30 day Challenges

I saw this on Revive our Hearts. Great ideas!

http://www.reviveourhearts.com/challenge/

Menus

Menus have been weak these past few weeks. Our life is normally busy, but we have kicked it up a few notches with rain make up games, basketball tryouts, and other meetings. I like being somewhat busy, but this is crazy! School will be out soon and hopefully we can get back to a "normal crazy" for us! Honestly, that is wishful thinking! Mission trips, camps, baseball and vacation will fill it up fast. I pray I can be intentional in my relationships with family and friends.

Monday
Amy soccer game and Mom at a meeting at church.
Subway giftcard meal!
Tuesday
Lemon chicken
beans and rice
strawberries
Wednesday
Shredded crockpot beef
baked potatoes
green beans
Thursday
Chicken pockets
salad
friday
pizza

Women of Faith

I went to a Women of Faith conference with 2 of my dearest friends, in Columbus Ohio this past weekend.

We laughed, we cried, we ate ice cream for breakfast one day, ate other yummy food, slept in, shopped and listened to some awesome worship and speakers.

Here is a recap:

Worshipping with 11000 women is incredible. I couldn't help but cry singing Holy Holy Holy with them-amazing!

Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, and Laura Story gave us mini concerts on top of the great worship team.

Sheila Walsh

She taught us that the Shepherd always finds us. Even if we aren't looking for him or are unable. He always wants to save us, and bring us back, even when we don't think we are worthy.

Henry Cloud

He taught us that we all need a "monkey" in our cage. Research shows that having a companion to come along side us decreases stress and helps us handle situations better.

He also taught us that there is always a way out of sin patterns, it takes hard work, but we can do it.

Angie Smith

She told her amazing story of fear and loss. She had everyone laughing and then crying with her. She told us of crying out to Kudios- our Lord, our all.

Luci Swindoll

She challenged us to live for meaning and not more. She is a very wise and funny woman!

Lisa Hartman

She taught us to live a life untamed for God, whatever your situation in life.

Nicole Johnson

She is a gifted actress and performed a few skits for us and then told of her own painful journey through her parents divorce. How pain that is not dealt with correctly can lead us into angry outbursts and our own "fuel dump". Her skits were about the many hats of a mom and to not get them mixed up. And also the feeling that we as moms feel sometimes invisible.

Good stuff- I highly recommend a weekend with girlfriends to refresh and re energize. I am so thankful for a husband who allowed me to be gone on a very busy weekend for our family. And also thankful my parents were able to come and help him out!

Menus

Monday- Amy
Pigs in a blanket
strawberries
double stuff oreos for dessert

Tuesday
Lazy cooks chicken(bbq chicken)(freezer meal)
rice- made with vegetable broth and cilantro lime
(I am trying to replicate Chipotle's rice !)
apples
green beans
rolls

Wednesday
Grilled Lime chicken(freezer meal)
salad
baked potatoes

Thursday
Chicken and dumplings in crock pot(freezer meal)
mashed potatoes
Fruit

Friday
Leftovers

As you can see I am cleaning out the freezer! I am trying to make due with what we have and not buy so much. Also trying to eat less and lose weight. Eat healthier and get healthier.
It is a lot of TRYING. Here is hoping for some actual Getting there.

Lessons-Family Traditions

Family traditions

“Whatever its biological inheritance from its parents and other ancestors, the child receives also from them a heritage of attitudes, sentiments, and ideals which may be termed the family tradition, or the family culture”.

Social scientists now agree that effective family traditions promote a sense of identity and a feeling of closeness, a sense of security and assurance in today’s fast, hectic, and ever-changing world. William Doherty, a social scientist has explained in his book “The Intentional Family” that as family bonds are weakened by busy lifestyles, families can stay connected only by being intentional about maintaining important rituals and traditions.
(source: Wikipedia)

Easter was yet another reminder of a big parenting lesson we have learned along the way. Having traditions, rituals, habits, that you do every holiday etc. is so comforting to kids. No matter what their age.

A friend of mine who has college age kids told me this week that she couldn't find her kids Easter baskets this year. She thought, "no big deal, they are older and won't care." She was wrong. They scoured the attic looking for them and were genuinely upset that they were not going to be hiding them.

Our kids remind us of traditions we have, and insist on doing them every year, for every holiday, vacation etc.

Some fun traditions we do:
Hide the Easter basket
Birthday cake for Jesus as breakfast on Christmas morning
Pictures with signs on their first day of school
"Survival kits" for all long road trips
Kids' Date nights on vacations
Daddy gives only the girls a Valentine
New Years family goals for the year
12 year old mission trips
Blessing kids before bed
Birthday dinner choice
Christmas treats for our neighbors
Christmas ornaments from vacation spots
Many more that I can't think of.....

Menus and more

I know its Wednesday, but thought I would post anyway!

Monday
Amy' meal
Ekrich skinless turkey sausage
mac and cheese
bananas

Tuesday
Taco's
Strawberries
mexican rice

Wednesday
Baked ziti with sausage
bread

Thursday
stromboli
fruit
garlic bread

Friday
chili in crock pot


I wanted to tell you about what our small group ladies did today. The 6 of us got together and cooked 12 meals for each of us to take home to our freezer.

It took us 5 hours of cooking and putting together meals, but we had fun and it will save us so much time in the near future.

Here is what we made:
2 Crock pot chicken and dumplings
2 Beef tips
2 Stromboli's
2 Chicken Packets
2 Baked ziti with Sausage
2 Tia's meatballs

We then chose one meal to give up and we gave it to the Agape House. This is a house for foster children. One sweet lady takes care of 8 kids right now, there is always a bunch coming and going. She was so thankful, made me want to give her all my meals! (Especially, since they were all running around crazy while I was talking to her!)
We will hopefully cook together and donate every month to 6 weeks.
If you have any good freezer meals, pass them on.

Hilton Head days 1-3 by Andrew

We left friday morning at 8:15. The first day we went on a walk along the beach.Then my mom and I went on a date and it's not the date your thinking it's the other one. so first we went and did a do it your self car wash. We went to PIZZA HUT my favorite at least now. Then we came home and played tennes and swam and amy and dad went on their date. The next day it mosly the same thing. The next day we went to the beach and had lots of fun but mom and amy were realy lazy but my favorite was when my dad came and throu the football realy far into the ocean and we had to get it.Then went home and swam.