toddlers

Gerber’s Go To Green Smoothie

So, before I had children I always (wrongly) assumed that children who didn’t enjoy eating vegetables were picky because their parents didn’t expose them to a variety of vegetables on a regular basis. How quickly I realized that this just isn’t the case. No matter how much colorful vegetables I put on my boys’ plates, there are some that they just won’t eat. I will be the first to admit that getting them to eat their daily amount of vegetables can be a real challenge. I have however found one way to ensure they get dark leafy greens (full of iron and calcium!) in every day: green smoothies!

Today I am going to share our go-to green smoothie recipe that we make fairly often. Of course, this can be catered to your family’s own tastes and whatever you have on hand. Also, just a warning: I do not measure, so these are rough estimates. When I say “handful” keep in mind I am talking about my hands which are kind of petite, and when I say “spoonful” I am referring to the bigger spoon that usually comes in a cutlery set. Lastly, this recipe yields enough for two adults and two toddlers (usually two 16 oz. cups and two 6 oz. cups). Here we go!

Ingredients
– 3 generous handfuls of greens
– 1 banana
– 3 spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, your choice (we usually use either plain or vanilla)
– 2 spoonfuls of flax or chia seed
– 3 handfuls of frozen fruit (we use mixture of strawberries, pineapples, mangoes and peaches)
– Enough juice to make your desired consistency (we use half orange and half apple juice)

Directions
1.) Place ingredients in your blender in the order listed.
2.) Let your toddler lick the yogurt spoon.
3.) Be sure your have enough juice to get your blender going, adding more if needed.
4.) Serve the green goodness and enjoy!

Now, you are sure to enjoy this recipe as it is, but again feel free to experiment however you wish! Some days we are just in a strawberry-banana mood, so we leave all the other fruits out and it is still yummy. Also, if you wish for the smoothie to be dairy-free, by all means leave the yogurt out or replace it with coconut milk yogurt. If you don’t usually keep flax or chia seed in your house it is not necessary, I just try to look for ways to get some in my system ever since I developed gallstones my second pregnancy.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does!

Do you have other creative ways to get your children eating their veggies? If so, please share!

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Friday Fun Facts #2

1. I’ve come to the conclusion that cutting your hair is a lot like piercing and tattoos. You know, you get one tattoo and you want another one and another one… You cut your hair short and then you want to go shorter and shorter. I love it!

2. So, Timothy, our 2 year pooped in the potty! And all around it… I’m not potty training yet and didn’t actually think anything would happen so I was on my phone when I had set him down and when I came back two minutes later there was poop in the potty, on the potty and all down his leg.  What a mess!

3. While I was on the phone with my sister for an entire minute, Timothy had managed to get my mom’s lipgloss all over his face.

4. I think I need to get off my phone.

5. This morning when I woke up Noah was in Isaac’s crib singing to him. Talk about melting my heart into a massive puddle!

Friday Fun Facts #1

Back by popular demand (okay, back by my sister, Sarah’s, demand) I am bringing back the facts; Friday Fun Facts, that is. “Friday Fun Facts” is just a silly post where I let you know funny or interesting things that happened in the Gerber household that week. Here we go!

1. Isaac, our 10 month old, just learned how to say “bye.” Just now actually when I was saying goodbye to Sarah on the phone. So now he’s crawling around saying “bye, bye, bye.” So. Stinkin’. Cute.

2. Noah is becoming quite the backseat driver. While at a stop sign, I may have just yielded (don’t judge, I know you do too!) and Noah piped up, “Mom, you did NOT stop at the stop sign!” Busted.

3. Timothy is all about his mama right now. He wants me to hold him all the time. It’s pretty cute, except when I need to do the laundry. Or cook dinner. Or clean. My house is in constant chaos, but I am getting in some cuddles!

4. When I ask Noah to do something for me, he now replies, “Ay, ay Captain!” Not exactly a “yes ma’am,” but I’ll take it!

A Little Crazy and A Little Crunchy

So, let’s rewind a year and a half. It had just been one of those days. I was pregnant with my third baby in three years (yes, on purpose… I’m just a little crazy), and I could feel a bug coming on. My throat had been scratchy and my energy was just depleted. Now, not only am I a little crazy, I am also a little “crunchy” so for the most part, my motto was to grin and bear it.

Well, at that time I was also working night shifts at a local coffee shop. While I was on shift, my dear friend knew I was feeling under the weather and gave me a sample of a blend on essential oils, known as OnGuard. OnGuard that helps support your body’s immune system. So we chatted about essential oils for a bit and then I went back to working and drinking hot tea with lemon and honey to help soothe my throat. My throat continued hurting all night long.

When I finally made it back home after work I started researching essential oils. I had already been doing some research prior to this, but before I commit to anything I like to make sure to really educate myself. While I searching online I had opened the OnGuard sample and loved the scent right away; it smelt like Christmas. So there I was researching, and I realized that a few minutes later my throat was feeling better, simply from smelling the oil. From that point on I followed my friend’s instructions to apply OnGuard, diluted with coconut oil, every hour and by the end of the next day I was feeling as good as new. I have been in love with essential oils ever since!

These essential oils have truly blessed my family. I am able to use a combination of Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint oil (diluted) on my boys and it helps support their bodies to combat seasonal issues and those annoying symptoms. I use the citrus oils for cleaning instead of cleaners from the grocery store that are full of toxic chemicals. I’ve been able to use citrus essential oils to help uplift my mood. The results have been amazing.

For anyone interested in learning more about essential oils, please email me at info@amandagerber.com.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not regulated by the FDA and is not intended to cure or treat disease. It is for informational purposes only. I am just a mom, not a doctor, sharing my experience with essential oils and how they’ve helped my family.

Kingdom Work

This is actually a post I wrote last year for my previous blog, but I felt as if some moms needed to read this again.  Enjoy…

We recently had a baby shower for a woman in our Bible study a couple weeks ago. As you do at many baby showers, we all went around and gave a little piece of advice to the expecting mother. Now, I am fully aware that my oldest son is only 3 years old and I don’t have nearly as much wisdom as many other ladies in my Bible study who not only have children, but great-grandchildren—but, I have gained some pieces of advice that are noteworthy. Here is what I shared with her… you get the longer version because I can type freely and have no time constraints.

Being a mommy is Kingdom work. Isn’t it easy to forget that? When you are in the midst of changing poopy diapers, sweeping up Cheerios for the 17th time, rocking your baby who won’t stop crying and only wants your arms and realizing you haven’t taken a shower in a couple days… It’s Kingdom work, beloved, even if it doesn’t seem like it. It’s a divine calling from the Lord.

For me, this can be a struggle, especially since my husband is a youth pastor. I get to hear amazing stories from him about students falling madly in love with the Lord, parents coming back to church as a result, and how hearts and lives are being changed—and praise the Lord for that! But then the question will come, “How was your day? What did you guys do?” And some days, I don’t even have an answer… Well, I haven’t stopped moving all day, but I got none of the chores done that I started. The laundry is not in closets and dressers, but still in the washer, dryer and on the couch waiting to be folded, I started scrubbing the bathrooms during the kid’s nap, but had to stop half-way through cleaning the toilet because someone woke up early, and dinner is still a work in progress. I have no idea what I did today, but I am exhausted!… That just doesn’t sound nearly as glamorous! Truth is, it may not be nearly as glamorous, but it is every bit as glorious. We are called to do this work called motherhood as if we are working for the Lord, because that is Who we are living for.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV). This is a verse I tell myself often, and some days I am great at applying this verse, and other days sadly, I am not. That is when usually my husband lovingly reminds me my focus is not on point, and the faster I can redirect my eyes to the Lord, the better.

So, for all your mamas out there who just need a little encouragement today, may I remind you that you are doing Kingdom work. Love on your children so they can see the love of Christ, raise them to fear and know Him, surround them with songs that praise Him, and cover them with prayer that they may come to fall madly in love with our amazing Father. Give yourself grace (something I also have to tell myself often) and remember you are not alone in the messy and glorious adventure we call motherhood.