One of the movies that struck me the most at the True/False film festival was The Crash Reel. The family bond was so evident and strong even before the tragic accident that forms the center of the film. It is a bond that I really hope to emulate. I plan to start by copying one of their rituals, having a moment of meditation before starting a meal. The father would ring a small meditation bowl and the family would close their idea in silence until the gong stopped. I thought it was a lovely way to reconnect and reflect at the end of the day… a sort of prayer for the non-religious.

As I read Nurturing the Soul of Your Family
last week, I noted other ways I could help to nurture myself and my family. And though I really think you should read the book for yourself, I did want to share a few of the things
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(these two have gone to school two days in the last eight school days)

(this is the view from our window)

(I broke my sled, and (almost) my ass)

In honor of the debates tomorrow, here’s a cocktail I invented during the Democratic convention… The Democrat Daiquiri. I am planning a twist on the rum and coke for the Republicans. Just to be fair and all.

The Democrat Daiquiri

• shot of rum (I prefer Flor de Cana)
• five medium frozen strawberries
• juice of one lime

Blend until slushy, serve with lime slices.

Can I just say how glad I am that it is Fall? When we pulled into our driveway last night after completing the Coastline to Combine tour, we saw that the girls had decorated the house for Halloween. Seeing the spiderwebs stretched across the front of the house made me smile. I just love decorating for this season!!

And by decorating, I mean DECORATING. I am usually pretty laid back when it comes to decor, as in I won’t be winning any Suzy Homemaker awards anytime soon. But when it comes to the holidays, I go a little crazy. Not only do I put up a Halloween village, complete with spooky lights, when November 1st rolls around and the spider webs have to go away I have a whole separate Fall decorating scheme that goes up. Yes, I drive my husband a bit crazy.

One of my tricks is to use candles. Well made ones add a flair that turns into atmosphere with a light of the wick. I love these ones from Crafted Candles…

I can just see them floating in a bowl with acorns at the bottom. The site has a ton more Halloween Candles and Fall Candles that I am crushing on!

Want some Crafted Candles to amp up your Fall decorating? Click through to enter!
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Make sure you “like” FRANKENWEENIE on Facebook and then Ask Mr. Whiskers about YOUR future!

Does anyone else feel liks September just disappeared? Since I never really got that “back to school fresh start thing” going, I am declaring October to be my do-over September. I am going to clean the house, start exercising again, and work on improving my diet (which I so need after my recent trip to LA and Santa Barbara!)

In honor of that, this week’s Wednesday drinks feature is actually a non-alcoholic drink (though it would be good with a shot of Bailey’s!)

The Ooh La Latte makes a healthy breakfast delicious. And it is so easy to make!

Want some more Latte Love? Join me for Twitter party to talk about making your lattes! It’s super easy, I promise!
Details below the cut!
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It’s been a crazy few days and I am just now cleaning out my email inbox from last Friday! As I do, I thought I would share a couple of things that struck my interest…

The Swizzle: I am totally obsessed with this awesome free service that helps you unsubscribe from unwanted emails quickly, efficiently and safely. “Eliminating the constant flow of sales and promotion emails will decrease the temptation to spend on promotions, daily deals and sales.” Agreed!

More About the Swizzle: The Swizzle™ is a free email organizer and deal finding service that helps consumers stay updated on sales and insider promotions. In a matter of seconds, The Swizzle leads users through a simple process to safely unsubscribe from unwanted email subscriptions, ridding inboxes of clutter that can be overwhelming. Once the clutter is gone, users then choose to receive a single “Daily Swizzle” email combining deals from their favorite brands into one simple email each day.

LifeKraze: a new start up that prides itself in social good. It’s a social networking platform that aims to change the way people live offline, by changing the way people live online. It’s online community that fosters and rewards you for living healthy, active lifestyles. Started by a small team of recent college grad entrepreneurs, provides a platform that thrives on collective encouragement. This company is setting itself apart as a social platform with a currency that can be redeemed for partner discounts from fitness and recreation outlets such as The North Face, prAna, and Men’s Health or converted into charitable donations through such partners as DonorsChoose.org. Since recent studies have shown that social media can increase depression, I think this is an interesting concept. I am going to give it a whirl this week!

Thanksgiving Flight Deals: We always drive for Thanksgiving, but with twins it’s expensive and hellish. In case you feel the same sense of dread check out this Deal News article on scoring a cheap Thanksgiving flight. Sure, Thanksgiving is a good nine weeks away but now’s the time to talk turkey, especially if you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for holiday travel.

Disney’s Lincoln: Can not wait to see this!

“Like” LINCOLN on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LincolnMovie
Follow LINCOLN on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lincolnmovie
Official LINCOLN site: www.thelincolnmovie.com

LINCOLN arrives in theaters November 9th (Limited) and Nationwide November 16th!

I love John C. Reilly and I love Disney animation, so I can’t wait to see this!

“Like” WRECK-IT RALPH on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WreckItRalph
“Follow” WRECK-IT Ralph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wreckitralph