Facebook: From Feasting to Fasting

I've given up Facebook for Lent - me and apparently lots of other people according to a news blurb I recently heard. (If you're reading this from my Facebook page, I haven't cheated. It automatically posts to my profile :-). )

To be honest, I'm a bit of a Facebook junkie. OK, maybe junkie is a bit strong but you get the idea. My family still gets fed, clothes still get washed, crumbs vacuumed, etc. Theoretically, no one suffers from my addiction but myself. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

But over the last several months, if not longer, I've experienced lots of frustration over never having enough time to do things beyond my normal day-to-day activities, i.e., things I enjoy or find more meaningful like blogging, crafting, in-depth Bible study, reading, just to name a few. This has started making me more cranky than I like to be (and we all know the saying, "When momma isn't happy, nobody's happy").

I've found plenty of ways to rationalize my elevated levels of crankiness. Number one being the mental and physical demands of keeping up with the Princess day in and day out. She is an absolute joy but she has got to be the busiest and chattiest two-year old I have ever encountered. (I am not exaggerating!) Number two being the mental and physical demands of keeping up with two middle school boys and the whirlwind of homework, sports schedules and the like that surround them. By the end of the day my brain is mush which makes it very easy to veg with mindless entertainment, like Facebook, after the kids are in bed (or even during moments of downtime, no matter how brief, during the day). But the reality is, I am the cause of my own frustration by wasting too much time on meaningless activities.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Facebook is completely useless. It does have some merit. I've simply come to realize that for the most part I don't really use it for anything worthwhile. So for the next 40 days (at least), I'm going to take those Facebook moments and commit to using them for things that I really want to do - things that have a purpose, for me anyway. Who knows what exciting things might get done around our house over the next month and half!

Mexican Lasagna

Or Mexican La-ba-sagna as the princess calls it. Anyway, if you happen to love Mexican food and Italian food then this dish is just for you. And I have to give a shout out to my Aunt Kathleen for this one.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 can refried beans

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

24 oz. jar of salsa

2 1/2 c. water

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz. sour cream

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef and drain. Then add in refried beans, oregano, cumin and garlic powder. Mix well.

Line bottom of 9x13" pan with four uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with half of the meat mixture. Add four more noodles and top with the rest of the meat mixture. Top that with four more noodles.

Mix 2 1/2 c. water with jar of salsa. Pour over top of noodles.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until noodles are tender. Remove from oven and spread sour cream over top. Sprinkle with cheddar chees and return to oven until cheese is melted - about 5 minutes.

I usually let mine rest a few minutes before serving. Then slice and enjoy!

YUM!

Duke Children's Hospital Radiothon

Nothing tugs at my mommy heartstrings more than hearing about a child who is suffering from cancer or some other tragic illness. Every year I would listen to bits and pieces of the Mix 101.5 Radiothon for Duke Children's Hospital and was always brought to tears by the stories - some with happy endings and some not - of the parents and caregivers of many precious children who are battling diseases that they should never have to face. And then I would thank God that I haven't needed the services that Duke Children's Hospital provides. Then I would make my donation and move on.

This year was different. This year I have a slightly better understanding of what those parents are facing and feeling. Last October, my oldest son had a lump form on the right side of his face in the cheekbone area. At first we didn't think much about it but it rapidly grew so we couldn't ignore it any longer. We still didn't pay it much mind until after a casual visit to the pediatrician we were immediately sent for a CT scan. That same afternoon I vividly remember sitting alone in the consult room at our pediatrician's office and hearing him say that they had no idea what it was but it did not look good and then asking if it was OK for him to refer us to a pediatric neurosurgeon at Duke Children's Hospital. All I could think of was that Duke is where all the really sick kids go. We couldn't possibly need to go there, could we?

But we did - the very next week. And then the very next day he had surgery. Fortunately, unlike many of the stories on the Radiothon, our story has a happy ending. We went for something that appeared extremely grave but ended up being something completely fixable. And for that we are so grateful.

I write all this because even my brief experience of not knowing what was wrong with my child and not knowing if it could be fixed gave me a little perspective on what many of those parents and children go through for much longer periods of time. And the staff at Duke Children's Hospital does everything they can to support those precious families. They make every effort to ease fears and anxieties and to help families maintain some semblance of normalcy while traveling an often unexpected but sometimes long and painful journey.

So as a mother, I would ask you to consider making a small donation to help Duke Children's Hospital continue to provide help for these precious families during such difficult situations.

My Funny Valentine(s)

Happy Valentine's Day!



My Valentines
Not Pictured - My Original Valentine (he had to go to work before the pancakes were done)

 As a mom to only boys for the majority of my parenting life, Valentine's Day has always been somewhat of a challenge. I want to make the day special but without unnecessary additions of 'stuff' (i.e., cute stuffed animals that eventually migrate to the attic - especially since I went through nine gigantic garbage bags of them last night dividing by keep and donate). And now that the princess is aware that Valentine's Day is a 'holiday', I didn't want to fall into that habit with her.

Well, it seems I hit the jackpot - FOOD! We started the day with homemade heart-shaped pancakes...

and then finished it with heart-shaped sugar cookie pops.



And just in case you thought I was creative enough to think of this on my own, I wasn't. I got the idea here.

 Ymmmmmmm! (And yes, with two adolescent boys, I should know that food is always the answer.)

That was about all we had time for today - considering I think today should have been call Spring Sports Opening Day instead of Valentine's Day. The race is on between now and Memorial Day - baseball, lacrosse, soccer, repeat. But we wouldn't have it any other way. (And the princess is excited because now it means hours of guaranteed playground time.)

And in case you think I've forgotten about my Original Funny Valentine, don't worry! He's still my one and only and I wouldn't want to do life - with all its crazies - without him by my side.

Thirteen, Really?

My first born turned 13 yesterday so I am now officially the mother of a teenager. How did that happen? Where did those 13 years go? How fast will the next few years go? Three more years until he's driving, five more years until he's in college, and on and on.

But to be honest, I'm not even thinking about those things right now. What I am thinking about and what's really distressing is that he is now officially the tallest member of our household (and by far has the biggest feet) - at 13!!

I think we have a few years before the princess overtakes us.

I'm really not short for a woman. I swear! Guess I'll have to break out the heels from now on.

Do you know how weird it is to have parent/child 'discussions' with someone who's taller than you are? Well, I find it weird (but maybe that's just me). Fortunately, he's a good kid so we don't have to have those discussions often.

Wonder if he would notice a cinder block on his head while sleeping - but I guess that would only work if he slept standing up. Any suggestions on how to stunt his growth? Just kidding! The better question would be how to fund his eating habits.

Happy birthday to our long-limbed, knobby-kneed teenager. We love you Brandon!

Taking of the Annual Christmas Photo

I always have the best intentions and grandest ideas when it comes to the yearly Christmas photo. But December always seems to sneak up on me and I'm left scrambling in order to get a photo taken in time to be printed and inserted into Christmas cards so they get mailed before New Year. And of course, this year was no different.

I tried to pick a time when everyone would already be decked out in somewhat decent, Christmas-y attire. This way there would be less complaining about having to get 'dressed up' (relatively speaking) for nothing. It was also important to pick a time when the princess was in a good mood. So I chose after nap time today right before we headed out the door to see our church's annual Christmas program. In theory it was perfect timing. Let's see how it went.

Me: "Stand over there and let me take your picture."
Mia: "I want to see the baby."

Me: "In a minute, now stand there. Well, okay, you can kneel like your brothers."

Oh look - what's on Brandon's knee?

Oh not, what's that thing in the corner? Brandon, where are your shoes? Let's try this one more time.

OK guys, she's trying to escape. Hold on to her.

You didn't hold on to her.

Don't you want to have your picture taken any more?

Are we not done yet?

And the winner is:

Merry Christmas!

A Favorite Christmas Tradition - The Jesse Tree

Christmas traditions are a big deal at our house. Each of us has our favorites - from breakfast with Santa at the local fire department to getting our tree from the same tree farm every year to watching a Charlie Brown Christmas for about the billionth time.

But one tradition that is very important to all of us is the Jesse Tree. A friend of mine introduced me to this about four years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. It's kind of like an Advent calendar but covers Creation to Jesus' birth rather than just highlighting the Nativity story.

We begin on Dec. 1 and hang one ornament a day through Christmas Day. Each ornament represents a symbol from the Old and New Testament and traces the heritage of Jesus from Creation through His birth. We also read a devotion that explains the significance of what that day's ornament represents.

I could only show the first two days on the tree because that's as far as we've gotten.

This is the devotional book we use - you can get it on Amazon.

Part of what makes this so special is that all of the ornaments are handmade. We got 25 women to pick a day/symbol and then they made 25 pf the same ornament. Then we met back up several weeks later (obviously you want to start this well before Dec. 1 if you plan on doing it that year) and had an ornament swap. Each of us brought all 25 of the same ornaments but left with 25 different ornaments - one for each day. If you're not crafty, don't panic. Some ornaments ended up being very ornate - but some are very simple or even store-bought. But that's OK - because what's so cool about this is seeing how everyone interprets their symbol.

A snapshot of all 25 ornaments from one of my three sets

I've done this three times now - so I have three different sets. I plan to give a set to each of my kids when they leave home so that they can carry on this tradition with their families.