It’s Moving Day
26 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
I am excited to announce that Another Housewife has moved to a self-hosted site. My new address is anotherhousewife.com
Please remember to update your subscriptions and blogrolls.
Come and join me on the new site.
Beautiful Things
23 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
I am so blessed to serve on a leadership team for a little group called Moms On a Mission. What I love best about this group is the authenticity of the moms. It is an environment where moms are encouraged to let their guard down and just be real. I am me and you are you. We are as different as night and day but are joined together by the love of our children. We are all moms.
This week we had what we call Testimony Day. Our chosen theme this year was simply Beautiful. I think it is safe to say a majority of woman struggle with seeing the beauty they posses. Not only with worldly, outward beauty but beauty from within, including self-worth. In order to address this issue we wanted to assure women they are not alone. The members of the leadership team decided to share with the entire group our own struggles with beauty by leading with the words, “Can you relate to me?”
This was extremely difficult for me because I knew right away my mom is at the root of my struggles. I couldn’t even think about it without breaking down. Finally at two o’clock the morning before I cried out to God, “I am weak and weary. Please give me rest tonight and press upon my heart Your will, Your words I should share today.” I woke up in the morning with a rested soul and was able to write and shared these words:
Can you relate to me?
For as long as I can remember I have been told by mom that I was an accident. A mistake. Unwanted. To me, this explained why she abandoned me when I was seven years old. Years later, when I was a teenager, vulnerable, nearly homeless and in desperate need of love my mom took me in but soon after began to verbally insult me. She repeatedly said things like ‘You are nothing! You will never Be anything? Look at you. How could anyone love you? You could NEVER be loved!” Out of spite I set out to prove her wrong and strived for perfection but I carry those words with me. Every time I fight with my husband, scream at my children, struggle to make friends I remind myself of her words. I often quit before I could succeed because I am scared she is right and I am nothing. How can I be beautiful if my own mother doesn’t think I am worthy of love?
After we were each finished one of our moms bravely gave her testimony. Hers was a love story. A broken marriage made beautiful by God. After she was finished we had the worship pastor sing the song Beautiful Things by Gungor. Afterwards we shared God’s truth in our struggle by starting with the phrase This much I know… mine went like this:
God himself knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I am His child. I belong to Him. His love is perfect and infinite. He has plans for me. Plans to prosper me, not to harm me. To give me hope and a future. In Him, I AM wanted. I Am Loved. I AM beautiful. I AM a child of God.
Together our leadership touched on beauty in terms of body issues, looking to our husbands for confirmation of our beauty and worth, not feeling worthy of our children or as mothers, holding on to past insults and lies and an ugly marriage. In the end we all need to be reminded that God is the creator of all things beautiful. If He created us, doesn’t that make us beautiful too?
When is the last time you looked in the mirror?
What do you see?
Muffin Pizza and the Rest of the Week
19 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
Oh-boy! What can I say about last week? We ate out more than not but I’m okay with that. My main goal was to survive. Mission accomplished.
Monday, March 12: Tostada’s
I was still not feeling well so I went with what was easy and on hand. No one complained.
Tuesday, March 13: English Muffin Pizza and Green Beans
5:30p Baseball Practice (Kaiden)
6:00p Softball Game (Mr. C)
Because we had a late lunch, I served the kids a smoothie right before practice to hold them over. Then made dinner after practice.
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Pizza Sauce
Spinach
Shredded Cheese
Toppings
Directions:
Spread sauce on the muffins, top with spinach, cheese and toppings. Bake on 350 for 5-7 minutes and serve!
Wednesday, March 14: Red Robin….YUM!
Mr. C left out of town the next day so he decided to take us out to spend a little quality time with us before he left. The original plan was to use a $44 coupon for 2 hours of bowling, including shoes, a large pizza, pitcher of soda and $10 game card at a local bowling alley. The coupon is only good for Monday – Thursday but apparently there are leagues everyday until 9p making that idea a no-go. Plan B: Red Robin.
Thursday, Match 15: Sauce
6:00p Take Mr. C to Airport
7:00p Baseball Practice (Kaiden)
I was tired, weak and all alone. I gave in and picked up a half Ceasar Salad and turkey Panini from Sauce. It was delicious!
Friday, March 16: Basha’s Chicken Meal
10:30a Dance/Gymnastics (Kailey)
I hit rock bottom. I had an entire house still to clean before the baby shower I was hosting the next day. Instead of adding to the mess by cooking dinner, I grabbed a $12 dinner for four chicken/mashed potato meal from a local grocery store.
Saturday, March 17: Submarine Sandwiches
2:00pm Baby Shower
The kids ate baby shower food for both lunch and dinner. What can I say? At least there were fruits and veggies!
Sunday, March 18: Tacos and Rice
7:00p Mr. C came home!!!
Our dinner for five became a dinner for eight because my sister is still in the hospital and we are watching her three girls. Mental note: twenty four tacos was just not enough!
Am I the only one who throws out their meal planning when they are sick or a curve ball is chucked at their plans?
Have you tried any new recipes recently?
St. Baby Shower Madness
18 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Family Leagcy Tags: baby shower games
While the rest of the world was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or consumed with March Madness, yesterday I hosted a baby shower for my sister, Monica. Planning tip number one: Don’t agree to host a baby shower the same week your kids are on Spring Week, your husband is out-of-town and you are in a walking boot. You’ll thank me for that one. My stress level was elevated and just for fun I still can’t shake this lingering cold.
The baby shower itself went smoothly. Of course I had the whole thing planned out. Upon the guest arrival they were served food and mingled. This allowed late guest to straggle in. We kept it simple with submarine sandwiches, chips, dip, fruit and veggie tray and monster cookies.
After the food we played a few games. I will admit this is not something that catches my fancy but women seem to love it. So I kept it simple with five quick and east games:
Clothes Pin: Each guest were given a mini pink clothes pin with the rule that they can not cross their legs. If you catch another person crossing their legs you can take that clothes pin. The person with the most clothes pins at the end of the shower wins. Prize: $10 Starbucks Gift Card.
Word Scramble: I printed out this word scramble, handed them out face down and then set the clock for one minute. The person who had the most correct words wins. Prize: Kitchen towels and pot holders
Match the Sock Game: I bought ten pair of different baby girl socks. I put them all in a basket and mixed them up. Each guest took turns matching the socks while they were timed. The person who could match all ten socks in the shortest amount of time wins. At the end of the shower the socks are given to the mother to be. Prize: Bath and Body Foam Soap
Dirty Diaper Game: We made several miniature paper diapers and marked one with poop! Each guest pulled one out of a basket and the person who received the poop diaper wins. Prize: Photo Album
Measure the Belly. Use ribbon to measure the mother to be’s belly and set aside. Have each guest take as much ribbon the guess the size of the mother to be’s belly. After, measure each guest ribbon against the pre-measured one. The one closest wins. Prize: Bath and Body Gift Bag of Hand Sanitizer, Hand Lotion and Nail Filer.
After the games we served the cake while we assembled the presents to be opened. Then opened the gifts. As guest were leaving we gave them a little Thank You favor. I don’t really know what was in it because my sister made them.
Just as the final (non-family) guest was leaving, my mom showed up.I should backtrack and say she was invited and did RSVP but we assumed she just wasn’t going to show up. She does have a track record of that. I’ll have to dedicate another post to that whole part of the night. My sister, my youngest brother and I spent a few hours with her and my aunt before they left and survived!
After a long exhausting day my sister finally called it quits and was ready to go home but not before she made one last obligatory pregnant lady trip to the restroom. She came out terrified because she discovered she was bleeding. I immediately took her to the hospital, leaving all or our kids at home (my nieces are teenagers). All of the test came back normal, which is promising, but they can’t figure out or stop the bleeding so they kept her overnight. They think that it may be her placenta. As of this post she is still in the hospital, 29 weeks pregnant and still bleeding.
Last night after the shower and before I knew we were headed the hospital I tweeted: Survived hosting a baby shower for my sister and a visit from my mom. Long, emotionally challenging and praise worthy day. Philippians 4:13
I still feel the same way. If things went according to my plan I would have been in LA this weekend for my second marathon. Instead, I was here celebrating my sisters pregnancy, available to be with her and watch her kids while she deals with this scary situation. God’s plans are always perfect.
Monster Smoothies
16 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in What's for Dinner? Tags: smoothies
Smoothies have somehow become a part of our daily diet. They are the perfect way to serve cinnamon rolls for breakfast guilt free or a keep my belly full until dinner treat. What makes a smoothie great is you can combine just about anything, add liquid, give it a cool name starting with “Monster” and watch your kids devour it.
Our Purple Monster Smoothie is our everyday smoothie.
1 Cup Frozen Fruit
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Scoop of Whey Protein
1 Cup of Milk
Blend and serve.
We were feeling adventurous and decided to give the Green Monster Smoothie a try, adapted from Whisk, Wheel and Home.
1 Cut Up Pear
1 Cut Up Peach
½ Banana
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Generous Handful of Spinach
1 Cup of Apple Juice
Blend and serve.
I have been putting a cup or two in the freezer with each serving. They say if you thaw it out in the refrigerated the night before, your smoothie will be ready to drink in the morning. I’ll let you know how that works out.
What is your favorite smoothie recipe?
Do you make them in advance and freeze them?
A Different Kind Of Training: Vitamins
15 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in Athlete in Training Tags: vitamins
Here’s the deal. I am twelve days into a six-week walking boot sentence and I am going a bit crazy. Thanks to Google and extra time to sit on my tush, I have started a new kind of training. I have been researching like crazy how to not only train smarter but the importance of taking care of my body. I am completely ignorant when it comes to things like vitamins, recovery, strength training and nutrition. At thirty-six years old, I think it’s to grow up and start over by building a strong foundation.
First up on my list is vitamins. The only vitamins I have ever taken are Flintstone vitamins when I was a kid and prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant. Apparently vitamins are important for runners. I started to read about things like bone density, decrease muscle soreness, increase metabolism and a healthy heart.
After doing some research, applying it to my personal needs, I will start taking these vitamins/supplements:
Multivitamin
Because the whole vitamin thing still confuses me a bit, I figure it’s best to cover a wide-spread of needed vitamins in one shot. Have you shopped the multivitamin section? Talk about overwhelming. I went with a prenatal vitamin. No. I’m not pregnant (I’m fixed) but I’ve been told by trusted women it’s the best multivitamin to take, pregnant or not.
Vitamin D
Apparently having strong bones could help prevent stress fractures. Go figure. Vitamin D is best if taking in small doses twice a day. Because I am lazy and forgetful, I decided to take a slow release Vitamin D vitamin once a day instead.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Among other things, Omega 3 helps promote heart health and reduce inflammation. In doing my research, which includes reading other blogs of course, in the comment section in a post from The Hungry Runner Girl, a reader suggested keeping these vitamins in the freezer and you will not have that fishy aftertaste.
There are a plethora of vitamins on the shelves. Do your research, check with your doctor and do what works for you and your body. Time and time again after reading the benefits of a particular vitamin, the words not necessary for people with a healthy diet appear. Baby steps, right?
What vitamins do you take?
Do you agree or disagree with the vitamins I’m taking?
Would you be lost without Google?
My Thoughts on One Thousand Gifts
13 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Discovering Me Tags: Ann Voskamp, Joy, Thankfulness
One Thousand Gifts will slowly transform your heart. I am already reaping the benefits from putting what the author, Ann, calls Eucharisteo into practice. We know that we are to give thanks and praise. That we are to rejoice always but we don’t always grasp how to put that into practice. Especially when we are called to give praise and be joyful for the mundane task of being a housewife.
The book recounts her journey after she accepts a dare to write down one thousand gifts. In other words a dare to find joy and be thankful for the life she is living right now. It was refreshing to read her honest struggle with everyday life while working out the demons of her past. I think we can all relate to being in prayer with God and feeling refreshed only to find ourselves moments later screaming at your children. No? Only Me?
I will be honest. It took me a really long time to read this book and I even tried to give up a few times. Her writing was not easy for me to follow. She tangles her words together like poetry causing my soul to search out the meaning. Being forced to slow down to decipher and enjoy the beauty of the story was not what I had signed up for. I suppose that is the whole point of the book right? To slow down and enjoy life right now.
She is constantly reminded throughout the book that thanksgiving always precedes a miracle. She discovers it is impossible to be truly thankful without feeling joy. Is this what being in constant prayer feels like? Even in the mundane we are to give thanks for the clothes made dirty by healthy and spirited kids, dishes used because we have food to nourish our bodies and a house to clean because we have shelter. Is this contentment?
The book leaves my heart searching for my own desire to be in constant thanksgiving. I challenge you to join me in our own dare to write down one thousand gifts from our everyday life. Let’s slow down and take in the world around us. Open our eyes to give thanks and receive joy.
Do you have a gratitude journal?
Do you struggle with finding joy in the mundane?
Will you accept the One Thousand Gifts challenge?
Fish Sticks and the Rest of the Week
12 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
Busy is in full swing around here. This season I would like to use Spring Break to try and get ahead of the game. That means more planning and list. While I’m working on that, here is a glimpse at last week.
Monday, March 5: Chicken, PW Mashed Potatoes and Corn
7:30 pm Softball Practice (Karisa)
They were almost all gone before I could snap a pic
Whole chickens were on sale for $0.77 a pound so I picked up a couple. I made one and froze the other. I just seasoned and baked in the oven for about an hour and served with PW’s Mashed Potatoes and a can of corn. Because I had everything but the chicken on hand, this meal cost less than five dollars.
Tuesday, March 6: Dr. Pepper Shredded Beef Tacos
9:00 am Moms On a Mission (Me)
7:00 pm Baseball Practice (Kaiden)
7:00 pm Softball Game (Mr. C)
I put a roast (on sale buy one get one free) in the crock pot before I left for MOMs in the morning and dinner was basically done! I shredded the beef and shoved it into store-bought taco shells, added a few toppings and served with a can of black beans.
Wednesday, March 7: Fish Sticks and Strawberries
5:30 pm Softball Practice (Karisa)
6:00 pm ROCK (Kaiden)
6:15 pm MOMs Leadership Meeting (Me)
I don’t know what all went down this day but I do know that dinner time snuck up on me way too fast. In a panic I threw frozen fish sticks in the oven and served with strawberries. Mr. C picked up Pei Wei’s for our late night dinner. *sigh*
Thursday, March 8: Five Dollar Pizza and McDonald’s
5:00 Baseball Practice (Kaiden)
I’m not proud of this day but I was sick. Too sick to be responsible for my actions. Before baseball practice I had Mr. C pick up a five dollar pizza on his way home from work. After practice, we picked up burgers for the kids from Mc Donald’s to top them off and considered it dinner. Hey, that’s how my life happens sometimes. I don’t remember what Mr. C had for dinner. *double sigh*
Friday, March 9: Ham Casserole and Asparagus
10:30 am Dance/Gymnastics (Kailey)
Finally, a free evening at home. These are the days when I love to take my time with dinner and try out a new recipe. However, I was still sick. Thanks to making an extra ham casserole and freezing way back when we had an abundance of ham, dinner was already done! I took it out of the freezer in the morning and popped it in the oven when Mr. C was on his way home from work and served with asparagus.
Saturday, March 10: Pasta Medley w/ Red Sauce
1:00 pm Softball Practice (Karisa)
6:30 pm Bible Study (Family)
I did my best to survive this day but it was clear that by evening I shouldn’t be sharing my sick love. The kids had a second lunch like around 3:00 pm and a snack right before Mr. C swooped them up for Bible Study without me. In my mind I would feed them all dinner around 8:30 pm when they returned home BUT they stayed and played a little longer. We didn’t have dinner until 10:00 pm! I don’t know why I always have about a ¼ of a box left of pasta but I do. I just combined several different kinds of pasta (with the same cooking time), added browned ground beef to pasta sauce and served on top of the pasta.
Sunday, March 10: Dr. Pepper Shredded Beef Enchiladas
I was too sick to go to church. Instead, we studied John chapter 1 as a family at home. We also painted our living room wall and I completed five loads of laundry! Most importantly we had a nice day as family. The roast cooked in the crock pot all day and all I needed to do was assemble the enchiladas and make some rice. As a bonus I made an extra family serving of enchiladas for our freezer!
Well there you have it. Our long and busy week. The last couple of weeks we have been working on short notices for practices. Thankfully I now have a complete practice schedule. Hopefully, I can be better prepared.
Do you have a go to quick and easy meal?
Is your life as busy as mine?
Are you a fan of freezer meals?
Lazy Saturday Morning Pancakes
10 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Family Leagcy, What's for Dinner? Tags: perfect pancakes
As if hobbling around with only one good leg isn’t enough, I am now officially sick. Good thing it’s Saturday. I was able to catch a few extra hours of rest, even if it was lying in bed listening to the kids squabble. As a reward for not killing each other and making themselves cereal for breakfast, I decided to make pancakes for brunch(?), an early lunch (?) most likely a snack in this house!
Confession: I have never, EVER made pancakes from scratch. Since I didn’t have any of my go-to Aunt Jamima just add water pancake mix on hand, I decided it was time to take a walk on the wild side. I went to my trustee friend, The Pioneer Woman and found a recipe titled Perfect Pancakes. That works for me. Plus, I get extra brownie points for having all of the ingredients on hand. I feel so grown up.
I don’t know if my kids were starving or they really liked the pancakes but they had at least four each, including the baby. Either way, I started my day with a confidence boost. Maybe I’ll try and make bread later today. Now I’m just talking crazy! Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- Extra Butter
- Maple Or Pancake Syrup
Preparation Instructions
Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.
Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.
Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.
Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown.
Do you use a box mix or make pancakes from scratch?
Do you have a favorite pancake recipe to share? Please do?
One Down, Five to Go – Hopefully
09 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Athlete in Training Tags: stress fracture
Remember when I called it quits due to injury during week six of my marathon training? Well I gave myself just enough rest to be able to run Ragnar. Not the smartest decision but I don’t regret it (as of today). Immediately after Ragnar, I began limping out of necessity. I finally conceded that I do indeed have a stress fracture. As a result I am now sporting a walking boot.
I am committed to allowing my self at least six weeks of complete rest and wearing this contraption in hopes of healing. At six weeks we will see how it feels and determine if I need more time to heal. It’s my first “real” injury. I’ve struggled with shin splints, cramping in my calf muscle and my knee seizing up but they were all temporary. As with those injuries, this stress fracture was most likely (as in 99.9%) my fault. I just did too much, too soon, too quick. Lesson finally learned.
With every set back, I find myself saying, “Okay God, what do you want me to learn?” Of course after I selfishly throw a pity party asking, “Why Me!?” After me wondering why He would take away my time with Him because it’s not about me just loving to run. It’s about me needing to run. Running clears my mind (not an easy task because my mind is always on overload with a list of task). I feel closest to God when I run. In a world when I am in constant need, running makes me feel free.
While I am figuring out what lesson it is I have to learn, I’ve had to make some adjustments to my everyday life, like not being able to drive my stick shift car. Being in a boot has also allowed (forced) me to slow down. Instead of being on the move (cleaning the kitchen, picking up the living room, doing laundry), I am forced to sit and give my children my undivided attention while they are telling me about their day or doing homework. Well honestly, I tried to keep up the hustle and bustle but it was frustrating, forcing me to sit. I find myself saying, “Come sit with me” just to sneak in a few extra moments.
Maybe my lesson is to see God and feel free in my everyday life. Maybe my lesson is to slow down and be in the moment with my family. Maybe it is to learn to stop over thinking. Maybe I should stop trying to figure out what the lesson is and just trust God’s perfect plan. Even though I am sidelined from training for my next race I am always in training for life.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown
that will last forever.
