MARRIAGE: Six Words!

This past Sunday Father Bartlett's sermon had special emphasis on praying for others. We should pray for one another.

This past Sunday I came home from church. Eric changed his clothes and invited me to bring the kids to watch his team play flag football.

I declined!

It was hot. I was tired, Channing and Chase were annoying and this man was about to leave to watch football!

A fire ignited! 

How the h-e-double hockey sticks did he figure he should go watch football when there are a million things around the house that need to be done.

Why am I the only person that knows about these chores?

I was livid. Livid because I have been asking this man to finish these things for like forever. Some of these things since oh let's say March!!!!!

Really! 

Thank goodness it was Sunday. Thank goodness I went to church. Lord help him if I had not. Ohhhhh the words I had for him. If I opened my mouth it wasn't going to be pretty.

Why can't men finish what they start?

Why do I have to tell you to move the tool kit out of our bedroom?

Close the drawer properly so your clothes don't hang outside the stupid drawer!

Turn off the light after you come out of a room!

I can go on and on and on.

But on Sunday I did not go on and on. I got a piece of paper and made a list. 

On Sunday I prayed. I wrote my prayer and stuck it on the refrigerator! Yes I did I put that bad boy on the fridge for all and sundry to see, the housekeeper and my brother who happened to be visiting.

I needed to send a message.

The message for Eric was, "You have frustrated me so much that I have to go God for you! I don't know who or what else to do! This is the last straw!"

STOP! 
PAUSE!
BREATHE!
THINK!

What if that is all wrong? What if I was ending where I should begin?

courtesy of livingabeautifullyblessedlife.blogspot.com

Have you seen this book before? If yes, do you own it? If yes, do you know where it is? If yes, go get now!

If you haven't seen this book before, let me  give you a brief synopsis. This book is about praying for your husband. The author has one belief. She believes that there are some topics that a wife should pray to God about and not take to her husband.

Inside this book there are prayers for your husband's health, his fears, his finances, his career....

Why?

Because when we talk to our husbands about some things we come across as nagging and/ or being bossy. Some topics are too touchy. There are some topics that men find it hard to discuss.

Let God handle it! Too simple to be true right?

Well, I will tell you this.... and these words are for my fellow believers of Jesus Christ, if you could call one person and vent, wouldn't it be awesome to vent and complain to God. 

God truly has the power to affect change! 

I believe that to be true. Not only that, after talking to God, he makes you feel better...gives you some peace of mind.

I'm not telling you what I heard....I am telling you what I know! 

What I Tiffany Hall believes!

And so...

I confess I have not been praying for Eric as I should. As his helpmeet, praying is how I should help. On Sunday I prayed for Eric out of anger. Today I will start praying for my husband from a place of love.

My fellow  believers...join me! 

Let's pray for our men. 

courtesy of spirituallythinking.blogspot.com 

Every time a negative thought comes to your mind, say a prayer. "Lord, I pray for my husband." Start with those six words.

Six words.

Six little words.

Six meaningful words.

Six powerful words.

Six words that will bring change.

Six words that will give you peace.

Let's try it.... nagging is simply not working!

And by the way, the list is still on the refrigerator. And no, Eric has still not completed any of the tasks yet...

Until I pray again,

Tiffany

GUEST BLOG: Why I Miss My Jeep!

In February in 2005 I bought my first Jeep: a 1995 Jeep Wrangler. It was red with a black top, two details my girlfriend Tiffany said she wanted in a Jeep. As I was not as particular, when opportunity met with preparation I purchased it for $5000 and it all began.

My First Jeep

I had always wanted a Jeep, I use that term Jeep loosely as technically Jeep is a make although most people (with any sense) understand Jeep to be the two-door beast without a top (a CJ, YJ, TJ, etc.). From watching old History channel shows about WW2 and seeing the original Willy's bouncing around Europe winning the war; to movies and TV shows with the coolest most life-loving people cruising around with no top and no cares; all the way down to rappers in the 80's and 90's riding around with rims and light kits with sub-woofers for back seats I had an attraction to Jeeps.

A YJ in the movie “New Jack City” courtesy of http://www.outlawedoffroad.com/showthread.php/282-Jeeps-in-the-movies!!!

I remember clearly around lunchtime making the purchase and immediately taking it to be cleaned so I could surprise my girlfriend Tiffany at her job. The timing was perfect, she worked late and the front of her workplace was empty so I could position the Jeep perfectly. She walked out and asked, "Whose Jeep is this?" 

"Mine!" I said. She didn't believe me and spent the next five minutes asking the same question. Once convinced, she spent another twenty minutes repeating the phrase, "You bought a Wrangler?"

I did and I named it The Red Rumbla. My girlfriend jumped in and displayed her superior stick skills...omg.

As with any ten year old car, there will always be work to be done on it. This is where a Jeep relationship differs from any other vehicle. If you ask someone about buying an older car and explain how much work it needs or could use, you will not get a positive reaction. But, when it comes to a Jeep there is a feeling of arousal when you talk about what work it requires.

The first thing I did to the R.R. was an engine flush and service, a skill taught to me by my father that pays wonderful dividends. I then hooked up with a mechanic who did some work on my transmission to smooth out the shifting (I think it is sacrilegious to drive an automatic Jeep) and I ordered a new soft top. Once it arrived I gave the R.R. a thorough cleaning and waxing and put the new top on, WOW.

Weeks in, my Jeep was my new ride, my new hobby and my new perspective in life. Prior to it I only had cars, so riding high in a go anywhere, do anything vehicle was the best.

In that Jeep I had no radio, no AC, no interior lights no frills at all. It was a solid body, engine, seats and a steering wheel. What I did have was opportunity. Driving that Jeep gave me the opportunity to talk to my girlfriend Tiffany without distraction and as I built up that Jeep, I built up our relationship.

The Red Rumbla was a symbol for a beautiful stage in relationship building. We travelled to Eleuthera with it, discovering the island in four-wheel drive the way we discovered each other. Free of boundaries, with potholes, and dirt roads and branches in the way. We discovered who we were and would be as a couple with the top down and windows off.

As time passed, I got the hole in the back welded and closed up and painted on a bed liner; I got new roll bar covers; a branded tire cover, I changed out the distributor cables, the ignition coil; so many changes, upgrades and maintenance. I followed suit in my relationship and like my Jeep, it took me everywhere I wanted to go.

By late 2007, my Jeep was dying from a problem I could not find. I tried and tried but I had to give it up. In the end it made sense. I found a fellow Jeep lover, who took her and has not only solved the problem I could not, has continued to love and upgrade her.

The Red Rumbla was like a Phoenix in my life, it consumed itself so I could let go and move on. It knew my life and relationship was about to change and it did.

In January 2008, my girlfriend Tiffany and I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee as we knew that year we would be married and kids would follow soon after. The Red Rumbla was not appropriate for babies and she knew it. We pass her on the road sometimes being driven by her new owner, and my wife Tiffany and I always say hello.

I miss my Jeep because I appreciate what it taught me about life. That frills are not always necessary. Sure AC feels great in the summer, but you have to close up yourself and cut off the world to enjoy it. Just like material things in your life, you can have every luxury, but those luxuries and acquiring them can distract you from the simple things that build and maintain your relationships (like talking).

I miss my Jeep because I miss my girlfriend Tiffany and our selfish times together. Having my wife Tiffany and two kids means sacrificing a lot of your pre-marriage/pre-children relationship. I miss getting soaked in the rain in February because that pesky cowl seal has dry rotted and the bikini top does not really seal the top of the doors. I miss never needing a key to open the door as it was never locked, because most of the time the windows were off anyway (keeping no secrets). I miss that pink beach chair sticking out the back and practically living on the beach with a cooler and cold-ones with dinner.

I miss how easy it was to clean or not. I miss how cool it made me feel. I miss my hobby.

But I get it. The Red Rumbla taught me that you do not HAVE to have every option or push button feature to get where you want to go in life. There are times when you are down to nothing, but once you can get it in DRIVE, you can get there and in a Jeep state of mind that means ANYWHERE.

I miss it all, but I understand that it had its season. I read when my wife Tiffany wrote about the “Partnership” stage of our marriage and for me much of that is being a Father. My resources and energy go to maintaining our children. At this early stage of their lives they have to be my hobby so that in a few years when the day-to-day care is lessened, I might be able to get that 1976 Jeep CJ (Civilian Jeep) that pre-dates the Wrangler model name and do an off frame rebuild.

I think knowing I made that sacrifice for our children now will make riding around in another Jeep in a few years to come with my wife Tiffany that much more fun.

The Grand Cherokee is a more grown up Jeep. It does its job wonderfully and we love it too. But as God is my witness, another Jeep will return to our lives and my kids will be indoctrinated into the Jeep lifestyle. Trust me I have already started.

It's a Jeep thing and we understand.

Written By: Eric Nathan Hall

BE A GUEST BLOGGER!!



courtesy of www.masternewmedia.org


In a blog meeting of ours the other day, Tiffany and I thought it would be a great idea to begin Guest Blogging!

We want to be able to give our readers an opportunity to showcase their stories and information they may wish to share. 

We do have a few guidelines for you to think about when you're "blogsitting" (get it...not babysitting, but blogsitting our blog! :)

Here are the guidelines for Blogsitting:

1.  Submit your topic or idea to marriedworkingmothers@gmail.com. 
     Once your topic has been approved you can write your post.  You 
     will be given a deadline in which the post should be e-mailed to us.
     We will require that your post be sent as an attachment

2.  Your post must be based around the topics of our blog.

3.  Your post must be original content.  We are required to check for
     plagarism

4.  Once the post has been posted on our blog, you must not publish the 
     content anywhere else on the internet.

5.  You are welcome to link your post back to your website, Facebook 
     profile/page and/or Twitter.

6.  Pictures are great!  Use them :)

7.  We will edit your post for grammatical errors and facts and make any 
     changes if necessary.  We will send you the complete text of the post 
     to you before it is published for your final review.

8.  We reserve the right to not publish a post it we do not feel the quality is 
     of the standard we have provided on the blog.


We are really excited about sharing your stories!


Signed,
MWMs Management

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AINDREAS!

Today is Aindreas' 3rd birthday, and although the weather is not the best we are enjoying it indoors.  I made his favorite breakfast, bought his favorite candy, he received a gift from mummy and daddy and to top it all off his big sister baked funfetti cupcakes. With the big number 3 candle placed on top of his very own cupcake and ice cream, can I say he is more than a happy camper and it's only midday!  He has the rest of the day to continue feeling like he's the centre of the universe!  

In my post on Wednesday, I described how torn I was about cutting his hair, and even though I made the appointment I figured I still had up until that time to decide.  Hence the reason why a decision was not made at the end of the post.  The appointment was at 4:00 p.m. and believe it or not we sat in the salon for more than an hour until finally we decided.

We cut it. We felt it was time and we couldn't be more happy about our choice.

Here is my handsome baby boy as he celebrates his 3rd birthday with his brand hew haircut...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AINDREAS!!!! 

We Love you very much!!

Love the entire family

How do you celebrate your child's birthday? Do you have any traditions for family birthdays? 


Signed, 
a very happy Momma (Candilaria)

WHEN YOUR SON LOOKS LIKE A GIRL

This Friday, June 7th my son will celebrate his 3rd birthday...and he looks like a girl. 

For the past year Deran and I have been back and forth about cutting his hair. His hair is long. I mean longer than his 6 year old sister's hair...long. Everywhere we go no matter if I have dressed him in all the "boy" attire and all the "boy" colours in the world, there is a 99.9% chance people will think he is a girl.  I don't get upset mind you like I've heard some women do.

See....Here is my beautiful baby boy, Aindreas

 

An appointment has been made today to have his first haircut but Deran (and me, some of the time) is against cutting it.  His feelings are there ought to be a purpose, a real reason for it. Hmmmm....I respond to that with..."maybe the purpose is for him to look like a boy!?"  

But then we chatted about one of the points I touched on the other day in my post about Life. The point that society dictates what we should do from what we shouldn't do and that what we should do is cut his hair so he "fits" in with the other little boys.  And then I am torn again.  

So what to do?!  This appointment is today!  I would be telling a lie if I said I didn't want to see him look like a boy.  Also, it would make my life a lot easier not having to do his hair in the mornings on top of my daughter's hair...lol.  Yet, I am incredibly nervous about cutting it.  Don't let Deran hear me say that...lol  

I asked Aindreas last night, "are you ready to get your hair cut today?", he responded with a big horizontal shake of the head.  That means no.  He says he likes his long hair.  Oh gosh.  While he does not understand the complexity of cutting his hair his simple answer stopped me in my tracks. I know he doesn't understand but it made me think even harder.  I'm sure many will disagree with my feelings and suggest that I cut his hair immediately but once again I ask...

Are we so stuck as a society that little boys can't have long hair?  When I send him to big boy school I will be asked to cut his hair so that he can conform and look like everyone else. Yes, the obvious reason to cut his hair is so that he doesn't look like a girl to others.  Yes, other kids will be rough on him, and a stigma placed on him would be much for him to bear.  And you know what...that sucks.  Truly sad.

What other reasons does society feel it necessary for boys to have short hair?  Do we feel that this will create identity issues for him later on?  Are we still of the belief that little boys with long hair is a precursor to him becoming gay? Or like we say it here "a little soft".

Really, why should I cut this boy's beautiful hair? What are your thoughts on a boy having long hair? 

Signed,

A torn Candilaria