Clumsy Feet

Picture challenge- November 2: shoes

These are our kicks for working out.
I do like my chucks even though I want to buy a pair of Inov-8's for workouts that involve any running.

Those feet cause me a lot of problems. You want to know one thing I really can't stand about myself? How clumsy I am!!!! It makes me angry and sometimes (like today) it makes me cry. I can try to be the most careful Keshia ever and sometimes it just doesn't pan out. I constantly drop things, run into walls, and stub my toe. Shannon says he "pulled a Keshia" whenever he does something clumsy. Good thing he's pretty...

Today I was making some homemade mayo and in transit of taking the food processor bowl off the machine I dropped it and it splatters everywhere. :( I had to start over. And if you've ever made mayo, it is a little tricky. It takes patience because you have to mix the oil and egg slowly to create an emulsion. If you go too quickly, it will never become the consistency of mayonnaise. I cried. At least it did turn out good in the end. It makes yummy egg salad...which we devoured at lunch time.

Why did I cry earlier because of my spill? Is it because I'm hormonal and pregnant? Maybe...but I doubt it because I cry every now and then when I'm clumsy and not pregnant. I cry because I'm angry with myself. Earlier this morning I made coconut flour muffins for breakfast and spilled coconut flour. Seriously! The powder flew. Ugh.

Oh well. The muffins were yummy with some coconut butter spread on top. If you've never experienced coconut butter you are missing out! (My mother-in-law loves this stuff! *wink wink)

Happy November 1st: Hello Sugar Detox

Happy November! 

I love this month. Normally, I have a little decorative tin can that sits out all month along with some little note cards for us to add something we're grateful for every time we walk by and think of something. Keshlyn even got into it last year. Then, on Thanksgiving night we read them all. It was quite rewarding last year. This year, my tin can is all packed up in storage. *tear. So, we'll just wing it. But, today, I'm grateful for my wonderful MIL allowing us to live in her home for free until we get into our rental in January. 

Normally, I don't do the whole picture a day thing, but my best gal, Jilly-o, challenged me to a picture a day with her this month. She text me the following: 

So here we are. Day 1. Picture of me...and my love. Isn't he so handsome? I just love his smile...and the scruff. I LOVE the scruff. 

Do you ever feel like your body is telling you something? Like you need more water? You need more sleep? You need more exercise? You need less sugar? 

I totally feel like I understand my body's needs. I'm a pretty healthy gal. We eat clean most every day. But, I also love to bake from scratch. So, that presents a problem once I get on a roll. The good thing is I bake, we test, and I give away. It's fun for me. This past month...it seems we have tested a lot of treats. My body is SO done! I need a break. 

I am always intrigued with reading about many things, but this is especially true with health and I am a FIRM believer in eating clean. There's some good info over at balancedbites.com about sugar and all of the different types you can find on a label in all of the processed, packaged foods as well as what it does to your body (there's a lot more symptoms besides just weight-gain, people.) I also LOVE the site paleomg.com. Julie Bauer is fun to follow. She's funny and inspiring. She recently did a 21 day sugar detox (did wonders for her her chronic acne...she also cut out nuts).  I bought the little booklet, read up and decided November 1st to Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to do it. Shannon was totally on board. My body is in desperate need of a detox right now. I'm following the detox pretty closely, but I'm not ruling out having a little more fruit like berries or an extra green apple if I feel like "the baby" I needs it. This sugar detox eliminates all sugar (artificial-which I would never use anymore. I have evolved from a couple years ago- and natural alike). No honey, no pure maple syrup, no carbs, no fruit! Ok, ok. It allows 1 green-tipped banana OR 1 green apple a day. That's it. Today Shannon and I did pretty good, but if we end up eating a little more fruit I won't mind. As long as we are eating clean and not doing any other "sweets." We started out with Pumpkin Pancakes (made from pumpkin and eggs and some spices), had a salad with homemade dressing and grilled chicken for lunch, carrots for a snack, garlic lemon chicken with steamed veggies for dinner and "chocolate pudding" for dessert... 

This chocolate pudding is actually pretty darn good. It's coconut milk, avocado, 1 green-tipped banana, pure cocoa powder, and pure vanilla all blended together. Then I froze it. YUM! Perfect treat while blogging.

Happy Day of Sugar!

Trick or Treat!? Happy Day of Sugar! 

Keshlyn enjoyed going door to door to get candy! She was funny because she told us we weren't allowed to go to the door with her. We had to wait over to the side.  "I can do it all by myself!" She was done after two little neighborhoods (which I was glad. Less junk. Knowing her mama, this will last her until next October...) It was a brief adventure.

Ky, he enjoyed being pushed around in the stroller and we didn't hear a peep out of him. He enjoyed a few smarties along the way. He thought he was big time. Easy to please.

Rewind a few hours...

I love homemade chicken tortilla soup. I decide to make a pot. I begin prepping for dinner. Chicken thighs are boiling. I am chopping onion, garlic and jalapeño peppers. Chopping happily, I wonder, "why do people wear gloves when handling jalapeños? I don't know."

I throw them in a pan with some olive oil to sauté. I rinse my hands. I have an eye itch. I rub the corner of my eye. A few seconds pass..."I think my eye is stinging. No. Wait. Yes it is stinging..." A few more seconds pass..."No, my eye is on fire!!!!" I dance around in a circle, run in the bathroom. I splash water in my eye and grab a towel. I soak it and start patting and squeezing water into my eye. It's not satisfying the burn. I grab a cup of water and start rinsing my eye. Oh so slightly- relief comes. Still feels like a match is being held to my eyeball. While holding a wet towel to one eye, I manage to google on my phone, "what to do when jalapeno is in my eye!" It pops up. I can't read it. Still rinsing my eye. My paramedic husband returns home from running an errand. Finally. 

Me: "I need your help."

Shan: "Nope"

Me: "Seriously. Read my phone. "

Shan: As he starts to scan my phone and reads that using whole milk to rinse when jalapeno juice gets in your eye, he begins to kind of laugh and says, 

"Oh you have pepper in your eye? Rinse it with milk. I just dumped a whole glass of milk on a big burly guy's head last week because he was crying like a baby from being pepper sprayed in the face." 

Guys. 

I poured milk into my eye and sure enough, after a few rinses the burning began to subside. SO...what did I learn?! 1) Don't ever ask a question you don't REALLY want to know experience the answer to, 2) jalapeños will burn your eye like a mother, mother,

3) WEAR GLOVES!

Fat Feet

Look at those chubby yummy feet! I like to eat his toes. Finding shoes for this little guy is difficult. He can't wear most of the cute sandals out there because they're too tight on his feet and leave blisters. Dress shoes are hard too because they are too narrow. And even if they do fit ok, kid shoes seem to never stay on. They often slip off while he's running.

So I have discovered a solution for an everyday shoe for him that I love.

Skidders! I love them because the top part is like a sock, so it stretches to fit his big feet and best of all- because it's like a sock- they stay on great!

Have you found any other good brand of shoes for little chubby toddler feet?

Morning Funny!

My best friend, Jillian, sent this to me this morning because she thought her Mormon, Kentucky born- and-raised friend would get a kick out of it. I did. Made me laugh. (Even though I happen to have some very different political views from Romney on some things...it still made me laugh)





I quite enjoyed watching the speeches via YouTube of both President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney at the Al Smith dinner. It was fun and refreshing to see them both not take themselves so seriously and to be able to crack jokes at each other in a tasteful way. Haven't seen it? Need a little laugh if you're following the debates and geared up for election? Obama's speech here, and Romney's here.

Other side notes:

1. Our voting system bugs me. No wonder people become apathetic and don't vote...because people are so confused by the electoral college and if their vote really "counts." Regardless of who wins the popular vote in a particular state, that state may or may not require the appointed electoral to even vote with the majority of the state! What!? So then why did we vote? Just for fun!? (Same thing for the caucus I participated in here in NV... our vote really didn't matter.) The candidate who receives the most votes nationwide does not necessarily become president. That blows my mind...I wish the voting system was more straightforward.

 2. What really bothers me is the fact that there are 4 tickets for president...but we only get commercial after commercial and televised debates of 2 of these. What is wrong with this picture? That only the wealthy truly get the support and publicity to run? Only the wealthy make good leaders? I know it takes money to run for president, it just seems so unfair that others who could be great candidates don't stand a chance. I would have loved to have seen debates including the other two. Looks like there's an illusion via media to believe the the general GOP and Democrat ideals are the only ones that exist or matter...so far from true.

3. Dear Gary Johnson, (garyjohnson2012.com) you would have had my vote if it wasn't for your stand on certain "civil rights" (namely legalizing all abortion. Period. I can understand certain circumstances like rape, threat to mother's health, etc, but for personal or social convenience, no way- and especially not on tax money as it can be now. I disagree simply because my belief is as yours that life is precious and needs to be protected. But our difference is that I believe that a baby is a human life too...even before medically defined "fetal viability".) Man! How I wish Ron Paul was on the ballot...

Costume Preview

You know me. I'm a sucker for a deal. When I found myself at party city a while ago with clearanced costumes at $5 each I went for it. And it just so turned out that the clearance costumes facilitated a family theme: The Wizard of Oz.

Shan is the Tin Man and the size is 12-14! :) I'm going to have fun making that one work...i actually don't think it will be too hard. I'm so glad that my husband is a good sport and just plays along!

The only size of the scarecrow they had was 3T. Ky is 15 months. But I knew I could make it work. So I'm working on it right now. This is the original fit on him right this second...huge! He is so adorable if I do say so myself.

Smarty-pants!

Grammy brought home some addition and subtraction flashcards today for Princess. We have been working on addition but only on worksheets with counting pictures or with other objects. We have not, however, looked at addition in a mathematical layout like these cards. Because they were adorned with Disney princesses, Keshlyn insisted over and over that we do "Learning time." I quickly explained to her that she was not ready for those cards yet. I said, "You wouldn't even understand what the card was asking if I showed you."

Keshlyn: "yes I will!"

Just to prove a point to my three-year-old I decided to hold up a flashcard. I said, "fine. what is 6 plus one?"

Keshlyn looking me straight in the eye, "7"

Astonished, I held up another flashcard.

Me: "What's 1 +3?"
Keshlyn without hesitation: "4"

I thought I was going to pee my pants I just couldn't believe it!

Then I held up a third card 0+0. She tapped her finger on her chin with a look of focus and processing and finally said, "8?"

Then I knew we were back to normal. Those darn zeroes are tough. ;)

Another tidbit from tonight...

Tonight during family scripture study, we talked about how Christ will come again.

Me: "Aren't you excited to see Jesus again?"
Keshlyn: "yeah! But when I was a baby in your tummy, I saw Jesus."
Keshlyn continues as she throws her hand up casually in a slight wave. "I said, 'Hey Jesus'."

The way she said it was as if she was saying, "what up?"

I just LOVE her comments!