Thursday, September 16, 2010

Dinner with Friends

We had dinner at a friend's house and Alexis was asleep when we arrived. We laid her down on the floor and put a diaper on her (since she was deeply asleep) and this is how she looked while napping on their floor. She slept like this for half an hour before waking up to enjoy the party...

I love how she looks in her Organic Cotton Cardigan Sweater we carry made by HappyGreenBee.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

This one is for you Mom...




A childhood favorite and probably a staple... Cornbread and Beans (I think my sister and I smothered it with Ketchup.) I can't say my kids all loved it...yet. But Lily did!


I even attempted to put my own twist on it by making mini muffin versions....

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I got Inspired by strawberry bubble bath...


It must me a spillover from summer swimming, but suddenly my children want to take baths ALL the time, instead of the usual showers. Lately I have been really into the Yummy Ice Cream Strawberry Bubble Bath. Every time I give my babies a bath in it, I feel like we are in the middle of that beautiful part of summer that you want to go on forever! The best part is that it smells heavenly (not fakey like other brands) - and it smells this way because it has REAL ORGANIC STRAWBERRY EXTRACT! It is totally safe since it has no synthetic chemicals or harsh detergents so it is actually soothing to my children's skin. It is really gentle but yet is still actually makes bubbles! (Which is more than I can say for some other brands I have had.) Click the picture to see it, and the other bodycare and makeup made with only real fruits and herbs, no chemicals!


The girls and I have REALLY been wanting to eat the bubble bath, but instead got inspired to make a delicious dessert!



Yellow Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Bananas & Whipped Cream!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

How to be a working mom??? Don't all moms work???

I am awake again after nursing the baby early in the morning, and I usually can't get back to sleep because I feel there is some that needs to get done.

Anyway, like most people, I feel better about myself, my life, when I can see results. Being a mom is always challenging to that - because the things you spend so much time on (shopping, food prep, cooking, baking, cleaning, laundry, kids homework, discipline) are all maintenance things. It is only possible to feel fulfilled that you actually accomplished something when you actually stop for a moment to notice the differences ("oh, yes, I see the mountain of laundry is now gone.") The problem is that I don't really take the time to stop, ever. If I do stop I pretty much feel guilty. (Now this I KNOW is my own problem.) But the reality is that whether you stop to notice it or not, you will be doing the same thing again tomorrow, (or in some cases in two hours.) This can be so deflating, defeating to see no obvious connection of rewards, accomplishments, to your efforts. Normally this is challenging at best. But when you mix in the added pressure of the economy, for me at least it is so much harder. Harder to feel good about what you are accomplishing, because the truth is it is not even enough.

Well, this is all true and depressing. And how do I stay not depressed? I don't know. I feel like I need to know I am not alone in taking everything on. I know that I am doing a lot, yet I keep trying to do more. The main thing for me is NOT to try to do more work, but to try to focus on being more efficient when I am working.

So I do two things:

I try to carve out something for me every day, even if is is literally minutes. This is so hard to do, and starts with things like: Take a break do drink a full glass of antioxidant rich juice, or take a break to do leg lifts while reading one page of my beloved business magazine, which reminds me of who I used to be, primarily, and a part of my life that I look forward to experiencing again.

And I ALWAYS, ALWAYS go stare at my children for a few minutes when they are asleep, because they are adorable and it reminds me of what REALLY matters.