Almond Joy Oatmeal {Happy Halloween!}

Happy Halloween! This is a busy week for us - Halloween is just the beginning of the "mini-triduum" of Hallowtide: All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Lots of fun and devotion and proper attention to death are planned. (For more info on how and why Catholics celebrate Halloween, click here!)

(Digital download of this coloring sheet available at Someday Saints Designs)

Almond Joy Oatmeal

A special request for "coconut oatmeal" and an abundance of Halloween candy staring me down all day inspired this recipe. Enjoy!

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 15-ounce can coconut milk
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
dash of salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened, but you could use the sugary coconut!)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Sweetener to taste (I used maple syrup, but honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or stevia would work!)

Put the oats, coconut milk, water and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until almost done (5-8 minutes). Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and serve! (For an added boost of protein, and to cool it down quickly for little people, I stir in a dollop of greek yogurt.)

Rosy lenses of gratitude

Lately I have found myself struggling with a nagging feeling of discontentment, though no conceivable reason can be found for such a feeling. Most noticeably, I feel as though I never quite want to be where I am, always looking forward to or wishing I were doing something else. At breakfast with my girls in the morning, I wish they would hurry up and finish so that we could get on to the next thing. With them at forest school, I get fidgety and bored because instead of "getting things done," I'm stuck digging holes, playing dress-up, or looking at birds and bugs. At the park, I wish they would just play on their own so I could read. I'm not sure how I got stuck in that rut, but last night I figured it out. The antidote to the spreading virus of discontent that has been plaguing my (by all accounts, richly blessed) life:

GRATITUDE.

Here's what the three examples above look like when viewed through the rosy lenses of gratitude:

Because I don't work outside the home, and my kids don't go to traditional school, I am free to let them wake up naturally in the morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast with them. We can read books and enjoy each other's company, while learning about how to savor a meal together. GRATEFUL.



We live in a huge, metropolitan city with all its cultural and educational benefits. Since my kids don't get to spend extended, uninterrupted time outside in nature, we found a school that takes place in a nearby nature preserve, where Anne goes twice a week, just to play outside with other kids and get comfortable with the wild and free outdoors. So important for a city kid. And since Easter, Eleanor and I have joined, giving me time to focus on her and just be at leisure to play in the beautiful springtime forest. GRATEFUL.









My girls want me to play. I get to be with them. I get to see their faces full of smiles, and hear their peals of laughter when I push them higher on the swings or chase them and tickle them, I get to see them jump and slide, run and dance. We get to go on impromptu adventures anytime we want! And because I'm home with them, I don't have to miss these things. GRATEFUL.





I'm not saying it won't be hard sometimes, or that I won't ever feel like I'm gritting my teeth and barely making it to bedtime. I am saying that most of the things that arise in my heart and come out of my mouth complaints could be turned on their heads by the simple addition of gratitude. A subtle shift in how I see my world, a huge impact on whether or not I enjoy my life.

Usually we set aside November as a month for gratitude, but I think I need a reboot. Would you join me? I need help and community. Please share your practical ways to a grateful heart in the comments, and join me in a #gratefuljune on Facebook and Instagram, so that we can savor each moment of this life together!