Guest Post : Amanda Basinger

Ever met someone and instantly, you are so impressed and encouraged by them? This was my reaction when I met Amanda. Her husband, Doug, and Mr. J grew up together. My mother-in-law said there was always at least a few Basinger kids at her house (He comes from a family of 11 kids). Lots of funny stories of these families together have been told. 

I have only met Amanda in person one time when her family came to visit our church. I have poured my heart out to her more times than I can count and I always walk away from our conversations encouraged and feeling much better. I thought it wouldn't be fair of me to keep her all to myself. So sit back, and get ready for a double dose of encouragement. 

Hello sweet Amanda, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself and your family

My name is Amanda (25) and my husband is Doug (30).  I am a busy stay at home mom of five little ones, Brandon (6), Lynndsey (4) Julia(3), Hunter(2), and Jacob(8 months).  Along with my 5 little ones I also babysit two more for a close friend while she works Monday-Thursday (Josie/4 and Joshua/2).  So as you can imagine we have a very busy and full day!!  My husband Doug works as a Chemical Tech for a landscaping business.  Thankfully his job has been very flexible where he has been able to take time off as needed, go in late, or come home early as needed.  Although his job is flexible, during the busy seasons he often works LONG hours.  

You have 5 kids under the age of 6. How do you manage the demands of every day life?

Well First of all I start each day with a GIANT cup of COFFEE!!!  Haha just kidding, but I do love my morning coffee.  Honestly there are many days I wonder the same thing "How?!?".  I have a couple bible verses that talk about how I can do ALL thing through Christ, or that with God ALL things are possible, and that a soft answer is always the best way to handle things.  With all these things in mind, a VERY scheduled routine, and a lot of LOVE we somehow make it all work.

You also homeschool, what has been the hardest part and the most rewarding part?

The hardest part of homeschooling is definitely keeping those busy toddlers out of things while I teach the two oldest kids.  We all have a "together time"  in the morning where we all (all 7) say our pledges, calendar time, colors, numbers, songs, and bible time.  This gives the little ones a little bit of school fun and the older ones enjoy it too!!  But after that "together time"  when school really gets going(math reading writing, you know the "hard stuff") keeping those toddlers busy is tuff!  On the flipside the most rewarding part of homeschooling for me is without a doubt the proud and accomplished smiles they give as they learn to read!!  My 4 year old Lynndsey is the perfect example for this right now.  Shes starting her basic phonics and learning to sound out short vowel words and short sentences.  Last week she read "The sun is hot."  all by herself and she was so excited!!!  Probably the first sentence she has ever read all by herself.  She even ran and read that same sentence to daddy when he come home!!

Being a mom can be such an emotional roller coaster, when things get hard, what do you do to help?

What do I do or what do I try to do?!?  Unfortunately like most moms sometimes I just loose it and find myself fussy at the kids.  What I try to do and what really helps is when I just take a step back and PRAY!!  Then I can comeback to what ever the situation is a lot calmer and refreshed.  Think about it for a minute, it would be difficult to leave an honest Prayer still Angry, upset, or overwhelmed.  Phillipians 4:6-7  really helps me on days like this, just reminding me to take everything to God in Prayer!!  Also Proverbs 15:1 just reminds me to handle things calmly.  Whatever the situations is reacting harshly or with anger will just make things worse,so staying or speaking calmly helps he handle or prevent a lot of "emotional roller coasters".

(Amanda's kids are the 4 in front, the 2 in the back, she babysits)

Having boys is a a whole new ball game, they seriously have NO fear. What is the craziest thing one of your boys have done?

This one is tough for me because my boys (thankfully) havent been to hard for me.  I think the craziest thing has been when my oldest son (6) walks across the swingset (ON TOP!!) as a balance beam!!  The most difficult part with my boys really isnt their lack of fear but instead their wondering minds.  I find ir difficult to keep their attention and I repeat my self constantly! (this is where I have to practice my patience, lol).

In today's society, we are seeing less girls grow up to become "ladies", how are you instilling that in your girls?

This question really lays heavy on my heart and is very important to me,  First and most importantly I have to say "by example!"  Your children will naturally follow and learn what they see.  So if you what your daughters to grow to be ladies the respect their husbands, then you must respect and submit to their daddy.  If you want your daughters to dress modestly then you have to set those standards with your own clothing.  For me its important to remmeber that my children love and admire me, they look up to me.  I also talk to them.  I dont just say NO we dont do that, or NO you cant wear that, or NO NO NO.  Its important for me to take the time to explain to them WHY we dont do that, or WHY we dont wear that.  Also by praying with them, and reading the bible with them.  This helps them see that when they have a problem or when they dont know the answer, God can help!!

What is a verse that really encourages your heart and why?

A verse that encourages me the most is phillipians 4:13.  It says, " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  With this verse in my heart I know that with God I can make it through any and all situations that come my way.  Even a busy stressful day with 7(my 5 +2 more) hungry and tired little ones. 

What do you like to do for "me time"?

"Me Time"?!?! No Im kidding, although it happens in small suddle ways it is very important.  Mostly I take the kids "Nap Time" and I Shower, get on facebook, pinterest, TV, read anything I want!!  Or at night after I put the kids in bed Doug and I will watch TV or just sit around and talk (without being climbed on or having to talk over the noise!)  Occasionally (1-2 times a year)  I will go out with some friends and just have a "girls day out"!!  Something about enjoying a nice lunch with some wonderful conversation without 10 million trips to the bathroom just says relaxing to me :) (Sometimes I think my kids just go potty so they can wash their hands again!)  Although I love my kids so  much a little "me time" helps keep me sane!! ;) 

She's pretty much amazing right? Thank you Amanda for sharing your heart, I am so thankful for our friendship and your influence.

Total Truth Thursday | Free Vent: My Baby Isn't Spoiled

Welcome to our fourth Total Truth Thursday! Kelsea and I started this link-up in hopes that it will be successful in creating a safe environment for us to share our opinions, beliefs, and thoughts- however strong, against-the-grain, mainstream, or out there they are! If this is the first time you’re hearing about Total Truth Thursdays, head back to this post and catch up on what it’s all about!

Before we dive in and link up, there are a few things that you need to know: 

1 // You can find the list of topics for each week HERE.    

2 // Kindness is key.Whether you follow the topics for each week or come up with something on your own, please remember that others may or may not agree with you, and you may or may not agree with them! Disagreements are natural, passionate opinions are welcomed, and constructive feedback is fine. However, we won’t put up with rudeness, ugliness, or name-calling. Just be nice! 

3 // To link-up, please follow Hey Kelsea Rae & These Moments Called Life on Bloglovin’ or GFC and copy and paste the button code to your post somewhere! We are so excited to get started!

Today’s topic is FREE VENT!

Everyone knows the situation. You are in the grocery store, and someone walks beside you, says "Oh what a cute baby you have", then tries to talk to your baby. Insert baby talk and que the crying and shying away of said baby. Following this comes the comment "oh someone is sure spoiled on mama."

Let's address this shall we. This has happened to me numerous times. It may be a stranger or a friend I haven't seen in years.  

Sometimes, he smiles back and will wave. Sometimes, he turns his face and cries. If the latter happens, HE IS NOT SPOILED ON HIS MOTHER, this is a natural reaction to a STRANGER folks.

I cannot stand people saying it is because he is spoiled, spoiled has nothing to do with it. As adults, we can be friendly and polite to people we don't know. It's common courtesy. To a toddler, talking and communicating is a pretty "intimate" thing, it's still new to them. They have no idea what common courtesy is. If they feel comfortable, they will smile and talk back, if they don't , they won't. Pretty simple huh?

I understand it is so cute and sweet when your toddler is friendly to anyone and everyone, Little A has days like this where he will just chat up the cashier at Kroger. But the fact of the matter is he is his OWN person, he has his own feelings, his own level of comfort, and he has a choice to communicate or not. I can encourage him to say hi back, and most of the time I do, to let him know "mommy said it's ok for me to talk to this person". 

I will make absolutely NO apologies for him shying away or even crying. If that's how he feels, that is fine. When he is older, we will teach him how to be polite and say hello, but I wouldn't ask my child to do something he is uncomfortable with. That's just not fair. 

I think far too often, adults can forget that babies aren't just robots waiting to be programmed to exactly how we want them. Of course it is our duty to "train a child up in the way he should go" (Provers 22:6), teach them manners, and what is safe and what is not. It's a responsibility not to be taken lightly. What we forget is, they are a person too. WIth feelings, opinions, likes and dislikes. You respect your husbands opinion on things, why not your child's too? Obviously there are times Little A doesn't want to eat his vegetables and asks for cookies, in those times, I have acknowledged his opinion, but in his best interest, dismissed it. 

See what I'm getting at? We don't always have to do what our kids want, but we better at least acknowledge it and respect the fact that they have an opinion. If we don't, we are teaching them to be selfish and careless.

So if you meet me in public and my child cries, don't take it personal. He needs a little time to warm up to new people. Just smile, let him know you are friendly, and walk away happy that he is capable of having his own thoughts. 

P.S.- Aren't these Kroger buggies awesome?

Ever had this happen to you and received the same reaction? What are your thoughts on this topic?

Alright, it’s your turn! Grab the button below and link up your Total Truth! Also, use the hashtag #totaltruththursdays to share on Instagram and Twitter!

My Monday | Mall, Miles, Date Night, Skunk, and Cookies

Everyone just hates Mondays. Poor Monday. I love Mondays, only because I am a stay at home mom and Monday isn't really a whole lot different than say Thursday.

Now that I have shared my sympathy and thoughts on Monday, let's get to it.

Today was awesome. Little A has been sleeping until 9 AM for a few weeks now (hey daylight savings) and it gives me plenty of quiet time in the morning. Today, once he woke, we got dressed and ready and headed out the door. We had some exchanges to make at the mall which lead to me finding a killer deal on some black khakis for Mr. J.

The next item on the agenda was the gym. I had an awesome run. Like a "your normal speed is 7.2, why not 7.7 today" kind of run.

I surprised Mr. J with a date night. I got the sitter set up, picked out our activity (Chik-fil-a and "God's Not Dead = AMAZING movie), and we headed out to enjoy some time together. It was splendid. When we first started dating, we went to the movies practically every weekend. Every time we go, it brings back the memories of us when we first became "us". I love that man.

Upon arriving home from date night, we discovered our little fur baby sitting on the porch. When we pulled up, we both said "ew, smell that?" Charlie was the victim of a skunk hate crime. Mr. J scrubbed away and he is now smelling clean and resting from the traumatic experience. Our air purifier is going full blast hoping to eliminate the odor that sticks in the air. I used to think the little family of skunks living under our shed were cute, not so much anymore.

To make a totally random Monday even better, let me share a delicious, gluten free, vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thanks to Lauren at LaurenBrimley.blogspot.com. Check her out, she posts amazing clean, whole food recipes, including toddler meals.

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup almond butter

2 cup rolled oats

chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together, you may need to add more oats to get the right texture, you want a wet dough consistency. Spoon onto baking sheet and form cookie shape. Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

These cookies are simply wonderful and guilt free. 

Total Truth Thursday| Social Media: Unplug

Welcome to our third Total Truth Thursday! Kirstin and I started this link-up in hopes that it will be successful in creating a safe environment for us to share our opinions, beliefs, and thoughts- however strong, against-the-grain, mainstream, or out there they are! If this is the first time you’re hearing about Total Truth Thursdays, head back to this post and catch up on what it’s all about!

Before we dive in and link up, there are a few things that you need to know:
1 // You can find the list of topics for each week HERE.   

2 // Kindness is key.Whether you follow the topics for each week or come up with something on your own, please remember that others may or may not agree with you, and you may or may not agree with them! Disagreements are natural, passionate opinions are welcomed, and constructive feedback is fine. However, we won’t put up with rudeness, ugliness, or name-calling. Just be nice! 

3 // To link-up, please follow Hey Kelsea Rae & These Moments Called Life on Bloglovin’ or GFC and copy and paste the button code to your post somewhere! We are so excited to get started!

Today’s topic is SOCIAL MEDIA!

I have a love hate relationship with social media. I love feeling connected in the day-to-day stuff of my out of state relatives, friends who have moved, and people I don't get to see as often and I would like. I hate the drama and the inevitable time wasted spent on it.

I never spent tons of time on facebook until I became a stay at home mom. I think it was due to just being at home, and longing for a little adult interaction and communication. A lot of the times, when I was bored or lonely, I would hop on the computer to feel connected and "in the loop". 

I joined the smart phone era WAY late, like this past Christmas, and to be honest, I was a little nervous to do so. Having the option to be so plugged in kind of scared me. I knew it would be harder to unplug having it at my finger tips. 

Well lo and behold, it was insane for a while. I spent SO much time on my phone figuring it out, picking out cool apps, instagram (yay), and facebook. I would usually be on it if Little A was playing in the floor or distracted with something else. One day, he was playing, I was browsing Facebook, and I glanced down at him to see him staring at me signing "please". My child had been sitting there (for how long, I don't know) asking me to come play and I hadn't even noticed. It absolutely devastated me. 10 years from now, will I remember that awesome thing I saw on Facebook, or the time Little A and I played cars for an hour? You don't have to be a genius to figure out it's the latter. 

It can be tough on days you feel lonely, bored, or just like you've been stuck in the house watching "Cars" everyday. But try unplugging for a whole day, NO social media. I have tried a few times and it can be tough at first, but it feels wonderful.  Your life feels a little less chaotic without knowing everything about everyone. 

I keep my phone up during the day. I have it on loud so I can answer texts and calls but I don't grab it to browse unless Little A is asleep. I will not lose time with him so I can scan a newsfeed. 

Need a little more motivation to unplug, check out this post written by Tonya at "4 Little Fergusons". 

Photo credit goes to Tonya Ferguson at "4 Little Fergusons"

If you feel lonely or in need of a little communication, try talking to Jesus, He is always there loves. 

Recipe Round Up

I am always on the hunt to find new, clean, recipes. I try to cook at least 2 new recipes a week to keep things interesting. I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

Having recently discovered I have an intolerance to gluten has really made me branch out in my cooking. I used to be so nervous in the kitchen and feel so out of place. Now cooking is one of my favorite things to do. Half the time, I don't even use "official" measurements, just dashes and pinches. My OCD self can relax in the kitchen. 

Remember, I am NOT a food blogger, so I don't have eloquent, perfect pictures, just iPhone pics.

Clean eating shrimp scampi (Gluten free)

I used to above recipe with some changes. The shrimp I used weren't frozen so to get enough broth, I added 1.5 tbsp of butter (don't be afraid to use REAL butter ladies). I also used gluten free pasta noodles.

This was DELICOUS, Mr. J loved it too!

Citrus Grilled Chicken 

If you aren't familiar with "The Gracious Pantry" yet, please go check it out!

This chicken was very good, I love a good pan fried chicken recipe. Next time, I will marinate it over night to have a little more flavor.

Asian Marinated Salmon

Mr. J is not a big fan of salmon or tilapia (boo), so I have to really knock it out of the park. This had TONS of flavor, it was delicious. The fresh dill really made it. 

Quinoa with Cherry Tomatoes

I LOVE LOVE LOVE quinoa. It is so versatile and the nutritional facts are amazing. This recipe was good, had good flavor and was loved by my boys. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Probably the best GF cookie recipe I have found thus far. These were chewy with perfect texture. 

What clean recipes have you been trying lately?

Total Truth Thursday| Fashion: Style Pressure

Welcome to our second Total Truth Thursday! Kelsea and I started this link-up in hopes that it will be successful in creating a safe environment for us to share our opinions, beliefs, and thoughts- however strong, against-the-grain, mainstream, or out there they are! If this is the first time you’re hearing about Total Truth Thursdays, head back to this post and catch up on what it’s all about!

Before we dive in and link up, there are a few things that you need to know:
1 // You can find the list of topics for each week HERE.   

2 // Kindness is key.Whether you follow the topics for each week or come up with something on your own, please remember that others may or may not agree with you, and you may or may not agree with them! Disagreements are natural, passionate opinions are welcomed, and constructive feedback is fine. However, we won’t put up with rudeness, ugliness, or name-calling. Just be nice! 

3 // To link-up, please follow Hey Kelsea Rae & These Moments Called Life on Bloglovin’ or GFC and copy and paste the button code to your post somewhere! We are so excited to get started!

Today’s topic is FASHION!

We often hear the question "What's your style? Boho, chic, edgy, preppy?" My answer, none of the above. I fit into NONE of the typical categories of style labels.

In high school, I shopped at the typical places, American Eagle and Hollister mainly. Then I became a wife less than a month after graduating. I remember going to a doctor appointment and the receptionist asking me if I brought my mom because I couldn't be seen without an adult present. I told her I was 18 and married, she didn't believe me at all. After that, I started thinking I needed to dress more "grown up".

I had Little A when I was 20, and that feeling of needing to look more grown up multiplied times a million. I would get stressed out about getting dressed because I wanted people to take me seriously. I was so afraid they would think I was a young, incapable, irresponsible mother.

Now don't get me wrong, I never dressed like a grandma, but I definitely put pressure on myself to try to appear older than I actually was.

No matter what outfit I had on, the facts were the same. I was freshly 20, a mother, stay at home wife, fully capable, responsible, and down right dedicated to doing my best for my family. I could be all of that and wear what ever the heck I wanted.

Once I realized this fact (sadly it took me a while), I felt freedom from the expectation that as a mom, I had to look a certain way. I don't have to prove myself to be a good mom to anyone. My son knows it and that's what matters. I've seen plenty of moms who have beautiful clothes and appear to be have it all together, but watching them for 5 minutes proves a little different. 

Appearances don't make the mama folks. I love clothes and shopping. I love putting together outfits with fun pieces of jewelry (although I'm not as fashion savy as I wish). I enjoy it so much more now that I wear what I want and without the extra pressure. 

I don't have a style type, I wear what I like, what I think is cute and functional and there are no apologies for that.

Christmas 2 years ago, chunky cardigans my favorite for fall and winter

Currently

43 days until I put all this studying to work and take the exam !

eating | tortilla chips & salsa
drinking | water 
practicing | breaking Little A of his binkie

mastering | Babysitting 2 of my 3 nieces, chaos management pro (only kidding)

learning |  how to fit my gym time into extremely crazy weeks
listening | Switchfoot's new CD

watching | Mr. J clean our washing machine, keeper for sure!

finishing | laundry, or is it ever finished?
reading | My  GFI (group fitness instructor) certification book
wearing |  gym clothes
cooking | clean eating Shrimp Scampi 
working | on my running, really trying to build my endurance
traveling | nothing on the agenda 
wanting | a house in the country, chickens included