A Momma's Love

May you roots go long and deep and also widen everyday.  Just as a healthy plant, we need to have a growing root system to keep us healthy and thriving.  The other day I pulled out a basil plant from our garden.  The frost had made the leaves and stem turned brown and crunchy.  It didn't appear to be alive anymore and had become an eyesore in the garden.  As I pulled it out of the ground I was amazed at how tightly it was stuck.  The dirt was trying to pull it back.  I really had to tug and use my hands to loosen the dirt around it.  When I finally freed the plant from the dirt and saw  the root system being freed, I gasped.  It ran almost all the way across the raised garden bed.  The root ran in all directions. It wasn't just one piece but many pieces interconnected.  So how is this plant like a human?  We also have a root system.  One that is started for us in our dna. It continues with our family heritage. Added to by our experiences and influences. Increased by our choice

While exploring this weekend, I found a great old tree to lean against and watch the world go by.  This tree had a widespread root system.  Both underground and on top of it. To survive it needs this large root system. Without it, it would fall over, not be fed, and die.  This is like us.  The parts of us that are "underground" feed us nutrients.  These nutrients  come from our family heritage, our environment,  our experiences, and our community.   However, what about the parts of us that show above the surface?  These are what show to the world.  How we present ourselves to others.  Where do these come from? Partly from the same place as the underground ones.  Other input comes from what we eat, how we handle stress, our habits, our faith  and many others. How do we keep our root system healthy and strong?  One way is to embrace our uniqueness.   God made us in his image, but he also gave us individuality.   No two persons have them same exact fingerprints or dna make up

Are you a caterpillar waiting to turn into a butterfly?  I heard on the radio this morning, God isn't interested in your ability..he is interested in your availability.  That makes me think, how available am I to God?   Am I available to stop and take in the beauty he has created?  Am I available to stop and listen to him thru his word?  Am I available to be his hands and feet in my community?  Am I making myself available to feel his nudging and to step out of the boat to follow him without questions or complaints?  I believe I have room for improvement.  It would be hard to find anyone who doesn't.  Jesus as God's son is the only one who is perfect.  And at times, he asked God to take the pressure off of him as well.  He also asked his Heavenly Father to forgive us as we fall short of perfection.  So how can I make myself more available to God?  How will you make yourself more available?  What would this world be like if we all worked just a little harder to listen and

Well, last night was date night.  Simple enough, let's go to dinner and a movie.  We decided to park in the back of the theater so we could get out easier after the movie.  We enjoyed the latest Mission Impossible movie in comfy recliners.  Then we decided to go home. As we walked out of the building, past the dumpster...a skunk ran in front of us.  Yep, you guessed it....we scared him....and now we stink. Ugh, thanks to pinterest I have some ideas on how to get the smell out of us and the car, and the house.  I have never seen a skunk up close and personal that still had its stink sacs.  My first thought was oh look! A real skunk!  Then it was oh crap! Even with all these vinegar solutions and air freshneners, it's gonna take some time to air everything out.  At least the movie and dinner was good!

Reflection time..ok maybe a little venting as well.  I am facing some health issues.   High cholesterol,  overweight....and the list goes on.  But ya know?  So are many people.  I need to address these issues immediately...however I am finding this is easier said than done.  I have been reading How Not To Die by Dr. Greger.  I also have been spending time on pinterest searching for ideas on what to eat.  So far, I feel better but no weight is going anywhere.  I know I have a long way to go.  Dr Greger promotes a plant based lifestyle.   One without white flour, processed food, added sugar or oil.  Lots of plant based foods, whole proteins  and raw foods.  What frustrates me the most is that my doctor wrote on my test results that had to join a certain diet group and lose weight immediately.   I don't feel that lifestyle is best for my health, and it's expensive.  Why does everyone thing there is only one way?  Why are doctors still "prescribing" lifestyles that are

I was blessed to have my father in my life since I was born.  My children are blessed with the presence of their father.  However, not everyone can say the same.  More than 20 million children are growing up without their biological fathers in their lives.  This saddens me.  A parents role in their children's lives is to love, teach, nurture and model for their children.  In my opinion this is best done as a team.  Sometimes this has to be done by one parent alone,  but that is alot for one person to handle.  So, if your child doesn't have 2 parents in their life, don't panic.  Know that there are people to assist them.  It still takes a village to raise a child.  Good role models are important.  People who love children unconditionally.  Teach them morals, respect, good work ethic, and tell them of God's love for them.  This does not have to be a job of a parent....it could be teacher, a neighbor, an aunt or uncle, a grandparent.  Model these for the children of today

Wowsa! Where has the time gone?  3 months ago you graced us with your arrival.  When your mommy told me she was pregnant, I was overjoyed!  I watched her grow and change as time went by as you grew inside of her.  She was nervous that she was not gonna be the mommy you needed.  She was wrong!  She is so patient and loving with you.  I love to watch her Interact with you. The smiles you bring to her face.. Enough about your mommy, now about you.  When I first held you in my arms, I fell in love again.  I love to watch you sleep, I love your smile.  You started out soo little but are growing so much!  I am amazed everytime I see you.  Changing so quick! You are starting to interact with your world more and more every day.  I look forward to seeing you achieve your upcoming milestones.  I look forward to the days you will reach for me or crawl towards me when we are playing.  Bruce James you are my first grandchild and no matter how many siblings or cousins you have, you are the one tha

Who do you draw strength from in your time of need?  Just like this cucumber reached out to anchor itself to the tomato cage near it as it grows, we need to anchor ourselves as well.  Psalm 25:5 says "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are my God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Hebrews 6:19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. " God is my anchor when I feel weak.  HE is who I reach out to for comfort, peace, hope and more.  Hr is who I call out to, and who I sing to in my joy.  Who do you call out to? Who or what are you anchored to?  Take some time to reflect on this today and see if you need a new anchor in your life.

Last year we started a dream at work.  To plant a garden and teach the kids about healthy food and where it comes from.  It was a intense but fun project.  We learned a lot. One of the things we learned was that we needed more room.  So this year we pretty much tripled our school garden if not more.  We divided it into two categories: edibles for humans and butterfly friendly.  Today was planting day.  My class was in charge of tomatos, green peppers, cucumbers, strawberries and watermelon.  Each class has their own section to plant.  We will all take turns watering and helping with taking care of the garden.  The kids were thrilled to help.  Anything to play in the dirt!  I am thankful for their help, but man did they just want to dig.  Now to keep them out of the dirt so they don't dig up the plants.  I think once they see plants growing the fascination may wane a little bit.  I know they will love to help with the harvest. 

Well, it's Monday again.  What did your weekend bring?  Good choices or not so good choices?  I tried to make good choices.  I followed my workout schedule.  I didn't drink alcohol.  I had limited soda and lots of water.  I even tried making a new recipe!  However, some choices were not so good....I finished off the bag of m&ms by myself even though it said shareable size.  I also ate a few more pieces of cake than I should have.  Am I gonna look back and say it was a bad weekend?  No!  I am going to choose to look at the positives.  I got to enjoy time with my grandson and my family.  I enjoyed a time of worship and a powerful message on spiritual warfare.  I visited with my 94 year old grandmother.  I worked in the garden.  God watered myflowers, trees and veggie plants. Today's verse is from Proverbs 17:22..." A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." How is your heart today?  Joyful and positive?   Take joy in your wor

I have today off from school!  So what am I going to do with this free time?  Make soup!  One of the best things about eating a vegetarian plant based lifestyle is experiencing new foods!  I have noticed food tastes, smells and looks so much better since making the change over.  Hard to believe it's been almost a year! Today I am making what I call my clean out the fridge soup.  For my base I will use tomato juice.  Then I add whatever fresh veggies I have on hand...this time it was califlower, carrots and cucumber.  Next up protein...I had frozen black beans and a can of garbanzo beans.  Top off with a handful of rinsed quinoa and set on low.  I normally make this before going to work and leave on low all day, then I can just scoop and serve when I get home.  However today, I will be able to enjoy the smells of a homemade dinner while it simmers!!!

Sunday so soon?  Wow where did the time go? This week was a busy one for me.  Three snow storms, a pedicure, school closures and my daughters baby shower.  Today is for me.  So what did I do?  First I napped.  Then, I got to work in the kitchen! First up,  juice.  Broke out the juicer and cleaned out the fridge.  Cucumber, celery, spinach, carrot, pear and green apple.  Should be a great pick me up for one morning this week! Next, I prepped fruit for the week.  Had some mangos and pineapple to cut up.  Hubby is bringing home strawberries later tonite.  All cut up and into single serve, easy to grab containers.  Love fresh fruit for snack.  It has quickly become my mindless eating go to.  Not being a raw veggie fan, it's better for me than junk food. Last up....dinner.  Tonite I chose a new recipe.  BBQ sweet potato  sandwhich!  Not something I would have come up with on my own.  Found on pinterest.  Now going to be part of my recipe book I am gathering. Here is the recipe: 1

Anyone else miss the crunch of a potato chip?  I love potato chips but don't like the unhealthy version. So I am on a quest to replace my chips with a healthier version.  Tonite I tried to make some out of sweet potatos.  No oil, baked not fried.  It's gonna take some tweaking if I am making them for more than just me.  Ok, I burned most of them.  However, some survived and I had them for a snack.  Here is the recipe: 1 scrubbed and washed sweet potato. Salt Pepper Water Slice the sweet potato thin (I used a mandolin ) Put them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with water Salt and pepper to taste Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes After 20 minutes, check them and flip them Bake 20 more minutes.  Watch them! Cool and store in air tight container If you have any leftover.

When I was growing up, potato soup was one of my favorite soups my mom would make.  So naturally it is one of the soups I make for my own family.  Ok so I try.  I never mastered her way of making soup. Her recipe had too many steps for me and my busy lifestyle. So over the years I have made a couple of different recipes for potato soup. Some my family enjoyed, some they tolerated, some they refused.  I finally discovered one that I could make that fit all the needs : like moms, easy and family approved.  Here is the recipe I use: 5 pounds of russet potatos cut into chunks (unpeeled) 1 medium yellow or white onion 10 cloves of minced garlic 64 ounces of veggie broth 16 ounces of cream cheese softened Place all but cream cheese into crockpot and cook til potatos are tender.  Approx 8 to 10 hours on low Then add cream cheese and use immersion blender to incorporate the cheese and make the soup creamy.  You can leave some chunks.  I normally blend about 3/4 of the pot. Serve! Ga

It's Saturday afternoon and I am stuck on the couch with a bug.  Left work Thursday feeling like I  just wanted to crawl into bed and hibernate til march.  So now I am feeling a little better but not wanting to push it.  Options?  Binge watch netflix, read, stare at ceiling or explore podcasts.  I decided to explore podcasts.  Found a couple that interest me.  Revelation wellness, Dave Ramsey and Vegetarian Zen.  Ah. That's the one! Being a vegetarian is important for me, however I will tell you I struggle with variety and quickness.  So I tuned into Vegetarian Zen for a freezer cooking basics podcast.  Looking forward to see what I come up with. Maybe my family with enjoy them too? Next up, a pinterest exploration for ideas!!

I started a little under a year ago making changes to my eating habits.  I was feeling overwhelmed, irritable, exhausted, couldn't shake a cough and had lots of joint pain.  Doctor ran tests to rule out things like blood clots and pnemonia.  So I started reading and watching videos.  I decided to cut animal products out of my eating habits. Cold turkey. No gradual transition.   I also cut most animal dairy products as well.  I focused on eating fruit, vegetables and grains.  Yes, some items are harder to replace than others.  I have learned alot over the past year. I have alot to still learn.  I have not lost a ton of weight. May have even gained a few at times.  However, my body doesn't ache, I am sleeping better and I am must healthier which to me is better than losing weight! At least in the beginning My loving husband did not make the changes I have. That is ok. I didn't make it for moral reasons, I did it for me. I won't force my choices on anyone.  So I was very

Welcome to A Momma's Love!  I took a hiatus from blogging, but I am back!  My goal for this blog is to show my lifes journey of food, crafting, family and spirituality.  Join me on this journey.  See you soon!

Today, I decided I would make myself a refreshing healthy beverage for while my students rested.  Here is the recipe I used: 2 stalks celery 1 green apple 1/2 cucumber 2 scoops green super food powder Water Place the ingredients in the blender and puree. I strained my juice as I am not a fan of pulp. Chill and serve!