Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend (despite the, er, sporting events of yesterday) and are gearing up for an excellent week. I'm going to kick things off by getting back on the self care wagon via a 10 minute run after I hit publish on this post! Meanwhile, here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:
February 6: Drop in for a playdate at the MFA.

February 8: If you've ever thought about writing a children's book.

February 9: Carnevale! in New Bedford.

February 9: An event for parents who need guidance about colic, sleep, and feeding issues for baby.

February 9-11: Let's hope for some pretty snow for Lowell Winterfest.

February 10-12: A film festival perfect for sci-fi fans.

February 10-12: If you're looking for travel inspiration.

February 10-14: The Salem's So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival. Yummy. Pretty.

At your leisure: I have a couple of fantastic giveaways going if you'd like to enter to win: Boston Musica Viva (by noon Tuesday the 7th) and a Killington Resort lift ticket package (by noon Thursday the 9th).

At your leisure: Give this yummy white chili a go!

At your leisure: Do something nice for someone you love -- before they ask you to do it. Like this.

At your leisure: Experiment with a new look. This loose waves tutorial makes me want to grow my hair back out.

At your leisure: I received so much great feedback via Facebook and Twitter on this roundup of 10 awesome Valentine's Day craft and treat ideas. However, if you want a couple of super quick and easy Valentine's projects to do with your kids (no exacto knife needed), try these pop up cards or pipe cleaner heart goggles. Or how adorable are these homemade photo cards?

At your leisure: I started this post mentioning self-care and I highly encourage you to join me. I've been very bad about self-care lately and have decided to engage in a little 10 minute a day challenge for myself, whether that 10 minutes is spent running, walking, doing a few sun salutations, attempting ballet, or simply stretching and breathing. We all deserve at least 10 minutes a day!

Image credit: strawberry treats via Pinterest

Today, Jules shares a recipe perfect for Super Bowl Sunday (or any day really):

Between my husband's enthusiasm for football and mine for good food, Super Bowl Sunday is like a national holiday in our house. Chili is a Super Bowl staple and it's an easy crowd pleaser because it's typically a one pot meal that can feed a hungry crowd. Most often prepped with fatty ground meat, loads of cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, I'm tweaking tradition here and whipping up a reduced fat white chicken chili that is a treat for the eyes but also a really unexpected and refreshing surprise for the palate; all while staying true to those chili roots and remaining a heady and satisfying one pot meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cups roasted and salted almonds
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 jalepeno pepper, finely diced
• 1 small can green chili peppers
• 1 teaspoon, ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1.5 pounds shredded chicken (white meat)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannelini (white) beans, drained
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine*
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ nonfat Greek yogurt
• Shredded smoked cheese (gruyere works beautifully)
• Fresh cilantro
• Sliced lime

1. In very large stockpot, heat oil on low heat. While oil heats, puree almonds, garlic, and toast to a fine puree. Add a tablespoon of water if it needs a little moisture to process. Add this paste to the hot oil and stir well for about 20 seconds.
2. Add onion, celery, jalepeno, canned chili peppers, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Cook for just another minute. Add shredded chicken, beans, broth, and wine. Cook partially covered for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spoon into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, a touch of shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze and slice of lime.

*Note: The wine does cook off, but if you'd rather not use wine in this dish, you can replace the wine with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar.

Image credit: Rainbow chili print by PragyaK via Etsy

Happy first weekend of February! Here's a roundup of 10 picks that caught my eye. I suspect we'll also engage in some of these Valentine's Day crafts and treats (#7 has my name all over it!). And if you're looking for more Valentine's Day inspiration, check out Asha's archives).

1. What will no doubt be an artful celebration of the Lunar New Year. (Salem)

2. A celebration of diverse talents and minds. (Boston)
3. Adopt a tree and enjoy some maple syrup later. (Sharon)

4. Bank of America cardholders can enjoy free admission to museums across the country (including 7 in Massachusetts). (Various locations)

5. Mary Poppins on the big screen. (Brookline)

6. Root Calvin on as he overcomes his fears. (Boston)

7. Flat Stanley! (Natick)

8. Take your pick from three shows at this theatrical winter festival. (Stoneham)

9. Chili lovers unite! (Cambridge)

10. Open your eyes to creativity. (Lincoln)

Image credit: Peabody Essex Museum

I have many friends who are passionate about Vermont and/or skiing, and after recently reading Left Neglected, I found myself contemplating both. It may not feel like winter here in Boston, but there is snow elsewhere. And one of those places is Killington Resort, where you can enjoy pristine trails, a range of winter activities, and even dinner in a yurt (awesome, right?). The kind folks at Killington extended a press visit to me, but I thought it would be fun to instead share some lift tickets with the experienced skiers out there (go rock that bunny slope for me!). I'm giving away a family 4-pack of one-day lift tickets (valued at ~$350!) to one of you awesome readers. This would be super fun for the upcoming February break, no? Here's how to enter to win:

+ + + + +
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Christine!
+ + + + +

Rules*:

Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com with "Killington" in the subject by noon EST, Thursday, February 9, 2012.

Local entrants welcome.

One entry per person (please do not enter off multiple e-mail accounts).

+ + + + +

*One lucky winner (drawn randomly via Random.org) will receive a family 4-pack of one-day lift tickets (valued at ~$350!) to Killington Resort. There are no blackout dates, but tickets must be used by the season's end in April 2012. The winner will be notified directly via e-mail, then listed back at this post using first name only.

And if you're interested in connecting with Killington on social channels, tweet with them at @KillingtonMtn or find them on Facebook.

By now everyone with media access knows the Komen Foundation defunded Planned Parenthood this week. I wish I could say it leaves me shaking with anger at Komen, but what it does more is underscore my belief that the private sector cannot be depended upon to be fair to people across income levels -- and therefore healthcare should not be run by the private sector.

We need universal healthcare, defined as:  a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.

If we don't have universal healthcare, organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide services -- of which abortion is only 3% -- depend on private donations. So private donations by wealthy people determine whether or not a woman like I was immediately post-college gets to have a pap smear or a STD test that year. Private donations determine whether someone like your mother gets her mammogram if she doesn't have health insurance. Private. Donations. Other people's generosity. 

People are fickle.

Private donors can be influenced by politics or emotion. They can decide no one's taking care of them, why should they take care of other people? They can get swayed by religious beliefs about when women want to have children -- and don't get me started on why women's health can be influenced by religion but not men's -- and decide because they don't agree with what's happening with 3% of an organization's legal health care services that they'll defund 97% of the cancer screenings and women's health services provided to women who can't afford to go anywhere else and will otherwise go without health care in the richest country in the world.

And the only one -- unless things go as intended in 2014 -- without universal  health care: 

Thirty-two of the thirty-three developed nations have universal health care, with the United States being the lone exception [1]. 

People got so upset about "Obamacare." I got upset with the people who are upset, because it's completely clear to me when one women's health organization can defund another's so easily that all health -- but especially women's health, the only health tied to religious issues -- hangs completely in the balance unless it's universal. Women are held captive by their reproductive organs, which like any organs can get cancer and you know, kill you. Women can be held back from medical care for those organs if they're too poor to afford to go anywhere but Planned Parenthood and then Planned Parenthood doesn't have the money to help them because the private sector got honked off about something and refused to fund them. 

This whole Komen/PP issue reinforces for me so clearly all the problems I have with pure capitalism: People can be selfish fools who only care about themselves. I believe when we live in a First World country, we don't get to behave like prigs. When we hold ourselves up to a higher standard and pass judgment on other countries and step in to "help" them see the error of their ways, we have to be a shining example of democracy and capitalism and freedom ourselves, or why the fuck are we telling anyone else how to behave?

AND WE ARE NOT.

We don't take care of our own very well. We argue over "the food stamp president." We deny our women healthcare because their reproductive organs got tangled up in religion, whether we or they follow those religions or not.

We have to change!

We can't depend on the generosity of the private sector for something as important as our health care. It is clear, and I hope the events of this week make it crystal clear for anyone questioning why we need universal health care.

What if it was your cancer screening, your mother's, your daughter's -- because it could be, anyone's, any time. Everyone under this current system is one health nightmare away from poverty. And that's ridiculous and scary and this is America and it has to change. Part of the luxury of living in this country with all its shining highways and FDA regulations should be contributing to the health and safety of every single citizen. We neglect each other, we neglect America, we neglect our future.

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I had a post go up on BlogHer about the sources of stress. Not sources of stress like deadlines and traffic jams and being out of orange juice at 7 am, but sources of stress in your brainz. Here's an excerpt:

That said, I've spent most of my stress-fighting career thinking about how tohandle stress rather than what caused it in the first place. Things are rough all over, Ponyboy. And I've blamed myself a lot for not being tougher.

I recently read Stress Less (for Women) by Thea Singer, a book that appeared in the mail for review. One passage struck me in particular -- one that talked about stress research being flipped on its head when researchers stopped thinking about stress or age atrophying parts of the brain and instead studied whether people who stressed more started out less equipped to deal with the stress in the first place:

The vulnerability hypothesis of stress -- that is, that a smaller hypocampus, whether due to genes or early exposure to stress -- can predispose you to the damaging effects of stress, rendering you more vulnerable to age-related memory loss and disorders such as PTSD.

There was good news at the end! Read the rest on BlogHer!

PS: Last night the little angel asked for a drink of water while in the bathtub. I handed her the crappy hot pink water bottle we got with Culver's points. She took one drink and gagged. Then she said, "I don't know why, but yesterday I put Goldfish crackers in here." I opened it and there were bloated Goldfish floating in two inches of tepid tap water. And then I threw up in my mouth. 

Happy February! While I don't pay much attention to Valentine's Day from a commercial standpoint -- Jon and I don't exchange gifts -- the day does offer a fun inspiration point for crafts and food around our house. (Plus, I love the colors red and pink!) As I've mentioned before, I adore Pinterest and decided to round up 10 pretty craft and treat ideas that caught my pinning eye. Oh, and if you need a Pinterest invite, drop me a line and I'll be happy to send you one! Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Crafts

1. I love the simple and chic of this pop-up Valentine.

2. Brilliant. Turn your collection of random broken crayons into Valentine's that will craft it forward.

3. Pretty heart ornaments.

4. Pinned from my archives: crepe paper rosebud Valentine's cards.

5. I'm tempted to make one of these DIY scratch off cards for Jon. So cute!

6. A pretty printable Valentine's book.

Valentine's Day Treats

7. Red velvet brownies. YES.

8. Easy cut out cupcakes.

9. You could totally serve this as a healthy Valentine's Day snack.

10. Figs for Valentine's Day? Brilliant and easy. Also high in fiber.

All images via Pinterest.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8YhED4IgQA] 

As a former musician and music psychologist, it's not surprising that I'm all for tapping into what I believe is kids' innate appreciation for music (baby Violet rocking out to music is such a cheerful sight!). And on February 12 at the Tsai Performance Center in Boston, you can introduce your family to something different via Boston Musica Viva's family concert -- a contemporary classical rendering of The Tortoise and the Hare and The Pied Piper featuring narration and the Marimba Magic Ensemble. And how cool is this? The kind folks at Boston Musica Viva are offering a 4-pack of tickets to share with one of you awesome readers. Here's how to enter to win:

+ + + + +
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Jessica!
+ + + + +

Rules*:

Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com with "Boston Musica Viva" in the subject by noon EST, Tuesday, February 7, 2012.

Local entrants welcome.

One entry per person (please do not enter off multiple e-mail accounts).

+ + + + +

*One lucky winner (drawn randomly via Random.org) will receive four (4) tickets to the Boston Musica Viva family concert in Boston on February 12, 2012 at 3pm. The winner will be notified directly via e-mail, then listed back at this post using first name only.