Pinned and Tried

Ok, here I am for my second 'pinned and tried'.  I wanted to share some things I did for my little monkey's first bithday, but the camera is out in the van still (don't worry, it is well hidden) and I am not about to run out in my pj's to grab it, so it can wait until next week! :o)

I have to share this awesome shower/bath tub cleaner that I found on Pinterest.  When I lived in Korea, I burnt my lungs out from some pretty strong cleaners I used.  It was horrible! You see in Korea, when you move into a new place, the previous tenants do not have to clean the place before they move (disgusting hey).  So, when my boss got me a bigger place to move into, I was naturally super excited (if you saw my first place you would understand my excitement--it was sooo tiny).  I got my new place just in time for my mom and sister to come and stay.  However, as I mentioned it was not cleaned before I moved in and the previous tenant smoked.  YUCK! I ended up having to bleach EVERYTHING! I actually scrubbed the vinyl floor with bleach.  It got to the point where I was dumping bleach, pure bleach right on the floor.  Not smart on my part, but it got the black, smoke ridden floor back to it's honey brown, new state.  It looked fabulous once I was done.  I have not been able to use strong cleaners or bleach ever since.  I really burnt my lungs out and was sick for a good week after my cleaning episode. 

So fast forward 8 years and three kids later, I don't like to use strong, powerful, chemical ladden cleaners.  The worst thing to clean for me has always been the bath tubs/showers because of all of the soap scum, hard water stains, etc.  Plus when you give your kids baths every other day, you have to clean it often.  I found this cleaner on pinterest and had to try it.  I am hooked.  It works amazing! I just cleaned my bath tub tonight and it is so sparkly and clean.  Plus you barely have to scrub it and I know that I will not wake up sick tomorrow from the smell or chemicals! You really must try this!

Tub and Shower Magic Recipe

12 ounces white vinegar
12 ounces liquid, blue dawn detergent

Directions:

1. Heat vinegar in microwave until hot and pour into squirt bottle.
2. Add the Dawn soap. Put the lid on and gently shake to incorporate.
3. You now have a powerful cleaning product that will melt soap scum and tub and shower buildup, clean sinks, appliances and just about anything. Just spray it on, scrub, rinse and be amazed. For tough soap scum build-up, spray the mixture on and allow it to sit as long as overnight. Then, scrub and rinse.

Pinned and Tried

I have always wanted to make a list of all of the things that I have 'pinned' and actually 'tried'.  I have seen boards on Pinterest that do the same, but maybe if I start a 'Pinned and tried' Friday on my blog, it will force me to blog more, keep on top of this thing, feel like I have something to 'blog' about.  Plus, I pin things and think to myself...I wonder if that really works or if I could actually pull that off, or that is too much work, but it looks nice.  Trust me I have had some awesome successes and some epic failures (which I never took a photo of because I was so mad that i wasted the time, and supplies trying the darn thing and rather than trying to salvage it, I threw it ALL in the garbage). 

My first 'pinned and tried' post is a yummy new recipe that I LOVE.  I am not a pork eater.  It kind of grosses me out and i am always afraid of under cooking it and getting worms! (not presenting a pretty picture here, I know).  Not to mention the fact that I really don't know how to cook it.  However, I can across this blog and have been slowly trying to change how we eat.  I found this recipe for Pork Tenderloin and had all of the ingredients (except the pork) on hand.  I went to the store and bought the pesticide/hormone free pork tenderloin and tried this easy recipe.  It was DELICIOUS! A huge hit.  Even my picky three year old loved it and kept asking for more chicken.  She had no idea what 'pork' was, so I explained.  She had a twisted expression on her face, but asked for more.  I made it again last night and it is now a staple!  Plus I always have leftover rice, meat and veggies, so tonight we had stir fry and it was just as tasty!  Yay, I love finding and trying new, easy, yummy recipes. 

Try it and let me know what you think! Or heck play along and let me know what things you have 'pinned and tried'!

Have a great long weekend! We are off to celebrate a little monkey's 1st birthday!!!

**Recipe and picture taken from 100 Days of Real Food**

On a little side note.  The only thing that I did differently was omitted the cilantro.  I didn't have any on hand and my DH is not a fan of cilantro. 

 Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Yield: 4 – 5 servings (depending on the size of your tenderloin)

Ingredients

• 1-1.5 lbs pork tenderloin, organic and/or local recommended
• ½ cup soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup water (optional)

Directions

1. Mix together all marinade ingredients from the soy sauce down to the garlic (including the water if using to help cover the meat).
2. Pour marinade over the pork tenderloin in a fairly small container so the liquid covers the meat. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes (the longer the better although if you are really short on time 20 minutes will do the trick). If the marinade doesn’t fully cover the meat then flip the pork halfway through the marinating process.
3. Heat up the grill to a medium-high temperature (we like to spray a little cooking oil first to prevent sticking).
4. Grill the pork for about 10 – 15 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.
5. Slice and serve warm with other Asian inspired dishes…enjoy!

This golden moment....

There are some moments while trying to be a parent to your precious gifts from God that just make things golden.  That just make all of the tears, prayers, sweat, blood, sleepless nights, worry, doubt, frustration worth every single moment.  Tonight I had one of those moments and it made my heart so happy! I thanked God for this moment, for this precious 5 year old boy.  For taking those extra minutes when I was so tired and had so much left to do, but put it aside and cuddled and talked with my boy.  I need to take more of those moments!

My boy shared his heart, his feelings, his fears, his dreams with me.  Sometimes I take his age and intelligence level for granted.  We talked about all sorts of wonderful things.  We shared the gospel, we talked about Bible verses, we discussed the plans that God has for him, he shared his vision for preaching and building a church and for telling the people how much Jesus loves him.  He told me the story of how Peter became a disciple and I was shocked.  He knew more than I did.  This boy of mine has such a passion and love for the Bible, for Jesus, for the world.  I love his pure innocence, his faith, his desire for all people to know and love Jesus as much as he does.  I love his love for God's word and his confidence to share what the Bible says.  I learn so much from him and see so many of my faults and imperfections while talking to him and listening to him. It is truly humbling.  I found myself confessing and seeking forgiveness for my sins, right there while lying in bed cuddling with my 5 year old.

Then I was choking back the tears.  My boy told me how much he loved his family.  How much he loved me, his daddy, his sister and his brother.  He told me that his family was so precious and that when he was a grown man and a daddy he would still love his family.  We talked about him being a Dad and all of the things he was going to teach to his kids and how it was most important to teach them about God and the Bible.  He told me that he wants nine kids (I pray that the Lord is equipping a strong wife for him right now); 6 boys and 3 girls.  He told me what a great Aunty his sister Genesis was going to be and that Uncle Jude would be a cool Uncle too.  He then told me that I was going to be a really good grandmother to his kids.  It was so sweet, so pure, so loving and I had to fight back the tears.  These moments, these little conversations just melt my heart and make me realize how incredibly blessed I am.

This precious boy has been through a lot this past year.  I am so thankful for his resilient, forgiving, loving nature.  He had a rough school year where at one point he was in tears and didn't want to go back because he had no friends.  My social butterfly who loves everyone, who talks to and can encourage anyone, was constantly being told that "on the friend scale of 0 to 10 he was zero"!  For some strange reason the boys in his class had it in their heads that they were only allowed one friend per day and as he was the new kid in town and did not go to the same church as most, nor participated in the same hockey team, he was zero.  There is nothing more heart wrenching as a parent to see the look of hurt, dejection and pain in your child's eyes.  To see your child's spirit crushed and to watch him try and keep those tears from falling.  We went to the teachers, John spoke with some of the kids, but right to the very last day of school he had to put up with being told that 'you are not my friend today' and watch as the kids refused to sit by him.  You know, we as his parents handled it worse than he did.  This little boy prayed every night for his 'so called' friends and thought that if he could just go to their place and arrange a play date they would be his friends.

We, however, witnessed him doing things that he would never do just to get attention.  I watched as he would try all sorts of shenanigans to get kids to take notice of him and guess what, he usually landed himself in trouble.  I never dreamt that I would have to deal with these issues in Kindergarten.  That I would have to have talks with him about what true friendships are.  That I would have to tell him that you can't force people to be your friends (I mean I deal with that, but he shouldn't have too).  That I would have to sit him down and tell him to stop doing these things to get their attention.  True friends will want to play with you, talk with you, pray for you, take time for you and not expect you to do silly things in order to take notice of you.  The saving grace this past year, was his incredible teachers.  They understood him, loved him, saw his unique enthusiastic character.  They encouraged him and they just loved him.  They saw how incredible his heart was, how much he loved Jesus and how much he loved his classmates.  They also had talks with the class every single day about being friends with everyone, but it obviously did little. 

We have moved and are consequently trying to find him a new school and really pray and figure out what is best for him.  He has also had to endure a lot of tests recently and we are going through more to find out what is going on.  Nothing serious (we hope), but none the less it will have an impact on his schooling and learning (somewhat).  After my conversation with him tonight, I realized how important the heart is.  I may stress and worry about how much he will learn, how fast he will learn, whether or not he will be at the top of his class, or the bottom, how academic he will be, whether or not the curriculum is too challenging or not challenging enough, how much time he is spending doing his printing, the constant battle to do some printing, that he can't count to 100 yet, that he is not reading yet, especially novels!   I know that this little boy of mine will learn, and he will get through.  I also know that I will continue to place more emphasis on developing, nurturing, protecting, and guiding his heart. 

The Bible says that you can have all knowledge, faith, and prophetic powers, but if you don't have love, you have nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).  The Bible also says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart and then to love our neighbour as ourselves (Luke 10:27).  Love God first and foremost! I think my boy is well on his way.  I pray for his heart and I pray for good, solid, biblical wisdom, I pray for love.  I don't care if he is the next Einstein, I care about where is heart is at!

My precious boy, my miracle, oh how you have taught me so much and have made this journey as a parent worth more than gold itself.  I pray that we will share many more golden moments like tonight!

 

Brave or Afraid?

We have poured everything into this Ministry and in three short weeks, we are without our Plan B.  You see I am supposed to go back to work and my job is back in Regina.  John has been asked to stay on, but this small amount he makes for a huge 12 hours a week, will not pay our bills.  This Ministry is not a part time Ministry.  Full time is putting it mildly.  It is not a job where he can work 9 to 5 and just leave everything at work.  Oh, but the experience he is getting is second to none.  He has had to deal with more things in these past few months than most have to deal with in 20 years.  Still, it is hard, so very hard.  I am a Planner and I don't have a plan.  Our plan is to simply let God be in control and it is the hardest, biggest leap of faith we have taken yet. 

One day as I was crying out to God, I read this quote from one of my favourite bloggers over here.  I think she sums it up beautifully!


"But bravery is sometimes being the only one who knows you’re scared to death and acknowledging just how much you need God."

And the award for worst blogger and mother goes to

ME!

I am so behind! I haven't even done a post for Jude's 10 month update (nor the picture), let alone the 11 month update.  He will be a year old in a couple of weeks! I haven't done one scrapbook page for him, not one.  Not even a digital one!  Ahhh! Oh yes, and the pictures of this little monkey are almost non-existant in comparison to the other two.  Something I was determined to NOT let happen!

This blog, I love my blog, it's my outlet sometimes, it's my record, it's a way of keeping my family and friends updated as to the 'goings on' in the Gooch household (whether or not they care), but I just can't keep up.  I still have so many posts in the 'draft' status.  Pathetic.  Things are not slowing down either.  I have to go back to work here soon and that means I have to get everything else in my life organized. Not to mention the fact that I have a boy starting Grade one and I haven't decided what school to put him in yet.

None the less I will leave you with a joke from my three year old.  She is quite the comedian (I say she has her Daddy's sense of humour--ha!)

Gigi - Daddy, do you want to hear my joke?

Daddy - Sure, let me hear it.

Gigi - 16, 14 (laughs hysterically)

Daddy - 16, 14?  That's your joke?

Gigi - Yeah 16, 14 (laughs some more)

So there you have it, the joke of the day......16, 14!!!

Oh and apparently, we are no longer allowed to say "Winnie the Pooh" because it's a potty word! (Man she is a smart little cookie!) ;o)

God Knows EVERYTHING

We have made some huge decisions in our life recently.  We have prayed, we have sought His voice, His will, we have talked about it into the wee hours of the night when we desperately need the sleep, but just can't.  We continue to pray about it and we strive to push on, push forward.  Those that know our hearts and know us well, offer words of advice, encouragement and prayer, oh how we need prayer.  Those that know us, know our desire to live for God and for God alone.  We don't really care what others may say, think or do, we have seen it and been through it all and God has carried us through.  What I have discovered, is that when we believe in a big God, a God who can do anything, a God who loves us so much, a God that has so much mercy and grace bestowed on us when we don't deserve it, we will see God work in the most incredible, miraculous ways. 

We know that God wants us here, in this Ministry.  We have said  "Yes", but we are so scared! We are stepping out in a huge, massive, leap of faith like we have never done before.  This time there is no Plan B.  We are not afraid to go where we believe that God wants us, heck we have moved half way around the world because we knew that He wanted us there.  Even when we 'failed', we learned, we grew, we persevered. So did we really fail? I know that I am richer in so many ways because of every journey we have been on.  When I am tired and am listening to the voices of the world, they tell me different.  They tell me how much we really have 'failed'.  Then I read this beautiful, touching and extremely timely post from Ann Voskamp.

"We are saying yes – to whatever we are breathing after.
What do I breathe after? Some kind of success? Some kind of status? Some kind of Pinterest loveliness?"

"As long as we are breathing – our lives are meant to say Yes to God."

This one hit me most

"You can trust the goodness of God and who He is...... You can say Yes"

You see it has been a real rough year, but one that we again learned so much in.  I did not want to say 'yes'.  In fact I have been begging to be taken out of Ministry.  I can't do this, I can't handle it, it is too hard.  However, every time I sat down and prayed about this I got these verses, these blog posts, oh so many ways God placed it on my heart and on John's heart and we knew we had to say 'yes'.

We are not in Ministry to 'get rich', we are not in this Ministry to get a plaque of recognition or to be famous.  We are not in this Ministry to get our status bar raised in society. We are simply here because God has placed this incredible burden on our hearts and because we care more about 'souls'. 

It has taken me a long time to understand and get that I can trust God and that He really does know my heart, our hearts and that if we are willing to say 'Yes', He is FOR US.  I can say Yes and He will be right there with me, with us.  He really does know Everything!  Keep us in prayer as we continue to say 'Yes'. 

Terrible 3's?

Before I became a parent, it seemed that every parent or parenting type show, magazine, blog, etc. always talked about the Terrible two's.  So naturally being a new parent with my first extremely active, little boy, I was a bit scared to approach the two year old era.  I remember Zech turning two and I was thinking, is it really going to get worse. 

It is not that he was a 'bad' kid, he was so extremely active, curious, inquisitive, talkative.  We really have to be on him ALL OF THE TIME! You give an inch to this kid and he takes a mile, running full speed ahead.  So imagine my shock when someone told me.....oh no sweetie (which really meant you naieve, inexperienced, newbie) it is actually the trying two's and the terrible three's! All I thought at that point was 'What I have another year to wait for the terribleness'!  I must say that they were right, the three's were definitely harder than the two's. 

Next, enter my darling daughter.  She is pretty easy going, loves to please, most people think that she is the cutest thing ever---angelic they have said.  Oh yes, while she may have the appearance of an angelic little being, she is not to be underestimated. 

My friend had to watch her and Jude for a couple of hours.  It was so funny to hear her comments about how my Gigi and her Stella (who is 4) played.  She said that while Gigi seems so shy and passive, perhaps angelic, she has this strong-willed, stubbourness to her and she gave her Stella (who is a leader) a run for her money.  I laughed and thought finally someone who understands and sees all sides of my beautiful little girl. 

So yes the terrible three's are upon us.  They came in right when she turned 3 on June 5th.  I think a couple of weeks ago, we had the ultimate terrible 3 day.  I kind of had to stand back and take a few deep breaths to compose myself.  The thoughts at that point were to offer her for sale, ok, just a loan for a year or two......until the terribleness is over! Ha.

Do you want to hear about my day with my 3 year old?  Nah, probably not, but I will tell you anyway.....so that one day I can show this  to her and say 'see' this is what you were like.  Perhaps when she has kids and is going through the EXACT SAME PHASE.  I do love her to bits and pieces and looking back we can only laugh, but going through it.....I was fuming.

We got up earlier than normal it seemed, she wonders into my bedroom and is hungry.  Desperately hungry!  This kid could eat 5 breakfasts and then nothing else for the rest of the day (they say that breakfast is the most important meal....right?).  She eats and then runs upstairs to 'wash' her hands.  She is gone an awful long time...so I go up to find out what she is doing.  I come in and see that her hair is a mess.  She has ripped the pretty little pony that I gave her out and it is everywhere.  I them look in the garbage and find long strands of HER hair.  I ask her....and do you know what she says?

"Oh mom, I was just brushing my hair."

I question her further and she gets animated and gives me a demonstration of how she was brushing her hair.  She is such a great little actress already.

I beleived her as I scanned her hair for missing chunks, but couldn't find any.  She also has a tonne of hair.

She begs me for snacks and more breakfasts, but if I give in she won't eat lunch.  She then finds her nailpolish and asks if we can paint nails.  I told her not right now, but after lunch we could paint princess nails.  She throws a fit and demands that we do it now.  It is one of those 'No I want to do it now' tones and she has this growl that goes with it.  I send her to her room. 

I then tell her to come down after about 5 minutes which gave her plenty of time to think about her sassyness and that tone that she used---it won't fly with me.  She comes down and holds up her nails and says with a big proud grin "look mom, I painted my nails". 

Oh she painted them alright, I mean all of her fingertips were bright red.  I had this mortified look and all I could think of is 'where' did she paint them and where am I going to find the rest of the nailpolish.  I sprint up the stairs (I was quite impressed with how fast I took them.... two at a time).  I locate the bottle and I search.  To my relief, there was only a tiny drop that fell on top of her teapot.  Yup, the carpet was ok.  I then lectured her, tried to wash her finger tips and told her she was no longer allowed nail polish.  You disobey me, there are consequences (this speach must have sunk into their heads by now).

She then bit her brother (her oldest one and sometimes I don't blame her as he puts her through the ringer...but this time it was completely uncalled for and it was right on the cheek).  By the end of the day I was so ready for her to just go to bed.

I washed her hair and was combing it as we were getting ready for bed.  Guess what I discovered? She now had bangs.  At first I was wondering how come she had so many baby hairs and then it dawned on me.  She did cut her hair.  So I asked her again.....and I found and held up the scissors.  She finally admitted it, but so casually and with this tone of well of course mom I cut my hair, like what three year old doesn't cut their own hair.  Then there were lectures.......about lying, cutting hair and about lying.  I was livid. 

I am just letting those bangs grow in.....I must say that she didn't do a bad job (she will read this when she is older so she doesn't get any ideas in the ripe young age).  I may have to fix them a little bit.  She is quite the little sass pot.  While this is a super trying age, it is also a really cute age.  She is so talkative, animated, and loving.  I especially love hearing her prayers at night.....they are so stinkin cute.  Sometimes the way she gets angry and tries to 'tell us' is absolutely hilarious.  A couple of times we go to give her heck for speaking to us that way, but have to turn away as we are busting a gut.  It was just so funny. 

Ahhh the terrible three's........