A Week of Winter

After lots of debating, we decided to brave the chance of snow and make a trip to Utah. Daddy-o was able to go up with us, which made the trip SO much faster. And then he got to spend 24 hours seeing his brother, and my whole family. We had Sunday dinner,

the kids got to see their cousins,

and Daddy-o got to meet the newest niece, who took to him instantly. He loves babies, and this baby loved him right back.

And then, Daddy-o had to fly home, just in time for all the snow to start, and left me to experience winter.

So the next week was spent playing games,

watching the snow,

sledding with the other cousins,

and playing with them every chance they got.

The kids built snow forts

and had a big snowball fight.

The below freezing weather didn't phase the older two. Peanut, on the other hand, only made it outside for a little while. The first day, I think he lasted 10 minutes, and that was when I decided there was no way I could take him skiing with us.

So, while Peanut hung out with Rara and Unkie, Bean and Bug and I went up to Brighton with my sister-in-law and her two oldest.

And while none of us were thrilled with the high of 18 degrees that day, we did manage to bundle up enough to have fun. Hand warmers are an amazing thing.

Bean and Bug took a lesson in the morning, and got the basics down so they were ready to take on the mountain after lunch time.

We did several runs together and they were amazing.

It's so fun being with them up there, where I learned to snowboard 23 years ago. (And I am so glad that while my muscles may not be as strong as they once were, snow boarding is like riding a bike and I can still remember how to do it.)

The skiers!

It was a cold, cold week, but it was kind of fun to have a little bit of a real winter.

And it all would have been fun, if winter had been satisfied to stay at Grandma's house.

The view as we drove out of my mom's house. It was snowing softly, and quickly increased to a real snow storm. What should have taken 2 hours to get to the Nevada border took 4, and involved a lot of white knuckle driving as semi-trucks threw freezing slush on my already fogged-up windshield. It was pretty scary for a little bit and we finally pulled over at a rest stop to get the situation under control. And, of course, a few miles after we got back on the road, the snow finally stopped.

We can't go on a trip without squeezing some sort of science or history. On the way home, we stopped at the CA Trail Interpretive Center in Nevada.

We only had a couple hours, but we will have to stop again--so many hands on, fun exhibits. The kids loved it, and I loved getting a break from driving.

 

There Is Beauty All Around

I've been trying to notice the beauty in nature, and to make sure we don't forget that part of our schooling. It feels too easy, especially in the winter, to stay inside, and to get caught up in math and reading and writing. But I also notice all of us getting just a little more stressed/anxious/irritable as the winter goes on.

But there's plenty to learn and appreciate about nature, too. We took a trip to the tide pools this week and talked about how all these animals have adapted to cling to the rocks for protection from their environment, and how many of them camouflage nicely with the things around them. 

And the older two and I did a tree study one afternoon while Peanut was in art class.

We each picked a different tree, made a sketch paying close attention to the shape, leaves, bark, and any buds. Along with the focusing on the details of the trees and how they are changing with the coming of spring, it was a good renewing experience--we sat there quietly for half an hour and were surrounded by birds, frogs, and the occasional cow mooing :)

And this sight, the insides of an artichoke when I was making dinner with Peanut, gave us a minute to talk about how these grow and the parts of the plant, as well as appreciate how beautiful they are.

These little moments make life just a little better.

Another Go at GAPS

Also known as Mama's New Form of Torture.

Six and a half years ago, I started a food journey to try to heal Peanut's gut using the GAPS diet. And from all we can tell, it was very successful. I cut out all sugar (except honey, which has antibacterial characteristics that make it okay for this particular situation), grains, artificial anything. . . it was pretty strict, but it meant that as a whole family, we developed some pretty good eating habits.

Some of those habits have stuck over the years, even though I was able to start eating everything when I weaned Peanut almost 5 years ago, and he was able to handle all foods by about age 4. We still eat lots of broth based soups in the winter, have a few favorite veggie recipes I learned during that time, and still love the banana/raspberry "ice cream" that was a special treat back then. BUT, I've also let a lot of the habits slide and in general, we still eat too much sugar in its various forms. It's hard when it surrounds us, everywhere we go, and then we want to have our family favorites at home, too.

I also learned so much about the connection between our digestive system and our immune system, and about food in general during that time, so I feel like I'm more aware of the potential for food changes to affect our health, which is really what led to this latest dietary change. I managed to get the whole family on board (some less willingly than others) for trying a month of GAPS just to see if we can clear up a few nagging issues. I'm hoping a month will be long enough to see a little improvement, if it's going to happen, because I don't think I'll be able to keep anyone committed past that. Just this month is going to be rough.

The kids were a little disappointed when they realized yesterday was the Superbowl and we couldn't have a lot of the typical snacky foods that we make for dinner that day. But a GAPS Superbowl dinner isn't all that bad. Daddy-o was pretty excited when he realized that buffalo wings can easily be made GAPS approved, and then we did plain chicken legs for the kids, bacon or prosciutto wrapped asparagus, vegetable tray, various fruits, and coconut flour brownies (which are slightly questionable, but there was no clear verdict on cocoa powder back when I did this in 2011/2012, so even though it's now not recommended, I decided to splurge here and there, mainly to avoid a total revolt by my oldest child ;) ). Not bad for grain-free snacks.

Maybe it won't make a difference, maybe it will, but it can't hurt. We just did our January sugar fast, then had a couple days of desserts for Daddy-o's birthday where most of the family probably over-indulged a little because they knew this was coming (I only had a few bites--those sugar cravings were rough the first week and I didn't feel like going through that again this month.) So, at the minimum, this will just be another month of resetting our bodies after the holidays. And since it's winter, maybe this will also help us push through the flu and cold season without anything serious. That would totally make it worth it in my mind.