Everyday Mom
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Monthly Archives: September 2011

Food Friday – Awesome Apple Cake

September 30, 2011

We went apple picking last Friday and I have a pantry FULL of apples.  I’ve already made apple sauce, apple cinnamon muffins and we’ve eaten a lot of apples for snacks.  I really should have bought an apple-corer-peeler, but I thought of that after the fact.  Anyway my oldest wanted me to make an apple cake.  So we searched the Internet for recipes and we selected this one.

I made it this morning and it tastes amazing!  It’s halfway gone already.

Here’s what I used:

  • 1 cup of butter softened
  • 2 cups of white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups apple – peeled, cored, and finely diced (I used about 2 large apples and 1 small one–I think they were Jonagolds)
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1)  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour and 9 or 10 inch tube pan.

2)  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs, then add the water and vanilla.

I love our new mixer! We replaced the one we got as a wedding present over 10 years ago with this commercial style one that gets the job done!

3) Stir the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg together.  Beat this mixture into the creamed mixture.  Stir in the chopped apples and chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4)  Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and fifteen minutes or whenever a toothpick  or cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!  We sure did!

 

 

Posted by in Food & Recipes Tags: ,

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Keeping the Drama Out of Female Run Committees

September 29, 2011

An old friend and I were swapping stories recently about all female leadership teams that suffered intense amounts of drama resulting in the women resigning their positions.

“Why does this happen?” my friend asked, “can women not work together without turning on one another.  Does this happen with male dominated committees?”

Yes, I have been on committees with fired up males who create a sense of tension.  It’s not always a gender issue.  But let’s be honest–there is that “catty women” stereotype. Some assume that women committees = drama.  Let’s face it, there are many of us (like myself) who sometimes feel before we think.  Emotions run rampant at certain times of the month.  Some of us are juggling seventy-five other things, that we are not fully “present” when we enter a committee meeting.

A friend of mine served on a leadership team for a moms group while she was pregnant with her third child.  She shared with me that she was facing morning sickness, mild depression, and was plain exhausted.  She let it get the better of her.   Does it make it OK?  No.  But it’s important to recognize it.  Consider your mood before you walk into a meeting.  One time I already walked into a meeting “fired up” and “frustrated” and the result was negative.  I had to make amends with my fellow team members after the incident.

If you walk out of a meeting thinking, “Maybe I should not have said that,” or “I think I came on too strong,” then you might need to apologize.  I received an e-mail one time from someone apologizing for a comment directed at me in a meeting.  I did not remember her making the comment and it did not offend me, but I had a deeper respect for her since she took the time to contact me.

I am learning to walk into meetings with a humble heart and reminding myself to listen.  Listening does not come naturally to me.  I come from a long line of talkers.  Sometimes getting a word in edgewise at family gatherings took strategic planning.  But listening makes meetings flow.  It gives members a sense of validation.  Someone might say something that strikes a negative chord with you.  Stop.  Listen.  Process.  Ask a question.  Maybe you did not fully understand their point.  Then respond with an extra dose of grace.

I am part of mom’s leadership team for the second year in a row.  A couple of weeks ago I was overloaded trying to meet deadlines.  I needed help.  I kindly asked for it.  Some of my team members took over the projects I could not complete.  No questions asked.  As I saw the first major project (our kick off) executed from an idea phase to an actual event, I was pleased with the cohesiveness of our team.  Each person had their own assignment, but there was a true spirit of “We’re in this together.”

Yes ALL FEMALE teams can work together as one unit.  It does happen.  And I am grateful to be one of the team players.  And I am learning the art of teamwork.

Posted by in Friends & Get togethers Tags: , ,

2 comments

Grocery Shopping – Solo or Group Event

September 28, 2011

The following was written by Kristin Buursma–mother of three and regular contributor to Everyday Mom

Lately, I’ve found myself in an uncertain place when it comes to grocery shopping. Do I use valuable “alone time” to do my grocery shopping – when there are tons of other things I would rather be doing? Or do I take my young children grocery shopping with me and endure the challenges of grocery shopping with small children? Sadly, it’s kind of a lose-lose situation.

I’ve decided to make the best of grocery shopping with my kids and save my “alone time” for other projects. To make grocery shopping with kids as painless as possible, I’ve come up with the following 5 tips.

#1: Make a list. I know this seems like a given, but I never knew how hard it is to brainstorm what you’re missing at home while having a conversation with multiple kids.

#2: Stick to the list. As tempting as sale or other goodies might be, don’t start buying things that you didn’t plan on buying. Always remember that even if your child is patiently walking next to the cart right now, they might decide they need a ride at some point. And you’re going to need room for that little body without squishing all your great sale items.

#3: Find time for one solo trip per month. My compromise regarding my “alone-time” has been to go by myself for one trip per month. This is my trip to stock up on paper products, cans of pop (that weigh down a cart when you’re also pushing kids), specialty items that I have to hunt for and all the basics I would normally pick up.

#4: Plan a snack or distraction for the kids for part-way through the trip. I usually plan shopping trips during the time that I would normally feed the kids a snack anyway so this allows me to load them into the cart and use the knowledge of a snack coming as a lure to get them part-way through the trip and then eating the snack distracts them for the remainder. If it’s not a proper time for a snack, we fit in games of I-Spy while traveling the aisles to give them something to focus on.

#5: After successfully getting the groceries bought and loaded back into your cart, I’ve never been able to decide what to unload first – the groceries or the kids. Now that I’m a proud mini-van owner, I prefer to load the kids into the back bench (they like being shoved through the trunk space for an extra adventure). They can then watch me load the groceries and I can then shut them safely into the van while I return the cart.

And with that, grocery shopping is accomplished for another week!

Posted by in Inside the home Tags: , , ,

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5 Things I Learned About Friendship

September 26, 2011

We use the term “friend” haphazardly these days. Join facebook and you will acquire two hundred and fifty friends in no time.  How can you possibly have that many friends?

When asked to list the qualities of a true friend we often use words like “loyal,” “dedicated,” “sacrificial,” and “warm.”  How many “real” friends do we actually have? If we were struggling with an addiction, could we be open and honest with this person about our problem?  If we made a mistake and said some hurtful  words, would we accept criticism from this person?  Can we really call on him or her day or night twenty-four hours a day and know without a doubt that he or she would do everything in their power to help us? Most of us only have one or maybe two “true close friends.”

While I am not even close to the perfect friend, I have had many opportunities over the years to make friends.  I have lived in more than one place, attended more than one college, and been a member of more than one church.  In each transition I learn more about friendship.  This is my own personal list of what God has taught me on my own journey.

1) Health finds its level: If you are unhealthy and insecure in yourself, you will naturally attract people who are the same. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” If two unhealthy people wallow in their struggles together, they might feel like they are supporting one another for awhile. It often turns into an up and down emotional roller coaster. Sometimes they might turn on one another because neither feels like their needs are being met.  Sometimes loneliness helps up put things in perspective: God is our ultimate source of comfort and guidance and sometimes we need to “get healthy” in order to be a friend.

2) If you are in a one-sided friendship, it is not a friendship, it’s a ministry: Back to Proverbs 27:1. There are two irons sharpening one another. Each is receiving while each one is giving.  Do we want to continue a one sided friendship knowing it may never change?  Do we have time and willpower for it? Will our spouse or family members suffer as a result of our commitment to this person?

3) There are always two sides to every single story: I learned this one the hard way.  Two people I respected were in conflict with one another. I automatically took one side after only hearing the first story.  After hearing the second, I was confused questioning my decision. Was I creating conflict by taking sides? Proverbs 16:28 says it is best: A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. How easy it is to share the “dirty secrets” and half truths about someone when we actually should pray for those in conflict and help them peacefully reach a resolution.

4) The right thing to do is often the hardest: Admitting your faults, apologizing, owning up to wrongdoings, and sacrifice do not come naturally. It is easier to lie, backstab, attack, be passive/aggressive, gossip, pretend like nothing happened, be condescending, blame, dig up the past, argue, withdraw, and hold a grudge. Jesus Christ taught us to “turn the other cheek.”  Doing what pleases God brings freedom and joy that we cannot find in getting even.

5) Friendships end: We all grew up singing Michael W Smith’s “Friends are Friends Forever,” and that song did not seem to fit with the friendships that fell apart.  One of my personal favorite songs is Wayne Watson’s “A Season In Your Path.”  Sometimes friendships end because we move away and the friendship was not strong enough to withstand the distance.  Sometimes we grow apart and find different interests. Maybe the friendship was unhealthy and it is necessary to spend time apart for awhile—or perhaps for a long while. Yet we can be thankful that this person was as season on our path.  God put them in our lives for a reason.

I long to be the iron that is sharpening my own friends and empowering them to be men and women growing in the Lord.  I am appreciative of the ways they sharpen me. The things they have taught me are treasures I will carry with me as I enter into new phases on my journey.

Posted by in Friends & Get togethers Tags: , ,

7 comments

Weekend Shout Outs

September 25, 2011

My oldest had her first soccer game today.  I feel like need we an official welcome to the ”Kids and Sports” era of parenting.  I remember going to youth group kid’s soccer game hearing all these crazy moms cheering and yelling.  They seemed obnoxious.  Yeah…now that’s me.  It was fun to watch her play.  She’s pretty aggressive.

Anyway  here’s some posts that I found this week in the world of blog I want to share…

Laura from The Mouro Family shares a list of 50 Books For Young Ladies  based on her oldest child’s (age 10) recommendations. I found this list something I want to tuck away as my oldest slowly gets into chapter books.  Some of the ones on the list were personal favorites of my own.

Rhonda asks Are children keeping you out of the ministry? over at Raising Homemakers.  There is debate whether young moms should get involved in various ministries within the church or whether her kids are her own ministry.  I honestly think it is both.  I love the fact our children see my husband and I serving both within the church and community (and we do some of it together as a family).  We’ve also BOTH learned to guard family time.

This recipe from Suzanne at The Mother Huddle for roasted stuff breakfast peppers is something I want to put on my meal plan.  Because my husband eats in a gluten free world, most cereals, pastries, toast, and breakfast burritos are out.  This recipe is gluten free and looks wonderful!

Enjoy your Sunday–I believe Oregon is going to be blessed with its first round of rain the next few days.  Knew we had to bask in the sunshine while we had it.

Posted by in Education, Food & Recipes, Mental Health & Self Care Tags: , , , ,

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And the winner is…

September 24, 2011

Yikes I was supposed to draw the winner of the Pamper Chef Giveaway!  Things are kind of crazy when the husband is out of town all day.  But the oldest child drew a name out of the hat and the winner is…

Comment #3

KELLY!

 

Yay!  Kelly, please send me an e-mail (everyday-mom@hotmail.com) or message via facebook with your shipping address.  You’re going to love these Pampered Chef products.

 

Have a great weekend!!

Posted by in Uncategorized

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Solitude for moms

September 24, 2011

Many years ago before I had children I was working as a youth director in Michigan.  My youth pastor friend invited me to attend a “solitude retreat” at a camp located somewhere in the middle of a forest in Indiana.  I asked who the keynote speaker was.  She told me there wasn’t one.  I asked what the schedule was like.  She said there was not much a schedule.  This was to allow time to walk through the forest, read a book, and even sleep.  She told me it cost $150.00.  I told her I was not going to pay $150.00 (not counting gas and food) to drive all the way to Indiana and attend a retreat that had no keynote speaker and no schedule.

Now that I have three little children and a full schedule, I would pay $150.00 to go on a solitude retreat.  I think I’d even pay $250.00.

This fall I started reading my Bible and listening to the Lord early in the mornings before all my kids get up.  I’ve always struggled with mornings.  Now that all three children are sleeping through the night, getting up is a little easier.  I sit on my chair that faces the sliding glass door where I see the first glimpses of the sunrise.  I long to sit there for hours as I read, pray, and listen.  In reality I cannot.  Usually my son comes into the kitchen first ready to set out the cereal boxes followed my oldest daughter looking for her school folders.  I hear my husband starting the coffee pot and getting out the kid’s breakfast bowls.  Then my youngest is greeting everyone in her own toddler way.  It’s a new day.  I am thankful I started it in this calm, quiet and serene solitude. Yet I long for more.

I would love to spend 24 hours on the Oregon Coast with a few other women.  They don’t neccessarily have to be close friends.  There does not have to be a keynote speaker nor much of a schedule.  Just time to walk the beach and bask in God’s creation.  Moments to sit on a beachhouse porch and read through Scripture.  Time to sit around a table to talk, share, and pray.

My house is always swirling with noise–sometimes joyful noises of playing kids, laughter, and Disney tunes.  Sometimes it’s screaming, yelling, and tantrums.  All moms needs solitude.  I have grown tremendously in my faith through practicing solitude and have come to know God deeper.  I long for more.

Posted by in Mental Health & Self Care Tags: , , , ,

4 comments

Food Friday – My mom’s pizza burgers

September 23, 2011

I grew up eating these since I was a little kid.  They were a staple in our family. :)  I made them for my own kids and the youth group I lead this week.  My mom made them for the youth group in her own church and the kids kept going back for seconds and thirds.  Great meal for kids, middle schoolers, and teens!  Also can be used as an appetizer.

What you need:

  • 1 pound of hamburger
  • 4-5 slices of American cheese
  • 1 jar (10-12 oz) of pizza sauce
  • Oregano or Italian seasoning (to taste)
  • 6 hamburger buns
  • 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

First brown your hamburger meat and then drain

Add your slices of American cheese (I break them up into smaller pieces).  Stir until the cheese is melted.

Add the pizza sauce and oregano.  Stir.  It will be saucy like Sloppy Joes, but not as wet.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the hamburger buns and line them on a cookie sheet.  I don’t know if you have to grease the cookie sheet.  I sprayed mine with cooking spray because I was using a very old cookie sheet.  Spoon about 1 large spoonful of the meat mixture on each bun.  Then put some of the mozzarella cheese on top.  Bake in the over for 10-12 minutes or until  cheese is fully melted.

My mom recommends using smaller hamburger buns especially if you are serving them as an appetizer.  She said to look in the bread aisle for “Junior Buns” or “Slider Buns.”

Posted by in Food & Recipes Tags: , ,

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Laundry on a schedule

September 21, 2011

The following was written by Jana Dykstra.  Jana is a stay-at-home mom and has three girls.

When I found out I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I immediately quit my
full-time job. I knew that I wanted to stay home with our children and I thought it would be important to have as many months of learning how to live on one income as possible (okay and I hated my emotional roller coaster of a job, so it wasn’t a hard choice :) Up until my daughter was born, laundry was just a random chore that got done when it got done. After she was born it still wasn’t too much of a burden. With each successive child, however, the laundry pile grew exponentially and became a HUGE burden at times.

I have friends who live out of their laundry baskets. Laundry never is fully completed – either the clean clothes are in a pile in the basket or perhaps they’re even folded neatly in the basket, but never make it back into the drawers. I cannot live like that. I just don’t do well with that kind of thing… so I have always felt it was necessary to get my laundry washed, dried, folded and put away – eventually. I hated, though, the days that I spent hours, upon hours of valuable time folding and folding and folding my laundry.

A few years ago I came up with a solution – I created a laundry schedule. And it has revolutionized my life. I no longer look at the hampers and cringe. It is no longer a burden, but simply an easy chore to fit into my day as I go about the rest of my work. Here is my laundry schedule:

  • Monday – Girls clothes
  • Tuesday – Mine & my husband’s darks
  • Wednesday – whites
  • Thursday – Girls clothes AND Iron
  • Friday – sheets
  • Saturday – off
  • Sunday – off

I very rarely fall behind on the washing and drying with this schedule. During the summer I fall behind a day or two on the folding and putting away, but it doesn’t last long. Here’s the thing that was revolutionizing for me: With a schedule like this, I rarely do more than 2 loads in one day, most times just one (depends on if I add a load of towels to a day, or if it is jeans weather). I start the load in the washer first thing in the morning, change it to the dryer as soon as possible. Folding and putting away never takes more than 10-20 minutes because I only have one load to do. So my days of 4 hour laundry marathons are OVER!

Two other quick tips:
1) My husband wears dress shirts every day. I iron once a week, because by doing so I usually only have 5 shirts to iron rather than a HUGE pile. I only spend 1 hour ironing 5 shirts… if I have a large pile it takes me 2+ hours (admittedly, this is the part of the schedule that I fall the most behind on during the summer and during extra busy weeks the rest of the year). One hour a week and a pile of 5 shirts is a lot less  overwhelming for me than a pile of 12-15 shirts and 2+ hours. When life gets overwhelming I go into avoidance mode – so less overwhelming is better for me (and my family).

2) I ALWAYS fold my laundry on my bed. This forces me to put everything away by
the end of the day so I can go to sleep. I suppose I could put everything neatly into a basket, but that would be just as much work as to actually put it away in the proper drawers and closets. If I fold in the laundry room or on the kitchen table, it might never get out of the basket.

I have a friend who only does laundry on Sundays. He gets up at 6am to start the wash and does marathon laundry all day (they do not iron, by the way). I have another friend who prefers to do several loads in one day every other day or every three days. You need to choose what works best for you and your family. My choice is to do essentially 20 minutes everyday rather than hours at once.

When my husband found out about my laundry schedule (probably 2 years after its
existence), he realized how easy it makes his life. He has magic drawers and a magic closet that always get refilled somehow. He never has to dig for his boxers or tshirts. My girls don’t have to look through loads and loads of laundry for two matching socks. This is one way that I strive to bring a peaceful and stress-free atmosphere to my home and my family.

Posted by in Inside the home Tags: , , ,

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Kid’s Birthday Parties — A Camping Party!

September 20, 2011

Last year was the first year I planned a kid’s birthday party and I learned a lot.  Although it went well, I felt frazzled, overwhelmed, and spent too much money in the wrong places.  This year my oldest wanted a camping party.  I thought, “How cool of an idea is that!?”

These are the tent invitations we made.  I found this idea from Kelli over at Random Thoughts of a Supermom.  I let my oldest put bug stickers on it.

And the “paper tent” opens up with the invite…

I happened to be near Michael’s Craft Store when they were having a big end of the summer sidewalk sale.  I got twelve packs of plates, twelve napkins, ten glow in the dark bracelets and this banner for less than $5.00.  It is not a camping theme, but we chose green, pink, and yellow as theme colors–so they worked perfectly.  My oldest likes big and bold.  This is where I spent too much money last year–on the table decorations.

Originally since we decided on a backyard party, we were going to have everyone eat outside.  But with all the bees and the cooler temperatures we roasted hot dogs outside on the fire pit and ate inside.

But the girls loved roasting hot dogs by the fire pit.  We also roasted marshmallows at the end of the evening before the girls went home.  As you can see we set up our big tent in the backyard as part of the decor.

For activities I set up a few craft tables with “Dollar Store” type crafts.  The girls made their own tote favor bags  and door hangers with foam shapes.

I did a special treasure hunt based on the Clifford book “Camping Out.”

I read the story to the girls in the tent.  After I finished, I told them Clifford and his friends had been camping in our backyard the night before and they left behind some objects.  Each girl got a guide and they had to find things my husband hid all over the backyard.  Some of the items were Clifford’s bone, water bowl, a snippet of his fur (which was the end of a duster dyed red with markers).  Other items were from the story like Jetta’s computer mouse, shooting stars etc.

For the cake I did dirt cupcakes with gummy worms.  This was in Family Fun a couple months ago.  I am not a cake decorator and I actually dread making cakes.  But this idea was simple enough for me and my daughter loved it.  And make cake decor friend let me use her cupcake tower.

The whole party was only two hours, but we were pretty wiped out by the end of it.  It was wonderful to see my daughter having a blast.  She told us it was the best birthday ever!

Posted by in Arts, crafts, and games, Friends & Get togethers Tags: , , , , , ,

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