Love and Joy

This past week brought a startling reminder to me of how frail life is.  Needless to say, I am utterly thankful for the blessing of life, hope, love and joy.

I am especially grateful for every day that God has given me to spend with my two loves.

I feel beyond blessed for all my life has been graced with.  Thanking God for another day of life.

Acts 2:26 - "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope."

Mommy's little helper...

Curiosity and increased mobility....a combination that has our little one getting into everything these days.  Sometimes completing the simplest tasks around the house are impossible with Celeste meddling with everything, but I am blessed to watch her grow with a spirit of unending inquisitiveness of her world and marvel at her wonderment of the unpretentious things in life. 

Trying to eat the rocks while Daddy gardens.

Pulling out all the pots and pans!

Helping put the groceries away...

Thankful for my sweet baby girl!

Baby Steps....

Just a few days shy of her 10 month birthday, Celeste took her first steps!  It's been such a site to see the determination and effort she puts forth as she has started walking.  What was her determination for her first step?  She wanted to reach her daddy's 'snack pack', and she was going to do whatever she could to get to it!

Lessons I have learned thus far from raising Celeste have been some of the most invaluable experiences of my life. 

The important lesson she recently taught me is when attempting to accomplish a goal that I may have never achieved before, I must go about it slowly and carefully by taking baby steps.

...Until Eating Disorders are History...

"It's time to talk about it".  National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is February 20th-26th.

Here are the facts:

-As many as 10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men are battling eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia, while millions more suffer from binge eating disorder.  These numbers only represent a portion of those affected.

-42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner.  And 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat.

-25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet on any given day.

-More than one in three "normal dieters" progresses to pathological dieting.  Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.

-Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

-At least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of their eating disorder.

(www.myneda.org)

As one who has experienced the devastation of living with an eating disorder first-hand as well as the journey of healing and recovery, I can say for a fact that there is hope.  Especially with a young daughter, it is my hope and prayer that she will grow up feeling proud of herself, her body and everything it enables her to do.  I hope that she will always be at peace within herself and confident in her uniqueness and all the things unrelated to size or weight that make her exceptional and beautiful.  I hope my own life is always a reflection of healthy self-esteem, positive body image, and self-appreciation & worth to her. 

The truth about Eating Disorders is heartbreaking, but the hope of recovery is promising and encouraging.

Check out this link for tips on how to teach children to eat well and feel good about themselves.  With statics revealing the startling young age that children are beginning to develop eating disordered patterns, it's never to early to begin prevention.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaDir/files/documents/handouts/TipsKids.pdf

If you or anyone you know is struggling with an Eating Disorder, don't be afraid to reach out for help!  There is HOPE!

Prevention begins with awareness.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php

Farmer's Market Fun

Vegetables.  They get such a bad rap sometimes.  They're often treated as a chore, or worse yet, a punishment.  More commonly describe as "bland" or "bitter" or simply the, "Oh no thank you, I'll pass on that" dish at the table, vegetables are often the afterthought of a meal and grossly underestimated.

So, my own challenge has become this: How can I introduce a variety of vegetables to our almost one-year old in  a way that won't traumatize her palate or discourage her from becoming a veggie lover?

I'm a firm believer that the earlier you start kids off in life with introducing the world of vegetables, the more apt they'll be to trying them and actually enjoying them! 

What better place to start than your local farmer's market? 

We headed there this past week to choose from the local fare.  Though I know Celeste is still to young to understand, I hope to introduce her to seasonal, local eating and teach her about nutrition with a spirit of curiosity and adventurousness, rather than skepticism.

Right as we turned the corner, I laid eyes on the most lovely bunches of Rainbow Swiss Chard I have ever seen.  Though Chard may be sneered upon for its astringent taste, there are increasing studies which reveal its unsurpassed health benefits such as a blood sugar stabilizer, supporter of bone health, and anti-inflammatory benefits...not to mention a rich source of antioxidants!  Yeah baby!  We definitely picked up a bunch to cook at home.

So we have this vegetable...now what to do with it?  It's actually a lot less complicated than one might think.  Simply chop the leaves into inch-wide strips (discarding the toughest end parts of the stalks, saute in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and a pinch of red-pepper flakes, cover and cook for about 5 minutes!

 I finished it with salt and pepper to taste and a small amount of butter. Delicious!  But the true verdict was up to a pint-sized eater, who was about to taste chard for the first time....
And she....

....ate it willingly and seemingly enjoyed it!  Seriously though...no forcing was involved!

Hopefully I can keep introducing new veggies to her evolving taste buds.  Maybe next time it'll be parsnips?

Creation, Is, Beautiful,

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."
Job 12:7‑10

For My Love...

One day I wrote his name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washèd it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide and made my pains his prey.
Vain woman (said he) that dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalise;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wipèd out likewise.
Not so (quod I); let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame;
My verse your virtues rare shall eternise,
And in the heavens write your glorious name:
Where, when as Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.