Momentary Troubles

Ever had one of those days? I've had several lately...

A couple of weeks ago my laptop died. Last weekend the coffee maker did the same...just as I was making coffee for some guests. One day last week Little Man threw up all over the van while waiting to pick up Little Miss from preschool. (He was fine right after; his car seat and the interior of the van were another story!) Last month we learned Little Miss has a chronic eye condition that requires a lot of attention (nothing serious, but uncomfortable for her). We are on our third round of medication, none of which are working fast enough for us. Add to that the ongoing house hunt, the increasing levels of stress at Hubby's work, and Daylight Saving Time, and well, you get the idea.

So, imagine my frustration today when I logged onto our desktop (now our sole computer) and found out I had inadvertantly downloaded something that left behind a nice little gift (a.ka. spy ware and a virus). Sorry Hubby! The good news is Hubby is an IT guy and can salvage it. The bad news is...it's one more thing to fix. I'm starting to think I might have the opposite of "the Midas touch" (Shall we call it the "Nancy touch"?)

That's why I was so glad when I read a post last weekend from Frugal Coupon Living. Every Sunday she posts Treasures From Heaven, and last week's post was exactly what I needed. So much so that I read it again today, just for inspiration.

Building on her idea, I've decided to list those things in my life that are going RIGHT these days. Here goes:

• I have a wonderful husband who loves God, adores me and our children, and works hard each day to be sure we are cared for, provided for, and enjoying life.
  
• I have a beautiful, sensitive daughter whose imagination knows no bounds and who recently asked Jesus to come into her heart and be her best friend.
• I have a sweet son who amazes me every day with his intelligence, humor, and nonstop charm.
  
• I have a cozy home, food to eat, a vehicle to drive, clothes to wear, books to read, and toys to enjoy with my kids.
• We are blessed to be a part of a fabulous church where we are challenged and inspired in our faith.
• We have wonderful, caring friends with whom we can share our lives.
• I have extended family who, although I do not get to see them often enough, I know they are simply a phone call away.
• I am healthy, and I'm learning to take even better care of myself through nutrition and exercise (and feeling better because of it).
  
• Today alone I was able to buy groceries for my family, take my daughter to preschool, spend quality, one-on-one time with my son, chat with a good friend on the phone, drive through neighborhoods and "dream" a little, and give and get lots of hugs and kisses. (And the day's not over yet!)

All in all, I am very blessed. Sometimes it's hard to remember that when all I can see is everything going "wrong." Maybe I should take time more often to make lists like the one above and get a little perspective.

How's your perspective? Do you need to refocus? If so, grab a pen and paper and start listing what's going right (or what you've accomplished today). You might be amazed at how long that list is...I know I was. :)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

--2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

Healthy Kids Food Charts

My friend, Jill, has developed these amazing magnetic food charts. I think they are genius! The chart and color-coded food magnets stick to your fridge, making it easy for your kids to make healthy choices. That means you no longer have to be the Junk Food Police. Instead, your kids will learn to make good, healthy choices as they fill in their customizable charts. And as an added bonus, the colors and food group names match the names and colors on the USDA food pyramid charts. Talk about added reinforcement!

Check out her web site at HealthyKidsCharts.com. Order one for each of your kids, and if you like them, help her spread the word!

Way to go, Jill! I can't wait to order mine!

Creative or Disturbing?

So this morning Little Miss and Little Man were playing--the creative juices were flowing--when she suddenly ran in our room in a make-believe panic:

Little Miss: We're going to Subway, but we have to go through Scaryfield to get there!
Little Man: (following closely behind, also in pretend panic): Carey-feeewd
Hubby: (confused) Scaryfield?
Little Miss: (matter-of-fact) Yes, it's place where there are scary, talking trees and they throw pieces of people at you. (pausing for a moment, then continuing as matter-of-factly as before) And it splashes blood all over your face.

Then she ran off, Little Man following behind, to resume their make-believe trip to Subway (yes, the restaurant). Hubby and I are not sure whether to be impressed by her creativity or disturbed by its content.

P.S. Since we don't own a gaming console, and she only watches PBS, I blame it on those boys at preschool! :)

The Potty Train (a book review)

While we're on the subject of books (see my last post)...I wanted to mention a GREAT kid's book. We are currently potty training the Little Man, so when I stumbled upon The Potty Train by David Hochman and Ruth Kennison at the library, I knew we had to get it.Little Man is an avid train aficionado, and I thought this might be a helpful resource. Boy, was I right! We read it every day and every night for the three weeks we had it. When we weren't reading it, you could find him sitting in his room, flipping through the pages, chanting, "chugga chugga poo poo!"

If you know of a little boy who is potty training, this is the book for him! Hochman and Kennison do a fabulous job of relating the whole potty "training" event to an actual train adventure...every boy's dream come true! Couple that with gorgeous illustrations by Dereck Anderson, and it's a definite hit for any pottier-in-training. It was such a hit at our house Little Man kept wanting to go outside and ride an actual potty train. (Maybe not such a big deal except we had 8 inches of snow on the ground!) It took some real convincing, but I think he's finally understanding that there is no REAL potty train. But if there were....we'd be first in line!

Books, Books, and more Books

I love books. Hubby often laughs at me, because I leave stacks of books around the house so that, if I have a spare moment (and I do mean "moment" since there are two little ones constantly vying for attention), I can grab a book and get a few paragraphs further in my reading. I currently have nine books checked out from the library...and that's not counting the ones the kids have checked out.

Since I have been relatively "blog silent" so far this year, I thought I would share what I have been doing...mostly, reading and research. When I'm not tending to the kids or the house, shuttling us to preschool or church, running errands, or scouring the Internet for houses for sale (yes, we're still looking), I have my nose stuck in a book or magazine.

I read mostly non-fiction, because I love learning about new topics. My latest interest is nutrition. It all started as I was researching food allergies (more on that in a later post) and discovered that many food allergies are related to the "additives" and other junk in all of our processed foods. That led me on a search to discover just what we are eating these days and how to select foods that will provide the best and most nutrition for my family.

Below are three of my recent favorite finds. I had heard of these books quite a bit, but never got around to reading any of them. You may have already seen or read many of them. If not, I encourage you to check them out. While a lot of the nutritional basics are repeated in each book, each one gives a distinct slant on specifics and provides a treasure of nutritional know-how in itself.

Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
I believe this was the original Eat This, Not That book written by the editor-in-chief of Men's Health Magazine in 2007. In it, Zinczenko gives valuable information on the nutritional content of many of your favorite foods and restaurant staples, including suggestions of what to eat and what not to eat at your favorite fast food and sit-down restaurants. This book is a simple and easy beginner's guide to making the best choices at restaurants, the supermarket, and even your favorite holiday gatherings.

Eat This, Not that for Kids by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding

A practical tool for any parent, Eat This Not That for Kids provides valuable information on some of your kids' favorite restaurant fare...even those that are not available online. Some of the information is common sense, some of it is rather shocking. For example, did you know that Chili's Pepper Pals Chicken Crispers pack an unbelievable 41 grams of fat? And Romano's Macaroni Grill's Kid's Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese contains over 1,200 calories...and that's the kids' portion! Zinczenko also provides an entire section on school cafeteria and vending machine options as well as several recipes for giving kid-friendly fare like mac and cheese and nachos a nutritional makeover.

Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
This is my favorite Eat This, Not That book so far. The book opens with a sort of primer on nutrition, including how our foods have changed in the last 20-30 years (with the introduction of such things as high fructose corn syrup and trans fats) and how that might be impacting our nation's current struggle with obesity. These changes aren't simply limited to process foods, either. Even our meats, dairy products and produce pack less of a nutritional punch than they did decades ago, mostly thanks to "advances" in farming techniques which result in growing plants and animals faster and "stronger." Zinczenko also uncovers some sneaky marketing tactics used by food manufacturers to "dupe" consumers into believing highly-processed, nutrient-lacking foods are actually good for us! The bulk of the book is spent going section by section, aisle by aisle through your supermarket and comparing name-brand product against name-brand product. It is a lot of information, and all of it is beneficial.

I'm also wanting to check out two of Zinczenko's more recent books: Eat This, Not That: Restaurant Survival Guide and Cook This, Not That: Kitchen Survival Guide which gives practical, nutritious recipes for duplicating some of your favorite restaurant meals at home.

For a complete list of books, plus practical tips and nutritional information, visit EatThis.com.

Do you know of any other helpful nutritional resources? If so, leave me a comment and let me know. They'll probably find their way to my stack of books (or list of web sites) soon.

Valentine's Day 2010

We had almost a week's worth of celebrating Valentine's Day this year. It started with a special Mommy & Me Valentine Tea at Little Miss' preschool. The students prepared special treats and an adorable program for the special women in their families.

Little Miss' class preparing for their special program.

Little Miss and Mommy at the Valentine Tea.

Later in the week we made valentine cookies. Little Man ate so much dough, I'm surprised there were any cookies left to bake!

It's hard work rolling...

...cutting...

...and eating all those cookies!

The holiday weekend culminated in a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's where there were plenty of treats, a lot of laughter, and an endless supply of hugs and kisses!

Little Miss and Grandpa playing the Wii.

Little Man waiting his turn to bowl.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Valentine's Day, too!

And...Happy President's Day to all!

Our First Snow Day!!

Little Miss had a day off preschool today, due to inclement weather. So here's what we did instead...

We all bundled up ...

And went outside...
(being careful to avoid the yellow snow!)

We ran around and acted crazy...

And made snow angels.

Even the dog got in on the fun!

Then we came in to warm up with some hot cocoa.

Mmmmm....good to the last drop!