Our favorite breakfast recipes!

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As I shared previously we have decided to not keep cereal in our home to try and encourage more real food and protein first thing the morning for our growing kiddos.

Here are a few favorites I have started prepping ahead of time for good grab-and-go options (for all of us!).

Egg cups – one slice of ham, a little cheddar cheese, one egg, 350 degrees for 10 minutes –> delicious breakfast for the whole family for an entire week!

These morning glory muffins are amazing and filled with zucchini and carrots which completely tricks my kiddos into eating a ton of veggies while half asleep. We also love to bring these camping for quick and easy breakfasts around the campfire!

Other good options:

Slow cooker oatmeal

Hard boiled eggs

Smoothies (made the night before)

Protein bites

Any other good ideas I don’t have yet blog readers???? Please share!!!

On tidying up

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Along with everyone else this new year, I got hooked on the new Netflix show, Tidying up with Marie Kondo. I had read the book a few years back but seeing it in action was perfect for me as a visual learner. Loved the inspiring tips she shared and how peaceful the homes she was transforming seemed to be after the big tidy.

My room and closet had exploded over the holiday season so last weekend was a perfect time to load all the clothes from all the closets into my bed and get to work. I purge my clothes often so I was surprised that I still had so much in my stash that I was unsure on….doesn’t spark joy?!?! Thank you and into the giveaway bag it went.

PS the verbal “thank you” to my clothes felt silly but was quite meaningful and therapeutic. I think clothes and material things can teach us lessons and serve a purpose and expressing gratitude for them or for yourself for purchasing was kind of cool in a way….Kondo states that this process helps counteract some shame that can come from having so many clothes or items that we don’t use and I think that’s a great way to keep the tidying process going with minimal negative emotions around it.

The reveal:Sooooo many Ferndale volleyball shirts….instead of consigning those my players will get to battle it out on the court for some free “retro” gear for their closets come this spring and summer. Scott’s mild OCD loved the new folding and drawer process. Now to see how long it lasts….

I saw many of you jumping in to the same thing last weekend!!! What did you tidy and how did it go????

On experience gifts…

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I’m not sure if I have written it here on the blog but I love gifting and also receiving experience gifts for holidays. My husband and I have always focused on doing things together for big events vs. giving gifts and this love and tradition we try to pass on to our kiddos as well.

This Christmas, I was super excited to gift my Mom and Grandma with a trip to the Sound of Music Sing-along experience at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. If you’ve never been, it’s a little like the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience but with less shocking outfits and no sexual innuendoes. People shouting at the plot lines (my favorite was when Captain VonTrapp told sweet Maria to turn around upon meeting her and an audience member yelled “# me too.” Perfect.) and an entire theatre singing along with every single song (usually I’m the weird one in the crowd knowing every single lyric….here? just normal). It was a wonderful day and a shared memory with three generations of us Weber women that I will cherish for years to come.

My sweet BraveGIRL turned 16 this January and I am continuously trying to pump the importance of personal development into both her and WonderGIRL as they grow and learn and form their identities in their teenage years. Bringing them to the Made for More documentary by Rachel Hollis (I promise I’ll stop referencing her in every post) was a great opportunity to start conversations around strong women, confidence, not being impacted by comparison to others, and other solid messages that I would love for them to adopt in their daily lives. We had a super fun dinner beforehand and they loved the movie, but my favorite moments was our discussion in the car afterward where they shared their take-aways an we got to have an open and honest discussion.

My favorite part for them to hear was how Rachel combats the old adage that “everything happens for a reason.” This common encouragement can really dismiss someone’s trauma and especially a young child who can’t even begin to think abstractly as to why something horrible has happened to them. Rachel encourages people instead to find a purpose or a meaning out of an experience. Not gonna lie – I got a little teary sitting in between these two 16 year olds, with a world and a life ahead of them, getting inspired to have a healthy view of their past and an actual encouraging way to move into their future. My two girls’ traumas definitely did not happen to them for any sort of positive reason but my biggest hope is that they can use the strength and resiliency they grew during these experiences to cruise through other smaller life stressors and maybe even use it to impact/inspire others who have gone through things similar.

I know many of you love gifting experience gifts too – what’s been your favorite to give????

On getting control…

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of my calendar and our time!! I’ve been joking lately about the need for a personal assistant just to schedule and drive to the crazy amount of appointments our kiddos have. But since thats not a reality, Scott and I have been trying to stay on top of the schedule with weekly discussions around the calendar and recently with a new app we love called Cozi.

Each kiddo and family member (even the cats) get their own color and you can add all sorts of things to the calendar for everyone to see. What I love is that our teenage daughters can add things to their calendars and be in the know about all family events so they’re not surprised by any appointments. Plus they (and we) can add items to the grocery/Costco/Doterra shopping list as soon as they run out for everyone to see.I still love love love my paper planner and we reference both things when chatting about our schedule!!! But when scheduling with multiple people, the ease of the app that everyone can add to is amazing.

Calendar audit:
I got this idea from Rachel Hollis’ podcast (are you sick of me referencing her yet?) but she recommended looking at all of your appointments and activities from the previous year and assigning whether or not they were valuable and an effective use of your time. I did this with my professional calendar and it gave me great clarity on starting this new year with some purpose at work. I haven’t yet done it with our personal calendar but I plan on doing it soon!!! There are so many things we fill our time with and I am always looking for ways to make sure those choices are good ones.Any other suggestions for time and calendar organization???? Bring them on….also, since I’ve been looking at a computer screen WAY more than I ever have in my new role, more headaches have been popping up. I’m trying these LadyBoss blue light filter glasses at work to see if they help. Wish me (and my eyes) luck!!!

On my word for 2019…

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I’m still waiting for the right word to pick me a few weeks in to the new year….and I’m okay with that. These are the ones popping up for me as I think about what I would dream for in 2019 and what could move me and my family forward in healing and love. Last year my word was Spark and it fell a little flat for me in the last 6 months. Although I loved the word and my intention behind it, just some words motivate and stick more than others. I’ll keep you posted on what word I choose and add some detail as the hubbub settles and one becomes clear to my brain and heart.

What’s your word/phrase/intention/mantra this year??? Happy 2019 to all of you – let’s make this a good one peeps!

A look back….a look forward

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Some of our best decisions as a couple and parents this year:

– make date nights a priority (and start trusting kiddos to be home by themselves more)

– weekly schedule planning sessions

– go after career goals and support each other through promotions and moving on

– invest in quality therapy for kiddos and not just what was right in front of us at the time

– talking about our values as a couple and analyzing if we’re sticking to those or not

– scheduling in self-care (massages/facials monthly for me, chiro/hunting meet ups for him)

– quiet times/morning times to highlight what I’m grateful for and get set for the daySome missing pieces that we’d like to change next year:

– being more intentional with how we’re showing love to our children (love languages, quality time, etc.)

– accept where they’re at

– commit to a trip together without kiddos

– attend a personal development conference together

– more transparency about mental health struggles in hopes that stigma goes down in families around us

– host more things at our house….we love our space and want more people in it with us!!!

Excited to see what 2019 has in store for this crew of mine and all of our collective hearts and minds!

On our favorite gifts

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Daddy worked Christmas Eve so we had to do some snuggling in bed before we got to do presents!!! Good thing Santa was prepared for early morning snoopers. As many of you know, WonderGIRL has been working really hard to make good choices and earn trust. Her “big” gift from us was permission to finally date/have a boyfriend and practice extending relationship lessons to a romantic one in a safe environment and under our watch. You can imagine the squeals and clapping that happened upon opening! WonderBOY got his usually nerf guns and balls, a super fun new Sushi Go card game and a trip to see WWE live with Daddy and his uncles which he is so excited for. BraveGIRL was delighted to open a new iPhone on Christmas morning – we are glad we have full control over her phone and the apps now to properly monitor for safety. Win-win. Also all of us girls got new comfy pajamas that we’ve been living in since Christmas. our “something to read” gifts this year all had a theme and we’ve been diving into the 5 love languages with the girls and with Scott and I during some quiet reading time by the tree. Having the kiddos complete the quizzes to find their love language has been eye-opening and helpful in connecting with them in different ways. Jesus made it into our manger filled with straw (acts of kindness we completed before Christmas). Next year, we plan to start The Giving Manger project right at Thanksgiving to give us more time to add straw!! I highly recommend this book/products for your family to encourage serving to littles in a new and exciting way!

BraveGIRL gets a turn…

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A little bit about me right now:
I am fifteen years old and it’s almost my birthday. I love to drive and watch family movies with my family. I like to work out and listen to music. My favorite pandora stations are Jason Derulo, Luke Bryan, Migos and Chris Brown (don’t yell at me….no one likes him but I still do).

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
I want to be veterinarian because I could give animals shots but that’s a lot of college so just something to do with animals. Or an childcare worker.

What’s on your Christmas wish list this year?
– phone
– gift cards to Pink or Hollister

What did you work hard on in 2018?
– starting two different jobs
– drivers ed and tests for those
– sticking with working out
– accepting no’s when I’m disappointed
– not interrupting

Favorite parts of 2018:
Going on camping trips. I have been trying to grow into this family. I liked going on family trips with my boyfriend’s family, especially swimming in Canada. I like that I have a job that I like and being able to drive makes me feel more independent and responsible.

Hopes for 2019:
I hope that I will stay out of trouble so I can earn a new phone and privileges like hanging out with my boyfriend and driving places. I hope that I also start to have a clear vision of what I want to do after graduation. I hope when my twin moves away from me, she will have a good home and be able to make new friends….and not get bit by a snake or alligator (they’re moving to Georgia this Spring).