Sneaky Sneaky Blackberry and Kale Smoothies

Since I am dealing with a sick house this week (yep, I was not able to keep my Oldest away from my Middle Man and Hubby...crossing fingers Baby Girl and I are safe), I thought, why not share one of my tricky mom ways to try to avoid what we have encountered this week.  As posted here, I have extremely picky eaters so getting anything green into them is near impossible.  To sneak some vegetables into their diet, I started making Blackberry and Kale smoothies.  The blackberries are so dark that they cover up the green color of the kale.  The kids love them and I feel better that they have eaten some raw greens.  WIN-WIN all around (though I must say, I am not WINNING this week.  I am in fact losing in a BIG way).

Here are the ingredients:
Banana
Blackberries
Kale
Coconut Milk
Ice

There are no exact measurements with this.  Just throw in what you want.  Also, I use a Vitamix blender so it blends the crap out of the kale.  Make sure you use a high powered blender to ensure you do not have leaves in your smoothie.  That is a dead giveaway.  Also, I have replaced the kale with spinach, chard and any other green veggie that they may not naturally lean towards.  Just like with clothing, black hides everything.

We Believe

This past weekend we headed out on a major road trip with another family.  When I say major, I mean major.  We traveled through three states (California, Nevada and Arizona) to experience The Polar Express in Williams, Arizona.  It was an incredible weekend with great friends and there is nothing more magical than 5 children believing that they are on a train to the North Pole to meet Santa.  NOTHING.  It makes me sad to think that one day they will not believe, but for now, I will indulge in the world of a child, where anything is possible.

There was a whole lot of nothing for the majority of the drive

But thanks to my friend who went to school in Arizona, we were able to identify The Cracker Barrel as a good place to stop for lunch...though I was more obsessed with the vintage candy section.

We FINALLY made it to Williams, a small town in Arizona

After checking in, the kids got their pajamas on and were all too excited to play in the small amount of snow and get ready to board the Polar Express!

Once aboard the train, it was hot chocolate, cookies, The Polar Express story and Christmas music.

Baby Girl was equally excited

After going to the North Pole, all the kids realized that Santa disappeared.  No one knew where he was until suddenly...

He passed out bells to everyone on the train as we headed back to the Train Station.  It was such an incredible time and I highly suggest you looking into any local Polar Express trains you may have in your area.  It was such a fabulous way to kick off the holidays!

The SPACE.NK Giveaway is still open so don't forget to enter here!

Was I Bored?

This week has been a pretty hectic week (that is putting it mildly).  Next week looks even worse.  It has gotten me to think back to before I had kids and I wonder, what the hell did I do with my time?  Was I bored?  Didn’t seem like it.  Did I waste time?  I don’t think so.  That being said, I obviously did not know what busy was until I threw three children and a husband into the mix.  I laugh now at the “stress” I used to have with my one job, one husband, and evening and weekends that were all mine.  Here are some of the comparisons I have been able to come up with…..

THEN: 6:00am – wake up, shower, get myself ready for work, eat some breakfast and get out the door by 7am.

NOW: 5:45am – wake up, throw on some clothes, pull my hair back, wake up all three children, get all three dressed, get all three fed, get school materials together, grab a bar and get out the by 7am.

THEN: 7:30am – 5:30pm – WORK

NOW: 7:30am – 5:30am - drop off kids at school, gym (sorry, I need something), do laundry, empty the dishwasher, put baby down for a nap, make snacks, play Trouble, mop the floor, change laundry, fold clothes, read a story, clean the house, make Dr. appointments, confirm logistics for sports, make lunch, attend a school benefit meeting, pick up from school, make more snacks, go to baseball practice (okay, all this does not always happen at once but this week these were my days.  Promise.)

THEN: 5:30pm – Happy Hour OR make dinner OR go out to dinner OR go to the gym OR go to the gym and then go out to dinner.

NOW: 5:30pm – Make kids dinner, feed kids dinner, give baths, give bottle, throw on a show, make lunches for the next day, get baby to bed, make hubby and I dinner, inhale dinner, read a story, get the boys to bed, crash on the couch with a glass of wine staring blankly at the TV.

And I wonder why I am tired????

Why Won't They Just Sleep In!

My children hate sleep.  At least that is my assumption based on the fact that no matter what time they go to bed, they love to come wake me up any time between 5:45am and 6:30am.  I just do not understand it.  This past Friday night we had a couple families over.  While parents enjoyed a bottle (or possibly a lot more than that) of wine and dinner, the kids were able to run around until their hearts content.  This led to children falling asleep in front of a movie at 10:30pm.  One would assume that this would be late for all children and due to complete exhaustion, they would sleep in.  Apparently not my boys.  While I am texting with a friend at 9am the next day about what a good time we had with them, she mentioned that her child is still asleep.  WHAT?!  All three of mine have been up since 6:30am!  NOT FAIR.  When will they learn that sleep is Ah-mazing?  Oh, I hope soon.

How Much Do I Owe?

Let's go back to 1994.  I was a sophomore in High School and would make a steady income off of the neighborhood babysitting jobs at what I considered an amazing rate, $6.00/hour.  Flash forward to 2011 and what the hell happened?  I am now paying anywhere from $10 to $15 an hour for a 16 year old to watch my children.  And the term "watch" is used loosely.  Considering all three of my children are in bed within 30 minutes of their arrival, there is minimal "watching" that actually occurs.  After that it is a night of MTV, talking on their cell phone and eating my food.  I understand there are a number of factors that may have caused this increase (inflation really exists, I know), however, an increase of 150%?!  Regardless of what we are doing, there is always the additional $50-100 spent to ensure we are actually able to go.

The sad part of all of this?  I don't even care.  They could ask for $20 an hour and I would be willing to pay it.  Why?  Because if not for the babysitters, this mother would never get out of the house and would go insane.  End of story.  It is just too bad my FSA account won't approve my babysitting fees as a part of "Mental Health".

"One Minute Please"

My poor children.  They hear this phrase all the time.  Whether I am trying to empty the dishwasher, fold some laundry, or mopping the floor, they ask me to play with them and I will automatically respond with "one minute please".  The problem is, it is never a minute.  Once I am done with that item, I move right on to the next thing that needs to get done around the house.  I find that on the majority of days, I will spend most of it "doing chores" instead of playing with the children.

Sadly, I think I am not the only other mom out there that does this.  There is never enough time in the day to get everything done.  I take pride in having my house in order, dinner on the table and all the laundry put away before my husband gets home.  Not that he cares.  It is more for me.  That is what I do not understand.  Why does everything have to be perfect?  If playing with my children means sacrificing that last load of laundry, I am sure the world will go on.  For some reason I just don't always make that choice.

Well yesterday I did.  Yesterday I came home and my boys asked if I would play with them.  We went into the playroom and for over an hour, I played with my three children without a care in the world.  Dinner was not done on time, laundry was not put away and there were dishes in the sink.  And you know what?  Something amazing happened.  I heard "I love you mommy" more than I ever do when I am sweeping the floor.