…realizing how blessed we are.

Check out this article from Yahoo to get a global perspective on our wealth in the United States.  For me, it was a good reminder of how blessed I am compared to most of the world’s population.  It also gives me perspective as I go into December and the upcoming Christmas holiday – to be sure that Christ and knowing Him is of utmost importance in our celebration.

(And please, please don’t read the comments!  They’ll just depress you as to the selfishness and self-centeredness of people!  I couldn’t believe how many people missed the whole point of the article – to be grateful for what we have!)

This little girl has been heavy on my heart the past few months.  Her name is Anna.  She is the daughter of someone I went to high school with.  I found out about her situation on facebook.

Their caringbridge web page is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/annamckinney.

Please pray for her and her family!  They are awaiting God to heal their little girl.

I’ve been hearing this song on the radio – often.  It never fails to make me tear up. 

Heaven is the Face

Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile”

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door
So right now

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door

But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space
All the cancer is gone
Every mouth is fed
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed
Every lonely heart finds their one true love
And there’s no more goodbye
And no more not enough
And there’s no more enemy
No more

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You
And we both run into Your arms

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl
Heaven in the face of my little girl

(song and lyrics by Steven Curtis Chapman)

You can read more about Steven Curtis Chapman and the story behind this song here.

All of this to say that, this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the most basic things…

~ for one more day, one more breath – which are both gifts from God

~ for God’s presence with me, his provision for me, and his protection over me and my family

~ for Christ’s death on the cross - that offers me eternal life with Him – and the hope of the reunion in heaven one day with those I love who are already gone

~ for my children

~ for my husband and our marriage

~ for other relationships in my life with friends and extended family

What are you most thankful for today?

I do!  I love good old-fashioned Christmas cards!  But it can be a lot of work.  And a lot of money if you add Christmas photos of the family!

Here’s a link to an awesome website I’ve been visiting a lot lately (and getting some great money-saving tips!).

But even better than that… click on the link below and it will tell you how to get 100 photo cards for free (well, you do have to pay shipping and handling!). 

http://mojosavings.com/2009/11/19/100-free-custom-holiday-photo-cards-free/

I’m so psyched about this deal because it is going to save me a lot of money this Christmas!  Hope it can help you, too!

I am so thankful for the way God has been placing people in my life to speak words of truth and life to me recently.

Proverbs 25:11  “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

My recent “apples of gold”…

my pastor who reminded me Sunday that we need to keep asking ourselves whether or not God would see a return on His investment in our lives… and asking God what He wants that return on investment to be!

a wonderful woman on our “mom’s panel” at MOPS last week that reminded me how precious and fleeting are the moments we have with our kids – and we need to make the most of them regardless of how tired / cranky / burnt out we are in that moment!

a fellow blogger and MOPS mentor of a group in another state who took the time to call me (even though we’ve never met in person!) and talk with me about the whole diabetes / TrialNet thing with my kids… and who blessed me with her insightful, godly words.  She reminded me that I can trust God in any circumstance and I need to release my fears to Him.  (thank you so much, Sandy!)

There are more… but life outside my computer awaits me!

I’ll leave you with this quote out of my devotional, because it reminds me and encourages me that God can use people in my life (like the examples above) to guide me!  How great is His love for us!

“We will find it difficult to divert God’s attention from those issues that need to be addressed in our lives.”  ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Twice this week I’ve been in contact with women who have made some very different mothering choices than mine.  My initial reaction was to feel like – if her choices are “right”, then she must think mine are “wrong”.

What is it about other women’s mothering choices that makes us defensive? 

Don’t get me wrong, in neither of these cases did the women say my choices were bad.  But in my own mind, it seemed implied.  Like I was “less” of a mom because I made a different choice.  Ever been there?

I’m pretty sure you have at some point.  It could be over any number of topics – how you discipline, working outside the home, what you feed your kids, whether or not you homeschool – whatever. 

So my natural reaction was to defend my choices (in my mind, of course).  To start listing all the reasons why my choice is the right one.  And I think this is what starts the “mommy wars” – you know, the historical “taking sides” on issues like working outside the home.

But after I thought and thought about this, I decided maybe I needed to step back and see what lessons I could learn instead.  Not only what lessons I could learn from these moms in order to become a better mom, but also what lessons I could learn in communicating / responding to moms who have made different choices. 

Each of us want to be the best mom we possibly can.  No one wants to feel judged, and I certainly don’t ever want to make another mom feel “less” because of her choices.

So here are my tips to go on the offensive against automatically being defensive when discussing mothering issues with a mom who may not have made the same choice as you:

1. First recognize God’s sovereignty.  Isn’t it possible that both mothering choices, in whatever context, can be “right”?  After all, our families are different.  We are different.  And if God can make everyone completely unique, can’t he make our choices completely unique, and yet right for us?  Acknowledge that although you may feel strongly about something, God does not lead us all down the same paths.  What is right for me may not be right for her and vice versa. 
2. Analyze why I’m defensive.  I need to ask myself whether or not my choice was in fact God’s will for me and my family at that time.  If I made the choice without consulting Him, it’s very possible I could have made the wrong choice – and maybe that’s why I’m feeling defensive.  On the other hand, if I’m certain it was God’s will for me, then the defensiveness is just a knee-jerk reaction and I need to move on.  (Don’t know if it was God’s will for you?  Just ask Him – and be persistent in asking!)  Then I need to ask God if the choice I made is STILL His will for me and my family NOW.  I think God can lead us in different directions at different times in our lives.  What may be right for our families now may not be right next year.  Things change and God will reveal that to us if we remember to acknowledge Him.
3. Keep an open mind.  Instead of feeling defensive about something and totally dismissing it, consider whether or not I might learn something from this other mom.  Can I improve my own mothering by taking some tips from her?  I strongly believe that God puts women in our lives that we can learn from.  For example, maybe she doesn’t believe in spanking, but you do.  She probably isn’t going to change your mind, but is there a different discipline technique that she uses successfully that you could add to your repertoire?
4. Be careful about what I say and how I say it.  If we say “my way is the right way” and don’t acknowledge God’s sovereignty in her life, we are removing any chance of learning from one another.  My rule for myself – particularly when I talk about my choice to stay home with my kids – is to offer my story ONLY when asked specifically for it or when the woman I’m talking to has expressed that she is feeling confused in that area and I think my story might help. 

So that’s what I’ve come up with.  I think I can boil it down to this:  remember God is in control, be sure I’m following Him, be gracious, and be open to learning! 

If anyone else has tips, I’d love to hear them!

I am always curious about what other people cook for their families.  Mostly just because it gives me really good ideas.  I love to try new recipes, too.

So I want to play a little game… and I hope you’ll play along!

I want to hear about-

(1)  the dinner that you cook most often for your family (and if you have a recipe, please share it!), and

(2) the “new” recipe you tried most recently (this can be anything – not just a meal).

So here are my two:

The dinner I make most often is “Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake”.  I make it because it is super-simple to prepare and everyone in my family likes it.  I LOVE a night with no complaints!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup uncooked minute rice

1 cup condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup water

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

black pepper

paprika

Mix the rice, soup, water and cheese in a casserole dish.  Place the chicken on top.  Sprinkle with black pepper and paprika to taste.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done.  Mix rice before serving.

The most recent “new” recipe I tried was yesterday for our MOPS meeting – it’s a recipe I got recently from a friend from grad school.  I already got a couple of requests to share the recipe, so I guess it’s a winner!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

Cookie Ingredients:

2/3 c granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 c butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c canned pumpkin

2 eggs

2 1/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Frosting Ingredients:

3 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 to 4 T milk

1/3 c butter (do not use margarine)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3/4 c butter (or margarine) and 1 tsp vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet in heaping tablespoonfuls. Bake 10 to 12 min until almost no indentation remains when touched in the center. Immediate remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack. Cool completely (about 45 min).  In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of milk.  In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until light brown.  Pour butter over the powder sugar mixture and beat on low speed about 1 min.  Add remaining milk if necessary to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generously frost cookies.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!  And I can’t wait to hear yours!  You can either put them in your comment or put them on your own blog and leave me a link!  Thanks!

Have you ever heard of Hearts At Home? 

It’s a “Christ-centered organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood” (from their mission statement).  You should check it out!

(And not only because I’ve been asked to guest-post on their blog. (You wanna see it, don’t you?  go here).  I am honored to in some small way be a part of this fabulous ministry!)

My first encounter with Hearts at Home was when I picked out a book from our MOPS library called “Professionalizing Motherhood”.  It was shortly after I stopped working to be a stay-at-home-mom.  This book was a blessing to me because it gave me a sense of purpose in my mothering – something that was lacking when I said goodbye to my work-outside-the-home days.

So click on one of the links above and see what awesome resources might be of help to you!!

That’s how our 2 year old says “Splash Lagoon”.

Which is where we went for a few days recently.

My 8 year old said it was the best vacation EVER. 

Here’s some pics…

**Please notice the snow outside the window ~ the kids thought it was the coolest thing to be swimming and watching it snow outside at the same time!**

My husband said it was not the best vacation EVER … that would be a return trip (alone) to our honeymoon spot … but I think this was pretty good for a low-key, short, fairly inexpensive vacation with three kids!

Potty training has finally begun in earnest around here.

We’re not doing too badly.  The little one seems to be “getting it”, and that makes me glad I waited so long.

Today we had a poopy in the potty – her first.

It was so, so cute.  I had left her on the toilet for quite a while – she kept insisting she was going to go.  Then I peeked in and saw her standing, pulling toilet paper off the roll.

And then she said “oh, gosh.  oh, gosh.  ucky.”  And then flushed.

I couldn’t help but laugh.  Normally the gosh word is forbidden, and I gently remind the kids to say “oh my” or “oh my goodness” instead, but this was just so cute that all I could do was laugh at her.  I didn’t even know she knew that word.

So, the potty adventures march on… we’ll see how tomorrow goes!

(p.s., thanks for all the comments and prayers in response to my last post… I so appreciate it!)