Simple, it's just who I am.

I've always known I'm simple, not really into fancy things not really into style or decorating but really into keeping it simple.

Most might think, we'll she works, she has a kid, a hubby to take care of and she just doesn't have time to fix her hair, put on makeup or keep up with fashion. The truth is I'm just simple not lazy, not that I don't care, I'm just simple which is not to be confused with plain :-)

Most of my friends are what I call fancy and I love them for it! Houses decorated gorgeously, makeup done pefectly and hair done well only God knows how y'all get your hair so cute!

Whether you are simple or fancy or some where in between our identity is established and maintained in Christ. Being simple or being fancy are both glorifying to God and who we are only becomes a problem when pride comes into play. 

Anything we take pride in other than The Lord will push us closer to the world and further from Him. We can drive ourselves crazy trying to get approval from the world. Be who you are in Christ!!!! Care more about what The Lord thinks about you and less what the world thinks!

Love the fancy and the simple! Be the fancy and be the simple! Let's be for The Lord!

It's taken me 33 years but I'm okay with being simple. It's me being me for Jesus!

Exposure...

Well, we went to Disney and it was awesome but that's not why I am blogging today.

I read a blog on pinterest about raising grateful children in our generation and is was awesome! I should find the link but it's on my facebook page somewhere so help yourself.

Anyways, she talked about commercials and tv and just different exposures to our kiddos, and I didn't really think much about it until today.

So we are waiting to see the doctor, oh JW has strep, and we are reading a family magazine together. I kid you not, every advertisement JW would say, I want that. Finally, I said, just because you see something doesn't mean you want it, I said you can admire or look or check something out without wanting it and he said no I want it. :) I forget he's only 3!

anyways it got me thinking and how grateful I am to Anita Koeshall for a conversation we had just before JW turned one. We were driving to mission training together and I started talking to her about television and how stevie and I were kind of thinking about cancelling cable before JW gets exposed to it. Of course, Anita's response was, oh we never had cable, we just watched videos! (which of course because they are awesome people who love the Lord and love their children enough to make that hard decision. LOVE THEM!) Anyways, stevie and I went for it! we cancelled our cable and stuck with videos and to this day we still don't have cable. It's not a money thing, it's a conviction.

So I never thought much about it because we don't have cable, JW doesn't know what cable is but once he saw those advertisements today and he's attitude of want overpowered his actual need my eyes were opened!!!

So how many parenting books have you read? articles on parenting.com, babycenter? The list for me is endless but what if the a big factor we are missing is EXPOSURE. Do we expose our kids to too much junk without even realizing it? Is your kid hitting and super aggresive.....what are they watching????? guess what kid show does not mean anything! Is your kid scared and won't sleep at night......what are they watching??? are they always wanting a new toy or a new this.....what are they watching?

My thought is am I exposing Jacob to things of the Lord or am I allowing the world to expose him to things of this world?

Exposure defined as he act or an instance of exposing, as:

a. An act of subjecting or an instance of being subjected to an action or an influence

whose and what is influencing our kids and why?

It makes my heart sick to think of all the sin I don't grieve over because I see it on the shows I watch and I'm okay with it. I've grown much too comfortable seeing adultery, murder, materialism, greed, envy, gluttony and it's all do to my exposure. Well, guess what enemy, I'm done! My heart will grieve over sin instead of be hardened by it! I'M DONE!

I'm grateful that being a parent is hard work because it makes me trust and seek you only Lord.

I apologize for my horrible grammer, ain't nobody got time to write proper :)

Day 6

Jacob has been feeling a little off with a slight fever and since we are going to Disney next week I thought I would keep him home and take a trip to the doc to make sure his ears are clear!

So I only made breakfast

Popcorn - this isn't the chemical popcorn from a bag! Once you go stove top you never go back!!! How to make it... Get a sauce pan, any size. Put 1/4 cup of oil, from experience olive oil, coconut oil and sesame oil all work. Turn stove to medium heat. Then add one kernel and then put the lid on. Wait for that one kernel to pop, once it does then the oil is ready. Pour in enough kernels to cover the bottom of the pan one kernel deep! When the popping starts slowing down remove from heat and pour in a bowl!!! Salt pepper, really anything!!!!
Kiwi - we got a box from a local co-op and the kiwi were in it so I peeled them and diced them. They tasted just a little sour so I sprinkled the tiniest amount of sugar on them, like seriously 5 grains. A Little sugar goes along way
Cranberries - the same ones I got from the bin 1-1/2 ago!

VOILA!

Oh and here's a pic of him eating it at work with me today!

Day 5

We leave for Disney in 7 days!!!! Woohoo

So my goal is to eat what we have....hopefully not easier said then done.

Breakfast
Walnuts
Yogurt covered raisins
Cutie
Cereal - cascadian farms cereal

Lunch
Hot dog - it's kind of hard to find a hotdog that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup. I found chicken hot dogs from harvest land at kroger. Jacob really likes them!
Corn
Apple
Broccoli - a new veggie....

Easy peesy!!!!

Day 3 - building character

We'll tonight was for sure one of those nights when I wanted to be anywhere but the kitchen....then I remembered what Joyce Meyer said "doing the things you don't want to do build character" BLAH!!!!!

Anyways, I pressed on and made breakfast and lunch. Woohoo!

Someone asked me when I blogged. We'll right now I am laying on JW's floor waiting for him to fall asleep. He has some separation issues at night but I figure laying here for 30 minutes and you sleep all night after I sneak out is a great deal!!

Breakfast:

Cereal - Envirokids brand, literally 3 ingredients, corn meal, cane juice and sea salt! Organic! A better type of processed?!?
Blackberries - eat them until they are gone!
Raisins - good find! Container of organic was cheaper then sun maid!
Shaved unsweetened coconut - he loves this stuff

Lunch:

Orange
Mixed veggies - 50 cents! Ya can't beat that!
Veggie chips - don't let the veggie full you! Totally processed but a nice treat for Friday!
Corn dog - we love Applegate! Now that make a gluten free corn dog!

Just to be clear we aren't on a diet, we aren't paleo, we aren't gluten free, we don't eat clean...we are just trying to find the right balance between the good and the bad! Gotta fuel these bodies right in order to do the things The Lord asks of us!

Tonight Chickfila fueled us ;)

Day 2!!

Good news today! Mrs. Yvette, JW's teacher said he has been eating his breakfast!!!! Woohoo!!!

Speaking of Mrs. Yvette, I am super grateful to The Lord for her and her relationship with Jesus!! The Lord totally brought her to Kids World for Jacob! It really has made me mindful to start praying for Jacob's future teachers! Jacob will be going to public school and I'm super excited about the opportunities of ministering to people!! I know many people fear public school but to me it just makes me mindful of how involved I'll need to be and how often I'll be in prayer! Lord use us for your glory in he schools!!!

Breakfast:
Fruit - apples he didn't eat a dinner
Cereal - processed but no high fructose corn crap, it's cascadian farms, it's organic but doesn't cost much more than normal cereal
Walnuts - first time to have these
Dried cranberries - again from the bins..cheaper then the prepackaged ones

Easy Peesy!

Lunch:

Grapes

Black beans - organic canned was the same price as nonorganic, left over from dinner

Mac and cheese - Annie's gluten free it's like 3 bucks a box so I only make 1/2 the box now and next week I'll use the rest

Peas - can't beat the $1 frozen veggies

Breakfast, lunch and dinner oh my!!!

JW has food allergies and is a bit picky so cooking has totally changed for me.

Breakfast consisted of almond flour pancakes, waffles, donuts and muffins baked fresh every morning by yours truly. Which was fun and not really a big deal until I learned he wasn't eating his breakfast at school :-( then all the baking kind of seemed like a waste of time! So I'm on a new adventure of finding a semi healthy, maybe only slightly processed breakfast for a kiddo with allergies and a case of pickiness.

So I'm going to use this blog to kind of keep track of it and if you have an idea please share!!!!

Lunch - protein, veggie and fruit. He loves it and always eats it!

Dinner - protein, veggie, starch

Let the adventure begin today, JW's 3rd birthday!!!

Breakfast made the night before:
Carrots - who says they can't be a breakfast
Almonds - raw
Yogurt covered raisins - the processed, out of the value bin dispenser, cheaper then the boxed ones
Blackberries - yummy

Packed in a ziploc container and used cupcake paper things.

An unconventional breakfast but I would say still healthy!

Lunch: JW school does offer lunch and I actually had to bring a doctor note saying I would provide his lunch. The school is totally school about it and they even heat up his lunch! Such a blessing!!!!
Veggies - 99% of the time they are the Kroger frozen veggies that are 1.00! Never cooked in plastic! NEVER! I have one Corningware container with a lid, I think it's called stoneware. That's all I use, no need to be fancy! But we never microwave plastic.
Fruit - rarely organic, I just can't justify the cost
Meat - mostly organic but if not than a brand that claims to not use antibiotics or hormones.

Made the night before and packed in his planet box.

Meat - grilled chicken from tonight, it's the Kroger simple truth brand, I buy the smallest weight to save a couple of bucks.
Veggies - green beans and Lima beans with a hint of olive oil and sea salt added after they were cooked.
Fruit - strawberries

BOOM! Ready for tomorrow so now I can have a little more freedom in the morning!