Snow Day Comfort Food

Today was a snow day, making it a whopping one-day school week for the boys! The district called off school last night, which meant we could all sleep in this morning. After an hour of playing in the snow with the kids, I spent the remainder of the day in and out of the kitchen. Here are the tasty creations:

Warm chocolate chip cookies with fresh snow cream

In a discussion with my mom friends, I was shocked that most of them had never made snowcream. This is the one staple we are guaranteed to do if it snows.

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A variety of muffins

I was supposed to bring dozens of muffins to the church leadership retreat tomorrow but it was cancelled. I decided to make the muffins anyway and share with my next door neighbor who is dealing with puking kids and an out of town husband whose flight home was cancelled..

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Amazingly delicious potato soup with grilled cheese

We still had a few baked potatoes in the fridge leftover from the large homeless ministry dinner we made on Monday. I didn't want to waste them so I googled recipes for potato soup until I found one where we had all the ingredients. It was so, so good!

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Mini pot pie

I made a large pot pie but still had enough filling and crust to make a small one in a ramekin. I had delivered a bowl of potato soup to my neighbor (the widower) and told him we'd have pot pie ready at 5:30. At exactly 5:30 the doorbell rang. I was going to give him the ramekin but it was still in the oven. No matter, we all enjoyed a warm, hearty meal.

I absolutely love cooking and sharing comfort food with family and friends!

Half Birthday Photos

As much as I love birthdays, I in no way celebrate half birthdays. However, I do consciously think about the trio's half birthday every January (probably because it's the week after mine). Some of my all time favorite photos have been taken within a few days of their half birthday each year.

Exactly 6 months old

18 months old

2.5 years old

I am so grateful that I am able to stay home with the triplets from birth to age 3. The first three years is a period of rapid growth and development, and I've been there to observe, teach, and support the trio at every milestone. As I've begun to apply for jobs, I can't help but feel nostalgic about my time as a stay at home mom. Sometimes I still find myself thinking, "I seriously had three babies at the same time!?!" It's amazing for me to look back at the first two pictures and recall exactly what stages they were in at the time, then compare it to everything they can do now. I love how big their personalities are, how independent they are becoming, and that I still get to spend every day with them for the next six more months!  (Now I just need to remember this when we're in the throes of toddler tantrum hell.)

Discovery Place Kids

Jesse renewed our Discovery Place membership so we can continue to learn and play at the museum. The high temperature was in the 30's, so we definitely needed a warm place to play today. All five of us were up eating breakfast by 7:15. By 9:30, I was already eager to leave the house. The kids made their rounds at their favorite play areas.

Amelia has finally befriended the fireman

Jackson's daily gymnastics is paying off.

The cafe is consistently their favorite place to play--my little bakers.

Teamwork!

Big kids climbing and sliding

There are regularly scheduled story times throughout the day at the museum, but we rarely participate. I normally avoid them because they are crowded, which means the rest of the museum is less crowded and easier for me to see all four kids. Today, Jackson wanted to stay when they announced the book--The Mitten by Jan Brett. I used to read the board book to Jackson all the time and his preschool teacher just read it to the class last week. 

The leader let different children represent each animal. She gave them a mask, then let them sit on the giant cut out mitten on the floor.

Afterwards, the kids were able to touch animal fur from several of the animals. It was a pretty cool story time!

It was a fun morning, followed by a less than fun meeting with Early Intervention. That's a different post altogether!

MLK Weekend

Our four day weekend was a good balance of rest and play. Here are the highlights:

I spent most of Friday reading this adorably sweet young adult novel. It was a great pick as my first book of the year.

Saturday was a rare break in cold temperatures. We took advantage of the 50 degrees by playing outside for hours at one of our favorite parks.

Jesse was quite entertaining throughout his turn in the obstacle course!

Saturday evening we drove to Gastonia to celebrate my nephew's birthday. 

During the last few family gatherings, Amelia and Maddie have really started to play with their cousins. I kept finding them in random corners of the house playing together.

As I was cutting the cake, James stole the candles and started licking the icing. It looked like he was chewing gum so I stopped and tried to open his mouth. The boy is known for eating anything, now including candles. Oops!

Sunday morning I awoke to Jackson yelling, "Look outside!" There was a beautiful, though brief, snowfall. We hurriedly bundled up and ran outside to catch snowflakes on our tongues.

Unfortunately, this was the entire accumulation.

The rest of Sunday was busy with grocery shopping, church, and youth group. 

I had every intention of taking Jackson to the African American cultural center on Monday because they had free admission on MLK Day. I wanted to use the experience as an opportunity to expose Jackson to African American history, arts, and culture. I don't know when I actually planned on doing that because Monday's activities were nonstop.

Monday morning we received a spontaneous visit from out-of-town friends. I love that they always jump right in and play with the kids.

The highlight of their visit was seeing their adorable baby, Connor. At almost three months old, he's become quite the little traveler. Of course, Maddie and Amelia were eager to interact with their live baby doll.

After our friends left, I told Jesse I was going to Zumba and asked if he wanted me to take the kids. He surprised me by suggesting we all go. I've asked Jesse to go to Zumba with me for an entire year now, and he finally joined me. I think he surprised himself by having fun.

I spent the rest of Monday baking 40 potatoes, 

picking up some teenagers, and cooking dinner for the homeless ministry. Seriously, this is a great youth group!

Tuesday was a very cold, lazy day. Jesse went into work for a few hours before going to a dentist appointment. He was home before lunch. The kids and I played most of the morning.

We continued our lazy afternoon with naps and zoning out in front of technology. We took advantage of kids eat free at Dennys. The kids were amazing well behaved. We colored and drew while waiting for our food.

Denny's really does offer a shocking amount and variety of food. For $14, we shared grapes, apples, pancakes, spaghetti, pizza, hamburger, chips and salsa, eggs, bacon, and chicken nuggets.

Jackson still doesn't have school tomorrow since he doesn't attend on Wednesdays. It's another day with temperatures in the 30's, so I'm not sure what we'll find to entertain ourselves.

Church Juxtaposition

It's hard to describe my relationship with the church. I find church to be both draining and renewing, discouraging and inspiring, and stressful yet calming. I absolutely love the sense of community in our small church, but the leadership is spread so very thin. With only two paid staff members, nearly all the leaders in our church are 100% volunteer based. My current roles include:

• Christian Education coordinator: Select/Approve Sunday School curriculum, plan events such as Easter Egg hunt, Graduation Breakfast, and Sunday School Kickoff
• Youth Director: Plan and lead weekly youth group meetings, lock-ins, service projects, etc
• Session member: Serve on the church's governing board to discuss all behind the scene details such as loan applications, budgets, committee reports, communion set-up, etc; attend meetings (planned and called) and retreats
• Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC): a 1+ year long process to create a mission study and select the new pastor for our church

Those are just the official titles. They don't include irregular tasks such as reading scripture as lay reader, writing announcements for newsletters,  teaching Sunday School when a teacher cancels, or volunteering in the nursery. As the responsibilities increase, I find myself looking at church as an organization to run rather than a place to worship. At the same time, being so invested in the church is what helps me build relationships and strengthen my faith community. 

In the past few months, I've teetered on the edge of leaving the church. I have one more year on Session and with PNC, so I will see those obligations through. And perhaps with a new pastor, specific causes of tension will dissolve. Anytime I think about quitting, God gives me another opportunity of fellowship and community where I am reminded that this congregation is exactly where I need to be right now. Here are some of those moments over the past two months: 

The quilters club surprised a beloved church member with a quilt. This is the woman that made Jesse and I return to the church when we were visitors five years ago. Our children call her "MawMaw Jack" because she is like a grandmother to them. She's had so many challenges in her life yet she embodies what it means to be a follower of Christ. It was inspiring to witness her humility and gratitude in this moment.

Our church has had several potlucks and dinners over the past few months. This is one of the only times where our whole family (Jesse and kids) attend church together. I love sitting down at a table and sharing a meal with church members. I especially love how other members care for our children.

The church nursery was repainted and decorated a year ago. To not have many children in the church, it is a surprisingly beautiful space filled with toys, books, and nurturing volunteers. I never feel bad about leaving the trio in the nursery.

Youth group meetings have had low attendance this year, which is discouraging. Again, I have to remind myself that we can still have meaningful experiences when there are few in number. In this particular activity, we were discussing how little details create a bigger picture. I gave the teens a picture of a tree and asked them to paint the background with a single color. It was interesting to observe how they saw things differently and had totally different approaches, yet ended with similar results. The point of the activity was to be more attentive to the presence of God and intentionally think about how we perceive things differently.

One of my favorite church events is the annual women's Christmas party. Between meals, stories, handmade ornaments, prayer, and singing-- it's a valuable time filled with strong history and tradition.

Children's Sunday School is my greatest headache. There is a 50/50 chance that no children will attend, which leads to a frustrated teacher. I am not even on the rotation to teach Sunday School, yet I've ended up teaching twice now because volunteer teachers haven't shown up. Still, I find my time encouraging and enjoy interacting with the kids.

The most enriching experiences I've had over the past few months have been cooking and serving dinner with the youth group at a homeless ministry. A few weeks ago the youth made all the beds, cooked tacos, and ate with their homeless neighbors.

Last night we met once again to cook dinner (baked potato bar), eat together, and clean up. It's a joyful experience to be able to put Christ's commandments into action. I make sure to plan meals that require lots of simple tasks. This ensures that the teens feel useful and aren't standing idle. They baked and frosted cupcakes, followed a recipe to make chili, washed and cut vegetables for salad, cooked and crumbled bacon, grilled and sliced chicken, and set everything up to serve. I admire their independence, work ethic, and the fact that they volunteer with such joy. I ask the youth to sit at different tables and make sure to engage the homeless guests in conversation. I walked around and heard laughter erupt at several tables, then saw a teenager holding hands with a homeless man and praying for him at another table. Giving the teens an opportunity to serve has been the greatest ministry for me!

This Saturday I am attending a six hour Session meeting. I don't know all that is on the agenda, but I'm sure it will be another one of those strangely draining yet exciting days. I know I must continue to pray over the church during our time of transition, and pray that God is using me in a way that I can find fulfillment. 

Weight Loss Week 2

I am continuing to make weekly blog posts with exercise and food logs to help keep myself accountable, track progress, and be able to later reference. 

Monday, January 11
B: Green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen berry blend)
L: Grilled chicken breast (marinated in Italian dressing), grilled squash
D: Grilled turkey burger on a bun with lettuce and ketchup, potatoes roasted with Lipton Onion and olive oil
Snack: Lara bar, 2 Starbursts

E: 60 min Zumba class

Notes: Squash on the George Foreman was satisfying. The turkey burger was delicious and very filling.

Tuesday, January 12
B: Green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen mango and peaches)
L: Grilled turkey burger on a bun with ketchup, potatoes roasted with Lipton Onion and olive oil
D: taco soup (ground beef, chili beans, tomatoes, peppers, corn, seasoning)
Snack: 3 cups of popcorn (popped on the stove)

E: 30 minutes ab class, 50 min Essentrics class

Notes: I have no core strength! The ab class was painfully challenging.

Wednesday, January 13
B: 2/3 a green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen grapes, apple)
L: taco soup (ground beef, chili beans, tomatoes, peppers, corn, seasoning)
D: homemade veggie soup (cabbage, squash, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, celery), saltine crackers
Snack: 2 Lara Bars (mid morning and after evening Zumba)

E: 60 min Zumba Toning class (with weights)

Notes: Today's smoothie was pretty terrible. My blender can not handle grapes. I ended up straining it and just drinking the juice because I could not tolerate the chewy texture.
 I was uncomfortably hungry and weak after Zumba tonight, so I tried a new recipe tonight for energy bites. They have oats, peanut butter, cocoa, honey, coconut, and ground flax.

Thursday, January 14
B: Green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen pineapple/peach/mango/strawberry)
L: 5 fishsticks, homemade veggie soup (cabbage, squash, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, celery)
D: Enchilada (ground beef, black beans, shredded cheese, enchilada sauce), broccoli with ranch dressing
Snack: awful grazing today--2-3 of each: almonds, animal crackers, ritz crackers, energy bite

E: 60 min Zumba class

Friday, January 15
B: Green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen pineapple/peach/mango/strawberry), energy bite
L: 5 chicken McNuggets, homemade veggie soup (cabbage, squash, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, celery)
D: chicken stir fry, slice of frozen pizza
Snack: energy bite, 2 cups of popcorn

E: none

Notes:  I wanted to snack again all day! The veggie soup is very tasty, but doesn't keep me full at all.

Saturday, January 16
B: Green smoothie (kale, water, frozen pineapple/peach/mango/strawberry), energy bite
L: Goldfish and homemade veggie soup (cabbage, squash, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, carrots, celery)
D: salad with ranch dressing, pasta with meat sauce
Snack: energy bite, 3 bites of birthday cake

E: 60 min step class

Notes: I was content with my choices at my nephew's birthday party. I didn't eat multiple bowls of pasta, garlic bread, a whole slice of cake, or ice cream. I didn't feel like I was depriving myself at all.

Sunday, January 17
B: Green smoothie (kale, water, frozen peach/mango), 4 oatmeal pancakes, slice of bacon
L: broccoli and ranch dressing, 2 small slices of frozen pizza
D: pasta with tomato sauce
Snack: chocolate chip cookie, small order of fries

E: none

Notes:  I did not eat well today. Consequently, I did not feel well.

Weekly Weight Loss: -4 lbs

Reflections from the Week:
I've been reading a book on hunger directed eating. It's ridiculous how out of tune I am with my body. I genuinely can't decipher "subtle physiological hunger clues". I've done a good job on not eating to the point of being uncomfortably full. But I still find myself eating because the clock shows it's meal time or because I'm bored/stressed and open the pantry. On the flip side, the only way I identify hunger is if I reach the point of stomach growling, weak feeling. Clearly I have a lot of work to do on eating habits.

Hornet's Nest Park

Friday was a half day and Jesse and Jackson are out of school on Monday and Tuesday. Having a 4-day weekend is cause for relaxation and plenty of family bonding. I suggested we go to Hornet's Nest Park after lunch so we could take advantage of the warm(ish) sunshine and play on the obstacle course.

Here's the overview and layout of the obstacle course at this particular park.

The kids attempted each obstacle with varying success. They had fun the entire time and no one got hurt, so I considered it a great time!

I take the kids to various parks as often as possible, but it's always special for the kids to be able to play with their daddy. Jesse is a very hands-on father and plays with the kids daily, though he rarely gets to join us on our outings. I love watching Jesse and the kids interactions. This was my favorite photo of the day.

And since Jesse was there, I made him take a picture of me as proof that I also joined in on the fun. I will be the first to admit that I did not complete every obstacle on the course, but I did take a brutal step class this morning so I've exceeded my workout quota of the day.

After multiple races down the marked football field (not pictured), we walked over to the traditional playground. Most of the slides were wet, though that didn't stop anyone from climbing and running around.

I'm always intrigued at how kids interact with nature. Each of the kids used small branches of pine needles as a broom to clean the park. Maddie took her sweeping very seriously.

We concluded our afternoon at the park with a walk by the lake. Of course, we had to stop and check on the geese.

I absolutely love any time we're able be active outside together as a family!