Lessons from church: JC is our ID

Good ole KS ID, but it's not "me."

I didn't used to go to church. Not for years at a time.

Now, if I miss a few weeks, I feel it. My spirit sags. It seems harder to focus on and live by my faith. And when I finally get back to where I need to be - in a building full of people with a heart for God - my spirit inflates again like a balloon. Whoosh.

What joy!

Maybe not everyone is this way. But for me, just sharing my faith with others, a communal love of the Lord with the goal of living better to honor Him, is inspiring. I learn. I grow. My heart swells and I step out renewed.

This past Sunday was one such time when I had been away from church for weeks for various reasons. And the message when I returned was a powerful one.

The basic nuts-and-bolts premise: JC is our ID

My pastor of course said it all much more fluently, but I will summarize what I heard and what it meant to me. 

There are lots of things we define and identify ourselves with. Our spouse, kids, job, home, education, upbringing, family, friends, appearance, health, car, clothes. We (or me at least) find our minds wondering what others think or will think.

But the thing is, any of those could be fleeting. Marriages break up. Jobs are lost. Kids grow up and leave. Homes and cars can be destroyed. Friends and family move. Our health can deteriorate. Memories fade.

God and Christ are constant. Who we are in Them is constant. I think if we define ourselves that way, we will be much more at peace.

When you get caught up in the trappings of the day, just remember: JC is our ID

Check out great recipes at link-up

Heather at Golden Reflections Blog, along with Jill from The Sassy Slow Cooker,  Sherryl from Simply Sherryl and Erin from A Bird and A Bean, host a fun Good Tastes Tuesday where you can get some amazing recipe ideas.

The Speedy Firecracker Chicken looks amazing.

You can check it out here.

Summer blueberry crisp

There are lots of reasons to love summer. But one of my favorites is that berries go on super sale and/or you can collect berries if you are lucky.

We were not lucky this year, so when Dillons had blueberries on sale for 99 cents per carton the other day I was SO excited. I think was the cheapest I've ever seen them.

So I bought 4 cartons, we ate some raw and the rest went into one of our favorite desserts, blueberry crisp.

This recipe came from a Turkey Hill ice cream advertisement in a magazine. I will give the amounts for the full recipe, but I have cut it down to 2/3 and even halved it to good effect.

Summer blueberry crisp

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh blueberries (I have substituted mulberries or combined blueberries and mulberries, and it was GREAT!)
3 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl, stir together 3 Tbsp flour and the sugar. Add blueberries and lemon juice. Toss gently to combine. Spread berry mixture evenly in ungreased 3-quart baking dish. Set aside.

2. For topping, in medium bowl combine brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour, oats and cinnamon. Using pastry blender (I use fork), cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over berry mixture.

3. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and edges are bubbly. Cool for 45 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream or coolwhip! YUM!

 

 

Food allergies: A sad story from California

As I've mentioned before, Brady has a pretty strong allergy to eggs, both yolks and whites, cooked in something or whole, ingested or touched or even breathed in.

His reaction if he eats it is to throw up. If he touches the whites (or an egg wash on something), he breaks out all over his face. The other day he came in the kitchen after I'd peeled a dozen hard-boiled eggs and the second he smelled it, he started coughing and I had to give him benadryl (I now make sure he isn't nearby when I'm doing that).

His father sent me this link to pass on. It's about a 13-year-old girl in California with a peanut allergy who unknowingly had some and died. They want her death to serve as education and I'd like to help that process.

It's hard, let me tell you. If I haven't asked someone what they put in a dish, he doesn't eat it. Even the bread for communion at church because, you guessed it, egg. But that doesn't mean we're safe. Doesn't mean he won't forget someday. Doesn't mean we won't get complacent (see the time I almost gave him egg!)

Please, if you can, share this girl's story so that others will learn from it.

Sweet things Brady says... God is real

During a discussion about God and the seemingly impossible "magical" things that happen in the Bible:

B: "You know how I know God is real?"

Me: "How?"

B: "When I have scary thoughts, I pray to God and then they're all gone!"

Wow. I wish I had learned that at 7. I wish I did a better job of it now at 42.

Dear God, please help him to remember this and keep that faith in his heart every day. I don't want to raise him just to believe. I hope and pray he will live it. Amen.

ADHD resources: a link to allergies & asthma?

Though it is not the main focus of this blog by any means, one of my passions is passing on information on and resources for ADHD as I come across them. So many parents in the U.S. are struggling to parent a child with this disorder and get them through the public school system.

Here's the latest thing I've seen lately: 

Is there a link between allergies, asthma and ADHD? According to this study, there is. I think this is an important connection to consider (from personal experience and other people I've talked to, there is strong anecdotal evidence for this as well), further evidence that ADHD is a very real physical phenomenon.

Funny things Brady does... his new school rule

I have never heard of a kid having this particular rule, which was given to Brady last week:

"My teacher told me I cannot talk about Star Wars during lessons."

Words to live by! I wonder what he was trying to tell people about it? While I am happy he has embraced my favorite movie series EVER, I told him if it disrupts his life, into the cabinet it goes for a time out!

Then we were discussing their 2nd grade vocabulary words and one was "excited." He had gotten a star at school for a good answer. I asked what it was. "I said it means you're really happy about something really good."

Then he added, "And I was thinking it's like when they destroy the Death Star on Star Wars."

Me: "You didn't say it though."

Him: "Oh no!"

Whew! I think that star stands more than the answer, I told him. It was for a good choice he made too!

Spiritual boost? Try women's fellowship conference

Oh boy, in the basket to the left was cocoa-covered popcorn, orange fudge, a salted caramel, a huge brownie and ranch popcorn (shhhh, don't tell, but I ate it ALL before lunch). 

Did these guys know how to draw in women or what?

I wish I had taken better photographs at a Christian women's spiritual conference I attended recently with two friends, my mother and my mother-in-law.

But to be honest, I was so excited and so in the moment, the bucket was as far as I got. I guess that illustrates the point I want to make.

There's something so elemental about a woman attending a spiritual conference dedicated to women (I found women's fellowship at church to be the same). We live in a world where possibilities are endless and I'm so grateful for that. I can stand toe to toe with my husband, which is great since we work together.

But at the end of the day, we're different. We have different needs, concerns, inspirations, ideas and behavior. What enhances his spiritual life may not enhance mine.

We are different creatures.

No matter what I can do in this life and what I choose to do, I am a woman and when I acknowledge that and revel in it, life is better.

There were many reasons to love this conference. I bonded with four wonderful ladies whom I adore. Lunch was scrumptious (How'd I have room after all that chocolate!). We were blessed to an in-person concert by contemporary Christian singer J.J. Heller. If you don't know her, please check out this song:

What Loves Really Means

It never fails to bring chills and a gratefulness to my heart.

All for $35. It was a beautiful day. An uplifting day. A day that touched my heart and left me vowing to do better. And what did I learn?

My takeaway message was this: I should walk with God in all things that I do. In every moment. That should be the single driving factor in my life. As a mother, wife, business person, friend, daughter, sister, community member, church member, stranger ... as a woman.

The words I say. The clothes I wear. The example I set. What I listen to and watch and read.

There's not a time for God and then a time for me. They are entwined. His love should be apparent in everything I do. Not an easy task, but one I want to pursue with my whole heart. 

If you're a woman and have never been to a women's conference, I would highly recommend it. Women bring something very special and unique to society and workplaces and homes. We do it better if we come together to support one another and praise God by just being who we are in Him.

How I know I've found a great sitter

A wonderful photo appeared on Facebook last week attached to my name. It was my boy eating edible chocolate clay his sitter made. He looked so happy that it made me feel happy. 

When I pick him up after school, he is happy, he is comfortable, he wants to STAY! Come later tomorrow Mom! Some days he's playing the Wii or watching over her younger brother's Kindle as he plays games.

Other times they're playing Uno, baking cookies or chasing the dog around.

I think there is no greater comfort as a mother who works than to find someone you can trust to care for your child.

I am the lucky recipient of such a person.

And not only that, best best of all, my son's sitter comes from a very God-centered home and is very God-centered herself. I am humbled that I could not ask for anything, anything, more than this.

We are so blessed. This is someone he already loves and I think he'll always remember.

So, how can you know if your child is in a great child care setting that fits your family and needs? Here are a few of my ideas on this based on experience with great and not-so-great care in the past:

• He or she seems relaxed, happy, comfortable, loved. 
• They want to STAY FOREVER!
• They are engaged in a variety of activities on different days when you come to get them. 
• There are rules, discipline and consequences, but done in a loving way with guidance as the goal. 
• Communication between you and the caregiver is frequent and open, on both sides. 
• Your child talks about her time with the sitter, shares stories. 
• Your child easily answers your questions about his or her time there with no hesitation. 
• He can't wait to go back! 
• YOU feel good personally when you pick them up, not worried or anxious about "how things went."
• If it's in-home, they feel like a part of the family when they are there. 
• If in-home, the person seems very responsible in their own life. 
• If it's a day care, they feel cared for there and not singled out yet also not neglected.
• If it's a day care, they are treated as an individual and their individual needs are met, not a one-size-fits-all approach to child care. 
• All physical needs are met: owwies, snacks, water.
• He can be himself and communicate without fear to his caregivers.
• He feels heard if he has a concern.
• The child care workers are open to your ideas and suggestions, and willing to try different discipline techniques. 
• Their basic life and child-rearing philosophy goes along with your own and what you want your child to learn. 

Thinking of a shortie haircut? Go for it!

My latest. I love it!

Hey, for years I was a chicken when it came to my hair. For ages I kept it long, like past middle of my back long. Eventually I went shoulder-length with maybe a few layers, but nothing that really inspired me. 

Until one day - oh around the age of 38 - I said to my hair stylist at the time, "Chop it off. I mean all of it!" And it felt great.

So, ladies, if I can do it, you can too! I say this because I have heard time and time again since then, "Oh, I love your hair. I've always wanted to do that, but I never could."

I want to attest right here and now that a short hair cut - even super short - is a lot of fun, easy to manage, and it makes you feel sassy and confident. I just think any gal that's ever thought of doing it should take the plunge at least once. You can always grow it back out!

I was so glad when I finally did and can't imagine going back.

Just Google "short haircuts" and "images" - like this - and see all the fun styles out there. Okay, that's about as style-intense as I'm ever likely to get here :) Have a great weekend!