How To: Ski Ball-- Lessons from the Life of Elisabeth

I'm pretty sure there's not a person alive who enjoys life more than Elisabeth. She's a free spirit, with a song on her lips, a smile in her heart and, I'm convinced, magic in her step. She leaves a trail of sparkle everywhere she goes.

Tonight my dad treated our family to a trip to John's Incredible Pizza. Elisabeth spent most of the time at the Ski Ball game. When one game would end, without inserting more tokens, she would push the 'start' button and a new game would begin (see?! I told you she is magic!).

Elisabeth's approach to Ski ball is a unique (and fairly dangerous) one.

First of all, the balls must be named and assigned a familial position (mom/dad/sister/brother). Then, she closes her eyes and tosses the ball. Sometimes the ball heads in the general vicinity of the alley she's playing on, and sometimes not. Sometimes you can't tell which alley she's playing on because she's technically playing on them all. It doesn't matter if she gets the ball in her own gutter or the one next to her...the fact that the ball didn't roll back to her is an accomplishment to be celebrated! And believe me. Every. Single. Ball. is celebrated with a parade and dancing and giggling fit for Disneyland.

I am pretty sure I've never seen a kid enjoy Ski Ball that much. And I'm pretty sure I've never enjoyed watching a game of Ski Ball that much.

It's amazing how some people just spread joy. They don't have to tell you to be joyful...because theirs is infectious.

It's a good reminder. Not only to be joyful in even the most mundane tasks but in how our attitude affects the people around us...and that life is too short to not be silly sometimes!

Avoiding Convenience Foods

Photo Credit http://www.whattomakefordinner.org/

I absolutely know what it's like to be dog tired. I know what it's like to get to the end of the day and realize that I haven't even THOUGHT about dinner.

I also know the temptation to drive to the drive thru at that point. I've been there and done that.

Fast food and even most store-bought convenience foods are hard on the budget. And over the last few years we have gradually cut out 95% of our fast food/convenience food consumption. I do still buy the occasional box of Dino Bites and even less often we go for fast food.


The thing is, I still have days where I'm dog tired...and realize at the end of the day that I have no idea what we're gonna have for dinner. All of this has been a learning experience for me and I've discovered that there are a few things that profoundly effect the peace of our home around 5 o'clock in the evening and make dinner a much more pleasant experience for my whole family.

1.  Meal planning. I don't do anything fancy. There are some really cute, free (woohoo! who doesn't love free stuff?!) menu planning pages out there. Sometimes I'm all fancy and use one of those and sometimes I use a blank sheet of paper that nobody but me could make heads or tails of. My family really enjoys it when I post my menu plan on the fridge so they can check it and either get excited about dinner or check their attitude and count their blessings that they get to have their least favorite meal instead a bowl of grasshoppers.

I should note that I don't necessarily decide in advance on what day we will have which meal. Sometimes I just make a list of the assortment of meals we'll have for the next two weeks and then decide on a daily basis what we'll actually have on that day.

2.  Make a grocery list based on my meal plan. I try to base my menu plan around a few key ingredients. Like if one recipe calls for half of a whole chicken I would either have that meal twice or find another recipe that calls for the other half of the chicken...so I don't end up wasting half a chicken because we're having beef all the other nights...you know what I mean?

3.  Make a big batch of ingredients that take a while to cook, like brown rice (which takes 25-40 minutes) and beans (which can take HOURS to prepare) to keep in the fridge (I know that you can buy canned beans but I just think dried beans are healthier). Tonight I did a variation of Cheesy Beef and Rice. The rice was already cooked so I threw it in the casserole, and since I had them in the fridge I included lentils...so I cut at least half an hour off of dinner prep time (and the dishes I would have had to dirty to cook them are already done!).

4.  I unload my dishwasher before starting dinner prep so all I have to do is stick the dishes in as I am done using them and most of the dishes are done before we even have dinner. The kids are also in the habit now of putting THEIR plates in the dishwasher. So I don't have a sink full of dishes staring me down and overwhelming me after dinner and I can sit and enjoy dinner with my family in a stress free environment!

Convenience foods are...convenient but it's not that difficult to make homemade dinners more doable. And nothing beats the fun (and confidence boost) of my kids trying to think of the name I should give the restaurant they think I should be head chef of.

People are More Important than Food

I love studying nutrition. I love seeking out information on how to help my body function at it's highest capacity.

But you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that sometimes this "knowledge" leads to my looking into other peoples grocery carts and thinking to myself  "oh my goodness, I can't believe they eat that!"

Which has lead me to several observations.

1.  The world of nutrition is a lot like the "religious world"...there are a bunch of people who ALL think they know the truth and anyone who disagrees is either insincere or just ignorant.

For example:

Some people (who are considered experts) say you should take generic fish oil. Other experts say those experts have got it all wrong and you should take krill oil. Still other experts say both of those experts have it wrong and you should take cod liver oil. And the funny thing is, they all have "evidence" to back up their claim.

Sounds confusing, doesn't it?

It basically comes down to who you trust. And the thing is, the people who follow these people obviously benefit from doing so...so maybe they all have their place and maybe God never intended for us to get so uppity about it all.

2.  I think that sometimes nutrition gets taken out of context. Yes, we should strive to be good stewards of our bodies. Yes we should use self control and do what we can to keep our bodies working at their optimum level so that when our "neighbors" need our help we are healthy and able to do so...but when our nutrition views take precedents over who we will and won't socialize with or how we view people who don't agree with us or follow a different plan...then it is out of it's context.

3.  But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much fish oil (or krill oil or cod liver oil) we take...we don't have the power to add even one day to our lives.

4.  Eating healthy foods (and taking supplements if you choose to do so) is only meaningful in the context of being a servant, of loving God with everything that we are...because our bodies are not our own.

5.  If nutrition gets in the way of loving people, it has lost it's meaning. If I place so much emphasis on nutrition that I find myself using it as a basis of judgement, then it has no value.

I'm going to continue to strive to feed my family healthy things. But I'm going to do it with the understanding that whether I take krill oil or fish oil or cod liver oil (or follow a specific diet or nutrition plan) only has eternal value if it aids me in loving God.

All we can do is our best and if a friend wants to meet me at McDonalds for lunch...that person has more value than my nutritional stance on the food offerings of McDonalds. I will happily and without regret or reservation gobble up a cheeseburger and maybe a fry or two...all in the name of love!

So there you have it! :)

God Designed Girlfriends Book Club

I have wanted to be in a book club for so long. I have literally been searching for a group of girls that would get together and discuss literature/fiction...well, really ANY type of book...with me.

Recently I found a girl who not only wanted to get together to discuss books...when I asked her she jumped up and down and hasn't stopped talking about it (and asking about it!) since I asked her.

Well, tonight after several weeks of trying to find a time to have our first meeting...I put the kids in bed and MADE time.

I'm not sure what our first book will be...we are planning to have that decided by Sunday evening. Tonight we just talked about books we've read recently, what we liked and didn't like about them and which character was our favorite.

Can you tell we had fun?!

Any book suggestions?

Pumpkin Pie!

Today started out rough. I had this wonderful plan that I was going to work outside in our yard all day.

I wheeled the lawn mower out to the front yard, fully expecting my plans to gracefully fall into place. But after an hour of trying to start the dumb thing and actually crying (yes, I did cry over the fact that the lawn mower wouldn't start...I'm ridiculous...I know...I'm pretty sure there was a pride issue here) I finally gave up (that is painful for me to say...maybe God was workin on my pride??).

So instead I decided to wing my way through making a pumpkin pie (w/ a graham cracker crust to change it up and homemade whipped cream), completely from scratch. I researched the components of pumpkin pie and then decided to kind of wing my way through it.

Yes, those are kid fingerprints. Don't judge me. :)

I started off making graham crackers. I doubled the recipe so my family would have some to eat since they are soooooooooo good. I put half into a plastic bag and crushed them and mixed them with a little coconut oil and pressed them into a baking stone.

Then I mixed up the goop for the filling. I used honey and maple syrup as my sweeteners in place of white sugar, four eggs, typical pumpkin pie spices, a little salt, a little vanilla, some of the fresh pumpkin puree I whipped up yesterday and whipping cream (most recipes call for condensed milk but I don't have any and canned milk seems kind of yucky to me!).

I filled the crust with the filling and stuck it in the oven until it looked done to me.

 I kind of chickened out of the whipped cream but at the last minute whipped up a batch. So YUM! And just as easy as getting cool whip from the store (easier in my case because I had all the ingredients--heavy whipping cream, honey and vanilla--on hand).

I pulled the pie out of the oven and let it cool for a bit and then served up pieces--complete with a dollop of whipped cream--to my family.

 And the verdict?! While it tastes REALLY good (although probably not the best I've ever had...but it was very much fresh and THAT was a nice change)...the consistency was not what I had hoped. Using honey and maple syrup make it a little heavier, I think, than white sugar and some adjustments need to be made there.

Also, if I use the same proportions I think two smaller pans would work better...the filling struggled to get cooked completely through because it was so thick.

Overall it was a success. Not because it was the best pumpkin pie ever consumed...but because I put myself out there to create something (which has been really difficult for me to do in the past!), I did my best and even though it wasn't a complete success I learned something and hopefully my next attempt will benefit from the wisdom and experience I gained from this one.

Randy Travis Does it Again

Riding my new bike has brought back so many good memories of my childhood. I remember doing doing tricks...like standing up on the bike and steering with my foot or something and I remember how scared I would be but how exhilarating it was at the same time. My brother and I would make ramps and stuff (really it was my brother and his meany friends that built them and sometimes they'd let me use them). My bike riding adventures are some of my best childhood memories.

I've been riding bikes with my kids. It's so neat to see the same joy in them, and to feel it again myself and knowing that I'll be a part of their good bike riding memories makes it even more special to me.

All of this reminds me of a Randy Travis song...I'm not sure why but I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this song...and it's been stuck in my head for the past few days! (Just FYI, the pictures are random...sorry if that bothers you!)

The Crazy Bike Lady

My awesome new bike!

So today, while I was riding my awesome new bike, I caught myself talking to...myself. And not, you know, in my head talking to myself. I was actually mouthing the words.

My little luggage rack...it extends. So I can even ride it to do small shopping trips!

I'm pretty sure I'm officially our towns "crazy bike lady". Pretty soon I'll be pulling one of those child seats full of cans and bottles and swatting at invisible flies.

My super awesome cup-holder and basket!!!

Anyway, so last week Michael received an extra grant from school. Whenever we get extra money we try to really hard to use it for things that will have a long term positive effect. So we buy things like meat that are hard on our budget but that will keep in the freezer and ease the grocery dilemma.

Well, so Michael decided that we would purchase a bike for me to ride around town when the kids are at school to save money on gas. Woohoo! So far it's saved us $7.26. Not much but it will add up over time! I'm looking forward to keeping track of it.

The funny thing is, after a day of feeling really good about being able to make some purchases that we need and looking forward to making some repairs (like a broken window in our living room) we found out that the transmission on our "wild indian wagon" was going to need to be rebuilt. There went the remainder of our little cushion. And our window is still broken.

I have to tell you, I was angry. I was frustrated. I felt guilty, like I had misused our funds.

When I go to the grocery store, it's stressful. All the way there and all the way through the store I pray. I ask God to help me make wise decisions and to make purchases that will benefit my family and make the best use of our resources.

And so, when we received this extra money and I was able to go to the grocery store, I was still counting on being able to do our regular grocery shopping (I didn't purchase things like eggs that are fairly easy to come by in our normal budget...I bought meats and things that we don't normally get to buy but that will last a long time). But with the car repairs, it just wasn't possible.

You know, I guess I thought that God owed me. I thought that since I work so hard to be frugal and be a good steward that God was "rewarding" me for all my hard work and that I deserved that money. And when it was "taken away" I got a angry (wow, sounds like toddler drama!).

But Michael reminded me of something. There is a long chain of events here. And if any of the events had varied much, we would be "up the crick".

Back in June when we were returning home from Texas, our van broke down and Michael's parents let us bring theirs home. If that hadn't happened, we would not have a working vehicle (Michael's motorcycle needs some repairs), Michael would not be able to go to work or school and he'd probably have lost both.

Also, it's very interesting that we received this unexpected money just TWO DAYS before the transmission went out. If we hadn't received that money we would not have been able to pay for the repairs.

It's amazing how selfish and spoiled I am. And how easily I fall into the mentality that my good works can earn blessings from God. And that if I'm "good" God owes me good things.

It reminds me of the Israelites when they were about to enter the promised land and God warned them that in their prosperity it would be easy to forget where they had come from, where HE had brought them from and what HE had done for them. They complained about the food, they complained when they were thirsty and constantly disobeyed God, but He took care of them. Yeah, they were in a desert but He GAVE them food (they didn't even have to hunt for it, all they had to do was pick it up), He gave them water, He even supplied them with sandals that never wore out.

God is good. Yeah, we're broke again. But we are taken care of, and while I'm not going to presume to say what God does and does not do, some amazing things have happened in the last week. And there is nothing to do but to praise God for His goodness and mercy.

Bedtime Routines

I am probably the most unorganized mother ever conceived of.

I do things in a whirlwind. I wait until conditions are at their absolute worst and then I decide to do something.

So in the midst of all my FlyLady madness...I added some things to our kids bedtime routine that have made our evenings and mornings infinitely more peaceful.

1.  I started having them pick out and lay out their clothes for the next day...including socks and shoes. Okay, now I've always laid my kids clothes out, if they got laid out...which was a rarity. But I can't even tell you how much easier my life is. Now sure, somedays my five year old son goes to school in camo shorts with one orange and black pumpkin tube sock and one white ankle sock...but between the peace of not having to do it myself and the giggles I get when I see what they've chosen...it's a good situation.

2.  We divvied up the shower...Nathaniel, Lilla and Elisabeth at night and Caleb and Uriah in the morning. It's fast. It's easy. It ensures that everyone takes a shower every day and there's usually some hot water left. When you have a bazillion kids this is a concern.

3.  All of them are required, as part of their homework, to read for 20 minutes at home. So after all the bedtime chaos I've been having them all get their book and go and lay in their beds and read before going to sleep. I time them for 20 minutes and then ask them to find a stopping place and give them a few minutes to get there. Bedtime is so much easier and it's fun to see them getting into the habit. Because it's a good one, I think.

Sometimes I get stuck condemning myself for all of my shortcomings that I fail to see the good things that are happening and I have to stop and really thank God for all of the good things in my life. Because He is Good. And it's amazing and wonderful to stop and witness the evidences of His grace in my life!

Ten Years In

Do you know what the statistics are for couples who get married under the same circumstances that Michael and I did? I don't know either. But I know they're not good.

Someone actually told me, shortly before we got married, that Michael and I would be divorced within five years.

There is a lot of literature out there about how to deal with strong-willed people but sometimes being a strong-willed person has it's benefits.

So here we are, ten years in.

I'm not going to say it's been perfect. There have been a lot of moments that haven't even been good. I will tell you that we are the happiest we've ever been. I feel closer to Michael and we have more fun together than we've ever had before.

So, ten years in...what lessons have I learned?

Well, I've learned that whether or not I am happy is my choice and my responsibility.  If I'm not happy and my attitude stinks, it's not Michael's fault.

Michael is not only my husband, the father of my children, but also my brother in Christ. And all of the teachings that Christ did about how I should treat my neighbor...apply to my relationship with Michael.

TV shows, media and the world are not good measures of what a marriage should be. Their marriage advice comes from a worldly perspective, not a godly one. Be very careful about taking advice from them or modeling a relationship after them.

It is freeing to submit. This is probably my biggest issue.  Michael doesn't have to earn my respect or my submission. I submit to Michael because I love and trust God. He has my respect because of WHOSE he is, not who he is.

Prayer is more powerful than nagging.

God's plan is awesome. It works. It is so much better than the ones men come up with.

I suspect that at the end of the next ten years I'll still have learned the same lessons, but hopefully I'll be a little better at living them out.

Changes, Changes, Yummy Changes!

I love cooking from scratch. I love using fresh ingredients in their whole-est, most natural state I can get my hands on. I've even wanted to try my hand at canning. I love the idea of having a pantry full of yumminess that has been preserved at my hand.

Gradually I've tried to cut out canned and processed foods. This week...I learned to make my own pumpkin puree! Woohoo! One step closer to not being dependent on convenience foods!

 You might think I'm crazy, and there are a lot of details that I have to work out, but starting January 1st (I actually have a feeling it will be a gradual process between now and then) I plan to begin a year of working with the freshest, whole-est foods that I can get my hands on.

Does that mean making my own butter or buying it raw and as unprocessed as possible? Can I find a dairy farmer to purchase fresh milk from? What budget-ary adjustments will I have to make? Where can I purchase unprocessed grains to grind for flour? How do I start a compost pile, an herb garden and how big of a garden should I plant next year?

I don't know the answers to all of these things. I'm currently doing research. If you have any websites or advice please send them my way.

At this point I'm excited...and a little overwhelmed by the things I don't know.

There's a lot to be done...but I'm excited to see the results and enjoy the fruit of my labor! And see the difference a whole foods diet will make in the health and lifestyle of my family!

My first use of my fresh pumpkin puree!

My Love Affair With a Fruitstand

I drive through the gravel, come to a stop, take a deep breath and get out of the car.

Walking into the midst of our local fruit stand, for me, is like a drink of milk with a chocolate chip cookie. It's like fitting the last piece of a 1000 piece puzzle after you spent hours searching for the missing piece and then finally found it stuck to your behind. It's like the epidural taking effect in the midst of labor pains (although I wouldn't know what that feels like...I'm pretty sure I can imagine).

And I am sooooooooooooooooooo tempted to spend my entire grocery budget on pumpkins and apples (and all of the other produce, nuts and locally harvested honey and squashes).

I don't know, do you think my family could survive for two weeks on only pumpkins and apples?!

Have you ever noticed how utterly breathtaking apples are? Did you know that they are members of the rose family??

I'm pretty sure I would swoon if Michael ever showed up with a bouquet of apples. Or pumpkins. (ahem! Our anniversary is in 11 days...hint, hint!)

I'm the Mom...

whose daughter shares culinary tastes with bovines.
who frequently says things like "go eat your dinner!" when I really mean "go finish your homework!" 

 who after being stuck at home to conserve gas, finds it necessary to draw mustaches on everyone in the family and head to Target...
who gets momentarily mistaken for a bank robber
who hates homework
who daily has to apologize
whose stellar ability to block out deafening noise should probably be studied by NASA.
whose tooth fairy career has failed miserably
and who is blessed beyond measure.