i am mommy

Dont forget to stop by my new blog, i am baker.  But dont come hungry! ;)

I Had Four Pieces of Pumpkin Pie. Just Sayin.

Hi all!  Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and weekend!

I cant wait to read about all the amazing food people had and the fantastic deals people got black Friday shopping.

Me?  I ate. I baked. I slept.

I bought not ONE SINGLE THING.

(insert really pathetic sad face here)

But we did get to donate cookies to a wonderful charity in Fargo. (we made over 200!)

 

See more about these here.

 

If you want the recipe for the amazing, delectable, mouth watering, absolutely addicting monster cookies, head on over to my baking blog!

We also got to spend some time with my sister, hubby,  and her sweet little Inga!

Dang she has straight white teeth.  And bright eyes.  And skin that tans.  And blond hair.

Seriously.  We look NOTHING alike.

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Thanks for sharing some of your favorite twittee's... I still have to go through all of them! 

I actually sent a 'twit' from hubbys phone as we were heading to grandma's house on Thursday.  It was weird!  I have never been 'mobile' with my twitting before.

I know.  Its like I have my head in a hole or something.  I'm guessing I'm still about 5 years behind in technology. (and fashion, and parenting techniques, and celebrity gossip) I'm making progress.  Slowly making progress.

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Has anyone put up their Christmas decorations yet?  You better be blogging about it... I LOVE looking at Christmas decorations!! (I am obsessed with Christmas.  There, I said it.  I feel better.)

I have some great things coming up that I cant wait to tell you about!  Some stuff for me to share, some stuff for you to have, some projects for cheap and easy Christmas gifts, some stuff that you have to know about if you have cute kids!   Be sure to check back this week and get the scoop!

Its a Twitter Contest! Kinda.

I was looking at my twitter page the other day. 

From 10 pm to 8 am there were no tweets.

And I had to laugh, because that is so how I roll.  I follow lots of smart, talented, witty and fun people, but apparently no one who stays up later then me.

And I decided that it was time to diversify.

Thats where you come in.

Would you be willing to share you top 3 favorite tweeters?

The ones that post the best one liners, that update the neatest info, that have the best recipes, that share the best real life tid bits.

I am looking for some new people to follow!

You can totally plug yourself! In fact, I encourage it.

The commenter with the best top three will be featured on my blog.

If you want.

If you dont blog and dont care about being featured, just share what you like the best! 

And thats all I have to say about that.

Now.  Have a good Thankgiving Eve.

Dont forget to make The Gravy.

As I Boiled Some Hot Dogs...

The other day my darling child Colton brought me this.

Which apparently belongs to one of his train sets and is the base for a tree or a boulder that launches something at something.  I really have no idea.  I just made all that up.

Then he brought me this.

And then did this.

So he could do this.

How he visualized these separate parts coming together to perform a specific purpose... I do not know.

But I love that he found a way to get in some putting time before lunch.

Have your kids done anything brilliant lately? :)

Things Successful Bloggers Do

I am SO excited to bring you this next installment of Things Successful Bloggers Do That I Do Not Do.

See, in the past it might have been 'questionable' as to whether or not I really did not do the things that successful bloggers do. 

Let me assure you though.  I don't. 

Lets Re-Cap

1. Have a life outside their blog

2. Don't beat a dead horse

3. Go to Blogher

4. Have lots of readers

5. Seem to have it all

6. Swear

But for number seven, I want to tell you, I really, really, really don't.

I promise.

Ready?

Here it is.

Things Successful Bloggers Do That I Do Not Do

#7 Make money (from their blog)

Thats right folks. 

Those big name bloggers are raking it in.  I have heard conservative estimates in the six figure range for the professionals.

I recently watched a story on our local Fox 9 News about blogging.  One of the big names they mentioned reports getting around 5 million hits a month.  (I hate to mention her name because I dislike her blog immensely)  Lets just say that they get $1 for every thousand hits. (which is a low estimate)

That is $5,000 a month. 

Wow.

I dont know about you, but I have never made any money from my blog.  If fact, through tyepad, I pay to blog.  My blog has a yearly fee of $149.99.  (I know.  Its ridiculous.  I need to get my own domain and just be done with it, but that's a big step I am not sure I am ready to take.)

Typically, people who make money from their blog do it through advertising... something simple like google ads , or even the more lucrative blogher ads.  I have also heard that chitika and Amazon Associates are good options.  These are the types of ads that you apply for and they dictate what is being advertised and when and how often.

I do not have ads on my blog.  I have never had ads on my blog.  And I never...uh... well... dont plan on getting any in the near soon future. 

Some of the more successful bloggers have Target and Hewlett Packard and The Today Show flashing across the screen.  

And I can't help but wonder... how many readers do you have to have before Target comes knocking at your door?  And just how much do they pay?  And would having them want to advertise on my blog ever include a 90 second shopping spree through the store?  Just sayin. 

Now here is where I reveal just how small town (or should I say 'small blog' I am)...

...would that not be the bestest mostest greatest thing to happen in the whole wide world? 

To not only be acknowledged for your thoughts and opinions, but to have someone want to pay you to keep on writing about your thoughts and opinions?

So this is the million dollar question... (he he, I'm sorry, I know its cheesy)

So how do you feel about ads? 

Would you install them on your blog? 

Do they annoy you? 

Do you ever click on them? 

And if you already have them, do you find that they are lucrative?

What would you recommend to a new blogger?

*After reading and talking with some of you about the topic, I caved in.  I added a couple SMALL ads at the bottom left hand side of my blog.  I'll let you know how it goes!

I Wasn't Gonna Tell, But Then Something Happened....

So this week I made a turkey.  I love to be able to make a turkey for a week's worth of meals... it smells so good and tastes so good and feels like such an accomplishment when I pull it from the oven all golden brown and glistening and sizzling.

I normally just throw stuff in the oven and hope for the best, and this was no exception.  Except after about 3 hours I pulled out my yummy turkey and realized the outside was looking a bit... dry.

(insert important detail here that I should have started out this story with)

I made bacon the other day.  Lovely smoked black pepper covered bacon. 

It just so happened that my lovely bacon produced quite a bit of fat grease.

I could not bear to throw it away, so I decided to keep it and try and think of something fattening to make in the future.

(resume other random turkey story)

So I took a leap of faith and grabbed a pastry brush and went to town.  I had a grand old time acquainting my humble turkey with the likes of its one time barnyard friend, Mr. Piggy. 

I figured if the combination was horrible and vile and completely unacceptable I would never tell a soul and all would be well with the world.

About an hour later I took my golden turkey from the oven and let him rest on the counter.  By this time I had hid the bacon fat back away in the corner where he belonged and had pretty much forgotten my insane inclination to consume parts of two separate animals in one meal and started cutting Mr. Golden Turkey up.

It tasted good.  I served the kids and started the gravy, using the drippings from the humble bird.

Ten minutes later I had an acceptable looking gravy.

I poured it over a nice sweet slab of white meat and took a bite.

And surely was transported to my happy place.

I think I may have even groaned aloud.

It was the best, and I mean the best gravy I have ever tasted in my life.  That little bit of (and when I say little I mean at least a quarter cup) of bacon grease has seasoned that gravy within an inch of its life. 

It was rich.  It was decadent.  It was good enough to drink.  (not that I did that...)

Something happened when I brushed on that grease... the flavors infused together to create something that has forever ruined me on 'regular' gravy.

Seriously... I implore you... you MUST try this next time you cook a turkey. There is an occasion coming up quite soon right? ;)

I cant even imagine how it would taste over creamy, fluffy white mashed potatoes.  Its more then my little bacon grease loving brain can handle.

Firey Chicken*

The other night my kids were I were playing Word World on the computer and I heard a loud boom.  I looked out the window and saw a huge fire coming from the old school house across the field from us.

So, being the totally normal and sane mom that I am, I quick got the kids all bundled up in coats and shoes and grabbed my camera and rushed right to the fire. 

After our 5 minute walk over there (by way of a field, over a barbed wire fence, through thick trees and brush) we came upon this.

A van had exploded in the middle of an apartment building parking lot!

*Please forgive my horribly blurry and out of focus and poorly lit pictures.  I was holding a baby (and sometimes a three year old) and trying to stay out of the way all while still being a nosy lady with a camera.

 

This was when they aimed the hose right at the engine of the van.

 

(I seriously did not get one single picture that wasn't blurry)

We left after about 20 minutes... they had still not gotten the fire out.  But I had left dinner in the oven... so I figured it would be best to not have two fires in our neighborhood in one night!

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Speaking of dinner... I tried a new recipe and just had to share it with you.

Glorious Chicken Parmesan.

It was soooo good!  I used this recipe as a base.

For the oil I used sun dried tomato infused extra virgin olive oil (with organic tomatoes from our garden), Italian seasoned bread crumbs, and 1 tbsp. ground red pepper.  (that's a lot I know)

For the tomato sauce I used some of our organic canned whole tomatoes and just added a can of organic tomato paste to thicken it up.

The breading was crispy and flavorful, the sauce tasted fresh and savory, and the chicken was moist and distinctively delectable.

Plus... it was FAST and easy!! 

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If you signed up to be a part of Stellans Bible, I will be getting and informative email out to you ASAP...so just hang tight for one more day or two!  The response has been fantastic!

Stellan's Bible

Most of you are familiar with Stellan, the amazing miracle child from mckmama's blog.

I started following mckmama's blog right after Stellan was born, and have been in love with him ever since.

What I am finding out is, its not just me.  Everyone seems to love this child.

There is something about him... about his story... about his parents faith and love that has just pulled at our heartstrings. 

I have often prayed for Stellan.  At the dinner table.  In Bible studies.  During bedtime prayer.  When I had my Bible in front of me.

And I got to thinking.  I should underline the verse I prayed over Stellan, write my name next to it, and give it to him.

Then I remembered about some sweet gals from church, Kim and Kelli and Pam and Shara just to name a few, who might also like to share what they have prayed over him and sign it.

Here is why I am sharing this with you.

Would you like to sign it as well?

Would you like to hold that Bible in your hands, underline a verse or mark a passage that held significance to you concerning sweet Stellan, sign and date it, pray over it, and know that one day that Bible will end up being his?

Before you just say yes, I ask you to take a moment and pray. 

This cannot work without a full commitment from you.  Once that Bible leaves my hands and ends up in yours, it is 100% your responsibility to keep it moving forward.

If you do decide you want to be a part of operation 'Stellan's Bible', there is a cost involved. 

Once you receive the Bible and add your thoughts and prayers, you would be asked to put it back in the mail and send it to the next person.  (That cost would vary depending on what type of postal service  you used.)

My idea is to formulate a list.  Right here.  You leave a comment with your email address and links, and I will email you and get your name and street address. 

I will add names to a master list.  Once you receive the Bible, you will email me and I will give you the next name and address on the list.  You will add your prayer to the Bible and you will then package up the Bible and send it to the next person.

And so on.

And so on.

Until every last name is crossed off.

When the last name is reached, we will send the Bible to Stellan. 

He will forever have a piece of you ... a tangible way of knowing you.... in a precious, wonderfully perfect Bible that will have been held lovingly and thoughtfully prayed over.

*Please, please, please, truly pray over whether or not to participate in this.  If there is any reason you might not be able to pray it forward, just do not add your name to the list.  You can certainly still be in prayer over sweet Stellan! 

If you know of anyone else who might want to participate, please send them a link or let them know.  Thank you!

Guess What I Didn't Have to Do?

I did not have to track down the race car shopping car because its holds all three of my children safely inside.

I did not have to referee and argument in frozen foods.

I did not have to hang my head in shame as others mothers walked by and gave me the 'look' as my kids threw a screaming tantrum over who got the steer the race car shopping carts fake steering wheel.

I did not have to find a special, secret place in the shopping cart to hide the bananas and bread so that no one would accidentally stomp on them.

I did not have to discretely place a package of Sponge Bob fruit snacks next to the candy bars in the checkout lane because someone had slipped them into the cart even after I said no four hundred and thirty seven times.

I did not have to keep my window rolled up as I drove home even though it was only 48 degrees outside.

Yes.  You guessed correctly.

I went grocery shopping all by myself. 

It was weird.

I was done in 47 minutes. 

And I even got everything on my list.  

It was a good day.

Seven Steps to Better Parenting (from a un-perfect parent)

I wrote this on a 'good' day.

I have often referred back to it on a 'bad' day.

This is how I get through.

Seven Steps to Being a Better Parent

1. I start my day with God.

In prayer, in the Bible, in meditation.  I make a conscience effort to give my day to Him.  To honor Him with my thoughts, my actions, my words.

2. I listen.

To God, to myself, to my kids.  It just takes a moment to stop and give someone my full attention, but it often makes a huge  and powerful and significant difference in my relationship with them.

3. I practice patience.

I heard Joyce Meyers once say that you should never ask God for more patience.  The reason being,  He will then give you trials that will test your patience, as the only way to become better at it is to learn through it.

4. I set goals and accomplish them.

Usually keeping it simple.  Do a load of laundry.  Empty the dishwasher.  Go grocery shopping.  Hug my kids 10 times each.  A small sense of accomplishment goes a long way in my house.

5. I keep the promises I make to myself.

I make promises to myself all the time that I do not keep. "I am going to start exercising more."  "I am going to clean the bathroom today."  "I am only going to eat one more Oreo."

And then I do eat another Oreo.  And don't work out.  And neglect the bathroom for another day.  The weight of those un-kept promises is a heavy one.

I want to be able to trust myself.  To know that I have the strength... the strength in Christ who strengthens me... I want to be able to trust my own word.

6. I strive to please.  Instead of striving to be pleased.

This helps me to remember the servant heart that God wants me to have.  The most wonderful thing about this is that I am often more fulfilled when I do for others first.  

7. I have my priorities straight.

Mine are as follows: God, Family, Home, Community, Personal Achievements

When I have personal achievements first, like say, I make it a priority to get a blog post up before I play with the kids, then my mentality changes.  I focus on sitting at my computer typing and being able to hit that publish button.  Then if a sweet little boy comes up to me and tells me I need to come and see what he has built, I say, "In a second.  Mommy just wants to finish this..."

When my priorities are out of whack, the people I care most about suffer. 

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I have discovered that parenting is Intentional.  When I wake up in the morning and just dive right in... do not make intentional choices... that is when I am setting myself up for failure.

I have to mentally prepare myself for my triggers.

My triggers are:

• fighting
• talking back
• disobedience
• disrespect

It is pretty safe to assume that this is going to happen all day long one of these is going to occur throughout the day.  If I can be one step ahead... or intentional... in how I am going to respond, chances are I won't lose my patience and I won't react in a way that just doesn't help. (yelling, over reacting, etc.)

I screw up a lot.  It has been a really heavy burden lately.  I have been torn up inside.  I have such guilt... I almost feel like my mistakes are ruining my kids' childhood. 

That is not how God wants me to view it.

I love that my sins and failures and mistakes can be placed at Jesus' feet every single night.  And that every single day I wake up with new hope and encouragement and faith in Him that He will give me the tools I need right when I need them.

I love being a parent and want so desperately for that love to be reflected in the way I parent. 

When I practice these seven guidelines, I have found that I am more able to respond to conflict with love instead of frustration. 

I know I have much left to learn!

And I am so thankful that I have such wonderful, thoughtful, intelligent, and spiritual friends there helping me along the way.  

Thank you!

Obsession

Is it unhealthy to be obsessed with your kids?

Please do not answer unless you are willing to say no.

Today.  Its Parker. 

Yesterday is was Audrey and tomorrow it will be Colton... but today, this little man has a firm grip on mom's old heartstrings.

OK.  So maybe I am slightly obsessed with his lashes too.