This was written by a teacher named Sam Levenson for his granddaughter upon her birth, but was often attributed to Audrey Hepburn because it was one of her favorites. It is one of mine too. She read it to her family on her last Christmas Eve. 
We are compelled to call this Aperol Spritz fabulous because of our beautiful and yes, fabulous, Italian friend Fabiana who introduced it to us this summer. Aperol is an Italian bitter liqueur infused with orange, gentian, chinchona, rhubarb, and other herbs and spices, combined with the prosecco and soda water it creates a light refreshing drink.
(this is what to look for in the liquor store)
Recipe: 1/4 Prosecco,1/2 Aperol,1/4 Soda Water, garnish w/ 1 slice of orange & ice
Photo Credit :Jennifer James
What if I were to tell you that the greatest soccer player ever known started off by kicking a sock filled with newspaper around the streets of Sao Paulo? Or that one of our top American basketball stars bounced around between apartments for the early part of his life while his 16 year old single mother looked for work? Both Pele and LeBron James grew up in poverty, but were able to rise above it through sports. Pele’s father had been a soccer player too, but his son brought his failed dreams of success to fruition a generation later. LeBron was sent to live with an Uncle who introduced him to football, sparking a love of athletics that would take him to the top. There are numerous stories like theirs. Getting involved in sports has the potential to turn kids lives around, and not only for those who become professional athletes. Read the rest of this entry
For someone whom I took to be soft-spoken when we first met, Jennifer James sure does know how to amplify! Through her voice and those of her team members, around 50 million people around the world have heard the words and images she has to share. That is loud, and her messages of social good are worth listening to. This past spring I announced that I will have the privilege of traveling in August with Jennifer to South Africa for The Global Team of 200. I would like to introduce you to my travel partner, founder of Global Team of 200, Mom Bloggers For Social good, Mom Bloggers Club, and dynamo, Jennifer James.
In order to introduce you, fellow Global Team of 200 member, Jennifer Barbour, generously agreed to let me re-post the fantastic profile that she wrote for her Philanthropy Friday series on her blog www.anotherjennifer.com. Click here to read her piece in its entirety .
Jennifer James
Jennifer James started blogging back in 2004 at a time when most people had never even heard the term “blog”.
She founded the oldest and the largest social network dedicated to mom bloggers in the world, Mom Bloggers Club, in 2007.
Clearly ahead of her time in terms of using the power of social media and creating online communities, Jennifer James has had the unique perspective of seeing how mom bloggers, in particular, have grown throughout the years. Read the rest of this entry
Portrait of me by my daughter “yelling about the messy playroom”
This is re-posted from a year ago. It’s one of my favorites.
I think of myself as a pretty laid back mom, and by nature I’m not a yeller, so years back when my oldest daughter returned from art class with a portrait of me looking like a screaming maniac, I was sure there must have been a mistake. She took the class with three friends, and there was some confusion over whose portrait was whose. Three were of serene smiling mothers, and then there was this. One of the other moms actually was a yeller, so I knowingly looked around the group and told them I though there was a mix up. My daughter cleared the air by confirming that it was in fact her portrait of me yelling about the messy playroom. Of course as I slunk away I told her I loved it, and commended her on her originality. I sincerely meant both compliments, but a part of me caught the first glimpse of how she saw me through her child’s lens, and I had to laugh. Sure I am a laid back person, and I swear am not a yeller, but many a mom has caught herself losing her cool at her kids about something, and then thinking “who is this raving lunatic the kids are turning me into? This is so not me!” This portrait just may be my favorite piece of artwork that hangs in our home; it forces me to laugh at myself every time I see it.
I was harder hit a year later when in the same week my daughter brought home a family crest where I 
was represented by a mop and pail, and my son brought home a cute Mother’s Day card where he finished the sentence “My mother loves to…..” 
with “wash the dishes“.
As disheartening as these depictions of me were I knew that they were completely honest, innocent assessments. I thought back to how I viewed my own mother as a kid, and from what I remember, I was only vaguely aware of her as a woman outside of her role as my mom. The first time I recall feeling deep pride and admiration for her accomplishments was when we were writing the text for our wedding invitations, and I realized that as a Ph.D. her proper title was “Dr.” not “Mom”. I guess it took me a while, and still it wasn’t until after I had my own children that I could truly appreciate her in full. I can’t expect my kids to see me other than through the paradigm of their childish inner world. Most kids by nature are egocentric creatures. Most of the time my kids perceptions of me serve as moments of humility, but they can just as easily put me on a pedestal like no one else can. I have to laugh at the truth in their observations, because no commentary is as candid as a child’s. 
This recent portrait of me by my youngest son is a new favorite. Here he managed to capture the essence of me in the morning with perfection. Certainly this is how I feel before that first cup of coffee. The funny ones are my favorites, but every now and then a piece of art comes home that just melts my mommy heart into a puddle, and that is the power of kids art.
(I had to throw in this one where I am listed as 6′ tall and 100 pounds)
