Fun Friday!

I came back Friday – from airport straight to bowling at Village market. Thank God my hubby had left all the kids asleep. I needed the break-I needed the rest. It was a busy week! I needed to detox. 

Hooked up with friends and had tons and tons of fun!

Being shady! 

These friends – they are all couples, we have formed a group that helps us to keep check on each other, we meet monthly in someone’s house- we agree who is cooking what, and just meet to address marriage issues, of course based on the word of God. Husbands and wives Hague (report) each other depending on what is going on in their marriage. We get objective ideas on how to handle various issues. We are all from different backgrounds and attended various places of worship. So we meet because of Christ-friendship and marriage and believe you me, its awesome! – we need more of this around. Support networks!We have benefited greatly from this group.

Zippy and Tony! Expecting their first in a few weeks! 

Rosemary and Jerry! we call them Rosejerry! They have a 9 months boy -Jabu.

Sylvia and Alex . Have a 20 months girl - Samara

Kate and Reuben- Have a 13 months old boy - Leon 

Gladwell  and David-were unable to make it.  

We do breakfast for the girls (Mums) once a month and the men have their breakfast too.

The crazy Mums! 

Don't they look great!

Okay now I am bowling- and I did some very many good shots! It was a well spent night- got home late but I needed the break. 

Nothing short of busy!

This week as been nothing short of busy!

We have been busy working on logistics to take members of parliament to Mombasa to lobby for a separate Gender and Equality Commission. A bit of information and news on this click here.

I have worked late, spent days with no lunch and had nightmares on logistics-the whole office has been on standstill.

What I thank God for is that-My hubby has been dropping me in the office almost every day and picking me up in the evening – together with the kids!

What a site, what a joy!

My hubby has sacrificed so much to make this week easier for me; he has taken care of the kids very well and given me the support that I have needed. The hugs and the kisses have been many too.

I love you hubby – You ROCK my world! Thanks for being there and I TRULY thank God for you!

Knowing how hard it can get for working Mums- to juggle between work and family-I am nothing but super grateful to God-for giving me an understanding and Super supportive hubby! I get to leave him for Mombasa and he will drop and pick me from the Airport. Thanks Love.

I also thank God that the kids have been sleeping very well this time-they wake up after 8am, and sometimes, they have had to be woken up at 9am. Pretty cool, especially when Mnara gets to sleep the entire night, it makes us rest much better. Thank you Lord!

Kendi, yesterday asked me when I was kissing her goodnight-"Mum are you fine?" I think she could see the stress all over my face. Then she gave me a big huge hug. I thank God that she can be able to see when Mum is stressed a bit and ask if Mum is fine. What a blessing! I just want to be a friend to my children and let them see me for who I really am.-Just a mum-saved by grace. 

More than everything- who do I give the glory? GOD! He is faithful and His grace-always more than sufficient – He is Lord over all! I PRAISE HIM!

Stickers!

My kids love stickers- it like the greatest of rewards when they do something extra special.

So I have been using them to reinforce positive behaviour and great achievements around the house.

And when they have done some extremely great things, I draw some smiling face, or a smiling sun on it and they get to walk around feeling, great, all day, or all evening.

I try not to miss use them though, they must know the stickers come at a cost. So when one is done with food and they go like “Mum, I have finished my food, can I have a sticker?”

“Nope! That was not an achievement – it was rather expected!” but if you ate your food well, without making a mess on the table and on the floor, yes-you can have a sticker. 

So what do you do or use to reward positive behavior?

Its began.

The training has began; I am joining my friend Kate on this one.

Over the weekend, Kendi requested me to give her some work to do. I went like Voila!

So I asked her to do the dishes, she was quite good, though I supervised most of the time,

She managed to clean three plastic cups – two spoons and one plate quite well.

Sweet girl... I need to get her an apron, she is wearing mine.

Checking keenly to see if the dishes are getting clean

On Saturday evening, it was time to get the clothes out of the clothes line, so I asked the girls to help me, they were so exited. Of course to play with the pegs!. But they helped a lot, they ferried the clothes from the clothes line to the house. 

Carrying the clothes

But when I got to the house, this is what I found, the whole pile next to the door, this is where they were damping them. All the same, they had done something. 

I am with you Kate on this one. Let’s keep at it girl. We need to train these little ones, one day at a time. 

Buying Gods love.

By the time my hubby and I left the house this morning, our kids had already gotten and few spanks…we woke up to war! Literally! My two lovely girls, Tana poured her porridge on the floor, despite warnings from the Dad to sit down, when Kendi realized that she can get away with the porridge by pouring hers too, she truly did the same-very deliberately. I asked the Dad to spank her too because I was very annoyed and I do not like spanking my kids in anger. Well, that almost made us late for work but I thank God, my house help looked a bit calm despite the morning dramas.

Well, that was not my message for Mums Monday, just that I would like everyone who reads this blog to know that you are dealing with nothing but a normal Mum, saved by grace, leaning every day on her heavenly father to make it through each and every day.

Yes, that makes me share about having time for God in the midst of a busy schedule. This is one of the things that I really struggle with, sometime I find myself reading the bible 3-4 times a week, I try to have a consistent prayer life, at least that one I try as much as I can do, because I just cannot make it without prayer. Who does? But sometimes I fail too.

But it also reminds me of something that I was once asked by a very Philosophical Pastor

Pastor : Emmah, how do you feel every morning after you have had your prayers?

Emmah : Good, Nice, it good to spend time with God, and I know my day will be blessed.

Pastor : What about the days you don’t pray-do you walk around feeling guilty?

Emmah : Yes, how do did you figure out that?

Pastor : I know, it’s what we call the sign of an immature Christian.

Emmah : Thanks pastor, that is really wonderful, I had hoped to hear that ( No!-I am joking-that threw me of guard)

Me, immature?

Well, I thought about it later and for years and I realized that there was an element of truth in that.

Many times we walk around, thinking that we can buy God’s love

We tend to imagine that God is good to us because we pray

We tend to imagine that because we pray, he loves us more than others

We tend to think because we pray- we’ve become Gods favourites.

If we could buy his love, we could do it.

Well, I am still thinking about the times I black out in the evening before I say a prayer, I wake up feeling great in the morning,  rushing to work (no prayer yet) then I ask myself, “God why have you been so good to me today, you know it’s been a while since we talked?”.

I have no conclusion to these thoughts, seek God about them.

But what I figured out and what I would like to share is that, do not place more faith in your prayer than in God, more faith in your reading of the word, than in the word itself.

Have a prayerful week.