Le Temps du Muguet

The first of May is “Le Temps du Muguet” ~ The Time of the Lily of the Valley. All over France, in tiny flower stalls, and in grand fleuristes alike, Lily of the Valley is queen of the flowers for the day.

Children take to the woods to gather small sprigs, or ‘brins’ of these flowers and to exchange these as tokens of friendship and good luck. For it is said that these flowers not only signify the arrival of spring, but “Porte Bonheur” – bring good luck!

The delicate green floral notes of these woodland flowers have long been appreciated by the perfume industry. Coty’s Muguet des Bois was first launched in 1941. Then there is Caron’s Muguet Du Bonheur, and Molinard has a Lily of the Valley scent in its Les Fleurs de Provence range. In 2009 Guerlain introduced Muguet, with the intent of releasing an annual Muguet perfume each April 30th. (Sadly there will be no release this year.) The daughter of Annick Goutal, Camille, created a limited edition called Le Muguet. This was the first time Camille had produced a fragrance without the assistance of her late mother. Van Cleef and Arpels has Muguet Blanc. Others with Lily of the Valley inspired scents include Crabtree and Evelyn, L’Erbolario, Taylor of London, Penhaglion and Floris. Woods of Windsor claim that the recipe for their fragrance comes from 18th century recipe books found in their attic.

"Le Muguet du Métro" by Robert Doisneau

(Photograph, Collection the Auckland Museum)

I associate the scent of Muguet, with the childhood memory of my mother wearing Yardley of London’s Lily of the Valley toilet water. Ironically, my first overseas home was located on Chemin des Muguets (Way of the Lily of the Valley) in Genève, Switzerland. Hence the inspiration for the name of my blog.

Avec Bonheur,
Marjorie

P.S. This posting is dedicated to my sweet perfumer friend, Ashley ~ the only nose I 'noz.'

National No Phone Zone Day

I've teamed up with Oprah(yes that Oprah) to get the word out about No Phone Zone day. Last month after talking with my mom about using my phone while driving and watching a repeat of Oprah's show on distracted driving I wrote a post on BlogHer compelling people to sign the No Phone Zone pledge.

April 30th is No Phone Zone Day and I hope that you will sign the pledge. Driving while distracted is even more dangerous than driving while drinking or when tired. As a parent, as a daughter and as a wife, I cannot endanger my life and the lives of others on the road by driving while distracted. I admit it is difficult not to check my email or answer the phone when it rings or when I am at a stop light. But the danger outweighs the benefits. Nearly 6000 people die annually as a result of distracted driving! On any given day in 2008, 800,000 vehicles were driven by people using handheld cellphones.

Please sign the pledge and end distracted driving.

Fashion Hauling

Inspired by my friend Audrey, I made a fashion hauling video. It highlights some great fashions that I picked up last week that I'm very excited about. I even have a size 6 in the mix! Shopping is so much fun now that I can fit into all of the cute styles!

World Fitness Day!

You are looking at a photo of my dear friend, the step. I've been a fan of step aerobics since 1992 when I was introduced to Jane Fonda's Step aerobics video and step. As you can see, 18 years later I am still the proud owner of a Jane Fonda Step. This step was my first foray into living a lifestyle totally committed to fitness. I used my step faithfully six days a week for a month and the results - I lost 10 or 15 pounds and developed a love for being in shape.

Although "bigger and better" models of the step were released, I stand by my original step and when used consistently it has never let me down. My step has played an integral part of my current weight loss journey and although the video is long gone, I will continue to use my step until I am no longer able to.

I suppose I can attribute my love of fitness to one of the original fitness divas - Jane Fonda. This Saturday, she is holding the first ever World Fitness Day here in Atlanta and you know I am going to be in attendance! Not only is this event raising awareness about the importance of fitness but it is also raising money for Jane Fonda's non-profit, G-CAPP (Georgia's Coalition for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention).

This event is going to be stellar! It will entail an hour long workout with fitness greats like Jane Fonda (of course), Billy Blanks, Denise Austin, and Richard Simmons. In addition there will be a workout zone and following the workout a concert featuring Ludacris and The Pointer Sisters! If you are in the Atlanta area you can get tickets by clicking here at a 50% discount! And if you don't live in Atlanta, the event is going to be on UStream, so click here to watch it on Saturday morning!

I am so excited that I was invited to particpate in this event, Jane Fonda obviously holds a dear place in my heart and of course, I love to be active.

Vivabox

Mother's Day is fast approaching and I always view it as a day for me to honor my mother and to be honored as mom. For many of us, the special treatment comes once a year and we love the attention. I was given the opportunity to try a gift that is sure to please. Actually, it is two gifts in one.

The VivaBoxes are a gift to enjoy immediately and a gift card to enjoy later. I received the Photo Art Experience which included a Gorillapod (I am a big fan of this mini-tripod that can be used anywhere) and a gift card to turn my favorite photo into art. I can make a oversized canvas of my favorite photo. Sadly, I am still in the midst of choosing which photo - of my son of course, to turn into art. But I am leaning towards this one:

The great thing about Vivabox is that there is something for everyone, from Spa: Beauty or Massage to Wine (six bottles of wine delivered to your home and a subscription to Wine Spectator). There are so many different options and price points ranging from $29.95 t0 $145.oo.

You can find the entire selection of VivaBoxes by visiting the website. And as a special gift for you, use the code "mom2010" to receive 20% off of a vivabox for your mom and the bonus - you will also receive a code for 40% off another gift for your mother-in-law or special woman in your life!

Quick and Easy Taco Salad

For a very long time I ate poorly. Not because I don't know how to cook but because I failed to plan my meals and would be so hungry that I'd just run to the frig and do a quick grab and go. Whatever was on hand I'd stuff in my mouth without thinking. The idea of meal planning and cooking just went out the window, especially when most of the meals would only be eaten by me (living in a household with picky eaters is rough).

Now, I realize that meal planning does not have to be difficult and most of my recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less. Today I share my favorite taco salad recipe, it is not short on flavor and it can prepared in about 5 minutes. I love this salad and I hope that you do too. It is great for lunch or dinner, especially when you don't want to cook.

Taco Salad

2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce

1 oz of tortilla chips ( I swear by guiltless gourmet and actually only use 1/2 ounce about 9 chips)

4 tablespoons of salsa

1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons fat free sour cream

1 Morningstar Grillers Prime patty

Place romaine lettuce on plate. Heat griller according to package directions. Cut up into pieces. Crumble tortilla chips on top of lettuce. Top with griller, add sour cream and salsa, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Serve.

Makes 1 serving.

Earth Day!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! A day to raise awareness about conserving our planet. If you are not already taking steps like recycling and using reusable shopping bags perhaps today is the day you can start. If you are already doing things to help conserve the environment, you can start educating your little one and I have some resources that you may not be aware that can further help you in your efforts to save our planet.

Recycle

ThredUp - Do you have clothes that your child has outgrown hanging in the closet taking up space? List a box on thredUp and exchange the clothes for ones that fit! If you list a box today you will receive a $5 credit for that you can use for shipping or a PRO membership! Join thredUP by clicking here (an exclusive for my readers).

Disney Store - Bring in 6 plastic bottles or soda cans for recycling today or tomorrow and you will receive a Friends for Change baseball cap (one per person). The Disney Store also has some great green products like reusable shopping bags, aluminum water bottles and journals made from recycled paper that you can use to help educate your child about conservation.

Walmart - Trade your old electronic equipment for pre-paid Visa giftcards that can be used at Walmart by clicking ">here (this is an on-going program).

On snackpicks.com I've written an article that describes how you can implement a recycling brigade at your child's school and earn money for the school or your favorite non-profit!

Educate

Nick Jr. - All day long Nick Jr. will be focused on teaching pre-schoolers about being environmentally friendly. I love Nick Jr. because although the programming on Earth Day is special, they teach children about the importance of conservation and recycling all year round.

EcoFriendly Cards - Use electronic invites for your next party! Cocodot.com has beautiful customizable electronic cards that you can use. Although you need a subscription ($19 for one party and $99 for a year), if you use the code cocoEarth2010 at checkout you will receive one free invite that is completely customizable! This special offer is available until May 15th.

Get outdoors

Visit your local botanical garden, plant a garden with your child, take a nature walk. Enjoy all the wonderful things that the Earth has to offer with you child and educate them about the importance of conservation.

Although today is Earth Day we can celebrate planet Earth everyday!

Operation Weight Loss - Week 21! The Incredible Shrinking Woman

Today is going to be quick and dirty. I was out of the house at 4:30am yesterday and today I have to be out by 5:45am. Long days! My weight has remained the same this week, I am holding at 160 pounds. However, after trying on countless outfits at the store I can officially say I AM NOW A SIZE 8! I've tried different designers, skirts, pants, dresses and yes, I am a size 8. The scale may not be moving much but my body is certainly changing. As a matter of fact, I am amazed that I wear an 8. In the past when I was around this weight I was closer to a size 12. That just goes to show that what they say is true, muscle does weigh more than fat! I am almost at the point where I can say I am in the best shape of my life. Almost.

Sometimes you just have to forget about the scale and measure success by the way you look, feel and the size of your clothes!

National Minority Cancer Awareness Week

I think everyone knows someone that has survived or succumbed to cancer. I've written in the past about my Aunt Helen who passed away when I was 15 after a battle with leukemia. Her brother, my grandfather also died of cancer and I have numerous friends that have been diagnosed with varying types of cancers. Some have survived but many have not.

Because of the impact that cancer has had on people that I care for deeply in my life, I jumped at the opportunity to become a member of the American Cancer Society Bloggers Advisory Council. And armed with the knowledge that African Americans have the highest death rates of any racial or ethnic groups in the US, I feel it is important for me to lend my voice and time to getting information out to educate others about this problem.

As most regular readers of my blog know, I have personally been on a journey to healthy living in a very consistent manner since November of last year. By exercising and eating right, not only I have I lost 42 pounds but I am decreasing my likelihood for developing cancer. After many years, I have also recommitted myself to having annual health screenings, something that many people do not do. Unfortunately, because of a lack of health screenings, many times cancer is diagnosed at late stages in the African American community.

I implore you to investigate your family history, have annual checkups and have screenings for any cancers that you may be at risk for. If you don't exercise consistently aim for at least 3 sessions a week and load up on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Most importantly, even if you are already doing these things for yourself, encourage your friends and family to adopt your lifestyle.

You can find out more information about prevention by visiting the American Cancer Society website. Do it for you and for your family.

Babysitting

My husband and I live a plane ride away from our immediate family and sometimes that makes life difficult. We both travel and sometimes have difficulty finding a babysitter. I am lucky to have a cousin in college here that will pitch in and babysit and when I have extended travel my mother will usually fly down to take care of my son (love you Mom!). However, there are occasions when family is not available and often my friends and I exchange favors and sit for each other. However, we sometimes have scheduling conflicts.

Hivemoms.com can assist in these instances. Basically, Hivemoms is a babysitting co-op, very similar to the agreement I have with my friends to watch each other's children. The website is free to join and you can start a group in your area. Of course, prior to setting up babysitting, I'd meet the other moms to see if our kids meshed and is a wonderful way to widen my network of dependable babysitters.

I plan on joining the Hive in my area so that I have multiple options for babysitting and new playmates for my son. If you are a blogger you might want to consider entering the HiveMoms.com story contest for a chance at winning the $250 prize.

As a member of Hivemoms.com I hope to always have a reliable babysitter available to me and of course, I will return the favor!

Disclosure: Sponsored Post

Drawing from Nature

Some child of yesteryear lovingly compiled this Nature Journal.

Beginning this Sunday I will be attending the first in a series of four workshops on "Art and Nature: Drawing from the Collections at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History". The instructor is Erin E. Hunter, a graduate of of the noted science illustration program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In the classes we will be working with various media, and explore plant and animal anatomy, drawing techinques, nature journaling, tips for sketching in the field, and color theory.

Here is one of my "before" sketches. What do you think?

Omnis Vero Natura Est!
Marjorie

Jaw Jacking

Giveaway Closed! Congratulations to entry 24, MiVida!

When I was in college one of my friends used to say "stop all of that jaw jacking" I was clueless. What in the world is jaw jacking? Well, she promptly told me that running my mouth was considered jaw jacking and since I liked to talk (a lot) I was constantly "jaw jacking". Well, I have to tell you that some things never change.

I still like to talk but I find it difficult to hold conversations on the phone with my pre-schooler running around. As soon as I pick up the phone he immediately wants my undivided attention so it becomes difficult to be the multi-tasking maven that I aspire to be. That is until I was asked to review the JawBone. Aptly named for those of us that like to talk but may have our hands full.

The JawBone is a bluetooth earpiece for mobile phones. Once on twitter I asked for recommendations and this one was at the top of the list. I didn't purchase it at the time but when I was asked if I'd like to take it on a test drive, I immediately said yes! I have to tell you that this little gadget is wonderful.

It was so easy to synch with my phone and it came out of the box ready charged and ready to go. It wasn't fully charged but it did have about 2 hours or so of talk time. To fully charge it took 40 minutes, not bad at all. Once I synched the jawbone I immediately called my mother. She had no idea I was using a wireless device.

I walked around the house chatting, doing chores and followed after my son without having to worry about holding the phone to my head, avoiding getting wires from my earbuds caught on things and to top it off, I looked cute too!

My jawbone is part of the Icon collection which really looks like jewelry in my opinion. I like this look so much better than other bluetooth devices that I've seen. I found it very comfortable to wear and I liked having multiple sizes of earpieces and the option to wear an over the ear holder if I wanted to.

I also like that I can change the voice of my Icon - smooth and sultry, male or female, very fun. In addition, I have immediate caller id in my ear, and I can see how much battery life I have left right on the face of my iPhone. There are apps that I can download like "free 411" and restaurant locater. This is in beta mode and I haven't tested it out much yet but I look forward to it.

All in all I think this is one of my favorite gadgets yet. It is functional and attractive. My husband was jealous when the package arrived - he wants one now too! If you have your hands full I like that you could certainly appreciate a jawbone and with an approximate retail cost of $100, this is a perfect gift for Mother's Day.

Giveaway

I have been provided with a Jawbone for one of my readers. If you win, consider this a Mother's Day gift for yourself - or someone else!

Please leave a separate comment for each method of entry!

Mandatory Entry: All you have to do is tell me why you need a Jawbone.

Extra Entries:

Tweet this contest - Enter to win a Jawbone bluetooth on Cutie Booty Cakes @reneejross http://bit.ly/98RZMb

2. Subscribe for email updates (if you are already a subscriber leave a comment too). You must confirm your subscription! Please respond to the email that you receive.

Enter your email address:

If you already subscribe just let me know in the comments.

Good Luck!

This contest is open until Friday, April 24th at 9:00PM EST. Open to entrants in the US and Canada only.

Disclosure: I received a Jawbone for review and all of the opinions are my own.

Hiking and family fun!

With the beautiful spring weather here in Atlanta, I've been able to add outdoor activities to my workouts. On Friday my family and I hiked Stone Mountain.

I was so impressed by my almost three year old, he hiked the entire 1.3 miles up the mountain!

But when his dad offered to carry him back down, he quickly acquiesced and his dad had a serious workout!

I doubt that I will hike with my son again but I do plan on adding hiking as one of my regular workouts because it was really challenging - especially at the very top! This weekend we also explored a trail that is five minutes away from our home on the river. It is beautiful and winds through the forest. It is so nice for the area to be conserved while providing a safe place for walking/running/biking in an semi-urban area.

I've been combining my love for virtual fitness products and DVDs that I use at home with the great outdoors. I am trying to take advantage of this lovely weather before it becomes too hot to workout outside. I have also made a goal to run a 5k in June with the BlogRollers and their Race and Relax event. After we complete the race we will be treated to a brunch, receive a spa certificate and other fabulous goodies! I look forward to running my first race in many years and what a great way to do it with friends!

Spring Is Here!

It is spring and the weather is truly gorgeous in the ATL. Now that we are able to participate in more outside activities, I try and schedule fun things for Mekhi and I to do. Last weekend we had the pleasure of venturing to the Dunwoody Nature Center for a family hike. We explored the woods during a guided tour with Ms. Carla Birnum. She was truly great. Our focus was the underbelly of the foliage that had fallen to the ground and now serves as a place for things to grow and live. We were all equipped with magnifying glasses to explore the unknown.


During our walk was saw centipedes, earthworms and fungi.



Mekhi was not too keen about the bugs, he would look at them but only from a distance!


Our easy hike ended at the playground where we spent time playing with some new friends.
The weather was perfect for our excursion, the rain a couple of days before kept that pollen in the air down, if you take a look at my boots you can see they turned yellow from the pollen!



Being outdoors was great, especially since the entire excursion was free! If you are in the Atlanta area you should really check out the nature hikes every Saturday from 1-2pm.


During the week there are also classes for everyone fromhomeschoolers to toddlers and although there is a charge, it is minimal so that is also an option for us.


After our trip we made a quick stop at Einstein's Bagels, Mehki loves the mini-bagels, they are the perfect size for a toddler (and if you join their facebook page you can find out about deals like free bagel Friday). We will be sure to explore the city more before the heat is on, I look forward to sharing our travels with you.

Motherhood of the Traveling Shirt

I went to my mailbox last Friday and there was a package from Lissa. I'd won some prizes from the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans so I figured it was one of those prizes. Well, it was a prize AND a SURPRISE. She sent me the BornFit Magical Traveling Shirt! 2010 is the year of the traveling shirt and 36 moms are going to wear one of these shirts while doing the workout that she loves. I am beaming right now because Lissa chose me out of all of the Sisters to wear the shirt next.

Coincidently, I was checking the mail right before going to workout and since I've lost the majority of my 40 pounds over the last 4.5 months working out at home, I figured why not take a photo of me wearing the traveling shirt showing my muscles in front of the television that built them (with help from EA SPORTS Active, Jillian Michaels and ExerciseTV)!



In my photo my fitness DVD is not playing because my son has taken over the family room to watch his favorite, a dinosaur documentary but I wanted to pose in front of the television where I do the majority of my workouts. I am now off to the living room to complete Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred level 2 and level 1. Yes, I am rolling like that, 2 of the workouts in one day. I am doing an extreme challenge that includes all of her workout DVDs for a month. It is kicking my butt, in a good way!

Well, let me get on with my workout but I just had to stop and share the joy of being chosen to wear the Magical Traveling Shirt! Thanks Lissa, I will do you and the Sisterhood proud!

***************************
You know that saying about the best laid plans? Well, when I was getting up from my computer to go do my workout, a good friend of mine called. She was stranded at work because she'd lost her car keys. I quickly gathered my son and left the house in my workout gear. We ended making stops at the grocery store and finally met her husband to get his car. By the time I got home it was dinner, bed for my son and I relaxed on the couch.

But not working out nagged me, especially since I had been chosen to wear the Magic shirt. And so, at 10 pm I got my butt off the couch and did JM 30 Day Shred Level 1 and 2. My inspiration came from knowing that I wanted to do the shirt and the rest of the Moms on the journey proud. And now, whenever I don't want to exercise, the shirt nudges me along. Powerful!

Operation Weight Loss - Week 20! The Incredible Shrinking Woman

This week I am so excited! I have finally broken through my two week weight loss plateau and I am down 2 pounds. That brings my total weight loss to 42 pounds. I now weigh 160 and I am only 10 pounds away from my goal. My weight loss has been slow and steady, my five months of hard work have paid off, doing it this way the likelihood that the weight will stay off for good is much higher (and of course I am committed to keeping it off)!

In the past, 10 pounds was my maximum weight gain before I took action. Now that I have 10 pounds to lose and because it was so difficult for me to lose the last two pounds, I've decided to change some things. I am going to add cardio for five days a week to my program in addition to the other workouts that I am doing. I think this combination will take me to the finish line and I can finally get to maintenance mode.

I have added inspiration because I'm the newest member of the Motherhood of the Traveling Shirt. I am one of 12 moms across the country (and maybe the world) that will wear this shirt for 2 weeks for motivation and inspiration on my journey to living a healthy and fit live. We all will all blog about our experience on the BornFit blog.

This shirt gives me motivation and I thank Lissa for choosing me to be the newest owner of the Magical Shirt. I have to run and workout now but tomorrow I will be posting about my giddiness when I received the shirt and how despite a wrench in my workout plans, knowing I was the new owner of the shirt pushed me to exercise!

Scale Back!

The Scale. Love it or hate it, for most people the scale is an important aspect of a journey to healthy living. I honestly believe that not having a scale in my home enabled me to let my weight creep up slowly. Although my weight gain became obvious when I needed to buy larger sizes in clothing, I think I might have acknowledged my "growing" situation quicker if I had a scale. I've always been a proponent of checking weight once a week because our weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis, it just makes sense to take measurements weekly. This was easy for me to stick to because at the beginning of my journey I was weighed at Jenny Craig and when I transitioned to making my own food, I weighed myself on my Wii balance board. Since it took some effort to use the balance board I was not compelled to weigh myself more than once or twice a week.

However, I recently won an Eat Smart Scale from the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans (I love this scale, it was ready to go right out of the box!) and finally have an easy way to monitor my weight. The thing is, now that I have a scale in my bathroom, right in front of my vanity, I have become obsessed with weighing myself. The scale is always Right There and it is so difficult to refrain from jumping on to see if I've made any progress. Now I have a better understanding of all the women out there that talk about weighing themselves daily, it makes sense when the scale is so accessible!

My one saving grace is that I only document my weight on a weekly basis and I don't get bent out of shape with my fluctuations during the week. I'm thinking that perhaps I should move the scale to my closet but I'm not sure. Although I maintain that I am not letting the scale define my success, admittedly the scale is still very much a part of my journey to healthy living. And truthfully, unless I start getting bent out of shape about the numbers I see, I am likely to continue to weigh myself daily. What do you think? Do you weigh yourself daily, weekly, monthly? Never? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!