The Good Life

As I was doing my early morning Bible reading my eyes needed a break. There’s a chance I stayed up too late last night watching President Trump address the nation and then needed a “How I Met Your Mother” break to detox from politics before bed. Anyway, I needed a moment.

Apparently God orchestrated this break because my eyes caught the calendar on my wall (shown above). “The Good Life” caught my attention and I was immediately nudged to stop reading and start writing.

What does “The Good Life” mean to you?

Does it mean you make a ton of money and have few financial worries?

Does it mean you have so many friends and so many lunch dates that you can’t keep up?

Does it mean you have a job you love and are successful?

Does it mean your kids are the smartest and most athletic?

Does it mean you have amazing thick, shiny, silky hair that is the envy of every girl you pass?

If yes, then that’s great, really it is, they are all good things. But none of these are examples of living THE good life for me. Especially not the hair example (darn thin, un-silky hair!)

I’m living the good life right now. I haven’t always lived the good life. I’ve experienced heartbreak I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. But right now - in this moment - things are good. Do you know why? Because God is front and center. Because I’m in constant conversation with Jesus to keep myself on track. Because I know the plans He has for me, they are plans for good and not disaster, to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Is my life perfect right now? Oh heck no. Not even close. But do I have what I need? Without a doubt. God in my heart is all I need. It’s easy to carry out His plans for my life when I feel His presence. And it’s fun. And it’s exciting. And full disclosure...it can be scary.

When is the last time you’ve felt God’s call on your life and were excited to carry out His plan for you?

Maybe you need a break this morning. Maybe you need to take a moment to reconnect with God and make Him the center of your day. Live the good life starting today. It won’t guarantee an easy life, but it will guarantee a good life followed by a perfect eternity.

What does living "The Good Life" mean to you?

Until Next Time,
Neko

Do You Know God Intimately?

Today felt like a good day to share another devotion from the book I am working on. Maybe it is because God has been whispering 83 in my ear for the past couple of weeks. So I looked up my 83rd devotion and I'll be honest, it would not have been my first choice of a devotion to share. I have others that I connect with more. And 83? It's an odd number AND a prime number, ewwww! But I can't ignore the nudge and maybe #83 is something someone out there in blogland needs to hear today!

As a refresher, each of my devotions is intended to ask a question, to guide you to search your heart to answer them. Each title is a question and ends with an activity/question to reflect on and bible verses to dig deeper. So I invite you to do just that!  

#83 Do You Know God Intimately?

Intimacy is being known by another person - not just an acquaintance, but someone who knows you as a person, knows your strengths and weaknesses, knows your heart. Knowing who God is and what He has done for His people is one thing, but do you know God intimately? And by intimately I mean, do you feel God in your heart and your soul? 

When you invite God into your space, He will never leave you. Not for a moment. He does not guarantee an easy life, but He does guarantee His love and presence through it all. Trust in that knowledge.

So, the million dollar question is, how do you get to know God intimately? We live in a world of instant gratification. You want to talk to someone? Most people have their smartphones on them at all times. Have a question? The internet will instantly answer. Hungry? Fast food. 

Open your heart to God and trust Him and you will have instant gratification as well. He knocks, you let Him in. Done deal. However, once you let Him in, you will spend your entire life on a faith journey. You will never know all there is to know about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, heaven or the bible. Impossible. But the journey...ah...that’s the beautiful part. Getting to know God intimately is all about the journey. 

In your journey to know God intimately, trust must be at the forefront. Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 

God knows your journey before you take the first step. God already knows YOU intimately, trust Him to guide you. Do not rely on your own understanding, your own interpretation of the bible or a sermon you recently heard. 

Invite Him in. Trust Him to lead you to a greater understanding. Knowing God intimately will be the greatest endeavor of your life. Take the step...take the leap.

Do you know God intimately? Number 1-3 below. List three ways you can take steps in your journey to know God intimately.

Dig deeper: Psalm 9:10, Philippians 3:8-11

Until Next Time,
Neko

Friday Favorites

#1
Bible Verse: Philippians 4:4

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! (chosen by Ella, age 11)

#2
"Capital Gaines" by Chip Gaines

I read this book in two days and then forced EJ to put down his copy of "The Hacking of the American Mind" to read it. We both very much enjoyed it. Great stories, inspiring and come on...it's Chip so of course there was humor. If you're looking for a quick read, this is a good pick.

 

#3

Barissimo Caramel Cappuccino K-Cups

Someday I'll put together a list of my favorite items from Aldi but for now, I'll start with this gem. These K-Cups contain a little bit of heaven. It is a sometimes treat for me though. It is nowhere near as sugar and calorie-laden as the cappuccino you get at convenience stores, but with only 80 calories, 9g carbs and 5g sugar it is a nice splurge.

#4

Kirkland Signature Nut Bars

I discovered these last summer when I needed a sweet fix but not a ton of sugars/carbs. These fit the bill! I compared them to Lara and Kind bars and a few others and these were the best (according to my idea of the right ingredients, number of carbs, fiber content and taste.) Kirkland/Costco, once again for the win! And maybe I'll also work on a list of my favorite items from Costco!

#5

Studio Makeup Gloss Couleur Intense Lip Gloss

This lip gloss is one of the glossiest glosses I've ever owned. And not terribly sticky which drives me c-r-a-z-y. The shade I have is called "kiss" and it is perfect for my skin tone. But maybe next time I'll try to mix it up a bit. You can get it here.

                                                   

There you have it! My Friday Favorites, happy Friday everyone!

Until Next Time,

Neko

A Hard (Football) Loss

Disappointment. That's what a lot of us Minnesota Vikings fans are feeling today. It was a hard game to watch last night, painful even. What could have been a ticket to the Superbowl for my beloved Vikings turned into a disappointing loss. And not even a nail-biter - I would have loved a nail-biter - but alas, it was not in the cards for us this year.

I've loved the Vikings as long as I can remember. Anyone who marries a Nicholson HAS to become a fan or they will be disowned (I can't prove this because it has never happened). My family LOVES the Vikings. LOVES!

My dad:
I remember as a little girl I would be playing in my room and could hear my dad stomping on the ground and yelling at the tv (and if you know my dad he's one of the most mild-mannered people you'll ever meet!)

My younger brother:
He has a podcast where he recaps NFL games, stats, news, etc. (check out the podcast: Pro Football Juice, it's absolutely hysterical). Probably the biggest fan of all of us, but everyone else will fight me on this one.

My older brother:
He has what I call a "man cave" and it is covered with Minnesota Vikings paraphernalia (and it was his birthday on game day!).

My mom:
Oh, my mom. I don't even think my fingers would allow me to type what she said when Brett Farve retired from the Green Bay Packers and then returned to football as the Vikings quarterback (my mom is the best!). That was a dark season for our family.

Last fall we all ran a 5K in Minneapolis that ended on the 50-yard line of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. So we could envision what it would actually look like to see our team at the Superbowl on our home turf. Needless to say, my family was pretty pumped for this game.

So obviously yesterday's game was disappointing. My husband and I and the kids went to church yesterday decked out in Vikings apparel in anticipation for the big game (shout out to my husband for informing me that the Jared Allen jersey I chose to wear was number 69...I promptly changed, we were ushers for crying out loud!). We went bowling to kill time before the game started (look how happy we were).

And when it was finally game time we watched the game like this until they scored on the first drive.

And never scored again. I'm going to keep this blog short because I'm still at a loss for words. But what I can hang onto - and will hold on to for dear life this week - is the Minnesota/Minneapolis miracle of January 14, 2018. No one can take that away from us.

Stay strong Vikings fans! If Gary Anderson's missed field goal in January of 1999 taught us anything, it was how to recover from disappointment. We've got this. 

Until Next Time/Season, 

Neko

Friday Favorites

It's Friday and a heat wave here in central Iowa, 43 degrees! Compared to the below zero temperatures we've been having with windchills reaching negative ludicrous degrees, forty-three is aaah-mazing! Here is a round-up of what I'm loving this week!

#1
Bible verse: Joshua 1:9

This is my command - be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

#2
“She’s Still There” by Chrystal Evans Hurst

This book started my journey into pursuing writing. Chrystal talks about her own journey of finding herself again after years of drifting from what she once was. It is inspiring, heartfelt and pure goodness. If you’ve ever questioned God’s plan for your life, read this book! P.S. I emailed her after I read it to thank her for writing such an inspiring book and she actually emailed me back and offered great advice!

#3
Salt and Pepper Pistachios 

My go-to snack right now. You should see me eat them, I’m like a well-oiled cracking and popping machine. They are fantastic. And you can buy them in bulk at Costco which is a good thing and a really, really bad thing. You can also get them here or at your local grocery store.

#4 
CND Vinylux Weekly Nail Polish

I love getting a mani/pedi as much as the next gal (or guy), but it gets expensive! The last time I had my nails done I was introduced to CND Vinylux weekly nail polish (the creators of Shellac). This nail polish lasts a week, sometimes longer. Butterfly Queen is my favorite shade - a pretty pink with glitter (contained glitter I’m okay with, loose glitter gives me nightmares). Also, Red Baroness is a baller red. Both are shown below in reverse order because...attention to detail on my part mixed with a little laziness to retake the photo. You can find these polishes at Ulta, Beauty Brands, amazon.com and several other stores.

#5 
Wooden Block Puzzle app

If you love Tetris and Dr. Mario, you’ll love Wooden Block Puzzle. It is similar to both but you are given three tiles at a time and you can place them anywhere on the board. Same goal as Tetris (clear lines), the only difference is the game is over if you can no longer place one of the pieces on the board. I love to play this game when I only have a few minutes to decompress and don’t want to get sucked into social media. It is a free app and the ads are short, praise Jesus!

There you have it! My Friday Favorites, happy Friday everyone!

Until Next Time,

Neko

Instagram is Hard and I'm Old

Everything I’ve read lately says Instagram is where it’s at. (Maybe because I googled something along the lines of...is Instagram where it’s at?) I’m trying to navigate this new Insta-world personally and for this blog and holy moly. It’s overwhelming and confusing and cool and trendy all wrapped up into one ball of inspiration.

So today I’m publicly shaming myself for my lack of “getting” Instagram.

Here’s the deal peeps. I’m forty-one years old. I’ve been emerged in the world of Facebook for many years. I get it and love it. Learning new technology is hard! I used to laugh at people joining Facebook. “It’s so easy!” I’d say. “Nothing to it!” I’d say. Now I feel ancient. And a little confused and a LOT lost. Maybe a little bad that I have made fun of people who don’t understand Facebook.

What I love is the beautiful photos on Instagram. What I don’t love is judging every photo I take to make sure it’s Insta-worthy. On my personal page where only my friends follow me I’m pretty chillax about it. I might throw on an Insta-filter for fun, but am not freaking out about it.

My personal page is meh, but I really don’t mind, my friends are cool. However, I recently created a “professional” page...I can hear you laughing, I’m TOTALLY a professional people! Anyway, I got as far as creating a profile - miraculously whatsaneko was not taken (sarcasm) - and then was paralyzed by fear. So this is what it looks like now:

Look! I already have one follower! (It’s me, I was feeling the love for my professional self).

Oh but fear not, there are a ga-trillion (yeah, that’s a number) articles about how to use Instagram to promote yourself. Everyone has a slightly different take. Some say to post your pretty pictures. Some say your pretty pictures have to be strategically placed to form a pretty pattern in the groupings of three or it will look weird! (hold me)

And then the hashtags, oh the hashtags. Up to 30 hashtags? For the love! I still don’t completely understand the hash tags. Do people randomly search for topics on Instagram? Is this a thing?

I know it takes patience (I have none) and spending time using it (it’s so intimidating), but I can do this. Right? Yes, I will conquer this Insta-monster! Is there is anyone out there who would like to have an Insta-session to teach me all they know? I have wine. Lot’s of wine.

At the very least I’d love any tips you have to help me navigate this Insta-beast.

[Pause for a sidenote: Does my use of “Insta” remind anyone else of Pitch Perfect where the acapella singers say things like “aca-scuse me” or “aca-awkward” or “aca-awesome”?]

At the very, very least, would you follow my whatsaneko Instagram page? If I can figure it out, I’ll post the most awesome things on it. My photos will take your breath away (no they won’t). I’m a huge fan of memes so there’s that.

Thank you my loyal followers!

Until Next Time,
Neko

Why "The Greatest Showman" Has My Heart

I swear this will be the last post where I mention “The Greatest Showman”. Well, I can’t promise that at all. There may be several more. But I’ll try to hold back. It doesn’t help that my kids and the neighbor kids are doing a talent show with the soundtrack right now so it’s blasting from the basement and inspiring me. 

I haven’t really talked about why this movie affected me in such a strong way. So bear with me while I pour my heart into this post. Then maybe you can show me some grace in my obsession with Hugh Jackman “The Greatest Showman”?

Many of you know that I’ve been a stay-at-home mom since my oldest (age eleven) was born. That.is.a.long.time. When my youngest started kindergarten I started to take a hard look at my life, something I shoved to the side for many years. 

Who am I? 

What am I meant to do? 

What gifts did God give to me? 

What does He want my life to look like? 

Does my 1998 marketing degree translate to today? That one is easy, the answer: no. In one of my business classes in college, we spent one week on “The Internet”. True story, that’s how it was listed in the syllabus. 

This past summer - after a ton of praying, meeting with dear friends and soul searching - I decided to start writing. I can’t even tell you how much I love it. But to make a career out of it you need to have more than a love for writing. Publishers will hardly touch you without a social media following, a strong blog, a proven writing history or a deep friendship with a celebrity (read this Hugh Jackman!). I have none of these. And it is disheartening and something I didn’t expect. 

That’s where I was the first time I saw “The Greatest Showman”. Loving to write, but feeling like I don’t stand a chance in this massive world of writing talent and success.

This movie is about inclusion, never giving up and dreaming bigger than you think is possible. It was the music - the passion, the lyrics, the emotion that won me over. It all just moved me to my core. Thus, being on the verge of tears each time I saw the movie (at this writing, three times). 

Let me give you a few examples from the soundtrack: 

Track #2 - “A Million Dreams”

For the first time for as long as I can remember, I have a dream that I’m passionate about. That I love. A God-given, God-inspired dream. It is real. It is powerful. It is scary. I have a million dreams of a career that I love and am passionate about and if I work for it, they can come true.

My favorite lyrics, “I close my eyes and I can see, The world that's waiting up for me, That I call my own.”

Track #4 - “Come Alive”

This one is pretty obvious. After years and years of playing the role of mom and wife, it’s time for more. My heart yearns for more. God is pushing me toward more. It’s time to come alive!

My favorite lyrics, “But you can flip the switch and brighten up your darkest day, Sun is up and the color's blinding, Take the world and redefine it, Leave behind your narrow mind, You'll never be the same.”

Track #7 - “This Is Me”

I keep things pretty close, I don’t typically share my insecurities or my weaknesses or my hurt. But when I write, I do. I am transparent. I share what I’m feeling - my pain and my joy. It is what I love most about writing. I have spent my life trying to appear to be strong in situations where I feel weak, too proud to let my guard down. But when I write that all goes away. This is me. No filter. 

My favorite lyrics, “Look out 'cause here I come, And I'm marching on to the beat I drum, I'm not scared to be seen, I make no apologies, this is me.”

Track #11 - “From Now On”

When I hit my low point, I prayed. I asked - begged - God to show me what He intended for my life. It is something I had never done. I felt like I had a good relationship with God for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I put my whole heart into prayer that I felt Him pour into my heart. Almost as if we were having a conversation. It was beautiful and continues to move me. I never want to lose that and from now on I will move forward in God’s glory.

My favorite lyrics, “Let this promise in me start, Like an anthem in my heart, From now on.”

I could do this for every song. For me, every song touched my heart in a different way. 

There you have it, a glimpse into my showman obsession and an even bigger glimpse into my heart. 

Whew! That got heavy! Thank you for reading and following my blog to help me to “Rewrite the Stars” of my life (Track #8). LOL! I apologize - I couldn't resist ending with a cheeseball comment!

Until Next Time,

Neko

Friday Favorites

A friend mentioned to me that I should jump on the bandwagon of Friday Favorites. Where have I been hiding? I had never heard of this new blogging trend, but I’m a risk-taker (no I’m not) so I’m going for it! Each Friday (hold me) I’ll list a few things that have caught my attention that week. Each week will have a bible verse that I love, but the others can be anything! 

So here we go, week one of What’s a Neko? Friday Favorites!

#1

Bible verse: James 3:17

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

#2

Dash Rapid Egg Cooker

Seriously, Neko? An egg cooker? This little red guy is no joke people. It seems cheesy. It seems odd. It has the most annoying timer when the cycle is completed. But believe me, you will never have a better hard-boiled egg that peels so easily. Game changer for me. Buy this today here.

#3

Spenco Supreme Slide Slippers

These slippers are the bomb! I’ve had four pairs (I get a new pair every fall), I wear them constantly. Not only are they fuzzy and comfy, they are really good for your feet. Get them here.

#4

Yankee Candle in Sparkling Cinnamon

I’ve become obsessed with candles recently. My kids are old enough that I don’t have to worry about them sticking their fingers in the flame. This revelation probably came three years later than it could have but regardless, I love having a candle lit. My brother gave me a Yankee Candle in Sparkling Cinnamon for Christmas and it smells divine. Not overwhelming, just the right amount of cinnamon. Click here.

#5

The Greatest Showman Soundtrack

And last, but certainly not least. The best movie soundtrack ever released. Seriously folks, every song is amazing, inspirational, beautiful, whatever adjective you want to insert for glorious music. I've been listening to it on Apple Music, the girls have been listening to it on youtube but here is a link to the actual CD. Now, who is going to go with me to this movie again? Shhhh...don't tell my husband. He thinks seeing it three times in the theater is "excessive". Disagree.

There you have it! My Friday Favorites, happy Friday everyone!

Until Next Time,

Neko

Snow Day, hooray!

It's a pajama and slippers kind of day!

Last night in central Iowa it started to rain. And then the temperature dropped. And then it started sleeting. And then it started snowing. And then the wind picked up. Rain + cold + sleet + snow + wind = snow day today for the kids. Hooray! Or...hooray?

Snow days. Aaah, wonderful memories. When I was in elementary school in the 80's...what's that? What's a Neko in the 80's? Here she is in all her glory...

Anyway, when school was canceled this morning it reminded me of my childhood and the excitement of a snow day. Back in the 1980's you could find out school was canceled one of three ways:

1. Radio - Turn on the radio and wait to hear your town's name listed. It almost never failed that we would turn on the radio and hear Riceville and be so mad that we just missed hearing if Osage is canceled (alphabetical order) and have to wait until the next radio commercial break when they listed them again.
2. Television - Watching tv to see if your school is listed on the local news station.
3. Telephone - A friend of yours hears the news from another friend or on the radio and calls you to share the good news. Or you could call the school.

Here's the kicker: you had to be thinking about the weather the night before. If you got up in the morning and got ready and didn't think to look outside you would never know school might be canceled. There were no automatic notifications. Unlike these days - my phone rang at 5:48am to tell me school was canceled. Think I could get back to sleep after that rude awakening? Nope. But that's ok, snow days rule!

I chatted with the hubby about snow days when we were young and as a farm boy growing up he had a different perspective on "Snow days rule!" He said his mom would tell him there was no school. He was happy and would go back to sleep for a few minutes until his dad told him to get up and get his work clothes on and he would proceed to clean out hog lots all day. No sleeping in. No lounging around. He was always jealous of his town friends. Sad farm boy. I love this story so much. 

But back to today. My kids slept in this morning, yippee! Well, they were up at 7:15 which is sleeping in for them. Regardless, I was happy. I created a Facebook poll this morning to see if your kids slept in for their snow day today or woke up early. Fifty-six percent said their kids slept in and forty-four percent said they woke up early. Interesting. Sorry to the forty-four percenters - I'm hoping you were able to nap today.

When my kids got up I asked them how they felt about the snow day.

Owen (7): I feel kind of happy because it is Thursday and it's a good break before Sunday and Saturday.

Emily (9): I'm glad but I guess I'm just really happy I don't have to worry about walking home or doing homework...or anything really.

Ella (11 going on 18): I'm not very happy about it because I need to get an art project done that was due today. And since there was going to be a lot of work to do this week because of end of quarter, there will be a ton to do tomorrow. But I have a study hall so I'll have time to do it then. I'm excited about a snow day!

Dad: Not happy! It affects patients being able to get in the office.

Mom: Mixed. For the second Thursday in a row, my bible study had to be canceled because of weather. And I couldn't make it to the gym. But snow days are always so exciting! I'm really weather obsessed.

Pardon me? How have we been filling our time today? Wow, how rude of you to interrupt. But since you asked, I decided my strategy would be to let them sleep in, work their tails off and reward them in the afternoon with free time to do what they want.  It was a success!

Emily even spent some time organizing her dresser drawers (be still my beating heart).

And adorable notes from the girls letting me know they were done cleaning their bathrooms. They listed my phone number so I blacked it out. I don't want you calling me to clean YOUR bathroom! And don't worry, they made up email addresses. Don't even try to contact them.

We made cookies this afternoon because it just felt like the right thing to do on a snow day. Visualize a control freak trying to evenly distribute roles to three kids who only want to lick the bowl. Honestly, I'd rather make the cookies myself and just let them enjoy. But good Mom's let their kids help. And today I was a good Mom. 

What is your favorite memory from a snow day? Either as an adult experiencing it with your children or from your childhood? I'd love to hear your stories!

Stay safe out there if you are part of this onslaught of Mother Nature's fury!

Until Next Time,
Neko

Kleckner Family Movie Reviews

Our family has hit a major milestone. I’m not actually sure when it happened but I just recently realized it. We love to go to movies together. My kids are old enough to sit through an entire movie without complaining, fidgeting, needing to go to the bathroom, being bored and complaining of hunger. We are in the sweet spot people. (insert angels singing)

There are so many good movies out right now that we’ve taken advantage of. We even went to a movie on Christmas day for the first time. I was not very excited to get out of my warm flannel pajamas but I have to admit we had a lot of fun (plus, Kleckner’s get VERY antsy if we’re stuck in the house all day).

Without further ado, here are the movie reviews for the four movies we’ve seen recently with a rating scale of A+ to F and a vague one-sentence description that likely will not describe the movie very well at all.

1. Coco - the story of a boy who loves music, is forbidden to have anything to do with music and randomly wanders into the after-life and has fun interactions with skeletons. Or something like that.
• Owen (7): C
• I really liked the music but not the skeletons (they were creepy).
• Emily (9): D+
• It was really sad and not very funny. Oh, and someone got murdered.
• Ella (11): C+
• It was a different and weird genre - it is hard to explain.
• Dad: Didn't go, would most certainly have LOVED it....not. :-)
• Mom: B
• Cute movie. I expected to be a little "scarier" for young kids with all of the skeletons but they did a good job with it. Had a ton of follow up questions during the car ride home.
2. Jumanji - four high schoolers are forced into detention together and get sucked into a video game they discovered while NOT doing the work they were supposed to be doing (sorry, the mom in me came out a little right there). Hilarity ensues as they try to defeat the game and make it back home.
• Owen (7): A+
• I really like jungles and video games. There were some parts I didn't understand like when the guy blew up.
• Emily (9): B+
• It was super funny and exciting but not scary.
• Ella (11): C+
• I really liked it - a cool movie. But you knew what was going to happen. And there were a few cuss words.
• Dad: B+
• Funny and clever, Jack Black was great. Good humor for the adults but the kids still enjoyed it.
• Mom: B+
• I did not see the original Jumanji and to be perfectly honest I was not super excited to see this one. But it exceeded my expectations! It was hilarious! Jack Black and The Rock were great. I did have to exchange glances at the hubby occasionally when there were questionable parts for the kiddos, but overall I really liked it.
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Please don't make me explain this movie. I was a last minute fill-in to go to the movie when one of the kids couldn't make it. It takes place in space. Harrison Ford was NOT in it. Princess Leia did NOT have side buns. Rey was adorable. That's all.
• Owen (7): B+
• The thing I didn't like was the ending because you never know what's going to happen in the next movie. I liked that they had a bunch of adventures.
• Emily (9): A-
• It was super funny and exciting. Kylo Ren hasn't even made up his mind yet what side he's on. [Direct Emily quote]: "Dude, we've had three movies of you, just pick!"
• Ella (11): A+
• It had a ton of twists and turns and opened up so many theories for the next movie. Glad it focused on new characters instead of just Luke.
• Dad: B
• I liked itl Some of the humor was distracting (Star Wars humor should be cheesy and they tried to be cute). Didn't develop the Snoke storyline enough. Overall, they did okay, looking forward to a new director next time.
• Mom: C+
• I had to go with a very average rating mostly because I'm not very familiar with Star Wars movies (I did see the one with Natalie Portman in it, that was not bad). Having my husband, an eleven-year-old and a seven-year-old try to explain the entire Star Wars franchise to me in a 15-minute car ride to the movie was not super successful. Besides my lack of backstory knowledge, it actually was a decent movie. I kind of followed it. Am I looking forward to the next movie? Nope.
4. The Greatest Showman: a movie/musical based (loosely) on the life of P.T. Barnum.
• Owen (7): A-
• I really liked the music part, but the movie was not really surprising. You knew what was going to happen at the end.
• Emily (9): A+
• It had a lot of good songs, was kinda funny and really entertaining.
• Ella (11): A-
• It was really, really good but I think they could have done more with it matching the real history of P.T. Barnum. (Sidenote: this girl came home from the movie and researched P.T. Barnum for hours and told us everything the movie stayed true to and changed from real life).
• Dad: B+
• Better than I thought it would be. Music wasn't sing-songy. Good message. Child actors weren't annoying.
• Mom: A+++++++++++++
• Let me start by saying that everyone has different tastes in movies (I don't want to build this review up and you end up not liking it, oh the pressure!). But truthfully, this is the best movie I've ever seen. From the first second until the last second it was entertaining. I had tears in my eyes for 75% of the movie. But not "This Is Us" tears...the good and happy kind of tears. The only reason I was glad it was over is because I really had to go to the bathroom (TMI?). Otherwise, I could have stayed and watched the whole thing again. And again. And again. I'm planning to see it again this week. The music. The message. The eye candy. Pure gold. How's that for a glowing review?

So there you have it! Have you seen any of these movies? Or have recommendations for movies the Kleckner family should see next?

Until Next Time,
Neko

Recipe Review - Fat Head Pizza

A couple of my Facebook friends recommended this recipe https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/fat-head-pizza, so I had to give it a shot. Healthy pizza? Yes, please! I did feel slightly deceitful when I was making it though. When asked 5,000 times what I was making for dinner I replied “healthy pizza” every time and was met with cheers of joy. I’m guessing they only heard the pizza part. Everyone was happy and kind and loving to each other as the pizza aroma filled the air.

And then it was time to eat.

Middle child recognized immediately that this was no ordinary pizza and was NOT amused. She sat down at the table, took one look at her piece and said in her best condescending voice “I hope this turned out.” Did I detect an eye roll?

Family reviews:

Mom - 10! I thought it was delicious, a lovely substitute for pizza. Is there a chance the almond flour I used was a little on the stale side? Perhaps. Nonetheless, a success. Keto crust for the win!

Dad - “This is really good, it’s a keeper! Did the kids like it?” (He worked late and ate after us...maybe because he knew I was trying a new recipe and the kids would likely spazz? He’s brilliant.) Another 10!

Eldest - “I like it, it’s a 10!” (Mom chokes on her keto crust and has to be rushed by ambulance to the ER.)

Three 10 ratings on a keto recipe? Could it be? A healthy meal we all love?

Middle -  “Uh-uh. It’s a 3.” And asks me why we can’t eat normal food like her friends do and proceeds to pout the rest of the meal.

Youngest - “I actually kind of like this. I’ll pick a 5!”

So there you have it, a six out of ten average from the kids but a resounding ten from the parents. We’ll say it is a decent option to have in the arsenal (any time ANY of the kids give a meal a ten it’s a keeper). Maybe next time I’ll have the kids help me with the sauce and cheese. All of the experts say that if you let the kids help you cook they are more likely to eat it. All of the experts haven’t met MY kids.

Do you have any delicious and healthy new recipes to share?

#tryingtobehealthyin2018
#yesiknowhashtagsarepointlessinablogbuttheyarefun

Until next time,
Neko