Hello to all you young moms out there. If you're under 60 and have children, you qualify. You've had your share of dirty dishes, poppy diapers (that leaked!), sleepless nights, saggy boobs, stretch marks, bad days, and precious moments. These posts are dedicated to you.
Somehow when we are in the trenches, surviving motherhood minute by minute, we forget that other moms struggle with the same things we do. We tend to be overly hard on ourselves. We assume that no one else feels guilty, or loses their temper, is insecure, or doesn't know what the heck they're doing.
I realize that if you're a busy mom, you certainly don't have time to be reading a long post! So I will keep this short & sweet. One of my favorite artists since forever, is Steven Curtis Chapman. He has a new song out, called One Heartbeat At A Time:
You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are
So you fall in bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Well maybe you just don't know or maybe you've forgotten
That you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
With every, "I know you can do it"
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain
Over time, they become a river
You're beautiful, so beautiful
How you're changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Friday, January 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Favorite meals
I'm always on the lookout for good recipes that are easy to make. Below are two of my favorites.
Crock-Pot Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
29 oz. spaghetti sauce (small jar of Prego)
1/2 c. water
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. spicy spaghetti seasoning (or italian seasoning)
8 oz. pkg. lasagna noodles (about 9, not oven ready)
24 oz. small curd cottage cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Brown beef with onion. Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, tomatoes & seasoning. Mix cottage cheese, mozzarella, & Parmesan in a separate bowl. Layer 1/4 meat sauce, 1/3 noodles (about 3 - I break them up into smaller pieces), & 1/3 cheese in a crock-pot. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover & cook on low for 4-5 hours. I like to make this ahead on Saturday & keep it in the fridge overnight, then plug it in Sunday morning.
Cheesy Potato Casserole
2 lbs. frozen Ore-Ida cubed potatoes, thawed
1 (10oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dried onion
Mix all ingredients together. Place in a greased 9x13" pan or casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. *Topping (optional): Mix 1/4 c. melted margarine & 2 c. crushed corn flakes. Bake an additional 15 minutes.
Crock-Pot Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
29 oz. spaghetti sauce (small jar of Prego)
1/2 c. water
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. spicy spaghetti seasoning (or italian seasoning)
8 oz. pkg. lasagna noodles (about 9, not oven ready)
24 oz. small curd cottage cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Brown beef with onion. Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, tomatoes & seasoning. Mix cottage cheese, mozzarella, & Parmesan in a separate bowl. Layer 1/4 meat sauce, 1/3 noodles (about 3 - I break them up into smaller pieces), & 1/3 cheese in a crock-pot. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover & cook on low for 4-5 hours. I like to make this ahead on Saturday & keep it in the fridge overnight, then plug it in Sunday morning.
Cheesy Potato Casserole
2 lbs. frozen Ore-Ida cubed potatoes, thawed
1 (10oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dried onion
Mix all ingredients together. Place in a greased 9x13" pan or casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. *Topping (optional): Mix 1/4 c. melted margarine & 2 c. crushed corn flakes. Bake an additional 15 minutes.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Little boys...
The good Lord knew what he was doing when he gave me girls first. I needed 4 1/2 years of child-rearing before I had my first boy...and another 4 1/2 years before I was forced to deal with what I now deal with on a daily basis.
God made Adam to rule over the animals, and that need to be supreme over all living things is still inbred into every little boy. They love to shoot and kill things. One morning Daniel was shooting down deer, and the next thing I knew he was killing old ladies! So we had to review the "You do NOT shoot at people" rule.
Noah often wakes up in the middle of the night with bad dreams, especially when he gets too hot. But on more occasions he congures up bad dreams when he is wanting to stay up later. Last night he & Daniel were coming up with all kinds of excuses to ward off bed-time. Noah came out in the living room with a story - "Daddy, I had a bad dream that you died on the cross." He was looking in his Bible that afternoon about the story of Jesus dying on the cross. Another night it was, "I had a bad dream that a coyote ate me!", after Katryn informed him one of their kittens had been devoured by a coyote. When the "bad dream" excuse didn't work, he tried another one, "I think I have a bloody nose." It works for his big sister, Abbie, who frequently will get a bloody noses due to dry winters. Phil told him to blow his nose. So he stood there in the living room blowing his nose for about 5 minutes when Daniel appeared. Noah informed his little brother, "Daniel, I'm not really watching TV, I'm just blowing my nose." Yeah, right. We quickly sent them to bed so we could laugh hysterically. The things they come up with!
Noah measures time spatially, as in, the space between his hands. I told him, "Why don't you boys go play outside for 30 minutes before rest time." He said, "How much time is that? Is that this much, or this much?" as if he was measuring fish!
The boys love to wrestle, what boy doesn't? The funny thing is that though Noah is 20 months older, Daniel can take him down & is usually the one that wins. And it's a good thing the couch only cost us $10, for all the climbing, jumping, riding, & flips it sustains! I love it when they play pretend, because it means that eventually I'll get to hear Daniel's "manly" voice, where he lowers his voice & tries to sound tough. He says things like, "I'm going to work now, I'm gonna build that right there, I need to get the mans, I'm gonna call on my phone." Something about a 3 year old trying to sound grown up is hilarious.
I love my boys & I'm thankful God waited until now for me to enjoy them.
God made Adam to rule over the animals, and that need to be supreme over all living things is still inbred into every little boy. They love to shoot and kill things. One morning Daniel was shooting down deer, and the next thing I knew he was killing old ladies! So we had to review the "You do NOT shoot at people" rule.
Noah often wakes up in the middle of the night with bad dreams, especially when he gets too hot. But on more occasions he congures up bad dreams when he is wanting to stay up later. Last night he & Daniel were coming up with all kinds of excuses to ward off bed-time. Noah came out in the living room with a story - "Daddy, I had a bad dream that you died on the cross." He was looking in his Bible that afternoon about the story of Jesus dying on the cross. Another night it was, "I had a bad dream that a coyote ate me!", after Katryn informed him one of their kittens had been devoured by a coyote. When the "bad dream" excuse didn't work, he tried another one, "I think I have a bloody nose." It works for his big sister, Abbie, who frequently will get a bloody noses due to dry winters. Phil told him to blow his nose. So he stood there in the living room blowing his nose for about 5 minutes when Daniel appeared. Noah informed his little brother, "Daniel, I'm not really watching TV, I'm just blowing my nose." Yeah, right. We quickly sent them to bed so we could laugh hysterically. The things they come up with!
Noah measures time spatially, as in, the space between his hands. I told him, "Why don't you boys go play outside for 30 minutes before rest time." He said, "How much time is that? Is that this much, or this much?" as if he was measuring fish!
The boys love to wrestle, what boy doesn't? The funny thing is that though Noah is 20 months older, Daniel can take him down & is usually the one that wins. And it's a good thing the couch only cost us $10, for all the climbing, jumping, riding, & flips it sustains! I love it when they play pretend, because it means that eventually I'll get to hear Daniel's "manly" voice, where he lowers his voice & tries to sound tough. He says things like, "I'm going to work now, I'm gonna build that right there, I need to get the mans, I'm gonna call on my phone." Something about a 3 year old trying to sound grown up is hilarious.
I love my boys & I'm thankful God waited until now for me to enjoy them.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Hate to admit it...
I love my new computer & wireless connection. It's fun to sit @ the kitchen table, or wherever I want, for that matter...instead of being tucked away in my bedroom. And I've always wanted a laptop. We got this one from Phil's brother & sister-in-law in CT. Ellen has an updated one & wasn't using this one any more. Greg offered it at Thanksgiving. Phil said he didn't want to seem too desperate. I said they offered & they wouldn't have offered if they didn't want to give it away...and I'm not above taking hand-me-downs!
Phil got my dad a wireless connection for "his" Christmas gift. It's really a gift for us, because it stays here at our house, but Dad appreciated being able to do his work at the kitchen table/counter while he was here. My Christmas gift from my very practical husband was a removable hard drive. It will not go down in the history books, because I would like to forget about it. But he redeemed himself (sort of) by getting a wireless card for this computer. Now for a new battery...maybe for Valentine's Day.
I'm all about celebrating life. I love to give gifts...and receive them. Ruthie made a "pregnancy survival kit" for me when I was pregnant with Grace & I fell in love with the concept - coming up with little, creative, cheap things & putting them all together in a way that says, "I care about you." Shari is going back to school & I had fun making a "college survival kit" for her. It's not complicated: Gardetto's for study food, Carmel Corn for stress food, Trident for making new friends, sparkly pens for feeling fun & young, erasers for when you make mistakes, mechanical pens because who really has time to sharpen anyway, and notepads to keep lists & life organized! Actual cost: $10; What it does for our friendship: priceless.
I married a pratical man. I knew that going into our marriage. It's one of the things I love about him. He shows me that he cares by playing with our kids so I can have peace in the kitchen while I make supper. He expresses his love by fixing things. He does a better job of picking up our house than I do! He stays focused & gets it done in 15 minutes. I get distracted & it takes me forever; multi-tasking has its down side. He cleans out the trash in my van...over & over again.
But he doesn't buy gifts...very often. Once in a while, he takes me by complete surprise. Maybe that's his game plan - keep her expectations low, so that when I do something, she's amazed. And I am...I hate to admit it, but I'm glad I married a practical man.
Phil got my dad a wireless connection for "his" Christmas gift. It's really a gift for us, because it stays here at our house, but Dad appreciated being able to do his work at the kitchen table/counter while he was here. My Christmas gift from my very practical husband was a removable hard drive. It will not go down in the history books, because I would like to forget about it. But he redeemed himself (sort of) by getting a wireless card for this computer. Now for a new battery...maybe for Valentine's Day.
I'm all about celebrating life. I love to give gifts...and receive them. Ruthie made a "pregnancy survival kit" for me when I was pregnant with Grace & I fell in love with the concept - coming up with little, creative, cheap things & putting them all together in a way that says, "I care about you." Shari is going back to school & I had fun making a "college survival kit" for her. It's not complicated: Gardetto's for study food, Carmel Corn for stress food, Trident for making new friends, sparkly pens for feeling fun & young, erasers for when you make mistakes, mechanical pens because who really has time to sharpen anyway, and notepads to keep lists & life organized! Actual cost: $10; What it does for our friendship: priceless.
I married a pratical man. I knew that going into our marriage. It's one of the things I love about him. He shows me that he cares by playing with our kids so I can have peace in the kitchen while I make supper. He expresses his love by fixing things. He does a better job of picking up our house than I do! He stays focused & gets it done in 15 minutes. I get distracted & it takes me forever; multi-tasking has its down side. He cleans out the trash in my van...over & over again.
But he doesn't buy gifts...very often. Once in a while, he takes me by complete surprise. Maybe that's his game plan - keep her expectations low, so that when I do something, she's amazed. And I am...I hate to admit it, but I'm glad I married a practical man.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Balderdash!
We were invited to spend New Year's Eve at Travis & Lisa's (our youth pastor couple) home. Their daughter, Addison, is about a year younger than Daniel. We're still in negotiations regarding an arranged marriage agreement. We always have a fun time with them. Another close friend came with her kids, since her husband was on duty @ the fire station. There were 5 adults & 7 kids. (We're used to being outnumbered, usually it's worse.) We made home-made pizza & played Balderdash. We laughed so hard, the kids kept complaining because they couldn't hear their movie. Abbie kept reprimanding us, "Could you please quiet down?!?!?"
We learned several new words & I'm looking forward to freaking people out by using them in everyday conversation. But it's getting late & I've already posted once today, so I should probably find my cicisbeo & head to bed.
Sleep deprived
I thought the days of being up at night would come to an end when my babies reached 8 weeks and had learned to sleep through the night. Who was I kidding? We still haven't reached that stage yet!
Noah used to wake up the same time every night, like clock work, needing to go to the bathroom. It was the same routine: help him get down from the top bunk, direct him to the bathroom & lift the lid, but don't talk to him! If you did, he would turn into an angry urchin & be completely unreasonable. But all growling & crying would cease the second his head hit the pillow. He still wakes up occasionally with bad dreams, mostly because his bed is close to the ceiling & I think he just gets overheated. Daniel...the spoiled baby of the family...has been making his way into our bed ever since he could crawl out of his! I've tried fighting it & have put or sent him back to his own bed many times, but most of the time I'm too tired or unaware that he snuck under our covers. Last night Daniel explained that he had one warm blanket & one cold blanket, and that was why he needed to be in our bed. I decided I wasn't going to reason with a 3 year old at 4 in the morning! I just moved over & resigned myself to sharing my bed...again. Abbie was the worst, never lying still, but sleeping perpendicular to our heads & smacking us in the face repeatedly. She still tortures Grace, and I have removed her legs & arms from around her sister on countless occasions. Her excuse? "Grace is just too warm!" Grace doesn't seem to mind, and even forgives her sister for stealing the covers each night. I figure she'll be prepared for marriage. And speaking of which....I shouldn't even have to talk about husbands and their desire for midnight rendezvous. I love how in the morning, he looks at you all innocent & asks, "Did you wake me up last night?", as if any sleep-deprived mother would chose sex over sleep!
One of these nights, I might get uninterrupted sleep, but until then...I'm considering looking into some powerful sedatives!
Noah used to wake up the same time every night, like clock work, needing to go to the bathroom. It was the same routine: help him get down from the top bunk, direct him to the bathroom & lift the lid, but don't talk to him! If you did, he would turn into an angry urchin & be completely unreasonable. But all growling & crying would cease the second his head hit the pillow. He still wakes up occasionally with bad dreams, mostly because his bed is close to the ceiling & I think he just gets overheated. Daniel...the spoiled baby of the family...has been making his way into our bed ever since he could crawl out of his! I've tried fighting it & have put or sent him back to his own bed many times, but most of the time I'm too tired or unaware that he snuck under our covers. Last night Daniel explained that he had one warm blanket & one cold blanket, and that was why he needed to be in our bed. I decided I wasn't going to reason with a 3 year old at 4 in the morning! I just moved over & resigned myself to sharing my bed...again. Abbie was the worst, never lying still, but sleeping perpendicular to our heads & smacking us in the face repeatedly. She still tortures Grace, and I have removed her legs & arms from around her sister on countless occasions. Her excuse? "Grace is just too warm!" Grace doesn't seem to mind, and even forgives her sister for stealing the covers each night. I figure she'll be prepared for marriage. And speaking of which....I shouldn't even have to talk about husbands and their desire for midnight rendezvous. I love how in the morning, he looks at you all innocent & asks, "Did you wake me up last night?", as if any sleep-deprived mother would chose sex over sleep!
One of these nights, I might get uninterrupted sleep, but until then...I'm considering looking into some powerful sedatives!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
It's not easy being me
Daniel's favorite book these days is, It's Not Easy Being a Bunny. It's becoming my favorite book because I can definitely relate. There are some days that I dream about escaping the craziness that is my life. But in the end, no other family would compare, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but with my family...even if they are a band of rapscallion hooligans!
I have tried to sit down & concentrate on producing a profound paragraph, but I fail miserably. The noise, interruptions, and chaos are too much. And the timing is never "right". It just takes too much brain power to focus, and I have trouble finishing a ...
So I write about the everyday. We did this, we did that, this happened. Because to pontificate on any of it...well, it's just impossible. And to be introspective takes too much energy. And my thought process...
...is...
...sporatic.
Now what was I writing about?
I have tried to sit down & concentrate on producing a profound paragraph, but I fail miserably. The noise, interruptions, and chaos are too much. And the timing is never "right". It just takes too much brain power to focus, and I have trouble finishing a ...
So I write about the everyday. We did this, we did that, this happened. Because to pontificate on any of it...well, it's just impossible. And to be introspective takes too much energy. And my thought process...
...is...
...sporatic.
Now what was I writing about?
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