A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

Archives for March 2012

Lily’s Awesome Leprechaun Trap

I know St. Patrick’s Day is over, but I have to show you Lily’s Awesome Leprechaun Trap.

But first, the truth. I really didn’t feel like making a trap this year. There was so much going on last week, I could hardly keep up. And, really, would the world end if we didn’t make a leprechaun trap one year?

But Lily lives for projects like this, so I gave myself a speech about how it’s not her fault she’s the youngest or that I’m tired and 18 years older than my mother was when I was seven. But something had to give, so I decided to cheat on the planned shamrock cookies. And also to ask Tim to help her make the trap.

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Weekend Links

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Has another week already gone by? I hope yours was a good one. We’ve been enjoying spring break, and it’s truly felt like spring around here. We’ve been happy sleeping in all week and having time to just be, plus we got the girls’ room painted. Life is good.

While we’re enjoying temperatures in the mid-70s (so unusual for us this time of year), here are some fun links for you:

I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and are filled with the luck of the Irish! And I hope you come back next week for some fun Easter ideas.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Muppets-Style

I’ve been counting the minutes until St. Patrick’s Day so I could share this video with you. Have you seen it? It makes me laugh every time I watch it—which is more often than might be considered normal for a 40-something woman. But I love me some Muppets.

I also love “Danny Boy” because it reminds me of my grandpa, Edward Valentine, who was a true Irish gentleman with a heart of gold. We sang “Danny Boy” to send him on his way Home, so many years ago now. But I still think about Grandpa Ed often and smile whenever I hear this song, even—maybe especially—this silly version.

So Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours. And as Grandpa Ed would say, “May you get to Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.”

The Rubbing Waiter / Did He Go Too Far?

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Four female friends and I went to the Mall of America last Friday to see Diana: A Celebration. After visiting the exhibit, we headed to a popular restaurant for dinner. It was crazy-busy, but we were seated quickly, thanks to our organized friend calling ahead for reservations.

Our waiter came over to get our orders started. He looked to be around 40 or so. He politely introduced himself (we’ll call him “Marcus”), handed out menus, and then, as he was about to walk away, he put his hand on my shoulder.

Now, if he had stopped there, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But he rubbed my shoulder. And then walked away.

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Gretchen Rubin Quote + Healthy Foods List = My Diet Plan

{ image + recipe Kath Eats Real Food }

A while back, I posted this mug featuring a quote by Gretchen Rubin from the 2012 ALT Design Summit: “If I cram my life full of the things I love, there is no room for the things I don’t love.”

Ms. Rubin was speaking about the work-life balance, but I think her philosophy can apply to anything. Including what to eat. I always have big plans for healthy eating, but sometimes my plans fall to pieces when I’m confronted with real life.

But what if I change the way I think a little? Instead of saying “I shouldn’t eat this or that” or waiting until I can sit down and really come up with a brilliant plan, what if I focus on eating as many healthy foods a day as I can?

To paraphrase Gretchen’s quote: “If I cram my [mouth] full of [healthy foods], there is no room for the [unhealthy foods] I [shouldn’t] love.” Or something like that.

I scoured through some magazines I have around the house and did a quick search around the web to put together a list of 20 of the most popular healthy foods. None of these foods came as a big surprise, but I’m hoping that listing them in one place and sticking them on the fridge will keep them forefront in my mind. (I can tell you right now that I’ll be eating the entire egg because the yolk is where most of the good stuff is. And I’ll be substituting romaine lettuce for spinach, just because I love romaine lettuce.)

So here are 20 fantastically healthy foods, in no particular order:

  • oatmeal
  • apples
  • lentils
  • green tea
  • yams/sweet potatoes
  • walnuts/almonds
  • edamame
  • red bell peppers
  • strawberries
  • eggs
  • pumpkin
  • Greek yogurt
  • blueberries
  • olive oil
  • kiwi
  • broccoli
  • quinoa
  • salmon
  • tomatoes
  • spinach

So instead of thinking about all the food I shouldn’t be eating, I’m going to concentrate on eating as many of these nutritional powerhouses as I can. And maybe then I’ll be too full to say “yes” to the donut.*

(* I’m all in favor of donuts, by the way. I’ve just let life’s busy-ness get me a little off-balance lately and need to re-group. The donuts will have to wait.)

Let me know if I left your favorite healthy food off the list! [Update: As requested, here’s a printable list for you: Healthy-Foods-List. It’s not fancy, but it’ll work!]

Family Traditions / Sick Days

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Since I started this blog, several new mothers have asked for ideas for creating family traditions. I’ve shared some of the traditions our family engages in over the course of a “mom’s year,” but I’d like to scour around for new ideas and get input from you, too. I’m thinking about the best way to do that, but meanwhile I thought I’d share our Sick Day rituals with you since they’re fresh in my mind after Will’s bout with stomach flu last week.

But first. I realized that I used both traditions and rituals in that paragraph. Are they the same thing? Can you bear with me while I have a little fun with etymology?

I think it all starts with customs, which are more like personal habitual practices. A custom becomes tradition (from the Latin tradere, “to hand down”) when it’s passed on to the next generation and the next. So when I think about it, my mother’s custom of reading with a cup of coffee every morning became a tradition when I started reading every morning with a cup of coffee!

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Another Reason Why You Should Never Give Up

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Just a quick post today because it’s our first day of spring break and there are Things To Do. But I had to share a fun little moment of inspiration I had over the weekend.

I needed something distracting while I was on the treadmill, so I scoured the old DVDs on the basement shelf and found Legally Blonde 2, unopened, in the back. No idea how it got there, but I popped it into the machine and got busy running.

And then, in the midst of my huffing and puffing, I saw her: Octavia Spencer, Academy Award-winning actress, playing the part of a security guard!

Talk about a “don’t give up on your dreams” moment.

Because if you show up and work hard and schlep through playing the security guard, one day you might find yourself standing gloriously next to the glorious Meryl Streep, Oscar in hand.

I love Ms. Spencer as Minny, but I love her even more as the security guard.

Have you ever found inspiration in the most unlikely of places?

St. Patrick’s Pot O’ Gold Treasure Hunt / Weekend Links

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One Charming Party is sharing a great idea by Sara Schmutz of Confetti Sunshine for St. Patrick’s Day. All you need to create a Pot O’ Gold treasure hunt are some chocolate gold coins, ice cream cups, and these free Pot O’ Gold printables. You can decorate the cups with the Pot O’ Gold labels and write clues to find the treasure on the four-leaf clover print-outs. What a fun idea.

Here are some more ideas to inspire you and (I hope) make you smile:

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Our spring break officially starts this afternoon. We’re not traveling anywhere, but instead will be tackling our first real decorating project since building the house eight years ago. We pretty much threw all our energy and resources into just getting the house built and haven’t done anything since then. But now we’re going to completely re-do the girls’ room. I’ll be gathering supplies this weekend (a friend told me I have to get Frog Tape for painting. Have you heard of it?) and then we’ll plunge into the project next week. I’m not a decorator (or a painter), so I’m a little nervous. But excited, too.

I hope you have a great weekend. Please come back next week where I’m sure I’ll have lots of ideas on what not to do when you’re decorating a room! Just kidding. (Or not.)

My Princess Diana Story

[Writing this because some friends and I are recently visited “Diana, A Celebration” at the Mall of America. The exhibit was wonderful. Elegant, moving, and beautifully curated. You really got a sense of who Princess Diana was. Her wedding dress, with the train stretched out 25 feet behind it, was gasp-worthy.]

Just typing that headline—My Princess Diana Story—makes me sound like an awful hanger-on, doesn’t it? Another one of the millions who wanted a piece of this real-life princess. And yet I loved her. I really did, or at least as much as you can love someone you’ve never actually met. Lady Diana Spencer burst onto the scene at just the right psychological moment for a young girl in the throes of awkward adolescence. A bit awkward herself, Diana gave hope to girls like me that with the right haircut, a warm smile and outstretched hand, and a handsome prince at your side, you could do anything.

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