Goal: (A little bit) Better For You Cookies

I seem to have a food theme going here on my blog lately. I think I am a bit obsessed with feeding my family well. I know that it affects their bodies and minds in ways that we don't always think about. I would love to rule out all sugar and certainly white flour from all of their diets but I also know that I live in the real world where they have other food choices outside of what we have at home. I talk about food with my children (and husband) often because I want them to know why we eat the way we do in our home. My hope is that knowing why will help them to make good choices when they are not at home and once they have left our home as adults. That being said, I also want to maintain balance and have treats and fun with food. Cookies when the kids come home from school is just a fun way to connect with them after almost a full day of being away. They actually sit down and are willing to converse over a plate of freshly baked cookies. Because I would like the cookies my kids eat to be somewhat healthy cookies, I went on a hunt for a good oatmeal cookie. Since one of my daughters and I cannot eat wheat I am always looking for good recipes that everyone will like. Sometimes I will make 2 separate batches, one wheat-filled (as I call it) and one wheat-free but it is so much extra work. So I was happy to find some good recipes using only oatmeal which is a whole grain with a good amount of soluble fiber in it. I took the recipes I found and messed with them to come up with something that worked for us and our tastes. My kids absolutely devoured these and there a few ways you can change them up so that they suit your taste. Here's the recipe:

Please note that if you need them to be wheat/gluten-free you should use certified gluten-free oats.
Note: For the oat flour in the in the recipe use regular rolled oats or oat groats and grind them in a blender or food processor until it is a flour consistency. It is easy to do!

Yummy (wheat-free) Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups of light brown sugar (or sucanat)
3/4 cups pure cane sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups oat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats

optional add ins:
For oatmeal raisin cookies: add 3 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 cup raisins
For chocolate chip cookies: add 1 cup chocolate chips
Or my favorite:  1 cup of Sunspire Peanut Butter Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Slowly mix in the 3 cups of rolled oats and any additional add ins you desire. Use a cookie scoop or two tablespoons to drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or just until edges are lightly browned. If you leave them in longer they will become more crispy and not chewy. Let them cool for a minute or two on the pan and then move them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen.

Enjoy! They won't last long!

Goal: Understanding the Unique gifting in all of us

A few weeks ago I went and heard Dr. Caroline Leaf speak about her newest book The Gift in You: Discovering New Life Through Gifts Hidden in Your Mind. I bought the book and have since been devouring it. I am so thoroughly excited by it because I feel that is such a great resource, not only for me, but for my children to be able to understand their unique gifting. Dr. Leaf goes into great detail about how we are all unique and how our brains prove that. The science behind it is absolutely fascinating and I wish that I understood that aspect better. Even though I never went on the path of brain researcher this book is a fascinating read.

Ever since my first child was born I felt like one of the most important things I could do for her was to help her discover her gifting and ultimately her purpose. How many children grow up to be adults who are still wandering through life trying to figure out what they are here for? One of the things that really stood out to me at Dr. Leaf's talk was the statistic that only about 3% of people actually live up to their potential. There are so many ways we are influenced in our lives to believe that we are not worth much and that only really special people do great things. Well, I have news for my children, and you, everyone is special and everyone can, and should, do great things. By great things I mean simply being great at what you are called to do. When I try to be like you, or someone else that I admire, I will fall short because I am not wired with your thinking pattern and your giftings. That is why so many people don't live up to their potential. We are all trying to be someone else.

A few years ago I learned a valuable lesson as a mom. I don't have to do it like anyone else. I don't have to be a mom like any other mom. I am me, I am different from every other person on this planet in some way because I was created to be unique and special and an individual. That was very freeing to me because it took the pressure off of me and I could just concentrate on doing things the right way for me, and for my unique children. Sure, there is lots of inspiration out there and that is valuable but it is when we get caught up with trying to become the one we are inspired by instead of just taking on the inspiration that we loose ourselves.

I spend a good amount of time talking to my children about what God has gifted them with. I tell them, not that they can do anything (because let's face it, a horrible singer will never become a great singer, etc...), but that they each have a great calling and once discovered, they can do something amazing with it that no one else can do. I want my children to be confident that they were created for greatness.

So what is the great thing that I am doing right now? Right now I am doing exactly what I am called to do and I am getting great at it. I don't say that pridefully but with a humble heart that is grateful for the understanding that I have purpose and I am walking in it now. My great things right now are being a wife, being a mom, being a daughter, sister, and a friend. Simple, I know, but so profound. When we realize what we are here for we can stop spending so much energy on what we wish we could be and start doing what we ought to do. Remember too, that there are many seasons in life and your purpose for this current season will probably change in a later season. How you are gifted will always be the same but when you start to live the way you were created to, the possibilities of the great things you can do are endless. How is that for being purposeful?

Goal: Taking Advantage of Teachable Moments

It has been over two weeks now since my last post. I didn't expect to be away so long but unfortunately our family lost a loved one and there were many other things to tend to.

"Poppy Jeff," as my kids call him, passed away early on Valentines Day. He was step grandpa to my children. They loved him dearly and my husband and I so appreciated him and the roll he played in their lives. Jeff turned into a kid when he was with my kids. He would spend hours coloring or reading with them. My son loved having someone to be rough and wrestle with and Jeff was more than happy to play along.

It is so very hard to watch my children grieve their loss. As an adult I understand my emotions and my own grief but I ache for my kids. They have had some nights of crying themselves to sleep and the thought of never seeing Jeff again on this earth makes us all sad.

When we heard the news that Jeff wasn't doing well in his fight against cancer we go decided to drop everything and get ready for a 2 day drive to Florida. We made it there the evening before he passed. We all got to squeeze his hand and tell him what we loved and appreciated about him. I was so proud of my oldest 3 girls who spent time telling him he was a good grandpa and that they really loved him. It was hard to watch as their eyes welled up and spilled over. They had never seen Jeff, or anyone for that matter, in such a frail state before and I believe that they knew it could be the last time they spoke with him.

When the news of his death came the next morning we gathered the kids together and told them. I wanted to emphasize to them that Poppy Jeff was now at peace and no longer in pain. They seemed to have peace at that thought. Throughout the next week my children talked about their favorite memories of Jeff and how much they will miss him. They also talked about how he is in a better place and they know that they will see him again one day. As a family we are in this together and we teach our children to talk about their feelings so that we can love and comfort each other. I know from experience that grief takes time. As much as we don't want anyone to feel sad (especially our children) it is so important to encourage them to let out their emotions and not bottle them up. True healing comes when we allow ourselves to go through the grief and experience it the way God designed it to be. The pain does lessen over time but the missing will always be there. My kids are doing well and every night they pray for Mema who is missing Jeff the most right now.