Ode to Summer.

Ode to a #teamSialoi SUMMER.

We stay up late.

We sleep in often 7 days a week.

We tan our skin to perfection.

We come in contact with the ocean.

We fish with our Dad often to catch mackerel.

We laugh repeatedly at the weirdest things.

We still make time to go to church.

We are careless and free spirited.

We enjoy bonfires and smores galore.

We chase fun wherever it may be.

We dig in the sand, and bury ourselves in it.

We revel in eating a lot of ice cream.

We apply a lot of lotion and sunblock.

We live for evenings enjoying the sea breeze and hot chocolate.

We love to walk the pier and people watch.

We delight in making plans with our parents.

We make up funny words that no one understands.

We are fond of dancing goofy and wailing while driving.

We get excited about surprises.

We appreciate the simple things in life that bring us joy.

We enjoy the warmth of the sun’s rays on our faces.

We laugh endlessly at Madea movies.

We fancy playing outdoors with our BB guns.

We savor every moment of summer without thinking of school.

We hope you get out and enjoy SUMMER 2015.

Make lasting childhood memories for your children.

The day is new, the day is fresh, the day is a gift to enjoy.

Love, #teamSialoi

Your first ministry is your home ministry.

As a mother, it took me years of mental maturity and most importantly spiritual maturity to reach a level of comfort in running my own home. Part of maturing included learning to prioritize and organize our home. Although I've learned along the way there is no way to prioritize God, because He alone is the key to all things. I've learned that He is greater than any list I can create for my life, He is bigger than any plan I had for myself and my family.

But I had to prioritize people, functions, events and places. I look back and realize that the closer I got to God, the further He took me from the paths I used to walk. I'm not saying they were bad places, I'm just saying they filled up my time and they consumed my energy that I could have been spending with God and at home.

I praise God for divine revelation in my relationship with Him. I thank Him for revealing to both me and my husband our roles in our successful marriage. I thank God for my husband who is a man after God's own heart. He is a wonderful leader in our family and he is so patient and wise. He seeks out God's will in all our decision making and he makes it easy for me to submit and trust his decisions.

In a world that teaches our daughters to be independent women, I praise God for clarity and understanding of my role as my husband's help-meet. Some women don't understand the submissive role we ought to play in our families. Once we learn to honor that role, God reveals a heatwave of blessings over your marriage, your children and your home.

Our family motto: God is key! He is the key to all things. He is the key to good marriage. He is the key to happiness. He is the key to healing all the hurt in you. He is the key that can break any bad habits we have. He is the key that can cure your heart. He is the key to patience to handle difficult situations. He is the key to keep the peace in the face of animosity. He is the key to helping your kids make it in this big world. He is the key that anchors your family.

Understanding that we are nothing without Him has set the tone in our family hierarchy. Our kids know who the leader is but they also know who the boss is LOL. The leader lays down the law, but the boss enforces it. Just like the judicial and executive branches of government. I am the disciplinarian and the executor but my husband is the supreme court. I praise God that our kids have grown and matured in our home.

Knowing that God has our family in the palms of His hands, knowing our leader and respecting his leading and knowing our roles in our family has been a real blessing. My kids understand the power of peoples words over our family. They understand that their opinions do not defy who we are, no one defines our family but God. Using Gods word ALONE to measure up to, will steer you away from any tricks the enemy has over your family. Having a blended family has been anything but easy, but for such a time as this, we've been called forth to be a shining example of God's goodness and faithfulness, starting in our home.

I realize where all my kids have come from, I realize God had a plan for all of us all along, I realize that God is utilizing my husband and I as a vehicle to transport our children to display God’s glory and to succeed.

As parents, we realize the importance of connecting our children to the Lord. Our home is a mission field in itself. We want our children to witness firsthand the realness of God’s love. If we want our kids to be encouraged, they will be encouraged firsthand in our home. If we want our kids to understand what it is like to have relationship with Christ, they will witness it in our home.

Your home is your ministry. I see a lot of people who pour out their lives to different ministries in the church, yet neglecting the most important ministry at home. I don’t want our kids to get lost in routine of church life and miss the key elements of being a true believer.

At the same time, my kids understand what it means to make time for God. In our quest to honor God with our lives, we must make time for Him. We try to live a balanced life, between schooling, sports, church, outings, home life, church, homework and amongst other things. We travel as a team as much as possible wherever we go. Time is of the essence, we must pour into our children in our homes so they know how to live, live physically and live spiritually. I am a true believer that when our kids fail, it is because we failed as parents. It starts with us parents, it starts in our home.

Statistics show that by the age 18, youth are already set in their ways and in their beliefs. That leaves a small window for parents from when they become teenagers (13) to when they are of age. Nurture your children, encourage them, push them to succeed, help them live a balanced life. It starts with you, it starts in YOUR HOME. 

Your most important ministry is your home ministry. 

LIVE OUT LOUD AND LIVE BOLDLY FOR CHRIST. 

Byrd's Graduation Journey

This blog will not only be lengthy but tearful as i blog about our graduation experience. I say "our" because it's not only the graduate that had to put in work. They say it takes a village sometimes, in our case it took our entire tribe but ultimately had it not been for God, Byrd would not have made it.

So shout-out to God who literally made all this possible. Without You this goal would not have been attainable. Thank You Lord for being the giver of all good things, and the giver of peace to sustain us through the tough situations. Thank You for Your hand of protection over the long haul of her high school career. Thank You for being her source of wisdom and knowledge.

Of course shout-out to Byrd, your hard work paid off girl. Your drive, your willingness, your determination, your hunger for success pushed you to the edge and now the fruits of your labor has produced your victory. [insert hand clap emojis] 
To God be ALL the glory!

Not only was the road a struggle but we learned a lot from this journey. At the beginning of her senior year with no finish line in sight, it would've been easy to slack off, lose sight of the goal, get off track, get distracted or simply give up. 
Thankfully that was not the case. 

I recall the first of many meetings to be had with her counselor. Her counselor who wanted nothing to do with her, simply wanted to write her off as a failure without any attempts to help her. I praise God for that negativity, it not only opened her eyes, it pushed her harder to succeed. Instead of the alternative we fought to keep her at her regular school knowing it would be a fight to the death.

With prayer and supplication we laid our requests for a safe journey at the foot of the cross. As parents we knew without a doubt that she would make it. All those nights of lectures (a few loud ones too) and staying up late for homework, the many trips to library or friends house to use WiFi (lol), the many denied requests to socialize in an effort to ensure scholastic success. I praise God she did it. I praise God she was obedient enough to honor our discipline

Looking back, remembering the tears, the words, the fights, the hectic schedule, the long hours, the late nights, the morning rituals, the morning devotions, the fervent prayers before school, dividing lunch money lol, the 7-11 runs and the many other routines during this school year i'm going to miss. As stressful and troublesome as it seemed, i'm going to miss all that with you Byrd. I think?!?

As they famously say to all high school graduates, it's not the end, it's just the beginning. I say the best is yet to come for you. I know you are enjoying your leisure time with your squad. I'm definitely not holding you back. At the same time, realize what God just did for you, where you came from, how far He's brought you and where He wants to take you.

With that in mind, PUSH YOURSELF to BETTER YOURSELF! As we tell all our kids Byrd, Bay and Bubz, take every opportunity you get, seize the moment and fly without looking back. Our goal as #teamSialoi has always been to nurture our kids, raise our kids in fear of God but to also push them to succeed. The reason so many kids fail, is because so many parents don't plan. Each of our kids have dreams, it is our goal as parents to make it a reality. We have a future Doctor, a Military Officer and a Leader in our hands, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, as God wills it, 

our kids will make it. Our kids have picked up on our motto that God is the key to all things!

We ask for continued prayers for all our kids, Byrd especially as she faces the crossroads. We've accomplished one goal and on to the next we go. Here's to a bright future for Byrd!

Enjoy all of our memories....of a journey completed