Normal days

So, not much happening around here lately. Which is not to say the days aren't full and I'm not counting the seconds till bedtime most nights, but nothing out of the ordinary is occurring. We missed the snowstorm much to the kids sadness. Both are in love with the snow, and this would be the perfect year to get a ton; neither in school, both able to walk in the snow, able to tolerate the cold, love sledding....so of course we're not going to get any. Instead, it's in the 50's today so we'll go for a walk and not have to bother with hats and gloves. The guys working on the houses at the bottom of our driveway are loving it.
Steve had last Monday off for the holiday, and as has unwittingly become our tradition, we went to a museum (they're all free on MLK Day). We intended to just hit the Isabella Gardner, but as we drove past the MFA to park we noticed a huge long line and realized it was free too. So we went in the main entrance (which is not on the side most folks think it is) and were allowed right in. Unlike everyone waiting at the back door who were still there when we left. Ha. Anyway, Hudson did fine not touching stuff, and Henri was really in to it, asking lots of questions and really enjoying the art. We only did a few exhibits, the Early Americas and then Ancient Egypt. Hudson got a kick out of the statues all being nudes, and Henri was inspired by some modern art she saw and has been attempting to replicate it at home. I need to remember to take them more often to stuff like this since Steve can get free tix through work. And then we did a quick dash through the IGM. Gorgeous!!! I've been wanting to go for forever, so happy to have seen it. Definitely a re-do without the kids. Who were well behaved, but it was lunchtime and old museums of musty art isn't really a 2-year old friendly activity.
Otherwise it's normal schedule. We've resumed playgroup on Tuesdays and I've been lucking out at the thrift store so I've had new and fun stuff to bring every week, and Pinterest has been standing me in good stead with craft ideas. It's only Tues now, but we've had a playdate every day this week (not normal) and plans for the rest of the week except maybe Thurs. And then my MIL is coming for a 4-day weekend which will be fun. Haven't told the kids yet since the suspense would kill them.

Personally, I've been reading a ton. I read that Franklin Roosevelt read an average of a book a day (granted, I didn't verify the source, but it was inspiring!) and I've been doing the same for the past week or so. Some of it mind-enlarging and improving, some of it humorous novels. It's lovely to finally have the kids at an age where schedules are predictable and I can do stuff like that. Also, Steve and I and some friends read this book, "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman which basically preaches the evils of the Standard American Diet and encourages you to cut all sugar, oil, salt, dairy, meat, processed food....you know, eat only raw fruit and veggies and beans like your doctor has always told you to. The first 6 weeks are super strict and then you can add some oils and occasional meat back in. The first two weeks were killer, but I think I've found a groove and we're doing fine. No meat has been hard on Steve, and I'm dying for a brownie, but otherwise it's ok and I've actually lost a bit of weight. Tons more to go, but I do feel healthy and unbearably smug. So there aren't many pictures since most of mine on my phone are accountability shots of my meals and body progress and I won't bore you with those ;)

Steve showed her how once, and now she can tie her shoelaces. I'm told this is a rite of passage, so yay!

Lots of dancing on this cardboard

A fantastic book, not just for recipes (since I get all those online) but for encouragement and research and validation.

Weekly meal prep. Chop all the salad stuff, put it in bags, add toppings. Breakfasts are smoothies for me, then lunch and dinner is a big salad and beans. 

This boy goes stir crazy if he's been inside for more than an hour

Doesn't show scale, but this is a super tiny barn that everything fits in to, and then it all fits in my purse for Hudson to play with in church on Weds evenings

Thrift store finds; all the "apples" can be moved by the magnetic wand into the correct baskets. Hen's practicing with it, but I've been playing with it too since it's oddly soothing

Along with a stroller obsession, I have a baby carrier problem. But the hiking pack I use for Hudson (a Kelty) has him too far away from me which is tough on my back and really messes with my center of gravity on rocks. This keeps him a lot closer, and has enough storage space we could do a much longer hike with it. Looking forward to this spring!

Also found a princess castle tent thingy. I'll hang it from a tree come the summer

This is my son eating fried tofu. He loved it. I'm worried he's losing weight since he eats pretty much nothing, but this was a big hit for him

Hen loved them too. She's been great about the changes, although she mournfully asked if she was ever going to get to eat a donut again, lol.

Her favorite piece. It had all kinds of fabric and yarn glued all over and it spoke to her. 

This place is just gorgeous

I need to do some reading on Isabella, because her house reveals she was quite the woman

A nice lady offered to take our pict but didn't adjust the lighting. But proof we were all there and all had a good time. To our left was a column and at the base it was a lion eating a man. The kids thought that was pretty great.

Out of order, but back at the MFA checking out "the olden days"

Sorry, more food. But these were carrot cake cookies and they were fantastic. I subbed out the egg for ground flaxseed and the oil for pumpkin and to me they tasted just like the cake. 

Our Christmas plant is blooming! A very hardy flower since Hudson replanted it at least once a day for the first week of its life....

OK, last food pict I promise. But this was my one and only cheat so far (the chocolate chips are made with some sugar) and it was totally worth it. Another thing making this a bit difficult is I've discovered I'm allergic to cashews. Like, very. And pistachios to a smaller extent. Unfortunately almost every recipe calls for them, so quite a few loved items are lost to me forever (cheesecake being the main issue...)

That's it! Lots of daydreaming about food, book reading (we hit up the library today so we're restocked), and eager anticipation of the Super Bowl (Steve had a very emotional day on Sunday). Hope you're all staying warm and snug!