Rhubarb & Rubbish

In May, we honored women and mothers. It is June, and we shift our focus to honoring men and fathers. In a three-part series, we will discuss how wives can honor their husbands spiritually, in their relationship, and support their husbands’ work. First up, how can wives support their husbands spiritually? It might surprise you to know that the first way to honor your husband is not about your husband😊. Honor God First. The life of a Christian believer always begins with honoring and serving God. The Bible states that marriage is a covenant and should reflect the relationship between Jesus and the church (Ephesians 5:25, 28-33). Our belief in…

I grew up with only sisters. No brothers meant a lot of women in the household and just my dad for a male figure. Now in my adult years, it is very similar as my husband and I have only girls. I had the privilege and honor to interview both my dad and my husband on what it was like raising only girls. I interviewed by asking four questions.  Q1:  What is it like raising only girls? My Husband: You get lots of hugs and I love yous.  Dad: Raising girls is probably easier than raising boys because boys can be more of a handful. Boys tend to take more…

Whew….what a task in today’s world! Each day our children are faced with so many outside elements…elements that I myself are unfamiliar with as this generation is exposed to things we didn’t have growing up. I assume that every generation has said that, but I truly feel that this generation faces so much more because it is instantly accessed. And unfortunately, I feel that we have a generation that is greatly removed from living a faith-filled life. Children need a good foundation. Boys especially need to be modeled from both their father and mother. Mothers show their sons what a godly woman should look like and aid in showing them…

I will be honest. I have very little in common with my husband, inside and outside. He is 6’7, and I am 5’3. He can eat anything; I have multiple food sensitivities. He loves the outdoors; I am allergic to everything outdoors. He has not picked up a book since reading the Motley Cru diaries ten years ago; I have a stack of five to ten books I am reading at the same time. So, I am guessing you are wondering what on earth we do together, and it is a good question. We have learned that we have to meet halfway. Over the years, we have both tried things…

This month’s theme at Rhubarb & Rubbish was moms. What an amazing month it has been reflecting on important things for moms to do regularly to keep their sanity, recognizing and supporting the tired mom, and finding simple ways to celebrate moms.  In the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking through what does the modern mom look like? We discussed the problems we have and ways to correct them. However, my real thought is why does this really need to be discussed or answered? I believe it stems from what our society paints the image of a mom to be in our current times. Society wants moms to…

Throughout most of my life, I have felt like I am living it to the fullest within my time and budget. However, the past couple of years have left me to reevaluate. There’s no other way to say it….WE LIVE CRAZY, COMPLICATED LIVES…and some days I wonder if I am doing any of it right. My journey to the question at hand started a couple of years ago when my parents, siblings, and our children started an annual family camp. It was geared to get together, hang out to catch up, and enjoy the nature around us…but most importantly to let our kids just be kids. Dorm-style cabins, lodge eating,…

Setting boundaries as a mom is important. It helps to establish good, healthy relationships. It also relieves a little stress.  Examples of setting boundaries would be: For kids, it could be that I’m not going to pack their backpacks for school every day, I will remind them to do it but it is part of their job, but allow them to learn the responsibility. Another one for kids is to have them pick up their toys and put them where they belong so the next time they can easily find them to play with (teaching them both responsibility and respect). When it comes to your spouse having clear communication is…

Being a mom is probably the biggest blessing a woman can have in her life. We play with babies growing up and plan for all the fun that comes with feeding, bathing, and changing clothes. As we get older, we begin to start dreaming of the man that will be our other half to have these amazing children with. And then it happens…we have one or several bouncing, energetic children consuming most of our time and we are all of a sudden exhausted, and the picture we had painted as a child isn’t quite the same masterpiece. The exhaustion slowly sets in but soon our body aches to get out…

I recently took a moment to write out all the commitments that I currently have on my plate. It was daunting, overwhelming and a realization I once again have overbooked myself and probably should be using a platter and not a plate. It happens too easily. By nature, I am a “yes” kind of person instead of a “no” kind of person when I am asked to do something. A work in progress, indeed, and why we are on this journey at Rhubarb & Rubbish. As we devote this month to moms, we wanted to take a look at the importance of a mom finding time to do the things…