"everything's going my waaaaaay...."

There was a song sang at the weeklong summer camp I attended every year from 3rd - 12th grade.  It was a camp joke that the early rising senior counselors and staff would go around the campground singing the chorus of the opening song from the musical, Oklahoma:

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,I've got a wonderful feeling, Everything's going my way.


And then because campers were witty, and, well, it was a bible camp, someone would then quote Proverbs 27:14: "Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing."

I haven't blogged much this fall because not much has felt like it was falling into place.  It is easy to blog when things are going well and I can easily report on the successes: so and so is doing this, and we're doing that, and man I can't wait for this!  But this fall, with its new experiences and journey into schooling, has left me a bit more deer-in-headlights and hashtagging "mommyfail" more often than I'd like to admit.  (Let's also just mention for a minute that instagramming is much easier than blogging, at the moment, and requires very little involvement or commitment!  But I miss the art of writing and blogging.  FWIW, you can find me on instagram.com/meganesota.)

I knew there would be a learning curve for having a preschooler who attends school twice a week and then has lesson plans we complete at home two other days a week.  I knew I wouldn't find my groove immediately.  I knew, from listening to other moms, there'd be days where I'd be thinking, why am I doing this?  Totally bad idea, "epic fail."  But there have also been some days where the sun was shining, the lesson plans were complete, my kids fed, and there was a plan for dinner.  Can we get a high-five for those days?? Let's be honest, they don't usually occur on Mondays. 

Look at the whole country.
Look how it's purple, gray, and blue.
Then there's us in all shiny and yellow and orange,
burning up.
Welcome to Florida.
Image via @jonacuff on Instagram  

Mondays, I dread.  Every Monday feels like a case of the Mondays.  Until today.  Sometimes I dislike notifications on my phone because before 12pm you can get 487 notifications from various people and apps about things that aren't particularly important, but today I received a reminder there was a playdate at 10am at a nearby park with friends I don't see very often, and I decided to scrap the morning plans (which usually involve homeschool) and go to the play date.  It was hosted by our local consignment sale planners for Jumping Jeans and the kids were able to do a christmas craft. Anything that says craft (Mia) and park (Gabe) is a win-win for my kids. We headed over there and although the weather is unseasonably warm for us Floridians, it bodes pretty well for park play dates.  The kids had a great time playing with their friends and it didn't hurt that Mia's best gal pals were in attendance.  Being outside this time of year and getting some vitamin D has its therapeutic benefits as well, so we all left happy, dirty and ready for phase II of the day.  Which, as of 4pm this afternoon, I can't believe is already over: lunch, naptime, school for Mia, followed by a short quiet time.  We're on to phase III already (dinner prep, dinner, followed closely by bedtime).  This Monday has flown.  But instead of wallowing in the rapidity of the day, I'm thankful we've staved off the grouchies that sometimes plague our Mondays and we just rolled with it.  *Sigh.*  I'm tired.

Gabe sporting some raw amber.

In other news, get a Baltic Amber necklace if you haven't already! These things are great. I've been wearing an amber bracelet the last month to help with wrist/joint pain and it's helped me tremendously.  I can really tell a difference when I take it off.  So, these puppies aren't just helpful for teething babies, they are helpful for adults too.  And for the next two weeks, InspiredByFinn.com has a coupon code "Megan25," that you can use at checkout to save 25%!  This is a great time to buy as a gift for someone this holiday season, or for yourself.  How might it help you?  According to their website: 

It contains analgesic properties and helps take the edge off of the discomfort and symptoms associated with:  dental issues (such as the emergence of new teeth, orthodontic brace adjustments, TMJ), growing pains, allergies, sensory disorders associated with autism, headaches and migraines, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and shoulder discomfort, tendonitis, menstrual cramping, restless leg syndrome, back and knee discomfort, joint pain from chemotherapy, and many more.  In order to be effective Baltic amber must usually be close to the site of the discomfort.  For example, a necklace would not necessarily/likely be effective for growing pains in the legs.  For this we would recommend an ankle bracelet. 

Also worth trying? Beaked hazel wood. 

Beaked hazel wood can relieve acid-related ailments such as acid reflux, ulcers, heartburn, and other acid-related ailments. Our necklaces are a great remedy to take the edge off of heartburn and morning sickness during pregnancy.
Hazel wood also helps relieve skin problems such as (psoriasis, eczema, acne, and diaper rash) constipation, headaches, migraines, canker sores, and the occurrence of dental cavities when these ailments are related to excessive acid in the body (and sometimes they are not).

Order one for yourself or a friend (or both!) today!  Code Megan25 expires December 23, 2013.  

A tough time

There is a lot of sadness going around my greater community.
Just recently I learned of an acquaintance who lost her younger brother-in-law to heat stroke. He was only 19.
Friends from our congregation are dealing with stage IV stomach cancer & chemo treatments.
A good family friend's aunt is in her final days battling breast cancer & liver failure.  She is a very special woman, and I've only interacted with her a few times, but those interactions gave me pause, thinking, what did I do to deserve such special treatment from her?  I think that's just the way she is.
And a young newlywed couple just found out that the husband has an inoperable malignant brain tumor.  They've been married just shy of two months.
When does it stop? And that's not even touching on local or national news.

I guess the hard part of being a grown-up is realizing that it doesn't stop.  The world, somehow, keeps turning, and each day we breathe in and out as these lives just slip through our hands.  I still cannot fathom how one minute a person can be here, and the next minute, that person is gone.  As a 30 year old I still grapple with the finality of it.  As a christian, I know there are eternal purposes.  I know their soul still exists, and I know somehow somewhere a piece of them is still operating, manifesting.  But it doesn't mean that for the rest of us here on earth, that the hard news, is any easier to swallow.  It still hurts.

I wish I had some enlightened thought here, but I really don't.  All I know is:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

gifts from above

God does not change (thank you, God!!) The days we have with our loved ones are gifts.  The loved ones are gifts.  The hugs we get from our friends.  The teachings we receive from the older, wiser. The food we eat.  The "American dreams" we live...if any of it is good, it's from the Father above.
So I'm leaving this part of the day a little depressed, a little thankful, and a lot contemplative.  My heart goes out to all those hurting and I pray there is comfort for these families soon.

Back to School and the Forgotten Blog

haircuts & starbucks!

Sounds the title of an amazing book, right?  It's coming out in September.

Totes joking.


While I've sat contemplating how sad my blog's existence as been as of late, I've felt the need to update it yet feel the words escape me as soon as I put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, as it were. It's ever so cliche to say "we are busy!" and I really mean it this time (like I do every other time), and so it's true (like it is every other time), but it's becoming busier in another new way.  I feel like we go through mini growth spurts every few months, as individuals, families, and in our roles in those families, and then it seems as if we go through major growth spurts every couple years.  It's been a couple of years now and this next major growth spurt is that our oldest is big enough for school now!  She's going to be a student! The mind explodes.

all smiles at the dentist
{MUCH improved from the 1st visit}

For real, though, our family is feeling the stretch that will come as we Mia starts a community school preschool, where she'll go to school two days a week, and homeschool two days a week.  And Fridays are optional enrichment.  To say the least, this will be life changing. It almost feels like having another kid, the amount of thought and preparation (and total winging it, lemme be honest here!) that will go on.

The the curriculum's been assigned, the books procured, the lesson plans have already been emailed out, and the uniforms have been purchased.  Back to school haircuts and dentist appointments too.  We want to make sure we're ready to go!!  We are in a for a new ride, and we can't wait to see what is in store for Miss Mia, official preschooler as of next week!

We are trying to make the most of our last few days of summer around here.  I know some things will stay the same, but a lot will be changing, so I'm doing what I do where I cling to what I know is good and comfy, all the while getting ready for the next thing.  Getting Older.  It's not for the faint of heart!!

3 simple meals in 30 minutes or less

Bacon & Sweet Potato Hash
Photo by thebittenword.com at flickr

I like simple. And I like fast.  So this week while we've been sharing a car as one is in the shop getting some repairs, my typical late afternoon meal prep time has been squashed so that the kids & I can pick Greg up from work. We've enjoyed the time together in the car, but it means dinner must be made fast.  Slow-cooker meals would definitely work in these instances, but our mornings have been so busy too I haven't had the chance to throw something in there earlier in the day!  So, fast meals it must be.

These meals can be adapted for various diets, and you can go so far as swapping the type of ground meat, bacon or potatoes that are required in a few of the recipes.  

Here are 3 simple meals you can make in likely under 30 minutes!

Real Simple's Speedy Sloppy Joe's

(Potential modifications: using ground beef instead of ground turkey; using homemade salsa; using a different biscuit, bun or breading or opting out completely if grain-free.  We made them Monday night with hamburger buns instead of the tube of buttermilk biscuits.)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey; 1 cup of fresh salsa; salt & pepper; biscuits or buns

Serious Eats Bacon & Sweet Potato Hash

This is our new favorite and go-to meal!  We modified by only making the bacon and sweet potato hash; we did not make the eggs or avocado cream, but for even a more filling & complete meal you certainly could!  

Ingredients: 

1lb bacon; 1-2 sweet potatoes; 1 medium onion; butter; salt & pepper to taste

Modern Alternative Mama's Quick Beef & Potatoes

Very similar to bacon & sweet potato hash just variations on the ingredients list!

Ingredients: 
1 lb. ground beef (preferably grass-fed); 4 – 5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced; 4 tbsp. butter; 1 tsp. onion powder; Sea salt 

For any of these meals, I may steam or saute a veggie on the side, which hardly takes any time as well. 

What are your favorite quick & easy meals?

Oh, Experience.

I almost fell apart laughing last week when I was looking through Mia's desk trying to help her find something. If you don't know every intricate detail of my life (which, I truly hope you don't), then you might not know/remember that Mia's desk is my old desk from growing up. My parents were wise and bought really sturdy furniture that thankfully we've been able to pass onto our children. I love that that piece of history is being passed on. What I wasn't expecting to find though was a real piece of my history tucked away in Mia's desk.  I know for certain there are more -- I just don't know where -- but in one of the drawers of this desk was a journal I kept from 1994-1996, the years in which I was in 6th-8th grade, and oh my...were they ridiculous.  REE-dic-YOU-luss.  Like, awfully funny, and just as equally embarrassing.

I initially opened up to this page, and almost peed my pants.

Life was hard for this sister in the middle of three brothas

It sounds like a pretty typical story from 1994.  We don't mean to, and we don't realize it, but we somehow get in this me against the world mentality. I shared it with both Brer Luke and Brer Jackson and we all had a chuckle.  Ain't nothing like 18 years of experience to add some perspective to that story!  And now, hand me a tissue while I shed tears that it's ACTUALLY been eighteen years since that occurred.

The next one was from 1996.  Oh, for shame.

"6 notes!!!"

I love, loathe, and cringe that I was so obsessed with my gal-pal friendships.  But, I was entering my adolescence  and friends were such a big deal.  (BTW, Erin, if you're out there, trust me that I have very fond memories of our friendship and am way thankful we were such good friends back in the day!)

Part of me was ridiculously overjoyed to have found this journal.  Now, I could read and remember and relive all the silly, excruciatingly awkward moments I captured from the tender ages of 12-14 and therapeutically laugh out loud at how simple my life was then in comparison to now.  How could I not want that?

Let's also discuss how much my penmanship improved in about 2 years. If only my handwriting was that easy to read now! Blame it on the rush, rush, rush of life with little ones.

The other part of me was so embarrassed and also a bit turned off by how, as I put it, "shallow," my self-dialogue was.  I was pretty naive, and that's not always a good thing. I was very focused on petty things.  I had the vocabulary and the brains to describe it, but I was seriously lacking in maturity.  [See Erikson "Identity vs. Role Confusion" (Adolescence, ages 13-19)] Who wants that??

Reading various parts of this journal (and I couldn't bring myself to all of it--some of it was just too mortifying) reminded me that we're not all there yet, and we never will be--at least in this earthly life. 

If I could snatch my journals from college (which are much pithier, as I spent far more time on the phone or with friends, or yes, even studying than I did journaling), I would probably come away with similar sentiments -- "Wow, gurrrrl, you really didn't know very much, did you??"

Sometimes experience is painful, awkward, or confusing.  Sometimes, it's pure delight.  Or a mix of the two.  Or just somewhere in the middle. Whichever way it turns out, all I'm going to say is I'm thankful for the perspective that comes on the other side.

Next time you find yourself in a pickle, remember this: Your life just got a whole lot more interesting, because you were presented with a challenge you had to navigate, and you learned a whole lot of something about yourself and about life.  You've not arrived, but, you're getting closer. And stronger. And hopefully, wiser, my friend.  We don't always get it right the first time, but oh, how sweet it is when we do the next!



I want to get back into journaling.

Do you journal? If so, do you allow yourself to go back and read what you wrote, or is it a closed-book once it's written? How long have you journaled, and how does it help you?