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Friday Favorites

January 27, 2012 by amanda 3 Comments

What have you been enjoying this week? Here are a few of our favorites:

Favorite Non-Fiction Children’s Author:
Nic Bishop

We just discovered Nic Bishop’s books, and we have been LOVING the gorgeous photography and interesting facts. For instance, I didn’t even know about the osmeterium (a smelly organ that black swallowtail butterflies use to defend themselves by wiping on attackers) until I read his book on butterflies and moths. Each of his books is beautiful in it’s own way, and I recommend them very highly.

Favorite nerdy video:
Doodling in Math: Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant

This is such a great way to show the relevance of math, and it is really fun to watch. My whole family enjoyed viewing it and discussing the math behind each of the three parts.

Favorite laptop cover:

Source: etsy.com via HippieMommy on Pinterest

I’ve been hunting around for the perfect cover for my little laptop, and I fell in love with this one instantly.

Favorite workout:
Zumba, of course!

As many of you know, I really love Zumba classes. This week I signed up to take the instructor training. It is a little (OK, totally) outside of my comfort zone in some areas, but it seems perfectly natural in other ways. I taught cheerleading when I was younger, so hopefully those skills will transfer! I’m sure I’ll be scared to death to start, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I saw this pin earlier, and it sums up my feelings:

Source: nbp.org via HippieMommy on Pinterest

Favorite song for working out:
Shake, Senora by Pitbull w/ T. Pain and Sean Paul

I love dancing to this song in Zumba. My classes have each done different choreography than what is shown in this video, but I’d definitely take this instructor’s class too. 🙂 It looks fun!

Favorite knitting pattern:
Deep Blue Sea Shark Mittens

How cute are these? They include a pattern for a shark bite victim, which is great too. My kids are in love with them.

Favorite recipe:
Elana’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, I know… I’m not the biggest fan of agave nectar either, but these cookies are soooo good. No one ever guesses they’re gluten-free, casein-free and sugar-free. I’ve been all three of those things (gf/cf/sf) for the past 2 1/2 weeks or so, and I’m feeling awesome. The inflammation that I was dealing with in my knees is totally gone, as are my random low-level headaches. I should’ve done this a long time ago.

I hope you enjoy a few of our favorite things from this week! What have you been up to?

Weekend Meal Plan

December 30, 2011 by amanda Leave a Comment

I really love the fresh start of a new year. 2011 was a toughie. I learned a lot, but I’m ready to move on! Apparently I’m not alone, because 68% of Americans said 2011 was a bad year. I’ll also join the 62% who are optimistic about 2012, though. 🙂

This year I’m hoping to continue to work on organizing and planning. I love storing my recipes on Pinterest. It is great for those times when I can’t decide what I want to eat. I love how visual it is.

The grocery stores were total madness today, so I just did enough shopping to get us through the weekend. Here’s what we’re making over the next 3 days.

All of these links were added with the “embed” feature on Pinterest. To view the original recipes and photos, click on the source link under each picture. To view the pin, click on the picture

Cobb Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette – Source: blogs.babble.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Tilapia Peach Packets – Source: howsweeteats.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Roasted Chickpea Tacos – Source: peasandthankyou.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Happy New Year, everyone!

Embracing the change

December 10, 2011 by amanda 3 Comments

…kind of.

As most of you know, a few months ago my husband’s company was acquired. The new company moved us from Colorado to the San Francisco Bay Area. The deal was certain on a Monday night, and our house was on the market and all of our stuff was moved to the Bay Area by Friday. If you have to move, this part of California is certainly not a bad place to be, so that is the plus side. We have a great house in a beautiful location, and I really like it…. But I’ve still been missing Colorado.

I’ve been feeling so conflicted. I think I’ve resisted embracing California because I don’t want it to seem like a rejection of Colorado. I know… I know… That sounds ridiculous. I think I’ve also been trying to avoid creating any deep friendships, because that seems like it will tie us to the Bay Area. I decided on Thursday night that I need to get over those feelings and start to make some roots here. In the end, I know we’ll be the happiest that way.

As part of an effort to find things to love here, we went to some new places and had a really nice day 🙂 The boys woke up early and went to the beach in San Francisco to watch the lunar eclipse. They said that the moon looked really beautiful over the ocean, and they were able to look through a telescope and see a few planets too. (And, hey! That goes with my recent astronomy obsession, lol.)

This afternoon we went for a hike in the redwoods. I have to admit, there is something really beautiful about big trees. I am such a tree-hugger, and trees make me happy. This particular trail was nestled in an area that looked very middle-earth-y, so that made me think of talking trees. 😉

After our crisp, cool hike, we came home and made homemade hot chocolate with my favorite recipe. I’ll attach my pin to the recipe below. It was awesome (this recipe is fail-proof!), and a perfect end to the day. I am feeling more hopeful that California will hold a special place in our hearts, even if I still intend on moving back to Colorado in a few years. 😉

Source: allrecipes.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Rules for driving in California

September 24, 2011 by amanda 3 Comments

Above: A driver-friendly intersection in San Francisco. Please note that none of these are indicating a U-turn. They are each different roads.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We were sucked out of our life in Colorado and dropped off in Northern California. Since being here, I’ve learned:

Drivers in the Bay Area put one hand in the 10:00 position on the wheel and the other hand firmly on the horn.
Horns should be used for all occasions: Honk when someone goes slower than you’d like; Honk when someone goes faster than you’d like; Honk at pedestrians in a parking lot as you’re driving past (so as to warn them that you are willing to plow them down rather than slow down and wait for them to cross)
If in doubt, be aggressive.
Never yield; Yielding shows weakness. See #3.
If a light is not operating correctly, floor it and lay on the horn.
If you need to get on the freeway, expect the entrance to be on the side opposite of what logic would tell you.
Intersections should include at least 5 different roads.

It probably doesn’t help that our rental van has Alabama license plates (complete with the “Sweet Home” tagline on the top.) I think that makes us look like easy victims.

Luckily, my husband (who, in our former life, once considered honking our horn, but didn’t press hard enough on the wheel because he was concerned about the loud noise), has taken to California driving like a pro. He is cutting people off like the best of them. I think we’ll be OK.

Gratefulness

August 15, 2011 by amanda 1 Comment

I’m currently reading The Happiness Project. I’m enjoying it. I kind of like to hear about all of the different things that people adjust in their lives in order to feel happier. I find it particularly fascinating that people often choose to focus on tasks that are the opposite of what other people might choose. For example, some people need to learn to say “yes” more, and others need to learn to say “no” more. Some people need to learn to do one thing at a time, and others need to learn to do everything at once. As I’ve read, I’ve thought a lot about which categories I fall into. I like books that make me think 🙂

Also, I really like reading about the small things that people choose to remember. One of the points of the book is that we need to be intentional about remembering the happy times if we want them to have the maximum benefit. I feel like my last 6 months (since my mom was diagnosed with leukemia) have gone by in a whirl, so I want to be more mindful to experience the great times in the moment AND remember them later.

While reading, I came across this quote from William Edward Hartpole Lecky. I have definitely thought this during the past 6 months.

There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed.

No kidding. We need to love and live each day to the fullest, because who knows what tomorrow might bring? I’ve been trying to remember to appreciate each day as it comes, rather than looking forward to the way things might be some day, because that “some day” may not look like I plan.

So, on that note: I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for!

I am so grateful for my family.

My 1-year-old made the shift today from calling me “mama” to calling me “mommy”. It is such a little thing, but it is another step down the road to her growing up. Last night she was teething and woke up… I don’t know… a billion and a half times. Each time she woke up, she said, “MOMMY!” …I won’t lie, I would’ve been perfectly happy with only hearing it once or twice while I was trying to sleep, LOL. Still, though, it made me smile when I was in that half-asleep, half-awake state. I think I was dreaming that she needed me to help her put puzzle pieces together, because the kids and I have been working on a really hard Big Ben puzzle.

Speaking of which, I am very thankful for the time that I’ve gotten to spend this weekend with my older two. They’re really enjoying doing a big puzzle with me. I haven’t done a puzzle in so long, because the last 10 years of my life have been spent with toddlers running around… and toddlers and big puzzles usually don’t mix. I thought my older two would enjoy trying a puzzle, though, so I picked one up on a whim. My husband took our younger two out last night, so my 9-year-old, my 7-year-old and I had a serious puzzling nerd-fest. It was awesome. It reminded me of a time at my Grandma’s house when I was able to join in on a puzzle with the adults. I remember how grown up I felt, and I recognized the same excitement in my kids. Too cute.

Also, while we worked on the puzzle, I had the chance to sit and listen as my kids pondered the greed of world leaders and the sadness of war. They talked a lot about the wars that we’ve studied in history, from the ancient Mesopotamians to current times. I am thankful that I had the chance to soak in their wisdom. I don’t know how I ended up with such smart kids.

And, then, my 3-year-old. How could I not be thankful for her? Today, as my older two worked on creative writing assignments for homeschool, she decided to write a story too. Her story was about a quesadilla. I must admit: She did a very good job of writing out the Q, U, E, S (which looks like a Z, but don’t count that against it) and A. It was so cute, watching her slightly wink her right eye, stick her tongue out, and concentrate on drawing the best possible “Q”. I know from experience that it is too easy to forget about these small steps. When I look at my 9-year-old, it is already getting hard to remember the days when he was this small. Sure, I remember the big things, but the day-to-day memories are starting to fade. Thank God for my journals!

quesadilla — Q-U-E-S-A (although it looks more like "Z-Q-U-A-E", LOL)

So… what are you grateful for today? May you have a day that is enjoyed to the fullest! <3

Gut bacteria and being “10 percent human”

June 10, 2011 by amanda Leave a Comment

I just finished reading this article on NPR about gut bacteria, and I thought it was worth sharing. I find it reassuring that our particular kinds of bacteria are attracted to us and will find us even after they’ve been killed off. I shared a similar story a year or two ago, but back then I didn’t realize just how important bacteria would become in my life.

Gut bacteria has been on my mind a lot because of my mom. As I mentioned in my last post, my mom was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and one of the big side effects of chemo and bone marrow transplant is that they have to do everything that they can to destroy your immune system. Your good bacteria is wiped out during that process, thanks to the mega-doses of antibiotics that are given to protect you while you are immune compromised from the chemo and transplant.

As a double-whammy, my mom is also unable to eat fermented and raw foods — including even many raw fruit/veggies — while she is in treatment. So, your good gut colonies are killed and you have no way to replenish them. Gut bacteria are so important for fighting infection (which is the number 1 cause of death during treatment), and yet they have to destroy them to keep the cancer away. It sucks!

Thinking that her good bacteria will find her and replenish is nice. It is scary to think of what we would do without our good bacteria. As the article says,

Right now, in your mouth, in your gut, on your skin, you are carrying about 10 times more bacteria cells than human cells. If you swallow antibiotics and kill a lot of them, a few weeks later, the same bacteria come bounding back. They’re staying.

“We are, in essence, only 10 percent human,” Dr. Roy Sleator, lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland, toldÂ The Daily Telegraph. “The rest is pure microbe.”

On a side note:

As my mom has gone through her treatment, the stress (and eating out, due to not being home nearly as much) has led me into a nasty cycle of inflammation (plus antibiotics) and has thrown my good bacteria all out of whack too. The bad guys have been trying to take over. 😛 During her first 2 months of treatment, I had several cases of mastitis and bursitis. The suffix “-itis” means inflammation, so you can see the trend. Many things can increase inflammation in our body: stress, sugar and refined foods are especially big culprits. So, I’ve been trying to go on more hikes (to help me chill out), go to the gym (same), and to prepare healthy food ahead of time (foods that are also consistent with an anti-inflammatory diet) so we aren’t as tempted to eat out. It is amazing what a difference it can make.

In the end, this whole experience has already been a huge lesson on just how fragile our bodies are, and how important it is to give our bodies the right fuel and de-stress as much as it is possible. One common theme that I’ve noticed is that the overwhelming majority of cancer survivors that we’ve met were also people who transitioned away from the standard American diet and did things to nourish themselves, both inside and out. Research backs this up. Healthy diets and lifestyles give you the best chance of living cancer-free. It certainly isn’t a guarantee, but if I can make changes that will lead to greater health, then I want to do what I can. It sounds like my basic gut bacteria make-up will be here to stay, and that is fine by me 😉 I just need to get them healthy again!

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