Breathe.

I once read an article that said, you should start each day with at least 20 minutes of meditation.  To clear you mind, preparing yourself for what the day brings.  During those 20 minutes, it’s simple, you BREATHE. 

While that’s all good, in theory, I would like to share with you how our mornings typical go.

WAKE UP!  We are late, again.  At least one of the boys has crept in, at some point in the night and is snuggled in between B and I.  It’s usually H, with his sweet little face and his crazy bed head.  I’ve learned with H, there is only one way to wake him up and that is with humor.  Typically it involves the pincher bugs AND the tickle bugs.  O, on the other hand, is ALWAYS the first one up.  4am on Christmas morning, 5:30 am on his birthday….he loves any/all holidays.  IF, S slept through the night, he typically wakes up singing a little something-something.  Lately, it’s been a sweet rendition of, “chugga, chugga, choo choo”.  Within 25 minutes we are showered, dressed, teeth brushed and headed downstairs.  25 minutes, 5 people, that’s pretty damn good, right?  Oh, but then there is breakfast.  One likes juice, the other milk.  One likes cream cheese ON their bagel, the other, ONLY on the side.  Then, there is the one that doesn’t like bagels, or cream cheese, or juice.  The dog needs to go out, eat, and take his pills.  Coffee needs to be made….and sometimes remade.  Lunches, water bottles, snacks, hats, gloves, homework ….check, check and CHECK.  Out the door we go!  Once that door closes, I can breathe and enjoy my 5 minutes of drinking a hot cup of coffee.  I live for those 5 minutes, those glorious 5 minutes, in a car no less.

 If my math is correct, in about 16 years I will be able to wake up, take 20 minutes to meditate, clear my mind and just breathe.  Of course, at that time, I will have 3 teenage boys and an entirely new set of craziness to deal with. 

Deceptively Delicious Blueberry Oatmeal Bars (With Spinach). Courtesy of Jessica Seinfeld

These bars are AMAZING!!  My kids LOVE these and could eat them for every meal.  The best part is, they are packed with pureed spinach.  Is it bad that I find enjoyment in my kids indulging on a food that contains a vegetable that they all despise?  I'm not going to lie, I giggle to myself every time they take a bite.  If they only knew.....


Ingredients:

• nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I use Wheat Flour)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup balance trans-fat free margarine , chilled
• 1 cup no-sugar-added blueberry spread
• ½ cup spinach , puree (I always add a bit more spinach puree)

Directions:

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 375.
2. 2
   Coat an 8"X 8" baking pan with cooking spray.
3. 3
   In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla and stir to mix well.
4. 4
   Add the margarine and cut it quickly into dry ingredients with two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal and is no longer powdery. Do no overmix--bits of margarine will still be visible.
5. 5
   Set aside about half the oat mixture; press the rest firmly into the pan. Bake until lightly browned at the edges (but not fully baked), 13 to 15 minutes.
6. 6
   Meanwhile, mix the preserves with the spinach puree in a small bowl.
7. 7
   Spread blueberry mixture over the partially baked oat layer, then sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake until topping is slightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool completely before cutting into 12 bars.
8. 8
   Spinach Puree:.
9. 9
   Steam baby spinach(for mature spinach-remove stems) for about 30-40 seconds or cook in skillet with 1 tablespoons water for about 90 seconds or just until wilted. Puree in food processor or blender for about 2 min until smooth and creamy.

Enjoy! 

Happy Wednesday Bitches

Kairos

Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature.

A good friend (thanks Natalie), recently sent me an article by Glennon Melton, who writes for The Huffington Post.  She is a blogger, a mom and has a keen perspective on parenting.  If you are a parent, follow her.  She makes everything about parenting..the ups, downs, good times, pull your hair out and scream times, okay.

My most recent Kairos moments:

1.       Saying goodnight to my boys, once they are fast asleep.  The stillness in their little bodies, the peaceful sound of their breathing, and that moment in time when I look at them and thank God for the little miracles he granted me

2.      The other day, I was taking off my mascara and O said to me “I didn’t know you wore makeup?”  What an innocent little soul.   He apparently doesn’t see what I see, when I look in the mirror when I’m sporting a makeup-free face.  I looked at him and said “thank you.”

3.      When S gives kisses.  The pucker of those little lips.  When you see his little face, his perfect lips coming closer and closer to my face, time stands still.

4.      My little man H.  I still call him my little baby.  He responds by saying, “I’m not little, I’m medium sized.”

5.      When my husband walks in the door, from work.  Of course, a sense of relief fills my body, because I am able to hand over the kids.  More importantly, when I see his face, that giddy feeling fills my soul, which reassures and confirms how lucky I am

Compliments Welcome

Who doesn't like a good compliment? I hated them, when I was younger.  Now, I will gladly accept them, look the person in the eye and say "thank you".  I especially like the compliments I get from other parents/spectators. Yesterday, I was on the playground with my boys (all 3) after school. I will be the first to admit, rarely do I take all 3 of my boys anywhere, let alone a playground where there are other kids, mulch to be thrown, dirt to be eaten and *gasp* other parents there to judge every little step of my parenting and my kids behavior. It was so gorgeous yesterday, so I said "what the hell" we are going and we did. It was a great time. When we were leaving, a random couple stopped me and the wife said "we watched you and your three boys and you are a really good mom and you have really great kids." REALLY? Why thank you, I will take the compliment and run with it. It's little comments like that, from kind strangers, that make trips such as this, worthwhile. Looking forward to our next outing together.

Why Blog?

Why not?  I'm not going to lie, I am brutally honest and I think I'm pretty damn funny.  I am far from perfect, I make mistakes (many) daily and I have the mouth of a truck driver.  I am a bit compulsive, a huge control freak (although I am working on that) and I love with all of my heart.  Do you ever wish you could say something that you thought about, or may have entered into you mind even for just a split second?  But you don't because, *gasp* what would people think?  Who gives a shit.  If you can go to sleep at night and answer "yes" to the following questions, you can say/type/write whatever and whenever you want.  


1. Did I tell my kids that I love them when they woke up, left for school, came home and went to bed?
2. Did I hug and kiss my kids at least 5 or more times today?
3. Did I have a conversation, with my spouse, that didn't involve kids/work?
4. Did I laugh at something/someone today?  I mean REALLY laugh.  You've got to laugh. Let it out, it's good for you
5. When you lay your head down at night, can you  forget about the days craziness?  


To quote by Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."


True that Ralph!


Why do I blog, because I can.  Tomorrow, there will be more blunders and absurdities to add to my crazy life and I look forward to sharing them with you.

For the love of my boys

On May 16 2004, I became a mom to the most beautiful little human being, ever created.  I was amazed at how much I could love a someone who spent the first day of his life; crying, pooping, peeing, crying, pooping...and this continued on for what seemed like an eternity.  But, with each passing day, through the sleepless nights and numerous feedings, my love continued to grow.

So, what the heck, we tried for number 2 (with ease).  On September 29th 2007 (1 week early) we welcomed our second Boy.  Another boy.  I'm not going to lie, I wanted a girl.  I cried when I found out we were having a boy.  Awful, right??  Who wouldn't be ecstatic that they were pregnant, with a healthy baby growing inside of them?  I was VERY happy, but in the back of mind, I really wanted that damn girl.  When H was born, ALL of the feelings of wanting that girl went away.  He came out, in record time, all cheesy, with this dark head of hair, 10 fingers and 10 toes, at that point, it no longer mattered that he had a penis.  He was healthy and he was ours!  At that moment I realized again, how much love I had to give.  

Okay, so number 3 would HAVE to be a girl, right?  WRONG!  I prepared myself when we went in for that ultrasound.  For 2 weeks prior, I told myself, it's going to be a boy, stay strong, keep smiling and don't be disappointed when the ultrasound tech shows you that little penis on the screen.  And that's exactly what I did.  When she told/showed us, I kept a smile on my face and said I knew it.  A few minutes later, I went into the other room to change, looked in the mirror, holding back the tears, and said, "keep it together, it's going to be okay".  And I did.  On May 27th 2010, 2 weeks early, our 3rd BEAUTIFUL boy was born.  Again, the love I felt for this little man was unmeasurable.  

So began our journey.  3 boys, 1 husband and a very LARGE and old St. Bernard (which is also a boy).  I LOVE to tell stories about my 3 little men.  I enjoy sharing their funny stories, silly comments and their love, and sometimes hatred,  for one another.  I also enjoy sharing my stories about being a mom and a wife, for better or for worse.  It's not always easy, it's not always fun, but it's our life, our crazy, crazy life.  

Enjoy-

Jennifer