.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Hump-Day! 

It is 9.30pm in Germany and I just came out of my son’s room to read him his two bedtime stories. Usually he is in bed earlier but we are traveling and my husband, Emma his daughter and I are sitting in the kitchen, talking, looking at pictures so petit Joel wants to be up and with us of course. And we let him. Because he is cute. But there is just this time at night that I want for myself. To write, research and read. The entertainment program for my son is going on all day and nighttime is me-time. 

On a daily basis we do have a somewhat “normal” routine down and I think that this is a good thing for kids, no? It did take some time however and with our traveling schedule it is sometimes difficult but we do manage okay. Things are pretty easy these days as far as bedtime routine goes. (My picky-eater son is eating everything since we are in Germany) I remember how many books and articles I read on babies and raising kids when I was pregnant. Thinking about how I am going to do everything differently and better with my child, you know. And then, well, the baby arrived and things changed completely.  A little tip for anybody who is pregnant or wants to be pregnant: Don’t read too many book on children, breastfeeding and all this good stuff. You don’t know how things will be until your child is born, so don’t sweat it and get yourself all worked-up. Everything will fall into place somehow. Believe me, I worried about everything. 

Normally, petit Joel goes to bed between 8 and 8.30pm so I start giving him his dinner an hour before that. He eats whatever I give him these days which is easy. Sometimes a slice of bread with butter and cheese, cucumber slices and something to drink (water mixed with a bit of apple juice). Here in Berlin we have a bathtub and he loves to take a bath with tons of bubbles. This makes him tired. Here, I try to give him a bath after his dinner. Otherwise we take showers together or I just wash him with a washcloth. I wrap him in a towel to dry him off and apply this awesome cream I made. Then I brush his teeth and he starts to wind down. He then picks out two books every night and I read to him. Sometimes my husband does it too – in English. But honestly, I do love to bring him to bed on my own and have this little snuggle-time alone. I read to him every single night, no matter what. He is so used to this routine and I love it. I enjoy watching him being interested in books. [The book ‘Go the F***k to Sleep’ really exists by the way and I did purchase it but when I read it to my son I leave the F-word out obviously]

I love him so much and he is the sweetest when I read to him. All he wants is “another one” and me to stay with him. As soon as I put him in his bed and say good night he totally loses it. [Think The Exorcist here!] He cries and cries and wants me to come back. All I am thinking is, that it is me-time at this point and that he is up in 10-12 hours again. He stops crying after 5-10 minutes and falls asleep. This is it. Our little bedtime routine. 

Just in case you don’t want to get the book here is the YouTube clip. The story read by Samuel L. Jackson. Can this get any better? 😉 

How do you bring your kids to bed? What is your routine? I would love to hear from you. Any tips on how my son’s crying  every night might stop? Mom’s have to stick together here.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Do you know the problem of having too many stacks of books piling up in your house? I have this problem – a serious book addiction. It is so bad that I have books stacked nicely on my bedside table and on my to-read pile but I do have the urge to buy new ones all the time. On Friday I attended the All-You-Can-Read-Event at Riemann Bookstore and it was so so great. It was my first but most certainly not my last time to enjoy reading and book browsing until midnight. The event is well-organized. The Riemann-team offers bread, cheese, veggies and olives, coffee, tea, sweets and soft drinks that you can only eat in the little café on the upper floor of the bookstore. Of course you do not want breadcrumbs and stains all over your beloved books, right? 

Have you ever dreamt of being locked in a bookstore over night? It is somewhat like it. You can leave anytime obviously, but you cannot get back in. And why would you want to leave earlier in the first place? I loved browsing for several hours and really taking my time. Usually I somewhat rush through this bookstore, or I pick up books I ordered online and when my son is with me: fogettaboutit! There is no browsing in peace. Last Friday I read so much, went through all the bookshelves and picked books left and right. What I loved is that you are able to sit anywhere and cushions or chairs are placed for the readers to sit and enjoy their stay. So to get back to my “problem” – of course I found at least 12! books that sounded awesome and I wanted to get them then and there. At the event you are able to purchase the books just before the store closes. Awesomeness but dangerous for me. From the 12 books I carried around with me for some time I decided to only purchase three. Not too bad, right? I met a friend there and saw her again at the register in the end. She bought three books for her children and asked me if I bought my son something. “No, just all three for myself!” Hah, no regrets! If you get a chance and love books, try to get a ticket for 5 Euros in advance at the Bookstore Riemann and enjoy this very special event. 

Well, as you might have guessed, my must-read list is quite lengthy, keeps on growing and the bad thing is that there is always room for one more book. (Or two!) One more thing I would love to share is that I will most likely attend the Leipziger Book Fair this year in March. I received a blogger/writer pass for the entire weekend but I am not sure where my husband, son and I will be between 17-20 March 2016. I am looking forward to this fair and want to see if it is as good as the Frankfurter Book Fair I attended in 2014. 

Happy Reading and have a great week! I am off to bed with – yep, a great book. 

Do you love books as much as I do? Are you hoarding books? What is on your must-read-list or what book can you recommend? I would love to hear from you. 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello! 

Have you heard about Turmeric Latte’s yet? Here in Germany you see commercial for it everywhere. I found the instant mix at a local organic store but I still searched for a recipe to make this awesome drink on my own. Then I know exactly what is in it and it does taste a little better in any case.  Turmeric together with some simple ingredients is anti-inflammatory and soothes body and mind. On my little journey to take better care of myself, I think this latte is a great addition to my diet. Everything in moderation of course, so I won’t have one of these every day. But every other. When it comes to inflammatory supplements and foods, turmeric is usually on top of any list. Are you familiar with turmeric? 

Turmeric is anti-inflammatory because of its pigment called curcumin. I think it is very important to live with nature, not against it. And when I found out that turmeric has shown in some studies to be as effective as many over the counter inflammatory drugs, I was hooked. Turmeric is beneficial for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, it boosts immunity, is good for the liver function and overall health. I even read studies that this little spice may prevent Alzheimer’s and  that in some cases cancer cells stopped growing. Crazy, no? All this convinced me to try it. There are so many ways to add turmeric to almost anything you eat. Sometimes I put a bit on my salad, in smoothies, soups or of course any curry-dish. I loved how the author mentioned cooking with turmeric several times. I wrote about it in my latest book review . Turmeric has the ability to flush out bad chemicals that stick to tissues or joints and would not be flushed out otherwise. 

I love this creamy, rich,  naturally sweet (dates!!) latte. For this recipe I added some back pepper which gives the latte some extra spicy flavor, a bit of linseed oil at the bottom of my cup, chia seeds which are antioxidant-rich and some fresh ginger. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! 

How to: Turmeric Latte

To blend I use a Vitamix. One of the best blenders I have ever had!

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 2 cups almond milk
• 4 pitted Medjool dates
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tsp chia seeds
• 4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 pieces of fresh ginger
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 tbsp oil (I used linseed oil but it works well with coconut oil or any spicy oil!)
• Optional: raw honey to taste

Instructions

1. Place almond milk, dates, vanilla, chia seeds, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger (+ honey if you want it sweeter) into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer the blended mixture to a small pot and heat on low until hot but not boiling.
3. While the mixture is heating up, pour the oil into the bottom of your mug.
4. Once your latte is nice and hot, turn off the heat and pour it into your mug, allowing it to mix with the oil. Top with a pinch of black pepper.

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I make my own almond milk. Find the recipe here. 

Have you tried Turmeric before? How do you use it? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Thank you for reading my blog.