Go Ahead and Jump

My girl wrote the essay below a few weeks ago.

Coach and I make a conscious effort to put our kids in situations that scare them.  Sound mean?  It's not intended to be.  It's intended for fun.

Because fear can be paralyzing, we try to do all we can to counter it and teach the kids to face fear head-on.

We take them cliff-jumping, and canoeing, and whitewater rafting, and mountain climbing so they learn that once you get past the fear of a situation you can enjoy the freedom of it.

Or, if you're me,  you can enjoy a trip to the emergency room. And that's okay, because sometimes you have to face the fear of needles. That's what they say anyway.

The cliff jumping is something we do every year mainly because it's fun, but it's also scary for the kids- they have to build their bravery every year to make themselves jump again.

Many times we've wondered if these adventures- the cliff jumping and whitewater rafting- are making a difference.   Because if we are going to keep things honest here, there are times the kids are less than enthused about leaving the pool and iPhones and friends behind to go "out in nature for the day" as V says like it's a plague.

But there is always laughter, and occasionally we crash a family reunion or get lost or find the world's best brownie and ice cream along the way.

A few weeks ago I received  an e-mail from AC's teacher telling me about an essay she wrote. AC tells it better than I can, so here you go:

When I was younger, I was always jealous of my brother. Not because he got a cell phone before me, or because he got to stay up later than me at night. I was jealous of my brother because he was never scared of the things he wanted to do. If any challenge in life came towards him, he could tackle it, no problem. I on the other hand, was not like that.

Once, when I was about seven years old, my family and I went hiking to this really big, six story high rock surrounded by miles of rock. To a seven year old, that's pretty high.

My brother one…two…three… jump! No problem. My older sister, one…to…three… jump! No problem. “Well, I don’t know. I don’t think I should.” I uncourageously said to my mom. So I sat, eating my peanut butter crackers, while my siblings continued to jump.

On the drive home, I thought about that day and what happened. I knew that mom mom said it was ok that I didn’t jump and that I could do it next time, but that wasn’t what I thought about. I was disappointed in myself.

Looking back on that day, I wish I had jumped.

Recently we went back to the rock, and I jumped.

But, I still regret not jumping that day because without jumping, I never knew what I was missing.

My story does not just apply to jumping of a rock. It can apply to daily life in every one. Two year olds to eighty year olds. We all have a little bit of courage inside of us, and sometimes we need that little something to get it out of us. Today, I encourage you, to jump off that rock into the great adventures that life can bring you. Just because of courage.


You know what I remember?

She jumped.

See y'all

Es Mayo!

Listen, last night I made it home and decided that I couldn't do another thing.  Dinner was only going to happen if the dinner fairy came or if Coach cooked it for us.  It was just the two of us, so I figured that if I had to settle for some rice and a hunk of Velveeta Cheese that I'd just make peace with it.

I should have just gone with Velveeta.  I did manage to sear some steaks for us while he made the "side dish."  And by dish, I mean drink.

You may not know this, but Coach has been converted to a Crossfit Crazy which means he jumps on boxes, stands on his hands, and drinks coconut milk.

I would just like to point out for the record, that cultures that rely heavily on coconut milk are not naturally thin people which seems counterintuitive to me, but I don't like coconut.  Maybe I'm not giving it a fair shake.

Speaking of shakes.  That's what he made us, and by "he" I really mean me because he couldn't figure out how to work the food processor.  So he poured coconut milk all over  the kitchen and then I made the shake.  It was a concoction of berries, spinach, and coconut milk.

It tasted like coconut flavored gravel.  So he choked that down all by himself while bemoaning the cost of a Vitamix Blender.  He saw one on a YouTube video and asked if I knew where to get one.

Oh sure I do.  But I asked Coach if he was really going to spend $700 on a blender.  He said there was no way a blender costs $700 (says the man who flipped completely out when we paid $29 for khaki pants- and then he took them back because they were too expensive!).

I said, "Yes, there is a way.  The people who make the blender decided that $700 was the price, and that is how the blender came to cost $700."

He said, "I don't believe that."

And yet, it is still true.

All that to say, if I want to avoid liquid side dishes that involve any sort of coconut ingredient, I'm obviously going to have to make them myself.

And since it is May and it is sunny and warm and I'm all hopped up on spinach and coconut milk, we are having a Mexican Fiesta tonight.  And it will be healthy.  And there will be NO coconuts.

For my 24-Day Challenge friends- this is a go for you as well!

I"m making homemade salsa, guacamole, and a healthy version of chicken enchiladas; we'll also eat some spicy black beans and leftover wild rice salad.  I don't tell the family they're healthy though.  It is hands down, their absolute favorite meal.

If you want the recipes you can find them by clicking the links below.  And for those of you who are doing the 24-Day Challenge with us, these are all approved.  If you are cleansing, leave off the cheese!

Salsa
Guacamole
Chicken Enchiladas
Spicy Black Beans

Dinner Time (With Recipes)

So, this happened today.

Depending on your television/movie preferences, this is Annie from Father of the Bride, Dana from According to Jim, or Peggy from Nashville.

Or, if you're AC, she's "Brad Paisley's wife."  I tried to tell her that she was famous before Brad Paisley, but whatever.

She was so kind...and so tiny.  In Nashville we generally pride ourselves on not accosting the  celebrities, however, the girls couldn't help themselves. I'm not going to lie- if it wouldn't have bordered on creepy I would have asked for a picture too.  She was very kind; she even offered to put down her raw chicken so it looked less like we hawked her down in Whole Foods.

We had originally planned on being out of town this weekend, but as the week progressed, life became much busier than we expected, and one child fell ill last night.  So.  Here we are.

And because we were in town and a little on the puny side, I thought it was about time to right the ship on our eating habits.  We've been in a busy period.  We're averaging one night a week at home.

That's a whole lot of Chik-fil-a.

So tonight I made a real meal with vegetables, and fruits, and whole grains, and chicken.

All of the recipes are 24-Day Challenge approved.  There is a little bit of dairy on the chicken, but you can absolutely leave the cheese out.  If you aren't doing the 24-Day Challenge but you want to hear about it just send me an e-mail.  We'll talk!  It's how I lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks last summer.  The menu is here- you can click on the dishes to go to the recipes:

Prosciutto and Fontina Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Wild Rice Salad
Green Beans Tossed with Garlic

See Y'all!

Hard

Sometimes in the middle of our lives we just look at each other and laugh.

And I think that as long as the laughter is there we will be okay.

Boston is weighing heavy on me.  I walked across the campus at my school today and saw the flag at half-mast and I couldn't breathe.  I had to sit down and concentrate just to make the breath come.  The involuntary became VERY voluntary.  I don't know why.

Maybe because there were people watching their loved ones finally accomplish a goal only to find themselves at the beginning of another grueling and unexpected race.  And why?  Who knows.  Random acts of violence and a misunderstanding of Grace and Mercy.

Life is hard.  Kids are hard.  Work is hard.  Marriage is hard.  A long time ago a teacher once told me that life wouldn't be so hard if we didn't always expect it to be so easy. It was a catchy platitude in 1989.

Today it was breath; the reminder that it can always be worse and it will very likely be better one day.  Life is cyclical- sometimes you see the sea and sunshine and sometimes you see the pavement and gravel.  Whatever the view, it's always better than darkness, and darkness is ALWAYS a choice.

Yet we still expect it to be easy.  And it never is.  And we are constantly amazed at the difficulty of breathing.

Except for a moment here or there, and that's when you laugh because you know that the moment of sweetness won't last forever.  The kids will grow up.  You'll get bad news at work.  The dog will get attacked.

It's always something.

And there you are.

In the middle of your life thankful to God that you can laugh, and that He delivered a person who totally gets your laughter.

Because, sometimes in the middle of the muck and the mire you just have to fling off the mess and laugh a while.

I'm thankful for Grace and Mercy today.  And always thankful for Coach; without him I'd be chest deep in my own mire.

See y'all.

The Sippy-Cup Years: 3 Children's Books and a Series We Loved

It's weird that Kelly is doing a children's book post today because yesterday I found myself at my alma mater standing on the very same track watching my youngest child run the very same races that I used to run with the very same ponytail bobbing in the very same way as she made her way around the track.

Oh it gets weirder. I was standing with the very same girl that ran those races with me 25 years ago. She was watching her child run too. Turns out my dear old friend who had three children when we were all having children about 16 years ago had a run-in with the Lord and she and her husband have adopted two more little boys. Her children now range in age from 16-year-olds to 18-month-olds.

Not. Even. Kidding.

And y'all? She was dressed with both of her shoes, she had earrings, her nails were done, and all her children were present and accounted for. I call that a pretty good day.

Anyway, we talked about teaching toddlers manners and sippy cups and runny noses and books just yesterday. It was relevant, and terrifying.

The sippy cup years are hard years. A lot of shoe-tying, nose-wiping, pants-zipping, dirt-removing, bath-timing, chicken nugget-making years.

Sweet years, but man those years are HARD.

And as one is likely to do when you stay a tad too long on the island of nostalgia, I have ended up a blubbering, hot mess of nostalgia with a side of maybe-we-should-adopt-a-baby.

Because you know what I miss about the sippy cup years? Freshly bathed kids that smell like baby shampoo and warm jammies.

And storytime.

The books that were favorites of my kids were favorites of mine as well.

G loved this one

Tough Boris by Mem Fox



Oh, it looks like it would be very scary, but it's not.  It's about a pirate with a soft spot for his parrot.  There were tears shed on a couple of occasions, which is totally fine because that's the main lesson of the book.  It's okay to feel sad when sad things happen, especially when parrots are involved.

Both kids loved this one...

I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse

Siblings wanting to know which one their mother loved best.  One she loves the reddest.  One she loves the bluest.  Together they are purple.  I have a blue kid and a red kid.  They know who they are, and together they make purple.  The pictures are beautiful, the language is lyrical, and the message is so good.

And AC loved this one...

A Snowman Named Just Bob by Mark Kimball Moulton

For us, this book knew no season.  We read it in the middle of July.  AC has lovingly been called "Bob" by our dearest friends since she was a toddler.  She thinks the book is about her.  Except she's not a snowman.  Or a boy.  Or named Bob.  She's almost 13, and she still loves this book.

As they got older (I started with G when he was 4) I read them two chapters a night from The Magic Treehouse series...

The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

These are fantastic.  They incorporate history into really exciting adventures that a brother/sister duo take when they open books in their magic treehouse.  As an English teacher these are my favorites.  My kids knew all about King Arthur, Shakespeare, Pompeii, and so many foreign cultures all before they finished preschool.

They also learned to be really good story tellers.

There are so many more, and maybe I'll do a sippy-cup series where I go back through the things that worked and didn't when we were in living color.  Like the one time when G learned to say the "f" word, and not the milder of the two, after we took him to a football game.

See y'all!

Some News and Stuff

Speaking of makeovers.  This happened.  Momsense received her own anti-aging makeover.

I'm a fan of change.  Actually, that's not true.  I hate change, but I do get bored looking at the same things for long periods of time.  So, the blog got a makeover.  Or make-under.  It's crisp and clean and hopefully better organized.

Let's take a tour.  The navigation bar above has all sorts of new stuff.  I updated the About Me page, because as I spend more time with me I learn some new things.  I also had a dream that I was supposed to run 1000 miles.

Normally I would just blame the Lunesta and move along, but then there were other signs and a very specific church sermon.  So I felt like God was going to be pretty persistent on this one and I figured I had just better start while I still had some smidge of control over the situation.  My experiences with God is that if you ignore the signs you end up on a 1000 mile death-march, and, well, I think I've learned by now to make a move when the urgings are mild and dream-like.  No need to be forced into anything.

And seriously?  1000 miles.  If nothing else, it will be entertaining.  My family is placing bets on when my first ER visit will be.  You can read all of that over here.

And finally, I moved the gardening and recipes here.  I'm almost positive there was a better way to do this, but I know just enough about technology to be dangerous.  So for now this will be home-base and I'll try to keep the recipes (which are currently being transferred to the Garden to Plate page) and garden  information over there.

You can like the Facebook page to get updates, or simply subscribe to e-mail to get the updates.

See y'all!

Makeover Time

This happened the other day. 

I am NOT 65. I'm not even 45, but if I had received this two years ago I feel like it would have been the proverbial straw. And this camel? Well, she'd be desicated and destroyed.

I turned 40 two years ago; it wasn't my favorite birthday. However, I did take myself to Sephora for some big-girl makeup and anti-aging products. Two years later, here are the things that have won the Momsense seal of approval.  Short of an elaborate system of trusses and buttresses, these are the best things you'll find in the fight against gravity.

You're welcome.

Oh, and I added links and with the exception of the nutritional supplements, none of these companies know I exist.  My only benefit is knowing that I stopped wrinkles in their tracks today.

 1. Obagi Elastiderm Eye Cream 

This stuff- oh it's good.  It works much like a pencil eraser, only better.  I was starting to see fine-lines and crepey skin and now I don't.  My dermatologist actually recommended it to me;  it costs more than $7.99 which is usually the price threshold for eye cream at the Momsense home, but you can never really put a price on youth. I get it here.  They regularly run 25% discounts and you get reward points.  It's a pretty big jar and lasts me a couple of months.  

2.  Nerium AD

I have a friend who is a Nerium Consultant for them.  She is my anti-aging mentor, and y'all?  She's good.  She recommended this to me, gave me some samples, and I was sold.  It really is revolutionary.  You can contact her here to get yours.  There are all sorts of ways to earn free product, so it's a win-win.

3.  Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum

It goes on under your mascara and it goes on white, so I highly recommend that you make sure that memory and mental clarity aren't an issue for you.  Some have been known to forget to put on their mascara and go out with white lashes.  Ahem.

Anyway, you put this on under your mascara for volume.  BUT- since I've been using it my eyelashes are significantly longer and thicker than they were before.  I cannot tell you how many people have commented on the length of my lashes in the past few months.  It's a weird thing to compliment, but it is a very noticeable difference.  

And the best part?  The price tag is MUCH lower than Lastisse, and you don't have to worry about your eye color changing or any other weird side-effects.

4.  Definite Difference Moisturizer

It's 50 SPF, it's inexpensive, and it makes my skin feel like a teenager's.  I can hook you up with this.  There are ways to get it discounted as well.  This is actually a product that I sell as an independent distributor for AdvoCare.  So, if you purchase this one you are helping me financially- just want to make sure we are clear on that.  And thank you.

5.  MNS 3 - Quality Supplementation

Coach and I use the MNS 3 pack by AdvoCare.  One of the supplements in this box is the closest thing anyone will ever find to a fountain of youth.  I'm not kidding.  I will give up everything on this list before I give up these supplements. 

Again, if you purchase AdvoCare products, you are purchasing through me on my distributor site, so there is financial benefit attached here.  And again, thank you.

Now, go forth and moisturize.

Oh, and I went a few more miles over here.  If you want to keep up with me as I run 1000 miles, sign up over on the 1000 Miles blog for e-mail.  You can also click on the 1000 Miles tab on the navigation bar at the top of this page.  Or add me to your reader.  Or whatever.

See y'all!