Healthy Eating at $65 a week!

I thought it might be fun to write a bit about our family transition to healthy and organic eating. First of all my goal is to maintain our budget while making ways and taking baby steps towards eating organic.

I often hear eating healthy costs more. It actually doesn't have to cost more, it just depends on what you choose to eat. Eating ORGANIC DOES cost more, almost double... so how have we  been able to maintain our budget and make slow switches to organic eating?  This series on "healthy eating" will highlight some of the ways I save money and feed my family wholesome food.

Feeding my babies always really strikes me. I am responsible for what goes into their mouths. What fuels their bodies. I exercise self control for them and get them enjoying and choosing healthy foods. While I want them to be eating healthy I also like to think I take a very balanced approach. My kids get a sucker almost every day when they visit the magic fairy at the post office with Daddy. (More on that at another time!) My kids get treats and rewards. Right now they get a squirt of whipped cream in their mouth for using the potty. (Gianna shares her reward!) And I also have no problem with occasional fast food and we still love pizza and other junk food. Food brings people together. It evokes joy, warmth and sharing. To put it bluntly food makes us pretty happy here at our house! I've left the "fat free" "sugar free" world FAR behind and focus on full fats (coconut oil, butter and olive oil) and healthy sugar (raw honey and real maple syrup).

I try to spend more money on food where it really counts in terms of health benefits (Organic Whole Milk, Organic Quinoa, Organic Grassfed Beef and Organic Chicken) and focus on cheaper WHOLE foods like beans, brown rice, carrots, cabbage, and 100% Whole Wheat Bread. More on that for a later post.

Making things from scratch and AS EASILY as possible is also key for my success. So if I can save money making something organic from scratch vs. buying the item conventional and convenient I try making it from scratch! For example conventional black beans from a can vs. organic black beans soaked and boiled on the stove.

My take on Organic. I used to think people who ate organic were total snobs. I also had an all or nothing approach to it. Truth is, sometimes all organic eaters are snobs. Sorry, its true! I will just vow to NOT be a snob, ever. So however you choose to eat - I RESPECT your choice. This is not about a competition. It wasn't until I was feeding little bodies - LARGE amounts of food. Augustine could eat as much as me when he was 2!! I finally realized... if I cut out conventional apples my baby's small body will have that much less chemicals and pesticides in their system. Hmmm, appealing. Very appealing. With health problems cropping up all over I really felt that eating more holistically was what our family was being called to.

Besides, I love food and I like a good challenge!

Thanks for joining me as I share our journey through healthy eating for 5 at $65 per week!

Quick Takes: Life at the speed of light

The days last forever and yet they go so fast...

I'll admit today was a day I wish I could have cherished and yet I just survived. But my kids are alive and so am I! :-)

Here are some quick takes from my week:

Augustine:

Augustine in the orange shirt

• He made it to his second class for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and I think we might just make it through the who year! 
• We are 5 weeks into school and he can count to 10 by 2s, sound out three letter words, and recognize over half the alphabet. 
• His favorite letter is "T"
• He can now spell write (from memory) his own name, AUGUSTI (still working on the NE, he says "N" is too hard)
• I absolutely love his big brother sing songy voice he gives Gianna... My favorite quote lately is, "Gianna, Mommy gave me the good news! You get to sleep in my bed!" (Gianna let's out a screetching "NNNNAAAAAOOOOO!") Augustine replies in a sweet sing songy voice, "Well to bad, you get to."

• I wish I had more time to cuddle you Augustine. But I know you adore your siblings and Gianna is most certainly your best friend.

Gianna:

• She holds a pencil perfectly and is just the sweetest thing. That being said she is going through a bit of a screaming rough patch and my ear drums are ringing from it.
• You and Becket go shopping with me while Augustine is at Good Shepherd and you are such a sweet helper! "I put it in gently Mamma?" "What can I help with next? I be gentle." I love this time with you!
• Potty training is a major up and down journey with her. Yesterday in church she started pulling off her pants and diaper because she had to go "pee really bad!!"... off she scuttled while I attempted to chase after her WHILE nursing. Did I mention this was in church? By myself?
•  
• Gianna, You really are so perfectly sweet and adorable. So feminine. And yet you are strong, so strong. I love you smiley girl. You drive me crazy!

Becket:

• Speaking of rough patches. Oh, my dear Becket is going through the worst teething rough patch. He is cutting his top two teeth at 8months. Bottom two came in at 6months. I know this is awful to say, but with his army crawl and sobbing screams searching for me the second I am not near him in sight, he looks like he should be in some haunted house. I come out of the bath room and he is pulling himself by the arms three rooms down crying and pursuing/searching. It is SO pathetic and heart breaking. I am so exhausted at the end of each day. 

• You cry almost constantly and yet... I absolutely ADORE you! I just wish I didn't have to clean and cook and I could just hold you. You are SO sweet! I just look at you and I want more babies because you are so wonderful and precious!
• You are eating bone broth with baby cereal, pumpkin, carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli, and apple sauce (all pureed). But you still prefer nursing and will not take a bottle. I love that you prefer me! You are my first baby to nurse (exclusively) this long!
• Your eczema is still a problem and I am keeping your food intake dairy and gluten free. 

Home schooling!

Here I am, an adult. With children. Homeschooling.

Growing up I was home schooled up until college. And although I wasn't exactly the perfect student. (Ask my mom.) I really enjoyed being home schooled. I loved my siblings. I loved the flexibility. I found some of my high school stuff recently including my planner and goals lists. I was so impressed with myself and my motivation to educate myself. I loved learning!

I always hoped to homeschool my own kids and when I met Jeremy that was definitely something we talked about early on when we were dating. And here I am starting school with my kids... I'm pretty giddy about it actually. And while we are still only in week 4 I've started appreciating my mom in a whole new way! Homeschooling is NOT easy. Nope. It's work. Extra work that I sometimes feel I don't have time for, and yet, its so satisfying to teach and learn along-side my kids. I love spending each day with them and hoping I can impart my passion for learning on to them in fun exciting ways. My kids have a teacher who is personalizing learning for them with great passion, care and time.

So here's the facts:

We named our school: Saint John Paul II Academy
JPII is my top choice for obvious reasons. He is a major patron saint for our family and work. He was also self educated in so many ways, often clandestinely. He loved learning and was such a well educated person. I admire his intellect and his holiness and aspire to raise strong holy men and woman to be like him.


What we are doing:

• This year we are doing a letter of the week route. I am loosely using THE CATHOLIC ICING curriculum.  Each week we get a new letter and base activities and games around the letter. He is starting to recognize, write, and sound out words and letters. We also tie in math, science, history, art and religion. 
• He said he "hated" homeschooling on the first day. Now he does like it, I think.
• HEM Co-op in Ham Lake 2x per month. I am teaching dance (for pay) for the 7th grade and up age kids. Gianna and Becket are in "Little Saints" nursery. Augustine is in "Young Disciples" pre-school and he is loving it! (Well, to be fair, on the second class he said he hated his teacher and didn't want to go.) I am learning he is scared of new things and his "shyness." I encourage him that even though he feels shy he doesn't have to act shy. I'm so proud that he is persevering and is excited to tell me -- "I wasn't shy today! You were right mommy!" (I hope to hear that a LOT in the years to come!)
• St Joseph's Catholic Church Co-op for Irish Dance 1x per month. (This is so adorable to watch I can hardly concentrate and talk to the other moms!)
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 1x per week. I LOVE this program. More on that later. Augustine likes it so far as well now that he is in his friend Lucian's class. 

How can such a small person be so expansive?

I watch their little bodies in space and marvel at how tiny they are and yet... (after much thought) I've decided, so expansive.

They fill my heart just sitting there in their rolls of beautiful chub.

 I just want to hold them and squeeze them all day. And yet, I'm exhausted and busy feeding, cleaning, feeding, cleaning... so I often just stop and watch them. Soak up their rich buttery cuteness into my soul.

After looking at these pictures I actually feel energized! I am so blessed, Thank you Lord for these Jewels!

Raising Souls...

I've really been exciting about starting to blog again!

I hope to use the blogging platform again to share with my children of my love for them. I feel like my motto is:

"Excuse the mess, raising souls,"

Because, well, while I TRY to keep a tidy efficient running home my priority is my children's souls. I hope this blog reflects how God is working in our lives.

Since I last wrote it's been pretty much 2 YEARS later and we have welcomed a dear new soul to our home! Becket is a delightful 7 month old and he melts my heart. I feel a special (and unique) love for each of my kids. I feel something different in my heart as I love each child. What a full feeling. I am truly blessed to call these lovely children a part of my heart.

Lent 2013

I reflect this day as I gaze as my bright pink tulips and out the window to our snow covered ground. Spring will come. The days of fasting will end. Joy and Hope DO prevail.

I've focused on moderation this Lent and it has left me peaceful and free from my chocolate sugar addiction.

Augustine and I made this Crown of Thorns and it has been a beautiful reminder for the whole family. As we put the thorns in he whole-hardily apologized to sweet Jesus for the pain he causes Jesus when he is disobedient and not loving.

He gets to take a thorn out every time he does something good or when he goes to church. It's a great reward to him and is bringing me back to the cross everyday.

We dyed Easter Eggs for the first time... and boy, if you want to get your kids to eat boiled eggs. Dye them!! Augustine went from not really liking eggs to LOVING THEM! Gianna, didn't get the memo. She does not enjoy boiled eggs. "Just give me peas, bananas, fruit, broccoli and buttered toast!"

I took Augustine to Holy Thursday mass last night and it was so wonderful. Just him and I reflecting on Jesus. He was SUCH a good boy! Stamped in my memory as one of my best Holy Thursday services EVER! I posted this on facebook that night...

---Holy Thursday mass with Augustine tonight was so SO wonderful! He is so eager to pray and understand the mass... As I was packing up our stuff he knelt in the aisle hands folded, "St. Augustine pray for us. St Gianna pray for us. St. Daddy pray for us. St Mommy pray for us. Mother Mary pray for us. Saint...Pope...Pope Frances pray for us. Father Son Holy Spirit. Amen. Ok, Let's go!"---

Our Passover Meal as a family...

...Augustine wanted to wash feet like Jesus did when we got home. So precious... and I sure hope this is a new family tradition. Watching Augustine grow in his faith is the high of my life right now... that and just having the blessing of the two most beautiful children!

Holy Week to all...

 

....and Happy Easter on the other side!

Gianna 9 Month's Old

 

This little girl rocks my world!

 

 

Stats:

18.8 lbs (about 1 pound more than when she was 6 months!)

28 inches

Less than 50%tile for head

Brown Eyes

Brown Hair

She can give you butterfly kisses from across the room with her lashes and her cheeks should require a restraining order... once you start squishing them with kisses who can stop?

 

 

 

She is average on the charts... so I guess telling her she was so chubby made her self-conscious? Going from rich mommy milk only to veggies thinned out my sweetie... but I still think she's chunky! She has the most beautiful thighs. (Remember that Gianna!)

 

 

 

She loves to dance and her body just MOOOOOVES when any type of music plays... she has a sort of spastic head shake think that cracks me up. But she does not like tummy time and is not interested in crawling.

 

 

 

She adores her brother and smiles and smiles and smiles! Augustine looks out for Gianna throughout the day... he reminds me to go get her when she cries and he asks for her every morning. He delights in her like I do and we both love to make her laugh and smile. He's kind of bossy (sorry Gianna) but almost in a sweet way and I love to watch their relationship grow!

 

 

 

Her food sensitivities seem to be getting better and since I just loaded up on free pancakes at IHOP and she didn't suffer I'm pretty much convinced she isn't affected from my milk as much.

 

 She picks up food with great ease and grace... even the slimy slippery bananas and avocado (her favorites!) She also enjoys: Peas, quinoa, applesauce, gluten free bread, cheerios, cantaloupe, kiwi, pureed green beans and broccoli. She is a huge fruit fan... and can be a little picky at times.

She can say:

Dadadadadada
Babababba
Lalalalala
Nanananana
and most recently (as in the last two days....)
MAMAmamamama

She has two super cute bottom teeth in, she loves nursing still but goes crazy over a bottle too, and she has been weaned from being swaddled (just this month!).

She has refused a paci for months and has no real comfort object...yet... although she really likes Augustine's special blankie. (Of all the things... THAT dirty thing?!?) He of course almost never shares it and snatches it from her if he sees her even glance at it longingly.

She's pretty patient when it comes to most things... I especially notice it because Augustine is so demanding "NOW" kind of kid and she usually gets taken care of last... I hope it teaches her virtue. How could it not?!

My dear peaches (yep that's what I like to call her) how lovely you are and how LOVED you are!

I bless you my child.