I finally visited an Athleta store in Boulder this weekend- it was awesome! I tried on the Sonora Skort and loved it- not usually something I would go for- but as a mom who is up and down and over all day- I like the coverage!

I made these Rosemary Rolls this week and my whole house raved. How easy and they look impressive…ps. I did buy a Cast Iron skillet by The Lodge- for $30- they are top-rated!

The Nighty Night app is wooing my 17 month old to sit still all over town. thank goodness.

If you received the latest Nordstrom catalog- you may have smelled Jo Malone’s Nectarine, Blossom and Honey fragrance in the tear out. I keep using it! It’s heavenly to me.

I am thinking of surprising my boys on the last day of school with these easy funfetti ice cream squares…

Trying to get these personalized Sports Bottles ordered this week for my son’s soccer team- it beats the ho-hum of the dusty trophies in his room!

Have a wonderful Mother’s day weekend everyone!

To really illustrate how much I am losing my mind- I will tell you this. My friend Sarit sent me a video last night and I watched it with a faint recollection of hearing it before. I thought  “I should post this!” and then I decided to search my blog  just in case I had!! Good thing I did- here is my post of the video from 2010. Grab a kleenex.  I can imagine this hitting home with mothers at any age.

The gift of an Ordinary Day

Here are some of my most requested recipes– I am reposting them so you can have them in one spot.

I get asked for this Poppy Seed Cake recipe at least twice a month

Sue Jackson’s steak marinade- seriously, throw this in a ziplock with a flank steak and grill that night- easy!

Matt’s guacamole- this post is making me hungry!!

Amy’s cheeseball- no, Amy’s not a cheeseball! I could make this in my sleep by now

Fresh corn and avocado salsa- from PW of course!

happy cooking–

This Sunday we will be heading to Littleton to celebrate Easter with some of our family. My sister-in-law found this Strawberry Bruschetta recipe and asked me to bring it along- looks delicious!

And on my list to make soon are chocolate chip cookies- this is a recipe my oldest sister sent with the words “MAKE THESE!” in the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3kHURyv4I&feature=player_detailpage

The Fresh Twenty is a meal program where you subscribe to a weekly meal plan – it can be classic recipes, vegetarian recipes, or gluten-free. Every Friday a new 5 day plan becomes available online- you can download the recipes, plus a grocery list is already created as well as all the nutritional information posted for every meal. As a subscription member, you also have unlimited access to previous recipes-so if the upcoming week doesn’t sound like something your family will eat, you can still find recipes that do. The “twenty” in the name comes from the idea that there are only 20 ingredients you need for the week. Imagine this… seriously. You buy 7 carrots for the week and eat all of them. You buy 8 whole wheat buns and use… all of them. You have no waste. Plus, you save tons of money this way!! No buying fresh rosemary for one recipe and only using a teaspoon of it, only to throw the rest out in a week. No adding things as you randomly browse the aisles trying to create your week of meals.

We first tried a sample week. It was really GOOD. So, we did another week- it was really GOOD. I made some recipes that I know I would make again and again. Plus, you have a prep night- so if you wanted to shop on Sunday and prep Sunday night to make your workweek easier, they lay out all the steps for you. It’s so fresh (no bottled marinades, etc) and simple. We are on week 4 and I am into it. I can’t find a bad thing to say about it so I had to share. 

So- friends! Go forward and try a sample week. I hope this is for you as it has greatly simplified my meal planning and cut our grocery bill big time! I wish I had been able to come up with it myself!  It is also featured in the March issue of Shape- they include a sample week as well- here it is.

Have a great weekend!

Last month I ordered Tracy Anderson’s Metamorphosis . It’s a 90 day program that has a 30 minute cardio dance (the same one for 90 days) and then 30 minutes of other body/muscle work that changes every 10 days. I was truly committed to earning Gwyneth’s/Madonna’s body, but after day 3 – I couldn’t move without serious pain in my hip flexors. I mean, ADVIL- type pain. I had to take some Advil before I could lie down and go to sleep! Plus, the diet book that comes along with it- in my mind- is reckless.  I’m not a nutritionist but I read in a couple of reviews that it was about 700- 1000 calories a day.  That could never work for me- because as many of you know— I LOVE TO EAT. Anyways, I am resigning myself to the fact that I am not going to have Ms. Paltrow’s body but at least I now know why!

What home workouts have you done that you like? Any really good workout dvd’s to suggest?