Pizza Quesadillas

I haven't blogged here in over 2 years, but I randomly decided to start again!  Mostly I want to keep track of the cute happenings with the kids, like I have said before.  I am presently enjoying my last two year old and I don't want to forget the ever changing words and sentences (sit the chair Mama!!) that she uses!  I also plan to share some recipes and ideas, but we will see!

Yesterday I decided to try something new for the kids' lunches.  I call it pizza quesadillas but there is no sauce.  If I ever plan ahead or have extra time in the morning (unlikely) I will send some tomato sauce in a little container to see if they like dipping these.

My 7 (almost 8!) year old son, Ryan is not a huge fan of sandwiches so I am always looking for other things he will eat.  Super easy and quick:  flour tortilla on a plate, mozzarella cheese, 6 pieces of turkey pepperoni, top with another tortilla, and microwave until it just barely melts and sticks together.  I have been doing it in the morning so I don't want it to be too hot to put in a lunch box with ice packs.  Cut in 8 pieces, and done!

I also pack a lunch for Katie (6yo) and yesterday I tried half (4 triangles) for each of them.  They reported back that it wasn't enough to eat so I am trying the whole thing for each today.  As I was putting it in the container, I thought that it seemed like a good canvas for food color markers and a quick note, so I tried that as a surprise for them.  Not my best art work since we were tight on time, but it will make them smile :-)

I don't usually count calories or watch what the kids eat besides trying to make healthy choices, but since I am posting here I figured out some nutritional info.  I am glad I did because it was interesting for me and I was surprised by the flour tortillas!  The total for 2 medium flour tortillas, 1/4c (28g) of part skim mozz cheese, and 6 pieces of turkey pepperoni is 365 calories, 13.4g fat, 41g carb, 17g of protein, and 2g dietary fiber.  The two tortillas provided 260 cal and 6g of fat.  I am pretty picky about the tortillas but I might try some others to see what options there are.  I don't like turkey pepperoni (picky!), but the kids do, and it is a great option for them if they have pepperoni.

Let me know if you try this, or if you have any other ideas!

Being Present and Enjoying Now

I have always loved the quote "nothing is worth more than this day" though I find it hard to live like that all the time. I think I do pretty well with enjoying moments and appreciating the little things, but it's so easy to think about the future and to-do lists.

The present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now. – source

I found this quote on a blog that I read, at 4am this morning when I was wide awake, because that is what happens when you have 11 hours of sleep the night before, pregnant or not! Emily from The Daily Garnish wrote a post titled "On Being Present" and it reminded me that I need to focus on this more. Check out the original source of the quote as well - it has a list of 15 things to give up to be happy. Great list.

It is so true. We have today. Who knows what else we have, and what tomorrow may bring. Not appreciating today while we are experiencing it is a loss. Today is a gift. Will we have bad days? Of course. Even on the worst of days though, there are so many wonderful things if we can just take the time to see them. I truly believe that we can choose happiness, and make the best of many situations. It does take effort to do this, and sometimes it just doesn't happen, which is ok too.

As a parent, sometimes it seems very easy to be present. I can gaze into their gorgeous, sweet faces and just listen to their adorable voices and share their excitement about a popsicle or a bird that they see outside. I often remark about Katie and how she has no thought about what she is doing next. When we get ice cream, she puts tiny amounts on her spoon, savoring each spoonful in no hurry to do anything else. This can take a while and she invariably ends up with melted ice cream, and that is savored just the same, with all the time in the world. I also notice this when I pick her up from preschool. It is so cute to watch the 3 year olds get up from their tables, pushing in their chairs and grabbing their belongings, looking at their friends and appreciating everything without a care in the world, and with no thought of rushing because they have anywhere to go.

These pictures are from a day a few weeks ago when I remember really living in the moment with the kids. We had a busy day with school followed by swimming lessons, but then went to the Fish Hatchery to feed the fish and enjoy the beautiful and unseasonably warm day. I remember posting to Facebook about how relaxing and incredible it is to just lie outside in the grass. I was very aware of how it felt, to completely relax and feel the ground and the soft grass under me, enjoying the nice warm breeze. While I was doing that, the kids were playing in the tree nearby, and I got to just watch them having a great time.

At other times, it's especially easy to not live in the present. Certain stages can be trying, and it's tempting to wish away the time, thinking about how things will be easier when ____. As the mom of a 5 year old and soon-to-be 4 year old who is 29 weeks pregnant and still struggling with morning sickness, it's so easy to think about how much better I'll feel in June, and wish for that time when (God willing) I know the baby is safe and healthy and here. But then I remember that in a few months Katie won't be 3 anymore and Ryan will no longer be a preschooler, and I try to savor the feeling of holding Ryan and Katie while my baby kicks inside of me, even if they have woken me at 6am by crawling into my bed. Can life really get better than that?

Why I need to blog!

I think I might have said this a time or twenty. I know I will forget all the precious things the kids say and do day to day . . . all the little things that make being a parent so special and touching!

Tonight I was doing bedtime with Katie and she said "I'm sure sure sleepy" and she was so incredibly sweet when I put her in her crib. She said "oh, just what I wanted!!" and then she gave me "nose kisses" and "head kisses." Nose kisses are Eskimo kisses and head kisses are where we rub our foreheads together in the same manner. Too funny.

She can have quite a temper, but MAN, is she sweet. She has been acting very clingy, which I KNOW isn't a great thing, but it's kind of nice in a way too. Ryan had always wanted Marc to do everything for/with him, so it's a surprise for me when Katie wants only me. I'm not used to this! More on this in another post!

Ryan was so funny today. My mom said "you are something else!" and he said "Ha!!! WHAT else???" He also said that the geese were "crying out loud," which I think was a very literal attempt at using the phrase, LOL!

I wanted to post about a cute mispronunciation that Katie just stopped saying, but I can't think of it right now. I don't think I even told Marc. Hmmmm. We still have a "diamond room" (both of them say that instead of dining room) and Katie still loves "cakecups." I'll think of it!

Oh my, they both did a million cute and things today, but this is all I'll write for now :-)

Sibling Sweetness

Sometimes it is almost painful how CUTE and SWEET Ryan and Kate are together. Yes, there are many moments that are a little scary - tackles, wrestling, knock downs, etc. But when they are sweet, they are very very sweet, and it makes my heart melt.

Every morning Ryan loves to go into Katie's room to get her once she is awake. Katie smiles a huge smile and waves and says "Hi Ryrun" usually before she addresses me. Soon after, Ryan starts saying "come on baby, come on Kate, let's go to my room." He LOVES playing in his room with her. They run around, play train, and pile everything into Ryan's bed, LOL.

This morning I could tell he had to go to the bathroom, so I convinced him to go, and he asked Katie to come. I told Katie she could wash her hands. He got up on the stool and filled the sink with water for her to play with, helped her onto the stool, and said "first you have to push your sleeves up baby" and helped her do it. I was so proud. After he was done and washed his hands, he wanted to play with her in the water so I got him another cup, and he poured water into Katie's cup asking her if she wanted more, telling her to hold her cup up straight so he could fill it, and just enjoying the moment.

Awwwww!!!! I am so thankful they have each other!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a wonderful long weekend! This is the "snow house" that Marc and Ryan have been working on. Complete with tunnel entrance, windows, and cup holder, LOL.


This was at Nana's house - on the huge pile of snow that was removed from the nearby driveways. Here


Smiling for the camera on Valentine's day in his "Love Monkey" shirt.

snow!

I had a great day with the kids today! We went out to play in the snow in the morning before going shopping (and visiting the train table at the bookstore) and then baking cookies with Ryan while Katie napped. I am tired just typing it! Both kids loved the snow - especially eating it, LOL! There was lots of sledding, and Ryan made some snow angels (his idea!). He also did lots of digging!

On the right side there is now a link to a baking blog I may or may not keep up to date, LOL! I wanted to have a place to keep some pictures and ideas!

the little things

I really need to blog more often because if I don't do it day to day, I forget some of the little things I don't ever want to forget! The little things are so precious and Ryan and Katie are changing and growing up every minute!!!

I even occasionally save posts and then don't get back to them. I have a post that I started on Christmas - but I didn't get (or take) the time to finish it and post it. I need to be a little better. I want to be. It's hard to find the balance!

Today they put a street light up outside our house and Ryan asked me to bring him to the one window to see it better - and he said "them broomin' out there" - I think he was combining "broom" and "sweeping" :-)

Here are a few recent pics . . .