Torah Momma Journal 1-30-13

What did I…

Offer thanks for? Meeting new friends. I was talking to a friend about how it would be so nice to have another family to fellowship with on shabbat. Then the next morning a new (sort of local) friend found me on facebook! I was so shocked and humbled at how Adonai works in my life. 

Accomplish? I finished my new blog header! which I had been working on for a bit. I finally got around to getting rid of some things that don't fit or weren't being used. And I finished a denim skirt for my oldest daughter. It's so hard to find skirts at the length we prefer, so I have been making her some elastic waist ones. It works out really well for us and once she out grows them her sister can use them. 

Struggle with? Energy! I've been just feeling like vegging out. My youngest has been adding to this by climbing in my lap every time I sit down. Who wants to get up when you have a 2 year old curled up in your lap?

Teach my children? We're working on our normal school things and learning about giving. 

Study and learn? I've been doing more reading than studying these last few weeks. Only because I get myself overwhelmed some times. I'm learning that I need to rest in Adonai and allow Him to show me things in His timing. 

Laugh about? My hubby and I went to bed really late last night. Both the girls were asleep and we were laying there talking. Then my hubby started to fall asleep. So I started telling him to wake up because I couldn't sleep. Then my 4 year old says "Mommy you can talk to me I'm awake" but she was actually sleeping! lol Both of my girls talk in their sleep and it provides us with lot's of entertainment. 

Pray about? I've had a few issues come up for some friends so I've been praying for them a lot this week. I also know 5 women who are expecting so I've been praying for them. As well as a friend with a newborn, which now makes for two babies! Going from 1 to 2 isn't the easiest of transitions so I'm praying for her too. 

What is this week’s Torah portion and what did I learn from it? This weeks portion is Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:26

The part thatreally stood out to me was Ex 18:8-12 

And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lorddelivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

What stood out to me how after Moses shared about what Adonai had been doing in his life, Jethro became a believer! How awesome is that?! It convicts me all the more to be faithful in sharing the things that are happening in my life so that others, who don't yet believe, may come to know the power and love of YHVH! 

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I though this was perfect
for this weeks portion :o)

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Teaching Tzedakah

For our family it's vital that we teach our children the importance of helping others. When we were helping the man we met, the children were involved as much as was safe for them. They joined us in praying for him, and we made it a point to not hide what we were doing with him. 

We want to cultivate a servants heart in our girls, so we try to look for opportunities to serve. Sometimes that means giving or raising money, other times it means giving of ourselves. In Judaism the Hebrew word used to describe charitable giving is Tzedakah. Which literally means Righteousness. I like this word for what we are attempting to instill in our children. Because it's more than just giving, it's about doing what is right. We want them to aim for righteousness in everything they do. 

One very practical and easy way that we teach about giving is by having a tzedakah box. This is sort of like a piggy bank, except the money put inside is ONLY for giving away. It's not for savings or to spend on self. In the past we've had different tzedakah boxes that I've made from various things. But the other day I was cleaning up and I noticed I had two containers PERFECT for making small tzedakah boxes! So in our homeschool today we talked about giving and made some tzedakah boxes. 

I've also created this printable for you, so your kids can create their own tzedakah box! Just print it out and let them decorate it. Depending on the type of container you are using you may need to change the layout when you print it. If you do use it I'd love to see pictures of you putting it together. 

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.- Deuteronomy 16:17

Prep day, planting seeds, and a gift

I can't believe another preparation day is here! Time has been flying by! I am going to be busy today, I'm trying out some new recipes :o) but in the mean time I wanted to share a few things with you. 

The other day I was cooking dinner and I had an extremely sobering thought... If I died today how would my children remember me? Would they remember me as always being too busy or too demanding?Or would their memories be pleasant ones of playing games and baking pies?

We aren't garaunteed any specific amount of time with our children So it's important to sow godly seeds in them EVERY day. It has to be a constant thing. 

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. - 2 Corinthians 9:6 

No matter what we're doing we're sowing something. If we spend more time on facebook than reading to our children that's a seed sown. Every action is a choice, and that choice is a seed. 

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. -Galatians 6:7

Sobering right? I hugged my girls extra tight after Adonai brought this to my mind...

Ok enough heavy stuff I have a gift for you! Awhile back I was listening to a show on Revive Our Hearts, I can't remember who was being interviewed but the woman was talking about how to be a blessed proverbs 31 mother. She used an acrostic for BLESSED that I wrote in my Bible because it was something I didn't want to forget about.

B- Beacon
L- Listener
E- Encourager
S- Seed Sower
S- Self-esteem builder
E- Example setter
D- Diligent

So often we hear about the total package of the P31 woman but not the sole area of motherhood. So I created this free printable for you so you can have a copy of it too! I pray it's as much of a blessing for you as it has been for me.


Shabbat Shalom

Torah Momma Journal 1-17-13

What did I…

Offer thanks for? Getting to chat with another homeschooling mom who has a similar vision. Sometimes it's something as simple as this that lets you know you're on the right path. 

Accomplish? I opened my very own online store! I'm very excited about this and a bit nervous, but I know Elohim is in control.  (you can check it out here)

Struggle with? Sickness. I've been a bit of a mess all week. It started out as just allergies and asthma, but now it seems that I may have the flu :o(

Teach my children? We learned about butterflies this week and are continuing to work on letter recognition and sounds. 

Study and learn? I'm studying about Israel (the nation not the land) and what it means to be grafted in. I'm also studying about niddah.

Laugh about? We had dinner at my parent's house this week and we sat around talking and laughing. It was a really sweet time of fellowship. 

Pray about? I've been praying a lot for my husband and my children. 

What is this week’s Torah portion and what did I learn from it?

This weeks portion is Bo Exodus 10:1-13:16

I love how in this portion we see an example of being grafted in!

Exodus 12:

³⁸ And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

⁴⁸ And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

⁴⁹ One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

We serve an awesome Elohim!!!

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Waiting in the car for daddy :o)

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Grand Opening!

It's finally here! The grand Opening of Emunah! I plan to add more in the future, but there are a few things to choose from now. So go and take a look! Emunah 

Now with out further ado the winner of the giveaway is.... Rebecca Pemberton! Congrats!

The Greatest Love Story of ALL Time

The first time I realized the powerful truth of this message, I cried. I pray that it would be a blessing to you also.... 

As most of us know David was a man after God's own heart and served Elohim faithfully. Unfortunately his son Solomon was not as faithful and he lead Israel away from Adonai. 

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.... Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. -1 Kings 11:4,11

Because of Solomon's sins the tribes were then split up into two groups; the Northern Kingdom (which is referred to as Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (which is referred to as Judah). Then each of the tribes went off further into sin. So Adonai divorced the Northern Kingdom. 

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. -Jeremiah 3:8

Despite having gotten a divorce Adonai STILL loved Israel. Being the Good Shepherd that He is, he began to search for His lost sheep.

For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. -Ezekiel 34:11-15

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. -Micah 2:12

But there is a BIG PROBLEM! God DIVORCED Israel and according to HIS WORD He cannot marry her again...

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.-Deuteronomy 24:1-4

So Elohim's OWN law FORBIDS Him from remarrying Israel. What then is He to do??? Let's look at some facts...

The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. -1 Corinthians 7:39

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. -Romans 6:5-7


For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. -Romans 7:2-3

Do you see it yet? Do you see how much Elohim loves Israel? LOVES YOU! Yeshua {Jesus} came in order to DIE to free us from THAT law. So that we are no longer adulteresses, and could be RIGHTFULLY RECONCILED with the Father!!! Because He died, and then rose we are able to remarry Him as the SPOTLESS BRIDE! 





 But he {Yeshua} answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. -Matthew 15:24

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God... - Ephesians 2:12-19

This is by far THE GREATEST LOVE STORY of all time.. and it's written to you and me, how awesome is that??? 

Teach the Faith

As parents we all want the best for our children. We want to see them grow and blossom into the person they are meant to be. Often times though we neglect the most important area. 

We send them to school, have them in sports and dance classes. Every extra curricular activity that they ask for we try to allow them to do. No parent wants their child to feel deprived or to miss out on anything life has to offer. But what about what God has to offer? 

*****

To read more head on over to Homemaker-mom.com where I'm guest posting!  

Giveaway and a Sneak Peek!

I'm very excited to share this with you all! My family has decided to go into business. We're opening an online craft type business and will be selling different items ranging from headbands to scripture pieces. The name of our company is Emunah, which is Hebrew for faith. But it really means so much more than that. It's like putting feet to your faith and living it out. Which is not only what we are doing with this company but also how we want to live our lives!

We're  plan on having a grand opening on January 16th, and to kick things off we're having a giveaway!!! Up for grabs? This beautiful, light weight, no slip, tichel. A tichel is a type of head scarf that can be worn many ways. This one has a cotton under layer to prevent slipping, and has a beautiful printed top layer that would look great on anyone! Entering is simple, just use the rafflecopter widget found below. 

Don't cover your hair? There are still lots of fun things you can do with a tichel! But if you would prefer a headband we can arrange that for you ;o)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Home Remedies

I don't normally talk about these kinds of things, but this was too good not to share! The other night I was up late (or early depending on how you look at it) with a sick 2 year old. She was coughing, struggling to breath, and just all around uncomfortable. I had given her some cough medicine earlier but it just wasn't helping her. So I prayed about it and then decided to google some natural remedies. I stumbled across some information about making a syrup out of thyme and honey. Being desperate, and tired, I figured it couldn't hurt. 

It worked like a charm! She was back to her normal self after just taking it once! I've been giving her a tablespoom full every few hours since and her cold is pretty much cleared up. She does have a bit of a cough still but she is no where near as bad as she was. My 4 year old was also starting to come down with something, so I gave her some and she is fine now. 

With all that, how could I not share it with ya'll?? So here you go, the super simple recipe with pictures. Oh, and for this batch I added some lime for an added kick. 

Boil 3 tablespoons of dried thyme leaves, for 20 minutes

Strain out the leaves. I just used a coffee filter
but if you have a tea strainer that should work. 

Add 1/2 cup of honey.

Add the juice of one lime, and stir. 

Then pour into a container and store in the fridge.

 Once cooled take 1 tablespoon every 3-4 hours for kids*, 2 tablespoons for kids 6 to 12, and 3 tablespoons for adults.**



* DO NOT give to a child under 1 year old!
** I am not a doctor and these are just my suggested dosages, please use your discretion when taking or giving to someone else.


...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. -Ezekiel 47:12

Lesson from a 2 year old

This morning as I was laying in bed, next to a wiggly 2 year old that had decided she didn't want to be in her crib any more, I learned a valuable lesson.  She wanted to put her feet down on the side of the bed, but when she did her feet got stuck. She put them there, they got stuck, she cried for help, I pulled her legs out and told her don't put them down there, she puts them down there again! 

This cycle continued maybe two more times and then I started thinking about how we're all like that with Elohim. He'll tell us to do, or not do, something for our own good. But in our willful, and selfish, way we go against what He says. Which only results in us getting into a situation where we must cry out to be rescued. How senseless of a cycle! If only we'd obey instantly we could avoid so much heartache.

My prayer this Shabbat is that Adonai would show me the areas that I am in rebellion and help me adjust them accordingly. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  -Psalm 139:23-24

May your sabbath rest be blest! Shabbat Shalom!

Torah Momma Journal 1-2-13

What did I…

Offer thanks for? For some awesome friends who have so lovingly helped my family during this time. For my hubby who has let me sleep-in the past few mornings and placed my Bible beside me so that I could have a quiet time with Elohim when I wake up. For my youngest turning 2! It's amazing how the time flies by, but I'm thankful that I get to be with my children and watch them grow. 

Accomplish? Is it terrible that I can't think of anything???

Struggle with? Dishes. This week I have just not felt like doing much of anything. I know it seems like a small thing but for us it's an issue. Thankfully my hubby has stepped up and helped me out. 

Teach my children? We're working on phonics/reading, as well as working on character qualities. 

Study and learn? I've been working on my Hebrew. 

Laugh about? We went to visit my in-loves(laws) and the girls had so much fun with their uncles. We laughed for hours watching them talk about all the important things in life, like ice cream, and ballet lol.

Pray about? I've been trying to be more deliberate in praying for our girls. I've been praying this scripture over them:

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. -1 Timothy 4:12

What is this week’s Torah portion and what did I learn from it?

This weeks portion is Shemot Exodus 1:1-6:1

during my reading the thing that stood out the most to me was verses 5:22-6:1:

And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

As I read these verses I started thinking about how often times when things don't go how we think they should, we quickly blame Elohim or assume He's not paying attention. But really the truth is that He's looking at the situation thinking "Now shalt thou see what I will do". That amazing truth, was right on time for me. 

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A New Civil Year

For my family, 2012 was kind of rough. Of course we saw God move in amazing ways, and we have much to be thankful for. But I think I'd still classify 2012 as a valley, in our life. 

My husband and I have decided to step out in faith that 2013 will be a much better year for us. We've prayed and now we're trusting Elohim{God} to bring it to pass. We've taken Hebrews 11:1 as our family verse and plan to have the girls memorize it and refer to it as we see Adonai{the Lord} working in our lives.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1

Well, yesterday morning {new year's eve} I was reading Psalm 119 and I noticed a recurring theme. The Psalmist delighted in Elohim's law, or Torah, and because of that he was able to withstand all the troubles around him. This really spoke to me, because like anyone else I am not without troubles. But the cure for our troubles can be found in the Word! When we meditate on it, allowing it to direct our actions and our thoughts, we can find solace. 

As I came to an end of my reading a few verses really spoke to me. So I decided to take them on as my own life verses! Now as I move forward in this new year I plan to focus on my Elohim and His Word. 

I pray that you also will have a blessed year as you walk with Elohim. 

My Verses:

It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. -Psalm 119:126-129