Brent and I are trying to provide more structure and routine for the kids.  As you can imagine,  they aren't really thrilled.
Last night I heard these comments:
Mom, why do you keep making up these new rules?  They just make everybody mad.
Mom, Dad doesn’t care about these rules.  They are your rules, not his.
You just don’t like us to have time to watch TV.
Since I can’t spend the night with Grandma, I’m not going to sleep.
Since I can’t sleep in your bed, I’m not going to sleep in your room or my room.
I don’t like you and I’m not going to talk to you anymore.
I don’t like this plan.  I’m not going to do it.

I hope everyone is doing well and excited about the new year!  We had a great Christmas although all of us except Brent had the stomach bug this past weekend.  Here are some photos of the family  -

I've Arisen!

Well, after about a year's absence from posting anything here, I've decided that it's time to make a return. 

The kids are doing fine - Nolan is 9 now, Elijah is 6, and Mariah is 20 months.  We are busier than ever with school and other stuff going on but God continues to bless us every day in different ways.

This week I have decided that it is time to get off my lazy butt and start exercising and doing a better job providing healthy meals for my family.  Over the past few months I've gotten slack and have really not done a good job with meals - don't get me wrong -we've been eating and the food's been tasting good - just not what I, as a dietitian, defines healthy!

Today I was perusing the web for some new healthy meal ideas and I found this.  Dr. Fuhrman is a doctor and the author of Eat to Live who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods.  He is offering free 6-week membership to his website if you participate in the 2011 Holiday Challenge.  Basically, you pledge to avoid white flour and sugar; eat beans daily, eat a salad daily, eat green veggies with mushrooms and onions, and eat 3 fruits per day for 6 weeks.

Guess what?  I decided to do it!  I won't lie - I'm sure that I won't completely avoid white flour and sugar for the entire 6 weeks - I mean, come on, it's Christmas, for goodness sake!  BUT, I am so excited about improving my meals and having a nutrient rich diet! 

Oh, yeah, by the way - I started doing the Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred video Monday too! 

I am so excited.  I already feel better and I've only been exercising for 2 days and I haven't started eating all these powerhouse fruits and veggies yet!

So, I'm looking forward to "talking" to you again through my blog.  I will post about my journey of exercise and healthy eating here and will start posting updates about the kids again.  I'll through in some yummy recipes along the way as I discover them!

Kale and Asparagus

So, my new favorite things to eat are kale and asparagus. Last night I decided to try to cook them together, so I sauteed them along with green onions, salt, pepper, oil, and garlic. It was WONDERFUL and the only points to count was the olive oil! It was too bad that none of my family would try it...

Does anyone have any kale or asparagus recipes to share?

Today is a day that I want to talk to my brother. I so wish I could call him right now and check in on him. I NEED to talk to him. It's so hard to get used to him not being around to talk to and it's been over 3 years so you'd think I would be used to it.

Elijah's 5th birthday party sleepover

Elijah wanted to have a pool party for his birthday and since his birthday is in November that was going to be a little difficult. Instead I rented 2 adjoining hotel rooms at the Hampton Inn in Hillsdale and we had a sleepover/pool party. He got to invite some of his friends from Kountry Kids and his friend Patrick. The boys had a great time. Unfortunately, I was so busy with all of them that I didn't get to take a whole lot of pictures but here's what I did get!

Veteran's Day Program at church