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WANDERLUST ITALY YOGA FESTIVAL

As most of you know by now I am a Pilates Instructor. I studied and taught in New York for 8 years. In New York, I tried my first yoga class about 12 years ago and ever since I have been on my way to becoming certified as a yoga teacher.

I have always practiced and gone to many yoga festivals and training courses with all kinds of beautiful yoga masters and gurus. Yoga changed my life just like Pilates did but in a different way. Yoga does something deeper for my mind and I feel like it can move my emotions. Yoga has become a lifestyle as you can do it absolutely everywhere. All you need is a mat or even just a floor. With Pilates you can travel and take your Pilates with you everywhere you go and it does also become a lifestyle. They are not much different and kind of belong in the same family of exercise and I feel they mix together beautifully.

But now I would like to talk to you about Yoga and I am so happy to tell you that October 1st, yes NEXT Sunday,  Wanderlust Yoga festival is coming to Milano, Italy in Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci.

I went to my first Wanderlust Yoga festival last summer in California, Squaw Valley and had a wonderful three days just dedicated to me, my practice and health. I learned so much by stepping very far out of my comfort zone surrounded by beautiful yogis from all over the world and being guided by so many masters and gurus.

When I was contacted for the Wanderlust festival the first time in Italy, I felt immediately happy and excited and I have now been waiting since early this summer for the big day to arrive. Now it is around the corner and I am ecstatic and nervous as I will give my first talk ever at this festival. Since I am not a certified instructor of yoga yet I will give a talk and you can sign up if you are interested. I will discuss the art of balance and how to bring it into your lives. The balance of healthy mind and body. One of my health masters taught me that good health all begins with good balance because a healthy body is a well-balanced body.

Many yoga gurus will be there but don’t let that stop you. Come learn, train and play. Yoga is beautiful as beginners and advanced people can practice it together side by side. No levels needed just a clear mind and the will to learn, explore and spend a beautiful day together.

When you buy your tickets, note that you can use this discount code – JMWL20217

BUY NOW

go on @wanderlust_italy for more information.

http://mamafedona.pass.us/yoga/

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

love JM

Photos by @mamafedona

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BACK TO YOU

I truly hope you have all had a wonderful summer.
For me and my dudes, the past two months have flew by. I thought I’d be able to be a full time mother; write and work while my sons took their naps. Oh, boy did I fail.  At least in Milan they go to half-day  kindergarden to play and have some fun with other children and I get  work during the morning time. Please do not get me wrong this is not a complaint it is just me stating that I failed my summer’s mission but I did discover  something else that I will keep in my heart forever.

The 4 of us isolated for two months in the countryside gave our family a deeper connection, more than I could ever have dreamed of. My boyfriend was actually working a lot as his work takes priority and as a mother I take my job very seriously as well. I just love spending time playing with my sons. As beautiful as it sounds to play with my sons all day, every mother knows, it’s not always like dancing with flowers and chasing butterflies. My first born was born into a difficult situation, we were separated for just over two weeks from the moment he came into this life. The Italian hospital separated us and gave us no other option then for me to see him for just 4 hours per day!! Which made my heart suffer a great deal and I can only imagine how his felt. So to make up for all that separation every single time he made a sound I made sure he understood I was there. I gave him all of me and probably too much the first year of his life. I always imagined him alone in a hospital possibly crying for me and I was not there to feed or comfort him. I woke up every hour to pump milk so I would not lose breast milk as I was determined to breastfeed. I looked at his photo crying while pumping wondering how he was.

Crying? Sleeping? Hungry? Awake? Was there  someone there looking after him? My fist born child. My son!
When the day came that I got him home in my arms I just could not let him down. I had to do the best I could to make up for this separation somehow.

We lived like a kangaroo for months, he was always in my arms or skin to skin in bed or in a baby sling wrap. I had a hard time letting other people hold him, just wanted him in my or his father’s arms. Any sound or cry he made during the first year I would jump and be at his service which taught him a bad habit – to cry when he needed something. He had become the baby that cried just too much. I could see it in my family and friend’s faces and I knew this was my fault not his, but I just could not help it. Somehow I felt like I was making up for the separation. In our daily busy life I never dealt with his crying habit, I just let it slide as I thought this was just the way it was and that his character was emotional and smart so he knew how to play me. It seemed like there was too much going on and too many interruptions to focus soley on this topic. In the meantime a baby brother had been born.

While in the Spanish countryside, the 4 of us got to break down the pieces of how to deal with this lack of communication. Plus he is dealing with 3 languages at home so this was his way of dealing and had developed crying as his own kind of language because it seemed to be working for him.
We told him over and over again, in situations where I usually would’ve given in, that we understood why he was crying and it was ok. Then I’d ask him if he thought this was a situation where he felt like he needed to cry? I told him it is easier to just talk with me and ask me using words and both me and him would be happier this way. He would not need to cry so often but the interesting part is I had also practiced this in Milano. Somehow in just 3 weeks time with the whole family slowing down. Sleeping together on mattresses cuddled up, my son slowly got his emotions under control as we finally gave him the understanding he needed. I had so much more patience for him and actually both of them. I also saw looking back how many mistakes I had made living a stressful city life. Busy! Even if I was not really working full time yet I had  less patience for my children that I love more than life. I realize looking back that I did not give him the kind of attention he really craved. It is a fine art to understand the desire of a child from time to time.

So my point and my mission is to keep remembering to look at my sons from slow and peaceful points of view. I think this is often forgotten. Parents are always on a hurry or busy. Smart phones are taking away too much time from our children and I am guilty of this. I am so much more aware of this now and I try to keep it to when it’s absolutely necessary.
Summer times are most often so beautiful, especially for children. They get to finally run wild and play from morning to night. It is a precious time and will not come back. I will do my best to always understand what it is that my children need. We fail and we accomplish. School of life is good, in fact probably the best. Living in the moment of our children and our partners. Seeing life from their points of view. They are often so different from our own.

I am so happy to be back.
love JM

Photos by @mamafedona

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HUMMUS AND TOMATO TOAST

There are never too many simple and fast afternoon snack or light lunch ideas. Here is another great one that my sons and I are enjoying these days. I am always on the lookout for getting something healthy and tasty in their belly. I like to make all bites count for something good and nourishing.

Hummus is so delicious and satisfying. You can also eat this toast next to the avocado toast recipe I shared with you all weeks ago. One slice of avocado toast and one slice hummus toast, a tall glass of green juice and you have the makings of a fantastic lunch.

Hummus is very easy to make at home and all you need is chick peas, tahini, lemon, garlic and some olive oil ( you may also skip the tahini in the case you don’t like it). If you don’t have time to prepare it, you can always buy it but just make sure it is the freshest one you can find and organically made with the shortest shelf life. At least you will be getting one that is less superficial and has fresh ingredients.

Again,  you may use a good fresh made bread –  whole grain, spelt or sourdough are my favorites. I toast each slice for a few minutes, once ready I drizzle some olive oil on each slice. I then place a  big slice of tomato on it followed by hummus on top.

That’s it!

Hummus is so popular and people are enjoying it also as a dip for fresh vegetables. If you make your own hummus (you will find manyrecipes on the web that are super simple and fast) you can then thinly slice some carrots, cucumber, fennel, and celery. Dip them into your hummus for a healthy apperitvo for you and the kids.

Here is a hummus recipe that I use.

– One big cup of chick peas ( I buy them fresh and pre soak them overnight then in the morning I wash and rinse them well. I then add three cups of water and bring it to a boil. I simmer them for one hour and a half with just a little salt. Remember to save the liquid when the beans are ready. I’d rather have a lot of waterthan too little as then your pot might look very ugly in case you forget to pay attention to your beans. You may also use the extra water to make a soup, in case you don’t use all the water for your hummus.

Juice of half lemon

Big table spoon tahini

1-2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil.

One clove of crushed garlic

Remember you can always skip the tahini if you don’t like it or put less of it in. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix very well. You will use the water from your chick beans to thin out your hummus to the desired consistency.

As always, I hope you enjoy it.

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

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SIMPLIFY AND CONNECT TO OUR TRUE NATURE.

I have been dreaming of life in a small town surrounded by nature and simplicity for years now. I do truly believe in a simple life, and because I have been living in big cities now for so long it sometimes makes me feel I lose a lot of time in my day. I don’t always know where my time goes even if I don’t stop moving around and about all day long.

I moved from New York to Italy with dreams of working on a farm for awhile. I wanted to learn how to grow vegetables and maybe even make wine. Get my hands into nature, feel a good connection and work hard outdoors all day long. I had been teaching Pilates in New York for about 8 years and I was starting to feel lost and without a good connection, so I chose to make a change. Between then and now many things that I hadn’t planed happened which is the lovely way life works. I found myself living in Milan, another big city, which was supposed to be a temporary solution. Now, especially after I became a mother, my desire to move into a life of simplicity became more important to me more now than ever. I am looking for my new quiet spot for myself along with my family so we can live simply. As the time I had worked on a farm in Africa. I woke up before going to work with stillness and calmness every single morning. Listening to the sounds of nature, animals and just the soft hum of wind through the trees. That can change a mood every single day.

Many roads have been guiding me towards Ibiza and it is funny because I always assumed that Ibiza was not a place I would want to live. I really thought it was a far cry from being a family or child-friendly atmosphere. Instead, I have found people with their hearts full of love and eyes without judgement. Free, happy, strong and independent children. Mothers talking in groups with understanding and supporting each other and being so loving towards each other’s children. I feel so relived, I feel my heart fall into peace. Free to raise my children in the way I want without the fear of being judged but instead feeling supported and loved from people I hardly know. Children here are allowed to run around and just be kids.. A connection with nature the way I had as a child growing up in Iceland. A warmer and much sunnier climate  with fruits and vegetables that are locally grown and with flavors that definitely don’t exist in Iceland.

In these days I came to realize so many things, things when living in a city you don’t have time to see. These are simple things. We all know this but sometimes we need to go explore and feel it to understand that these are not just “sayings”, it really is real. How happy everyone is just by being able to breath in good air all day long. Spending more time outdoors rather than indoors. Less sound of  traffic and noise in general that cities have. I understand this way of life may not be for everyone. Thankfully,  we are all different with different needs but I feel and see people who live simply with less needs and less fuss. Their eyes shine and skin even appears happier. They are less wrinkled, worried and stressed. Their children cry less and I notice less chaos within families. Of course, every family has chaos and lots of it, so this is just the meaning of having less. This mentality can surely be adopted everywhere also in cities – it just might be harder to remember them.

Speaking with experienced mothers who have 6 to 9 children,  they all agree that patience is natural. Children also have different characters and different needs as us adults. Being a mother now is becoming unnatural for many modern mothers because there seems to be a lot of expectations. So many methods that teach you how to raise children into this or that. I feel we have so many this and that kind of people in 2017, how about letting children help us and letting them guide the way and show us how they would like to grow. We need to be HERE for them and give them our guidance and show them things that interest them.

If we simplify our days and make space for us to listen to our hearts we can then find the time and space for the whole family. It will soon come naturally and by talking to your village. Talk with other mothers, but mothers who you see are similar to you. With their hearts and minds in the right place. Even if we can all find beautiful inspiration through social media it is also full of false images and messages. There is nothing as good as real honest talk with a friend.

It can help us a lot to find our real mother, the mother that lives in our hearts. Let our shoulders fall down from our ears and our chest expand wide open and make room for a good deep breath. Find your center line and move from there. Think before we speak when our children are having a hard time communicating orcontrolling their emotions. There are many challenges for mothers and parents to find stillness on days when everything seems to be out of control. Before we begin to judge ourselves we need to find ourselves. Connect to our own feelings, find a still heart so we can be guided gently out of stressful moments.

I am a mother who makes many mistakes. I am not an expert, I am a student. I am looking for guidance and stillness in my heart. I find that when I am not being judges by myself or others, when I simplify and remember to make time and space then it all just comes naturally.

Love JM.

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SUMMER HOLIDAY FRUIT SALAD

I call this summer holiday fruit salad because many people get together with friends somewhere by a lake or  beach over the summer. This seems like a great option whether you are in two or more as it can be shared as a breakfast, with or before coffee. Of course you can also prepare this at home over the summer since there are so many lovely and amazing fruits in season.

I must say I usually love smoothies as breakfast, but it is good to switch it up sometimes. Also, when I have to make breakfast for many people I love this type of big fruit salad because it leaves everyone light but satisfied and ready for the day.

I  start by finding all the best, freshest fruits I see at the market, but for this particular recipe I used:

Pineapple
Apple ( washed well or peeled if not organic )
Peach
Dragon-fruit
Kiwi

As toppings I used:

Soaked in water chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Pistachios
Walnuts
Cinnamon

I chop down all the fruit rather small  because it seems to blend nicely and you get to taste all the fruits together in each spoonful 🙂

It really is super nice to see so much color in one bowl as I prepare it. Especially the dragon-fruit, this is my new favorite and every time I open one I feel amazed at how beautiful the inside is. It makes me happy to prepare such a healthy as well as beautiful breakfast for everyone. I also am aware of the fact that in a breakfast such as this, there is quite a bit of natural sugar from fruit in it. Just to note: I do not add any extra sugar to it.

So my all time favorite way to start my day is with a green juice. I don’t put any fruit in it just greens. One of my favorite combos, in case you are interested, is :

Fennel
Celery
Parsley
Kale
Ginger
Cucumber

If you don’t have a juicer yet, I recommend getting one and start making your own fresh vegetable juices. I will explain this soon in a future post 🙂

Back to the salad – After I chop down all the fruit, I sprinkle some cinnamon over it, some hemp seeds and then mix well.

After that I sprinkle pumpkin seeds on to it. Actually, you can also leave the seeds on a plate so everyone is free to add their own favorite mix to their salad.

At the end, I add water-soaked chia seeds (I put 3 table spoons of chia seeds for every 5 people). I soak the seeds overnight in the fridge so this way they are fresh and lovely over the salad. Note: you can also do this first thing upon wakening. Soak them in water and just stir the seeds. The chia seeds are a so-called super food and they complete my fruit salads. 🙂

Hope you all enjoy this breakfast with your loved ones.

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

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AVOCADO TOAST

I am quite sure many of you know this recipe or at least some version of it. It is so simple and delicious. Just in case you need or you have not seen it yet well at least you can follow it here 🙂

During summertime I like to spend as much time outside as possible, so most times when we all arrive home we are starving. These simple meal solutions are healthy and satisfying and making my days a bit easier. Avocado toast has been really popular at most brunch or health restaurants for quite some years now. While I was pregnant I loved this as a lunch or actually at any time of the day. You can have this for breakfast maybe with a poached egg on it, for lunch or even as an easy dinner with a big salad on the side.

When it comes to the bread, I always try to get fresh baked loaf in a healthy version. Usually my nearest bakery will have it, but when I do have the time, I will make a good one myself ( which doesn’t happen often… I must admit ) I try to buy a dark bread with many seeds, whole wheat, gluten free or made with mother doe.

After I slice the bread, I toast the slices just because I like the bread a little warm and crunchy.

While the bread is being toasted I split the avocados in half and scrape out the meat and and smash it with a fork and add the juice of a half lime.

Once the bread is ready, I sprinkle some cold- pressed olive oil on each slice and then spread the avocado paste on to it.

For my children I leave it like this and don’t add anything more. For adults I like to add some Himalayan salt ( or any good quality salt ) and if you prefer spicy you can also add some chilly flakes.

Very easy but super  tasty. In my opinion, it is the perfect meal after a morning on the beach. Consuming some good fat from the avocado to gain energy to play outside all day. Good for everyone’s skin, hair and brain 🙂

If you have not tried this out yet, I highly recommend that you do as it is quite the yummy dish 🙂

Buon appetito.

Love JM

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A DAY WITH BARBARA BONNER AND MIA

Most people dream of traveling to Verona, Italy or visiting the magical paradise island called Ibiza. Barbara Bonner, a strong but gentle, hardworking business woman and mother to beautiful Mia. She did well to organize her business and life between these two incredible places. I went to visit them last Easter in Ibiza and we had such a lovely chat that brought me to tears at times as well as laughter. Barbara has a brilliant sense of humor and attitude to life. Here is some of what she had to say.

When I came over her and Mia were drawing together and listening to some very relaxing music from Ibiza. Something they love to do together often is draw. They started with finger paints and now Mia specializes in monster drawing, it seems therapeutic to her and she says she can pull out some of her emotions. “Mia and I draw so much that I think we should actually publish a little monster collection in a book”.  Mia smiles from ear to ear and seems to love the idea. A suitable name would be, “The stories of Mia”.

Tell me how your pregnancy was? How did you feel?

First of all I was really ready to have a baby. I was ready to become a mother. Actually, before I even took the test I felt that I was pregnant. I just immediately knew I was. I became this completely different person, not just a mother but more like a real woman. I remember this extreme joy, a little human growing inside of me. I had to compromise a bit with my body as I grew a lot and I gained 25 kilos during the pregnancy.

I did enjoy it but mostly at the end of the pregnancy when I was really huge; I kind of felt like a goddess. Also, Mia’s father really liked me pregnant so that really helped the whole body changing process.

How did you take care of yourself during pregnancy?

 Well I did Yoga and Pilates. I also worked a lot as I was feeling very creative and was making my own clothing as I got so big, but I also wanted to look good. I was very nauseous in the first 5-6 months so food was complicated but I was crazy about toast and cold water with lemon.

What about the delivery? How was your experience?

Well that was quite intense. Even though I was always a sporty person I did my Yoga, Pilates and stayed active the whole pregnancy but I still had some struggles. My water broke and I did not go into labor, but I really wanted to have a natural birth. So basically after 3 days of labor she was finally coming out, but she broke my pubic bone on her way down and the femoral nerve was getting dragged out with her. At that point they had to kind of push her back in a bit and perform an emergency C-Section as she was starting to suffer and I was screaming like MAD. I was ready to make them amputate my leg just to get her out. Mia really felt like arriving as a rock star!!

Then we had to spend one month in the hospital together because she got an infection. I really wanted to breastfeed but she needed to stay in intensive care so I stayed with her in the hospital. My family was getting worried if I would get the baby blues as I had just started my own company three months before she was born. That month in the hospital also became my office. It was just an insane period and I was feeding her every three hours. Pumping on no sleep and just the whole hospital life I was really multitasking at that point, doing everything and too much at the same time.

 

After one year, I completely crashed. I think I waited a year because before I just could not do it. It is amazing how strong a mother’s instinct is; I just had to keep it all together. Also, I could not feel my left leg after my pubic bone broke and I certainly needed some time to recover. During that time I honestly did not care if I lost my leg because I was so happy to have her. This is when I came to the realization just how amazing a mother’s mind is. She can suffer, be in pain and sacrifice so much. I just overcame it because my instincts told me to. If you ask me now if I care about my leg of course I would answer yes. Women are so amazing. I was SO scared and worried about her that all I cared about was her health.

How did you continue after all this? Did you have any help with Mia or your business?

Well yes, I had to travel so much for my business in the beginning, but Mia was always with me because I was also breastfeeding. My wonderful mother was traveling with me to all the fashion week events because I had to go. You know I make all these huge fringe bags, so what I would do was breastfeed behind my bags. Some of my clients were wondering what the sucking and moaning sounds were and then they’d spot little Mia drinking. Oh boy, did she drink A LOT… I felt like a milk farm 🙂 My mother would then take her for walks in her pram. It was lovely also because I reconnected beautifully with my mother through all this. She was so happy to become a grandmother and I was no longer just her daughter, I was also a mother now so I felt as if we reconnected and were now on an even level. We developed a new kind of bond. When you become a mother yourself you develop a new understanding of your own mother. What she sacrificed and so on.

 

How long did you breastfeed her?

For about 9 months and I truly believe this brings about a very special bond between a mother and her child. It is so much more than just a saying. With that being said, of course, not everyone can and it’s a shame if you don’t have the milk. Even now Mia still prefers me cooking for her because it probably brings a comforting memory.

What was it that inspired you to create your company, “Barbara Bonner Bags”?

My mother’s heritage is quite interesting and it is a lovely story we have between women here. My mother was a sort of hippy, which is where all the fringe bags probably come from and is also my brand’s signature. I remember watching her with long beautiful hair and fringe in the 70s and she was so beautiful to me.  Her mother, my grandmother, was a circus performer and would ride motorbikes through circles of fire. She was also one of the first women in all of Italy to obtain a driver’s license (at least that is what she told me and I’d like to keep on believing it as it’s a very cool memory of her). She was Dutch and was just driving through Italy and in order to keep driving she needed to get a license. Plus, she was always wearing pants and in Italy at the time that was very, very rare.

Tell me a bit about Mia’s father.

One of the first things he told me was that I’d be a wonderful mother. This is what initially made me kind of fall in love with him. He is a very independent guy and I am an independent woman, so that is a plus in my case. We actually don’t feel like we have really broken up even if we broke up as boyfriend/girlfriend because we have this relationship as Mia’s parents and we are doing that part together. Ibiza is a special place for us. We met and conceived her here and the time we spend together here we always fight much less. I guess it is something about the island that makes you just want to fall in love and be in peace. We really do have our best memories here.

So are you now thinking of moving to Ibiza?

Well yes, at least for most of the year. Maybe not permanently as my bags are made in Italy and I need to be there as well. Who knows where life will take us, but the idea for my brand and bags came to me when I was here and so did Mia.

Did you suffer during your break-up?

I mean yes, of course, honestly I did suffer a bit; it is never easy to deal with the ending of a relationship. We were just really focused on being good parents to Mia and we saw that we’d be better parents to her if we separated.

You seem like a very strong and fearless woman. You made your bags and now it looks as though you are building an empire, a “Barbara Bonner” lifestyle brand. Can you tell me what your next steps are in business? 

I am trying to move back to Ibiza because I am now opening my first flagship store here on the island. This will be my first one, but I do hope it will be the first of many. What I am creating really beats in my heart; the designing of my own bags. When I was pregnant I still remember the line I did. I was feeling very creative and calm and felt truly free to express myself. I had so much energy to work and create during pregnancy.

 

I would like to wish Barbara all the very best of luck with all her adventures and I look forward to seeing you grow and blossom. Thank you for the lovely day we had together and hope to see you and Mia soon. Thank you for sharing your story with us and all the mothers and mothers to- be out there.

Love JM

video e photo credits Paolo Regis

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STRAWBERRY, CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT WATER SORBET

So I guess I am all about something fresh and cool these days 🙂

And our experiments in the kitchen with homemade ice cold refreshments continues….. Sebastian is absolutely crazy about strawberries and always has been, so I had to make this one especially for him  and lucky me because I had him smiling from ear to ear.

Note: Try to find very good strawberries to prevent an acidic taste.

I did say chocolate in the title, but of course I have a healthy version of chocolate. I use raw cacao powder for my smoothies and other recipes. It may not taste that good on it’s own but once blended with fruits and such you will never be able to tell the difference; your body will definitely thank you somehow 🙂 You may also leave it out , your sorbet  will taste just as good if not better depending on your tastes.

All you need is:

– Fresh organic strawberries.

– Coconut water.

– Raw cacao powder.

* Wash your strawberries well and place them in your blender with one small bottle of coconut water. Add one tablespoon cacao powder and blend well at high-speed for a minute or two.

Pour into your form and freeze for about 4 hours.

Enjoy the sweet freshness and that guilt free enjoyment.

Love JM and Sebastian

Photos by @mamafedona

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HAZELNUT AND DATES ICE-CREAM

A few months ago Sebastian, Gabriel and I started to play in the kitchen making delicious healthy ice-cream. Honestly, I’m not quite sure who has been enjoying this more …me or them 🙂

We have most times been successful and I believe it is because we are just using simple fresh ingredients with all natural products, no sugar added and mostly fresh fruits, milk and water from nuts.

The best part of this is that it only takes a couple minutes to prepare such tasty healthy treats. We get to enjoy completely guilt free ice-cream as much as we want all summer long. If you are already not doing this with your kids I highly recommend starting now 🙂

There are only three ingredients needed for this recipe:

– Sometimes I make the milk myself or I buy this one you see in the photo above.

– Three dates

– Cinnamon

Cut down the dates and take the stone out from the middle. One big cup of milk, homemade or store bought, a few dashes of cinnamon and just throw it all in your blender. Blend well for a few minutes on high-speed and blend the dates very well with the milk.

Pour into your ice-cream form and freeze.

Wait up to 4 – 5 hours and then enjoy.

Love JM

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AT LEAST WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER

Children8  

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I was reading the evening story to my sons before they go to sleep but on this particular night we decided to read four books instead of just one. I sang some lullabies and stroked their backs and heads after the lights went out. This evening was quite different though, I gave them much more of my time and patience. I was so nervous and emotional telling my sons over and over how much I loved them as early the next day I was travelling to Jordan. My emotions were mixed as I was wondering about my safety and  what I would see and how to deal with all of it. I was worried about the children and how to look these people in the eye and how I was going to eventually leave them behind. As a mother of two children my instinct is to take all of them home with me and to put an end to this ridiculous madness, These are people who were born to live their lives  just like every single one of us. The only difference is they are stuck in a situation that no one should ever have to be in.

Many of you know my relationship with the organization called, “Support Syrian Children” and I was finally going on my first trip with them to bring first aid to Syrian children and families that had to run from their homeland as it is in the midst of  war. It  is completely out of  control and no one seems to be human anymore, life seems to mean nothing. I find myself asking over and over how this could possibly be happening and why are we not helping out more. Why isn’t there an end to this madness. I know many others are asking and wondering the exact same thing.

Arianna Martini, the president of  ” Support Syrian Children”,  told me that Amman,Jordan is pretty safe. Both of us are mothers and we must be very careful where we go. She has been travelling monthly to a few different places around the war zones for the past four years. A true image of a strong and brave woman. I believe she has put her life at risk many times just to try her very best to help so many helpless children and families. Her heart is always there with all the children she has helped, even when she has to return back to Italy and be a full-time employee plus mother of two beautiful children.

On this trip we were joined by pediatrician,  Marino Andolina whom is an incredible person and has been volunteering in war torn areas for the past few years. I do not recall ever meeting a greater man.

Francesca Ghirardelli is a freelance journalist for an Italian national magazine and other newspapers. She has also written a book about a young girl named Maxima’sextraordinary journey escaping Syria.

Luigi Lapi who works as a quantity surveyor is a man with one of the biggest hearts I know. He will now also join us in making our new project become a beautiful home to the victims of war –  mothers and orphans. This was his first trip as well and I know he will come many more times.

I always say that together we are stronger, so together with these amazing humans I will now, more than ever, dedicate myself and everything I do to making a difference. I will give them a voice here in the world as they ask, “why is no one helping us.” Our world is filled with all kinds of people, also very powerful people that could help make things better. Yet we have children that are abandoned, dirty, terrified, traumatized, hungry, alone on the street and in the desert. What if this was us, you or me in this devastating situation? All I would  do is pray for help and hope.

It is so hard to write all of this, I feel like I want to explain every single thing I saw and felt so carefully, but I honestly don’t know how. I have been working on this article for days and my mind and heart feels numb as my mind drifts off to the camps. I can’t wait to go back.

Here in this article you will see photos and videos from the trip. Where in each tent we went we received great and loving hospitality and invitations for dinner. These people are so thankful and ready to give us everything they have as they are so beyond grateful for what we bring them. They want to talk with us and share laughs, hugs, stories, feelings and tears. Their beautiful eyes are wide and wise. One look into these childrens’ eyes makes my insides want to burst into tears as I see so much pain, but also so much hope.

We are now working very hard to build a shelter. This shelter will house a few mothers and quite a few orphans. A place of hope and love. Together we are stronger. If you are in a position to donate please do so by using the numbers below.

Children8

IBAN IT89V0521651680000000090881

Love JM