Let’s talk about this Birds Eye pasta…made completely from vegetables! The ingredients are solid, there is less than a gram of sugar, 9 grams of protein, a great source of iron and, wait for it, it tastes fantastic! I mixed mine with low carb marinara, grilled chicken, and a sprinkle of fat free cheddar cheese. The whole meal took less than 5 minutes to make. BOOM! Pasta craving is satisfied.
I had to pass that info along because it was too good not to share. Especially for those of us desperate for any kind of delicious meal on the journey to a “healthier” us. I’ll complete the second cycle of the 17 day diet on Wednesday and look forward to sharing my updated results on Thursday. Then, it’s on to Cycle 3 before I start all over again.
My family went to the movies together for the first time with just us four. We went to see the Incredibles 2. My son and hubs love superheroes and Ellie and I love Disney, so this was a good fit.
A few days before we went, I read a review on the movie from what I call the “overbearing mother’s” website. Most of the time, this website is consumed with people trying to make something out of everything. “Don’t go see Bambi because she winks at Thumper indicating homosexual behavior.” “Disney movies have hidden messages in the movies. If your child watches it now, they will surely be hooked on heroine later.” Okay, I’m exaggerating, but you know what I mean. Most of the stuff I read is so far fetched, that Ben and I learned to make our decisions based on discretion as long as it doesn’t conflict with what the Bible says.
The review read that the Incredibles movie consisted of language and it strongly suggested that children not see it. Based on the normal reviews, I expected a “stupid” or maybe the occasional “crap”. NO!!! There are full blown bad words. Words that Ben and I cringed at. Words that soap would have to work hard to clean. We were stunned. I beat myself up knowing that I had read the review and chanced it anyway. Our kids didn’t say anything about the words, and to my knowledge, no one has repeated them yet. But they are there. Floating. In their hard headed brains.
I’ve been wanting to see Deadpool, but I knew the language was rough. It came on television last week and I thought, “This is my chance! They have to cut the language for public airing.” Nope. I watched 15 minutes into it before I turned it off because of language. There was a song in one of the scenes called, “Calendar Girl.” It played for 23 seconds. I turned that movie off after only 15 minutes, but you know what song was in my head all day? Calendar Girl.
Are my kids going to be exposed to bad language? Of course. Are they going to be tempted by the sins of pop culture? Of course. Can I stop the world from exposing itself to my kids? Of course not. But, can I stop my kids from giving in to the world? Absolutely.
Ben and I can’t shelter our kids from it all, but we can use every opportunity as a teaching tool. And, if anything, set the example. It’s okay to walk out of a movie. It’s okay to turn down a party. It’s okay to walk away from a conversation. It’s okay to call me to come get you. But, I’ve got to teach that to you now-when you can’t drive; when you can barely stay awake for the movie, anyway.
We went to a marriage retreat a few years ago, and a guy was talking about his 17 year old son’s cell phone. He said that he has an app that sends all of his son’s text messages to his phone also so that his dad can read them whenever. Ben and I rolled our eyes at this story because we always said we’d give our kids trust and privacy until the prove us wrong. Here’s where we grew that weekend: The guy told us that he didn’t check his son’s phone because lack of trust in him. He checked his son’s phone because his lack of trust in the world.
We only get 17-18 years with our kids. Then we have to let them fly. Every second is an opportunity.
Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
Ephesians 5:11, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
LIVE LIKE NO ONE NOW, SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE LIKE NO ONE LATER.
It’s not popular to eat zucchini lentil noodles.
It’s not popular to ignore pop culture.
It’s not popular to not be the “free spirited” parents.
But it’s life saving!
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