On the Dark Days of Motherhood

There are times when the path is smooth,

the sun is shining, the birds are singing,

and a gentle breeze rustles the trees softly.

Ah, the bliss of motherhood.

Then

there are the dark days

of stormy clouds

pouring heavy rains,

the path is rocky,

we slip and fall,

we are tempted to stop

and turn our face down,

avoiding the sting

of the cold and biting wind.

But,

even if you can't see it,

the sun is still there.

His Light still shines.

It may be behind the clouds right now,

but it will

come out again.

Do not despair,

hold on to Hope.

Look up.

Encouraging Links for mamas on the dark days:

Our Commission (from Kim at His Hands, His Feet Today)

(especially good for moms of KFHP-kids from hard places)

A Mother's Mission (from desiringgod.com)

(a great reminder to all moms of our great and wonderful calling)

Super Summer Smoothies

Yep. That's basically it. . .

just mix up the basic recipe and choose a "flavor of the day.

We make these almost every day for a snack or a meal

These are so easy and tasty.

They make great smoothie pops too if you want to freeze the leftovers.

I use my Vita-mix and this recipe makes about 7-8 cups.

Of course, we have to make TWO blender-fulls

to feed our crowd!

Oldie but Goodie

repost from the archives. . .

Adoption Lessons: Grace Isn't Just for Me!

. . . although, most days, I certainly act like it is.

While I would like to think that I'm truly thankful and grateful for God's Grace,

the truth is that

most days I'm more like the wicked servant

from the story in Matthew 18:23-33.

You know, the servant who deserved to be thrown into prison for a debt he could never repay but then begged forgiveness from the King? The King forgave him but then the servant went right out and demanded to be repaid a very small debt that he was owed by someone else - unwilling to cancel the debt, as had been done for him.

I often think of this story in terms of forgiveness -

as in, am I willing to forgive someone

for a specific offense they have committed against me -

and the answer is usually (and eventually) "yes."

(oh, don't I feel nice and righteous now?)

But,

what if the real story here is the story of GRACE

the free and unmerited love of God offered to me-

a sinner: selfish, prideful, a liar, easily angered, fearful, untrusting, rude,

did I say selfish?

Well, now we have something quite different because, you see,

I am more than happy to accept the Grace God offers me

but somehow I find myself

constantly wanting to CHOOSE

whom I deem worthy

of receiving that free and unmerited love from me!

Oh, I am wretched.

And here's where we come to the "Adoption Lesson."

It happens all the time.

It happened with us when we first started seeking out information about children to adopt.

We wanted what they all want - AYAAHAP.

It is so common, they even made up that acronym!

As Young And As Healthy As Possible.

It's understandable.

We didn't want to mess up our lives too much.

We didn't want to mess up our son's life too much.

We wanted to adopt a child,

we wanted to love a child,

we wanted to give God's love to a child;

we just wanted to make sure it was

an easy child for us to love - AYAAHAP!

But, see, that's the problem.

That kind of love isn't really God's love.

If you think that sounds harsh, I'm with you. . .

but it's still the truth.

Think about it.

Aren't you glad that God doesn't choose to adopt us into His family

based on ANAASAP -

As Nice And As Sinless As Possible?

His Grace is available to ME!

He didn't choose me based on

how easy I was going to be to love,

how thankful and loyal I would be to Him,

how quickly I would return His love,

how many times I would sing His praises,

how easily I would obey Him,

how little trauma I had in my background,

how little I would argue with Him,

or how many times I would go my own way.

Should, then, I ought not to be willing to extend

this unmerited love

freely

to orphans who might be really hard to love?

But, oh how the flesh fights to take the easy road.

I can't tell you how difficult it was

both times we adopted

to CHOOSE what (then) seemed like the VERY hard road.

We himmed

and hawed

and prayed

and talked

and tried to think

of any and every excuse "why not?"

We had more than a few others (even those claiming to be believers)

tell us why we should NOT choose:

older children

black children

many children

foster children

that many children (LOL!)

and,

quite honestly,

we wrestled with God

and

even cried as we made the choice

to die to ourselves and take up the cross He had called us to.

It was hard.

We had to choose to listen to the only voice that mattered.

Not ours.

Not other peoples'.

Just His.

The One who sacrificed so much so that we might live in His family,

was now asking us to sacrifice so that they might live in our family.

He was asking us to have Grace for the Orphan.

After all, His Grace isn't just for me.

Will you choose Grace?

Rice and Beans They'll Love to Eat!

You know me, no actual measurements, but here's the basic plan:

long grain brown rice

(assuming you know how to cook this)

black beans

soak and cook

OR

pressure can your own so they're ready to go anytime

add garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, sea salt to taste

serve with taco toppings:

lettuce, salsa, sourcream, red onion

Seriously, it is THAT easy!

want a little something more?

How about this salad:

spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, sesame stix,

feta cheese w/ oil & balsamic vinegar dressing

Hint: make enough rice and beans for leftovers

DAY 2 (lunch)

you can make these the night before or easily whip it up at lunch time

Mix rice and beans together and spoon mixture into tortillas,

top with shredded mexican cheese blend.

roll up put on cookie sheet and bake at 350

till cheese melted and all is heated through.

Serve with salsa and sourcream and seasonal fruit

This is a REALLY cheap way to feed a crowd of hungry kiddos

TWO meals that they will love!

Don't forget to vote today at Circle of Moms

How Could You Be So Good To Me?

That God would allow me to share in the joys and sufferings of these children is truly a part of His Incredible Grace!

If you would like to help me tell more people how good He is and how He really can take children from hard places and heal their hearts, please consider taking a minute to "vote" for me at Circle of Moms. . . it really isn't about this blog, I just want others to know that God's Word and Truth can make a difference in healing the hearts of their adopted children!

you can vote once each day. Help me spread the Good News!

Thinking About A True Education?

It's that time again. That time of year when so many homeschooling moms are evaluating this past year and making plans for their child's education next year.

Although we tend to learn year round and not follow the school year calendar too closely, I do find myself reading, thinking, praying and planning.

I am loving the freedom and joy that our family is experiencing as we move toward a whole-hearted, love of learning, tidal, free-range, T.J., C.M. education.

No idea what I'm talking about? Try these resources just to get started:

These aren't just your typical "here's a great way to homeschool" resources. . .

these are PARADIGM SHIFTING,

"change the way you think about education" resources.

No matter if your children are 3, 9, or 15, homeschooled or public-schooled, these are worth your time.

I challenge you to read this book (available on Kindle) and watch this video to educate yourself on what education actually is!

What is TJEd? from Thomas Jefferson Education on Vimeo.

Thinking about (not) Homeschooling?

This is worth reading

"What's So Great About Public School?"

and what about "early learning opportunities?"

I wish I had time to write more, but for now ponder with me:

What do children REALLY need?