Author: resumeofamother

I hit a wall!!!! Emotional whiplash!

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Have you ever been there?  Have you ever hit an emotional wall so hard that it felt like whiplash?  Well I have….and yikes!

Our summer season is usually filled with lots of fun day trips, but not this season. We usually have one day where we would run some errands… and maybe hit the beach or similar afterwards. Then one day is spent doing a day trip or a mini vacation day. And of course the evenings would be filled with visiting friends, listening to some local concerts on the beach, and any other summer event that’s here at the Jersey shore. Why wouldn’t you… why not fill your summer with lots of fun before you settle into the fall and winter seasons. This is the normal for us… but not the case this summer! Somehow we slipped in and out of this summer with out ever really taking advantage of a summer fun season. We were extremely busy, with on going things, but when all is said and done we really didn’t feel like we had a relaxing and enjoyable summer, but one that was filled with just extreme busyness. But the question remains in our minds… what were we even busy with? Why did we come out exhausted… and not feeling refreshed and rejuvenated from a beautiful summer season. Why do we feel like we’re spinning our wheels and feeling fried and an emotional wreck?

My schedule is normally full with work and our regular activities of life…but we soon started to realize that so many unusual things were happening and I could feel myself slipping into a wall of emotional overload.  With extended family, church, ministry, friends and our normal needs of a “special needs” family…we seemed to be on overdrive for the past few months.  I woke up one day realizing that I could hardly breathe, lift my head and or want to even do anything at all.

I had a friend who suffered from “work burnout”.  I have heard of this but could not really relate.  My friend in the end… ended up in recovery for several months.  I was not at that point ….but looking over a 10 day period of our life that took place this past summer, we began to realize that 7 different major stressful events took place in that short amount of time. This left me feeling completely empty.

I am blessed to have a husband and partner in life who noticed how I was feeling and he also realized that he was falling into the same situation. So it was time to sit, chat and make a list of what all just happened to us.  We were both amazed that we could almost still function with all that hit us so hard and fast. After chatting with each other we needed to dissect each area where there was an emotional wall.

We gathered our emotional bandages, an emotional neck brace and some emotional crutches and started making a plan.  It was not easy to dissect all of this but we needed to do it. With some time in prayer and reflecting on some verses of scripture and a good hard look at what was happening we have made a recovery plan.

I normally know myself enough and when I am reaching “overload”, I can stop, stand still and regroup but not this time.  It came too fast and too hard.  Now that we have a plan we can take one step at a time and regroup together.

I hope all of this makes sense to you….if you break your arm you see the hurt and discomfort.  But when you break your spirit it does not leave any visible things for people to see that you have discomfort.  This made me realize even more that behind every face is a story and to be more kind to those around me as well…since you never know what people are going through.

One brick at a time of the wall is now coming down.  In some case we just got a bulldozer and took the wall down and oh boy did that feel really good. We are on the road to recovery… by making better decisions, better choices, and being wiser people. Life is enjoyable and should be… But we need to sit back and realize when we are overloaded with stress and stressful situations. There needs to be a time of refreshment, a time to be able to regroup, and a time to be able to reflect what has just happened so that you don’t hit an emotional wall.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Roasted Tomato Sauce

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How many times have you wanted some homemade tomato sauce or as some would call it …homemade gravy for your pasta? The thought of letting it cook all day in a pot, even though the smell wafting through the house would be so yummy… is just too much for a busy mom. So what we end up doing is opening a jar of sauce and calling it a day.

My friend Janelle… From Parsnips and Parsimony YouTube is the one that shared this yummy recipe on her channel. Check out her website for this delicious recipe the way she originally made it and many other wonderful recipes.

www.parsnipsandparsimony.com

Her recipe calls for basil which I did not have but I did have green peppers, so I tweaked the recipe a little bit as well as I used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. When creating a recipe it’s not always worth running out to the store for one thing when you can improvise with what’s already in the pantry and create something similar.

Janelle took her delicious roasted tomatoes and put them in a blender to make a sauce… I will be putting mine in bags and place them in the freezer to add a delicious fresh taste to my crockpot recipes.

This was a great way to use up a bunch of ripe tomatoes that we picked at the Amish gardens in Pennsylvania. We will have some wonderful meals made throughout the winter months using these tomatoes.

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Give it a try… and let me know what you think. It’s a whole lot quicker and easier and less bother to roast them up in the oven… then to make homemade tomato sauce on the stove top.

Thanks to my friend Janelle for this inspirational recipe!

Lynn A. C. Wilson- Resume of a Mother.

Quick and easy breakfast on the go…

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If you’re like me… Breakfast is one of the hardest meals to make. I am not a big egg eater… and neither are my kids, although my husband will enjoy one now and again. I find it hard to come up with some recipe ideas for something quick and easy.  Especially when we’re always running out the door first thing in the morning most days.

So what’s a mom to do when you work full-time and you need to have a healthy quick breakfast that you can grab and go with? Breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos and many of these other types of quick breakfasts are good too, but I just found a quick and easy recipe that turned out to be very yummy and simple to make when you have a busy schedule.

Only three ingredients:

  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups of rolled oats (I found 2 1/2 cups worked out better)
  • Half a cup of honey or half a cup of maple syrup (your choice and I preferred to only use 1/4 of a cup)
  • One cup of peanut butter (natural is better for less sugar)
  • Mix all three ingredients together, place a piece of wax paper in a baking dish, add your mixture to the dish and pressed down firmly to even out the mixture in the dish. Put it in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight, and then enjoy.

Let me know if you have any other ideas for a quick and easy breakfast. Send a comment below with your recipe.

Lynn A. C. Wilson –  Resume of a Mother

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Horses…therapy… & Autism. Finding peace!!!

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We had been invited for the past couple of years to go horseback riding with one of our Autism support groups. It always seemed to fall on a day that either I had to work or we had other events going on, and honestly I didn’t think much about it. For some reason this year I felt compelled to make a point of attending. I was absolutely amazed and blessed after we went to see how beneficial it was!

This particular horse ranch is designed to assist people with any sort of disability and will teach them how to ride a horse in a safe environment. The trainers are certified and definitely know how to handle children with Autism! Our son found peace, he found joy, and I watched him actually be able to relax and be calm like I had never seen before. If you know anything about Autism in children this is very unusual!

When we arrived they gathered all the kids together and then they had them pick out their helmets for protection, before they could ride a horse. They then divided them into two groups and each group needed to find a buddy. Our son was in the first group… We started on the other side of the barn, where he was able to learn how to care and feed a horse.

Gavin was able to brush a horse named Lady, he was able to feed a horse named Terminator, he was able to talk to a horse named Finn and it was amazing to watch him and Finn together. The horse just stood there ever so kind, as Gavin just continued to talk and talk and talk to the horse. I watched a gentle and loving side of Gavin come out as he was able to connect with this beautiful animal.

In addition to brushing the horses and feed them…the kids were able to get some great lessons on the care of a horse in general. They then brought them to the next room where they lined up to have the opportunity to ride a horse.

One by one they brought them in and saddled them up with a horse based on the size of the child and the size of a horse. Once they were on the horse, two of the trainers walked them around three times in a very large enclosed barn. Gavin was able to also ride a horse as he did a gallop around the barn, which was a real treat!

I saw a different spark in Gavin’s eyes… this day was a huge blessing to him and I can truly understand why these beautiful animals are therapeutic.

We will continue with horseback riding lessons in this next home school year and Gavin also would like to volunteer there one day a week as well. Looking forward to some new adventures!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Chiropractor and Epilepsy..does it work?

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Simple and Natural is how we look at this.  We get asked all the time if the chiropractor and Epilepsy really work well together.  Now let me say that I am not a doctor and I am not in the medical profession at all….but I live with my Epileptic husband for over 30 years.  With that being said…I know my husband better than any doctor.  I have been asked over and over to explain things in detail to the doctor (since my hubby usually doesn’t know himself), as to what is happening in his life and with his seizures.  Most times…the doctor remarks on how well I really know what is going on better than most “professionals”.

So getting back to chiropractors…..YES, YES, YES they really do work.  If you are not familiar with going to one, don’t be alarmed by them.  They are not doing anything against what your body was designed to do …quite the contrary.  The best way to describe it is that they will get your spine back in line which works hand in hand with your immune system and all your other organs in your body.

After my husband has had a seizure…..most times if he was walking or standing he will crash-land on the floor.  Then we will find that he has hit is head, twisted his body by the way he fell or what he fell into.  Sometimes…it is only a day or two later that he will notice that something doesn’t seem right.  For example….about a month ago he was walking in a restaurant….as he had a seizure he dropped his plate on the floor in front of him….then ended up taking a few steps backwards, and then we guess he stiffened up and fell straight back and slamming his head and entire body to the floor.   What a jolt his body must have felt!

We went for our monthly visit to our chiropractor and he asked my hubby how things were going….as my hubby explained what had happened, he realized that his jaw was also bothering him in addition to some other things.   The doctor had a look and said Graeme had the equivalent to whip-lash from the fall and had knocked his jaw out of alignment too. This is only one example of how it has helped him after a seizure.

The list for us goes on and on with the amount of help in getting these adjustments, and also just all in all general help and health.  He seems to respond well to an adjustment immediately and right after an adjustment he tells me he feels more relaxed and clear-headed.

It has been over 20 years now we have been going this route and with a few other natural alternatives such as vitamins, herbs and oils…..this too has been a great supplement to his seizure meds.

I hope this helps shed any light to anyone else who struggles out there with seizures, epilepsy, ADHD and or Autism.  Our family has been blessed to have these doctors in our life!

Comment below if this form of medical treatment has help you and or if you have found other alternatives that you can share.  We would love to hear from you.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Is it worth it?  Investing in a life…..

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I know that many of you come to my site for articles on Epilepsy, Autism, motherhood, crafts etc…. These topics are near and dear to my heart and life and I love sharing about them. But there is also another side to me… so if you are not religious and or enjoy that type of topic this article might not be for you. but if you do… come and join me in this great discussion! Either way let me also thank you for coming and visiting my blog site today!

How many times have you tried to help someone out and then almost regretted it? How many times have you felt that your good deed hit a brick wall or a dead-end?  If you are like me you wonder if anything you have done will ever or have ever amounted to anything.

I know myself there are days I feel empty after working alongside of someone I have invested my time, money, talent into.  You sit back and wonder if they heard you, appreciated what you did and will they ever get the whole picture of what you are trying to do.

Recently the Lord has put on my heart and my husband’s heart to work with some young people as an outreach.  This is under the umbrella of our church but reaches many teens who are in our local community and are “unchurched” and do not know anything about God.  In this group we share a “one verse” devotion, serve them dinner and then teach them a life skill.  Our “win” or ultimate goal is to mentor each girl that comes to the club, with love, words of wisdom, and a Godly example.  Now that the girls club has been started and is a success….we have now started a boys club too.  For the girls….we state we are “reaching one heart at a time” and for the boys….”we are creating a leader one day at a time”.

So how does this all tie together with my title…’Is it worth it?…..the answer is YES!!!  Yes it costs us money, time, talent, resources, and some days a bottle of Advil, but it is worth it.

The Bible clearly talks about investing in a life.  First of all the Lord invested in your life and mine at the cross….he took Lynn Wilson’s name to the cross and personally died for me so that I could have eternal life.  If that alone is not enough to make you realize how important one life is then there is a problem!

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible also shares with us that the older should teach the younger. Being a “Titus 2” woman is something most of us have heard growing up.  YES it makes a difference! I am a product of that…many women took the time to mentor and teach me in my younger years and I am grateful for this love and guidance that was given to me. Now it’s my turn to share with someone!

Titus 2:3-5

Older women similarly are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor addicted to much wine, teaching what is right and good, so that they may encourage the young women to tenderly love their husbands and their children,  to be sensible, pure, makers of a home [where God is honored, good-natured, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

So many older woman who I chat with tell me that they USED to be a Sunday school teacher, or they USED to serve in the church. They tell me that now that they are older they leave it up to the young people.  My question to them is….when did serving the Lord have an expiration date?  When did the Lord give you your date of retirement?

Matthew 20:28

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As I serve in an area that I personally would say is not my best gift…..I aim to serve with a willing heart.  I do feel that even though I started this mentoring group….I will pass the leadership over in the next few years.  My task that the Lord gave me might only be to be a vessel and to start this group and to get the ball rolling.  For me not to respond would go against everything that the Lord showed us in His own walk here on the earth.

In the midst of the girls I work with could there be another Mary or Ester that the Lord needs to prepare for the future?  Could I be mentoring someone who could save a nation? Who could change another life?

How about you…..are you worth it?  YES….and I am sure that somewhere in your life there was someone who took the time to invest in your life.  First of all go and tell them thank you!  Then respond to the Lord’s leading and ask the Lord to show you which life you need to invest  in!

Message me and let me know when you have an answer from the Lord as to who you need to mentor and let me know how you are going to invest in their life. I would love to hear from you!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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#CHAT…mentoring one Teens Heart at a Time!

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What is #CHAT🌼

This is the question that I have been asked a lot about this week.  #CHAT🌼It is something new that has been started in the past few months and I am seeing so many people excited about it.  Whether it is because they are a regular attendee, a donor or someone who has a heart for the youth of this country.

A quick summary is… It is a mentoring program for girls from ages 12 to 16.

When the girls arrive they are provided with dinner, we teach them a life skill such as sewing, cooking….crafts and more. There are friendships made, lots of activities such as ping-pong and other stations available for them to keep busy and a way for them to get to know each other.

Each month we have what we call the #CHAT🌼 Boutique for the girls.  Generous people have donated items such as make up, essentials, jewelry, tote bags and much more. We set up a large table with all these goodies displayed for them to look through and to take home with them. They shop and smile and laugh and giggle. They seem to enjoy taking home some goodies for themselves and it is all 100% FREE for them.

This new ministry was designed by me and is headed up by the #CHAT🌼 leadership team at Grace Gospel. We created a safe environment where the girls can come meet new friends, find a mentor… share their hearts…trials and tribulations and or something exciting that happened this week to them. This is a faith-based program and it is a place where they can just “chat”, ask for prayer, shed some tears, and have tons of laughter!

Let me know if you have a similar program at your place of worship and how you have designed it.  Let me know what ideas you have and how it has worked for you.

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

What is #CHAT?

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If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram…you might have seen my posts about #CHAT.  This past weekend was the launch date for this big event in my life!  I am soooooo excited!

Let me fill you in a little about what this is all about.  For a long while I have been working in women’s ministry in my church and in general.  But I now find myself for the past 2 years with not having a place in leadership in this area at my church.  I am also allowing “Resume of a Mother” to evolve into what God would have it to be in terms of ministry.

I had been watching and praying for some of the young girls that come to our kids program and I see them getting bored as they get older with the kids programs and regular church.  Now on a side note…I also work full time at an addiction recovery mission and see what a life full of no guidance etc…can produce.  Woman will come to us with their stories of how and why they began taking drugs.  Many times…they never felt they had someone to reach out to, or that fact that no one reached out to them.  This is not to say that this is the only reason they are on drugs etc…but you can get the idea.  After seeing the young girls in our church losing interest in things of the Lord, I felt a strong tug to reach out to them.

One night a few months ago I went to an impromptu meeting where I heard someone speaking on reaching “one”.  She went on to say that we need to go to where they are and not expect them to come to us.  That night I went home and drew up the plans for #CHAT.  I designed the “win” and what it would be all about.

Here it is in a nutshell…

Reach the “one” by just chatting! So I guess you now understand the title “#CHAT”.  Girls between the ages of 12-16 can come and chat, have a light meal, and learn a skill.  They can sit quiet or chat all night…with no strings attached.  This will give me and my team and chance to get to know them and the same in the reverse.  We want to create a safe haven for them to feel like they have a place to share their heart and there will be no judgement.  There might be an opportunity for guidance, a life verse shared, a hug and a tear or two shared.

Some of the life skills already in place are several craft sessions, makeup 101, quilting, quilling, baking and cooking from the simple to also some international cuisine and more.  I have had many women come and tell me that they would love to come and share their skills with the girls.

At this point I have 28 classes lined up on paper with teachers in mind for most of them.  The club as of right now will run once a month.  We will run it for now for three months and then reevaluate it and see what we think were the positives and negatives of the entire night.

Pray with me that this new style girls club will be effective in reaching one girls heart and for us to make a difference that can mold, guide and potentially save a life from going in the wrong direction.

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Play Ball… some old-fashioned fun!

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In the craziness of life… It’s fun to take a little time out and head to an old-fashioned ball game! So many people focus on the major leagues, Super Bowl etc. Our family is not big sports fans like many of you probably are. But occasionally, it is really good to go out and watch a local baseball team compete at a game. Of course popcorn and hot dogs help too… and you can’t beat going with some friends!

Last night we were able to enjoy just that. It was some old-fashioned family fun.  We could just relax after work and school and enjoy some time together.. We could have a hotdog with some popcorn and of course we had to add some delicious lemonade to the night. We were blessed that the tickets were only $1 per person.

When is the last time that you took a day or a night out to have some old-fashioned family fun? Let me know what you like to do, with some local fun in your area?

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother