What's Your Goal?

I have exciting news to share! I have been accepted for publication in a magazine! So in honor of this goal achieved, I am giving away a 1 year subscription to the Proverbs 31 Magazine. Leave me a comment and I'll randomly select a winner over the weekend and announce Monday right here on my blog!

But it makes me wonder, what are your goals? Have you set any? Are you so bogged down (or blogged down!) with day-to-day that you don't have any goals? Dictionary.com lists "purpose" as another definition for goal. What is your life's purpose?

I turned 40 in March, and started setting new goals for this new season. My 30's goals were to have kids, be a mom and my life has revolved around that. It is a blessing! But now my kids are 4 and 8, and becoming more independent. My new goal (in addition to losing 10 lbs for my 40th birthday) was to become published. I have accomplished both! My next goal is to become published again...and again...and again.

I've also failed at goals set. It seems like a constant goal is more patience with my kids. (They seem to know exactly what button to push to make me lose my patience!) I also continue to battle my mouth...THINK before you talk, THINK before you talk. It's my mantra. Oh, but I fail.

The bible tells us of another goal to set. Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that our goal should be to have a relationship with Jesus. The Message bible puts it this way "I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus."

I'm no expert either, but I have the same goal. To grow in and know Christ. I wish the same for you, my friends. Or as Paul puts it in Philippians 4:1 "My dear, dear friends, I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don't waver. Stay on track, steady in God."

So have you set a goal? An earthy goal? A goal to know Christ? Share your thoughts or just say hi, and I'll announce the subscription winner on Monday.

Cooking Co-Op - Works for Me!

Today I am joining a blog carnival over at "rocks in my dryer." I will share with you a tip that "works for me." You can then go over to the carnival host here to find other tips. (My tip will be there - #106).

My tip is cooking co-op. I got together with 3 friends with like-sized families. We each submitted 6-8 meal plans and voted on 4 of our favorites from each person. Then we made a monthly menu and ta-da, we were rolling. Monday is my cooking day, and I cook for all 4 families, and deliver the meals ready to be re-heated. We deliver at 2:30ish because thats the time the worked well for us and didn't interfere with the actual dinner time. Tuesday friend #1 cooks & delivers. Wednesday we either have dinner at church or leftovers. Thursday friend #2 cooks & delivers, and Friday friend #3 cooks & delivers. We usually have leftovers for Saturday, and Sunday I can cook or get take-out.

I am averaging cooking just 1 day a week! That leaves so much free time for me to blog, bible study, exercise, spend time with the kids, do laundry...or relax on the sofa. Not that I'd ever do that. (wink, wink). Your grocery bill goes down because you buy in bulk, and you also have less impulse dinner purchases ("I didn't defrost anything, let's order pizza.")

Cooking Co-Op does start out scary ("What if they don't like my cooking?"). But quickly you get into a pattern, your cooking improves because let's face it, we want to impress our friends and their husbands and you feel so good when you get the voicemail that "my husband went bonkers over your banana bread pudding."

We've never eaten so well, my husband is thrilled, my kids are trying new foods and I am only cooking one day a week! This works for me!

Thanks for visiting. Come back Friday for a chance to win a 1 (one) year subscription to the Proverbs 31 Woman magazine. (Visit proverbs31.org to read a sample.) I'll select a random winner from everyone who leaves a comment on Friday (May 2nd) and announce it via blog on Monday.

I am With Child

Now before anyone gets too excited about my title line, I better explain myself. I think the bible was first in using this term to describe a pregnant woman. In the NIV version of the bible, it first uses the term in Genesis and uses it seven more times throughout the bible to describe pregnant women.

But anyone with preschoolers knows that you are more WITH child after they are born. In the grocery store, I am with child. In the bathroom, I am with child. And even in the middle of the night, I often wake up with child...child wanting water, needing the bathroom or to be tucked in.

So today I thought I'd share some of the fun and funny moments of being with child - a 4 year old child.

Friday at the grocery store she saw these tiny bananas. She exclaimed "Look at these baby bananas. They must have just been born." Ironically, when I looked for the tag to tell you what they are called, they were indeed labeled Baby Bananas, but they are also called oritos.

A few aisles later, I was checking out the canned goods, with my eyes off of her for no more than 3 seconds, when I hear a loud crash of breaking glass. There she stands in front of the biggest glass jar of applesauce they make, which is shattered on the floor.

"I didn't mean to do that." she calmed stated. I simply found one of the cashiers, and I kid you not, I looked him right in the eye and said "clean up on aisle 3." He saw that I was "with child" and just turned on his microphone and announced "Clean up on aisle 3!" (I did apologize as well).

Here are some other funny quotes and mis-quotes that come from being with child:

When I told her to behave she answered "I am being hav."

Singing: "Who built the ark? No-one No-one" (the actual lyric is of course: Noah, Noah)

"I obey myself." - She just piped up with this one from the backseat one day when we were driving down the road.

"I have a little dog barking in my heart." This is another original thought she just piped out with. I have no idea why. She then said "I like little dogs."

But my favorite quote was when we were driving home from preschool one day and say said to me, "Mama, Jesus came into my room last night." I responded "He did?!" and she said "yes, and he stayed with me all night so I wouldn't be afraid of the dark."

I believe Jesus did just that. Matthew 11:25 says "At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.' " Jesus speaks of having to be like children to get into heaven, and not hindering children from him. I believe on that night he gave comfort to my little girl.

It is never a dull moment, when you are "with child." I often think I am learning as much from her, as she is from me. But, I'm still not sure about that little dog barking in her heart.