Why I Don't Believe in Falling

We all have heard someone say or said ourselves things like, "I am falling in love" or "I fell out of love" or "I am falling into a depression" or "I fell for it." We "fall" for a lot in our society. Now I am about to get a little deep here y'all, so keep up with me.

Have you ever thought about what those sayings mean? When you fall for something, it means you believe it, or you believe in it. The issue I have, is that these expressions push the responsibility off ourselves, and take away our choice in the matter. Stay with me.

We live in a society that does not like to take responsibility. We like to blame the way we are on our childhood, our parents, an ex who cheated on us, a sickness, a chemical imbalance, our hormones, you name it. We are fickle little creatures who "fall" in and out of love, "fall" into depression or whatever else comes our way, and we just can't help it.

No. Just no.

The bible says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Conforming, as it speaks about above, happens naturally when we live in this world and would be comparable to this "falling" I speak of. Conforming doesn't take effort or decision, it just happens. We live in a fallen world, and an example of conforming can be seen in the physical body. If we don't eat right and exercise, as we age, have babies, get comfortable in our marriages, we gain weight, and body parts start to "fall" (lol) with pulling gravity. Transforming can only be done with a lot of effort. We exercise and gain muscle, fight off fat, and keep ourselves healthy, which transforms our body. It is hard work to continuously transform your body, you have to stay consistent. Exercising one time won't change your physique.

The Word says we have to transform our minds. Transforming and renewing our minds means that we are changing our mind to think the way Jesus thinks. We are reading the Word and studying it continuously. Just like physical exercise, you must constantly work on it, going to church on holidays and reading your bible once in a while won't transform your mind. Not only should you put the good stuff in, but be careful to block out the bad stuff.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I am going to go ahead and say it anyway because it is a good example. I LOVE watching the Bachelor and Bachelorette. I used to put the kids to bed, and get a nice snack ready, plop my booty on the couch and watch that senseless silliness for hours. I realized over time that it was affecting my mind. It was having a negative effect on my marriage in the sense that it was putting expectations on my husband that were not realistic. Marriage is not all candlelight and butterflies. It is hard work, and to compare it to a show is ridiculous, but I was doing that. I had to stop. I don't watch anything like that anymore, it was polluting my life and making me ungrateful for the great marriage that I have. It was not helping me transform my mind to be like Jesus. I am not saying you are wrong if you watch this show, but for me it was wrong.

We have a choice who we "fall" in or out of love with. We have the choice whether we let our emotions (things like depression, sadness, anger) rule us. As the above scripture says, IF we renew our minds then we can test and approve... APPROVE, as in decide. We have a choice in the matter! I love that the verse ends in His GOOD, PLEASING, and PERFECT will. He desires all good things for us, nothing bad.

The key to your happiness is you. You can conform, which happens automatically when we live in this world, or you can transform your mind through the Word, making your own choices, deciding your own happiness and living for the purpose God designed for you!

"..I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life.." Deuteronomy 30:19

Stop falling, and start choosing!

XXOO

Picky eater? Smoothie recipes for kids! (And their parents too!)

I am on a constant quest to find ways to get healthy foods into my kids bodies. Our girls are good eaters, they love fruits and veggies. Our youngest, the boy, will eat certain fruits, but wants nothing to do with anything green or vegetabley (is that a word?) I try to think of fun ways to present him with veggies and green things, and sometimes he will take a bite, but then spits it right out. So frustrating.

Our society, and specifically the children are severely malnourished because of all the processed foods and lack of raw food in their diet, which is a big part of why kids these days are always so sick! Making smoothies helps solve this problem!

For years I have been wanting to jump on board the smoothie train, but could never make good ones that anyone would actually drink.... until now! I am so excited about all the nutritious things I have been putting into their little bodies, and they love them too. My husband even drinks them! A few smoothie staples that you must have on hand:

• Kefir (I like to use goats milk kefir)- Kefir is an amazing probiotic which helps increase gut health and build a strong immune system
• Frozen organic fruit (I use mostly berries because they are low in sugar and full of antioxidants)
• Coconut oil- There are too many benefits of coconut oil to list here, but for more info click here
• Chia seeds- Chia seeds are full of omega 3 fatty acids and are a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber
• Raw honey-Once again there are too many benefits to list here but if you want more info click here

With just the things listed above you can make a delicious smoothie, here is the base recipe (you can add more or less of each thing based on your taste preferences):

1 1/2- 2 cups kefir
3 cups organic frozen fruit
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chia seeds
raw honey to taste (if you want to use less honey, get a pure stevia extract and add a couple drops)
handful of ice cubes
1/2 cup water

To make my smoothies even more power packed with nutrition you can add any of the following foods to the above base (I always add at least one veggie):

Avocado
Kale
Turmeric root
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Carrots
Spinach

When doing kale, I prepare mine ahead of time and puree it with a little bit of water then freeze it in pre-made portions. You can use cupcake tins to freeze it, then just throw your kale pellet in the blender with the rest of your ingredients and blend! I haven't tried it with spinach yet, but I am sure it would work great this way also.

**As a side note, we could not feed our family of five as much organic and healthy foods if we didn't shop at Costco! You can get almost all the ingredients for smoothies there, for half what it would cost you anywhere else!

I make a batch for my whole family every morning and many times they don't want anything else for breakfast because they are too full! These smoothies are great for moms too, when I miss a morning I am always sleepy by the afternoon and have to drink coffee to get through the rest of the day without a nap. It is crazy how much of a difference it makes. My only regret is that I didn't start this habit sooner!

Please share any smoothie recipes that your family loves! I would love to hear from YOU!

You are not the underdog, stay at home mom.

Happy New Year everyone! I am super excited about what this year is going to bring us! As a follow up to my Faith and Finances post, I am very proud to announce that this month our last credit card will be paid off and we will be done with the first part of our debt snowball plan!We are well on our way to being debt free! To read that original post and help get your finances in order click here!

On another note....

Lately I have been shocked at how stay at home moms are attacked and made out to be inferior to those who go out into the work force and get a "real" job. Our own president was recently quoted saying that being a stay at home mom is "not a choice we want Americans to make."

We as moms know our job is important, but sometimes it feels like we should be doing more. I am here to tell you, what you do is enough.

I recently did a study on David from the bible and I got some great revelation for stay at home moms that will empower and encourage us to keep up the good fight. 

We have all heard the story of David and Goliath. David the underdog, with Gods help and favor killed the giant, which reminds us that with God's help we can do anything. That is a great message but there is more to it. The bible says that David was "a man after God's own heart."

How can I be a woman after God's own heart and do great things like David? I speak toddler all day and I feel like I never leave my kitchen!!

In order to understand how David was a man after God's own heart we have to go back to the beginning before he even killed Goliath. When he was anointed by God to be king, he was just a lowly shepherd. He spent his time doing doing something that most people thought to be the lowest job on the totem pole. Even after being anointed as king, he went back to tending sheep, he did not go to war with his brothers against the giants. What kind of king is that? Think about how that must have felt? 

Sometimes when you are kissing boo boos and wiping snot it does not feel like we are doing anything important, but watch what happened to David...

While he was shepherding his sheep he had encounters with a lion and a bear, and he slayed both of them. These were trials that nobody knew about, which built his faith. While his brothers and everyone else were at war seeing these big scary giants, he was secluded and alone with God, doing a job that didn't feel important, but it built his faith for his appointed time.

See where I am going with this?

When it was time for someone to fight Goliath, all the other people were scared because they had been exposed to the giants, causing unbelief. Meanwhile David had the proper perspective and understood that his God was bigger than any giant. He had been building up his faith, and was seeing Goliath through his spiritual eyes, not through fearful physical eyes.

While doing the humbling job of tending sheep, David was being built up to do one of the most important jobs in history. What if he had complained and gotten arrogant? What if he would have refused to tend sheep after being anointed as king?

Confidently, David went in and did the job nobody else could. He slayed Goliath and saved his people. This one thing changed the course of his whole life, and he never could have done it without the humbling time he spent with the sheep.

You mom, in your pajamas at noon, showerless and changing a poopy diaper, are David. You are a woman after God's own heart. God is building you up for something great. Use this time to build your faith because you will do things that nobody else could ever do. You will slay giants. Consider every trial a joy because it is only preparing you for something great.

XXOO

Since Apparently Suicide is No Longer Selfish

If you are anywhere in the social media world, you have probably already seen the heartbreaking story of the 29 year old woman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and moved to Oregon where she could  use the death with dignity laws to kill herself. Yes, I said kill herself. I didn't say "end her life" or "choose how she left this earth" because all those phrases sugar coat what she actually did and that is commit suicide. 

Let me first say that when I read her story it made me really sad to see someone so hopeless. I can't imagine being in such a dark place. She killed herself to avoid pain and suffering that she never needed to suffer. Jesus died for her healing, both physical and emotional. Christian or not, cancer can be cured naturally, many people have done it, but that is for another day, and not where I am trying to go with this post.  

I opened my Facebook app the other morning after she had reportedly gone through with her plans, and I could not believe people's responses. People calling her brave, calling her a hero, and praising her for her suicide. What the heck is going on with this world? When did suicide go from being sad and selfish  to becoming an act of heroism? My main question to the people calling her brave is this... Since apparently everyone has decided that we can play God, when exactly is it acceptable to kill yourself? 

Maybe you say "Well if you are in pain and suffering then you should be able to decide how you go."

Okay, then I ask you this, does this only pertain to physical pain, or does emotional pain count also?

Maybe your response is "Well if you are a drug addict or alcoholic and kill yourself then you are selfish because addiction is the wrong path to take in life, this girl didn't choose to get cancer."

No she didn't choose cancer, but drug addicts most of time inherit their addictive behaviors from their genetics, or they grew up with a horrible life and suffer intense emotional pain. Who are you to judge?

Here is my point people. If you have ever called a suicide selfish or wrong, but have taken a stand that it isn't wrong this time, then you are a hypocrite. At least be consistent here and say that you no longer think suicide is ever selfish because whether or not the pain be physical or emotional, it is pain and they should be allowed to end it. Fine, I can accept that answer. While I completely disagree with every ounce of it, I can still respect the fact that you aren't a hypocrite. 

There is hope. God created you, he has a plan for you, but he won't force it. If you decide to kill yourself, he isn't going to stop you. He gave you a free will, freely choose Him, freely choose life.

XXOO

Faith and Finances

They say financial hardship is the biggest strain on a marriage, and after all the junk Dustin and I have been through in this area, I can confidently say that we can make it through anything. In the past five years of our marriage we have had two babies, paid a lawyer for two separate custody cases for Bre, started a business, sold that business, meanwhile maintaining the regular expenses of home ownership, two cars and a boat. We have been very independent during all of this and somehow managed to maintain a good relationship with each other. We have made sacrifices so that I could stay home with our kids and I would not trade the time I have had with them for anything in the world. I would do it a million times over again. 

This past summer all of that financial strain caught up to us. It seemed no matter how much overtime he worked, we could not keep up. We got dangerously behind on our mortgage, and didn't know how to climb our way out of that hole. Thanks to a gracious family member, we were able to borrow the money to catch up on our mortgage, which Dustin is now working off. 

Man, that hurts the pride. Nobody wants to admit defeat and have to borrow money. It was honestly the lowest of lows for us financially. I am thankful now looking back that we are out of that phase and moving into the next WAY better one, which is what I am excited to write about. 

I look around at a lot of people our age with kids, and see that there are a lot of similar problems with finances. Everyone seems to be struggling. This should not be the case, especially for those of us who are believers! The word says,

"And my God will supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

"Well I am a believer and my needs are not met, so what is going on?"

Every situation is different, but I think our story will help you write yours. Every promise in the bible is done only according to faith. We spent all this time stressing and worrying and working way harder than we should, only to stay behind. That is not faith! I would have said I believed the word, but my ACTIONS were proving otherwise. Not only that, but we were expecting a harvest that we hadn't planted. 

The first thing we started doing was get consistent in our giving.

It has brought us out of our comfort zone for sure, but you can't expect a harvest when you don't CONSISTENTLY plant seeds. 

"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running overwill be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

The very first day that we "planted some seeds", we had our AC guy come out to fix our AC and he didn't charge us a penny. We knew from that point on that there was no turning back.

Next, we made a plan!

Our goal is to be completely debt free (including our house) in 10 years or less. Part of that plan is that we will NEVER borrow money again. No credit cards, no family members, nothing. We will be the lender, not the borrower. We are using a debt snowball plan, and lowered as many of our bills as we possibly could, and got rid of the stuff we could live without. Through a literal miracle, my husband traded in his boat (which was broken down) for a brand new one that is being custom built, with a warranty, for a way less interest rate than the last one, without being upside down, and significantly cheaper monthly payments! That was God's favor and blessing in an inexplicable way, that stuff doesn't just happen to people!

God has blessed me in my work. I am able to spend very few hours away from my kids, doing something I absolutely LOVE, with more students than I can even take, really! My dance classes have waiting lists! There is not another job on the planet that could be more perfect for me in this season of life. I am soooo thankful for God's favor. 

I realize now that other than giving, and making a plan that you will stick with, the third and most important key to all of this is trusting. 

Trusting that God meant what He said when he promised to take care of our needs, it is that simple. Just this past month, we had money come to us that we were not expecting, that put food on our table and gas in our car. We have done all that we can, in our power, and we know that God already promised to do the rest. There has been so much freedom in letting go of the worry, and watching how God provides. There is a reason that the bible says "fear not" 365 times, one for every day of the year!

I encourage you to take these steps with us. Give consistently, make a plan (and stick with it) and most importantly, let go so that God can do the rest!! 

XXOO

Dropping the F Bomb in My Prayers

Yep, you read that title correctly. I indeed drop the F bomb when I pray. Actually, Jesus said to do it so I am only obeying his commands. He said....

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

The F bomb I speak of is forgive. In this chapter Jesus commands us to forgive others, it is not a suggestion. If he died and suffered for us while we were still rotten, dirty sinners, then we would be nothing but hypocrites to hold someone's offenses against them. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to forgive people, even if they are still doing us wrong.

"How do I do this? I don't feel like I forgive this person at all. Actually, they get on my very last nerve, constantly."

We must do it the same way we do anything in our spiritual life, by faith. Just say, "Father, I know my feelings do not line up with what I am about to say, but because you said to do it, I know my feelings will have to follow, I forgive _____. I hold nothing against them, and I give them to you. Help my feelings line up with your will."

"Why is this important?"

Unforgiveness is not something that will hurt the person you are bitter towards, they don't realize they are wrong. Holding a grudge will only hurt you. It will destroy you from the inside out. The bitterness will eventually take over your whole life, ruin all your relationships, and open the door for all kinds of bad stuff to start happening. If you are a Christian, it also makes you a hypocrite because how can we receive God's grace to forgive us our sins if we aren't forgiving others for theirs?

Forgiveness means you put God's word above your own pride. This is something that is very hard to do because we all have "really good reasons" why we are right and the other person is wrong. The reality is that we have to die to ourselves in order to live the life God called us to, and forgiveness is just the beginning of that surrender.

I have learned that when I start feeling angry and unforgiving, I have to stop and just pray it off. I don't even let it take up space in my thoughts. It takes discipline, but the bible says to take every thought captive, and with enough practice, it gets easier and easier.

The result of forgiveness is beautiful. You give God the problem you can't fix yourself, and in exchange you get peace and a quiet mind.

So start dropping those F bombs, y'all!

:) XXOO

3 Foods to Never Give Your Kids for School Lunches (and the healthier alternative!)

With school starting for us tomorrow, I wanted to share my sentiments about school lunches. I look at every meal as an opportunity to give my kids something nutritious that will benefit their bodies, not just fill them up. I am shocked that kids these days even survive considering how unhealthy they eat. Here are a few of my horror meals that no person should ever consume, especially a growing child!

1. Lunchables. There is so little actual food in these things that you would literally be better off not eating and sparing yourself from the chemicals, preservatives, and GMO's. Here are the ingredients in the plain old turkey, cheese and cracker lunchable. I have highlighted the harmful ingredients in red:

Ingredients: ROAST WHITE TURKEY – CURED, SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED: WHITE TURKEY, WATER, POTASSIUM LACTATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, DEXTROSE, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM DIACETATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SMOKE FLAVOR, SODIUM NITRITE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEDDAR CHEESE PRODUCE: MILK, WHEY, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MILKFAT, SODIUM CITRATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WITH STARCH ADDED FOR SLICE SEPARATION. CONTAINS: MILK, WHEAT CRACKERS: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2],FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), WHEY (FROM MILK), SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER). CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY.

A good alternative? Roll up some Boar's Head nitrite-free turkey breast and Organic Valley cheese, throw in some Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. Real food, what a concept!

2.Smucker's Uncrustables. I guess this is the processed food industry's idea of a PB&J. Once again, I have highlighted the harmful ingredients which are preservatives, chemicals or GMO's. There is so little food, and so much poison that once again they would be better off skipping a meal.

BREAD: ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, UNBLEACHED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, YEAST, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, DATEM, ENZYMES [WITH AMYLASE, LIPASE, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEATSTARCH]).  PEANUT BUTTER: PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED), SALT, MOLASSES.  GRAPE JELLY: GRAPE JUICE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PECTIN, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE).

A good alternative? Almond butter and organic jelly sandwich on Ezekial Sprouted Grain bread! So easy and super healthy! Ezekial bread can be found in the frozen section of the grocery store.

3.Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. New York times did an article on Kraft mac and cheese and there are two warnings that every parent should be aware of before they feed this to their child:

Warning #1: This Product May Cause Adverse Effects On Activity And Attention In Children (This warning label is required because The US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese has artificial food dyes yellow #5 and yellow #6 which are proven to be linked to hyperactivity in children.)

Warning #2: GMO Declaration: Made from genetically modified wheat. (May contain GMO) (This warning label is required because the US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese contains GMOs.)

A good alternative? Annie's makes a large variety of macaroni and cheese for only a few cents more. You will completely avoid the GMO's and food dyes by going this route.

Some other healthy lunch options:

A small salad with dressing on the side

Left overs! I often cook extra the night before so I can send the left overs in a thermos

Amy's Organic Spinach Pizza-- Bre loves this pizza and its good at room temp if there is no microwave. 

Carrots or cucumbers and dip, string cheese and crackers.

Peanut butter and raw honey sandwiches

Fresh berries, organic yogurt, granola

Breakfast for lunch! Cut up some pancakes and send a side of Grade B pure maple syrup

Organic chicken noodle soup in a thermos with a side of crackers

What about you, moms? What healthy lunches do you pack for your little ones at school?