{ give the gift of sanity }

Give the gift of sanity this holiday season! + Free Shipping & 15% off all kits!
Made in the USA with recycled paper & soy based inks so they are as good for the earth as they are for your mind & body!

{ a life of gratitude }

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

image via Martha Stewart

{ acres of grace & gratitude }

Last week was a doozy my friends. Everything that could have gone wrong did. {For example, my website crashing minutes after getting major press despite dozens of preventive measures taken; the kids hopping into the shower fully clothed (that I had warming up for me) right before I had to take them to school for Sam's Thanksgiving performance, the video camera dying 20 seconds before aforementioned thanksgiving performance started, etc.} I was going to write a post today about how you can prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and still be left with your head spinning, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because even with all of the chaos of last week we are still SO LUCKY. We have our health, each other and lots of love.

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. Although I find that I did not handle the events of last week with acres of grace. Acres of attitude perhaps, but not grace. So I vow to work on that. To improve my ability to rein in perspective when I need it most.

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, I find myself working towards acres of grace and thinking in terms of acres of gratitude...I have so much to be grateful for - happy, healthy children; a loving, kind & patient husband; wonderful parents who I get to see often; Sam & Henry's contagious giggles; our children's birthparents who chose us; my grandparents who are still alive and able to get to know my children; wonderful friends who are supportive and loving; my health and being cancer free; our warm & welcoming home; the men & woman working to protect us; a warm & cozy home over our heads; the affection of our golden retriever; businesses that provide for us....we are so very lucky.

We will have a home over the Thanksgiving holiday filled with the love & laughter of children, family & friends. Just the way I like it. So I'm signing out for a bit to cook & bake, cuddle with the kids and spend time with those I love. Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving....

{ daily candy }

LobotoME goods on Daily Candy today! Woo-hoo!
Daily Candy & New Moon - today is a good day!

{ this is your brain on twilight.... }

Since this is a blog about {brains} & you all know my current level of obsession with a certain YOUNG, hot vampire, I thought I'd share this great article I came across about Robert Pattinson's effect on woman's brains and the insanity that ensues.... And yes, I do have tickets to the midnight show tonight of New Moon. And the 6:00pm show tomorrow. And yes, my husband mocks me. ;)

{ no brainer affiliate program }

I'm excited to announce LobotoME's {No Brainer Affiliate Program}!

What this is....and how you can earn money....And it's simple, easy & free!

Step 1. Sign up with ShareASale (its free to sign up).
Step 2. Once approved, advertise LobotoME products on your website or blog with the banners & buttons we provide you with.
Step 3. People follow your links to LobotoME.com
Step 4. You earn 15% in referrals!
Step 5. ShareASale sends you payment directly.

For more information visit our affiliate page here.

An easy no-brainer way for you to promote products you love & earn some extra money!

{ national adoption month }

November is Adoption Awareness Month. Adoptive parenting comes in quite a few shapes and sizes. There’s domestic adoption (open, semi-open, and closed), there’s international adoption, there’s fostering-to-adopt–and this is just scratching the surface of a few of the “big” ones. I'm always happy to answer questions about our process if any of you have them.

All I can say is that these two children were so meant to be a part of our life. They were out there in the universe meant for us. In my mind, adoption is a perfect combination of hope, faith, prayer and destiny.

You can read more about our adoption story here.

Family photos by Julie Afflerbaugh

{ the season of GIVING }

We have several family traditions during the holidays that have to do with Giving. Here are a few of the things we do if you are looking for ideas...

Operation Christmas Child...We save up our show boxes throughout the year and then in early November fill them with goodies (art supplies, toothbrushes, soap, paper, pencils, etc.) and donate them to this wonderful program.

Food Bank - We have Sam decorate a few large boxes with markers & stickers and then we go to the store to buy food for the Food Bank. She helps us fill up the boxes and comes with us to deliver them to our community food bank.

Project Merry Christmas - We adopt a family through our local Project Merry Christmas program and provide them with a holiday meal, warm clothes and gifts for the kids. Toys for Tots is a similar nationwide program.

Holiday Mail for Heroes - We have Sam help us make holiday cards that the Red Cross will send to soldiers abroad during the holiday season. Note: Cards must be postmarked by 12/7.

Here are some other holiday giving ideas from Real Simple.

What ways do you GIVE to those in need during the holiday season or year round?

{ the gift of clean water }

I found out about this program via this blog and think it is an amazing idea and wanted to share with you what I WILL be buying today. Water. Clean Water.

Today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a campaign to
buy water for christmas.

1.1 billion people on our planet lack access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.
4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
The lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.
and it doesn't have to be.

We can all spare $10 for this important cause....can't WE? What if we give the gift of clean water for Christmas gifts to each other this year? As we start the madness of the holiday season here, let us think about people there. Do we need more THINGS or do they need clean water?

Today...November 13...lets buy clean water. Clean life saving water.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years.
100% of proceeds go directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

And in case that hasn't inspired you enough check out this mother of 6's journey to Africa in support of this program here.

{ simple is beautiful }

Love this print from the Keep Calm Gallery.

{ a simple Christmas }

On average, it takes 6 months for families to pay off holiday bills...ouch. The mode of our culture is to consume and shop throughout the year. During the holiday season people feel they have to shop even MORE than normal. But it doesn't have to be that way. This year can be different. You don't have to spend a lot to have a meaningful celebration. Instead of shopping like crazy, here are some ways to simplify your holidays. { Here is my original post on this topic and here is a great article from the Seattle Times about moms taking back the holidays by taking on consumerism. }

1) Establish or honor family traditions.

2) Sit down with a calendar and make a list of things everyone in the family would like to do over the holidays. I like to build these things into our advent activity calendar.

3) Schedule in some "helping other" activities...donating food at the food bank, donating blankets to the homeless shelter, adopting a family for Christmas, etc. Involve your kids in choosing and taking part in these acts of giving. For example, I have Sam decorate paper bags that we then fill with food for the food bank, go grocery shopping and deliver them together.

4) Celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 21st. We always do a fancy dinner at home with sitting outside looking at the starts & drinking hot chocolate.

5) Light a special candle each night during the month of December and take turns reading stories, poems or saying things you are each grateful for. We generally try to incorporate this into our evening dinners together.

6) Make Christmas Day about spending time with family & friends and not about the gifts. We do this by having a simple bunch- Swedish coffee cake (my Gram's recipe), bagels & cream cheese, egg casseroll (make ahead of time)...And then we all don our snowshoes and go snowshoeing together.

Last year we pared down the gifts for the kids into 6 gift giving categories...But this year we are doing advent calendar activities and only 3 gifts. Note: Sam thinks Santa leaves ONE gift for each child (lots of kids to give things to...only one per child reasoning). We have again asked all of the grandparents to go easy on the gift giving (1-2 gifts per child) or donations to the kids college funds. So for Samme this translates into:

1 Want from Santa: A piano. I found a great (and super cheap) piano at the thrift store a few weeks ago. Score! Sam has wanted a piano forever....

1 Need: Winter gear - she outgrew last years snow boots.

1 Read: A new book.

Henry gets...

1 Want from Santa: An Ikea Trainset

1 Need: New PJ's

1 Read: A new book.

I've also created a year in review photo book from Shutterfly for all of the grandparents and birthparents. This is all our parents/grandparents are getting {oh and some custom (painted by Samme) artwork}.

Teachers are getting homemade bread and LobotoME notepads. Neighbors are getting bread or cookies. Hostess gifts will be wine & LobotoME notepads.

We are putting up our lovely reusable tree after Thanksgiving (I prefer the term reusable to fake...as much fun it would be to tromp into the woods and cut down a tree I can't bring myself to do it)...the peace on the front door, a live tree with white lights on the front porch (that we'll plant in the spring) and our stockings hung by the chimney. That's it. The rest of the holiday decor went to the thrift store last year.

The holidays are about spending time together. Peacefully. Not rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off.

What are you doing to keep it simple this year?

{ where work happens }

My home office is the workspace of the week on Unclutterer today!

{It is certainly not lacking "color!" But I spend a lot of time in here at night (after the kids are in bed) so I like it to be bright & cheerful looking!}

{ school fundraisers }

I know a lot of you have school aged children and I've been getting involved in Sam's schools PTA program. One of the things that I was surprised about it is the "crap" - and I say that in the nicest way possible - that they sell to raise money for the school. I am all about raising money for the school but I don't want candy bars, glow sticks or Barbie books. So, I am working with Sam's school to sell LobotoME goods. I am selling them to the school for the wholesale price and the school makes a great margin (way better margins that a candy bar being sold for $1.00). The pads were warmly received as they help parents be more organized.

So, I'm curious if any of you are interested in bringing the LobotoME goods to your PTA? If so, let me know and I can send you or the PTA committee a catalog, order form (listing the wholesale prices) and a sample. Orders over $250 receive free shipping too!

And to sweeten the deal, if you bring your school on board, I'll send you a special gift too! :)

{ organize ME }

Check out Karen of Karina Ink's weekly organize ME planner (don't you just love her handwriting)? Get your own organize ME planner here.

{ halloween 09 }

Samme picked the costumes & theme this year. She wanted to be bat girl and said Henry had to be a little bat. Will was supposed to be Edward Cullen (but he bailed at the last minute) and I was a vampire...

{ feed ME }

Still trying to use up some apples from the tree & kale, spinach & swiss chard from the garden this week! And is anyone else a little wigged out that it's already November? Where did the fall go!?!?

Monday - Vegetarian Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup (with kale from the garden) - (note: I don't anticipate Sam will like this - But she likes raw kale so I'll add some kale to some noodles & parm. cheese).
Tuesday - Baked Ziti with Spinach & Tomatoes (with last spinach & tomato sauce from the garden) - Raising Foodies Cooking Club new recipe this week
Wednesday - Leftover Ziti from night before (busy night)
Thursday - Salmon, Brown Rice & Edamame
Friday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Apple Chutney & Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday - veggie chilli
Sunday - taco salad using remaining veggie chili