Two New Favorites

For my vegetarian friends, here are two recipes that have been delicious and simple as can be in our home over the past few weeks:

CHILI WITH TEMPEH:
SOAK KIDNEY BEANS OVERNIGHT. PAN-FRY CUT UP PIECES OF TEMPEH AND ADD TO BEANS, TOMATO SAUCE, CORN, TOMATO PASTE AND ANY OTHER VIEGGIES YOU WOULD ENJOY! SIMMER FOR 25 MINUTES, STIRRING THROUGHOUT AND TOP WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHEESE.

STIR FRY WITH TOFU:

PAN-FRY TOFU IN CUBES WITH OLIVE OIL. COOK BROWN RICE, STEAM BROCCOLI, CARROTS, SNAP-PEAS, PEAS AND OTHER VEGGIES YOU ENJOY. MIX ALL TOGETHER AND LET SIMMER WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER AND SOY SAUCE AND VOILA!

SIMPLE AND QUICK!!!!

Growing Deeper With Christ

Lately I have been running in to so many incidents with fellow Christians and people in my life. I have had so many things said to me that have hurt me more deeply than I have been by words before and have been brought to a place emotionally that I do not like to be. I have been asking God and searching for why these incidents have been brought before me all in such a small period of time. I have been struggling with not wanting to attend church lately and wanting to close up into my home with just my family and avoid the outside world even. Through these trials I began by rejecting Christ and closing off and have slowly turned to embracing my love for and relationship with Him more than ever before. Three weeks ago I could not even pay attention to the message on Sundays and fidgeted in my seat the whole time and a few weeks later I am more in a state of worship on Sundays than ever before. I stayed awake praying the other night and it hit me that this was the plan all along. I was putting more emphasis on the church and works than on Christ Himself. Somehow I had slipped into this pattern and this thought process that the church was there to somehow fulfill what only God can. Our church is a wonderful place but it is full of sinful people as are all churches and is not there to fill in you what only God can. I had to realign my faith and my thoughts back to what they originally were and realize this in order to grow deeper with Christ and to understand why I was feeling so down about those I was surrounded with. So I challenge you to take a step back and re-evaluate where you are standing in your faith and where you are putting your need for fulfillment... is it with church? family? a job? Or is it where it is supposed to be, in God?

Mother Knows Best

We grew our children inside our bodies and we know them as we know ourselves. God has blessed us with a mother's instinct that goes far above and beyond what any doctor, teacher or relative can tell us about our children. Rocklyn has been struggling with a severe cough and wheezing for almost a year now and it has been a battle. Since the early stages I knew it was asthma and have been spending months trying to tell pediatricians otherwise yet no one would listen and kept prescribing antibiotics (of which the prescriptions would end up ripped up in the trash after the second one had not worked). It recently got to a point that I became so angry with thesee doctors that I demanded they see him immediately and diagnose this. God answered my prayers big time with a new pediatrician who spent five minutes with us and knew it was clear to see he is asthma. He now has to do two breathing treatments a day and has an emergency inhaler and in just three days it has turned around tremendously!

The point of my writing this is to give mothers and women an encouragement to trust their instincts. God speaks to us and gives us a gift that doctors do not possess and while they may be more educated, when we feel something is wrong we are more than likely right. While pregnant with Ryder, I continuously told my obgyn that my uterus was ripping open and she kept writing off what I was saying. I called I made extra appointments and I knew what was happening to my body yet she ignored it. I had a c-section two weeks before my due date and thank God I did because my uterus had ripped open and if I had gone into labor it would have ruptured and Ryder and I would have bled to death almost immediately.

As women, we possess powers that we need to trust and have amazing capabilities so whether it is second opinions or taking matters into your own hands, sometimes it must be done. Trust yourself.

Simple Realizations

I have had a few friends recently come to me for advice about family and about raising children. Why they come to me, I have no clue! I feel like I am in a constant state of reaching out for an answer to what to do in the situations I find myself in, especially as they get older. How funny that at one point I thought those newborn days would be the hardest; boy was I wrong!

How sweet was Rocklyn just curled up in my arms?!?!

Anyways, I have been thinking of the most important advice to give a new mother and while it is annoying when being bombarded with "you need this type of bottle" or "never let them cry" or "this is the best diaper rash cream" and other little tidbits, I think the advice a mother needs comes in two simple statements:

1) Put God first in all you do and life will fall into place a lot more smoothly. Your marriage, your patience, your children's behavior will all fall into place. Why? Because when God comes first, you live your life in a way pleasing to Him and by doing this you are assuring that you are treating your spouse well, discipling your children, loving everyone, spoending time in the word and in prayer and so many other things that are so necessary!

2) NEVER EVER EVER, no matter how hard it is, judge another mother for her parenting style! (Unless, abuse is happening and steps must be taken for safety) "Her kids watch television all day long and I don't agree with that", "They eat junk food constantly", "Their kids were at the store throwing the hugest fits I have ever seen. Probably because she never spanks them", "You know those daycare kids, I will never put my kid in one". I have heard all of these and more so many times. If I can tell you one thing for sure, when you judge another mother for something like this IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU! You'll have a rough week and sit the kids down watching tv all week, you'll be too busy and have no time so you'll throw the kids some fast food, your parenting style will be NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING like you say it will before you have kids and have no clue what it is like and there may come a time that you will need childcare because you need to work and you will realize just because a kid is in someone else's hands all day they won't turn out bad. I do things a certain way in my home but I have learned to not judge any other mother for her ways. If you are worrying about how much television is being watched in someone else's home you have too much time on your hands! And when you stare with your mouth hanging open at that kid throwing the world's biggest tantrum in walmart, don't look at that parent in judgment because believe me, someday it will be you and your child!

In the Mirror

This morning I had to write a few emails while Rocklyn was sleeping so I put Ryder on tummy time in front of a mirror. I was soon distracted from working by his adorable interest in that little person he saw in the mirror! Ryder, 7 mos.

He was laughing and smiling and even turning over backwards (see above) to get a look at himself! Trying to reach out and touch that person and absolutely enthralled by him.

Rocklyn @ 7 mos.
It got me thinking about how quickly, especially nowadays, we go from amazement at ourselves and what we see in the mirror to critical distaste and even hatred at what appears before us. I have had many friends tell me that their young daughters ( even at 5 years old!) are commenting on their weight or "fatness" and it convicted me in huge ways! I am blessed with sons but in today's world, they are struggling with image immensely as well. The comments I make negatively about my body, especially the post babies body!, do impact them. Not only are they bombarded with half naked media and horrible messages around every corner, they have to hear it at home too?!!? So I am vowing to stop negative comments about my image and even if all the healthy attempts to get in shape are taking so much longer than they use to I will appreciate exactly who I am. How would our children benefit if us parents starting viewing ourselves with the awe and amazement we had as babies in the mirror? Better yet with the love and feeling God has when he looks at his creation of us exactly as He planned it since the beginning of time?



Ryder, 6 mos.


So, no matter what age we are let's start taking a different view of that person in the mirror... and maybe even turn our critical comments into a laugh instead (see below image lol)

Smoothies!

My sons are as opposite as night and day and it is clear to see within moments that Rocklyn has taken after his mama in most every way! He can't sit still and his energy has him bouncing off the walls, he is loud and talks on and on and he is as stubborn as can be! This has really been affecting his eating lately: if it's green, has a unique texture, is unfamiliar or just about anything healthy except fruit it is a big NO WAY!

That being said... he has become the smoothie kid!

Since he loves all things fruity, thinks he is too cool when he gets to use a straw and pretty much thinks he is getting a dessert when he gets a smoothie, I have been serving them religiously! The trick is what I have been hiding in that blender to be masked by his favorite pineapples, peaches and strawberries!

Flax, tofu, veggies galore, nuts, lentils and anything else you can name have been enhancing this little man's diet without him having a clue. He gets what he thinks is a dessert and I get peace of mind! Easy enough!

Yesterday's smoothie included: yogurt, peaches, pineapple, watermelon, canteloupe, almonds, bananas, kidney beans, carrots and celery!

What do you put in your smoothie????

Gnomeo and Juliet Party-Part 1

For those of you who I haven't told yet, I have been working on starting a party planning and event catering business specializing in children's events! It has been a dream of mine for a while and I am sick of waiting for things to just happen because they never do it that way!!!

On Friday, we had some good friends join us for an outdoor movie theater party where we watched

GNOMEO AND JULIET

on the big screen in our backyard and where they were able to taste some of my food and see some ideas I have for parties!

While we were on a limited budget for this party and I couldn't nearly create the atmosphere and food I dreamed of, it was still such a good time and a summer night to remember.

Here are a few shots of decor and food from the night!

Balled out watermelon and canteloupe with fruit and rice krispie skewers

The big screen!



Popcorn boxes, mushroom tablecloth and the cupcake stand I decorated to hold mushroom cupcakes!

Strawberry swirl cheesecake which was a hit because I never got to taste even a bite of it!

Nate and Kendra Uhl were here to take some professional pics for my website and advertisement so big thanks to them!!! I will post those at a later time and will post pics of some of the kiddos and the night in the next blog!