This is the first in The Power of Purpose series. Today’s focus is on Food. I’m encouraging you to take a fresh look at your expectations and priorities related to feeding your family. I’m also providing a handful of resources I’m using that you might also find helpful.
Last night my kids ate cake for dinner. Yes, that was the main course.
Sure, they ate handfuls of dates first and a bowl of olives later {yes, my kids eat these…I know, strange} but cake was the highlight – my grandmother’s freshly made lemon pound cake to be exact.
At our house we call desserts “sometimes foods” so my kids {2 and almost 5} were thrilled with the prospect of a chunk of yellowy sweet goodness in the middle of their plate for dinner. And me? I was okay with it!
2014 has been a year of great personal growth for me, even in areas like feeding my family.
Embrace Freedom or the Prison of Perfection?
After reading Emily Freeman’s book Grace for the Good Girl this past winter, I realized I can’t possibly meet the laundry list of unreasonable expectations I set for myself.
It happens on a daily basis.
My ideal situation collides with my reality and I’m faced with a decision; do I succumb to the feelings of inadequacy and fear of “what if” or do I change my perspective, look at the moment for what it is, and embrace freedom from my self-induced personal prison of perfection?
More and more, I’m choosing the later. And when I do, the version of myself striving for perfection in every area of my life shrinks a bit and the true me, the one that lives in flesh and blood in a fallen world, comes to life.
As a result, on occasion my kids have cake for dinner. And I’m okay with it.
Other nights I forgo cooking and we do something quick, easy, and quite a bit more healthy like take-n-bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s. It’s not technically “homemade” {as in made at my house} but it sure tastes like it and it fits my paradigm of healthy options for dinner.
Last week, as a fun event for local bloggers, I got a sneak peak into the Winston-Salem, NC location of the Papa Murphy’s operation. In a few words: super clean, fresh ingredients, great prices, & stellar staff. We went home with an amazing pizza made “just how I like it” – as in, they made me 3 different types of specialty pizza on a single crust {what other pizza place is willing to do that?!}.
The owner even sent me home with mini make-your-own pizzas for the kiddos, complete with mini sauce cups, kid-friendly toppings, and a fun treat for the kids that won’t clutter up my house – a temporary pizza tattoo. Let’s just say I was a hero at my house that night.
So…instead of beating myself up about the fact that dessert was the main course for my kids last night and that I don’t always have 100% homemade options to offer my family, I choose to view dinnertime through the lens of purpose and grace.
Purpose: I use my favorite meal planning tool, buy fresh local options when available, shop sales and use coupons.
Grace: I do the best I can with the time, energy, and resources I have.
The unreasonable expectations we set for ourselves that we can’t possibly meet all the time can weaken our ability to serve and love others well. This means we’re not the best wife and mother when we strive for things we can’t possibly achieve. We all have goals and ideas of how we can improve, but perfection is the enemy of progress.
Let’s stop feeling guilty about every tiny choice we make with food and our families. Instead, decide what is important to you and take actions to support those decisions!
What’s working for you? How do you show yourself grace in the area of food and meal planning in your day-to-day? Share in the comments. Your words might be the encouragement another mom needs to hear today!
This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.
Love this post, LeeAnn! So glad you can see your own growth and recognize it’s okay (maybe even recommended) to eat cake for dinner! I believe moderation is the key to all things so dessert first or cake for dinner, or the Apple Jacks I’m eating for breakfast right now, are all okay on occasion!
Thanks for sharing. I often walk a thin line of guilt and grace over what are really small choices of food for my family. We are so hard on ourselves at times over issues that aren’t a big deal in the grand scheme.
Yes, I try to focus on the bigger picture instead of agonizing over every little thing my kids eat!
Great post! I know that is a easy comment, but I loved that you shared this and ate cake! 🙂
And who can’t turn down Papa Murphy’s pizza… yumm!
You are right, though.. sometimes we need to buck the idea of perfect ideas and settle for perfected joy in the moment!
Blessings,
Dawn
LOVED this post! We used to have a Papa Murphy’s years ago–but not anymore. 🙁 I probably show myself grace too much in the dinner department. I do use boxed mixes, etc. I now have a Thoughtful Thursdays linky, and this post would be perfect for it!
LeeAnn ~ I am just in love with your site! I found you through #fmfpartysnailmail and, boy, and I ever so glad I did. I’ve just purchased “Grace for the Good Girl” and you’ve made me even more excited to get started with it. I look forward to visiting again VERY soon! xoxo
Hi Jessica,
Sorry for the late reply. So glad you picked up a copy of Grace for the Good Girl. I hope it’s been as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me!
Hey LeeAnn! A nutritionist came to one of our MOPS meetings and she said to not worry so much with what they eat in say a meal or even a day, but to take a broader look at the week. If they got the nutrition they needed in the course of the week you’re good. That being said, we totally have yogurt for dinner some nights…. With my youngest, 4, who’s tag line is I’m not hungry, I usually do a smorgasbord plate for lunch after preschool. Handful of fruit, hummus, crackers, pepperoni, or some combination that hits on the major food groups, and then I have to leave him alone and he will eventually eat it.
I have to say, your post is going to help me keep a more positive outlook on my life. There are so many things I put on my want to do list that never make it to my done list. Or things I do that don’t always turn out the way I expected them to. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the things that went wrong, I lose focus on the things that went right. I am going to start changing my perspective and view my moments for what they are and not what i expected them to be.
P.S. Just the other day I was so tired and behind schedule I had a package of peanut butter crackers for dinner, so dates and cake sounds like an upgrade to me. 😉
I think everyone should have peanut butter and crackers on hand…just in case! 🙂