Gray Hair

So. It's happening.

Two months away from 35 and the gray hairs are coming in fast and furious.

I don't mind them at all. In fact I think they're kinda awesome. 

They make me look wise and knowledgeable, experienced. 

Two of my favorite women and life long mentors have the most gorgeous silver hair.

So I'm almost honored, gray hair means you kick ass.

You don't just turn gray you earn it. 

At least that's how I feel.

Only, I'd like to know what everyone else thinks about it. 

Am I supposed to have this many ( I them on both sides of my head)? 

Am I graying early?

What do other 30 somethings do when they start to gray?

Do you dye them and hide them? 

Do you pull them out

I'm not one of those people who's going to start dying my hair to hide grays. No way.

In fact I thought about dying even more gray so I could have a streak of gray like Rogue the superhero, or that chic from "What Not to Wear" on TLC.

I'm going to embrace my grays. 

The symbolize a long life. 

That's something to be grateful for.

What do you think about it?

Chipotle Mexican Grille

Luck me! 

Chipotle Mexican Grill has just opened in my neck of the woods!! 

The Lehigh Valley has been up and coming for several years.

And just short of having our own Trader Joe's, Chipotle's arrival feels like we've finally made it! 

They have "Food With Integrity!" I couldn't be more pleased!

Seriously everything is made from scratch with the finest ingredients they can find. 

Chipotle is an advocate of Family owned farms that raise animals with human practices. No antibiotics, cages or hormones. Just smart farming. Free range grazing, grass fed animals are healthy and more flavorful food. 

I think its a huge deal that this Restaurant chain has taking this approach. 

It lays the path for other restaurants to do the same thing. 

And to top it off great up beat informative customer service in the restaurant. 

You choose from a 

Rice Bowl, Burrito, Taco or Salad Bowl.

Then you choose from:

CHICKEN

Naturally raised, marinated in

our chipotle adobo, then grilled.

BARBACOA

Naturally raised beef. Braised

for hours, then shredded.

VEGETARIAN

Includes our freshly made

guacamole and vegetarian

black beans.

STEAK

Marinated in our chipotle 

adobo, then grilled.

CARNITAS

Naturally raised pork. Braised

for hours, then shredded

You can choose Salsa in different heat levels, Cilantro-lime rice, red or black beans, lettuce, fajita vegetables, Guacamole and sour cream. Yumm!

I loved the adorable little bags of chips too.

Look for a Chipotle near you and run out and support these folks they are making a big difference in the culinary world!

Check out their informative cartoon to learn more about Chipotle's innovative approach to food.

100 Calorie McDonald's Fries!

Although I am a Chef, I'm not afraid to admit that my family eats-out. 

Convenince food is a part of everyone's life and so is McDonalds.

We have McDonalds at least once a month. 

So the other day while out and about we stopped and grabbed lunch. The girls had their Happy Meals as usual, and to my delight these adorable little fries were in their lunch!

Oh how I adore cute little food! 

You know whats even more cool about these little fries? 

They are a 100 Calorie serving! 

Along with apple wedges that now come with every Happy Meal. 

 I think the Happy Meal is a really sensible choice.

Sure I can make my kids chicken nuggets from scratch and baked french fries but when I'm traveling or out of time a McDonald's Happy Meal is a great choice. 

Now if they only offered soy milk to drink, that would be perfection!

"The True Nature of Tarot" review

Today I'm reviewing the "The True Nature of Tarot, 

Your Path to Personal Empowerment" 

by Diane Wing M.A.

The true Nature of Tarot is about helping the reader understand Tarot Card reading. Diane Wing does a good job of writing from a neutral perspective dispelling the negative connotations associated with both reading Tarot cards and having cards read for you. Diane Wing uses many personal experiences to better explain the subjects she discusses.

"The True Nature of Tarot" is for anyone interested in learning to read Tarot cards or educating yourself enough to understand Tarot cards when they are read for you. 

For those interested in learning to read Tarot the author takes the reader through the following:

Understanding personal psychic sensations

Personal techniques for grounding yourself before giving a reading

Choosing a Tarot Deck

Things to do before reading cards

Setting up for the reading

Different options of spreading the cards

Seeing Patterns in the cards

Interpreting the cards

and Ethical Considerations for a reader.

The section on Interpreting the cards is extensive.  All 78 cards are given equal explanation and accompanied with pictures to identify each card. I liked that the author describes every detail in each card. Every detail has a meaning or  sentiment. 

Wing also offers multiple interpretations of each card along with "Key Words" for better understanding.

For those who just want to educate themselves about Tarot before having cards read for them, the author offers these tips.

Choosing a Practitioner 

The psychology of Tarot

and Interpreting the Cards.

Reading the "The True Nature of Tarot" has awaken my own curiosity about Tarot reading. I think Tarot could be used as a personal guide to help you make better informed decisions.

Stay tuned I might even give it a try!!

First Birthday Beauties

The begining of this month was my neice Chelsea's 1st Birthday. My sister went all out decorating for the party so I wanted to share some of the beautiful ideas she came up with.

Decor

  Look at these Gorgeous center pieces my Mom put together using mason jars.

My sister added butterflies to these paper lanterns.

I love the color combination of pink and purple.

Check out this awesome memory board with all of Chelsea's one year mile stones and firsts.

Food

 Rainbow Fruit Tray

 Grandma Jackson's Macaroni and Cheese

 Butterfly Cookie Favors

 Mini Smash Cake for the Birthday Baby

 Butterfly Cupcake Toppers

Happy 1st Birthday Chelsea Pie!!! 

xoxo

McDonalds Is Just Getting Better

Recently 

I was invited to try the 

New Blueberry Banana Walnut Oatmeal 

at McDonalds.

 I have to say it was a hit!

 The Walnuts are on the side, we left those out. 

The fresh blueberries on top really stood out to the girls. 

They jumped right in.

Can you believe I got this at McDonalds?

Well we did! 

It's so refreshing to find this warm breakfast on the run.

McDonald's has several menu items that use fresh fruit.

 Like the Blueberry Banana Walnut Oatmeal and the Fresh Fruit Smoothies.

Knowing that has really changed my perception of McDonald's. 

Now I can order something wholesome and nutritious and not feel guilty later.

Thank You to McDonalds for having us and the awesome breakfast. 

Road Trip Snacks

We hit the road this past weekend and instead of stopping off and grabbing food I packed us lots of snacks to munch in the car.

We packed:

P&J are standards in our house. 

Cheese sticks wrapped with salami, cucumber slices, watermelon slices and blueberries, grapes, chippy chips, animal crackers and nectarines. 

All of our snacks were bagged in snack size bags.

For my snack bag I packed a full lunch, ham and avocado sandwich, Baba Ghanouj and cucumber sticks, and chips for dipping.

Traveling can be expensive so I like to save money on food. 

Plus I can pack us healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks in moderation. 

Happy Travels folks!

Madagascar Movie Party

Thanks to the Claritin Mom's Crew. 

We had so much fun at our Madagascar Movie Party. 

In celebration of the release of Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted.

We were selected to screen Madagascar, and Madagascar 2, Escape  to Africa. 

We ate lots of popcorn and all kinds of goodies! 

 Madagascar 3 is about Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippopotamus.  The group sets out to return to New York after escaping to Africa. Dependent on the mechanical know-how of the notorious chimpanzees and penguins, their plan inevitably goes awry and they find themselves stranded in Monte Carlo, where they try to escape Europe from animal control led by Captain Chantel DuBois by joining up with a traveling circus by chance. 


Led by the venerable Siberian tiger Vitaly, the animal-centered circus has seen better days. During the course of a tour through a series of European cities that ends in a fabulous big top in the heart of London, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria help Vitaly the tiger, Gia the jaguar, and Stefano the sea lion, rediscover their passion for show business and reinvent circus performance.

We can't wait to go see it in the theaters!

Thank you to Claritin for allowing us to host this fun party!

All opinions are my own, I am part of the Claritin Mom's Crew. 

I received copies of both Madagascar and Madagascar 2, as well as party favors and samples of Claritin.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_3:_Europe's_Most_Wanted