Walk-a-thon

Enzo and I after 38 long laps!

I am truly amazed and blessed. Today was the longest day I have had in a long time. It was Walk-a-thon at the kid's school. We were all looking forward to today, well at least I thought we were. Enzo last night told me that he did not want to go to school and he did not want to do the walk-a-thon. I asked him why and he replied "I am going to be the slowest one!" My heart sank. I have tried to make life as "typical" as possible. Since his diagnosis with Cerebral Palsy , this is our first real obstacle that I was not ready for. I comforted him and let him know that I would walk EVERY lap with him. He smiled and said "Okay".

This morning was good, we had cuddles and snuggles, a yummy breakfast and off to school on time. I got there early and pulled him aside to stretch more and prep his left leg. We got to the field and did some of the stretches with the rest of the school and then it began. He started getting upset and acting out. I quickly comforted him and prayed for him.

The walk-a-thon started. The next hour and a half would be the most trying I have had to deal with in a very long time. Until we found our groove it was hit and miss. He would get frustrated (rightfully so) and start crying or whining. I must have started to cry three or four times feeling his frustration too. No mother EVER wants to see their child be in pain or hurting. I knew this not a tantrum but true frustration from his disability. 

His physical challenges are so minimal that I often forget to even think about them. What do you mean? He is your typical five year old, right?. Then I remember, oh wait, that is right, there are things that are harder for him. I want so badly for him to not worry or think it might be difficult.

As we made our way around the course every teacher and parent cheered him on. Whether they knew his disability or not, they encouraged him. I felt so encouraged and supported by everyone. Thank you Jesus for your covering and love in this very difficult time!

His original goal was 55 laps. My goal for him was 20 laps. I was nervous that we would not reach his goal and he would be devastated. About an hour into the the hour and a half event, I think he realized he might have set too high of a goal. He decided that 35 laps would be better. I was relieved. We hit 35 laps with a half hour to go. He was exhausted and so was I. I carried him 75% of the time, man, I should have been sponsored!! We celebrated and collapsed in the middle of the field. Then when the five minute warning came Enzo jumped up and started laps again. Okay, I thought, sounds good, let's go!

He walked another four laps all by himself!

We did it! We finished!

GF pizza and Jamba Juice as rewards.

I am emotionally drained and physically drained.

I never thought something so simple as a walk-a-thon would prove to be difficult. But then again I do not lead an ordinary life.

I am so proud of my sweet boy and thankful for his wonderful school!

  

A Time For Everything

Well, as of 11:36 pm 8/31/12, I am no longer the General Manager. This is very bittersweet. In my time at the restaurant I have learned so much. Patience, time management, multitasking at it's finest, firing, hiring, confrontation and the list goes on. I have been stretched more than I thought I could have ever been. I have cried many tears of frustration, exhaustion and laughed numerous laughs with a fantastic group of people. They are my second family by far! When you are able to belt out Andrea Bocelli in Italian, not because you actually know what he is saying but because you have heard the song so many times, you create a bond with people. Smiling when you have nothing to smile about because guests are crazy, you start a memory that is not easily forgotten.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I felt like I had a baby. Now I feel like I gave this newborn to a complete stranger to take care of. I am nervous, sad, scared about the transition and the restaurant. However, I am finding peace that God has closed the door there and will be opening a door elsewhere. It has been a very hard last week.

This next step in life is exciting! I am going to be donating time at the kids school tutoring after school to help supplement tuition costs, cooking hot lunch (yes, I will be the lunch lady!) and being there for my family.
I am looking for other ways to bring income for us too. I will start tutoring Math outside of the school, catering, sewing and seeking a part time job too. I have a peace that God will help us through this transition and He has already has in some ways.

It will be weird to not get a million text messages everyday about the emergencies of the restaurant, checking emails, and dealing with complaints.

I am so excited for some normalcy. Regular bedtimes, weekends (Saturday and Sunday), cooking, cleaning, laundry, sewing, reading to my kids, dates with my husband and a thing called exercise.

Thank you Jesus for getting me through this season and leading me to the next!

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Veggie Burgers with No SOY!

Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1/3 cup onion (coarsely chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 egg (I used http://www.ener-g.com/egg-replacer.html)
2 Tbs BBQ sauce 

(I used 1 Tbs ketchup, 1/2 molasses 1/2 tomato paste because most BBQ sauces are too spicy for the kids)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (freshly ground)
1/3 cup gf flour
1/2 cup gf breadcrumbs (I used leftover crust from Udi's)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
6 Udi's buns (rolls)

Preparation Steps:
Drain and rinse beans with cold water.
Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
Add beans, onions, garlic, egg substitute, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oil, salt and pepper to food processor or blender
Pulse until beans are the size of peas.
Place pulsed mixture into a large bowl.
Add flour and stir until evenly mixed.
Add bread crumbs and mix well.
Add nutritional yeast and mix well, it will be thick and sticky
Divide mixture into six portions.
Flour your hands and shape into 1/2-inch thick burgers

The burgers may be refrigerated in a sealed container for 1 day or frozen until ready to grill.
I used my grill pan and cooked them over med-high heat about 3-4 minutes each side

(Oil your grill and preheat grill to medium-high. Place burgers on grill. Barbecue with lid down until hot, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes.)

Serve on buns with desired toppings i.e. pickles, onions, tomatoes, salsa.
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They were kid and husband tested. Eric came in the kitchen and asked what I was making and was skeptical, since I have flopped too many times with veggie burger. However, he gave me the thumbs up to make them again. I plan on making a large batch, stack them layered with wax paper and freezing them.
I am so excited
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The original recipe
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Easy-Veggie-Burgers-Recipezaar?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website

Cool Nutty Noodles

Oh how I love new recipes and making old ones better. I was in a bit of a rut with new recipe ideas. I have been over at Happy Herbivore for some inspiration. I am sometimes a little nervous about certain ingredients but her recipe of Cool Noodles added a new twist to my Nutty noodles!


*inspired by Happy Herbivore and my Nutty noodle recipe
16 oz corn spaghetti
3/4-1c peanut butter or sunflower butter (I tried almond butter and it was ok but not great)
1/4 c rice milk
2-3 Tb gf soy sauce or Bragg's amino acid
2 limes juiced
1/2 english cucumber peeled, julienne cut 2" long
handful of Trader Joe's shredded carrots
2 green onions julienne cut
handful of cilantro coarsely chopped
red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook pasta accordingly to directions, drain and set aside.
In small saute pan, whisk peanut butter, milk, and soy sauce over med/low heat, until creamy.
In a large bowl toss noodles, sauce and lime juice together. Make sure to coat the noodles. (This ensures them to not dry out in the refridgerator) Toss in carrots, cucumber and green onions.
Garnish with cilantro and little red pepper flakes if you like a little heat!

This recipe is great warm or cold
Enjoy!

Simple Questions

I asked these questions awhile ago and I thought I would revisit them

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Enzo-nothing
Kira- I love you Kira

2. What makes mom happy?
Enzo-to listen to you
Kira-when I talk to you

3. What makes mom sad?
Enzo--when i not doing what you ordered
Kira-when i go to school

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Enzo-by tickling me
Kira- by tickling me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Enzo-you listened to your momma
Kira-you had cats and dogs

6. How old is your mom?
Enzo- eight or nine
Kira- 21

7. How tall is your mom?
Enzo-89, 60, 70
Kira- 20 

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Enzo-be with us
Kira-make something with me

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Enzo-go to work
Kira-go to work or watch Enzo

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Enzo- a movie star
Kira-a peacock

11. What is your mom really good at?
Enzo-cooking
Kira-making stuff

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Enzo-being a movie star
Kira-really hard things

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Enzo-managing
Kira-you be a manager

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Enzo- green stuff
Kira- pancakes


15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Enzo- being nice to you
Kira- when we talk together

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Enzo-a mom
Kira-snoopy

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Enzo-talk with each other
Kira-we make crafts together

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Enzo-because we like each other
Kira- because we have the same color hair

19. How are you and your mom different?
Enzo-we are not in the same body
Kira- you are bigger and I am smaller

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Enzo-because you dance with me
Kira- because we snuggle with each other

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Enzo-(he was done with the interview )
Kira-because I love him

22.What is your mom's favorite thing to do?
Enzo-nothing
Kira- cook

Bread Maker and Life

I borrowed a bread maker from a friend to see if I would possibly want to get one for my birthday.
I used my recipe for gf bread and it turned out amazing. Instead of following all of the details of the recipe, I simply put together all of the wet ingredients and sugar. Then I mix all the dry ingredients except yeast. In the baking pan I put the wet ingredients in first, cover it with the dry then, I make a shallow well and put the yeast in it and make sure it doesn't get wet. Press start and let it do what it does.  So easy and quick. In fact, I am going to use the timer mode and make bread to be ready in the morning! I am pretty excited.
Plus a loaf of really tasty gf bread store bought is about $6 and this costs me about $2 a loaf.
So now that I told you what I am up today, I should probably fill you in on life in general.
It has been a long, tiring and stressful nine months since starting work full time. I feel like I have had a baby.
I am tired, out of shape and feel like I have had the life sucked out of me.
The restaurant, my baby, is doing well. I finally feel like it is doing what it should be doing. The staff is great and improving constantly. We are doing wine education and everyone is really putting the effort forward to learn. Sales are up and the regulars are coming in more frequently too.
The other great news is I finally have two days off in a row! I have been working six to seven days a week for the the last 39 weeks. I now have Sunday and Monday off. I almost don't know what to do.....almost.
I am enjoying Sunday with my family and doing a few errands. Mondays after I drop Kira off at school, Enzo and I are going to have a breakfast date. He is excited and so am I.
I am planning on getting rest and enjoying my time with my family and making an effort to do more things for them and with them.
Speaking of rest, goodnight!

Kira's Kindergarten Graduation

 Last day of kindergarten

 I think she is excited

 They did not have the music so we all hummed the graduation song

Cap and gown

 Her class

 So proud

 So big!

 the family

 Her teacher

 Ice Cream Social

 Enzo shared with dad

Special Lunch at my work

Camping at Plaskett Creek

We did it! We got away! Only for the night but still we got away.

We went to Plaskett Creek, my favorite campsites, up Highway 1.

Kira immediately met another little girl from Fresno and they were two peas in a pod the whole time.

It was nice because she included Enzo too in they games

It was nice to not have cell phone reception and not have anyone call me!!

 Sunday we drove up and set up camp.

 I took countless pictures, just because

 We walked around the camp and went to a trail by the bluff.

Love those kids! 

 We had hot dogs and gluten free buns. Gluten free graham crackers and s'mores.

 

Even though it was only one night, it was still fun and relaxing

April Showers Brought May Flowers

Well, hello there!

How are you all? I am doing well and happy to be writing to you tonight.
I have missed writing and doing so many things these last few months.
Work got a bit nutty but I feel like we have a got most of the kinks out and are getting back to being a well oiled machine. I was putting more hours in than I would have liked to and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel as though I am able to step back a bit and let the restaurant do what it is capable of doing.
I am still working Monday through Friday lunches and then a couple nights. My hours have decreased a little and I am relieved. I think my husband is too!

I can not believe that it is May already! So many wonderful things going on this month! This week I get to see my dear sweet friend who lives in Kenya now. Next week I get to be part of one of my best friend's weddings out in Florida! A girl's weekend and I am not quite sure what to do with myself. School is almost out.

Last week for spring break my sweet momma came up and watched the kids while they were on spring break. She did all of my laundry, shopping, cooking and cleaning for a week! I am so spoiled and I loved every minute of it. I realized it had been four months since I saw her last. Crazy!

Anywho, it is nice to catch my breath and connect with you all and say hello.
I hope I can connect more often as I feel my schedule freeing up a bit.
Hope you are well and loving the weather, it is gorgeous here, but my allergies are gnarly, oh well.
Talk with you soon!

28 Days of Nothing-Not so Much

Ughh! This month has been a little bit of a nightmare. I think my expectations of nothing was not really realistic with my work schedule and Valentine's weekend.
I have failed, not miserably but I have failed. Last time I wrote was the about the 5th and 6th. The next week was okay and I did really well. I think I bought a coffee and that was it, $3.85.
However that weekend was not so good. Eric and the kids went down to my mom's house, while I worked the whole Valentine's weekend. It worked out great because I was working crazy long hours and I knew I was not going to see them anyway. But I did spend way more than I had intended. Saturday I went to my friend's consignment shop just to peek around for the first time. I found two vintage dresses. Gorgeous and in perfect condition, these dresses are classic dresses. I need a black dress for a wedding I am in in May and for $40 I could not pass it us. If I bought this dress new it would have been $200 easily.

As for eating out....I did! I was running literally from Friday afternoon until Monday night straight. I am going to say I spent no more than $50 on food and coffee.

So, I have not wanted to write to admit failure but realized I needed to. It is the 19th today and the month is almost over. Nine more days in February. I think I bit off more than I could chew and I will be the first to admit it. I am not going to beat myself up over it though. I did make more dinners at home than normal and I was more conscience of my choices and I think that is good.

Working 40 plus hours a week and trying to cut corners in spending does not really happen. I am glad I tried and failed in a sense. I sometimes set unrealistic goals and then beat myself up over not reaching them. I realize that now and I am happy to say I can not do it all. I try to believe I can but not so much! This season of my life it totally different than any other I have had.

Hopefully you are able to learn from my mistakes and make good goals.   
Obtainable goals!

Day 5 & Day 6 of 28 of Nothing

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th

Saturday was a great day! I had an eye appointment at 11:30. I have not seen a eye doctor for about ten years. I have noticed my eyes being more tired at the end of the day. I think my iPhone is making my eye sight worse. It causes me to strain sometimes and my eyes did not bother me until I got it. Oh well.
So I went and got my eyes dilated for the first time too. Well that was interesting to say the least. I have always been able to focus and see anything but for my eyesight to go it was really frustrating. Wow! How do you people who need glasses 24/7 do it? I have a lot of respect for you all now knowing a small percent of what you go through. I discovered I do need a slight prescription and waited for the dilation to end.


After about twenty minutes I drove to my surprise. I went over to a day spa for a nice Valentine's day surprise! I got a massage and spent the afternoon at a spa doing nothing! What a great gift! It was the best massage I have ever had!
I went to work and had a decent night. That was Saturday.

Sunday was perfectly mellow. Kira unfortunately had a slight fever, so we stayed home from church. I cleaned the house and we hung out. Our friend from San Clemente was up and he came over for a little bit and watched the game. On Sunday nights we normally go into the restaurant, have dinner and I check to make sure everything is going okay. So Enzo and I went to eat at my work for dinner for a date. Our date night was sweet and super special.

Saturday: $0 I am not counting the massage since it was a gift.
Sunday: I did leave a $20 tip for our dinner

Total:$20

It is funny to me that because I am consciously trying not to spend, it is all I think about and want to do.
How are you doing? Maybe you are still spending but not as much? I would love to hear.

Day 4

Friday was rough! It started out like a nice day. I had coffee with a girlfriend- $8.05. So much for the non-frufru drink. Work was busy at lunch and had a great shift. I went to pick up Enzo at school and then it began. He did not nap and was a nightmare. Poor bub, I know he was tired but he was beyond cranky. He was whining and crying over anything that did not go his way. We go and pick up Kira and it gets worse. When he is cranky, she is the worse thing to add to the mix. Kira antagonizes him like no other sister has before. SO for the one hour I was home with them I had to do damage control every five seconds. Needless to say I was done and actually anxious to get back to work.
Eric dropped me off and straight into work mode I went. We was slammed last night and had a very interesting mix of guests. Things did not run smooth. It was super to be busy and realize we need more people working, but it sucks when you can not get in a flow and make it smooth. Oh well!

So thankfully for me I get off work earlier on Fridays for now. Eric was still up in Atascadero and I was without a car. I decided to go and get a glass of wine and a little bit to eat. I know, I know I blew it! But it was so worth it! I had a perfect time and finished right when Eric came back into town. I needed a little treat and oh well, I am not perfect and I do not expect to do this anytime soon.
  
Coffee-$8.05
One happy mommy-$27.86
$35.91

Okay not a great start but not horrible.
Plus I realized we are not doing anything for Valentine's day because I am working all weekend (but mostly because I can not stand the holiday!).
Most people spend $40 on flowers!
Anyways here is Mr. Linky if you want to join in the fun with your posts.

Day 2 and Day 3

Wednesday was a great day. I was able to keep strong and not buy anything.
I worked a double and it was a busy day. Busy days keep my mind off wanting something.

Thursday was chocked full of everything. Another double today and I just got home. My feet are killing me tonight. I really want and need to buy support hose for my legs but it will have to wait. I really wanted to buy coffee today and a little snack while at Kinko's getting Valentine's day flyers done. Why do they have junk at the counter? For some odd reason I really wanted Mentos and a Snickers. Ugh! But I stood my ground.

Total spent: $0

Yeah! I did forget about a coffee date tomorrow morning with a friend so I just get a basic coffee and not a frilly frufru drink.

How are you all doing?

Day 1: 28 Days of Nothing

Day 1:
It was a hard start today, but I stood strong.
I was running late but still did not buy coffee.
I did get pasta and rice bread at Trader Joes.
Yeah! Day one was a success and I am getting in the mindset of not spending.

28 Days of Nothing-Year 3

I have missed you all. December was crazy, not just with Christmas and traveling but work and getting into a routine. We are now at the end of January and it has flown by. I miss writing and miss interacting online. I have an iPhone through work now and I seem to do all of my online stuff on it but it is very difficult to type a post with my phone....ha ha.

So I am hear to say hello and tell you my hopes of next month. As you know I have done 28 days of nothing for the past two years and I want to do it this next month as well. I am sending out a challenge for anyone who wants to participate.

Guidelines:
1. Honesty: the most important thing about not spending money and writing about it is honesty. If you are not truthful with us then what is the point? It is a struggle not spending for me but knowing I have accountability here I am more likely to not buy anything. But if I slip and spend then you are the first to hear about it.

2. Your bills and basic food are not part of the 28 days. Obviously, you need to pay the gas bill, car payment or have food on the table. That is not part of the "nothing" challenge. However, your morning coffee drink and bagel at overpriced bucks is not a necessity. The new lip gloss or pair of shoes are the challenge. Saying NO to anything extra.

3. Post about it and be as detailed or general i.e.
Feb 2-day 2 I spent $1.65 on bottled water at the gas station.
It is up to you if you want to go into what you saw and wanted to buy. I think it helps to share with each other struggles it keeps it real and not holier than thou attitude.

4. Keep a running total of what you have been spending. It is the easiest if you have it in your post and then at the end of the month add them up. You will be so surprised at the extra money in your bank account at the end of the month.

You can link up using Mister Linky on Day 1.

Think about it and leave a comment if you want to participate.
Thanks for thinking about it.

Let Me Tell What I've Been Up To!

On December 1st everything changed! I got promoted to general manager of the restaurant that I have been a hostess at. What a blessing! We thought about it, prayed and knew it would be difficult at first. We knew we needed to make sure the kids were taken care of first and foremost. There is a Christian school that Kira got into and Enzo finally got accepted to a Montessori preschool. Th e last few weeks have been trying and stretching. We honestly felt that God had opened up all of the doors and we just needed to have faith and walk through!

Boy oh boy! He has really come through on every little detail. I am working more obviously, but as soon as we are more on a schedule, I think it will be smoother.  Both of them start school on the 3rd of January and I feel like things will get more manageable. Since I will not be home as much posts will be few and far between while we are transitioning.

Everyone is excited about school. Kira has already started and loves her class, there are six other students. Enzo wanted to stay the day we checked out his school and his teacher is willing to met with his therapist too to see how much she can help in class with his left side.

I feel blessed and overwhelmed at everything so suddenly. However, I am so thankful for a God who is bigger than all of it! I am constantly clinging to Him for direction and patience.

Many blessings and love during this Christmas season to you and your family.
I hope to write our yearly update soon!

Butternut Squash Soup

I have wanted to try making this soup for a while now. 

The restaurant I used to work at had a butternut squash bisque and I loved it.

(Of course it had tons of cream and a bacon wrapped sea scallop, oh well.)

I knew I could make a soup comparable to the restaurants and way more healthy too.

Success!

I was so excited, it tastes just like the bisque that I remember minus all the bad stuff.

Butternut Squash Soup
2 Tb Earth best butter
2 large butternut squash
2 medium onions
1 shallot
water
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c cashews

Directions:
In a large stockpot  melt butter and add onions and shallots. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add butternut squash and cook over low for about 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Add nutmeg and dash of salt and pepper. Let simmer for 20 minutes until squash soften. Remove from heat and blend in Vitamix or blender, reserve about one cup of broth. The second batch add cashews and blend until smooth. Pour all mixtures in the stockpot and season with s & p to taste. If too thick add reserved water.

Serve with dinner rolls or corn tortillas. Perfect on a chilly day or night.
I made this for lunch and Eric walked in and said it smelled like Thanksgiving! I agree!

Enjoy

I Won!

Tsh from Simple Mom just wrote a book and I won a copy!! I can not tell you how much she inspires me. I love all of the Simple blogs in her network. She is the first blog that I ever subscribed to via email/google reader. In fact, she inspired me to start Going Kiwi. I am so thankful for her words of encouragement and the simplicity of her posts. They really are simple, but meaningful posts. I think I have gleaned more from her blog and network than any other blog as a momma.

I really hope you will check out her book and support this amazing woman with a head full of knowledge!

This made my day!
Thanks again Tsh

Halloween 2010

 Mermaid, Cat Burglar and the Vampire

Jesse and Woody

 Yes, this was last years costume and I never got pictures,

thankfully they barely fit

 Mermaid and vampire

I was so excited how her skirt came out, 

I did not have a pattern.

 His cape was so easy and the perfect length

My little mermaid

They are already planning on what they want to be next year. I think we should do Princess Leia and Darth Vader. Who knows.

Ruth

I started teaching a bible study at my house. We are going through the book of Ruth. Oh how, I love her story. Redemption, love and grace!  I am going to share this week on here. So this is just a little teaser of what is to come.

I love that it is finally raining and cold by the way :)