Christmas Recap

I just love Christmas!  I love that we have the chance to celebrate the birth of Jesus and give presents and serve people.  I love Christmas music and movies.  And I love sharing all of this with my kids. 

We had Christmas with my Dad (Papa) and my step-mom (Nana) before they left for Tennessee.  We had an amazing dinner of salmon and salad and sweet potatoes and beer bread and my sister's famous pies.  Then we had Christmas with my mom and her husband on Christmas Eve.  We had a visit from Father Christmas at that gathering.  And then Chloe put on quite a show dancing to music.  I have not laughed so hard in a very long time.  We are certain she needs to start dance lessons soon.  We don't know where it came from, but she has some natural dancing talent in her.  And finally we spent the day with Dan's family on Christmas Day.  It was busy and wonderful all at the same time.  

One of the most enjoyable moments was on Christmas Eve.  A group of ladies in my Sunday School class decided to surprise one of our friends and bless her with presents late that night.  We showed up on her doorstep with a gift basket and a DVD with a video message from all of us.  It was precious to see her reaction and know that we made her Christmas a little happier and much less lonely.

The girls enjoyed having a white December!

Love this picture of Mya!  My brother in law took it at my mom's house.

Visit from Father Christmas.  Sweet Sara had no idea it was my mom's husband dressed up.  She was pretty shocked when she found out.

Sara and her present.

My seven year old doesn't look like a little girl anymore.

Chloe's famous dance.  Check out my mom in the background laughing hard.

 

Christmas with Dannyboy was precious.  He surprised me with a new dress on Christmas morning even though we agreed to not give each other presents. 

All in all it was such a good holiday.  I know that most people have New Year's resolutions and I don't usually do those, but I saw something neat on Facebook today.  I am one of those Facebook stalkers who just looks at everyone else's feeds instead of writing any of my own. So today I saw someone post about marriage.  There were 25 tips on how to show respect to your husband.  I read through them and picked out five that I could work on.  Because I am perfect in all of the other 20 areas...ha ha.  I thought that five was a doable number.  I wrote them down, put them on my mirror, told Dan about them and will attempt to work on these on a daily basis.  So here are my top 5 ways to improve showing respect in my marriage:

1.  Pray for him.

2.  Respond physically. (this means doing the little things like holding hands and responding when he initiates being close)

3.  Kiss him goodbye and hello every time he leaves the house and comes home. (we have gotten away from this since the kids have come along....I am usually occupied with them when he comes home and leaves)

4.  Cherish togetherness (even if we are working on different things, try to do it in the same room or sitting next to each other)

5.  Resist the urge to correct him (especially in front of others)

Proverbs 18:22
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord."

Quiet

I was given an hour and a half today....alone....all by myself....no kids....just me. What to do with myself? I could either exercise or go to the coffee shop and read. I chose the coffee shop. So here I am, sitting by myself, able to think and reflect and recharge. I got here at 9:00 and spent 45 minutes deciding which book to download on my Nook. And now that I decided it is taking another 15 minutes to download. Maybe it is time for an upgrade on our IPad? But since the book thing didn't work out yet I have had time to just sit here and think about life. This month we have had quite a lesson in trusting God. There seem to be so many uncertainties that we are facing. Dan is trying to get his business off the ground, which he is doing great at, but it is still challenging. We had a pay freeze because we were in between jobs. And just when I started to hold so tight to our money situation, God revealed how it would all work out. I get so tense when I don't know how things will work. But last week I went on a run in the afternoon and verbally gave all I was holding on to to God. I released and it was so freeing.  Hopefully no one was outside when I ran by their house saying loudly, "Yes God...I give it all to you!"  So this week we had enough for gas and groceries and some extra. And next week we get paid. Ironically enough, all the bills that are due are not due until the day of our big paycheck. Nothing is due any earlier than that, which is unusual. That is just how the month worked out. So why did I doubt God? Because I fear the uncertain. This morning I was reading in Matthew about Peter walking on the water. And God says, "Why did you doubt?" Ugh!....such a tough lesson to learn.

I am at a crossroads personally with trying to figure out what things might look like next year with the kids and with me. And I wonder about the future with me once the kids are older. There are about 5 different jobs that I have considered....some of them requiring some more schooling. If that is the case, when should I start that? So many questions....unanswered. Do you think God designed it that way? I mean, if I knew all the answers, why would I need Him? I wouldn't.....that is sad. So I continue to praise Him in the uncertain times. And I release my control on a daily basis. I am so glad I have a God who blesses me with grace on a regular basis!

Last night we had friends over for dinner. They were our friends in California during the last part of our stay there. Dan and Matt knew each other in high school. He is a pastor and we were so thankful to attend his church for a short time when we lived in Stockton. It was wonderful to reunite and our girls loved having more little girls to play with at our house.

Well....I now have 10 minutes left. I think my book has finally downloaded and I might read the first chapter. That will get me hooked so I can read more at nap time today.

My Best Friend Jim Brickman (google him in case you have no idea who he is.....which most of you won't)

Merry (early) Christmas!

Wow!

Today was one of those days!  You know the kind where absolutely everything goes right.  I just love those days.  It started with a morning quiet time because the kids slept in later.  Then we covered every single subject and finished at 2:00.  Lunchtime was smooth and nap time happened at a great time.  Dan was home for the morning working.  I have found such a difference in my contentment level with having him home.  I don't even need to see him, but knowing that someone else is in my house (an adult) is wonderful.  I don't feel lonely and I love having him around.  When I need to vent, I just peek my head in the office and quickly let it out.  He smiles and we both go on our merry way.  And today during schoolwork with the girls there was laughter.  Our hearts were fulfilled and I was able to take a moment and verbalize to the girls how much I enjoy being with them.  I thank God for days like this.

Once again....it was just one of those days!

My Buddy Jim

On Saturday I went to a concert to see one of my favorite pianists.....Jim Brickman.  It was an amazing time.  The music was breathtaking.  In college, when I lived in the sorority house, I found out quickly that I had to have classical music playing in my room when I studied.  It was the only way to eliminate the external noise so I could concentrate on my work.  And I couldn't study to anything with words.  So one day my mom sent me a CD in the mail of this guy named Jim Brickman.  I had no idea who he was, but I put the music in my CD player and fell in love.  I think I can thank him for my good grades.  This weekend I finally had the chance to see him LIVE and meet him.  Amazing!

Dan is entering his second week of his job and things are going very well.  He has fallen in love with this type of work.  He is the director of all of Ohio for a healthcare company.  He has been able to solidify some contracts already with other companies and should start seeing patients next week.  He has also hired on some PRN workers so they will be available when the patient load increases.  He likes the flexibility and challenge of the job.  He has caught on fast to the business and I have seen him grow in so many areas already.  I was happy to have him join the technology world with getting his own email, Iphone and wireless printer.  We moved Mya back upstairs with the other two girls and turned her old room into an office for Dan.  That set up has worked out very well for all of us.  I homeschool in the living room and he works in the back room.  The transition into this job has been quite smooth.

Lately I have been struggling with Mya and her obsession with sugar in her body.  At seven years old she worries about eating too much sugar.  I know that comes from me and what I am teaching the kids about eating healthy.  A big part of it is personality for her.  She is very black and white and has taken what she hears me say and magnifies it.  Dan and I had a talk about it tonight to see how we could restructure things to help her divert her attention to the negative side of sugar and just enjoy being a kid and eating it.  She needs to see me enjoying sweet treats.  She watches me.  She mirrors my attitude about things.  I have struggled because I think it is hard to find the balance between cutting processed foods in many ways, yet still eating some.  All of it is about moderation.  But moderation is not a natural thing for Mya to understand.  Either you eat sugar and it is good for you or you don't eat it because it is bad for you.  It seems like there is no in between for her.  So we decided that I really need to make some changes with enjoying sweet treats in front of her and verbalize how much it is okay to eat them.  I need to relax so she can relax. 

Parenting is tough!  I think it is hard when you see something you need to change as a parent and fix whatever you didn't do right.  As parents, we are in such a constant state of learning and rearranging and trial and error.  I guess I should embrace that process because that is what creates wisdom.  And that is when God really transforms our hearts and our lives.  Change is good!

I feel like I have blogged a lot about sweet Mya lately.  I think it is because she is at the age where she is learning and growing like crazy.  She is a wonderful young lady and I am so excited to watch her grow up.  I don't mean to leave out the other two.  Sara is enjoying school at home and really bonding with little Chloe.  They have taken to each other the last few months and get along well.  They are fun girls to have around and I am so thankful to be their mommy!

Ice Skating

I can't believe we have lived so close to an ice skating rank and have never gone to it before.  We joined the Classical Conversation group for ice skating this week and it was amazing.  I didn't take Chloe with me but I will next time.  I think she will love it!

Blast from the Past

Mya wanted to decorate the tree in her room and knew that I had a box full of mixed ornaments from my childhood downstairs in the basement.  I finally dug them out and brought them up for her to use.  It was so fun looking through the ornaments and remembering where each one came from.  But the best one we found was this:

In case you can't read it....it says "Darah."  That was the name I was born with and I legally changed it when I was six years old.  It was very sweet to hear my daughter tell me that the name Darah was beautiful.  She told me she wished I had named her Darah.  Then I showed the Christmas bulb to Dan and he had such a genuine, sweet smile on his face.  He thought it was very precious. 

And this is why I love Christmas time!  It is so full of unique experiences and special times with family. 

Beautiful Grace

Mya's middle name is Grace.  I am so glad we gave her that name.  Just saying her name reminds me to extend grace to her on a daily basis.  She is such a beautiful child and what comes with being the oldest is learning all the hard lessons first.  She is kind of paving the way for her younger siblings. 

Today we had some struggles and I had to practice grace, yet set good boundaries with her.  Today I was thankful to be home schooling her.  We had some character building experiences that made me appreciate being available to be around for the "teachable" moments.  One of the main reasons I wanted to home school was to work on socialization skills with the girls.  I think it sounds funny when I say that because the typical stigma for home schooling is that the kids aren't socialized very well.  But let me tell you...that is so far from the truth. 

One of the biggest things we have been concerned with for Mya is being true to herself.  She is easily influenced by those around her.  She does things to impress her friends or tries to make them laugh in a way that isn't funny.  We have spent a lot of time talking to her about how God has made her a certain way and how she needs to embrace that.  We pray that truth is sinking in and that she is believing it.  But the cool thing about being home with her is teaching truth and then finding so many opportunities to help her practice those skills.  Classical Conversations has been a great place for her to practice.  She is in a group of three boys.  She is the only girl.  This set up has made her very aware of being different, which has brought to light many skills that she needs to work on.  I am certain God had a particular design for the class that she is in this year. So after every class we come home and process how she acted and how she might do things differently. Her biggest struggle is just trying too hard to get people to like her.  To the point that it is a turn off to her friends.  It is hard to watch because I know her "true" self at home, which is a sweet, tenderhearted, playful little girl.  For some reason she feels like she must act goofy to get people to like her. Today a student finished a presentation and Mya raised her hand to ask him a question about the topic.  Well....she was supposed to ask about the topic, but instead told him a random fact about her presentation topic.  It was out of place and inappropriate and disrespectful to her classmate.  This experience lead her to feel embarrassed and allowed me to have a firm, yet truthful conversation about how to act around her peers.  She is a work in progress.  We are all a work in progress.  She needed grace.  We all need grace.  I thoroughly enjoyed the moments after we talked because they were full of tender hugs, kisses and loving words between a mother and a daughter. 

Date Night

Storm Chaser

When we lived in California I remember Mya NOT wanting to return to Ohio because she knew we had tornadoes.  In fact, the kids in our apartment complex would "play" tornado with my girls because they were fascinated by it....because they had never seen one.  It is kind of like us playing earthquake.  We did convince Mya to come home because we had a basement and could protect her. 

So last Sunday she experienced her first tornado warning and it freaked her out.  In fact, the whole next day she bombarded me with questions about tornadoes....to the point that I couldn't take it anymore.  The poor thing just wanted answers and I was annoyed with her questions.  I have learned from home schooling (i.e. being with my kids the majority of the days) that when I get frustrated with the kids I am the one that needs to switch gears.  I am the one that needs to get creative with managing my emotions and reactions.  I have had a lot of opportunities to practice how to reduce stress in the house.  I drew on that experience and thought of a nice solution for all of us. I decided to take Mya to the library and find all the books about tornadoes.  Every week the kids do oral presentations at Classical Conversations and next week Mya has to do one about being thankful for something.  Guess what?  We were all really thankful that the tornado didn't touch down in our town. What a great way for Mya to become an expert on tornadoes and present on it to her class.  It worked out perfect! 

All week we have been learning about thunderstorms and tornadoes.  I know WAY too much about them now.  I know about updrafts, downdrafts, super cell thunderstorms, cumulus clouds, condensation and meteorologists. We have watched documentaries and read books and talked and talked and talked about them.  We know how to stay safe and we know all about storm chasers.  In fact, Mya has decided to become a storm chaser some day.  I don't think that is exactly the result I was going for.  But at least she isn't obsessed about the fear anymore.  She is pretty fascinated and so am I.

Surgery

Yesterday I had my second leg surgery for varicose veins.  I did not take the muscle relaxer medication...I have a hard time taking the meds that make me feel loopy.  I don't like how they make me feel.  I don't get nervous about the surgery so I decided I didn't need the medication.  I am glad!  I had lovely conversation with the surgeon and his staff during the three hour surgery.  I got to see what a real vein looks like...after he pulled it out of my leg and I was awake enough to find out that he made 48 incisions on my leg when it was all said and done.  My veins were pretty stubborn and it took him a long time to get them all out.  Overall, it was a very positive experience.  Mya came with us.  She has had some anxiety with being away from us so she chose to come to the surgery with me and Dan.  I think she enjoyed being an only child for the day.  Smart girl!  Maybe once my leg is all healed and looking nice I will post a picture.  I wish I had a before/after picture.  My leg was pretty ugly looking.  I am very thankful to have a normal leg again.  It has been many, many years. 

I had the opportunity on Monday to talk with a homeschooling mom and get some perspective on how her first year went.  I asked if she was back and forth on whether or not to homeschool.  She said she spent the first two years wondering what was the best decision for her and her kids.  It was so encouraging to hear that I am not the only one.  And that she stuck with it and is thankful.  That doesn't mean that it will work out that way for us, but it was nice to have someone confirm things that I have been feeling.  I feel like that conversation gave me permission to continue to wrestle with my thoughts and feelings and let it be okay.  I don't have to make a decision any time soon.  I will just continue to pray about it, ask advice and trust in the Lord's direction.

Struggles

I have been learning so much about myself recently.  God is revealing some heart issues that I am trying to learn about and work on.  I am so grateful for His wisdom and conviction in my life.  One of the biggest things that I struggle with is second guessing myself.  I over apologize for things that I say and do....I worry about what people are thinking of me....I am fearful of making mistakes....and I lack an inner confidence that I am just plain tired of !  I think I am finally to the point that I am ready to let God do a work in me.  It sounds funny to say that I am letting God work on me when he probably wanted to do it a long time ago.  I probably could have avoided some heartache if I would have let him in on this one.  But giving up control and trusting is what must be done.  I am meditating daily on Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  This verse has really spoken to me and continues to teach me that I am so loved and that God is proud of who I am despite my flaws.  I think that accepting my flaws is quite a challenge for me.  I don't like appearing weak and I don't like making mistakes.  I think I try to protect myself so I won't get hurt in this world.  But God loves me despite all of that.  How amazing is that!  One of my eye opening experiences to all of this came about when I was doing my devotions and read Matthew 3:17.  John the Baptist had just finished with Jesus' baptism and the heavens were opened.  A voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  I thought about that scripture a lot and realized that although these words were being spoken to Jesus, I know that God feels the same about me.  If he took the time to create me and design everything about me, then He is pleased with me.  How comforting!  I have known these truths for a long time, but I am finally accepting them and embracing them as truth.  I am finally believing that I please God, despite my sin.  I look back on my life and think about the journey that I have been on so far.  Ups and downs, hurts and failures....but without those things, God can't work.  He needs a heart that recognizes sole reliance on Him.  He needs a sinner who embraces creation.  So the next time I tell myself that I am silly for saying something or that someone might not like me because of an action....I will tell myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  The next time I go to over apologize for something, I will stop myself and remember that I am NOT in control of every moment of life.  I have to let things go and trust that God is the one in control.  It is time to make some changes in my life!

Recently we have been struggling with our oldest.  She manipulates with her behavior....she likes to get her own way...she likes to control her environment and schedule.  Gee....I wonder where she got that from?  But it has gotten to the point that she is struggling with some heart issues.  And it is up to us as parents to help her recognize truth and work through some things.  We have a new book we are reading called Give Them Grace that talks about teaching about our grace-giving God.  It challenges us to think about how we teach so much about "good behavior" instead of teaching the gospel.  This not only changes the way the kids respond, but changes the way we parent. Just tonight we had to give Mya a consequence of going to bed early because she threw a fit during school time today.  I was tired of giving her so many "chances" and decided to follow through with giving a consequence right away. We have noticed how much she can manipulate us so we decided to get more firm.  But while processing things with her tonight, it made sense to her when we talked about how she can't obey or respect us on her own.  She is powerless with that.  But when she understands how Jesus died on the cross for her sins, then she can grasp the concept of needing a Rescuer.  This is a heart issue, not a behavior issue.  I think as parents it is so hard to remember that because we feel so much when our kids let us down.  We are frustrated, angry, hurt, etc. and we just want to point out what they are doing wrong.  But it makes sense to bring it all back around to the gospel.  She told me tonight before going to sleep, "Mommy, I think that book you are reading really helped me tonight."  I sure hope so!

Go Oils!

I can't believe we are almost three months into the school year already.  It has been quite a journey for us already.  Most days go smoothly, but some days are tough.  The days when the kids are tired and cranky or whiny about school work or struggling with a subject...those are the days that I have to remind myself that it is okay to take breaks and just sit down and snuggle with them.  Or stop schooling and play a game to bring laughter back in the house.  Or let the kids play outside in the snow (yes!....we had our first snowfall yesterday).  At 7 am the kids were begging to go outside and make snow angels.  It was fun to have the flexibility to allow them to do that.  Then they came inside and had hot chocolate and did their school work.  I do enjoy making my own schedule each day....depending on how we are all feeling.  Classical Conversations is fun and rewarding.  The kids love to go there each week.  They are learning so much memory work and I am learning things that I completely forgot about from grade school.  Sometimes I come home from class on Monday feeling a little sad that I didn't retain a lot of academic information from my younger years.  I know nothing about geography and now I am having to locate all the continents, mountains, rivers, oceans, and major cities.  I will tell you what....those home schooling moms that have been doing this for a while are very smart.  They have challenged me to really study the information that I am teaching my kids.

Some days I can really see how homeschooling is benefitting us and other days I struggle to see all the good things.  But a lot of that is correlated with my emotions that day.  Depending on how successful the kids are with their work and how productive I feel.  So I try pretty hard to keep a good perspective on how things are going and not let my feelings dictate how I process the job I am doing.  Overall, I certainly can see how much my kids are benefitting from home education.  And no matter how many years I might do this, I will always be grateful for the time that I am given at home with them. It truly is a blessing!  And the things that I have learned from my children are priceless.  Just the other day we were studying a history timeline card and I was explaining to them about persecution.  I told the girls that even today, in other countries, people die because they believe in God.  Mya looked at me with such seriousness and said, "Mommy, I would still believe in God even if it meant I would have to be killed." What an awesome moment for a mom!

Here is my little Classical Conversation class (four kids) and I am so lucky to have parents assisting me throughout the morning.

This is our weekly memory work board.  We cover seven subjects each week full of memory work.

 We had the honor of doing a family presentation to all the CC families.  The girls really wanted to teach them how to make green smoothies so that is exactly what we did.

A few weeks ago Dan was flown to Oklahoma to look at a new job opportunity.  He came back on a Friday night and by Monday morning we had an official job offer. I am beyond excited for him.  I feel like I can clearly see how God has laid a path for him over the years with the jobs he has done to get him to this point.  He will step into administration and I can already tell that this will be a job that will grow him personally and professionally.  I couldn't be more proud.  He starts December 2nd and will work out of our home to begin with.  As his business grows then he will eventually have a home office somewhere close by.  He will do travelling during the day but will be home in the evenings.  This is a great Christmas present for us all. 

I am still in love with my oils.  Just the other day I discovered that a drop of peppermint in water takes away hiccups immediately.  That was fun to discover.  All five of us have had the start of a cold this Fall and I "kicked" all of the colds with my oils.  The most anyone had cold symptoms was two days maximum.  It never went into a full cold.  Sweet!  The best part about the business is helping other people heal their families and work on conditions and see results.  My brother in law sent me a picture the other day of my niece.  He did a before and after picture.  When she was at my house she fell off Mya's bike and banged her face up.  My brother in law and sister in law applied oils for a week to her face and within a week it was all cleared up.  The before and after picture is stunning.  Go oils!

It's Kind of a Big Deal

Wow!  It has been wayyyyyyyyy tooooooooo long since I last posted.  I think it is time for an update.  The kids are doing well. Chloe turned three, Sara is five and Mya turns seven tomorrow.  She is so excited to be a birthday girl for the day.  Birthdays are fun at this age because they get so excited about presents and celebrating their special day.  And of course I get excited to give them their presents.  Tomorrow will be fun.  Mya asked me tonight before she went to bed if she would have to do school tomorrow since it is her birthday.  I might cut her a break just a little bit.  But I told her she still had to do some school work.  Homeschooling is going well.  It is a tough job.  But I have learned how to embrace the fact that each day is new for us.  Each day we are given grace and that is a wonderful blessing.

Dan flies to Oklahoma on Thursday to meet with a company that could be a potential job change happening in the near future.  We are very excited and feel the Lord leading this direction.  We will know more when he gets back on Friday night.  Neither of us have flown in an airplane since our honeymoon more than 9 years ago so I am excited for him to go on a trip. 

So it was "kind of a big deal" that I ran a race yesterday and beat my personal record by 12 minutes!  Dan and I spent the weekend in Columbus with a couple from our Sunday School class.  We had such a good time together eating great food and having nice adult conversation.  We even had time to sit in the hot tub at the hotel for a while.  Dan and I enjoyed sleeping in a king size bed with no children pushing us out of bed.  On Sunday we all woke up around 5:30 am to prepare for a 7:30 race.  We stayed near the Columbus airport so we had to commute to downtown Columbus for the race.  With nearly 18,000 participants for the half and full marathon, we had to leave early to find a parking spot.  None of us were prepared for the cold weather.  I thought I would be fine with a sweatshirt and gloves, but I made a mistake by not bringing sweatpants to wear before the race started.  My legs were freezing and we had to stand in the cold weather for an hour.  I was thankful to have a tall husband with a warm body to keep me semi-warm.  But I still shivered for that hour. 

We were running the race for a dear friend in our town who has a daughter with special needs.  She was a sponsored child at mile 15 and so many people from the Ashland community ran for this sweet girl.  I know it was an emotional run for many.  Even though we only did the half marathon, it felt great to know that I was running my heart out for her. 

The start of the race was awesome.  There was a live band and then fireworks.  And then the gun went off and we waited and waited before we got to the start line.  The size of the corrals were outstanding.  People were side by side and trying to find their way to the start line.  And finally we made it.....I started my watch and was off with a great pace.  A few miles into the race I had to go pee.  That is not a good thing, but I was so determined to get a certain time that I refused to stop at the porta potty to go to the bathroom.  I was not going to waste any time.  It was quite a mental game to keep myself going at the pace I wanted to and not focusing on needing to go to the bathroom.  So I held it and somewhere around mile 8 or 9 I forgot about needing to go.  Then around mile 10 I found my pace guy for a 1:40 pace and stuck with him until mile 11.  He coached me on how to break the 1:40 time, I took his advice, and ran as fast as I could for the last couple miles.  And I crossed the finish line at 1:38.  I never imagined I would get a time like that....ever in my life!  It was "kind of a big deal." I placed ninth out of over 900 women in my age group.  I crossed the finish line and needed to hug someone so bad....I kind of felt like crying.  But I couldn't find anyone I knew so I held in my tears and waited for Dan to cross.  Finally I found him and got my hug.  I just felt proud.  At that moment I was so grateful for having healthy legs and healthy lungs and the mental strength to push through those tough moments.  I was proud of myself.  It seems like it is a feeling that we don't experience often enough.  God gave me the opportunity to do well and run for Him.  I did it!

 

Breakfast

When I was a public school teacher, I hated eating breakfast.  Most mornings I would just skip that meal.  I didn't like to take the time to eat it and nothing sounded good in the morning.  My diet was completely different then.  Now I rejoice in the value of breakfast and how much our bodies need it.  We need to get our metabolism going for the day and breakfast is a way to do that.  So this past year I have worked hard at finding ways to eat healthy in the morning.  I used to just sit down and eat a bowl of cereal.  But after researching the ingredients in most cereals, I knew I had to find alternatives. 

Here are some new ideas for a healthy breakfast:

• A bowl of oatmeal with add ins (raisins, maple syrup, fresh fruit, honey)
• Green smoothie
• Hot pink smoothie (see recipe below)
• Scrambled eggs with spinach or other veggies
• Toast.....bread made from whole grains (I eat Ezekiel bread because it is live sprouts)
• Green smoothie bowl (use frozen bananas to make it thick) with granola and fruit on top
• Greek yogurt with granola and fruit
• Fruit smoothie with ground oats and chia seeds
• Grapefruit

Hot Pink Smoothie Recipe

1 cup water or coconut water
8 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 raw beet
1 whole carrot
2 tsp vanilla
6 dates

Blend and enjoy!

Juggling Act

So many times in the last few weeks I have wanted to sit down and blog.  I have had great ideas and thoughts to share, but time would get away from me.  I am juggling a bit much lately and waiting/hoping for it to slow down and settle soon.  From training for a half marathon to running the oil business to mentoring high school students and most importantly home schooling I find myself overwhelmed right now.  However, as September progresses I know that I will feel relief from all of these projects.  Home schooling simply takes a lot of time and I am trying to settle into a new schedule.  I have to meal plan and grocery shop at different times then I am used to.  Things have to be rearranged and I am exhausted when evening comes.  I VERY much look forward to 4:30 when Dan walks in the door from work.  It is great to have that extra hand for the evening.  Because I am a scheduled person who likes things to work like a well oiled machine....I find that I am in a readjustment phase of my life with all the new things going on.  So as I learn to juggle it all, I find that I am clinging to the life lines that God has provided for me....family support, quiet times, snuggles from the girls, relationships and physical exercise.  Somehow I wake up each morning with energy and a love for the life I have. And my cup of hot green tea each morning helps get me going too.

Last week I had a birthday....number 37!  I had some difficulty knowing that this birthday put me that much closer to 40.  I take a step back sometimes and can't believe how quickly my life has gone.  I remember in high school thinking life went so slow.  Now it is going too fast.  My birthday this year was wonderful.  Dan took me out to dinner and gave me cash to spend at the mall.  I can't remember the last time that I bought something at the mall.  It was quite a treat.  We had a great evening together and I had my favorite sandwich at Panera for dinner...mozzarella and tomato sandwich.  On my actual birthday I woke up to Dan whispering "Happy Birthday" in my ear before he left for work.  And he brought our oldest daughter into the room so she could snuggle with me before the other kids woke up.  At dinner time Dan brought home a birthday cake and a movie for us all to watch.  It was just a very pleasant day.  And...I had to get a new driver's license and my picture came out really good.  That made my day.  I don't usually like pictures of myself, but I have to admit that I was pleased.  My hair was all in the right place and I didn't close my eyes, which is quite common when people take pictures of me.

So this week I pray that I intentionally have time with the Lord and make myself rest when I am tired.  I pray that I can get up at 6 am for my morning runs...without complaining.  And I pray that I can have patience and a love for teaching with my girls during the day.  One of the hardest things about home schooling has been researching to prepare for lessons and coming up on blogs that other home schooling moms have.  First of all, I wonder when they have the time to blog about home schooling and then I wonder how they get everything done that they write about.  I constantly had to battle the comparison game with those other moms.  But it really comes down to loving and appreciating what is going on in my home.  It is about what God is doing in our home.  It is about the richness of life that my kids are experiencing.  It is about us and not about them.  The comparison trap is an ugly one.  It is not necessary.  If you look at scripture in the bible you will find that God does not compare any of us.  He wants us to fulfill the great commission...not wish to be someone else.  I am reminded of that constantly and find myself loving what we have and what we do when I leave others out of it.  I have been blessed beyond all measure and have a peace that "surpasses all understanding."  Isn't that enough?  Yep!

Plant Based Dish

I am trying to add in more plant based foods for dinner.  This one we tried last night and it was very good.  I thought I would share!

Avocado Brown Rice

3 C water
1 1/2 C brown rice, rinsed well
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 C green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 C carrots, chopped
1 C celery, chopped

Bring the water to a boil, add all the other ingredients, and stir well.  Cover, reduce to medium-low heat, and cook for 45 minutes.  Serve topped with cold avocado sauce (below).

Avocado Sauce

3 ripe avocados
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Mash avocados by hand in a small bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Official Business

Getting a business card seemed to be the final step to say that "I am in!" for the long run with my oil and green smoothie business.  I was very excited to get these the other day.  I am really enjoying the oil business because for me it means meeting with women one on one and hearing their stories and helping them achieve health with their families.  It means researching and constantly learning about nutrition and oils.  It means teaching classes, which I love to do.  And it means making and feeding a green smoothie to anyone who walks through my door for a play date.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the contacts that I have made thus far. 

Yesterday with the second day of home schooling.  And another beautiful day it was!  Again, I KNOW that most days will not go so smooth.  But I am amazed at how excited I am to walk alongside each child as they learn to read and write.  And they know they have my full attention for the entire day.  I won't answer my phone until I have a break and I won't check my email until lunch time.  They know they have me and I think that makes them feel secure and happy.  On the first day of schooling Dan called about three times that day to check in with all of us.  It was wonderful to know that he was thinking about us all day long.  Now, when I write my first negative blog entry about how exhausted I am from home schooling....someone please remind me what it felt like during the first week of schooling!

First Day of School

Today I started home schooling.  It was amazing!  I am very realistic in knowing that most days will not go so well, but it was encouraging to start the first day so beautifully.  I thought the day was going to be tough because I slept through my alarm and missed my chance to run before Dan left for work.  Which meant that I missed my devotion/quiet time too.  But I pulled off a good attitude for the girls and started the day with a smile for them.  After the girls finished their morning routine (i.e. breakfast, making beds, getting dressed, etc.), I started the day with their memory verse and a bible lesson and a journal entry.  Then I split them up for the morning....one worked with me while the other entertained Chloe....and vice verse. Around 11:30 we did a Wal-Mart trip and returned home to a fun lunch.  We made tortilla wraps, which the girls loved because they put the ingredients on themselves in any order they wanted.  After lunch I put Chloe down for her nap and spent the next two hours working with each child one on one on more subjects.  Their stamina will certainly have to improve, but overall they had good attitudes about schooling at home.  I was amazed at how awesome it was for me to begin the process of observing learning styles and strengths and weaknesses with academics.  We ended the day with Mya making us healthy banana bread (she did it on her own using the blender).  When Dan got home we played outside with the kids and they got into a water fight with the hose.  I just stood back in amazement while watching them laugh and "just plain have fun!"

And the best part of all....Chloe has potty trained herself in two days flat!  Well, maybe not 100% potty trained all the way, but just about there.  She is even staying dry during her nap.  She might be a challenging kid when it comes to energy level and behaviors at this age, but in this area she is a rock star!

While schooling I am reminded of a verse that I memorized last week (I am up to 4 verses in my memory bank now...yeah!).  I know that I will refer to this verse time and time again when I am have tougher days with the girls.  But while I am home with them, I have so many opportunities to share God's word with them.  Just today on the way to Wal-Mart, Mya and Sara figured out what an earthly father and a heavenly father are.  They made that distinction and that was a cool conversation.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"These words which I have commanded you this day shall be upon your heart.  Teach them diligently to your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise."

I Have A Dream

I left for college at Bowling Green State University in the Fall of 1995 and I remember the day very clearly when my mom and dad dropped me off at my dorm room.  I remember saying goodbye.  I remember feeling like I was going to conquer the world.  My dorm room experience didn't work out so well, but luckily I had decided to rush a sorority.  I found the sorority that I liked and met a dear friend, named Julie, who was a senior and a believer.  Her roommate in the sorority house had moved out so I was able to move in as a freshmen.  God sure had his hand in the timing of all of that.  If you know me well you would probably wonder why I was in a sorority.  It doesn't seem to be my thing, but once again, God had some awesome plans laid out for me. He knew I needed the sorority to build my confidence, encourage leadership skills, share my faith and introduce me to life long friends.  While living in the sorority house I experienced some tough feelings that challenged me as a person.  I had left a small church community and was quite sheltered.  My eyes were opened while living on campus.  I was trying to find my way as an individual and as a girl with a faith.  How did that all fit together in my new world?  I felt isolated at times because I felt like I was different.  I was insecure and was trying to figure all that out while living away from home. And thankfully, I met some of the most amazing women while living in the sorority house.  They lived life with me and taught me the value of "true friends." And today they are my forever friends.

Back in January we received an email from one of those dear college friends (my roommate for many years) and this is what it said...."I have a dream.  I have a dream to one day have all my college friends together for a weekend away."  Then she proceeded to share her plans on how we would do that.  She had the cabin chosen and the month that it might take place.  So we all emailed back and forth for a while and finally chose a weekend in August.  Well, the dream was just fulfilled this weekend.  And it was amazing.  After almost thirteen years of not seeing each other, we reunited.  Let me just say, as I begin to tell this story, that there was NEVER a lull in conversation from Friday night to Sunday morning.

We all arrived Friday evening.  I left around 4:00 and was supposed to arrive around 5:30.  I took the back roads, but missed my turn off at some point and ended up in the wrong location.  I had written down the directions and left the IPad at home so I didn't have a GPS in the car with me.  That was a big mistake for someone like me.  If I am not with Dan then I typically get lost.  I had to call my friend's husband to get me back on the right road.  Finally, around 6:30 I made it.  I only went an hour out of my way.  Three of my college buddies were already there so I was welcomed with warm, loving hugs.  I felt like we had never been apart for all of those years.  Later that evening the final two arrived and we were giddy and excited and talking very fast until about 3 in the morning.  We finally gave in and went to bed.  I volunteered to sleep on the hide a way bed which was hilarious.  When we pulled it out and I laid down, the middle of it sagged down real deep.  It felt like I was sleeping in a mattress with a hole in the middle.  I didn't need to roll over at night because I couldn't.  It was hilarious.

The morning came and I guess a few of my sweet friends are morning people.  They were awake nice and early chatting away in the living room.  Some of us lingered in bed for a bit and then got up for the day.  Since I am on a half marathon training schedule I had to get my runs done in the morning.  So after a few hours of sleep I left to run 6 miles.  Two other girls joined me for a part of the run and I enjoyed that part the most.  When I returned I made green smoothies for everyone.  I think they liked them!  We spent Saturday surviving from sleep deprivation.  When we were in college it wasn't such a big deal.  I guess we have to face the fact that we are a little bit older now.  And a little tired already from having young children.  But we pulled it together and had constant conversation, which helped us all stay alert.  We had a wonderful lunch and then had ice cream.  When we went back to the cabin around dinner time we decided to hike a trail.  What could have been a very pleasant hike turned into a muddy walk with mosquitoes swarming in our faces.  The trail went on and on and we had no idea where we would end up (maybe because we left the map back at the cabin).  So we decided to turn around and retrace our steps to go back home.  We made it back safe and settled in for an evening of games and more conversation.  The evening might have consisted of eating lots of snacks, talking, playing games, talking, push up contests, talking, funny stories about our abdominal muscles separating during pregnancy, talking, someone peeing her pants, talking, a bottle of wine splattering on the kitchen floor, talking and eventually going to bed for the night.  Sunday we left after lunch and were on our way back to our homes.  We already decided that this will be an annual event at the end of the summer.  I have not laughed this much in a very long time.  It was good for the soul.  Dreams do come true!

Friends reunited.....

College roommates reunited....

Setting out for our hike....

Random jumps in the middle of the road....

Hiking....

Talking on our phones while hiking....

Taking a break from hiking....

The snack table....

Late night push ups.....

And old photos I dug up from college...

Thanks Kim for having a dream!!!