bring joy

The best of chocolate: 10 fave gluten-free & vegan recipes

above, my raspberry black forest brownies

Pregnancy cravings can be weird.

The other day I wanted leftover skillet potatoes, green olives, & siracha sauce–for breakfast.

Every day is a bit different, & I try to eat as intuitively as I can (even if it is “weird”).

Sometimes I just want a HUGE leafy green salad drenched in a lemon vinaigrette. Other times I crave a thick chocolate milkshake (vegan, of course). Or a big bowl of hearty chili. Sometimes I can eat a ton, other times I’m FULL after a few bites.

Pregnancy is roller coaster of cravings, emotions, & a rapidly changing body. It’s also a time, in my opinion, to relish the beauty of creating a new life. I’d like to think that what I’m feeding my body is helping to create a super-duper gorgeous & healthy baby, so I want to make...

getting real about parent worries : pornography

parenting

This is one of those posts I’m not sure I can do justice.

My thoughts regarding the issues I’m going to talk about are still unfinished & perhaps rough at best, though I feel important enough to share with you, & I hope you’ll add yours, as I always learn from what you have to say.

I’ve talked about some of the emotions I’ve felt, some of the things I’ve learned, since becoming a parent.

As my kids get older, there’s a sense of awe at watching them develop & learn, become more independent, learn skills & talents. Of being pleasantly surprised at their quick & clever remarks. All of these things are the perks of parenting.

But then there’s the hard stuff. Which I’m sure I’m only beginning to broach.

When you’re in you’re 20’s, speaking for myself, it’s easy to be preoccupied with the...

pumpkin pie milkshake

breakfast, dessert & bread

When my kids get home from school, they burst through the door.

Every day I remind them to put their bags, shoes, & lunch coolers away.

They show me homework, assignments & I try & gleen one or two tidbits about what happened that day (we save the juicy stuff for dinnertime).

Then they want a snack. Always.

Most days it’s simple: cut up fruit & nuts, apples or rice cakes with pb, or popcorn. Of course there are endless ways to make adorable kid food, but let’s be realistic. Most days, it’s simple, because we’ve got homework, dance, soccer, & dinner’s right around the corner anyway. My philosophy is I spend too much time on dinner for them not to be hungry, so I make sure their snack just tides them over until 6 or 6:30 when we sit together as a family.

Yesterday, for their snack, I...