Happy Fat Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday...the day before Ash Wednesday...which means that February is almost half-way over.  What?!!!!

Tomorrow is also Paprika's 100th Day of School, and then Thursday is Valentine's Day, of course!  We decorated a little shoebox for her to bring to school as her Valentine's Day mailbox and we made our own Valentine's Day cards for her to pass out to her classmates.  (I will post pictures soon).  It's an exciting week in Paprika's life!  :-)

 




On the homefront, I have been cooking a lot. I know - weird, right??? - because I never cook! But I am cooking a lot lately.  And I am still juicing, of course.

I have been having horrible migraines and other health problems, and have figured out that it's an allergy to gluten (wheat). Well, that kinda turned my whole world upside down because wheat was the number one staple of my diet.

I had been gluten-free for about five weeks and then on Sunday, I had a flour tortilla...and well, the results were not pretty. I got so incredibly sick, it was horrible! So, needless to say, I have learned my lesson about cheating with gluten. ;-)

Last year I did basically an entire year of eating vegan, and I really liked that (I lost 65 pounds, too) - but I am also experimenting with reintroducing small amounts of fish and dairy back into my diet.

My plan for Lent is to cut out gluten entirely - which includes all flour, baked goods, wheat, bread, etc. I am also cutting out alcohol and chocolate! Alcohol is no biggie for me, but chocolate...wowza. That is a whole different story. Hahahahaha. I am also cutting out most grains (except brown rice) - and cutting out most sugar.

My hope is that all this will give me more energy, and that when I am craving all these things, I can pray about it and it will deepen my spiritual connection with God.

I realize this is more than anyone wants to hear - but it's my blog and I need to write it out so I can feel accountable!  Wish me luck!  :-)





The girls have been so creative and busy around the house.  We've been going to a lot of fun places, too (parks, out to eat, to the beach, etc.) - but even with those exciting adventures, they still love their backyard oasis.  ;-)

Paprika drew a treasure map with all the "artifacts" that can be unearthed in our backyard.  She claims a UFO landed in our backyard in 1985 and is buried in the backyard.  There is also a T-Rex skeleton, and robot fossils from an ancient civilization.

She brought inside a screw she found and was so excited to find a real robot fossil!  Here is the little anthropological dig in progress.  I swear, these girls dig more than Daisy!  And that's saying something...




Baby Violet turned 15 months, and she is every bit right in the mix with her big sisters.  She wants to do everything they do, and is putting her baby times behind her.  Sob!

She and Ginger are such close friends, and Ginger is always so happy to do anything with Baby Violet.  They play outside together every day while Paprika is at school, and then when they get dirty, I take them inside and they have a bath together.  They both get so excited for their bath together, and will hug each other and play together in the tub for an hour.

I love these simple days, and know they are going by so fast.  Ginger will be in Kindergarten in 18 months!  She talks about wanting to go to school every day, so we may possibly put her in preschool next year.  Paprika started preschool at 2 years 10 months (right when Ginger was born)- and it was such a great experience for her.  That seems like so long ago (booo!) - it's hard for me to imagine Paprika that little anymore.

But, I don't want to rush things, and I just love having my little Ginger-Bear and Violet with me all day, every day.  It is such a gift.




I am probably feeling a little more nostalgic and weepy about this than usual because right now I am in the middle of helping my brother, Robbie, apply to college!  Yup, he's a Senior now - 17 years old, and ready to make that next step.  I have been working with him on his apps, and it is amazing how much things have changed since I applied to college (it's all online now)! 

I feel like just yesterday I watched him being born, and now he's about to turn 18.  The decisions get bigger and more complicated the older you get, and so I cherish these days when the biggest decision I have to think about for my girls is what to fix them for a snack.





Happy Valentine's Day, Happy 100th Day of School, Happy Fat Tuesday, Happy Today!  Every day is a day to celebrate the little moments and gifts of life.  :-)





The End.