Loving my Kids on Purpose

I've been so convicted lately about spending every possible moment I can loving on my kids. I feel like we are in the "honeymoon" phase of life right now....not that we don't have hard days or problems or stresses to deal with. But we realize that we're in a position right now where we are so enjoying each and every one of our kids and they still love being with us! With Lauren finishing elementary school in just 3 short weeks and Daniel starting kindergarten in the fall, my life is so different than it was just 4 years ago. And I am both painfully and estatically aware of that. There once was a time when my life (not long ago at all) revolved around days at the park, long walks pushing strollers and long afternoon naps followed by early bedtime. I remember watching my friend Cynthia, who has 4 kids and is about 3 years ahead of me with parenting, and wondering how she manages all of the sports, homework, lack of sleep and bigger people to take care of. Now that person is me! We aren't overcommitted in the way of activities and sports yet, but every day is busy with homework, friends,commitments and activities. And no nap time! I have always been strict when it came to afternoon naps....not only because my kids needed them, but because mommy did, too. Now I can't tell you the last time I laid down and took a nap during the week (I do try to sneak upstairs on Sunday afternoons for a short little nap). Life has it's ups and downs. There are days when I would go back to 4 little kids 6 and under, two in diapers at any given time, and lots of sleepless nights just to snuggle in bed with a newborn or watch Eric nap with a baby on his chest. But I also love our family vacations where everyone can hike, bike and play together. Or the (almost) weekly trips to Disneyland where we are free of diapers, a change of clothes, strollers and all of the things one must pack with a brood of little ones. I feel so blessed that I've been home for the last 12 years doing what I love...being a mom. This is something I've wanted since I was little. And I was blessed with a mom who was a great example to me and made me want to be a mom (except I had no idea how much work it was! Laundry, cooking, dishes,....when do you get it all done?) Eric and I have launched into the world of franchise ownership with Bricks 4 Kidz, which has added another distraction to our lives. But staying focused on the purpose helps me manage my time when they are at school so I can be with them when they are home. We named our company Future Builders....we want to build a strong future for our children by being able to save more money for college, we want to build our retirement funds and we want to build engineering and math skills using LEGO bricks into other children who are a part of our program. So today, as I enter the last three weeks with my preschooler and our precious time together, I want to stop and celebrate. I want to hold those little chubby baby fat hands that are disappearing. I want to put down my computer so my kids can crawl freely into my lap and let me love on them. I want to manage my time when they are at school so I'm available to help with projects, reports, spelling lists or hurt feelings. Today I want to be the mom I aspire to be.

Blogging update!

I was reviewing my goals from the last year and realized I slipped up in a big way! I had every intention to take a picture every day, keep the blog updated at least every other week and so many more goals. I'm looking at the blog only to realize I haven't posted anything since March! Time to get busy sharing memories and updating, I guess!

The funniest part is the flying reindeer on my front page. I added him last year and never got around to removing him. So now it's the perfect addition!

Enjoy some of the following posts and let me know if you view these. Sometimes I feel like I'm blogging and no one is looking or cares. If I know someone is watching, then maybe I'll do more!

Merry Christmas!

Natalie

Danny's Fourth Birthday!

My baby is 4! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. My days of diapers, strollers and baby cribs have quickly been replaced with sports, homework and the start of preteen drama. I'm thinking those crazy days and nights be easier than the opposite...4 teenagers at once!

I'm reminded every day of the need to be happy where I'm at when I'm there. To enjoy the little handprints on the walls, the calls in the night asking me to come cuddle and the neverending trips back and forth to school 5 times a day....it's time with my children that I can't ever get back.

So here's a few photos of the kids celebrating with Daniel on his 4th birthday. We had an impromptu family night out to celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese. Oh, joy!

What's for Dinner?

Like most moms,the job of what's for dinner can be a bit overwhelming. How do I balance what's important to me:
* the need for lots of veggies
* variety and spice
* healthy proteins
* "clean" menus (no preservatives, nothing artifical or packaged or processed)
* gluten free (we have celiac disease)

I am also struggling with the conundrum of cooking low calorie for myself while trying to see how many calories I can add to my kids meals (they need as many additional calories as I can get them right now).

Then add in convenience, expense, and time.

Today was a great success in all of the above ways, so I wanted to take a few minutes to post the recipes so you can share them with your family!

Thai Curried Veggies with Quinoa (from the Cozi website)
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2-3 Tbsp cooking oil
2-3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen, or your choice
¾ cup Trader Joe's Yellow Thai Curry sauce (I used the red version)
suggested vegetables: canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed), slice onions, fresh spinach, frozen green peas, diced cauliflower,broccoli, mushrooms, thinly sliced carrots

Preparation
1.Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside. I use 25% vegetable broth when I cook the quinoa to give it additional flavor.
2.Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until onions begin to soften. (I use coconut oil....it is supposed to be the best)
3.If using hard, raw vegetables like carrots or cauliflower, add them next and saute until just softened (3-5 minutes).
4.If using frozen vegetables, saute for 3-5 minutes until full defrosted and warmed through.
5.Add chickpeas (if using) and stir until warmed through.
6.Add the sauce and bring the curry to a simmer.
7.Serve over quinoa or rice. It is great topped with toasted coconut and diced peanuts.

I made this after school but before we went to the gym. I just dumped it in my crock pot to keep it warm until we were finished working out. The house smelled great and everyone ate it. It was also great today for lunch!

When I went to Henry's, they had their boneless, skinless chicken tenders on sale, so i grabbed 3 packages. I threw two in the freezer and used one to make two dinners. I had both made and ready to go in just 25 minutes!

Chili Verde in the crock pot
Can of pinto beans
Small can of diced green chilis
3 cups chicken broth
additional water
1 lb boneless, skinless breasts or chicken tenders
1 t cumin
3/4 t dried oreagno
1/8 t. cloves
1/8 t. cayenne
1 t minced garlic
1 t salt
2/3 cup onion (I sauteed mine before adding...either way is fine)
Other items after cooking: Tortillas, salsa, monterey jack or pepper jack cheese

Throw in the crock pot and let it cook all day! Depending on how much water you use, you can serve it as a soup or heat up some corn tortillas and serve as chicken tacos. Yummy and so easy!

Meal #3:
Peanut Chicken
Cook 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice. While it cooks, prepare peanut sauce. As chicken simmers, saute some spinach with garlic and cut a fresh pineapple into wedges.

You can cook ahead or have the entire meal ready in 20 minutes!
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t. salt
14 t. crushed red pepper
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 pound chicken tenders
1 t. olive or coconut oil

In blender on high speed, blend tomato juice, cilantro, peanut butter, garlic, salt and crushed red pepper until pureed.
Mix cinnamon and cumin....stir in chicken tenders.
In nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil over heat until hot. Add tenders and cook, turning, until browned.
Pour peanut butter mixture and diced tomatoes over chicken, heat to boiling. reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered, 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Serve over a bed of rice with fresh pineapple and sauteed spinach!

Happy Eating!!!

It's the little things...

Today is a beautiful day for many reasons. First, the sun is shining and it's warming up! We've had so much rain over the past few months that our usually sunny skies have been hidden behind streams of rain and dark, stormy clouds and cold temperatures (yes, it's all relative...cold here is anything below 60...call me a weather snob).

In truth, I enjoy the break from the endless days of sun...they give me a reason to cuddle up with the kids, watch a movie, or work on an indoor project without feeling like we should be on a bike ride, swimming in the pool or hiking through the parks. I love stormy clouds and weather, and I miss the storms we used to have while growing up in Oklahoma...loud claps of thunder, strong winds, and even an occasional hailstorm. It's just not the same here in California.

But, hey, today's the day for the kids to get outside and play! Our big gift this year was a 14 foot trampoline in the backyard...bounce, bounce, bounce out that energy! They have more energy than I know what to do with, and they start bouncing off the walls when trapped inside for longer than say, 10 minutes? So having the opportunity to get out and play makes the day just BEAUTIFUL!

Here's a photo of the boys on the trampoline eating their favorite snack...frozen blueberries. Just yummy frozen blueberries by the bowlful! The only downside is their stained hands and faces. A small price to pay for a bowl full of happiness and health!

To blog or not to blog, that is the question....

To blog or not to blog, that is the question! I enjoy keeping in touch with family and friends, writing the funny stories that happen to us every day, and expressing my thoughts and feelings while tuning up my writing skills, but I often wonder, "is anyone out there even reading this thing?" So, I've decided that whether people read it or not, I'm setting a goal to blog at least twice a month, and hopefully more often than that! That way, I can incorporate my blog into my scrapbooks so we can celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly of everyday family life.

There's always something going on around here, and we're always taking photos, so even if I can just get the chance to post a few pics, then you can follow us on here. I've posted a few short photo clips to get you up-to-date on our family over the past few months. As time allows, I will try to post some of our 2010 highlights.

Please let me know if you like something by commenting on my posts or emailing me at nataliefrailey@gmail.com. If I know even one person is reading, I'll keep writing!

Merry Christmas!!!

No More Braces!

After 18 months with braces, Lauren finally had hers removed! She was really excited, and I checked her out of school early for the first time. She got two retainers that are decorated to look like ladybugs...I'm just hoping the bright colors keep her from throwing them out with her lunch! She may have to get "phase 2" in a few years to help her lower jaw grow (thanks to sucking her thumb when she was much younger!) We'll see...right now, we're just happy to see her in her retainers!

Lauren and Daddy at the Disney Dance

Every year, Eric and Lauren get dressed in their best and head to the Disneyland hotel for a Father/Daughter dance. It is one of the highlights of the year for both of them. They dance, take pictures, eat lunch and just have a great time together and with their Adventure Princess friends. Here are a few photos of Lauren and her daddy this year.

Celebrating Zac's 6th Birthday

On Friday night, after a long week of holiday parties and the end of school, we celebrated Zachary's sixth birthday with a movie night. The plan was to put up the big screen, put out the lawn chairs and enjoy Toy Story 3 under the stars. The weather had other plans. It seems we are experiencing what the newscasters are calling "the pineapple express," a week long 3,000 mile stretch of rainy storms. It hasn't rained this much since we've lived here, and now it won't stop.

Needless to say, we had to move the party indoors. That was a lot of fun...15 kindergarten boys, three girls, Daniel, and his friend Mikey, 2. It was nonstop chaos, but Zac enjoyed the night and so did we! I popped 16 bags of popcorn, most of which ended up on the carpet.

Daniel's Bible Study Performance

Daniel and I go to Community Bible Study every Wednesday. I am studying 1 Peter right now, and Daniel is learning lessons from the bible every week. He is a little sponge and soaks so much of God's word. He is also memorizing scripture, which he repeats to the family at dinner many nights. Last week, he had his performance and he was so funny. Here are a few photos of our littlest performer.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Well, it's time to go back to school! Lauren and Jacob just finished their first full week and Zac had his first full day of preschool yesterday. Danny had his first day at home with mom...his first in a long time! Everything went well, and we're excited about a new year of friends, fun and family. Here are a few photos from the week...

May Highlights

This month has seen many things wrap up. We've finished bible study, celebrated Mother's Day at school with Zac and Lauren got braces! Although it seems like time for school to be out, we still have three weeks left. We both have such fond memories of Memorial Day weekend, which arrives tomorrow. We plan to head down to the beach and spend time with friends, but will miss our family weekends at the Lake in Texas and family trips canoeing on the Big Piney.

Lauren and I had our first date in a long time....Eric and the boys went to a Nascar style racing event and left us home alone for an entire evening. We had a great time getting pedicures, going to dinner, dressing up and taking a bubble bath! Lauren was such a little lady, and I caught a glimpse of what the future holds with a "big" girl!

Eric and Jacob traveled to VA over Mother's Day weekend to say goodbye to Eric's grandfather and grandmother. They were both special to us, and will be missed. We will be traveling to Arlington National Cemetary in August for the burial of his grandfather, and will stay for a week in DC/Yorktown, VA to see the Frailey family.

The kids started piano last month, and are enjoying their crazy teacher and fun class. We go on Thursday afternoons. We also joined the YMCA, and are really enjoying our time there working out, swimming and playing with lots of other children! We work out while the kids are having fun with their friends in an outdoor play area, and then we meet up for swimming. The pool is very warm, 88 degrees, so that makes it very fun to swim! It was really fun when Daniel had diarrhea in his swimsuit and they had to close the pool for two days! Duck and run!

Spring 2009

Here are a few photos around here over the last few weeks! We had a great Easter and participated in many festivities. We went to church on Saturday afternoon, and spent Sunday relaxing as a family in San Clemente on the beach.

Jacob is missing his two front teeth...just in time for his seventh birthday! We celebrated with a Movie Night party in the back street, and then Eric and Jacob went to Knott's Berry Farm the following day!

Lauren is getting braces in two weeks, and is actually excited about it! She and Eric just returned from a fun weekend at the Calico Ghost town where they had a country/western dance, went hiking in caves and enjoyed time together.

Zac is my little "cuddlebug." Every day, he calls me his cuddlebug and tells me at least 25 times how much he loves me. He is such a sweet boy. He loves school, and is very social and outgoing..He's never met a stranger!

Danny is getting bigger every day, and does everything he can to keep up with the rest of the family. He is talking in complete sentences most of the time, even though you can only understand 50% of what he says. The kids love figuring out what he is saying! They all love him to pieces.

That's about all this month in our family! We're looking forward to our big trip this summer to OK/TX in July. Let us know your schedule so we can make time to be together!