Simple things

We finally had a day of sunshine after a week of cold drizzly weather. We've been wanting to explore this trail near our house for a while now and finally got the chance. The boys had a blast running around like wild things.



And, an attempt at self-portrait showing off the new hair...haven't been blonde since I was a toddler...

Linking up at:

Last chance: Parley Ray Giveaway!

Last chance to win a $35 gift certificate to Parley Ray Boutique! Check out these latest additions- simply adorable! Winner will be announced Monday morning.

Enriching experiences

This week the boys and I watched Dolphin Tale, based on the true story of Winter, the dolphin who was rescued and has a prosthetic fin. They were enthralled, and after the movie we went out to the web cam where we could see Winter swimming in her tank. There is a link where you can "adopt" an animal and Ethan chose to adopt Winter. He printed out a picture of Winter and an adoption certificate, they also have coloring pages to print.

I loved the part in the movie where the mother said her son was having a much richer experience with the dolphin than in his summer school classroom. That is one of the primary reason why I homeschool. To provide enriching, hands-on, real life experiences.

This school year so far we have traveled to sixteen states, visited countless zoo's, science center's and museums, hiked Sand Dunes National Park and Zion's National Park, milked a cow, grew mold in a petri dish, grew some potted plants, made yogurt, spent lots of time at the farm, dinosaur museum and gardens of Thanksgiving point. Next week we're headed to the Aviary and in a few weeks we'll be taking a trip to California where, among other places, we'll visit Sea World where they can continue their lesson about dolphins and the beaches in La Jolla where we'll (hopefully) see some sea lions sunbathing on the rocks.

I enjoy the adventure of hands-on learning and love to see the excitement in their eyes when they discover something for the first time!

p.s. sorry if you got this twice on rss, my 2 year old published it before I was finished ;)

Quinoa & Black Bean Burritos

You have got to try this quinoa burrito recipe- it is amazing. I loved it, the boys loved it; it's definitely on the list of my new favorite foods, and couldn't be healthier. Need I say more?

Spring has sprung...kind of...

At least it did for a few days... We were out in shorts one day and it snowed the next. I'm so glad we visited Thanksgiving Point before the official start of the tulip festival because I after this crazy weather they won't be quite as beautiful. We are so looking forward to spring staying for more than two days at a time so we can start having our school here again. Couldn't ask for a more beautiful classroom setting...

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P.S. Don't forget to enter to win a Gift Certificate to Parley Ray Boutique! The cutest darn rufflebutts / diaper covers / bloomers. Simply adorable and they make the PERFECT photography props.

Parley Ray Boutique giveaway!

I'm excited to announce a giveaway to Parley Ray Boutique! My talented sister (and mother of eight!) makes the most adorable baby bloomers/diaper covers and coordinating tops. These are perfect for summer and make the BEST photo props for photographing baby girls. See below for just a few of my favorite and enter to win a $35 gift certificate to Parley Ray Boutique!

Enter below to win a $35 gift certificate to Parley Ray Boutique!

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How to rock a ponytail

I had originally planned this post the week I was in Houston, but something happened on my phone and the entire thing was deleted. It's taken me this long to sit down and type it again. Hope it works this time!

I don't know about you, but since I've become a mom I have a lot less time to get myself prettied up for the day. But one thing I've learned is that if I show up at the store by myself with three little boys in tow wearing gym clothes and a ponytail I'm probably not going to get friendly or sympathetic looks from fellow shoppers. Instead, I'll probably get those looks that say things like "are they all hers?" "does she know about birth control?" and "can she shut that kid up?"

HOWEVER...if I go out in public with makeup, jewelry and cute hair, I get the exact opposite reaction. People will come up and say "wow, you have your hands full!" "are you going to try for a girl?" and "can I help you to your car?" And those that don't comment are giving sympathetic smiles rather than dirty looks. The difference is amazing. And kinda sad.

I have gotten my routine down where I can shower, blow dry, make up and dress in 30 minutes, but I still don't want to do that every day. So on those off days I throw it in a pony tail, add one of these cute little clips and voila- no longer schlumpy frumpy mom. This look says I  chose to put my hair in a pony tail and I like it that way. 

You can buy fabulous clips like this at Whippy Cake, however you can also make your own at home and it's super easy. There are dozens of tutorials out there, but I thought I'd share how I make mine.

Supplies:

3 coordinating fabrics (I buy the smallest yardage they let you- usually 1/4 yard)

3 decorative buttons (fabric store or ebay)

1 pinch clip (sally's)

Felt (I use white or grey)

Glue gun or needle & thread

Start with three coordinating strips of fabric about 2-3 inches wide and at least 6 inches long. I like to snip the fabric and then rip it lengthwise to create frayed edges. The wider and longer the fabric, the bigger the flower.

Fold the inside corner in half and start to roll to create the center of the flower.

As you roll, twist the fabric. The tighter the twist the flatter the flower will be. Experiment with looser and tighter twists to determine the style you prefer.

Keep twisting until you reach the end of your fabric.

Tuck the end under the flower and either hand sew through all layers of the flower to keep them together, or use hot glue to secure the layers together (you can also hot glue as you roll- to make sure every twist is secured).

Sew or hot glue a button to the top of the flower (ebay is the best place to find decorative buttons).

Repeat with each additional flower.

Attach the flowers together by hand sewing or using hot glue. Then cut a piece of coordinating felt in the shape of the back of the flower (hides the underneath and makes it look more professional).

Hand sew- or hot glue this to the back of the flowers.

Cut another piece of felt large enough to cover the clip. Clip the felt and put hot glue all over the clip and the felt cover.

Attach to the back of the flower- making sure the clip is positioned so that the flower faces the direction you want it to.

Place in your hair, on a cardigan or bag for a stylish way to add a pop of color and accessorize your outfit.

So go ahead, rock that ponytail!

p.s. these clips also look fab attached to a cardigan- adds a fun pop of color to any outfit. And for some super cute hair ideas, check out these sites:

Easy up twist with Whippy Cake

30 Days of Hair Romance

30 Hairstyles in 30 Days

Hair tips from I heart Naptime

Happy Easter

While we participate in egg hunts with our family and enjoy the beauty of spring, we also take time to remember the real reason we celebrate Easter.



Visit http://mormon.org/easter for more information about Jesus Christ. Because Christ was resurrected we too will live again!

Real Foods: Last minute meals

I don't know about you, but when I don't get home until around 4:30 or 5:00 after a long day with kids, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking. Usually I love to cook, but I don't like to be rushed and there are those days when I just don't feel it. I've been trying to compile a list of healthy meals for those days when time is short and appetites are growing and a list of ingredients that I must have in my house at all times just so I can whip up an "emergency meal". Here are a few ideas I've been using...

Burritos: I have to admit that this is my #1 go-to meal. It's healthy, quick and easy. And those days that I don't feel like making the tortillas, I can just serve beans over rice/barley, or make cilantro lime rice and eat it as a meal. I usually keep a can of refried beans on hand just in case, but with my new pressure cooker it only takes 20 minutes to cook up a batch of beans and another 6 minutes to cook rice. I usually season with some s&p, cumin, garlic and chili powder (onions if I'm going to re-fry them, here's a black refried bean recipe). Serve with green onions, tomatoes and avocado.

Pasta: A simple whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese makes a quick and delicious meal. Or a vegetable rotini is also easy, add a bunch of chopped veggies to the sauce, stir in cooked spiral noodles, top the pan with cheese and cover until melted.

Quick Salads: A garden salad topped with raisins and nuts is always an easy meal. My favorite quick salad though is Black Bean Salad (Cowboy Caviar). I make this all the time in the summer. It is so yummy and fresh, requires no heating of an oven or stove  and can be done in about 15 minutes (I usually cook my black beans in advance, but even if I forget, they can be pressure cooked in 20 minutes while I chop the veggies). Another favorite is garden pasta salad. It only takes a few minutes and I love how it tastes with cold vegetables and warm noodles. Another great summertime dish.

Breakfast: I love breakfast for dinner! Whip up a batch of waffles, pancakes or eggs, bacon and potatoes and you will have happy children any day of the week.

Soup: You might think that soup requires a lot of time, but I have a few soup recipes that are really simple, as long as you have some homemade chicken stock and avocados on hand. Cuban Black Bean Soup might not look very appetizing, but trust me, it is delicious. Black Bean Veggie Chili is also very simple- just add whatever veggies you have on hand and heat it up. And, my other favorite, Chicken Tortilla Soup. I've even made it without the chicken before (not on purpose- just slipped my mind) and it still tastes great. Of course, if you have homemade chicken stock on hand- Chicken Noodle Soup is probably your easiest and quickest soup. Simply chop up some carrots, celery and other veggies and stir in some pre-cooked noodles.

Stir Fry: I try to keep a bag of frozen pre-chopped veggies in the freezer for emergencies. Perfect for whipping up a stir fry. Cook the rice/barley and saute the veggies and you have quick, healthy meal.

Roasted vegetables: This is a super easy meal, just chop a bunch of your favorite veggies (potatoes, carrots, green beans, asparagus, finely chopped onions, etc...) toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and favorite spices, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are browned and crunchy. My favorites are Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts, Sweet Buttered Carrots and Roasted Potatoes.

And here is my "must have on hand at all times" list:

• Chicken broth (I try to freeze leftovers so I will always have some on hand)
• Chicken (I always have a can or two of shredded chicken just in case)
• Lemons & limes
• Avocado
• Tomatoes (keep a few cans of diced tomatoes for emergencies)
• Cilantro
• Carrots
• Black beans (I always keep a can or two for emergencies)
• Frozen veggies
• Eggs
• Onions (and I re-grow my green onions so I always have them on hand)
• Potatoes

What are your favorite go-to meals?

Draper, Utah LDS Temple Artwork

For the last 9 years I have been more than an hour from the nearest temple. I feel so fortunate to be only 5 minutes away from the Draper temple and 15 minutes away from two other temples. I love that we can see temples no matter where we are in the valley. I'm going to miss that when it's time for us to leave. You can download free pictures of the Draper temple on my free temple pictures website http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com/

Rotten mommy

My little angel has gone from this:

To this:

At two and a half I thought we might actually skip over the terrible two phase, but apparently not. In the past few weeks he has:

• scribbled on the wall with crayon
• dumped out every toy bin we own
• shredded into tiny pieces the two loaves of whole wheat bread I made using a combination of his hands and an ice cream scoop
• climbed on the counter and cut up his finger with my knife (superficial wound, thank goodness)
• food flinging at mealtimes
• smooshed banana all over my bed. and the carpet.
• ran around in the middle of the boys' taekwondo class, then through the doors and out into the street
• and, I'm sure there were a few other things that I've blocked from memory

Whenever I try to prevent one of these little incidents from occuring he yells "rotten mommy!" over and over. It's kind of funny. and a bit cute. but totally naughty.

Last meal...

If I had one last meal in this life, this would totally be it. It might not look like much, but the combination of lemon, bacon and butter is to die for. Seriously. Try it: Lemon Chicken with bacon, potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Real food: eliminating sugar

I thought that eliminating processed sugar would be the biggest challenge for me. I love my sweets (as you can tell from my food blog). You wouldn't think so, but travelling actually helped with this one. I wasn't home so I couldn't bake. The only sweets I eat are home made sweets. I just don't like the taste of "fake" sweets. So I went a full 5 weeks and only had 3 sweet treats if you can believe it. After coming home and starting to live my "real foods" pledge it was amazing, my sugar cravings were gone (and are still gone). Completely gone!

In the past, I'd look at a yummy recipe on pinterest and would start drooling. I'd grab the bag of chocolate chips or my hidden stash of IKEA dark chocolate and indulge excessively while I waited for my cavity maker/heart attack dessert to bake. It seemed like I never felt satisfied- could never quite get enough sweets. Now, I can browse pinterest and am not phased at all by seeing an image of a dessert that previously would have made my mouth water. I feel like I have so much more self control and it feels great. I can indulge if I choose to, but I don't NEED to.

As I mentioned in my 100 Days of Real Food post, I eliminated all processed sugar from my diet. I purchased a large jar of honey and a bag of raw sugar (which it turns out the sugar is technically against the rules). I only used 1 teaspoon of sugar the entire first week. I used honey to sweeten plain yogurt, oatmeal and a batch of brown rice peanut butter balls. Other than that, I relied solely on fruits to provide my sugar.

So, if you're trying to reduce or eliminate sugar from your lifestyle, here are some tips I recommend starting with.

1. CLEAN HOUSE. Unless you can handle the temptation, toss out your brown, granulated and powdered sugars. Baking is a hobby of mine so I keep the sugar on hand for that, and I keep it in a separate cupboard. This way I don't see it every time I open my baking cupboard and am not tempted by it. Although so far I haven't been tempted to use it. If you typically keep a stash of storebought sweets (cookies, candy, soda, etc) those have to go. Get rid of them and don't replace them! Your family doesn't need the cavities or the calories.

2. CHECK THE LABEL. As a general rule, you should not eat anything with more than 8 grams of sugar (2 teaspoons) 3 times a day. If it has more than this, don't buy it. You can't eat what you don't buy!

3. SWEETEN NATURALLY. If you're used to eating a lot of fake sweets, your body needs to learn to appreciate the taste of real sugar. Artificial sweeteners are designed to leave you wanting more. Start by eating real fruits rather than artificially flavored fruit treats. Sweeten cereal, waffles, pancakes by topping with fresh fruit. If you must, use a little honey or a natural sweetener. Buy plain yogurt and sweeten yourself with honey, vanilla and fruit. In recipes, replace sugar with honey. Eat fruits for dessert. Anytime you get a sugar craving, grab some fruit and eat as much as you like until it goes away. Once you start eating more fruits and vegetables, your body will start to crave healthy foods rather than junk.

4. INDULGE IN MODERATION. If you just enjoy eating sweets, go ahead! Once you've purged your body of processed sugar and your cravings have gone away, go ahead and indulge in a small treat. Once a week. BUT, make it yourself if you can. This requires a lot more effort and I like to think I burn calories while baking ;) I think you'll find that the super sugary, unhealthy sweets aren't as appealing to you once you've rid yourself of the sugar addiction. Instead I tend to lean towards more fruit-based desserts (apple/cherry crisp) or those that are more rich in flavor rather (like cheesecake or dark chocolate) than those just filled with loads of unhealthy stuff (like cool whip and caramel topping). Here's a great recipe for oatmeal cookie bites- they totally satisfy and helps curb the desire for anything sweeter.