Supercenter Psychology

So...

If you are looking for a hands on exercise in patience and a good attitude, go to Walmart on pretty much any given day.

However, if you are really looking for a hands on exercise in patience and a good attitude, go to Walmart on the Saturday afternoon before Valentine's Day.  Because there is a strong possibility it is a busier shopping day than Christmas Eve.

I speak from experience.

At least I got these in line to keep me from mentally going over the edge!  Oh, and since my "run to Walmart" took a couple of hours and I missed lunch by a long shot!

Because if desperation leads you to processed food, I say it may as well be Chedder Cheese Pretzel Combos!  I have loved these things since I use to snack on them during my elementary school sleepover days (even though at first glance they resemble doggie treats which is kind of strange, but oh well).

P.S. I'm not so confident I passed the above said exercise.  I'm working on it. I'm in process. I will try again....after Valentine's Day.

Well, I've gotta run because I need to help my daughter get ready for something fun!!  I'll fill you in soon...

Happy Saturday!

:)

Complete and Total Randomness

Usually my posts have some sort of point, but this one not so much.  I just sort of felt like talking to you!

This week has been quite dreary - lots of very gray, overcast weather which is unusual for these here parts (did that sound Southern?!).  Evidently we are under some weather pattern this year - La Nina I think? - that is making things rather strange.

I think that may also be what is giving me these excruciating headaches.  It's been another rough week with them, almost relentless.  I obviously have to function and certain over the counter meds help me do so, but I will admit I've been in some serious pain.  And the pressure in my head and around my eyes, my goodness it's intense - that's why I wonder if  the weather is the primary source of this stuff!

I know it's not my eyes because randomly one of eyes got very red and inflamed so I went to the eye doctor to make sure it was okay - they did a full exam and once again, my vision checked out as fine.  Just needed some special eye drops and drove home half blind from my eyes being dilated.  However, I did get some sweet shades out of the deal which is always nice. ;)

Yesterday morning a horrible headache woke me up at 5:00 am, and once again it was a very gray, overcast day with chances of rain.  I used some peppermint lotion and even sniffed this lavender foot soak we received as a favor at the ladies event last Saturday...

The aromas helped a little bit, but not much.  But what did help was this.  My mom offered to take Trev and me to lunch to a restaurant she loves and I tried something that has now forever changed my life, or at least my taste buds...Caribbean Pumpkin Crab Soup.

I think I could eat it every day.  I'm not kidding, it was one of the best things I have eaten in.my.entire.life.  My whole meal was delicious, I told my mom it was probably the best meal I'd had in a year!  Steak, sauteed spinach, grilled vegetables, soup, hot tea, creme brulee with raspberries.  I feasted like a king!  I was absolutely craving red meat and everything was cooked perfectly and I will say, it took that biting edge off of my headache.

But ohhh, that soup.  The combination of flavors was just unreal, it was pure bliss for a foodie, especially a foodie with a migraine.

We have had some sunshine this week, and Trev and I enjoyed a fun, though chilly, park and lunch date with some friends earlier in the week.  And  Madi and I spent an absolutely gorgeous afternoon on the back porch playing and reading one day after school while Trevor napped.

We got to go to a very intense (and very cold) soccer game to cheer on our local high school as they earned a hard fought victory.  The other team was instigating and throwing some cheap shots, and our team kept their cool and played with class and even tempers. I was super proud of them.

My sweet girlfriends who I meet with weekly came to our house this morning and we sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee and talking and laughing and sharing our hearts (and breaking up an occasional scuffle between our boys!).  It had been a couple weeks since we'd all been together and I'd missed them!

I have continued to learn so much from my 90 Days With Jesus study.  I will have to share some more on that later. I have been studying about his ministry, particularly his miracles.  It is pretty incredible to dive in depth into His life and ministry.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I tried Almond Milk this week (I have no idea why, just did) and I like it a lot!  It's great in my cereal and coffee!  Oh, and that new Creme Brulee creamer I found?  Jackpot.

Tonight I am going on a double date and I can't wait!!!  We are going to a steakhouse with the one of the best salads in the world! And you get as much of the salad as you want, whoooop!!!  Plus - my parents are keeping the kids all night!  Double whooooop!!

I need to pick up some little Valentine cards and small gifts for my family...we don't exchange big things for Valentine's Day, but little surprises are so much fun!

Speaking of surprises, our family has had the chance to drop off a few to some different people this week and it's been FUN!!  Is there someone out there you could surprise with something small but special?  If so, do it!! Seriously, it's a blast!  Of course, I am a surprise-lovin'-girl.

All right, I suppose that's enough randomness for now.  I hope you have a safe, wonderful, fun weekend!  Make some memories!!

Love,

Jennifer

Broken Birds

One morning last week I was in my room getting ready when all of a sudden I heard a crash, then heard my son completely burst into tears.  As I immediately dashed to see what was wrong, I ended up meeting him halfway because he was running to me saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It was your favorite, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" through his sobs.

I scooped him up in my arms and went so see what in the world he was talking about.  I found that he had been playing with a tennis ball and broken a little red bird I had purchased for $5.95 this winter.  He was so sorrowful about what he had done, and continuously apologetic.  I guess he thought it was my "favorite" because he kept repeating that as well.  I felt compassion for him because of his little broken spirit, and knew I had a choice to make:  I could either reinforce in him that though he needs to be careful, I understand that accidents happen and I love him even when he makes a mistake; or I could get angry and speak harsh words to make him feel even worse about his accident.

I chose the first.  I held him while he cried, and soothed and reassured him that it was okay, I knew it was an accident.  Yes, I reminded him about playing with balls in the house and being careful, but I focused much more on building his spirit back up and letting him know my love is secure, even when he messes up.  Because that's how God the Father loves me, and I want to love my own children in the same unconditional manner.

The thing is, I know there have been lots of "broken birds" in our home over the past nearly six years of having children.  Actually, that little red bird was sort of a replacement for another bird Trevor had already broken a year ago!  My dad teasingly calls Trev a "one man wrecking crew" because, bless his heart, sometimes it seems everything he touches he breaks!  He never means to; sometimes he is playing with a ball inside or being a little rough, but usually they are just plain accidents.  He has broken my Willow Tree figurines, Pilgrims and Indians, two panes of glass on my curio cabinet, and more.

There have also been countless times when Jimmy and I have had to discipline our children for different issues of personal and spiritual brokenness...selfishness, not sharing, disobedience, temper tantrums, and occasionally willful defiance.  Disciplining is a vital, but not fun part of parenting.  And every time we discipline, we also have that same choice to do it in a way that reinforces our unconditional love, building up their spirit while trying to train them in the way they should go and nurture their heart to desire a life of obedience; or we can choose to just simply react to the situation with a harsh, angry spirit and words spoken too quickly.

There are times we have made the right choice; other times we have fallen short.

Parenting is hard work.  Some days are incredibly challenging We all miss the mark at times and crawl into bed at the end of the day feeling like absolute failures.  And then we have some days where things are absolutely wonderful, sweet, and harmonious.  We all mishandle certain situations and have to ask both God and our kids for forgiveness, and then we handle some situations beautifully in a Christlike, grace-filled way.

I don't know about you, but I am just a girl who is now a mom just trying to do my best, a girl who falls short at times but is who trying to make good choices as a parent.  Who is trying to nurture a heart of godliness.  Who is trying to explain and model that our choices have consequences.  Who is trying to break wills but build up spirits.  

And who wants my kids to know their hearts and lives matter so much more to me than broken birds.

Hang in there moms and dads. Keep on keeping on,

Jennifer

James 1:19 "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." 

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Just Call Me The Queen Of Hearts!

Love is just so in the air this time of year!!  I have been having the best time enjoying all things hearts lately!

Things like taking 100 candy hearts out of this jar for my daughter to bring in for the 100th day of school today...

My gingham heart aprons hanging cheerfully in the kitchen...

Using the same heart shaped waffle maker I have been using for nearly a decade to make breakfast for dinner one night last week!  (Thanks to Hazel if you are reading this - your wedding gift goes on!)  Even using my heart pancake molds to make heart shaped scrambled eggs!  (Yes, it's crazy, hence the "Queen of Hearts" reference!  Crazy but fun! :)

Putting a little blueberry muffin mix in the waffle maker and finding that these heart shaped "muffles" as I named them were quite tasty and filled the house with a warm, comforting aroma!

Lighting candles with matches that came in a box with a big pink heart on them...

Enjoying the goodness of fresh fruit in a red heart shaped bowl...

Freshly baked homemade banana bread waiting on a pretty heart plate for my schoolgirl's afternoon snack...

Using heart ribbon and heart shaped doilies to make a garland the kids loved...

Stopping to brew an afternoon cup of tea and honey in a heart shaped mug...

Remember...in Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Can you even imagine if we lived that way?  Loving God, loving people, loving with all our hearts and every part of our being?!  In a few weeks I will be off to a Girls Retreat for teenagers where we will discuss just that, and I can't wait!  If any of you feel compelled to pray for this, we would so appreciate it.  But it's a reminder we all constantly need.  The great command from our Savior. Let's obey it well.

And let the fun hearts of this sweet season be daily reminders of what we are called to do!

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  I Corinthians 13:13

How To Make Coffee Punch!

Several of you have requested the recipe for the coffee punch I made at Madi's Valentine's Par-Tea...I know there are several recipes for this treat out there, but I will tell you how I made it based on a recipe I used as a guide.

Let one carton of chocolate ice cream and one carton of vanilla ice cream soften. (The recipe called for 1/2 gallons...I used Breyers because I love its fresh, all natural taste and now it comes in smaller sizes, I think the cartons were 1 1/2 quarts each.)


Let one 8 oz carton of Cool Whip thaw. (I think the recipe called for 2 cups - I believe one carton is almost 3 cups, but I was using less ice cream so I figured it would even out and then I didn't have to measure.)


Brew two fresh cups of coffee.  (Again, the recipe had something to do with instant coffee but I didn't want to mess with it - I just made two mugs using my Keurig.)


Mix the two cups of coffee with 1 1/2 cups sugar.


Start mixing the coffee/sugar mixture, ice cream, and cool whip in a punch bowl.


Add about 2/3 or 3/4 of a gallon of milk and continue to mix until soft consistency.  (The recipe called for an entire gallon but to me that seemed to be a bit much.)

Enjoy!  This is so unbelievably goo-oo-ood.  I'm talking about keep going back for more cups kind of good!  The girls at the tea party loved it, it is always a hit at our ladies events at church, and I even served it at one of Madi's birthday parties for the grown-ups and that punch bowl was empty when the party was over!!  It tastes like a really good frozen Starbucks drink or mocha shake!

**Note...my friend Liz made this at the church on Saturday using no sugar added ice cream, sugar free/fat free Cool Whip, and skim milk.  Her lightened up version was still delicious!

Inspiration From The Hundred Acre Woods

This past week was sort of a Winnie The Pooh kind of week.  Last Monday was unbelievably beautiful so we took Trevor to Animal Kingdom while Madi was in school.  He was thrilled to meet the Pooh characters, especially Eeyore because we had never met him before!

Then we read almost every story in this Pooh collection, some of them more than once!

I came across an old Pooh plate for snack times...

And Trevor and I colored some Pooh coloring pages together that I printed from the computer.

So with Pooh on the brain, I wanted to send a message to you, my friends, to start this Monday off right...

I hope this week includes some quiet time in your thoughtful spot to think, think, think.

I hope you have a chance to work together with good friends to get a job done.

And I hope this week is bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

Sunday Letters

Another week of letters, inspired by my blog friend Deidre...

Dear Madi,

You were so excited this week because there was a walk-a-thon at your school and for every three laps you got to get either a cup of water or a cup of Gatorade.  You thought that was the coolest thing!  I love how you love school so much!  And I am amazed how well you are reading.  It is a treat to hear you read to us now!  You are doing so well that your teacher sent you home with a list of first grade words to work on and you are making your way through them.  I am proud of you.  I hope you always love to read.  I know how much enjoyment and enlightenment I have benefited from thanks to a love of reading.  Books are a wonderful companion, and a window to the world.  It is a joy to see you start to peek through that window on your own.  You are so bright, and such a good friend.  I loved how excited you were to give a homemade gift to your best friend tonight.  Thanks for being caring!  Others matter, sweetheart.  I think you instinctively know that.  And that brings me joy.

Keep it up,

Momma

P.S. I just remembered your school fundraiser is due tomorrow.  Pretty sure your Grammie and I are going to be buying a lot of pasta.  This kindergarten thing is no joke.

Dear Trev,

We have been working on your behavior this week and have definitely seen improvement!  You love your little chart and you keep putting more and more animal stickers on it as you make good choices.  Oh, if you only knew how often I pray that you and Madi will make good choices.  We aren't always in control of our circumstances in life, but we are in control of our choices.  And every choice you make will have a consequence.  I pray, even in this moment as I type, that you and your sister will make godly, wise choices that will bring about blessings and good consequences on your life.  It can be tough to make the right choices sometimes, but you will never, ever regret it.  I promise.  And I pray that somehow my efforts to teach you this at four will carry over into the rest of your life.  I pray God will help me teach you.

We've had fun together this week.  I love reading books to you and trying to memorize your smile and laugh.  I loved telling you the story of the Good Samaritan tonight, even though I had to stop after the fourth time because it was way past bedtime!  I love watching you bring light and life to the adults at church.  You are this little firecracker, full of energy and noise and momentum, but so warm and sparkly and bright.

Shine on wittle buddy,

Momma


Dear Jimmy,

Tonight at church as we listened to the message on the 8th commandment, the themes were honesty, integrity, and generosity.  As we sat there I was thinking how those words reflect you and your character.  Once again, I just want you to know I feel blessed to be married to a good and godly man.

And I was also thinking this week how I love the little things that are just, well, us!  Like how we are so addicted to watching old West Wing episodes and how we sing Taylor Swift love songs together in the car and how we dance in the kitchen and can scarf down a Little Ceasar's $5 pizza in no time.  I love our life, and that we both work hard and work together to give our kids the kind of secure home life we want for them.  The best things in life take effort and work and intentional action.  I am beyond grateful that we are like minded in our priorities. Oh my goodness, am I grateful.  God is good, and He gives exceedingly and abundantly.

So Thankful,

Jennifer.

P.S. Oh, and the next time I make you a grilled cheese sandwich, yours is going to have double the cheese, baby.


Dear Dad,

Tonight you came up to me on the way out of church and handed me a ten dollar bill.  I knew what it was for.  Several Sundays this year you have slipped me cash to put in Madi's school lunch account because even though I pack her lunch most days, she thinks it is so cool to buy lunch and you want her to be able to.  You and mom always find little ways like that to help us out.

And I can't even express how grateful Jimmy and I are for every single thing you have done.

May we follow in you and Mom's footsteps on loving a family well,

Jennifer