Mental Health Awareness

Posted on by JC Rizk

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and soul. May is Mental Health Awareness month, which fits me perfectly. My Master’s degree is in School Counseling and mental health is something I am truly passionate about; I believe that everyone should speak with a therapist/counselor at some point {yes, even if nothing is ‘wrong’} to gain a better sense of self. I could speak about it forever, but I will hop down from my soap box to discuss self care. If you want to gather more information about mental health awareness or counseling, please comment below or message me — I would be happy to talk privately to anyone interested!

Something I learned from therapy, and understanding mental health better, is that self care is critical to all of us. I cannot be the best mother, wife, friend, human, if I do not take care of myself. For me, as you know, self care comes under the guise of reading, yoga, writing, meditating, organizing, and cooking, to name a few. Recently, my self care really is seen through my reading; I’ve been enjoying so many new books and actually just listened to my first audio book this past week. I’ll review the book more thoroughly in a later post — book club is tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to give anything away — but the whole audio book experience was astounding! I was able to finish laundry, dishes, food prep… all while enjoying a book! Only took me two days to finish it too, listening during the kids’ nap time and in the evenings. This means that I may be able to continue reading, even during my especially busy weeks! I am floored! Now I want to know about all the amazing audio books out there — which audio books do you recommend?

Even though my reading game is strong lately, I’ve let go of meditating and yoga, which I really want to get back into, along with running. I used to run a lot before kids and I would like to get back into it; I am still searching for a decently priced double jogging stroller — wish me luck with that! Lately, I’ve been doing a little calming, self awareness routine with Bird before bed, because she’s started to have meltdowns when we leave the room. We play some zen music and we practice a breathing meditation {only about a minute long since she’s two years old}. I think she gets so excited about her day that it takes her longer to settle into sleep mode, despite her exhaustion. It’s been working well this past week, and it’s encouraging me to do more with her during the day, and maybe it will help the tantrums and meltdowns that come — also, it will help to calm mama down, which will make quite the difference, I think! My goal this week is to meditate more with Bird throughout the day — Lulu too — and to do some yoga in the morning. The other day in her crib, I put on the zen music, which she associates with yoga, and she did a modified tree pose… on her own! We haven’t practiced yoga together since Utah — I was stunned — and then immediately felt guilty that I stopped practicing with her. To rectify that situation, my plan is to start practicing and I’ll put out an extra mat, where she can practice what she wants. Although I love a long practice, I’ll probably start with just a ten or fifteen minute routine first; very exciting!

Today, I also tended to my self care by finally tending to my garden. Still a minimalist container garden this year — I don’t have the time or energy for a full vegetable garden — I chose my favorite herbs, including: lavender, basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, spearmint, and chives. Heading to the farmer’s market in the morning to see if I can find sweet mint and rosemary. The only veggies we are planting this year are two grape tomato plants — I bought two because last year Bird ate all of our cherry tomatoes and I am positive Lulu will enjoy them just as much — and a jalapeño plant. Sometimes I get overzealous with my gardening and plant a ton of herbs and veggies only to waste them and that makes me sad. I think I planted the perfect amount of herbs to cook with and also to dry for cooking, tea, and infusing water. I am excited for the herb garden, yoga, and getting back into a healthy self care routine.

How are you going to care for yourself this month? This week? Today? Take care and enjoy!

Book Review: March & April

Posted on by JC Rizk
  • The Mommy Group by Elizabeth Isadora Gold {3 stars}
  • The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel {4 stars}
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman {4 stars}
  • The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley {*5 stars}

Well, we reached a milestone — the first 5 star book of 2019! It was the most recent book I read and it was un-be-lievable! The more I read of the genre, the more I enjoy historical fiction, and this novel in particular was captivating. I will admit that I was hesitant to start it, because it is lengthy and I worried it would not catch my attention and would be a long struggle to the finish line. However, thankfully, it was a breeze and one that I am still reluctant to leave {by starting another book}. It is apparently the first in a series and now I added Slains #2: The Firebird to my TBR list. You can read more on my Goodreads, but The Winter Sea ebbs and flows between the 1700s and present day at Slains Castle in Scotland. The protagonist is an author creating a new character based off of her family tree, but as the story progresses, details that she ‘creates’ for her novel seem to be more fact than fiction. If this sounds interesting at all to you – pick up this book, today! You will not regret it!

It feels a little lack luster to discuss the other three books, now that I’ve gushed about The Winter Sea, but they were all good reads as well. I started off March with The Mommy Group, by Elizabeth Isadora Gold for a book club with my mama tribe. I was a little put-off by most of the mamas being seemingly forced into c-sections; not sure if this was due to location and population {takes place in NYC and my guess is the amount of people they work with in the hospitals there may translate to less time to honor birth plans to wait for the babies to come in their own time}. If you’re about to be a new mom and you read this, do not think that all labors are like theirs! That being said, it was a cute story and fun reading the anecdotes of new mamas, especially since my mama tribe and I then reminisced about our experiences during our book club.

Thankfully, I also finally finished The Whole Brain Child, which was a terrific read and science-based. This was one of the reasons it took the time it did; I wanted to be sure that I absorbed the information because it really resonated with me as a mother. Hubby and I use the techniques found in this book and it has been helping with Bird’s tantrums — yay, we reached the age of two! We found the information within this book help us to understand where the kids are coming from and understanding that while our frustration is understandable, it will not help in diffusing the situation. I especially love that they have a cheat-sheet in the back of the book for the refrigerator; thank you for the quick reference page! Excellent read, which I suggest to any new or veteran parent!

The remaining book on the list, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, was enthralling. This is the book I read on my four hour flight to Colorado and all I can say is — what an imagination by Neil Gaiman — absolutely original and fun supernatural story.

What is on my upcoming TBR list? As I recently mentioned in a post, I would like to read Pride and Prejudice at some point this month; I cannot remember the last time I re-read it, which means it is time! I have one last book from my bestie, Chris, and that is Hunting Prince Dracula by Karrie Maniscalco. I started it yesterday during the kids’ nap time and quickly closed my own eyes after several chapters, but what I read was interesting. I’ll keep you posted!

Also, for my next book club, I need to read Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl. I am excited for this book, but I am way down on the waiting list to borrow it from the library, so I am considering listening to an audio book instead. Now, I am very traditional when reading, meaning I really just read physical books; I believe I’ve only read several virtual books and I have never listened to an audio book. However, I have friends and other bibliophile friends who rave about audio books. Any suggestions? What audio book apps do you recommend? Are there any other books you recommend I listen to rather than physically read?

Travel: Red Rocks

Posted on by JC Rizk

Colorado. Our visit there was short, but it was beautiful and absolutely peaceful. I realized this was my first major trip since Lulu was born last year and my first flight away from both him and Bird. As a mama, this was a bit nerve-racking, but I was able to be present in my journey with the hubby and our friends and enjoy the experience.

To travel is to live.

– Hans Christian Anderson

Let me start off by saying that I was able to finish an entire book on the flight to Denver, which was quite the accomplishment. That level of self-care really gave a terrific start to the weekend. Hubby and I landed in Denver on a Thursday evening and went for dinner at the Brutal Poodle, which is a ‘hard rock inspired tavern that pays homage to man’s best friend’. The food and drinks at this bar were unbelievable and we taste-tested appetizers, split two entrees, and sampled the cocktails, plus dessert. The dessert we had was Eskimo Bros Nitro Ice Cream — the bananas foster flavor — and it was the most amazing ice cream eaten to date! Hubby and I researched and it’s only available in Denver currently, so if you’re ever in the area, look them up to try it, too!

Red Rocks Amphitheater (from a distance)

The rest of our friends arrived late night, so we had a lackadaisical morning on Friday. We stayed at this amazing VRBO cabin in Morrison, Colorado, which was located on a ranch, only about twenty minutes from Red Rocks Amphitheater. Around mid morning, we all geared up and went for a small hike at Mount Falcon, which we quickly realized was adjacent to Red Rocks itself! This is a view from our trail; we hiked part of the Mount Falcon Castle Trail Loop and enjoyed the fresh air, the beautiful wilderness and the exercise!

That night, we enjoyed a gorgeous meal at the Buckhorn Exchange, which is the oldest restaurant in Denver, established in 1893! This is a steak house, with plenty to look at {taxidermy}, gads of history, and a plethora of exotic meats. Come hungry, because the portion sizes definitely do not disappoint! I enjoyed the quail, and no one left hungry; this was a neat place to come for the experience and the food.

Ms. Pickles (left) and Tito (right)

The next morning, we slept in — that’s right, folks, I slept in until 8:30 am and it was glorious! We lounged about the cabin, dipped into the hot tub, sat in front of the fire, and Hubby and I took a walk around the VRBO property. The binder the owners left advised that there were horses on the ranch and you could meet them up close and personal; these sweet horses, Ms. Pickles and Tito, were kind to let us bother their grazing.

Hubby, our friends, and me at Red Rocks Amphitheater

Before we knew it, we were off to the big event: a concert at Red Rocks! We enjoyed all the music, although Hubby was especially excited to see Stick Figure and Pepper. Stick Figure was the headliner, and I especially love that they bring their dog, Cocoa with them and she joins the band on stage! She’s an Australian Shepherd, and beautiful; she reminded me of our Aussie, Kayah, because she kept laying down with her toy directly behind the lead singer, and he would nudge into her when he backed up from the mic. Kayah loves to do that as well and often trips us as she keeps tabs on the family. The venue itself was stunning; it is neat to see from the outside, but when you’re within the massive rocks, it feels like you’re in your own fortress. Well, you, and about 9,000 of your closest friends. The concert went into the early morning, where we crashed for several hours before heading back to the airport.

Although our stay was brief, the scenery, food, and activities were exciting, and delicious; definitely a place to check out further in the future! Also, my friend was right — this short trip with just Hubby and I was a nice reprieve, although I am grateful to be back home with the babies now. Feeling lucky and appreciative for the travel opportunities, as well as the amazing family and friends who support us and watch our babies {thank you, Abuela}!

See you next week for a book review post!

Home, Sweet Home

Posted on by JC Rizk

Welcome, April! No, this is no April Fool’s joke, I am finally back to writing! Between the trip back to the east coast, trying to unpack, Bird turning two {as well as fighting a double ear infection}, and just trying to get settled back home, it’s been about three weeks since I last checked in. Never fear, I hope to write several posts this week, so stay tuned!

I am happy and relieved to say that we survived our journey back home. Our original plan was to drive from Utah to Florida, then home to Maryland after visiting the abuelos. The universe had other plans.

Day one, we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground in Utah and the weather called for snow along our route. ‘Okay,’ we thought, ‘no problem. We can drive in snow.’ The problem started in Wyoming, where we saw signs that Interstate 80 was closed and we could only make it as far as Rock Springs. Mind you, we saw this at a rest stop that was past Rock Springs, but quickly learned that we had to turn back. Our Google maps and Waze started acting wonky, not updating with road closures, so we quickly stopped at a local gas station and grabbed a physical map, to check our options. Really there was only one option that would take us from I-80 to Colorado, without returning all the way to Utah, assuming we could grab the southern route of I-70 or I-40 at that point. We found a route that I thought was a main road, which it may be, but was also a dirt road… covered in snow… with blowing wind and more snow. The road less traveled, right? There probably was amazing scenery along this deserted dirt road, but with the wind and snow, we could not take full advantage of said view. After an hour and a half, we finally found civilization again only to find out that both I-40 and I-70 were closed for the night. We found a hotel close to the exit and ordered ourselves some pizza.

The universe threw us another loop when my snuggle/bed buddy, Bird, began throwing up around 11 that night. This was her first real stomach sickness and I was ill-prepared; the sickness continued about every hour to half an hour throughout the night. After the second time changing the sheets {thank you to the kind and understanding hotel staff}, I was able to get her to the trash can, to her pleas of “No, phank you” because all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Talk about heart break! We took it easy the next morning, also known as Day Two, and by late morning, she kept down some nourishment and seemed herself again, albeit tired. We also learned that the roads were re-opening and we headed out!

Just outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado

We drove through Colorado, Kansas, and since the kids were absolute champs {not sleeping much during the night helped Bird sleep during the car ride}, we decided to go as far as we could, and got as far as Missouri… and then the stomach bug/food poisoning hit Hubby. We stopped at a hotel, around 3:30 in the morning, unpacked the bare essentials, transferred the kids into their beds, and caught a couple hours of sleep. We took it easy again this morning to figure out how Hubby would recover and let Bird run around in the yard outside the hotel. At this point, we felt the screaming urge to return home, not share a potential bug with the abuelos or extend our drive any longer, and get everyone as rested as possible. We made the call to head straight for Maryland, rather than detour to Florida.

We left in the late morning and this day, day three, we traveled until we arrived in Ohio. We then made the final trek home on day four and were grateful for relatively uneventful days! Despite my love of planning and all the research I previously completed to plan this drive, I ended up canceling every one of our hotel reservations. This trip was a terrific reminder that despite all the preparation, you never know what life has in store and to appreciate the journey.

Truck, trailer, killer sunset: Kansas

We luckily were all feeling better by the time we returned home; this was about two weeks ago now. Last week, we began unpacking, which is still ongoing to be honest. I have little motivation to put things “away” because part of me thinks that it is silly to unpack things only to roust them again so soon. Organization started this past weekend: we are trying the Marie Kondo KonMari organization method — I’ve been watching her Netflix special to encourage our progress! Despite the chaos of organizing and unpacking at the same time, we came home to a limited toy selection and my kids completely do not notice! This is lovely and reiterates my need for a reorganization of all our items, which is motivational as well.

Now that we are a bit more settled, I promise to write weekly and I plan to write a couple more posts this week to make up for the last few weeks. Keep tuned in for my next couple of posts: one will be about skiing in Utah {from both my perspective and Hubby’s} and one will be about our organization progress!

Are you in the process of Spring cleaning or organizing? Do you have any travel stories? Look forward to hearing from you!

Yoga and Emotions

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Namaste//


The divine within me honors the divine in you.

I absolutely love this word. I hear it at the end of every yoga class and I think it is profound and moving. Essentially, namaste means that we are all equal — I see, and honor, the light and divinity within you, with all the light and divinity within me. It truly fills me with happiness and a feeling of acceptance, which, let’s be honest, is what yoga is all about – accepting yourself exactly how you are throughout the practice, and life.

Love this yoga mat by Gaiam!

I think I found my favorite yoga classes at Cradle Your Soul and they couldn’t be more different! After trying out a bunch of classes, I am now going to the Sunday Vinyasa Flow class, which is challenging, nonstop, and helps unite breath with movements. In addition, I tried a new class today and plan to go weekly for the rest of the month, called Living Lighter Yoga, which is all about slow movements, taking your time in the discomfort of certain positions, and allowing your body to breathe through the pain to find a natural release. The idea being that when we are upset, instead of hiding our feelings away, we can sit in them and work through them, allowing our body to release them naturally rather than holding emotions hostage.

This really resonated with me this week especially as my hubby and I work with our daughter on her tantrums and meltdowns. For a while we would try and calm her down, but the more I read and the more we discussed, we realized we want her to understand a healthy range of emotions and to work through it, knowing that we are here to support her and comfort her with hugs and kisses when she is ready. Is it loud? Yes. Is it sometimes frustrating because we are trying to do something fun and she freaks out because she’s overwhelmed, confused, or unsure? Definitely. That being said, letting her take some alone time to cry it out, or scream, really seems to help her work through it quicker than us hovering and telling her that she is okay. Big surprise there, right?

I do not have to imagine my response when I am upset and someone tells me to calm down or that I am okay — completely invalidated and even more upset. Also, when I push my emotions down to make others more comfortable, it always leads to a blowup, which is always much bigger than me just working through my feelings then and there. I found the above children’s book called, In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek, which mirrors this thought — it is super sweet and goes through all the emotions that we can feel in a language that speaks to children. Plus, the art is super cute too!

How about you? Any favorite yoga classes or books or anything that is really speaking to you lately? Let me know!

Duality of Parenthood

Posted on by JC Rizk

To all you mamas out there… congratulations! You’re doing terrific! Why do I say this? Simply because I know you are even if I do not know you – first, you’re reading this in the little spare time you have – and because oftentimes we, as mothers (parents), internalize guilt and overthink the choices we make in our children’s lives. This week the duality of motherhood has been in the forefront of my mind.

I am a stay-at-home mama to two children under the age of two. I love having the kids so close in age; however, currently having a 22 month and a 7.5 month old, we are getting into a tricky phase. The baby — we call him Lulucito — needs more attention now that he’s somewhat mobile — I think he will figure out crawling quicker than I expect, but he cannot yet move to keep up and interact fully with his sister. The toddler, we call her Bird, is now realizing that Lulucito needs more attention and that this requires sharing — something that is a work in progress.

If you’re like me, I am always on the lookout to learn something new and being a parent is no exception. I continuously read magazines, articles, and books on parenting, as my husband and I try to figure out what style we like best for our children. I recently found the following quote on social media posted by Raised Good (blog and website), which is a page that really mirrors how I would like to parent.

This quote especially resonates with me, because Bird’s personality is really presenting itself lately – she’s daring, extremely active, and supremely independent. She wants to explore, experience, and devour all that she sees! I absolutely adore this about her and I love that I get a front row seat to watch her enthusiasm for life unfold as she grows.
I let my kids explore life, nature, food, etc. because I think it is vitally important to their growth, physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, sometimes we need to run errands, leave the grocery store, or share with others — here is where the duality comes into play.

I struggle some days to make decisions: do my children have too much freedom or am I holding them back from their potential? Am I scheduling too many activities into their days or should I get them more involved? Am I coddling my children or pushing them to grow too quickly? These, and more, are the daily thoughts I have and I am working to find what comes naturally.

My overall goal is to be a calm parent: to listen to my children and their needs, not worry about the unwashed dishes and clothes, and focus on their growth and development. My goal for this week is much more humble: I want to remind myself that I am human and I encourage you all to do the same. Impatience and voice raising can sometimes win over, so my goal is to continue my self care routine with meditation and yoga. These practices help me to breathe in times where I feel overwhelmed and frustrated; this breath sometimes gives me the time I need to access the situation logically and to be proactive, rather than reactive in situations.

These are my goals for this week, what are yours? I am always searching for additional resources … please share anything that works for you and your family! Look forward to hearing from you!

Books & Meditation: Self Care Week

Posted on by JC Rizk

Last night, for the first time in about two years, I went to the bookstore ON…MY…OWN! I took my time looking at book covers, reading excerpts from the stories, and breathing in the book smells. Yes, that is correct; I am that person in the bookstore and I do not apologize! I did not have to run around after a toddler who wants to explore or rush because it was almost time for the baby’s bottle. I love being a mother, but let’s be honest – we all downtime and time to commit to self care.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. – Buddha

These are my picks from last night’s extravaganza and I am super excited to begin! I plan to start with Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, because I absolutely adored two of her other books: In a Dark, Dark Wood and Woman in Cabin 10. I think I read both for book clubs over the last few years and they were very fast reads – they kept me guessing, and I am hoping The Lying Game does the same.

The genre I read most often would be mystery or suspense novels; I adore becoming a part of the story, as if it is unfolding all around me and disappearing into that world. Mysteries tend to intrigue me and I absolutely treasure when a book ends and leaves me surprised. That being said, you should know I am not the type of person who reads ahead or guesses the ending. As I said, I want to be part of the story as it unfolds, not the one unfolding the story.

Continuing with the theme of self care this week, I took time to start meditating again; I used some trial sessions with the Headspace and Calm apps. Once I finish these free sessions, I will choose which one I like the best. Readers: are there any other meditation apps I should bring into the mix and try out before I make my decision? Leave a comment below and let me know!

This upcoming week I will start a weekly yoga class, as well! I will be so fit mentally, emotionally, and physically – thinking about it makes me feel giddy!

After visiting a book store, starting meditation, and signing up for yoga, I had room for even another source of self care this week: cooking! I tried a new recipe from the first book I read this year, Farm from Home, by Amanda Brooks. I made some changes to her recipe and made the Salmon Stir Fry, which came out really well and will be added to our food repertoire! Check out the recipe for more information about my cooking experience.

This week I hope you all take the time to practice some self care. Please remember to share with me any other meditation apps you may use or any comments in general. I would love to hear from you!

Happy weekend and enjoy your week!

Starting anew…

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Generally in the new year I get the same itch: to start writing, to read more, to eat healthier, to be more physically fit; basically, to improve myself on all levels. As a new mama, with two children under two, I find myself focusing a lot on the babes, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. However, I also know that to be the best mama I can be, I need to work on my self-care. I often find that when several days go by where I practice little-to-no self-care, I get crankier and less patient, which is unfair to my babies, my husband, and myself.

I think I’ve started the year off right so far – only five days in and in addition to re-vamping this blog, I already finished a book since the new year, which makes me happy – check out my Goodreads updates on the right hand side to see what I am reading, along with my reviews! Also, I tried some new recipes, and signed up for some yoga classes. It’s a start!

I should also tell you that my family and I are on somewhat of a grand adventure: we decided to spend the winter away from our east coast home. In fact, we are staying in Utah for three months! Currently, we are about three weeks into our adventure and are loving the fresh air, the snow, and especially the majestic mountains.

This is the view from the local park we frequent with the kids and the dogs. It seems not to matter where we are, even someplace as simplistic as the grocery store has amazing views of these mountains!

My husband is an avid skier and has been skiing already a handful of times, and the really exciting part is that he has taken our daughter, who is not even two yet, up to the mountain. Our daughter, E, is absolutely fearless and loves this time with her papa; her favorite thing to tell him when he stops at the bottom of the hill is, “Go!” It is remarkable seeing her thirst for new experiences and her willingness to try new things.

I really enjoy cooking and especially since the kids were born, do so on a regular basis. We started the new year off right with some venison tacos!
To brag on my hubby a bit more, besides being an avid skier, he also enjoys to hunt deer and goose during their seasons back home. Before we left, he was able to get two deer, which now leaves us with a freezer full of venison. Naturally, since we drove out here, we decided to fill a cooler full of our venison and bring it with us to Utah.

This morning, we took the kids to the mountain and gave the baby his first smell of the mountain air, while the hubby took E on a few ski runs on the bunny slopes. Then the kids and I returned home while he continued to ski. For me, it was the perfect afternoon to whip up some venison stew!

It was a hearty choice and the venison was the most tender I’ve cooked yet; not sure if you’re familiar with venison, but it can dry out very easily and quickly. This was a new recipe I tried, but it will certainly go into the keeper pile! Stay tuned for a page dedicated to new recipes like this one; it’s one of my goals for the next several weeks.

Now that I feel caught up with everyone, and full from venison stew, I think I will go get some shut-eye. Tomorrow is another day and another adventure awaits!