MamaManagement

In the evenings, once the kids are in bed, I lace up my tennies (or pull on my boots, coat, hat, scarf and mittens when there is snow and freezing temps), slide the leash on the dog, and head out for our nightly walk.  For 20-30 minutes each night, we wander the neighborhood or the park across the street. Sometimes I catch-up with someone on the phone, sometimes I check email, sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I chat with neighbors while Cooper greets their dogs, and sometimes we just walk.  In the winter, our walks are always in the dark and are typically very quiet--just the crunch of my boots in the snow. It is the most peaceful time in my day and the reason why I usually don't mind heading out into the cold, dark night.  In the Spring…like right now…it is such a beautiful walk. Trees and flowers in bloom, sun shining or colors intensified by the rain. Moon on the rise. I am often struck by the beauty of nature and the wonder of where I am so lucky to live.

Brene Brown on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday First, some background: I was recently introduced to Brene Brown's work last week on a dvr'ed episode of Oprah's Super Soul Sunday show on OWN (love the Super Soul Sunday, by the way). Oprah did a two-part interview with her that I found both extremely interesting (particularly the second half) and unbelievably timely and poignant for me (see earlier post: Letting Go of an Achievement Mentality ). You can watch that interview here: Oprah's Super Soul Sunday interviews with Brene Brown So Brene Brown has a PhD in social work and is a professor and researcher at the University of Houston in Texas. She has focused her research of the last ten-plus years on shame and vulnerability, among other things. After I watched her interview with Oprah, I googled her and found she had done two TED talks (TED talks are another love of mine!) and some PBS and NPR interviews. So I stayed up late that night watching those on my iPad

It's only been in the last year that I've added shrimp to my regular cooking routine. As it turns out, my daughter likes it, so it really expands our protein options at dinner time. Plus, shrimp is SO easy to cook--first, because it cooks fast, and second, because buying it frozen means it's easy to have on-hand (and you might as well buy it frozen, because, unless you live seaside, it has been frozen before it gets to you whether you find it in the freezer section or not). Anyway, I've been experimenting with many different shrimp recipes and have had lots of luck. I'm certain I will share more in the future, but this one was so good when I made it last week, that it inspired me to share it with you right away. The flavors of honey, lime and shrimp just go together…like they were meant to be. So this dish is absolutely delicious. And it is SO EASY! (You know that's my favorite--delicious AND easy!) Especially when you make it on the stove top--there is so l

I was talking with a friend the other day, and over the course of our conversation I came to realize that most of my current personal struggles might actually stem from my achievement mentality. If I was going to get really "therapist-y" on you (which I kind of am in this post), I would say that my self-worth has become wrapped-up in my accomplishments, both big and small. (Read: reaching a high level in my career (big) or crossing things off my daily to-do list (small).) That would be like saying, you are not necessarily inherently good, but only as good as your last accomplishment. You ran a marathon? Wow, that's impressive. You're a VP with the company? You must be smart. You got all of that done in one day and cooked dinner from scratch? Whoa, you sure are earning your keep . Which begs the question: Am I still worthy and lovable if I don't do all of this stuff? And, who the heck am I trying to impress or convince anyway? I'm pretty sure my friends

aka: The last-minute punt to occupy the kids so I could get dinner ready. aka: I love masking tape. Last week my husband was out of town on business for four days, leaving me the sole referee for the the crazy 4 and 2 year old that rule my world. Which, most of the time, is fine. But as the dinner hour approaches, things can get a bit harried (understatement). On this particular night I was trying to cook a real meal and the kids were having trouble getting along. Out of sheer frustration and determination to get dinner made, I had a creative burst. I left them squabbling in the family room and walked out into the kitchen, grabbed a role of masking tape, walked back into the family room and began pulling strips of tape out and sticking it to the carpet. The kids stopped what they were doing and watched intently. My four year old asking repeatedly, "What are you doing, Mommy?" To which I replied, "You'll see." In about two minutes time, I created this: