{ adios amigos }

We are off to Mexico for a few weeks of sun, surf, yoga and sleep... I am going to try to disconnect from my computer for a few weeks. I'll be back in early December with posts on tranquil holidays, party & craft ideas, yoga on the go routines, last minute gift ideas, sensational stocking stuffers, and lots, lots more. In the meantime, if you are needing some good blog reading check out my links to the left. Orders will still be processed back home via my lovely assistant Kate.
xoxo, jenny :)

{ acres of gratitude }

One of my favorite lines in my favorite book, Eat Pray Love is at the end of Part Two when, after spending four months at an Ashram in India, Elizabeth shares two poems that she's written - the first at the beginning of her stay at the ashram, when she was struggling, and the second one written her last day there after she had found peace and happiness within herself. She writes, "In the the space between the two poems, I have found acres of grace." Acres of grace. I love that.

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday tomorrow, I find myself thinking in terms of acres of gratitude...I have so much to be grateful for - a happy, healthy child; a loving, kind husband; wonderful parents who I get to see often; Sam's contagious giggle; Sam's birthparents who chose us; my grandparents who are still alive and able to get to know my daughter; wonderful friends who are supportive and loving; my health and being cancer free for 7 years; our warm & welcoming home; the men & woman working to protect us; and the affection of our golden retriever.

And because this IS a brain blog....Ellen Weber points out some ways gratitude transforms the human brain in Two Words Can Transform a Workplace. She writes: "Interestingly, the art and science of gratitude grows easier the more you practice it."

A few ways to express gratitude:

- Upon waking up in the morning take a few moments to reflect on what you are grateful for.

- Keeping a gratitude journal. Write down things you are grateful for.

- Tell someone WHY you are grateful for them.

- Write a letter to someone or an organization you are grateful for.

- Send a care package to a solider at Any Solider.

- Take a few moments around the dinner table tomorrow and ask everyone to share something they are grateful for. When I asked Sam what she was grateful for this morning- she told me - "Pink." I am grateful for Pink mama. :)

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving filled with the laughter of friends and family.

{ anthro finds }

OH MY GOD - Being inside an Anthropologie store is sublime...it is truly a work of art...Each display is amazing.
Here are the things I scored:
Tangerine Dream Shift Dress (vintage inspired) on sale for $68!
Fabric Alphabet Letters to spell SAM.
Peppermint Stick Sleep Pants for moi (super comfy, Amy Butler-esque lounge pants)
Apples for Jam cookbook to inspire more homemade meals at our house.

{ keeping crazy mamas sane }

A great review of LobotoME products on Peekaboo Picks. Thanks Megan!

{ princess power }

So despite my best attempts, Sam loves everything "princessy." Cinderalla movies, Beauty & the Beast books, princess dress up gowns and crowns, etc. This Newsweek article talks about the future of the $4B princess industry (of which I think I have paid about $400 towards already...ugh). I'm trying not to freak out about it too much as I'm hopeful it is just a stage. And no Disney World for us. I am not going to instigate this infatuation any further!

{ be three }

Just discovered a great new site called Be Three { a daily guide for your mind, body & soul }.

We are up in Boulder for Thanksgiving...Headed into town for lunch with friends and some shopping { did I mention there is a Lululemon AND Anthropologie here!?!? }

Hope you are having a great Monday!

{ gigglefish gifts }

One of LobotoME's newest online retailers Giggle Fish Gifts has some great eco- friendly holiday gifts and cute gift wrapping options (reusable recycled bags).

{ small business is still business }

A great post with tips on how & why to open a small biz on Design Sponge from guest blogger Emily from Orange Beautiful. And another great post by Emily on recommended reading for small business owner wanna-be's.

Someday when I have time (gulp)...I'll post some of my tips...Suffice to say it has been a big learning curve. Having received my undergrad degree in environmental policy and water resources making the big leap over to sports marketing and launching an organizational product company was HUGE. But, my advice in a nutshell...Just Do It. Really, what is the worse that could happen? Follow your dreams. Remember, you only live once.

{ candycane cookies }

My friend Maureen over at Splashes & Splurges is offering up free Trader Joe's Candy Cane cookies in exchange for your LIST...a list of anything your heart desires so your stomach can desire more of these.

{ brainisms... }

Thought I'd share LobotoME's brainisms with you in case you haven't seen them on the website yet...It is kind of our creed or rather our beliefs that inspire our products and business practices and daily life.

brainisms...

we believe life shouldn’t be hard.

We believe life should be filled with laughter, love and play.

We believe that if you take care of yourself you & those around you will be more sane.

We believe that if you practice yoga you won’t go insane.

We believe that energy flows where attention goes.

We believe that if you eat breakfast everyday your brain & body will function better.

We believe in the importance of buying locally and supporting green businesses.

We believe in global warming.

We believe that soda & sugar cause weird brain synapses.

We believe that love & beauty are everywhere.

We believe that if you exercise regularly you won’t need heart surgery or brain surgery.

we believe that no one other than yourself can determine your destiny.

Remember, you only live once and we don’t want you to have a lobotomy.

---

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have so much responsibility. People just talk, talk, talk. They never actually help anyone. They never use their bare hands to save a person from going crazy. We have that responsibility. Somebody has to do it. It turns out to be us. We’ve got to do, and we can do it with a smile, not with a long face.”

{ therapy thursday }

Thanks to my MOM who spent the morning with Sam, I was able to run some errands before we leave on our 3 week road trip on Sunday (Sand Dunes, Breckenridge, Boulder, Fort Collins, and then MEXICO)...If any of you have any recommendations for Sayulita, Mexico - email me {info@lobotoME.com}

- Picked up a few new books for the trip...This and this.

- Had an awesome facial and pedicure here. Painted my toes black. The best therapy ever.

- Bought a set of # stamps similar to these to have fun stampin' with Sam while we are away. She is learning her #'s and counting so I think she'll like these.

- For those of you looking for letterpress holiday invitations, cards, biz. cards or coasters, check out my friend Alli at Bird Dog Press.

- This month's Blueprint Magazine features Amy Butler.

- Made a delicious salad today - mixed organic greens; goat cheese; apple; sliced almonds; pomegranate seeds and lite raspberry dressing.

- 39 days until Christmas! YAHOO!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday! Time for me to get back to work!

{ priceless }

$15 for 5 sessions in photo booth

$10 for hair accessories at Claire's Boutique

45 minutes crammed into a booth = these pictures....priceless

{ pinks & blues }

LobotoME products are featured in the 2007 Pinks & Blues Holiday Gift Guide. The Pinks & Blues Holiday Gift Guide is an online guide to the coolest, hippest, most fabulous sites for holiday gift giving.

{ little mama's room is adorable }

Check out Mama Said Shop's nursery. It is so adorable!

{ before & after }

Pre-party playroom pic & Post party playroom pic.


Doesn't it look like a bomb went off?!?! :)

{ tangled & true }

A great review of LobotoME products on Tangled & True one of my fav blogs. Thanks Kelli!

{ i've got to stop }

I've got to stop reading people's blogs and checking out etsy...it is killing my time management and is causing for a serious lack of progress on my never-ending to do list. Before I have to nip this obsession in the bud (was up til 1:30am reading these two blogs) check 'em out...


A Little Sussy

My Happy Little Life

{ how do you like them apples? }

New studies at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell show that the juice of apples may boost brain function by maintaining proper acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter associated with learning and memory that decreases with age.

{ weekend wowzers}

1. Buy the dress here.

2. To Do List Book

3. Oh Happy Day Blog

Happy Veterans Day (I called Gramp to tell him that) and hope you all have had a great weekend. We enjoyed a fun AXS Series TV premiere party last night with over 40 of our family, friends and event staff (there were 8 kids in the playroom all night- wait until you see those pics - I will upload soon) and lots of time outside (sunny, 65 degrees, no snow in sight in the mountains of Colorado...can you say "Global Warming?"

{ daily dose of moi }

This week went by so quickly! Highlights included Samme telling Daddy to blow the hot tub repair guy a kiss as he was leaving; Samme's first dental checkup (perfect)/mommy's checkup (not so great - a cavity)...I thought only kids got cavities. I drink Diet Coke for years, no cavities; quit drinking soda and I have a $400 dental bill...go figure; and last but not least an appointment with a clairvoyant.

So this isn't my first time to see her. The first time I went to see her was years ago, when despondent about not being able to have children, I sought her out (after several people referred me to her) for some healing and some enlightenment. She told me that I couldn't have children (I already knew that but there is NO WAY she could have) and that we would soon be adopting a beautiful little girl from someone we knew. I was like, ha, yeah right...she obviously doesn't know how HARD it is to adopt a child and how LONG it takes. And she obviously doesn't know that all of our friends are having babies of their OWN. I was a bit awed by her insight into my life but chalked it all up to good guesses. Well, less than a month later my best friend from childhood's younger sister called and said she was pregnant and she & the biological father wanted us to adopt and raise the baby...and then came Samme into our lives...the very best thing that every happened to us. Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming but SHE did.
Anyhow, I went back again, this time with a much more open mind to see what the future held for me...she said lots of play, adventure and creativity were all a part of my Divine Plan...and that we would soon be adopting another child (a little boy)...She said I needed to acknowledge then immediately dismiss my worries and anxiety about another adoption process...that there was another child in the universe that was meant to be a part of our family and let it manifest as such.
So we'll see if her predictions hold true this time. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did. How's that for something you can't explain...

{ healthy lunches are on their way... }

Check out these ADORABLE bento lunch boxes. I got the lady bug/apple one for Sam and the seasons one for me when I am eating on the go {the one I got reads on the lid: "feel at ease....enjoy a quiet lunch time while feeling a season. nature put a person at his ease."}

{ Tranquil Holidays }

Join Kimberly Wilson for a teleclass on how to infuse your holidays with happiness, relaxation and tranquility.
Monday, Nov. 12th (8:30EST; 6:30MST) - $10

{ only one left }

Check out this adorable print from Orange Beautiful...what a great baby shower gift or perfect in a child's bedroom.

{ my obsession }

So I'll fess up - My obsession is handbags...all sizes, shapes & colors. My husband can attest to the fact that my closet is full of them. While I have splurged on one designer bag before (Marc Jacobs) most of the time I find it ridiculous to spend more than $100 on a bag. Someday I will take a picture of all of them. The latest one purchased being this one from Lululemon. How can it not make you smile?!?!

{ so now I feel like a slacker }

So, a mommy (Paula Radcliffe) won the NYC marathon in 2 hours and 23 minutes. Yes that is 26+ miles. And yes, that's 5 minute miles give or take. Now, I couldn't run a 5 minute mile if I was being CHASED by a MOUNTAIN LION...not even one...not ever. But 26, 5 minute miles just blows me away. Another famous mommy ran the race at a bit more my pace. So, all in all that's pretty darn good running motivation...So, I am going to go for a run today!

{ Lists, Lists & More Lists }

There was an article in the New York Times a few months ago (yes, just getting around to reading the entire thing) about a growing trend toward people creating Life Lists. As a long-standing list-maker, not to mention someone who sells To Do Lists for a living, this article caught my eye. I think Lists are great (shopping lists, to do lists, even life lists) and I will be posting some of mine in response to a call for lists from one of my favorite bloggers, Splashes & Splurges. In fact today, I transferred items from my many, many lists (grocery list, christmas to do list, appts. to make list, things to get done ASAP list) over to my weekly momME planner.

BUT keep this gentle reminder in mind, all of my list lovers...from a a great John Lennon song....“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making lists."

ps - Hope you all are having a great Monday!

{ file }

A quick project I did this weekend - had some space on the wall above my desk and I always need more places to file stuff...So I hung one of these from See Jane Work ($30) from the wall.

{ night on the town }

While my daughter hones her grocery bagging skills at the new Natural Food Store exhibit at the Children's Museuem (Kid's Night Out) and while my hubby is on a business trip...I found myself with 2 hours of FREE, childless time on a Saturday night. I was tempted to see a movie but it would have been pushing it close to pick her up on time...so I decided to spend an evening out on the town (sort of). I went to the bookstore and bought two new books (more on those later); went to my favorite clothing store and got a darling Slendid dress on sale; went to Kitty Kitty Boom Boom and signed up for my first sewing class (in December); went to the bead store to get some needed supplies and now I still have an hour to relax at the coffee shop and catch up on emails.

See what you can do to find some free time soon...it's splendid indeed.

{ playtime }

Another corner of Sam's playroom.

{ shopping at gigglefish = no brainer }

Happened upon a great, brand spanking new website today called GiggleFish. It features green gifts for a happy planet - lots of fun finds including great reusable shopping bags, recycled glass bottle earrings, and lots, lots more.

{ Be grateful }

Today I was reminded of a very basic, simple principle...Be grateful...

Will woke me up this morning telling me he had some chest pains (and had been having them for a week or so)...with his family history of heart disease my thoughts jumped to the worst and I dragged him the the ER. After a day of tests, blood work and EKG's...they couldn't "find" anything wrong with him (thank goodness).

But it was a great reminder about how much I appreciate him and love him and am grateful to have him in my life...

The basic fact is that we don't know how much time we have here and with our loved ones... Be grateful, appreciate your loved ones, be kind, give lots of hugs and kisses each and everyday.

Need some tips on how to be more grateful? Click here.