SMOOTHIES!!!!

I haven't updated in a while because I've had too many things I want to talk about, but not enough time to figure out what to tackle first! LOL However, today, I could no longer stay silent while I was sipping on this:

I know, it doesn't look like it is so special, but this thing made my day! I haven't even had any coffee today and I'm still happy and awake!

So, let me tell you about my "green" smoothie (or "thickie"). Here is what it looked like before I blended it up:

Ingredients listed from the bottom up (I really didn't measure anything, I just eye-balled it:

4-6 oz. water

2 pitted dates (no sugar added)

1/2 banana

2 small-med. cored apples (I used 1 red delicious & 1 golden delicious)

1 kiwi

1/2-3/4 cup frozen berries (mine had blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, & raspberries

1-1.5 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup spring salad greens

1/2-3/4 cup crushed ice

1/4 cup coconut (I accidentally got the bag from the baking aisle that was sweetened and since I'm trying to avoid extra sugar, I just rinsed it before adding it)

To make it a thickie: 1/2-3/4 cup oatmeal

What set it all off: a pinch of grated fresh ginger root 

O.M.G.!!!

Okay, I realize that I am super-extra excited about drinking a bunch of blended fruit, spinach and oatmeal, but when you're dreading a self-prescribed days-long fast of consuming only these things, it's refreshing to find something that makes you say "Mmmmmm!" :-) Today's smoothie did that for me. 

Yesterday was my first day and I also did 2 batches of smoothies. The first one was excellent, but I put half an orange in it and did not realize until I was drinking the rest of the pitcher for lunch, that if you make a smoothie with citrus fruit, DO NOT LET IT SIT FOR 30 MINUTES OR MORE!! I had poured what was left from the pitcher into a glass and refrigerated it, thinking I would come back later to enjoy the great tastes I had created before, but it was SO BITTER! You know how when you were a kid and you knew you shouldn't eat the orange peel because everyone had told you not to? Did you try to taste it just one time anyway? I mean, it's such a beautiful color and it tears easily, so you know you can bite it. Well, if you're one of those kids who tried it, you know what my leftover-from-breakfast lunch smoothie tasted like.  :-/ Oh well, lesson learned. I still tried to doctor it up and I did finish it b/c I didn't want to waste all of that stuff. I will definitely put oranges and/or lemons/lemon juice in my smoothies in the future, but I will only do it if I'm making a small batch, or if I have enough people to share it with. :-) 

Well, that's my two cents added to the green smoothie movement. I will definitely add more info, because I think this is something everyone should try. I'm looking forward to having more energy, fitting back into my jeans :-), and developing a greater appreciation for fresh fruits and veggies.

Cheers!

Catching Up

I have about three posts saved as drafts since the last time I posted, but I'm still not ready to finish them. Sorry! Busy, busy, busy! I just had to post today because I was looking at my Mother's Day gifts and I was feeling so thankful. My kids all made heartfelt gifts for me and they just mean so much. How nice that they think so highly of me that they want to create beautiful things by their own hands for me to cherish. I am so blessed. Also, my husband (who I told not to get me anything) got me a beautiful new outfit that I was able to wear to church yesterday and the card he picked out was so sweet. I remember when we were dating and he always seemed to feel a little awkward about giving me cards because he wasn't very good at expressing his emotions so he would get so embarrassed when I would start to well up and want to hug & kiss him. Now, he writes beautiful messages full of emotion and I always know they are straight from his heart.
Even though I had a great Mother's Day, right before I went to bed, I was feeling so low. I was asking God how I could possibly change who I am. How can I go from seeming to always make the wrong choices to making smart choices and having an organized, fulfilled life. I just wanted to go back and rewind my life so I could fix things. I know it is impossible, but I just couldn't see my way past... well, my past. As I was talking with God and asking how I could possibly change, He brought this verse to my mind, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13 NKJV) My initial reaction was, "I know, but this is so hard!" Of course I was just whining, so He repeated it, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!" I got it that time. All things means ALL THINGS! No matter how big your problems seem, even when you feel like you are drowning, you CAN pick yourself up and try again. You may be behind on your bills, behind in school, behind in work, suffering from a broken heart, estranged from your family - whatever the case may be, you CAN go on. Of course it feels like there's no escaping from your problems, and maybe their isn't, but even if you cannot escape, you CAN find your way through, wade through, muddle through, whatever you have to do, just remember with the Lord on your side, nothing is impossible! NOTHING.
So, I may feel a little lost right now because I am not living my life exactly how I planned it, but I WILL still make it. I'm not going to ask God to let me rewind my life because I need to live with choices I made. What I am doing from now on is taking one step at a time and seeking God first, but even if when I make the next not-so-good choice, I will still hold on to His hand and not let go. I know He will always pull me through the darkest depths.

Sometimes I have good ideas...

Sometimes my ideas are not so good, and there are some ideas for which I am still waiting on revelation.
My latest great idea was to start working from home. The benefits of this great idea include:

• More time with my children, especially when my 6th grader comes home from school
• More time to keep my house organized
• No more driving 20 miles to work on the ice in the middle of February
• No more sitting next to loud executives who feel they have the right to be loud because they've worked their way up to their position of entitlement
• No paying for childcare

I could go on with this list, but you get the point. I know there are many moms (and dads for that matter) who would love the opportunity to work from home. I've been trying to accomplish this for years. Unfortunately, now I must also list the downside:

• Sometimes my kids drive me crazy. That's just the truth. My 4 year-old seems to believe his mission in life is to make noise. He has already come into the office at least 3 times while I was on the phone with customers and stage-whispered, or even just talked at a normal volume, the proceeded to cry when I waved my hands for him to leave! All of the calls I take are recorded, so for the next few days, each time, I was checking my email wondering if I'd get the message that my contract has ended due to violations.
• So, my house is going through ups and downs of being organized and not-so-organized. :-) If you saw my room when I was growing up, you know this is definitely an "area of opportunity" for me. The problem is, even though I have more time, I still have to conquer my own tendencies of losing track of time and failing to stick to a schedule. I'm working on it. Some people can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, cleaning, having sex, setting fires, speeding, improperly taking medications, and the list goes on - I am organizationally challenged. Let's all try not to judge each other. :-)  
• Finally, I am no longer afraid to admit it - I am not making as much money as I thought I would be making at this point. In my haste to escape cubicle world, I may have been a little overly optimistic when I was doing my calculations. A factor I should have given a tad bit more weight to is my own lack of self-discipline. (See, I'm just revealing all my dirty little secrets!) It's not over for me though. I am in the process of dusting myself off so you can choose to laugh at me, but I hope you'll be praying for my continued growth.

So, starting with this blog, I am now doing one of the things I originally assigned for myself as a work-at-home-mom, writing everyday. If I don't post in the blog everyday, that doesn't mean I'm not writing, sometimes I will have strictly private issues. :-)

Are you a fellow WAHM needing a pick-me-up as well as great advice on working from home and/or building your business?  Check out Michelle Shaeffer's blog.