LobotoME Brain Fog Blog

{ the sweet life }

2009-12-07T06:50:00.002-07:00

We got back last night from an amazing week in Tulum and arrived home to SNOW! ;) Basically all we did was eat, sleep & relax. I had all sorts of plans to run every morning on the beach but instead we lounged in the hammock drinking coconut smoothies. I had all sorts of plans to visit tons of archeological sites and cenotes but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave the comfortable chairs on the beach. Only when I got really hot did I even get out of the chair to go swim or surf. It was perfect. And it was so great for Will & I to have some time alone together.

So, I'm trying to get my head back on straight and transition as smoothly as possible back into working mom role (who is also notably behind in all holiday things). Note to self: Must get tree up asap.

More on our trip soon once I get resettled and more on how I am super simplifying Christmas this year (even more than usual since I'm so behind!).... Have a great Monday!

{ give the gift of sanity }

2009-11-28T08:25:00.004-07:00

Give the gift of sanity this holiday season! + Free Shipping & 15% off all kits!
Made in the USA with recycled paper & soy based inks so they are as good for the earth as they are for your mind & body!

{ a life of gratitude }

2009-11-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

image via Martha Stewart

{ acres of grace & gratitude }

2009-11-24T12:03:00.008-07:00

Last week was a doozy my friends. Everything that could have gone wrong did. {For example, my website crashing minutes after getting major press despite dozens of preventive measures taken; the kids hopping into the shower fully clothed (that I had warming up for me) right before I had to take them to school for Sam's Thanksgiving performance, the video camera dying 20 seconds before aforementioned thanksgiving performance started, etc.} I was going to write a post today about how you can prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and still be left with your head spinning, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because even with all of the chaos of last week we are still SO LUCKY. We have our health, each other and lots of love.
One of my favorite lines in my favorite book, Eat Pray Love is at the end of Part Two when, after spending four months at an Ashram in India, Elizabeth shares two poems that she's written - the first at the beginning of her stay at the ashram, when she was struggling, and the second one written her last day there after she had found peace and happiness within herself. She writes, "In the the space between the two poems, I have found acres of grace." Acres of grace. I love that. Although I find that I did not handle the events of last week with acres of grace. Acres of attitude perhaps, but not grace. So I vow to work on that. To improve my ability to rein in perspective when I need it most.

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, I find myself working towards acres of grace and thinking in terms of acres of gratitude...I have so much to be grateful for - happy, healthy children; a loving, kind & patient husband; wonderful parents who I get to see often; Sam & Henry's contagious giggles; our children's birthparents who chose us; my grandparents who are still alive and able to get to know my children; wonderful friends who are supportive and loving; my health and being cancer free; our warm & welcoming home; the men & woman working to protect us; a warm & cozy home over our heads; the affection of our golden retriever; businesses that provide for us....we are so very lucky.

We will have a home over the Thanksgiving holiday filled with the love & laughter of children, family & friends. Just the way I like it. So I'm signing out for a bit to cook & bake, cuddle with the kids and spend time with those I love. Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving....

{ daily candy }

2009-11-19T07:22:00.003-07:00

LobotoME goods on Daily Candy today! Woo-hoo!
Daily Candy & New Moon - today is a good day!

{ this is your brain on twilight.... }

2009-11-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

Since this is a blog about {brains} & you all know my current level of obsession with a certain YOUNG, hot vampire, I thought I'd share this great article I came across about Robert Pattinson's effect on woman's brains and the insanity that ensues.... And yes, I do have tickets to the midnight show tonight of New Moon. And the 6:00pm show tomorrow. And yes, my husband mocks me. ;)

{ no brainer affiliate program }

2009-11-17T15:51:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to announce LobotoME's {No Brainer Affiliate Program}!

What this is....and how you can earn money....And it's simple, easy & free!

Step 1. Sign up with ShareASale (its free to sign up).
Step 2. Once approved, advertise LobotoME products on your website or blog with the banners & buttons we provide you with.
Step 3. People follow your links to LobotoME.com
Step 4. You earn 15% in referrals!
Step 5. ShareASale sends you payment directly.

For more information visit our affiliate page here.

An easy no-brainer way for you to promote products you love & earn some extra money!

{ national adoption month }

2009-11-17T09:17:00.003-07:00

November is Adoption Awareness Month. Adoptive parenting comes in quite a few shapes and sizes. There’s domestic adoption (open, semi-open, and closed), there’s international adoption, there’s fostering-to-adopt–and this is just scratching the surface of a few of the “big” ones. I'm always happy to answer questions about our process if any of you have them.

All I can say is that these two children were so meant to be a part of our life. They were out there in the universe meant for us. In my mind, adoption is a perfect combination of hope, faith, prayer and destiny.

You can read more about our adoption story here.

Family photos by Julie Afflerbaugh

{ the season of GIVING }

2009-11-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

We have several family traditions during the holidays that have to do with Giving. Here are a few of the things we do if you are looking for ideas...

Operation Christmas Child...We save up our show boxes throughout the year and then in early November fill them with goodies (art supplies, toothbrushes, soap, paper, pencils, etc.) and donate them to this wonderful program.

Food Bank - We have Sam decorate a few large boxes with markers & stickers and then we go to the store to buy food for the Food Bank. She helps us fill up the boxes and comes with us to deliver them to our community food bank.

Project Merry Christmas - We adopt a family through our local Project Merry Christmas program and provide them with a holiday meal, warm clothes and gifts for the kids. Toys for Tots is a similar nationwide program.

Holiday Mail for Heroes - We have Sam help us make holiday cards that the Red Cross will send to soldiers abroad during the holiday season. Note: Cards must be postmarked by 12/7.

Here are some other holiday giving ideas from Real Simple.

What ways do you GIVE to those in need during the holiday season or year round?

{ the gift of clean water }

2009-11-13T07:06:00.005-07:00

I found out about this program via t his blog and think it is an amazing idea and wanted to share with you what I WILL be buying today. Water. Clean Water.

Today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a campaign to
buy water for christmas.

1.1 billion people on our planet lack access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.
4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
The lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.
and it doesn't have to be.

We can all spare $10 for this important cause....can't WE? What if we give the gift of clean water for Christmas gifts to each other this year? As we start the madness of the holiday season here, let us think about people there. Do we need more THINGS or do they need clean water?

Today...November 13...lets buy clean water. Clean life saving water.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years.
100% of proceeds go directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

And in case that hasn't inspired you enough check out this mother of 6's journey to Africa in support of this program here.

{ simple is beautiful }

2009-11-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Love this print from the Keep Calm Gallery.

{ a simple Christmas }

2009-11-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

On average, it takes 6 months for families to pay off holiday bills...ouch. The mode of our culture is to consume and shop throughout the year. During the holiday season people feel they have to shop even MORE than normal. But it doesn't have to be that way. This year can be different. You don't have to spend a lot to have a meaningful celebration. Instead of shopping like crazy, here are some ways to simplify your holidays. { Here is my original post on this topic and here is a great article from the Seattle Times about moms taking back the holidays by taking on consumerism. }

1) Establish or honor family traditions.

2) Sit down with a calendar and make a list of things everyone in the family would like to do over the holidays. I like to build these things into our advent activity calendar.

3) Schedule in some "helping other" activities...donating food at the food bank, donating blankets to the homeless shelter, adopting a family for Christmas, etc. Involve your kids in choosing and taking part in these acts of giving. For example, I have Sam decorate paper bags that we then fill with food for the food bank, go grocery shopping and deliver them together.

4) Celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 21st. We always do a fancy dinner at home with sitting outside looking at the starts & drinking hot chocolate.

5) Light a special candle each night during the month of December and take turns reading stories, poems or saying things you are each grateful for. We generally try to incorporate this into our evening dinners together.

6) Make Christmas Day about spending time with family & friends and not about the gifts. We do this by having a simple bunch- Swedish coffee cake (my Gram's recipe), bagels & cream cheese, egg casseroll (make ahead of time)...And then we all don our snowshoes and go snowshoeing together.

Last year we pared down the gifts for the kids into 6 gift giving categories...But this year we are doing advent calendar activities and only 3 gifts. Note: Sam thinks Santa leaves ONE gift for each child (lots of kids to give things to...only one per child reasoning). We have again asked all of the grandparents to go easy on the gift giving (1-2 gifts per child) or donations to the kids college funds. So for Samme this translates into:

1 Want from Santa: A piano. I found a great (and super cheap) piano at the thrift store a few weeks ago. Score! Sam has wanted a piano forever....

1 Need: Winter gear - she outgrew last years snow boots.

1 Read: A new book.

Henry gets...

1 Want from Santa: An Ikea Trainset

1 Need: New PJ's

1 Read: A new book.

I've also created a year in review photo book from Shutterfly for all of the grandparents and birthparents. This is all our parents/grandparents are getting {oh and some custom (painted by Samme) artwork}.

Teachers are getting homemade bread and LobotoME notepads. Neighbors are getting bread or cookies. Hostess gifts will be wine & LobotoME notepads.

We are putting up our lovely reusable tree after Thanksgiving (I prefer the term reusable to fake...as much fun it would be to tromp into the woods and cut down a tree I can't bring myself to do it)...the peace on the front door, a live tree with white lights on the front porch (that we'll plant in the spring) and our stockings hung by the chimney. That's it. The rest of the holiday decor went to the thrift store last year.

The holidays are about spending time together. Peacefully. Not rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off.

What are you doing to keep it simple this year?

{ where work happens }

2009-11-06T09:39:00.005-07:00

My home office is the workspace of the week on Unclutterer today!

{It is certainly not lacking "color!" But I spend a lot of time in here at night (after the kids are in bed) so I like it to be bright & cheerful looking!}

{ school fundraisers }

2009-11-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you have school aged children and I've been getting involved in Sam's schools PTA program. One of the things that I was surprised about it is the "crap" - and I say that in the nicest way possible - that they sell to raise money for the school. I am all about raising money for the school but I don't want candy bars, glow sticks or Barbie books. So, I am working with Sam's school to sell LobotoME goods. I am selling them to the school for the wholesale price and the school makes a great margin (way better margins that a candy bar being sold for $1.00). The pads were warmly received as they help parents be more organized.

So, I'm curious if any of you are interested in bringing the LobotoME goods to your PTA? If so, let me know and I can send you or the PTA committee a catalog, order form (listing the wholesale prices) and a sample. Orders over $250 receive free shipping too!

And to sweeten the deal, if you bring your school on board, I'll send you a special gift too! :)

{ organize ME }

2009-11-03T12:51:00.005-07:00

Check out Karen of Karina Ink's weekly organize ME planner (don't you just love her handwriting)? Get your own organize ME planner here.

{ halloween 09 }

2009-11-02T20:32:00.004-07:00

Samme picked the costumes & theme this year. She wanted to be bat girl and said Henry had to be a little bat. Will was supposed to be Edward Cullen (but he bailed at the last minute) and I was a vampire...

{ feed ME }

2009-11-02T06:01:00.002-07:00

Still trying to use up some apples from the tree & kale, spinach & swiss chard from the garden this week! And is anyone else a little wigged out that it's already November? Where did the fall go!?!?

Monday - Vegetarian Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup (with kale from the garden) - (note: I don't anticipate Sam will like this - But she likes raw kale so I'll add some kale to some noodles & parm. cheese).
Tuesday - Baked Ziti with Spinach & Tomatoes (with last spinach & tomato sauce from the garden) - Raising Foodies Cooking Club new recipe this week
Wednesday - Leftover Ziti from night before (busy night)
Thursday - Salmon, Brown Rice & Edamame
Friday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Apple Chutney & Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday - veggie chilli
Sunday - taco salad using remaining veggie chili

{ dear vampa }

2009-10-31T11:33:00.002-06:00

This is an adorable kids book about vampire & werewolf neighbors.... for all of you Twilight loving moms out there, it's a perfect kids book. Happy Halloween!

{ 21 days }

2009-10-29T18:32:00.004-06:00

....until New Moon! ;-) And I can't believe I live in a town where tickets haven't gone on sale yet!
I want tickets NOW!

Do you have your Bite ME pads yet?

And sticking with my Vampire obsession this Halloween, Will & I are dressing up as Vampires, Samme is Bat Girl and Henry is a little gray bat! Happy Halloween everyone!

{ ME vs. debt }

2009-10-28T07:02:00.000-06:00

Check out my guest post today on Man vs. Debt ---- How I paid of $15,000 in school loans in 9 months by selling 'stuff' on ebay.

ps. Thank you Colgate for the wonderful (albeit expensive) education. However, I am equally as thankful to finally done with my school loans. Hooray!

{ flu prevention....naturally }

2009-10-26T20:09:00.000-06:00

So, not to open a can of worms here, but we didn't get the flu or H1N1 vaccines. I'll leave it at that without launching into how we came to that well researched decision. However, I have done a ton of research on how to boost the kids immunity this year...We are fortunate that they seem to have solid functioning immune systems and rarely get sick - they eat healthy, take vitamins, get good rest, wash hands a hundred times a day, etc. But I wanted to bump it up even more since everyone we know has been or is sick. So here are some tips I've come across that have been helping us stay healthy.

Note: These are tips from a mom (ME) with no medical training (I was a geology/environmental studies major in college). Not a doctor. If you have flu symptoms go see your doctor, don't email ME!

1. Elderberry. An herb with anti-viral effects, elderberrry (or Sambucus nigra) has been touted as an all-natural defense against the H1N1 swine flu. Although research on elderberry's flu-fighting benefits is somewhat limited, there's evidence that this antioxidant-rich herb may reduce the duration and lessen the severity of the flu. Various products containing elderberry can be found at your local drugstore or online here. Additional info about elderberry's potential benefits here. We take Quantum Health Cold & Flu Immune Defense (Elderberry, Echinacea, Goldenseed & Vitamin C). Sam takes Irwin Kids Immuno-Zappers (Eldeberry, Zinc & Vitamin C) chewable vitamins - they taste like watermelon and Get Well Soothing Herbal Drops (Elderberry, Vitamin C & Eucalyptus). Henry gets 1/2 dropper of Elderberry Liquid Extract with water.

2. Andrographis. Anytime Will, Sam or I start to feel sick we start taking Andrographis. We like Plum Flowers Brand - Chuan Xin Lian. It has natural properties similar to an antibiotic. Note: We take the sugar coated (although said to be less effective because it is nasty if it dissolves too quickly in your mouth). We give Sam one tablet, 2-3 times a day. We take 3 tablets, 3 times a day. We just hide hers in a scoop of icecream and she is able to swallow it.

3. Obsessive hand-washing and resist all temptations to touch any part of face. We keep disinfectant handwash in our cars, bags, etc.

4. Gargle with salt water several times a day. H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling may help prevent proliferation.

5. Vitamin C & Zinc. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc
to boost absorption. We all like Trader Joe's Raspberry Flavored Zinc Vitamins.

6. Acerola - A tropical bearing fruit that contains 32x the amount of Vitamin C found in orange juice. Find it at your local health foods store.

7. Vitamin D. Get your daily Vitamin D. Best from sunshine but if you live in a rainy, dreary part of the country, take supplements.

8. Eat healthy, get some exercise & get enough sleep. Fuel your body with nutrient rich, warm foods, exercise on a daily basis and get at least 7.5 hours of sleep each night. Tired, unhealthy bodies become breading grounds for illness.

{ feed ME - eating out of the pantry week }

2009-10-26T09:20:00.005-06:00

We've had houseguests for the past several weekends which has meant lots of cooking, lots of yummy food but also higher than normal grocery bills. We also have a lot of stuff in the freezer & pantry so this week, other than buying milk for Henry, we are having an eat out of the pantry week. Yesterday, I went through and gathered ideas based upon what we had on hand. Here's our Feed ME plan this week:

Monday - Halibut (from freezer) with Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa (make extra quinoa for lunches and make extra black beans for dinner tomorrow night)
Tuesday - Spinach & Cheese Quesidillas with Brown Rice & Black Beans
Wednesday - Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomato Sauce we canned from garden tomatoes this fall and salad
Thursday - Grilled Mahi Mahi (from freezer) with Brown Rice & Black Beans
Friday - Spinach, Kale (from garden) & Sun-dried tomato homemade pizza
Saturday - Tomato Soup & Sandwiches
Sunday - Veggie Chili (frozen from last weekend)

{ help ME }

2009-10-22T12:06:00.003-06:00

Loving this adorable, postive chorechart {this is how i contribute to my family} that Lisa of Sweetbeets designed for her son. Download and customize yours for FREE here.

In our home we haven't used a chore chart specifically but we do have Sam help do things on a daily basis (not for allowance but just as being part of our family and helping to keep our home tidy) - things like making her bed before school, setting the table for dinner, helping fold laundry, helping play with Henry before bath time while we clean up from dinner, etc. We aim to make these things fun and work on them together - for example, she'll set the table and fold the cloth napkins while Will lights the candles and I put dinner on the table all while listening to music. What methods work at your house? Do your kids help out? Or is it a never ending battle?

{ ebay round 413...and yes i'm selling my frye boots }

2009-10-21T04:59:00.001-06:00

What is the world coming too? Listing what could be the coolest pair of boots ever made? I just don't wear them hardly ever. I know I probably should. I should rock them out with a cute pair of skinny jeans and a long tunic and be hip. But I'm not going to. I wear my yoga pants most days or my super comfy and not skinny joe's jeans. And I just have come to the realization that I don't NEED a HUGE closet full of stuff (just in case I might someday want to wear something again). I know what I like to wear and that isn't going to change. So, I've got some more lovely stuff up on my ebay shop. And I'm so so so so close to paying off my school loans ($15,000) with the ebay sold stuff to date. So close. So, who wants my loved Frye boots (size 7.5)? ;-)

{ top 5 organizational products }

2009-10-20T06:23:00.003-06:00

I'm over at Kotori today guest posting about my Top 5 organizational products! Come visit ~