High Five for Friday (10.13.17)

1. On Friday night I hosted a Noonday Collection party. I learned about the company and purchased a few lovely pieces - bracelets and earrings - a couple of years ago, but this was the first time I had ever brought the company's story into my home. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Noonday is a socially responsible business that uses fashion to create meaningful opportunities across the globe. Noonday believes in the dignity and power of work, and its business model focuses on empowering artisians and creating dignified jobs in vulnerable communities. After a L...O...N...G week, it felt wonderful to gather with friends in support of such talented and worthy women.

2. On Saturday afternoon Will's soccer team earned its second win - and he tallied his first assist - of the season. After a couple of tough losses the two weekends prior, these boys needed a victory to boost their spirits. They may have played "on the surface of the sun" (as I like to describe what it feels like to watch a soccer game in 90+ degree temperatures and direct sunlight with no breeze), but sweating through every inch of my clothing was worth it to see my boy shine.

3. On Sunday afternoon we wrapped up Will's birthday celebrations. He had a wonderful few days, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped make his week a great one!

Putting out the balloons after Will fell asleep on his birthday eve.

Blowing out the candle in his breakfast donuts.

Birthday dinner and cake #1 at Rosa's.

Dabbing in his new dabbing skeleton soccer player shirt.

Cake #2 - a Pac Man video game.

Blowing out the candles as an 11-year-old!

4. Oh, how we needed a day off from school on Monday. Our day was still busy - we worked out at the gym, shopped the school book fair, went to Hallie's parent-teacher conference, got our flu shots, and then finished out the afternoon with three dance classes and a soccer practice - but not having to wake up in the dark (I can't wait to "fall back" in a few weeks) and hurry through our morning routine made all the difference.

5. Happiness Highlights:

Tux seems super excited about his Halloween costume.
He's going as a tutu-wearing girl version of himself. 

😍

As I said when I texted this picture to their moms, this picture
looks a lot sweeter than the music they were playing sounded.
I loved watching them create their masterpiece though!

My parents retired recently, so this description by Erma Bombeck
made me laugh out loud. "Showed me how to walk with my legs spread
apart so I wouldn't wear a path down the middle of the hallway carpet." 

Our elementary school principals set the "cool"
bar pretty high - princess dresses and scooters!

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

Texas Bows (Take 2)

My apologies to those of you who are seeing this post for the second time. For some reason it went up accidentally on Monday, two days early. Oops!

I have an almost seven-year-old niece, Lily, who lives in Illinois. We see Lily and her family a few times a year, and because at least one of these visits takes place here in Texas, she already knows quite a bit about the Lone Star State. (Example #1: Lily Football. Example #2: "I Love Texas".)

Recently Lily approached her mom - my sister, Sara - and asked Sara if she would, in the future, purchase only Texas hair bows. Confused about what exactly that meant, Sara asked for clarification. "Texas bows, Mom. You know, super big bows."

Lily speaks the truth: everything - hair bows included - is bigger in Texas. (I honestly couldn't believe the size of the hair bows moms put in their little girls' hair when we first arrived from Michigan.) And luckily for Lily, she has an aunt who is happy to replace those little Illinois bows with great big Texas bows.

For fun, here is a photographic timeline of the progression of Hallie's bows. Evidently, the longer we live in Texas, the bigger her bows!

A Wisconsin bow...

And then they get bigger...

...and bigger...

...and bigger! (I used to think Lily was looking
adoring at Hallie...now I wonder if she's
looking adoringly at Hallie's bow...)

Status: True Texan
(Ok, this is a wreath bow Hallie and I found at Hobby Lobby.
We couldn't resist taking a picture with it in Hallie's hair.)

5K for 5K

We want to “travel the world” which starts with one country. We want to “get in shape” which is the result of healthy, mindful habits. We want a “meaningful career” which for most people comes after a lot of trial and error. It doesn’t arrive to you one day. You arrive at it after years of showing up and trying a little harder than you did the day before.

This story is not about a particularly amazing feat, physically or emotionally. But it is my story of achieving something big by doing many small things.  

This story belongs not to me, but to a good friend of mine. Katie and I met in sixth grade, at the beginning of middle school. I honestly can't remember our first encounter, but I believe we found each other through mutual sixth grade friends and became close when we realized we scored similarly low on the tween coolness scale. Picture big pink glasses, high-wasted cotton shorts, and frizzy hair styles circa 1991/92 and you have some idea of what Katie and I looked like as our friendship took flight.

Katie and I remained close throughout our high school years, and once we headed off to college in different states (and then moved even further away from one another after college) we stayed connected by catching up in person when back in Madison and using various forms of social media.

The summer before we left for college (I think).
Katie's on the far right and I'm in the middle in yellow.

Katie was kind, fun, and funny, and back then she seemed to me extremely confident in who she wanted to be, what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to go. I know she is still kind, fun, and funny, and judging from her latest ambitious endeavor, she remains as confident and goal-oriented as ever.

A couple of years ago and inspired by Dean Karnazes' Ultra Marathon Man documentary, Katie set for herself a big-picture goal of running a 5K in all 50 states. She had, as she put it, "the time, the interest, and the will to always want to be able to run a 5K". She had friends living across the country, and was looking for a reason to travel back to some of her favorite states as well as to those states she had yet to visit. And she had the ability to recognize that the only way to achieve something big is by achieving something small, over and over again.

As of my most recent check, Katie has run in 37 states and Washington D.C. When I asked which of these runs had earned the status of "favorite", she gave me more than one. "This is such a tough question!! CT was exciting because it was the first intentional run. VT was powerful because it brought an epiphany of the kind of changes I wanted to make in my job and relationships. ME and VA were some of the most beautiful routes. Those were also two states I ran when I reconnected with old friends from college, which made both of those runs extra special."

Oregon

Alabama

Washington D.C.

West Virginia

Michigan

Recently Katie decided to expand on her goal of running a 5K in all 50 states by attempting to turn 5K into 5K...in monetary donations to support the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Southern Poverty Law Center aims to "fight hate and bigotry and seek justice for the most vulnerable members of our society...and works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality." I won't ask you to make a donation, but if you find yourself looking for a way to make a difference - or to just do something - in the midst of this heartbreak in which we as a country find ourselves, I encourage you to read a little about this organization and consider supporting Katie as she aims to achieve something big by achieving something small, over and over again.

Next up for Katie? Perhaps the national parks in Utah or Las Vegas, Nevada. She's also always on the lookout for an inexpensive ticket to Alaska!

High Five for Friday (10.6.17)

1. Last Thursday I had the privilege of spending my entire afternoon with this sweet girl. Baby Aubrey belongs to the incredible nurse at Hallie's elementary school, and I loved getting to cuddle her for three-and-a-half hours. Well, three hours...the last 30 minutes belonged to Hallie.

My fellow PTO Board members and I like to joke that we're a "full service" PTO: we'll raise your money, we'll appreciate your teachers, and we'll watch your babies.

2. I spent Friday night at Messina Hof Winery celebrating a wonderful friend's birthday. We had dinner in the Vintage House Restaurant, and then "retired" to the wine bar for a nightcap. Great friends, great wine...and great Messina Hof Gewürztraminer Raspberry Chipotle sauce. If you ever visit Messina Hof, either order a dish that comes with this sauce or purchase a bottle to take home.

3. While I toasted Nuria, Tom took Will and Hallie to Cavalry (Will's soccer club) Night at the Aggie Soccer Game. Before the game Will and his teammates were introduced to the crowd, and then at halftime they scrimmaged on the field to keep the fans entertained. Oh, and the Aggies won, 2-1 - not bad for a Friday night!

Not sure what's going on with "grumps" there...

4. On Wednesday my sweet boy turned 11 years old. I'll post a bit more about his birthday once all of the celebrating has wrapped; in the meantime, a high five goes out to him for being such a cool kid and to our entire village for helping us raise him into the kind, hard-working fifth grader he is today.

5. Happiness Highlights:

If Hallie sets her backpack down in the mornings, Tux occasionally
uses it as a bed. It slows us down, but it also makes Hallie think that Tux
doesn't want her to leave and that ALWAYS puts a smile on her face.

I have looked for this picture for months - I thought
 it was lost forever - and this week it finally appeared!

On Sunday night Tom and Hallie had a back porch date to watch (as
well as sing along and dance along to) Moana and work on the light suit.

He was finally allowed to bring his bow home!

Oh, my heart.

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

11

11 years old. Fifth grade. It doesn't seem possible.

Much of what I wrote last year still rings true. He enjoys and does well in school, even taking on - all for the first time - a seven-period schedule, two advanced classes, and a musical instrument. He gravitates toward competitive sports, but focuses primarily on soccer and running. He dreams of following in the musical footsteps of either Pentatonix's Kevin Olusola on the cello or The Beatles' Ringo Starr on the drums. He plays a mean game of chess, saves his money and free time for Beyblades, and loves a good video game tournament with his dad on the weekend. I am - we are - extraordinarily proud to call him ours.

He has settled - somewhat comfortably but with a few bumps - into his tween years. I no longer walk him to and from school, check his homework folder, or keep an eye on him during soccer practice. He can fry eggs, vacuum his bedroom, and clean toilets. He has plans for his own small business and can operate every piece of technology we own. This beautifully complicated stage of life is - at least to me as his mother - both tremendously satisfying and utterly heartbreaking.

Satisfying because Tom and I must have done something right to have raised such a kind, hard-working, self-sufficient 11-year-old. Heartbreaking because the years we have left with him under our roof are dwindling more and more quickly. No, he isn't yet preparing for his driver's test or packing for college (thank goodness), but he has begun to step away from me.

I try to remind myself that we are in a good place. That this growth is good. That the oft deliberate and occasionally unintentional separation of mother and child is good. As parents, we train our children to be, among other things, independent. We hope and pray that one day they will leave the nest as strong, confident flyers. The problem lies in the simple fact that "good" and "easy" don't often go hand in hand.

As he gets older and steps further and further away from me, I hope he finds his way here - to Wiggles (our first family blog) and to Chasing Roots. I hope he reads the stories, hopes, dreams, frustrations, and challenges I have affectionately shared about him, triggered by him, and with him in mind. I hope he can feel in my words the depth of my love for and pride in him.

In this vein, I decided to this year begin compiling for him a list of life lessons. Should a time come when either I can't or he doesn't want me to share these words of wisdom with him in person, he can find his way here.

• When you introduce yourself, stand up, make eye contact, and shake hands with a firm grip.
• Hold the door and offer your seat.
• Use "please", "thank you", "excuse me", "Ma'am", and "Sir".
• When in doubt, dress up. 
• Keep people's secrets.
• Never turn down a breath mint.
• Give credit where credit is due.
• Take responsibility for your mistakes.
• Leave the world - its people, places, and things - better than you found it.
• Be strong enough that people know not to mess with you but soft enough that they know they can hug you.
• Eat your vegetables...but eat that cupcake too.
• When all else fails, go for a walk.
• Floss your teeth.
• Don't give up until you're proud.
• Remember who you are and that I love you.

Happy 11th birthday, Will. I love you to the moon and back plus infinity times a million with a cherry on top.

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Ten

Monthly Medley: September 2017

Writing
If you have a subscription to Texas Living Magazine, check out part one of my "Football Town Foods" article in the September issue and then stay tuned for part two in the October issue!

I also have a few blogs posts coming soon to the Mama Bear Dares blog, including one inspired by the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey about preparing your family for emergencies. No one ever says, "I wish I'd been LESS prepared"; I hope that when shared, this post will help families become more informed about as well as more prepared for the disasters most likely to affect them.

Reading
Earlier in the month I finished Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book essentially tells two stories, both starting at the point the main character makes a simple yet critical life decision but then each branching off in a different direction. The chapters alternate between the two stories, which I found tricky at first but eventually became accustomed to as I worked my way through the book. Though I wouldn't call Maybe in Another Life a deep read, it had enough emotional depth to balance out the whimsically hypothetical premise of the book.

Watching
Oh, how I love season premiere week! So many new shows, so little time. (That edited version of the cliche is true - there are so many new shows I want to watch and so few hours available for me to watch television.) I haven't yet decided which new programs deserve to take up valuable space in my DVR - I plan to weigh in on these shows at the end of October - but so far I have enjoyed The Good Doctor and The Brave.

As of right now, we have no meetings, lessons, or practices scheduled on Tuesday afternoons. After the kids come home from school they finish their homework and Will practices his cello while I work - at a leisurely pace - on dinner. We eat earlier than usual and then we retire to the living or family room for a new tradition: family documentary movie night.

We started with Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. The film lasted almost an hour and a half, and while I suspected the kids might start to check out when forced to watch 90 minutes of a film about "stuff", they surprised me by staying connected until the end. (Tom may have dozed off a time or two though.) I have never considered myself a minimalist, but I can't stand clutter and strongly believe in donating or selling clothes, shoes, toys, and household items no longer in use. After watching this film I am even more committed to controlling what I purchase, what I bring into and send out of our home, and the triangular relationship between myself, my belongings, and my happiness. Everyone - kids included - should watch this film.

Next up: Living On One Dollar.

Listening To
I just found out that season three of Serial won't hit the airwaves until 2018, so to tide me over, I decided to look into a few Serial-esque podcasts. So far my list includes Generation Why, Missing, and Thinking Sideways, which while all fairly dark and mysterious, will likely keep me engaged (er, distracted) when I can't make my regular fitness classes and have to work out on the treadmill.

Trying/Using
For the last year I have used and grown to love Pure Haven Essentials' basic essential oils. My favorites include Be Well and Five Defense to keep everyone healthy, Lemon and Sweet Orange to improve mood and energy, and Lavender to promote relaxation and ease anxiety. And now, Pure Haven has released two sets of four different oil blends (in roller balls! 😍) to support overall health and wellness. Set one includes Gently Sleep, Stay Calm, Just Breath, and Get Energized. Set two includes Open Mind, True Self, Be Peaceful, and With Gratitude. I have confidence that at least five of these blends will make a difference in our home and I can't wait to try them!

My kitchen stash of Pure Haven oils.

For those of you unfamiliar with PHE... PHE products are 100% free of toxins, guaranteed. The company's mission is to "educate consumers about pure, safe, alternative choices that are easy to add to your daily routine". These clean, healthy, and effective products are manufactured in small batches (so they are always fresh) in PHE's own USDA Certified Organic facility. Let me know if you'd like to learn more!

Wearing
Check out my newest t-shirt:

No truer statement has ever been made.

I am not (nor will I ever be) a teacher, but I wear this shirt proudly in honor of the many teachers I know and love.

I have also begun wearing...wait for it...adult foot undies.

Foot undies help dancers maintain stability (because a portion of their bare
feet maintains contact with the floor) while also being able to turn (because
of the soft, slightly padded bottoms under the balls of the feet).  

Foot undies are somewhat perplexing when found on the feet of an eight-year-old dancer. (Asked Tom, "are those briefs for a Ken doll?!") They are - at least in my opinion - downright strange when found on the feet of a 38-year-old dance mom. Yet here I am, wearing my foot undies and taking an occasional musical theatre, cardio dance, or "Thriller Music Video" class. I hardly recognize myself anymore...

Eating/Drinking
Here are the new, worth-noting recipes we tried this month!

• I only made one cookie from the 50 States of Cookies list: Maryland's Berger Cookie. I followed the recipe exactly, but I wasn't impressed with the final result: to me, the cake-like cookie didn't have enough weight or substance to support the heavy chocolate frosting. The recipe specifically indicated that the chocolate frosting should be the same thickness as the cookie...and I strongly disagree. An interesting twist? This cookie is Hallie's new favorite.
• On the flip side, this Coconut Cream Cheese Bundt Cake could not have tasted any better. I used a little less sugar (the coconut I had on hand was slightly sweetened) and skipped the glaze entirely and I didn't miss either.
• If coconut doesn't wet your taste buds, try this Fudge Filled Vanilla Bundt Cake. I cut the sugar to 3/4 c. and skipped the mini chocolate chips on top simply because I didn't have any, but I don't think it needed that extra garnish.
• Neither of my kids liked these Carrot Muffins, but I thought they went perfectly with coffee as a healthy - but with a hint of sweet - breakfast. I used honey instead of syrup, skipped the sugar on top, and omitted the walnuts because I thought Will would be eating the muffins. Now that I know he doesn't like them, my next batch will include walnuts for a little added protein.
• These ridiculously easy Homemade Pop Tarts went over wonderfully with both Will and Hallie. (No surprise there - the only two ingredients are pie crust and jam.) We used homemade jam bought from the Farmers' Market in Madison, made a large batch, and froze what we didn't eat that week for future school morning breakfasts.  
• This Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet works well for a busy school night meal. I only used cheese on one half because my kids don't like cheese, and I managed to cut the cooking time in half by using Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (ready in the microwave in 90 seconds) instead of adding uncooked rice to the dish and letting it simmer for 20 minutes. If you go this route, you'll only need about 1/2 c. of beef broth instead of 2 c. of beef broth. 

What's new, good, and/or interesting in your life this month? Please share!