Menu Planning Monday

This is quick as we are in SC for the weekend and DH has finally come upstairs for bed. In an effort to be intentional, I am limiting computer time when the family is not occupied with sleep or other interests such as a he-man movie.
So very quickly and a bit sketchy details,the menu plan for this week:
Monday - In SC
Tuesday- Crockpot chicken
Wednesday- pasta
Thursday- Fish
Friday- Calzones
Breakfasts will be cinnamon toasts (kids love it) and cereal bars
Lunches will be sandwiches (PBJ, egg salad and deli meats)

Good Intentions

I have spent a lot of time lately composing posts in my head. Why is it that I get inspired when I am not near a computer or have the opportunity to sit down and type for a few minutes?

My favorite word is "intentional". I just love that word! Intentional means with a focused purpose. I have advocated being intentional about everything; marriage, parenting, spending time with God, fianances, time for myself, ministry. I have spent a lot of time in self-evaluation lately. Hence, those wonderful posts that will never see a computer screen. As a result of the evaluations to date, I discovered this horrible truth. Despite how much I want to be intentional, I have never been intentional at all! Now I could beat myself up and I have done quite a bit of that lately. But I have decided to make some changes in my life to become more intentional in living.
What I also discovered that I can not do this alone. That has been my problem all along. My "Miss I Can Do It Myself- I Can Figure This Out" self has failed miserably in all aspects of going it alone. I can not make a schedule and keep it without some guidance and discernment provided to me by God. He alone knows my every weakness and He alone can make me strong where I am weak.
I am thankful for a God who can forgive me for my sinful, selfish, pride-filled life. I am thankful that despite my failure to be intentional and do all things in life with a focused purpose that I do not have to give up. I can start again and this time intentionally seeking God's direction in all things. He alone will supply me with all I need to be the kind of wife, mommy, ministry leader, Christian I need to be.

Tired and Failing Mommy Basking in Grace

I struggle so much with knowing if I am following God's Will for my life and for my family right now. I am heavily involved in some great and important ministries such as children's ministry and MOPS. However, there is no greater ministry than the one of being mommy. With the weekly demands of children's ministry and the demands bi-weekly of MOPS, I am often not a happy mommy. I feel terrible and that I am a failure as a mom. My children deserve a mommy that is happy to be with them and is engaged in their play and activities. But instead, I am grumpy and impatient with their preschool antics. I want to intentionally parent my children. I want to intentionally discipline, teach and love them. How can I do that when I am thinking about the phone calls I need to make,the endless to-do lists just to make sure Sunday is good to go for all of the little ones? What am I suppose to be doing? This would be easy if I knew that these areas were not my gifts. I also think that my kids should understand that God expects us to serve others.But how do I find the balance? I feel so tired and so burdened with the responsibilities of mothering, leading two ministries, being a wife and a Christian. (It doesn't help that I serve the entire morning at church so I am never free to go to worship- I long, hunger for worship.) I also feel like a failure in so many other areas of life- finances, wife, maintaining a personal relationship with God.There are so many decisions I make that endanger or hurt my family. Many of my decisions also hurt my spiritual health as well. Despite how many times I try to start over and improve, I fail. I know I can't do this alone, however, I end up going my own way before too long.
This is not meant to be a pity party or beat myself up session, but simply an acknowledgement that I am a person who struggles daily- even minute by minute- to walk according to God's Will. I am very weak and without my Savior, I would be hopeless. I am so thankful that I bask in God's Grace. It is not because I am married to a wonderful, Godly man nor that I am ministry leader for two ministries or have college degrees or anything else I have done in my life. It is simply because God loves me. Loves me enough to sacrifice His Son for my sins and shortcomings. I am thankful that God's grace is more than enough for me, the sinner and screw-up. I am thankful that God's power can be made perfect as He helps me in all of my many weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Menu Planning Monday

This week is a little less hectic than last week. Thank goodness! So I am back with a menu this week.
All of the breakfasts will be cereal bars or frozen tea biscuits.
All of the lunches will be sandwiches- turkey or PBandJs.
Dinners:
Monday- Chicken Stir-fry and pineapple slices.
Tuesday- Pork Tenderloin (cooked and frozen earlier)
Wednesday- Eat at church
Thursday- leftovers
Friday- Grill hamburgers, potato salad, chips and make your own ice cream sundaes
(Get together with other elders and their families planned- If Dana is still sick, we will do a frozen pizza and popcorn with just family.)
Saturday- Chicken Nuggets and tater tots and vegetables
Sunday- Pizza at church or sandwiches at home.

I am very pleased with the One Trip to the Store-Cook for a Year cookbook. I am looking into freezer meals via www.frugalmom.net
I really liked being able to pull out a meal from the freezer after babies' births. I hope that I can organize myself enough to cook ahead and freeze meals.
There are more meals for the week at www.organizedjunkie.com