Already Beautiful

I thought I knew what I was going to say. I debated saying anything and then I decided that my reasons for sharing my good news were pure.  I just wanted to give God the glory for the great things he's done in my life.

I got my braces off today.  It's been a nearly three year adventure, from initially making the decision to get a consult to getting the first appliance put in to getting the top braces on exactly two years ago to getting the bottom braces on the following December to... today.  Through just a few popped brackets and a gazillion teeny tiny elastics and some unwelcome canker sores to this day.

I was so excited. I pretty near cried every time I thought of it. 

But the day was somewhat anticlimactic.  My braces were off in just a few minutes.  They took the molds for my retainer.  I got my teeth cleaned.  I looked in the mirror and smiled, but I wasn't shocked.

I've been smiling for months now.  When we had our family photos taken for Christmas cards after I had my braces put on, I broke into tears when I saw them.  I was smiling. Really smiling. With my teeth showing.  I wasn't trying to smile and hide my teeth; they were right there.  Already straightening out.  I had never ever seen myself look that way. 

I got more and more comfortable just smiling.  Not curling my lips together, not so concerned about posing for photos. Just relaxing and smiling.

So the only thing different about seeing my smile in the mirror today was that the metal was gone.

It was still me.  I hadn't changed.

You were beautiful back when I made you, I felt the Lord whisper to my heart.  I've always loved you the way you are.  You were just as beautiful then as you are today.

I stared in the mirror.  Ran my tongue over my teeth.  I'd never done that and felt it so smooth.

  A friend of mine, who also had braces as an adult, said that most people didn't notice when she got them off.

I know why.

They loved her the way she was.  They didn't look at her and see an adult with braces, they saw the beautiful person she was, both on the inside and the outside.

The people who loved me yesterday won't love me any more today, just because I got my braces off.  Sure, they'll be happy for me, but they liked me just the way I was.

My husband loved me before I got the braces.  He loves so much more about me than my smile, my body, the way I dress.  He loves the deepest part of me.  He's patient with my weaknesses and he celebrates my strengths. 

The other night I confessed to him that even though I've been exercising and lost some weight and I'm toning up, sometimes I still just feel "fat".  I'm constantly presented with images of what beauty is and start feeling inferior sometimes.  I can confide in him because his love and acceptance of me is so deep and I know that he loves me exactly the way I am.

Seriously, who loves their dentist? Me, that's who!  They are the best!

 

This is the greatest kind of love.  I've had the wonderful opportunity of going through the process of getting braces as a thirty-something.  As a wife of more than a decade and a mom of three.  As a friend of God.  I've experienced that Jesus is the lover of my soul.  He is the lover of every single part of me. He rejoices over me with singing. I remember when I first heard those words from Zephaniah. They literally stopped me in my tracks.

How can it be?  I'm so messed up.  I'm so flawed, physically, spiritually.  The idea of Jesus rejoicing over me, singing over me, it's almost embarrassing! 

This is all I can compare it to:  One of my favorite movies is The Family Man with Nicolas Cage. He plays a man who gets to go back and see what his life would have been like if he had chosen the path of family instead of career.  The house is a mess.  No more designer suits.  He drives a mini-van.  But he truly, deeply loves his wife and is willing to make a fool of  himself over her.  He finds a video of her birthday party and he's singing to her, in front of all their friends and children.  She's a little embarrassed. But she is captivated by him.  His eyes are fixed on her as he belts out a love song.  Their love is something special and as everyone else stands around watching, they are captivated by it too.

You were beautiful back when I made you.  I've always loved you the way you are.  You were just as beautiful then as you are today.

This was the love song He sang to me yesterday as I looked in the mirror at my smile. 

It can't get any better than that kind of love.

I think of the young girls who are getting braces and are so worried about what people will think of them.  Or maybe it's not braces.  It's probably their weight or maybe a scar or a birthmark or maybe just their second-hand or Walmart clothes they are so worried about.  I want to tell them that the people who really love you will still love you!  And that the other people are not worth your time or energy or one single care.  I want to tell them that Jesus is rejoicing over them with SINGING!

He's singing you a song, girls! He couldn't love you more.  You couldn't be more beautiful to him.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with God's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love which surpasses knowledge- that you  may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine... to him be glory...! 

 

Ephesians 3:16-21

Nursing Your Rights

Recently in the news was the story of a Chik-fil-A manager who requested that a breastfeeding mom cover up because she was making other customers uncomfortable.  The woman's response was to form a "nurse-in", getting 20 other nursing moms to breastfeed their babies in that very same restaurant, to "raise awareness".  Reading the article, I get what these nursing moms are trying to say.  Breastfeeding is natural.  It's not about boobs, its about nurturing another human being.  It should be normal and accepted to see moms nursing their babies in public because everyone else eats in public too.

It makes sense.  As a mom who nursed all three babies, I understand the frustration of trying to feed a baby under a blanket, trying to be discreet. I understand the difficulty of finding a comfortable place to nurse a hungry child.  I understand that when a nursing baby is hungry, you must feed them right away.

And yes, I think it's amusing that America has pretty much ditched all it's Puritanical roots, and has no problem seeing breasts bulging out of a string bikini (even in the mall) but is uncomfortable with a mom breastfeeding in public.  I think it is somewhat amusing that we even have to have laws saying it's legal to breastfeed in public.  I recently saw a mom nursing her newborn at the beach and to me, it was a precious sight, nothing offensive.  It was, however, amusing that she used a "hooter-hider" when she was breastfeeding, but otherwise was hanging out in a triangle-top string bikini which did not fit her engorged breasts very well.  There was very little of her breasts actually covered.

Our view of  breasts is a little flip-flopped here in America.

So why am I writing about boobs?  My point actually isn't to talk about boobs.  God created them, they are a good thing.  I am a bit more modest when it comes to breasts, and I think they ought to be covered whether at the beach in a swimsuit or nursing a baby in public.  I consider them a private part of the body, whether they are being used in a utilitarian way or purely aesthetic, ie. sexual, way.

But  my real beef is the response to this article on facebook by Christian women.  Up in arms, ready to boycott Chik-fil-A (and I thought Chik-fil-A was the hero of Christians?), and ready to stage nurse-ins all over to "raise awareness".  Responses: How would you like to have a hot blanket thrown over your head while you're eating? If you don't like it, tough!  You cover your boobs and I'll cover mine, you hussy!  It's my right to breastfeed wherever I want. It's your problem if you don't like seeing me feed my child.

It took on a decidedly nasty tone.  I don't see how staging a "nurse-in" raises awareness or makes a positive statement.  All it says, in my opinion, is "hell no, we won't go!"  That's lovely coming from Christian women.

I find my frustration with this is demanding "rights".  And it doesn't surprise me that it centers around breastfeeding, which seems to be elevated to a whole new level of "holiness" among some women in the Church.  These women think breastfeeding is God's only way to feed a child and you are weak, carnal, and a really bad mother if you don't do it.  The subtle (and sometimes blatant message) is that you are more holy and closer to God if you breastfeed.  Wow, that sounds like religion to me.

Maybe it's because I've been reading the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians that I take issue with all this taking issue.  Over and over again I read Paul urging the Christ-followers to give up their rights and freedom for the love of not only their brothers and sisters in Christ, but unbelievers as well.

In Romans 14, he writes "Therefore let us not pass judgement on one another any longer, but rather decided never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone w ho thinks it is unclean.  For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.  So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil...." vs13-16

vs 19, 20 "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of breastfeeding food, destroy the work of God.  Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats."

The Corinthian church was divided over who they followed.  Some said "I follow Paul", some said "I follow Apollos".  The Church today is no different. Who or what method we follow seems to be a mark of "spirituality" in our lives.  Paul addressed this as carnal, not spiritual (1 Corinthians 3:4).

Paul called the  Corinthians out on taking their brothers to court.  Isn't there anyone in the Church wise enough to settle the dispute? he asked.  Do you really need to take this before unbelievers?  And even if you can't settle it, "Why not rather suffer wrong?  Why not rather be defrauded?" vs 6:7

In chapter 8, Paul writes "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (vs1).  He says "Breastfeeding Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better of if we do.  But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." vs 8,9

In chapter 9, Paul says that he has every right to make a living off preaching the gospel, but he has not made use of that right because he would rather "endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ." vs. 12

 Pauls says "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." vs. 9:19

In chapter 10 he says "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.  All things are lawful, but not all things build up.  Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." vs. 23,24  And vs 32 and 33 he says "Give no offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."

To me, it's clear.  As believers in Christ, we have the freedom to do all kinds of things.  In fact, we are not to be a rule based sect of religious people, we are supposed to live lavishly in the grace of Jesus Christ.  However, when we use our freedoms to offend unbelievers or stumble believers, we are no longer walking in grace or love.  Remove the issue of food from any of these verses and insert a freedom like breastfeeding in public, and nothing changes.  If someone is offended by what you are doing, you should stop exercising your freedom.

My husband's grandmother was of an era when women did not breastfeed and she was clearly uncomfortable with me nursing in her living room, even if I was covered up.  So I graciously would remove myself to a nearby bedroom to feed my babies.  Yes, I felt isolated and I felt it was silly, like this was a shameful practice, but the bottom line was that it made her uncomfortable.  It was not showing love to breastfeed in front of her.

I always preferred to be discreet when nursing in public. I appreciate when other women are discreet in mixed company.  As natural as it is to breastfeed a child, there are always people around who are immature, creepy, or just more modest, so I personally think being as discreet as possible is desirable.  There were certain people I knew were very comfortable with nursing moms who weren't covered up, in their homes or in my home.  If I wasn't sure how people around me felt about nursing publicly, I was as discreet as possible or removed myself.  Or sometimes I just asked if they were okay with it.

I'm not saying you shouldn't breastfeed in public.  But as with anything else, the way we dress, speak, etc., modesty is desirable.  Seeking to draw attention to yourself in the name of raising awareness just seems like foolishness and immaturity.  I can think of several people groups these same women would be up in arms about if they were doing the same thing- letting it all hang out to raise awareness.

There is a greater way, the way of love.

I was really bothered by this and I considered Christ, our Savior.  The one we look to for answers.  How would he have made a statement? How did he raise awareness about his earthly mission?

He died.  Literally. Physically.  He died.

He gave his life. He laid it down.  He who had every right to stand on his rights as a Jew, as God's Son, as God Himself, he died.

That is the greatest statement that has ever been made.  And it's what we're called to do as Christians, too.

You have every right to wear what you want, to nurse where you want, to eat what you want, to say what you want....

But let me show you a more excellent way...

Love never fails.

Go ahead and nurse your rights.  You're free to do so.

Or die to your rights.  Make a statement.


PS- I always feel the need to add to my very opinionated posts that I am far from perfect and I can think of oodles of times that I have not laid down my freedoms and rights.  I can think of many occasions when I wish I had.  But I insisted I was right.  Now I think that automatically made me wrong.  With all my heart I pray I am growing in grace and love.  I don't write this to condemn, but to share something I have learned the hard way and to, of course, get you thinking.

Blackberries

Some things arrive right on time and just when you need it.

This morning I read the first chapter in Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson.  She's become one of my heroes, mentors, and Titus 2 women this past year.  I read the book she coauthored with Sarah Mae (Desperate) and I began reading her blog, I Take Joy.  She's a mom who laid down her life for her children, and found life in the day-to-day moments of being a living sacrifice for her family.  I so long to be like her.  She and her husband wrote the book Educating the Wholehearted Child which is one of my top two favorite homeschooling books.  Seasons is written specifically for the needs of homeschool moms, but Sally says it's for all moms too.

In the first chapter, she writes about the day of her youngest daughter Joy's fourth birthday party.  It started so lovely, with spring finally arriving and all four children enjoying the outdoors.  But it quickly became stressful and chaotic as the whole family was trying to clean the house and get it ready for the party.  The party itself was a near-disaster, with crying, spills, and tantrums from the young guests. The birthday girl herself  couldn't wait for everyone to leave so she could go back to having a fun time outside. 

It's refreshing to hear that we're not the only family that has these moments and days.  Days of doing too much when the simple things would have satisfied.  Days of everything going wrong, even special days of everything going wrong.  Days of mom barking out orders, trying to gain control of the household.  Days that don't turn out as fun and wonderful as you had hoped and planned.

We've had many days like that around here.

Today, the weather has been absolutely perfect for early August.  Warm sun, but a potent breeze blowing.  The perfect kind of day to be outside. 

But, for the most part, the kids don't want to be outside.  They are inside drawing and playing.  They do come out here and there, one to play baseball, then the girls come out to play on the swingset.  But nobody wanted to come out and help pick blackberries. Petite came for a while, but the grass was wet and a bug was "bugging" her.  She was like Sal, eating the blackberries she picked and trying to steal mine.  It was nice having her out for the fifteen minutes.  Josh and I picked five quarts of berries and then production began.

I made a batch of jam and prepared some berries for homemade ice cream.  I removed the seeds, dirtied every major dish in the kitchen, and processed 4 pints of jam.  I enjoyed it, to a point.  It's fun using the fruit God has provided right outside our door.  It's a blessing to have it and preserve it and eat it.  But when I was all done, I just felt sad.  I exchanged an afternoon with my kids for 4 pints of jam and some homemade ice cream.  And dirty dishes.  And a messy kitchen.  And a tired mind and body.

I know I should get them in the kitchen with me to help.  And I want to.   But they are not interested. They want to play.  They want to draw. They want to be kids on a Saturday and I don't blame them.  As I dipped jam jars into the boiling water, I thought to myself, Someday I'll look back and kick myself for making jam when I should have been enjoying my little ones.

They are barely little anymore.  Petite will be four in two weeks.  My oldest is ten.  My middler is 8.  Oh, they are still young, but not so little.  And I already, already feel that time has just gone way too quickly.  It's a terrible feeling knowing I can't get it back.  It's exciting to think of the years ahead and the maturity they will gain, the adventures we have in store, but every day we are closer to an empty nest.  That's not crazy talk, it's reality.

I'd rather let the berries rot on the branches.  I'd rather buy jelly or  jam, even if it is made with high fructose corn syrup.  I'd rather keep our life simple than fill it up with projects and plans that hold no interest for the kids.  Of course, we must do the things we must do.  Of course, we're trying to train them to work and be good stewards of what God has given us with our land and our home and our time.  But I'd rather not do these things that should be good and worthwhile, but are just not.  Not right now. 

It's time to push Petite on the swing while the breeze blows through our hair.  Mister is putting a roof on his fort.  I want to see it.  Brown-Eyed Girl is bound to want to play the "foot game" as she glides back and forth through the air on her swing.  The jam will set.  The ice cream will be delicious.  But I don't want to miss any more of these blessings today.

The Homeschooler Mother's Journal- 4 Weeks Left Til School!

In my life this week...

Planning for our new school year, implementing a new chore chart, filling up the new school room!

In our homeschool this week...

I finally finished reading the biography of Lillian Trasher aloud to the kiddos and now we've moved on to the All of a Kind Family Downtown.  We read the original in the series almost two years ago and everyone loved it.  This one is no exception... they beg for another chapter.  Ah, nothing thrills me more.

Also, like I said, the chore chart!  We're only on day three of using it, but so far it seems to be a success. I'll blog more on it once it's proved it's worth.

 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Oh I hate to say it, cause I love reading books on homeschooling and motherhood and blogs and blogs and blogs but... there comes a time when you should just stop reading and start praying and seeking the Lord for his very unique plan for your family.  He takes the pressure off.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

The kiddos have VBS this week at Grammy's church (a carnival theme).  We'll go visit my parents where they are camping one afternoon, and we're hoping to all go out to the Japanese grill for dinner (this is on our summer bucket list).  I'll be meeting up with a book club friend I haven't seen in ages to sip coffee and relax in bliss as we discuss wonderful literature!

My favorite thing this week was…

working out with my husband.  It was a blast and I love spending the time together.

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…

 most decidedly not the chore charts!  But they did enjoy the bike ride and picnic in the park with friends.

Things I’m working on…

planning our first weeks of home school for the year, plus planning Petite's birthday party and a back-to-school meeting for our school group.

I’m cooking…

I have coffee cake batter soaking tonight in Nourishing  Traditions style.  I don't grind my own flour, but I'm soaking the whole wheat flour in cultured buttermilk which is supposed to do all  kinds of important things to make wheat more easily digested.  This is a fascinating book to read, just because I love all things food.

I’m grateful for…

 these few quiet moments at the end of the day, when the kids are finally, finally asleep in their beds, and when I can take a deep breath and relax.

I’m praying for…

my kids a lot more, and our upcoming school year, and a special friend who seems heavy hearted.

I rewarded my kids this week by…

bringing home special ice cream treats- Orange creamsicles for the girls and mint chocolate chip Klondikes for Mister.

Something I am ogling or have my eye on…

 I must stop looking at curriculum! I've made my purchases and we don't need any thing else.  I'm a junkie, a serious curriculum junkie!

A photo to share...

Mister working on that chore chart!  Woo-hoo! I have to admit, my house is pretty tidy tonight!

Read more: http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/homeschool-mothers-journal/#ixzz2axoFQhWN

Join in!

Invade

Yesterday, I was getting cranky.

It had been a beautiful, perfect summer day.  Low humidity.  Enough breeze to make the 80 degree sunshine tolerable and even enjoyable.  We went to our local park with some friends for a picnic and bike ride.  (It was the first time we went and weren't utterly alone!).  We came home to enjoy some time with Daddy before he had to go to work for the night. We ate raspberry crisp made from our own hand picked berries.  Mister was given a broken coffee maker to tear apart and explore and was relishing every moment of it. The girls were playing nicely together.

And I was cranky!

I hate when that fleshy side gets the best of me.  I had nothing to be cranky about.  I was just getting a little tired physically.  The noise and commotion, though happy, was irritating me.  The endless stream of words from Mister regarding his inventions and science-y stuff was overwhelming me.  I had dinner to make, a house to clean, and a tired body and mind.

I kept telling myself, Go take a break!  I know me and my mind just needed rest.  I can't go full speed ahead all day long without crashing.  After dinner, I finally listened to myself. The kids were all upstairs.  It meant I could slip out onto the deck and enjoy the cool air, alone with a good book.  I grabbed this one off my shelf:

 

Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

This is probably my favorite book on home education, aside from  The Successful Homschool Family Handbook by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.  I read the third edition last summer and was so inspired and encouraged.  It is a gigantic resource and gave me such a vision for making our home even more of a learning environment.  And not just that, but more of a place to call home.  One of the things I  really wanted to implement were the Discovery Corners- places for exploring different arts, sciences, and other interests.  My book had been packed up until recently (the new school room is pretty much DONE!) so I took this opportunity to refresh myself on these Discovery Corners.

As I perused the pages, I fell in love with it again.  Maybe it's because they encourage- and give permission!- to buy lots of books!  The Clarksons believe in lots and lots of reading... so they are dear to my heart!  Maybe it's because they are not formulaic or legalistic.  They stress building a relationship with your children and making learning together a lifestyle, not a start-to-finish part of your day.  Maybe it's because so much of what they have to say makes me yearn to be a better mom, an exceptional mom, a mom who lays her life down for the love of her children.

I only took a half hour or so to skim some parts of the book, but I felt God speak to me as I did.  The Clarksons recommend having a Learning Room, which of course they recognize is not possible for all.  Overall, they encourage parents to make the whole house a place of learning, that nearly every room would be a place the kids want to be- and are allowed to be. 

We are blessed with a lot of space in our home.  We don't have a Learning Room, per se. The kitchen seems to be the best place for us to homeschool.  My new school room isn't actually where we'll do school (it's too small) but it's the place where our books and supplies can be organized and easily found and hopefully we'll maximize their use.  But I thought of our living room, the one room that feels mostly "done". Painted, decorated, curtains up at last!  And I thought of the spot at the bottom of the stairs, between the living and dining room.  In my mind, I dream of our home being Better Homes and Gardens worthy.  Looking like our house is staged for a photo shoot.  Why?  Not so anyone will be wowed by it, but because I simply love beauty and order and the lack of STUFF everywhere.  The upstairs can be whatever it is- stained furniture, colored on walls, popcorn on the floor, and STUFF everywhere, but the downstairs is MINE!

Really Steph?  Just look around you. Look at all the spots you have to dedicate to your children and the whole family.  Who's house is this?  Yours?  Or Mine?

This is not the home of your guests.  They are here but rarely.  This is the home of your family.  Make it theirs, not just yours.  In doing that, you are making it Mine.

I felt refreshed.  Yes, I love when God speaks to me, even if it is an admonishment. He is always sweet and gentle with me.

The other day, as I painted shelves for the new schoolroom in the basement, I listened to a CD by one of my favorite artists, Watermark.  This song has always been a prayer of my heart and seems appropriate with what the Lord is teaching me.

Jesus, come and walk the halls of this house
Tread this place and turn it inside out
With Your mercy...
Jesus, teach us the prayers that open these doors
Until Your light floods in and illuminates these floors
And let Your truth be on our steps and in these rooms
Jesus invade...

I'm so thankful for the gift of being able to create a home for my family, not just a house I let them live in with me.  There will be scuff marks on the walls and floors, everlasting crumbs, odd collections of cheap items that I will never cherish... and more than anything, I pray, the presence of Christ.

 

P.S.  That spot at the bottom of the stairs? Already being transformed in a Learning Corner.  Little Tykes table with mismatched (and nail polished!) chairs included!

Homeschool Mother's Journal for the end of July

Join the meme at it's new location: So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler

In my life this week... We were back to "real life" after a week of vacation.  I put quotes around "real" because hey, it is still summer, and nobody is working as hard as usual (except Josh of course).

In our homeschool this week... I haven't done nearly all the things I had hoped to with the kids this summer, as far as educational stuff goes.  We're still on our first read aloud and I had planned at least four.  Math has not been touched.  They have been reading.  But I find that though we are not homeSCHOOLING much this summer, the kids are always being EDUCATED.  Though I haven't read aloud as much to them as I had hoped, they  have listened to the audio books of Dr. Doolittle and The Secret Garden, along with numerous other audios by Jim Weiss and others.  They are adding more chores to their workload and learning the basics of Give-Save-Spend with their allowances.  And everyday I hear more than I ever want to know about strange and unusual creatures they have learned about on Wild Kratts.  So not much school, but lots of education.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...  hmmmm.... have you got a plan for the new school year?  Even if you're not a planner, it's time to start. But then again, it's never too late to start home schooling!

Places we're going and people we're seeing... Yesterday we picked up one of Caleb's buddies and went to the park for a picnic, then to play mini golf and get some ice cream.  It was a perfectly, gorgeous day, not hot, a little cool breeze.

My favorite thing this week... Getting the best news EVER!  My braces come off next month!

My kids favorite thing this week... Mini golf and ice cream.

Things I'm working on... priming and painting the shelves for the new schoolroom.  And since I had the primer out, I figured it was a great time to repaint the second hand dining set we use as our school table!

I'm cooking... way too many carbs lately! Pizza Pasta makes a giant dish that provides many leftovers that the kids actually LIKE, but oh, the carbs!

I'm reading... Since finishing North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, I've yet to pick up another work of fiction.  I've got to "feel" it....

I'm praying for... the upcoming school year and our road trip to Florida.  I'm really excited for this once-in-a-lifetime trip, but really nervous too.  It's a long drive with three kids, lots of things could go wrong,  the planning and prep can be stressful, just trying to make the best decisions.  But....

I'm thankful for... finally making our reservations for where we'll be staying when we go to Disney.  I got the Unofficial Guide to Disney with Kids and it's a fabulously helpful book. I used a small, privately run company that they recommended to book our townhouse with private pool.  I talked to the owner, he was so kind and helpful, and I saw the actual pictures of the home where we'll be staying!  We're not high class folks (especially with three kids) but I was worried we'd end up in a dive about an hour from the theme parks with no customer service to help us if we had a problem (common complaint from those who use larger booking agents).  Best of all, the cost of renting a whole house is comparable to staying at a low-budget hotel with one room.  Sigh of relief that this stage of preparation is complete...

Something I'm ogling or have my eye on... I'm in the market for the perfect art print for our new school room- something that inspires and captures the essence of home and education and family... Mary Cassatt has several I like.  She is one of my favorite artists for her beautiful paintings of family.

A quote, video, or picture... I've begun back-to-school shopping!  Gotta love Target and AC Moore this time of year!  A new pack of Sharpies just makes me smile!

The Seven Day Grocery Stretch

I'm so not a fan of grocery budgets.  I can work on a budget in just about any area, but the food one hurts the most. So, typically, I don't do it.  But every now and then, I like to challenge myself.  See how much we really spend on groceries. I have an amount in my head, but is what we really spend even close?  I like to use up things that have been hanging around in the cupboard and freezer.  And I know it's good to deny myself every now and then and be content with what we have.  Including that stuff in the cupboard and freezer.

Plus, I get tired of running to the store all the time.

And it's kind of like a game.  What can I make with what we have?

So I challenged myself the last time Josh got paid.  I set a very reasonable budget for groceries and determined to stick to it.  Now, Josh gets paid every two weeks, and I had spent the entire budget in six days.  First of all, I bought a 25 lb box of almond meal, one of my newest, most favorite things in the world for cooking.  More on that another time, perhaps.  That baby wasn't cheap, so it put a large dent in my budget.  A few more trips to the store, and the money was gone.  I spent the last $25 on produce and milk.  I knew I had to make this work and make this last.

So I made a list of what was hanging around.

In the pantry:
2 lbs of dry beans
plenty of flours and baking ingredients
dry pasta
snacks for the kids
cans of beans
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
tomato paste
1 can of diced tomatoes
canned milk
sweet potatoes
potatoes

In the freezer:
Corned beef
Chicken breasts
A bag of shredded hash browns
A pound of bacon
Frozen veggies
1 package of Twinkies
10 lbs of hot dogs (for a BBQ)
Venison
Ground turkey
shredded mozzarella

In the fridge:
6 slices swiss cheese
2 dozen eggs
3 gallons of milk
1 quart half and half
salad fixins
about 16 oz fiesta blend cheese
flour tortillas
white grape juice
about 20 baby carrots
grapes, apples, oranges
cheese sticks
plain Greek yogurt


Is it possible to live off this for a week?

Well, here's what we ate!

Friday night: Pizza night!  I discovered I only had the one package of mozzarella, no pizza sauce, and a little bit of pepperoni.  Solution: I made my own pizza sauce using the tomato paste, and some of the jarred spaghetti sauce. I mixed some fiesta blend cheese in with the mozzarella.  The grown up pizza was sautéed peppers and onion with some of the bacon. The other two pizzas were cheese and pepperoni.

Saturday night: Cereal.  Salad.  I confess we went to Denny's for lunch and we were all stuffed, so I didn't feel the need to make a meal. (Hey, the eating out budget is entirely different than the grocery budget!)

Sunday:  For breakfast I made (the night before) a quiche with crust made from most of the bag of shredded hash browns, the six slices of swiss cheese, and real bacon bits (saving the other half of the packaged bacon for something else).

Lunch: leftover pizza

Our neighbor, who sells us eggs, brought us two more dozen (I'm paid up for awhile, too!).

For supper: Boiled dinner with corned beef, the last of the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and baby carrots and the last onion.  Biscuits I had frozen that were leftover from a party we had.  We invited Grammy and Grampy to join us.

For dessert, we made homemade ice cream using milk, half and half, a can of sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and peanut butter.... plus I found a small package of Oreos and some peanut butter sandwich cookies to crumble up and mix in!  We are eating SO well!

NOTE: I was SO tempted to go to the store on Sunday!  My boiled dinner looked so measly with just six small potatoes and 20 baby carrots.  But then I added the last of the sweet potatoes and figured I could cook some peas to go with it.

Also, we met a new family at church and invited them to lunch.  THIS is why I hate being on a food budget, I told Josh.  I always like to be ready "in season and out of season" to invite people over for a meal!  I never want to be more concerned with my budget than I am hospitality and generosity.  I was mentally preparing my stop at the grocery store or pizza place, when I realized it really didn't matter what we fed this family. I had the giant pack of hot dogs, buns, chips, grapes, apples, oranges, salad stuff, we could make smores.... it would be just fine!  It turned out that they were unable to come, but this is a lesson I learn over and over again: It's not what we feed people, it's the invitation and fellowship that matters most.

Monday: Breakfast was the last of the Honey Nut Cheerios and a packet of oatmeal for the kids, the usual Alive shake for me.

Lunch: Leftover pizza for the kids and a giant Cobb salad for me that used up the last of the blue cheese.  I sent leftovers from last night's dinner with Josh.

Supper: Grilled chicken, mashed cauliflower, and grilled Normandy blend veggies.

I also made a double batch of pumpkin muffins using almond flour (hey, I've got plenty!), one can of pumpkin, the last of the Greek yogurt, with some added chocolate chips.  I started planning our menu for our trip to camp for the 4th of July and packing up some of the food we'll need.  We were going up Tuesday morning and returning late Thursday night after the fireworks... so that's three lunches and three suppers to plan with a dwindling supply of food!  Why did I challenge myself this way before a major (feasting) holiday???  Oh, but the good news- July 4th is Thursday! (When I can shop again.)

I planned the following meals:

Tuesday night: Baked nachos using up some of the Tostitoes, ground turkey, last of the fiesta cheese, and anything else I could scrounge up to add to it.

Wednesday night: I was on a desperate search for some kind of chicken crockpot recipe that didn't use cheese or cream of something soup (cause I had none of either).  I settled on chicken topped with two bags of steam-in-the-bag broccoli and cheese over rice pasta.

Thursday, the 4th: My last pound of hamburg for, what else? burgers, the giant package of hot dogs, smores fixins, and buns.  Thankfully we'll have a crowd of contributors to help round out the menu :)

I confess that I forgot to pack the chicken for Wednesday night, so I went to the grocery store and bought some pork chops on sale and a packet of marinade, plus a bag of potatoes for mashed potato.  And 2 containers of ice cream.  But I made up for it on Friday, by still not making a trip to the grocery store and using what was on hand.

Friday: A trip to the beach bringing snacks we had on hand and using the last of the bread for sandwiches.  Dinner was homemade mac n cheese using a can of evaporated milk, the last cup of shredded cheese, and the last of the bacon, cooked and crumbled inside it. Served with steamed sugar snap peas.

I have to say, I am really proud of myself for pretty much doing what I challenged myself to do.  We're out of lots of things so it is definitely time to make a grocery run.  But I stuck to my budget and we didn't go hungry. A little creativity and telling myself no, I couldn't run to the store, made this seven day grocery stretch challenging, but not painful.