       Modest Mom Monday Link-up      
   Growing Homemakers Link-Up      BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTYTitus 2 Tuesday     Share Your Stuff Tuesday    TITUS TUESDAYS @CORNERSTONE CONFESSIONS     Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up    Judith’s Wholehearted Wednesday     Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday