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

JeJu: Home of Well Being??????????? Part One

It's a New Year and so there for...as many of you have probably been doing as well...I have been making lots of new goals and adding lots of new things to my to do list!!! It has almost been a constant state of mind this week! My method is to use this time of year as an over all time for reflection of my self...I make some short term goals that I hold important, but I also broaden the spectrum a bit...I figure the wider the path the easier it is to stay on the straight and narrow...If I have a handful of resolutions then I am bound to succeed at atleast one of them...or so I hope!!!

This year I have been reflecting and resolving on a lot of typical ones like to drink tons more water...exercize more and eat better...to take more time to do things for my self...to be a better morning person...and a better mom!!! And then there is my goal to be less moody and more forgiving with DH...and to be a more generous lover (including touching the man parts a little more often)...I have of coarse not clued DH in on these last few and probably won't as too not set any one up for dissapointment!!! Who needs extra pressure, Right?!!

And the list continues with blogging more consistantly...creating more opportunities to spend date time with DH (even if it's at home)...Doing more fun and creative things as a family...adding more culture to our lives!!!...To send my letter to Oprah and Nate for my dream home makeover...to spend more time with women ( I am in need of a few ladies nights)...and not to be forgotten either is to make room for spontaneity in my life and to challenge my self each and every day...there will probably be a few more added to the list before this day is over and as the year continues...

See what I mean...If all of these are officially declared as my resolutions for 2009 then even if I were to only attept some of them I would have made a great effort...Not that this is my way of thinking and that I am trying to get around good ole fashion worK!!! I am ready for the work and am committed to following through with a good chunk of this, but I am not giving my self a limited opportunity for success and I am having a realistic, already overloaded mother's mentality about it all!!! I recommend that you do the same too...it really works!

So I was happy to be well on my way in only one day when an opportunity arose on Wednesday night, spontaniously (I might add)...I was hanging out with my friend insomnia (oh look that's another one right now already...to break up with my other lover insomnia)...When I got a hello on google chat from my cool and enlightened friend Gurudarshan...She's in town still from the holidays and I had just had my prior plans for the next day canceled and so I asked if she wanted to make that trip to the korean spa that she had told me about once!!! she called our other friend whom she had previously made plans with and there you go...

I was off the like an early bird the next morning, very spontaniously, to spend time with some important ladies in my life...to experience a little culture...to do some thing for my self for a change...and I challenged my self a little too!!! I am Wellllll on my way!!!

TO BE CONTINUED...................

I'm Baaaaaaacccccckkk...with a Crazy Animal Update Too!!!

Well It has been a month and a crazy one at that...So here's an update for you and a vow of my return!!! Will follow with a juicy Christmas post tomorrow!!!

* OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW* At least when it comes to the pets in this house...It was expected when our Old Man Shadow Dog took his last walk about with no return...and then just so sudden and sad when we came home just weeks later to find that our sweet sweet China Cat had lost in a collision with a truck right in front of our drive way...Ironic and I think not just a coincidence that they left together really...They were good friends and we were grateful to have had them as a part of our family...They certainly won't be forgotten!!!

And so the story begins for a new addition to our family..."Mister" Kitty is his name and flea breeding his is game(the boys made that one up)... He is a pretty cute, crazy loved new member of our tribe!!!  It was totally fated that he came into our lives and because we loved our China so, there just isn't much hope for this kitty witty to not be just completely rotten!!! He has big paws to fill though!!! So, with no further ado I give you "Mister" kitty's Mother*Loaded debut...

Isn't he cute?!!!

Thanks Givings!!!

I am a firm believer in Family Baggage and specifically the fact that we all have it...I like to think that mine is a little worse than yours but all in all I know that we all have it and that if you don't, your just in denial or unaware of what's really there!!!

There is nothing like sharing holidays with other families to make you appreciate your family (baggage and all)!!! I love DH's family and they are so sweet and appreciative of me...But Thanksgiving just isn't the same when you aren't asleep on your Mama's couch after eating the same dishes that you eat every year on this day!!!  I went and I ate and it was lovely, but it wasn't really Thanksgiving...

I was sad about all this for a second and then I realized that it was so nice to appreciate my crazy baggage carrying family!!!  Even with the awkward non existent relationship that I currently have with my baby sister...Still they are my family...and the ones that I am stuck with and whom are stuck with me...and no matter how gracious and loving, no one can replace that or produce a better Thanksgiving meal...It just isn't possible...

So this year I was thankful for my boys and my new in-law family...but surprisingly enough I was much more thankful for my crazy family that has been with me from the start!!! 

I hope you all had a great Turkey day...and that you were surprisingly thankful for something, and maybe family most of all!!!

more more and more...there is always more!

Okay so life got in the way and that's my only excuse...but I have noticed a huge difference in my mental health in comparing my consistent blogging self with that of my occupied and don't have time to blog self...I think I need this shit?

I have been a mess lately...It could be that we are still  and again  sick in this house...WHAT THE HELL?..Or it could be partly due to the fact that we lost our sweet China Cat to a tragic accident in front of our house last week...Or maybe a million other reasons, but it hasn't gone unnoticed that I am feeling better already just from typing this silly little update!

So not only now have I  set a goal for working out and making a long over due dentist appointment, and to send those long over due wedding and house warming gifts...but now to blog regularly for my own sanity as well...

Man it takes a lot to keep this woman sane and not uber sensitive and from avoiding proper etiquette...all I can say is that I am sorry but please don't take offense...I mean I don't go to the dentist and I went to the gyno for the first time in literally almost 3 years recently, so your not the only one that I neglect...Not that it's an excuse!!!

It's ironic to me that at the core we are all trying to be..to "just be"...yet there are millions of other things that we are expected and striving to be so that we can be a proper and good person while we are trying to let go of all those details in order to just be...Interesting?

I apologize if I'm not making since...I am not in my right mind...haven't blogged in weeks and trying to let go of details in order to "be"...while feeling guilty for avoiding and denying other details that make me a "proper" person...

Oh life!!!

Mother Loaded

P.S. the new photo is an interpretive piece on what I feel like doing and look like most of the time that I am dreaming of escaping certain parts of my reality!!! (meaning...child wrangling, under wear folding, toilet scrubbing, and husband taming, etc...) (and today in particular...facing and trying to ignore the pit in my stomach from a grueling and mortifying public ego spanking that I am trying to recover from...ouch...I still feel like a child who's trying to not cry while being disciplined!)

Say CHEESE!!!

As some of you know...I sometimes feel very isolated in these here suburbs!!! And you might have read in an earlier post, "Come Back Wine-O" that I initially had a gal pal but then was left all by my lonesome...All of this makes for some great great appreciation for the slightest and simplest adult interaction...especially that of a fellow woman and Mama!!!

So when I connected to this new hip mama in my hood I was so excited and filled with new hope that even though I am young and not the typical housewife isolated out here...that I can find the diamonds in the rough...the cool hip suburban mommas who aren't afraid to have a real conversation or confess about their germ ridden offspring and nests(or as this one new friend has said...that they might be old enough to have been my trashy teenage mothers!!!)

While it is possible to find these jewels buried deep in dirty laundry and grocery shopping...It is difficult and I think much of it left to fate...and here's one great thing about it too...Once you find one...others usually follow!!!  I was lucky enough to experience this following a few days ago when my one hot mama friend connected me with another hot mama who happens to be a fabulous photographer who especially enjoys taking photos of woman and fellow suburban hostages!!!

This real deal of a women invited me to her home for a little photo shoot for no particular occasion other than the fact that I told her it sounded like fun and that I thought it would be a liberating challenge for me! Oh Thank you...Thank you...Thank you!!!

It was...I got creative and brought some fun props and articles of clothing that were special to me and that I thought represented me well.  I tried to not be too nervous as to not ruin every photo!!! She was calm cool and collected in her house clothes and bed head(which I admired so!)  She put my nerves at ease! I still wish in retrospect that I would of come out of my shell just a bit more...but we all have to start some where I suppose!!! And if that was my start then I am well on my way!!! 

Even with my overly critical eye when it comes to self portraits...I think she captured my beauty in a cool and vintage type of way!!! I can honestly say that she captured me and that makes it easier for me to enjoy the little things that I usually despise about my portraits.  Of coarse I can always pick out my flaws...can't we all (women, I mean)!..But the coolest part of it all wasn't the actual tangible photos...it was the experience of doing something out of the ordinary...being creative and having a reason to do my hair, plan a wardrobe and accessories...and pose for the spotlight!  All while enjoying some adult interaction from a fellow strong, smart, and  beautiful mama!!!

It was an experience that I won't soon forget and that I  will certainly plan to do again...and one that I think all women should pay to have a few times in their lives...What is more timeless and classy, than to have your photo taken all by your self without too much makeup and by a professional!!!

If you want that photographer to be a real down to earth Mom...who's not afraid of her flaws (or yours)and celebrates her strengths(and yours)...then this chic is your ticket...check her out!!!

http://pogostickphotography.squarespace.com/

The rarest thing in the world is a woman who is pleased with photographs of herself.  ~Elizabeth Metcalf

Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weakness.  ~Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise du Deffand, Letters to Voltaire

Step-Mama Drama!!!

Just my small clarification on the word step-mom?..It was directed at me twice this week...Once from a fellow cub-scout mama and then again from another neighborhood mom friend!..The word almost offends me, OK actually it does...I know that it's not what the word is intended to do...and I certainly don't think it was meant to be offensive in these specific conversations!!! BUT...I am entitled to my feelings and opinion on the subject...

step·moth·er   [step-muhth-er] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

the wife of one's father by a later marriage.

I guess in all reality by the definition of the word I am a step-mom...but in my eyes I am so much more than what I view a "step-mom" to be...and I guess that's where it becomes offensive to me!!! I think that if your the primary parent and adoption it a part of the process then the word "step-mom" just doesn't cut it!!! Did you notice that in the definition above it says nothing about being a mother at all?

I know I didn't carry them for 9 month and I got away with out having to birth them from my loins or develop stretch marks or hemorrhoids (thank-God)...I missed out on the swaddling and bottle feeding...and their first words and first steps!!! I know that and I am not trying to pretend that it didn't happen or that it's exactly the same as being biologically connected or together even, from the start... 

BUT........A "step-mom" to me is one who takes on the role secondary to birth-mom...one who most likely is the secondary parent with in her own household as well...In my personal experience as a step-child my step parents weren't really parents at all!!!  Maybe that's a part of why I am so offended by sharing the same title...In my own step-dad's defense...I will say that for a man coming in to a single mama family it is difficult to know what your role should be and how to fill it!..He cared and provided and I have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for him and his role in my life...As for my "ex step-mom" well that's a whole nother blog topic all together...So, don't even get me started!!! 

I guess all I am really trying to say is that the title "step-mom" and "adoptive parent" don't mix...I don't want to offend any of you natural mothers out there, but I am carrying the same load as you...There isn't a birth mom or second wife helping me out and my DH is as clueless as yours when it comes to knowing what it takes to nurture and care for our two "Buds" full time...So, please don't belittle my load with any prefix that means step, less, half, or secondary, etc...  It's just plain offensive to me!!!

I am the only woman here...buttering their bagels, washing their underwear, and volunteering as room-mom...Can you imagine it being "room step-mom?"  NO WAY!!! It's not what a "step-mom" does it's what a mother does!!! There is a reason why this blog doesn't have the word "step" in the title!!!

I have a huge understanding and appreciation for all you Step-Mamma's out there...I personally can't imagine how much harder it would be to share the load and responsibilities with Birth-Mom...I can see how it could be much more difficult and complicated and personally I don't know how well I would do at it!..What ever your specific roles are you deserve respect for braving that relationship and taking your own responsibility for helping bring up a little person in this life!..You go girl!!!

To "Mother Lili" my boys birth mom...I am so sorry for all that you had to go through and I can't imagine what it must have felt like to know that cancer would eventually take you away from your young beautiful babies...but if I can say so...I am so grateful for all you did and your path for better of worse...I love our boys and I love the things you instilled in them before I knew they would be mine...I love talking with them about you and helping them keep your memory alive...I love how much you loved them and I love knowing that you gave them to me and that your watching over us!..Thank you for that... and for sharing your title and this beautiful journey of parenting with me!!! I try to earn it every day...Actually, you know what...I do earn it every day...even on the bad ones!!! I hope I make you proud!!!

Appreciate it ya'll,

MOTHER*Loaded

Give Praise for 55 days!!!!!!!

I am one of those folks that you might call an "old soul."  This and my very dysfunctional up bringing  is what I really think prepared me for this life as  a young mama!  I'm a big believer in that "every thing happens for a reason."  So much so that I am honestly grateful for all the things I was forced to deal with as a child, most of which I wish to block from my memory banks now!..I really do know that it is a lot of those things that have made me the woman that I am today.  Including the small detail of my Dad being an alcoholic for all of my 25+ years. Including the fact that he chose his drink over us before I was old enough to make life long memories!

From a very young age I chose to accept this about my dad and to be grateful for the things I loved about him...I found a way to just love him unconditionally as if he were already the person that I knew he could be minus his disease.  I think that is just what love is between a parent and child and it obviously goes both ways!  It wasn't hard to do really...it has always been very clear and apparent to me that, a side from the ass of a temper my dad has, he is a very kind hearted and giving man...I have always known that he loves me and been grateful to have him as a father!

 Just this year he started to really fall and it was finally clear to him, I think, that the end was near if he didn't choose to fight this disease...We prayed and prayed for there to be hope for him to have the life that he so deserves.  We got our divine intervention and my dad ended up detoxing in the ICU for three weeks...I knew it would be sad and scary to see him that way...But turns out that I had no idea just how bad it could be.

It was just awful...I saw my Dad's junk way more than I ever wanted to even see DH's  man parts...Thank God that kind of stuff just doesn't matter when some one we love is close to death...It's just as ugly as the rest of em anyways.  He wasn't even there mentally for most of it...and he was very angry and inconsolable! I could write a whole other blog based on his hallucinations alone...It was very draining and heart breaking to see someone like this...anyone! I have never ever been so happy for something to come to an end! And to know that when we left there that he would be admitting himself into treatment was one of the most profound moments of my life.

It's been weeks now and he is doing so well, and for the first time in my life I have hope that I will get to know the man behind my father...His treatment program is awesome...There is a family therapy night and I have made it almost every week...not just for him but for me too ...Turns out that most of us could benefit from hearing what these therapist have to say...I've found that I relate to a lot of what they talk about as alcoholics...Not the most exciting blog post for most...but for me it's huge...Every day that my dad is sober is such a blessing and today is his 55th day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE PRAISE FOR 55 DAYS!!! I am so grateful!!!

My favorite quote from last weeks family therapy was this..."Serenity is when your behavior aligns with your inner most core values," Do you have serenity?..I do most of the time, but I am certain that there are plenty of days that I do not!