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To Everyone Who Needs a “Mental Health Day”

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Feel like you need to take a Mental Health Day? What should it look like?

To Everyone Who Needs a “Mental Health Day”

Do we all need to take a Mental Health Day sometimes? Absolutely. God calls it a “Sabbath” and I don’t know…it’s like He totally knew we’d all need them, like, regularly. Crazy, right?

I’ll admit that hearing young people claim their need for frequent Mental Health Days has had me a bit concerned. After all, back when I was in college, those weren’t a thing. And now that I’m a mom with incredibly full days and a lot of children who need me, I don’t get to just decide: “Naw. I’m not going to mom today. Imma take a Mental Health Day. I’ll just change that diaper tomorrow.”

But then again, God knew from the beginning that we’d need days of rest and recovery. He instituted the Sabbath and He told us to take one every seven days. So I’ve gotta hand it to all the young people claiming that they need a Mental Health Day. Yes, actually. You do. So do I. Let’s do this!

Ah, but how?

I’m in a season of life that taking any time off during the week feels almost impossible. The amount of laundry that piles up with having six little ones? The amount of food? The number of diapers that get changed every day? The homework that needs to get done with the older ones? The gross floors? The paperwork? The dishes? And oh yeah. I work sometimes – you know, on this blog? Can’t give it up because we rely on the income, plus I love my work and want to do it.

I’m not able to simply “take a mental health day” anytime I feel overwhelmed or exhausted. And young people? I’m not sure you should either, at least in the way I hear that you’re taking them. If you’ve got a paper due, write your paper. If you are scheduled to go to work, go to work. If you put off completing (or starting) that project that’s got to get done by tomorrow – don’t ask for an extension because it’s stressing you out. GO DO YOUR PROJECT. (xoxoxo)

Do we all need to rest?

YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. Again, God tells us to rest – at night and for an entire day, once each week. So hang with me here as I flesh out my thoughts about taking a Mental Health Day…

How NOT To Take a Mental Health Day

If your work and responsibilities are all piling up, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and wanting to check out for the day, don’t:

  • Decide to stay in bed in your PJs binge-watching shows all day long (you’ll feel like blah at the end of the day instead of feeling energetic from the “rest”)
  • Ignore all your work and get even farther behind than you already are (this will make you want additional Mental Health Days, oy!)
  • Sit around eating junk food and drinking junk drinks (because you’ll feel like a junk-ball-of-grease-coated-in-sugar is hanging out in your gut by noon, and then you’ll need to take a Physical Health Day)
  • Hang out on social media and Tic-Toc for hours (when did looking at all the great things other people seem to be doing make any of us feel better about what we are or are not doing?)

I love a good Netflix show. I enjoy scrolling Pinterest or Facebook to relax. But if I’m behind on work and feeling overwhelmed, none of those sedentary activities rejuvenates me. It actually tends to make me more anxious as I neglect my responsibilities and focus on things that aren’t important.

What a Mental Health Day should look like

I’m no expert. I’m simply learning more and more how to take good care of myself. Admittedly, taking an entire day to rest is almost impossible during my current season in life. But if I ever feel like I’m melting down, I pray about what God wants me to do to find rest in Him.

That’s the key: Finding rest in Jesus. Not just resting and ignoring my responsibilities. Instead, here’s what I find to be restful and refreshing so that I can keep my mental health healthy:

  • Take a long walk or get some other form of exercise
  • Take a nap
  • Drink extra water
  • Sit in the sunshine
  • Eat nourishing food that I love – like an apple with this special cheese or a tasty smoothie
  • Take a few minutes throughout the day to knock out a few looming projects (it’s amazing how refreshing it can be to know I finally checked some extra chores off my list!)
  • Turn on music and open the curtains to let the light shine in while I tackle a normal activity like folding laundry or loading the dishwasher
  • Take some time to read a book
  • And yes, sometimes as a way of refreshing I may sit for an hour during the kids’ naptime and watch an episode of a favorite show, eat a treat, or do something else that feels like a lovely change of pace from the grind of the normal day-to-day. There’s nothing wrong with this!! As long as it isn’t used as a way to avoid the actual needs our bodies and souls need!

Above all, pray.

Taking a Mental Health Day will only be a tiny bandaid to your weariness if you don’t use your time to talk to God and let Him talk back to you. If we are exhausted, feeling depleted, overwhelmed by stress, and overworked – the only real solution to finding rest is to seek God’s Truth and to let Him fill us back up in all of our empty places.

Need a day off? Get dressed and grab your Bible. Sit for as long as you can with it open in your lap, breathing in its Truth and Hope. Let it teach you, enlighten you, and fill you with love. Meditate on it, pray over it, and let it fill you and refresh you.

Taking care of ourselves is important!

But self-care rarely involves online shopping and time on Snapchat. Self-care should be all about letting God give us all that He knows we need. Seeking Him through this is crucial, and yep, we should actually schedule it in. I believe God calls it a Sabbath? But we’ve been through that already. :)

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What To Buy at the Store to Get Through a Busy Week

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As if all weeks aren’t busy weeks…

But some weeks are busier than others.

Like the week our oldest son got married. We had to juggle in all of our normal daily chores (caring for kids, changing diapers, doing laundry, working for a living, silly things like that). Plus we had company trickling in and all the last-minute wedding prep.

There were a lot of people and we went through a lot of food. Here’s how I managed our kitchen…

What To Buy at the Store to Get Through a Busy Week

Here’s what worked for me and what always works for me when our week is extra busy:

1. I bought a lot of fruit.

When there are a lot of people to feed and not there is not much time for cooking or baking, stock your house with fruit. Make it easy to see and easy to grab. These will be your busy-week snacks. Here’s what I bought for our wedding week:

I left fresh fruit in bowls on two different countertops. There was an additional bowl full of applesauce squeezies and fruit cups. People helped themselves all day long for snacks and for something to go along with their meals. We pulled out big bowls of cut watermelon and sliced strawberries for lunch and dinner side dishes. It was easy and tasty and crowd-pleasing!

2. I bought a variety of bagels and cream cheese.

This made breakfast feel special without any effort on my part. Everyone could pick their favorite (I bought cinnamon, blueberry, and plain). They could toast them and add cream cheese or butter. And hey, they could eat them with fruit. :)

Remember when I used to make Homemade Bagels?! :)

3. I bought a lot of boneless chicken thighs.

They are inexpensive (usually $3/pound or less). You can marinate them in whatever sauce or dressing you like. You can grill them, smoke them, or bake them. They are always a hit.

4. I bought hoagie buns, lunch meats, and cheeses.

This way, people could make sandwiches the way they liked, but “making subs” felt more special than making a plain ol’ sandwich.

5. I bought baby carrots and cheese sticks.

Again, for snacks. Or to go with meals. They are easy to grab and take no prep. Petite baby carrots are our fav!

6. I bought ice cream.

Because of the company. And because it’s fun. And because I wanted some.

7. I bought high-quality hotdogs, burger patties, and buns.

Grilling burgers and dogs is such a great way to feed extras and the meal always comes together fast. Most people love this meal so it’s easy to feed kids and adults this way.

8. I bought frozen vegetables.

I always buy these. But it is especially nice to have frozen green beans, peas, and corn in the freezer to supplement our meals.

9. I bought pizza fixings.

I set out all the toppings and people built their own. Easy and fun for all!

  • Pizza crust
  • Pizza sauce
  • Mushrooms
  • Olives
  • Cheese
  • Pepperoni
  • Sweet peppers

10. I bought cereal.

If all else fails, people could grab a bowl of cereal for themselves or for a little one. We went through several boxes during wedding week and it saved us from several meltdowns!

What are your favorite foods to have on hand during busy weeks?

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Snacks I Like to Make When I Have 10 Extra Minutes

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Whenever I can find a few extra minutes, here are the snacks I like to make!

I barely have time to eat these days, much less cook or bake. But therein lies the problem: all these kids who are taking up so much of my time need good snacks that I can grab quickly for them. And since I mostly have to eat on the fly, anytime I have something easy to grab for myself I appreciate it so much!

Current count: 10 kids. Our two oldest are missing from this picture!

Also? I. Love. To. Cook. And. Bake.

When I’m so busy with all of our kids and the appointments and meetings that come with foster care, I actually find that I miss my kitchen. Creating food for people truly feeds me (haha, it’s kinda punny). So if and when I find a few extra minutes, I find it to be so fulfilling and relaxing if I can stir some muffins together for the oven or roll out a batch of Cookie Dough Bites.

What a win, huh? I get my kitchen therapy, and then we end up with snacks for the family!

OH! But this only works if the recipes are simple and quick. I’m an instant gratification kind of a gal. I’ve never liked spending extra time on any task. I prefer to get it started, get it finished, and have a fun, fast result!

Snacks I Like to Make When I Have 10 Extra Minutes

Here are the recipes I go back to over and over that can be put together quickly and grabbed and eaten by our family as needed:

Muffins

40 + Real Food Muffin Recipes

So. Many. Muffins. We eat them by the dozen and we love all varieties. Sometimes I make mini-muffins, but regular-sized muffins can be made faster, so that’s my usual style. Muffins make great breakfasts or snacks, and with this many little ones, I’ve found that they are the baked good I try to keep on hand at all times.

Crustless Cheesecake

I can throw the ingredients for these into my Blendtec, whip it all for 30 seconds, then it’s ready to pour and bake. When I need a pick-me-up, I can grab one of these from the fridge and eat it on my way to grab a diaper for a baby. They are low in sugar and full of protein. I love them!

Flourless Brownies

We can stir these together quickly and they are incredible for breakfast or snacks! If you pull them out of the oven when they look slightly under-done, they will be super moist and amazing. Make them with almond butter or peanut butter and you will love these!!

No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites

These call for nut butter and coconut flour, so they are high in protein and fiber, filling, and tasty (sweetened with honey!). I have several recipe varieties, which really means I use the same ingredients with a few tweaks depending on what I have on hand and what sounds good. All my kids love to snack on these!

Fat Bombs

I can quickly melt all the ingredients together on the stove for these, then pour them into silicone cups for the fridge. These stick with us for a while and taste like a peanut butter cup!

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

What are your favorite quick snack recipes?

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Today Seems Like a Good Day to Read Your Bible…

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How can I encourage you today to read your Bible?

I didn’t used to love it. I didn’t used to crave it. I didn’t used to read my Bible regularly.

It was okay though. I mean, I went to church three times each week. I prayed. I taught my kids about Jesus. I served a bunch of people and made a lot of casseroles for funerals and new moms. I was really nice to everyone.

So I was doing a lot of good things and caring for people. THIS TRULY WAS ALL GOOD.

But also:

  • I was anxious all the time.
  • I always worried about what people thought about me.
  • I frequently replayed conversations I’d had with people, wishing I’d said things better or differently.
  • I worried constantly that I wasn’t doing enough.
  • I tried really, really hard to be a perfect mom, a perfect wife, and a perfect friend.
  • But I couldn’t. So I dug deeper and tried harder…

I was not ok.

I realize now that this is in big part to the fact that I hadn’t truly gotten to know Jesus. That I hadn’t yet realized how I needed to let the Holy Spirit work in me fully.

Hitting a pit of depression broke me. After all, one can only try and try and try to do all the right things, and fail and fail and fail over and over for so long before she hits that pit. Not reaching perfection and working so hard to please all the people and never fully living for Truth – that’ll send a person south.

So there I was. I was not ok. For the first time ever (I was 39 at the time) I finally got out my Bible to read it as if my life depended on it.

Today Seems Like a Good Day to Read Your Bible…

As it turns out, my life does depend on it. So does yours.

  • Knowing Bible stories and having some verses memorize is not enough.
  • Going to church regularly is not enough.
  • Praying daily is not enough.
  • Listening to Christian music and hanging out with Christian people is not enough.
  • Listening to Christian podcasters is not enough.

All of these are huge blessings on our Christian walk. But I have learned from experience that if I am doing all of those things but not spending personal time with Jesus in the Word, I am not at peace.

The only way to really get to know Jesus and His will for your life is to:

  1. Read your Bible.
  2. Meditate on its Truth.
  3. Then talk to God about it.
  4. Listen to what He’s teaching you. (Write down what He’s telling you if that benefits you.)
  5. Breathe in His truth all day long, based on what you read in His word – His beautiful messages to you.
  6. Learn to let the Holy Spirit guide every minute of your day.

It isn’t enough to do good and to try harder. Trust me on this – I’m the one who tried real hard to do real good. I finally recognize how desperately I need Jesus. To be a wife. To be a mom. To be a friend. To be a neighbor. To be a human being walking on this earth.

Open your Bible and let His Word speak to you. Ask God for an open heart to hear Him as you never have before. He is faithful and He will give it.

Let His Word become Life for you.

Now, close your phone or computer and go read your Bible. Ready…go!

More:

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Easy Cinnamon Crumb Cake

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This Easy Cinnamon Crumb Cake is a lovely treat with coffee or tea.

You may notice that this cake recipe is very similar to my Strawberry Shortcake recipe. One of my favorite things is to take a tried-and-true recipe, then tweak it to turn it into something new and delicious.

That’s how this Easy Cinnamon Crumb Cake came to be. Take a simple cake recipe, add cinnamon, then top it with cinnamon and brown sugar. SO GOOD.

Easy Cinnamon Crumb CakeYum

Easy Cinnamon Crumb Cake
 
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Author:
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup oil (I use coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Mix together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
  2. Add in eggs, honey, oil, vanilla, and milk.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Pour into a well buttered 8×8 inch baking pan or a round cake pan.
  5. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top.
  6. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

Here are some more tasty fall treats you may enjoy:

  1. No-Knead Cinnamon Rolls with Honey’d Orange Glaze
  2. Cinnamon Smoothie
  3. Cinnamon Nectarine Muffins
  4. Quick Mix Honey Cinnamon Muffins
  5. Cinnamon Apple Toast
  6. Snickerdoodles
  7. Cinnamon Swirl Bread
  8. Baked Apple Pancake
  9. Snickerdoodle Muffins
  10. Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
  11. Apple Pie Filling
  12. No-Bake Snickerdoodle Bites
  13. Low-Sugar Carrot Cake
  14. Zucchini Carrot Bread
  15. Applesauce
  16. Baked Apple Pancake
  17. Apple Pie Filling
  18. Salted Caramel Apple Crisp
  19. Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (to go with your apples)
  20. Applesauce Bread
  21. Apple Fruit Leather
  22. Build a Fruit Salad Bar
  23. Apple Crisp
  24. Apple Butter
  25. Apple Nachos
  26. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
  27. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  28. Pumpkin Donuts
  29. Warm Pumpkin Custard
  30. Multi-Grain Pumpkin Waffles and Pancakes
  31. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
  32. Pumpkin Pecan Pie Squares
  33. Pumpkin Pie
  34. Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
  35. Pumpkin Cheesecake
  36. Pumpkin Pie Bars
  37. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
  38. Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole
  39. Pumpkin Spice Roll-Out Cookies
  40. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins

 

 

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When Should Your Kids Do Their Own Laundry?

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If you’re asking yourself when you should start having your kids do their own laundry, I’m here to give you some suggestions based on what’s worked well for our family.

First, let’s answer the question of IF your kids should do their own laundry. (Spoiler: YES.)

Why kids should do their own laundry

  1. Because your kid wears clothes and use towels
  2. Because all household work should not all fall on just one or two household members
  3. Because after your kid grows up and moves away, he/she will need to know how to do laundry
  4. Because it’s an easy and natural way to teach your kid how to be responsible

When kids can start doing their own laundry

At our house, even the littlest ones get involved with helping me with laundry. Toddlers on up can put their dirty clothes in the hamper and help me fill the washer. Pre-schoolers on up can help fold and put away washrags and kitchen towels. They can also put away their clothes after they’ve been folded. (Try not to cringe when the clothes you just folded get dropped and unfolded on their way to the drawers. This is life. This teaches our kids skills. Crumpled clothing is fine. It’s fine. We don’t even care…)

But then, as your kid gets a little older, he/she can start to do all of their own laundry from start to finish:

  1. When they are able to reach the buttons and work them properly
  2. When they are old enough to understand how to properly measure and put in detergent
  3. When they are old enough and able to ask, “Hey, where is my favorite shirt?? Is my uniform clean?”
  4. When they are old enough to learn to be responsible for keeping up with their own clothes

At our house, this usually happens around fourth grade.

As soon as my kids have become capable, I turn their laundry pile over to them. They wash a load or two for themselves each week, from start to finish – washing, drying, folding (maybe?!) and putting away (sometimes in a pile on their floor in front of their dresser. I JUST CLOSE THE DOOR AND WALK AWAY).

Every family is different. Every kid is different. Some kids have very busy schedules, which makes it difficult for them to find time for laundry. So…

We also work together

I’m currently doing laundry for Matt and me, plus six littles. Often I’ll throw a load in and an hour later, I’ll holler at Malachi (our high schooler) to please transfer it to the dryer for me. In turn, sometimes Malachi may have a load of his clothes in the washer. As he’s running out the door for a college class, he may ask me, “Mom, if you have a chance, can you put my clothes in the dryer when it’s done?” This is all part of teamwork in a family.

The main thing, though, is that I let my big kids be in charge of taking care of their own laundry. I have plenty of chores and diapers to take care of all day long. Laundry is an easy thing to offload to the Bigs. Though, even before our second set of Littles came along, I still found it necessary and worthwhile to have my Bigs do their own laundry.

If the child is capable, the job becomes theirs.

This goes for laundry, cooking help, dishes, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, vacuuming, trash, dusting – any and all household chores and needs.

Never should parents take on the full load of household work while their kids sit around on their phones, not learning valuable skills or learning to take responsibility for family needs.

BONUS TIP

I have this lovely laundry sorter and it has come in super handy. Littles put their dirty clothes in the two hampers on the left. Bigs have their designated hampers on the right.

This keeps our dirty laundry separate but all in one place, which is much nicer than having dirty laundry piles all over the house. (But who am I kidding? I still have dirty laundry piles all over the house, because…babies.) :)

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Groceries You Can Buy for $35 (This is Exciting!)

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I’m very encouraged to see and the groceries you can buy for $35. Check it out!

Groceries You Can Buy for $35

Keith and I went to the store recently, on a mission to get as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. We got:
  • Bananas
  • Broccoli
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Pears
  • Clementines
  • Mixed Greens (organic)
  • Bag of Spinach (x2)
  • Grapes
  • Potatoes
  • Apples
And it was only $35.
Groceries can really add up. Our family spends a lot on food because there are so many of us. But I love that fruits and vegetables – the best foods we can put in our bodies – can be bought so reasonably.
Sometimes I think we have in our heads that produce costs too much, so we hold back and don’t buy enough. The picture above proves otherwise.
Look at the variety! Look at the meal and snack options! And beyond the health benefits, I’ve found that having all that great produce handy makes life easier because I can quickly grab fruit for the kids’ snacks.
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Need more fruit snacking ideas? This post is full of them!

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Now, obviously, we eat more than fruits and vegetables. This $35 purchase didn’t last us more than 2-3 days (because we feed 11 people daily).
But I wanted us to be encouraged! We can get a lot of bang for our buck when we buy fruits and vegetables!

Challenge:

  • Go to the grocery store.
  • Go when you’re hungry. :)
  • Head directly to the produce department and fill your cart with everything that looks good. (It’ll all look good when you’re hungry!)
  • Make your purchase and be amazed at all you got at such a reasonable price.
  • Go home and eat your produce.
  • Eat it again the next day.
  • Offer it as snacks to hungry kids.
  • Enhance your meals with easy fruit and veggie options.

Ready to get a lot of bang for your buck at the grocery store?! Head over and fill your cart with produce. It’s delicious, reasonably priced, and so, super good for us!

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My Current Favorite Places to Grocery Shop (and My Current Grocery Budget)

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Life is ever-changing (said the mom who suddenly has ten kids). I’ve evolved and adapted the way I grocery shop to make it work better for our family situation. Here’s an update on our grocery budget and on my favorite places to grocery shop!

First, my favorite places to grocery shop right now:

1. Costco

Costco is an hour away from us, so I have to make a plan for all the kids, then I go stock up once each month. Read here about what I like to buy at Costco. I typically spend about $600 each month here.

2. Walmart Pick-Up

I’m not sure how I ever lived without this!! I absolutely love that I can shop online for any of the groceries we need, schedule a time, then all I have to do is go pick it up! This has been a tremendous help during this season of our lives!

I spend around $250 each month using Walmart Pick-Up. Most of this is fresh fruits and vegetables to get us through until I can make it back to Costco. And also ice cream. #priorities

3. Azure Standard

I only get a few items now from Azure Standard, but I do like ordering from them what I have a hard time finding from other places. And I love that it is delivered right to my town!

I spend about $60 there each month on average. Here are some of the items I like to buy from Azure!

4. Amazon Subscribe and Save

Costco is typically less expensive than Amazon, yet I still really love that cases of groceries can be delivered to my door! Here’s what I often include in my Amazon Subscribe and Save order. I spend about $100 each month this way.

5. Local Farm Meat, Eggs, and Milk

We are blessed to have friends with a farm a few miles away. They supply us with our milk each week. We also buy half of a cow from them each year. Our eggs come all the way from across the street where our neighbor enjoys raising chickens!

When I average out our cow purchase, then add in our milk and eggs each week, this comes out to $170 per month.

Our Total Grocery Budget

If you add all that up, you’ll see that we are currently spending around $1,200 for groceries every month. This does not include what we spend on diapers and other household items. This is only food. For these people:
  • 2 parents
  • 3 teen and adult children
  • Many of their friends and lots of college students
  • 4 small children
  • 2 babies (Who don’t cost us much because they are supplemented by the WIC program, praise God!)
Asa and Justus are missing from this picture. But here’s the rest of us!

And that’s that! How about you? What are your favorite ways to shop for groceries?

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Check Out the New Flexi-Sport (Win One?!)

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It is a brand new patent-pending hair clip called the Flexi Sport! Just when we thought Lilla Rose’s Flexi Clips couldn’t get any better!

The Flexi Sport is made of a waterproof/grippy material that is great for working out, running, swimming, gardening, etc. (Or even just chasing babies and toddlers all day, thank you very much!)


It is easy to put in and take out (no pulling or snagging like elastics do) and stays securely all day. It is also easy to clean with just soap and water (a nice feature after hard workouts or all day doing yard work!)

The pin is reversible for different fits, types of hair, and hairstyles. So one clip can do a half-up, ponytail, French twist, bun, and more. This is a great clip for those with fine, thin, or slippery hair, as it has more “grip” than the classic Flexi. It is also good for ponytails for the same grippy reason.

It is also great for kids who tend to lose their hair accessories while running around and playing.

The Flexi Sport is super comfortable, and does not cause “ponytail headaches.” Woohoo! What a great alternative for those who have metal/nickel allergies and can’t wear the metal Flexis.

Isn’t that purple so pretty! Yeah, everyone else thought so too. So it sold out. But they just added new fall colors: brick, cocoa, gray, and olive!

I love mine, and I know you will too!

Want to try one? Or even win a free one?

Paula, our very own Lilla Rose consultant is giving away a Sport to FIVE of you!! Winners will receive a surprise color, so that’s fun too! What a generous offer!
Enter by Sept. 19 – the winner through email on Monday, Sept. 20.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Or, if you just want to shop, head here. Free shipping on orders over $50!

 

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Nourishing Smoothies My Kids Actually Love

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You’ll read in this post about how I have to cheat just a little bit in order to make these smoothies for my kids. But at least these are still nourishing smoothies, and my kids all love them! Even my high schooler.

As you know, Matt and I drink our salads – loading our smoothies with a huge amount of greens, then blending in frozen fruit and milk. We don’t add any sweeteners, and we are good with that. The fruit sweetens these enough for us, and at the end of the day, we are simply trying to get as much nourishment as possible during these days that it’s very difficult to even find time to eat at all.

Our kids though? They aren’t huge fans. Who can blame them? They like their smoothies sweeter than we do. And the truth is the amount of greens that I put in “the adult smoothies” is pretty substantial. Spring mix in that amount does change the taste of the smoothie and indeed, green (greens) and red (fruit) make brown. So our smoothies aren’t pretty. :)

When there is this much sweetness going on at our house,
why would Matt and I need to add sweetener to our smoothies? Ok then.

How to Make Nourishing Smoothies that are Kid Friendly

Back when I “only had four kids” who weren’t all babies at the same time, I took the time to add separate ingredients to my smoothies. Goodness, somehow I even had a freezer full of fruits that we had picked, prepared, and frozen ourselves!! (How in the world did I ever have time to do all that work!?) I sweetened those smoothies with maple syrup or honey, and my kids guzzled them down.

But now.

I know it may sound silly, but as I’ve shared so many times lately, I’m often preparing food with just one hand as I am almost always holding one of our babies. So getting a bunch of different ingredients out of the fridge or freezer to add to the blender? Well, I’ve just found that I have to keep everything to a minimum.

The solution I’ve found is a bit of a cheater method. I buy frozen mixed fruit in bulk from Costco (which is totally not cheating – those good fruits are there to save us all, amen!). Bags of mixed fruit make it easier to give us a variety without pulling out several different bags. One bag. Two or seven fruits. Beautiful!

But here’s the cheat part: I use containers of Vanilla Yogurt. I add around 16 ounces to our blender, along with milk. This covers three ingredients with one grab from the fridge (vanilla, yogurt, and sweetener), so the vanilla yogurt sweetens the kids’ smoothies and flavors them too. Yes, it adds sugar to their smoothies. I’ve decided that I don’t actually care. THIS IS HOW I GET MY KIDS TO EAT SPINACH.

Oh yeah. Because I put fresh spinach into my Blendtec when I make these too. Not as much as I do when I make smoothies for Matt and me. But enough to be sure they all get a nice serving of fresh greens. Between the tasty fruits and the sweetened yogurt – every single one of my kids will drink a big cup full of smoothie and some of them ask for more.

They even know there’s spinach included and I think they are kind of proud. (And probably relieved that they aren’t being forced to eat a salad with dinner.)

These cups hide weird smoothie colors

If I add greens to the blender along with frozen blueberries and strawberries, the dark color of the berries hides the greens. But if I add greens to the blender along with bananas and peaches, the smoothies turn out…not pretty. No matter! All the kids drink their smoothies better from cups with lids and straws anyway. These cups make it fun (except for when they argue about who gets which cup, oy).

Nourishing Smoothies My Kids Actually Love

Here’s “the recipe” even though we all know that measuring ingredients into a smoothie isn’t a real thing. So add the words “give or take” to any of these as you make smoothies based on what you have and what you can put into your blender with one hand.

Nourishing Smoothies My Kids Actually Love
 
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Author:
Serves: 5 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 3 cups frozen fruit (any combination of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, peaches, pineapple, oranges, or grapes)
  • 2 cups vanilla yogurt
  • 2 cups milk
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together in a high power blender until smooth.

 

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