monday loves...happy birthday

my husband is a leap year baby so we will be celebrating his birthday today!!!!!  happy birthday to my amazing sweet husband!!!

i am a super hero

as i focus on eating healthy and fueling my body with nutrients i feel so amazing.  seriously!!  it doesn't take long to rid your body of yucky toxins that way you down and make you feel tired and sick.  the food we choose to put in our bodies affects so much of how we feel.  i refuse to feel yucky and icky, i want energy and health that keeps me young and vibrant.  the more i read and learn about food i become more and more excited to try new things.  i have been a little obsessed with the kind diet lately and working my way to alicia silverstones super hero lifestyle. 

along with alicias book she also has a blog.  she is always posting great information that i love to read.  did you know that there is a national snack food month!!!! hmmmmmm!!!!  silly i thought, but it was in feb.

check out this site for some interesting info 20ate.org

cheers to healthy happy living!!!!!

monday loves...green tea

a sweet tip

when i get a sweet craving or i am feeling a little hungry later on in the evening i heat up some yummy green tea.  this has helped curb the cravings and keep the sweets out of my tummy.  my favorite late night tea, good earth organic decaf green tea with mango, peach, and pineapple. 
have a beautiful monday!!

image found at google images

believe in me

this is my sweet daughter makenzi.

i took this photo a few months ago and every time i look at it i feel so much emotion.  it says so much and is so much of the reason i chose "believe" as my word of the year.  i have so much to believe in and so much to fight for. 

 i believe we can all make a difference. 

i believe there is a reason for everything that happens in our lives.

i believe in fighting for what you believe in.

i believe in following my dreams come true.

i believe in love.

i believe in happiness.

i believe in helping others.

i believe in my family and friends.

i believe in kindness. 

i believe in me.

i am thrilled to share some very exciting news with you all in the next few months.  i will share with you my story.  my story that has changed my life and opened my mind and spirit.   i hope to help others and raise awareness for those i love.   

believe

believe

my word for the year

believe there is always, always, always a way.

when you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't.

-thomas edison

love

monday loves...my little valentines

im not able to spend valentines day with my wonderful husband this year, but just as special i am spending it with my two little valentines.  we spent the entire weekend together, eating all their favorite foods, making valentines cards, and watching movies.  it was great!!!

this year the kids and i made "green" valentines cards.  we used things we already had in the house and i was thrilled at how much fun they had making their own instead of buying them at the grocery store.

.
so makenzi and i used blank cards that i have had around the house for years and cut them in half to minimize wasted paper.  then we cut hearts out of an athropologie catalog (i use anthro catalogs for so many things these days) glued the hearts to the paper, added a little red bow and we were done.  so easy, but so fun!!! 

instead of anthro catalogs, creed and i used sports illustrated mags for his cards.  he went through and cut out all the great football and hockey photos and glued them to his card,  added a lolly pop and we were done!!

they were both very excited to give out their cards today!!!!

happy valentines everyone.  sending lots of love and hugs to you all!!!!!

love love

romeo and juliet

my kids wanted to see gnomeo and juliet and so of course i took them this weekend!!!  i wasn't real excited, but it was cute and it reminded me how much i love the original movie.  so perfect for valentines day.

i also love the modern day version with leonardo dicaprio and claire danes!!!

happy valentines day my friends!!!

cozy

as the temps drop back down below zero

 i began to crave homemade soup.  i love to make all sorts of veggie and bean soups, but i wanted something different.  i had an entire box of tomatoes and a bag of peppers in the fridge and decided a tomato soup sounded perfect.

with a little help from rachel over at little nest here is a great little recipe to eat as soup or on top of some fabulous organic whole wheat noodles.

1. cut in half about 10-15 tomatoes (any kind will work, i used roma)

2. cut and slice peppers anyway you like

3. place both tomatoes and peppers on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

next

1. in a small sauce pan cook 2 table spoons coconut oil, about 4 pieces garlic pressed, a little hot pepper sauce, pepper, basil, thyme, and italian seasoning to taste.

2. after garlic starts to brown transfer mixture to a crock pot and set on high.

then

1. after tomatoes and peppers finish roasting chop in blender or cuisinart.  i like my soup a little chunkier so i didn't blend too long.  you can make it how ever you prefer.

2. add to crock pot and cook for about an hour and a half.

3. serve with cracker or bread and add cheese if you desire.

enjoy

so nice to enjoy some warmth on this day of 12 degrees below zero

two moms in the raw

yesterday a friend of mine surprised me with this fabulous little nut bar.  i was so excited to try something new!!!  as i read the info on the beautiful packaging i got even more excited!!!!  gluten free, vegan, no oils, 100% raw, 100% organic.  wow, it doesn't get much better.  my luscious little bar was purchased at our local starbucks, but i noticed on their website that whole foods along with lots of other places carry them too.  check them out at http://www.twomomsintheraw.com/ and read their inspiring story and see all their products.  sending you all love this valentines weekend!!!

a little love

for valentines day

love being in love

rules for lovers:

1) be romantic.

2) be passionate.

3) be imaginative.

4) never be rushed.

-charles olson

what are your valentines plans???

monday loves...for jody!!!!

this monday came and went and i didn't get a chance to write my weekly post "monday loves".  when i got to work this morning my good friend jody said she missed monday loves!!!!  i was so thrilled to know that people actually read what i write and look forward to it each week.  yay!!!  thank you so much for reading my corner of the world, jody!!!!  and most importantly thank you for being my friend!!!!

laugh often, long and loud.  laugh until you gasp for breath.  and if you have a friend that makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with them.

-unknown

my sweet gymnast

my daughter, makenzi is in love with gymnastics. she attends our local gymnastics club 3 days a week and practices every moment she can for the last two years. she loves it!!!! on friday she had the opportunity to attend a clinic by the 1992 olympic gold medalist from china, lu li!!!! it was a great night!!! yay!!!

omg!!!  lu li is 33 and the same size as my 11 year old!!!! 

love

alter ego...the other i

a couple weeks ago we had this really interesting conversation at work...what would your alto ego be????  well, some people answered quickly and others like me took a whole week to find just the right one..or three.  here they are...

coco chanel

  wow she was one classy lady!!!  love her, but not the cigarette.  you will never find me with a cigarette in my mouth, or anywhere near me.

carrie bradshaw

i know shes not a "real" person, but i love her!!!!  our worlds are total opposites, but i think it would be pretty fabulous to be in her shoes for a couple of days.

a cirque du soleil performer

i love cirque du soleil so much and am so thrilled that i have seen all but one of their shows in las vegas!!!  this photo is from the first show my husband and i went to called zumanity.  the performers are in amazing shape and it looks like so much fun!!!

what is your alter ego?????

love

all images found on google images