Getting Ready for Yom Kippur

Today is a busy day for people in the Jewish world. Tonight begins Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In my imagination, getting ready for Yom Kippur brings to mind all sorts of spiritual readiness. There IS plenty of spiritual preparation, but today, I'm going to discuss the other side of the coin. Physical preparation, I suppose we can call it. Here is a general list of what I need to accomplish today.

1. Stay Hydrated Before the Fast. When you get yourself ready for a fast, first of all, you want to make sure you're hydrated. So I need to drink lots of water today!
2. Prepare Food for the Children. I have children who will not be fasting during Yom Kippur. This means I should have meals at the ready for them so I don't have to mess with food. I remember one year I failed to prepare for the break-fast before the day of Yom Kippur, so I boiled some pasta. To test its doneness, I tasted it. Oops. That wasn't in the plan. So to avoid licking peanut butter off the knife when I make my kids some sandwiches, I should do so before I start fasting.
   
3. Prepare for my part in the break-fast potluck. I'm bringing Challah and orange juice. The challah needs to be done baking before I pick up the kids from school on Friday, for my own sanity!
4. Jonah DVD. I'm bringing the Jonah DVD for the children all to watch during the sermon.
5. Activities for my children, especially my 5 year old. It's a long day at synagogue. They'll need something to keep them busy.
6. Medicines, as needed. If we're not going to be home, I need to have any meds I'll need for the day.

Sometimes I feel that in the doing of things to prepare for a Jewish Holiday, you can miss the point of the day. On the other hand, the physical acts done to prepare can also enhance the spiritual experience of the day. If I'm prepared now for tomorrow, tomorrow should run smoother. May those of us who fast tomorrow have an easy fast!

Getting Ready :: Routines

Routines have in the past been the bane of my existence. I mean, where's the fun in the schedule? I'd rather not be told what to do, even by myself. But life tends to work more smoothly with routines. When I was newly married I discovered Flylady. One of the points she made was that whether we schedule them or not, we all have routines. Those are the things we do consistently. Sleep in late, make dinner late, rush to school at the last minute  - these can be routines as much as good routines of getting the dishes and laundry completed.

The first step in reforming routines is to get ready. It can be as complicated as a spreadsheet, or just a note or two on a piece of paper. I have come to realize that if I do a couple of specific tasks the very first thing when I wake up, specifically preparing my son's formula, my morning runs much smoother.

Because then when things go askew(there's always something), you have some space to handle it.

If you have to run find the hair dryer to dry off homework that accidentally was spilled on, at least other parts off the morning ran automatically with routines.

31 Day Challenge 2014::31 Days of Getting Ready

Welcome to my 31 days Challenge. Thank you for reading along. I'm going to focus this month on getting ready. So many parts of life can be made easier when we take a little time to get ready for the next thing. I don't mean that we need to keep our noses in the future, rather, we have to have an eye on the future to anticipate the next need. I know that dinner happens nightly. I shouldn't be surprised that I have to prepare it for my family (it's part of my job). Life works more smoothly when it's planned.

Join me as I touch on different ways we can be ready for some of the things that life throws our way.

Getting ready::routines

31 Days Challenge October 2014

Last year I participated in the Nester's 31 day challenge. The challenge is, for the month of October, to write daily. I did a pretty decent job last year, writing almost daily. I found myself thinking ahead to this challenge in the middle of summer this year. Although I have barely written since the end of June, I chose a topic midsummer, and was eager to start brainstorming. I find that this type of writing gets the juices flowing for me, and gives me more purpose. So. I'll be here a great deal in the days to come. 

Let's Get Ready!!!

Stream of Consciousness:: "Hello Again!"

So here I am. Its been a while. Summer comes, and I am inundated with children and activities. I throw myself so completely into life around my children that I think I forget that I like to write. I have trouble getting into the moment without quiet. This is odd, because I used to think I liked activity to get me writing. What I like is activity around me that lets me work. That doesn't happen when my kids need me. 

I enjoy writing. Before, in High School and in College, I used to write because I had to. I don't mind writing because I have to. But after all the papers and stuff, you get older and "over it" in some ways. I want to know that i'm making a difference, I want to not be writing more than just a little journal on line. So why, then, do I write?

writing. for why. for why not.

for because

for to get words on paper

for to not be forgotten.

for to say what needs to be said.

what needs to be said? why do I write?

I write because life is beautiful, and God is good despite everything.

I write because I'm hungry

I write not to rant

I write sometimes to rant

I write because the page always listens, whether handwritten or typed.

The page always hears you whether your tears are wrong or not. 

especially when you know your tears are wrong.

I worry. I worry when I write that I'm being read. I worry if no one reads, then what kind of writer am I?But if I worry if I'm being read, then what kind of writer am I?

Sometimes I feel like there's different versions of me. And I suppose there are. I'm still me, but I adapt to suit situations. There are months when I'll sew like a fiend, finishing off project after project. Then, there'll be times when I haven't touched the sewing machine for months. The same holds true for baking, playing instruments, and writing. I think in the summer, my time gets away from me. I focus on my children, spending the days with them adventuring. It's hard for me to be introspective enough to write. So I do other projects that can be done easily while I'm surrounded by people. I found myself doing a great deal of sewing this summer.

Life giving? Yes, this is indeed life giving. My heart feels good having written.

Hello again dear readers. Happy September

When You Rise Up

My Early Morning Dilemma

One of my favorite things about being a mother is the early-morning snuggle time. I love laying in bed as my children all tumble on me. We kiss, hug, and tickle. In my opinion, there is no better way to start the day! The trouble I found as my children grew is how to incorporate a morning time to connect with God. After snuggle time ended, we transitioned into getting dressed and breakfast. The morning is over before you know it. But getting up early, before the children at that point in my life was impractical. I was often up with them in the night and needed to sleep. How then, could I find a quiet time?

The idea came to me as I was laying in bed, children cuddled in close. I whispered the Modeh Ani to God. It occurred to me that the morning blessing can be prayed as I proceed though the course of my morning.

Join me at the Messianic Times for the rest of the article!

Thunder Storms the Night Before

I've heard a story about the ancient Israelites that when God gave the Torah on Mount Sinai, when He spoke, all that the Children of Israel heard was thunder. When I am in the midst of a good thunder storm, I think of this story, and wonder what God has to say to the world today.

It's not so scary when you think of thunder like that. And surgery isn't so scary either.

My children and I discussed the heart today, and I realized that to understand a broken heart, it's good to understand a working heart. We found this video on You Tube that explains how a working heart works. (Here is the link that explainsTetralogy of Fallot and here is the link for the melody valve.) Tomorrow we must be at the hospital bright and early!

Good night, and thanks for all the prayers and love. We feel very supported!