Tips for turning on a downtown one-way, the wrong way

While slowly driving through the rain after an appointment downtown this morning and day-dreaming of Xoco's Almendrado hot cocoa, I turned a corner, just one-block away from the Rick Bayless genius establishment in full anticipation of sipping one of my favorite, warm beverage treats, only to realize that I was going the wrong way, during rush hour none-the-less! 

What to do. I didn't correct my error quite as smoothly as I would've liked in the moment. But I was chuckling inside at my mistake, thankful that the oncoming cars were at a standstill and for the healthy emotional progress I've made the since years ago when I would've shamed myself to pieces. I can't say the pedestrians that I almost ran over approached the incident with such candor. Eventually though, my adrenaline spiked as I felt the pressure of correcting my mistake and shame from the cab driver next to me and the pedestrians yelling at me. ...A tough situation to deal with for anyone whose Enneagram number is 3. So, to help myself move past my mistake that was so utterly shamed and disgraced by those around me, and to honor my failed intentions of a graceful recovery, I thought upon how to better handle the situation next time. 

Tips for turning on a downtown one-way, the wrong way

1. Make sure on-coming traffic sees you and adjusts.

2. Remain calm.

3. Take note of traffic lights and rights of way.

4. Check for pedestrians by looking both ways. (Very important!) 

5. Sync back-up to above steps.

This is what I will aspire to next time I catch myself in this conundrum, which is hopefully never.

Just a final note:

Dear commuters that I almost hit this morning while day-dreaming of Xoco's Almendrado,

So sorry about disrupting your soggy, headphone-laced journey through the two crosswalks I backed-up through while turning 90 degrees. I truly feel bad. At the same time, please watch out for yourself while walking through a crosswalk and consider showing someone who's mistakenly turned down a one-way the wrong way some grace and space to back-up. Moving forward, I'm dedicating my tips for turning on a downtown one-way the wrong way, in honor of the stress we all bore just a few minutes ago.

Helping Children Take Supplements / Banana Blueberry Spinach Strawberry Smoothie

Recently, one of my sons and I found out that he needs a bit more magnesium in his diet (It has calming effects, so I was on-board!). 

He is seven and doesn't swallow pills yet, so the best way for me to administer his vitamins/supplements is through food, as in crushed up or mixed in. I've done this for years with both of my sons' probiotic powder. Neither of them eat dairy so yogurt isn't an option, but probiotics are key to the health of their gut and in-turn immune system. The probiotic powder is easy enough to toss atop apple sauce as it is neutral in taste. The magnesium, not the case. 

So I and my son(...he now takes an active role in his diet as we've had many, many conversations about healthy food and how to make good choices for our bodies) have decided that smoothies are the way to go for helping him ingest his magnesium supplement. 

I usually toss together a smoothie without following a recipe, but tonight's smoothie was particularly good, so I thought I'd share. No qualms about following it to a tee. You control this recipe, the recipe doesn't control you! The probiotic powder and seeds are optional, but I love adding these in smoothies since it's such an easy way to boost the nutritional value and add omega-3s. I left out the magnesium supplement in the ingredient list, but feel free to toss in any supplements you or your loved-one(s) may need.

Banana Blueberry Spinach Strawberry Smoothie

4 strawberries, frozen
1/8 c blueberries, frozen
1/2 banana, frozen
1 handful fresh, baby spinach
1 tsp probiotic powder
1 tsp flax seed
1 tsp chia seed
3 brazil nuts
1-2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 pinch of cinnamon
filtered water to reach desired consistency (I usually cover 3/4 of the contents in the blender for a creamy consistency).


Mix well in blender (preferably a Vitamix) until silky smooth. Enjoy!

Tips for traveling with a baby (or children)

A friend of mine with a three-month old recently asked for tips on traveling with her baby. Sharing my thoughts incase it's helpful to you! These can easily be translated for traveling with children of any age.

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While I am no longer a baby gear expert (hard to believe that season was 6 years ago for me and so much has changed in the baby-gear realm!), here are a few general principles/ideas I've discovered to be helpful along the way. Obviously less is more when traveling, especially when there's so much baby gear that can be required on trips!

1. Know the resources at your destination and do an initial errand run if you can for items such as diapers, baby food*, etc.
2. See if there's anything you can borrow (from the airline, hotel, rental car or a neighbor/family member at your destination) so as to avoid lugging a lot of gear (pack n play from a neighbor/family member, crib from hotel, car seat/booster from rental car company, etc.).
3. Ship what you can: for long trips have diapers/baby food delivered from Amazon, etc. (I've had Zappos ship sandals at the last minute to our destination).
4. Do what you can to make your life easier by cutting corners that you usually wouldn't. (If you make your own baby food, give yourself a break and buy pre-made food on trips.)
5. Pack an awesome bag of essentials; it will likely be your sanity! (a few diapers, wipes, burp clothes, change of clothes for baby, extra pacifier if using, light blanket, *snacks and favorite toys plus a treat for yourself.* A drink/pacifier that baby can suck while plane is ascending and descending, if you're flying.) Older children can pack their own bag-of-fun, and I like to pack a small bag of extras with interesting toys/books for when their supply runs low or–on road trips–has landed on the car floor.
6. Figure out when you can catch a break on the trip and plan on it. ...So important as trips require extra energy and usually mean less sleep when little-ones have a challenging time sleeping in a new environment.
7. Show yourself grace, especially in the tough moments, and go with the flow of the adventure!

Rainbow Quilt Surprise

Came home after a fantastic dinner with my husband and friends, and found this lovely surprise under my desk! I think I literally gasped because I was shocked to find this little creation of art. Though both of my sons were in bed, I knew which one made it. Signature order, structure and thoughts expressed through pattern. After stumbling across this expression, I could just imagine seeing my little guy's movements, effort and thoughtful placement of the fabric swatches. I used to see surprises such as this a lot, but it's been a while now that he's in Kindergarten all day. What a delight to see such playful artwork in a unique place. Refreshing. Thankful for my present tonight.

Spelling Practice

A new way for my little guy to study his spelling words: Ordinarily I strictly request no toys at the table during homework time. Instead, tonight I capitalized on a spark of creativity and asked Gabe to teach his three Lego friends how to spell each word off of this week's list by reading the word, writing the word and spelling it out loud. Gabe's imagination is one of the most beautiful things about him. He took my recommendation very seriously and did it with delight. A win-win, no homework struggle.

New Years Resolution 2013

Okay, readers (if you're out there). One of my new years resolutions is to blog more. Not because I want to be one of those hip, famous bloggers, but because I love sharing ideas. And do I usually share my thoughts here? No! A brief note: I have countless photos I've taken and thoughts I've jotted down with good intentions to share here, but that have gotten lost in the abyss of to-dos and the following.

I used to think I didn't have time to blog because I was too busy parenting, designing, exercising, reading, researching, cooking, you get the idea. And it was true, or at least a nod to my priorities in that ever so busy season of having two little, energetic guys 15 months apart.

But now, I'm in a new season with both of my fast-growing boys off to school all day. Excuses are gone if I want them to be. I'm still busy, but could certainly make the time if I really want. Plus, I'm in a new era of technology than years ago when it was such an arduous process to share photos and submit a post on the fly.

However, with my recent discovery that I'm a 3 on the Enneagram (more on that later), I'm realizing that my current inactivity with social media / my blog lies mostly in the fact that it is sometimes nearly torturous for me to write freely and candidly, especially when it comes to the reality of the possibility of being scrutinized 24/7 in the ever-so-vast, vulnerable, never sleeping realm of the virtual world.

And if I'm really honest with myself, blogging regularly also comes with the fear of caring too much about it and seeking the approval of those of you reading this, which I have worried would manifest in a false self-identity to the ultimate demise of my soul and become an unproductive waste of time. (Hello, run-on.)

But alas, I am choosing to let go of those fears and give it a shot, even if it turns out to be a failing one.

So here goes, and thanks for reading.

PS: One last thought: the awful aesthetics of my current site is a major inspirational hang-up for me. Look for a face-lift in the near future!

Great Parenting Article

Check out this article on Raising Successful Children from The New York Times. I often think of overwhelming extremes when I hear a title like this. Think tiger mom or helicopter parent, both of which are addressed in the first sentence of the text. The article is one of the best on parenting that I've ever read. (...So good I'm actually posting it on my blog - surprise!) It is concise and based on research. Thank you, Madeline Levine and Carol Dweck.