It's Friday! We made it!

I know I promised a post (or several) about our Disney vacation, but when I sat down and tried to write one, I had so much pixie-dust flying around my brain, I could hardly organize my thoughts! I'm letting everything settle a bit before I attempt another post. I plan to write a post about each day of our trip (perhaps I'll condense our rest days since those were more relaxed) as well as specific topics that may not be covered in those journal-style updates (what I wore [including how I managed my hair that does NOT do well in the Florida heat and humidity], what I recommend packing, doing Disney with little ones...). Is there anything else you particularly want to know? I can tell you right now that we had an absolute BLAST. Our original plan was to go back in seven years (when Logan and Theo are the "ideal" ages), but Dan and I both find ourselves desiring to return to Disney World sooner.

We are plugging away at homeschool but, now that December is here, I think we're all in agreement that what we would really rather be doing is all things Christmas-y! CC wraps up for the calendar year this coming Tuesday. After that, I think we'll shift our focus to baking, Christmas read-alouds, baking, gameschooling, baking, family movie nights, and MORE baking!! {Did you know that baking counts as school hours? I've said it before, and I'll say it again... It is ridiculously easy to get in your required number of educational hours required by the state. We go WELL over the number every single year. If you're considering homeschooling, please don't let that number intimidate you.}

During this especially busy season, I'd also like to take a moment to remind my fellow mamas to practice self-care. I've noticed that my hair has been falling out quite a bit the last few months. Although I suspected it was related to nursing (I still nurse Theo, but I'm definitely not making much milk anymore), I was a little worried it might be due to an issue with my thyroid since thyroid problems run in my family. I feel too busy to schedule an appointment for myself, but I mentioned it to Dan, and he insisted that I make an appointment with my primary care doctor.

Well, I saw the doctor this morning, and she drew my blood to be analyzed. Now, here is the crazy part. She mentioned something about my yearly physical with my obstetrician.

I said, "Oh, yeah, I'm probably overdue for that. I really need to make an appointment with him."

"No, you don't," she replied. "You have an appointment scheduled this afternoon."

Cue the face Kevin makes when he applies his dad's aftershave in Home Alone.

Thankfully, it actually ended up working out beautifully. My mom was helping me with the boys today anyway, so she graciously agreed to stay a bit longer. I was able to drop off Shane at basketball practice and make it to my appointment with plenty of time to spare! Praise God for this providential reminder because the appointment was absolutely NOWHERE on my radar, and I would totally have been a no-show if I hadn't attended my morning appointment. And the best part is that my thyroid results were in by the time I had my OB appointment, so he was able to share and interpret the results with me! All is totally normal, the hair loss is 100% due to nursing. Yay, I think! Ha!

Even though life has been crazy, and I have this constant feeling that I'm drowning in all the things I "need" to do, I've been trying to do a bit more cooking lately. Do you remember Sandra Lee from the Food Network and her whole Semi-Homemade concept? I took a couple shortcuts on my favorite Butternut Squash Soup recipe, and I felt like was channeling her! This is one of our family's favorite recipes. {Before each bite, Theo says, "Mmmm!" and then after each bite he says, "Ahhhh!"}

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 large leeks
• 1 Tablespoon ginger
• 1 good-sized butternut squash or 3 pounds chopped squash (I used to roast the squash myself, but this time I used chopped butternut squash from the freezer section at Costco. I love it because it comes pre-measured in 1-pound bags. I used three 1-pound bags for this recipe.)
• 6 cups chicken stock, divided
• salt and paper to taste
• crumbled bacon (optional, but highly recommended!)

Procedure

1. In a large pot, sweat the leeks and ginger in 2 Tablespoons butter.
2. When the leeks are translucent, add 4 cups chicken stock and the flesh of the butternut squash.
3. Bring to a bubble and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I like 1 Tablespoon of mineral salt, plus enough black pepper to lightly dust the entire top surface of the soup.)
6. Give it a good stir, ladle it up, and serve with crumbled bacon on top, if desired.

Big thanks to my dear friend Theresa, who gave me this recipe almost a decade ago!

Please don't forget to let me know if there's anything specific you want to know about our Disney trip! I'm also wondering if you've come down with a case of Christmas fever as well. How are your holiday preparations going?

XO,
Kristin