i am "superior"

no, this post is not about my pride (which i have already mentioned is excessive), or anything else profound for that matter...only stating facts in this post...j/k!!! while reading my daily circuit of blogs, i came across a link to test how you rate as a 1930's housewife or husband (www.magatsu.net/maritaltest). i was intrigued and mildly excited to find out that i have a "superior" rating. the only higher rating is "very superior." impressed, aren't ya? a few of my negative qualities, according to the poll, are: i use vulgar language, i wear red nail polish, and i don't dress for breakfast. on the positive side, i don't smell like cigarette smoke, i like children, and i tell my husband that i love him. damn, i am a good housewife. not to make light of the subject, i really do love being a SAHM and can't imagine doing anything else at this stage of life. and oh yeah, don't confuse my family's decision for me to stay at home with those who believe that it's the only option. we are striving to honor God in all we do and believe that there is enough freedom within that task to be stay-at-home moms/dads as well as work-outside-the-home moms/dads. not that i'm the definitive authority on the subject, but i'm just sayin'.

must read

i know, i know...2 posts in 1 day!!! but seriously, head over to www.twoinstitutions.org and read the entire 3 part interview that mike hall has conducted with a parent/leader/teacher in the student ministry at providence baptist church in raleigh, nc. it's great.

say it isn't so!!!!

recently i had one of those fleeting thoughts of "i need to google that," but naturally kept putting it off b/c when i'm on the internet i have important correspondence to conduct and educational articles to read (haha!). so today, i finally got around to googling the oh so important topic of...palm oil. now, i always had a hunch that it was bad for me, but i kinda suppressed it b/c the skippy natural peanut butter (which contains palm oil) is fab-u-lous!!! we've been eating it for about a year and a half....well, not caleb, he's only been eating it for about 4 solid months. cannot believe what i, his wonderful mother, have been letting him put into his body under the guise of "natural." true, palm oil is a natural substance, but it's not healthy. clogs the arteries as well as any unnatural oil that i really am trying to avoid as much as possible. except for when we go out to eat and i like to see how many french fries (fried in the aforementioned yucky-bad-for-you oil) i can cram in my mouth before people start to look at me like i'm weird...what?!?! i love french fries. anyway, i'm super bummed because the skippy natural peanut butter has a great texture--shouldn't it with all the palm oil keeping it smooth?--which i consider the hardest characteristic of a natural/organic peanut butter to master. so, i'm once again in search of a heathy (key word here) peanut butter that doesn't taste grainy...or need too much stiring...or need to be refrigerated...and oh yeah, doesn't cost $6 a jar. should be easy, right?

new haircut

dear internet, i got bangs today. i was really nervous because it's been like 9 years since i've had bangs (and i went to great clips), but i think it turned out pretty well. sorry for the crummy self-portrait, but tom is taking a nap and there was no one to tell me that my pose was cuter in my head than in real life :) write back soon, amanda

father's day

i know that i'm late, but if you've been paying attention, you would know that we rarely celebrate holidays on their correct date, especially mother's and father's days. when your husband is a pastor, sundays are anything but free for leisurely lunches and snapshots of the whole family...at the same time. however, it is kinda fun going out to eat and getting presents after everyone else has celebrated. hello, no-long-lines-at-the-cheesecake-factory...yum! on to father's day...tom was with the students at world changers in muncie, IN so we celebrated last weekend. his mom and the girls were in town and helped make it extra special. they made a welcome home banner and maddie even presented tom with the father's day gifts she made for him during the last days of school (of course, she made them on behalf of caleb...seeing how he can't write yet and all). her little book was sooooooo cute. the picture didn't turn out so well, but it says i love my dad b/c he prays for me. how sweet!!! tom was really excited about his new wallabees...i know this because he immediately asked, "how much did you pay for these?" apparently the amount one can enjoy a gift is directly related to how much money is left in the bank account after it's purchased. after all these years (okay, 3 years...ha!), he still hasn't learned that i am really good at shopping...i got those shoes for a steal. yay me!!!! caleb even got excited about the wallabees. don't adjust your screen...size 13 shoes really do appear that large next to a 17 month old child.

favorite things

since i haven't blogged in forever (family in town last week, vbs this week), i decided to steal an idea from a fellow blogger (sorry, kelley!) and quit putting off the inevitable. here are 2 new things that are favorites around here. 1. mini muffin tin. yes, i'm serious. they let you make the perfect kid-size treats. the small size is the right portion (yay, healthy) and reduces waste (why can't kids ever finish anything?!). 2. "my first..." flashcard series. i'm not trying to turn caleb into some super-genius baby, but i do like to foster a love of reading. these flashcards are great. we have them for shapes/colors and first words. the best part is, they grow with the child. each of the cards has a cutout which exposes a texture for caleb to feel. it's great fun...the flashcard with the jelly is actually sticky!!! and, the publishers printed helpful suggestions on the back for older children. things like, what sound does dog start with and can you think of another word that starts with that sound? a big bonus is that the cards and box are sturdy enough for caleb to practice putting them in and take them out. this is impressive since, to quote my granny, "that boy is as rough as a cobb." mad props to the people of dk publishers for coming up with these.

nothing says "good morning" like a mini muffin

since nana and the girls will be here to visit starting tomorrow, i made some muffins tonight and thought i'd share the recipe with you. it has quickly become my favorite because it makes enough batter for 24 mini muffins (don't like having to wash my pan and then do another batch), uses no butter or oil, you can use whatever fruit you have on hand, and it takes 30 minutes from start to finish. i modified this recipe from one i found online, so i hope i'm not plagarizing! 1 c. unbleached white flour 1/2 c. whole wheat flour 1/4 c. wheat germ 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt Combine in small bowl. 1 c. pumpkin 2 eggs 1/2 c. milk 1 tsp. real vanilla 1/2 c. brown sugar (i like to use the brown sugar/splenda blend) Make sure fruit is pureed or well-mushed and combine ingredients in large bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. Once combined, pour into well- greased mini muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 mins. This recipe is really user friendly. For example, with the pumpkin i like to use 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg. With banana, you could add 1/4-1/2 c. of mini chocolate chips, or pecans to the mixture. tom thinks blueberry would be good, but i'm not sure what spices would be best. now that you know what caleb will be eating for breakfast in the morning (yes, with cream cheese on it), let me know what you think!