Life Is Beautiful

The cost of food is second only to the Mortgage in our household. It's quite difficult to buy healthy, nutritious foods and stay within a sensible budget. I would LOVE to buy all organic foods and never buy another thing that came in a box or a can. I suppose, that is possible for some - but for me, there are financial and time constraints that prevent an all inclusive, militant Natural Diet. Around the new year this past December, God started working on me about what I was buying and where I was shopping. Our family was spending over $800 per month at the grocery store. I was shopping at a premium grocery store and buying organic whenever possible. While I justified this as a health benefit - I was spending outside our means. Last night I went to the local discount grocery for milk, bread, cheese, cereal and fruit for the last time of the month. I came home and added up the receipts for the month of June and was pleased to find that my efforts got the food bill down to just...

My Dad and Mom's Engagement Photo 1973 My dad passed away in December 1998 after battling lung cancer for almost 2 years. Our oldest son was born that year, Dad saw him a few times but the cancer had spread to his brain by that time - so I'm not sure if he really saw him. Lately I've been having dreams about him. He's there, but he's not. I see him at a family function, but can't get to him to talk to him. I find "evidence" of him working on stuff at my house (he was a carpenter), but can't find him anywhere. Something is going on in my brain, and I s'pose I need to get this off my chest. So here it is... Dear Dad, I miss you. I wish you could meet our oldest son now, you would really like him. He is extraordinarily bright and would be able to talk Sci-Fi with you all day. He loves to read and is now playing baseball! Our oldest daughter would surly have had you all wrapped up. She is a little snarky and so very pretty - just the wa...

What do you think of when you look at this picture? Admittedly, I think "MESS!" Sometimes it's hard to get out things like finger paints or a whole bin of blocks because I'm just not in to the big clean up! I don't really know that much about anything. With children, I just try to do the right thing and hope for the best. I'm a big kid at heart, so having 4 children and a few daycare kids is fun first. My kids range in age from 12 to 18 months, so it's hard to plan universally appealing activities. Most of our day is spent in what may be categorized as "Free Play" or "Provider Directed Learning." I see a big push for keeping children busy. Most children are enrolled in pre-school at age 3, Mom's that are home with kids are busy hauling them from the park to the zoo to the playground. At home there is a feeling of guilt on the part of the parent if every moment is not spent reading to, or playing with the child. Trust me, I ...

If you've ever seen this stuff in the store, you may have wondered just what to do with it. That's me, always. I am fairly adventurous, and try to buy things that I don't know what they are! Today it was Fennel . Here's a copy of the recipe I used this evening. I only had 2 large bulbs of Fennel, so I substituted with a pound of sliced mushrooms. Yes, it really did take SEVEN cups of broth (I used chicken bullion). This made an enormous stock pot over half full of Risotto. I have a family of 6 that put a good dent in it, but we did have left overs. Give it a try - and let me know how you liked your first fennel experience! FENNEL RISOTTO 4 bulbs fennel 1 tablespoon butter 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cups uncooked rice 7 cups vegetable broth 1 cup heavy cream 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon dried parsley, if desired freshly ground black pepper to taste Cut the base off of the fennel bulbs, and cut a cone shape into the base to remove the co...

Yesterday, I played Queen for a Day. Without much preparation, I took off before most of the kids woke up and spent some time doing what I wanted to do, on my time table. I went to the gym and ran 5 miles. I suppose I could have braved the rain, but as Queen, I opted for a more civilized approach. After dressing and putting on full make-up and hair (after all a Queen must look her best), I went over to Barnes & Noble for coffee. I like to order a small coffee there, then doctor it up a little with some non-fat milk and Turbinado sugar . They don't yet have Stevia , bummer. I sat there and read my book , nearly finished it to. No interruptions! I then walked over to Scheel's for a little look-see with all the time in the world. I looked at all the nifty bikes, the gear, and of course the clothes. While Scheel's has everything you need for any sport you choose, their prices are YIKES. No way I'm paying $44 for a tank top to sweat in. I did, however, fe...

I may have overdone it today!

It's been a hard week. Our 12yr old was gone on a mission trip and came back Tuesday, it's been 100 degrees each day, oh - today it's 50 and RAIN - and I think my *nearly* 4 year old finally cracked up. No, one FacePalm just won't do.

Ouch. This has been me lately. Around the first of April I had a cracked tooth extracted. Pretty emotional for me, really. I work really hard on good health, and loosing a tooth was a tough blow. It hurt me for over a year - had I gone in for a look much sooner, I may have only had a crown. I waited long enough that it cracked clear down to the root. Had that tooth pulled on a Wednesday and ran a 10k on Saturday. It wasn't that bad, really. Pretty sore for a few days, and I didn't really want to get any cereal or granola back there for a bout a month or so. One. Clear in the back. No big deal. Well...now it seems there are a more. It's never a good sign when Doc takes a look and says "Oh...yeah...THAT'S a cracked tooth." An x-ray proved it, and it sounded like a ton of money coming from that doctor. Since the new one is in the middle, you can't just pull it without doing damage to the others around it. So I asked - "What if I just have it...

I guess it took a little Kutless to remind me of what I really am. Sometimes I get a little down about my day-to-day. I'm sure nearly everyone does! I stay home with our children, I babysit a couple more here and there. A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to even home school our older kids. This tends to put me in a position of servitude. Ever hear your mother say "I'm not the maid!" That's how I feel. A lot. I'm sure most people feel unappreciated at their jobs. Really, the only difference is that I don't get to close the door on an unfulfilling workday and go elsewhere. I was making a Race Day play list and I came across this song. Great Kutless tune. What it reminded me of, is of what a whiner I've become lately. Wah - wah , poor me. Cleaning up after everyone, cooking all the meals, wiping butts, cleaning clutter. Sob. Whine. The most important Man in history set out to save, to teach, to serve. Jesus of Nazareth, the...

I know that eating green stuff can be scary. For me - it's the "how the heck do I cook that!?" part that is a stumbling block. BEHOLD - the answer to my problems! These veggies are clean, cut and ready to dump in the pot. Also, there are recipes on the back of the bags. Could it be much easier? We eat what's on sale around here, and most varieties of these bagged beauties rotate sales each week. So this week - bags of spinach were 4/$5, Cut N Clean Greens were $2.69, and the sliced mushrooms were on sale for $1.49. So, no excuses - fresh veg is affordable and easy if you want it to be.

I received a package today from Amazon.com. Wow - what a wonderful country we live in! Me, a home schooling, babysitting, mother of 4 can shop and have the things I need delivered to my door. I can even get it at a bargain basement price! My ball glove came, hooray! Our 12yo son is playing his first year of little league and I've been trying to play catch with him to help his ball handling skills. We only had one glove, so I ordered one that has some pink laces in it. He, he... I'm not real swift at it, but I'm sure I'll get better! Hanging out at the ball field sure has a way of making you love this country. Just having the freedom to sit out in the open air and relax for a couple of hours in the evening is a blessing! Seeing the Mommas and the Daddies clapping for sons in matching pants and shirts, listening closely to Coach, hustling for the ball and sometimes hitting a double - WOW! As I looked around the ball park, it really struck me how fortunate we are....

Aw...my poor little stubborn baby. He has NEVER slept well - and now that he's newly turned two - I'm happy to say that we can now reason with him and thanks to a good routine, this doesn't happen very often. We have a new ritual that is much much better than the classic "scream yourself to sleep" routine. I sing a couple of songs, turn on the Night Night Puppy, use the flashlight to charge the stars on the ceiling, and then hugs and kisses! I take my glasses off and press my face between the crib bars for a sweet little kiss. Then he moves to the next open space and says "And another one!" we move all the way down the line and back again, little smooches and giggles all the way. No matter what happened that day - this little ritual puts me right. I know that it's largely a stall tactic for the boy, but it sure is a heart soother for the Momma. Thank you, Lord, for that boy and just one more bedtime kiss!

I was doing an abs workout this morning when I looked down to notice that someone else's legs had been stuck on my body. These legs look less like my Play-dough "snakes" and more like appendages with actual muscle. Amazing. I spend considerable time being disappointed with various body parts - today I'm going to be proud of my legs! Time for the confession: I'm scared to death of being old and sick. Moreover, I'm really scared of the "C" word. Confidentially, I've been researching the use of Baking Soda to increase the alkalinity of the body in order to combat our acidic environment. There is some thought out there as to that being a major cause of cancer. And so, don't laugh...but I've been taking 1/4tsp of baking soda mixed with water each morning to increase my body's alkalinity . I guess I figured that it couldn't hurt. And anyway, laugh if you want. I've seen what cancer does to a body and I am willing to do an...

I thought I would share a couple of pictures of some of my heroes. Amazing that only a 40 years ago, it was advised that women NOT run due to their delicate nature. Good thing a few stubborn ladies didn't listen to THAT piece of medical advice! Constantina Dita - Oldest woman to win an Olympic Marathon at age 36. Awesome! Kara Goucher - Total cutie, Momma and proving to be a running badass, not only in the 1000m but longer distances as well! Deena Kastor - one of my favorites. Fifth fastest woman to ever run a Marathon, and now a Mom as well!

I have found lots of neat ladies out there, running their little hearts well! This lady has great blog and a SWEET GIVEAWAY this month. Enter here , and don't forget to add Amanda to your blog roll at RuntoTheFinish !

That's me... heels, hose, lipstick, and sparkles everywhere.  Just wanted to show you that I wasn't slacking this weekend... I ran a little 5k on the hotel treadmill Friday night and Saturday was my scheduled rest day.  And, apparently, a scheduled Cake/Candy/Carb Day. Ahem. I did get a new brother out of the deal, and life can return to normal for my sister.  She's been a "little" stressed out with the whole wedding thing. I'm just glad I won't likely be in any more weddings very soon.   And maybe next time I can cast my vote for an athletic theme song we can all wear tech T's and Vibrams!

This is a "Salad as Big as My Head!" One of my strategies for eating low calorie/high protein is to fill up on the veggies and meat. Here's my recipe for a very filling salad for around 400 calories. 3c. spinach petite carrots 1/2c. sliced mushrooms 1/2c. raw broccoli 6oz. cooked chicken breast 1/2c. lowfat cottage cheese You probably noticed there's no dressing, croutons, crackers, nuts, or cheese on this salad. Yep, that would be more fun, but the calories would jump real fast. The cottage cheese provides enough moisture to trick you into thinking there's dressing. This salad can be easily put together in the morning and taken to work. Just keep the chicken and veggies separate from the cottage cheese to avoid limp spinach. Enjoy!

Our 9 year old was very angry with me today. She had a very bad episode while getting ready for church and it was apparent that she was totally exhausted. My husband is a man of seemingly limitless patience. I mean, he's married to me, right? *rim shot* But really, he did much better with her than I did. The deal was, that since she basically screamed from the time she woke up until we hit the church door, she couldn't go to her volley ball game at 2pm and must come home and take a nap. Enforcing that yielded the same results as before. The screaming, the crying, the hurling of insults my way. I've been told before that she hated me. I don't respond. Today she upped the ante and threw out the old "I'm gonna kill myself." I responded, in my usual style, with "Well, you'll have to explain to Jesus why you didn't want to finish the work he had for you down here, then!" I knew she was just trying to get to me. And it worked. I tried ...

Here we have my new Vibram Five Fingers and a Foo-Foo Coffee drink.  I took this while waiting to get my hair cut.  Review to come on the "shoes",  the Frappacino was to much ice and not enough chest hair burning coffee for me.  The hair cut - hooray! Nonetheless, these moments alone don't happen often, so I shall savor it.   I only wish David was here...without the kids!

This little girl is very special to me. She is a bright, intelligent, kind soul. She has taught me most of what I know about gentleness and compassion. God put her in my life to train me. She would give her last lollipop to the next door neighbor or donate all of her allowance to the first person who knocks on the door with a collection plate. She is brave, resilient and joyful even in trial. And, as little girls often do, she has now grown up. In a few days, she will be getting married. I'm so proud of her and so humbled by her example of godly love. The only thanks I can give her for showing me patience and kindness to live a godly life myself. Grace is something we can't earn and can't repay. And so it is with my sister. My friend, my confidant. She knows it all and loves me anyway. May God richly bless Amy and Nat as they join in marriage on May 21st, 2011!