Days 13-17

Life has been life for the last few days. Joy, laughter, insecurity, parental drama you know the things weeks are made of.  I lost 4 pounds during the last week.  7 pounds in two weeks, not too bad.  I feel like I am accomplishing something and I feel good that i have been able to stick with this for two weeks.  Slow and steady as my grandmother used to say.  My grandmother was an amazing woman.  Funny and loving.  She was able to listen and she knew things about you before you ever knew them about yourself.  I miss her so much and wish she could see my kids and see that I am happy.  It was my grandmother who knew I should be involved with local government and that writing would be something I would enjoy. It was my grandmother who accepted me unconditionally and it was my grandmother who instilled in me a deep love of food.  Not for food sake but for the joy it would bring people.  My mother has that ability as well.  We have a deep sense of tradition in our family and it all ties into food.  Its something i am passing on to my daughter.  we have already planned Valentines breakfast.  Heart shaped pancakes and sausage.  She says we will be famous cookers one day.  I would like it if she would actually eat all the food she helps me create but that's a conversation for a different day.  To day I am home from work, so no matter how I feel the house needs to be special when they all come home.  I made granola, so simple.

2 cups of regular oats
1 cup of coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup  cashews
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla  Combine everything in a bowl, heat oven to 400, place granola on a pan lined with parchment, (or foil if you're in a pinch)bake 12 minutes stir, bake 7 minutes stir, bake 4 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool.  Store in an air tight container for up to 4 weeks.

I will also make a nice dinner.  I want everyone to feel loved and I think its a good way to show them that I care.  I remember coming home from school and my Gram would have homemade pie or bread and the house would smell amazing.  You felt like the house hugged you when you came in the door.  I want my family to have the same sense of warmth and peace when they come home.  Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day.  What a great man, not a perfect man but a man that had a passion to see the world be better than it was.  We were telling the kids about him and how he wanted the world to be a place of acceptance for all people.  We also told them about Coretta Scott King and how she fought for the rights of gay and lesbian people.  She felt it was the natural extension of Dr. Kings legacy.  I also told them about Cesar Chavez.  So many people don't know who he is however,, if you grew up in a farming community like Arizona is, you know who Cesar Chavez is.  He believed as Dr King in peaceful demonstrations and he stood for the rights of  farm workers.  He believed in equal pay, humane treatment and safe housing for the folks that put food on our table everyday.  We explained to our kids and reminded ourselves that it is our job to stand up against injustice in our world.  For my children it means treating children with respect, and speaking up when they see someone bullying another child.  For us, it means treating people with respect and speaking up when we see someone being bullied.  Perhaps we really do learn everything we need to know in kindergarten. Here's the challenge, be brave enough to make a difference in your world.