You Are More...

than the cook...

more than the chauffeur...

more than the referee...

more than the cleaner...

and more than the lady chasing her kid down aisle 8.

A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31: 10-12)

You are more than a number...

more than a size...

more than an exercise...

more than the latest trends.

and more than the worlds pressure to be perfect.

Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Proverbs 31: 29-30)

You are more than a soccer mom...

more than a pto volunteer...

more than a field trip chaperon..

and more than the one who's always pushing a stroller and wearing a baby while cheering her kiddo on.

She gets up while it is still night;
   she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31: 15-16)

You are more than the sock sorter...

more than the lunch packer...

more than the math teacher...

more than the cupcake maker...

and more than the one who tucks their shirts in, wipes their faces off, and sends them on their way.

 She opens her arms to the poor
   and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet. (Proverbs 31: 20-21)

You are more than  the potty trainer, bath giver, and the crumb cleaner.

You are His.

Living in His sweet grace.

Clinging to this giant role.

Bringing up these little treasures that call you mama.

Sought after, chased down, cuddled up next to, kissed on, waited for, and adored by those He's entrusted to you.

You have the most important job with the greatest benefit package.

And today is another day to embrace that gift...this calling.

Enjoy it, it's fleeting :).

(just some things I've been trying to remind myself during a busy, busy season :))

And Now The One About How I Do Things I'm Not Trained To Do

I don't have a ton of boundaries. You may already have caught on to that.

Unless we're talking about public restrooms, porta pottys, or a situation that would call for me to touch someones feet or someone else to touch mine. In those cases I have all kinds of boundaries...and then some.

So on Sunday I headed to a race where I was going to run a 5k and my friends were going to walk a half marathon (one was running). I had planned on finishing my race, then heading back into the course and run/walk the rest of the way with my girls...you know, for fun and for support.

But when we got there it seemed that that plan was going to be harder than we thought, and the only way for me to be with my group for even a small part of the race was to change my registration to the half marathon. Let me tell you a statement that came from my mouth and a race coordinators mouth that (unknown to me) warranted a swift slap to the face...

"If you're able to run 6 or 7 miles at a time back home, then you can definitely do 13."

Not true, my friends. SO not the truth. 6 or 7 miles is NOT the same as 13, it's actually HALF. That statement combined with the fact that I am NOT a marathoner made for an interesting morning :).

Long story short - my walking friends started their race a while before the runners did, so I spent my first 7 miles running like a porta potty was chasing me, up and down a hilly course, trying to catch up to them.

Too much, too fast, too soon...why would I pace myself!? I finally did catch them at almost 7 miles, but was...well, a little more tired that I expected to be.

Let me share 3 highlights with you that happened along that course:

1. I publicly declared at 9 miles that I was going to be sick.

2. At 11 miles I admitted that I would've rather been in labor.

3. And then at 12 miles I thought not IF, but WHEN I pass out, at least there are emergency crews that are here to help.

Are you laughing with me yet?

Sooooo, apparently there is never a dull moment in my life even when I don't have all 6 kiddos with me. Heck, after 13 miles, taking all the kids to Target seems like a vacation...by the ocean...with massages and margaritas.

Alright maybe not exactly like that.

All in all, ironically enough, I'm glad I did it. You always learn some things about yourself when you're pushed to your limits, and I got to spend some time with some sweet, sweet girls.

And the laughs and funny stories are always worth the pain, right?? :)

The One About How I Don't Have A Ton To Talk About

It's been a good, quiet week here. Well, I use the word "quiet" loosely when speaking about our home :).

But it's been good. Simple. Nothing to out of the ordinary.

Unless you count the moment that Raya ate an entire packet of ranch at Chickfila yesterday while I turned my back. I usually don't encourage eating Ranch straight...or in front of other mothers...or in public in general.

Aren't you glad your kids aren't the only ones who do that!? Oh, yours don't? Then just pretend like that last paragraph didn't happen.

I've been cleaning closets, organizing toys, hanging pictures (in our new blue-ish gray kitchen that I have to show you soon!), taking it easy with my kiddos, stepping back from some outside commitments, turning my phone on vibrate, and closing my laptop a little more.

That last one has sorta cut into my blogging/blog reading time so I might have to tweek that a tad :).

Oh and I've been going through tons of pictures to find the ones I want to hang on the walls. Like this one...

I love that one.

We're also still kind of in potty training mode, or as Raya likes to say, "on the potty train!". Kinley puts an s on the end of the word underwear every time she says it, "I need new underwears...My underwears are wet...I don't know where my underwears are!"

It was cute till about the 4th time I had to say, "is this pee on the floor or did someone spill something??"

Potty training. Is a process. And the mom should be rewarded with diamonds and solo trips to Target. That's just my opinion though.

Well I guess I had more to say than I thought - isn't that always how it is :)?

I'm off for now, we are meeting up with friends tonight that are in from out of town, and I'm running in my first race with them on Sunday. I don't know how running a few miles every morning turned into that, but it did, and I'm kinda excited! We'll see how it goes :).

Hope you all had a great week!

Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

We're on a bit of a baking kick. Maybe you've already noticed that since this is my 2nd recipe in a week :)!

I've been trying to find recipes for staples we eat a lot of. I feel like I can make a healthier alternative and save some money at the grocery by making big batches of things we like and/or need.

1st up? Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

The girls love granola bars, they get that from me...us girls have a lot in common :). Well, Lincoln and I have a lot in common as well if you consider the facts that we both love to sleep and eat every 3 hours.

I'm rambling, stay with me.

Can I just say real quick that the amazingly yummy granola bars we whipped up only had 8 ingredients in them and the regular granola bars that I usually buy at the store have 37. 37! I counted.

That many extra ingredients makes me nervous, my friends.

So I found a recipe that I altered a bit and they turned out wonderful.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of Oats
1 cup of chocolate chips (or raisins, or any other dried fruit)
1 cup nuts, in small pieces (I used regular peanuts, the girls favorite)
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a large, ungreased shallow baking pan, toast oats and nuts at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Toss with remaining ingredients and mix well. I melted the butter a tad and waited for that and the oats to cool before I added the Chocolate chips to the mixture...they will melt if you don't wait.

Then spread them out on the baking pan. This shows one batch, it didn't cover the entire pan. I later doubled it and may triple it in the future.

Then I baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until it looks light brown around the edges). Let it cool and then cut into bars and store however you like!

I love them. Any kind of granola is always a hit in this house.

So that's it, I promise I won't post every recipe we try :). Or maybe I will. I'll let ya know.

Well I'm off for now, both 2yr olds are in the bathroom and I can hear water running and giggling. That is never a good combination.

Hope you're having a great week!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies - The Cookie Of All Cookies

We were at it again this weekend with the pumpkin goodness. And people, I think we've hit an unexpected jackpot.

I thought that the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies we usually make were by far the best of our Fall recipes...but I was wrong. Ella really likes butterscotch and we came across a Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookie recipe AND THEY ARE PURE BLISS!

(sorry, I don't mean to yell.)

When I first saw this recipe I wasn't sure that those two flavors were supposed to come together, and they are surely not the prettiest cookies we've ever baked...

But friends, these 2 ingredients were made for each other. They belong together. They make magic.

Try them. I mean it.

Here's the info:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree (I added a tad more)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Mix all ingredients together. Drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a few inches apart.  Bake about 14-16 minutes.  Allow to cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

They are the best, and they make your house smell sooo good!

Is anyone else enjoying pumpkin recipes as much as we are??

Swingin' Sweetness

Lincoln may be a little small for the swing still, even with that big ol' blanket shoved in there...

But it was a beautiful day, and the cool breeze was blowing...

and I think he actually found it quite relaxing...

You can't really blame him - it must be exhausting holding up those chubby little cheeks all day :).

Love that sweet babe.

Happy Friday!

I Love To Wear My Loves (Beco Baby Carrier Giveaway!)

Giveaway is now CLOSED! The winner is lucky number 95: The Sneaky Mommy! Please contact me at savvylittlewomen@gmail.com so I can get your info :)!

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I love wearing my babes.

There is just something about carrying them that close that warms my heart...

(usually his arms are inside, but he's teething I think and wants his hand in his mouth at ALL times!)

Little Lincoln has become very fond of my Beco Baby Carrier. In fact, the little guy starts to whine almost right away when I start to take him out. He loves to be close to his mama :).

I love this carrier. It's sturdy, the patterns are great, and it's easy on your back.

You know what else Beco Baby makes that is just the sweetest thing ever? Mini Baby Carriers...

Is that the cutest thing you've ever seen, or what!? All the girls love carrying their baby dolls in their carriers just like mommy does.

Kinley has had hers on almost around the clock this week, I can't pull it away from her...

The Beco Carrier can be used in front or on your back as your child grows. It has a removable head rest, infant insert, and holds babies/kids from 7-45 pounds! That means not only can I carry my little guy around, but we can also strap in the 2yr olds as well when we need to.

It's just the greatest...

So today Beco is going to give one of you one of their amazing carriers! Wonderful, huh?

To Enter - You can enter a few ways, a few times, in 3 seperate comments.

1. Go ahead and pop over to the Beco website and check out all their amazing items and then leave a comment below telling us what carrier you like best.

2. Beco would also love for you to turn your eyes to my left sidebar and like our Facebook pages (just click the like button in the box!) so we can keep you up to date on all their wonderful products, sales, and giveaways!

3. Tell us how many kids you have...or how many you want...or any fun fact about your sweet family!

Thats it! 3 easy ways to enter to win the best baby carrier you'll ever own :)! The winner will be chose through random.org sometime next week.

Good luck, friends!

It's Official...

I'm a soccer mom.

Times three.

It's a tad busy with all the older ones playing, but they love it, and eventually we'll have 6 (or more) involved in something so we might as well get used to the busyness!

I grew up in sports so I love watching them play and cheering them on...

and apparently I am that mom who always has her camera out on the sideline...

And I could go on and on...and on and on and on about how it melts my heart when they wave to me from the field. It's almost like they're saying, "aren't you SO proud of me!?" Makes my heart smile :)...

So thankful for those sweet savvies. Love, love, love my little women :).

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I'm potty training Kinley and Raya at the moment so things have been a little...well...interesting around here.

We're on day 2 and I'm starting to feel like I haven't seen outside of the bathroom in 48 hours.

Pray, fast, send chocolate. Whatever you fancy.

Till later!

Pumpkin Goodness - The Angel Food Cake Edition

We got into a little cookin' this weekend. A few of you might have seen on facebook that we started into our pumpkin recipes.

It's time, right? I have a lot of Fall recipes to make, so we need to get moving.

Because you know that we start moving on into the Christmas spirit mid-November, right? And that's in 8 weeks my friends. Like our tree and lights go up at that point. Am I getting to far ahead? Sorry.

If you've been around here for awhile you know that we get real festive a tad early, and stay festive, for as long as possible.

Anyway.

We whipped up this sweet little (low fat believe it or not) cake this weekend, Pumpkin Angel Food Cake...

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks.

Here's the info:

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (I added the whole can)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 package (16 ounces) angel food cake mix
• reduced-fat whipped topping

• In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Fold a fourth of the batter into pumpkin mixture; gently fold in the remaining batter. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. 
•  Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350° for 38-44 minutes or until top is golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched and entire top appears dry. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Run a knife around side and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. Garnish each slice with 1 tablespoon whipped topping.

I mixed the cake mix, then just added everything else to the same bowl and mixed it in. I didn't do it separate like mentioned in the directions above. Clearly, I'm fearless in the kitchen.

So anyway, the family loved it, I loved it, and we will be making it again. When I cut the 1st piece Ella said, "no one touch it, I'm sure mom wants to take a picture!"


I love how they get me.

Well, go make it! Throw a party, take some to your neighbors, and maybe drop some off to your local Target cashiers.

I promise, they'll just love ya for it.

Enjoy! Happy Monday!

A Confession...

It's after bedtime here, and the house is sorta quiet.

This little guy is all congested still so I plan on snuggling with him often throughout the night tonight...

Having 6 kids keeps me busy. I mean, real busy. Busier than I ever imagined. And lately I have let myself get so tired, maxed out, and sometimes frozen by what all lays ahead in one single day.

Whew, it feels good to say that out loud.

Motherhood in general is just...busy. It's hard (but rewarding) work.

It's like 1000 jobs shoved into one title, isn't it? There's not one class I took in college that could've prepared me for this line of work - only He can prepare me, and yet He also will walk me through at the same time.

From sun up to sun down, around the clock, 24 hours a day, I (and most of you) am a mom. It's a wonderful job but comes with feelings of self-doubt, pressure, overwhelming moments, and times when I feel like my plate is so full I can hardly see over the top.

It makes me feel anxious sometimes - like I can't keep up, like I'm losing myself in this calling, and like I'm not making a difference in these little lives.

That's a lie, I know.

I am completely convinced that while motherhood fills your heart to the brim with a love you didn't know existed - it is a calling to make you more holy, more like Him, and more dependant on Him.

We tackle the laundry, trim fingernails, work on homework, wipe noses, kiss boo-boo's, break up fights, feed the masses, and some of us even fish Disney Princesses out of the toilet.

We try to do it all.

It's easy to find myself at the end of the day with my face in my hands asking, "how is this crazy, confusing, work-in-progress-mom gig glorifying to Him? How is this making a Kingdom difference?"

The days I feel like that the most are the days I try to cram to much into. It's a habit, I guess. I am guilty of often committing to too much.

But lately He has been reminding me of some things...

that He has blessed me with a heart that is full in ways I never imagined was possible...

that it's not about what I have on my to-do list, but about Who I am serving...

that too many outside commitments makes for too much stress...

that my priority is being here, in my home...

that I can do this with His help...

and that sometimes the most redundant tasks on this child rearing journey have the most purpose.

As my mom always says, "They need ALL of you, Kate. You are called to be wholly there for them...there is nothing more important than being right where He has placed you, everything else can wait."

That couldn't be more true, and there couldn't be a sweeter place to be than where He wants you...

It's time to simplify a little. Time to clear our commitments a bit so I can focus even more on those 6 little loves without distraction. Time to say no to some things.

I'm going to be reminding myself that every little task, every little onesie I fold, and every little crumb I sweep off the floor is for a bigger purpose, His purpose.

This motherhood thing is for His glory - even on a week like this when the only prayer time I have seems to be when my head hits the pillow at night and I whisper "oh Lord...I'm exhausted."

It's a great thing that He gives us strength when we need an extra boost, huh? 

He is good to us, thats for sure.

Well I'm off to go get that 4month little love, he's wimpering and my heart just can't take it :).

Hope you're all having a great week :).

A Tad Under The Weather...

We had the best long weekend together.

And even though the weather outside was amazing, Lincoln and I have been a little under the weather. So him and I have been taking it easy...

and resting...

I was going to share some photography stuff today, answer some questions that I often get - I don't know why I don't talk about photography more on here because I love to talk about it, my friends :). But for now I'm off to bed while the Little's are asleep and try to ward off this bug I've caught.

Back soon, hope you all had a great, looonnng weekend!

My Favorite Pastime...

and maybe why I get a tad behind on the housework lately...

Does holding a sleeping baby ever get old???

(I usually carry him in a carrier...my all time favorite brand will be giving one away here next week, btw!)

I wish I could just bottle his itty bitty sweetness...he's such a little gift...and I'm just a little in love :).

We are spending the long weekend doing work around the house, taking a family trip to the grocery, cooking out with friends, and maybe we'll hit the pool one more time before they close up shop for the season. I'm hoping for a relaxing few days with our crew.

Hope you have a great weekend, friends!

Let's (Try To) Get Organized

Well we're wrapping up our back to school season over here, and I have to admit, it's kinda nice. All the hype and anticipation is almost done and I think everyone is now busy slipping into their new normal.

(although I do sorta miss my old normal that was filled with sunscreen and penny candy from the concession stand...only 9 more months till it returns, right?)

I've been trying to get back on the organizational wagon after a relaxing, fly by the seat of our pants kind of summer, and the thing I started with first was school mornings. If there is no order, there is no sanity...just chaos. And chaos at 6am is not fun - believe me, I've been there, please don't make me go back.

So the night before I get all the backpacks ready, lay out all their clothes, pack lunches, and even fill sippy cups for the younger ones.

I've also started making a "school grocery list" every week for what I will need for lunches, it saves money and assures me that I have enough of everything I need.

I actually made a little lunch schedule just like the school did. I don't have a months worth but I do week to week or a couple weeks at a time. That way it changes up their lunches and they don't get bored with what I'm packing. So with that in hand, I head to the grocery and buy what I need.

This is an example of what our menu looks like, its just a regular old dry erase calender turned lunch menu...

Fun, huh? Not so much? Well it works in our neck of the woods :).

I'm hoping the kiddos still like this system a few months from now!

Next I'm going to tackle toy organization, send help :).

Disclosure - Compensation was provided by Country Crock via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Country Crock.