Posted in Scripture Memory

Scripture Memory Challenge Day 8 – Galatians 5:22-23

Posted on by 3toddlermom

I’ve been loving getting to know the Holy Spirit this past year. I think because he’s a Spirit we get all weirded out like he’s some mystical force that’s hovering around us or something. And that maybe he comes and goes like the wind. But it’s just not true. He’s the spirit of Jesus. So he’s a person….just without a body. Ok….I totally get how that can sound weird and slightly creepy. But I’ve been looking at it as a huge blessing lately!

The Holy Spirit came to be my friend, my guide through life, my strength and my comforter. He’s been becoming so real to me lately. I ask him for help with all kinds of things.

Like how do I deal with this 3 year old throwing a fit right now?!

Or how do I communicate with my husband when it seems everything I say makes him tense up?

Or help me memorize this music so I can play the piano flawlessly.

He’s available and wanting to help me with everything in my life so I’ve been learning to ask him for his help and follow his advice. The cool thing is he actually helps me! Ha!

We were on a 400 mile trip to visit Hubby’s family around the holidays and it seemed everything I said to him made him shut down. So I was getting super ticked. We have 7-8 hours together in the car. I’m not going to have torturous conversation the whole time. So I quietly asked the Holy Spirit to help me. Then I just waited a few minutes and felt like I should ask Hubby about work. He started talking like crazy telling me all about what’s going on with the business. Thanks Holy Spirit! It made our drive so much better. And how simple is that?! God just cares about every area of our lives.

The more time I spend with him the more I’m able to walk in love, radiate joy, live in peace, practice patience, extend kindness, pour out goodness, display steady and quiet faithfulness, exude gentleness, and crucify my flesh with self-control.

Posted in Scripture Memory

Scripture Memory Challenge Day 7 – Psalm 34:5

Posted on by 3toddlermom

This has been a favorite verse of mine since high school. My uncle would always say, “How are you so happy all the time?” All I could think was….well, because of Jesus! Then I found this verse. I look to the Lord so joy shows on my face. As a follower of Jesus, I want my life to be attractive to people. Most people aren’t attracted to grumps. So let’s radiate joy! It’s more fun than being a grump anyway.

Posted in Budget

February Budget Challenge Day 6 – $121.93 Left

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Valentine’s Day is coming up and I have 3 kids. I’m not a huge proponent of buying gifts for my kids for every little holiday. My mom is amazing at it and always has cute little gift bags for them. She even had a bag of goodies for Dinoman when they had a sleep over. She’s awesome! But it means I don’t need to get them gifts all the time because they get showered with them from Grandma.

Valentine’s Day seemed like an occasion to get them a little something though, so I made a plan. Remember, this planning business is new for me. In the past, I’d walk into Target and spend about $20 in the dollar section first on things that will break or they won’t play with after a week. Not this time.

I have been paying attention to what they play with most and what they most want. For Princess, it’s these Lil’ Woodzeez, adorable little woodland creatures with a doll house and all kinds of accessories. Dinoman can’t get enough of Rescue Bots and Transformers. And Sweet Love, well, she’s just along for the ride as far as toys go! So I researched prices for these things and found reasonable pricing at Target. I considered buying online but I thought I’d swing by the store since I was kid free and I’m way more self-controlled in stores these days so I decided I could handle it.

Crazy thing! I skipped the dollar section completely!! Ah!! It was a little bit torturous but I did it. And I’m so proud of myself. Haha! I went straight for the toys and found one of Dinoman’s favorite Rescue Bots on sale for under $10. (Oh yea – I determined to spend only $10 or less on each kid before I went in the store.) Then found the animals Princess had requested for $1 off! I was doing well. Now what to get Sweet Love. I hadn’t really planned for this. So I walked to those glorious end caps with clearance toys!! And found a Melissa and Doug magnetic board for $3.88. I had to do a double take! Melissa and Doug for under $10! That’s unheard of! I snatched it up and went to the check out. I glanced at the dollar section at this point just in case but ended up not grabbing anything.

I checked out and after using a $5 gift card and my Target RedCard I only spent $16.29. That’s amazing! I budgeted $30 for Valentine’s Day so only spending about half of that just rocks!

I then met Hubby for a coffee date. We spent $5.46 on two cups of black coffee. I debated whether this was worth it. I mean, I could buy a whole bag of coffee beans for $5.46! But spending the hour of quality time with him someplace other than our house or his office was definitely worth the $5.46. Man, I forget how important date night is until I have it. We need to get back to doing it once a week.

So I spent $21.75 today.

$121.93 left. 21 days to go.

Posted in Scripture Memory

Scripture Memory Challenge Day 6 – Psalm 33:1

Posted on by 3toddlermom

I wrote down all 4 of my memory verses today to make sure I still have them all in my brain! I rehearse them all the time: driving to school, making dinner, doing laundry. I’m constantly trying to speak these verses out of my mouth.

Today’s is Psalm 33:1

I was drawn to memorize this verse because I’m a worshipper! We were all designed to worship and it’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s a beautiful verse because I’m only righteous and upright because I trust in Jesus to save me. I don’t become righteous by doing everything right all the time but by accepting what Jesus did for me on the cross. He makes me righteous.

So now that I’ve been made righteous by trusting Him, my praise is beautiful! Regardless of what it sounds like, it’s beautiful to Him. I love it!

Posted in Recipes

Roasted Sweet Potato & Corn Power Bowl

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Day 2 of no sweets, meats, and dairy. Powering through.

Tonight I made a super filling, protein packed plant-based rice bowl. You’re going to eat this and say “What?! This is totally vegan with no added sugar but plenty of protein!?” And to you I’ll say, “yes, yes it is.” 🙂

I started with a sweet potato, peeled it and diced it and tossed it with some olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Tossed that on a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 425 for 20 – 30 minutes. (Remember, I’m bad at keeping track of how long things are in the oven.) You’ll want the potatoes to be soft on the inside but have a nice crustiness to the outside. Yum!

Then add some corn (left over from the Very Veggie Soup I made yesterday) to the pan and let it roast another 10 minutes.

While this is in the oven, I threw some garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas) in a pan with the liquid and the same seasonings I used on the sweet potatoes. I let these simmer til most of the liquid was gone and the beans had softened.

I also cooked up some instant brown rice in the meantime. I added some salt and lime to the water to spice it up a bit.

Then I put it all in a bowl making it look as cute as possible (knowing full well I was going to mix it all together to eat it in a few short minutes). Hey – it’s fun to have good looking presentation even if it’s just for you! I put a dollop of hummus on top and dug in. Yum!

I made a mini one for Princess too because she will try anything!

ROASTED SWEET POTATO & CORN POWER BOWL

Ingredients:

  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 c corn
  • 1/2 c brown rice, cooked
  • 1/2 c garbanzo beans
  • 2 t chili powder
  • 2 t cumin
  • 2 t onion powder
  • 2 t garlic powder
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed
  • dash of salt
  • 1/8 c hummus

Put it all together:

  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Peel and dice sweet potato. Toss in olive oil, 1 t chili powder, 1 t cumin, 1 t onion powder, and 1 t garlic powder.
  3. Spread seasoned sweet potato on baking sheet and put in oven for 20-30 minutes (until sweet potato is soft inside and brown on outside)
  4. Cook rice according to package, adding lime and a dash of salt.
  5. Cook garbanzo beans in pan with liquid and remaining spices until liquid is nearly gone.
  6. Add corn to sweet potato mixture and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
  7. Arrange all ingredients in a bowl as fancy as you’d like.
  8. Add a dollop of hummus on top and dig in!

Enjoy this filling, plant-based power bowl!

Posted in Budget

February Budget Challenge Day 5 – $143.68 Left

Posted on by 3toddlermom

We drank through milk like crazy this weekend. Probably because we had a zillion and a half kids here for a super bowl party. There must be something in the water at my church because all of my girlfriends just keep getting pregnant and we’ve got kids running all over the place. I actually really enjoy having so many friends with kids because my kids have all kinds of friends.

Anyway, they drank through my milk so Sweet Love and I ran to Aldi after dropping the big kids off at preschool to pick up some milk. I have to tell you…..this budget is helping me to be so much more disciplined in so many areas of my life! It’s amazing! I walked into Aldi and grabbed 2 gallons of milk and a $.99 stuffed toy for Sweet Love’s baby friend’s birthday and left only spending $4.26. Insane!

I even walked down the fun aisle of Aldi. You know, the aisle with the toys and special stuff that changes each time you go in the store. It’s my favorite aisle! Plus, I only had one kid and the store was almost completely empty. So I could take my time and browse. But I didn’t buy a single thing! Because I’m being intentional about what I spend money on. Kinda blowing my mind here!

Then I was driving home and decided a car wash was a necessity before the salt and grime eats away at my van and leaves me with a rusty mess! It cost $8. Ugh! I’ll have to do some price checking around town to find the best car wash deal in the future. But for today it was worth it to have a shiny clean van.

So in total I spent $12.26. Total spent for the month is $156.32.

I did the math and I have about $40 a week to spend for the rest of the month. It’s going to be interesting. Maybe I need to start making some calls to get gumball machines placed in businesses. Hmmm…

$143.68 left. 23 days to go.

Posted in Recipes

Very Veggie Soup

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Day One of my fasting – no sweets and no meat, dairy….. I called it a Daniel Fast but I’m not sure that I’m actually following that to a T. I read in the Bible that Daniel technically only ate vegetables and drank water. And I’m definitely not being that regimented. So we’ll just say I’m cutting sweets and meat and dairy this week.

I am not cutting coffee….with creamer. So that is a slight cheat but it’s still a challenge.

Tonight I made a veggie soup for dinner and it turned out warm and filling and delicious. Something about cooking veggies just makes them feel heartier!

I used to follow recipes very closely, measuring out every ingredient but now I just throw things in a pot and hope it turns out! Ha! Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t but that’s how I learn. I actually measured out my ingredients tonight so I could share this recipe with you. I need to get better at that! I always want to share my recipes with friends and I’m usually like “well put it in the oven at a hot temperature til it’s done.” Ha! I’ll try to be more specific in this blog. 🙂

I started with a 32 oz. box of vegetable stock. (All my ingredients tonight are from Aldi so it makes shopping super simple.)

I added a teaspoon of onion powder and a teaspoon of garlic powder and some salt and pepper to taste.

Then I started chopping veggies. One of my first jobs in college was in a grocery store deli. We made all kinds of salads and desserts and sliced deli meats and cheeses for customers, fried chicken, broasted potatoes….the typical delicious deli menu. Our specialty was turkey and dressing. I think it’s something special to our area because my husband had never heard of it and thinks it so weird. It’s turkey and dressing all mushed together and eaten on a bun. My dad calls it bread on bread. It’s amazing! Anyway, on my first day I literally chopped celery for 3 straight hours. It was a little much but I LOVE chopping veggies now. I got pretty quick at it with all that practice.

I did a 1/4 – 1/2 cup of onion first to let it simmer the longest in the broth. I like onions to add flavor but I don’t want to really notice they are there. They should be soft, not crunchy.

Then I added 1 cup of carrots. I like leaving them in circles because I love getting a big chunk of carrot in my spoon.

Then 1 cup of celery. Big pieces again. Yum.

I peeled and chopped up two russet potatoes equaling about 2 cups.

I added one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes.

1/2 cup of corn. I used canned corn but frozen or fresh would be way tastier. I just didn’t prepare last summer. My mother-in-law freezes fresh corn every year and it’s a delicious treat in the winter. It’s one of my goals for this summer!

I brought this to a boil and then turned the heat down to low to let it all simmer and let the flavors all mesh together. Yum! I added a little Italian seasoning too.

After simmering for 30 minutes, I added 3/4 cup of canned green beans and 1/2 cup canned peas. If using frozen beans and peas, I’d add them at the beginning.

I let the whole thing simmer another 15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes were tender and able to be cut easily with a wooden spoon.

Then I dished it up and enjoyed! I added a little Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. It adds a little kick and some delicious flavor. It definitely changes the flavor but in a great way! I left it out of the regular pot because my kids aren’t big fans.

This soup is pretty chunky in the end which is exactly how my husband likes it! You can always add more broth or less veggies if you like it soupier. Happy soup making!

VERY VEGGIE SOUP

Prep Time: 15 minCook Time: 45 minTotal Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c onion
  • 1 c carrots diced
  • 1 c celery diced
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 c corn
  • 1/2 c peas
  • 3/4 c green beans
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 t onion powder
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Put it all together:

  1. Pour veggie broth in pot with onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper over high heat.
  2. Chop onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes and add to broth.
  3. Add diced tomatoes and corn and bring to a boil.
  4. Cover and let simmer (little bubbles in broth) for 30 minutes.
  5. Add green beans and peas and let simmer 15 additional minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft.
  6. Dish up into over-sized mugs or bowls and allow the yumminess to warm your tummy! Top off with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.

Hope you enjoy this warm and hearty plant-based soup!

Posted in Scripture Memory

Scripture Memory Challenge Day 3 – Psalm 19:14

Posted on by 3toddlermom

Meditation of my heart…..sounds so fancy but what I allow my heart to meditate on can often be ugly. It’s those things I let roll over and over in my mind. Those things that make me fume at my husband or last out at my kids. What am I allowing my heart to meditate on? I really want to be meditating on the goodness of God – and I do at times. I want to meditate on the good traits in my husband. I want to meditate on the sweetness and innocence of my kids. I want to meditate on my strengths and not my shortcomings.

As I’m memorizing these verses, I’m reciting them all day and practicing them with my kids. Today I did a little activity and had my kids decide if the thought (meditation) was acceptable to God or not. Things like “My sister is a meany!” “I love my brother.” “I’m not going to clean my room.” “I love obeying my mommy.” They were running around playing but they still had fun answering my questions. I love getting my whole family involved in this challenge!