What My Minivan Says About Me

I drive a minivan. I do. And that's handy, because I like sitting "up high" and it's easy to fit the kids and any necessary gear.

In a recent conversation with a neighbor, I was made aware of all the "image issues" with driving a minivan. I apparently live in a bubble, because I had no idea I was making such a bad impression through my vehicle choice! (It should be noted that she was sharing why she disliked driving hers, not specifically calling me out.)

I've thought about it. Mulled it around. Here's what I've determined. Here's what my minivan says about ME:

• I have a family. It's the whole reason we got it, as is the case for many. Before I had three kids, I didn't see much need for it.
• I'm frugal. We get better gas mileage in our minivan than we would in a large SUV. That's a good thing.
• I'm safety conscious. Yep, one of our number one factors in considering our last vehicle purchase was its safety rating.
• We're an active family, but we "off road" on foot, not wheels. I'm glad to have a vehicle that can easily hold our hiking gear, but we've no need for something that can bounce through the mud.
• I accessorize on my person, not my car. My minivan doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. Truth be told, I was kind of irked it came with a DVD player; we've traveled extensively and used it once. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking fancy features on your mode of transport... but, if you look at mine, you'll see it's not a priority.

So there you go. That's what I'm thinking people see when they watch me drive by in my minivan. Well, that and a friendly lady who will wave with her free hand since it's never busy texting. ;)

And I'm okay with that.

How about you? What do you figure your vehicle says about you?

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday because I LOVE my minivan and I love what it says about me!

Prayer For the Unborn

I am fasting today.  It is Ash Wednesday, and I believe it's an important
sacrifice.  I'm also spending much of my day in prayer for the unborn.

Whether you choose to fast or not, would you please join me in praying
for the innocent?  In praying that, one day, we all may recognize the
sanctity of life?




Almighty God, our Father,
you who have given us life
and intended us to have it forever,
grant us your blessings.

Enlighten our minds to an awareness 
and to a renewed conviction 
that all human life is sacred 
because it is created 
in your image and likeness.  
Help us to teach by word 
and the example of our lives 
that life occupies the first place, 
that human life is precious 
because it is the gift of God 
whose love is infinite.  
Give us the strength to defend human life 
against every influence 
or action that threatens or weakens it, 
as well as the strength 
to make every life more human 
in all its aspects.  

Give us the grace...

When the sacredness of life 
before birth is attacked, 
to stand up and proclaim 
that no one ever has the authority 
to destroy unborn life.

When a child is described as a burden 
or is looked upon only as a means 
to satisfy an emotional need, 
to stand up 
and insist that every child is a unique 
and unrepeatable gift of God, 
a gift of God 
with a right to a loving 
and united family...


Almighty Father, 
give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity 
of all human life and to demand 
that society itself give its protection.  
We ask this in your name, 
through the redemptive act 
of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

(prayer source)

Lent '11: Letting Go of Judgment, Challenge 1

I am so delighted to be taking on this challenge for Lent. I am even more thrilled to have some of you coming along on the journey with me. My hope is that our minds and hearts might be opened a bit and, in turn, that we may be freed from some of our judgmental thoughts.

Are you ready? I promised you challenges that would not take a lot of time and that would fit with any mindset. So here we go. Our very first step on the path...

Challenge 1: Ask a woman with differing or opposing views how she made her choice. This is not an opportunity to debate. For this challenge, you are just listening.

The idea here is to hear someone out. The goal is NOT to have your mind changed or even challenged. You are certainly not expected to believe everything she says is truth or right for your family. However, allowing someone to share the "why" of her decision may help open your heart to the idea that she, too, has her reasons.

You can ask someone in real life. You can call someone on the phone. You can pick her brain on Twitter. You can send out an email. Their answer can be as long or as short as works for you both.

It can be any issue, from "Why do refuse to eat soy?" to "How did you decide to sleep train?" to "When did you decide to only wear skirts?" to "What inspired you to boycott Amazon?", etc.

Give it a try. And come back here next Wednesday so we can talk about it and get a new challenge, okay?

Button design by the spectacular Sidnie

Oh, Black Coffee, How I Love Thee...

... let me count the ways.

1. It is quick. Seriously. You pour it in a mug and roll. That's it, people.
2. It is easy. There is no magic formula here. No "two teaspoons of raw sugar and a splash of heavy cream" or whatever. Again... pour it in a mug. Roll.
3. It is hot. If you're in the habit of steaming your milk, it won't make your coffee cool. But that stuff from the fridge? Yeah... add that and it's not hot enough for me.
4. It tastes like... coffee! Not whipped cream. Not cinnamon and nuts. Beautiful, blessed coffee.
5. I don't have to crowd around the "milk and sugar" table if I want a cup after church. This saves me valuable time as I'm herding three small children. (Note: I often skip the coffee since, as I mentioned, I am herding three small children. This makes me sad.)
6. People never mind getting my coffee. See #1 and #2. They know they're not going to mess it up. I'm an easy customer.
   
7. I never worry that people won't have my preferred add-ons. If they have coffee, I'm happy.
8. It surprises people. Seriously. You'd be amazed how many people are shocked when I say, "Just black, please." I think I look fluffier than that. ;)
9. It impresses guys. Okay, so I could not care less about this one, but it was totally the truth in college. What can I say... maybe the guys around me were easily impressed.
10. It's how my whole family drinks it. From my grandma to my parents to my siblings, we all take it the same way. And that's kind of fun.

But enough about me! How do YOU take your coffee?

Linked to Top Ten Tuesday

Lent '11: Letting Go of Judgment, An Intoduction

Letting go of judgment doesn't mean no longer having an opinion. It also doesn't necessarily mean you have to change your mind about any of your views and convictions. It isn't being spineless.

Letting go of judgment is a commitment to open your heart and mind and to consider the best in people. Embrace differences. Acknowledge that there may be more than one "right" way to do things or prioritize. Letting go of judgment can be hard.

But would you like to try to make some progress with me? Would you join me throughout this Lenten season and take on some challenges? They are not time consuming and each can be made to fit your own views and lifestyle.

Would you?

For many people, Lent is a time to "give something up"... sweets, red meat, TV, etc. There's not a thing wrong with that tradition. The idea of making a sacrifice that will keep your mind on Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us is a good one. But, this year, I decided that I believe God would rather see me give up some negative thoughts about my brothers and sisters than chocolate...

Giving up a judgmental attitude has the potential to create far more good than merely laying off the brownies.

Two weeks ago, I opened my heart to you all and shared both where I stand and how I feel. Your response was amazing and I was so encouraged to work hard to grow.

Won't you join me?

Every Wednesday, starting on March 9th (Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent), I will be issuing a challenge. If you decide to participate (and, oh, it would make my heart sing to not do this alone!), I'll post a link up the next week. If you have posted about your experience, please share your link there. Or, if you prefer, tell us about it in the comments.

Just think how beautiful it will be to put LOVE before JUDGMENT.

I am so very grateful to have you all to share this with. Thank you.

Button design by the spectacular Sidnie

Menu Plan: 3/6 - Lent: Simple Menus, More Time for God

Menu plans for the next few weeks will be pretty simple. We are beginning Lent and, for me, this is a time for some sacrifice and prayerful focus. Less money spent means more available to give. Less time in the kitchen and stores means more time for prayer and reflection. For this season, this works for me...

Here's what's hittin' our table:

Sunday:

B-Cereal, Yogurt, Juice

L-Breakfast Burritos, Grapes, Juice
D-Ravioli, Broccoli

Monday:

B-Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

L-P,B,&J, Oranges, Pretzels, Water

D-Mac 'n Cheese (from a- gasp- BOX), Green Beans

Tuesday:

B-Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins, Cheese, Juice
L-Katie's Homemade Hamburger Helper, Corn, Milk
D-Lemon Pepper Chicken, Carrots

Wednesday: (Ash Wednesday- I will be fasting.)

B-Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins, Cheese, Juice

L-Jelly & Cheese Sandwiches, Peach Jello, Water
D-Garlicky Clams Linguine

Thursday:

B-Jelly Toast, Cheese, Juice

L-Katie's Hamburger Helper, Corn, Milk

D-Souped Up Tomato Soup, Cheese Bread

Friday:

B-Smoothies, Fruit

L-Cheesy Beans & Rice, Water

D-Mushroom & Onion Pizza w/ Goat Cheese*

Saturday:

B-Scrambled Eggs w/ Cheese, Toast

L-Grilled Cheese, Fruit
D-Poor Man's Chicken Parm Sandwiches w/ Peppers

*All pizzas on our menu plans from now until Easter will be MEATLESS in keeping with our Catholic tradition.

How about you? Will you be doing anything differently during Lent?

This post is linked to Menu Plan Menu.

Key Lime Shortbread Muffins

It is SO true...

Necessity is the mother of invention.
I flat refused to pay $3.99 for a bag of white sugar at the store today. I'm out of brown sugar too, for the record. And low on honey. No worries– there's no shortage of sweetness in the Parenting Miracles household. ;)

Anyhow, all I had was powdered sugar. And, quite frankly, not a ton of it. But I had muffins listed on my menu plan for tomorrow morning and, what can I say, I'm stubborn. That's good news for all of you:

Key Lime Shortbread Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter (I'm guessing coconut oil would be amazing in these.)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• juice of one key lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup all–purpose flour

Topping:

• zest of one key lime
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons all–purpose flour (The flour is important here; without it, you'll create frosting.)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in medium bowl. In separate bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar. Add egg and lime juice and mix just until combined. Alternate add mixed dry ingredients and yogurt. Batter will be fairly stiff. For topping, mix ingredients together with fork or fingers until crumbly. Spoon batter into greased mini muffin tins. (This yielded 23 for me... I just couldn't eke out that last one.) Add a small amount of topping to each. Bake for approx. 18 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.


These are buttery, delicate, and not too sweet. The lime is discernible, but not overpowering.

Aren't you glad I didn't buy sugar?