Catching Up

Posted on April 8, 2013 by vanderbiltwife

It appears I’ve been having some problems with my feed. Agh! Doesn’t the Internet know that we blog because we like to write, not because we know anything about XML codes?

Anyway, I am hoping you can see this in your reader now, and here are the links to the posts you may have missed over the last month!

Recipes:

Linky Loves:

Baby Joshua:

Guest Posts:

From Two to Four by Beth Moore
I Can’t Do Everything by Tiffany of Stuff Parents Need
Using the Library with Littles by Kacie of Sense to Save

Other Stuff:

What Was That about the Contingency Plan? (about suicide, pregnancy, and how I’m still a writer, I think)

Sorry I didn’t realize there was an issue until now! I hope it’s fixed … let me know if a week goes by without something showing up in your feed, OK? – Jessie

Leave Your Opinion at the Virtual Door

Posted on February 7, 2013 by vanderbiltwife

This post has been a long time coming. I don’t do a whole lot of ranting here, except about my crazy kids and bad mothering.

Nestle trip photo stolen from Amanda, because she loves me and I don’t think she will care.

But it all started a thousand Internet years ago when my sweet, pure-hearted friend Amanda went to the Nestle headquarters in California with a bunch of bloggers. They all came absolutely under attack by the mommy-blogging “community” (isn’t a community supposed to be a good thing?) for supporting Nestle when Nestle sells baby formula in third-world countries or something like that.

I was flabbergasted at the mean-spirited attack on them. I mean yes, you can have your opinions. No one is going to deny you that. But is it really worth hurting other people to express them in such a rude manner?

Since that day, I’ve wondered if social media doesn’t give us overinflated views of our own opinions.

Lately, I’ve noticed on Facebook several instances where a friend has asked a question and rather than answer the question, this person’s “friends” have responded by criticizing their choices.

One friend asked her page’s followers when they started swallowing pills, as she had discovered—from her own pediatrician—that her child was large and old enough to swallow a small adult painkiller or something of the sort.

I think 75% of the answers were, “Don’t you dare give your child any adult medicine! Or any medicine at all! You’re evil! You’re going to kill him!” Or, you know, something like that.

Um, is that what she asked?

Then yesterday I saw where another friend posted about trying to bake fluffy bread at home. She was asking for tips, and mentioned adding vital wheat gluten to the dough.

And again, half of the comments were “Gluten is evil! Gluten is bad for everyone!” One commenter compared gluten to soda in terms of health.

REALLY? I’m pretty sure she wasn’t asking for commentary on her health choices or whether or not she should be eating gluten-free. I was glad when my friend politely called out the commenter for being rude. She was nicer than I would have been, I think.

Look, friends. We all have our opinions on everything, whether you realize it or not. But just because social media allows us to put these opinions out there does not mean you have to supply an opinion, especially when it’s not solicited. I find that most of the time, feeling like you NEED to express your opinion on something at every turns shows an insecurity about your own choices and feelings. If something really gets you uptight, maybe you need to dig deeper into what your issue really is with that topic.

What I am not saying is that we shouldn’t condemn the ungodly, unbiblical things … although I don’t think social media is the place for that, either. Privately, with much prayer, confront those issues.

But as I’m pretty sure it doesn’t say anything about baby formula, gluten intolerance, or swallowing Advil in the Bible, could we maybe choose to let some things go every once in awhile? I think relationships should always win over feeling like you’re in the right.

What do you think?

Eating By Ancestry, Day 2

Posted on June 5, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

If you missed it, this week we’re eating all German, all week, as part of JessieLeigh’s Eating by Ancestry adventure. See Day 1′s recipes and pictures.

For breakfast, I had toast with jam and a slice of cheese and coffee. Lots.

For lunch, I made Kase Spatzle.

Was it good? I didn’t care for it.

Did I make any alterations to the recipe: I used the prosciutto and forgot to add parsley at the end, but didn’t make any real alterations.

Would I make them again in “real life”? I’m tempted to try spatzle again, but I am not really sure what it is supposed to taste like. I think it’s often served with the noodles boiled and then pan-fried. I’m pretty sure my dough was a little too thick and my noodles a little too big, but what I really didn’t care for was the Emmanthaler cheese. I should have used something milder. It was too close to a stinky cheese.

For dinner, I had a sandwich. I’m already getting tired of sandwiches, even on homemade bread! Bread seems to be a HUGE part of this traditional German diet. But since I don’t do heavy labor, I’m afraid all the bread is just going to find its way to my hips.

This morning, day 3, I woke up with a fever and felt really awful until about 8 p.m. So we’ll try again tomorrow as long as I’m feeling pretty normal. Hopefully I’ll at least get the Rouladen recipe done, if not the Bierocks.

Blogging is the New Soap Opera

Posted on May 14, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

The portrait of stay-at-home-momhood has always been eating bon bons and watching soap operas.

I won’t say that my mother fit this to a T in the 80s and early 90s, but she did watch All My Children. She also kept the house clean, cooked, and played with me and my sister all the time. The more I reflect and the older I get, the more I realize that I had a rocking, blissful childhood.

But she did watch soap operas.

So did most women in that time, especially those who stayed at home. I think the women of my generation often find ourselves high and mighty, thinking we would never be enthralled with something as silly as a television show where one week can span years and characters come back from the dead more often than they marry, which is saying a lot.

But I think we’ve found our new soap operas in the Internet and blogging.

Oh, blogging. It can be its own soap opera, can’t it? Will you share your kids’ names? Will you link back? Are you a vegetarian, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, non-vaccining mama … or THE DEVIL?? (I kid. I also vaccinate.)

Are you wrong to advertise? Wrong to not charge for giveaways? Wrong for posting pictures of yourself or your kids? Wrong for speaking about God? Wrong for using a pudding mix occasionally?

It seems like it’s another way to cause contention. It’s another obsession. Another thing you’re drawn to as soon as your kids are asleep in the bedroom, another reason to hold up your hand and say, “five more minutes,” another interruption to a healthy sleep schedule.

I feel we’ve moved from soap operas and bon bons to blogging and Pinterest-worthy cupcakes.

I’ve felt very unbalanced lately, to the point where it’s keeping me up at night. I know I want a quieter, less technology-laden life. I hate the Internet addiction; and yet, it’s part of our livelihood: I make money writing articles, blogging, and managing ParentLife Online.

It’s extremely difficult to separate work and enjoyment, however, when they all live inside the computer.

I’m reading Organized Simplicity on my Kindle, evaluating our “stuff,” and determining how I can fit work into blocks of time that don’t take attention away from my kids. I’m remembering the habits and joys that used to be a bigger part of my life: crochet, reading books.

Above all, I want to crave God, not blogs, or Twitter, or anything else.

Soap operas or blogging, addictions are not healthy. I want to enter my 30s seeking a healthier, holier life.

Join me for the ride, won’t you?

Blissdom in Pictures and Snippets

Posted on March 1, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

I partied and laughed and roomed and cuddled and ate with my beautiful #sisterchicks. (Although we MADLY missed our Atlanta contingent.)

I cuddled with this adorable guy (idreamofclean‘s 10-week-old) A LOT! As in “Gimme your baby and go have fun!” Isn’t he crazy cute?

I brainstormed. I talked about writing.

I roomed with Mary again, and also with Dawn Camp and QuatroMama.

I got to hear phenomenal speakers: Simple Mom, Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff, Jeff Goins.

I was looking for a mini-vacation, and got that and more. I feel like my writing had been invigorated, my mind is renewed, I want to be a better parent and wife, and I am going to work on that life plan Michael Hyatt talked about.

Thanks, Blissdom!

Pictures were taken by: Dawn Camp, Domestic Chicky, Giving Up on Perfect, Heather Durdil, and Nancy Doud. Click on the individual pictures for sources.

Stuff Jessie Likes

Posted on February 24, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

It was so awesome to get to hear Jon Acuff speak at Blissdom this morning. He is truly hilarious, and his talk about deep-vee-syndrome had everyone cracked up and Tweeting one-liners.

But the more serious and impassioned part of his talk was about his job-hopping because he thought the next job would be more fulfilling, they would appreciate him, or he would find what he loved. And of course, he knew what he loved – blogging, writing, traveling, being funny.

It’s difficult to throw yourself wholeheartedly into what you love. There’s always something else. Minutiae, family, details, work. Somewhere back there, though, we have a dream. Acuff called it the “but” phenomenon; everyone says, “I’m a ________, but I want to be a __________.”

Which is why it strikes me as so amazing that I can say I am exactly what I want to be. I’ve always wanted to be a writer and a mother. And how crazy blessed am I that those two things are what I do? I certainly don’t have everything figured out, and I always long for more. (Who doesn’t? Our hearts aren’t made for this world.) But on earth, I believe God has gifted me with the talent to write. I just need to figure out how to glorify Him using that talent.

And this blog, writing for magazines, working on a ministry newsletter – those things seem like the right place to start. Through the pain and confusion of the last three years, God has blessed me beyond belief in the area of my writing, opening doors without me trying to shove them open – and then figuring out that the sign said “pull.” Giving our future, our home, our kids to Him has enabled me to lift up my hands and say, “Hey, Lord, just do what You want with me. Cause You’re going to anyway, so it’s way better if I just give in.”

What is your “but”? What is it you really want to do? And what’s stopping you?

Third Time’s a Charm

Posted on February 20, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

There have been five Blissdom conferences, and this will be the third one I’ll be attending. (Four, if you count visiting last year’s with my eensy-weensy baby boy, but I didn’t actually go for more than a few hours!) This year’s 800 attendee hoopla with Rascal Flatts and Joe Jonas is a far cry from Blissom ’09, where I spent most of my time nursing a baby Libbie in the hallway and actually meeting a lot of bloggers who could qualify as famous nowadays.

I’m not really much of a conference girl, honestly. I doubt you’ll ever see me at BlogHer unless someone approaches me desperate to pay my way. I’m more about writing and less about building my blog; I have a freelance career and that is where I make money, not here.

But Blissdom has always been about relationship, and I couldn’t pass up a chance to see Mary, Jill, Tricia, Christine, Jen, Laura, and many others when the conference is a mere two-hour drive for me. I’m mostly considering it a well-earned vacation from mommyhood where I can sleep in a hotel room without being woken up four times a night, take a shower in peace, and feed myself without having to get up to take care of little people every 30 seconds.

I’m not saying I don’t love and appreciate being a stay-at-home mom, but we all need a vacation very once in a while, don’t we? Whatever our job is?

I can’t think of a much better place to relax and learn than the gorgeous Opryland Hotel with 799 of my closest friends.

Here's a picture so you can find me.

If you’re going to Blissdom, I really want to meet you! Please leave me a comment so I can be sure to find you this weekend.

Not Worth the Stress

Posted on January 23, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

After 4? 5? days of trying to get my blog to migrate to Typepad, I think I’ve given up. I really only kept going because I was so grateful for winning the free year of Typepad from Hollywood Housewife – I am really hoping they will refund the credit to Laura and let someone else win. My blog is just too ding-dang big to go to Typepad without major complications.

All of this does have me thinking, and I may be attempting a move to WordPress in the near future! I have ALWAYS wanted their commenting capabilities so I can interact more with my readers. All of the incredible WordPress plug-ins would make it well worth a move, I think. And my sweet Mr. V, who was a computer science major and STILL couldn’t figure out how to make it work simply, told me I should do whatever will make me cry the least.

Thankfully, due to some Blogger miracle, I was able to restore most of my design. That’s what was causing me tons of stress! I hated thinking of people visiting my site and not seeing all of it!

So that’s the update on life at Vanderbilt Wife. I am seriously hoping for a CALM and NORMAL week. We’ve had a little too much sickness and turmoil the past two weeks for me. I’m reading One Bite at a Time by SimpleMom, and it’s doing me a world of good. So I think for now I’ll turn off the computer, drink a cup of tea, and try to relax and go to bed early. How about you?

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Um, Yeah.

Posted on January 18, 2012 by vanderbiltwife

If you visit my blog instead of subscribing, you might notice that right now it looks … well, weird. Boring.

I am in the process of going to Typepad and I managed to screw up my design in the process. So I may be out of pocket here for a few days. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when we’re back up and moving! Thanks for hanging in there with me. You might want to subscribe below (even if just temporarily) so you know when we’re back in business.

Jessie

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