Positive out of a Negative

This past Sunday we had an ice storm and it knocked out the power, but luckily for us, only for the day.

The sadder part is that the internet was also knocked out.

We are now into day 4 of no internet.

At first you might think no big deal...but once it is gone you realize how much you depend on that connectivity.

My kids and husband were bummed because they couldn't use their devices and watch shows on Netflix.  It also meant that many of the video games we have, which require an on-line connection, couldn't be played either.

This perhaps drums up imagines of Lord of the Flies and that my house has gone completely crazy.

Actually I am pleasantly surprised to report that just the opposite has happened.

Instead both of our boys have decluttered and minimized their possessions.  They took the Marie Kondo approach and emptied out their clothes, the desk drawers, assorted electronics and went through their komono...and in the end have traded rooms.

My oldest, who is 16, decided he wanted a smaller bedroom so that he could be mindful of the number of possessions he has.

Our middle child, who is 11, was overjoyed to get his older bother's room and for both of them there is a fresh sense of joy that they have for their respective spaces.

When you look in their drawers the clothes are folded neatly and in rectangles and they radically minimized the number of clothes that they have.  Once you pull that stuff all out you realize that there are a bunch of clothes that you don't really wear or like...and that when you are forced to fold them up again...you don't want to and that there is no joy/happiness in that item.

When we haven't been decluttering we've been enjoying time together as a family and watching regular tv (via antenna).  Last night they discovered the fun of Jeopardy.  What is mind blowing to them is when my husband and I say this is how we used to watch tv...you don't get to just pick on demand what you want to see.

It's come with a learning curve but it has been it nice to hang out together at night...so for me, I might not mind if the internet is out a little longer.

What are some fun activities that you like to do with the power, or internet, are out?  

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KonMari Craze is BACK

Yesterday I shared a snapshot of some of the resolutions I wanted to work on this year...one of those items was to minimize my possessions, and if my family cooperates, hopefully many of their possessions as well.

Just when I wasn't sure how to get my family on board enter Netflix and the Marie Kondo 8 episode series titled "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."

Years ago I read the book "Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Ms. Kondo and was very inspired to go through my house using her techniques and also sharing it enthusiastically with anyone who would listen.  I think in the end I was probably a little bit of a pain to people ("Sorry Mom"), but that's what happens (at least to me) when I am so excited about something and think people will benefit from the knowledge I've gleaned.

Netflix has harnessed the book and brought it to life.  You see people who have varying degrees of clutter that need to be addressed and you get to observe as they apply KonMari methods.  The series does a great job of getting a variety of situations and people so as to show that the methods can be utilized in so many different ways and that they can be adapted to work for everyone.

My husband watched two episodes with me and we kept pausing the show to reflect on our own house and things we wanted to accomplish this weekend, this year, etc.  

I think the series could really provide something for everyone and so to that end I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.

If you don't have a Netflix account...perhaps snag a free month and then binge on the episodes.  I know January can be a month where many embark on "no spend" challenges.

If you've watched the show, or read the book, what were some takeaways for you?

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20 Days and Counting

Well whether we are ready for it or not Christmas will be here in 20 days, for those who celebrate Hanukkah you only have 11 days.

Not that I am trying to induce any stress.

This year we've taken a pretty laid back approach to Christmas and the shopping that goes with it.  Having three kids we decided there are a plethora of toys in our house already so we should come up with about 3 meaningful gifts for each of them and then focus the remainder of the day on hanging out with family and enjoying a meal together...OF course there will be focus on food (I love the stuff).

So let me share with you a delicious treat and something that might distract you from any stress you might be under.

• 1 1/2 C all purpose unbleached flour
• 1 C spelt flour
• 1 1/3 C sugar
• 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Earth Balance, melted
• 3 ener-G egg replacers
• 3 Tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Place flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together with a fork and set aside.
• In a separate bowl mix together your Earth Balance, vanilla, almond milk, and egg replacers.
• Gradually add in your dry mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
• With damp hands form two loaves (12" x 3") from the dough and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Allow the loaves to cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Remove from the sheet and slice the loaves (you should get at least 12 slices from each loaf).
• Place the sliced cookies back on the baking sheet, cut side up, and bake at 325 degrees for an additional 20 minutes.
• Allow them to cool before dipping (or eat them as is...I promise they are delicious just like this).

These might not make you all zen

But hopefully they will give you a nice little break.  Pair these (yes you should have at least two) with a cup of hot tea, chocolate, or coffee (whatever your please is).

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Hello Again

I just want to say for starters I am well.

I have been busy and caught up in life and all of the fun things that go along with having 3 kids.

I got an e-mail today from one of my favorite friends and she was a little concerned about my absence.  I realized I had to get on the stick and get back in the game.

I love blogging and I love reading blogs so I needed to carve out time to do that.

Well since I blogged last I've:

• attended a Chikara wrestling show
• hosted a birthday party for both my 6 and 4 year old
• my baby girl turned 4
• I went strawberry picking
• went on a girls weekend for Mother's Day

The week of Andrew's 6th birthday we were lucky enough to have family friendly Chikara coming to town for a wrestling show.  The were kind enough to say Happy Birthday to Andrew and to let him pick the winner in a raffle contest.

We decided that in lieu of gifts we would give the kids a rocking good birthday party.  So we got a bounce house.  Do know how much fun 4-6 year olds have inside a bounce house?  They almost didn't want to come out for cupcakes...they were serious about their bouncing.

For Mother's Day this year all I wanted was to go to Virginia and hang out with 6 of my girls from college.  We had a blast eating, shopping, playing putt putt, shopping, and then hanging out until late into the evening.

(here are a few of my besties)

Having my baby girl turned 4 just seems a little unreal.  In fact I really just don't know where the time has gone.  She is so much fun and enjoys life so very much that it is hard to not just laugh when you are around her.

Case in point, when my aunt sent her a singing birthday card it was cause for a dance party (and I was lucky enough to be allowed to film it).

I think that might be it for now.  I know this post was kind of all over the place, but it was things I wanted to share with you all.

I have a BUNCH of blog reading to catch up on.  I hope you all are having a fabulous Monday and I look forward to any and all comments.

So what have you all been up to lately?

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Way Behind

I intended to post on Monday.

Then I thought I would post on Tuesday.

Before I knew it Thursday is here.

Where did the time go?

I realize that this information is less relevant do to it's age, but I did want to share some stuff from this past weekend.

We went to the beach and I ran a 5k "Run Like a Diva" in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Those are some volunteers waiting with roses and champagne for you at the finish line.  Yeah champagne is a pretty awesome way to finish running.

I took a post race pic, and I don't think I look too rough (it was early and I had not had breakfast yet...at least that is my defense).

We continued with the family fun later in the day by stopping in EVERY golf store so that my husband could look at the shoes, clubs, etc.  My daughter found an older man she wanted to call her "boyfriend" (never mind that he is a headless mannequin).

We kept with the golf theme and went to play mini-golf.  SO much fun and between the 5 of us we had 4 hole-in-ones (even Caroline got one).

A beach trip would not be complete without some playtime on the beach itself...no worries we spent time there as well:

The fun didn't end with the beach trip...no we are partying all week long.  See my middle child, Andrew, turned six yesterday (I have no idea where the time went).

He got to spend the day being Head of School (note they both sported AWESOME bow ties):

He also took a walk around the sun (to illustrate the number of times he has orbited the sun):

After that we headed to a lunch location of his choosing...Chick Fil A.  I tried to persuade him to other locations, but in the end I let him have his pick and enjoy his special day the way he wanted to do it.

It has been a wonderful week.  The fun isn't over yet we have a joint birthday party this weekend (Andrew and Caroline are in the same class we didn't want to have two birthday parties inviting the same kids).

I hope you all are having a wonderful week and I look forward to catching up on my blog reading, as I am sorely behind.

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The Weekend is Here...almost

Happy Friday to one and all!

We have made it through another week and the weekend is almost upon us.

To say I am excited about this is an understatement.

This weekend I am running in a fun event

I am doing my third 5k in a months time and this one is...wait for it...

AT THE BEACH!

You really can't beat having a weekend vacation to the beach and pairing it with a fun event like this.

At the finish line you get boas and a tiara to "diva" up your running attire:

I am pretty certain my daughter Caroline is going to want my swag...but I am a sucker for that girl so I will probably give it to her.

I mean after all could you say no to this face?  Yeah  me neither.

I am going to take a page out of Laura's book and pack as much of our food as possible.  That way I know we will be eating healthy and won't have to resort to eating at restaurants that might not be on the "approved" list.

I got some of my prep work done last night be making a loaf of banana bread and sandwich bread (it all just tastes better homemade).  I need to pick out snacks and pack the suitcases and then we should be ready.

What sort of fun do you have planned this weekend?

Does it involve any exercise?  If you are looking for a fun exercise challenge I am participating in a squat challenge without about 100 of my co-workers.

Here is the chart if you would like to give it a try:

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What I Love

I am totally stealing this from Shauna (I hope she doesn't mind) and sharing with you something that I love.

What I love....the library.

Since slowly adapting my family to a "consume less" lifestyle we have found a large love of the library.

I have read more books in the last month then I have in the last 5 years (that's a little embarrassing to admit).

Now part of that is I have found more time for reading and have found ways to work it into my schedule.

My kids have enjoyed playing together more and have needed me less.

Now while that was a little disheartening it also has been a pleasure.  I can let them play outside and I can enjoy some sunshine on the deck while being immersed in Alice Steinbach's travels around Europe.

My daughter has really shown a love for our weekend jaunts to the library.  She looks at it almost like shopping.  I allow her to pick out whatever she wants (and as many as she wants for that matter).

Who knew there could be such unbridled passion for picking out books?  She then picks out a new book each night for the next two weeks to read before bed.

I love that my kids enjoy reading more and that they get upset if we can't go to the library (I don't like to make them upset but you get the point).

Anywho the library we go to is beautiful.  It is set in a park and there are walking trails (which we haven't explored yet) and a butterfly meadow.

The entry has a beautifully painted ceiling

The beauty of it really brings the whole package together.  So how about you?  Do you enjoy the library?  Marie, if you read this I know the answer is a resounding "YES" as you had Christmas pictures taken at the library (they were SUPER cute by the way).

Well I hope if you don't visit your local library that maybe this will spur you into visiting.  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.

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Weekend Send Off

Well it's Friday...WOOHOO!

You can't tell me that you aren't just jumping with joy for the weekend to be here already (I really would hate to think I am alone in the jumping).

This weekend holds lots of outdoor activities for my family.

Slowly we have been making more and more vegetable/fruit/flower beds around our yard.  One day we will cease to have grass and no longer have to worry about it being mowed.

Because what we don't have covered in dirt, we hope to have covered in clover.

Yes you read that right clover.

Did you know that clover, yes that little weed so many try to kill, is beneficial for your yard?

                                              Source: browse.deviantart.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Here are 6 of top benefits:

• Nitrogen fixating--it takes nitrogen from the air and deposits it in the ground as absorbable fertilizer
• Drought tolerant
• Resists pet urine (won't turn brown like grass does)
• Grows in bad soil--since it brings nitrogen to the ground it can heal the ground it grows in
• Grows year round--a perpetual green lawn, how nice
• Fertilizes surrounding plants

I thought this was just some food for thought as you go into your weekend.  Think twice before killing those weeds.  I am pretty sure the chemicals in the weed killer is way more harmful than the weeds themselves.

Hopefully wherever you are there will be beautiful weather.  Here in Carolina the temps have been anywhere from 90 to 72, just the way I like it nice and warm.

So what will you do with your weekend?

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Weekend Wrap Up

This post is a day late, I apologize...I like to get the Wrap Up's up on Monday.

Anyway this past weekend was a long one (I love a 3 day weekend) and it included some fun activities.

On Saturday I ran in the Color Me Rad 5k.



There were about 8000 runners, which I thought was a lot of people, taking part in this fun run (it was not timed).

It was so much fun to run through the cornstarch paint and to come home looking like a tye-dyed shirt.

My oldest didn't mind giving me a hug

But my daughter didn't even want me to give her a kiss.

In fact this was as close as she was willing to get to me:

They have already announced that the race is coming back to town next year...so I will be ready when it is time to sign up.  Hopefully I can convince some friends to join me.

Sunday was Easter.  

We have started to not give gifts to the kids.

By that I mean they have no need of toys (we have way more than 3 children can play with). 

So they woke up on Sunday to no Easter baskets but they did have some cards from family members and they each got a small bag of jelly beans.

You know what?  

They were perfectly happy.

People get caught up in consume, consume, consume, and in the end you don't need everything your purchased.

Now I don't mean to go far off track here, but the reason we don't want them to be gifted with tons of stuff is so they realize they can enjoy what they have and we can make sure quality items are purchased (quite often you end up with chintzy plastic stuff that breaks so quickly).

I'll get off my soap box and show you what I did make for the kids:

These are chocolate Easter eggs filled with vegan buttercream.

My paternal grandmother made these every year and they were the highlight of the holiday (now mind you she also put a little bit of money wrapped in plastic in the middle) but they were oh so delicious.

I have such fond memories of these that I wanted to pass this love on to my kids.

Hopefully they will appreciate them.

So that was my weekend in a nutshell, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend what sort of things did you get into?

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Weekend Wrap Up

I don't know about you but when someone asks would you like the good news or the bad news, I always go with bad news first.

Something about getting it over with and ending things on a positive note.

This past weekend was no different.

I started off with pain and ended with a sweet time.

Saturday my friend Amy and I ran in the St. Patty's Day Revenge Obstacle Course.

There were 21 obstacles for us to go through and before we kicked off Amy and I were looking pretty cheery (although chilly):

Her husband captured photos of our fine form (nothing like going across a soccer field doing lunges):

And you know sometimes when you are called upon to do WAY more push-ups then you anticipated you just have to get down in child's post to give your arms a break:

I have been sore for two days, but it is a good sore.  I look forward to running this event next year...hopefully we can get more than the two of us on a team.

On Sunday was the sweet.  I attended the Mad Hatter Tea at the O'Henry Hotel with my daughter and mom.

sporting our lovely paper hats

the delicious plate of goodies

sometimes things taste better when you don't use hands

Caroline and her best friend posing on a toadstool

The event was put on with great pageantry and detail.  The girls got to eat a plate full of treats, make crafts, and play a few games.

It was the perfect exposure to a "fancy" outing for these 3 and 4 year olds.

The hotel holds 3 of these themed teas a year.  We are looking forward to October when they host The Wizard of Oz.

It was a fantastic weekend with friends and family. 

I hope you all enjoyed your time.  Did you do anything fun?

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It's Big, It's Huge, It's Vegan MoFo

This year I have decided to join up with tons of other bloggers and participate in the Vegan MoFo.

MoFo you ask?

Vegan Month of Food...get your mind out of the gutter I wasn't talking about THAT kind of mofo.

I am very excited and a little nervous as most bloggers will post every day of the month...YIKES!

To make things more complex I am also doing the October Unprocessed 2012 challege (where I eat food that I either make myself or COULD make myself using whole foods NO processed foods).

I know I can do this.

I know I can talk about all things vegan and unprocessed for one month.

So to start things off I have Hershey's chocolate cake veganized.

It had to be a dessert because the chocolate will calm my nerves as I prep for what lies ahead.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

2 C sugar
1 3/4 C all purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 C almond milk (I chose unflavored)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 ener-G egg replacer eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C boiling water

Grease two 9-inch round cake pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all of your dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork.

Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla (beat for about 2 minutes).

Add in your boiling water.  This will make your batter very thin...but trust me the result is AWESOME!

Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes

"Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate frosting

1 stick Earth Balance
2/3 C cocoa
3 C powdered sugar
1/3 C almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt your Earth Balance and then stir in your cocoa. 

Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk.  If you think the frosting is too thick add just  bit more milk.  For mine the 1/3 C milk was perfect.

Add in your vanilla (you should have about 2 cups of frosting) and then spread on your cooled cake.

I added some candles because tomorrow is my birthday.

I encourage you to check out the other bloggers participating in Vegan MoFo maybe it will inspire you to replace some of your conventional foods with vegan friendly options.

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Owen

Ten years ago I was 24 and in labor for the first time.

As the first born you were our test subject. 

Everything about parenting was new to us and we had to "figure it out" as we went along.

You were tough on your parents.

You were not one to go to bed easily, in fact we took you on many a trip in the car at night just to get you to fall asleep.

You had your quirks. 

For example when we were driving, and you had fallen asleep, you would cry anytime we came to a stop...talk about always praying for a green light (and I may or may not have punched it a few times at yellow lights).

Over the years things got a little easier.

You grew more independent and always had a little twinkle of mischief in your eye.



You are one of my 3 greatest gifts.

To watch you grow up and become this sensitive, funny, and intelligent boy just blows my mind.

You are just so clever and now that you are getting older it is like talking to a real person.  We can talk about more grown up things.

I cannot wait to see how the next 10 years go.

Remember you are unique and special and when it comes to your life you can do anything you want.  We will always be here to support you.

Happy Birthday Owen!

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