My Fitness Pal

After my 30 day No Sugar Challenge, I decided to use an app called MyFitnessPal to help me track how many calories I eat every day.  My goal is to keep off the extra pounds that I lost during the sugar fast.  I'm not sure if I will only go 30 days with this new challenge, or keep it up for longer.

MyFitnessPal works. If you are wanting to lose weight, it really works!  Check out my husband's blog to read about his weight loss journey.  He has lost 35 lbs. in 100 days!!  I am so proud of him and how he has inspired many others to join him.  My husband's example and using this new app are definitely helping me keep myself in check.  In fact, I've even lost a pound in the 15 days I've been tracking my calories.  I'm happy with that since I'm eating enough to maintain my weight rather than trying to lose more.

M.F.P. is a free app, and easy to use.  Of course, it takes time (and can be a hassle) to track down labels and barcodes to find out how many calories are in your meals.  But the benefit is you start to develop healthy eating habits.  One of the most important habits is portion control.  We've learned to budget our calories.  We can eat whatever we want, but since we only get 1400 or 1500 calories a day we don't want to blow 1/3 of them on a cinnamon roll!  We have found that we eat more fruits and veggies and fewer processed foods since they are so high in calories.  At the end of the day, if we still have calories left we enjoy a treat.  Actually, I think we both aim to have leftover calories so we can have a cookie once the kids are asleep.  :-)

Here's one other bit of good news, you don't have to exercise!  If you do exercise, MyFitnessPal will give you more calories to eat on that given day.  So, if you really want that piece of pie you might go for a walk or run up the stairs for ten minutes.  My extended family is also using MFP.  My sister and mom were wanting to have dessert the other night but had both run low on calories.  So, they went for a jog around the neighborhood!  We all had a good laugh about that.

Well, what about you?  Are you tired of feeling like you are losing the daily battle to control your food cravings?  Try using MyFitnessPal, and get a friend or spouse to join you.  I promise that if you stick to the calories suggested you will see positive results!  Let me know how it goes.

October 2012, this picture really motivated my husband to make
some dietary changes.  

April 2013, after three months of using MyfitnessPal, my husband is 35lbs lighter!
This is the thinnest he's been in the 13 years we've been married.

No Sugar Challenge Day 30 and Beyond

I did it!  I went 30 days without eating sugar.  It was harder than I expected, especially the last week as PMS struck and I found all my cravings for sweets came back.  I wanted to give up on the final few days, but why quit when the end was in sight?  So, I hung in there and completed the challenge.  Although it was tough, I'm so glad that I did the sugar fast.  I gained some valuable insights, both spiritual and physical.

First, I discovered that I was relying on sugar to help me feel better.  When I felt stress, exhaustion, self-pity, or frustration I would turn to sweets to alleviate the negative emotions.  Going through 30 days without my "sugar fix" definitely made me more understanding toward people who struggle with other types of addictions.

Second, I learned that God wanted me to turn to Him - not sugar - for emotional support.  Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who trusts in Him." There is a sweetness to God's presence, and as I turned to Him in my frazzled moments I was refreshed.  This is still a work in progress.  It's easy to reach for food to comfort, but turning to God takes discipline and practice.

There are three books I am reading that have been a great source of inspiration on this topic:
-Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst
-The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
-Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young

Third, I realized I don't really need sugar.  Remember how I loved chai tea?  I broke my sugar fast on Easter by having a chai.  I was surprised to discover that it tasted like maple syrup mixed with hot water.  Crazy, that is not how I remember it tasting thirty days ago!  I've had a few chai teas since then, but I don't really care for it anymore.  Chocolate, on the other hand, is still delicious!

What's next?  I'm starting to plan ahead each day rather than waiting for hunger to strike and then deciding what I'll eat.  For the next thirty days, I've also decided to use My Fitness Pal.  It helps me count calories so I don't fall back into bad eating habits.  (I'll post more about My Fitness Pal in the future as it deserves a post of its own.)    

Although my challenge has ended, it is just the beginning of a journey to eat better and live better.  It's not just eating habits that I need to change, but also heart habits.  Every day I'm working at changing my perspective on things.  When I need help, I'm retraining myself to ask God to help me instead of seeking a momentary fix that doesn't really fix anything.  

No Sugar: Day 20

This challenge to avoid sugar for a month has been so educational.  After about two weeks of fasting sugar, I noticed that not eating sweet things wasn't hard anymore.  I didn't crave it insanely, and fruit seemed to satisfy my desire for something sweet.  I still wanted sweet things, but I was content without them.

Then I invited a group of ladies over to my house for coffee.

One gal brought muffins to share.  I thought it would be rude to not eat one, and I didn't wish to offend her.  So, I ate half of a muffin.  It had chocolate chips in it, and I tried to savor every bite.  It was a store bought muffin and wasn't bad, but it wasn't as amazing as I expected it to be.  Even though it wasn't fantastic, the other half of that muffin was so tempting to me!  I looked at it and longed to eat it for a day.  Finally I gave it to my kids so I wouldn't eat it.

After eating that half of a chocolate chip muffin, I felt like I was starting over on day one of my sugar fast.

I had terrible sugar cravings for about three days!  My mind was screaming at me, "Give me sugar!!"

I was so surprised at how my body reacted to just that little treat.  Thankfully, the feelings of insane craving have subsided and I'm once again content with my sugarless diet.

One thing that has helped me immensely is to find replacements for the foods I used to love.  I've purchased all kinds of tea to replace my beloved Chai.  When stress strikes, I get a cup of tea.  When I'm craving a pastry type of sweet, I eat gluten free rice Chex.  When I just want sweets, I have some kind of fruit.  When I make peanut butter and honey sandwiches for my kids, I have a pb and banana sandwich.  It's not bad!  I've tried applesauce on my peanut butter sandwich too.  That wasn't so great.  By far, my favorite treat is home made fruit smoothies.

As I'm nearing the end of my fast, I'm wondering what I should do now about sugar.  I don't want to avoid it for the rest of my life.  But I also don't want to be a slave to it.  I definitely don't want to go back to the sluggish, tired, pants feeling-too-tight living that I had before this challenge.  I guess these thoughts will be explored further on my day 30 post.

No Sugar Update: Day 10

It's been ten days without sugar.  The first week was REALLY tough; I wanted to quit every day!

I was so cranky and feeling so sorry for myself whenever I couldn't have a treat.  My poor family had to put up with me being a grouch for a while.  Around day four, my husband joked about pinning me down and pouring some sugar down my throat!

After a week went by, it seemed like I turned a corner and avoiding sugar has been easier since then.  I'm not craving it as much or as intensely.  I miss treats, and I still want something sweet four or five times a day.  But, I'm not feeling irritable or cranky anymore.

It has been an eye-opener to find out how my body and my mind has been so reliant on sugar.  For example, I will eat dinner and feel full but my brain will send out signals that I'm still "hungry" because my body is craving something sweet.  I also still find myself yearning for chai or chocolate when things get stressful.

However, there have been benefits too, and that has kept me going.

One change I didn't expect is that I'm less tired.  Before the challenge, I'd eat a meal and then feel like taking a nap about twenty minutes later.  Not anymore.

Also, food has more flavor since I quit eating sugar.  Some processed foods that I enjoyed before, like chicken nuggets, don't taste good to me now.  I can detect the additives that aren't natural.  It's really weird.  Other foods that were just o.k. before are now delicious!  Fruit is so much sweeter than I'd ever realized.  Tonight I made a fruit smoothie and added unsweetened chocolate.  Wow!  What a treat that was.  (The kids didn't think so though.)

Another awesome result is that my too-tight pants aren't so tight anymore.  I have known for a while that I needed to make some changes to my eating habits because all my jeans were getting uncomfortable.  But, I had been ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away without any effort on my part.  HA!!  Other days, I'd feel like there was no solution to my pants shrinking and I'd just have to live with my body expanding.

So, here's the crazy thing, in just three days of no sugar I could tell a difference.  I tried on my too small pants and found out they were wearable!  I now have three pairs of pants that I can wear again.  (They were actually on their way to the "donate" pile because I was giving up on ever fitting into them again.)

Seeing physical improvement has been the biggest motivator to keep going with my No Sugar for 30 Days challenge.  I am so happy to be taking charge of myself.  (Apathy was a miserable place to be!)  Although self-discipline is not fun, it sure has it's rewards when you keep going for a while.

I'll be checking in again on Day 20.

I'd love to hear from you.  What changes are you making in your life?

30 Days Without Sugar

Character training is a major part of parenting.  Right now, the lesson of obedience seems to be the theme with both of our kids.  (I've been quoting Ephesians 6:1 to them a lot!)  As I prayed about the issues of disobedience that have been cropping up, the Lord reminded me that He'd challenged me a month ago to give up sugar for a while.  I'd ignored it and kept on doing what I wanted to do.

Then I saw the irony of it, how could I continue to ask for help with my children's disobedience without addressing my own?  Well, what better way to teach obedience than to model it?

Yesterday I decided to say good-bye to sugar for thirty days.

Yesterday was a rough day!  My mind kept screaming..."Give me something sweet to eat!!"

Chai is my morning "coffee".  I think this has been the hardest thing to give up!

Today hasn't been easy (or pretty) either.

I'm realizing that sweet foods and drinks are my go-to snacks when I'm feeling stressed, tired, or sorry for myself.  First thing in the morning, and during the tired times in the afternoon, I love to drink Oregon Chai tea.  If the kids are being unusually loud, rowdy, or naughty... I surreptitiously gobble a Dove chocolate.  Late at night I often have cold cereal before bed.  Problem is, all our cold cereal options are high in sugar too.  Telling myself no to these treats is a bummer!

My favorite go-to stress reliever.  One chocolate, not the whole bag :)

However, I know that eliminating sugary foods is good for me.  If nothing else, it's helping me to eat better.  Oh, and food already tastes better too.  Crazy, but the natural flavors are more obvious when you're avoiding sweets.  Another bonus is that I do feel better about myself.  It feels good to do something healthy and a bit radical.

When stressed, this was my snack of choice today...sliced and dipped in Adam's peanut butter.

I wonder what other benefits there will be from this 30 day sugar fast?  I think God has some things to teach me.  Things that have nothing to do with food, sugar, or eating per se.  I'm praying that He'll do a good work in me, and help me to not have a bad attitude about what I'm giving up for a while.  I'll be blogging now and then to share the journey and the lessons that go with it.

What changes are you making in your life?  Is there something you've felt challenged to do, but haven't started yet?  Maybe today is your day to start.

Sleep, or the Lack Thereof

Our daughter is delightful, but she doesn't like to sleep.  I think this might be normal for some kids.  We don't know much about her first eleven months of life, but I often wonder if nights were a rough time for her.  Maybe that's why she struggles now.  Or perhaps she'd have the same issues with sleep if she had grown in my womb.  Anyway, we've tried all kinds of things to help her sleep through the night...with the goal of all of us getting some much needed uninterrupted sleep.

Here's our most recent sleepless adventure...
Last night our dear daughter woke me up at 3 am with a soaked diaper.  I changed the diaper and escorted her back to bed.  As she started to protest, I gently reminded her that she could play in her room if she wasn't tired, but I needed to sleep so she must stay in her room.  She chose to play in the hallway outside our bedroom door and I guess she got bored, so she popped back into my room at 4 am.  Lovely.  That time she got a consequence and I calmly returned her to her bed.  I was proud of her that she didn't melt down but accepted the circumstances.  She finally went back to sleep in her room and slept till 8 am.  At nap time today, she opted to skip the nap and played in her room instead.  By dinner she was exhausted and took a brief nap while I got the meal prepped.  I woke her- have to admit it was sort of fun to wake her since she woke me twice last night!!- so she could have dinner with us.  She was an angry bear!  But, finally she ate and we went through our normal night time routine after eating.  Funny thing, while we snuggled and read books she repeatedly told me, "I'm not tired!"  But all her body language shouted, "I'm exhausted!"  My husband and I laughed and laughed.  I figured at bedtime she'd drop off quickly.  Nope, an hour later she was cruising the halls again- which she is not supposed to do.  I reminded her that a consequence awaited her if she roamed around again.  As I write this, all is quiet and our sleep fighter has finally given in to slumber.

Our sweetie in her toddler bed. The bed didn't last long as she kept falling out in her sleep. Not fun.

Like I said, we've tried so many different "solutions" in the 18 months that our daughter has been home from China.  Some things work for a while, but then we revisit the struggles all over again and new solutions have to be found.  I've read the books, and I've dialogued with other adoptive moms from our travel group.  Still, I'm reaching out again to see if there's an idea that we haven't tried.  (Please share your thoughts in the comments section!!)  Also, having her out of the crib is still quite new and presenting a whole new set of "adventures" for us to figure out.

Here's our list of trial and error attempts to help our girl rest well:
-stick to a night time routine
-night light and ocean sounds in room
-no night light (now she has one again)
-bottle before bed (when she was a baby)
-no bottle before bed
-rock her to sleep in desperation
-investigated food allergies (none we know of)
-bumper in the crib
-no bumper in the crib
-parent sleep on the floor in the room (when we are desperate)
-change diaper around 10:30 or 11:00 pm
-scripture lullabies playing in room
-daughter sleeps in our bed (she thrashes around, chats, and nobody sleeps!)
-switch from crib to toddler bed in her own room
-switch from toddler bed to twin mattress on the floor
-she prefers sleeping on the floor since she rolls off the mattress in her sleep
-digital clock in her room so she knows what time it is (still learning her numbers)
-sleeping on the floor in parents' bedroom...a solution when we are desperate
-allowing her to play with stuffed animals in her room until she's tired
-snuggle with her till she falls asleep, another desperate measure
-always...we pray.

The one thing that is working for me is to stay calm in the midst of loud crying in the middle of the night.  I tend to get really ticked when I don't get good sleep, so this has not been easy for me.  I know God is using this whole experience to smooth the rough places in me and make me more like Jesus.  I also know that this is only a season.  Eventually, our daughter is going to be able to sleep through the night regularly.  Still, it can be really rough being in the midst of it.  That's why I so appreciate conversations with other moms.  We usually discover as we chat that our life experiences are strikingly similar at times.  Sometimes one mom will have a brilliant idea that is so helpful.  Other times it's just a balm to have somebody to talk to that can honestly say, "I know what you mean!"  Thanks for listening to me babble on tonight!

Scripture Lullabies

How do you create a peaceful atmosphere in your home?  The quickest way I know of is to put on peaceful music.  Our "go to" peaceful music is Scripture Lullabies.  We now own both volume one and two.  They are excellent, and have blessed our family in many ways.  When the kids are cranky or tired, when I'm stressed and trying to get a hot dinner ready for the family, when we are in the car and wishing we'd already reached our destination, when my daughter can't sleep...Scripture Lullabies has been a source of comfort and help to us.  Many times, my son will even request to listen to it. (His favorite song is Bless the Lord from Vol. 1.  He insists we all sing along to it :) I love that my kids are learning God's Words as they hear the music.  It's beyond awesome to hear them quoting scripture!  Plus, I find myself singing the songs in my head and being reminded of so many good things that God has to say.  Anyway, enough said...check out their website, watch a video, listen to sample songs, and if you like what you hear then use the 20% off coupon code listed below.  This would be a great Mother's Day gift to yourself or get one as a gift for an expecting mother.  However the music is really for any age not just little ones.  I know you will be blessed by it!

http://vimeo.com/33631561

Not on my "To Do" List

It was a usual Tuesday morning.  We needed groceries, I had my list, and my son asked to come along for the ride.  He promised to ride in the cart, not complain, and be on his best behavior.  I agreed to take him along.  As soon as we got inside the store, he began to resist getting into the cart.  Ok, time to employ the boundaries lessons I've been learning: "You can either ride in the cart, or you can go home."  He chose to go home...but then changed his mind when he realized I was serious.  "Fine, but remember you promised to not complain and be on your best behavior."   I wheel to the first aisle on my list and my son started misbehaving!  Ok, I put the item back on the shelf and wheeled for the exit.  Once he realized I was seriously going to take him home, he begged me to let him stay.  Alright, last try...we go back to the aisle and I pick up the same item off the shelf.  He whines, "The store is BORING, I want to go home."  Item goes back on the shelf, and we begin wheeling for the exit again.  Thanks to the Boundaries with Kids book, I'm staying calm but this is all very annoying to me.  My son is feeling rather triumphant that he is getting what he wants.  That annoys me the most.  As he climbs into the car he looks across the parking lot to neighboring store and comments that Costco is not boring.  I mention casually, "It's too bad you decided to go home, you won't be able to go to Costco."  Then everything falls apart once he realizes he might be missing out on something fun.  The whole drive home, my son- four and a half years old- wailed loudly.  He did not want to go home.  I kept calm (on the outside) and eventually stopped responded to his cries to not head home as he wasn't listening to me at all.  Thankfully, my husband was home so I was able to get his help in calming our son down and deciding on a proper consequence.  I was ticked, by the way, that I'd lost about an hour and a half of my time because of my son's misbehavior.  We decided he'd miss out on a movie and have to sit it out in his room while sister watched.  I'd lost a lot of time so he'd have to miss out on something fun that mattered to him.  Furthermore, I took his sister to the grocery store with me while my son stayed home with my husband for a discussion about being considerate and respectful.  (Thank you, God, for blessing me with a great husband!)

I was in need of some sort of treat after that craziness, which was so out of the ordinary for my sweet but strong willed son.  So, I took little Miss M on a date to the coffee shop.  I let her pick out a donut for us to share.  I got a chai, and she had a milk.  She was wearing an adorable little dress, and her hair was in piggy tails with bows to match her dress.  M was so darn cute, and was absolutely golden on our outing.  (I wished I had my camera with me!)  As we sat there enjoying our snack, I realized this was the first time I'd actually done something fun like this just her and me.  It was a special time for both of us.  After our treat, we went to the boring store and I got all my groceries without any fuss.  I was thanking God for my daughter, and showering her with kisses and praise as we shopped.  I arrived home refreshed and feeling merciful toward my son.  He was in a much better frame of mind, apologized, and all was forgiven.  He even got to go to Costco a few days later, and he was very well behaved!

Later on Tuesday, I had time to process all that had happened.  I realized that my "to do" list for the morning had been to get groceries and make a healthy dinner for my family.  Instead, the Lord was asking me to take the morning to teach my son how to be considerate of others and to respect and obey his parents.  Parenting can be tough, especially when the misbehavior is on display for the general public at the grocery store.  But, parenting is what I'm supposed to be doing in this season of my life.  Every day it stretches me.  I make a lot of mistakes.  Often I feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities on my shoulders.  However, God is teaching me that He will give me the grace and strength to be a mom.  The main thing is, I need to ask for His help.  I just finished reading Kisses from Katie (by Katie Davis), and her story has been a great reminder to me that we can do amazing things with God's help.  Well, I've gotta run... there's a little lady down the hall that just started crying in her crib.  (It's 9:40 pm, and she's still awake!)

My family...blessings each and every one.

Boundaries With Kids

I've read quite a few parenting books.  None of them have been super helpful...I don't know why??  However, I recently checked out another parenting book with hopes that maybe this one would shed some light on the struggles of parenting a four year old & a two year old.  Yep, I found the book! Boundaries With Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend. This one is a winner!!  I'm seeing results as I implement the suggestions, hallelujah!  The biggest one for me is giving consequences while showing empathy instead of anger...that has been very effective with my four year old son.  You can read about showing empathy while giving consequences starting in chapter 4: The Law of Sowing and Reaping.  I think I'll need to read the book over quite a few times to let it all sink in because I need to change my perspective and how I approach certain situations with my kids.  I wish this book had been required reading instead of some of the other books I had to read before we adopted. (Yep, they require that you read parenting books if you want to adopt!) What I love about this book is that the authors are Christian psychologists (they understand how people tick), they incorporate scripture into every chapter (so I know they are giving wise advice), and they give lots of real life examples that make sense (which keeps me interested and connected to the text).  Of course, I'm also learning a lot about myself and areas where I need to establish better personal boundaries.  I checked the book out at my local library and then decided to purchase a copy on Amazon for around ten dollars.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Books

Some books that I read are just for fun.  The content is seriously lacking in depth, the plot is implausible, and the characters have "super powers" that those of us who live outside the pages of fiction don't possess. (Like they live on three hours of sleep, eat candy bars for breakfast, and the lead male seems to be able to read the lead female's mind at just the right moment.)  Nevertheless, every now and then it's fun to read a book like that.  I've affectionately dubbed them Kentucky Fried Chicken books.  I guess because they are sort of the junk food of literature.  I find myself reaching for KFC books when I'm really stressed out, or on a long plane ride, or on vacation- who wants deep, heart-wrenching books at times like that?!?

Well, the three books I recommended in my book club post (Want to Read Along?) are not KFC books.  Recently at nap time, I found myself craving a KFC book as I just wanted to unwind after a cranky morning with the kids.  However, I don't have any shallow and vapid books to read!  Bummer.  Instead I chose to read Choosing to SEE.  Actually, it was probably just what I needed as it reminded me that the moments I have with my (sometimes cranky) kids are fleeting.  This book has also helped me to slow down a bit and not rush through the nap and night time routines with my little ones.  Plus The Read Aloud Handbook has reminded me to not short change the reading times with the kids as reading aloud to them is so beneficial.

Anyway, I was just pondering how some books can add so much to our lives, and others are just a source of entertainment.  When I was a teen and in my early twenties, almost all the books I read were KFC type books.  Now that I'm getting "older", I find myself choosing literature that will enrich my life rather than just entertain.  But, we all need balance and some time to just let our brains rest from real life now and then- right?!  Here are a few fiction writers I've enjoyed reading, some are KFC and others have more depth... Dee Henderson (extremely KFC but enjoyed her O'Malley series), Kristen Heitzmann, Lynn Austin, Francine Rivers, Tamera Alexander, Julie Klassen, Lisa Samson, Jane Kirkpatrick, Lauraine Snelling, Tricia Goyer, & Elyse Larson (Women of Valor series is a favorite).  If you have any fun KFC books (or good fiction writers) that you'd like to recommend, please share in the comments.  I look forward to hearing from you!

S'more Valentine Idea

Need a last minute Valentine idea?  My friend, Amy, made all the ladies in our Craft & Chat group the cutest little Valentine treats.  She got the idea and a free printable download (Check it out!) from The Domesticated Lady blog.  Thank you, Amy for the adorable idea and for the tasty stress reliever.  Ah chocolate, always a balm for weary mommies.  :)

Picture "borrowed" from The Domesticated Lady.

Want to Read Along?

Hi friends, how about a virtual book club?  I love to read, and have three books that I'm enjoying right now.  If you are interested, you can read along with me....

Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman

Wow, this is a good book.  I've already read 169 pages in two days!  Some parts are tough- really tough to read- other parts have had me laughing out loud.  Mary Beth is the mom of six children, so all moms will relate to some part of her story.  She's adopted three daughters from China.  (We adopted our daughter from China a year ago, so I've greatly enjoyed the stories about China.)  Mary Beth also shares candidly about her struggles with depression, self-image, and dealing with grief and the loss of her youngest daughter.  She is married to the well known Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman and shares interesting stories about their life together.  This book is ultimately a message of hope and points the reader to God who holds the whole world, and each of our stories, in His hands.  I think you'll enjoy it.

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

I originally purchased this book for the recommended reading book lists in the back.  Once I cracked the book open though, I got sucked into all the interesting facts and findings about what causes some students to succeed and others to fail.  (Surprise!  The common denominator for successful students is that they were read to on a regular basis.  Thus, the reason for the book.)  Mr. Trelease gives lots of facts, details, and anecdotes to prove his point.  It's not a dry book at all as he shares personal tidbits often to keep it real.  He also gives some great recommendations of how to read to your kids at each age level.   But, he is so passionate about his subject that sometimes I feel like he being alarmist, or ranting a bit.  I don't agree with his feelings that the government should shame and bully parents into reading to their kids.  To me, that's extreme and not the way to go about things.  I have only read two of the nine chapters in this book, so I'm not sure if my opinion on the author's tone will change or stay the same.  All in all, I've already learned a lot from this book, and I've found the research and study results fascinating.  This is probably because I'm a teacher and helping kids learn- especially learn to READ- is one of my passions.  This book will not appeal to all moms, but it's worth checking out at the library to get some good read aloud suggestions.  The books are organized according to age groups so it's easy to find a section that would be applicable to your children. 

Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur

This is a devotional study on the names of God.  I am really excited to embark on the journey of getting to know God better.  A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and already after one day into it (I'm on page eleven)...I'm recommending it to you!  I've always loved mysteries and as a girl I spent my summers reading Nancy Drew books.  So, I'm realizing that I'm excited about this book partly because God is a mystery to me in many ways.  I want to know Him better.  Each section of this book is peeling away a bit of the mystery and revealing more of the truth about our Maker.  Another reason why I bought this book is because being a mom has showed me on a whole new level how much I need God's help.  He has all the answers, and I definitely don't!  Also, I want my kids to know God and find comfort and hope in Him too.  The better I know Him, the better I can parent them and teach them about their Heavenly Father.  Finally, this book is very encouraging.  It's full of truth and life because it's filled with scripture.  This book is like eating cheesecake- I take a bite and then savor it.  I read a bit and then mull it over and ponder the truth for a while.  Soon I find myself hungry for more and jump back in for another bite.  Oh, it's so good...life to my soul!  Why not join me in this Bible study?  

Recipe: Snickerdoodle Muffins

Snickerdoodle Muffins, they are worth every single calorie!!!

One of my bloggy friends, Ana, posted a recipe for Snickerdoodle muffins on her Life's a Beach blog.  Her photos made the muffins look absolutely delicious, and I was eager to taste them.  I printed out the recipe, but never made them until now.  We've had snow for the past three days with more on the way.  Snow always puts me in the mood to bake something sweet and yummy.  Today seemed like the perfect time to try out the new recipe...with the slippery roads we certainly aren't going anywhere.  Oh my goodness, these muffins are good.  Thanks, Ana, for the fabulous recipe!  (I'll be working off the calories by pulling my kids up the hill in their sled.)

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, room temperature

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cream of tartar 

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/4cup sour cream

1/2 cup of sugar with 1 tbsp cinnamon mixed in...set this mix in a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F and grease muffin tin(s).  

1) Cream the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy in with electric mixer, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the vanilla.  Stir.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well until each is incorporated.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and ground nutmeg.

3) Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternatively to the egg-butter mixture--start with flour, mix, add sour cream, mix, add flour, etc, etc, until you're ending with flour.  Scrape the bowl occasionally.  

4) Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out a ball of batter and drop it into the sugar/cinnamon mix.  Roll the dough ball around in the mixture until it is completely covered in the yumminess of cinnamon and sugar.  Place the batter into a sprayed muffin tin.  Repeat this until the batter is gone.  You should get between 12-18 muffins.  (Makes a huge mess, but worth it!!  Your finished muffin will have a crispy sugar coating all over and taste so much better than if you just sprinkle the sugar on top of the muffin.  I know, because I tried it both ways.)

5) Bake (at 350F) for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.  Set on wire rack to cool, and then keep in an airtight container until all have been consumed...probably 18 to 24 hours later... best when warm!

Transition Times & Other Challenging Moments

I am a very slow learner when it comes to life lessons.  I wish it wasn't so, as I have to keep going through the same hard stuff over and over before finally...I get it!  Recently I had one of those moments where I realized a pattern that had been happening repeatedly for the past two and a half years.  Good grief, why didn't I notice this sooner??  It has to do with my kids and times when they are most likely to misbehave.  We all know that when our kids are tired, hungry, or bored they are more likely to be hard to get along with.  What I did not notice until a couple of weeks ago is transition times are also a major time for misbehavior.  You know, like stopping one activity to move on to another.  Perhaps it's getting on shoes and coats so we can go somewhere.  It might be time to stop playing and head to the dinner table.  A major one for us is pausing the movie so our son can go use the bathroom.  He often fights that one.  Or maybe it's the transition from being away to coming back home.  I have so many memories of standing at the coat closet trying to put away coats after an outing and having an all out battle with my kids about something inane.  "Why?!?" I pondered this after a particularly ugly confrontation in the hall next to the coat closet recently.  Then it dawned on me that these moments are all on the heels of something else.  We had a change in pace, change in location, change in activity and now there's a struggle to transition to something new.  Once I got it I started reminding myself in my head: "Ok, this is a transition time so be more patient.  Don't be surprised if there is noncompliance.  Remember they are still quite small and changes aren't easy for them."  All this self talk- when I remember to do it- has really helped me and I've often been able to see something brewing and ward it off.  I also pointed out what I'd learned to my husband.  The other day we shared a knowing look as we dealt with our daughter melting down at the end of a fun bike ride.  We just nodded and said to each other,  "Yep, it's a transition time..."  Then to the kids,  "Who wants a juice box??"  The meltdown subsided and we moved into the house for some juice.  Seriously, I wish I'd known this when they handed me my son!  Sorry, my sweet boy, that it took me so long to figure this out.  Thankfully, my dear daughter will have an easier go of it through ages two and three than my son did.

Some other moments when my kids are likely to be"difficult" are: when I'm on the phone, when I'm trying to do my hair and makeup in the morning, while I'm making dinner, when we are paying for something at the store...  Hey, parenting isn't easy!!

I'm trying a new game plan for when I'm on the phone.  If my kids are getting too crazy, loud, or doing naughty things on purpose (since I'm on the phone and they think I won't notice) I hold up fingers and count to five.  If I get to five fingers, that means there will be a consequence when I get off the phone.  It's still in the testing phase but worked well yesterday with my son.  I'm not sure that my daughter, at 21 months understands this yet.

Here's the biggie: when I'm making dinner... ugh!  This seems to be the time of day that tries moms' souls!  My goal is to start dinner at 4:30 so it's ready by 5:30.  When I start making dinner, I declare a work zone that is off limits to kids.  They know exactly where they can and can't roam in the kitchen.  That way we are all safe and nobody is literally underfoot while I'm cooking.  Usually, I have to reinforce the boundaries of the work zone at least twice while I'm preparing a meal.  If I'm desperate, I put on a video for the kids to watch.  (We have a one movie per day limit so I make sure to not use the video option up earlier in the day.)  Another method that works is putting miss M in her high chair with toys or a small snack.  Then I set up big brother K at the island with a drink and something to do that isn't normally available.  For example, I have white erase boards with activities that he can doodle on and feel like he's getting to do something special.   On the nights when my husband is working and it's just me and the kids, I rely on leftovers that can be prepared in a hurry so I can avoid blow ups, melt downs, and all the other miserable misdemeanors that seem to sneak up on us during the pre-dinner hour.  At least twice a month I just wave the white flag and we grab a pizza from Papa Murphy's.

My two angelic children: K & Miss M.  They never misbehave...Ha Ha!

What are some predictable times that your kids are likely to misbehave?  And what do you do to try and redirect them into positive behavior? Please share your ideas.  I love to hear from you all!!

Author Spotlight: Tricia Goyer

It's fall and I find myself in-doors more often now.  With the days getting shorter and colder, I'm often reaching for a good book, a fuzzy blanket, and a steaming cup of chai tea. (Of course, this is only possible when the kids are asleep!) If you are also in the mood for some good books to read, let me suggest a couple for your reading enjoyment...

I've read four books by Tricia Goyer and enjoyed all of them.  My two favorites are: From Dust and Ashes and Blue Like Play Dough.  In researching a bit for this post, I discovered that Tricia has written over 30 books!  Here's her blog if you want a complete list of titles: http://www.triciagoyer.com/booklist.html

The cover didn't sell me.  I almost
brought it back to the library unread!
Glad I didn't as it was a great read.

The first book, From Dust and Ashes, is a WWII historical fiction, which happens to be my favorite genre when I'm looking for a fun read.  This one focuses on a little town in Austria and the liberation of a prison camp at the end of the war.  I found this book to be so captivating that I read it all in a two days!  That is not normal for me, so I think it must have been a great book.  Of course there's romance, mystery, and adventure, but it was mostly quite believable which is important to me.  It's obvious that Goyer did her homework and was familiar with the historical data that she wrote about.  In her other book I'm recommending, you'll find out why she's so familiar with the happenings of WWII.

I read this one slowly but enjoyed
each chapter and the unique life lessons
shared through her own experiences.

Blue Like Play Dough is a non-fiction book.  It's basically an autobiography about Tricia Goyer and her family.  Being a mom, I like to read true stories about other moms.  Sometimes it's very encouraging to hear that my daily experiences are similar to what other moms are going through.  However, Tricia is anything but a "normal" stay at home mom.  She is an author, homeschool mom, and has various volunteer jobs including working at a crisis pregnancy center.  She has also interviewed lots of WW II vets as part of her research for her writing.  All in all, I found her life story to be fascinating and inspiring.  The book was also a good reminder to enjoy each stage with my kids because they do grow up so quickly.

Happy reading to you, and please feel free to leave me a comment and share your favorite book or author.

When Shopping with a Three Year Old...Buyer Beware!

What's wrong with this picture?  Read below to find out!

I bravely made an impromptu decision to head to the mall with my 18 month old and almost four year old in tow.  I needed to pick up gifts for the wedding shower and I had a coupon that was about to expire.  Thus, a trip to Bath & Body Works was in order.

I loaded my daughter into the stroller.  then I popped some snacks into the drink holders, and geared up my son with a monkey backpack.  Really, it's a leash for kids.  He loves it, and it keeps me sane while I try to focus on the task at hand.  Without the harness, he's been known to take off running with great speed.  However, it's not a perfect system as I was soon to find out.

Once inside the store, I decided to have my son carry the shopping bag since he was having a hard time not touching everything.  As long as I keep him productive, we can keep trouble at bay.  (Or so I thought!)  We came to a display of hand sanitizers.  I asked him to get one of each color: pink, green, blue, yellow...  He did great!  We moved on to candles.  They were 3 for 5 dollars.  We picked out six.  Then we roamed the store and found more goodies.  Further back another display of candles, so we picked out some more.  I think my son may have grabbed an extra, or I lost track of how many we had.  At that point in the shopping trip, my daughter was getting tired of being in the stroller.  I was quick drawing toys to keep her happy.  My son was getting antsy and we kept getting all tangled up in the "leash" as he'd go in circles around me.  Good grief!  I staggered to the counter to pay.  Time to pull out the snacks, and remember to use the coupon, and keep my son from melting down if the clerk happened to freak him out by saying, "What's your name?".  While the clerk rang up my items, they were more than I'd planned on, I hustled with the kids back to the soap display to get two more soaps.  They were 5 for $15.  If you only picked out three, you had to pay full price for each of them.  Whatever!  We found said soaps and scurried back to pay for everything.  By then, customers were crowding around us (making my son and me nervous) and I just wanted to get my little circus out of Bath & Body!

The kids did well in the store.  So they got rewarded with a treat, one petite scone each from Starbucks, before we left the mall.  Later that night, once the kids were finally in bed, I had a moment to open the B&B bag 'o goodies and see what I'd purchased.  In the midst of all the items, I discovered a half empty bottle of hand sanitizer with a big "NEW!" sticker on it.  How in the world?!?  Yep, I bought a store sample that had been used by countless strangers.  Ugh!  Ok, it was only a dollar, but this should not have happened.  Checking over the receipt, I also discovered that I brought home ten candles.  One of which I paid twice as much for because they were on sale in sets of three.  Oh well.  I decided to keep the full price candle and enjoy it.  While the candle flickered, I had a good laugh over buying a half empty sample bottle of hand sanitizer.  Instead of saying "NEW" on the sticker, it should have claimed: "USED!"

Next time I head to the mall, I'm going alone!

One Thousand Gifts

Like no other book I've read.  It's definitely worth reading.

Recently I realized that I have been spending way too much of my time in a bad mood.  Often I'd find myself exhausted at the end of the day, and then awake to a feeling of, "I don't want to do another day of what I did yesterday."  But how do I change?  What can I do differently so that I can enjoy my life and the sometimes chaotic season (two kids, you know what I mean) that I'm in?  

My neighbor recommended One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and just by her brief summation I knew that I needed to get a copy and dive in.  Eagerly I waited for it to arrive from Amazon.  The first chapter had me in tears - this was not helping me have a better perspective on my life.  However, I kept on, knowing that the author was setting the stage for why she was on her own journey to find joy in the moment.  Her writing is unique and requires time and thought.  I find that I cannot rush through a chapter, but must stop after a page or so and mentally chew on the ideas she shares.  

What's the whole point of the book?  Thanksgiving is the key to having joy in our lives.  Simple, but so profound.  It's changing my life when I choose to tune my thoughts to ones of gratefulness.  At the end of grateful days, I'm not so worn out.  Come to find out, being mad all the time is exhausting.  Thankfulness is refreshing.  I'm slowing down as I seek out things to be amazed by.  There are so many things -gifts- God has given us that we can be thankful for.  Really, I'm sorry that I haven't been more observant. I'm learning that regardless of our circumstances, we can find things to be thankful for---if we look for them.  For example, recently I noticed how beautiful strawberries are as I sliced the tops off.   I stopped to look at each one and admire the unique starburst pattern hidden inside.  As I paused to admire the beauty in each berry, my son was having a fit about something.  I think it was related to potty training, and him not wanting to be told to stop his play to use the bathroom.  Instead of getting swept up in the fit, I just calmly sniffed a strawberry, and savored the sweet smell.  Ah, that sniff enticed me to take a bite.  So while my son had a melt down, I thanked God for strawberries.  Ridiculous, maybe.  But I know that this fresh perspective is making me a more peaceful person, a better mom, and a more pleasant wife.   This is something I'm going to have to work at, as my normal mode of thinking is to find fault with things.  It's not easy, but I know God will give me the grace to change.    

I'm on a journey to learn how to enjoy the every day moments in life...perhaps you'd like to join me?  Get a copy of the book, or read the author's daily blog.  I've added a link (look for the black button with a tree that says, "a holy experience")  that leads to Ann Voskamp's blog.

A Song...

So how was your St. Patrick's Day?  I forgot, completely!  None of us were wearing green, not even a hint of it.  We didn't eat anything green either.  We dined on pizza and cookies from Papa Murphy's!  Oh well.  That's life when you stay home all day with two children ages three and one.

Today I stumbled upon a wonderful song called "I Belong".  It's written by Kathryn Scott of Northern Ireland.  (Hurrah for all things Irish, even if it's a day late.)  In all seriousness, this song is so beautiful and really blessed me.  It's a wonderful reminder that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  I thought I'd share it with all my Mom Thoughts readers in hopes that you too will be uplifted by this peaceful song. I am so grateful that God has gifted some people with the ability to write and sing such lovely music.  When I'm worn out after a long day of trying to be "super mom", I need something like this to restore my soul!

The Toy Box Trial

My latest attempt to curb the clutter in our house and encourage our kids
to be more creative in their choice of toys.  So far, it seems to be working.

Part of my daily "mom stress" is all the clutter in my house.  My daughter loves to spread toys everywhere, and my son gets stuff out and then leaves it in piles here and there.  At the end of a long day, the living areas in our house look like a tornado has touched down here.  I find that I don't function very effectively in the midst of the mess.  There are a lot of other piles of stuff- in the kitchen especially- that are made by grown ups that live here too.  Those piles I haven't figured out how to manage yet.  But I did devise a system for the kids' toys.

I created a toy box for each day of the week.  While the kids slept I took out all their toys and put them into piles: puzzles, books, cars & trucks, things that make noise, stuffed animals, sorting & stacking toys, etc...  I got seven large clear plastic bins with lids and labeled them, one for each day of the week.  Then I sorted all the toys, trying to make sure that each box had something from every pile.  I was a bit nervous that the kids would get bored and need more toys.  So I kept some things out and put them up in a high cupboard to use as boredom busters.  Other items were too big to box up, so they are available to play with anytime.  Plus I kept some toys for them to have in their rooms and the computer room.  K has puzzles with small pieces and trucks with breakable parts in his room where his sister can't get to them.  He likes having stuff that's all his.  M has a basket of toys in her room that keeps her busy while I'm tidying her room or changing her brother's diaper.  (Yes, insert eye roll, he's still wearing diapers.  But right now I don't have the energy to potty train!)  I've also created a bin with educational toys and items that K can only play with while he's supervised by an adult ie: markers, white erase board, work books, and so on.

I've implemented this new toy box system for almost two weeks.  So far, it's going really well!  K does sometimes ask for a toy that's in a different box.  But, he's soon engrossed in something else and hasn't really been that upset by the change.  M is easily bored, so having something fresh each day has been super helpful in keeping her content for a while.   I think my son is enjoying the excitement of discovering what's in each day's box.  The last three mornings he went downstairs first thing instead of coming to greet me.  He wanted to see what was available to play with, and probably to have a chance to play with the toys sans sharing.  Some of the boxes are less engaging than others, so I'm figuring out what to switch around, and I've also purchased a few more items to fill out the boxes too.  I'm also pulling out stories on cd to add to the day's activities.  Seems like this experiment is forcing me to be more creative too.

For me, the experiment has also been a stress reducer.  There's definitely less clutter in our house- hallelujah!  At the end of the day, our family room is less like a preschool play area and more like a place to relax.  We can quickly box up the toys, and then tuck the box away in the guest room.  I haven't figured out what to do with the boxes when guests arrive, but we'll tackle that question next week when my parents get here!  Also, the toys with lots of parts don't annoy me anymore.  All the parts go back into the box instead of being spread all over the house, which used to render the toy almost useless since all the parts were missing.  I'm loving it!  The organization of this project has given me energy to tackle other things, like the kitchen clutter.

So moms, give the toy box experiment a try.  You may just have a couple of boxes that rotate out once a week rather than one box for every day.  Whatever works for you...give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.

The Hair Cut

Last week my son drove his toy car through the back of my hair (unmaliciously) and got the tires tangled up- ouch!  Simultaneously, my daughter stuck her fingers in the front of my hair and gave a good tug to get her hand out of a knot.  At that moment, I decided it was time to cut my hair.  Really, I'd been thinking about it for a long time, so the dual attack by my children was the last straw I guess.  If I had known what a wonderful sense of freedom I'd experience from the loss of ten inches of my long hair, I'd have done it sooner.  Truly, I'm so delighted with my new style and how it doesn't get in the way while I take care of my kiddos.  Plus, it's quicker and easier to maintain.

I've realized that change can be very good.  My hair is just one way I've been implementing changes at home to make life easier and our daily "schedule" flow smoother.   (I still have a lot to learn and more tweaking of our routine to do.  But, I'll share what I've found that is working for us right now.)  I'm excited to pass on an organization tip with you soon concerning toys and reducing clutter.  For now, here are some photos of my hair before and after...

Just another bad hair day.  I rarely had time to style it.

My son wanted to be in the pictures :)

90 minutes later... I feel fantastic and realized my old style
was just weighing me down.

I cut off at least 10 inches with plans to donate
my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign.
They make wigs for women who've lost
their hair from cancer treatments.  

K & Mommy making dinner the following evening.  I am so happy
with my hair cut!