My dad turns 65 years young tomorrow. Not satisfied with
having a nice meal, or a celebratory drink, he has decided to shock the pants out of all of us and throw himself out of an airplane…though thankfully wearing a parachute.
My paternal Grandma had the brain disorder Alzheimer’s. I can only remember her with the disease and while my brother and I had a lot of fun when we were young, laughing about how she would call my dad by the wrong name, didn’t know who we were and would study the back of the table mat as if reading a really good book. It is only now that we are older we can see that it must have been very painful for my Dad to watch her deteriorate.
So, in order to raise awareness and money for the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK (or to try to avoid the disease in a very drastic way!) He is willingly going up into the skies tomorrow morning to launch himself out of said airplane.

Good luck Dad and Happy Birthday!
We are proud of you.

If anyone would like to donate please click here

Every Sunday, the farmer’s market comes to my town, and most weeks, you’ll find me there. The layout is simple: two long aisles, with canopies on each side, each for a different vendor selling all kinds of food; from seasonal fruits and veggies, to nuts, honey, flowers, meat, fish, fresh bread, pasta, and even prepared foods from french pastries to ceviche. It’s an amazing assortment of stuff, from the basic to the indulgent.

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Like most people I have a hard time looking at personal emails while at work, but a friend sent this link to me and I was as amazed as she said I would be. How can anyone be this talented?

Enjoy!: Kseniya Simonova

I recently returned from vacationing in Hong Kong and am ready to swoon about what a fantastic time I had:

The architecture!

The cultural sites!

The food!

The shopping!

And of course, the people! All truly amazing. Though, if you’d told me three or four months ago that you were going to Hong Kong I would’ve merely feigned polite enthusiasm. Due solely to my own naivety, Hong Kong was not even on my radar as a top vacation destination until the invitation to travel with a friend (and her parents who were born and raised in Hong Kong!) presented itself. The more I read up and heard firsthand from friends who’d visited, I realized this was truly an opportunity of a lifetime.

Before I go into the highlights of my trip, first things first: preparation and packing. I’m a bit of a Type-A planner and enjoy making lists and checking things off. A little peek at my list of to-dos for international travel:

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I just caught this piece on Elle (the UK version) about friendship bracelets. They are all the rage in Europe right now. These ones are beautiful – I have a soft spot for the Day Birger Mikkelsen one.

I still prefer the Bebe au Lait ones though. I love that our girls always have them on, it helps us feel connected. A very good friend of ours sent me these images of her kids wearing the bracelets – she says the kids are thrilled to match with Mom and Dads accessories.

Together, when apart…I love friendship bracelets!

Green tea is all the rage these days. There have been several claims that the beverage has several health benefits due to the polyphenols present in the leaves of the tea plant. Many of these studies focus on green tea’s effects on cardiovascular health, which have shown that green tea consumption may reduce heart disease. Other studies have tried to connect green tea with the reduction of cholesterol, which have been promising, but so far inconclusive. Other studies have linked green tea consumption to protecting brain cells from dying when affected by Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. There have also been claims that green tea can lower blood pressure, and may help people lose weight.

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No, not your American Express card. Your breast pump. Your electric breast pump. Because here’s what happened when I did…

My husband Jason and I were headed to New York for the weekend. We were leaving our 2-year-old son and 5-month-old nursing daughter in the capable hands of Susie, our life-saving baby sitter. I packed all the cute clothes I could fit into and headed for the airport. I felt so relaxed, sitting in the terminal, reading a magazine. We boarded our plane and took our seats. Then I remembered.

“Oh no! Jason, I forgot the pump.” Not just my pump. THE pump. The miraculous little machine that gathers those drops of gold to be frozen for baby. The pump that let mommy go out with her friends last Thursday night. The pump that gives a few extra hours of sleep when early-rising Dad takes a feeding. The pump that enables a nursing mom to take a weekend getaway to New York. THE pump. And we had just begun our six-hour flight.

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I was at my Sip and See: sip champagne and see the new baby.  Because she is my fourth child, a traditional baby shower complete with games and a gift registry was unnecessary.  In fact, I begged for the invitation to read “No Gifts Please,” but was ignored by my gracious hostesses.   And so I sat in a chair amidst a pile of gifts and began to add to my already vast collection of baby gear.

At this point in my parenting career, I’m ready to purge. I can’t wait until the baby outgrows the infant car seat, so I can FINALLY give it away. I can’t wait until she’s too big for the swing, so it can cease being part of my family room furniture. As I opened my gifts, I thought, “there can’t possibly be anything this baby needs.” How wrong I was.

So, here in reverse order is my top ten:  all new items that I discovered on this, my fourth and final child. How did I ever live without…

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I love vegetables, and have recently begun experimenting with making soups out of them. What is great about soup is that it can be made in large batches. You can eat some for dinner, then freeze the rest. Soup is also great for getting rid of ingredients that are getting old. Lastly, soup can be a healthy and filling dish.

I have made several different soups out of several ingredients. I think after these attempts, I have the process down. Here goes…

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Monday morning.

A challenging day for most of us.

With memories still fresh of sleeping in, fun and exciting activities, or even just relaxation, getting out of bed on Monday morning is especially tough. Most people, however, have developed their own special routines. Let’s take a look…

There seem to be two different philosophies regarding Monday morning routines. There is the “Start off with a bang” tactic, and then there is the “Ease into the week” approach.

The “start off with a bang” people tend to put a lot of energy in to their Mondays. They may start off with a workout or a written to-do list, or even a hearty breakfast. The goal is to start with a bang, and let that energy drive you throughout the week. There is no time to waste, no time to sit still. You have your list, and the goal is to act upon it with gusto.

Pros:

• Get a lot done quickly

Cons:

• Difficult to get going initially
• Sometimes the energy is hard to maintain throughout the day

On the other hand, you have the ease crowd. These are the folks who recognize that Monday is a day to get re-oriented and make baby steps to full productivity. You might take some time to reflect on what you’d like to do this week, or look to other sources for inspiration. Instead of insisting on knocking out the toughest tasks immediately, the ease in to the week crowd might spend some time on social media or news sites getting information or networking.

Pros:

• Less stressful

Cons:

• Easy to be unproductive
• Time can get away from you

Whatever routine more closely resembles your life, one thing you’ll probably have in common with the other routine is the consumption of some sort of caffeinated product. Or, maybe not. Whatever your Monday morning routine is, the most important thing is that it works for you, and you’re better off because of it. If you’re finding yourself having a hard time getting in to your week, maybe it’s time to examine how you work on Monday, and come up with a new routine…you’ll love yourself for it.