MamaManagement

Okay, I know this is kind of a random post, but bear with me… It all started when I saw an outfit in the Athleta catalog that recently came in the mail. I really liked the outfit and even showed it to my husband (as in, "Look honey, isn't this cute?"). Later that night, I turned out the lights and laid in bed for a bit letting my brain wind down (which it is want to do these days before it's willing to let me go to sleep). And, for whatever reason, it went back to that outfit, and then off on various tangents (as my tangential mind is known to do (as in, "Look! A Bird!")*). And this is where it went… As I think about the me I want to be as I enter into a new decade and refine how I define myself as both Mom and Me (things are changing as we leave the baby stage behind in our household), it occurred to me that one area that I can express this "refined self" in is my fashion and beauty persona. (It is also in my home/personal space, which I am

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday at MamaManagement. In the spirit of growing as a blogger, I thought I'd try out some new things at MamaManagement. Nothing too crazy, but, you know, mixing it up a bit. I made some super-minor tweaks to the basic blog layout, but hope to do a little more in the weeks to come (as soon as I figure out how…I'm a bit of an embarrassment to my generation when it comes to this stuff). Anyway…here we go! Top Ten Things I Don't Do As Often As I Should 10. Clean my make-up brushes 9. Make homemade smoothies 8. Be on-time in the mornings 7. Deep clean my house 6. Say no to snacking 5. Go to bed early 4. Floss 3. Catch myself before I yell when it's more about me being frustrated than about whatever the kids have done 2. Tell my husband how much I appreciate and love him 1. Give myself a break Until next time, learn from my mistakes: floss your teeth and go to bed early. And give yourself a break.

I'm not going to lie to you, there is more than a little peeling and chopping involved in this recipe. But it is Deeee-licious! And it is SO good for you. It's chocked-full of vitamin-rich fruits and veggies. And it is warm and smooth, the perfect thick-n-hearty pureed soup, with a hint of sweetness from the apple. Oh. So. Good. I highly recommend. So here you go… photo from livingwithout.com Butternut Squash and Apple Soup 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium leek, white and tender green parts cleaned and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (3lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced 2 medium golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 quart (32oz) chicken stock 3/4 cup apple juice 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. And the leeks and garlic and cook until tender, but do not let them brown, about 3 minutes. Add the squash, apples, potato, thy

On yet another snowy day, another day of school delays and messed up schedules, another day of indoor play, another day of February blues…I find myself sitting in my office looking out on the tremendous piles of snow and trying to remember the feeling of summer. You remember summer, right? The time of long days and warm nights. The time of playing outside until darkness begins to fall. The time of sitting on the back porch after the kids are in bed enjoying a glass of wine, some adult conversation and the chirp of the crickets. The time of long walks through the neighborhood. The time of grubby hands and dirty feet. The time of lax schedules and impromptu…whatever! Ahhh, summer. And all that thinking of summer reminded me of this poem. So I thought I'd share it with you, in hopes that maybe you could close your eyes and remember the feeling of summer on yet another cold February day. It will be here be before we know it. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself

Happy Valentine's Day Friends! I was reminded by someone this morning that Valentine's Day is a romantic day for couples to celebrate their love. I've been so focused on Valentine's with my kids, that I forgot that lots of people think of it that way. I guess I thought of it that way before I had kids. Especially during the years I was single. But now I think of it as a day to show love to everybody. I am focused on showing love to my kids and my husband and whoever I come into contact with. That means starting the day with chocolate chip Valentine pancakes and mystery Valentines for the kids, and extra treats for the dog too! It's also a great day to remember to show a little love to ourselves too (like a yummy cup of coffee and an hour at the coffeshop for me!). And I'm focused on teaching my kids to show their love to others. (We've been in crazy crafting mode for the last two weeks to show our love to others…for some reason Valentine's Day reall

**Warning: You are about to read an emotional "dear diary-like" lamenting from my latent teenage, self-involved, emotional self. Just count your lucky stars that it doesn't include bad poetry. And be nice, or I'll dig out my bad poetry from when I was eleven and make you read it. Trust me. It's terrible. And painful to read. The Clocktower- Hudson, OH It's been five months since we moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania. All of the boxes have been unpacked. We are mostly settled into the new house. Many of the rooms have been painted (and then drawn on by the two year old). The kids are into a new routine at a new preschool. We've found our way around town. We go to the libraries every week. The kids are in gymnastics. I'm learning the new grocery store and even have a preferred gas station. The kids have a few favorite places to eat out. All in all, we're settled and doing well. For the first few months after the move I was overwhelmed with