Being a Content and Happy Stay at Home Mom

I recently read an article from Christianity Today's website titled, Why Stay-at-Home Moms Are More Depressed Than Working Moms.  The article talked about how, generally, stay at home moms (SAHM) tend to have more negative emotions than moms who work outside the home and the reasons why.  I wouldn't say I agree with that completely.  I have friends who are moms and work full-time outside of the home and I know that they have ALOT of stress and things on their plate as well.  However, from the perspective of a stay at home mom, which I have chosen to be, the article did resonate with me.  I can relate to the depression that can easily creep in from the hardships that SAHMs face.

Being a stay at home mom is great.  You get to spend so much time with your child(ren), you know that the care they are getting is loving and the best quality they could have, you are their main teacher, you get to set your own schedule and balancing house-management and time with your family is easier.  Most importantly though, you get to invest full-time into a precious little person.  And not just any little person, but your little person.  It is so fulfilling and one of the most important jobs you could ever have. 

That being said,  SAHMs also face some unique struggles.  We are under appreciated by society.  Instead of having admiration for moms who choose to stay home and raise their children, there is often a false, negative notion that they sit around all day and don't really do much.  Also, our present culture simply does not put much value on a woman's role in the home.  SAHMs can also struggle with the monotony of the day-in, day-out routine of taking care of your house and kids.  Cleaning, changing diapers, wiping food off the kitchen floor, picking up the same toys...  It is true, there is not much variety in the weekly life of a SAHM.   Isolation and loneliness can also be a struggle for  stay at moms.  We are with our kid(s) all day long and it is not unusual to have no adult interaction all day until your spouse comes home from work.  On top of that, having young children especially can make it harder to go out places or get together with friends in the evenings.

Like so many others, I am not immune to the negative emotions being a SAHM can bring.  I've experienced feelings of depression, loneliness, and boredom with the seemingly mundane.  However, I can honestly say that I love being home with my son full-time and being a homemaker.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  In general, I am a very happy stay at home mom.  So, I wanted to share a few tips of things that I do to keep myself having a positive attitude and enjoying what I do. 

1.  Have a cleaning/house maintenance schedule.  If you are anything like me, when my house is a mess and things are chaotic around me I feel stressed.  Whereas, if my environment is clean and fairly organized I am much more relaxed and content.  I have found that keeping up with a daily schedule of chores I need to do to keep my house functioning smoothly really helps.  I don't spend hours cleaning every day, but I do have certain small things I do each day along with one specific cleaning task assigned to a different week day.  For example, every day, I keep the sink clear of dishes, pick-up around the house, etc.  Example of weekly chores would be:  Tuesdays I vacuum the house.  Wednesdays I clean the bathrooms, etc.  By doing it this way and just staying on top of things I have found that my house stays clean and I don't ever feel overwhelmed and like I have to clean everything all at once.  Maybe I'll post my entire cleaning schedule on here one day soon.  I know that, especially in the beginning when I was trying to come up with a good house maintenance routine, I found it helpful to look at other people's schedules. 

2.  Set daily goals.  Write down some things you want to get done during your day.  That way you don't wake up and think "well, what am I going to do today?" or end up wasting your day away.  Having an idea of what you want to accomplish that day gives you a sense of purpose.  For example, today I wanted to vacuum the house (because I didn't get to it last week), go to the grocery store, write this blog post, and read a chapter in the book I am currently reading.  I don't try to plan a ton of things to do, because my main focus is to take care of my son.  Also, I try to be flexible.  If it's a day that my baby is just requiring more attention than usual for one reason or another, I don't stress about trying to get everything else done. 

3.  Get dressed.  Now, let's be realistic.  I shoot for being dressed and fully ready by 11:00ish. Ha!  It does help you to feel more motivated to get things done and you just feel better when you are dressed and even have make-up on. 

4.  Get out of the house.  Even if it's just to go on a short walk, there is something about leaving your house, getting some fresh air, and having a change of environment for a bit that does wonders for your mood.  I am not of the camp that thinks you need to go somewhere everyday.  I certainly don't.  I am a homebody and often times I won't even realize how much I need to get out of the house until I do.  We live in a very small town, so our options on places to go are really limited, but I do try to get out with my son a few times a week.  Whether it's to go to the grocery store, the park, or a walk around the  neighborhood.  I think it does both of us good.

5.   Connect with people.  This can be a hard one for a SAHM.  The idea of having play dates all the time and mommy and me groups to go to sounds awesome, but, at least in my experience, these are harder to come by than you might think.  Like I said earlier, we do live in a small town and I am not aware of any organized mom groups close to us.  I have found that it's important for me to be intentional and pro-active to arrange a play date with a friend.  Calling friends who live far away is also a great way to stay connected with people.  And you don't even have to leave your house to do it.  Another great way to connect with people is through church.  Don't just go to the main worship service, but get involved in a small group or Sunday School class.  It's a great way to connect with others! 

6.  When you do have time for yourself (no matter how minimal) spend it doing something "productively fun".  What I mean by this is, instead of spending your precious down time on Facebook or random internet surfing, do something that is going to help you feel refreshed afterwards.  I enjoy spending time on the internet, but I find that if I just do that during my down time, my "me moments" don't feel as rewarding as the times I pick up a good book and read just a little bit, or write a blog post, or even paint my nails.  These activities are still recharging, relaxing and fun for me, but I feel more fulfilled and rewarded by the end of my precious time for actually having spent time on hobbies I enjoy or just pampering myself a little as opposed to if I just sat on the couch and looked at Facebook for 30 minutes.  That's not to say I never do that, because there are plenty of times when I do! :)

Those are just a few things I thought of that help me to stay positive and happy as a SAHM.

What are some things you do/did to help you beat feelings of depression and loneliness as a stay at home mom?

Cookie Recipe and a Meal Plan

Why is it that a good majority of my blog posts seem to be about food?  Hmm... Well, keeping with the theme, here is yet another food related post! 

I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday and decided to give them a try since they looked so simple to make.  They are delicious!  The texture is very soft and muffin-like.  I may be sneaking them to eat for breakfast. ;-)  They are also chocked full of pumpkin, making them a fairly healthy treat.  Even my husband, who is not crazy about pumpkin, liked them!  I thought I'd share the recipe here with you.

Ingredients:

1 box spice cake mix

1 bag chocolate chips (I used a little over half a bag)

1 egg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have that, so I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp all spice)

15 oz. pumpkin puree

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ingredients together.  Place spoonfuls of cookie dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.

*Yields 3 dozen cookies

 

So easy!  

I baked half of the cookie dough and the other half I froze for the next time we get a craving for something sweet.  To freeze the dough I placed spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet (I did my best to roll them into little balls, but the dough was really sticky), then put them in the freezer until they were hard.  After that, I put the individual frozen cookie dough balls into zip-lock bags and stuck them back in the freezer for later. 

While we're on the subject of food, here is our menu plan for this week.  I always like to see what others are making for dinner.  The internet is a great way to be able to share new recipes, ideas and inspiration with each other.  

On our table this week:

Monday:  Grilled Chicken Tacos w/ black beans (toppings included shredded cheese, tomatoes, avocado and sour cream)

Tuesday:  Jambalaya w/Ham and salad (I have half a ham leftover from Christmas that I am trying to use up)

Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday:  Baked Macaroni and Cheese, steamed broccoli and biscuits

Friday:  Homemade Pizza (probably pepperoni and veggie)

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday:  Not quite sure yet.  Probably something simple or leftovers.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll leave you with some photos of my little guy getting his snack on.  :) 

 

First Experience Batch Cooking Baby Food

Braxton has been eating some solid foods for a month and half now.  I have been making his baby food myself using fresh or frozen fruits and veggies since day one.  What I've been doing is making about a week's worth of baby food at the beginning of each week.  Since he has only been eating one kind of fruit or vegetable over the course of several days as I introduce new foods to him, the preparation process has been quick and I have only made a little at a time.  Now that he has tried a variety of foods,  I have been wanting to try making his baby food in larger batches.  That way I only have to make his food once or twice a month and I can freeze it and take out the amount I need for each meal.  In looking at different websites online I found one called Once a Month Mom.  This site has some great seasonal baby menus, each with a grocery list and instructions on how to prepare a month's worth of baby food.  How convenient is that?! :)

I used one that is specifically for 6-8 month olds.  Since it was my first time batch cooking baby food and Brax only eats 2 solid meals a day right now I decided to 1/2 the amount of fruits and veggies the menu called for and see how long it will last us.

The instructions I followed highly recommended to peel and chop up all your fruits and veggies the night before you plan on making everything.  I ended up peeling, chopping, cooking and processing all in the same day.  It wasn't bad, but it did end up adding about an hour and half to the whole process.  Next time, I will do my best to get all the prepping done the day before.  

I started with washing, peeling, and chopping up all the fruits and veggies I was going to use.  While the sweet potatoes baked in the oven, I would steam and/or boil another fruit or veggie.  As each item was ready, I used my Ninja processor to puree the food.  Then I transferred the pureed baby food into ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer.  Each cube holds about 2 oz.

The entire process from start to finish took me about six hours.  I know that sounds like a long time, but doing the prep work of peeling and chopping the day before will shave off a chunk of time.  This was my first experience and I know the more I do it, the more efficient I will become and the less time it'll take me.  You do have to set aside a few hours, but I think it is going to be worth it to schedule a day each month to prepare my own baby food. 

I ended up with 7 full ice cube trays (one is not pictured).  Here is what I made.

• carrots
• carrots, sweet potato and cauliflower
• mashed potato and peas
• sweet potatoes
• apples
• pears
• banana avacado (*not pictured)

Here is the cost break down of what I spent.

2.5 lbs of sweet potatoes ($2.15)
3 lbs of carrots ($.78)
1 avocado ($1.24)
2.5 lbs of apples ($2.35)
1 russet potato ($.59)
2.27 lbs of pears ($3.34)
1 head of cauliflower ((2.78)
1/4 bag of frozen peas (I already had it in the freezer)
1banana (already had on hand)
Total = $13.23

All of that made 112 cubes of food.  That's  224 ounces.  I should have enough to last through most of October.  I'll have to see though.  So, I think that is pretty good! 

Why I Decided To Go The Route Of Homemade Baby Food
Before I started introducing Braxton to solid foods I already knew I wanted to make my own baby food as opposed to buying it in a jar from the store.  My main reasons for wanting to do this are:
       
          1. I enjoy it.  This is probably the biggest reason.  Cooking is something I like to do.  It's a way for me to be creative and it makes me feel productive.  Trust me,  I don't think I would spend time making homemade baby food if I didn't have fun doing it.  

          2.  It is cost effective.  Those little jars of squash and carrots can quickly add up on your grocery bill.  I recently read that the average baby can consume up to 600 jars of baby food a year, which can cost up to $600.  By making your own baby food, on average, you can save up to 75% of that.  That's $450 a year you could save! 

          3.  It is pretty simple to do.  Once I started reading and watch videos on how to make your own baby food, I was surprised by how easy it looked.  And after doing it, I can confirm that it is not hard at all. All you need to do is prepare the vegetable or fruit, cook it, and puree it in a blender or food processor (adding a little liquid helps).  That's it!

          4.  I know exactly what's in it.  This one is self-explanatory. 

          5.  It tastes better.  I always taste what Braxton is going to eat because I want to know.  I fed him some jar food a couple of times when we were traveling and he didn't care for it at all.  After tasting it I can't say that I blame him.  Compared to homemade food, the jar food tasted gross.  Some were better than others, but still no comparison.

The first month of my baby food making journey has been a success and I'm hoping it continues to be!  Do you like to make your own baby food?  Would you ever consider it?  Happy Fall everybody! 

End of Summer Family Update

In the French Quarter of New Orleans

The summer is coming to an end and we are right on the brink of fall!  I am so ready for some cooler days!  Before we say goodbye to summer though, I wanted to give an update on what we've been up to the last few months.   We kick-started the season back in May with our one year mark since we moved to Springhill.  It's taking time but, after a year of living here, we are feeling more established in our home, our church and our town.  We have surely been blessed with a nice house, a loving church family, financial provision, and much more.  The summer days have included attending the local rodeo, celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks and friends, and enjoying spending time together as a family.  We have had a lot of fun taking various trips this summer.  In June, Zach went with the youth at our church to summer camp in Florida while Braxton and I were able to go spend that week with my parents in Ohio.  It was Brax's first airplane ride and I was a bit nervous about flying with him by myself but he did great!  In July we went on a week long missions trip to New Orleans and then turned around the following week to take some of the youth to a waterpark in Galveston, Texas.  Needless to say, we have been on the move and traveling quite a bit.  I love road trips and going places but it was nice to have a more laid back month in August.

Last week, Zach and I went to a conference in Dallas for a couple days.  The conference was specifically geared towards youth pastors and their wives.  It was a great time of worship with excellent teaching from men like Matt Chandler and Afshin Ziafat.  Our hearts and minds were refreshed and encouraged in the Lord.  We stayed with my aunt and uncle while in Dallas.  Even though we didn't get to spend that much time together while there, since all of our schedules were busy, it was nice to get to spend the time that we were able to with them.  My aunt, who does photography on the side, was also able to squeeze in a photo shoot of Braxton. :)  She did a fabulous job! 
  

I started working back as a pharmacy clerk again.  I am only working on Fridays and Zach is able to stay home with Braxton since he has Fridays off.  I enjoy it as I really like the people I work with.  It gives me a break from being home with a baby all the time and provides some adult interaction and variation to my week.  I do miss my sweet boy when I'm gone though and am eager to see him at the end of the day.  It makes me so thankful that I am able to stay at home with him full-time.  I have also started singing on our church praise team on Sundays.  Singing and helping to lead others in worship is something I enjoy doing and feel this is a way God has led me to serve in the local church. 

Braxton is just about 7 months old now and is very alert and active.  He is sitting up on his own, grabbing at everything he sees, and is on the verge of crawling.  He has just recently learned how to push up on his hands and knees.  Pretty soon he'll be putting some forward movement to that action!  He also recently cut his first tooth!  He is eating about 7 oz of formula at each feeding and about 3-4 oz a day of solid, real people food.  His favorites so far are peaches, banana and avocado mixed together, and sweet potatoes.  He is a good little eater!

Something we have been doing a couple times a week since Braxton was born is having family devotions together.  This past month we have really sought to establish this as a priority and make it a daily habit in our home.  We know that it is vital to our child(ren)'s spiritual growth for them to learn at an early age the importance of spending time in the Word and prayer regularly.  We also want our kids to see mom and dad treasuring God's Word.  We are still working on being consistent in doing this together every day, but the habit is developing.  Even though Braxton is still really young and doesn't really understand what's going on, he will one day soon and it has been a good practice for Zach and I.  It is one that we plan to continue doing as he (and any future children we may have) grow.  Currently, we are reading from The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski and saying prayers together before Braxton goes to bed.  If you're looking for a good devotional/story Bible that's good for adults and children I would definitely recommend this book.  It is set up to where it takes you through the whole Bible in narrative story form and there are a few simple questions to ask your kids at the end of each story.  It has colorful pages and illustrations as well.  My favorite thing about this book is how the end of each story points to how Christ is revealed through it.  Highly recommend it!

Hope you enjoyed that little sneak peak into what's been going on and thanks for reading!

Little Yard Sale Haul

Hey all! I have just a quick post today on a few yard sale finds.  My neighbor and friend had a yard sale this morning so I popped on over there to see if I could find any good deals.  I bought nothing practical (haha) but I did get a few things for me to enjoy.  Since I rarely go shopping for myself, it was a treat to pick these up.  :-) 

I found:

- a nice/casual, mint green Gap tee ($1.00)
- a coffee themed tote ($1.00 - I thought it was so cute the moment I saw it and for only a buck I had  to have it)
- a pretty ceramic travel mug (free - gift from my neighbor)
- 2 movies ( 50 cents each)
- Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Spanish on Your Own (50 cents)  (Zach will use this more than me I'm sure.  He likes to talk to the servers in Spanish when we go out to eat Mexican, ha!) 

Total for everything was $3.50!  That's my kind of shopping spree!

Our Second Anniversary

 

Zach and I  met in late summer of 2009 through a mutual friend of ours.  Our initial meeting was nice but there were definitely no sparks flying.  In fact, the first time we met we were hanging out with our friend who introduced us and Zach was so unenthralled he fell asleep on my living room chair!  To be fair though, the conversation was mostly our friend and I talking about old times and people he didn't know.  At that time neither one of us would have ever imagined that a year from then we would be just a couple weeks away from becoming husband and wife!

After that first initial meeting we only saw each other a couple times over the following months.  Even so, within those few times of seeing each other, we each began to develop a little bit of interest in the other.  We ended up having our first date in January of 2010 and spent the rest of that month intentionally getting to know each other to see if there was something there.  By February we both knew we wanted to pursue a relationship.  Well, it was all a whirlwind from there!  March found us completely in love and an engagement followed in April.  Our wedding day was a gorgeous early September day that same year and it was one of the best days of our lives.

Tomorrow, September 4, we will celebrate 2  years of marriage.  While still newlyweds in a lot of ways, our love and commitment to one another has only grown stronger.  These past two years has brought us a big move to a new state, our first experience as a married couple serving in full-time ministry, and the addition of a beautiful baby boy. 

I am so blessed to be on this life journey with my very best friend and can't wait to share many more years together!  Happy Anniversary babe!

What's For Dinner?

Last week at our regular Wednesday night youth service I was able to teach our youth a little about the purpose of biblical missions and to share some about my post-college experience as a 2 year missionary overseas.  I always love it when I get the chance to talk about North Africa and my reflections last week left me hungry for some good North African cuisine.  So, naturally, when I sat down to plan out our meals for this week I had to include something with a Moroccan flair!  I've made Vegetable Tagine before, but this time I wanted to try making something different. 

I've had a Pinterest account for a while but have rarely used it much until recently.  I guess you could say I've been a late bloomer jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon.  Lately, I've been loving it though and have found some awesome recipes! Several of the meals I'm making this week and next are recipes I found through Pinterest.  One recipe I found on my sister-in-law's pin board was for Moroccan Stir Fry.  I don't think they actually make stir fry in Morocco (at least not the way Americans know it), but two of my favorite things, Morocco and stir fry, seemed like a winning combination!

Doesn't this look delicious?

My Menu Plan for the Week
I have several chicken breasts in the freezer that I want to cook, so most of our meals this week inlude chicken.

Monday:  Chicken Tacos with black beans and spanish rice

Tuesday: Moroccan Stir Fry served over rice or noodles

Wednesday: We are going out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings with friends from church and then to
                     see 4th of July fireworks.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza (Veggie or Buffalo Chicken) with salad

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Leftovers or something easy

I'll be having some fun in the kitchen this week with my little helper.  I hope you have a great Fourth of July week filled with laughter, good food, and good friends!