As I've mentioned, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to increase my fruit and veggie intake. For the most part, I've been quite successful. I've always loved fruits and eaten a fair amount of fruits, and a fairly wide selection of fruits. I'm not quite as good about vegetables, but I'm getting better.
Here are a few of the things I'm doing that are working for me.
1. I nearly always eat a fruit or veggie or both with breakfast. We often have fresh fruit along with our breakfast...berries, cantaloupe, bananas (for everyone but me...I'm not a big fan, although I do add them to smoothies.) I make a smoothie along with breakfast at least 1-3 times per week now. Usually, I make them with a bit of yogurt, some frozen fruit (peaches, berries, etc.), a banana, some oatmeal and/or wheat germ and/or flax seed, 1/2 cup or more fresh spinach, and a bit of milk (sometimes almond milk because Alfredo is on a diet now and that is what he's supposed to have). Often in the evenings, if I'm having a sugar craving, a fruit smoothie will curb the craving.
2. Another way I've increased veggies in the morning is to make frittatas or potato latkes for breakfast. I included a potato latke recipe on my blog a month or so ago. For frittatas, I mix 6- 8 eggs (to make these healthier, you can do egg whites or egg beaters) and about 1/2 cup milk. Mix well. Then I chop up whatever veggies I have on hand... we like tomatoes, cilantro, red/yellow/green/orange peppers, spinach if chopped fine, onions (green, yellow or red), and I've even chopped up zuchini or squash really small and added it. Then I add a bit of shredded cheese and some crumbled bacon and/or some seasonings. Stir it all up and pour into pans. I use 2 pie tins. Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes until set. I serve it with whole wheat toast and it is a yummy, veggie filled breakfast.
3. I always take a fresh fruit or vegetable to eat with my lunch and/or to eat as an afternoon snack when school ends.
4. We eat salads at least 2 x per week, and sometimes more often. Usually these are a side dish and not the main course, but I do have a couple of main dish salads that we love and eat from time to time.
5. I'm trying to be conscientious about putting out fresh fruits and veggies for us to snack on while I'm preparing dinner...especially if dinner is going to take a while.And if we get hungry between meals, I try to reach for fruits or veggies as snacks most of the time.
6. As often as possible, I incorporate vegetables into whatever I'm cooking for dinner. For example, instead of just making chicken noodle soup with carrots, celery and onions, I will throw in brocolli, squash, corn, potatoes, peppers, beans (such as great northern beans), etc.
7. I'm also trying to be conscientious for myself (and to a lesser degree for my kids) about using whole grains rather than white breads. We still eat sugary cereal on ocassion and we still love cinnamon rolls from time to time. My kids would still prefer white bread and they sometimes get white bread. But our pancakes and waffles are all whole wheat (and usually with wheat germ and flax seed added in.) I'm trying to get them to eat wheat bread more often. I eat a 9 grain hot cereal pretty regularly but no one else will eat it. I often buy whole wheat pasta (but not exclusively...some types of pasta don't seem to come in whole wheat...at least not where I shop). I often buy whole wheat tortillas.
What I've loved is that we are eating healthier, but I haven't had to make major changes to what I'm cooking. The changes have been small and steady but still allow us to enjoy our favorite foods.
I love the website Skinny Taste because she has great, healthy and delicious meals. Nearly everything I've tried from her site we have enjoyed. Also, for Christmas, I bought myself the small little cookbook "Completely Breakfast" by Carlene Duda. There are lots of great recipes... including Savory Fried Potatoes, Bacon Cheddar Frittata (which I modified to get my frittata above), Granola Waffles. I love, love, love her Creamy Raspberry Waffles (although they weren't a hit with the rest of my family...so I sometimes make them just for myself...and eat them for a couple of days while everyone else has plain pancakes or waffles).
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Pizza and Pasta at Party Planet
On Presidents Day, the girls and I went with my friend Brenda and her daughter Aelora to the Party Planet in Draper. The girls all had so much fun playing the games, and we all ate and ate. The girls ate pizza, pasta, ice cream, cookies, more pizza, and more treats. They played for a bit; then we ate. Then they played for a long time and then we ate again. Then we played for just a bit longer. We got there about noon and stayed until after 4. Around 3, Gabby got tired and fell asleep in my arms and slept for almost an hour. It was a very fun day.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Birthday Bash
My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. I had parent teacher conferences on my birthday. Long day. But the weekend before my birthday, we had some friends over for dinner. We get together pretty regularly, taking turns at each other's homes. Well, it was Stacie's birthday at the end of January, a week before mine. So when they showed up at our house, Leo and Annette had brought a Baskin Robbins cake to have a combined celebration of Stacie's birthday and my birthday. Stacie and Jeremy had also brought me flowers. It was so nice of Alfredo to plan it and to spend time with such great friends. We had a delicious dinner, made by Alfredo. Then the kids ran downstairs and played while we adults played a card game called Split. It was a great night.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thoughts ...
As I mentioned in a previous post, I read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. This was a really great read. It's short and easy to read but filled with some real wisdom. As I mentioned earlier, she talked about not comparing yourself to others. Then she lays out the guideposts (or qualities/values) that she found in her research led to whole living. Some of them I feel like I'm doing pretty well on or at least I'm aware of their importance and trying to incorporate them in my life.
Her guideposts are these:
authenticity
self-compassion
a resilient spirit
gratitude and joy
intuition and faith
creativity
play and rest
calm and stillness
meaningful work
laughter, song and dance
I found the chapter on gratitude and joy to be so inspiring. She said that as she did her research, she found that gratitude and joy were inextricably linked...that those who were joyous actively practiced gratitude. Also, she (like many apostles have done in conference talks) discussed the difference between happiness (which is a feeling that comes and goes and that is based on circumstances) and joy (which is a more spiritual feeling..its Greek root was chairo and means the "culmination of being" or "good mood of the soul".) What I found especially interesting is that she spent time in this chapter talking about the opposite of gratitude and joy which is fear and scarcity. Many of us (including me at times) get into attitudes of scarcity... "I didn't get enough sleep", "there isn't enough money", "my students aren't doing well enough on tests." She quotes Lynne Twist in The Soul of Money, who writes, "Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of..." (page 83). She then says, "As I read this passage, it makes total sense to me why we're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude." (page 83) Wow! That seems so powerful to me. How many times have I answered someone's query, "How are you doing?" with something like, "Fine, but too busy." So time to transform my thinking. I have chosen the activities in my life and for the most part, I am happy with them...so time to stop complaining about them and give thanks for them, or let them go. Scarcity is a big part of what I see as a problem in public education right now...and I could do a long post on just this. But basically we, as a nation, are so scared that some other country will pass us by and we won't be number one. We are afraid that there aren't enough high achieving students, that students aren't passing enough tests, that we won't make "adequate yearly progress" and as a consequence we are making some very bad decisions as a nation when it comes to education. We are testing too much and instructing too little. We are teaching kids to bubble in worksheets but not teaching them to be creative, to appreciate the arts, to understand history (so we won't be doomed to repeat it), etc. I could go on an on.
I found the chapter on creativity both interesting and in a sense, rewarding. I can relate to her original thoughts that she is "not a creative person" because I've definitely thought that before. But as I read that chapter, I realized some interesting things. First, my blog is one way I am creative (I was about to add a deprecating remark about how my blog isn't that creative, but after reading this book, I'm not going to). But secondly, I realized in a more concrete way one of the reasons why so many teachers are not happy with being handed text books and teacher's guides and told to teach out of them. One reason of course, is that there are often times when the way a lesson is being taught is not the best way to teach that lesson to the group of students you have in front of you that year. Perhaps, they need even more background before they can learn it...or less... or they'd learn it better if there was art or music tied to the lesson or whatever. But, I also think that teachers are frustrated because our ability to use creativity is being hampered. As I read this, I realized that teaching is my main way to act creatively and that I'm happiest as a teacher when I'm putting my own spin on a lesson...even if I'm teaching the same concept as the text book, if I'm doing it in my own unique way, then I'm happier, more enthusiastic and the lesson generally goes better. Brown says, "There's not such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don't. Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. It lives within us until it's expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear." (page 96) In a way it is refreshing. We, the teachers at my school, have been accused a few times of being "unwilling to change" or being "stuck in our ways" and I've always felt that (at least for most of us on my faculty) that was an unfair description. No two years are ever the same in teaching and I'm constantly changing things and trying new things. I don't think I'm unwilling to change, in general, but I am unwilling to change if I'm being told to do things that I don't believe are best for children and that take away my creative process. I've tried in various ways to explain that, but I'm not sure I've been 100% aware of what I was feeling. This book helped.
I am thrilled that I do feel I am engaged in meaningful work and to have that reinforced as I read the chapter.
And now to the most difficult chapter for me. Guidepost 7, "Cultivating Play and Rest". I'm okay at playing with my children. I take them out to do fun things with them and I read to them and I even get down on the ground and play with them. But I'm not so good at the resting, overall. And could be better at the playing, as well. I would like to read Dr. Stuart Brown's book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. Some of what she talked about, I already knew... at least when it comes to my children. I make sure that they aren't too overscheduled so they have free time most evenings to play. But wow, I had some personally rude awakenings as I read this chapter. I'm a busy woman with a full time job and I'm a mom and I'm active in my church, etc. And I actually usually like most of what I'm doing and feel it is important. But I found that I'm very guilty of using all that I get done as a kind of badge to show myself (in my head) and maybe to show others that I'm of worth. Brene Brown says, "If we want to live a Wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth." (page 102) Wow! That could have been written to me. I often find myself feeling very proud of the fact that I teach all day, have 3 great kids (who are great kids but are far from perfect! and neither is their mother), cook a healthy meal for dinner most nights and a healthy meal for breakfast most days, keep my house fairly tidy and read a lot of books. I do it all! (I think this as I mentally pat myself on the back.) Now, don't get me wrong. I also have plenty of the other kinds of thoughts...about all the things I'm not doing right, about the things I leave undone, etc. In this moment of self-disclosure, I'll even admit to something that I only sort of realized about myself until I read this book. I love to read. It is one of the things I do for myself, to relax, unwind and to have a little "me time". Reading is a priority for me. I don't do well when I have weeks where I have little time to read. But if I'm not being careful, even reading can turn into one of my "to do" things rather than a pleasure. I'm on goodreads and at times, I find myself comparing myself to others...and thinking, "wow, I haven't read nearly as many books as she has" or "she reads more sophisticated books than I do". There I go, comparing myself again. A couple of years ago, I admitted to a couple of friends that I feel almost a little panicky if I run out of books to read...I always have at least 2 or 3 books checked out for myself at any given time. A wise, dear friend said something along the lines of "Jenny, you are more than the sum total of your list of books read." At the time, my feelings were a tiny bit hurt (not too much and certainly not enough to hurt my friendship, but a tiny bit). But I've reflected on that off and on since the comment was made and realize what a wise comment it was. I am much more than just the books I've read or the tasks I've accomplished. I don't have to get a million things done each day to be of value. I am a child of God, His daughter. My worth comes from who I am, not what I get done. I need to take time to play, to laugh, listen to music, dance with my children, and recognize the joy in life ...and not push myself to keep working when I'm tired, but to get enough sleep. What a great book. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. But I'm thankful for the insights I've gained.
Her guideposts are these:
authenticity
self-compassion
a resilient spirit
gratitude and joy
intuition and faith
creativity
play and rest
calm and stillness
meaningful work
laughter, song and dance
I found the chapter on gratitude and joy to be so inspiring. She said that as she did her research, she found that gratitude and joy were inextricably linked...that those who were joyous actively practiced gratitude. Also, she (like many apostles have done in conference talks) discussed the difference between happiness (which is a feeling that comes and goes and that is based on circumstances) and joy (which is a more spiritual feeling..its Greek root was chairo and means the "culmination of being" or "good mood of the soul".) What I found especially interesting is that she spent time in this chapter talking about the opposite of gratitude and joy which is fear and scarcity. Many of us (including me at times) get into attitudes of scarcity... "I didn't get enough sleep", "there isn't enough money", "my students aren't doing well enough on tests." She quotes Lynne Twist in The Soul of Money, who writes, "Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of..." (page 83). She then says, "As I read this passage, it makes total sense to me why we're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude." (page 83) Wow! That seems so powerful to me. How many times have I answered someone's query, "How are you doing?" with something like, "Fine, but too busy." So time to transform my thinking. I have chosen the activities in my life and for the most part, I am happy with them...so time to stop complaining about them and give thanks for them, or let them go. Scarcity is a big part of what I see as a problem in public education right now...and I could do a long post on just this. But basically we, as a nation, are so scared that some other country will pass us by and we won't be number one. We are afraid that there aren't enough high achieving students, that students aren't passing enough tests, that we won't make "adequate yearly progress" and as a consequence we are making some very bad decisions as a nation when it comes to education. We are testing too much and instructing too little. We are teaching kids to bubble in worksheets but not teaching them to be creative, to appreciate the arts, to understand history (so we won't be doomed to repeat it), etc. I could go on an on.
I found the chapter on creativity both interesting and in a sense, rewarding. I can relate to her original thoughts that she is "not a creative person" because I've definitely thought that before. But as I read that chapter, I realized some interesting things. First, my blog is one way I am creative (I was about to add a deprecating remark about how my blog isn't that creative, but after reading this book, I'm not going to). But secondly, I realized in a more concrete way one of the reasons why so many teachers are not happy with being handed text books and teacher's guides and told to teach out of them. One reason of course, is that there are often times when the way a lesson is being taught is not the best way to teach that lesson to the group of students you have in front of you that year. Perhaps, they need even more background before they can learn it...or less... or they'd learn it better if there was art or music tied to the lesson or whatever. But, I also think that teachers are frustrated because our ability to use creativity is being hampered. As I read this, I realized that teaching is my main way to act creatively and that I'm happiest as a teacher when I'm putting my own spin on a lesson...even if I'm teaching the same concept as the text book, if I'm doing it in my own unique way, then I'm happier, more enthusiastic and the lesson generally goes better. Brown says, "There's not such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don't. Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. It lives within us until it's expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear." (page 96) In a way it is refreshing. We, the teachers at my school, have been accused a few times of being "unwilling to change" or being "stuck in our ways" and I've always felt that (at least for most of us on my faculty) that was an unfair description. No two years are ever the same in teaching and I'm constantly changing things and trying new things. I don't think I'm unwilling to change, in general, but I am unwilling to change if I'm being told to do things that I don't believe are best for children and that take away my creative process. I've tried in various ways to explain that, but I'm not sure I've been 100% aware of what I was feeling. This book helped.
I am thrilled that I do feel I am engaged in meaningful work and to have that reinforced as I read the chapter.
And now to the most difficult chapter for me. Guidepost 7, "Cultivating Play and Rest". I'm okay at playing with my children. I take them out to do fun things with them and I read to them and I even get down on the ground and play with them. But I'm not so good at the resting, overall. And could be better at the playing, as well. I would like to read Dr. Stuart Brown's book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. Some of what she talked about, I already knew... at least when it comes to my children. I make sure that they aren't too overscheduled so they have free time most evenings to play. But wow, I had some personally rude awakenings as I read this chapter. I'm a busy woman with a full time job and I'm a mom and I'm active in my church, etc. And I actually usually like most of what I'm doing and feel it is important. But I found that I'm very guilty of using all that I get done as a kind of badge to show myself (in my head) and maybe to show others that I'm of worth. Brene Brown says, "If we want to live a Wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth." (page 102) Wow! That could have been written to me. I often find myself feeling very proud of the fact that I teach all day, have 3 great kids (who are great kids but are far from perfect! and neither is their mother), cook a healthy meal for dinner most nights and a healthy meal for breakfast most days, keep my house fairly tidy and read a lot of books. I do it all! (I think this as I mentally pat myself on the back.) Now, don't get me wrong. I also have plenty of the other kinds of thoughts...about all the things I'm not doing right, about the things I leave undone, etc. In this moment of self-disclosure, I'll even admit to something that I only sort of realized about myself until I read this book. I love to read. It is one of the things I do for myself, to relax, unwind and to have a little "me time". Reading is a priority for me. I don't do well when I have weeks where I have little time to read. But if I'm not being careful, even reading can turn into one of my "to do" things rather than a pleasure. I'm on goodreads and at times, I find myself comparing myself to others...and thinking, "wow, I haven't read nearly as many books as she has" or "she reads more sophisticated books than I do". There I go, comparing myself again. A couple of years ago, I admitted to a couple of friends that I feel almost a little panicky if I run out of books to read...I always have at least 2 or 3 books checked out for myself at any given time. A wise, dear friend said something along the lines of "Jenny, you are more than the sum total of your list of books read." At the time, my feelings were a tiny bit hurt (not too much and certainly not enough to hurt my friendship, but a tiny bit). But I've reflected on that off and on since the comment was made and realize what a wise comment it was. I am much more than just the books I've read or the tasks I've accomplished. I don't have to get a million things done each day to be of value. I am a child of God, His daughter. My worth comes from who I am, not what I get done. I need to take time to play, to laugh, listen to music, dance with my children, and recognize the joy in life ...and not push myself to keep working when I'm tired, but to get enough sleep. What a great book. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. But I'm thankful for the insights I've gained.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
photo shoot funnies
Yesterday we had family photos taken by Aubrie, who was one of my Beehives 9 years ago...and who was a Laurel when I was in young womens again a few years ago. She is now married and takes photos part time.
A couple of funny things happened while we were taking our photos. First, we sat down on a grassy area, and right after I sat down, Alfredo was about to sit when he said he thought there was dog poop where I was sitting. We looked and sure enough I was sitting on poop, with my hand in it. Gross. But funny, because it happened to me. I am seriously so clumsy and unaware. That same morning I had seen a quote on Facebook that I'm going to adopt as my new excuse: "I'm not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies and the wall gets in the way." So of course, if someone was going to plop down in dog poop, it would be me. Ah well. We have a glass table in our living room and when we've had toddlers, others have worried that they would fall and get hurt on our table. You know, each one of our kids fell into or bumped into their table once or twice and then they learned it was there and never really bumped into it again. But we've had it for 10 1/2 years, and wouldn't you know that I still bump into it at least once a month.
After we were done taking pictures, Michelle wanted to play on the playground for a few minutes. Ella and Gabby were cold and didn't want to. So I walked them back to the car and was going to drive over to pick Michelle and Alfredo up at the playground. It was less than 5 minutes that Michelle played there, but when I picked them up, Michelle told me she'd made a friend. It was a boy, and "he was cute" she said. Alfredo told me that he and the mom had been laughing because after just a couple of minutes of playing, the little boy invited her to come over to his house. If they weren't so young, it totally seemed like he was picking up on her...and she liked him too. Thank goodness they are still young and it was innocent, but boy is she growing up too fast!
A couple of funny things happened while we were taking our photos. First, we sat down on a grassy area, and right after I sat down, Alfredo was about to sit when he said he thought there was dog poop where I was sitting. We looked and sure enough I was sitting on poop, with my hand in it. Gross. But funny, because it happened to me. I am seriously so clumsy and unaware. That same morning I had seen a quote on Facebook that I'm going to adopt as my new excuse: "I'm not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies and the wall gets in the way." So of course, if someone was going to plop down in dog poop, it would be me. Ah well. We have a glass table in our living room and when we've had toddlers, others have worried that they would fall and get hurt on our table. You know, each one of our kids fell into or bumped into their table once or twice and then they learned it was there and never really bumped into it again. But we've had it for 10 1/2 years, and wouldn't you know that I still bump into it at least once a month.
After we were done taking pictures, Michelle wanted to play on the playground for a few minutes. Ella and Gabby were cold and didn't want to. So I walked them back to the car and was going to drive over to pick Michelle and Alfredo up at the playground. It was less than 5 minutes that Michelle played there, but when I picked them up, Michelle told me she'd made a friend. It was a boy, and "he was cute" she said. Alfredo told me that he and the mom had been laughing because after just a couple of minutes of playing, the little boy invited her to come over to his house. If they weren't so young, it totally seemed like he was picking up on her...and she liked him too. Thank goodness they are still young and it was innocent, but boy is she growing up too fast!
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