Everything Is Awesome!

About a month ago, Michael and I surprised the boys with a week long trip to visit my parents at their town home in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  Not only was a family getaway much needed after the busy holiday season and Michael's hectic work schedule, but we also missed Papa and Gigi like crazy!  We showed up on their doorstep (unbeknownst to my mom) on a Friday evening and couldn't wait for our low-key beach week to begin.  She was SHOCKED to see us and lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged :)

We didn't have any specific plans for the week, but knew we wanted to surprise the boys with one special day - especially since we were only an hour or so away from Orlando.  We had just been to Disney a few months before (and didn't feel like dropping $400 for one day - sheesh!), so we decided on Legoland instead.  Ever since watching the previews on The Lego Movie about this fun place, Michael and I knew we wanted to take the boys.  With it being a short 1 hr 45 min. drive from NSB, this was the perfect opportunity!  Although the water park was closed, going in the off season had its perks; one of those being weekly homeschool days.  I checked the site calendar a few weeks before our trip and quickly ordered tickets for a homeschool day in the week we were visiting.  To give you an idea on how much we saved, regular admission is close to $80 per person.  Our admission was $10/student/child and $25/each accompanying chaperone.  That's $70 + tax for our entire family...we got in for less than one full admission price.  Word.  My parents came too and also took advantage of the discounted rate - double score!

The boys had no idea where we were headed and were really confused as we passed the Disneyworld, Epcot, and Universal exits on the interstate.  Needless to say, when we pulled up to the Legoland entrance, all those places were forgotten and lots of happy screaming took place inside the car :)  I pulled out the hidden Lego shirts from our backpack and in we went.  The weather was PERFECT.   A cool 60 in the morning which warmed up to mid-70s by the afternoon - we knew it was gonna be a fun day!

One downside to visiting in the off season is that you run the risk of things being closed for repairs and renovations.  Much to our dismay, the Factory was just that...closed.  We were SO looking forward to seeing how Legos are made, packaged, and distributed.  Guess that just means we'll have to come back! 

Little man couldn't WAIT to go play!

Indoor play area for little tykes

Duplo train 

LOVE this pic!

Miniland USA was such an amazing area of the park.  You could spend forever here looking at each scene precisely built on a miniature scale with legos.  From cities to historical buildings and landmarks, adults and kiddos alike are fascinated!

San Fran row houses

Lombard street - and yes, it truly is that curvy!

Little bit of the Las Vegas strip

Fun 'statues' throughout the park

Cole loving the Ford Driving school.  Look at that focused tongue :)

While the big guys rode the Coastersaurus, I took this guy to a ride of his own.  Smiles forever :)

No problem if you have to wait in line or wait on big brother...there's always something to build!

The Lego Technic coaster.  SUPER fun!!

Cole's face...priceless.  He did enjoy the ride, but screamed like a school girl on the drop.

Let the building and racing begin!

Getting out some last minute energy before the trek back to N.S.B.

Seriously such a super fun day - if only the park stayed open longer :)  The onsite Legoland Hotel will be completed this summer, and we'd love to eventually stay there with the boys.  We'd also love to visit in the summer when the water park is open and take advantage of that lego fun too...

If you think this would be a fun family trip, there are LOTS of coupons out there - especially free kids admission.  But if you homeschool, I encourage you to check the calendar and see when those dates are scheduled.  They also offered a print-your-own tour for homeschooling families to follow, but we opted to just enjoy the day at our leisure. 

* Disclaimer:  You may or may not hear 'Everything Is Awesome' 2,867 times and have it running through your brain days later.  Just sayin'...

Heart Healthy

After a routine physical a few weeks ago, Michael found out that he has high cholesterol.  It runs in the family, but we had hoped with our (for the most part) healthy eating that he could avoid this diagnosis.  Negative.  So...even though our meals already consist of whole foods, fruits, and veggies we have 3 months to naturally decrease his cholesterol level.  We're doing our best to avoid medication, so we've gone all in to heart healthy eating.  Bye-bye Benton's bacon, Applegate pepperoni, eggs, cheese, and a few other favorites.  BUT hello new recipes and even healthier eating for all four of us :)

Oddly enough, our 'snowed in' week hit at the perfect time.  I had researched cholesterol friendly/free snacks and meal recipes and stocked up at the grocery the day before our winter storm.  We have eaten EVERY meal in for 10 days (minus a DD man club breakfast on Friday for the boys) - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  Not even a Starbucks, drive-thru, or convenience store drink.  That may be the norm for you, but for our family this is huge!  Not only has it been wonderful for our budget, but our forced week at home provided time to create new routines and eating habits.  

Here's a bit of our new meal plan and a few delicious dinner recipes we tried...

Breakfast:

* Homemade oatmeal has replaced a quick bowl of cereal - combine 1/3 c. rolled oats with 3/4 c. water in a saucepan.  Add in 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and chopped fruit of choice (usually apples).  Stir until creamy then spoon into a bowl and sweeten with a Tbsp. of raw honey.  We also love this Apple Pie Oatmeal.

* Oatmeal is paired with a smoothie of some kind.  Thanks to Laura letting us borrow her NutriBullet, we've become smoothie addicts overnight :)  The usual is a cup of spinach or kale, frozen organic strawberries/blueberries, sliced banana, chia/flax seeds, and unsweetened almond milk.  I've found a few other delicious recipes as well (thank you Pinterest!) and have made 'baggie smoothies'.  Placing the ingredients in ziploc bags (all but the milk) and freezing them allows for us to grab and make in record time...especially on busy work/church mornings.

* We've also made breakfast 'cookies' (banana oat recipe here) which are great for an on-the-go meal or an afternoon snack. 

Lunch:

* Lots of spinach/kale salads with raw veggies and balsamic dressing, homemade tuna salad wrapped in bib lettuce, turkey/avocado sandwiches, and dinner leftovers.

Snacks:

* Raw nuts, pita chips or raw veggies w/ hummus, organic Greek yogurt (gotta check the labels for fat content) with granola and raw honey, or a small smoothie.

Dinner: 

* This was the easiest transition, because not much had to change.  Substituting lower fat content meats or eliminating them all together was our family's main concern.  We already roast lots of veggies and try to eat whole food recipes.  Here are a few new things that I made - ALL three boys gave them 2 thumbs up...

Thai Chicken Crunch Wraps - Delicious!!!  I did have a few whole wheat tortillas, but this was yummy 

wrapped in bib lettuce as well.

Edamame Power Salad - I added some grilled chicken to make this a substantial dinner meal.

Lentil and Bulgur Soup - paired with rustic bread/olive oil 

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup - this was yummy as is, BUT had we not been watching our fat content, I would have added in some kielbasa or smoked sausage.

All of this coupled with a more routine exercise regimen should hopefully bring his cholesterol back to a safe range and create healthy hearts for all of us in the meantime :)  If you have any natural tips, tricks, or recipes to try, I'd love to hear about them!

Snowpocalypse 2015

Wow.  What a crazy weather week.  Inches of ice and then a gorgeous blanket of snow made for some fun days around the Johnson abode.  Michael and I decided to trust the meteorologists of middle TN and bought the boys a sled for Valentine's Day.  Well, this time, the weather came as expected (shocker!!) and we were able to put that bad boy to good use.  The hill at the end of our street was a perfect spot to show the boys a little Clark Griswold action...they had a ball (and so did we!).

Michael's golf cleats are cracking me up...but hey, he didn't slip a bit!

On Day 2, Kyle's crew decided to come over and join us for a day of outdoor winter fun.  Most of the ice had melted into a slushy mess on the road, but the yard was still perfect for some icicle finding, digger 'snowplowing' by little man, and sledding.

By Day 3, the frigid below freezing temps had set in, so we enjoyed the beauty of the snow from indoors.  We were a little stir crazy, but chose joy and settled in with movie afternoons, tent making, board games, and even a bit of school (gasp!).  Thankfully, we had stocked the fridge and pantry beforehand, so our bellies were full of homemade soups and other warm goodies.

Nearing Friday - Day 5, meals were getting creative and we all desperately needed to see something besides our four walls.  The main roads were clear and our neighborhood was drivable, so Michael took the boys to DD for a man club donut breakfast and I got to grocery shop BY MYSELF...glorious!!  I think I spent an hour simply chatting with friends and family that I spotted in each aisle - we ALL needed the adult conversation.

The weekend was filled with rain which caused lots of puddling, flooding, refreezing and damage to so many homes around the area.  Thankfully, our house stayed leak free and we never lost power...happy dance over here!

This week is back to normal for us - school (even though Sumner Co. is STILL out), appointments for Michael, and other daily activities.  We truly enjoyed our week of forced rest and made some treasured memories.  Now, c'mon spring!