Celebrating Mothers Day - Self Care Posted by Unknown | Thursday, May 9

As I think about motherhood and the many different layers to it, I thought I would share the single most important bit of information I have gleaned along the way, so far! I have found myself on many occasions, exhausted, overwhelmed, emotionally drained, almost like everything is moving and I just can't keep up, oh and did I mention exhausted! I can imagine we have all been there a time or 2. In the middle of one of these not so happy days, I was asked the question "how's your self care?" I had to pause for a minute because I wasn't quite sure what that meant or even if it was appropriate!??? Ha! Is there really time for self when you have so many others that are more important.  And would that be considered selfish? As we began to talk through what "self care" actually meant, it became more and more clear why I was feeling so grumpy and short with the kids. Carving out time to make sure I was healthy and cared for wasn't at the top of the priority list. And kind of funny that when you actually think about it... it does make sense that the one doing the giving and nurturing would be healthy and cared for, right?

So how do we care for ourselves? I am a visual person and wanted to create a little story board of all the little things I do as a mom to help me care for myself as I care for the kids. First... I find it very important to have a motto or creed for the family to live by. The marching orders for when attitudes arise and things get tough. You can pretty much take everything back to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When trouble comes up, we have a positive perspective to guide us every time. Next, provide lots of time with nature! Believe it or not this is proven to be a natural healer and mood enhancer!  Just being outside enjoying the beauty of the earth and for me, exploring! My kids love animals, frogs, ponds, anything and anywhere they can bring a net and catch something! I can enjoy these moments just as much as the kids. If I'm lucky I may have a few min to read "Parenting with Love and Logic"a detailed manual filled with golden nuggets of wisdom, a must have book about teaching your children to take responsibility!

Self care also includes time away from your kids. A break! I like to work out consistently. Enjoy a date night or fun girls night. Oh and I think bubble baths give me the same affect as a sleeping pill! Relax your muscles and your mind and then off to bed!

Notice yourself feeling anxious or stressed? Getting quick tempered and not sure why? Ask yourself if you are allowing time to be healthy, are you eating well, working out? Time to be in community, have you met a friend for lunch lately?, Find time for love, are you investing into your relationship? And are you allowing for the things you are passionate about, creativity, writing, singing etc.

What are some things you do that bring relaxation?

Mothers Day Week - Self Care by ahndeamay featuring new balance

January Cleanse Posted by Unknown | Monday, January 7

January has become one of my favorite months because for me, it is a month of new beginning!  A chance to start over, reset, repurpose and challenge yourself to go beyond your current limitations. We all get comfortable and "busy" and well just lazy sometimes, and motivating ourselves to follow-through with our goals well sometimes just seems impossible. So here we are January... a new year, a new day, a new opportunity. How will you start your January?  Do you have any annual resolutions? We all know gym memberships spike and after gorging ourselves from November to the New Year, most of us are ready to get on a health plan, or "eat clean" if you will. 

Our tradition has been to start the Monday after new years.  We have done many different types of cleanses and detox plans in the past and with friends like Jordan Rubin you are bound to get educated and learn the "Raw Truth" about healthy eating. I have gathered lots of info, from some of my favorite health experts, and have come up with a total mind. body. soul. reset that caters to my needs.  I think it is important to be realistic and know your body well enough to not choose a low glycemic fast, when you have low blood sugar and will either faint or kill someone! As a busy mom, I need lots of energy and if you plan consists of exercise, keeping your body fueled is critical. So, this cleanse is 21 days, and it is broken out in phases by week. Each week I will post about the next phase and the components, recipes, tips and thoughts from research and leaders in this in the health industry. If you have a family, you can incorporate your kids on a elementary level by making it a fun family event. No candy, refined sugars or processed foods! You will be surprised how they will jump on board and get excited to try some new foods with you. 

Phase 1 - Detox & Cleanse 

- After several months of overeating and indulging in refined sugars, my body is ready for a purge! Ha, so to start this week, we will be doing AM juicing, All day cleanse drinks and PM Juicing.  

AM Juice - If you have a juicer, you can make your own with Kale, Kiwi, Apple, and Spinach, or I really love the Bolthouse Farms juices, they are natural, non dairy and very yummy.  

Cleansing Drink - I make a big pitcher in the am filled with water, 10 organic lemons, 4 tbs of organic maple syrup and 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper. This is kind of to taste, so you may have to add more or less of something.  You can drink this all day, as well as 100% pure coconut water. 

Snacks - Raw Almonds are a great snack and almond butter. If your feeling really hungry have some almonds or a tbls of almond butter. You can have up to 20 almonds per day. 

PM Juice - This juice is an all veggie, celery, tomato, spinach, red and yellow pepper, green onion. This is hearty and kind of tastes like bloody mary, minus the alcohol. 

* During this first phase all veggies are free as well as grapefruit, kiwi, apples, carrots and blueberries. You can snack on those all day in addition to your juices.

I will do this until next Monday and then move into the next phase which will include replenishing, vitamins and exercising. I will do yoga and stretching in this first week only. 

* Disclimer: I am not a licensed medical professional so make sure to check with your nutritionist or Dr before attempting any cleanses. 

Cleanse by ahndeamay on Polyvore

Create A Kids Band Posted by Unknown | Thursday, November 29

Last year for Christmas Nate and I decided to start creating more "experiences" for the kids vs giving toys that end up in the basement and broken. Memories are something the kids will always have and so last year we decided to create space in our unfinished basement for a stage! A place the kids could pretend they were on Disney or at Camp Rock performing for their lives! Each family chooses what is best for their kids, which is what is so cool about parenting, you don't have to be the same as anyone else, you have a clean slate, an opportunity to create family values, traditions, and in result determine the moral compass to which your family will follow. For Nate and I, we have really tried to be intentional in a cyber, social media driven world to keep our kids at bay until their is a need or they have the maturity to handle it. So this gave us the idea to be creative with our Christmas gifts. Of course the kids will get plenty of toys from grandparents and such but from mom and dad (they kind of know Santa isn't real, but he still fills all of the stockings with care).  

This has proven to be a fantastic and fun gift for our kids and they are literally coming up with plays and songs every weekend! And it will certainly make for some good laughs for you as well! 

Here are some pics of our kids, trying out their stage for the first time.

Create a Kids Band by ahndeamay featuring marc jacobs

Tech accessory / Marc by Marc Jacobs marc jacob / Hot Pink Electric Guitar Wall Sticker / Nady Center Stage Microphone with On/Off Switch and Stand / First Act Discovery Electronic Drum Pad Blue First Act / Brush Bundle Vol 1 Photoshop Brushes / Schoenhut Toy Drum Set Red/White / GOgroove SonaWAVE ³ Portable Stereo Speaker System for Smartphones...

5 Gifts For Kids Posted by Unknown | Wednesday, November 28

Gift ideas are hard to come up with... I am always looking for something creative, inspiring, that will challenge the mind a bit but allow them to still imagine and explore. The Tablet has received huge reviews for kids this year, especially the 8 and under group. I am not of the mind to overload your kids with electronics, the more they are allowed to be kids the better. I love listening as they sing and play in the basement, coming up with "shows" and using their imaginations.  The Land of Nod Spy Kit, would be an awesome way to add a little fun to their play.  And since I have busy 1 year old twins, the music station could their little hands busy for maybe a few minutes, right! I also really love the little fox stuffed animals and their are many other options too, but something about the fox reminds me of many childhood stories growing up. Check out all the links below and happy shopping. 

5 Gifts For Kids by ahndeamay on Polyvore

VTech InnoTab 2 Interactive Learning Tablet Pink / PlaSmart Perplexus Maze Puzzle Game / Fox Sewing Pattern PDF Stuffed Toy Softie / The Land of Nod: Kids' Imaginary Toys: Top Secret Spy Kit in All Toys / Buy I'M Toy Melody Mix Toy online at JohnLewis.com, $64

Holiday DIY Fun Posted by Unknown | Monday, November 12

The holidays are upon us and in the world of pinterest and DIY everything, I thought I would give you a few fun "Holiday DIY" projects to try. 

I love these adorable ornament chandi's! I am going to do this with ribbon in my dinning room this Christmas. You can see the tutorial on Real Simple.

Look how cool this project is with some simple yarn and clips! Wrapping yarn around a door in your house and clipping all your Christmas Cards to it... so creative, and when you get lots of cards like we do, I would love to display them all. The Wicker House has this tutorial for you all. 

Now this tree is a must.... and simple, putting long sticks in a pretty container, hole punching your cards and tying ribbon around the branch. 

And finally, what holiday would complete without metallic animals, and these from heodeza are just adorable. I love the idea of playing with pattern and small details. 

Holiday DIY Header by ahndeamay on Polyvore