Snow: Melted and Back Again

Remember when Ben gloomily predicted our massive amounts of snow weren't going to melt until April? We managed to have a rare 50-degree day and the snow really melted.

It was GLORIOUS. 

However, I did manage to get the kids and I stuck in the alley a few days before the snow went away. That wasn't so glorious. 

I spent twenty-five minutes (at 5 p.m. when the boys are their least patient selves) trying to dig my car's wheels out of the icy rut that it was stuck in. Charlie was screaming and crying, Eli was a little concerned that we were stuck, and I was freezing cold. I had our shovel out there and was hacking away at the ice, then I'd hop back in the car, try to get out, and the tires would spin and the engine would make that awful noise when it's not going anywhere. I think the heat from my car eventually softened the ice a little and I gunned it out of there. I grumpily sent Ben a text with the following: "I NEED 4WD."

But after the snow melted, all of those frustrated feelings also melted away and I was soooo happy to not have to deal with the snow for a little while. No more tromping through the slippery, icy snow and trying to keep the kids dry and all of that.

But yesterday, we got a couple of inches of the powdery stuff. It wasn't as bad as that first snowfall though, so I wasn't as grumpy about it. Instead, yesterday we had an impromptu 30 minutes of playing in the snow after we got home from the gym (which I am happy to report - I have gone almost every day in the last two weeks! Hooray for getting rid of the Christmas chub). The boys were having so much fun that I ran in to the house and grabbed the camera.

We love the snowballer - 

 

Notice Eli's trying to lick the snowball - 

The goal? A bucket of snowballs - 

It was still snowing while we were playing, which was kind of fun - 

I'm not sure that Charlie was warm enough in that silly hoodie, but he doesn't ever complain... 

 Poor Charlie... snowballs to the face - 

He is such a good sport though. It takes a while before he gets upset.

Look at that devious face :)

His mitten fell off... time to go inside and warm up those wet, cold hands.

Mid-January

A few weeks ago, it felt like my kids were going to have colds forever. January also always feels like it's taking forever. It's really only January 12th?? Ahhhh Chicago winters.....

While the boys were getting better, we laid low, watching movies... (Charlie is obsessed with Toy Story and the tv show Dinosaur Train)

Here's Eli tying up all sorts of things to use while playing with his army guys - (notice his sad sick face - his cheeks and nose were raw from his constant nose wiping - his sleeves always had this gross amount of crusty snot from his wipes when I wasn't looking). After about 10 days of still being sick, I brought the kids in to the doctor, only to find that they BOTH had double ear infections. Poor guys. They're doing much better now and Eli's face looks normal again. 

Lately bath time has been quite the production. Here the kids were having fun dumping/throwing water at each other's faces.

 Which always ends with someone crying (usually Eli, who is usually more emotional about everything).

This is last Sunday morning. We now have afternoon church and Ben didn't have any meetings beforehand, so we had a nice leisurely breakfast with the usual - honey nut cheerios.

It's so nice to have Ben around for breakfast. On weekdays he's always already on his way to work when the kids wake up.

 Gotta love the milk mustache - 

Sweet boys. Eli had his first day in Primary on Sunday and LOVED it! He's getting so big :( One of my favorite things that Eli is doing right now is working very hard to say the word, three, correctly. He has a habit of saying, "free" instead of three. But one day I practiced with him and showed how to use his tongue when he said the word. So now, every time he says, "three," he says it very carefully and drawn out. It's pretty cute. 

2011 Resolutions

We all know we're more likely to stick to our goals if we share them with other people. Here are a few of my goals for this year - none of them are earth shattering, but I know if I stick to them or meet these goals, I will have a happy, healthy, and organized year.

This year, I'd like to:

Read at least one book/month (meaning - finish one book/month, not just start it)
Give up my regular consumption of peanut m&ms
Exercise at least 4 days/week (I'm trying to be reasonable here - I've been on a good streak this week)
Take my multivitamin and extra calcium 
Keep my desk organized, eliminate the surface clutter
Be better about planning my meals each week
Have regular prayer and scripture study
Devote a chunk of time each day to have uninterrupted play with the kids - ignoring emails, phone calls, etc.
Go to bed by midnight each night (not accomplishing this tonight! darn.)
Keep up with my many magazines that I subscribe to (rather than letting them pile up) or cancel the ones I don't get around to reading
Date night with Ben at least once/month (like I said, I'm talking feasible goals - once/week would be great, but not realistic at this point in our lives)
Finish the painting furniture projects in our bedroom
Be more patient - with my kids, my husband, friends, random strangers, slow drivers
Get more organized with my photography business, finish putting together the photog. blog and post regularly
Attend another photography workshop
Teach Eli to read and toilet train Charlie
Get our closets and kitchen cabinets in order

I'm off to bed, 20 minutes late! Happy New Year everyone.

Cranberry Pomegranate Orange Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie

This weekend I've been hooked on a new smoothie recipe that I threw together one day with fruit we had in the fridge. I don't have specific measurements or even a picture to share (shocker), you literally just throw stuff in the blender. But here's an estimate of how to make this delicious, nutritious drink:

1 pomegranate - spoon out the seeds into the blender (this is messy and I stained my white hoodie - make sure you're wearing an apron)
1 C. blueberries
1 C. cranberry juice (you could add a little more if your smoothie gets too thick)
2 oranges, peeled (I've been using cara cara navels from Costco - they are delish!)
about 1/4 of a fresh pineapple, including the core if your blender can handle it*
1/2 C. ice

Blend it all together and voila! You have a healthy, sweet, tasty, filling, fibrous drink to fill you up and make your sweet tooth happy. Ben and I got rid of the remaining holiday junk food in our house yesterday and are on day two of being more committed to our healthy eating/lifestyle. Hopefully we can keep it up longer than two days:)

*My tip with the pineapple - when it's ripe, cut it up into large pieces and store in a tupperware in the fridge so you can quickly throw it into your smoothies. Pineapple is such a great natural sweetener and is a nice filler too. It adds a lot of volume to the smoothie, which is great when you're making it for multiple people. This recipe makes enough for two adult-sized glasses filled a little more than halfway and two kids cups.

Enjoy!