The Mothership

Moms...there are all kinds, types, shapes, sizes. We are a breed of people that have abounding love for our little treasures and yet at the same time need an escape.  I see you... I see you mom, in the cute hat covering your not so showered hair because who’s got time for that. I see you and I send you a fist bump.  I see you mom in line at the grocery with the child chowing down on a bag of Cheetos...I see you and I raise you a bag of gummy bears!  I see you new mom with the infant weighing each and every decision to the fullest because you don’t want to screw up this new human. You are doing great and we’ve all weighed that question of what is the BEST Swaddling cloth and pacifier for fear of supporting sweatshops and putting the wrong kind of plastic into your baby. I see you and know those questions are big ones right now. I have no answers. But probably about 4 more questions if you think you have the time to answer;) I see you mom baby wearing two kids and ...

Hurt is all over the place. We see it in the everyday... ...in the parent-less child ...in the destruction of marriage ...in the tearing down of people ...in the the drug epidemic that plagues your neighborhood ...in the mentally sick ...in the weapons that are used in the face of fear ...in allllllll the sickness and amidst it all, there is goodness.  Goodness for God's redemption story. It's all about perspective...it's all about how you handle "the news". Sure there are loads of opportunity to be depressed, and down and feel as if you are never making it out. But what is that doing for you?  Is that forward progress? NO! When bad news comes it would be unrealistic to be happy when you should be sad.  But Jesus, Jesus is the defining line to sad and depressed...he is what pulls me out from the depths...he is what changes my perspective and shows me that he has SHOWN UP in the terror of the bad news. Jesus is there.  Among the worry, among the hopele...

When you are good at making certain foods you can get comfy in just making those delectable items. But this season I wanted to come up with something that was easy...semi-homemade...and didn’t need a ton of ingredients. Soooooo... Ta-da! Now, this is a small, one serving Cake. I was making items for a bake sale and wanted to fancy up an easy chocolate cake recipe and this is what happened. My grandmother handed down a bundt pan that holds six mini bundts (which is NOT fun to grease and flour btw). So, I also made 4 smaller loaf pans which were cute but I didn’t get a picture of them.  I’m going to say that here is a recipe with a BOX cake...SHOCKER! A box of chocolate cake mix at your nearest grocer. I actually made one batch with a box mix (because I wanted fancy with less cleanup) and one with a scratch mix (because I had extra time) and they both tasted awesome. If you choose the scratch just google basic chocolate cake recipe and I’m sure it’ll be greeeeeat. So, you decide;) ...

I'm early to my workout class...which is an anomaly in and of itself. Whenever I am there early I find myself feeling inadequate. I'm looking at myself in the large mirrors picking out all the "problem areas".  The room begins to fill with loads of ladies.  All different ages, capabilities, sizes, shapes...but none of that matters.  Most of the women in this class make it a POINT to workout.  They are here almost EVERY week.  The only things that keep them from coming are sickness, vacations, or caring and loving on their family. People talk and share stories from sleepless nights to taking care of grandbabies, to the vacations they were on...and we all meet in the middle. Class begins. and I continue looking at my shape and thinking of how my body "used to be...before kids...before marriage...before college..." and how it's just not good enough. This is a loooooong battle with the enemy right there.  He whispers these insecurities in my ears and m...

This rain makes me want to play this song... let's stay home tonight and snuggle...plus make one of Tim's favorite dishes.  This is a recipe adapted from my friend Sarah years ago.  It's a go to and I'm fairly certain Tim dreams about this chili.  Plus, it's SUPER EASY!!!! Ingredients:   1/2 of one large white onion, chopped 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 2 cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed 2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 can of chili beans 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 can of corn 2 (10.5) oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies 1/2 can of taco sauce 2 Tbsp. of chili powder 2 tsp. ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp. dried oregano 1/4 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 3 chicken breasts Cilantro (optional for topping) ***You could make this even easier and substitute the seasonings for one taco seasoning packet.*** Place all ingredients besides the chicken...

I'm not sure that it was ever in our complete plans to have babies so close in age.  The weekend before we found out we were pregnant with our third, we were watching a t.v. series that involved a lot of young children running around and we turned to each other and said, "HA! WE will NEVER have 3 children 3 and under!"... Well, the next weekend we would be eating our words...our daughter would soon have her 1st birthday and our oldest had not even turned 2 yet!  AHHHHH! I mean I "knew" it would be exhausting because of course EVERYONE tells you, "Oh you are gonna have your hands full!" but...whatever! It's no secret I always envisioned myself a mother of young children.  But I don't think ANYTHING prepared me for; the cloudiness of thought process, the moments of shear terror, the never-seeming to end sleepless nights, the always making your best guess as to why they are upset - which is brain numbing - the frequent in the moment discipline ...

Alright. I'm on ANOTHER healthy binge of eating. But seriously, something has to be done about this "baby weight" that is now just "weight". And of course it's not just about the number...it's just about being healthy, but I want to be healthy for awhile. So I'd like to get to a better starting point. So anyway. I've made some new goals for myself, maybe indefinitely, or just till Sept. 17th: No alcohol during the week, unless I worked out that day No sugar except for honey, and sparingly Exercising 3-4 times a week NO snacking at night except for plain, raw veggies, and then a glass of water and then MAYBE a fruit Track EVERYTHING I'm eating so I can keep a calorie count below 2000 Keeping breads to a minimum I have done pretty well so far. Keeping proteins and veggies first priority and I haven't had any sugar. The other day though I was way under the calorie count and decided I'd have a serving of popcorn...so I did.  I ...

The turmoil a parent feels on any "first" that happens to their child is understandable...at least from my perspective. Your heart aches for them to stay little...for them to stay in the safety of your arms and your ever loving embrace...for them to never be jaded by the things of the world...for them to stay innocent in such a fast paced society...for them to just stay the way they are...for your role to stay the same and yet... your heart leaps for joy...at the thought of them making progress...that they won't be an enabled child...that with each step of independence the load for you is lightened by just a sliver of a hair...that THEY are excited to learn something new...at the face of accomplishment in your young one...and for your role to change a bit. My oldest just experienced another first.  This year he began first grade.  Which means it is the beginning of him spending more time away from me than with me for a long time.  Which I understand is part of...

So far, pretty much every August, EVEN BEFORE kids, when I was a teacher...I get seriously bummmed. When I think about school starting up, I just grab the kid closest to me and give them a "hug of death"...insert children's eyeroll. I'm flooded with all kinds of emotions... about the responsibilities...the schedule...the time change (bleh)...earlier bedtimes...less time for adventures...less time with the kids...gotta be "on it" all the time...more commitments...homework...are they being challenged...are they being respectful...more independent actions from my kids (I mean he's gonna be gone ALLLLLL day this year!)... bleh, bleh, bleh I basically get the "blues" about having to adult. But I can't revel in the bummer attitude. So I do what puts my mind at peace...ORGANIZING.  I usually go over the top with systems to put in place in hopes that things run more smoothly. One year I tried to make freezer meals before the school y...

Every person needs to have at least one LOYAL friend.  Loyal friends are hard to find. The definition of the word loyal: faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity deserving promises ... In order to have a loyal friend they have to think that YOU deserve promises and holding up to those promises.  I have been friends with Tori for 21 years!  I would say that is some loyalty right there.   Today is Tori's birthday...and even though she would appreciate NO accolades, I will be giving them because I can do that...embarrass her...21 years of friendship means I can do that. Cheers to Tori! She is: strong - both physically and emotionally.  She pushes me to "snap out of it" quite frequently, and I have seen her in a boot-camp class.  She could take you down like a ninja. real - the girl will tell you from the get-go if something is jiving or not with her...and she doesn't ev...

I hate canceling on people - I really dislike the word hate, but it is appropriately used here. When I cancel on someone I feel as if I have let them down. I want people to be able to count on me or at least feel like I am reliable. And I would say, that yes, in most things I am reliable.  I'm fairly certain I have these feelings because growing up, if we said we were going to do something, we followed through and did it well.  That's just what we did.  No quitting.  No regrets. You always showed up; rain or snow, we walked to church.  Busy or not, we showed up.  I am so thankful for those lessons, because I feel like it has given me opportunities to meet Jesus by serving and being there for others. However, sometimes I over-do it.  Sometimes I want to be there for everything and I just physically can't.  And my kiddos physically can't either. And I'm not sure it is my best self forward...or my kiddos best self forward.   I suffer fr...

I was gardening in my flower bed the other day planting a new flower.  As I was digging, I ran into a root from an old bush that I pulled out and relocated to a different spot when Luke was a toddler.  I remember so fondly his little hands helping me pull and pull so hard to bring the bush out from under the soil that we both fell backward and just laughed (that's right, just like a Hallmark movie) .  I can hear in my mind his little "umph"...and "woah!" that his little voice made.  I'm so thankful for that memory because it speaks right to Luke's nature of serving and helping even at a young age and it's just a great memory for me as a young mommy. I'm also thankful that I had a bush to pull out. It meant we had a yard to maintain and it needed no attention for the first few years. But pulling it out and relocating it meant there was room for something new to grow.  I wasn't getting rid of the bush, I was simply putting it in a ...

 I have a friend...whose birthday is today. She is one of the sweetest people God has put in my path. Everything she does, is intentional. The first memory I have of her is meeting her at church and her, at the time, two small boys were climbing the stairs...and she was managing them lovingly and yet she tells me she is a Small Group leader! In my mind I thought, " How in the world does she have time to be a LEADER of anything. " This was only a small glimpse of the heights that she and Grant reach to achieve. The next thing I knew she was inviting me in to her life ( sharing being pregnant with Ryan at only 7 weeks and showing me her pooch ), telling me she had dreams about me in the middle of the church hallways ( which might have involved me being a call-girl 😏), us sharing in our many intimate stories and needs for birth control... I'll leave it at that ...and from there it has exploded.  There are so many stories now, but I want to mention a few attributes of Sara...

  I loved making these...I mean really, who doesn't love making any kind of tacos?!?! Actually, I love tacos, but always feel like there is so much chopping. This recipe didn't feel that way. They were easy for me to prepare with kiddos because you can make a little bit and then go play...make a little bit...go play. And it all goes in to the fridge too! Except till the very end when you cook the fish which didn't take long at all. This recipe was a combination of kids helping in the kitchen, and a few recipes. My husband had his birthday and wanted something a little different than our normal "chicken" dinners, so fish and shrimp it was! I made these with a Slaw and a Lime Creme sauce. I also served my guacamole for dipping the tacos in to. These were very filling and super easy. It seems like a lot of steps and ingredients, but it really wasn't. And if you don't have time to make the guac, just slice an avocado for topping. Ingredients for slaw:...

I don't know about you, but when it comes to the summer, fresh ingredients call my name.  And the less I use my oven and stove-top the better! Plus we are always on the go to the pool or some other activity and I'm packing more than ever before.  I revel in the fact that we don't have a schedule in the summer so anything to make my morning lazier, the better.  I hate having to chop every single morning, so the less that occurs, then the easier my morning is and the faster we get out of the house! My favorite way to quickly have a healthy/fresh salad on the go is to chop up Salad Toppers!  I have about 5-6 salads that I cycle through.  They all require no extra dressing so it is super easy to pack them up.  I usually have spinach and a head of romaine lettuce in the fridge.  So that is all I need to prepare in the morning after I have made a large batch of a salad topper earlier in the week.  I take a handful of spinach, and two leaves of romai...