Responding

Ryan and i have been having a heck of a time with parenting lately.  This season in our life has been busy and a little chaotic - with Ryan in school and working.  Along with the busyness, throw in a 3 year old and a teething 5 month old into the mix and you get 2 overly exhausted parents.
James has been growing so much lately.  His vocabulary surprises me everyday.  But it seems that when they grasp new words and learn new things at 3 years old...an attitude comes along with it. haha!  It is crazy how a little one, whom you love so much, can really...tip the ice burg.  I just want to go back to when he was in his so called "terrible two's" and say to myself..."this is nothing compared to what's ahead." haha.  I am finding that 3 year olds are much more difficult.  At least mine is anyway.
Like i said, Adam has been teething, the poor thing.  Which has resulted in him waking up late at night.  (our son's have their dad's persistence) :)  Crying it out for Adam is...crying all night until parent's are too tired that they will give in. haha!  What makes the situation harder is that the boys share a room.  So of course, James wakes up, but luckily he doesn't get out of bed...he will just lay there.  But his lack of sleep shows up in the day time - by little fits here and there.
Lack of sleep and dealing with a stubborn 3 year old...can take a toll on you.  Your nighttime sleep and even your physical demeanor seem to yield to the situations of children.
Right now, both of my boys are napping. PTL!  I can think back on the day thus far.  My attitude has been overrun by my emotions of sleepless nights and a trying 3 year old.
Even though our kids, spouses, or other people get under our skin, we cannot blame them for how we respond.
Some of us are masters (myself included) at blaming others for "making" us feel a certain way.  We tell our kids they made us mad.  We tell our husband he made us feel unloved.  We tell people they made us feel embarrassed or insignificant. We end up telling that our feelings are other people's fault.
...and that is not the case nor true.
No one else is responsible for our feelings.  No one else makes us feel a certain way.  Our kiddos did not irritate us.  James tried my patience by not listening to me...and i chose to become irritated about it.  Our husbands did not upset us.  They did not do what we wanted and we responded by becoming upset.
You may be wondering, "What else am i supposed to feel in a certain situation?"  (Like when your child disobeys you for the hundredth time.

Answer: ANYTHING YOU WANT

You see, you are the one who has the power to determine your feelings.  Not your kids, not your spouse, not your friends. Nobody else but you.
Oh but your children, especially, will try to push those buttons....but how you respond is key. We have a choice of how we are going to respond.  It is so hard!  Believe me!  There have been so many days where i have taken on a negative attitude because of what others have done.  But i don't want to rot in bitterness.  That is no life.  It would be so much easier to blame others for how we feel.  The only thing we can blame others for is for their words and their actions.  I have to blame me for my response.

If you allow yourself to give into negativity and bitterness in your heart...you will become a negative and bitter person.  I don't want to be like that for my family.  (even though they are the driving force of it sometimes haha!!)  I am learning that how i respond to certain situations, especially if they involve my kids, will show them how they should respond.
As i have said before, your kids are your biggest fans, admirers, and "watchers."  They watch and mimic almost everything you do. haha, which can be scary.

So, don't blame others for how you feel.  Take control of your emotions and lean on the Lord to not give bitterness an easy access into your life. :)  Respond with how you want to Live.

Have a happy and bitter free day!

My Green Smoothie And My Little Roller

I finally have the time to post!

It's been quite busy in the Burkart household lately.  With Ryan in school Monday and Wednesday nights, we have been trying to get all the family time in that we can get.  Thankfully, he will be graduating in December!  (i'm so proud of him)

Today i am going to blog about my super green smoothie.  While i was pregnant with Adam, i was not very fond of vegetables. (with james i actually craved salads haha) With Adam, chocolate kept calling my name...not just in the middle of the night but all hours of the day.  York peppermint patties to be exact.  What's funny, i never like minty chocolate stuff, but now i do...except icecream. haha!  Anyway.  During my pregnancy i wanted to make sure i was getting the right amount of nutrients not only for me but for Adam as well. So i would make my green smoothie.  Doesn't sound very appealing does it?
Here is what you will need:
Spinach
Greek Yogurt (i like the strawberry flavor best)
Frozen Blueberries
Frozen Strawberries
Banana
Orange Juice
Sometimes i through in oats for the whole grain
A Blender

I know you are thinking "Spinach? Gross!"  You can not taste it at all!  It does make the smoothie green, however, you only taste the berry flavors.  

*Tip*  Frozen fruit can be pretty pricey.  I have found that buying just regular produce (strawberries, blueberries, etc) has the same affect...it just takes more time.  Usually when i get home from the grocery, if the kids are behaving, i'll wash the produce and stick them into freezer safe containers or bags.  That way they are ready to go when i want to make a smoothie.  

As far as yogurt goes, you can use whichever kind you would like.  I prefer greek yogurt to get the protein.  

You can use milk instead of orange juice.  I like OJ because it gives it more of a fruity flavor. 

It's fun to experiment with it.  I've got my hubby in on it as well.  He adds chocolate or sometimes protein powder into his.

Now that i have had Adam, i have continued to make and drink this.  It makes me feel good to know i am feeding my body good things...because i still cave into chocolate! haha!  

Like i have said before, for me, once i had kids my mindset toward food and exercise has drastically changed for the better.  I want to take care of myself so i can be there for my family as long as possible. 

I have been very blessed with two amazing nappers (kids who nap well...most of the time).  That's when i find time...or try to make time for myself.  Whether it's exercising, resting, making a healthy meal, showering, or reading the Word.  

So spoil yourself with something good for you!

*Another Tip*  Make sure you wash the Spinach, even if it is prewashed.  :) 

Enjoy!

Adam has been a "Roller" the past few months.  But now he is really rolling!

Today while i was making lunch, i laid Adam on his blanket on his belly to play. Next thing i knew he was completely off his blanket!  he must have rolled 3 times. haha!

Haha!  He is growing so fast!  he just turned 5 months and is wearing 9 month clothes.  So different from how James was.  Adam also said "Ma Ma" the other day!  I love this age...it's so fun!  But i hate how fast it is going.
I had a meltdown last week.  I had moved Adam's crib into James' room.  I did it while Ryan was at school...took me 2 hours to do. haha! (i couldn't get it to collapse - it wouldn't fit through the door frame)  I was happy that i did it - we have our room back, but it made me so sad to think the baby phase is almost over.  Ryan came home finding me crying in our room. haha!  It is so hard for me to "let go" at the small stuff...what kind of basket case will i be when they leave for school?  Or college?  Or when they get married?  Ahhh...can't even think about it. haha!
I am so thankful for my two healthy happy boys!  I am so in love with my family!
Have a happy day!

Home Projects

I just need to take some time to brag about my handy man at home.  Ryan can literally turn anything into an awesome project.  He is like the Rumpelstiltskin of wood. haha!  He is amazing!
Usually i am not up for clutter or extra hoarding things, but sometimes it is good to hang on to something that you may later down the road can use.  A couple of years back, we redid our bathroom. We had taken the old mirror in there and replaced it with a nicely finished home depot one.  Most would just get rid of the old mirror.  Not a Burkart man. haha!  We had used it for a while in the basement in our workout area. 
This past weekend, we really wanted something different above our fireplace besides the picture that we had.  I always wanted a big mirror above it, but mirrors are costly.  What does my hubby do?  he took the old bathroom mirror and cut out some wood to frame it.  It now hangs above our fireplace.  
Ryan looks at it he wishes it was a big screen TV instead.  I love it!  He did such a great job!

 Now i really want to paint our fireplace tile.  I'm not really feeling the pinkish color.  has anyone ever painted tile before?

This morning, while we were making breakfast, there was a gorgeous sunrise that i just had to get pictures of.  Little things like that can make you so grateful for another day of life.

                                                         The view from the kitchen.

In the beginning...

A few weeks ago, James and i sat outside one evening while Adam was napping and Ryan was at school.  I usually will sit outside while James plays outside, but this time he wanted to just sit on my lap and look around.  It was a beautiful evening.  James kept saying "look at that pretty blue sky, mommy." and "look at those trees."  I began to tell him that God had made those things for us.  That led me to think 'i should take the time and actually teach him as much as i can about the Lord.'  What better way to start then with the beginning...Creation.  

Everyday for 7 days (it was more spread out because things came up) i taught James about all that God created. 

The first thing i wanted to teach him was a Bible verse.  Genesis 1:1.  I wrote out the verse on a big piece of paper and hung it on the fridge right above his "poo poo" chart. haha.  Every morning we went over the verse.  (it's amazing if you use repetition - how much they remember at this age)  

I would let him point at the words as we would say them together out loud.

DAY 1: God made light.

This was James' favorite.  I let him hold a flashlight in the dark bathroom.  I said, "on the first day, He made LIGHT."  (when i said "light" James would turn on the flash light)

Here's a video of us in the bathroom with the Flashlight.

I found a website that had coloring pages for each day that God created something.  (they are kind of cheezy) After we went over the bible verse and let him do the flash"LIGHT", i let him color the page.

DAY 2: God made separated the sky and the water. (God made skies so blue) :)

The next day was luckily a beautiful day.  The sky was so blue.  I took him outside and we just looked at the sky.  "God made the blue sky."

I let him color the Day 2 coloring sheet.  Then we did a little craft.  I found some blue construction paper, white paint, and a little sponge brush.  James dipped the sponge brush in the paint and made clouds on the paper.  

DAY 3:  God made land. (God made land, plants and trees)

We went "exploring" in our back yard that day.  I told him to pick up things like leaves, grass, etc.

I drew on a paper a tree and he decorated (glued on) the things that he had found outside.

DAY 4: God made the sun, moon, and stars.

This one i wish i would have had more time.  I was planning on us making a little sun, moon, and stars mobile, but we were getting all set for our trip to Vermont, so we just did the coloring page.  We did, however, go outside when it was dark to look at the stars.  (that is always a real treat!)  

DAY 5: God made the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky.

I had a couple of books on animals that had fish and birds.  We also look online at pictures of birds and fish.  Another option you could do is take them to walmart or a pet store.  I took james to walmart to see the fish...but be prepared to explain to your kids why the fish aren't swimming there. haha!

DAY 6:  God made animals and people.

This one i really enjoyed!  We looked through animal book/pictures.  Then i got out photo albums of our family and we looked through them together.  I got to explain how God made everyone - our family.  I told him that God made him (james) and that he is so special.  Everything from his toes to the hairs on his head are all wonderful!  (let them know that God made them and that they are wonderfully made!)

DAY 7: God rested.

I took this day to go over everything we had learned.  I hung up all of his coloring pictures on the wall so he could see how much God had made....and that it was and is GOOD.  

This was such a great experience for me too!  It reminded me of everything that God has made...and that His works are good.  

Here's a video of all we learned.(everyday is "2nd" day haha!)

I know as a parent i will make many many many mistakes, but i never want to make the mistakes of not showing my kids enough love or teaching them about the Lord.  

Make each day count with your kids!  

Piano

I cannot believe i forgot to post about this!

When i was little and lived in NC, i took piano lessons.  I would go over to this little (older) lady's house where she would teach me one on one for about an hour or so. We would have piano recitals and even little piano competitions - where there were judges.

  My grandmother (mama jenna) was a voice coach/music teacher/ piano extraordinaire.  She would take the time and teach me piano at her house.  While it was a frustrating instrument to play...i loved it!  There is something about hearing the music of a piano - it can bring tears or make your heart happy.  

Growing up, my parents had put their HUGE piano in my bedroom.  It was neat, because i could play it anytime i wanted and also an annoyance because anyone else could as well. haha!  The piano was old and completely out of tune, and unfortunately my parents got rid of it years down the road.  

Since then i have always wanted to have a piano in our house.  To play, to teach our kids, and just to fill our house with music.  

Well, my very amazing husband decided to sell one of his beautiful guitars so we could buy me a digital piano.  I was very hesitant in letting him do this, because those guitars are his little "babies."  He assured me that he only needed one guitar. (he also used the excuse that it was our 5 year anniversary) So, he found someone on craigslist and sold it to him.  Right after that, he took me to guitar center and purchased me a digital piano that was the exact same price he sold the guitar for...and on SALE!  

It is so amazing!  It feels just like a piano...not like a keyboard.

I'm so excited to get back into playing it more...it's been years since i have played! If my grandmother were still here, i know she would sit right next to me and play her little heart out.

I still can't believe i have a piano!  I always wanted out house to be filled with music...we are well on our way!

  Here's the Little Beauty

Thank you Ryan for this amazing gift!  I love you!