challenge

My Blogging Space

Last week, I was contacted by an associate at Wayfair.com to participate in a blogger challenge to share our home offices, or inspirational spaces if you will. Immediately I was on board. For one thing, I’ve been wanting to share a little more about myself lately, and this seemed like the perfect outlet. For another, the whole idea of it amused me. For those of you that know me at all, you know that I am a stay-at-home mother of four children ages 10 and under. The idea of a private work space sounds like something out of a movie- unfathomable almost; as illusive as my Paris kitchen, not the cookbook though- I’ve got that.

img_8729

I have this professional idea of self. This fantasy, where I am diligent with writing, editing, photographing, projecting deadlines, making layouts. I’ve had discussions with my support team (aka my husband) about setting aside a certain amount of evening hours dedicated to my job (aka blog hobby). In reality, I grasp at as many free minutes that I can quilt together to make a post. However, in true to life representation, my home office is wherever I can get it. Thank goodness for wifi and my MacBook Air… and my Nespresso machine because at any hour I can get a good cup of coffee quickly. It helps with my research… and by research I mean catching up with my fellow bloggers, scouring Pinterest and reading cookbooks- usually done in our study.

img_8431

img_8646

My dining room table is most often the space I use. Followed by the kitchen table, especially while assisting the kids with homework. Of course I watch cooking shows in the family room. I can say with some conviction that I really don’t blog while I’m outdoors. Sometimes I wish I had a small desk in my bedroom, which at times feels like my only oasis (until bed time when the kids try to pile in)… but I’d have to move out that all but forgotten treadmill.

img_8733

img_8416

Would you like to know something? Just one month ago there was a sitting room where I have the dining table. And the dining room was where the study is, because it’s a bigger and I love the idea of our extended families having plenty of room to gather around the table. Then I was having a party and I hated the idea of putting my cheese platter in the bat cave with basically no natural light. So in one day I moved everything, every couch, hutch and table by myself. My grandparents lived in this home before we bought it. And I moved it all back the way they had it. Except, they kept their TV where we have the study, and I moved it to the great room… so we would have more room for our family to spread out. But I’ve never been able to configure this room to satisfaction. I traded the couches between the two rooms, and I think it’s a step in the right direction. I really need a new entertainment center (Wayfair are you listening?). I probably won’t be happy until it’s exactly the same as the way it was.

What is that on the cooking channel? I think it’s ice cream in a blender.

img_8592

We actually do have a home office, complete with an autographed photo of Mohammad Ali. My husband uses it when he works from home. It’s full of papers that need to be shredded, statements needing to be filed, artwork I need to return to my parents, random items that need to be taken to Goodwill… And the kids school work. What am I supposed to do with all of the graded assignments and art projects? It’s overwhelming! I’m not crafty. I’m not a scrapbooker. But I don’t want to be that mom who has no souvenirs to show their adult children from their childhood. So, I put it in bags! Don’t judge me. I loathe this dilemma, almost as much as the laundry.

img_8502

I do like the amount of natural light.

img_8561

Just know that I am uncomfortable showing our catch-all. In general, I really try not to embarrass myself.

img_8565

And yet, at the moment, I’d rather expose myself than organize this office.

img_8483

Which would be destroyed in two minutes anyway.

Thank you Wayfair.com for inviting me to join in this blogging challenge. It was fun!

 

What I Learned During the 21 Day Fix

I took the 21 Day Fix challenge. I fit in my 30 minute workout everyday and I stuck to the meal plan. (With the possible exception of day 20 in which I cannot confirm nor deny that I might have exceeded my “blue” container, a.k.a. healthy fats, in the form of cheese and a possible “unhealthy” white sauce that I did not mean to order on top of my vegetarian style eggs.) Was it fun? I had some creative menu planning moments, but no. Was it easy? There were without doubt better days than others, but no. Was it educational? Absolutely.

Here is a little about what I’ve learned…

  1. I eat too many carbs. Apparently if you have oatmeal for breakfast, you are not supposed to have a wheat pita at lunch if you are going to have rice for dinner. But that’s really the least of my concerns, because I like muffins and pastries. My daily intake of refined sugar (even in the form of organic cane sugar) and all purpose unbleached organic flour is just too high. I’ve got to face the facts.
  2. I don’t eat enough whole grains. Just because I have been buying whole grain organic bread for over a decade doesn’t mean I’m really eating whole grains. I have pasta, pita chip, cereal, cracker and tortilla opportunities just to name a few. Alas, what’s a girl to do?
  3. My portions are out of proportion. So this one is not a shocker. Yes, I have a tendency to get carried away at a breakfast buffet, but that’s not what I’m talking about. There is too much of a good thing, meaning you can even overdo it with healthy meals. For example, some salad dressings are caloric nightmares. It’s a work in progress.
  4. I don’t exercise enough. I can honestly say I feel like I’m on my feet all day. I do dishes, laundry, chase my one year old, make snacks and meals- clean them up, make beds… the list goes on. But getting your heart rate up and sweating for just 20-30 minutes is a different beast. Granted, I am not naturally prone to loving that, but I think know I need more of it.
  5. I need to drink more water. I don’t drink half of my body weight in ounces on a regular basis. (Because you are probably good at math, I won’t tell you what that is; let’s just say it’s over the standard 64 oz.) There are days I can reach that goal, but I really need to push myself. Thankfully this program has no restrictions on coffee, tea (unsweetened and without cream of course), and flavor infused waters- even carbonated. I’m actually fortunate that way, I am completely satisfied with just those options. If I could only drink more water…
  6. My attitude could use an adjustment. I was doing this to better myself, reset my habits so to speak. I started off with excitement and optimism. I made fun and healthy, (and delicious) snacks. I made some separate food for myself, but to be realistic I’d have to create dinners my family would eat also; which I really enjoyed. Knowing I was doing good for them too was heartwarming. I made it through my birthday, Mother’s Day, my brother-in-laws birthday, a weekend getaway- streaming my workouts mind you, a church pizza party… Yet, somewhere along the way I fell out of love. Around day 15-17, I got pretty grumpy. I started having thoughts like “A little pita with this hummus would be nice. I can’t help it if the restaurant doesn’t serve whole grain…” and “If I wanted to workout on vacation in ‘real life’, I would go to the hotel fitness facility, instead of exercising in the dark while my children are sleeping.” It turned into more of fulfilling my commitment than bliss.
  7. I am going to apply more of these principles into my life. I definitely need to incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet. I’ll be honest, if I eat oatmeal for breakfast and a wheat pita for lunch, I’m not going to worry about having a little rice for dinner- but I need to pay attention. I can’t have a daily intake of waffles for breakfast, french fries with lunch and pasta at dinnertime followed by dessert- on a regular basis without knowing it’s going to have an effect. The program suggests the 90/10 rule; if you follow the guidelines 90% of the time you can treat yourself 10% of the time. And I think until I reach my goals I’m going to try hard to follow that.
  8. It works. The results are in the “chia” pudding. I’ve lost over 5 pounds. (Not the most dramatic results in weight, but it’s only been 21 days.) However, in three weeks I have lost over 3 inches in my stomach, and over 2 inches in my waist. That’s amazing! I think some mom’s like myself (and certainly women who are not and men too) start to think “this is just my body type now.” The truth is we CAN do something about it.

I still have some work to do to achieve my goals, but this was a great platform and eye-opener. The knowledge that it can happen is encouraging. I can do this! (And I am really looking forward to this week “off”… I earned it!)

Quote Me on This…

I have so much catching up to do! This has been the longest break since I started my blog. Sometimes life just has to take over. I had a great weekend with my family on a planned family getaway to an indoor waterpark. We are finally finished celebrating my daughter’s birthday. ? I’m still settling some matters that I promised my friend Barbara. ? And I’m excited that I was sent an invitation by Chobani to come up with some recipe ideas!  ? It’s been an emotional roller coaster.

I haven’t forgotten my commitment to participate in the quote challenge, so befittingly I remembered something that feels like where I’m at.

Have you seen the movie Parenthood? It’s just one of those films I saw years ago, in the 80’s probably that I’ll never forget. It’s outlandish, unexpected and completely relatable all at the same time. When I watched it the first time, I hadn’t experienced much life yet. But it wasn’t hard to understand; these people living their separate and complicated lives, all dealing with their own familial, parental, marital, etc. issues and still connected by the bond-ship of family and friends. Steve Martin, does a great job taking on a this multi-faceted role playing Gil, the son who wants the approval of his cold unappreciative father, a father of four children with different needs (one of whom is in therapy for emotional/anxiety problems, and another who has to wear a helmet because he is always ramming things with his head), sibling to an irresponsible brother (who has the admiration of their father), a grandson who takes on a lot of responsibility caring for a senile grandmother, and a husband to a supportive wife who is transitioning in her own personal life as a mother and homemaker. And all at the same time he’s trying to be this great employee to hopefully gain advancement in his career. There is this one scene in particular where a meeting with his bosses didn’t go how he had hoped it would and things at home are feeling overwhelming. If I remember correctly, he and his family are getting ready to head out to his son’s baseball game (which he coaches) and his grandmother in a moment of lucidity starts talking:

Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.

Gil: Oh?

Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!

Gil: What a great story.

Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn’t like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

The grandma walks out the door and the scene finishes with Gil and his wife left in the room and she says: As far as I’m concerned, your grandmother’s brilliant!

Gil: Yeah, if she’s so brilliant, why is she sitting in the neighbor’s car?

Doesn’t it just seem like that’s how it goes sometimes? Up and down, and moments of clarity… and then loved ones helping you get back into the right car. (Well maybe not that part.) And if you’re fortunate enough to be able to see the humor in life, (and laugh at yourself) it makes it so much more enjoyable! Lately life has felt a bit like a roller coaster, with all of its fast paced ups and downs. But I get it. I don’t take the ride for granted. My life is full. God is good.

Thanks Krista at From Food Stamps to a Future for nominating me for this challenge! I apologize for breaking the rules, I’m just a rebel.

Rules for the challenge:

Thank the blogger that nominated you.
Share one new quote on three consecutive days on your blog. They can be from anywhere, anyone, or anything.
On each of the three days, nominate three more bloggers to carry on with the fun! No pressure; nominees are free to decline.

My Third (and last) Quote Challenges are to the following:

Clair Neriah

Mama Muse Me

Linda Creation

 

And I Quote…

A week or two ago I came across this little gem of a quote. So when Krista at From Food Stamps to a Future challenged me to a 3 day Quote Challenge, I knew right away that this would be something I would share. There really isn’t much to elaborate on with the quote. It’s just overall how I want to be and how I want to raise my children. Thank you Krista for inviting me to participate!

Rules for the challenge:

Thank the blogger that nominated you.
Share one new quote on three consecutive days on your blog. They can be from anywhere, anyone, or anything.
On each of the three days, nominate three more bloggers to carry on with the fun! No pressure; nominees are free to decline.

My second day Quote Challenges are to the following:

Roberta at Chorizo & Thyme

Natascha at Natascha’s Palace

Claudia at OldCountryGirl

 

Paintbox Mum’s Simple Jammy Muffins

To be honest when I started this particular project I had something specific in mind. Not only did the recipe sound simple enough and sure to taste yummy, but it came with the cutest picture of a little girl in a polk-a-dot apron adding jam to the muffin batter. So of course, I wanted to replicate the moment with my little ones, in their aprons (note to self get polk-a-dot aprons). However, my sister asked that my kids stay at her house last night- as a last little enjoy the summer while it’s still here hoorah! And it ended up that I made these sweet little muffins alone (alone meaning without help because I still had to entertain my nine month old in his high chair, and move around my husband getting his morning coffee for work, etc.) But still it was more quiet than my usual morning, which was a different enjoyment than I had anticipated but still a nice occurrence.

The ingredients I already had on hand, which is always a bonus when you want to make a little something special and it is actually a possibility! It took a little preparation in that I had to convert the grams of flour and sugar into my standard cups (which I have included in this post). Easily enough my measuring cup had both units of measure, mLs and cups, and a Tbsp is a tablespoon across the board (or pond). Since I am a baker at heart, I thoroughly enjoyed hiding a little treasure of jam in the center of each cup of batter. Furthermore I would like to mention that I was delighted at the reference of “cake cases” instead of my standard boring “cups”. How pleasant! I’m going to try to incorporate that into my use of a muffin pan from now on.

The result was a delicious muffin/biscuit and jam hybrid. (And was really good with a little pat of softened butter!) It was a perfect breakfast package with my cup of coffee and I can’t wait to experiment with other jams, and my helpers!

Simple Jammy Muffins by Paintbox Mum

1 2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup caster sugar (fine white sugar)
1 pinch of salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
5 Tbsp melted butter
8 Tbsp jam (we both used strawberry)

Preheat the oven to 375º (190º C). Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the wet. Add the wet to dry. Spoon half the batter into the “cake cases,” make a well in the center and add a dab (approx 1/2 Tbsp) of jam to each cup. Top each muffin with the other half of the batter and bake for 20 minutes.

This is the first of my “WordPress Cooking Challenge” recipes to make from other inspiring bloggers! There are so many great recipes out there and I encourage you to try some! For the original recipe and the adorable picture of the little girl in her apron visit Paintbox Mum!

And thanks to Healthy in All Hues for this great idea!

WordPress Cooking Challenge and My Third Liebster Award!

A blogger friend of mine, Healthy in all Hues, recently started a brilliant challenge: to pick 5-7 recipes from various bloggers and make their dish! It’s a great way to showcase our fellow foodies and those who take the time to share their love from the kitchen. (And ensure I get to taste some of the great food I’ve been reading about!) I think it’s such a good idea that I may start making it a monthly feature on my blog! (At least one dish!)

The concept of this challenge is simple: Pick seven dishes (actually limiting it to seven was difficult); Notify them that you are making their dish and challenge them to participate; Share an original link back to their site; Then do a brief write up on their dish including taste, difficulty following instructions, and your experience at large. (Keeping in mind that this is a positive thing, encouraging and appreciating fellow bloggers!)

The dishes I am selecting are (in no particular order, because I am not that organized):

  1. Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancake from The Richmond Avenue
  2. Chicken Divan by Lynz Real Cooking
  3. Natascha’s Palace‘s Easy Honey Cake
  4. Quick and Easy Curry from What’s Bec Cooking
  5. Life Bellissima‘s Triple Chocolate Cookies
  6. Chocolate Mousse by Sweetima
  7. Simple Jammy Muffins from Paintbox Mum
  8. Quirky and Wonderful‘s Broccoli Potato Casserole

I had to pick eight because these are all things I’ve wanted to make lately. And I’ve already learned something about myself! (Besides I can’t follow instructions.) For as much as I want to challenge myself (and fully intend to), I gravitate toward meals and food that I think will be not overly difficult,  family friendly, and those which I will most likely have ingredients on hand. (Of course big time producers such as Food Network and Pioneer Woman have been capitalizing on this for a long time. It should come at no surprise that I fit the mold, but I still found it interesting- to myself.) I am giving myself 2 weeks to complete the challenge… I’m so excited to try your food!

wpid-liebsterblogaward

Secondly, I would like to thank Swatti of Light at the End of the Tunnel for my third Liebster nomination! I am so appreciative and grateful for your recognition. Your blog allows me to explore a different culture and customs with still a similar perspective, as a woman who appreciates my mother and my best friend (aka my husband). Thank you!

The “Swatiilicious Questionnaire:”

How reading can enhance?
Growing up I loved that reading could allow you to imagine the way a character or setting should look. I like the way stories allow you to transcend places and time. I have very little time for leisure reading now; most of my reading (aside from the Bible) is instructional… And I prefer pictures! For example, I want to know what my food is supposed to look like.

The importance of writing?
On a basic level I believe writing is important for educational purposes. At this point in my life I use writing as an personal outlet, self expression and all that jazz.

Love has varied definitions. Why?
Without trying to get too deep: I think love has as many meanings as there are people in the world. It is different things to different people based on their own experiences- and still universally relatable; such as a commitment to your spouse, caring for children, helping your neighbor, etc.

How do see yourself as a blogger?
I wish I was really creative and I saw myself more as an artist sharing my unique perspective… But in reality I just very literally share my day to day.

Any blogs you would like to recommend?
I find out about new blogs on a daily basis that I think the world should know about! I just heard about foodbabe.com, a blogger making a difference in the food industry that I think is amazing.