Hearts at Home review

Written by Julie Stoner

Last month several of us went to a conference for Moms, Hearts at Home’s national conference in Normal, IL. Basically, it’s a day of “school” for moms. It was from 9am until 5pm with 2 main large sessions and 4 mini break off sessions geared toward a mother’s specific needs: finances, single mothers, ways to save money, parenting tips etc.

Personally, it was my first year and I had an excellent time. I enjoyed leaving my daughter with my mother for the day to socialize with other women and spend time trying to make myself a better mother and wife. The first big, main session was hosted by Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar! They told their story and it was inspiring; a cute couple, a great family and awesome witnesses to God’s love.  My four mini sessions were:

“What to do when God say Wait”,
The Fly Lady's "What to do when you are living in C.H.A.O.S"
"50 Ways to Love your Husband"
"Tried & True ways to earn Money from Home

I was most moved by my first session of the day, “What to do when God say Wait”. Jami Kaeb told her story of trying to adopt a happy, healthy baby from here, in the States. She was emotional while speaking and I could feel her heart’s pain. But God had other plans for her and her family. Eventually, she went into foster care and had 3 siblings placed in her home, that soon she will legally adopt. She went on to share about her new passion of foster care and the children in the system. She has started an outreach program called ‘The Forgotten Initiative” that has several areas of ministry for these forgotten children. She realized that God had a much bigger plan for her. God wanted her to become the mother to 3 siblings not just 1 baby! She closed with saying “Know that there is purpose in your waiting season"

Jacquie Parker wrote this about her experience:

You may be just like me.   I try to be frugal.   When I step into Walmart I have every intention of buying only the items on my list.  I’ve gone to couponing classes and my husband and I have created elaborate budgets.  Unfortunately, my expenses always seem to creep out from the confinements I try to put in place.  The credit card balance sneakily multiplies into an amount that I can’t pay off the next month.  The van plots against me by wearing through its tires or the kitchen chuckles as the dishwasher washes its last dish.  But Marianne Miller helped to give me a new plan.  Her years of experience is going to help me lasso my finances back into its place!

First, I need to pray about this and ask to be content!  The world is sending me messages that I need to buy this type of yogurt for my kids and that they cannot survive without that kind of cereal.   Paul in Philippians tells us he learned to be content in all circumstances, (Phil 4:11-13) and finishes up saying he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength.  Yep, I realized I needed to pray that I would have strength and focus every time I walked into the store. 

Next, I realized I needed to stop using my credit card and to put $1,000 in savings to use as my “credit card” for those unexpected purchases.  I’m still working on that, and then I’m going to pay off my credit card.  She told us to put all of our debts in order of least to greatest and then start paying them off in that order.  (You are still paying minimum balances on your credit card or other debts!)  Now I’m paying off our van instead of worrying about my credit card.  Then I can tackle my card without my van payment.  I’ve never been so thankful for my older van! It’s changed my focus off wanting a new one for sure!

Do you know what you spend your money on?  Lastly, she advised us to keep track of your spending for 30 days. She talked about a budget as well, but Marianne calls it a spending plan.  (I love it!)  Now I’m spending wisely instead of budgeting.  And instead of setting my spending plan and leaving it, I need to come back every month and check back on it.  I’m asking myself: Am I sticking to what I said I’d spend in each category?  Do I need to put more in an area?   Is all my money being accounted for?  Do I need to make an “impulse buy” category?  Do I need to revisit this again with my spouse?  On those harder months consider shopping in your cupboard or go on a financial fast.  See how much you can save in a month!  I love doing this for thirty days, because there is an end in sight instead of “let’s try to be more careful with our money”.

These may be basic things if you’ve attended a Financial Freedom class before, but with her wit and realistic expectations Marianne Miller has put my budget, rather my spending plan, back on the track it needed to be.  So bring it on kitchen, van, give me your best, I’m going to be content and be wiser with the blessings God has given me. 

Questions: 

Do I currently have a spending plan in place?

Do I need to reevaluate what I am spending?

How does Isaiah 55:8 compare to what our culture is saying to us?

What does the bible say in 1 Timothy 6:6, Psalm 23, Ecclesiastes 5:10-12, and Philippians 4:11-13 say on contentment?

Angie Ogburn, who has a 2 year old and a baby girl due any day, attended for the first time! Here is what she had to say about her experience: “I really felt more encouraged to have more fun and show more love in raising my children instead of being obsessed with having the “perfect” child. It’s actually freeing and I feel like I look at Aayden differently”

When I asked Dawn Smith about her experience at the conference she told me that she enjoyed hearing Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar speak. She feels that she took away a good point, to focus on the character traits of your child and not a specific behavior and to encourage your child to do the same. Dawn mentioned she will now try to point out to her child/children to think about what God would want of them. One last quote Dawn left me with was this “Prayers for your children will out last you.”