full circle

Last week was spring break, which essentially didn't mean much, other than a more relaxed morning schedule. Liam went to Nikki's most of the week, which was OK, it seemed, despite the average age of that group being somewhere around 3.

We did get outside a lot as the weather was awesome. Lots of rolling in the snow, built a snow fort and shoveled a lot. I find myself so used to being busy busy busy that sometimes I have to force myself to step back and play with the kids instead of being productive, but I think I managed that last week with beach time and other outdoor fun.

The other cool thing that happened last week was we started getting Full Circle boxes. These are boxes of fresh, organic produce that come weekly with a variety of items. Last week's included an eggplant, which I'd never cooked with before. I made ratatouille, a delightful blend of veggies and spices that I can't seem to get enough of. I would make it again in a heartbeat.

What I was most worried about was that we wouldn't eat all the stuff - the boxes aren't cheap, though since they also have lots of fruit, which we typically spend about $20 a week on, I think it's not much of an increase in cost. But anyway, we ate it all is the amazing thing. Liam got introduced to fresh zuchinni, which he liked, and even ate a mushroom, which he didn't. And they both devoured the pears.

It's funny how important it is to me that my kids eat a healthy, fully-balanced diet, and know what a freakin' zuchini is. It's almost like a crusade for me at this point. And as a side effect, I am also enjoying expanding my cooking knowledge quite a bit and diving into new things. Good all around, and true to its name, I really do feel like I've come full circle from my hippie-flower-child upbringing to my current goals and aspirations for health and self-sufficiency.