Summer Heart

I can't even begin to explain how thrilled I am at the change in weather. I am a summer girl at heart, so the winter months have sucked the life out of me. I dislike socks and snow, and I will always choose sweating over shivering.
I am extra excited this year because I totally missed the whole summer season last year. The second half of June was spent recovering from my c-section, July and half of August were spent either in the car or the NICU, and then Phoenix and I were on house arrest until the end of September. We didn't lounge by the pool, didn't spend evenings on our porch, and generally missed the festivities of sunshine.

This year, I am most looking forward to:

• Being outdoors with my girl and getting to watch her explore a whole new world. 
• Spending my evenings with Josh on our porch. 
• LOTS of time by/in the pool. I have lost time to make up for, people -- and a lot of reading to do.
• Eating insane amounts of watermelon. 
• Going on hikes/walks (without having to bundle)
• Trying my hand at an herb garden.
• Farmer's markets! And tons of fresh produce! 
• Showing off my adorable baby in summery clothes ... her glorious arms and legs have been hidden too long!
• Feeling sunshine on my shoulders and breathing air that hasn't been passed through a heater.
• Spending some more quality time with my small group girls before they head to college (tear!)
• Watching my man dominate at volleyball
• Celebrating my nephew's first birthday in May and Phoenix's birthday in June!

I do love that God has built seasons into the rhythm of life, but I am thrilled that darkness and cold are relenting. There is a health and freshness in our family that mirrors the weather, and I couldn't be more thankful!

Dinner Win

We made skirt steak with sweet potato wedges for dinner last night, and it was a hit! I am addicted to Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food" recipes, because they are simple, fresh and flavorful. You can view the recipe at http://www.marthastewart.com/317482/skirt-steak-with-sweet-potato-wedges-and We especially loved the parsley salad. Anything with mustard is a win in this home, and it really dressed up the meal!

Lunch Lady

I have really terrible eating habits when it comes to lunch ... if there aren't dinner leftovers, I usually just stare at our fridge hoping that someone will reach out and hand me a salad from Panera. But, since that has yet to happen, I usually end up eating something terrible like nachos. This had to change -- not only because I am a few pounds heavier than I would prefer, but more so because of the way that kind of food makes me feel. Trust me, I believe there is a time and place for nachos. But fatty, starchy foods just suck the life right out of me.
I have already solved this problem for breakfast -- I wasn't eating in the morning, mostly because I didn't know what to make. Now, almost every morning, I have been drinking a smoothie of: frozen bananas, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, spinach and milk. Lean, full of protein, and I get lots of good green spinach eaten before 9 AM. (Don't stress ... you don't taste the spinach. Click HERE for a link to a recipe).
I have learned the one trick to eating more healthy food: make sure there is plenty of it around. In tasty and convenient forms. I have been working really hard to create dinner menus that are tasty, semi-healthy, and Josh-approved. But I had not put any effort into taking care of myself when it comes to eating lunch.
So, when meal planning for this week, I added a lunch to the list. If I just make one or two things at the beginning of the week, I can eat on them for several days. The best part of this lunch food endeavor? I can indulge in all the flavors and foods that Josh won't eat. So I eat better tasting food, and it's better for me. Holla!

This week I decided to make:
1. Quinoa salad with curried cauliflower, pine nuts and raisins. O Lord, it is so freaking good. Here's a picture ... and click HERE for the recipe.

Not the prettiest looking food, but DELICIOUS. I didn't use any red quinoa (it's expensive), and I was short on raisins, since I had eaten most of them when my blood sugar was low. Next time, I would use less quinoa (for a higher goodies to quinoa ratio) and maybe a little more curry.
2. Lettuce wrap sandwiches. Saw it on Pinterest, and ended up at THIS website. Really, it's just sandwich stuff on lettuce instead of bread. This is PERFECT for me, because then I don't have to worry about giving myself insulin for carbs. I put turkey, avocado, tomato, cucumber and mushrooms on mine. No soggy bread from the tomatoes, and it tasted great!

After coming home from the farmer's market yesterday, I put away loads of fresh produce, herbs, cheese, meat and milk. Then I stopped and stared at my fridge, moved almost to tears. I am so thankful for all those good eats ... I try not to forget what a luxury it is! Thankful for the margin in our budget to eat healthy, great places to find organic food, and the internet to help me cook it all!

Waiting

<--- Been reading this awesome book lately.

I promise I will (at some point) provide a thorough review of this book on French parenting. For now, I just want to share how God continues to teach me about being His child.

The fourth chapter of the book, aptly title "wait!" recounts the French emphasis on delayed gratification. Druckerman was struck by the capacity of French children to sit calmly in restaurants, to eat only one snack per day, and to generally have more command of themselves.
Turns out, from infancy, French parents make waiting a part of their children's reality. Intentional pausing allows babies to self-soothe and older children to self-distract, making them more autonomous and capable. If French families bake cupcakes in the morning, the children will expect to wait until their afternoon snack to sample the treats.

I am bought in. For my own sanity, I do not want to be at the constant beck-and-call of my children. But more importantly, I think is wildly unhealthy for babies/kids to believe the world revolves around them. I want our kids to feel part of something bigger than themselves, and to be capable of respecting the needs and desires of other people. Josh agreed, and we are already getting Phoenix on a more predictable eating schedule (which requires a little waiting).

Unfortunately, this book has heightened my already growing frustration with being a stay-at-home mom. I am so thankful for Phoenix, and do not regret being home with her up to this point. But I am stir-crazy. And under-stimulated. And unkempt. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I am desperately looking forward to either going back to work or school. I don't mind couponing, laundry, cooking and I LOVE hanging with Phoenix. But I would just love to not have those things comprise the totality of my existence.

The problem? I cannot justify putting Phoenix in some random daycare for a job that doesn't even matter to me. If I am going to drop my baby off with someone I don't know, I want to be pursuing my passions. And God has yet to present such an opportunity.

Last night, in tears, I was telling Josh how ready I am to contribute to the world outside our home. To my fatalist exaggerations about never being a regular person again, he tried gently reminding me that being a stay-at-home mom will not last forever. I responded, "But I am tired of it NOW!"

Hmmm. Feels a little like God is pulling the ole delayed gratification trick with me. Just when I decided that waiting it such an important part of nurturing maturity in Phoenix, God reminded me that my own life is no different.
There is no shortage of waiting in scripture, so I am sure the coming days will bring much study for the sake of encouragement.
In the meantime, I am thankful for a God who knows the longings of my heart, who is patient with my impatience, and is working something good in me.

Side note -- I got the stomach flu the morning after eating the recipe from my previous post. I am positive those things are not related (since Cami didn't get sick), but my subconscious apparently associates them. In other words, I almost gagged when I saw the picture below.