About our blogger: Inspired by Family
Mari Hernandez-Tuten wears many hats throughout her day: mom, wife, friend, counselor, missionary, and founding editor of the Ezine, Inspiredbyfamilymag.com. Our Ezine is a place full of creativity, laughter, celebrations, encouragement and good eating, that we hope spills over into your home. So have a seat, grab a cup of Cafe con Leche and let's get inspired! I am looking forward to joining you in your journey on leaving a legacy to your children and strengthening your family relationships!
May 23rd, 2012
Featured Writer: Sandy Bruce
Welcome to our second mom story in our series beYOUtiful Mom!
I lay in bed with tears flowing down my cheeks as my 2 year old sobbed and asked again where daddy was and when he was coming home. It had only been a week since an accident took his life suddenly, and we were thrust from “normal” into heartache and loss. How could I explain to my sweet girl that, this time, daddy wasn’t coming home anymore?
Neil was a missionary helicopter pilot – he flew his last flight on Sept. 20, 2004, but it wasn’t until the following day that they located the crash site and I found out he hadn’t survived. Read the rest of this entry »
May 21st, 2012
~There is a stroller fitness craze amongst new mommies, and I totally understand why. With all three of my babies, exercising in the outdoors was what worked best for the both of us. They got some fresh air and scenery, and I got some exercise in. One of my favorite places for stroller exercising was the zoo. In both cities that I lived in at the time that my boys were babies, they had huge zoos, so that meant lots of walking for us! Enjoy these stroller exercises with Alaina - she will take your walk/jog to another level!~
Toning Stroller Exercises
Featured Writer: Alaina Holland
1) Marry Me Lunge: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abdominals
Focus: Leg toning. Walk with the stroller in front of you with both hands on the handle bars. Take a giant step about 3 feet out with your right leg forward. Kneel downward and explode up while moving left foot to meet the right foot. Do the same with the left foot forward and alternate legs. Between sets rest by walking the stroller forward for about 30 seconds. Keep your abdominals in tight and make sure to not lock your knees during any part of this exercise.
DO: 3 sets of 6-8* lunges on each leg
REMEMBER: Always keep the front knee behind the front toes and lower straight down. Read the rest of this entry »
May 17th, 2012
A seed of insecurity was planted the day I held my first born in my arms for the first time.
Don’t get me wrong, there was unexplainable joy and deep seeded love the moment our eyes met, but with it came dark feelings that I didn’t invite into my heart or home. I made sure that the seed was firmly planted and nurtured every time I received unsolicited advice, and when I compared myself to other moms: abilities, gadgets, nursing successes, weight loss, etc…….
The Day the seed of insecurity bloomed. The cold room was filled with tired moms with fake smiles holding their babies. I had no idea what was awaiting past those double doors. Our pediatrician began examining our son. His facial expressions were different as he questioned me about his bowel movements, eating habits, etc… He went to get a nurse, and they both examined him and left the room. Something was wrong.
He walked back in with a serious face and said, “You can’t go home with your son.” Suddenly, time froze; his words and condescending voice just became one long sentence spoken in slow motion. Finally, I tuned back in and I heard him ask, “When was the last time you fed him?” He was now speaking to me as if I was a reckless, careless 15-year-old mom. It didn’t help that I did look that young, even though I was 28 years old.
“Mrs. Tuten, he is alarmingly under weight. He was born at 6.5 lbs, and he has now lost more than a pound. I am afraid that he won’t make it through the weekend if I let you go home.” Read the rest of this entry »
May 3rd, 2012
Build bridges with your children not walls.
Welcome to Part 2 of our series: Teaching Our Kids Boundaries (based on the book Boundaries with Kids)
As a counselor I have heard many children say this: I disobey. I get lectured. I get grounded. I get the silent treatment. And sometimes I don’t even get a kiss goodnight. Relational consequences are not a healthy form of dealing with disobedience. Even though I am very familiar with this pattern because my parents reverted to this form of consequences, I was shocked to find out as a counselor how many parents use this as a form of punishment towards their children.
Life works on reality consequences. Psychological and negative relational consequences such as getting angry, sending guilt messages, nagging, and withdrawing love usually do not Read the rest of this entry »
April 28th, 2012
Contributing Writer: Jamie Sanders
Yum - who doesn’t love warm Apple Crumble served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream? I’ve had this recipe tucked away in one of my recipe books for a while and finally had a chance to try it out. Wow, was my family happy to be the taste testers!
The recipe is called “Apple Crumble,” but I found the crumble part had a consistency more like a delicious oatmeal cookie. Possibly I needed less butter, or maybe my butter was not cold enough? Didn’t really matter in the end, because this was gobbled up in a flash! What made it even better was that I threw it all together and into the slow cooker after I made lunch, and it was ready by dinnertime.
Here is the recipe if you would like to try to make your own Slow Cooker Apple Crumble.
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
1 cup cold butter cut into pieces
4 to 6 large apples peeled cored and thickly sliced (you want about 6 cups)
4 to 5 tbsp apple juice ( I didn’t have any apple juice, so used 1 tbsp lemon juice and the rest water) Read the rest of this entry »
April 26th, 2012
Featured Contributor: Jodie from Jodie Noted
This formula I’m about to share with you, which I’ve dubbed “The Fashion Formula,” I learned from my many hours of watching What Not To Wear. It’s a favorite show of mine and has taught me much about how to dress for my age, my body type, and my lifestyle. Let me tell you – this formula is golden. You won’t believe how easy it will make your life, from getting dressed every day to shopping for clothes to picking out accessories. A sincere confession: that I don’t know much about fashion or clothes or style. Everything I know has been learned through others via TV, magazines, and totally stylish friends. I do not claim to be an expert. I simply find this information fun and quite helpful as I rummage through my closet each morning. I hope you will enjoy it as well.
Let’s break it down. Your outfit should consist of three main pieces. Read the rest of this entry »
April 24th, 2012
Before you think I am a really healthy person, I should clarify it’s Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze for breakfast!
Have I mentioned before that I HEART Pancakes! Pancakes can be whatever you want them to be:breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer, dessert, cute, hearty, light…… Read the rest of this entry »
April 19th, 2012
Featured Writer: Lisa Renata
One of the things I love the most about creating is finding new uses for old items, especially those items that many so easily toss into the trash or (hopefully) send to recycle. This is one of those easy to make crafts that make you feel good about helping keep the beautiful world the Lord has given us a bit cleaner.
What you need: Read the rest of this entry »
April 16th, 2012
Contributing Writer: Laurel MacDougall
Alphabet Rainbow Bean bags - just thinking of these makes me happy and a little giddy! I made these with my kiddos this week and we had so much fun doing this together. (to view this article in flip page magazine format go here)
In my pre-mommy days, I used to teach 1st grade. I loved it. Perhaps one of my favorite things to teach is Read the rest of this entry »
April 14th, 2012
Yes, you read that title right!
I made this “cupcake” in less than 2 minutes! It was so quick and easy. The best part is you can make just one serving whenever you get the urge for something sweet. (How many times have you made a special dessert or treat, and then have a ”tiny” bite every time you step into the kitchen?)
Here is what you need to make a Two-Minute Cupcake:
1/4 cup of boxed cake mix (any flavor you choose - I used yellow.)
1 1/2 tbsp of water
Coffee cup (preferably one with a rounded bottom)
Instructions:
Mix the cake mix and water together. Cook in the microwave for one minute. Read the rest of this entry »
