Green Smoothies... My Newest Adventure!

So I was recently introduced to green smoothies.
A green smoothie is one that consists of a greens base with your choice of fruits.



Even though they are green, these pictures make them look somewhat appealing, right?!
They really aren't that bad. Especially if you put your favorite fruits in them.



When I was told the greens that are recommended for you to put in, I was like, "WHAT? I have never even tried three of those four veggies!"

The greens that I include are:

CHARD... both red and green

KALE

COLLARD GREENS

SPINACH

... Now that last one, I am familiar with. Not my favorite thing, but I have eaten it before.

So here is what I have done with my smoothie:

I put between 5 or 6 cups of those greens listed above (smashed and crammed into the blender as much as I can) in two cups of liquid. I say liquid because I was told to use water, but I used a cup of water and a cup of G3 Juice (a super fruit drink from NuSkin/Pharmanex) I also added a couple of tablespoons of flax seed (for those happy Omega-3's) I pureed that up for about a minute or so. The liquid and greens mixture now fills the blender between three and four cups. I added 2 bananas (cause they mask the not-so-yummy flavors pretty well) frozen berries (I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries)
I blended that for a bit and then filled whatever room I had left in the blender with a cut up apple and a broken apart tangelo. (You can use whatever fruit you like, but it needs to have seeds. SEEDS = LIFE... or so they say)

I think it tastes pretty good for all of the interesting things that it has in it. The berries are supposed to help change the color from green to purple, making it a bit more appetizing. Mine hasn't really hit the purple stage. It looks a bit more like this...



I don't know if this looks any more appetizing than the green does. Well, to be honest, it is a bit less appetizing in my book, but I can just close my eyes.

I have already noticed a marked difference in my energy level. I drink mine at night so it can digest as I sleep (or whatever... that's just what I heard) There's so many options as to what you could put in this smoothie. One of the cool benefits of my newest adventure is that each glass that I drink contains an entire days worth of fruits and vegetable servings. So if I don't eat very well during the day, this has me covered! (OK, I know. Not really, but I can dream, right?)

I'll keep you posted as I progress through my adventure!

PeyPey's Robot Shoes!

A while back, we took Peyton to an orthopedic specialist and discovered that the reason he is so pigeon toed, is because his tibia bones in both legs are turned inward. To correct this, he gets to wear braces on his legs at night-time. The braces go from his toes, to his upper thigh. They place his legs into a bent position. One like his legs would be in if her were sitting down on a chair.




The braces work because they hold his feet and legs in the correct position and eventually train the muscles to naturally hold his legs that way. As the months progress, they will adjust the braces so that they turn his feet to a more outward position.



He got fitted for his braces this past Tuesday and has been wearing them each night. Yes, those are tights he is wearing. He has to have something thin underneath the braces and after a couple of nights with Matt's trouser socks, we decided this was a better option.



After Peyton struggled through the first night, Matt joked around with him that his braces were robot shoes. This made him laugh and so even though he does not like them while they are on, and he can't walk, he gets excited to put on his "robot shoes" before bedtime.

Mariah's First Choir Concert

Tonight was the 1st Annual Maple Mountain Music Festival. Mariah got her first taste of a "big-time" Choir performance. She had fun and the kids loved watching her on stage. Her Choir sang We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You by Queen. It ROCKED!!
Here's a smidge of their performance...



They had choirs come from Spanish Oaks Elementary, Mapleton Elementary, two Choirs from Mapleton Junior High, a Mens and a Womens Choir from Maple Mountain High School, and the Mapleton Chorale. The finale was all of the choirs joining together and singing together as one HUGE Chorus. I just caught the tail end of this song...



Despite my extremely cruddy camera skills, the whole performance was awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Especially after Matt took the kids outside to play and I got to enjoy the remaining performances in peace... Did I really say that out loud?... Oh well! I will teach my children proper audience etiquette, well, hopefully...

someday!

Storm's a Comin'!

The other day, a storm was rolling in. All of us were outside in the backyard when we realized that we should get some pictures of how cool the sky looked. Here goes a cloud photo extravaganza!

I started out taking photos from the backyard...



But they just weren't...



Capturing what I had wanted to capture...



So after I took this one...



I decided that I needed to get to higher ground. Now me being a big fat scaredy cat, and not having a ladder of my won, I had no intention of trying to climb onto my roof. Luckily, Matt was there and hopped right up there and took some photos for me.

He took this series of photos and then handed the camera down to me to see what I thought...





And though I thought these were some awesome photos...





I wanted some that showed more of the sky and less of the ground below. So Matt went back up and took some more for me. I think these clouds just look so interesting. I love cloudy sky shots!









Now, I don't know about anybody else, but I can see an eye in these clouds, like the eye of an Eagle. What do you think?



I love these pics! I just had to share.

Happy Easter!

This year, amidst all of the chaos we have been living through, Easter came the first week of April.



Our morning began as the kids discovered their Easter baskets and dug right in! I have created a tradition of getting the kids each a new basket for laundry at Easter, and that is what gets left for the Easter Bunny to fill. My only problem with this little ritual is that as my kids have grown, so has the size of the baskets!



As I searched for baskets (that wouldn't empty my pocketbook), we got a bit creative and ended up getting buckets for each of the kids. Like, actual, brightly colored, cleaning buckets... with handles and everything! The kids loved them, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what they are going to do with them. Oh, well. They're fun!



As the day progressed, little people came down from their sugar highs and crashed where they stood. Here's one particular crash I though was priceless...



Easter was also conference, which was AWESOME!! I loved the many speakers and the messages spoke straight to me. As usual! It was nice to be able to just hang out with the family all Easter day long. Don't get me wrong, I love church. Just different is good from time to time.

My family was gathered together and we all had dinner before going our separate ways. That's our family! Tell us there's gonna be food and We Are THERE! I love them all! Even if they are crazy from time to time...

2010 Kindy 500

The Kindergarten at Spanish Oaks Elementary participated in a really awesome activity. Each year they do Kindy 500. This is where each child (with a little help from their parents ;) creates a car or some other mode of transportation out of a cardboard box. They are open to create whatever they choose.





On the day of the "race" we, as parents, got to watch the kids perform a program and then they "drove across the country" in their cars. As the day progressed, they visited various historical landmarks from throughout the United States.



We had a ball creating Mikayla's Pink Glitter Convertible, though it looked a bit more like a jeep when it was finished. All of the kids helped and enjoyed themselves.



We even decided that we want to have a day of races at our home and let each of the kids create a car. We'll make a track in the backyard and have fun all day!

I am fully anticipating chaos, but it will be so much fun!

Shall we say... Difficulties?

Over the past couple of weeks, my family has been going through a bit of turmoil. If you didn't already know, Matt and I have separated for the moment. There are individual issues that must be addressed for each of us and I feel as though they need to be dealt with before we can attempt to conquer any of the issues we have between the two of us.
I just want everyone to know that we are all OK. Struggling and sad, but OK. Thanks to those of you whom have offered support and love. I appreciate everyone that I know right now.
The statements I made underneath Who I am to the right of this post are truly what I am working on. I am also determined to create a home that is full of peace, love, safety, and happiness...and of course and greatest of all, The Spirit. I feel as though the spirit hasn't been able to dwell in our home on a full-time basis for a VERY long time and I need him here. My children need him here, and if we are ever going to make it as a family through this turbulent existence, the entire household needs him here!
Love to you all!