An Unexpected Mini-Break on the Front Step

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I went to go get the mail yesterday.  And, I don’t know if it was the excitement of sneaking out of the house without kids following me or perhaps just pure clumsiness, but I fell.  We have one step on our front stoop.  One.  And I completely missed said-step and fell.  The decorative rocks of the path scraped up my knees and the palms of my hands.  I was bleeding and sobbing.  (I never think of myself as someone who stores emotions, and, if you know me, you’d wonder how I have any left.  But every time I get hurt, a huge rush of emotions come pouring out along with the hurt and surprise of it all.)

ANYway.  So, I’m sitting on the ground outside, crying because I’m hurt.  Crying because none of our neighbors are out and we don’t know any of them and none of them would even care if I was hurt anyway.  – You get the picture.  I’m feeling awfully sorry for myself.  But even as my tears are streaming down and blood is dripping onto my clothes, I’m simultaneously thinking:

Ahhhh, this is such a lovely little break.  I’m outside.  Nobody knows I’m here.  Nobody is asking me anything.  It’s completely quiet (except for my own sobs, of course).

So, I quieted down and stayed a little longer.  I got as comfortable as I could, given my injuries, and sat and enjoyed the peace and the breeze and the break.  What an unexpected, wonderful gift of time.  Almost, dare I say, like a mini-vacation.

These are the stories that need to be told in high school sex-ed programs, because moments like these – well, that’s parenting.  (Or, rather, what a break from parenting looks like.)

 

(*My husband was inside with the kids, so I wasn’t being completely irresponsible by taking so much time for myself.  Maybe next time I fall, we could get a babysitter and have ourselves a date!)

Kale Chips

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Cheesy Kale Chips

Oh. My. Goodness!!  These kale chips are amazing!  We had these at a local restaurant, but I knew they couldn’t be that complicated to make.  They aren’t.  They’re so easy.  But…they take some time to get crispy.  The recipe says about 45-60 minutes.  Ours were in far longer than that, and even still, I feel like I should have turned the oven off and left them inside to get the crispiness they deserve.  But, if you plan ahead, these are such a great snack.

Easter Egg Hunts-Reducing and Reusing

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I love spring!  Especially this one, when a feeling of hope is slowly settling in.  I loved Easter as a child–wearing a special dress, being outside, having exciting egg hunts full of clues written by our Easter Bunny.  As a parent, I’ve worked hard to make the holiday special without indulging in some of the wastefulness or excessive treats.  Our bunny fills our eco-friendly eggs with a variety of alternative items, depending on the year.  But, thinking about Easter events in the community gives me a bit of a shudder…

I cringe at the thought of fields of egg hunts–plastic eggs, that, let’s face it, most parents end up tossing in the landfill (AHHHHH!) and cheap trinkets that end up with the same fate.  Many of these “hunts” aren’t even hunts; they are just grab fests.  Which kid can run out there and grab the most-type of situation.  To me, there is no redeeming piece to these hunts.  Sure, I’d love for our kids to have a fun celebration of spring with the community, but if it means participating in this environmentally-horrific, greed race, then I’ll have to pass.

I did ask our local community member in charge of one such event if they had a plan in place so that parents could place the plastic eggs in a bin to be reused the following year.  The answer? – No.  They buy their eggs pre-stuffed (with cheap, plastic toys) so there was no way she could make this work.

I have been to some small-scale hunts that were more conscious.  Instead of cheap, throw-away trinkets, the eggs held papers for collecting to choose from a table of more quality items.  The hunt was an actual hunt and the eggs were collected at the end to be reused the following year.  Huzzah to that.

Since we don’t do many mainstream sweets, our Easter Bunny had some thinking to do.  We picked up some Eco-eggs years ago at our local natural food shop.  They’re great!  Large and sturdy and beautiful colors.  We’ve still somehow ended up with some of the super cheap kind too, and the difference between the two types of eggs is incredible.  When our first-born was young, each egg held a tiny sticker on Easter.  As the kids have grown, the eggs sometimes hold pieces of Lego from a small set that needs to be built.  I’ve also heard of Bunnies who put puzzle pieces in each egg or seed packets.  Our bunny puts picture clues in each egg so the kids can each find a trail of eggs.

The kids’ baskets don’t contain much–just the first clue, really.  (And definitely NO plastic grass!  But sometimes fun, shredded old magazines.)  This year, Easter Bunny may include some homemade bath bombs (by request).  I think the fun of the hunt is really at the heart of everything, not so much what’s inside.  Our kids make their own egg hunts throughout the year–sometimes just because or sometimes on each other’s birthdays.

Here’s a picture of our Eco eggs and the felt eggs I made as well.  There are also hollow wooden eggs out there and many crafty ideas online or to buy on Etsy.  We just leave the eggs out a couple days before Easter for the Bunny to come pick up.

Visit my Pinterest page for a visual of some ideas!

Another alternative

Frappuccino-Homemade

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RECIPE

Ok, so this isn’t as decadent as the Starbucks variety.  But it is A) WAAAAAY cheaper and B) WAY less bad for ya.

We made an embarrassingly large number of these drinks last summer.  eepS!  I changed things a bit, sometimes using less milk and more water.  Not always adding the coffee.  Using chocolate chips, instead of chopped chocolate.  Never adding any whipped cream or topping.  But, it was always super delicious and a good way to curb a sweet craving without indulging too much.  (If you aren’t adding coffee, or you’re adding a powdered espresso, you may need more liquid than the recipe calls for.)  It feels light and more “water-y,” if I may, than the coffee shop ones, but in a good way.  To me, anyway.  Try it!

Once in a rare while, we do add a homemade “magic shell” topping, but I seriously think it detracts from the experience usually.