Veggin' Out

Okay, so I'm going to start another aspect of my health journey....transitioning to more of a plant-based/vegetarian diet. My family and I have made the move to mostly chicken with the occasional pork, turkey, and fish mixed in. I think it's been a stretch for my meat-eating husband, but the kids don't mind at all as they are not huge fans of meat anyway.

For Christmas I got a juicer and have LOVED the ability to get in more veggies that way. I naturally love veggies, but find that eating more would be challenging w/o juicing and/or subbing them in place of other foods. Hence the move to eating more of a plant-based diet. My plan is to work this in to my day, minus dinner, since I still want to feed the husband's appetite. Maybe in time I'll convince him.

So, far I've been pulling most of my ideas from www.peasandthankyou.com, a great blog! This week we made her black bean burgers, carrot fries, and roasted chick peas! All were a HIT with me and the kids. Chad liked each of them "fine" or "okay", so I think he'd get used to it over time. I think he truly liked the chick peas, which make a great snack, salad topper, or addition to any dish for texture and flavor purposes.

Here are a few pics:

This was lunch today. Juice: spinach, carrots, and apple. Salad: romaine, cucumber, cilantro, and garlic/herb dressing. Veggie Bowl: mushrooms, cabbage, onion, and roasted chick peas.

Here are the Lemon Rosemary roasted chick peas right after they cooked.

And this was lunch from a few days ago...black bean burger w/a little swiss and mushrooms, edaname beans, and carrot fries.

Curly Q

So, one of Emily's new vanities is that she really wishes her hair was curly! What? She's 6 and already she's wanting to look different than she does. Ugh!

Anyway, she asks me A LOT to braid her hair while its still wet from the shower so that she can sleep on it and wake up to curly hair. Problem is, Daddy does NOT like the crimped look on her. So, we waited until Dad was traveling for business to tickle her fancy:)

In the morning when she took out the braids, Case said, "Wow. You look like Aunt Mel"! Ha! Kind of does...and that's a good thing cause she's a looker!

So, here is Em's "preferred" look. At least for now. Heaven help me when she's 13!

Target practice

While I'm ready for Spring, I'm thankful for the fun snow-filled days we've had. My kids were too little to remember their previous experience in KY, and FL offered none. So, we've tried to make the most of them here. My only regret this year was not sledding. But, I feel very prepared for next year after finding the scoop on some great hills:)

During our last snow, Daddy decided to take target practice to a whole new level. You can see that he definitely left his mark....and with quite a windup I might add:) I was sitting in the chair by the window and I think I jumped EVERY time one hit! Whew!

Take the bull by the horns

We scored some groupon tickets to a show at a local theater here to see Ferdinand the Bull. (It's the book that Leanne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock read to Michael Ohr in the movie the Blindside.) The two highlights were that the the real Leanne Tuohy read the book on stage before hand, and that we sat in the balcony! Such a fun experience for the kiddos!

So...a needle pulling thread.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for a recent prayer time. I was praying through my mom-anxiety about whether I should put my kids into activities, how many, which ones, etc. I just want to give them opportunities to learn new things and be ready to be whoever it and whatever God has planned for them. The world tells you that to be a good parent you have to be maxed out, driving to and from, and expose them to everything so that they eventually can excel at something. Then there are those circles that say contrary...that activities are the enemy and take away from family time. As usual, I live some where in the middle....trying to take the best of both sides. I DO want to expose my children to different things so that they can learn skills and also build confidence, team building, etc. I DO want to protect our family time and use it wisely to disciple them while they are still young. But what is the balance? Some families have struck that balance by saying one activity at a time or one per child at a time. It's different for everyone, and I don't think that there is a "wrong" way to do it. But, I do think that the Lord cares EVEN about this detail. And if we seek Him as parents (or guilt and anxiety ridden mothers...just being honest), we will find that He does have a plan.

Anyway, this prayer time where I was confessing to the Lord that I really needed Him to lead led me to really desire a way for my kiddos to learn transferrable life skills....cooking, sewing, etc. Things that are most definitely learned abilities, but are useful. Emily asked me the other day if she would take a class in college to learn how to cook like me. Precious, but no. That is my privilege as a parent...to pass on any giftings/skills I may have, but also to introduce them to others that I don't. I am blessed to live in the same city as dear family, one of which is my mother-in-love (yes, love...a term I picked up from a friend). Nana sews! I thought, this is great...Em can learn to sew AND spend time with one of the most amazing, servant-hearted, wise, and loving women I know....her Nana. I'm thankful that Nana said "yes"...and not just half-heartedly, but joyfully. She loves her grands. She pours into them each and loves them each (all 5, soon to be 6) for who they are individually. She prays over them, pursues them, and knows them inside and out. And they ADORE her for it!

At any rate, a few weeks ago the sewing session began. At the very first one, Emily didn't want to quit even after about 4 hours of work!!! Some of that is her incredible work ethic, but some of it is her high need for closure (have no idea where she gets that from:)). Since then, they've enjoyed several sewing sessions where Em has made a blanket for herself and dolls, a pin cushion, and several tooth fairy pillows for herself, brother, and cousins. I think she is hoping to make a blanket for our sweet Ethiopian niece/nephew next....the one we are so prayerfully hoping will join us soon.

Here are some pics of her at work.....

Just a swingin'

We've SOOO enjoyed the nice warm weather we've been having. There are tons of trails and greenways right outside our neighborhood. So, we've been using this time to explore. Here's a shoot off from a trail that leads to a river bank full of sand and a homemade rope/wood swing! So fun!