30 Days to a New...

You, Waistline, Rear-end, Home... just fill in the blank. How about 30 days to a new marriage?! I love iMom.com and All Pro Dad, both are part of Family First (You can hear the Family Minute by Mark Merrill every weekday morning just after 9am). They've provided a his and hers challenge to help revive your marriage!

It's not as exciting if you know your spouse is reading it off the page, but hey! Beggars can't be choosers, right?

Here's the 30 Day Marriage Challenge for HER.
Here it is for HIM. (have a friend send this to your husband with a little wink and a nudge)

The gist: whatever day of the month it is, do that exercise. So you basically can start it anytime. Then follow along for 30 days. I don't know about you, but looking at the stuff assigned to the husband, I am just tickled thinking of how full my love tank would be after even 3 days!! So flip the coin and know the list for the wife is designed to be just what our husbands need. I love the aspect of prayer, too. It's a great reminder that your marriage is made up of 3!

A Winner & Being Women-less

Congratulations to Roxanne! She won the t-shirt from Pi-e-t.com. Thanks to everyone else for entering and of course, for sharing the scripture that you lean on as a mom.

I was watching TV on Saturday & I saw a preview for a new series coming to Lifetime. It's called, "The Week the Women Went." It's a social experiment where all the women in a town leave for a week. Here's a quick synopsis:

Lifetime dives deep into the gender gap issue to answer these questions by bringing a daring social experiment to life by removing the women from one American town in the major program event, "The Week the Women Went." The unscripted series will explore modern gender roles and find out what happens when all of the women leave town, leaving the men behind to run their households, businesses and community on their own.

What do you think this experiment will reveal? In my opinion, one week of being women-less isn't enough to really have an impact. Or maybe it is! :) I'm curious to see how the community as a whole reacts. I can predict the effects on an individual family, but when it comes to business and social interaction, that's where I think it will get interesting.

All By Myseh-eh-elf!

Can you hear Celine Dion's voice in that title? How do you feel about being alone? Most moms crave alone time. They welcome even 20 minutes where they aren't being asked a question, or being touched or settling an argument. Ask moms what they want for Mother's Day and you'll get a lot of answers along the lines of, "I want to take a shower without someone banging on the bathroom door or trying to have a conversation with me through the curtain!"


When you do get a moment alone, what do you do with it? Are you comfortable being alone? Mom Squad Blogger, Danielle has some great thoughts about that and the need for us to teach our children the skill of being alone:

Yesterday, the boss man was talking about Sunday’s Mass readings (Jeremiah 23: 1-6 and Mark 6: 30-34) and about the message of “hope” one could find in the scripture. I knew the passages well—yet, I had an entirely different interpretation. I was stuck on the need to “come away by yourselves. . .and rest a while.”  The need to replenish, refresh and retreat!  Especially in the retreat part, (as in escape) that is where I find hope! Now is that nature or nurture?  I don’t know.  

I think people should learn how to be alone with themselves. It seems like a good skill to teach our children; yet I think it is something that many of us are uncomfortable with.  We fear silence.  We hate being still.  A lot of good can come from those quiet, still moments! And lets face it, we all do need to recharge our batteries from time to time.  This is the only way we can truly be present to others. 

She also reflects on growing up away from family. As Floridians many of us are transplants or military. Check out Danielle's blog for tips on helping your kids stay close to their loved ones from whom they are separated.

Wednesday's Weekly Wecipe

Pizza night is a hit in any house, unless you're trying to watch your waistline. Sure, you can go with the thin crust veggie pizza, ("Lite on the cheese please!") but that can get pretty boring. I tried this WW pizza recipe and it was pretty tasty. I made the large man's with a Boboli crust because I knew he would laugh at me if I handed him a pizza on a whole wheat tortilla shell.

Large Man Says: 6 out of 10 (if it hadn't been for the sausage it would never have scored over a 5)
Fire Extinguisher Readiness (difficulty level): 2 out of 10

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

That's the song ringing in the heads of many parents, come mid-August. Back-to-school! Are you looking forward to it or dreading it? Are you ready to get back to the routine or enjoying the lazy days of summer?

Our friends at iMom have a checklist for us to make sure we accomplish all the tasks we need to get done before that dreaded or blessed day(depending on how you feel) gets here. The checklist starts one month out, so check it out here and start knocking out that list!

Worry & Corn Dogs

First, an update on "Mass Hysteria." Last week at church we had a meltdown. By "we" I mean mostly me, but Liam too. I was sweating & nearly in tears by the end of Mass. This week, praise God, was a different story. What a difference an hour makes! Normally Liam gets up between 7 & 7:15 and then goes back down for a nap at 9. That makes an hour+ church service at 8:30 a disaster waiting to happen. So, this week, I got him up a bit early, at 6:30, fed & dressed him quickly and made it to 7am Mass. He was an angel! Well, an angel that sqwaked now and again, but still. It was great. And the best part, we sat next to my dad who held Liam during The Lord's Prayer. It was such a blessing to hear my dad saying it as though he was teaching Liam the words. I bet it was a neat moment for him too.

Thank you to everyone who commented with support. If this is something you're dealing with and you haven't read Mom Squad Blogger, Julie's comments yet, she has a ton of great tips for kids of all ages including a great story about a corndog. Yeah, a corndog.

Part of my issue from last week when Liam was so fussy was worrying about what the people around me were thinking. This week I worried if he'd be better at a different time and now I'm worried that I won't have the willpower to get up early each week to go at a time that works for his schedule. Worry! Worry! Worry! It's a common theme in my life and in the lives of many moms, I'm sure, especially after the events in Colorado last week. Can we send our kids to the movies and expect them to come home safely to us? What about sending them to a friend's house to spend the night? Will the adults there be responsible and moral?

We can do our best to raise perfect children, but no matter how perfect they are, there are dangers and evil in this world. We have to remember that God is bigger than any of those evils and He does not want us to worry! Worry is a misuse of the imagination and a lack of trust in Him. Yes, I'm telling myself this too. I struggle with worry, but I'm praying constantly for God to help me with this and He has. I'm getting better. I shared this on the air last week and if you're struggling with worry too, give it a try. It's a mental exercise called a "Worry Wall." It's a way to strengthen your faith and keep worry from stealing your peace.

A High-Tech T for You!

Here's another chance to win! These cool t-shirts are by Pi-e-t (pronounced Piety). Check them out here. The gist is this: each shirt has a simple phrase on it that alludes to a piece of scripture. Then, there is a QR Code (the little squiggly lines in a box) that you scan with a smartphone app and the verse pops up! Pretty sweet, huh?

You can have this one! The message on the shirt is, "What is Truth?" and the verse to go along with it is John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Here's how to win: leave a comment below with your favorite "MOMspirational" verse from scripture. Fernando came up with that word. I like it! To get a bonus entry into the giveaway, subscribe to the blog on the top right corner of this page. Yes, that's a shameless bribe to get you to subscribe. I'll draw a winner next Friday, July 27th.

Come to the Mom Squad Kick-Off Event!

Would you be happy to save $20 per trip to the grocery store? Maybe have an extra $80 or $100 in your family's budget per month? I sure would! It's easy to do with coupons. I know what you're thinking. "I don't have time and I don't want to have to clip coupons and sort through them and match them up and blah blah blah." I'm in the same boat as you, but sadly, that ship is the S.S. Missing Out on Money Saving Opportunities.

We have to keep the big picture in mind. Not every trip to the store has to be an epic money-saving venture. If you can do just a little bit and save even just a little bit, then it's money in your pocket, or money that you can use to bless others!

So here's our opportunity to get schooled on the art of couponing. Thursday, August 2nd I'm hosting a TrueCouponing Workshop right nextdoor to Spirit FM. It starts at 6:30pm and is FREE! Plus we'll have door prizes and chances for you to win fun stuff from Spirit FM and TrueCouponing.com. So if you tried couponing before and lost your zeal (like me) or you are a total newby and the words, "manufacturer's coupons, store coupons, BOGOs and stacking" make your eyes go crossed, sign up today. Space is limited.

Wednesday's Weekly Wecipe

Monterey Cod

This is a ye olde family recipe that dates back to last week when I read it on the back of the bag from Publix. It got a big thumbs up from the Mr., and it's healthy, so here it is!

Changes I made to the recipe: It calls for a pre-made garlic butter. I melted some butter and added garlic powder. Quick, easy & I already had the materials on hand. Mine took longer than the instructions said, and then I served it over the tomatoes instead of the rice. We had the rice on the side. Very tasty!

Calories if you're counting: 145.2.  No, not 145. Not 146. 145.2 :)
Large Man Says: 8 out of 10
Fire Extinguisher Readiness (difficulty level): 3 out of 10

Mass Hysteria

I usually start every church experience with a prayer that God will speak to me in some way. Whether it's through the priest's message in the homily, a song, a neighbor in the pew, I just want to hear something from God. What I heard this Sunday was my own voice, crying out, "Save me!" Josh wasn't there and I am adamant about taking Liam to church, so off we went. Normally he is pretty well behaved, but I had a feeling when we sat down that things were not going to go well.

I came armed with puffs (snacks), a picture book and another two toys and all he wanted to do was twist and squirm. We spent the entire homily standing at the back of the church. To make matters worse, it was hot. So hot. So I'm holding this squirming 23-pound mess-of-a-kid, and I can feel the sweat beads on my chin and upper lip. Nice. My hair is sticking to the back of my neck and my necklace which I have looped around is choking me because Liam keeps pulling on it.

Then an angel came down from heaven. Ok, not from heaven. From three rows back. My Emmaus sister, Donna popped in next to me right as we all stood for the Lord's Prayer. The congregation all holds hands during this part of the Mass and I just stood still, knowing I was in no position to outstretch a sweaty, shaky hand. She glides in next to me and puts out her arms to take Liam and I got to just close my eyes and say the prayer with free arms. Of course I had tears in my eyes the whole time. I was so grateful for her! She even took him to the back of the church and carried him up during communion. I wonder what kind of mom I looked like when my kiddo was crying in the back and I'm just sitting in the pew!?

The source of the problem is that nap time is at 9am, and Mass is at 8:30. You don't need to be a math whiz to know that 2+2 = crabby. I think for now, we'll switch to church on Saturday evenings, but I know we'll be back at 8:30 Mass occasionally.

I'm told over and over again that it's ok that babies cry and fuss. "A quiet church is a dead church! They are the future of our faith!" I understand and agree, but when it's your own child it just feels so intrusive and disruptive. I feel like some people look at me with pity and understanding, while others are so angry. When I see kids who are misbehaving, I don't get angry or annoyed unless they are old enough to know better.

So here's my question: For how many more months do I receive grace? At ten months, Liam is still learning what the word, "No" means and he's not misbehaving because he wants to manipulate me or the situation. Are people looking at me like I have a bad kid or am I still in the window of, "Poor baby is ready for a nap"? He's still a baby, right? At what age is the child expected to behave in church? 

And the winner is...

I used a very scientific method to select the winner of the first Mom Squad giveaway. There were 46 comments, so I told the Large Man, "Pick a number 1 through 46." Large man says, "27." Congrats to Julie Grasman, aka, #27.

There's another giveaway right around the corner. Check out these t-shirts. I'll have your chance to win one in just a couple of weeks.

Have you browsed over to the Mom Squad Bloggers pages? Kati is a homeschooling mother of four and the founder of TrueCouponing.com. Recently a bird-friend used her house as a birthing center and nursery for its newborns. What a neat opportunity for her to teach her kids about nature!

Speaking of couponing... have you ever wanted to learn the ropes and save your family money? We've got a great event coming soon!

Dino Overboard!



That's Mr. Bear in the background, still napping.

 Did your kids go through the "Let me see how many times Mom will pick this up after I throw it on the floor" phase? We're in it now. I love it and hate it all at the same time. I love it because I get to interact with Liam in a new way. It goes without saying why I hate it. The newest items to sail through the air are his tiny sleep buddies. Dino, D.O.G., Blue Bear, Mr. Bear and Bananas. He used to sleep with just one, but now the whole gang comes for a sleepover every night. Inevitably, we're awoken by him screaming, only to find that all the buddies have been thrown overboard. Do I stop giving them back to teach the consequence and hopefully break the habit?

A few things from this week's show that are worth a second share:

Have you ever wondered why kids ask Dad to pretend like he's a doggy? Sure, they get to ride on his back and listen to him bark, but Dr. Greg Smalley's observations have led him to a bigger conclusion: When we're playing with the dog, we get it's undivided attention and if Dad is doing his best doggy impression, he doesn't have a free hand to check his email or watch TV. This was an eye-opening article for me. Let's try to make fun a priority in our families! Let go of the distractions and focus on the kids!

And speaking of our 4-legged friends, if your son or daughter is not a big fan of reading, struggles with reading or just plain doesn't want to do it over the summer, why not give him or her a non-judgemental audience? A dog tutor! Too fun!

Last, but certainly not least, the phrase, "Faith Like A Child" conjures up the same symbolism for most. We should trust God like a child trusts his parents. No doubts about where the next meal is coming from or if they will be there when you need them. Kids just know their parents won't fail them. What about this thought? Kids get grace. Read it for yourself and then listen to your kids to hear God revealed through their words or tiny wisdom!

I'll draw a winner for the giveaway this evening and post the name. More giveaways are already lined up, so subscribe to the blog today in the upper-right corner so you don't miss out!

And a quick question: What topics would you like to see here? Marriage and parenting? Creative ideas? Raising kids in the faith? The sky is the limit!

Wednesday's Weekly Wecipe

I figured, why fight the slip of the tongue. Just go with it! It's a "wecipe"!

I can't promise the recipes will always be fancy, in fact, I promise they won't, but here it is, the first "Wednesday's Weekly Wecipe."

Here's a Weight Watchers recipe that I just tried for the first time. Italian Stuffed Peppers. They were D-licious!

Some changes I made: Instead of tomato juice, I used tomato sauce. I also added some standard spices (oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder & parsley) to the mix before stuffing the peppers.

It was super easy. Here's my sum up of the instructions: Mix the cooked rice with the raw lean ground beef, spices, tomato sauce and some parmesan cheese (I used shaved parm so I'd come across a nice chunk every once in a while). Spoon it into the peppers and place them in a 3 qt saucepan. Then pour tomato sauce mixed with the same spices into the saucepan and over the peppers. I used more sauce than called for because I wanted them juicy.

Here's a picture of them pre-cooked.

Put it on the stovetop on med-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer. Instructions said 25 minutes, but ours took at least 30 and then I put them in the oven to finish them off. Oh, and I added some mixed romano & parm cheeses to the top for a quick broil. Sorry, Weight Watchers! Before the cheese toppers, they are 6 points each. They were so good that I forgot an "After" picture! I had to snap a shot of the leftover pepper I took for lunch.

Josh gave them a thumbs-up! Tip if you have any big eaters: Since peppers are pricey, I put a little bit of the cooked rice and beef to the side to make up an Italian Dirty Rice for Josh because I knew he'd want more and wouldn't care about presentation. These pepps are nutritious AND delicious!

Large Man Says: 7 out of 10

Fire Extinguisher Readiness (difficulty level): 4 out of 10

Do you have a favorite healthy and easy-to-make recipe?

Don't Do as I Do

Those famous words! Don't do as I do. Do as I tell you. No. I don't want that to be a common phrase in the B. home, but I can't avoid it in this case.

This is my attempt at Josh's Birthday Peanut Butter Pie. It was so tasty and I'm not really that big of a fan of PB. I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe in yesterday's blog and then took a shortcut. I didn't make my own crust. Forgiveness, please!

Large Man Says: A resounding 10!

Fire Extinguisher Readiness (difficulty level):  2 - Super easy and I don't even own a hand mixer!

Now for the hypocrisy...

This is squash. It's in the oven. Zzzzz...

This is step three of too many in the baby food making process. I'm roasting it, then peeling it, then pureeing (is that a word?) it, then freezing it. I'm totally bored with Liam's menu options, but I don't want to spoil his perfectly healthy body, like Mom & Dad have (See PB pie). I am willing to continue to make his food, but I need some fresh ideas!

I don't want the subtitle of this blog to be a lie. It IS a blog for moms of all ages and stages! But, to be honest, this is the stage that I'm in, so if you've been in this stage and can offer some ideas, I'll take em!

Did you make your baby's food and if so, do you have any easy recipes or prep tips?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Happy Monday! Pull up any website or ask any woman on the street, "What's the best thing I can do for my child?" and you'll get 102 different answers. The BEST thing you can do for your child is to pray for him. I think the second best thing (so this is answer #103) is to love and respect his father. This morning we talked about this article from iMOM about the different areas of his life that a man wants to feel respected. I mentioned a Facebook post I saw that said something along the lines of, "...my crappy husband...". Please, ladies! What kind of example are we setting for our children if we tear apart their fathers? No. It's not always easy and some days they haven't earned our respect, but we HAVE to show it.

Have you checked out the Mom Squad Bloggers' pages? Julie has a great write-up about Archbishop Fulton Sheen (did you know actor, Martin Sheen chose the last name "Sheen" as his stage name because of him?) and a recipe for couscous. Kati talks about unexpected surprises (ahem, some of our babies!), and Danielle, well Danielle is laugh-out-loud funny.

And Julie has a second blog with some great summer free-b's!

Be sure to comment on our giveaway below before Friday to get in the running for the prize!

Now, I'm off to find a recipe for Peanut Butter Pie. It's Josh's birthday and I have NOTHING for him. I'm thinking he won't notice the non-present if he is hypnotized by the smell of peanut butter & chocolate! I think I'm going to try the Pioneer Woman recipe. Wish me luck!

You Made the Squad!

Welcome to the Spirit FM Mom Squad Blog! You might be wondering what the Mom Squad is and why it has a blog. The long and short of it is that the Mom Squad is YOU! Yep! You and me and all the other moms who need a pat on the back, a fresh idea, a hug, a prayer or a laugh.

I had a hard go of it when my son first arrived and I remember thinking, "Why do people say this is a beautiful time? I feel so lousy!" When I shared that on the air I was flooded with comments from people saying I wasn't alone. I realized we need support. Loving, encouraging, LOCAL support. And I had a feeling it's not just new moms who need this, so whether you have a newborn or a child in college or beyond, there's something for you in the Mom Squad.

We'll have Mom Squad events, like a movie night or a kid's clothes swap, outreach opportunities like a diaper drive for moms-to-be, and then a whole lot of sharing on the Mom Squad Blog. I'll post right here on the main page, but please check out the Mom Squad Bloggers to the right. Julie, Kati, Danielle and Fiona are as different as the day is long, but one thing they have in common, they love their kiddos and have great ideas to share. Quick bios on each are right below this blog entry.

Subscribe to the blog today, so you can be alerted when we're giving away a great prize or sharing a cool idea. If you own a company that you'd like to promote to other moms, let me know. Maybe we'll do a giveaway and get the word out. Think you've got an idea, recipe or inspiration to share? I'll post guest columns every now and then, so send it on over! Abby@spiritfm905.com. Just make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct! :)

I'm so excited to embark on this Mom Squad journey with you. It's my prayer that we, as a community of faith-filled women can grow God's love within ourselves so it spills over to our husbands and children, then our neighbors, and into Tampa Bay and beyond!

The First Mom Squad Giveaway!

One of the perks of being a part of the Mom Squad is exclusive giveaways. Here's the first one!

There are two Veggie DVDs, "Princess & The Popstar" and "Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men", a CD of the talk, "Saying Yes to God, One Mother's Journey" from Mary Vogrinc (I've listened to it about a dozen times & love it!) and a VERY FANCY rhinestone Spirit FM t-shirt.

Here's how to win: Just leave a comment below. I'd love to know the first names and ages of your kids, so why don't you leave that in the comment box? I'll randomly draw a winner next Friday, the 13th. Ooh!

Going into Battle

While texting a friend today, I saw a word in a new light. A very dim light, but a new one, nonetheless.
Wardrobe.

We were commiserating about nurses and doctors getting to wear scrubs everyday. Yeah, I know. The grass is always greener. Maybe they wish to be able to put on something with a waistline, but I still think we non-scrubbers drew the short stick. I made a remark about how they make pretty good money and don't have to worry about spending it on a wardrobe. That's a word I don't write often, so I had to play with the spelling. Yes, I am pretty obsessive about spelling, even in texts. First I tried, "wordrobe." Incorrect. Clearly. How silly for me to even have considered it!

Then, knowing the proper spelling, I typed it out, W-A-R... Lightbulb! Oh, the cruel humor.

Ever feel like when you enter your closet, you're stepping onto a battle field? You, an army of one versus pants that are too long or too short. Too tight or too loose (ha!). Shirts that don't fit right or just don't seem to go with any of the clean pants. Perhaps you own some fallen soldiers, the old stand-by pieces that were always on your side, but clearly have fought their last fight. Sometimes the clothes attack physically- a pinch here or a pull there, but more often, it's emotional.

Why do we let ourselves get so beat up and even wounded by clothing? How does a pair of jeans have the power to bring us to our knees? It's war in the wardrobe, but it doesn't have to be. But how do we declare a ceasefire?
Here's my plan:

1. I have to keep telling myself that am blessed to have a closet full of clothing. I could stand to purge said closet.

2. 1 Cor 6: 19-20."Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." I have to change the way I see myself. My body is not for others. It is made to glorify God. I can do that through my diet, my attitude towards my husband (ahem) and through my dress.

3. I've got to step outside of myself and remember I am NOT the center of the universe and most likely, no one cares what I'm wearing!

If we allow our day to be ruined within 20 minutes of waking because we've been emotionally attacked in our closet, then we will have not only lost the daily battle, we'll have lost the war as well. What good are we as women of God if we are sour-faced and slouched because we hate the way our shirt makes our upper arms look? Who is going to see the love of Jesus if we won't look anyone in the eyes because our lower belly pooch looks huge in these pants?

Yes, it might feel like WAR when you stare at your wardrobe and peace-drobe just doesn't have a ring to it, but don't let it defeat you. You we're meant for more!

How do you avoid the war in your closet?

Get to know Kati!

Kati is the founder of TrueCouponing.com, a faith-based money saving website that teaches and inspires people to save money and bless others. Kati is an accountant by training and a Mom by the Grace of God. She has been married to her High-School sweetheart, James, for 14 years.  They are headed into their 9th year of homeschooling their four children. They attend Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, FL.

Kati is most widely known for developing the TrueCouponing method of couponing when her husband received a large paycut in Jan 2009. Because she was able to save her family about half of its monthy budget, she began sharing her techniques with family and friends.  Like wildfire, her easy methods quickly spread helping many people get a grip on their financial situation. When not blogging about saving money she is busy taking their children to various sports activities, bargain shopping and spending quiet moments with James.

Get to Know Julie!

Julie is a life-long Catholic, loves to iron (what?!), has led a bible study at her church for over 10 years and is a self-proclaimed "excellent carpooler" (She's only forgotten a couple of kids a few times). She's also working hard at writing her first book!

Here's more from Julie in her own words:

I've been married to Bob for 26 years and we have 6 children; 4 sons ages 20-12 and 2 daughters ages 10 and 7. The day we were married, we were pretty sure we didn't want any children, but God had a wonderful plan for us which included a big conversion of heart. Our children are the love of our lives and mothering them through the many stages has been a challenge and a joy. With all the different ages of the kids, I've learned a lot of what works and what doesn't and I love sharing ideas with other moms. We are on a great journey and heaven is the goal. Glad to walk along the way with you!

Get to Know Danielle!

Danielle is what her doctors lovingly referred to as of “Advanced Maternal Age.”  That means old!  When she found out at nearly 40 she was going to be a Mom she was terrified, scared to death, panicked--all mixed with a little bit of elated!  It was through the gift of her daughter’s birth that Danielle found her faith.  

Having been raised without much of a faith foundation or understanding, Danielle’s blog is a journal of everyday life for this mom of one, trying to raise her daughter to be a faith-filled person in a society that isn’t always tolerant . . . in a household that isn’t always tolerant.  

Danielle is a recent convert to the Catholic faith and lives with her husband of 16 years, who is a self-described “hopeful agnostic.”  Life can get pretty sticky sometimes. . .especially raising a daughter when the parents have two very different points of view!