I was thinking of journaling a snapshot of what our days are like these days and what the kids are up to, but then I decided I was would just go ahead and do it here. So here goes!
These are the days that...
...I shop at Trader Joes more than any other store. In fact, my endless supply of plastic grocery bags is gone because I don't go to Publix anymore. Trader Joes has great prices on organic produce and that's where the majority of our grocery budget goes (right behind milk, cheese and yogurt).
...when Ricardo travels I have high aspirations of doing major house cleaning in the evenings, but usually end up reading on the couch or at the computer
...I am reminded of what a sinful and fallen world we live in as more and more friends face hardship. As I walk along these friends, I ask for grace to use our blessings for His glory
...Alexia is a butterfly of joy and obedience. At the end of the summer, we had a rough time with Alexia's lack of self control and her emotions getting out of hand, but God has been so gracious and through much prayer, cuddling and talking, she is a girl with a changed heart. She delights in obeying, loves praying, seeks peace with her brothers (especially with Marco...we recently went to a performance at church where there was just a handful of children so our kids had to be very quiet. Every time Alexia would go to Ricardo, Marco would fuss and want to be on Ricardo's lap. If he got down, and she climbed on Ricardo's lap, Marco would fuss again. Every single time Marco did it (probably 6 times), Alexia ever so quietly and peacefully, would just scoot over on to my lap.)
...Marco can sit through the entire church service and be quiet and pleasant. It is an incredible joy to be able to worship as a family, with all 3 kids. Diego and Alexia do not stay for the entire service because they go to Children's Church, but Marco has been opting to stay with us lately. We have decided that we will start worshiping together as a family for the entire first service so we are going to work on that transition.
...Diego plays serious soccer. This Saturday is his last game of the season and he has had a great season. The boy is gifted beyond belief and turns heads wherever he plays. Ricardo and I are so humbled that he would choose to gift Diego with such incredible athletic skill. A good friend of ours used to be a pro baseball player and when he saw Diego throwing the baseball he said, "What is he doing playing soccer...you need to get him into baseball!" Or when he played basketball recently (can't even recall where it was), he was shooting baskets in a high net. What amazes all of the other parents as they watch Diego play soccer is that he is the only kid (of the 12+ on the field) that has such focus on the game. His mind is present just as much as his body. Of course Ricardo and I know him well so we see that characteristic displayed in other areas of his life, but when people that don't know him see that intense focus, it is impressive.
...I am more health-conscious than ever. We have cut out processed foods from our diet, with a few exceptions here and there. We have switched to only whole grains (no white flour, etc) and have cut down on processed sugar (we do plain yogurt with raw honey instead of flavored yogurts...most of the time). I am not legalistic about and we do not stick to this way of eating when we eat out, but I figure if I can be as careful as possible at home, then my family is being fed well. My main weaknesses are the candies from Trader Joes!
...Ricardo and I treasure date night. I can honestly say that date night has changed our marriage. With three kids and life being full, it is easy to let "couple time" take the back burner. Over two years ago we committed to not letting that happen. We do not let a week go by without doing date night. And it's not just watching a show on the couch (in fact, rule #1 is no movies for date night). Date night means we put kids to bed, change clothes, get all ready as if we're going to walk out the door to go to a restaurant, but instead we walk into the kitchen. We cook a yummy meal that we've planned together, we drink wine, we play fun music, we light candles, we dim the lights (or if we're eating outside, my romantic hubby lights tiki torches in the yard) and we enjoy being together. We often times have to pass up social engagements to preserve date night and it is worth it. Especially since Ricardo started traveling so much, we've realized that no social commitment can take the place of marriage investment. Ricardo is gone all week and I am sooo excited for him to come home on Friday and am looking forward to Saturday date night as if it's our 5th date as boyfriend/girlfriend! :) And we do sometimes get a babysitter and enjoy date night out, but there is something so unique and special about doing it at home.
(This was our meal last weekend. Ricardo had a big ol' steak and I had a wild rice/goat cheese/pecan stuffed acorn squash...carnivore meat vegetarian!)
...Alexia is learning to read. She is learning letters and phonics at school, but I am also teaching her at home and she loves it. We are using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons and it's great.
...Marco has a rotating lovey. Every day he is attached to an object and sometimes the same object for a couple of days. Today it is a dog book (Brownie, the dog book that you sent to Alexia years ago). When he claims a lovey, he will not let it go. He eats with it, sleeps with it, plays with it and takes it wherever he goes. Loveys get lost, forgotten about, ruined, etc, but there is always a replacement. Always. Last week his lovey was a rock. That one lasted 3 days. Yesterday's lovey was his tractor book. Last weekend it was a tiny soccer ball that fit right in the palm of his hand. Sometimes it's the orange play drill. The most common ones are balls, rocks or books.
...Diego is eating like a teenager. The boy will finish a meal by saying, "I'm still hungry." For breakfast he always has a smoothie (milk, banana, protein powder, spinach) and then will have either 2 or 3 pieces of cinnamon toast and/or 1 or 2 bowls of cereal. The other night he had salad, rice, 3 big servings of chicken and topped it off with a huge yogurt with honey and a whole banana.
...we spend a lot of time on the front steps and driveway. I usually read to the kids on the front steps while Diego throws a ball against the house, Alexia sits on my lap and Marco digs in the dirt. The weather has been so gorgeous that after school we spend way more time outside than inside and it's wonderful.
...the kids don't have much screen time anymore. With Diego in school 5 days a week, he doesn't have any screen time during the week and Alexia probably watches 2 videos of 25 minutes a week. I would be fine with them watching more, but of course am happy that we've nonchalantly mostly done away with screen time. My next step is just getting the TV out of the house :)
...I wish I read more to the kids. In the summer and early school year we did so much reading. Now I'm maxing out at 30 - 40 minutes. We usually start our reading time on the front steps, but then something happens and we get pulled away from it and don't return.
...Alexia's wit is awesome. A recent quote:
Diego, "Mom, I'm tired."
Alexia, "Hi tired. My name is hungry."
I can't think of other examples, but the girl is quick and witty and cracks us up! She loves her own wittiness!
...we are able to host more and I love it. As a family, we enjoy having other families over, but God has put it on my heart to minister to woman while Ricardo travels. On Sunday we invited a single friend over for dinner, tonight we had a friend and her daughter over for dinner and tomorrow a friend is coming over to have tea after kids go to bed. I want the children to grow up knowing that God called our family to serve others and for them to be a real part of that.
...we have a new phrase that we use often..."G to G." When Diego and Alexia start complaining about something or have grumbling hearts, I say "G to G!" and they pause for a moment and usually get themselves on the right track. It stands for "Grumbling to Gratitude." We are teaching them that when our hearts are filled with gratitude, there is no room for grumbling. There is no grumbling that gratitude cannot replace. It is a beautiful truth that applies to absolutely every situation. Every single one.
...Marco hears "use your words" a lot. He still is not talking much and gets easily frustrated so we have to remind him to use his words. He has a large vocabulary, but I am the only one that understands most everything he says and he does not combine more than two words at a time. We are starting to see daily improvement so hopefully things will start moving along for him.
I think I've come to an end for today. This was very random and quite long so if you made it to the end, thanks :)
