{this moment}

In soulemama's words:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

www.soulemama.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Meatless

I've been vegetarian for almost 3 years. It was an easy change for me. I didn't switch because of health reasons, I've just never much cared for meat. I remember being in college, ready to make the change and be done with meat, but at that stage in my life, I had no idea what I'd eat. I find that funny now, but at the time, I didn't know anyone who was vegetarian and didn't have any knowledge about how I could not eat meat. So I continued to eat meat, sparingly, until one weekend, almost exactly 3 years ago, I had a really bad burger while out at a restaurant. You know, the kind where you take a bite and your teeth bite into something hard? Gross!! Who knows what that was. And, I thought to myself, "Why am I eating this? I'd much rather have some pasta or a salad." So, that was the end of my meat-eating days.

Today, I'm a happy vegetarian, transitioning into a vegan. Most of my meals are vegan. Sometimes I find myself adding cheese or having a cookie that's not vegan (Oreo's aren't vegan...right??). And, if any of you know me, you know my weakness for ice cream. Although, I'll have to take my brother's advice and try some rice ice cream, he says it's better than the stuff made with dairy. But, if given the choice, I would much rather have some yummy grains and vegetables for my dinner.

I've been searching the web lately, looking for vegan blogs, recipes, books, etc. I've found TONS, as you could imagine. And, find myself wanting to keep reading, until the wee hours of the night. Last night, I found this wonderful recipe for buckwheat tabbouleh and lettuce wraps. After I went to bed, I couldn't sleep! I kept imagining the crunchy romaine lettuce along with the delicious buckwheat tabbouleh. I couldn't get it out of my mind...seriously! *sigh* So, today I ventured to the store and bought some romaine, parsley, and tomatoes to make a delicious lunch for myself. Unfortunately, a certain baby (you've seen his picture before on this blog) decided not to nap well and I didn't have time to prepare such a wonderfully, delicious lunch for myself today. :( You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be making the tabbouleh tonight so I can have a feast tomorrow!

Going back to becoming vegan, one of my reasons for doing so is health related. I've started reading books about vegan eating and am learning about the wonderful health benefits. Did you know, that if you have a health condition such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or osteoporosis, they can be changed WITHOUT MEDICATION if you only change your diet? Amazing. It's hard to do, but if your life depended on it, I imagine one would make that change. I don't have any health conditions myself, but want to be as healthy as I can and be able to care for my family.

My other reason for becoming vegan is the animal welfare aspect. I love all animals and shudder to think of how most of the cows, pigs, and chickens spend their entire lives. Even the animals who don't become dinner on your plate don't have it easy, such as the egg-laying hens and cows who give us milk. I won't go down that road, but if you're interested in learning about that, you can read A Diet for a New America, Food Inc., and others on that subject. I don't want to contribute to the suffering of those animals, and I also don't want to feed my family meat containing loads of hormones and antibacterials in addition to other gross stuff. Any meat, eggs, and milk I do purchase is organic, and comes from free range animals who are kept in a humane environment. Also, meat is eaten sparingly through the week.

There's an added benefit to being vegetarian or vegan. (I'm realizing that his may sound like I'm standing on top of a soap box, preaching my sermon, please don't see it that way. I'm only describing my reasons for my way of eating). Eating vegetarian or vegan is cheaper...you aren't buying meat. Also, it's better for the environment!! Yep, that's right. In a day where we're all trying to be more "green", eating vegetarian (even one day a week) can help the environment. There would be a reduction in the carbon footprint, water usage, and fossil fuel dependence. Go to www.meatlessmonday.com for more information.

I'm very happy to be vegetarian and am enjoying continuing my quest to being vegan. I just need a little more will power to put back the ice cream.

Not Me! Monday

So, I read this blog regularly, www.mycharmingkids.net, and she has what she calls "Not Me! Monday". Here's a description in her words: " Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!"

And, I thought I would join the fun. Here's my first post contributing to Not Me! Monday!

Mornings are hectic and sometimes I'm not quite ready for the day before a certain baby wakes up.



And I'm looking for ways to entertain him while I try to dry my hair. Silly me. I try to dry my hair in attempt to look somewhat presentable.

So, I NEVER let him climb up to the sink...and turn on the water so he can splash in the water while I take 3 minutes to dry my hair. Nope, never...not me!



I would never waste water just so I could attempt to make my awful haircut (that's another story) look somewhat decent. (Even though I had the stream on very low so as not to waste too much water.)

Now, that feels so much better! None of us are perfect, and it feels good to share my imperfections with you all.

So, if you'd like to play along, head on over to www.mycharmingkids.net to see how.

There are two sides to every story...

There are two sides to every story...

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Go to www.soulemama.com to play along.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Toads

It's springtime. I can tell because the snow is gone, the grass is green, the leaves are almost out on the trees, and the boys found their first toad.


Actually, some other boys found it first. They thought it was injured, and were getting ready to let it go in the small retention pond behind our house when my oldest scooped him up and began taking care of him. Mr. Toad Head (as he was named by my eldest son) appears to be doing well, and maybe was "playing sick" because he hops well, and seems to be in good health, as far as I can tell, since I'm not a herpetologist.

This is the first toad of the season. The first of many. Matthew is asking where "his toad" is (the one he found last year in our backyard). He can't wait to find his toad again.


I don't mind them finding creatures and handling them. Daniel understands how to be gentle and Matthew understands better this year. I just refuse to touch them myself.


I only ask that they let him go at night so he can find his dinner and a safe place to sleep. Daniel was excited to find Mr. Toad Head again this morning. Maybe that's because he let him go behind the deck box which is right next to our house. We'll see if he's there again tomorrow morning.

Catch up

It's been a long time since my last post so I thought I'd catch up with what I've missed writing about.

We celebrated Nickel-baby's first birthday.



Grandma and Aaralynne came to celebrate.


Two boys collected and sorted potatoes.

Dewey got a much-needed haircut. Here's the before picture:

...and the after picture:

We made valentines...


...and made pathways to avoid stepping in hot lava.


We enjoyed the snow melting and seeing the grass become green again, which means the older boys are enjoying riding bikes, playing in the sandbox, and playing baseball, while the baby is discovering how much fun it is to play outside.



We enjoyed a visit from Nana.



We celebrated Easter...


...and Daniel's First Communion.



All in all, it's been a busy winter and beginning of Spring. Who knows what we'll be up to next?