{ the gift of clean water }

I found out about this program via this blog and think it is an amazing idea and wanted to share with you what I WILL be buying today. Water. Clean Water.

Today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a campaign to
buy water for christmas.

1.1 billion people on our planet lack access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.
4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
The lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.
and it doesn't have to be.

We can all spare $10 for this important cause....can't WE? What if we give the gift of clean water for Christmas gifts to each other this year? As we start the madness of the holiday season here, let us think about people there. Do we need more THINGS or do they need clean water?

Today...November 13...lets buy clean water. Clean life saving water.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years.
100% of proceeds go directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

And in case that hasn't inspired you enough check out this mother of 6's journey to Africa in support of this program here.

{ simple is beautiful }

Love this print from the Keep Calm Gallery.

{ a simple Christmas }

On average, it takes 6 months for families to pay off holiday bills...ouch. The mode of our culture is to consume and shop throughout the year. During the holiday season people feel they have to shop even MORE than normal. But it doesn't have to be that way. This year can be different. You don't have to spend a lot to have a meaningful celebration. Instead of shopping like crazy, here are some ways to simplify your holidays. { Here is my original post on this topic and here is a great article from the Seattle Times about moms taking back the holidays by taking on consumerism. }

1) Establish or honor family traditions.

2) Sit down with a calendar and make a list of things everyone in the family would like to do over the holidays. I like to build these things into our advent activity calendar.

3) Schedule in some "helping other" activities...donating food at the food bank, donating blankets to the homeless shelter, adopting a family for Christmas, etc. Involve your kids in choosing and taking part in these acts of giving. For example, I have Sam decorate paper bags that we then fill with food for the food bank, go grocery shopping and deliver them together.

4) Celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 21st. We always do a fancy dinner at home with sitting outside looking at the starts & drinking hot chocolate.

5) Light a special candle each night during the month of December and take turns reading stories, poems or saying things you are each grateful for. We generally try to incorporate this into our evening dinners together.

6) Make Christmas Day about spending time with family & friends and not about the gifts. We do this by having a simple bunch- Swedish coffee cake (my Gram's recipe), bagels & cream cheese, egg casseroll (make ahead of time)...And then we all don our snowshoes and go snowshoeing together.

Last year we pared down the gifts for the kids into 6 gift giving categories...But this year we are doing advent calendar activities and only 3 gifts. Note: Sam thinks Santa leaves ONE gift for each child (lots of kids to give things to...only one per child reasoning). We have again asked all of the grandparents to go easy on the gift giving (1-2 gifts per child) or donations to the kids college funds. So for Samme this translates into:

1 Want from Santa: A piano. I found a great (and super cheap) piano at the thrift store a few weeks ago. Score! Sam has wanted a piano forever....

1 Need: Winter gear - she outgrew last years snow boots.

1 Read: A new book.

Henry gets...

1 Want from Santa: An Ikea Trainset

1 Need: New PJ's

1 Read: A new book.

I've also created a year in review photo book from Shutterfly for all of the grandparents and birthparents. This is all our parents/grandparents are getting {oh and some custom (painted by Samme) artwork}.

Teachers are getting homemade bread and LobotoME notepads. Neighbors are getting bread or cookies. Hostess gifts will be wine & LobotoME notepads.

We are putting up our lovely reusable tree after Thanksgiving (I prefer the term reusable to fake...as much fun it would be to tromp into the woods and cut down a tree I can't bring myself to do it)...the peace on the front door, a live tree with white lights on the front porch (that we'll plant in the spring) and our stockings hung by the chimney. That's it. The rest of the holiday decor went to the thrift store last year.

The holidays are about spending time together. Peacefully. Not rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off.

What are you doing to keep it simple this year?

{ where work happens }

My office is the workspace of the week on Unclutterer today!

{It is certainly not lacking "color!" But I spend a lot of time in here at night (after the kids are in bed) so I like it to be bright & cheerful looking!}

{ school fundraisers }

I know a lot of you have school aged children and I've been getting involved in Sam's schools PTA program. One of the things that I was surprised about it is the "crap" - and I say that in the nicest way possible - that they sell to raise money for the school. I am all about raising money for the school but I don't want candy bars, glow sticks or Barbie books. So, I am working with Sam's school to sell LobotoME goods. I am selling them to the school for the wholesale price and the school makes a great margin (way better margins that a candy bar being sold for $1.00). The pads were warmly received as they help parents be more organized.

So, I'm curious if any of you are interested in bringing the LobotoME goods to your PTA? If so, let me know and I can send you or the PTA committee a catalog, order form (listing the wholesale prices) and a sample. Orders over $250 receive free shipping too!

And to sweeten the deal, if you bring your school on board, I'll send you a special gift too! :)

{ organize ME }

Check out Karen of Karina Ink's weekly organize ME planner (don't you just love her handwriting)? Get your own organize ME planner here.

{ halloween 09 }

Samme picked the costumes & theme this year. She wanted to be bat girl and said Henry had to be a little bat. Will was supposed to be Edward Cullen (but he bailed at the last minute) and I was a vampire...

{ feed ME }

Still trying to use up some apples from the tree & kale, spinach & swiss chard from the garden this week! And is anyone else a little wigged out that it's already November? Where did the fall go!?!?

Monday - Vegetarian Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup (with kale from the garden) - (note: I don't anticipate Sam will like this - But she likes raw kale so I'll add some kale to some noodles & parm. cheese).
Tuesday - Baked Ziti with Spinach & Tomatoes (with last spinach & tomato sauce from the garden) - Raising Foodies Cooking Club new recipe this week
Wednesday - Leftover Ziti from night before (busy night)
Thursday - Salmon, Brown Rice & Edamame
Friday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Apple Chutney & Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday - veggie chilli
Sunday - taco salad using remaining veggie chili

{ dear vampa }

This is an adorable kids book about vampire & werewolf neighbors.... for all of you Twilight loving moms out there, it's a perfect kids book. Happy Halloween!

{ 21 days }

....until New Moon! ;-) And I can't believe I live in a town where tickets haven't gone on sale yet!
I want tickets NOW!

Do you have your Bite ME pads yet?

And sticking with my Vampire obsession this Halloween, Will & I are dressing up as Vampires, Samme is Bat Girl and Henry is a little gray bat! Happy Halloween everyone!

{ ME vs. debt }

Check out my guest post today on Man vs. Debt ---- How I paid of $15,000 in school loans in 9 months by selling 'stuff' on ebay.

ps. Thank you Colgate for the wonderful (albeit expensive) education. However, I am equally as thankful to finally done with my school loans. Hooray!

{ flu prevention....naturally }

So, not to open a can of worms here, but we didn't get the flu or H1N1 vaccines. I'll leave it at that without launching into how we came to that well researched decision. However, I have done a ton of research on how to boost the kids immunity this year...We are fortunate that they seem to have solid functioning immune systems and rarely get sick - they eat healthy, take vitamins, get good rest, wash hands a hundred times a day, etc. But I wanted to bump it up even more since everyone we know has been or is sick. So here are some tips I've come across that have been helping us stay healthy.

Note: These are tips from a mom (ME) with no medical training (I was a geology/environmental studies major in college). Not a doctor. If you have flu symptoms go see your doctor, don't email ME!

1. Elderberry. An herb with anti-viral effects, elderberrry (or Sambucus nigra) has been touted as an all-natural defense against the H1N1 swine flu. Although research on elderberry's flu-fighting benefits is somewhat limited, there's evidence that this antioxidant-rich herb may reduce the duration and lessen the severity of the flu. Various products containing elderberry can be found at your local drugstore or online here. Additional info about elderberry's potential benefits here. We take Quantum Health Cold & Flu Immune Defense (Elderberry, Echinacea, Goldenseed & Vitamin C). Sam takes Irwin Kids Immuno-Zappers (Eldeberry, Zinc & Vitamin C) chewable vitamins - they taste like watermelon and Get Well Soothing Herbal Drops (Elderberry, Vitamin C & Eucalyptus). Henry gets 1/2 dropper of Elderberry Liquid Extract with water.

2. Andrographis. Anytime Will, Sam or I start to feel sick we start taking Andrographis. We like Plum Flowers Brand - Chuan Xin Lian. It has natural properties similar to an antibiotic. Note: We take the sugar coated (although said to be less effective because it is nasty if it dissolves too quickly in your mouth). We give Sam one tablet, 2-3 times a day. We take 3 tablets, 3 times a day. We just hide hers in a scoop of icecream and she is able to swallow it.

3. Obsessive hand-washing and resist all temptations to touch any part of face. We keep disinfectant handwash in our cars, bags, etc.

4. Gargle with salt water several times a day. H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling may help prevent proliferation.

5. Vitamin C & Zinc. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc
to boost absorption. We all like Trader Joe's Raspberry Flavored Zinc Vitamins.

6. Acerola - A tropical bearing fruit that contains 32x the amount of Vitamin C found in orange juice. Find it at your local health foods store.

7. Vitamin D. Get your daily Vitamin D. Best from sunshine but if you live in a rainy, dreary part of the country, take supplements.

8. Eat healthy, get some exercise & get enough sleep. Fuel your body with nutrient rich, warm foods, exercise on a daily basis and get at least 7.5 hours of sleep each night. Tired, unhealthy bodies become breading grounds for illness.

{ feed ME - eating out of the pantry week }

We've had houseguests for the past several weekends which has meant lots of cooking, lots of yummy food but also higher than normal grocery bills. We also have a lot of stuff in the freezer & pantry so this week, other than buying milk for Henry, we are having an eat out of the pantry week. Yesterday, I went through and gathered ideas based upon what we had on hand. Here's our Feed ME plan this week:

Monday - Halibut (from freezer) with Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa (make extra quinoa for lunches and make extra black beans for dinner tomorrow night)
Tuesday - Spinach & Cheese Quesidillas with Brown Rice & Black Beans
Wednesday - Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomato Sauce we canned from garden tomatoes this fall and salad
Thursday - Grilled Mahi Mahi (from freezer) with Brown Rice & Black Beans
Friday - Spinach, Kale (from garden) & Sun-dried tomato homemade pizza
Saturday - Tomato Soup & Sandwiches
Sunday - Veggie Chili (frozen from last weekend)

{ help ME }

Loving this adorable, postive chorechart {this is how i contribute to my family} that Lisa of Sweetbeets designed for her son. Download and customize yours for FREE here.

In our home we haven't used a chore chart specifically but we do have Sam help do things on a daily basis (not for allowance but just as being part of our family and helping to keep our home tidy) - things like making her bed before school, setting the table for dinner, helping fold laundry, helping play with Henry before bath time while we clean up from dinner, etc. We aim to make these things fun and work on them together - for example, she'll set the table and fold the cloth napkins while Will lights the candles and I put dinner on the table all while listening to music. What methods work at your house? Do your kids help out? Or is it a never ending battle?

{ ebay round 413...and yes i'm selling my frye boots }

What is the world coming too? Listing what could be the coolest pair of boots ever made? I just don't wear them hardly ever. I know I probably should. I should rock them out with a cute pair of skinny jeans and a long tunic and be hip. But I'm not going to. I wear my yoga pants most days or my super comfy and not skinny joe's jeans. And I just have come to the realization that I don't NEED a HUGE closet full of stuff (just in case I might someday want to wear something again). I know what I like to wear and that isn't going to change. So, I've got some more lovely stuff up on my ebay shop. And I'm so so so so close to paying off my school loans ($15,000) with the ebay sold stuff to date. So close. So, who wants my loved Frye boots (size 7.5)? ;-)

{ top 5 organizational products }

I'm over at Kotori today guest posting about my Top 5 organizational products! Come visit ~

{ ship ME }

Sorry I've been absent around here - I've been super busy shipping out orders & media kits... The holiday season is in full swing with LobotoME. Be back soon once I catch up!

{ mondo beyondo }

I am so excited to have finally signed up for this course with the fabulous Andrea. Don't you want to sign up too so you can generate a big dream life list like this?

{ feed ME }

Our friends gave us a huge bucket of apples from their tree so I spent the weekend making apple pie, apple bread, apple spice cake, dried apples, apple fruit leather, applesauce, apple juice, apple smoothies....you get the picture. And I still have some leftover....Any other ideas?

Anyway, here's our meal plan this week.

Monday - veggie chili
Tuesday - Tom Kha Gai - Thai Chicken Coconut Soup {Raising Foodies Cooking Club new recipe}
Wednesday - Chicken & Spinach Quesidillas (using remaining chicken)
Thursday - Spinach & Kale stuffed shells
Friday - Homemade Pizza & Family Movie Night (spinach, sun dried tomatoes & goat cheese)
Saturday - Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
Sunday - Leftover Tom Kha Gai with brown rice

What's cooking in your house this week?

{ raising foodies cooking club }

Been on the road a bunch lately so I got a late start to Josyln's Raising Foodies Cooking Club but I'm on it now. This week I made this recipe from Stephanie (Steph Modo)'s blog - Slow Cooker Fajitas. It was super easy to make (it only took about 10 minutes of prep time getting it into the slow cooker) and it was delicious and healthy.

Slow-Cooker Fajitas, serves 8-10 people

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. flank or skirt steak, or boneless chicken
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red or green pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 TBS. fresh lemon juice (I used lime too)

warm tortillas
sour cream
avocado

Cut meat across the grain into 1/2 inch diagonal strips. Place in a slow cook cooker. Top with onion and bell pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, chile, chili powder, cumin, salt, oil and lemon juice. Pour mixture over meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 6 1/2 hours. Spoon several slices of meat with sauce into center of each warm tortilla. Fold over. Top with sour cream and avocado. Yum.

{I let Samme help assemble the stuff onto everyone's tortillas and let her put a very generous heaping of shredded cheese onto hers. She liked practicing eating them without anything falling out!}

{ our adoption story on design mom }

Read about our adoption story over on Design Mom today!

{ hoME office }

I do most of my work/work out of my home office...Shipping happens partly from here and partly from our warehouse down the road. I love my workspace - lots of great light, right off the kitchen/dining room area, etc. Samme has a chair and space to do art projects, homework, etc. although we tend to do most of that in her playroom or in the kitchen.


and in the interest of keeping it REAL around here (a picture of my non-domain...the garage).... YIKES. I need the garage to be more like my office above - clean and organized. So this is the project I'm working on this week (in my free time)....what are you working on this week?

{ the spending hiatus is still going on...and on...and on }

While I haven't written much lately about my spending hiatus I am still on it. In fact I wrote a guest post over at Daily Worth yesterday about how it's going so far... I know there are still skeptics out there who think they can't do it. But you can. And it gets easier as time goes on.

I even found that at one point, I caved and bought a new bag, and as soon as it arrived I returned it because I didn't NEED it. I had others to use. That money would be more wisely spent on something else. That (the act of returning a beautiful bag) would have never happened before. I would have found a way to rationalize the purchase. Somehow.

Anyway, for those of you who have joined ME in the never ending spending hiatus of 2009 how is it going? And for those you who are hesitant - why not join Amanda of Daily Worth next week for a one week spending freeze beginning October 5th? See what happens when you don't buy things, just because. Let me know how it goes.

And for those of you itching to buy something ask yourselves these 4 questions:

• Do I need it?
  
• Can I get it free?
• Can I get it for less?
• Can I get it in exchange for something else?

Topics coming up in the spending hiatus update realm now through year end will include: financial goal setting, a simple Christmas, why I prefer spending plans vs. budgets, a {use up what you have on hand meal planning week}, and how to sell stuff on ebay to bring in extra $ tips.

{ inspired ME }

This is a video from one of my friends, Pam. We first met when she came to one of our adventure racing camps in Moab, UT. She had just lost over 200lbs and wanted to gain the skills necessary to do her first adventure race. She has competed in several adventure races since then and has become a dear friend to us. Please watch her video and vote for her aha moment in this contest! The top 10 vote-getters will have their aha moments included in Mutual of Omaha's 2010 TV campaign. Isn't she amazing? You go girl!

{ a day in the life of ME - alli from bird dog press }

I'm so excited to have Alli guest posting here today! To say she is one of my favorite people in the world is an understatement...but she is! We have a blast together wherever we are - whether its on a river trip or attempting to navigate the subway system in Manhattan. I've mentioned Alli a lot on this blog - she designed & printed Henry's adoption announcements and made him a custom handbound letterpress envelope baby book. I must say that Alli is THE most creative person I know. Seriously. Just look at this yellow birthday bash she threw her son a few weeks ago! Does it get more creative than that?


I'll now turn it over to Alli who is going to share with us how she manages to run her own letterpress + design business while making time for her family, keeping the creative juices flowing and staying SANE....


Sunday nights, I try to sit down and conjure up an image of what my ideal week would look like. I try to list just five things to accomplish per day. It rarely goes according to plan. But I find, that having goals and attempting to balance a routine motherhood with entrepreneurship on paper helps me to at least have something to work toward. Being a night-owl by nature and living in the Mountain time zone makes me feel behind right off the bat each morning when I awake to start my day as the East Coast has been bustling for hours. A schedule of must-dos and exact time-slots only bring me to disappointment at the end of the week when everything isn't crossed off the list. I try to think of tasks bundled into categories such as having an "media & marketing" day or a "design" day as once you're in a certain mode, things tend to get done quicker as opposed to switching gears too many times in a few hours. I think that rhythm over rigidity is the answer {at least for me}.


Last week, my husband was out of town for work, which makes all of this that much harder. My little one's best friend lives just four houses down the street and so my neighbor {whose husband often works nights} and I planned our meals together using what we already had on hand or in the garden and had activities set up for the kids, trading off houses and workload. It looked something like this:

Monday : salmon on a bed of arugula with avocado & asparagus / play-doh
Tuesday : penne & bolognese sauce with garden tomato caprese appetizer / hand & feet tracing
Wednesday : fajitas with sauteed squash & zucchini from the garden / backyard playset
Thursday : bangers & mash / puzzles
Friday : garden veggie pizza / movie

While the above scenario isn't a typical week, we do dinner together a couple of times per month, lunch in the park often and meet up for walks around the block and pump track Strider bike sessions just before or after dinner with the little ones at least twice weekly.

And as for that elusive ME time, my favorite thing to do is sip a Bhakti Chai and write a letter to a friend. The hope is that they will write back and the next ME time will be spent sipping and reading a good, old fashioned, hand written letter. Ahh.


Thanks so much Alli for guest blogging here today! Be sure to visit Alli's fab blog here, shop here, tweet with her here, more amazing photos of her work + studio here and Bird Dog Press website here. ps - I'm in love with all of her feedsack designs and her new birthday and sympathy prayer flag cards.

{ organize ME - the fall routine edition }

You've heard me moan about how crazy busy my life is. That I can't seem to get ahead of myself...ever. There's a whole lot of fun, stress, joy, overwhelm, adventures, and very little control. I've been trying to figure out this past year what can I let go of? What can I turn over to someone else? What can I change? How can I do this better? How can I be a better mom? How can I find more simplicity? How can I be more in the now? How can I get more joy and less stress from this crazy non-structured life of ours? And how can I find acres of grace amidst chaos?

As much as I love my life, as much as I wouldn't change a thing, as much as I am thankful for all of it, I still have this very urgent sense that I need to somehow find a successful way to insert more structure into my everyday life and find a way to take something OFF of my plate. I want to have loads of time to volunteer at sam's new school; I want to be the one picking her up everyday afterschool with homemade snacks just like my mom did. I don't want to send henry to daycare. I need to be here...I need to be the anchor point of our home. We've been discussing all sorts of ideas - from part-time in home nanny for henry (decided i couldn't part with the little guy); to hiring a part-time personal assistant to help with shipping, errands, mailings, customer service, etc.; to selling one of the businesses. We've been throwing all options out there. We have hired a General Manager for our Boat business which we are really excited about. And that definitely frees up a chunk of time for Will (and a little bit of mine) but we still have more to LET.GO.OF.

I was reading Simple Mom's blog a few weeks ago and she posted about her daily routine...with certain time frames designated for homeschooling, house duties, writing, work, etc. I was partly envious and partly entertained. Clearly something like that would not work for ME, right? With 3 businesses and 2 kids, there is not a whole lot of consistency on any given day not to mention over the course of a week. But, could I implement a more detailed routine into my day that would help control the chaos more? And with Sam now in Kindergarten, this seemed to be a good time to attempt to.

I KNOW I'm not the only person working from home who struggles with schedules and creating structure (especially with all of the distractions so readily available to us) or asking for help, so I thought I would share what I've been doing lately to get my life organized, structured, simplified, efficient. We are taking baby steps in making things a little less crazy. The last thing I want to do is miss out on life by working all the time.

Anyway, I've created a super realistic daily schedule....I'm going to be more productive (and less distracted) during work hours (about 8hrs/day, 3 days a week) - these hours come in from various times (before the kids wake up, while henry naps during the day and during the evening)...and not blow off my most important tasks. {The most important items of the day are in boxes on my weekly momME planner.} A fun family/kid thing is planned for each day (eg. playdate, trip to the pool, family walk after dinner, time on the trampoline, etc.) But not too much activity just a splash of fun into the day. And we eat dinner together EVERYnight. And I'm going to continue to be balanced with self-care and play during non-work hours. Work hours are broken down to specific days/times for marketing, to-do lists, shipping, running errands and so on. I've made a list of must do daily tasks, weekly tasks, and monthly tasks (related to personal and biz) and I've written them all out accordingly on my Bite ME edward notepad (and then transfer daily & weekly ones to accomplish onto my momME weekly planner). Friday night is Family Movie Night, Saturday's are for getting together with friends potluck style and Sunday's are chili, family hike & football days.

I deleted the blogs I follow from 100+ to ~20. Harsh but a lot less distraction. I deactivated/deleted my facebook account...again. I only ship orders 3 days a week. I increased the inventory I have available so I have to deal with press runs/press checks less. I am waking up earlier to continue to have some quiet yoga & meditation time and 30 minutes to get my daily internet fix (news, blogs, personal emails, etc.) before the kiddos are up. I am going to kickboxing 2x a week and one yoga class per week (more if possible). When the kids are home and awake being a mom is what I am doing. I fit in my exercise (either kickboxing, yoga, TA workout video, bike ride or run) smack mid-morning when Henry is napping and when I have the most energy. I meal plan and grocery shop once a week. I divide my household duties into one big item a day. I organized my shipping area so all of the supplies are readily and easily available. I am saying no to more things. I am only scheduling one play date for the kids per week. I am volunteering one set morning a week at sam's new school. I am only allowed to read twilight books after everyone is in bed (and some other "bed" related things have been taken care of...TMI? ;-)

I've also got Sam on before school/morning & afterschool routines using these FREE cute printable charts for kids from Living Locurto.


Also, we've been dreaming big and planning big over at our house. Sometimes that helps make all of the work appear worthwhile, right? I'll share more on this later. We decided we needed to shake ourselves out of the end of summer doldrums - something big to look forward to. Will & I sat down and listed out some grand adventures we'd like to have in the next few years (with & without the kiddos, but mostly with) & some grand goals to accomplish (and of course our upcoming Mexico jaunt sans kiddos!)

Anyway, sorry for this jumbled, rambled post... what are your fall routines? What works for you & your family?

{ fall purge }

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
- Albert Einstein

Won't you join ME this fall season, in getting rid of STUFF?

I really find that Fall & Spring are good times to sort through the endless amount of STUFF we have and get rid of it (either via ebay, craigslist, freecycle or donating it). It's a good time for a fresh start and the weather is still good enough to open up the windows and air out the house. Clearing space makes room for new (new simplicity, new peace, new routines, etc.)

It’s time to declutter our home + my life...again... what about you?

Turn on some music. Make your family help. Get 3 large boxes (sell, donate, recycle). Hit your closets. Yank out all kinds of old clothes that don’t fit or are out of date. Get ready to donate or sell. Go through your bookshelf and DVDs to do the same. Clean out under the beds and inside the drawers. Clean out the inside of your refrigerator and pantry and get rid of the crap (and the mold). Go grocery shopping for healthy items to re-fill it with. Clear out a corner of a room for space to put down a yoga mat. Clean out a spare bedroom to turn into a playroom for the kids. Rearrange your desk and bookshelves to make it feel like you have more space.

It sounds kind of silly but I always feel that if everything around me is more organized, other things will start falling into place.

image via potterybarn

{ redbook brain buzz }

LobotoME's Check ME notepad appears on page 188 of the October issue of Redbook Magazine.

{ spending hiatus - month 5 }

{aka...the I'd like to go out and buy a bunch of super cute fall clothes but I'm not going to edition, because we are going to MEXICO!}

"To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own even in the midst of abundance." - Buddha

So, its been awhile since I've done a spending hiatus update...I've been continuing to purge, sell some stuff on ebay and craigslist and donate a ton of stuff to goodwill and the woman's shelter. I haven't been shopping in {oh so long}. But, boy do those fall catalogs tempt ME. But, I'm resisting because we are SO ON TRACK to pay off all of our non-mortgage debt (school loans & cars) by Dec. 1st. So, to celebrate doing that and busting our butts to do that this year, Will & I are going to Mexico for a week this winter. Just him + ME. No children. We sort of feel guilty SPENDING $$$ on a vacation when we are kind of used to not spending anything (and when many people we know are struggling), but we will have it saved and set aside for the trip and we really feel strongly about the need to celebrate getting closer to financial independence and we just really, really want/need some time to ourselves. This is our first non-family trip since the kids were born. As Samme would say "For reals people."

Anyway, how are you all doing? I know some of you have been purging and some have been tempted by the fall goodies... Onward & upward people.

{ happy birthday little man }

Henry turned ONE today!

Happy Birthday sweet Henry! You are almost walking. You get into everything (including but not limited to: the rolls of toilet paper in all the bathrooms, trash cans & recycle bins and barley's dog food). You are saying lots of little words - mama, yes, ssss (for samme), barley (which sounds more like boy-e). You smile lots, sleep all night long and eat everything in our house. Your favorite things to eat are avacado, tofu, yogurt, peaches and your favorite of all is watermelon. You love your big sister even when she carries you around the house like a football. You love to swim, swing in your swing and eat rocks. You love to listen to music and have figured out how to turn the ipod on in the docking station. We love you to pieces and can hardly believe that it has been a year since you came into our lives. We love you to the moon & back. Wishing you many more fun, happy & healthy years to come....

{ LISTEN to your body }

September is National Ovarian Cancer Month. As an ovarian cancer survivor (Stage III C) - diagnosed when I was 23 years old)....I can tell you for a fact how easily misdiagnosed this cancer is, especially among young woman. I had over a dozen doctors over a 4 month period tell me that my fatigue was due to: working FT, going to grad school, training for a triathlon; that my stomach pain was due to: PMS symptoms and "normal" cramping; or that perhaps I had had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (which I didn't have). I even had a doctor tell me it was all in my "head."

Luckily, I listened to my body (and my MOM) and went to another doctor, who fortunately did all the right things - did an ultrasound immediately, ordered a CA 125 blood test and had me get a CT-SCAN on Friday night at 9pm at a hospital in Boulder. Low and behold I had a grapefruit size tumor on my left ovary and other tumors elsewhere. On Monday morning I was having my pre-op surgical appointment in Denver with a surgeon from the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center. There was no time to waste - ovarian cancer spreads quickly. They call it the silent killer because to a certain degree the symptoms are common. So listen to your body and find a doctor who will listen to YOU.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease. It is an insidious disease that can strike without warning or cause.

Symptoms:

* Listen to your body, do not ignore symptoms and have an annual rectovaginal pelvic exam

- Vague but persistent gastrointestinal complaints such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
- Frequency and/or urgency of urination
- Unexplained change in bowel habits
- Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling and/or pain; bloating and/or a feeling of fullness
- Weight gain or loss
- On-going fatigue
- Abnormal postmenopausal bleeding
- Pain during intercourse

* If you have a history of ovarian cancer in your family or have one or more of these symptoms, ask for a CA 125 blood test (note: this test is not an exact indicator of ovarian cancer for everyone).

Risk Factors:

• Increasing age, with highest occurrence in women over 50

• Family or personal history of ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colon cancer (only 10% of cases are linked to family history, however)

• Uninterrupted ovulation (having no pregnancies; infertility, low parity)

• Presence of BRCA1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations

* Note: I did not have any of these risk factors. I was 23 and healthy.

A great resource for more information about Ovarian Cancer is the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

I'm glad I listened to my body - I knew I didn't feel right. That is what saved ME. That is why I am here to be a mom to these 2 wonderful kiddos. It is why I am almost at the 10 year remission point. I am grateful. So very grateful.

{ inspired ME... }

Here are some great finds to add some inspiration into your weekend...

Leo at Zen Habits new "mnmlist - life with the bare essentials" blog... Love this post.

These images from Alli / Bird Dog Press lifestyle shoot.



These prints & sayings from Freya's Art via Etsy.


The Feel Good Bag

What's inspiring you lately?

{ got blood? }

I'm so sorry I've been so absent from the blog...I do have a few very valid excuses though. I have been so busy shipping Bite ME pads...I had no idea there were so many Twilight-lovers out there. WOW is all I can say. Then, I actually managed to draw blood from my body (a large amount of it on a bike ride the other day that has left me SORE). And then I've been volunteering a ton at Samme's school making sure that the bullying she was experiencing is over & done with and that she is happy & safe there...It is getting better each time I'm there and she still seems to love it despite the chaos, so all is well in public school land. But, I've been there a lot. Will keeps joking with ME that I have LESS time to work now that she is in school 5 days a week because I am there so much. And little Henry's 1st birthday is coming right up! Can you believe it has been a year since we were anxiously awaiting his arrival?

Anyway, I promise some non-Twilight related blog posts soon... on getting back into a fall/school routine (which has been HARD for us, what about you?), the Raising Foodies Cooking group, some reviews of some inspirational products, quick & easy fall meal plans (think lots & lots of turkey chili used multiple ways throughout the week), healthy school lunch & snack ideas, a guest blog post from the fabulous and uber-creative Alli from Bird Dog Press, etc. I promise...good things come to those who wait!

{ Bite ME...edward }

Our new, limited edition, Twilight-inspired notepad is now available in the shop!

Objective: Fuel your O.C.D {Obsessive Cullen Disorder}

Introducing a Twilight-inspired Limited Edition Notepad {Bite ME} - 5.5" x 8.5" (50 Sheets). A notepad for all of your lists and to-do's, even when you'd rather be reading Twilight.

Make writing your to do lists, class notes or doodling, a lot more pleasurable on our Twilight-inspired notepad. Jot down things you need to do when you aren't daydreaming about Edward and doodle on him when you are...

Twilight..the beginning of the end of my sanity.

{ organize ME }

A great article in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal this weekend entitled "To mesh paper, digital calendars, moms get creative" by Kathy Flanagan who interviewed me last week about LobotoME goods.