Give Yourself Grace When You Can’t Do Everything

For many years I have tried to do everything – be at every kid’s activity, grace every social event, participate in every church function, attend every meeting, and fulfill every responsibility that comes my way.

Reality has set in, and I realize I just can’t do it all.

This is the first fall in a few years where we have had three kids in soccer, plus one in ballet three times a week. The soccer, alone, presents conflicting schedules, and I haven’t been to one of my 10-year-old’s soccer games yet. Since my husband coaches his team, it is just inevitable that he is the one to take my son, so we split when we need to, which is often.

It is easy for my mom-heart to feel bad, to feel guilty for not being able to go to my son’s games. Nonetheless, I am learning to let things go. It doesn’t help me nor my family if I carry guilt. I can still be a great mom and support him by telling that I am sorry that I can’t attend his game but I wish him well and want to hear all about his game when it’s over!

Recently our church had a work day. We really try to attend every church function we can. However that morning my 10 year old son had a soccer game, and my older son had a game in the early afternoon about an hour away from our home. I could have pushed myself and added a good amount of stress to our morning so some of us could go for a short while. Instead I chose the simpler route. We ended up not going to our church work day, and it added a little more peace to the flow of our day.

I used to think it was good to push myself continually, to never say no, to never let anyone down, to never miss out on anything, but I am realizing that is not always best nor wise.

When my body started to show signs of wear from continual stress, I realized I just couldn’t keep the same pace. I have to be more prudent with my time, my choices, and where I spend my energies.

It’s not our responsibility to do everything and be everywhere. It’s our responsibility to do well and be all that we can be, and sometimes that means we actually miss out on some things so life can be simpler, fuller, calmer, and better.

Are you pushing yourself too much?
Are you carrying unnecessary guilt?

Give yourself grace.
You can’t do everything and aren’t meant to do so!

Vegetable Jambalaya

Recently I have been trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my weekly plan, hoping this will help my grocery budget.

We tried this spicy jambalaya last week, and it was a hit!

If your family likes spicy food, they should enjoy this. If you want to try making it without as much zing, I would try using maybe 1/4 of a jalapeno and just a dash of cayenne pepper.

Vegetable Jambalaya
Recipe found at “The Kitchn”

Serves 6

Note: I actually used about 1 1/2 cups of brown rice and added 1 to 2 cups more broth to be certain to have enough portions for our family.

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small green chili pepper, like a jalapeno, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
3/4 cup long-grain rice (I used brown)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, until they become translucent but not brown.

Add the garlic, chili pepper, tomatoes, bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a minute, until the tomatoes release some of their juice.

Add the rice and slowly pour in the broth. Lower the heat to medium and  cook until the rice absorbs all the liquid, between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on whether you use brown rice.

Taste and adjust the salt, and pepper, and any other spices.

New Novel From Christian Author Jason McIntire - "Flight School: One Summer, Many Choices"

 

If you've read The Sparrow Found A House by Jason McIntire (Elisha Press, 2013), you'll already know his style: Real-life situations addressed with equal parts humor and biblical wisdom. It's a combination reviewers find powerful. They've used the words intriguing, believable, captivating, and unique - among many others - to describe his writing. The Sparrow Found A House (which is available as a free Kindle download from Elisha Press) was also endorsed by Exodus Mandate, the prominent homeschooling action group. It tells the story of the Rivera-Sparrows, a newly-blended and newly-homeschooling family facing opposition from without and within.

Today Elisha Press is announcing the release of a sequel to The Sparrow Found A House - and to celebrate, they're giving away signed copies to four randomly-selected winners. You can enter the giveaway here, or go ahead and order the book on Amazon. It's $2.99 for the Kindle version, or $9.99 for the 256-page print edition.

Flight School follows the Rivera kids as they meet new friends, explore careers, and encounter the challenges and choices that come with adult life. As a homeschool graduate himself, Jason knows the things that matter most to homeschoolers, and how to write about those things in a way that will edify, resonate, and entertain.

"If you like Flight School," Jason says, "thank God. If you don't like it, blame me."

Enter the giveaway, or buy a copy now.