Wintering on the Westside

The weather is warm and dew drops lay still on the plants that are rooted in front of us. It smells like spring in February & the garden, where green juices are sold by the gallon, is tranquil & quiet. "This is owned by the same people who built the yoga studio down the block." the girl at the counter mentions.  There's a Buddha sitting & smiling, while the fountain water trickles gently to the beat of the music playing over the speakers in the background. The sun shines majestically in the sky.  It has made it's mark on us by now, browning our skin & adding a hint of red to our cheeks. We sip on our kale & apple blend dreaming up the future.  Thoughts of extending our stay out west swirl tirelessly in my mind, causing minor panic in Papa.  "Let's be bicoastal!" I say half kidding, but totally serious. "Yes let's!" Papa says, half kidding and totally serious. His smile fades and eyes wander.  "But how…" he asks aloud.  And then I panic.  Buddha still smiling at us from a distance.

Our day's in this southern California beach town have been spent outdoors & barefoot.  Surfing has become a humbled pastime.  Bebe Bird was granted his first wetsuit which he swiftly declined because "the thing is,the neck's too tight." (oh!) settling for a rash guard in its place. We arrived without a car relying on the training of our New York City feet to fill in as our main source of transportation. Instead of long journeys up & down the California coast as I had previously imagined  we have nestled into this beach town staying local and finding ourselves happy and comfortable. There have been bus adventures to neighboring towns & some misadventures where Papa vowed never to ride the bus again-"what's that smell…"he would ask every few minutes until we arrived at our destination.

There have been joy filled family reunions where Bebe Bird and his favorite amongst all his favorites, Nina Bird unite for the first time on the west side.  This, has been the longest stretch of time the two have been apart since Nina's been born.  There have been happy hearts overflowing with love, where no one exists except the two of them-sweet cousins speaking a language all their own & playing in a world that belongs only to them.  Together they camped, together they visited Disney & together they stepped their tiny feet into the cool Pacific.  Their hearts full & eyes smiling. My heart broke, a little knowing how much time would pass before they saw each other again.

This winter brought with it birthday celebrations and time with Nana.  There have been moments set aside for creating.  And moments witnessing an active 4 year old lose himself inside his own imagination as only one can in childhood. Our journey has offered such peace & grace where gratitude has taken root & fills me to a point where the only thing I can do is shut my eyes and give thanks.

And still the longing for home, for family & our friends like family tug gently on our hearts. It's that subtle reminder that "all is well in my world"-to have love and life in two places who could ask for more?

Joy & Courage!

A Smart Way to Feed the Kids

Most nights, Papa & I serve up vegetables with our dinner.  To be honest Bebe Bird isn't really, a veggie loving kid, like some of his pals. I wasn't either as a kid…so I kind of get it.  But still…In our home we  have some go to veggies that make an appearance each week, like kale & the carrots in a Viatnamese sandwiches & broccoli (that helps you run super fast).  But other than those smash hits, getting Bebe Bird to eat veggies can be a challenge.  These days when Bebe Bird discovers & new vegetable on his plate he simply licks it and we call it a success.  Introducing some healthy food and snack options can be tricky sometimes.  But not so tricky if you're feeding your kid delicious children's Bitsy's Brainfood, created by dynamic duo and mamas Maggie Jones Patton & Alexandra Buckley Voris.

" In order to effect change, healthy had to be fun and kids had to be empowered..." 

Bebe Birds (BB):  What inspired you ladies to partner up & create Bitsy's Brainfood? 

Bitsy's Brainfood (Bitsy's): We're moms and while that may seem like the obvious starting point, the inspiration for Bitsy's Brainfood came long before we had kids.  After many years of working together in education and non-profit, we reached a point where we felt we needed to look more closely and strategically at some of the most prevalent, persistent issues facing kids and of these, childhood obesity struck a particular chord.

In 2005, we helped create and run what was one of the first federally funded after school programs to address childhood obesity in grades K-8.  What set us apart was our belief that in order to effect change, healthy had to be FUN and kids had to be empowered.  And it worked.  Over 90% of the kids in our programs changed the way they were eating-and beyond that, they had a positive impact on the health of their families, their communities and their schools.  

So, on a mission to make healthy fun for kids across America and to create products that are truly good for kids, not just "not bad for you," we started Bitsy's Brainfood.  In 2012, we launched our first line of alphabet-shaped Smart Cookies and this year we launched a line of organic fruit and vegetable cereals, built around our core principles that healthy bodies and healthy minds are connected and learning to eat smart should be fun.

BB:  What was your background prior to starting Bity's Brainfood? 

Bitsy's: We worked together at a non-profit.  Maggie was Executive Director of generaionOn and Alex served as VP of Programs and Strategy. We've always been all about kids.  And though little known, a fact is that Maggie did a short stint in improv comedy her first year out of college.  We'll spare you any of her old jokes, though follow her on twitter and you can read some pretty bad ones.

BB:  What was your biggest learning curve when working in the kitchen when starting Bity's Brainfood?

Bitsy's: Well, we baked our original cookies together in Alex's parents' kitchen (our NYC apartment kitchens were too tiny for our crazy experimentation-and we tried recipes with every nutrient dense veggie out there)!

But neither of us are true chefs.  We are practical moms who believe kids should be healthy, happy, having fun and learning whenever and wherever they can.

To this end, we recognize the need for convenience and snacks and playing within reality.  So, while it would be great always to have fresh fruit and veggies on hand for snacks, this just isn't everyone's reality.  Sometimes, you need something that goes in the backpack or backseat and that isn't going to melt, squish, mess or go bad in a day.  And when you do-it should be healthy, functional and fun!

We were both influenced by food in different ways growing up.  Maggie had a lot of fun vegetables as a kid; her grandparents lived on a farm in Georgia, where she grew up.  Her dad was would always tell stories to make fruits and veggies fun, including one on a camping trip when he claimed that before the invention of the toothbrush people ate apples to clean their teeth.  (there's a good chance there were forgotten toothbrushes on that trip) But the point is that if you make it fun and interesting, kids will remember.

BB:  That's a great story!  Now, being parents Bitsy's Brainfood is truly kid tested.  What are your children's favorite Bitsy's Brainfood?

Bitsy's: For cereal, the winner for all our kids is Fruit & Veggie 1, 2, 3.  Its number shapes, fruity and delicious smell, mixed with  great whole grain crunch make it irresistible!  But, Maggie's son and his best buddy love to snack on the Carrot Raisin Crunch.  Alex's son, who is the youngest of the bunch, is bananas for Banana Squash Squares, which is also Gluten-Free.

When it comes to cookies, the kids truly love all four.  All of our kids have been very early alphabet learners, too, and we attribute that to 100% to Bitsy's fun alphabet shapes!

But, to break it down for you:
Maggie's son calls himself "broccoli man" and LOVES our Lemon Broccoli cookies.  Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin is an all around favorite!  In the office, we often snack on Orange Chocolate Beet, and both our husbands are crazy for the Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot.  Bitsy's truly is great for the whole family.  And that's something that was important to us too-if we can't eat the food we get for our kids, we'll go hungry!  And we really believe that families should buy food that everyone can eat together. Your kids are going to want to eat what you eat.    

BB: Any tips for parents & caregivers on getting kids to eat more fruits and veggies?

Bitsy's: What's huge for us is celebrating the fruits and vegetables we want our kids to eat--we're not hiding any carrots around here! Since we started Bitsy's Brainfood, there have been other brands who've begun to get in on the baking-in-the-veggie bandwagon.  But they HIDE the veggies from the kids under giant flavor call-outs like Snickerdoodle.  Huh?

If you wan your kids to like to eat veggies, don't teach them that Snickerdoodle or Double Chocolate Chip are the flavors we seek out when we're having a "treat."  We've got to do some good PR for broccoli!  And that's what we're about.  Show kids that broccoli, sweet potatoes, zucchini and beet taste good in many contexts.  Kids are not bornn thinking the word "chocolate" means delicious-we teach them this by reinforcing the concept of sweet treats.  If you start young with products like Bitsy's-you're setting yourself up for success.

Finally, with Bitsy's we believe parents can have their standards and kids can have their way.  As parents, we believe in picking our battles, and food doesn't need to be a daily battle if you start with good options and send the right messages.  The key is to do it in a realistic, kid-friendly way-make it fun! Empower children to make good choices.  Plant the seeds.

"What's huge for us is celebrating the fruits and vegetables we want our kids to eat."

BB:  As working mama's and raising a family any tips you can share on multi-tasking?

Bitsy's: Dont stress; do your best!  We say this a lot to each other.

I think we've both realized that it's a delicate balance.  Finding time with your kids to be present and be off work is so critical…but, that's easier said than done when things are coming for all sides.

I wish we had a really great tip to give.  But, it feels like all we can do is be honest and say that it's hard.  Launching a start-up and being a parent sometimes brings us to our knees, but we're lucky to have an incredible support system, too- each other, plust truly amazing teams both at home and at work.  Ultimately we give our best and try to keep everyone happy, growing and thriving.  We work hard to keep it all in perspective (and we frequently talk one another off the ledge).

Ahh! Thank you for that honest advice.  Bebe Bird is a big fan (as is his Mama)!  To get your little one's hands on some yummy Bitsy's Brain Food visit them here to find a retail store near you or order online (we get ours from diapers.com).  Enjoy!

The Sacred World of 4

Since January, we've been granted VIP access into the world of being 4. It's a wild little place where trains litter the floor & colorful markers stain the hands.  We bear witness to the evolution of a little boy busily transforming into a bigger boy. "4 is such a magical age" my friend commented in October. I smiled at the time like I knew, but little did I know. The magic of being 4 resides in the the little moments that make up the day to day.

The weeks upon 4's arrival I've watched my son become lost in his own imagination. Lost in a world of play, where games are happily created & characters come to life.  

It's a place where boundaries are tested regularly- along with it my patience.  Superhero's & Peter Pan are for real & flying could actually happen…to any of us…at any time. 4 is filled with infinite possibilities. 

It also carries the weight of a new found independence that can disrupt a once normal routine.  For example, getting dressed-Bebe Bird pretty much takes fooooreeeever to get ready. Now, at 4 he insists on dressing himself & currently loves to deck himself out in comfy pants (sort of like long johns that used to be worn at home or under clothes during the winter months.) These days, his comfy pants have become a staple in his everyday wardrobe. A uniform, if you will.  With pride Bebe Bird will announce to his class "I've got my cozies on today."  They smile because each of them know how comfy cozies can be.  

Bebe Bird rocking his "cozies"

The 4 year old mind is a curious one.  When speaking with a 4 year old you'll quickly learn that the "how's", "what's" & "why's" can dominate a conversation;  "What's fire made of?", "How is it yellow?" "Why is there blue in fire sometimes?"  

4 Year Old Boys & Their Toys

On a recent walk Papa was telling me about a restaurant requiring "Proper Attire".  Bebe Bird interrupts, "What's proper attire?" "Oh, I answer. It's when you need to dress sharp."  "In that case", he says, "I'll wear my Santa suit." Of course you will, because you see, at 4 Santa is the best dressed man in all the world.  

Turning 4 has been everything and nothing at all. It's the negotiating and reasoning. It's the hugs & the tantrums. It's exhilarating & exhausting & can be, at times, downright excruciating. 

It's that childlike innocence we so admire when all grown up.

4, it's so simple, it's magical.  

Here We Stand

2015 gave birth to our sense of adventure.  We packed up our Brooklyn belongings &  headed west for the winter.  On a bitter cold January day our plane took off at Laguardia and made its way to southern California. We discarded the heavy coats for long scarves and tossed those shoes aside, making room for tiny grains of sand to rest between our toes.  

My soul inhales gratitude as we drive down the coast. A million silent "thank you's" race through my veins.  The sense of being home, for now, breeds contentment. After all, this is where "we" began.  

As the opportunity presented itself we took another leap of faith as a family of 3 to Carpe Diem this time in our lives, when Bebe Birds not yet in big kid school, when I'm home with him & Papa is able to work remotely. We packed our bags for the west coast as the chill of winter made itself comfortable on the east.  

For years Papa & I would travel anywhere but here.  We wanted to explore the world. We would seek out adventure & surf in places like Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic.  We went to London, Nice, Paris & Majorca.  Then Bebe Bird was born and we discovered a great need for him to connect with this tiny place in the world that had such a big impact on our family's beginning.  His grandma is here, he has cousins here.  And even though his nest has been built 3000 miles away, in Brooklyn, we want him to know he has roots here too. 

So, this winter we plan to hibernate in this sleepy California beach town to soak in the sun & each other. We're just passing through until NewYork de-thaws & the spring breaths new life into the city that never sleeps.  #joy&courage