We've moved...

Hi there everyone- just wanted to let you know that our blog address has changed. We're now located at http://www.foodtidings.wordpress.com/ So come check us out there!

Thankfulness in the midst of the craziness...

Life as a mommy of 4 kids under the age of 5, and wife to one wonderful man is no easy task- as I'm sure MANY of you reading this well know. It is hard work! Driving kids to and from school, to and from extra curricular activities, keeping up with the finances, keeping the house clean (sorry to say, that one really hardly gets done in my house...), the laundry, meals, grocery shopping, keeping up relationships, and the list goes on.

And once you think you're done for the day, kids in bed, lunches packed for the next day, house straightened.... you get into some comfy jammies and either sit or lay to relax and catch up on that magazine you've been meaning to flip through for over a month when.........."Mommy? Can I have a drink of water?" or you remember that you have that last load of laundry still sitting in the washer and if you leave it, you know what will happen. The dreaded mildew. I'm almost embarrassed to say that mildew is a common occurrence in our house. I stock up on vinegar because I just can't seem to remember that last load that I was sure I'd remember when I put it in. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? Sheesh!

But when all is said and done, would I have it any other way? Well, except to add maybe a bit more time to the day to get more done and more energy into my body in order to get those things done (wait, do those two just cancel each other out? I'd say they would)- no I totally wouldn't change things. I love being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, grand daughter, friend, and neighbor. What a huge blessing these things are.

The fact that I have mildewey laundry just means I have 5 others in my family who are active and that I get to help keep their clothes clean. It means there's life in my home. Cleaning my house means I get to have 4 wonderful children that leave their sweet handprints and trails wherever they go- and that really is a blessing. And when my son is sick with an ear infection, and is crying so hard from the pain- that means God created his body to know when he's in pain, he has a voice to communicate that to us, and the fever means God created his body to know how to fight off this infection. So I can even rejoice in that. It truly is all in how I look at things.

Yes, life is hard. Super hard. And I have to be okay with knowing it can't all get done when I want, and how I want. But in the midst of it all the craziness, there is much to be thankful for. How can I take what I'm thankful for, and share that with others around me? It can take on many shapes and forms.

*Maybe it's bringing cookies to your neighbor that just moved in, or some pumpkin bread to a neighbor that has lived on your street for a long time and you still don't really know them.
 *Maybe it's calling a fellow mommy and letting her know you're coming over to watch her kids for her. Give her a few hours to herself, to do whatever she'd like.
*Or maybe come to her house and pick up her laundry, take it home, and bring it back later all clean and folded. (You may have to pry it out of her hands because she'll probably say she's fine and she can do it, and she doesn't need help- but she'll be grateful once it comes back clean and folded! Just kidding- don't pry, but for those of you who don't like to accept help- this is a time when it's okay to accept it! Some people want to help, and would be blessed to do it, so saying no just denies them of that. Know what I mean? I'm saying this to myself as I type!)
*Bring over some chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers, gatorade, a pretty yellow flower of some kind, and a movie to someone you know who is sick.
*Double the batch of dinner you're making tonight for your family, and bring the other half over to an older neighbor you have that lives alone.

How will you show someone you care today?

A New Arrival!!

Hi there everyone! A few new exciting things happening here...
First, our 4th child was born on July 20th- he's just precious! His name is Deklan Eugene, and he weighed in at 6lb and was 20.5 inches long. Welcome to the world, little Deklan!

We have amazing friends and family who are bringing us dinners, and they've been so wonderful! We've gotten mexican stuffed shells with salad and muffins, bbq sandwiches with cheesy potatoes and brownies, tater tot casserole with ice cream and homemade fudge (yummy!), spaghetti and salad with these amazing raspberry shortbread cookies, lasagna with bread, and we even had pizza delivered to us! We just feel so blessed to have such great support around us, and we're being fed VERY well. There's just not much better than having meals brought during a time like this. The last thing I'm thinking about is making dinners- really, I'm just trying to stay awake enough to take care of my 4 kids! This is quite the transition time, and I know these sleepless nights and raging hormones are only temporary (thank goodness, for my sake and my families sake!) So yes, Zach and I are super tired, but more than that we're just amazed that God could create such a beautiful baby and thankful for our friends and family!!

Also, I just came across a column that was written on azfamily.com (one of our local news stations), and it featured foodtidings in the article! Click here for the link if you want to check it out (it's about 3/4 of the way down the article.)

Keep on helping others by bringing them meals, and in any other way you can- you are making a difference!!!

Exciting News!

Jeff and Leanne (co-founders of foodtidings) are expecting baby #6!!!! My bet is that it's a girl- they have 5 girls right now, all under the age of 7! They're such awesome parents, and we're super excited for them. Congratulations you guys!

Foodtidings Featured In Ladies Home Journal Magazine!

We just found out that foodtidings was featured in an article in the Ladies Home Journal Magazine! It's from the May 2009 issue. We really had no idea that this site was going to be such a huge help to so many people- it started as my husband trying to help solve a problem I was having with trying to create meal schedules using email. And I was getting SO frustrated with it!I would say, hit "reply all" when you sign up for a day, so everyone knows what day you signed up for. And inevitably, someone wouldn't do it- and I would have to send out a mass email, letting those people know. It was such a mess! Anyways, he called up a couple that we're great friends with (and he's an amazing computer web designer), and together, they created Foodtidings. And I was just so excited that now I wouldn't have to deal with all the headaches that come with creating a schedule using email. Little did we know that word would spread so quickly, just how easy to use and helpful this site is!

Look Inside >> Foodtidings Featured- Ladies Home Journal May 2009!

The Search Feature

For a few weeks now we have been trying to figure out why some of your schedules didn't show up in the search results. That time is now over :-) I am sure you are just as glad as us, and we can officially declare the search feature "working".

Remember, searching for a schedule is not a way to have people sign up, but a way to get in touch with the coordinators and request a link be sent. We still feel the personal information contained within each schedule should not be made publicly accessible, in order to help maintain the privacy of the families involved and keep them safe.

New Meal Schedule Quick Search

A few people have asked about searching meal schedules. While we understand the need, especially since we all delete/lose emails easily, we still care about the privacy of the families/people whom the schedule is for. That said, we are going to be rolling out a new search tool that will allow you to have limited search for existing meal schedules based on the schedule title. Usually, the title has the families name included.

This new search feature does come with some limitations however. We are restricting the search results to include only the title of the schedule, the zip code of the drop-off address and the email contact for the coordinator. What this search tool allows is for people who heard about the schedule but didn't receive an invite, they can request the link from the coordinator. Also, people who lost their invite link can now search for the schedule and ask the coordinator to resend it.

We expect this feature to be rolled out in the next week or so! I will post to the blog announcing that it is ready.

Password Request Feature Added

Sorry about the gap in new posts. As of a few weeks ago, a new password request tool has been added to the site. Now you can request & receive your password instantly, and I can have more time to add more important things to the site (like searching for Meal schedules...almost done!) If you find any issues, please let me know.

What's In The Works for Foodtidings.com

We have gotten a lot of great feedback recently from all of you on ideas & improvements to the foodtidings web site, and I just wanted to take a moment and let you know what to expect in the next few weeks. Here's the top 3 things on our to-do list:

1. Address book/contact management: yes, you will be able to edit, delete and add people into your invite list just like an address book.
2. Search for schedules: A simple search feature that will allow you to find the schedule for that friend who's email invitation you accidentally deleted :-)
3. Automated Forgotten Password System: Yes, I know you liked getting those personal emails from me telling you what your password was, but, so many of you are signed up now that it is taking forever to scroll through the list of accounts!

We hope to roll out these changes in the next few weeks, and I'll be sure to post an update to the blog for each one letting you know. Don't forget, if you have ideas on other ways we can help you send them to info[aT]foodtidings.com!

Exciting!

Well, all I can say is that I'm truly excited that foodtidings is up and running now! Zach and I have been married for almost 6 years, and we have two children (ages 3 and 1 1/2) with one coming next month. And after I had my first two, one of the coolest things was having meals brought to us during that transitional time of our lives. There are so many new things happening with a new baby, and making dinner was pretty close to the farthest thing from my mind at the time! And it was a great way for our friends and family to get to see the new baby too. I just felt so cared for and loved having meals brought to us. And I got some great ideas from others for new recipes too! Now that foodtidings is here, it makes it that much easier to organize meals for others who are in a transitional time in their lives as well. Yea!

Our First Post

Well, we finally did it :-) We have decided to set up a blog to bring you ideas, tips & stories to help you. Zack, Lisa and myself will be posting here regularly, so subscribe with your favorite reader, or via email.