Rachel's Photo Opp!

My little mover and shaker obviously saw her opening last week when her big sister was down for the count.  She seemed to ham it up and play especially cute - enjoy!!

Yay!!  Spaghetti!!

Yay!!  Mama!!!

Mama, just let me see that camera for a SECOND!!

What do you mean, "Get down"?

Crusin' for a brusin'

Elizabeth, will you get up and play NOW??!!

Happy to see Grandpa

Happy that it's Grandpa's birthday

VERY happy to have cake on Grandpa's birthday!

The sick girl emerges...and plays with a puzzle for a little bit (thank you Aunt Donna!!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Eat Green!!

You know, it's funny to see the influence of your upbringing on your adult life.  My grandparents always ate very healthy - looking back now, I think my Memaw needed to for some health issues, although she passed away when I was too young to fully understand them.  I can remember them eating wheat germ and making  yogurt and growing bean sprouts...in fact, when I got my own apartment, I thought I was such a grown up because I bought wheat germ (still do!).

The same holds true to my mom and I've told you how much influence I believe she's had on my life and daily routines... one important one being to have a green vegetable on your dinner plate.  Now, sometimes she strayed from that and we had carrot sticks or corn, but almost every dinner found something green.  Today, I really don't feel like I've put a complete meal on the table without a green vegetable. 

By now you know that I'm battling picky eaters, so it doesn't always mean that my kids EAT them, but at least I put them out there. So I thought it would be fitting, being St. Patrick's Day, that we talk about our favorite green veggies and how to prepare them. 

Nutritionally, your best bet for eating vegetables is raw - it holds all the vitamins and keeps the most water in the food you're eating (think hydrating your body from the cells out!).  If you have little kids like me, though, you may shudder at the thought of raw veggies.  Elizabeth is not the best chewer and last night, we saw Rachel suck a piece of cabbage into her mouth like a spaghetti noodle and swallow it whole. *shudder*  So unless we have sandwiches or pizza (I may get teased for serving carrot sticks with pizza for the rest of my life...but that's how my mom did it!), most things that hit our table are cooked.

When heating vegetables, your best bet is to steam - and by best, I mean healthiest.   Steaming has gotten so much easier with the frozen steam-able vegetables, the bags that Ziploc makes (has anyone tried these?) or hand-dandy machines.  I very rarely pull down my big double-boiler pot to steam anything anymore.

Another option - now that the weather is warmer - is to use your grill.  When we were visiting my best friend a couple weeks ago, her husband made an awesome dish of  diced zucchini, yellow squash, onion, a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  He mixed everything and then put it in a little slotted pan designed for the grill and cooked it beside the burgers.  It was wonderful!

I pulled out my electric griddle the other day (because I swear, the thing can cook anything) and tried it with asparagus.  I think we were having steaks or something nicer and I wanted to make a fancier vegetable.  

This looks like a hodge-podge, but I ATTEMPTED to line them all up, like you cook hot dogs, drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper, and then rotate them until they were cooked on all sides.  They came out wonderful!

We have peas...mostly mixed with mac and cheese... and green beans (only canned for my little weirdos) and broccoli.  I haven't gotten into salads yet with the girls - when does that happen?!  I can get spinach in soups but can't sneak a brussel sprout past them to save my life.  

One day, I dream of a garden where I will grow rows of fresh produce and use my children as cheap labor... however, the idea overwhelms my brain right now.  Perhaps that will be the answer to this pickiness...  Hey, a girl can dream, right?!

Ok, tangent over.  Talk green to me, people!! 

Speaking of Pushups...

Were we?

Ha!  We are now, I guess.

I was in a random mood at the gym today and did one of my "stream of consciousness" workouts...you know, doing whatever exercise pops into your head next.  I've been in this little in-between workouts period for a couple of weeks, since we've been traveling and a little off our schedule.  

So anyway, one of my decided exercises today was push-ups - but instead of doing them on the floor, I put the bar across the bottom bar of the squat rack and gripped it while doing my push-ups. 

Woah.

The action of gripping with your hands while doing the push-up totally engages that little flabby spot under your armpit.  No, I'm not kidding and yes, I bet you know the one.  The little flabs of skin that fold over the arm hole of your tank top?  I hate those.

And that's where I felt the action here.

You could also hold onto a pair of dumbbells or those little push-up things they sell on infomercials (although I never understood why you needed them before!).  If you use the bar, just make sure you rest it on the rack so you don't smash your fingers.

Bye-bye fat flabbies!!

In fact, you could do a whole little circuit right there at the squat rack, using just the bar...

10 push-ups holding the bar  

8-10 bicep curls

15 squats

10 bent rows

15 jump lunges

Repeat 3 times.

Then do abs...  :)  Oww...hurts to laugh! 

Juno Ransom

Ok, so I have never claimed to have all my brain cells working in the same direction and I nearly lost it when I realized that I forgot our precious Way to Go Juno DVD at Amanda and Ben's.  Luckily, we have TWO other Juno videos, so I doubt ERS will ever miss it.  But after calling my best friend to ask if she'd seen it, I received the following email...

Guess I have some baking to do. 

Best Friends

This past weekend, we traveled to Greensboro to see my best friend Amanda, her husband Ben and their daughter Samantha.  Samantha was born exactly a year (to the day!) after Elizabeth - which we took as an obvious sign that we were meant to be friends forever.  Scott then made the solo trip up to Lynchburg, VA to watch GWU wrestle in the Regional while we stayed and totally destroyed the Williams' house.  

The girls all got along so well and shared (to the extent that this age can share!) and played as well as I could have dreamed.  There was something very sweet about watching our children get close.  My mind drifted forward to pen pals and shared summer vacations and the hopes that they, too, become best friends.  Maybe they'll choose to attend the same college and eventually stand up at each others weddings like we were so blessed to do. 

It's so funny how friendships change as your get older, start your own family and begin to stay limited to your own little bubble.  Long distance relationships - even as best friends - take work and I'm so thankful that Amanda is willing to keep ours going!  It was just so wonderful to sit and relax and visit and play.  

Please enjoy our weekend in pictures!

I'm trying to distract you with the puzzle so you don't realize that I have the keys in my other hand.  Just do the puzzle, Samantha... pay no attention to my other hand...

How cool that they have an easel in their kitchen and access to crayons 24-7?!  Definitely better than our house, Mom!

Oh Baby Honey...

Stacking blocks...and balls...and babies!!

easy...easy...

Hey!  Dat's Mine!!  While Rachel says, "Don't pay attention to me, guys...I will just play with this Etcha Sketch that I know I'm not supposed to have..."

Trying to play with the big girls

Sweet hugs / choke holds

What?  This is it??  This little thing?  Come on, one more...

Sticky dessert = party with no shirt on!

Comparing full bellies

Yay!  It's a dance!

Samantha sharing her daddy...she wasn't too pleased to share his lap!

Chilling in the a.m. to Blues Clues!

Randomness

Just a few odds and ends that I need to share - Fridays are good for that, right?

I have no idea where she gets this from. 

Clover Lane - Walking Drama  - I have really fallen in love with this blog.  I think she has such neat ideas and I've gotten caught up in reading her plan for her 40 Bags in 40 Days.  Of course my husband was thrilled to hear about the idea (because he thinks I'm a hoarder...you know because I pack away off-season clothes and nice things I don't want the girls to break...sigh...) and me actually throwing things away.  Anyway, here she is talking about walking daily to a movie on the treadmill and asking for other ideas.  Her readers provide a pretty substantial list and I know I have some treadmill walkers here so they may be right up your alley!

Just what I {squeeze} in - Granola Goodness - OH.MY.YUM.  Thank you, Tomiannie for this awesome recipe.  I was just thinking about buying coconut oil but thought, what would I use it for?  Hello!!  Too bad I can't count this as a fruit or vegetable...although I LOVE it in yogurt!  

Once a Month Mom - Tacos in a Sleeping Bag - I'm wondering if Elizabeth will go for these.  She is skeptical of all things meat - except for chicken nuggets.  But I'm thinking if it looks like this, she might try it.  Oh yes, I know what you're thinking.  She won't eat meat, vegetables or some fruit...which leaves goldfish and french fries and cheese.  I'm so proud. 

And I need to give a couple shout outs  - 

Stephanie at Stories of My Life - Posted an update to her impressive weight-loss pictures on her blog and announced that her mile time is down to 13:38.  She's doing the Couch to 5K program and has agreed to write a review for me when she's done.  Keep working hard, Stephanie!!

Also, Amy from May all Beings Be Well - Completed her first 10 K last week and finished 53/202 females and 10/46 in her age group - finishing in 54:58.  So proud of you, Amy!!

Ok, enough randomness for today.  Have a great weekend!!

Can we talk servings?

So earlier this week, we had Rachel's 12 month check up.  Is it just me or do you feel like you're being grilled about your parenting skills at those things?

Is she around lead paint?

Do we have anything in the house that could be dangerous to a child: stairs...a pool...cable...her older sister...

Is she talking and trying to memorize the periodic table?

Do I brush her teeth...all 6 of them?  Twice a day?  ARE YOU SURE? 

Is she getting 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables every day?

WOAH!  This made me snap to attention.  5-6 SERVINGS?  Well of course, I'm nodding yes to my pediatrician, but thinking back to my meals, there is not a shot they are getting that much.

And do I count a serving based on what I put on their plate or what they truly eat??  Let me elaborate for you...

Rachel eating her birthday cupcake...she likes icing...go figure.

Breakfast that morning included a banana and pancakes.  I cut them up and put them on the high chair and then gave the rest to Elizabeth to eat.  I turned around to get the plates and, when I turned back, every single banana was thrown off of Rachel's tray and Elizabeth was using hers to color the table. Serving = 0.

Then came lunch:  mandarin oranges, pizza and green beans.  Rachel ate her green beans and pizza but wouldn't touch the oranges.  Elizabeth ate all her oranges and then Rachel's and pizza but wouldn't budge on the green beans.  Then she asked for more pizza.  When I told her there'd be no more without eating the green beans, she mushed them into a pulp and spread them under her plate.  Then asked for more pizza.  Awesome. So that's one serving for each of them there...well, two if I can count the tomato sauce on the pizza...WHICH I DID!!  So I'm up to two for the day.

Snack was goldfish and grapes.  Rachel wouldn't touch the grapes.  Elizabeth mainly likes pulling them off the stem.  I think she ate five.  Three servings for Elizabeth, two for Rachel.

So that leads me to dinner, where I have one vegetable planned...and there's a 50/50 shot that it'll get eaten.   

*Groan*.

Not to mention I'm exhausted about trying to think about all these stupid fruit and vegetable servings.

So that got me thinking...what is recommended for ME?!  I might get 3...4 servings on a good day.  So I did some research (AKA Googled)) and found Fruit & Veggies Matter.  You're not going to believe this.

I'm supposed to get five servings too.

*Double Groan*

So now I need to look at my meal planning in an entirely new way - paying attention to the number of fruits and vegetables in my DAILY plans.  "Hoyie Moyie!" as my daughter would say .

This is going to require some organization...and for me to eat an apple as a snack instead of a granola bar...

Presently, I give myself a C in my organization of my household and meal planning.  My desire is WAY HIGH but my reality is about average.  I am attempting to put together a plan of attack.  Here is my start...with the help of some of my favorite mommy bloggers!

Jodi Furman over at Never Pay Retail Again is a super organizer and has the best ideas.  This week, she posted this little number and I thought it might help in this area.  Ok, so I really thought it was so cute and I have no idea how I'll use it yet...BUT I WILL!!

Kangaroom Storage Memo Board

I get in a huge breakfast rut and an even bigger lunch rut.  I swear, my kids have cheese sandwiches at least 3 days a week...a stat I am not proud of.  So I purchased the $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook

and can't wait to flip through it.  Erin is really good about adding sides of fruits and vegetables and her meals also obviously work with the budget.  

She also has created these free menu templates that are really nice.  I think I'm going to print them off and then attach them to my new cork board...HA!

I found Once A Month Mom when I was figuring out the world of make your own baby food and her ideas on freezer cooking and meal planning is wonderful.  The best feature for me is that they also have a new diet version!  We have a lot on our plate this Spring, but I really think I may delve into this batch cooking a bit more when things slow down...hahahaha, when things slow down...  I know, I'm just a riot today.

Ok, so now for you...and my question is two-fold.  How do you go about planning your fruit and vegetable intake?  Or am I the only horrible one?  And how do I battle through this picky eating stage?  I have read Deceptively Delicious and I need to plan ahead more to be able to sneak things into their meals.  What do you do?