MommyCoddle

Here I am

It’s funny. I took these photos just a few days after Christmas. These beautiful cards I’d purchased long before Advent, so proud of myself for being prepared and ready to savor the build up to Christmas. I was going to hang them from my mantle, taking one down to read to the girls each day, spending time reflecting and re-focusing what often feels like the craziest of weeks on the calendar each year.

But days after Christmas there they sat, still wrapped in the priority mail envelope, tucked in the windowsill of my kitchen, with the bills and the holiday cards and the other reminders of things I needed to do but neatly cleared off my kitchen island and temporarily out of my mind.

My heart just wasn’t in it this year.

I couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. But I also knew it was coming from a number of things weighing on my mind.

But once the dust settled around Christmas I woke up one morning with the thought that I could give myself a do over. That the spirit of this season wasn’t confined to the weeks before it arrived. That these things were meant to spill over into the coming year. Yes, the decorations are packed away and the tree is outside playing scratching post to the barn cats but I could still press the rewind button for myself.

And that’s what I’ve been doing. In little teeny tiny steps I’ve been giving myself a do over. Revisiting the things I wanted to read, still taking the time I wanted to set aside even though the calendar tells me Advent is done.

But today, I’m looking at these photographs and words and they are filled with a completely different meaning. One that I would not have discovered during Advent had I hung them from my mantle and had my perfectly put together plan. One I would not have grasped had these been tucked away in the attic with the decorations. Because I need these words more now than I did then.

Just days ago we found out that my oldest sister has cancer. Stage 4. It was sudden and not what anyone expected. It is strange and surreal. Life is suddenly about family conference calls. And sitting in the driveway sending teary texts to your sister. And frantically planning a last-minute trip, just us girls, my mom. Somewhere warm* where we can savor each other and maybe temporarily ignore what’s to come. And waiting. Lots of waiting.

And while I was silently beating myself up for what I took to be my disorganized Advent, God knew. Maybe I floated through those weeks feeling untethered and unfocused, but today His words have found me, grounded me and encouraged me. Exactly where I am. Where we are. He is here.

*Friends, I’m just throwing this out there. I am searching unsuccessfully for somewhere to escape with my sisters and mom. Somewhere warm, most likely Florida for the shorter plane ride. Somewhere private, with a warm pool for her to swim in–something she loves. If you have any suggestions, have stayed somewhere that you loved, or have a recommendation, would you shoot me a message? Under the circumstances we are trying to turn this around in the next 2-3 weeks, tops. And we’re coming up empty. I’m grateful for any ideas. xo. We found a place on the Barrier Islands, just what we were looking for. Thank you all for the emails and messages. xox.

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animal kingdom / family / HEALTHY LIVING / IN MY KITCHEN / out and about / sponsored

3 easy keys to keeping my kids healthy

Thanks to GoGosqueeZ for inviting me to share some tips on how I help my family make healthy choices as part of the #GoGosqueeZSquad.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s that the first thing that throws healthy eating off track is a crazy or interrupted schedule. While you might be definitely able to develop more muscle using cardarine and working out daily, but if your body does not get the right nutrition, then there is no point in it. So when you’re talking about four kids–two in school, two at home and all kinds of activities from theater to sports to 4-H–our weeks can pretty much be summed up by crazy schedules. Follow this weblink, if you want to choose the foods, which are really beneficial for the kids’ health.

It can be the easiest excuse for us to hit a drive-thru or make bad choices because life just feels too busy to take time to pack our own snacks or meals. If life already feels a bit out of control, it can be easy to let that same thing happen for eating, too. But I know that healthy eating means enough nutrition and enough nutrition means less visits to pediatrician and Dental Speciality Center.

And while I’ve totally identified my family’s triggers, I still have to make a concerted effort to fight against them. But I’ve also identified three simple keys to keeping us all on track. When I’ve got things running smoothly and I’m prepared, my kids follow suit.

My husband recently told me about an article he read in the Wall Street Journal–when a group of toddlers were placed in front of a table of foods–proteins, fruits, vegetables, foods rich in fiber, calcium–they naturally reached for the things their bodies needed. And even with my own children, I see that same thing occurring often.

For my family, I know what I need to do to keep them going for the good stuff. Do I do it consistently, every time? No. Do we sometimes default to the drive thru? Yes. Is it the end of the world? No. Balance is key. Not beating yourself up is key. But making better choices the norm, not the exception is important. I even took cpr training courses for kids to better prepare myself in case of an emergency.

3 keys to helping your family make healthy choices — Out and about with these crazies.

Here are 3 keys that work for me.

Shop one big grocery shop per week. For me, I have to do this each weekend before Monday arrives. Starting the week with a stocked refrigerator and at least the beginnings of a meal plan sets us up for a week of good eating. If I find myself making 2 or 3 or 4 mini-shops during the week, I’m usually shopping for foods and meals that are quick and easy and last-minute, or I’m shopping hungry. All of which make me feel like I don’t have a good handle on the food I’m purchasing and preparing.

Don’t ask them if they want it, get it ready and present it to them. My mom was always about presentation when it came to meals. A pretty table, a nice centerpiece, a pretty plate of food. And when I use a similar approach to feeding my kids it almost always works. A perfect example was last night. For Christmas we received a box of citrus fruit. Several times since it arrived and my kids have been scrounging in the kitchen for a snack, I’ve suggested a grapefruit. And every single time, they’ve turned up their noses. Last night as I was getting ready to put dinner on the table, I cut up grapefruit halves, put them in bowls and set out some honey. Before I even managed to get the grapefruit to the table, my kids were standing around popping the sections into their mouths and squeezing out every last bit of juice. The idea of grapefruit never appealed to them when suggested, but when they were presented with them–ready to eat–they couldn’t eat them fast enough. I am now out of grapefruit, but I’m tickled to see them all devoured.

Balance convenience with stuff that takes a little more prep-work. I’ll admit, standing around making lunches at 6:30 in the morning is not my favorite thing in the world. But I’ve learned to balance the work of making a healthy lunch with the convenience of some pack and go foods. Not every grab and go food is a good choice, though. Fruit snacks and pudding cups aren’t always the best pick. So I go for the easy stuff that’s still good for them. One of our lunchbox and on-the-go staples is the GoGosqueeZ pouches. They are perfect to throw in our lunches or our bag when we’re rushing out the door. They have all natural, simple ingredients with no artificial anything. They use high quality ingredients and they taste delicious–which means my kids are reaching for them again and again. So while I may be chopping vegetables and fruits and slapping together sandwiches, it’s nice to have some healthy, easy choices, too. Each time I prepare something healthy, I convince myself we will check out this site https://www.parramattadentist.sydney/ less frequently. I can see that my children have less issues with teeth than I used to have in my childhood. So, I believe I do everything the right way.

The more I put these things into practice, include some exercising like kids cycling and the more they become second nature for our family. And the more we all crave the good stuff. I’m excited to start off the new year with new inspiration and motivation to keep this family growing healthy and strong.

Disclaimer: This post is #sponsored by GoGosqueeZ. All opinions are my own. Even better, we were already using and loving these! #GoGosqueeZSquad

Two things I want to tell you

(image: conflicting heart)

Tomorrow things kick in to high gear around here. The grocery shopping is done. The menu is planned. (Although a friend just through a wrench in my simple plans by tempting me with this. It is SO pretty. I don’t know if I can resist.) But this house will be sleeping twelve over the holiday weekend and she needs a good vacuuming and cleaning and sheet-changing. And the pumpkin bread and dessert baking will start tomorrow, too.

But before it all really begins, I’m taking a few moments tonight to unplug and remember all that I have to be grateful for. In all honesty, there’s been some tough stuff going on behind the scenes around here. Some of it is just the hard stuff you go through to get to the good. Some of it is just plain hard and we’re working through it. I’ll share a little more about all that next week.

But no matter what, when I feel like it’s all suffocatingly too much, I remember that I have so many blessings and so much to be thankful for. And on that list is all of you. Seriously. I’m so grateful for all of you, for this space to speak and share and open my heart a little bit each time I sit down to write.

I won’t be back here until after the weekend–but I’m sure I’ll pop in on Facebook and Instagram–but I also wanted to let you all know that I am offering an amazing sale through Arbonne that begins today and runs through November 30th at midnight. I only offer this deep of a discount once a year so if there’s something you’d like to try, now is a great time. Unfortunately, because of best practices for my business I can only tell you the specifics of the sale on my Facebook page–but every single thing in the catalog is reduced. Want to know a few of my family’s favorites? Check this out. If you’ve been waiting to try something, or if you have some gifts to cross off your list–skip the big stores and shop small through my own small business. I would be honored.

Happy Thanksgiving. xo. molly