I recently discovered a new healthy drink that I love making and I love drinking - Water Kefir! I seriously cannot clearly define what kefir is, but what I do understand is that water kefir is basically a probiotic drink made with filtered water, sugar and water kefir grains. It's super easy to make. I purchased a starter kit, and once the grains were hydrated, all I have to do now is switch the grains into fresh sugar water (I use organic sucanant) and then let them sit for 24-48 hours. I like to do a second fermentation with a tablespoon of sugar and about 2 inches of fresh ginger chopped into little sticks. This second fermentation sits for 48 hours and creates a ginger beer that is so fizzy, I literally have to open the bottles in a bowl, in a sink. We don't drink soda and so this is a really fun "treat" for us. I want to try making cream soda.

The girls don't like the ginger beer, but they'll drink regular water kefir mixed with juice (very small amount) and I put the water kefir in smoothies.

Like I said, I love making water kefir. It doesn't take all that much time, it feels like a treat and I feel like I'm taking better care of myself and my family and that's rewarding in and of itself. I love that I'm getting some great probiotics into my diet (I don't eat yogurt, and even then, yogurt from the store doesn't contain as many probiotics as we think it does), and ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory. One big thing I've noticed as I've begun consuming water kefir is that my sugar cravings have dropped significantly. I know that gut health affects sugar cravings and I think this is a big connection for me. Water kefir is also praised for increasing immunity and I want a healthy immune system.

I wanted to share this on my blog just because I love it and I find myself telling so many people about it. I decided to also share it here. I hope you try it!

I wanted to learn how to lift weights because I wasn't feeling as strong as I wanted to. I was taking classes at the YMCA (TRX, body pump), but was beginning to plateau, and I wanted something more. I worked with a trainer a couple times initially to get over the intimidation of the weight room. This journey began mid-October 2013.

I've never felt like a very strong person (running doesn't build a whole lot of strength) and I had subscribed to the belief that women should do lots of reps at lower weights (never, ever over 10#) to build long, lean muscles. I didn't want to be bulky.

Weight lifting has changed my body image beliefs. I want to lift as heavy as I possible can. I want to do a lower amount of reps at those heavy weights. I want strong muscles, and I cringe every time I hear the word "tone" in reference to women's muscles. If being strong means I go up a pant size, I'm okay with that (and my jeans are getting a bit snug). I hope that as my body image becomes healthier, I can pass that on to my daughters. It's really important to me to teach my daughters to love and respect their bodies and to be grateful. I want them to think positively about themselves and I think that one of the best ways to teach this is by example.

I have loved the challenge of lifting. I'm very much still an amateur, and I have so much left to learn. But that may be the best part. There's more to learn, there's more weight to add, there's so much. It's so exciting! Gratitude is another thing I feel in conjunction with weight lifting.

My big goal when I started was to have my three lifts (back squat, dead lift and bench press) add up to 300#. I had to scale back a couple times to really make sure my form was good and it took longer than I thought, but today, an additional 5# on my back squat sealed the deal! My numbers are still pretty small - it can be very humbling and a little depressing to see what other women can lift, but I have to choose to focus on my personal gains, and slow and steady I'll work my way up. Slowly getting stronger, slowly lifting more. And I'll take every gain and PR I get! Mental affirmations are a vital part of lifting to me. I don't know how many times I've told myself, "I'm strong," as I've felt challenged, but if I don't believe that I'm strong, I will fail and could get an injury.

I definitely recommend weight lifting to everyone, however, when it comes to exercise, I believe that it's most important to do what makes you happy. It doesn't really matter what it is that gets you moving and brings you joy. Weightlifting, and running once or twice a week is really working for me right now. I encourage anyone reading this to find something that gets them moving and brings them joy, and if you've already found it, celebrate! Don't be afraid to try something new. It's not worth it to let our fears hold us back.

Now it's time for me to set some new goals and continue working and sweating.

I've wanted to try out the Oliver and S hopscotch dress for a little while and I finally tried it this month. These dresses are not my first try... I began dresses for the girls with different fabric, but I melted Greta's dress... and then Holly's size 4 barely fits her, so it's still unhemmed. It fits Greta much better. It was good that I made the melting mistake and figured out the O+S small sizing on this pattern (their patterns usually run a little bit big) before I cut into my Heather Ross knit fabric. I cut out Greta's dress in a 4 and Holly's in a 6 (!!!) and I didn't alter the length on either. Holly and Greta were waiting at the edge of the table as I finished their dresses and as soon as I had trimmed threads, they threw their dresses on and wore them for the remainder of the day! And then they wore them for the next 2+ days. Holly wore her dress 4 days in a row! I love it when I nail homemade clothes for them. I'm thinking about buying Heather Ross's strawberry knit fabric and making another set of dresses this month...

And what's better than two sisters that love each other? Conor and I love how well they play together. Holly and Greta are best friends!

This is one of my favorite sewing patterns of all times. This is the third year I've made up Oliver and S Puppet Show Shorts and the last year Holly will fit the pattern sizing. When I asked Greta at the store if she wanted shorts out of this fabric, she said a firm, "no." Baby girl is very specific about what she likes (and shorts aren't really her thing!). Holly, on the other hand, was thrilled with this garment. The shorts are fun and vibrant and are quite comfortable. The fabric has a great drape and weight and is still very soft. It's become so satisfying to sew for Holly. She's developed such a wonderful appreciation for the things I make her and it makes me want to sew for her constantly. She has a grateful heart. I hope she gets lots of use out of these shorts this summer!

Here are some more photos from my birthday at the beach. We finally remembered to bring out a kite we'd been given and all the little girls had fits and giggles over flying it! Again, it was a lovely day...