Mojo Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week I shared that I had lost my mama mojo.

Well, it is back, BABY.

And I think it has everything to do with making my Dad's chicken noodle soup.

I super love my dad and I LOVE his homemade soup.



I think it also didn't hurt that I started my day out with time by myself after I dropped the kids off at school instead of rushing to the gym and grocery store.



There is something very odd about a silent house. I'm never sure if I love it or not. However, after last week, I welcomed the silent house like a long lost friend...."Hello Silence. I've missed you. Come in and stay awhile. PLEASE."

As I simmered the veggies...



And cooked and shredded the chicken





I was feeling my mojo kicking in.

It doesn't take much.

It doesn't hurt when I am wearing real clothes; especially a sweater that I got a killer deal on.



That's right, the mojo was in full-force.

To celebrate the return of the mama mojo, I'm sharing Papa Jim's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe. I want to share the mojo, you know? It's a good thing we're tight.


Papa Jim's Chicken Noodle Soup
2 quarts chicken broth (8 cups)
1 quart (4 cups) water
2-4 celery stalks
small bag baby carrots
1 onion
1/4 to bag pasta of choice (I prefer penne)
1-2 bay leaves
whole chicken (either cook or buy store bought pre-cooked)
Lowerys Salt

Cook whole chicken at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours (purchase a pre-cooked chicken at store to save time).
While chicken is cooking, wash and cut celery into small pieces.
Dice one onion.
Pour broth and water into large pot.
Add 1-2 bay leaves
Sprinkle in Lowerys to taste.
Add carrots, onion, and celery.
Cook at a mild boil until the chicken is ready.
About 20 minutes before cook pasta in separate pot. Strain and add to large pot.
Cut chicken pieces and add.
Add pasta.
Come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for an hour or so to meld the flavor.
Stir occasionally.
Serve once celery and carrots are soft.

*For day 2, add a can of diced tomatoes and some spinach for a whole new take on the traditional recipe.



Enjoy!

Feel the mojo, friends. Hugs!

Much love,
Katie

Linking up: What I love Wednesday

hope

Source: travel-babbles.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Happy Sunday!

Much love,
Katie

P.S. Sweet Kim from, Enough Faith for Today, was kind enough to send some sweet encouragement my way. Stop on by and find out why I love her heart and blog so much.

the pain of perfection

There are certain times when I feel like I've lost my mama mojo.



It may last for a few minutes, a few hours, or at worst, a few days.

Yes, there have been days and days when I have felt depleted of joy when it comes to mothering. Please don't mistake the fact that my love for my children is always there, but my attitude towards the work of mothering and taking care of our house is not always in a good place.

It is my intense drive to provide my children with the best that depletes me the most.

I want them to have the best mother, the best education, the best opportunities for spiritual growth, friendships, sports, etc. I could go on and on regarding the elements of the their lives that consume my thoughts daily.



It is never out of misery that I become consumed. It is always fueled by my extreme love for them.



However, I believe that as mothers, we can love too much. There comes a point when we have to let go. We can't make perfect meals, have a perfect house, achieve a perfect day every day, and have perfect children.



It is futile and UNREALISTIC.

That is a hard reality for us perfectionist moms to accept.



There is a bag full of reality on one side of the scale and another bag of perfectionist ideals on the other. I try to will my perfectionist ideals to create an even balanced state with reality, but those ideals won't budge the scale. They are just too dang heavy.



And to be quite honest, the more I try to get the scale to favor the side of perfection, the more frustrated I become with myself and my children.

No one benefits.

My quest to provide the best leaves me at my worst. I end up impatient, angry, and untimely deeply saddened once I put the kids to bed despite making it a policy to always ask for their forgiveness. I never want them to remember me that way and yet I fear that those moments will leave a powerful impression on them.

So on a day like today, when I crammed too many errands with a non-errand running three year old, got my favorite TOMS peed on by one cute boy who I didn't think was too cute at the moment, and topped it off to urgent care for Jack to get two stitches in his ear after he fell off the sofa and hit it on the coffee table, I am trying to reevaluate why it is that I feel so defeated.




(there's nothing a little Willy Wonka can't make better in our house).

That's just how life rolls. I should know that by now. Especially considering the fact that in the last year alone, I've had Charlie in a cast, Jack with staples twice, Charlie with stitches, and now Jack with stitches.

It's that dang reality thing again.


(a sweet Charlie gave Jack his dollar as his get well gift)



I don't proclaim to have wisdom or answers; just almost 9 years of experience at this gig.

I am learning that in order for me to give my kids the best mom possible, I have to let go of perfection. Giving them my best does not equate to me being the best.

And despite the blood, sweat, and tears (mine, not theirs!), I wake up each morning excited to see their faces again and am optimistic that it is going to be a wonderful--not perfect-- day together.

Much love,
Katie

ditch day

There are days when the obedient should haves refuse to cooperate.

But then you take those rebellious should haves and rock them out. You blow what the obedient should haves would have been.

Case in point:

Sick kids.



Sick parents.

Sleepless nights and musical beds.

What should have been a Friday spent at the Wild Animal Park with Luke and all the other 3rd graders, a regular day at kindergarten for Charlie, and a day with Grandma for Jack, quickly became a would not day.

When I startled myself awake at 8 a.m., looked at the clock, heard the rain pounding against the windows, found Kevin sleeping on the floor in the room of a fever stricken Jack, I knew I needed to throw the should haves out the window.



So like any self-respecting and responsible parent, I declared it a ditch day. For those of you gasping that Luke and I ditched the Wild Animal Park field trip, have no fear. We had passes and have been there a million times. The kid can't stand being cold and wet and was relieved to stay home.





Kevin decided to join the rebellious crowd and worked lightly while hanging out with us, which included layering on the rain boots and jackets to see Puss in Boots.







I love looking to my left and seeing the 5 of us taking up the majority of the seats in the row. I think there is room for more???

Adoption. It is dwelling in my heart. Big time. We shall see.

We finished the day with reading and "homework" because the former teacher in me was feeling a tad guilty.



Luke finished the 4th Harry Potter book. You have to love an 8 year old who reads like it is going out of style.



734 pages. That's dedication for an 8 year old.

Once the sun set, we wrapped it up with drawing and movie watching by the fire.



24 hours later, we woke up to a fresh start of should haves.



The should haves are back in order, but we'll look forward to the next time they go haywire because we are learning that some of the best moments come from the unexpected.



I hope you had a happy weekend, friends.

Much love,
Katie

Linking up:
Lowercase letters

the current

There are days when the life river moves with ease. It flows naturally and you go with it.

Then there days when the current is aggressive. You feel like you may lose your footing at any moment as you step from one slippery rock to the next as you battle to climb upstream.

Perhaps the most significant lesson I have learned is that one current is not better than the other.

It just is.

Even when I'm fighting to push upstream, it does not determine that life is bad.

Such as a day when you plan a quick day trip to Malibu with a friend and her children. You wonder if the stretch from San Diego to Malibu might be pushing it with little guys in the car, but you go for it anyway because you see the opportunity for fun.

When that trip turns into a 5 hour drive just to get there and then you are told that there is no entrance to the hiking trail, you consider pulling the car over on the windy hilltop to sob.



But you don't because you realize that there is still an opportunity to seek fun and go with it.





As you feel the sand squishing under your feet while watching your guys explore the tide pools, you know that you are grateful despite that rapid which tried to drown the day.



The life current is always changing. It has it's moods.

Some are low.

Some are high.



When I am able to wrap myself around that fact; when I truly accept it, I am able to let go and befriend the current of life whether it be a day of calm waters or a day of fighting the fierce rapids.

My faith, family and friends are the constants that bring me joy. It is not the temporary things which a day of calm water brings. The constants are from a deeper place and they withstand fickle currents.





Those constants are the rocks I cling to as I attempt to keep my stability while the rapids try to knock me off my feet and swiftly sweep me downstream.





I hope that you are able to face the current of your life with confidence and find your stability with the constants in your life.

Much love,
Katie

halloween traditions 11'

This is how we do Halloween in la casa de spencer...











We set up on Oct. 1st and embraced any excuse to wear our costumes...Brick-or-Treat, monster mash, and trick-or-treating. Our church has a super fun festival too, but we were not able to go this year.

The night before, we carved our pumpkins. Traditions. I love them.













And the day of Halloween, we rocked it out with my go-to hosting meal: turkey chili, corn bread, and salad. Easy. Take that Martha.

The kids had a Mac n' cheese and watermelon option. No one needs to go hungry when they are about to pound the pavement for candy galore.











The kids' excitement and love for traditions filled this mama's heart with pure joy. After a full month of visiting Lavendar Hills Pumpkin Patch, Julian, decorating our house, crafting, baking, costuming wearing, Brick-or-Treating at Legoland, parties, etc., my heart is bursting at the seams.

I hope you have some heart seam bursting happening in your neck of the woods.

Much love,
Katie