Fashion Blog meets As Heard In the Back Seat

Today is the day before Easter.

As I was solo parenting on this beautiful Spring day, I sent one child off for baseball practice then told the rest to get dressed and ready for the Easter egg hunt in my mom's neighborhood.

It's a fantastic little Easter egg hunt, with just the right amount of kids they get to elbow their way through but not so many that they can't find any eggs.

Unfortunately, I did not snap a photo of Miss Elsa's outfit for the big hunt.  Thankfully, my sister was there with her big fancy camera and got a stellar shot of Miss Fashionista.  When she loads them onto her computer I'll be sure to grab a copy and put it on here.

Truthfully, she stood out in the crowd.

Of course on the way home said Fashionista was entertaining the crowd in the car with an impressive listing of...

(are you ready?)

it's completely and totally inappropriate...

and I should have stopped it,

except that she was bringing out such beautiful belly laughter from her siblings...

drum roll...

but#ho+l%s.  *

Yup.

Bunny but#ho*l*s,

doggie  but#ho*l*s,

birdy  but#ho*l*s,

fishy but#ho*l*s,

kitty but#ho*l*s.

You name it, she listed it.

Delightful, I tell you, absolutely delightful.

I did happen to borrow my mom's cell phone later in the day to grab a photo of her afternoon ensemble.

Now, here's the dilemma.

For Easter the big bunny is bringing each child a pair of goggles, flip flops, and a new swim suit.  Smart bunny is thinking ahead to our upcoming camping trip and that indoor pool that keeps us coming back year after year...

The bunny wasn't sure which to bring her-so she gets two.

I wonder which one she'll select to wear next week...

My vote is both.  It's a nice compromise, isn't it?

I know.  It'll probably be just the shorts.

But I want her to always have options.

Have I mentioned that Easter is extra special to me?

It was on a beautiful Easter morning that my husband proposed to me, on the grounds of the capitol building.

And this year it's supposed to be beautiful and sunny.

Hallelujah, He has risen.:)

*I did that to avoid the dirty birds googling it so they don't see my babies

Cupcakes for Breakfast

Some days need to be celebrated.

Like spending time with old friends you don't get to see nearly often enough.

Like the anticipation of an eagerly awaited annual summertime camping trip.

Like sweet little babies dipped in sugar.

OK, more like a bunch of squirmy little kids covered in cupcake crumbs sitting on the counter top,

and a crooked picture in the background...

It's a sweet, sweet life.

Kindness Abounds

If you stop and look for it, you can watch kindness everywhere you turn.

Sometime it makes me catch my breath, it's so wonderful, so powerful, so inspirational.

My sweet big girl has been growing her hair out for years.

Her grandma told her that when she was a young woman her hair was so long she could sit on it.

So, she's been growing and growing her hair.

The trick is that it became so long that she couldn't brush it herself very well.

And our water is so filled with iron that it made just tossing her hair to the side turn into a big tangle.

Not to mention, she's getting old enough that she wants to style her hair and it was just too long to style on her own.

So, she made the decision to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love.

And the fantastic Sunrise Hair Design gave her a free haircut for her generous contribution.  Something I didn't know before her appointment.

Here she is carefree, and on top of the world with her little brother with her toasted-marshmallow-colored bouncy hair.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch a friend surprised (a couple of weeks early) for her 40th birthday.  The girls who planned the party pulled out all the stops to make it as spectacular as possible- bringing in a friend from as far away as Colorado.  So much work and love to make someone feel special.  She said it was almost like going to her funeral- seeing all these different people there for her.  I thought it was an incredible showing of the diversity of people she's touched in the short time she's lived here in Olympia.

Another friend hosted a fund raising event for a boy we went to high school with who is battling an aggressive brain cancer, who has a wife and two babies.  Our community has pulled together to try and ease the financial burden of the challenges they face, knowing that the biggest battle isn't one we can help with.

To know that there is such a phenomenal community of people looking out for each other, that they care when someone is facing unimaginable challenges.

I see sweetness, selfless dedication, to try to make things just a little bit easier for someone else.

I find it absolutely inspirational.

There's always something we can do for someone else, if we open our eyes and look- we'll see that kindness blooming all around us.

I hope that I remember to point it out to my kids.

That they grow up knowing that that's just what you do for others.

Help when and however you can and try to love everyone in spite of any shortcomings, because Lord knows we all have them.

Brave Boy

The past two weeks the two big kids have been shuttled down to a Hunter Safety class a good 40 minutes away from our house.  After school, between baseball and band practices.  For a two hour long course (three days a week) on safe practices when hunting for the hunter, environment, and animals.

It was a good course that helped to show them that they can do most anything when they try.

That everyone has rules to follow.

That they need to be present every moment they spend hunting, it is serious business.

So one night, when I was snuggling Carl at bedtime (way past his bedtime because of that class) I whispered in his ear,

"You are so smart,

and kind."

He whispered back, "What about brave?"

I affirmed he was very brave and strong.

He told me he would protect me.

To which I replied, "And I'll get your back."

He said, "No.  Charlie will."

When I asked what I could do he responded, "You can be look out."

So, I guess it's settled.

When the need arises, Carl will protect us, Charlie will back Carl and I'll provide look out.

We make a good team.

And yes, they are now card carrying hunters.

Thank goodness, I hope they're good marksmen because I'm very, very worried about keeping them fed as they grow...

Now to perfect my venison and elk jerkey recipe...

Health and Fitness

So, I'm always struggling with trying to work in exercise in my life.

I know that if you don't make it a priority then it'll never happen.

So hard to carve out time to do, but it is important to me.

Nevertheless, my running is sporadic.

I've been trying to make it my number one priority to run every Monday morning when I have everyone in school.  That day there's less of a chance that I'll have conflict with doing something for myself.

And when I do I get a good chunk of time with two people I adore.

Not that I can chat the way they can, it's all I can to do suck in a breath every now and then and try (usually not very successfully) to keep up.

We have a beautiful 6 mile loop that I love, fills me with joy for my hometown, even on drizzly days.

After two weeks of not going running, last week I was so excited to run my 6 mile loop on Monday, a 5 mile version of that loop with another one of my favorite people on Wednesday, and THEN an 8 mile loop (that had a significant amount of walking to it) on Friday.

It felt great to work in that much mileage.

Unfortunately, my body doesn't seem to care for this sporadic activity level.

Last year when I ran 8 miles cold turkey I learned I had arthritis in my knees and downgraded from the half marathon to the 5 miler.

Really, that's what I get for not being able to property train.

This year, true I haven't had the time so far to properly train, but I have been trying hard to run at least once a week.  For a decent distance.

But my feet rebelled.

I was worried I had stress fractures in my feet.  At first the bruised feeling in the ball of my foot was fine once I started walking on it.  But when it started to swell a tiny bit I got worried.

And in that worry I was trying to formulate a plan in case I couldn't continue to run.  How would I keep weight off (I've put on a few pounds from the old HCG and it's tough enough to keep the weight down).  And I love the social aspects of running (again-I just listen to people talk without being able to contribute to conversations because of the heavy panting...).

I could become vegan?

I could try swimming?

So, in my quest to eliminate those extra lbs, with the looming 20 year high school reunion, and the worry that I don't/won't be able to exercise adequately, I'm trying to be even more whole food conscious.

Today, my lunch was sooooo good!.

My mom had made sauteed kale with boiler onions and bacon last Sunday night that was delicious.

Since then I made it again with a sweet onion and pancetta (plus a little bacon fat for flavor).

In light of the rethinking my food, today I tried an even healthier version.

And you can bet your buns I'm making it again.  Maybe it could be a family meal if I threw in some chicken or prawns.  Or at least something for me and Mark.

Here's my ingredients (sorry the mushroom is not pictured, it was shy-ok- I didn't think to take a picture until after it was cooking up and smelled so yummy, hence the nub of a carrot and half onion)

Notice the new kitchen tool?

Here's what I did.

I took a sweet onion and sliced 1/2 of it thinly.

I took a big portabello mushroom and sliced that thinly too.

I covered my big cast iron skillet with olive oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and added the onion and mushroom to saute for a while sprinkled with fresh ground pepper.

Next I dumped in about 1/2 a bag of trader joe's kale.

Then I took my new vegetable peeler that juliennes the veggies and shaved up a massive carrot and half a zucchini.

I sprinkled it all with garlic salt and cooked it until it looked adequately done to me.

It was delicious.

Here it is in the pan.  And yes, I ate it ALL.

Oh, and I went to the podiatrist today.  One of the tiny little bones under by big toe knuckle (ball of my foot) is inflamed.  Got some orthotics and I should be good to go.  They're the SOLE ARCH SUPPORT from REI.  Nice quick fix, hallelujah!

AND my insurance covers custom orthotics, so I'll get those made and will be zipping around in no time.

Ok, panting after my friends is more like it...  But at least I'm beating the street.

Fashion Blog

I recently blogged about look good feel good.

It's my motto.

I think it just might be my "funkin' awesome" daughter's motto too.

I guess that our opinion of what "looks good" just might be a teeny-tiny bit different.

But hey, that's what makes us all individuals.

Right?

I've noticed there are a lot of social media ways girls are sharing their daily outfits to inspire those of us who may be lacking a little outfit inspiration on our own.

Well, perhaps it's time for a little Elsa Fashion posting.

Who knows, it may become a regular feature (like the earlier "As Heard In the Back Seat" I had going for a while- until the old built in DVD player slowed conversation in the vehicle).

You may have seen the first photo posted in Facebook.

It really is a show stopper.

Literally.

Just after Mark snapped this photo he told me that it was time to take her shoe shopping.

That he didn't care what she picked as long as it wasn't moon boots.

Those were really and truly his words.

I think maybe it was the boots/shorts combo that put him over the edge.

I've just grown to accept the wacky-ness of each ensemble.

Ready?

But the kicker is, that on our way in to Target so she could pick out new shoes,

not one,

not two,

but THREE

little gray haired ladies literally stopped in their tracks to follow this little girl be-bopping into the store to pick out new shoes.

And all three had the biggest grins on their faces as they continued on their way.

That's the thing that's so special about this little one.

I swear, everyone who takes a second to watch her in motion has to smile.

She's so charismatic.

So bouncy.

So full of her own agenda.

She's absolutely bursting with personality.

So, here's her outfit for today, including the new shoes.

You should see how fast she can run in those babies.

She's an individual all right.

And I couldn't love her any more than I do.

Chauffeuring

Last Sunday was a little crazier than usual.

The day was normal enough, aside from having to help my husband pull on his pants.

That's happened once before, when he had this awful unexplained pain through his abdomen, groin, and back.  He spent a year trying to figure out what was causing this pain.  There were several days I had to help him dress himself.  And anxiously watched him hobbling about like an old man.

It was a stressful time,

the not knowing.

He went to his doctor, had MRIs, x-rays, any test we could think of.  That doctor just prescribed naproxin.  Which was completely and totally ineffective.

It was terrifying to watch my husband in so much unexplained pain

how much it affected our daily life

how fearful I was for our future, when our livelihood depends on his physical fitness.

I'm so grateful that he found a massage therapist who knew exactly what the problem was.

His psoas muscle.

Nope, I didn't make that one up.  There really is a psoas muscle (though lots and lots of people have never heard of it) it can be life changing when it cramps up on you.

Thankfully, we were able to get him a combination of massage therapy and acupuncture to clear it up.

Until last Sunday when he tried to stretch his tight psoas on the kitchen counter after we'd put the kids in bed.

It was like a domino mega-cramp.  Poor guy couldn't move.  He was stuck, twisted on the counter top until we called the medics to come dope him up enough to move him onto a gurney and take him in to the ER.

It was hard to see him in so much pain, maybe that's how he felt while I labored with our first baby...  So helpless.

After hanging out in the hospital until 2am I brought him home and have been his chauffeur ever since.

Which is totally fine, if it leads to a more healthy husband.

Really, it's been fun to spend this time with him and not worry about projects and the 100 million things that have to be done hanging over our heads.

But I cannot believe how much time we have spent in a car over the week.

Want the chauffeur tally?

It's a little mind blowing.

Keep in mind we live in the boonies...

Over this one week span our family has had:

5 massage appointments

2 acupuncture appointments

3 physical therapy appointments

2 doctor appointments

1 hair cut

1 basketball practice

1 band concert

and 1 basketball game

Plus fresh cookies dropped off for the fantastic medics who came to the rescue (just before I headed north to staff a public hearing).

We still have a massage appointment on Sunday, and Monday holds a massage, acupuncture and another doctor appointment...

Needless to say, it was absolutely delightful to pause a moment at the Percival Park with the kids, hop on a swing, and enjoy the soothing rhythm of swinging in the fresh air.

In all the hectic running around trying to accomplish every thing that has to be done, it's so nice to stop for a minute and breathe.

I really need to do that more often.

And I'm so very, very thankful to have health insurance that covers massage, acupuncture, and physical therapy.

I feel so fortunate we have these resources to bring him back to constant motion we're all used to, to see the old Mark coming back to us.

Hallelujah!