F is for Flexibility

My Living Life Simple daily read today really hit home. Thought I would share it with everyone!


F: Flexibility is a good thing

Left to my own devices, I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of girl. If things don’t go exactly as planned, I’d rather they just didn’t go at all. Looks silly in black and white, doesn’t it?
Flexibility is a skill I’m pursuing, learning to hold my plans and my agenda more loosely in order to be open to what God has planned for me and my day. The desire of my heart is to want what he leads – and for that to happen, I must bend.

So, how flexible are you? Are you willing to let go of your plans, to try something new when things don’t go exactly as planned? Maybe like me, flexibility is something you’re asking God to teach you, something you’re in the process of learning as you pursue a simple life.
Flexibility is not something that comes naturally to me. But living simple requires flexibility. Life doesn’t always go as planned and being flexible is a much-needed skill.

Have you ever heard the saying, “If you don’t bend, you’ll break”? It’s so true, isn’t it? Without the flexibility required to adapt and change and try something new, we tend to break, to give up, to call it quits.

Reflection time :)

XOXO,
Miller

Ten on Wednesday!

1. For the first time in my children’s lives, they had to go to the doctor together for sick visits. It was really strange. Leila has been telling me her ear “huwrts” and Malakai got sent home from school with a headache and fever on Monday. Turns out that neither had anything too dramatic. Malakai a viral infection and Leila a very small ear infection. She said a lot of the pain could be coming from her 2 year molars that are coming in. Lets just say I am truly blessed that teething has NEVER effected her sleep. Half the time, I don’t even know she is teething!

2. I am very excited for J and I’s staycation in June. I will NOT let myself feel the least bit guilty for taking some vacation time from work the week my children are in KC. Okay, maybe a little but J and I need that quality time! We will be attending Cardinal games, testing local hotels, and spending time at the winery’s.

3. I never used to refer to Josh as “J” when typing his name. However, after so many years of Colleen doing it, it has rubbed off on me! Now I never type out “Josh” and I even find myself calling him J in person. I wonder if he thinks its weird?

4. Leila is a TOTALLY different child than Malakai. She is very cuddly, but she is ORNERY! Almost to the point where it is scary! I can’t quite explain it, she just has this orneriness about her. She is not bad, that’s not what I’m saying. When I say “Leila Jane” when she is doing something she shouldn’t be, she looks at me and says “Whaaaat Moooom?” with those big eyes and crooked smile! I just can’t figure out where she got this from. From talking to J’s mom, he was the “perfect” child. All his issues began in highschool…ha ha! I know I was not honery as a child, so we came to the conclusion that she got it from her Aunt Heather! We love you Heather! If she turns out to be the woman you have become, we will be extremely HAPPY!

5. To quote Colleen (she’s getting a lot of shout outs this week) “ I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE A KINDERGARTNER!!!!!!”

6. I haven’t picked up my camera in a couple weeks. Honestly, I need to charge the battery and the battery charger isn’t in the normal place and everytime I think about it, I don’t have time to look for it at that point.

7. I did make some really cute last minute teacher appreciation gifts that I need to post a pic of. Note to self: Do this this week!

8. I’m an email hoarder! I don’t delete ANY emails! Right now I have three email accounts that I use. Work email I have 945 which is pretty good!!! I try to clean those out once a month. I still don’t delete them, just move them to other folders. Yahoo I have 19,162 and my hotmail account has 11,988. Do I have a problem?

9. Leila has graduated from the elastic headband/bows that wrap all the way around the head to just bows in her ponytails or now, big girl headbands!! Why are these so hard to find? Even on Etsy, it seems the majority for sale are the skinny elastic circles that go under the hair all the way around the head. Does that make sense? Does anyone have any experience with these? Do they stay on? I did buy a couple of these which are REALLY cute. Just didn’t know if anyone else had some suggestions.

10. Check out these HIDEOUS shoes we got Malakai STRICTLY for summer camp. They aren’t here yet, so he doesn’t know about them, but he is going to be SOOOO excited. He is obsessed with these shoes! I think they are awful, but sometimes seeing that smile is worth it. Plus, J gets sketchers at cost, so I’m not out a whole lot of money!

XOXO,

Miller

Menu Plan Monday

So, I missed last week. Sorry about that! Basically everyone was fending for themselves in my house because I was fasting :) Just something I do! This is going to be a crazy week, filled with lots of baseball and hopefully NOT a lot of rain!

Monday: Baked Swiss Chicken (I'm trying a new recipe)

Steamed Veggies

Tuesday: Chili Dog Casserole

Fresh Fruit

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes (never got to these last week)

Tator Tots

Mac and Cheese

Thursday: Yummy Bean Burritos

Rice

Friday: CARDINALS GAME!!! This means Cotton Candy and Beer for dinner :)

Saturday: Tender Grilled Pork Chops

Grilled Asparagus

Mashed Potatoes

Sunday: Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Salad

Breadsticks

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!! I am linked at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

XOXO,

Miller

Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting!

Okay, so my title really has nothing to do with my post :)

Just wanted to say that Malakai and I were late for school/work this morning because we spent the entire morning glued to the television watching an infomercial on The Ninja! This thing is freaking amazing! I really shouldn't be allowed to watch infomercials! There are very few items I see that I don't want to purchase. However, I felt this one was blog worthy. Maybe because Malakai was so in to it as well! Every single thing this thing did we looked at each other and said "That's so cool" and high-fived. It truly was a bonding experience with my 5-year-old.

Does anyone have one of these? Do you like it? Would you buy it again? They compared it to the food-processor I currently have AND the silver bullet. They don't even compare to this thing!

The best thing? $59.95 with free shipping (I'm sure you can find it cheaper/this was just the commercial price)!!!!! Holy Cheapness!! I didn't buy it this morning...BUT I'm totally considering it. Maybe I'll give it to Malakai for his preschool graduation gift...hmmmm!

XOXO,

Miller

Ten On Tuesday

1. I desperately need new clothes! There was a time in my life when I would have never said this. But, it is true. Ever since my 44 day hiatus from shopping, I've completely stopped shopping for myself. I am bored with my work clothes and I am bored with my casual clothes. What is a girl to do?

2. At Malakai's end of school celebration, his class is putting on the Three Little Pig Opera. Apparently there are several "parts" in the play and he did not receive one of them. He probably never would have even told me about it, but I found out about the "parts" and asked him about them. All he said is that he wanted one, but didn't get picked. I would love to know how they went about picking these parts. Was it at random? Did they try-out? I would never be the type to call and say "Why didn't MY child get picked?" but I would like to know the process of picking 4 and 5 year olds for "parts" What would you do?

3. I came across The ABC's of Living Simply not too long ago and thought I would share. I ended up printing these out on 4X6 cardstock and hole-punching them and hooking them all together with yarn to keep in my car. They give a great message and have really helped me find my center when finding my center has been difficult :)



Here is an example if you don't feel like looking at the entire site....

"Having a good attitude makes living simply - or living at all - that much easier. When we choose to do something and have a good attitude in the process it's easier to persevere through any challenges that arise. Why do you want to live simply? Are you excited about the prospect of learning to say no, adding balance to your life, finding and preserving some empty space on your calendar? Choosing to live simply can be an exciting adventure or a journey you'd rather not take - it's all in your attitude. So as you get up each morning, take some time to think about your attitude for the day. Will it be good or bad? Will you choose to complain about what you don't have, or to be grateful for the gifts God has given you? Make up your mind as the day begins. The choice is up to you."

4. J is working on Mother's Day...Blah! I should be used to this, but every year I think, maybe this year will be different. I understand why he does, it just sucks.

5. Speaking of J, he is amazing! He was home with Leila all day today, and had Malakai half the day as well and managed to paint the kitchen, do major yard-work and still have both kids ready to go to baseball practice when I got home, in which he coaches! Love him!

6. I was totally bored with American Idol this week.

7. Glee definitely made up for what American Idol lacked!

8. I should really add some pics to this post, but I am way to lazy right now to get up and get my camera. It will have to wait till next time :)

9. I realize this is a totally boring TonT. I apologize for that. My mind is totally blank right now and all I can really think about is curling up in my bed and sleeping for days.

10. Anyone have any good books they have read lately? I am in
major need of some new reads. I like a variety, so suggest anything you love!!

XOXO,

Menu Plan Monday

Well, my dad was in town last week for French Dip Sandwich night and he said it was the BEST meal he had in a long time :) I think it still freaks him out a little to see the domestic side of me. It's kind of cute.

Monday: I got this recipe out of a "5 Ingredient" Cook book I had laying around....we will see how it turns out!

Upside Down Pizza Casserole -

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 (15 oz) can Italian-style tomato sauce

1.5 C shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 (10 oz) pkg refrigerated biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until brown; drain. Stir in tomato sauce; heat through. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Flatten each biscuit with your hand; arrange biscuits on top of cheese. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Yields 5 servings.

Tuesday:

Taco Salads

Wednesday: Cinco De Mayo

Seems that the Taco Salads should be tonight, but I have a work thingy so J is on his own. So in this case it means Hot Dogs on the grill, Mac & Cheese, and Fresh Fruit.

I'm sure J and I will share some Margaritas when I get home :)

Thursday:

Sausage and Rice with Biscuits

I don't even know where this recipe came from, but it has been made in my family for years and my kids LOVE it!!

2 boxes Uncle Ben's Chicken Flavor Rice

1lb ground sausage (we like it a little spicy)

1 can biscuits

Brown Sausage/drain

Cook Rice as Directed on the box

Mix Sausage and Rice together

Serve in a bowl with biscuits on the side

That's all there is to it! I'm telling you, its AMAZING!!!

Friday: Eat Out/Family Night

Saturday:

Chicken Fettuccine/Salad/Garlic Bread

I realize this has been on the menu for a few weeks now and I have never gotten to it....hmmm, hopefully this week.

Sunday:

Kid Friendly Orange Chicken

I hope everyone has a great week!!! I am linked at I'm an Organizing Junkie!!

XOXO,

Ten on Tuesday

1. We had a fabulous weekend in KC! The only thing that kept it just short of perfect the fact that Josh wasn't able to join us.

2. The kids and I had a great breakfast with Kari, Allison, and baby Drake (who by the ways is freakin adorable!). I wish it could have lasted many more hours, because the three of us could talk and catch up for days! It amazes me that here we are, entering our thirties, married, kids, and we still have the connection with each other that we did 15 years ago. Life keeps us busy and we can go months without talking, but its a friendship that picks up right where we left it at, because of that, it is truly valued.

3. Malakai and Leila spent ALL DAY Saturday with Mama and Papa Miller. The had an absolute blast! I know I've said this before, but my children are truly blessed with wonderful grandparents. I love that all I have to do is even mention any of their names and their little faces just light up. Thanks Mama and Papa for the great day!

4. The purpose of this trip to KC was to see my little sister Kiera participate in the musical Cinderella. She is definitely a S.T.A.R.! I am so proud of her!! She totally rocked it and I look forward to watching her in many more throughout the years.

5. Recently, Colleen posted a blog which you can see by going here. As a mother, I knew exactly how she felt while writing this blog and her friend Claire gave some amazing advice! I LOVE Claire line of advice! "My RESPONSE is MY RESPONSIBILITY" What a great line to live by! This leads me to number 6...

6. Malakai tested me tonight for the first time in a REALLY long time! Not to go into long, boring, details, but it went a little like this. Josh coaches his baseball team and it was my night to be in charge of snacks. As I was handing them out to all 15 kids while lined up patiently, Malakai realizes the snack is Scooby Snacks. At this point he starts screaming and crying that he HATES Scooby Snacks....IN...MY...FACE! I immediately thought....My response, is my responsibility. We all know, initially, I wanted to drop what I was doing and drag his skinny, little bottom to the car, and from there....use your imagination. Instead, I looked him in the eye, told him I suggest he just stop talking before he digs himself a deeper hole and remove himself from my presence. I ended up dealing with the outburst later when I didn't have 10 other kids still waiting for their snack. I was totally humiliated by his behavior!! OMG! I'm sure you have all experienced this (or not if you have a perfect child) and you just want to crawl under a rock!

7. I WON!! I won a blog giveaway over on Kate's blog!! How cool is that?! I never win anything!! The prize is a $25 gift certificate to Build-A-Bear!! I am SO excited!! Thank you Kate!

8. Josh painted while I was in KC! This is the kind of painting I love! I leave, the walls are white, I return and they are a beautiful Allspice. It's like the painting fairy came :) We still have several rooms to do, but it is a start!

9. One of my Best Friends, Autumn is going to be my neighbor!!!! Hopefully....I hope I'm not jinxing anything. Her and her husband have a contract on a house just one street over from us! How exciting is that?! So cool!!!!!

10. Every time I watch Glee, I cry. I can't help it! I'm a total sucker for that kind of stuff. It just makes me think that in my next life I am going to be a star on Broadway....

XOXO,