Making Your Home Sing Monday

As promised last week, I've embarked in a study of Proverbs 31 in the hopes of refining my role as a wife, mother, and maker of my home according to God. I will make an installment of this study every week as a part of Nan's Monday meme, Making Your Home Sing at Momstheword. Be sure you link to her fabulous blog to read what she and other ladies are doing to bless their homes.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
-- Proverbs 31:11-12 (KJV)

Trust is an integral part of any marriage. How firm in the foundation of a relationship where trust is lacking? As I studied these verses, I began looking for the ways my husband trusts in me. What confidences does he have in me? In what ways is he counting on me? Am I giving him reason to trust in me?

I am 100% faithful to my husband and I do not give him reason to think otherwise. I do not talk to or spend time alone with other men without my husband's knowledge. This doesn't mean I am no longer allowed to speak to the male friends I had before my marriage - but rather that if and when I am in contact with them (which is limited anyway) I am sure to always tell my husband that I have spoken with them. I don't consider this to be the relinquishment of any rights - I do it out of respect to my husband and to our marriage. I expect the same of him. I believe the open dialogue adds to the trust we share. If there were secretive relationships - even of a strictly platonic nature - it would sure indicate a lack of trust between us.

My husband is working hard so that I can stay at home. This doesn't mean I don't have a job, as stay-at-home moms know. It just means my job has changed. It's a 24/7 gig with no vacation or sick days. Please don't consider this a complaint - I am so blessed to be in this position. There are days I need to be reminded that I have such a special job. My husband should be able to have confidence in my ability to do this job. He should feel confident that I'll prepare and serve meals every day, that I'll keep the house clean, that his work clothes will be washed when he needs them, and that our son is cared for, is learning, and is getting quality time every day. There should be no doubt that I'm raising our child(ren) according to our mutual beliefs and values. He should be able to trust that I'm spending our money in the ways we've agreed.

My husband deserves to know and be assured that I am not talking negatively behind his back, and that I am honoring him by presenting myself appropriately at all times. If I were to behave erratically, irresponsibly, or inappropriately, it would reflect poorly on him as well as on our church. My husband deserves my respect and I need to practice self-control to keep my anger and frustration at bay. I'll confess - this one is an area I really need to focus on! I need to be in prayer daily to ask God to help me keep my emotions in check. The Proverbs 31 wife will look for ways to lift up her husband - not put him down. She'll do thoughtful things for him; she'll consider him in all her decisions; she'll make him feel special, and acknowledge the things he does for her and the family. Whoa - there's a LOT I need to work on!

This week, I'll consciously work at being this Proverbs 31 wife to my husband. I hope to break bad habits and make better ones. He deserves it, and I know by modeling myself after this woman that God has laid before me in His Word, I'll be honoring Him - and He will bless us.

Making Your Home Sing Monday

Have you stopped by MomstheWord today??

I am a work-in-progress when it comes to being a Proverbs 31 wife and mother. That is to say, it takes a lot of work, and there hasn't been much progress. :) I am starting a series of 'Making Your Home Sing Mondays' based on this "virtuous woman... for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10 KJV)

I know that God loves me unconditionally, and that though I have not in any way deserved it, I have been given the gift of His forgiveness. That alone is treasure enough and the only real gift anyone needs. And though I know that becoming this woman won't make Him love me more, knowing that it would enable me to show love more abundantly to my family is also a gift.

For this week, I'll just start by saying that I am committing to studying the ways of this woman, and making my heart more malleable that I could become more like her. This will be a personal study, but the fruits of it will certainly be reaped by my husband, my son, and my home. By seeking God's wisdom and example for me in His Word, I will be a better wife, mother, and homemaker.

"Making Your Home Sing" Monday

Over at Momstheword, Nan encourages us to make our homes sing every Monday. I love this meme and am (formally) participating for the first time this week. I actually found Nan's blog through my gardening blog circle, but I think this fits more appropriately here at Everyday Blessings. While I think every day is an opportunity to bless my family, I hope to make it a habit to share what I'm doing each week. I think this will also encourage me to make a more conscious effort in my every task to "make my home sing."

Since having my son and becoming a SAHM, our family has cut down considerably on eating out. This means more sit-down, traditional family mealtimes, and is exactly what I want my children to grow up knowing as a staple of family life. I will be the first to admit that my domestic talents do not include cooking, but I'm doing it anyway, and I hope in time I will have found a collection of recipes my family and I like that I can prepare without incident.

Part of this responsibility includes planning my meals for the upcoming week and the cooresponding shopping list. I live almost 20 miles from the grocery store, so I don't frequently just "run out" to pick something up. It isn't economical to be unprepared. That isn't to say I don't end up back in town again later in the week, at which time I can pick up additional needed things, but generally, I try to make it a weekly trip.

I sit down with a printed calendar each week and fill in the main course I'll serve for every day. I have kept previous months calendars and sometimes use those for ideas, but I also reference cook books, magazines and occasionally the web for new recipes to try. I generally do this on Monday or sometimes Tuesday mornings. Tuesday is grocery shopping day. I compile my list to cover every day up to the following Tuesday. It's nice to have this predictability in my life, but I am one of those OCD types.

I try to make it a goal to find at least one new recipe to try each week. Some weeks it doesn't happen, and other weeks the new recipe is a flop (or I'm the flop... either way it isn't edible.) I'm also making a real effort to prepare meals that are more nutritious than what we'd typically eaten in our previous lifestyle. With little eyes watching and little minds absorbing everything we say and do, I want to set examples for healthy habits.

I'm relatively new to blog land - does anyone know of any good nutritious, kid-friendly (because my dear husband is as picky as my dear son) foody or meal planning blogs out there? I don't have access to a lot of exotic or rare ingredients (and we likely wouldn't eat them anyway) so simple is better. I'd love to expand my repertoire.

Thanks, Nan, for helping me to remember to bless my family. Go check her out and share about how you are blessing your family today!