Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

The season of pumpkins is upon us! What better way to enjoy them than in a yummy healthy breakfast.

This recipe will yield 14 pancakes if you use a 1/3 measuring cup to spoon into a non stick pan.

Ingredients:

5 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/2c almond meal

3/4c whole wheat flour

1 can pumpkin purée

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Water (to reach pancake consistency)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon on to a med-low heat non stick pan. Allow to cook for 2-3 mins on each side to fully cook the pancake.

Enjoy!

Protein Power Ups

This is a pretty versatile recipe you can add whatever you like! As long as you have some binders to hold it all together you're in business.

To achieve the nutritional info like mine here is what you need:

1c dried cranberries

1/3c cashews

1/3c almonds

2/3c toasted unsweetened coconut 

2 tsp unsweetened cacao powder

2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

2 tbsp flax seed (whole or ground)

4 tbsp natural peanut butter (melted)

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (melted)

In a food processor blend all of the dry ingredients until finely ground. Mix the peanut butter and coconut oil together and slowly add to the mixture using the pulse option to blend. It all might look dry but it should be enough to have it hold together. 

Use 2 tbsp of mixture to form 1 ball. This recipe yielded 12 balls.

Pop into the refrigerator for about 10-15 mins. Keep in a cool dry place.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you thought of it!

Protein Banana Squares

This is definitely a hearty snack or quick breakfast. You can definitely put this recipe in a loaf pan but remember it will yield less protein per serving!

Ingredients:

1c rice flour
1c vanilla protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 ripened bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2c butter (or coconut oil)
3/4c brown sugar 
3 heaping tbsp fat free sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a bowl cream butter and sugar then add eggs, vanilla, bananas and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined.

Pour batter into lightly greased 9x9 pan and bake for 60 mins or until inserted knife comes clean. Cut into 9 equal squares :)

Nutritional info per square:

Calories 341
Carbs 31g
Fat 18g
Protein 11g

Your outsides will get quite dark but don't be alarmed it doesn't taste burnt! 

I enjoyed a slice with a nice dollop of natural peanut butter, heavenly! 

Would love to hear how you liked it, comment below!

90 days to nudity: how did i do it?

this is going to be a long one..better be prepared!!

these past 90 days have been quite the journey. 

here's me 90 days ago.  i was making it to the gym 

2-3 days a week and prior to that i was doing a lot 

of running to train for an 8k run at the beginning of spring.

in that photo, i weigh 145lbs. a year ago around the same time,

i was 155-158lbs and tired of it but didn't know where to start. my

dear husband suggested i sign myself up for a 5k race that

was at the end of the summer as a means to motivate me

to become more active. 

it was definitely the kick start i needed.

after that race, i continued to run a few days a week and 

even went as far as running a race on new years day!

shedding 10lbs made me feel really good and put

me in the frame of mind that i needed to get back into.

turning 30 last year was also a huge contributor to

my motivation because i knew i wanted to enter this

decade of life knowing that i was doing everything i

could to be a healthier me, not only for myself

but for my family.

i should mention though, that i even though i 

exercised, i didn't really change my eating habits. i realize now

that instead of fueling myself with enough good and wholesome

food, i was filling in the breakfasts, lunches and dinners

with junk. coffee and muffin for breakfast, sometimes i skipped

a lunch and a frozen pizza for dinner.

anyway,

then, i stumbled upon an account on instagram (@90days2nudity)

and was intrigued by her recipes and workouts

and this challenge that she holds quarterly.

 the concept was simple: you submit your body composition
information on day 1 and in 90 days you repeat the same
and if you're the competitor with the most body fat % lost,
you win!

how you get there though, is entirely up to you,
whether it be hire a personal trainer, follow an online
workout regimen, buy a weight loss shake program, whatever,
as long as you had those measurements, you were in.

so i thought to myself, what the hey. 90 days of my
life that i can sacrifice to get closer to my goals.
i bought into the challenge, found a moderate
12 week workout plan, figured out my meals
and off we went!

here's me 90 days later: 135lbs.

i've got some work ahead of me as you can see by my pear shape;

my weakest link are my legs and my butt (that i've so graciously

kept hidden!) so i'm definitely going to put more focus on that.

but seriously though, how did i do it?

well first off, i got rid of the excuses.

number one reason why people don't exercise and why *i* didn't

exercise?

"i didn't have time"

well of course i did..i had to WANT to make the

time in order for the time to be there.

it's just like really wanting that cup of starbucks coffee.

when you really want it, you`ll drive around hell`s

half acre to find the starbucks so you can order that caramel

macchiato regardless of how long it took you to get there

or what it cost you or how much time you lost by going.

ok so with the time excuse out of the way, 

as a mom with kids, what would naturally be the next

barrier to taking time for yourself to get healthy?

"i've got kids at home"

or if you don't have kids then it's,

"i have to work"

OR

if you have both then it's

"i have to work and then come home to my kids"

and hey i get it, you've put in a days worth of house work

or clocked in at your day job and then you have to

come home or make dinner and get the kids ready for the night.

you're tired and the last thing you want to

do is throw on your gym clothes and exercise.

i get it.

when you make big changes like this in your life,

and i mean BIG..like, life changing, you have to want it.

i said to myself, okay i am short on time, when do i 

work out?

 if i had my kids with me and i was alone with no

childcare, i took them to my complex gym (toys et al) 

kept them occupied while i cranked out an hour or

if it was sunny or decent out, we`d go to the park and i`d use the 

playground as a gym.

if i was alone i'd set aside time to put in

a solid workout (1.5-2hrs) and if i had to work

i worked out on my lunch break!! people! it can be done.

at work i would eat at a 15 minute break, workout on my

lunch for 20 mins (treadmill or HIIT) and then eat again 

at my last break. i had to improvise on those days

and my co-workers thought (probably still think) i was crazy

but i got it in, every day i had to work out.

the other part of the transformation is the eating.

i said good bye to all of my starbucks coffees (and switched

to skinny versions as occasional treats) 

pastries, saltys, fried, savourys

and sweets.

i refused cake at parties, going in on a pizza or

some other take out meal with co-workers and 

even went as far as bringing my own food

to certain events.

a few weeks before the competition started, i went out and bought

a bunch of reusable plastic containers to store meals that i would

prepare in advance. seriously people, meal prepping

is one of the easiest things to do and doesn't

require that much time once you've taken the time to plan.

i created a weekly meal plan and essentially

practiced how i would prepare these things so i could

figure out what would work for me and what wouldn't

(for example i meal prep every sunday and wednesday

so that it changes the menu and the food is fresh)

and make necessary adjustments when i needed to. my hubby was also

a huge help because he too was on board with this idea

that it became second nature to whip up a bit extra

of whatever meal and slap it into some containers.

i started focusing most of my shopping on REAL food.

none of this premade low carb, low fat food like products that you

find in the middle aisles of your grocery store.

i wanted to teach myself how to make great food

using natural products so that this could be a lasting 

and tangible change rather than relying on

"get rich quick" type schemes.

talk about discipline. did i give in at times?

yes i did. was it worth it afterwards? not really because

i became so used to eating so clean that 

unhealthy things just made my stomach upset. plus

i stopped feeling satisfied from eating foods like that too.

the tools i have learned during this competition

are things that will now stick with me and best of all

because the meals were home cooked, the kids

got into eating healthy too! (BIG WIN)

it's been so wonderful to hear from people that have

followed me on this journey get inspired and 

ask questions or tell me they're getting into a healthy lifestyle.

no word of a lie, it was damn hard. the amount

of food i had to refuse and the days where 

it hurt to sit on a toilet made it difficult to

slap a smile and want to do it all again the next day, but i WANTED

this change so badly i was willing to put in the WORK

to get the results.

i hope i have inspired you to get out there!

if you have any questions or want to know in

more detail what i did, feel free to leave a comment on this page

with your email and i'll tell ya all i know!

thank you for being so encouraging, it meant

a lot!!!

hooray for my 100th post! (giveaway!)

pop the champagne!

(okay fine, i can't drink that right now remember? 90days2nudity? ya.)

pop the sparkling water!

it's my 100th blog post!

i can't even believe that this blog started 2 and a bit

years ago and has grown and touched

so many different people in many

different ways.

i'd like to thank all you secret blog

stalkers for taking a moment to come and visit

me on here to read my rants

or find out how a vacation was and never

leave any comments.

real nice.

joking.

anyway, what's a celebration of this

magnitude without cake!?

and since i'm the cake mama, i thought a giveaway in honor of this

historic moment would be quite fitting.

one lucky blog visitor can win a 6" cake and 2 dozen

cupcakes with butter cream swirl (your choice of flavor) for your next

special occasion!

that's a $75 value folks!

here's how to enter:

1. like "thecakemama" on facebook.

2. share a link to this blog on facebook.

2. leave a comment on this post telling me what special occasion you'd

like a cake mama creation for and leave your email!!

winner will be selected and announced on the blog

on september 1, 2013.

oh and of course, there has to be some rules:

1. giveaway is open to residents of the lower mainland, british columbia, canada (but you can

like my facebook page nonetheless lol!)

2. the offer is what it is, may not be changed or rearranged 

or have it's cash value applied to a different order.

3. giveaway must be redeemed within 12 months of winning. 

4. winner must respond within 48 hours of announcement or another winner

will be selected.

that's it folks, thanks for following!

Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (the sneaky healthy way)

These beauties were gobbled up as quickly as they were made! While they still contain the fundamentals of a good cookie, I was able to make a few substitutions to add some protein and omega 3s!

The recipe:

1 c butter softened

1 c packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 c brown rice flour 

2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

1/4 c flax seeds

1/4 c chia seeds

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt

3 c quick cooking oats

1 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and continue to mix. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and then add the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, spoon batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are light brown in color.

Cookies will be extremely soft so be careful when transferring onto a cooling rack!

Enjoy!

Approx calories per cookie: 150 

 

Super Protein Blueberry Pancakes

You'll have to bear with me folks while my laptop is down *tear* and I type this recipe out on my itty bitty iPhone keypad!

Here goes!

1 c brown rice flour

2 c steel cut oats 

2 tbsp chia seeds 

2 tbsp flax seed 

2 whole eggs

2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

2 c blueberries

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 cups coconut water

Sprinkle of cinnamon (as you like)

In a food processor blend the steel cut oats, chia seeds and flax until as fine as you can get it. I have a tiny food processor so mine turned out a bit chunkier but I like the texture it gives the pancakes!

Throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until a nice batter forms. I used a 1/3c measuring cup to spoon into a non stick pan and it yielded 11 servings.

Follow me on Instagram @jzzygettinbzzy for more recipes!!

I'd love to hear what you think of them!

cucumber boats

these, my friends will definitely become

a regular staple in my meal planning rotations.

they're pretty versatile which is why i just

titled them "cucumber boats" since

you can pretty much fill them with whatever you want!

these ones in particular have spicy thai tuna

in them and the cucumber does a great job cutting 

the spiciness :)

alternatively, you could make a chicken salad

and what you'll need for that is:

a food processor

cooked chicken breasts

peppers

avocado

salt free seasoning

(if you're a red onion fan, have at 'er too)

using the avocado as the good 'fat',

you will not require any mayonnaise like a 

traditional chicken salad requires.

chop the peppers into large chunks

before putting into the food processor,

as with the avocado and pulse all of the ingredients

together until you've reached the consistency you like.

using 1 whole cucumber, wash

and divide it into 3's then slice them

length-wise to produce 6 pieces.

i used a small measuring spoon to hollow out

the seed portion to create the groove for which i'd put 

my stuffing in.

after testing, i learned this is best prepared and 

served at the last minute as the cucumbers

get quite watery and you get a nice

little puddle in your container. ew.

you might wonder to yourself, 'now

what the heck am i gonna do with all of those

middles of the cucumber?!'

well, grab a pitcher, fill it up with ice cubes and water

and add the cucumber middles to it,

very refreshing!!

here's the nutritional breakdown:

per serving: 6 cucumber halves & 1 can of tuna

calories: 206

protein: 17g

fat: 7g

carbs: 19

enjoy!

#90days2nudity: what i've learned in 30 days

first of all, let me just say, i can't believe it's already been

30 days past. 

i'm slowly but surely seeing the physical changes of 

all this hard work but more important than that, i'm

seeing the mentality changes in me too.

while it may all sound so monotonous: wake up, eat healthy,

snack healthy, work out, eat healthy, snack healthy, workout again, 

eat healthy, snack healthy and then wish you could eat that bag of cheetos

in your pantry... it now all makes sense to me.

when you start eating healthier, you realize how much

you used to depend on eating as 'something to do'

"oh i'll just hop on the laptop and snack on some

(insert junk food here)" 

"picking up my kids from school, i'll bring some

crackers with me for the road"

oh, this is just me? not you huh.

damn.

well my point is that when you start learning about what

fuels your body and gives it proper energy and what

percentage of those types of food you should be eating, you kinda

start looking at food a totally different way.

yes, the plain and simple, 'oh that stuff has too many calories'

will get you at first, but then you start looking at carbohydrates

and how much of that is actually fibre, not sugar. fats, you'll start

looking at what kind of fat and where its coming from and whether

or not that's a good or bad source. then protein, does it have

too much or too little.

then knowing all of these things makes you want to put together some

awesome meals which i'll share in coming posts.

not only that, i am learning how my body

reacts to certain workouts, where i'm a total bitch (glutes & triceps)

and when i own the gym: (biceps, hamstrings & abs). knowing 

my strengths and weaknesses pushes me to go harder

on my workouts even when i know i'm dreading it.

in the words of bob and jillian (biggest loser) i strive to make

each and every workout a 'last chance workout' and 

make sure that i leave that gym with my heart in my throat

and my body sweaty.

but. if i go back home from that workout

and say to myself "gee you deserve ice cream cuz

you just killed it at the gym" then i'll completely nullify 

everything i worked so hard for at the gym.

while it sounds so tempting to reward all of those

calories burned with something calorie laden, it's

counter productive (duh) and it'll make those pounds even

harder to lose!

60 some odd days left to go..can't wait for the reveal!

apologies for the hiatus!

well friends, i have to apologize for being MIA from my blog.

i swear i always have awesome things to share but never the

time to do it. 

now that i have embarked on a 90 day fitness challenge which -by the way-

is totally rocking my socks, my daily routine has become,

 kids, work, gym, eating, sleeping, working, parenting,

gym, you get where i'm going with this.

if only i could dictate my blog entries......

never fear though, in the background i've got

a few posts in draft mode from our fantabulous disneyland trip

and olivia's under the sea adventure party so believe you me,

it'll all blow your mind.

lol.

in the meantime, feel free to follow me on instagram (jzzygettinbzzy),

twitter (jzabelala) and vine (jzabela) to witness my 

super crazy life right now, cuz i seem to be able

to keep all of THAT social media caught up haha.

until next time!!

vegas with my sissy

*drumroll*

and now the moment you`ve all been waiting for

2 months after the fact

my recap on my vegas getaway!!

i have to say it was pretty hilarious the

way it all went down. i literally called my sister one

random afternoon and asked her if she would book

a trip to vegas with me that very day.

and she did.

to say we had an amazing time would be

quite the understatement. i mean, we only

had ourselves to take care of and even

at that, ourselves needed no taking care of.

we`d get up early, visit the pool for

a sun tan and a mid morning pina colada

(no rules in vegas right?)

stroll the strip, go shopping,

eat good food at nice restaurants,

dance the night away..

and then do it all again the next day.

i mean really, 

this has got to be an annual thing people!!

we also had the pleasure of celebrating

a lovely little lady's 30th birthday which

was filled with just the right amount of

shenanigans to keep us talking for the rest of the week.

without further ado, some photos that capture 

only the gist of the fun that ensued in 72 hours!

waiting at the bellingham airport for our flight.

damn, food there is not cheap, a flippin yogurt parfait was $5?!

but then this sorta made up for it, even though

i had to pay for it lol.

post limo cruise avec bud light lime-a-rita

in a paper bag. oh yes.

my artistic-while-sober panoramic shot of the strip.

i should start selling it.

an actual wedding chapel pop up shop on the strip!

this would have been so much easier 7 years ago...sheesh.

warhol turned floral at the bellagio!

said pina colada at the pool. so good.

delish dinner at serendipity 3.

topped off with a frozen hot chocolate!

crap. we have to go home now!

cheers to my sister for a fantastic getaway.

seriously. next year?

this is for bloggy mamas, strictly bloggy mamas

i recently discovered an opportunity that

i wanted to share with all of my mama friends in bloggy land.

before i do though, when i started this blog

i didn't quite know where it would end up. i, like most 

of you share daily, weekly (er, more like monthly) updates

on life, special events, DIY discoveries and great advice.

a lot of the blogs i follow are quite established: 

something i hope my own blog will turn out to be.

but hey 400 hits a month ain't so bad at this point.

(aha you lurkers, didn't think i'd find out did you!)

kidding. 

seriously though, thanks for visiting.

anywho, i have been looking around 

for ways to gain exposure, share my blog with

other bloggers and while i'm at it perhaps gain the opportunity 

to work with companies that want moms like us

to review things and share them with others.

enter: sverve

sverve is an social platform that allows moms who blog

find other great mom bloggers, source inspiration, diys, 

recipes (pinteresty) all from blogs! it is also a way

to take part in campaigns hosted by popular and

up and coming companies who are looking for people

to take part in reviewing their product.

you get to sort through the lists of campaigns that 

mean something to you, submit your interest and perhaps

come out with a free tester product of something great,

possibly some cash money and maybe something

to giveaway to your adoring fans.

lol.

anyway if this interests any of my lovely bloggy moms, 

click on the image below to direct you to the website so you can learn

more about it. sign up is free and best of all, there's a whole

network of mamas to meet!

sverve away my friends!

welcome back!

phew! our disneyland vacation has come and gone already and while i'm in the process
of compiling photos and blogging about our road trip experience (oh, and i still have to post about
my vegas trip..sleep is for the weak right?) i wanted to share some exciting news!

i am about to embark on a 90 day challenge that will be a test to my strength both mentally and physically.

seriously, 30 is where it's at!! in my 20's i learned what it meant to be a wife and mother and making personal sacrifices in order to make -what i thought- a good life for my husband and kids. i realize now that the person who needed the good life the most was me, but i junk fooded my way through life and randomly exercised and i now pay the price of that.

now before all of you go pssh what is this girl talking about?! while i am in relatively good shape, and have shed a few unwanted pounds, i want (note: WANT) a leaner and tighter physique. is that too much to ask? NO! but you definitely don't wake up one day looking like jillian michaels or dwayne "the rock" johnson. (lmao i have NO idea why i chose those references but you get my point)

this kind of change requires hard work and dedication. it means that in order to get to your goals you do have to make certain sacrifices but the payback will be HUGE.

day 1 is june 8th. if you've ever been somebody who's been thinking about getting into fitness and making a positive, long lasting change in your life, join me!! accountability is everything! i'm happy to say that my hubs is going to be with me on this journey and i can't wait to see how we come out in the end!

you can find out more details here:



                             

can't wait to feel good naked!!!

just because...

today marks the 7th year since my hubby and 

i eloped in las vegas. (read story here)

since we don't technically celebrate this

anniversary because we've remarried into the 

church since then, being in vegas last

week inspired me to do something nice.

what a concept, right Rolo?

haha.

vegas has changed soooo much 

since we were last there to seal the deal

that it reminds me about how much we have changed.

(blog post to come soon about that!)

one thing that i know for sure

is how my love for you won`t change

and so i thought since you nag me on a fairly

regular basis about how i don`t sing anymore

what better way to show my affection

than to sing it to you?

it's a stevie wonder song that

chokes me up everytime i hear it..

i'm surprised i managed to sing it in one

go, but you'll notice at one point i almost

forget the lyrics lol!

anyway, without further ado...

phone make over

yesterday i got all excited and posted a photo on my instagram (follow me! jzzygettinbzzy) of my new phone case that came in the mail. i ordered it from

www.mycustomcase.com

i learned about it while perusing a groupon email 

i had received and since my existing case was getting

really old and tired i thought this was a perfect opportunity

to get a new one.

the neat thing about mycustomcase is the fact

that they have pages and pages of unique prints,

themes and styles in an array of colors

that you can then personalize to your liking!

i'm crazy over the chevron print and the

color turquoise so naturally i chose that

as the print for my phone!

they give you the option to get a standard case

(which is just the plastic outer pictured above)

or for a few extra bucks you can get one 

lined with silicone for extra padding if you're

really clumsy or like me, have kids that know

how to use your phone more than you do.

another added bonus is that you can upload 

photos, create monograms in a great selection

of fonts and they allow you to preview your creation

before you order.

are you sold yet? hehe

well to all my awesome readers on behalf of

www.mycustomcase.com i am able to

offer 25% off your custom phone case order!

just enter any of the following promo codes

and VOILA!

JDE F882

JDE 6GNN

JDE QHYM

JDE T5UH

JDE DTXP

hurry though, this offer expires june 19, 2013

so don't delay!

counting my blessings.

it's been a month since i've started
working for our city's children's & women's
hospital and now that i've become
ever-so-slightly comfortable at my new post,
i've had some time to reflect being here.

when i started, i really didn't know what to expect.
work is work and that usually all there is to it, right?
well not here. it's a multitude of feelings
that surround this place that makes it not just a job.

here, we prepare specialized medications for
the tiniest of tinys -the ones struggling to stick
around and discover this place. we also
help the children that get really really sick
for a while and get better and get to go home.

we also help the children that get
really really really sick and are hoping to go home.
-and the ones that never do.

we help moms and moms-to-be prep
to welcome their little ones into the world.

sometimes, we stop to give directions
wandering visitors with tears of joy
 and sadness.

happy, sad, anxious, angry, frustrated,
hopeful, fearful, joyful and relief are probably
the most common feelings but the one thing
that i feel when i come into work everyday is:

blessed.

blessed that i am in good health and have
the ability to be kind and compassionate to others.

blessed that i had relatively smooth and uncomplicated
pregnancies and deliveries.

blessed that i have 2 incredibly amazing
and healthy daughters.

blessed that i have a life worth living
and that i have the drive and aspiration to
live it to its fullest.

it's the simplest things in life
that are so easily forgotten.

i invite all of you to take a moment
to count the many blessings in your life!

jet setting to VEGAS

friends, you'll never believe it.

my sister and i, along with some great

friends, are going to VEGAS. 

just me.

no husband. no kids.

now, i don't say that with the

intentions of it sounding like i'm a 

free woman or anything, i say it

as whoa, i'm a mom of 2 going on

a vacation without my family.

you've all read my posts

about our family getaways and how much fun

they are, that it'll be neat to blog

about a vacation that i'm spending 

with my sis!

this will be the first time i

come back to vegas after having eloped 

there 7 years ago! (no, it wasn't short-lived,

yes, i'm still married to the same guy) and one 

of the things i remember about going around this time of year

is how hot it was.

this also reminds me about how ill

prepared i am.

also, i'm pasty white.

so while it's early enough (t-16 days!)

here is what i'm hoping to add to my 

spring wardrobe:

counting down the days!!

freshening up for spring

the sun has been shining in my neck of the woods

and when it does, i can't help but start 

thinking about all of the things i can do to

brighten up my home.

i feel bad because i have yet to have

a house warming party and we moved into our new home

uh, last november. whoopsy.

but in my defense, our house doesn't quite feel

like a home and even though it's the perfect

size to entertain, we haven't added our own

flava to it yet!

i wish i was more down with pantone back 

in 2010 when turquoise was the color of the year

but i'm ALL over it now so for my

living room i'll definitely be

incorporating that color into it!

i recently discovered a new website

that will cause me to neglect my children for

hours on end called SWEETRELISH that

i've used to search for decorating accents for my home

and one of the neatest things is that i can literally purchase it

right there! that's right folks, you find it, you like it, you want it,

you buy it.

and you can 'relish' items that you find online

much the way you do when you 'pin' something

on pinterest!

my living room is the first place i'd like

to work on since it will be a place (second to the kitchen, of course)

of entertainment and one of the first places

you see when you come into our home.

i'm thinking i might even sneak wallpapering my powder

room on the sly (shh! don't tell my husband!)

while this big project is underway.

anyway, have a look at what i've relished

and start following me on sweet relish!

outsmarting mr. leprechaun

with st. patrick's day around the corner,
i thought i'd spend  an entire afternoon
neglecting my children  a quick moment on
pinterest checking out some ideas.

i'll never forget the day emma came home from
school telling me that she came into her
classroom and it was a big mess!

there were books all over the floor, green footprints
everywhere and a letter from the naughty leprechaun
looking for his pot of gold.

her reaction was so adorable it got me thinking
that this year would be even more fun getting
a visit from a leprechaun with
both girls around!

check out & follow me on pinterest!

parenting makeover

am i the only parent out there that 

feels she needs one?

sometimes i just want to crawl under a rock

with the way my girls behave in public or

around other human beings or heck

even to their mom and dad!

we've had play dates with some of emma's

friends at school and i'm just beside myself

with the extreme politeness that these children have

and when i look to my daughter for a similar response

i get, "what? i said i want juice!!"

then one particular date, emma wanted to watch

so many different barbie movies to which

her friend said, "it's not good to watch all 

that tv, it kills brain cells!!"

oy.

i don't even want to know what she's like when

i'm not around.

i'm not sure where i've gone wrong, but after a

day like that i'm thinking: alright. absolutely NO more tv.

we're going to pull out our grade 1 work book and 

study and read and play and read and study

and THAT's it.

and i continuously remind her of pleases and thank yous

but somehow they get forgotten more than they get used.

i'd like to think of myself as a relatively active parent, meaning

that i get involved with certain activities and engage

with my kids. but let's face it. life doesn't always allow

us parents to drop what we are doing just so we can

join in on an imaginary game of princesses or pretend school.

and sometimes, well, i just don't want to! 

there's that saying about how the dishes and the laundry can wait

and that these are the years worth cherishing. but when

the 4 hampers of laundry are over a week old and

there's something sticky and unrecognizable stuck

on the floor i can't say that i'm having a jolly old time

being princess leia with that in the back of my mind!

sigh.

so when times like this arise, i always feel like i need to hit the 

reset button on parenting. set new standards and goals.

create new discipline strategies. and when all else fails,

drink a bottle of wine just walk away from

that particular moment.

parents out there: am i the only one that feels

this way? 

less than perfect

in the spirit of anti-bullying day,

i am compelled to do some self-reflection. i sit at my kitchen table

wondering why we live in a world where it's 

acceptable to pass judgement on people on the basis

of nothing.

we make assumptions of people based on perception

and not what is fact. and what's even funnier, is that when

we learn fact, we come up with something else to 

slander people with.

like, why can't we genuinely care about the

well being of people, and why can't we address conflict and move on?

why do we hold grudges and use those grudges as ammo 

to fuel situations of catastrophic proportions?

why do we care about what's cool or what's in or

what's trendy? that doesn't define us. materialistic things

are never meant to define us. neither are appearances.

why do we assume that because a guy chooses to dress in ratty clothes

to run his errands it's a direct reflection of

his true being? why do we assume that a woman is self 

centered because her hair is never out of place and she never leaves

the house without make up on?

do we know these people? do we know if they

have struggles? do we know how their day went?

can't we be okay with the fact that 

people are who they want to be without passing that judgement?

we live in such a self absorbed world that the second

we see something that doesn't suit our own ideal, we 

immediately need to create justification for why it's happening.

i am guilty.

it's toxic.

the older i get i know that you shouldn't care about anything

other than the genuine well being of someone.

 if you care about frivoulous garbage you're

letting bullying and judgement get

in the way of getting to know someone's true being and in doing so

you are sabotaging a relationship that

could have potential.

now i'm not saying you have to befriend every person

you see walking down the street. or that you have to like

everything that someone says; we are human we have

the right to an opinion. if we could all just be good

to one another. what a concept.

i think about how my children would feel,

or even how i would feel if i learned that my children

were being bullied for trivial reasons.

setting that path for my kids is an important one.

that to treat people fairly and with respect is the

only way you will receive that treatment in return.

that in life, "the more the merrier" should be a rule to live

by, and that exclusivity hinders growth.

i know i have a lot to learn and in turn

i hope that the people around me take the time to 

do some soul searching and realize that perception

is not everything.

i proudly put my children in pink today to support the

movement to end bullying. children learn by example.

let us as adults, aunts, uncles, moms & dads

be the example!