links

Wow! What a week!

I packed way too much into an already stressful week. Now, I might see the light at the end of the tunnel.

An example of my busy life is in the tabs running across the top of my computer. It's a list of all the things i've opened and have yet to read.

Here's what's waiting:

*the blessing of stewardship - it peaked my interest when they talked about the real reason we are afraid to de-clutter.

*We decided not to put Eloise in preschool next year. Financial being #1. Not wanting to run her back and forth 3 days a week buckling 3 kids into carseats each time, came in #2. I thought this might be fun to do next year.

*Thinking about food and local produce and other items. Local CSA's would be fun to join, but I wanted to look at the pros and cons.

*Kids get two games of bowling free everyday when you sign up for the coupon here. I looked at the locations and there is one semi-close.

*And I don't know why this one is open, How to set goals with your kids, but something must have caught me

That's it for now, but I have yet to look at my Reader. I'm sure I have 45 more posts there too.

If you want links during the week, I've been helping my friend Angela out with her site as her Facebook Editor. If you "like" her page, I post links there all week. Not always related to coupons. Mostly recipes, tips, and crafts.

binki fairy arrives again

As you may have noticed in a few pictures, Lily still has her binki. Until Friday. The binki fairy arrived.

This time around, it was a little more brutal.

First, Dave helped her get super excited about it. The binki fairy left a letter in the mail and Lily was so eager to put her binki's in and return it to the mail box.

She was walking around yelling, "I'm a big girl" and giving everyone high fives. She fell asleep like a champ, no crying.

2.5 hours later, it all hit the fan. She cried almost the entire night. She was in my bed until 2:30 a.m. and then I put her back in her bed. She continued to cry and then finally fell asleep at 5:30.

The next day while on our way into Safeway and she bursts into tears begging for her binki.

Once we recovered from that one it was onto another one every few hours or so. It kind of felt like withdrawals.

That night, she fought sleep like crazy. At one point she asked, again, for her bink's back and I told her that 3 year olds don't have binki's. She told me that she no longer wanted to be be 3 and wanted to be 2. She's smart and the girl knows what she wants -- a binki.

Last night, much better. Only a few cries.

Tonight, fell asleep great, or so Dave told me. I was grocery shopping.

I knew this would be hard and that to move her out of the habit would be tough. And I know there are many people who would say that they would never start the binki in the first place. I love the binki. Even with this one horrible week. It's given me 3 years of great sleep (which will still be great), quick escapes from crying fits, and comfort for an owie. It's my backup plan and I have LOVED my backup plan.

We're down to one kid with a binki and one kid in diapers. I see the light at the end.

linky loo

I'm really hoping for some sun around here. I need to tackle some organization outside. My children are starting to worry that I'm donating everything in the garage to the Goodwill. They thought I was giving away their bike helmets today. Needless to say, I need to get outside and dream of beautiful spaces.

*Making Pita's this week

*Cute, cute, cute, bumblebee party

*Birthday Cake Puzzle - so perfect for the girls. I'm going to try and make it out of felt.

*We've been having leftover rice from all our Asian meals lately, i think we're going to do this.

*I might be able to pull off this daffodil craft...Eloise would be beside herself with excitement.

*My love of Asian foods will be taken to another level with these. I love these and have always wanted to experiment making them. maybe I'll even be able to convince my kids to eat them.

gratitude

my house is completely quiet.

my children are all sleeping. It may only be for 1 hour, but for that 1 hour, it is simply, peaceful.

I don't even want to get up from the couch, for fear of breaking the silence. It is absolutely wonderful.

Not because it's quiet, but because it's refreshing. It's Wednesday and the day is long and the week is only at the middle. I need this. I need a moment to breathe, to focus, for just a moment, on being a mama. On what life will look like when they wake up and the noise returns. How I will love them? How I will play with them? And how I will handle the crazy moments that make me want to pull my hair out.

i know sweet moments like this will be fleeting. They are all with me. They are not in school, they are nestled safely in their beds dreaming of crafts, snacks, and playtime. It is such a simple yet, chaotic time.

I want to savor it in this moment. Before I get too stressed, before I get overwhelmed with someone's disobedience.

I give thanks to the Lord for He is GOOD. Thank you for giving me these three that you knew we needed. Thank you.

food and self-image

In the recent months I've thought alot about food. Not just making it but how I respond to it (sounds strange, I know).

A few months back, Dave was gone all day and I had the kids. Any mom knows that on those days you are just a few steps away from going over the edge.

It was dinner time and I was frantically eating. The kids were out of control (usual for 6 o'clock) and I was anxious to make it to bedtime. I started SHOVING food in my mouth and I wasn't even hungry. In that moment, I heard the Lord say, Gluttony makes you irritable with your kids. What?!? (as food is spilling out of my mouth).

I wrote it down b/c I knew this was something I needed to remember. So I examined if this was really true. Sure enough, when I was anxious, I was eating. And then I would eat too much, feel like junk, and take it out on my kids. There were no happy moments surrounded the end of meals.

I began to pray that the Lord would give me control over my hands and mouth. That I wouldn't put anything my body unless I needed it. It didn't matter what it was, just that if I wasn't in NEED of it, I wouldn't eat it. Seems simple, right? Do you know how much I'm NOT hungry? And I'm nursing!

Okay, step away from food for a minute. Let's move onto the ever-present topic of body image. It's a certain thing for women to look at the figures of others around them. There are very few women who feel okay with every part of themselves. If you're one of them, tell me your secret.

I had an Ah-Ha moment a few weeks back while reflecting on this whole body image stuff combined with food stuff. Very few women I know who are thin, worked hard to get there. Most are genetically predisposed to having that body. Yay for them! But for the rest of us, we spend our energies working towards that goal of thinness. We all want to rebuke the notion that we equate thinness with beauty, but we all have that desire ingrained in us somewhere. I did. I thought being thin meant that you somehow won the victory over food. But you know what, most of those people who are thin, usually don't exercise and eat whatever they want. BECAUSE, they come by it naturally. (I loved this woman's answer to being thin)

Now I will say that this isn't the gold standard. There are those who have worked their fannies off to be thin and reached their goal. But they have to work HARD and watch what they eat ALL the time. And it's no coincidence that we see women in Hollywood desperate to be thin, get thin, and then gain it all back. We certainly don't see Jennifer Aniston with a weight problem. And that's b/c she is designed to look that way. She has great thin-genes.

Whatever my view of beauty is will be passed onto my children. Specifically, my girls. I don't want terms like fat or skinny in my house. I want healthy. I don't know what type of body my girls will have. Right now, they are both thin and on the tall side, but if it's not like that forever, fine. I just want them to listen to their bodies, feel comfortable in their figure, and know that God designed them perfectly.

So where am I going with all this?

I struggle with believing that I need to eat right to be thin. Not the case. I need to eat right b/c my body needs it, I need energy, and I want to feel great. I also want to remove the stumbling block of anxious eating which leads to gluttony and irritability with my kids. My kids do not need to suffer for my sin.

a few guidelines I've set for myself.

1. Do I need it? Am I hungry?
2. Is it good for me? Have I had the things today that are good for me first? (I ask my kids this all the time)
3. How much do I need to feel satisfied?

I'm also adding in working out so that I can feel good. Dave has been working out for 6 days a week over the last month and although he's only lost 2 lbs, he is always commenting on how great he feels. I want to feel great and have lots of energy (not that I need more).

So now you can see why the pregnant comment fell on the heels of some BIG self-image stuff in my life.

Can anyone relate? Does anyone else have this struggle?

amazing

I read this story tonight and almost cried, so for most people they will cry. Inspiring, raw, and so incredibly beautiful. Simply, amazing.

THAT question

Today was a wonderful day, until I was asked the question. You know, THE question.

"So, when is your baby due?"

Yep, standing in the grocery store with Eloise.

At first, I looked around, to see if she was talking to someone else. Then I think, is Sam with me, is he due for something.

Gasp! She's asking ME!!!

I quickly said, "Oh, I'm not pregnant, I have a small baby though". And then I continue to stumble over my words as if to explain away the ever present, will-never-go-away-unless-I-get-a-tummy-tuck belly. I'm caught between that conundrum of making the person feel better about their insensitive question and feeling mortified that I'm wearing a shirt that might remotely give off the idea that I'm with child.

I should mention here that I don't even get asked if I'm pregnant until I'm at least 6 months pregnant with an ACTUAL baby.

All this comes on the heals of an intense struggle with self-image. Something I thought only teenagers dealt with. (more on that later) It's good for motivation, but not for healthy perspective.

So there you have it. My first time being asked if I'm pregnant when I'm not. And in case you're wondering, the shirt is already in the donation pile.

Linky loo

Don't got alot this week. I've been doing tons of organizing and cleaning. Today, I actually cleaned all my baseboards and doors (my mom and dad were here and had the girls at the mall and Sam slept for 2.5 hours).

But I'm dreaming of working on the outside. I'm dreaming of patio spaces.

I love this smell in the house and it makes it all smell so clean.

I'm attempting yogurt in the crockpot today. Not really working out like I thought.

I made this tonight. I'm thinking I need to tweak it a bit. Needs more flavor for me.

That's all I got for now. But have a great weekend and enjoy the sun (hopefully).

what's going on

First, the skinny jeans. Unfortunately, I had to return them. They stretched out too much while I was wearing them, so I needed to take them back for a smaller size. They were out, so I'll look later. But, I will take a picture if I remember.

Second, still baking here, but exploring more. I made yogurt this weekend. It came out great. We love plain yogurt around here, with honey, of course. And Sam is inhaling it, without honey, of course. It turned out great. I followed Angela's steps. It was a little thin, but I strained it through a cheesecloth and came out the way we like it.

I'm developing a love of creating things from scratch. Like Taco Seasoning. I have time. I'm at home, so why not make something from scratch. I know what's in it and I know it's cheaper. Plus, I get alot of joy out of creating. And we're trying to slow down on the sugar after a fruit snack invasion and addiction.

So we're creating, making, and playing with lots of food here. I'll post pictures soon. My mind is fuzzy from all these kitchen creations.

links

Happy Spring!

**I'm getting the bug to garden and I think I'm going to start by organizing my tools in a our tiny shed.

**Thinking about eating whole foods. This is a great post about Spring cleaning the body.

**I'm loving the Inspired Room - loving it!

**DIY kids kitchens - so cute!

**I bought some skinny distressed jeans. There I said it! I really did and look, they're all the rage. And not just for teenagers. I love them. I really love them. More on that later.

oatmeal muffins

I've made these three times in the last week. And they are simply, FANTASTIC!!!

Here's my thoughts:
1. add a little vanilla with the milk and vinegar while they are soaking
2. I make them in mini-muffin tins, they only take about 8 minutes
3. my favorite add-in....mini chocolate chips. Delicious.

For more tips on how to make the best muffins ever, head over to Simple Bites

One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins: Basic Recipe

Be sure to read the recipe all the way through before getting started. You will note that the oats soak in the milk 1 hour prior to assembling the rest of the ingredients, so take that into consideration before starting out.

Makes 12 medium muffins (or 24 mini-muffins)

• 1 cup milk*
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
  
• 1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
• add-ins of your choosing
  

Combine milk, vinegar and oats in a large bowl and let stand one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a twelve-cup muffin tin and line with cupcake papers.

Crack the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in melted butter.

Sift remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care not to over mix.

Sprinkle add-in and flavorings of your choice and combine muffin batter gently.

Use a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched, about 10-12 minutes. Note: Muffins will take slightly longer to bake if you are adding fresh fruit such as blueberries or rhubarb.

Remove from oven and cool in tins. To remove, run a sharp knife around the edges and pop muffins out. Enjoy!

exciting

We're pretty excited to make cinnamon rolls around here. It's our first time using the bread machine. Can you tell?

Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

Taking this week off from Links to celebrate Good Friday. This is a great post and I'm excited to spend this weekend talking (in 4 and 3 yr old talk) about the goodness of Christ.

Blessings.