Garlic and Herb Zucchini Noodles

I'm 50% Italian and 100% pasta lover. I would eat pasta for every meal if I could, but for obvious reasons, that wouldn't be the healthiest choice. In a quest to reshape my lifestyle and become healthier, I searched through hundreds of pins on hundreds of health themed Pinterest boards. I came across the idea of Zucchini Noodles and decided to make it my own.

Garlic and Herb Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:

3 Medium Zucchini

2 Garlic and Herb Saute Expressions squares

1. Wash zucchini
2. Cut the bottom off of the zucchini, leaving the stem attached so you have something to hold onto while you peel the zucchini (they can get slippery, safety first)
3. Use a wide blade peeler, such as the orange one in this set
4. Peel all three zucchini as much as you can

5. Place the strips into a saute pan and set the burner to medium heat

 6. Add two Garlic and Herb Saute Expressions squares and stir occasionally

7. Cook until zucchini strips are soft like noodles - about 8 minutes or so

8. Enjoy! (I like eating this with grilled chicken)

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.

Becoming the Example I Want To Be

Some people think changing when you get married or have a baby is a bad thing, but I don't. I love that I've traded late nights drinking cheap beer in crappy bars for staying in, wearing pajamas, eating frozen pizza and drinking sweet red wine with my husband. I love that I've traded a full-time job and a nice salary for t-shirts dawning spit-up, doing chores and making priceless memories with my son. I think getting married and the birth of my son have helped me shape who I want to be and I'm okay with the person I'm changing into, but that doesn't come without noticing some of my own bad habits. 

Not all habits and behaviors stem from our upbringing, but I do think part of who we become stems from what we see. I don't have the best health habits, and not that I'm blaming my parents for my disregard of exercise most days {everyday}, but I think had my parents' health habits been different when I was growing up, then maybe mine would be too. With that in mind, having a child has made me want to be the best version of myself and set a good example for him. Here is just a small glimpse into the gamut of flaws I see within myself that I will continuously strive to improve upon, while remembering not to be too hard on myself because I am an imperfect and sinful human.

Health: 

I hope to eat healthy and make smart food choices

I hope to demonstrate portion control

I hope to teach safety and self control

Hygiene:

I hope to make timely and routine doctor appointments

I hope to teach proper hygiene routines

Fitness:

 I hope to exercise at least 3 times a week

I hope to teach the importance of exercise

Faith:

I hope to educate my son on the importance of faith in God

Prayer:

I hope to show him how to pray and why it's a necessity in life

Discipleship:

I hope to demonstrate discipleship through talking freely and openly about my faith and sharing the gospel with those around me

Love:

I hope to show my son what love looks like through the way I care for him, my husband, my family, my friends, and others around me

Generosity:

I hope to demonstrate generosity through serving others and volunteering

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.

Serving God Through Serving My Family

Sadly, one of the major reasons I was first excited to become a stay-at-home-mom was so that I could have me time. I thought that while my son slept I could blog, paint my nails, shop online, spend time of Facebook, catch up on my favorite shows and watch movies, but the last few weeks I've noticed myself getting frustrated when my son won't nap because sometimes it monopolizes my "me time" and the time I get to connect with my husband at the end of the day. In frustration and exhaustion, I took to the stay-at-home-mom discussion board on BabyCenter. I wrote a post asking for advice on generating good family balance and got a response that unintentionally put me in my place. A woman responded to my plea for guidance by explaining her schedule and that she uses two of her child's naps a week to do things for herself. WHAT!? Only two naps a week? Then it hit me. I'm not a stay-at-home-mom so that I can blog, paint my nails, shop online, spend time of Facebook, catch up on my favorite shows and watch movies. I'm a stay-at-home-mom so that I can serve God and my family by raising my son and taking care of our home and affairs. This was a total game changer. 

I then started thinking about all of the days since I became a stay-at-home-mom when I had felt unaccomplished, times when dishes had gone unwashed or my son had gone without tummy time or a bath in days, and realized that I was the reason I wasn't getting things done. I was trying to take too much time for myself. 

Please don't misunderstand me though, I do know that it's important as a parent to take time for yourself and it is very important to try to nap at least once a day while your child naps, but I found myself rushing through feedings, burping, and play time so that I could lay my son down for his nap so I could watch The Price is Right or look at the new clothes on Target's website. That wasn't the type of mom I wanted to become, and thankfully, the solution was easy to see. I decided that I would make my daily goals, which were very attainable, happen. I would use one of my sons naps a day to also lay down an take a nap, but I would put chores and my son first, and if I had a nap available after my daily goals had been met, then I would turn on a show or shop online. 

Since directing my attention away from myself and toward God and serving Him and my family, I feel so much happier and more fulfilled. I find myself enjoying the little moments with my son, feeling accomplished and relieved that I got chores done, and less stressed and angered at my husband (who wasn't doing anything wrong by the way). This also made me think and reflect upon a recent sermon at my church about the vocation of family. The whole sermon is awesome, but if you're trying to find the part that discusses how we serve God through taking care of our children, it's at about 14:30.

"Luther used to say that when a mother changes the dirty diapers of her infant child, she is at the same 

time serving God." - Pastor Teike

I hope to think about the words of this sermon as I change my son's diapers and as I take more time to enjoy as many moments with him as I possibly can. I also plan to continue directing my attention more onto serving God by working hard for my family.

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.