Does modesty really matter?

I love the show The Big Bang Theory. Maybe because I am married to a nerd really smart guy that I just feel like I can relate sometimes! Lately my absolute favorite character is Amy Farrah Fowler played by Mayim Bialik (you know, from Blossom?). She is just hilarious on that show.

I recently found out Mayim is Jewish and because of that chooses to adhere to certain standards of modesty. One of those being that she always wears skirts that come down to her knees. I had never noticed that before but now in every episode of The Big Bang Theory I noticed Amy Farrah Fowler is always wearing a skirt. The first thing that popped into my mind was... "oh wow! She must REALLY be Jewish." At the risk of sounding like "Judgy-Judgerson" lots of celebrities profess a certain religion but one look at how they live their lives leaves me with a big feeling of "yeah, right..." I am not saying that it is just about clothes. But, the fact that she is adhering to the standards of the faith she professes really stood out to me.

And then I look at someone like Michelle Duggar and her beliefs are obvious just by looking at her. (Ahh... but I won't go into all that I love about Michelle Duggar... I think we all already know I am team Michelle all the way)

Now, I am not saying that just because someone shows their faith on the outside means they have it all together or really even do believe what they say. BUT... if we really DO believe what we say, shouldn't it show on the outside?

I think dressing modestly has gotten a bad rap because we look at it as being legalistic. And let's be honest, the Bible seems a touch vague on the subject to me. I mean, I kind of wish Jesus had just laid it out in black and white what we should wear, you know? But, I will say that when I see a woman who is dressed very modestly it does stand out to me and my first thought is that I can tell visibly that they are probably a Christian.

A good friend and I have been talking about modesty a lot lately. I think it had been on both our hearts a lot lately and when we finally admitted it to one another it was like the floodgates opened and we have been talking a lot, sharing a lot of articles, and I think both really taking a closer look at modesty.

When I used to think about modesty I used to think about this:

Photo Source

You know what I mean. Modesty = denim jumper. I am not saying we all need to start wearing denim jumpers (although by all means... and if you look like this model you can totally pull it off well!)

 But, I do think what we might need to consider what we are wearing because the Bible brings it up.

"I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."  1 Timothy 2:8-10 

And I think that when people look at us it should be obvious that we believe in the book that we claim is absolute truth and that we are trying to do what it says. And this obviously goes way beyond what we are wearing... the end of the verse above points out what people should see in us first- GOOD WORKS.

So, does modesty really matter? I think it does because God's word says it does. But, what does that look like? Anyone care to share their thoughts?

I am linking up at Growing Home, Raising Mighty Arrows and Women Living Well.

{Thank you}

Thank you so much for all of you that prayed for me Saturday morning. I felt them for sure. I think my speaking engagement with the Effingham MOPS group went pretty well. You know how it is... I felt like I was terrible but all of my feedback was positive... but then people aren't likely to come up and say, "wow, that was just not good at all..." Ha! But seriously, I couldn't have been blessed with a nicer group of ladies to speak with!

I also got a few questions on my last blog post on our new family consequences chart. If you are interested please shoot me an e-mail and I would be happy to e-mail you the Word document that you can edit to fit your own family. E-mail me at KatieLRamsey(at)gmail(dotcom).

I will be back later this week with a post on my sister and my new hobby: {freezer cooking} and a post on modesty. Have a blessed Monday.

Our new {consequence chart}

Oops. I lied in my last post! I forgot I had this one in the works so I thought I would go ahead and finish it up and put it out there.

One of my biggest pet peeves is being around someone constantly threatening their children (stop hitting your sister right now or you are getting a time out.... and then you hear that 25 more times and the little stinker doesn't ever get the slightest punishment!) Well, I might have noticed that I was becoming one of those moms.... oops.

I also firmly believe that for young children the most important thing you can do is be consistent. So, I am not a huge fan of super creative consequences for young kiddos. I think they need to be to the point and easy to anticipate. Nothing is more frustrating or confusing for a little kiddo than not knowing what to expect from their mamma... "Sometimes when I throw a toy I get a time-out, sometimes mom just yells, sometimes the toy gets taken away... I wonder what will happen this time!?" I also like to keep discipline short. A small child is not really going to grasp their favorite toy being taken away all day when they threw a tantrum at 5am.

I had seen the idea for a consequence chart at the homeschool conference and then at Confessions of a Homeschooler. I loved the idea of being able to be super consistent and use the scripture to help your child understand why what they did was not okay.

So, I created my own little system for the Ramsey Family!

There are a few behaviors in our home that lead to a loss of privileges (less serious things like whining as opposed to direct defiance). We decided it would be easiest to list out what we consider to be privileges in our home (TV, Wii, dessert, etc.). In order for the kids to understand and have a visual we made these little smiley faces. If you lose your right to privileges your smiley card gets turned over (for a half day) which helps keep mom and dad on the same page.

We have been using this for almost a week now and I feel like we are already seeing a huge turn around. Our kiddos get ONE warning and then we go straight to the consequence chart. Obviously Jack has a smiley face just to keep up appearances. But, so far this seems to be working well with Max and Sophie.

Speaking

Hello Friends!
Sorry I have been blog absent this week. I have actually been asked to speak at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) event in Effingham, IL this weekend. Actually, speaking stresses me out. I feel so unequipped! But, my wonderful friend Elizabeth asked me and I would do just about anything for her! So, most of my mental energy has been spent preparing stressing about that! If you think of it, please pray for me on Saturday!

Thank you! See you next week with some real blog posts!

I heart {Homemade Granola}

Have you seen the price of quality granola at the store lately? To get something without high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at the top of the ingredient list you have to pay almost $5 for a teeny tiny bag. Which is pretty ridiculous once I realized how totally easy it is to make some yourself!

To whip up your own batch at home gather these ingredients:

4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tsp. vanilla

salt to taste

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. Spread out mixture in a cookie sheet and cook for 2 hours at 200 degrees, stirring every half hour. Store in an airtight container.

I think I will be making a double batch next time!

Brothers

There is nothing quite like having two boys. I am loving these rare moments of brotherly love followed by a WWF match on my living room floor...

Butterscotch Poke Cake

I don't normally love short-cut recipes... canned frosting, get thee behind me... In fact, I am not sure if you can even call this a "recipe". However, this recipe whatever it is sounded too good to pass up. The required ingredients are: a chocolate cake mix, 2 boxes of butterscotch instant pudding and crushed cookies to go on top (and then the egg, oil, and water to make the cake and milk to make the pudding. This recipe is easy as pie cake., and your taste buds will thank you.

Bake the cake according to package directions and when slightly cooled use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake. Mix the pudding and milk and let sit for 2 minutes and then pour all over cake (getting it into the holes and spread over the top). Refrigerate for at least one hour and then top with crumbled cookies if desired. I used these ones and they were top notch. Serve cold and keep refrigerated.

The best part about this recipe is the possibilities are endless. Use any combination of cake mix, pudding, and cookies that you like!