Mornings with Sweet Pea

I was holding Sweet Pea at the table and noticed once again how tall he has gotten. The boy is huge, I tell ya!

Me: You are getting so big!  You are so long!  Stop growing!  

Sweet Pea: I can't stop growing! I'm supposed to get bigger. So I can drive a car, run on the road, tell children to eat over their plate, not have crumbs in the living room and not to watch TV on Sundays.

Wow! Some things really stick with the guy, don't they?! 

Swimming Lessons

The kids have been taking swimming lessons for a few months now.  When they first started, Sweet Pea was in a class with some 3 and 4 year olds, but since that was the only class they had available and it was his first time in lessons (last year at the Y doesn't count because both kids cried the whole time and hated taking lessons) they put him in the younger class to get better acquainted with the water.  Monkey was with me at the same time in a Mommy & Me class.

Well, this next session, they moved up!  Monkey is in Sweet Pea's old class and Sweet Pea has kids his own age and swimming abilities.  This last Monday, The Hubster had the day off, so he went to lessons with us and I had the opportunity to take some pictures!  My battery was dying so the pictures are hurried and blurry, so forgive that, but enjoy!

They love their lessons at their new place and even get excited about going!  I love that they feel more confident being in the water and aren't afraid of going under or getting their faces wet!  Plus, they look so cute in their little wetsuits!

Get out of my head!!!

I have so much running through my brain right now, it is manifesting itself onto my computer and the gazillion tabs I have open. So, in order to remember what I have been wanting to look at and keep track of it (yes, I know I can just bookmark them all, but how often do I really go back and look at those bookmarks?), I'm just going to link them from here.

What's running around in my brain?  Healthy meals and snack planning, VBS, trip to GA, house closing, trip to WV, house painting and moving, MOPS planning for next year, birthdays, and oh yeah, keeping up with friends and family - including the ones that live in my house!!  I know there is so much more running around up there, but I've got to get it out somewhere.

Crafts:  I love doing crafts and activities with my kids!  Especially in these warmer, icky months when it is unbearable outside, it is fun to do some other stuff in the house.  Here is a great site for fun activities for the younger ones.
I want to make this!  Such a fun and beautiful way to display family rules!

Recipes: I am always looking for new recipes and lately with not having baked much, I really want to get back into it, but with healthier options.

Power Bar Recipe

Primal Magic Bar Cookies

Mediterranean Chicken - We don't eat much pasta or gluten around here, so I have to figure out a substitute for the pasta, but the flavors sound delicious!
Spinach Salad - I keep going back to this and just haven't made it yet!  Ooooh! It looks so yummy!

Resource for Paleo Recipes

Things to do:
Great resource for knowing some of the stuff that is going on around here.  Here's another!
Get rid of the fruit flies!!  Sometimes our bananas get really ripe and I just didn't take the time to cut them up and freeze them for smoothies, so nice little friendly fruit flies come to visit.  This has worked like a charm!

Phew! I feel better now!  Ten tabs down, only eleven to go!

Summer Sun

 I love to swim and while the kids have been taking swimming lessons these past few weeks, it appears that they love the water almost as much as I do.  Monkey would be a close second to me and Sweet Pea, well, he enjoys it once he's in, but it takes him a little while to get used to. 

Before I even married The Hubster, he knew that we would have a house with a pool someday.  So, we found a really great deal on a pool at Big Lots about a month ago, but ended up taking it back as we decided to get a metal frame instead of an easy set.  In the midst of all of these pool decisions, we found a fabulous house, so as we are packing and preparing to move in 3 weeks, we are so glad we didn't put up a big pool in our backyard.  Instead, we got two smaller ones for the kids (for those that like to splash and for those that don't,

 those that like toys in their pool and those that don't, those that want to swim or play in it and well, those that don't).  It has been icky, sticky, gross this week, so I filled up the pools on Tuesday and let the kids enjoy the water.

Oh the fun that they had!

Berry Picking!

In the fall, we took the kids apple picking. It was fun, but they weren't as into it as we wanted them to be were. Maybe they were a little too young to appreciate it, but I read other friend's blogs about how much fun their kids (same age) had.  So, maybe it just wasn't their cup of tea or something.

Last weekend, we decided to give the picking process another try and took the kids to go get strawberries. It's pretty much the end of strawberry season around here, but we thought we'd give it a try anyway.

We were able to get a few pounds of strawberries, but the kids just didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. They were hot, they were tired, they seemed hungry and thirsty.  So, The Hubster and I picked them and we took the scenic drive home.  Ho hum.  Maybe we'll try blueberries or peaches next?

I love picking fresh fruit from the farms!  Hopefully someday the kids will enjoy it as much as I do.  Until then, they'll just have to deal with me dragging them with me.  It's a learned process, right?

Can we go home now???

Some recent funny-isms

I wrote these down about two momths ago and just wanted a place to jot them down for remembering later.  Some funny things the kids said/did.

1) I was trying to make lunch and monkey was quiet. Too quiet.
Me: Monkey? Where are you?
Monkey: I'm in here mommy! I'm not doing anything wrong!

Hmmm.... guilty conscience?

2) Sweet Pea still hungry at lunchtime
Sweet Pea: Food! Food! I want Fooooooood!!!
Me: Go get a drinkable.
SP: A drinkable is not food! You drink it!

I guess he got me on that one.

3) The Hubster and I were laughing about something and Monkey walks into the room, hands on her hips, with a straight, annoyed face and says, "That's NOT funny guys!" turns on her heels and walks away!  Wow!  What a diva!

and my favorite....
4) I'm on the phone with my mom and Sweet Pea is chasing Monkey with a badmitten net, after having just played with his bug catching tools.
Monkey: Mommy! He's going to catch me!
Me: Monkey, you're fine! Sweet Pea! She's not a bug! Leave her alone!

Cold, hard, fats! I mean, Facts!!

I grew up playing sports.  Soccer, swimming, track, dance and gymnastics for a short time, baseball (yes, baseball, not softball) and just running around to and fro wherever I was to go. Then, I entered college and the midnight runs to In-n-out and a local diner became a norm.  You all know what I am talking about.  Either that, or the big thing of ice cream and chocolate chips my roommates and I would eat while watching tv together.  Basically, unhealthy eating and knowing partially that it was bad, but not knowing completely what the late nights and the bouts of bad food were really doing to my body.

It's almost like one day you wake up and realize that your life is no longer on the path you thought it was going to take and a new pair of jeans are needed because you fell victim to "The Freshman 15".  Through the years I have shifted from losing the weight and gaining it back, still never completely knowing what I was doing.  One program would tell me that "this" is okay, but don't eat "that". Another would be the exact opposite.  What is someone to do with that information when they don't have a background in nutrition and are confused by all aspects? Well, eventually, hopefully... you find Crossfit (or an excellent chef). 

For me, I need the trainer. I need the person who has more expertise than I do and can help me figure out my own body and what it needs, with me. I've been working with a trainer and going to Crossfit classes 3 days a week since January.  The verdict? I LOVE IT!  Seriously, I am addicted to going to the workouts, getting my butt kicked, feeling sore the rest of the day and sometimes the next and always going back for more!  Crossfit is all about getting a full body workout, including cardio in a shorter amount of time.  You go all out for 12-30 minutes and you're done! With a bit of strength training or gymnastics and flexibility beforehand, you're all set for your WOD (workout of the day).

Every so often, Lindsey (my trainer), does a challenge.  It's basically an "eat your best" challenge, but with it applies Paleo and Zone principles.  As a family, we have tried hard to cut out a lot of different foods that just aren't good for us.  When we bring them back in, even for a short time, we realize that our body just doesn't feel the same.  I'm proud of us.  We've done really well.  Of course we have some slip ups, but we are still trying and plugging forward.  With the last challenge that is ending this week, I think I am finally starting to breakthrough and understand a bit more about it all!

My stats (what I have lost) in this 8 week challenge:
Weight Lost: 9 lbs
Hips: 1 inch
Bust: 1 inch
Waist: 2 inches
Around Belly Button: 3 inches
Right arm: 1 inch
Right thigh: 1 1/2 inches
Butt: 1 inch
Fat: 4.8%
BMI: 2.8%

Max weight lifted:
Shoulder Press: 63 lbs
Dead Lift: 163 lbs
Power Clean: 81 lbs
Back Squat: 143 lbs (Yep! That's me! Getting into my back squat. Only about 73# on the bar at that time)

Never in a million years would I have thought that I could lift that much weight and even know what those terms meant!  I still have a loooong way to go, but the fact that I have found a niche for me. A program and a way of life that works for me and my family, is amazing!  It is such a supportive group of men and women, all in different stages of healthiness and walks of life, but we all have one thing in common. Crossfit!  When I walk out of class, I feel like I have accomplished something great and am ready to start my day. I challenge you to try a class near you!  Believe me, you'll be hooked!

What have you accomplished lately?

Complete silence can only mean one thing....

I am amazed that in the few minutes I ran to check my email, my two beautiful munchkins became very very quiet.  After getting sucked into sending a response, I noticed it was eerily quiet in the house.  Where were they?  Oh what a pleasant surprise to find them curled up together playing their Leapsters.  What a joy it is to have two kids that enjoy playing together and can find activities to keep themselves occupied!

Pure bliss!

Bang, Bang, Bang with my hammer!

Monkey loves coconut!  Shredded, yummy coconut!  We found this out through her trying to eat the coconut off of one of her winter art projects she made at school.  They brought in old coconut for the project and fresh, for the kids to taste. Monkey was apparently grabbing it by the handfuls!  So, when we went to the grocery store, we decided we would buy a coconut and let the kids learn how to open one, see what it looks like inside, hear all the coconut juice swishing around and then finally taste some fresh coconut.  Now, mind you, The Hubster is NOT a big fan of the stuff, at all! Sweet Pea follows in his footsteps, mostly. Me? LOVE IT!!

I looked up the best way to open it and since the kids were so eager, we skipped the "baking" step in the instructions.  For the future? I won't skip that step!  It would have made it all easier to get the coconut flesh out.  Either way though, the kids had so much fun smashing it with a hammer.  But, none of us really wanted to eat it in the end.  Even after trying to toast some a day or two later, just didn't work out.   I wish I had thought of taking a picture of it all broken open, but next time!  We'll try it again!

 So excited to start smashing away!!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!  They had so much fun hammering at the coconut!  It was so hard that in the end, The Hubster broke it open, but we know the kids had fun regardless!

What it really means to share

We have a bank set up for the kids in the bathroom.  They made these firehouse banks at Home Depot at one of the workshops.  It is great because it has a spot for them to Save, Spend and Share.  When they go potty, they get a certain number of pennies to put in their bank. 

This morning, I saw Sweet Pea take 2 pennies and put it in his bank and start to walk out.  It just seemed so automatic, so I questioned him about it.  "Sweet Pea, you know you have a spot to put pennies for spending, saving and sharing, right?" "Yes, Mommy", he said, walking away, trying to get back to his toys.  "Wait a second, Sweet Pea.  Why do you put your money in the Share bank each time?" I then, opened up the bank to show him the three sections and to show that the Share section was almost full while spending and saving had just a handful of pennies each.  "Well, Mommy." he said with a slightly crooked stance and his hand on his hip, "we're supposed to share our money with others and this way I can give it to God." Satisfied with his own answer, he walked away as I stood there so proud of my little boy.

No, we didn't have a deep, spiritual conversation about God and the meaning of sharing and giving God your money, but the fact is... for this 4 year old boy, he gets it. He understands the importance in His world.  He accepts it and wants to be a part of the bigger picture.  Awesome!

Charlie Chaplin

Monkey still likes to play with her food.  She was making all sorts of gestures and wouldn't talk as she had spinach on her lip, during dinner.  The Hubster and I immediately thought she looked and acted like Charlie Chaplin!

The Goof!

Togetherness

I always love watching the kids play together.  They love to play "sleeping".  Don't ask me why!  Sometimes when we are trying to get the munchkins out of the car, they pretend to snooze, I guess just to keep life interesting!  We ususally play along, they are just so much fun!  Anyway, here they are trying to sleep, yet I couldn't get both of them to either be asleep at the same time or look at the camera at the same time.  As usual... stinkers!!

Soccer!!!

I think I am more excited than Sweet Pea, but today, was his first soccer practice!  He was so cute with his little shinguards and cleats on, kicking his ball around!  When we first arrived, kept yelling, "Coach! Coach! I'm here!" as we were getting out of the car.  Monkey also wanted to join in the fun, so she and Sweet Pea picked up some new hats...  Aren't they cute?

Sweet Pea's team consists of about 6 kids ranging in ages of 4-6.  I hope when they play games against other teams, the 6 year olds don't bulldoze my kid!  He may be big for a 4 year old, but he's tiny compared to some of the other kids!

The weather was absolutely beautiful and perfect for soccer practice!  I can't wait for more practices and the games!  

Go Sweet Pea!!!