Family Matters Friday: A lecture for wives of today

One thing about being in the social media hub you see a lot of things. Some that you wish you didn't. It's kind of like what they say about a train wreck ~ you can't help but look as you go by. Sadly, there is something happening online among women that I just cannot look at anymore. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a woman too but I truly treasure my husband.

Before I begin, let me say this. My marriage hasn't always been what it is today and I understand that we are all at a different place in our relationships. With that said, I also will remind you as well as myself that how we spend our time, attention, focus will determine what is important to us and how we respect or not our spouse.

My husband is NOT someone that I will belittle or make fun of. Sure, we have moments that are funny to bring up (and I do those in private not publicly or on social media) but the kind of "make fun of" that I am talking about is humiliating him either in public or private.

I am so sick of seeing wives think it is funny to humiliate their husband online. They are usually the first to then want to blast their husbands when they get into an argument or their feelings got hurt for whatever reason. I have had to block myself from seeing posts from people I happen to like because I can't take their comments or the way they talk to their husbands online. I have been married for twenty years, so I have some history behind when I say that if they continue to do that they might not have a relationship later down the road.

If you want to treat your husband like they are less than you, that you are smarter than them, and then wonder why they leave you or cheat on you, maybe you will remember this warning. If your husband wanted a mother ... he wouldn't have gotten married to you.

I ask that you challenge yourself to lift your husband up and give him more credit than you ever thought you should. Treat him like he is a King, as most of us they are the big bread winners in our home. I would not be able to do what I do if my husband did not do what he does. Yes I work outside the home and contribute, and yes I do the care-taking of our home but I do it to support him and to encourage him. I want our home to be a safe haven for all ~ not a battle ground. I cherish him, value him and am very blessed to say he is my husband. In return, he takes care of me and the family, treats us with kindness and lots of care. He WANTS to be with us and if he could choose to work overtime or his family time I can almost guarantee every single time he will choose family time. Yes, he does work a lot of hours every so often but it is for our family ~ not because work is his safe haven.

If you have a lot of conflict in your relationship with your husband ~ start paying attention to how you speak to and about your husband both privately and publicly (including online). You might just see that if you change the way you speak to him, you may change your whole relationship!

Understand that your children are watching, listening and learning. If your child spoke to your husband in the way you do would they get in trouble? Would they be disrespectful? All that is happening is your setting the tone for not only your relationship with your spouse, but your children's relationship with them as well.

Now this goes both ways I know. But I can't honestly speak too much to the men ~ because my word may not encourage them in the same way. I promise... give it two weeks. Change the way you interact with your husband and watch how it impacts your marriage!

S.O.S: A busy mom's guide to setting goals & FREE gift!

No copyright infringement intended.

Ya'll know by now that I have grown in the area of goal setting. It has taken me a year in this particular area and I am far from saying I got this figured out! I am continuing to grow in this area! But I LOVE seeing some of you start to set  your goals and see them being achieved as well. It is exciting to see other people become more comfortable about stepping OUTSIDE of their comfort zone to reach a goal that they set for themselves.

1. I hope you caught that first tip! YOU MUST be willing to step outside of your comfort zone some in order to reach a goal. Do you know why? Because you are going to have to make a change and well let's face it ~ not many people are so willing to change without putting up a fight or having a handful of excuses.

2. Have enough grace to pick yourself up when you fall, but enough determination to not give up. That balance isn't always easy and it takes practice for sure!

3. Be persistent! Sometimes to reach YOUR goal, your going to have to say NO to someone. It happens. But don't make goals that you are not willing to say no to someone to make sure you reach them.

4. Celebrate! Yes I said it! When you reach that goal, celebrate it! You earned it by stepping out of the comfort zone of complacency!

5. Pick a new goal! Don't stop setting goals because you reached one!

NOW! I have a gift for you!!! I created a PDF file for you as a sample of how I go about my goal setting! CLICK HERE for your free copy! You can download it in any format you like or print it!

S.O.S: Holler at Saving a Dollar!

Ya'll know how much I love Summer Vacation. I mean seriously I get to be a full time mommy, wife, and writer! No other responsibilities, though trust me I keep very busy with just those! But during the school year I am a teacher. A paid teacher. I do not get a salary of any kind in the summer, so I used to stress about that.

This year? Not so much! Do you know why? Every year we have proved to get by just fine. Yes, the husband works hard and sometimes harder in the summer to compensate but our bills are all paid, there is food on the table, and more than a time or two we are on an excursion to have fun in the sun!

With that said, this is one of those slim and trim weeks and for just a spit second I got a bit concerned about what and how I was going to feed the family. Sure, we have savings ~ no big deal, but we really do not like using it unless we need to. Guess what!? This week we do not need to!

I sat down yesterday morning and began to begin listing the "fixings" for meals that I already had on hand. For the moment, it was not my intention to go to the grocery store until Monday. As I began listing things I was able to come up with a tasty dinner menu that included some new recipes as well as some old (and simple) favorites. I made the grocery list for the few things I would need and decided what the heck, I would go to a discount grocery store that I do not often frequent and see how good we could come out. Who knew?! I did fantastic!

Here is what I bought from our local Joe V's:

Frozen Chicken Strips (kid's lunches) 2.97
4 Pack Totinos Frozen Cheese Pizzas 4.17
1 shredded cheddar cheese (2 cup bag) 1.77
Hickory Bacon (1 lb) 2.97
1 1/2 pound sirloin tip (for stir fry) 5.44
Oscar Meyer Chopped ham 2.37
Green onions .50
18 ct Eggs 3.42
Grands Biscuits 8 ct 1.38
Grands Biscuits 8 ct 1.38
Blueberry Muffin Mix .58
Blueberry Muffin Mix .58
1 Gallon Whole Milk 1.98
Family size Rice A Roni chicken Rice 1.68
Red Lobster Biscuit Mix 1.97
Red Lobster Biscuit Mix 1.97
4lb bag of sugar 1.84
Whataburger Spicy Ketchup 2.00
HEB Splenda 100ct 1.88
1 8 oz can of Mushroom pieces 1.08
Baking Cups 1.28
1 lb rice 1.08
Rotel Diced Tomatoes .88
Rotel Diced Tomatoes .88
1 lb bag of Shell pasta .58
Zipper Freezer Bags Gallon Size (40 ct) 1.88
10 lb bag of potatoes 2.74
Canned green beans .62
Canned green beans .62
Folgers Classic Coffee 3.47
5 lb All Purpose Flour 1.48
Honey Wheat Bread 1.85
White Bread 1.78
24 ct Ozarka Water 3.33
8 ct Powerade 3.78

Total: 68.75 (without tax 68.18)

Here is our dinner menu for the week:
Friday:Bacon grilled Cheese  & Ramen Noodles (or Tomato Soup)
Saturday: Chicken Fried Steak, French Fries, Gravy, Salad, Biscuits, and Gravy
Sunday: Roasted Chicken Thighs w/ roasted veggies, Chicken Rice, salad, and "The Best" ever rolls
Monday: Beef & Broccoli over Spicy Noodles or left over rice from night before
Tuesday: Goulash & Cornbread
Wednesday: Hamburger Steak w/ gravy over mashed potatoes, corn and green beans.
Thursday: Homemade Cheeseburger macaroni (shells really) & garlic knots

For dessert this week I will be making:
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Chip cookies
Smores

As you see my family is NOT going to go hungry. In fact, they will be eating very well and really will have no clue that they are eating on a slim grocery budget. We did already have some of the meat in our freezer (burger meat, chicken thighs, hamburger steaks), and staples on hand and this is why I do that! It is easy to pull together a menu when you keep a set amount of regularly used items in your pantry and freezer. This was also a week I did not need any pet supplies, cleaning supplies, nor paper goods.

Twin birthday Survey!

I love being a mommy to multiples! Multiple Teens I am not so sure of! Ha! Just kidding! So, since they are now 13 and able to"legally" give me permission with  parental permission (haha ~ that's easy right?!) to post their answers I though I would experience the JOY of being a momma to twins and share their candid answers to a Birthday Survey I gave them, and will continue to give to them for as many years as they will allow me to post their answers!

1. If you could give yourself a name instead of the one you were given what would it be?
Peanut= Juan (pronounced hhhwan)
Doodlebug= Frankenstein (I got that off the movie Big Daddy)

2. What was the best thing that happened when  you were twelve?
Peanut = Evelyn (His girlfriend)
Doodlebug = Middle School Football

3. What is it like being a twin?
Peanut = It was fun
Doodlebug = Fun

4. When you are older, married and have kids- do you want twins of your own?
Peanut = NO!
Doodlebug = Yes, one will be crazy!

5. What are you looking forward to happening now that you are 13?
Peanut= PHONE (hint hint!!)
Doodlebug = A wining season

6. What is a piece of advice you would give to someone younger than you?
Peanut= Don't do drugs and stay in school!
Doodlebug = Always be crazy!

7. What is a piece of advice you would give to someone older than you?
Peanut = Don't do drugs and stay in school!
Doodlebug = Always be crazy!

8. If you could be a super hero what would your super powers be?
Peanut = Laser vision and blend in with my surroundings.
Doodlebug = To shoot lightening out of my butt!

9. Who do you admire the most and why?
Peanut = Mom - she makes me food!
Doodlebug = Mommy, she cooks for me!

10. Favorite:
Soda: P= Dr. Pepper   D=Big Red
Candy: P= Sour skittles  D= Skittles
Movie: P= Lets be cops   D= The Fast & The Furious
Song: P= Go hard or go home  D= Down with the sickness
TV Show  P= WWE Raw  D= South Park
Rainy Day Activity: P= Football  D= Video Games
Color = P= Purple  D= Blue
Article of Clothing = P= Basketball shorts  D= Tshirts & shorts
Sport = P= Football!  D= Football
Memory= P= Scoring a 54' Touch Down!  D= Kemah Boardwalk!

These boys of mine I love so much! I am truly blessed to be a momma to them both! Love ya boys!

The Circle of Life : Pain, Love, Peace

Good morning friends! This morning instead of a usually SOS post, I wanted to share a bit of what is currently going on in our family.

My husband's mother ( I often refer to her as my "mother-in-love") is not doing very well. In fact, we were told that it could be any day to a couple of weeks. She has lived a hard life but in the same breath she has been very blessed. It is an honor that I got to be a part of her life, and that I was the one chose to marry her son.

Yesterday I began to reflect on death. It's not hard to do when facing such a situation. I also was immediately reminded that death is part of the cycle of life. Always has been, always will be. It is inevitable and the only thing worse then dying is truly not living your life to the fullest.

I have had loved ones who have died suddenly with no warning, and those who had lived in illness and we had a "heads up" that it would be soon. Neither are easy. When it is sudden your left in shock. When it is long suffering your often wondering and waiting and then dealing with all the emotions that come. Either way ` it is quick to jump into regret mode when someone dies. We begin to wonder if we did enough, said enough, loved enough, laughed enough with them. The answer is always going to be no ~ so don't even ponder it. We could always come up with  more that we could have done, even if you spent 24/7 with the person for years.

My sweet  mother in love was widowed for about 30 years. Her oldest daughter passed away two years ago. A few of her siblings, parents, and friends have gone before her as well. I am sad for my husband, as I have never lost one parent let alone both. I hurt for my sister in love who will be the one left with a huge void as she had been her caregiver for fourteen years straight. I will miss her as well. But we have her here today. She is still here today! We know it is coming, but to be honest, we all have known it was coming for several years. BUT HOW EXCITING will it be for her to see her husband's face again? To hug her daughter and see her as vivacious and well as she was. To see her Daddy whom she loved so much. To laugh and giggle with friends who she has missed. And ... to be with Jesus walking in the sweet meadows! WALKING!

There is pain in our birth, and for many there is pain in our death. But one thing runs true. We can choose to be in peace, and let go in love for there is beauty beyond this earth! There is more after this life here on earth. How amazing that we even got to live..... and got to experience this joy of life! I am tired of being sad and crying at funerals. It doesn't mean I won't. But it does mean that I will accept life for what it is. A gift. A gift that IS time ending. A borrowed gift and one that doesn't last forever.

If ya think about it ~ pray for courage, comfort, and peace for all of the family of my mother in love. I will keep ya updated on any changes.

Family Matters Friday: Flexibility

As a mother to kids who are really not so little anymore the way in which my husband and I parent is changing. I mean let's look at this logically. One is fifteen and a half, and the other two are almost thirteen. They are not so little and the things they can need direction in (spiritually, emotionally, and even physically) is no longer so cut and dry. It seems that often there is more beneath the surface much like an iceberg.

This season in our parenting I am learning more about flexibility and how sometimes even when I might say no, it isn't the best answer just because it always has been. There is many things in my own life both professional and personal that reminds me that I am also being tested in how flexible I am. 

One thing I want our children ( might as well say teenagers) is that in order to be happy in life... it takes a lot of endurance and flexibility. 

 Our latest need for flexibility is coming up so very quickly. The twins first go at Track and Field and well it means I must remain flexible in all that I do. I want this experience for them to be the most stress free and let's be honest. If parents stress..... the kids feel it and then all we are teaching them is that new things, different things, will always be stressful. I don't want to create that kind of environment to either our home, or their belief system.

If you aren't flexible while your children are growing ... they will never learn to be flexible as well. See... my kids know where my limit is. There are a few things in our home and lives that I refuse to be flexible in ~ and that is our morals.

When your raising children .... no one tells you to take the time to evaluate where you are right now and where your children are. I am telling you to do that. Not only will you create a system that works for your family, but you will also be teaching them how to do it later on in life as time arrives for them to do so.

Family Matters: Balance!

That's right! That one word that sounds so lovely and comforting yet often is so hard to achieve. I think I might have figured out why! Have you noticed that when you focus on something a whole lot it becomes so very important to you? Like you begin noticing things on that topic, people use the word or concept around you, it is talked about on the news, it maybe is trending on facebook in the stats on the side, etc.

Let's use the word "diet". You decide that you want to lose ten pounds. All of a sudden you notice others around who are wanting to lose weight. It is on the news in t heir "feel good" stories or health stories. You are in line at the grocery store and you see a magazine cover with all of these "Diets that work". You over hear conversations about losing weight. It's everywhere.

Balance however ... is something that is often only talked about wanting to be achieved. You might see a few success stories but not many of them have the same outcome nor the same path taken. Simply put finding balance is NOT a clear cut science. Want to know why? Because your perspective of balance is most likely different than mine. We have different priorities. We have different goals. With that said, how can we achieve balance?

Balance: (In my own words) Is having things in proper proportion. Look below for a perfect image that explains what I am talking about. (It is NOT my image, and I am not using it to infringe on copyrights! It just was a visual of my definition.)

Using the image above I will share what my priorities are and where I strive for balance to keep it all at a level keel. *Disclaimer: I designated priorities by the size of the ball .. not their position!*)

Left side
Two red balls: 1 is my classroom, the other is my home.
Keeping organized both in my classroom and at home are what allows me to be functional in both places at the same time. If those are out of balance, that whole side is off!

White ball: My writing/ blogging/ etc
Writing for me right now is HUGE. I have dreams and goals that I am reaching for that in time may change this side of the balance. Taking time to blog and designate writing days and how I spend my waking hours that are not being devoted to my husband and children .... are often found right here.

Right side
Tiny white ball on top: My time (The occasional hair cut or color, painting of the nails, suntanning. Running, or any other activity that calms my mind and gives me a pick me up.)

Big white ball: Husband and our marriage (Yes I know that this ball is larger than the kids. It should be. )

Red ball: Children (As they get older they don't need as much of my immediate attention, though they still get a lot. )


NOW, because I know some of you may be wondering why I didn't put my relationship with God on that priority list, allow me to explain. He is in all of those priorities. If what I do in my classroom doesn't glorify Him I am wasting my time. If how I manage and take care of my home does not glorify Him I am out of balance. If my writing doesn't pint upwards, I am wasting my time and I am out of balance. Same goes on the other side. See... my relationship with God influences the balance I desire for and seek for in my life.

Do you know what your priorities are? Until you do, you will not even begin to know where you are out of balance to begin with!

Family Matters Friday: Can't beat them, Nerf them!

For Christmas Santa gave each person in our home a Nerf gun and some ammo in our stockings. Nothing big, nothing major but tons of fun!

I simply say if you can't beat them definitely Nerf them! We have gone girls against boys, and while we are outnumbered, we can still divide and conquer! We have played the parents against the kids, and again while we are outnumbered we can still divide and conquer!

Truly the one night we really all participated was one of the BEST nights of our week since Christmas. Do you know why? We play! And we play together! We laugh. And we laugh together!

Whether it be game of Uno, Mario Kart, or the Nerf War playing together has been the glue that holds us together and tight as a family. The kiddos get to see their parents playing and having fun, and we get to embrace those moments with them. Sometimes, no let me change that. Most times we get TOO serious in this life that we miss out on the pure innocence that comes with playing . Yes I am a planner and I like to organize. Yes, I could be called a "neat freak" by some, and actually LIKE to clean. BUT .... beyond on that I like to see my family enjoying themselves. In fact, I LIKE to enjoy myself too! It doesn't mean that I don't take care of things around the house. While the kids have free access to the wii... it doesn't mean they play all the time. They don't even want to really and it is fun when we all decide that we want to and play together. It's all about a good balance and spontaneity. That is why... my gun... stays at my side when I am working on the laptop!

This isn't a long post .... so do yourself a favor. Make some time today and go play with your family! Tonight we are ordering pizza, playing on the wii, and maybe just maybe ... darts will fly. :) It's been a wonderful vacation in our home, and I am sad to see it quickly come to an end.

Motivation for your Monday: Even Keeled

There has been LOTS that God Almighty is working on in me lately. I mean like TONS. And while it is so hard, I can tell you this... it is way better than just floating around in this thing called life.

Are you an "all or nothing' kind of person? Either your house is a disaster or it's spotless? Either your cooking all your meals for weeks or your buying take out instead? You either clip coupons or are buying the most expensive items? This is one time of year that we see extremes all around us. Take this past Friday.

In the United States, we have what is called "black friday" where retailers swoon customers with great "you can't miss" deals. Without extra costs, it comes with frenzy, anxiety, depression, greed ~ even though at times very subtle, with a whole plethora of debt, forgotten bills, and fear. I know this from experience you see, because this is only the second year I chose not to participate. And no, it wasn't for a political ~ or consumer stance. See for me it was a spiritual matter.

No where in your traditional "Black Friday" events can you see the actions of an even keeled person.

The man who fears God will avoid ALL extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:18

This is an area that God is really digging deep within me. I have gone through many extremes in various areas of my life and willing have done so. The problem is I am now reaping those consequences and helping to undo those consequences in regards to our children as well. See, what a man reaps not only does he sow but so the children for generations to come. When we see our children effected by our actions it is heartbreaking.

See I helped our children become greedy when it comes to Christmas because I thought the more under the tree was better. For growing up there was always a ton under the tree ~ even on the "light" years. That is what Christmas was to me and I began that same tradition with our children. Now.. I regret every second of that and while they are still home I must undo some damage. For years they went to their grandparents because ... that was the weekend this mom did the bulk of her Christmas shopping filling the back and even center of my Explorer (or minivan).

I was a better parent because I made sure (with the help of my husband) that our kids had a big Christmas every year. I might have had to pay a few bills late but by golly they had a good Christmas. I really wasn't a better parent ~ for I was greedy, prideful, wanted selfish gain (attention and to be recognized for doing so much), in fact it was downright sick! Right now I am completely disgusted.

Does that mean I won't go buy Christmas gifts for our children? No. I love being able to give to them. But it does mean we won't have a ton under the tree ~ simply because we can. The last few years with the adults I really put a lot of time and thought into each gift purchase I make. I don't pick up something because it is cheap. I don't pick up something because what I already have gotten them wasn't enough. Even though I do put a lot of time and thought into some of the kids gifts, I was in the habit of providing a TON under the tree so I would fill in with things I got really cheap. Gift giving was indeed ALL of the all or nothing mentality. Then I couldn't afford to get much for them for months afterward.

Black Friday often had me grabbing things just because it was a good deal. I love this verse: "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9" I was indeed quickly provoked by those sales, and often did get angry afterward when I realized how much I spent.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

So I challenge you this Monday to start striving to live more even keeled than ever before! I know even though some of these notes were jotted down weeks ago... they ring so true for me today. 

 

Still Giving Thanks!

This morning as I reflect back on our Thanksgiving celebration I am brought to my knees in gratitude. We did enjoy a good meal, and a few family moments of laughter and sharing. This was the first Holiday that didn't feel so strained. The first one I didn't have tears in the preparation and I am giving God that glory! There was peace in our home and in our hearts. There wasn't any disputes, angry words, or harsh comments.

I am also so humbled to realize how much  my heart has changed, and is changing as I think about what past "the day afters" were like. I was one of the many out shopping at 2, 3, and 4 am. (Really it got earlier and earlier every year but now.. it seems to be starting on Thanksgiving Day.) It was always a girls day, and I did get the majority of our Christmas shopping done. But inside... I was feeling fearful, prideful, and extremely greedy! Greed is ugly. Pride is ugly. Fear is ugly. When you put them all together, it is downright disgraceful. My husband and I are raising teenagers now, and to know that my actions are being watched and in subtle ways modeled is enough to stop me in my tracks, repent, and ask God to lead me to be more wise in these life changing decisions. Up until the last few weeks I forgot how every decision is a life changing one ~ whether it changes mine or someone else's.

This morning, I slept in. This morning, I am thankful as I sit here in the quiet of the moment and realize just how blessed I am. I am being taught things that the world will go against and to me that is beautiful, not lonely. Because the way the world is going right now I don't want to be a part of it. I want the simple life. There is no simplicity in chasing sales at 2, 3, and 4 o'clock in the morning.  There is no simplicity in worrying how one will buy gifts and or even have enough left over for groceries. There is no simplicity in getting frustrated because you are worried there isn't' enough under the tree. Where is the Thankfulness that is experienced on Thanksgiving the day after?

I want our children to rest in the peace that comes from living a life of gratitude. I want our children to reap the benefits from learning to fully trust God with everything! I can tell you this ~ as much as I say I trust God ~ He is completely and wholly testing me in this in every area of my life where I once put trust in other people/things.

Putting God first in your everyday life doesn't seem so hard ~ and it looks easy if your watching someone do it from the outside looking in but let me tell you. It isn't. Do you know why? The world makes living in the world look easy and tempting. And it is, yet it is also so void, dark, lonely and cruel. There is hopelessness, fear, pain, and ugliness. But .... fighting with all you have to put trust in God and live your life trusting HIM alone is peaceful, loving, joyful, and there is always a surprise waiting for you! There is an amazing sense of security that can't come from anything one does or gets from the world.

As a woman who is 41, I feel like a child yet it is the best feeling EVER! Do you know why? The world will fail you! Relationships WILL at some point fail you. But God ... oh my goodness, God Almighty will NEVER fail you! THIS is what I want our children to know. Not that mom and dad worry whether they will like the gifts we have chosen. Not what is for dinner. Not even about their relationships with friends... I want them to trust in GOD alone and above the husband and I. Why? We may fail our children, but God will NEVER fail them!

As I sit here, I am just in awe! I am sitting still in my pj's, and completely at peace with that. I am sitting looking at the beautiful Autumn decorations that are soon to be replaced with lights, Christmas trees, and things that bring joy to the room. And I am content. God is good!

The next time you see a flood of "black friday commercials" ( or big "get them now before they are gone" commercials) for the umpteenth time today (this month).... and your home to see them and not in the hustle ~ know that I too am looking at them shaking my head and muttering a prayer of praise and thanks for I know that God is good and this world and it's greed is sure to catch up to someone who may stumble upon this post and realize that HE is what truly matters no matter what day of the year it is. I am done running/shopping/spending in the rat race. Are you?

Schedules, Deadlines, Sore Muscles and REST!

Schedules
Boy Howdee! Talk about a busy busy schedule! Going from full force summer to full force work schedule truly did send me into a tailspin of sorts! And my own children aren't even in school yet ... though this week is chocked full of different meetings to run to after work to get those final things taken care of. I by no means am complaining though yesterday I really felt like whining. I do have to say .... that today, the middle of my first week back to school I feel like the next few weeks are promising! Between football for the twins, drill team for the girl, working a full time schedule, keeping the house clean, all the things a busy mom does really is going to keep my schedule full. But can I let you in on a little secret? I love every minute of it! Yesterday I was in tears, but it was simply because I was overwhelmed and needed to take a deep breath.


Deadlines
I have given myself a deadline or two lately. I have ordered a few copies of You Are More to pass out to a few local women's ministries to introduce this message of YOU ARE MORE as step of faith to what I feel God is calling me to. I was almost grieving yesterday in my prayer time on the way to work because I LOVE teaching ... but in my heart I truly feel like God is leading me and calling me out of that comfort zone and telling me in his own way "You are More than a preschool teacher". He has given me my first "message" to share in a large group setting and I am believing that one day I will be sharing His goodness with millions of women world wide. But .. I must be prepared. So, the first deadline I must meet is this Friday. I must have that message ready as those books will be received then .Saturday I will put them in the mail to their prospective hands of the next step in this journey. The second deadline I gave myself is I want to have written and RELEASED the second book in the Ladies of Cotton Lake series "Moment by Moment" for the week of Thanksgiving!

Sore Muscles
With the return of a work week I decided it was a GREAT time to also allow my daily workouts to return! While I had a GREAT workout Monday, I woke up sore and pushed myself on Tuesday. When I got up in the middle of the night last night I could barely move!! So this morning was a rest day. It was the most logical and best choice that I could have made. I will be better prepared for a good workout tomorrow and again on Friday. Using my fitbit to monitor my activity level I probably almost double if not triple my activity on work days vs weekends.

REST
Which leads me to this topic. REST! A busy schedule MUST include rest! I used to feel guilty for sitting around a few hours on a day off. Uhm..... not anymore! I am moving from the time I get up until almost the time I go to bed if you remove the commute time to and from work. I didn't want to skip this mornings workout but listening to my aching body is a good idea. I can't risk the injury that could come from pushing myself beyond my body's capability. This school year I also get every other Friday off!! This will be a nice time to devote to writing, taking care of the family's errands, and maybe even just scheduling some lunch in with a friend or two! I also believe that God will use those Friday's to perhaps travel and share HIS word that He has given me to share!


As I transition into this new "normal" that is set ahead for me for the next nine months and three weeks I ask that you understand if there are days between blog posts. It isn't because I don't want to post, or I don't have anything to share ~ but my days are just really full!

Motivation for your Monday: August Organization and Goals

I love being organized and being able to see things right in my face. Having things mapped out like who needs to be where when ahead of time makes it easier to plan the menu for the week, cleaning schedules, and to be able to pencil in time for other engagements and of course writing/blogging time.

Here are some of my favorite tools!

1. A planner. This time of year it is easy to pick up a student planner and they are relatively cheap. I choose a small to medium one verses a large one so that I can easily take it with me in my purse or school bag. Now this is not something that I use for school but for my personal family use.

2. Post It Flags: I like this particular one because as you will see below it gives space on each square even if i use two or three on anyone given day. I assign the kids their own color, myself a color, and we have a family color. If there is anything specifically that I need to document for the husband I will use the family color because that often will change what we do as a family.

3. A pen for any additional notes that are needed either on the calendar itself or t he daily portion. (I did not show a picture of how I fill out the daily part because well... everyone's different. We all have our own needs.)

Here is the month of August as an example:

Pink is me: I went ahead and put one for each day I will be at work. If you see two pinks.... or something twice on a pink it is because I need to be somewhere two different times that day. The blank pinks ~ well that is for me to write down my work schedule for each day as it is given to me once I return for in-service.

Yellow is family. Since I knew I only had a few more days of summer vacation, I took the liberty to schedule in some Wave-pool days. Now, I know as well as you I can't predict the weather so .... good thing those flags are removable and re-positional.

Orange were a different kind of "flag" that I cut down that I use when reading books to note those areas that really grab my attention. I used them for this month ONLY to make preseason Houston Texans football games because that is important to us.

Purple/Blue/Green are the kids. When you have three kids in varying sports and extra curricular activities it is just wise to know ahead of time.

Does it look a little bit OCD and obsessive. Maybe but that is how my brain functions best. If I have it before me I can see where the wiggle room is for other things. The only things on that calendar are "mostly" specified and are required of us. No "ifs", "and", or "buts" unless ya know there is illness or things that are completely out of our control. It also helps me to see where I can fit that daily workout in, dinner with friends, time to pick up groceries etc. I have a form that I made for my menu that I will print out for each week and stick in my planner as well so I will know what to prepare AND I write bill due dates in the daily sections so I know when to pay them if they are not already scheduled to be paid.

Someone once asked "How do you keep up?" This is how.

Now... let's talk about August goals! Do you have any? Why not? Remember a little while back  I shared about making SMART goals makes it easier to get to the larger end result goal? I have one goal that I am working towards that is up on August 18th. I will let you know if I made it!

Here are my goals for August:
*BE prepared for school BEFORE the day before the first day. (both for me and the kids ~ these are a week a part).
*Receive and review the proof copy for You Are More and set a Release date!
*Begin writing book 2 in The Ladies of Cotton Cove Series.
*Set up contact and "invite me" specs to begin speaking and sharing the message of LIVING each day beyond just surviving it in women ministries all over. Completed 8/4/2014 *SEE*

Father's Day & Blueberry Crumble Pie

Father's Day this year was spent focusing on two important Father's in my life. Our Heavenly Father, and my husband ~ the Father of our children. At first I kind of felt guilty ~ though I did make a phone call to my Step Daddy, I realized that right now ... this year, this is where I am in my life. I can't feel guilt over that! As far as father figures go in my own life, I have some issues I am working through ~ and I don't want to drag anyone into that baggage right now.

God Almighty is THE FATHER of life! I am amazed at how commercial our society has gotten where they think that certain days should be set aside to honor someone/something that often should be done on a regular basis. Mother's Day, Father's Day, Veteran's Day...... these should be honored regularly. The ones that were created to honor God ~ have been turned into HUGE commercial events ~ Christmas and Easter. The older I get, and the more my relationship with God grows I feel almost bitter towards these things. Why? Because even believers get wrapped up in a skewed view of what is really important.

My Husband is the father to our children ~ who are beautiful, healthy, and happy. We are not your common family, and the way we do things in our home is not what apparently goes on everywhere. But guess what! I like it! I love the people our children are growing into. When they get older, and I am able to transfer that mothering over to friendship ~ these are people I would LOVE to hang out with all the time! Even on their "bad" days ~ I LOVE them! They have their father's spunk, and they love life! The bible gives great wisdom when it says to "leave and cleave" upon marriage. My main focus on Father's day ~ while I am grateful for the man who helped to give me life and his DNA, I am also grateful for the man who stepped in to raise me when he didn't have to. But more than that ~ I am so blessed to watch the man I married, turn into this GREAT Father ~ who has given so much not only to me, but to our babies (who are no longer babies). As a wife THAT is my main focus .... because ya know, society hasn't given us a "Husband" day. :)

On this great day, I prepared a yummy dessert. Before I share the recipe I want to give you some suggestions. PLEASE serve this Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I know it sounds crazy but it will help to cut the sweetness of the pie. *Think more along the lines of a cobbler and how vanilla ice cream tastes so great with that!*

1. Pie Crust ready to prebake
2. Pie weights (beans) placed into pie crust to help bake even and correctly.
3. Ingredients for crumble topping.
4. Blueberry Filling
5. Filling into crust without crumble topping
6. Finished baked pie

Ingredients For Crumble
3/4 Cups of Flour
1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1 stick of cold butter cut into peices

Ingredients For Filling
1 bag of Frozen blueberries (or 5 Cups of fresh berries)
1/3 cup of Brown Sugar
1 tsp of Cinnamon
4 TBS of flour
2 TBS lemon juice

Extra
1 unbaked pie crust
1 TBS Flour
1 TBS Sugar

Directions
Place Pie Crust into pie pan and pinch edges. Place in fridge to get really cold. (This helps get a flakier crust) Preheat oven to 400* and line inside of pie crust with foil or parchment paper and insert pie weights. (I personally use dried pinto beans. I reuse these just for this purpose. Once they cool I store them in a sandwich bag in my cabinet with my recipe books and pie plates.) Bake crust for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350*. Take out pie crust, allow to cool for just a couple of minutes to ensure that the pie weights cool off before you remove them, and that the crust settles well. Place crust back into oven for 5 minutes to "dry" it out. Remove crust and prepare the crumble topping and filling.

Crumble Topping
Using a pasty cutter or two butter knives, combine all crumble ingredients in a medium size bowl until you achieve good pea sized mixture. I like to leave a few butter chunks whole because it just makes the topping so yummy and good!

Filling
Mix all filling ingredients together until well combined!

Remaining directions
In pie crust, sprinkle the 1 TBS flour and 1 TBS Sugar on the bottom. Spread together well. Top with Filling, and then finish with crumble topping. In a 375* oven bake pie for 50 to 60 minutes until top is browned and filling is bubbly. Take out and allow to come to room temp before serving. For being a fruit pie ~ this pie cuts BEAUTIFULLY!

Dreams really do come true!

Photo Credit

My husband and I were married in May of 1995. Every since I was a little girl I dreamed of being married and being a mom. Those were my two life aspirations that if they happened my life would be perfect. In all reality ~ what honestly would make one happier? Material things? No way. Sure, a nice house to live in is great and we have that. A nice car is wonderful too. But a house and a car is NOTHING compared to having a family!

From the moment we got married, I knew I wanted a family with this man. I wanted a whole houseful of kids! Looking back, it was good that we had a few years just being us as there was a lot to learn and we needed some time to be free. But my heart longed for a baby. It was a crushing feeling feeling every cycle that came along. When I was late, I would get hope only to have it come crushing down a few days later. (I did have some issues with my cycles that caused much more stress and anxiety in this area of my life ... which was in turn probably caused by stress and anxiety itself.) In the Winter of 1998 I remember driving home from church and almost in tears crying out to God about my lack of children. I felt barren. But then I remember reading about the curses put on Adam and Eve after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. Eve was cursed .. and the word said that ALL women would have pain during childbirth. I proclaimed that promise ~ it didn't say some women, it said ALL women.

In March of that year I went on a girls trip with my sister in law and a friend to Cancun. We had a GREAT time, relaxing and just being silly girls. When I came home, I must have relaxed quite a bit. In fact, I remember feeling much better after that trip. Imagine the JOY in my heart when I found out I was expecting in early December of 1998!  I cried, I laughed, and it was pure elation for me for months afterwards.

Our precious girl was born in August of 1999 ~ four short years after marrying the man of my dreams. Four years. That's not very long. She's now 14! I LOVED every part of having a newborn in the house, and watching her grow up.

This is a post I shared with her on Facebook this week, and I am just saying that even through the hard times of raising a teenager, I am honored and treasured by our girl! She may struggle from time to time in school, but she is more courageous, bold, and beautiful than I could ever have wanted to be at her age. She inspires me in my womanhood to be better, bolder, more courageous!

Kris ~ this is why you hear "NO" more than you'd desire. This is why it is important to stay under the authority and TRUST your parents when we think something isn't a good idea. We LOVE you enough to let you know that your life (both here on Earth and for eternity) means more than that instant gratification that a "yes" might bring.

Children are a gift! There is no other relationships that one can have like the one they can have with their child. It's different with every child, and it's different with each parent. I am honored to share the parenting with my husband ~ the love of my life. We balance each other in ways that only God could have arranged. I am honored to give this stability to our children ~ so they too can see what God intended for marriage to be. I came from a broken home, my husband did not but his father passed away when we was merely 13. We are both living in a time of our lives that neither of us experienced as children. I must say, it is better than I ever imagined it would be.

Yes, there are tough days. Raising children is not just a day in the park. Raising kids together, with different parenting styles isn't always easy either ~ but .... it is beautiful none the less! I am honored that God heard that cry of my heart to be a mommy and a wife. Dreams really do come true!

In another post I will share about the journey of becoming a mom to twins. For today, I wanted to just enjoy my girl ~ for really she is becoming quite the beautiful young lady. She is taller than I, and is an amazing gift!

Family Fun Friday ~ July 5th 2013

Fun! Every family needs those fun moments in their lives where time stops, and the only motive is a good time. One thing I have been learning as a parent, is it is wise to have fun with your kids. It is a bonding time, that couldn't happen if it was to be removed. A time that removes the harshness, and allows a freedom of youth to come in.

The pictures I am sharing is not from today ~ but rather last night! We had a get together at our house with a few friends to celebrate the 4th of July. As you know, we moved in January to a completely different county. In our old neighborhood we were unable to pop fireworks, because it was illegal.

Here is a face book status that the husband posted about last night, so you can see the JOY that came from this moment of sharing with our kids ~ isn't just one sided.

""Well I must say that I was totally rocked last night. I was never allowed to do that without the threat of tickets(popping fireworks) where I used to live. And then all the others got involved and I was like whoa. I will never go to another park to see fireworks. My kids got to hold their first sparklers. This place rocks. The (name of subdivision removed for privacy reasons) has got it goin on. Sorry if that sounded goofy but I do love it here.""

The men were like kids in a candy store, and the children were purely in awe! It was so much fun!

It was hard to get a picture of all the kids at the same time with sparklers in their hands. One of the kids (and his mom) left before this picture was taken, but you can see how much fun and how tired they were becoming on their face.

All down the street and through the neighborhood we were united in family fun. It was loud, beautiful, and purely amazing!

We had an amazing spread of food too!
Momma's Slap Ya Silly Pulled Pork (This is an easy recipe and the next time I make it I will share the recipe!)
Hot dogs/ grilled sausages
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Grilled cheese corn salad
Veggie tray
Cheese Dip w/ Tortilla Chips
A Bacon Ranch dip w/ Tater chips
Cup cakes
Happy Birthday America Cake
Chocolate Brownies w/ peanut butter frosting

A few more random pics of our guests having a good time!

 

 

 

Missing from this pic is several adults, and several kids! The firework fun started right after and was unable to snap pics of it all! Every single person who made it was truly a treasured part of my life!

 

The clean up is done, and the fun is had! This truly was a fun share for the first Family Fun Friday!