Bad Parenting? Guilty!! Trusting God? Trying!!

Yes, I'm guilty of bad parenting. I allow my 7 year old son to almost fall asleep in our bed, then I walk him to his bedroom and tuck a drowsy little boy in bed for the night. It's either that, or I'm getting up every five minutes to reassure his irrational fears and answer a myriad of questions from a scared little boy, like: are the windows locked? are the doors locked? is the garage closed? is the house safe?

Recently, however, my husband decided that having him sleep sideways in between us was not only taking up OUR space, but he was getting too comfortable! He thought that if he "banished" my son to the end of the bed... where our feet are he'd eventually either get over his irrational fears and trust us when we say he's safe, or realize he's laying his head in between our feet. It's a stinky situation.

It's like that with us and letting go of OUR irrational fears. We hold on to them not realizing they are weighing us down, when God just wants us to release them into his hands and let go of the fear, trusting that He'll give us the strength and courage to get past our fears.

I was recently diagnosed with lupus, among a bunch of other things, and fear was the first thing that filled my heart and mind. The medications they prescribe are really toxic and can damage organs, but then again, so do your white blood cells! Its a loose loose situation that can be frightening. But the other day, as I was thinking about my sons fears, I realized I had my own fears I resisted letting go. I guess I had to get to the point where I realized my fears were weighing me down and putting me in a stinky situation!

What can I say... I'm an analyst by nature, and I google and analyze everything to the extreme, and when I see all the bad things that could happen, I freak out. I decided the other day that I just couldn't carry all that fear around. I had enough to worry about for today. I need to be more like my positive and optimistic husband and have FAITH!!! I can do that!

What a load off my back!!

Romney or Obama? I say ROMNEY and Here's Why!

Many people (including friends of mine) are on the fence for this election, so I thought I'd share a little bit of advice that has helped me make my decision, including things I love about Romney and last night's debate:

I know this is long, and better served as a blog post, but my blog has been silent for a long time. I believe so strongly in this that I'll open my blog back up and begin posting again, beginning with this post. I'll post my blog address in the comments. PLEASE READ ALL THIS BEFORE COMMENTING ANGRILY! :-) And forgive me for typos!!

Advice: I say this all the time -- when you are on the fence about POLITICAL issues, you need to look at which candidate holds most closely to YOUR PERSONAL, MORAL and SPIRITUAL values. Political issues can be easily misunderstood and become confusing, so take issues that are near and dear to your heart and really analyze them.

For instance: I am totally pro-life, ALL THE WAY. Neither candidates are. But Romney holds CLOSER to my values in that he is against abortion with exception to cases of incest, rape or the moms life is in danger. Obama, however, believes that a woman has a right to make her own choice and is pro-abortion even through late term pregnancies when the issue of life is CLEARLY defined! By the way, there are more abortions for unwanted pregnancies than for incest, rape, etc., meaning that the woman already MADE HER CHOICE when she decided to have either unprotected sex, etc.

Also, economy is very important to me! I was laid off in 2009 and still haven't gotten a job in my career field, nor would I be able to get one now making the same I made when I was laid off! Yes, Obama HAS helped many people save their homes and get an education, but that is just s temporary bandage on a gushing wound of a failing economy and a weakened American dollar. If the average Joe invents a wonderful widgit, it is now cheaper to have them mass produced in China then in our own country, and that takes jobs out of our own hands! Engineering and construction companies purchase steel from China because its cheaper. Toy manufacturers have toys made there too. But China doesn't have the same high manufacturing parameters that America does, and we end up with inferior products. How does this personally affect me? Companies trying to cut financial corners will 1) lay off talented and knowledgeable people, 2) re-hire cheaper and less knowledgeable people, 3) outsourced manufacturing outside of America causing more companies to close down and more people to loose jobs.

Romney is Mormon, and while he accepts Christ as his savior, he does believe in Mormon theology that is not biblical and that i reject. He has, however, implemented many Biblical principals in his life, such as taking care of widows, orphans and the infirmed, tithing to his church, giving offerings above his tithe, and practicing responsible personal AND corporate fiscal stewardship. Whereas, with Obama, I don't feel that he has been clear or forthright with his faith, nor have I really seen biblical principals or fruits in his life. At least with Bush, America was clear where he stood on his faith through his daily walk and talk, along with regular church attendance. Just because someone attends church every now and then does not make them a Christian!

Finally, I appreciate that education is being provided easier and Obama has made it easier to get more student loans. But again, I would en courage students to look at the whole picture, including our shirt term future. Right now under Obama, college grads are NOT GETTING JOBS, either in their specialized field of study or even at a fast food place. The job market is flooded and taxed with highly trained unemployed people! Obama hasn't changed the amount of new jobs. PERIOD. And while he may have saved a lot of homes and made education more readily available, what do you plan to do about getting a job when you graduate? And if you cant get that job, the likelihood of saving your home at that point will be challenged.

Things about the debate last night:

1) after the moderator introduced them, they shook hands, and Obama stepped right into Romney's personal space (IN HIS FACE) to intimidate him, and Romney did NOT BACK DOWN. We need someone who is not easily intimidated and isn't "apologetic" and "mamsy-pamsy".

2) Romney cut off Obama's attacks immediately (which it seems like Obama just cant help himself). Personal attacks show weakness and it makes you look like you are avoiding answering a question, Obama, and it makes you look un-knowledgeable and mean-spirited. Romney is polite and does not attack.

3) speaking of knowledge, I'm amazed at Romney's ability to retain and recall great amounts of information and knowledge, and use it appropriately and quickly without having to think about it. Obama has quite a few gaffs and a ton of "ahs" and "wwwww's" (stuttering purposely to give himself time to think).

4) Romney will NOT APOLOGIZE, nor will he create daylight between America and Israel. Our relations MUST be strengthened. Its biblical. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Gen. 12:3. Romney WILL get that job done.

5) Romney can and WILL strengthen our economy first... then that will strengthen our country's national security. Obama can't, hasn't, and has gotten us into so much economic DEBT! Democrats can't balance a checkbook. Obama doesn't have a record of that -- Romney does have a very long record of fiscal responsibility and stewardship.

6) Obama, how can we possibly help Egypt strengthen their economy if YOU HAVEN'T strengthened us, but rather, gotten us into more debt and devaluation of our dollar!?

7) A nuclear Iran really IS a threat to not just America, but also our allies such as Israel, etc.! If we don't continue modernizing and strengthening our military, how do you propose we continue defending our nation (YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES), as well as helping our allies? We have no idea what our enemies may throw our way, and we MUST be prepared. We cant do that if Obama cuts funding to the military.

As you can see, I am not undecided, but I hope this helps you decide, and while I hope you decide on Romney, my opinions are just that. Mine. And once your opinions are fully developed, you'll know who to vote for. ♥

Home is: Cooking with Leftovers

Today I'm linking up with my sweet friend Sandy at Reluctant Entertainer on her weekly Home Is... Today she's featuring cooking with leftovers. Head on over to get other yummy leftover tips.

We don't usually eat leftovers for dinner throughout the week, because my husband always packs leftovers for lunch.

But occasionally, I'm found with a bit of extra chicken, seafood (shrimp, scallops), pork or beef (skirt steak, roast or steak) that isn't enough to pack for a full lunch, or even more rarely, more meat than my husband can pack for lunch. Also, whenever I'm serving rice as a side dish, I will usually make extra rice so we can make this yummy, quick and cheap, cheap meal.

My husband came up with a wonderful way to use up the meat: "Throw It In the Pot Stir-Fried Rice." I know everyone knows how to make this, but sometimes I think it is an easily forgotten "go-to" leftover meal.

This isn't a "recipe" like you are used to seeing, with measurements ... it is mostly "toss this in" or "add a splash of that..." but there are some basics that are the back bone of this easy dish that you can toss together.

Here's the "food" part we usually put in it:

Rice (white or brown, or Jasmine)
Leftover meat
Egg -- scrambled
Finely diced carrots
Chopped onion (any kind: white, yellow, red, spring, etc)
Frozen peas
Any veggies in the refrigerator like mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
Leftover cooked vegetables (add these last)
Garlic, diced
Ginger (sometimes)

Sauces/Condiments we add:

Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Sesame Oil
Fish Sauce
Oyster Sauce

We usually use two or three kinds of sauces. Always soy sauce, and then one or two of whatever else we have in the refrigerator. Don't go crazy with the sauce -- just a few tablespoons.

Basic Instructions:

Place a little oil in a large frying pan or wok. Cook or heat each ingredient separately, placing it all into the same bowl or plate when done.

In order to keep the rice from getting starchy or sticky (in a bad way), you need to cook it on a high heat. When you add the rice, let the rice sit without stirring it. When the rice is heated thoroughly, flip it over with a spatula so it doesn't break down and get sticky.

Add all your ingredients back into the large pan or wok and add your sauces, drizzling them over the rice and flipping the rice over until coated.

And that's one of the ways the Sunshine household eats leftovers!

Housekeeping...

I have been off the internet for what seems like an eternity... How could I possibly have kept my winter blog dress on for so long? It's SPRING! It's sunny! It's garden time!

Time for a new dress.

Happy Spring y'all!

Rocket?

Hunter: Mom, I love that song. It's my FAVORITE.
Me: What song?
Hunter: You know, the one I love! Because its so awesome.
Me: Ummmm... can you sing it for me?
Hunter: Yeah... "We are, We are, ROCKET!"
Me: You mean, "We will, We will, Rock You!"
Hunter: Yeah, "ROCKET!" Can I go to a dark place where people are yelling and sing it? And can I jump all over the place?"
Me: Ummmm... I need to talk to Dad about that.
Hunter: "We will, We will Rocket! We will, we will Rocket! We will, we will Rocket!"

Me: (in my head, of course) Ugh!

Resting in God's Care

These past few months have been stressful, to say the least. Despite the fact that I "KNOW" God is in control and knows where we're at, stress and depression still have a way of sneaking in and robbing me of joy, peace, and a sense of security.

I've been having constant headaches/migraines, pains in my neck and shoulders, dizziness... and depression. As in -- "not wanting to get out of bed" depression. I haven't wanted to do anything that required any thought whatsoever (writing my book, blogging, facebook, church stuff, family stuff, etc.).

Yesterday, I experienced an emotion that I haven't experienced since I got laid off in December. I broke down and cried. I was talking to a sweet friend, and the stress just exploded and bubbled out of me. Fortunately for me, I was on the phone with a friend I trust implicitly, and I'm so grateful that she had the presence of mind to pray for me and my family and to pray for PEACE... which I thought I had ... and maybe I did ... but like I said earlier, stress and depression have robbed me of that without my realizing it. God used my friend in a mighty way yesterday! I'm so thankful that God puts the right people in our paths when we need them for comfort and strength!

Today, I was reading Psalm 46, and I was reminded of some important things in a time of stress, trial and difficulties:

1. God is a safe place to hide, helping me when we need him. I'm telling you, I needed that.

2. It doesn't matter what's going on around me... I don't have to fear! He is BIGGER than everything going on around me, and he takes care of me!

3. I just need to stop struggling and fighting against life's current, and remember that HE is God. No one else is. He is the authority and power around me, and no matter what happens, he's completely in charge. HE IS, and I am WITH HIM.

Even though life may be full of confusion and stress, when we are in God's presence there is peace. There is rest.

What is it about boys and socks?

Does this picture (below) bother anyone else but me?

I mean... what is it about little boys and their socks? Why can't they keep them on? And... why don't they care if they are missing one? It's almost like they don't notice it! Actually, it's EXACTLY like they don't notice it. It's so annoying to a type-A personality... it really, REALLY is!

I guess my son doesn't have a type-A personality, because he could care less.

I, on the other hand, have a new nervous tick I have to deal with.