Archive for April, 2012
I Love This House
Posted by the mommy files in Uncategorized on April 24, 2012
Have you checked out designmom.com? I love her blog! She has a series called Living With Kids. The series showcases amazing homes of families with children. I especially love the home that was showcased today. It’s a beautiful craftsman home. Be sure to notice the nook under the stairs. The 3rd floor is probably my favorite. There is only one thing I would change…I would have to add a little color to the master bedroom. But that is all, nothing else. Head on over to designmom.com and enjoy Living With Kids: Molly Winn. This house makes me want to purge everything in my home and start over.
What do you think of the house? Your style? If not, what style of home do you prefer?
New Projects
Posted by the mommy files in Projects on April 20, 2012
I’ve recently fallen in love with making things out of cement and hypertufa. Have you heard of Hypertufa? I’ve been trying to read any and all books or blogs on these subjects. The possibilities are endless on different things I can create. I can’t work as fast as my brain comes up with ideas. Here are some of my creations so far, and I’ve only just begun.
Garden Tablet
Flower Pot
Large Flower Pot
The above large flower-pot is one of my favorites so far. Unfortunately it cracked. Do you see the large crack? I’m going to try to repair it enough so that I can use it in my garden. I was heartbroken.
Tealight Candleholders
These are so cute and rustic. Perfect for a patio or poolside. These would also be gorgeous lining a walkway. I have tons of ideas.
Votive Candleholders
I did a stepping stone today. It takes about 2 or 3 days to dry. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. I have a picture of a hypertufa trough that I made for a friend. It’s running around here in my computer somewhere. I will find it and include it in a later post.
Have you ever made anything out of cement? Hypertufa? Please share your experience. I would love to hear about it.
Till next time…..
Whole Foods Plant Based Diet
Posted by the mommy files in Food/Recipes on April 17, 2012
Since I watched the Forks Over Knives documentary, I have stared reading both the Forks Over Knives book and the Engine 2 Diet. Let me tell you, there are some pretty interesting facts in both of these books. It really opens your eyes to the way our society eats and why there are so many diseases and overweight people.
I have to be honest, I don’t know if I could ever eat a 100% whole food/plant-based diet. I would miss dairy a whole bunch. Plus, I love seafood. I do not have a hard time eating a lot of fruits, veggies and whole grains because I love those also.
Here is what I have done so far: I have NOT had red meat in over a week. I also haven’t had eggs in over a week. I have used Almond Milk instead of milk about 80% of the time. The only real meat I had last week was a few slices of bacon….and let me tell you, my body let me know that it was not happy about that! Over the weekend I was out-of-state shopping with family. And of course we ate out every single meal. Mostly I ate fish along with my fruits and veggies but I did have chicken for 1 meal.
I really can’t complain about how my 9 year-old eats. He loves fruits and veggies. He will usually try anything at least once. I have been trying some new recipes with Broccoli and Cauliflower from Pinterest and they have been a hit. But my boy is a meat and potatoes man. He loves his meat and potatoes. So in an attempt to get a little more veggies and little less meat on his plate I just reduce meat portions and increase everything else. He usually has oatmeal with a banana for breakfast so I can’t complain about that.
We are making slow gradual changes in our house. I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat ONLY the foods that go along with a whole foods/plants based diet. I do believe that it is much healthier for you and that you CAN get all the nutrients you need eating that way. We will continue to make small changes towards this goal.
A few items that I bought at the grocery store the other day that I have never bought before and have no idea how to prepare….Couscous and Quinoa. Anyone have any good recipes they would like to share that include these ingredients?
Please share your story of eating a whole foods/plant-based diet. Was it hard for you and your family?
A New Way to Look at Food
Posted by the mommy files in Thoughts on April 9, 2012
A friend recommended that I watch a movie/documentary called Forks Over Knives. I didn’t get around to it until last night around 10 p.m. Once I started watching I couldn’t stop and it was an hour and a half long. I found it on hulu.com. It follows 2 doctors in their quest to prove how changing your diet to a whole food/plant-based diet can actually stop and in some cases reverse certain diseases. I was amazed. And intrigued. And motivated. And disgusted. And dumbfounded. And And And……
My friend and her husband have gone the route of changing their diet because of health issues. They haven’t cut out all dairy or all meat but have added in more whole foods and more plant-based foods. They have at least 2 vegetarian meals a week. They have seen amazing results. Not only have they lost weight, they have had reduced symptoms of some health issues, severe headaches have gone away, and they are just feeling better overall.
I don’t want to say much more because I want you to watch it for yourself. It will definitely make you think differently about what you eat. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Please come back and leave a comment about your thoughts on this subject after you’ve watch this. Or if you’ve already watched it, leave a comment now.
Frustrating
Posted by the mommy files in Thoughts on April 5, 2012
WARNING…..Rant about to take place! I know that millions of women have to deal with their ex’s (husbands or boyfriends) when there are children involved. I know that I am not alone in this area. I know that each of us has different situations and problems. And I cannot even begin to explain my situation in one post. In my case there is usually a new frustration each day.
Today’s frustration is that I’m waiting on a call from my ex so we can “talk” about my son’s “attitude.” And by talk I mean he lectures and rants while I sit on the other end of the phone going about my daily chores and listen. He is a professional lecturer. I mean, not really but he loves to do it and has had so much practice. You see, apparently my son has this “attitude” when he goes to his dad’s house. His dad says he is mouthy. Of course what 9-year-old boy does not have an attitude? They are in practice for when they become a teenager, right? I’m not sure if his dad thinks he should be perfect or if he just doesn’t know how to deal with him. I don’t see it as an out of control situation. I very rarely see attitude from my son when he is with me unless it has something to do with his dad. I try to explain this to his dad but of course I’m wrong and he is right. It couldn’t possibly have something to do with the way his dad treats him or the atmosphere at his dad’s house. It’s me, it’s all me. .
My heart goes out to the mothers out there who can’t even get their children’s fathers to be a part of their life. I applaud all single mothers because it is a tough job. It is hard enough raising children as a couple let alone doing it on your own. And I am envious of the single mothers out there who still get along with their ex’s. Be very thankful for that because some of us do not have that luxury.
Ok my rant for the day is over. Sometimes these thoughts that swirl around in my head just need to get out. Seeing it typed out and reading and re-reading really help. Sometimes not. But I would rather get it out than keep it all bottled up inside.
Till next time…..
April Fool’s Day / Palm Sunday
Posted by the mommy files in Misc. on April 1, 2012
Happy April Fool’s Day! I played no pranks on anyone and I didn’t get any pranks played on me. So it didn’t even really feel like April Fool’s Day. Were you as lucky as I was? Did you get to play some April Fool’s jokes on friends or family?
Today was also Palm Sunday. Kind of strange that Palm Sunday fell on April Fool’s Day. I hope you all had a fabulous day whether you were playing pranks or celebrating Palm Sunday. I spent the day with family and the weather was beautiful. Hope you have a most awesome week.
Till next time………
