Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee...

Hello good friends!  Grab your cup!  Wait...curious me: which cup do you choose?  do you have a favourite? Is it short and petite?  Or big? Pretty? Classic looking? Perhaps plain?  I change it up a lot, today happens to be my red cup!  You know what?  My coffee tastes amazing!  It has nothing to do with my cup by the way, hehe, but more to do with what I put in it.  I get creative some days and add cinnamon and nutmeg to the grounds.  Some days there may be vanilla added to my water before brewing.  I love variety, it's the spice of life after all, and makes life interesting.  The coffee is drank not for nourishment, but for pleasure. I don't need the caffeine jolt --although it is quite welcomed some days--but I seem to actually relax into my cup.  Maybe it's from past memories of drinking it while having fantastic convos with friends, or maybe it's a reminder of my time as a child, waking up to that smell in my grandma's house and getting a little cup of it all to myself... For whatever reasons, I am a fan for life, and like life, my coffee is sweet, sometimes strong tasting, to which I sweeten in my own way with the tools I'm given.  So enjoy your cup, whichever you choose, and be content with what you put in it! Cheers! ;)

Holy Guacamole!!

Just got back from Mexico friends!  While my husband and I enjoyed our second honeymoon(yes, married 10 years with 2 kids definitely warrants one, haha), I indulged quite a bit in the guacamole!  Now back in St. Thomas, it's the Canada long weekend, and I'm keeping this new favourite snack!  So swap your coffee for a yummy ceasar, and try this recipe, you will love it!

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) Epicure's Guacamole Dip Mix
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon or lime juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate dip for 1 hour to allow flavours to mellow.

Eaten in moderation, avocados are an excellent source of heart-healthy monosaturated fats, which may also help lower bad cholesterol.

Per Serving (2 Tbsp (30 ml)) : Calories 70, Fat 6 g (Saturated 1 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 90 mg, Carbohydrate 5 g (Fibre 2 g, Sugars 1 g), Protein 2 g.

 

I am thankful...

I am a truly lucky girl, to have a great man, great kids, and great friends.  It's worth shouting to the cyber universe!

I see the beauty in this world and am thankful to be in it!  From the grayest skies to the brightest sunset, we take for granted sometimes the awesomeness of being.

I am blessed with a fantastic family! Even if we don't get together as often as we like, we make the times together special.

I often wish I could be closer to all my peeps. My social circle is wide and full of amazing individuals, and no matter how frequent it is that we connect I will always treasure them in my life.

I am thankful for the existence of caffeine and cheese curds.

I am grateful for my mom, she has made me the person I am, even the crazy parts, haha!

I am that girl that finds music videos and funny time wasting youtube clips entertaining, and am thankful to the friends that put up with my silly hobby.

Recipes I Love

Epicure's Strawberry Banana Smoothie:

    * 1 cup (250 ml) milk
    * 1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh or frozen sliced strawberries
    * 1/2 banana, chopped
    * 1/4 cup (60 ml) low-fat plain yogurt
    * 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure's Summer Berry Fruit Dip Mix


1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy.
2. Pour into glasses and serve.
Try layering with fresh or frozen fruit.

Epicure's Extraordinary Cheese Dip

This dip is the most popular at my house! Gooey, cheese-y, bacon-y, yumminess!

Makes 3 cups (750 ml) or 24 servings

Ingredients

• 1 — 8 oz (250 g) package spreadable cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (250 ml) light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure's Seasoning for Cheese, Chives & Bacon Dip
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure's Lemon Dilly Dip Mix
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure's 3 Onion Dip Mix

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
2. Combine all ingredients until well-blended and spoon into Epicure’s Baker. (or pie-sized baking dish)
3. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until heated through.

Becoming a Mother: The Prep Class

Dear Friends, I marvel at the beautiful creation of a smaller version of ourselves combined with another.    

"The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, "We grew a child in here," and breasts that say, "We nourished life." My hands, with bitten nails and a writer's callus, say, "We create amazing things.""

-Sarah, from I Am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words

 I also believe whole-heartedly that birthing does not make you a mother.  Genetically being tied to your little one does not make you closer or more in-tune with your child.  Parents are born too.  I have had the pleasure of knowing some very loving individuals that have opened their hearts to raise a family. I see no difference in how we become parents, as separating how we are connected to our children.  

So what about the preparations for the arrival of a baby?  Baby showers are events we organize to help new parents in the material aspect of planning.  We think of fun games for a gathering of women to play, award prizes for not saying the word "baby", and somehow try to help new moms prepare for the struggles that lie ahead.  Of all the times women need other women, it's when we are in need of outside strength, wisdom, and reassurance in the 'before' moments of motherhood.  Gift registries are helpful but are never going to have on them what we actually need at this time. 

I have recently felt a wave of clarity on this subject...  I love party planning as much as the next gal, making sure every gathering I host has a theme, is decorated and organized with some thought behind it.  Having said this, I think when planning for the arrival of your child it can be scary, exciting, and lonely.  No one else can tell you what the proper tools are-- what car seat, or the necessary Bumbo chair, or tummy-time activity mat.  These are the wants, you will learn the needs later...  So it gives us comfort, to hear the stories from other mothers, to share in your connection with them and hear them give a prep-talk for the journey ahead.  

So mamas, give that special gift to the new mommy-to-be, but give it with a thoughtful piece of advice too.  Words are what we can offer from the heart, and stand for so much more.

Shift Changes and the Reasons Why Mom Friends Exist

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris Bueller

Sorry for the gap in my posts, my life has been moving pretty fast lately, so I'm going to press pause and look around here with you.

 Ever notice we go through cycles through our relationships with people?  Sometimes with our spouses, with our parents, or with our kids--you get where I'm going...Our friends.  The people we turn to outside of our inner network, for unbiased opinions, support, and good laughs. We don't ever mean to lose touch with all the friends we meet on our journey through life, and thanks to the existence of Facebook, we can reconnect or keep in touch with all those "friends".  We will have a few very close friends, and depending on where we are in our life, we find a "shift change" and sub-in different friends.  Call me an optimist, but I truly believe that your closest friends you will have can let this cycle happen and still maintain an arm's length friendship, falling back in step like you always were.

Dr. Suess was on to something...

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

My friends it seems motherhood is a strange new place, and everyone acts like they set the pace.  With intentions of raising well-rounded wee ones, we set off on our journey and hope that we're even.  Which path will you take? You need to choose.. For there are mothers already with their parenting views!  Co-sleeping, or baby-wearing, be loving and kind, there's no real line in the sand in my mind!  What you choose for your little one is not up for debate. You aren't on trial for your parenting traits!   

"And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too."

 Easier said then done, I say!  With laundry, and groceries, and meals to be made.  It seems as though we get stuck in a spot, where the days we need rest and the children do not!  Chores will get done, kids will get tired, while coffee and chocolate keep mommy hard-wired. 

"And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done."

 So we are pulled and brought back by our friends with big shoulders, other moms who have felt this and needed supporters.  For they were right from the start with their warnings of blue days, and although hard to admit help wanted is okay. 

You've got a Friend in ME!

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~Albert Schweitzer

       Mom Friends--we all need them.  We surround ourselves with different friend personalities without knowing it.  We nurture ourselves by reaching out to a particular friend depending on what we are going through.  Generations of instinctive mothering has been bred into us, and yet we still need a network of pals to keep us grounded and show support when we feel lost. 

Mommy Life as a House

I always thought of myself as a house. I was always what I lived in. It didn't need to be big. It didn't even need to be beautiful. It just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be. I built myself a life. I built myself a house.-- George Monroe from Life as a House

    Well dear friends, I hope your mug is full!  As I sip my delicious brew of java, I am reminded of a conversation I had with some great moms..  Let's think outside the box right now dawlings and picture your house as a metaphor for parenting.  When we look at it that way it's easy to see how parenting has changed how we live, where we live, the rooms we live in, even the 'foundation' we build our lives as parents on.

Matters of Mothering

      Do you wonder what other parents do when their little one can't sleep? I hope I'm not the only mom google-ing every possible solution to potty training woes?  It's true motherhood is the most important job you'll have, offering constant demands, and infinite rewards.  This is our chosen career.  We are faced with on-the-job training, no handbook, and some days we just need a girlfriend to listen to us.

     In a perfect world, moms would be able to manifest 6 more arms to run our households like a hotel complete with restaurant, maid service, childcare and taxi service.  Reality checks in and whether you like it or not society lets you know your expected job tasks.  So how do we cope?  Balancing family and career comes easier when we ask for help.  We can lend a hand to our sleep-deprived friend that is so clearly in need of a hug and a shoulder and someone to say "I've been where you are, it will get better, I'm here to help."  This blog was inspired by my weekly social circle of moms that need to hear these such words.  It does really take a village to raise a family, and I am thankful to have my 'village' on the dark and light days of motherhood.  The network of like-minded moms to turn to has to be the best tool for a new mom.  I hope this spot will inspire 'momfidence' by offering help and hope to those that need it. So take a deep breath, pull up a chair, raise your mug, and let's talk.