Smarty Bar your Life

Mimi, have I got news for you. There are sixteen peanuts and eighteen other ingredients in a Snickers bar. (Are you rolling your eyes at me?)

We were driving home from a frantic morning when I discovered one in the console, where your daddy had hid the naughty thing. I was famished, sure that, as your Papa says, my belly button was scratching my backbone, despite being six months pregnant. I checked on you in the rear-view mirror and then went for it. Forgive me, I am the kind of mom who finagles chocolate. Driving one-handed, I impressively rammed my left hand between the seat and door, and tore it open. To my disappointment, it was frozen solid. With my mouth hidden somewhere in my left armpit, I gnawed off a piece, ignoring the risks of broken tooth, getting caught, and oh – being a driving hazard.

That’s how this whole week has felt. This time, when you are so young, should be simple, since we have no where to be. But it’s not. I run from here to there, sometimes never leaving the house, but feeling overwhelmingly hurried. It doesn’t have to be this way. I envy your dad, a phenomenally hard worker, in his ability to shut off the frazzle. Every night after dinner, he does the dishes (thank you Jesus), and then proceeds to the living room floor where he lays down, arms out, awaiting two little people to play wrestle-mania and airplane with, until I nag that we shouldn’t get too hyped-up before bedtime.

I don’t know what the frazzle will be for you. For me, it’s strongly correlated to my laptop, iPad, and iPhone, sometimes used all at once. My wheels are spinning. This is not the example I want to set for you, nor is it fun for me. I crave simplicity and focus.

By no coincidence, on the same day of the sneaky Snicker incident, I discovered Smarty Bars . Be sure, I have consumed enough Powerbars and goop while running, that I don’t eat smart-anything unless I’ve got 10 miles under my belt, and even then, I tend towards jellybeans. I only clicked on the link because I greatly admire the woman behind them. When I found the ingredients page, I was fully expecting the typical unpronounceable 20+ items. Instead, there were four. FOUR. The quest for simple living has begun, as I’m going to SmartyBar my console. Next time you catch me snacking, I’ll be proud to share.

Your mama is going to Smarty Bar her life too. Four priorities to pour myself into and be filled up by: God, marriage, kids, and… walnuts. Really. Walnuts are the fourth ingredient in my new health food, so might as well be in my life. See I don’t like walnuts enough to eat them by themselves, ever. But when mixed with other ingredients, as in my favorite home-made granola, walnuts are delectable. And when I look at all the other “stuff” in my life, all the other goals and desires, I need to ask myself – do they mix well with the first three, or am I trying to consume them all alone, leaving a bad taste in my mouth?

Mimi, you can do all things through Christ*, but you won’t achieve anything trying to accomplish everything. Stay focused my love.

*Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”


Smarty Bars