Of Making Healthy Choices

Our children are such fans of food they plan their meals ahead of time.  Okay, to be honest, Emmett probably wouldn't think of it if he had not heard his sister do so.  He's just generally happy to have food in front of him of any sort (such a boy).  His sister on the other hand?  She's planning tomorrow's breakfast while she's eating her eggs today.

"And after we eat our eggs and banana and milk, then we'll have lunch, and then dinner and then the next breakfast, after we wake up, can we have toast?"

or during lunch . . .

"After I finish these next five bites, I'm gonna have dessert and then after I wake up, I'm gonna have snack and then dinner and then can I have a cookie for that dessert?"

Yes, dessert might be her favorite food item to concentrate on, but, then, she's a girl - chocolate is her love language.

I've been so pleased, however, to notice the subtle changes in her suggestions after the Whole 30, where fruits and veggies were a mainstay at every meal.  Today, for example, she asked me (before breakfast), "Today, can I have a peach for snack*?"

"Well, maybe.  But how about I give you some for lunch, instead?" (I made this suggestion knowing snack isn't always a guarantee and we need to eat those peaches spilling over our dining room table.)

[Like she's just won the lottery] "Yeah!  And maybe we can have some for lunch and snack!"

Considering her previous snack requests have been focused on animal crackers and Goldfish, this Mommy is rather relieved to hear her excitement over picking what fruit she'll have in her recycled yogurt cup this afternoon, especially knowing what battles we've fought in the past over seeing some of these very same items on her lunch plate.  

They have both become much more receptive to a variety of produce and we are quietly happy about this (can't let them know we're surprised at their positive reception to our meal offerings).  Of course, we might not have needed the Whole 30 to accomplish this task, but it's what forced us to make more of a deliberate effort to turn away from filling our kids with rolls, mashed potatoes and pasta (their favorites) and toward fresh-from-the-earth good-for-you options.  

We in the parenting biz call this a win.

*Note, snack comes AFTER nap-time, which comes AFTER lunch-time.  She's a little ridiculous.

1,000 Gifts:

919. The internet connecting us all

920. Dust, all glitter in the sun

921. Bubble Gum jelly beans (I'm not a jelly bean fan, but these blew my socks off)

922. Packing other people's things

923. An impromptu gathering and the children scurrying about

924. Soft green grass

925. A cat nestled on the lawn, basking in the afternoon sun

Of the Whole 30 (the Aftermath)

The first thing I noticed this morning (after the desire to shout for the neighborhood to hear, "FREEDOM!!!") was that I, surprisingly, had no longing to switch out my Whole 30 breakfast habits for the old stand-in of a nice bowl of cereal.  An omelet and apple sounded pretty good as a matter of fact.  Sure, we added a little cheese (gracious, yes!), but otherwise we kind of like making breakfast in the morning with a side of fruit.

Then came lunch.  And while I was definitely not messing around with my salad - I was having real dressing and having it NOW - I didn't really want anything other than some lettuce and a rotisserie chicken (which is definitely a new thing for me - we'd never bought one before the Whole 30 but I think I'm addicted to the convenience factor on that one).  And while the thought crossed my mind we could have some dessert (animal crackers, anyone?), my body told me it was full and, crazy enough, the rest of me agreed.

Here's where I realized I was really broken, though.  It was when I needed to try out a new Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe before I made a few dozen for an event next week.  I ate half a muffin.  And felt sick to my stomach for about an hour.

What is this?!

I tried another one again later with the same effect.  And then ice cream.  Two bites.  Same thing.

Apparently sugar is bad for me.  When did this happen?  And when did my body learn to recognize that?!

The Whole 30 has ruined me.

Now, all those recipes I stocked up on Pinterest?  Snickerdoodle Brownies?  Cake Batter Blondies?  The Oreo and Flourless Chocolate cakes I had ripped from magazines?  Don't even sound appetizing.  Just the thought makes my stomach turn.

Ruined, I tell you.  Ruined.

But on the plus side, I am now slightly under what my dream weight goal has been for over a decade.  Now that I can live with.  And considering my new feelings toward desserts, I might even get used to it.

1,000 Gifts:
855. Daddy praying over son's nightmares
856. Painting the wall around an open window while watching the storm roll in
857. Rain pattering the chimney
858. Storm cuddles while watching Woody Woodpecker and eating muffins (even if they do make me feel sick)
859. God's provision even at a garage sale
860. A project completed.

Of Reaching the Finish Line

Well, my dear readers, we have arrived.  Day 30 of the Whole 30.  Which means we've survived.  The Whole 30.

Who would have ever thought we'd be standing here (or sitting here or barely here because my mind is so on chocolate chip cookies right now I can't think straight, which may or may not entirely scoff in the face of the entire past 30 days)?

We celebrated our final meal of Whole-30-ness with Shrimp Scampi and Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes (minus the cheeses and Ghee rather than butter in both) - a meal that was a hit with everyone (especially our little boy who cried, "It's not enoooooouuugh!" when he received his tiny third helping).  It almost made me sad to say good-bye.  Until I remembered I still couldn't have dessert.  And then I was ready to kick the Whole 30 to the curb with it's bags behind it.

Which brings me to the rough part of this entire journey.  I'm so glad we did this and I really do feel like I appreciate real foods more - I love meat and I love vegetables (what?!) and while I'm ready to sprinkle cheese on my omelet, a bowl of cereal for breakfast just feels like a bit much.  There are some habits I feel might actually be gone (yay!) - but there are others that I just can't seem to kick.  Like that one that's been browsing Pinterest like an addict and itching to get back in the kitchen and just put something filled with flour, sugar and chocolate into that oven.

I'm trying to tame the beast.  But it so desperately wants out.

So have we accomplished anything in these thirty days?  Anything at all toward approaching food with a healthy mindset?  Time will tell, I suppose.  But all I know is, for now, my kids haven't asked for a cookie in at least three weeks and, while our precious girl was begging for McDonald's this evening (that was before she tasted dinner - and I'm still wondering where the plea came from, because it's not like we eat there more than once every three months anyway), I can tell they haven't been too terribly concerned about the lack of rolls at the dinner table.

Do I really want to mess with that?  I honestly don't think so.

1,000 Gifts:
846. Aroma of garlic filling the kitchen
847. Cauliflower masquerading as potatoes
848. My husband rushing me out the door to see the sunrise
849. Waking early enough to see a sunrise
850. Finally feeling like I have a grasp on the goal ahead
851. Duck, Duck, Goose
852. The big grin on his face as he hides under his towel
853. Face to face with my oldest son
854. The pride in his voice as he learns to be a big boy

Photos of the Day:
When I asked Micaiah for some quiet time so I could plan for her starting school at home next week, this is what she spent about 20 minutes doing.  Just reading the paper.

This is Joey's new trick.  He just loves flipping his tongue upside down, which baffles his Daddy and I because neither of us can do this.

Also, he's still just really cute.

Whole 30 - Day 30!!!
Breakfast - Egg, Sausage and Salsa Omelet, Bacon
Lunch - Leftover Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
Dinner - Shrimp Scampi, Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Of a Confident Little Man

I would just like to announce that it has taken Emmett five days to get to the same point it took Micaiah two years to reach.  Now, I'm not comparing children.  I know they are both equally intelligent and capable, but one of them had an older sibling going potty and is now awfully proud to be "big like 'Caiah"!

This new status, that of a potty trained boy, has added a little swagger to his step.  I kid you not that he is noticeably more confident now that he knows how to stay clean and dry.  And we had an accident-free day, even after going to church twice.  He didn't go while we were out, but he went immediately after getting home and has only needed a diaper to sleep (but I'm not too worried about that, yet).

Oh man.  And they said boys were harder.  Psht on them (whoever they are).

1,000 Gifts:
839. Spaghetti Squash tried again (not sprouted)
840. Allowing me to say her prayer (even after a tooth-brushing fiasco)
841. Her snuggled up while I read 
842. "Who's a big boy?" "Me!" - confidence is hard to beat
843. Real conversations with real women
844. A reminder to make the days count
845. Having these moments while they last
846. Setting out clothes for that coming baby nephew

Whole 30 - Day 29!
Breakfast - Salsa & Egg Omelet, Banana
Lunch - Salsa, Sausage & Egg Omelet (we were kind of out of any other options - but this was a great one!), Clementine
Dinner - Spaghetti (Squash) and Meatballs

Worst Part of Today: Stocking up on cereal (hey, it was on sale and we're getting grains back SOON) and not being able to sneak even just a little.

Best Part of Today: Giving Spaghetti Squash another fair shot and realizing everyone is right - it's pretty good, especially as a healthier option to spaghetti.  Even Micaiah (who I think still connected it to the previous fiasco even though I hoped she wouldn't notice) admitted it's really good with sauce.  Whew!  

Of Giving a Mouse a Cookie

It all started because my lower back was not enjoying our sinking couch cushions.

Ok, that's not the truth.  Truth is, it started a long time ago.  When we first bought a house and I knew it needed to be painted something other than the renter's white which currently coated the walls.  We made the mistake, however, of moving in before we painted.  And then, well, it just became work to think of moving furniture to paint.  Not to mention I had no idea what color I wanted or even how to paint a room.

I felt as though a light blue would brighten the space, but no one paints their living space blue.  That hue is reserved for bedrooms and bathrooms, or maybe your little boy's room (like ours currently is), but certainly not the living room.  Living rooms are varying shades of brown or sage green, and, for the trendy, gray.  I thought, then, that gray would work for us.  But my heart wasn't in it and we went five years with nothing.  Nothing but indecision.

And then my back started hurting, and I knew we needed a way to fit a more supportive seating option into our living room, like that Guatemalan rocking chair in our bedroom that we never sit in.  To do this, we would need to re-arrange things.  And if we were going to be moving the furniture anyway, we might as well paint the entertainment center white (another item long on the to-do list) while we were at it.  And since we were painting that and moving all the other things about, we might as well paint the walls (because a white entertainment center can't sit against a cream-colored wall).

And the next day, I noticed on Better Homes and Gardens a photo of a blue living room.  It felt like permission.  And that was all I needed.  So, since we were finally going to be painting the walls, we were going to paint them blue.  And we were finally going to make this the living space I've desired.

For five years.

For a little perspective, these are vague views of the living room before (since I always get in a hurry and forget "before" photos, these pictures of us dancing back in May will just have to do).

This was "during" - we spent a lot of time outside and watching movies in Mommy and Daddy's room, as there was no space in the living room for about a week.

Two weeks after we took the first bite (pictured above), the walls are still a work in progress (painting one wall every two days, during nap-time and after the kids are in bed makes for a slow process), but it's all coming together.  Five years of dreaming coming into fruition.  What a joy!

This is how things look now.  Of course, there's still more to add to the wall over the sofa and possibly a rug someday, but I'm kind of happy.  (Also, I artfully left out the parts that are unfinished - to be done in the next week or so, let's hope.)

 (And that white dresser in the corner next to the sofa, now holding video games and VHS and blankets to keep us warm?  That's this dresser below that I got for $10 at a garage sale.  Love great finds.)

1,000 Gifts:
831. A lunch time guest
832. My big brother turning 30.  When did we get this old?
833. Her, with a giant slice of watermelon, pink running sticky sweet down her chin
834. A little boy running to the potty
835. Another little boy on the verge of crawling
836. Tomato, sliced bright red, fresh from Gram's garden
837. Smiles in the dark
838. Her curly hair, damp with sweat, in my face as she whispers, "I forgive you." - Mommies need to hear it, too.

Whole 30 - 
Day 27 - 
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch: Watermelon (I should have eaten more, but the afternoon got away from me)
Dinner: Chicken Fajita Salad

Day 28 - 
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
Lunch: Leftover Mexi Salad
Dinner: Shashlik, Green Bean Bacon Bundles, Sliced Tomato

Worst Part of these Days: Not eating enough for lunch on Monday.  My body needs its protein.  Yet, somehow it survived without making me double over in discomfort.

Best Part of these Days: Feeling like I can finally veer from the meal plan - having the knowledge of what to eat enough to throw things together last minute and still have them fit the "program."  We're learning.

Of Finding Success(ish)

I just want everyone to know, Day Two of Potty Training (the second edition) involved much fewer tears and many loud cheers.

After yesterday, we were fully ready to pull an audible and declare him unfit for the task at the current time, but having potty-trained him into a corner, where he wouldn't wet his pants but wouldn't use the toilet, we felt we owed it to him to at least push through and continue to encourage progress.

And, while he still has his moments, our little man is learning to run his tushy to the potty to do his business.  Either that, or he announces, "I'm not poop!" which, most certainly translates to, "I need to go potty!" - at which point Mommy and Daddy have to convince the little guy holding onto his underwear that this is, indeed, what he wants to do (and if our encouragement doesn't work, a gentle reminder that marshmallows await his success is generally enough to do the trick).

Either way, we have officially confirmed today that he does know how to control his functions and he is compliant enough to actually follow through (even when he sometimes doesn't want to).

That's not to say today was without its accidents - he's still learning - but we are fully convinced he is on the right path.

Glory, hallelujah!

1,000 Gifts:
823. A fresh tomato cut for lunch
824. The lawn, lacking weeds
825. Zucchini, sliced and baked
826. New uses for that which had been labeled useless
827. Helping him reach his potential
828. Rediscovering potential
829. Finding homes for everything
830. Six years later and finally enjoying his likes

Whole 30 - Day 26
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, 1/2 an apple, Sweet Potato Cinnamon Hashies (I was disappointed I didn't get them very crunchy, and they definitely needed salt, but the kids loved them)
Lunch: Leftover Mexi Salad
Dinner: Baked Chicken Thighs (marinated in homemade Italian dressing), Green Beans, Salad with Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette, Raisins and Sliced Almonds

Of Potty-Training, Second Edition

For those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, you know that potty training has been a harrowing experience for us.  When recently asked my one piece of parenting advice, it was this, "Never potty train.  Ever."

Now, I understand every child is different and I understand my little strong-willed child is the exception to the rule.  And she now wears underwear 24/7 and is content to approach her fourth birthday as a potty trained child.  Woohoo!

And since the last two and a half years were so rewarding and wonderful, we decided we'd jump right back into the world of potty training again (insert rolling of the eyes here).

Okay, truthfully, I could have happily waited until Emmett just up and got sick of his diaper and taught himself, but the poor kid has been showing signs of readiness - announcing when he's gone and asking to sit on the potty - for awhile now and I didn't really think it fair to ignore him just because his sister was a potty-training nightmare.

So we decided this nice three-day weekend would be the perfect time to devote to our middle child.  We sent sissy off to Mommy and Daddy's bedroom with the iPad (seriously, it's the best baby-sitter), tucked Joey in for his morning nap and showered Emmett in lemonade (we had crackers ready to provoke his little taste buds to drink more, but this kid needed no help - he, honestly, drank two quarts of lemonade today, including a full sippy before breakfast), raisins (for staying dry) and quality time.

He quickly learned it was good to stay dry (yay, raisins!) and sad to be wet.  He also learned his pee-pee goes in the potty.

Unfortunately, for some reason, he decided he hated going in the potty.  He cries every time.

Herein lies the problem.  He knows going in his pants is a bad idea.  So he doesn't do that.  But he's scared to go in the potty.  So he doesn't do that.  This leaves us with an awkwardly squirmy kid, crossing his legs and holding himself trying to keep it all in because he doesn't know where he does want to put it.  So then he sits on the potty and cries and cries until he just can't stand it any longer and it comes out.

Of course, once it's done, he's happy to have his marshmallows and the happy cheers of everyone around.  Just not happy enough to be excited to do it again.

Sigh.

Someday we'll have a happy little potty-trainer.  Someday.

1,000 Gifts:
819. Having just what someone needs when it's needed
820. Raisins and lemonade
821. A place for everything
822. A fear overcome

Whole 30 - Day 25
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
Lunch - Leftover Butternut Squash Lasagna
Dinner - Leftover Chicken Parmesan

Worst Part of the Day: Realizing my husband and I were not on the same page regarding our goals for this program and our dreams of how we'll be eating afterward.  We're working on it.  (Also, rewarding a little guy with marshmallows while not sneaking a few ourselves.)

Best Part of the Day:  Being to the point where I don't really have to think very hard about what we'll be eating.  Eating this way is almost a habit now.

Of Our Little Genius

Our budding almost-four-year-old never ceases to astound us.  I'll be honest, she's our first so every time she hits a new milestone I'm shocked.  Not being one to keep up with where she would be when, it's always a pleasant surprise when she discovers something new.  Thus, this may not be too jaw-dropping to the casual outsider, but for an easy-to-impress Momma like me, well, she's just plain genius.

 And pretty cute, to boot.

What has she done lately?

Well, it all started yesterday when she drew a submarine.

A submarine.

What three-year-old girl draws Mommy in a submarine?  And, surprisingly, it was fairly accurate once I knew what it was.  And it was no accident, because after erasing her magnetic drawing, she re-created the picture, but with Emmett in the submarine this time, and in water (my submarine was apparently floating in the sky).

Then, today, she filled in numbers on her coloring book page accurately to the instructions, with neither Mommy nor Daddy paying attention - meaning no one told her the little boxes were for writing numbers or which order in which the numbers were to be written.  We're sure it's just coincidence, but we're still impressed (like I said, we're pretty easy).

Finally, she read two words today.  Sure, there were about eight she did not read accurately, but while playing a game of Boggle Junior, she completely sounded out (without assistance) both "FOX" and "BELL" and was so (rightfully) proud of herself each time.  I loved seeing the look of thrilled surprise each time she was shown the coordinating picture that matched the word she had read.  I think we were both shocked at her accuracy.

Like I said, this girl surprises me every day.  And I may be naive, but she's my baby girl, and I'm kind of proud of her.

1,000 Gifts:
811. A tired baby head resting on my shoulder.
812. Healthy babies
813. Little man's dimples
814. Her beautiful round cheeks, framed by falling curls
815. A potty-trained girl
816. Anticipation 
817. The muggy coolness of late-summer afternoon
818. Waking up refreshed.

Whole 30 - 
Day 22 -
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Leftover Mexican Chicken Soup
Dinner - Bacon-Wrapped Chicken, Garlic Brussels Sprouts

Day 23 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Leftover Bacon-Wrapped Chicken, Plumcot, Salad
Dinner - Mexi Salad (even better than I remembered!)

Day 24 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Plumcot
Lunch - Leftover Mexi Salad
Dinner - Paleo Butternut Squash Lasagna 

Worst Parts of These Days: I've still been awfully hungry in the afternoons, especially when dinner comes a little late, but I'm doing alright.

Best Parts of These Days: Watching our children beg for seconds on Brussels Sprouts and eat Butternut Squash Lasagna without complaint.  I truly believe their taste buds are changing along with ours and this makes every second, every day without dessert (other than the "itty-bitty grapes" we give the kids), entirely worth it.

Of Being a Chosen People

Has a piece of Scripture ever been so beautiful you could not help but physically hold it close, clinging to these words of hope?

I feel as though this may have happened for me in the past, when I was in the valley and it felt the whole world was sliding against me and I needed something, anything, from His Word to pull me through.

But today was different.

I've been in the middle of what I would call a "dry spell" - a season in which, while I don't necessarily feel far from God, I don't feel particularly close, either.  I read His Word and I glean spiritual truth, but nothing really stirs.  My study and devotional time lack emotional depth.

I have followed Jesus long enough to know these periods happen - as they do in any relationship.  I long for this to not be true in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, for whom my every breath exists - I wish I could say He was forefront in my mind all the time and that I whisper Scripture while I clean my home, but you already know I don't really clean my home, so it would be piling the lies on, really.  But the truth of the matter is, sometimes I let my everyday living take place apart from the glory of grace.  And I get distracted and pulled away.

That's why I so surprised this morning, while catching up on my Bible Study of James (via Beth Moore's "Mercy Triumphs"), as I was engrossed in the findings of the Jerusalem Council, declaring Gentiles free from Jewish Law, yet receiving the same Holy Spirit as the Jews, I literally began stroking my fingers across the most beautiful words of 1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Oh.  It fills me to my toes.  And completely caught me off guard.

Who knew that was what I needed to hear?  I certainly did not.  But God did.

This remarkable opening of the gates to the Gentiles has long been to me a precious aspect of the story of God's New Testament grace - from the very speaking of Simeon, declaring Jesus a "light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).

Because I am a Gentile - a group once considered to be the outsiders.  The mere on-lookers and, in the worst cases, enemies, of God's people Israel.  While a few strands were worked into the beautiful tapestry of God's Old Testament stories, for the most part, the Gentiles did not receive a kind word or an offering for redemption.

And, yet, I am a part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people for His own possession.

We are not just the late-comers.  The red-headed step-children He decided might as well come along, too.  No.  We are chosen.  We have received mercy and we have been called into marvelous light.

I cannot help but breathe deeply with the truth of these words.

Revel in His grace and mercy.  You belong to Him!

1,000 Gifts:
805. Truth
806. Scripture in my language
807. His Marvelous Light
808. Putting things back together
809. Memories
810. The old becoming new

Photo of the Day:
This is Emmett "hiding" after his bath.  He makes me smile.

Whole 30 - Day 21:
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
Lunch - Leftover Fondue Meat, Salad, Grapes, Crunchy Broccoli Slaw, Cherries
Snack - Plantain Chips
Dinner - Mexican Chicken Soup (a South Beach Diet recipe)

Worst Part of Today: Running out of Plantain Chips.

Best Part of Today: Realizing how much I've enjoyed eating lunch lately.  It's so nice to not just be going to the old sandwich fallback every day and, yet, doing more than just salads.  Also, we haven't been eating lunch in front of the TV, so it feels less rushed.

Of Parenting our Mover

Y'all we have a mover on our hands.  After two kids who never seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere, both waiting to crawl until nine months and walking at 15/16 months, I don't know what to do with myself!

No, Joey does not get up on hands and knees to crawl quite yet (though he does pull himself up for rocking now and then), but that boy can army crawl like nothin' else.  When I put him on the floor, I can no longer do a quick check of the small radius within arm's reach to be sure he's safe from choking hazards.  No, Ma'am (or Sir), Operation Constantly Clean Floors has commenced - and when that fails, he gets stuck in his exersaucer, because sometimes Mommy gets distracted and just can't be sure he's not squirming into another room to wreak havoc.

And it's so funny how quickly we forget how to transition into each new stage.  Yes, I've had two crawlers before, but for some reason I was drawing a complete blank on what this phase means for me.  I found myself asking, "How is he finding another piece of paper to put in his mouth amidst all these toys I gave him to play with and why don't I remember scrambling this much with the other two?"

And then it dawned on me.

With our previous little ones we were very deliberate about house-proofing our baby rather than baby-proofing our house.  True, I maintained clean floors and still tried to keep choking hazards out of baby reach, but for the most part we focused intently on teaching our children the word, "No!" and then employing that word whenever they were about to touch something undesirable.  It didn't take long for them, even at such a young age, to figure out what was okay and what would garner a slap on the wrist.

Duh.

Parenting.  That's what I did with the other two.  So why don't we try this again, rather than let the little monster run rampant?  Sounds like a plan.


1,000 Gifts:
799. Blue Whisper
800. Pre-shopping garage sales
801. Quality time sorting tacky clothes
802. Getting paid to clear out the clutter
803. Plans coming to fruition
804. Replacing Game Night snacks with good-for-us options

Photo from Saturday: We made a trip to Lowe's and Daddy made sure Joseph had on his "Daddy's Helper" onesie, complete with tool belt illustration.  Love them both!

Day 18 - 
Breakfast - Cowboy Breakfast Skillet (I was kind of afraid of this one, but it was actually pretty good)
Lunch - Leftover breakfast 
Dinner - Mexican Crockpot Stew (using previously cooked/shredded Chicken Carnitas)
Snack - Cherries

Day 19 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Leftover Mexican Crockpot Stew
Snack - Plantain Chips
Dinner - Bacon, Roasted Red Pepper, Onion Frittata (Everyone LOVED this)
Movie Snack - Mixed Nuts, Dried Cranberries, Raisins (not quite popcorn, but still yum)

Day 20 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
Lunch - Mini Pizza Meatloaves, Salad
Snack - 1/2 Banana Bread Larabar
Dinner - Chicken Parmesan (minus the Parmesan and the Mozzarella), Green Beans, Salad

Worst Part of these Days: Salad Dressing.  I miss real salad dressing.

Best Part of these Days: Now two-thirds of the way done and only a week and a half from the finish line, we're planning our post-Whole-30 phasing back into real-life eating and I'm surprisingly ok with not jumping back into chocolate chip cookies and even holding off on the grains for a couple more days while we re-introduce dairy first.  My food has changed me!

Of Amazing Generosity

A few days ago our washer up and quit on me.  It returned an error and failed to complete washing the diapers I had started the night before (yes, unwashed diapers sitting in their own, undrained water - it was quite lovely).  Faced with the indecision of attempting to fix it ourselves (with an expensive part) or calling in a professional and crossing our fingers for a cheap fix (though the professional would be no cheaper than the part, I'm sure), I posted our sad predicament on Facebook.

Immediately I was inundated with offers to use the washing machines of others, friends begging me to leave my unwashed items on my porch so they could come do them for me and even a free washer.  Have I mentioned we have the best friends in the world?

So, right now I'm listening to the rattle of a much-too-loud machine that doesn't have the fancy cycles to which I am accustomed.  But what's important?  I'm listening to a machine that works.  That we spent not a penny on.

God is good.

Also, I'm thinking my oven might be broken next week, any offers?  Hehe, I kid, I kid.

1,000 Gifts:
793. The generosity of friends
794. Ch-ch-ch-changes.
795. Morning dew between my toes.
796. The final pink wisps of sunrise.
797. Cooling air that marks the end of summer.
798. A new orange friend.

Photo from Yesterday: 
Game Night!  Micaiah is actually a Super-Star at Monopoly Junior.

Whole 30:
Day 16 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Salad with Chicken Carnitas and Guacamole
Snack - 1/2 Banana Bread Larabar (my second favorite so far, Apple Pie being first favorite)
Dinner - Shashlik, Crunchy Broccoli Slaw (SO good!  Philip wasn't a fan because it was too sweet for him with the White Balsamic Vinegar - but Emmett and I loved it.)

Day 17 - 
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Leftover Shaslik, Crunchy Broccoli Slaw, Grapes
Snack - Mixed Nuts
Dinner - Beef and Chicken Fondue with Mojo Cooking Style, Broccoli, Green Peppers

Worst Part of these Days - Feeling like we're still not past the craving stage.  More than halfway through and I'd like to stop waiting for this thing to be over and really appreciate eating good food - which I do sometimes, but it feels like we vacillate - it's definitely been a roller coaster that doesn't feel like it's evening out.

Best Part of these Days - Looking at my kids' colorful lunch plates, with carrots, grapes, cherries, cheese (yes, they still get cheese) and other good-for-them foods and knowing our eating habits are affecting them in a positive way.

Of the Words I Would Say

I dreamed last night, without going into weird detail (it was a dream, after all), that I was being condemned to death for no other reason than being viewed as an excess individual.  In one horrible moment, I was being escorted out of a room, away from my husband (who was being allowed to live) and without a chance to see my children or even tell them good-bye.

Yes, it was tremendously sad, though I was filled with a strange sense of peace.

What I was most grateful for in the dream was a set of circumstances which allowed me to write a letter to my husband and children filled with all the final words I wanted them to have from me before I was gone from this earth.

Of course, when I awoke I was extremely relieved to find it was nothing more than a dream, but it left me with the sense that, though the circumstances of this particular vision are beyond-extremely unlikely, the certainty of my next breath is non-existent.  And, in the real world, I may not get that chance to leave my final words.

So, I decided to write a little something here, hoping I'll get to read them to my kids myself when I'm at a ripe old age, but also recognizing none of us knows when our last day has come.

These are the words I would say,

"To my Beautiful Family -

I love you all more than words could express.  You each have taught me so much about myself and have made my life worth getting up for every morning (even when it felt too early).

Dearest Philip,
You are everything I ever needed but many things I never knew I wanted.  God is so good to know me better than I know myself.  You are a capable man who is able to do so much more than you give yourself credit for.  You are compassionate and playful - qualities that make you an excellent father to our children (and have allowed you to put up with me longer than should have been possible).  I know God is at work in your heart and is continually shaping you into a man after His will.  Continue in His way and He will always bring you through.

Beautiful Micaiah,
My first born - you were the first little being I felt squirming inside me.  You are precious in every way.  Please forgive me for the times I have been too hard on you.  The truth is, I see in you almost every part of me - the good and the bad.  And, sometimes, as though I were disciplining myself, I push too much and expect more than is fair.  I am sorry.  But I love who you are.  I love the way you love your brothers, encouraging them, helping them and enjoying them.  You have a beautiful heart.  You, my little spit-fire, are so independent.  Don't lose that.  But also remember it's ok to share the load.  And, in trusting others to help you along the way, remember that just because someone does something differently than you would prefer does not mean it is wrong.  Our differences are what make us stronger as a people.  I also want you to know, there is only one Man who will ever complete you and His name is Jesus.  Another may come along and try to steal your heart, but tell him He has to go through the Father first - you are worth the effort.

Precious Emmett,
You have one of the most sensitive hearts I have ever met.  I love the way you look after the needs of others and are willing to accept what is given to you with a joyful heart, even while others are demanding more.  Your life verse (Proverbs 3:3-4) talks of wearing kindness and truth all the days of your life and I wish that for you.  These two qualities will take you far (to the point of finding success in the eyes of God); never let them be far from you.  Your inner strength and your desire to stand up for what is right are the qualities I most admire in you.  I know you are capable of great things, but remember that nothing of lasting value can happen apart from God.  Hide His Word in your heart and follow after Him.

My Joseph,
Mister, Mister, I sure do love your smile.  So young and I can already tell you have a determined spirit.  You let nothing stand in the way when you have your mind set on a task.  Let that fierceness drive you to stand up for what is right and be a trailblazer in the name of the Lord.  You have what it takes to cause others to follow after you; make sure you know where you're headed first.  God will never let you down and if you trust in His name you will not be mis-led.  Take care of your brother and sister the way they so lovingly look after you.  Be compassionate always and lift up the hurting.  Allow God to do His amazing work in you.

To all of you, remember this world is only temporary, let us trust in that which will never fade and never falter.  I love you all."

1,000 Gifts:
785. Breath in my lungs
786. Her swallowed up by a t-shirt too big
787. Carrying a little girl in my arms that will soon be too big for such things
788. Drying her tears
789. Righting my wrong
790. A day without fits
791. His little squeal
792. My littlest man, army crawling already

Whole 30 - 
Day 14 - 
Breakfast - Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Chicken Carnitas, Lettuce, Salsa
Snack - 1/2 Carrot Cake Larabar
Dinner - Sexy Shrimp Scampi (lol, gotta love a name like that - and, oh my, sexy I'm not sure, but delicious, yes sir!), Broccoli

Day 15 - 
Breakfast - Eggs, Banana
Snack - Strawberries, Blueberries, Oranges, Grapes
Lunch - Turkey Burger with Guacamole, Sliced Tomato, Plantain Chips
Dinner - Chili

Worst Part of these Days: Twice a week I cook dinner for another family as well, usually doubling whatever I make for ourselves.  Twice this week I have made for them pasta when pasta is not our menu (because I thought they might actually appreciate the spaghetti in their spaghetti and meatballs).  It wasn't until after I sent their meal off last night and I was cleaning up the stray strands of linguini for their scampi that I realized two nights in a row I had eaten a piece of pasta, per my method for testing done-ness.  Darn it.  I messed up and it was entirely unintentional (believe me, if I had meant to slip, it would have been with a little bit of Micaiah's pizza this evening, not two innocent pieces of plain pasta). Please forgive me.  Also a bad moment - chili without cheese or fritos or crackers - who does that?!

Best Part of these Days: That Shrimp Scampi.  Ooooh, yum!  Also, we've made it past the hump!  Onto the second half of our journey!

Of Keeping Back

Yesterday I was continuing an off-and-on journey through the book of Acts when I came, once again, upon the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar, this husband and wife pair were members of the early Church - a couple of the first converts to Christianity.  They lived during a time when the Church was moving in a mighty way.  Everyone was selling their possessions and giving to the needy among them so that no believer was forgotten.  This giving away was not a requirement to participate in the Church, nor were the members expected to live as paupers.  They were merely following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Ananias and Sapphira, however, seeing how a fellow believer, Barnabas, had sold his entire property and laid the money at the apostles' feet, decided they were going to do the same.  But, for whatever reason, they held back a portion of their proceeds.  Now, this wasn't their sin.  Where they went wrong was in their plot to feign self-less-ness and deceive the apostles into believing they, too, had given God everything - rather than just a part.

In the end, they were both struck dead by the Holy Spirit for their dishonest behavior.

As I read my study notes on this passage, this definition stuck out to me:

"'Kept back' (Gr. nosphizo) means 'to put aside for oneself, to keep back' in a secret and dishonest way."

Now I haven't sold my house to give the money to the poor and I haven't pretended to give all my clothing to the needy.  But I do keep back.

I keep back my possessions - the ones that could be of legitimate use to someone in need, but I hold onto it, because I might need it someday. 

I keep back my time - saying I don't have enough, yet squandering it as I surf the internet, gazing at items I don't need and can't afford or considering projects I'll never complete.

I keep back my energy - because I just don't feel like it and someone else will take care of it.

I keep back my money - we're trying to get out of debt, after all.

I may not be intentional about my deceit, but I do lie about my keeping back.  I say I don't have enough.  What I mean is, I don't have enough for you.  I have plenty for myself and I'd like to keep it that way, thank you.

What an ugly picture of the Church.

Lord, forgive me for putting aside for myself the blessings you have laid before me.  May I always be prepared to give the gift away.


1,000 Gifts:
779. Baby's pudgy legs curled up as he eats
780. The weight of a baby boy, growing slightly heavier daily, in my arms
781. Sidewalk chalk on a little-boy face
782. Two children putting laundry in and out of the dryer
783. A grocery basket full of reds, greens and yellows - healthy dinners planned
784. Her Connecting-the-Dots for the first time.  

Photos of Recently:
This past weekend was spent in Tulsa - so we spent a little time checking out the scenery, like the Tulsa Rose Garden.

And, of course, we played games at The Covenant Store.  Micaiah liked Caracassone, briefly.

Emmett struggled a little more, but he was trying.

 And when all else fails, we pull out the ipad - here's Micaiah's drawing of me, which I actually found quite impressive.

Emmett got to feed Joey for the first time.  Such a good big brother.

Whole 30 (I bet you thought we quit, huh?):

Day 10 -
Breakfast - Eggs, Strawberries, BananasLunch - Turkey Burger (no bacon), Tomatoes, GrapesDinner - Crockpot Chicken Carnitas, Romaine, Fried Plantains


Day 11-Breakfast - Eggs, Strawberries, BananaSnack - CashewsLunch - Chicken Carnita SaladSnacks - Raisins, Mini-Muffin (don't judge, I didn't have many options and these are made of nuts and I needed protein)Dinner - Rotisserie chicken, Plantain Chips


Day 12 -Breakfast - Eggs, Strawberries, BananasSnack - 1/2 Apple Pie LarabarLunch - Leftover Chicken, Veggie ChipsSnack - 1/2 Key Lime Larabar, CashewsDinner - Grilled chicken salad, picante sauce (from QT - I picked off the cheese)

Day 13 - 
Breafast - Eggs, Banana
Lunch - Chicken, Grapes, Cherries
Snack - 1/2 Carrot Cake Larabar
Dinner - Spaghetti & Meatballs (minus the Spaghetti and without the Cheese and mushroom bits rather than bread crumbs)

Worst Part of the Weekend - Being away from home!  Being surrounded by all the things we never keep on hand (my favorite cereal, Hershey's Kisses, etc.) and having to resist.  Besides the fact that Vacation Mentality kicked in - you know the thought that you're on vacation so you can eat whatever and it doesn't count.  Only, everything counts in the Whole 30.  I had planned ahead and figured out meals to take with us, but then I got lazy and decided we could eat the same thing the whole weekend (Chicken Carnitas on salad) - which was a big mistake because we got bored of that after, oh, the second meal in a row.  So, I was torturing myself with the knowledge of all the great restaurants we don't have at home that I still couldn't eat at and not wanting to cook something healthy. It was bad.  Real bad.

Best Part of the Weekend - Heading to Whole Foods and stocking up on Plantain Chips and Larabars - maybe replacing unhealthy habits with "healthy" ones, but better than sucking down pizza, ice cream, chips and granola bars with reckless abandon (as I really wanted to do).  We were definitely in survival mode.

Of Rationalizing and Realizing

I have had three bananas patiently ripening on my counter for the past week, darkening themselves to be ready to be blended into Grain Free Banana Muffins - Whole 30 approved, kind of.

See, I found the recipe long before we decided we wanted to participate in this craziness, so when we decided to jump into the deep end, I remembered, "Yay!  We can even still have muffins, like the kids love to do for breakfast!" So I dictated firm instructions, leave those three bananas alone - they have a purpose!

And then I read the actual program guidelines and I grew sad:

"In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices. Trying to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold will ruin your program faster than you can say, “Paleo pizza.”  This means no desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—no coconut-flour pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your 30 days! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely." (double emphasis added)

But not so sad that I used the bananas.  They continued to sit, growing spottier and spottier, as I debated what to do.  On the one hand, the ingredients were definitely Whole 30 approved.  On the other hand, muffins were directly addressed as evil.

Today, though, I had enough debating, I was tired of brown bananas on my counter and I rationalized, I'm not making these muffins because I crave muffins or to fill some deep longing or comfort, I just have bad bananas that need to be used (I hate wasting food).  What's their deal, anyway?  Why so uptight?  It's not like I'm dousing my stomach in sugar or unapproved grains.  Almonds, Cashews, oil, bananas - good, right?!

So I made them, trying to decide if, as a law-abiding girl to the end, I should feel guilty or not.  After all, no Whole 30 police were going to jump out and throw a ticket at me for violating the guidelines.  No one could force me to "re-start".  So why was I trying to hard to rationalize it?  If I thought it was ok, then, by golly, I'm an adult - it should be ok!

Then, as the muffins came out of the oven and I popped the first mini-bite of moist bread-like texture in my mouth, I got giddy and I began to get excited about the idea of a warm muffin with melted ghee (butter's a no-no, remember) and, ooh, would that taste just as I dreamed?  Oh.  Uh-oh.

And I was doing it - fantacizing about food in an unhealthy way.

Oooooh.

So that's why I'm not supposed to just re-work my old favorites.

Got it.

So, I'm saving the muffins for the kids.  Because Micaiah thinks they're absolutely delicious (but that could be her grain-free cravings kicking in.  Oh well.)


1,000 Gifts:
775. The ability to decide what I'm going to eat
776. Tickles from a little girl
777. Big boy, letting loose the weary tears and giving in to rest
778. Little boy, grinning that he's happy to see me

Whole 30 - Day 9 (which was yesterday):
Breakfast - Sausage & Egg Casserole, Banana
Lunch - Rotisserie Chicken on Romaine with Tomatoes and Homemade Italian Dressing
Snack - Raisins
Dinner - Baked Bacon Turkey Burgers (the recipe calls for Bison, but that is much more expensive and readily available than turkey - plus we like turkey), Zucchini Chips, Green Beans

Worst Part of the Day: We spent the evening at a Home-Schooling Panel where there were lovely trays of home-baked brownies, chocolate chip muffins, M&M cookies, cheese, crackers and salami (as well as multiple pitchers of lemonade).  Essentially, all the good public-gathering-type goodies.  I had a glass of water while I convinced myself the lemonade was probably watered down anyway.

Best Part of the Day: Forgetting I was even on the diet (you know, until the Homeschooling Panel) - which I take to be a good sign, because I'm no longer desperate for what I can't have (unless it's right in front of me) or feeling a giant rumbling in the tummy.  Just living my life, fueled by healthy choices.

Of the Whole 30 (Part 2)

It's been over a week now since we started our Whole 30 Journey and it has already been an interesting ride.  While I, of course, have been giving daily updates, I feel the need to clarify our purpose in pursuing this 30-day endeavor because I have not done much to address this aspect.

First and foremost, I feel it's important to emphasize, the goal of the Whole 30 is not, nor has ever been, about weight loss.  This program is a "diet" inasmuch as it dictates our eating habits, but not with the goal of seeing the numbers on the scale decrease.  In fact, the Program itself demands we not weigh ourselves for the entire month because we are not to fixate on the wrong goal.

The reason we are going through the Whole 30 is so we might learn to approach food in a healthy manner.  This means we are learning not to let food control us (via cravings), comfort us or motivate us.  Food is fuel.  It's good to indulge and appreciate food, but good food.

A secondary benefit is to learn how our bodies respond to different foods.  It's difficult to test the idea that certain things we consider normal and necessary to our diets are actually sapping our energy or messing with our systems unless we eradicate these foods, allow our bodies to re-set and then re-introduce certain things gradually (or leave them out altogether when we discover how much we don't really miss them).

So, that's where we are - re-setting our systems and learning to appreciate good food, cooked in healthy ways.

And, yes, we can tell we're losing weight, but we're more excited about the fact that we no longer feel extremely hungry between meals or long for milkshakes (ok, one of those would still be nice, but I'm not longing for the thirty days to end so I can have one - that would defeat the point, of course).


1,000 Gifts:
772. Sending our littlest to bed full
773. An evening together
774. Catching up on the house

Whole 30 - Day 8
Breakfast - Sausage & Egg Casserole, Banana
Lunch - Salad with Rotisserie Chicken and Homemade Mayonnaise
Dinner - Pizza Meatloaves, Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing (per the recipe on Pampered Chef's Measure, Mix & Pour - if you're interested, let me know - just sayin')

Worst Part of Today: Taking a ten-minute on-line survey about chocolate cake. At least I got fifty cents out of it.

Best Part of Today: While Pigs-in-a-Blanket and Fruit Pizzas (on sugar cookies!) were offered at Bible Study this morning and I figured they probably tasted really good, it wasn't that difficult to turn them down.  I wasn't hungry and didn't even crave them.  You all, these are some of my absolute favorite foods we're talking about, and I barely batted an eye.  Something is changing - and it's crazy.

Of Her Birthday Obsession

"I'm so sick of her birthday already and it's still a month away!" - Philip

It's true, our daughter can be a bit obsessive.  It's not her fault.  She's in the late stages of being three and, as is par for her condition, she has few things that actually take up that gray matter in her skull, so she tends to fixate on what is there.  And what is there right now is her birthday.

To be fair, she has it kind of rough, because when you celebrate your brother's, mom's and dad's birthdays within a span of two weeks, it's only natural to think you're next.  And she's right, she's next, but she just doesn't realize how long 2.5 months is.

And, of course, just as she had let it go a little, I decided to bring it back up again because ice cream was on sale and I needed to test the waters to see just how crucial this particular treat was for her birthday celebration.  Turns out, no ice cream necessary.

What is necessary?

Apparently a strawberry-flavored princess cake, shaped like Belle, with lots of presents and cards (alternating in the opening - one card, one present, one card, and so on).  The meal (lasagna) will be eaten outside with present-opening occurring in the black tent (which will, apparently, be set up in the backyard).  Last but not least, she requires colored tissue paper poufs ("bouncy balls"), the same used by Mommy at her birthday (which was actually already planned, but I decided to let her think it was her idea).

Not that she's put any thought into it.

And this is what we have heard about all day since I mentioned the festivities last night.

I also mentioned, as her birthday is on a Monday and Daddy works, we might not celebrate on the actual day.  Would that be ok?

"Yeah, let's celebrate today!"

Oh, my girl.

1,000 Gifts:
767. Grocery shopping with a very loud little boy
768. Free cookies at the store (for him, not me)
769. Strawberries, bright red and oh so sweet
770. A forgiving husband
771. Seeing that man play with his baby boy

Whole 30 - Day 7
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs, Banana
Lunch - Rotisserie Chicken on Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise
Snack - The last of the Chunky Apple Chicken Salad 
Dinner - Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Snack - Sliced Strawberries and Bananas

Worst Part of the Day: The epic fail that was dinner.  I want to blame the recipe but, as it turns out, we apparently had a bad squash.  Having never experienced Spaghetti Squash before, we didn't know the bitter taste wasn't normal.  The sprouts inside should have been some sort of indicator, though. The kids had hot dogs; Philip and I dug around for bacon.

Best Part of the Day: Strawberries and Bananas.  That's all I need to say.

Of the Story of Ruth

Yesterday, after arriving home from church, I sat on the couch nursing Joseph and my daughter snuggled next to me.  I asked her a simple enough question, "What did you learn about in church today?  Adam and Eve?"  I had assumed this based on the trading card she had handed me while leaving her class.

"No.  I learned about Ruf."

"Ruth?  What did you learn about her?"

"Um, that she was married and her dad died and she had two sons and they both died."

"Was it Naomi that had two sons?  Did they both die."

"Yeah, and then their was another man and he fell in love with her."

"With Ruth?"

"Yeah.  But there was a bad guy who had lots of hair on his chin and on his face and he was a bad guy."

Now I got a little lost.  All I could guess was maybe she meant the other relative who was to be Ruth's kinsman redeemer who gave up the role to Boaz, but I couldn't be sure.  Either way, I was thoroughly impressed.  The most we've gotten in the past from the aforementioned question were things like, "God." or "Adam and Eve."  And, yet, there was my near-four-year-old daughter reciting to me the pre-schooler version of Ruth and Boaz.

Impressed, indeed.

1,000 Gifts:
763. That little girl, twirling in the grocery store
764. She smiles and shrugs her shoulders
765. Telling her, "Did you know you're my favorite little girl in the whole world?" Big smile.
766. Being taken care of

Photo of the Day:
Spending a little quality time with this guy was a highlight of my, generally, rough day.

It may be blurry, but this smile will always win me over.

Whole 30 - Day 6:
Breakfast - Banana
Lunch - Blended Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas; Two forkfuls of Chunky Apple Chicken Salad
Snack - Sausage and Egg Casserole
Dinner - Cajun Rub Rotisserie Chicken (label carefully read), Green Beans

Worst Part of the Day: Waking up absolutely sick, wanting nothing more than a Gatorade and saltines and hoping it doesn't last so I don't have to give in.  Then, when the sickness subsides, feeling too weak to prepare acceptable food and wanting to just sit on the couch and indulge in comfort foods - crackers, cereal, chocolate milk, the list goes on. 

Best Part of the Day: Realizing there are options for meals that don't require an hour in the kitchen (like store-bought chicken) and, overall, just surviving the day without giving up.

Of Celebrating Six Months

Happy Birthday to our little boy who turned 1/2 a year old today!  Pull out the party hats!

It's been a wild six months, but I definitely enjoy having this little guy around.

Six months ago he was snuggled in my arms as I knelt on my bedroom floor.  I held his warm little body close, climbed into bed and never wanted to let go.  Today, it's all I can do to keep him in my lap while he eats, as he arches his back to see everything around him.  If he's not eating, sitting still to snuggle is hardly his favorite activity.  

At six months our little man is sitting up and wriggling around the floor.  He likes to spin in circles when he's laying on his belly, grasping at anything within arm's reach to put straight in his tiny mouth.  He will chew on anything and everything he can get to and the radius of what he can get to increases daily.

The other day, at the drive-in, he lay on his belly in the back of the SUV, he pushed his feet against the wall of the car to pull his knees up under him and shoved his elbows forward to gain a few inches.  It was impressive and a big step toward mobility.  Sure, when he's not pushing himself against something he's not so good at putting weight on those chubby knees, but still, Momma's proud.

So grateful for what time has brought us.

1,000 Gifts:
759. Pulling shoes on little feet.
760. Creating a to-do list
761. An adventurous and understanding husband
762. Abundant food

Photo of the Day:

Whole 30 - Day 5:
Breakfast: Eggs scrambled with Salsa, Banana
Lunch: Celery with Almond Butter, small serving of Chunky Apple Chicken Salad, Cherries
Dinner: Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole, Clementine
Evening Snack: Small serving of the above casserole

Worst Part of Today: The severe temptation to just grab a bowl of cereal when my belly was rumbling later in the evening.
Best Part of Today: Realizing I really don't miss some of the things I used to think necessary, like cheese or a breading in egg casserole (or even just cheese on my salad).

Of the Drive-In

Yesterday afternoon, Micaiah sat in her small camp chair, in her pajamas (yes, in the afternoon, don't judge), combing her My Little Pony and asked, "Mommy, do you remember when we went to the movie theater and saw the Panda movie?"

I stared at her blankly, thinking, surely, she cannot be talking about when we went to the drive-in for Emmett's first birthday, when she was a mere 2.75 years old - an event to which she has not referred since the night it happened.  Surely not.

"And we ate popcorn and sat in Dia's big car.  Do you remember, Mommy?" she continued.

This girl's memory never ceases to amaze me.

"Yes, baby, I remember." But how do you?!

"Because I want to do that again."

Well, okay, then.

And as I marveled to her Daddy over instant message about how this conversation was born from nowhere and thinking, yes, I have been wanting to go all summer, it just hasn't worked out, and, maybe, we could go sometime soon, before it closes for the season.

And then I realized.  It's Friday.  We have no plans for tonight.  Philip has been telling me all day how beautiful the weather is.  So, why not?

Thus, it was.  We ate our Whole 30 approved dinner, packed up the car with chairs, blankets, pillows and snacks (popcorn for the littles, per Micaiah's specific request, and nuts and grapes for Mom and Dad - you should be proud - you have NO idea how hard that was for me!) and headed to the Drive-In where we snuggled with our bigger kids in the cool breeze of the less-than-100-degree evening while watching Ice Age 4 (which may have made a hair more sense had we seen any others in the series besides the original, but I kind of doubt it), with Joey sleeping on his blanket spread in the trunk of our SUV (I may have been excited about taking this car to the drive-in, for that very purpose, since the day we bought it).

Thanks, Micaiah, for motivating us to get out of the house and enjoy the waning days of summer.

1,000 Gifts:
745. A cool breeze on  summer evening.
746. Three kids snuggled in.
747. A small head resting on my shoulder.
748. Kids playing in the dirt.
749. The sweet taste of grapes.
750. Bacon - especially when wrapped around other foods
751. Whispers from a little boy
752. Airplanes in the night sky
753. A shooting star - God's entertainment is always better
754. Little Guy squirming in my lap
755. Avocados
756. Breezy Saturday afternoons
757. Fresh produce
758. Just what I need at just the right price

Photos of the Day:

Whole 30 - Day 3:
Breakfast - Eggs scrambled in walnut oil with Salsa and a mix of chopped red and yellow peppers, Banana
Lunch - Chunky Apple Chicken Salad (with Homemade Mayo), Grapes
Afternoon Snack - Zucchini Chips (these were supposed to be part of lunch but took much longer to bake than the recipe stated - but they were AMAZING)
Dinner - Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken (minus the sweet), Green Beans
Movie Snack - Mixed Nuts, Grapes

Worst Part of Today: Movies without popcorn?!  What kind of madness is this?!
Best Part of Today: Being full after dinner, but not feeling gross or heavy, as I would after being too full from carbs or sugar.  I don't think I ever knew you could feel a little too full but not feel yucky.

Day 4:
Breakfast - Eggs, Clementine
Lunch - Chunky Apple Chicken Salad (with Homemade Mayo), Grapes
Dinner - BLAT Salad
Dessert - Cinnamon & Nutmeg Banana Ice Cream

Worst Part of Today: Remembering not to lick the spoon while dishing up pudding for the kids.
Best Part of Today: Philip telling me, "I'm not very happy with you.  I'm not supposed to like this because it has avocados and mayonnaise.  I don't like what you're doing to me." Love it when he's surprised to discover the things he thought were bad really aren't so bad.