spoken words

i just want to share these with you. i have been enjoying words these days. usually, i am mostly visual but i have been appreciating the art of words written and spoken and especially sung. 

maya angelou - still i rise

sarah kay - if i should have a daughter...

3 year old reciting Litany by Billy Collins

forever young - bob dylan

chickies & eggs

there's something about little chicks and colorful eggs that just makes me happy! lots of rainy days and sick kids this vacation week yielded a ton of pretty easter eggs. we had so much fun making them. 

we tried the rubber band technique...

we tried the crayon on hot eggs technique but i think we did something wrong...

we decoupaged tissue paper onto large plastic eggs (these came out so nice and we can keep them forever)...

and in honor of earth day, we repurposed old magazine covers and weaved them into little egg baskets. so cute!

i really really wanted to do the natural egg dyes this year. i had all of the ingredients (beets, red cabbage, tumeric, grape juice...) but tired at 9pm on the night before easter, when I went to open the white eggs i asked my husband to buy, every egg had red 'eggland's best' logos stamped on them. booo and i was just too tired to go back out just for more eggs, so there's always next year, right?

so i think the easter bunny's sugar high has finally come down (can i really be sick of sugar?) and so i have been in need of some healthy eating again. bunnies love carrots and so i searched for a yummy carrot recipe, because carrots can be so ho-hum, and i definitely found one that i will make again and again. it's sooo good. i remembered that art cafe released one in the hook magazine this current issue (if only they would give out their hummus recipe...). here it is. you gotta try it!:


mid-eastern carrot salad


8 carrots
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1/2 t paprika
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t cumin
1/4 chopped cilantro (or parsley)
salt & pepper to taste


wash and peel carrots. bring two quarts water (several pinches of salt) to boil and add carrots. cook for up to 8 minutes, but do not let carrots get soft or tender. remove carrots from heat and rinse under cold water and let cool completely. slice carrots in approx. 1/4 inch round slices. mix by hand as a dressing in a separate bowl the lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, mashed garlic and cumin. in a serving bowl, mix the sliced carrots and dressing lightly. add salt and pepper to taste and add the cilantro. serve chilled. enjoy!

mind full

the springtime or as mothers of school-aged kids call it, the 'end of the school year,' is a busy, busy time. so much to do, people to see, events to celebrate... there is such a happy energy this time of year. my mind is full of ideas for those carefree days of summer. i think the new york winters make me appreciate these long sunny days. 


i love waking up and walking outside barefoot and tank-topped to get the paper. i love lemonade after a long walk. i love ripe tomatoes still warm from the sun. i love throwing whatever we have in the fridge on the grill at dinner time - viola! i love sitting in the backyard with a beer and my husband after the kids are in bed. oh, i can't wait.


being this time is so jam packed with things, i tend to go on autopilot and to be very honest i get frazzled and snappy. 'getting things done' so i can enjoy the summer. in becoming aware of the fact that i am not in the moment for my children all of the time, i have been consciously trying to be more mindful of what i am doing, more present. i want to enjoy my day, not just get through it, you know? in my few quiet breaks, i've picked up two books that i think any mama would benefit from reading. one is buddhism for mothers - a calm approach to caring for yourself and your children and everyday blessings - the inner work of mindful parenting.

since starting to read these I have already noticed a change in myself. the days seem longer (in a good way) and in practicing to not be so concerned with 'having enough time,' i have noticed that i am happier and actually get more done. my energy does not sink because i am stressed.


the image above is of eden at nyack beach. we had a real family photo shoot but of course my tressa wanted nothing to do with it. she wiggled and pouted and refused to smile. there were just too many fun things to explore and do... so we surrendered and she thanked us with some "cheeeeese!"

i heart hummus

oh hummus, a superfood and my love. i can eat hummus every single day. i looooove it. i feel great after i eat it, satisfied, and it somehow soothes the soul. when i've been ill or have trudged through morning sickness, hummus has been the only thing i could tolerate. i'm not the only one who shouts, "i love hummus" from the rooftops. lately, there are many articles, books, and even websites, dedicated to the benefits and simple delicious variations of the stuff. anyway, not realizing that it's an art form, i started making my own hummus. the first batch wasn't so bad but wasn't so good either, although i used canned organic chickpeas (not as nutritional as dried beans). the second and third (using quality dried chickpeas) came out really yummy. for me the secret was, first, finding the really small chickpeas, second, in adding more water to the consistency you prefer, and third, you definitely have to warm it up and drizzle some olive oil in the middle before serving.

There are many many recipes out there but I found that the original one that I had worked out great. I followed the hummus recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks called "Feeding the Whole Family," by Cynthia Lair. The book has wonderful recipes with basic whole ingredients. What I love about this cookbook is that at the bottom of each page, she gives suggestions on how to use the ingredients from that meal and make it for baby, which saves me from having to cook a separate meal (now if only she could tell me how to turn all of these recipes into mac 'n' cheese for my 8 year old...that's another story). 

for me, making my own, of something that is nowadays readily available on the shelf for you at the supermarket (hummus, tomato sauce, pie, breads) somehow grounds me - and by grounded i don't mean punished :) i mean that i feel more connected to the earth and my family i guess. that sounds so corny. but what i mean is that when i go out and buy organic, seasonal, local ingredients and then come home a make something with my hands that may take an entire day instead of a half hour, i feel a bond to my ancestors. and it just feels good to slow down and put your heart into something wholesome that your family will enjoy. 

i heart. . .

...new uses for old things i would have otherwise thrown away. eden and i (and pop-pop, too!) made these wonderful little crayon hearts out of her old worn out crayons. i got the idea here. i saw these silicon heart molds - i guess they were for mini muffins - in the target dollar section. i figured i would make some muffins for valentine's day but on the label it mentioned "cannot withstand high temps for too long!" wow, i wonder how many people missed that message and why on earth.... so i threw it back in the bin. but then i came across this great idea and went back to buy the molds. (you could use regular muffin tins or even cookie cutters but i realized after that cleaning the molds to where you'd be able to bake in them again is pretty labor intensive - use an old muffin tin or just dedicate one to use for crafts only) it's really simple though. you just peel and cut up your old crayons into smaller pieces, then spray the mold or muffin tin with baking spray, fill them up with the crayon pieces (get creative!), bake at about 275 degrees for 7 mins. and viola! swirly heart crayons. so fun! and oh yeah important, cool completely before popping them out of molds. eden is going to give one to each of her classmates with a little note for her class valentine exchange. 

i heart. . .

there is this blog that i have been following since i saw an article in mothering magazine a few months ago. soulemama is a mother of four, writer, artist, sewer, crafter.... in portland maine who has created a beautiful blog about her daily life. i find it calming to go there. makes me want to leave this fast-paced new york state of mind and move to maine :) i know, i'd never survive - or would i? anyway, her creative ideas are inspiring and just the little quant moments that she captures in her photos and posts remind me of what is important. i ordered her first book (it's on its way!) called the creative family: how to encourage imagination and nurture family connections. i look forward to her posts. this is the first and only blog i actually follow. 

so, my new wish is to learn how to sew - on a machine. i am searching for a place that holds classes. there are a few in the area. there are so many possibilities in sewing. i feel like it is an essential thing to know or it was when our grandmothers were young. sewing or knitting is such a nice thing for a grandmother or mother to pass down to her children. maybe eden would like to take a class with me. that would be lovely. i have a project in mind for a friend who is having a much awaited baby girl. i want to sew her a tiny kimono that i saw a simple pattern for. i am currently looking for some cute fabric. i am liking the the few i posted above. i need to decide soon since i will see her on the 30th. better get sewing! yikes!

i heart. . .

i heart birds in art - i love prints and paintings of our feathered friends. birds are amazing creatures. so colorful and yet somehow wise in nature. my eye is catching all things spring these days and birds are the first sign that the gray will soon burst into rainbow. 

these paintings are so darling. they are by an artist named geninne in mexico city.

 i'll be posting more signs of the northeast spring as i stumble upon them...