A few resolutions...kind of

I'm not really one for resolutions.  At least not the kind that you make on New Year's Eve and have forgotten about by February 1st.  I often find myself, at various times throughout the year, brainstorming how I can make my life better, easier, more organized or meaningful, or simply a bit more balanced.  I have been told, and have come to accept the fact, that I don't know how to be stationary.  I am a lot like my mom in this respect.  And my dad, for that matter.  Unfortunately, this can often manifest itself in doing more than I have to, need, to, or am supposed to.  This is not an awful characteristic at home, but it does tend to cause me to overextend myself at work, which consequently impacts my home life.  This is where my life is out of balance most often.  And this is the area of my life I most desperately want to change.  I want to see my relationship with my husband flourish daily, not simply succeed.  I want to look back on the years of my daughters' childhood and have fond memories of coloring at the table on a "school night", not brushing them off in order to fold laundry, wash dishes, grade papers, etc..

Throughout the years I've implemented different strategies to help balance out my life:

• I lay out the girls' clothes for the week on Sunday night
• I try to wash/dry a load of laundry at night and fold it in the morning before I go to work
• I wake up 30 minutes early during the week in order to do something small or meaningful around the house
• I've used Peapod grocery delivery service
• We hung new closet organization systems in our master closet
• I carefully took pictures of each grouping of toys and taped them in the bottoms of the organization bins to aid in clean up (for all parties involved)

You get the point.  I don't wait for the first of the year to start setting my life on a better path.  When I recognize an area of opportunity I try to work as quickly as possible to find a viable solution and put it into action.  However, this year, I do have a few...

1. Shall remain unannounced.  It is personal, intimate, and the most precious of my resolutions.  I believe that my relationship with Jason is the cornerstone of our family.  We are living in a happy, healthy relationship, but I never want to find ourselves stagnant.  I want to continue falling in love with him daily.  I want to make sure that we do not wake up 15 years from now stuck in the exact same place we are today.  It's not a bad place to be in four year into marriage (official in three days), but it's not where I want to be 20 years into marriage.  We can ALWAYS do better.
2. I want to plan my meals for the week in advance.  I want to prep as many dinners in advance as possible; Sunday will be busy, but that means Monday-Friday may possibly be relaxing.  During tonight's dinner cleanup, I took an extra 15 minutes and prepped tomorrow's dinner and got it ready in the crockpot; tomorrow's dinner is practically done.
3. I want to get back on the healthy eating wagon...don't get me wrong, we are a VERY healthy family.  There are a lot of fruits and vegetables, NO white grain, bread, or pasta, and plenty of lean protein. But we can do better. I want to incorporate as many "raw" foods as possible into our diet and I'm determined to make my own healthy alternatives to store-bought, processed items (see below for two wonderful recipes!)  If I plan the menu out in advance I can make sure we are keeping up a healthy variety of menu items.  Which leads me to...
4. I want to keep a calendar of meals for the year of 2013...just for my nerdy self.  Tonight's dinner was Rosemary and Garlic Chicken with Couscous and Broccoli, tomorrow's menu is Turkey Meatballs and spaghetti. 
5. I want to enroll Sophia in a Parent/Tot class at MyGym (or the equivalent).  I want her to have as many of the same experiences as her older sister.  Just because our lives are busier with two children, does not mean that she has to miss out.  
6. I want to take time for myself.  Maybe this is reading more.  Or sipping wine just because I want to.  Maybe it's grocery shopping alone or calling a babysitter so that I can get a pedicure.  But it's probably going to manifest itself in a ballet class.  Few things, aside from my family, offer me the opportunity to feel so completely at ease.  In any case, I am important, too.  And this year I intend to remind myself of this.
7. I want to plan my lessons better and execute them in a manner that allows me to feel successful but not overworked.  I vow to use all resources at my disposal, even if this means front-loading my instruction with my own purchases; I will make efficient and engaging choices.  I will remember that my students are 12, not 17, that sometimes they just need practice, not mastery, and that's okay.  I want to feel "okay" with simply checking off an assignment or assigning it a grade based on completion and work generated; I do not want to feel guilt or anxiety because of this choice.  My students are working harder than they ever have before.  They are in sixth grade.  Yes, sixth grade.  One step up from elementary school.  I want to remember this fact when I'm planning my lessons.  I want to challenge them with realistic goals and expectations.  They have great potential ahead of them, and these realistic goals and expectations will help them reach this potential.

In an effort to help fulfill resolution #6, I am going to leave my bag in the car tonight.  I am going to read a book that I'm intending to ask my principal to purchase for my students.  It is a highly engaging, fun read; not a classic, but it's topical and relevant and has the potential to reach every single one of my students (reaching resolution #7).  I am going to enjoy a cold Blue Moon and some leftover Garrett's popcorn (obviously, not even coming close to #3!)  I may even run a bath. And I'm going to remember my ultimate goal in life: a happy, healthy, and well-balanced family unit.  

Here's the recipe for granola (we eat it as cereal and over yogurt)

6 cups oatmeal (not quick cook)

1 cup each of sliced almonds, coconut, ground flax seed, and raisins or craisins (I probably add a bit more of these)

1 Tbs each of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract (I only use the almond extract if I'm adding cranberries)
Honey to coat, I'm guessing I use about 1-1 1/2 cups

Preheat oven to 250.

Mix all of the dry ingredients, except raisins/craisins, in a large bowl. 

Add the honey and mix until its fully coated. 

Spread in a thin layer on a cookie sheet (you may need two sheets) 

Cook for a total of 30-40 minutes, depending on how thin your layers are. You don't want it to toast too much. Stir twice during the cooking time. 

Allow granola to cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins/craisins on top. Transfer to an airtight container with a large spoon, so that the granola crumbles just a little bit

Here's the recipe for the granola bars:

The original: 

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup whole almonds (or other nut)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Toast in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.  After ten minutes, combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-low heat; melt.  Remove the oat mixture from the oven and combine in large bowl with the peanut butter/honey mixture until well mixed.  Line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper; spread mixture into pan, using the back of a spoon to flatten.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and cool completely.  Using a very sharp knife cut into squares.  Store in an airtight 

container.  

 My adjustments:

I almost doubled the recipe.  Kind of.  I don't cook from a recipe often, so these are my best guesses at measurements.

I used about 5 cups of oatmeal (not quick cook), 1/2 cup- 1 cup of coconut, no pumpkin seeds, 1 cup GROUND flax seed, no sesame seeds, 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (but I crumbled them, too; I didn't want a choking hazard for Sophia!), and about 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts.  I omitted the things I did simply because I didn't have them in my pantry!  lol  I mixed all of these together and toasted them in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes. 

For the wet mixture I used 1/4 teaspoon of salt, probably 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and vanilla, about 3/4 cup of honey, 1 cup of PB and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  I used raisins instead of cranberries because I like raisins and peanut butter.  Be careful when you melt this.  Make sure there's enough to completely cover the oatmeal mixture when you combine them.  If not, add a little more honey.  This recipe fit on a cookie sheet, not in an 8 x 8 brownie pan.  I baked it for probably 20-30 minutes.  Just keep an eye on it.  Make sure it's completely cool before you try to cut it (this is the hardest part because the house will smell delicious!)  I'd say use the crumbles that are left over after cutting for yogurt or ice cream, but if your house is anything like mine, there won't be any left!  Bella and Jason were circling like vultures and Sophia was trying to climb my leg!

Next time I think I'll try substituting almond butter for the PB, including sunflower seeds and cranberries. Just an idea...

Enjoy!!!  Jason said the girls ate a ton this morning for breakfast!  And every time she has some Bella says, "Mommy, this is very, very good.  Thank you for making this."  Music to my ears!