Feast of the Epiphany

I could just stop blogging...I can't find my phone! Connection? I'm so lazy, all of my pictures are from my phone...and we all know that posts without pictures are so much less interesting. Ugh.

Well, I'll post. Maybe I can pop in some pictures in hindsight.

At some point my children were made aware of the world-wide practice of receiving gifts (like Baby Jesus) on the Feast of the Epiphany.  Of course, while I'm pretty open to this idea, my kids would never give up presents on Christmas!  So, for the last several years, we've sort of given a nod of the head toward the tradition and let the kids put out their shoes for the "Epiphany camel."

I think I explained last year how we use the straw that they put in Baby Jesus's crib over Advent (for good deeds and prayers) to fill their shoes, leaving straw to feed the camels on their journey.  As a "thank you" from the Wise Men, they leave candy in its place.  Cute.

So, this morning my kids are eating a very final holiday sugar dose.  I am planning a New Year's detox for the entire family.  Hello kale and berry smoothies!  (I don't think I've ever eaten kale, so don't get too impressed).  I really will make smoothies, with eggs (and probably lots of toast), for breakfast.  I am determined to keep a very large store of fresh fruits around for snack-time.  My kids will eat apples and oranges like crazy if I can just keep enough in the house. And I'd much prefer that to having them dive into chips, just because that's what we've got in the pantry.

Dinner is a super-huge "New Year's resolution" for me.  I am resolved to always have both a vegetable(s) and a green salad along with whatever protein and carbs we might have.   It's completely simple to dump salad from a bag into a bowl...but do you know how many bags I have to buy to get through the week with a salad every night for dinner?  Plus, I like salad for lunch...  So, lots. But it's totally worth it for the sake of better eating habits for  the whole family.  It's lame to think my kids are happy to eat healthily if only I actually serve them the healthy food!

I gotta run this morning--say, how much longer are you all leaving your trees up for?  Mine is starting to drop needles, but I'm sad to say goodbye to the Christmas season...I think we officially have until next Sunday, the Baptism of the Lord, before the season is over.

Really going now.  Happy Monday!