1 Corinthians 13 for Moms

I just happened to run across this on someone else's blog (you can see it here) and I just had to share it! 


1 Corinthians 13 for Moms

If my child speaks in the tongues of men or of angels, masters sign language at six months and Spanish and Mandrin Chinese by six years, but does not learn to love, she is only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If he has the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge-ABCs at a year, reading by two, writing chapter books in Kindergarten-but does not have love, he is nothing. If I volunteer for every mommy ministry-MOPS, AWANA, Sunday School, and if I give all I possess to the poor (or at least bring loads of groceries to the foodbank), but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy other mother's lifestyle choices or possessions, it does not boast in the areas of my children’s natural strengths (while covering for their faults), it is not proud of the way my child potty trained before your child. It does not dishonor others by insisting that my method of parenting is the best, it is not self-seeking-hoping that you’ll notice how smart, talented or well rounded I am raising my child to be. It is not easily angered by perceived slights or misjudgments, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth that all of parenting is fueled and driven by God’s grace. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails-even where I have fallen painfully short of God’s best for my children. But where there are competitions to see whose body bounces back best after childbirth, they will cease; where there are verbal fights over the correct methods of discipline, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge about the best way to feed and clothe and nurture a child, it will pass away. For we know in part and we parent incompletely, but when they are fully grown, what we thought we knew about raising our children will disappear. When I was a new parent, I thought, spoke and reasoned with immaturity and without grace. As my children grew, I asked God to give me the wisdom to put these childish ways behind me. For now we see our children’s future as only a reflection as in a mirror; one day we will behold their adults selves face to face. Now I know in part; then we shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Avocado Grilled Cheese

I am always looking for new recipes that are easy to make, since my schedule no longer allows for me to spend hours making a delicious meal.  One of my "go-to" recipes is grilled cheese.  It is cheesy and yummy, and I can whip it up in less than 5 minutes.  However, I am getting super bored with plain, old grilled cheese...so I went looking for new ideas. 

I found this grilled cheese recipe from Tyler Florence via the Food Network, and boy is it ever yummy!  I made it just as published, only I used store bought pesto sauce.  Then, I had a brilliant idea.  Let's add AVOCADO!  Avocados are one of my favorite foods ever, so I decided to throw some on the next time that I made them.  Amazing. 

So here is my recipe (modified from Tyler's):

Ingredients:
2 slices of your favorite bread (I used just generic multi-grain bread)
1 large slice of fresh mozzarella cheese
slices of tomato
slices of avocado
pesto sauce (you can make it on your own, but I just bought premade stuff from the grocery store)
small amount of olive oil

Assemble sandwich by smearing insides of bread slices with pesto sauce (you can use as much or as little as you want).  Arrange a layer of sliced tomato.  Layer the mozzarella over the top, and then place avocado pieces over the top of that.  Place another piece of bread on top to make the sandwich. Drizzle olive oil over skillet's surface and place sandwich on the hot skillet or panini press.  Turn after 2 to 3 minutes. The sandwich is ready when golden brown and mozzarella has melted around the edges.

It is sooo delicious.  Enjoy!!!!

1 and DONE!

I absolutely love my daughter, don't get me wrong, but I honestly have no desire to have another kid.  One is more than enough for me.  After having a baby, people apparently find it necessary to ask me when we are planning on having another one (like it is any of their business in the first place), and I can say with certainty that I have no intention of having baby #2.  I said the same thing before I had my daughter, and people kept telling me that I would change my mind after I had the first one.  Unfortunately, it just reinforced the fact that I am not having another baby.

As I have said in my previous post, my daughter is pretty much perfect.  She slept through the night at 5 weeks.  She is always happy and so easy to entertain.  So why do I only want one little bundle of joy? 

Well, there are many reasons actually.  First and foremost, I absolutely loathe being pregnant.  It was the most uncomfortable, miserable, worst 9 months of my life.  There was nothing at all that I liked about being pregnant.  Nothing.  I could tell you all the things I hated, but that's a whole other blog post.  I just can't ever imagine myself willingly going though that again...yuck.  I also know that if there was a next time, we would probably not get lucky again with a baby that was an amazing sleeper.  As I have said before, I absolutely love my sleep.  I cannot function without at least 8 hours, especially when I work a full time job.  I don't gamble, and I am not willing to gamble on my precious sleep.  Also, I am not such a huge fan of the infant stage (as I have found out), and, lastly, I am just getting ready to start my career after a long, long time in school.  I love the fact that I work, and I am excited to get my career up and running.  I just don't think I have the time and energy for another baby. 

I'd rather spend all my extra time spoiling the wonderful one that I have already.  :)   

Sleep "Indulged" Mommy

I think it's pretty typical for new moms to get the question, "how are you coping with the lack of sleep?" or "how has he/she been sleeping so far?"  Sometimes you even get sarcasm with comments like "I bet you haven't been sleeping well (with a laugh)."

I have been on the receiving end of these questions for over a year now, and, to be honest, I still get them quite frequently.  My response, however, usually astonishes people.  Not because I say something extremely witty, but because my daughter sleeps well. 

Now, I don't mean she sleeps well NOW...I mean she has ALWAYS slept well.  When she was first born, I called my mom religiously because I thought I was doing something wrong.  This little girl loved her sleep, and wasn't interested in much else. 

By 5 weeks, she was sleeping through the night entirely...approximately 7-9 hours straight per night.  At 3 months she was sleeping 12 hours per night with a 3 hour nap during the day.  When she was 6 months old she was still sleeping 12 hours straight per night and 4 hours during the day.  When she turned 1 year old just recently, she was sleeping a total of 13-14 hours per night with one 3 hour nap during the day.  Yes, that is right...I put her to bed at 6pm (if she is up much later than that, she is not a happy girl) and she wakes up on her own around 8am. 

I have done absolutely nothing extra to help her sleep better.  I don't have any special skills or magic tricks.  I simply lay her in her crib and Ta-da!  She sleeps well, which means that I sleep well.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I need at least 8 hours of sleep...so my daughter's passion for sleep is a huge blessing for me.

So, when I answer people's questions about "how are you coping with the lack of sleep?" or "how has he/she been sleeping so far?" I just have to laugh. 

  

Control Freak

I am a planner by nature.  I LOVE lists and calendars.  I live by schedules.  I have to have plans set in stone, and I like to know what is going to happen long before it happens.  I hate being spontaneous...in fact, not having control of what is going on freaks me out and literally makes me ill to my stomach.  This is why job hunting is so very difficult for me. 
I will be finishing my Ph.D. in November, and after countless applications submitted, I still have yet to find a job.  This leaves approximately 1-2 months before I have to find something else.  Which means (you guessed it)...the unknown.  My worst nightmare.  I have absolutely no control over this situation whatsoever.
As I sat in church on Sunday morning, I was reminded that God is in control.  Not me.  I live my life so that I can control everything down to the tiny, little details, but what I've realized is that I don't often allow room for God to "plan" in my life.  So instead of freaking out and stressing over the unknown, I am going to let God take care of me.  Even if this means that I won't have a job at the end of the year, I am comforted by the fact that God WILL provide for me and my family.  

Mom's Guide to Baby Essentials for the 1st Year

When we were registering for baby items before Payton was born, we were handed a giant booklet of "Baby Essentials" that mapped out all of the necessities my unborn child would need over the course of the next year.  I was shocked at the length of the list...dang, babies are expensive!  As a first time mother, I followed the recommended list and happily scanned away (much to the dismay of my hubby who clearly didn't want to be in Babies-R-Us for 4 hours). 

After receiving all of my baby shower goodies, I quickly ran out and purchased the rest of my registry list that every baby store, magazine, and website told me was "essential" to surviving the first year.  However, looking back over this past year, I have realized that all of this stuff was not "essential."  In fact, I never used several of the items that I registered for at all. 

To shed a little light on the real "essentials" for your baby's first year, I compiled a list of all of the baby items that I could NOT have lived with out.  This list doesn't include obvious things like a crib, diapers, clothes, and toys. 

**Disclaimer:  Everyone is different...and what I find super important may not be what someone else finds "essential"...and what works for one baby may not work for another.**

1.  Swing

• The swing was my LIFESAVER.  Payton would sleep in this thing waaaay better than she slept in her crib for the first month.  I would put her in her swing and let it do the work for me so I could get some precious hours of sleep.  Our swing went back-and-forth and side-to-side, which was great because she preferred side-to-side the best.

2.  Activity Mat/Gym

• This was an item that was used and abused in our household.  She loved her activity mat.  We got one that had a lot of lights, hanging toys, and entertaining songs (they were even tolerable to me after months of hearing them over and over).  This toy allowed me to get dinner ready or fold laundry.  "Essential" in my book.

3.  Jumperoo

• Another favorite!  She absolutely loved spending time in her jumperoo, which allowed me to get chores done or take a quick shower. 

4.  Baby Bjorn

• It doesn't matter what brand you purchase, but a baby carrier is the BEST invention every created.  How the heck would I have managed at the grocery store without this thing?  I took her everywhere in the baby carrier - on walks, to the store, even around the house to vacuum.  Worth every penny I spent!

5.  Nightlight

• Pretty self explanatory, but it definitely was helpful for late night diaper changes and feedings. 

6.  Sleep Sacks

• A wearable blanket that zips up...genius!!!  Perfect for the winter months so that you don't have blankets in the crib with your little babies. 

7.  Nursing Bras

• If you are breastfeeding, buy quality nursing bras so that they withstand the abuse they will endure in the next year. 

8.  Lanolin

• Breastfeeding hurts for the first week or two.  I mean really hurts...like we are talking sore, cracked, bleeding nipples.  I used gobs and gobs of this stuff.  I even sent my mom out for another tube after we got back from the hospital because I was afraid I'd run out. 

9.  Breast Pump

• Even if you are not going back to work after you have your baby, it is still "essential."  It is good to build up a stock pile in your freezer for when you may leave baby with Daddy or go for a date night.  Clearly, if you are like me and are returning to work, you most definitely want to get a top-of-the-line pump to take with you to work.

10.  Nursing Pads

• Breast milk leaks.  End of story.

11.  Boppy Pillow

• I swear by this thing.  I used this every time I breastfed.  It allowed me to have my hands free so that I could read or check Facebook on my phone.  I also used it to surround her when she was learning how to sit up on her own.  I used this thing every day for the past year, so money well spent. 

12.  White Noise Machine

• I know that everyone doesn't use/have these, but my daughter loves white noise.  It puts her right to sleep...and sleep is a good thing. 

13.  Baby Bathtub

• These baby bathtubs come with little slings so that you can lay your baby down and give them a bath without the worry of them slipping and sliding around.

14.  Child Safety Gates

• We have a lot of stairs, so these are clearly "essential" in our household. 

15.  Stroller

• You don't need 3-4 strollers, with one for every occasion, like baby registries suggest.  Just get a good one that you like.  We love to go on walks, so clearly this an item that gets a lot of use.  I also use it when we go to the zoo, children's museum, etc.  My only request was that my stroller had a cup holder for me so that I could always have a cup of coffee on our walks.  :)

16.  Baby Monitor

• Ok, so lots of people have the monitors that have the video on them, but I have no desire to watch my baby sleep.  That would only make me paranoid and I don't need more stress in my already stressful life.  Therefore, we just got a plain old baby monitor.  It doesn't do anything cool besides being able to talk to the baby room, but it does its job.  I hear her when she makes any sort of noise, and that is good enough for me. 

Well, that concludes my list of baby "essentials."  Hopefully this helps someone out there who may be preparing for a baby or just interested in tucking this away for the future. 

Wasting what little free time I have...

Honestly, I have no free time.  Let's face it...I am busy writing my Ph.D. thesis all day long, looking for a "grown up" job (that's what I call it since I have been in school for literally my whole life thus far), taking care of my 1 year old daughter, and spending what little time I have left with my husband.  Yet, here I am starting a blog.  Some might call me crazy (which I am from time to time) for adding yet another task to my already full plate, but I find writing/journaling therapeutic.  So I hope you fully enjoy reading about my hectic life as a working mother/wife as I de-stress online in front of your eyes.  :)