It may seem a little late to be posting about Mother's Day, but I'm certain it's never too late to thank a mother. As a mother, I've been a little busy lately. But, I want to tell my mom that she's amazing. I'm so thankful to have my parents in my life, as an inspiration in my faith walk and marriage, and as amazing grandparents to my own children and to my niece and nephew.
Following is a link to a favorite BLOG:
So God Made a Mother: When the Giving Tree is Really The Giving Mother
reflecting on the work of mothers.
Ann speaks of strength and faith:
"God had said I need somebody with a strong heart. Strong enough for toddler tantrums and teenage testing, yet broken enough to fall on her knees and pray, pray, pray. Someone who knows that in every hard place is exactly where you extend grace, who looks a hopeful child in the eye and says yes, even though she knows every yes means a mess but this is how you bless, who has the courage to keep letting go because she’s holding on to Me... Somebody willing to feed and lead, lay down her life and pick up her cross, give of her time because they have her heart... Someone who would live like a Giving Tree — who would would give grace, give life, and give thanks "
So thanks mom for modeling sensitive and strong, calm and kind, and for loving and leading.
May 20, 2013
May 15, 2013
Be an Example
This article speaks well to the struggle of being "a good Christian" as an adult and struggles youth have when told to be a good example for others.
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/05/13/one-thing-your-daughter-doesnt-need-you-to-say/
You don't need to be an example, to be good and perfect... Be real. Be honest. "Others around you need a friend who knows she needs Jesus."
What if we teach our our daughters (& sons) what this author suggests? ... "When she is hurt, she can deeply feel it. When she messes up, she can own it. When she hurts someone, she can apologize. When she has doubts, she can voice them. And when she is joyful, it will be from a real place inside her, not a manufactured mask she puts on for show."
I love that wall quote "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." We have a wonderful family, with God at our center. Where is your center?
You don't have to have it all together. God never said it would be easy nor that you have to do it all alone.
God loves you... John 3:16, Romans 5:5
My morning devotion spoke today of the joy of the Lord and Romans 15:13...
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/05/13/one-thing-your-daughter-doesnt-need-you-to-say/
You don't need to be an example, to be good and perfect... Be real. Be honest. "Others around you need a friend who knows she needs Jesus."
What if we teach our our daughters (& sons) what this author suggests? ... "When she is hurt, she can deeply feel it. When she messes up, she can own it. When she hurts someone, she can apologize. When she has doubts, she can voice them. And when she is joyful, it will be from a real place inside her, not a manufactured mask she puts on for show."
I love that wall quote "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." We have a wonderful family, with God at our center. Where is your center?
You don't have to have it all together. God never said it would be easy nor that you have to do it all alone.
God loves you... John 3:16, Romans 5:5
My morning devotion spoke today of the joy of the Lord and Romans 15:13...
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May 8, 2013
Take It Easy
As I look back at my life since becoming a mother, I'm so thankful for how God has been there for me so I can be there for my family.
Transitions... from the job I always wanted, counseling youth and collaborating with schools and families, to the job I will love forever, being a mom; the "God math" working out a switch from therapy to a job doing in-home child care; selling our house in 5 days and moving back to our hometown; loving the children I cared for in our home and spending time all day with my own boys; working less hours and being back in the schools again, this time helping a Special Education Teacher; supporting our kids in a move to another state and being able to stay at home.
But I'm still learning a lot about taking care of others, taking care of myself, and letting others take care of me.
Slowing down... taking time, making time.
Listening... Sometimes I don't know what I need. Sometimes I think I know, but I'm wrong.
Trusting... God always knows what I need and the best way for it to happen.
Believing... He will work it all out.
It's all good!
God has got this.
I'm not a runner. I have heard though, during practice and in a race, that having a goal is important and that pacing yourself is critical. Seems like a good analogy. I've been working hard on pacing myself.
If you are interested in reading more about living with "an invisible illness" and dealing with what many term a chronic energy crisis, here are a couple links:
The Fibro Action website summarizes Spoon Theory stating:In a moment of inspiration, Christine came up with the idea of representing her limited amount of energy in units of spoons and asked her friend to describe what she did on a normal day. Breaking down each task into its individual parts, and taking away a spoon for every task done, helped show her friend that these tasks, that healthy people take for granted as being easy, could be a huge use of limited energy for someone with a chronic illness. Christine explained that "the difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted."
All of us can benefit from her words of wisdom though. We would all live a fuller life by: being as positive as possible, knowing you don't know it all and learning as much as possible, following your dreams while learning to adapt.
If your schedule is full but your spirits are on low, maybe you could also benefit from learning to rest. Here is a great article I found through Proverbs 31 Ministries:
Another song comes to mind too, Alabama's "I'm in a Hurry."
I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why
For our family, Spring and Summer are seasons to be outside and to spend time with friends and family. While the calendar may be full, most often we schedule more laid-back activities. I am so thankful for this season in my life and for the seasons of Spring and Summer. It seams like it's much easier to pace yourself when the weather gets warmer. I want to go do so many things, but I always make time to take it easy.
One last thought. I recently saw this on my Facebook feed:
Hmm, there's a thought. Making time... Maybe I need to be available in a different way. You know that scripture about praying without ceasing? Yah, I'm working on that. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
When I was writing notes about this BLOG, the kids were resting and a cool breeze was drifting in through the window. After lunch, the church next door plays music on their bells. Today the song was "It is well With My Soul." Seemed like an appropriate and inspirational melody. I think we will go put our bare toes in the green grass outside, soak up a little sunshine, and sip some homemade ice cream shakes now. We've gotten a lot of practice resting this week with illness in the house, but we can take a few minutes to enjoy nature and thank God for beauty and healing.
It's all good!
May 6, 2013
Mighty Mississippi
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| The beautiful blues. |
So happy to get out of the house and out on the river!
The water was high, but the weather was warm
and the sun was shining. It was so nice to enjoy
the beautiful blue sky and water.
Here are a couple of pictures of Mark and Holly's new boat...
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| Holly getting some sun at the front of the boat. |
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| Ezra concentrating hard on helping Mark drive. |
... and Holly and I enjoying our time.
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| sisters |
The kids had lots of fun! (Sorry, Asher, but we'll be back in a few weeks.)
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| Just heading out... snacks in hand. |
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| Smiles |
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| Silly Chase |
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| Katelyn's photo bomb |
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| More smiles! |
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| So much fun! |
Finally, a couple pictures of the beautiful drive back home.
Family Fun Just Begun (start of May)
Time for some family photos. May and Spring may have just begun, but we've been busy. Here's a glimpse into a few recent activities...
Asher has been loving soccer practice and games.
Asher was really excited when Grandma & Grandpa could come to his first game. He even got Grandpa to play a little soccer with him.
Ezra loves soccer too! He had to get all the gear to be like brother. Ezra can't wait to have his own soccer day camp this summer.
Also, he has been enjoying pretend play with the toys in his room.
The kids and I handed out May Baskets to a few neighbors.
Ezra enjoyed bird watching and lots of special time with Grandpa last weekend.
The ladies had fun at Jamie's wedding shower... congrats again!
Asher and daddy had a Star Wars filled weekend. Do you recognize my Jedi Padawan?
While Ezra and I were away this weekend, daddy and Asher put together my new dresser. Asher loves helping with building projects and doing his own creative construction with the left over cardboard.
Thanks to Grandpa for fixing Asher's wood castle! He put it to use as soon as I brought it home.
Also, Asher finally got his new bike (now that he has really mastered riding without training wheels).
And Ezra was thrilled to get brother's old bike (bought last year) because he too was too big for his old bike. Wow they both are growing really fast!
Asher has been loving soccer practice and games.
Asher was really excited when Grandma & Grandpa could come to his first game. He even got Grandpa to play a little soccer with him.
Ezra loves soccer too! He had to get all the gear to be like brother. Ezra can't wait to have his own soccer day camp this summer.
Also, he has been enjoying pretend play with the toys in his room.
The kids and I handed out May Baskets to a few neighbors.
Ezra enjoyed bird watching and lots of special time with Grandpa last weekend.
The ladies had fun at Jamie's wedding shower... congrats again!
Asher and daddy had a Star Wars filled weekend. Do you recognize my Jedi Padawan?
While Ezra and I were away this weekend, daddy and Asher put together my new dresser. Asher loves helping with building projects and doing his own creative construction with the left over cardboard.
Thanks to Grandpa for fixing Asher's wood castle! He put it to use as soon as I brought it home.
Also, Asher finally got his new bike (now that he has really mastered riding without training wheels).
And Ezra was thrilled to get brother's old bike (bought last year) because he too was too big for his old bike. Wow they both are growing really fast!
Simple Snacks
I thought I would post a few more pictures of the house. Today, the kitchen...
Ezra and I decided to make a couple of our favorite snacks before taking a road trip Friday.
Applesauce muffins are Ezra's favorite. Here is the link if you'd like to try them:
http://spoonful.com/recipes/easy-applesauce-muffins
As a side note, I found some silicone baking cups at IKEA and just love them!
While I love rich chocolate desserts, sometimes it is nice to have a few lighter snack options in addition to all the yummy fresh fruit this time of year. I hope you will enjoy one of these. I know Ezra did :)
BUT... for those of you who love chocolate like I do, I'm also including my favorite dessert recipe to share at cousin cookouts. Here is the link for Tiramisu Brownie Trifle: http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=81761 Believe me, after making it once it won't seem too difficult and it's worth it!
Ezra and I decided to make a couple of our favorite snacks before taking a road trip Friday.
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| Mommy's helper |
Applesauce muffins are Ezra's favorite. Here is the link if you'd like to try them:
http://spoonful.com/recipes/easy-applesauce-muffins
As a side note, I found some silicone baking cups at IKEA and just love them!
A family favorite for snacking is Honey Bear Snack Mix. I think I originally got the recipe from Pampered Chef, but I can't find it on their website now, so here is a copy of my recipe:
While I love rich chocolate desserts, sometimes it is nice to have a few lighter snack options in addition to all the yummy fresh fruit this time of year. I hope you will enjoy one of these. I know Ezra did :)
BUT... for those of you who love chocolate like I do, I'm also including my favorite dessert recipe to share at cousin cookouts. Here is the link for Tiramisu Brownie Trifle: http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=81761 Believe me, after making it once it won't seem too difficult and it's worth it!
May 3, 2013
Taste of Spring
It's raining here again. In April, when it rained more than shined, I just kept thinking of the May flowers. But, this May morning, we woke to an icy mess. The tiny hail and the rain had frozen to a thin sheet of ice over everything last night. I hear Iowa got a few inches of snow. Well, we did get a taste of Spring last week. However, after a few lovely Spring days, we had a humid day in the 80s followed by a wintry mix of hail and wind. Someone recently joked on Facebook that the Midwest just lived out the whole year of seasons in one week.
I am happy to have had a few warmer dry days to enjoy grilling and playing outside with the kids. We grew up in the Midwest and know each Spring is different, from year to year and from day to day. Last year all my perennials were in full bloom by Mother's Day, I had all the annuals out, and the boys were riding bikes with no shirts on. This year, I'm not sure whether it will be dry and warm enough day to day for Asher to have soccer practice or when I'll be able to put flowers out. But, regardless of weather, we have also tasted Spring in another way... food.
I love how what we eat can change seasonally. The other day for lunch I had slices of fresh avocado and finely shaved turkey wrapped in a wheat tortilla with a side of cantaloupe. Then I made a moist and airy homemade angel food cake topped with chopped up fresh strawberries with a dash of orange juice. Ezra and I have been talking about growing and eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies. I just love seeing more color on our plate when Spring comes around. We are trying to try new foods.
Recently, I bought some asparagus. Usually, I make Bow-tie Pasta Primavera but I didn't have all the ingredients handy after recently moving. A friend's BLOG inspired me to try something new.
This was delicious! You can see the recipe at The Seasonal Veg Head.
Thanks to Jaime, I have a quick and new recipe which, as my kids say, is delicious and nutritious. Well, I'm not sure the boys are sold on asparagus yet, but they tried it. Because we tried something new, I know now that I can in fact broil in my gas oven and I have found a way to cook asparagus other than blanching. Also, Jaime's instructions helped me perfect making sunny side-up eggs for my husband. Honestly, I have never cooked his eggs this way because I wasn't very good at it. Per usual, I cooked the eggs three different ways (poked the yolks to cook my eggs all the way through, made Al's over easy, and scrambled the boys' eggs), but we all enjoyed a new recipe. The boys love having "Silly Supper," which means breakfast for supper and sometimes wearing jammies to the table.
I hope you can try something new and enjoy a taste of Spring this year too.
I am happy to have had a few warmer dry days to enjoy grilling and playing outside with the kids. We grew up in the Midwest and know each Spring is different, from year to year and from day to day. Last year all my perennials were in full bloom by Mother's Day, I had all the annuals out, and the boys were riding bikes with no shirts on. This year, I'm not sure whether it will be dry and warm enough day to day for Asher to have soccer practice or when I'll be able to put flowers out. But, regardless of weather, we have also tasted Spring in another way... food.
I love how what we eat can change seasonally. The other day for lunch I had slices of fresh avocado and finely shaved turkey wrapped in a wheat tortilla with a side of cantaloupe. Then I made a moist and airy homemade angel food cake topped with chopped up fresh strawberries with a dash of orange juice. Ezra and I have been talking about growing and eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies. I just love seeing more color on our plate when Spring comes around. We are trying to try new foods.
Recently, I bought some asparagus. Usually, I make Bow-tie Pasta Primavera but I didn't have all the ingredients handy after recently moving. A friend's BLOG inspired me to try something new.
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Sunny!...side-up eggs w/ roasted asparagus & parmesan |
This was delicious! You can see the recipe at The Seasonal Veg Head.
Thanks to Jaime, I have a quick and new recipe which, as my kids say, is delicious and nutritious. Well, I'm not sure the boys are sold on asparagus yet, but they tried it. Because we tried something new, I know now that I can in fact broil in my gas oven and I have found a way to cook asparagus other than blanching. Also, Jaime's instructions helped me perfect making sunny side-up eggs for my husband. Honestly, I have never cooked his eggs this way because I wasn't very good at it. Per usual, I cooked the eggs three different ways (poked the yolks to cook my eggs all the way through, made Al's over easy, and scrambled the boys' eggs), but we all enjoyed a new recipe. The boys love having "Silly Supper," which means breakfast for supper and sometimes wearing jammies to the table.
I hope you can try something new and enjoy a taste of Spring this year too.
May 2, 2013
Little bit Lonely
It seems our family has more of a routine lately, and more activities are showing up on the calendar. Asher is interacting more with kids at school, talking with other Scouts at lunch and playing with other 1st grade students at recess. His teacher recently assessed his reading skills and said Asher is reading at end of 2nd grade level. He continues to love learning and has been really into Star Wars and also spies lately. Also, Asher is enjoying soccer. He is getting to know his teammates and doing well with his skills and scrimmages. Al is going to be starting soccer too. Ezra and I have been doing a few learning activities at home, but mostly we explore the libraries and parks, run errands, and pretend play with a variety of toys. I have been looking into Yoga and Zumba in town. We have started searching for a new church.
I know it will take time to form new relationships here. I know we have a busy calendar this Spring and Summer with events where we will see family and old friends. I know though, that some days, I’m a little bit lonely.
A couple days ago, I was reading a story on “Hope For the Weary Mom,” while loving the calm but missing my friends. Here is an excerpt:
"I don’t believe loneliness is a waste. God is our Redeemer and if He allows us to go through seasons that feel lonely, it’s because He’s teaching us how to cling to Him, the person who is Jesus who wants to meet us in our mess. He IS the One who “gets us” most, the One who knows us best and understands us like no other. When we can cling to Jesus as our best friend, our Hope…THEN the friendships HE brings into our lives will be rooted in Him and based on Truth. They will be the sisters who point us back to Jesus every single time, love us even when it’s hard and do life with us through each season of life. And those sorts of friendships are rare and precious gifts."
Well that was relevant and helpful! You can see more at: http://www.hopeforthewearymom.com/2013/03/13/chapter-ten-when-weary-moms-walk-together/. To my friends: Love you guys. Miss you guys. Thank you for the gift of friendship.
Well, it’s Spring, and I need to be patient for the seeds that have been planted to start to grow. So, I’m trying to enjoy the solitude. I do love having more time to reflect and process, to be more aware. Usually we have a slower pace lately, but sometimes life is still chaotic. I continue to pray for patience… Patience in the process. Also, patience with the kids when things are not so calm. ;)
Today Asher and I cuddled in my bed and talked for a few minutes before starting the day. Al had mentioned Asher was a little “depressed” this morning. Last night he asked about when he would see an old friend again and also slept with a note from another classmate. This morning, Asher shared that he has a good teacher here and likes his school. Yesterday he was thrilled to have second play date with a neighbor girl who is also in 1st grade. But, as much as he enjoys this new place and the people he’s met, I’m not sure he feels at home yet. Or, maybe, starting to make a new close friend has reminded him of all the people in our hometown that he loves and misses.
Sometimes I think I know what I need or that I have it all figured out, and then God speaks into my life if many different ways. Some days a child will show up and remind me:
While we try to teach our children all about life,
our children teach us what life is all about.
The last 6 months have been very busy and full of many changes. It’s ironic how I’m starting to have more time now, yet I still find myself wishing I had more time to call a friend. I keep thinking how my kids remind me of the importance of prioritizing and making time for what’s really important.
But, now it’s time to wake Ezra for his nap and soon we’ll need to pick up Asher from school. We will be busy making memories today. I know if I don't stop now and focus on my babies that they'll stop inviting me into their lives. If I don't care about T-Rex and Transformers now, then my boys won't take the time to care what I say about God, girls, etcetera.
I’m so thankful that we can share love, laughs, sadness, worries, and successes. I’m so happy that our family leans on God and each other.
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