Thatch, Natch

     First official day of spring!  Spent most of the day outside and for the first time this year the tub had a nice ring of dirt after the kids' bath.  So happy they love to be outside as much as I do.  Now if I could just teach Luke to actually use that dandelion puller he is so fascinated wtih.....

     And so I did my first real yard work for the year today.  Picked up a bag of Scot's crab grass inhibitor (advertised rebate was a pain in the a$$ to complete online but I digress) and then picked up my rigid prong rake.  This is the first time I've tried thatching before putting down fertilizer, I'm hoping to see some good results.  Not easy work though: I was at it about two hours in the back yark and got a big bag of dead grass - and I know I could get more.  I need to complete the back then move on to the front in the next few days, so I can get my product down.  My biggest difficulty was tearing up patches of grass in some areas.  I'm not too concerned though because a) I figure it's good aeration and b) I'm working on a plan for reshaping and enlarging some of the beds in the most difficult areas anyway.  I'm going to take some pics tomorrow to document the journey in our garden this year.

     Also tried a new recipe today, Cheesy Green Hummus from over at Weelicious.  Basically chick peas, spinach, tahini, parmesan cheese, and a bit of olive oil (I used less than the recipe called for).  I wanted to bring something to the neighborhood egg hunt potluck that was moderately healthy, plus it was an excuse to try this recipe.  Big success!  I served some English cucumbers, mushrooms and carrots with it and those that tried it really liked it.  I've been playing around a bit with hummus over the past month and this may be my fave.   Edamame hummus has a more distinct flavor but I definitely enjoyed the flavor the parm and spinach added to this one.  Also tried a new brand of tahini, which came from Whole Foods.  Purchased the previous one at Dominick's - pricey and I think it had been on the shelf awhile, based on the texture as compared to the WF one.

     And finally the moment that warmed my heart for the day:  Since we met, Hubs and I have sat down to dinner together nearly every night.  The tradition continues as our family has expanded, with the addition of a simple "Thank you Jesus for our food, Amen" before we start.  Helena has been reminding us to "say thank you" when we forget for awhile now, and just recently she insists on adding her own thoughts.  Usually something like "... and for our pray, and saving us at church" - she's not sure of  how to put the words together but she's definitely absorbing something from Sunday school.  So today she added "... and for our mommy who got us Easter baskets [here I thought she would say 'with treats'] that we gave to the children that didn't have Easter baskets".  Hard to hide my joy when I hear something like that!
     Happy Easter, Y'all.

I was doing so well.... until family bowling w/ church crew (Blue Moon) and coming home after a day of super fun w/ kids (Shedd Aquarium earlier) led to.... lazy dinner, don't feel like doing dishes and OOPS!  it's 9 p.m. and I'm done. 

I'm going to give myself permission to say "that's life". 

So let's revisit bowling.  Awesome!  Fun for mom, dad, and kiddos, plus there's food, beer and socialization.  So much better since the smoking ban.

Shedd Aquarium.  Wow.  Kids loved, I loved.  I couldn't help thinking how lucky my kids are to experience this stuff as wee ones.  I mean really.  There was so much there and we only saw a fraction of it.  Thanks to friends for sharing their membership.  And thanks to all for a 3 hour nap for both kids after the adventure!

Home now... Daddy-O drumming, Mommio on the 'puter and kiddos ..... also on their computers.

Good night.

So, it turns out that the more active Mom is, the more active kiddos are.  Imagine that, kids fall into parents' lifestyle.  NY Resolution confession #2:  I'm trying to get back to healthy eating and exercise.  So I committed to the 100 Day Challenge with John "The Penguin" Bingham.  I went to the gym today, 2nd day in a row, for the first time since [ever] - or at least since I had kids. 

Yesterday, we went to family swim and afterwards they begged for me to exercise so they could go to the play area at the gym... really?  Cool.  Today, I was going to sneak out to the gym while kids stayed w/ hubs and play on the computer or watch "a show".  Nope, they begged to go with me so they could play.  The play area at the gym has toys, a mini basketball court, a craft area, a super cool slides/ climbing area and even a computer area.  At first I thought they just wanted to go there to sit at the computers and they do that a little but mostly they're crazy about the climbing / slides and playing basketball - yahoo!

Earlier today we went to Boot's first skating lesson, which turned out to be Boot and Toot's first skating lesson.  She was apprehensive to say the least, but I'm very proud of her because she did it.  We were fighting with Toot to keep him off the ice, and the lady at the registration table said "Why don't you let him try?"  We did, and he loved it.  Inside I'm jumping up and down shouting "woo hoo!!  woo hoo!!" - but I want to let them make their own choices.

Anyway, after that we went to McDonald's Play Place for lunch and they were climbing fools for over an hour.

Obsessed with my kids being active?  Yes.  Obesity is an epidemic in our culture and both my family and hubs family are prone to it.  I want to give them the best shot possible at being healthy people and not have to fight the life-long battle I have.  Now if I could just get them to eat a vegetable.

2013 underway!  I have some resolutions I shall keep to myself, but I will likely be writing about my efforts to use what I have in the house and sell or donate the excess so here's news about today's project. 

I'm making pillowcases out of flannel for the kids' friends - using up my stash of flannel and eventually the many yards I got from my mom.  I was going to go to the fabric store to purchase some odds and ends pieces so that I could coordinate some of the trim but I realized that I have so many scraps left over from prior projects, that I should be able to make this work without buying more.  And so the idea to use what I fabric, food, paint, etc. I have was born.  Stay tuned.....  pics to follow, these pillow cases are pretty darn cute.

Be kind,
Jen

You Told Me So

     I commented on a friend's FaceBook post last week about the Time magazine cover of a breastfeeding 4 year old.  She disliked the cover, I liked it.  I didn't like the caption, but I feel like it's important to have the image out there.  As a mom tandem breastfeeding a 2  YO and a 3 1/2 YO, it's kind of like the issue is coming out of the closet.  There is no bad press, as they say.
     My friend's comment was that it was a negative thing, because she was imagining the men at the photo shoot and the men working at Time magazine in sort of a Beavis & Butthead chuckle over the whole thing.  "Heh heh.  Boobies.  Heh heh." 
     Yesterday I was watching one of my favorite entertainers and most respected people in terms of human rights, kindness, and even coolness.  Ellen Degeneres.  One of the opening spots in the show was a spoof of sorts of this cover.  They showed the cover to several of Ellen's staff members, most of whom kind of recoiled in a "yuck" kind of way.  The last person to whom they showed the cover was a male, age 50-ish.  He asked "Can I keep it?" in a lewd sort of way.  I couldn't believe it.  Almost verbatim what my friend predicted / imagined.
     Of all people, Ellen Degeneres.  Champion of anti-bullying and same sex couples.  I believe in my heart that it is an ignorance thing and once Ellen hears from folks like me and gains a better understanding she will apologize for the lack of thought that went into that spot.  I sent an email to Ellen last night, asking her how she would feel if a male were depicted in the same way when shown a picture of two women embracing or kissing.  Could be Ellen and Porsche.  
     I hope the email makes it to Ellen, I really really hope it does.  And I hope that my email was not the only one.  In any case, I stand by my assertion that the magazine cover is a good thing.  I recently talked to a mom who was breastfeeding in front of a 10-12 year old cousin, who didn't even know what breastfeeding was.  This is our world we live in.  The cover and certainly the caption were not perfect, but if it opens up discussion and gets the topic out there, it's a good thing.
     Sending light and love,  Jen

Jenuinely Happy

     The past few days and weeks have been stressful for me because husband (let's call him Mr. T) working many extra hours and some unresolved business issues (let's call them BH) back in Virginia.   Yet I'm profoundly happy.  Happy with our new city, happy in our house and most of all happy with my beautiful family.  I've been doing some soul searching as a result of the aforementioned stresses and reminding myself that I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to.
     Everything always works out.  Such an obvious thought but I must remind myself of it daily.  Just how it works out, though, is up to me.  In August 2010 when I joined Weight Watchers it was Step 1 of me taking control of my life and how things "work out".  I didn't want to be unhealthy and pass along unhealthy habits to my kids.  Nearly 2 years later I feel pretty good about my progress and even more passionate about health - my own, my family, and our nation.  You'll hear me talk about this over and over.  I am so excited Mrs. Obama has taken on the issue and there is so much to be done. 
     So now I'm on to Step 2 of taking control of my life:  figuring out what makes me happy.  Specifically.  Finding that which I love doing and somehow finding a way to get paid for it.  I'm currently working on making my living environment a place that I love and journaling.  Action and reflection.  Amazing how much motivation I get from both.  The more I do, the more I'm able to do.  
     Sending Light and Love,  Jen