Inspiring, Motivating and Keeping it Green!
Miles Storm’s first 3D Movie – The Croods!
Sandy, Ugga, EEP, Grug, Guy, Thunk, Gran and Belt the Sloth make up this wonderful tale.
Last week, as a guest of the Mummy-Duo The Moms, Miles Storm and I had the opportunity to see a private pre-screening of the children’s movie The Croods at the AMC Theater on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.
It was my 2.5 year old’s second movie ever, and his first 3D-movie experience and he handled it surprisingly well. At first he did not really understand why he had to wear the glasses to see the effects of the 3D, but after me gently reassuring him he finally figured it out. From there on in, he was smitten. He happily sat through the whole movie, laughing at times (which was adorable) and throwing in a few “Wow Mummy, look at that” at some of the effects. He was particularly enthralled by the flying birds and butterflies throughout the movie and put his hands up, like many of the children in the Theater, to try to catch them.
The Croods is a wonderfully animated adventure comedy about a very interesting prehistoric caveman family who, are well stuck in a cave. It is indeed a mere existence. Eventually, by ways of a tragic natural disaster destroying the cave, the group is forced to move on. Although scared stiff, with the help of a mysterious boy named Guy, they are led on a spectacular journey through the many wonders of a world they had no idea existed – jungles, water ways and mountain landscapes. They are also met by many unthought-of-before hybrid animal characters that compliment the scenery. Not forgetting the genius concepts such as fire and tar pits that really throw everybody for a sixer (Australian for confuse the hell out of everybody)!
Father “Grug”, (voiced by Nicholas Cage), is beyond traumatized when his daughter “EEP”, (voiced by Emma Stone) falls in love with Guy. Of course, Daddy doesn’t approve and a power struggle erupts, well in Grug’s mind anyway.
As well as a spectacular movie to watch as far as special effects, there are hidden life lessons highlighted in the form of a struggling Father/Daughter relationship, coming to terms with in-laws, first time love and bonding together for the sake of survival. All of these elements make The Croods an insightful, as well as entertaining, movie to take your family too. There is something in it for everybody – younger and older.
Of course there is a happy ending…… but you are going to have to go and watch the movie yourself, rather than me ruin the surprise for you.
The Croods starts showing today, March 22nd, in Cinemas across the United States. I have included below an official trailer of the movie, and to make it easier to find tickets in your area you can visit HERE.
Hope you love it as much as Miles Storm and I did!
Miles Storm and I hanging out with one of the stars of “The Croods”, Belt the Sloth
The 4th Annual Maya Tulum Mexico Yoga Retreat 2013 – Guest Blog Post by Sarah Willis Founder of SVARA Yoga.
Yoga on the Beach
Hi my name is Sarah Willis. I am a Mother of a 1-year-old Son, and an advanced certified Yoga teacher. I host a Yoga retreat in the beautiful Tulum Mexico every year. I have traveled to the Yucatán in the South Eastern part of Mexico since the 90s, and the magical beauty of this ancient paradise captivates me and draws me back again and again.
MY STORY
On the auspicious occasion of New Year’s Eve day 1999, the dawn of the new millennium, I was in Tulum with a group of adventurous women. We had decided to go on a jungle tour of an incredible emerald-green cenote (swimming hole) and experience an all women’s Temazcal (ritual Mayan sweat lodge ceremony) guided by a female Shaman who only spoke the native Mayan tongue. It was a special experience, truly a lifetime highlight. We worked with letting go of old patterns and behaviors, and making room for light and love in our hearts. Some of us were struggling with attachment to regrets or relationships that were no longer serving us, others with overcoming addiction and low self-esteem, others struggled with identifying who they were in the world and what they wanted to do. The ritual of the Temazcal offers us the opportunity to connect and support one another and then to set the intention to move forward embracing our dreams, creativity and making space for nurturing the soul’s progress, our Dharma, as it is called in Sanskrit. I remember feeling deep love and respect for the women with whom I shared this experience. Some are still close friends, others have drifted a bit, and others I never saw again, but I feel that we will always be energetically connected.
MAYA TULUM RESORT
A beautiful place to practice yoga
It was also during that trip that I discovered the Yoga retreat center and spa, at the resort Maya Tulum. Walking down the beach after a lazy morning, I stumbled on the most beautiful stretch of beach jettisoned by a stone formation extending into the water. The glimmering white sand is combed clean of the black hair-like seaweed that washes up on the shore, and chaises with white towels and beautiful natural palapa-style huts dotted the bluff above the beach. Venturing onto the property and winding my way through the manicured sandy paths connecting all the edifices and areas of the resort, I found the front desk and was able to get a tour. What a gorgeous spot! Beautiful rooms, with all the details—hibiscus flower and lily bouquets, mosquito netting draping from above the beds and some have luxurious bathrooms with views of the Caribbean. There are 2 high-roofed Yoga practice spaces with some resident Iguanas who like to lazily walk the perimeter of the structural beams, as if they were our ancestors supervising practice. The restaurant has ocean breezes and view, a juice bar, and gorgeous locally sourced food. Upon first sight, I was determined to bring my own group there some day.
Well, I am happy to say that I manifested that dream, as this April I am returning for our 4th Annual Maya Tulum Yoga Retreat!
THE FOURTH ANNUAL MAYA TULUM YOGA RETREAT 2013 IS UPON US
I feel that it is hugely important to take vacations away from our modern chaotic world. Especially as Women and Moms! So often we are running around taking care of everyone else’s needs and neglecting ourselves so much that we can start to feel very off-balance.
It is essential for us to take care of ourselves Ladies!
Fun Times
Even if we feel like we can’t afford it financially, or time-wise, or we worry that our business will suffer (I have heard all the excuses), I argue that retreating to a beautiful natural paradise can reconnect us to deeper aspects of ourselves. By linking up with our basic bio-rhythms for a week instead of our WiFi hotspot (which is available in 2 main areas of the resort, by the way): being with nature, taking in fresh air and long sleeps, we can return to our regular lives with a healthier, calmer and more serene sense of being, and actually get more done. Even though I’m working during the week-long retreat, going to Maya Tulum once a year strengthens and reaffirms my connection to my Yoga practice. It also helps me to remove so many outside distractions and potential pollutants from my life and brings me closer to the source of my creativity and inspiration. I always leave feeling vitally alive, lighter, kissed by the sun, thinner and happier.
So whether you are a Yoga virgin or an advanced student, I urge you to be wise and come retreat to Maya Tulum with from Saturday April 13th until Saturday April the 20th. If you are a Mom, you can bring your baby (my, then 5 month old Son was with me last year), as babysitting can be arranged among the lovely staff, so you can do your daily Yoga practice.
As your teacher, I will offer 2 classes a day: the morning Yoga class is more rigorous Ashtanga-inspired Vinyāsa, and the afternoon class is beginner and prenatal friendly with restorative elements. Just hang out on the beach with a book the rest of the day, or partake in all kinds of activities and excursions, including a life-changing Temazcal experience. Give yourself some space away from it all!
One of my favorite Yoga masters, Sri Brahmananda Saraswati, was fond of saying: “When you have space in your mind, you are wise. When you have no space in your mind, you are otherwise.”
I invite you to set an intention to clear out old toxic stagnant energy, and bring forth the True Wise You. Moms, Dads, Singles, Babies – ALL are welcome.
Participating in my love of Yoga
LOGISTICS
All-inclusive packages range from $1605 – $2620 per person, but transportation is not included. Make arrangements to fly to Cancún (flying direct from JFK, Cancun is 4 hours, 3 hours direct from LAX). The resort van driver will meet you outside of customs, and take you straight to Maya Tulum. Please contact Melanie for reservations today!
Mention that you saw our blog post on WillyBMum.com when making your reservation and get $50 off!
Maya Tulum Reservations office: 888 515 4580 x231 OR visit http://www.MayaTulum.com
Namaste
First step – Cauliflower, Onion, Rosemary and Garlic into the oven to roast
I love cauliflower, it is absolutely one of my favorite foods on the planet. I love it roasted, as a salad and mashed just like potatoes. I have always wondered about making it as a base for a soup and this week while on the Treehugger Website I saw a recipe for “Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Aged Cheddar” and it got me thinking…..
The thing is, the recipe on TreeHugger calls for dairy products and I am not a fan of eating any animal products in my diet if I can help it. My Son also develops eczema when he has cow milk or cheese, and because of this, my husband and I stopped giving either to him a long time ago.
So, I decided to create a non-animal-product twist that is better suited to my family needs by using unsweetened coconut milk and a vegan cheese substitute instead. For my first go at it, it turned out really delicious, and because of the thick consistency can easily be substituted as a pasta sauce or even as a dip (like hummus) with veggie chips or raw carrots.
Total cooking time with preparation is around 2.5 hours and serves 4 generous adult servings.
Cauliflower has many health benefits including being a great food to eat if pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. Cauliflower is full of folate B9 which protects from birth defects and low birth weight in babies.
It is also high in important B vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and thiamine, can aid in weight loss and has been proven to considerably help prevent certain kinds of cancer like prostate, breast and colon.
This is just to start, there are also many other positives about eating cauliflower like aiding the body with digestion, supporting in anti-inflammatory issues like arthritis and being chock-a-block in antioxidants.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 1 whole organic cauliflower, cut into small chunks
- 1 medium organic onion, cut into small chunks
- 15 whole organic garlic cloves
- Small handle of fresh rosemary leaves (remove main stem)
- 4 tablespoons of organic olive oil
- 3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese (I used GO Veggie!™ Mozzarella Style Shreds)
- 2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk)
- Salt and Pepper to taste (easy on the salt)
- Sliced organic Kalamata olives to use as a garnish
**My family prefers only to serve & use organic foods as the whole vibe of eating pesticides and chemicals on your food is very frightening. More so, for my Son, I worry about him more than myself… but doesn’t every Mother!
ROAST THE VEGETABLES
- Pre-Heat oven to 350F
- Place the cauliflower, garlic, rosemary and onion into a baking tray lined with olive oil
- Cover baking tray with aluminium foil
- Bake for one hour and then remove foil
- Increase heat to 400F and bake for another 30 minutes
- Remove from oven
Ingredients in. Time to boil and blend – Yummo.
PREPARE THE SOUP
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, veggie cheese substitute and the roasted vegetables in large soup pot
- Bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes covered
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender
Awesome – you are done!
When serving, garnish with some sliced kalamata olives. Olives and Cauliflower really compliment each other well.
Thanks for reading my Blog, please feel free to leave comments with any questions and feedback you may have.
Roasted Organic Cauliflower Soup
Having your first child is a wonderful experience filled with Up and Downs. Highs filled with wonder and joy, and Lows where you are in frightening situations where you are at a loss and not sure what to do. One of the most frightening experiences personally is when Miles Storm is not physically 100% and we have to take him to the hospital ER. In the last 2.5 years this has happened say 6 times for a variety of reasons like high fevers, falls and vomiting. One fall even lead to him have a precautionary cat scan. Scary right?
My family divides time living in New York City during the week, and 2 hours North of NYC upstate in the quaint little town of Rhinebeck on weekends. We have been doing this for 7 years. Contrastively, we have the best of the city and country living.
The Northern Dutchess Hospital is located a few miles away from our home in Rhinebeck and is nothing short of exceptional. Thankfully, all the visits to the ER with Miles have been upstate and not in New York City. We were actually there this past weekend as my Son had a stomach bug and could not stop vomiting. We have always been placed in a room immediately, and the staff and Doctors are wonderful. Every experience has been reassuring, thoughtful and patiently explained.
But, in New York City a friendly small country hospital is not an option that is available. Due to the amount of people here, the Emergency Rooms can be horrible experiences. I have been a patient in hospital emergency rooms in NYC a few times and neither was a pleasant experience. First of all, insurance seems to be the most important thing when you walk in. Even having insurance, I’ve been made to feel like I am a criminal while it was checked and double checked before going any further. And, the waits!! You will wait hours and hours to see a Doctor. I once had a blood clot in my leg from a fall and I waited at NYU Hospital downtown for 3 hours before I was seen – a blood clot is an extremely volatile situation. Obviously, I was okay. I did stay overnight but as they had no beds available in rooms I was on a stretcher in a corridor. It makes me shudder to think about it. The hospitals feel very impersonal, and like the Doctor is always in a rush to get on to the next situation. I dread ever having to take my Son to the ER in this city.
This is why I was excited to be invited to a Mummy Blogger Q&A event recently to meet the Doctors and team that are behind City MD which is a walk-in emergency care center in Manhattan. I had never heard of City MD before and now have this as a reassurance that if somebody in my family does have a mini-emergency, when in the city, we have an alternative to a hospital ER room.
At the moment there are 6 locations with more coming soon – Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Columbus Circle, Union Square, East 67th Street and Flatiron. The majority of the Doctors who work at City MD are experienced Emergency Room Doctors who are affiliated with Cornell University. I took a tour of the facility on the Upper West Side and it is very clean with state of the art equipment. City MD assure that you will be seen by a Doctor in no later than 20 minutes ; which is amazing. The are open Monday – Saturday 8AM – 10PM and weekends from 9AM – 9PM.
City MD definitely beats going to a New York City hospital any day!
**Please see below for a little clip showing the facility. This is to be used on the community site Romio which is a local website with recommendations from friends and neighborhood experts.
Left to Right – Me, Jessica who writes the Blog “Mommas Gone City”, Serena who writes the Blog “Mama Goes Natural”, Tarik Sansal CEO of Romio, Dr John Kahoun of CityMD, Wendy who writes the Blog “Mama One Two Three” and Calvin Hwang the Chief Branding Officer of City MD
GRUG began his life as the top of a Burrawang tree (Macrozamia communis) that looks more like a Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea). Resembling a small, striped haystack with a face, he is fascinated by the world around him and solves everyday problems creatively and without fuss. When dancing instructions are too difficult to understand, GRUG invents his own dance and calls it “The GRUG” — Wikipedia
This August, I will be torn-hearted in both celebrating 10 years living in New York City and saddened with the realization that I have not lived in my beautiful Sunburnt country of Australia for 10 years. It brings to the surface a lot of emotions, especially now being the Mother of a small child who technically is half Australian and has barely spent any of his time living there.
This is why, I was so very excited to hear that the production of the legendary Children’s character GRUG is showing at my favorite Children’s Theater in New York City – The New Victory Theater. The New Victory Theater is a place where storytellers reign alongside daredevils, puppets, rock stars, break dancers and—most of all—kids (quote *NVT).
My little 2.5 year old Son and I were there last week, with bells on, to watch the performance of GRUG and we Both LOVED it!! But I mean, what is not to love – for my Son it was colorful, fun, inviting, innocent and engaging. And, for me, well, I was just proud to reunite with a memory I revelled in growing up and thus sharing it with my Son. I love GRUG and the The New Victory Theater performance was nothing short of charming, magical, whimsical, cute, fun, joyful and most importantly simple!
To back up just a little bit – GRUG was created by legendary Australian Father of 3 and Icon Ted Prior who wrote the first tale of GRUG back in 1979! Since 1979 Ted has produced around 25 different episodes of GRUG, with each story teaching valuable lessons to our precious Little Ones; like the tales of “Grug learns to swim”, “Grug goes to School”, “Grug Learns to Dance” and “Grug at the beach”.
So how did GRUG even come about? Well rumor has it that Ted was living on a farm, in the Australian State of New South Wales, reading to 2 young children when it dawned on him that he would love to write stories himself about an imaginary animal who lived in the BUSH (Australian terminology for Forest). After drawing a few pictures, the lovable GRUG was born. Thanks Goodness for that!
**Fun Facts – Burrawang seeds are extremely poisonous but, because they contain starch, are also highly nutritious…. Figure that one out! Burrawang is also a town located in the State that Ted Prior lived in Australia, New South Wales, where he created GRUG!
GRUG is showing at the New Victory Theater in NYC until March the 17th. The duration of the show is 45 minutes without intermission, which includes an interactive element (at the end) where children can meet GRUG and experience the set. Tickets are $20, yes I know a bargain for such a wonderful vibe. If you cannot make GRUG this time around in NYC, there are plenty more wonderful shows coming up 2013 at The New Victory Theater. You can sign up for their mailing list to keep up on that HERE.
If you do not live in New York City, GRUG is moving across the USA through Memphis & Nashville TN, Des Moines IA, Washington DC, Palm Beach FL, Cleveland OH and Fayetteville AR. Not forgetting Canada with dates in Surrey, British Columbia and St Albert, Alberta. To find out more information about showing times and locations you can go HERE.
For those not familiar with the beautiful tale of GRUG I have included below an original animation that Ted Prior made with the Australian Film Commission many many years ago, it is a great little vibe and a wonderful introduction to the delightfulness of GRUG.
What do you think, would you take your family to watch GRUG if you had the chance?
Thanks for reading!
*NVT – New Victory Theater
Miles Storm enjoying GRUG at The New Victory Theater in New York City
Glass Slippers are back in on Broadway & let’s meet The Moms!
Glass Slippers are back in on Broadway, but let’s be honest with the Kate-Moss-Wearing Stuart Weitzman designing them, of course they are! — Willy B Mum.
Last week, here in New York Fabulous City, I was invited by The Moms with my girlfriend and fellow blogger Kristin, to stop by to see the musical “Cinderella on Broadway” This was of particular excitement for me, as after living in NYC for 10 years, I had never been to a Broadway Show…. I know, right, this is kind of embarrassing. But, last night I checked it off my list of things to do and had a wonderful time doing so.
The Moms are pretty well-known in the NYC Mummy Blogger World for hosting events, but besides that their website is a GO-TO for fashion savvy Mommies who want to Keep Up With The Joneses. Denise Albert is a Mummy to 2 boys, as well as journalist and television producer. While, the other half of The Moms, Melissa Musen Gerstein, is of the same breed who has interviewed such awesomeness as President George Bush on camera……… and here I am thinking I am special for having interviewed Neil Young and Lady GaGa – the former President of the United States wins!! Melissa and Denise are 2 really cool chicks making being a parent a lot of fun.
Growing up as a child, the maid-turned-princess tale of Cinderella was one of my favorite all time books which I read over and over, and seeing the Broadway musical was no exception to those memories. It was just as beautiful as I remember the story to be. The costumes were fabulous, the sets immaculate and the acting really fun, romantic, magical and lighthearted. The whole vibe was wonderfully old-fashioned contrasting with modern-day references. It was a packed house, and it was clear that everybody in the audience was feeling the same thing.
The vintage Super-Star-Duo known as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s version of Cinderella was the only collaborative effort they worked on together written for television that aired in 1957 – yep 56 years ago! WOW. The iconic Julie Andrews starred in this to rave reviews and is estimated to have been seen by 100 million viewers on black and white television, which was common lore back then! Can you even imagine?
The Musical, Cinderella on Broadway, is currently showing through September 2013 (so you have plenty of time to go and see it) at the Broadway Theater located in the midtown area between 52nd and 53rd Streets. It is suitable for children over 4 years of age, but keep in mind that it runs just over 2 hours with an intermission. There are 8 showings daily, both matinée and evening, throughout the week besides the exception of Mondays. Tickets vary in price from $82 up to $363.
I highly recommend going to see this show if you can, especially if you always wanted to be a Princess when you grew up.
I would also like to put out a shout out to Trish McEvoy and Willa Skincare for providing some awesome beauty products to us Mummy Bloggers in attendance at this particular event. The whole “Goodie Bag” thing is so genius isn’t it; as I honestly would never have been exposed to either of these companies otherwise, but now that I have been, I am a new fan for sure. I love the Trish McEvoy beauty products…. move over Yves St Laurent Touche Éclat there is a new eye vibe in town!
THANKS for Reading!
Me and girlfriend Kristin who writes the Blog “My Strange Family”
Inspirational Vibes – deLIFEful Foods!
For my 4th episode of Inspirational Vibes, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to interview and spend some time with Tirrell Barronette who is the brainchild behind the up and coming raw organic juice company - deLIFEful Foods.
I met Tirrell at the Open House of the Brooklyn Chapter of the Holistic Mom’s Network that I co-lead with another Mummy in Williamsburg Brooklyn. We were looking for sponsors for the event, and with the help of my friends at Gourmet Guild, (where monthly meetings are held and who also stock deLifeFul), the connection was made. Tirrell was so excited to get the juices into us local Mummies hands that he actually showed up to Gourmet Guild a day early. And, I love that story. Tirrell has one of the those welcoming happy smiley personalities that it is impossible not to love, and deLIFEful Foods is a perfect reflection of that.
Tirrell started deLIFEful Foods in 2011 with some College friends and his juice-genius Uncle who had previously worked in the industry. Shining a bright light, the company came to par after noticing that the healthy products on the market available for children, well, were limited and kind of sucked (can I say that – Ha). deLIFEful originally shopped 8 ounce bottles known as”Shorties” to vendors as a drink for youngsters, but the general feedback was that consumers would not buy raw organic unpasteurized juices with that idea in mind. Taking a step back, they upped it to a 16 ounce adult focused bottle and at the moment they are distributing 500 bottles of juice in the NY area a week!
Here is my thing though, first of all most mothers breastfeed their children on raw organic milk, and really, what is the point of heating juices (pasteurizing) to such a point that you kill most of the nutritional benefits? It is my opinion that raw juicing is the way to go, it just seems silly to me to drink it any other way. Personally, I have no problem giving my 2.5 year old raw cold pressed juices. Let’s just keep it as nature intended shall we!
Thankfully, deLIFEful recently decided to add their initial idea of 8 ounce “Shorties” back on to their product list which should be available, with children in mind, at the end of March. Another thing I love about deLIFEful foods is that before they even offered their juices to the public they let a bunch of Little Ones try it and ONLY sell juice that have Children’s seal of approval on the flavors – LOVE that (please watch the interview below for more insight on this).
The deLIFEful shorties will be an 8 ounce variety to our current juices. There will be slight variations to some of the formulations but we will not sacrifice on taste or quality of ingredients. The product maintains the same level integrity as our current juices. The product will be released at the end of March and available at select stores — Tirrell Barronette.
Did I mention that all juices are certified organic, vegan, gluten-free, Non GMO, free of food colorings, preservatives or added sugar? Of course they are! Additionally, to ensure quality and to maintain nutritional content juices are cold pressed daily. The majority of ingredients are sourced from Samascott Orchard in New York and Lancaster Farms in Pennsylvania. Well, besides the Pomegranates and Pineapples which are harvested on a farm in sunny California.
deLIFEful has 3 different varieties at the moment – Green Revival, Kickin’ Ginger (my favorite), and Sweet Sweet P & P. The juices are available in select stores in the NY area, (like my local Gourmet Guild in Williamsburg Brooklyn) and are also available online HERE.
deLIFEful Foods are an awesome company doing great things for us adults and for our Little Ones, and to me that is an Inspirational Vibe!
Follow deLIFEful on Twitter here – @deLIFEfulFoods
Like deLIFEful on Facebook here – /deLIFEfulfoods
GET YOUR JUICE ON PEOPLE AND CHECK THEM OUT!
Me and Tirrell at Gourmet Guild – WIlliamsburg Brooklyn
