WFMW — Jazzed up Mac ‘n Cheese

My children would eat macaroni and cheese for all three meals a day every day if I’d let them.  Obviously, I’m not going to do that.

Because who would ever bother with mac ‘n cheese for breakfast when there are cereal bars and Cheerios?  So much simpler, you know.

Because we eat so very much of the yellow stuff, I’ve learned some tricks to dress up the box of preservative-y goodness.  Here are some of our fav’s:

1.  Ranch dressing instead of butter — I didn’t say “more nutritional,”  I said “dress up.”  And Kraft actually has a three cheese flavored Ranch.  There’s something about the dressing that gives it a little depth of flavor.  (Did I just use the term “depth of flavor” in a discussion of “The Cheesiest!”?  This is not a good sign, my friends).

2.  Tomatoes and ground beef — I think everyone already knows this trick; the crazy kids now call it “Hamburger Helper.”

3.  Sour cream or (oh my) cream cheese — this is an especially handy trick if you’re having company; yes, it’s still a side out of a box, but it tastes a little more exciting (I will refrain from saying “depth of flavor” again).

4.  Grated carrots — Changes the texture (and sneaks some veggies in)

5.  RoTel — yum!  And you can throw a spoonful on a small tortilla for a true carb delight

6.  Diced green peppers — great crunch, great flavor (peppers + cheese = LOVE)

7.  Zucchini pieces, diced red bell pepper, neuchatel cheese (instead of butter, go light on milk, too), light sprinkle of Italian spices — yum, yum, yum!

So that’s what works for me.  Pop over to Shannon’s to see lots of other great tips!

WFMW — all the things that NEVER work

This week’s WFMW is about what doesn’t work for each of us. You should check it out at Shannon’s and add your own!

My personal “doesn’t work” list:

10. “Shifting” batteries from one remote to another because I always forget to buy them when I’m at Wal-Mart and I “refuse” to pay Publix prices for them. This brings out the pre-salvation virtue in me, I assure you.

9. Shout Wipes. Grrrr….

8. People who intentionally speed up so others can’t turn before them and their siblings, drivers who won’t let others turn left when they themselves are waiting to turn and have opportunity to let someone else go.

7. Trying to clean play-doh out of the carpet before it’s fully dry. I have created the worst smudges and undue frustration this way; now, I let the offending bit dry completely and then vacuum it up.

6. Separating my children when Darren and I are both gone. LittleBit and LittleMan are so close to each other (both in age and friendship) that they can handle being away from us fine as long as they have each other.

5. Claritin. AACK!  I initially failed to explain! The following is the clarifying edit: Seriously, this stuff will work for me for 27 hours.  That’s it.  By that time, I’ve taken 2 all day pills and can’t take anything else now that the Claritin has decided to stop working.  It’s truly a lovely day when that happens.

4. Random, pointless profanity in movies just to make it PG or PG-13.

3. Staying up as late as Darren and then getting up at a normal time.

2. Mall shopping.

1. Comparing myself to other moms. Wait, let me rephrase: moms comparing themselves to other moms. Brian Houston, pastor of Hillsong Church in Australia, calls it “The Tyranny of Comparison” and I doubt I’ve heard it better expressed. The reality is every family is different, therefore every Mom is different. I shortchange my children, my husband, and myself when I look at another Mom and think, “Oh, I should be like/do/think like that.”

It really bothered me at a homeschool group thing when a Mom said, “I am just so thankful that my children don’t have to go to public school. I mean, I just think about all these children who have to go to school everyday, away from their mothers, who are working and missing out on all this precious time!” Mind you, this woman has teenagers now, and she’s felt strongly about this for a while. It caused me to bristle in annoyance — “Well, what does she think these ‘working moms’ are out doing?!?! Having pedicures during lunch hour and taking the corporate jet on in the afternoons? For goodness sake, doesn’t she understand that…”

And my thought trailed off there.

“…doesn’t she understand…” How many times should I have asked *myself* that question? How many times have I observed another Mom interacting with her children — or not interacting — and thought *I* could do it better?

For goodness sakes.

Ugh… and for me, the even more frequent occurrence is Mom-envy. Seeing another Mom and her children and feeling inferior, sometimes to the point I actually go home and try to replicate what was never intended for our family. There’s this old thing about square pegs and round holes…. You get the picture.

No, “in everything, by prayer and and supplication with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” If there’s something I feel like I lack, I have a Heavenly Father, a gentle Shepherd who gently leads me with my little ones so that I will not be in want. And His strength is made perfect in my weakness — when He wants to strengthen me, He will do it; when He wants my attention, He will call, “come away” and we will meet. The part of the Holy Spirit need not be filled by another Mom I know and the way I perceive her life; nor should it be filled by me because somehow or other, I have the corner on the Mom-market. The One who created me is still in the business of “heart of flesh for heart of stone” and if I pick up the chisel myself, I’ll only shatter the stone, not soften it.

I believe in iron-sharpening-iron; I believe in spurring one another on to good works; I believe in going to the House of the Lord together and recounting His marvelous deeds. But nowhere in Scripture — nowhere — does God say it’s ok for me to expect other people to be called to my calling, or to expect that God will give me someone else’s calling. Paul, from the ultimate Hebrew upbringing, was called to the Gentiles; Peter, a plain-spoken fisherman, was sent to the Jews. God had revealed to Simeon that he would see the LORD’s Christ before he died; Anna stayed at the Temple day and night and recognized the Christ child when she saw Him. Did any of those four feel “cheated” because someone else’s call was “better”? I doubt it.

So… I guess that “godliness with contentment is great gain” thing is pretty true.

The Tyranny of Comparison doesn’t work for me. But His Truth sure does.

Happy Mother’s Day!

*Every Day* is my day   Can ya tell?

in my arms

In My Arms — Plumb

your baby blues

so full of wonder

your curly-Q’s

your contagious smile

and as i watch

you start to grow up

all I can do is hold you tight

knowing
clouds will rage and

storms will race in

but you will be safe

in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash around

but you will be safe

in my arms
story books are full of fairy tales

of kings and queens and the bluest skies

but my heart is torn

just in knowing

you’ll someday see

the truth from lies

when the
clouds will rage and

storms will race in

but you will be safe

in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash around

but you will be safe

in my arms
Castles they might crumble

dreams may not come true

but you are never all alone

because I will always

always love you
when the

clouds will rage and

storms will race in

but you will be safe

in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash around

but you will be safe

in my arms

in my arms

His Mercy is New EVERY Morning

“O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?”  Deut. 3:24

“We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.” Psalm 78:4

I *have* to tell you all God did in the wake of Wednesday’s tears:

After typing this post, I called a dear friend with whom I teach whose husband also travels a lot with his job.  They homeschooled their children (who are now graduating college) and she remembers clearly what it was like when hers were young and daddy was gone and the house seemed empty.  She listened to my struggle, then promised to be praying for me, and made me laugh out loud before we were done. It was *very* sweet.  And she reminded me of something I was choosing to forget:  “Tomorrow morning, in the sunshine and the happy wake-ups, none of this will seem so bad.  The darkness holds in the sadness.  Maybe it’s time to just go to bed.”

Yes, it was definitely time to go to bed.  I took my ever-so-sleepy allergy medicine and laid down to read.  When I (finally!) woke up, it *was* a new day!  Completely rested for the first time in 3 weeks, everything — EVERYTHING — looked better!  LittleBit and LittleMan were both in great moods, and we drove up to my school to pick up some things.

Lo, and behold, my pay check was among “some things”!  That was a pleasant surprise!  We had lunch with all our friends at school and then left for errand running.  We filled up with gas, picked up gifts for this evening’s wedding shower, listened to Paws & Tales, and came home to fly kites and dig in the dirt.  What a GREAT DAY!!!

It was such a gift — a tangible reminder that when Darren is gone, He is still here.  The Lover of my soul is the protector/provider for my children.  The LORD my Maker is my husband.  He is faithful, my friends, He is faithful.  And His power is clearly at work in my weakness; are there any adequate words to say, Thank You, LORD???

So this is what the LORD has done for me, and it is MARVELOUS in my eyes!  We’re down to 3 sleeps and up for a great weekend!  How sweet is our God?????

the one in which I vent

This is the *last* weekend of the tour.  Cue relieved sigh.

And I told a few people I work with that I was both THRILLED to have D home for 36 hours and very ready to get him out again so we could be DONE.

But I think I inadvertently lied.  Because he just walked out the door and I *very much did not want him to walk out the door* because I *very much wanted him to stay* thank you.  Very much.

This particular attitude doesn’t occur often, but it’s here tonight: it just hurts to have him gone.  I know what the next few (very few, really) days will look like; I’ve felt this dread before.  And I know the Truth, that He who began this good work will be faithful to complete it; He who calls us is faithful.

This is what you call chafing under the yoke.  The Yoke I’m given is not just a burden to be borne, it is an assignment gently given and carefully assigned.  Wikipedia (the font of all accuracy, I know) says that a yoke doesn’t harm the animal; it “transmits force” from the animals’ shoulders (which are strong), not from their necks (which would hurt).  The LORD knew these days before one came to be, and in His providence, shaped the Yoke for me to rest on the strong shoulders He’d formed with a lot independence.  And if I will listen to Him, that yoke need never fall onto my neck, weak from frantically looking for things other than Him to fulfill me.

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have NONE OF IT.“

And that is me tonight.  And apart from repentance, there will be no rest this weekend.  What I want to do is wallow; I’m not going to lie.  I am about a half second away from crying.  I just feel DONE.  (I have an  “I-problem” haha, bad joke).

So LORD, please forgive me.  I repent and ask your forgiveness for seeing the gift of this opportunity as anything less.  Holy God, it has been a *beautiful* tour and You have gone with them each step of the way THANK YOU!!!  And thank You that You grant sleep to those whom You love and Your mercies are new every morning.  When I awake, I am still with You.  *Thank You*  Jesus, I don’t deserve You, but oh how I love You.  Amen.