Dancing Queens

Back before the little one could walk, she scooted across the floors. When she would dance, she would spin around in little circles to the music. Now that she can walk, she still resorts to her origins when it comes to dancing. Her sister has adopted the moves, too. Perhaps they will develop into break dancers.

(Almost) Healthy Puppy Chow Recipe

This is Puppy Chow, or Muddy Buddies, or The Perfectly Addictive Food. And it is. It's sweet, salty, crunchy, peanut butter-y, and chocolaty all rolled into small tasty morsels that you can grab by the fist-full. I love the stuff and I set out to create a healthier version on which to snack.

As you may know, I like to find healthier versions of fantastic foods because if you're going to eat them, you may as well be getting something out of them. Doing this with Puppy Chow seems like looking for a healthier version of a candy bar, however I have done it and it is (almost) healthy.

I have tried various combinations of cereals including Kashi Go Lean, Kix, Kashi Puffs, and others but ultimately the pieces I pick out are the Chex. Traditionally it is made with rice or corn or some other nutritionally-void-Chex. I use the 100% whole wheat kind and I don't use Chex, I use the generic kind that is $1 cheaper.

Originally, you would melt butter and peanut butter and chocolate chips at about a 1:2:4 ratio. That is 1/4 c. butter, 1/2 c. pb, and 1 c. chips. And I'm sure that most people use the terrible excuse for peanut butter that consists of hydrogenated oils, sugar, and lots of other things that aren't peanuts. I use natural peanut butter and I've found that the kind with only salt added is best, and smooth is better than crunchy.

The chocolate is the last thing that I have figured out. Chocolate chips are good, however the finished product was very sweet. I won't say too sweet, just very, especially considering that the finished product is coated generously with powdered sugar. I have found that using unsweetened baking chocolate provides the flavor, the health benefits of 100% cocoa, and doesn't compromise the final effect.

So here's my recipe: It makes a lot.

1 box unsweetened chocolate
1 jar smooth, natural peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
1-2 boxes of 100% whole wheat Chex-type cereal
butter if desired
powdered sugar

I don't really measure.
Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth. If you think it's too thick, you can add some butter, but I usually don't. You could use coconut oil if you wanted to be healthier. When it's smooth, add your vanilla and turn off the heat.
Dump the cereal into a large bowl, I usually end up using 1 1/2 boxes, but if you want it really saturated use 1, or a lighter coating, 2.
Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and stir gently to coat.
At this point you could transfer it to a large bag to shake the sugar on or just leave it in the bowl like I do. Pour powdered sugar onto the cereal and stir gently yet firmly to coat each piece. I don't know how much I use, but you want the finished product to not be too sticky.
For best results, store it in the freezer so that it is extra crunchy.
Enjoy, knowing that at least you're getting a little extra fiber, protein, and antioxidants compared to the original recipe Puppy Chow!

Friday Morning

This morning the little one and I are up while the big one sleeps. We're perusing the Internet, reading blogs, checking bank accounts, and other exciting stuff.

The big one turned 5 last week. This was her Hawaiian Birthday Bash II with her dad's side of the family.

She had a beach cake.

These are the cousins on that side. There's my little one, my big one, the big middle cousin, and the littlest cousin. What? Those are their names, really. I like how my little one looks more like her cousin than she does her sister.

At her first birthday party, the big one got a toy horse from my little sister. She stared at it and giggled for a long time.

And then she did it some more. She was really excited.



She had a volcano cake that turned out really well, it was surrounded by blue water.

You may have realized that we are really bad at taking pictures. It's kind of like a fuzzy memory that you can't quite put your finger on. Or it's like a general idea of what happened and you can use your own imagination to fill in the details like what we look like, or why it's so dark or blurry.

Update

It is a nice, cool morning and there is little tension in the air. The little one, who is pushing 4 teeth through her pained gums, is asleep. The big one is playing nicely by herself.

Our packing situation is not really improving. I have no more excuses to not pack like I did before (people staying here, etc.) I just haven't. My husband and I did take 2 huge loads of stuff to Goodwill this weekend. My dad watched the girls which provided us with a whole 3 1/2 hours of work time! It really is amazing what you can get done.

My running plan is going well. I'm in the middle of my 5th week, I believe. It's pretty easy, really, just working my way up to 13.1 miles. The race is on Sept. 14th.

That's pretty much it. I'll keep you posted (because I'm really good at doing that.)

My baby is getting so big.

Five years ago I became a mom. Unfortunately, I didn't have a digital camera back then, otherwise I would take you through a memory-tour of the little burrito baby, bundled tightly by the hospital nurses; the sleeping baby that did mostly that and was documented extensively; the first smiles; rolling over; walking; her first birthday. But we didn't get the camera until she was about 18 months old. So that's where I'll start. She was nearly 2 by the time we got her to brush her teeth.

And then there was some time in between.

And now she's five, FIVE! I can't believe it. Time just flies!

Pack-istan

That is where we live right now. There are boxes everywhere. I've been emptying the attic the last couple of days. It sounds like a huge undertaking, and it would be if most of the stuff up there was not our landlord's. Luckily, we haven't banished too much up there. In fact, we can get rid of about half of it. The problem is that the only time I can really work on packing is when the little one is asleep and the big one is occupied so that she doesn't ask me questions the whole time. I like to work silently, alone if at all possible. That doesn't ever really happen with kids.

The in-laws are coming around in about a week and a half for the big one's Big Hawaii Birthday Bash. She's been planning it (and I mean actually planning it) since February. But anyway, the in-laws will be here and if there's one thing that they love, it is occupying my children. I may have 2 whole days of child-free organizing bliss! Plus, the greatest part, is that they're coming up for our move to help and again, hang out with the kiddos. It's great, it's really where they shine.

Our grand plans for garage sales have basically fallen through. It's so much work and for what, $40? The big one did make $8.50 last week. I told her she could have the money from anything she chooses to sell. Little did I know that she is not attached to much. She sorted out 1/2 of her toys get rid of. By the end of this, she may make more than us! But I think that we'll have one big sale on the 19th. I don't work that day, the in-laws will be here for the kids, and 2 weeks after that we move. Wow. I can't really do the garage sale thing alone, especially not if there's anything heavy to move. That's why we're going for one big one.

And that's it, for the most part. As an aside, I'm pretty excited to be moving into a temperature-controlled house. We can get a piano!

Finally

Finally, is how that was supposed to read. We have set a closing date, August 1st! With only one month before the big move, we're celebrating with a two-day yard sale! Thursdays are the traditional sale day around here and we have 5 this month. Hopefully we'll be progressively downsizing on each!