Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Relief From Anxiety

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You Can Find Relief From Anxiety in a New, All Natural Fashion

If you suffer from chronic anxiety, you should be aware that there are alternatives to the traditional, chemical-based medicines. A whole new generation of all natural health supplements, such as RediCalm, have been recently introduced on the market place. These supplements contain nothing but natural, completely organic ingredients in place of the chemical compounds that earlier generations of medicines made use of. The result has been an appreciable increase in relief from anxiety symptoms. Millions of people all around the world have been enjoying a whole new level of respite from anxiety.

The Combination of All Natural Ingredients Makes For Serious Anxiety Relief

A whole new generation of anxiety relief supplements, such as Nutreance’s RediCalm, have been created in order to bring lasting relief for the symptoms of this disorder. At the same time, a whole new emphasis on the underlying causes of anxiety has also been achieved. This means that the new line of health supplements has been created with an eye toward not only calming down your symptoms but also penetrating further down into the roots of this condition. By doing so, a whole new level of effectiveness has been reached. The idea is to extend this effectiveness even further in the near future.

Creating Supplements With All Natural Ingredients Is the Key to Relief

By attempting to pinpoint the causes of anxiety, this research has been able to create a new line of supplements that is able to give much more lasting relief from this sadly mysterious and chronic condition. The results speak for themselves. People have reported amazing levels of relief that have allowed them to regain their full share of health, happiness, and independence. If anxiety is seriously interfering with your ability to enjoy the full quality of life, now is the time to do something about it. You owe it to yourself to at least try this new line of all natural, completely organic supplements.

Healthy Exercise Is an Excellent Alternative to Chemically Based Supplements

You should note that exercise is also very highly recommended while you are taking the new generation of all natural, fully organic anxiety relief supplements. Instead of relying on cold, artificial anxiety medications, why not do something to get your spirits flowing upward? This is something that you can do for yourself that does not involve taking medications that are filled with all manner of inorganic substances. A daily regimen of healthy exercise can give you a whole new outlook on life. You can really get your positive attitude back in a big way just by deciding to move about.

It All Comes Down to Your Willingness to Try Something Completely New

If the thought of doing a few healthy exercises excites you, this is an excellent sign. It means that you are open to trying a few completely new approaches to help reduce and relieve your anxiety symptoms. This is exactly the spirit in which the new line of healthy, all natural anxiety relief supplements have been created. By applying a whole new philosophy to their work, the people who have researched and developed this new line of supplements have managed to achieve a very important breakthrough. Organic, all natural supplements are the future of the industry.

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Tortilla Pizzas

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Tortilla pizzas are a super easy meal that kids can make themselves!

We love using leftover wheat homemade tortillas, but storebought ones are fine.

These are great to make when we travel or during PCS season when our household goods are all packed up and shipped. They’re easy and don’t require much prep or equipment.

It’s super easy with all-natural breakfast sausage and a shredded Italian cheese blend. We always have those on hand.

You can add more toppings, but these simple tortilla pizzas are just super easy and crowd pleasers.

My 10-year-old daughter, Katie, loves to make these for herself and her siblings for lunches or snacks.

We had three storebought tortillas, just enough for a light lunch. The homemade ones don’t last long around here!

Kraft cheese isn’t ever my first choice, but it’s what’s available to us from the commissary and melts better than other choices from either the commissary or German stores.

Katie lovingly spreads the sauce on the tortillas. She’s so much more careful than I’d be!

She evenly distributes the sausage.

She puts on just enough cheese.

I love the height of my oven, that makes it easy to get pans in and out!

She sets our retro timer for 10 minutes.

And then: delicious, melty tortilla pizzas!

I like mine with onions and peppers.

I imagine trying lots of fun new flavors. These could great appetizers for a party too!

The crispy tortilla crust is amazing.

It’s hardly a recipe with only 4 or so ingredients…

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Tortilla Pizzas

A super easy and frugal meal that kids can make themselves! You can add whatever toppings you like!
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 tortillas
  • 4 T pizza sauce
  • 3 oz sausage
  • 4 oz Italian cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*
  2. Brown sausage in a pan.
  3. Spread pizza sauce on tortillas. Sprinkle sausage on. Spread cheese on top.
  4. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes.


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Stages of Grief: PCS Edition

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PCS season is stressful.

I feel like our military family goes through the Five Stages of Grief every few years as we pack up and move to a new location.

The Five Stages of Grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial

As soon as PCS season begins to loom, I go into denial. I don’t want to purge, clean, organize, pack out, and travel to a new location.

We’ve tried to extend a year at several locations…and DENIED.

I go about my business as usual.

I pretend it won’t be happening until I can’t pretend anymore.

Anger

After getting denied our extension…and realizing others had been granted theirs…

I got angry.

I got angry at the military, at the assignments officer (who even teased us with a phone call and messed up our orders), at God, at my husband for dragging us all over for 20+ years.

I’m angry at myself for being angry.

I’m angry that we didn’t get to stay another year, even though my daughter is a senior. I’m angry we didn’t get orders to anywhere I want to go.

I’m angry about silly things too.

I regret the places we didn’t get to go. I regret so many things.

Bargaining

It’s not like we have any real bargaining chips.

We have to go where we’re told.

Even if we’re excited about the new location…

I go back and forth with possible packout dates, car shipment, what to do with the cats. All the checklist items like transferring mail, packing suitcases and backpacks, clearing the pantry. So much to do!

How much can I fit in a suitcase? Usually we’re living out of suitcases for 3+ months and it’s hard to determine how little we need, what we can live without.

If we’re not thrilled with where we’re going…

I go back and forth in my mind, wondering what we could have done differently.

Did we put the wrong locations on the list?

Are we paying for some forgotten sin?

Is there a reason we’re being sent there?

Can my husband deploy or volunteer?

And I start to think of the next station. Surely, it will be better? We only have to be at this station maybe 2-4 years. We’ll transfer as soon as we can.

Depression

Reality sets in.

I get depressed.

I start to slowly organize, purge, donate, sell items we won’t need.

I snap at my husband who always waits until the last minute to do anything.

I get anxious about our cats.

I get anxious about money.

There are so many unknowns.

I halfheartedly look at housing at the new location. I research places to visit for day trips. I join Facebook groups.

I start to distance myself from the current location.

I realize I have to say goodbye to my houseplants. I’m sad because the new people won’t love my houseplants or herb garden the way I do, the way they deserve to be loved!

Once the household goods are packed and shipped, the house always feels cold and dark and silent. Ominous. I have trouble sleeping in an empty house. There’s little for me to do to keep busy. No beds to make, no projects to complete.

This is usually the stage when I get physically ill. The stress that has built up becomes too overwhelming.

I spent one packout completely bedridden, except for rushing to the bathroom to vomit or have diarrhea. The girls were trapped in the bedroom with me since we didn’t have anyone to help. This was the one location my husband wanted so much, to be near his family members. Such a disappointment that was! It was also the worst packout we’ve ever had, with “cousins” and “friends” arriving the last day to rush the pack job and stealing some valuables I hadn’t stored properly. Because I was sick!

We’ve also had some rental horror stories.

We’ve never lived in a nice house. Most houses have been so embarrassing that we never want to invite anyone over for any reason. We’ve kinda resigned ourselves to having absentee landlords, lazy landlords, wornout and poorly kept rental houses, renting sight unseen…until we retire. We are always sure well get our deposit back from the landlord…we do our best to keep everything as nice as possible.

In the house in Utah, we’d made some expensive upgrades to lighting in the kitchen and removed wallpaper from the kitchen and living room and painted it a nice neutral color, but he kept making petty excuses. He wanted the lawn mowed and edged to perfection. In the dark! Our goods had already shipped and we hadn’t had a working lawnmower for over a month since he refused to pay to fix it. He even wanted my kids’ welcome chalk drawings power-washed off the sidewalk! We enlisted the help of neighbors to talk to him and we finally got it back later that evening.

In Germany, we had this weird fiberglass wallpaper in the kitchen. Nothing would clean off some grease spots and they had told us it was ok and could be painted, but then they tried to keep our entire deposit of two months’ rent. The housing office had to go back and forth with the landlady several times to work it out.

We are always devastated to realize how cruel some people can be. Deposits are our financial lifeline to move into a house in our new location.

Acceptance

The packers came. I’ve done all I could do. Luckily, we’ve been blessed with amazing teams (except that one time!) who make jokes, have fun personalities, and appreciate the snacks, drinks, and meals we provide.

I accept our fate as I stroll through my empty, cold, echoey house, awaiting the move date.

The last few days are always hard, stressful, anxiety-ridden. So many loose ends need to be tied up in such a short period of time.

I feel poignant about the memories we share about this location. The places we’ve been, the meals we’ve eaten, the people we’ve met.

I start to look forward to a new beginning.

You might also like: Dealing with Disappointment.

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We Stopped Going to Church

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We haven’t gone to church in a long time.

We didn’t have a lot of choices for English-speaking churches in Germany.

There’s the military base chapel, which is pretty vanilla since they have to cater to a broad audience and abide by military rules.

There are a few charismatic churches that just don’t appeal to us.

There are a few very conservative churches that are legalistic and cliquish.

I don’t want a rock and roll, laser show kind of church and it’s unfortunate that so many rely on these churchtainment distractions to get people through their doors.

We had attended a small general Lutheran congregation for the past year or so. Service began at 8:30 in the morning. Do you realize how hard it is to get everyone up, eat breakfast, get dressed, and out the door to drive 20+ minutes to church by 8:30 AM? We did it though. We went to bed early on Saturday nights in order to get up early for church.

I loved walking in ancient cathedrals in Europe and oohing and aahing at the magnificent architecture, cold smell of well-worn stone, beautiful and sometimes funny statues, chapel nooks – the sacred. And occasionally, there would be a mass and I could sit in a corner and just observe worship. I even understood some of it – the Latin, French, Italian. I always love the organ music.

Americans and Protestants don’t appreciate the sacred.

We recently moved back to the States and I don’t have great hopes of finding a church where we’ll fit in.

Before writing this, I researched “Why Should I Attend Church“? Many of the answers were interesting and even shocking to me. I expect the typical “Because the Bible says so” answer, but “Because you’re single and may meet someone” takes the cake.

I expect more.

I won’t lose my salvation. I still love Jesus.

I realize many will think I’m selfish for not dragging my family to church.

I do feel selfish.

We missed Easter. But I don’t like how most American churches celebrate Easter.

After many years of trying to discover God in church, I’ve just had enough. I need a break.

I need a break from Christians.

I can worship God – in the forest, at the beach, in a museum, while reading, while cleaning, while cooking, during meals, at the movies, listening to my children.

I am amazed by His creation and by people’s creativity, love, and kindness.

I don’t like church.

I’m a leader. I’m a teacher. I’m a counselor. I’m a researcher.

It’s hard for me to just sit back and be lectured to, read to, talked at…It’s especially hard for me to keep my mouth shut when the pastor, teacher, deacon, elder, leader, board member expresses false doctrine. It’s exhausting holding it all in because it doesn’t seem to ever matter anyway.

As an introvert, I don’t like fellowship time, potlucks, events, programs, meetings, VBS, AWANA, or Wednesday night service. I shouldn’t have to apologize for my personal preferences. I’ve suffered for years so my family can participate and seem normal.

I think too many churches and church leaders allow and perpetuate abuse – of women, children, people of color, LGBTQ+, others on the fringe of society and the evangelical system.

It’s very unpopular to love Jesus and not attend church.

But I think faith is a private thing between me and God. I shouldn’t have to explain my reasons to anyone.

We stopped going to church for a variety of reasons:

Poor Leadership

The German American pastor moved away to another calling. The American interim pastor and his wife were less than welcoming. They are micromanagers. They are exclusionists of anybody who isn’t LCMS-conservative.

When we attended an American PCUSA church in Ohio, we quickly learned how they compromise and downplay the importance of social justice. They’re more about pew-warming, excluding outsiders, and pacifying their suburban elderly rich white congregation than doing God’s work.

I had concerns about the pastor how her marriage seemed abusive. Her spouse called her stupid and dummy. They perpetuated white supremacy in their belief that veganism would save the world as Biblical mandate, refusing to accept any traditional indigenous dietary habits, poverty and food scarcity issues, allergy restrictions, or anything that could refute their intellectual belief.

Moral Failure

My young son’s teenage Sunday school teacher was in a sexual relationship with his girlfriend and this was apparently well-known and accepted by his and her parents, the homeschool community, and other church members. I was glad when he and his family moved away so I didn’t have to confront anyone. I am not a prude, but I didn’t feel it was appropriate behavior for a teen church leader. It’s one thing for consenting adults to have an intimate relationship; it’s another for teens to be all over each other in the pews.

I have seen lots of abuse from adult church leaders swept under the rug. Embezzlement and sexual abuse…to gossip and bullying.

Don’t even get me started on the purity movement and Christian pseudo-psychology and abusive parenting practices.

Lack of Education and Discipleship

Sunday school wasn’t about Scripture or Christian living. It often took 30 minutes or more to corral people from the coffee and cookies into the three classrooms. There was no curricula. My three daughters’ teacher led inappropriate discussions about astrology and pop culture. The adult class often derailed into discussions better suited to the Discovery Channel or a New Age seminar. Most teachers go either legalistic or extremely liberal, no in-between.

Many churches forego Sunday school altogether or have children’s time during the regular service, showing that kids aren’t welcome in the main church.

I’ve seen Bible studies on Sunday evenings or weeknights – in the church or in members’ homes. Usually, I’m not fond of the books chosen. They’re often trite, focused on certain “problems” or by authors I find questionable.

“The growth of the evangelical church has been ocean-wide, but often puddle-deep.” ~Barry Cooper

Busyness

We only felt valued when we were run ragged.

The American church is not a place of rest, but a place of constant socializing, pew warming, greetings, fakeness.

Every time we visit a new church, we feel sized up by the pastors and leaders.

What do we have to offer? How can they drain us of our gifts, time, money, abilities?

My husband doesn’t know how to set any boundaries with this and he will serve, serve, serve and do, do, do to feel better about himself in his performance-based self-esteem.

The church is not a healthy place for people who just want to rest in God.

How, I wondered, had my life in Christ gotten reduced to so much busyness, so many words, such weighty expectations? How had I gotten this far in the spiritual life without anyone ever having told me that it was OK to stop talking and stop doing and just be in God’s presence? What was I to do with the pent-up longing and frustration that was now expressing itself in these unexpected tears?

There is nothing in Western culture or even in our religious subculture to support us in entering into these times for “unproductive” being rather than frenetic doing.

Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms

No Community

No one wants to actually get their hands dirty. Everyone wants a happy clappy church with no negativity.

Everyone is certainly not welcome. You should absolutely not come as you are.

Just pray away mental illness. Just smile more. If you still have depression, you’re obviously not right with God. What is your secret sin? What did you do to deserve to be abused? What were you wearing? God allowed it for your personal faith walk and growth. Then they throw out a lot of Bible verses to back up their bad theology. This is all bullshit.

Don’t ask questions about church history, theology, scripture, leadership, church clarity, politics, or social justice. Don’t ask any questions at all. That rocks the boat and upsets people who are too comfortable in their rich white suburban evangelicalism.

Don’t express any new ideas. Don’t recommend a hymn that is too obscure for the settled congregation. Don’t try to incorporate any tradition or decoration that might offend someone who just wants to maintain the status quo of the vanilla one-hour Sunday service.

“We have turned church membership into country club membership.” ~Thom Rainer

I do miss organ music. I miss singing hymns. I miss the Eucharist. I miss stained glass windows.

What we do instead of church:

Read the Bible

I read the Bible with my son and middle daughters most mornings and we have a little discussion about the passage. I write Scripture every day with monthly themes.

Evening Devotions

We read liturgical selections from Psalms, the Old Testament, and the New Testament, with writings from church fathers every evening with the Pray Now app.

Church History

We have lots of books about church history. We love biographies about missionaries, martyrs, church fathers, and other important people impacted by their faith. We usually coincide our readings to our chronological history studies. It’s important to know.

Act Out Our Faith

We look for opportunities to act out our faith. We practice kindness, empathy, and love. We learn about creation. We pray. The church isn’t a building. We are the church.

Experience Creation

We enjoy God’s creation on nature walks. We are fascinated by the creative plants, insects, and animals that God made just for our use and enjoyment. We love the natural sciences and learn everything we can.

Church should be more about discipleship and less about programs and opportunities to socialize.

We as a family came to the decision to take a break from church after many weeks of prayer.

I am not encouraging anyone else to leave church for any reason.

We may seek a new fellowship after we move again. I seldom enjoy church, but I want my children to have that experience growing up that I never had. They are old enough to make that choice.

I no longer use the word Christian or evangelical. Those words just mean hate these days.

If you feel led to pray for me, be careful that you are not cursing me nor my decision in your heart. Maybe look at yourself and your church and ask why people don’t feel welcome. You may not agree but you should not judge what you don’t understand. You don’t know my history. You don’t know the long and difficult road it took for me to even love Jesus. You do not not know the blood-like drops of sweat as I prayed over this difficult decision. Do not take Scripture out of context. Do not spew your hate and call it loving admonition.

If you still feel led to pray, then pray this:

Pray for church leaders that they may be more including and welcoming. That they not be vanilla and safe but speak boldly the Truth and social justice and be inclusive of all.

Pray for pastors, Sunday school teachers, elders, deacons, lay leaders, ushers, music directors, worship leaders, pastoral counselors…and whatever other titles of a church leader I may have missed. Pray that they have discernment. Pray they preach and teach Biblical Truth. Pray they are not swayed by the world. Pray they are not tempted by money, fame, media, or other people.

Pray for church fellowships to be loving, kind, welcoming, inclusive, and careful with their words to newcomers and seasoned parishioners.

Pray for the parents who are raising children in this fallen world, trying desperately to navigate these tumultuous waters of postmodernism, sexual and gender revolutions, social media, integrity issues, and political scandals.

Pray for the children who are growing up in this 50 Shades of Grey kind of world, confusing sex and social media likes for Love and Truth. Pray they find godly role models to guide them to Truth and they become world-changers for His Kingdom.

Pray for everyone who was and is abused by Church.

Pray for women, people of color, and indigenous people who are excluded from white evangelical church. All missionaries are colonizers.

You might also want to read my statement of faith post. Here’s how I teach my kids religion.

An interesting article: A Quiet Exodus: Why Black Worshipers Are Leaving White Evangelical Churches

I can be spiritual and religions without attending a church.

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Paris with Kids

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We took our second trip to Paris last fall for Liz’s 16th birthday.

We also had gone to Paris for Liz’s 14th birthday.

We went to Greece for her 15th!

October is a great time to travel. We homeschool, so we don’t have to worry about schedules and we can take advantage of deals and lesser crowds. We can coincide our trips with our studies.

She’s such a lucky girl.

I bought the Rick Steves Paris this time and it was great!

We got to stay a little longer this time and saw most of what we didn’t have time to see before. Which was super nice and almost leisurely.

But there are still reasons I want to go back! I still want to see the Rodin Museum and Carnavalet was closed. I would love to sit in the café at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I want to browse at the Clignancourt Flea Market. I want to see Paris in springtime.

The kids love practicing their French! We’ve never felt the attitude that others complain of in Paris. People are super friendly and helpful if you try a little and know the etiquette.

Day 1: Marais

We took the train from Kaiserslautern to Paris, then the Metro to our apartment. We bought week passes for the Metro for everyone.

We checked in to our apartment in the 3rd Arrondissement, at the edge of the Marais. It was really nice and had a rather large kitchen and a bathtub! There’s a sweet little bakery right across the street. It was quiet but close to everything!

We started out with Rick Steves’ Marais Walk – Bastille to Pompidou.

We ate an amazing lunch at La Place Royal in Place du Vosges. They had the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. The staff were amazing.

The kids played in the park in Place du Vosges for a while.

Then, we continued our Marais Walk to Hôtel de Sully which has a gorgeous courtyard.

We got Amorino gelato by Pompidou Center.


We stopped by the G20 grocery to get some pizza for the kids for dinner.
Aaron and I went to A&M for dinner and got this lovely salmon risotto and rosé wine.

Day 2: The Louvre

We did the Louvre.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t that keen on going to the Louvre, but I’m so glad we did! I was overwhelmed by the size and worried we’d get all cranky before even seeing half of it. The kids were troopers! I wasn’t.

We bought tickets online and used the Mall entrance. No lines, super easy.

We got there right when they opened. We bought an app with maps and guides. There are also pretty good brochures at the entrance.

We all but ran to see the Mona Lisa first. There are signs and arrows, so you can’t miss her!

I was so excited to see Sleeping Hermaphrodite by Bernini.

The kids loved The Louvre. They especially loved the Egyptian wing. I was the one who got hungry and tired and wanted to leave. There was only one wing we didn’t see: The Richelieu Wing – Northern Europe Paintings. And some of the Spanish art wasn’t open, but we viewed it through fences. So, I think we did great!

We had lunch at a touristy Provençal restaurant down an alley. It was simple and fine and there were actually lots of locals who showed up as we were finishing up.
We went to Les Halles for Liz to go to Sephora and the kids to go the Lego store. We got drinks at a fun little café.


Aaron and I had dinner at Madame Tartine beside the Stravinsky Fountain. It was windy and starting to drizzle, so we had to rush our mixte charcuterie et camembert chaud.

Day 3: Montmartre

We took the Metro to Montmartre.

The stop is right down the hill from Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

Sacré-Cœur was lovely.

We rubbed Peter’s foot for blessings.

We had a nice quiet lunch at Chez Plumeau.

Delicious salmon pasta.

Gorgeous rose wine. At sixteen years old, Liz can have a sip now!

Enormous hot cocoa.

We walked Montmartre. It’s in Rick Steves Paris.

We got to see many famous landmarks, like Picasso’s studio and the houses where Vincent van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec lived.

Moulin de la Galette is in a famous Renoir painting.

And also scenes from the movie Amélie.


The Rue Cler and Pig Alley walks intersect here too. They’re boring for us though.

We got a snack of macarons at a bakery. And of course, a baguette. We stopped for drinks farther on at a corner café and ate our macarons. I’m a little obsessed with the Kir Royal Pêche cocktail – champagne with peach liqueur.

We walked the Rue des Martyrs and saw Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.

I finally got to see Jim Morrison’s grave.


We all had dinner at Ma Salle à Manger. We had a lovely memory of it the first time we came to Paris and Liz decided she wanted her birthday dinner there. They were out of almost everything, but we got steak and salad with an amazing Bordeaux wine.

Day 4: Versailles

We took the train to Versailles. Check out my detailed post about our Versailles day trip.
We made the kids dinner at our apartment. Aaron and I had dinner at Le Grand Cerf right around the corner from our apartment. Salmon and gratin dauphinois.

Day 5: Basilique St. Denis

We walked to Place de la Concorde. It’s absolutely gorgeous and a great location for pictures! (unlike its history)


We took the Metro to Basilique St. Denis.

All the royal families of France are buried here.

We loved the basement with all the gravesites for Marie-Antionette and her family.

We ate lunch at a café right at the entrance. It was just ok.
We found Laguiole Marais to buy some knives and a cool wine opener for Aaron. So cool it was open on Sunday!
We peeked in the gate at La Passage du Grand Cerf.


The kids got Nitrogenie ice cream.
We walked to the Eiffel Tower just as it started to sparkle. Such a great way to end our magical trip!

Everything was closed for dinner. I forgot that about Sundays. We should have had a very early dinner. I was hungry!

We just love Paris. It’s one of our favorite places!

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Versailles with Kids

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We spent a week in Paris and took a day trip to Versailles.

We took the train from Paris to Versailles.

We followed advice in the guide Rick Steves Paris.

The train stop is just around the block from the palace. We ordered tickets online.

We arrived early, before the crowds and it was perfect.

The chapel is right pretty.

I’m a little bit in love with Bernini (like, his self-portrait is the background image on my laptop). There’s a Bust of Louis XIV that he sculpted. It’s fabulous.

It took my husband a loooong time to get a single shot of me with the Hall of Mirrors.

Then, we got the kids in the picture.

I thought we would have tantrums that Marie-Antoinette’s apartements were closed for repair, but Katie handled it much better than I did.

So, we got some macarons at Ladurée.

The kids loved the Mesdames Apartments.

We chose to visit Versailles on a day the musical fountains are on. I highly recommend this, even though it costs a bit more. It was soooo worth it! We absolutely loved it.

The lady at the gate to the gardens was super helpful and circled the best fountains to see so we didn’t have to waste time, since it is really quite huge. It can be overwhelming. Here’s a good guide to viewing the fountains at Versailles.

There are lots of little fountains that are lovely, but it’s also a lot of walking on gravel. And don’t think of stepping a toe on grass or leaning on anything because guards will blow their shrill whistles at you! They need more benches.

Our favorite was the Mirror Fountain. It plays to synchronized music every 10 minutes. I think we watched it two or three times!

VIEW IT HERE> Mirror Fountain Versailles

The Latona Fountain is quite large.

The famous Apollo Fountain

We ate delicious baguette sandwiches by the Grand Canal.

We walked past the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. We just weren’t that interested.

We really liked The Grotto. It was really quite pretty and idyllic.

The map really was a bit deceiving, making Marie-Antoinette’s little peasant hamlet seem a lot closer than it was.

After my tantrum – because I was tired and sore and really wanted to see it, especially since her apartments were closed in the palace, we finally got on the right path and found it.


We took the Petit Tram back to the Grand Canal because I was done.

I sat on a bench while Aaron and Katie went to view the Dragon fountain.

We had a snack of crêpes at Breton Café right across from the train station before heading back to Paris.


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prAna Sustainable Comfy Clothing Review

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I try to model health and fitness for my kids because I want them to understand the importance of having healthy bodies. I want them to grow into healthy adults with an active lifestyle.

We go on nature walks, love hiking, do yoga together, and play table tennis, soccer, and baseball at the park. I go to the gym with my teen almost every Sunday afternoon.

I also was rather sedentary this winter and I could lose about 20 pounds. Yay for the warmer weather that gives me no excuse to get outside.

It’s important to wear comfortable and appropriate clothing. Having comfortable and cute workout clothes are a bonus!

prAna clothes are perfect for almost any activity!

My Review

I absolutely love the versatility and quality of prAna clothing.

The Cleo Tee in the Mood Indigo color is super fun and casual. I love the length of the shirt. It’s my favorite color. I love the two-tone look.

Lightweight burnout material with a feminine fit is styled into a classic baseball tee. It’s 76% Polyester and 24% Cotton.

The Liana Sweater in the Moonrock shade can be worn for lots of different events. It’s pretty dressy! I adore the asymmetrical hemline. I have to be careful not to snag the delicate crochet knit though! This isn’t a practical everyday item for me.

A wide neck, angled stripes, and asymmetrical hem create a casual, feminine silhouette. A lightweight blend of 55% Hemp and 45% Organic Cotton is conscious, comfortable, and moisture-wicking.

I love the pretty little details like the prAna tag on the sleeve.

The Chetan Capri leggings are super soft and so well-made with decorative reinforced stitching around the legs. I love the Cargo Green on Point pattern in all my favorite colors. They’re super soft and thicker than I expected. They’re a favorite in my workout wardrobe now. I’ve always said that leggings are not pants, but these aren’t skin-tight and feel so great that I’ve worn them as pants several times!

These leggings are naturally odor-resistant, with UPF 50+, a low rise, and a fitted leg. They feature organic cotton hemp stretch slub jersey blend: 53% Hemp / 42% Organic Cotton / 5% Spandex.

I love the capri length! They have a little key pocket in the waistband. Here’s a closeup of the pretty print! (and my fading tattoo…)

I tested out the entire outfit on a fun hike up to the Hohenecken castle ruins and did some yoga moves.

Look how color-coordinated I am!

I also practiced my balance on the castle wall, about 20 feet from the ground!

Mountain pose, on the castle wall, on top of the mountain (er, hill).

About prAna

prAna, an ancient Sanskrit word for breath, life, and vitality of the spirit. 

The company started out in 1992 making clothing that worked well for climbing and yoga. It turned out that the clothing worked well for lots of other passions too, so prAna added new products with “purpose” in mind and scoured the world for design inspiration. prAna creates versatile, stylish, and sustainable clothing and accessories that you can wear during every activity, every adventure, every day.

They also participate in business with like-minded folks who want to promote conservation and create positive change. Sustainable materials like organic cotton, hemp, and recycled poly along with Fair Trade and Renewable Energy.

I’m not really a social warrior, but I feel good knowing where my clothing comes from and that it’s all natural.

Where can you purchase prAna clothing?

Purchase online and in some retail locations in cities and stores like REI. To find prAna in your area, visit this locator for the full list of locations!

Connect with prAna online to learn more about them and their amazing products: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube.

Receive 15% off your entire prAna order (excluding sale items) with this code: MOMSJL

*I received this product for free from Moms Meet, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own. 

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Be Series Graphic T-Shirts

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Fashion Friday Story week is here!

Cents of Style has all of the favorites available…with an updated line with brand new styles and colors. The Be Series has never looked so fresh.

This should be a great weekend, with easy, fun content.

So we have to know: Who do you want to be?

Fashion Friday Story, 4/28 – Be Series Graphic T-Shirts
The code is BESTORY and it will make each tee $15.95, with FREE SHIPPING! The code is valid 4/28 through 4/30.

Fashion Friday Story – 4/28/17 – Be Series Graphic Tees for $15.95 + FREE SHIPPING w/code BESTORY

BE WEIRD.

I love this. I encourage my kids to embrace their weirdness. I love being weird, unique, original.

Fearless.

A Shero.

I’m raising four servant leaders.

We’re weird.

Fashion Friday Story, 4/28 – Be Series Graphic T-Shirts
The code is BESTORY and it will make each tee $15.95, with FREE SHIPPING! The code is valid 4/28 through 4/30.

Fashion Friday Story – 4/28/17 – Be Series Graphic Tees for $15.95 + FREE SHIPPING w/code BESTORY

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London with Kids

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Our family loved our trip to London.

Fall is an ideal time to go since kids are back in school and the crowds aren’t so bad. The weather was perfect!

This was my second trip to London. I was more comfortable and knew my way around a bit and I showed the kids everything I loved.

Day 1

We had an early flight out of Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted on Ryanair.

We took a National Express coach into Victoria Station from London Stansted.

We had a lovely English brunch at Frankie and Benny’s, then got our Oyster Cards for the Tube.

Then we walked up to Buckingham Palace.

The kids and Aaron were kinda disappointed in the plain façade. We didn’t even make it back that way for a changing of the guard. They didn’t even want to do a tour. I was a little disappointed, but ambivalent about spending all the money for a tour.

Then we walked down The Mall to Trafalgar Square. The lions were fun and the fountains are lovely. There was nothing on the fourth column! wah!

This is where we should have caught the Tube to Holborn, but we walked. It was hot and we were exhausted by the time we reached our apartment.

We stayed in a lovely apartment, Holborn One. It was quite huge.

We took a little rest, drank some water, walked a block to Sainsbury’s to stock up on English candy and breakfast items. I can’t even express how much I love British sausage and bacon.

Then we took the Tube to Abbey Road for the iconic image:

We took the Tube again to Baker Street, but the kids were disappointed with the touristy museum and cosplay guard at 221B.

We did brass rubbings at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields.

Such a unique souvenir!

We tore through The National Gallery to see the Arnolfini Wedding and some Impressionist paintings, like van Gogh Sunflowers. They were closing up and shutting off wings as we were ushered out.

We got fish and chips takeout for dinner. The portions were humongous!

Aaron and I had a pint of ale at the pub around the corner.

Day 2

We made breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to The Tower. We had purchased tickets online, but it wasn’t a bit crowded.

Alex loved the armory!

Designed by British artist Brian Catling, the circular Memorial to the Executed focuses on the ten executions that have taken place on Tower Green, within the Royal castle’s walls.

Comprising two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its center, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem – written by the artist – around its rim, whilst the upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed in front of the Chapel Royal.

We got to see some guards up close.

It was a little drizzly. We beelined for the Crown Jewels.

We then hurried back to the entrance for the Beefeaters Tour. After that, we explored the White Tower and the Bloody Tower.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with The Tower. It seemed expensive and I’m not sure what I expected.

We were hungry, so we took the Tube to Leicester Square and ate lunch at Garfunkel’s.

We walked around Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown, then headed back to our apartment for a rest and to get ready for our show!

We stopped at M&S and got some sandwiches and snacks for dinner.

Aaron and Alex went around the corner and got all cut and shaved.

We saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I have waited over 25 years to see this show and it was magical.

When we stepped out, we noticed the full moon. We walked down to the Thames and back up to see Big Ben in the moonlight.

It was a full day.

Day 3

We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to Westminster Abbey. We did not purchase tickets online, but the line wasn’t very long and we inside in just a few minutes.

I had downloaded the audioguide (narrated by Jeremy Irons – swoon!) a week earlier and had listened to it, so I was familiar with what we would see. The place is huge and packed with memorials and statues and plaques and tombs. It was very crowded.

We were starving afterwards, so we took the Tube back to Piccadilly Circus and ate at a unique hot pot restaurant, Shuang Shuang. It was Alex’s pick and it was so fun and yummy. A little conveyor belt brought little dishes around and you just grab the ones you want and make your own hot pot. I love that the kids try new things!

We took the Tube to Euston to get photos in front of Speedy’s Cafe, BBC Sherlock’s front door.

Then we headed to King’s Cross Station to get the kids’ photos at Platform 9 3/4. I got a latte from Pret a Manger and watched.

We walked a block over to go see the British Library. It was a tad disappointing. At least a copy of the Magna Carta was there, but they didn’t display the Lindisfarne Gospels, Lewis Carroll, or any original Shakespeare. Alex got a kick out of seeing pages of Leonardo’s notebook in my compact mirror.

We got the kids some sandwiches and easy-prep dinner items at M&S.

Aaron and I ate at Doggett’s Bankside. I had impeccable halibut with kale, edamame, and quinoa with lovely ale. The lemon rose tart was delightful.

Day 4

Today was Sunday. We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We rushed to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I had bought tour tickets for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition on Viator and wasn’t sure how it would work. It was super easy! We walked right in and showed the desk clerk our email confirmation printout and joined the tour beginning that moment. Perfect timing!

The kids say this was their favorite tour of the week! The actor/guide was Cockney and funny and delightful with different voice and great jokes.

See my post about Shakespeare here.

We ate a delicious carvery lunch at Punch Tavern.

The portions were huge. Liz and Katie ordered fish and chips. Tori got the fish of the day: a gorgeous salmon with lemon sauce. We were the only ones in there, so we got lots of attention and weren’t rushed at all. The girls got English Rose mocktails that were so pretty in pink!

We did the Bankside Walk from Rick Steves London.

We went to the Choral Evensong service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The kids wanted to sit in the first row, right under the dome. They were perfect seats and we could see everyone and hear quite well.

We got on the Tube to Earl’s Court. We viewed the only blue police call box in London – the only T.A.R.D.I.S.!

We had wanted to eat dinner at Byron (there’s a big, fancy one at Holborn, near our apartment), but there was a fun, bright little Byron right beside the T.A.R.D.I.S. Perfect! They have American-style burgers and fries and fun natural sodas and beer. The girls all got huge Oreo milkshakes and those were the kids’ portions! We haven’t had a good restaurant burger in almost 3 years!

Day 5

We ate breakfast in our apartment. Aaron and Alex walked across the street to Pret a Manger to get coffee.

We walked around the corner to get a picture of Charles Dickens’ house.

We packed up and took the Tube to Whitehall.

We saw 10 Downing Street and got pictures with the Horse Guards.

We walked down for one last look at Trafalgar Square. We took the Tube to Queensway for Kensington Gardens.

We got pictures with the Peter Pan statue and looked at the condors in the lake.

The kids played in the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and Aaron, Liz, and I sat at a table with elderberry lemonade.

We got pizza for lunch and cupcakes for the coach ride to the airport in Victoria Station.

We bought chicken sandwiches at Leon in London Stansted airport to eat on the plane home.

It was a fun-packed trip. We saw and did so much! 

There’s tons to do with kids in London. The kids agree it’s one of our favorite trips.

Check out fun these food festivals!

What’s your favorite thing to do in London?

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Purging Clothes

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When we moved into this house almost three years, I turned around all my clothes hangers.

The goal was to purge all the clothes on the unturned hangers after a year. And I mostly did. Last week, I purged even more.

I’m not really fearless enough to trim down my clothes to like 15 items as a capsule wardrobe. Or even 30 items. I just can’t. I’m not ready for that and I may never be.

For me, that’s not very practical. We move around so much and travel frequently, so I need seasonal clothes and specialty items. And I’m not able to give up some unique pieces I’ve collected and love. I just love coats, jackets, cardigans, and scarves. They can really pull a rather boring outfit together!

I also purged my pajamas, lounge wear, and workout clothes for items I no longer need or wear. I got rid of almost all my high-heeled shoes. I just can’t wear them anymore and they’re not good for my feet anyway. I gave away more than half my purses to my teen daughter and the thrift shop.

I kinda like the idea of a monochrome color scheme. Years ago, it might have been easier when I wore mostly earth tones and black. But, I’ve expanded my color palette over the years and have many textures and fabrics. Most of my clothes are in the greens and blues and neutrals, with some orange and coral.

My teen daughters shopped through my castoffs and scored with some great things that look better on them than they ever did on me. Then I donated all the rest.

Also, we move frequently. There’s no need to pack and move stuff we don’t need.

Since we sometimes move to a location that has four seasons, we clear out all the clothes that don’t fit my youngest children, or will not fit next season. Since it’s still cool in one place and the weather is quite unpredictable, we have to pack rain jackets, jeans, and some long-sleeved shirts…in addition to summer wear we’ll need when we arrive in our new home.

I purged all the clothes that…

  • Don’t fit – and probably never will fit again. I had some shirts that have shrunk or just never fit right. I had some pants that were too tight and low cut that were never comfortable.
  • Are in poor shape, like a tear or bleach spot or unrelenting stain or stretched out. I had some white tops that had yellowed and bleach didn’t fix.
  • Are ridiculously out of style and I will never wear again, even for a theme party.
  • Shirts that I had in every color. I really don’t need that many T-shirts or tank tops.

How I maintain my closet:

  • Shopping isn’t entertainment.
  • Buy only items I love that fit perfectly on my body.
  • I don’t have to fill up the space. American closets are huge! I don’t have to cover every shelf, rack, pole, or loop with stuff.
  • Turning around my hangers again after we move this summer. I can purge again next year – anything I haven’t worn.

It’s really quite exhilarating to let go of stuff. We accumulate so much and need so little.

I love the Buy Nothing Groups so things can go to someone who needs and wants them.

How do you maintain your closets?

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