A little bit of everything! New venture ahead!

Summer fun continues!

We've just started a NEW camp this past Monday that Hen hoodle LOVES! It is his first brush with the martial arts and I am so excited to see that the kid has taken to it.
We heard so many wonderful things about a Tae Kwon Do studio nearby in Bethesda called Flying Kick Fitness Center. The more I started talking about it, the more parents told me that their kids went there.
Anything new is a little scary, but after the first day, he has taken off. Hen has made new friends and really digs his uniform. ;0

Talk about Mr. 'Poser!'

Besides all this fun camp adventures, we also have been enjoying the days outdoors (when the heat isn't up too high and the mosquitoes aren't insane). We've been going around the neighborhoods on scooters, playing with our neighbors in the street (with parental supervision, of course).




And aside from all the kid fun, I've been enjoying summer cooking, plenty of salads, grilled goods and ice cream! I've listed the ingredients of one of my favorite salads that I've concocted:

KATE'S FAVE SUMMER SALAD

• Arugula (handfuls)
• grape tomatoes
• English cucumbers
• zucchini linguini (peel zucchini into strings with Jaime Oliver peeler)
• Avocado
  
• crumbled goat cheese
• pesto (2 tablespoons)
• seeds; pumpkin/sunflower
  
• Chicken (cubed), optional

Are you an Almond lover?
I just spotted at my local Whole Foods, Justin's Nut Butter. I was first introduced his line of products while living in Boulder back in 2009. I've been eating Almond butter for 10 or so years but this company outdoes itself on their butters (its what they're all about after all)! It is hands down, my favorite!

Love these little packets of goodness!

Yummy honey and almond butter! (Their almond and chocolates combo is delish too).

All you need is a spoon!



There is a new little business I've got bubbling. Soon I will be announcing my new venture with one of my all time favorite people. Watch this spot!

Muy Caliente!

We're experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in the district-o-columbia. Oh please let this break soon. I really do love heat, but this hot is too heated! It is too humid! I really feel as though I am walking through something sticky, like carmel.
Thunder storms are in the forecast for tomorrow, so looking forward to that and hoping that it will relieve us just a bit.

The heat, when it is THIS hot....does something a little nutty to me. My tolerance level goes from 10 to 2 in about 30 seconds flat. Not good when you are rearing a toddler, well a 4.5 year old boy who has LOADS of energy!

Today was a slightly difficult day as a parent. I found it very difficult to run two errands. That being; driving in the car to get a coffee for me and a 'treat' for Henry and going to 'Bed Bath and Beyond.' This trip included multiple temper tantrums. Given that the toddler has no interest in taking a nap where a needed nap is due, well, this truly is a recipe for disaster. I kept telling myself to keep cool. How does one do that when it is 107 degrees? How?
Well, not so well.

We're in B, B and Beyond (to hell) when my son decides while his grandmother, aka Nonna, picks up her much needed dust buster, that he too NEEDS to have a dust buster as well.
"Honey love," I tell him, " you have a dust buster at home, you have two, the one mommy uses and the one that you got for Christmas."
"No, no," he says, "I need one, I need my own dust buster. You make me so sad mommy, you are hurting my feelings so much! I want a dust buster!"
Urgh! Pulling out the 'you hurt my feeling so much.' Total killer to the mama heart.
"Hen love, you have one," I confirm.

No this isn't gonna work mama.
It doesn't matter WHAT I say at this point. The tired, sticky hot toddler is on a mission to acquire his OWN dust buster TODAY (even if it means he truly has his own play one at home that actually works and sucks up dust)! Well I did NOT break down and buy the child a new dust buster, I just had to do my darn-dest to keep it together while my child let out blood curdling screams (got plenty of looks).

"Control yourself Henry, calm down and take 3 deep breaths," I said.
I'm sure customers were wondering, "Is this chick for real?"
Yeah, I was, for real. My kid does take deep breaths during those out of control moments to help center him. At least we do our best to try!

Finally, Henry realized he could just hold onto the box that contained Nonna's dust buster and announce it was his. We just went along with him "this is mine, my dust buster!" He proclaimed.

Sure, kiddo! Whatever, I kept thinking to myself.
Well, whatever I could do in order to keep my head on straight.
Argh! I felt like such a HORRIBLE mom.
Horrible. That feeling of not being able to help your child through those uncontrolable moments, is a killer. He just had to roll with it.

Once in the car, I was relieved to be buckled in securely (for the safety of all, not just mine)! Whew! What the hell was that?

Note to self: DO NOT go one errands on a scorcher day like today.
Spend it instead at the POOL, crazy lady!

Not such a good moment today at the B, B and Beyond (gone)! Delighted in that the day has come to an END. And better yet, my child is his happy little boy self (even though he never napped) and has no interest in Nonna's dust buster!

Motion, Summers here....

Well it is sad to say that summer is swiftly moving right along!
There is swirling going on at the moment and am just starting to catch my breath since Henry has been out of school for the past two weeks.

Firstly, I would like to update our little bunny story. Sadly we were left with ONE bunny. Not sure who or what took the second, but it was gone, and its predator only left little bunny feet behind-eek!
After watching the remaining bunny like it was our own baby, and not seeing the mom return to the nest for 24 hours, we decided to take the bunny to the wildlife refuge. We were relieved to know that little bunny was going to make it! He was slightly dehydrated since he hadn't had mommies milk, but the Vets at the refuge were going to take good care of him.




Hen and I just returned from a trip to California to visit my sister and niece. We took an overnight trip to Ojai California to visit some family friends of ours. They have a beautiful property up in the hills/mtns, overlooking the avocado orchards and the mountains beyond. What a gorgeous place to be. The days were hot hot hot and the evenings cool. I love weather where you can open your windows and doors at night to allow the cool breezes in (and not have to worry too much about the bugs, minus the snakes, however).

We ate delicious food, some right off their property. Delicious peaches! We took a ride in their mule which to our surprise drove up steep hillsides. It was super fun to ride in and Henry decided he had a 'new' toy. He has asked me for his own mule!

Leslie is an artist. She owns a gallery in the heart of Ojai. Her gallery is called Nomad Gallery which has artifacts from Africa and India. She also displays her beautiful paintings and jewelry designs as well.

18 years ago, Leslie landed in the Sahara desert as an inquisitive artist. A chance meeting with the Wodaabe nomads took her on a path that changed her life. After visiting this nomadic family the second time a year later and seeing the poverty they lived in, she decided to give them a gift of $200. On her return the next year the family explained that with the gift they had purchased a cow and because of that they were able to remain nomadic. The realization that this relatively small sum could transform a family's life made her realize that she could make a difference. Thus began in 1997, the Nomad Foundation, a non profit that helps these groups. Leslie travels to Niger every year for a few months, to continue her work to help sustain the Nomadic life of the Tuareg and Wodaabe as well as oversea the Tamesna center which she opened in 2010 that provides medical aid. She is amazing!

Here are a few of her paintings:










To learn more about her foundation (www.nomadfoundation.org), please click here




Here are a few family pics of our time in San Diego. Wishing that Dean was with us on this trip!

Good Morning Ojai!

The Guest House

The Mule

Henry rides Squirt!

Butterfly Bush