How connected is too connected?

I do not have internet on my phone, but if I did I'm sure I would check my Facebook in the middle of a dinner date with my husband if I could. This would annoy him to no end, which I understand, but I have to admit, I am a little addicted to social networking.

I'm not alone, I know there are others out there more addicted to it than I am. This leads me to some questions. How connected is too connected? Do my friends truly need to know where I'm at, what I'm eating, and see a picture of it? My logical self says no, but my Facebook self says YES, post it, and then check your comments and likes every ten minutes thereafter.

It's fun seeing your friends, what they are doing and being able to "talk" to them without actually leaving to see them. It is especially nice for a stay at home mom like me, who sometimes gets stuck in the house with 3 sick kids and no adult to converse with until my husband gets home.

I know I use Facebook too much. I sometimes ignore the real world in favor of the computer world. The world where we can be whoever we want, say whatever we want, make our lives look perfect, or create drama with someone without seeing their face. It's not a good thing. My husband says it's a big platform for everyone to have a chance to post something stupid. I have to agree. I've said a few stupid things, read a few stupid things, and seen things I didn't need or want to see.

So where does it stop? I see people talking to others in a restaurant at the same table, while only half paying attention to real life because they are more caught up with internet life on their phone. It bugs me, yet it draws me and sucks me in.

I can't say that anything I've posted on Facebook has been real. It's more general or unnecessary information about my life posted in hopes my friends will like it and write a comment back to me. Not that I plan to stop using Facebook, but it is good to think about these things and rearrange our priorities in life.

I believe true relationships should be based on real things. Can anything be truly real on Facebook? Maybe, but I know the stuff I only want my true friends to know wouldn't be posted online.

This is what it comes down to...
I think maybe the problem is we're not too CONNECTED we're too DISconnected.

What do you think and how are we going to change it so we don't raise distracted and fake kids?

Convictions...

Have you ever read the book of James in the Bible in one sitting? I read it the other morning not thinking I would be convicted. I was actually looking to be uplifted and encouraged, which I was, but not in the way I thought it was going to happen.
I decided on James because I was thinking the verse that says "ask and you shall receive" was in James. I was wrong. But God had another message in mind for me that morning.
You see, I've been struggling to see what God is doing in our lives right now. We've been trying to get renters while paying 2 mortgages for the past 3 months and it is getting very nerve racking. And, although I know God provides and does not let us down, it is really hard to keep that in focus.
This is what God reminded me to do last week.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 
Wow! What I was expecting from this reading and what God wanted me to learn and remember from this reading were 2 very different things.  
So, now I pray and wait, while being joyful that my faith is being tested. I know I can use a little more faith. Okay, A LOT more faith. 
Obviously God has something for me to learn, and my goal is to be patient enough to trust Him enough to strengthen my faith.

The heart remodel...

Kids decorate everything..including their mothers' hearts.  I know that my heart has been completely remodeled since having kids.  The things that used take up big sections of my heart are now evicted to smaller chambers because the kids have moved in. My heart is prettier and way more giving with these 3 decorations.

They can be sunshine, they can be rain, but they are always on my heart and mind.  That is why I am constantly thinking of ways to help them learn while having fun. It is said that years 0-5 are the most crucial to teach your child. They are like sponges, so take advantage and teach them something good!

I started a new blog to document the activities I do with them.  They are all activities that are easy to do, really fun for the kids, and can be prepared for and done in 10 minutes. 

I named it Take Ten. If you want to check it out go here: www.taketenagain.blogspot.com  (so sorry.. you'll have to copy and paste the website...I don't know how to make it a link)

Tell all your friends who have kids to take a look at it too...and start "Taking Ten" with your kids. Also, if you have any cool project ideas, share them! 

P.S. Make sure you go to taketenAGAIN.blogspot.com--if you don't put in the "again" part you'll be taken to some guy's weird blog-not mine...although, if you want a chuckle you can check his out too. 

Stating the obvious...

Stating the obvious can be really rude sometimes. It sounds like this:"Wow! You're eating MORE cake!" Or a little like this: "Your shirt is bright yellow."  These kind of statements make people uncomfortable, uneasy, and just feel plain bad.

Other times stating the obvious can be completely neutral, like stating a fact.  Example: "It smells like coffee", or "It's windy out here!"  Not necessary to say these things, hence that is why we call it stating the obvious.

However, there is one statement that we often times consider to be so obvious that we do not say it enough. As long as it is considered to be an obvious statement, or "stating the obvious" we will never start saying it more.  Try it.  Say it.  See what happens.  Pretend like you've never said it before.

"I love you."  Never can that be said enough.  It is why in the middle of playing with my kids I'll randomly say "hey guys, I love you."  Guess what, they always say it back (except for Skyelynn, she says it with her smile!)  I say it to my husband everyday, every time we get off the phone with each other, every morning as he leaves for work, and sometimes just at random, yet still probably it's not enough.  I even say it to Guapo sometimes...I think he likes it. :)  

It's still the start of a new year, try stating the obvious!

Hop on...

You know you want to! Get on the sugar free train. My sister told me she'd join me if I made her some sugar free brownies, so I did.  I've lost 3 pounds since cutting out sugar.  Pretty good, I'd say!  Now, if I'd just add in some exercise... ;) I will, SOON.

Since becoming a mom, I've gradually started learning more about food.  The things I've grown up loving to eat are really bad for us! Sugar, white flour, McDonalds (any fast food, really)...ALL VERY UNHEALTHY.  I want my kids to learn to love food from scratch and grow up eating it.  Unfortunately, cooking from scratch takes time, and a lot of it.  Thus, I've made goals to stock our freezer full of home made meals so we don't feel the need to "grab a pizza" or go through a drive thru for dinner.  One stop shop in our freezer makes live easier!  Kinda rhymes, doesn't it?

Last week was great for my freezer cooking goals.  On lasagna night, I made two lasagnas, one for dinner and one for the freezer.

Another day, I took out some leftover, frozen taco meat and some leftover taco soup, and  mixed it together with some sour cream and cheese. I filled tortillas with the mixture to make burritos to freeze for lunches.

So easy to pull one of these out and microwave it for a quick lunch and even easier to send in my husband's lunch for him to heat up and eat at work!

 I also made meatloaf on another night (4 small loaves) and I froze two of those and we ate the other two for dinner.  The green stuff?  Not pickles...frozen broccoli.  My family ate it without commenting on the broccoli..Darrell didn't even notice!
Our freezer is getting stocked up with meals and it feels good!  The best part is that it is all home-cooked.

Last night, I made vegetable beef soup, almost all from leftovers from dinner the night before.  I shredded the pot roast, added in leftover noodles and broccoli, chopped up carrots and onion, put it all in a pot of water and tossed in a beef bullion cube and some spices and there was dinner! I also made italian bread sticks and froze some of the dough from the batch so we'd have some to pull out and bake for other meals. I'm getting better and better at this!

I find that if I take a few extra minutes in the kitchen, I can always find a way to make something to throw in the freezer for the days that are too crazy to make dinner.  This was the best New Year resolution I've made.  Now my biggest debate is whether or not to keep up the no sugar thing after January 31st passes.  I'm not going to lie, I miss having a cinnamon roll for breakfast once in a while. :)

Today I tried a new sugar free recipe--it's for oatmeal cookies.  The verdict? Pretty good! My kids have been asking for cookies, and because I haven't been eating sugar, neither have they.  So, today I told them I'd have cookies for them after nap.
The recipe below is what I used, but I altered it a little.  I used closer to a cup of honey rather than just a 1/2 cup, I added extra cinnamon, a dash of ground cloves, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of molasses.  Enjoy!
New no sugar recipe (uses honey instead of sugar)

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies (makes 3 dozen)

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg, room temperature
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Dried Raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place the butter and honey in a bowl or standing mixer and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another minute on medium speed or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, mix to combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to incorporate.
6. Stir in the raisins then drop 1 tbsp of dough for each cookie onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

Au naturel...

When I'm really craving a sugar fix, I wonder what I got myself into saying yes to my cousin's challenge.  Giving up sugar is hard, January 31st can't come fast enough...but I've found ways to have sweet snacks that are sugar free and that do not use fake sweeteners.  I hate fake sweeteners, so bad for you.
I've gone the all natural route.  I have been cutting up apples and sprinkling them with cinnamon. REALLY yummy! I also made brownies sweetened with applesauce and honey.  They took some getting used to, but now I actually like them, and want them as my after dinner treat!  The kids loved them from the beginning and beg to have some "cakes" as Easton calls it.
It's been 7 days without sweets, besides my morning coffee. Do I miss them? Yes.  But to be completely honest, it's getting easier day by day to not want desserts.  I've been tempted.  The other day there was a fun sized Milky Way in our pantry taunting me, but I held strong! I think it really helps that I wrote my sugar free plans on Facebook and in this blog.  If I don't follow through, a lot of people will know!
Another bonus to this is my kids are eating less sugar too, because mommy isn't baking, isn't buying it, and isn't eating it!
Ever given up sugar before? If you have, tell me what helped you keep away from it! What snacks did you find to eat to keep from giving in to sugar? And, any all natural, sugar free cookie recipes out there that taste good???

Reflect, reuse, replenish

Have you ever read the blog Money Saving Mom? It's one of my daily reads.  She's a Christian, a mom, a home school teacher to her kids, and much more.  Anyway, I bring it up because she suggests making goals for the coming year, and for the first time in my life, I made a list of things I want to accomplish and I wrote it down! I even showed them to Darrell.

The things I came up with are not hard.  They aren't easy either.  They are things that will make life better, relationships closer, and time management simple.

The targets I aim to hit this year revolve around the people I care for on a daily basis, my husband and kids.  Here are a few of my purposes of actions for 2012. ;)

1.) A solid bedtime routine--stories and prayer time with all 3 kids together before sleep.  We even started a prayer book where I ask what/who the kids want to pray for and we write it down.  I figure we can look back on that book in later years and have a few laughs or tears about the prayer requests written in it.  We started this routine 3 days ago and the kids have already caught on, choosing books, getting the prayer book out, and holding hands during prayer.  So cute.

2.) Create a more structured daily routine.  I want to start teaching the kids more.  I think having an actual time of day for each subject I want to teach would help and create more disciplined attitudes.  This goal is going to be hard, as I am not the most disciplined person.  I am not good with sticking to routine, especially when I'm tired.  I'm pretty sure the kids will like a schedule, kids love a good routine!

3.) Create an organization and cleaning schedule.  Yes, another schedule, but I think this will help keep me on top of chores instead of the sporadic cleaning I usually do.  I'm always doing 3 cleaning projects at once, instead of focusing on and finishing one. A schedule will help!

4.) Workout 3 times a week on my WII fit---this is the hardest goal because this means getting up earlier than the kids!

5.) More strict grocery shopping and menu planning and more freezer cooking! This also takes discipline and planning ahead, things I'm not good at normally! Hoping a refreshed attitude in 2012 makes me better at these things.

With a lot of prayer, communication with my husband, patience with my kids, and working together, accomplishing these goals will be a cinch.

It is said that routines makes kids feel secure, and therefore they behave better.  Well, all hands on deck, routines are coming to the Cummins' household! Let's see if mom can stick to it!

P.S. After writing this list, my cousin posted on Face Book that she is giving up sugar (besides coffee and a few other things)  until January 31st and invited friends to join her.  I told her I would try.  I started yesterday, and day one went great!  I allowed myself to have my morning coffee and some chocolate milk, but other than that no desserts/sugar!  I was really proud of myself, considering how much sugar I usually consume. We'll see how well this keeps going.