Stuck in the Middle of Titus 2

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.  ~Titus 2: 3 - 5

I feel like I've entered a somewhat strange season of life.

On one hand, I have two young children (oldest is 6), I'm still essentially brand new to homeschooling, and most of the time I don't feel like I have a clue when it comes to being a Mom.  Or a wife.  Or a daughter, aunt, neighbor, friend.

On the other hand, I'm not a newlywed (we just celebrated our 14th anniversary), we've lived lots of different places, I've worked full-time outside the home and as a full-time homemaker plus combinations in-between, and we've dealt with life together for a while now - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I can now cook more than just Hamburger Helper and Hungry Jack Casserole.

So does this make me one of the "older women" or one of the "younger women" in the passage above?

I think our Sunday school class is to blame (or should take the credit) for my confusion.  I am learning so much from our teachers. (Kathy, Debbie, and Susan, I would never call you "older women," but you are certainly training me in all the ways mentioned in that Scripture.)  At the same time, though, many fellow classmates are significantly younger than me - as in, 80s music is to them what the Beach Boys are to me.  I nearly fell out of my chair when I realized that at least one of them was born in 1990.  1990!?!

Instead of getting all depressed about this, eating too much, and shopping for wrinkle cream, I'm going to try to embrace it.  No promises, but I'm considering a (somewhat) regular blog section related to topics that are either (a) things I so wish someone had bothered to tell me years ago, or (b) things I so wish someone would explain to me now.  I think I'll call it Titus 2.5 (the halfway point of Titus 2).

So without further ado, here's the first installment (and no, I don't intend for all of this to be about homemaking, but that's what's on my mind tonight):

My burning question: How can I get my hardwood floors to shine?  I have tried various products.  I have tried using my Shark Steam Mop (which, by the way, I LOVE for my tile floors).  Some people say diluted vinegar, others say avoid all liquids at all costs.  For one glorious month, I had professionals come to clean my house bi-weekly.  Whatever they did worked wonders, but in spite of my pleading in a note left for them, I still don't know what they did.  Help!!

My burning answer: I used to avoid all recipes that included cooked chicken as one of the ingredients.  I didn't want to have to completely cook one thing before I could even start cooking our actual meal.  As a result, most of our meals involved ground beef or ground turkey except when I broke down and bought the canned, cooked chicken.  Enter my new very best friend: my crockpot.  Now when I need a couple of uncooked chicken breasts for a meal, I buy the big package of chicken, put the rest into the crockpot with a bit of water, and let it cook on low all day (or all night).  Then I just shred it up, put it into lots of zip-loc bags, and toss them in the freezer so I'm all ready to go when it's time to make something like Chicken Spaghetti.  Why, oh why, did I not know this for the first 12 years of our marriage??

So, dear readers (if there's anyone still out there!), do you think of yourself as an "older woman" or a "younger woman?"  Any burning questions to ask?  Any burning answers to share?



 This post is linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary, Pieces of Amy Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home