Wednesdays are for craziness...

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Happy Wednesday Everyone! Wednesdays are a little bit of a whirlwind kind of day around here. I have some ladies over for prayer in the morning and we have small group in the evening. I usually also try to pack something in between as well... because I am crazy like that. But, today I didn't. So, we are going to go pick up some dog food and then spend a quiet afternoon at home. I think this mama needs it! 

What is your craziest day of the week?

Veggie Panini

In the spirit of healthier eating I thought I would share one of my new favorite lunches today. It is a veggie panini and I seriously can't get enough of these things. 

To make one of these babies you will need:

hummus (I will share my homemade recipe soon!)

whole wheat sandwich rounds

1/4-1/2 an avocado mashed 

onions, mushrooms, and peppers (sliced)

spinach

tomato (sliced)

After you have made your hummus (or opened a tub from the store, there are lots of yummy ones out there) sautee the onions, mushrooms, and peppers in skillet. I don't use any oil at all. I find that the onions and mushrooms release enough liquid to caramelize everything nicely. Then assemble your sandwich with hummus on one side, avocado on the other, then in the middle add your sauteed veggies, spinach and tomato. 

I have a Cuisinart Griddler that I use to make paninis but you could use whatever panini press you have or a skillet would work just fine too! 

The possibilities are endless with this little guy and it comes together fairly quickly. I have started sauteeing a big batch of veggies earlier in the week and keeping them on hand to throw into paninis or spaghetti sauce or whatever else I am cooking!

And the best part is that these will leave you totally full without even an ounce of guilt! 

 and linking up at Raising Homemakers!

Banana "Ice-cream"

My wonderful next door neighbor has been eating super healthy and trying lots of new recipes after watching the movie Forks Over Knives. And this has benefited me greatly as she has shared some of her new foods with me! Um, freshly baked bread anyone? She passed along this "recipe" last week and I have to admit... I was doubtful!

To make this banana "ice-cream" you need frozen bananas and peanut butter or vanilla.

Yep. That is it.

Cut up bananas and freeze for 2-3 hours. (I used a banana per person). Then put in food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Add a little vanilla or some peanut butter (it is up to you) and enjoy! It really does have the consistency of ice-cream. My kiddos gobbled it down which was awesome.

Who would have thought you could eat  ice-cream every day with no guilt?

I am sure the mix-ins and variations with this recipe are endless. I plan on trying it topped with berries at some point this week!

Sibling Love

I remember a little over a year ago when I would pray every night that my children would like each other. They used to fight all the time. They still fight a lot more than I would like. But, they are the best of friends now and I find it beyond sweet. They share a room (totally by choice) and get sad when the other one isn't around. Even as I type this they are snuggled on the couch together watching Curious George. I am so thankful that they are buddies and I still pray every night that they will always be close and close to their little brother (who they currently fight with all the time!) Maybe 1-2 year olds are just hard to get along with?... 

Sheparding a Child's Heart

I am reading "Sheparding a Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp and gleaning so much from it already. Which is basically hilarious because the first time I read it I thought it was absolutely awful and was the worst parenting book I had ever read. But, I was in a very different place spiritually then. A place where I was reading a lot of worldly wisdom and desiring for my children to fit in well in the world. 


I have been thinking a lot about how busy we are already. Our 5 year old is playing soccer this Spring and our 3 year old is in ballet. Then add to that small group every week, other church commitments, getting together with family and friends, and you have a schedule that is pretty crazy. And my kids are still little!


This passage from the book totally knocked me over the head this week. Mr. Tripp is talking about the worldview that we give to our children based on the business of our/their lives:


"If your objectives are anything other than "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever," you teach your children to function in the culture on its terms. How do we do this? We pander to their desires and wishes.We teach them to find their soul's delight in going places and doing things. We attempt to satisfy our lust for excitement. We fill their young lives with distractions from God. We give them material things and take delight in possessions. Then we hope that somewhere down the line they will see that a life worth living is found only in knowing and serving God." 


I am linking up today at Raising Mighty Arrows!

Toys, Toys, Toys

I have three kiddos ages 5 and under. And despite my best efforts the toy clutter monster seems to rear it's ugly head just about every month. Today I went into my five year old's room while he was at preschool (insert evil laugh here) and filled two laundry baskets full of toys and took them down to the basement. I am waiting to see if he notices. So far, he hasn't. 

But, while I do really dislike toy clutter I don't dislike toys in general. But, as I have gotten farther into this parenting journey I have become very picky about what kids of toys I do like my children playing with. As a rule I don't like toys that make a lot of noise or toys that "do all the playing by themselves". I prefer simple. well made toys that spark the imagination. And it doesn't hurt if all three kiddos can get good use out of them too!

Here are some of our favorite toys at the R household.

Our wooden kitchen from KidKraft. We have had this for a few years and it still looks brand new. All of our kids get lots of use out of it and I love the creativity it sparks.

Our little Jack loves cars. These ones have held up wonderfully through all three kiddos as well.

Instead of having a million different building sets I prefer to have a few that we can add to. By far the Lego Duplos still get the most play in our house. Max is starting to graduate to the regular Legos but these are still his favorite.

I don't know if you are aware but the R family is quite musical... or we try to be. We got Jack this musical instrument set for Christmas and it has been fun for the whole crew.

Of course markers are the most coveted art supply around here. My oldest usually spends at least an hour a day drawing. Usually pictures of Angry Birds.

Max has always loved dinosaurs and animals and my favorite toys for him have always been the basic plastic ones. They usually get the most play and are versitile for playing with around the house or in water or sand. He has a lot of Imaginext ones and frankly those just get on my nerves. They are noisy and plastic. I like how simple these ones are.

And of course the ultimate in imagination is dress up. Both of my kids love to dress up. Sophie is rarely without a princess dress on and Max is right with her putting together a Super Hero costume.

Those are our favorite toys around here. Anything else is fair game to get tossed at anytime! How about your house? What are your favorite toys?

I am linking up today at Raising Homemakers!

Loving when people don't love back

I just wanted to drop in today and offer some encouragement to any of you that are struggling in relationships with family or friends. I am an oldest child which tends to equal perpetual people pleaser. I love to have people like me and I have a desire to be friends with everyone. But, over the last several years I am learning that not everyone is going to like me or want to be friends with me and honestly, this still kind of kills me. I love people and long to be accepted! And there was a time (and are still moments) when I would do or say just about anything to make that happen.

I went through a period of really struggling in this area because I was struggling in a few relationships I had.  Christians in my life who were putting enormous pressure on me to "love my enemies" and it would fix everything. The thing was that I WAS "loving my enemies" they just weren't loving back! I was believing that if I did everything God's way that everyone would like me. But, God never promises us that everyone will like us. In fact, he kind of promises us the opposite. And in the past year or so I am realizing that loving our enemies is not something we necessarily do FOR our enemies. And it is not a formula to get people to like us. But, it is a way we can be obedient to God.

It is hard when people don't accept me or desire to be friends with me. But, I just want to offer encouragement that if you are in a difficult relationship the only one you need to worry about pleasing is God. If you are showing someone in your life lots of love and encouragement and they don't respond or if they respond negatively, remember the one who you are really doing it for.


I am linking up at Women Living Well!