5 Fresh Mother's Day Ideas for the Foodie Mom

I have read "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman and I have to tell you that I think there is one missing. I am convinced that the 6th Love Language is food. If you bring me food I just assume you love me. When we go on vacation our trip is primarily planned around the places we would like to eat. I see these Pinterest posts on date night ideas other than dinner and I think to myself "Why on earth would you not want food?" I am sure that this connection between love and food explains why I was the only "thick" sister. So if this sounds like the momma in your life here are 5 fresh ideas for a foodie Mother's Day and best of all they can all be done last minute.

1.) GIFT CARD
I feel like that goes without saying. The trick here is to get creative, an Applebee's gift card is not going to cut it friends. Think of her favorite restaurant, look for a local farm or garden that makes their own cheeses or spice blends. This idea works for every budget and can be picked up quick.

2.) BLUE APRON
This is a great idea for the busy foodie Mom. What Mom wouldn't love 3 meals worth of ingredients and recipes delivered right to their door. We were gifted a weekly box from Blue Apron a few years back and I have to say it was really cool! All of the ingredients pre-measured come in a ice packed cooler right at your door. Our box had an amazing kale and chicken caesar salad which started us on a kick of kale in our salads.

3.) GRAZE

If you've got a crunchy foodie Mom these boxes come pre-filled with 8 healthy snacks for them to munch on. There are 100s of snacks to choose from so you can pick out her favorites. Not sure what she would like you can get a Graze voucher and let her choose for herself. 

4.) CSA SUBSCRIPTION

Nothing says love like a box of local, fresh produce every week. If you are unfamiliar, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. You buy a share of produce from your local family farm and each week they give you a portion of what is fresh, ripe and fabulous. Our local CSA, Fifer Orchards, even gives you the option to add grass feed beef, fresh local eggs and more to your box. This is a pricier option so it'd be good to split amongst some adult siblings! 

5.) COOKING CLASSES

Is your Mom a great baker but not so great with the knife skills or maybe she's a sushi fiend. Sushi making classes, or cooking lessons are a great way for her to do what she loves and to also get out of the house for a bit. If you are in the Salisbury, MD area I suggest calling my friend over at the Country Tart and booking your Mom an in home dinner party/cooking class. Lynn comes to your house with the food and the know how and shows you and 8-10 of your friends how to prepare a meal. 

So this year save your money on flowers she can't eat, and candles she doesn't need. Get her what she really wants...FOOD! 

Act Like You Know

This last Christmas we bought everyone in the house a Nerf gun and had an epic Nerf battle. We later took the Nerf guns with us to my Mother's house and set up a tactical op as we entered the house. They never saw it coming. I was so proud of my self. I had picked a present that everyone could use, it required us to be together and active and everyone really enjoyed it. Do you know where those guns are right now? They are outside in the dirt. I saw them yesterday as I went to the compost bin. And Lord only knows where the darts for the guns have gone to. I was so disappointed! Didn't they know that was a special gift, and thats not how you take care of things!...Don't you know. 

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.” Gen. 2: 22-23

What a precious gift you are. How do you think it makes the Father feel when we neglect the gift? I have to imagine it is much like I felt seeing those guns jammed full of dirt. Our bodies are outstandingly intricate. So many things working together just so we can blink. It is our duty to steward all of the intention that was put into our design. He loves you, act like you know. 

Here on Day 2 pray that the Lord would make you aware of His love for you and for you to reciprocate  that love in our actions and choices. 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31

Another amazing photo taken by Julia Kellett 

Pray Your Way Thin

Today is the start of a 21 day challenge group I have going that will focus on body image and identity just as much as nutrition and fitness. I think this is the key to a life of health and wellness, as opposed to a moment of success. What a shame it would be to get to the end of journey and be able to lift a barbell but lack the confidence and peace to lift up your eyes.

Emotional wounds can so often block our progress and create wounds that make us doubt our value. Words and curses people have spoken over us we allow to become who we are. I can remember a family member saying to me "she'll always be heavy just like her Dad." I let that bitter, wounded individual wound me. Perhaps there is someone like that in your life. Let me be the voice of reason...What other people think about you is none of your business. What does the father in heaven say?

If I were to owe you $100, and I handed you a $5 bill saying "Here is your $100." would you accept that? I should think not, because you know what everyone knows. I don't get to determine the value of that bill, because I did not create it. Just as you or anyone else does not get to determine your value.

I would love for you to join us on the prayer portion of our journey. Pray this prayer with us, forgive those who have tried to devalue you, ask God to seek out the wounds and heal them. Then move forward prepared to conquer this battle!

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

Psalms 139:2-3

HUGE thank you to the beautiful (inside and out) Julia Kellett for letting us borrow some GORGEOUS photos for the back drop of these prayers. Go check out her work and blog HERE. 

The Thick One

I grew up in a blended family. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers. As I grew up my time would be split between two different houses, but wherever I found myself I was always the chunky one. All of my sisters are naturally slender, my biological sister is flat out skinny. I can remember going back to school shopping and hating every minute of it, as I tried on outfit after outfit in the juniors section with no luck. Not only was I thicker than them but I was taller than almost all the girls I knew. Looking in the mirror I looked like some bad SNL joke with buttons stretched tight and hemlines mid-shin. Girls were supposed to love shopping, why did I find this so miserable an experience? I had let my shirt's XL label, define me. I felt like a pair of elastic waisted, stirrup pants remember those in a room full of skinny jeans.

If this is you sweet friend, hear me now. Who you are is enough! If we are created in the image of Christ that means somewhere at our core we have everything we need to be the best that we can be! You were hand crafted, designed, fashioned before there were stars in the sky. If someone had used an unattractive, bulky frame to showcase their Picasso, would it make the art worth any less? Absolutely not! You are valuable, you are beautiful, you are worth the effort.

Even after a 50lb weight loss (thank you P90X) sometimes I forget I'm not a "big girl" anymore...although at 5'10" I'll never really be small. What I do remember is that whether big or small, husky or scrawny I am awesome! And because I am awesome and God took the time to create me with such precision I am worth the effort to stay healthy. My body is a temple and so I will choose to treat it with respect, both in how I handle it and how I speak about it. I will choose to run the race of life with endurance! (Heb. 12:1)

That's me...true story! 

If you're stuck letting your clothes tag, label your heart I want to help you. No more miserable in your own skin. No more negative talk about your vessel. It's time to change your perspective and your body. You can do it, because greater is He that is in you. You are worth it, because you were wonderfully and beautifully made. Comment below to get info on how to join this group, or message me over on Facebook www.facebook.com/moxiemaefitness 

It's time to sow hard work and consistency

and reap confidence and positivity. 

Why turning 29 will be harder than turning 30.

Tomorrow I turn 29. I don't usually make too much of a fuss over my own birthdays. They don't bum me out and neither do they make me excited, its just whatever. Until this morning. I woke up this morning to find out some friends of ours had gotten some great news. I was so excited for them, but it quickly turned into being bummed out for me.  Tomorrow I turn 29...and all of these things I thought I would have accomplished are still just dreams.

I have no bum steer to blame for where I find myself. Its because I am a dreamer and have yet to become a doer. I thought by now I would have opened my own coffee shop and would be, at least, a moderately successful business owner. At this point I would settle for struggling business owner just to see the thing come to life. I thought we would be in the adoption process by now, but with each bleak bank balance I feel like we are further and further away. Its not that I lack vision, its action that eludes me.

I am afraid that this coffee shop that I can see and smell when I close my eyes will be a bust. That this thing I have made so much a part of me will be a flop. So out of fear I don't take any leaps. I have had multiple opportunities slip through my fingers as I am almost paralyzed by the fear of failure.

I can see an adorable little Ugandan or Haitian girl(s) as a part of our freak show. I believe it is what I was born to do, like I believe I need air to breathe. So why don't I already have a savings account set up to plan ahead for paying for the high cost?...lack of action.

As I scan over the landscape of 28 it smells stagnant. Turning 29 is hard because I feel as if I have wasted the 365 days leading up to it. I had a beautiful baby boy and I know I did lots of things so I know its not for nothing, but I didn't really make it something either. 30 will be different. 29 will be the year I rise out of the ashes of inactivity and make it count. My plan is to live enough and work enough and share enough and care enough to make up for 28 and every other year that came before it. 30 will not be this hard!

You see then that a man is justified by works,and not by faith only. James 2:24

Let the Good Times Roll - Road Trips with Toddlers

We woke up early, packed the car, loaded the kids, and prepared to embark on our journey. I have been to dangerous, war torn countries, flown countless hours across open ocean, and sat in a dirty airport for hours as an assassination attempt was made just outside the walls. But I don't know if I had ever been as nervous as I was as when my Mother and I decided to take my two sons on a sixteen hour car ride to the pan-handle of Florida. As the doors closed I knew our fate was sealed. There would be no turning back, once we left that was it. If they decided to flip out it would surely be a 16 hour drive into the mouth of hell itself. Once we were further South than the oldest had been before he started to ask every 5 minutes "Is this Florida."...We were in Maryland. I looked at my mother and calmly proclaimed "We're screwed!" But it wasn't that bad, seriously! I brought the DVD player and plenty of movies but they were so engaged in the other things I got I think they watched one movie in 16 hours of driving. How did I do it? How did I journey into Mordor with two tiny hobbits and emerge victorious?? I will tell you!

You may know by now I am adamantly opposed to winging anything. You have to have a plan! And my plan was almost full proof it was a multi-faceted distraction technique that kept us all sane for the long haul. 

First here are my must haves for any car ride longer than a couple hours. 

• Dollar Store Cookie Sheet - Do not leave home without this!! It is a magnet board, it is a food tray, it keeps crayons from rolling away. I even used permanent marker to draw train tracks on ours to they had a little track for their cars and trains. Seriously you'll wonder why you never used one before. 
• Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pads - I mean seriously genius! These keep the boys busy for hours and at $5 for infinite possibilities it is totally worth the buy. I took the reusable stickers and put them in a ziploc bag taped to the back of each scene sheet. This kept them from getting dirty and not sticking, as well as, kept them from getting lost in the seats or on the floor. 
• Audio Books - Go to your local library and get a few of these for free. Since we have two boys I always check out a second copy of the book so they can both flip through and look at the pictures and words as we go.  
• Healthy Snacks - Let me stress the healthy part of this. The last place you want your kids to have a sugar high is locked in and strapped down for multiple hours. Why would you do that to yourself?? My favorites are Happy Family Brands Organic Baby Food Pouches  and homemade trail mix. 

Next make a schedule. I know that may sound weird for just sitting in the car, but if you plan out your activities and games being sure to spread them out it will keep them from being going through everything in the first few hours and then being miserable for the last 10! I printed "train tickets" for them and every hour of the trip I would ask for their tickets and punch a hole. They looked forward to me bellowing every hour in my best old timey voice. "Tickets, tickets please. Next stop Cucamonga!" Then I had a brown paper bag scheduled for every 2 hours of the trip. The bags were filled with dollar store finds. Magnets for their cookie sheets, silly putty, sunglasses, a new hot wheels car, and snacks to name a few. When you stop for the bathroom really encourage them to move. Have everyone do jumping jacks or roll down a hill, something to exert some energy. I brought a book with me with fun facts about the states, when we'd enter a new state I would read about it. I showed them a picture of the state flag and you would have to shout out each time you spotted it! 

I could go on for hours, but I think you get the idea! So don't be afraid, take the trip, enjoy the journey! Godspeed friends! 

The boys with their tickets! 

A Space For Grace

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound..." If you've spent any amount of time in church or around the churched you are, no doubt, familiar with this hymn. I sang this to myself yesterday and immediately paused after that line. How sweet...why sweet? What is it about the sound of grace that makes it music to our ears. As Philip Yancey askes, in his award winning book, what is it that is so amazing about grace?

We live in a world where we are taught two wrongs do in fact make a right. Our society teaches us to rip apart and serve on a platter those who have crossed us. If you doubt this for even a second think about how quickly we turned on Jon and Kate Plus 8, when they were less than perfect. As if we are warriors on a jaded crusade to out the posers, we offer up the less than perfect to the slaughter.

I imagine the thing that is so sweet about the sound of grace is simply the contrast of it. The sound is sweet, the act so amazing because it is elusive. Philip Yancey says in his book (If you've never read it, do yourself the favor.) "Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe,  and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet." I think most of us would agree that sinners need grace. But what about the saints? Friends if your understanding of the Word and salvation has made you bitter towards mistake makers, I dare say you have missed the point. I've been dealing with this a lot in the last couple years. So much room and understanding I had for the lost, after all they don't know any better. But when it came to the brethren, how quickly I was to judge and cast aside. "You knew better and you did it anyway! You deserve your mess! You deserve for me to embarrass you in public." I would think to myself. News flash: We all deserve our mess. If we are playing this game based on what  we have coming to us, everyone loses. My fabulous Pastor's wife said once that "When we respond to hurt with love, the world gets to see Jesus." Grace does the most good, when it is least deserved. Every time we respond to hurt with more hurt, we ruin our witness. 

So give grace, give it til it hurts. He did. Give the kind of grace you'd hope to receive. If we can not allow people to be human it is most likely because we think of ourselves higher than we ought to. At the end of the day, do you really want to be the one yelling "Crucify him." Don't free the Barabas inside of you, in an effort to be right. Save a space in your heart for grace friends!

Be Still Clothing Company I just love all of their stuff! 

This Be Still is from another verse, but I'm going to use it anyway. ;) 

The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still. Ex. 14:14