A Faithful Mommy

Pinterest Projects: Muffin Tin Eggs

2012-10-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

Since I have to avoid dairy while nursing Ladybug, my go-to breakfast of cereal has been nixed. Yes, I use almond milk but it just isn't quite the same for a daily meal. I've been searching for new quick breakfast ideas. I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it would be amazing.

Eggs...baked in single serve portions. The best part is that they are freezer friendly and perfect for building a quick English muffin sandwich. I will definitely bake eggs like this again. After a trial way of packaging, Jon and I decided to freeze the eggs separate from the English muffins. We don't mind spending the extra time building it fresh that morning. Now I should fry up some sausage patties to freeze and have the ability to make a quick and easy Egg and Sausage Sandwich.

Grace in Mommyhood

2012-09-19T19:00:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped at Buddy in the library...for reacting like a four year old. The public library is where two of Buddy's favorite things collide: time with his best friend and story time. Is it any wonder he didn't want to leave?

Buddy throwing a minor tantrum at the idea of leaving, set me on edge. Buddy making Sweetpea cry because he is being bossy about leaving, set me further on edge. Then as I am collecting our large stack of newly checked out books, Buddy whining and demanding my attention, my patience snaps.

Immediately the self-recriminating thoughts set in. We head home. Looking back in the rear view mirror to see little hazel green eyes sadly staring out the back seat window made those awful thoughts grow.

"Why can't you be a more patient mom?"
"He is just a four year old...way to show patience by example."
"Didn't you just say to yourself yesterday that you wanted to live Christ's love to your children?"
"You are a failure as mom...again."

Dwelling on these thoughts throughout lunch and nap time, made for a long few hours. Then Buddy woke up from nap, and crawled up next to me. He immediately cuddled in against me and I felt it anew. Grace.

Grace in the knowledge, that for some unknown reason, this four year old loves his mom. Grace in the ability to move on and have a happy rest of the day. So we do, we begin again and go past the point of frustration. And face the afternoon and evening with happy hearts.

Thank you Father God for grace! For Your grace, when I mess up and fail over and over, is infinitely greater than Buddy's grace. Thank you for allowing me to go through life as Mommy with a new sense of Your undeserved gift of grace.

Pinterest Projects

2012-09-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

I, like many other moms and bloggers, love Pinterest. There I said it. Ever since ~~Jon made me~~ I chose to get an iPhone, I have been on Pinterest much more often. But, I have not created many of the items on my boards. So I am challenging myself to choose something from Pinterest every two weeks and actually try it. (I had thought to try every week but with three children, I knew that two weeks would be challenge enough.) There are lots of recipes and crafts to choose from and I look forward to being able to complete them.

This week I am starting with DIY onesies for baby gifts for two sweet friends of mine. I love this onesie because it reminds me of the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The completed onesies turned out cute and were simple to make.

In fact I may have to make one for Ladybug! And as a bonus, I have lots of leftover buttons for patterning activities with Buddy and Sweetpea. Yay for Pinterest!

Read Alouds Above Grade Level

2012-09-15T19:00:00.000-06:00

We recently discovered that Buddy is reading fluently at a third grade level and I was immediately overwhelmed by the responsibility to teach him. I also realized that he needed a challenge with new books. While researching ideas for homeschooling, the idea that was repeated over and over was to do chapter book read alouds as a family above your children's reading level. So I decided to give it a try with Buddy and Sweetpea.

I decided to start with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I decided to read one chapter a day at either lunch or supper. I am still doing Highchair Reading even though Sweetpea no longer sits in a highchair and now loves to sit and read. Meal times gather us around the table and reading a chapter keeps everyone quiet and happy while they eat.

Before we read, we discuss what happened in previous chapters for Sweetpea's benefit and to work on the reading skill of retelling with Buddy. As we read, I explain any hard to understand words or concepts to introduce new vocabulary. After we finish the chapter, I ask Buddy and Sweetpea to make guesses as to what they think will happen. We are currently over half-way through and both remind me if I start to forget.

I've already have several choices lined out for when we finish this book and I'm glad we started this read aloud journey!

Noodle Art

2012-09-13T21:56:00.001-06:00

As we were working through our units of My Father's World Kindergarten, one of the extra activities suggested was noodle art.

This was one of the easiest activities and both Sweetpea and Buddy loved it! All you need is boiled noodles and construction paper. I recommend to not over-boil the noodles because they break really easily if they become too soft. The construction paper does crinkle as the noodles dry but I think that is okay.

Here is Buddy's art work. He did it all by himself even though he had a hard time making the curve for the S. I was glad he persisted and he was proud at the end.

Sweetpea needed help with the S but loved making the sun by breaking noodles into pieces.

I think this will be a great rainy day activity to use again in the future. I look forward to seeing what Buddy and Sweetpea can create with spaghetti noodles.

Teaching Your Child To Pray

2012-09-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Here is an amazing printable set of prayers from When You Rise to help teach your child to pray by example. Seven days with seven prayers for your children. I love the way these look and will be posting them around our house soon!

Easy Morning Glory Muffins

2012-09-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Sweetpea and I made these Easy Morning Glory Muffins from Money Saving Mom with a few adaptations for our family. She woke up from naps first and loved that she was able to help by herself!
I discovered these back in June and my kiddos love them! Since Buddy and Sweetpea don't mind the orange color, I shred my carrots as finely as possible because otherwise they won't eat it if they "see" carrots. Also, I omit the coconut and add in two apples and extra raisins.
Although a bit labor intensive, the beauty of these muffins is that they freeze for a healthy quick breakfast (or snack). Starting the day with hidden carrots is not too shabby!

Standing on the Promises

2012-09-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

"Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God."

When I saw Sweetpea today, this is what popped in my head. She is standing on our Illustrated Family Bible and I had to smile.

I hope you remember to stand on God's promises...but maybe not so literally!

French Toast Casserole

2012-08-31T20:12:00.000-06:00

Last night I read a post from I Can Teach My Child about French Toast Casserole and it sounded amazing! Instead of putting this in a file of recipes to try later, I immediately got up and made it to put it in the fridge for breakfast today. I think her comments about not being a morning person were what convinced me since this fit my description of myself. Sometimes I feel semi-guilty that I am not the mom who cooks breakfast every morning before her family wakes up...I am often the last one out of bed! I love special breakfasts that I can make the night before like this or the bread machine cinnamon rolls and just pop into the oven in the morning. While it cooks, I am able to drink my cup of coffee and wake up!

Above was my plate today and I really enjoyed it...so this may be too good of a discovery. Buddy and Sweetpea devoured their plates as well and asked for seconds. It was a nice deviation from yogurt, cereal, or bananas for breakfast.

If you love French Toast and hate to stand in the morning cooking over a griddle, try this recipe out!

Homeschooling

2012-08-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

We have started homeschooling the past two weeks and are loving it! Thanks to a recommendation by an awesome friend, we are using My Father's World Kindergarten for Buddy. Sweetpea will be participating with us as much as she can. I will also be pulling from 1+1+1=1's Tot School Printables and Raising Rock Star Preschool. We've rearranged our front living room and are loving our classroom area. Here are a few pictures of our room.

Outside of our curriculum, we will be adding in new American Sign Language Signs each month and learning a new scripture verse together. Our calendar time focuses on counting and using number words. Sweetpea is learning the days of the week and months of the year.

Two weeks into school, we are having a great time and I am seeing tons of benefits to homeschooling. I hope Buddy and Sweetpea's enthusiasm as we continue through the school year.

I'm back...

2012-08-25T21:50:00.002-06:00

I'm back to the blogging world! Our family is settling in to our fall routine and we're loving on one another. We've adjusted to being a family of five and enjoy each crazy day.

The break was much needed and now my Ladybug is six months old.

We all enjoyed our summer traveling and spending time with family!

Buddy and Sweetpea are back to Tots preschool two days a week and I am enjoying my time with my sweet little girl. We've also officially started Buddy in homeschool kindergarten. (More to come on that later!)

I am looking forward to all of our new chapters in life and looking forward to sharing more with you!

A Much Needed Break

2012-04-04T17:00:00.001-06:00

In order to be A more Faithful Mommy, I will be taking an indefinite break from blogging at this point. I have enjoyed posting and sharing but feel like God is showing me other areas that need to come first. Being the best mommy to Buddy, Sweetpea, and Ladybug, and the best wife to Jon has always been my goal and I'm going to take this time to focus on them. Thanks for reading and I look forward to writing again soon when it is the right time!

A New Easter Tradition?

2012-03-31T17:00:00.000-06:00

Jon and I were talking about our traditional Easter supper Tuesday night and debating about what to cook. Each year we've made something different but we always try to keep it special. And Wednesday morning, A Holy Experience's blog post popped up in my email entitled "The Best Easter Dinner". What timing and what an interesting concept. Ann Voskamp writes about starting a new tradition with a Messianic Seder. With beautiful writing and beautiful pictures, I would love to bring this tradition into our home. I'm not sure where I'll find leg of lamb here in our town but I would love to add even more special meaning to the Easter celebration. I encourage you to check it out and maybe you'll begin a new tradition in your home as well!

Not a Stick

2012-03-30T17:00:00.001-06:00

Not a Stick -- Story and Creative Activity was a very interesting blog post about incorporating books and imaginative activities.
I hope to find the book, "Not a Stick" by Antoinette Portis at our library soon. Buddy is fascinated with sticks, like most boys, and this would be a great way to encourage his imagination. I don't know how many times I've made him leave sticks outside and I know Buddy would love to have permission to bring one inside!

Daddy/Son Adventures

2012-03-29T17:00:00.001-06:00

For Buddy's birthday, we gave him child size golf clubs and this past weekend, Jon took Buddy to the driving range to golf. Buddy was ecstatic!
I love how Buddy enjoys spending one on one time with Jon. Any time he and Jon go out anywhere together, it is called a Daddy/Son adventure. Whether they refill our water bottles, go shopping at Walmart, eat breakfast at IHOP, or go to the driving range, Buddy always comes home so happy.
We all know that the father and son relationship is key growing up and I am so blessed to have a husband who realizes and nurtures this bond.
Through outings like this to the driving range, Buddy is learning how to be a man, husband, and father. Jon and Buddy are building a trusting and loving relationship that will last his entire life and will provide opportunities for the tough discussions later on as Buddy grows.
Here is to many more Daddy/Son adventures!

Resurrection Eggs

2012-03-28T17:00:00.002-06:00

Can you believe Easter is 12 days away! I found this Resurrection Countdown on Pinterest back in February and was excited to do this with Buddy and Sweetpea. Of course, with Ladybug, Easter almost snuck up on me but we have our egg carton ready to go. (Confession, I'm still compiling the last few days of materials.)

What I like most is that the countdown teaches about Jesus and what He did. I want Buddy and Sweetpea to enjoy the passages with Jesus as much as they enjoy David and Goliath and Daniel and the lions.
As we open our eggs each day, I'm looking forward to teaching and learning about Jesus!

If you are looking for a different Easter countdown, check out The Story of the Resurrection Eggs in Rhyme and Song.

Power of Prayer

2012-03-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

When I posted Friday, March 2nd, I had no clue how much God was going to make me live that statement. Sweetpea's stomach virus had been misdiagnosed and instead was actually a slight case of pneumonia. Just what every mom wants to hear, their 2 year old has pneumonia and could pass it on to their 2 week old. So when Ladybug began coughing Sunday night, we promptly rushed her to the doctor on Monday. After lots of tests and chest x-rays, we learned that Ladybug had RSV.
Because of Sweetpea's prematurity, I have read a lot about the seriousness of RSV, especially in infants, but since our doctor wanted to us to just watch her at home, I tried to relax. Then Tuesday morning, I had three phone calls with the doctor's office and was instructed to take Ladybug as quickly as possible to the local ER to be admitted to a Children's Hospital in another town. I called my parents as I began to pack a small overnight bag and had them begin praying and Jon let the office staff at church know and they were also praying.
At the ER, we learned that Ladybug's blood oxygen levels were low and they were concerned that she would stop breathing. And then the shocker, the doctor who would be admitting us at the Children's hospital wanted Ladybug flown by helicopter to get her there quickly. "A helicopter, for my 2 week old, because she is that sick!" was what went through my mind and then I realized that I would also be flying with her. Which, to be honest, was actually quite a fun adventure had it not been for the reason we were flying. (Talk about Mommy Guilt! How do you admit you enjoyed the Medivac flight?)

Though people were praying all over the country, our stay began to be longer and longer waiting on Ladybug's oxygen levels to come up without supplemental oxygen. Then came Friday night. Jon had left to go home with Buddy and Sweetpea after a long day of Ladybug on oxygen and low oxygen saturation levels. About 10:00 pm, her levels dipped again and the nurses had to increase the oxygen again. I sat on the very uncomfortable cot and cried . Cried because we were told we'd be in the hospital two days and we were going on five, cried because Ladybug's levels were low, and cried from sheer exhaustion and worry.

That point is when I could feel people praying the most and God gently reminded me to trust Him. Trust Him with how long the stay would be, trust Him with Ladybug's oxygen levels, and trust Him that Buddy and Sweetpea would be okay too. At midnight, the nurse discovered that the oxygen regulator wasn't working and after changing the regulator, she was able to lower the amount of oxygen that Ladybug was receiving. After staying at 100% oxygen saturation on Saturday night, Ladybug was able to come home on Sunday afternoon.
So to everyone who prayed for Ladybug, I am forever grateful! I don't know why we've had to deal with these types of situations with Sweetpea and Ladybug but these have been huge life lessons in living out trust in God and the amazing power of prayer!

Happy Birthday Sweetpea!

2012-03-26T20:39:00.000-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Sweetpea! You are our little miracle!

Painting with Water

2012-03-21T21:56:00.000-06:00

We have had nice weather off and on so I've been trying to let Buddy and Sweetpea have outside time. One activity that was a huge hit was to "paint" our driveway with water. They loved it! And all it took was a few old paintbrushes and cups of water. Buddy and Sweetpea were entertained for over an hour painting various pictures on our driveway. After a bit to change things up, I had them draw with sidewalk chalk and trace over their drawings. Here are a few pictures of their artwork!

Sweetpea with a huge grin!

Buddy drew "Larryboy"

This will definitely be a repeat activity in our house!

1 Corinthians 13 for Mothers

2012-03-12T19:00:00.002-06:00

Here are two beautiful versions of 1 Corinthians 13 rewritten for mothers. I saw the first one this past week while sitting in the hospital with Ladybug and cried. So I'll share the joy with all you moms out there!

I Corinthians 13 for Mothers (by Jim Fowler)

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness, not godliness.
If I scream at my children for every infraction,
and fault them for every mess they make,
but have not love,
my children become people-pleasers, not obedient children.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present “mommy,”
the taxi-driver to every childhood event,
the counsellor when my children fail or are hurt.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God’s perfection of my child.
All the projections I had for my house and my children
have faded away into insignificance,
And what remain are the memories of my kids.
Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture,
dishes with missing place settings,
and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love
that permeates my relationships with my children.

© Jim Fowler, Christ in You Ministries. Reproduced with permission. Please refer to Christ in You website for more adaptations of 1 Corinthians 13 for parents, fathers, etc

1 Corinthians 13 for Moms
I can read bedtime stories till the cow jumps over the moon
and sing "Ten Little Monkeys" until I want to call the doctor...
but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone.
I can chase a naked toddler through the house while cooking dinner and listening to voice mail.
I can fix the best cookies and Kool-Aid in the neighborhood
and I can tell a sick child's temperature with one touch of my finger...
but if I don't have love, I am nothing.
Love is patient while watching and praying by the front window when it's 30 minutes past curfew.
Love is kind when my teen says, "I hate you!"
Love does not envy the neighbors' swimming pool or their brand-new mini van,
but trusts the Lord to provide every need.
Love does not brag when other parents share their disappointments and insecurities,
and love rejoices when other families succeed.
Love doesn't boast,
even when I've multi-tasked all day long and my husband can't do more than one thing at a time.
Love is not rude when my spouse innocently asks, "What have you done today?"
Love does not immediately seek after glory when we see talent in our children,
but encourages them to get training and make wise choices.
Love is not easily angered,
even when my 15-year-old acts like the world revolves around her.
Love does not delight in evil (is not self-righteous)
when I remind my 17-year-old that he's going 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth.
Love does not give up hope.
Love always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit,
even while doling out discipline.
Love always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot.
Love always perseveres,
through blue nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleepovers.
Love never fails.
But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor, they will fade away.
Where there is talking back, it will (eventually) cease.
Where there is a teenager who thinks she knows everything,
there will one day be an adult who knows you did your best.
For we know we fail our children, and we pray they don't end up in therapy,
but when we get to heaven, our imperfect parenting will disappear.
(Thank you, God!)
When we were children, we needed a parent to love and protect us.
Now that we're parents ourselves,
we have a heavenly Father who adores, shelters us and holds us when we need to cry.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is LOVE!!
--Author Unknown

Happy Birthday!

2012-03-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my Buddy! I can't believe you are four years old today! It is a joy to be your mommy and experience life with you each day!

Lessons in Trust

2012-03-02T19:00:00.001-07:00

Just a quick thought today. Parenting is a lesson in trusting God on a daily basis.

Mommy Guilt

2012-03-01T19:00:00.001-07:00

Currently, I have been wracked with a ton of Mommy guilt! Since I am on lifting restrictions, I cannot pick up anything heavier than Ladybug. Six weeks of recovery is a very long time and a very hard adjustment for Sweetpea. To make matters worse, she came down with a stomach virus and wanted her Mommy to hold her and cuddle. Sweetpea could sit next to me and rock but I could not put her to bed or hold her on my lap. Even as my rational side argued, I was assuaged with guilt, tons and tons of Mommy guilt, for what I cannot do.
As the guilt threatens to overtake me and bring me way down, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9. "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”" This verse was one I would cling to the last few weeks of pregnancy when I felt like I could not go on any longer. His Grace was sufficient to keep me humble when I would lose my patience with Buddy and Sweetpea. And His Grace will be sufficient to allow me to work through this hard time in parenting and adjustment in our household.
The weakness that I feel right now allows me to lean on His strength and trust that God has given me Buddy, Sweetpea, and Ladybug. He knew that I would be parenting them and that I would be feeling this guilt. His strength is given when mistakes are made, when tempers are lost, and when guilt threatens to drown out all reason. There is grace in knowing that Sweetpea will not remember this time and grace in knowing that she will still love me as Mommy anyway. Guilt cannot keep its hold on me when I repeat 2 Corinthians 12:9 to myself several times a day. "My grace is sufficient for you."

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

2012-02-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

Now that Ladybug is here, I have been re-reading one of my favorite books about babies. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg with Melinda Blau was one of the two books that primarily shaped the way I established our routine with Buddy and Sweetpea. And now that Ladybug is over a week old, I'll begin working on her routine as well.
One of my favorite sayings from this book is "Start as you mean to go on" which means to begin life with your child as you see life in the future. Right now Ladybug is sleeping on top of us at night instead of in her bed but I know when she is older, I do not want to have her on my chest at night. So our goal with her right now is to begin to work on her sleeping in her bed.
Using acronyms like E.A.S.Y (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You) and S.L.O.W (Stop, Listen, Observe, What's Up), Tracy Hogg's principles are a breeze to follow and easy to understand even while lacking sleep! The biggest thing that I appreciate is the development of a routine, not a schedule, but a routine of what to expect. This not only helps the baby adjust to their new life but helps the parents know how to plan their days. I, by nature, am a planner and so having Buddy, Sweetpea, and Ladybug on a flexible routine gives me more peace of mind. The key word in parenting is flexibility and so if adjustments need to be made during the day, they can be easily made to our routine.
If you are a new parent or expecting a child, check this book out! As with every parenting book though, take the advice with a grain of salt and do what fits your lifestyle best. Happy Parenting!

Introducing Ladybug

2012-02-22T19:00:00.002-07:00

Miss Ladybug was added to our family Thursday, February 16th, and is home and doing great! We are so excited to introduce her to y'all and to get to know her. Ladybug is settling right in with Buddy and Sweetpea.
I love being a mommy to three and we're all adjusting to being a family of five now!