Blue Monday

Have you heard this? Scientists (and media) have coined the 3rd Monday in January to be the Most Depressing Day of the year or "Blue Monday"? It's true. Well, it may not be all that true, but I can personally say it feels true, doesn't it? And, not because my maiden name is Blue.

The whole depressing media-hype is based on failed New Years resolutions, holiday bills arriving, bleak weather, nothing really special to look forward to, and so on and so on.

That is why I'm so excited as we're kicking off a series of 5 monthly seminars at our new Teddie Kossof Salon office. Can you guess what our topic is this month?

Ding, ding, ding: You got it-- "The Power of Positivity"

That's right, folks. Positivity. Forget this cold weather, days without seeing the sun, and long haul till Spring. We're going to kick Blue Monday's sorry butt to the curb.

If you're like me, you may find yourself letting out a long groan and roll of your eyes when you hear the word positivity. But here's the thing: positivity can change your life. And it's not just being Pollyanna sunshine, it's about being genuine, alive and interested in finding more positivity in your life. Not forcing yourself to fake being happy.

I'm really excited to share the groundbreaking research from Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D's book "Positivity" and break down how to inject more positivity into our lives, step-by-baby-step.

To my blogger buddies in the Chicagoland area, if you are interested -- come! I'd love to see your beautiful faces. It's free. And, it's soon--this Thursday @7pm at Teddie Kossof Salon in Northfield. Take a chance, I'll give you a hint--it's one of the secrets to getting more positivity in your life! Also, we'll be leading a variety of other free seminars, you're welcome to join us--click here for more details We'll cover Marriage, Career, Social & Emotional Intelligence and more. I'd love to see you. Email me if you have any thoughts or questions lauren@bluelifecoaching.com

My FAV Easy & Light Recipes

Ladies, I'm no chef. But, I've been experimenting and trying out some new stuff. I've learned some easy and delish recipes to keep in my backpocket. If you like lemon, fresh taste...your tastebuds will explode.

My inspiration? Two ladies. Kelley who is an Registered Dietitian and has a blog on helping your kids to eat healthier. Kelley hosted a kitchen party and taught me and 5 other women how to make foods for our kids that are healthy and easy. We even made the recipes right there and then! Fabulous party, if you're in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommending hiring her for a private party.

My other is one of my closest oldest friends Andrea. She is a Rachael Ray fanatic and is constantly watching the food channel or trying out some new recipe.

I'm not like either of these women, yet, but I'm figuring out my own path... and I got all these ideas from one of them! Mmmmwaaah.

Kale Salad
1/2 c EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 tsp honey
1/2 lemon squeezed juice
Salt & Pepper
Kale (a hearty lettuce)
Rasins
Carrot Shavings
Use your imagination (I tried Leeks, I'm wild like that)

Green Beans
Green Beans
Lemon  juice
Sea Salt
****One of my FAVORITES...also my friend says that it was one of the only things she could eat to help her morning sickness in the earlier part of her pregnancy

Arugula Salad
EVOO
Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper
Arugula
Baby Red Tomatoes
Parmesean Shavings

Mozzerella Salad
Baby tomatoes
Basil
EVOO
Balsamic
Salt & Pepper
Garlic clove, minced (optional)

Meat Loaf (sneaky veggies for kids)
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 egg
1 container babyfood carrots
1/2 cup applesause
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
pinch of Basil
pinch of garlic powder
mix all together, put in a loaf pan, bake at 350 for 30-45 min

Sheparads Salad (from Rachael Ray's blog)  
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon squeezed
salt & pepper
1/2 c olive oil
cucumber
tomatoes
bell peppers
1/2 red onion
1/2 c parsley (I didn't do this)
3/4 c feta
***this one is EASILY my favorite****

Facebook Diet

I stopped cold in my tracks when I heard the news in the background this morning. "Facebook's false happiness makes folks feel like failures" 

Me: "Where's the remote? Turn it up!" as I was half-asleep fixing the kids breakfast. Puckey Bed, from yesterday, of course.

TV News Anchor: "New research indicates that the more frequently people use the social networking tool, the more they will believe that others are much happier."

Me: "Wow,that is SO truuuuuue"

John: "Which tie do you like better with this outfit?"  (A conversation we have at least twice a morning)


I don't know about you, but I have completely fallen for the "Oh-she-looks-so-happy-and-has-everything" moment when starring pictures of people holding their new babies, standing on a mountain top, visiting Europe, making lunch for their kids and so on.

Not that I am not happy for others, or glad they're happy. But truthfully, people post their best pictures, funny, interesting, but ultimately by nature we put our best foot forward. Me included. And, guess what? We all fall for it at some level. If you look at Facebook, you can't tell me you have never had a feeling of annoyance, either because someone is bragging or whining. I have at least.

I've felt convicted three specific times about Facebook this week. (Marriage Seminar, TV News and Bible Study Fellowship). That was enough for me. I'm not deleting my account, but I have removed the app on my iPhone. [insert audience applause]. I'm only going to check on the real computer, which will definitely slow me down.

I love Facebook. But all this mounting evidence is showing me that it may not be the most loving thing for me to do for myself. So I'm going on a Facebook diet. Starting today, I'll let you know how it goes! 

Puckey Bed

Puckey Bed (translation: Pumpkin Bread) is one of Barrett's favorites. John gets it at Starbucks for the kids and it's a big, special treat. Since we've been getting up at 5am lately, I figured I had  time to make a nice homemade batch of Puckey Bed for breakfast. Big hit! And, the house smelled so good.

It brought back so many fond memories for me. My mom and grandma are excellent bakers. The tins actually came from my grandma, the recipe from my mom. I always grew up with something in the house--cookies, brownies, pumpkin bread, banana bread--it wasn't even that much of a special treat. Now baked goodies are one of the few things I can actually say NO to. Anyway, everything could be found in one place: the microwave. Don't ask. For some reason, that seemed like a perfectly normal place to keep yummy baked goods.

A while ago my uncle put together a Samuelson Cookbook with everyone's favorite special recipes. It is one of my prized possessions. I have all my childhood memories bound together with a roadmap for how to create deliciousness for my kids.

Since the Pumpkin Bread is one of my favorites, I thought I'd share our Samuelson version.
(Probably not all that different but it's my favorite pumpkin bread. And that includes you, Starbucks!)


Pumpkin Bread
by Sue Blue
Makes 8 Servings

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin (16 oz)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't use this)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
2/3 cup water
1 cup walnuts, pecans chopped (I didn't do this either)

Preheat oven to 350. Using a mixer, combine sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until fluffy. Stir in pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients and stir into pumpkin mixture. Add water and nuts, mixing well. Spoon into 2 well greased 9x5x3 loaf pans (or 4 smaller pans). Bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes.

Toy Story Obsession

My dear sister-in-law, Kate, gave Barrett a Woody doll for Christmas this year. Jackpot.

To put it lightly, his Woody friend has become a mild obsession. Woody is part of the family and does everything with us, including going to the doctor, Target, YMCA, naps, eat meals, go to church, and the list goes on. I'm getting a trial run for a third kid, giddyup.

But, Woody's favorite activity is watching himself on Toy Story. "Yee-haw pahrt-nah. Yoooo're my beahst fraynd." 

Me? I'm a little Woody-ed out. But it's so cute, I have to tip my hat to the geniuses behind the Toy Story empire. And my awesome sister-in-law for her fabulous gift-giving knack.

Payback, baby

Vivienne is 14.5 months old right now. She is sort of walking, mostly still crawling, she is starting to talk saying adorable things like "beh-you" (bless you), "teh-you" (thank you) "bat" (Barrett) "ball" (ball) ha ha ha. She's got her top and bottom front teeth and a bunch of molars. She is in love with the dogs. Gives kisses constantly. Sleeps like a dream, naps like a nightmare. Little Viv (or Baby as we like to call her) is a ball of warm friendly energy.

While edibly adorable, she also has been going through a bit of a clingy stage with me lately. Maybe it's the ear infection she's had 2 weeks in a row, or the nasty cold that went through the house, or being held hostage for an afternoon, but she is all about mama these days.

When I was a little girl and played with dolls, my mom always had them say "mama! mama!" I loved that. Now that my dream has come true I have one question: How can it be so intoxicating and claustrophobic at the same time?

Today, we were playing with her toys and I decided to make her the "mama" -- so I zipped her dolly in her sweatshirt. She didn't like it, and all I could think was "I can't wait until Vivienne's a mama some day and I can tell her aaaaaaaallll about her baby days."

You know what they say, payback is a .......

Intimate Mystery

This weekend I went to an all-day marriage conference Saturday led by Dan B. Allender, PhD. It was called "Intimate Mystery" and, boy, that was a perfect title for it. There were some 1,200 people (mostly couples) there to listen, learn, grow. I was blown away.

It was a kick-off to a Marriage Builders 12 week course that our church Willow Creek NorthShore is hosting. John and I will be leaders for a small group starting in a few weeks and we are pumped to get to know other couples, deepen our understanding and love for each other and have a little fun!

I never thought I'd look forward to a date-night on Tuesdays in church. Isn't life funny? Now, I can hardly wait, especially since we don't get out for weekend dates too much these days. 

It's challenging to sum up a whole day's worth of material, but basically, I walked way with a better understanding of the goals, plan and path for a couple to embrace their journey, understand each others differences with compassion to become one and heal the hurt together. Hard work, but such a sweet payoff.

I don't want to sound too weird, but lately, I have been feeling my life start to change, ever so slightly. Something is different, something is working. It feels good. And, while I'm enjoying the here-and-now, I can't help but want to look ahead. So I guess I'm not completely evolved after all, but I'll take any progress I can get!