Grace

God's grace is a marvelous thing! On my worst days I am never so bad that I cannot still receive God's grace, and on my best days I am never so good that I do not need His grace! I cannot do anything to deserve His grace, nor anything to earn it. It is a free gift, like His love. I am reminded of His grace again this morning in my life as I am in desperate need of it.....and I know it will come.
I have planned a special 'potty party' for my daughter. Lots of planning, preparation and scheduling went into it and I am excited too! However, the party is supposed to start now and my baby woke up early so his schedule is off and my little girl is still sleeping soundly in her bed. Already I am thinking, uh-oh! Sleeping in an hour and a half past her normal wakeup time often means she is not feeling well. Sick and crabby is obviously not the best mood for a toddler to start her first day in 'big - kid' panties!
Instead of dwelling on the possible negatives I am choosing to believe God has a plan for this day. Full of His grace and His love. Perhaps my daughter will wake up extra rested, extra happy and ready to learn!!! No matter what the outcome, His grace is sufficient for me. I will keep saying that throughout the day.

Realistic (and Unrealistic) Expectations

I work part time from home for about 5-10 hours a week, which is perfect for me as a stay-at-home mom to a one-year old. However, due to a big project that needed completion, I had to spend some time in the office last week. My boss is kind enough to allow me to bring my daughter with me to the office if I need to, but it was really hard for me. Of course, I thought I needed to spend a certain number of hours in the office, but I ended up needing much more time than I budgeted for. I packed numerous snacks (those really help my baby stay quiet) and quiet toys, but I still had trouble. My daughter loves to wander around and move. Sure, there are times when she sits very quietly reading books for a long time, but even then she usually moves and changes where she's sitting, or takes a break to run across the room and get a different book. Needless to say, she didn't appreciate being stuck in her stroller for 2+ hours, even though she had lots of snacks and toys. She started by saying "down" over and over, to which I soothingly explained to her that she had to stay in her chair at the moment so that Mommy could finish working. Then she started with the whining, which quickly escalated to whiny-cries, (the ones that really pierce your heart but get under your skin at the same time). Usually at this point, I would give her more snacks to appease her, but then the cycle would begin again. After about two hours of this, I was getting very frustrated. I started praying that God would give her patience, but was also thinking, "Why can't she ever sit still and play well?!" Just then, something popped into my head that I had heard during a parenting seminar.

A few weeks ago I heard a woman speak on parenting at a MOPS meeting. There was one thing she said that stood out in my mind. She said, "You need to expect your children to act like children." I can't have expectations that my baby is going to act like anyone other than a baby. She has no understanding of "work" or why she would have to sit still for a few hours so that I can finish working. If I have unrealistic expectations that my child who hardly ever sits still will wait patiently and play quietly while I am working, then of course I am going to be frustrated when she doesn't fulfill my expectations. After reflecting briefly on this, I took my daughter out of her stroller and took her for a little walk in the office to visit other co-workers (who love seeing her) and then held her a little before putting her back in the stroller (with a fresh supply of snacks). I was still wiped out from working and entertaining my baby simultaneously, but I felt so much better when I wasn't frustrated with her. I need to always remember that at whatever age she is, I should expect her to act that age, and love and appreciate the age that she is!

Friday Night Recipe and Extra Fun Recipe

You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long Vodka Cream Pasta
Recipe from "30 Minute Meals 2" by Rachael Ray - ok so I'm using two of Rache's recipes this week - they are really good! She wrote in the cookbook that a girl served this recipe to her boyfriend just before he proposed (he said it was the second helping that did it). It is so simple and so delicious!

Ingredients
1 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup half and half (she uses heavy cream)
12 oz. pasta, such as penne rigate
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn (fresh is definitely best in this recipe)
Crusty bread - I think it goes great with Pepperidge Farm frozen garlic bread - follow the baking instructions on the package - it only takes about 8 minutes in the oven!

1) Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
2) Heat a large skilled over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute, 3-5 minutes to develop their sweetness.
3) Add vodka, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about a cup. Reduce vodka by half, 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, the reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
4) While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, a bit firm to the bite. While pasta cooks, prepare the bread.
5) Stir 1/2 and 1/2 into the vodka sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve immediately, along with crusty bread.

Extra Fun Recipe: Jordan Pond Popovers
This recipe is from The Jordan Pond House in Maine. My family used to go to Maine every summer and hike around the Jordan Pond, then go to the Jordan Pond House for their amazing popovers. This may not seem like an extra fun recipe, but believe me, when you have the crispy on the outside, warm, moist on the inside popovers spread with butter and jam, you will be glad I posted this!! They double great as a savory side dish for pot roast or chicken - coat these babies in gravy and voila! you've made little Yorkshire puddings.

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/6 tsp. baking soda

*Please note that this recipe works best using a popover pan, but you can use custard cups or a muffin tin as well. It makes 8-12 popovers. Remember not to overfill the tins! Grease them first with some shortening, and also grease the top, so the popovers don't stick. Some people also swear by getting the pan and fat smoking hot before adding the batter, but this recipe does not specify. I will have to try that method. Let me know if you have any good advice on popover baking!

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Break eggs into mixing bowl and whisk. Add milk and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix together until nearly smooth. Do NOT over beat.
3) Fill popover pan, muffin tin or custard cups 3/4 full.
4) Bake for 14 minutes. WITHOUT OPENING OVEN DOOR, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes. It is crucial that you do not open the oven door - something happens with the air getting in and makes the popovers deflate. I have personal experience and it is so disappointing when this happens!! Don't let it happen to you!
5) Popovers should be crispy brown on outside, moist inside. Remove from oven and pans.

Mmmm...this makes me want them. Maybe I'll go make some popovers...

Adopting a Cause

Each Wednesday after I drop my kids off at their different schools, I take the train into the City to volunteer my time at a Crisis Pregnancy Center as a peer counselor. I love the work - once I get there. To get there though, means juggling an already busy family schedule and committments at home. Some weeks the train is late, I have to leave everything at home "undone", I am exhausted from the night before with obligations, and somedays I am just tired and feel like I have nothing to give. But, the blessing always come - even when I am weak. The first part of the blessing comes from the choice to be there and the second part comes from knowing that a woman and her family will be cared for in their time of need.

Our friend, Monroe Diefendorf has written a terrific book entitled, 3 Dimensional Wealth. He quotes a Persian Proverb, 'What I kept, I lost. What I spent, I had. What I gave, I have'. Diefendorf writes about life as a journey that requires planning. Plans we make should be based on who we are, what we have, and what purpose we have here in this life. Early in our marriage, my husband and I began a conversation about the need each of us has to serve others. It enables us to use our gifts, practice other centered love, and be connected to the Body of Christ. It is what drew us to each other.

How can a family with young children find the "extra" time to adopt a cause? It can happen and it will build into your child's heart and mind a lifestyle of other centeredness. When your children are very young, bake cookies with them and take them to neighbors, your church's Sunday School snacktime or coffee hour. Next time you are out for a walk with the children, talk about ways you can help others in your neighborhood - pulling your neighbor's empty garbage cans off the street after pickup, carry their newspaper to their door, shovel an elderly neighbor's stoop or rake their leaves. Walk or run with your strollers in a marathon to benefit special needs kids or research to find cures. Knit baby caps for neo natal intensive care units. Donate your old clothes and make the children apart of giving their old things away as a way of paying it forward. Give your old books away to literacy programs. At holiday time, pack a shoe box for a child who may only receive that box for a gift. There are countless opportunities.

If writing a check is how you feel most comfortable, include your children as you determine your family's cause. Support causes that are important to your family's values, whether local or international. The work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love begins with His love. Matthew 20:8 says that 'the Son of Man came here not be served but to serve others'. And so sometimes it will be with a check, sometimes with volunteer opportunities or marathons, and sometimes it will be in your home as you and your family identify people in your life who need to see the hands and feet of Christ shown through people.

God bless your efforts as you keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Hebrews 6:11

Nina

Regrets

Last year, there was an incident that deeply troubled me. I had learned that a mere moment could have so many effects on things and people around me.

Perhaps it's somewhat universal, but school parking lots around the drop-off/pick-up times can be quite chaotic. This is something that I've become used to over the years now, but last year, I had to face a very upsetting situation.... twice in one day.

I was walking in the parking lot, trying to drop off my pre-schooler at the school hurriedly since we were running late that morning, when a white sedan came speeding down the lot and almost hit me and my child. This scared me and my 4 year old half to death. But the worst part was, she actually had the nerve to pound on her horn like ten times along with some extremely offensive words that I cannot dare to repeat. This upset my son even more where he started to cry, of course. I was so taken back, since I had not expected something like this to happen at a Christian school, I didn't know how to react but to just keep on walking. Now, I understand a mother can go through a whole lot of hurdles and stressful times in the morning, but it was definitely not the way to handle the situation.

Now comes the afternoon time, where I came to pick up my 1st grader. As I look back now, I feel that God was trying to teach me something through this experience. After I had picked up my daughter, I was driving away in the parking lot, and a familiar looking car pulled out and almost hit my car. Guess who that was. It was the same white sedan I had that encounter with that very morning. Quickly, I drove around her car and this seemed to make her quite mad. So after I had pulled out of the parking lot, this same woman sped up from behind me and cut me off in a one lane road (not to mention nearly scratching the side of my car). But I can tell you this time, I wasn't taken back, rather furious. At that moment, the anger I had felt in the morning came rushing in, and I found my way to get back at her.

She got stuck at the light, and I pulled in next to her and I yelled out " Learn how to drive!!!". This was something I could do instead of using the kind of words she said earlier. I can tell you that it felt good and satisfying. But at the same moment, I remembered my daughter sitting right behind me, doing the very thing I had taught her not to do. We as parents know that actions speak so much louder than words, and I had failed to show her how to actually live the lessons taught. But the biggest regret, was that I had disappointed my heavenly Father by trying to justify myself through the temptation. 

The important lesson learned here, is that it's not how much you know the biblical principles or what kind of position you hold in your church that makes who you are, but it's about whether you are living the principles that you know in your mind. It's the action that counts, and it's the action that expresses our faith in Christ.