Mommy Moments

…be putting on a cap and gown, walking across a stage and receiving my diploma. I would pause for a picture at the edge of the stage, then sit down and watch the rest of my class graduate. At the end of the ceremony we would all throw our caps into the air and congratulate each other on being done. There would be tearful goodbyes, hundreds of pictures taken and a feeling of the unknown future as we step into a new phase of life.

Today I watched my former class walk across the stage and receive their diplomas and celebrate the joy of being done with college. I sat in the audience next to my husband and with my son on my lap. I wouldn’t change where I am but there have been some bittersweet moments today.

On the whole, the event went well. I talked with one of my graduating friends beforehand and she was an encouragement. Her attitude was that the point of college was to learn not to get a degree. The only moment I really felt a pang of regret was when the alumni in the audience were asked to stand and given a round of applause. I’ll never be a part of that group.

I appreciated the speaker as well. He said, “Whatever career path you take, you’ll be a winner if you receive and embrace Jesus’ dream for you.” So I am receiving and embracing my calling as a mother and a wife. To be a help mate to my husband and to raise my child to know and love Jesus.

Tags: College, Raising Children

Normally I make a delicious easy red sauce for my enchiladas.

This week, I wanted a sour cream sauce.

I only used the sauce recipe from Homesick Texan’s site but it looks like she has many more yummy recipes and I plan on becoming a frequent visitor. (And all Homesick Texans should stick together right?) I also substituted flour tortillas instead of corn and it turned out delicious! My husband loves corn tortillas so I usually cook with them but even he said this meal was “really, really good!” He took the last of them for his lunch today, so I don’t have a picture for you.

For my chicken, I just throw it in the crockpot with some salsa on top. Rotel tomatoes work in a pinch if you are out of salsa. Shred the chicken when it’s done. Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of your pan. Roll up some chicken and monterey jack cheese in the tortillas, pour the remaining sauce on top, put the cheese on top and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I used about 2 cups cheese altogether.

The sauce did take a little bit longer to make than the red sauce I normally use but the taste was definitely worth it! Still a pretty easy recipe for busy moms out there.

Tags: Recipe, Texas

I was giving the stove a good scrub down today. Our burner covers (not sure what else to call them) are cast iron so I made sure to dry them throughly over heat to prevent rust.

I probably should not deal with extreme heat when sleepy. Cast iron gets very hot. I debated taking a nap when William did but we have company coming over tomorrow so I’ve really been working on cleaning the past few days. I was almost done with the stove and wanted to finish up…then maybe I would rest.

I still don’t know why I did it but I reached for one of the covers to put it back in place. The pot holder was right next to me on the counter; why didn’t I grab it? As my bare fingers closed around the hot iron I gasped and started running them under cold water.

Burned finger tips cause excruciating pain.  I kept them under the water for some time and then blew on them for awhile because it helped keep the pain away.

A nap was out of the question now due to the pain. Most housework would be impossible to do with only one hand.

My mind flipped back to small group time during Bible study this morning. I shared at my table that I was finding it really hard to have a daily quiet time with William around. He is starting to go through separation anxiety and is rather clingy. When he is happy (or napping) I have been seizing those moments to do some much-needed cleaning.

My priorities have been wrong. Yes, a clean house is nice, but time with God is essential. So I gathered up my Bible, a pen and my devotional book and sat down. After time in prayer and the Word, I came away feeling very refreshed.

Who knew that burned fingers could be such a blessing?

Picture courtesy of www.ChristArt.com

I bet I'll be tempted to do this someday

1. Sleeping all night and sleeping in are luxuries
2. There will be days you go through 6 outfit changes (3 for you and 3 for baby)
3. Your baby will crawl before you are ready for it
4. Once he crawls, he will find whatever miniscule speck you missed with the vacuum or broom. This speck will go straight to the mouth and get swallowed before you know what it is.
5. Daddies will give the baby all kinds of food, including cake and cheez-its.
6. Staying up late now means 10:00.
7. You plan grocery shopping around nap times.
8. Mommy’s glasses/hair/cell phone/keys/project for work/anything is infinitely more interesting than any and all toys.
9. Your child’s laughter is one of the sweetest sounds in the world. The only thing sweeter is hearing them saying “momma”.
10. You inevitably end up with the grocery cart missing it’s strap that helps keep your child somewhat contained and from grabbing for everything on the shelves.
11. Cuddle time is more important that a spotless house.
12. They will find a way to the power cord you thought you had sufficiently hidden.
13. The store clerk who notices your child and talks to them is suddenly your favorite.
14. Always remember to check the diaper bag before you leave to make sure you have everything you need.
15. Sometimes you have to let them cry themselves to sleep.
16. Turning on the camera or video camera is like hitting an off button on your child. They immediately cease to do whatever cute thing they were doing.
17. You can do more one-handed than you ever realized you could do.
18. You have a list of things you don’t dare do during nap time and a list of things you can only do during nap time.
19. When breastfeeding, you will avoid certain foods you love for the sake of your child.
20. The joys and rewards of parenting outweigh all the struggles and challenges it presents.

I could continue this list but I’d love to hear from you! What things would you put on a list of things learned from being a parent?

A friend comes to your door and gives you the news that your closest friend has suddenly died. You go numb as the news sinks into your brain. You don’t want to hear the details but a part of you needs to hear.  As the facts are related to you, you start to weep. For your friend. For yourself. For the pain you know your friend suffered. For the hopelessness you and your other friends now feel.

2,000 years ago this was a very real event for a group of people. Jesus Christ died the most horrible death and His followers were devastated. His physical pain was real and immense; whipped, thorns pressed in His scalp, forced to carry His cross and then nailed to that cross. Every breath He took would have been sheer agony.

In addition to the physical pain, Jesus was also bearing the sins of the whole world. As horrible as the physical pain sounds this spiritual pain was so much worse. I cannot even begin to describe what it would have been like. Our sins caused the Father to turn His back on His Son.

As awful as this is, it is where the good news starts to come in. Jesus took YOUR sins. He died for each and every one of them.

Three days go by. Jesus’ followers were grieving and they were concerned for their own lives. Then comes the most miraculous news: Jesus had come back to life! He had conquered death!

His death for our sins would have been nothing without overcoming death. He paid the price that none of us ever could. He was our perfect sacrifice and our ultimate sacrifice. The power of the cross is a great and wonderful thing. Have a blessed Easter!

Tags: Easter, Getty

Well, I haven’t posted anything on here in awhile. Life has been very busy lately. When I’m this busy, things get let go, and the first thing to get neglected was this blog. Of course, I’m always a perfect housekeeper and NEVER let my dishes pile up, the laundry go unwashed and NEVER NEVER pick up frozen pizza 2 times in one week because I don’t have time to prepare a home-cooked meal.

Most of you know that I am a mommy but I am also a missionary with Child Evangelism Fellowship®. What is CEF about? One of CEF’s main goals is to evangelize boys and girls with the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the ways we accomplish that goal is through Good News Clubs®. Good News Clubs meet once a week and the great thing is most of them are held as after-school programs in the public schools! It has been a tremendous way to reach many children.

Here in the Chicago chapter, we have Good News Clubs® meeting in about 35 schools. We recently held a training for the volunteers that teach in the Good News Clubs®. That’s right. People volunteer their time to teach the children in the schools. You can too, if you want, the work is great and the rewards are eternal!

I started volunteering with CEF at the age of 17 and God then led me to work with this ministry full-time.  I love what I do but I’ve realized lately how hard it is to be a mother and work. Now I know that all moms work (and work hard!) just not all moms also work outside the home.I’ve really been blessed because I get to bring William to the office with me…which works great on some days and not so great on other days. I just find it hard to balance keeping up the house, cooking, watching William and keeping up with CEF.

Also, in the past 2 weeks William has started crawling and pulling up on things. It’s an exciting time but it means I have to watch him closer than ever before…which means I find it even harder to get everything done.

How about the other working moms out there? Do you get overwhelmed? Do you have any tips on this juggling act of being a working mom?

A challenging balancing act

It’s amazing how much something simple like a new haircut can boost a mom’s spirits. I’ve been wanting to get my haircut for awhile but we’ve really been pinching pennies since my husband didn’t have a permanent job for several months.

Between the haircut and some new clothes recently from Goodwill and Kohl’s clearance rack, I’m feeling pretty spoiled lately.

Cute and easy to style

My friend Joy encouraged me through her blog to start menu planning months ago. I’ve only done it sporadically but when I have it has made my life so much easier. No scrambling mid-afternoon to figure out a meal and I don’t start cooking only to realize I’m missing some key ingredient. Also, I use all my groceries more efficiently this way and things don’t go bad; which is very important when living on a budget.

So this morning I planned out meals for the whole week and then made my shopping list. Hopefully I can keep this up for more than a week or two.

Here are the meals I have planned for this week:

• Sunday- Chicken, spinach and mushroom lasagna
• Monday- Pasta and meat sauce and green beans
• Tuesday- Roast beef, potatoes and salad
• Wednesday- Tuna patties and peas
• Thursday- Chicken, spinach and mashed potatoes
• Friday- Chicken stroganoff and squash
• Saturday- leftovers
  

  A cute apron makes cooking so much more enjoyable

Sweet potato poop. That’s what I found in my son’s diaper this morning. Oh, the joys of mothering. Starting him on solids has definitely made diaper changes more, um, interesting.

In other news, both bottom teeth have poked through.  If you look closely you can see them in this picture:

Toothy grin

Thankfully, he has only bit me once and he received a light thump to his cheek to get him to let go, along with a stern no. The “experts” say a baby at this age is too young to understand the word “no” and I laugh at them. Since he has been getting more mobile this past month my husband and I have been using the word no more often, as he gets into things he shouldn’t have. He may not fully understand the meaning but it’s not too early to start teaching him.

William is an expert at crawling backwards. He’ll back up into a piece of furniture or under a chair and then look at you and cry because he can’t go any further. He still only occasionally crawls a step or two forward but I know that sometime in the near future he’s just going to take off. I’m excited about the new phase but I do miss the days when I could leave the room for a bit and know he would still be in the same place when I came back.

Backwards crawler

Stuck under the chair

And to my readers, no, I did not forget about Fit Friday last week. My best friend, Krista, was in town. We haven’t seen each other since she was maid of honor at my wedding, a year and a half ago.

My beautiful Maid of Honor

Spending time with her was more important to me than getting a blog post out. It was so good to see her again…now I just have to get her to move up here.

Best friends

We spent the week walking all over Chicago and various museums, so I definitely got a workout in. The exciting news is that I when I stepped on the scale this morning I weighed 139.8! YAY! Let’s keep the weight loss coming.

But for now, I must go, because William just went down for his morning nap which means it’s time for me to get busy cleaning.

Tags: experts, sweet potato