Let me be loud and clear.

Mile Markers The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run - by Kristen Armstrong. I am about halfway through reading this book and am absolutely loving it. It motivates me so much! I have always enjoyed reading Kristen’s blog on Runner’s World ever since my Dad told me about it. He loved reading it too and often times sent me links of her posts. Her writing is so inspirational to me. She is not only a runner, but also a mom and someone who likes to live life to the fullest. I love hearing her stories about parenting, early morning runs with friends, races she’s done, and just life in general. It’s a great book thus far and I feel certain I will finish it within the next week or two.

As I sat outside on the patio today soaking up the sun, I read chapter 12 called “Confidence”. Good stuff about what she feels makes for a confident woman and how it starts on the inside. I came across this line and it stuck with me. She was talking specifically about how our influence and own self-confidence affects our children. I read it, reread it, and then knew I had to come in and post this blog.

“If our lips are moving but our actions don’t match, we become a badly dubbed foreign film, without the benefit of subtitles.”

How true is that?! And very biblical. If we say one thing and do another, it just doesn’t make any sense. To our kids or to anyone else for that matter. How confusing is it to a child for you to say “do this” or “do that” and then you don’t follow up your talk with your walk and do those very things? Very confusing. A bunch of jibber jabber. A waste of time.

This goes along well with what we’ve been talking about in or community group lately – we have to be who we want our kids to be. We have to be genuine and real by letting them see who we are, which is honestly scary & motivating at the same time. I can’t tell Addi to use kind words and be patient to Kam if I don’t exhibit patience and kindness to her when they are pushing all of my buttons. I can’t tell people I am a runner, if I don’t actually get out and make time to run. I can’t say I love Jesus, but then snuff the poor and needy right here in our community. I can’t say your my friend and then not be there for you to cry on my shoulder while you are struggling. It just doesn’t (shouldn’t) work that way. It’s not just lip service.

I don’t want my life to be badly dubbed without subtitles. I want it to be loud and clear. I want people, especially my kids, to know who I am, who I love, what I stand for, what I do, and what’s most important to me. I want them to see momma get sweaty and push myself to finish a run. I want them to see me make mistakes and apologize for them. I want them to see me show love to a stranger. I want them to see me make dating Ryan a priority. I want them to see me worship the Lord with all that I am. I want them to see me strive to be better in all things. I want to be confident in who I am, inside and out, and be content in my own skin- even through all my imperfections- so they will learn to be confident women themselves one day. That, my friends, will make for a beautiful film!

Traci

FRESH is open!

So excited that FRESH finally opened today! We’ve been anxiously awaiting this for quite some time. My husband and I LOVE to cook. Food Network is always on in the Dixon household. We LOVE food (who doesn’t?) and we LOVE going to the grocery store. Maybe we are nerds, but it’s fun! I guess we are “foodies.” Which is also why we run.

When we go to Dallas or Austin, we always try to make a stop at Central Market – one of our favorite places to shop. So when we heard that Brookshire’s was opening a store that was comparable, we were pumped. So yes, we set our alarms for bright and early and were with the first few customers to walk through the doors of FRESH this morning. Beautifully designed by Fitzpatrick Architects (props to my friends there), the place is VERY nice. Open layout with a very “fresh” and earthy feel. I was impressed!

Although I don’t think it’s quite as big as Central Market (and missing the wine aisle), I think for a city the size of Tyler – FRESH is an awesome addition! I think this store will be great for Tylerites. It provides a lot more options than a normal store – more organic, more brands overall, more meat options, fresh seafood, more produce choices, etc. I was blown away by all the pasta choices. Good grief, there are so many shapes, sizes, and styles of noodles out there! They also carry my favorite Greek yogurt – bonus! Some items were higher priced than Drug Emporium (which also sells organic foods), but the selection is more expansive for sure. Plus, the To-Go food bars will be a major perk- from breakfast tacos to coffee to gelato to other freshly prepared meals. The bakery also had a lot of fancy and quite tasty-looking desserts, breads, and pastries as well. I can see people not only grocery shopping here, but going here for date nights, family dinners, and meeting friends for a latte!

I have no doubt my family will be visiting this store often! Have you fought the crowds and gone yet? What are your thoughts? Would love to hear what others think about FRESH!

A fun find!

If you are like me, you are always on the search for new and fun (and preferably cheap) things to do with your kids. Well, thanks to a friend who researched, we stumbled across a place yesterday that fits this bill. I’m still fairly new to Tyler, so it’s not abnormal for me to find new places. But most of my friends had never been to this place either and they’ve lived in the area for quite some time! So, I thought I’d share with you…

Our playgroup met at Kids Depot (by Buffalo Wild Wings, in the same shopping center as Mario’s) yesterday and it was so much fun! My girls absolutely loved it. During the week, the place is closed, but they will open for groups of 10 or more if you call in advance. It’s only $4.99 per child. We had entire place to ourselves! You can bring your own lunch too. There are plenty of tables and seating. Many tunnels, slides, and other fun things for the kids to play with. It’s basically like a McD’s playground on steroids. And super clean! Plus, while the kids are contained in the safe, playground, it allows more time for moms to chat! You can check out the Kids Depot website here for pictures and more details.

So, if you and your friends are looking for a place to entertain the kiddos and expend some energy before nap-time while having grown-up talk time, check out Kids Depot. I recommend it! It would also be a great spot for birthday parties. And, if you know of other fun, inexpensive things like this to do, please leave a comment & share with the rest of us! I know our playgroup would appreciate the tips!

Fruit & Veggie Diet + a New Tasty Recipe!

My husband, Ryan, and I decided to try out a 3 day Fruit & Veggie diet last month. Inspired by a fresh year and all, we thought it was time to boost our healthy eating. You can read all about why we decided to give this a try and the foods we ate during each of the three days over at my personal blog:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

We decided after doing this in January, that this is something we’d like to do consistently once a month. It was challenging, but we felt like it was worth it. We are actually in the midst of the 3-day diet this very week. However, we did incorporate two new food items into this month’s menu that have made a huge difference…beans & nuts. Adding in those two sources of protein has made it a ton easier this go round, we aren’t quite as hungry!

One of our favorite parts of doing this each month is searching for new, healthy recipes. It’s expanding our food horizons and helping us to venture out more. One recipe we found and cooked this week is Kale & 2 Bean Soup. We had never even had kale before, but heard it was very good for you. I recently read in Runner’s World that it was an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins. So, we thought it would be worth a shot…especially during our 3 day diet/cleanse! Plus with bunch of beans, it couldn’t taste all that bad. Well…we tried it and we liked it! (isn’t that what Yo Gabba Gabba says?) We really liked it. And bonus, our kids liked it too and ate their entire bowl! I thought I’d share the recipe, in case you are looking for new, healthy, vitamin and protein-packed meals for your family! We will definitely make this again and probably won’t even wait until a 3-day diet to do so. It would also probably be very good with meat and bread.

Kale & 2 Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped carrot
• 1/2  cup  chopped celery
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  cups  organic vegetable broth (such as Emeril’s), divided
• 7  cups  stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
• 2  (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.

2. Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and rosemary.

Baby, it’s cold outside!

What do you do if its 20 degrees outside with wind chills in the teens? Well, let me just tell you…

 

…you do a pilates video with momma

 

…you get bangs

 

…you go play at the indoor playground at McDonald’s

 

…you make those Moose & Zee pillows you’ve been begging to make for months (thanks Noggin for replaying that commercial billions of times a day)

 

…you color picture after picture after picture after picture

 

…you arrange, mess up, rearrange, mess up the letters & numbers on the fridge

 

…you lay on the couch with a blankey. all.day.long. (get a job bailey!)

 

…you pretend to go camping on the ottoman in the living room and pretend to sleep while momma’s taking your pic

 

What do you do when it’s f-f-freezing c-c-cold outside and you’re stuck indoors?

The middle miles.

Central Park, New York City

There is usually a point in distance running where you reach a pleasant plateau. The time when you have found your rhythm, your breathing is regulated, you are in the groove. Usually for me, this takes a good 3-4 miles. The first few miles on a long run are usually always tough for me. Thoughts flood my mind about what I have to do that day, how far I still have to run, how I wish I could get rid of that darn back fat that I’ve acquired from having two babies, etc. But after I crank up the music and start to relax and get in a rhythm, I am in a zone. My happy place. Then for several miles, I feel great, like I could run forever like Mr. Gump. This doesn’t happen every time, some runs are hard the entire time. Usually during a half marathon, I am in this zone from about mile 3 until close to mile 8 or 9. Then, the last few tend to be challenging…maybe because you know the end is near and reality sets in that you’ve run nearly 10 miles? Regardless, this is how I endure the long runs, the middle miles make it enjoyable.

I love these middle miles, they remind me why I love to run. During this time I can think clearly, I enjoy the time to myself doing something for myself, I pray, I think of my Dad, I think of all that God has blessed me with, and a lot of times I set new goals. Some of my best worship experiences have happened on long runs through the beauty of nature. This time has also been like therapy for me through the grief process. It’s good stuff. Good for me emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Because of this “me” time, I feel I am a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I seriously get cranky when I don’t run, just ask Ryan!

I hope you have something like this that you do just for you. Something that challenges you, pushes you, strengthens you, encourages you, calms you, relieves stress, gives you time to process and think. Whatever it might be, it obviously doesn’t have to be running. Although I always recommend it! I know as a mom, it’s hard to find any time for alone time. Trust me, I understand. But I think it’s truly important. So if you don’t do something like this already, I would encourage you to find those “middle miles” and set aside time to do it regularly!

Shhhh! My kids just ate eggplant.

I love it when I can get my kids to try new foods, especially when it is a vegetable. Especially, especially when they first tell me, “no way am I eating that!” I feel victorious as a parent.

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite meals. (Mario’s does it best, just my opinion.) But I was really looking for a healthier version, one that didn’t require frying. I bought a couple of eggplants, researched a few recipes, then did what every good cook does best – went to my pantry and threw in what I had available. It was a winner. Adding panko breadcrumbs made it crunchy and delicious, but saved a ton of fat and calories because I baked the eggplant first, rather than frying it.

Best of all, my kids (11 and 13) loved it. I even managed to keep my cool, resisting the urge to say, “na-na-na-na-na you just ate eggplant”.   

Here is the recipe:

2 eggplants (choose ones that are slightly firm, smooth skin)

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs 

1 jar pasta sauce

1-2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

This isn’t very scientific, but I washed the eggplants, sliced them into 1/4 inch thick slices and patted dry. Beat two eggs in one bowl. Combine panko, italian breadcrumbs and parmesan in another bowl. Dip each slice in egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, making sure each piece is thoroughly coated. (You might need more or less breadcrumbs to your liking.) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 about 10 minutes, flip slices to the other side and bake 10 minutes more. Make sure they are golden brown and crispy. If not, pop back in for a few minutes.

In a glass pan, spread pasta sauce to cover the bottom, then place one layer of eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with cheese, more parm if needed, then more sauce. Continue layering to your preference. You could limit the fat even more by scaling back on the cheese, or if kids are really picky, you might add more sauce or cheese to “hide” the vegetables. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Enjoy.

Taco Soup

Since the temperature outside continues to drop today (burrrrr!), I thought it would be a great time to share one of my favorite soup recipes! This time of year is perfect for warm, hearty soup. This recipe seriously could not be any easier and it usually makes enough to feed my family of four multiple times! It’s a staple in the Dixon household.

Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 diced onion
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can red or pink kidney beans
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Rotel tomotoes
• 2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
• 1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
• Chips, for serving (we like Tostitos Scoops)
• Grated cheese, for garnish

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large pot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Serve with cheese & chips & enjoy!

Ask Away…by Kelly Simmon

Kids change everything.  You hear people tell you that when you’re single.  They say it again to you when you get engaged.  They reiterate it once you’re married but have no children.  When you’re pregnant, they say it over and over and over to you, just in case you weren’t really sure about how your life is about to change.  Truth be told, it’s annoying at times in any stage you are going through in life.  With that being said, though, the saying is true.  Kids change everything.  They change your sleeping patterns, your grocery shopping lists, your social life, and even your intimacy and bathroom patterns!  How many of us have been in the bathroom with little fingers sliding under the door and a small voice saying, “Momma…are you in there?”

I went back to work this year after being a stay-at-home mom for six years.  It has been a big, and difficult at times, change in my own, and my family’s, life.  We’ve had to become more intentional about the time we spend together and how we communicate.  I realized right after I went to work that communication was a bit harder than it had been in the past.  When I was home, I was a big part of everything that took place in my three boys’ days.  Once they started going to school, and then I started teaching again, it was very different.  I didn’t know half of what they did during their day.  I would ask the typical, “How was your day” question when I picked them up, but I would get the typical answer, “Fine.”  Or better yet, I would get “I got a green” or “I got a three”, depending on how their behavior went at school.  It started to drive me crazy, and make me feel more and more secluded from them.  I would shudder when I really sat down and thought, “So this is how it’s going to be now that I am working again…” Then one day I realized, No.  It doesn’t have to be.  It can be different, and it will be different.

My husband and I worked with 18-25 year olds at our church in Phoenix.  We adored it.  There was rarely a day that our house didn’t have some of our “young” friends in it.  We learned quickly to ask specific and intentional questions with them or we would be answered with the polite, one-word answers we all use at some point.  As I thought about my boys, I realized I was making it easy on them to give me one-word answers.  It was up to me, as their momma, to make it impossible for them to do that.  So, I came up with some quick, easy ways to make them talk.

The first thing we did was create a family dinner game.  It has now become something at our house that our boys won’t let us NOT do.  Even when we have guests around our table, our boys say, “Are we going to teach them our dinner tradition?”  I love that they love it, and it always gets conversation flowing.  The best part? It’s easy.  What do we do?  We go around the table and each person tells their favorite part of their day.  That’s it.  From what they say, we are able to ask questions and dig a little deeper.  I have learned so much about just what makes my three boys tick, and they are all so different!

Second, when I pick the boys up from school, I still ask them how was their day.  And, I still get the proverbial “fine” or “I got a green today” answer.  I’m not going to lie.  More than once I’ve wanted to let the conversation be done there because I’m tired or trying to figure out dinner…or how fast I can get to bedtime!  But, I decided to become intentional with my children, so I have to put that aside for a little bit.  I ask a few pointed questions instead.  “What special area did you go to today at school?”  “What did you do in _____ (art, music, gym) today?”  “Tell me one thing you learned today that you didn’t know before.”  That’s it.  Those are my three questions.  From there, the conversation grows and grows.  After a little while of asking these three questions intentionally each day, it became where I didn’t even have to start the conversations that often.  I was quickly greeted in the car with, “Momma, did you know that water can turn into ice and gas as well as what we drink?”  “Momma, can we get a book on constellations? We started learning about stars today at school.”  Amazing!

We all have those friends who we go to dinner with and leave feeling completely fed emotionally.  They ask really good questions and you believe they want to know you on a deeper level?  They are few and far between in most people’s lives, but when you find them, they are good for your soul.  I want to be that in my friendships, but, more than that, I want to be that in my childrens’ lives.  I want them to know that, no matter what, I think they are amazing human beings who deserve my intentional desire to really know them.  They are changing so much every day.  I don’t want to blink and realize I knew everything about them at the age of 4 and 5, and now I have to get to know them all over again as adults because I accepted the one-word answers as they grew older.

So… Go ahead!  Ask away…

Kelly Simmon

You can follow Kelly’s personal blog at: kpsimmon.wordpress.com

Let them fly. – by Vicki Clark

Yesterday I took my youngest son to look for an apartment. Although he is 20 years old, and has lived away from home once for 6 months, it will be an adjustment for me to make when he moves out. After my husband’s death, he moved back home to take care of his momma. Good boy.  He was a very big help these last few months. The hardest months of my life. So, in thinking of how my last baby will be leaving home soon and how this time will probably be “the time” that we all have to face sooner or later, I was reminded of a few things that I would like to share with you.

When God gives us those very precious babies to raise and love, we have to understand from the beginning that  our job is to raise them to eventually live on their own, without us. From the minute they are born and placed into our waiting arms the “letting go” process begins. I think of my oldest granddaughter that started junior high this year. It is hard to think of your baby going to that big school all by herself. We have to “let go” and let them experience what junior high has to offer. If she didn’t have junior high to buffer the way to high school, just think what a shock that would be. Junior high prepares them for high school. I think of my middle granddaughter who will start kindergarten this fall. She will barely be 5 years old and yet her parents will have to let her go to that huge, cold looking school building. Elementary school prepares them for junior high which prepares them for high school and of course high school prepares them for college, which ends in going out and living life. Our job is to have them ready to deal with life in each of those stages.

We would not want our children to never grow or never change. That is not healthy. So in order to do what is best for them, we have to teach them how to get along in this old broken world on their own. It is so very important to equip them with all the tools they will need to face the challenges in life. How to get along with others, good manners, good work habits, good behavior, respect for others, and the list goes on. That seems like such an overwhelming list to try to instill in our kids. Good thing we have 18 years to work with. We must teach them and then allow them to do it on their own. Win or lose, succeed or fail. We should always be there for them but at some point you have to let them make their choices and choose their own path. Believe me when I say that you are doing more harm than good if you try to do everything for your child and you never let them fail. How in the world will they every know how to handle disappointments later in life if they do not experience it as a child. Life is hard and we must teach our kids how to handle the bumps as well as to be grateful and thankful for the blessings.

I have said before that a parent’s biggest responsiblity is to teach their child about God and to lead them into a real relationship with Him. That will not insure an easy life by any means, but it will give them assurance of leaning on the Lord and receiving their strength from Him. I honestly do not know how people that do not know the Lord as Savior ever face any trial, disappointment, loss, etc.

So whether you are a new parent and your first letting go experience will just be to let them fall as they learn to walk, or maybe you have kids starting school, going off to college, whatever stage in life you are in…….let them go. Remember that the tighter you try to hold on, the more they will rebel and resist. I can rest assured in the fact that as my last one leaves the nest, I am entrusting him and his life to a loving God that loves him more than I do and that he has a personal relationship with. So while I will shed a few tears and feel the pain of separation, I will know that I did my best to teach him and train him for this very day. My prayers daily will cover him as they have my other 3 for years now. I will be proud of each of his accomplishments and his growth into a man of God. He has a big brother to help show him the way and be his role model. He has 2 big sisters that love him and will always be there for him. And……he will always have his mommy there as long as God breathes life into my body…..to love him, to be there for him and to pray for him. So hang in there, do your best to teach and equip them, but then love them enough to let them go when the times come. Let them fly on their own. There is such satisfaction in seeing your grown children be good, productive citizens and make a difference in their world. Raise families of their own. Make good lives for themselves. Come home and see their mother OFTEN!!! Just had to throw that in there.

God Bless,

Vicki