So, let me just clear something up about my bizarre collection of healthy to not-at-all healthy recipes: I eat clean/paleo 6 days a week, then I give myself one "treat day", and on that treat day I literally eat whatever I have been thinking about, or seeing on Pinterest, or heard someone talking about that sounded so good, or just give myself a chance to relax and not pack myself a healthy lunch/dinner if I'm going to a BBQ or party. I hope this makes a little sense of the recipes I post!  
   With that being said, this roll-up was something I saw on Pinterest a while back, and really wanted to make. It's from a blog called Life With The Crust Cut Off, and was called a Ranch Chicken Club Roll Up. My version didn't look at nice as hers somehow, but it was still super-duper yummy! I also made mine on our BBQ because it was a hot day, and I was not turning my oven on for any reason!
   Well, that's my intro!  

   These are pretty easy to get together. It takes a little effort, but nothing too difficult! 

  And there you have it! My treat day dinner! I don't let myself feel bad about my treat day choices (it's about being compassionate to myself!), so I didn't even eat this with a salad! But, if you were making this for a proper week night dinner, or if you were serving it for guests (it is that yummy), it would be nice to have a leafy salad with do-your-own toppings (cucumber, peppers, tomato, onions, etc.) with it. 
   Happy Wednesday!  

   When you're young and thinking about growing up, motherhood, and being married, it seems like it could be easy....when I was young I wasn't even actually sure I wanted to be a Mom. For real. I pretty much hated baby-sitting (with a few exceptions), and being a Mom seemed so abstract that I wasn't sure I could imagine myself doing it.
   Then I got pregnant when I had just turned 20, got hitched, and life was craa-zy!  
   Fast forward 10 years, and man, what a wild ride this has been! 
   There are so, soooo many things most books don't tell you about parenting and being a wife, mother and a "modern woman" today that I am left feeling just a little uninformed, to say the very least! Seriously, how can lice and pin worms NOT be mentioned in every single parenting book out there!!! What the heck?!?   

   Almost every time I get together with other Moms, things like our parenting, our husbands (or significant others), and our bodies come up in conversation. I'm coming to realize that we all feel the same about what we're doing, and we all feel like we're not quite making the grade. Whether it's feeling like our kids aren't minding their manners in public, or we don't feel we're doing our best for our husbands, or that they understand how hard our stay-at-home days are. Then there's how we feel about our post-baby bodies....yikes, Moms are full of self-doubt and second guessing!  
   We get these ideas from somewhere in us, some voice that tells us we're not good enough. Not strict enough, not nice enough, not tidy enough, not good enough cooks, and not quite thin/curvy/sexy enough. Some Moms feel this less than others, but we all feel it, I know we do.
   The thing is, our life is a real life. We're not celebrities with nanny's and cooks, and personal trainers. We're roughing it every day; cleaning, cooking, changing bums, breaking up fights, or driving our kids everywhere, working a job, or being a single Mom. In the midst of that a lot of us are also trying to get our "pre-baby body" back. That's a lot to do! 
   I started doing yoga lately, I'm not into the spiritual side of it (I also don't like the super slow yoga...I get bored!), I just enjoy the deep stretching, how (even though it's crazy hard to do) it's relaxing, makes me remember to breath deeply (anger management skills people!!), and, as one (YouTube) instructor said, you need to come to a place where you have compassion for yourself. She's referring mostly to the bodies abilities regarding being flexible, etc., but I really took what she said for a lot of different aspects of my life.
   We stand in the line at the grocery store, with our noisy kids in tow, and see magazine covers showing us how fit, and happy some new celebrity mom is with her new baby in his designer shoes, and with her svelte post-baby body just a few weeks after giving birth. We can't stack up to that, but I think we subconsciously feel we should. Why is a stranger, who is living a life so completely distant from ours controlling us and making us feel inadequate?
   I've started to take a look around me and my own life lately. I've started to look at the Moms I know in my circle of friends, that I meet at get-togethers, that I know from church, or even in my own family. I see their great parenting skills, their ability to keep their house clean (or not), and be o.k. with how it is. I see them being gracious and loving to husbands I think aren't so super, or doing an amazing job as a single parent, and I see them trying to accept their bodies, no matter where it is in it's journey!
   My non-celebrity life is a normal, real one (I think). I am trying to be compassionate with myself. I struggle everyday with keeping up with how I want my house to look (fyi-I like it to be tidy, but I don't necessarily care about it being super-clean!), not how I think it should look. I give my kids lots of fruits and veggies, and try to teach them about healthy living, but I also give them chocolate, and chips, and even bribe them with jelly beans to not bug me after they've gone to bed at night! It's true! I try to love my husband the best I can, and be someone he can really count on, and truly consider a best friend, but I also get very angry and fight, and say things I regret. I am learning to be compassionate to my body, and love it (or at least stop thinking bad things about it!), and accept it where it's at, and how it is.
   I am who I am. I am who God made me. I can always be working hard to improve on something that I don't think is right, but not because a celebrity made me think it, or because I've imposed some sort of none-sense guilt on myself, but because I want to be bettering myself. That means different things to different people, but it's about accepting who you are, but also knowing that something that isn't changing is dying. Change for your own sake, change for who you hope to be. Change for the legacy you want to leave behind you. Are you a yeller? Decide to stop yelling! In bad shape, hop onto YouTube and find a workout that fits into your busy life! Hate your messy house? Decide to start small and get the house looking the way you imagine it could. Take small steps, ask for help, be honest with the people in your life who love you, and be a modern woman who is the real deal. No airbrushing, no lying about what life is like, no designer shoes for your baby...well...unless they're hand-me-downs! 
   Being a "modern woman" isn't likely to be what Chatelaine tells us it'll be. It will be something real, messy, crazy-hard work, but it will also be fun and rewarding. Just own your version of the modern woman!  

   Don't be afraid of the "zingy" part of this dressing! It gets a wonderful, natural zing from the lemon juice and fresh garlic, and you need not be afraid! :)  
   We eat a lot of salad in this house, so having a variety of dressing is essential! This particular dressing was born because of my love of taco salad (I'll share that recipe soon), and I wanted a creamy, avocado based dressing to compliment it. 

Zingy Creamy Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 whole avocado
• 3/4 Cup coconut milk/cream from a can, not refrigerated (plus more based on consistency desired)
• 1/4 Cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and skins removed
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tsp seasoning-I like to use a no-salt-added blend. Just use 1 tsp of whatever flavour you enjoy such as dill, basil, parsley, etc. 

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend really well. Add more coconut milk to thin out the dressing as needed/desired. Take a taste of it with a spoon and decide if you would like to add any salt & pepper.
2. Put into a jar, and store in the fridge! 
3. The End! :)  

   Well, happy Monday there people! I hope everyone had a good weekend! WE were busy, but it was a good weekend. We hit up the Tweed Fair on Saturday, then headed to a birthday party which was fun. Sunday was our usual heading into town for church and groceries/running errands event, then we got a load of hay for our equine pal, but without a tractor to assist, my super strong hubby and our friend who brought the hay had to roll the large round bales (weighing no less than 700lbs!) into our barn! Like farming super heroes! :) 
   O.k, signing off! 

   So, before the last few days of rain, we had some of those muggy, super sunshiny hot days that make you feel like you're melting! The kind of day where you are sitting very still, but still sweating profusely....delightful.
   I generally (on a non-hot day) drink about 2.5-3 litres of water because I like to stay hydrated. On those hot days though I want to drink more water because it seems soooo hot, but it's not quite hitting the spot, ya know? I know you know.
   I was hankerin' for some serious lemonade, and this did it. This tasted great, was a serious thirst quencher, and was pretty easy to through together. Thank goodness! 
   Also, I haven't posted any healthy recipes this week, and I felt I should! 

Paleo Strawberry Lemonade
Makes one big blender-full (6cups/48oz)

Ingredients: 

• 1 whole lemon, washed well, quartered & seeds removed
• 1 cup lemon juice (either bottled, or fresh squeezed from about 3-5 lemons)
• 1/4 Cup maple syrup (you can also use liquid honey)
• 2 Cups washed, fresh strawberries. I use the super ripe/almost bad ones because they are very juicy and sweet. More fresh ones will work too. You could also use frozen strawberries, but use more water instead of ice for the rest of the recipe
• 2 Cups ice
• 1 Cup water

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender, and pulse to work together.
2. Put onto low speed, and gradually add speed until your lemonade is whirling around happily. Let it whirl for at least 1 minute to really blend everything well.
3. Pour into glasses and enjoy--no, seriously--you're really going to enjoy this!

   The first time I made this and tasted it, I was like something from a bad commercial. Sweat on my face, looking exhausted (just came in from working at the barn), took a sip, and literally said out loud, "oh my gosh, that's so refreshing!!!". 
   I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about it being so tart, but they all really enjoyed it!
   So now I can't stop making it!
   I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you're about to melt, make this lemonade! Just do it! :)  

   I talked last week about autism and scheduling in the summer (or not scheduling in the summer). A whole week has gone by- one entire week of summer holiday-and I'm still feeling sane! :) 
   In the last few months Caleb has learned that his birthday is in July, though the fact that there is a specific date was still unclear to him. So, he has been saying "Caleb will go to Toys R' Us on Tuesday!", and we kept saying, "well, maybe we'll go, but it might not be on a Tuesday...?". Then our wonderful Leslie (Mrs. Beatty. Caleb's former E.A., and a friend to us) says, "maybe because July starts on a Tuesday, so he thinks it's his birthday?". Yup, that is actually very likely what his brain is concluding! Smarty pants. 
   All that to say, Tuesday July 1st came and went, we didn't go to Toys R' Us, and Caleb did fine with that. A year ago, that would have resulted in a pretty serious meltdown, and an entire day being lost.  

   Well, as for this week, Caleb has driven around the county with us not exactly knowing where we were going (looking for something on Kijiji), then dealt really well with the many animals we found when we got to said house. 
   He has been told he was going to the park to play with friends only to stay home because I was immobile due to a pulled muscle. Our friends came here to play, and he was happy with that.   
   He had a sleep over with Mrs. Beatty and her kids, and spent an ENTIRE day in the sun at the beach with us, and then stayed up until 11:30 ish......all without a gripe or fight or hint of a meltdown. 
   He enjoyed Canada Day celebrations with all sorts of unknowns! First, he didn't care that the parade was short (the girls complained!), then he played in his not-bathing-suit-shorts in the water from a fire truck hose. Third, was o.k. with not eating Canada's birthday cake because it was not gluten free, and even stood patiently while Adam and I talked about what we would do next: stay in town for more activities, or go home. Honestly, at the end of that day, if I were keeping score, he would have won the best child award in our house! Rewind 6 years ago when I was pregnant with our second and was so scared and nervous about having another child while still trying to care for Caleb who was more difficult than I could have imagined! Geepers! I could have never guessed he would become who he is today! 
   But, moving on with the week, yesterday we went to a new splash pad in Napanee, and he not only didn't complain about it not being our 'usual' one in Madoc, he played and played and played and never complained about being cold (even though it was overcast/a smidge rainy). Then he played at a friends house (where all the kids were much younger), and I didn't have to tell him once not to steal toys from the babies (that is a regular thing, by the way!)! I did have to tell him to stop stealing the Rice Krispie squares I brought, but I think that might be a normal boy thing?!  

   Last night while I was praying with him, I just praised him for what he accomplished, and that I was proud of how hard he worked to have such a great day. I acknowledged the fact that today could be a different story, and that would be o.k. too. Most "neurologically typical" (aka:non-autistic) children have good days and bad days, so I need to expect them from Caleb. 
   All this to say, we've gone through a whole week without really informing Caleb about much, and he has rolled with it all. This week ahead may be a different story, but that's fine. At the end of the day, he still has autism. He may be learning to really deal with it better, but he is still dealing. It's not magically gone, or healed. He is just an amazing young man who works hard everyday to do what he is being told and to implement what he is learning. He is still crotch grabbing, speaking very loudly, and if someone we meet says, "how are you?", he goes on a rambling, mumbling monologue about Buzz Lightyear and his utility belt. 
   I love that kid so much though, he is so full of life, and sillies. He is honest, and genuine. He struggles, gets so confused, still can't follow direction very well, but he is determined. Whether that determination shows up as stubborn and difficult, or determined with a great goal and wanting to see his results from his hard work. 
   I am still excited/nervous about the rest of the summer, but with one week down I am in awe of my Caleb!  

   Bonjour! I have no quippy intro for you all today! Well, except to say that I hope all my Canadian pals had a great Canada Day yesterday! We went into Tweed for their parade, then to the park where they were serving birthday cake, and had a hose from a fire engine spraying water on the kids! It was as fun as it sounds, and as dangerous as it sounds! I'm surprised some kids faces didn't get ripped clear off! But they were all having fun, so that's good!
   Anywho, that aside, these cookies are a delight. Did I even need to tell you that? Didn't think so. 

Kit Kat Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, melted 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 Whole Kit Kat bars, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets (if you don't have 2, just do these one tray at a time, that's cool too) with parchment. Set your oven shelves to the middle and upper sections.  
   
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
   
3. In a medium size bowl, whisk the brown and white sugar until they are looking happy together.
   
4. Mix in the melted butter
   
5. Whisk the egg in a small bowl, and add to mixture. Then whisk the egg yolk, and add it. 
   
6. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. 
   
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. 
8. Fold in the chopped Kit Kat bars. Because of the melted butter, the chocolate bars won't stick to the dough that well. That's o.k, just make sure they are evenly dispersed.
9. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, or 2 tablespoons worth of dough for each cookie, scoop out onto the prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. 
   
10. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. At the 6 minute mark, rotate your cookie sheets in the oven so they all get even baking. Set your timer, you don't want to forget about these! The cookies will look very soft and under-baked, and that is perfect! 
    

   Well, this is the end!  :)  

   The summers around here tend to fly by. O.k., well, some moments they drag by (like when the children are whining!), but somehow nine weeks fly by, and I feel some guilt (some Mommy guilt) that maybe we didn't do enough? I'm not sure why I feel this way.     
   Summer was fun when I was young because I liked the freedom to play outside all day, or read as many Nancy Drew mysteries in one day as I wanted. My family would go to a family camp, and I always loved that too. 
   So, I could just let my kids be, and let them make their own fun for the summer, but the truth is, I feel like they need something to do. To make the summer fun, maybe a pinch educational, definitely memorable, and something we can look back on as a family and say, "remember our awesome summers...". Ya know? 
   Anyway, all that to say, I need a plan! I always have good intentions, but suddenly summer is gone! I'm not talking about a  written in stone, no-one can change the schedule type of plan. Just an outline, a list of ideas, pulling out the calendar to marking a few days for special events/activities. Here are some things I liked from the world of Pinterest, and will use this summer. 

   This summer schedule from ReMarkable Home is something I really like! It's fairly flexible as far as different things to do, but gives at least an idea of where to start. 

   Digital Reflections has a list of 100 things you can do with your kids, and most are free! Yipee! The list includes ideas like visiting a fire department, building a fort, activities that involve using a camera, and taking pictures of things, then printing the photos off, and making a book about your photos (like "things we saw on our nature walk", or "the alphabet through our town"). There are a lot of ideas on here!

   We are planning a road trip to Mount Rushmore this summer (fingers crossed it actually works out!). Caleb has been talking and talking and talking about Mount Rushmore, and neither my husband or I have been, so we thought, "why the heck not"?! Our kids are actually great travellers (living in the sticks and having to drive a good distance to get anywhere taught them this!), so I really hope this works out, and we can go on this adventure and make some family summer memories! 
   Check out my Pinterest board for more ideas of things to do with the kids!