Lake Rocks

We just got back from a spontaneous overnight trip to the Lake.

The old saying is right...there's nothing a little sweat, tears, or sea can't cure.

We were  all suffering from "new-store" related woes. LBB missed Daddy. I missed Dear Sweet Hubby. And Dear Sweet Hubby/Daddy missed us.

70+ hours a week of having him gone takes a toll.

Fortunately, the Grand Opening of his new store is in the books (and very successful, I proudly have to add.)

And now, hopefully, a little more family time.

Dear Sweet Hubby had to visit another store and then was going to be done for the day...leaving a full afternoon worth of family time. Jackpot.

I suggested a day trip for the 3 of us. :) He happily obliged.

So, we headed to the Lake. Went on a hike. Got our clothes soaking wet with freezing water. And spontaneously decided to stay overnight since he didn't have to work until noon the next day.

It was just what I needed. And I as sat watching the pristine waters of our favorite lake crash into the shore, I finally was able to relax. To refresh my soul. And most importantly, to spend some time just being. I didn't worry about LBB...he was busy skipping rocks with Daddy. I didn't worry about housework. I didn't worry about bills.

I just "was."

And I came up with some profound (or as my hubby said: "Deep.") stuff while I sat there. Ready to hear it?

We are very similar to the rocks in the sea. We start out as something rough around the edges. We are jagged. As humans, we start out demanding, demanding, demanding. We spend our days as children happily surrounded by love of a family and no definition of the world around us. We can't see beyond ourselves and what is directly in front of us. We are, like a sharp rock tossed in the water, rough around the edges.

But then life begins to slowly smooth our edges down, just as the waves in the sea smooth a rock's edges down. What was beautiful in the beginning turns into a new kind of beautiful. We open our eyes and see the world around us. And, if we're lucky, we grow from experiences.

Our edges become smooth. We are tossed about in the sea of life...sometimes the waters are calm. Sometimes the water are rough. Sometimes we find ourselves where we want to be. Sometimes we are put in a place that we never imagined ourselves to be.

But no matter if the sea of life is rough or calm, it's all a part of what shapes us to be the people we are meant to be.

But unlike the rock, which will inherently end up being smooth after years of being in the water, it is our choice as humans to grow and learn from our experiences. It is our choice to either stay jagged or let the seas of life change us into a new form of beauty.

OK. I'm done with my "profound" thought now. :) I promise the next post won't be anything of the sort. 

Letting Him Help

One thing I'm discovering about this whole "terrific two's" stage:

Helping is fun.

LBB adores helping. He adores being part of what Mommy and Daddy are doing. And, he adores feeling like a big boy.

The other day, he jumped at the chance to help make orange juice. :) I showed him how to push the orange slice down, and he had so much fun "squeezing" his orange juice. (I definitely had to help though to make sure we got all the juice out.)

Now, each morning when he wants his orange juice, he quickly drags a chair into the kitchen to help.

The same day he helped make his orange juice, he enthusiastically joined me in the kitchen to prepare dinner. While the 30 minutes or so of dinner prep usually involve him being very rambunctious and all over the house, this time, he spent the whole time in the kitchen with me. Completely focused. And very content. He helped put the chopped potatoes in the bowl, and loved helping with the other prep. LBB is very good about knowing what is "HOT" and what is "OWIE", and we're very vigilant about making sure all possible dangers are out of reach.

And of course, anything that involves helping with dirt is a BIG hit among the two year old crowd in our home.

We started our tomato, carrot, cilantro, and basil seeds yesterday, and LBB got a big kick out of pouring the dirt in the trays and pinching the seeds and putting them in the pods. I have a feeling this summer I will have a LOT of help in tending our garden. :)

Sometimes it's easy as parents to discredit how much it means to toddlers to let them help. They are budding little spirits, so full of life and energy, and so very curious about the world around them. Letting them get dirty, have fun, and dig their tiny hands into projects is important to them (and is part of what makes being a parent so wonderful.)

Letting your toddler know that you enjoy having them help is one of the greatest things we can do for them. Letting them know that you believe in their growing capabilities begins now, but doesn't stop even when they are older. And letting them have that quality time where they are learning from you? Well, it doesn't get any better than that.

Sometimes, it's easy to describe this stage as "terrible two's", but it's not that at all. Sure, there are those tantrums and the stubbornness, but all in all, this is such a wonderful time of tremendous growth. It's a chance for us as parents to really get to know our little ones and see what makes them tick.

Often times, when we're having a cranky day, it's because we spent way too much time sitting and far too little time exploring. Exploring the world around us. Exploring nature. Exploring art. And even exploring new ways of playing with the same "old" trains and tractors. :)

Let's learn a lesson from our toddlers...never stop being curious. Explore, explore, explore.

The Path

I've spent a LOT of time trying to decide what I'm supposed to be doing in life.

And aside from being LBB's Mommy and wife to Dear Sweet Hubby, I've come short of having any answers.

Where do I want to live? Do we want to buy a house? City or country? Vintage or modern? Now or later?

I suffer from a serious case of mutt-personality. (A little bit of everything all rolled into one.)

But, I'm learning. I'm thinking. I'm praying.

And I'm discovering.

Discovering what I really want. And that while it may be a couple of years away, it's worth waiting for. I'm the kind of girl that loses patience. If it's not going to happen in the next year, I take the easy way out.

But one thing I know for sure?

I don't want to live in our apartment forever. I want a piece of land to call our own. I want a backyard for my little guy (and hopefully more little ones) to be able to run around in. I want our own little paradise that is all ours. I want a old, character filled home that I can renovate to fit my family just right. I want a chicken coop.

Yes, a chicken coop. :)

See, all these years, I've wanted this. But, it will take work to get there. It will take sacrifice. And it's much easier to just make do and settle than it is to sacrifice.

But. No more.

We are done settling. We want so much more for ourselves. For our family. For our happiness.

We are embarking on a journey that will hopefully lead to the lifestyle we want. And conveniently, within an hour of the metro and all the big city conveniences. It works out that way.

Someday, my little guy can have the puppy he keeps wishing the cat was. He can have a yard to run around in to his hearts content. And he can have all the fresh strawberries he could possibly dream of. :)

That is what will make the sacrifice and hard work worth it. :)

It feels good to find my path. It feels good to know, that despite the rough terrain and hard work that will come over the next 3 years, at the end of that path will be a most wonderful reward. Now is the time to finally get our butts in gear and get to work. No longer are we putting off what needs to be done today until tomorrow.

Wish us luck. :)

Gluten Free Cookie Nirvana

I came across THESE cookies over at Cookin' Cowgirl. My first thought was..."Wow. That girl's a genius. Those. Look. DELICIOUS." My second thought? "But...not gluten-free...better not let LBB see these."


And then it hit me.


Why can't they be gluten free? I've got a box of gluten-free cake mix sitting right in my cupboard, waiting to be used...why not use it for something that looks this delicious.


So, I went out on a whim, like most GF cooking and baking is for me. I figured, what's the worst that can happen? I waste a $5 box of cake mix. Deep breath. Be brave.


But guess what? They turned out.

And they were ever so easy to make.

I followed her original recipe pretty closely, but since the cake mix was smaller, and made of different flours, I kind of experimented as I went. So, here's the recipe:

GLUTEN FREE CAKE BATTER COOKIES

1 box cake mix, 15 ounces (I used Hodgson Mills yellow cake mix)
1 tsp baking powder (for best results, I suggest Rumford)
2 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil (or more as needed)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C color sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix cake mix and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix into dry ingredients. 

Now, here's the tricky part with that tricky GF flour...it took a little bit more oil to make the batter the right consistency. I just added a few drops at a time until I got the dough to look like this:

It should be kind of crumbly but there shouldn't be any dry ingredients left. Translation: if you can mush it together no problem, you're good to go.

Next, add in the sprinkles. This is when it gets fun. :)

Scoop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, about 1-2" apart. Press dough down slightly with your fingers (otherwise you may end up with domed cookies.) Bake 8-10 minutes until slightly golden brown on the edges.

 Let sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy with a nice cool glass of milk!

I just have to say thanks to Cookin' Cowgirl for the wonderful, delicious inspiration. :)

This Is How Our Naptime Rolls

That portable DVD player is probably the best $90 we ever spent.

And don't judge...because we probably have the world's most difficult child when it comes to sleeping. :) And if watching 20 minutes of good, wholesome, educational television is what calms him down enough to fall asleep, I'm not going to complain one bit.

Most times he can fall asleep without it, but the days he needs it, there's no sense in arguing the fact.

What tricks do you use to get your little one's to sleep?

Some Rainy Day Fun

Ah, I love Spring. But most of all, I love the rainy days in Spring.

A few days ago, we had a very rainy day...

...and we spent it with a quick morning walk while my little guy wore his Froggie rain boots and Sharkie rain jacket. (Thank goodness for the conveniece store right across the street...I was dying for a Dr. Pepper.)

Then, we built towers with blocks...

...ate lunch with very yummy Alpha-Tots. (Gotta love a great GLUTEN FREE find for LBB.)

And watched a little Veggie Tales.

You can never go wrong with lovely rainy days. We did lots of other fun things that day...like a trip to Chipotle (yum yum yummy yum) and our grocery shopping at Whole Foods (which always makes me a happy girl.)

I love rainy days...there's something so amazingly relaxing and invigorating about them at the same time. So tell me, do you love rainy days? What's your favorite part about them?

Mediocrity

Do you ever get the feeling that you're "mediocre?"

Like you're just cruising along in life, not attempting to do any better, and quite happy that you aren't "as bad as that other person?"

I did last night...and then I talked to my Dear Sweet Hubby, who somehow knows what to say when I am in one of my crazy thoughtful moods.

And now, I realize, I'm not mediocre. Everyday I strive to be a better Mommy. A better Wife. I'm strive to homeschool my little guy to the best of my abilities. I'm on a major kick to feed healthy food to my family. And I even have that little apartment blog that I mostly keep up with. :)

I'm not mediocre. :)

I dream of owning a home, but finally realize that slacking off or killing ourselves to save money isn't going to get us there...it's a slow and steady kind of thing.

I look forward to someday having more children, if God blesses us with another, but I'm realizing that I just need to enjoy the moment, because more children isn't a guarantee.

I can see that every minute of every day is a learning experience...whether it be from the patience I learn when my LBB decides to throw all the magnetic letters off the fridge, or the ability to love (which I'm taught daily...I am a girl surrounded by love.)

I know that I could be doing a lot better with my faith, and I am constantly striving to improve.

All in all, none of that makes me a mediocre person. It makes me a woman who knows what she wants, knows what she has, and is finally content enough to enjoy the moment I am in.

It's a pretty good feeling to know that you're not mediocre. God made each one of so special in our way, and if we are utilizing the talents He has blessed us with, then we are far from mediocre.

So, "shine on." :) Embrace each day for what it is worth, and make each moment something special. Because that, my dear friends, is what makes life so exciting.