EP. 004 - Margin

In this week’s installment of The Mayberry Moms Podcast, we dive into a topic that is on the hearts and minds of parents everywhere, all the time- margin. In a world that praises productivity, keeping your calendars full, and choosing rest last, we take the stance of encouraging rest and margin for ourselves and our families.

I think we have all been in the position where we have realized life is just “too much.” While we want to expose our children to all of the possibilities available to them and live the fullest lives we possibly can, part of this journey is realizing there is a time for adventure and a time for rest. Creating that space for your children and yourself is essential to cultivating a balanced life and home, as well as preventing burnout, tantrums, and other undesirable side effects of having no room to breathe.

We know all too well that there are seasons of life, or even a period of time within a year, where schedules are somewhat out of control, and that is okay.If you feel the tug on your heart to carve out space for yourself, your children, or your marriage, do that wherever you can, and work toward setting an intentional time aside for margin as often as possible until it becomes a routine part of life.

Here are some simple ideas to create margin for your family when it seems impossible:

-Get up five minutes earlier every day until you reach a time you feel is substantial enough for you to start your days off at peace. This may be half an hour, or two hours, as long as you feel ready to take on the day, that is all you need. The key to this time is not to fill it with tasks or plans that stress you out. Make this a true time of peace and margin to start your day off great!

-During days off, or if you homeschool, take 20 minutes after lunch to read to your children or simply talk to them. Your conversation can be about anything, even if you are just laying beside each other looking at the clouds, or telling silly jokes!

-Find, and if needed, assign, a time each day to reconnect with your spouse. I have found this is the most difficult period of margin to enforce, but it is also the most essential one to keeping the foundation of your marriage strong. This can (and should) be done whether your spouse is by your side or half a world away, and I cannot stress enough the value of these moments when it comes to the big picture of your relationship. If it’s 20 minutes a day, a date whenever possible, or sitting together in the backyard while the kids play…this all matters. Don’t be scared to get creative! Some of the best times of connection I have had with my spouse have been when I have leaned into his preferences, talking in the car when the kids have fallen asleep, or going on a casual walk after a full day.

We hope you love this episode on Margin as much as we do!

For more Mayberry Moms fun, find us around the internet at:

Facebook: @MayberryMomsPodcast
Instagram: @Mayberry_Moms_Podcast
Blog: http://mayberrymoms.blogspot.com/
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Podcast: On all major podcast platforms
Youtube: Mayberry_Moms

Pinterest Success !! - Chicken Enchilada and Rice Bake -

I cannot tell you how many times I look at a Pin on Pinterest and think it looks amazing only to have it completely flop! It's the worst with recipes.

Have you ever found yourself in that predicament?

Today I am sharing a recipe from Pinterest and how it went over with the family. I will also be sharing changes I would make to it to make it a better fit for my family and maybe yours as well.

Chicken Enchilada and Rice Bake

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Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole - all the makings of a chicken enchilada but with rice. It's simply delicious!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 12

Calories: 324 kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

• 2 cups Basmati rice uncooked (3 cups)
• 1 cup white cheddar shredded (used 2 cups of Monterey Jack blend) 
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 20 oz Enchilada sauce I used Old El Paso (double the amount of sauce to 40 oz)
• 16 oz refried beans I used Old El Paso (24 oz of refried beans) 
• 11 oz corn kernel drained (1 can)
• cilantro for garnish (Who has time to garnish?!)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

1. Cook the rice. I cooked it with 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of butter.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
3. Mix the 2 cheeses together.
4. In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.
5. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

1. Cook the rice with 6 cups of water.

2. Preheat oven.

3. Mix chicken, enchilada sauce, refried beans and half cheese with rice and mix well. Pour into 11 x 15 baking pan. Add cheese and then pour on corn. The corn had a crisp to it that I found delicious for someone who does not prefer corn.

4. Bake for 25 minutes.

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My family loved this dish. The only request was for next time, it is saucier. So saucy is what I am working towards. 

Click here to watch me make this recipe! 

How about you? Have you tried a Pinterest recipe and found success or was it a flop? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

EP. 003 - Declutter

Photo by Hàn Vi Phạm Thị on Unsplash

In Episode 3 of Mayberry Moms, we are diving into how we manage decluttering. Staying on top of clutter, or hopefully one day ridding it altogether, is an essential part of keeping your home and sanity in check. Hang out with us while we give you ideas that you can implement in your decluttering strategy!

Photo by Maciej Ostrowski on Unsplash

We also created a special printable for this episode, which will allow you to take quick action on your goals.

To download your decluttering guide, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MVZAaZUevs_tdrZ705HmeSKRBm8EJMoy/view?usp=sharing

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

For more Mayberry Moms fun, find us around the internet at:
Facebook: @MayberryMomsPodcast
Instagram: @Mayberry_Moms_Podcast
Blog: http://mayberrymoms.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: The Mayberry Moms Podcast
Podcast: On all major podcast platforms
Youtube: Mayberry_Moms

"Square" Pancake Bake

Our family loves pancakes. However, with making pancakes for eight people, I grow super tired of standing over a hot griddle and flipping. Often times, my family is eating the pancakes in shifts or they are eating as I stand flipping the remaining pancakes.

With our my kids growing up so quickly, I take any family meal we can share together very seriously. The time and conversations we have are going to quickly fade into more activities and all too soon, college.

With all that in mind, my solution was this pancake bake. My son affectionately calls in the "Square" Pancake Bake.

I hope you enjoy it!

Square Pancake Bake

With our large family, I use a 15 x 18 baking dish. This is a very thick pancake. If you need less, you could always half the recipe and use a 9 x 13 baking dish. :)

* Line baking dish with parchment paper, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and distribute evenly over the paper and preheat over to 350 degrees.

* Add to a large mixing bowl and mix:

• 4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/3 cups instant potato flakes
• 8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

* In a separate bowl, beat four eggs. 

* Add and mix completely:

• 4 cups of buttermilk
• 4 teaspoons vanilla
• 10 tablespoons melted butter

* Add wet ingredients to try ingredients and stir. Do not over stir. There will be some lumps. Just make sure it is combined well. 

* Carefully pour combined mixture over buttered parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven.

* Insert a knife into the middle, if the knife comes out clean, bake is done. Serve warm. 

Do you have any tips for simplifying breakfast in your home? If you do, comment below.  We would love to hear! 

EP. 002 - Family Diversity

In this episode of The Mayberry Moms Podcast, we discuss how diversity brings out the best in us on our journey toward simple living.

The composition of our lives and families vary greatly. Large and small families, public or homeschool (or somewhere in between), city or country living, religious or secular, adventurous or homebodies....while these characteristics define our day to day, we can all come together to embrace simple, intentional living.

The composition of our lives and families vary greatly. Large and small families, public or homeschool (or somewhere in between), city or country living, religious or secular, adventurous or homebodies....while these characteristics define our day to day, we can all come together to embrace simple, intentional living.

 We go in-depth on our current life circumstances and how they have changed over time, as well as what differences and similarities exist in our families, and how all of this affects or can be affected by a slower, more cultivated life pace.

Be sure to download, subscribe, share, and leave a review!

For more Mayberry Moms fun, find us around the internet at:

• Facebook: @MayberryMomsPodcast  
• Instagram: @Mayberry_Moms_Podcast 
• Blog: http://mayberrymoms.blogspot.com/
• YouTube: Mayberry_Moms
• Pinterest: The Mayberry Moms Podcast

Click here to listen to Mayberry Moms Podcast EP 002

Clean the Chaos Part 1

Posted on Facebook and Instagram Thursday evening:

Ashley and I are passionate about simple living. When striving to live the simple life, keeping your home clean and continuing to declutter is vital.
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Life has been crazy for me lately and you can always tell how cluttered my mind is by the state if my home.
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Tomorrow I will be decluttering and cleaning. As I go, I will be documenting it and posting my crazy efforts, fail or succeed, on the blog. Keep your eye out! 🙊 💥 🧦 🎒👟🗑️🚽🛏️🛁🏡

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Posted early Friday morning:

Here at Mayberry Moms, I want to be transparent. Real life happens‼️
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I texted my husband this morning just to double check that he doesn't mind our messy all over the internet. He assured me he didn't. Do you know why? Real life happens and it's what you do next that matters. The next step. 👣
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So here I am. This is my next step. 🛁🚽 Here's to getting back to normal routine. Stay tuned! 📻 🎙️

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Master Bath

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Master Bedroom

After:

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Girls Bedroom

After:

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Upstairs Bathroom

After:

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Older Boys Bedroom

After:

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Younger Boys Bedroom:

Ellison isn't quite ready to go to her big girl bed yet and honestly, I'm not quite ready either. We have three kids in this room for the time being. In big families, you gotta be flexible. :) After: 

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Upstairs Hallway - This was the last area we worked on. While we worked, it became more and more cluttered with items needing to find their homes. 

Isn't it crazy how it looks horrible before it comes together? 

After:

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Stairs - Weren't too bad. :)

After:

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I really didn't want to get up. I really didn't want to clean today. Sitting on the couch and wallowing would have been much easier. I thought... I knew I would feel that way. I posted that challenge to myself and that picture this morning because I needed to be held accountable. I knew I'd feel better when it was all cleaned up. The weight that has been lifted and the peace that has taken it's place is indescribable. Once I got going, a kid woke up and started working. Then more woke up and started helping. Pretty soon, we were all enjoying (as much as one can enjoy cleaning!) working towards a goal together. 

It was a great day!

Here are some photos I snapped as we enjoyed time together. <3