Issue No. 03 Maricopa Motherhood Magazine

MOTHERHOOD • FAITH • RELATIONSHIP

MARICOPA MOTHERHOOD ISSUE NO. O3

EMBRACING

THE

•

MARCH 2023

MINISTRY

OF

MOTHERHOOD

From the Editors • Transitioning Seasons • Come to the Well Lemonade Recipe • March Plans • Book Review • Refresh Your Home (& Heart) for Spring

Verse of the Year 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

our prayer

Father God, as these pages come together, we open our hearts to the mamas in our neighborhoods and community.

We enter into your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise for this calling, and we trust you in the process.

We ask for the mamas reading these pages to welcome the vulnerability and transparency as we dig deeper in relationship with you and those around us.

We pray for the mamas scrolling through these pages and ask that you meet each and every one of us right where we are, no matter the season. We welcome your encouragement, guidance, direction and hope. We accept your grace, strength and love. Please help us to walk in the identity you have given us, one of grace and worthiness. For those who don't have a personal relationship with Christ, we pray that the Holy Spirit will meet them in this space and open their hearts to the redeeming power of God's grace.

We love you and thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.

Maricopa Motherhood Magazine | Copyright 2023

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What's inside

3 FROM THE EDITORS by: Mandy & Jennifer

5 TRANSITIONING SEASONS by: Mandy

7 COME TO THE WELL by: Jennifer

9 EASY HOMEMADE LEMONADE recipe

10 MARCH PLANS

calendar of upcoming events

11 BOOK REVIEW: "TAKE BACK YOUR JOY" by: Mandy

13 REFRESH YOUR HOME (& HEART) FOR SPRING by: Jennifer

15 STAY CONNECTED 16 THANK YOU

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FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome mama.

Thank you for joining us for our third edition of Maricopa Motherhood Magazine!

For this issue, we spent some time considering spring and the opportunity we have to refresh our hearts, minds, souls and homes for this new season.

Just typing that gives us a handful of emotions!

The beginning of the new year is behind us and we are looking forward to what a new season offers. The transition of the inbetween can be tiresome and wearisome or exciting and refreshing!

It can also be both, and we can be open to welcoming to trust that God sees us in the midst of the in-between.

Whether you’re still rounding up Christmas decorations, preparing for a declutter challenge or feeling stuck waiting for something new, we look forward to digging deeper into what God is showing us through this season and how we can turn to His word for our source of refreshment.

We would love for you to share where you are in this season and be an encouragement to you. continued |

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Dear God, please be with the mama who is thirsty and in search of a refresh. We pray that through these pages she will find encouragement, hope and more of your living water.

We pray for those who are in a drought and have been thirsty for so long that they no longer have the strength to search for you as their source.

We pray you provide her with a glimpse of the true refreshment that only you can provide. We pray for revitalization and a renewed sense of strength and hope throughout our days, in both the mundane and the extraordinary; in the blessings and the struggles.

We pray for those who are overflowing with your love and hope. We pray that they will see opportunities throughout their day to share your love with those who are parched and searching.

We pray for opportunities to share your strength.

We know and trust that you hold us in the palm of your hand, knowing each of our names and desires of our hearts. Thank you for meeting each of us where we are to love us better and draw us closer to you.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, amen.

Thank you for spending some of your precious time with us today.

We are so grateful that you're here.

Mandy & Jennifer

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TRANSITIONING SEASONS

Written by: Mandy

Anyone else feel like the ending of winter to welcome spring is kind of like riding a roller coaster of emotions? Of all my years in Arizona, I cannot remember the transition of these *seasons* to be as back and forth, brutal and changing like it has been this year.

Wisconsin transition of winter to spring? The worst. Arizona? Not usually like this!

Last week at my son’s football practice I wore leggings, jeans, two pairs of socks, a longsleeved shirt, t-shirt, thin sweatshirt, fleece sweatshirt, long jacket with a hat and mittens, all at the same time. Just a handful of days later and I wore shorts and a t-shirt to the zoo for our family adventure! Even if I check the weather before bed, I can wake up to a new forecast in the morning. When the morning forecast says there will be some sunshine with a few clouds, it could be raining by afternoon!

When my mom was visiting, she said it was warmer in Wisconsin than it is in Arizona.

Ouch.

Go back to bed, Arizona. I think you forgot to bring the dry heat and sun! Needless to say, I’m ready to put away the winter clothes and welcome the summer, ope! I mean, spring clothes, to my entire family’s closets.

Winters in Wisconsin were like this pretty much every year. We would see the snow melt with just a few lonely snowbanks holding on in the parking lots. We would see birds come back and grass poke through. We would even be teased with some t-shirt weather and put away the snow pants and make a list of spring projects to start. Then, a blizzard would come through, dumping a new layer to cover everything, and just like that we would bring out the shovels again. At least Arizona’s winters are always *much* more mild than anything up north.

Usually, we have a week of cold weather where I use the seat warmers in my car, switch to hot coffee and make the kids wear jackets. This year? It is so different.

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The back-and-forth transition of seasons has not only left me cold and needing a second cup of coffee (or maybe a nap!), but also weary in my heart. I’m tired of wet playgrounds at the park and wind that bites our cheeks. I’m tired of packing extra layers and having canceled practices.

But, why? This week I was able to wrestle a little bit with this weariness.

I discovered the weather isn’t actually what is getting to me, though. It is the back and forth of what is supposed to be a transition. It feels like ten steps forward and two steps back.

That kind of dance is truly weary when not prepared.

Isaiah 40:31 ESV shares “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

WAIT I’m weary because I’m longing for something else. I wish away the sleepless nights when tiny babe’s get teeth just like the dark clouds bringing rain. I look forward to the splash pad outings and picnics with friends while grumbling about wet bike rides and canceled playdates. I long for what I want that makes me personally comfortable instead of enjoying what is right now, which still creates opportunities for enjoyment. I’m trying to rush through this transition because it isn’t my favorite and I prefer something completely different. I’m trying to hurry up and rush through this process, even though this happens every year, everywhere for everyone, when I really need to be waiting.

FOR THE LORD So often I feel weary because I misjudged or completely misunderstand who God is as my Heavenly Father. I search for something on my own instead of waiting in God’s promises to strengthen me as a mom and live in His truth.

Every season has a time of transition, sometimes it is subtle like the leaves changing colors or your youngest baby has stopped calling you “mama.” When other seasons transition, sometimes a blizzard dumps snow in your backyard overnight or suddenly your kids are all in school, leaving your home empty and silent until it’s time for you to be in the pick-up driveline. In all of this transition, God is working and will continue to work on our behalf.

RENEW THEIR STRENGTH Finally, I feel weary because I am seeking strength from the world, myself and others instead of turning to the only One who can truly renew and refresh my heart. I tell myself I just need another cup of coffee. Or maybe I need to wake up earlier to start the day without tiny humans at my feet. Actually, maybe another date with my husband will help me and then I will feel like I can handle the next thing that comes my way or tackle everything waiting for me at home. No, Mandy, what you need is Jesus.

I am going to wait. Not in the toe tapping, arms crossed, CoMe oN aRiZoNa GiMMeE SuNsHiNe kind-of-wait. Not the eye-rolling, frustrated sighs and yOu sTiLL hAvEn’T FoUnD yOuR cLeATs FoR PrAcTiCe kind-of-wait. This kind of waiting doesn’t come naturally and isn’t easy for me, but my current season calls for it. Even though I was able to connect the transition of winter and spring to the weariness I’m experiencing, I’m not really small-talking about the weather. Mamas, I’m not talking about waiting for spring, but I’m talking about the kind of waiting that has drawn me to my knees and has me clinging to my bible. This level of waiting isn’t what I’m used to. I think you know what I am talking about, too. I’m going to walk away from the apps and technology of distraction to trust God’s promises and scripture. I could have a count down and plan to look forward to, but I will focus on prayer. Waiting the Lord’s way will lead to the renewal of my strength and feeling refreshed in a way I won’t be able to achieve on my own. Couldn’t we all use a little of that?

Mandy and her husband do life blended with four kids ages eight and under. You can find her chasing tiny humans and squeezing in homeschool lessons by day or eating tacos and country dancing during date night. Mandy enjoys working closely with mamas to integrate unresolved experiences to identify triggers to welcome wholeness while growing closer to Jesus.

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COME TO THE WELL Written by: Jennifer

Living in the desert, I am kind of obsessed with having water. Every time we leave the house, I make sure each of us has a full water bottle nestled safely in our individual seat’s cup holder.

In the trunk of my van, I have an emergency box of water - the kind in pouches that the military uses - as well as a family size LifeStraw filter. You know, in case we need to drink water out of a muddy puddle or something.

The Arizona heat is no joke, and I carry this fear of my car breaking down on the side of the road in 118-degree heat.

I don’t think it’s irrational to be prepared, although my worries have probably crossed over from the practical side and into the irrational side.

Water is such an essential part of life, and without it, we can only last about 72 hours before we perish. That’s not a very long time.

So we need a constant source of water to survive in this world, and no matter how much we drink, we quickly find ourselves thirsty again.

This is the reality of the earthly world, but in our eternal world, Jesus offers us a remedy for our thirst.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

-John 4:13-14 (ESV) Our souls are constantly in search of something to fill its needs. We all have a Godsized hole in our souls, and many of us look to everything BUT God to fill it.

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We can try to satisfy our souls with earthly pleasures. We may think that once we have that big house or that cool car, then we’ll be happy. Or we could have a bad day and turn to a tub of ice cream or a bottle of beer or a scroll on social media to numb our pain.

But none of these things ever bring us the satisfaction we desire. Once we obtain that big house or make it to the bottom of that tub of Haagen Daaz, we still aren’t happy, so we turn to something else we now want, like a boat or professionally designed home decor to fill that empty space.

None of these things are bad in moderation, but they were not meant to fill this emptiness we have. The only thing that can fill our Godsized hole is God Himself.

He offers us His living water, which satisfies our thirst and refreshes our souls. His living water points our thoughts and desires outside of our earthly wants and needs and onto an eternal perspective.

Once we are filled with God’s Spirit, we can tap into it at any point to satisfy us.

Unfortunately, we are human, and we forget.

We forget we have access to this spring, and we can lose sight of eternity.

We may return back to that tub of ice cream or start coveting a different, better house, thinking that these things will finally satisfy us.

But God’s spring of living water is still there, ready and waiting for us to drink from it. Until we recognize this fact, we will never truly be satisfied. We will continue to thirst.

The Living Water is the only thing that will truly refresh our souls.

Jennifer and her husband are currently in the trenches raising three young children. Jennifer spends her days filling juice cups and trying to write content for her website. She is passionate about helping believers grow stronger in their faith.

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EASY HOMEMADE LEMONADE This refreshing, homemade lemonade recipe only uses four ingredients and takes just 10 minutes to make. You won't want to go back to powder after this.

Ingredients: 1 cup lemon juice 1 cup sugar 6 cups water Ice

Directions: 1. Heat up 1 cup of water and mix with 1 cup of sugar until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved.

2. Squeeze lemons to produce 1 cup of lemon juice.

3. Mix all remaining ingredients together.

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Maricopa Motherhood Magazine

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BOOK REVIEW: "TAKE BACK YOUR JOY" Written by: Mandy

Take Back Your Joy: Fighting for Purpose When Life Is More Than You Can Handle Author: Nicole Jacobsmeyer

My Amazon wish list for books probably has more than 200 I would like to add to my library.

I have two in my cart as we speak and another in my Target cart.

But when I heard Nicole Jacobsmeyer share about her book on the radio station I was listening to, I immediately downloaded the audiobook.

At the time, I was navigating some pretty deep hurts and sorting through the emotions that had come along with it.

Someone told me “God never gives you more than you can handle,” one too many times as encouragement.

Nicole carefully shares relatable experiences with authenticity and carefully chosen writing to remove any opportunity of shaming, fluff or inconsiderate positivity to “just choose joy.”

She is transparent about the pain she has endured, providing truth in scripture and where she listened to God throughout each scenario.

By digging deep to be vulnerable about her own hurt, she never minimizes anyone’s struggles and consistently brings readers back to God and His word.

She holds space for the readers by offering this book more as a guide, instead of a checklist of strategies to complete, while also encouraging us to reflect and draw closer to Jesus at every opportunity possible.

When I went back to reference some of the bookmarks in the audio pages, I had the most in “Chapter 8: Stop Complaining.”

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The first minute of this chapter completely sums up motherhood on a pretty regular basis for all moms and had me cracking up but nodding my head at the same time.

As quickly as I was nodding, I stopped dead in my tracks and held my breath.

She describes how she could have felt grateful but described how her complaining would usually turn into becoming angry at God. This really helped me do a heart check and lean into how I could be a better steward of my words and my thoughts.

Not once did I feel Nicole shaming or minimizing my circumstances.

I 100 percent regret not getting the physical copy because of the incredible strategies, scripture and prayers she provided throughout each and every chapter.

Actually, now that I’m re-listening to my favorite bookmarked audio pages, I might take back that statement. Nicole’s voice and tone are perfect, especially when she shares the detailed prayers that continue to offer truth and hope at the end of every chapter.

Why do mamas need to read it?

Get the physical book, sweet mamas.

Get it so you can earmark your favorite prayers and highlight your favorite scripture.

Get it so you can take moments to reflect and decide where you can relate.

Read it so you can rest in Jesus and understand that you don’t have to “just choose joy,” but you can take it back and grow closer to God at the same time. *This post contains affiliate links. You can read our full affiliate disclosure here.

Mandy and her husband do life blended with four kids ages eight and under. You can find her chasing tiny humans and squeezing in homeschool lessons by day or eating tacos and country dancing during date night. Mandy enjoys working closely with mamas to integrate unresolved experiences to identify triggers to welcome wholeness while growing closer to Jesus.

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REFRESH YOUR HOME (& HEART) FOR SPRING

Written by: Jennifer

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying this, but I love Joanna Gaines. She is so talented, and she makes everything she touches more beautiful.

Even the rickety, broken down pieces that were reserved for the landfill are somehow miraculously transformed into a treasure worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

So with my love of all things Jo, I love to create an inviting space in my home for every season. As we head into spring, I am using the opportunity for a spring refresh for my home.

As I started to consider this spring refresh, I got to thinking about a spring refresh for my heart and soul. And I think I have some ideas that will benefit not only my home, but my spirit as well.

TAKE OUT THE JUNK So much stuff is brought into our homes during the holiday season, and all of a sudden, my home feels as if it’s bursting at the seams. One way to refresh my space is by decluttering and taking out all of the things that are not needed, not used, or just taking up too much space. Less stuff is less to clean, fixate on, or worry about.

For my soul, what are some things that I can declutter from my mind and body?

We are constantly bombarded by noisy distractions in this busy world. Things like social media, news stories, school events, work tasks, and home responsibilities fill our days to the brim. As I look over how I’m spending my time, what can I reduce or cut out completely from my days to leave space for God? continued |

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If my full days leave little to no time for feeding my soul, then I have too much junk and need to declutter.

CLEAN EACH SPACE After keeping the house completely shut up for the winter, the air inside begins to feel stuffy, and a light layer of dust covers almost every surface.

Crumbs from goldfish crackers litter the couch underneath the cushions, and there’s a sticky spot on the floor that I’m not proud of how long it’s been there.

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For a spring refresh, consider praying over your physical home as well. Pray for the physical condition of your home, as well as for opportunities to bless others with what you have been blessed with.

Spring is such a wonderful time of promise. New growth after the gloomy scarcity of winter gives us hope for our future, and we can take advantage of this time by refreshing our homes (and hearts) for spring.

Warmer spring weather provides the opportunity to throw open the windows to bring in some fresh air, and a deep scrubbing makes my home feel fresh and lovely again.

What sins have settled in your life and are lightly covering the surfaces of your soul? Give your heart and soul a refresh by repenting and asking your savior to scrub away those sticky spots so you can feel fresh and lovely again.

BRING IN NATURE I love to switch out the greenery in my home each season. For whatever reason, a new, seasonal wreath just puts a smile on my face.

God’s creation brings joy to our souls as well.

Spend some time outdoors connecting with the beautiful things of nature that God created for us, and take note of the joy that is brought into your life.

PRAY BLESSINGS Each season brings the opportunity to notice things that we are grateful for. My husband and I pray over each other and our family and friends each night before bed.

Each season brings its own set of troubles and blessings, and we take time to go through those.

Jennifer and her husband are currently in the trenches raising three young children. Jennifer spends her days filling juice cups and trying to write content for her website. She is passionate about helping believers grow stronger in their faith.

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THANK YOU! Thank you for joining us for this issue of Maricopa Motherhood Magazine.

We both find so much joy in writing these issues, and we pray they bring some joy in your day as well.

This past month and the upcoming months have been met with struggles and trials for both of us, and the kind words we have heard from you have really touched our hearts and encouraged us to keep going.

We sincerely thank you for continuing on this journey with us. We couldn't be here without your support!

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers -1 Thessalonians 1:2 (ESV)

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Follow along to stay in the loop of upcoming issues, fun content and upcoming contests and giveaways!

Mandy & Jennifer