It's gonna be jumpin'

 Ah, the joys of an entire warehouse filled with enormous inflatable playhouses.  You can bounce, you can jump, you can run, you can climb, you can spin, you can slide.

Oh yes, and I suppose Lily had fun too.

Last week I finally took Lily to this bounce house playground down the street from us.  Although it took her some time to get over her fear of the noisy generators and the giant balloon houses she was certain would collapse at any moment at trap her inside, she had a blast.  We were there for hours, runnning from one brightly-colored house to another in a giddy, zany quest to beat the world record for the most bounces in a single afternoon.

By the time I dragged an exhausted and exhilarated Lily from this wonderland of excitement, we were both sweaty and deliciously spent from our day of fun.

I'll admit that I was  bit nervous about this activity.  Lily was just *so* excited.  I was worried that it wouldn't be all she was hoping for and my little girl would be disappointed.  My worries escalated when we walked into the room and she shrank into my side, eyes engulfing her little face, and started shaking.

But then we found the toddler play area and I breathed a sigh of relief.  It was just a small inflatable, not an enclosed house, and Lily got to cut her teeth, so to speak, on the whole bounce house experience.  Gradually, she got used to the idea and soon she was bouncing like a pro.

It was a great place to take her.  Everything was clean and in order.  They had sanitizing wipes outside each bounce house, and they even had a sectioned off area filled with toys in case kids grew tired of bouncing.  There was a snack bar with - get this - healthy snacks.  No candy bars or cans of soda here.  No sir.  This snack bar was filled with apples, oranges, bananas, juice and water.

Happy kids, happy moms and affordable prices.  It was the perfect, cheap activity to exhaust the bug into passing out two hours before her normal bedtime (and sleeping 30 minutes later than usual the next morning). 

I was worried about overstimulating, thinking it would be too much for her.  But seriously, what's not to love about this place?  I don't plan on going everyday, but I could handle once a week.

The quietest and most constant friends

Notable books I've read this week:

Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen:  I've been debating whether or not I would read this book for some time.  I generally stay clear of Oprah Book Club selections.  But I'm glad I bit the bullet this time.  It was a very interesting read and I'd never read a book written entirely from the viewpoints of characters outside of the action.  Am I glad I read it?  Yes.  Would I read it again?  No.  But I couldn't put it down once I started it.  Compelling, I suppose would be the best word for it.  I still can't decide if I liked it or hated it, though.

Squirrel seeks Chipmunk, by David Sedaris:  Not everyone likes Mr. Sedaris' style, but I love him.  I've read every book he's written and enjoyed this one just as much as I expected to. 

Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova:  This was a touching story that I read in one late-night sitting, much to my detriment, as I could barely drag myself out of bed the next morning.  Definitely recommended.  I'll warn you, though, it is a tear-jerker.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein:  This one has been on my list for a while, but I was determined to read it this year.  It is a book about a philosophizing dog.  'Nough said.  Loved it!


My list of books to read this year, which began at 237, has grown to 293.  I think I need to stop adding to it, or I'll never reach the end before 2012.  But I am enjoying making my way through it. I've never read with any sort of purpose before (other than for school).  I'd always just picked books that seemed interesting to me at the moment.  Having a reading list has sort of focused my efforts and changed the way I read, if that makes sense.  My favorite book from this week was definitely Left Neglected.  Followed very closely by The Art of Racing in the Rain.  Both are fabulous for different reasons.

I am so grateful for books.  All my life I have had a near-obsessive relationship with the written word.  I read everything and anything I can get my hands on.  There has not been a single day since about the fourth grade that I haven't read something for pleasure.  My mom couldn't take me to a store without me begging her for a new book, and once I got my own library card, I always had the maximum number of books checked out, rotating my fifteen books every two weeks.  There were times I read two or three books a day. 

As I said, it has often bordered on obsession. 

And, despite the fact that I doubt I had much to do with it, I am very proud that Lily shares my love of reading.

These are her favorite books.  She knows each one well enough to "read" them to her baby dolls.  She loves story time with her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  She reads to them everyday.  Between reading to her toys, me reading to her, and her reading to herself with her tag pen or her v.reader, I would estimate that she reads about two or three hours a day.  She will almost aways choose reading over any other activity when we're home.  Just as she will almost always prefer a trip to the bookstore over a trip to the toy store.

I am not saying this to brag, but rather to express my gratitude that I can share something as important to me as reading with my daughter.  I know I say this a lot, but I couldn't have asked for a greater kid than Lily.  Just when I think I can't possibly love her more, she gives me more reasons to do just that.

Listening to July Fame, by Laura Veirs.  I got it free on itunes so I wasn't expecting to love it, but I do.  Go figure.

Surf & Sunshine

What's that? you ask.  A trip to the beach in January?

Yep.  That's just how we roll in the south, my friends. 

While it wasn't one of our oh-so-fun splashing and diving adventures, we had a blast going to the beach today. 

Lily collected sea shells for her fairy house (pictures to come, I promise)

Then we enjoyed a lovely, relaxing picnic on the water. 

After we'd gotten our fill of sunshine and water, we went to a cafe for some hot chocolate before heading to a local bookstore.

It was a great, relaxing, sunny day.  There are times when I wish I lived somewhere where it snowed, but then I remember how very much I hate the cold and how much I crave sunlight on overcast days, and I come to my senses.

Because really?  Who wouldn't want to go to the beach in January?

I scream, you scream...

I've been trolling the internet for raw and sugar-free recipes recently and stumbled across several for raw ice cream.  As disgusting as that may sound, I've fiddled with the recipes to come up with a delicious concoction that is every bit as tasty and satisfying as regular ice cream.  I used nothing more than what you see above and I ended up with two pints of ice cream.  Keep in mind, my recipes are not exactly raw.  But they're still healthier than store-bought.  I promise, you'll never go back to regular ice cream again. 

Sugar-free Chocolate Ice Cream

1 cup cashews
1 cup rice milk
3/4 cup honey
1 apple
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
2 tblsp coconut (I like coconut.  If you don't like it, don't put it in because you can definitely taste it)

Put it all in your food processor (or blender) and mix. I got a new ice cream maker to try this out in ($20 from Target. It's small, but perfect for the three of us.), but I'm sure you could play with the recipe and come up with something that will work in a blender. Maybe add frozen fruit or ice?

We ate this one right out of the ice cream maker bowl, so the consistency was like soft serve.  Creamy, but not solid enough to scoop.  It was sweet and chocolatey and perfect to curb your cravings.  Between the two of us, we ate the entire batch.

Sugar-free Blueberry-Bannana Ice Cream

1 1/4 cup cashews
1 1/2 cup rice milk
3/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
1 bananas

Again, just puree it all in your food pocessor and dump it into you ice cream maker.  Follow the instructions, and voila!  You have a creamy, delicious ice cream that is also healthy.  We made this one after the chocolate and were all ice creamed out, so we stuck it in the freezer.  Three hours later, it was frozen enough to make lovely, heaping scoops for our bowls.

There are other ingredients you can use in place of sugar. We tried dates with our first batch (I don't have any pictures, but it was strawberry), and while it tasted good and creamy, it was also quite grainy. We all ate it, but when we used apples instead of dates, the texture was much better.

Lily can't get enough of it.  And she loves helping me make it. 

While we were making some this morning, we were listening to music and Lily kept slapping her legs saying, "Stop that!"  When I asked her why, she said "because I don't want them to dance.  I'm making ice cream right now."  She always seems to make everything more fun, this girl of mine.
 
Next I am going to test out pureed dates to make healthier brownies.  Wish me luck.

Listening to Never Had Nobody Like You by M. Ward.  It features Zooey Deschanel, who I was surprised to find has an amazing singing voice.

The greatest wealth is health

Lily has been sick for two days.  Well, not sick, exactly, but definitely not well.  Everytime she eats something, her tummy hurts.  Since she hasn't thrown up but is still bent over clutching her stomach, I assume it is cramping pains.  But how do you explain the difference to a preschooler who has no frame of reference?  I tell you, it sure isn't easy. 

Here are my theories.  As you know, I banished sugar from our house for a couple of weeks. The reason I did this is Lily was complaining about stomach aches after the holidays.  Again, it only happened when she ate.  I assumed that, since she didn't have any other symptoms, it was the overload of sugar.  So after two weeks sugar free, she was fine.  In fact, her appetite and energy improved drastically.  Last week I introduced sugar again.  Now, while I've been more aware and careful about the sugary treats she gets this week, she's still gotten quite a bit.  Not everyday, as it was (or multiple times a day, rather), but several times a week. 

Apparently, that wasn't good enough. 

So I've been scouring my cookbooks trying to come up with a meal plan that will exclude sugar (except on VERY rare occassions) while still being tasty enough for the discerning preschooler's palate.  It's actually been pretty fun.  And I've come up with several recipes we all really love.

My two favorite, so far, are the raw spinach and tomato dip and the sugarless honey apple cake.  I'm excited to come up with more.  It is kind of like chemistry, finding alternatives for the ingredients we use so often in recipes.  Namely, sugar and dairy.  I have a renewed determination to teach Lily that healthy eating can still taste delicious. 

Raw Spinach-Tomato Dip

Spinach
Tomatoes
almonds
cashews
olive oil
water
lemon juice
garlic cloves
sea salt
psyllim husk (this isn't neccessary, but it makes the dip thick and creamy)

I just added all the ingredients to my food processor.  Just play with it until you find the right amounts to suit you.  You can also add or take away any of the ingredients.  The cashews, almonds and psyllim husks are what give it the really creamy texture.  I seriously couldn't stop eating this.  ps:  You have to soak the cashews and almonds until they are tender.  I stuck mine in water overnight and they were perfect.

Sugar-Free Honey Apple Cake

2 large apples
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup honey
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the eggs, butter and applesauce. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, milk and honey. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture then pour in honey mixture. Mix well then fold in diced apples. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes and voila!  You have a delectable, sugar-free cake that is moist, slightly spicy and delicious.

One thing I've learned on this journey - and you should take note if you ever decide to eliminate sugar - is that sugar-free does not always equal healthy.  There are sugar substitutes out there that are as bad, if not worse, than sugar.  My new rule is that if it isn't natural and fresh (i.e., no processed sugars or syrups), then I won't use it.  I've even found raw honey at my local grocery store.  I like it better than regular honey.  That, and unsweetened applesauce, are the best substitutes I've found for sugar.  Honey is particularly good for you, since it is packed full of vitamins and antioxidant, plus it has a healthy glycemic index. It also has good carbohydrates to give you a boost of energy, to say nothing of the benefits for your skin.

I'll post the recipes I come up with as I test them and I'll let you know the results.  If anyone has any raw and/or sugar-free recipes he/she would like to share in the comments, I'd be very appreciative.

I have also been using these fabulous snack containers.  I got mine from Target, but I'm sure you could get them anywhere.  They were $5-something for a set of three.  I just fill them up with carrots, strawberries, grapes, crackers, etc. and throw them in my purse.  Five minutes of effort before leaving the house curbs my need to resort to fast food when the bug and I are out and about during the day.  Lily can open and close them easily, too, so she can eat at her leisure.

What I've learned so far is that eating healthy requires more effort than eating unhealthy.  But not that much more effort.  It is a matter of adding a couple of steps to your routine.  Plus, the extra time is a good opportunity to spend quality time with your kids.  Lily loves helping me cook and bake.  And she is learning about different ingredients and how to measure.  I'm compiling recipes and a list of substitutes as I go, which will make the whole process take less time down the road.  And by starting this now, I hope that Lily will grow up with a healthy mindset about food and her body image.  Plus, I fit into a pair of jeans I haven't fit into for a year.  Bonus.

And of course, you can't enter a cooking or baking endeavor without the proper tunes. I am particularly fond of Like Lavender by Horse Feathers

Ask your heart what it doth know

Books read:  Room, by Emma Donoghue.  Read it!  Seriously, it is the best book I've read in a while.

                    Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen.  Magical, whimsical and beautiful. 

                    Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen.  I love her.  Can't wait to read her other books

                   The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.  I'm a sap, so I cried throughout.  Highly recommended

I've had a lot on my mind this past week, what with our potential move to St. Augustine and all.  What?  You didn't know we were discussing such a move?  Well, Ernie has an opportunity to work in Jacksonville to help build up that branch of the company he works for.  If he decides to take the job, we'll be living in St. Augustine.  I have mixed feelings about this potential step and have been dragging my heels, but Lily and I are finally going there next week to diligently look for a house. 

Anyhow, the point of this tangent is that, with all this on my mind, I haven't been sleeping well.  The upside is that I've had hours of uninterrupted time at night to read.  The downside is that I've been an awful, sleepy grouch in the mornings.  But I have gotten a solid start on my reading list.  And so far I am quite impressed with my selections.  Sarah Addison Allen, in particular, has inspired my love and devotion.  Her books are definitely quirky, but that is what makes them so fantastic.  Her writing is so very lovely that I wish I could just bathe in her words and let them seep into my skin.

Anyhow, on to the real reason you've all stopped by.  Updates on the bug.

Lily is on a jumping kick lately.  She takes great pride in her skill as a jumper.  Everyday she gets on her trampoline and jumps so high she's practically flying.  She likes to do "trick jumps", which generally consist of some fancy footwork and a lot of spinning mid-air.

Ernie's job in Louisiana is wrapping up in the next few weeks.  He'll be taking some time off to spend with us, but then he'll be off to another job in Austin.  I'm really not looking forward to it.  Things have been hard enough commuting between Charleston and Louisiana.  Austin adds an extra ten hours to the drive.  I'm trying to be optimistc and planning trips to visit.  Austin is an awesome town and I'm excited to explore it with Lily.  But realistically, I doubt we'll be there as often as I'd like.  After this job, things should settle down and his traveling will be kept to a minimum.  In the meantime, I'm trying to pack in as much time with him in as I can before he has to go. 

He's a sport, considering he wakes up at 4:00 every morning for work.  But he always makes time for us when we are all together.

In other news, I have sort of halfway committed to giving up naptime with Lily.  Lately she has been staying up late (just lying in bed, mind you, but still awake), and it is driving me nuts.  Then she'll make up for it by taking a three-to-four hour nap in the afternoon.  So I've been setting her up with a pillow and blanket on the couch during naptime.  I've told her she doesn't have to sleep, but she has to relax.  So I put on a movie and she chills for an hour or so.  It seems to have solved our problems at night, but I really miss naptime.  I use it to work and clean and blog and, if I have time, read a bit.  I haven't fully committed to the no-nap thing, but right now I don't know what else to do. 

So that's our life in a nutshell.  This week is looking to be a crazy one, but I'm excited.  I enjoy change and am looking forward to our next adventure.  With good tunes, good company and plenty of good books at my disposal, I'm sure I'll enjoy the journey.

Listening to Rambling Man by Laura Marling.  I heart her.

Warm as a summer, Fresh as a spring

We've had a rather lovely week.  Ernie had some time off work this week, so we got to spend a few fun days with him.  Days like these are a rarity lately, which makes me appreciate them all the more.

We didn't do anything terribly thrilling with our days, but somehow they were still fun.  Like yesterday.  We bundled up the bug and took her to the park.  She kicked her ball to her heart's content.

Being an Arizona girl, I am horrible at anticipating the cold weather, so we got caught without a hat for Lily.  Good thing I had an extra scarf in the car.  Doesn't my little babushka look darling?

Lily discovered this giant statue-thing and insisted we take a picture.  There was no plaque, so your guess is as good as mine as to what the thing is meant to be.  My guess, seeing as how we were in Louisiana, was that it was a funky fleur di lis.

We played on the really awesome jungle gym at the playground.  I'd like to mention that Lily has gotten so much more coordinated lately (she definitely doesn't take after her Mama there) and is now zipping through the jungle gym at lightening speed.  She's still afraid of heights, but the fear is limited to tall slides and those fireman-pole-type contraptions. 

And of course, we couldn't go to the park without swinging on the swings.

And the tractor.  Lily dug the tractor.  But seriously?  What kid could pass this baby by without taking it for a spin?

Oh, and it would hardly be a visit to Daddy's without getting her fair share of tickles.

After the park, we were frozen solid and starving, so we went to this burger place inside the Amtrak station next to the playground.  They advertised their world famous burgers in neon signs in the windows, so of course I was skeptical. Imagine my surprise to discover they weren't lying.  These were some tasty burgers.  And I couldn't get enough of the sweet potato fries.

Lily, who had not had a nap and had consumed a massive portion of chocolate cake, suddenly couldn't keep still and turned into quite the silliest little girl in all of creation.  I couldn't fathom why ;)

Pictures of all three of us are so rare, so we played the obnoxious tourist role and made the waitress snap one while we were there.

More memories of the sugar high.  I think after being off sugar for two weeks, she was particularly hyper from it this time.

Don't be fooled by the tiny plate.  The actual cake was about the size of her head. 

And as we were waiting for our check, Lily kept herself occupied by making napkin drawings.  This is a face (notice the eyes, mouth, tooth and tongue).

So we didn't plan anything exciting, but it was a lovely week filled with little family outings and memories to take with us when we leave him again next week.  I honestly think this week will remain in my memory as one of my all-time favorites.  And all we did was go to the park or walk around the neighborhood.  I know I dedicate a lot of this blog to Lily, but I have to mention how very much I love Ernie.  He is an amazing person and I couldn't imagine my life without him.  He is supportive, loving and indulgent with me and with Lily.  Our family is better for having him in it.

Beauty is nature's brag

Some pretty pictures on a pretty day. 

Today we went looking for acorns and pine cones to decorate the fairy house we are building.

I took advantage of the nice light and colors to take some pictures of the bug (okay, so I don't really need a excuse to take pictures of her, but I wanted some nice ones for our family wall.)

It was a frigid day (I think it was in the twenties with the wind chill), but it was nice to get out of the house.  Lily and I love our walks and we love the outdoors, so we were both going kinda crazy being stuck inside by the rain the past two days.

And doesn't she just look darling in her winter coat?  I got it for $2.50 at Once Upon a Child in Charleston.

When we went back inside, we both had a renewed gratitude for the warm indoors.  We snuggled up with steaming mugs of hot cocoa (our first bit of sugar since the moratorium ended today) and watched Cinderella together.

Right now I am listening to this while Lily draws her fifteenth picture of a flower garden. She insists that I put each one on the refrigerator. The poor thing now appears to be papered in child drawing.  Fun times, yes?