Minty Hot Chocolate

I was at Costco the other day, and the Vitamix demo guy was giving out samples of a perfectly creamy, peppermint hot chocolate. I was intrigued, and took a sip. It was so very decadent, without any heavy cream or half and half...it was delicious. He told me what was in it, one of the ingredients being vanilla coffee creamer. Blech. Not something that I would want to drink every day.
I've been trying a few recipes for a dairyfree/nut free hot chocolate that Maddie can drink...and that she likes. As much as she loves canned coconut milk, it just doesn't work very well in hot chocolate for us. This recipe is so simple, and you make it in the blender!

The Cast of Characters

I took the Vitamix Guy's idea and ran with it. We've had chocolate mousse with avocado, so I really didn't think it would be too difficult...and it wasn't!

I used liquid stevia drops, and then tried it with pure maple syrup. It tasted much better with the maple syrup, but feel free to use honey or sugar too.

Minty Hot Chocolate

Makes 1 cup

! Tbsp Cocoa powder

4-5 drops stevia, or 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

2-3 drops mint extract

2-3 drops vanilla extract

1/4 of an avocado, sliced

1/2 cup boiling water

Put all of the ingredients into a blender, and pulse it a few times. Blend it until it's completely smooth, and there are no chunks of avocado.

Paleo Lunches

We're still in the paleo-type-of-food phase with Maddie right now, and I finally feel like I've hit my groove with making meals, and making them quick!
Most of our meals are totally paleo, but here and there I make something separate for Maddie, so that Charlie isn't totally missing out on the foods that he loves.
I have to say though, nearly everyday I'm amazed at what my kids will eat. Avocado? They'll pile that into their mouths faster than I can scoop it out for them. Broccoli? Served with a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar on top, they inhale it. I've been so thankful that we started feeding the kids real, healthy, nutrient dense foods, since they first started eating...I truly believe that's what has made them into the good eaters that they are.
I wanted to share two of my favorite lunch ideas that I've found come together really quickly, and are so good for growing bodies (and nursing mamas!).

Salmon Salad
1 can of Salmon (wild caught, BPA free cans if possible!)
1/2 of a cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1-2 shredded carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Drain the salmon, and mix everything together, to taste! I served this in bowls, with a side of fruit. It's loaded with protein, vegetables, and healthy fat!
**I don't have a picture of this one because...it doesn't look super delicious in pictures!)

Roast Beef Hash

Leftover Roast Beef Hash
1-2 C leftover roast beed
1 Large sweet potato, cubed and cooked (I prefer mine roasted with lots of coconut oil and garlic, but you can steam them too)
1/2 bag of frozen broccoli, steamed until fork tender
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt
pepper
eggs
Chop up the roast beef so it's in small bites. Add a good heaping Tbsp of coconut oil to a cast iron skillet (or a frying pan!),put in the garlic and let it cook for a minute to soften it. Add in the beef, sweet potatoes, broccoli, salt and pepper. Try to mash up the sweet potatoes into the meat, but not completely...you still want a little bit of texture from them. While it's heating, fry up one egg per serving, in your preferred type of fat (PLEASE no vegetable/canola oil for my sanity's sake! :D ). Once the hash is complete, serve it up into bowls, and top with your fried egg.

**This is another one of those recipes that you can sub in whatever you have...ground beef/pork/turkey, carrots, onion, or any other type of vegetable that you have!**

Practical Ways to Teach Your Kids About Jesus

This was originally my idea for a post on Monday, but after praying about it, I felt like God was leading my into a different direction(obviously.) But, this has been on my mind SO much lately, and I've been working on compiling a mental list of small ways that I can teach my kids about Jesus. Here it is!

*Every night at bedtime, Charlie and I lay in bed and thank God for the things He's given us. We also pray specifically for those who are sick, or hurting.

*Let them see me reading my Bible, or doing my Bible study

*Read to them from a Children's Bible. We have this one.

*A friend gave me the idea to pray over them as their acting up. For example, if Charlie pushes Maddie, I will hold his hands, and ask God to help him to remember to have kind hands.

*Memorizing verses. Charlie is part of Cubbies, so this is pretty easy for me. We just read through his book each week, and memorize the verse that goes with it.

Charlie at Cubbies

*Make a prayer book. This is an idea that I have yet to work on. It's really pretty simple, I just have to put it together! I just plan to take a small photo album, and put pictures of family and friends in it. The kids will each have their own, and it will be a great reminder that we need to be praying for our family!

*Listen to christian music on the radio. I try to be very careful about what we listen to in the car...we pretty much stay away from most secular music, especially now that Charlie is really listening and repeating everything that we say!

*Reminding him that Jesus wants us to be loving and kind, and that it makes God sad when Charlie sins.

*Answering questions that they have. Talking to them about where Jesus lives, and about heaven. It's fun to imagine what heaven will be like!

I hope this is a helpful list, I know that we have a long way to go, but this is a pretty good start!

Birthday Parties

My kids were born 5 days apart. Ok, Two years, and five days. 

Birthday girl!

I wanted to make sure that their birthday parties were special, but because we don't live super close to our families, we had to have them on the same day. It surprisingly worked really well! 

Maddie had a Pink Lemonade party, and Charlie had a Firetruck party! We kept it pretty simple, with simple decorations, and food. The whole time, I kept thinking, "I'm hosting TWO birthday parties today, but I feel less stressed than ever!"

First Birthday Cake

It was so much fun to watch Maddie at her party. I'm not sure that she really knew what to do! 

Charlie in his fireman gear!

Charlie's party was very relaxed, I think we were all worn out after eating, and presents at Maddie's party! We opened presents, and then...

At the Fire Station

\

...went to the Fire Station! A few weeks before his birthday, I found out that the fire stations do free tours for birthday parties, so I called right away and scheduled a time for us to come! Charlie LOVED it! We learned about what they do, and how the station runs on a volunteer basis. Charlie got to sit in all of the fire trucks, and got to meet the fire fighters! 

It was a VERY long day, but it was so, so good!

Convictions

Do you ever have any of those moments that feel like you have been sucker-punched? That make you think "How could I even THINK that?" I had one the other day.

Since moving, I have felt like my apartment is cluttered. All of our stuff has been piled into places just to get it out of the main areas. Last week, I had finally had enough. I decided that it was time to tackle the mess, and get it in order! I made a list and got to it. The kids were pretty good, but it seemed that they were getting in my way...I couldn't organize one thing without them destroying something else. I was frustrated.

Over the weekend though, it hit me. I was not seeing them as blessings as the Bible says we should. I was viewing them as burdens. My head spun. My heart ached. All I wanted to do was cry, and hug my babies. 

Instead of talking over them, and looking in their direction, I took a step back and watched them. Watched their faces light up as they played together, watched Maddie pull herself up and walk around the couch all by herself. Watched Charlie meticulously build a tower out of his blocks. My heart was bursting, yet filled with regret. I love these kids. They had no idea how I was feeling, but came to me when I asked for a hug. 

This week, I'm focusing on them. Giving them what they need, and the attention and love that they need. I still have things to get done around here, but that comes second!

Love them.

I'm thankful for those moments that make me stand back and see the mistakes that I'm making. I know there will be many more!

Homemade Bug Spray

I've been working my way towards a chemical-free lifestyle. What does this mean? It means that I don't use any more conventional cleaning products...things like, comet (this used to be my favorite bathroom cleaner), Clorox wipes (hello, easy toilet cleaning!), or even seventh generation products which seem to be relatively safe. Instead, I use a vinegar/water solution, about a 1:1 ratio. This kills germs, leaves things looking nice and shiny, and this way Charlie is allowed to help too!

I'm also very careful with products that I put on our skin. For the kiddos, I use soap from the farmers market at bath time, and coconut oil for a moisturizer when they need it. 

This summer, the bugs have been horrific. I don't want to send my kids out without bug spray, and definitely don't want to use "regular" bug spray on them. Have you read the ingredients? Interesting enough, they only put 5% of the ingredients on the website...the rest are just labeled as "other ingredients". SO, instead of using something like that on the kids, I decided to make my own. I found this recipe on pinterest, and had Mike make it up (I had to change a few things, because we didn't have epsom salts, and I added another oil.)! I had to reapply it a few times, but haven't had ANY bug bites since using it! If you're needing something great, and safe to use on yourself and kids, try this!

All Natural Bug Spray

8 oz. water

8 drops purification essential oil

8 drops peppermint essential oil

8 drops lavender essential oil (mosquitoes stay away from lavender!)

pinch of baking soda

1. Mix the oils and baking soda together. This will keep the oils from separating from the water.

2. Mix the baking soda mixture with the water.

3. Pour into a spray bottle.

4. Spray!

I hope this works for you as well as it has for us!

Introduction

Today, I thought I would introduce you to my kids! 

Of course, I think they are the smartest, most adorable kids out there...and I'm sure that I'm not biased at all. Right?!

 My two cute kiddos

Charlie

Charlie and momma

 Maddie

Cuties in the tub

I'm so blessed to be able to spend everyday with these babies. Somedays they drive me absolutely insane, but I wouldn't have it any other way! They do and say the funniest things, and are constantly making me smile. I hope they make you smile too!