Tuesday, February 25, 2014

an interview with Everett - age 4

Last year at his birthday, I decided it'd be fun to interview Everett. I liked the idea of it being a tradition each year just to see how he changes and to remember the funny things he says and likes and does. His fourth birthday is less than a week away. I can't believe how fast he's growing?!



favorite food- PB & honey sandwich
favorite color- blue --- "me and Grayson love blue - we're twins"
favorite animal- Marley and Kai and dogs
favorite game - Go fish!
favorite show- Jake and the Neverland Pirates
favorite friend - Nolan, Elijah, and Philip
favorite song - "Love the lord your God"
favorite treat - lollipops
favorite place to go - "Springton Manor because there's so many animals to meet"
favorite job - feed the dogs (I'm pretty sure that's their favorite too. He's a generous scooper)
favorite bible story- "akeyus" (Zacchaeus)
favorite thing to do with Daddy - play wild.
favorite thing to do with Mommy- play games
favorite thing to do with Graham - play ball




What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be a builder like Uncle Seth.


Why do you love... 

Daddy?  because he's awesome and fixes my toys.
Mommy?  because you love me back.
Graham?  because he gives me hugs and gives me things back.

Favorite Quotes:

"Look mommy- we're sharing!"




"Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freaky-dom (freedom)!"
"We'll have a long kiss and then we'll be married." - after being at Uncle Luke's wedding
"but Mommy, I'll miss you when you're gone. I just love you!" - every time I leave the house


... Everett @ age 4




Monday, February 10, 2014

dinner lately

For almost 2 years, Aaron has been eating a version of Paleo based off the book The Four Hour Body. He eats no dairy, no wheat, and no sugar 6 days a week. Saturdays are his cheat day.  So, by default, our family has eaten dinner like this for almost 2 years too. Back in September, I decided to join him and try his diet. I hate it. He's got will power like I've never seen... me, not so much. In October, I decided to start monthly meal planning and trying new recipes that go along with his diet. (I guess almost 2 years in qualifies it as a lifestyle not diet?) Regardless, I started the monthly meal planning. Aaron loves all the new recipes and I love knowing what the month looks like. For me, when dinner is planned and the ingredients are in the fridge, it's much easier for me to get dinner on the table. No plan= no dinner= no motivation= takeout. It's just how I roll. Anyone else?

I've got a few friends that I'm constantly sending my dinner pictures to. We read the book Seven by Jen Hatmaker and this monthly meal planning sort of grew out of it, and also my desire to make Aaron dinners that he can eat and loves. Having a monthly meal plan also helps us eat out less, which helps save money, which helps us work toward moving. You get the point.



I get most of my dinner ideas from Pinterest and created a food board found here. After five months of meal planning, I've found some recipes that Aaron (and I) love! These are just a few of my favorites from the past few months. (Click on the dinner for the link to the recipe.)


>  Honey sesame chicken - I made this with brown rice, cauliflower rice and broccoli.



 > Oven chicken fajitas - I made these with whole wheat tortillas (for me and the boys) and it was SO good! It's one of my favorite recipes to date!



 > Creamy Chicken Chili - I added an extra cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup more of coconut milk, so mine was more like soup, but still delicious!




>  Paleo Stuffed Peppers - This was one of those recipes that I forced myself to eat and make. I'm glad I did- they're easy and so good!





Some other favorites include:

> Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos 
> Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup
> Guacamole Chicken Tacos


After a few months, we realized that our dinners were not always filling up our kids, mainly Everett. So, we usually add in a kid friendly item as well. For example, if I make pork and green beans, I may make macaroni and cheese too for the boys. Or when I make fajitas I add in shredded cheese to the boys quesadillas. We introduce the boys to everything we're eating, but have to modify dinners sometimes depending on spiciness. Sometimes I'll keep some chicken out of the recipe just for them to eat. It's not a perfect system by any means, but they get to try new, healthy things. We talk to Everett about how important it is to eat healthy food so we (he) can grow big and strong. Sometimes he buys it, sometimes we battle at dinner for hours. In the end, we keep trying and know eventually all the hard work will pay off.

So, that's dinner lately. Paleo-ish and adapted for our kids, but we're moving in the right direction. Aaron's happily well fed and I'm forcing my picky self to try new things. Some days it's a labor of love, and others it's fun. In the end, I know I'm doing the best I can for my family, so that's always a win.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

sharing Everett's big boy room

I'm over at House for Five sharing Everett's big boy room today!




Go check out Deme, her home, DIY blog, and fun projects!
And, if you're jumping over from there, thanks for joining me! You can find some of my most read posts in the sidebar. Thanks for stopping by!