Living in the moment

What does it look like to truly live in the moment in our society? I've been asking myself this a lot lately & I've just been feeling super overwhelmed and I can't articulate why. Last night Trevor and I were laying in bed and I was trying to explain why I was feeling overwhelmed and I couldn't. After talking to my honey for a couple hours, I think we figured it out... I feel like I'm constantly living in information overload and it's absolutely because of how connected I am to the world (via the internet!) Hear me say this...I LOVE my iPhone. I love the fact that I can jump on and look something up that I need, I love that when we are in the car I can pull up maps, places to stop and eat, etc. I love that I have an app that keeps track of breastfeeding/pumping info. I love that I have an app that is a sound machine and it helps put my boy to sleep no matter where we are. I absolutely love it. I love that I can post millions of pics of Landon so our friends/family that are far away can see him. But I also hate it. I hate that I feel like it's sucking the life out of me. I hate that I feel like I need to have it next to me all the time when I'm in the house. It's like an extension of our bodies... like an arm, leg, etc. Ridiculous!! How did we get to this place as a culture?? I hate that we make a Facebook event for a girls night & then when we actual go out for that girls night, half (or all) of the table has their phones out and are on Facebook browsing instead of actually spending time together. I feel like we are losing the ability to live in the moment with one another.

I've been feeling this tug for several months since Landon was just a few months old and I feel it even more strongly now. I want to be a wife who is present and a mom who is present and a friend who is present. I don't want to constantly be looking at my phone when I could be spending time with my family...but even a step further, I don't want my mind to be so overloaded by what I've read online all day, that I can't enjoy the moments together. The last few months I have made an effort to not have my phone next to me throughout the day, but instead, to put it on the charger for a couple hours at a time so I'm not tempted to "peek" at it every so often, when I should be playing or loving on my boy. On Friday last week, I intentionally decided not to respond to anything online the first few hours after waking up (3-4 whole hours...pathetic huh?) and I noticed a huge difference in my day! I turned on music, played all morning, went to an appt, had lunch made for Trevor when he came home, and just felt FREE. 

I can tell you that since trying to put my phone away for a few hours at a time, there HAS been a cost... Grandma & Gigi don't get as many pics of bug, I miss calls and texts from my friends/family from home, and I may not be immediately available anymore. It used to break my heart to think of grandparents not getting daily pics of Landon or spending the day texting with my best friends from home... but it doesn't anymore because my husband and my son are As a mama, I need to be focused on the moments that are right in front of me while I'm home with bug during the day and I know that our family/friends understand that. It's so easy for us stay at home mamas to get sucked into chatting all day while our husbands are at work & then being "committed" to putting our phones away at night to spend time with our family. That is AWESOME, but it's not enough...we need to give our children that same attention. If I am choosing to stay home with Landon, I am responsible for meeting all of his needs, loving on him, and being intentional about TEACHING him throughout the day. I can't be focused in doing that when I am constantly checking in one stuff online or even thinking about something I read earlier. This weekend I decided to delete the Facebook messenger app because it's just one more way for me to communicate with the world that's not necessary. I already can call and text...I don't need another way! It's so easy for ME to spend the day chatting with other mamas who are also home doing the same things Landon and I are, but that means that I'm not only taking time away from being focused on my child, but I'm also taking their focus away from their children! 

So, does that mean I'm deleting my Facebook? No. Because I do use Facebook for a lot of good things... staying connected with our community around us here and our friends/family from home. I simply am going to be much more aware of my time, how I'm spending it, and doing things (like deleting FB messaging on my phone) to live more in the present that are eternally focused. I want to get back to more one on one time with friends here too, things that are not big planned events. Having meaningful conversations about life, faith, marriage, parenting, etc over a cup of coffee or on a walk with the kiddos on a pretty day. 

Mama friends, I write this because this is something that I personally struggle with... will you come alongside me & take the challenge WITH me? <3 

Life update -- Our first full year in Biloxi

The beginning of my last post started by talking about how I hadn't blogged in forever & was finally sitting down to do so because I missed it. Then it was gone (I hit publish and it got deleted...) Ughhhhh. So here we go again!

I have really missed blogging. It's therapeutic for me to write, even if no one reads it. I'm hoping to get back into blogging regularly about what God is teaching me, marriage stuff, mommy stuff, etc. 

2013 was our first full year at Keesler AFB & it flew by, but not because our life is too BUSY here. When we were at Fort Hood, Trevor was gone all.the.time. Iraq, Haiti, TDY's, Afghanistan...you get the point. Even when he was home, life just felt like it went a million miles an hour because we were so busy. I was working full time, he was doing army support, and we always had a ton of things going on. A ton of good things with our amazing friends that we miss dearly. They are lifelong friends though and we still talk to them & always will! We lived our first 2 years of marriage with them, celebrated with them, grieved deeply with them, and survived deployments with them. With all that being said, God had a big reason for us to leave that place & come to Keesler AFB & has already blessed us with incredible friendships just in the last year. 

One of the reasons Trevor applied to become an instructor here at Keesler was so that we could focus on our family and in order to do that, we needed some time home together. 

I am so very thankful God sent us here! Do I LOVE mississippi? Nah... not really :) BUT, I love our life here as a family and that's what I'm thankful for. Our sweet boy was born here on June 1, 2013, so Mississippi will always have a special place in our hearts. Trevor has a set schedule working Mon-Fri as an instructor & is home every other Friday & for lunch and dinner most days. Literally, I never thought my husband would be home for lunch and dinner ever. It feels too good to be true most days because our married life just has never looked like this. To my friends who's husbands are deployed or you have a husband who can't be home due to his work schedule...I feel for you and I know it is HARD. I pray that your family will have relief and good quality time together in 2014. 

Since Landon was born, I have become a stay at home mama which I absolutely love. I cannot think of anything else I would rather be doing right now. I have people say "Don't you ever have the itch to go back to work?!" My response is always the same... Nope, not at all. We decided before Landon was born that I would stay home with our kiddos until they go to school & I'm so thankful that we are able to make that happen, it truly is a blessing that I don't take for granted because I know there are so many mamas who wish they could. I also have friends who love being a working mom and feel that they are a better mama to their kids because of it! I think it's a personal choice for each family. I am working PRN at a hospital here on the coast to keep my license current & I usually work 1-2 days per month on Fridays that Trevor can be home with Landon. It's a perfect job for a stay at home mom! 

As much as I miss our friends from Fort Hood, we have made wonderful friends here & I know that we will grow even closer over the next few years. And we're not replacing any friendships, just adding new ones...one of my favorite things about being a military family! :) We have an amazing church here & we recently started a new community group in our neighborhood in base housing & the relationships in it have been such a blessing to us. They truly are becoming like family :) I'm so excited to spend the next 3ish years with these friends & watch our kiddos (those who have them) "grow up" together. We will move when Landon is 3... When you're a military family, having friends for your kids for 3 straight years is like a lifetime! 

Our little bug is SEVEN months old already, I have no idea where the time went. It feels like just yesterday I was pregnant and we were moving here! He is such a JOY to be around and smiles all the time! Well...unless he's hungry, tired, or teething ;) I have to throw a picture in here because it's what mommys do! He smiles & laughs at everyone, he sits up on his own, and just started rolling from one end of the living room to the other <3 Crawling is coming soon & this mama is about get BUSY chasing him around the house!

Mommy's sweet boy with his hair in his face ;) 

I pray that 2014 is just as much of a blessing as 2013 was for our family. I can't imagine a better year, but God never ceases to amaze me with his blessings <3 

Next blog post... Motherhood as of late! 

Freezer Meals Round #2

Wohooo, we just finished trying all of our meals in our 2nd round of freezer meals and I'm excited to share the recipes and our thoughts/modifications on each one! In case I haven't said it enough, this bulk freezer meal cooking has made my life SO much easier, especially with baby <3 Yes, it does take up 1-2 hours of time when I prep everything (which is difficult to find sometimes) but it is absolutely worth it to have so 15-20 meals ready for the month! 

Trevor and I have tried all of these recipes and we liked them! I'm not posting any we didn't like or wouldn't make again :) I put my suggestions/modifications at the bottom of each recipe too <3 Enjoy! 

Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

1 lb. stew meat

2 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, thickly sliced

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup soy sauce 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger

1/2 cup hoisin sauce (This was difficult to find, I had to go to a local asian market)

Directions

Mix all ingredients in freezer bag, label, and freeze flat. Defrost the night before and dump all ingredients into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If it will be longer just add a bit more water so it doesn't dry out. Serve with fresh green onions and rice.

**I would recommend not cooking this on low for more than 6 hours, ours did get a bit dry! I didn't try to add water though, so that may work too! We don't like our beef "well done" though, so 5 1/2 hours was perfect! 

Recipe from: www.whoneedsacape.com

Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions 

Ingredients

1lb. Italian Sausage Links (I used turkey sausage links) 

1 large pepper

1 medium onion

2 cups diced tomatoes

2t. onion powder

2t. garlic powder

Directions 

Mix all ingredients in freezer bag, label, and freeze flat. When ready to cook defrost in fridge the night before & dump all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve on warm hot dog buns. 

**I used turkey sausage to make it healthier & we did not serve it on hot dog buns, I sliced the sausage links and served it over whole wheat penne pasta! 

Recipe from: www.baked-inthesouth.blogspot.com

Maple Dijon Chicken

Ingredients

6-8 Chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)

1/2 C Dijon Mustard

1/4 C Maple Syrup

1 T Rice Wine Vinegar

1 can of Sliced Mushrooms, drained

1 onion sliced

Directions 

Mix all ingredients in freezer bag, label, and freeze flat. Defrost in fridge the night before. Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. 

**Trevor did not like this recipe but I did! You def have to like the flavor of honey dijon AND maple to like it! I also would recommend cooking it on low for 5 1/2 hours so the chicken doesn't dry out! 

Recipe from: www.whoneedsacape.com

Pepper Steak (recipe makes TWO bags)

Ingredients

2 lbs round steak (cut against the grain)

2 cans crushed tomatoes

2 green peppers, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

Salt/Pepper to taste

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

Mix ingredients between TWO bags, label, and freeze flat. Defrost the night before in fridge. Dump in crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve over rice. 

**I would recommend cooking this on low for no more than hours to prevent it from drying out. Again, we don't like our meat "well done", so you may have a different preference! I served it over brown rice! 

Recipe from: www.ringaroundtherosies.net

Chicken Cacciatore (recipe makes TWO bags)

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 package of sliced mushrooms (or canned)

2 6oz cans of tomato paste (I used pasta sauce)

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups chicken broth

Split ingredients between TWO bags. Defrost the night before in fridge. Dump ingredients in crockpot and cook on low 6-7 hours. Serve over pasta.

**The only modification was that I used a jar of pasta sauce instead of tomato paste. I served this over whole wheat angel hair pasta!

Recipe from: www.ringaroundtherosies.net

Beef & Mushrooms 

Ingredients

3 lbs stew meat, cubed (I used 2lbs, 3lbs seemed like too much!)
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 (4 oz each) cans mushrooms, with liquid (or fresh of course)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix (I used my own onion spices for this)

Directions

Mix all ingredients in bag, label, and freeze flat. Defrost in fridge the night before. Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10. Serve over rice. 

**I used less meat (see above) and used my own onion spices (tastefully simple). I also cooked it on low for about 8-9 hours. Served over brown rice!

Chicken Curry (recipe makes TWO bags)

Ingredients

6-8 chicken breasts 

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1cup of dry cooking sherry

½cup of butter

8 green onions chopped

4tsp of curry powder

Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients (except butter) into two bags. Label and freeze flat. Defrost in fridge the night before. Dump all ingredients in crockpot with butter and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice. 

**The only modification I made to this recipe is cut the butter in half, so I put about 1/8 of a cup in the crockpot with the bag. I recommend cooking on low for 7 hours so it doesn't dry out! 

Recipe from: www.six-cents.com