Restaurant

I love my new food processor. (And my new toaster and my new food dehydrator...I commented to Ryan that I sure was a lucky woman that my husband got me all these new appliances. He made some kind of crack like, "Don't take it as a hint or anything." haha) The first recipe I tried (which I got from Green and Crunchy) was Earth Balls. They were so easy and tasty, too. The boys were rolling their own balls, and you can see there is only one sitting out because they were eating them as fast as they could make them. I am sure these are going to be a staple in our house.

We made four different kinds. All of them started with 2 cups of nuts (we used cashews, walnuts, and almonds). Once we ground them to a fine meal, we added 1 1/2 cups of pitted dates (one at a time as the food processor was running). The first batch we also added raw cacao nibs and hemp seeds. The next batch we also added goji berries to the nibs and seeds. The next batch was just nuts, dates, and ground flax seeds. Finally, we tried adding carrots. I didn't anticipate how moist that would make them, and I had to go back and add more seeds and nuts (which I wouldn't recommend adding un-ground because they wouldn't ground up very well at the end.) They were yummy, though, and tasted like carrot cake. Tornado has been asking recently if he could be in charge of a meal. They love playing restaurant, but I am usually the "waiter." He wanted a turn at being the waiter, and I thought this would be the perfect day to do it - plus it's a great "school" activity. We had also been practicing with the new food dehydrator, and I thought it would be an easy meal for him to serve. He created this menu, which we photocopied. He wrote "(Tornado's) Helthy Restaurant" on the cover and decorated it with Fast Food (you know, the objects they create using fruits and veggies) stickers.

These were the ten menu items. We had dehydrated the first eight (plus peas and lima beans). I had made a batch of green smoothies and popsicles and mentioned to Tornado we needed to think of a name for them. He immediately replied, "Hulk Slime." So...Hulk Slime it is.

Dash was his assistant, and they were very darling about seating Ryan, Sissy, and me at the table and taking our orders. Tornado wrote down on his little notepad the numbers of what we ordered, then went to the counter and very carefully made our plates.

Dash served us our Hulk Slime (spinach, cherries, mangoes, ground flaxseed, raw cacao powder, green superfood powder, orange juice, almond milk). Later, he came to the table and sweetly asked, "Is everything alright?"

He was very adamant about carrying our plates on a tray, just like a real waiter.

Finally, the hard little workers got to sit down and enjoy the meal for themselves.

Friday Night Mystery

I called Ryan about 4:00 p.m. to see if he wanted Friday Fondue or something else for supper. He suggested we take the kids to Woolly Hollow State Park for a cook-out. I told the kids we were going to do something fun, but it was a secret. At first they hated the fact it was a secret, and they whined to know. This is typical, which always takes the fun away from me, the lover of all things "secret" and "surprise." However, after a minute, they soon got into the "mystery." I gave them a few clues (involves food, might want to wear your bathing suit in case you get wet, etc.), and answered a few questions (no, not going to a hotel, etc.) It was so sweet hearing Tornado and Dash try to figure it out between themselves. "Do you think we're going to swim in the pool?" "No, she said we weren't going to a 'tel (hotel)." When we got to the park, they said it was a good surprise and Dash, in a very grown-up way, added, "I thought we were going to the movies." Ryan and I decided that Fridays should be our new mystery night - plan something fun/different each week, even if it's something as small as renting a movie and making popcorn, and let the kids look forward to the "surprise" aspect of it.

This photo wasn't set up. I looked over at them, and they were all holding their noses when Ryan started the fire. Sissy must have seen her brothers doing it.

cooking our tofu "dogs" and baked beans

Mmm...S'mores...using Sweet & Sarah gelatin-free marshmallows and Newman's Own dark chocolate bar

After we ate, we walked down to the water's edge and played around bare-footed for awhile. Of course, they threw rocks. We also played in the playground area until it was too dark to see anymore. There was another boy who suggested they play "Pirates of the Caribbean," and oh, how they took off with that. It's always kind of nice to have another kid around for them to play with - lessens our parental obligation to run around and entertain them/allowed us to sit and delight in watching the little sweeties' imaginations at work. We were laughing so hard at how fast Sissy would go down the twirly slide all by herself, run (her little waddle run) as fast as she could back to the ladder and back up/down again. I've mentioned before how much she loves slides. We never knew how she was going to come down - on her stomach, back, and even backwards on her back. (You wouldn't believe how fast I jumped up to make sure she wouldn't land on her head, when I saw that one coming.)

SPINACH Popsicles?!

Just when you thought we couldn't get any crazier...we go and make spinach popsicles. I found this blog Green and Crunchy the other day, and it has inspired me to try new things. We do eat really healthy, I think, but there's always room for improvement. I've always been interested in making/eating more raw foods. (I've been SO impressed when I eat at raw food restaurants.) We do eat a lot of raw food (salads, fruit, raw veggies, nuts, etc.) by default, being vegetarians. Ryan and the kids are actually a lot better about this than I am because those are the things they snack on, especially late, when I'm not hungry. We jokingly argue about who the "better (healthier) vegetarian" is (he insists he is), which is funny because I can recall a certain debate he and I had in college about whether or not we were going to take our kids to McDonald's. Hee, hee...how he has grown. :)

I do love to cook, but it's really hard, as any mother knows, to find balance. I think "making meals from scratch" has really been one of the things that has slipped around here. We've started relying on "Amy" too much. Anyway, I needed a little push in the right direction, which is what Sheri, the homeschooling mother of five at Green and Crunchy , has done for me. I have been stocking my pantry and fridge with all the ingredients I see in raw foods recipes. I have purchased more storage containers because...it's more fun to cook or to eat raw if everything is pretty and organized. :)

My first foray was spinach popsicles and spinach smoothies. I'm not going to lie...when I first thought about it, it made me make a face. (Much like my dear mother who exclaimed something like, "Yuck!" when her excited grandchildren told her about their green popsicles...she quickly realized what she'd said and recanted with, "Oh, that sounds good!") The first day I poured myself a spinach smoothie, I used a tiny glass. However, the next day I used my tallest glass. It's good! It really is. I use almost a whole bag of frozen spinach with each batch. (I will try fresh kale next time; we just have a lot of spinach in our freezer from the 10 for $10 sale at Kroger.)

She was smiling and saying, "Mmmm. Yummy!" I knew that Tornado would willingly try them because that kid will try and eat anything (unless it's really spicy). I figured Sissy would give it a shot. I did not know what to expect with Dash, but he loves them, too. They ask for them all the time now. However, we call them "green" popsicles. One day, Dash wanted to make them with me, and I pulled the spinach out, and he said, "But I don't want spinach in mine." Oops. I put it back in the freezer and said we'd make them later (and I did when he wasn't watching). I think he knows there's spinach in them; he just doesn't want to face it - ya know? :) I've made them a little different each time...I think in these I used spinach, frozen cherries, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds, frozen acai berry puree, Green Superfood powder with cacao, and water and a bit of orange juice to get it to blend.

We've also experimented with chia seed "milk"shakes and raw "chocolate" pudding. (I'll post pictures and recipes soon.) One thing I've learned is my kids will eat anything if it has been frozen, and they can eat it with a spoon like ice cream. I just got back from the store, and I can't wait to try out my new food processor and food dehydrator. Let me tell ya, it's going to be an EXCITING night at our house. ;)

Kid Concoctions

Dash got a new book from Patsy and Chuck called The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions. Tornado and I sat on the couch last night and looked at all the fun ideas. Then we decided to try out the sidewalk paint. It involves mixing water, cornstarch, and food coloring. Tornado is all about mixing anything together. He loves to stand at the kitchen sink and mix together leftover drinks with leftover food, add in some spices, stir, etc. This book is right up his alley. Where was Dash during all the fun? Sadly, he was upstairs in his room...he would not take his nap and continued to crawl over the gate and come downstairs everytime I returned him to his room. He missed out on television, his 4-wheeler, and making paint. If he doesn't take a nap, he tries to fall asleep about 6:00, and then he's up all night. Lately, if he takes a late nap, we can hear him tiptoeing around the hall in the middle of the night or feel him coming in and staring at us in our doorway...I say all of that to say - he has to take a nap when I tell him to, and if he doesn't, there are consequences.

We were pleased with the outcome of the paint. We added more cornstarch than the recipe called for, which thickened it up a bit. The consistency is watercolor-ish in that you have to keep putting your brush back into the paint to keep up the color. But it was fun, and they enjoyed painting the sidewalk...and the car apparently, as we noticed when we got in it later that night. The authors of the book, John and Danita Thomas, have a website: www.kidconcoctions.com, and there are online games and a new concoction idea to try each month.

Easter Day

For Easter Sunday breakfast, I made this Easter Bunny (I know it kind of looks like a lion, though.) made from bananas, apples, kiwi, grapes, sliced almonds, sprinkled flax meal, and Clif Kids fruit twists. We all sat together in two chairs pushed close (two kids on my lap, one on Ryan's) and gobbled it up.

This is one I made another year; they always vary slightly. It looks a little more like a bunny, perhaps? I think the idea originally came from A Taste of Home.

sleepy eyes finding their baskets by the door

They were squealing with delight (one of these days I'll figure out video on here) with every single item they pulled out of their baskets. You would not believe how excited they were about the "oranges." "We've got oranges!!!" (Cuties brand clementines...incidentally, I just read this: "Generally, seedless clementines are made by spraying the flowers with a chemical that mimics a growth hormone." Why do I read these things after my children altogether consumed over 25 of them the past two days? I know, I know - there is something wrong with a hundred things we eat. I'm just sayin'. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. They lined them up and counted them, carried them around, hid them like eggs, and loved peeling them by themselves.

They also all received Play-Doh filled eggs, sketchbooks, crayons or colored pencils or paintmarkers, Clif fruit twists, raisins, and other healthier type candy snacks. The boys each got a California Baby bubble bath, and Sissy got this little pink travel potty. She immediately wanted to sit on it. Later that day, she pooped in it twice and ran to show me each time, excitedly. Oh, how we screamed and jumped up and down. However, as usual, potty training is exhausting. Lately, which is why we bought the potty, she has been stripping off her diaper every time she pees, even at inopportune times. It's funny; she has been only wanting to sit on the potty when it's sitting in this totally random spot next to the rug in the living room because that's where she went in it for the first time. Like she marked her territory or something.

We went to church, then the boys went out to eat lunch with Googie. Ryan and I actually watched a movie (Slumdog Millionaire...really good) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. Not Easter-y, of course, but it was raining...and we were tired. I always try to pack so many activities into one day so I decided the rest of our activities could be spread out over the week.

Dash is standing by his bunny he made at school last year. My parents came over for supper. We ate salad, guacamole and chips, and Cheesy Bean Enchiladas. The recipe is here; it's yummy and soy-free for all you tofu-phobics.

He Lives

Saturday night at Old Navy

It took a little reassurance to get Dash close to the Bunny, but before long he was giving him a high-five.

This week…has been an abnormal, unsettling week, and I have been pretty absent online. (One of my best friends who lives many miles away even called to check on me.) There has been a lot on my mind even before this week…a lot of retrospective and challenging events taking place in my little world around me and in my little (well, actually big) head. Plus, I spent the first half of one day in the hospital with a family member who was having heart tests. I had an MRI done on my brain, and I awaited those results. (Both tests turned out normal and fine.) Someone I knew from college passed away, and then...a close friend of mine lost his mom. When someone I love dies or someone I love has someone he/she loves die…I just sort of stop. Everything else seems so...like nothing at all.

I can praise God for so many things during the hard times…I really can…almost all the way. I do, but there are certainly moments that I don’t. I’m not a morning person. If my kids wake me up before 7 (and anything before 8 is not ideal), I feel like I have a hangover, and I’m not happy about it. (I’ve never actually had a hangover; I’m only presuming what it would feel like.) I am certainly not joyful or thinking things along the lines of “Praise God for this beautiful morning!” or “Praise God for my sweet kids who woke me up this great day!” I want to think those things first thing in the morning, though, and that is one thing I am working on. What if it was the last day I spent on earth with them…is that how I would have wanted the day to begin? I'm only using the early morning situation to symbolize something greater. I think I’ve needed to wake up literally AND metaphorically lately…I have MORE than I should even have at all. I am not deserving, and yet I spend too much time wanting more, and I’m not even talking about material items. This is one of my flaws, and it has presented itself lately in unflattering ways. As I listened yesterday to all the amazing accolades being bestowed upon a special woman at her funeral, I couldn't help but wonder if I would have handled her situation with as much strength as she did...I would hope so...but I don't know.

I’m really glad that today is Easter. I guess there was no better day for my spirits to be raised. At church this morning, my wise, wonderful pastor shared a quote from Yogi Berra. “It ain’t over til it’s over.” It was just what I needed to hear in this time of feeling down. I am truly my own worst enemy. I can feel sorry for myself. I can feel lonely. I can question why bad things have happened to me and to other good people. I may wonder what the point of life even is. I’m a pretty laid-back, easygoing person who doesn’t get rattled easily. I’ve been rattled lately, though. However, this morning's message made me think about a verse I often find encouragement from…I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30:19 “My life isn’t over until He says it’s over.” And if my life isn’t over, then I sure have a lot to do while I’m here. Why do I waste a minute of it?

He lives…and I CHOOSE LIFE. Happy Easter.

Naked Juice

I came downstairs this morning to Dash telling me he was drinking "wiener juice." "What?" I asked. Ryan said Dash told him that I explained to him how all the fruits and vegetables were naked, and, therefore, I called it "wiener juice." I WAS explaining to him yesterday why it was called "Naked juice," but I never said the word "wiener" in that discussion. We drink Naked juice a lot around here (the boys, yes, always think that the name is funny), and if you don't know what it is, look here. Anyway, I explained that a lot of drinks have their fruits and veggies covered up with sugar, artificial junk, and preservatives, but the fruits and veggies in Naked juice are not covered up by anything else - they are naked. How he made the leap from that to "wiener juice," I do not know. Sorry if all this talk of wieners offends you. I live in a house with two little boys; the topic is brought up multiple times daily.

My Baby Boy is Four

Dash's birthday was Sunday. He's four. He wants to grow up. He talks about it all the time - how he's looking forward to it, what he'll do when he's "big," etc. He says, "I'm almos' bigger." I tell him to slow down and enjoy it, of course. Though obviously none of my kids were wanted or loved more than the others, his birth was an especially magnificent, yearned-for event. I know how blessed I am, being able to have kids...when some people are not...so I don't want this to sound like "poor me, I had to wait so long," when I know there are some who will never have one, let alone three. But...three years passed from the time I knew I REALLY wanted another baby until he was born. When Tornado was almost two, I was ready, and I waited and waited for months but no luck. Then I found out I had cancer. I remember my thoughts at my "diagnosis appointment" being consumed with how this was going to affect me having another baby pronto. I could hardly control my sobbing when the doctor said I'd need to wait at least a year before trying again. My endocrinologist ended up giving us the green light before an entire year was up, however, it took almost a full year after that to find out I was expecting. Any mom who has waited to get pregnant knows the feeling of seeing those two lines on the stick. Even my horrible morning sickness didn't get me down.

picking up Tornado from Googie and Papaw's house, on our way home from the hospital

My water broke almost two weeks before my due date. I think it was partly due to all the stress of my mom almost dying in the hospital from pneumonia. I was also HUGE; I had gained 60 pounds. I could barely waddle through the parking lot up to her hospital room each day. I was at the point of not knowing if my mother was going to meet her fourth grandchild...not knowing HOW I was going to even be able to smile when my baby boy was born if I lost her. I'm not trying to turn this blog post into a bummer, but I'm just trying to get the point across of how good it was to have him here - with her well again. (She had only been home from the hospital for less than a week, I think.) My c-section after VBAC attempt/24 plus hour labor was rather traumatic...however, it was one of my happiest moments ever when Tornado got to come in the room and meet his brother for the first time. We might have been fine having one child, but I so wanted him to know the joys of having siblings, as I do. Just as he picked Sissy's middle name, he had also gotten to pick Dash's middle name. (which is actually Dash...The Incredibles movie was out while I was pregnant.)

There's nothing like sweet little baby giggles.

He was really always a good, content, happy baby.

wearing Daddy's cycling glasses

He was a quick little learner. He was rolling over, sitting up, crawling, talking, etc. early and with ease.

He also always lunged for food long before it was officially time to give it to him. He fed himself so well at a really early age, too.

It also was not long before we realized...we had our work cut out for ourselves. It's like we barely had any "baby" time before he was up and into everything. I'd walk into the room and find him standing on top of the table, just like this. He was capable of amazing things...and looked right through us when we said the word "no." Some things have not changed. I just told Ryan, on the phone, that Dash just screamed after he stuck a golf tee in his ear. Ryan said, "Short of duck taping him to a chair, I don't know what we're going to do with him."

He and Tornado were great buddies from the start, though. Here Dash has his hair in his Bam Bam ponytail he always wore when he was growing his bangs out. During this time period, his cousin Owen was convinced "he" was a girl.

Little clown on his second Halloween, age 20 months - wearing one of aunt Tracy's costumes from when she was young

Further displaying that mind of his own, he often insisted on wearing underwear over his pants

2nd birthday...I think he looks just like Sissy here.

Photo shoot soon after his little sister was born...they are 23 months apart.

I had to leave this one color to get the full effect. The title on these crayon pictures in his scrapbook reads, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Before we took him to get his long, curly locks cut off...I only had it cut because he was starting preschool (Nov. 07), and I didn't want him to always have to explain to the other kids that he was not a girl.

Right after his hair cut...I cried on the way home. :)

Vacation to the Northwest, June '08...I can't believe how much bigger he is now, in less than a year.

For almost an entire year he talked about wanting a cowboy birthday party. (age 3)

Dash can't be talked about without mentioning Super Heroes. He loves them as much as any boy could possibly love them. He is one. The majority of the time is he dressed up like one - or at least, pretending to fly from the top of the couch to the floor, zooming by like Dash, his namesake, or growling and "smashing" like the Hulk.

We had his birthday party at Oogles 'N Googles. I think he really loved it. They walked the plank, had a scavenger hunt, learned pirate lingo, played pirate games, and danced, etc.

I love this picture because it shows his wonderful sweet side. He really IS a good, sweet boy. It just gets covered up sometimes by his stubbornness and temper issues. I love the innocence and excitement in his eyes and face and the way he is holding his hands in expectation. Makes me almost forget he is capable of a conversation like the one we had recently. Mom: "Can you please not yell? I have a headache." Dash: "Well, it gives me a headache when you talk." Mom: "That hurts my feelings." Dash: "You're starting to hurt my feelings." Oh, boy.

I loved how they let him pick his own candles and put them in his cupcake, and make very important birthday decisions. "Do you want the lights on or off?" Dash: "Off." "Do you want us to sing quiet or loud?" Dash: "Quiet." "Do you want us to cha-cha-cha or no cha-cha-cha?" Dash: "No cha-cha-cha." Vegan cupcakes courtesty of Little Bird Bake Shop in Springfield, Missouri.
I complain about how difficult Dash can be, but we just have to keep praying and working with him to become the little man God wants him to be. I had to tell his father that he lost his treasure chest privilege at school today because he was spitting and not listening to the teacher. Ryan said, "We have 'that kid,' don't we? The one who is always going to get in trouble at school." Sigh. However, there may not be a person I love spending time alone with more than him. When left to his own devices, he is capable of complete mayhem, just like the mud that is currently all over our front door and windows. (He thought of it, and so he did it.) But when you get that little guy alone, he is FUNNY and FABULOUS. He likes having his head and back rubbed. He likes to wrestle and be chased and giggle and pester and have lots of fun. He likes to look at his photo albums and talk about them. He is at the age in which he is learning new things with letters and numbers every day. The other day I told him I love him. He said, "Wuv you." I asked, "How come you never says it unless I say it first?" (Okay, I clearly have positive reinforcement issues, haha.) He smiled and said, "I like you." "You like me?" He smiled again, "I like...your teeth." He tells great stories and adds a whole new perspective to life that we need and love. The other day, when we were at the daffodil field, Ryan started a little speech about "being in the outdoors, really appreciating the beauty around you, feeling at peace, etc." Dash said, "Don't say that anymore, Daddy. It's making me feel funny." My baby boy wants to be all grown up, but he still clings to my leg upon entering new places and situations. He still wants me to get in bed with him at night, and he still says, "I want you to hold me," all the time. And I am just fine with that.

This and That

Yesterday, Tornado and I had the opportunity to visit the Traveling Creation Museum. We listened to Mr. Meek's discussions on science and history in regards to the Genesis account of Creation. He talked about dinosaurs, the ark, Pasteur, the big bang theory, etc. I bought The New Answers Book and started reading it last night. I also bought What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? for Dash because just the night before he asked us why God killed the nice dinosaurs like the brachiosaurus. He has had a lot of questions lately about...well, what happened to the dinosaurs.

Ryan and the boys explored the old barn with Great Aunt Judy. She showed them where she kept her horse Gypsy when she was young. They peeked out at us from the little loft window. Judy gave them rides in the wheelbarrow.

This weekend the whole family went up north to celebrate Dash's 4th birthday (blog post to come). On Sunday we went to my grandpa's house to visit. My two aunts, Judy and Patsy, were there for the day, as well. It turned into a perfect kind of day. The weather was nice, and we were able to stay outside. The kids helped with jobs such as picking up sticks out of the yard. They thought it was neat that Judy and Patsy were ripping off the door to an old outbuilding. It was just one of those days you appreciate the "simple things in life" and enjoy being with people you love.

Sissy, trying to push the wheelbarrow

Great Aunt Patsy, helping Dash cut out last year's dead plants from the garden

Dash had pajama day at school recently. The other day, after school, Tornado said he wanted to go to school, too. Dash said, "You not go to school. Just little kids go to school. Not big kids. Just little kids." We are, of course, curious what our little ones are like when they are at school. Dash gave us a little hint the other day at supper. He said, "The girl always says, 'Yuck,' when I show her my cupcake." I asked him where his cupcake was. He opened his mouth of chewed-up food and said, "Like this...and she goes like this." (and he made a face and turned away.) That's my boy - really impressing the ladies. Speaking of funny kid quotes...this weekend, Tornado announced to my brother and his family that Dash always gets in trouble for saying bad words. "Like poop...pee...wiener...bathroom...toilet paper." Haha. I think that's so funny.
"We're building sand castles in our pretend beach. Do you want to come to our beach?" - Dash asks Mommy on March 18. We are loving this warm weather, as most people are. And it was like magic - Daddy's seasonal affective disorder (diagnosed by Mommy) mysteriously lifted the weekend of the time change. Time change, how we love you. (and Daddy, how we love you, too.)