Emeals....A-mazing!

So this week there was a living social deal for emeals. It came at the perfect time too. I had heard about it in the past, but last week Justin asked me about it. I really had never given any thought to paying someone else to plan my meals. Seemed kind of weird as I am capable of doing that on my own, and it just seemed like one more way to spend money....I was WRONG!

The deal was for 50% off a years worth of meal planning and it was only $29. That seemed worth the risk to try it out. So we signed up...and started spreading the word!  It is pretty awesome!  Basically you choose the meal plan you would like (low fat, gluten free, vegetarian, natural and organic etc) and they do all the work. Each week you will get an email will a list of 7 dinners to cook for that week.  You get 2 sheets of paper to print/use. The first is a list of all 7 dinner/ingredients/cooking instructions, and the second is a grocery list already filled out with what you need for the week (sample found here). And they will pair up sales with your meals to get the best bang for your buck!  They seriously take all the work out of planning yummy dinners. Today I planned next weeks dinners/grocery trip in 10 minutes! People...that is kind of a big deal for me.

I am VERY excited about this. The meals are cheap, easy, and pretty healthy too!  Plus Some of the meals I do veggie to save some money...woohoo :)  I really do think this is a great way to serve my family. By not stressing/spending so much time to figure out meals, I have more time to do other important things.   I am pretty pumped and even bought this as an early wedding present for a friend. I think its great and you should totally give it a try. Even the the deal is done...its totally worth the money..so do it. Go sign up now and make dinner /grocery time easy again!

Here are photos from our latest meal

Beef Stroganoff

So easy, even your husband can do it!
J/k he made me say that :)

Spinach and Strawberry salad with almonds and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
I do NOT like spinach and I actually ate this salad...and enjoyed it!

Maximize Your Mornings

So a while ago I was really convicted about how I spent my time and how I was not acting like a Proverbs 31 woman. I would love to tell you I have my stuff together now, my house is super clean, and I wake up every morning before Inara to read/shower/eat. But that is far from the truth. I struggle with getting out of bed in the morning. I even slept 9 hours last night and couldn't wouldn't get out of bed this morning...ugh

So I was very excited when another blog I follow shared an opportunity to have accountability to get up, encouragement to run the race, and to help others in their journey too.  Inspired to Action is a blog that is setting up the Maximize Your Morning Challenge. I am really excited about this too! I need/desire to start my mornings with the Lord, but often choose to stay in bed a little longer.

Basically you sign up to "check in" via email, twitter, or facebook. They will put you in a group with about 20 women in your timezone who wish to be up the same time you do. You will check in with your group and receive encouragement throughout the week, and even participate a bible study too. I am ready for the challenge...well hopefully :)

Will you take the challenge with me?

Proverbs...update

So since getting down to the nitty gritty of what Proverbs 31 looks like in my home. I have made some changes to my schedule. I have been getting up at 7am. This allows me to spend Inara's "Independent play" and her nap time couponing, planning meals, cooking, and doing house work. This actually has proved to be VERY fruitful and freeing!

The first week God really blessed my efforts. I was able to get up before Inara and shower, eat, and read! It was a GREAT way to start the day. So throughout the week I was able to plan meals for the next week. I spend $70 at the grocery (which is a little more than I would like), but I was happy to see more fresh foods than boxed foods. AND I also bought food to have a couple over for dinner and to serve the worship team at church by providing breakfast.  We didn't eat out one time that week, Justin was able to serve some co-workers by bringing in donuts to celebrate ipad day, and I had 2 coffee dates! But we were able to save even more than we usually do! I was so thankful to immediately see the fruits of being a "wife of noble character".

But I haven't been perfect! The last week I stayed up until nearly 1 a.m. reading blogs being idle. I had great plans for the next day, but even as I went to bed (nearly 3 hours later than I should have), I knew those plans would change. I would NOT be able to hang out with a friend because I would have to spend that time cleaning up for a dinner we were having at our house. Had I chosen to be wise and go to bed like a responsible adult, I would have been able to wake up early and get started in order to have freedom in my schedule.  As I finally went to bed I confessed to God how I was being foolish. I was so thankful to not feel condemned, but free as I poured out my heart to God. He forgave me and I fell asleep.

BUT, our God who is SOOO rich is mercy poured it out on me the next day. Inara slept in (which she NEVER does), and so did I. I was able to get some rest and my dear husband woke me up so I could still get started before Inara woke up. I was so thankful for that extra 45 minutes of sleep and that it also didn't ruin my day.  God could have disciplined me (and would have been right to do so), with the logical consequences of my actions the night before. But he chose not to this time. He is SO patient with me...its is crazy. Made me start thinking, do I give Inara that much mercy/grace/patience....NOPE. This week I am going to start reading Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick....hopefully that will help :)

So there it is...success and failures. I am thankful to know there will be both for the rest of my life. But just as God forgave me that night, I know (and am BEYOND thankful) it will continue my whole life!

Proverbs 31...Part 2

In my previous post I wrote about really diving into Proverbs 31.  I really looked at each verse and how I could apply God's word to my life and home.  Its all practical stuff for me and I'll explain some more stuff at the end, but here is the breakdown:

Verse 10-12- Put God 1st, THEN I'll be able to be precious, valuable, and good wife. I can do this best by meeting with God first thing in the morning

Verse 13- I cannot work eagerly when I play "catch up" with my time. I need to wake up at 7am, spend time with the LORD, shower, and eat breakfast.  By doing these things before Inara wakes up I can work eagerly during her independent play time and nap.

Verse 14 & 15- I can't provide the best foods for our family if I am not disciplined to make a meal plan

Verse 16- I need to be a good steward of our finances at the grocery by meal planning and being disciplined to only buy on my list.

Verse 17- I will not have stamina and endurance for my "tasks" if I don't treat my body well. I need to set a bedtime (and follow it), eat better, and go to the gym.

Verse 18- When Inara's day is over, mine is not by default. I need to be disciplined and continue to work. I will gain freedom by not be so overwhelmed during the day.

Verse 19- Commit to doing my work for the Lord.

Verse 20- Continue in being generous with my time/money towards those in need, but grow in opening my heart to pray for them too.

Verse 21- Be prepared for the season and keep my family clothed (being discipline and planning to know my families needs).

Verse 24- Continue to see my work as a Nurse as a help (not a hinder) to my family.

Verse 25- Do not be anxious or worry about the future by praying, keeping Christ 1st, and planning/being disciplined

Verse 26- To be wise requires the Lord's help (Proverbs 1)

Verse 27- To be disciplined  and not idle required the God's help (Proverbs 1)

Verse 28- Inara and Justin would be blessed. Not because of my work (or how things appear), but because of my love for the Lord.

Verse 31- For my work I will be rewarded in this world and the next.

So I TOTALLY realize that to some, reading this it may sound like I am a nut and am being a little overboard. And I CAN see it going that way, and I am praying I will not make this my idol, but God. This was just a way to really see what Proverbs 31 looks like in my life. Since I will not be perfect this side of Heaven, I will likely be growing in this way until I die! :)  But seriously, so far I have not been setting up new laws for my self and condemning my self when I inevitably fall short. But these are just things I feel like God is showing ME how I can honor him most in my home. And even in the past 24 hours I have not honored God fully with my time. But I am so thankful God's mercies are new every morning!  I don't expect these practical applications to apply to everyone because your family is not my family.  And I want my focus to not be on the task, but on the reason for getting the task accomplished...honoring Christ about all!

Its ok if it doesn't make total sense to everyone. I thought maybe someone might find this little breakdown helpful to begin to work out what being a P31 wife looks like in THEIR home.

What about you bloggers? How do you work out P31 in your home?

Proverbs 31...Part 1

This post is quite a long one, so I am dividing it up into a few posts.  Enjoy!

Recently I have been feeling guilty over the foods I have been feeding my family and myself. Justin hasn't complained about it, and Inara eats whatever I put in front of her, but I just know in my heart I am not loving them well.  I have also been feeling like a poor steward of our money at the grocery.   About a year into our marriage I started couponing and save about $30/week on groceries. But lately I don't feel like I am doing the best with what God has given me.  But instead of making changes in my spending habits at the grocery and at our table, I just kept on doing the same thing and started to condemn myself for not making adjustments.  It just seemed so overwhelming at the time, and for many reasons.

1. It seemed like all the blogs with helpful information assumed you were a stay at home mom.  And right now its just not possible, which is ok. I am not bitter toward God or Justin for working. I am thankful for a job that allows me the flexibility to be at home as much as possible, yet still make a significant financial contribution to our family.  But with that being said, it is hard to make your own bread/yogurt/noodles/slaughter your own chicken when you are not a full time homemaker.
2. Our family dynamic makes it hard to even do the things listed above even IF I were a SAHM. Inara eats such a small amount of food that it doesn't make sense to make my own batches of stuff. Justin isn't home for dinner multiple nights a week for dinner because of work, so making dinner for 1.2 people (me and Inara), seems impossible.
3. On small group nights, it seems we are rushing to get there and grabbing McDonalds on the way always seems the way we roll.
4. Weekends seem super busy so we eat out a lot.

So all these things added up and not knowing where to start I was discouraged and condemning myself.  Thankfully a sister in the Lord showed me I was not having a "Godly sorrow", but was sinfully condemning my self. Thank God for her! I found my self in Romans 8 where God showed me there is NO condemnation in Him. Only grace and forgiveness and mercy. Praise Him for His goodness, am I right?

So I started thinking. What do I want to do in my kitchen and at the grocery? Above all, honor God.  So what does God say a Godly woman is like...lets go to Proverbs 31.  So in reading it I thought, well that isn't super helpful as to what exactly that look like in my life. But then I remembered how a friend really dissected each verse to get down to the nitty gritty of what this "wife of noble character" looks like. She even sent it to me to help encourage me. It was a great start to dive into God's word.  So after a few hours God really began to show me the big picture and all the details too, of how I can honor Him better in my home.

Any other moms/wives out there that struggle with this? Where do you run to in God's word for encouragement?  How do you working moms balance work and the home?