• August Meal Plan – Feeding Them with Faith (and a Little Garlic Powder)

    By Lizzie @ What Makes My Kid Cry Today

    Real Life. Real Laughs. Real Jesus.

    “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” — Proverbs 31:25

    Dear Friend,

    There’s a quiet kind of miracle that happens when a mom stands at the stove.

    It might not look like loaves and fishes. It may not get applause or even a thank you. But when we feed our families—day in and day out—with love, with faith, and with the few dollars left in our grocery envelope… friend, that is holy work.

    This month, our August dinner plan leans into nourishment—both for the body and the soul. We’re still shopping smart and stretching our meals on a tight budget, but we’re aiming for “healthier-ish” choices that honor the bodies God gave us… while also recognizing that frozen broccoli and boxed pasta sometimes are a love offering.

    We’re not aiming for perfect. We’re aiming for peace.

    And peace often starts with a plan.

    So here’s the plan: 31 days of real dinners for real families, rooted in grace, grounded in reality, and sprinkled with garlic powder, because that’s our love language now.


    What’s on the Table This Month

    This isn’t a gourmet plan or a Pinterest-perfect layout. It’s real food for real families — built on what we already have, what’s affordable, and what our people will actually eat.

    Below is our meal plan for August 4–31: 28 dinners that balance simplicity, stretch, and a little sanity.


    📅 August 4–10

    • 4 – Italian Chicken w/ garlic breadsticks & roasted veggies
    • 5 – Chicken Fajitas w/ rice & beans
    • 6 – Sloppy Joes w/ fresh fruit
    • 7 – Cheesy Tortilla Quesadillas + corn
    • 8 – Spaghetti w/ garlic toast
    • 9 – Baked Potato Bar w/ toppings
    • 10 – Breakfast for dinner

    📅 August 11–17

    • 11 – BBQ Chicken w/ potatoes & veggies
    • 12 – Chicken & Rice Casserole
    • 13 – Chili Mac
    • 14 – Flatbread Pizzas
    • 15 – Sausage Stir-Fry w/ rice
    • 16 – Leftovers
    • 17 – Sheet Pan Sausage & Potatoes

    📅 August 18–24

    • 18 – Chicken Parmesan Bake
    • 19 – BBQ Meatballs & Potatoes
    • 20 – Fried Rice w/ mixed veggies
    • 21 – Bean & Cheese Burritos
    • 22 – French Bread Pizzas
    • 23 – Enchilada Soup
    • 24 – Breakfast Burritos

    📅 August 25–31

    • 25 – Chicken & Stuffing Bake
    • 26 – Shepherd’s Pie
    • 27 – Naan Pizza
    • 28 – Tacos
    • 29 – Mac & Cheese w/ chicken & veggies
    • 30 – Pancakes & fruit
    • 31 – BBQ Chicken Sandwiches & chips

    🙏 Feeding Our Family with Faith

    It’s not just about feeding seven people. It’s about faithfulness.

    It’s the act of planning and trusting that there will be enough. It’s seeing God’s fingerprints on clearance aisles and BOGO sales. It’s teaching our kids that gratitude isn’t about abundance — it’s about recognizing the Giver in the midst of simplicity.

    And maybe, just maybe, it’s sitting at the table with PB&J and a little less stress… knowing that God sees, God knows, and God provides.


    📖 Scripture for the Week

    “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” —Psalm 145:15–16

    Closing Encouragement:

    This month, whether your table holds feast or frugal favorites, may your heart be full. Because God isn’t just providing groceries—He’s providing grace. And that’s always enough.

  • 💍 Seventeen Years In: Love, Laundry, and the Long Haul

    Seventeen years.

    That’s over 6,200 days of shared space, shared dreams, shared bank accounts, and—let’s be real—shared stress over what’s for dinner.

    When we said “I do,” we didn’t know what we were getting into.

    We were young, optimistic, and blissfully unaware of the ways life would stretch us, grow us, humble us… and sanctify us one toddler tantrum at a time.

    But here we are—seventeen years in.

    Still learning, still laughing, still loving (even on days we don’t feel very lovable).

    🛏️ Seventeen Years of Marriage Looks Like:

    Knowing each other’s coffee order and each other’s sighs. Arguing over thermostat settings like seasoned pros. Saying “I love you” in the form of “I did the dishes for you.” Finding ways to connect in between school drop-offs and grocery trips. Holding hands during the hard days, even when it feels like everything else is falling apart.

    It’s not glamorous.

    It’s not Instagram-perfect.

    But it’s real, and it’s ours.

    🤍 Seventeen Years of Grace

    They don’t tell you this when you’re picking out your wedding flowers—but marriage is less about the ceremony and more about the daily surrender.

    Seventeen years means…

    We’ve forgiven each other more times than we can count. We’ve grown into different versions of ourselves, over and over again. We’ve chosen to stay when it would’ve been easier to walk away. And we’ve learned that God’s grace really is sufficient—even when we are not.

    🕊️ What’s the Secret? (Spoiler: It’s Not a Secret)

    People ask how we’ve made it this far.

    And honestly? It’s not because we’re extraordinary.

    It’s because God is.

    He’s been faithful on the mountaintops and in the valleys.

    In the joy of baby announcements and the heartbreak of loss.

    In the midnight feedings and the 2 a.m. “are-we-doing-this-right” conversations.

    In the quiet moments when all we had to offer was a tired smile and a prayer that God would carry us through one more day.

    We haven’t always gotten it right.

    But God has never stopped holding us together.

    🥂 To Year Seventeen (and Beyond)

    So today, we celebrate.

    Not just the years behind us, but the God who walked us through them.

    We celebrate:

    The man I married 17 years ago and the partner he’s become. The chaos we’ve survived and the calm we’ve fought for. The love that keeps growing—even when it’s covered in spit-up or surrounded by school papers. The truth that our marriage is not perfect, but it’s deeply, beautifully rooted.

    Here’s to the next 17.

    To holding hands in the storm, laughing in the kitchen, and trusting the One who brought us this far.

    Happy 17th anniversary to my best friend, my partner, and the one who still reaches for me—even when I’m the one who forgot to defrost the chicken (again).

    You’re my favorite kind of chaos.

    With love, laundry, and lots of grace,

    Lizzie 💛

  • The Gospel According to the Fridge Door (Or, Why I Have Three Full Ketchups)

    By Lizzie @ What Makes My Kid Cry Today

    Real Life. Real Laughs. Real Jesus.

    ✝️ Verse of the Day: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

    🧊 I Found Three Full Ketchups

    I opened the fridge to grab the ketchup.

    And there they were:

    Three FULL bottles of ketchup.

    All unopened. All chilling on different shelves like they didn’t know about each other.

    I stood there, stunned.

    Like… how?

    Did I black out during every grocery trip?

    Was I afraid of a ketchup famine?

    And suddenly, this overabundance of tomato paste felt like a metaphor for my life lately.

    🤯 When You Keep Stocking What You Already Have

    It’s not that I don’t have what I need.

    It’s that I don’t realize I already have it.

    I keep stocking up—on ketchup, on plans, on backup snacks, on emotional coping strategies—because I’m afraid I won’t have enough when I need it most.

    I live like I’m one meltdown away from total depletion.

    So I prepare, just in case.

    And I forget…

    “My grace is sufficient for you.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

    💡 More Than Enough

    God’s not calling me to live in fear of running out.

    He’s reminding me:

    “You’re already full. I’ve already provided.”

    Sometimes, the fridge doesn’t need more ketchup.

    Sometimes, I don’t need a better plan or more energy or a different phase of motherhood.

    Sometimes, I just need to open my eyes and see:

    He’s already given me what I need for today.

    🍼 Real Life, Real Fridges, Real Grace

    Motherhood trains you to over-prepare.

    Three changes of clothes “just in case.” Six snacks for a 10-minute car ride. A full fridge… and still feeling like you have nothing to cook.

    But grace doesn’t work on scarcity.

    God’s love isn’t measured out with caution.

    It’s abundant. Present. Already here.

    Even when I forget.

    Even when I keep buying ketchup.

    🙏 A Prayer for the Over-Stocked and Under-Rested

    Jesus, help me stop reaching for more when You’ve already given me enough.

    Help me see the full bottles in front of me—not just the fears that linger behind them.

    Thank You for grace that meets me in my kitchen, my clutter, and my overthinking.

    You’re more than enough—even when I feel like I’m not.

    Amen.

    👩‍🍳 Speaking of Full Bottles…

    If you’ve got three full ketchups too, I’ve got good news:

    This week’s Faith & Funny Family Meal Plan is live—complete with kid-friendly dinners, simple Scripture tie-ins, and yes, recipes that absolutely involve ketchup.

    💬 Let’s Talk:

    What are you overstocking out of fear or habit?

    What has God already provided that you haven’t even noticed?