Barefooton45th

Bernadette, Sailor Suits and Magic Greek Yogurt

by Lesley on June 7, 2013 · 1 comment

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One of my goals this summer is to read more fiction. I’m hoping I can squeeze in 30-60 minutes of reading a day while nursing sweet baby boy. Where’d You Go, Bernadette was my first selection for June and I highly (HIGHLY) recommend this book. A fun, dark, humorous novel set in Seattle and written in letter style. Get it!

I’m this close to buying a really impractical sailor outfit for baby boy’s newborn photos. Who said boys clothes aren’t as cute as girls’ clothes?

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of people, causes, organizations and projects that seem to need you? I love Kate Conner’s thoughts about this in: Do For One.

Speaking of doing something for yourself- I have a fantastic snack idea for you. Try this: a bowl of Greek yogurt + homemade magic shell topping + berries. The magic shell recipe is SO SO SO good and keeps for a month at room temp. (I store mine in a mason jar. It is meant for frozen bananas or over ice cream but Greek yogurt is much healthier, right?)

No one gets tired of inspiring cancer stories. Heather von St. James’ story is definitely worth a watch. Her short video will leave you hopeful!

This week my friend Claire writes about her favorite weekly Farmer’s Market on Florin Boulevard. She introduced me this market last year and now Anna and I try to make a weekly habit of going before music time at the library. Yesterday we met there and she brought me Starbucks- such a treat!

A note to young moms, from Lynne Hybels with some help from Shauna Niequist. Sneak peak: “As you discover gifts, passions, or activities that breathe life into you, commit yourself to staying involved in them in some small way…remember the importance of play.”

Also…a few contests for writers:

Christianity Today’s Common Good contest

Paul Angone’s contest with Moody Publishers. Submit your #1 top secret for rocking life in your twenties.

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Juice Cleanses: Do or Don’t?

by Lesley on June 5, 2013 · 9 comments

in food,make-you-think

Last summer Jonathan and I did a juice detox through a local company called Integrative Wellness, now known as Peel’d. We thought it might be a great way to clean out his body after chemotherapy. Plus, I needed a re-charge too. After 20 months carrying or nursing a baby, I figured my system could also use a big dose of vitamins. Jonathan and I met with a holistic nutritionist and then embarked on a detox adventure.

One thing I loved about our juice cleanse is we were allowed and encouraged to eat real food along with the juices. Of course there were many restrictions to what we could eat (mostly organic veggies) but we certainly didn’t starve. At the end of three days we both had more energy and felt really awesome. I’d be open to doing another juice cleanse (with food!) if I felt my body needed one. All that being said, there’s a lot of debate about whether juice cleanses are more harmful than helpful.

In Marie Claire, April 2013:

“Statistics don’t exist on the precise link between eating disorders and juice fasts, but Debbie Westerling, director of nutrition services at the Renfrew Center, one of the nation’s best-known eating disorder treatment facilities, says that among the program’s 60 residents, discussion of juice fasts has “exploded.” During intake questioning, at least half of patients now report experimenting with juice fasts.”

In Allure, April 2013:

“Digging around, I found that the majority are really—like really—high in sugar. While you might lose weight if you have nothing but pineapple and lemon juice for three days, you’re also going to be taking in around 150 grams of sugar, which is like diabetes in a bottle.”

The Boston Globe, December 2012:

“The euphoria and mental clarity many juice fasters report on the third day of the fast isn’t about good health but a simple result of starvation. At some point your body shuts down that feeling of immediate hunger, you become lightheaded and dizzy, and that euphoric feeling starts to come on,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “I work with a lot of anorexics, and they feel euphoria, too.” She believes the primary motivation fueling the current frenzy isn’t health, but weight loss. She says the average person will lose about 5 pounds through the cleanse, but it will be mostly water loss, and easily regained.”

I’m curious if you’ve tried a juice cleanse, or if you’ve purposefully stayed away from this growing nutritional trend? And, if you have done a juice cleanse before would you be less open to doing one again based on some of these growing concerns?

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Strategic vs. Lazy Parenting

by Lesley on June 3, 2013 · 18 comments

in motherhood

There’s lazy parenting, and then there’s strategic parenting.

Lazy parenting is not setting limits, or not thinking about how certain decisions might impact a child in the years to come.

Strategic parenting, on the other hand, is taking sanity saving shortcuts. Here are just a few examples of what I like to call strategic parenting…

Anna’s bathing suit is never required or encouraged if we’re in our own backyard. I only put it on if she insists (and usually she does. So modest.)

Sometimes, a lot of times, I put Anna’s water table in the shade so that I don’t have to put sunscreen on her body.

Occasionally I’ve been known to bring Anna in the shower with me so as to avoid a full length bath.

Hose water is never off limits. And don’t tell me she’ll get cancer from drinking hose water. I really don’t have a sense of humor about that kind of thing.

Elmo is a absolutely necessary some afternoons when I’m trying to make dinner. 15-30 minutes isn’t going to kill her. (See above photo for proof of zombie television viewing.)

Most of our kitchen cabinets are off-limits, except for one containing all Anna’s plastic cups. She often tears this cabinet apart 3-5 times a day. If her “organizing” allows me time to clean up breakfast, I consider this a win.

My iPhone is not a toy…unless we are in a doctor’s office waiting room, an airplane, or she’s about to fall asleep in the car. Then she can do whatever she wants with my expensive piece of technology.

Feel free to leave your own strategic parenting moves in the comment section!

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The Lord is my Lamp

by Lesley on May 30, 2013 · 1 comment

in christianity

One time in college I planned a huge concert for the student body. My co-leader and I worked with a major record label to bring Christian recording artists Bebo Norman and Jeremy Camp to campus. At the time Norman was a highly sought after Christian performer, and Camp was somewhat new to the music scene.

While both singers ended up being nothing but gracious, preparing for the concert was a nightmare.

I had no idea how to coordinate stage setup and lighting, plus the men’s basketball team needed the concert space for their playoffs’ practice and wanted us to find another location.

At times I was ready to cancel the entire gig.

I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief when Norman finally took the stage and began his set. But, just minutes later, we lost all power to the building.

Hundreds of people in the audience were sitting in the dark!

…Hop over to Ilovedevotionals.com to read the rest of my post…

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Winter’s Come and Gone

by Lesley on May 27, 2013 · 3 comments

in family

in the air 2

may 23 2

These days are ordinary days, but they’re some of the best days. All of us seem to be soaking up life’s simple pleasures. Early mornings in a quiet house, iced chai lattes on the front porch swing, newly planted succulents, working hard and playing hard and resting hard all in the same day. Life this month feels very, well, balanced. And that’s both a rare and wonderful state of being.

About six weeks ago Jonathan took on our biggest home project to date: the front lawn. As a result, our once embarrassing jungle of patchy weed grass has been transformed. We have trees now! And the grass is one length and one color! On Thursday Anna and I waited for her daddy to arrive home by eating Wheat Thins on the porch swing, blowing bubbles, and rolling around on our new green carpet.

{Let’s be real here: she did a lot more rolling and running than I did. I don’t roll these days, I sit and try to not get up unless there’s an emergency.}

When Jonathan’s car pulled up, Anna shrieked like she always does when he arrives home. I love watching her run-waddle into his arms. Our girl doesn’t run very often, but when she seems him there’s a determination to her quick and tiny steps. As he threw her high into the air I watched a new moment unfold–a moment I tried to capture by photo because I never want it to fade from memory. I’m afraid the sky will never again be this blue, and she will never again be this little, her hair this blond, her eyes this wide, her giggles so authentic.

Yes, the grass might give our home much better curbside appeal, but more importantly we’re creating memories here that we weren’t before.

The backyard is (cough) not quite as beautiful as the front yard. That’s next summer’s project, we hope. But after a Sunday spent mowing, blowing and hosing it’s perfectly ready for an epic playing season. The yellow swing, plastic pool and thrift store toddler toys are not Crate & Barrel catalog worthy, but they remind me of the life springing from our house. This is a space where melted popsicles and chalk drawings are welcome; where finger prints stain the glass doors and dandelions grow in abundance. The second hand chairs are not as charming as our porch swing, but from their shady location I can watch my girl giggle and explore.

Summertime’s simple pleasures are here again.

Oh little red bird
Come to my window sill
Been so lonesome
Shaking that morning chill
Oh little red bird
Open your mouth and sing
Been so lonesome
Just about flown away

So long now I’ve been out
In the rain and snow
But winter’s come and gone
A little bird told me so

-Winter’s Come and Gone by Gillian Welch