day 3: getting stabby

i don't even know how to word this appropriately...

but things are getting hairy. 

i've read about the "healing crisis" before, 

and can say with certainty that i'm experiencing it. 

my emotions are at an all-time high; 

i'm finding myself grasping for an outlet, and reaching for the water when i feel like i want to eat; 

finding a yoga podcast is now at the top of my to-do list. 


but i made it through the day.


how are you guys doing?!


xo

antioxidant love

ok so. day 2.

not four hours later, i was out and about without an arsenal of healthy snacks, the caffeine withdrawals had taken over, 

and i was a hot mess. 

lesson learned. 

as i said on the video, 

thank you for your support and encouragement! 

these cleanses can be a bit isolating, and having "my people" support me is everything. 

i love hearing about your experiences, any special tips and tricks you may have (the herbal teas are helping!), 

and just that we're in this together. 

it means the world. 

here's the recipe for my newest fave antioxidant smoothie:

(i have since discovered that adding a scoop of sugar-free whey protein makes it heartier & smoother)

(via)

martha's antioxidant smoothie

(serves 2)

2 c (9oz) mixed frozen organic berries

1 c unsweetened pomegranate juice

1 c water 

combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

*interested in starting this cleanse? its never too late!

research which option looks best for you; i'm doing this one. 

duh, i'm not a doctor, so please do your homework, 

and listen to your body.

xo

lean mean clean green machine

i'm not great at new year's resolutions. 

hell, i have a hard time with regular change, 

let alone following through on grand plans. 

but alas, i try.

after everyone was sick in my house over the holidays 

(and is again, currently), 

and of course after too much indulgence and not enough exercise during the month of septobernovcember, 

i am desperately seeking a leaner, cleaner physique. 

inside and out.

thus, the cleanse.

everyone and their sister in los angeles is on one.

juicing, cleansing, fasting... living on air and sunshine.

and water.

tons of water.

i've been checking out different types of cleanses for months now, and i think i am finally settled on this one.

i've been eating "clean" for about 2 weeks, with slip ups here and there due to two little ones' birthdays, and the delicious cake & cupcake baking/"tasting" that was involved...

but its time to get serious. 

my amazing sister has been doing this series, 30 in 30, 

where she set a goal to do 30 workouts in 30 days this month, 

at 30 minutes a day, minimum. while she was here over the holidays i got the grand idea to do it with her; 

"its only 30 minutes a day, how hard can it be?"... 

um. 

turns out, its harder than you'd think.

especially when your family is sick, you turn another year older, your babies turn another year older, & you have house guests. 

and your dog dies. 

methinks its time to pull my head out of my arse and 

get

a 

friggin

move on

already.

so. 


not only am i starting my own personal 30 in 30, i'm also doing the cleanse. 
starting with these green power smoothies....

*dislcaimer: i am fresh from a workout and makeupless... my kids are running around playing in the background... 
i am not a professional. obvs.

while this wasn't a complete success, i'm working on the perfect 

green smoothie recipe. 

until i find it, i think tomorrow calls for berry smoothies for breakfast, butternut squash soup for lunch, & then the kale slaw with red cabbage salad for dinner. 

yum yum. 

xo

ps. seriously. have you tried any cleanses, juice fasts, etc? 

i would love to hear about your experience! 

the call

so last week i mentioned that ailey had the opportunity to be a part of an important short film; i'm delighted to have five minutes in my life tonight to fill you in! 

the film is entitled "the call", and it is a short film intended for use as an educational tool at festivals and in schools to send an anti-smoking message to kids. 

ailey plays the younger version (in a flashback) 

of the main character becky, who is played by 

disney star ryan newman. 

(via)

this is ailey with the wonderful director, stephen messer. 

 the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous 

(really? december? love it!)

and the crew more laid back. 

 we shot on will rogers beach in the pacific palisades, 

in between santa monica and malibu. 

the sunset was insane!

 this was easily the most relaxed, easy going and enjoyable project she's worked on yet. 

(the fact that it was barely half a day had a lot to do with it; we were on life as we know it almost every day for over 6 weeks!)

 ailey, grandpa & asher playing in the waves.

asher's little brother max was so good! such a cutie.

people never get to see the hard workin' mamas and papas off camera, keeping their little ones occupied by any means necessary...i've so been there! 

(jordan, i can't believe i didn't get any photos of you! photo fail.)

 the kids did such an awesome job, 

(adorable asher played ailey's "brother", he's a doll!)

and ailey would have gladly stayed on set all day!

 "work"? really?

 thank goodness my amazing sister was there!

birdie loves her aunt kate. 

so do i.

(um, you can come back now, k?)

 asher & ailey with "grandpa"

...played by menahem zilberman. 

i'm so excited to see the end result. i know many talented people are working on this project! 

like the call on fb for more updates... 

and of course i'll fill you in as i know more. 

xo

rainbow bridge

(still working on this one. really hard.)

xo

(via pinterest, tumblr, flickr & as noted)

a great loss

two days ago my dog died. 

i was going to give you a gorgeous, 

flowery opening, but i just can't. 

my eyes are still red from crying, and my brain hurts. 

my body is so dehydrated (birthday beers with this one may have also contributed), and i am exhausted beyond words. 

 oliver was so much more than just a pet; he was a member of our family. he was a son to me & david, and a brother to the girls. 

he really was. 

we got him from a rescue group in atlanta, and i will never forget the day they brought him home to our house. 

many of my family members were there to meet him, 

and he fit in right away.

he was definitely a gift from god to us, and if you don't understand my feelings for "just a pet", i'm sorry for you.

he chose us as much as we chose him, 

and he never stopped choosing us. 

he was a love, such a little man, a sweet, happy boy--and made sure his people knew it.

 (i know, right? pre-birdie, blonde and southern.)

 he would lick your face til it fell off if you'd let him.

he was a constant companion, a dear friend, 

and i miss him terribly. 

i want him sleeping between my feet on our bed, as he always did.

i want him chasing his favorite toys in the back yard. 

(just last week i accidentally took down half the cafe lights we have strung up back there over the fire pit while i was playing catch with him. so worth it.)

i want him begging for a treat, for a rub or a tickle, giving us kisses and just being excited to see us, his people, every day.

 he was so spoiled, and rightly so; always waiting for a crumb to fall or a treat to be given. i miss him under my feet in the kitchen. when the doorbell rings or someone knocks, i anticipate his sharp barks, only to hear nothing. my heart is broken. 

 most especially because the girls are so devastated. 

there really is nothing worse than witnessing your children's heartbreak, knowing there is nothing you can do to fix it. 

anguish. 

i'm trying so hard to keep it together, to remember him as the sweet boy he was (still so weird using past tense), and to keep him in my heart. but its so hard when it hurts so much.

the girls keep crying, asking why, when you're coming back, drawing pictures of doggie heaven. 

your bowl, leash, collar & toys are all here. but you aren't.

i swear i can still see him, whenever i pull up to the house,  waiting at the window as he always did, for us to come in. 

i love you, ollie. 

we miss you so much, sweet boy.

xo

ray of sunshine

(via) 

hi y'all. 

i hope you're having a wonderful wednesday.

(gah. that sounds awful, like something they say at one of those horrible offices where "hawaiian shirt day" still exists. 

"its wonderful wednesday! bring your favorite quiche to share!" nothing against quiches, but still.)

so. yeah. 

i know its pinbinge wednesday, but, 

i'm kind of having a week.

(via)

aside from getting sick, not getting enough sleep, etc., i am

--and i'm sure i'm not alone here--

scrambling to get the christmas cards, holiday gift shopping, crafting, memory-making, movie watching, stocking monogramming, gingerbread decorating, hot cocoa sipping, classroom project creating, teacher gift buying, don't-forget-to-do-that-because-goodness-knows-we'll-never-have-christmas-again things, all done. 

and man, is it a challenge!  

(tim walker via)

what exactly did they do before iphones, the internet, 

malls, and target, i ask you?!  

cavemen were happy with a sharp rock or a new variety of grub to enjoy; my mother tells me of when she was little and would go to the 5 and dime ... "some people got glue, some got pencils..."; now every morning i wake up to a brand new batch of 

gift guides in my face via my inbox 

(which i feel obliged to read, every last one of 'em), 

sale after sale of the latest and greatest 

(its the "time is almost almost running out" sale!), 

and i am 

just. 

plain. 

overwhelmed.

shocker.

if you've read this blog for more than five minutes you may have picked up on more than my incredible good looks and acerbic wit.

i have a tendency to go all in. 

as in, or nothing. 

go big or go home. 

its how i roll.

i am trying to evolve, honest i am; 

its just a slow process for us over-doers. 

i saw a few things today that were kind of awesome. 

lucky for you i share. 

the dear anne sage 

posted this earlier on fb; i read it, agreed with its awesomeness, and had to share:

11 things you should know by 25 

(or 35, or 45+... some are relevant to us ALL!)

via shauna niequist for relevant magazine. 

goooooood stuff.

also.

i have hashitmotos thyroiditis. 

(no, i know what you're thinking, its not another term for amazingly awesome. i know!)

its a super frustrating auto immune disease that causes all sorts of fun symptoms, and generally affects my well being and all around heath and frame of mind. super fun, right?!

after fighting this disease for more than 10 years, i am finally finding some light, truth, and action i can take to really heal. 

so exciting!

if you have any auto immune issues (or really any health issues at all, are curious about quitting sugar, finding a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow, or befriending a unicorn, this is for you!)

sara wilson, i love you.

i hope you all are enjoying your quiches (with wine, duh), and that this helps make your wednesday a little more wonderful. 

who knows? 

you may just want to go and put on a hawaiian shirt. 

xo

why?...because i like you. and i'm exhausted.

hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!

yesterday we took the girls for their first-ever, 

remember-it-always trip to disneyland. 

it was epic.

(the only thing that could have made it better would have been these sweet, matching, vintage wool suits. am i right?) 

i am toast.

still coming down from the sugary, sparkly, sensory overload that is disneyland.

need to detox; i think a long, hot bath + good red wine 

+ a silent, black and white film (with people, not animation) 

is the perfect antidote. 

see ya tomorrow. 

sparkle kisses and glitter hugs!

xo

recovering...

i hope you all in the states had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday; as for the rest of the world, i hope you had a beautiful weekend.
be on the lookout for the christmas and diet push 
from the good 'ol U S of A.

you're welcome.

we had a wonderful, restful weekend, complete with hollywood magic, online shopping, movies, hiking, & date night.
so much to be thankful for.

 gorgeous fall weather in soCal. 

thrilled that we have leaves that change color! 

(kinda breaks up the whole groundhog day thing going on here.)

birdie's thanksgiving finest. 

juicy couture sweater, janie + jack dress & hat. 

and lashes to die for. 

i know.

our lovely meal was relaxing and delicious. 

we had a couple girlfriends whose families live back east join us.

it was divine.

the morning after thanksgiving i took the girls on a hike; 

no black friday madness for us! it was bliss.

except for that 20 minutes we hiked through bramble taller than my 2yr old because we got slightly, er, lost. 

but bliss. really. 

 spotted! bird/hawk/falcon/eagle friend. he was gorgeous!

bunny and oliver in the great wide open.

we had not done the typical "touristy hollywood" stuff yet, 

so saturday we did.

we started with lunch at mel's drive in.
now we can say we've done it. 
there are better places to eat in la, but it was fun.

 the stars on the walk of fame was my favorite part. 

all of the people, the cheap stores selling airbrushed tshirts and keychains and license plates and magnets and a zillion other plastic things make me kinda nuts, but i appreciated the history.

the girls didn't quite know what to think of all of the characters and impressionists on hollywood blvd. they loved seeing mickey though!... like four different times! 

 i never went to disneyworld as a kid; the first time i ever saw it was while running the half marathon. 

it was dark, still lit up with holiday lights, 

and was so beyond magical. 

i'm not usually a character-y person 
(we don't really do character 
clothing/backpacks/whatever around here), 

but the disney world is one that we do enjoy on occasion via 

movies, stories, and dress up. 

that being said, i can't wait to take my girls to disneyland! they're dying to go, and, frankly, so am i. 

until we can get to paris, of course, anaheim will have to do. 

to properly prepare, we shared a little disney love this past weekend at the disney soda fountain in hollywood. 

ice cream sundaes and a browse around the shop was fun, fun, fun.

loved this new line from OPI for the muppets!

more time on the walk of fame... 

this photo sums up my girls in so many ways.

if you live near a pinkberry, you simply must go and try their newest holiday flavor: peppermint! it is delicious!

and speaking of delicious...

last night dave & i experienced a sushi revelation. 

katsu-ya in studio city. 

the little restaurant that could. and did. like a boss, y'all.

our server, tk, was amazing; 
he created a custom 6-course meal that blew us away. 

ridiculously affordable yet insanely delicious.

and, of course, there was cold sake. 

how was your weekend?

did you cook a thanksgiving meal? 

(true story: the first time i made a turkey on my own a couple years ago, i cooked it upside down. the juice all ended up resting in the breasts--enjoy that one--and was honestly super moist and delicious! i now cook them upside down every year.)

xo