Yes! AKA Day 7

It's 10:22 and I have to write something about school.  I can't fail on my challenge during the first week!  My brain is FRIED from a long day at co-op and my heart is full from an evening of listening to several ladies from my church share their hearts and lives.  What a blessing!

I've thought about lots of things to blog about.   How I wish this school year were finished.  How busy co-op days are.  How much I admire mom's who are together enough to dress and get their kids dressed, fed, and out the door to school with homework and lunches at the crack of dawn 5 days a week.  I think that is amazing.  I could write about cool lesson plans I did this week.  The struggle of learning differences....

But the only school related thing on my heart today is my Jackson.  He read Go Dog Go.  Yes he is in second grade.  Yes that is a book kids read in preschool or kindergarten.  BUT my son has NEVER heard this book or read this book before.  It is about 54 pages long and he sat and read it aloud to his tutor today without error.  She got chills all over and had to run and tell me and I am proud.  He is going to read it to me tomorrow.  I'm planning to cry.  I am really, really proud of my boy.  Sure I wish he was reading chapter books like all the other second graders....but he's not.  Yet he is an amazing, fun, wild, awesome, bundle of noise and life and enthusiasm and he read a book today!  My boy read a book!!!

The End.

REPOST of Shattered: AKA DAY 6

So today is supposed to be a post on weight loss and nutrition....but I'm not feeling it.  So I am re-posting a blog I wrote several years ago, in late October 2011, when a dear friend was dealing with a crisis in her family.  Recently I talked with another precious friend whose world has shattered too.  When I wrote this post the topic on my heart was very different then the topic on my heart today, but the shattered life that results is the same.  I read in my quiet time this morning: Psalm 34:18

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." 

 

This is my prayer for my sweet friend that the Lord would be near and that she would know that nearness in a a new and precious way.

 

Shattered (slightly adapted from first posting)

When something is shattered it is broken in many pieces. It makes a mess. It hurts others close by. The immediate tendency is to grab a broom and sweep up the mess and hide it or mask it. What was once a beautiful work of art is now a mess shattered on the ground. However all does not have to be lost. What if someone takes the time to pick up every piece and carefully, patiently, tenderly puts it back together? Guess what....Christ is in the business of restoring the broken. His expertise is in mending and redeeming what was lost and devastated and ruined!

But let me tell you a secret. A truth that God spoke into my life years ago, before I was shattered. Brokenness does not have to be the end. It can be a new beginning. No you won't look the same and yes there will be cracks. But if you are filled with the light of Christ, his light will shine brightly and it is through those scars and cracks in your life that he can shine the brightest.

Shattering can happen many ways: It can be caused by an accident, it can be caused purposefully, it can be caused by an illness, it can be caused by a death, it can be caused by carelessness......and shattering is not the stuff in life that takes a chip out of us....it's not hitting the ground with a hard thud but remaining intact.....it's when it all falls apart. Shattering happens quickly, in a second.....it is not an eroding. It is immediate. It's when you hit the ground, you fall to pieces, and life looks like it will never be the same. It's overwhelming, it's devastating, it's a mess.  It cuts and the pain is searing.

I've had several people I care VERY deeply for whose lives have shattered.  It breaks my heart. I hurt for them. I love them. I know truth and I can tell them.....God has a plan. He will use this for your good. But they already know that. And honestly that doesn't help when your life is shattered.

I am praying. There is hope. It is such a long process. Life will never be the same. I have not felt your particular pain. I can not imagine all that you are going through. My life has been shattered -once. So I do know about shattered dreams and I do know that God has used my cracks for his light to shine the brightest in those areas of my life.....but that took years. I also know it is a process and it takes much to long and hurts much to much for it to be a pleasant process.  First I had to piece by piece be put back together again. It took time.  A lot of time.   I ache for you. The process of a life being restored is not fun. HOWEVER precious friends there can be beauty from the ashes. I love you guys dearly. I will walk this road with you and I'll love you all forever.

 

This is our Savior, Redeemer, Restorer:

Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Stewart Family Update: DAY 5

Life just keeps buzzing by.....

Andrew and Sophie and Jackson finished up their basketball seasons. 

Andrew finished in February.  He had a good season.  During his last game he took a hard punch in the nose while going for a rebound. The officials had to call a time out to clean up the blood and he had to have his nose bandaged!!  Yet he was right back on the floor playing hard.  Not to mention just 36 hours earlier he had been in bed with the stomach bug.  Poor guy.  They lost that game which was the second round of the tournament.  It was a sad end to a tough season.  Hate I didn't get to see him play his last game, but I was home with other children with the stomach bug. 

The stomach bug plagued us for about a week.  Everyone got hit except Randy and Lydia.  UGH!  Glad that is over!

Andrew has also turned 16, gotten his drivers license and a car! 

He got the shock of his life at his party when we gave him keys to a car.  He thought it was a copy of the keys to our family car.  It was really cute.  He had NO idea!  We had assured him he was NOT getting a car.  SURPRISE!  It's a 2001 red Ford Escape with 166,000 miles on it.  He LOVES it.

He also got to spend the whole weekend with his Grammy at the ACC Tournament!  The other big Andrew news is he is in the process of applying for a job at Chick fil a.  I hope that will work out!


Sophie has recently started clogging for the Little River Cloggers and is really enjoying that!  She's been very busy with school.  This is her working on an experiment with Centrifical Force for her Physics class!

She spent some time working on a self propelled car with her Pa made for that same class!  Hers is air powered using a balloon.  It turned out really well.

 

Sophie is also my go-to girl for help cooking for Home Fellowship.  She is my every faithful kitchen helper.  Now if I could just figure out how to slow down her growing up.  It's happening WAY TOO FAST!  She loves to face time and text with her best friends.

 

Jackson is still cute.  Still wild.  Still a barrel of laughs and wiggles.  He loves basketball and was really sad when his season of playing ended, but also when his season of being ball boy for Andrew's team ended.  He is working hard with Mrs. Elizabeth and improving daily in his reading.  He hates reading and told Elizabeth recently that he "doesn't need to learn how to read because he's going to college at Duke to play basketball."  Smile.  She is in the process of tracking down a Duke Basketball player who will come and talk to Jackson about how.....even Duke Basketball Players have to learn to read!

He still lives to be outside; from dawn to dusk and he prefers to be barefoot and shirtless....regardless of the weather.  Seriously.

He is SUPER excited about the start of a new Trail Life group.  Think Boy Scouts type group.  Their first camp out is coming up.  He is counting the days!


Lydia is doing well.  She just got a hair cut.  She is also now clogging.  She's still playing the piano.

She wakes up every morning at the crack of dawn ready to go.  She is VERY task oriented and reminds me SO much of her Nanny.  She wants to get her work done....and done well.  There is no stopping her!  She announced last night that she "had a spy kit: It has my pen, my credit cards, a watch, and hand sanitizer!"  Well I'd say she's ready!  Love her spy gear!  Sweet girl.

Audrey is still the baby but she recently got a haircut and is looking pretty grown up.  We are working hard at getting her to stop sucking her thumb!  She is also clogging.  She LOVES reading....FINALLY got me a reader!  YIPPEE!!!  She loves to experiment with hair styles. 

She is FUNNY.  REALLY REALLY FUNNY!  She is easy to get along with and very laid back.  She's missing her two front teeth and is cute as a button!

I am doing well.  Recently got to join my Mama for tea at The Washington Duke. 

It was nice to get to visit with her.  I am loving all my helpers with school: Mama and Elizabeth and Dad and even Randy who helps on Tuesdays, his day off.  So nice to share the load!  I've been working out at Velocity with a couple friends and it has been soooo good for me.  Physically and emotionally.  I LOVE the toning classes.  I REALLY need them.  The Zumba is fun too.  I'm walking a lot.  Running a little.  Doing the elliptical a little.  I am READY for summer break.  I am ready to sleep in and lay by the pool.  READY!

Randy is a beast.  He runs like a maniac sometimes at the crack of dawn and other times way too late.  He will not miss a run though.  He is REALLY dedicated.  I could learn from him!  He is STRONG as an ox.  He LOVES his job and LOVES working out.  He got to take in a couple Duke games this season too which was a lot of fun for him.

Sorry for the long update.....
It's been a while!
Kim

What's for Dinner? Day 4

I am a menu maker.  I plan dinners over the weekend for the week to come so that I don't have to run out to the store during the CrAzY busy week.  I don't plan breakfast or lunch anymore.  I did when the kids were little and I made it for everyone, but now they pretty much make their own.

I also really like dinner ideas and recipes because it is SO easy to get burned out and uncreative in my cooking.  So here is the Stewart's Dinner Plan for this week:

Sunday-Roast, Tossed Salad, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. (we have a potluck home fellowship so this is my offering and we will have lots of other yummies to choose from)

• I do the roast in the crock pot and sprinkle on a tad of olive oil and salt and pepper and then sprinkle with Lipton Onion Soup dry mix.  I put the roast in slightly frozen which adds a little liquid to the roast as it cooks.  I cook it on low all day. 
• The cookies are just following the recipe on the Quaker Oatmeal Box for Oatmeal Raisin cookies and changing the raisin part to chocolate chips!!!

Monday-Pan Seared Salmon with sauteed onions and Oven Baked Citrus Chicken Breast (most of my kids won't eat the Salmon)  served with brown rice and a dinner salad.

• We marinate the Salmon and Chicken in OJ and coat the fillets and breast in salt and pepper.  When it is time to cook we put the chicken in the oven to bake and sear the salmon for about 3 minutes on each side in a little olive oil on the stove top.  It is delicious and quick!

Tuesday-Daddy out with Andrew for dinner (they have a meeting ref. Community College for Andrew in the fall)
               Sophie and I out (we have Girl Talk in Raleigh = FUN!!!)
              Jackson, Lydia, and Audrey dinner at Nanny's
              My KITCHEN is CLOSED!!!

Wednesday-Whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce served with garlic bread and YUMMY green beans from a recipe I adapted from my friend Christi.

• I warm a splash of olive oil on a med. temperature on the stove and sprinkle mustard seeds into the oil.  I had never used mustard seeds when cooking and had these beans at Christi's house one evening and wow!  New favorite!  When the mustard seeds start to brown and pop (after only a few minutes) I put a bag of frozen french style green beans into the oil. I sprinkle the beans with crushed red pepper and salt and pepper.  You can use whatever seasoning you like.  These beans are so flavorful.  I could eat the whole bag.  I don't....but I could!

Thursday-Crock pot Italian Chicken served with stuffing and roasted vegetables (I will be eternally thankful for my dear friend, Julia, for MANY reasons one of which is.....teaching me how to make ROASTED VEGETABLES.....we eat them at least once a week!)

• Thursday's are almost always crock pot days because we have co-op and I am too tired to even think of what to cook, much less cook when I get home.  The chicken is frozen chicken breasts in crockpot with Italian seasoning pkg. and a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I usually add a tad of water.  If I have onions or peppers I need to use I toss those in too.
• The roasted vegetables are whatever veggies I have and need to use cut in to cubes or strips, coated with olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  My family particularly enjoys; broccoli, onion, sweet potatoes....but we've had carrots, squash, cauliflower, peppers, potatoes....and they are all good!  Then I roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes...sometimes less....just check when they first start to brown they are done.  Then I sprinkle with just a little more salt and pepper and Parmesan.  My kids devour these!

Friday-Breakfast for dinner: Scrambled Eggs and Bacon with fresh fruit hash browns and coffee cake!

• Easy hit at our house.  The hash browns are frozen.  The coffee cake is a Martha White cinnamon strudel box mix.  Simple, quick, and easy works best here!

Saturday: Dinner Club dining at Elmo's on Ninth Street!  Kiddos will have pizza and a movie at home cause Friday is payday!  Woot Woot!

 

The B-I-B-L-E .....DAY 3

I've started reading the Bible.  Almost every day.  I like it a lot.  I have read the Bible for years but sporadically in time and in what I was reading.  Kinda like....oh I think I will read this today.  I am becoming a HUGE fan of systematic Bible reading plans.  There is stuff in the Bible that I didn't even know about....if you don't follow a plan....you can miss stuff!


I didn't know Lot was kidnapped and that Abraham pursued him.  I love that Abraham pursued him, just like Christ pursued me!

I didn't know about Dinah being raped, I actually didn't even know about Dinah.....Her brothers and their funny/wise circumcision plan of attack cracked me up.  Gotta love a brother defending his sisters honor!

What else is in there that I don't know?!? 

I can't wait to find out!

I just googled "Read through the Bible in a year" and picked out a plan.  There are TONS.  The one I am doing has an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and one other.....right now Psalms. 

My pastor, Dr. Davis, is always saying that to mature as a Christian we must increase knowledge, from Bible intake and from experience, and this increase in knowledge will lead to an increase in our faith which changes our character and our conformity to Christ which in turn changes our actions....or lifestyle and obedience to Christ.  His book, An Infinite Journey is so good.  He outlines this path in detail in his book.  I am about 1/3 of the way through it.  It is sooooo much information and so full of insight, I am working through it slowly trying to process what I am reading!

Yet the first thing I've taken away is this: I must increase my knowledge which comes from reading the word.  Regularly.  In its entirety. 

This weeks Lesson AKA Day 2

I learned today that YouTube videos are very helpful when you want to save money and fix stuff yourself.  I spent about 45 minutes fixing our broken vacuum, all by myself!  It didn't cost anything and now it runs like brand new.  I kept hearing about people checking out You Tube videos for home repair stuff and decided I'd rather fix my vacuum then pay someone else to do it....or buy a new one!  All it took was a computer, a pair of scissors, a broom, and a hanger.  The duster helped contain the mess. Cha-ching!

 

 

I also learned that laying out clear boundaries and expectations are good....It lightens Mama's load.

It teaches responsibility.

It ends the constant repeating and lectures and guilt.

Why do we run out of  juice pouches or milk boxes or "fun" drinks so quickly.  Why is there trash all over the yard?  Why are there so many dirty cups?  Why are there half-drunk drinks that nobody claims all over the house?  Why did it take me so long to figure this out????

1 glass a day per child and boundaries on the drinks.....they hate it.  I love it!  So much less mess.  So much less waste.  So nice!  When we go out or have a visit or have events I MAY let them have special drinks it is at our discretion.  I love having a system so my answers are not so hit and miss!

Boundaries are good!



Finally, I learned that Jackson may have super-powers!

Sweet picture he made for me.....

 

 

 

Ta-Da you can read it in the mirror!

Hope you are having a GREAT weekend!

Why Hello There! AKA DAY 1

I have really been bad about keeping up my blog as of late.  Not exactly sure why....but I've decided for the next 30 days I want to try something a bit different....and see if I like it.

I'm going to TRY to blog every day.  I do say try, because it might not happen!

I'm also going to TRY to have a bit of a format....something that has lacked here at The Mother Load.

It is a LOOSE format:
Sunday: Spiritual
Monday: Food (maybe a recipe, maybe this weeks menu, maybe dinner club)
Tuesday: Update
Wednesday: Diet/Fitness (ACCOUNTABILITY)
Thursday: School/Learning/Co-op
Friday: Something Bloggy
Saturday: Lessons (from life or guitar or piano or dance...)

So here's to trying new things.....