old news...

I had lunch with an old friend today...It was so refreshing to be social that I didn't want it to end...I have been in a funk...Not the sort of funk that keeps me from leaving the house...but the kind that keeps me awake at night...avoiding productivity around the house, avoiding the nurturing of creativity with the boys...It is a funk for sure!!!

I am just so alone...and at times I love that I am usually so happy as this isolated woman and mother here in these burbs...But some times it gets the best of me and I slip into this state with out the conscious decision to ignore it even...the realization and acceptance comes only after I have been here for days, sometimes weeks...Maybe my own denial...but non the less precious time is wasting...

Time to be the mother that I am so striving to be...time to keep my home a sanctuary of some sort...time to manifest my dreams...time to be present and grateful for all that I have and what I am trying to do by it!!!

No more belated February funk...I am coming alive again as is the spring...and I am going to be in full bloom before you know it...full bloom for this season that is...Gotta start some where...after all...

Every masterpiece was once a work in progress!!!

Mother Loaded!

Mambo Sprouts...Another Eco-Mama 101 Lesson!!!

I don't know about how you ladies are doing during this economic down turn...But I do know that it can sure burst your small carbon foot print, "green", organic, earthy Mama bubble...And easily at that! We are just trying to do all we can to stay green and sustain our healthly organic appetites...and I have come real close to stoking up on some Hamburger Helper and Ramen Noodles...Okay I'm not quite that desperate yet, but I have altered my grocery list a bit and my technique too! I just thought I would share a few things with you that I think are really awesome...

I love Whole Foods...and it's a lustful and life long kind of love! I love everything about it...The experience of shopping there full of pride about all the additive free and nutritiously rich, from the earth foods for my family...The feeling of doing my part when i check out with my reusable green bags (with out having to tell the checkout lady be to not put my items in a plastic bag before putting them into my reusable bags...That seriously happened to me once at another store, and it wasn't that long ago either)... So needless to say my heart has been a little broken as our budget as gotten tighter and I have had to enjoy my grocery shopping a little less and to find ways to save a little more...all while trying to not sacrifice are more green lifestyle!!!

And so here is what I did...I went to three different groceries and I compared all of my organic items and what they cost...I was shocked to find out that most of my items, same brand even, cost less at Kroger than they do at Whole Foods..Yep you heard it ladies...cheaper organics at Kroger...There isn't as big of a variety, but the basics are there and cost us less. So now I go to Whole Foods once a month or so and stock up and indulge in the few things that I miss on a regular basis, and the rest of the time I take so much pride in how great we can eat now at regular old Kroger!..

The icing on the cake is that I discovered that you can apply online for the coupon book that they carry at Whole Foods...and Kroger has lots of those items too...It comes directly to my mailbox and get this...it is even in the form of a little book, so no cutting needed!!!

Here's the link so you can get it in your mailbox too, oh and there are printable coupons as well...Happy Organic shopping!!!

http://www.mambosprouts.com/

Mother Loaded!!!

P.S. My new favorite organic find is this "no stir"peanut butter...Look for the one that says "no stir" on the bottle...It is awesome and never needs a stir before it's ready to be spread!!!

My MLK...Mercury in Retro Grade...

Well...You know those days where you were really just better off fulfilling your DH's vision of you on the couch watching the tube and eating bonbons all day...Yeah well that was this day for me...

Actually it has kind of been the last few weeks in general...It all started a few weeks back when I finally...at 25...decided to take responsibility for my dental health...Yes, horrible I know...but I did have the perfect excuse of two aunts in the dental field and one who was sweet enough to be (the not too regular) keeper of my teeth...So I was overdue to actually go to the dentist instead of meeting my Aunt after hours to get a quick cleaning and xrays...

I was a little nervous but also fully expecting the few cavities that I have been ignoring for the past year...It was a pleasant experience until I cried when this dentist came in and said that he was going to need to fill 14...Yes people I said 14...teeth, and He then proceeded to give me the full plan including costs...totaling around $4,000...

That was enough for a week, for sure...and so for MLK I was determined to be productive...I made an appointment to get a second opinion to go against that greedy bastard of a dentist...And thank God that it worked...Even though I was late for my appointment and got a speeding ticket on the way there from an officer that looked like he was 12 years old...literally

I chose to focus on my positive second opinion of 4 fillings rather than that of my damn ticket and to continue to try and make the most of this free day...So I proceeded to get the kids after my appointment and to have my Mom pick us up after taking my car in for a little overdue attention...It was going to be an hour so I packed up the kids in my Mom's car to kill some time running errands...And thats when it happened...

We were leaving toys r us and there wasn't a car or anything else in sight...I looked back to referee the kids in there sharing match...and BOOOM!!! Smack literally...smack in the center with my moms car...Into a light post...I still can not understand how, in a completely empty lot how I managed to hit this thing and so dead on too...

the next day...My boss told me that one of her schedule was changing and so thats that...I lost my job...

YEP...mercury is in retrograde...or for those of you not into astrology...MY last few weeks were full of unexpected suckyness(just life I guess really)!!! I will assure you though that I am on the up and up and things are a shifting and I am having faith and very easy at that...I know it could be alot worse...I am blessed!!!

Now I Lay Me Down.......

Okay so I do have a few plans for some future post but this just touched me and had to be written tonight...just a little something...

Scout had Cub Scouts tonight and so Pip and I had the night (bedtime) to our selves and I do usually try to take a little extra joy from those moments....So I crawled into his bunk bed instead of kneeling on the floor and snuggled and chatted for a while after our story...When we have these moments I usually repeat a few things that I consciously try to say every once in a while to both of my boys...Like, how grateful and happy I am that God gave me the important and special job of being their Mom...about how special we are to have Mother Lili as our guardian angel and how special it is for my boys to have two Mom's...etc...

(FYI...DH just mentioned tonight that people at the school could think I was a lesbian with all that "i have two moms" talk...when he noticed that it was stated for all to wonder on Scouts star student poster...thought that was pretty funny and worth sharing!!!!)

Back to tonight...Then we reminisced about past birthdays and about when we met and then something I am really proud of encouraging...Pip said prayers for us...

It is so easy to get into the habit of saying the same old same old prayer every night...and so I have always added my own little something at the end and lately I have encouraged the boys to say prayers for us instead of listening to me...Scout is still a little reserved about adding to the usual, but Pip no way...He couldn't be reserved if he wanted to be, at this point at least...

I had a moment tonight during his prayer...cried even...over loaded with love and gratitude about how lucky I am to have such special sweet boys as my own...I need these moments every once in a while...amongst the usual repeating of my self and such!!!

It's not word for word...because it is too hard for me to remember...but pretty much and in a nut shell...this is what he said...melts your heart...I know....

"now I lay me down to sleep pray the lord my soul to keep...If I should die before I wake, pray the lord my soul to take...the angels...I mean if I should live another day guide my way...angels watch me through the night, guide me to the morning light.........................................................................................

and please let nothing bad happen...be with people who don't know you...and all the people who have cancer...please don't let anyone die in the whole universe...and don't let any one die in Iraq...and don't let any ones house get bombed...and be with mister kitty and any cats who got thrown out for being bad...don't let him be being bad down stairs right now and be being in Dad's office...and be with uncle Matt...and don't let anything happen bad in the whole universe.................Amen"

I mean seriously...it doesn't get much cuter than that...and this comes from that son who was in trouble last weekend for whipping it out in his room and peeing in the corner on the carpet...and then not telling anyone until Scout happened to kneel in it later in the day!!!

Gratefully,

Mother Loaded

P.S. Pip's room is literally two steps, one in a half maybe, from his bathroom!!!!!!!!!

JeJu: Home of Well Being!!!!!!!! Part Two

If you didn't realize that this post is titled as part two and you stumbled upon it with out reading it's partner (that likes to go first), then please check out part one of JeJu here...or read on with out it if you must...


You see I am a free spirit and all and most of my closest friends (family really) are free spirited and cultured beings as well!!! So it was no shocker to have been exposed to Jeju from my friend Gurudarshan or that it would be all traditional and full of nakedness, but still I was a little funny about it! I guess maybe I have a pinch of modesty...not in all circumstances but in semi public places Yes yes I do...


Despite that small challenge...actually partially because of it...My first Korean Spa experience was awesome!!! It wasn't all nakedness, just a bit...and even though I felt like an insecure rebelling teenager for a second as I undressed in the locker room and saw the hand sized towels that they provide for you to use...As I knew it would, it felt good to challenge my inhibitions and to let go of any and all of my womanly insecurities and to be proud as I walked this naked ass through the locker room and into the hot tub...It was liberating and just added to the experience!!!


It was relaxing and oh so fun too!!! After checking out the hot tub and refusing to stick more than a toe in the cold plunge tub...we checked out the hottest sauna I have ever been in in my life (seriously the salt or something else in that herb mix was so intense in there that my nostrils were almost burning)...we then dressed in our provided pink t shirts and long shorts to venture into the common area of the spa...


It was incredible...there were around 7 different saunas to experience and each one was filled with different properties to surround you with and to provide different benefits ...Three of them were these huge free standing beautiful domes in the center of the common room and they were probably my favorite...One was entirely built and covered with natural salt bricks, said to strengthen your cardiovascular system, increase blood circulation, flush out impurities, and release dead skin cells...The next surrounded with semi precious stones and crystals had a huge(and I mean gynormous) star made of amethest on the ceiling...It was so beautiful in there without a single spot that wasn't covered in crystals...and the other dome was all silver and gold, known to have a positive effect on nerve stability!!! I mean how cool is that!!!


Then aside from the domes are a few other saunas on the side...one filled with Korean baked clay to bring relief to your tight muscles(if you have those) and to flush out impurities for refreshed skin...One with toxin absorbing charcoal and another with jade to increase metabolism, improve circulation, and relieve arthritis pain!!! Oh, and the rock ice room to cool you down too!!!


Now some of you may not choose to believe in the healing properties of these natural elements...But lets face it people wether you wanna believe in it or not, it's cool to think about and just as relaxing to experience....I don't know how much these properties played into my overall state of bliss when I left but personally I don't care...

The combination of all these, along with much needed time for my self...a day spent with cultured women...and the traditional public korean bath that I took on a stool and along side others...WORKED...I felt great when I left...relaxed, replenished, and rejuvinated!!!
So, I will certainly go back again and I might even let one of those korean ladies give me a body scrub or a "hip bath" next time too!!!

What's a "hip bath" you say??? Oh yes ladies you can have your hooohaaa treated there too...while you sit on a seatless stool and traditional korean herbs are steamed up your lady junk!!!!!! Said to help balance yeast and all sorts of other stuff that I can't remember...I am determined to do a little more research on this particular tradition, so I'll keep you posted on what I find out...And on second thought what other kinds of spas do we have in the Atlanta area?..Cause I wanna know!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
A more cultured and relaxed ML