Christian prayer thread- Easter on the way

[blackeyedsusan]

All welcome to join

Here is a list of all those who popped in or were regulars on the last thread. I hope I have not missed anyone!!

Amberlight- being treated for breast cancer. side effects may damage her heart.
Beatrice Primrose and cupoftea poorly baby and support for the family
Bluetinkerbell - ttc after losing the beloved Sterre during her second trimester
CaptainDippy- busy busy busy
Chairofthebored -dh has ms and ttc number1
Doodlealley -popped in to ask for prayer re breast cancer.
DutchOma- dh has a lung disease requiring regular trips to hospital/drs and lots of rest
Expat's dd suffering from leukaemia
Fink- recent single parent- husband left
FriendofDorothy- ttc -appointment soon. poorly cat.
Gingercurl - things are stressful at home, studying, high blood pressure
Issypeach - work situation insecure for h and Issy. Prayer requested for the dcs one of whom has gone awol and the other at uni
Jaffacakes ... when is/was your due date?
Jugglingwithsnowballs-job applications to work 1 to 1 with children
Lostmywellies - recently returned to the uk, currently freezing due to heating problems. frriendships for dd and ds to settle into nursery
Madhairday - reoccuring lung infections, dd with psoriasis/partial hearing and unhelpful school
MaryB - work and relationships at church. difficult situations socially for dc's
Notevenamousie - curently undergoing treatment as an inpatient. recently lost her mum.
PositiveAttitude- soon to be working abroad for 2 years. prayer also for current work situation and 3 jobs! (eek) pray for protection and continuing recovery of dd3 just out of hospital and battles for dla
SESthebrave -prayer for husbands stessful job situation and high blood pressure. pray for her quadraplegic friend suffering from pressure sores
Springydaffs-prayer for the truth to be known and a reconciliation with family
SweetestThing- just got the all clear from cancer and officially in remission. however, still has to deal with the after effects of surgery.
Teaandcakesplease - single parent to 2 young children. unsupportive parents re ds "being a toddler." prayer for new reliable friends.
Tuo -dd1 and dh to be more positive about her faith
Weegie atypical variant Guillain Barre syndrome has left her with no sensation in her legs below the knees or arms below the elbows, including hands and feet and the lower part of her face. she can do practically nothing for herself.
Welshcerys- family
ZipidiSoozi- things aren't so easy at the moment. we would love to hear from you.
and finally (I hope)
Blackeyedsusan - mad as a hatter! single parent to 2 youngish children, separated after dv. pray for friends and a new church. ds's behaviour and toddler diarrhoea. dd, niggling health problems.

I should add, though that I was a SAHM for 13 years while mine were little. I could not have worked as well as look after babies and be up all night etc.

It's encouraging to hear of others who find being a Mother enough of a job in itself. As you know I'm looking for a new P/T job ATM.

But sometimes I hear my friends and God saying that I have a job already looking after my two ! (aged 12 and 10)

God says he's already given me a concern for children and families and he will find opportunities for me to use those skills - and I find he does in many interesting ways.

My friends just say "Hey, you've got enough on looking after those two !"
Or "You've got a job already"

I work p/t but am not going back to work for some months. I cope by lowering some of my standards. I don't cook from scratch on the days I am working and try to buy healthier ready meals. We also eat pizza and fish and chips at least once a week. The hoovering also gets done less regularly and the house is just a bit more cluttered. I could pay for a cleaner but after three lots of childcare costs I'm too stingy to shell out more money. DH is also really good at helping with some of the household chores and shopping too which really helps. I find myself looking at single parents who work full time with something approaching awe. I just don't know how they do it.

lostmywellies thank you for the encouragement and also its very encouraging to hear how some of you are finding motherhood - its maybe not just me afterall - it helped a lot reading the different places everyone is coming from. its hard not to compare yourself to others at times (eg yes single parents who work or people who seem to be able to do it all...but then, everyone IS different, in a different setting and God has given us all different abilities - and abilities to cope lol) the baby is the best thing thats happened to me in life so far and i know she was Gods miracle to me, but you are right it is taking some time of adjustment.

i have taken some time out of studies whilst having my baby and plan on going back in september so at least that will give me a bit of focus, but i cant imagine going back to work for a good while and to be honest im a bit worried about being able to keep on top of my studies.

today i had a nice time with my baby in the nice weather along the beach, and hope everyone else is enjoying the sun :)

Ooh, it sounds lovely going to the beach with your baby on such a beautiful, sunny day, jan - glad you've had a nice day.

One day at a time is excellent advice too I find ... and very biblical, but so easy to forget, or think we know better

It's so hard to find the right balance between working v SAHM. I really struggled in the weeks leading up to going back to work after DS but am glad now that for me , it was the right thing to do.
Having said that, if I could do my job in 2 or 3 days or job share then that would be even better. As it is, I do a f/t job in 4.5 days. I am lucky that I get all day Wednesdays off with DS as I work a Saturday morning. I make the most of my Wednesdays and it's nice for DS and DH to have some time together on a Saturday morning.
God has made us all unique in unique situations with unique children so there are no "one fits all" answers.

I also agree about the relationship with DH changing after DC. Someone once said to me that when you become parents, don't forget to be a good husband / good wife as it's very easy to get caught up trying to be a good Dad / good Mum. How true that is!

Jan - glad you've had a good day by the beach.

On my usual busy Wednesday, DS and I managed Jo Jingles class followed by a trip to our local farm and the outside play area there. I seem to have burnt my shoulders a bit! Then we popped into town and then popped round to my parents before heading back home for tea!

Hope you've all had good days. Prayers all round for all you lovely ladies :)

I have last straw syndrome... over 90p and the school fair entrance fees. they ask for money for this that and the other. they ask for easter eggs for the fair, for donations to sell, for money for a second trip this year, for money for dress up day. to provide clothes for a theme day. 30p each is the last straw and seems bloody cheeky when you have to pay to do stuff as well. I see every pound that goes on something intangible as one less pound to spend on buying something concrete that the children will get use out of and a little longer to save up to get out of the crappy flat with no garden and people pissing up the fences and in the garden and dogs roaming across the grass and shitting and having to supervise the children minutely, of having crappy tenents on who smoke canabis so that it comes into the flat and drugs raids an d being kept awake regularly by the police helicopter, wondering if you are going to find used condoms again near the garages and being on the route home from town with the vomit, the dog poo the occasional needle, the broken glass and kids throwing stones over the fence.

Sorry there was no-one to catch your (very, most) understandable rant last night. Hope yo managed to get some sleep. Everything is so much worse if you haven't slept.
There is nothing any of us can say, is there? Or do? If there is, please say. Meanwhile prayers for you and the children

Oh Jan I am going back tbo studying (to finish my theology degree by distance learning) in the autumn - we can be study-buddies!

PA - am about to pm you

I'm ok, saw top guy about my illness in the uk yesterday, he agrees but says there is some chance it could improve a bit. I'm to be reviewed in 6 months and have monthly IVs in the meantime.

Have dd2 off school with a fever today. Almost the holidays, I'm looking forward to it. Got a lot of packing to do as we move in 7 weeks, but kids are up for helping, or so they say!

This might sound silly, but I'm going to tell you anyway. No matter how you might picture me, for years I have been massively overweight. At my worst I was 23st and a size 28. But a huge amount of effort on my part and being ill has meant I am now about 16st and a size 18-20. Yesterday we went shopping and I bought a wedding outfit in Next. I've never shopped anywhere but Evans in all my adult life!! I don't recognise me in pictures!! Most of the loss is due to being ill and unable to eat, but it has made a big difference to me, and makes my physio that much easier too. I walked 400m (half a mile!!) on Tuesday!!

Well done Weegie. It does not sound silly to me to count the blessing of a weight loss against all the illness you have. I'm sure you will improve through sheer will power. Hope all goes well with the move.

:( bes - have you tried speaking to the school? They're just trying to make money to give stuff to the children, in the end - but they may well have schemes in place for those less able to pay.

That does seem really annoying bes to be charged an entrance fee for the school fete - especially when you're practically buying back things you've donated anyway !

But it is only 90p and all in a good cause - someone probably thought it was a good idea when they suggested it !

Just know - they were wrong !

Weegie Celebrate the success. Well done!! (Not got a pm yet, its either a reaaaaaaalllllly long one, or maybe it wasn't meant for me, or something came up?)

We are up tomorrow at the stupidly early time of 04.15 to head off for our final training weekend. Driving to Wales, a little worried that we won't be able to buy petrol to get home again late on Monday night. Please pray we don't get stuck up on the mainland somewhere. We are both really looking forward to spending some time out of our every day life again to concentrate on God's plan for us.

Weegie", well done! Agree with PA - celebrate your success!!

I've had a particularly lovely couple of weeks and have been very fortunate to have had the chance to do some very nice things with great people. Final meeting of our Lent group today at my house and I'm a bit sad that it's ended, as the group gelled so well and we all trusted and respected each other and our different beliefs (inter-denominational group). I feel very blessed to have had the chance to get to know this group of people.

I've blogged about all the stuff I've been doing, rather than repeat it all here!

PA, sending blessings to you and DH for your training weekend and praying that you will be able to get back!

sweetest im glad u have had a nice couple of weeks, sounds like the group was a real blessing, maybe you will keep in touch with some of the people from there.
PA i hope your trip goes well and you get that time with God you have been needing
Weegie that is fantastic, a great achievement it is very hard to lose weight ill or not and you should be so proud of yourself

had a very bad night trying to transition baby into her cot last night and dh and i had huge argument as i asked for some more help on the nights that were especially difficult. we argued about sleep needs, ability to function during the day, who is the most tired etc etc. we have no respect left for one another it seems. i am very upset right now as i feel so unloved and unsupported - even though he says he loves me i don't feel he shows me. sometimes i wonder will our marriage get through all this. please keep praying. pray God will give him understanding for me and vice versa

pa, they have to give 7 days notice of a strike. they arre going to arbitration on Monday and so they will not be announcing a strike until then (i hope) the earliest a strike could be is next thursday or friday i think.

BES, its not the strike I'm worried about its all the panic buying and the garages running out, which IS happening now.

yes, I was hoping that the news would filte out and that people would stop buying petrol, or that eveyone who needed petrol filled up already...

We're ok petrol wise as dh is a recognised essential service (GP) so we can get fuel secretly!! (no, no idea how!!). Hoping and praying the rest of you will be ok.

In Other News, I walked 3/4 mile this evening!!

3/4 mile? Yay!!!

Praying through all the messages...

hi amber.

I have another parent to come and wrestle me to the ground if I look like I am opening my mouth and going to say something inapppropriate in assembly. school seems to have got extremely militant about damage to reading books, and the book dd had got damaged, at school, probably hometime. we were not warned that was going to happen and not given chance to opt out of the scheme before anything happened. I sort of assumed that ripped pages and scribbles would have to be paid for, but not wear and tear. hey ho. can't risk damaging them when I am boy westling.

getting concerned as he is growling at me a lot and I have noticed that he has started copying things dd has said. not sure if that is normal for small boys.. we had a melt down as well as i wrrestled him out of his vest in the hot weather... you would have though i was murderring him. he is still in tights! that is the next thing to wrestle off him. he has screamed outside the head teachers window several times this week as he wants to go to assembly and eat loads of biscuits and not go to nursery

Copying what the older ones say is definitely normal for younger dcs. dc3 says "Mummeee" if I do something she doesn't approve of and "No-wah!" for no with added emphasis! Both copied from ds. She sounds a lot cuter though, so I have to work hard not to react.

Your ds is 3, isn't he, bes? It all sounds totally irrational and therefore totally normal. :o All you can do is be calm and rational and wait for him to grow up a bit - and I'm sure you're doing all that already. Hang on in there! :)

MummEEE, then.

hi...thinking of you all on this thread and hope you are all keeping ok...its nice to think of all the different things everyone is doing and different situations people are in. 'bear ye one anothers burdens' a problem shared is a problem halved...
has anyone got any plans over the weekend?
i have a guest for the weekend, a bit nervous about it with the baby but hoping everything will be ok, maybe get out for a walk with my folks and hopefully will have a nice time, nervous about parenting in front of someone.
off to have my quiet time before it becomes a mad house
God bless x

Perhaps your guest will be helpful and/or pleasant company jan - I hope so.

At least with babies everyone's pretty much in agreement regarding parenting and you just give them whatever they need - if anyone can work out what that is !