Apology Letter

Dear Family,
      I am sorry that I SUCK at being a mother (Sorry, honey, because this blog is for Scout, I am listing mother first) and wife.  Specifically, I am sorry that for the past two night I have not made dinner, I missed Scout's first pee on the potty and my child was the last child to be picked up from daycare today. I will not be winning any parenting awards this year. 
Love,
Your tired and overwhelmed mother & wife


PS Starbucks I still love you and miss you.

And now for the Clean Food Challenge Update: Day 3 & still going strong????  

I'm not sure about the strong part, but doing the challenge with a friend, Stacy, and blogging about the experience is keeping me on track and honest.  Yesterday and today,  I would have eaten anything, if given the opportunity.  However, my commitment to the challenge kept me focused and probably saved me a few hundred thousand extra calories.

Breakfast: Banana & Larabar

Snack: Almonds & apples slices

Lunch: Cheesy Quinoa w/ chickpeas & spinach (Again, made by Stacy. You may be asking yourself what I would do without Stacy's food?)  Stacy got the recipe from Chelsey's blog.

Dinner: Veggie/chicken soup and Mary's Gone Crackers

Dessert: Cashew pear "ice cream"

Water: 50 oz (I know that it is pitiful!  I am going to try to drink as much as I can before bed.)

I LOVE cashew pear "ice cream,"so I thought that I should share the recipe.  It is totally clean and raw.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews

1 diced pear

1 or 2 Tablespoons of water

1 vanilla bean

Directions:

Finely chop the cashews in a food processor.  Add in the diced pear and water.  Process until smooth.  Scrape and add the innards of the vanilla bean, and process until incorporated fully.  At this point, I usually freeze the "ice cream" for a couple of hours before eating. YUMMY!

"Oh, Poop" (That's not what I really said)

So, last night I was feeling pretty good.  I was not overly stressed about returning to work, the weather forecast was hinting at a storm for later in the week (a teacher's dream) and Scout was in a good mood.  With just one hour to her bedtime, I started to prepare for her bath.  She had just pooped, and we "talked" about how it was yucky to poop in a diaper because the potty is so much better.  I had taken off her diaper, and she was running around the kitchen naked.  That's when IT happened.  Scout said, "I pooped,"  and, guess what, she was not lying. She had pooped on her freshly polished "piggies," legs and yes, all over the floor.  In a pitiful attempt to contain the situation, I had Jackson hold his sister in place, while I ran to get paper towels and cleaner.  As I was returning with the paper towels and cleaner, my slipper "found" a spot of poop and I slipped in a pile of poo... awesome. Now, I'm sure you can guess what I really said.

And for the Clean Food Challenge update: Day 2


Breakfast: Larabar, banana & water
Snack: Healthy granola bar (made by Stacy) & pistachios 
Lunch: Black bean chili (again, made by Stacy)
Snack: Apple slices & almonds
Dinner: A VERY large salad
Water: 90+ oz 

Spa Day?

I am a true girly girl.  I LOVE pink, skirts, makeup, handbags, jewelry and trips to the spa.   I had always dreamed of having a daughter to share my girly girl "goods" with.  In my efforts to make Scout a girly girl, I have besieged her wardrobe with pink clothing and tutus.  She even has a small Coach purse for her play phone and jewels.

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to go to a local spa for a massage... it was heaven.  Obviously, Scout is too young to go to a spa, but she LOVES to have her toenails polished.  All week long Scout has pointed to her chipped pink "piggies" and asked, "polish?"  I HATE to polish her toes!  I can only imagine that polishing her tiny toenails is like polishing a cat's claws.  Scout can not sit still.  So, holding her down to, first, polish the nails and then wait for them to dry is torture (for me, at least).  She LOVES it!  Polishing her "piggies"was my last official act of vacation, and a step closer to sainthood.  Tomorrow is back to work...

Scout's Purple "Piggies"

And for the clean food challenge update:

Pre-run fuel: Zipfizz (Yes, I know that it's not clean, but I needed something before a 12.4 
                        mile run) &  a banana
Snack (while running): Larabar
Lunch: A (very) large bowl of veggie/chicken soup with a serving of Mary's Gone Crackers (I love these crackers; they are organic, kosher, non-GMO, vegan, dairy-free, wheat-free and gluten-free, totally clean.)
Snack: Almond carrot body rock balls & a handful of raw almonds
Dinner: Indonesian Rice Salad (made by Stacy)
Dessert: Cashew pear cream
Water: 82 Oz (not to bad)

Healthy Eating

One advantage Scout will always have over Jackson is her exposure to healthy foods during her infant and toddler years.  Scout was breastfed, and I made ALL of her food.  I LOVE the fact that she was exposed to avocados, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and chickpeas at an early age.  I truly believe her exposure to a variety of fresh, nutritious food has made her a more adventurous eater.  She enjoys eating green food and frequently grabs vegetables off of my plate!

With a two-year-old and eight-year-old, I am always looking for ways to improve my health and energy level.  I exercise on a regular basis, and I try to eat well, but I am totally an emotional eater.  I eat when I am happy, sad, excited (I think that you get the picture).  And with Easter right around the corner, I am tempted by my all time favorite candy treat! 

I LOVE you Mini Eggs...

That is why I am participating in Emilie's Clean Food Challenge.  Basically, the challenge is a cleanse for your body.  I will not consume dairy, sugar, alcohol, gluten or processed food.  You may be wondering  what the heck is left to eat?  I will eat LOTS of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, non-gluten-containing grains and drink a TON of water.  

Prepping for this challenge has turned my kitchen upside down.  I woke up bright and early this morning to make an awesome veggie stew (with chicken),  almond carrot body rock balls, pear cashew cream, and kohlrabi chips.  

Roasted Kohlrabi

                                                                

Kohlrabi Chips

Scout "Helping" Mommy

To keep myself honest, I will try to post a little meal recap each day.  Let the challenge begin!

PS Goodbye Starbucks, I still love you, too!

LOVE

Last night, while I was making dinner, Scout fell, got up and ran to me with her tiny finger outstretched.  She had a "boo boo" that she needed me to kiss.  I LOVE that!  I LOVE that at her age kissing a boo boo makes everything better.


And, while we are at it there are many more things that I LOVE about Scout.  I LOVE:
~that she adores her older brother, Jackson
~when she grabs my face and pulls it to hers for a kiss
~her outgoing personality
~that she is the best pick pocket since Oliver Twist...

It's Okay...

I love mantras!  They get me through a rough day at work, a long run and Scout's temper tantrums.   Apparently, my favorite mantra is "It's Okay."  Only recently did I realize just how often I repeat these words.


About a month ago, my husband and I ran into a friend, who also happens to live down the street.  She told us that one day she and her husband were driving by and they heard me comforting Scout, who was having a temper tantrum, by saying, "It's okay."  I looked at her and laughed.  I said, "I wasn't comforting Scout.  I was comforting me!"


Recently, I observed Scout walking around the living room, patting her doll's back repeating my favorite mantra..."It's okay."  She truly is mommy's little girl.


And, on the potty training front.  No progress has been made.  As soon as we returned home yesterday, I brought her to the bathroom.  I tried to hold her on the potty and encourage her to pee.  As soon as we left the bathroom she peed on the floor.  Go figure!

Potty Training or Sailor (in)Training?

As a I mentioned previously, Scout is highly intelligent.  She can make connections and put a plan into motion before I can get off the couch to stop her.  Her daycare provider thought now would be a "good" time to potty train her, so I foolishly agreed.  Last week, she went through three outfits a day and promptly peed every time she got off the potty...awesome.  


On Monday we spent a VERY long time together, just she and I.  By the end of the day, we were no closer to peeing on the potty, but I had taught her one very important skill~swearing.  Each time Scout would put her Nalgene bottle on the table horizontally it would roll off, and she, in turn, would say, "Oh, shit."  


I am one proud and pathetic mother...

The Journey Begins

Today is my first blog post, and I have no idea what I am doing.  I do know that I want to document my imperfect parenting skills as a way to save myself from going crazy.  

I am a married, mother of two children... a gentle, amazing eight-year-old son, named Jackson, and an intelligent, "tornado on crack" two-year-old daughter, named Scout.  

In addition to raising my two children, I work full-time as a special educator.  In my "free" time, I run, read, drink Starbucks and watch any cupcake/cake reality show on TV.

Please follow me on my blogging journey...