I am a Promise!

Just sharing some of the cutest kids in the world!

Heaven Is For Real!

Book Description from the publisher:

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready there is a coming last battle.

My Take:

Born and raised in a Baptist preacher's home, I was always taught to be skeptical of anyone's near death experience, so it was with skepticism that I approached this book. I was pleasantly surprised though. I'm the mom of a 4 year old, who like Colton, has been in church her whole life. I know what she knows about the Bible, because for the most part, I'm the one who taught her. The descriptions of Colton are far from what is contained in the preschool Sunday school curriculum. Beyond my own skeptical nature, this book is a wonderful testimony of God's love and faithfulness. It was uplifting to read. It is thought provoking and emotion invoking!

As I was curled up in bed reading, my 4 year old came in and curled up next to me and said, "Read to me, Mommy!" So, we laid in bed together reading about Colton's heavenly experiences. She loved the book which got me thinking about her imaginary friend, Inky. Could Inky be an angel or the Holy Spirit? We never know what children are able to understand in the spirit.

Check it out for yourself! I would love to hear other people's take on it!

My next book review will be Start! The Bible for New Believers. I can't wait to check this one out! Here's a sample for you!

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

Menu Planning...trying again!

I'm terrible about meal planning which means that I end up going to the grocery (WalMart) 3-4 times a week. I know...crazy! I know that if I would shop for two weeks at a time, I would save money and stress. So, here I am trying again!

I have created a list of meals... actually, I borrowed one from here and personalized it for my family. I have shared it via Google Documents for everyone. I printed out the list of meal ideas and the menu planning form from the about.com site. I'm the type of person who likes to work on the computer, but really want something in writing when it comes to menu planning, so I laminated both the meals list and the menu planning form. I have a Vis-a- Vis marker that I'm using to write  on the laminated pages, so I can wipe them clean and make new plans. I like that I can mark out meals on the list that I have used, so hopefully we can get some variety in our meals! Currently, I'm focusing on planning suppers and weekend lunches, but eventually I hope to plan breakfast lunch and supper. One thing I should have done is print the menu planner on both sides, so I could plan an entire month at a time.

Looking at my plan for the next week, I will need to go to the grocery this weekend to get bread and milk, but I can do that at our locally owned grocery or dollar store, rather than running to WalMart. We'll see how it goes!

So many thoughts...so little brain to think them...

Ready for an emotional one? It was June. The summer garden was starting to produce; the heat starting to become more oppressive by the day, when I get an email from my aunt who lives about 800 miles away. Her daughter has three children in foster care, and the social workers are talking about taking them away permanently. The state wants to know if anyone in the family would like to take them in to their home. We've been through this before with her first child. To say the least, it was ugly, lots of hurt feelings and broken relationships. I was glad to be 800 miles from the epicenter of it all, a bystander, not required to choose sides...Here we stand again though, this time, I'm in a different place in my life. I have a child close in age to the kids. I'm in a stable relationship. I'm financially secure. And the question is being asked...Will you?

After a much too brief discussion with my husband, who I was positive would say no, we agreed to take the two little girls. All this was dependent on the court's decision to end my cousin's parental rights. The little boy would go with his uncle. We just don't have room. We have 2 adult children, one living with us, one in college, and a little girl.

 At heart, I'm a planner, so my first response was, "We need bunk beds! We need money to travel 800 miles to get our new girls! We need to save all of E's clothes that she grows out of for the little one. What am I going to do about homeschooling? What about my job? Taking one little girl to work at the office is one thing, but 3? My car! How am I going to fit 3 car seats in the back of my car??? Three teenage girls? We need a gun! College??? Weddings?" LOL I know, I totally get ahead of myself sometimes. Thankfully, I have a wonderful, procrastinating and often pessimistic husband to keep me grounded. While I'm shopping for bunk beds online, he's certain of God's provision and the government agencies' lack of organization to get any thing done in a speedy manner.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago, God shows Himself in the circumstances: 1)I got a letter from an organization that I had worked for over the summer that was unable to pay me. The letter said that they knew that they owed me over $1000 and that they would be paying me by November 15. Thank you God! Won't that be a wonderful Christmas bonus? Yeah, I think God had other plans, because a few days later, 2) I got a call from my aunt. Social Services wants my information, so they can start doing background checks. They have a court date and hope to be ready to be able to give us the kids in December. There is still the possibility that another chance will be given to the mom, but right now it isn't looking good for her. 3)My brother, Mike, was given a set of bunk beds. He didn't know what to do with them, but decided to keep them in case someone needed them. Isn't it amazing how God works?

My husband, the pessimist, is afraid that I'm getting too excited, that I'm going to have my heart broken if this doesn't happen. He doesn't know that if this doesn't work out, I'm thinking we should go through the foster care classes and look for other little girls that need a home. Honestly, I will be terribly devastated if something happens and we can't have them. I know my aunt is grieving right now with the possibility of having 2 grand daughters move 800 miles away. I feel for her. I can't imagine losing my child, but my heart is already in love with two little girls that I have never even met. I always thought that E would be my one and only. I thought God was done with me. Now He's opened up this possibility in my heart, and I'm afraid to believe that it could be real. That I could be mama to three little girls! Please God let the answers come quickly...I don't know if I can stand waiting!

Adventures in Booga Booga Land - Volume 1 (DVD)

 This week I'm reviewing a kids' DVD for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program.

The introduction episode introduces us to  the Marty the monkey and Gerard the Giraffe. Each adventure relates to the parables of Jesus. Episode 1 conveys the parable of The Workers in the Vineyard with its story of how Marty and Gerard get a job  and learns that the boss, Stan, can be generous to others who don't deserve it. Episodes 2 portrays Marty and Gerard as the Wise and Foolish Builders.  The final episode,  The Lamp under The Bowl, features our heroes building a lighthouse and keeping it lit.  These stories are appropriate for early elementary aged children.

I watched the DVD with my 4 year old daughter. Personally, it lacked substance for me, but she loved it. The animation and silly situational comedy reminded me of several cartoons that come on the kids channels that contain such questionable material...think cellulose in pants. There were instances of minor violence, Marty's improper use of power tools and Gerard's using dynamite to explode the rocks, but over all it was nothing compared to what is found on TV. I didn't find it offensive, but then I don't leave power tools laying around for my daughter to find. 

The lighthouse episode totally lost me. It was unclear what the light was that Marty and Gerard were catching in the bottles that eventually provided light for the lighthouse.

Overall, my child loved it. She watched it over and over again which is honestly the true test of a good kids DVD.

I was provided this DVD for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

Roasted Vegetables...my version

Had someone told me that I was going to be loving eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini and squash this time last year, I would have laughed at them. But one of the advantages of being on WW's is that you learn to try new foods that you would have thumbed your nose at before. 

While shopping at one of my favorite health food stores, I decided to try something new, their Roasted Veggie Sandwich with Havarti. Being the good WWer that I am, I quizzed the lady at the counter about the contents of the sandwich. Mayo? No, Veginaise. How much? 1 teaspoon or less. Oil? A small amount of olive oil to roast the vegetables. How much cheese? one slice. All the while I'm calculating points in my head...Bread 3, Cheese 2-3, Veginaise 1, veggies 1. The sandwich was excellent! So much so, that the next time I was in the store I saw that they sell just the veggies all roasted up by the pound! I contemplated buying some until I saw the price $8/lb!! Wow! So, I decided that I would attempt making my own. This is what I came up with: Yummy!

Roasted Veggies

POINTS® Value:    1 Servings:  5 Preparation Time:  20 min Cooking Time:  60 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy Course: side dishes

Add and subtract vegetables based on your personal taste. The balsamic vinegar adds a sweet and tangy note to the roasted vegetables. A serving is about 1 cup.

Ingredients

	3 cup(s) cooked eggplant
	1 cup(s) cooked zucchini
	1 cup(s) cooked summer squash
	1 item(s) bell pepper(s), chopped
	1 cup(s) cooked onions
	1 Tbsp olive oil
	1 cup(s) cooked mushroom pieces
	1/3 cup(s) balsamic vinegar
	1 tsp table salt
	1 tsp black pepper
	1 cup(s) cooked chayote fruit

Instructions

toss all veggies in vinegar and oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast covered at 350 in a 9x13 pan for one hour or until veggies are fork tender and onions are fully cooked.
Serve hot or cold.
This can also be made into a sandwich on whole wheat bread and Havarti cheese.

Starting over...

Well, I've updated my weight on MyFitnessPal.com and decided to start over. One of the things that I loved about WW's was the online food journal. Since I'm not a member, I can't use their site any more, but MyFitnessPal.com (which is free) allows me to keep a journal. This site has calorie info which is great, but also carbs and protein info which is very important for the Insulin Resistant Diet. There is a place to keep exercise info too. Here's my day:

September 27, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Cream - Half and half, 2 tbsp	39	1g	3g	1g	11mg	12mg	0g	0g
Sugars - Granulated (sucrose), 2 tsp	33	8g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	8g	0g
Egg - Large Egg/ 2 Points, 2 Egg	140	1g	10g	12g	424mg	140mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Hillshire Farm - Deli Select Smoked Ham, 6 slices	60	2g	2g	9g	30mg	670mg	1g	0g
Kraft Deli Fresh Slices-Revised - 2% Swiss Cheese, 1 slice	70	0g	5g	6g	15mg	50mg	0g	0g
Natures Own Whitewheat Bread - Sandwich Bread, 2 slices	100	23g	1g	5g	0mg	230mg	3g	4g
Doritos - Tortilla Chips, 11 each	150	17g	8g	2g	0mg	180mg	1g	1g
Cheetos - Cheetos Crunchy - Small Bag, 0.5 Package	80	8g	5g	1g	3mg	145mg	1g	1g
Blue Plate Mayo - Real Mayonnaise, 0.5 Tablespoon	50	0g	6g	0g	5mg	40mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Beef - Sirloin Steak , 6 oz	375	0g	8g	56g	150mg	168mg	0g	0g
Potatoes - Russet, flesh and skin, baked, 0.5 potato medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia)	84	19g	0g	2g	0mg	7mg	1g	2g
Laughing Cow - Light Original Swiss, 2 Wedge	70	2g	4g	5g	20mg	520mg	2g	0g
Butternut Squash - Roasted, No Salt, No Fat Added, 0.5 cup, cubed (140 g)	41	11g	0g	1g	0mg	4mg	2g	2g
Sugars - Brown, 1 tsp packed packed	17	4g	0g	0g	0mg	2mg	4g	0g
Snacks
Nabisco - Ritz Crackers--Original, 10 crackers	160	6g	9g	2g	0mg	270mg	2g	0g
Slim Jim - Small Snack, 8 grams/0.28ozs.	40	1g	4g	2g	5mg	123mg	0g	0g
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Cream Cheese 1/3 Less Fat, 2 tbsp (31g)	70	2g	6g	2g	20mg	140mg	2g	0g
Stonewall Kitchen - Hot Pepper Jelly, 1 TBSP	35	9g	0g	0g	0mg	5mg	8g	0g
Blue Bunny - Bunny Tracks Ice Cream, 1/2 cup	170	18g	10g	2g	20mg	55mg	13g	0g
TOTAL:	1,784	132g	81g	108g	703mg	2,761mg	48g	10g

Exercises	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Cardiovascular
Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace	313	60
TOTALS:	313	60	0	0	0

I did go over on my calorie count, but I did pretty well on my linking and balancing. What is missing? VEGGIES!!! I know! I need to focus on increasing my fruit and vegetable intake. That takes planning and prep work. So, that is my assignment for myself...more fresh fruits and veggies.

Today was a great day over all. The weather has cooled off and is lovely. My daughter and I decided to have a picnic at our local state park. We had a great time playing on Lake Pontchartrain's beach and walking around the park grounds. I did forget the sunscreen, so both of us are a little pink tonight. Walking in sand is a great way to work out those legs though. It was really lovely. This is what life should be...spending time with family and enjoying the beautiful world God has given us!