Martini Momma

Move over Betty Crocker

I am sorry that I have to do this to do Joelle, but I cannot hold back.  As you blog friends out there know, last weekend Brent & I had the Adams & the Everetts for dinner.  Those two ladies are truly remarkable.  They are poised and graceful and so put together every time I see them.  What the hell do they see in me? 

I would say that all three of us can hold our own in the kitchen.  However, Joellekicks my ass for sure when it comes to all things sweet.   On Friday, she did dessert in honor of Michelle's 29th birthday.  This is what she whipped up...

Sweet thing.  She also left me with a silvery/red tin full of GF butter tarts.  These tarts could possibly be ruining my life.  Each time I am at home writing, cleaning, blogging, breathing, I swear I hear wee whispers coming from my fridge..."eat me."

Since Friday I have gained 5 lbs.  Each bite is nutty, buttery bits of heaven.  I have tried hiding them, burying them and freezing them, guess what they are equally delicious FROZEN!  Honestly, I can barely sleep at night, thinking about my next bite.

Anyone got a cure for friends who master any sweet GF treat they try to make Christmas baking addictions?

PS - Yes this strawberry cream cheese flan, tort, cake! was also GF and also AMAZING.  Definitely some people got more talent in the baking department than others....

  

3, 2, 1....jump, right into a bucketful of rum.

 
Life is magical in it's twists and turns.  Yesterday, I almost lept form the top of The Richardson Building, full of flight from the comments left for me on my writing post.  You cannot know how much your inspiration STOKED my fire.  Thank you.  I know for a fact that I will sell 10 BOOKS.  And maybe a few more.  I only need to sit down and write. 

A Chinese Proverb says, "If you want to know your past - look into your present conditions.  If you want to know your future, look into your present actions."

And with that, I am fueled for a weekend of love for my boys and love for words, in that order.  My Brent leaves for Toronto on business for 4 days.  I anticipate...

A HOTMomma Martini/Mojito party that will be peppered with pamper and pensiveness.  The guest list is extraordinary and perhaps even Wendy who has recently MOVED home from Cowtown.  Welcome home my friend.  I anticipate (there it is again) a night of FABULOUS women and food and thoughtful conversations.  Please accept my apologies in advance for I choose companionship over cleanliness.

I anticipate expect days of snugglebugs with my two little hunks.  I am going to WRITE for 1 HOUR on my book (or maybe more or maybe an hour EACH day).  I am going to drink tea and watch Brothers & Sisters.  I am going to go skating and swimming.  I am GOING to proofread.  And, if I am not yet filled up, I am going to do some cleaning and washing and Oh yes! we have a SUSHI party planned with Princess Gracie. 

I will probably watch Shrek 35 times, while dancing in my jammies - braless as I romp around to "Hey now, you're a rockstar, get your game on, GO!  PLAY!.  (Oh the benefits of breastfeeding).

And somewhere in there I will try not to back into a wooden fence while picking up dinner or set off the fire alarm at home like I did earlier this week.  (The alarm sounds, waa, waa, waa, G burst into tears waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - damn Gluten Free toast).  This past week was so much networking, catching up, coffee with girlfriends, inspiration from all of you fellow bloggers - hell even my sis Jen left her very first comment.  Yippee, I am sailing into Saturday.

I am ready to play.  Happy Friday mommas.   Got any plans????

The Gift of Time

 

Last night, Brent and I had a date planned for over a month.  Unfortunately, our stand-by evening babysitter, my mom, got sick and had to cancel.  I tried to hire the girl from down the street; however, she too was under the weather.  Coincidentally, my sis Jay and I had been chatting in email.  I told her about the situation and she immediately offered.  Without so much as a hesitation, she simply replied, "I will be there right after school."

And so the norm ensued where by we scrambled to get home, feed the boys, lay out their towels for baths and their jammies for bed, gently remind my sis of their nighttime routine and then BAM!, suddenly we were alone at The Keg in a booth with just each other.

Our dinner was great, the ambiance relaxing and shortly after, we checked in at The Urban Oasis Mineral Spa for a massage (last Christmas's gift certificates).  Spoiled, I know.  The experience at The Clarion was sub-par but that is another post all together.  Even though I was greasy and cold throughout, my heart was warm.  All I could think of was how unselfish my sister had been to make sure that Brent and I got our date night.

The gift of time is something that cannot be measure by a price tag.  For some time may be an unexpected visit (Gramps), for others it may be an extra snuggled or a patient parent waiting for a demonstration of Independence (my boys), for me - last night was an opportunity to reconnect with my husband.

Many years ago, my sister Jen was going through a bad breakup.  True to her nature, she is a bottler and so getting her to release some of her pain was intensely difficult.  As is the case with sisters, Crystal and I knew exactly what to do.  We dressed up in costume and showed up at her place of business where she waitressed - dressed as Chiquita Banana and a Cowgirl.  It worked, she was so blown away by our ridiculous outfits and lack of humility that she began laughing and with time, let go of her hurt.

I am sure that I do not tell my Jen enough how much I appreciate her generous heart and thoughtful mannerisms. Yet tonight, amidst the many times when life is chaotic and busy and filled with noise, I relaxed sans babes, pressure or even vitamin water responsibilities, and as I did, I relished in how easily my sister had made it for me to spend time with my Brent.

Thank you Jay.

Salut!

Foggy head, I am rolling into Friday with a weekend FULL of fun.

Last night I sat at The Keg and drank a new fantastic Californian Zinfandel.  I was with such a fabulous group of women with whom I refer as The Winos The Hoseheads.  5 girls with whom I share my most intimate secrets, despite the fact that most of these women barely read my blog.  Fooey! 

It was a night where by world problems were solved.  We decided the best choice for our children was pre-arranged marriages.  We opted for spoiling daughter-in-laws rather than trying to earn their love.  We concluded that owning a cabin meant a place where children always migrated home.  And most relevant is that we all agree our children walk on water.

When the 'light' conversation subsided, we jumped head first into miscarriages, sex and love.  We agreed that pain was part of the journey and that along the way, our girlfriends were our cheerleaders.  If life were easy, we wouldn't need deep rooted friendships to raise us up.  

Last night was a night I had been craving all week.  It was a night that was intermingled with wine and raw emotion.  It was a night far beyond purpose.

Also on the agenda this weekend is The Santa Claus Parade (check out their build a Santa page for kiddies) and a Birthday Bash at our house for Miss Gracie Girl.  There is sure tobe candles, cocktails and cake.  I have been shopping for the little misses bday for 2 months. 

By the way, thanks mommas for all of the suggestions on catering.  I have made what I believe will be a fabulous choice... The Gates on Roblin is preparing our meal and bringing it to our home to finish off for us.  Yum.  The dinner will include TequilaSeared Scallops, Smoked Salmon Rosettas, Brie baked Black Forest Ham and Cranberry Stuffed Chicken and a Chocolate Lava Cake. 

Speaking of delicious food, here is my coleslaw recipe Shannon.  I did make it up but had help from Mike at Mise Bistro.

• 1 bag of Pre-Sliced/Diced Cabbage
• 1 Grated Gala Apple
• 1/2 Cup of Walnuts
• Honey
• Helman's Mayo (must be Helman's)
• Vinegar
• Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
• S & P

I just mixed as I went until I found it pleasing to the taste. 

Today is another interview for my latest article, an afternoon appointment and drinks with The Johnsons.  Happy Weekend.
 

Be YOUR Best Bootcamp

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives." ~Henry David Thoreau

Sit down, buckle up and get ready to GET REAL.  This is your TUESDAY, kick your own ass post.  As you have read, The Coach has been sharing snippets of her VISION BOARD and has been gracious enough to even let us in on her private thoughts/hopes/wishes around what each image means to her.  Today, I want to challenge you to reach deep and make one goal for this week that challenges YOU in terms of BEING YOUR BEST.

In my post yesterday I asked you what you were accountable for?  I did get some great comments and emails.  It is natural that many of us are focusing on household tasks, work projects, and of course family projects.  But truth be told, I am wondering what is making you tick.  It is NOVEMBER and this month's book choice thanks to this cool chick is Momma Zen.  So mommas, let's get Zen.  Whoa Mollie, come back here.

Let me translate...  A comment a while back from Jude was about how fortunate this generation is because as women we talk, we share and we commiserate.  I agree w-h-o-l-e heartedly.  The beauty is that Martini Mommas have aligned with so many cool chicks that read this blog and share their own stories on where they are going.  There are artists, entrepreneurs, SAHMs, teachers, nurses, personal trainers, accountants, social workers, women everywhere who are on a path of some kind to GREATNESS!  Is it coincidence that this network of POWERHOUSE WOMEN is growing?  NO WAY!  Life is a journey and this is part of the evolution. 

I know Brent and Mollie are now having coffee together at Starbucks.

But seriously, with all of the power and spirituality that is flowing through this blog, I am asking you to be accountable this week to yourself.   What are you going to do FOR YOU?  This doesn't have to be a new outfit from Lulu (although it could be), it doesn't have to be a HUGE undertaking.  Let's break off little pieces and celebrate together.

So, for me, I am going to work hard at recognizing when situations are NOT perfect and just be.  The idiots version is that I am going to focus on NOT judging a situation OR feeling guilt about my actions.

Here's a quick example, my disclosure is that I am pretty sure my MIL does NOT read this blog...Sunday night my in-laws came for dinner.  Throughout the evening she (whom I ADORE) made mention of several things that we (Team Parnell) do differently than she does.  With each instance I had an internal battle on whether or not I need to defend Team Parnell.  I did not and I do not need to defend.  We are a little battle troop on our own journey.

SO, my goal this week is to just BE and ACCEPT whatever situation I am in without judgment.  I will simply tell myself, how interesting that she does blank her way.  End of story.

Btw - it is ok to consume copious amounts of wine during the process, whatever your process is, as long as you are HONORING YOURSELF!

OK, what are you going to do for YOU this week?

Halloween Howl

You may have seen the mommas make their TV debut on Saturday night on Global Winnipeg's evening news.  Our phone rang off the hook today wondering how they, too, can get a news crew to cover their children's party.  Let me walk you through the craziness of the day. 

1.  2 hours before I am set to host 16 5 year olds for Ty's 5th birthday party, I get a call from martini Momma sister, Kath, who says in her best "please do this for me" voice, "listen, I know one of the news anchors for Global and they are looking to interview some kids and some moms about their feelings about H1N1 and Halloween, could they come and shoot?"  After a small amount of minor arm twisting, "ah, what the hell, it's already going to be a gong show, why not, but you must stay and be the one interviewed, I will be tied up with many little monkeys..and ghosts and goblins and princesses."  Deal.

2.  Both martini momma sisters arrive, Brandi and Kath along with their adorable very scary boys.  Party is on.  I am in a witch suit, hat, really and beads and Halloween T-shirt, they look news worthy and presentable.  Yes, they will do the interviewing and they can only then be dismissed to go grab a coffee while I entertain these monsters.

3.  Parents come bearing ghouls and goblins and party is off to the races.  It is a great time.  All activities aare going as planned, except WAY faster than planned and what I thought would take 1 hour is done in a half hour.  What now?  Yes, the news crew.  Not a bad idea to invite news crew to parties.  They interview half a dozen kids, they watch them limbo, visit Frankenstein's laboratory, making crafts, playing "pin the eye on the monster", and eyeball spoon races.  Interviews are complete upstairs, where are those mommas and what are they doing in my kitchen alone and unsupervised?  I am nervous, I don't trust them, last time the blog exposed some of my organized clutter. 

4.  Party is to reconvene upstairs in dining room where we will eat, drink and be merry.

 
This is the only picture taken by the supposed photographer of the group.  Hands are too full, another good reason to invite said news crew to film for posterity. 

5.  Have found the two missing mommas.  They have exposed all untidiness in every cupboard while in search of Brewt.  They have their little chuckles at my choice of childproof cupboards and I know they are wondering why they are ALL so messy.  Well, hear this, you two.  I heard Kath say at the retreat that by saying "Yes" to something, we are in turn saying "No" to something else.  So, when the cupboards asked begged to be cleaned I said, "NO" so that I wouldn't miss out on something else.  Priorities, ladies, now stay the h@#* out of my cupboards.

6.  Party was a roaring success, news story was informative from Brand and Kath and then they hit me in the basement and asked me to discuss a serious topic while donning my witch attire.  A riot, really!  Ty was so pumped to be on the news doing a real interview.

7.  Trick or Treating was the best ever.  I enjoyed it as much as the kids and woke with a suger hangover this morning.  Ty would have stayed out all night and little Maggie was as proud as I've ever seen.  We were some proud parents out there so thankful that we were still "allowed" to be out with the crew.  I was told at a few houses to wait at the end of the driveway as Ty ventured off with his kindy buddies.  Growing so fast!  I was just grateful that Ty was my date for most of the night.  We had a good time and he even walked me to my door and thanked me for such an "awesome" night.  What more can I ask for?

The Path to Fulfillment

Heading out to the retreat I snuck this book into my bag in case I curled up to read -

Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul - How to Create A New You - by Deepak Chopra

I spent no time reading and yet I am home with a reinvention of myself.  The same solid principles are still the same but I learned a little something VERY big from each and every woman I spent the weekend with.  I learned that despite different outsides we are all very much the same on the inside - we all wake up striving to do our very best and we all feel failure when we don't get there.  We all wear our hearts on our sleeves and though some may be quieter than others we all need to be heard in our own way. 

Love and compassion is actually possible amongst strangers despite stories told otherwise.  We witnessed it first hand this weekend.  We all want to instill humility and hard work in our children - we are on our way. 

I reconfirmed that the value of fresh air and outdoors is magical and necessary to me being a complete person.  It is as important as breath. 

I accept without guilt that time away for ME absolutely makes me a better woman, spouse, parent, and friend. I will never let this learning slip away no matter how busy I am.  It is a slow down and rejuvinate that is better than the spa. 

I am home with goals.  I learned more about the soul and religion, health, empowerment and love.  I learned to do smoky eyes.  I learned I am glamourous with or without them.

It was so awesome - I am already onto the next one's plans!  Cheers to some very amazing and beautiful women that keep this city so great and instill so much hope for the future generation!

Here is my vision board - it inspires me to be myself and be thoughtful of my family at the same time.  It reminds me to strive for health, fulfillment, be glamourous, relax, and enjoy the outdoors.  Love the simple things!
 

Becoming the WOMAN I wish to be.

 

"I believe there's a calling for all of us. I know that every human being has value and purpose. The real work of our lives is to become aware, and awakened, to answer the call." — Oprah

This is simply my version of the past 43 hours.  I have no photographs as of yet, but my soul is filled with inspiration and pride.  My babies are loved and tucked in, my husband is right beside me and I am trying to recreate what was a simply an indescribable weekend.  This retreat exceeded all of my expectations.  It rivaled and yet was very different from living in the yurt (Our 1st Martini Mommas Retreat).

This retreat was a luxury cabin on the lake with Oscar Bags.  It was a weekend of organic, clean food from The Tallest Poppy.  It was wine.  It was vitamin water, feather duvets and a hot tub.  It was a 6.1 km hike in Manitoba wilderness.  It was a vision board and a lesson in Stampin Up.  It was a "chinese lottery" and a donation to charity.  But above all else, it was a union of STRONG, POWERFUL women.

At one point in the weekend, my soul sister - Miss Mollie - boldly stated that I was not the person I was 10 years ago.  She is right. How could I be? 

“We did not change, as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves.”  - Lynn Hall

In a mere 43 hours, 13 women changed me once again.  I have opened my mind and my heart to seeing new perspectives.  I have learned that Winnipeg Women Always DO something.  I have realized that the very province in which I live can be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I have confidence in saying that as mothers we always look forward to weekends away but burst with love knowing we are hours from seeing our babies again. 

For some, this weekend was about recuperating and resting.  For others it was an opportunity to escape every day responsibilities.  This weekend was a vehicle for creative expression and a canvas for a painting a future. 

For me, this weekend was all of this and more.  To all of the girls at our "Live you Best Life" Retreat, I thank you for opening my eyes to a life that is rich beyond words.

Bring it!

 
Well readers, as you know today is the launch date of the 2nd Martini Mommas Wellness Retreat.  For some this will be a weekend of rest, for others it will be a time to push past boundaries and for others yet it will be a weekend of awakening.  It awes and inspires me that some of the women coming have never even met one other person.  That is so admirable. 

My bags are packed.  I am almost ready to go.  This morning as I woke up, the coverage of the Olympic Torch was on Canada AM.  The broadcaster spoke of how this is a time of unity and social gathering.  For this weekend's participants, we will eat unite.  Our Life Coach will be right there pushing us to be better.  We have a rising photographer to capture our moments and as aspiring writer to document.  Bring it.

Today...As I sit drinking the most delicious tea from Cornelia Bean (one of our Retreat Sponsors - blog to follow) Black Irish Tea with milk and honey, I am mentally tackling  my fresh To DO list.  Breakfast for me is going to be loaded with goodness.  I am finishing the last of my Oscar Bag pick ups - THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL WHO MADE THIS HAPPEN!   I am cleaning my van and I am starting pick ups at 5pm.  Bring it!

For those of you who couldn't make it this time, make it a priority for #3.  Come on, you know who you are.  Bring it.

My bags are packed...

I'm ready to roll.  I'm standing here beside the door.  I can't for the martini mommas retreat weekend to GOOOOOO...

Yeah, one mor esleep.  Here is what I'm up to tonight...

First things first, Gnarly Head Zinfandel and GF Sugar Cookies for dinner...

 

And THEN it's off to PREP the OSCAR GOODIE BAGS!