Recipe - Tortellini Soup
Saturday, February 06, 2010
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
3 (14.5 ounce) cans reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
In a saucepan, saute the garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini; cook for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Stir in the spinach and tomatoes; heat through.
Posted by Trish Berg 1:02 PM 0 comments
Labels: Recipe - Dinner, Recipe -Soup, Supper Swap Meals, Supper Swap Recipes
Joy in the Journey - Time Keeps on Ticking
Friday, February 05, 2010
Joy in the Journey column published by Graphic Publications and appearing in The Bargain Hunter and Wooster Weekly News
*************************************************************
5: 02 am. I roll over in bed and glance at the alarm clock to discover that I have over two hours of sleep left. I let out a huge sigh of relief; tuck my chilled shoulder back under the blanket, and drift off to sleep.
5:22 am. I feel the bed move as my husband arises to start his day. I patiently wait until he is out the bedroom door so as not to hurt his feelings. Then I roll over and stretch out on his side of the bed. I actually stretch out at a forty-five degree angle taking up most of the queen size bed myself.
I glance at the alarm clock mentally noting that I now have just over an hour of sleep left, and again, I drift off to dreamland.
6:00 am. I am startled by the annoying buzzing of my teenager’s alarm clock. Why did we get that clock for her? The alarm is a cross between a pulsating beep and buzz-saw buzzing at a decibel level that would shake mountains. It buzzes for what seems to be ten minutes, until she finally turns it off. I glance at my own alarm clock, noting that I now have a half hour of sleep yet. I roll over, grab an extra blanket, and drift off to sleep.
6:22 am. I hear my husband walking up the stairs, and pray he does not come in to wake me up as I know for a fact that I have eight minutes of sleep left. Whew. I hear him wake up our teenagers. I glance at my clock, note the seven minutes I now have left, and quickly close my eyes. Why did I waste a minute worrying!
6:25 am. I hear our 1986 Jeep rumble and roar to life as my husband warms it up. I say my typical first prayer of the day thanking the Lord that our Jeep (whom we call Lazarus) started yet again, buying us more time to save for a new car.
Now that Mike has left for work, it is up to me to be the parent. Guilt takes me over as I know what I need to do.
6:27 am. I roll over in a panic state thinking I have overslept, and decide it’s time to get up. Even though I technically have three minutes of sleep left. If my kids are up, I need to be up.
So I roll out of bed, and walk carefully down the stairs holding the railing so I don’t stumble since I have not yet had my coffee. I take a deep breath and put on my best good-morning-face and smile. Time to start my day.
I would love to be a morning person. The kind of person who wakes up quickly and easily, joyfully and smiling.
Instead I end up arguing with my alarm clock, counting the minutes of sleep I can steal here and there until I have no choice but to start my day.
Time keeps on ticking, and morning dawns, like it or not. So I guess I’d better find a way to greet my mornings with more joy.
Well, now that I am up, its time for a second cup of coffee.
Or maybe a mid-morning nap.
Catch up with Trish at www.TrishBerg.com, where you can buy one of her books, or link to her Facebook or Twitter page.
Posted by Trish Berg 7:54 AM 2 comments
Newspaper Article Quoting Trish
Friday, January 29, 2010
****************************************
"Letting It Slide - Accepting a Clean Enough House"
Printed in North County Times
By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTON - For the Associated Press Posted: January 29, 2010
When Amy Herendeen first became a stay-at-home mom, she dedicated a lot of time and effort to keeping house. But the chores were often interrupted by her daughter's needs. Trying to be the "perfect housewife" and take care of an infant left her feeling frustrated and angry.
So she changed her priorities.
"I didn't quit my job to stay home to clean house," said Herendeen, 31, of Manchester, Mo. "My daughter is my job. I am a stay-at-home mom, not a maid."
Now Herendeen strives for a house that's clean enough ---- meaning the bathrooms and kitchen are clean and the house appears tidy. But she doesn't spend a lot of time scrubbing floors, washing windows or deep cleaning. And she doesn't feel guilty if the laundry doesn't get done.
Many people are making peace with messier lives, casting off the expectations they grew up with. Busy careers, super-scheduled children and less interest in housework have contributed to the new mind-set.
"Over time, housekeeping standards have lowered," said Francine Deutsch, a social psychologist at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. "There's no question about that."
And while houses might not be as clean as they were a generation ago, that's OK with today's women.
"It's about 'what are the standards of my generation?"' Deutsch said. "If push comes to shove, housework is going to go ---- not child care."
In fact, mothers devote an average of four more hours a week to tending their children and 14 more hours of paid work than they did 40 years ago, according to a report last year from the Council on Contemporary Families, a nonprofit group based at the University of Illinois-Chicago. They do 14 fewer hours of housework a week, the study said.
"I don't think we really had a choice," said Alana Morales, a mother of two and author of "Domestically Challenged" (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2006). "We don't have time to wash baseboards every day. You have to learn to let things go."
Morales said she noticed standards changing about five years ago. Women are realizing, she said, that you don't have to have a perfect home to be a good mother or wife.
"It just kind of happens," she said. "Oh well, I didn't get my floors washed today, but I did teach my daughter to tie her shoes."
On a normal day, toys are strewn across Chastity Zumwalt's office, living room and hallway in Springfield, Mo., and dishes are piled in her sink.
"I have three kids and we live here," said Zumwalt, 29. "I like things clean, but there's paper on the table and magazines on the bar in the kitchen."
Zumwalt keeps her floor mopped and her carpet vacuumed, but allows other things to slide. "The curtains haven't been washed in a year, and that doesn't bother me," she said.
She sometimes suspects, however, that her husband disapproves of the state of the house.
"I think maybe part of him does and the other part of him doesn't," she said. "I think it's something he has to accept. He has dinner when he comes home and his clothes are clean. What more do you want?"
Melissa Chang of Beverly, Mass., adopted a new approach to housecleaning after launching her own business two years ago.
"It's really time-consuming to start a company," she said. "It just became overwhelming to clean every week."
Eventually Chang, 34, found shortcuts that gave her house the appearance of being cleaner than it was. She adopted a morning routine of straightening up. She spends about 10 minutes putting dishes in the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom and clearing away clutter.
"I'm a big fan of the closet cleanup," she said. "I chuck it in my closet and shut the door."
Trish Berg, author of "Rattled: Surviving Your Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool" (Random House, 2008), would like her house to be cleaner, but she's not going to let a little clutter stop her from entertaining or spending time with family.
"We get focused on the stuff in life, but what really counts is the relationships in life," said Berg.
A regular contributor to Christian Web sites and magazines, she considers it a ministry when she lets a friend see her house when it's less than perfect. If her friend's house is neater than hers, Berg reasons, the friend will leave feeling better about herself. If the friend's house is in similar condition, she leaves knowing that other women also struggle to do it all.
"The ministry of mediocrity applies to the cleanliness of your house as well as many, many other areas in life," said Berg, a mother of four.
Guests aren't likely to focus on the flaws in your house anyhow, she believes.
"I only see the good" in others' homes, she said.
Herendeen agreed. "I think we've all been at each other's houses, and there are dishes in the sink or Cheerios from last week on the floor," she said. "We all just laugh and joke about it."
Posted by Trish Berg 8:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: Quoted in Newspaper Articles
Joy in the Journey - These Are The Days
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Days like today, my memories seem to run through my mind like a slide show of photographs, one after another. Not always in sequential order. Flashes of good and bad times, joy and sorrow.
I was about seven years old, standing at the screen door in the front of our ranch house, looking out through the wire grid with tears streaming down my face. I was begging my dad to stay as he walked to the car with his suitcase in hand. I am not sure if he said anything to me at all, for the words and details are blurry for me.
I am sure his departure came after another argument between my parents. And its funny, but I don’t have any memories of their arguing, though I know they argued a lot. Its as if God protects me from those memories, but allows some of the sadness to shine through in my slide show memories.
My dad came back that time, as many times before, and many times after.
The next picture comes into focus. My mom sitting on my daisy bedspread with my sister and me. She said that we needed to pack our bags. We were moving in with my grandparents that night.
She talked about divorce and a better life for us, but all I knew was that I was losing my dad, and my life was forever changing in one night. I was about nine years old when we moved out of our red ranch house, a fourth grader, lost between two worlds of love and hate.
I remember living with grandma and grandpa, and how hard everyone worked to make that house a home for us. My bed was the red-flowered love seat that opened into a bed in the den.
My sister had the spare bedroom, and my mom slept on a mattress on the family room floor.
Always a mom. Always sacrificing for us.
Those were some of the saddest times in my life, and yet, I have some fond memories from those years as well. Spending time with grandma, walking down to the tennis courts to play.
Watching my grandma grow to love our pet guinea pigs, even though she thought hey looked like rats without tails. Sledding down the hill in her back yard knowing that she always had hot cocoa at the ready when we came in all soaking wet and chilled to the bone.
Sometimes the memories just come. Sometimes I invite them in, like an old friend, just so I can remember who I am and where I came from.
I am not unique. We have all loved and lost in one way or another. Been hurt by people we love or circumstances beyond our control. Those are the scars that never fully heal, the ones that linger in our hearts.
And some days, we play that slide show of memories just so we can remember.
I guess we have a choice. We can allow the past to pull us down or it can make us stronger. We can not change where we have been, but we can choose where we go form here.
And though the memories will always be there, I can choose the ending of the story. And maybe that’s what these days are all about.
Posted by Trish Berg 5:00 AM 1 comments
Labels: Graphic Publications Column, Joy in the Journey Column
Recipe - Pineapple Beef Stir Fry
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 pound boneless beef round steak, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cut fresh green beans
1 tablespoon chopped green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, sliced
Hot cooked rice
1.Drain the pineapple, reserving 1 cup pineapple and 3/4 cup juice. (Cover and refrigerate remaining pineapple for another use.) In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, soy sauce, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Remove 3/4 cup; cover and refrigerate. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the beef and remaining marinade. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.Drain and discard marinade. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice mixture until smooth. In a skillet, stir-fry beef in oil for 5-6 minutes. Remove beef with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Add the red pepper, beans, chilies and garlic in skillet; stir-fry for 5 minutes.
3.Stir juice mixture; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Add onions, beef and the reserved pineapple; heat through. Serve over rice.
Posted by Trish Berg 3:19 PM 2 comments
Labels: Recipe - Dinner, Supper Swap Meals, Supper Swap Recipes
Tips for Tuesday - 10 Valentine's Day Tips
Love comes from God, and Valentine's Day is the perfect day to show the ones we love what they mean to us.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. -Colossians 3:14
As a wife and a mom, I have 2 goals for Valentine's Day. I want to make it fun for my children, and romantic for my sweet husband.
With that in mind, here are my top 5 tips for Valentine's Day celebrations for your children, and my top 5 romantic tips for your sweetheart.
All are budget friendly, simple, and fun!
5 Valentine's Day Tips for Kids
1. Heart Shaped Pancakes- For breakfast you can make heart shaped pancakes. Simply put your pancake batter into a recycled squeeze bottle (like an empty pancake syrup bottle or an empty Hershey syrup bottle). On your coated skillet, squeeze the batter in a v-shape. As the pancake cooks, it will for a perfect heart shaped pancake! (You can even add red food coloring to the batter and make the pancakes pink or red!)
2. Scavenger Hunt - Write up 5-10 clues of things you have hidden for your children to find on a fun Valentine's Day scavenger hunt. Hide everything while they are at school, and when they get home, they get to hunt away. Gifts can be simple things like a candy bar, new hair ribbon, matchbox car or a pack of gum.
3. Love Coupons - Hand write or print out love coupon books to give to your children. Give each child 5-10 coupons each, customized to their likes and hobbies. For my son, I have a coupon for a sleepover so he can choose a weekend to invite a friend over. For my 7 year old daughter, a coupon for an extra 3o minutes of Wii play time past her usual bedtime. My teens, I have a coupon for one week off of cleaning their rooms. Get creative and make them unique.
4. Text It - If you have teenagers, text message or email them a sweet love message from you. Tell them in writing how much you love them and how proud you are of them. Believe it or not, they need to hear that, and they will treasure it, even if they roll their eyes.
5. Sweet Stuff First - Eat supper backwards starting with a sweet Valentine's Day dessert, ending with the main course. Your kids will have fun "breaking" the rules. Try this Chocolate Truffle Cookie or this Hot Fudge Ice Cream Bar Dessert.
5 Romantic Valentine's Day Tips for Your Sweetheart
1. Breakfast in Bed - Make your sweetheart breakfast in bed. Get up early, and bring him his favorite breakfast in bed.
2. 10 Sweet Compliments - Throughout the day, pay your spouse 10 specific sweet compliments. Don;t tell him what your plan is, just start showering him with your sweet words of love.
3. Dress Up - Surprise your husband by getting all dressed up for supper at home. Get that little black dress out from the back of the closet, put the kids to bed early, and prepare a romantic candlelight dinner for 2. The key is dressing up as if you are going out and staying in anyway.
4. ABC's - Make a list with each letter of the alphabet. For each letter, write down something sweet about your husband. I love you because: A - Adorable - You are adorable; B-Believe-You believe in me; C-Care - You show me tender care...etc...
5. Love Note Trail - Leave love notes for your husband that he can find throughout his day. Put one on his bathroom mirror before you go to bed; put on in his coat pocket, in his briefcase, on the windshield of his car. Write romantic sayings, quotes, or simply tell him how you feel. Each not can lead up to the wonderful romantic dinner you can surprise him with that evening.
Posted by Trish Berg 6:00 AM 1 comments
Labels: Tips for Tuesday, Valentine's Day Tips
Supper Swap Recipe - Baked Potato Haystacks
Monday, January 25, 2010
This is also perfect for game day.
Baked Potato Haystacks
Ingredients:
10 potatoes, baked
1 head lettuce, shredded
1 lg. onion, chopped fine
1-16 oz. bag of baby carrots, finely chopped
2 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained
1-18 oz. can sloppy joe sauce
1 -28 oz. can pork and beans
1 - 13 oz. bag Doritos, crushed
2-10 ¾ oz. cans cream mushroom soup
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
2 T. milk
Directions:
1. Bake your potatoes in the oven at 350 for about an hour until tender.
2. Shred your lettuce; chop onions and carrots fine. Put each in a separate serving bowl with a spoon. Set aside.
3. Place crushed Doritos in a separate serving bowl with a spoon. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, combine sloppy joe sauce, ground beef and pork and beans; heat until bubbly. Keep warm.
5. In a separate saucepan, dilute cream of mushroom soup with milk and Velveeta cheese on low heat until well blended. Keep warm.
6. At serving time, have guests begin with their baked potato on a large plate, sliced open and mashed with a fork. As they walk down the buffet line, they top their potato with the toppings of their choice in this order: sloppy joe; lettuce; onions; carrots; cheese sauce; ending with Doritos.
Serves 10.
Posted by Trish Berg 8:42 PM 1 comments
Labels: Recipe - Dinner, Super Bowl Recipe, Supper Swap Meals
One Person At A Time
It seems like I never get done what I set out to accomplish in a day's time. Then suddenly its bedtime, and I am crawling under the covers, frustrated at what I did not accomplish.
I place a lot of pressure on myself. I always have.
When I was in 5th grade, I ran in the community track event and won 3 second places. I think it was the 100 yard dash, the long jump and the 440. I trained and trained for that event. We were living at my grandma's back then as my parents were in the middle of a nasty divorce. My older sister became my trainer, and she ran me up and down the hill in grandma's back yard until I couldn't take another step.
When the day of the track meet came, I ran my best, jumped as far as I could jump, and still only came in 2nd place in each and every event I competed in.
Today, here I sit with my current to-do list looming. I want to get the family budget finalized for 2010, work on my latest book proposal, get the laundry caught up and get ready for the classes I am teaching this week.
I know I won't get it all done today, and as bedtime approaches, I will lament over what I didn't accomplish.
No first place blue ribbons.
No perfectly clean house with everything in perfect order.
But maybe its not about what I don't get done, but where my heart is as I try.
Posted by Trish Berg 5:53 AM 2 comments
Labels: Joy, Life Lessons
Joy in the Journey - Spaghetti A La Floor
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
********************************************************
Joy in the Journey - Spaghetti A La Floor
I grabbed my hot pads and picked up the large stock pot full of boiling water and spaghetti noodles. As I approached the sink where the colander was waiting for me, I saw Mike standing there but I said nothing.
Big mistake.
Like slow motion replay it happened. Mike turned. The pot bumped him in the back. The hot water splashed over the sides and hit my hands causing me to drop it on the floor. Mike and I both leaped back as hot water and spaghetti noodles began to spread everywhere.
The kids all sat at the table with their mouths hanging open, and Mike and I stood there in utter silence. For what seemed like minutes, which was probably only seconds, we just stared back and forth at the mess now on the floor and then at each other.
Then Mike smiled. I smiled. And we all laughed. What felt like a suppertime tragedy became a family adventure in grace and creative cooking.
Mike began cleaning up the sloppy mess, the kids went to get their baths in (since we now had some time to kill) and I opened the pantry door to see if we had another box of spaghetti noodles to try again.
No spaghetti noodles. No rigatoni or ziti noodles. No pasta noodles of any sort other than lasagna, which was too much work for one tired mom. So it was time to get creative.
I found three boxes of macaroni and cheese and decided pasta was pasta. I took out the cheese powder packets and stuck them in my pantry door for another day. I boiled the noodles, drained them (successfully this time) and tossed in the spaghetti sauce. I added some parmesan and mozzarella cheese, stirred it up and declared it done.
Everyone re-gathered around the supper table, take two, and I served up my new concoction.
Everyone took a bite, and I held my breath, waiting for their reaction. They loved it! Hannah named it Spaghetti-Mac and we had a hit on our hands. A hit with our new family favorite recipe, and a hit with our family handling a messy situation with grace and joy.
Sometimes things go your way. Your workday goes smoothly. Your kids listen to you.
Your house stays clean and you get the promotion you have been waiting for.
And sometimes you end up dropping a full stockpot of boiling water and spaghetti noodles on the floor and have to find joy even in that.
We can all be joyful when things go our way. But true joy is found in those spaghetti a la floor moments of life.
I don’t always get it right, but I am learning.
Now if I can just figure out what to do with my extra mac and cheese powder.
**************************************************************
Catch up with Trish at http://www.trishberg.com/, follow her on Twitter or friend her on Facebook get your copy of all 3 of her books at Amazon.com.
Posted by Trish Berg 6:00 AM 4 comments
Labels: Graphic Publications Column, Joy in the Journey Column, The Bargain Hunter, Wooster Weekly News
Freedom and Faith
Monday, January 18, 2010
We live in a country where we are free. Free to make choices. Free to live our lives as we wish. Free to worship our God.
God knows what fredom is, and God provides for our freedom through Jesus Christ. ANd that is the best freedom there is.
Psalm 118:5
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. (NIV)
Psalm 119:32
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. (NIV)
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (NIV)
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (NIV)
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (NIV)
Ephesians 3:12
In him [Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Posted by Trish Berg 11:56 AM 0 comments
Labels: Freedom
Recipe- Sloppy Jo Under a Bun
Saturday, January 16, 2010
1 lb ground beef
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can sloppy joe sandwich sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups baking mix or biscuit mix (Bisquick)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sesame seed
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F
2. Brown beef in a skillet, drain.
3. Stir in sloppy joe sauce and mix well.
4. Spoon into ungreased 9" x 13" baking dish; sprinkle with cheese.
5. Stir baking mix, milk and eggs until just blended; pour over beef mixture.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake (uncovered) for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Posted by Trish Berg 3:31 PM 0 comments
Labels: Recipe - Dinner, Supper Swap Recipes
********************************************************
Joy in the Journey - That Same Old Feeling
What is it about Mondays that are so depressing?
This Monday morning feeling reminds me of other times in my life when the butterflies hit my belly and sadness seeps into my heart.
When I was a freshman in college, my dorm room was way on top of a hill. The autumn leaves were all changing colors, the breezes were cooling, and I was all butterflies and heartache. I walked around the beautiful Allegheny College campus wondering where my life was going and if I would ever feel at home somewhere in my life.
I wasn’t there yet.
When I transferred to Baldwin-Wallace College and moved back home, I got a do-over. I got to start fresh at a new university, and try to find my way.
The funny thing was that even though B-W was closer to my home, I still felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, traveling down a yellow brick road with no idea of my destination.
I wasn’t home yet.
I got married and became a mom, and suddenly, it was my job to make a house where my family would feel at home.
Sunday nights are a bummer, so to spruce them up, we started a family tradition of eating homemade pizza and watching a movie. It gives us something to look forward to and eases the Sunday night blues.
Wintertime is depressing since I can’t get outdoors as much as I like. So we are planning a mini-vacation at a waterpark with the kids to beat those mid-winter blues. (Though a weekend at an indoor waterpark also involves me in a swimsuit which is a depression all unto itself. But let’s not linger on the negatives.)
When we moved to the farm, I felt really out of place.
Nothing like a city girl living on a beef cattle farm to make a girl homesick. And I will be the first person to admit that it has not been and easy journey, but I have grown to love farm life. I even enjoy seeing the cattle from our family room window and playing freeze tag in the summertime on the hay bales.
So I guess I found a home in a place I never expected to live because I was the one who had to make a house feel like a home.
And I have learned that feeling at home is not about where I am, but who I am. It comes from the inside out. And I can find that at-home feeling if I try.
Life does not happen in a photograph. It’s a motion picture, and so, like it or not, I have to keep moving. There is no pause button; at least I have not found one yet.
And Mondays come, like it or not. Christmas break ends, and life goes on, with or without that same old feeling bringing me down.
So today, I think I might bake some chocolate chip cookies for an after school treat. That should shake the butterflies in my belly and make my children happy.
Though it won’t help me with the swimsuit situation.
Guess you can’t have it all.
***************************************************************
Catch up with Trish at http://www.trishberg.com/, follow her on Twitter or friend her on Facebook get your copy of all 3 of her books at Amazon.com.
Posted by Trish Berg 10:19 AM 0 comments
Labels: Graphic Publications Column, Joy in the Journey Column, The Bargain Hunter, Wooster Weekly News
Candles in the Windows
Monday, January 11, 2010
That is what I want our house to be. A warm and inviting place for our family. A warm and inviting place for our friends, and even strangers. I want our house to be a light house for others.
I know, I know. The candles don't really do that. But they help.
What makes a house a warm and inviting place?
Not the furniture. Ours is garage sale fodder and hand me downs from mom and dad. We have stains and a tear or two here and there. The couch does not match the love seat. The chair does not match the couch.
It may not look great, but all of our furniture is comfy, and maybe that is what matters most.
Its not the food that makes our house a home. Though I do love homemade cookies and baked bread. My family feels just as much at home when I toss in a frozen pizza for supper.
I used to be a neat nick, and thought that cleanliness made my house feel like a home. Then I became a mom, and that went out the window. But I have learned that the kids feel at home whether I ran the sweeper or not.
I guess what makes my house a home is my attitude about all those things. Do I cherish the things in my life or the people in my life?
I don't always get it right, but the older I get, the more I realize that my house is a home because of who I am and who I love. By my attitude and my open arms.
So, I think I will leave my candles in my windows anyway. Its not a big deal, but they look so warm and inviting when we are driving up the country road where our farmhouse sits, and beckons us home.
Posted by Trish Berg 10:52 AM 3 comments
Labels: Joy, Life Lessons
Joy in the Journey - Asking for a Raise
Thursday, January 07, 2010
********************************************************
Joy in the Journey - Asking for a Raise
I am asking for a raise.
In the last twelve months, I have learned a lot of new skills, fine tuned many long standing abilities and outgrown my current position. Let me start by sharing my resume.
As a wife, I have learned to live with another human being in harmony. To adapt to his unique personality traits and communicate in a way that he understands. I have learned to watch college football and appear to care who scores a touchdown and who intercepts a pass. And I even know which teams to cheer for.
Mom. I have been a mom for almost fifteen years, but in the last year, I have learned how to mother one teen, two tweens and a seven year old who thinks she is double that age. I have combated rolled eyes, sarcastic voice tones and wet shower towels on bedroom floors.
I have worked hard to teach my children that the laundry hamper in the bathroom does not work through osmosis - that they need to place their dirty clothes in the hamper, not just in the vicinity of the hamper.
In fact, I have created a brand new clothing program I like to call “The Clean Clothes Campaign.” Through this program, I am teaching my children that an outfit worn for five minutes, and then discarded in lieu of a better outfit, is not actually dirty and does not belong in the hamper. Folding and putting away said outfit is worth bonus points. This program also includes the jeans-can-be-worn-twice-before-laundering-them extra credit opportunity as well as the how-to-fold-a-t-shirt bonus.
As a mom, I know how to sit through a basketball game and not embarrass my daughter by
yelling something like “Take it to the hoop!” Well, sometimes I guess I forget about that.I have studied more about the state of Ohio, the Indian tribes of North America and the Civil War than I ever did when I was in school myself. I passed the Big Foot Challenge four times over, have mastered the one minute math speed test and am learning that my cursive hand writing is all wrong.
I can unplug a toilet in less than two minutes, clean the hair clump out of the shower drain without getting nauseous and know if someone has a fever by simply touching their forehead with my lips in a mommy-kiss that seems to reduce the fever like magic.
So, with all of these extraordinary skills, I believe I deserve a raise and promotion. Maybe I could be promoted to Mom Regional Manager or Vice President of Wifedom. I could ask for my salary to be doubled.
Then again, two times zero is still zero. I learned that in first grade math last week.
I guess the most important jobs are not the jobs we are not compensated for in dollars and cents, but in love and respect. But I don’t think the bank will cash that check.
***************************************************************
Posted by Trish Berg 6:14 AM 1 comments
Labels: a, Graphic Publications Column, Joy in the Journey Column, The Bargain Hunter, Wooster Weekly News
When is Christmas Over?
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
And now, Christmas is over. But our decorations are still up.
Which begs the question, when do you take down the Christmas decorations? When is Christmas over?
In the olden days (which is only five years back for me), we used to spend New Year's Day taking down all of our decorations. But that always made me feel so sad. What a way to ring in the new year.
There also have been years, busy years, when January has come and gone, and our tree is still up. That just seems pitiful. As if I can't let go of the celebration.
So somewhere between December 26th and January 31st is the perfect time to take down your decorations, but I am not sure when.
One thing I have done over the years, as a hang-on-to-the-joy kind of person, is to buy snowmen decorations as a part of the Christmas decorations. That way, I can leave the snowmen up until March, and they don't look pitiful.
Winter is snow. Snow means snowmen. Voila.
But all my Santas and angels and little white lights need to come down.
I am not sure there is a perfect time to take everything down. I guess do as you will. But if your tree is up into February, you may want to take down your ornaments and hang red hearts on it for Valentine's Day. You could replace your colored or white lights with red lights and call it your Valentine's tree.
Kinda romantic, huh?
If your tree is still up into March, hang some plastic eggs on it and pastel lights and call it your Easter tree. You could even put Easter candy in your stockings.
Of course, your tree must be artificial, or by the end of January, all the needles will be gone and you will be left with a pine less, Charlie Brown version of sticks on a trunk.
Posted by Trish Berg 8:44 AM 3 comments
Labels: Christmas, Christmas Decorations
