When Your Hut's on Fire/Homemade Food

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

I don't think I can add anything to this story. I read it in an email this morning and I needed it! I have a special request today: please pray for me and my children. There are some issues that we could be facing in the near future that make me really uncomfortable to say the least. In my post about Moses and Jochebed, I mentioned placing my children in God's hands. I'm truly trying to do that but it's the HARDEST thing I have ever faced. Even with everything I've gone through in this past year.....this is the hardest. Please pray that God would give me peace and assurance in the midst of this storm.


In other news, I have a question for all the mothers following this blog. I grew up in a home where my mother fixed homemade food for EVERY meal. I don't ever recall her buying those Banquet boxes where you pop the Salisbury steaks in the oven and then just fix the trimmings. I don't ever recall her substituting real mashed potatoes with Bob Evans mashed potatoes that you can buy at Wal-Mart. She NEVER fixed pancakes that were from a Bisquick box. Up until the time I became a single parent I hadn't either that I recall.
As a single parent though....I've discovered lots of options for dinner. I've discovered Tyson honey bbq chicken strips, Bob Evans mashed potatoes that are absolutely as close to homemade as you can get, Tyson roasted chicken and fajita chicken strips, and thanks to Taryn, I've discovered Tony Roma's BBQ ribs.

It pains me to actually tell this because I wouldn't want people to think I'm, ya know, normal??? I'm not sure where the mind set came from that everything HAS to be homemade. I prefer it and I'm sure most people do. But at the same time, is it a bad thing to serve your children food items that aren't homemade as long as it's healthy and well-rounded? I was only a stay at home mom for 6 months, when Kari was 6 months old to when she turned 1 year. That's when we were in Texas which is a whole "nother" story. ANYWAY, everything I made was homemade right down to the yeast rolls and mac and cheese. I can fix some GOOD GOOD food and I know I can. I was taught by the best! But do I have time now? No. Do I want to sacrifice my precious time with my kids in the evenings to cook and have to clean up the mess which can take a total of 2-3 hours depending on how messy and creative I get? Nope. Will I go home tonight and fix something quick and tasty for me and the kids and then spend the rest of the evening playing instead of washing dishes? Yep. So my question is.....am I the only one that thinks homemade is great but almost impossible to do these days?

Moving on: house work. Anybody who has known me for a while knows that I have always been fanatical about my house. It had to be cleaned, straightened, organized, vacuumed, mopped, laundry washed and ironed...fast forward to post-kids.


I'm not sure that I'm gonna mop any more frequently than once a month or every two months because EVERY SINGLE time I mop spaghetti gets dumped, apple juice get spilled everywhere or maybe even pancake syrup gets mysteriously spilled in a trail across the kitchen floor. OR orange pop gets knocked over and leaves a sticky residue on the floor no matter how thorough I am when cleaning it up.

I'm trying so hard to become less bothered when my house doesn't get cleaned when it's supposed to. I'm trying hard to push it to the back of my priorities and my mind when the kids' toys have become my carpet and I can't find time to clean them up.


Because what matters is that I'm spending quality time with Kari


and Malachi.


What matters is that I'm taking time to pray and read the Bible with them daily. What matters is that I'm being the best mommy I can be to my children that God has blessed me with and training them up in the ways of the Lord.
I have a lot to learn. Lord, bear with me. :)