God Cares About Your Daily Life as a Mama!

I have to begin by thanking Good Morning Girls for this wonderful Bible study I've been going through for the last few weeks.  I must admit that I am about a week behind in the study, but the Lord knew what He was doing and positioned this passage at the perfect place in my life. 

Titus 2:3-5 (ESV)
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 

Wow!  How did God know exactly what mamas struggle with?!  So much from these verses struck me, but what hit me hardest was the fact that God cares about my day to day struggles at home.  Many times, a mom who stays home is treated differently by society and peers, and is often asked when she is going back to work at a "real job".  I'm thankful for this blog on the subject.  Mamas, whether we stay home or work outside the home, God truly understands our daily struggles and cares about our situation enough to give SPECIFIC directives to us.  So, moms, when you feel like no one understands the depth of your day to day life and the seemingly menial tasks you do throughout the day, remember that God sees and He created your position as one that is to be honored and not trivialized.  You and I both know that the our day to day existence is far from luxurious and most of us who stay home are sacrificing deeply to follow the conviction in our hearts.  Whether we stay home or work outside the home, God views the job of mothering and homemaking as a necessity for training the next generation to love and serve Him. 

Here are some of my observations from this passage:

1) Our behavior is to be reverent.  Respectful, honorable, deliberate are words that come to mind for me. 

2) Not slanderers.  So often, women tear each other down with words, but as believers, we are called to never take part in this.  How Christ-like is it for me to rip apart a fellow believer and sister with hateful speech about her?  Ladies, we're in this walk together and we must encourage and uphold each other to further the cause of Christ.  Especially SAHMs vs. WOTHMs (not sure if that's an actual acronym yet or not, but it should be!)

3) Not slaves to much wine.  This communicated to me that we should not be given over to any vices whether that is alcohol or wasting hours on facebook.  Whatever addiction we struggle with, we must daily lay these at the foot of the cross. 

4) Teach what is good.  Finding fellow sisters in Christ to invest my life in is something God constantly has on my heart.  With a toddler running around like a crazy banshee, it's hard to figure out the logistics of making this work consistently, but God gives opportunities when we ask Him.  And we never know how those short conversations and God-appointed meetings can be used by God for His glory. 

5) Love our husbands and children.  Selfishness is the opposite of love, so when I am tempted to act selfishly or put my trivial wants (for time mindlessly browsing pinterest...) ahead of the legitimate needs of my family (for clean dishes, folded laundry, or simply for my attention), I am not acting in love.  Loving my husband and my son means putting their needs ahead of my own.  I must also know when I need to be still and rest since my family needs me to be a kind and patient mommy and wife.  At the Christian camp where I worked in the Summers during college, we were encouraged that "sometimes the most godly thing you can do is take a nap".  Being intentional about resting (as much as possible with little ones) and not burnt out is something that I must make a priority to be able to effectively show love to my family.

6) Be self-controlled.  Not lashing out in anger when my son throws a toy at my head or dumps cheerios and milk all over my freshly mopped floor.  Not biting my husband's head off when his clothes don't quite make it to the hamper (especially since mine have been known to do the same thing from time to time).  Keeping my cool and disciplining my stubborn 2-year-old with a response that mirrors the response I'd like him to have should be my objectives.  (I'd hate for him to learn more bad behavior from me!)

7) Pure.  In mind, heart, desires, and speech.  Thinking and speaking so that I would not be ashamed for anyone in the entire world to hear (because, oh yeah, remember, God hears it all...eek!). 

8) Working at home.  Striving to be a hard worker at the job God has given me in my home is something I struggle with.  It is easy to let things slide until they get to the point that the task is overwhelming and I then have no motivation to get them done.  Moms, we know there are days when cleaning your house is like eating oreos while brushing your teeth.  And on those days, I have realized that the best way to clean my house is to keep a closer eye on my child to prevent more messes from happening and to worry about my to do list later.  The key for me is to use my time wisely and not waste time with things that don't matter like all of the fabulous contributions to the world that sites like buzzfeed have given us ("22 Things Every 90's Girl Understands", "What Downton Abbey Character Are You?" to name some of my recent time-wasters).  There is obviously nothing wrong with these little things, but when it becomes a way for me to put off tasks that are necessary for my family to function optimally, I am not being a hard worker in my home.  I'm am being lazy. 

9)  Kind.  Treating others the way I'd like to be treated.  (Luke 6:31)  Being kind to my son even when he is not so kind to me.  Being friendly to my neighbors when I would rather just take out my trash, pull my hood over my head, and get back inside my warm apartment. 

10) Submissive to their own husbands.  Supporting my husband as he leads our home without trying to usurp his role or treat him like a child.  Encouraging him and letting him know how proud I am of him (I truly am incredibly proud of the godly man he is!).  Not allowing my own thoughts or people who do not respect their husbands (or just men in general) to create discontent in my heart. 

11) That the word of God may not be reviled.  Woah!  My actions in these areas truly matter for the kingdom!  If I'm not striving to do right in these areas and teach other women to do so as well, I am tearing down the kingdom by giving those around me a poor opinion of my God. 

A summary of what I have learned in this passage is this:  My life matters to the kingdom.  My day to day, menial grind of wiping up spills and boogers matters.  Realizing that God sees my days at home deeply impacts how I go about those little tasks and it gives me encouragement that my job is not just important, it is absolutely necessary.  It, like any other job for a believer, is the mission field God has called me to, and I must treat it as such. 

What are some things you glean from these verses?  How has God spoken to your heart lately about your role as a mama?

What I Learned from James' Disobedience

I've always been an advocate of honesty among mothers and I hate that so much of what we see of other's lives via social media and shallow passing chats is just the pretty picture each of us wants to portray.  I feel that it is vitally important to share our struggles and failures and to give glory to God in all things knowing that in our weakness, He is strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 -  9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

With that being said, I felt led to share a small struggle that we have currently been dealing with...

To give some background, in public, our little man is typically a very well-mannered child for being almost two.  People continually ask me if he is always this good, to which I reply, "Ha! No."  He is very observant in new or unfamiliar situations and is great at sitting quietly through church (and usually falls asleep).  He has never been aggressive or mean to another child and has often let other children take toys he is playing with without retaliating.  At home, he plays well, has learned not to throw toys (for the most part).  He gets upset when he doesn't get his way and is disciplined for that.  If he gets frustrated with a toy or that a certain car won't fit in a place he wants it to go, he will scream, which is something we are working on as well.  He gets into things he shouldn't, tries to collapse on the ground when we are getting into to the car and he wants to stay out and play, along with other typical 2-year-old antics.  At this age, I've learned, discipline is hard work.  I do my best to be consistent and to figure out what works best for him.  Some days it is exhausting. Some days we have a blast most of the day.  I try to exaggeratedly praise him when he chooses to do the right thing or chooses to obey when I catch him about to do something he shouldn't.  I have been committed to teach my child right and wrong and that our actions have consequences.  I don't feel that our routine is much different than that of many other families with almost 2-year-old boys.

Now, the real reason I am writing this is because of a situation that has made me feel completely overwhelmed and helpless in the last few weeks.  We have a close friend who has a 1-year-old.  James has always loved his buddy and up until a few weeks ago, has always been very gentle and sweet to him.  We get together multiple times a week for walks and spend time in each other's homes letting the boys play.  A few weeks ago, James started to play rough with his buddy.  He would continually try to push him down or knock him over.  At first, I thought he might be mimicking football since that is a big part of our lives.  Of course, he was disciplined and firmly talked to after each offense.  I continually tried to help him understand that he was hurting his buddy and that pushing him was not OK.  At home, he would come to me and say, "I push buddy.", and we would then talk about how that was not OK and that his buddy would be sad if he pushed him.  This buddy is the only child he has ever acted this way with, and though we have worked and worked on this issue, it continues to be a big problem.  When we spent time with these friends this weekend, it was almost constant and by the end of our time together I was exhausted emotionally from continually dealing with it.  My friend and I talked about what may be causing the problem and honestly, my heart broke that this had become something that dominates our time together.  I held back tears as I told my friend that I was out of ideas and that I don't know what else to do, but remain consistent in disciplining him.  I honestly felt like I was totally failing in this area of motherhood.  I got James into the car and was crying before I left their driveway.

As I drove home, thinking about my beautiful child and wondering why he was choosing to be so disobedient, I was overcome by the realization that this must be, in a small way, how God feels when I continually disobey Him; when He gently calls me back to Himself, lovingly disciplines me and I turn around and continue in my sin, rejecting His loving guidance.  My cries turned into sobs as I was overcome by conviction of my own rebellion as a child of God.  James fell asleep on the way home and I sat in my parked car and asked for forgiveness for my continual rebellion against my Heavenly Father.  I cried out for wisdom as a parent in dealing with this situation knowing that God fully understands what I'm feeling.  I poured out my broken heart to the Lord.  I'm still at a loss for how to "fix" this problem.  I am still broken-hearted over it, but I am so thankful that God used this struggle to help me understand the way my sin and rebellion hurts Him, and to gain a new perspective that I would have never been able to see so clearly otherwise.  I am so thankful to be His child.

Hebrews 12:6-11 - 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.



If you have questions about faith in Christ, feel free to go to this link and find out more about what God says about being a good person and how we can accept His gift of salvation. http://www.areyouagoodperson.org/

Also, check out this link for answers to some questions: http://www.wayofthemaster.com/faq.shtml

What I Learned From James Lifting Weights

Today we went to visit Evan in the weight room and took some breakfast casseroles to his incredibly hard-working staff.  While we were there, James wanted to go "lift". :)  This is a common occurrence and we love to watch him imitate his daddy and the athletes he sees working out.  I snapped a quick picture of this cuteness and when I looked at it later on, it got me thinking...

This is such a good representation of our relationship with the Lord.  

2 Corinthians 12:9 came to mind. 

 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

As a mom, I constantly feel inadequate for the monster-of-a-job God has given me in raising James and soon, Layla.  I struggle to be consistent in discipline, schedules and educational activities.  I feel inadequate as a wife when I realize I have failed in making my home a haven for my husband to retreat to after long tiresome days.  There is, more often than not, laundry left unfolded and dishes piled in the sink. I struggled especially with these feelings of inadequacy this weekend.  I have high hopes for what I can accomplish each day, but I tend not to reach those goals.  I'm sure many of you can relate in some way or another.  I have found that I am easily discouraged because I try to do all of these things in my own strength, not realizing that I am very, very weak.  But, praise the Lord, when I am weak, His strength is complete!  I am learning that I was never meant to tackle this life alone.  My Lord lifts the loads that I am too small to bear and gives His grace to me daily when I submit my heart, my goals, and my day to Him.  I am so thankful for this sweet and unexpected reminder that the load of responsibility that I continually fail bear on my own is borne with me by my Lord each day.

"Sometimes when we get overwhelmed, 

we forget how big God is." 

AW Tozer

He is big.  Bigger than my worries, my doubts, my fears and my problems.  Today I am praising the Lord that He is big and strong!

New Fall Favorite: Pumpkin Pancakes

It irks me to no end to find a blog that says it includes a recipe and then have to scroll for 20 minutes to actually get to the recipe, so I'll save you the trouble.  Here's the recipe I devised this morning:

Scratch-made Pumpkin Pancakes

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (I plan to make a batch using whole wheat flour soon)
2 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg slightly beaten
(1) 12 oz. can evaporated milk + about 1/4 cup water (you could use regular milk instead)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (mine was a bit more than 1/4 cup)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Bring a greased griddle or pan up to medium heat.  Pour batter onto griddle or pan and cook one side until bubbles pop and pancakes are puffed up.  Flip.  Enjoy with maple syrup!


These were an experiment as is most of my cooking and they turned out surprisingly well.  They were thick and fluffy and James has eaten 5 (sans syrup) so far this morning so they must be good :)  That brings me to another plus of these pancakes.  They are a perfect toddler treat.  Easy to hold or they can be cut up for your little one.  The pumpkin gives them lots of good nutritional value and there's no oil in these which cuts down the fat content.  When I can make a batch with whole wheat flour we will really be in business!  Feel free to experiment with the amount of pumpkin and spices you use.  Ours weren't over the top pumpkiny.  Let me know what you think!

I've got the remainder of this can of pumpkin to use up today so I'd love to hear some of your favorite pumpkin recipes!  Feel free to comment with the recipe or provide a link.

Happy Fall!

7 Ways to Use Up Those Extra Baby Food Purees with Your Toddler

Like many of you ladies, I made and froze all of James' baby food when he was little.  I'm obviously not making purees anymore, but I still have some sitting in my freezer begging to be used up.  I also happen to LOVE couponing and even now when I am able to find organic baby food purees for less than 20 cents, you better believe I'm picking it up for traveling and all-day outings.  These came in SUPER handy for our 10 day trek earlier this Spring to visit family.  Since James is a "big boy" now, we've gotten creative with how we use these purees.  Here's a list of a few ways we use purees in his "big boy" diet:

1) Vegetable baby foods over whole grain pasta or brown rice with chicken or beef

-This is the first way I started using up my purees.  Cook your pasta or rice and meat as usual and the puree becomes the sauce!

2) Use vegetable purees on deli sandwiches instead of mayo and mustard.  (Sneaking goodness in there!)

3) Substitute fruit purees for jelly in your PB&J's.

-Or do just the fruit puree w/o any peanut butter.  That's a favorite in our highchair.

4) Mix purees with a scrambled egg to up the nutritional ante.  

-When I'm scrambling an egg for James I usually smash up a banana with it, but if I'm out of bananas I'll take a puree from the pantry and mix it in instead.  He loves it!

5) Make a wrap with fruit puree as your spread and any fresh fruit you have on hand.

-Throw in a whole banana for a quick and yummy snack or add some sliced strawberries.  A swipe of peanut/nut butter adds some protein to make it a filling lunch.

6) Let them use purees to practice feeding themselves with a spoon. 

-James loves yogurt and applesauce and those have been our primary spoon foods for him to feed himself.  He's doing a great job lately!  There are also some really yummy (yes, I tried them) organic fruit and granola purees that are a little thicker that he does well feeding himself.

7) Make a smoothie!
    
- Our frozen ice cubes of pureed fruits and veggies have come in handy for throwing into smoothies!  Spinach is a favorite in our smoothies because it's so jam-packed with goodness.  Throw in some frozen fruit or purees and you're golden!

I'd love to hear how you use (or plan to use) your purees in the future!  We need more ideas :)  Leave a comment below!

Remembering His marvelous works

Psalm 105:1-6
1Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name;  Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!
3Glory in His holy name;  Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
5Remember His marvelous works which He has done,  His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

This was one of those times when I just flipped open my Bible and read the first thing my eye was drawn to. I'm not sure if I should admit this, but I really love doing that.  God seems to always point out a verse or passage that I really need to see.  It's also great since being a stay-at-home mom of a toddler doesn't always afford a large block of time to sit and study.  God gives me these little nuggets that I can meditate on throughout the day and that's exactly what I need right now (that might have something to do with "mommy brain").  All I know is that it is so much easier for me to see how God wants me to apply His Word to my life when I read (and re-read) short passages and let them sink in throughout the day. I do get some time in the evenings to dig in and commune with my God before I go to bed and that time is SUCH a blessing.  Please don't think I am knocking a scheduled quiet time with the Lord.  I can't tell you how much God works in my heart through those special times.  Really.  I long for that time away with the Lord.  I must also admit that I have been guilty of being so determined to finish reading a passage or set number of chapters that I miss the application part altogether and it ends up being nothing more than a task to check off my to do list.  You don't get much more counter-productive than that.  God's still working on me :)

But anyway, these verses really reminded me that I need to be talking about what God has done in my life.  I need to be talking about the amazing salvation He gave me by sending His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and die on a cross because of my sin, about the blessing my husband and my son are, about the little blessings He gives me throughout the day just to remind me that He loves me extravagantly.

Going back to the subject of "Mommy Brain" (it's real!), I tend to forget things a lot more since I got pregnant with James.  Like things that happened earlier in the day, what I ate for breakfast or even remembering what day it is.  So it is so so important that I write things down or work hard to meditate on them so I can remember.  I wanted to take a moment here and "5Remember His marvelous works which He has done,  His wonders,".  A song that keeps running through my head today says "The only thing that's good in me is Jesus", and I want that to be my theme.  The Lord Jesus Christ alone deserves all the credit for anything good that has come from my life.

Things God has done for me:

Most importantly, He saved me from what I deserve, which is hell.  My sin separated me from God because He is perfect, holy.  To bridge the gap between us, He sent His perfect, holy Son to Earth to live life here and to do so without sinning, not even once.  He was a perfect and spotless Lamb.  He allowed Himself to be hung on a cross to take my punishment and my shame.  He took my place and allowed me to have His righteousness.  Because I believe He is who He says He is, that what He did completely took away my guilt, and I've decided to turn from my previous way of life where I lived only for myself, and to live my life to glorify Him, I can be with Him for all eternity.  I can glorify Him in heaven forever.

He gave me the opportunity to learn about Him from an early age.  My childhood wasn't picture perfect, but I can look back and see that God was pursuing me the entire time.

He has brought me back when I have strayed (which is a lot!).  My heart is fickle.  It is so easy for me to get off track.  When I get discouraged after I have strayed yet again, I think about the children of Israel and how many times they turned from the Lord.  I see how God corrected them and brought them back to Himself and I see that in my own life.  I am thankful that God is still pursuing me.

He brought a godly, loving, hardworking man into my life who is now my husband.  I could talk for days about how perfect God's timing was when I met Evan.  We were both at a point where we had given up on ever finding someone.  We were both broken.  Evan is the best gift God has ever given me besides my salvation.  He is kind and quick to forgive me when I have wronged him...again.  The Lord has used him to show me how much He (God) loves me and that His love is not based on my performance.





He has given me the sweetest, silliest baby boy.  Being a mom has taught me so much about God's love for me as well.  Being a parent puts the Gospel into a completely different context.  I am able to understand God's love so much better, because I understand the sacrifice God made in sending His only Son to Earth to die an excruciating death for people who don't "get it".  

My little man has given me the opportunity to show him the love that God has shown me.  I'm reminded daily that God loves me when I throw my temper tantrums, or when I want something that's not good for me and He gently guides me back to His arms. Every. Time.


He has given my husband a wonderful job that he loves.  He has given me friends here who have similar values and beliefs.  In a field where the norm seems to be work first and family and religion somewhere down the line, He has put Evan on a staff with other men who profess Christ and make it a point to treasure their families.

He has allowed us to live in an apartment that meets our financial needs while being super close to Evan during the day.  We are able to walk over to meet Evan for lunch or to just run around on the football field.  This has been key in helping work out with the logistics of having one car.  The Lord also packed our apartment full of little blessings.

This place was built in the 60's or 70's so my kitchen is made for someone who cooks.  It's U-shaped (all you FCS majors will appreciate that!) and has a big window over the sink where I can see birds and squirrels scampering about :)  The layout is perfect for us, with both bedrooms on the same side of the apartment.  I love being able to hear the little man without a monitor.  We have a laundry area and a huge closet for lines and cleaning supplies (This is a big deal since I make our laundry detergent in 10 gallon batches).  Our King bed fit in our bedroom!  There was a little 12 in. or so knock-out in one wall that it slid into perfectly.  The same thing happened in the little man's room.  There was an alcove between his 2 closets (yes, 2) :) and I almost cried when I slid his crib into that space with about 2 inches of clearance on each side.  That gave us plenty of room for his toys, furniture and most importantly, our guest bed which we didn't think we would be able to keep.  We also have a HUGE grassy area in front of our apartment which gives James so much room to just run!

I have been overwhelmed by all of these little things, but the most breathtaking blessing of our apartment is out our living room window. We have a gorgeous view of the mountains.  You can't seem them in this picture because it was snowing so hard over them.  I am convinced that our apartment must have the best view in the whole complex.  God's creation truly does sing His praises.  It is a constant reminder of His love and sufficiency.  I love our apartment!  Baseboard heaters, no AC and all!  It's been such a sweet reminder of God's love for us and that this is part of His plan for our family.

I also want to praise the Lord for the sweetness of my little boy each day.  Today he was sitting on my lap and out of the blue he said, "Ba-bath! Ah nee ba-bath!" and hopped down and ran to the bathroom door.  He was so upset when I told him we needed to wait until Daddy got home and we ate dinner.  Bath is typically Daddy-Jamesy time so I try to reserve that for them, but I was so impressed with his determination and ability to verbalize his desire.  He is growing up SO FAST!

He also got into my embroidery thread today and brought me a roll declaring that is was a "fooball! fooball!" :)  LOVE him!  Building towers with him just so he can knock them down (read: make them explode all over the living room) is a highlight of our days right now and I couldn't be more thankful to get to spend my days with him.


This was a bit lengthy, but I so appreciate you hanging in there and praising God with me for the blessings He has showered on us.  I am truly thankful that I am able to "Make known His deeds among the peoples!" and "Talk of all His wondrous works!".

I would love to hear how God has blessed you!  Leave a comment below sharing God's wondrous works in your life.  
  

Buffalo/BBQ Chicken Primavera

This was what I threw together for a quick dinner tonight.  I decided to put it on here because I am notorious for losing recipes or forgetting that I ever made them :)  If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I'll elaborate.  It was really simple though and so so yummy!

1 lb cooked pasta (mine was frozen then thawed by filling my ziplock with warm water)
1 lb or so cooked shredded chicken (mine was frozen when I put it in)
1 lb frozen broccoli
1 bell pepper or 1/2 of 2 peppers
Tabasco to taste
1/4 cup or so of ranch (I just drizzled it)
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Put pasta, chicken and veggies in a casserole dish.  Slice cream cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices and lay it on top of pasta/chicken.  Drizzle sauces over everything and place into the oven for 15 minutes.  Stir.  Put in the oven for 10 minutes more.  Stir. Top with cheese. Put in the oven for 5 minutes more so cheese melts.