an organic mama

whats the rush

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Sat, 10 May 2014 06:53:00 +0000

I need a job! Or at least I feel like I am supposed to have a "job," as in being a full-time mom is not good enough. Although I enjoy photography, health and fitness and arts, I'm going to school for accounting. Not exactly sure why I need a "job" when I am booked into next year with the house, kids, animals and husband. There is something about being a mom that is not viewed upon as a job although it is the biggest job one could have. I see someone going to sell stun guns and pepper spray which seems exciting and I want to join in. Another person is doing a fitness business and I want to get mine going. I am good at photography, better than a bunch I see making money on it but I don't put my all into it in fear of failing. I think? Knowing I really do not have time for anything else on my plate I still want to do something as a profession.

Maybe I need to start looking at my parenting as a job. Since I call my job being a full-time mommy maybe I need to start treating it as though it is a full-time job. Wake up at the same time, complete certain taste daily and stay off my phone when the boss is not looking. Although I am the boss I can treat the "job" as a serious position so I can be the best at it. Is that all I'm lacking? Structure? Commitment?

I think I have come onto something with this. I feel the need to have a job and do other things with my days, why? Because I don't have the structure and demand a job asks of me, which makes me feel important. Meanwhile the most important job in the world is the one I'm doing daily.

To ponder... goodnight.

and so it begins...

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Thu, 01 May 2014 18:16:00 +0000

Today or actually this morning I got news that my husband is leaving for Afghanistan May 22nd. We knew that we was going to leave again which originally his departure date was May 25th, then it was pushed back to the July 25th or later. Luckily he will be here for his first daughters birthday which he has never made, including her birth because that is his deployment rotation. He will be gone for six months bringing him home the end of November of December.

When my husband leaves I go through a mix of emotions and this being the 4th big leave I have gotten good with expecting and dealing with each one. Or so I thought. This morning after he told me I was semi shellshocked but went about my day as usual. When I was getting the girls in the car for my tuesday/thursday workout at the park I noticed I was different. I cannot put my finger on it but I was a little scared, anxious, angry, sad and relieved. We recently purchased a car depending on his deployment and knowing that he will be leaving for sure gives a sense of relief and stability in our finance again. The scared, anxious and sad feelings I was expecting because my best friend, parenting partner and love is going to be gone for six months. I mean... duh! I was not expecting to be angry and I'm still not 100% sure why I am angry or who I'm angry at. Most of the time I can prepare myself for his departure with mental chit chats and forming routines but with his departure being less than a month away I don't have much time. I believe the one I'm angry with is myself... I let myself down in the preparation aspect and allowed myself enjoy the time thinking he wasn't leaving for a few months. We planned activities and I was excited about them, excited to share them with him as a family. When my husband is gone I don't do less because he can't be there I just do them without him so the girls don't miss out and I stay sane, but being a family is a different level of enjoyment. Him leaving this month is what it is now and I have to figure out how to make the best of it and prep the best I can. I'm hoping the realization of anger and attempt in confronting it helps it dissipate.

Maybe the lesson from this is not to prepare for a loss but to enjoy every moment like a loss could happen at anytime.

In the time that my husband is gone I plan on taking a nice size trip to NY to visit my family with the girls. I want to do this trip when Im coming to my ends and need a break so maybe the summer... August/September... wish it was the winter so the girls could wake up to a fresh blanket of powder. <3 . While at home I asked my family if they can give me a day when they can help me out where I can look forward to them as a day of relief. I plan on recruiting my husbands family for a biweekly sleepover since the cousins live with them it makes the detachment from me less dramatic and more of a huge playdate. My neighbor has said she would help me out for my weekly runs with the girls and I found a sitter I believe I can trust for local breaks as well. In the past I take on too much and give myself too little breaks which pushes me to break. Breaking is never fun for me or the girls but even the single working mom gets a break when she goes to work without the children, they are essential. Luckily I have been eating healthy and exercising regularly which helps me stay positive and happy in times of stress.

As with past deployments... I got this.

where I'm at?!

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 04:38:00 +0000

Well let me start with acknowledging that indeed it has been a long time since my last post. From time to time I go though some battles with myself and the internet. I feel the internet and social media takes away from my family time and happily parenting my children. There is something always happening online and the iPhone makes it very easy to connect but trying to keep up with the social grind causes me to take less time for my kids. This go around of less internet time I even went as far as an old school phone. I like to text as a main way of communicating so I made sure the phone was a texting friendly phone. I could send and receive texts but not pictures or group texts and I missed the pictures from my husband when away from our kids and group texts with family in NY. The basic phone thing did not last long and I was back to an iPhone and back in touch with my loves. So I enjoy close communication with the ones I love when I cannot be with them but I want to be offline and disconnected more. Go figure! I try to put the phone down and spend more time with my kids but I feel that I am failing drastically.

When I think back to when I was young and how I interacted with my mom I cannot remember her shoving a phone in my face to take a pic of me or having a phone to her face on the regular to look something up. I mean how great is it that we have this information at our fingertips 24/7, I mean really?! how great! NOT! On one hand its horrible because we leave nothing left for the mind to figure out or think through and on the other is it awesome to have pictures of many moments through children's lives that I post to flicker and watch in the evening on Apple TV.

Having a less connected phone helped me stay offline a lot more and my children were both giving well with me at the time. Today one child is connected to me 20/7 and the other is acting out 20/7... that means little to no breaks over here. I don't know if these are just stages that my children are going though or if it is related to the lack of attention I'm giving them. As a SAHM (stay at home mom) I am constantly with my children and need mental breaks to survive but instead of having a bunch of tiny ones I want to try a few 10 min "smoke breaks" with another for lunch... is that even possible?? If I was to take a few breaks like I used to take smoke breaks and have an after lunch break also like a smoke break, making that 5 breaks in an eight hour work day, would my stress level be less and my internet addiction be controlled?

With being online a lot I begin to judge myself and others. I see all these people posting a ton of "fun life" pictures portraying the image that their life it 100% happiness and living mine which is not. Then I think back to taking pictures of families and the so called "happy moments" I capture on digital film meanwhile outside those moments the reality is frustration and anger trying to get the kids to cooperate and make the husband smile right. At about this time I start to get annoyed in the deception of these images and profiles. All this leads me to where I am now... "Plant Kindness and Love Grows."

A lady in my town owns a little garden shop with this cute homemade sign "plant kindness and love grows." I drive by the sign on my way in and out of town, it makes me smile. Judging is not for me, I am far from perfect and have no right to judge anyone in harsh ways. If I plant kindness in myself I will act and think in more ways of love. If I plant kindness in my children's hearts they too will be beings of love and empathy, what more can I want for my children?! Now don't get me wrong I still judge friends, family and strangers but I'm trying to do it less and less as I catch myself.

From letting go of internet usage to planting seeds of kindness this is my kindness journey. Its all connected I promise.

gluten free oat 'n raisin cookies

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 20:14:00 +0000

not sure what happened but I began to bake with the goal of a soft, moist oatmeal cookie on wednesday. oh wait yes I remember... my husband went away for work. when the man is gone the mom cleans and creates to stay sane. my husband is only gone for one and a half weeks but since he has left I began to bake a batch of cookies a day. I started with oat 'n chocolate chips but those were too many calories so I switched to oat 'n raisins. today has been heavy rain all morning and after the first batch of cookies I felt so close to the desired cookie I tried again. and again. again and it happened... SUCCESS!! my kids think I'm nuts but love eating cookies and smoothies all morning.

here are all of today's cookies.
the white ones were too pasty.
the top left were very dense and rubbery.
the top right cookies I forgot the raisins and were still too rubbery.
the bottom cookie was the success.
(felt like goldilocks)

I set out to make a good cookie that was easy with few ingredients and gluten free. I'm not a believer that cookies or junk food should be "healthy" so I did not steer away from fats and sugar but ended up with something I would consider "healthy". the white cookie had oil in it and sugar but was very dry. the top brown cookies I used brown sugar and applesauce to try and increase the moisture. the last cookie I went back to white sugar and added an additional egg creating a moist, soft, semi-fluffy, semi-dense gluten free cookie.

1c gluten free flour (I use Gluten Free Mama, Mama's Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour)
1c old fashioned oats
1/4c sugar
1t salt
1t vanilla
1/2t baking soda
1t cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2c applesauce
1/2c raisins

preheat oven 350° and mix all ingredients. spoon out cookies on baking sheet. bake for 8-10min. allow to cool and enjoy!

baking is a ton of fun with this little one

as long as you don't mind a mess

makes the rial and error go by fast with lots of giggles

garden invasion

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 20:17:00 +0000

so today I noticed my kale looking gloom and as it was nap time I had a few moments to check it out. APHIDS! last year at my attempt with a garden I gave up on the greens due to these nasty suckers. this year I'm going to try and beat them with some simple spray and ladybugs. now I'm not sure if the spray will cause the ladybugs to stay away as well but I'm going to try it.

1 drop dish soap

1/2t salt

1/2t baking soda

1/2t cooking oil

12 oz water

sprayed under the leaves and the center spot where all the lil suckers were, now I guess I wait. next on the list is to make a ladybug retreat. hanging a toilet paper roll and some raisins for them to snack on when aphids run dry should be enjoyable enough to keep them local.

I just love when things begin to grow, such beautiful color.

won against the kids + dog with an old metal gate door and scrap wood creating a new gate, now for the aphids...

UPDATE:

after first treatment the suckers have disappeared drastically!

dining room for adventure

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 22:54:00 +0000

I always feel funny posting about my house and creations but for those who are looking for ideas and my family back in NY I hope you enjoy.

when I was growing up the dining room was the place we all gathered every night to eat dinner and talk about our day. the memories I have of my grandma telling us about a patient coming in the ER because they had roaches in their ear or my brother asking "what are dingleberries?" are absolutely priceless.

as my family grows we continue the tradition of everyone sitting around the dinner table eating together and chatting about the day. to me this is something that keeps a family strong on multiple levels. although the kids are small, now and as they grow, it is a time to care and be involved in their lives. my step-father would ask about my day and I was either PMSing or just being a teenage and sure I would be short but I felt loved despite my resistance. being a teenager is rough with all the drama of friends and stress of school but having a simple tradition of dinner was a stable event that helped ground me (even if my parents couldn't tell).

everyone helped set the table, feet were to be down, the phone was not answered, we ate as a family and cleaned up as one too. these were not rules of any kind there were just how we were, ok the feet down was a rule I guess. always being told to put my feet down annoyed me to no end but today I'm not the laying eater I see in the booth at a restaurant. with kids I will admit I keep my phone on the table when I'm out without them but at home we are engaged with each other and phones are not at the table. as my older one is getting older she is starting to help set the table more and loving it. daddy (not from the same dinner tradition) has jumped aboard too. the other day when the 3 yo was walking around during dinner he stopped her and explained that its time to eat and we sit when we eat.

ok enough about our dinner tradition back to the dinning room. I wanted it to be a place we gather and talk about our day and being as my husband travels a lot for work and I enjoy the common travel I wanted that to be a part of the design. being surrounded by the world we have explored I hope it encourages my girls to follow their dreams and know the world is HUGE and not only fallbrook big.

yellow for the sunshine of each day

prayer flags, NY and CA clocks, the wheel with adventure keepsakes

scrap wood made into a piece of art

"oh the places you'll go"

bright pillows and cushions

(oxymoron of the "no laying" idea?!)

potato bag curtains

checkered floor

(didn't edit out the daily dirt)

branches from our tree outside wrapped around the light fixture

the whole

(not cleaning it up for the photo, keeping it real?!)

and there you have it, our dining room. fun-ctional, creative, bright and full of life!

come share your adventures with us over some delicious grub!

mermaid bathroom take 1!

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 16:09:00 +0000

my oldest had been asking me for a mermaid bathroom for a while. not sure where she learned about mermaids because she just watched the movie "the little mermaid" and wasn't much of a fan. daddy recently found a show on amazon prime called bubble guppies which has become the sick day favorite. maybe her love began on the trip to sea world or disneyland, anyhow its there > she LOVES mermaids!

since her love of mermaids was not created from a movie and I don't like theming decor off characters of any kind I tried to make this mermaid bathroom something to grow with the girls and more of a mermaid world where the girls were the mermaids... too much thought put into a kids bathroom? maybe, but it was fun!

there are two things left that I want to do to the bathroom but for now, until I get some more fire to carry out those ideas this is what we got:

the treasure light switch

(oooowaaaaa)

the scale wall

some cuban art

water shower curtain

seaweed mat w water floor

drift wood towel hook

in taking the tile floor out we found the wall falling apart behind the tile wall. wanting to see if there was a leak or mold behind the tile we decided to take the tile shower out and replace it with surround. far from professional and not wanting to spend a ton on money I say we did a good job on finished product. (painted the tub with tub and tile paint to match the white surround).

things left to do:

1. paint ceiling white with waves on the border

2. replace counter and sink

piece of cake ;)

valentine's day

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 16:33:00 +0000

this morning as the girls woke up I said "happy valentine's day" and gave them hugs and kisses. my three year old asked "whats that mean" I then told her its a day to remind all the ones you love how much you love them by making cards and giving them a gift, the three year old then responded with "why." knowing how these conversations go I told her to eat her breakfast and then I will tell her why.

now that I have brought some time I came to the computer to look up the facts about valentine's day. I know a three year old would take a made up story just fine but I want to give her as much truth about the holidays as possible, I already feel guilty for santa. nothing is known for certain about the history of valentine's day so I guess I will customize a story for the girls based on all the horror I found out.

v-day dirt:
lupercalia was a fertility ritual that took place on Feb 15 with an animal sacrifice and wiping women w animal skin to ensure fertility. leaving out the killing and violence it was a celebration of fertility and the woman's ability to make beautiful babies, I guess it really was always a women's holiday.
saint valentine/father valentine preformed marriages against the laws of the empire banning them. after he was found out he was sentenced to death and beheaded on Feb 14th. he may have preformed a miracle (gave sight to a little girl) while in jail but either way marriage and teaching supporters wrote notes to him in jail thanking him of his acts. he wrote notes to his love signed "from your valentine." can't tell a three year old a person was beheaded because they did what they felt was right so I'll leave that part out too to focus on the doing what is right and celebrating love and commitment.

a day to celebrate women, love, strength and commitment!

check out some good videos too http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

love month workout

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 14:31:00 +0000

I have a confession. I love food. eating is one of my life's passions. as dumb as that may sound it is true. my husband and I enjoy indulging on some good grub frequently. most of the goodies I make at home but that doesn't mean they are "healthy." now I also really love how my clothes fit and I feel 5 lbs. lighter. having this dilemma I know I must workout daily to have my cake and literally eat it too. this month I'm focusing on getting back into a routine, which for me is the hardest part of exercise. I want to share today's workout with you for some inspiration and ideas:

this morning I did a basic yoga video for 30 min - yoga is something that really helps my body get used to working out and keeps me on the less sore side. I don't workout in the morning because I don't want to wake up sore the next and be discouraged. 24 hours after your workout is when you will really feel the effects of that burn during the workout.

during my girls nap time I went on elliptical for 30 min
2 min crunches
1 min plank
2 min squats
3 sets 10 reps dips (3 breath break in-between)
3 sets 10 reps playground rows (3 breath break in-between)
= totaling @ 40 min cardio and weight training

this will be my routine MWF of February. TT will be a workout with the kids (i.e. bike ride, walk/run). Saturday is a kid free trail run and Sunday is rest.

gluten free tannies

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 16:11:00 +0000

these ended up being delicious… AMAZING!!! semi healthy and simple to make. gluten, dairy and soy FREE.

what u need:

1/2c unsweetened apple sauce
3 eggs
1t vanilla
1 1/4c GF flour mix
1/2c brown sugar
1/2t xanthan gum
2c dairy free chips
1/2t bs
1t chia seeds

preheat 350°

mix the dry then the wet and then combine.

place in pan and bake 18-22m

gluten free pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:34:00 +0000

my pancakes never turn out pretty. the recipe I'm using is just not working well with me and my pans or my flipping skill is not up to par. anyway, making pancakes are not my thing but I tried my gluten free waffle recipe for pancakes and it worked so well > even I could do it! I do not recommend making the waffles egg free because the egg is what holds the waffle together upon opening the press but with the pancakes I imagine you can substitute the eggs...

(many times) revised waffle/pancake recipe:

1.5c gf flour

1t cinnamon

1t backing soda

.5t salf

2t vanilla

1c milk

1 egg

whisk dry, add wet and whisk until smooth

enjoy!

clean up!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 00:25:00 +0000

the biggest struggle I have with my girls these days is cleaning up the toys. after reading a simple about.com article (http://preschoolers.about.com/od/behaviordiscipline/a/cleanup.htm) I have come to realize I was doing it all wrong. now that I have put "teaching how to clean up" on my -mom of the year- list I feel recharged and ready to actually teach my girls to clean up.

"I can't, it's too big of a mess" is something I always hear followed by a saturated tear show. my response is something like "you made the mess and u can pick it up" or "that's why we need to pick our toys up as we go." NOW, I realize that the mess really seems very large to a 4year old and she basically doesn't know where to start. suggesting where to start and where to go after is a great and logical way of teaching how to break down a very large mess.

in the past I have told my girls why they need to pick up their toys and thought they didn't get much out of it but I will try again. I use reasons like "take care of things so they are fun forever" "put things away so no one steps on them and gets hurt."

the toy bins are fun colors and in my point of view very easy to see what goes where but again a 4 year old may not see the same way. cutting is big in my house right now so the idea of cutting pictures out of a magazine and placing them on the bin for that toy is genius! placing the word under the picture is also great for learning.

lastly make it fun! I'm not the singing "clean up" type of mommy but when I clean the house I like some music on to help the time go by. sometimes I forget and expect my preschooler to be a robot. do what I say, how I say and when I say but that's not how I work so how do I expect her to be that way. (duh) adding a timer to the mix can help the job get done much faster as in 10 min over 2 hours w nagging. awesome!

the all day clean up ur mess nagging has come to an end...well, I sure hope so!

what's for dinner tonight?!

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 16:22:00 +0000

No planned dinner last night I just opened the fridge and ran with it. When I was single this is how I always made dinner but having two kids and husband, cat, dog and 2 chickens (three died when an animal broke in the coop) it is too stressful. These days I plan dinners out and use left overs to save money but I must say "throwing" a meal together with the evening chaos was a fun challenge.

THE RESULT:

Mahi Mahi (oil, garlic and lemon)

Broccolini (salt & pepper)

Avocado

Mayo

SANDWICH

Simple and delicious... everyone had a full sandwich or more.

14 turned into 5

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 04:52:00 +0000

laugh out loud! I don't know what illusion I was unsterile but I actually thought I would be able to do a 14 day cleanse. I have a 14 month old and a 3.5 year old and all they do is eat. I can't make them cleanse as well so I make juice for me, hubs and then meals for the kids. each time I make the juices (try and get as many made in one session) I then have to clean the juicer almost immediately. the amount of work it is just to do a juice cleanse with a family is not worth the squeeze (for me). maybe I shouldn't say that because a three day it one day'r would have been just fine but a whole two weeks is quite impossible (again, for me). so on this note the hubs and I have decided to go the next two days and call it quits making it five days. I am dreaming about the food to come and salvating as I write.

juice cleanse

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 16:23:00 +0000

the hubs and I have been saying we wanted to cleanse for a while now and finally set a date. January 1st was the original all date but after some thought we decided the 2nd would be better. I wanted to do a big cleanse that would impact my body and eating habits tremendously... 2weeks?! I'm not trying to make excuses but here is one, having two kids changes the whole game when cleansing. at least for me. cooking flavorful dishes is 1, hard without tasting the dish and 2, tempting. in the past on a cleanse I would make a juice and eliminate all the temptations from the house then stay away from people eating. a juice cleanse can be very isolating, for me I guess. now that the first day has come and gone I think the cleanse will be about one week and some days. with the amount of work involved in juicing for two and the amount of money to buy fresh organic veggies and fruit along with the kids issues (so now that's three excuses) I think our cleanse will be a week and some days.

on the 1st we ate the party left over chili, chips/dips and drank our last coffee. I prepped my breakfast along with hubs' breakfast and lunch. I mentally prepared myself for the days to come the best I could. I love food so this cleanse is a lot of mental work.

the 1st came and went. first craving struck when I was making girls lunch. got through it and the other cravings of the day. when hubs got home he suggested we order pizza and other food in a joking but kinda serious way. making light of the situation helped brush off the hungry feeling. in the end we both got through and finished strong. two food lovers did one full day without food, only juice. today is day 2 and so far it's not bad... it's only 8am.

morning juice:

2 apples

1 orange

4 kale leaves

1 cucumber

1/4 pealed lemon

kids got it!

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 22:24:00 +0000

kids are the code. they are filled with joy, love, forgiveness, energy and happiness. sure they don't have to pay bills and make relationships work but don't they? someone is constantly telling them no and don't do that and they are still happy. forgiveness comes easily to pain large and small. they wear their clothes until the pieces have holes and and are covered in lint. they want toys but they want someone to play with then more. they trust without doubt and their love is unconditional.

what happens between then and adult years to make us so unhappy? is it all the stuff we get?

I have heard time and time again that Americans have so much and are so unhappy. in third world countries the people have so little yet are happy and enjoying life. is it the stuff? some of the richest people are the most unhappy. have you ever met a wealthy person who is happy?

how do we teach our children to stay the way they are as they grow older? forgive them their faults and love them unconditionally, fill them with good food and push them outside to play, show them the good in everything and to enjoy what they have, put a smile one and make the best of everything? in the process of doing this do you think we will change as well?

gluten free gingerbread

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 05:02:00 +0000

cookies or house, this works for both. moist, don't fall apart and taste awesome!!

4c gluten free flour mix (not packed)

2t xanthan gum

2t cinnamon

2t ginger

1/2t baking soda

1/2t salt

1/2t allspice

1/4t cayenne pepper

1/4t cloves

1/4t nutmeg

1c unsalted butter (room temp)

1c sugar

1/2c molasses

1 egg

2T lemon juice

mix wet and dry separate then add the dry to the wet in a stand mixer. place in fridge for one hour.

preheat to 350. roll out dough in 1/4s to about a 1/4-in thick to cut cookie shapes or house pieces. bake 9 min and let cool on a rack 15min.

use royal icing to connect the house walls and roof.

4c powdered sugar

1/4c + 2T egg whites

1t vanilla

whip eggs and vanilla until frothy then slowly add sugar. mix for about 7 min.

made one gingerbread house and a batch of cookies and icing enough for all

helper 1

helper 2 & 3

let the sugar high begin!

holidays are always a trying time for me... I dislike with a passion the way it becomes about presents very fast and who got what and what you want... I strive to make it about more than just presents with my little ones and about giving to others and jesus, duh! we made these cookies and shared with all the families on the block, enjoyed the decorating as a family and then went to look at lights. hope your family traditions are filled with love and joy, happy holidays!

beginning to look a lot like

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 00:04:00 +0000

Christmas!

I'm not a big decorator but this year my oldest made lots of things to make our house more festive.

first we have the decorated holiday tree ^

then we have the pine cones w snow on them aka paint.

and the newest addition the...

gingerbread house (recipe post to come soon).

along with our Christmas lights and Charlie Brown tree we are sure in the Christmas spirit over here.

gluten free chocolate oat cookies

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 21:02:00 +0000

these cookies are fluffy and delicious!

1c oats (old fashioned or quick)

1 1/2c gluten free flour mix

1/2c sugar

1/4c flax

1t baking soda

1t salt

3/4c melted coconut oil

2t vanilla

1/2c milk

1c chopped chocolate chips

preheat 325

mix dry ingredients

add wet ingredients one by one in order or all at once mixed. (if milk is not room temperature it will cause coconut oil to firm up so I add them one by one).

bake 10-12 min

* if you want a moist cookie add 3T unsweetened organic applesauce.

wake up w mommy

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:24:00 +0000

I feel I can say, have mastered the breakfast. breakfast consists of improved and perfected gluten free waffle with a bowl of fruit and a cup of local organic milk. I feel so good about feeding my kids this just about every morning and THEY LOVE IT! as a special breakfast we do an omelet or french toast w fruit and milk. I make waffles about 1/2 times a week so the mornings are simple and easygoing.

knowing they are starting the day right is such a good feeling ❤️

the only thing missing is a napkin... do 3 year olds use napkins? (only when reminded over here).

lunch as 4

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:21:00 +0000

daddy comes home next week from Afghanistan and the wheels of food and budgeting are turning. super excited to have him home but just like every time he comes home I experience mini freak outs daily. when he is home we make less money so have to live more frugal and with more people makes the bills increase, inevitably. with another eater in the house I know the food is going to go up but with more heal around the house I know the budget will come down from not eating out as much. as I write this post I realize that I feel out of control and the act of making a plan and budget for something I know is going to happen I guess makes me feel more in control. I'm excited and happy to have him back but nervous and scared at the same time. he has been gone for six months and comes home a week after halloween.

for breakfast I plan on us all eating differently, well the girls and then the adults. 2 snacks the options for both will be the same, veggies and dip for one and yogurt or cheese for the other. lunch I will make one thing for all of us to eat each day.

tuna/chicken salad made with avocado and some chopped veggies, served with pretzels for scooping

simple egg salad made with greek yogurt and served with spinach and tomato on bread

a hearty bean and veggie soup served with bread for soaking

bean salad mexican style, including avocado, tomato, greek yogurt and sauce served with chips

and lastly, making 5, quinoa salad with chopped veggies and served with pretzels for scooping.

follow this by a dinner for all and we have a simple meal plan within budget. eating out can cost so much money. after the drink and meal the price of lunch is anywhere from $5-10 a day then include snacks here and there becoming another $5 making the daily total of $10-15. the daily total quickly adds up to $50-$55 weekly and $200-$220 monthly while making lunch cost about $4 and snacks around another $4 making. a total of $8 to feed 4 people a day, what a score! ($56 weekly (including the 2 days at home and $224 monthly).

texas big strawberry wheat free muffins

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:22:00 +0000

preheat º350

mix dry

2c gf flour

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1/2t allspice

1/2t salt

mix wet

1/2c maple syrup

1/2c coconut oil (melted)

3T flax + 4T water (eggs replacer)

1c water

combined wet and dry and mix by hand add 1c small cut strawberries and mix again.

bake 35m

becoming one

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:46:00 +0000

tonight is the last night before I have an one year old. this is the last night I will have like this. my baby girl is going to be one and my husband and I (mainly me) are done in the popping out kids department. I'm not sad, I'm excited and relieved. excited to watch my girls become themselves and relieved to never experience this baby phase again. it's nights like tonight when I carry my three year old into bed and then my almost one year old that I get it. my mother always said you are my babies, you will always be my babies and they are just that. the cute little button nose may become a big ol adult nose and the pudgy hands grow long and skinny but they will always be my babies. they were a part of me, I fed them, changed their diapers (as people like to state), cried with them, laughed with them, lost hours among hours of sleep I will never get back, been pushed to my limits (and then some) and was witness to most "firsts," all in that one year of life. they will forever be my babies.

to the last night and many more adventures and motherhood trials and rewards... cheers!

tonight we snuggle :) xo

gluten free cinnamon rolls

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 21:29:00 +0000

for my younger daughters first birthday, tomorrow, I wanted to make cinnamon rolls. the last few times I have tried a gluten free version they were horrible. as in throw out bad. today u use a recipe on the back of a bobs mills package for pizza crust. it was pretty good but I'm not 100%. they will do for tomorrow's breakfast just fine as they taste bomb but the texture is still off. the bread part taste great but very dense and not fluffy. I also let my older one put the filling in and she went too light for my liking but that's good for the girls.

basically there is no rise, you get out what you put in.

these are minis for the mini kids and bite-size for me

besides the rolls being good I also attempted a new way of making cream cheese frosting because I am out of confection sugar and not big on butter. I used whipped cream cheese (about half the container below), maple syrup and a splash of vanilla. this concoction worked great and minimized the calories and crap intake. start with the cream cheese and add syrup. begin mixing in about a tablespoon and add more until it meets ur sweetness liking. lastly mix in around 1 teaspoon to give it the frosting flavor.

lastly...

enjoy!!!

day at the station

noreply@blogger.com (an organic mama) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 14:54:00 +0000

the firehouse within walking distance from our house had an open house this past Saturday. i was watching my niece and nephew so it was a great way to kill time. I packed them into my trailer and strapped the lil one on my back then started the journey.

while the big kids check out the fun-ness the lil one snacks

they had different firetrucks for the kids to sit in. firefighters to talk to and ask all the questions they wanted to. my 3yo always gets starstruck and draws a blank while we are in the presence if the main attraction. then when we leave it's non stop questions and chit chat about what we saw.

in the largest truck there

cal fire crew

checking out the mercy air copter

firetrucks are cool and all but you can see them at the local station whenever you pass by in our town. it's not everyday you can see and get into a helicopter.

mommy had some eye candy too ;)

something about men in uniform that are saving lives. little did the guys know I was getting their pick too, heheheee (creepy laugh). ok back to the kids...

inside mercy air

sherif copter

there was also a sherif helicopter. I told them it was to transport bad guys but I was wrong it is used for the fires. there is a tank in the bottom to suck up the water and then dump on the fire. the kids liked my story better so we said it was for both.

snack in front of the cal fire sherif copter

mercy air took off

the kids did an accumulating smoke and stop drop and roll exercise, made an escape plan and colored some firefighter pictures then ended with some bouncy house fun.

smokey the bear

smokey the bear was saying high as we were leaving making it a great ending to an awesome adventure. the kids didn't have lunch yet and everyone was hungry so we headed to froyo for water and fro yo of course.

what a fun adventure and great learning experience. thank

you Fallbrook firefighters!