For some time I have become too complacent in my relationship with Christ. I go through the motions: church on Sundays, prayers before all meals, prayers with Kadyn before bedtime, reading at least one chapter a day in my bible and praying afterwards, small group with church friends on Wednesday nights. I just have been uninspired through it all and feeling as though I really need to change something to get on fire instead of being "lukewarm" which scripture so often warns about. I was not growing and I knew it.
I decided to find a group online that perhaps could offer some daily devotionals so I could get a different take on scriptures rather than just trying to get my own take on them from my daily readings. I did this online because my most productive personal time with God comes during the kid's naptimes and when I can't leave the house. Since it's not in the beginning of the day or the end of the day, I am alert,attentive, and clear in mind. I could never have imagined how that search for a devotional group could grow into so much more. On my cafemom website, which I speak of often, I found such a group of ladies, and a prophecy group, and a christian marriage group. All of them have there own unique subject matters that are relavent to me and in which I find interest at this point in my life. I joined all three. I now do my daily devotions online.
One of the ladies in particular recommended a website to me which I found particularly inspiring. I will post the link at the bottom of this entry. It was a man's dialogue (prayers) with God. In other words, he published online his conversations with God. It was so striking to read what God may have said to this man. I say "may have" because no one could know for sure if this man is just making it up, or if indeed this is the voice of God talking to this man that he is sharing with the world. But, none the less, I enjoy reading them and it has sparked so many more meaningful conversations of my own with God in a similar format.
For most of my life I have enjoyed writing which may be apparent due to the fact that my blogs are so lengthy. Typing is soooo easy for me that I can get carried away. Somehow words just flow out of me when I type so easily. So I decided to start praying through my writing; a prayer journal on my computer if you will. It is almost easier for me to type a prayer rather than say it outloud. I feel better spoken. I love that fact that I can go back and reference what I was feeling at that time and see if God has truly given me answers to those requests or questions that I had after some time has passed. It has created a new spiritual growth in me and although it has just begun but only a week or two ago, I'm beginning to wonder if it may just stick for quite awhile. It has been refreshing to say the least.
So if any of you are in a lull, give these conversations with God a look see. Maybe you can find some of the same inspiration I have found. Here is the link:
http://www.findthepower.com/conversations/conversation4.htm
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Things I really miss during the last trimester.
1. Holding my daughter close without my belly getting in the way
2. My energy
3. The ability to bend over and breath at the same time
4. Rolling over in bed with little effort
5. Sleeping in a bed instead of a couch
6. Not feeling overly stuffed every time I eat
7. Not feeling like I have to pee every hour
8. Walking with both legs together instead of waddling
9. Breathing normal instead of feeling like I just ran a marathon
10. Not having to put lotion on every square inch of my body
2. My energy
3. The ability to bend over and breath at the same time
4. Rolling over in bed with little effort
5. Sleeping in a bed instead of a couch
6. Not feeling overly stuffed every time I eat
7. Not feeling like I have to pee every hour
8. Walking with both legs together instead of waddling
9. Breathing normal instead of feeling like I just ran a marathon
10. Not having to put lotion on every square inch of my body
Monday, October 6, 2008
Diabetic and still yummy!
OK I just tried out another diabetic recipe on me and the kids and it was a hit. I loved it! Fairly easy and great way to sneak some veggies in without kids noticing. For those of you who like new recipes that have been tested and given a stamp of approval, here's one for you. Also, I did alter it a bit and I put in parenthesis the parts I altered. Enjoy!
Ham and Potato Frittata
buttered flavored cooking spray (i used canola spray)
3/4 cup finely chopped reduced fat, 33% less sodium cooked ham (I just used those tiny cubed ham pieces you buy and put in salads)
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cups frozen country style hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (8 oz) carton egg substitute (I couldn't find this so I picked up a carton of pure egg whites
1/3 cup reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used regular and increased the quantity to make it more appealing to the kids)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add ham and bell pepper; saute 3 minutes. Add potatoes and next 3 ingredients; saute 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add egg substitute; stir gently. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until nearly set. Place pan in oven and bake at 450 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes or until set Sprinkle with cheese while frittata is hot.
I put cheese on before I put in oven and just baked until cheese had melted and hardened a little bit. I also doubled the recipe so we would have left overs and increased cooking time on every step because of that. The kids LOVED it! That's great considering it had green onions and bell peppers in it. Salsa on top also makes it so yummy!
Let me know if you try it and like it! It's a keeper for us.
Hope you're having a good day.
Ham and Potato Frittata
buttered flavored cooking spray (i used canola spray)
3/4 cup finely chopped reduced fat, 33% less sodium cooked ham (I just used those tiny cubed ham pieces you buy and put in salads)
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cups frozen country style hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (8 oz) carton egg substitute (I couldn't find this so I picked up a carton of pure egg whites
1/3 cup reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used regular and increased the quantity to make it more appealing to the kids)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add ham and bell pepper; saute 3 minutes. Add potatoes and next 3 ingredients; saute 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add egg substitute; stir gently. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until nearly set. Place pan in oven and bake at 450 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes or until set Sprinkle with cheese while frittata is hot.
I put cheese on before I put in oven and just baked until cheese had melted and hardened a little bit. I also doubled the recipe so we would have left overs and increased cooking time on every step because of that. The kids LOVED it! That's great considering it had green onions and bell peppers in it. Salsa on top also makes it so yummy!
Let me know if you try it and like it! It's a keeper for us.
Hope you're having a good day.
Her lack of patience gives me the same thing
Lately Kadyn has really been testing my patience through her own lack of patience. Seems our sassy phase is phasing out (although she has an episode or two from time to time) and we are starting a new phase that means a more demanding less patient Kadyn. It usually happens during anytime she is at the table eating. If she wants a drink, she wants it now! If she is done, she is done now and wants cleaned now! She insists on repeating herself over and over and over and over again as if I didnt' hear her the first time. She seems to have ear plugs in when I tell her I will get to her in just a minute.
Granted I probably am part to blame because sometimes I'll tell her just a minute and then get caught up cleaning this or that and she just sits there waiting on me. But lately, it's getting to the point where something needs to be done. Patience is hard for me as a 31 year old, I can only imagine how hard it is going to be for Kadyn to learn it. So this week my goal is to crack down on her about being so demanding and her lack of patience. There will be an increase in time outs, for sure and it will be a lot of work for me to go back and the forth from her chair to her room for time outs and of course a lot of explanations and sorrys that will need to be said, but I'm hoping if I'm persistent I will see some improvement by the end of the week. Seems this is how every phase goes. We have a whole week of exhausting corrections and then the behaviors start to improve.
Of course, I need to work on my patience if I am going to expect her to be patient too. So this week I dedicate to patience. Sweet Lord help me exercise it myself and instill this value in my child. I'm going to need your help!
Granted I probably am part to blame because sometimes I'll tell her just a minute and then get caught up cleaning this or that and she just sits there waiting on me. But lately, it's getting to the point where something needs to be done. Patience is hard for me as a 31 year old, I can only imagine how hard it is going to be for Kadyn to learn it. So this week my goal is to crack down on her about being so demanding and her lack of patience. There will be an increase in time outs, for sure and it will be a lot of work for me to go back and the forth from her chair to her room for time outs and of course a lot of explanations and sorrys that will need to be said, but I'm hoping if I'm persistent I will see some improvement by the end of the week. Seems this is how every phase goes. We have a whole week of exhausting corrections and then the behaviors start to improve.
Of course, I need to work on my patience if I am going to expect her to be patient too. So this week I dedicate to patience. Sweet Lord help me exercise it myself and instill this value in my child. I'm going to need your help!
The power of a nilla wafer
Since I have been on a health kick lately, it seemed only appropriate to put the kids on one too. I have really tried to stay away from processed fruit cups and try to make them eat a lot of fresh fruits. The have not cared for the textures of these unprocessed foods and skins on them too. One day after trying to get them to eat an orange I decided to bargain with nilla wafers. I told them if they ate all their orange they would get 3 nilla wafers. Kadyn, eager to get her reward, tried to swallow a piece of orange without chewing. I think it became stringy in her throat and made her puke. She thought that would get her out of eating the rest of her orange and then she would get her lovely prize afterwards. WRONG! I simply cleaned her up, changed her clothes, and told her she needed to chew them better and eat them all and then she would get her cookies. She did it! She ate the rest and got her lovely prize. Liam did the same. Today was our second attempt at oranges, and there was no puking. They still didn't care much for them but snarfed them down for the lovely nilla wafers. I'm hoping eventually they'll get over the texture and skin phobia and eventually learn the love the fresh fruits so someday......maybe we won't need nilla wafers.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
What a trooper!
Kadyn got her first of two flu shots today. Jeff's office was giving them out to the employees and their families. I couldn't get one because my OBGYN said it had to be preservative free, and it wasn't. Asked the nurse about that and she said it had something to do with a suspected link between the shot and autism. For this reason, many pediatricians don't give it to children under 3, unless it has no preservatives. It is new research, but they can't prove it yet. She said we all got vaccinated with preservatives as children. Based on what she said, I opted to go ahead and let Kadyn have one anyways. Besides, every place I called when I got home didn't offer them without preservatives anyways. And I digress.
The point of this blog was to tell you about my little trooper. I warned Kadyn that it may hurt a little but not for long, and it would help her from getting sick. She actually seemed excited about it. When she got it, she only let out one little whine, and that was it. She did so amazingly well. On the way out the door she said, "Where's my shot?" I don't think she realized that was it. I think she thought it would be a little more tangible. I had to explan that it was in her body now. She then exclaimed that she wanted to show her friend "Gilly" her shot and bandaid. She also asked if she could get one in her other leg. I suppose, little one, I can make that possible in another month. Like a said, what a trooper.
The point of this blog was to tell you about my little trooper. I warned Kadyn that it may hurt a little but not for long, and it would help her from getting sick. She actually seemed excited about it. When she got it, she only let out one little whine, and that was it. She did so amazingly well. On the way out the door she said, "Where's my shot?" I don't think she realized that was it. I think she thought it would be a little more tangible. I had to explan that it was in her body now. She then exclaimed that she wanted to show her friend "Gilly" her shot and bandaid. She also asked if she could get one in her other leg. I suppose, little one, I can make that possible in another month. Like a said, what a trooper.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The "Manfest"
Jeff would probably kill me for posting this but I thought it was so funny and adorable I had to post. Besides, I have a feeling I really only have two female readers anyways. The only danger is if a man reads this. So here goes.
Jeff got roped into attending a "manfest" this weekend hosted by our church. How? They want him to play drums. Yesterday he came home announcing that he was expected to spend the night on the floor in a sleeping bag. Apparently the 'manfest' is an overnighter. As if a bunch of grown man sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags at a church isn't funny enough, I got to thinking and asked him which sleeping bag he was going to use. We only have two sleeping bags. One of them is Kadyn's pink sleeping bag and the other is a toddler "cars the movie" sleeping bag. Obviously he had to pick the pink one because it is the only one he will fit in. He's got to be the only man there who will bring a pink sleeping bag. I suppose it's his way to proudly announce he's the only man in our house of girls and proud of it. Maybe he'll get lucky and meet another poor soul who comes in a pink sleeping bag. I'm sure that would be a bonding experience for them.
I love my man so much and can't be more proud of him for being comfortable enough with his manhood to sleep in his daughter's pink sleeping bag as if to say, "Yes, I live in a house of women and proud of it!"
I love you Jeff! You are so adorable sometimes!
Jeff got roped into attending a "manfest" this weekend hosted by our church. How? They want him to play drums. Yesterday he came home announcing that he was expected to spend the night on the floor in a sleeping bag. Apparently the 'manfest' is an overnighter. As if a bunch of grown man sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags at a church isn't funny enough, I got to thinking and asked him which sleeping bag he was going to use. We only have two sleeping bags. One of them is Kadyn's pink sleeping bag and the other is a toddler "cars the movie" sleeping bag. Obviously he had to pick the pink one because it is the only one he will fit in. He's got to be the only man there who will bring a pink sleeping bag. I suppose it's his way to proudly announce he's the only man in our house of girls and proud of it. Maybe he'll get lucky and meet another poor soul who comes in a pink sleeping bag. I'm sure that would be a bonding experience for them.
I love my man so much and can't be more proud of him for being comfortable enough with his manhood to sleep in his daughter's pink sleeping bag as if to say, "Yes, I live in a house of women and proud of it!"
I love you Jeff! You are so adorable sometimes!
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