The Ameri Brit Mom

The Man Flu

I vigorously disinfected. I ensured that I was the one touching and taking care of our two year-old daughter as she recovered from her recent illness. I quarantined the germs. All in hopes of not allowing my husband to contract the dreaded Man Flu. The preventative actions were all in vain. This morning I awoke to one helpless victim of the Man Flu.

Some of you may be asking what is this Man Flu illness? I’m not sure how this disease looks in your home, but in the Sisley house the Man Flu is comparable to Ebola. The symptoms are similar to that of the common cold, but beware the infected personnel of this disease may be experiencing near-death. Or so it would appear.

The Symptoms: inability to get out of bed/off the couch, insistance on another to provide food and beverages, fatigue, long naps, dramatic statements such as “I think I’m dying” or “My head may fall off”, low grade fever (at best), viewing five or more consecutive episodes of favorite shows on Netflix, and inability to complete expected chores and responsibilities.

Really, if your man exhibits any of these symptoms or looks like this…he may be in danger of contracting this illness:

Treatment: the only real way to treat this disease is with compassion and sarcasm. Equal parts of both. Oh, and a gentle reminder for the patient of the pain and agony of child birth. (That’s a quick cure, but only works if the patient is in good spirits…I don’t recommend trying this treatment if your significant other doesn’t show signs of a sense of humor-or if you have not yet had children)

Man Flu is a joke in our house. My husband does not often become ill, but when he does…BEWARE. I think this time around he uttered the phrase, “I think I’m dying” a handful of times. He knows he is guilty of this and even refers to his illness with the same name. To be truthful he told me I should write today’s post about him and the Man Flu so this is not me bad mouthing my husband in any way. It is simply me making light of the fact that I have now spent the past week nursing to health both my daughter and my husband. (And it is not hard to guess which was the better patient)

So a note to mothers out there…BEWARE of the MAN FLU. The struggle is real.

In all seriousness I don’t mind the occasional Man Flu. It gives me the opportunity to serve my husband. I live to help my family and I enjoy the time spent slowing down and resting. However, after a week of being snowed in with both family members sick it may be driving me to insanity. While Sam rested with Arianna on the couch and they bonded over stuffy noses and drinks of water I cleaned my house to help extinguish the apparent germ infestation. I had a fairly productive afternoon and am ready to place a Doterra order to help prevent this family mayhem from occurring again. (I’ve kind of jumped on the Essential Oils bandwagon lately) I am thankful for my kick-butt immune system this time around and am looking forward to the start of a new work week tomorrow.

I will leave you with a photo I stopped to take while cleaning today to prove that little miss Arianna is on the up-and-up. Stay healthy, viewers, followers, and friends!

Do Not Neglect Progress

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scripture Saturday

When I first became a mom I struggled a lot with making time for myself. Who am I kidding? I still have a difficult time stepping away from all that needs to be accomplished in my life and take time to focus on me. I am a very check-list oriented person and I spend a majority of my time working through my priorities each and every day. There was a time where I unintentionally allowed my own personal time with God and the Bible to falter in order to make time to throw in a load of laundry or to grade some papers that I had been putting off.

I have come to recognize the importance of beginning and ending each day with some time alone in the Word and prayer. This was a habit I had formed in my singlehood and even the early stages of our marriage, but as many mothers can atest to I became a little overwhelmed with my schedule when I had someone so dependent on me for every thing. I became so occupied with other people and what I could do for them, and lost sight of my own needs in the process.

Well, lesson learned. Those were some of the most trying times of my faith. I struggled with so many issues that had I been reading the Bible regularly or been seeking God for wisdom on a regular basis I know I would never have dealt with. I was exhausted and what I needed the most was to be refreshed and refined by God. The passage I quoted above shows just how important it is to read your Bible and be in constant relationship with God. We need the Bible because it teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us, and trains us in righteousness. If we neglect the opportunity for these things to be done in our lives we neglect progress.

Exactly fifty days ago I began a journey to make regular Bible reading more of a habit. Overall I have been doing much better the past six months than I have in two years, but starting fifty days ago I had a set time and place to take a few minutes away for myself. And I stuck to it EVERYDAY. I drink a cup of coffee every morning so I have planned that a great compliment to my favorite part of morning routine would be the addition of Bible reading and prayer. The results have been tremendous. I find that starting my day in the Word before anything else that I am not only more productive, but my focus is on the right thing and it is a lot harder to be struck down by the enemy. I am seeing victory over some of my biggest personal struggles and I have a more positive outlook.

So my challenge to you, dear followers and viewers, is to find something that you are neglecting in your life and set a time and place where you regularly work on that specific thing. Try to consistently follow your plan for fifty days and document the progress you are making in your own life. Progress will be made.

Make time for yourself+make time for God=PROGRESS

The Date Jar: Week 1 (Family Camp out in the Living Room)

While we are still nursing our two year-old back to health we decided not to cancel our weekly family date night. As a family we have resolved to regularly spend time together doing something inexpensive and enjoyable. Last Friday we took our daughter to her first movie theater experience to see Paddington which was adorable and an all around excellent experience for the three of us on Valentine’s Day. This week knowing that the weather is still not ideal and with Arianna still being quite ill we decided to try a stay-at-home date.

We have created a jar of date possibilities. The jar is full of color-coded slips of paper. Each color represents a category of date.

Yellow= stay at home date with minimal costs required (family dates-created by both my husband and myself)

Red= Mommy and Daddy date ideas (created by me)

Blue= Mommy and Daddy date ideas (created by my husband)

The cool part is that I have no idea what my husband put on his slips and vice versa so when we draw date ideas there’s good probability of a complete surprise. This jar is a new family creation and we broke it out for the first time today. So the family date night idea for the week…

Camp out in the living room together.

This really is perfect for Arianna’s current condition. She is just beginning to rehydrate after a four day bout of the flu, so a date that doesn’t require her to leave the couch or living room is really ideal. As soon as she found out we were camping she was so excited to build a tent in the living room and play some games with Mom and Dad that require minimal energy.

So here is a chronicle of our family date night:

1. The tent: every good camping trip begins with the setting up of the tent, so here she is, folks. Arianna is especially excited it is a Sofia the First tent.

2. The fun: We had high hopes for finishing a puzzle, playing a game or two, and watching a camping themed movie, however, Arianna maxed out after the tent building. She had about five minutes of total silliness which was really refreshing after her zombie-like week, and then decided it was time for her nap. Here is a photo from the few minutes she was able to resemble her usual self. She picked out this ensemble and sang her own rendition of “Let it Go”

So even though the first date night didn’t go as planned we made the most of the few minutes we did have. It’s all about the memories and not so much the perfect execution of well-laid plans. Plus, my husband and I finally got a few minutes just us to watch some of our favorite grown-up shows and relax.

If you’re in the mid-west stay warm and brace yourself for more snow.

Snow, Snuggles, and Lessons

As a lifetime resident of central Ohio I have grown up accustomed to the delightful gift of SNOW DAYS that occur a few times every winter. You will never hear this teacher complain about an un-scheduled day at home. However, one thing I have not come to expect due to my experience is the SNOW WEEK. Never in my recollection have I missed a total of five consecutive days of school due to weather. Tomorrow may be a first in the records for many central Ohio residents. And like I said…you won’t hear me complaining.

Monday was technically President’s Day and school was not scheduled, but by mid-morning on Monday the fluffy flakes began to fall on our small town and I was trapped indoors all day. The snow did not let up on Tuesday or Wednesday landing nearly a foot of snow in total over those three days. Today the extremely low temperatures and wind chill landed nearly all of central/south central Ohio on a school cancellation. And the future looks bleak, my friends. According to some forecasts tomorrow looks to be just as bad as today if not worse. This really may be a 0 day work week.

On the bright side I have had an extremely productive week on the home front. I conquered several tasks on my to-do list and cooked healthy homemade meals every night all while tending to my precious two year-old flu victim.

As my sick toddler sleeps away her bug I can’t help reflecting on the positivity that this week has brought me. Before she was infected with the flu I made many fun memories with my Princess that may not have happened had I been working this week. She has a knack for cooking and art so we spent many of our house-ridden days baking cupcakes (in our “bakery” as she calls the kitchen). One afternoon as I sat grading some projects she sat beside me insisting that she do her “school work” which was her drawing shapes and letters in her own notebook. After bath time when she was beginning to show signs of illness we set her bedroom up like a store and she “bought” the outfit she wanted to wear using some play money and placed them in a shopping cart before putting them on. It’s times like these where I can’t help, but stop whatever I am doing and soak up as much as I can from those adorable moments.

This week has truly been about spending time with my favorite little person. In my first post I mentioned that I learn more from my daughter than I could hope to teach her and that is exactly true. She has taught me to prioritize and love in a totally new way that is unlike marriage love. Life’s little lessons have been sent through such a smart and angelic child and I feel completely blessed to be her mother.

All of these good moments and fun times have culminated today. I’ve done all I can to help her feel comfortable and better as she battles a fight with the flu. From rubbing her back as she vomits to letting her lay on me for hours on end I have done my best to help her get over this nasty sickness. As much as I hate watching her feel so miserable I’ve truly loved the snuggle time I have gotten with my baby today. She is usually a very active girl, but it is nice to have a day to slow down and cuddle. (And maybe not leave the living room couch) :)

As the fever is coming down and the energy is re-entering her small body I am so grateful for so many things. I am thankful for her health, her BIG heart, and life’s little lessons. It’s so easy to get caught up in my own life and all of the many things I do, but I’m learning to stop…slow down…and make more MEMORIES.

Journaling

photo credit: http://pixgood.com/bible-coffee.html

I am a writer at heart. I’ve always been a writer. I prefer paper and pencil myself, but really any medium works. I grew up crafting stories about fictional characters or taking historic events and bringing them to life via short stories. Learning comes to me best when I take a pencil to paper and jot down the ideas I am absorbing. For that reason and a few other preferential reasons I have taken to my own method of journaling over the past several years.

I use journaling as a form of documenting my own spiritual walk. My journals contain musings, scriptures, prayers, struggles, and conversations. Lately I’ve been going through a few different devotionals. One that is really challenging me and my outlook on life and myself is The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. Recently a friend introduced me to the online female community at She Reads Truth (www.shereadstruth.com) which is also an excellent devotional source that is written for women by women and includes a lot of relatable items for the average woman. She Reads Truth also includes cute sayings or memory verses at the end of each study that appeal to the creative side of many of the followers. Here is one of many of their awesome quotes:

My favorite author for female Bible Studies, however, is Beth Moore. She has so much insight into scripture and does a great job showing readers how to apply the Bible to our lives. She keeps me in check. I love it.

Anyway, journaling has become a ROCK for me. I rarely leave home without my journal and since I have a Bible App on my phone (She Reads Truth) I also always have the Bible on my person (although like with writing I’m pretty old school and still prefer my physical Bible over my virtual one).

When I was younger I was taught a really easy way to remember to study the Bible. This method is what I use most days when it comes to my own personal study and journaling. This method is called the “SOAP” method. This is what this Bible Study method looks like.

S= Scripture. Start by focusing on a piece of scripture. Sometimes it’s the scripture at the beginning of a devotion, or it could be a book you are going through on your own or with a small group. After you read the scripture through once put the main ideas you got from the reading into your own words so it is easy to understand and remember.

O=Observations. The next step in studying scripture is to observe not only what the text is saying but how it relates to the bigger picture of scripture. You should look for answers to the 4 W’s and an H questions. (who? what? when? why? how?) In order to make accurate observations of scripture you will need to consult a devotion, concordance, Bible dictionary, or other Bible reference materials. There are several online resources as well.

A=Application. I always try to pick out one or two ideas I can apply to my life and create a short mission for myself based on that section of scripture. This part of Bible study is so important. It is great to make observations and learn, but what good is growing in knowledge if you have no application of that knowledge?

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

P= After completing the first three steps in Bible study it is time to pray. You should always begin any study time with prayer for guidance from the Holy Spirit. (I guess I should have prefaced with that), but it is also super imperative to end your study time with discussion with God. I feel that sometimes this particular time doesn’t require a written prayer. Sometimes what God requires from us is silence and waiting. This is kind of a case by case thing so I can’t tell you what your prayer should look like. Just listen to God and let him DO WORK!

Here is an example of a Bible Study I did recently. This is from the first chapter of Hebrews. I purchased the reading supplements from She Reads Truth, so I cannot share any of that content, but I can recommend that any of you ladies out there looking for a good Bible Study resource download the App “She Reads Truth”. The app is free, but many of the Bible Studies cost a couple of bucks to download. I still recommend it. It’s great stuff :)

So pull up a comfy seat. Grab a cute journal, a Bible, and fun pen and begin your journey with God and SOAP. (Oh, and did I mention I always love to have a warm cup of coffee as a companion to any Bible study I partake in)

Happy journaling :)

DIY Project: Decorative Wine Bottles

When we first bought our charming home I fell in love with so many of its features. I loved the high ceilings and how they made the rooms seem so much bigger. I loved the carpeting and the warmth that they brought into the home. I loved the open floor plan and how it is accommodating to larger crowds of people. But it is funny how some of the things I loved as we were touring the home are now some of the biggest obstacles for the decorator in me now that I own the home. Since we moved in last Spring I’ve been perplexed about how to use a cute, built-in decorative space in the bedroom. It’s so high that one must climb a high ladder to place any type of object in this nook, but the possibilities are endless for accents to warm the place up.

I searched Pinterest high and low for a quick and easy diy project I could tackle to fill this space and landed on one that seemed easy enough and that would also not break the bank. I decided to move forward with using wine bottles. Not that I’m a big wine drinker, but I did have a few spare bottles in the house that I had saved for an unplanned rainy day project (or in this specific case…snowy day project). There are lots of ideas out there that use paint in wine bottles, but I settled on a project that seemed less messy.

I undertook the project of wrapping wine bottles in colored yarn. It really is about as simple as it sounds. My bedroom is a work in progress as far as design and decor go, but I have settled on the colors being grey, white, and purple. So after a quick trip to Michael’s (the craft supply shop) and one episode of Gilmore Girls, my sister and I had completed this decorative wine bottle project.

The supplies we used: many wine and beer bottles of various sizes, two different colored yarn bunches, and two tubes of super glue. We glued the yarn at the start and end of the wrapping of each bottle.

Let me know what you think…

To see the step-by-step and photos for this DIY Project here is the pin I used from Pinterest. The link to the Wedding Chicks blog is below.

http://www.weddingchicks.com/2012/09/07/diy-yarn-wrapped-bottles/

For more of my Pinterst projects be sure to check me out and follow me on Pinterest: theameribritmom. I plan to share a DIY Project I’ve completed from my Pinterest board at least once a week. I’m not one to come up with many of the ideas myself, but I really enjoy looking at pins and using others’ inspiration. I’ll always give credit where credit is due.

No More Fast Food!

One of our hardest obstacles since we began our journey of marriage is to remain disciplined in our spending habits. It’s sad to actually admit to this, but one of our weaknesses is to give in to the cheap, quick fast food meal when we are on the go. My husband is a high school basketball coach and so especially in the winter we spend several nights a week in a crunch to scavenge for food in the time between school and games. Needless to say that it is during basketball season that I become besties with my 4 quart- Crock Pot. However, it is still a struggle for us to maintain a healthy habit of eating at home every night. Not to mention that in my short five mile commute to work I pass four fast food restaurants. I am not claiming to have conquered this weakness, but I have learned a few tricks to skip the fatty, oily, drive-thrus so I thought I may share some of those tips. Feel free to comment and share some of your own tips for being a working mother on a budget and pressed for time when it comes to cooking healthy meals for your family.

1. Plan ahead: Looking back at the early stages of our marriage it is obvious that it was so much easier to choose a drive-thru option when I wasn’t well organized and had not planned meals ahead of time. Back then, if I was going to cook that also meant I was going to have to go to the grocery store. When pressed for time that was usually not an option and so a meal on the go was the only justifiable choice. I have luckily since caught on to some pretty easy meal planning habits. I keep a journal of the meals I plan to make and I tend to plan in two week increments so that one trip to the grocery store can replenish the necessities for at least the next two weeks and I can save the time it used to take me daily to run to the store for one or two small items.

2. Create themed cooking nights: One fun and easy way to make meal planning go quicker is to create themes in your meal planning. An example might be our family’s “Meatless Mondays”. I have a set of recipes that I keep in my recipe box that are good Monday recipes as they lack meat. I’ve also heard about and experienced other theme nights like: Pasta night, Soup nights, Taco night, and Chinese night. Using themes on a weekly or rotating basis can make meal planning and organizing easier and makes you less likely to throw up your arms in surrender to the golden arches.

3. Crock-pot: It has been my routine over the past two years to become quite acquainted with my Crock-pot. I try to make 1-2 meals a week in the Crock-pot. When planning I always look at our family schedule to see which days will be busiest and choose to make those nights Crock-pot meal nights. Many Crock-pot recipes can be made in advance and frozen so that when the day of chaos arrives all you have to do is thaw the pre-frozen meal and put it in the pot. I am blessed to have a baby-sitter who comes to my house so we have an understanding that a couple of times a week she may need to plug in my Crock-pot and occasionally stir the contents. This works out well. It is virtually a stress-free dinner on my end. I do the prep ahead of time and I strategically plan the meal to be done at exactly the time I know we will be available to eat that night. There is no waiting for water to boil or the oven to pre-heat. Plus, so many of the Crock-pot recipes out there are healthy and delicious. It’s like a 2 for 1. I get the satisfaction of serving my family a home-cooked meal and it is generally pretty healthy and packed with vegetables and protein.

Many of my favorite Crockpot recipes come from this book. I purchased it 2 years ago on Amazon.

4. Don’t be afraid of left overs: This option is a little easier if you have a smaller family, but one thing I usually do is I double the serving amount of most dinners so that there will be leftovers galore. My husband and I both pack our lunches at school (we are too afraid of the cafeteria food) and so I like to be sure that just about every night I will be making enough to supply our lunches for the next day. Additionally, I tend to pick one meal a week (usually a soup or a pasta because it isn’t as expensive) and I double that recipe. This way we not only have enough for lunches the next day, but that there may be extra left overs for another dinner. This idea is optimal on days where one of us is working later than the other like parent teacher conference nights…or double header basketball games :( It has taken me a long time and I’m still not totally sold on the idea of serving leftovers as a dinner meal, but it beats the alternative of hopping in the car to waste some money on clogged arteries and soda.

5. Know what’s for dinner: Lastly, one way I’ve stayed on top of meal planning is checking every night before I go to bed what the meal will be the following day. I don’t do this because I’m obsessed with eating (although that isn’t too much of a stretch), but that way I can plan ahead in my mind how I will accomplish meal prep and know whether or not something needs to thaw overnight. I’ve all too often been the victim of good intentions and planned my meals in advance, but once the week gets started I don’t stay on top of it. I succumb to my busy schedule and rush home after work to prepare a meal that I can’t recall until I check my journal. This is dangerous because so often I would come home to a menu that required a pre-thawed chicken or prep that I didn’t have time to complete. That’s when I ended up defeated… when I failed to know what’s for dinner. And defeat always landed me in a long drive-thru line. Every night after completing the clean-up of that meal I try to verbalize with my husband what to expect tomorrow. It’s a good reminder.

I’m still in the market for a good app for my iphone to help keep meal planning organized and streamlined. I’ve tried several apps, but nothing that I’m totally impressed with so until the day I find an app to save my sanity these are a few ways that I try to stay on top of healthy meal prep and avoid the toxicity of regular fast food habits. I am resolving to completely cut out fast food from the diet of myself and my family. I’m setting realistic goals, but my ultimate goal is to cut it out completely. But phase 1 is 6 months no fast-food. I’ll keep you updated on how we’re doing. Please feel free to share tips that work for your family!

Anchor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Gtr0RCoSQ

As you will learn throughout my many posts I have developed a slight obsession with the symbolism of the anchor. It seems to be a bit of a fad on its way out in the interior design world, but to me the anchor symbolizes so much more. As I have been reading more about the promises of God in my own life I have held to the promise of Hebrews 6:19. “We have this hope as an anchor for our soul; firm and secure.”

This means that I am secure in Christ. There is nothing I can do to earn (or not earn) my salvation. When I am weak God is still strong. His strength far outweighs my own. He is the anchor that gives me hope. He is firm and secure when I am struggling to keep my head above water.

One of the hardest things for me to do as a working mom is take time out of the day for myself. I feel like it is so easy to become caught up in the needs of others and the chores of everyday life. There have definitely been times in the past where I have neglected my relationship with God. This was never a conscious effort, but it was one I have worked to kick to the curb. I’m learning the importance right now of getting 15-20 minutes of my own time every morning to set the right mindset for the day and spend in conversation with God.

I found that in setting aside some “me time” I am a happier, more productive lady on all fronts. I am a more content and disciplined wife, a happier and more energetic mother, a Christian seeking God more and more, a teacher with a purpose, and a home owner who does everything to the glory of God.

God is my anchor and without Him I would sink. There is no way that I would be able to balance this life without his strength and guidance. If he is the security and the hope in my life I need to make a more diligent effort to seek after him daily and set aside some time to make my relationship with God a priority.

I have placed reminders of the anchor and what it symbolizes in various places in my life. I’m in the process of mounting an anchor (purchased on etsy) over our fireplace, (this will be in a future post) I’ve drawn the anchor in my journal, (which I will also discuss in a later post) and I’ve written this verse several times to commit it to memory. We can all benefit from saturating our lives with God’s promises like that of the anchor: the promise that God is always our strength and we can cling to him for safety and security no matter what.

Please take a few moments to hear the song I embedded on this page. It is from one of my favorite worship bands, Hillsong, and is titled “Anchor”. This song is what got me so obsessed with the idea of the anchor.

Why Blog?

The most common advice that I’ve read out there for newbie bloggers is to focus on something that makes you unique. They say to find something about yourself that you can share with others to mutually benefit you as the author and the readers as well. I struggle with picking out one thing about myself to truly focus on in this blog. I have too many interests to limit myself to just one particular aspect to highlight. In truth, I am questioning the value in blogging at all, but the aspiring author in me is yearning to give it a try. So in this struggle to label my individuality I came to the conclusion that I am so multifaceted that picking ONE thing about myself would be to limit my inspiration in this blog.

So who am I?

I am a wife. I’m an All-American girl who fell in love with an English-native who left behind his British roots to grow some new one’s with me in small town America. We have worked together to build a home that values the similarities and differences in cultures we both were raised in and we share a love and passion for travel for those very same reasons.

I am a mother. I am a young mother of a two year-old girl who has given my life a whole new definition. I have learned more from my daughter and watching her grow and thrive than I could ever hope to have taught her in a lifetime.

I am a Christian. I strive everyday to reflect Christ to those around me…most importantly my family.

I am a teacher. I brave the long halls and attitudes of high school for a second time in my life, but this time as the teacher. I have been a high school teacher in a rural community for four years now. I teach English and World History for 9th grade students. I feel that one of my callings in life is to be a witness for Christ in the public school system (which at times can be a bit of a challenge)

I am a new home owner. With home ownership comes a seemingly endless list of projects to make my family’s home as lovely and inviting as those of us who reside within it.

From this list I have concluded what makes me unique is the balancing act that is my life. We all struggle with keeping it together and staying on top of everything. We all wear so many hats in this life. These are my many hats that I work to balance on my head everyday. Each day I aim to be a better wife, mother, Christian, teacher, and home owner. This blog is my documentation of this balancing act. My hope is that in documenting my steps it will help encourage me in this journey where the struggle is REAL…and in turn may also serve as inspiration for others out there. I welcome comments and suggestions for posts. My goal is to create a community with other women like myself out there who are striving to be their very best everyday and conquer the world in the name of Jesus and family.

And that’s why I blog.