Reflections on Motherhood!

Playing at the beach in Naples!

Motherhood – it is a simple and a beautiful life in Him!

I have such vivid memories of my babes coming into this world, the intense and overwhelming emotions of feeling them kick within my womb, feeling them emerg for the first time, nursing them, kissing their sweet little faces, sticky hands, smelly feet, the first “I love you mommie”, falling asleep in my arms, crying on my shoulder, birthday parties, skinned knees, bike rides, swimming pools, sandy beaches, their first steps, belly laughs and funny words…temper tantums, asking for forgiveness, sweet prayers, reading books together, holding my hand, soccar games, pulling my hair, dirty diapers, bubbles in the bath, first day of homeschool, road trip in the van, boat rides, bug nets, sandboxes playing catch. Dressing up like princesses, playing dolls, braiding hair, dressing up for weddings, opening presents, shabbat dinners, running through the sprinkler and potty training. These memories evoke emotion in my heart that I cannot supress, words cannot explain the joy I feel as I recall these events and I remember them so well in each of my children.

Thank you God for sweet moments and beautiful memories!

My little Atirah only 6 hours old.

Today is the day after Mother’s Day and I am finally able to sit down and reflect on being a mom. I think that becoming a mother has been the most drastic change in my entire lifetime. Although Jim and I had planned to start having children I was not completely prepared for what was about to happen. Now as I look back I think, how can anyone be prepared or trained to be 100% selfless without having the oppotunity to try it. I have endured many challenging life situations; but nothing has been more physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually challenging than motherhood.

Mercy wearing her favority dress (at the time, it has now changed to a different dress:)

I am constantly faced with choices each day; choices concerning urgency, constant physical demand, timing issues, unexpected sickness, homeschooing classesand questions, case sensitive issues, sibling rivalry and more. No one prepared me for this, no one told me it would be this difficult, all the while making these choices under high volume stress, crying and running on little to no sleep. It seems like insanity!! I didn’t think anyone prepared me for this…but actually I believe I have been preparing for this my entire life and just didn’t know it!

Out for an afternoon walk

Every season of life is full of choices. We can all decided to choose what is best for us or we can put others first. I have, on many occassions put myself first and that is why I believe motherhood was so hard for me. I went from living for myself and my agenda to living for my children and meeting their needs. I have learned that the only way to be the best mom that I can is stay connected to the One who ultimately gave life to my kids. When I connect with the Father and pray for wisdom, strength, insight, grace, mercy and love for my kids it changes everything!

Family photoshoot when Atirah was 4 weeks old.

I definitely could not be the mom that I am without Him. There are days when I try to do it on my own and the end of my day usually ends by me asking my kids for forgiveness for being impatient amd selfish. I am thankful that His MERCY is new EVERY morning and that he loves my kids even more than I do. Before I used to look at motherhood as a chore and something that was going to be hard no matter what, now I look at it as a blessing, something that I need to cherish because all too soon it will be over and my little birds will leave my nest. I know that I will one day stand before the Lord and give account for what I did during these years. I want to boast that in Him I was able to love and raise up a generation who serves Him! That my children are being trained to honor, trust in and love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. I pray that they will be arrows that hit their mark!

Playing hockey on our ice rink

Motherhood is a challenge but what a gift it is. Remember to hold your little ones close today and tell them how much you love them! See them as a picture of the Father and you, He loves you too, He is pleased with you and He longs to reveal Himself to you. They are soil that we need to sow many seeds into. They are worth our all and every amount that we can invest.

My little Mercy loved playing in the toilet! It’s more funny now than it was then:)

May you feel His embrace today, may you remember that every day to Him is Mother’s Day, He wants you to rest in Him and allow Him the job and teaching you how to love and nuture your children. Let us redefine motherhood in this generation. We are training up our little ones to serve the King, we are preparing them to live their lives to the fullest and to embrace everything that the Father has for them!! Happy Mother’s Day!

Spring is Here!!

The beautiful weather this past week has been a tell tale sign that spring is finally here! (That and the fact that my children need baths at the end of the day because they are so dirty from playing outside:)

Playing in the sand!

We have been having a blast outdoors, SO many things to be thankful for; the buds on the trees, long walks, biking, running through the grass, playing in the sandbox, lunch picnics, parks, wearing summer hats, sandals and shorts, hiking in the bush, clothes drying on the clothesline, tulips poking their heads out of the ground, birds bombarding the feeders and sunlight that warms our skin!

Judah was trying to feed this deer, he actually got really close, but then we just threw the apple at him and he ran away. lol

It’s amazing and I am so thankful for this beautiful season. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I love the new expectation that it brings. I love how you can see the physical changes in the environment and people seems to be excited to get out! There is a joy that rises up in our hearts of what is to come.

Mercy flying her kite:)

Living out of town it is fun to watch the forest change and the animals come out of their hiding. We have been going on many nature hikes, finding acrons, moss and giant pinecones. We have lots of deer in our backyard, many of them now have little fauwns with them, they are so cute!

This past week we had Shabbat outside on our back deck, we don’t have any deck furniture yet, so we set up the table on the ground, it was so fun! I am so thankful for the sun and the excitement of new things to come. I am amazed at how much a little vitamin D from the sun can do for my emotions and physical alertness. I love making fun memories with the kids in these days.

In the next couple weeks we are going to begin our small garden in the yard. I am looking forward to teaching the children about gardening and allowing them the oppotunity to watch the seeds grow! May to experience the joy and excitement that comes with this season! May you enjoy the longer days with more light and sun! May the winter that is past serve as a reminder of how great our God is and that His desire is to reward those who persevere until the end! Bless your family!

Veggie Delight

I had a question from one of my readers: “how do you get your kids to eat veggies?”. My first response is that it can be hard at times, but I think that parents example has a huge influence on their eating habits. My kids definitely like raw veggies more than cooked ones. I think it is helpful to find out what your kids like and then organize and cater accordingly. Something that I have found helpful lately is cutting up veggies and storing them in the fridge so they are ready for snack and meals. I got this tupperware tray and have loaded it up with all different kinds of veggies that my kids like. It works great for snacks or meal prep.

I don’t know about you but for me lunch and dinner times can be stressful if I am trying to cut up veggies and make things when all three kids are tired and hungry. This little trick of have things already cut up has helped me tremendously. For example last night I decided last minute to make homemade pizza and all I had to do was make the dough, I then spread sauce on the pizzas and allowed the kids to put their own veggies on their pizzas. We also use them for veggie wraps, subs, spaghetti sauce, lasagna and stir-fry, etc.

My kids also like colour, the more colourful the veggies the more likely they are to eat them:) For snacks I always take theis tray out as well as a container of hummus or pesto. The kids eat the veggies sub consciously just because they are out, which is awsome! The more veggies they eat the better. Vegetables are full of all sorts of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats that our bodies need. Make sure that you clean the veggies before you eat them as there can also be a lot of dirt on them.

May you delight in today, enjoying the grace that God pours out on us and our families. May we walk blameless before Him!

Homemade Veggie Stock

Soup stock – we all use it, and most recipes call for it! Whether you add meat or not you can use this recipe as a base for any soup stock. I have been making my own stock for months now and I love it for two reasons:

1. It is cost effective

2. You avoid adding unessessary chemicals and additives

I usually make a few mason jars every couple months to ensure that we have enough onhand. You can make it, jar it and freeze it! (Just be sure that it is completely cooled and allow an inch or so at the top of the jar so that it doesn’t crack – I speak from experience:) I typically use a variety of veggies that I have on hand, make sure you use at least one onion, carrot, celery stalk and bay leaf.

Ingredients:

2 Carrots

1/2 Cabbage

2 Onions

Handful of Kelp

1 Sweet potatos

1/2 Eggplant

3 Celery stalks

1/2 butternut Squash

1 bay leaf

Directions:

Clean the mason jars and allow to dry. Roughly chop all your veggies, throw them in a stock pot with water, bring water to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Do not over cook the veggies or you will loose all the nutrients from the veggies. Remember you just want to simmer them long enough to get the flavors out of the veggies. Once they are done, strain and jar. Depending how cooked your veggies are, I will sometimes add another pot of water to the already boiled veggies and simmer them again for 20 minutes. (just to make a little extra)

Enjoy! I use these in currys, stir-frys, and soups. May you be blessed as you hear his voice and obey his ways!

Cultivating Honor in Sibling Relationships

One of the most challenging things I have been facing these days in motherhood is dealing with the relationships between my little ones. Sibling relationships can be complicated and very difficult to referee! I have been annoyed, frustrated, disappointed and clueless in some respects as to how to deal with my children and their relationships. The two older ones are both at ages (5yrs, 2yrs) where their wills and emotions are strong, stern and unforgiving. They both desire independence, attention and justice. Dealing with taddling, arguing, yelling, and sometimes hitting can be emotionally draining on me. Especially when my expectations of them are high. The Lord has been showing me lately that I am the one who needs to refresh my perspective and begin to invest time and attention into these relationships as they will be the foundation for all their relationships in the future. If siblings cannot get along it will be difficult for them to interact with other children outside the family.

I have realized that this is common for children to go through these seasons of learning how to interact and engage with others their own age and even different ages. (This is one benefit of homeschooling; my kids have to learn to spend time with eachother, not just other children their own age and mental/physical levels – it teaches patience:) My expectations, however, need to be clearly communicated AND demonstated in my behavior and engagement with them. In our house, we are cultivating a culture of HONOR, RESPECT and LOVE in our relationships. I feel as though sibling relationships are vitally important and NEED the investment of the parent to see them through. The home is a wonderful and safe place to teach and learn about how to interact with one another. It is a blessing to be able to watch our children learn and grow and be able to discipline and correct them when needed.

I have established a few core values that we go by in our relationships with one another. These are biblical principles that encourage character building and test the heart and motives of the situation. It is hard as a mother to see everything that goes on and often I do not see who started what but we always come back to these values to determine the outcome of a disagreement. I want my kids to know that the reason I correct them is because I love them and wants what is best for them. If a parent refuses to discipline or correct their child how can they really say they love them? Learning obedience, kindness and appropriate social and emotional behaviors are beneficial to children and will help them to form relationships of their own. If there is no oversight or correction the child will be unable to grow into their full potential. Making sure your kids know that discipline = love can change their perspective and help them to recieve your words of caution.

Here are some of the values that we hold. I think over the next week or so we are going to make a poster board with these written on them so that they can be hung in the playroom and serve as a reminder to us all:)

1. We use kind words with eachother always. (Gal 5:22-23)

2. We treat others the way we want to be treated. (Luke 6:31)

3. We love one another regardless of how we feel. (1 Cor 13)

4. We always extend forgiveness to each other. (Matt 6)

5. Anger is not a solution, it is an emotion and we need to learn how to have self-control (Gal 5:23) when we are angry. We settle arguments before the end of the day. (Eph 4:26)

6. Obedience is better than sacrifice, obedience is our goal. (Deut 5:33)

Motivation, heart relation and relationships are more important to me than making mistakes and always being right. At the end of the day I want them to love one another and realize how special they are to God, us (their parents) and each other. I have been amazed to watch them grow in these areas this week. It has been a lot of work but slowly we are getting there, with much prayer and practice we will be a family who values our relationships as first priority! As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. (Prov 27:17) God has given us each other to develop our character by pressing through the hard times and learning how to love as he does.

May you be blessed in your relationships this week! May to experience a deeper level of connection and commitment to each other. May you be a family who honors eachother at all times!!

Thankful for His watchful eye!

There are few moments in life when I am completely taken back and aware that I am not in control. Tonight I had one of these moments. My 9 months old is busy these days, she is constantly crawling around, putting everything in her mouth and exploring everything and everyone in her environment. We have done our best to baby proof our home, which is difficult with the small toys and collections that my 5 year old and a 2 years old have acquired over the years. We always try to remain aware of her whereabouts.

Tonight my husband was bathing the kids while I was sweeping the bedroom floors. Atirah was playing in the bathroom and had managed to get ahold of a plastic cap that goes on a bolt on the base of our toilet. It is quite big compared to her mouth. She had chewed on it before and we didn’t really think anything of it, in fact I was upstairs 3 days ago vaccuuming while she played with this same cap. Somehow tonight she managed to get it in her mouth and it got stuck and she began to choke on it. My husband immediately ran to her and with much tact and maneuvering managed to get it out of her mouth, thank God! But it was really scary! My heart was racing and Atirah was really shaken up. The first thing that I thought was; “Thank you God! Thank God that this happened when we were near, thank God that Jim was able to remove it, thank God that it didnt happen when we were not looking. Thank God!”

I think it is easy sometimes to wonder why God allows hard/scary/bad things to happen in our lives. We have a limited perspective and as a mother I am beginning to realize how small my perspective really is. This is just a small example but it is a great demonstration of how we need to be thankful in ALL situations because we do not see the end result as He does. What if this had not happened tonight but it happened tomorrow when I was alone with the kids and Atirah was out of my sight?Or 3 days ago when I was vaccuuming and couldn’t hear her all the time? Even 1 minute it could have made all the difference! God thank you for watching over my sweet little Atirah and teaching me that I am not in control. Help me to surrender always and to remember to ask you to continually watch over us. I desire your watchful eye to remain always on my family.

I humbly recognize that He is the one who watches over my children. He is the one who protects and provides for us. Protect my children Lord, help me as their mother to be watchful and dependent on you. Let me always remember that You are in control and I trust you with the lives of my family. Let us mother always rememeber the impact of our prayers and petitions for our children. You love our kids more than we do God, Thank you for your provision tonight.

May you be mindful of the One who watches over your family. May you be thankful and dependent on Him today! God grant us the grace to take care of our little ones and the humility to recognize that ultimately you are in control!!

Vegetable Curry

I began experimenting with curry a couple weeks ago and since have found my favorite recipe. It is fairly simple to make and you can add any assortment of vegetables that you like.

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground tumeric

2 cups tomatoes, diced

1 small sweet potato, cubed

1/2 cup of squash, cubed

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup red pepper

1/2 cup white potatoes, chopped

Before you make the sauce, steam all the vegetable until they are tender. You can choose any veggies that you like, the ones mentioned above are my favorite. Be sure not to overcook them, it is better to have them on the harder side rather than too soft.

In a sauce pan heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add 2 meduim chopped onions. Allow to fry over medium heat until the onions are browned about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, stir and allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the browned onions, garlic and ginger. Add cinnamon, cumin, tumeric and black pepper, cook over low heat for a minute. Stir in two cups of canned or fresh diced tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Cook for 5 minutes. Use the immersion blender again to puree the sauce until it is smooth. (At this point you can add more water if you like your sauce less thick.) Bring sauce to a boil for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat and add all of the steamed veggies. Mix to coat all the veggies and simmer sauce for 10 minutes. Serve the curry over some basmati or jasmine rice and garnish with avacado and cilantro!! Enjoy!

May your evening be filled with restful and quiet moments!! May you enter into His rest, Shabbat Shalom!

Nutty Quinoa Salad

This is my NEW favorite quinoa salad!!! A good friend of mine introduced me to this salad a couple weeks ago and I cannot get enough of it! I tweeked it to make it exactly what I like but the nuts and dried fruits can be substituted with other nuts and dried fruits depending on what you have on hand. It can be served warm or cold depending how long you allow the quinoa to cool. The dressing on this salad is amazing, it makes the salad unique and addictive:) This recipe is full of protein, magnesium and calcuim, all of the raw ingredients make it an incredible staple for any meal!

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa (turns into about 2 cups once cooked)

1/2 cup sliced raw almonds

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup chopped apple

1/4 cup chopped zucchini

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 avacado cut into cubes

Dressing:

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup mustard

1 tbsp raw honey

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of quinoa and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Mix nuts and fruit and dried fruit together in a bowl and add quinoa when it is cool or warm (depending what you want). Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, serve immediately!

May you be blessed as you listen and hear the voice of the Father today! Enjoy!!

Repotting Orchids

I love orchids! I have been growing them for years. They are one of the most majestic, beautiful flowers that I know. It seems that every year I accumulate more orchids plants. They come in a pot with a one or two stemmed orchid plant and they flower a different times during the year (usually once, but sometimes twice:) I had been struggle as to what to do with all of the pots when the flowers were dormant. I didn’t really want to leave them out as the green leaves are not very attractive so I had been storing them on a window ledge in my bathroom. This became a problem when the ledge began to get too small. I had SO many pots and not enough room.

I needed to contain the plants and at the same time repot them because they were beginning to outgrow their pots. I decided to go out and buy a very large pot in which I would plant several orchids. I purchased a beautiful pot and began to replant my orchids.

Repotting orchids can be daunting as they are very susceptible to changes in temperature, sunlight and even movement. I filled the bottom of the pot up with shells, (you could also use stones), anything that is good for drainage. I then filled the pot half way up with orchid potting mix, it contains wood chips and moss. I then began one at a time to add my orchid plants, I managed to fit 5 orchids in the pot. Afterwards I filled up the rest of the pot to the top with more of the potting mix. I watered them and gave them their weekly fertilizer and so far they are doing great!

One of them is beginning to flower and I was thinking it will be really nice to have at least one in the pot always in bloom so that it can be out on display.

Hopefully this helps those who had the same dilemma, I think it looks great and it easier to take care of , one pot, one water, one fertilizer many blooms!

May you experience the joy of the Father’s pleasure today. May we continue to grow in our maturity and character and we serve in our homes!

 

Quinoa Bean Salad

This salad is similar to a regular beans sald but I added cooked quinoa to maximize the nutritional value, you could also add sprouted quinoa.

1 cup water

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup chickpeas

1 cup kidney beans

1 cup sliced green bell pepper

1/2 cup of corn

1/2 cup sliced avacado

1 cup diced celery

3/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp minced fresh garlic

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Bring water to a boil, add quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 miuntes. Turn heat off allow quinoa to site for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

Combine quinoa, chickpeas, kidney beans, green pepper, celery, corn and avacado and onion in a large bowl.

In a small bowl mix vinegar, oil, garlic, oregano and pepper until well blended. Add as dressing to the salad, mix well and serve immediately!

Blessings on your day!