Random thoughts

Sisters Moment
I just put the kids "to bed" together in Avery's bed because they asked for it. (Obviously I knew this wouldn't last long, but sounded like a fun endeavor.) As they played quietly, I shortly heard a large THUD and waiting for a fuss, instead I heard a light chuckle then a harder chuckle from the other and continually until they were both chuckling so hard! I love overhearing these moments! I'm happy that they like to be together and are great sisters.

Pregnancy
Some things that are just awkward in pregnancy: TYING MY SHOES!, kids sitting on my lap, cooking at the stove / doing dishes, picking up stuff that falls on the floor (it's just not worth it), and "squeezing" by people at church. Otherwise, pregnancy isn't so bad, especially in the second trimester.

I'm concerned that I haven't tried as hard to exercise this go-around. I've settled for: "hey, I lug around two kids and push them in a stroller up a gigantic hill to the playground and back... that's something." Yet if I want to feel confident in naturally delivering another baby (should that be the case), I want to be more fit and ready. That's important. I also need to drink more WATER! Oh, it can be difficult. I try, I really do, but need to push it much more. I can tell a big difference in the way I feel when I drink better.

Healthy food
I must be obsessed, but I spend lots of time exploring healthy eating. The research is the most part. I can't stand anymore how much sugar, fat, salt, dairy, and processed-ness is part of everything! It makes me feel so yucky (literally, not just mentally). Yet it's so hard to cut it all out when that's all I know. The transition is hard for me and my family. Some things are pleasantly easy to transition and some much harder. Therefore, when trying to come up with a menu, it takes loads of time to figure out just what kind of recipe will work for our family. A lot of healthy blogs I'm searching are too extreme for my family so I find myself "un-healthifying" a bit and mainstreaming some of the funky ingredients to make it work. So funny.

I'm pleased to say my kids like: homemade oatmeal with frozen strawberries, a little honey, and dates; sugar-free applesauce, homemade yogurt (with little sugar), banana-orange whole wheat muffins, grapefruit (well, all fruits), carrots/broccoli (cooked for Aspen), cucumber, salad for Avery, tomatoes for Aspen, and canned green beans (they love that stuff).  Of course they love a myriad of greasy, cheesy, sugary things too.

Some interested facts about some store bought items.... All the following have more sugar per serving than a glazed donut: Poweraid, Vitamin water, strawberry yogurt, Ragu pasta sauce, Raisin Bran... and that's all I can remember. Did you know the Apple Jacks cereal advertises giving your child a healthy start with their whole grain and fiber-full breakfast? I doubt their whole grain or fiber will do much positive work when SUGAR is the FIRST ingredient!! How can our kids last through the morning without major ups and downs when they're running on sugar? A health expert I listened to recently said that breakfast is so important and you need in it: fat, protein, and fiber.

My greatest interest right now is: removing excessive sugar, steering away from so much dairy (not that dairy is bad for us), pumping my foods full of fiber / protein / whole grains as much as possible, and trying to eat more veggies and nuts. Those are my most basic goals as of now. Starting up some bread making would be nice.