Starting Young

This school year, Brogan's teacher taught her Pre-K class yoga. I was amazed to see Brogan teaching Caitlyn his yoga moves one day. I didn't realize they taught yoga in the public school system. Of course I was thrilled to see him doing something that mommy loves. Not only did they teach him yoga but they also taught him about the importance of our Earth. He knows we have to take care of it and keep it beautiful in order for us breath and live..*his words*... Isn't it amazing how children can understand the importance of taking care of ourselves and the Earth but yet so many people out there can't understand it. He's going to be my little greenie. :) I'm so proud.

My little man in action.

Namaste

Tilapia with Grape Chutney

I got this recipe out of a Better Homes and Garden sometime last summer. It's so light and yummy. Perfect recipe for summer. Pair it with some crisp white wine or some yummy lemonade.

4 4-oz. fresh or frozen skinless tilapia or sole fillets
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 cup tropical blend mixed dried fruit bits
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup apricot spreadable fruit
Cooked brown rice (optional)
Directions
1. Thaw fish if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium-high heat; add fish. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily, turning once. Meanwhile, halve grapes.
3. Transfer fish to platter; keep warm. Add grapes, fruit bits, onions, and spreadable fruit to skillet; cook and stir 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over fish. Makes 4 servings.

I don't know why certain words are highlighted and underlined. I didn't do that. haha. Anyway I don't follow the recipe exactly. The first time I made it, I did but I hated the dried fruit. So I use either canned or fresh tropical fruit instead. Much better that way. I don't use green onions because I dislike them. I also don't measure anything. :P I like lots of sauce and fruit. My entire family loves this! Yes this is what we had for dinner tonight. yummm

Walk it out

The kids and I have been going on morning walks. It's refreshing and a great way to start the day. We get up, have an early breakfast, then start walking around 8:15. The wind blows just the perfect amount and the sun hasn't burned off the morning clouds yet. It's usually already warm but not too humid so that you can't breathe. We walk for about an hour or so, explore the neighborhood and sweat out frustrations. Well atleast I sweat out my frustrations. I stop by the playground and let the kids have some fun before heading back to the house. Walks are good for reflection and clarity. I love it.

when you grow up?

For Christmas this past year, we got Caitlyn this really cool Let's Play Veterinarian kit because she's slightly obsessed with animals. She wants to be a Veterinarian. Brogan wants to be a firefighter. Kell always wanted to be GI Joe and now he plays Army everyday. I wanted to be a pediatrician but the most doctoring I do is kissing a boo boo and adding a band aid. Does that count?

Playdates

I babysat for a friend of mine yesterday. Her daughter was in Brogan's class this past year and her son is a year younger than Caitlyn. People always looked at us funny at school with our 4 blonde hair, blue eyed kids. I think people thought we were related somehow. What do you think? Think our kids could pass as family?


I should mention that Brogan and Morgan are totally in love with each other. It's quite cute actually. When they play together, they pretend they are married. Lori and I have even caught them kissing (a peck) in the school courtyard. Boy I'm in trouble if it's starting this early.


Anyway today was a nice hot day. Too hot and sticky for my taste but oh well. We went to a playdate at the fabulous Sprinkler Park on post at Ft. Sam. The kids always have a blast and it wears them out. Us mommies get to have adult talk and occasionally one of us will run through the sprinklers with the kids. The Sprinkler Park is my favorite playdate activity. Whoever thought of it is brillant.

Recap of my birthday

I've been trying for the past 2 days to post pictures in this blog from my birthday and I finally figured out how to do it! Yay!

Ok my birthday ~ I dropped off the yummy Sesame Street cake to my customer. She loved it!

Then the kids and I spent the day snuggling on the couch together and watching fun kid movies and Animal Planet.

I got lots of birthday cards. My favorite were the handmade cards the kids made me. Those are special. I also got beautiful flowers and a balloon from my bestest friend Stephanie. The movie P.S. I Love You and Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume from Kell and the kids.

My fabulous husband surprised me by cooking me a yummy dinner. Which I think is so romantic and sweet seeing as in the 6 years we've been together, this is the first time he's actually cooked. Besides the grill, and mac & cheese. Oh and he even cleaned the entire kitchen for me after dinner. Gosh I love this man.

He also got me a piece of yummy Raspberry White chocolate cake.

Overall it was a very relaxing day. The kids were great and the hubby outdid himself. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Lick the beater

My mom never baked anything when I was growing up. She never was that loving, nurturing mom who liked to bake things for her kids, or do fun crafts, etc. I think that's why I try to be fun, crafty, loving, etc with my kids. I want to be the mom to them that I always wanted my mom to be. I honestly think that's a big reason I love baking so much. I love licking the beaters and the bowl when the cake batter is all set in the pan. It's my favorite part. For the longest time I wanted it all to myself. Blame my mom for that since that was a wonderful joy that I never got to experience growing up. Slowly I'm trying to have more fun in the little moments and not to sweat the small stuff. I must say, watching my kids get so excited about licking the beaters and bowl is so much fun! Their faces light up and they make such adorable noises, yumm, ahh, smacking of the lips. It's an enjoyable experience all around. They love watching me make my cakes and I love that they love watching me. I hope when they are older, they can say that this simple little pleasure was one of their favorite memories.

I tried to take a picture of them licking the beaters but my camera died. :(

Staying on the subject of my cakes and my kids. I got a great offer yesterday to do cakes for a kids playplace. They have birthday packages with cake included and the owner loves my cakes and wants to get her cakes from me. This is such a big deal for me and a great opportunity. But I don't know if I want to take her up on her offer. We're not going to be here very long for one. Then there's me being a sahm. While it gives me plenty of time with the kids, cakes have always just been a hobby. It takes so much time and patience to do. While my kids do love to watch me, because I do it out of my home and not at a bakery, I still have to take time away from the kids to do cakes. Right now I do them for friends. It's just perfect for me at the moment. I've been doing about 2 cakes a month. Sometimes just one. Not a big deal since this is a hobby. If I took the opportunity that was given to me, I'd be doing even more cakes and taking even more time away from my home life. My housework slacks on weeks I do cakes, errands get put off, etc. I do love making cakes but I get so stressed out when doing them. Yes I'm a perfectionist with my cakes and worry way too much.
I used to be a career mom, working 40-60 hours a week. I never saw Brogan. I hated it. I don't want to go back to that. But I also know what a great experience this could be for me. I just wonder, is it worth it?

Totally random thought for the day: Does the dryer really eat socks? It never fails, every time I do laundry, there's one stray sock that never finds it's match. Where does it go?

Precious time

I had a friend come over to my house this morning. This lovely friend who I love dearly, is OCD about cleaning her house. Her words not mine. I love that her house is always so clean, I can only hope one day I will work that hard to keep my house nice and neat. But my house especially after this week, is far from clean. I wasn't really expecting her to come over, so I wasn't prepared for her to see my mess. I apologized for the messy house, afterall I didn't do any housework this weekend. Instead I spent all weekend in the pool playing with my kids. She of course reassured me that she didn't care what my house looks like. Then she said the most important sentence that everyone should hear.. "You spent your weekend spending quality time with your kids, that's precious time that you can't get back." So true. The kids and I truly had a wonderful weekend. No cartoons, no internet, no phones, just us playing and having so much fun. One of these days my kids won't want to play with me. I will no longer be cool in their eyes. I will no longer hear "Mommy, pretend your the shark!", "Mommy will you read me this story?" "Mommy I love you".....These are precious moments in time that will soon be gone. So why should I be concerned about having the perfect house. I have two beautiful kids to play with and love. They deserve all my attention. That's all they ask for, some hugs, kisses, silly games, reading stories with them, snuggling with them. Cherish it. Enjoy it. Soak it up all you can. You never know how long it's going to be this good.