Happy April! I cannot believe we are already into the 4th month of the year! (Dear Time, PLEASE slow down, thanks). A lot has been happening! Games, games, games! The weekends have been full of stuff! I am not complaining, I am so glad Mason is so involved with sports! He actually said the other day that he wants to start working out. He had a doctor appointment and we asked if it was ok for him to start out using the 10 pound dumbbells that we have. He wants to get in shape and be able to run faster in baseball and football. Since baseball has started I have noticed such a difference in his speed! I am thankful that he was able to get on a basketball team, it has helped him stay active all winter and make a smooth transition into baseball (translated: he's not huffing and puffing running from second to third base!).
Bring on baseball season (and all the mud that goes with it):
The shoes are last years spikes, I thought we would get another season, but no. He went to the first practice and could hardly run in them, so I got him a new pair. He also needed a new bat bag, new baseball pants, batting gloves and a helmet! Oh, this sweet child of mine is expensive!
Here is my new favorite and quick lunch:
When I get home from school or have a break during the school day, I like to come home and eat something quick and delicious! Due to the abundance of cucumbers in the summer, I imagine I will be eating this on a daily basis. This is two slices of whole grain (Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted) bread, toasted. I put a thin layer of reduced fat cream cheese, and sliced cucumbers on top. Then I top it with sea salt and fresh ground pepper! It is sooooo good! My latest obsession (although not new to me) is Chia Seeds. I have eaten them for years in my yogurt(by the way, this weeks homemade yogurt cups are lemon with chia seeds, it tastes just like lemon-poppyseed pound cake!), oatmeal, even homemade chia pudding, but recently I saw them taken to a whole new level! Chia drinks! Apparently this is an old Aztec energy recipe, but I have been experimenting with my own twist. I have made chia iced tea (that is still chilling in the fridge), chia fresca, and chia juice! It is so good. Of course, Mason rolls his eyes. I had a breakfast-on-the-go the other day of toast (the bread above), with sunflower butter (you have to try this!) and sprinkled with chia seeds. Mason could not tell me enough how disgusting it looked. I always encourage him to try new things, if he doesn't like it, that is fine, but at least he tried it. So with that, I asked him to please try it. His face was scrunched up as he took a bite of the toast, then I saw his face "not-so-scrunched", then he took a second bite (I knew at this point he REALLY liked it)! I asked him what he thought. Feeling a bit defeated, he said, "It's really good"! Score one for Mom! That is now one of his breakfast options! Chia seeds are a power/super food that has amazing health benefits.
I am not one that tends to be an impulse buyer (ok, I am but my current situation does not allow for much of it), however, when I saw this, I HAD to have it:
It's the CUPPOW! It is, hands down, the best invention, EVER. I like to drink out of Mason jars, but the concept of turning it into a travel mug? Genius. I love travel mugs (my cabinets can attest to that), but I can never get "THE perfect travel mug". Too big, not big enough, too bulky, BPA plastic-laced, ugly, pretty, whatever. I can never find the right one. That is until CUPPOW! It turns a wide mouth jar into a travel mug, I LOVE THIS!! It took weeks and weeks for this thing to arrive, so I was well prepared. I got one for Mason, too. It is just like the coffee lids at Sheetz. He seems to drink more water when it is in a fun mug and has a lid, so...Score two for Mom! Anyway, I am in love with this invention. It is a grass-roots company here in the USA, environmentally-friendly, and simply awesome. Then I ran into a problem. Coffee and tea are HOT (duh). I needed a Koozi. I cannot, for the life of me, crochet. I have seen them made for Mason jars, but I didn't want to spend a lot more money (or wait another few weeks to get it), so...this was born:
The semi-homemade koozi! I went to Walmart and found clearance socks for $2. These were perfect (maybe purrrfect?) except one little detail:
Creepy Cat Heads
No problem, I just cut them off (hahaha, evil laugh), fit them to size, sewed the tops to prevent unraveling, topped it off with a button and enjoyed a steaming cup of coffee!
Finally, most of you know that Tuesday is a big day for me! I am so excited and nervous. I keep reminding myself that if I wasn't meant to be there, I would not have this opportunity, so, bring on the day! I went shopping last week to pick up a new outfit:
I don't know if you can see the bright colors, but it is layered with different shades of coral, it is so pretty! I got this outfit at Kohl's.
Close-up of the necklace:
I found that at Target.
Last, but not least, THE SHOES
Oh, I love them! The color ties in perfectly with the top. I have black dress pants that I will wear. Please wish me luck, this is an amazing opportunity for Mason and I. I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes!
