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A Parent's Daily Prayer Guide

I got this as a handout in MOPS this week.  I absolutely LOVE it & really wanted to share it.  I do always pray every day for my stepkids & son--for their salvation, that God would remove bad influences from their lives, for their future spouse, things like that, but the prayers in this handout goes much more into depth than I usually do.

GIVE THANKS FOR OUR CHILDREN AND PRAY FOR THEM....

A Parent's Daily Prayer Guide...by Don & Sue Myers

MONDAY: Ask God to place a protective, solid hedge around your children so that satan cannot reach in & lead them into temptation & so they will be safe from harm.
*But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you & guard you from the evil one.-2 Thes 3:3
*We put our hope in the Lord.  He is our help & our shield. -Psalm 33:20

TUESDAY: Pray that your children would use godly wisdom in selecting friends & peers that will make a positive difference in their lives.  Ask God to give each child a discernment of people as well as knowing the difference between right & wrong.  
*My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! -Pro 1:10
*There are "friends" who destory each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. -Pro 18:24
*Suppose someone secretly entices you-even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend-and says 'Let us go worship other gods'-gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known.  But do not give in or listen.  Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. -Deut 13:6,8

WEDNESDAY: Pray that your children would stay pure in their thoughts & deeds.
*Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols & never tell lies.  They will receive the Lord's blessing & have a right relationship with God their savior. -Pslm 24:4-5
*The righteous keep moving forward, & those with clean hands become stronger & stronger. -Job 17:9

THURSDAY: Pray that they will be caught if they wander into cheating, lies, or mischief.
*Pray for us, for our conscience is clear & we want to live honorably in eveything we do.  And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon. -Heb 13:18-19

FRIDAY: Pray they will be alert & thinking clearly as they attend school & extra curricular activities & as they take exams.  Ask God to help them be motivated to do the best they are capable of doing.
*And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. -Col 3:17
*So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Cor 10:31

SATURDAY: Pray for the spouse each child will marry someday.  Ask that they will come from godly homes & have an appetite to live the spiritual truth they've learned.  Pray also that their goals & purpose will be the same as your own children & their future homes would be godly.
*Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me & obey all my commands!  If they did, they & their descendants would prosper forever. -Deut 5:29

SUNDAY: Ask God to help them live their lives for Him & that He will use them as a testimony & witness for His glory.  Pray that they'll be grown to full spiritual maturity.
*O my people, listen to my instructions.  Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our past-stories we have heard & known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.  We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power & his mighty wonders.  For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to our children, so the next generation might know them-even the children not yet born-& they in turn will teach their own children.  So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles & obeying his commands.  Then they will not be like their ancestors-stubborn, rebellious, & unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. -Ps 78:1-8
*But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him.  His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!-Ps 103: 17-18
*I will teach all your children, & they will enjoy great peace. -Isa 54:13
*Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to Him in the church & in Christ Jesus through all the generations forever & ever! Amen. -Eph 3:20-21

Do not leave your children unprotected--that is, vulnerable to satan's attack.  The greatest shield of protection we as parents can provide for our children is prayer.  It's never too late to start.
*"As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you.  And I will continue to teach you what is good & right. -1 Sam 12:23
*Confess your sins to each other & pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The ernest prayer of a righteous person has great power & productes wonderful results. -James 5:16
*Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind & a thankful heart. -Col 4:2

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday, February 22, 2011



Outside my window...it's beautiful, but a tad chilly



I am thinking...about life & how unfair & unforgiving it can be at times



I am thankful for.... my awesome God



From the learning rooms...still daily Bible study & Bible reading with Lil J




From the kitchen...chicken balsamico with potatoes in the crock-pot



I am wearing...a light blue tshirt, jeans, socks




I am creating... doing some work & updating of the baby book, journal, etc



I am going...to MOPS again tomorrow, Lil J isn't coughing anymore now, thank God



I am reading...nothing at the moment....hope to start a new book soon



I am hoping...it doesn't rain Saturday morning, so I can go hiking




I am hearing.....birds chirping outside & it's beautiful :)



Around the house......got a lot of cleaning done last week, thank God




One of my favorite things...being able to stop my never-ending work around the house & just enjoy the moment with my Lil J--so hard to do at times, yet so precious




A few plans for the rest of the week: MOPS, park day, tour of fire station, & hiking--it's a busy week this week!

22 month updates on Lil J

So my Lil J is now 22 months old!  WOW!!  He is almost 2 now, it's a little hard to believe. 

He now weighs 30 lbs (75-90%), is 34" tall (50-75%), & has a head circumference of 20" (>95%). 

At the beginning of the month he was really challenging me, doing things he knows he's not supposed to be doing & definitely deliberately doing them to see what my response would be.  I quickly cracked down & started the "time outs" again & within a couple of days he was behaving once again.  I can definitely see that if I get lax about discipline he will start pushing the limits deliberately.  It would seem that he WANTS me to discipline him.  I suppose, in a sense, a child finds comfort in knowing that their parents care & keep them safe. 

I guess one change I have noticed this month is that he is ever so slightly a tad more adventurous with food.  But it's VERY slight & not all the time even.  But I do hope that it's a sign of things to come in the future. 

He also seems to be much more difficult when we've been out in public this month.  It's quite embarrasing I must say, I can only hope that other people aren't too bothered.  I do try my best to keep him under control, but some days it's REALLY a challenge.

He's also been more physically active.  He is doing a lot more climbing & is a lot more coordinated than ever before.  I recently joined a group of Christian moms that homeschool at a local park & he was climbing up on the seat at the picnic table like nothing.  I was so blown away, as he has never done that before.  I guess he just saw the other kids doing it & decided to do it too.  He climbs down off of our bed with ease now too.  He's tried that a couple of times in the past but always lost control & almost hurt himself (mommy was close by to save him, but just enough so that he still realized he shouldn't ever do that on his own--a little fear can go a long way in keeping a kid safe IMO).  He's been climbing up in the rocking chair & the chairs at the dining room table as well.  He likes to try to climb on his toys, as if they were step stools, so he can get to things he can't normally reach.  He is quite the adventurer these days. 

Just this morning I caught him TWICE trying to climb out of his crib!!  So I'm sure it won't be long before we have to convert to a toddler bed.  That thought makes me VERY nervous.

That's really all there is to report this month.

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday, February 15, 2011



Outside my window...it's cooling down again, supposed to start raining soon



I am thinking...about life & how I need to make sure I enjoy every single second even more than I already do



I am thankful for.... my wonderful hubby, he always amazes me :)



From the learning rooms...still daily Bible study with Lil J, I have found a wonderful Bible app on my iphone, well I already had it, but hubby now has it on his tablet & he taught me way more features--it has LOTS of reading plans, so I am also following a Bible reading plan, reading out loud to Lil J in addition to our daily Bible study



From the kitchen...tonight leftover BBQ chicken & mashed potatoes & I'll throw in a salad or veggie



I am wearing...a black hooded pullover with a lime green cami under, black jeans, & socks



I am creating...Lil J is starting to get more interested in crayons little by little :)



I am going...to have to miss MOPS tomorrow, Lil J is coughing badly with a runny nose & he's not nearly as active as usual, so I know he's not feeling well



I am reading...the kind diet & worldliness



I am hoping...my knee fully recovers, still swollen



I am hearing...SILENCE, & it's a very beautiful thing  :)  (Lil J is napping)



Around the house...REALLY need to do some cleaning this week, shouldn't be a problem since I am missing MOPS & my park day is cancelled due to rain & we are well stocked on groceries still



One of my favorite things...socializing with ADULTS  (hehe, parents of little ones will totally understand)



A few plans for the rest of the week: lunch with an old friend, cleaning house

All or Nothing?

When I was 15 I became a vegetarian.  I remained a vegetarian for 10 years.  I remember one of the greatest books I have ever read was at that time.  It was "The Gradual Vegetarian" by Lisa Tracy.  My mom had bought it for me.  It's a fabulous book not only for those wanting to be vegetarian, but also for those who just want to eat healthier.  It's a book that really inspires me.  I love to read it again & again over the years just for inspiration.  I also love that it's from before the world-wide-web era.  There is no mention in it anywhere of any websites, which I happen to think is REALLY cool.  It was also written prior to organics, at least prior to them being a big deal.  So there's no mention of that either, but I know if it was revised it would certainly touch on the organic topic as well.

During my college education I had to take a communications (aka speech) class.  There were different options to meet this requirement.  I didn't like the idea of the public speaking class where you have to give a lot of different types of speeches in front of the class.  But I also didn't want to wimp out & take the class where you don't give ANY speeches.  So I chose a class that covered a wide array of communication topics & at the end of the semester you give one speech in front of your classmates.  I chose to do a persuasive speech.  And my topic was "why you should eat organic".  I remember my teacher wasn't positive about my topic, she felt I should change it & gave me permission to change it if I wanted to do so.  But I felt very strongly about wanting to do this particular speech.  There were 2 other classmates that were older than me, but the rest of the class was all fresh out of high school.  Even the teacher was in her early 20s!  I thought that I could really make an impact, plant a seed per se.  I have to say that when I got started on my speech it was tough.  I did consider giving up on it & changing to an easier topic.  This was mostly due to there being SO MUCH info & having to eliminate & really focus on what's most crucial to cover in such a short time.  BUT I stuck with it & made it work.  I also learned A LOT about organics/conventional foods along the way that has been valuable to me.  My teacher was REALLY impressed.  I got an A.  My teacher made a comment after my speech that struck me as odd.  She told me that I did really open her eyes, that she had always viewed an organic lifestyle as an "all or nothing" thing.  And I had touched on prioritizing & choosing what types of foods you wanted to make sure are organic.  I remember thinking how odd, why on earth would someone think it's an "all or nothing" thing.

Fastforward to current time.  I'm not an Oprah fan, I rarely watch her show.  I used to REALLY dislike her I must say.  But then I realized it's not really HER that irritates me, it's the way the general public hangs on her every word & follows whatever she says.  That's what irritates me.  And I have to admit that's not really HER fault.  She does try to use her influential name to do good & I know if I was her in position I'd do the same thing.  Occasionally I see that she has an interesting guest (Michael Pollan for example) or topic & I will DVR it & watch it.  She recently had an episode where Oprah & some of her staff went vegan for one week.  I thought it sounded interesting, so I DVR'd it & watched it.  I can't remember the name of the lady who was running the whole "vegan for one week" campaign.  But she wrote a book called "The Veganist", that much I do remember.  I don't agree with her on everything, but I was absolutely blown away when she said that her husband is "veganish".  You see, at home he eats her vegan cooking, but if he eats out he eats whatever he wants. 

Now I must say that I first learned of vegans back when I read "The Gradual Vegetarian".  I have always known that I could NEVER be vegan because I can't give up honey.  Not just because I like honey, which I do, but I also use honey in medicinal ways that I could never give up.  And so, because of this, I have NEVER pursued being a vegan.  But after watching this Oprah show I suddenly realize that being vegan doesn't HAVE to be an "all or nothing" thing.  That is exactly how I've viewed it all these years, without even realizing I was viewing it that way.  And that's what reminded me of my speech teacher.  At this point in my life I would also have to say that I cannot give up my whey protein shakes.  You see, the older I get the slower my body recovers.  I first started working out when I was 19 & I NEVER used protein shakes or any sort of recovery system for my body after a workout.  My body just naturally recovered quickly on it's own.  But once I got into my 30s I started finding that my body's recovery was slowing down.  And so I did some homework & I now ALWAYS have a whey protein shake immediately after my workout.  I know there are other types of protein shakes out there, but my body responds best to whey.  I have no plans to stop using my whey protein shakes.

Last August or September I returned to my vegetarian ways once again, for a wide variety of reasons.  And now I am definitely looking more & more into vegan options.  I don't like being legalistic, so I'm not holding myself to a super strict vegetarian rule.  If I see meat & want it I will eat it.  I have to admit that since September this has only happened a couple of times & each time when I taste it I am soooo disappointed & don't even finish it, LOL. 

"The Gradual Vegetarian" also touches on macrobiotics.  Back when I was  a teen a lot of the ingredients were too hard to find & it all seemed a little too far from mainstream eating for me to pursue.  But as the years have gone by I keep stumbling on macrobiotics & am becoming more & more interested.  So I plan to also continue to learn more about it & incorporate it's ways into my diet as well. 

So that's all, just some health/food rambling for today.....

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Outside my window...it's a beautiful, in the 60s

I am thinking...about my busy week ahead, trying to get caught up on things I've been putting off

I am thankful for...facebook, how awesome it is to find old lost friends

From the learning rooms...still daily Bible study with Lil J--need to pull out the crayons sometime this week

From the kitchen...made some halibut last night for dinner & have enough left over for tonight too, hubby LOVED it

I am wearing...a red tshirt, black jeans, & socks (finally got new jeans!  I was down to only one pair!)

I am creating...?? still lacking here, I need to pull out crayons for Lil J this week to make up for this!

I am going...to MOPS tomorrow & to a park to meetup with some local homeschooling moms on Thursday

I am reading...the kind diet & worldliness

I am hoping...my knee fully recovers

I am hearing...Lil J playing

Around the house...need to do some extra cleaning this week, the baseboards are looking a tad dusty

One of my favorite things...getting out of the house, sometimes I feel like a prisoner

A few plans for the rest of the week: MOPS, park, house cleaning

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I would love to have one of these chairs :)

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday February 1, 2011.




Outside my window… it's beautiful but a tad chilly


I am thinking… about what I need to get done for the rest of the week



I am thankful for… God, who handles everything, every last detail of everything every second of every day



From the learning rooms… still daily Bible reading & Bible study with Lil J; I've been learning lots about homeschooling lately & I am very pleased about that


From the kitchen…gonna make Jack Daniels chicken tonight :)


I am wearing… a royal blue top with crocheted cut outs & a white cami underneath, jeans, & socks


I am creating… a notebook full of notes on homeschooling info, so when we're ready to go I have what I need & I know exactly where to find it

I am going… to take Lil J to the OC Zoo tomorrow :)

I am reading… I have 2 books on their way here from amazon--the kind diet & worldliness--still waiting for these.........

I am hearing… Lil J playing


Around the house… today is my laundry marathon, crazy crazy day


A few of my favorite things…reconnecting with old lost friends on facebook :)


A few plans for the rest of the week: finish laundry, go to OC zoo, get my MRI, clean my house


I am praying… for my church, the govt, my family, & lots of friends & extended families & lots of little ones