Streamlining

So as we have been adjusting to life as a family of four, God has been impressing on me ways to make my life easier.  One way is in our meals.  I am a meal-planner for sure.  I used to spend about an hour every two weeks looking for recipes that were yummy and different.  I just don't have the time or brain power to do it anymore.  Also, Beck pretty much eats what we eat now so it's important that I make stuff he can eat.  We basically eat the same meals every week with a few that we change out.  Here are the "staple" meals that we eat every week:

1: Steak & baked potato
2: Baked chicken & baked sweet potato
3: Frozen pizza night
*On these nights we rotate eating broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or peas.

We always go out to eat one night and we usually pick up something for lunch or dinner on Sunday. We eat whatever we can find in the house for the other meal on Sunday.

We rotate out the following meals:
-breakfast (or brenner, which is breakfast for dinner)
-baked tacos
-tilapia
-chicken nuggets
-some kind of "fancy" sandwich (like grilled turkey, apple, and cheese or tuna melts)

For the nights we eat something like frozen pizza, Beck gets dibs on leftovers from one of the other nights.  I also usually bake an extra sweet potato for him to have on other nights.

So all that being said, here is our menu for next week:
Sunday-chicken nuggets and mac & cheese (pick up lunch)
Monday-baked chicken and sweet potatoes
Tuesday-frozen pizza
Wednesday-Jeff pick up something on his way back from a meeting
Thursday-steak and baked potatoes
Friday-tuna melts
Saturday-long awaited DATE NIGHT!!

His favorite spaces

These are a few of his favorite things.

Dark Days and Bright Moments

Last week was rough.  Very little sleep, which for me is the reason everything else seems to fall apart.  Lots of tears, which also comes with very little sleep.  One early morning last week, while crying my eyes out, I cried out to God.  Not in my head, but with my mouth (with LP joining me in the background).  It went something like this:

"This is hard!  Where are you??  I need help.  I need sleep and You know I do!  Please give me some rest.  I need supernatural sleep...like 3 hours  that feels like 8 hours.  That would be perfect.  I know what you are thinking, God...'Well, dear Sarah Ellen, you asked for more children so I gave you more.'  Yes You did.  I have everything I've ever wanted and I am at one of the lowest points I have been in a while.  So now what??"   And then there was lots more sobbing and coughing and baby rocking.  There was also some husband-fussing, some more crying, some over-eating, some going-out-in-public-looking-like-poop, some more "where are you God?"  

Finally the weekend came.  And I rested.  Beck's tooth popped out (did I mention he was up at random times during the day and night too??).  I only had to get up once a night with LP instead of twice because Jeff was there to get up the other time.  And God said, "why don't you pick up that study of Philippians you were doing and abandoned?"  So I did.  I picked up in Philippians 2 and I have read and studied it every day for about 4 days.  Here are some highlights for me:

-"Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."-v.4

The SEAV (Sarah Ellen Application Version): "Take care of your kids and your husband and I will take care of you...including your intense need for sleep."

-"He (Jesus) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross."-v. 8

SEAV: "Jesus died for you so you would not have to spend eternity in hell, the hell that you deserve.  You can handle a few sleepless nights."

-"Do everything without grumbling or complaining." -v.15

SEAV: "Do everything without grumbling or complaining...because I have now given you two children for whom you did not have to gain weight or get stretch marks to have in your family."

Let's just say it has been a very humbling study for me thus far.  

And God has taken care of me.  He has shown me how to simplify and streamline my life.  He has shown me what is truly worth my time and what is not.  He has shown me how to stay on top of housework, healthy eating, some fun, and a little bit of exercise, all without losing my mind.  He even got me in the bed last night before 10!  

I am hoping that, with God leading the way, we will have only Bright Days. 

      

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

Couldn't resist the post title...I watched the Lionel Richie special on t.v. last night.

Let's cut to the chase...the reason I have been a slack blogger is we are officially foster parents!  It's wonderful, but it is time consuming and no offense, but if I have any extra time, I want to sleep!  Another reason I haven't been blogging is because I cannot write about this sweet and wonderful person who is currently living with us and it feels weird to blog about my "family" and not include lp (short for "little person," the code name for our foster child).  By the way friends, if you know anything about lp, please don't comment about any specifics on here please.

Here are some things we have done and things I have learned since the last time I blogged...

-Beck loves his daddy and because of this, he will go to any random man who reaches out to him.  Freaks me out a little bit that this kid has limited stranger danger, but thankfully he can't walk....yet.

-Two kids is so much harder than one.  I totally get it.

-I always wondered why my friends with kids wouldn't just get a babysitter and come hang out with me.  I totally get it.

-I suck when it comes to grace and mercy for others, yet I thank God for His multiple times a day.

-When both kids are asleep, my tush is sitting still somewhere, and sometimes I am asleep too.  There could be a tornado of laundry flying around my head and an entire meal of crumbs on the floor.  It can wait because this Mama needs rest if she is going to make through to bedtime.

-Beck loves lp.  In fact, his first word is the name we call lp around the house.

-Beck had his first haircut.  It was traumatic for me, but he couldn't have had a better time.  Give him a dum-dum and he is good.

-I have had to unsubscribe to some folk's status updates on facebook.  I love keeping up with my friends who live far away or that I went to high school with, but I don't like the drama.  Thankfully, I can choose to remove it.

-I really miss my mom friends who live really far away.   I miss them alot.

-I really love my husband and there is nothing like seeing him in the role of daddy.

I promise to do better, but there may not be as many pictures because I don't have time to sit here and wait for them to upload.