Seasons of Change

         As I share stories about how God changed people’s lives in this 31 Days of Change series, I started thinking about the changing seasons of my life. During my adult life the seasons can be categorized by the ages and stages of my four kids.

         Summer is the season of babies, toddlers and littles. This is a wondrous, eye opening season. I never knew I could love so deeply, until I had kids. I learned what it meant to put someone else before myself: their feeding, their sleeping, their schedule, their likes and dislikes. I also remember this season being one of sleep deprivation, especially with twins waking up every two hours to eat. I worried a lot – was I doing the right thing for them, were they going to grow up to be alright? There wasn’t much time for self-care. Not that I thought about it at the time, I didn’t. Just looking back, I was too busy taking care of them.

        Fall brought the elementary school years. They were old enough to do some things on their own, but still needed their Mom. I remember these years being about growth, learning and developing life skills. It was fun doing things with them and looking at the world through their eyes. It was a busy time with activities and juggling schedules. I remember the phrase, “The days are long, but the years are short,” being true of this season.

         I have enjoyed every season with my kids, but the teenage years can be tough. The good part is they have freedom, they don’t need me as much and they can do most things on their own. I like listening as they work out a problem or talk about their plans for the future. Like the baby season, I find myself sleep deprived, waiting for them to come home at night, worrying about where they are and what they are doing. It is a balancing act as to when to be tough on these strong independent kids, but not break their spirit. Realizing we are not raising kids, we are raising them to be adults.

         The young adult years are when the baby birds leave the nest. It brings newness, independence and accomplishments. Graduations, new jobs, first apartments, marriage, and a baby of their own, make all the other seasons worth it. Adult conversations change the parent child relationship to more of a friendship with people you love deeply. Not all of my birds have left the nest yet, so I don’t know what an empty nest feels like, but I know it will be different, as each season with them has been different.

                    I wouldn’t trade any season away, even the tough years. It is all worth it.

         “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

If you would like to read more in the 31 Days of Change series, click here.

 

 

Recipe For Getting Picky Eaters to Eat Veggies

            It came as a total surprise, but I think I finally discovered the magic formula for getting my kids (and hubby!) to eat veggies for dinner, without all the usual whining and complaining.

            I know many of you have kids who were born loving salad, and prefer green vegetables over candy. But, for those whose kids are like mine, I want to share a secret I stumbled upon last night.

            My family has always been the meat and potato kind, the plainer the better. Which is really boring to cook for. Being a sanguine personality, I like to try new recipes. Having picky eaters has greatly hindered my cooking experimentation.

            The meat and potato dinners usually have the plain meat in one corner of the plate. Then separated, so nothing touches, are the potatoes, and separated again, some type of vegetable or fruit. The problem with this setup is the veggies are on full display for everyone to comment about, critique, criticize, and separate out what they don’t want.

            Last night I tried something totally different and it worked. I made ‘Mom’s-Cute-Crock- With- Hidden-Veggies-Pasta-Bowls.’ I told the kids they were Pasta Bowls.

                       The key ingredient, and it is a must – no substitutions – are these                                       incredibly cute crock bowls.

            They are probably sold everywhere, but I bought mine at Costco. They come in six fun colors, have a handle, and are just so cute. The key is the opening of the crock bowl is smaller than the belly of the bowl.

            Here is the recipe I threw together. I boiled bowtie pasta. While it cooked I made some marinara sauce. I was then inspired to throw a bunch of veggies in the sauce. So, in went diced tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, slivered carrots and half a bag of spinach. I stirred it all together. Then, I mixed the pasta and the sauce together in a large bowl.  I carefully ladled the yummy veggie pasta sauce into the crock bowls. For the two who like cheese, I topped theirs with mozzarella and melted it in the oven.

            An interesting thing happened. As I was waiting for the two crocks that were in the oven, the non-cheese laden bowl sat on the table. Usually, we wait for everyone to get to the table to pray and then eat. As it seemed like it would be a while for the others to arrive, the sans-cheese boy began to dig in and eat his. Normally, I would have stopped him to wait for everyone. But he has eating with gusto and never said a word about all the veggies. I was shocked! Didn’t he know there was at least a cup of veggies in his saucy pasta crock? No, he didn’t. He couldn’t see them because the opening was smaller and it all looked like pasta and sauce. He ate and ate and ate.

            Next the cheese lovers arrived. Who could resist the cute crocks with melted cheesy goodness on top? They ate too. Nobody complained. Nobody commented about the veggies. Crocks were devoured.

Score one for the Mom!

            I’m thinking all meals from here on will be served in these cute concealing crocks! There is no limit to the veggies that could be added and hidden, and then eaten as part of the pasta bowl.

            Here is the recipe. May you have great success in hiding vegetables for your kiddos to devour as well!

Cute-Crock-Pasta-Bowls-With-Hidden-Veggies  (aka Pasta Bowls)

1.     Buy cute crock bowls.

2.     Boil any type of pasta according to directions: penne, bowtie, gluten-free

3.     Make spaghetti sauce: homemade, store bought, or combination

4.     Sauté, or throw in raw, any veggies you have on hand: canned or fresh tomatoes, carrots, spinach, asparagus, kale, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, bell peppers

5.     Mix all together in a large bowl. Then ladle out portions into the cute crocks. Top with cheese, if desired. Melt 2 minutes in oven or microwave.

6.     Sit back and be amazed as they eat all those veggies!

              Please share in the comments if you have a healthy veggie recipe that kids love.

Leaving a Legacy

Memories are an amazing gift. Both my husband and my earliest childhood memory is of learning to tie our shoes.  Why is it we can remember some events with precise detail from years ago, but can’t remember other more recent events at all?

Last night we were at a home group Bible study.

We were discussing who God is . . .

         which led to how God has always wanted a relationship with us,

                           which led to when God’s presence dwelt with mankind,

                                           which led to a discussion of the tabernacle,

                                                               which let to us passing around a                                                                                                                   replica of a tabernacle for                                                                                                                   everyone to see.

          We discussed the details of the tabernacle and what items were in it. The most important part of the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies because God’s presence hovered above the Ark of the Covenant. (You know the Ark of the Covenant from the first Indiana Jones movie.)

          Inside the ark were three items:

a jar of manna,

the stone tablets with the ten commandments written on them,

and Aaron’s staff, which budded.

         Last night, after the Bible study was over, our 24-year-old son and his wife stayed and talked to us. He said he knew the staff budded because that was God’s way of choosing Aaron as the high priest over the other leaders from the twelve Israelite tribes. It is a small detail in the Bible, but very specific. We asked him how he knew that detail.

         He said when he was young I led a mom’s Bible study at our house. The mom’s brought their kids, about 12 kids in all. While the mom’s were studying the Tabernacle in the living room, one of the kid’s grandparents offered to teach this group of kids about the Tabernacle, upstairs in another room. For twelve weeks this amazingly generous couple spent two hours each week teaching those kids the details of the Tabernacle, using a flannel board and other props. They also brought snacks and games.

He said,

“Mom, that was the first Bible study I was ever in and I remember all about the Tabernacle from that couple teaching us. They were amazing. They were always prepared and had a flannel board and pictures. It was great.” 

My son was 4 years old!

         Four years old, and he remembers - twenty years later, about the details of the Tabernacle in the Bible because of the lavish love this couple had for the Lord, the Bible and teaching those kids.

          I am overwhelmed with gratefulness, again, for their amazing servant hearts. At the time, I thought it was so kind of them to take the kids so the mom’s could study the Bible. Little did I know what an impact it would have on my kids and our family.

To my friends reading this who teach little ones at church, Sunday school, Bible study and preschool:

               What you are doing is important and these kids do remember.                               Thanks for leaving a legacy!

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
 Matthew 19:14

Who Nose the Way?

After a week long vacation at the beach, we decided to try more family togetherness back home in the desert. We took the twins to go hiking at a place called Tent Rocks, named for the giant rock formations, that yes, really do look like tents.  Not knowing exactly where it was, we plugged in our destination to Google maps.  Of course, Miss Google is only right about fifty percent of the time. So, while we were pulled over on the side of the dirt road, trying to silence her, and figure out what the actual directions were, Twin B, in the back seat, starts screaming. Well, half screaming and half laughing.

“I was breathing and chewing my gum. I went to take a breathe of fresh air, and I choked, and my gum went up my sinuses! Help! Help!” We don’t know if he is telling the truth or telling a story. Either way, he is breathing and doesn’t seem like he is in pain. Twin A, sitting next to him, is a little distressed. “Mom, aren’t you going to do something, like help him?”

“What do you think I should do?” I ask, curious to hear his solution to this problem.

“Go to the hospital, of course! He has his gum stuck up his sinuses!”

We are out in the middle of nowhere. No  . . .where.  No houses, no stores, no cell service, nothing, nada, just dirt and some juniper bushes. It’s not that the hubby and I are unconcerned. We have just been to the hospital a lot, (broken bones, stitches, kidney stones, gallbladder, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseam) and gum up the sinuses, when he is still breathing, does not warrant a trip to the hospital. Not on the first day, anyway. To lighten the mood, the hubs starts telling the story of the last time someone in the family had something stuck up their nose.

“When Sis was little she had a favorite doll. She loved to hold everything close to her face, and sniff things. So, I guess this doll’s eyeball was not attached very well, and when Sis went to sniff her, the eyeball went right up Sis’s nose.”    This started the laughing. Twin A laughed. I was laughing. The hubby was laughing.  Then, gum sinus boy started laughing. Then complaining, “It’s still stuck! I can feel it up there.”

Finally, I give him a tissue. “Here, blow it out.” He takes the tissue and blows hard, and sure enough, like a spit wad shooting through a straw, out flies the gum, into the tissue. He is so proud of himself, he shows us the projectile in the tissue. More laughing.

“Hey, now my nose smells all minty.” Twin B proclaims.  We cannot hold it in! Now, the whole car is laughing. Laughing so hard, someone snorts! Oh no! Now, I’m crying, I’m laughing so hard.  We all repeat together, “Hey, my nose smells all minty!”

We finally made it to Tent Rocks and they were amazing and we had a great hike. But, we will all remember the trip for the gum in the sinuses and his minty nose.  

                            Hope you enjoy your family!  Lord nose we enjoy ours!

link to Tent Rocks:
http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/rio_puerco/kasha_katuwe_tent_rocks.html