Calling guest bloggers!
I have a running list of “to-do’s” in my head that I keep meaning to jot down or take action on. At least 5 of these to-do’s are blog posts that are just floating around in my cranium. For example: I want to tell you about the amazing flourless black bean brownies that I just recently made from Kitchen Stewardship’s [...]
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Cooking with beans
(Photo source) Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more . . . Let’s talk about beans today! One year ago I shared that my goal for 2011 was to add more whole grains, nuts and grains into our diet. I took the plunge by purchasing 5 large 25 pound bags of dried beans (kidney, pinto, Northern, black [...]
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My first twitter hate message
I will admit it, I still have a little bit of a hard time understanding twitter. I try, I really do. But something about facebook just makes more sense to me (maybe it is the way I can see the name and photo of the person talking and see the conversations all stacked together in [...]
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Lunch notes
When I unpacked Hunter’s lunch bag earlier this year, I found this note: I upped his rations and things had been going well. Then last week, I got this one: I think he is starting to figure that as long as he is going to be making requests, he may as well throw in an extra. [...]
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Waste more time in 2012 (and 52 other little goals)
On New Year’s Eve we sat around the table and pulled some questions out of a hat taking turns reminiscing 2011.
I had to answer “what was your biggest time waster in 2011?” and although this may sound surprising, I was stumped. For better or worse, I have been “blessed” with a highly productive and organized personality which struggles to waste time (I know, pathetic right? I can practically hear you gagging. Please tell me I am not alone with this strange trait!). My husband was quick to provide some examples to illustrate this point. If I am waiting for my emails to download, I will throw in a load of laundry. If I am going upstairs, I will bring up the clean laundry along. If I am folding the laundry, I will be listening to a book on CD or talking on the phone. Leaving the house before wiping off the kitchen countertop or making my bed would be a huge mental hurdle and I almost never go to bed at night before first cleaning my sink. The poor man has been subject blessed to my mental efficiency and over the last 11 years of marriage, has adapted surprisingly well. The closest thing I can typically get to doing “nothing” is reading a book or watching a movie, but I can hardly ever justify wasting taking the time to watch TV. After some good hearted laughs at my expense, it was decided that one of my goals for 2012 should be to enjoy more downtime, or said a different way: waste some time!
52 ways to simplify life
I plan to consider this goal of wasting time as the year progresses, but before I get to that goal I am having too much fun reading my newest ebook from Tsh Oxenreider titled One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler.
In Tsh’s own words:
Merry Christmas!
Our two oldest kids are home from school and we have been really loving the lazy days that provides us. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been inspired with some fun new ideas, crafts and traditions. I will share some of my favorites below and encourage you to see all of the ideas I saved here. [...]
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a hand full of hair and a heart full of lessons
I sit. Hands in lap, chin up, heart churning. My hair, wet and combed, is held at the nape of my neck by a band securely holding the 12 inches of length grown out over the last several years. These inches were with me when I cradled my son Sawyer for the last time. They graced my neck as we anticipated Quinten’s arival
A digital Christmas card option that is easy and will last a lifetime
Last year I wrote a blog post on the topic of christmas cards that resonated with many of you. I shared what I loved about the tradition of sharing cards as well as what I don’t love about it. Then I shared that I decided to “send out a Christmas card, but it would be one that would be fun for me to make, fast for me to send and one our family could enjoy for years to come.” I am continuing that tradition this year. I started by making a digital card using Cocodot (which is now a free service). You can see the digital card that I created here. Then I linked that card to our family slideshow video (also shown below).
Hunger (hands response)
If your heart has been stirred by this topic of hunger than I hope that the ideas on how to help the hunger (both locally and internationally) mentioned below will help motivate your family into action. I realize this list is limited so I would encourage and ask you to leave a comment if you know of other great resources or opportunities.
Hunger (heart response)
Yesterday’s post was pretty heavy. The statistics of the hunger needs are very discouraging and can leave us feeling overwhelmed. However, I don’t believe we are expect to solve the problem. We are told in the Bible that the poor will always be with us (Matthew 26:11). What we are told to do however is to stand up for the poor (Psalm 146:7) and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30). I realize that if ANY of us had neighbors dying at the rate of 4 kids a minute we would be overwhelmed with urgency to help. This week I realized that if these foreign families lived here in the United States under the same conditions they are in now (no clean water, no healthy food, sleeping on the ground. . .) CPS woud swiftly come in and take the children away. These families may live far away, but they are still our neighbors. I urge us to respond in love rather than to walk away in dispair. Below I have outlined some starting points for your heart.
Hunger (head knowledge)
Yesterday I shared my experience in Costco that almost brought me to tears and my heart on the topic of hunger. Today I want to share with you the first of three posts that will give you a starting point for how to begin to understand the hunger need (Head), some ideas on ways to guide your family to an internal response (Heart) and practical suggestions on how to respond outwardly (Hands).
Because I believe that you cannot fully address a situation until you understand it, lets begin by immersing ourselves in some facts/statistics and videos that will help us get a better understanding of the Hunger needs both domestically as well as internationally.
Be love and other lessons learned in Costco
I almost cried in Costco today. It took me by surprise and brought me to a new level of thanksgiving.
Actually, allow me to back up and tell it from the beginning: I was in Costco today, list in hand (or actually in phone) and two kids in toe. I am not pressed for time, so we browse the Christmas isle admiring the beautiful decorations and large Nativity Scenes. I take note as Ashlyn points out EVERY SINGLE princess themed item on display noting what was to go on her Christmas list. Rounding the corner I spot a familiar sight: several women standing, hair in nets, ready to offer samples of food.
Morning Sickness Remedies
Morning sickness can take sure dampen the excitement of pregnancy. So when one mom emailed us asking for some tips on how to help ease her morning sickness, I was happy to offer some personal advice (found below) and then I quickly turned to our team of experts (you) to gather more feedback. We asked our Mom 4 Life facebook fans for feedback and you were quick to weigh in with suggestions and ideas. I invite you to click over and see what was suggested and add your own thoughts or feedback either on our facebook page or here in the comments.
Looking for the joy
#17-#22
The beginning of my list of 1,000 things is found here.
*the sound of young lungs breathing peacefully
*hearing Hunter say, “This is fun!” when looking up a Bible vers in his new Bible for the first time
The trickle affect
Every action has a reaction and every choice creates a consequence. These are lessons we are teaching our kids and it is true for us adults well. I received this email last week from Mom 4 Life blog reader Michelle and was really encouraged by her words as it reminded me how we are all learning from and encouraging each other when we make positive choices.
1,000 ways to see life for the first time
It is two minutes past eight. The sun has gone to bed. The children are asleep. The house is quiet, almost. The kitchen hums with the sound of drying tomatoes fresh from our garden. The gentle and rhythmic breathing from my youngest at my side. The wood lapped by the flames in the stove. These are the sounds wrapping me up like a warm, soft blanket as I reflect.
The gratitude project (debrief)
Thank you for all the wonderful comments that were made on our facebook page and blog posts this week in response to our Gratitude Project for making our family more aware of the need for clean water. I got some wonderful ideas from you on how some of you are working with your family on [...]
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The gratitude project: Water (our response)
I have been so blessed to see the developing hearts of compassion in our children through this process of educating them on the needs of others while empowering them to make a difference. As I mentioned yesterday, only minutes after watching the videos about the water crisis, they were compiling ideas on how they could be a part of the solution. We brainstormed several ideas and once we developed our plan, they continued to talk about it throughout the day fine-tuning the details while dreaming and smiling as they envisioned the community that would be impacted by our gift. I heard, “I am so excited about our plan!” more than once along with “How do they build the pump?” “How many people do you think it will help?” “Mom, I am worried what they will do for water in the winter, will the pump still work?” Their young minds were working hard and their hearts were growing with compassion!
The gratitude project: Water
Yesterday I shared my heart on the topic of gratitude and my desire to help our children gain a greater sense of appreciation for the many ways that they are blessed and provide opportunities for them to bless others.
My plan is to intentionally focus our attention as a family to areas of our life that we can appreciate and ways that we can reach out to help those who are in need. What better place to begin than with one of life’s most basic needs: water.
Is our family rich?
There are a host of things that I want my children to learn before they leave our nest. Among them is the attitude of gratitude.
I believe that being thankful is among the most important things we can master and pass on to our children. I believe that a thankful heart can bring light to any dark place. I believe that being thankful helps to ward off feelings of entitlement, greed, selfishness and pride. I believe that we all can nourish our spirit with feasting on gratitude.
school and bread
School started last week and my two oldest are now spending their days in scholarly bliss. And why shouldn’t they, on the first day, the school had a big schedule of outdoor water games to welcome the kids back! Ashlyn (who is now in Kindergarten and going to school for the first time) is especially [...]
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sore backs and dark closets
I wake up sore in the morning. I think I am starting to get old. My parents talk about this (and my grandparents). Now it is my turn. I have decided that waking up sore is not an issue for children. Check out this picture of Quinten sleeping. He is laying with a large lump [...]
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A song for aching hearts
Moms are amazing. Of course you probably know that, I hope you do anyway. I am reminded of the blessing of motherhood on a regular basis in multiple ways. My least favorite of which is through stories of tragedy and loss. Last week I learned that a close friend of Angela’s (our customer service assistant) [...]
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Messy hair, small underwear & cheap skirts
Since it is summer I haven’t (thankfully) had too many mornings that have required that I be out the door with all four kids. A few weeks ago however I took Hunter and Ashlyn to Vacation Bible School. I decided to simplify things by not doing my hair. No worries though, I did do it [...]
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