Thank You to My Husband

I want to thank my husband for all the things that he does to support me as a stepmom.You take your job/role as a husband and a father very seriously.You talk with me about step parenting issues and respect and honor my input.You are patient when I get frustrated.You give me encouragement when I need it.You love me unconditionally.You give this family spiritual leadership. Thanks for getting up early after only a few hours of sleep to go to the Men's fraternity at church and for what you learned and are trying to do as a Godly husband and father.Thanks for realizing that my success as a stepmom greatly depends on you.Without you,I probably would not succeed.But with your support ,I can.Thanks for listening to me about the many things I ramble about.Thanks for doing your part to give me a strong foundation to stand on as a stepmom.Thanks for being my advocate and always sticking by my side.I LOVE YOU!!!

A Lot of Happenings

There have been alot of happenings in The Brown household recently, so this post will bring things up to the present time. We had a really bad day a little over a week ago in which we woke up one morning to an overflowing toilet and plumbing issues on a cold rainy day.As the day progressed,my husband was helping the plumber and fell down the outside deck stairs onto his back. He went back to work yesterday after being out of work for over a week,but thank God there were no serious injuries. My youngest son has left for Orlando,Florida to work at Seaworld. Thank God he made it safely and has a good room mate which I prayed for.My birthday was this past week and I had a very good day.My husband took me out to eat and to a neat coffee shop for dessert.Over this past weekend ,my husband and I went to a marriage seminar at our church called "The Art of Marriage".There was alot of good information on God's design for marriage.I would definitely recommend this to engaged or married couples.
Now to update you on my stepdaughter,Hope.We are continuing our bible study on "Lies Young Women Believe".It is great!!Some most exciting news is that Hope is going to give her testimony at church in a few weeks.I have watched her grow in her faith over the past few years.God is really using her circumstances in her life to impact others as they watch her growth in Christ.Our GOD is so good!!Even though we have had some challenges lately,LIFE is bringing us all closer together.Continuing the journey!

Good Times

Good day today! The weather was beautiful today-60's and sunny. We went to church this morning and heard a great sermon from Ephesians about putting off the old and putting on the new as Christians-to honor God with our lives-to be Christlike.We all have struggles daily. To strive toward becoming Christlike doesn't happen overnight.In saying all of this,I know there are days that I don't show my family a Christ like life.I also know that I have a God who is forgiving and gives me second chances.I do strive to be a good wife,mother and stepmother.That's my preaching for today! After lunch,we all took a walk together-Fun! Hope and I started our bible study today-"Lies Young Women Believe" by Nancy DeMoss and Dannah Gresh.Young girls have been lied to and deceived by satan throughTV,music, false religions,internet,cellphones and even friends.One lie that some believe is that" God is not enough".Many girls believe that they need their friends more than God.Some think that friends can fill that deep place in their hearts.The truth is that God is the only one that can fill our hearts. God is enough-he will meet all your needs.He is the One who never changes and will never leave you.My stepdaughter and I went out to eat then to Starbucks and had a great time of bible study and just talking about life.I hope she is learning as much from me as I am learning from her. This was a very GOOD DAY! Continuing the Journey!

Stepmoms- Take Care of Yourself

Being a stepmom is much more complicated than most people realize (except of course for us stepmoms) and it never seems to end. There are times as a stepmom when you may feel like running away due to frustrations that are overwhelming. Some stepmoms feel like a stranger in their own house. Some feel like the atmosphere in the house changes when the stepchildren are there.Some stepmoms have to watch every word they say while the step kids are here knowing it will be repeated to his exwife as soon as the kids return home. I have been there,but I don't deal with some of this at the present because my stepdaughter's mother is deceased and she lives with us fulltime. In saying all of this,we as stepmoms need to take extra care of ourselves.Take yourself out of the stresses of being a stepmom at times and focus on youself. We as stepmoms tend to give so much of ourselves to others that we leave little time for us.Doing this will help decrease resentment over things. Give yourself credit that you are doing a good job.Remember you are human and it's ok to sometimes cry and get mad. Go to the movies and out to eat with girlfriends. Treat yourself to a manicure/pedicure. Get yourself a facial or a massage. Take the time to do something that is a special treat for you.Most important look to God for your strenghth,wisdom and truth. He is there when you are overwhelmed and discouraged. He is THE ONE who will guide you on how to handle difficult circumstances. We all recently went to the beach for a few days(my husband ,stepdaughter, and myself).This was a time of relaxation and what a great view to marvel at what a great God we serve.Continuing the Journey!

STEPMOTHERS:COLLECT YOUR EVIDENCE

Stepmothers: Collect Your Evidence




Posted: 10 Jan 2011 04:34 AM PST

I wanted to share this great article with you from"Becoming A  Stepmom".Very good!

There are stretches of time in which I notice every little thing my husband does wrong. Know what I mean? My eyes see that he has dropped his clean clothes in a pile beside the bed instead of how hot he looks in his new sweater. I see that he has left the shovels out on the front porch instead of noticing how he pulled me in for a hug while we made dinner. I begin collecting evidence about how MUCH I do and how LITTLE he does to support our household. Does this sound familiar to you?



Not a great way to build a strong partnership.



So how about if we collect evidence that our partners LOVE us and focus on that instead? Take a moment and write down all the evidence that your partner loves you. Write down all the ways in which you’re perfect for each other and the ways he supports you. Make a list of all the activities you love doing together or those small moments you spend together that you love the most.



Laminate the list and pull it out when you want to feel more lightness and love in your relationship.
This article is from "Becoming A Stepmom"

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF STEPMOMS

The life of a stepmom is a daily journey. Each day can bring new and different challenges.The challenges are unique when the child's biological mom is deceased.You may think life is going along smoothly,then emotions arise out of nowhere at times from a stepchild. When a child allows more room in their heart for the stepmom, the child may feel like they are "forgetting" Mom. This is a fear some children have of their deceased mom. A child's emotional attachment to a deceased parent continues after death.Encourage children to keep their thoughts alive. One way as a stepmom to do this is to encourage the child to keep photos of her mom in a special place in her room. Use natural triggers of life to talk with your step child about her mom(e.g.,while eating at her mom's favorite restaurant). As a stepmom, be open to listen to stories about special memories with them.Also talk to your step child about how they can make room in their hearts for their stepmom also and still keep their mother's memory alive. God provides enough love for all the special people in our lives. If possible,keep the child and the mother's extended family in contact and involved in their lives.Besides all of the above,my days as a step mom may be something like this-taking her to school,making sure she has what she needs as far as school supplies,cooking supper,getting her to church activities and encouraging her involvment, preparing breakfast at times for the youth group on Sunday mornings,taking her shopping for clothes,doing a bible study with her,talk to her about friends and life as a teenager,take her to friends and have friends over,practice driving with her, take her out to eat,take her to get her hair cut, take her to orthodontist and doctor when needed. My husband and Hope's Dad is always there to help with all of the demands of life.I am very blessed to be married to him.That's another blog post-ha!! I am striving to learn to appreciate and enjoy today as a stepmom.Continuing The Journey!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I want to wish all stepmoms a Happy New Year for 2011.Being a stepmom can be challenging,but also rewarding. Look to the new year with a positve attitude ,encouragement from family and friends and most important look to God for guidance in all things.God sometimes uses family life to teach spiritual lessons to us.As a stepmother,you have a special gift to choose to love your stepchild that is not your own.This can be an opportunity to let God teach you how to love others like our Heavenly Father loved us.This choice will enrich your life in ways you can't imagine if you open your heart.I read a blog entree for New Years Resolutions for stepmoms that was very good-http://thehappystepmother.blogspot.com
                                 Continuing the Journey!