Family Bizness

Hope we haven’t overwhelmed you with too much talk of Heritage this week.  It’s a passion and we enjoy sharing it.   Look for  Dirk to be back next week with more on Fathering and attitudes.

Erin has started her own daily blog, “Our Life is School”,  but she’s promised to stick around here too.  Catch her daily work and play with her family and enjoy seeing the activities she does with her two little men.

Kody is currently taking a class on music innovation from The Colleys at Sunday Recording in Oklahoma City.  Before he’s finished he is to write and record a song!  He’s really enjoying the class.  Contact the Colley’s if you’re interested in having your kiddo attend one of their classes.

Brad and Ali bought a home in Edmond!  They will be leaving the ManyMeadows compound  in a couple of weeks.  We’ll miss seeing those precious girls each day…oh, and Brad and Ali too. J

We had our first family gathering Thursday night to discuss the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”.  We’re considering forming a corporation for the family.  More to come on that. 

Work continues on our bedroom remodel.  Do you have any idea how much dirt is underneath your carpet?  Whew!  Glad to have it out of there. The new floor is next on the list.    We’re considering doing the stained concrete ourselves this time. (we have it in most of our house).  Anyone have experience with that? 

Have any great weekend plans?  Involved in any remodeling of your own?







Robin

Heritage: Fathering

Bad fathering can have a devastating impact on a family not just for the here and now but for future generations. A bad father is not just limited to verbal abuse or physical abuse towards his wife and kids. There is also the absent father or the unintentional father. Even fathers that live eat and sleep in their own house can be uninvolved to a point where the damage can be disastrous.

 

Plenty of information exposing a bad father is talked about every day in our society but what about good fathering? Fathering that will have a positive effect on our families?

 

I know for me, the first step is recognizing from where I came. Most guys, if they come from a vexed past, don't want to admit to the way they were brought up or they will gloss over the real facts and not accept that they may have deficiencies. And then we are very prideful to a point of not wanting any help thus creating all kinds of problems. But it doesn't have to end there. It must not end there if we want to change our ways and the direction and heritage of our families. 

 

The next step is asking and finding answers to two "simple" questions.

Why am I here?

And what am I going to do about being here?

Once you can get a handle on these ideas you begin to put into place the attitudes you have to have to be a good father and husband.

 

I want to talk about those attitudes in the future. But what about now? Can you answer those two little questions guys?

 

Why am I here?  And what am I going to do about being here?

 

How about you women? Did your father give you peace and security?



 

Dirk

A Godly Heritage: Unearthing My Destiny

Little did I know so many years ago when I was running from my family's heritage of living off the land that first my husband and then myself would someday get a very similar calling. Because of the values of hard work, saving and prudence that my parents taught through living on the land it was so ingrained in me that my fat mortgage, fancy cars and perfect manicures just didn't satisfy me. God was stirring things up in Jon and I to do things not-so-normal just as I had before. The very things I was running from began to seep in as desires for my own life.

Erin, age 6
 
Through our journey and struggle to know what this all meant we were led to take my parent's offer to live on part of the land that I grew up on and to stake our claim on the Meadows' compound. While my dad doesn't give anything away, he has made special arrangements to make it doable. (Let this be a lesson to all parents, that you remove a valuable learning opportunity from your children - even grown children-- when you just give them things). At one time all 7 of us kids lived on the 20 acres, 3 of us in our own houses! 
 
                                                    Dirk, Erin, Andrew (1984)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna, Katie, Ali, Andrew, Erin (1989)

 

Oh the blessings from being able to work in this dirt that God once formed with His own hands and has now been given as a special gift to our family, working right alongside wise parents as they continue to pass down learning treasures to us grown children, spouses and grandchildren.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sierra, Mesa, Will, Kaden  

                                                           Mesa, Sadie, Lily, Will (2008)                             

Now it is so clear to me why I struggled so hard living out this calling as I was finding my own wings. What an impact my husband and I, coming from Godly families can have on our world as we raise our boys and what will trickle down into each generation from the strength in this simple-land-living-God-driven calling. I get a vision of my boys and their families and other offspring of the family that might decide to live here too someday and I just smile with God.
 

This year as my husband I are preparing to build a more permanent home on our little acreage, I have started doing a prayer walk on the land. I pray for any who walk there now, for the generations to come who will be touched by the land and that as we each continue to toil it will be blessed. I feel the prayers that have already been whispered upon this ground I walk, uplifted from my parent's hearts and hands all those years. Kaden, Jon, Will, Erin

What a blessing it is to have been raised in such a Godly family and taught such a rich heritage that has almost been forgotten in this fast-paced, technological-based society. Now that I've fully embraced what God always had for me I am proud to live out this destiny no matter how weird it might seem to the world.
 Erin, January 2009
Do you know the calling God has placed on your family? Are you living fully devoted to that calling?



 

Erin

Heritage: Pioneers

God led our family to be pioneers in many ways.  While I always just wanted to be “normal”, God didn’t call our family to be that way. I got so tired of EVERY aspect of our lives being so weird.

 

We lived in the country, we homeschooled, we gardened and raised “meat” for most of our food, we had a large family, all the siblings were born at home, we drove an ugly station wagon, we built our own house, we didn’t buy things that weren’t in the budget, we ate health food. (We did not wear denim jumpers though - and we did cut our hair, so we didn’t really fit in to the norm on either side of the spectrum). The majority of our experiences were centered around the pioneering of the land where our family lived.

 

In our rearing, we watched and worked right alongside my parents learning life lessons as we put our mark on the buildings now standing, the vegetables we ate, the paths we cleared out on this 20 acres we moved to over 24 years ago.
I bucked hard against this calling my parents said they had been given by God. I remember looking at other families and wishing if only I had been born into another family, I would be more content.

 

What was I doing in this family? I hated bugs, frogs and snakes. I hated dirt in my fingernails. I hated having to constantly keep up with younger siblings as we worked the land. I moaned, I complained, I rebelled. My parents never gave in or felt sorry for me. They persevered in their calling and continued to teach me that God had put me in this family for a reason.

 

Along with these lessons we were being trained in perseverance, hard work, and determination as we toiled side-by-side with my parents to generate the way we lived from the things God had given us. This education has trickled down to each of us children as we have gone on to do other things with our lives, tackling our new callings with the same excellence.

 

And now I’m so thankful that my parents didn’t raise me to be “normal”. I now know a little bit more why satan tried to make me run from my family’s calling, but that’s a story for tomorrow.

 

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT

 
Like my experience, is your family more focused on fitting into society than living out the special calling God has placed on you? If so, what are some things you can do to bring that focus back around?



 

Erin

Heritage: Imprints of the Heart

It’s a mind picture imprinted on my heart.

 

Each morning as I was ready to head to school, I’d find my dad… a cup of steaming black coffee, his Sunday School quarterly, and his open Bible laid out on the old oak tabletop in front of him. (He would have already returned from his daily 5-mile run). This memory goes back to my days in grade school and continued on to my days as a teen.

 

The memory of my dad’s faithfulness to reading God’s Word is one reason I continue to do the same thing each morning (minus the Sunday School quarterly…..oh, and 5-mile run) :)

 

Now, I know not all of you have a wonderful memory of a godly parent. But, I know everyone has a memory of someone who passed on to you something godly that you emulate today. Something you have now made your own.

 

This is heritage. Even if it is not passed on to you by a parent or grandparent.

 

Do you have a memory of something passed on to you by someone that is now part of who you are? Something you plan to pass on to your children? Tell us about it.



 

 

Robin

Heritage: It's Life

In our family whenever the word heritage was brought up it always made me and my brothers and sisters roll our eyes, groan and take a comfortable seat because we knew we would be getting a lecture. Our dad would spend the next hour trying to teach us why we read our Bibles everyday or why should prefer others.

Looking back I am thankful for what my parents taught me. Being out in the world has shown me that I am different than other students or other employees and I owe that all to the up bringing that my parents worked so hard to keep strong and pure.

I don’t have a great memory. When my siblings tell stories I often have a vague memory. This story however, will be in my thoughts forever. It is a great example of how our dad felt so strongly about raising us with values.

When I was little I was sort of a mischievous little girl. I often did things I knew I shouldn’t and then would deny them if I was asked about it later. One afternoon my sister, Ali came down from her room (which was strictly forbidden to me) saying that someone had been in her stuff (she had a fiber optic flower display that I liked to turn on and look at). Of course, Dad comes right to me asking if I had been in her room.

I could have said that I had not been there. In my mind it was going to save me from being disciplined. But I decided to tell the truth. I had been in my sister’s room I told my dad, just as he had expected. His reaction however, was not what I expected. He stood up with a huge smile on his face, took me by the hand to his room and gave me a piece of candy from his personal stash (big mistake Dad. From then on I knew where your stash was! ;)

He told me how proud he was of me for telling the truth and that it didn’t matter as much that I had been in my sister’s room but he was just so glad I didn’t choose to lie.

This memory will always be with me. My dad knew I had a problem with telling the truth, so when I did he rewarded me greatly. This was one of many turning points in my life when I realized I was in charge of who I was, that I made the choices that affected my life and I wanted to start making the right ones. I owe these realizations to my parents and I will always be grateful for them.

My parents taught me that the life I decide to live not only affects me, but it also affects the generations that will come after me. And that is heritage.

Do you remember a turning point in your life that still affects you for good today?

Katie

Heritage: Heir to Heir

Heritage, simply put is “practices that are handed down from the past from heir to heir.”

 

If you are like me I want those practices to be constructive and profitable. I want this for my family but I want our heritage to touch others in the most effective and efficient ways.

 

God has put on my heart to try to help people not to see through a tunnel when they make decisions but to see a much bigger picture. Namely, decisions made today that might affect your family many years in the future.

 

For example: your approach to success may be that job or career. But what if that career proves to tear your family apart? Oppositely, an at-peace, fulfilled person can have such a dynamic effect in his or her life that it can virtually change everything around them.

 

Other examples can be found in God leading a family to a certain calling. Many times our kids might not understand why we do what we do. They have to be communicated to in a way that is acceptable to them even though they may not be on board all the way. Too many times parents let their kids steer the direction of the family just to get along but that can have a negative impact on the family many years in the future. Can I say it might even lead to the death of a family unit? 

 

Always remember the choices you make today will impact your life today, but how will those choices impact you and your family 25, 50 or 100 years from now?

We are building heritage within our lives for good or bad. How do you want it?

 

Share with us what you are doing today that just might have an impact on your family many years from now.



 

 

Dirk

Heritage: A Passion

It was at an event.  There were several couples and we didn’t know anyone.  At a break in our session a nearby gentleman is meeting us for the first time.  After the usual name exchange,  comes the next we-haven’t-yet-met question:


”So, what do you do?”

Without any hesitation, Dirk answers, “We’ve raised seven children together.  That’s what we’ve been doing for the last several years”.

My buttons busted…I was so darn proud of my man!

(The conversation then centered around both families.  We never did learn what the other couple did as “jobs”) :)

You see? Dirk is a first generation Christ-following father.  He is a curse-breaker.  A pioneer. 

His passion for teaching “the H word” – Heritage to our children rose from a deep desire and conviction to pass on to them what he learned when he was a teen: 

God loved him and saved him from himself.  How could he do anything less than give God his whole heart?

From the time our children were born, from Erin to Jacob, and still today, Dirk’s number one goal in his life has been to pass on the knowledge of that saving Love and power to his own children. 

And connected to that Love, all the things that go hand-in-hand with that….building our home, living in the country, taking them regularly to church, being involved in their lives….are things that he is also  passionate about.

So, when he talked endlessly of heritage and the whys and hows…..and they were too young to grasp what he was even speaking of….they did seem to understand his passion.  (even if their eyes glazed over). :)

No, he’s not perfect.  He’ll be the first to tell you we made plenty of mistakes and bad judgments in our parenting (and we’re still not finished).  But, we’ve worked hard at teaching our children the number one important thing to us:  a heritage of Judeo-Christian values, and a heart given fully to Christ.

Are you a first generation, pioneer Christ follower?









Robin

Heritage: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

There were some things leading up to Anna’s and my younger siblings' dread of the “H word” that I must admit I, and the siblings closer to me in age, had quite a bit to do with. Well, I would like to delve further into the daily living of the Many Meadows and tell you the prequel to her story, and how at times family life just wasn’t pretty!

 

Backtrack to this one night in particular which was also one of our normal “family nights“ that were incorporated through most of our years growing up. After my Dad finished the long-winded droning of blah, blah blah that happened MANY a time when he had us all sitting down, he asked us what he had just talked about. We all looked at each other baffled. “Oh crap, he’s never asked this before after these blabberings. Usually it’s just,  "Do you get that?" - and we would of course say, "Yes.”

 

None of us could recall any of what he was saying, and our attempts at guessing were getting him pretty heated. Well, this is where it got a little ugly. We were ordered to bed somewhat angrily!!! At 7:30 in the evening!!! And the next day when we were called together to discuss this event, and after getting grounded and lectured up and down, he again attempted to get his point across. I don’t know if we all got the gist of what he was saying even at that time, but we knew it was about heritage. Hence the dread of the “H word” was born, and many a time we would (somewhat) jokingly roll our eyes at the start of a yammering by Dad and say, “Oh no!  The H word!”, as in Anna’s story.

 

I will also say that I have been witness to my perfect parents being somewhat “imperfect” and that has become one of the values of the Meadows’ heritage in itself. My parents did not seek to pass down a heritage of human perfection, but one of strong Godly character. This one story is just a small glimpse into how our life really was. There were disobedient children, selfish teens, and yes, sometimes angry, frustrated parents, but the way the bad and ugly were dealt with and not hidden instilled yet another part of our Godly heritage.

 

And what means so much to me now is that I "get" heritage! No, I didn’t listen very well to all those lectures, but my Dad didn’t give up! And it’s a lot better that I remember that my Dad cared enough to sit down and talk with us about life, even if I was annoyed and didn’t always get what he was saying, than that he was some passive Dad who watched TV or worked all the time.

 

So your family life might have more bad and ugly than good, but are you still aggressively seeking to pass down a Godly heritage to your children? If you aren’t, then who will?

 

Erin

 

 

 

 

 

The "H" Word

I remember it all too well.  We had just finished our family book reports, and all seven of us kids wanted to hurry up and watch Saved by the Bell Finale (which we had recorded on the VCR since it played during the boring book reports.)  Then Dad started talking.  We sat on the living room floor as he began to share from his heart.  It was then that he said it.  The word none of us hoped would come up.  The “H” word.  Heritage.

“NOOooooo!  Now we’re never going to get to watch our show!”— Those were the thoughts that passed through my head that evening.  Any time dad started talking about the “H” word, you were sure to be there for a while.  Of course I was only eight at the time and didn’t understand why the “H” word was so vitally important.

Heritage.  It is one of our family’s core values.  The passing down of values and teachings from generation to generation.

Our parents began to talk to us about heritage ever since I can remember.  My mom comes from a long line of Christ-followers, but my dad is a first generation believer, a curse breaker who settled in his heart long before he had children that he would lead his family to be lovers of God.  It was the basis of all we did.  It was why we homeschooled, why we lived in the country on a large piece of land—in the middle of nowhere.  It was why we raised chickens, and planted gardens, and learned how to feed ourselves from God’s Word more than anything else. 

You may call it weird, Amish, or even Little House on the Prairie, but I call it Heritage.  The values and standards I learned during that time of my life are now leading me as I attempt to put my own stamp on the world:   How to get along with others, doing everything with excellence, leading out of love—those are just a few of the things that are now hard-wired into each one of us.  Not because we took a class on them, but because we lived them, everyday of our lives, as our parents patiently passed them down by simply modeling what it could look like. 

That is Heritage.   The daunting “H” word that now, I plan on passing to my own family some day. 

What type of heritage do you want to leave for your family?  Now is the time to start!



 

 

Anna

Next Week - Heritage!

For the next couple of weeks our family is bringing you a series on Heritage.  This is a core value of our family, something that Dirk taught us.  It is a strong passion of his.  He’ll share a couple of days and then you’ll hear some fun (or funny)  memories from some of our kids.  I may even have some things to share ;) 

We hope our experiences will encourage you to keep going during those difficult days of parenting.

We’ve discovered that the rewards far outweigh the efforts.

See you next week!







Robin

Loving the Begats

The many passages that the Bible offers in way of lineage has often been boring and cumbersome for me,  until I started learning more about the Koran.  Interestingly, the Koran offers NO lineage leading to Muhammad. 

 

No completely amazing and wonderful heritage.

 

I've learned to respect and honor the "begats" now...they lead us to Christ!

 

Next time you’re reading those chapters,  maybe they won’t be so boring!



 

 

Robin

Pretty Princess

Lily (Ali's daughter) recently turned 4 and asked me to make her a "pink princess cake" for her party. So how did I turn THIS  and THIS  into THIS? 

 Come on over to my cake/bookmaking blog and see the steps that transformed batter into a pretty princess.

(And if you don't want to follow the steps yourself but you still want to impress the people at your party, I'd be happy to make one for your little princess.) :)

I should note that "Boys will be boys". As I carried the cake into Lily's party, nephew Will asked, "Is that Lily's princess cake?" When I said that it was, he responded (with a sly twinkle in his eye), "I'm gonna eat her head off!" (such a boy thing to say!) So, we let him have a bite to prove that Princess's head was plastic, not cake.

Did you have memorable cakes when you were a child? Do you make birthday cakes for your loved ones?

Abbi

You Be the Decorator

Last of the popcorn ceiling. (why was that ever popular??)    The French blue wallpaper complete with little pink roses…gone. (Praise God!).  And the last of the original 1984 blue carpet and soft-white walls will soon be a faded memory. 

We are finally remodeling our bedroom. 



Yeah, I know.  It’s our sanctuary.  The room that should have the most care, but well, we had a “few” other things that needed to come first. 



And best of all…this room will now have a large Jacuzzi tub in it….yep, resort-stylin’, right in our very own bedroom. 

Maybe like this

Soon it will be time to choose colors for the walls, window treatments, maybe even some new furniture. 

And,  I’m at a loss, and need your help.  Dirk and I have pretty simplistic, eclectic taste.  We have stained concrete floors in the rest of the house, and we’re hoping to do the same in this bedroom. 

So, tell me.  Where do you go for decorative inspiration?  How do you choose your paint colors?  Have any good tips, decorating links, or creative thoughts to share? 

Can you tell I’m thinking about a shade of green?

Help!







Robin

Dear Robin

Dear Robin,

 

I am beginning to dread mealtime at our home because of my finicky 9 year old who eats hardly anything.  If it isn't some type of fried chicken, pasta, mac/cheese, tacos or pizza, he doesn't like it.  The only veggie he eats is carrots so he literally eats raw carrots every day.

We've tried the whole "you're gonna eat what I fix or go hungry" and the "if you don't like what I make, fix it yourself" plan and neither have worked.

I’m at a loss.I know in 10 years it won't matter because he'll be on his own, but it's really starting to get to me.

Any advice?

 

OK  - you guys are great at this, so help this mom out.  What are your suggestions to her?  (This time, I’ll post my reply to her as an edit tomorrow.)





 

 

Robin

 

All you commentors had great suggestions.  Thanks!  I knew you would. 

Here is my reply (taken from 2 separate e-mails)

I know a little about a finicky eater.  I have one and now he is 16.    We still ask him to eat a small portion of good foods, even if he doesn't like them...or at least one bite.  His eating has improved a bit over the years, but food just isn't important to him.  He could just as soon NOT eat as eat.  And often he just doesn't.  (I think he could fast for a week and it wouldn’t even bother him.)

 

Pray a lot!  Hang in there with him, appeal to him about his health, require small bites of everything and have LOTS of carrots on hand!  LOL

 

 

Know that he is who he is....(and all this time I thought we could shape and mold our kids into our likeness!..hahaha)

 

He's a great kid, given to a wonderful family, who is going to do mighty things for the Kingdom. 

 

Food?  Keep feeding him the Word....the rest will take care of itself!

 

Does that help at all?  I do understand your pain.  Man! This parenting stuff is hard sometimes! 

 

Love you, friend!

~Robin

My Kids are Dumbbells

I don’t ever want to hear anybody say they don’t have time to exercise.  If you are thinking that about your life, then you just haven’t gotten creative enough about figuring out how to fit that physical training in.  So maybe you’re a busy mom or dad who just can’t justify leaving their kids anymore than you already do to get to the gym.  Well, why not make kid time PT time too!

 

I’ve threatened to write a book called “Baby Dumbbell”.  I don’t want to go through the hassle of getting some doctor to help me make sure my methods are “safe”, so I’ll just get my message out on the web where I don’t have to worry about somebody suing me. . . wait you won’t right?   So, I’m warning you  - use at your own risk!  Grab those dummies (oops, I mean kids)  and let’s get in shape!

 

Set a timer on your watch and start jumping!  Trampoline, jumping jacks, in place - whatever!  You keep your heart rate up for 20 minutes, you are burning some fat off!  Don’t like to jump?  Do a routine of marching, running up and down stairs, walking, jogging, kicks, arm circles, you can even lunge around the yard.  The kids will love it!  Play follow the leader and you can take turns leading - you follow a rambunctious 5 year old around and you’ve had a workout that wouldn’t even rival any military PT!

 

Yucky weather outside?  Do it inside.  Tables are great for lapping around, crawling is even better inside.  Do bear crawls (on hands and feet), military crawls (on forearms and feet), jump like frogs, hop like bunnies, walk around the room like monsters (stay in a deep squat while walking around and roaring).  Put on some music and dance.  Let them imagine and make up things.

 

Not enough of a challenge?  Play games.  Tag, duck-duck-goose, freeze games, red-light-green-light, hop scotch, red rover, ball games, races, etc.  Set that timer and just keep moving! 

 

Ok, so for part of my book (using them as dumbbells).  Hold them and do chest presses, do superman (with them on your feet) and bend and straighten your legs, have them sit on your back while you do push ups.  Hold them in your lap while you do dips.  They can sit on you as you do sit-ups.  Give them a kiss or a five each time you come up! 

 

 

Let them sit on you while you hold a wall squat (back against the wall, legs bent at a 90 degree angle).  While standing lift them up and down.  Hold them and twist at the waist back and forth.  Just grab them and start doing something - be creative!  You’ll be surprised at what you come up with and the kind of workout you can have.

 

Maybe one of your resolutions this year is getting in shape.  Maybe it’s to spend more time with your kids too.  Well, you have no excuses now!  Grab them and get moving!  Follow some of these tips and make up some of your own and you are getting that body in shape and for all your little ones know you have just become a cool parent that likes to play with them! 

 

What activities do you like to do to keep you and your kids in shape?

 

 

 

Erin

 

Chocolate and Chicken....Yum!

As promised, two recipes from the Hungry Girl Cookbook.

Death by Chocolate Cupcakes



2 cups moist-style chocolate cake mix (half of an 18.25-oz. box)

Two 25-calorie packets diet hot cocoa mix

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

2 tbsp. semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

1 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

1/8 tsp. salt



Place chocolate chips and the contents of both cocoa packets in a tall glass. Add 12 ounces of boiling water, and stir until chips and cocoa mix have dissolved. Place glass in the freezer to chill for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once cocoa has chilled, give it a stir, and mix with all other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whip batter with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, or line it with baking cups. Evenly spoon batter (which will be thin, but don't worry, your cupcakes will puff up!) into the pan. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Cupcakes will look shiny when done. MAKES 12 SERVINGS 

Serving Size: 1 cupcake

Calories: 108

Fat: 2.5g

Carbs: 19g

Fiber: 1g

POINTS® value 2*

 

Kickin' Chicken Pot Pie 

8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces



3 cups  Mixed Vegetables



1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery



3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside. Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through). While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish. Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 4.



Serving Size: 1/4th pie (approx. 7 oz.)



Calories: 210



Fat: 6g 

Carbs: 24g



Fiber: 2.5g



 *4 Points





Ali

Goal Tending

Here are a couple of ways we try to stay on the healthy eating, weight loss goal.

 

Hungry Girl Cookbook

I recently got the new Hungry Girl cookbook and have tried a few of the recipes.

The thing I like about her cookbook is that it's "normal food" (those of you who have been on diets before know what I'm talking about.) There is even a chapter called"Guy Food Rocks". 



Come back tomorrow and I’ll share a couple of recipes from it! 



 

 

Ali

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One of our favorite recipe sites is at Health Discovery.net   This is their Boot Camp Buddies forum for Weight Watchers.  (Not the easiest forum to use, but loads of recipes).  Scroll down to the recipe section and you’ll find all sorts of recipe categories.  Click on any of the links.  Now scroll all the way to the bottom of the new page.  In the “Display Options” box, click on the drop down menu “from the” and choose “beginning” and then “show thread”.  You should now have many pages of recipes to choose from! Remember to do this each time you open a new page. It's worth the effort...I promise!

Also, find Abbi and Ali over at Abbi’s new blog The Bod Squad.  Those girls will help you stay focused on your health and losing those unwanted pounds.

And expect plenty of ideas and workout suggestions to come from our resident fitness expert, Erin, or as we lovingly refer to her,  "Sgt. Simms".

Robin

 



 



What are your healthy eating or weight loss helps?

Resolutions? How about Revelations!

I’m not much on resolutions, but I love personal revelations.



Those “a-ha” moments where a light bulb clicks on from a scripture you read, or something you heard.  Something that changed you or your previous way of thinking.

Did you have any this year?

What rocked your world, knocked you upside the head, or just made your heart smile?  Do share!

John 6:63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.







Robin

Many Goals

If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.

Our 2009 Goals:

Dirk’s goals

·        Complete the remodel of our bedroom/bathroom

·        Start the extension of our dining room and new den

·        Explore the possibility of incorporating for some business opportunities

·        On a personal note:  Do the Bible reading plan on You Version

Erin’s goals

·        Read the Bible in a year on You Version

·        Remember to fully stretch a few times a week

·        To start and maintain an exercise journal

Anna’s goals

I hope to…

·        Run a full marathon 26.2 miles

·        Seal the deal with the love of my life

·        Continue making my house a home

·        Move forward in my ministry as God leads me

·        Start writing the first draft of my book

·        Read through the Bible with YouVersion.com

Robin’s goals

·        Read through the Bible using You Version’s plan

·        Exercise core muscles daily

·        Grow even more of our vegetables

Abbi’s Goals

      ·        Get married and OFFICIALLY become a  Meadows. :)

·        Read one new book a month (preferably in the personal development genre)

·        Get 8 hours of sleep a night

·        Stop biting my nails for good

·        Secure a teaching position in the fall

 Brad’s goals

·  Loose 20 more lbs (already lost 64)

·        Read more

·        Have more daddy dates

Ali’s goals

·        Loose 10 more lbs (already lost 34)

·        Read more

·        Get more hair clients (call me) J

(Alexander and Katie are in Europe until 1/11)

What are your 2009 goals?  Are you reading You Version?  Follow us there.

Erin – danc4god; Dirk – dmeadows; Robin – rmeadows; Anna - annameadows