(I shared about this “secret” last June. Here’s a little update for any who missed it. It’s a lifesaver, especially around the holidays.)
I’ve been holding out on you with this secret, but for a good reason. I had to test it out first. And by the way, this isn’t just for moms, but anyone who is in charge of the family dinner menu.
Planning meals has been hard for me from day one of married life. Balancing the groceries budget with good eating is just plain hard. Before kids came along it wasn’t as big of a deal. Filipe and I worked together back then so often we would tackle dinner together no problem. In fact, it was enjoyable.
But those were the good ole’ days.
Now, I have a family of five to cook for…every night! You would think I had a handle on this by now. Nope.
My biggest problem is that the world wide web is my recipe book. In a given week I would cook up anything from Kraft Foods and the Food Network to Giada and the Pioneer Woman. Seriously I was going crazy.
Then e-mealz came to my rescue.
I had heard about it for a few months. On Jon Acuff’s blog no less.
At first I didn’t want to spend the money, but then one day I realized that signing up would actually be saving me money…not to mention TIME. A LOT of time. And for moms, an extra five or ten minutes can mean everyone’s sanity has been salvaged.
I signed up in February, and have NOT been disappointed. It’s been a lifesaver. My meals AND shopping list are planned out for me.
The best thing it does for me is it gives my mind some boundaries. I haven’t always followed every recipe to the dot, sometimes it brings to mind another favorite recipe I haven’t made in a while and I make it instead. But the idea was worth it.
But then there are some weeks, I don’t even have 5 minutes to think about dinner that week. So I just print out the plan/shopping list and head to the store and wa-la I’m done. The few times that’s happened was worth the $5 alone.
So if dinner time is crazy in your house as it is in mine, give e-mealz a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Oh, and guess what store was just added to the list, WHOLE FOODS!!! Oh yeah!
This post received the highest amount of traffic this year. Considering that the book sat at the top of the NYT Bestsellers list most of the year, it’s no surprise. The kids version of this story came out a few months ago and I have it wrapped for my kids to open for Christmas. I can’t wait to read it together and talk about what Heaven might be like.
Check out this interview of Pastor Pete Wilson from Cross Point Church in Nashville and the boy who went to heaven.
Love this kid!!!
Heaven Is For Real from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.
The Christmas season is in full swing.
Filipe’s brother and family arrived from Charleston this week and many activities are on the schedule.
Lily performed in her “Winter Concert” this week.
I’m busy making Peppermint Oreo Truffles for teachers
and mailing packages for loved ones away.
Our South Bay pastors must’ve drank a little too much Eggnog considering this is how they were spotted yesterday.
if you’re local, check out our Christmas Eve service
Next week we fly to Charleston (on the 25th) to visit my family and see friends…
it’s been way too long.
But in the midst all the hustle and bustle, I will continue to post. Don’t worry though, you won’t miss anything new. For the next two weeks (Mon.-Fri.) I will be posting the “Best of 2011″ and reposting some of the highlights of the year.
Enjoy your family and time with loved ones, and in the new year I will be back with some fresh things to say.
Looking forward to 2012!
Last summer I sat nervously in a room with four other writers. It was my second time meeting them, and in moments I would be called on to read what I prepared and hear their feedback.
Feelings of nervousness and fear filled my thoughts as I waited my turn. But no matter how I felt, I was determined to put myself out there and allow others to speak into my writing, my work.
The time came and I was asked to go first. At least I don’t have to be nervous all night, I thought to myself.
I passed out copies and forged ahead. I read (probably too fast) through the page and a half of words I stayed up late the night before writing. Insecure with what I originally wanted to take, I decided last minute to write something new.
Now here I was reading new words out loud in front of a group of writers. A first for me in so many ways.
When I finished they didn’t stand up and cheer. They didn’t praise every word and encourage me to take it to a publisher.
But neither did they rip it apart and tell me to forget about a career in writing.
They told me their honest thoughts in a gracious way. They told me the good parts and the not so good parts. I left that night encouraged and supported, and thankful to have found this group of writers.
I participated in that critique group throughout the summer, but September came (and Lily started school) and our new schedule kept me from attending.
I felt disappointed I couldn’t make it work, but then something happened.
Without realizing it, someone else came into my life. Someone who took a vested interest in my writing.
She has spent time probing me, asking me good questions, and pulling things out of me that help me answer the big question, “why?”. She critiques and edits my work with great feedback (not just an “it’s good” response).
Getting solid feedback on my writing has been crucial for me and one of the big factors that keeps me going. It’s given me clarity when I’m confused, encouraged me when I’m struggling, and brought confidence when I’m on the fence.
Critique isn’t easy and doesn’t always feel good, but I’m learning, it’s invaluable to a writers life.
Two weeks ago I took Cailyn, my 4 year old, to the doctor for her well check-up. When the doctor came in the room she greeted Cailyn and chatted with her a few minutes before the exam.
She asked her, “Are you excited for Santa to come to your house?”.
Cailyn froze and gave her a confused, or rather, terrified look.
“She’s scared of Santa”, I whispered.
“Ohhh…”, she said.
Are my kids the only kids afraid of Santa Claus?
I didn’t take them to get pictures with Santa when they were babies- it was the last thing on my mind at the time. When they got a little bit older, no one was going to get them close to that big man in the red suit. Even if he did have toys for them.
I asked my girls this year if they wanted to go take pictures with Santa. ”No!”, they shouted.
“Alright”, I responded. ”You don’t have to if you don’t want”.
We haven’t had to deal with the question of Santa being real or not in our house. We deal with them being scared of Santa and have to reassure them that Santa is not, in fact, coming to our house.
Maybe one day we’ll get those classic pictures with Santa in the mall. Til then…
Do your kids believe in Santa or are they freaked out by him like mine?
This post has taken me a few weeks to get to. I almost let it go, but it just wouldn’t go away. Hope you enjoy.
A month ago, Soledad O’Brien, a CNN reporter, did a documentary in her Black in America series called, The New Promised Land- Silicon Valley. Last summer, 8 black entrepreneurs moved here to Mountain View, CA to learn from mentors and pitch their internet companies to a group of venture capitalist and investors.
It was their chance to get noticed.
The documentary focused on the lack of black entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Throughout the interview Soledad talked to many VC’s about diversity in Silicon Valley (or lack of when it comes to blacks) and why it is that way.
Less than 1% of tech startups are founded by African Americans.
Throughout the 9 weeks 25 different mentors and speaker sat down with the group to give them insight into the tech industry, and coached them up until demo day.
Vivek Wadhwa, a Duke professor from India and founder of two internet companies profiting over $50 million, was one of the mentors. He left them speechless as he shared openly with them.
“Can I be honest with you? You folks don’t help each other”, he said.
Wadhwa went on to share about the different mindsets. Where he comes from when you see a problem, you work with the problem instead of just stopping and waiting for the problem to go away. ”Work with the system”, he said. When he came to Silicon Valley, he hired a 6 ft. tall polished, white guy to be his frontman and do all the talking.
VC’s invested in his company.
He reached out, worked with others, and together they solved their problems. Because of it, he became a successful entrepreneur.
After Wadhwa’s visit, the group of 8 realized they needed to work together. They had been living in the same house for a week working day in and day out on their own companies, but not one had shared their idea with another.
Many of us are fooled into thinking we can get through life on our own having an “I can do it myself” mentality, attempting to solve our problems by ourselves.
Life doesn’t work that way, and you won’t get very far in life with that type of mindset.
When South Bay Church started, 17 churches partnered with us before we even moved to Silicon Valley. The one thing Andy understood from the get-go is that we needed a team, and we needed partners and supporters. Much of our growth and success has come through these partners and the investment they’ve put into our church.
We couldn’t have done it alone.
Some of us blame the roadblocks for keeping us from getting where we want to go, yet if we brought a few people alongside us, we’re much more likely to get around it together.
Whether it’s a company, a project, a book, or a hit song on the radio, no one can go very far on their own.
We need help.
We need each other.
Who is helping you?
Last Saturday night our family celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season together.
That morning Filipe took the kids to pick out a tree while I met with some girls for breakfast. Yep, I passed on the picking a tree experience. It’s not my favorite part, but having one, a real one, I like.
When I came home around noon they were still out, so I found the courage to open the storage shed and pull out the Christmas boxes. I kept putting it off as long as possible. Maybe the spiders I saw in there last month kept me away- since I saw it go right down in the Christmas decor box…ewww! I got the boxes out and into the house with only one spider sighting (which I quickly disposed of!), and got to work.
Later that afternoon Filipe took the girls to see Arthur Christmas. I stayed home to get the house ready for our “decorating party” while Efraim napped. While we waited for the girls to get home I brought out the Little People Nativity set for Efraim. He played with it non-stop fro 30+ minutes. Maybe having a toy to himself (and no sisters to take it away) kept him focused.
How cute is he?
That night during dinner we read the Christmas story and talked about what Christmas means and why we celebrate the way we do. Afterward we got to work on the tree.
Filipe had a little helper with the lights. 
and the ornaments.
Lily and Cailyn decorated their own little pink tree.
We had lots of fun together and afterward sipped hot cocoa and marshmallows.
Then they went to bed while I “fixed” everything. :)
Hope you have a blessed Christmas season.
There are 24 days left until 2012. And for me that’s 24 days left to finish a big deadline I’ve imposed on myself. It’s been looming over my head since last summer, and I’ve made little progress.
I began to think my goal was too ambitious, and let myself believe a few too many lies in the meantime.
Funny what a deadline will do though. Last week (in one day) I finished half of what I’ve spent months trying to get on paper. Why? Because I set a goal and felt it encroaching upon me.
I finally stopped believing the lies, stopped giving excuses.
There is no excuse.
And I can’t let 2011 come to an end without a fight.
I must try.
What did you want to do before this year is over?
Click here to read Part 1 of Learning from Surfers
For some of us, waiting on the right conditions is difficult. It can be easier to take matter into our own hands and try to force things to happen.
But what happens when the conditions are right? If we were given 24 hours notice for the thing we are hoping for, waiting on, dreaming of, how would we respond?
Would we show up or shrink back?
In February 2010, after waiting three months for right conditions, calls went out to the 24 chosen surfers to come to Half Moon Bay, CA. Chris Bertish, from South Africa, flew 36 hours to show up.
He went on to win the competition that year. All because he was ready to go.
He didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t second guess his dream.
He got the call and immediately took off.
When the time to act is upon us do we move forward or do we shrink back?
There is a time to wait, but then, there is a time to act.
Where are you?
Are you trying to force conditions to happen?
or
Are you paralyzed by the open door and perfect conditions you’ve been given?
Both are hard, but when God is who you are following, He will take you exactly where He designed you to go. It may not be the safest place. There may be strong currents, cold temperatures, or rocks to hurdle, but I guarantee, it is the best place to be.
Half a mile off the coast of Half Moon Bay here in Northern California is place called Maverick’s Point. Surfers from all over the world come to grapple with its waves and test their own abilities, or rather, their own limitations.
You see, Mavericks is not just any surf spot.
The waters at Mavericks are like no other. Waves extend as high as fifty feet, and the waters below consist of: extreme currents, rocks and reefs, and frigid temps making it “far too dangerous for mere mortals”.
In 1999 Quicksilver held the first surf competition at Mavericks and thrust the local surf break into the world spotlight. But not just anyone can compete- it’s invitation-only. Every year the top 24 surfers from around the world are presented with an invitation to surf Mavericks.
An open window is given at the beginning of each year, and when the organizers deem conditions “just right” the top 24 surfers from around the world are given 24 hours notice to be present. 24 hours!
What’s fascinating to me about it is:
- If the conditions aren’t perfect.
- If the waves aren’t mesmerizing.
- If mother nature doesn’t do what it’s been known to do.
There’s NO contest.
None. Such was the case last year.
Our local paper had an article last week about Mavericks’ current conditions as they announced the start window had now been pushed back from Nov.1st to Jan.1st. I read in amazement, dumbfounded by the willingness of the organizers to wait until conditions were perfect.
It got me thinking.
How often do we wait for right conditions? Often we would rather force and manufacture things so that conditions work in our favor (and wonder why we don’t like the results). Waiting is hard, but like the surfers know, the payoff is worth the wait.
Don’t force, don’t manufacture, don’t push. Let God work in your life, and in His time, He will bring you the right conditions and take you for the ride of your life.
