Mmmmm, Bread

I still don't eat white sugar...but, I recently rediscovered a bread recipe given to me by my older sister. I tweaked it a bit to make it a bit more healthy (but, it's still bread and it uses white flour, so it will still pack on the pounds if you eat too much). If you haven't closed your window from that last parenthetical statement, here is the recipe. This works best if you have a Kitchenaid or another mixer with a powerful dough hook.

This recipe makes enough to make all or several of the following:

bread
cinnamon rolls
pizza crust
bread sticks


3.5 cups hot water
1 Tbsp yeast
1/3 cup agave
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup canola oil
7 cups unbleached flour
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 flax meal

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 cups of the hot water. Make sure the water is about bath-water warm, not too hot.
2. Add remaining ingredients one by one, while mixing (including the 1.5 cups of warm/hot water), until they form  a ball. The dough will still be slightly gooey and may stick to the sides of the bowl.
3. Remove dough hook, cover with a towel, and let it rise for 40 minutes.
4. Punch down and let it rise for 20 minutes.
5. Divide into fourths.

Each fourth is good for cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, a loaf of bread, bread sticks, etc. Freeze dough or store in the fridge.

Bake at 350 degrees.
Bread sticks and cinnamon rolls: 20 minutes
Pizza dough: 17 minutes
Loaves of bread: 1 hour

Fresh, warm-out-of-the-oven, homemade bread. Is there anything better on a cool, rainy fall day? Maybe if you have no where to go, no kids to corral or fetch, and a quiet house, you could even eat your warm bread in peace. This is what I wish for all the busy mommies out there.

Wisdom from Steve Jobs

A brilliant and generous man died today. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and Pixar, was a hero to many. I didn't idolize him, but I can see why many people did. He was a visionary and a maverick. I haven't used anything but a Mac since 2004...and like millions of Americans, I rush out to see everything Pixar puts out.

Steve died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer...but, he lived like he was dying. Here's part of what he told graduates at Stanford University in 2005:

Death is very likely the single best invention of life; it's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make room for the new. 

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone elses life.

Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Rest in peace, Steve. You certainly lived a good life.

Is Busy-ness the New Addiction?

Even professional athletes have to take breaks from their workouts to recover. I wouldn't put myself in the  category of a professional athlete, but I can attest to the need for recovery. For the past four months, I've been trying to recover and it's the toughest thing I've done in a while.

That sounds lame when I read it out loud. But, it's true. I have adrenal fatigue and I'm learning that means I have to slow down and recover from my need to be busy.


I used to say these things on a fairly regular basis:

"I've got a million things to do."
"There just isn't enough time in the day!"
"I don't have time to do that."

Have you heard yourself saying similar things? Does saying those things make us seem more important or more valuable? You know the saying that if you want something done you should give it to a busy person. Is it because busy people can't say "no" or just that they have an addiction to being everything to everyone. I think I fell into that trap. In the past four months, I've been trying to make a shift away from saying those all-to-familiar phrases. The shift has been difficult, but liberating.

Why does our society look down on resting? Do we fear being called lazy? Do we feel we have evolved and now have the capability to do it all? I think our technology is so prevalent, we might feel we have to adapt to it, not the other way around. Maybe some part of us has a really hard time doing nothing. We don't want to be labeled as lazy. One of my friends said she thinks our society places far too much emphasis on the importance of being busy. Like somehow busy people are more important.

Here's what I'm not doing:

• blogging at a high frequency (or even a regular schedule).
• checking my email every five minutes (including while sitting at stoplights — c'mon, I think a lot of us do this!)
• training for a triathlon or running or visiting the gym. 
• trying to increase my followers on Twitter or on my blog.
• actively pursuing any major accomplishments...like writing a book, or planning a trip to Europe.
• cleaning my house regularly.
• going to every event I'm invited to.
• pushing myself to put a lot of things on my to-do list.
• scheduling myself or my kids to a lot of activities.

This holiday season is the time that most over achievers go overboard. This year, I'm going to go underboard.  This year I'm committing to slowing down, doing less and under achieving. 

What are you not going to do this season? 

Feeling tired...all the time

These days women are expected to do it all and do it all well. Be an awesome mom — no problem. Have a successful career — absolutely. Drive carpool — sure thing. Inspire others at business seminars — of course. Make meals for new neighbors — yep.  Well, if you're a modern woman, you get it. You've probably got it all handled, right?

Not me.

I haven't been myself for a while. While juggling a super-demanding, high-profile job as an editor (with no staff), being a mom of four daughters, keeping a tidy home, and working out as hard as possible to stay in great shape, I hit the bottom. For more than a year I've been tired almost all the time. I was having a hard time concentrating and felt like I could fall asleep nearly anywhere.

I was planning on competing in a few triathlons this season, but I just couldn't recover after my workouts and I kept getting sick (vertigo, inner ear infection, burst eardrum, pneumonia, etc.).  Feeling frustrated, I went to my doctor. He took my blood pressure and measured it as I went from lying down to standing up. It was unusually low as I lay down, but dropped even lower when I stood up. Then, as I stood there, getting my blood pressure taken every two minutes, I started to feel like I was about to pass out. I quickly laid back down and rested. I felt pretty ridiculous, but my doctor told me that my blood pressure was "yo-yoing" and it couldn't get caught up. He said that's why I got dizzy. I took some tests over the next week and was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.

My body can't keep up with any stress because it has been under so much stress for so long. Adrenal fatigue isn't something you can see, it's more of how you feel. I felt like a zombie much of the time. Now I'm taking supplements for adrenal fatigue and resting more. My doctor has me taking the following:

• Ashwagandha, an herbal supplement that helps with stress and supports adrenal function
• PharmaGABA, a natural supplement that produce alpha brain waves (the same ones your brain produces when it's relaxes, yet alert)
• EPA/DHA oil (high-quality marine oil) 
• Multi-vitamin for women with lots of B vitamins included

Adrenal fatigue is fixable, but it does take some time and lifestyle changes. Some of the changes I've made: a better job with more autonomy and support, frequent meditation, letting things roll off my back when my kids start blaming me for their problems, and doing something artistic every day. I've committed myself to drawing everyday for a year. Where normal people with healthy adrenal function can receive stress relief from a good, hard workout — my doctor told me that hard workouts actually create more stress for my body. So, I've been doing more yoga and easy walks.

If you're feeling tired and sleep doesn't make you feel any better, you may want to talk to a naturopathic physician. My doctor, Dr. Todd Cameron, could probably recommend someone for you if you don't live close enough to visit him.

Reconnecting Friendship

I met Jen in third grade. My family had just moved to Windham, Maine from Heber City, Utah. In an effort to harness my energy and desire to perform, my parents enrolled me into ballet classes. With nine kids my mom was busy and asked around about carpooling to and from dance classes, which were held in Portland (about 15 minutes away).

Coincidentally, one of my third grade classmates also took classes from the same dance school, so my smarty momma hooked up a carpool with the other dancer's mom. Sitting in a back seat for 15 minutes while her mom drove us to and from dance class gave me and my carpool pal a lot of time to chat and giggle. Soon, Jen and I were inseparable.

Throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school, we did nearly everything together. We even joked that we shared a brain. You know the kind of friend that finishes your sentences, knows exactly what movie reference you're talking about and laughs at all of your dumb jokes? That was Jen.

Then, I moved to Utah for college. We slowly fell out of contact. My parents moved from Maine to the West and the only remaining family tie there was a brother with whom I wasn't super close.

I would dream about Jen every now and then. Mostly I'd wake up feeling empty and sad. I'd put it out of my mind and tell myself, "people move on and so should I." But, I secretly longed for that connection with an old friend who had known and loved me when I was a chubby, self-conscious dancer worried about the rolls of fat that couldn't be hidden in her leotard. Jen was that friend for me. She always lifted me up and made me laugh.

My 20-year high school reunion was two weeks ago. I went to Maine and we reunited. I was just a little nervous that we wouldn't connect...but, I plunged in and just two weeks ago, I got my best friend back. Like old times we laughed, finished each others sentences, and were goofy and wacky together. I felt like a kid. Now we have weekly Skype dates...almost like we're in the back of her mother's car on the way to dance class.

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There's something to be said about spending time with someone who has known you for 30 years. I love the friendship we had, but I'm giddy over the friendship we're reconnecting and building.

How to Help Your Child Adjust to a New School

My second daughter started at a new school this last year. She was in 6th grade. The only friend she had was a neighbor girl who was in 7th grade. After the initial coolness of being the new girl wore off things got hard. She didn't know anyone in her grade and the school was small. Most of the friendships were already established making it difficult for her to break in to a friend group. Her older friend didn't seem to have much time for my daughter.  She felt lost.

As a result, her report card got progressively worse and she felt more and more inadequate. The further behind she got in her school work the more hopeless she felt. She finally just gave up,  rationalizing that it was too late to turn things around.

Next year I'll know the things I wish I had known this year. Next year, I'll be a better support for her. I know she'll do better too, because she's the kind of girls who can't stand to be bad at something.

Whether your child is starting kindergarten or just changing schools (elementary to junior high or junior high to high school counts), here's my advice for parents with a child starting at a new school:

• Get to know the teachers and school administrators. When there are problems (and there will be), they'll already know you and the conversations will be more productive.
• Be patient. The transition will take a good year for everyone to get adjusted.
• Your child may exhibit uncharacteristic behavior in a new situation and with a different social setting. Expect that you'll need to be more available for them with extra love and a listening ear. Don't always rush in to fix a situation. Let them try. If it seems like it won't turn around, step in carefully and let them know.
• Create a schedule for your child to include homework time, reading time, and chilling out time. The consistency in their after-school schedule will help balance out the unsteadiness they feel in their school schedule.
• Make sure they feel your confidence in them. Ask them if there is one thing they are nervous about and listen. Encourage them and tell them how proud of them you and that you'll be there for them if it gets rough.

Change can be difficult, but you and your child can learn to work through it together. If you have a child starting kindergarten, check out this post I wrote for KidSteals.com.

Good luck!

The Painful Truth About Threading

Threading doesn't look painful, but it is (as my mommy used to say, "stars and garters!"). Here's my video to prove it. I've done everything from bleaching to waxing to plucking. Threading is, hands down, the best way to effectively remove the tiny little hairs on your face (around your mouth, chin, 'stache, etc.). The process takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on your threshold for pain and your need to come up for air before you run screaming from the building. The hair doesn't regrow for at least 5 weeks and it costs about $15.

Note: The threading woman is named Nikoo, she's from Iran, and she must love watching women go through excruciating pain for beauty, because she's been doing this a loooong time. If you want her number, leave a comment.