For the Love of Others

I am not going to lie, I had planned out completely different content for this week. But with everything going on, and more and more peoples’ eyes being opened to the reality of what is going on in the world, my heart felt compelled to speak on it. 

I know I don’t have a huge reach and I know this isn’t a huge platform that I have created, but it is something. It is a place where I can use my voice to hopefully encourage people to learn and grow. To encourage others to be kind and loving and care for one another. So here is me trying to do that. 

One thing I have always believed ever since I was a young girl was that respect is the most important thing we as individuals can have. I firmly believe that if we all have a distinct amount of respect for human life, others thoughts and feelings,  and our world, that a lot of things would be very different right now. 

How on earth could you ignore sexism, racism, abortion, or genocide if we all had the same respect for life?

How could we sweep human trafficking under the rug or act like it doesn’t exist if we all at least agreed on respect for all life? 

How could we turn a blind eye, go on with our lives and let the thought slip away?

The answer is simple, we couldn’t. 

But since we are all different people, have been through our own journey and carry our own crosses, instead of uniting together, we find and concentrate on the things that tear us apart. 

I am just as guilty of this as any of you. 

And I know why I have done this. 

Fear. 

Fear of being rejected. Fear of being hated. Fear of being confronted. Fear of being made to look stupid. Fear of hurting someone’s feelings. Fear of the truth. Fear of having to change the ease of my own life in order to better serve others. 

But here is the thing. 

God did not call me into this life to serve myself. No. He called me to serve others. To serve Him. To love Him. 

In Matthew 16:24-25 it says “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’” 

This has been one of the hardest realizations for me. I have constantly been in a state of trying to find out who I am and what I am made for. Where I belong and what I am supposed to do with my life. How I am supposed to use my talents. But that is where I was thinking of what Ineeded out of this life. I was not thinking of what God intended for me.

I am not going to lie. It is scary speaking up about what I feel is wrong and what is right. It is scary seeing injustice and wanting so badly to stand up, and seeing no one else saying anything. 

“What if they hate me?”

“What if they don’t like what I have to say?”

“What if the discredit me or make me look stupid or arrogant?”

“What if they confront me?” 

“What am I supposed to do?”

I have always had these fears inside of me of disrupting the status-quo. But at this point, I REFUSE to live my life not standing up for what is right, and not encouraging people to learn and to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I REFUSE to give into those fears. 

Because at the end of my time here on this earth, I want to be able to tell Jesus Christ “Lord, I have used everything you gave to me. I have nothing left.”

I do not want to leave this world with an ounce of love, fight, kindness, truth, or wisdom left in me. I want to use it all. I want to help others. I want to stand up for what is right. 

And I don’t care if I look idiotic or naïve. Because there is something out there that is better than everything going on in our world. 

There is something better than all of this fear, all of this anger, all of this pain, all of this hurt, all of this despair, all of this hate. 

There is something better. 

“This is My command to you: Love one another. If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”

John 15:17-19

Here are some resources to learn more about what I mentioned above. I invite and encourage you all to research and learn more about what is going on in our world. Because even though God will always win, that doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. 

polarisproject.org

dosomething.org

ourrescue.org

freedomnetrorkusa.org

Thank you for all of those who read this entire post, I will talk to you in my next one. 

God Bless and with love, 

Veronica 

Creamy Mushroom Soup

I have to be completely honest. I was never really a soup person.

Growing up whenever I got asked “Soup or salad?” it was always salad no question. And if you knew my dad, you would completely understand why!

I will be forever grateful for the fact that I got my dad’s love for healthy foods! Because of him I love salads, veggies, fruits, herbs and spices, etc. But we are getting a little off topic.

Anyways, because of this, I never really thought of soup as anything much.

But now as a mom and a wife, I absolutely LOVE soup! One, because it is so easy to throw so many different recipes together without a lot of hands on time, and two, because it just warms up your soul!

That is how I feel about this Creamy Mushroom Soup!

I promise that it is seriously so delicious, especially if you are needing some kind of comfort food but don’t really want to ride the junk food train. And it’s healthy too!  

Click to download the recipe below!

I hope you all love it as much as I do, and I hope you all have a blessed day!

CreamyMushroomSoup

 

With Love,

Veronica

Beetroot Hummus Recipe

Alright, so I don’t know about you, but I am the kind of person where if something looks nice, I love it a thousand times more.

I don’t know why, but for some reason bright colored food, clean lines, and a simple aesthetic are all ridiculously appealing to me.

That is the first reason I decided to play around with making a beetroot hummus. If you have never seen pictures of this stuff before, seriously, go check it out! 

A bright pink treat that is healthy and delicious?! Yes please! 

I am not going to lie it is a little messy, so I would advise not wearing any clothes you would mind getting stained, as well as washing your dishes and hands right after making this recipe. But the thing is, that it is TOTALLY worth it! 

I love eating this treat with some fresh cut veggies such as peppers, celery, carrots, cucumbers and even homemade fries! There are so many possibilities! 

Click below for the recipe and let me know what you think I’m the comments below!

beetroot-hummus.pdf

I hope you all love it as much as I do!

Have a blessed weekend everyone! 

With Love, 

Veronica 💕

Tips on the Toddler Years

Okay, as I start writing this, the one thing that comes screaming to my mind is this; I AM NOT AN EXPERT!

I definitely don’t have everything figured out, and I most definitely make mistakes. However, I am always willing to learn new things and try new tricks because the most important thing I have learned is this: pride is not for parenting.

Nope, any pride you may have, throw it out the window! There is no room for it here because being a parent means making a ton of room for your little one, and even more room for yourself to learn and grow!

But the best part about this is that nobody, not even that mom who looks like she has it all together, has it figured out. Yep, you heard me right! The ladies whose kids are always dressed in more than just comfy clothes, or whose kid’s hair isn’t completely untamed, or even the lady who was able to put on makeup; yep, even she doesn’t have it all figured out! So at least there is a little joy in the fact that we are all in this together, and parenting gets a heck of a lot easier when we all share our little bits of knowledge and wisdom, because the more we do that, the better the generations after us will be!

So here are my little tidbits of wisdom I have learned, particularly for those fun, sweet, and chaotic toddler years.

Try not to yell.

OK, I am COMPLETELY and TOTALLY a yeller. When I was seventeen and you had asked me if I could change one thing about myself, I would have probably said something about my appearance. Now if you asked me, I would tell you I wished I wasn’t such a yeller. When you yell “No!” or “Stop!” to that sweet, curious little toddler when they are spilling water everywhere, or throwing flour all over the kitchen or feeding their lunch to the dogs (all of which have NEVER happened to us), you are suddenly sending mixed messages to your sweet little babe. When they were little, we encouraged them to be curious, explore, and learn. But now since they have mobility and a big imagination, sometimes it feels like it can get out of control quickly. But to that little babe, their once doting and encouraging parents are now getting frustrated and impatient as they explore the world around them. So, my advice is when you feel yourself about to yell, or even if you are already yelling, stop. Close your mouth and just stop. Nothing bad will happen if you just pause. Take a deep breath. Apologize to your little one. It’s not only ok, but an amazing lesson to teach them that not even Mommy or Daddy are perfect. We all make mistakes, and we have to own up to them when we do. Let them know that you got a little frustrated or that you don’t want a giant mess to be made on the floor. Be honest, but always remember to be kind. Even ask for a do over. Gently explain to them the message you want to get across, but also while keeping in mind that they are little. They are curious, they are full of energy, and just looking to have fun.

Come up with solutions TOGETHER.

Toddlers are great problem solvers. Sometimes they come up with great ideas even we as adults couldn’t have come up with. Their sweet little fiery brains aren’t constricted to what we “Can” and “Cannot” do. They are creative, they are helpful, and they are brilliant. So, when it comes down to them not wanting to brush their teeth or put on their pajamas, ask them what they think you both should do. Obviously don’t give them full range, but by giving them a couple of options, this helps not only with their problem-solving skills, but also helps their decision-making skills. For example, you can phrase it like this: “Ok, so I hear that you are telling me you don’t want to brush your teeth right now before bed, but we can’t let your teeth get yucky with all kinds of germs. Would you like to put your pajamas on first, and then brush your teeth instead?” or “Okay, it’s time to get out of the bath, but I see you are having so much fun playing with all of your toys. Would you like to get out now, or in five minutes with no fuss? Five minutes? Okay, deal! Let’s shake on it, five minutes, no fuss!” My husband will just ask Sophie, “What do you think we should do?” and normally speaking, she actually gives good solutions!

Don’t be afraid to try new things!

When it comes to eating, I feel like I have gotten incredibly lucky. But before my kids became the awesome eaters that they are, I researched everything and everywhere that I could to ensure that I was setting them up for as much success as possible. (Obviously when it comes to eating, many kids can have allergies or certain sensitivities to different types of food, so I encourage you to talk with your child’s pediatrician before trying anything new.) The one best thing I have learned is give them whatever you are eating. If you and your spouse are eating spaghetti, give them spaghetti. If you both are eating salads loaded up with colorful veggies and leafy greens, load them up! Most of the time, Sophie will completely ignore her own plate and come and see what’s going on over on my plate. And when she sees that we are eating the same thing, she gets so excited and scarfs everything down! Also, make sure that you are making meal time family time. This is an important time to connect with our families without any distractions. Ask each other questions about the highlights of each other’s day. Were there any difficult parts of the day? Do they have any funny stories? Did they learn anything new that they didn’t know the day before? The possibilities are limitless!

Never forget to tell them AND show them how much they mean to you.

I have always been a never-miss-a-moment kind of person. If I think that I should run into the garage to give Josh one more kiss before work, I do it. If I realize I should hold Josh’s hand while we are arguing, even though I am so upset, I (usually) do. The same thing should go for your kids. When they are talking to you, stop and listen. Or if it is a moment where you can’t really drop everything, stop for just a second, look them in the eye, and let them know you can’t stop right now, but you are so excited to hear what they have to say in two minutes. When they are playing with their toys or eating a snack, go and wrap them in a giant bear hug. Kiss their cheek. Let them know how much they mean to you, and how loved they are. When you are telling them, and showing them how much you love them, make sure you are letting them know that you love them exactly for who they are RIGHT NOW. Not for who they have been or who they will be, but for the sweet little person they are. They might not completely understand right now, but as they get older and grow bigger, they will look back and appreciate how they never had to be anything but themselves for you.

I hope these little tips help you the same way they have helped me, and I would love to hear your little tips and tricks for the toddler years in the comments below!

With Love, Veronica

Summer Sun Tea Recipe

It is FINALLY that time of year!

The sun is shining, plants are growing, everything is just a little bit brighter.

It is shorts and sunnies season, and I could not be more excited!

Even with the new norm that is going on in our world today, I still find it important to find joy in the little things. One of these little things that brings me a massive amount of joy is making Sun Tea!

My Grandma always made sun tea when I was a little girl, and honestly it was something I had forgotten about until recently. She would always ask us to pick some mint from the garden, and even though waiting for the few hours we had to seemed like forever, nothing was better than taking that first sip on a hot day when it was poured over ice. 

Making sun tea now not only brings back sweet memories of my Grandma when I am missing her a little extra, but also helps me feel a little liberated in a way. I love making things. Anything. Beautiful things. Practical things. Silly things. Really, ANYTHING. But I have also noticed that for some reason I feel the need to “follow rules” or “ask permission” before I let my creativity flow. 

When I was first wanting to make sun tea, I began thinking, “What do I need to make this?” “What if I don’t have everything?” “Lavender sounds like it would be good, is that even allowed?” “Can I just throw in what I have/ want?” “Well, why not?” 

I know to some this might seem like a borderline crazy commentary, but for me, this is pretty normal. And something as simple as sun tea helps me work through those little barriers I find myself running into. It helps me remind myself that there are only roadblocks in the way if I let them stay there. 

So, that is the thing I LOVE about this recipe! It is so customizable. You can keep, add, mix, match. Really, whatever you want to do! 

This is my personal recipe that I came up with and LOVED! It definitely brings me so much joy. 

It is amazing over ice, and also try mixing it with some homemade lemonade for an OUT OF THIS WORLD Arnold Palmer! 

I hope this post brings you a sweet new recipe to add to your collection as well as some words of encouragement!

Click below for the recipe and let me know what you think or your new ideas in the comments below!

sun-tea-recipe-cardDownload
 
Also don’t forget to check you my new Youtube Channel! Click below to check it out!
 
 

I hope you all have a blessed day!

With Love, 

Veronica