Drink to Your Health | Green Smoothie Recipe

Did you get off your normal healthy eating track over the Christmas holiday?  We sure did, but we've found it easy to jump back on the clean eating wagon. Yay!
We love to drink green juices in the mornings. Even our boys love it which is great, because they're not the best at eating green veggies. Sometimes we can get them to eat broccoli or asparagus, but mostly it's a no go. So at this stage in our lives, we're focusing on giving them their greens via a healthy juice!
Today, we tried something different and made it into a smoothie, and boy...it was so good! It's loaded with all the healthy fruits and veggies, plus we topped it off with some protein powder to give us an extra boost! (This is the best NonGMO protein powder on the market)
Here's our recipe below. Note: we just add fruits and veggies to taste, based on four people. You'll need to adjust the amounts for your taste preferences!

Healthy, Happy Life Green Smoothie

• 1 grapefruit (peeled)
• 1 lemon
• 1 large apple
• 2-3 Clementine's (peeled)
• about 1-2 inches of fresh ginger (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1 cucumber
• big handful of kale
• big handful of spinach

We put all this in our Breville juicer to squeeze out the juice. Next, we poured the juice into our Nutribullet, scooped out a big bunch of the pulp that was left over in the juicer and put that in, added 2 scoops of the protein powder, AND a frozen banana. Turn that Nutribullet on for about 10 seconds, serve, and enjoy!
What we love about doing it this way, is that it has the thicker consistency of a smoothie, it's not thin like juice.  Now, you could totally do it in just your Nutribullet, but we're still getting used to having 'pulpier' smoothies...we're slowing adding more in every time!

Let me know if you try it and how you like it. And please share some of your favorite smoothie recipes...we're always on the hunt for new ones!

15 Things I Want Our Family to Remember at Christmas

Christmas 2012

Christmas is just a few very short weeks away! We are in full Christmas swing around here. Our oldest (5) is really loving it and is so excited to help decorate our house.
Being that we have young kids, my husband and I really want to keep the true meaning of Christmas at the forefront of our minds. It can be hard though.
It's easy to get caught up in the beautiful, color coordinating, simply perfect Christmas trees. It's easy to get caught up in buying loads and loads of toys and other 'things' for the kids. It's easy to get caught up in the "I wants."
So, I came up with a list of the things I hope we can instill in our kids during the holidays. (And some reminders for myself!) Actually, it's something we want our kids to know year round!

Christmas 2012 - Memories!

1. Christmas is about Jesus. Period.
2. We are blessed beyond measure and it's our job to help those in need.
3. Give, give, give. Do this year round not just in December!
4. Having a perfectly decorated beautiful Christmas tree is not a priority.
5. In fact, if it's decorated on one side and only at the bottom because of your 'helpers', it's even more beautiful. 
6. Find joy in what you do have. 
7. See Christmas through the eyes of kids...remember how excited we were at 5am on Christmas morning!
8. Handwritten thank you notes are worth it.
9. Baking is a must. Baking and making messes makes it even better.
10. Always have change ready to give the Salvation Army bell ringers.
11. Crank that Christmas music up!
12. Leave cookies for Santa and sprinkle reindeer food on Christmas Eve, even if it's going to be 75 on Christmas Day. 
13. Traditions are important. But adding in new traditions are important as well.
14. How many presents you get doesn't matter.
15. Being with family and celebrating the birth of our Savior does matter.

What's important to your family during the Christmas season?

Quick Tip | No More Soggy Pizza!

I wanted to drop in and give you a great idea for reheating leftover pizza. No one (at least that I know!) likes soggy leftover pizza. Reheating it in the microwave makes it soggy, and heating up the oven to reheat one or two pieces is kind of wasteful on the electricity. I like to reheat pizza on the stove! Just put the pieces in a pan, cover with a lid, and set to medium. It takes about five minutes to have it ready! The lid traps in moisture, which helps the cheese melt and not get gummy! Super easy and virtually no clean up! What are some of your favorite quick tips? Share them below!

Giving Back & Helping Others

My husband and I have a heart for giving to those in need. We prefer to donate my time to help others, but at this season in life it's really hard to find available time to go help out. There are several organizations that we love to donate to, one being Operation Christmas Child.  This is our second year to create shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, headed up by Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse has a wonderful vision that is in alignment with our personal beliefs, and we specifically love their Christmas donation program. Operation Christmas Child is a shoebox gift program for children in third world countries. You simply decide what age range and if you want to give to a boy or girl, fill up a shoebox full of goodies (small toys, socks, school supplies, hygiene items, etc), and drop it off with your church or the nearest drop off location. Easy, FUN, and better yet the entire family can get involved!
Our oldest son (5 years) loves to go with me to the store to help pick out items to fill the shoebox. It's a great learning opportunity for him. We chat about how there are children in the world that don't have all the things we have, like soap, toothbrushes, shoes, or toys. We also talk about how God calls us to love everyone and to give to those in need, in a loving and generous way.  

Proudly showing off our box!

He wrote this note for the child who receives our box!

There is still time to make some boxes and drop them off at a church or Operation Christmas Child location! 

Easy Fall Porch Decor

Here's how we decorated our front porch this year for the fall! I love using pumpkins, hay, and leaf garland...it's so fall-ish and we can leave it up until Thanksgiving!

Easy Ways to Take Control of YOU!

As a work at home mom, with a husband, two kids, and two small businesses, I get asked all the time, "How do you do it? How do you keep the house clean, food on the table, businesses running, a everyone happy? Do you have a full time nanny or babysitter?" No, though there are times I wish I did!
Truth? I DON'T do it all, hardly ever. I do A LOT though. I'm constantly working, and after awhile, if I don't get it break it can really take a toll on me. If you're in a similar situation, I'm sure you can understand.
So what do I do when I start to feel overwhelmed by not being able to do it all? Or when I feel like I need just five minutes to myself before I crack?
I just tell myself to make a change. Change my attitude, change my thoughts...you get the idea!
Along with the mental pep talk, here are some of my tried and true ways to take back control of that overwhelmed feeling.

Take Care of Myself, Too! This is the NUMBER ONE thing to do! If I'm going to be on top of my game for my husband and kids, I need to take care of myself. So I make it a point to exercise at least 4x's per week, whether it's Zumba, an Insanity class, or just doing my own workout at home. If I go more than two days without exercise, I feel jumpy. I also really strive to eat right and keep my nutrition intake up. For the past 15 months I've been very consistent in taking my daily multivitamins. I've seen a great improvement in my overall energy and I have been sick only once, which is great since I'm chasing two active boys all day!


Cut Myself Some Slack I'm not perfect. No one is. It's hard being a grown up with kids. Heck, sometimes it's just hard BEING! In today's world of social media and everyone posting only the good things about their lives, it's easy to get caught up in that and think you're not doing enough. You are. I am. And I have to remind myself of it almost daily. No, the kitchen isn't always sparkling. In fact, it's pretty darn messy right now. No, the laundry isn't put away yet. No, my kids aren't perfectly behaved all the time. Sometimes money is tight. But that's ok...I am doing the best I can and that's enough!

Get the To Do List Under Control I'm a list maker, but when I write out a list of 20 things to accomplish in one day, I get too overwhelmed and end up getting nothing done! I have my basic to do's that are what keep my home livable at any given time. If I can accomplish that list everyday, then I feel great. Special projects are ongoing and I just have to work on them when (and if) I can during the week.  I have a small planner that I keep next to my laptop in the kitchen. It's easy for me to jot stuff down as I think of it or check off my list.

Schedules, Schedules, Schedules Working at home is rewarding, but challenging. Until recently, I would do work throughout the day, but didn't really have a chance to focus on what I was doing. At the end of the day, I felt like I hadn't done much work at all. So I made a change and have declared the boys quiet time to be my work only time. Ya'll, it has HELPED so much! I'm able to focus more and I get a lot more done than I used to. Having a set work schedule, mine is 1pm-2:30pm, will help you feel in control of your day!

Those are my top must-do's for getting that in control feeling back. I hope this helps you if you're feeling a little off! Let me know what you think!
I'd love to connect with you in my Facebook community!

Inexpensive Produce Wash | Being Frugal

Today I wanted to share a little secret with you...how to wash your produce using a safe, nontoxic product that only costs pennies on the dollar!
What is it? Shaklee's Basic H! Yes, that's right...we use Basic H to clean our produce from the store all the time! A question I'm asked a lot, "They sell Veggie Wash at Target (WalMart, grocery store, etc). Can't I just use that?" 
Yes, they do and yes, you can! But let's talk price comparison first. A 16oz bottle of veggie wash costs about $4. Not bad, right? Well, if you go through a bottle say every two weeks, that adds up to about $105 per year on a veggie wash ALONE! WHAT?!?
Now how about spending just $.20 to clean your produce? That's right, just PENNIES compared to DOLLARS to get your produce clean! And, there are zero harmful chemicals to worry about! Did you know that one 16oz bottle of Shaklee's Basic H makes over 200 bottles of cleaner? And that bottle of Basic H is only $10.35 (MP)!
Now, not everyone can afford to buy strictly organic produce, my family included. We are trying to do the best we can, but organic is EXPENSIVE and not always in the budget, so we decided the next best thing we can do is use a safe wash for all our produce. 
Shaklee has been around for 54 years making natural and organic cleaning products, which is why my husband and I trust their products for our family. And, it's why we chose to partner with them! Shaklee is all about making a difference in people's lives!
Here's your super easy, inexpensive, nontoxic veggie wash!

• 1/8-1/4 teas of Shaklee Basic H
• Fill your sink or big bowl of water
• Soak your produce for about 5-10 minutes
• Rinse 
• Enjoy your clean produce!

Your next step is to join my private Facebook group! See you there...can't wait to connect and hear all about your healthy, happy life journeys!

Juicing Recipes! | Drink to Your Health!

We've totally gotten addicted to this juicing phenomenon! It's a great way to get the boys to have their daily greens that they're not so good at eating. We still give them actual veggies at mealtimes but juicing is just an extra way to keep them healthy!

While juicing is healthy, it's really just fiber. So we give each juice concoction an extra healthy punch by adding instant soy protein mix to the juice. It adds 16g of non GMO soy protein! It's flavorless and can be used for so many other things that need that extra bit of protein. We love it and you can get it here!

We are still experimenting with our juice recipes, but here are two of our favorites! Let me know if you try them!

All That Glitters | Fun with Art

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week! Here's a quick post on one of my son's favorite art activities!

My boy loves to do arts and crafts. He's really gotten into it lately...drawing, cutting, glueing, the whole bit. He also LOVES glitter.

And we all know how much moms love glitter too, right?

Not so much. It gets everywhere, it sticks to everything, it's a real pain in the rear.

But the joy it brings my boy when he sees his art supplies for the day contain bottles of glitter...well that's priceless!

Here's how we keep the glitter mess to a minimum while still having a great time!

TAKE IT OUTSIDE! Save yourself the annoyance of a glitter-fied kitchen and just take that mess right outside.

Use a cookie sheet to 'contain' the glitter. We put his paper right on the cookie sheet so when he goes to town sprinkling his glitter then shaking it off, it stays on the cookie sheet so we can use it again!

 

 

What are some of your family's favorite arts and crafts activities?

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to join my Facebook community and connect with me on Twitter!

The Mommy Wars - iPhones and How I'm Missing Childhood

So, if you've been alive the past few weeks, you've probably seen several Twitter and Facebook posts about a few mommy bloggers and their judgments towards other mommies daring to use their iPhone's while at the park. One mommy blogged to a mommy all the wonderful things she was missing out on while she was on her phone at the park. She did a darn good job at throwing down the guilt gauntlet and shaming her.  The other mommy blogged in return about why she's on the phone at the park and her reasons for it. Mind you, these blogs were not writers attacking someone personally or calling out names...they were written to the general mom blog population.

I'm tired of it.

I'm so sick and tired of the mommy judgment, the mommy guilt, the assuming we know what's going on in someone else's life based on the fact that they are on their smartphone at what WE deem an inappropriate time.

Judging other moms because of what you see of their lives in 5 minutes is wrong. Have I done it? You bet I have. Am I proud of it? NO WAY. Do I think I'm a better mom because I DON'T sit at the park with my head in my phone? NOPE.


(I've experienced first hand a mom who DID choose her iPhone over participating in her daughters field trip. Read about it here. Maybe it is judgmental to you, but I'm sticking by it.)


Isn't there enough pressure to being a parent without these silly mommy wars? I know that I put myself under a lot of pressure to be the perfect stay at home - work at home mom. I struggle to find a way to do it all...perfectly. That kind of pressure is more than enough for me. I don't need the mommy wars. I don't need the eye rolling, the finger pointing, or the whispers about how I'm not doing it right.

Instead of writing posts about what someone else is doing that you disagree with, why not find something they're doing that you do agree with? I mean, as moms aren't we all in this together? Don't we all have the same goal in life? To be the best mom that we can be, with what works for OUR family?

Thoughts? 

There's No Such Thing as Balance

Wanna know which word makes me cringe? Balance. I seriously dislike this word when it's used to describe how we (as wives and moms) should live our lives. Balanced. Finding that balance. You've just got to get the right balance in your life. 

Balance-schmalance

Balance
Noun

• A state of equilibrium or equipose; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.
• Something used to produce equilibrium, counterpoise.
• Mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc. 

I don't know about you, but our life is anything but balanced.  I mean, just read the last bullet point: mental steadiness? Calm behavior? Have you been to our home?? Puh-leeze!

Why is our life unbalanced? Thanks for asking. We have two young boys (4 years and 18 months). 

Enough said.

But seriously, while my husband and I strive for some sort of harmony in our lives, it just rarely happens. Our boys are young. They need a lot. A LOT. Right now, in this season, our little boys get 80% of us, 10% goes to each other, and the remaining 10% goes to paying bills to keep the cable on, running errands, attempting sleep, attempting showers, attempting exercise, going to church, having a life outside our home...you get what I mean.

This is me

Sometimes this unbalanced life gets the best of me. I get overwhelmed at the chaos, at the unpredictable sleep routines (ahem, I'm talking about you 18 month old!), at the Hot Wheels strewn everywhere, the always dirty bathrooms, the exhaustion, the lack of daily showers (yes, I said it), the left shoulders of all my shirts becoming a napkin and tissue for the littlest one, the lack of one on one time spent with hubby, the lack of me time....I could go on.

HOWEVER...

This is NOT me

When I get to the point of being totally overwhelmed, my husband always reminds me that it's just a season. It's a HARD season, but it won't last forever. Before we know it, our oldest will be in in kindergarten (NO!), and our youngest will be potty trained (YES!). In his wise, gentle ways, he's reminding me that "the days are long, but the years are short." So true. He's so patient with me in my freak out moments!

We've given up on finding balance in our lives right now. It's not going to happen during this season (unless we hire a full time nanny). I've accepted it, which is so not me. (Control freak, anyone?) I'm slowly learning to embrace the chaos. To roll with it. Am I going to be able to roll with it with grace and ease? We shall see.  We shall see. 

Are you one of the rare gems that has achieved balance in your life? If so, please tell me how you do it!

Are Our Kids Overscheduled?

Source

I love to read our metroplex-based magazine called Ft. Worth Child. They have great activity ideas for families and fantastic articles on parenting.

A recent issue had an article whose title caught my eye, Fear and Overscheduling.

I took notice of it because just a few days before, I'd been chatting wtih my husband about how hard it has been to get playdates with some of my friends and their kids. I have a few friends who I literally have to get on their calendars several weeks in advance just so our boys can play together for an hour!

What do you think about that?

For me, it's totally overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I love a good playdate every  now and then, I love to get out of the house and go somewhere, but I just can't do it for several hours every day.

It's just too exhausting and I've found my boys get cranky and unruly when we're too busy.

I don't like to be busy for the sake of being busy. I'm a homebody for the most part. My boys seem to be ok staying home and playing a lot.

But when I talk to some of my friends and try to schedule playdates, I start doubting myself and thinking my boys don't have enough going on. So I sat down and wrote out our weekly schedule, and you know what? It looks pretty good to me!

• Monday - Oldest at gymnastics or art class for 45 min, then we either go to the park or play at home. Usually no other 'scheduled' activities.
• Tuesday - Oldest at preschool half day; youngest and I hang out and play at home or go to the park. After preschool, we hang out at home.
• Wednesday - Every other week is MOPS for about 3 hours. This wears the boys out for the day. 3 hours of non-stop playing does little boys in!
• Thursday - Oldest at preschool half day; youngest and I hang out and play at home or go to the park. After preschool, we hang out at home.
• Friday - No scheduled activities. Maybe a playdate every now and then, but mostly play time at home.

With all of the things that are available to kids now, with all of the social media influences that we're bombarded with on a daily basis, it's easy for me to get way too caught up in the mommy guilt of not doing enough for my kids.

After reading that article, I started feeling better about the activity choices I've made for my kids. They have an entire lifetime of schedules, having to be somewhere at a certain time, organized sports, school, homework, college, a professional career.

Right now, I just want them to enjoy being carefree and not scheduled. I'm okay with that. What's more important, they're ok with that. Win-win.

Reality vs. Virtuality

reality

- the state or quality of being real.

- a real thing or fact.

virtuality (aka virtual reality)

- a realistic simulation of an environment

This is probably more of a stream of consciousness about me, but you might be able to relate to it as well. Bear with me. It's long. Here goes...

As with most people I know, I have a Facebook and Twitter profile. And I obviously have a blog. I've come to really have issues with all of these social mediums. Really, the number one reason I keep a profile for my Facebook and Twitter is for my work at home businesses. I run them almost exclusively through social media. I keep my personal blog so family can see pics of our boys and stay updated on them. I keep this blog running for business reasons and for another way to get out some of the randomness in my head.

Wow, social media plays a big part in my life. I bet it does in yours too.

While I enjoy skimming through my Facebook newsfeed when I first log in, there are many times I wish I could just log in to my business pages and bypass all the posts from my virtual 'friends.' Whether it's all the political rants, waaay too much TMI posts, or the happy-happy-joy-joy posts, I have found myself on too many occasions getting sucked into this world.

Same goes for Twitter and blogs. It's so easy to get sucked in to reading organization tips, craft projects, recipes, fashion ideas, and entering giveaways. Don't forget about all the blessed giveaways people host on their blogs! There are very few blogs I read anymore that don't have a dang giveaway going on every few days. But I digress.

I think social media from a business standpoint can be very good, but on a personal level it is such a time waster. A brain cell killer. A virtuality.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a cranky person. I'm not a scrooge. I really enjoy seeing virtual friends and bloggers post cute pictures of their kids (I do it...my kids are the cutest!), I enjoy seeing fun vacation pictures, or reading updates on the newest job, the latest raise, the new house, the new baby, or what have you. Really, I truly enjoy seeing those kinds of things.

However, (and this may or may not apply to you) I've had to really reel myself in. In the not to distant past, I've found myself feeling...well depressed or like I'm not doing enough in my already busy day. You know like cooking, cleaning, organizing, crafting, while also making money at work, playing with the kids for endless hours, going on vacations, wearing makeup, getting out of my pajamas before 10am, always having gluten-free-whole-wheat-dye-free-soy-free-non-GMO healthy snacks and lunches for my kids, exercising for at least 45 minutes every day, taking a shower more than 34x's per week, and then blogging, Facebooking, and Tweeting about the whole darn thing.

Sheesh.

Reality check!

Once I felt myself getting sucked into that virtuality. I made a huge conscious effort to take a step back. A giant leap back, if you will.

Now as I said earlier, I enjoy seeing happy-happy-joy-joy. But I have to remind myself that what I see isn't always what I get. While it's wonderful to have a positive perspective on life, let's be real. I don't know one person whose life is always lollipops and rainbows. I know tons of people who are positive, happy people, but they're also human...they have everyday challenges just like me.

Virtuality is just that...virtual. Those 'friends' in my Twitter feed, Facebook feed, and in my blog reader are not real. Well some of them are...but not many. I don't have a real face-to-face relationship with but a handful of those people. A handful. And let me tell you...those real people are not doing all that stuff on a daily basis.

And that makes me feel better. It puts me back to reality.

In taking my giant leap back, I've implemented this mantra: Be present with the people that are literally in the room with me.

For years, I've taken issue with people (especially people I only see a few times a year) who will not put down their smartphone or tablet. Ever. It's constantly in their hands like a blasted IV. They're on it Facebook-ing, playing games, reading something and not being present with the ones that are with them. I find it rude and disrespectful. (End rant) 

That said, since I get so bent out of shape about it, I put my phone away when I'm with people. It's in my purse, in another room, or in my car. Why? Because those that are in front of me are more important than those virtual friends. 

This rule applies with my boys. While I do check email and text throughout the day, I keep it to a strict minimum. My boys keep me very busy, they're growing so fast and I don't want to miss out on it because I'm too busy off in virtuality.

Side story: I used to work at a science and history museum. We would have elementary kids come in everyday for fun field trips and I helped present some of the science activities. Did your parents ever join your class on a field trip? My mom did and I loved it. It was always so cool and fun to have your parent(s) with you on a class trip! Well, this particular day a group of 3rd graders came in. The table I was helping had four little girls, all with their moms. One of the moms had her phone out and was Facebook-ing the entire time. Right next to her daughter. Her daughter kept trying to get her attention, "Mommy look!", "Mommy, did you see the light come on?", "Mommy??"
It was so sad. Her mom was so distracted by her virtual world, that she was missing out on the joy of seeing her child learning something new and having fun. That poor girl had tears in her eyes because her mom chose something else, something not real, over her. 

I will never forget it. I think that's the moment when I decided to take Facebook off my phone.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not perfect...far from it. Some days it's a struggle to not get sucked in. Some days, I'm so worn out from...well being human...that I just want to do something mindless. I think that's ok, in small doses. But not when it takes the place of the blessings that are right in front of you.

Do you struggle with social media on a personal level? How do you deal with it?

Expressing Gratitude With Kids

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

I don't know about you, but I think putting pen (or in this posts' case, crayon) to paper is a lost art. I love to write and journal, but admittedly, I don't do it on paper near enough. I'm slowly starting to get back in the habit of it though. And there's nothing more I enjoy than receiving a handwritten piece of mail, like a thank you note or a card.

Our four year old is learning how to write all his letters at school, and he's gotten so good at it. He can spell his name, his brother's name, mommy, and daddy. (I'm bragging on him a bit!) I love watching him put his pencil or crayon on paper and form letters with hand.

In our home, we want to teach our boys to show thanks and gratitude for what might seem like the smallest thing (Christmas presents are not small, by the way). We've noticed the our oldest is picking up on some of the grumbling we do about our finances, the constant mess of our house, or frustrations about other things. Every now and then we'll hear him repeat some of the things we've said.

Not good. Definitely not what we want him to pick up on! And you know what? We have a ton of things to be grateful and thankful for. We shouldn't be grumping around like our lives are so bad.

So we've decided to change things around and start expressing how thankful and grateful we are for...well really everything!

Now that he's gaining the ability to write more everyday, we've decided to start adding to that skill by teaching him to show gratitude through thank you notes. 

We've been slow about getting them done (mommy's fault), but we are working on sending out thank you's for his Christmas gifts. Maybe we'll get them done by February at this rate.

Here he is helping to write his first thank you note to his cousin. Of course, all he can do right now is write her name and his name and I pen the letter. But the point of this exercise is to talk about how we show our gratitude and thanks to others by writing notes to them!

By doing this simple exercise of writing thank you notes, we're really hitting a lot of important areas in our boys' life:

• He's learning how to show gratitude
• He's learning scripture
• He's learning how to improve his writing skills
• He's getting that all-important one on one time with mommy (or daddy)

This is such an easy, important task for us to instill in him.

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

How have you taught your kids to show gratitude? I'd love to know!

On Being a Preschool Mommy

Our oldest (4 years) has been going to a wonderful church preschool for the past two years. We love it and so does he. You know they're doing something right when he asks if he can go to school!

Anyway, I'm not friends with any of the moms in his class. We say "hello" in passing and make small talk when we happen to stand next to each other during pick up times. I believe most of the families that attend the preschool also attend the church. So it makes sense that a lot of the moms know each other and have lots to talk about. Sometimes, I get a feeling of being an outsider when I see small groups of moms chatting and laughing, but I'm not in that mix. I'm pretty shy, so I'm certainly not going to walk up to them and join in on the conversation.  Ugh, feelings of middle school start popping up. Don't get me wrong...when I do chat with these ladies, they are all super nice.

However, the things I see going on there make me question whether I'm a good enough preschool mommy.

Sound crazy?

It is. But it's true.

There is pressure to being a preschool mommy.

I have no idea what preschool was like when I was four back in 1981. (There, you now know my age!) I assume there was the usual birthday party invitations, bringing snacks for the class, having a Christmas book exchange.

Well, let me just tell you what goes on nowadays. It stresses me out. It has made me question myself. It has made me a bit angry, too.

At my son's school (and let's face it, this probably happens at most schools across the country) I've seen mommies this:

• When unable to attend another kids birthday, they bring a gift for said child. OK, while I think it's sweet and thoughtful to bring a birthday gift for a child, is it going a little far to bring one for the kids that you don't know on a personal level? Where you and your child's only interaction with them is at preschool? Am I being unreasonable? 
• Speaking of birthday parties, these parties for 4 year olds that cost minimum $300 just for the party (not including cake, decorations) just drive me crazy! What expecation is being set for next years party? Why do we need to invite every child in the preschool class? And what happened to having a fun party at home with just simple cake and ice cream? We did this last year with our oldest and it was a huge success. We invited his three closest friends, they played inside and out, ate cake, hit a pinata, and opened gifts. It was so much fun! 
• And lastly, as I dropped him off Thursday for the last day before Christmas break, I caught wind of at least 3 moms who brought Christmas 'gifts' for each child. OMG, am I now supposed to bring gifts for 16 kids?? 

Please hear me: I LOVE TO GIVE. I'm HAPPY to give. I LOVE being involved in my boys' preschool class. I get such joy out of seeing him learn, participating in Zoo Days, Fireman visits, etc. But I don't feel the need to buy 'things' all the time. We don't have the money for it, and even if we did, I'm not sure I would spend it on those kinds of things.  

I guess I don't understand the reasoning behind it. Is it out of true kindness? Is it out of a sense of wanting your child to be well-liked (or wanting to be well-liked yourself)?

Those scenarios mentioned above are what stress me out about being a preschool mommy. And make me question myself as to whether I'm doing it 'right.'

On Thursday, as I was stressing to my husband about whether I should've bought gifts for all the kids in class, I was tagged in a Facebook post with a link to this article: Why You're Never Failing as a Mother

It was a true reminder that I don't have to be the 'perfect' mommy and bring Christmas gifts to each kid in my son's class. I'm doing a great job just being a mommy in general. I love my boys, I spend all my days with them interacting, baking, creating, singing, playing, reading...you name it. That's good enough. That's more than good enough.

Are you a preschool mommy? Do you ever feel pressure in the preschool classroom? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I'm Driving My Husband Crazy

It's true. Hubs thinks I've gone off the deep end. Seems like every time he walks in the room I'm reading a label or telling him, "Well xxx is no longer allowed in our home because of HFCS, or dyes, or mineral oils, etc."

Now he just looks at me and rolls his eyes. His latest words to me after I told him that Crystal Light and Ritz crackers are banned were, "You're not going to stop shaving your legs are you?"

Don't worry sweetie, I'll keep shaving my legs.

I promise I will not:

• Tie myself to a tree in some kind of protest
• Take our kids to a holistic-type pediatrician who does not vaccinate (our choice to vaccinate; please no nasty comments on the perils of vaccinations)
• Start making our clothes out of hemp
• Make you eat vegan

 It's all good my dear, it's all good.