Moving To “Ireland House”

July 16, 20132 Comments

Yesterday we officially moved in to “our” house!

While it feels good to finally be in our own space after living out of suitcases for the last two weeks, the move itself could have gone more smoothly.

Our house is fully furnished–which we took to mean there would be some furnishings in the home. Furnishings there are…as well as cupboards full of pots and pans, closets full of old linens, and dressers full of clothes. The dishwasher was even full if dirty dishes for me to clean–just what I wanted to do on moving day!

Needless to say, there was there a lot of organizing that had to be done before we could even begin unpacking. To make the day even more interesting, yesterday was also Jon’s first day of work. So, while Jon went off to the office, the boys and I went to work on the house.

David helped by sitting in a basket watching Daniel Tiger episodes on the iPad (what did parents do before iPads???):

And Jacob helped me by being a good little baby and taking a nice, long nap:

Jon came home during his lunch hour so we could make a run to the grocery store (I thought it was a good idea to replace the previous tenants’ moldy food with some fresh options). The grocery store had everything we needed…and then some!

In the afternoon Jacob helped me do laundry the European way: we washed our clothes in the washing machine that’s in our kitchen, then hung them out to dry.

Now that I got some of the major organizing and cleaning out of the way, our house is already starting to feel (a bit) like home. The boys seem to like the house (we have soccer fields in our back yard–what’s not to love?!) and it’s a nice cozy space. It’s a bit smaller than what we’re used to, but it has everything we need. Commence “Project Family Closeness”!

Now we’ll just have to see if we can find room for the 57 boxes of stuff we’re having shipped here from the states. My next order of business may have to be finding the Irish equivalent to Goodwill stores…

Fota Wildlife Park

July 14, 20132 Comments

We had expected to be able to move in to our house yesterday. However, as we were getting ready to leave Seattle a few days ago, our landlord contacted us to let us know that his tenants wouldn’t be moved out until Monday. So, instead of unpacking and settling in to our new home this weekend, we found ourselves with some free time on our hands. We rarely have free time together as a family–let alone a whole weekend–let alone in a foreign country. Plus, the church we found here is out of town on a retreat this weekend so we didn’t even have that to go to today. All that to say, we got another family fun day today. Yahoo!

We decided to drive just outside of the Cork City Center to the Fota Wildlife Park.

It’s a really neat zoo with free-roaming and barely-fenced-in animals–perfect for getting up close and personal with the wildlife. Here’s Jon walking up to some Mara (large South American rodents) and wallabies:

There were also zebras, ostriches, and giraffes in a large enclosure near the entrance:

We saw lots of monkeys, including a sprightly baby Gibbon (on the roof in this photo):

All of the monkeys are housed on their own private islands:

We had so much fun at Fota that we bought a membership so we can return again soon!

On our way back to Cork we drove through the town of Cobh (formerly called Queenstown). This was the last port that Titanic stopped at to pick up passengers before making her fateful journey out to sea. Coincidentally, this is also the port where the ship Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Missile , thus instigating World War I. Besides it’s fascinating history, Cobh is just a quaint little town:

From Cobh we caught the (2 minute ride) car ferry back across the water to Rochestown (where our house is).

Tomorrow will be moving day and Jon’s first day of work–back to reality!

Inchydoney Beach

July 13, 2013Leave a comment

Ireland is currently experiencing the hottest summer they’ve had in 15 years. It’s been near 80 degrees since we got here–definitely warm by Seattle standards, and unheard of by Irish standards. We decided to take advantage of the sunshine today and skip out on our responsibilities (i.e. setting up utilities and looking for a car) so we could go to the beach. Seems reasonable to me.

The lady who owns the house we’re staying in recommended place called Inchydoney Beach. It’s about an hour outside if Cork in the west side of the county on the Atlantic Ocean. Driving up to the beach was breathtaking!

Seeing as every Irish person went to the beach today, it was quite busy at the beach. We snagged the last empty parking space and walked down to the sand.

After we dropped off our stuff, it was time to play! This was the first time 75% of our family had been in the Atlantic Ocean.

David had fun playing in the waves.

Beautiful place, beautiful day, beautiful boys.

On our way back to Cork we drove through some cute little towns…

…and almost got run off the road by this tractor:

Until later, friends!

10 Tips For Moving With Young Children

July 7, 2013Leave a comment

This week has been…crazy. In just a few short days our family will be hopping on a plane to our new home in Ireland–which means we have spent the last few days running around like manic chickens with their heads chopped off. Just imagine moving with a dog and two children under the age of 3. Now imagine moving with those same young children half-way around the world. Now imagine preparing to move with two young children while your husband is in Ireland (and you are in Seattle)–oh, yeah, and you’re throwing a party for 75 of your closest friends and family this week to keep things REALLY interesting.

Crazy as this week has been, I’ve already learned a few things about moving with young children. Starting with:

1. Don’t move with young children.
Really, moving with young kids SUCKS. They don’t help, they get in the way when you’re trying to get stuff done, they require extra time and attention (of which you have neither), they have extra STUFF you have to move (which, of course, you don’t have room to move), and the stress of moving just throws them into a wild tailspin of anger and destruction. Have I convinced you to put your moving plans on hold yet? If not, you may continue reading.

2. Get help with your kids (read: pawn your children off on a willing grandparent/friend/babysitter/responsible dog).
If you decide to move with young children, you’ve got to get rid of the kids on moving day. Otherwise, moving day simply will not happen. Enlist help for at least the time that you will be doing the bulk of your packing and loading. You may be tempted to try to get a few more things done with your children “helping” you. Don’t. It’s a terrible idea. Just get them out of the house, get things done, and reunite with your beautiful children at the end of the day.

3. Set up a staging area.
Find a space in your house that you can use to store already-packed boxes. This could be your garage, a spare bedroom, a corner of the office, or the end of a hallway. As you pack a box, move it to the staging area so you’ll be able to keep everything contained (and make loading into the moving truck go that much quicker).

4. Pack non-essentials first.
Packing up a family is a daunting process. Start by filling one box (yes, just one box–one is a good number to start with, and you know you can actually do it) with non-essential items. This could be off-season clothing, your grandmother’s china (You weren’t planning on using that for Cheerios each morning, were you?), holiday items, or extra toys (now is a good time to start clearing the clutter!). After you pack your first box, the rest come more easily. Starting a couple of weeks before the big moving day, try to fill at least one box per day with non-essentials. Even if you only get a few boxes packed, it will be that much less that you have to do last-minute.

5. Talk up the move and your new house.
We’ve been talking about our “Ireland House” for months with our 2-year old. There are several things that we’ve done to help ease the transition for him. We look at photos on Google images of Ireland (since he’s never actually been there), we find Washington and Ireland on a globe and trace the path that we’ll travel, we point out airplanes in the sky and say, “we get to fly on an airplane to Ireland soon!”. Now that we (finally) have a house over in Ireland we also look at photos of our house and talk about the wonderful things we’ll see there (“Look, there’s our yard where we’ll throw the ball for Bota!”, “Oh, here’s a picture of your new room with your big boy bed!”, “Here’s the toilet you’ll use when you need to go potty.”). We try to make the new house sound as comfortable, inviting, and exciting as we can.

6. Color-code your belongings.
We bought 3 colors of low-stick painter’s tape so we could color-code everything in our house. Since we are moving from a reasonably large house to a small, furnished house there are a lot of things we had to put into storage. We used one color for items going to Ireland, another color for items going into storage, and a third color for items we were going to loan out to friends. You could also use the color-coding system for items to move/sell/store, items that are essential/non-essential/seasonal (so you’ll know what to unpack first), or color-code each room of your house. The possibilities are endless!

7. Be all stealth-like and pack your kids’ things when they aren’t looking.
I made the mistake of trying to pack one of David’s balls while he was in the same room. BAD, BAD IDEA. He freaked out and it took about 3o minutes to console him. Lesson learned. Any time you are packing your kids’ belongings, just do it when they aren’t around. They don’t understand that they WILL see these things again soon, so it’s quite traumatic for the little ones.

8. Hire a moving company.
Jon and I have moved 6 times in the last 8 years, but this is the first time we’ve ever had a professional moving company help us out (thanks to Jon’s business sending them out!). It was incredible having 2 guys show up with boxes, spend 6 hours packing our stuff, and then drive our stuff off to where it was supposed to be. I don’t know if we could actually afford to hire those guys on our own, so we usually “hire” our friends with the promise of free beer and pizza on moving day. Either way, get some help with the heavy lifting and the whole move will go a lot more smoothly.

9. Expect your child(ren) to act out. Plan accordingly.
Moving is stressful for anyone, and especially so for young children. They will get frustrated, angry, sad, confused, anxious. They may cry or act out more than usual. That’s to be expected. Just go with it, scrounge up some extra patience, and drink a nice glass of wine after you tuck the kids in at night.

10. Say goodbye.
We ended up bringing our kids with us on our final day of organizing and cleaning our “old” house (we also brought along Auntie and Uncle to help babysit them). I was a bit nervous about how David would react when he saw our empty house, but I think it was actually really good for him. He had fun running through the cleared out rooms, seeing our storage space (the garage) packed high with our belongings, and yelling down empty, echo-y hallways. Before we left that day, we walked through each room of the house and said goodbye: “Goodbye, old bedroom. Goodbye, blue curtains. Goodbye, tall stairs.” And that was it. We said goodbye and we left. He was happy waving at our house as we pulled out of the driveway and drove out of our neighborhood for the last time.

So far as I can tell, we’re actually less than halfway done with the move at this point. We still have to get to Ireland, adjust to life in a foreign culture, wait 6-8 weeks for our “stuff” to arrive on a cargo ship, unpack, and settle into our new “normal”. For this chapter of the move, though, we can finally close the book and call it done.

To be continued…

An Unexpected Week

May 27, 2013May 28, 20131 Comment

You may (or may not) have noticed that I’ve been absent from the blogosphere this past week. It has been a crazy and very unexpected week to say the least.

Last Tuesday we had a family health emergency that required us to leave town right away (like, grab the kids out of bed and drive all night in our pajamas “right away”). Thanks to great health care and lots of prayers, things are finally looking optimistic here. We have seen reiterated time and time again this week that God is great, prayer is powerful, and miracles do happen. Thank you to all of you who do you know what has been going on and have been keeping us in your thoughts and your prayers–it truly does mean the world to us!

We probably will not be going home for another week or so, but since things are on the up-and-up here I have decided that it is time to start writing again. I have actually really missed spending time on this blog (and, of course, all of my amazing readers!). So check back tomorrow for a bit of what has been on my mommy mind!

Thai Lettuce Wrap Recipe and This Week’s Menu

April 15, 20133 Comments

Now that we are officially in “imminent-moving mode” I have to start eating all of the food I have stock-piled in my pantry and freezer. I am, admittedly, a bit of a food hoarder. I love having well-stocked shelves and ready-to-heat meals in my freezer to make weeknight cooking easier. The only problem with this, however, is that if you have to, say, do something like move half-way around the world, there is a lot of eating that has to be done. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. For the next month or two until we leave I am going to be planning most of our meals around food that is in our pantry and/or freezer. Here’s what I’ve come up with for this week:

Thai Lettuce Wraps (recipe below) with Spring Rolls
Ricotta and Basil Stuffed Pasta Shells With Marinara
Sloppy Joe’s
Panang Curry with Potstickers
Grilled Salmon
Tamales with Black Beans and Rice

Below is my recipe for Thai Lettuce Wraps. I’ll be using ground turkey from my freezer and a few sauces from my fridge (we have a LOT of condiments to get through!). I like serving this family-style at the table so everyone can make as many Lettuce Wraps as they like.

Thai Lettuce Wraps:
1 pound ground turkey
1 Tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1-2 Tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Siracha hot sauce (leave this out if you want it mild, add more if you like it spicy)
1 Tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro
1 carrot, peeled and julienned or shredded
1 head butter lettuce (use Romaine if you can’t find butter lettuce), leaves separated

Separate lettuce leaves, rise and dry. Set lettuce leaves aside. Saute the garlic, ginger and oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes (don’t let the garlic turn brown). Add the ground turkey and brown the meat. Drain the juices from the browned ground turkey. Add the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and Siracha to the ground turkey and heat over low heat–taste for seasoning and add more sauce if necessary. Remove meat from heat. Top a lettuce leaf with a spoonful of the meat mixture, cilantro and carrots (think of this as a lettuce taco). Eat and enjoy!

Our Family Recipe For The Most Amazing Cheesecake

March 29, 20134 Comments

This Sunday will be Easter, and that means we’ll be eating an Easter feast. And there’s no better way to end an Easter feast than with the perfect cheesecake. Luckily, I have the recipe for Perfect Cheesecake. This recipe really is incredible, and it’s traveled a long way to get on this blog. We got the recipe from–ready?–my husband’s college roommate’s dad’s campus pastor. You know that it’s gotta be good if it’s been passed down through that many layers.

Most cheesecakes I’ve had are rich and dense, making it difficult to consume vast quantities of the dessert after polishing off your Easter Feast. And I always want room for dessert! This cheesecake is different. It’s smooth and not too heavy, perfectly sweet without being overpowering. Over the years we’ve made a few tweaks to the original recipe (OK, they were actually mistakes, but they ended up tasting really great so we left them in!). This is a great recipe for making a day ahead if you’re pressed for time on Easter morning. You may want to make a few of these cheesecakes–one to share, and one for yourself!

Raspberry Cream Cheesecake

1 recipe for Graham Cracker pie crust or 1 store-bought Graham Cracker pie crust
3 eggs
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (brought to room temperature)
3/4 cups white sugar
A few dashes of vanilla
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 pint fresh raspberries (you can use whatever berry you like, fresh or frozen, but this is our preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make your pie crust and set aside. Combine the eggs, cream cheese, sugar and a dash of vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend until creamy. Pour the cream cheese mixture into your prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool (the puffy browned top will fall and create a depression). Whip together the sour cream, sugar, another dash of vanilla and your berries. Spread the berry mixture over the top of the cooled cheesecake. Bake for another 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (if you can manage to keep a cheesecake in your house that long without eating it!).

DIY Photo Collage Wall

February 27, 2013Leave a comment

*Note* Sorry about the poor quality of the photos in this post. There’s a lot of glare and weird reflections of me taking the photos in the pictures. Turns out it’s difficult to take pictures of pictures inside glass frames!

A few years ago I saw a kit at Michael’s for making your own wall-size photo collage out of picture frames. I loved the idea, but it was ridiculous how much money they wanted for a few picture frames and directions on how to lay them out. I knew that I could make my own photo collage for pennies on their dollar.

We have a really long white wall in our “Great Room” (not that it’s especially great, I just don’t know what else to call the space) that I thought would be perfect for this project. It definitely needed some sprucing up, and I love the idea of having our photos be the centerpiece of the room where we spend most of our time.

To make my photo collage, I started by finding a bunch of black picture frames of different sizes. I already had several that were sitting unused in a closet and I found a few more at Goodwill. If you want to purchase inexpensive frames, Walmart always seems to have a good selection (there are few things that I will actually set foot in that awful place for, and cheap picture frames is one of them). You could also collect frames in a variety of finishes and spray paint them all the same color.

Then, I got to play picture frame puzzle! I laid out all of my frames on the floor and moved them around in different arrangements until I had a set-up that I thought looked nice. I got some inspiration from websites online, but mostly I just had fun playing around with the frames. Once I had a design that I liked, I snapped a photo of it so I’d remember the layout and I started hanging the frames on my wall.

For those of you who are more precise with lines and angles and such, you could actually trace the frames onto a large sheet of paper once they’re laid out in your desired arrangement. Then transfer the sheet to your wall and hang it up with painters tape so you can see where to place the nails for each frame. I’m more of an eyeball-it-and-take-a-chance do-it-yourselfer, so I skipped this step entirely.

For the actual photos in the frames, I decided to stick with back-and-whites. I like how classic and elegant they look. Plus, I’m really a bit afraid of colors–I never quite know how to use them and I feel like too many colors can make things look too busy and “loud”. I chose photos that are meaningful to our family–they show who we are and where we come from. Every now and then I print off updated photos to replace old photos in the frames. Here are a few of my favorites:

Our wedding– This frame is in the middle of the collage, and it’s a great reminder of the love that started our family.

Awkward family photo– This isn’t a particularly good photo, but I still love it because of the memories I have of taking the photo. This was the first family photo we had with all 4 of us “posing” for the camera. It was at a dinner we had at my parents’ house for my sister before she moved to California for her internship last summer. Jacob was about 8 weeks old and, if you notice, he’s naked in this photo. That’s because he was in his diaper explosion phase where he would ruin about 10 outfits a day. Right before this photo was taken he pooped on the 4th (and last) outfit that I had brought with us. His options were to borrow a dress from our friends’ baby girl or go naked–so, here he is, naked. Both boys are looking off to the side where some commotion more interesting that the camera seems to have been taking place.

Golden Gate Bridge– We had a 2-year stint living in the Bay Area while Jon was in graduate school. It was right before we had our first baby and it was a magical time in our lives where we both grew and learned so much. This photo of the bridge in San Francisco brings back so may great memories of our early marriage.

Babies on Bibles– We took newborn photos of both boys laying on Bibles. It’s neat looking at both of them when they were at the same tiny baby stage. I also love the symbolism of the Bible being their firm foundation.

Family Foursquare- This one has a picture of each family member (clockwise from top left): Jacob, David, our dog Bota (gotta include our first “child”), me and Jon. The photo of Jacob is the first time he smiled. The photo of David is a baby photo that I just loved so much I didn’t want to change it out for an updated one. The photo of me and Jon was taken on a family trip right before we got engaged–sweet, young love!

Family Rules– I ordered this wooden sign for us off Etsy. I had actually wanted to make my own sign, but then I realized that I have two young children and “want” would probably never actually become “made”. On Etsy I got to choose all of the wording for the sign and they did a beautiful job handcrafting it for us. The sign is made of wood and cost about $25 (making it the most expensive part of this whole project, but still a great deal if you ask me!). I actually ended up liking this sign so much that I bought one for each of our sisters this past Christmas.

Now I just need to come up with some ideas for the rest of my blank walls!

Our Family Recipe For The Best Darn Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat!

February 4, 2013March 20, 20138 Comments

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. Last week was one of those weeks. Jon and I were both sick with bronchitis and ear infections (not sure how we both got the same two unusual ailments). Between caring for our own illnesses and trying to take care of the boys, we were pretty wiped out. But, what’s that I hear?! Duh-duh-duh-duh! Grandma to the rescue!

Jon’s mom was kind enough to come over last week and help us out a bit. She helped take care of the boys while I took a shower (all by myself, no munchkins at my feet!) and attempted (but failed) to actually take a nap. She also made us dinner before she left–such a welcome treat to this tired mama. One of the things grandma made for us was while she was visiting was our family recipe for dinner rolls. They are one of my absolute favorite foods–there’s nothing better than the smell of warm bread baking in your oven. Well, there’s actually one thing that’s better. Turning those dinner rolls into cinnamon rolls.

A number of years ago my mother-in-law figured out how to use the dinner roll recipe to make cinnamon rolls, and they are the best cinnamon rolls you’ll ever taste. Better than Cinnabon. They’re ooey-gooey, melt-in-your-mouth, close-your-eyes-and-sigh delicious. They take a bit of time and effort but, trust me, they’re worth it. You may gain 10 pounds after making this recipe (because you’ll want to eat the whole batch) but, again, it’s worth it! So, with no further ado, our cinnamon roll recipe.

Peterson Family Cinnamon Rolls (AKA The Best Darn Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat)
Makes about 30 rolls

2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, plus an additional 1-2 cups (2-4 sticks) of softened butter
3 cups flour, plus an additional 3-5 cups flour (can be white, wheat, or a combination of flours–this time I used half white and half whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages rapid rise yeast
2 eggs
2 pounds brown sugar
1/2 cup cinnamon
1 recipe for frosting or glaze (we like this one)

Heat the milk and butter to 120-130 degrees (use a thermometer to ensure accuracy–too hot and you’ll kill the yeast, too cool and the yeast won’t grow)
In a large mixing bowl, combine, 3 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast.
Lightly mix the flour mixture (I use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, but you could do this by hand), then add the heated milk/butter
After slightly blended, add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each egg.
Slowly add 3-41/2 cups flour to form a dough that holds together well but does not stick to the mixer. This part you just have to go by feel–not too dry, not too sticky.
Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead the dough into a soft smooth ball.
Lightly grease a clean mixing bowl, put dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean dish towel, and let your dough rise (follow the instructions on your yeast packet for how long the first rising should be, usually about an hour if you’re using rapid rise).
During the first rising, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon (use a fork and/or your fingers and make sure there are no lumps in the mix)
After the first rising, divide the dough in half. Cover half of the dough. Roll out the other half of the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch (it should make about a 12″ x 18″ rectangle).
Spread with 1-2 sticks of softened butter
Sprinkle with about half of the cinnamon sugar mix; pat the mixture into the dough
Roll the dough tightly, then pinch tightly along the seam to keep it sealed
Slice into 1 1/2 inch thick rounds and place in a lightly greased pan
Repeat the roll out/butter/cinnamon sugar/slicing steps with the second half of the dough
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
After baking, flip rolls upside down onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper and scrape all of the extra cinnamon goo on top. Then, flip the cinnamon rolls with the wax paper right-side up onto a cooling rack.
Let rolls cool, then top with icing. (I usually can’t wait for them to cool before I eat about half the batch, but if you have the self-control to wait, kudos to you)
Eat, eat, eat!

7 Healthy Habits For Families

January 26, 2013January 27, 20132 Comments

One of our favorite family past times: the monthly Seattle Adventure Run

A couple of weeks ago at Stroller Strides we were talking about healthy habits that we are trying to implement in our lives. There were so many great ideas, that I thought I’d write a post to share some of them with all of you.

1. Set the example for your kids: I’m really fortunate in this arena because my parents are some of the healthiest, most motivating and inspirational people I know. They have always set a wonderful example of healthy living for me and my sisters. Case in point: My mom got attacked by a dog last summer while she was out running. She broke her shoulder and had to get multiple surgeries on her arm. Three months later she was running a half marathon–with her arm in a sling for all 13.1 miles. Smiling and chatting with other runners the whole way. My dad’s favorite past-times include boogie boarding (yes, he still dons a wetsuit and goes out in the frigid Northwest Pacific Ocean), skim boarding and downhill skiing. They work hard, play hard, and eat well. I learned a lot of healthy habits from my parents, and I hope I can pass those along to my kids–kind of a “pay it forward” for our health.

2. Be Active With Your Kids: My boys are only 2 and 6 months now, so a lot of being active with me involves them riding along in the stroller while I run or walk or exercise. I secretly want to be like “Greenlake Mom”. If you’ve ever been to Seattle’s Greenlake, you know who I’m talking about. She’s the one out there running in the pouring rain with her double jogging stroller in one hand and the dog leash in the other hand while her 5 year old zips ahead on his bike. As the boys get older, I’m looking forward to spending time practicing sports with them, going for family bike rides, hiking, rock climbing, skating–whatever will get us moving and having fun together.

3. Keep bad food out of your house: If you know that you’re tempted to sneak a bite of ice cream every time you open the freezer, it’s probably best to just NOT keep ice cream in your freezer. We have lots of opportunities outside of our homes to eat unhealthy food (parties, dinners out, a quick snack from the vending machine when you’re out and about), so make your home a safe-haven.

4. Keep good food in your house: Replace those food traps with healthy options that you actually like eating. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a huge sweet tooth. I will literally sit down and eat a whole chocolate cake if I’m left un-checked. Seriously. Instead, I fill my fridge and pantry with healthy sweets: yogurt, fresh fruit, berries, raisins and fruit leather and even a bag of chocolate chips (I can eat a few chocolate chips for a chocolate craving and it will usually tide me over so I don’t feel like I need to go and bake myself a cake). That way when the craving hits, I can usually find a healthier option that will satisfy me.

5. Prepare your meals and eat as a family: I consider dinner time to be almost a sacred event. Even when Jon is crazy-busy with work, he makes an effort to be home and at the dinner table by 6:00 every single day. I cook almost all of the food we eat and I even have my toddler “help” in the kitchen. The whole family eats together, talks together, and gets to share a few moments of peace in our otherwise busy lives. Many days, this is the only time that everyone is awake and present in one place at the same time–I wouldn’t give up family meals for anything!

6. Get enough sleep: This is for you and for your little ones. Set a bedtime and come up with a bedtime routine that you do to unwind every single night. 6 AM always comes way too early, so do what you can to make it less terrible!

7. Limit screen time: Everyone knows that watching too much T.V. or playing too many video games or spending too much time surfing the internet isn’t a great idea. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against any screen time for children under age 2. The importance of limiting screen time basically sets you up for a healthier lifestyle in two ways: (1) you aren’t sitting around watching T.V. all day and (2) you’ll have more time to be up doing other things.

The earlier you start incorporating healthy habits in to your life, the earlier your kids can start learning with you. And, if you’re lucky, maybe your kids will even teach you a thing or two!

Now excuse me while I go watch The Biggest Loser with a brownie and a bowl of Doritos.

We Love, Teach, Grow

My journey through motherhood

Tag: family