Monday Menu and Hearts at Home!

Oh, what a weekend!  I am just back from Hearts at Home and eager to tell you all about it.  But, first things first!  Let's handle the menu!

Several people have asked how I go about communicating the menu to my family.  Since the beginning of the year, I have posted our weekly menu on the fridge for all to see.  I love this because even my pickiest eaters have time to come to terms with what meals are upcoming.  The fact that they do this on their own is helpful because I am not fielding comments and questions (and sometimes complaints) about what we are going to eat.  Mark and I tend to be pretty strict about eating what is prepared for you.  I am not a momma who cooks separate food for kids who do not want to eat whatever the rest of us are eating.  And still, some of my kids are picky.  I can live with that.  :)  

On Sunday night or Monday morning (depending on when I get the menu completed), I type everything out and  put it on the fridge.  It looks exactly like this:  

Menu for Blog

(I will now try to act all cool, like I have always known how to insert a document into my blog... I will definitely not admit that I just spent a good 45 minutes trying to figure this all out!)  :)

So, that is what it looks like for us this week.  Since I have previously shared many of these recipes, I will only talk about the stew today.

I know a lot of folks are intimidated by stews and roasts and such but I find them easier to make than a lot of other meals.  I know there are fancy ways to create these meals but for me, simple is the way to go!  So, here is our process for beef stew:

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat (or other beef if on sale, cut into small pieces)
4 large potatoes
4 large carrots
1 large onion
Other veggies you like (rutabagas, squash, pearl onions, etc...)
1 can cream of mushroom
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place raw, defrosted beef into the crock pot.  Sprinkle with onion soup mix.  Spread cream of mushroom (or cream of mushroom with garlic, if you can find it!) on top.  Add potatoes, carrots and onions on top.  Put lid on crock pot and turn it on.

How long?

Are you starting it in the morning?  Low.
Did you forget to start it and now it is the afternoon?  High.

I usually keep an eye on it.  When everything seems to be done and cooked, I turn it onto my "Keep warm." setting so the veggies are not overcooked and falling apart.

See?  Easy peasy.  :)  But today, when the Little Ones and I come home from Benjamin's volleyball game and Mark and Noah come home from Noah's soccer game, dinner will be hot, ready and hearty.  LOVE that.

Now that we are done with business, can we talk about Hearts at Home?

We had a fabulous weekend, my friends and I.  As always, I learned so much.  I was blessed to hear presentations by Michelle Duggar, Julie Barnhill, The FlyLady, and many others!

Today, I am hoping to not overwhelm myself with all this helpful information, but to just focus on one small change.  I was honestly so inspired by how calmly and quietly Michelle Duggar handles all her many children.  She talked about how she made an intentional decision to speak very quietly to them.  She noticed how much more peaceful her house was when she did that and it became a habit.  For me, this seems like a good place to start.  With four children, my house can be loud and I often feel like I must be loud to be heard.  But, what if I did the opposite?  What if I taught my children to hear my quiet voice?  I love that this small change can also effect their spiritual lives.  We are taught to listen for God's "still, small voice" and to "be still and know that He is God".  If my voice is quiet, might my precious babies learn to listen to God's quiet voice, as well?  This is my prayer... 

What about you?  What do you hope to do with your family this week?  What area can you tweak to be a better momma to your little ones?  And... what are you already doing well?  :)  It's okay, you know, to see that there are things you are doing well.  It really is.  I learned that this weekend, too.  But that is for another blog...

Blessings on your day!

Living with Less so Your Family Has More: An Interview with Jill and Mark Savage

Today I'd like to welcome Jill and Mark Savage. Jill and Mark's newest book Living with Less so your Family has More just released and I've invited them to share a little bit about this great resource!


Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

We have been married for 27 years…17 of them happily. After finding ourselves in a marriage counselor’s office around year 8 or so, we realized that we really didn’t know how to be married. We worked hard to turn things around and now we like to share that hope with other couples.

We have five children ranging from 13 to 25. Our oldest three are married. Anne (25) and her husband, Matt, live in Zion, IL, and are expecting our first grandchild in April. (We are very excited!) Evan (22) and his wife, Julie, have been married a year and a half and they live just a few miles from us. Erica (19) married her husband Kendall last September. They live in Augusta, GA, and wherever else the Army takes them.

We have two teenagers still at home. Kolya just turned 16. He’s learning to drive and we’ve nearly worn a hole in the carpet on the floor in the passenger seat trying to find that non-existent brake pedal. Kolya is the newest member of the Savage family. We adopted him at the age of nine from Russia.

Austin is 13 and in the 8th grade. He wants us to make sure and tell the world that this “living with less” life is a real bummer because he’s the ONLY kid in 8th grade who doesn’t have a cell phone.

Tell us about your newest book Living With Less So Your Family Has More?

The world screams the message that bigger is always better, but we have found that is not often true. When it comes to raising a family, less materially can actually result in more relationally. Children don’t need the best houses, the best lessons, the best cars, or the best clothes. What they really need is the best home life and the best family relationships we can give them.

Why did you want to write this book?

We didn’t start out with the “less is more” mindset. We started as a double income family wanting to have the “best” of everything. Then Mark decided to pursue ministry. We went from the “high life” to the “frugal life” very quickly as we moved to another state for him to go to Bible College full-time.

That experience introduced us to the concept that less is more. We definitely had less money, but we had more time. We had less stress and more peace. We had less activities and more fun.

Since that experience, we’ve continued to live primarily on one income for the past twenty years. We’ve had to battle cultural peer pressure and make different decisions for our family than many other families in our neighborhood have made. But we’ve never felt that we were materially depriving ourselves or our kids…instead we’ve focused on what we’ve actually been able to provide for them emotionally and relationally.

What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?

We hope the reader is encouraged to evaluate how they are living their life, spending their money, and thinking about family matters. Our goal is to introduce families to the “less is more” concept and then equip them with the attitudes and actions to actually make that happen.

For families that are already committed to less is more, we hope to bolster their resolve and help them stay focused on the long-term goal of providing relationally for their kids.

In today’s economy, there are many families being forced to live with less. We want to help them see the opportunity they have with this unexpected downsizing they’ve been forced to do.

And for those who have just been a little discontent with their life and saying things like, “I’m tired of the rat race of life,” or “Is there more to life than drive-thru meals for dinner?” we hope to help them see other choices they have and how they can lead their family in a different direction.

What unique elements will the reader find in Living With Less So Your Family Has More?

For couples who want to read the book together, we’ve included discussion questions at the end of every chapter. This helps move the readers to discussion and eventually actions. Even a single parent can use the discussion questions for personal evaluation.

Readers will find this book a practical guide to changing your attitude and your actions to live a successful “less is more” life. They’ll find our writing style to be a warm, casual, honest discussion where we not only share our victories but our mistakes along the way. We are an average couple living successfully on an average income who want to help others to see the possibilities before them.

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?

Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!

Any closing thoughts?

It’s healthy for parents to occasionally pause and evaluate their vision for their family and the choices they are making. We hope this resource will help them do that together and that it will lead them to live a life of little regret.

An Interview With Susie Larson: Growing Grateful Kids

Today I'd like to welcome author and speaker Susie Larson. Susie's new book Growing Grateful Kids has just released and I've invited her to share a little bit about this great resource.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

My husband and I have been married 25 years and have three grown sons (all in their early twenties). Our oldest son Jake works on the business side of the Christian music industry. Our middle son Luke is married to his beautiful wife Kristen; he works full time at a bank and part time as a worship pastor. Our youngest son Jordan is studying to become a surgical nurse. My husband Kevin is a commercial construction manager by day and manages my ministry by night (and weekends). Bless his heart.  I am an author, speaker, and an on-call radio host for Christian talk radio. Together, Kevin and I serve as advocates for justice on behalf of modern day slaves and human trafficking victims.

Tell us about your new book, Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places.

Even when economic times are tight, our children enjoy an abundance of material possessions. Yet, amidst all this wealth, discontentment and competition seem to be on the rise. Instead of teaching children virtues such as gratefulness and patience, many parents are bending over backwards to get their children the latest and greatest item - or feeling guilty when they can't. In spite of the currents of materialism and entitlement that flow so strong, it is possible to raise children who are simply grateful. Though teaching perspective and gratitude to our children is critical, it is not difficult.

Why did you want to write this book?

To be completely honest, I never wanted to write a book on parenting. I wanted to protect my kids’ privacy and give them time and space to become the men God wants them to be. But in the last few years, I have been especially burdened with the level of selfishness, entitlement and disrespect I see among children today. Furthermore, moms seem more stressed than ever. When I asked my sons their thoughts on writing this book, without pausing they all said, “Do it, mom; that book needs to be written!” I think I wrote a book that not only equips young moms to raise humble, grateful world-changers, but also one that nourishes the soul of the reader and encourages her personally.

Throughout the book you remind the reader that we cannot impart what we do not possess. Can you explain?

If we never deal with our own fears, insecurities, and hang ups, but we try to teach our children to believe in their divine value, over time, our words will not ring true to them. First God wants to do His work in us before He does it through us. They say that lessons are more often caught than taught. If we parent from a place of conviction and real freedom, our children will be affected by what we teach them.

One of your chapters is titled, “Take Time to Play.” How does taking time to play teach our kids to be grateful?

To me, taking time to play says a lot about the level of faith we possess.

If our children hear us confess that we love and serve a BIG God and yet they see us striving and straining through life, they will come to believe that more is on our shoulders than on God’s. If we can trust God enough to step away from our busy-important lives, to make a fort in the basement, or play a game with our children – even in the most desperate of economic situations – we will give our children a sense of much needed security and that all is well in their world.

What do you want readers to take away from this book?

To answer this question (I hope you don’t mind), I would like to share an endorsement from one of my sample readers. She expressed my deepest desire for my reader:

“Growing Grateful Kids is such a great source of conviction, encouragement, and inspiration to spur me on to finishing this parenting race well and not sputter out along the way. This book compels me to submit my own character to the refining of the Holy Spirit that I may be equipped to impart those lessons onto my children. Thank you, Susie, for taking the time, for submitting in obedience, and writing this down for a generation in desperate need of this kind of parenting book!” –Gail Miller

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?

Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!


Any closing thoughts?

I am very excited about the message in this book. It is my prayer that every one who reads it will be nourished, encouraged, and equipped to parent from a place of fullness, conviction, and confidence. Raising grateful, confident kids will be one of the most heroic, important things you do in your lifetime. God’s blessings to you!

Hearts at Home and Room for Me

For those who read this blog yesterday, thank you. I know the post was long and we all have limited time but I want you to know that I appreciate the time you spend here. I was conflicted about whether or not to post it but the topic is so important. In the end, I hoped you would hear the spirit with which it was written and that somewhere along the way, it might be helpful to you.

Today is a scattered day for me. Many things to do and little time in which to work. I spoke this morning to a fabulous group in Clarendon Hills, IL. I have been there before several times and now the faces are familiar. I was blessed to be with them.

On my way home, I stopped at the printer to pick up cards with mouths and ears printed on them for my Sticks presentation. (Not sure what I am talking about? Click on "Sticks" in the label listing below.) I headed home to catch my breath.

Now, I am preparing for my speaking engagement tomorrow morning and then a weekend away at Hearts at Home. Have you gone? I am so eager to be there with my dear friends, learning and laughing and listening. I feel like my head is being pulled in many directions... but my heart in only one.

Do you ever feel that way? Once, when I was working as a residence director at Trinity Christian College, my colleague Suz and I were talking about the job. At the time, we both felt weary and in need of a break.

"The problem with this job," Suz said, "is that it takes too much space in your brain."

It was true of RD-ing and is also sometimes true of parenting. As I sit here today, I am wondering how one of my boys is doing on his field trip, I am praying for another who has his first crush on a girl, another one of my kids has been a little spacey, another seems to be struggling to understand. My head is full. Add to that, the laundry room mountain that I must climb, the endless cooking that must be done, the dust bunnies hiding beneath the couch, the octogenarian dog wandering lost through the living room, a husband who is evaluating his work... it is overflowing.

And yet, that whole list of things that is banging around my brain is fully about tending to others. And that is okay... until I get tired. I don't know about you but finding myself weary can be a difficult thing. All of sudden, my wick is short, anger flares and patience runs very thin. This is not the mom I want to be... but what am I to do?

Very soon, I will get in my car and drive south for about an hour or so. Registration in hand, I will walk in to Hearts at Home tomorrow and spend two days washing that weary away. I will eat with friends, listen to speakers, laugh out loud and probably shed a tear (or two?). I will have time and space for me. And when I come home, my perspective will be adjusted and even though my head will still be full, I will be able to embrace it anew.

The sun just came out. My crocuses have bloomed. The birds are singing and the weekend is upon us. Soon, I will make room for me. I hope you will do the same.

Blessings on your day!

Blog Rewind--The Truth of the Matter

This week I will register to attend The National Hearts at Home Conference in March. Below you will find a blog I wrote a long while ago about the first time I attended Hearts. It was an amazing experience and one I recommend. I hope to see you there!

:::::::::

Shuffling through my registration papers, I traced a line from the title of the sectional to the room location. Acting without thought, I began to make my way from where I stood on Illinois State University's campus to where I was scheduled to go. I did not know the speaker then... but I had already heard that if you have a chance to hear Julie Barnhill speak, you have to take it.

A knot grew in the pit of my stomach. It is one thing to hear a well-recommended speaker... It is another thing ENTIRELY if the topic makes you cringe.

I looked down at the paper again. I glanced at the map and wished I was better with directions. Time was ticking away and I knew I would not walk in late. Where was this room? What was it called? Braden... I was looking for Braden. Glancing at room names, now back in the main building, my unfamiliarity with all things ISU was obvious. I was not yet lost but certainly not found and I knew I could not ask the way. Then, they would know...

I had not expected Hearts at Home to be... so... well... honest. There was so much laughter, so much joy... but I was caught off guard by the fact that people talked about the struggles they had. I anticipated a lot of sharing about our kids, our successes, our moments of pride. But, this sectional confirmed for me that this was a place about more than all that... not separate from it... but interlinked. The good AND the bad, the beautiful AND the ugly, the moments most proud AND those filled with shame.

I looked down again. The title looked back. "She's Gonna Blow!", it read. And there I stood, just outside the door.

Now, there are no perfect mommas. I know this very well. But I have always wanted to do a good job. I have always wanted to be kind, connected, compassionate. And yet, standing outside of Braden, not knowing what to expect, the reality hit me full force. In the two years since Mark and I had left Trinity with Noah and Benjamin, our number of children had literally doubled. Our home was too small, my patience was thin and I was juggling the lives of school aged children and babies not yet in school. My frustration with many things had gotten the best of me and sometimes my tone was too strong and my anger too big as I sought to care for our fast-growing brood. I wanted to do better. I wanted to be better. And now, standing outside in the hall, I wondered what people would think if they saw me enter this room? What would my friends, my MOMs Group, my family think if they knew I was going to a sectional about anger?

I stood there for a moment feeling lonely and shameful and small. Surely, this room would hold only a handful of moms who struggled with anger from time to time. Feeling conflicted, I decided that I had come to this conference for help, for support, and maybe it could be found on the other side of the door. Grabbing the handle firmly, committed now to the task at hand, I opened the door and could not believe the sight that lay before me.

Braden was not a room. Braden was an AUDITORIUM. It was, in fact, the name of the auditorium that held ALL the mass meetings at Hearts at Home, making the space easily able to hold thousands of women. And, inside, there were hundreds and hundreds of women taking their seats.

I actually, physically stopped then, amazed at what I saw. In even walking through the doors, all these women admitted to struggling with anger in one way or another. Some had been angry for years... some for a day here and there. But, however it happened that they came to this place, this sectional, it did not really matter. It mattered that they were here and that they were telling the truth. Sometimes, parenting is HARD. Sometimes, it gets the best of us. Sometimes, we need to admit that we get mad at our kids. For some, seated in that room that day, their anger had turned to rage. Some were just afraid it might. But, what struck me most was that there were so many of us there. And all of a sudden, it became real to me... this is NORMAL.

I love my children with all that is in me to love. I play with them, wrestle with them, read to them, care for them each and every day. I want what is best for them and want to do right by them... but sometimes.... all this closeness and all this love and all this hope and all this planning and working and trying and doing come right up against the unpredictable reality that is child-rearing at it's core. And sometimes, I get mad. Sometimes, I manage that in a way that is good and healthy. And sometimes, I find myself regretting my tone, my volume level, my choice of words. And you know what I learned that day in Braden Hall? It happens to you too. And, in letting that truth sink into my soul, healing took place.

There were a lot of people there that day. And Julie spoke such grace and truth to the whole of us. She shared her story and, in doing so, gave us permission to own our stories as well. The room was full of people who are trying to do better. Our kids see that, you know. My kids see that there are more days that I pull them close than days when my voice sends us all in different directions. There are more days of laughter and game playing and working together to cook or bake than days when we fall into bed frustrated and still a little bit mad. More days of laughter, less days of tears. And it is good. Can you see it, too? We are not called to be perfect. What good will that do our children? No, my friend, we are called to be real. REAL. And in doing so, we help our precious babies to see what life really looks like. In being real, we show our kids what it looks like to fall and get back up, to make a mistake and ask forgiveness, to be sad or angry and find a way to laugh again. That is what they need from us and that is what will impact their every day lives for years and years to come.

Seeing that group of women gathered together on that day impacted me in significant ways. I know what it is like to feel alone but at Hearts at Home, I realized that even on my loneliest day, I stand in good company with thousands of mommas who are doing the best they can. Just like me. Just like you.



Blessings on your day!

Another Hearts at Home Blog!

Looking for something to read? I am guest blogging at http://www.hearts-at-home.org/ again today and would love it if you stopped by!

Be sure to check out the conference area, if you have not already! The National Conference is an amazing experience and a wonderful place to find encouragement for this mothering journey. Take a peek!

Blessings on your day!

Hearts at Home Blog!

Happy New Year!

With my children back to school and 2/3 of my house somewhat cleaned, I am taking a few minutes to update my blog. It has been a while but I will keep chipping away at this task until I am happier with the frequency of my posts. I am thankful you continue to read along. : )

I am grateful to be blogging with Hearts at Home again this year. Today, my blog is featured on their site. If you have traveled here from there, welcome! If you stopped here first today, I want to encourage you to bop on over to the Hearts website and take a look around. There are so many resources for women there, I know you will feel right at home. Hearts at Home's website is http://www.hearts-at-home.org/. If you are looking for the blog area, click on "What We Offer" at the top of the page and choose blog from the drop-box. There are guest bloggers featured there each weekday and you will find many ideas and words of encouragement within these blogs.

While visiting their site, please look over the conference information. Registration for the National Conference is now open and it is an amazing experience. Totally, TOTALLY worth your time! : ) I cannot wait to go myself!

Blessings on your day!

An Interview for Today.... Meet Jill Savage!

Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, just released, and I wanted to ask her about her real mom moments..

Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.

Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?
Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!

There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.

Why did you want to write this book?
Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.

What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.

What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?
Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.

There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!

There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!


Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.

You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.

And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources here.