A Moment for Your Monday: Beyond Myself

We all make the best decisions we can for our children. We do everything we can that we think will keep them healthy, happy, growing, learning, and thriving. And we rejoice when we see the fruit of those things!

My son has been extremely healthy his whole life. I have actually only had to take him to the doctor for illness once in his almost-two-years, and it was overseas on a trip. Sure, he gets colds once in a while, but a week of saline spray and humidifiers usually gets him through it just fine and he really never gets fevers. I realize I have been spoiled, but I love it.

But over the last few years I've grown proud, too. I have slowly attributed his extraordinary health to my choices: feeding him as a newborn, the foods he eats now, how he was weaned in between those two things, the way I treat the first signs of illness, how I keep our home, our routine... you name it. I was proud of how I had made mothering choices and how this had clearly led to a superiorly healthy, thriving child.

Until one night last week, when I held my poor, whimpering, feverish boy at 3:30 am, at a total loss. He had had a low-grade fever for three days and a mild runny nose, but no other obvious symptoms. I had treated him like I always do: lots of water, lots of rest, tylenol for his fever, saline spray and humidifier for his nose, warm baths for all of the above. And after three days of this, he suddenly spiked a fever around 102 in the middle of the third night - the highest he has ever had in his life. I didn't know what else to do to help him. As we snuggled, my heart cried out,

"Jesus, I am beyond myself right now. I have been so proud. I have let my pride run wild. All this time I have contributed my own actions and decisions to keeping my son healthy. But clearly all those things are of no use right now. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I tried to take credit for this incredible little creature that you have knitted and fashioned so amazingly. I need you now. Please, please heal my baby. Jesus, help him feel better. I can't do that - only you can."

I finally went back to bed feeling very small, indeed. Humbled. Silly. Helpless.

In the morning, there was no sign of fever. I could have cried, I was so relieved. It was like Jesus nudging me and saying, "I'm here with you. I love this little guy more than you know. I've entrusted him to you, and you're doing the best you can, but ultimately I am in control. Remember that. And when you come to the end of yourself, I will still be there continuing on where you can't. I don't end. I will never let him go."

Have you ever come to the end of yourself? Maybe you are there right now, and you don't know where else to turn as you try your best to mother. Remember that Jesus is there - beyond the end of you - and is watching over your sweet babies. Will you hand it over to him?

Organizational Bliss

While I was pregnant with my son, I didn't have a whole lot of energy - ever. So I didn't do much "nesting." But now that #2 is on the way, it's a whole different story. I have become a crazy woman in the last few months - doing everything from refinishing furniture to refolding all of our socks. My husband laughs at me, but we all know he secretly loves the cleaning going on!

Being the beginning of the year, I know I'm probably not the only one in a mad organizing frenzy. Be honest now: how many of you made organizational New Years resolutions? If you did, I want to tip you off to a great resource: IHeart Organizing.

image source

If you spend much time around the blog scene, you've maybe already seen Jen Jones' awesome chronicle of organizing her life, home and family of five. If not, she has ideas on getting everything in tip-top shape from your junk drawer to your play room. I know 10-20 minutes with this blog in the morning or during nap time is enough to motivate me for a couple hours on one of my own projects! If you need a jump start with your own organizing resolutions, check it out!

*Disclaimer: I don't want this, in any way, to become a comparison game for you or to perpetuate some of those lies you are working so hard to dispel. You are not a bad mom when your house inevitably doesn't look like these blogs! I live in a small, aging apartment with stock finishes that I can't change and my home looks absolutely nothing like any of the pictures you will see in these links. I've simply been inspired to think outside the box and make our home work best for our lives and hope you will find some helpful information too!

Devotions On The Go

When you have little ones at home, it can feel pretty impossible to fit anything into our days beyond just the bare necessities of survival! It's even more daunting, then, when we think about trying to add spiritual training and resources into our day. Luckily, the Bible tells us to do it while we are doing everything else (check out Deuteronomy 6:7)! Need some help getting started? Here are some great resources for you:

Thriving Family magazine, put out by Focus on the Family, has new "On the Go Devotions" in each month's issue. These are quick, age-adaptable activities that can be done in the car while you're running errands! Check out their archives for lots of ideas (including some meal-time devotions too). And by the way, if you haven't subscribed already, this magazine is totally free!

Here are five great devotion ideas for your on-the-go activities. Take a few minutes to browse through the site, and you'll find some other great ideas, too!

While you're going through your Eat This Book plan, encourage your children to get involved too! There is a children's plan available here, and it's a great way to get your kiddos into the habit of reading from their Bibles every day. Even little bits can get in on the action - I read The Jesus Storybook Bible aloud to my newborn son three times cover-to-cover during those early long nursing sessions! If you have a newborn and older children too, this can be a great time for everyone to be together, hearing the Truth.

Above all, don't be frustrated if things don't go exactly as you envision or not everything sinks in. There will be days when your littles don't hear a word you say. There will be times when you get frustrated. There will even be days when you fail. But don't give up! You never know how God will use and bless your efforts to draw your children to Him.

What are other ways you teach your children to love Jesus?

Recipe: Italian Chili

It finally decided to be (mostly) winter in Knoxville! That means that warm meals are a great way to end a day out and about. Even better if you don't have to prepare every warm meal from the beginning each day! Here's a great soup recipe that is a complete meal in a pot - meat, veggies, pasta, and beans all together. The best part is that it makes enough to eat one night and freeze for another night (or two!).

Try it out:

Seasoned Beef

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. sweet basil

1 tsp. salt

(*Note - Rather than using all beef and seasonings, you can opt to use 1/2 lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb Italian sausage.)

Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. carrots, shredded

2 cups celery, diced

48-oz. canned, diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed

1 15-oz. can small white beans, rinsed

1 Tbsp. sweet basil

1 Tbsp. oregano

2 tsp. garlic powder

2½ tsp. black pepper

5 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup Ditalini or small ring pasta (optional)

3 quarts beef stock

48-oz. spaghetti sauce

Topping

Shredded parmesan cheese

For beef, place olive oil in 8-10 quart heavy soup pot. Mix remaining seasoned beef ingredients and brown in hot oiled pan, crumbling while cooking. Remove from pan and set aside. For soup, add olive oil to pot and sauté onion, celery and carrots until tender-crisp. Add remaining soup ingredients and seasoned beef. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 45 minutes. Top each bowl with 1-2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it is totally flexible. The last time I made it, I used more beans and less stock to make it a little bit thicker. I've also had friends make it with red and/or green peppers added to the veggie list. Recently I didn't have small ring pasta, so I used some regular penne noodles, and it turned out great! It's hard to go wrong with anything in this recipe. If you like to make your own spaghetti sauce, this is a great recipe too. I recently made it for dinner for our family of three one night, and put the leftovers in Italian Chili the next!

What are some of your other favorite freezer meals? What else do you do to make meal prep easier for you and your family?

A Moment for Your Monday: Resolutions

Did you make New Years resolutions this year? Are they resolutions you have made before? Are you still keeping with them a week into 2013?

It's a proven fact that we are more likely to stick with resolutions, or any other goals if they meet a couple of criteria: Are they measurable? Goals are most achievable when they are broken down into sub-goals over time. Maybe you want to lose a certain amount of weight - how much does that work out to each month? Are your goals realistic? You are most likely to succeed if goals speak to your specific life stage, if they are healthy, etc. Set a goal that you can reach! Finally, are you sharing your resolutions with other people? We are mostly likely to succeed when we have accountability!

One of the themes that emerged over our fall semester was the idea of lies we believe about ourselves. Maybe you resolved to stop believing and start counteracting some of the lies you have believed about yourself. Now is a great time to change! And to help you out, here is a list of resources that can help you take steps to stop those lies in their tracks (all titles link to Amazon):

Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ by Neil T. Anderson

Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
(Psst - if you have daughters, there's also Lies Young Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh)

The Search For Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes by Robert S. McGee

Idol Lies: Facing the Truth About Our Deepest Desires by Dee Brestin

Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance by Beth Moore

As you browse, you will also notice that many of these books also have study guide or devotional versions available that you may find helpful.

And now for the final piece - let's hold each other accountable for casting out these lies we believe about ourselves! Leave a comment below with the lie you are resolving to stop believing this year so we can cheer you on!

Options in Education

Maybe you have older children in school already, or maybe you are a first-time expectant mama. Either way, the thought of choosing a school or schooling option for your child has probably already crossed your mind. No matter how far away that day may be, we tend to chew on it for a long time!

This Tuesday at MOPS, we will be hearing from a panel of moms who have had to make those decisions - some multiple times over! We'll hear the choices they made - whether public, private, or home school - and why. These moms will talk about the practicalities of their choices for their own families and children, the impact it has had on their lives, and how you can make an informed, guilt-free decision going forward. It's always great to hear from those who have been there before us, so come be encouraged this week!

As always, you can start dropping your kiddos off at 9:15 in the MOPPETS program and head into the River Room for some coffee and yummy goodies. Hang out together, meet some new faces, and relax for a while. We look forward to seeing you there!

Not Too Late!

If you come to MOPS but don't regularly attend Two Rivers Church (or maybe you do, but you haven't been around in a while), one of the big things - rather, THE big thing - our church is doing this year is going through the whole Bible together via the reading plan Eat This Book.



Forgot to get started or want to join in with us? You can find the reading plan online or on your smartphone or tablet at youversion.com (via their Bible app) or go directly to the plan here. You can also follow along with our teaching throughout the year (also based on the reading plan) by visiting Two Rivers' podcasts page. Nothing will change your life like being in God's Word every day, so jump on in! Are you ready to Eat This Book?