As For Me and My House-Part 3

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Thank you all for taking the time to read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. I am so humbled and in awe of the responses I have received. It brings me so much joy that there are so many mothers, wives and families that truly want to bring up children for the Kingdom of God and be the wives God desires them to be. Just a quick reminder that Part 3, just like the previous one,s, are not me teaching, instructing or advising. I have gotten many requests to share our life and this is simply what is it.

I truly believe as a woman, we have such an impact on the lives of our husband and children. Men are rather simple to please and most men want their wives happy and live to satisfy their desires. So what are we as wives choosing?

I choose-

-I choose to praise and build him up, even when it’s REALLY hard to do so. (It’s good to focus on the good things when the bad wants to show its ugly head.)

-I choose to set him a pretty table setting every once in a while because food just tastes better in a fancy setting. (No, it’s not every meal, but it really does make a difference.)

-I choose to encourage him, even when I don’t feel like much of an encourager. (You can do it, babe, you can do it!)

-I choose to keep his clothes ironed and cleaned so he always looks neat. (I think I need to invest in a steamer!)

-I choose to help him work on his faults and not remind him of how ugly they are. (It’s very easy to do it the other way around).

-I choose to talk positively about him to my friends and family and not spit out venom that is painful. (This doesn’t mean I don’t ask for prayers if we are going through a rough time.)

-I choose to have a clean home for him when he comes from a long day of work. (No, it is not always easy.)

-I choose to take time in preparation of a warm and filling meal for him. (He deserved a hot meal.)

-I choose to greet him at the door with our kiddos when he comes home so he feels the love and excitement at his arrival. (Yes, getting out of the pj’s is a great idea.)

-I choose to periodically send him notes in his lunch box. (Ain’t that so romantic).

-I choose to focus on my husband and children, not on my girlfriends or work. (Though going out with my girlfriends is very much appreciated.)

-I choose to apologize for my actions in front of my children if they saw that ugly behavior of mine make its way to the surface. (Sorry kiddos.)

-I choose not to raise my expectations so high he cannot possibly fulfill them. (But just enough for that next growth, ha!)

-I choose to be supportive when he is spending time in the Word, at church or on the mission field. (Very proud of him during these moments, like SUPER proud.)

-I choose to give in even when it’s not easy. (Yes, even going on a cruise when I am petrified of being in the middle of the ocean because he has been asking for years.)

-I choose with all I have to create such an environment at home that he is saddened to leave and eager to come home to; and not eager to leave and saddened to come home. (Isn’t that just so deep.)

He chooses-

-He chooses to show me respect in front of my kids. (He’s just so sweet.)

-He chooses to praise me even when I don’t deserve it. (Yes, even the times at the beginning of our marriage my hideous attempts at fancy meals weren’t exactly great, he still ate it. Much obliged, Sir.)

-He chooses to let me pick out the color of our walls. (You know you now love them too hon;).)

-He chooses to go ahead and re-arrange the home as often as needed because that is important to me. (He is stuck with a creative person that gets bored easily, sorry darling.)

-He chooses to go to the kiddos at night when they are crying because he knows I am so exhausted. (I may or may not fake exhaustion. So kidding, but a great idea. Ladies don’t get any bad ideas here.)

-He chooses to be supportive. (I was petrified to start this blog and he believed in me. He purchased me a fancy camera and made some pretty backdrops for me to work with. Sniff, sniff, so cute.)

We choose-

-We choose to put each others desires above ours. (Impossible without God at the center of our lives.)

-We choose to make peace before we fall asleep so we wake up with peaceful hearts. (This means stay up as long as it’s needed to work things out.)

-We choose communication on a daily basis. (This is easy, we both like to talk, as you can see.)

-We choose to be wise stewards of our finances and be faithful in our tithing to the Lord. (A favorite of ours. Who doesn’t like to count the income?)

-We choose to listen and hear each other. (Even when secretly I think I should be talking and he listening.)

-We choose not to talk negatively about those in leadership around us in front of the kids. (How can I possibly expect them to listen to them if I do so?)

-We choose that Christ is the center of our home. (Even when things get tough and we feel like we are in a dark tunnel, our focal point is Christ’s light at the end of the tunnel. That was deep stuff, no? I’m beginning to scare myself!)

-We choose the Word of God as our instruction in life. If the manual isn’t clear, we just keep searching because we missed a step somewhere!

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My time with God-

For me personally, this is the most important time of day. I used to think of my “time” with God in prayer and Bible reading was when I “had time”. Sadly, when I think this way, that time can become infrequent and far apart. This will come up, then that will come up, the list will go on and then I realize I haven’t opened God’s word in days. For me, I have learned not to look at Bible reading as a when I have time but more like Lord, how do I make time today?

I have also found that being consistent in where I read the Bible has helped me as well. I have a really comfortable spot in our living room. There I have my Bible, journal, pens, sticky notes, stickers, etc. and it’s a great reminder on a daily basis to use those materials. My kiddos know why they are there and I believe it’s powerful that they know mama reads her Bible there and it’s a vital part of her day. I like to be creative when I am reading and for those of you that have a hard time making yourself read maybe this will help you as well. I keep a journal where I jot down verses that stand out to me during my reading, or when God opens sometime new to me. In this journal, I also doodle, have stickers and kids’ pretty stick figure drawings that I glue there. When I read their notes to me and all their cute drawings, they really motivate me. Yes, even those drawings that need an explanation because the stick figures are rather hideous, but my 3 years old drew them and they are dated and kept in there. (Yes, I am that mom that keeps all of their crafts, drawing, and notes they have made over the years.)

I have also found that following a Read the Bible in a Year outline is really helpful. It helps me stay on track and I know where I need to be on a given day. If I had something that came up and was unable to read one day, I can quickly catch up and get back on track.

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord-

When writing this series I titled it “As for Me and My House” because there is SO much truth in this sentence. Did you notice it doesn’t say my spouse then I? Nor does it say my family as a whole? It clearly states ME first. I must first serve the Lord. This is powerful! How can I show my children kindness when it is foreign to me? How can I show my children the fruit of the spirit and expect them to possess it when I do not express love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness and faithfulness? What amazes me, even more, is this verse doesn’t say “fruits” of the spirit, meaning I cannot apply one or two and say I bring forth fruit of the spirit. The verse says “fruit” of the Spirit which means I as a wife and mother must strive to possess all of them. No matter how hard I try to love, I cannot give love because God is love. He alone can give me His love and create in me a heart with these attributes. How can I practice long-suffering if I am a mere human and don’t have this ability? Through Christ and in Christ alone will I have these characteristics. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord!

On the same page-

I was raised in a Christian family with 10 siblings; my husband was an only child. I heard about God all of my life; my husband came to Christ shortly before we were married. Can you just imagine these two worlds coming together? It’s like the beginning of a bad joke. What sounded like a terrible union of two paths actually worked to our advantage. There are many topics the Bible isn’t really black and white about. It was in these moments we really needed to set aside how we were raised and find what the Bible truly says. So many times my husband and I would have a question and we would search the Bible and pray yet there was no clear answer. Then we search and pray again and still no answer. We would go to church Sunday and the brother at the pulpit would preach about our exact situation and a Biblical solution for, we just overlooked it.

I truly believe we as believers can really learn from each other as well. There are families in our lives that have children a little older than ours and are great examples to us. We had no problem asking other families for advice; how do you do this in your family or that. Sometimes their ideas or advice would be something we would have NEVER thought of alone. We would call around for answers and then make a final decision on what will work for our family; weighing all of the pros and cons. Many times we feel as if going to someone for advice is a sign of weakness but the Bible says “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Prov 12:15”. Even to this day, in hard situations, we will still ask our parents and others for advice, pray hard, search the Word of God and then make a final decision.

The same goes for disciplining children. We were raised COMPLETELY differently. Most of our decisions were made after talking A LOT, praying, fasting, asking others for advice, searching the Scripture and finally deciding.

There were very few but some situations where we just could not agree upon and Col 3:18 was the way out; “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands.” I pray for my husband daily and I as a wife trust that God will give him the wisdom to make the final decision and take responsibility for it. Does that mean if his decision was a fail I have the right to rub it in his face? Absolutely NOT!.

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Honor your parents-

Eph 6:2 says: “Honor your Father and Mother”. I think many of us when reading this want to add an “until you are married” to the ending of this sentence. After I am married I still need to call my parents frequently to see how they are doing. I should take them to their appointments. I try to bake something and take over there and honor them every way possible. And here is the kicker, if I do that for my parents how do I have a right not to do that to my husband’s parents? They gave him life and THANKS to them I have this incredible spouse. I need to call them too to see how they are doing; I should be observant of their needs. I should bake or cook something and take over there and have them over at our home. Regardless of our differences, I need to do what is possible so there is love and respect from my side. If I purchase my mother a Birthday gift for $100 dollar and take the time to wrap it and make sure it’s delivered in time then I should do the same with my mother-in-law.

Sometimes, husbands tend to ‘forget’ to call their parents or go visit and we as wives were given this gift of being able to influence them. A gentle reminder of honey when did you last call your dad/mom, please don’t forget to do so. You haven’t gone to visit your mom and dad in a while; here, I baked a cake, go visit them and enjoy each other’s company. Is this always easy? I will be the first one to tell you no! But it’s very doable! {I have a really wise friend and she says her hubby barely calls his parents. So she will dial their number and give him the phone, lol. Yes, a bit sad on his part but what a great woman, and she never takes credit for it!.}

From day one we make a commitment to try and not disrespect each other’s families. When there are times something needs brought up we both try to do it with meekness, gentleness, kindness so as not to hurt each other. We try to keep in account that these people are the dearest to us so we don’t hurt or harm each other with our words that will then require a healing process.

Our children see this respect for both sides of parents. They see their daddy and mommy treat both parents with EQUAL respect and I pray with all my heart they will do the same with us. But if all they hear is me putting down my in-laws or my husband put down his, what can I expect from them when they are married? I can only imagine the pain of raising my boys, them marrying and their wives speak negatively about us, rarely inviting us over or visiting us. It’s a blow I don’t think any parent ever wants to feel.

He is the leader-

I was at my mom’s with my munchkins not too long ago on my way to pick our boys from school. My mom knows I am rather strict with the kids’ sugar intake and Elizabeth saw candy and said, “Grandma, can I please have one?” My mom replied, “you ask to ask your mom; she’s the boss”. My daughter stops in her tracks and says, “mom is not the boss, dad is” and gives her the how dare you to think that!

I cannot describe the emotions that stirred in my heart. Not because I felt belittled by my daughter, no. Our kids see our lifestyle and at the age of four she knows daddy is the leader in our home. Many women fight for equality. And it is true, Christ shed the same blood for all mankind. No need to treat the wife as a rag. So why do I feel it so important that our children know daddy is the leader? Not only is that what the Bible teaches but Christ’s example is outstanding. Jesus was present during Creation, He was God yet came down to this filthy world and became a man. During his ministry we see Him referring to God most of the time, “As my father sent me”, “May Your will be done and Phil 2:8 say “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death– even death on a cross”. If Jesus, being a perfect man, showed us this perfect example of his humbleness and obedience to God, how can I possibly think of doing otherwise with my husband?

And this my dearest friends wraps up the As for Me and My House series! Thank you for being with us. Now that you know just about everything about us, I would so love to hear your stories.

~Please share the adorable things your hubby does for you, or how great of a wife he has.

~What are some of the ideas you do as a couple to keep a marriage that is enjoyable to both? We are always open for ideas!.

-What do you find hardest in being a wife after God’s heart? And anything else you would love to share!

Your comments mean so much!

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37 Comments

  1. Valiya, You sure do know how to make people try. So powerful. Can I post this to Facebook?

    1. Oksanochka, I sure didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m sorry. I am not sure there is anything in here worth sharing but if you feel there is then please do.

  2. I have read all of your series about your family and am in complete awe. I am so thankful that God sent me to your profile and that I found your blog. It is so hard being a good wife and mother, but seeing others do it gives me hope to one day be half as good a wife and mom as you. I too am from a conservative church and have 8 siblings. My wish is to raise my children in a very strict but loving environment so I really enjoyed all of the details that you took the time to write. I only have one baby so far, he is 6 months but I know I want him to be raised just the same way as you raise your children. I also love how you explain about being a good wife.

    1. Angelina, I totally agree with you. Parenting, marriage and just being a Christian in general are all really hard work but then again if something is easily achieved in life, it is lightly treasured. If I was given $1000 dollars and if I had to work hard for it I think I would look totally different at them. Congrats on the baby, enjoy him, he will grow so fast. I was in the same boat and now he is 11 and no longer a baby and it felt like yesterday he was our firstborn. You will do great as a mommy, I can just sense your desire through the comment and I believe it is very admired by God as well. Learned from my life that mistakes will make you wiser, experience will make you stronger and God will guide you through it all. Thank you for taking the time to read these posts!

  3. As for me and my opinion, my sister is the best!! I will be the first to say that all the above written is 100% true and I’ve seen this godliness and amazing relationship you have (not only with your family but with the God who provides all these blessings) You are truely such a inspiration and I look up to you with all that I do. As a growing women (I can’t say I’m a teenager anymore and that makes me feel old) but anyways.. I can turn to you and no matter what it is, you are always a firm hand and strong friend that comforts me and gives me sage advice. I look at your family and your life and I see how blessed you are. It’s because you put God first. That is soo evident in all you do, and I look up to you and set goals to be like that. It’s so rare to find people that strive for Godliness and strive to be better in every way. And I get to see it first hand, not just as a blessed youth leader (Tim is amazing at it) and parents, but I get to be your friend and your sister!! I thank God for that everyday!

    1. Sissy, You sure do know how to make me tear up. I love you with all of my heart. You are correct, you are no longer teenager but have blossomed into a Wonderful, Special, Sweet, Smart, Caring and God fearing young woman. You will make such a great wife one day.

  4. Thanks so much for sharing your life. It has really blessed me I pray that God helps me be a better wife and mother. You mentioned that you don’t like shopping, can you share how you shop for such cute clothes for your children and not spend too much time on that? Also what rules do you have for sweets and sugar intake for kids? My son is a very very picky eater and loves sweets I’m trying to really balance out and have him eat healthy. Thanks so much, God bless you and your family.

    1. Yelenochka, THANK YOU for you kind words. I actually really dislike shopping, like a TON. It may be that the older you get and you realize that clothing really isn’t all that important, I can’t remember a single clothing I had 5 years ago but I sure do remember how much time I wasted shopping. As I get older and my kids need more and more of my time, for me personally, the satisfaction shopping once brought is no longer there. Out 3rd son 95% of his clothing is stuff from his older brothers. Same with my second daughter, she just wears her older sisters stuff that was passed down. I like to buy good quality clothing that will be passed down. Old Navy and Gap frequently have discount’s online and free shipping and my kiddos will just sit by me while we shop and pick out what we like. Saves money on gas, they are able to choose what they like and I purchase only what is necessary. I don’t know about you but I notice myself when I go out to the store to shop I tend to purchase things I don’t necessarily need. Then I feel bad about it because my husband has to work really hard to make that money (he works on roofs). Sometime we will just go with my spouse together and do our shopping to outlets or make a day of shopping. Then there are times my hubby will stay with the younger ones and I take my boys out and we do our shopping and have lunch or dinner together. If it’s sneakers they need in the beginning of the year my hubby will take them and have their bonding day. I have a WONDERFUL sister that is not yet married and she is so kind and will go school shopping for me . I don’t remember the last time I bought something for myself, it has been SOO long.
      Same with grocery shopping. I usually like to know what I am getting when I go in or else I purchase what’s unnecessary and then it’s not used and a waste of food. I like lists. Go in, get what I need and get out. Haha.
      My husband LOVES sweets and it has passed down to ALL of our children so I am kind of in the same boat with you. They don’t like celery but will eat it if dipped in ranch or peanut butter so we do that. Carrots I shred and add honey. None of them will each green beans but like corn with butter. We drink a lot of tea (using leaves) at our home instead of buying juices (my dentist said there is so much sugar in them and here I thought we were being healthy by drinking juices, haha). We love kampot or add fruits to hot tea. I freeze A TON of fruit during the summer when it’s cheaper for kampot and can kampot so they have to drink it during winter. I hear smoothies are really great way to sneak veggies in so I cannot wait for summer when I can buy fruit at farmer’s market.

  5. Valentina, So many of these things spoke to me but may I ask you honestly, do you never speak of your husband negatively? That almost seems impossible. Sorry for such a question.

    1. Marinochka, No need to apologize. It’s a great question, actually. Thank God I surround myself with girlfriends that never sit and bad mouth their husbands but I do know this exists. If I go out with a group of girls and the topic of socks laying around comes up and if this is something my hubby does, we can all laugh about it and go on (or something of that nature). But do I sit there and call him names and say he never does anything and he is so this and so that in a tone that will make him look really bad, no. The tone of voice I use is really important. Will I inform my parents of things my husband does that will make him look really bad in their eyes? No!. A wise woman gave us some great advice in the beginning of our marriage. You and your husband will have a disagreement and you will patch things up and forget it existed, now if you informed your mamma when your heart for full of anger of whatever it was that happened she will remember this for a long time. Every time she sees him that nagging thought of how can he treat my daughter like this might be present, yet we have long forgot about this. I can however ask my parents to pray for me because we have a decision that needs made and we are unsure of how to handle it. My parents and I are actually really close, I talk to mom or dad almost every day, they mean so much to me. I just want to bring all the positive out in my husband and not focus on the negative and he does the same with his parents.
      I have a few really God fearing friends whom I can call or text and say hey my hubby and I have a situation that needs some prayers. They won’t ask me for information and will not spread that I asked them to lift me up in prayers, they will just pray. Same with me.
      I look at it like this, say for example my husband never makes the bed if he is the last one up (mine thankfully does). So I tell my girlfriend he is such a lady bum, goodness seriously how hard is it to make the bed, why was he raised to be so rude and so on. What will change with this rant, will he start making the bed? NO. Will it make mine and his relationship better? NO. Would I like him to sit and tell his friends my faults? NO. Other than the momentary satisfaction of getting that off of my shoulders there is really not much good that will do so why do it?
      I am not sure if any of that made sense. Maybe for other couples their relationships are not effected by talking negative about their husbands but this is MY PERSONAL opinion and it actually could be very wrong.

  6. Valentina, Thank you for sharing the resources. That was really nice and most of them i never heard of so I can’t wait to listen. God bless your family so much. I really loved the -choose- points. Alot to think about for sure.

  7. Valiya, If only you can know how your posts have rocked my world. Its almost like everything I ever tried hiding became an ugly truth. I have four kids, and a mother in law who is very present in our life. I have cried myself to sleep almost every night after these posts, from my heart wanting freedom. I have began reading the Bible every night which I didn’t do in years. If its not too much to ask for pray for me and my family. Thank you for these posts so much. Your sister in Christ.

    1. Mariya,I am truly sorry. I did not mean to rock your world at all. I actually sent you a personal e-mail to the e-mail you left in this comment. Added you to my prayer’s book. My in-laws would come visit and us for 6 years in a row and would live with us for 6 months at a time. I know exactly what you are talking about first hand. She is one of my closest friends now though and that is thanks to many many prayers and I explained all of that in the e-mail. There is nothing our God cannot do. Hoping to talk to you more via e-mail.

  8. I loved reading these posts! May I ask which Bible reading plan you use? Also, can you please email me the chore chart?

    1. Nelia, Thank you SOO much for the comment, I am so happy you enjoyed these cause I was very hesitant whether I should write them. This year I am reading it where it’s broken up into seven days so each day you have a topic; The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, Gospels and Letters. I find it rather hard to follow and not sure I will ever read it this way again. Say I read The Law on Monday so next Monday I read it again and I have to go through my notes to remember what I read, not sure I like that, but since it’s April I will stick it out. I typically read Chronologically and sometimes I will do New Testament twice, once in Russian and once in English. There was no Plan I could find that had everything on one paper so I make a sheet for myself and will gladly sent it to you. Russian and English N Test. is different in order so I will e-mail you both the Russian and English version, not sure which you read, and also the Chore Sheet.

  9. Thank You. Thank you for these posts. Me and my friends had a great time discussing them. Can you give some advise for kids and church, I bet your kids sit line angels. We would probably all like to hear this if u don’t mind sharing. 🙂

    1. I AM SO SO SORRY, I AM NOT SURE HOW I MISSED THIS COMMENT. You talked about this post with friends? That just makes me turn red and nervous. Wish I could have been a fly on that wall!! I’m not really sure how to answer this question because everyone is so different in their beliefs and that is what it all boils down to. What does going to church mean to me because what I believe is what I will instill in my children. When we head to service to a place where we call “House of God” it’s rather humbling. If we were invited with our family to go listen to a President speak or a celebrity someone follows we would train our children for weeks how to act, not to run around, they would dress in their best and be on their best behavior. Yet many times we come to church and that respect we would pay someone on earth is lacking in church. Yes, one may say God is with us everywhere so how is church service that different? To some it might not be different but to us it is. Church is not a place for my children to run around as if they are in a playground or at home. It is a place where we, with our children, come to worship a Holy God and the fear of God should be in all of us and in our children from a young age. We are both rather strict with our children and I understand not all parents will agree with us so I think it’s best to just pray about what works for your family and how. Our 4 older children sit with my husband (they just sit better that way) and I sit with the baby. We always tell our children if Jesus was sitting by you how would you act? Would you sleep? Walk out on a “potty break”? Chew gum? Check phone? Draw? Talk? Etc. and he is VERY present!. I don’t want my children to listen in church and not move an inch because they are afraid mom and dad will have consequences at home but we just pray so hard that they themselves will understand and have respect for the House of God. If he “gets it” that God is very present then the Holy Spirit can convict his conscience of his errors. Plus, every child is SOOOO different. One you will tell him to sit up straight and he will sit all service. Yet some children are really “strong willed” and “independent” and it can be very challenging, especially when they are younger.
      I am not sure if any of that made sense, lol. But I sure hope it did. Tell your friends I am rather humbled (or scared, not sure which it should be) that y’all would talk about me.

  10. This was a very nice post to read right before marriage. Thank you so much! Can’t wait for that part of life. 🙂 happy to see Christian bloggers blogging about something different for once! 🙂

    1. Thank so sweetheart. You are going to make a wonderful wife and mommy!!! Wishing you so many blessings upon your marriage. May God give you wisdom to be a wonderful helpmate, supporter and best friend in this new journey you are embarking on.

  11. Thank you for sharing this.. I am trying to be a good example in my family and be a good wife and mother. My mother in law is pretty much in our lives weather we want it or not.. she likes to control:( I tried so hard to have a good relationship with her but it doesn’t work for some reason. I became cold-hearted person with her.. any advice.

    1. Lenochka! Oh hon, I am so sorry to hear this but I TOTALLY know what you mean. I feel your pain, like for real. There is FREEDOM from that. I sent you an e-mail address you commented with. So looking forward to talking to you more.

  12. Valentina,
    I stumbled upon your site today and I feel very blessed and encouraged. I read all of your “faith and family” posts, along with all of the comments. It’s actually 3:30am right now, but this is good stuff that I needed to hear. I must admit that I cried during each “as for me and my house” post because I feel convicted. I am not the mother and wife that I should be, my kids and husband deserve much better. God also expects much more from me than what I’m putting in. I am ashamed of my ways and want to change but often don’t have the strength. The reason is that I’m not looking for it in the right place. I know better, God is the answer, I need to run to Him. It is so encouraging to see a woman of God carrying out her role. Thank you for taking the time to write. You should honestly consider changing the direction of this blog…I haven’t looked at any food recipes, but have have found great satisfaction from reading about how you build up your household. Thank you wholeheartedly for writing them, you are very inspirational. Gods blessings for your family! Also, can you please send me the chore list, thanks.

    1. Katrinochka, I am so humbled and turned a bit red from your comment, you’re so sweet. I am Beyond touched that someone as simple and “prosta” as me could be used by God to somewhat touch your heart. I totally agree with you, it’s very very hard and takes so much strength to be a wife and mother but it’s such a beautiful and rewarding “mission” God entrusted all of us with. You ARE a great mother though. Don’t let anyone get you to doubt yourself. There is room for all of us to grow and become better, I am the first one that will say that!!. When we train our minds to look at “CHRIST” for everything that is when we have the biggest changes cause He mends us to His liking and that is SOOO powerful. {Perfect story of Peter, when he had his eyes trained on JESUS, he WALKED on water and as soon as he looked at his hopeless surroundings he began to drown}. May God bless all of us moms to help each other and encourage each other. P.S. I am so glad you “stumbled” upon the blog, looking forward to getting to know you better. I will send you the chose sheet once kiddos are in bed tonight. Your new friend -Valentina

  13. valentina,
    Amazing post. Loved reading your thoughts on family issues.. It is nice to hear that other people have such high beliefs/standards..
    Wanted to share some other websites that I have enjoyed very much.
    1. Propovednik.com: this website is full of sermons, family and teenage camps, which you may find useful, songs, etc
    2. kladovaya.org: also has lots and lots of family (semeinie lagerya zapisi) camps, kids, teenage camps, sermons, song CD’s, audiobooks, etc
    Hope and pray that you find these useful!
    Blessings to your sweet family!

    1. Elenochka, Thank you for your comment. I’m so excited for these new sites. I cannot wait to check out kladovaya, sounds wonderful. Thank YOU!

  14. Hello Valentina!
    There is a good website/radio GolosMira.com It has a lot of good information. You can also listen the radio on the phone 1-213-493-0118 Golos mira is 24/7.

  15. Hello,
    I came across your Instagram and visited your blog and I am truly in awe of you. You know, devout Christians are always set apart from the rest and you can see the light shining and the work that God is doing in the family. Your family is shining Gods light, his love, his glory. You are so inspiring and I am deeply touched by reading Part 1, Part 2 and your part 3. You have been so blessed, not only with a beautiful family but you have been blessed with wisdom, patience, strength, love and all that is good from the Lord. You are a shining light for your family. May God continue blessing your family and your beautiful soul. I myself have two children and I can barely keep up but I know the only way is through the Lord. You really touched my heart and I am more thirsty than ever for the Lord. I am also a Christian and I just feel I have been so distant from the Lord and I need to fuel my soul. Just know that you are touching hearts, you touched mine, thank you!

    1. THANK you so so much Tatevik. I’m so happy that you found something positive out of these posts. You are right, life is T-O-U-G-H. Constant battle, and as soon as you conquer one, there are 50 more waiting in line, cause Satan knows his time on earth is coming to a finish. Truly impossible without Christ, we’re all mere sinner. It’s truly not me with anything, I am the exact same person as you. I sure do believe that is God can use a donkey to speak, he can use any of us. Again, thank you so so much for visiting.

  16. Dear Valichka… I wrote somewhere on here don’t remember if in this post or not if you could please send me a spreadsheet you were offering with help on how to organize time&house work., and any other information you might have. I am in need of becoming an organized wife and mom to our Abigail and soon to give birth to our second baby girl. Also in need of Gods strength and relying on Him only! Thanks for everything ❤️

    1. Hi Julie, So nice to meet you. That’s weird. I usually send e-mail to all comments, sorry if I missed yours or maybe it went into Spam? Anyway, sent another e-mail. If you have any questions, please let me know. Blessings.