Day 4: A Final Christmas Celebration

Today...

My children worked on a craft together for almost an hour. After breakfast I put out blue construction paper and a tub of winter foam stickers that we picked up at Target on a 70% off clearance. The two of them made winter scenes, and not only did it keep them occupied for a very long time, but they didn't argue at all. 

All of us drove an hour north for a belated Christmas clebration with some our best friends. We went up after lunch, which gave the kids a nice nap in the car. It was great to spend time with our friends, catching up, celebrating the holidays and discussing the upcoming birth of their baby. We stayed until 8:30, which meant we got home close to ten. By the time we put the kids to bed, I didn't even think about posting on the blog. So, full disclosure, this post is a day late. Oops! It's a good lesson for me to be aware of evening plans, and post ahead if needed. 

Day 3: More Snow

Today...

My sweet 3 year old woke up eager to see the snow. She was a little disappointed that there wasn't a big storm raging outside. Her disappointment grew when we told her it was too cold (wind chills in the negatives!) to play outside. Later in the day she made me so proud when her brother got hurt, because she got him his "Guys" (what we call lovies), an ice, and a tissue without being asked. I love seeing such kindness and caring between siblings. 

My energetic 2 year old got quite a boo-boo on his finger this morning. My husband was trying to put our sliding glass door back on it's track when, unbeknownst to him, little J stuck his thumb between the door and the jam. When my husband pushed it shut J's thumb was trapped. It bruised and swelled a tad, but after some mommy snuggles and love from his sister he was fine. 

I keep resolving to eat healthier and exercise. I've been getting in yoga and a few minutes of jogging every day, but I can't get a handle on the eating. My snacking and sugar/salt cravings are out of control. It's definitely something I need to keep working on! 

My husband spent the morning shoveling our driveway and walkway. (Also chatting with the other neighborhood men, out doing the same thing.) We have a wonderful neighborhood, with kind and caring neighbors. It was nice to see them all out there together. 

We had a super lazy day, other than my husband's shoveling. I will admit to being a bit stir-crazy! I'm hoping that if the winter continues to be very cold and snowy i'll be motivated to plan and implement fun activities for the kids. Yet another resolution to work on! ;) 

Day 2: Snow Day

Today...

My sweet 3 year old had a tough day. Lots of emotions and moodiness. I think the post-holiday blues have set in a bit. All the rush, fun and excitement are over and it can be quite a let-down. Even I feel sad that my favorite time of year is coming to an end, so I can understand where she's coming from. I just need to work on having more patience with her during those moody moments. 

My energetic 2 year old had a blast playing outside in the snow. His rosy cheeks and giggles of delight made all of us smile. 

I broke my no yelling at the kids resolution this morning, and got really upset at myself about it. Yelling is a bad habit that I've developed, and I'm determined to break it in 2014. I've spent the rest of the day reminding myself that a bad habit like this can take a long time to break, and the best I can do is keep working on it and not give up. 

My husband was out all morning running errands for me, and when he came home we all went out for family time in the snow. Watching him was almost as much fun as watching the kids, he had so much fun with them! 

We had one of my favorite and easiest to make meals for dinner tonight. Of course, it's a crock-pot meal! That thing rivals the coffee pot as my favorite kitchen appliance. (Although when push comes to shove, the coffee pot totally wins.)

Crock-Pot Tuscan Italian Chicken

INGREDIENTS
4-5 Chicken breasts, cut in half (if they're really big, I cut them in 3 strips)
1 Bottle of Trader Joe's Tuscan Italian Dressing

DIRECTIONS
Grease the sides and bottom of the crock-pot (makes clean up much easier.)
Place chicken in bottom of pot
Pour entire bottle of dressing on top
Cover
Cook on low for 4 hours (Stick to that 4 hour cooking time. Any longer and the chicken dries out. Had that happen today for the first time. Kept it in for 5 hours. It was dry but still delicious. I'll be extra careful next time though!)

And that's it! So easy, so good. I almost can't call it a recipe, it's so easy.

*I served it with pilaf rice, steamed peas, and baked Sweet Potato chunks on the side

Day 1: Happy New Year!

****Happy New Years Day 2014****

TODAY...

My sweet 3 year old girl played the letter game with me at dinner. We were both finished with our meal and waiting for the rest of our family to finish so we could have dessert. She was getting restless so we took turns asking each other what letter different words start with. This turned into a 30 minute game, and I was bursting with pride at how quickly she could sound out the letters. 

My energetic 2 year old boy did quite a bit of testing today, namely in the "throwing things" department. But, right before his nap he asked me to lie with him on the floor. We cuddled for about 5 minutes, during which I snuggled him close and breathed in his almost-not-a-baby-anymore-but-still-so-sweet scent. 

I accomplished day 1 of my New Years goals. I did 15 minutes of yoga, which I plan to do every day, and I sat down to write this blog post. (Even though I almost forgot, oops!)

My helpful husband finished cooking dinner for me while I sat on the floor and played with the kids for a few minutes. He then did all the clean-up while I performed the pre-bedtime rituals with the children. I am definitely going to miss him when he goes back to work at the end of this month!

We rang in the New Year quietly and with little fanfare, but it was still a perfect, peaceful family day!