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Father's Day Traditions

6/19/2016

What does tradition mean to you?

I asked my son this question while we were baking a coffee cake together this morning. I bake this same delicious sour cream coffee cake every Father’s Day ever since my husband became a father to our now 13 year old twins.

As he whisked the eggs my son thought about this question and then said, "Traditions let you continue something you love to do again and again,". I thought about how every year my husband looks forward to this cake and how wonderful the kitchen smells as the cinnamon streusel smell wafts through the air.

I looked at my sweet boy as he licked the batter and smiled at me. It's the same tradition but it changes a bit every year as my sons get older and can help me with the baking or express themselves in the cards they write to their Dad.

I love the continuity that tradition provides us in a constantly changing world .

As we celebrate Father's Day today, what are some of the traditions that observe every year?
Share them in the comments below!

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My Field Trip To Oasis Baklava

6/12/2016

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I took a field trip to Oasis Baklava in Belmont, California to get a special dessert for a party that my family is having in July. Oasis is a small family-operated bakery that's been around for over 35 years specializing in these Middle Eastern pastries. When I walked into the very unassuming brick building I was happily greeted by the owner, her daughter and the sights and smells of delicious pastries.

Baklava means "many layers" in Farsi and is a Middle Eastern pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped walnuts or pistachio and topped with a sugar syrup. I was invited to the taste baklava, as well as greibah, which is a lovely butter cookie that melts in your mouth.

I wanted to have baklava as the main dessert for our event as an homage to my Mediterranean family and as a way to share some of my childhood memories with my guests. Oasis Baklava was absolutely delicious and I would highly recommend it.

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Silence Your Inner Mean Girl

6/5/2016

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Have you ever looked at an old photo and thought, “I looked pretty good in this picture, why did I think I looked fat?" That’s exactly what happened to me this past weekend. I was looking at a picture of myself from four years ago, when my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary. I remember getting dressed for that dinner and thinking that I didn’t look so great. I wasn’t happy with my hair or my makeup. But, you know what? I did look pretty great! My dress looked nice even though I remember feeling “fat” at the time and that picture makes me smile when I look at it today.

What if on that day I could have looked at myself with that same kindness and acceptance that I feel today when I look at that picture? What a wasted opportunity to feel good about myself and to take in that moment more fully! Bet you’ve done this to yourself too.

What if you added up all those moments you berated yourself because you didn’t feel like you looked pretty enough, thin enough, whatever enough.. and just loved yourself and said 'I am beautiful right now'?

"But I don’t feel beautiful," you say.

Fair enough. What if you were just not so mean and instead noticed two good things about yourself in that moment? Something like, 'My lips look pretty with this shade of lipstick' or 'That dress is so cute on me'. You know what else would be good? What if you thought about the person or people you were going to be with and how much you are going to enjoy the time you spend together?

Try to be in your life instead of in your head.

When those negative thoughts come, just stop and think of two good things to say to yourself and do that again and again. This will soon spread into other areas of your life and you may start to realize that you’re not half bad at singing or that you're pretty damn good at walking lunges .

Here’s what else will happen, you will be more empathetic to others. When I notice myself being more critical of other people, I know that I am being harsh and mean to myself. How can I look past your rumpled shirt and see your kind brown eyes if I am constantly picking myself apart?

So, really, being kind to yourself is so unselfish that it's not even funny!

It’s such a waste of time to have to wait to realize how you good you actually had something. I really wish I could have seen what was good about myself in the mirror that day while I was getting ready for my anniversary dinner. Who knows how much more I would have enjoyed that night, since I would have been more present to my husband and our lovely dinner?

Don't waste any more time and silence your inner mean girl now.

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MEDITERRANEAN MOMMA

Father's Day Traditions

My Field Trip To Oasis Baklava

Silence Your Inner Mean Girl

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