An appreciation of summer...

This is my third summer living here in the central valley and yet it feels like my first. My eyes have been opened to the beauty of summer, living among the agricultural land.
My first two summers I was in shock as the common 100+ temperatures were the norm and the hottest time of day was mid-afternoon and held into the evening. I had to alter my perceptions and get outside in the cool of the morning before hiding inside with the a/c cranked for the remainder of the day.
My first summer here was spent in hiding inside or camped out in the few pools that my few friends had.
My second summer was spent again hiding from the heat and the sun as I had a new baby to protect. One whose skin I knew nothing of caring for so I chose to simply hide it.
This summer is different. I feel like a confident mom. And a confident resident of the central valley. I've learned much about the health of the rays on our skin and how to protect ourselves naturally, avoiding the chemicals in common sunscreen.
I've more friends and more knowledge of the area, traveling here, there and everywhere to water parks, splash pads, and pools to beat the heat and enjoy the outdoors. Our $9.88 investment from Walmart is paying off in our backyard as my daughter splashes almost daily in her wading pool and the sprinklers.
And as I drive through the back roads on our journeys I bask in the beauty of the summer. Where once I saw dead grass covering the hills from the heat, I now see the lush green of the fields ripe with harvest. I see corn fields, tomato fields and nut trees all green and basking in the sun's rays. The smell of the warm earth fills my senses and my body has learned to cope with the rising temperatures, opting for windows rolled down in the car to the air conditioning cranked.
Each season has its own beauty and I never much appreciated summer until now. In the cold of winter we crave this season of warmth. And while I look ahead and feel the season drawing to an end I appreciate this season and thank God for His creativity.
Every good and perfect gift comes from above...and this summer is a gift.

 The fields ripe for the harvest coming.

 Cruising behind a tractor...no rush.

So good to me...

As we've journeyed through these few weeks, overhauling our lives, I have found that relationships are tough work!
The relationships on TV seem to just work themselves out. In the movies they live happily ever after. But in this life, in real life things are tough and they don't just work themselves out.
As we've been out and about more, investing in this world, in real life relationships there are many opportunities for misunderstandings. For people changing their minds. For plans changing.
And then you factor in the whole world of social media. Aye-ya-yay! Misunderstandings abound and feelings are hurt. People react out of what they perceive, which can lead to even more hurt.
As a recent administrator for our neighborhood watch group on Facebook I've seen these misunderstandings come up and I've seen people deal with them poorly and well. It's amazing how caddy grown adults can become! Social media is an interesting thing and my husband and I are processing how to best make it work for our family without getting overwhelmed by all its content.
Today I read an amazing article which words so well my thoughts, feelings and experiences on Facebook and probably for most others as well: http://heidistjohn.com/tbmb/overexposed/
What words of wisdom! To dwell on what is good, true, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy - I need to be reminded to think on these things!
Just today I had such a misunderstanding that caused a friend to withdraw from me and while I am so thankful that she came and shared with me, now I have found myself deeply wounded. I wanted to throw Facebook out of the window completely this afternoon as I wrestled with my feelings and my hurt. That someone that I love so dearly with whose friendship I cherish could misunderstand and consider me to be someone who I am not, with motives so petty, that injured my heart. I was embarrassed. I still am embarrassed. As I apologized and she forgave and wants to move forward, I continue to wrestle - how do I do this thing called social media without misunderstanding? What do I share and what do I hold back? Who is my audience and who do I want it to be?
For awhile now I've said that we primarily post photos and stories on Facebook for the purpose of our out-of-town family to keep up on our lives, to see our daughter grow and develop, and to stay in touch with them and their stories and lives.
So who are all these other people? And why is it, after my long and fulfilling day having coffee with a sweet friend, going to the pool with another, meeting new neighbors and walking through our neighborhood, that I get on Facebook toward the end of my day and feel utterly lonely? Like I'm being left out? Like my friends don't need me in their lives? Like my life is incomplete?
I honestly don't have an answer. Tonight after crying and talking with my faithful husband we read truth from the Word, sang songs of praise and fun with our daughter and enjoyed a meal, we continue on.
We press on to think about what is true, good, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy. To fix our eyes on Jesus and move forward.

Busy week!

I haven't really had a chance to blog in the last week - isn't that amazing!?
We just ended a great weekend with my parents visiting. My daughter had a fabulous time with them and had a grin plastered on her face for the entire 48 hours! They played, danced, sang and read books to her. They are such amazing supporters of my marriage to my husband that they took our daughter BOTH night they were here and allowed us two much needed date nights! It was great!
The only problem with date nights is that there aren't too many options for paleo-friendly meals so we ended up eating not so well at both restaurants we went to. Sushi the first night and Italian the second. But in the end it was incredible to simply spend time alone with my husband. We were able to just look at each other and have some conversations that were needed and required focus - which one does not have when at home with an almost 2 year old! :)
But today we are back on track with our meals and trying to get some semblance of a routine back in order. The late nights of the weekend which led to later morning and later naps are now a bit of a struggle, but my daughter naps now while I write and listen to beautiful worship piano music. Today has been a bit of a rough morning - it always is after the difference in routine. After having all the playful attention of her grandparents and not paying much attention to me the entire weekend, now that they are gone, she is wanting my undivided attention and wants me to play with her nonstop. Either that or she wants me to hold her while she nurses.
I am trying to balance getting things back in order - laundry, food prep, work on the computer - with giving her the attention and love that she's wanting today.
At least I'm getting these few moments to blog and reflect.
We've been doing fairly well with our food, as I said, and awesome where it comes to no tv or movies. We don't really even miss it! I'm a bit worried about how we re-introduce it...or if we do at all! I'm enjoying this intentional time with my family and don't want to give it up. We are doing things that are fun and active and I'm loving it.
So that's all I have for now...maybe more will come to me - but overall I'm enjoying actually LIVING life and will continue to do so ;)

Week One Down!

Although missed blogging the past few days, we've made it to the end of our first week of our Life Overhaul! How did we do? Pretty well overall!
Our time has been spent doing tons of fun things and truly just enjoying life. Today, for example, instead of plopping in front of the tv for hours on end of episode after episode of Downton Abbey or The Glades, we went to church, hanging around to visit with people afterwards, followed by going out to lunch, a trip to the hardware store and then heading home and having friends over for dinner and visiting in the backyard this evening. It was an impromptu decision to have friends over for dinner, but it was lovely! Something we wouldn't have done a few weeks ago.
Regarding food, the weekends have always been a tough one for us. We get a bit lazy and don't feel up to cooking, so this weekend was not perfect in the food department. On Saturday we got up early and drove the hour to the beach and spent most of our day there. We packed awesome food - yay for us! We packed sliced bell peppers and cucumbers to dip in hummus, strawberries & blueberries, peaches, nectarines, nuts & raisins (with a few dark chocolate chips thrown in the trail mix I'll admit!), and brought a bag of Kettle potato chips (okay in our book considering the 3 ingredients: potatos, safflower oil, salt) and water. Simple yet kept us satisfied while we played in the sand & the water.
On our way home we were beat tired from the sun and didn't feel up to cooking, which is where we let down our guard and picked up some cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries. They were tasty I'll admit, but last night I felt over-full and bloated. Bleh.
Today we ate a good breakfast, eggs with mushrooms and spinach sauteed, but decided to go out to eat after church. We went to Bagel Street Cafe where, of course, we each had a bagel sandwich type thing. Not the best. But having friends over tonight we barbecued sausages, had watermelon and cantaloupe along with a spinach salad with strawberries and feta cheese. So there you have it! Tomorrow we're back at our Paleo diet and overall we've done pretty well all things considering. Laziness is the enemy!
Our daughter is doing much better on the new schedule and we're getting out, seeing more people and doing more. I just have to make sure I'm taking care of the house also and we'll be set!
Bring it on week two!

Tough Day

I didn't get to write yesterday and it was a bit of a tough one, I'll admit.
So today is Day 4 of our Life Overhaul and here's where we're at:
Food: We're eating awesome and feeling pretty good. I am going through a bit of caffeine withdrawal and was craving a Starbucks Tuxedo (half white chocolate mocha half mocha) or a McDonald's chocolate chip frappé yesterday. Heck let's be honest I'm still craving them a bit. With my daughter's monster eye teeth coming in at the same time we're not getting the best sleep and we're feeling it!
But I held strong yesterday and tried my hand at making my own iced coffee drink. So I did a quick search online for a Paleo coconut mocha iced coffee drink and tried one that looked good. I brewed my decaf K-cup in my Keurig, added about 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon of honey. I stirred it all together, added some ice and wa-la! An iced coffee drink.
It wasn't awful, but using honey as a sweetener takes some getting used to. Today I think I'll try it with 100% maple syrup instead...
Otherwise it's been a joy to gather my family together for a meal each evening where we can pray, connect and talk about our days. I've been packing my husband's lunch for work and eating either leftovers or similar lunches at home from what I pack for him. He's been feeling good.
TV: Honestly, my husband and I have been having withdrawal's from watching TV. We both admit to missing the characters and storyline on Heartland - how sad! Fictional characters with fake lives and we miss following them! I suppose my daughter is having slight withdrawal herself as she does ask for Pooh-Bear, Barney and Tinkerbell on occasion. But it is getting less! My desire, and it seems her desire, to watch TV is lessening by the day which I find fabulous! In the evenings instead of watching TV we've gone for a walk one night, a bike ride the second night, and last night we sat in our backyard and my husband and I talked and read while our daughter played in her wading pool (yes it is hot enough at 8 o'clock to be in a pool!). It was nice to just relax together and my husband was thrilled to have time to actually read!
What I need to watch is my time spent on the computer. I was having such a nice day yesterday...until I went on Facebook. The drama that some people create and the petty arguments put me in a pretty depressed mood. I got sucked in, which is why I missed out on my chance to write on this blog while my daughter napped. Waste of a nap time and I learned from it for sure!
Daytime activities: My daughter and I have kept busy for sure! We've kept a good balance of going out to run errands, play with friends, and be at home to do housework and prepare meals. I've worked hard to plan for our mornings to be out and about, but to be home by 12:30 or 1 for her to nap. So far so good. Today we'll be out for most of the day, so we'll see how her napping works out!
And finally here's a photo of our evening in the backyard last night - eating homemade popsicles that were awesome and Paleo! Made with bananas, cocoa, almond butter and some other ingredients that I'm sure I'm forgetting ;)

Day 2

We made it through our first day and oh what a long day it was!
My daughter (amazingly) only asked to watch a show on tv twice all day, but I stuck to our commitment.
She took an earlier nap than she had been, which allowed for a much smoother day. I spent the time during her nap working on my Thirty-One business and writing yesterday's blog, which was nice to have some time to simply sit and reflect. Here I am doing the same today!
When my husband got home from work he said that the breakfast/lunch that I had packed him was great and he couldn't even finish it all after the huge salad I had packed him for lunch! And here I was concerned that he'd come home starving after only consuming fruits and veggies all day!
He fired up the grill and we had a lovely dinner after which we went for a walk instead of vegging out in front of the tv. When we returned it was time to implement our daughter's first night of routine - bath, story, teeth, another story, and bed.
While she didn't fall asleep quite a quickly as I had hoped, it was faster than previous nights and we were all asleep by 9. Ahhh...
I was exhausted after a full day of cooking, cleaning, playing with my daughter and our short walk, but it was nice to be that tired by the end of the day.
This morning I woke her earlier than usual to get us up and out the door to meet up with my moms running group. My daughter was a bit fussy, but she enjoys riding in the stroller and talking with the other moms who are running. I ran 2 miles (and am a bit tired now) and then we came home, showered and ran back out the door to her dance class, which we've decided to resume for the month of July.
After dance we went to a new friend's house, which she loved, but had a bit of a meltdown when I told her she couldn't share a fruit roll-up with her new friend.
It's much easier to control our food intake when we're at home or I pack food to take with us. It's hard to tell her that we can't eat the food other people offer us and I never want to come across as judging the choices that other families make.
It was time to head home anyway, so it wasn't too bad. When we got home she scarfed down her cucumbers, orange bell peppers and hummus dip along with her water, and then fell asleep.
Looking forward to another family night and maybe a bike ride!

Life Overhaul

Day 1-
Today our family has begun what we're calling our "life overhaul". After simply existing in a state of mediocrity for awhile now we've decided that we are no longer going to allow life to pass by without making the most of it.
So after talking it over with my husband for quite some time, we've decided to jump in and give it our all for the next 30 days, and hopefully thereafter. At the end of the 30 days we'll reassess where we're at and what we'd like to continue to do and what we'd like to do differently.
The reason why I'm calling it a "life overhaul" is because these decisions to live differently are going to permeate every aspect of our lives.
For starters we've committed to the following:
-Eating a Paleo diet, consisting of grass-fed meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds
-Exercising multiple days each week
-We will watch no television and limit our screen time on our computers and phones
-Create and commit to a schedule and routine for ourselves and our daughter
-Live each day to the fullest, making the most of every opportunity and relationship we encounter
-Live on a budget by planning out meals and expenses

Personally this means that my days will be more organized and filled with meal planning & creation, managing my home within a schedule and making it a more peaceful place to be, choosing the best foods for me and my family and using our bodies daily as we get out and are more active.
You see, our evenings had become filled with finding something to watch on Netflix (instant streaming is dangerous!) after dinner and finally rushing to get ready for and in bed. There has been little structure and routine for our sweet daughter, almost 2 years old, and making our evenings and also our days slightly chaotic. She resists routine and has been fighting bedtime, thus staying up later and later, waking up in the morning later, napping during the day later and thus the cycle continues.
For me I am also doing the 40 day Love Dare challenge for my marriage. Today I'm on Day 3 and it's helping me to simply open my eyes to the needs of my husband and our marriage and improve and be proactive where I can.
I want to live my life proactively. That doesn't mean that I want my days to be filled with running around and crazy busyness. Quite the opposite. I want to live intentionally, making choices whether to go to playdates or to stay home and have periods of downtime and rest. I want to nourish and care for my body - afterall we only get one! I don't want to feel like a slug after eating a meal or at the end of each day, to have unused energy. I want to crawl into bed each night utterly spent, knowing that I truly lived that day.
I credit a friend of mine who recently posted that her family does not own a TV. They are simply too busy living life that they wouldn't have time to watch one even if they did!
That post opened my eyes and encouraged me to take a look at those friends that I admire for the way they live their lives and love their families. They are intentional and their lives are beautiful. I want mine to be the same.