Mama Moments

Our family is lucky enough to be a part of our city's Birth to Five program, where we have had countless opportunities for social and educational activities together. Today, was their annual picnic, with games, prizes, gifts, and a hotdog cookout. While the little one did have a hot dog, of course, we packed a bit of extras for a more complete lunch. Today, I had one of those proud 'mama moments' as I call it watching my little girl with the other kids, smiling, playing, and munching away on carrots and bell peppers! I don't know how to describe those moments other than to just say they are those moments when you look at your child and feel so totally consumed with emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical energy that it just sort of feels like its spilling out of your pores. I have them more when there is nothing in particular to cause that feeling other than to just know that they are so completely a part of you in every way, and it's INTENSE! Even though the rain cut the afternoon short, it was a wonderful day.

 Yellow bell pepper, baby carrots, Swiss cheese, dried mango, Ritz crackers.

We are still silently hacking away at things we have on our 'must try' list too, and now that I'm obsessed with those refrigerator oatmeals, we keep trying different ones. I made the raspberry vanilla, cherry chocolate, and pumpkin ones from The Yummy Life, and while the pumpkin was not for me, the raspberry was good, and the cherry chocolate was right on par with that mango almond one that I can't seem to get enough of. We didn't have ripe cherries, so I used 3 Tbsp Trader Joe's cherry jam instead, and it worked out great!

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