Month: September 2014

Motherhood Moments: I’m WHAT?

It’s time I let you all in on a little secret. If some of you have noticed a lull in my posting for the past few months it is for one simple reason.

I’m pregnant.

Yep. Over our anniversary trip to Alaska, Mountain Dad and I discovered that we have a third baby on the way. This was a surprise, unexpected but not necessarily unwanted, at least by me.

I grew up as the middle child of NINE and as a girl always imagined having a smallish family of six kids. Then I got married, had two kids and two miscarriages and realized how impossible six children would be in my life.

Kids are hard! They’re fun, loveable and joyful but they’re also a LOT of work.

This summer (on the same anniversary trip) I read the book All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting by Jennifer Senior. In it Senior describes the affect of children on their parents and how having children reshapes you as a person. She also discusses how social changes in the last century have affected society’s view of children from an economic asset to a purely emotional one. It was an interesting book to read the week I discovered I was expecting again.

The prospect of having another baby has been tough to come to terms with, especially for Mountain Dad who had said several times that he was content with two kids. Thankfully he has been nothing but supportive, recognizing that we both are responsible for this new life and that our capacity as parents (to love, be patient, deal with stress) can expand to envelop another child.

Perhaps because this pregnancy was unexpected, or maybe because I’m older than before, the last 16 weeks have involved lying on my couch, nauseous agony and dreading having to put food in my mouth 80% of every day. It has only been in the last two weeks that I have felt capable of semi normalness, and even so I have to take a rest every afternoon.

More than anything I feel lazy, so I have taken to reminding myself that while lying on the couch I’m doing more than just resting – I’m growing tiny bones, organs, feet, hands and an adorable face. This season of my life is mirroring the one outside my door. Instead of putting my energy into externally visible pursuits, like the leaves in the mountains around me I am shedding my excess burdens for a time.

I know this blog is about being outdoors but unlike Tanya Koob, Chasqui Mom, Meghan Ward and Amy Hatch I am a tired pregnant woman. I will not be biking, snowboarding (so sad) or climbing mountains throughout this pregnancy. I will be enjoying the outdoors in a more restful way, like going on picnics with my family or watching the tots play in the leaves outside. Sometimes that’s what life calls for, and I’m just answering the call.

LiVewell Healthy Lunches Weekend Picnic – GIVEAWAY

Little G saw how fun Big E’s lunches have been this week so we decided to have a family picnic so she could have a fun packed lunch too. But this time we decided on Breakfast for Lunch!

Here’s what we packed:

  • Waffles and syrup
  • Yogurt
  • Fruit
  • Carrots and dip
In the case of these whole grain waffles I used a mixture of rice, potato, corn and aramanth flours and made them at home so Big E could eat them too, despite his wheat allergy. And I know carrots aren’t really a breakfast food, but I try to have at least one vegetable and one fruit for every meal and I couldn’t think of a better breakfast vegetable. Thoughts?

This week of focusing on Healthy Lunches is part of Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVewell Healthy Lunches campaign where they are offering a GIVEAWAY! We’ve really enjoyed the Rubbermaid Lunchblox set and I know you will too. Make sure to sign in here for your chance to win one!

The Intermountain Healthcare LiVewell Page also has free printables on planning your own week of Healthy Lunches, be sure to check those out. Happy Lunching!

LiVewell Healthy Lunches with an Allergic Kid – GIVEAWAY

This week I’m participating in Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVewell Healthy Lunches campaign. They’ve provided me and other local bloggers some great info on meal planning and lunch suggestions for kids lunches as well as a Rubbermaid Lunchblox set. You could get one too – just enter here.

Some of you may not know this but Big E has some serious food allergies to wheat, eggs and nuts. Since wheat is the main ingredient in bread, cookies, crackers and basically everything it seems, it makes our lunch choices more limited. 

Although Big E does not have celiac disease, many of our foods at home are gluten free and homemade. At first, his limitations were hard to handle – no quick drive through dinners, encouraging other kids NOT to share with mine, making family dinner without serving bread (or cookies, muffins, donuts, cake). But over time it’s gotten easier, and despite carrying an EpiPen everywhere we go, Big E is an energetic, happy kid who just has to ask what’s in things before he eats them.

So for this lunch, I decided to use what I had – leftover Corn Chowder from the night before. Here’s what’s in this lunch:

  • Corn Chowder (keep it warm in a thermos!)
  • Multigrain crackers
  • String Cheese
  • Broccoli
  • Apple Sauce
Even with allergy constraints, I want my kids to have a good relationship with food, so I try to include a variety of healthy foods that my son likes. As all parents know, sometimes that’s not easy.

LiVewell Healthy Lunches Day 1 – GIVEAWAY!

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I’m not a food blogger, but food is an essential part of everyone’s day. The more energy my tots have, the more we can enjoy the outdoors together.

So when Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVewell crew invited me to be part of their Healthy School Lunches campaign and giveaway I accepted. Throughout this week look for our healthy lunch ideas and let me know what you pack for your kids’ lunch!

Part of the Healthy Lunches program was to try out the Rubbermaid Lunchblox that you all could win as part of this giveaway. Big E saw me putting together his lunch in the Bento Box style cube and immediately said “I want that for lunch!”

I think he liked the building block design, and I don’t blame him. His Healthy Lunch for today included:

  • Homemade Lunchables (whole grain crackers, cheese, salami)
  • Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas with Ranch Dressing
  • Raspberries
  • Water Bottle
Need ideas for what to pack for lunch? Check out Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVewell page for free tips, meal planners and sample guidelines, and don’t forget to pin it!