A lesson in gratitiude: Summer Strep

It started on Sunday.  Stringbain's throat was sore, so he stayed home while the rest of us went to church...while there I noticed my throat was sore too.  Tuesday night limabain spiked a high fever and Wednesday afternoon saw us cancelling  fun travel plans while waiting at the minor med for the first time in years.  

Recovering means being stuck inside on a gorgeous summer day, so I thought we'd write a post stretching our gratitude muscle. Of course, there are lots of things already on my summer strep gratitude list: $4 antibiotics, Dr's who call in prescriptions, a husband who works from home, air conditioning to keep things cool while resting, sleeping as long as I want, lots of ice, and peppermint oil gargles. 


* limabain: Better to be sick at the same time; that way there are still people you can safely be around without worrying how contagious you are. 

* stringbain: time to set up a new facebook account

* lib: good lesson in learning to trust His plan and sharing the struggle with my fellow sickies.

* limabain: Noticing how vibrant summer colors are when you're stuck inside

* stringbain: plenty of time to teach your mom how to play chess

* lib: Time to contemplate big questions:: Where do flies hide when you pull out the swatter??

* stringbain: Excellent excuse to extend normal 30 minute Wii limit.


* lib: Lots of extra practice time for piano and guitar - to offset all the gaming

* limabain: people happily (for the most part) waiting on you.


* lb/sb:  PILLOW FIGHTS! (which they did almost the entire time we worked on this post)


* lb:  new game and use for nerf sword: Whack-a-foot


* lib: Once the medicine starts working, being able to swallow feels so much better than you remembered.

Stringbain says maybe being sick isn't so bad after all...

Hope you stay well, 

Lib
linked to ann and amanda

Chocolate Chip cookies {fit} for Breakfast

I know you rushed right out an bought almond flour to make my super food pancakes, right?  

You're probably wondering what else you can make with that exotic, new flour that's now forlornly sitting on your shelf.  Well, what about cookies?  Chocolate chip ones to be exact.  The kind that you know have enough protein to fill up your brood for an entire morning, but tasty enough to eliminate bribery at the breakfast table.  Double the recipe and you've got guilt free snacks for the day.  With a glass of  raw milk or Kombucha,  I  dare you to be unsatisfied.

Chocolate chip {breakfast} cookies
adapted from Elana


2 1/2 c almond flour
2/3 c quinoa flakes (available here)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
10 T coconut oil
1 T vanilla ( I substituted ground v beans)
1/2 c agave
1 c chocolate chips (we love Kroger's organic store brand)
1 egg

Mix together dry ingredients.  Add oil and egg and vanilla then stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  Makes 2 dozen.

With a glass of  raw milk or Kombucha,  I  dare you or your kids to be unsatisfied!

Lib 
linked to Kelli,  Rachel, Jen, Laura, Kristen 

Everybody's crazy 'bout...

...My sharp dressed men!

Thanks to a Cotillion class today, my daily jeans and t-shirts wearers have been upgraded to the Baintrain 2.0.

Suits - JC Penney

gotta love bogo1/2! 

::limabain::  

shirt - consignment 

tie and shoes - hand me downs

haircut - uncle

::stringbain::

Shirt - Target

tie - mainbain

shoes - {brand new} found @ hole in the wall shoe store for $11.01

It's a whole new world!

Lib

linked to lindsey's what I wore wednesday

Catch!!

My iphoto has been out of service for the last 8 months.  Translation: I've been unable to sync, upload or massage any of my pictures. 

EIGHT months.  Let that sink in.  Through the holidays, birthdays and baseball.  Everyday snaps and videos.  Not being dramatic, since i know INC*, but it's felt like limping - blog style. 

All the problems were finally resolved today (can I get an HURRAH?!)  and as I've scanned through over six thousand pictures, these two stuck out.  The only two pictures taken on May 2 - I had to laugh thinking about mexicanjumpingbain getting all suited up to catch a flying turtle. 

How would you caption these?

Lib

*It's Not Cancer

Sweet Dreams

My #%*...

Note to New Parents:
That whole "Sleep Through the Night" end-goal thing is a hoax, wrapped in a myth told as a fairy tale.

Bad dreams, wet beds, thirst and falling thump in the night are just a few of the "Sleep Through the Night" pitfalls the baby books rarely mention.

Hence, the early hour at which I type this...no newborns in sight.

Sweet dreams,
Em

Anyone else's kid?

Does anyone else's kid think it's perfectly acceptable to eat from a bag of chips while sitting on the potty while wearing swim goggles?

Does anyone else's kid subsist on pizza and chicken and grilled cheese sandwiches?

Does anyone else's kid line up 4,267 action figures and plastic animals in an intricate, dramatic reenactment fashion?

Does anyone else's kid ask if the destination (pool, park, orthodontist office...) has WIFI?

Does anyone else's kid know 99% of Jack Black's lines in Nacho Libre?

Does anyone else's kid discuss Pokemon, Star Wars and/ or Apps with the fervor of a Ph.D dissertation defense?

Does anyone else's kid know how to use Twitter better than his mom?

Does anyone else's kid love grilled shrimp, but wouldn't eat spaghetti if his life depended on it?

Does anyone else's (way past 3 year old) kid refuse to poop in the potty?

Add your kid's "uniqueness" as a COMMENT.

Another day, another story,
Em

What I learned on my summer vacation

Going away for 4 nights with St. Joel and without 

Numbers 1-4 is both a luxury and a necessity.

It doesn't take long to embrace another country's custom of enjoying frozen cocktails regardless of the hour.

Lots and lots of people are paying whatever the airlines are charging to go lots and lots of places. Even if you have to take your shoes off and get felt up by our government's finest.

Four nights of long, luxurious sleep can completely erase dark under-eye circles. (And one night of a restless, 

Mommy-missing 3 year old brings them right back.)

An "Ocean View" room might also include a view of a roof filled with air conditioning ductwork. (And if you hold your camera high enough, you won't see it.)

St. Joel and I are actually quite adept at doing absolutely nothing for hours at a time.

Dude, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Making new friends can be a helluva lot fun.

There is a distinct possibility that St. Joel and I are the only two people left on the planet without tattoos.

Another day, another story,

Em