Eclectic Lotus

So, my nephew and his beautiful wife are going to have a second child. Their first child is about 6 months younger than my son and when they play they are like brothers- when they are together which is very rare because we live in Chicago, IL and they live in Phoenix, AZ. When they told me over the phone I was excited for them but then I look at my mini tribe. . .the baby was chewing on an old glow bracelet and my son was jumping up and down on the couch screaming how he wanted his tablet to work. ( It shut off due to timing settings I pre-programmed.) So, they waited a little longer than we did to have a second child which I say great! The boy is potty trained and in school and when she takes maternity leave she can be at home caring for her sweet little baby. But, I feel like I have to put this up but most likely they will not heed the warnings. Everyone's path is their own but that second kid though? I must warm and give some sound advice that has been helping me throughout th...

We all know I am eclectic in a multicultural world. But what about those who are not in experience with diversity? I am about to serve it- raw or cooked. An associate wrote a lovely article in the Chicago Tribune which I will post the link here so you can take a look. It is truly worth a peek. Here is my experience with it all: I was born in Milwaukee, WI to African American/Black parents. I went to a school that was predomenentaly white when I started. I was raised Lutheran- Missouri Synod and our church had two other Black families. My neighborhood began as mostly White and gradually grew to mostly Black. I attended a diverse middle school and high school and went to a college that was 14% minority. I moved to Chicago- the Uptown neighborhood where it is highly diverse from Vietnamese, Nigerian, Cameroonian, Ethopian, Indian, White, Black and everything in between. I met my husband who is Mexican-American with Italian ancestry. I attended professional school in Lombard, IL gra...

Ok, I have seven minutes to write this before my kid goes nuts somewhere getting into something she shouldn't. The Green Energizer 1 mango 1/4 tsp matcha powder Spinach-1/2cup Kale- 1/2 cup 1 ripe banana 1/4 tsp spirulina powder coconut water( to Max line if you have a nurtibullet) Add spinach and kale to bottom of cup if you have nutribullet. Add chopped up mango ( I had a medium sized mango) and the one ripe banana- not overly ripe. ( You better bake that overly ripe banana or add it to oatmeal to sweeten.) Add spirulina powder ( I added a dash or two- I really needed the nutrients due to bad eating the week prior.) and matcha powder. Add Coconut water- I used Goya coconut water but there is a brand I recommend. Will post on that later.) Blend in nutribullet for 1 minute and drink within 15 minutes. I am not sure if I ever stated why you should drink within 15 minutes but it is because the nutrients are still contained before it becomes pure sugar. I usually share ...