I am a recovering Army brat who loves to travel and start new adventures. My handsome husband and I met at Oklahoma Christian University and he whisked me away to Kansas. So, I bought some ruby red high heels and made Topeka my home. I have a rough and rowdy Princess 4-year-old girl, amazing twin boys (almost 3) and a newborn baby girl who all make every day an adventure. We are grateful to be part of an amazing church in Topeka who regularly challenges and encourages our whole family. I have been both a full-time working mom and a stay-at-home-mom and/or both at the same time at one point or another. I am constantly seeking God’s wisdom on “balancing it all” and following His plan for my life, not mine.
A mentor I deeply respect once told me, “Busyness is not a spiritual gift.”
This sage piece of wisdom has resurfaced in my mind more frequently as my family grows. To some degree, life is just busy! It is busy in all sorts of ways, and honestly, we are busy in some way or another in every season of our lives.
How many times have you answered, “Oh, we’ve just been busy!” when someone has asked how you’ve been doing lately? Is that what we should accept as the norm for our families?
As we face a spring and summer full of extra busyness with graduations, trips, weddings, family events, block parties, and holidays, I want to encourage you to consider a couple tips.
Tips to Un-crazy a Busy Summer
1. Don’t let a busy summer and routine change keep you from reading your Bible and spending time with God. As we see with Martha in Luke 10, Martha was anxious and troubled with all her preparations but Jesus wanted her to sit and listen to the “good portion” like her sister Mary. Guys, if I’m like anyone in the Bible, it’s Martha. Don’t be like Martha and me, spend extra time with the Lord.
2. If you have kids, try not to over-extend your kiddos for the sake of attending something. Sometimes, certain family gatherings scheduled smack in the middle of nap time just aren’t going to work. That’s OK.
3. Be intentional about days of rest. My family recently went through a four-day event binge which ended on a Sunday evening. My husband and I realized we never got a day of rest together as a family. There’s a reason God built that in…and even Jesus encouraged his disciples to rest in Mark 6:31. Anyway, that’s not a schedule we plan to replicate any time in the near future.
4. If you’ve committed to “bringing something” find three easy crowd-pleaser recipes for rotation. Easy and delicious is the key. One of my favorites is below. It’s fresh, healthy, and so easy.
In the end, there are some things we need to do and some things we don’t. Setting boundaries for yourself and your family through your decisions on calendar commitments can make all the difference.
2 cups of cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions, cooled to room temp). I also like couscous if I don’t have good quinoa on hand.
2 medium fresh tomatoes, diced small
1/2 cup very finely chopped red onion
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 can (15 ounces) of sweet yellow corn, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (2 if you like heat)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice, plus a few dashes more to taste before serving
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
Directions:
Mix everything together in a big bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour, but overnight is better. Before serving, taste and add a little bit more oil and lime juice if it’s dry.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought at a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB) While I always stress that Bible verses should be read and taken in context, I truly believe that these two verses have so many more applications to our lives other than just sexual immorality. Let’s break these verses down.
Our bodies are a TEMPLE! A temple is a place dedicated to worship. We should treat our bodies as such. Binge-eating and binge-dieting are not good for our bodies.
Of the Holy Spirit that is in you, whom you have from God. When we ask Jesus into our lives, he resides in us. He is always with us. He knows what we are doing.
You are not your own. We belong to God. Our earthly bodies are on loan to us from God. He created us; we belong to Him.
For you have been bought for a price. That PRICE was HUGE. God sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we may have everlasting life.
Therefore, glorify God in your body. God should always be visible in us. There is a saying that you may be the only Bible someone sees. The way we look and the way we act affects others.
When we consistently overeat, we can gain weight. This is gluttony; gluttony is a sin.
Gluttony is not the only way to abuse your body when it comes to food. Not eating enough or properly is also abusive and a sin. (Read my personal story here.) We must be aware of what we put into our bodies. God wants us to be healthy. We cannot honor God if we do not eat right and are not healthy.
This is the second in a series of posts about healthy eating. I will be sharing weight loss tips and healthy recipes.
Tip #2. Eat from the rainbow. Eat foods of all colors. We eat first with our eyes. This also gives us complete nutrition.
1 lb of your favorite pasta (I like bow tie), cooked al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of liquid.
2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 cup zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh basil, torn into small pieces or dried basil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
As you put the pasta in the pot, heat a large skillet over high heat. Put in oil, cook chicken, then add all the vegetables and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add drained pasta then basil, salt, and pepper. Add enough reserved liquid to loosen up the pasta. Mix well and serve.
This is full of flavor, quick and easy, and has lots of color. You can change the vegetables to anything you like. I like this combination because of all the colors. Just make sure to use this quantity of vegetables because you want minimal pasta.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
