tonight is not the night

tonight is not the night 1I am sitting on a leather chair in my Aeropostale sweats, my laptop on my knees.

This morning, the four of us woke up around 8am and went running. Tim pushed the girls in the double jogger. I ran alongside. We talked about our worries in between breaths (yes, worries...we have them).

When we got back, the girls ate cheerios and I ate a banana. We colored, while Tim made phone calls on 5th wheels, t-shirts, and giving projects. I packed up the girls and we went to Sunflower Market. I bought ingredients for crock pot fajitas, a pineapple for 99 cents, strawberry licorice, and pears. I also looked at all of the ice creams. I always thought that blue bell was the natural ice cream choice...but I read the label and it has HFCS (ugh). Did you know that most ice creams do?

We ate a rotisserie chicken and parmesan bread for lunch. I put our 20-month-old down for a nap (I used to rock her, but now she just wants me to lay down beside her and sing songs until she drifts off...I don't mind).

Tim took our 4-year-old to the craft store. I replied to e-mails in my overflowing inbox.

tonight is not the night 2At 4pm, we went to a friend's birthday party. We ate pizza and cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Now it is 10:24pm and I have a lot of words in my head. Words about homeschooling, money, marriage, and mothering.

But tonight is not the night for them. Tonight is a night for catching up...but, more importantly, for prayer.

What brand of ice cream do you buy (and why)?

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43 comments on “tonight is not the night”

  1. P.S. The pictures of the girls are breathtaking:). And you can never go wrong with a night of prayer, right? Peace, my friends.

  2. What a busy day! Thankful to have been included :)
    Re: ice cream- we usually don't buy it. I think it makes it a special treat to go out and then it is usually to Cold Stone or lately Frost for Gelato (Yum). Not sure of the ingredients but it is a pretty infrequent indulgence so I think we are probably ok.
    We have been way over our junk food quota lately and it is feeling "ugh". The pendulum (sp?) seems to have swung in our household. I was so careful about feeding baby # 1 that we all ate cleaner. Nowadays it seems I am just trying to get everyone fed (including welcome guests:) so there is more convenience food creeping in. Striving for that balance of healthy and relaxed...

  3. We buy Breyer's or Blue Bell's natural vanilla (they both have one that is without HFCS).
    But I should look at Trader Joes, I bet that would be a better choice.
    Miss you! Hope to see you soon.

  4. I haven't been buying ice cream recently partially because I read recently that many brands use milk made from cows that are giving rBGH (genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone). I've been meaning to research which ones, so you finally got me to do it by posting this to your blog!

    Here is what I found out:

    Good Brands:
    Ben & Jerry's
    Yoplait, Dannon, Stonyfield (yogurts)
    Starbucks
    Tillamook
    Krogers (Frys brand I think)
    Trader Joes

    Brands that use rBGH:
    Breyers (including Good Humor, Klondike bars, and popsicles)
    Dreyers (including Haagen-Daz, Nestle and Edys)
    Baskin Robbins

    If your favorite ice cream(s) are in the above list, I strongly urge you to write them a letter telling them you are very sad to have to boycott them! I justed emailed Dairy Queen to ask them if their ice cream uses milk from rBGH cows.

    Now I guess I will have to check on the cheese and butter that I buy too... sigh.

    Here is a link to check out rBGH-free dairy products in your area.
    http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/take-action/consumer-tools/the-milk-tip/rbgh-free-guide/

    1. Thanks for doing the research (and sharing the results), Susan.

      We stopped buying Breyers and Dreyers earlier this year due to rBGH. It wasn't a huge sacrifice because I happen to think their ice cream TASTES worse than other available brands.

      I wonder where Blue Bell and Blue Bunny stand...

  5. We rarely buy ice cream but when we do, we buy Tillamook and sadly, I haven't looked at the label :( Sounds like a sweet day with the family..and all those thoughts in your head...been there on many occasions but the best place to take all those words...to prayer :) BLESSINGS!

  6. Turtle Mountain soy ice cream, organic and good for lactose intolerant individuals. I like the cappuccino flavor. I know it's easier said than lived but try not to worry:

    Jeremiah 29:11
    For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

  7. I usually buy Dryer's mint chip or if I really want a treat Ben and Jerry's. I have loved the B&J mint cookie, it's mint ice cream with oreo type cookies in it, it is wonderful. The store was out one time and I tried the marzapan one and it is my new favorite.

    Since we moved to our hometown 6 months ago we have been making ice cream with my mother in law and it is hands down the best and our complete favorite.

  8. yum. baskin robbins choc chip for our family. what is hfcs? praying is good particularly on those nights when there are too many words inside.

  9. Purely Decadant - only comes in the little pint containers - similar to coconut bliss - with coconut milk and agave, but we prefer the taste of this brand.

  10. Only Breyers. I usually try to buy plain flavors and add in our own treats like chocolate chips and sprinkles. In season we visit our local creameries for fresh just made ice cream.

    1. I think that's a good way to go. Vanilla ice cream tends to have less additives and then you can add higher-quality toppings - dark chocolate shavings, raspberries, fresh whipped cream, etc.

      P.S. Where do you live? I don't think there are any "local creameries" in my city. (So sad).

      1. We still have some small family owned dairy farms here in CT and they make the most amazing ice cream! We have two within a half hour. I don't want to know the fat content but I know it is chemical-free!

  11. That really sounded like a great day, with a lot of quality (and quantity!) time with your family.

    Yeah...ice cream is not an area where we have refined our tastes, too much. I'd like to see that change, though. I usually buy breyer's when it is on sale.

  12. Breyers - I THINK they don't have HFCS but now you are making me second guess! :) Or Haagen Daz. But really I love Gelato.... I like to go to the Italian bakery in Hartford where I had my wedding cake designed and sit in their cafe and have gelato and a latte... I'm pretty sure they don't even know what HFCS is... :)

  13. Haagen-Dazs Vanilla all the way! Ice cream is one of those things I rarely bring home because I think it's something you should go out for, but when I do buy it it's always Haagen-Dazs!

  14. Blue Bell is usually what we buy. It is still a 1/2 gallon (I don't know why I get so irritated that everyone keeps shrinking ice cream containers because I certainly don't NEED more...but it seems sneaky) and because it tastes the best to us. We do sometimes buy Bryers mint chocolate chip when it is one sale because it is yummy.

  15. Depends. I like Blue Bell and have been to the tour of the BlueBell factory as a child. Homemade is my preferred choice. It's not hard but does take a little time. I freeze the extra in small serving sizes so it's easy to grab from the freezer afterwards. Little one is still too young for ice cream, but I should work on getting in the habit of limiting HFCS now so it's not so hard when he starts eating solids.

    1. I also envy you the pineapple. I LOVE fresh pineapple but they are normally around $4 here so they are a special treat when I can catch one on sale.

  16. HI! Since we're vegan we buy Coconut Bliss on the rare occasion we have ice cream. It's made with coconut milk, sweetened with a bit of agave, is certified organic, and is just super yummy!!! I highly recommend it if you can find it, but we have quite a few stores around us that carry it now!!!!

    1. Tim isn't a fan of coconut so he wouldn't like it, but *I* think it sounds delicious. I'll keep my eye out for it at our local grocery stores.

  17. Haagen Daas or Breyer's (with occasional forays into Ben and Jerry's) because they are gluten free and typically have the ingredients of cream and sugar and nothing else. My husband is attempting to gain weight so I usually keep it stocked in our freezer as a calorie packed food. I try to stay away from it, though!

  18. There's a local (within 100 miles) brand that the grocery stores in our little town carries. It has its share of unnatural ingredients, about the same as the national name brands, so I figure buying local makes it the lesser of two evils. We don't get it that often. If we ever have room in our kitchen (and the money for it) I'd love to get an ice cream maker so I can control the quality a little better.

  19. Yarnell's because their chocolate is delish. But, ahem, I've never read the ingredients. Shame on me. I generally do...except with ice cream because I'm not really sure I want to know.

  20. I buy Edy's. Because when I spent a month of my summer with my Grandparents in Berkeley we always went to the original Edy's store and had butterscotch shakes. The store is closed now and I'm pretty sure Edy's doesn't even do ice cream in an ice cream store anymore - but seeing the Edy's name reminds me of happy times with Grandma & Grandpa, so it's what I buy!

  21. We prefer Tillamook... always! And I don't know for sure, but I don't think it's made with HFCS!
    I have ordered an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid, but I ordered it from one of those membership websites and although I got 30% off here it is 6 weeks later and I'm still getting emails telling me it's "delayed". I've half a mind just to tell them to cancel the order and I'll support a business that can actual fulfill their orders. :(
    All that to say... I can't wait to make my own!

  22. we only buy ice cream when double fudge brownie slow churned 1/2 the fat is on sale. It's my favorite and I pretend that getting the 1/2 the fat won't make me fat. i should probably pay more attention to the HFCS on labels - i'm just not ready to give up the good stuff just yet ;)

    sounds like you had a wonderful full day.

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