30% of Americans are Obese

That is scary - not just mildly overweight or carrying a few extra pounds, but obese! Yes, that is U.S. at the top of the list.



Now I think it is important to not make excuses! As one lovely (obviously not American) gentleman stated, "If you're fat, point the finger at yourself. You're to blame because you chose to eat that garbage. Before you got in your car, before you drove there, before you ordered your meal, and before you ate it, you had the choice to not eat it. Quit being ignorant and do something about it." Harsh, but true!

I don't think this kind of crap helps. Really, a cheeseburger made worse by making it a hot dog?



And why can't they give away a free banana with your coffee?

Dear Bakerella,

those santa hat cake pops are not as easy as they look.



Tonight, I thought it would be fun to make your santa hat cake pops with my three kids. A little holiday baking. Fun, yes. Did we end up with santa hats? No. We ended up with oddly shaped cake balls covered in white with glitter and red candy drizzle.



My kids were nice enough to say they looked like peppermint candy, but that was probably because I let them stay up until 10:00 p.m. to help me.

Anyway, nothing that a cellophane candy bag and red double-faced satin ribbon won't fix. And now, that they are all wrapped and set up on my buffet waiting our Christmas Eve dinner - not so bad.

Will I try them again? Probably. But for all you people reading this out there - they are so super sweet! I tried one of the few that fell off the stick, wow! What I really am craving now is a bowl of roasted carrots and brussel sprouts.

Thanksgiving

Today...I am thankful for...

1. My favorites...



2. My other favorites I don't have pictures of ... mom, dad, Tim, Pats and family, etc.

3. CLEAN - which has made such a dramatic difference in both my mental and physical health!

4. This wonderful customer of ours, who I got to meet last spring when her fourth, of five, daughters was getting married. Now, her fifth daughter is getting married and we are lucky to be able to work with them. Check out her blog, Please Pass The Morals

5. Pioneer Woman - who puts recipes for these...



on her website, so I can make yummy treats for my family on Thanksgiving day!

6. My job, my home, my physical abilities and limitations and my God.

Have a great turkey day all...ejoy!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Tonight is the night in the Baxyard. The end of the innocence. It makes my heart ache and my stomach sick. When we moved to the Baxyard eight years ago, Davis, my baby, was a baby and I remember our first Christmas here like it was last Christmas. We had no furniture in our living room, but a huge tree, that, in Baxyard fashion, fell over at least once.

Tonight is the first of many difficult, emotional conversations we are going to have to have with Davis. As I said to Dave the other night when we were discussing this, "The physical exhaustion part of parenting is behind us, our girls are 5 1/2, Davis is 9 1/2 - but the emotional exhaustion is just beginning." And though I am truly looking forward to all the fun things we get to do with older children that we couldn't do with babies...I am still sad.

So what is this you are wondering. Well, it would be terrible to spell it out here for fear I would ruin it for someone else - but it involves a man, in a red suit, "dressed all in fur from his head to his foot." Yes, in the car the other day, Davis mentioned that his friends had told him differently. He didn't directly ask me and thank God, I was not prepared. Not to mention Eden and Clara were in the back seat. Yikes! Though I am sure they would have heard nothing over their screaming rendition of Taylor Swift's newest single.

Anyway - you catch my drift. So, I am making Davis' favorite gingersnap cookies, I have lots of milk on hand and Dave and I and Davis will sit at the table like grownups, eat cookies and milk and talk about ... you know who. Wish us luck!

Photo from Christmas 2008

Rocky Mountain High

A nice new view from the Baxyard...The Baxes are taking a much needed break in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We are very fortunate to have a great place to stay in the Dillon/Silverthorne area compliments of Dave's dad. It is such a treat. And we especially love this time of year. Though nothing is open in terms of skiing, etc., we enjoy the peacefulness and quiet and a few days of family time - no practices, games, work, school, etc. What could be better.

After a long drive and about 500 hundred, "Are we in Colorado yet?", we arrived to a couple feet of snow and bright, crystal clear Colorado blue skies. So far we are enjoying every minute.

We are learning about elevation changes, altitude sickness, the Continental Divide the timberline, how big a rock it takes to break the ice of a frozen pond at 11,000 feet and that Clara and Dave will be the skiers in our family and Davis, Eden and I prefer snowboarding. Today...off to ice skating and some other outdoor activities - temps in the upper 40s and sunny.

CLEAN: Week Two

Green Smoothie Mustache - Hey Spinach growers out there - here is your new ad campaign!



One of my lunches - it is making me hungry just looking at it!

Wow! I am actually already on Day 18 - and I have yet to update Week Two. So here it is...

This is what I was to expect in Week Two:

Bad Dreams: "It's not unusual to have bad dreams at night or bad moods by day. What is getting dislodged and eliminated is not just the toxicity caused by chemicals but also the quantum toxins of stress and anxiety." Let's just say Dave was worried - mostly about the bad moods. But I haven't had either. So I guess that is good. I have just really felt a sense of calm and balance this week.

Headaches: This could have been a problem - but none for me. But remember, I spend two to three weeks before I actually began the "Cleanse" adapting my eating to fit the plan without actually existing on smoothies, juices and soups.

Energy Surges: "You're starting to feel the surge of extra energy that has been liberated by reducing your food intake. It may take a little while for your body to know what to do with this extra energy. In the meantime, put it to good work. Go for a walk or run, even in the middle of night. Get some house cleaning done and reorganize your closets. Read a book or write those letters you should have written months ago." I can say I have definitely experienced this. I have not been up all night every night - but there were a few nights in there that I found myself up at 4 a.m. busy cleaning out my desk and my drawers in my closet. Stuff I needed to do. What I tried to, because I know myself and know I need sleep, was to just lay in bed and meditate. Worked well.

Weight Loss: "You may find that you lose weight during the first ten days but then get stuck." Wow, how true. I lost four pounds the first week, then remained at that for Days 8 - 15. And since I am beyond Day 15 now, I can say that I have lost an additional three pounds and I am not trying. I have increased my portion size in the morning and evening and added some additional snacks. I think this is just my body realizing this new lifestyle and changing what it needs.

So...my thoughts. I love this. That doesn't mean I want to continue this for the rest of my life. But I am very excited to continue my journey into Week Three. In fact, I am almost wishing this were a four-week cleanse. I plan to finish up Week Three and then continue eating the allowed foods from the Elimination Diet portion of Dr. Junger's program for the next few days after that. I am going to be in Colorado for a vacation with my family, so I am sure there will be a few moments of indulgence, but I really need to monitor how my body handles things. For almost three weeks, I have had no sugar, red meat, carbohydrates, dairy, eggs, wheat, or any gluten product. 100% of the foods I have been eating are fresh - with the exception of grilled chicken and salmon. We shall see where this goes. I have had a lot of people ask if this is something they should do. I say, why not? My body no longer aches, I feel better, I feel refreshed and almost never tired. There is nothing to lose.

CLEAN: Week One

Okay. I was really planning on doing this daily, but the days this week have gotten away from me. A good thing when you are doing a "detox". Here are some things I have experienced this week.

1. Sleep. I will admit I love early bed times. And the reason I love them so much is because I wake up every day usually before six. So if I am going to get 8 hours of sleep, I have be in bed by 10 p.m. if not earlier. Well, when I started this, I had just returned from a trip to California (which really messes with your sleep patterns) and I had two late night events planned on Day 1 and Day 2. One of the things about doing this and really reaping the benefits is to focus on all things related to wellness - a solid eight hours of sleep being one of them. Remarkably, I have been sleeping a lot. And it has been easy. Saturday, Sunday and Monday (kids were off school) I slept in until 8 a.m. each day. That is unheard of for me. And each day since, I have been waking at 6:30 or 7:00 only because the alarm went off. I am loving this.

2. Funny thing. On Sunday morning after getting up, Dave asked me if I felt deprived. I said no. Thinking well, maybe, a little. Saturday night we attended a wedding reception - wedding cake is my favorite food! But when I really felt deprived is when I came home from swimming and Dave (trying to help me out by making breakfast for the kids) had biscuits baking in oven, bacon on the cooktop, and waffles and eggs! I love breakfast...almost as much as wedding cake. I felt deprived.

3. Day 5 - Very Hard. At least it was for me. My body was not-so-silently protesting all the fun new things it was consuming, and not consuming. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom and battled some stomach cramps. But it only lasted a few hours.

4. Green Smoothies. Yum! Spinach, Almond Milk, Frozen Organic Peaches and Honey Crisp Apples are so good blended into a smoothie. And my daughters, especially Eden, who won't eat a piece of lettuce to save her life, loves them. Wants one everyday after school. I told her I would make her one, wouldn't you?

5. My skin. "Skin Elimination. Skin rashes or breakouts during the first few days of Clean are not uncommon; they are a sign that accelerated detoxification is happening." Okay. I will wait it out. Because I am not prone to breakouts, I will just see what happens. It is not bad, but not something I am used to. Things I love about this program that are new to me. I bought a nice skin brush and have been "brushing" my skin every other day followed by a "hot-cold" plunge. I just do this in the shower, by alternating between water as hot as I can tolerate for one minute followed by as cold as I can go for a minute for 4 minutes. This feels great, especially after a workout.

6. My mind. Yes, quieter. My thoughts are not so scattered and I feel a lot less frazzled about life. Dave has noticed a calm around our house, even with the kids. I have not noticed it, but I am in the middle of this and have to take his word for it.

7. Piriformis. Day 7. I did a hard treadmill workout that usually I am grimacing through the whole time. This workout is always followed by a day of limping and pain. No pain today, not on the treadmill or during the day.

8. Weight. I am down about 4 pounds and that really is the lowest I want to go without sacrificing muscle mass. So, I will increase the smoothie portion sizes this week and really watch it. I have a scale that measures body fat and it had not shown a significant decline, but I do notice I am cold all the time and that for me is usually a sign that my body fat is going down. So, I am just watching.

So, in general, a good week. Trust me, I would love to go out and eat a piece of pizza or a hamburger and fries, but the food, smoothies and snacks I am eating are good! And I look forward to them everyday. Today for lunch I had grilled chicken, squash, and zuchini with quinoa and brown rice, cranberries and pine nuts! It was really good. For snacks, I am eating fresh vegetables, raw cashews, almonds and lots of blueberries and raspberries. And, though, I only have had one day with headaches from caffeine, etc. (Day 3) I wouldn't mind warming up with a latte and sitting in a coffee shop reading a book. But that can wait, and maybe, by the end of this I won't even want to do that.

CLEAN: Day 1

In case you were wondering...there really isn't ever going to be the perfect time to start a 21-day cleanse. I picked a Friday in which I knew I would be attending a sit down charity event with a meal - not ideal. But this is definitely something you need to schedule on your calendar, just as you would a vacation. I have my 21-days squeezed in between my trip to California last week and our annual family trip to Colorado over fall break at the kids' school. Part of the reasoning for the timing is because I look forward to this Colorado trip so much that it makes the three weeks between now and then seem so attainable. We will see.

Ready to Start: Set your intention

Take a few moments to ponder and set your intention. Do you "have" to do it, or do you "want" to do it? A strong desire guided by the righty intention will get you started powerful. It is very important that you set the right frame of mind and they way to think about the program you are about to start. If you think about this program as something you have to do for your health it will not be as powerful as thinking about it as something you want to do. We always make time for what we want.

Envision a different you: Visualize where you want to be. What you want to look like. How it would benefit you socially, financially, spiritually and emotionally to live in a state of vibrant energy and mental clarity?
Make a Clean log: Record your intentions, well-being, eating habits. It is important to note the changes in appearance, body functions, energy levels, mood and outlook.
Take a photo of yourself. Memory is tricky. (Hence the photo above)
Establish your support system: Dave is on board (not an active participator) but as someone who is going to help with preparing meals for the kids and just being generally supportive. If anyone out there wants to join me for all or part of this ... let me know. From the few weeks I spent before I started this, I am certain that even one week on this would be worth it.

Day One:
8 am: Blueberry, Carob and Almond Milk Smoothie
11 am: Apple
Noon: Roast Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, Garlic and Rosemary Wild Rice Pilaf
3 pm: Almonds, Blueberries and Raspberries
6:30 pm:Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

Exercise: Pilates and Jump Rope

And so it begins...

my first attempt at a 21-day, for lack of a better word, detox. I am excited and terrified. I have read and reread, spent hours in the grocery store, prepared and practiced making juices, smoothies and spent the better part of the last three weeks (except my recent binge fest while in Southern California this week) on an "elimination" diet - which basically just helps you get ready for the changes ahead.

I am going to spend the next 21 days following Dr. Alejandro Junger's Clean Program. Dr. Junger is board certified in internal medicine and cardiology. In addition to having trained and practiced medicine in New York City, Dr. Junger studied Eastern medicine in India and was the medical director of WE Care Holistic Health Center in Palm Springs, a world-famous center for fasting, cleansing, and detoxification.

His system, in a healthy nutshell, is a truly holistic approach that is intended to restore the body's natural ability to heal itself.

Here is the plan:

1. I will have a liquid breakfast and dinner. These liquid meals are a combination of smoothies, soups and juices. Most of which I have found to be quite good (never thought I would drink anything made with Kale...let alone call it good). All of which I will detail in this blog.

2. I am allowed one solid meal a day. A healthy lunch made with the "allowed" foods on the list. Also will be detailing those meals here.

3. In order to allow your body to truly benefit from a detox, it must be allowed one 12-hour "food-free" period. So after I have my last liquid meal of the day, I will wait a full 12 hours before having the next liquid meal.

4. I will be drinking lots of water, exercising, meditating, hot-cold plunging, carefully watching comes out of my body, (pleasant, I know), etc.

The list goes on. My promise is to do the best I can at this. I will be open and honest on this journey and I encourage you to read and follow along. You may be asking, why? Those who know me, know that I live a pretty healthy lifestyle. But I have my hang-ups too. So here are some of my reasons:

1. I am tired of being tired.
2. I have had a nagging piriformis problem in my right leg for over two years now. I have tried not running, running, walking, physical therapy, yoga, etc. Nothing works. I truly believe this will resolve this - more on why later!
3. I don't want to drink coffee/espresso anymore.
4. I find that I am forgetful and have difficulty concentrating.
5. I had a dangerous, life-threatening blood clot 4 1/2 years ago and I still have residual swelling in my left leg as a result of the damage to the valve.
6. I would like to lose 5 pounds in the process.
7. I want to quiet my mind.

So, there it is. Like I said, I am very excited. So, stay tuned. And if you have any questions, send them my way, if I don't know the answer I will find it. I am very aware that this is not going to be easy. But I am very committed to the changes, both positive and negative that it will bring.

JoEllen

Cursive

I am a little nervous about this post. Not because I am revealing anything super secretive about my family, but because that photo is my signature and I fear that some handwriting analyst out there will analyze it and my craziness will be revealed. But in the meantime, I have to tell this story.

As you know, Eden and Clara are well into the first year of Kindergarten. The first Kindergarten field trip is quickly approaching - which meant I had to sign and return a permission slip. In a few weeks, Eden and Clara will be headed out to Johnson Farms to visit the pumpkin patch with all their new school friends. Wow!

As I signed the form, this was the conversation that ensued:

Clara: Mom, what are you writing on that line?

Me: My name

Clara: Lump Lump Lump Bax

I guess that is how cursive looks to a 5-year old!

Have a great weekend!

"A"

In a conversation Clara had with her dad today, I overheard...

Clara: Dad, I learned how to spell the word "a" today.

Dad: Really, how?

Clara: A

Very astute.

New Year, New Goals

No, I did not go out and drink too much last night and confuse it for the new year. Today is my birthday (no. 38) and so I decided it was a good time to set some new goals. A friend of mine who writes a blog by the title Dalai Lina wrote a post about goal setting a few weeks ago when school started - also a great time to set/renew some goals and it got me thinking.

If you check our her post she broke up goal setting into seven categories:

Financial
Career
Health/Wellness
Family/Home
Recreational
Relationship
Charity/Volunteer

So, I started thinking in those categories. And because I know that by writing them down (and especially) by putting them out here, it makes me a little more accountable. Generally, I am pretty good at these types of things - we shall see!? What I have done here is just put down the yearly goals - I am going to have to do a little work to break these up into monthly and weekly goals. But this is my start.

Financial - Focus on the necessities - spend money on the things that provide value to our family - time together, adventures, etc. things that help us live a better life - probably means a new dress for a party (when I have several in my closet upstairs that I have worn once) isn't in the cards for me this year!

Career - (Working on this)

Health/Wellness - Without sacrificing the "fitness" I have worked so hard for since my early twenties, I am going to really focus on being pain free by September 6, 2011. Meditate - that is going to be a hard one (anyone with suggestions, please send them my way). Practice more yoga. Continue pilates and continue my focus on healthy foods, smoothies, snacks, etc. Keep writing...here and elsewhere!

Family/Home - Get rid of all the processed food snacks. Promote each of my children's unique qualities (see photo of Clara above). If they want to wear knee pads to school - good for them. Create some kind of recreation room for my kids. A place in the house they can go and just be!

Recreational - Two great family vacations and make time to take a class/workshop once a month, i.e. cooking class, photography class, rock climbing, etc.

Charity/Volunteer - I want to find something the kids and I can do - still working on this - any ideas?

Relationship - This is hard for me. I think generally I just want to be in a better place. More on this some other time - I will definitely have to define some real objectives here.

Well - that is it in a nutshell. I have a lot of crazy details in my journal - but I will spare you. Have a great labor day. Oh and I found this the other day - I am huge fan of the athletic apparel company lululemon! They had a great post the other day about goal setting - I have copied it here.


Why goal set?

There is a way to write your goals so they are powerful and meaningful. Goals set an intention and are not a one-time deal but an exercise for living every day.

Goal setting:

provides focus
creates your life
helps you discover your personal path
teaches you where you are taking personal responsibility
what is a goal?

A goal is a written statement with a deadline (or “by when”, as we call them here at lululemon). A goal inspires you to do the work. Your goals should excite and even scare you.

A goal is not a ‘to do’ list or an idea, what your family/boyfriend/girlfriend/etc. wants for you, or what society states is for you.

Goals are to create what does not already exist.

Goals are based on a long-term plan that has no constraints. Anything is possible. Whatever you need to achieve your long-term goal (skills, funding, experience, etc.) you can gain with time.

Language

Your words create your world and you become what you think about most of the time. Remove the following words from your language and you will reach your goals: try, hopefully, wish, might, maybe.

How to get started

Start from where you are. Reaching goals is hard work, so get ready to dig in and discipline yourself. Accept total responsibility for everything that happens. Ask for feedback along the way.

Questions
Here are some questions to help you start thinking about your ideal life:

• What are you willing to give your life to?
• What are you willing to commit to everyday?
• What causes you to be inspired everyday?
• If a wish could be granted, what would you wish?
• What kind of difference do you want to make in the world?

Your vision
• State your ideal life
• Be descriptive
• Choose a moment in time and explain everything that is going on around you
• Get beyond your life. What is the state of the world?

Writing exercises
- Write your obituary. Imagine your eventual demise. It has an amazing impact on how you live in the moment.
- Write your retirement speech. What would you say? What would your oldest colleague say? What would your mentor say?

Vision board
Collage your ideal life and hang it somewhere you will see it often. Watch it all come into being.

The Truth...

The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth.

I want my kids to be honest. I want them to grow up believing that honesty is the best policy and no lie (whether a little white lie or a big whopper) is acceptable.

That being said, I have to admit - I recently lied. I had to go get my driver's license renewed. So this week I drove over to the DMV to renew my license. By the way, just because I know the DMV gets such a bad wrap, there was no line and the gentleman that helped me was very nice. When it came time for me to answer the questions about height and weight, he asked, "Height, 5'3"? "Yes," I replied. "Weight 105?" "Yes," I replied.

Okay, I don't weigh 105 anymore. Not sure I weighed 105 five years ago when I had the last licensed renewed. Not that I am far from that - but I probably should have been honest. Anyway, I feel better now. Dad, if you are reading this, quit making yourself an inch taller every time you renew!

September

I love September. It is my birthday month and the month that marks the beginning of all things fall. It means Honey Crisp Apples will be in the stores soon, the weather will start to chill and we can get back outside after the last few weeks of a hot summer. Love it.

I only read one horoscope (it always comes from Town & Country Magazine monthly) and I don't even put much faith in it, but when I read this one, I just had to mark it somehow. So hear it is. This one really speaks to me. I have written it down and put it on my bulletin board in front of my desk so I can see it and be reminded of it. Will let you know how it turns out.

"You have every reason to feel hopeful - even buoyed up - as your birthday rolls around this year. You've paid quite a few dues since Saturn entered your birth sign in late 2007, but the page has turned, Saturn has finally moved on, and you're on the brink of a brand new era. Once Mercury turns direct on the 12th, you should act swiftly to take advantage of all the positive developments happening around you. Jupiter in Pisces makes partners more generous, and any offer coming your way near the 21st may turn out to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Financially, you now appear to be on a promising new path."

How is that for a positive outlook!

Power Outage

Yesterday, around 3:30 in the afternoon, we were busy, making cookies, entertaining a friend of Davis', cleaning, playing Candyland, when the power went out. Everything, A/C, washing machine, oven (not good for cookies), lights, etc., not a big deal, really. However, I learned something about my kids yesterday. About 5 minutes into our power outage they start complaining about how hot it is in our house. Really, I keep the thermostat in the house at about 77 degrees. I am pretty sure that 5 minutes after the power went out, it was still 77 degrees. But man, there was a rush to the sink, we need water, cold water, it is so hot - WOW!

I am thinking we need to turn the A/C off every once in a while, pretend it is not working. Save power, energy and help my kids see that a little discomfort every once in a while is not so bad...in fact, may be good.

Really?

I can complete our grocery shopping all year, December - August, knowing that the Brachs' Candy Corn is in the candy aisle and easily avoid it. But, as soon as the Halloween aisle appears (way earlier than it should) filled with Candy Corn it takes every ounce of will power I have to avoid buying a bag. It is crazy.

Last night, my girls and I had to grab snacks for Lucky Day at school, and there it was, the Halloween aisle. Of course, I had to walk down the aisle, mistake number one, but I really couldn't avoid it. Of course, I threw a bag in my cart. We went up to checkout (as you may remember, I gave up sugar for the month of August) and I was ready to buy it - throw caution to the wind - I was going to eat it on my way home, stomache ache and all. Fortunately, the Don't Eat Sugar the Month of August Gods were looking out for me and as I was paying I realized I had removed my Discover card from my wallet earlier in the day (that is the only form of payment I carry) and left it at home. So, I left my cart at customer service, went home, dropped of Eden and Clara, returned to the store and in the mean time had convinced myself not to get the Candy Corn. Thank God. September does not look good for me.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

Clara, Davis and Eden



Well, we did it. We went back to school today and back to work after a long, fun (some days more fun than others) summer. We were all up at the crack of dawn, me to ride my bike, my kids to get dressed. And we even managed to sneak in a few photos!

I survived, cried a little off and on throughout the day (okay every time I spoke of it), but realized that all was really good. I need to focus on work, both Bennett Schneider and GOOD artisan ice cream, and my kids need some structured time. All in all, a very happy day. On Monday, Clara came home from orientation and said to her dad, "Daddy are you going to miss us? Because after tomorrow we are leaving." If leaving always means they come home at 3:30 p.m., anxious to tell me all about the day and excited about tomorrow. I can get used to leaving!



For perspective ... Davis - Kindergarten 2006

I am ready!

Okay, all summer long, and especially for the last few weeks, I have been saying, and I believed it, that I wasn't ready for my kids to go back to school. I am going to be losing my twin daughters to kindergarten and that scares me. They are only five and they are my babies. That said...

Today, I decided I was ready. Is that bad? Does it make me a terrible, selfish parent? It isn't like my children are over demanding or bad. In fact, generally, they are extremely well-behaved. We have one more week. Unlike many schools in our area who started today, we are starting next Wednesday. I have to admit I was a little jealous watching all the moms and dads in our neighborhood walking their kids to school today. I have one more week, will we make it? Only if...

1. Eden stops the ridiculous whining she has become accustomed to the last few weeks. I know, she is the sensitive one, and I try to be sensitive to that, but does that mean it is okay for her to break down into complete tears because her mean mother made her go back inside and put shoes on to ride her bike? Wow!

2. Clara can accept the fact that watching Disney channel downstairs and a DVD in our room is not something any one person can actually do at one time. And no, I will not put two TVs next to each other! I must be the worst mother ever.

3. Davis acknowledges that the summer of 2010 can probably be renamed in our books as the "Summer of Davis" and take 45 minutes out of his day to sit and wait for his sisters to get haircuts, and, no, you can't bring your DS. Read a book. Which we did. He only complained twice. But the worst was the trip to grocery store after the haircuts. I have never heard a child say, "I am bored" so many times. What I wanted to say, but didn't, was, something along the lines of how riveting grocery shopping is for me. Oh well.

I'm ready...I think!

Speeding Up by Slowing Down

Lately, I have felt my life is in fast forward. I finish one thing and unfortunately feel like I need to get on to the next. I learned a very valuable lesson on Saturday morning about slowing down.

Saturday was a work day for me at Bennett Schneider. So that meant I was up early and off to the gym. Since I am taking a break from both running and weight training, I made it a swimming day. Now, I will admit I am not a good swimmer or a fast swimmer, but I have come to enjoy my hour long pool workouts. Meaning...it is so peaceful. I started swimming two years ago for two reasons 1) to have something to do while my piriformis was healing and 2) to be able to compete in the longer distance triathlons.

I did not bother to take swim lessons (I figured I took those in grade school) nor did I think form mattered. To me it was just a matter of getting in the pool and doing the laps. After my swim on Saturday morning, as I was leaving the outside pool heading back into the gym, a gentleman stopped me and asked if he could talk to me about my stroke. Slightly annoyed, I had somewhere to be, I stood and listened to his feedback about how I am not taking advantage of the strongest part of the stroke by waiting so long to bend my arm, blah, blah, blah. Okay, thanks...as I rushed home to get ready for work.

Fast forward, as my life seemingly goes, to Sunday night. Dave and I are sitting at my parents' table celebrating my mom's birthday and I bring up this pool incident. I stood up and demonstrated to Dave (who is an amazing swimmer) and my dad (who completed an Ironman Triathlon) the adjustments this gentleman told me to make. I was fully expecting some off-the-wall comment but was surprised to see my dad and Dave nod in agreement. Yep, that is exactly what you should be doing.

So, to test this new stroke adjustment I went straight to the pool this morning. Though today's pool workout should have been intervals, I decided to do the same workout I did on Saturday, just to compare. I will be damned. I swam the same distance five minutes faster than I did it two days ago. Now I know this is remarkable, because I have been trying for months just to knock a minute off that long swim.

Lesson learned...slow down, listen, you will never know what you will learn and from whom you will learn it. Though I will say that I still wonder how long that stranger in the pool on Saturday morning was watching me swim. Wierd. If I could thank him, I would.

Surprising Week

I have had a week full of very pleasant surprises I thought I would share:

1. A dear friend of mine wrote me a very delightful thank you note for nothing. Just a thank you. And as the owner of a stationery shop it means even more, because I know how rarely people write notes anymore.

2. My month without sugar and sweets (beginning August 1st has been surprisingly easy). Though I am making an exception for business related tastings (I had a GOOD artisan ice cream delivery today and I refuse to let an order go out the door without a taste) and my mom's birthday party on Sunday. However, I will say Thursday was not so easy. Why? Because I made this cake for a friend's birthday weekend and my favorite candy in the world might be Reeses' peanut butter cups. I should write a thank you note to the expensive cherries I ate while I baked and assembled.



3. My nine year old son, Davis, played fantastically well in a three day golf tournament ending Wednesday. He shot his best three rounds ever. And if you live in Kansas City you know that the weather this week has not been ideal. His endurance and desire to get back out there the next day in 100 degree heat was truly inspiring.




4. I had to give up running for a month. And I thought it would be hell. However, I have had a few great bike rides, swims and have started my pilates reformer sessions. It has been very pleasant to wake up pain free everyday this week. I could really get used to this.

5. Friday evening I went out to dinner with my longtime summer babysitter. I really even hate to call her that - she is much more a family friend than babysitter. I very rarely take a night out so it was quite enjoyable. Now I know this sounds terrible, but I was secretly hoping I would get home to find a house full of sleeping children (especially Eden and Clara). But, much to my surprise, their dad let them stay up until I got home. Once I got past the fact that I was tired and going to have to do the bedtime routine, I helped them up to bed, brush their teeth and find all the necessary bedtime accessories (blankets, stuffed dog, etc.). As I was tucking Clara into bed she asks, "Does God make the clouds?" I replied, "Yes. Why?" Clara replies, "Because he draws them good." Then rolled over, said good night and that was that. I really wanted to ask what made her ask me that, but the simplicity was so sweet that I didn't care. I just smiled and realized how glad I was to come home and find them still awake. What a nice surprise.

Saturday morning and Apple Fritters

We have a Saturday morning routine. I get up really early (say 5:30 a.m.), ride my bike to the gym, workout, ride home, eat, shower and head off to work. Dave heads to the gym while I am showering, comes home, mows the lawn (or mowers the lawn...as Eden would say), hangs with the kids. We usually meet at 5:00 mass then head home, grill out and hang with the family.

I was desperately craving something new Saturday and I didn't have to work. So, after we got up we went straight to the Overland Park Farmers Market where we grabbed all the fresh produce we needed for our Fire-Roasted Corn Salad, ate breakfast at Clock Tower Bakery, got Davis' hair cut at Sole Patch Barbershop in Corinth. After that we hung out at home, got our workouts done in the afternoon and had some great friends over for dinner!

The dinner was great, the time with some friends we hadn't seen in a while, even better. And to top it all off, we had homemade Apple Fritters (recipe below) with GOOD artisan ice cream in Vanilla Bean. Now my only experience with Apple Fritters up to this point was the kind my husband buys on the rare Sunday when we get donuts - and those to me are not good. So these, were a real treat.

What a great day! Enjoy!

Apple Fritters "ad hoc at home"

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
3 large Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious apples
Canola oil for deep-frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

If you like, serve them with Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of honey. They’re best immediately after they are fried, so serve them hot.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the egg and milk in a small bowl. Whisk into the dry ingredients until combined. The batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 hours. Peel the apples and slice the fruit from the core. Cut the apples into 2-inch-long, thick matchsticks. Fold into the batter. Heat about 1H inches of oil to 325°F in a wide deep pot. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and line with paper towels. Using two forks, lift up about 5 to 6 of the apple matchsticks from the batter, allowing the excess batter to drip back into the bowl—the fritter should be irregular in shape, with just a very light coating of batter—and add to the hot oil. Add a few more fritters to the pot, without crowding, and fry for about 5 minutes, turning the fritters from time to time, until crisp and golden brown. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer them to the paper towels, and fry the remaining fritters in batches. Stack the fritters on a serving platter, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar, and serve immediately.

Love/Hate

If I had to sit and make a list of all the things in life I have a love/hate relationship with, it would be many...

1. running - love the outdoors and fitness, hate the achiness in my piriformis

2. love and hate my twin daughters' very strong personalities (hope it serves them well later)

3. how overly cautious my nine-year old is - I told him yesterday he would make a great mom someday - he was less than thrilled

4. swimming - love that nothing aches (see no. 1) after an hour swim, hate the damage it does to my hair

5. love my house, hate the mortgage

6. hate our 9-year old Chevy Tahoe, love that I don't care what my kids do the backseat

and though the above list is definitely not all inclusive, today, a new one...

7. love cherries, hate the price! Cherry season, I do wish you could stay here forever, but my grocery budget will be glad when you are gone.

Princesses are Rich

This post is a result of a very interesting conversation I had with Eden and Clara yesterday.

Clara: Collin told me Princesses are rich. I don't think they are

Me: Why is that Clara?

Clara: Because they are little.

Eden: Clara, of course they are rich. They had to pay for all the nice stuff in their houses and when the lady at the furniture store gave them change they got rich.

And that was that!

So, here is what my kitchen would look like if I got lots of change from buying stuff for my house. Photo from Urban Grace Interiors

And regarding yesterday's lunchbox post - my nine year old is thrilled! Can't wait to get his.

Check out these lunchboxes!

I am really excited about these lunchboxes. After I swore off buying my kids new lunchboxes this year, a friend of mine posted something in Facebook about these lunchboxes. After about 5 minutes online reading about them, I was hooked.

We have been really good around here about not using baggies and throw away items to pack lunches, but the washing and putting away of all the sandwich boxes and fruit holders and cracker boxes is alot when there are three lunches to be made each day (our school doesn't offer hot lunch - not sure we would eat it anyway based on the things Jamie Oliver says). But this just removes that extra step - the lunchbox is the plastic containers all divided. So, at the end of the school day, I just throw the whole lunch box in the dishwasher! Done.

They are available here and you may want to order now as the expected ship date is August 16th and noone in the Kansas City area carries them.

I am a little worried about how my nine year old will feel about these, I know my kindergarten girls will love them - especially with all the cute stickers they come with. Also - note that great little drink holder - 8.5 oz. so I don't have the waste from drink containers either! Yeah!

Can't wait for them to get here!

Our Experiment

Okay - a while back I started focusing on making all my kids snacks from scratch, if they were not already that way (i.e. fruit, cheese, nuts, etc.). I really wish I had done a better job documenting these things along the way - but anyway here we are. What has come of this is my insatiable desire to create ice cream and gelato from scratch using only natural ingredients, good milk, nuts, fruits, spices and yes, even things found in our garden and our friends' gardens.

To make what could be a very long story, short, from this has come my own little venture into the custom culinary business, GOOD artisan ice cream. Now I know, ice cream is not as good for you as say a summer squash (though those are darn good) - it provides me a way to reward my family and friends for all the healthy eating and living we do and also allows me to make sure I know what my family is getting in their treats!

My husband and kids and I are navigating this world of too much of everything with the simple motto that Good things can be good for your body, mind and soul ... in moderation! We know we can't eat ice cream every meal, every day - but it is a great treat and knowing it is fresh makes it even better. So enjoy today's flavors... Blueberry Lavender and Mint Chocolate Chip and e-mail me if you would like to order some!



Blueberry Lavendar - This is made from fresh blueberry puree, lavendar steeped in warm milk, cream, eggs and sugar! I know it sounds funny, but it is a great combination.



Mint Chocolate Chip - Real mint here folks! Steeped in warm milk for two hours, eggs, sugar and dark chocolate chunks added during the freezing stage. This doesn't taste like store bought mint ice cream it has a really great leafy mint taste - very natural! Also, did you know, good mint ice cream will not be green - those are food colorings and dyes that make that color! You can see from below I was going to add strawberries and also make a mint strawberry, but my batch didn't make enough to split it! Will do again.




Other flavors now available - Salty Caramel, Lemon Poppyseed, Cherry Chip, Espresso with Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans, Pistachio and of course, Vanilla.

Ice Skating

We had our first family foray into ice skating right before Christmas - it was one of what has become a very rare day this winter - 50 degree day. We spent hours (three to be exact) on the rink and had the best time. I admit I was a little nervous. I hadn't been ice skating in years, none of my three kids had ever been and yet, why not? It was hugely successful - even though the falls were numerous and the steps away from the railing few, we have been waiting, waiting, waiting to go again. So last night when the Olympic ice skating pairs competition came on Eden and Clara were so excited. Everything from the costumes, to the "tricks," to the makeup - they were in love. We stayed up way to late - will most likely suffer from that today at about 1:00 p.m. - but had a great time.

Some of our favorites:

The likely favorites: Shen/Zhao of China



Savchenko/Szolkowy
Our favorite outfits and our favorites - and real contenders for the gold!



Evora/Ladwig
Our U.S. favorites (and though I am not a ice skating expert - they were robbed)

Thank You

So it is Catholic Schools Week in the Baxyard! And my kids love it - mostly because they get a day out of uniform, special treats from the principal (Mr. C.) and they get to have a special guest at school. Anyway - my girls wanted to make a special treat for their preschool teacher and so I agreed to help them make our favorite Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip cookies! There really is nothing better than this cookie, straight from the oven. Though I will say that more often than not we substitute dried cranberries for the raisins - these cookies are amazing! Enjoy! We certainly will!

Alexandra Penney

Today I picked up a copy of the February 2010 Town & Country (even though I resolved to not purchase magazines from the store - I can't resist this one - especially the issue about Wonder Women). One of the ladies they chose was a victim of the Madoff Ponzi scheme - a woman who has since written a book titled The Bag Lady Papers. Anyway, there are a few lists in this article and one titled, Lessons Learned, which I find truly inspirational as I try to steer us through 2010! Here are a few of my favorites:

1. If your worst fears happen, you will live through them. They can be as bad as you imagined them, but somehow you manage.

2. You will surprise yourself by how well you cope. You have enormous resources you don't know about.

3. You are in control until you have no mind left.

4. When you're flooded with anxiety or panic, think; don't feel.

5. There is such a word as no. Use it to protect yourself.

6. Indulge your crazy ideas. Just think a bit about the consequences first.

7. People will always surprise you - with their generosity or their nastiness.

8. You're sunk if you lose your sense of humor.

9. Ask for what you want even if you don't think you'll get it. You'll be surprised at the response 60 percent of the time.

10. Stop negative thinking any way you can. It takes discipline, but you can do it.

11. When you have your first sip of coffee in the morning, stop for a full ten seconds and taste how good it is.

12. Decide on a short-term goal and a long-term goal, and give them your very best shot.

13. You have a self. Know its strengths and weaknesses.

14. Expect the unexpected, but there is no way to prepare for it.

15. Change is inevitable, but it's an adventure.

16. Loss happens. Get used to it.

17. Be a fighter. Life's no fun if you're not one.