SpoonFullofJelly

Right before the clock struck midnight, I made a decision on December 31st to eat plant based in January. I had a fridge and freeze full of meat and dairy products from hosting 10 people over the holiday season. I always have dairy free options because Hubby has been dairy free since about 2011. I had not planned out that week's groceries nor had I thought it through. I just took off running into veggieland. I never knew what this transformation was going to mean to me. Breakfast First thing I took into consideration was my mornings and afternoons. It is so easy for me to fry an egg and chicken sausage and call that breakfast. I do smoothies each day, but once morning passes, I usually don't make one. So I set out to transform the most important meals of the day. First I switched my coffee creamer. It took more than half the month to find one that I like. Silk coffee creamer in Sweet Cream flavor did the trick. I love that it isn't too sweet and that there...

I was so excited because Mr. Mind was home most of January on Paternity/Adoption Leave. We got to sleep in, sort of and have slow lazy days together. January is a super cold month and we began the month with -14 degrees. It's certainly a tell-tell sign of what is to come this winter. I feel bad for the visitors as the Super Bowl is around the corner. Years ago, while I was planning my wedding, I learned about the updated version of homeschooling. I knew a couple homeschooled children in my life including some distant cousins. I thought that it was a very isolated way of learning. But as I shuffled dress colors and cake tastings, I was also shuffling the idea of teaching my future children. Fast forward two years and I was happily married talking about children with my husband. I so eager to begint he process that I imbedded him with my 18 year plan for the children. It included tons and tons of books and field trips and us as their teacher. My husband laughed and said...

I like to blog because Sharing is caring! I wanted to share all the things that I found throughout life as someone else might benefit from it. Blogging is the quickest way to share what I find. I love to travel! I When I travel, I focus on the food and the culture. I seek out tradition meals that bring families to the table. I make friends where I do so that I can learn more. I love the natural atmosphere of each country. The best time on a trip, which is a must, is to enjoy a meal that allows for me to take in the natural beauty. JACKPOT! Enjoying fresh coconut while watching dolphins in Costa Rica Infertility put a wedge between me and what I love. I didn't want to share infertility. It isn't something that I wish upon anyone. It's nothing to glamorize.  You can't show off pictures of this roadblock and explain why people ought to visit it. Infertility is merely a pit that you fell into that you either climb out of or stay nestled inside. After two y...

Don't you love winter on those days that you do not have to leave your home? My husband has returned to work after paternity leave. That leaves me back home with our son for the next month. Now that Baby E is 3 months old, he is awake for 1.5 hours at a time. This is the perfect time to introduce him to a variety of topics and activities. I plan on gently "teaching" him. This was a great thought before baby arrived. I did all this work to modify tot school programs and then forgot all about it until last week. I found that I placed Baby E in the swing or on the floor while I read my book of the month. He began to grunt and only stopped when I looked up at him. My baby wanted attention! I put the book down, scooped him and read a baby book to him. He enjoyed it and I enjoyed the look on his face. That is when I remembered all the work I had put in the year before to create a Tot/Baby home learning program. I printed our schedule, gathered all the baby books f...