Wow. It's been a long day but also fun because I am anxiously awaiting Jenna's 5th Birthday surprise party tomorrow! Last night I went and got my hair done, and then I was planning on running errands for party prep. afterward. Unfortunately while I was at the salon a monsoon came through. With a trash bag over my newly highlighted and straightened hair, I made my way to the car and then drove 40 mph on the Interstate home. I knew it would be a long day ahead today since it started with Jenna throwing a fit about what shoes she wanted to wear to take her birthday pictures at JC Penney (LOVE their coupons btw). Of course she wanted to wear the ones that didn't match her dress whatsoever, and I had to resort to pulling the car out of the garage without her to make her hurry up and change them herself. By the time we got their the pink cheeks and tears had subsided, and she got some cute pictures in the end. She got to choose what we had for breakfast (waffles and yogurt) and where we got lunch after pictures (McDonalds). By the time lunch was over we were all due for a good nap. Success! Ava was my alarm clock at 3:30, we were expecting Lance home around 4, then we all ventured out to Red Robin for Jenna's birthday dinner. Jenna took a great nap and was the last one up before we left. This time she did get to choose the clunky purple crocs to wear with her dress :) We had a pretty good dinner, which including the waitresses singing to Jenna with her sundae, and Red Robin balloons that Ava managed to let go while getting strapped into her car seat, and Jenna let hers go in Target after that. Since I wouldn't be able to run my errands and conceal any party things during the day with all the kids, I had to manage while we were all together tonight. So I dropped Lance, Jenna and Jared off at Target to get a new movie, and I took Ava to Party City.
Now, Ava is very conversational, so I knew better than to even mention the words "Jenna" and "party" to her, or she would give it away in a second. So I told her we were getting birthday stuff for Jenna. Jenna has mentioned a party over the last couple weeks, and she is very inquisitive. I think she's on to me. The idea of a surprise party came from her MONTHS ago, so I tucked it away never to be mentioned again. One night last week she said, "For my birthday I want to go in my room when my friends come, and then I'll come out, and they can yell 'Surprise!'" I said next to nothing in response. Today I really tried to play up that our going to get pictures taken, going out to dinner and getting a balloon were our celebration of her birthday. And then tonight as the sun was setting, and clearly the day was done, she says with a sad voice, "When are my friends going to come for my birthday?" Just rip my heart out why don't you. Well, after I took Ava to Party City, I met back up with Lance, ran into Target to get a few other things, and Jenna asks, "What store did you go to?" Me: "It's a supply store." Jenna: "Yeah, but what's the name of it?" Me: "I just had to get cups n'stuff." Plus, Lance plopped Jared's stroller on top of the bag with the party stuff, including the pinata. I made a comment about it, which of course prompted Jenna to turn around and look in the back of the van. "Did Daddy get a pinata??!!" I replied, "Turn around" and quickly got in the car. At this point it's about 7:45, Jared's cranky, but we still need to stop at Costco. Yes I am a procrastinator. Again I just took Ava in with me, and when I started loading the van up Jenna noticed the two bowls of fruit salad and asks "Is someone coming over to eat that?" To which I said NOTHING. When we finally got home Jenna asked if she could wear her dress again with her PURPLE shoes when she's 6 and mentioned having a party for her birthday. As far as she knows, her and daddy are having special time to go hang out tomorrow morning while I prepare the house.
I am so glad they are all in bed now. All her questions are wearing me down. How can I feel bad and so gitty at the same time? Heehee. I can't wait!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
I can feel my temperature rising...
My mom went out for herself tonight, and Lance was planning to meet up with a friend at 7, so we managed to get the girls ready before he left. We shoot for 7 p.m. bed time, but that usually turns into 7:30-7:45. Tonight we got them in bed at 6:45! Lance put Jared in his Jumperoo, was ready to walk out the door, and cue Jared spitting up some of his dinner on his hands while jumping. So, Lance proceeds to leave :) I could sense this was just the beginning. Jared's lucky to get a bath once a week, he was due for one, and I didn't want him to be stinky of course, so I left him in the Jumperoo while I got his bath ready. I could hear the girls laughing, chatting, sometimes yelling, but I had to get his bath done. He also took a really short afternoon nap, so I was banking on him going to bed early too. I can normally handle the girls' chatting, but for some reason, tonight I had to work extra hard on containing the momwolf.
Giving Jared a bath was actually calming for me, but while getting him ready for bed I must have gone into the girls' room 2 or 3 times trying to convince them (mainly Jenna) to lay down and stay in bed. So far, after the "reasoning" techniques, Jenna doesn't get the computer, they don't get any cartoons, and no treats tomorrow. I actually did say that they won't get to go outside, but I might re-nig on that one or I'll go stir-crazy :) It was time to give Jared his bottle. Aside from knowing the girls weren't calming down anytime soon, as I was feeding Jared I saw was a little girl come on the porch and start playing with the kids' chalk! First thought, who lets their kid do that, are they just walking down the street? Is this a new girl who wants to play with Jenna? She rings the doorbell, so I have to stop feeding Jared. Thankfully he didn't fuss like I thought he would, but as soon as I answered the door I heard Jenna run out to see who it was and yell at her to get back in bed. Alas, it was a tree guy we called earlier giving us an estimate on trimming. Fine. So I went back to feeding Jared.
Now, one of the worst patience-testers for me is not being able to interject with Jenna and Ava because I'm feeding Jared and rendered immobile. If I put him down he'd be hysterical. So I have to just sit...and listen...to Jenna running, jumping, instigating...to Ava crying...or just laughing and encouraging Jenna. I know that yelling back to them will have to affect whatsoever. I went in a couple more times after I fed Jared, and just when I thought they were calming down, Jenna roars out with a monster noise resulting in Ava crying. They calm down, a couple minutes later, the same thing.
I was just talking to a friend the other day about how original nursery rhymes are kind of disturbing...Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, but I have to admit that I can now relate to the end of "There was an old lady who lived in a shoe...she whipped them all soundly and put them to bed." In tonight's case, this applied to Jenna, and she is currently in my bed. It's 8:15, the last hour has felt like an eternity, but they are all quiet, and I think my heartrate is returning to normal. I'm not putting this on my mom and Lance of course, but I have been spoiled with her here to help. I need to get back on my game. I wish I still had some Costco cheesecake to drown my frustration and exhaustion in.
Giving Jared a bath was actually calming for me, but while getting him ready for bed I must have gone into the girls' room 2 or 3 times trying to convince them (mainly Jenna) to lay down and stay in bed. So far, after the "reasoning" techniques, Jenna doesn't get the computer, they don't get any cartoons, and no treats tomorrow. I actually did say that they won't get to go outside, but I might re-nig on that one or I'll go stir-crazy :) It was time to give Jared his bottle. Aside from knowing the girls weren't calming down anytime soon, as I was feeding Jared I saw was a little girl come on the porch and start playing with the kids' chalk! First thought, who lets their kid do that, are they just walking down the street? Is this a new girl who wants to play with Jenna? She rings the doorbell, so I have to stop feeding Jared. Thankfully he didn't fuss like I thought he would, but as soon as I answered the door I heard Jenna run out to see who it was and yell at her to get back in bed. Alas, it was a tree guy we called earlier giving us an estimate on trimming. Fine. So I went back to feeding Jared.
Now, one of the worst patience-testers for me is not being able to interject with Jenna and Ava because I'm feeding Jared and rendered immobile. If I put him down he'd be hysterical. So I have to just sit...and listen...to Jenna running, jumping, instigating...to Ava crying...or just laughing and encouraging Jenna. I know that yelling back to them will have to affect whatsoever. I went in a couple more times after I fed Jared, and just when I thought they were calming down, Jenna roars out with a monster noise resulting in Ava crying. They calm down, a couple minutes later, the same thing.
I was just talking to a friend the other day about how original nursery rhymes are kind of disturbing...Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, but I have to admit that I can now relate to the end of "There was an old lady who lived in a shoe...she whipped them all soundly and put them to bed." In tonight's case, this applied to Jenna, and she is currently in my bed. It's 8:15, the last hour has felt like an eternity, but they are all quiet, and I think my heartrate is returning to normal. I'm not putting this on my mom and Lance of course, but I have been spoiled with her here to help. I need to get back on my game. I wish I still had some Costco cheesecake to drown my frustration and exhaustion in.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Baby corn
Judge as you will LOL...we were all sitting down to dinner, Jared just had a bottle, so he was just scooting around the living room waiting for his turn to eat. But he soon realized what we were doing and made his way under the kitchen table to shovel in as much rice and corn that was falling on the floor that he could. My response, well he's getting his dinner early. We all could not help but laugh at how he just stayed under the table waiting for Ava to drop her food. She also caught on and began intentionally "feeding" him. In my defense the floor was just cleaned and it was hilarious! Now, I am quick to take things out of his mouth as he's picking up random things he finds on the floor. So it's not that I don't care at all, but stuff like that would never fly with baby Jenna. Oh how things change :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
You got me wrapped around your finger...
For a child who wanted nothing more than to be put down and left alone as an infant has done a complete 180 in the last couple weeks, and especially in that last two nights. The only times Ava wants to cuddle are (1) when she's hurt, but even that is short-lived because she just wants immediate consolation and then to be put down; and (2) when she is teething. I usually know when Ava is teething because it is the only time she refuses to go to sleep in her crib and screams and cries in pure agony for mommy or daddy. It is especially worse when she hears us still walking around or the TV on. If this is the case, she must be held (cuddled) on the couch and stay up watching TV with us until we go to bed. It's also usually the cause of her crying in the car. Granted, it was past nap time today, but normally she'd just fall asleep. Inconsolable crying and tired. She did go down for her nap pretty well, though. Waking up didn't go so well, though.
Just to back track a little, with Jenna I was the biggest stickler about keeping her in her own crib/bed. But Jenna was also a HUGE cuddler and loved to be rocked, which sometimes we would do for over an hour to calm her down when she was teething. I would go through the routine of rocking her, but as soon as she got put in her crib would start screaming again. I would rather fall asleep on the floor next to her crib (and sneak out later) than allow her to sleep in our bed. A habit I was sure would never be broken if I started it. It wasn't until she was 3 and had scary dreams we would even consider it. She knows pretty well now that there are only certain times when she can sleep in our room. For example, when Lance is out of town, if she is really scared about something, or when I want her to take a rest without disturbing Ava's nap.
Now, in the case of the crying baby, it is much easier to let a kid "cry it out" when there is only ONE. However, adding more babies to the brood has made us pop up after no more than 5 minutes of crying so the others don't wake up. We'd rather spoil them than disturb the others and create even more frustration for ourselves and them. On more than one occassion Jenna has yelled out for us to come get Ava because she was crying. When Ava had her own room there were times I'd lay on the floor and sneak out, but as she has grown, so has her volume, vocabulary and dramatization. To me, there is nothing more heart-wrenching that my child screaming and crying out my name, but sometimes it's hard to differentiate if the child really needs something worth going to them for, or if they just don't want to go to sleep. Like I said, I can usually tell with Ava that it would be teething, so I am hoping that it's her 2-year molars coming early!
So many things about the way we parent changes as we have more kids. Things that no one can really tell you or that you'll think is "acceptable." I was so protective of Jenna, did everything for her, watched her every minute, and was so focused on routines. In some areas I am reaping the result of that control...in a toddler who whines when asked to do certain things herself or doesn't even want to try, and would rather hold herself than use the potty (that I forced her into before she was ready). She is getting more independent each day now, and some of things have given us good results. She loves organization, and she knows the way we do things in our house (and will remind people if they tell her to do something differently, ie. grandparents). When Ava came along, I quickly learned that I must be more flexible, allow her to do things herself and just not stress so much over little things, especially since I still had to keep order with Jenna testing her limits and my patience. Ava is naturally independent anyway. It is a great blessing but also makes it easier to let her play by herself, which she is content with. I have to be intentional with giving her attention, especially because with Jared as the baby, he gets TONS. He isn't standing or doing as much independently like Ava did. He's more on Jenna's track of development, which I actually love because I can baby him that much more :) He also got some spoiling in letting him sleep with us until I really wanted to let him go in his own crib.
Ava is one smart cookie. On one side, I do think that she sincerely just wants to be cuddled and held when she is teething, and "wants her mommy". But I am equally convinced that she is taking full advantage to get my undivided attention. Case in point the last two nights...
Wednesday night Lance and I took Jenna to church with us, leaving Jared and Ava with my mom to get them ready for bed. Jared goes down easily and wonderfully (though he is just barely teething, so that could be short-lived). Ava, on the other hand, had no intention of going to sleep. My mom tried to put her down for bed, but she would just yell and cry "Mommy, daddy, Jenna, church, BWAHHHHH). So when we got home we found Jared asleep in his room and Ava out on the couch snuggled on Grandma's lap. We made another attempt to put her down at the same time as Jenna. No such luck. So she got to sit out on the couch with me until around 10. I made another attempt at putting her down, and she was not having it. The solution...OUR BED...but only when I was ready to lay down too. She woke up with Lance around 6, I was not having that, Jenna was waking up too, so I put her in her crib and they went back to sleep for 2 hours! Little stinkers :)
Thursday night we all went through the regular routine, the girls got a bath, pjs, teeth brushed, each got to pick a book out and we sat together on their floor. By 7:15 or so they were both quiet and going to sleep. SUCCESS! Or not, cue Ava waking up crying around 9:30. The only thing that would console her, ME holding her on the couch...not Lance, not letting her lay down across the couch, not laying in our bed with just Lance, nothing! Even when Lance was holding her and I decided I should go to bed, if I got out of her sight she screamed. She did actually sleep all night and got up at 7.
What the heck am I going to do now? Is she actually teething, and in that case, with this pass? How long? Or am I starting an endless spoiled cycle of sleeping in our bed. Like I said, I'm pretty good about sensing what's going on with the babies, their crying and needs, but with my mom-guilt of worrying that my middle child isn't getting enough attention and the oh-so-intuitiveness of this toddler, I find myself tightly wrapped around one little tiny finger...and love her for it.
Just to back track a little, with Jenna I was the biggest stickler about keeping her in her own crib/bed. But Jenna was also a HUGE cuddler and loved to be rocked, which sometimes we would do for over an hour to calm her down when she was teething. I would go through the routine of rocking her, but as soon as she got put in her crib would start screaming again. I would rather fall asleep on the floor next to her crib (and sneak out later) than allow her to sleep in our bed. A habit I was sure would never be broken if I started it. It wasn't until she was 3 and had scary dreams we would even consider it. She knows pretty well now that there are only certain times when she can sleep in our room. For example, when Lance is out of town, if she is really scared about something, or when I want her to take a rest without disturbing Ava's nap.
Now, in the case of the crying baby, it is much easier to let a kid "cry it out" when there is only ONE. However, adding more babies to the brood has made us pop up after no more than 5 minutes of crying so the others don't wake up. We'd rather spoil them than disturb the others and create even more frustration for ourselves and them. On more than one occassion Jenna has yelled out for us to come get Ava because she was crying. When Ava had her own room there were times I'd lay on the floor and sneak out, but as she has grown, so has her volume, vocabulary and dramatization. To me, there is nothing more heart-wrenching that my child screaming and crying out my name, but sometimes it's hard to differentiate if the child really needs something worth going to them for, or if they just don't want to go to sleep. Like I said, I can usually tell with Ava that it would be teething, so I am hoping that it's her 2-year molars coming early!
So many things about the way we parent changes as we have more kids. Things that no one can really tell you or that you'll think is "acceptable." I was so protective of Jenna, did everything for her, watched her every minute, and was so focused on routines. In some areas I am reaping the result of that control...in a toddler who whines when asked to do certain things herself or doesn't even want to try, and would rather hold herself than use the potty (that I forced her into before she was ready). She is getting more independent each day now, and some of things have given us good results. She loves organization, and she knows the way we do things in our house (and will remind people if they tell her to do something differently, ie. grandparents). When Ava came along, I quickly learned that I must be more flexible, allow her to do things herself and just not stress so much over little things, especially since I still had to keep order with Jenna testing her limits and my patience. Ava is naturally independent anyway. It is a great blessing but also makes it easier to let her play by herself, which she is content with. I have to be intentional with giving her attention, especially because with Jared as the baby, he gets TONS. He isn't standing or doing as much independently like Ava did. He's more on Jenna's track of development, which I actually love because I can baby him that much more :) He also got some spoiling in letting him sleep with us until I really wanted to let him go in his own crib.
Ava is one smart cookie. On one side, I do think that she sincerely just wants to be cuddled and held when she is teething, and "wants her mommy". But I am equally convinced that she is taking full advantage to get my undivided attention. Case in point the last two nights...
Wednesday night Lance and I took Jenna to church with us, leaving Jared and Ava with my mom to get them ready for bed. Jared goes down easily and wonderfully (though he is just barely teething, so that could be short-lived). Ava, on the other hand, had no intention of going to sleep. My mom tried to put her down for bed, but she would just yell and cry "Mommy, daddy, Jenna, church, BWAHHHHH). So when we got home we found Jared asleep in his room and Ava out on the couch snuggled on Grandma's lap. We made another attempt to put her down at the same time as Jenna. No such luck. So she got to sit out on the couch with me until around 10. I made another attempt at putting her down, and she was not having it. The solution...OUR BED...but only when I was ready to lay down too. She woke up with Lance around 6, I was not having that, Jenna was waking up too, so I put her in her crib and they went back to sleep for 2 hours! Little stinkers :)
Thursday night we all went through the regular routine, the girls got a bath, pjs, teeth brushed, each got to pick a book out and we sat together on their floor. By 7:15 or so they were both quiet and going to sleep. SUCCESS! Or not, cue Ava waking up crying around 9:30. The only thing that would console her, ME holding her on the couch...not Lance, not letting her lay down across the couch, not laying in our bed with just Lance, nothing! Even when Lance was holding her and I decided I should go to bed, if I got out of her sight she screamed. She did actually sleep all night and got up at 7.
What the heck am I going to do now? Is she actually teething, and in that case, with this pass? How long? Or am I starting an endless spoiled cycle of sleeping in our bed. Like I said, I'm pretty good about sensing what's going on with the babies, their crying and needs, but with my mom-guilt of worrying that my middle child isn't getting enough attention and the oh-so-intuitiveness of this toddler, I find myself tightly wrapped around one little tiny finger...and love her for it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I think we're alone now...
At the moment my mom is at the movies with Jenna, Jared and Ava are napping, and I am sitting on the couch as still as possible, sipping ginger ale, praying that my lunch does not re-enter the atmosphere. Jenna had some virus on Sunday that resulted in sickness (to put in nicely) and wearing a pull-up for the rest of the day. So far Ava just had a low fever, so hopefully that's the worst of it for the rest of us. I started some laundry and vacuumed the bedrooms this morning, so I feel like I've met my house-duty quota for the day. Though I am sure more chores will present themselves as the day unfolds.
I started my day in the best possible way, a shower, prayer and reading the Word. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near my normal routine. That is usually reserved for waking up to Ava yelling to get out of her crib or because Jenna took something out of it, getting Ava out, making sure Jenna goes to the bathroom, straightening myself up a little, brushing my teeth, and re-entering mommy land for the remainder of the day. Last night I went to sleep around 11:30 and somehow managed to wake up after Lance this morning at 6:30. I was quickly motivated to get up and take a shower since I knew I might not get another chance during the day. I heard Jenna get up as I was getting dressed, and she came in wanting to play the computer. So, as usual, she had to go to the bathroom first, and I tried my best to keep quiet so Ava and Jared wouldn't wake up. But before I sent her out to the living room, I thought I'd take advantage of us being up together to pray with her for our day. I automatically felt a tenderness come over me toward her. We have many power struggles and lots of whining throughout the day, so sometimes I forget how so very precious she is. It wasn't a long, drawn out prayer that would make her start playing with whatever she could find in arm's reach, but a good note to start the day on. As soon as I was finished she quickly asked if she could "go play the computer now?" and off she went. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back to my room for some Bible time.
I don't read books for myself as often as I would like. Really, ever in the last few years. I also don't retain what I'm reading well, but instead forget what I've read as soon I read it. I find myself reading the same few sentences over again or skimming back. I always hated the English assignments where you had to write your own recap of what you just read! I like that I have a study Bible that has the commentary on the bottom, the profiles and timelines of the "characters." The commentary might not be perfect interpretation all the time, but after every few verses I find myself at the bottom of the page looking for an answer to, "What the heck does that mean?" Which I think can be common when you're reading the Old Testament. How ever long it took me to get through 7 chapters of Isaiah didn't really matter. I needed the replenishment and to be reminded of the power of God's word.
I had a thought as I was reading. One of the captivating aspects of reading anyone's book is that you are connecting with the author, their person, their personality, their thought-process. How awesome it is that we have THIS resource available to us. It isn't just any author's work, but it is history, the present, the future, the person, the personality, the thought-process of our Creator. In the day to day that can be mundane, I find myself desiring to be closer to the Lord, be reassured of His presence (in the midst of a toddler fit or the splashing water out of the tub that has brought me to the end of my rope), and just to be at peace. At the same time I can honestly ask myself, how do I expect to have any of that without reading the Word more? This is not to down-play the power of prayer in seeking God or to start a debate on whether God can reveal himself to those who don't have a Bible. But I DO. What excuse seems good enough to not take the time? None of course. The benefit far out-weighs whatever I could be doing in those few minutes (ie. my technology addiction as Lance would say, blogging is the exception right?).
Isaiah 4:2-5:2 - In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
It all sounds nice until the last line there doesn't it? The importance of understanding the context in which Scripture is written goes without saying, but I also love when I am left with a thought for personal reflection and application. Today I am left with the thought of my children being my fruit. One of the points of the parenting study we're doing is so simple, but a good reminder. Without a doubt, your kids will do what you DO, not what you say! And I want the example of prayer and reading the Word to be one in the fore-front with the kids and the person they see me as. They won't really see me as an individual for many years and in maturity, I'm just their mom. With this blessing and responsibility I want to be someone who unashamedly displays the influence that God has had, and continues to have, on me as a person and be a reflection of Christ's love for people. What I'm striving for in myself is the dream I have for them.
I started my day in the best possible way, a shower, prayer and reading the Word. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near my normal routine. That is usually reserved for waking up to Ava yelling to get out of her crib or because Jenna took something out of it, getting Ava out, making sure Jenna goes to the bathroom, straightening myself up a little, brushing my teeth, and re-entering mommy land for the remainder of the day. Last night I went to sleep around 11:30 and somehow managed to wake up after Lance this morning at 6:30. I was quickly motivated to get up and take a shower since I knew I might not get another chance during the day. I heard Jenna get up as I was getting dressed, and she came in wanting to play the computer. So, as usual, she had to go to the bathroom first, and I tried my best to keep quiet so Ava and Jared wouldn't wake up. But before I sent her out to the living room, I thought I'd take advantage of us being up together to pray with her for our day. I automatically felt a tenderness come over me toward her. We have many power struggles and lots of whining throughout the day, so sometimes I forget how so very precious she is. It wasn't a long, drawn out prayer that would make her start playing with whatever she could find in arm's reach, but a good note to start the day on. As soon as I was finished she quickly asked if she could "go play the computer now?" and off she went. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back to my room for some Bible time.
I don't read books for myself as often as I would like. Really, ever in the last few years. I also don't retain what I'm reading well, but instead forget what I've read as soon I read it. I find myself reading the same few sentences over again or skimming back. I always hated the English assignments where you had to write your own recap of what you just read! I like that I have a study Bible that has the commentary on the bottom, the profiles and timelines of the "characters." The commentary might not be perfect interpretation all the time, but after every few verses I find myself at the bottom of the page looking for an answer to, "What the heck does that mean?" Which I think can be common when you're reading the Old Testament. How ever long it took me to get through 7 chapters of Isaiah didn't really matter. I needed the replenishment and to be reminded of the power of God's word.
I had a thought as I was reading. One of the captivating aspects of reading anyone's book is that you are connecting with the author, their person, their personality, their thought-process. How awesome it is that we have THIS resource available to us. It isn't just any author's work, but it is history, the present, the future, the person, the personality, the thought-process of our Creator. In the day to day that can be mundane, I find myself desiring to be closer to the Lord, be reassured of His presence (in the midst of a toddler fit or the splashing water out of the tub that has brought me to the end of my rope), and just to be at peace. At the same time I can honestly ask myself, how do I expect to have any of that without reading the Word more? This is not to down-play the power of prayer in seeking God or to start a debate on whether God can reveal himself to those who don't have a Bible. But I DO. What excuse seems good enough to not take the time? None of course. The benefit far out-weighs whatever I could be doing in those few minutes (ie. my technology addiction as Lance would say, blogging is the exception right?).
Isaiah 4:2-5:2 - In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
It all sounds nice until the last line there doesn't it? The importance of understanding the context in which Scripture is written goes without saying, but I also love when I am left with a thought for personal reflection and application. Today I am left with the thought of my children being my fruit. One of the points of the parenting study we're doing is so simple, but a good reminder. Without a doubt, your kids will do what you DO, not what you say! And I want the example of prayer and reading the Word to be one in the fore-front with the kids and the person they see me as. They won't really see me as an individual for many years and in maturity, I'm just their mom. With this blessing and responsibility I want to be someone who unashamedly displays the influence that God has had, and continues to have, on me as a person and be a reflection of Christ's love for people. What I'm striving for in myself is the dream I have for them.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Pizza night
We usually get pizza once a week and have found a great local place that prepares everything for you, and you take it home to bake. It's become our preferred take out pizza. Occassionally I do make our own using the Pillsbury dough that you roll out, I'll put some olive oil on, pre-bake it a little bit, then finish it off with the toppings. Usually it's a bbq chicken w/ red onion. We really like it.
I recently found a couple ingredients that are a little better than what I'm used to or would have normally chosen for my pizzas. I try to find products with the least amount of ingredients in them and least processed in general. So at my last grocery trip I opted for 100% whole wheat Boboli crust instead of the white refrigerated Pillsbury dough. You'd either find it near the bread or in the pasta aisle. I liked the small size of them, so I got two.
Here's the rest:
Baked each at 450 for 8-10 mins. on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Pizza #1
1 package of Jimmy Dean all natural pork sausage
2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 cups shredded part-skim mozz (monterey jack also melts and binds well, or a shredded Italian mix of cheese would be even better!)
12 oz of the generic pizza sauce
I broke up and cooked the sausage in olive oil and drained it. Add the sauce to the crust, little bit of cheese, sausage and the rest of the cheese; however you like it. Bake 8-10 mins.
(I was also going to add some left over tomatoes from our salad last night, but the girls ate them all while I was cooking the meat). :)
Pizza #2
1 package of chicken tenders
1 Tbs olive oil
Baby spinach leaves*
Shredded Italian blend or part-skim mozz
Sprinkling of olive oil and parmesan for the crust
(I didn't do this, but sun-dried tomatoes would have been really good with this too)
Season uncooked chicken with salt and pepper. I used the same pan from the sausage and kept some of the oil. You can either empty that out and add another 2 Tbs oil, or leave it (which I did for the flavor) and add an extra 1 Tbs oil. Cook over med/high. Sprinkle the second crust with some olive oil and parm and bake for 2 minutes to absorb it and melt the cheese a little bit. Take it out, add the chicken, then spinach and top with your shredded cheese. Bake 8-10 mins.
*Note: For the spinach leaves, I just used some that were left in the pre-packaged bag that we had with dinner last night. I never feel like having salad two days in a row, and it usually goes bad. I'm glad I could use it for something.
Lance and the kids really liked the sausage pizza, I had one piece, and I'm having my second of the chicken one while Ava is running in and out of the kitchen asking for pieces of it.
Easy, successful, everyone ate and in a timely manner :) My kind of dinner.
I recently found a couple ingredients that are a little better than what I'm used to or would have normally chosen for my pizzas. I try to find products with the least amount of ingredients in them and least processed in general. So at my last grocery trip I opted for 100% whole wheat Boboli crust instead of the white refrigerated Pillsbury dough. You'd either find it near the bread or in the pasta aisle. I liked the small size of them, so I got two.
Here's the rest:
Baked each at 450 for 8-10 mins. on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Pizza #1
1 package of Jimmy Dean all natural pork sausage
2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 cups shredded part-skim mozz (monterey jack also melts and binds well, or a shredded Italian mix of cheese would be even better!)
12 oz of the generic pizza sauce
I broke up and cooked the sausage in olive oil and drained it. Add the sauce to the crust, little bit of cheese, sausage and the rest of the cheese; however you like it. Bake 8-10 mins.
(I was also going to add some left over tomatoes from our salad last night, but the girls ate them all while I was cooking the meat). :)
Pizza #2
1 package of chicken tenders
1 Tbs olive oil
Baby spinach leaves*
Shredded Italian blend or part-skim mozz
Sprinkling of olive oil and parmesan for the crust
(I didn't do this, but sun-dried tomatoes would have been really good with this too)
Season uncooked chicken with salt and pepper. I used the same pan from the sausage and kept some of the oil. You can either empty that out and add another 2 Tbs oil, or leave it (which I did for the flavor) and add an extra 1 Tbs oil. Cook over med/high. Sprinkle the second crust with some olive oil and parm and bake for 2 minutes to absorb it and melt the cheese a little bit. Take it out, add the chicken, then spinach and top with your shredded cheese. Bake 8-10 mins.
*Note: For the spinach leaves, I just used some that were left in the pre-packaged bag that we had with dinner last night. I never feel like having salad two days in a row, and it usually goes bad. I'm glad I could use it for something.
Lance and the kids really liked the sausage pizza, I had one piece, and I'm having my second of the chicken one while Ava is running in and out of the kitchen asking for pieces of it.
Easy, successful, everyone ate and in a timely manner :) My kind of dinner.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Don't play with your food! Or do?
Jenna is always the last person sitting at the table, procrastinating eating whatever it is she doesn't like or just taking her sweet time because she wants to tell jokes, play games, etc. Usually by the time we're eating dinner, we're counting down to bath and bed. The girls go down around 7, and I get in the habit of putting off dinner prep. We usually end up eating around 6. I definitely need to move all of this up. You'd think I'd learn by now to start dinner earlier so I'm not as stressed to make Jenna eat. In the back of my mind I'm worried about causing some kind of eating disorder by making her eat too quickly. I also don't want this to be yet another time of the day that I'm just telling her what to do the whole time. Dinner is supposed to be a fun, family-centered, relaxing time. Sometimes we get it right, ie. letting Ava crawl on the table when she's done and laughing at each other. Sometimes I just have to say, "Who cares?" Tonight was one of those nights that I wanted to lighten up with dinner but keep Jenna from getting so distracted that she takes forever. I decided that I didn't want to just leave her at the table by herself, exiled because she's the last one to finish her food. We had a big spinach salad with chicken. Quick and easy. She had already eaten her tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese cubes, and had some chicken and spinach leaves left (plus a couple pieces of avocado that I knew weren't going to get eaten). Then it hit me. She wants to play a game, so I'll make it up. Finish her food by taking bites in a pattern! She LOVES patterns and finds them in everything. So she made up what pattern she wanted to eat in. Chicken, chicken, lettuce, lettuce. This worked great for a reasonable amount of time. I just had to hold myself back from speeding her eating up. Even though she ate slowly, she kept track of the pattern as she was eating. It was cute. But then she had to be leaf-eating animals in the zoo, and I had to be a kid that wanted to ask the zookeeper if I could go in and feed them. Now, when Jenna plays games like this she tells me exactly what to say. I always tweak it a little and tell her that I can say what I want if I'm pretending, and when she's pretending she can say what she wants. For my own patience, and her eating even slower because of this game, I was done after the giraffe and zebra. Ava entered the scene and started getting into everything around Jenna and egging her on. So I decided she was just done. I'm continually checking myself and thinking about the long-term impact of my actions and words on the kids, especially Jenna. From tonight's experience, I took that it's ok to not be on schedule sometimes. You would think I know this by now with 3 kids and the fact that we're late everywhere we go. But by accepting the time I have for what it is, I can make it less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone. I might regret saying this some day, but for now I say...play...even with your food :)
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