Clark Clean-up Part 2 and other Spring News

So, February was Clark Clean-up Month and it was a great start to a good habit. I know I got rid of more than 28 items, but I didn't do a good job of finding something to put in the pile every day. I'm still looking for things to get rid of though and like I said, it's a great start to a good habit. We need less.

Pancakes....yes please!

One of my favorite things to do is make breakfast with the girls on the weekend. I am lusting after a waffle maker (Stella loves her some frozen, processed, toaster waffles that have got to get out of our house!), but in the meantime we like to make pancakes. I've tried all kinds of pancakes and in an effort to go gluten free for the family, I've finally found a pancake recipe that doesn't suck and seems very close to the whole wheat kind I used to make (I still like those too!). Stella gobbled these up, and even The Dick said you'd never know they were gluten free. That is a high compliment from him as he is pretty honest about the gluten/grain free stuff that I come up with. I always know it's a flop when I put out a plate of some new creation and it doesn't disappear within a day or so-cut to sad peanut butter-nutella cookies. You'd think those would be a hit....nope! Bummer.

Why I'm not a failure

I'm not finishing my master's degree this semester. I'm supposed to. But I'm not. I haven't told my professor that yet, but it's going to have to happen soon. I started the program a week before I found out I was pregnant with Stella. Besides the two semesters I took off to have both Stella and Pippa, I've taken classes every semester since. It's been a lot of work. I've learned a lot. I've met great people. My education is helping my students. I'm glad I've done it thus far.

Valentine's Day, Lent, and Thankfulness

Valentine's Day was simple and sweet this year. Pippa wore a new little heart-filled shirt, and Stella got little nail decals for the special day (Plus she wore her new Minnie Mouse shirt from grandma-she couldn't be happier). We made heart-shaped scones for her daycare friends too.

The Clark Clean-Up Confessions

No, you have not just entered an episode of hoarders. These are our closets. The community closets for the whole family and all our junk (Our bedroom closets don't look like this I promise). February is "Get this S%$* out of the house" month! I've even got the Dick on board too! Yes! That wasn't as hard as a thought, but he is a bit of a neat freak so it shouldn't surprise me.

I've started a pile. A pile of things to be rid of. The current problem is not getting rid of our unused items, but where to store them until it's time to give them away. I've noticed that I can't have the old stuff just sitting out where I can see it, because when I can see it, I think up ways to use the items, or reasons to keep them. It's ridiculous. I haven't used any of this stuff in years. Get. Rid. Of. It. Brooklynn! So on this long President's Day weekend, we will get rid of the items we have so far.

Chocolate Date Bars

I like Lara Bars. Stella likes Lara Bars. Lara Bars are expensive. But I feel like they are full of whole foods and nothing processed, so I've been buying them as easy snacks on the go. But in an effort to save money on these kinds of things, I've been trying to make them myself. Any recipe I have tried so far has not lived up to my expectations. Until now. This is pretty good! I like it. Stella likes it. It went fast in our house.

The Clark Clean-Up!

Starting on January 1st, I decided to do a Whole30. Whole30 you ask? In a nutshell, I strictly follow a Paleo diet for 30 days. No Grains, No Dairy, No Sugar, No Alcohol. There is a ton of science behind this kind of elimination diet. A lot has to do with eliminating foods that cause inflammation in your gut and other parts of the body-which most diseases start from. The Paleo Solution is a good book about it and there are a ton of podcasts and blogs that I found helpful too (Balanced Bites and The Paleo View). I had a few reasons for trying to do a Whole30-since college my stomach goes through phases where it is knotted up, cramped, and bloated! Yuck! It hurts and it's hard to keep up with two little girls when my stomach is in knots. The other reason is I need to get into my old jeans-plain and simple.