He Is Risen!

"Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with him again

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave...

Oh, death, where is your sting?

Oh, hell, where is your victory?

Oh, Church, come stand in the light

Our God is not dead, He's alive

He's ALIVE!"

Matt Maher- Christ is Risen

Happy Easter, from our family to yours! 

I pray that you have a very blessed day!

Becoming Crunchy: Part 1 {Food}

{Don't forget to come follow me on Bloglovin}

It all started shortly after Jax was born. After my horrible delivery with him, I was determined to do things differently next time. I was determined to have a VBAC (which I did!), and so I started researching natural birthing. Around the same time, we also started to slowly change the way we ate. Ryan and I watched documentaries like The Business of Being Born, and Food, Inc. Over the 3 years that followed, things started to shift, little by little, to a more natural way of living AKA "crunchy". 

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The biggest difference came about 6 months ago when I discovered a website called 100 Days of Real Food. The website started as a blog documenting one family's journey of completely eliminating processed food for 100 days. It has since turned into a lifestyle for them and has grown to have thousands of followers who are choosing to do the same thing. I began following the page on Facebook and started learning more and more about how much junk is added into our food supply, and how many myths there are about our food in general. Both things that are grown (plants, veggies, meats, etc) and things that come in boxes and bags at the grocery store. I started to realize that a lot of the stuff we were eating (and feeding Jax!) were full of artificial ingredients, flavors, and colors. 

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We decided to try a 30-day challenge of eliminating processed food. We had already been eating a lot of organic foods and fresh fruits and veggies, but we were still doing things like giving Jax a Pop-Tart every morning as a snack before his real breakfast. So we threw away all the junk, switched out Jax's Pop-Tart for a piece of fruit or cheese, and started making recipes from only real, unprocessed food. I made a few things from scratch instead of having the store bought, processed version. Things like strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, granola, and cheese crackers (recipes below). Some of the food was easy to transition to and some of it was much harder. After the 30 days were over, we decided that we wanted to make it a lifestyle change for our family. We couldn't see ourselves going back to eating all the food that we had learned was so bad for our bodies. 

Since then, we have been following these basic "rules"...

*We eat organic fruits and veggies, bought locally when possible.

*We eat local, free range eggs.

*We eat (mostly) organic dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and milk

*We only eat 100% whole grains (bread, pasta, tortillas etc). And I make most of them from scratch.

*We don't buy or eat anything that has ingredients that we can't pronounce & wouldn't cook with at home.

*When we do buy something pre-made from the store, it has to have 5 ingredients or less. And they have to follow the previous rule.

*We use all natural sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup. Sugar is used in moderation, and when it is used, it is real sugar, not Truvia, Splenda, Equal, etc.

*We buy things plain/unflavored, like yogurt or milk, and flavor it ourselves. 

For a further explanation of the "rules" and more information about how to successfully eat real food, go HERE.

We don't follow the rules 100% of the time. We still go out to eat at restaurants that we know have processed food, we still let Jax have birthday cake at parties, and I still go through the Starbucks drive through when I'm craving some yummy coffee. But most of the time, I add some cocoa powder, organic half and half, and maple syrup to my Keurig-brewed coffee and it's equally delicious. 

It may seem crazy or a bit over-the-top to some people, but it is what we feel is right for our family. I'm no expert, but I would love to answer any questions you may have. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 {Cleaning Supplies and Toiletries}, and Part 3 {Budgeting}.

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-Recipes mentioned above-

Berry Syrup

2 cups organic berries (fresh or frozen, thawed)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water

Combine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender or in a stand blender. Pass through a fine sieve, let cool, then pour into a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge. 

I mix this into plain yogurt or milk, or use it as a topping for waffles and pancakes.

Chocolate Syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup water

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Combine everything but vanilla into a small saucepan over medium hight heat. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool, then pour into a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge. 

I use this to make chocolate milk or hot chocolate.

Granola

 1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup raw slivered almonds, chopped

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250*. Cover a small rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix oats, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl and set aside.

Heat butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. turn off heat then stir in vanilla and salt. 

Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, using a spatula to spread it out evenly.

Bake for 75 minutes then let cool to room temperature. It will harden as it cools. Break into large chunks to eat as granola bars or into smaller pieces to eat as granola. Store in an airtight container. 

I eat the larger pieces as a snack. I eat the smaller pieces with milk and cut up banana, or as a topping for yogurt with berry syrup. 

Cheese Crackers

8 oz cheddar (or other mild cheese), shredded

4 tbsp butter, cut into cubes

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp salt

Up to 3 tbsp cold water

Pulse everything (except water) in food processor until it resembles course sand. Pulse in water 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove dough, wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until crispy

Insta-Randoms

It's been awhile since I have posted some recent iPhone/Instagram pictures. As always, you can find me on Instagram as jennahansen. 

I'm super excited because I finally got a new Macbook! My old one was... well, old. So we decided to sell it to Best Buy and get a gift card. We've slowly been selling our old Apple products and we got about half the amount to buy a new computer, so Ryan went and got me one a few days ago! I've been blogging from my phone or iPad for the last few months so I'm happy to have a real keyboard again. Not to mention the ability to organize my pictures. 

Speaking of pictures... these go all the way back to when we got our keys to the house 3 weeks ago. 

This was our last date with our park friends in Brentwood. Kayden and Carter are twins (you wouldn't know it, huh?) who were born just 8 days after Jax. These three were pretty inseparable... We sure do miss them!

Our beautiful new home!

Moving day with my girl

Lexi's skinnies and (knock-off) sparkly TOMS. Love!!

I love to cook, and I make home-cooked (real food, from scratch) meals about 90% of the time. This was baked chicken parmesan, roasted broccoli, and whole wheat noodles with browned butter and parmesan cheese. It was all sooo yummy!

I re-did Lexi's name letters from her previous nursery. We are keeping things similar, but just updating them a little. Because our previous house was a rental, I never really got to do her nursery how I wanted. So I've been really looking forward to actually painting and designing things for her sweet room. I LOVE how these turned out. 

Don't let this picture fool ya'... she isn't mobile, or able to stand for very long, or pull herself up, or anything of the sort. And I ain't complaining!

We got this from Jax's Sunday School class last week. At least the kid is humble.... ha!

We finally got bedding for BOTH bunks! We are sticking with Jax's red and yellow guitar theme (since it can grow with him) and adding some blue, and the walls will be gray. I can't wait to get it painted and hang his cute guitar decor!

These two melt my heart. Jax can make Lexi belly laugh like nobody else can. It's music to my ears. 

Jax started swimming lessons last week. He has one-on-one lessons until he masters a few more skills, then he moves up the four-on-one class with kids his age. Isn't he just the cutest?!

And finally, this little girl was playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain and was cracking herself up. I mean, seriously, she was laughing so hard and kept giving me the cheesiest grins. I should have recorded it. 

Happy Monday, friends!

To the Mommies

Sometimes being a mommy to little kids is hard. Okay, A LOT of the time being a mommy to little kids is hard. There are tons of happy, funny, joyful moments when the kids are playing together and making each other laugh and smile. But intermixed with those are hard times with fighting and crying and whining. Ohhhh, the whining. Add on some sleep deprivation and a chore list a mile long, and you can find yourself quite overwhelmed. But ya know what? You're not alone. Honestly, us Mommies (and Daddies) have to stick together and encourage one another. I've run across a few blog posts recently that do just that, so I thought I would share. Enjoy!

To the parents of small children, let me be the one to say it out loud...

When the days are long and the minutes are longer...

For the days you think everyone else has it together...

XOXO

Bloglovin

I'm so bummed that Google reader is going away! That's how I read all my blogs! From what I've heard, most people are switching to BlogLovin, so I'll be doing the same. Click the picture below to follow me over there. I'm still figuring it all out, so please let me know if it doesn't work for you. You can also enter your email on the right to get my posts delivered directly to your inbox, if that is easier for you! And PLEASE comment with your blog address or how to find you on BlogLovin so I can make sure to follow you too!

8 months old!

I am so behind on blogging, but this move has me all out of sorts! We are finally feeling settled in our new house. Everything went smoothly with closing on the house and moving in. Things are mostly unpacked, now we are just trying to organize closets and drawers, and start decorating! I can't wait to make this beautiful house into a home. 

While all this craziness was happening, my Lexi girl turned 8 months old! 

She is at a really fun age, but her mean teeth are getting in the way of it. She has major mood swings. Sometimes she is the happiest, sweetest baby... then other times she clings to me, refuses to let me out of her sight, and fusses non stop. However, I am loving that she is entertained by sitting in the playroom playing with toys and watching her brother play. The TV also works as a good distraction if I really need her to be content for a few minutes without me :)

I would give some stats from this past month, but I'm pretty sure nothing has changed between 7 and 8 months! She still wears size 3 diapers, 6 month clothes, isn't mobile, likes food, and is teething. The only changes are that she has her two bottom teeth, and one top is almost through. The other 3 surrounding top ones are soooo close. I can't wait for them to come through so that she can stop being so snotty and drooly! Overall, she is such a joy, even through the teething, and I cannot believe we are rounding in on her birthday! It'll be here before we know it!

Happy 8 months, beautiful girl!

Living like squatters

Well friends, we are 3 days away from our big move! And you know what that means? It means that we are living like squatters in our own home. 

Because Ryan has been working in Fresno for the last 3 weeks, he's been able to pack his car full of stuff and unload it down there each times he goes. But that means that we have hardly anything left up here. 

 TV on the floor? Toys and junk everywhere? Check. Check.

Toy-less playroom? Check.

Empty kitchen cabinets? Check.

Using patio furniture as indoor furniture? Check.

Disposable plates, cups, and silverware? Check.

Mattress on the floor? Check.

We are very excited and ready to get into our new house! We are currently waiting for escrow to close. So for the next week, we'll be staying at my in-laws' house (while they are on vacation in Hawaii. Luckies.) We are scheduled to get our keys on March 1st and then the unpacking and decorating will begin!

And just so that this post doesn't only have pictures of my tornado house... here's a picture of this sweet thing. I love her so. 

Valentine's Day

Our day started out really early... like 4:55am early. Jax came into our room dressed in his Valentine's clothes and ready for the day. What is wrong with my kid?! We stuck him downstairs in front of the babysitter TV, gave him some yogurt and went back to bed until Lexi woke up at 6:15. Ryan had to get on the road for work, so it was just the kids and I for the morning. 

Jax opened his presents... a new cup, the game UNO, and a new shirt with a cape! He loved that!

We had heart shaped toast, heart shaped strawberries and berry milk in his new cup for breakfast

(Side note- I make my own berry sauce for milk, plain yogurt, etc. Just put 2 cups of berries, 1/4 cup of water and 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes then puree with an immersion blender or pour into a regular blender. Strain through a fine sieve and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Super easy and yummy)

I dropped Jax off at school, came home to put Lexi down for a nap and nurse her, then went back to school for Jax's Valentine's party. The teachers did a great job making everything fun for his class.

After school, we went to Chipotle for lunch then ran a few errands. I made coq au vin for dinner (chicken and wine, my grandma's recipe... Ryan's favorite) and Jax and I surprised him with this fun set up. Please excuse our patio table and folding chairs. We're bare bones living until we move in 12 days.

I also made Ryan's favorite dessert- carrot cake. It's not my favorite, but this was a new recipe and it was actually pretty good. And it was heart shaped, of course. 

I took this quick picture of my two lovies this evening. Please excuse Lexi's shirt that is COVERED in drool. Teething sucks. 

I didn't get any pictures with the hot guy who gave me these two babies ;) But I sure do love him a lot. 

I hope ya'll had a great day!

Teacher and Preschool Valentines

I spent a few days searching around Pinterest for some cute ideas for Valentines that Jax could take to his preschool class and teachers. I pinned quite a few ideas, gave Jax some choices, then we made our own version of what we saw. I love how they turned out! And best of all, they were easy and cheap!

This is what we did for his classmates.

I bought the balls ($3 for a 12 pack) and bags ($1 for 20) from Target, and my hubby created the tags (can you tell? ;) ) and we printed them on cardstock ($3 at Michael's). We needed 34 valentines, so it cost us a grand total of $15 for everything. 

And this is what we did for his teachers.

I used the extra bags I had bought at Target and inside I put a Starbucks gift card (whatever amount you choose) and an intensive repair lotion from Target (teachers wash their hands A LOT). I made the tag this time... can you tell it's much more girly?! I also got the twine from the dollar section at Target. Don't you just love that place? 

We'll be bringing these to class tomorrow, which also happens to be Jax's last day before we move. 

So bittersweet!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!!

The one about moving home

We are right in the middle of getting everything packed and ready to move home at the end of the month. As long as everything happens on time, we get our keys on March 1st. We are planning on doing a lot of back and forth between now and then, slowly taking loads of stuff down there. We borrowed Ryan's grandpa's truck and trailer so that we can take a big load of things sometime over the next week. 

(Her first time on the swings. She loved it!)

So my days consist of taking things off walls, out of closets and cupboards and into organized piles, boxes and bags. We're not doing a lot of "packing" because it's only 2.5 hours away. After just moving a year ago, I have no desire to completely pack and then unpack all of our belongings. So most things are being transported in piles. Ha!

(He wanted to sit in the baby swings with his sister. Love it.)

Jax has been such a great helper. He keep grabbing things and saying "Oh, we'll take this. I'm gonna pack this" and adding it to a pile. I've been trying to prepare him for leaving, but I don't think he fully understands it all. I've told him that next week will be his last week at school and his response was "Ok, then we will find a new school in Fresno". Which is true, but I don't know that he understands that means we won't see our friends up here anymore. To him, Fresno is always fun and family and good times. That excitement overshadows any sadness he might otherwise be feeling. I've really been praying that the excited doesn't fade as we start to transition and fully move down there.

Overall, we are so excited and SO ready to get this move over with and just be HOME!!!