Titus Twosdays: It's Flex Time!

  

My kids aren't little anymore, but I haven't forgotten the frustration that comes from "not getting everything done" because of  mischievous, super-active, or just plain fussy little ones.  Like it was yesterday, I remember the disappointment of getting to the end of a loooong day, having scratched only one or two items off my to-do list because my kids were so needy.  You can relate, right?  You wanted to spend the morning paying bills, mopping the floor and folding the laundry, and none of that happened because the baby is teething and your two year old can't seem to get this potty-training thing down and spent the day in melt-down mode.  Been there?

Listen, I understand that many deadlines are firm, and some plans can't be changed.  But the vast majority of tasks on my list were things I could rearrange, if I had to.  Looking back, I wish I'd been less rigid about keeping a schedule, and more in tune with the needs of my children.  I wish I had known that of all the skills in my parenting tool kit, I would need flexibility the most. 

Sometimes, shifting the attention of a toddler is all it takes to turn a fussy day into a happy one.  If the potty training is going badly, and the baby is fussy, instead of fretting that your day isn't going according to plan, why not change the plan?  Be flexible.  I promise, nothing bad will happen if the floor gets mopped tomorrow. No governments will topple if the laundry isn't folded.  What if you said to your daughter "This day is not fun.  Let's make it fun!" and had a "picnic" lunch in the family room while you snuggle the fussy baby?  

What if, instead of planting the  baby in the Exersaucer, and your son in front of a DVD while you try to pay the bills.... 


you baked some brownies with your little helper, or went outside for a "hike"?  I sooo wish I had done more of that.  

Sometimes, we rode around in these.....

And sometimes we made cities and towers from these.....  

And sometimes, we ate these out in the backyard, or at the park....

But I wish we had done it more.  

So take some older-mommy wisdom and apply it to your younger-mommy life:

Be flexible.  Go ahead.  Ditch the schedule once in a while.  You won't regret it, I promise!

Today's Verse: Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD.   Psalm 127:3 CEV

Prayer for Today:  Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of my children.  Help me to let them know how valuable and precious they are by putting their needs before my chores.  Help me to hide Psalm 127:3 in my heart, so I always remember what's more important to you.  Amen.

Be Mine

My husband doesn't "do" Valentine's Day.  Nope. No chocolates, no flowers, no mushy, gushy, heart-covered cards.  And it's totally OK with me.  (Husbands, don't try this at home.) Our wedding anniversary is on February 9th, and he always makes a big fuss over our special day, so he gets a pass on February 14th, otherwise known in our house as National Greeting Card Day. 

But even if he didn't go all-out on our anniversary (again, husbands, don't try this at home), he shows his love and affection for me every single day.  By working hard to provide for our family, by encouraging me to dream big, or by getting up at 4:00am with the crazy Boxer while I sleep soundly, he shows I'm the one for him.  By these, and a thousand other  kindnesses, he says "be mine". And isn't that the most important thing? How we live our love every day? What good are chocolates and roses on V-Day if we fail to walk out our love the other 364 days of the year?  

So by all means, wives and husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends, show your love with hearts and flowers on St. Valentine's Day!  Go out to dinner.  Do the dishes for her.  Recite a poem.  Get engaged!  But however you celebrate, remember that every day is the day to show love to your Valentine.

Today's Verse: I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.  Song of Solomon 7:10 ESV

Prayer for Today: Father, help me to love my spouse with my words and actions, not just on holidays and anniversaries, but every day.  Help me remember that "love" is a verb.  Help me to honor you in the way I love and care for my spouse.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Lower Fat Buffalo Chicken Dip

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP*

*Thanks to Spark People Recipes for this lower-fat version of this easy, tasty dish!

Ingredients 

1 can Chicken (5 oz) (or similar amount of pre-cooked skinless chicken - chopped or shredded)

 4 oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese

 8 oz. Low fat cream cheese 

1/2 cup Wishbone Just2Good Blue Cheese Dressing or Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded

 4 oz. Franks RedHot (original pepper sauce *NOT* the Buffalo Wing sauce)

Note: This is easily doubled to feed a crowd!

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix together Cream cheeses. Stir in salad dressing, Franks RedHot Sauce and shredded cheese until well mixed. Stir in chicken. Spoon into a baking dish. (use a 9 X 13 glass pan for a doubled recipe)

3.Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through. (I like to skim off any grease that has come to the top of the dish before stirring and serving.)

Serve with dry toasted pita or bagel chips, low fat crackers, celery sticks, or other raw veggies.

Note: you can substitute all Fat Free cheeses to lower the calories and fat, but...don't. It doesn't save that much in the way of fat grams and calories, and it dramatically alters the finished taste/texture. 

Makes 16  1/4 cup servings

This is a crowd pleaser! Enjoy!!

February 9, 1981. I remember.....

To Gene,  the love of my life, father of my children, partner in everything....

I remember May of 1977, how I felt the first time you held my hand, and the first time you kissed me (I really did see stars!) I remember knowing with absolute certainty that you were the one for me as we talked for hours sitting on the floor in my parents' living room.  I remember the Eagles, Boston, and Kansas was the background music of our lives.  Carry On My Wayward Son....

I remember you weren't embarrassed to pick me up from work and be seen with me in my Burger King uniform....

I remember how we took a trip to Texas in the Spring of 1980  in your brand new yellow Pinto Station Wagon, windows down, listening to Rush "The spirit of radio" LOUD.  I remember building sand castles on the beach at Padre Island, and thinking how lucky I was to be there with you. 

And I remember how you asked me to marry you in front of the Mini Mart in Uvalde, and put a cigar band on my finger because you didn't have my ring yet.  I still have the cigar band :o)

.

On our wedding day, I remember how nervous I was, standing with my Dad at the back of St. John's Cathedral

looking at you standing there with Father Pat and thinking how handsome you looked in your white tie and black tails, then thinking "this is the longest aisle I've ever seen in my life!" and wondering if my Dad would catch me if I tripped...

And I remember how silly we felt the next morning, when we realized we had taken a limo from the church to the hotel, and didn't have a car to go home.  Your mom was so understanding when we called her for a ride....

And now thirty years have passed....it's February 9th, 2011.... and I love you so much, it takes my breath away.  For all the moments we've shared, all the storms we've weathered, the joy of our children, and most especially for God's love and grace and mercy in our lives, I am so grateful.

Happy anniversary, my love.  I pray He gives us 30 more years...or more!

Titus Twosdays: Work, work, work, work.....

I don't know about you, but I'm prone to put tasks before people. Cooking before coloring.  Scrubbing before story time.  Paying bills before paying attention.  We touched on that subject last week at Bible study, and I heard once again that what matters most to God is people.  People first.  I do know that, it's just that I have a hard time doing it!  I'm apt to put off spending time with the people I love until my chores are finished.  It's just how I'm wired.  If you're a mother of young children, you may struggle with this, too.  If you stay home during the day, you spend your time making bottles, changing diapers, washing little faces, doing dishes, folding laundry, making beds, cooking dinner, mopping floors....a marathon of tasks that is never finished!  If you work outside of home, add the pressures of work to that list. And it will be exactly the same tomorrow, just like the movie "Groundhog Day", where Bill Murray constantly re-lives exactly the same day, over and over and over.... Right??

 So how do we keep a good attitude in the midst of it all?  How do we keep from being overwhelmed by the monotony and drudgery of it all?  By putting our focus where God says it needs to be:  on people.    By remembering as I match that basket of clean white socks, the healthy family members who'll wear them.  By thanking God for His provision as I pay this month's power bill.  By focusing on the wonderful husband I get to share my life with, as I hang up his clothes in our closet.  By choosing to focus on the why of our daily chores, instead of the chores themselves, we find meaning and purpose in everything we do. 

I better sign off now.  Time to make dinner for that awesome family of mine!

Today's Verse:  She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.  Proverbs 31:27  NLT

Prayer for Today:  Father, I'm so thankful for all you've provided: my husband and children, food, clothing, and shelter.  Help me to focus on the people in my life, rather than the tasks I must do every day.  Help me find purpose and joy in all that I do.  In Jesus name, Amen.