Soul Surfer

A couple of months ago I went with the ladies in my Bible study to see the movie Soul Surfer. I have to admit I wasn't too sure about it going in. I had heard of Bethany Hamilton and what she had gone through but I didn't truly know her story.
 
I left the theater amazed. It was a really great movie and one of my first thoughts was "my girls need to see this movie." She is an inspiring girl and her story is amazing.

 For my birthday, my sister (knowing I am an avid reader) gave me the book, Soul Surfer. Once again, because I am slow like this, I thought "that's nice, but I saw the movie."
 
A couple of days later, my 10 year old daughter was looking for something to read. I think she has inherited my love of reading (squeal)! I gave her the book to read because I wanted her to be inspired and encouraged. She protested at first, because once again she's like me, and said "Mom, I know what happens ..." I told her I'd let her see the movie if she read the book. Little did she know that I was going to let her see it anyway - hee, hee!

She finished the book really quickly and seemed to like it. I briefly talked with her about it assuming the book was just like the movie. 
 
One day, I picked it up and looked through it a little and read Bethany's diary at the back about making the movie. I was really impressed. So I decided to read the whole book. 

Amazing! This girl is amazing! The book gave much more of her background and her personal thoughts on things that happened before, during, and after the attack. I don't want to give any of it away but I could go on and on. 
  
It is just so obvious that God had plans for this girl from the beginning. If it would have been anyone else, they most likely would not have survived. Her upbringing, her training, everything came together to keep her calm and alive through a horrific event.
 
Not only has Bethany survived but she has thrived. She has turned all of this into a huge testimony that is reaching so many people. "Being a top professional surfer would have brought me only a sliver of this recognition and probably only within the tight-knit surfing community." p. 171

I am so impressed with her morals, her kind heart, her love for Jesus. In a world where there are not enough role models, Bethany stands out. "I try not to make a big soap opera out of the shark attack.  I would rather focus on what God has allowed me to do in picking up the pieces of my old life and adjusting to parts that are new and different for me. Most of all, I want to use my story as a way to tell God's story. It seems like He has given me the attention of the world for a moment and I had better take advantage of it while I can." p. 160
 
It takes a lot to impress me and yet I am totally impressed by the character of Bethany Hamilton, at such a young age no less.
 
If I were her mother, I'd be over the top proud.
 
If you haven't seen the movie, see it (or buy it for goodness sake.) If you haven't read the book, read it. It will inspire you and give you hope that there are still amazing young role models for our kids in today's world.
 
I'm definitely going to have another conversation with my daughter about the book. I pray that she was as moved by it as I was. 

Fill 'er up!

Last night at church, the sermon was about the fruit of the spirit. There was something the speaker said that really got my attention.

He started by saying that he was looking to buy a truck. He has looked in the area and the trucks around here are rusty from the wear and tear of our winters. The undercarriage rusts and it spreads to other parts of the vehicle. When the gas tank gets rusty, it gets holes and then leaks fuel.

He said we can be like those vehicles. We get beat up and worn down by everyday life. Eventually we end up with holes in our gas tank and start leaking joy. Left long enough, we become completely without joy. We are sluggish and without energy. The life is sucked out of us.

In order to avoid this, every day we should be praying and asking God to refuel us and patch up our holes. Only He can fill us with joy and life.

I thought this was such a good way to think about this. I know as a mom, we can get worn down from the daily grind. We can feel that we are not accomplishing much from day to day. As a person, we can get beat up by the circumstances in our life. Financial difficulties, illness, unhealthy relationships, the list goes on. God never promised us an easy life but He did promise to go through it with us.

No matter how beaten up we get. No matter how much joy has leaked out of us. God will fill us with His joy and repair the holes and cracks. It may take a while to repair; and while those are being repaired, other cracks and holes are forming. So a daily fill up is necessary in order to keep us filled with joy.

The best part is that this is the one fill up that is free for everyone.

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:24

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

It's a not so secret secret that I have joined Weight Watchers. Since then, I have been trying to think up some healthier recipes, especially desserts.
I came up with this topping for a cake that is tasty and technically 0 points plus (when added to the cake, it bumps the total cake points up one point). A piece of cake (1/12th) is 5 points plus and worth every point.

Chocolate cake

1 box Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup applesauce
5 egg whites

Follow directions on back of box substituting the above ingredients for the ones suggested on the box. Reduce baking time by 1-2 minutes.

Raspberry Topping

.3 oz sugar free raspberry Jello
8 oz Cool Whip free
fresh raspberries

Mix together jello powder and Cool Whip while cake is baking. Refrigerate until cake is cool.
Frost cake with topping and garnish with fresh raspberries.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Over the weekend, I made this again using sugar free strawberry Jello and fresh strawberries. It was also very good.

This is a yummy, light dessert that everyone will enjoy.

How Can You Love Your Children Today?

Raising children is hard work and a lot of it! Sometimes I get so caught up with the work of parenting that I forget to actually enjoy my children or take time to give them what they need most - my attention.

I came across this on the iMOM website and thought it was a good reminder for those times when i'm preoccupied with "doing for" my children. I need to take time to "care for" them, as well.

*Leave the dishes in the sink and tuck them in bed.
*Turn your computer off and look at your children.
*Turn your phone off and listen to your children.
*Stop what you're doing and go sit by your children.
*Walk across the room and hug your children.
*Kiss them at the door when they get home.
*Never leave an argument without saying "I love you."
*When they ask you to play with them, say "yes," instead of "in a little while."
*Try to understand them; see the world through their eyes.
*Don't let a day go by without giving them a kind word.

-iMOM.com

7 Ways to Make Your House Smell Like Cinnamon Rolls

If you signed up with iMOM for Operation Summer 2011, you've probably been receiving daily emails as well. I received this email today and thought it was a good one to share. For more information and resources, I'll put the link at the bottom. 


What if every time your family walked into your house, they smelled cinnamon rolls baking! Obviously, that would keep you pretty busy in the kitchen, and pack a few pounds on everybody.  But consider this: what if your words and attitude left an aroma in your home? 

A house filled with tension, and mean or harsh words, would smell like rotten eggs. One filled with lifelessness and neutral words would smell like tea brewing.  But the house filled with love, and kind and encouraging words, would smell like cinnamon rolls baking. If you think about it that way, you can better picture how the tone we set, and what we say lingers in our home. 

Don’t you want that for your house, so that when your husband and children walk in they’re happy to be home?   We can help you make that happen, figuratively and literally!   Here are 7 ways to make your house smell like cinnamon rolls in a figurative sense, and a delicious recipe for simple cinnamon rolls you can not only smell, but eat too!

1. Fill it with love.  You can’t really taste or smell love, but you know when it’s there.  Tell your children you love them every chance you get.  Let them see you and your husband exchanging words of love and affection.  Let every action you take and every word you say first go through the filter of love.  That doesn’t mean we never say a harsh word or discipline our children; it does mean we let love be our motivator, even in those situations.

2. Fill it with kindness.  Kindness is love’s companion.  Look for ways to show kindness to your children, beyond the million or so things you do for them each day!  Praise them when you see them being kind.  Expect them to be kind to their siblings and have a zero-tolerance policy for unkindness.

3. Fill it with patience.  An impatient outburst is one of the fastest ways to go from the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls to the stinky smell of rotten eggs.  Remember that as the day gets longer, our patience usually gets shorter.  So prepare yourself to dig deep at dinner time and bed time when you want to snap at your kids and husband, and find a little bit more patience.

4. Fill it with fun.  A fun house is often a joyful house.  Try to break out of your mundane routines and inject fun into your day.  Play games together.  Tell jokes. Look for opportunities to laugh.

5. Fill it with forgiveness.  There is sweetness in forgiveness given freely.  Everybody makes mistakes.  When those mistakes are unforgiven; bitterness and shame fill the air.

6. Fill it with encouragement.  Encouragement gives our children the boost they need to take on new challenges and conquer them.  Encouragement makes our home a place where our children and husband can refuel to face the world.

7. Fill it with the smell of real cinnamon rolls baking!  Not much can compare to the aroma of freshly baking cinnamon rolls, bread, or a delicious dinner.  Here’s a super easy cinnamon roll recipe to fill your home with smells that will go straight to the stomach and the heart. 

Simple Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in refrigerator
Flour, for dusting surface
1/4 stick of butter, softened (butter the pans)

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened

Icing (optional)
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 16 by 7-inch rectangle.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Spread a stick of  softened butter over dough.

Evenly sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Press mixture with palm.

Roll up dough as for a jelly roll.

Cut roll into 14 slices and then set aside in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide rolls among 2 buttered round baking pans.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

This is where I usually stop, because we aren’t big frosting people. Continue on if you want to add the frosting.

While the rolls are baking, combine the icing ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Frost the warm rolls with the icing. Serve warm.

http://imom.com/mom-life/encouragement/7-ways-to-make-your-house-smell-like-cinnamon-rolls/

Change of Plans

Our June playdate is being completely changed.

We will be meeting at the zoo at 10:00 am on Friday, June 24.

Join us and bring a friend!

Being our Best

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be." 1 Corinthians 12:18

For most of life, I think we fight God. We keep trying to show Him what we were made for. We keep giving him better ideas. We keep working for something bigger and greater than anything He seems to have in mind. For many of us, by the time we are in mid-life, we feel we somehow have missed out on some of the great things we were born for. We fight with God over this.
God made me with special ideas in mind, but I wish I could have been in on the planning. My skin would have been more olive-colored, and flawless. My hair more coarse, with some curl in it. My shoulders broader. My eyes wider-spaced. I would have completely removed the lazy part in me that I have to fight with all the time.
I come to you, however, knowing God made me not to impress you. Not to be on book covers. Not to be an authority. Not to be perfect or a genius. Not to make a million dollars!
God made me to be uncomplicated in my faith. To watch children and kites and sunsets and rainbows and enjoy them. To take your hand regardless of who you are or how you look. To listen to you. To accept you right where you are. To love you unconditionally.
God made me to be real. To be honest. To be open. To never compare myself to you, but to strive to become my own best person. To have character and dignity.

-Ann Kiemel Anderson
Women's Devotional Bible

Orange Supreme Dream

Cheesy name, I know. I couldn't help myself.

I've been trying to make some healthier dessert options lately. Who says good to eat doesn't mean good (or better) for you?

On Sunday, I made Orange Supreme Dream. :) It was pretty tasty and only 5 points plus if you're a tracker. ;)


Duncan Hines is really good about putting low fat recipes on their cake boxes. A couple of weeks ago, I made a white cake using the low fat recipe. We topped it with fresh strawberries and a little lite whipped cream or cool whip. So yummy! You would never have guessed it was missing any of the fat.

Since then, I've been thinking of other cakes and things to make using the low fat recipe. When I saw the orange supreme cake mix, I couldn't resist.

Orange Supreme Dream

1 Orange Supreme cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup applesauce
3 eggs
fat free Cool Whip
mandarin oranges

Bake cake as directed except using the above ingredients and lessen bake time by 1-2 minutes.
Top with Cool Whip and mandarin oranges.
Enjoy!

Our Schedule

Because Mary asked, I figured I would show you our "schedule". I use that term loosely.

My disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not a schedule person. You may look at this and think That's ambitious or That's not ambitious enough or That is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. That's ok. This is what I think will work best for our family.

We have yet to follow it exactly. Will we ever? Maybe, one perfect day. Unfortunately, when you involve kids, you never know what to expect next. Some days it takes them two hours to finish breakfast; other days, ten minutes.

This is just a guide to get us through our days and add some structure to our lives. You'll notice I also snuck some chores in there. I picked times when their blood sugar levels were at their best hoping for positive results and not 100 I'm hungry's.

I think I've procrastinated long enough. Without further ado, I give you The Schedule:

7:15   Get up
7:30   Breakfast
          Clean up
8:00   Dress, get ready
          Make bed, chore
8:30   Play

9:30   Snack
          Clean up, chore
10:00 Play

11:00  Walk

11:45  Pick up, get ready for lunch
12:00  Lunch
            Clean up, chore
12:45  Get ready for nap/quiet time
1:00     Nap/quiet time

2:00      If older kids cooperated during quiet time, they can play outside while little ones (hopefully) continue to nap
3:00      Snack
             Clean up, chore
3:30      Story time
4:00      Play

5:00      Pick up, get ready for supper
5:30      Supper
             Clean up


8:00      Get ready for bed, 
             TV or stories 
9:00      BEDTIME

Note that this is our Summer schedule. All of the times labeled Play are basically free time to do what they want. In order to encourage them to do their clean up and chores quickly, Play usually comes right after. If they dilly dally, they are taking away from their free time.
It's not perfect but it'll work.
Hope you are having a fabulous summer vacation so far.

Father's Day Treats

Father's Day is this Sunday. I'm sure you were all aware of that fact; unlike Mother's Day which always seems to come as a shock to our men. ;)
Looking for a real manly treat to serve for Father's Day? Well, I've found a "cute" one for you. Once again, Family Fun has come up with another fun idea. I put the link to their website in the sidebar to the left.


Dress up a snack for Dad -- cheese and crackers in full Father's Day fashion.

Ingredients
Crackers (we used RyKrisp)
American cheese slices
Red or green bell pepper
Pepperoni
Scallions
Yellow mustard

Instructions
*For each shirt, top a cracker with a rectangle of cheese.
*Next, cut shirt details, such as a collar, pocket, tie, or button seam, out of cheese, peppers, or pepperoni.
*Use thinly sliced scallions or dots of yellow mustard for buttons.
For a fun presentation, wrap Dad's treat in a small jewelry box lined with waxed paper.

So fun, right? Make 'em, enjoy 'em! Have a Happy Father's Day!

A Good Reminder

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.Galatians 6:9

Schedules

Ok, so I'm not much of a schedule person. I'll just say that right away. My kids have never had scheduled feedings or naps or anything really. This has worked rather well for our family simply because my kids go with the flow (of our crazy life) and we're not chained to the house to accomodate their schedules.
With that being said, I also think that schedules can be helpful. I'm starting to see that. So, I've been working on putting together a summer schedule. It's been hard, folks! Not only am I trying to schedule my four kiddos but two days a week I watch 2 other little boys as well.
I'm convinced I can do this (in order to stay sane this summer) but it may take all summer to figure it out.
They all have such different needs and I have certain needs as well (like staying sane - have I mentioned that?). I put together a rough draft today. I know it will change. I also know that I won't stick to it every day because we like to get out of the house as much as we can. But, for those days that we are home, it's good to have a plan in place.
My goal for this summer (besides staying sane) is to get some help from my kids, teach them some responsibility, not waste away our days, and HAVE FUN!! Is that too much to ask?
What about you? Do you have a schedule? What kinds of things do you schedule?

June Playdate

Our June playdate will be on Monday, June 27 at 10:00 am at Grandview park on Grandview Blvd.
The kids can play at the park and if you'd like, bring a lunch and we'll picnic together. There is some nice shade at this park and fun playground equipment.
I find it easiest to park on the streets on either side of the park. I believe their names are Easy St and Pine St.
Let me know if you can join us!

Excitement

Today is my birthday (yay) ... and I'm excited!! Birthdays are exciting in themselves but I'm really excited about what I'm getting for my birthday. I bet you want to know what it is, right? It's going to be great. It's going to be memorable. It's going to be from my kids. Huh? Yeah, it's not a new iPad or expensive jewelry or _______ (fill in the blank). It's going to be the first time I receive my Mom Book!


What's a Mom Book you ask? Well, a couple of weeks ago I was looking through a Real Simple magazine and came across an article about a woman who started a tradition with her kids called a Mom Book. Every year on her birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas, any special occasion, her kids each fill out a page (or two or three) in a bound 8 1/2 x 11" book of blank paper. They write poems, draw pictures, write letters and they always sign and date their page. This idea just filled my heart with happiness. The author said her kids have never given her a card because this was their card to her. I love that! I would much rather receive some handmade love from my kids at ANY age.

So, being that my birthday was coming up, I ran to my neighborhood Wal-mart to find my Mom Book. I eventually settled on an artist sketch diary because it was filled with beautiful, sturdy, white blank pages.

I explained our new tradition to the kids and they were excited. They immediately confiscated it from me and I haven't seen it since. But TODAY is the day! I'm very excited to see what they have done. This is going to be such a precious book of memories that I will treasure always.

What traditions do you have or are going to start with your kiddos?

iMom Operation Summer 2011

Today is the last day of school for my girls. Boy, this year went fast. I am SO looking forward to summer vacation: living room campouts, long days by the pool, the potential to sleep in once in a while ... As excited as I am by the lack of scheduled activities, I'm also scared to death over the lack of scheduled activities. You know what I'm talking about.
So I was very interested to hear of a website called iMom and their Operation Summer 2011.

"Operation Summer is a free 8-week plan that gives you lots of ideas each week. Once you sign-up, we'll deliver the week's mission to your email inbox every Sunday. It is iMOM's plan to help you with your summer plan!"

Awesome, right? Who couldn't use some help thinking up ideas to keep the kiddos from boredom.
I just came upon this website so I'm not totally familiar with it yet but it looks like a great resource for moms with kids of all ages.
Check it out! You can sign up for Operation Summer 2011 while you are there. The link to the website is on the sidebar to the left. Let me know what you think.

Happy Summer Vacation!!

Banana Ice Cream

I came across this recipe recently and thought it was too good not to share. I've been trying to come up with healthier alternatives to delicious foods. What is more delicious than ice cream on a hot summer day? The calories and fat grams are no fun though.
To make banana ice cream, you need ... bananas. That's it, very ripe bananas.
Here's the official recipe:

*Cut up very ripe bananas and freeze them for a few hours.

*Put the frozen bananas in a food processor or blender. Blend until they are a creamy consistency.

*Enjoy!

You could also add toppings to make it more fun. Mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts turn it into a pretty good Chunky Monkey knock off. My kids just enjoyed it scooped into ice cream cones.

If you make a large batch, you can put the rest in a freezer safe container and scoop it out anytime you are in need of a cool treat!

Healthy, tasty - what's not to love?