Mama Wisdom

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Melissa

Good morning, friends! I’ve got a few extra things going on this week, so my mom offered to guest post today! A little background: my mom is a 30+ year veteran special education teacher. Oh, and she just had her first novel, The Wrong Guy, published a couple of months back. Yeah, I guess you could say she’s got it goin’ on!

Hope you enjoy some HHH Mama Wisdom on this Wednesday morning!

Hi! I’m Claudia, Melissa’s mom. As you can imagine, I feel so blessed to have such a talented daughter. I’m one lucky Mama! Over the years, Melissa and I have had many discussions about her frustration over trying different career paths and feeling like none of them quite measure up. Sometimes I think she feels like not knowing what she wants to do with her life is a weakness. I’m sure she feels discouraged at times, pressuring herself that she should have discovered career happiness by now.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: Life is a journey, not a destination. As human beings we are constantly growing and changing. Some of us find a passion early and stick with it. For others of us, we like to switch it up with variety and new experiences. There are no rules. You can be whoever you want to be, and you get “do-different’s” if you want them.

We all feel pressured by society’s rules at times. If we could stop obsessing about the “rules” that society is subscribing, we could free ourselves up to pursue our dreams. Sure, you’ve got to put food on the table and pay the cable bill, but be sure to allow yourself to follow a path that you love; one that makes you feel fulfilled and appreciated. Stop living up to other people’s expectations, and discover yourself, over and over again.

Here are a few other important lessons I’ve learned over the years. I hope they help remind you to take care of you!

There’s nothing you can’t do—you just have to practice.
Give freely; you’ll get more back.
Take care of your body, keep it strong.
Treats are important. Treat yourself just in case other people forget.
Treasure those that you love.
Celebrate your awesomeness.
Each season, we are blessed with a new wonder. Appreciate the wonders of the world.
It’s good to ask questions.
You are stronger than you think.
When you accomplish something, remember to pat yourself on the back.

Follow your heart. Find your passion. Don’t settle for less, even if you feel pressured from the outside to do things differently. You are smart. You know yourself better than anyone else. And if you don’t? You’ll figure it out!

Thanks to my lovely daughter, Melissa, for letting me spend this time with you!

Shameless plug from me! If you are interested in checking out the book, you can get it here, here, or here! It’s a great murder-mystery—I promise you’ll love it!

Random Inspiration

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Melissa

I know I’ve only been back at work for 2 days, but I feel totally drained.

While it usually takes me a little while to get back into the swing of things after a break, the last two days have been especially difficult. Without getting into specifics, I’ll just say some really heavy emotional stuff has been going on at work. It’s so unfair. Honestly, I wish I could wrap every single one of my 75 students in a giant hug and shield them from all the bad in the world. Seeing them sad and struggling is awful.

After such an emotionally draining couple of days, I came home this afternoon absolutely spent. I haven’t been sleeping well, either, and a workout was about the last thing on my list of priorities. Skirt, heels, and all, I collapsed onto the couch for a little doze as soon as I walked in the door. I was literally too exhausted to move another step. Although I didn’t sleep (this chick can’t nap for anything), just resting my body and my mind for 30 minutes in quiet gave me a little boost. I seriously needed it.

On days like this, a workout isn’t the answer for everybody. Sometimes, your body just needs a break, and today I wouldn’t have felt the least bit guilty if I skipped out. But for me, running is like my therapy. It helps me to clear my head and sort out my thoughts. It centers me. It calms me. Insane as it may sound, I need it. My little doze gave me just enough of a boost to bust out the Schweaty Mess Maker elliptical/treadmill workout I did a few weeks ago. Even though running helps every.single.time., I am always so surprised at how much better it can make me feel!

While I ran, I watched Oprah interview Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike. Of course, he had a special pair of shoes made for Oprah that he gave her as a gift, but it wasn’t those that got my attention today. It was the logo on the box.

Even if you’re not an athlete of any kind, this saying is just so true about life. It’s a hard lesson to learn, a lesson many of my students are learning right now. But life is just hard. There are good times and there are bad, but there is no finish line. You have to make the best of what you’ve got. And if you don’t like the way something in your life is going, YOU, and only you, have the power to change it.

Food for thought, if you will. It’s funny to me that I’ve found random inspiration from a couple of different Oprah episodes in the last few months. And I thought I wasn’t a fan! Winking smile

Not to be bested by the kale, I was determined to do something with it tonight! I’m holding off on more kale chips for the moment, but instead I decided to try to recreate the Garlicky Kale on the salad bar at Whole Foods. I had it the other night, and was surprised at how much I liked it, given that it’s raw!

After googling around and checking out a couple of yummy looking recipes at Eating Bird Food and Culinary Collegian, I came up with my own hybrid. It goes a little something like this:

Whole Foods Style Garlicky Kale

2 servings

2 handfuls of kale, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)

1 T. tahini

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 T. olive oil

1 T. minced garlic

S&P

sprinkle of cayenne pepper, optional

Combine tahini, lemon juice, and garlic with S&P (to taste) in food processor just until mixed. Stream in the olive oil and puree until smooth.

Pour the whole mixture over the kale.

Then, massage the kale. Yep, that’s right.

Give it a little rub down. Strange, but effective. It helps take the edge off of the raw taste. (Photo with creepy claw hand reaching into the bowl, optional).

Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, sprinkle with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper, and you’re good to go!

Whole Foods ain’t got nothin’ on me.

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true . . . but this also didn’t cost $7.99/lb! Open-mouthed smile

That’s all for me tonight! I’m curious, though . . .

Where have you found random inspiration???

Dollar Store with Dr. Oz

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Melissa

Any Dr. Oz fans in the house? Just recently, I’ve found Dr. Oz on my TV pretty regularly. He comes on after Ellen, and his show actually has a lot of really cool tips about wellness and healthy living. Last week, he had on a segment that particularly appealed to me: Dollar Store Products with Anti-Aging Properties.

Dr. Oz says things like, “Anti-Aging Properties.” It sounds all science-y and official, which I secretly love. But I know that it really means that what he’s about to say will prevent me from looking old and busted if I follow his advice.

Thanks, Dr. Oz, for using buzz words like, “Anti-Aging Properties.” They perk up my ears! Open-mouthed smile

I especially liked this segment because in addition to avoiding the old and busted-ness, I am cheap. Yep, I like to save my pennies. Dollar Store bargains are where it’s at!

Dr. Oz’s first recommendation is for the epidermis, ie. the top layer of skin that can get all dull and make you look like you need a week on a beach somewhere. To exfoliate, pumpkin and a scrubby mitt!

This one presents a challenge for me because if I can find a can of pumpkin right now, I am most likely going to consume it, not rub it on my face. However, I love that this a). costs $2 total and b). is clearly 100% natural. A lot of facial scrubs seem to have weird stuff in them. I knowwhat’s in canned pumpkin: canned pumpkin. ‘Nuf said.

To boost collagen (the stuff that makes your skin plump and supple and unlined!), find a moisturizer that contains Vitamin C and Ascorbic Acid Moisturizer. This is the same stuff that’s in Oil of Olay’s Complete Moisturizer. It is rumored that you may even hit the jackpot and find the name brand version at the dollar store from time to time! My luck isn’t great, so this probably won’t happen to me, but congrats if it happens to you! When used daily, it prevents the breakdown of collagen and keeps you looking young. I like that! Smile

Confession: I kind of forget about my lips, not just when it comes to aging, but always. I like lipstick and lipgloss, but I typically swipe on Chapstick and call it a day. This tip actually has anti-aging properties, plus it makes you look pretty! Find a lip plumping gloss that contains tribehenne. It restores volume and traps in fluid to plump up your pout. It also seems to me that your lips tend to lose color as you age, so even just wearing a lipstick or gloss could help you look younger, too!

I don’t know about you, but I have an expressive face. I tend to find myself smirking or frowning or arching my eyebrows with pretty much everything I do. Sometimes, when I catch myself, I try to press the lines away, but I’m fairly confident that doesn’t do much! Winking smile

To actually relax the lines away, use a warm, not hot Ginseng Tea compress. All you do is put the bags into warm water, press the excess out, and lay them onto your lined areas.