Such a Time As This

Faith, Hope, & Love

Easy Eggless Muffins

The cost of eggs is steadily rising.  Apparently there is a rise in bird flu which is causing many chickens to die and therefore has caused a shortage of eggs.  I wanted to quickly share with you a muffin recipe I came up with a few weeks ago.  It is an eggless recipe.  It is yummy and can be altered to include fruit like blueberries or apples.  Enjoy!

 

 

Melt ¼ Cup of butter in the microwave.  I melt mine in a glass Pyrex measuring cup.

easy eggless muffins

Next, measure out dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  (2 Cups of all-purpose flour, ¾ C sugar, ½ T mixture of cream of tarter and baking soda)

 

easy eggless muffins

 

Pour 1 ¼ C of whole milk into the melted butter and pour into the dry ingredients.easy eggless muffins

Mix well.easy eggless muffins Scoop into a prepared muffin tin.easy eggless muffins
    Pre-heat oven to 350ºf and bake for 17-20 minutes.easy eggless muffins

Let them cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Easy Eggless Muffins

 

 

Recipe:

2 C all-purpose flour

¾C granulated sugar

½ T mix of cream of tartar/baking soda (or substitute 1/2T baking powder)

1 ¼ C milk (I prefer whole milk)

¼ C butter, melted

1 C diced fruit or whole berries (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350ºf.  Grease pan or use muffin liners.  Melt butter in glass dish, then add milk. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until mixed.  Add in fruit (optional).  Bake for 17-20 minutes until the tops of muffins are golden brown.  Let cool. Makes 1 dozen muffins.easy eggless muffins

 

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Planning Your Year Round Homeschooling

I can hardly believe it is already time to start planning out the school year again.  Lately, I have been thinking of all the different ways there are to plan out our homeschool year.  Most states have a law regarding how many days each family must conduct school.  For most it is 180 days or 9 months.  Many people start after Labor Day and school straight through until Christmas Break.  Then they start back in January and finish in May – like a typical public school calendar.  However, I’ve been contemplating the idea of schooling year-round and what that would entail.  Here is what I came up with.

Year Round Homeschooling

 3 Terms, 12 weeks each (5 days a week) each with a one month break in between (3×12=36, 36×5=180)

6 weeks on (5 days a week) and 2 weeks off plus 4 weeks off to use throughout the year or in one chunk (6×5=30, 30×6=180)

3 weeks on and one week off (5 days a week) and 4 weeks off either in one block or split perhaps 2 weeks at Christmas and 2 weeks in the Spring or Summer (3×5=15, 15×12=180)

4 day school week with 7 weeks off scattered throughout the year

What I’ve done is thought about the stage of life I am in as a homemaker and mother.  I have 2 pre-schoolers and one infant, along with my 3 older kids.  For me the 3 months on and one month off model probably wouldn’t work as well.  There may be sick kids or crazy house cleaning projects and cleanups that need to happen.  Because life is busy and not as consistent as I would want, I will cross that one off my list for this year.

The second one on the list isn’t bad, but that might not lend enough flexibility for me, either.  I narrowed it down to 3 weeks on and one week off or the 4 day school week.  After talking with my husband, we first agreed that what would lift some of the burdens of caring for small children and our home while homeschooling, this year, would be to school year round with the 4 day school week model.  This allows us to take 2 weeks off for Christmas, 2 weeks off in the Spring and 3 weeks off in the Summer for our “breaks”.  This model lends itself to a more laid back week – where only 4 days are centered around homeschooling and the 5th can be focused on fun, games, field trips, a day spent with friends, extra cleaning or whatever comes up!

However, after further consideration, we talked about having a few more “weeks” free will give the most flexibility for this year.  We are going with the 3 weeks on one week off model.  If we start our year the 2nd week of August and do 3 weeks on one week off we can have the entire week of Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, and two weeks around the 4th of July and still get in all of our 36 weeks of school!

How are you planning your school year?  Do you school year round?  Leave a comment below!

Mommy Wars Mayhem

Mommy Wars Mayhem

My Amendment to So Long, Supermom

It came to my attention that perhaps I was a little bit unclear about what I was saying in my post from a few days ago, So Long, Supermom.  I apologize if it seemed that I was calling out certain people or people with certain gifts and talents.  That was not my intention in the least.  Let me quickly jot down what I meant when I wrote that post.

I feel that being a mom is hard.  One of the reasons it is so hard is that it seems we are always comparing ourselves to others.  Am I good enough?  It seems like that is the endless question of the day.  At times it seems that the people that are good at certain things also feel judged or picked on by others.  Both sides war with each other.  Here are three problems I see that happen often in mom circles:

Some people (seem to) have all the answers, all the solutions to problems (sometimes problems that we don’t even know we have)!  They have all the “right” and never show their own humanness or their own humility.  I will call this the “Voice of Supermom“.  All talk, little to back it up, a whole lot of arrogance.  We should be careful how we speak to others, in this case with a dose of humility and a smidge less pretension and conceit.

Others like to parade around on social media and only share their “good side”.  Never the bad.  It looks like they live the perfect life because all they ever show is perfection.  This makes it difficult as the viewer looks upon these images and status updates and they start comparing themselves to the “Persona of Supermom“.  She acts the part but is she really it?  (Hint: No – nobody is perfect) We’ve all been there … well at least I have.  For me it wasn’t even intentional but sometimes it happens.  My thought on this is that we all should be mindful of how we present ourselves to the world or to social media.

Lastly, there are those of us who may be exceptionally gifted in one or more areas.  Maybe you love to cook or bake.  You might be an artist.  Possibly you knit, crochet or have another “crafty hobby”.  You might grow all your veggies fresh in your back yard.  Maybe you are an athlete or a star musician.  These things are all good.  Not all of us will be gifted in every way but the good thing is we can all learn from each other!  That is positively awesome.  So these women might give us the “Idea of Supermom” but only because we are in awe of their gifts!  Though some may perceive it this way, they are probably not being haughty or conceited just because they are better at some things than we are.  We need to recognize that sometimes our own jealousy can be aimed at others because of their jobs, their hobbies, their children’s abilities and so on.  Let’s not let jealousy ruin a good friendship.

 

The truth, here, is easily missed.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve been.

1. Let’s stop the compare game!

2. We ALL can learn from each other.

3. When we cover up our flaws we hurt ourselves and others.

4. Nobody is perfect.

My encouragement to mothers is this:  we can grow together, we can learn together and from each other, we can love each other, we can pray for each other.  We should be transparent so that others might show us empathy, compassion, love and kindness. We should also be transparent to show others that whatever we accomplish is not in our strength, but in God’s.

1 Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

Colossians 3:12 says “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

In closing, you might be reading this today and you feel judged or picked on because you’re the girl who likes stylish clothes or nice furnishings and fancy homemade meals.  On the other hand, you might not have any of those things right now – you may or may not even desire those things and yet sometimes you feel judged, too.  It doesn’t matter.  I think the bigger problem here is our motivation.  Where is your heart?  We shouldn’t be trying to one up each other or impress others by the things we have, the things we do, or how we do them.  Let’s not judge each other on outward appearance or on what one is good at (or not good at.)  Who is with me on this?  Let’s revolutionize the “mommy wars” with LOVE.

 

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:10

 

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Dear Sons… {marriage advice from father to son}

Dear Sons…

Marriage Advice from Father to Son

marriage advice from father to son

Dear Sons,

I write this to you on July 22nd, 2015… 15 years after the day that we were married.  We met as teenagers in college and quickly fell in love.  We have gone through a lot together, but through it all, we have had 6 amazing children (so far) and we love each other more today than we probably even knew was possible when we married 15 years ago.

 

So, I write this to you to tell you the 5 qualities in your mother that I would like you to look for when you are searching for a wife someday.

 

1)       Make sure she loves God more than she loves you:

This is a tough one, because culture will tell you that your wife should be the center of your universe and nothing else should be more important than her.  While loving your wife is critical to a successful marriage, loving God and maintaining Christ as the center of your relationship is THE most important factor to a healthy marriage.  Keep God first in all that you do.  Your mother has taught me this and you need to make sure your future wife will hold you to account in this same regard.

 

2)       Make sure she challenges you on your faults and failings (sin):

Again, this is counter-intuitive… Culture will tell you to accept the sins and failings of your partner.  This is not only unscriptural, it is unhealthy to a successful marriage.  Having a wife that holds me up to the standard that Christ gave challenges me to become a better man, husband, and father.  Don’t settle for a partner that overlooks and accepts your sinful nature.

 

3)       Make sure she is kind to others:

This should be obvious, but often when in a new relationship you will only see the way that she treats YOU.  If she treats you well, but is unkind to others, you are in for problems later on in your relationship.  Your mother is the kindest person I have met when it comes to understanding and caring for those around her.

 

4)       Make sure your goals are in sync:

If you value having a large family and your wife does not, there will be a constant source of friction in your relationship.  This is also true for a host of other issues.  Make sure your life goals are discussed and understood early-on in your relationships.

 

5)       Finally, find someone that laughs at your jokes:

This probably sounds silly, but there will be a lot of hard times in your life.  You will lose your job, you will have car accidents, you will get sick, she will get sick, parents will pass away, children will have disabilities, others will disappoint you and fail you… In the end, your relationship with your wife must be filled with joy and love in order to make it through all of these trials.  Make sure you and your wife can always make each other laugh.

 

15 years into our marriage, I can truly say that your mother is my best friend.  She is the only person on the earth that knows EVERYTHING about me.  I pray that you boys will find a wife with all of these qualities.  However, if in doubt, just bring your potential spouse to your mother and I and we will let you know…

 

Love,

Dad

Loveispatientlove

Click here to see our “Dear Daughters” marriage advice from mother to daughters.

 

Dear Daughters {On our 15th Anniversary}

A Letter to My Daughters

marriage advice from mother to daughter

Marriage Advice from mother to daughter

on our 15th Wedding Anniversary

Dear Daughters,

To my 3 girls on our 15th wedding anniversary.  As I think back over the past 15 years, I realize that your father and I were so young when we first met.  We had no way of knowing what the years would hold for us…the loss and the trials, the stresses that weigh heavily on a marriage.  Now, looking back, I want to show you what I’ve learned. Your dad and I have had our ups and downs but we love each other more today than we did 15 years ago.  I never knew that was possible.  I’m thankful that God has held us together and kept us strong through many storms.  Here is my list of what to look for in your future husband… this is my marriage advice from mother to daughter.

 

1. The number one thing to look  for in a husband is one who loves the LORD.
Remember that this is the person who will be the head of your home.  You will want someone who when God calls, he will run to answer.  When God speaks, he is listening.  If his heart is with God, then you will not go wrong.  This is the man who will be praying over you as you deliver your child.  The man who will carry the song as you sing at a loved one’s funeral.  The man who will sit holding your hand as you pray for healing.    Because this is the man who will lead your family spiritually, you want to know where his heart is and who’s his heart is.  Marriage is hard – life is hard.  You will both need to be depending on God to see you through.

 

2. Make sure he loves his family and loves children.

Sure, we want him to love us, too.  However, I think it is especially important that he love his family because the way he treats his family might just be the way he treats you.  After all, you will become his family, too.  If he loves his mother and his father and treats them with kindness and respect, chances are he’ll do the same for you.  Along those lines,  you kids have been a constant source of joy in our life.  I couldn’t imagine these 15 years without you.  I knew your daddy would love children as I saw him interact with my nieces, so long ago.  He has always loved babies and toddlers and he still does.  He has a very soft heart and that is important, especially if you are planning on having children or in our case a lot of children.

3. Make sure he values transparency and accountability.

See if he is willing to share his faults and to ask for forgiveness when he messes up.  Is he able to come to you with a humble repentant heart when he recognizes when he has fallen into sin?  This is so important for both husband and wife to show their true self and to know that we are both sinners in need of grace. You also need to make sure he will hold you accountable.  Right now, you might not think you want this.  It might sound a little scary.  This has been one of the most important things in our marriage.  Your father is someone who can see my failings, my shortcomings and my sins and has the gumption to call me out on it.  He will not let me stay in that place for very long.  And then – he still loves me through that and despite of that.  I’m thankful we can do that for each other.

4.  Make sure he is someone who will talk to you and listen to you.

You will want him to be someone that you can share how your day went, what you had for lunch or some deep philosophical thought you’ve been contemplating and still he is willing to listen to you.  This is important, because this will keep your friendship alive and well – as well as your marriage.

5. Find someone who values what you value.

Make sure your priorities line up.  This is not always easy so make sure of this BEFORE you say “I do”.  Also make sure you find someone who will listen to and support your dreams, goals and callings.   Find someone who will find a way to support you in these feats.  Your father has done this in our life together.  He worked full-time, while I finished college.  He supported me through my crazy dream of owning a business and working at home.  He supported me when I felt strongly that I needed to stay at home full-time.  Throughout the years, we have heard each other’s hopes and dreams and put our all towards helping those things to become a reality.  Keep in tune with each other’s feelings and their dreams.  If you both strive to put the other before yourself, you will run into less problems along the way.  Selflessness is rare these days – when you find it, recognize it.

 

No matter what, be flexible and realize that as you live your life together you both will grow and change.  Hopefully, you will grow together and grow in the LORD and in that way your values will continue on in the same direction.  Through communication, love and a healthy dose of forgiveness you will walk this road of life together.

 

Love, Mom

 

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Click here to read our “Dear Sons” Marriage advice from father to son!