Making changes

Friday night both girls were exhausted by dinnertime. Neither one had a nap that afternoon, and Kennedy was coming down with yet another cold (curse you preschool germs! Macy had a day of fever earlier in the week, too.) I suggested that we could set up the movie player in their room, if they would go to bed right after dinner. Everyone was excited, and Macy started shouting her usual request, "Watch Buzz!" I decided to try pulling Macy's mattress out of her crib to set up on the floor. Both girls were tucked in, kissed goodnight, and left alone to watch Toy Story 3 for the bazillionth time. When I checked on them a bit later, Kennedy was sound asleep, and hanging half way out of bed. Macy was still watching, but I could tell she was fading. I made the mistake of turning off the movie, which woke Macy right up. I thought this could be a test to see if she's ready for a big girl bed. Well, she might be, but I don't know that I'm ready for another girl coming in to our room at all hours of the night - to tell me she needs to go potty, to ask if she can snuggle, to ask for more water, to say her blankets need straightening, etc. - so after Macy got up for the second time, I put her mattress right back in the crib. Maybe we'll try again in a few months. Luckily she's not climbing out of bed on her own yet.

Kennedy and I have decided to try an intervention with Macy's diet. We checked out "The Sneaky Chef" from the library, and a friend let me borrow her copy of "Deceptively Delicious." Our plan is to secretly hide fruits and vegetables in foods that we know Macy will eat. These books are all about adding purees like spinach, beet, sweet potato, carrot, or cauliflower, and adding other whole grains to recipes kids usually like. Chocolate pudding with avocado, anyone? How about tofu nuggets with flaxseed meal and pureed peas? Maybe not. Kennedy is especially excited about the idea of sneaky cooking, and I promised she could help me out.

We made a green puree of spinach, broccoli, and peas and added it to some magic meatballs...was it a success?

Yes, Macy ate them! They were actually pretty good for turkey meatballs.

And she goes back for another bite!

The next day I added a spoonful of green to their morning smoothie with berries and banana. That was a hit, too!

Jake and I are also overhauling our diets. We're following the Insanity program that I got for Christmas, and eating mini meals five times a day (it's like being back on the gestational diabetes plan.) It's a ton of planning and preparation, but Jake has been getting up early to get the food ready for us to take to work. His amazing efforts are making this all possible! So far we're doing well, but maybe I can add a sneaky chef chocolate chip cookie with white bean puree or chocolate cake with beets as a special treat every now and again. We're also doing the Insanity workouts six times a week, and a strength training session with our trainer, Jake Phippen, once a week. All this isn't leaving me much time for my latest Netflix favorite, Battlestar Galactica (strange pick I know, but I love it.) Or all the house organizing I've been meaning to get to, other than little projects here and there. Some day my life may all come together in one perfect, happy, healthy, fit, tidy, and totally balanced nirvana.