How Soon We Forget

With two kids it is so easy to be on auto-pilot. You can be rushed and feel the pressure looming by all the demands of keeping everyone happy, fed, clean, and cared for that you can completely miss what is really happening. You can miss the very reality that your kids grow oh, so fast.

I long to remember Jonah where he is right now and how quickly he has grown up already before my eyes.

I already miss his floppy body nestled on my chest, matching my breathing, content to sleep in the same position for hours on end.

I miss his eye gaze unfocused until he found me and a crooked little half smile would instantly appear.

I want to remember the way he reaches his arm out for your face so he can give you a hug when you get close.

I want to remember how his little cloth diapered bum sticks straight up in the air when he has found his sweet spot sleeping.

I want to never forget how he pumps his arms and legs with so much excitement just before we open Sadie’s door to say good morning together while I’m holding him.

Or how I tell him to say, “Mama” and he smiles and proudly says, “Dada” like he’s conquered the world.

I never want to forget his gibber jabber as he busily plays with his toys by reaching with one hand, examines it with the other and then stuffs as much of it as he can into his mouth for a taste.

Or how I roll over in the morning to find him up on all fours in his co-sleeper just waiting to make eye contact with me so he can start squawking away about who knows what.

I never want to forget the way he rubs his eyes when he is exhausted.

Or how he has to scratch his ear and rub his head while he nurses to self-soothe.

He’s only been with us for these seven short months, but already there is so much we have learned about him and love him for. Things that make him uniquely our Jonah. They are things I never ever want to forget because I am so lucky to have experienced them.

Wordless Wednesday: Best Buds Edition

Menu Plan

This stuff will go in our mouths:

1. Warm Chicken Salad with Peppers, Pears & Pine nuts

2. Vegan Pesto & Salad x2 for friend with baby

3. Spicy Chicken Sausage & Veggie Bake

4. Meyer Lemon & Goat Cheese GF Pizza

5. Pinto Beans with Salad & GF Cornbread

Picture Credit

The House That Built Me

This weekend is a double whammy for me.

Today is Mother’s Day.

Today I miss being with my Mom and getting to tell her in a tangible and physical way how much I have always loved and appreciated her. The older I get and the longer I am a Mom myself, the more I realize how much I miss out not being able to share and compare on my own journey.

That is something I mourn deeply this year more than ever.

I can recall the first Mother’s Day I lived without her being in line at the grocery store behind two teenagers my age with a Hallmark card in hand complaining about having to fork over the money for something she would probably read and throw away. It’s moments of complacency like that in the lives of people around me this time of year that make me want to scream and shake them telling them how good they have it to have somebody who loves them unconditionally that they can call, hug, and share life with.

The things we take for granted.

Tomorrow, May 14 is the day she left the house I grew up in and entered her final battle in the hospital until God took her the home where she rejoices now.

Coming up on these two dates so close together this year has had me thinking a lot about how blessed I was growing up in my home. How she molded me under that roof and within those safe walls of refuge. A place where she not only loved me, but taught me everything I could ever learn in her numbered days with me as her daughter.

The place I learned to cook, not knowing how much I would love it later.

The place I ran through the sprinklers and swam in paint buckets on hot days.

The place I practiced and rehearsed my solos and lines for all of my plays.

The place I read my books in the hall closet where she set up a reading nook just for me.

The place I could take a shower and she would surprise me with a warm towel straight out of the dryer.

The place we planted things and watched them grow.

As I struggle through these couple of days, I do so remembering to live the kind of life my Mom lived in my own home with my own kids. I strive to be like the woman I remember in the kind of home I grew to love.

I swear this song was written for me sometimes.

Jonah Dylan- 7 Months Old

Jonah is a big little man with an even bigger heart. He is my cuddly koala bear who is always ready and willing to give us the best hugs and kisses. I adore his personality as it unveils the older he gets and love his affectionate ways!

He loves:

• Watching Sadie (he loves to laugh at her, usually when she does something she’s not supposed to do)
• Giggling and talking our ears off first thing in the morning
• Being held all the time
• Music
• Grabbing and putting everything in the vicinity straight into his mouth
• Rough housing
• Being outside
• The ladies

Not so crazy about:

• Being strapped in his car seat
• Watching Daddy and especially Mommy walk away
• Not being able to crawl and move as much as he wants to

Milestones & Stats:

• 20 pounds 5 ounces. No I do not overfeed him. And yes, it’s all been exclusively breast milk. He doesn’t have a roll on his body despite the chunka weight either. He’s a dense, muscle man! To put it in perspective, Sadie is 2 1/2 and she weighs in at 29 pounds. Wow.
• Crawling backwards.
• Up and on all fours trying to figure out how to crawl forward without doing a face plant.
• Pulling up on things to sit on his knees.
• Says, “Dadda, Dadda, Dadda” all the time. I remind TJ daily that at this age, his speech is meaningless and he’s perfecting his echolalia. Of course, his first real word will be “Mommy.”

Recipe: Allergy-Free Energy Balls

These are such an inexpensive, healthy treat I like to keep in the freezer. I recommend doubling the recipe because sadly, they don’t last long with all of us fighting over them! They are perfect for on the go, for a sweet tooth, or for some extra energy to get you through a tough workout.

I love using flax seeds in these energy balls as an easy way for us to get some great Omega-3′s into our diet. They also contain a ton of lingnans that are fiber-like and help your small intestine absorb more nutrients in the food you eat by slowing down digestion before emptying its contents.

What you’ll need:

- 1 cup of oatmeal

- 1/2 cup sun butter (you can use almond or peanut butter if you are luckier than we are and live with no allergies)

- 1/3 cup cocoa powder

- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened (or sweetened) coconut

- 3/4 cup of whole flax seeds

- 1/3 cup of honey (or blue agave – whatever you have on hand)

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla

- handful or two of dried cranberries or cherries

Mix well in a med/large bowl, then let chill in fridge for a half hour.  Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray then roll into little balls.  Store them in the fridge in an airtight container, or freeze like we love to do. Makes about 25-30 small-ish balls.

Menu Plan

I love the warmer weather here in Southern California because eating huge salads with dinner sound so refreshing and energizing this time of year. Luckily we have 9 heads of romaine, red leaf, and oak leaf lettuce growing in our garden to pay for our insatiable appetite for good side salads! We usually load up on  crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries or cherries, slivered almonds (for TJ) and a simple homemade vinaigrette straight out of a mason jar. Perfection.

Here’s what we’re eating (besides salad):

1. Southwestern Stuffed Peppers & Salad

2. Eggplant & Goat Cheese Sammies & Salad (GF bread for Mama)

3. Balsamic Seared Salmon, Brown Rice & Roasted Asparagus

4. Cilantro  Lime Chicken Tacos, Sweet Corn & Black Beans

5. GF Hot Sausage, Sweet Pepper Pizzas with Nutritional Yeast Pesto (no nuts) & Salad

Photo Credit

Wordless Wednesday: Garden Harvest Edition

Menu Plan

Allergy issues with Jonah had me down the past couple weeks with menu planning as we have had to add apples and avocado (and everything else in the latex family) to the list of no-no’s after a not fun allergic reaction episode that almost had me calling the paramedics from the women’s bathroom over a vomiting baby in the middle of my brother preaching a sermon I wish I had been present to hear. Shout out to the three nice ladies on clean up crew while I was a hysterical mess. Oye.

I’m slowly but surely getting a handle on what exactly the road map looks like for the both of us eating and am facing this menu plan for the next week with a renewed confidence that he and we will be okay!

Check out what apples do to this boy:

Here’s what we’re eating:

• Seared Chicken Breast with Lemon Herb Pan Sauce & Roasted Asparagus
• Fish Tacos & Salad
• Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta (subbing coconut milk creamer for heavy cream & corn pasta)
• Chicken, Broccoli & Lemon Stir-fry with Brown Rice
• Black Bean & Roasted Veggie Burritos

Wordless Wednesday: Those Faces Edition