Month of Love: I Love Hearty Breakfasts

Yesterday was a freezing cold day. Bitter cold with a nasty, artic-like windchill. Very reminicisent of the freezing cold days in Logan and the Uintah Basin. Buuurrrrrr!

On such cold winter mornings, I love a good, hot, hearty breakfast. I discovered this recipe in the Rachael Ray cookbook we were gifted at our wedding. I have never used the book, but this recipe sounded perfect for this winter; it's called Cold Morning Oatmeal (on page 48 of Cooking 'Round the Clock).

The oatmeal is cooked in apple juice and water, with grated apples and craisins. Then you top it with walnuts and maple syrup.

Mmmm, nnnmmmm! It's good stuff! Sam doesn't care much for it, but Winston and I guzzle it down, wholeheartedly!

Hope you all are enjoying hot food to warm your body and homes this cold week!

February: The Month of Love

I'm stealing an idea from a friend of mine, Joey, who did this same thing last year. During the month of February, each day I will blog about one thing I love.

But I'm making no promises about blogging one a day on time...I've been super busy with work lately, leaving me with an option to sleep or blog. I take sleep 99% of the time, and will continue to do so. Therefore, no guarantees on sticking to the schedule.

So, here's to the Month of L-O-V-E.


I LOVE homemade, warm {whole-grain, even} chocolate chip cookies with milk.

And I also love chocolate smeared on a particular little boy's lips (and the fridge behind him from little chocolate-covered fingers).

Who Am I Not?

It's fairly easy to tell who a person is by, well...who they are. What they do. What they believe. How the spend their time. And, of course, you can also tell a lot about a person by what they don't do. What they don't believe. How they don't spend their time.

A few things have come to my attention lately that have left me thinking, "I am definitely not that kind of person."

So, just who am I not? (the song, Who Am I from Les Mis keeps going through my head) 


* I am not one to get irritated very easily. People in my office sometimes refer to me as "the easy-going one." Not that I've always been this way, but lately it takes a lot to get me annoyed. Along with that, I'm not much of a complainer. Sure, every now and then I need a good venting (who doesn't?), but it's not something I do very often.

* I am not really a fan. Did anyone else notice all the facebook statuses (stati?) about BYU and Jimmer yesterday? Yeah, I don't really know much nor do I care much about sports. I like to play them, but I don't cheer for any, really. And, I've never been a celebrity fan, either, or a TV-show fan (except for LOST, thanks to Sam). I never had to have the latest whoever's album. In fact, if you were to ask me my favorite movie star, I don't have one. Or my favorite music album...don't really have one, either. I like movies. I like songs. I just am not a die-hard fan of any one or more.

* I am not a concert attendee. Unless the concert is less rock/pop-y and more like the ones my husband plays in. I've been to a few big concerts. Like Matchbox 20 when I was around 14 years old. I attended another concert with numerous artists when I was probably 15, but the only one I can remember is Shaggy (yes, Shaggy; do you remember that Amber? And can't you all just see me rocking out to Shaggy...haha...riiight). Maybe that's why I'm not a fan of concerts? Oh, and Counting Crows, once, too. That one wasn't that bad. But really, though, I don't like concerts. They give me migraine headaches with all the flashing lights and loud music and fighting for my personal space (or wishing I could sit and enjoy instead of standing the whole time).

* I am not much of a kid person. I mentioned this once before (PS...last November I was put in the young women's program...again...and Sundays are much less stressful). I don't hate kids by any means, but I just don't have a natural knack for how to interact with them, like a lot of other people I know. I watch the people who conduct the library toddler programs and think, "wow, how do they do that so naturally?" It takes a lot of effort on my end, and by the end of the day with Winston, I am totally exhausted!

* I am not one to spend a lot of money on full-priced items. But I could be. Oooohh, I could be. I would love to have a brand spankin' new car, but I'll take a slightly older model to save a few thousand dollars. I would love to go into a kid's clothing store and not look for the sale and clearance racks, but I'm not that kind of person. Sometimes I daydream about letting myself on just one little pretend-not-to-be-on-a-budget shopping spree, but then I remember all the reasons why we have a tight budget and I'm okay with not buying full-priced items (and, of course, when you get totally awesome stuff for really cheap, it's even that much more exciting!).

So, there you have it. A little bit about who I am not.

What We've Been Doing Lately

The air outside is generally icky. Bad-for-your-health icky, due to our lovely winter inversions and huge commuter populations in our valley. Today it's actually clear, but January and February tend to have long stretches of filth and ick.

So, that means time inside to entertain ourselves. I made the mistake the discovery that Winston loves to watch movies of himself. All. Day. Long.

Is there a problem with this? Well, the movies are intermixed with our photos, so I have to keep opening files for him to watch. And they are usually under a minute in length. I'm a little tired of them.

But, he loves them. And with this icky air, I can only do so much to make him happy, you know?

Peeling an Orange

Winston continues to amaze us with things he utterly refuses to do no matter how excited we are to teach him, and things he just picks up on his very own.

Last week, I walked into the kitchen and found Winston peeling his own little orange. He even put the peels in the garbage. Who knew a 19-month-old milestone is peeling an orange, entirely by himself?

He now enjoys peeling and eating at least two of these baby clementines a day.

Adult Food vs. Kid Food

I once heard a dietician speak about childhood obesity. One way to combat it is to re-think our mannerisms and habits that deal with food. For example, do you have food in your household that you don't allow your kids to eat because it is too unhealthy, but you as an adult eat it?  Maybe candy or treats stashed for the adults. Or carbonated/sugary or alcoholic drinks? If our kids (babies not included) can't have some or can't have more, adults probably shouldn't have it either. That kind of thinking can help alleviate some of the psychological connections to food and our eating habits.

Anyway, that memory came to me after these next thoughts, and is kind of unrelated, but interesting.

I thought to myself today while eating this pita stuffed with yum-ness: "This is totally adult food."

Feta cheese, red onion, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, green pepper, & cilantro with oil/vinegar dressing.

Winston wouldn't even try any of it (and he usually tries things). And that got me thinking about how there are certain foods that I, as an adult, would now call "kid food." Things that as a child or teenager I loved but now have no desire to eat. You know, things like tapico fruit drink or caprisuns. Spaghetti-O's. Cotton candy. Hot dogs. Frozen orange juice concentrate (there's a story to this one...). The little "fake" cheese slices individually wrapped. Jawbreakers and some other types of candy.

I never would have tasted this pita-filling as a tween. Well, maybe. But I'm sure I would have pitched a fit about it. Just hand me my mac & cheese, thank you very much (actually, I still love mac & cheese). And now, as an adult, I notice there are certain "adult" foods, like dark chocolate. Nuts. Sourdough and artisan breads. Cheeses beyond cheddar or jack. What are some more you would (or wouldn't) consider?

And then, of course, there are the classics that don't discriminate against age. Popcorn. Brownies. Peanut butter. Ice cream. Fresh fruit. Potatoes. Snickers bar or M&Ms.

Speaking of which, I think I may have an addiction to Pretzel M&Ms. I snatched a few bags from the Target Christmas Clearance and my hand goes on auto pilot (I can't seem to stop it) to the bag every time I open the pantry. Good thing Sam doesn't care for them, so I can eat them all  so they will last longer.

Certainly Uncertainty

2011--can you believe it? Christmas has come and gone. My 26th birthday has come and gone. New Year's Day has come and gone. My, oh my, how time is no respecter of anyone or anything.

I don't want to go back to the real world tomorrow, and yet if I kept going on food binges and trips up and down for family parties I might just be sick (nothing against good food and good company...there's just a need for routine, you know?).

I'm not really one who writes a huge list of new year's resolutions. Not that I don't believe in them, it's just that a new year is not really different to me than a the start of a new semester, the start of Summer or Winter, or a new calling in church, or a new aspect of a job. The new year is a time right after a two-week binge of shopping, traveling, and eating treats (way too many treats), a time that I use to unwind and jump back into our routine.

I try to be one that evaluates my goals and habits on a more frequent basis and makes adaptations accordingly, all through the year. I'm also one who doesn't commit to something unless I know I can do it, which has good aspects, of course, but can also be limiting. I notice Winston is like this, too, which makes me more aware of how I'm like that. For example, Winston never even tried to walk, until he could do it just perfectly.

So, at the beginning of this year as people all around me are making new year's resolutions, I'm keeping up the pep-talks and habits of goals already laid out. I'm also contemplating what 2011 has in store.

This year will be the first year without major changes, at least if things continue as expected. No job changes, no moving our home, just moving onward. Winston will be two (two!!) years old this year, I'll have a major review at work, and on and on.

But really, who knows? The year ahead has its own bag full of certainties and uncertainties. And, of course, the only thing certain is...well, you know how the saying goes.