Family
The Perfect Mother’s Day Breakfast-Helping your Family Establish Wonderful Traditions
Mother’s Day is one of the BEST days of the year! BUT, it can also be one of the most stressful days of the year for Moms caught in the middle…..balancing celebrating your own mom, your MIL (if you are so blessed to have a MIL), and being the focus of your own family’s celebration. Allowing your immediate family to creatively organize your celebration is vital to “growing up” strong and responsible children. Releasing control of the “meals” for a holiday celebration may be challenging to many moms. So here are some suggestions that might make it easier for you to let go, relax and give your family the opportunity to celebrate you!
Besides hinting that a new plant for your garden might be just the perfect gift…..Here are a few tricks I have tried that make for a fabulous Mother’s Day in the food department. Have many of your favorite foods on hand and already prepared so the “surprise” breakfast in bed can actually include many of YOUR favorite things. (No offense intended towards all those well-meaning husbands and children that prepare their favorite pancakes, waffles, etc. to serve to their moms). I personally love fresh fruit, granola and yogurt, or muffins, scones and coffee (Peet’s of course) or even oatmeal with lots of toppings as my favorite picks for breakfast. I do love a great veggie omelet so if you have a hubby or kids that are so inclined…let them take a stab at that. Of course make sure all your favorite veggies are in the vegetable drawer. Or you can whip up a batch of our family’s favorite Easy Egg Bake and have it all ready made in the refrigerator for the family to cut, heat and serve on your “breakfast in bed” tray.
Here are links …
Read MoreYour Essential Self
I am currently reading a book by Shauna Niequest, her newest book Present over Perfect. In the chapter titled “Baptism” she talks about your essential self. She says “I thought midlife season would be about pushing into a new future… and it is. I thought it would be about leaving behind the expectations and encumbrances of the past. It is. What I didn’t know is that it would feel so much like recovering an essential self, not like discovering a new one. Hold close to your essential self.” This has really been resonating with me lately because becoming a mom, I feel like I am supposed to be this completely different person, have it all put together, and have everything figured out. I feel like I am supposed to be this super mom, discover a new person, and come into this new persona.
But what I am really called to be is me. I feel like I have been recovering the person God created me to be through motherhood. It doesn’t have to look like all the other moms I see. It doesn’t have to look like the book I read about parenting. It just has to be me. As I take hold of this role, I want to recover the free, spirited, positive, loving, and open minded person I have always been. I don’t want to be tainted or wrecked by the world around me. I don’t want to get stuck in perfectionism or comparison. I just want to be me. So as I read this chapter, I realize growing up is about becoming more self aware. It is about embracing even more who God created me to be. Not discovering a new self. I am who I am and God created me as I am for a …
Read MoreRefresh Your Next Easter Celebration with a Passover Seder
When I was growing up, my family celebrated Passover-led by my wonderful Jewish grandfather. I did not realize the incredible richness and depth of importance in the details of the Seder service until I was in my teens, after I had become a follower of Jesus. Although the Passover celebration is a Jewish festival, it holds deep significance and meaning for believers who call themselves Christians. So this Easter season, our life group from our church decided to have a Seder dinner, and the next night we attended a Seder dinner held at the Messianic Jewish Congregation gathering in a nearby town. Adding the Passover Seder dinner as part of our Easter festivities has enhanced my appreciation of the significance of all the events surrounding the trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Every detail is a fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures as I truly believe that Jesus is the true Passover Lamb that came to redeem all people.
Passover (Hebrew word is pesach) occurs in the Spring. The Passover Haggadah (haggadah literally means “the telling”) contains the complete liturgy and instructions for the ceremonial Seder (order of service). Historically, Haggadahs have been written and revised numerous times, but the basic theme of God’s redemption of the nation of Israel from bondage to Egypt remains constant. Most of the ceremonial practices of the modern Seder have been in place since the late Second Temple period (second temple period was 530 BCE to 70 AD).
For thousands of years, even up to the present, the Jewish people have believed that God would again send redemption on Passover. Redemption did arrive on the very day they were looking for it, but it took a surprising shape. For God had engineered a far greater liberation than they had imagined–freedom not just …
Read MoreEaster EGG-ercise – Get Your Bunny Tails Moving
There are so many fun ways to incorporate fun and fitness into your family life. My sister sent me this idea from The Seasoned Mom, and you know me and exercise – I HAD TO TRY IT!
My girls are obsessed with Easter egg hunts. Do you follow us on Instagram @growingweisser? I shared one of our favorite Easter activities is the Egg Hunt at Disneyland Resort. You find character eggs all over the parks or even Downtown Disney and get a cute collectable egg to take home (when you purchase a map!)
What you need:
plastic eggs
buckets
paper and pen
First I wrote out fun exercises in paper. Then I folded the paper up in the eggs.
Since the girls like egg hunts so much I hid the eggs first for extra “egg-ercising.”
Then I let loose the fun! I told the girls how many eggs they could each find. After they found the eggs we opened them one at a time and did the exercises! (super cute video on our Instagram!!)
The girls loved this so much we played for HOURS!! And they have pretty much asked to do it every day since. So this activity is definitely mom-approved!
Let me know if you try it!
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Easter Craft to Share Love
Only two weeks before Easter Sunday and I am thinking of how I can bless others and at the same time expose them to new and exciting ways to add deeper meaning to their Easter celebration. I am always looking for how to creatively combine the fun aspects of Easter with the real reason that we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. I saw this website and really liked this free printable the blogger offered. So I downloaded it and made a basket full of Easter M&M treat bags to share with friends. I am hoping to invite them to our church for our Easter celebration if they don’t have a place to worship on Easter Sunday. I have found that in my community there are many women who want to feel like they belong. They do not want to be alone. They may be entering a new season of life and they feel unprepared. They may be facing some emotional hardship in their life. They may just need a friend to talk to and get advice from. Maybe when I am willing to take a risk and give a small gift of love and friendship to my neighbors or new acquaintances I might meet, it may open a door of communication. I serve and love a God of grace who brings peace, love, security and purpose. I want to share this love and grace with others. In the gospel of John 14:27, John quotes Jesus who says, “I give you peace, I do not give you what the world gives you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.” So this Easter season, I am going to make a basket of these little M&M treat bags and share them with others. I will be hoping and praying that this …
Read MoreChili Chicken Stew-Creative Meals that Multiply for Busy Families
Spring is in the air and families are beginning the frenzy of evenings filled with sports practices, games, spring music concerts and all sorts of activities. As a mom who prefers not to grab fast food for her family on the way to or from all the evening activities….we have to have a strategy. When we were in the flow of 4 girls doing multiple activities and I felt like I was driving circles around our community, I came up with a creative strategy of “meals that multiply“. This is the first installment of some of the meals I made regularly that literally lasted for a week and the family never knew that our dinners came from the same big pot of stew.
Chili Chicken Stew (Crockpot or stovetop)
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into pieces if cooking in a pot on stove)
1 large onion chopped
1 yellow, orange or red pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
2 Tbs oil
2 (15oz) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans
1-2 cups pace picante sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Place whole chicken breasts, fresh or frozen, in the crockpot. Put all remaining ingredients in the order listed in crock pot and cook on low 6 hours. Remove chicken from stew and shred. Place back into crock pot, mix and serve. 
To make on stovetop, cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook chicken, onion, pepper, and garlic in oil in a large pot until chicken is white and no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 2-3 hours. This chili chicken stew can be made the day before and freezes well.
Now here is where the magic begins……This one pot of chili chicken stew can be …
Living Healthy
Do you find yourself trying to eat healthy and trying to cook for a family at the same time? Does your husband need more food? Are your kids picky? Well here are some healthy alternatives to go with some traditional meals. You can cook the traditional for the family and make yourself some extra veggies/salad/etc. on the side.
- Spaghetti/Pasta/Italian
- Spaghetti Squash or Zoodles (Zuchinni Noodles)
- Meat: Chicken Sausage or Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Chicken Cacciatore in Crockpot
- Eggplant or Zucchini Lasagna
- Use tomato sauce rather than cream sauce
- BBQ
- BBQ Chicken sandwiches for the family, BBQ chicken salad for yourself
- Cut the cornbread and heavy sides and do salad on the side
- BBQ chicken in crockpot
- Lettuce wrap the meat
- Use flat bread buns
- Mexican
- Lettuce Wrap Tacos
- Cook fajitas with lots of veggies
- Light on sour cream, cheese
- Asian
- Cook a big stir fry vegetable dish
- Cook teriyaki chicken in the crock pot
- Do lettuce wraps for yourself rice for the family
- Quinoa is always a great healthy alternative
- Use stir fried meats rather than fried
- Pizza
- Crust made out of cauliflower, zucchini, whole wheat
- Eat a big salad with your pizza to cut down on slices
- Do build your own pizzas and let family members put their own toppings of their choosing
- Use thin pizza crust
- Soups
- Make soups heavy broth soups instead of creamy
- Let people add their own sour cream, cheese, toppings, etc.
- Blend cooked vegetables to make broth thicker
- Salads
- Let people dress their own salads, Use vinaigrettes for yourself
- Use nuts/fruit instead of croutons/sesame sticks/chips
- Breakfast
- Use partial egg whites with eggs
- Add vegetables to eggs
- Oatmeal with cinnamon instead of sugar
- Muffin cups with separate toppings
- Healthy whole grain cereals
- Yogurt and light granola
- Eat fruit with protein
- Whole grain toast
And just …
Read MorePeace and Progress in 2017: Meet Bekah!
Hi, I’m Bekah, the “baby” of the Weisser Family. I am also the wife of a Pediatric Resident, and Mom of Sophie, who is turning 1 in just a few weeks! Before these latter roles became a part of my life, I attended Azusa Pacific University for college. I played softball for the four years I was there and got involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, combining my passions of sports and Jesus. I majored in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (basically psychology in the workplace) and minored in Marketing. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do when I finished college so I moved home to the Bay Area temporarily. Soon after, I got engaged to my college sweetheart and thus reignited my passion for planning and finding “the best bargains around” while planning my DIY on-a-budget wedding.
A month after getting married, we moved to the Caribbean to pursue my husband’s dream of becoming a doctor. If any of you know the process of becoming a doctor, you know it is quite the crazy ride. Add in going to a Caribbean school, and it gets even crazier, if you can imagine. We lived there for two years, and although it was one of the bravest things I have every done, it was also the hardest. The best part about that experience were the friends I made who now continue to go through this journey along side me –especially because the journey didn’t end once we left the Caribbean. We were then placed in California for Clinical Rotations, the second half of medical school. We moved to Redlands; and after the first year there, my husband lived temporarily on the East Coast for a couple months for rotations, we lived in the Bay Area for a month, traveled all over the …
Read MoreLoving Your Kids for Who They Are
I love parenting wisdom from Christian experts, authors, and speakers. However, in this first year as a new mom, picking up a big book to read at the end of a long day has seemed overwhelming and exhausting. That is why podcasts and daily broadcasts, specifically from Focus on the Family and FamilyLife, have been such a lifesaver. They usually are 30 minutes or less and I can find different topics to listen to right on the apps on my phone when I have a pocket of time throughout my day!
This week, I listened to the interview of the authors of No More Perfect Kids, Jill Savage and Kathy Koch, on Focus on the Family. They discussed different points about the high expectations parents have for their children and more in this 3-part interview that I would love to share with you!
In a culture that is so perfection oriented, where parents feel like the behavior of their children is a direct reflection of themselves (Yes, me included even in these first 11 1/2 months…), it was such an encouragement to hear how important it is for us as parents to create an environment that is safe for our children to fail.
1. Excellence vs. Perfection
Excellence is attainable, perfection is not. We have these high expectations for our children and we often focus on what they are not doing well enough. Even if we are saying a lot of positive things, we need to remember that negativity is LOUD. Every child is dying to hear that they are LOVED and they are GOOD ENOUGH!
2. “Raise the children you were given, not the children you wish you had”
There is a two step process when your child is different than your expectations and dreams for them — GRIEVE …
Read MoreValentine’s Day
Love is in the air…it’s Valentine’s day!!!
This Valentine is sent to each one of us from God!!! Read it and believe it..it will change your life!!
Here are my Favorite Valentines…
My little Valentines are irresistible, full of JOY and make me praise God for His blessings of family, EVERY DAY!
What brings you joy and puts a song in your heart?
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