VIA Energy 01/31/2010
Recently I tried Starbucks VIA ready brew Colombia instant coffee.  I thought the little packets were cute.    I have been interested in trying it for a while now, but the real reason I finally decided to buy one is because I was downtown and Starbucks was the closest rest room J. Shockingly enough I wasn’t in the mood to get a drink, so I bought the VIA packet instead. My opinion is it was ok. Not horrible, but not great. A huge reason I may not have loved it is because I much prefer espresso to Colombia coffee. A fresh brewed espresso with milk, in other words a latte, is by far my favorite. The VIA didn’t compare to that, however I don’t drink Colombia coffee regularly enough to be able to really compare. Speaking of coffee I was thinking about energy levels. When 3pm rolls around I am always in search of an energy fix. That is when the sugar is most appealing to me. Lots of times that is when I go for a chai tea latte. They are another favorite of mine. The mix I buy does contain a lot of sugar which is probably why I desire one that time of day. I am ok with some sugar but that is the one part of my diet I try to pay attention to. I find if I pay attention to how much sugar I take in, the rest seems to fall in line. Being that a lot of the junk food I crave has a lot of sugar. When I am motivated enough to avoid the chai tea latte mix, which I prefer myself to have in moderation. I sometimes make a sugar free version. I steep half a mug of water and a chai tea bag. Then I fill the mug the rest of the way with skim milk, and put it in the microwave for a minute to heat it up a little bit further. The real reason for the afternoon lack of energy is recognising if you are refuelling your body the way it needs. Evaluating if you are getting the nutrition your body needs to stay energized, and well as enough rest. My opinion is your body is not meant to do non-stop all day. You need to give yourself breaks to refuel. This is important whether you are at home or in the office. Feeding your body well, getting enough sleep, and taking those breaks throughout the day can do wonders for increasing your energy levels. For me this is something I need to keep reminding myself when I am feeling exhausted. What can I do to feed my body energy in a healthy way, and am I giving myself the mini-breaks I need to re-energize? The night time rest is a combination of making bedtime a priority, and whether the kids wake up J. Do you find you have a lack of energy in the afternoon? If so, what do you do to combat it?  1 Comment It is family movie night again and this time we rented the Disney Earth movie.  I am looking forward to watching it with the kids after Little Sister’s nap. Big Brother is very excited as well! While the kids and I were out at the movie store we also stopped by Superstore to get a few needed items. Normally I avoid bringing the kids to the grocery store if I can, but since they were with me today Big Brother picked out a new coloring book, complete with glitter stickers that he absolutely loves!  As well the color wonder paint sets are on sale at Superstore right now for a great deal so we picked up one of those too.  I really should buy stock in these things. They are great! Big Bro likes them so much that he spends all afternoon painting basically the entire book at once. An awesome thing, especially while Daddy is away and I need to find more things to keep him occupied when I need to get certain things done. Being a Mom I am always on the lookout for new healthy and easy snack ideas, so I thought I would share two things I make with you. The first is hard boiled eggs.  The best way to do it is to boil a whole bunch at once, peel them and store in the fridge so they are ready for an easy snack or meal. Everyone has their own way of making hard boiled eggs. Here is how I make Hard Boiled Eggs · Cover the eggs in cold water, bring to a boil. · When the water comes to a boil, put the lid on the pot and turn the heat off. · Let the eggs sit for 10 minutes. · When the 10 minutes is up I submerge the eggs in cold water to make them easier to peel. The second snack or accompaniment to a meal is Yam bites.  I don’t bother peeling the yams, but I do take the time to cut them into bit size pieces so that they are ready to eat for my toddler. These are great to throw in a baggie and bring on the go as well. To make Yam Bites · Wash and cut up 2 yams in bite size pieces. · Toss in olive oil, cinnamon, and a small amount of salt. · Roast at 400°F for about 15 minutes. Then I just store them in the fridge in a Tupperware so they are ready for when I need them. Both these food are great for adults as well. I love to add the yam bites and hard boiled eggs to my salad at lunch. These are super simple ideas but sometimes it helps to be reminded of different ideas to switch things up. Have a wonderful Saturday! Have you seen any movies lately you really enjoyed? Not Just A Scrap Booking Class 01/29/2010
Today’s post is a guest post by my very talented Mother-in-law Pat who opened herself up to a wonderful new experience. I am so grateful to be able to share this with you. The timing could not have been better as I am exhausted with the solo parenting. Last night was one of those nights full of wake-ups and wet beds. A guest post was just the little good thing I was in need of today. Reading it put a smile on my face J.  Not just a scrap booking class by Patricia Just before Christmas 2009 I chanced upon a store in Tucson called Pages in Progress. My friend and I hesitantly went in and started having a look around. We definitely aren’t the “creative types”. A friendly sales clerk came right over and gave us “the skinny” on everything scrapbook and encouraged us to sign up for one of the classes. So we looked at the calendar made a decision and took the plunge. We signed up for “scrap and snack.” With a name like that it had to be an experience. When I emailed to tell a friend what I was doing she emailed back and wrote -scrap and snack? I’m almost afraid to ask! We dutifully bought our required supplies and showed up at the appointed time. Finding a spot we sat down, - in front of us - the blank waiting page with the accompanying chalks, letters, embellishments, doo dahs and ribbons so pretty just waiting to get glued, pop dotted, stapled, tied or what have you.. Our very welcoming teacher Rhonda put us at ease right at the start and we heard for the first time a completely new language, with phrases like just a fuzz and scootch it over and others……..I had to ask a couple of times for a translation . Amazing….In under an hour we had created a piece of art work to be proud of. Pop a picture into it and voila… a perfect scrap book page. And it was so much fun! Since then I have gone to the class many times and am starting to get the hang of it and best of all am really enjoying my new “scrap“ friends who are always willing to lend a hand and offer help. It just goes to show that if you try a few different things along the way it can open up new doors and bring new friends into your life. Thank you Pat! It is a great example of how trying something new that you might not normally picture yourself doing can bring unexpected pieces of happiness into your life. And what a great way to document special memories! We adore the scrap book page you made for us. Flying Solo 01/28/2010
 For the next 4 days I am doing the parenting and housekeeping by myself. My husband is away, so I am responsible for both the Mommy & Daddy duties around the house. It gives me a huge appreciation for single parents. That being said I am going to make even more of an effort to help out parents who are trying to do it all by themselves. It may be as simple as bringing the garbage can up to the house for a neighbour. Or going out of your way to get the door for the parent by them self with the stroller and kids. Definitely some kind words and extra patience for the parent with kids in the grocery store having a tantrum, because their little ones just don’t know how to communicate their frustrations yet. I think every parent has been there at some point, and it is not easy! Although I don’t do everything perfectly, and happily don’t try to. I do try to keep the most important things in mind and to stay present and conscious to the best of my ability. One thing I think I have done well is not take my husband for granted. Hopefully he would agree J! I am completely aware of all the things he does to help out, and appreciate it. I try to say thank you as much as possible, because a lot of the things he does, he is doing for the whole family and it means a lot to me. Being aware of all that my husband does do for us definitely makes it a little overwhelming when he is gone. Normally in my day, I try to take a minute to myself at some point, even if that minute is while I am cooking. For the next little while anyway that is going to have to wait until the kids go to bed, and even then there will be a lot of things to catch up on without the help. I am so grateful for my time with my children, and not because it is always easy. Even when it is tough they have the ability to shine a light on the areas you can grow. Their ability to teach me is amazing. Any areas you need to work on for personal growth are much clearer when you have children and they force you to face them. It may be your patience that needs work, or your mental strength, or the ability to follow your instinct even in conflicting moments, especially when it comes to their wellbeing. My children have helped me to become better at all of those things, a huge blessing! They can also act as a mirror. You know when their undesired behaviorsare simply a reflection of your own, something you may have never thought to work on until that moment of realization. Being a Mom is so amazing, so hard, and so full of meaningful connections. Parenting alone whether it is for a short while or a lot longer only amplifies all of the above, leaving the ability for growth to blossom even more rapidly. If you have children, what is something they have taught you?
What’s in the Freezer? 01/27/2010
Last night’s dinner was another attempt at using items mostly forgotten about, but not yet gone bad. It is a new effort of mine to keep food waste to a minimal for both environmental and financial impact. Only this time I tackled the freezer. Another place where foods tend to hide and get forgotten about in our home. Sometimes the problem is there is not enough of a food left for the whole family, so it ends up staying in the freezer for way too long. With 2 young kids, for me there aren’t any solo meals to use up those foods. Last night I decided to make the last of a very small bag of perogies, as well as the last of some organic chicken fingers. On their own neither item would have been enough for the 4 of us, but together we could each have a small portion of both. That was my solution. Although cooking a couple of things in one night may not be that appealing to consume foods before they go bad, consider doing it on a night you don’t have as much going on. Cooking dinner last night was very peaceful. Yesterday the kids and I went for a walk to get some fresh air and a bit of exercise. My husband takes a train to work so I loaded the kids in the stroller and we walked around the long way to the train station. The walk home with Daddy was nice too. When we got to our house Daddy and the kids stayed outside a little bit longer so Big Brother could ride his bike. That meant I was inside cooking dinner all by myself, and I enjoyed my solo time. Usually when I start cooking the kids get immediately hungry and have a hard time waiting for it to be done. The smell of the food is too much for them I think J. However, last night there was none of that going on so I made sure to enjoy it. The organic chicken fingers were easy, just had to bake those. The perogies I boiled. On the side I sautéed 1 HUGE red onion in some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and tossed the perogies into the pan for 1 minute after they were done boiling. For a vegetable, and some added nutrition I tossed baby carrots in olive oil and 3 cloves of sliced garlic with a little bit of salt, then roasted them in the oven at 400 degrees, which was the temp required for the chicken fingers.    It turned out to be a lot of sautéed onion with the perogies because I accidentally lost 3 when I drained them. Oops, 3 were almost half of how many I made. Surprisingly though Little Sister was really enjoying the onion, and kept wanting more. The baked chicken fingers were Big Brother’s favorite part of the meal. He loves to eat his with honey. There is rain in the forecast for the next several days so I’m off to discuss with the kids if we should try to fit in another walk before it gets here. Have a great evening! What is in your freezer you want to use up? Twist Stepper 01/26/2010
 Yesterday was my first day exercising on my twist stepper machine by Body Sculpture. For me at this point in time the best place to exercise is in my home. I find in order to fit in exercise most days I need to be able to do it without leaving the house. Sometimes the best time to do it is when the kids are asleep, or as soon as my husband gets home from work. Exercising from my home saves me the travel time of going somewhere else; as well it allows me a lot of flexibility to do it around what works best for the family. Like most of us I go in and out of staying motivated to exercise. In order to keep my motivation long term I need to change things up. This is the rainy time of year right now, so exercise that can be done indoors is especially appealing. I actually enjoy my moments inside looking out at the rain a lot. It makes my home feel cozy. Sometimes changing things up means getting a new exercise DVD that sparks my interest. Other times it can be using a different exercise tool. When I don’t have to spend very much in order to change up the exercise that is even better, mainly because I know it won’t last forever, and eventually I will need another change up to keep me going. We are fortunate to have good weights in our home that I can use. My husband owns the weights that you can turn the dial to adjust to the weight amount you need. This is great for increasing the weight as you become stronger without having to buy more. Plus it makes for easier storage. In addition, I have a few lightweight dumbbells I can use as well. The other day I came across a twist stepper for $69. Probably less than the cost of 2 months gym membership, or a couple of exercise DVDs. I thought it was worth it, and fortunately my husband did too J! When Hubby got home from work yesterday I hopped on it. I loved that it was quiet. It allowed me to listen to my husband tell me about his day which we normally do then, only this time I was moving. For part of the time Oprah was on and I enjoyed that too. Parked next to the window with the rain pouring down, I got to enjoy the view from the comfort of my own living room. It may not be the nicest looking thing in our living room, but it is tucked in the corner and suits mine and my family’s needs. So for right now at this moment it is perfect. Plus the kids got a kick out of watching, until Big Brother got bored and went back to his play-doh. If leaving your house is not always a good option because of kids or weather, what do you like to do to exercise indoors?
An Extraordinary Act of Love 01/25/2010
 Last night I tried the Meditation for Restless People technique, and it worked fabulously. I tried it right before bed. It was just what I needed to clear my mind for a good night’s rest. I had planned on reading for a few minutes after meditating, but the meditation did such a great job relaxing me that I fell asleep, which was ok by me because it was bedtime anyway! Last night Hubby and I got a little more rest than usually, and it has really paid off today. In the comments yesterday Pat and Julie both suggested doing a walking meditation, which I think is a fantastic idea. Rejuvenating your mind at the same time exercising your body is very appealing. I’m definitely going to give it a try some time. Thank you for the suggestion! As a special treat today’s post is written by my Hubby about an experience my father-in-law had recently, and his remarkable reaction to help another by putting himself in harm’s way. My dad was riding his bike on New Year’s Day with a neighbor in Tucson, AZ. There is a walking path that follows the road they were riding on. At one point the path dips down making it hard to see. As they rode pass this part of the path my Dad noticed what he thought was a man in the bush struggling with a dog. From the distance it appeared the man had the dog by a collar, leading him to think maybe the man was trying to train the dog. As my Dad rode 50 yards or so past he looked back and could see the man really struggling with the “dog”, and then heard a cry for help. He rode his bike back toward the man, got off, and went down the hill on foot to where he was. The man was bleeding a lot from the bites the Javelina had inflicted on him. A Javelina is similar to a wild boar with long large teeth. The stranger was jittery trying to shake off the shock from the attack. It was then my Dad decided it would be a good idea to have something to fend off the animal should it return. He went into the bush about 25 yards and picked up two sticks. One was around the size of a baseball bat, and the other was more of a small log. When he returned the Javelina was once again attacking the stranger with its mouth viscously digging into the man’s arm. My Dad took the smaller stick and hit the animal in the backend hoping it would scare the animal off. It did not work. Next he grabbed the larger stick and hit the Javelina in the head knocking it unconscious. Following the intense blow my Father helped the injured man up the hill and onto the road where his neighbor was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ambulance and police. Once the police arrived they chased and shot the animal. This turned out to be a good thing. Apparently Javelinas tend to be very shy around people, and are in fact rare in that particular area. Later it was found out the Javelina that attacked the stranger was rabid, accounting for its unusual behavior. A look of shock overcame my face after hearing my Dad tell the story first hand. At the same time I could not help being slightly amused picturing the whole thing. It does seem a little funny hearing about my Dad fending off a pig, even though it was one with 3 inch teeth. What struck me the most about the story was the notion my Dad put himself in harm’s way to help someone in trouble. It is very easy to say you would do the same in that situation, but the truth is most people freeze up and end up a bystander when emergencies happen. I’m not sure what I would have done, but I hope I would have had the clarity and courage to do the same. When I heard about this the story it was shocking but I was not at all surprised that my father-in-law put himself in harm’s way to help out another person. It is exactly what I would have imagined him to do in that situation. His ability to think clearly and stay calm in a dangerous situation is incredible, and we admire him for that. What a great example of giving love to a complete stranger, and an extraordinary blessing that my father-in-law was passing by at just the right moment. There was an article printed in the Marana Weekly News by Jim Bradbury about this story. You can follow the link to see the start to the article; however the whole article is not available online as far as we know. We are so proud of you! Any comments I will be sure to forward on. Have a great evening everyone! Road to Meditation 01/24/2010
 Relaxation is a very important part of reducing stress. With too much stress it is hard for me to maintain the feeling of inner peace and calm, which I find essential to my happiness. When things get stressful for me I always come back to trying to meditate in order to relax my mind. I am no expert on meditation but would like to work on becoming better at it; so that I have it to fall back on in times I feel I am in need of mental relaxation. In my life I find the times I am most interested in meditation are when I am feeling the most stressed. So many believe strongly in the power of meditation and the benefits it give us. Being what I consider a novice at meditation, I have found one major struggle for me. My mind wonders not allowing the feeling of relaxation that I am looking for. Just focusing on my breath alone so far has not been enough to keep my mind from racing. Fortunately, I came across an article written by Allen Galbraith called Meditation For Restless People. His suggestions on how to meditate when your mind is restless looked very interesting to me, so I thought I would share in case any of you struggle with the same thing I do. First he suggests sitting in a quiet place if you can, then start to become aware of your breath. Next pretend that you are only breathing in your left nostril, then out your right nostril. On the following breath pretend you are only breathing in your right nostril, and out your left nostril. I love how this technique gives you a little more to focus on in order to keep your mind present. After a few times you can incorporate counting to further concentrate on the meditation. One breath in left nostril, one breath out right nostril, two breath in right nostril, two breath out left. On the fives breath in both nostrils. Loose track start over with one. Galbraith suggests paying attention to what number you get to. The idea of being able to track improvement with my personal meditation is appealing. Slowly I hope to make it to a higher number. For now in the beginning stages of meditation I love the idea of having more to focus my brain on to keep my mind from racing. Hopefully this will help those of you looking to add meditation to your lives but are not sure where to start. Do you meditate? If so, have you found it to be very beneficial in your life, or do you have any techniques that work well for you?
Family Night 01/23/2010
 Tonight we decided is going to be a family night. This will be a positive addition to the life balance account we all carry. The plan is to have an early dinner after Little Sister wakes up from her nap. Dinner tonight is going to be a Thai Coconut Chicken Curry with brown rice and green beans. For the Thai Coconut Chicken Curry I have Thai Red Curry Paste from a jar that you add to a can of coconut milk and heat. When the sauce is combined I add the cooked chicken to it. The brown rice we make in our rice maker. Then scoop some of the chicken curry over the rice. My favorite way to make green beans is to boil them, drain and set aside. In the same pot I boiled the green beans, to use less dishes of course, I heat a little bit of olive oil and sauté 2 cloves of chopped garlic until slightly browned. Throw the beans back in, add a little bit of salt and pepper and toss to heat through. They taste really good. After dinner we are going build a fort in the living room with some sheets we rarely use. In our fort we will play a game of candy land. When the game is over we are going to watch the movie Up, and probably have some popcorn and maybe a twizzler or two. We are all looking forward to it. Last night we came up with the idea of doing this tonight. When Big Brother woke up bright and early this morning, he came in super excited saying “it is family night, hooray!” It is almost time for me to get dinner started so it will be ready in time, but I thought I would leave you with a suggestion: How to get things done on your personal to do list that you are not looking forward to, all the while being less stressed and maintaining the feeling of balance. Try the sandwich technique. Before doing the task, do one thing you enjoy doing to put a positive deposit in your life balance account. Next get the dreaded task done so it doesn’t hang over you, which will be a withdrawal from your account. Then follow it up with another deposit by doing something you like to do again. It may sound very mathematical but if you look at it that way it can help maintain your happiness and feeling of balance even if you had to do something you were not particularly found of. Do you have a technique that works well for you to tackle getting things done that you may not want to do?
Handprints on the Window and My Heart 01/22/2010
 What a beautiful day! First of all it is Friday, and I love that! The sun is pouring in the windows today. It is absolutely beautiful. I can see the kids’ cute little handprints on the glass. It takes the sun to realize in the winter how dirty the glass is, but for the time being I love how adorable the little hands are lit up by the sun. It has been one of those days where the kids are playing so nicely with each other. Another one of today’s sweet little blessing. For a long time this morning the kids were chasing each other around pretending to be kissy monsters and attack the other with kisses. Little Sister’s kissy face makes me smile and laugh in and of itself. Her mouth is wide open; she curls her lips around her teeth, and tips her head back. She tries to run after Big Brother even though she hasn’t been walking for all that long. While she toddle runs with her kissy face, when she gets really excited she lets out a high pitched yell. I find it so funny. The house is so warm from the sunlight that after I took Little Sister’s shirt off for her lunch that contained tomato sauce, I didn’t put it back on right away. She rubs her little baby belly, and her skin is so soft. Big Brother was bringing her toys and for little while she held his head in her lap, belly and all. Those smiles, laughs, and sweet embraces are simply more of today’s little blessings ♥ Tonight is movie night for my husband and me. When he gets home we will rent a movie, although I am not sure what it will be yet. Any suggestions? Later this afternoon I need to go out to the grocery store, and I may even pick up some twizzlers as a special surprise movie night treat. They are my husband’s favorite and he will most likely not see this post until tomorrow. It really is the little things that are the big things in being happy. What little things have you smiling today? | Subscribe to
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