Leaning In With Imaginary Conversations And Food

This is going to be the most far ranging blog post I think I've ever done.

It's time I come clean. I have imaginary conversations with you guys all the time. There. I said it. And I'm not ashamed.  I love talking with you guys. I need to work on sitting down, telling the rest of my world to go take a hike, and letting myself chat with you guys. I often feel guilty for doing this instead of taking care of the 9 billion other things that I'm supposed to do on a daily basis. I hope you guys forgive my long silences and that you know how much I appreciate you. A mother's guilt. It never rests eh?

About a month ago, I was going through an incredibly painful massage therapy session when something suddenly clicked. Luckily, it was just in my head and not something in my body. If I concentrated on that screamingly painful muscle the therapist was pummeling massaging, and asked it to  "lean in" to the direction she was rubbing, it didn't hurt as much. In fact, it actually felt good. It was such a bizarre concept to me. I've noticed whenever I find myself in pain, I brace myself against it somehow. I even do it when the pain I'm experiencing is mental. My shoulders move up towards my ears, my neck, upper back, and even my stomach get tense when I'm nervous, stressed, unhappy, or angry. Reminding myself to breath deeply through my abdomen, and consciously relaxing tense muscles, can be tough but it's worth the effort. I end up feeling a lot more human and a lot less manic. This is going to be my new way of leaning in; even when it's tough.

And then I realized, there were other things I should probably be trying to lean into. Life is short. I can't worry about the million and a half insecurities that flash through my mind daily.  It's paralyzing. That's not the example I want to set for my kids. One of those insecurities has been body image. It's something I've struggled with my whole life to the point that I've not even worn super short/cap/sleeveless tops in at least a decade. Guess what. That's changed. I'm leaning in to it and I'm happier for it. It's all about the baby steps people.

To top it all off, every time I turn around, I'm running into the phrase "Lean In". From UpWorthy videos, which led me to a fabulous website for women, to the Bloggess. I take that as a sign that I'm on a good track. I promise, I'm leaning in.

Food has always played a large role in my life but I've found myself really uninspired lately. That lack of inspiration has lent itself really well to ordering take-out and ready made meals. I'm not proud. As a way to shake off my food-lethargy, I started dusting off cookbooks and watching new cooking shows. My most recent favorite discovery has been Two Greedy Italians. Their recipe for pizza crusts is da' bomb!

500g strong plain flour, plus extra for dusting
10g salt
10g fresh yeast
325ml lukewarm water
a few dried breadcrumbs for sprinkling

Makes 2 large pizzas

Preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas 9. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and gradually add to the flour, mixing well until you obtain a dough. If you find the dough too sticky, just add a little more flour. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest, covered with a cloth, for 5 minutes. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes and split it in half. Knead each of the pieces for a couple of minutes and shape into balls. Sprinkle some flour on a clean kitchen cloth and place the dough on it, then cover with a slightly damp cloth.  Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface and spread the dough into a circle about 35–40cm in diameter, making it as thin as a pancake (being careful not to tear it), with the border slightly thicker. Repeat with the other dough ball. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs on two large baking trays and place the pizza bases on them.

I topped these wonderful crusts with Crème fraîche, salt, pepper, grated Gruyère, sliced onions, sliced bell peppers, black olives, artichoke hearts, grated mozzarella, and fresh oregano. Any of your favorite flavor combinations are bound to be a hit on these crusts. Place the pizza's in the oven for roughly 7 minutes or until the crusts reach your desired crispiness.

 So we've talked about the feeding the mind and body, now it's time to work it out. I've been trying to work myself into the 10,000 steps-a-day challenge. The claimed benefits include:

• it's low-impact, safe, simple and free
• improves cardiovascular fitness (lowers blood pressure, cuts cholesterol)
• burns kilojoules, helping you lose weight
• is great for your mental health
• prepares you for other sports and exercise
• strengthens your back muscles and bones
• slims your waist and shapes your legs
• reduces risk of diabetes and colon cancer
• provides opportunities to be with friends and family and pets*

Obviously I want to live forever, like a vampire, but without all the blood sucking stuff. If walking 10,000 steps a day is a good way to get me closer to that, then I'm all in. The best reward/incentive is to ultimately find a version of and fit into this outfit:

 Olivia Palermo {image source: Getty Images via Glamour.com}

I've looked long and steady for a similar version to this shirt. If anyone's got any tips I'd love to hear them. So far, this is the closest I've come. A bit too rich for my blood and not true enough to Olivia's version. Instead, I've found and fallen in love with something that's not even close:

Michael Kors Striped Tie-waist dress, Neiman Marcus, £90.31

Yeah, I know. I need help. Or a generous soul who loves giving people they don't know, fabulous clothes. Any takers? No? Ah well. Time to hit the pavement. Gotta get those 10,000 steps in for the day! How about you? Was this post, far ranging enough for you? Because obviously, all these things go so well together.

*Info from Everybodyliveto100

Looking for Joy

 

I woke up this wet, gloomy morning from a nightmare. I've been a mom, a cleaner, a chef, and an office admin. None of that's done anything for my mood. It was definitely time for me to get down to doing something that brings me joy. 

What brings you joy?

Mediums: watercolor, pen, photoshop

Just Hit Pause!

Hey there:
O.K. life, can we just agree to take a minute and breathe?? Things have been moving so fast and so continuously for me I'm not even sure which way is up anymore. I couldn't go another day without at least saying "Hi" to everyone. I miss you all too much.

When my life thinks it's a movie:
The other day, my husband and I were kid free. That doesn't happen very often so when it does, we like to run buck wild. I mean, if you consider viewing crazy old Cathedral's, art work, shopping, dining, and movies "buck wild" - then we. fit. the. bill. Baby! My husband and I have never been big fans of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise but the surprisingly high ratings suckered us in for this latest one. On the way to this magical movie going, we stopped at a red traffic light. You know. Like you're supposed to. As the light turned green  it was like a fellow driver, knew we were going to see "Fast and the Furious 6", and they wanted to give us a taster. Someone driving a 1970 Barracuda tore out from the intersection and disappeared from sight in about 3 seconds. 

image src: Autoblog.com

Dear driver, I know it's a bitter disappointment but I feel obligated to point out, you aren't really Vin Diesel. And even if you were Vin Diesel, you would still need to obey the speed limit. I'm just sayin'.

After the movie, (which we found fairly entertaining and you should totes go see if you don't mind some tongue in cheek action flick silliness), we found ourselves first hand witnesses to a slow-mo car chase between a civilian and a police officer. Neither were going more than 30 miles per hour, but neither were giving up. Because that's how we role here in the U.K. yo.

Because that's just too hostile:

To follow up our surreal movie going experience over the weekend and entertain the kids, we decided to do something all parent-y. We took the kids to Stonehenge. I managed to get some great photos while we were there. Our exodus took us through the gift shop of course. And lo', I found myself in a face off with a determined 7 year old who desperately wanted his, "very own bestest Stonehenge t-shirt ever! Pleeaaase!? Please, mom? Pretty pleaaaassee?"  And that's when I was struck with the inspiration to use my photos for a higher purpose. I'm going to make him his own personalized Stonehenge t-shirt. The first idea I had was shot down by my husband.

The Slaughter Stone T-shirts by RachelsSymbioticLife
More Stonehenge T-Shirts

So now I need to work on a more kid appropriate shirt. It has to be a design the little old man, who is trapped in my 7 year old's body, will think is cool. I'll keep you posted.

Don't be afraid:

And last but not least, I wrestled once more with my fear of baking any kind of pastry. The mythical powers of pastry have long intimidated me. My whole life it's been drummed into me just "how hard" working with pastry is. I've finally made the leap of faith, into the pastry breach. I've started using pre-made shortcrust or puff pastry goods in my baking. Yes. Even those have intimidated me. What?! Yes! I'm that big of a baking wimp. What of it??

It might not be pretty but it's all mine and it's super tasty. I was so surprised at how easy this recipe for a rhubarb tart was. I made a few modifications of my own, like a teaspoon of cinnamon and vanilla bean paste drizzled over the rhubarb mixture. It was so easy. I thoroughly recommend it for any newbie trying to tackle pastry.  You're welcome!

If Only I Were That Clever

I have wracked my brain trying to come up with a clever title for this post. Something that rolls off the tongue and inspires people to grab the day with both hands, with joy in their heart, and a smile on their face. However, I'm just not that clever. I can't for the life of me figure out a word that rhymes with "Mallorca" or "Tourist destination specifically designed to make me wet myself in awe, wonder, and terror." Anyone got any catchy titles for either of those? If you do, hit me up. I'll totes give you credit. 

Remember when we talked about how badly my family needed a vacation? Well, it totally happened.