I snuck away to Kansas City this week to visit Bernadette and to do some fun Rhythm of The Home planning for the year. Now I am trying to make my way back home amid a beautiful Colorado blizzard. I wish you all a great weekend, and I look forward to being back next week.

I have a new love, and a time consuming one at that. Pinterest.

I really wasn’t looking for anything new to keep from the ever growing pile on laundry on my floor, or the gazilion emails I need to respond to, but Pinterest did it anyway.

Having a digital inspiration board and creative to-do list is a brilliant idea, and one that I think will be around for a long time to come. I wondered when I first began just how much I would actually use the pins that I was creating, but I have to admit that I reference quite a lot through the week, especially when it comes to food.

Last Friday was my husband’s birthday, and we had a house full of guests who came to wish him a great year ahead. Food and friends are always a welcome addition to the weekend, and I enjoyed cruising the pin boards to see about some new recipes to make. On the morning of the party I stumbled across this pin for frozen chocolate covered strawberries. I had one of those “get up and go to the store right now!” kind of moments, but I was already knee deep in cooking and the wee one’s nap so that was a bit out of the question. The idea of cut fruit and melted chocolate all coming together in an ice cube tray was just too simple and perfect to let go of completely.

While I didn’t have strawberries, I did have a left over bag of yummy white chocolate chips (think peppermint bark) and a container of blueberries. As much as I love white chocolate, it can be a bit over powering, so I decided to add a touch of cinnamon to give it a kick.

The result was a creamy and fresh dessert that was gone long before the cake and ice cream. Three simple ingredients and ten minutes of prep yielded a very good thing indeed.

White Chocolate, Cinnamon and Blueberry Bites

1 12 oz bag white chocolate chips

48-72 blueberries, washed and dried

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Melt chocolate in a bowl set over boiling water. Add cinnamon and stir to incorporate fully. Place 4-6 blueberries in each cube of an ice tray. Pour the chocolate over the berries and bang the tray gently to allow the chocolate to fill all the crevices. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes, then into the freezer for 20 more. Pop out of the tray mold, cut into cube size chunks and serve.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Early one morning over a good cup of coffee, I was talking to Joel about why Landon had gone from being a great sleeper to nursing 6-8 times a night in the last few months. I was tired, emotional and so very ready to just throw up my hands and have myself a good old fashioned temper tantrum.

Landon was one of those babes who slept all day and night. He was the type of infant that you never ever discuss because other mothers will hunt you down and hurt you for getting as much sleep as I did in those first few months. But I was warned that he would turn, and turn he did. My sweet infant has become a wide awake baby, and my lack of sleep has begun to catch-up with me.

I had gone looking for answers everywhere I can think of: doctors, friends, lactation consultants, herbalists, etc. I wanted an answer on where my good sleeper went. I wanted to know why he is suddenly in need of nursing all night long, and if there was something wrong that I could fix.

I received wonderful answers, and crazy answers, and everything in between (one of our doctors actually tried to convince us that our then 9 month old was manipulating us.)

Then in an instant my husband brought it all home; “He just needs you, Heather. This is the part of attachment parenting that gets tough, but it is also the reason that we attachment parent in the first place. He just needs you”.

It really wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but at the same time I knew that it was exactly what was going on.  When we talk about connection, it is our children who are the biggest examples of it. They are so bound to us, so connected, and they need us to physically be there at almost every moment in their days (and nights). To know that I am Landon’s safety net, his sense of well being in the world is an honor, even though it may also be a sleep depriving honor.

As I am finding out, connection with a child changes drastically over the course of the years, and although Jacob still asks me for snuggles and love, I can tell that every day he feels safer and safer to stray away from me and into the greater world. I am proud of him for that, and I know that one day Landon will do the same, but for now he is my reminder that while I may be tired, these days will not last long, but they will hopefully be of the greatest importance in my little one’s life.

I have always been an advocate for finding time to nurture ourselves, no matter if it is 5 minutes on the yoga mat or an hour long soak in the tub at the end of the day. I would like to think that I am a pretty good mom, but I am certainly a much better one if I have remembered to take a few moments out of my day just for me.

As my family is expanding, and there are now three little ones running around (okay, two running and one making a darn good attempt), time is getting a little thinner.

The other day I sat down with my journal, set the timer for 60 seconds, and wrote a joy list out. This is an exercise that I love to do because it is both a reminder of all of the blessings I have in my life, and it is a way for me to see what is important in this moment to focus on.

Perhaps the best part of a joy list is that it brings up small things that make me happy, and simple quick things that I can do to make the day a bit better. When lots of water and the smell of lavender showed up on the top of the list (under sweet Landon kisses and Jakey hugs, of course), I found an easy way to incorporate them into my day.

Just after I wake in the morning, I fill a huge mason jar full of cut up oranges, cucumbers and ginger and place it in the fridge to stay cold. A quick glass here or there makes me feel like I am getting a refresher in my day, while getting the water I need as a nursing mama. As for the lavender, that goes in a bowl of fresh water with two washcloths, and goes over the eyes or face when the stress of the day begins to show itself.

It takes 5 minutes of my morning to prepare, but as simple as these two things are to make, they have a long lasting impact on my mood throughout the day. Maybe they are just my reminders that there is always joy in the simple things.

What simple things bring you joy today?

In late Spring of 2011 I was invited to help write a book on throwing naturally fun parties for children with Anni Daulter. Anni is the author of such books as The Organic Cookbook, Ice Pop Joy, and Organically Raised: Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers. Having a 3 month old babe in my arms, I jumped into the task of creating recipes, crafts, and decor for distinct parties that would be fun for children of all ages.

This book was an incredible learning experience that taught me so very much, and that I will never forget. Naturally Fun Parties for Kids: Creating Handmade, Earth-Friendly Celebrations for All Seasons and Occasions is available for pre-order now, and is full of ways to use natural, recycled and eco-friendly materials to throw fun and festive parties both outdoors and in.

Naturally Fun Parties for Kids gives parents distinctive ideas and complete plans, decorations, activities, recipes, and more — for celebrating with their families throughout the year. All 12 parties are inspired by nature, are cost effective, utilize recycling and other sustainable practices, and are incredible fun for all! From a fabulous homemade, all-natural spa party filled with floral-scented foot soaks and chocolate facials, to a morning gathering in pajamas for a party with pancakes galore, there’s a party here for every personality. ~ Amazon. com

Anni and I hope that you enjoy a little “taste” of what is inside below, and we are very excited to share the book with you in March. If you are interested in reviewing Naturally Fun Parties for Kids ahead of it’s release, please email me at heather@shivayanaturals.com.

From the Natural Spa Day Party

Chocolate Facial

½ cup cocoa powder

4 Tablespoons oatmeal

½ cup honey

3 teaspoons cottage cheese

½ cup fresh plain yogurt

Mix all together and refrigerate until ready to use.

Apply to face and leave on for 10 minutes or until girls want to eat it off!

Rinse off with water.

::

From the Winter Solstice party

Cheesy Potato Soup with Honeyed Walnuts

2 Tbsp butter

1 ½ yellow onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

½ Tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

2 pieces of celery, chopped

½ cup mushrooms, chopped (any variety)

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*

2 cup water

2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Pinches of cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

:: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

:: On a large baking rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange a single layer of walnuts and coat with honey.

:: When oven is hot, cook the walnuts for about 15 minutes, set aside.

:: Meanwhile, set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1-2 minutes.

:: Add the onion, garlic, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, celery and mushrooms celery and sauté for 5-7 minutes.

:: Add potatoes, broth and water and bring to boil.

:: Add in the cayenne and salt + pepper.

:: Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash soften.

:: Puree with a hand held mixer or blender and return to a clean pot.

:: Add in cheese and mix until it melts.

:: Add salt and spices to taste, and garnish with honeyed walnuts.

Serves 8

Enjoy!

The prairie grasslands of Eastern Colorado, a new space I recently explored

Welcome to the new space my dear friends, I hope that you will enjoy the new look and feel of the blog. If I do say so myself, Bernadette did a beautiful job at taking the things that I loved over at Blogger and giving them a new twist here at Word Press.

First, why I moved.

Many of you have asked me why I felt that I was having security issues at Blogger. The main reason was that I was using an outdated theme that was no longer fully supported by Google. To make matters a whole lot more complicated, I had added custom code that made up a little over 50% of my blogs look and feel, and I was not skilled enough to keep updating that code to make sure that the blog content was secure. The last straw came when I woke up one morning to an email that my blog, including my photos, was over on another website that I did not own, and that I could not control. Talk about feeling vulnerable.

I was very lucky that when Bernadette and I decided to redo the blog for Rhythm of The Home , we had chosen the Thesis theme and had gotten to know the program over the past year. I decided that the platform was perfect for my needs here at Shivaya, and Bernadette agreed to help me make the move. We are still working on getting everything transferred over, but my hope is that the next few weeks see us do just that.

For now, I am excited to be back in the blogging world, I am looking forward to sharing a very exciting announcement with you on Monday, and I hope that you will all enjoy this new space for many posts to come. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

There is something so essential about a fresh start, a new year, a proper end and the promise of a new beginning.

As we were approaching the holidays I told Joel that I needed to see this year come to an end, and that I was craving what was ahead. This had nothing to do with 2011 being a bad year, it was one of the best on record, but rather a feeling that there is something brewing in 2012 that will change the dynamic of my relationships, and my sense of self.

We spent New Year’s Eve with close family and friends reminiscing on the past, as 2012 would mark my 20th year of knowing my husband. As the night drew on, I began to play with the feelings in my heart that were coming forth. Joel had declared that 2012 would be our year of fun and that this would be the year that we finally took the chances, the adventures we had been dreaming about.

Adventure, connection, joy and simplicity, these became our resolutions for twenty twelve.

There is a commercial on television right now from Citibank that shows professional rock climber Katie Brown enjoying quite a view after a hard climb. I love this commercial, I watch entire football games with my husband just to see this commercial. I want to be that woman standing on top of the rock overlooking the world.

For Christmas Joel showed that he pays full attention to my dreams, and bought us a two day pass to learn to rock climb together.

Adventure means many things to many people, but it is an essential part of the life experience. Choosing to follow our dreams, taking the first step, taking a risk, that is all part of the fun that makes any adventure worth taking, any life worth living.

When I think of things that fill the soul, that help us dive deep within ourselves and pull out what truly makes us happy, I think of adventure. I want to fill this year full of them.

:: I want to climb Longs Peak
:: I want to learn to rock climb
:: I want to finally write that book
:: I want to throw on a potters wheel
:: I want to back pack with my children

Adventures are exciting because they propel us further than we thought that we could go, they remind us we can do what we set out to, that we are strong and gracious and amazing and full of such spirit. They remind us that life is awesome.

We deserve adventure. We deserve to dream big and see it through. We deserve to declare an entire year to the adventures that will change us and define who we become in the future.

I have lived many an adventure so far in my short 35 years, but what keeps me happy, keeps me sane, is knowing that there are so many more to come.

Photos taken by Stacy Ziegler

Every once in a while something comes along that just makes me smile from ear to ear at it’s goodness. This is how I felt the first time I saw Annie Riechmann’s Alphabet Glue. Annie has a love of books and storytelling, and clearly that love has been nurtured and passed down to her children. Alphabet Glue is now on it’s fourth edition, and Annie has been generous enough to offer five copies of the entire collection here.

The year of activities include such amazing projects as the Paper Penguin Pencil Toppers, Salt Sparkle Snowflakes, Fabric Covered Stitch Books, A Detectives Kit, and my personal favorite, Story Lanterns.

To win a copy of Alphabet Glue, simply leave a comment here telling us what your favorite childhood book is, and we will draw five winners on Monday, just in time to have this amazing collection bound and wrapped for the holidays (that is what I did for my kids).

Congratulations to Holly, Erin, Michelle, Adela and Heather L. Your copy of Alphabet Glue will be emailed to you shortly! Happy Reading.