So Bring Me Some Figgy Ideas

Sometimes, when you haven't been blogging for awhile and you're trying to get back on the horse, you feel like you need to have something profound to say at first. But nothing is coming to me so...

We're going to talk about figs today. 

Because I am so over how much junk food I LOVED eating on our Stateside vacay and I'm so happy to be back in Germany where good quality food is really cheap!

And also because I bought some and realized I didn't have a blessed idea what to do with them.

So instead of spending my time wisely thinking of something meaningful to write for you, or trying to figure out how to recap our vacation adventures, I spent over an hour on the internet learning everything I could ever want to know about this strange little fruit that I'd never eaten before.

And I decided to be nice and share that info with YOU! You're welcome ;-)

PS thank God for Pinterest.

So I've never eaten a fresh fig before. I will blame it on the fact that I don't really care for fig newtons. But also because I just never ate them and therefore don't know what to do with them... so it's remained an "exotic" fruit that has been on my "to-try" list. Until now.

Quick punny exchange between My Love and I that morning:
me: "I bought fresh figs for the first time today!"
J: "Figures."

ha. ha. he's so hilarious ;-)

You can eat figs fresh and whole (skin and all), as a topping for oatmeal or yogurt, as a smoothie ingredient, sliced and topped with a favorite cheese and some balsamic dressing, baked with honey as a dessert topping, and added to your favorite fruit salad or green salad.

Or you can wrap them in bacon or prosciutto and GRILL THEM! Yay for grilling season! 

First I just ate the figs with my favorite lunch of fresh bread, herbed goat cheese, and smoked salmon. And then we ate them in our morning yogurt with a drizzle of elderberry syrup on top. Very good. I wanted to try to blend them with maple syrup to pour over french toast or pancakes but we ran out ;-) So, next time!

Here are tons of fun facts and delicious recipes featuring figs: 

Some of them seem a little too fancy for my table, but since my girls loved our first experiments with them, I might go for it and see what happens!

Enjoy! 

The World's Healthiest Foods fact sheet

Fig Varieties 

Valley Fig Growers fun facts

Bacon, Melon, and Fig Salad You had me at bacon.

Pancakes with Calcium-Filled Fixins Love the idea of using figs and tahini as a maple syrup substitute!

Dark Chocolate Covered Figs  I need some of THIS in my life for SURE!

Coconut Fig Popcicles I think this would get me a billion gold stars with the girls.

Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 

Butternut Squash and Fig Soup

Simple Figgy Focaccia

Marinated Fig Skewers with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Basil

Figs on a gorgeous Cheese Platter These pictures make me want to host a cheese and wine party even though I'm more of a pizza and beer girl ;-)

Fig, Beet, and Watermelon Salad with Caramelized Shallot Dressing 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Fig Salad

Fig and Rosemary Chicken Pizza  Is it too early to start grilling pizza every other day? Nomnom

Oven-Roasted Fruit with Ricotta-Vanilla Cream This is my kind of easy dessert!

Free-Form Fig Tart

Fig Chips  I don't usually have luck with these types of "turn fresh food into chips" recipes but they are so pretty and would be so great in the girls' lunchbox!

Grilled Fig and Cheese  Oh my.

Salted Honey and Fig Cheesecake  I wonder if I can make this one without a food processor? And I'd have to call it a "cream cake" or something cause J would cry if I called a faux-cheesecake a cheesecake (his favorite.)

Avocado, Gorgonzola, and Fig Baguette Awesome easy dinner idea!


Glad to have me back? Make sure you follow me on Pinterest so you always know what randomness I'm researching today! 

A Giveaway for Coffee Lovers Everywhere

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I hope you're having a blast with your loved ones. We sure are. We're currently preparing to get snowed in under another Cape Cod storm, but Tan is watching the kids for us to get out for awhile! (Wish her luck, cause it's only noon and we've already sugared them up significantly!)
 

Sorry for my absence lately, but being with family means less time for photography and blogging. But it means more time making memories... leisurely mornings drinking coffee, big dinners around tables full of your favorite faces...

And time for multiple trips to your favorite coffee shop. 

And a chance for you to win some freebies from MY favorite coffee shop!

Who wants a mug and a pound of coffee?

Soul Full Cup coffee shop in Corning, NY has generously donated two bundles for me to give away! I've been holding onto two pounds of coffee and two beautiful orange mugs to give to y'all and now I'm finally forcing my butt to sit in front of the computer long enough to launch it!

My Dad basically forced me to love coffee because he wanted his kids to drink it with him... it's such a comforting social drink.

So the smell of coffee, bacon, and eggs in the morning will forever remind me of my Dad.

And Soul Full Cup will also remind me of him, as that's where he introduced me to caramel lattes. Many a father-daughter date was had at Soul Full over the years I lived in Corning.

I remember studying there through my time at Corning Community College. And meeting up with friends. Going on dates with My Love. Sipping lattes and reading good books.

There are other great coffee shops in Corning that have a piece of my heart. But Soul Full will always be my favorite. I use my orange coffee mug on an almost daily basis.

So I want to give you a chance to enjoy the bright colors and amazing flavors of Soul Full!

Enter below to win!

I'll be randomly drawing two lucky winners on Wednesday night (EST) to be the happy recipients of a pound of coffee and an orange Soul Full mug!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Soul Full Cup is has a fabulous selection of coffee available on their website if you don't happen to be in the Corning area. Check them out here!

 

Amazon suggestions {affiliate links}

French Press

Single serve French Press

Coffee grinder

Recipe | Roasted Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes, Orange, and Cilantro

This meal is amazing... I like to call it "the meal that never ends" because if you follow my modifications, you end up having at least five meals worth of food out of one recipe, that comes together pretty easily!

I really like making this meal for company because it seems fancy but it's totally not.

The original recipe is one of my favorite pork roast meals in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. {my affiliate link} I've recommended that cookbook to you guys about a thousand times now and I will probably keep recommending it till the day I die.

Important note on tools: I have changed this recipe to make it easier and the primary way I have done that is to change it from a slow cooker recipe to a dutch oven recipe. So you will need a dutch oven {here's the link to the one I use} and an immersion blender {like this one} to make this my way. If you want it the ATK way, you'll have to buy their book ;-) If you don't believe me that you need a dutch oven, comment below and I'll talk your ear off about all the ways I use mine!

Roasted Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes, Orange, and Cilantro
original by America's Test Kitchen, modified by Jessica Aiduk

1 boneless pork loin roast (whatever size fits your pot) 
2 onions, sliced thin
3 jalapenos, minced (leave the seeds if you like things spicy) 
2 tablespoons cumin
6 cloves minced garlic
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 orange juice concentrate, thawed (standard) 
4 tablespoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons dried oregano 
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped small-ish 
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

(optional cilantro sour cream = 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat about two tablespoons of both butter and olive oil in your dutch oven at medium high heat. Dry your roast with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Brown the roast on all sides, then set aside on a plate.

2. Add more butter to the dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Saute the onions, jalapenos, cumin, and salt until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and cook till fragrant, about 3 seconds, then add the tomatoes (with juice) and scrape up all the delightful browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add broth, the entire can of orange juice concentrate, the chipotle chiles, and the oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3. Return the pork roast to the dutch oven, then add the sweet potatoes slowly until you have basically filled up the pot. Nestle them into the liquid. It's okay if you can't fit all the sweet potatoes. Save them for something else!

4. Cover the pot and cook in the oven at 325 degrees for about two hours. (In the meantime, make some rice or whip up that cilantro sour cream if you want!)

5. You know the pork's done when it registers between 165-175 degrees. Remove the pork to a plate. Using your immersion blender, puree the ingredients of the dutch oven into a zesty sweet potato soup!

6. Shred the pork roast with two forks into bite-sized pieces. Serve over rice, topped with a generous spoonful of the soup, and some sour cream and cilantro. (Or the yummy cilantro sour cream.)

So that's meal #1. 

Meal #2... eat the leftovers for another dinner.

Meal #3... have a hearty lunch of leftover soup with a sprinkling of rice and pork, if you have any left!

Meal #4... just soup for lunch with sour cream and sauerkraut. Or for dinner with a side of crusty bread to beef it up.

Meal #5... freeze a jar of just the soup, to be pulled out and re-purposed into another meal (saute some chicken and cook more rice, roast some broccoli, and you've got the sauce at the ready!)

Like I said, it's the meal that never ends! 

It can have a spicy kick, so be aware that you'll want to tone the heat down depending on your family preferences. My kids do okay with plenty of sour cream added. (though in the interest of full disclosure Lily is on a HUGE "I don't like anything you make" kick, so it's not like she'd be eating much more than a few bites of this anyways ;-) but that's a whiny post for another day)

So make this pork roast when you need some spicy, guilt-free comfort food that lasts for days!

And let me know how you like it!

In Defense of the Exceptionally Ticklish

You know, it's really tough being SUPER ticklish.

I'm sure that many of you are somewhat ticklish. But this post is to my fellow over-the-top-ohmygosh-3rd-degree-ticklish people.

It sucks being that ticklish.

My first experience recently with a 90 minute full body massage will illustrate this point well.

Firstly, HUGE shout out to My Love for the rockin' Christmas present!

Second, I wanted a massage so so so bad. I've been meaning to go get one for a long long time. But apparently, I'm lazy. (Who's too lazy to schedule a massage appointment? That might be a discussion for another day...)

So here I was, my first ever real deal massage. (to clarify, J's given me lots of massages and I've had brief professional massages before. But never full body and never 90 minutes. Also, J's massages usually end with me being angry at him because he tickles me... which isn't his fault. But I digress.)

At the spa, this woman's handshake immediately had me thinking two things... 1. this is going to be a great massage. and 2. oh crap I just remembered how ticklish I am.

She's all like: you have to relax
And I'm all like: DUDE I'M TRYING. Maybe you could use the gentle palm of your hand right there instead of the weight of a thousand suns behind your thumb?
And she's all like: Well that muscle is very small I have to use my thumb. 

Oy vey.

It was comical to say the least.

I would like to remind all you non-believer's out there that being obnoxiously ticklish is NOT voluntary! For the love, do you think I'm TRYING to act like a fool and have a spazz attack at random moments during this massage? Do you think I'm HAPPY with my body right now?

NO. Stupid body. Cut. it. out.

Like, I can't even think about getting pedicures anymore... no one but me can touch my feet without me melting into a fit of giggle spasms. It's stressful man!

Now I definitely felt better after the massage. But I think my neck and shoulders are almost more relaxed after some deep yoga stretches than they are after being tickled to death at the spa. Which is kind of depressing, cause it means I have to hit the mat and not be a lazy bum instead of going to someone else to work out all that "I sit at the computer too much" tension. Boo.

On the bright side, yoga is cheaper.

Being this ticklish makes me lose my mind sometimes. I have been known to be laughing uproariously while simultaneously being so pissed that I have bitten my own husband. Who does that?

REALLY ticklish people, that's who. 

Want to learn more about tickling today?

     - Did you know there's such a thing as a "tickle researcher?" And that it seems none of them can really figure out WHY we laugh when we're being tortured with tickling.

     - There's suspicions that tickling might help children learn to protect the more vulnerable areas of their bodies... though the term "combat" is used in this post, which I think is odd ;-) I do think it's adorable that they say babies respond to tickling with laughter in the first few months of life and that's it's often the first form of communication between them and caregivers! Awwwww...

    - 12 Fun Facts about Tickling Though I would argue that knowing tickling has been used as an actual form of torture (to death?!?!? ) is NOT a fun fact. It's kind of disconcerting. Just saying. (like... how does one DIE of tickling? Do you have a heart attack? I'm stressing just contemplating this!)

    - And finally, a little bit more about what tickling teaches us and our young ones. Also, elephants tickle each other? Seriously?

So what do you think? Are you super ticklish, too? Do you just avoid massages or do you have some trick that I need to learn to get through 90 minutes? 

Seasonal Depression is for Squares | Series Wrap Up - No One's Going to Rescue You

I am feeling so uplifted after writing this series on seasonal depression. Not only did I feel a huge boost being able to share my experiences with you, but I got a lot of great tips and information from YOU, my lovely readers!

Thank you. 

If you missed any of the 30 tips, I have links to all of them in the first post, which you can find here. Please pin it and save it to come back to whenever you're feeling down. And speaking of pins, I created a Winter Blues board you can follow right here. I'll keep adding to it as I find more great tips and info on seasonal depression.

There are a lot of important things to take away from this series, and everyone's going to get something different out of it.

But the big thing I want to end with is this -

No one's going to rescue you. That's your job. 

This is a lesson I've learned that applies to a lot of things in life. But today it really applies to seasonal depression. When we're struggling through the fog of a mental illness (yes, that is what it is, even if it's "not that bad") we tend to hope that someone's going to help us.

But trust me when I remind you sweet friend, your mental and emotional well-being are primarily your responsibility!

YOU are the only one who knows what's really going on with YOU. And you may not know exactly what you need, but you're the only one who can start the process to break through the fog and get help.

It's not that your friends and loved ones don't care. It's that a) they can't necessarily know what you might be needing and b) it's not their job to babysit your brain during the winter months.

Be your own mental health advocate and start taking ownership of your emotions, hormones, and moods. The winter months can be hard. Unless you live in one of these places. But most of us don't. So we have to work hard and fight for happiness.

We can do this you guys!

We can fight through the fog and find the beauty in winter! 

Thanks again for reading and commenting through this series.

I wish you all a less SAD winter!

30 Ways to Think Outside the SAD Box this Winter | Part Three

Thanks for tuning into the whole series on beating the winter blues! I've been so encouraged and inspired by all the comments and great ideas. Thank you for joining in the conversation and helping spread the word about SAD!

This is not a comprehensive list, but I feel like we're all pretty well prepared to make the last few months of this winter less of a bummer.

Without further ado, the last ten tips from yours truly... 

21. Brew a hot cup of your favorite tea. Just putting your tea kettle on the stove can improve your mood. The cozy feeling of a warm beverage in your hands is one of the many ways to warm yourself up. Inside and out! (Bonus points if your tea kettle is bright yellow like the one My Love got me!)

22. Plan a vacation. Really research it and get into it... even if it's not going to happen for awhile. They say that the anticipation, planning, and daydreaming about a vacation actually gives us more pleasant satisfaction than the vacation itself! I'm not entirely sure that it's true, but I can't argue that it's not amazing to have something fun to look forward to. I just got a Lonely Planet Travel Guide to Thailand. I don't know exactly when we're going to take that trip, but we both really want to. And reading about it, getting ideas, and looking at beautiful photos will help me feel like I'm already halfway to a new location! Far far away from these grey skies!

23. Take a hot bath with your favorite calming essential oils or a fabulous bubble bath. Don't underestimate the power of pampering yourself on a daily basis. Take the time to breathe deep and really relax. Take the time to put on a luxurious lotion from head to toe after. Put your jammies on the heater to warm up (or in the dryer) and wrap yourself up all nice and cozy before bed!

24. Spend $10 on something you don't really need. New makeup, nail polish, hair accessory, scarf, jewelry, etc. Anything that makes you smile. Even if you already own 30 scarves. or more. Not that I would know anything about that.

25. Commiserate with someone else who struggles with seasonal depression. Be careful with this one... you certainly don't want to fall into the "misery loves company" camp. But it sure is nice to know you're not the only one feeling like this! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and join the TABA community discussions about looking for the silver lining in these dark winter months!

26. Start a collection of wool socks. And maybe a nice pair of slippers, too. But definitely fuzzy, cozy socks. As many as you need to last between laundry days.

27. Make some of these easy rice cozies to warm you up on cold winter nights. Here's a tutorial I found on Pinterest. I made the girls each a large one in their favorite color for Christmas. Every night, as part of the bedtime routine, I warm them up in the microwave before stories. I will sometimes heat them up and put them in my lap or behind my back while I work at the computer at night.

28. Give yourself some downtime to do something silly. I like to sit under a blanket on the couch and color in a "for Mommy only" coloring book. The smell of crayons and the soothing, childish nature of "wasting time" coloring always brings a smile to my face and helps me relax.

29. Start conversations with strangers. I was just reading in Health magazine that people who talk to strangers report having more pleasant commutes or better experiences while out shopping! I can attest to this, since I have a tendency to talk to anyone with a pulse. I just love to make the long boring waits in the pharmacy queue or the grocery store less tedious by striking up conversation with someone. It helps me feel like the world is a happier place just knowing that two strangers were able to chat and laugh together for a few minutes!

30. Talk to your doctor about meds if you need them. It's hard for people to admit sometime that they need medication. I know it was for me! But you might need it. Between anxiety issues and depression issues, I've had a very good run with Zoloft and vitamin D this year. My doctor is amazing and very supportive. I wanted to be able to muscle my way into mental health or "just stop" feeling bad. But the human body is a very complicated thing and sometimes you need modern medicine to get it back on track. Don't be ashamed to say you can't do it on your own. And don't make yourself suffer needlessly for years, for whatever reason. It's not worth it!

You're not in this alone! 

We all have to deal with varying levels of the winter blues. There are so many ways to
make winter work for you. Please tell me in the comments if you have any other things you do to lift your mood during the winter months!

I'm all ears for more tried and true tips and tricks!

30 Ways to Think Outside the SAD Box this Winter | Part Two

Guess what you guys?

The sun was shining gloriously yesterday! 

So I followed some of my own advice from part one's post and spent about an hour and a half outside in the afternoon! I walked down to into the village center to work on my upcoming participation in the "Home Sweet Home" blog circle this month. (Lots of pretty pictures of Otterberg's church coming your way) And then I hoofed it up the hill to pick up the girls at kindergarten, and we took the long way home so they could make plenty of stops to play and jump and twirl and soak up the sun, too.

I can tell my mood is a thousand times improved. I was so cranky a few days ago. I think we were going on day ten or so of no sunshine.

So I made the most of it. We even got out of the house for a family date night!

When I first started talking to Kirsten (hi, K!) about my issues with seasonal depression, she said she could relate. And also that Dana really struggled with it, too. She called us "solar-powered people" and I just love that description.

SO for those of us who are more solar-powered than others, here are the next ten tips in the series! 

11. Watch some home videos of your kids when they were little and did cute things. Or look at photos of yourself as a child. Remember the innocence and sweetness of childhood. Smile as you think about "the good old days."

12. Turn off every single electronic device that calls relentlessly for your attention and read a novel for an hour. This is obviously not going to improve your mood if you aren't a book worm like me, but if you are, it's really important to take time to read. I can always tell when I've gone too long without giving myself a reading break... I start jonesing for a second to just sit down and focus on one thing. And the chance to escape to a different world for a little while. If you're looking for something new,  here's the Washington Post's top ten list from 2014 (and they have more links and suggestions, too) and here's Huffington Post's list of 30 classics you should read before you're 30. Which I'm definitely gonna have to get cracking on if I want to cross them all off in the next two years ;-)

13. Get out of your house and spend actual real life time with humans. The absolute worst winter I remember here was when we were down to one car and I used that as an excuse to stay stranded at home a lot. I was too lazy to work around J's schedule so that I could have the car, and too lame to regularly invite people over to my house. SO I ended up being home alone a lot with two little girls and a whole lot of pent up seasonal depression issues. Do yourself a favor and connect with people, face to face, on a regular basis through the winter. Facebook is great but it doesn't count.

14. Make sure you have something awesome to be a part of. It really helps to be a part of something that energizes you. I have seen a huge difference in my outlook this winter with my involvement with Grace Studio. I look forward to my classes because they get me out of the house and interacting face to face with people (see #13) and they challenge me body, mind, and spirit. I love my German language classes because learning a language is one of the few things these days that make me feel like I'm really truly using my brain! And I love using my muscles at the Wednesday 90 minute yoga class, plus sweating my a$$ off at Bri's FemFusion class on Friday! It's even amazing to see how excited the girls are for ballet every Thursday. Sure, it makes us busy. But it makes me feel alive and energized, too!

15. Have a family nerf gun fight! (or an adults-only strip nerf battle!) We always end up with lots of laughter, a boost of energy, and a little healthy family competition... all things that equal a lifting of everyone's spirits, plus some good memories. I even get an added smiley-boost from the fact that it usually takes about a week to find all the lost bullets. Every time I find one, I remember our fun little family moment!

16. Paint your nails a ridiculously bright color. Muted colors might be "in" in the winter, but what you might really need to see every time you look at your fingers is highlighter pink or sunshine yellow. Just saying ;-)

17. Make a print of a photo that you think is beautiful (even from your phone!) to frame and hang where you'll see it often. There's a lot of power in the visual reminder of beauty, especially in dreary winter months. If you need to find some fine art prints, look no further than Jesse's Girl Photography {shameless plug} specifically, the sunflower album! I read once that just looking at large images that contained a lot of green and yellow improved test subject's mood.

18. Sit by a fire. We were so thankful to find a house with lots of windows in the main living room and also a big beautiful fireplace. I know I'm not the only one who finds fires therapeutic. It's like sunshine right in front of my face! Plus it warms my toes! If you have an option when you move here, hunt for a house with a fireplace. If not, find a friend who has one and invite yourself over for tea and good conversation regularly!

19. Set your timer for 20 minutes and race yourself to work on something you've been procrastinating on. Just DO SOMETHING! Endless procrastination makes everyone feel so yucky, but lack of motivation is unfortunately another issue we deal with in the winter! So attacking my kitchen mess with violent abandon really lifts my spirits. Rushing around the house to pick things up gets the blood flowing in my veins and makes me happy once I can see my living room floor again. (Now, cleaning isn't the only thing you can do, but that's just one of my methods for a) getting my butt out of my computer chair periodically and b) actually getting some housework done) I really like using those 20 minutes to crush a lame task, then I can get back to my coffee and reading on the couch by the fire!

20. Splurge on an obnoxiously expensive, amazing smelling candle. I'm looking at you, Yankee. It's just nice to have the cozy scent of your favorite candle in your home. Winter is the only time I really burn candles so I consider it a special treat and worth the splurge!

Tune in tomorrow for the last ten tips for battling seasonal depression! 

Thank you so much for all the comments and sharing! I love hearing that I'm not the only one who goes through this. It's especially comforting to be able to relate to folks from all around the world! Please keep letting me know what you think... I'm learning from you, too!

30 Ways to Think Outside the SAD Box this Winter | Part One

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback about this series!

I'm excited to share my tips and experiences, and also to learn from yours! 

{Here's the intro post if you missed it}

Today I'm going to give you the first ten tips and tricks I've learned to battle seasonal depression. They are in no particular order...

1. Spend 15 minutes looking at photos from an event that made you really happy. In her book The Happiness Project {affiliate link here, I highly recommend} Gretchen Rubin writes "Studies show that recalling happy times helps boost happiness in the present. When people reminisce, they focus on positive memories, with the result that recalling the past amplifies the positive and minimizes the negative." I like to browse through our vacation albums. I get equal boosts from looking at all the cool places we've been while living in Europe and also all the good times we've had going back to the States to visit family.

2. Take a brisk walk around your neighborhood and look for the beauty in Winter. It seriously doesn't have to be a long walk, especially if it's freezing outside. Just follow the German saying that "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing" and get yourself out there! Studies show that even on cloudy days, your brain still registers that you're outside and this can boost your serotonin levels. Fresh air also lifts your spirits. And if you're freezing, then you'll walk fast and if you stay out long enough you can totally count it as exercise! (see #6)

3. Dance to loud music for 10 minutes. Dudes I'm a terrible dancer. But we're talking about the comfort of your home. No one has to know. Except your kids... who usually think it's just the coolest thing ever to jump around like crazy monkeys with Mommy. It gets our heart rate up and it makes us smile. Being silly is always better than being SAD ;-)

4. Find a friend who loves snail mail and agree to send each other postcards or pretty letters, especially throughout the winter months. Buy lovely stationery. Decorate it with stamps or stickers. Brightening someone's day will brighten yours, and receiving something in your mailbox besides junk and bills will be a huge boost for you!

5. Take a 15 minute power nap. If you've never considered yourself in need of a power nap, you should reconsider. I'm a huge believer in the power of a short afternoon nap (heck I also love long, lazy afternoon naps, too, but I save those for the weekends when the girls are in a snuggly mood!) I just read this great post about power napping. Shake yourself out of that groggy, tired, unproductive feeling by giving your brain and body a nice little rest!

6. Exercise at least a little bit every single day. I know I know I know. We KNOW that this one is huge. We KNOW why. We KNOW how much better we feel when we exercise. But alas, when I'm feeling blah, I am so much more likely to stay in my sweatpants all day rather than busting out my yoga mat. I'm getting more excited about my yoga journey, so it's been a pretty good Winter for exercise, but I still wouldn't say I hit that target of 5 times a week.

7. Make your home life sparkle. I've noticed that many of the Germans leave their Christmas lights up well into January. I have a pretty paper Christmas star lamp that I leave up all year round cause I love it so much. If Christmas decorations make you happy, leave them up till March! Who's gonna stop you!

8. Buy and regularly use a portable therapy light. When I saw a psychologist on base about SAD, his first recommendation was this therapy light by Philips. {here's my affiliate link } The price was a bit daunting, but it was worth every penny. I was skeptical at first about the effectiveness of these things but I'd had enough people mention them to me that I finally had to give one a try. Also, the doctor was so in love with it that he had it with him right there in the office and demonstrated all the features for me. You can use it as an alarm, program it to varying degrees of brightness, and change the session lengths to meet your needs. The blue light tricks your brain into thinking it's a bright sunny day outside... increasing the amount of serotonin your body makes, boosting your mood and energy levels, and helping you regulate your sleep. I don't care if it's 100% placebo effect, I noticed a difference within a week of first using it two years ago. The fact that it's wireless means I can use it anywhere without having to worry about an outlet. I sometimes cook with it on the counter. I've done yoga with it on the floor in front of my mat. I've used it while reading on the couch. And I'm currently using it right this second on my computer desk as I type. I highly highly recommend you get one to use in the mornings and in the afternoons during the winter. It really really helps!

9. Schedule a Skype date with a faraway friend or family member who always lifts your spirits. Connecting with an old friend always gets me in a great mood, in part because of all the laughter and catching up, and in part because it reminds me of all the good times we had. And I always have a skip in my step after talking to my sisters for awhile. They are such inspiring souls... with funny stories and great energy to share. Reconnect with loved ones!

10. Create a funny Pinterest board and spend 10 minutes chuckling when you feel down. I have created this board "When you just need to laugh" that you can follow to get yours started. Laughing regularly is a legit way to boost your mood for free with zero side effects!

If these tips gave you some good ideas to get out of your SAD slump, please share on Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter!

And be sure to come back tomorrow for the next ten tips!

How a "Watch" Strengthened My Resolve to be Present... Plus a Giveaway for You

Look what I found!

It looks like a watch, it feels like a watch, but it's NOT a watch.

It's a reminder to slow down. 

And a very important reminder it is...

You don't have to worry about batteries, daylight savings, time zones, or alarms.

It really helps me remember to worry less. period.

It may not minimize or eliminate all time-related worry, but it does remind you that sometimes, the best answer to the question "what time is it?" is "now."

I found this company on instagram (@stealtimeback) and I fell in love with the product and the message.

You can browse their website here to find out more about the "now" movement, check out their shop full of cool now bracelets, and read their awesome blog... full of inspiration and gentle reminders to enjoy this beautiful life that we have a tendency to FLY through at frantic pace.

I've mentioned before that I have always had a problem with perfectionism, being a type-A personality, and having too strict a schedule.

Being a mother has taught me more and more that it's important to free yourself from that self-imposed bondage to the clock.

Here's the blog post where I talk about how freeing it was to lose my watch in Barcelona three years ago. I haven't owned a "real" watch since. And it's been very good for me to be watch-free.

Then here's the post where I talk about my struggle with being obsessed with what's next... too driven, taking on too much, and constantly re-learning to let go and slow down.

You can't make time for what's important unless you're willing to recognize that your time is a precious, finite commodity. You have to say no to some things. And that's really hard for me. I talk about it in depth here. 

This picture that Ana took of me in Amsterdam will always hold a special place in my heart because it illustrates how I'm feeling as I'm working through all these life lessons. The world still runs all around me. But I'm learning how to be still. (that blog post is here)

At German class this week, Jenny taught us how to talk about New Year's Resolutions and she asked us if we had any. In German, I fumbled for the words to say I don't really have any resolutions... except then I changed my mind and said I am continuing last year's resolution to slow down.

Slow down. 
Be here now. Enjoy. Observe. Don't rush.

It amazes me how much more content I am when I'm really focusing on right now.

After I found Steal Time Back, I reached out to them and asked for two bracelets... one for me to proudly wear and one for one of my lucky readers! They graciously and generously responded right away!

So I'm giving away one bracelet... here's where you enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One thing I didn't anticipate about this bracelet was how often I would look at it. I guess since it looks and feels so much like a watch, my busy brain still thinks it's a watch!

So even after three years of being watch-free, I'll catch myself wondering what time it is and I'll get the precious reminder that it's NOW whenever I look at my wrist!

It's also a great conversation starter... I've had lots of people notice that my watch isn't a watch and it's started some really interesting talks with friends and even strangers.

So please enter the giveaway and share this post with friends! 

Check out the Time Bandit's website and consider these products as a great little gift for yourself. Or a unique gift for someone else! Let's all join the club and make 2015 a year where we are present in the NOW.

I'll leave you with this great quote:

"There will be more of life to experience tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day.

And I don't have to be running after it all the time. 

Breathe, rest, practice the idea of enough... Full life is lived when the whole system works together, when rest and home and peace live hand in hand with taste and sparkle and go." (Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet)  (emphasis mine)

I Might Have Won the Fight for a Cozy Christmas

I just love this quote.

I read it in November when I was going through the Cozy Christmas ebook. (It's only $5 right now so go get yours before the sale ends!) It helped me to stay grounded this season when I wanted to go all crazy-Christmas Mom instead of cozy-Christmas Mom. 

The quote to be so true. I intentionally watched the month unfold through the girls' eyes. And boy were they impressed. I could hardly believe how excited they were, when I "knew" I wasn't doing "it all" quite "right."

As adults, we tend to rush through life way too fast anyways, and never more than during the Christmas season. As "slow down" has been my biggest life's lesson of 2014, I was really intentional about finishing the year strong in that department. I knew I needed to have a Christmas version of my things-I-don't-do list.

It wasn't easy. Christmas is the time of year I really truly WANT to do it all! So I had to be pretty ruthless with myself.

My children had a lovely month... and they're going to have a lovely next few days. And that's how I want to look at Christmas. 

Even if you don't have children, take a few moments this week to contemplate and enjoy the sparkle around you with fresh eyes. Child's eyes. Breathe it all in... the cinnamon and pine and sugar cookies and gingerbread. Sit on the couch under a blanket with all the lights off but the Christmas tree lights.

Just be in the quiet moments of Christmas. 

Look at the things you did this month and smile. Don't look at the things you didn't do and worry. Every season is different and it's the same with Christmas! This year, I couldn't get around to stringing popcorn garland or celebrating St. Nicholas Day or making 5 different types of cookies or getting all the packages mailed on time. I didn't make the cinnamon ornaments I wanted to make for the tree.

But I did have fun. And so did the girls!

We ate monkey bread and decorated the tree and read our favorite Christmas books a million times. I delegated or ignored tasks that weren't absolutely necessary so I could make time for Christmas playdough and paper snowflakes. I was the busiest I've ever been professionally during the holidays, having a blast photographing the Nutcracker, but I still made time for yoga and reading and getting enough sleep. The girls and I had fun singing Christmas songs with this free app and they REALLY loved this free app where they got to cut Santa's hair!

When I look back at this month, I have none of the feelings of "Christmas stress" that I usually have. Just a lot of happy memories.

Ahhhhh so THAT'S what that feels like! 

Merry Merry MERRY Christmas you guys!

Why You Should Cross Salt Consumption Off of Your Guilt-List

As we're all frantically preparing for Thanksgiving today... and excitedly planning on stuffing our faces tomorrow, I just thought I'd throw out one thing you really shouldn't worry about:

Don't feel guilty about salting your food as you cook, or after you plate it either! 

Salt is good for you. Table salt (bonus points if it's high quality table salt) is not the evil sodium that you've heard you should stay away from.

Here are some really good posts that give you in-depth reasons why salt is great and why you should a) find a good source and b) eat more of it!

Yes, more salt!

But if you don't have time to read them today, don't worry! I'll recap.

So the first post is from Scientific American and to sum it up, I'll quote this sentence, "For every study that suggests that salt is unhealthy, another does not." This New York Times article agrees with that. So. That's confusing. Or maybe not! Maybe we should just use common sense and let "them" (whoever they are) argue about it.

We should cook with salt. And eat less fast food and less bags of chips. The salt in our home-cooked deliciousness will help us crave the chips, less. I hope ;-)

The next one I want you to read is 12 Reasons Why Salt is Good for You. Cause even if you only skim it, you'll feel less guilty about sprinkling salt as you cook the gravy! I mean, if nothing else, my favorite reason that salt is good for you is that it makes your food taste good! And if your food tastes good, you're tummy is happy. And if your tummy is happy, you are happy. Everyone wins! Bonus points if you want to read this article which compares different unrefined salts.

Katie Kimball is always my go-to resource on food questions. She has a really well-researched post on salt at Kitchen Stewardship. I really like how she breaks down all the chemical processes and additives in normal white table salt. It kind of freaks me out (ew) but it's still good to know!

And finally, Sally Fallon reminds us in the book Nourishing Traditions {affiliate link here} that with only a few exceptions, all traditional cultures use some salt. People have always sought out natural forms of salt. And discovered that salt helps preserve and even enhances the nutrients in vegetables (when lacto-fermented.)

A really important (and pretty easy) thing to remember is that if your salt is white, it's been tampered with. Natural salt is going to have some sort of color (pink, grey, brown, even red) which shows that it still has all of it's trace minerals. Katie Kimball says natural salt has 84 (!!!) trace minerals! Whew. All the buzz about "sea salt" doesn't really matter if the salt is white. That means they bleached it, among many other things. Ew!!!

So, colorful salt is the healthiest salt. 

We use pink Himalayan salt because it's the easiest for me to get from the German grocery store.

So while we are all probably justified feeling a tiny bit guilty about those three slices of pie, we don't really have to worry about salting our buttery mashed potatoes.

Wait, am I the only one planning on at least three slices of pie? ;-)

Today's takeaway: be thankful for (and eat plenty of) salt tomorrow, and every day! 

A very very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

7 Mompreneurs Well Worth Supporting this Holiday Season

Alright Santas... time to start making those lists, and checking them twice, right?

I have a great list of ideas to get your list started!

Who doesn't love to make an awesome purchase while knowing it benefits someone you believe in? Someone who's working hard.

Someone who lights up their little corner of the world with creativity.

We all know many someones out there who are striving to work from home or running small businesses. 

I would like to highlight seven hard working Moms this Christmas season. Consider starting your holiday gift shopping right here with this list of great products, services, and ebooks! 

You can check some gifts off your list while knowing you're giving a financial high five to these amazing ladies. 

1. The first thing you need to buy is for yourself actually - the Keeping Christmas Cozy ebook from Alissa over at her Creative with Kids blog. Because the first thing we usually do at the mention of Christmas is go off the deep end with to-do lists and stress. Alissa's simple (short!) ebook was a delight to read. I got some great ideas from her (and printables so I have even less to do!) and was feeling super zen after reading it. Her main message is that we want to strive for "connection, not perfection" as we plan out our family's holiday memories. 

2. You know how much I love Raisin' Acres Farm. They are my go-to for all things skin care related. And the hand-crafted bar soaps are so delightful to smell and feel so great on the hands! They would make perfect stocking stuffers! The 1 oz jars of hand creme would also be perfect for the stockings on your lists... I really like that they are the perfect size to toss in my purse to have on hand (ha.ha.pun) whenever dry, itchy skin strikes. I recently tried her herbal bath tea and oh heavens was it relaxing. Who doesn't want THAT for Christmas?

3. If you love to shop in style and are obsessed with fun hair accessories... then Sarah at Jules & Belle Go to Market has what you need. Everyone needs a beautiful market tote. Or two or three. You could even use them to wrap gifts for people! I'm thinking of getting Lily and Sam some more hair bows and headbands from her, as well as a "tiny tote" for each of them. We love our headbands - adorable AND comfortable! 

4. Three great ebooks (and one for free!) from Trina Holden! Tips and tricks on eating healthier but being able to cook faster. How to plan and be efficient in the kitchen. How to dress your changing mom-bod so you can hold your head high no matter how much baby weight you still "need" to lose. And of course, the newest cookbook that I reviewed about real food as a stress-free journey. Her books would be great for any new mom or anyone starting out in the real food journey.

5. For the local shoppers you should consider gift certificates from Grace Studio. You can find something for everyone at Grace. You can purchase gift certificates for dance classes (starting at 125 euro for the semester) and for fitness/yoga classes or German language classes you can get a 10 class punch card for only 65 euros! If I had more time in the week, I would probably be at Grace Studio every day... fantastic German lessons, invigorating yoga classes, FemFusion, and of course, chuckling as my kids pitter about during pre-ballet ;o) 

6. Here's a website I'm really excited to introduce you to: FemFusion. What is FemFusion, you ask? I'll let the founder, Bri, answer in her own words... "Your go-to resource for women's health and fitness information. Doctor-designed videos, live group fitness classes, and an online community. Look good, feel great, and shine brighter!" Here's the shop. The information is spot on and the encouragement from knowing and learning from Bri has been so great! It might seem weird to get someone fitness-related videos for Christmas, but I know I always feel the need for a fitness re-boot after a delightful December of Christmas cookies and egg nog! There are three different locations for FemFusion in the KMC. Also, I haven't finished reading it myself yet, but she has this really great ebook available as well and so far it's been an eye opening lesson on the neglected female issue of poor inner core health. Bri's all about educating while encouraging. Win win!

7. Now it's my turn! Time to toot my own horn and recommend fine art prints from Jesse's Girl Photography! One thing that's really cool to do with them is order a set of 5-10 photos that would look nice in a collage or grouped together in a specific room. I've had clients order sets of food photography to make collages in their kitchens or produce shots for a gardening shed! I know sunflowers are really popular, so you can get a bunch together for the sunflower-lover in your life! There's something for everyone because everyone likes to decorate their walls with something beautiful to look at. And here is my easy tutorial on hanging a great photo collage. You'll never have to guess again!

And then of course, there's my amazon affiliate link. Which is for those of you who want none of the above but would still like to support my blog.

If you're anything like me, you shop amazon like CRAZY during the holidays. Since you're going there anyways, please consider heading there by way of any of my affiliate links. You can click that big box right there, or you can use the smaller link at the top right of my sidebar.

What happens (it couldn't be easier for you!) is you click "through me" to get into amazon. Then you shop. For whatever you want. (You don't have to shop for something that I have linked to. I can link to a 10 gallon tub of coconut oil and you can buy your husband new headphones.)

The amazon robots watch you and then when you purchase something, they toss a few coins in my bank account as a thank you for advertising for them! You don't even have to do anything! (The same is true for my Mountain Rose Herbs box in the sidebar, which you could use to get the hippie in your life some essential oils!)

So those are my suggestions for supporting some awesome small businesses this Christmas! 

Happy shopping!

If any of these products or services excite you, please pin it for later to your "gift idea" board!