eating gluten free

for the past 2 weeks i have challenged myself to eat completely gluten free. and i have! what i thought would be more of a challenge, hasn't actually been one at all. the hard part is remember that most things do have gluten so my options have been quite limited- but as far as cravings go, its been rather easy. finding restaurants that have gluten free menu's has been pretty easy as well- brick oven, milawi's pizza, costa vida & cafe paesan to name a few, just remember to ask for gluten free.

the reason i wanted to try a gluten-free diet was for a couple of reasons- 

1. gluten foods make it so your body wants sugars, bad fats & unhealthy amounts of wheat. by removing gluten, you find yourself craving raw foods, veggies & fruits (and it speeds up your metabolism!) i've definitely noticed this. the other day i had a sweet tooth so i ate a handful of jude's dried berries- it was like candy to my taste buds and it satisfied my craving.  

2. summer is pretty much here & since i practically live in my bikini during this time of year, i wanted to shed a couple of pounds to look & feel bikini body ready. its been about 2 weeks now & i feel lighter, i feel healthy. cutting out carbs will definitely do that!   

if your interested in eating gluten free this blog has been a great source for recipes & cooking tips- she is one of my favorites. (her book is my next purchase!) you can also check out this blog & this blog- both helpful & informative.

photo book

i recently put together & ordered a photo book for jude! i've wanted to do one ever since i saw this post from a cup of jo. and talk about perfect timing! jude is repeating everything we say lately- including the names of family members! now he has a book to put names with faces.

momma's- i recommend doing this if you have a little one who is starting to learn their words. it's such a great way for them to associate pictures of family members/close friends with their names. i ordered mine from shutterfly & i couldn't be happier with it!

a day up provo canyon

tuesday's teachings

be happy:

"if you have vast wealth,

it will be useless in teaching your children.

if you have great power,

it will be of no avail in securing their happiness.

if you have succeeded admirably in life,

it will not help you keep your children safe.

remember that you cannot teach

by preaching.

try to live with peace, contentment,

love and compassion.

this will be your lecture.

this will be your lesson. 

the happier i have allowed myself to be,

the happier my children have become.

the more i have become myself,

the more they have done the same.

this has occurred later in my life.

don't wait."

words from: the parents tao te ching

previous tuesday's teachings here!

5 things {bijou market}

the bijou market was back in town this last week (see previous finds here!) and it never disappoints! these next 5 things are what i scored this time around: 

 {an elephant puzzle by wooden giraffe}

 {oh how lovely decorative tape}

 {made by jewls fabric earrings}

{livy love design dr. seuss print}

 

{cinnamon ink boy prints for jude}

a song for you

beautiful. i currently have this song on replay.

the first of many

jude got his first scrapped knee recently & i know there are many (many!) more to come. SO, to all you other injuries out there such as bumps & bruises- bring it on! we are ready for you. loaded with lots of tea tree oil & bandages. 

tuesday's teachings

reward and punishment:

"be carful of rules for your children.

rules diminish responsibility.

be carful of rewards for your children.

rewards diminish self-esteem.

be carful of punishments for your children.

punishments diminish trust. 

let lessons be imposed 

by the nature of things,

not by your own agendas

or your own needs. 

integrity will replace rules.

contentment will replace striving.

spirituality will replace religion.

songs will replace arguments.

dances will replace battles.

don't tell me this is overly simple. 

perhaps the most courageous act

will be that moment 

when, even though it breaks your heart, 

you stand aside 

and let your children 

take the natural consequences 

of their actions."

words from: the parents tao te ching 

previous tuesday's teachings here! 

a trip to the duck pond

warm weather, i sure hope your here to stay- because being outside in the fresh air with these two boys of mine is the best part of my day. pretty please, don't go away.

happy easter sunday!

our favorite park in alpine held an easter egg hunt yesterday. it was jude's very first! for someone who is obsessed with balls, seeing hundreds of easter eggs covering the grass was like handing him a mini heart attack on a plate. and trying to tell him (a one year old, keep in mind) that he couldn't get them until the lady said 'go!', was completely heart shattering to him. of course, he was eventually told to go and when he did, he scored 4 easter eggs! yup, out of all those hundreds, we snatched up 4! ha ha. he was completely fascinated with the whole thing, non the less. 

since the egg hunt lasted seriously ten minutes, we hung around for a while at the park & walked across the street to see the horses. i'm pretty sure jude is happy with his 4 eggs so we are just going to sum it up as a great first easter egg hunt!

 

wishing all you silly bunnies a happy easter sunday, from our family to yours!

a little ponytail

this is how you go from jude, to judy. just one hair tie & your good to go. 

thread & stone

thread & stone is an amazing collaboration of handcrafted jewelry & pretty little things. it was designed by two friends, alana mock & nicole cabebe. alana i know from growing up in hawaii together & i am blow away by what her & nicole have brought to life. their website was officially launched two days ago, i wish them the best of luck with their beautiful creations. (p.s. make sure to check out their website, the introduction video is beyond beautiful!) 

a few pieces from their line:  

i want to own ever.single.piece

again, beautiful job ladies! kudos to you!

pop quiz for jude!

jude is picking up anything & everything we are saying now days! which means the good & the bad. needless to say, we are being much more carful with what comes out of our mouths.     

(p.s. don't mind collin singing in the background, its just what happens when he cooks breakfast in the mornings.)

goodbye, one tree hill.

tonight, the very last episode of the one tree hill series will air. its lasted nine season, which in my opinion, is much too short. i admit i am a bigger fan of the earlier seasons (i miss you, lucas & peyton!) because it seemed like there were so many situations going on in the show that paralleled my real life. this show has a way of saying exactly what your feeling, in the most beautiful of ways (hat's off to creator, mark schwahn). i have journals full of one tree hill quotes, words that have stuck with me & changed a little part of me thanks to their depth & profoundness. i thank my cousin, brooke, for introducing me to the show. one tree hill will forever have a place in my heart. always & forever.  


{one of the best days, ever.}

sophia bush- brooke davis

lee norris- mouth

james lafferty- nathan scott

creator- mark schwahn

{a few of my favorite quotes:}

lucas: "remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always. a promise, like a reward for persisting through life so long alone. a belief in each other and the possibility of love. a decision to ignore and simply rise above the pain of the past. a covenant, which at once binds two souls and yet severs prior ties. the celebration of the chance taken and the challenge that lies ahead. for two will always be stronger than one. like a team braced against the tempests of the world. and love will always be the guiding force in our lives. for tonight is mere formality. only an announcement to the world of feelings long held, promises made long ago in the sacred space in our hearts."


lucas: "because it's only when you're tested that you truly discover who you are. and it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. the person that you want to be does exist, somewhere on the other side of hard work, faith and belief and beyond the heartache and fear of what life has."


nathan: "every once in a while people step up, they rise above themselves. sometimes they surprise you, and sometimes they fall short. life is funny sometimes, it can push pretty hard, but if you look close enough you find hope in the words of children, in the bars of a song and in the eyes of someone you love. and if you're lucky, if you're the luckiest person on this entire planet, the person you love decides to love you back."


brooke: "and once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be or lose that person completely."


peyton: "at this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. some are running scared. some are coming home. some tell lies to make it through the day. others are just now facing the truth. some are evil men, at war with good. and some are good, struggling with evil. six billion people in the world. six billion souls. and sometimes - all you need is one."


haley: "life is short and opportunities are rare. and we have to be vigilant in protecting them and not only the opportunities to succeed but the opportunity to laugh , to see the enchantment and to live. because life doesn't owe us anything, in fact i think we owe something to the world."


mouth: "because sometimes you have to step outside of the person you've been and remember the person you were meant to be. the person you wanted to be. the person you are."

tuesday's teachings

(sorry for the absent tuesday's teachings posts the last couple of weeks! here is a good one..)

you have lessons to learn:

"the lessons we most want to teach our children

are the ones we have not yet learned ourselves. 

so we continually try to teach 

what we do not know.

this is futile.

try instead to refrain from talking.

look carefully at the situation.

listen attentively.

let your mind be open to new understandings.

you will learn what you need to know.

and you will thus teach your children

how to learn their own lessons.

nothing teaches children more

than a parent who is willing to learn.

what behavior in your children 

makes you anxious?

what does that tell you

about yourself?"

words from: the parents tao te ching

previous tuesday's teachings here!