The Ride that was 2015 and Forecasting 2016

I have loved reflecting on the past year ever since I was a kid. It feels like since becoming a mom and starting a business that it has been more difficult to look at my own personal growth and development because in the big picture so much is about the ones we care about. Right, mamas? Well, one of the premises of me starting this blog was to take back my identity as a person and I'm committed to continuing that. My husband will tell you that the person I am today is completely different from the person he married. We all change, hopefully for the better! If we're not growing, we're not living.

At the beginning of 2015 I was working part time as a teacher at a charter school and loved it! That school faced a legal battle and was subsequently closed. However, I think that job that serendipitously found me in 2014 affirmed my conviction that I am meant to teach. While it was frustrating to not begin the new school year with a new job I continued to be deliberate in my intentions to the Universe. There were only about 5 or 6 schools I had researched that would really be a match for what I offer. Through networking and amazing friends who wholeheartedly believe in what I do I have found myself fortunate to be at another amazing school and begin right after winter break! The power of our thoughts is pretty amazing. Innovations Academy was the school I was most drawn to when I first sought out to seek another ASL teaching position. The philosophy that the school is founded on is aligned with what I believe is key to successful learning and growth. Of course none of the other charter schools had this position - it was a matter of putting the possibility out there and creating a position specifically to use my skill and talent. This is proof to me that what I want can manifest itself in 2016 and beyond. Hooray for a new job!

Just as I've been setting the intention of wanting to be back in the classroom the Universe aka my network has been presenting opportunities in the last couple of weeks for my Sign4Baby classes. Funny how that works. I really didn't market my classes over the past year and a half because I was teaching and then summer and being home with the kids and then blogging and then being out of the routine of marketing.... so it was really like starting over to get the word out on my private classes again. Again, this is such a passion for me that I accepted that despite my practically non existent marketing my classes would be found by the right type of new moms.... and I have continued to meet moms who find me organically - which is really amazing. With the conversations I've had over the past month I may be adding as many as 3 new class locations in 2016 which would be a great balance to the new part time teaching position.  I'm so eager to be touching the lives of new moms and their babies in the coming year.

While away at a conference I colored my hair red. It was something I'd been thinking about doing for over a year and had the box sitting in my bathroom but didn't feel compelled to make the change. I learned my hair doesn't hold color as well as I'd like and it fades, quickly. Even a professional coloring I did a couple weeks later faded too quickly. I'm not sure what I'll do about my hair just yet. I'm in limbo on whether I want to dedicate the time to the constant visit to the stylist. And I'm a bit concerned about the harsh chemicals drying out my scalp. It made me wonder what I was after with the color change.... I just wanted something different in part. But, I also wanted to draw attention away from the other outward appearances I've been struggling with. Namely my weight. I remember that when I was think I had zero desire to change my hair color. Totally happy with how I looked. Well, what I have come to realize is I've got to pee or get off the potty. Either be accepting and happy with how I look or do something to change it. Both are fine choices and I'm happy for anyone who has the ability to love the body they're in.... but I haven't been able to. So for me, the choice is to change it. As luck would have it our neighbor was looking to give away their eliptical and we picked it up yesterday! Actions speak louder than words so if you're friends with me on facebook get ready for some posts on my progress towards the healthy me. Your likes and comments will be signs of encouragement. It is not lost on me that this realization comes right before my 20th high school reunion.

Earlier this year I planned on becoming a surrogate. I applied with an agency. The agency and I did not see eye to eye on how the communication was supposed to work and I decided this was a signal that it was not the right time to pursue surrogacy. But I still think this is on the horizon for me. Perhaps right after my high school reunion? Even before I had kids I thought this was something I would do for another couple. There was a fear I had that I wouldn't have an easy time conceiving myself since I had been on birth control for so long. Well, that turned out to be a completely unfounded fear as I have yet to meet someone else as fertile. I have this deep seated feeling that I am to connect with another hopeful mama to help her fulfill that strong desire to nurture and raise a child. Being that the clock is ticking on my age I know that it has to be sooner, not later. I'm also of the mindset that it is probably through someone I know that I will be connected to the right couple.  Just another reason why I'm focused on my health in the coming year.

2015 was the year I gave up coffee. But that was for a little over 6 months. The road trip to the Grand Canyon and the cold weather of late has me sipping warm beverages every other day. I don't have the same craving for it that I once did so that's an improvement. It was twice a day I was filling the sugar/caffeine void. Giving it up didn't affect my waistline so that was discouraging, but now I'm ready to let the sweet holiday indulgence be behind me. I'm still debating if I could tolerate a sugar detox. I keep reading about it. My mom has type 2 diabetes and my aunt recently shared with me that she has it too. That might be the thing that pushes me over the edge! If you've recently given up sugar and have kids, I'd love to know how you did it. I think if I were making meals just for me it would be less of a challenge because I could simply not have any of the processed foods in the house that have the extra sugar. We've been changing our eating habits slowly over the last 5 years - but to get the whole family to do a sugar detox is a bigger challenge than I can face right now. One of the other things holding me back is the cost of a very specific diet. Cost being both time and money. I've already got 2 things in the works for next year to help and will be sharing the success and pitfalls so stay tuned.

A few years ago date nights became a top priority for us and this year we fell way behind! I'm thinking we maybe had 5 or 6 this year. We don't have babies anymore so that number should be much higher! I can see how it affects our relationship when we don't take time to go out and enjoy ourselves as adults. We are not immune to the struggles of any marriage. When you don't make the time to enjoy life together as a unit it makes the daily burdens of life bigger.... totally a fail this year and I own it. We don't even have an excuse to speak of. We haven't been completely broke the whole year. We have at least 3 baby sitters to call on. We even have friends that we could do date night swaps with but we just fail to plan! UGH. Along with health, dating my husband is a top priority in 2016.

In addition to alone time with my husband that was lacking, so was alone time with each of the kids. They are totally at an age where we need to carve out more individual attention. As much as they have going on with sports it just becomes difficult at times. Again, though, a total lack of planning! There's plenty that we can do that doesn't cost a bunch. We'll spend some time brainstorming ideas tomorrow to set the stage for the new year - I'm sure they will love creating their intentions for a year of dates with either mom or dad. Each of our kids has amazing qualities that I love and I struggle with those feelings of guilt like any mother in not creating moments to let those qualities shine through. Despite my intention at the beginning of this post to honor the reclaiming of my personal identity, let's face it, the relationship I have with each of my kids is a big piece of my identity and these years are fleeting.... FAST! More fun in the coming year through GEMs = Genuine Encounter Moments. Something I learned from Redirecting Children's Behavior. I'll be totally honest, part of this is my selfish attempt at self improvement and cut down on yelling at my kids. Secretly I always think I'm screwing up and not being the parent I set out to be. It's way fucking harder than I thought and no matter how many times I try to be forgiving of myself I waiver on the border of does that mean I'm giving myself a pass to not be the kindest most gentle parent I could be? It sucks feeling like this and the problem isn't my kids. It's me. Whew. Writing that kinda hurts. But now it is written in black and white and I can own it. I have said out loud more than once that I was practically the perfect mom up until they hit age 3. No, maybe age 2. Maybe age 1? Never mind, I was never the perfect parent! Surrendering the idea of perfect mom halo that is still hanging over me from a conversation I had in my college days and all my judgement against my own mother will need to be things I reconcile to manifest the thing I truly desire.

Gratitude is a muscle. In our house it is clearly a muscle that needs some work. We almost threw Christmas down the toilet because of some incessant whining about plenty of things, but namely the new/used van we got just before Christmas.  Our 2006 Nissan Quest's transmission wasn't shifting into 3rd gear and it couldn't have come at a worse time, less than 2 weeks before Christmas! Managing how to save Christmas and replace our car (which was economically a better choice than replacing the transmission) was tricky. There was the potential to surrender the big Christmas gift we had intended to do and it would break my heart. Because Cory's parents are awesome we didn't have to forfeit the big gift. The kids didn't know any of this yet. The 2nd day we had the new car there was one of those family moments that you want to erase from your kids' memories. It started with the kids complaining about leg room in the car, about the seat not being comfortable because it reclined back too far.... just nitpicking in general. The boys had been with us at Carmax and seen some of the other car options that were a few thousand dollars more meaning a bigger monthly payment. My husband and I had already agreed to choose something within our means regardless of what we were approved for so it would not be a stretch to make the payment. Just taking on a new car payment is a stretch when we haven't had one for so many years! So the exposure to higher end vehicles with all the bells and whistles was probably a bad idea.  Looking back at the ugly mess that was that night with the threat of becoming a one car family (no idea how we would pull that off BTW) and returning all the Christmas presents - I think will be a mix of both yuck and remorse and even enlightenment. I've still been hearing the kids complain about they don't have. I simply remind them of that ugly night and they instantly recall what was almost lost. It's hard to show kids how fortunate they are when they have friends who have things they want. Heck, I have friends who have kitchens I am envious of and more.... so I get it. We will be looking for ways to get the kids doing things in the community that can help flex that muscle of gratitude and giving. I will be carefully cultivating this intention with them so it comes from their heart and is something they can stick with and be joyful about instead of it turning into a chore. If you've been down this road and have suggestions I am open to hearing them!

Helping moms navigate the new motherhood journey has always been part of my Sign4Baby programs. But in the past few months I've been able to go one step beyond that by becoming a MomCo Ambassador. My friend Jillian had a vision to create an app to help moms connect, share great resources, share their must haves, seek advice and find amazing giveaways PLUS fun events. It is something we will be continuing to grow in 2016 and I'm grateful for being one of the moms that helps put together the play dates and other surprises coming! Every mom needs a few nearby friends she can rely on and getting women out in their community to form those friendships is rewarding. I was lucky to live in a neighborhood where there were lots of new moms and we easily found one another by virtue of living in a condo community and forming a playgroup. When I moved I never quite got the feeling that I belonged to any circle of moms in my community and being that my kids were in school it was a little more difficult for me to connect. Shopping for mom friends shouldn't be so hard. Every year when it's my birthday I think about what I want to do and who I'd invite - but I feel like I haven't invested enough time in my friendships since moving 5 years ago to even know who my core friends would be. It makes me kinda sad.  I don't know exactly how it is that I let the ball drop on prioritizing time with friends but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I'm more of an introvert and most of what I do professionally forces me to be an extrovert.... it just means something had to give. Well, I'm not going to have a pity party. I'm just getting committed to having time to connecting with women in my life. My husband has a weekly lunch date with his friends and I think to myself "why don't I do that?" And I so miss having Mom's Night Out! So, to remedy this I am soliciting my friends to have lunch with me. Or grab a drink. Or walk. Or get our nails done. Communicating with people online is no longer enough. Seeing people in passing at events no longer suffices.

Family experiences. Generally speaking we have felt either strapped for cash or strapped for time when it comes to family trips. After going to visit my husband's grandma in Arizona for Thanksgiving we are realizing we need more of these mini family adventures, getting away, exploring nature, making memories. It won't be easy to pull off but anything worth doing is usually not easy, right? We've already decided another trip to the Grand Canyon is in order, but this time in the spring. I see Big Bear on the horizon. We're going to figure out what other national parks are within driving distance that we can make into 1 to 3 day trips. You gotta start small and go from there, right?

The best laid plans are those that are committed to a calendar. So I'll be spending the better part of this first week calendaring the year I want. 2016 is the year I take the reigns. How about you?

Eat Your Greens Or Drink Your Greens!

I was provided product as part of a Moms Meet sampling campaign in order to facilitate a review of the product. All opinions are my own. 

Try as I might to keep a variety of fresh produce in the house, it seems that the greens are either never as plentiful or just not the thing that I reach for to make a meal. That means I have thrown away more than my fair share of green vegetables. Isn't that awful? And I know the importance of eating green leafy vegetables! I used to be really good about throwing a cup or two of organic spinach into our smoothies at home but then my kids got hooked on Jamba Juice and the green smoothies at home no longer appealed to them. Damn those finicky taste buds! Lately I've taken to drinking my greens because it is just easier.



So, when I was asked to participate in the Amazing Grass Green Superfood Sample, Sip, Share campaign I thought "why not?" I was delighted to find my shipment included a handy burlap tote bag (that I can totally use as a Signing Story Time book bag!) and  a nifty to go cup stocked with several samples of their wide array of flavors of powdered green drink mix.

It was hard to decide which one to sample first! There were flavors like Pineapple Lemongrass, Orange Dream and Berry... it makes it kind of hard to pick when they all sound so good. The one I ended up sampling first was Pineapple Lemongrass and it surprised me how smooth and easy it was to drink. Because I had tried Amazing Grass (original flavor) in the past I took a closer look at the packets and saw that it had been newly formulated with a finer powder so it didn't have a gritty feel that I remembered from before. This didn't even leave any residue in my cup when I drank it! Plus, it was super easy to shake, no special blender or blender ball needed to ensure all of it was mixed in. Sweet!

I had a chance to sample 7 different flavors and thought it was super fun to share my opinion with the fun hashtags. For the most part I thought they were #AHHmazng. Except for the original. I'm just not keen on the taste of grass. I'm so glad that there are all these other flavors to choose from so I can drink my greens and get all the benefits of the Superfoods and not feel like spitting it out. In fact YOU can sample their products too! Let me know what you think of them. I know I'll be buying more Amazing Grass in the future to keep my family healthy.

When I was browsing their website, I discovered they have awesome holiday flavors and I will be ordering the Pumpkin Spice next in order to make this recipe. Since I quit coffee back in May I am finding it a little difficult at times to stay strong in part because I miss all the amazing flavors that you can add to your cup of joe. So I love it when I find something like the Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie to keep me on the right track and keep working towards a healthy body.

Remember, if you can't eat your greens, you can drink your greens!

11 Favorite Food & Beverage Items from ShiftCon

To support my blogging efforts, this post may contain affiliate links which means if you choose to purchase through those links, I make a small commission. Your purchase price is not affected.

This disclosure is in accordance with FTC guidelines.

If you follow me on instagram, you probably know I attended ShiftCon a few weeks ago because I flooded my instagram with pics from the 3 days I was there learning, connecting and eating! This year we had about 12 bloggers from San Diego make the trip to ShiftCon which was awesome to have more than double the presence we had from last year!



The green and organic movement is in full force and I'm so glad to be apart of it. It was from my baby sign language classes that I became connected to some moms who educated me about organic food and why it is so important (especially for our littlest ones) and I am doing my part to pay it forward and share it here on my blog and in my programs.

In case you don't know what ShiftCon is, here's a short video that sums it up pretty well....

This year I saw many of my favorite brands that I've known and used for years and sampled some new to me items that will become staples in our home for sure.

1. Annie's Homegrown

Before the conference I reached out to Annie's to share the discovery that I had made that there were many products of theirs on the store shelf that no longer had the USDA organic label. Not only did Annie's promptly reply right away, they shared that they have always had some products that are organic and some products that are made with some organic ingredients. This allows them to provide various price points for all consumers and still create a better product. My kids are fans of their bunny crackers and mac & cheese. My personal favorite item (but it's hard to choose) is probably their Organic Peace Pasta & Parmesan macaroni & cheese and it's available at Thrive Market.

Look at all the varieties of mac & cheese I came home with!

2. Stonyfield 

When I was a new mom a friend of mine recommended to buy only the Yo Baby yogurt products for Amberly. So I did. I fell in love with this brand. They've been so kind in supporting some of the events I put on for moms and babies too. But I love them even more after meeting them in person. They are a super creative yogurt brand that is on a mission to educate about organic foods. My kids request this brand specifically when I go to the store.




3. Love Child Organics

I talked with Leah, the co-founder of this child centered brand at great length while at the Expo and I'm glad I did because I learned something valuable. Not all organic food is 100% organic. To meet the USDA organic seal guidelines a product has to be 95% organic. Well, Love Child is 100% organic and they are unwavering in their values. I was sent home with some sample pouches which are designed for kids primarily between 6 months and 6 years old and got the 2 thumbs up at home.

Love Child Organics has me falling in love with their no synthetic ingredients promise.

4. Bitsy's Brainfood

A brand that wants to make eating healthy fun for kids? Absolutely! And they're not trying to trick kids into it either. The goal is to educate kids about eating healthy. And from my experience, this approach really works. Amberly spouts off stuff all the time and it's things I've taught her over the past few years that we've been on this green health journey. So I have proof it is sinking in! I loved the activity ideas that they showcased in their suite at ShiftCon and even won a Target giftcard when I completed my passport and spun the prize wheel. I will be borrowing some ideas from their hospitality suite when I help organize classroom parties for my son's 1st grade class.

Bitsy's Brainfood makes learning to eat healthy fun! Eat, Play. Learn.

5. Leaf & Love Organics

A lemonade box with zero sugar and only 5 calories, sweetened with organic stevia. I know parents are torn between giving their kids juice because of the sugar content and I was pleased to find that a couple of moms paired up and created something to conquer that problem. I sampled their delicious lemonade twice, cuz I have a thing for lemonade and so do my kids! My understanding is they plan to expand to more than lemonade and I look forward to seeing what they have on the horizon.

Follow Leaf and Love to support the work of these awesome moms!

6. Nature's Path Organic

Last year I fell in love with their Love Crunch and started buying their Envirokids Crispy Rice Bars for the kids as special snacks when we're on the road. My kids love them and ask for them whenever they see them on the store shelves. My favorite item currently is their Pumpkin Flax Granola. It's especially good to top off a healthy parfait snack. I just saw that they have  Pumpkin 'n Spice Granola Bars which I can't believe I haven't tried yet! Don't worry, I'll fix that straight away with my next Thrive Market order!

Nature's Path Organic is perfect for on the go healthy snacking.

7. Made in Nature

One of our snack breaks was sponsored by Made in Nature and I discovered a new favorite snack... Figgy Pops! I'm really head over heals for these things and think I made it a point to go by and sample them 5 or 6 times. The Figgy Pops are their latest development but their other popular products are the varied flavors of toasted coconut chips. I have yet to try all the flavors to pick a favorite but I'll have to remedy that really soon!

When you try the Made in Nature Figgy Pops, tell me you don't feel the same way.

8. Chosen Foods

Last year they sent these delightful surprise boxes to our homes post conference and I immediately fell in love with their avocado oil. This year they had a booth and I got to meet the people behind the twitter account!  They've just come out with a delicious new avocado oil mayo and I'm hooked. When I get their newsletter email it reminds me to check out their vast archive of healthy recipes. I'm just starting to experiment with Quinoa so this one is on my breakfast bucket list. I'm really hoping their product line will be available via Thrive Market soon since that's where I will be buying a lot of my pantry items now.

If you have yet to try Chosen Foods, it is a MUST!

9.  Nutiva

They did it again with their amazing popcorn snack.... lured me over to their table. We are already big fans of their coconut oil and all the amazing health benefits that accompany it. Since their coconut oil is not found on the shelves of my local Costco anymore I am glad I can find it via Thrive Market and still get a great price! We used their organic shelled hempseed in our smoothies all the time. One of my favorite smoothies of all time has a secret ingredient - coconut oil! Nutiva is another brand that has amazing recipes highlighted on their website for inspiration, I get so hungry just looking at it.

Nutiva has a Real Food Manifesto to help us all lead healthier lives.

10. Dave's Killer Bread

At the conference check in table we got to select a loaf of bread.... which seemed a little bit odd to me, I'll be honest. But, I went with it. I grabbed the variety that looked familiar from Costco and didn't have a chance to try it until I got home. We were out of cereal one morning and I crossed my fingers that Dave's Killer Bread in the toaster would disguise the "healthy" taste my kids have complained about with other breads. Well, the kids were eating their toast before I was and told me it was the best bread ever and that we have to buy it again. It turns out that they are not just about making killer bread. They're about giving people second chances. That's a whole lot of goodness to take in and I think we'll be "lifers" to support their cause and because it's just that good.

Organic and made with a cause - Dave's Killer Bread totally rocks!

11. Fork in the Road

Another one of our snacks was provided by Fork in the Road. I got to sample 3 different types of sausage and boy were they good! So of course I went back for more. Their products have no antibiotics or added hormones which is really important to me when feeding my kids. They have this cool tool on their website that allows you to trace your food back to the community of farmers who raised it. Talk about transparency and accountability in our food system! I'm looking forward to trying their breakfast sausage next.

Fork in the Road practices sustainable farming and supports family farms.

Here are a few of my key take aways from this year's conference:

We all have a voice and we can share little nuggets of information with our neighbor, with our facebook community, with our co-workers and our blogging friends and make a difference in cleaning up the food system. But perhaps our biggest voice comes directly from the purchases we make each and every day. Every time we put down the big brand and instead select the NON-GMO and organic products we are promoting health by shifting profits in the right direction. I still have a long way to go, but celebrate each of the changes our family has made so far. I may not be the greenest, but at this conference it doesn't matter, all shades of green are welcome and embraced.

I am excited to continue on our green journey or what I might be calling our SHIFT journey as it is really about making one small change or shift at a time.

Farm Fresh to You Brings Goodness to Your Door

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Farm Fresh to You as part of 

the Mom it Forward Blogger Network. All opinions

and writing are my own. I only share things I believe to be of value.

Organic goodness in a box as fresh as it can get was delivered to my door before 8 a.m. last Friday. I was so excited to send the kids off to school and have fresh produce on my doorstep to put away without having even gotten out of my pajamas! "This is going to be a good day" I thought.

Just look at all the beautiful bright produce that came in this box...

Later when I decided to slice up one of the heirloom tomatoes that was so bright and plump, making it hard to resits, I could hardly believe how excited my mouth was about the simplicity of a tomato. It is true what they say, after having true fresh heirloom tomatoes, you just never want to go back to conventional tomatoes. My daughter has a thing for tomatoes too... but she usually likes to sprinkle a little salt on hers. When I told her to try a slice of the tomato from our Farm Fresh to You box she wasn't even thinking about reaching for the salt.

The only thing bad about these heirloom tomatoes was how juicy they were.... you know cuz that just makes a mess! But that's when you know it's good... you know what I'm talking about. I hope our next box has more heirloom tomatoes because Amberly and I will just sit at the table and savor bite after bite. I laugh when I think that I didn't like tomatoes as a kid!

Before I forget, and while you're equally excited about these luscious tomatoes, I want to share the Refer a Friend program at Farm Fresh to You. When you set up an account with them and share your code with a friend, your friend saves $10 off their first order and YOU get $25 credited to your account. Pretty sweet, right? So of course I am sharing my refer a friend code with you knowing you'll enjoy it just as much as I have. JZAN4279

I used their easy to use website to customize my box, opting for the No Cooking Box. I know myself well enough and our busy family schedule that I'm not in the mindset to be cooking up a bunch of vegetables to add to the dinner table right now. And it was the perfect option for us because we had things to make a nice dinner salad, a healthy after school snack and even some fresh mango for dessert!

Truly Fresh Dinner Salad:

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine lettuce, leaves torn into bite size pieces
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 avocado, pitted and diced
Your favorite salad dressing  (I need to experiment with making my own)

Enough for all 5 of us to get a good serving size.

I have to tell you that we've been growing accustomed to salad in a bag from the grocery store and I had forgotten how with just a few ingredients, count them, there are 4, you can make something that is so good, good for you and adds color to your plate! The cucumber was better than any cucumber I've purchased from the store and it didn't have that wax finish. Organic is the way to go, and Farm Fresh to You gets it to you when it still has that "just picked" goodness.

I've been browsing their YouTube channel and love hearing what other customers have shared, which made me dig further into the website and find all the amazing resources Farm Fresh to You offers. They've really thought of everything to make it super easy, especially for us busy moms who want to feed our kids the very best.

Another reason this works so well for me is that I can select items that I do NOT want in my box. For example, I'm not too keen on papaya so I simply mark that I don't want it in my box. And I can update this any time! Like I'm always teaching my kids "taste buds change every 10-14 days!"

To say we've had a bit of a heat wave here in San Diego would be an understatement.  One day after school when it was particularly warm I was excited about the cantaloupe I had put in the fridge and was ready to be cut open. But they weren't going to have just cantaloupe by itself... although they wouldn't mind that in the least, it is one of their favorite foods. Over the summer we've created a variety of parfaits which got me thinking about using our new parfait glasses.

Sweet Melon Surprise!

Ingredients:

1 medium size cantaloupe, diced
3/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup organic granola

Directions:

In the bottom of your dish place your diced cantaloupe. Top with a dollop of the vanilla yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite granola.

Yields 8 servings. Pictured you see 4. We enjoyed it so much we all had seconds!

We still have some of the bell peppers and cauliflower and carrots which I plan to just cut up and add to the table as a veggie platter that will double as a bright colorful centerpiece. Two for one right there, no need to buy fresh flowers when you've got a colorful assortment of produce to showcase.

Remember, Farm Fresh to You has an amazing refer a friend program and I'd love for you to use my code  JZAN4279so you can save $10 on your first box. Full disclosure, they will kindly credit me with $25 after you place your first order for helping you get hooked up to them. And you can then refer a friend and get exactly the same benefit! Nope, you don't have to be a blogger to enjoy this refer a friend program. I feel good about referring you to give then a try and know you'll be excited about the difference in the freshness and flavor. They've named it perfectly, it really is "FARM FRESH TO YOU".

I Quit Starbucks - Part One

Shortly after becoming a mom of 2 I began the slippery slope of drinking coffee "to function".  But it wasn't just any coffee. I don't like the taste of black coffee. We never had a coffee machine because I had this notion in my early adult life that that would get us hooked on caffeine. Turns out you don't have to have a coffee maker in the house in order to become addicted. Yes, I said addicted.

Definition of ADDICTION:

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is 

psychologically or physically habit-forming 

as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

Caffeine is quite addictive. Caffeine withdrawal headaches ring a bell?

Sugar is quite possibly the most addictive stuff on the planet. I dare you to calculate all the added sugar you consumer on an average day.

The combination of the two makes it harder to quit.

Something else that makes it harder to quit.... it is the social gathering go to.
1. "Let's grab coffee"
2. "Can you meet for coffee?"
3. "I'd love to take you to coffee sometime."

Starbucks shops probably host more meetings and interviews each year than any other company. Just stop and think about how many times you've met up with someone to talk shop or over heard an interview taking place when you went in to grab your caramel latte.

AND then there's the Starbucks gift cards which has probably become the most common gift to give a friend, teacher, neighbor or co-worker. Sure, I loved receiving them. But now that I think about it, it was often used to just make grabbing a gift easier and less thoughtful. THEN they started that rewards program. I don't know the ins and outs of how it worked because I never got into it. In my heart I knew I didn't want to be rewarded for consuming something that wasn't actually good for me and keeping up a rewards program helps justify the habit  addiction.

As I said, I don't like plain black coffee. The coffee just had to be sweet enough for me to have a craving develop. Have you seen the sugar content in many of Starbucks most popular drinks? My drink of choice had to be accessible enough to get when I was out and about. And if you haven't noticed, those bottled frappacinos are everywhere! Or convenient and cheap enough to pick up in bulk quantity. I'd stock up when they had the coupon for $3 off at Costco. Sometimes this was after I'd made it 4 or 5 days without and was trying to quit.

And that is exactly what Starbucks wants.

You get motivated to quit and then their incredible marketing strategy works and pulls you back in.

My very first experience stopping in at a Starbucks was when I was still in high school. I was on a date with my now husband and we stopped to get hot cocoa. That's what my girlfriends and I would get when we hung out at a small local coffee shop and listened to live music or when we went to a diner and chatted for hours. I even once broke a record of downing 10 cups of hot cocoa in one extra long chat session. Not proud of it, but it was a one time occurrence. I never developed a hot cocoa habit. Back then Starbucks hot cocoa was very bland and quite frankly it was unpalatable so I drank less than half before tossing it. I commented that it was nuts how people were buying into the hype of Starbucks. At that time they were beginning to pop up everywhere.

Then one day we were waiting for our show time at the movie theater in the mall. Our friends wanted to grab a Starbucks. I went on about how I didn't understand why it was all the rage. And then my friend had me try a sip of the brownie frappacino. Oh. Em. Gee. It was so incredibly good. I had no concept of the sugar content. I only really looked at calories. But, this was at a time when restaurants did not have to share nutrition information. And my fondness for frappacinos was born. It really was the occasional treat.... maybe once a week.

And then I had 2 kids under two. Having kids is no joke. It is work. It is lack of sleep. It requires mental acuity. It requires loads of energy. Caring for multiple children at times means you do what you have to do to get through the day. That was the story I told myself. Justifying my bottled frappacino consumption. I mean addiction.

It wasn't until recently that I realized it was the combination of the sugar and coffee.... and maybe even the milk that was causing me to fail at breaking what I deemed a bad habit. I tried kicking "the habit" 8 different times over the last 3 years. EIGHT times I tried. And failed. My youngest was no longer nursing and interrupting my sleep so I felt like I should be able to function without being dependent. I had no idea that it would be a 2 year long journey to be able to say "I made it 30 days without a Starbucks".

There are times where I tried to go more on the cheap and get the 99 cent coffee at 7-11  (you know they have pumpkin spice latte in the fall too). If I didn't make it to Costco to buy the more affordable bottled mocha frappacinos I would stop at the corner store and buy one. But, because of the "better value" I would buy the bigger size. And then that seemed to be what I needed. 13oz instead of 9oz. And sometimes I had one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Do you know how many grams of sugar are in those? 45 grams. Multiply that by 2 for my tougher days. Yikes!

I read recently that consuming sugar in beverages is even worse for our health. Oh, boy. This made me realize even more that I needed to make a change. There wasn't a specific declaration of a Day One this time. It was sort of by chance that the day before Mother's Day I had not had a Starbucks drink and decided for Mother's Day I might just try to go 2 days in a row without my treat. Now the 3rd or 4th day is when I would encounter the withdrawal headaches. This time I did not. I suspect it was due to the fact that I had been going through a weaning process over the course of 2 or 3 weeks prior. When discussing with a friend how hard it has been for me to quit sugared up caffeine drinks she recommended I try weaning. That was the last time I tried to quit and I didn't take her advice. So this time I figured it was worth a try. I switched from the mocha frappacinos to the iced coffee beverage and it has roughly half the sugar. Also half the calories. Once I got used to this I skipped a day here and there. This wasn't the only thing I did differently. But I'll share more in Part Two.

Motherhood for me is no longer fueled by coffee. Just because it's on a meme doesn't make it true.

Operation Feel Better

Generally speaking my kids are healthy and for that I am grateful. For the past few years I have been fairly diligent in giving the kids vitamin D3. Except for when I don't. We get busy and I forget to make a stop to replenish our supply. So, that's when my kids get sick! Every. Damn. Time.

Kyle started with a cold last week and stayed home one day from school. He seemed to be getting better so he went back to school, but then this week it got worse. By today the cold had spread. Poor Amberly started really feeling it while she was on the softball field in the midst of a tournament. Directly after the game we headed to our neighborhood Sprouts to restock our medicine  get well cabinet.

There's a saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" but if you fail at prevention, you need to arm yourself with some effective treatments. I started to explore natural remedies and homeopathy when I became a mom. I think that is pretty common. We want to protect their little bodies from chemicals or additives that may negatively affect them. So here I share with you what we used for Operation Feel Better!

Boiron makes an entire line of homeopathic remedies and their products' effectiveness has made me a loyal customer for several years. The important thing with Coldcalm is to take it at the onset of symptoms for it to be most effective. I have found myself being able to nip a cold in the bud very effectively with Coldcalm.  HOT TIP: Always have some of this on hand to nip the cold in the bud.

All that coughing was leaving their poor throats sore. A friend told me about this particular tea from Traditional Medicinals a few months ago and it did the job. HOT TIP: They have a tea for just about everything and I love that they are organic!

This herbal dietary supplement has saved us many sleepless nights when there's a persisting cough.
And Wish Garden serious cough herbal remedy kicks in quickly! The cool thing about something working immediately for your child, it helps them remember why they need to take the "medicine" when we say so rather than trying to spend all night avoiding it. Even though the kids are not particularly fond of the taste, they will come to me with ease to get a squirt because they know it will impact how they feel. HOT TIP: I spray this under the tongue for quicker absorption, but it can be added to a cup of water.

Honey is one of nature's medicines. I give the kids a teaspoon and it reminds me of the song from Mary Poppins "A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down" but of course this is the combination of both. HOT TIP: Be sure to buy organic and save our bees!

I was coming down with the cold myself and remembered reading somewhere that a swig of Apple Cider Vinegar is an effective remedy so I added a teaspoon of BRAGG organic ACV to my water several times that day. So far I've escaped the miserable symptoms the kids have suffered. The taste may be rather strong, but I got my daughter to give it a try. HOT TIP: To help the taste dilute with more warm water and add honey and lemon for a more pleasant drink

I've seen lots of tincture recipes that can ease the symptoms of a cold, but I like have some things that I can administer without any preparation and give everyone a sense of relief.

Have you tried any of these before? I bet you have some proven cold remedies of your own, please share in the comments below!

Healthy Team Snacks - Part One

This year my husband decided to coach our youngest child in Little League. I thought this would be my perfect opportunity to implement Healthy Team Snacks by taking on the Team Parent role. 

When we had our first parent meeting I was glad to hear that many of the parents were on board with keeping the snacks healthy. One mom even came over and said "and make the snacks organic!" That was music to my ears, I had to give her a hug.

Our kids have been involved in team sports for 5 years now and I had witnessed the trend of junk and overly processed food as the easy grab and go option become the norm. It was my goal to help parents see the value of healthy snacks and see that it didn't really take a lot of time and that our kids would really eat them. I'm of the mindset that we can effectively impact their long term health by providing opportunities to eat healthy, especially when they are among their peers, whether that be at playgroup, birthday parties, team sports or school lunch. 

I know I don't want to lug a cooler to the fields when it's my turn to bring team snack. An easy solution is to get an insulated carrying case that you might use for picnics. We happened to win this one at a silent auction filled with goodies from Humphries Half Moon Inn & Suites a few years ago and it has gotten its fair share of use!

This reusable Hot & Cold Pack from Rite Aid has been an integral part of our Healthy Team Snack Bag because I'm usually packing something that needs to stay cold.... and it's not drinks.... this season I explained that the kids had their water bottles in the dug out and they don't need sugary drinks.

Recently, it was our turn to bring team snack. This particular week I did have a couple of organic items on hand that were perfect for team snack. It was actually organic baby carrots from Costco that served as my gateway to buying organic.

The Organic Valley "Stringles" is just one of the small changes we made in our food purchases after I attended ShiftCon.

Costco doesn't have organic grapes (at least the one I live closest to), so I normally give them a water-vinegar bath. I was out of vinegar this particular day and used Apple Cider Vinegar with water to rinse off some of that chemical residue. It's an important step because grapes are on the EWG Dirty Dozen. Sometimes I can't remember which items are on the Dirty Dozen and find myself second guessing myself when I'm grocery shopping. Well, the EWG has made it easier for us mom....  offering a free Consumers Guide to Pesticides in Produce bag tag when you support them with a $10 donation. I just did this and will be sure to share when I receive it!

I'm glad I got turned onto Braggs ACV and had it on  hand because I end up using it for a bunch of things.

 As I've mentioned before, clementines are a staple in our house, so adding one of those to each snack bag would ensure there was something in there that every kid liked. Really, when you think about it, generally kids like all of these things!

Putting 12 of these baggies together took about 20 minutes because I had to let the grapes soak. Keeping the team snack cool is critical if you want it to be well received.

We don't keep score, so at the end of the game everyone is a winner. And I feel like I'm a winner too when I can help a bunch of kids embrace healthy eating! 

I've linked up here....

6 Ways to Improve Your Skin

Just recently someone gave me the best compliment a girl can get.... "Your skin is so beautiful! How old are you?" I lit up and loved having someone notice what I've been doing to take care of my skin so I thought I'd share what I've been consciously doing to help my skin over the last year or two..

1. Schedule Regular Facials

About 2 years ago I started to go twice a month to my esthetician, Karen. Being in my mid thirties I knew that it was time to up the ante on taking care of my skin again like I did before having babies. To make sure I stayed on track I have my facial appointments scheduled out for the entire year. I have been seeing Karen for over 5 years and love that she knows my skin well and evaluates what I need at each visit. Every single facial at Firefly Wellness is customized. I've had such great results with Karen that I've referred several friends to her over the years and it makes me happy to see other moms getting a little pampering and investing in their skin. After all, we only get one face!

2. Be religious about skin exfoliation

I have 2 different scrubs that I love and when I don't stay on my weekly regiment I can tell. Gentle exfoliation of dead skin once a week leaves my skin feeling great and looking even better. It is like my mini facial at home! Be careful not to over do it with scrubs as it can have the opposite effect. About 2 years ago I bought a Clarisonic and love it when I remember to use it. Lucky for me, Karen at Firefly Wellness, will use the Clarisonic as part of my facial from time to time.

3. Sleep on a bamboo pillowcase 

Some time ago I read an article asking if pillowcases could be causing breakouts. It made so much sense! I ended up finding a couple of different bamboo pillowcases out there that I love and know it has contributed to my skin clearing up. The one I'm using right now is by Ecocise Bamboo Clothes and is reasonably priced.

4. Drink Green Juice

I've been drinking green juice regularly for about 2 months and feel like it is helping keep breakouts at bay and contributing to my overall skin appearance in addition to all the other things green juice is known for.

5. Stay hydrated

This one is the hardest for me to do because I hate stopping what I'm doing to go to the bathroom so often! But, every time I get on a "drink more water" kick, my skin looks and feels better. Being dehydrated makes our skin look more dry and wrinkled, so be sure to stay hydrated!

6. Seek balance or reduce stress

As moms we are often over committed and leave little time to take care of ourselves. I made a mental note of how much my skin has improved since taking back "me time" to recharge or just do what I want to do. "Me time" includes my twice a month facials. Karen gives an amazing neck, hands and shoulder massage with the full hour facial so I end up feeling both refreshed and relaxed. When our minds are reset, people can tell just by looking at our face. The way our skin looks and feels can be an indicator of your stress level. For some solutions to this common problem check out this article or incorporate some of the

One of the best things about having regular facials (aside from the fact that I get to be totally pampered and relax!) is that I know Karen is going to ask me if I've been keeping up on my skin care regiment. She's sort of like a personal trainer for my skin because this keeps me diligent about exfoliation and moisturizing.

I'd love to know what you do to nourish your skin and keep it looking youthful? I'll bet there are plenty of good tips I haven't heard of, so let's swap ideas in the comment section below!

Real Solutions for Picky Eaters - Part 3

Finding that happy balance between the kids having snacks they want or love and mom feeling good about what she's serving can be like walking a tight rope. My kids' idea of a snack and my idea of a snack are sometimes farther apart than I would like to admit. I'd love to gloat and say that my kids come home from school asking for carrots and broccoli, but they don't. They generally want something sweet. Or something that is essentially all carbs. We have to meet in the middle in order to have some sanity in our house.

Last week I shared how we implemented our Healthy Fridge Snack Box and it was a huge hit!

There are so many reasons why this was the perfect move for us and we plan to keep it going. To be honest, the "snack box" really became a "snack drawer". I had to empty one of our produce drawers in the fridge to accommodate all the healthy snacks. Anyway, the kids emptied the drawer in a matter of a few days. Well, I couldn't get to the store right away to replenish everything, which means the kids had a lot of repeats of things that are easy like bananas and clementines and organic baby carrots, things we always have on hand.. Finally, I made time to go to Costco. But not before having the kids help me create the grocery list. We have found that to be very helpful in getting them to eat a variety of foods. 

Our kids know then that there is something coming home from the store that they chose. I think kids are no different than adults and like to have some feeling of control. This gives them some sense of control. Everyone gets a say in what we put in the shopping cart!

The kids specifically wanted more blueberries and more strawberries! That makes this mama very happy to oblige. Owen piped up that he wanted celery so we could make ants on a log. Easy. Done. We talked about getting green versus red apples and I said I wanted to get the organic prepackaged apples again because apples are at the top of the Dirty Dozen list, it saves me time not having to slice them and they don't turn brown. This is what we came home with from that Costco trip:

I love how many more organic items I am finding at Costco! Plus, they have made it so much easier to spot organic items by using green price labels on the warehouse shelves.
About half of what I bought this trip was organic! It makes snacking that much healthier. I've been talking to the kids about why we've been switching to organic, how it helps to reduce our chemical exposure so they can grow up healthy. When I teach my kids about their food, it seems to make a difference in their becoming conscientious about their choices. I will also teach them about blueberries being high in antioxidants, getting enough vitamin C and vitamin D to keep colds at bay and keeping a strong immune system overall with eating (or drinking!) our greens. I use the educate approach because when kids understand "WHY" we are diligent about eating our fruits and vegetables, they have a greater tendency to hop on board with picking the foods that they know these fun facts about.

Several days a week I work and don't get home until well past the time school lets out. On those days my husband, who works from home, picks the kids up from school and gets them started on their homework and oversees after school snack. While I want to be sure they are eating healthy, my husband doesn't necessarily like me to give too much direction in my absence.... so creating this Healthy Fridge Snack Box has been a great solution for us as parents in several ways.

I spent about an hour preparing the fruits and veggies for the next several days. That means washing them in a vinegar wash to remove any residue left behind, getting items into single serving containers and putting everything away to both optimize the space and still see what choices are available.

When we restocked this week, we had some duplicates from last week, but lots of new things to keep a sense of variety. This also helps the kids remember another important tip.... Eat A Rainbow! Rather than being particular about which foods they eat, I try to make the entire rainbow of fruits and vegetables available.

I find that when there's lots of color on the plate, I automatically am excited about what I'm about to eat.... and kids are no different. There's all kinds of ways you can serve up a rainbow and I love pinning anything the reminds me to put color on the plate.

When I get started preparing everything I make sure I have a bunch of clean individual size containers clean and ready to go.

Organic carrots and broccoli veggie packs are perfect for lunch boxes! To be honest, I don't know that I could get my kids to snack on broccoli.

The kids promised they would eat those veggie packs since I bought this organic ranch dip... oh my gosh, it is so good!

No one is being set up for success when parents have the "It's my way or the highway" mentality when it comes to their kids' food choices. Ultimately, our job is to provide the right balance of nutrition and the child gets to choose what they eat from those options. 

By providing a large selection of healthy snacks that are ready to go I've seen my kids reaching for more wholesome, nutrient dense foods instead of their typical snacks. I have just a couple of their favorites on hand and resisted buying more of the junk food at Costco since we're really committed to this goal of healthy eating, and the kids have really not been asking me "Where's the (fill in the blank with their favorite junk food)?" 

Cherries! The kids would finish the whole Costco package in one sitting if we let them. They didn't ask for cherries, but I knew putting them in the cart would be a hit. They did ask for grapes, so I grabbed those too, but I sure wish Costco had organic grapes since they rank on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list.

 

The kids specifically wanted applesauce in the drawer so I made a special stop to buy this and was impressed I could buy organic applesauce and put it into reusable containers for pretty much what I would pay for the prepackaged indv. disposable cups that have extra sugar. 

Attending the Children's Physicians Medical Group picky eaters discussion was beyond valuable even for just the idea that Jaimi at The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide brought up.... having a healthy snack box in the fridge. Going off of that one idea has helped us in so many ways! I hope some of the other pointers above will provide you with real solutions to help your picky eater. I know these have helped us! What are your tips on helping your picky eater expand their palate? I'd love to hear in the comments below as I am looking to share more ideas in the next post in this series.

Did you miss part one? Read it here.

Did you miss part two? Read it here.