peace{FULL} living from Zen Baby!

Eat your Peace!

Mac & cheese - Total comfort food, and a classic family standby meal, whether it's homemade or straight out of the box. When I can, I like to stock up on Annie's Homegrown Peace Pasta & Parmesan. It's tasty, it's natural & organic, and it's peace sign pasta! What's not to love?

It's funny to think that mac & cheese can be a way to promote peace in our lives with our family. But sharing meals is one way to practice peace in our homes daily, and kids love mac & cheese, so really it's a perfect pairing.  It also creates a natural opportunity to open a dialogue about peace with our kids. There's some interesting facts and information on the box itself, and you can even send away for a free "Stand for Peace" bumper sticker.

 

I love Annie's Homegrown commitment. As their box says..."peace is contagious" - and hopefully with every bite of peace pasta we'll all be reminded of that.

Renegade Craft Fair Los Angeles: Get Your Craft On!

Katie was so excited when I told her we were going to a craft fair. She was especially excited because of the craft workshops! I think she imagined an entire event where she could go from one project to the next for hours on end. That didn't end up being the case at the 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles. But we did see some beautiful and inspiring DIY arts & crafts and sat down for a couple of Etsy sponsored projects as well.

The event was held over the weekend at the Los Angeles State Historic Park (aka, The Cornfield) on Spring Street downtown with free parking and admission---which I completely appreciated.

It was hot out, but we both enjoyed being out in the open air among so many other crafty, arty folk. That alone was a good feeling. With over 250 indie-crafters, it was a lot to take in, but somehow we managed to make our way through the event to check out all the booths.

We left with some really cute handmade craft projects - which made Katie happy, and two really cute handcrafted silver rings - which made me happy too! 

(Heart ring from esotericabazaar.etsy.com / LoveBird ring from chocolateandsteel.com)

All in all, a fun way to spend a few hours together this weekend!

For a little of your own DIY crafting inspiration, check out Renegade Craft Fair's flickr photostream!

 

Hummingbird love: homemade nectar recipe

I love having hummingbirds in our garden. They are a delight, and bring all of us so much joy when they fly by. For the past couple of years we've hung feeders in the yard, ensuring many visits! Although our hummies do also love all the other flowers in the yard, including our orange aloe vera flowers below. 

Making your own hummingbird nectar is so simple, and keeps it dye-free, which is healthier for them too!

nectar: 4 cups water. 1 cup sugar. Boil water and add the sugar so it dissolves. Let cool.

Boiling helps deter the growth of bacteria and yeast. Don't use powdered sugar, which contains corn starch and can contribute to premature fermentation of the solution. Brown, turbinado, and "raw" sugars contain iron, which can be deadly to hummingbirds if consumed over long periods.

In Native American animal 'medicine' the hummingbird teaches us to laugh and enjoy, to appreciate the magic of being alive, and the truth of beauty. Hummingbirds awaken us to the beauty of the present moment.

This resonates with me. And I am reminded of all of that each time I get to see one of those little cuties!

 

Summer Summer Summer

I'm always amazed at how crazy things get at the end of the school year with the build up and anticipation of summer vacation.


And for us it get's especially busy with multiple family birthdays and our wedding anniversary all within one month.

In addition we also have at least 8 other friends' birthdays, end of the year performances, field trips, Father's Day...you get the picture. This year, on Father's Day, we also adopted two beautiful pups from L.A. Animal Services Shelter.

We named them Roxy and Lou. They are a wonderful new addition to the family. As they are both around one year old, they have grown out of most of their wild puppy behavior, but it's still a little like having two new toddlers in the house to look after and care for!

 
It's been a whirlwind of a month to say the least. An exciting time filled with celebrations, commemorations, transitions, and lots of fun! 

Now, I'm looking forward to a little summer relaxation!