Discipling Myself for Godliness

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value both for this life and the life to come.  -1 Tim. 4:8

I left this comment on moneysavingmom.com and I thought I'd post it here, as well.

I am reading a book with some college girls called Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian. It has been a real blessing to me. Last week the chapter was on habits. The author says that our habits really show what our priorities are. We like to think that things that sound good are our priorities, but our habits really show what takes precedence in our lives. I want being a woman of God’s word and an excellent wife and mother to be my priorities, but my habits don’t show that I’m working towards those goals. So this week, I implemented a new discipline…No Bible, No Blogs (meaning that if I haven’t read the Bible I can’t read any blogs). This has helped me so far. Also, if my kitchen isn’t clean, I don’t function well or get other cleaning done because I just can’t seem to get a move on. So the same rule applies for cleaning the kithchen. I like to say, "No clean kitchen, No Pinterest" (kinda works lol), but the point is not to get on the computer until I have a clean kitchen. I hope to build these disciplines in my life. Thanks for this series. As for a goal to complete in the next 24 hours it will be to organize our master closet. This has been on my to do list for far too long.

I am addicted to love reading blogs.  However, like Facebook they take up too much of my time.  I had a friend change my Facebook password to something I don't know, so that I could not get back into my account.  This helped my immensely.

I just implemented these rules on Monday, but already I see some changes.  I found a great Bible reading plan and have started it.  And today, I got the kitchen clean which helped me to move on to other chores.  I'm sure that putting these disciplines in my life will continue to benefit me.

How about you?  What habits do you need to put in your life to lead a more disciplined life?

photo credit

November Meal Plan

Meal planning is something I really enjoy doing.  Call me quirky if you like...doesn't bother me one bit.  I learned lots about freezer cooking and meal planning from Jessica at lifeasmom.com and Crystal aka moneysavingmom.com.  Having a meal plan helps me not to look in the fridge at 5 and think, "What in the world are we going to eat."

With four little ones, cooking dinner can be quite the fiasco, but thanks to having a plan and already cooked chicken, processed veggies, shredded cheese, cooked ground beef, and some casseroles sitting in the freezer our meals come together quite quickly and with minimal effort.  Cooking dinner is more like assembling a meal than really cooking.

Just the other night I made homemade chicken pockets (adapted from here) and rice with veggies in a jiffy.  For the chicken pockets, the chicken was already made (in the crockpot and frozen) and the cheese was shredded.  All I had to do was combine the filling and steam the corn and broccoli to add to this delicious entree.

Once it was the oven, I thought we needed rice or something to make the meal more filling.  I cooked white rice and in the meantime sauteed onion, mushrooms (pre sauteed and frozen), and broccoli.  When the rice was done, I added it to the veggies along with some cheese.  It was delicious and simple!   What made this meal even better was that I tripled the recipe and made extra chicken pockets to put in the freezer for a quick snack or meal.  

Freezer cooking saves me time, energy, and brain cells!  Also, I love family traditions so every Wednesday we have leftovers, Friday we have fried fish and every Saturday homemade pizza makes its' way to our table.   That only leaves me 4 other meals to plan for the week.  See...meal planning isn't that hard at all.  Also, I don't necessarily cook what's on the menu for that day.  Sometimes, I cook something else planned for later in the month if I would prefer it.

With all that said, here's our menu plan for November (minus Wed, Fri, and Sat).  I still have a few more days to fill in with meals or I may just make it a day that we eat what's already cooked in the freezer.

Chicken Enchiladas, rice, corn
Shepherd's Pie
Marinated chicken, rice and gravy, corn, salad
BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn
Tacos, beans, rice
Penne Rustica
Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, vegetable stir-fry
Chicken Parmesan Bake, noodles, green beans, bread
Baked Ziti, Red Lobster Biscuits
Baked chicken nuggets, broccoli, tater tots
Chicken Taquitos, rice, beans
Thanksgiving meal (traditional)
Chicken and Broccoli casserole, rice
Bourbon chicken, rice, green beans

I have adapted many of these recipes over time to our liking.  I hope you enjoy them too.

Not Quite What I Had In Mind

I've been up since 6 this morning corraling children cleaning the house.  This is what I have to show for it...

Clean dishes in the sink, but clutter everywhere else

A dirty kitchen floor

Signs that we did indeed eat breakfast

A couple loads of laundry washed, some folded, much more to tackle

My husband's office Dining Room table filled with school books

I did accomplish the much needed task of organizing the sippy cup tops drawer.  
I consider this as important as balancing the national budget! 

And I did manage to organize this cabinet.  I wish I had a before picture to show you...it was hideous.



So yea, these two played a large role in helping me get nearly nothing done many cleaning tasks started, but few completed.   You just gotta love 2 & 1/2 year olds!


I came across this picture and it gives perspective to my lot in life. 





 So yes, as much as I would enjoy a spic-n-span home, I'll choose to be grateful for these messes.  They are signs that there is life (to the fullest) in these walls.

Who Wants To be Artsy Crafty?

Last night I sat down in my bed with my journal and wrote out some goals for different areas of my life.  I was inspired by this post from Crystal aka moneysavingmom.com.  In the area of mothering one of my goals was to get our children unplugged from the TV and Internet by spending time reading to them and playing with them daily. 

Confession:  I have been letting the TV babysit my children WAY too much this week.  TV is ok, but it needs to be in moderation.  And when I have them watching it would be beneficial for me to use that time doing something productive instead of just wasting time reading blogs or on Facebook. 

I think there are good times for me to unwind and spend time doing leisurely activities.   However, ya girl has been WAY too leisurely lately.  Get my drift?

So today I set out to do something fun with the kids.  I came across this recipe for finger paint and made it in a jiffy.   As I type this blog post the kids are still playing with the paint.  (I spent some time painting too and then decided to do this post.   Don't want you to get the impression that I'm still not spending time with my precious babes.  LOL)

Here are some pics of our mess work!

You paint in a yellow tutu, too dontcha?

FYI, don't make comments about my girls hair!  That's a goal for next week.  LOL!!

P.S.  I don't blog a lot because I think it will take too much time.  I'm so busy reading other people's blogs (their memories) that I don't take time to write out my own memories.  Shame.  Today, I set my timer for 15 minutes, typed like a mad woman and got this post done in about 15 minutes.  Again, Crystal's post inspired me.  I'm so glad!!  Look what can be done in 15 minutes...and now I can cherish this finger painting session for years to come.

Mason's 1st Photo Book

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