Guten Tag! Wie gehts? Danke gut. I have Germany on my mind today since our friend Iris, who is a native of Germany, is hosting today’s Carnival of Beauty. Be sure to bookmark her site and read through the ten submissions on the topic of “The Beauty of God’s Sovereignty.”

I’m not at all an expert on German language or culture, though I did plow through two years of der/die/das and German/English translation work in high school. Yet all I can remember is what we sang on Fridays in our class. If I ever go to Germany, I’ll actually be able to order a pizza, with lots of cheese — because that’s what I remember from one of those silly songs. (Actually, kind of useful, huh?)

I wanted to share with you all a great opportunity if you have an interest in German language and culture. There’s a magazine called German Life that is seeking good writing and photographs. If you’re a homeschooling parent who is teaching a unit on Germany, this might be an activity you could involve your whole family in. Or if you’re a teacher in a school, this may interest your whole class.

I KNOW many of you bloggers are incredible and PROLIFIC writers; in addition, some of you are also fabulous photographers.

Did you ever think that a magazine might be interested in paying you good money for your stories and photographs?

Most magazines use freelance writers for at least some of their content, and since they work several months in advance, now’s the time to be submitting fall story ideas.

Do you have an Oktoberfest in your area? If you’ve ever been to it and taken pictures, you could write something up and send it to German Life. Here’s some information from the magazine’s website about submissions:

“German Life is a bimonthly magazine, written for all interested in the diversity of German culture, past and present, and in the various ways that the United States has been shaped by its German element. The magazine is dedicated to solid reporting on cultural and historical events as well as travel information. ”

“Each issue of German Life is bound by our editorial calendar and seasonal events. The April/May issue deals with travel in Germany and other parts of German-speaking Europe. The June/July issue is primarily on German-American travel destinations. Our August/September issue includes Oktoberfest and educational pieces. Given scheduling restraints, we prefer that you submit your work several months prior to the appropriate issue. Deadlines will be given when the article topic is accepted.”

And payment? Is it possible to be paid for writing about something you love? YES! German Life is a well-paying publication, making it worth your time to research and write a great story:

“Payment is upon publication and ranges from $300 to $500 for feature articles, from $100 to $130 for reviews and short pieces, and up to $80 for fillers.”

If you have any kind of German festival or event in your hometown, you may have a great idea for a story or review — here’s something your kids could even help you with. If you’ve been studying Germany in school, why not go visit a German restaurant and write a review of it? Or read some brand new books about Germany and write reviews. If it fascinates you, chances are it might fascinate someone else — and this could be something you could write for German Life!

And I can’t resist passing along this information. On the topic of writing (one of my favorite subjects of course), have you ever considered becoming a travel writer? These are people who get PAID to travel to exotic places and write about their adventures. Well, here’s a quick plug for the Travel Writing program I took a couple of years ago.

So far, I haven’t traveled on assignment to faraway lands, but it’s given me new insight into discovering interesting places in my own state. Since finishing the course, I’ve become a regular contributing writer to a regional magazine that highlights travel, arts, and leisure in my area. I’ve enjoyed writing about our state parks, gardens, and other areas of interest. In fact, my editor wrote yesterday and asked if I’d like to work on an article featuring fun things for families to do this summer. (A topic I’m researching now anyway!)

Since graduating from the travel writing program, I’ve more than paid for the cost of my tuition. (In fact, I sold my second course assignment!) I’ve also learned that many places will offer writers and photographers free admission, meals, and overnight stays in exchange for publicity. Although I can’t do much international traveling right now because our children are so young, I dream of helping to fund future family trips through selling articles and photographs. And you can too!

In fact, you can become a travel writer right now by jotting things down when you’re visiting places in your hometown. If you go to a great restaurant, ask for a take-out menu. Describe the food you ate, and write a review of it. Your local newspaper is a great place to start. Or blog about it! (OK, Lauren, you’ve got me totally interested in that adorable coffee shop that serves plate-lickin’ good quiche!!)

For me, when I’m working on a story, it makes my senses come alive — I start noticing details that I would have missed. I overcome my naturally shy nature and start asking people questions. Having a notebook with me even seals some memories I would have forgotten. If you like to write fiction (as some of you do), being a travel writer will make your fictional stories more captivating because you’ll intrigue your readers with vivid detail (and you may even find a way to fund your research!)

Don’t forget to stop by Iris’s place today and tell her Guten Tag!

A couple of days ago, I somehow managed to take a walk alone — just a 15-minute stroll around the back of our house.

It was chilly, so I wore my heavy wool coat. When I came up the hill of our driveway, our little beagle mix puppy came running out toward me barking.

He didn’t recognize me!

Normally, he takes a walk with me while I push a baby stroller, but that day he’d been busy “helping” the others work in the garden. So I was completely surprised to see him acting like I was a stranger.

Then I called out his name, “Jasper!” When he heard my voice, he immediately quit barking and ran over to me, yipping and showing his happiness to see me.

He knew my voice.

This reminded me of the verse in the Bible about the sheep knowing the voice of the Shepherd. I looked it up, and here it is:

My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. The Father and I are one.

John 10:27-30
New Living Translation

Do I know my Master’s voice? When He calls me, do I listen and follow Him? If Christ is truly Lord of my life, then I’ll want to stay near Him, so I can continue to hear His voice calling me.

The best way for me to do this is to keep reading from my Bible every day. Little by little. Some days, I have more time and can slowly absorb whole chapters or fill in a Bible study workbook. Other days, I may be hanging by a thin thread and only have a minute to read a verse and meditate on it throughout the day. (And that’s OK, according to Barbara Curtis — when she had a super busy household of 12 children, she found her moments with God in the laundry room!)

Do you know your Master’s voice? If He called your name, would you recognize Him? If He asked you to follow Him, would you go?

P.S. For those of you who entered Barbara’s Laundry Room contest, have you seen her suprise for you in her Contest Winners post?

Author Susan Thacker is back with us again today to tell us more about her passion for restoring the “dinnertime hour.” If you missed yesterday’s discussion full of inspiring kitchen ideas for spring, you’ll want to read here first.

Welcome back, Susan. Well, I’m holding a copy of your book right now, and I must say I love the hardy design with a glossy cover that looks easy to wipe off. In the first few chapters, you introduce us to the concept of supper swapping, and share how we can eat healthy and build friendships at the same time.

But the recipes are the true heart and soul of your book, an eclectic variety of mouth-watering meals! You feature recipes from several top chefs around the country. Why did you seek out these well-known chefs?

Would you believe — because I wasn’t a very good cook. You know how some people have a mental block against math? Well, I had been like that with cooking. So I literally called up all these chefs and said, “I need your easiest recipe. I’m not a very good cook.” Then they were like, “Yeah, right.” One of them even said, “That’s very humble of you.” It kind of tickled me that this big-time chef didn’t believe me. Oh by the way, I didn’t use his recipe. It was too hard.

I’m looking at the Chicken Picatta recipe on p.120 from Edible Arts in Franklin, Tennessee. This one got a double thumbs-up rating from both of your kids (which I think is a great idea, by the way — the ratings!). You’ve only got nine simple ingredients, and you even tell us how to get more juice from a lemon on p. 66.

Although the recipe has a fancy name, it looks do-able the way you describe it. You write, “Everyone loves it … This dish is versatile. Try making it without the capers and parsley and garnishing with Black Bean Asparagus Salad on p. 88. It’s beautiful!” I’d feel like a real gourmet cook if I prepared a meal like this! Do you think it’s possible for today’s busy parents to serve fabulous meals like these professional chefs do?

Yes, that’s one of the great things that I learned. Chefs all have a few simple recipes that they just throw together. At our website you can click “Recipes” to try some.

Well, I’m going to have to give these a try — it will be fun to say, “Tonight we’re having ‘Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Walnuts’ from Chicago’s internationally renowned Chef John Coletta of Quartino.” Sounds fancy.

Now can you tell us what it was like to be featured on the Dr. Laura radio show?

It was awesome. It’s kind of a funny story, but I have to first say, on a serious note, that the Lord handed me that endorsement. I had been second-guessing all the work I’d put into collecting these recipes, and I said, “Lord, please bless me with some kind of recognition on a national level.” I needed the encouragement. Right after that, Dr. Laura said she wanted to feature it.

The funny part of the story was that one day I just spontaneously decided to send Dr. Laura a silly fax mimicking one of her books called 10 Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives. My fax said, “10 Stupendous Reasons Dr. Laura wants to give away 50 Supper Swapping cookbooks,” and it looked like her book.

Then I listed 10 stupendous reasons, of course. It cracked her up! Her assistant called me immediately and said, “Dr. Laura wants to review Supper Swapping.” She loved it!

And now your book is featured on Dr. Laura’s website, and we can hear an audio of the broadcast on your Supper Swapping website.

Susan, this has been fun getting to know you and sharing your ideas about making family dinners practical and special.

Thanks so much, Heather, for interviewing me. If anyone has any additional questions or wants to obtain Supper Swapping through our website, I’ll send them my personal list of the meals that I think are the fastest and easiest in the cookbook. I think it’s a good cheat sheet for getting started, particularly if you don’t like to cook.

Now, do you have one recipe you wouldn’t mind sharing with us as we head into the spring season?

Yes! For spring, I love the Spinach Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette — a recipe in Supper Swapping from Post Oak Grill in Houston. It’s what we all want: nutritious, few ingredients and kid-friendly. I wait to make this when blueberries are on special; otherwise it can be expensive.

[This recipe also appears on p. 78-79 in Supper Swapping, along with a tip from Chef Polo Becerra on how to cook fish properly so you don’t lose the juice and protein.]

Here’s a recipe from Susan Thacker’s book, Supper Swapping, which you can read more about in our interview with Susan here and here. This recipe is printed with permission from the author as well as Chef/Owner Polo Becerra of Post Oak Grill in Houston. Please feel free to link to this recipe, but don’t copy it unless you ask for permission from the author. Thanks!

1 shallot, minced
1 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (Alessi is one brand.)
1 cup vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in an electric blender. Puree until smooth.
(Yields 1 Pint — enough to split with a friend.)

8 cups baby spinach (a 5 ounce bag is about 5 cups)
1 cup blueberries
½ cup pecan pieces, toasted
½ cup (2 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled (not necessary for kids)
4 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
* Radicchio (purplish) leaves may be used as an optional garnish.

Measure ingredients. Divide the spinach between the plates. Garnish each plate with radicchio leaves if using. Top spinach with pecan pieces, blue cheese and grilled chicken slices. Drizzle desired amount of Blueberry Vinaigrette over each salad when ready to serve. (Yields 4 Large Servings.)

I know a lot of you out there are looking for some inspiration in the kitchen. With kids, it’s easy to fall into a cooking slump when the demands of shopping, preparing, and cleaning up after meals — day after day — can wear down even the most energetic mom (where is she?)

That’s why I’ve invited author and mom Susan Thacker of Texas to rejuvenate us with her awesome idea of sharing the mealtime madness with a friend or two. In fact, she wrote a book on this topic called Supper Swapping. Her story has already been featured on the Dr. Laura radio show, a homeschool magazine, several newspapers, and she’ll be highlighted in the June issue of Family Circle. Way to go, Susan!

If you’re from the Lone Star state, you can also look for her in the Texas insert of an upcoming Southern Living Magazine. So, we’re privileged to have a chat with this busy author!

Welcome to Mom 2 Mom Connection, Susan. I’m so glad you could stop in. OK, I must say I’m intrigued with this whole idea of supper swapping. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Hi, Heather. Supper swapping is when friends trade meals. You don’t necessarily eat together. It’s a concept that can be used by people who hate cooking because then they don’t have to cook as much. Or it’s for people who love cooking because then they get to try new recipes and share them. There are all kinds of benefits, including saving money, saving time, upgrading meals, and having a growing friendship.

Sounds like this would appeal to a lot of us — whether we like being in the kitchen or not. Can you tell us how you got started with supper swapping?

I was talking to my friend on the phone one day, and she asked me if I wanted to come over to her house and cook a bunch of food to freeze. I said, “Not really.” You see, I didn’t like to cook. Then I thought about it and said, “Hey, why don’t I cook for you early this week and then you cook for me later in the week?” She said, “O.K., What do you want to eat?”

I can still remember how hilarious it was when I took the meal over there, and her husband looked blankly at us like we were nuts. Heather, my husband acted the same way when she brought her meal to us.

That does sound funny — he probably wondered what in the world you two were up to! Do you have any thoughts on what it is that hinders many women from preparing home-cooked meals for their families?

That’s a huge question. Our whole culture is changing. More women work. Kids have more structured activities like sports and different lessons, and that’s a fact according to a study by The University of Michigan. So women are in the car a lot. I also think that we have access to more ready-made foods today. So it’s tempting not to cook.

I can relate to being in the car a lot. If we’re not careful, we can have activities planned for every night of the week. Do you have any tips on how moms can get kids involved in the kitchen?

Yes, I think we can nurture the love of cooking by first making the family dinner an event each night, so that children have a positive association with food. Young children will emulate their mothers as they play with pots and pans. As they get older they can help by washing vegetables and participating in menu planning.

Do you usually have a sitter when you have company over for a meal, or do you prefer kids to eat with your guests?

They eat with us. I’m a firm believer in date nights, but our home is centered around the family. So, when we have big dinners, everyone is there. The kids get excited about company because the food is more extravagant, the candles are set, and the house is actually clean!

Well, Susan, you’ve given us a real SMORGASBORD of ideas here. Do you have any last words to help inspire us to dish up a springtime feast?

Sure, here are three springtime tips:

1. Start small and enjoy — Only trade one easy meal a week with a friend who reciprocates at first. On the day you receive your meal, take the kids to the park instead of cooking!

2. Make your cooking day fun — Do some of the food prep while the kids are asleep the evening before so cooking can be relaxing. Entertain yourself while you cook. Open the windows, listen to music or a book on tape. Make snacks for yourself while you cook.

3. Serve dinner outdoors and make dinner an event — Linger at the patio table after dinner and let the kids play in the yard. Springtime gives us the opportunity to unplug and tune into family.

These are great ideas. I hope everyone who’s stopping in to read this today will also go visit Susan Thacker at her Supper Swapping website.

Susan will be back tomorrow to tell us more about how she contacted dozens of top chefs around the country to compile her book. And she’s even promised to share with us one of her favorite recipes from The Post Oak Grill in Houston. Sounds delicious!

Thanks for your responses to my post on Mommy Blogging — it was fun for me to hear back from you on why you blog. Someone said neighborhoods aren’t what they used to be — and that’s true. Except that now our neighborhood is the entire world, and I think that’s pretty cool. (Hello to whoever you are in Argentina who visited!)

I mentioned a few days ago how I’ve discovered the high/low game, which we play at dinner — several nights a week. I don’t know what my deal is this past week but I’ve been on a roller coaster — either feeling like I’m super high on top of the world, or like I’ve plummeted to the bottom of the ocean floor.

IT’S TIME FOR ME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT EXERCISING.

I wrote it. So therefore I must do something about it. I always feel better and more even about life when I exercise. Maybe I need to go hang out at Blair’s blog and learn how to be consistent with charting my progress — which doesn’t exist right now. In fact, since I wrote my post on The Secret Pedometer Club, I’ve stopped wearing my pedometer because I never could get above 8,000 steps — even when I walked over an hour. And in the last two months, instead of losing those dreadful postpartum 20, I’ve gained 5 more!

But back to the highs. Indulge me a minute, and let me share with you the cute things my kids are into these days:

— I taught my 11-month old daughter to use the phone, that wonderful Fisher Price Chatter Phone (no batteries required) — and she promptly began putting it to her ear and calling her “Da Da” over and over. Already, Daddy’s Little Girl.

— My toddler son wants me to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and No, No Jack several times a day, and he likes to walk around the house with a bucket of trains and a piece of wood, which he uses to make a bridge.

— The girls, 5 and 8, are into beauty parlor and like to brush my hair and read to me from their journals. When I put them in bed tonight, I noticed they had a row of baby dolls set up in their room in various cradles, high chairs, and a rocking chair. There was one lonely doll on the bed. “That’s the Mama, and she has five children,” they told me. I was almost afraid to ask, but I did. “Is she a nice Mama?” They said she was. (You never know.)

— My 9-year-old son is into magic card tricks. He has about four that he always wants to show me. “Pick a card, any card” is his most-repeated phrase around here. (And they really are cool tricks.)

So, that’s it. Those are my highs. The lows? I feel like I’m constantly spinning, being pulled different directions. Everybody around here needs something from me. And who is me? The other day I began to plummet, from the sheer exhaustion. I wrote in my journal, “Lord, I feel like I’m always spinning, not really getting anywhere, just spinning.” And I felt Him answer, “Pinwheels are beautiful to watch when they’re blown by the wind. Let my Spirit set you free.”

Ah … thank you, Lord.

Up next: a visit from a mom who has her act together in the kitchen. Though she admits it wasn’t always this way. Susan Thacker, author of Supper Swapping, will be here to tell us her story, and what it was like to be on the Dr. Laura radio show.

One brief announcement: Don’t forget to post on the topic of God’s Sovereignty for this week’s Carnival of Beauty hosted by Iris of Sting My Heart. The word sovereignty sounds deep and scary, right? Well, just tell us how God is big in your life! What does He mean to you? Some of you will probably come up with some great stuff — I’m looking forward to reading your posts!

I know there are over 30 million blogs out there, but I confess most of my favorites fall under the category of “Mommy Blogging.” I love reading what ordinary moms like me have to say about their days. Sometimes I think it’s truly fascinating that this blogging phenomenon has given us a voice — many of us are staying home stirring spaghetti sauce and raising our family — yet when you google a topic, our blogs rank up there as high as top news sites (especially those of us who post every day — Google seems to like that.)

So, I was fascinated to discover yesterday that Catez of All Things 2 All spent several days researching women’s blogs that were nominated for the Share the Love Blog Awards. She visited and read posts from 197 women’s blogs — wow! You’ll have to go read the details in her post, Share the Love: Demographics and Some Thoughts.

Here are the statistics:

No. of blogs I read: 197 (in 8 categories)
No. of blogs I didn’t read: 34 (in 3 categories)
Inaccessible: 3 (links didn’t work or bandwidth exceeded)

And here is how she categorized them:

Not Religious or No Religious Content
Christian (Protestant or Catholic)
Other Religious/Spiritual Beliefs
Mormon
Jewish
Unspecified

You can read her post to find out the numbers and percentages in each group. It’s very interesting! After all of her research, which I’m sure took dozens of hours, here’s what she discovered:

Most of the blogs I read didn’t have a lot about religion or spirituality. Of those that expressed a religious or spiritual belief the majority only made an occasional reference. The biggest theme, by a huge majority, was motherhood and what is called mommy blogging. I have said that before, but I think the demographics help to make the point better …

Thank you, Catez, for doing all this work! (I think this topic would make a great magazine article.) Do y’all find this as fascinating as I do? Why are mommies blogging? I’ve joined a few blogger mom groups lately — and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading essays on DotMoms — which expresses an extreme diversity of views on mothering. (Key word: diverse.) But I can’t get enough of reading about real-time motherhood — obviously!

One common thread I’m noticing personally — in many of the tag lines and throughout the posts — it seems like moms joke around about blogging to keep their sanity. I’ve always felt like I needed to write out my thoughts or I would go bananas. Maybe I’m not alone.

I’m curious — if you’re a mom and you blog, why do you do it?

We had a picnic yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed our Happy Meals from McDonald’s. At first, I was disappointed that we didn’t have cool boxes, just bags. Then I saw whose picture was on the bag, and I started telling my kids, “Look! This is Vonetta Flowers! I know who she is!”

Do you?

If you’re really into winter sports, you probably heard her name a good bit during the Olympics. In 2002, Vonetta Flowers won the gold medal in Salt Lake City in women’s bobsledding. Actually, she’s the first black athlete from any country ever to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

And she’s from Alabama! Now obviously, bobsledding is not a popular sport here in the Southeastern U.S.; we’re lucky to get an inch of powdery snowflakes a year — and then we use cardboard boxes or pizza pans as our makeshift sleds to slide down hills — whoop-de-do. You’ll just have to sneak over to Vonetta’s website and read how a girl from the deep South made the Olympic bobsledding team — this story will give you chills (um … that pun wasn’t intended, but it’s fitting — haha.)

In Torino this year, she and her bobsledding partner came in sixth place, but the even bigger news was that the Kleenex company surprised her by flying her mother and twin sons out to see her. TOTALLY unexpected on her part — and she was in tears when they were interviewed on NBC’s Today Show with host Katie Couric. (Can anybody say, “Please pass me a tissue?”)

I admit that I first heard her name from Terry Whalin, — can you see his name on her book cover? Y’all know I like reading author/editor Terry’s The Writing Life blog — in fact, some of you do too. He told us all about Running on Ice, and that’s how I knew to look for her story in Guideposts Magazine in the February issue.

There’s where I discovered the real story — Vonetta Flowers is a strong Christian, a wife, and a mother to twin boys! On her website, she includes her testimony and says, “God has blessed my family. I give Him the glory and honor.” One of her sons was born without the ability to hear, yet he underwent successful surgery in Italy last December, and now he can. Amazing.

Back to that McDonald’s bag — Here’s what it says:

“i push myself harder than i push my bobsled
i can hit 80 mph in less than a minute
i’m faster than any woman alive
i am Vonetta Flowers
i am golden

Vonetta Flowers
Olympic Bobsledder
Mom”

That last word there says it all. Sure, she made history by winning a gold medal in the Olympics. The first for her race. But I bet if you ask her which title she’s most proud of, she’ll tell you, “Mom.”

Uh huh. I’m lovin’ it too.

I’m discovering there are a ton of Heathers out there in the blogosphere — so here’s a quiz that says our 1920s name would be:

Your 1920’s Name is:

Isabella Lovie

If you take this quiz, I’d love to find out what your name is!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Are you wearing green? Hope so — or somebody will pinch you. Is this just a custom in the U.S.? I just now thought that maybe some of you out there wonder what I’m talking about.

Well, everybody around here celebrates March 17 with the color green and shamrocks, but when I think of Ireland, I think of all these cool Celtic crosses. Here’s a picture:

I could spend all day looking at these crosses, but my kids are home from school — it’s a teacher workday. My kids think there’s no school because of St. Patty’s Day. Funny.

I reviewed a book a few weeks ago that was filled with Celtic crosses. It was gorgeous. If you’d like to read my review, it’s of the book, My Jesus Is … Everything! by Anne Graham Lotz. It’s here at Christian Book Previews. How fun — don’t you love the cover?

Have any of you ever been to Ireland before? Oh, that would be a dream to go. I’d LOVE to go visit some of those crosses … and tour an Irish castle and go eat in an Irish pub. Maybe stay at a bed & breakfast like this one.

We have some friends who have taken several mission trips to Ireland. I think of them when I think of these Celtic crosses. If you happen to live anywhere near Alabama and you have a college-aged student, you will HAVE to go visit University Christian Fellowship in Birmingham. Our friends started this ministry a few years ago with only a handful of students, and now he’s speaking to over 800 STUDENTS a week. Let me tell you, there is something on fire over there. I also discovered there is a UCF blog that records the weekly messages. Anyway, they love going to Ireland, and I’ve enjoyed seeing their pictures and hearing about how beautiful it is over there.

Here are a couple of my favorite Irish Blessings:

Irish Marriage Blessing
May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortunes
and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward.

An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.