After a couple of days of rain, my boys and I were ready to get outside and get our bodies moving. When I asked them what they wanted to do, they both exclaimed that they wanted to go to the park. So we grabbed our water bottles (see HERE) and some snacks, and we headed off to their favorite park.… Continue reading
My Baby Turned Two: Reflections on what a Baby Truly Needs
My baby turned two last month. I look at him now, and he is clearly a little boy instead of a baby. He attempts everything his big brother does. He’s fearless, and generally successful in his imitation attempts. Because he will be our last child, as he’s grows, we’re giving away all of our baby things.
It feels bittersweet as we pass them on; the small sadness of knowing we won’t have another baby, coupled with the excitement of moving beyond the baby stage and watching as our boys are ready to begin bigger adventures.… Continue reading
Thought for the Day: Tolkien
Let’s be grateful for what we have in our daily lives. If we celebrate what we have instead of focusing on what we do not, our lives will be merrier indeed.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ―J.R.R. Tolkien… Continue reading
Caterpillars to Butterflies: A Lesson in Metamorphosis
The first time we ordered caterpillars with the intent of studying their metamorphosis, I was almost at the end of my second pregnancy (we used a kit like THIS). I ordered them within a day or two of moving into our new home, and they arrived about a week later. It seemed a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of life in our new house.… Continue reading
Greek Chicken Bites
Light, easy-to-make chicken dishes are wonderful for the heat of summertime. Because this dish cooks on the stovetop instead of in the oven, it doesn’t add as much heat to the house. In this dish, you cut the chicken into small pieces before marinating, so the marinade really soaks through the entire piece of chicken. After cooking, you are left with a platter of moist, juicy, and delicious chicken bites.… Continue reading
Simplify Saturday: Plan your Meals in Advance
Are evenings stressful for you? Do you frequently end up rushing around after work or school or evening activities, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner? Do you end up ordering take-out or going out to eat more than you would really like to because you don’t know what to cook or don’t have the ingredients that you need to do so?… Continue reading
Grain-Free Ginger Snap Cookies
We got together with some friends the other day who had ginger snaps that my boys couldn’t eat (they were standard ginger snaps made with wheat). So I promised my 6-year-old that we would make ginger snaps at home that he could enjoy. To make these cookies, I modified our favorite Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (recipe HERE). While my 6-year-old declared that these cookies would be better if they also had chocolate chips (he likes adding chocolate chips to pretty much every dessert), we all enjoyed them.… Continue reading
Homemade All-Natural Insect Deterrent
In Northern Michigan, where we’re headed soon on a road trip, there are lots and lots of little biting bugs. And when evening comes, these little biting bugs all seem to all love to feast on me.
I won’t put DEET on myself or on my family, so I’ve tried a number of natural insect repellants over the years. I found one that worked decently that utilizes various essential oils, which we’ve bought and used for the last few years.… Continue reading
Quick Thai Green Curry Chicken
We all love Thai food in our house. Unfortunately, when you order it in a restaurant it typically contains soy sauce, which contains wheat, and in turn makes most of my family break out in a rash. So, when we get the craving for Thai, we make it ourselves. This recipe is one of our favorite fairly simple meals. To make it simple, I used a jar pre-made Thai curry paste.… Continue reading
Thought for the Day: Blake
Where do you want to be? What do you want to feel in life? Pursue that, and let the rest fall away.
“It’s paramount we take ownership of our lives. Sadness is greatly due to our having sacrificed ourselves over to a power outside of ourselves. We need to be proactive in creating positive thoughts and actions that will align ourselves with where we want to be and what we want to feel in life.”… Continue reading