Meals for the Week

We are back and I am looking forward to getting back in more of a normal routine. I think we are all ready to eat at home for a while. When we traveled, we ate breakfast at our house and made a picnic lunch to take with us for the day, but we usually ate dinner out. We are all ready to be at home and to eat in our own space as a family once again.

I had the menu planned, but then this morning I woke up to a yucky tummy bug. I have been in bed all day. Thankfully, Steve has stepped in and not only fed the kids, but has also worked from home, done the laundry, schooled the kids and entertained them so I could sleep. That is exactly what I have done. I think I have only been awake for around 4 hours today. I am feeling a bit better now and thinking of getting a shower. We'll see how I sleep tonight after all the sleep today. Hubby said I could work on the Ireland post if I couldn't sleep. You never know.

Monday - Grilled cheese (daddy made these for the kids tonight)
Tuesday - Meatloaf, baked potatoes, bread, veg (I haven't made meatloaf since we have lived in England because I don't like British beef. I thought I would try now since we use Scottish beef. Plus, one of my kids was requesting it.)
Wednesday - Tacos, Mexican Rice
Thursday - Pesto Chicken pasta or Chicken BBQ's
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Grilled steak and hot dogs for the kids
Sunday - Nachos

Practicing the Presence

I have been reading The Practice of the Presence of God with Spiritual Maxims by Brother Lawrence. Wow, what a book. Brother Lawrence was a seventeenth-century French monk who practiced being in the presence of God all the time, no matter what he did. His job at the monastery was doing the dishes. In his book, he talks about how he experienced God's presence during his time of doing dishes as he did in prayer.

"The time of business," he said, "does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."

Wow! I am only a little way through it because I am trying to take my time to take it all in. I can so relate to the "clatter of my kitchen" and the "several persons calling out." Isn't that the life of a mom?

I have always struggled to live in God's presence with all the noise, duties, children and excitement going on around me. My hearts desire is like that of Brother Lawrences of walking continually in God's presence. It is hard. I get distracted. I am now realizing why Brother Lawrence calls it the PRACTICE of the presence. It takes practice. My making Jesus my focus entirely each day won't happen perfectly every day. I need to practice doing it...moment by moment. I love this quote of his.

"That in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must first apply to Him with some diligence; but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty."

How I desire for His love to excite me to worship and adore him continually. I just get hung up by all the distractions. This book is definitely making me think and work on practicing God's presence. I am human and I will fail, but I will also grow as I seek His face in all that I do. My prayer is that not only do I grow, but that my children grow (to know God more) as they see a momma who seeks to know and honor God in all that she does, whether that be wiping dishes, bottoms, floors, noses, or tables.

On a practical side, how do you practice God's presence while life is bustling around you? Please comment. We could all use fresh ideas. I'll also try to remember to post other thoughts as I read through this book. If you don't have it yet, it is definitely worth picking up.

Meals for the Week

Short week for us in the meal department, since we leave for Ireland on Saturday for a week. We are all looking forward to getting away and seeing the south of Ireland.

Tuesday - Chicken Stovetop Casserole, corn and salad
Wednesday - Chickpea Curry (this one is from my new cookbook), ummm...I should get some Naan bread
Thursday - Lime Chicken Tacos and fruit
Friday - Frozen pizza (since we are leaving early Sat. morning, we will be busy packing and loading the van)

Hope you all enjoy the nice springtime. I'll be back in two weeks with another menu.

New Cookbook

On Saturday, we made our way to Costco to stock up. We always enjoy the time browsing through the store to see if we can find anything we can't live without. Saturday, we were getting in line and hubby asked if we wanted to look at the books. I had completely missed and forgot about the books. I love reading and love books. I can spend quite a bit of time just rummaging through the piles and piles of books. I usually come home with new books for the kids. But this week, I found a Williams-Sonoma Cookbook. It is called Family Meals - Creating Traditions in the Kitchen and it was only 9 pounds. I don't think that is bad at all. After all, it is $32 on Williams-Sonoma website. I took a quick peak through and decided it was well worth it. I threw it in the cart.

Another thing I love about this cookbook is that it is from America, so all the recipes are in American measurements. This way I can actually make them and not have to guess on the conversions.

I looked through it the entire one and a half hour car ride home from Costco. I found many recipes I would like to try. Even my oldest was looking through it yesterday and he kept saying, "yum, this looks good" and "mom, we should make this." I had him mark some pages that looked yummy. Now we just have to pick a few to try first and head to the store. I love it when I find something that helps me a bit in the kitchen. I have a feeling this will be one well-used cookbook in our household.

Egg Sun Catchers

I wanted some easy, fun Easter craft for the kids to do and I found this one for Easter Egg Sun Catchers from the Crafty Crow. Yesterday after naps, we tried it out. The kids all loved doing it and it kept them busy for a while. Even the little ones worked hard and did a great job. I am delighted at the beautiful eggs on our family room windows. The pictures don't do the eggs justice.

Meals for the Week

I totally forgot to post this yesterday. We are really looking forward to daddy being home both Friday and Monday for Easter. We are hoping to do some cooking out and maybe a picnic or two if the weather permits.

Monday - Tacos with brownies for dessert
Tuesday - Swiss Chicken, noodles and veg
Wednesday - Belgium Waffles with strawberries and cream
Thursday - Possibly Chicken Enchiladas or pizza delivery
Friday - Chicken BBQ's or Sloppy Joes with fries
Saturday - Grilled Ribeye (from Costco this past weekend) and potatoes
Sunday - Nachos or Taco salad (I have leftover meat from last night)