Janel and Chloe's baby shower

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to celebrate the birth of Chloe Graham!

Birth Announcement

Chloe Isabella Graham made her entrance into the world on Sunday, October 28th 2007. Even though she came a little over 3 weeks early, she weighed in at a healthy 6 lbs. and 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. Congratulations Warren and Janel, and big sisters Ella and Spohia!

Birth Announcement

Madison Mikaela made her entrance into the world on Thursday September 13th. She weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. Congratulations John and Nicole, and big sister Annabelle!

Nicole's Baby Shower

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to Nicole's baby shower! what a fun time to celebrate the upcoming arrival of John and Nicole's 2nd daughter.

Can't wait to meet sweet baby Madison!

Book Clubers!

I have set up a website for the book club. Here is the link www.bookclubforfun.blogspot.com

Kids Rule Marcus Theaters

Here is the schedule for this summers special kids movie deal. The tickets are $2.50 and you get a free bag of popcorn Show time is at 10:00 a.m.

Wed. June 20th Night at the Museum
Wed. June 27th The Last Mimzy
Wed. July 11th Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Wed. July 18th Are We Done Yet
Wed. July 25th Firehouse Dog
Wed. Aug. 1st Surfs Up
Wed. Aug. 8th Nancy Drew
Wed.Aug. 15th Shrek the Third

Location is at NorthShore and Saukville theaters. They also have the same listings for Thursdays.

Book Club/ Stepping Heavenward

I got the guided study today in the mail to use with the book club. So...I am thinking we can officially begin reading next week. I am going to post questions on here for anyone who is interested. You can write a response to those questions or not...it doesn't matter. If you are interested in doing the book club and have not let me know...contact me soon. I am going to be sending out an e-mail soon with all the details.

I am excited to start. I hope you all will enjoy. I'll keep you updated later this week.

Play Group at the park

Here are a few pictures from this mornings play group. Looks like the kids had fun! :)

Birth Announcement

Ezra John made his entrance into the world on Sunday May 6th. He weighed in at 8lbs. 9 oz. Congratulations Seth and Anya, and big brothers Nate and Juda.

Birth Announcement

Hadley Sue made her entrance into the world on Friday May 4th. She weighed in at 7lbs. 1oz. and was 19 inches. Congratulations Andy, Shauna and Mianna!

Fruit and Veggie Cookies for Finicky Toddlers

Recipe submitted by Janel

Basic Cookie Ingredients:

1 C applesauce
2 T brown sugar
1/4 C honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla


2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 C oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

*see below for additional ingredient ideas

Beat together applesauce, brown sugar, and honey. Add eggs and vanilla and blend together. Add in flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Add in additional ingredients and mix well again. Drop in balls onto cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. It makes about 3 dozen. Refrigerate or freeze what is not eaten right away.

*Ideas for add-ins:

1 Cup finely grated or pureed carrots
1 Cup finely grated or pureed zucchini
1 Cup raisins or other dried fruit (ie. apricots, mango, currents, blueberries, strawberries)
1 Cup peanut butter (if no known allergies)
1 Cup chopped apples
2 mashed bananas
1 Cup chopped pear
1 Cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 Cup crushed pineapple
1 Cup crushed peaches
1/2 Cup finely chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, sunflower, peanuts) *if no known allergies!
1/2 Cup grated flax seed
1/4 Cup wheat germ

Another idea: Try it with a more salty, herby flavor with pureed spinach, mushrooms, tomato, basil, parsley, oregano, zucchini, carrots, whatever you think would be good.


Note from Janel: Sophie hates veggies but loves cookies. So, I decided to try veggie cookies. I added the carrots, zucchini, raisins, and peanut butter to my first batch. She loved them. It is quick and easy on the run and for picnics. AND IT GOT HER TO EAT VEGGIES!

If anyone is interested in getting together with Elizabeth and I sometime and "experimenting" with different recipes, let us know. It could be fun!

Summer Book Club

I have decided that I am going to re-read "Stepping Heavenward", by Elizabeth Prentiss. I have read this book maybe 3 times and have enjoyed it each time. I would highly recommend it. It is very thought provoking. It might be a little hard to get into a first, it was written in the late 1800's, but I assure you it is a treasure. Here is the book description by Amazon,

"How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen!" So begins Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, the journal-like account of a nineteenth century girl who learns, on the path to womanhood, that true happiness can be found in giving oneself for others. "This book is a treasure of both Godly and womanly wisdom told with disarming candor and humility, yet revealing a deep heart's desire to know God," says noted Christian speaker Elisabeth Elliot. "I do not hesitate to recommend it to men, who need to understand the wives they live with, and to any woman who wants to walk with God."

Amazon and half.com have the best prices on this book. Let me know soon if you are interested in joining me in this adventure. I will set a start date and post questions for the book for anyone who is interested.

Thanks!
Elizabeth

Anya's Baby Shower

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Anya's baby shower on Saturday. We successfully pulled off another surprise! :) Nicole you did a great job planning. Everything was fun and beautiful! And, the food was awesome...thank you!

We can't wait to baby boy meeks...just a few more weeks!

A Beautiful Story

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward."
Psalm 127:3

I came across a link to Eliot's story and I had to share it. This is a beautiful story of a parents love for their baby; and how they treasured every moment they had with him. I was touched beyond words. It was yet another reminder of how precious life is. Putting things into that perspective makes those hard days with small ones under foot so much easier. I want to see each day and each task as a gift from God. It is a privilege to get to serve God taking care of His little ones. After watching this I hugged my kids a little closer and praised God for the three little blessing He has given to me.

Please watch. You will be so blessed! Just a warning, you may need some tissues.



You can also watch this video at Igniter Media group
The makers of this video "Igniter media" posted this video on Youtube.

Shauna's baby shower

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to the party last night; and for venturing out into the snow. Turned out to be a great surprise.

Priscilla tried to get rid of our evidence of footprints before Shauna came home!

Shauna was very surprised! yea!

Lots of food, fun and fellowship!

Can't wait to meet the new baby set to arrive May 4th!

Clothes swap...a fun success

Thanks to everyone who participated in the clothes swap on Friday. It was a lot of fun and everyone who came left with something. We should definitely do this again. Hopefully more people will be able to come next time.

Thanks Amy for hosting!

Clothes Swap Party

We are going to be having a clothes swap party this week. Amy is hosting it on Friday March 30th at 7:00 p.m. We will be trading clothes, shoes, purses, belts, jewelry, any accessory you can think of.

If you don't have stuff to swap, don't worry you are still invited. If you don't bring stuff you can still take things home. Please come for a girls night of fun!

If you have any questions or need directions to Amy's house give me a call.

Hope you all are having a good week. Looking forward to Friday!

Elizabeth

Snack Reminder

Stacy has snack on Monday March 26th. Please remember to bring something for the kids also. Thank you!

Craft on Monday

We are going to be making these little Easter basket favors on Monday. This is off of the Martha Stewart Web site. We are also going to be making one other small craft.

If you would like make one (or more) please bring some money to chip in towards supplies. If you don't want to make a craft that's fine, please still come. We have other things we will be doing aside from crafts.

Hope to see you all there!

Clean out those closets!

Hello Ladies,

I was just going through my closet this morning and thinking, "man, we should really do a clothes swap soon." I have a bunch of clothes that no longer fit me and some I just don't want anymore. I think I'm getting spring fever. I'm ready to clean out. It would be fun to have a clothes swap party like we have talked about before.

Anyway, is anyone interested? Or, have any ideas on how to host one?

Let me know!

Elizabeth

Grace-full or Graceless Mom?

I have been thinking a lot about grace....God's grace and how it is portrayed in my life. Am I a grace filled or a graceless mom?

Over the years I have tried so hard to obtain "Supermom" status. Not so much for the appearance or what others think of me (although sadly sometimes that matters to) but for myself. I really do want to be her...the wife who always looks beautiful for her husband. Always has a kind word and just knows the right thing to say in every situation. I want to be the best mom. I want to have the clean house. I want to feed my family yummy healthy meals. I want my children to arise and call me blessed as Proverb 31 says. I don't know if it's my pride that has pushed me to want to be this way. In my mind I have gotten so caught up in thinking, "I can do it...I should be able to do." But then I look around the house and see 4 baskets of laundry that have been sitting there for 2 days now, a sink full of dirty dishes, and a kitchen floor that any dog would love to dine on. (Honestly I did just run the dishwasher, and I just swept. But you would never know.) And to top it off, my five year old says to me, "Mom, this house looks really horrible." GULP! What am I doing wrong? I am trying so hard...why can't I seem to reach my goal. It always seems just out of my reach. Other moms seem to be able to pull it off but not me.

I am sharing this with you not to complain (and quite honestly it is humbling) but to tell you what God has been teaching me. He has chosen to point out to me some of my weakness and areas of sin. The fact is, it doesn't really have anything to do with how clean or messy my house is...but about my heart. Although my house and maybe my life could definitely use more organization (and there are practical ways to do that) I think God is more concerned about my heart condition. No offence but whoever coined the phrase "Cleanliness is next to godliness" would get a strong argument from me.

In all my efforts to become "supermom" or the "phantom Perfect Wife" I have lost sight of a few things. First of all I have robbed myself of joy. Trying hard to get everything right is exhausting and leaves little time to enjoy anything. Obviously there needs to be balance. When I am obsessed with having everything perfect I am definitely not always kind to my family. I tend to loose sight of the important things. I am not taking joy in my kids and seeing them as a blessing when I am yelling at them because I just cleaned the kitchen and they are making crumbs. Basically, getting upset about spilt milk. I am harsh to my kids and unloving to my husband. I try hard to be a perfect mom and wife, fail because I am trying so hard and not relying on God, and then I'm mean because I feel bad that I have failed. Wow...that sounds so bad putting it on paper! I guess the truth isn't always pretty! :)

The second thing is, I am not living out God's grace or living in God's grace when I am trying to be "supermom". I woke up one morning and heard Anna yelling at the top of her lungs at Ryan. I felt absolutely crushed. I felt like,"this is all my fault." I have been living such a graceless life before my children. Anna is getting her behavior from me. I felt my heart brake. In my quest for whatever kind of status I was trying to achieve I think I forgot that little eyes were watching. Again I felt the blow of failure at this realization...my children are ruined (I realize I am at times a bit dramatic but this is how I think). But then God began to speak to my heart and remind me that His grace covers it all. He is a forgiving God slow to anger. I have all this head knowledge of grace, but so little of it is applied.

I have been reading through "Tender Mercy For a Mother's Soul" and I think the Author puts it so perfectly:
"Now matter what your feelings of worth before the Father, He loves you now and forever. Grace is the forgiving, redeeming, and pursuing love of God for us. Grace has nothing to do with the things you do or who you are on this earth. The extravagant gift of God's grace comes to us only because we belong to God. That is what is so extravagant; we cannot earn it, and yet we so desperately need it. We cannot make God give us more, because He freely gives us all. We cannot fall beyond the reach of God's grace, and we cannot grow past our profound need. We cannot understand the mind of God, so we do not completely comprehend a love that is without boundary or limit. We are awed to know that we can turn away or run away, but God is always and eternally, still in love with us. Because of His mercy, we have the privilege of living in the abundance of grace. Some people spend their whole lives striving and searching. Others accumulate accolades and things. But we are most blessed, because the divine grace of God has come to us. He is here and by His grace, we can rest. He is here and by His grace, we can live, He is here and by His grace, we are free."

There is freedom in grace for a wanna be supermom like me.

Psalm 103: 8-14 says,
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Angel Thomas quoted psalm 103 in her book (tender mercy). I LOVE this!! God remembers that we are dust. God knows our limitations. God knows that I cannot do it all. He wants me to see that I cannot be perfect. He wants me to remember that I NEED Him. He has removed my transgressions, I am His accepted beloved child. When I think about this I feel a huge weight being lifted. The burden of trying to be is much to heavy. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

So what should grace look like in my life. Well, first I have to realize that my expectations are to high; STOP trying so hard; realize that God accepts me with all my imperfections; rest in Him.

When my children look back and remember me I want it to be a memory of a grace filled mom. I want them to remember that I stopped to kiss their "owies". That I was there for a word of encouragement. That I took joy in them and saw them as true blessings from God. I want them to see Christ in me.

I know there must be other moms out there who struggle with this same thing. I hope you find encouragement and that you can find freedom from trying. This is something I still struggle with, but I am a work in progress. I am excited for God to teach me because I know there is so much more to learn.

A little dirt on my floor doesn't sound so bad tonight.

In Christ,
Elizabeth

Girls Night Out

Janel will be hosting Girls night out at her house this week. It will be Friday March 2 @ 7 p.m.

Snack Reminder

Susan has snack on Monday Feb. 26th.
Thank you!

Girls NIght Out Canceled

Just to let everyone know girls night out has been canceled for tonight.
Thanks!

Girls NIght Out Wednesday night

Girls Night Out will be at April's Wednesday night @ 7 p.m.

A Mother's Prayer

This is my hearts cry...I thought it was beautifully put! (From the book "Tender Mercy for a Mother's Soul by Angela Thomas)

O Father,

Holiness seems so far from me, and yet it is truly the desire of my heart. I long for intimacy. I long to know you. I want my whole life to reflect Your Presence and Your power. I want to live astounded by your grace and Your glory.

And yet, God, it's just me. Fragile and sinful me. Come and make me yours. Heal my wounds. Forgive my old sins, again. Give new words to my prayers. Restore my yearning for truth. Feed me with your insight and wisdom. Cover me with Your lavish love.

I want these children to live in the blessing of a spiritually healthy woman. Let me be that woman. Remove the distractions that keep me from godliness. Step into the blur of my life rushing by an speak stillness into my days. Hold me close and care for my soul.In these years of mothering, let me choose to surrender the place of my soul for your safekeeping. Whisper to my heart and give direction to my steps. Shout to me from Your vastness and add wisdom to my words. Let me love and celebrate life from the full cup of Your grace and peace.

Thank You, my Savior, my Keeper, my Friend, for the tender mercy that comes and fills my soul. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.

Website for moms of preschoolers

I came across this website and I thought I would share it. It is mostly geared towards homeschooling but I thought it could be useful for just having preschoolers at home. The website is: Preschoolers and Peace She has lots of ideas on how to get your preschooler involved in home activities, and origination tips. I thought her stuff looked good.

Helping out friends in need

On Monday we talked about "Help". We passed around a list and had everyone put their name in an area in which they felt they could help other moms out. Here is the list:

Home during the day:
Nicole
Katie
Anya
Elizabeth (school with Anna until 12p.m. available after that)
Janel (on mon, wed, Fri)
Amy

Available Evenings:
Nicole
April
Shauna
Susan
Elizabeth
Janel

Available Weekends:
Nicole
Shauna
Susan
Jenny
Elizabeth
Janel

Would Trade Babysitting:
Nicole
Katie
Shauna
Susan
April
Jenny
Anya
Elizabeth
Janel
Amy

Would trade babysitting for service (ie. cleaning, organizing, painting, etc.):
Nicole
Shauna
Susan
Anya
Elizabeth
Bethany
Janel
Amy

If you were not able to come to TOFM on Monday and didn't get a chance to put yourself on the list please e-mail us and let us know.

Resource links for organization

Here are some of the resources we talked about from yesterday:

Lisa Whelchel's website Her website offers charts for organizing your family life.

Painted Gold Website: This site offers chore charts (This is where I got Anna and Ryan's chore charts)

More Hours in My Day Emilie Barnes official website. She has lots of great tips for organization.

Snack Reminder

Nicole Hatfield has snack on Monday Feb 12th.
Thank you!

Thank you to all TOFM Moms

Time out for moms',
Thank you so much for your special gift of flowers. I will be able to think and pray for all of you when I see the flowers. You are all special and have wonderful kids. I love them all. They are all true gifts from God. When I see all of you learning and growing in the Lord more and more each day, I know that the Lord has me in the right place.
Love in Christ,
Sue Freund

The first post

This is the beginning of Time Out For Moms blog page. We are very excited to begin this project. Please be patient with us we are beginners at this!