So, before I know it, it’s almost a month since I had my last drink. I’d like to say time has flown by, and for the most part it has. There was just one time, around Day 17 I think, when I was in real danger of falling off the wagon.

It was not only my birthday, but also the morning when things I had done in the past when I was still drinking caught up with me. Bad things. Some things that had I been sober at the time, would more than likely never have happened. It can be tough when…

Cooking (and reading) with your kids!

Cooking is a great way to spend some weekend QT (all devices set aside, tv off, music playing) and to practice reading, math, and some fun food experimentation.  If you want to get really crazy or have early risers, head to your local farmers market to first grab your ingredients :) 

Send us your great food pictures (and the cookbook you used)….we will pin them to our pinterest board! …

http://www.avagracescloset.blogspot.ca/2012/04/its-all-in-accessories.html

Win a set of girl's hair accessories! Same set that you see my little one wearing :: polka dot bow hair elastics and a bowed headband. 

http://www.avagracescloset.blogspot.ca/2012/04/they-say-its-your-birthday.html

In celebration of my birthday {ahem}, eShakti is sponsoring a givewaway on my blog! Choose any item to a maximum value of $60. 

Simply follow our blog and visit their site and let me know what you would choose if you won. Easy peasy.

There's nothing like a major life changing event like divorce to prompt a "house cleaning" both literally and figuratively.  Right now I have a dumpster in my driveway that is filled to the brim with all manner of "things" that are now long past their usefulness and good memories. A new start and a clean slate, hopefully a minimalist one, await me and my children.  In the end, our house full of things didn't hold a candle to the most important lesson of all.  Things don't bring you…

Frozen slushy cocktails served in a lemon or lime cup??!!! Yep. It's cocktail week. Come check it out!!

Click here to find out more........Slushy Shots!…

I have to come clean. I’ve been moody this week. Grumpy even.

I’ve tried to keep it under control with my running, some writing, and medicinal doses of chocolate. Also, shamefully, chips. But only the kind without MSG because that crap makes me sick. So actually…I made a healthy choice. Yay me!

D was away for 3 days, which I never like. Especially when he’s in Florida and the thermostat at home is dipping back down to wear-your-woolies weather. Why can’t they have meetings in…

      I had something of an epiphany over the weekend. It wasn't a sudden "AHA!" moment, but more of a gradual progression of ideas that led to a realization over a 24 hour period.  It all began as I was posting Meal Shortcuts for Baseball Moms Saturday morning.  As I linked recipes to each shortcut method, I began to think, "Whoa!  I sure do cook a lot of pasta!" and…

Sounds weird, right? Well, with today being pizza Friday in our house and I have a ton of leftover pork from last night's dinner I decided to experiment and make a pizza with the pulled pork. I've had pulled pork on a pizza before and it was really good. I am hoping this will too. I'll be sure to post an update and let you all know how it turned out.

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pulled Pork Pizza 1 pizza shell ( I am using Boboli)

 1 1/4 cup finely shredded…

I remember the first time R rolled off the bed. One minute he was drifting off to sleep while nursing and the next minute - THUD! I awake to a piercing scream and find my baby face down on the floor. "I AM A TERRIBLE MOM!" - the words were stuck in my head like one of those songs you annoyingly keep singing despite best efforts  (Achy, Breaky Heart, anyone?). When Z was born, I was confident and almost cocky in my mothering abilities. I wasn't about to repeat the same mistake…

This topic was brought to me by my sister from another mister, Vanessa...

Have you ever been driving somewhere and your kid suddenly has something sooooo important to tell you? The conversation goes something like this:

Kid: "Mom! Mom! Mom, quick look!"

Mom: "Baby, I can't. I'm driving."

Kid: "Mom! Mo-om! Mooooo-oooommm!"

I'm raising a young chef.  Even as I type this, I'm scratching my head -- which is hard to do because both typing and scratching require the coordinated use of your fingers.  She doesn't get this from me.  At this juncture in life with three young children underfoot, my cooking philosophy is "Eat to Live."  There's little art involved, just survival. 

It's a shame because when someone cooks with flair, it's beautiful.

I noticed this the other day when my…

As a wife and mom of 3 with my own freelance makeup business and beauty blog to run (in addition to the gazillion other things on my plate!), I sometimes find myself trying to be a fictional comic book character, Wonder Woman.  I have always loved her, ever since my days of wearing my beloved Wonder Woman Underoos underneath my civilian clothing.  But should I put this kind of pressure on myself to be able to do and be all things to all people while checking off my daily to-do list in a 24…

Fantastic news Bloggy Mavens! Bloggy Moms is sponsoring an Office Supplies Giveaway Contest. We've teamed up with 123Print.com – a leading provider of high-quality customized printing to offer you a chance to win $500 worth of office items from 123print.com!…

Another stimulating list of "Things I've Learned This Week" awaits you over on my blog. Included is the realization that I can save money at the liquor store by just chugging the hand sanitizer in my purse. Who knew??!! Click here for more: …

A bit of background

This emotional journey will revisit the stories of my Uncle Joe once again. I hope you will enjoy them, and think of your family as you read.

Joseph Henry Thompson (pictured, left) was born in June 1925 in Birmingham, England.  The eldest of 4 children, and brother of my father (dad being the…

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From Celebrity Optimist: Bright Idea: See a Sundance film that challenges the media’s limiting portrayal of women and girls

Getting ready for Blog Conference season?

From Type-A to Bloggy Boot Camp, Blogher to Gleek Retreat, there are so many choices and you will want to be sure to have unforgotten blogging business cards on hand.

Here is your chance to win 250 die-cut business cards from…

Note: This is a guest post on my blog by a wonderful writer, Keesha. Enjoy!

I felt like a wild, childless twenty-something, even though I was a thirty-nine year old mother of two children under four.…

As a parent, we have goals that we achieve to meet on a weekly basis.  Some weeks are spent trying to get a certain amount of things accomplished.  There are weeks that are spent with the goal of a clean house.  Others are spent trying to attain the goal of taking a shower without a person under 4 feet knocking on the shower door.  My goal for this week was to just get through it and come out on the other side with my sanity in tact.  Let's be honest, a lot of weeks are spent just...…