School... Week 1

I'm soooo tiiiiiiired!! 

Who thought it was a great idea for SFUSD to start the school year with a full week of school? Ahhh, we're beat around here. I fell asleep on the couch at like 9:45 last night, and tonight I crashed for a nap on the couch at 7pm, (basically when Brian walked in the door), neither of which ever happen. We're the 11:30pm types, without fail, so clearly school is winning this week.

Good news is: it's Thursday and I haven't cried in two days. Thumbs up for me. Sophie hasn't cried at all, that champ. She's like a professional kindergartener... who knew? For all my fears and insecurity about her not going to preschool, she's a fantastic little school kid. She's made so many friends, and she's just HAPPY with the whole deal. She's asking that I don't pack so much food in her lunch because she's always the last one eating in the cafeteria, and she'd rather be playing, which I think is hysterical. I can handle a little constructive criticism. ;) When I got the lunchbox, I didn't think her whole appetite would fit in that box, but turns out, recess is way more appealing than eating. 

So yes, apart from getting these kids out of bed in the morning, and bawling my eyes out all day Monday, this week is going just about as perfectly as can be. 

Around home, we're missing our girl big-time. Maggie way prefers big sis over me, but we'll get a rhythm going and get accustomed to being on our own soon enough. I've found I've had far more time and patience to allow her to take her scooter slooowwwly here and there, because no one was waiting on us. Today-- lo and behold! She was brilliant with that infamous purple scooter! Speeding up and down the blocks and turning with no problem. A little one-on-one with her mama may be good for her after all. 

Tomorrow is Friday and Friday is my favorite. You with me? 

xo

MAUI + Live Health Online

Go to LiveHealth Online

Maybe you heard- we went to Maui last month! We came home tan and refreshed and willing and ready to tell everyone that Maui may just be our favorite place in the whole world. I said it the last time I was there when I was 17, and I'm still saying it after this trip. 

Maui is not too busy, not too quiet. It's juuuust right. 

Have a few pictures, eh?

Time is one of- if not my MAIN love language. I need quality time with those I love or I go nuts. This was a beautiful way to spend quality time all together. Our kids are at a really ideal age for travel... both can communicate and articulate what they need {in contrast to some past flights during which tears were flowing, both for them & me! HA}. Both have had swim lessons for most of this year, so Sophie can swim sans floaties under our watchful eyes, and Maggie wore the safety floaty belt and could enjoy blowing bubbles in the water happily.... last year she wouldn't step closer than five feet from any swimming pool, so this is true progress. 

This trip came at the perfect time in our lives. We actually haven't had many family vacations for only the four of us... we generally travel with family or friends! This trip was work-related for Brian, so the first few days we WERE with his associates, whose families are dear friends, enjoying a serene pool, fabulous meals, and beautiful views. The following days were juuuust us, the pool, the beach, and a world of no schedules.

I found I love paddle-boarding. It was the most serene time. I took Sophie out a couple times, but she noted my far-from-graceful disembarking onto the beach and was a bit nervous. It was amazing to be out on the water, away from the noise, in the most gorgeous setting, getting a little me-time. Brian is a gem for sending me out there twice. If I lived the island life, a paddle-board would be my first investment. 

When we travel, I'm always a little extra cautious. I slather my little girls with sunscreen, I do my best to keep them hydrated, nutritious {tricky when the cheap kids meals are burgers or chicken fingers & fries!! We often opt for the girls splitting a grown-up meal rather than ordering two children's meals. Adult meals have ironically more nutritious options.}, and I try to keep them from pinkeye, rashes, colds, etc.

That said, for any and every family, there are about a million variables. Perhaps unknown allergies. Perhaps a stray piece of coral on the beach. Perhaps a meal that didn't sit well. I'm a bit of a worrier by nature {though thankfully it's far more under control than it once was}, so I was incredibly pleased to have heard about LiveHealth Online before traveling. "There's an app for that," they say. In this case, there's an app for a little peace of mind. What is this app, you ask? Let me tell you:

LiveHealth Online is a 24-hour-per-day doctor... talk via two-way video chat from a tablet, phone, or computer. You can sign up online or download the app, log in, and for $49 {way cheaper than urgent care, yes?} Also- LiveHealth Online is a covered benefit for many Anthem Blue Cross PPO, EPO and HSA plans. The cost is the same or less than a PCP office visit}, you talk to a doctor about pain, or you SHOW them your rash, you look at them and they at you and you discuss your concerns with a U.S. Based Doctor. This is available in 44 states right now, with 38 of those states allowing physicians to prescribe medication for acute illnesses if they feel it's beneficial to their patients. Average wait time is 3 minutes! It's secure, it's private, it's efficient.

We can't bring our doctors on vacation with us, but sometimes we just have to consult with a professional. On our honeymoon, Brian got the worst sunburn of his life. He was hardly red, but somehow his body was prickling and the only semi-relief was a cold shower. I had no access to LiveHealth Online- this was nine years ago! I made several long distance calls to family for consultations, and racked up hundreds of dollars in long distance calls to do so {just typing that sentence makes me feel ancient! Someday in my future I'll hear, "mom what are these 'long distance call charges' I've never heard of that"}... 

How do you get this service at your fingertips? Download LiveHealth Online or visit their website www.livehealthonline.com/moms and sign up quickly and easily! Peace of mind- a visit with the doctor- in minutes!! We believe you'll love this app so much that we're offering to let you try LiveHealth Online for free using the code LHOStyleSmaller until December 31, 2014. 

xx. 

This post is sponsored by Live Health Online. All opinions are my own.

Summer Loving: Pescadero

Summer really just IS the best. There's no way around it. Kids have so many opportunities to get outside and get fresh air and have endless fun. 

Yesterday, we went in the tiny backyard to play a bit, and lo and behold! Our plum tree has plums! Our apple tree has apples! We did a pre-fruit-picking session, realized the fruit isn't ready to be picked, and were totally fine with that because... on the agenda today was berry picking... 

I woke and thought to myself, "we have no gingham! We have no cowboy boots!" and then I tried to be reasonable and say that going to the country does not equal a requirement to dress country. Maggie has overalls. Sophie got braids. Two thumbs up. We went country. 

In Pescadero. Which I now know is nearly 1.5 hours of driving each way {depending on traffic}. So be it! Brian didn't need the car, so we piled in, and on our way.

Sophie got some quality independence and picked berries with her best little friend. It's such a sweet thing to see tiny babies get bigger and adore one another genuinely still. They're looking like such school-kids these days, and I kind of love it and hate it all at once. Nostalgia, cry me a river and all that sort of motherly sappiness. They stayed a couple rows away and giggled about who-knows-what while they filled their buckets. Brought me right back to my childhood, let me tell you. Childhood is a dream.

Maggie isn't a berry picker, per say. I have a lot of pictures of her in the fields, and in 3/4 of them, she's eating unripe berries, and the other 1/4 she looks pretty grouchy. You can take the kid out of the city, but apparently she doesn't have to like it. Thankfully, the tractor WAS a hit, and telling her little cousins what to do was another big hit. The youngest has to share her knowledge somewhere. I can totally relate. I was the youngest in my family too. 

All said, it was a good day. It's been a good week. It's a great summer. I think maybe the best on the books, but that's probably too bold to say since we're in our first official week of summer. Maybe it's because my kiddos are at such good ages? They're still young enough to be in awe and sweet about all these activities, but not so young where they're 100% needy when we're out and about. 

I heart summertime. 

xo.

Hills and Throwbacks

We had high hopes of going to the ZOO today... then I got sick again! Thankfully this time it's a cold and not a flu, but it still isn't going to be okay to spread germs on our friends' kiddos. I generally don't mention to my kids what are fun plans are in advance, but this time I did, and Sophie is super bummed to be missing the zoo. So am I, for that matter! I love giraffes and peacocks and sunshine. 

There's always next week! Thankfully we spent all day yesterday out and about, and the girls are kind of wiped out today anyway.

This is a picture of one of the hills we climbed yesterday. These SF hills don't mess around. In honor of the fact that it's Throwback Thursday, here's a little story for ya... When Sophie was born, we lived swallowed in a spot with big hills similar to this. We had thought of everything we could possibly need for a registry, gotten everything I thought I would need, and thought it'd be a cakewalk to do life. But those hills, oh those hills! Every single place I needed to go - stores, coffee shops, restaurants, banks, etc. were up or down those hills. When I registered, I looked for pretty strollers with great reviews. I didn't think to look for lightweight! The stroller I had must have weighed 25 lbs with the carseat inside {Sophie turned 6 months and I got my first umbrella stroller and never once looked back}. One particular day, I needed to find a place to get fingerprints for my part-time job at the time, and I found myself on a hill very much like the one above... halfway up the side with the stairs and realizing that I had trees blocking the squares of sidewalk to the side of the stairs... I had to maneuver the BEAST of a stroller around the trees and up the stairs slooowwwly and was nearly in tears by the time I got to the top {as a reference, the photo above was taken about 2/3 of the way up this particular block... these are not short hills}.

OH the lessons you learn after having a firstborn. I would love to have given my 26 year old self some serious SF mothering lessons starting with A. The bus systems that take you nearly everywhere you want to be. B. The fact that all sidewalks with smooth surface beside stairs are deceiving... there will always be planter boxes or trees in your way but not until halfway up. Take the smooth side! C. Ever heard of a good Ergo? I could have had things SO.MUCH.EASIER. had I only known any of those three things. 

Anyway, every time I walk up stairs on a sidewalk {which is often}, I remember those days of early motherhood fondly. 

Happy Throwback Thursday. xoxo

Summary of a Nutritious Week

Today I put sugar in my coffee and rice in my chicken soup. 

It felt right.

I survived 6.75 days on the Whole30, and realized it's simply not for me in my lifestyle right now. I'm not lazy, but I also don't have or make the time it takes to get fresh groceries, and make all of my meals from scratch for breakfast, lunch and dinner for all of us daily. Super discouraging also when you check your almond milk carton when you get home, rather than remembering at the store, and then realizing it has a small amount of added sugar, and having to retrace back to the store, and then find out that only Whole Foods carries almond milk without sugar, and your children are crankier by the minute... 

Perhaps this is only my experience? 

I don't have the luxury of a car or a nanny or a chef, or a cleaning crew. It's just me and my little brigade of minis and I'm maxed out. So my almond milk has a little sugar, and so does the salmon glaze that I've added to dinner. I'm cool with that. Everything in moderation, eh? I'm moving on from all that. 

I have learned a bit from the near-week that I did follow the rules {mostly}. Ready for it? Okay, here you go:

• Almond butter with bananas is just as delicious as peanut butter and far healthier. In fact, it's an overall perfectly acceptable permanent substitute. Do try it!
• Sweet potato fries. YES. Baked, salt, olive oil, DONE. 
• Burgers without buns are also totally acceptable, as long as the condiments are there. I didn't miss the bread.
• Keeping good basics in the house is entirely more helpful than one would even think! It forces you to make better choices on the regular!
• To contrast, keeping chips and ultra-processed snacks around are a good way to maintain an unhealthy balance.
• There are bars that make healthy snacking a breeze and they're good to stock... my favs were select LunaBars, Trader Joe's all-fruit bars, and Nakd gluten free snacks {pictured at the bottom- they came c/o Nak'd and are gluten free, dairy free, no added sugar! Brilliant}.

Without further ado, may I present to you my proudest meals of Whole30. The first was actually my mom's crazy delicious salad, the second is grated zucchini and sweet potatoes, mixed with egg and seared in olive oil with another egg, tomato, lettuce and onion atop. It.was.good. The third was my favorite though: ceviche! Tons of lime juice, diced tomatoes, avocado, onion, and baby shrimp... I'll be making it on the regular {but now with tortilla chips on the side!}

One last tip! If you're going to do Whole30- and I commend you with my whole heart if you do- do yourself a favor and check the following hashtags on Instagram #whole30 #jennaswhole30. SO many beautiful recipes and a whole support system of people working toward the same goal! 

xoxo,

Kate

Breather

The breather from the internet was life-giving. You know how they say that people don't truly begin to vacation until they've been vacationing for about a week? Apparently our mind clocks have trouble turning off the responsibilities until they've been vacationing that long. Two weeks was a lovely bit of space away to swallow an excess of air and feel carefree. 

The last few days I've been feeling the pull back to writing, and I realized that that means I'm ready to come back to this space with a feeling of appreciation and enjoyment, rather than any sort of obligation. I've cleared my slate and tied most loose ends from my inbox as well, which is just altogether freeing. Inboxes when you first start blogging are like mailboxes for kids- it only brings fun things! After being in the game a bit, the inbox feels like a mailbox to an adult- full of deletables, responsibilities, and excess. Anyway, I had a chance to spring clean the inboxes in a sense, just before our official summer begins. Perhaps I will do this quarterly. 

I am also am embarking on a whole30. I read all the words about the cleansing of our systems from processed foods, from sugars, and from grains and dairy. I wholeheartedly want to be clean from processed foods, I half-heartedly want to cut sugar, and nearly none of me wants to rid the grains and dairy {aka my food lifelines}, but I'm giving it a go. Don't judge harshly if I do not make it, because- well- from what I've heard, it's incredibly difficult. Thirty days is a long time, full of baby showers, dinner plans with friends, and festivities during which I'll have to steer myself intentionally away from most delicacies. The picture above is from my first day of whole30, which included a stop at a street fair with every possible temptation in a one block radius. Chalk up a W for me on day one. One day at a time, friends.

We had a legit vacation while I was away also {old news to those who follow on instagram}. Disneyworld is a truly magical place when your children are 2 and 5 and gazing around with bright-eyed wonder. Before we left for our trip, we made a quick stop to a mall that had rides in its hallways, and Maggie said "are we in Disneyworld mommy?" The real deal obviously blew their socks off. {I mean, who wears socks in Florida, but you know what I'm trying to say}. They've caught the Frozen fever a bit more than I care to admit, but hey... I went through some crazy-train childhood days where I would shut the door to my room and sing and act out Ariel's soundtrack in front of a mirror at the top of my vocal lungs and imagine voice-over careers looming in my future. A little "let it go" fresh off an airplane from Anna and Elsa country never hurt anyone. All this said, it was a brilliantly warm and blissful time with family and now we're home and gloriously refreshed.

There you have it. I'm back and more longwinded than ever! Can't wait to type my little heart out again. xx