Wordless Sunday

You're welcome!

Based upon your viewing of the two pictures above, I'm sure that you have two questions: first, what the hell is wrong with your hair, Jenny? Extreme bed-head, it appears. Hey, Kevin? Next time you grab the camera to snap a few impromptu pictures of me, please tell me to run a brush through my hair or something. Second question, what is that delicious concoction that you and Jack are clearly enjoying? Actually, it's my "famous-among-several" morning smoothie. Now, I know that you're probably judging me by the giant box of Dora the Explorer cereal on the table behind us in the picture and are assuming that my delicious smoothie must contain ice cream, canned fruit in syrup and 1 cup of white sugar (along with some Red 40 & Blue 2 just for kicks). Wrong. I'm going to give you my recipe and I promise you that both of my children love this smoothie. In fact, the reason why the Dora cereal was even out on the table in the first place was because Jack was being picky this morning and I was desperately trying to figure out what he might want to eat. He said "no" to the Dora cereal and "absolutely, yes" to my smoothie. Without further ado, here's the recipe that will change your life.

Spinach (yes, spinach) Smoothies

1 heaping handful of fresh baby spinach (seriously--I shit you not)
1 banana
A large handful of strawberries, blueberries, melon--whatever fruit you have on hand that you feel like using
1/4 cup or so of frozen peaches (this takes the place of ice cubes)
1 few good glugs of vanilla flavored Almond Milk
1/2 cup of plain non-fat yogurt
a hearty sprinkling of ground flaxseeds

Blend until smooth in a blender. I usually have to add a little more Almond Milk along the way to help the blender get everything blended well.

One thing you should know--the spinach makes the smoothies a really unappetizing color...typically, if not bright green, sort of a sewage brownish-green color (especially if you use strawberries or blueberries. Green + Red/Blue=Ewww). If you've got skeptical children, this will indeed turn them way off. I promise though, you can not taste the spinach. I think it's delicious. Jack and my ridiculous hair tend to agree as well.

Photographic evidence

Those last pictures, from our time at the splash pad, were less than flattering of me, but they were the ones that best showed my kids in their "element" and really enjoying our time there. I came across this picture though. If you'll notice my arm: that is photographic evidence of all of the hard work that I'm putting in at the gym. I'm not a muscular, athletic person, but I've been seeing small changes in my body since dedicating myself to working out (and, more importantly, letting Eliot kick my arse from one end to the other of Room 2 at the YMCA). That tricep (and a smidgen of a delt, as well) that you see poking out, is a result of more tricep dips and tricep push-ups than I care to discuss right now--but, it is all of the ammunition that I need to make sure that I make it to the gym all next week.

Not entirely wordless Monday

Fun at the splash pad at the Zoo

Notice: good, organized mother brought a change of clothes for the children, but failed to bring clothes for herself. Squish, squish indeed.

Plumb tuckered out before we'd even exited the Zoo.

Jack's First Day of School

The best picture I could get because...

This boy doesn't sit still. This is an action-shot of him jumping on the couch.

Good luck today, my little Grasshopper!