hello flower fields

We took a little family excursion to visit the Carlsbad Flower Fields a couple weekends ago. I’ve always wanted to take the girls, but every year we miss the small window of time they’re open. This year we almost missed it again, but made time to go on the last Saturday it was open, but even then, we almost missed it because we left later than originally planned and then I was totally mad the whole drive there because things weren’t going as planned. Well, they weren’t going as I planned in my head. Thankfully, Ben and I kissed and made up once we got there because it wouldn’t have been fun for the girls had I decided to hold on to my silly frustration. So we went in, let the girls do the little scavenger hunt they had there, went through a sweet pea maze, saw lots of gorgeous flowers, and admired how pretty everything was. And since we only had an hour and a half there, we were walking like mad and the girls were running from flag to flag to make sure they got all their stamps for the scavenger hunt. It was a shorter time that I had planned, but we still ended up having lots of fun. Next time though, we’re going to aim to get a little more time in there.

I’m sure most know by now about the fury a tornado unleashed in Oklahoma. It makes me so sad to see the images of it all. I’ve never experienced a tornado, but reading Rachel’s post really got me. Things like that really sober up life a bit. I think one of the great things about the internet and blogs is that as much as we can encourage each other on our favorite products, or what style we’re currently loving, we can also encourage each other to make a difference where it counts. So if you’re moved to help out in anyway, I encourage you to do so. The Red Cross and Conduit Mission is on hand to serve those affected, as well as a number of other charities, so let’s do what we can!

that one time we matched

We were both getting dressed to go on our date (and my brother’s senior recital later) when noticed we were pretty much wearing the same thing. Ben told me to change and I told him to change, but we both didn’t want to change, so I said, “Whatever.” And then so we matched. I thought it was kinda funny.

Date nights are rare, but thankfully we have a great babysitter and she came to watch the girls, so Friday afternoon (before my brother’s recital) was the perfect time to sneak in a date. We went to Native Foods Cafe, which I had been dying to take Ben to because I had a feeling he would love it. Well, turns out I was right! All the combinations sounded completely interesting to him and he ended up ordering the Moroccan Bowl and I got the Scorpion Burger. He was quite impressed with how loaded his dish was with veggies. I was totally impressed with the buffalo wings, which were the best tasting wings I ever had, even if it wasn’t even really made out of chicken. I’m getting hungry just thinking about how yummy it all was. We both agreed to plan another date night there again soon.

It’s nice to get a meal in without interruption. I think we mostly talked about the food. Ha! Oh and summer. We have vacation plans underway and we are very, very excited. And I’m pretty sure I was giving Ben googly eyes all afternoon. I love that man. I really do.

When was the last time you went on a date night? We go about once every other month. We’d love to go weekly, but it isn’t realistic for us.

family meals: week 40

Salmon Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa. The salsa was very good, but it tasted better a day later. I think all the flavors had time to blend and it was much more yummy. We love fish tacos, so it’s hard to go wrong with that for dinner. Brave is the only one who isn’t wild about salmon, but I think True had like 5 tacos! Of course, the girls did theirs without the spice. The radishes we used were straight from our garden and they are the best radishes I have ever tasted!

Kale Noodle Bowl with Avocado Miso Dressing. This one was just, “eh.” It sounded good in theory, but something was missing to me. Ben liked it, but he wasn’t wild. True loved the soba noodles and Brave loved all of it (she had a couple of servings). It was loaded with lots of kale, so that was one good thing about it. I probably tripled what the recipe called for because we had a lot to use from our garden.

Week 5/20 – 5/24
Monday: Orzo with Feta, Basil and Shrimp
Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Hummus wraps
Friday: Sushi night

I would love to make this, but Ben says it’s a bit costly for a family dinner, so I’m thinking of making a similar version using cod. Anyone ever try to change crab cakes into fish cakes? Is it just as good? I’ve totally been loving the Williams-Sonoma food blog. All their pictures are just gorgeous and almost every dish suddenly makes me hungry! I’m obsessed with looking through their blog for ideas and I’ve been pinning so many of their recipes. What have you been cooking lately?

learning to be eco-warriors

When I was a kid, I remember ordering the book 50 Ways to Save the Planet from the monthly book orders at school. I remember being so convicted by it as I read it from beginning to end. I remember one tip that stood out to me at the time was to cut up all the plastic thingies that canned drinks came in so that sea animals wouldn’t get trapped in it. After I read that, I remember constantly making sure my parents cut those things up.

Okay, so only 1 out of 50 things stuck with me, but it was a step. Ben and I try to be as eco-consciuos as we can, though we’re hardly models for being eco-warriors, but we try our best to take care of certain things to help the environment. For sure though, we can definitely do better. I wanted to get the girls to at least start thinking about it, I started checking to see if the book I read as a kid was still around. I distinctly remember the cover being blue and having a picture of the Earth on it. I didn’t find that exact thing, but did find this one on Amazon and thought that might be a good start and should be similar.

True, Brave, and I have been reading through it and I’m almost sure it is an updated version of the book I read as a child. In fact, the tip on cutting up the can plastic thingie was there too! As we’ve been going through it, I’ve been feeling all sorts of guilty for things we don’t think about doing to help save the environment. I can’t say we’re ready to go radical and apply everything just yet, but we will start small with what’s feasible and best for our family. I want my girls to learn that small changes can make a difference. We planted about 25 trees in our yard already, so that’s a start right?!

our dinner

Our dinner was mostly courtesy of our veggie garden and the weather has been so great lately, unlike the 100 degree weather we had over the weekend, that we wanted to make sure and take advantage of eating dinner outdoors. We rarely do it, but we’re trying to do it more. True and Brave are slowly taking up more responsibility during meal times. They set up the dinner table (with folded napkins too!), and it’s so cute to see them taking initiative to do so.

This week has felt calmer and I feel like I’ve had a little more clarity when it comes to dealing with the kids. I think it’s because I’ve been praying more about it and trying to trust God with it. I’m thankful for all that I get to do with these girls. Lately, I’ve been focusing on how hard mothering is that I have been failing to see how great it is. It’s a privilege that I get to spend time with my children. It’s a privilege to be able to feed their bellies and their minds with good things. It’s a privilege to laugh and just be a silly goose with these girls. The hard moments will come and go, but even with the hard parts, this whole mama deal is kinda great. I know I’m a crazy mama, but I’m their crazy mama and they’re my crazy kids.

A dinner post turned into a mothering post, and I guess I’m just strange like that. Thanks for always coming in to check my ramblings!