Road Trip Wish List: A Mazda CX-9

March 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored content from BlogHer and Mazda CX-9.

Last weekend when we drove from Los Angeles to Big Bear Mountain for our first ski/snowboarding adventure, I found myself wishing we had a much bigger car so the kids didn’t even have to sit next to each other. And looking at the specs of the Mazda CX-9, I realize that as we start planning more road trips in our near future, a car that fits our growing family might be the difference between vacation hell and vacation bliss.

The vehicle size is priority number one. We still drive a boxy compact crossover with bucket seats in the back, allowing for only two kids. There’s (barely) enough cargo room for regular life, but limited space for all the stuff we want to bring on out-of-town trips: bikes (x4), food, clothing, camping gear for the mountains, boogie boards (x4) for the beach and, of course, the kitchen sink. We need more room, or we’ll start looking like the Griswolds on the way to Wally World.

With the CX-9’s 7-passenger interior and fold-down seats, we could even put each boy in his own row so they can’t keep trying to maim each other because they’re bored on a long ride. Or we could even (gasp!) bring along a friend for each brother.

Being well prepared for a car trip makes for a more enjoyable getaway, but this time I was more focused on borrowing the correct gear for the kids’ first snowboard lesson than prepping for the three-hour drive. We navigated up the mountain by using my phone’s map and trying to follow another family in their car. We would have been much better off with a dashboard navigation system, such as the CX-9’s TomTom, to help us with the most efficient route to our destination. After all, there are several ways to get through LA traffic and up to the mountains, and at one point my husband and I both said, “Where ARE we?!”

(Answer: Victorville, CA. The last big city before the mountains. Who knew?)

TomTom would have answered that question before we even asked it. Plus, the pleasant voice guidance would be better than my confused, too-late directions as I helped my husband figure out which way to go (and vice versa).

We love to leave on road trips after dinner and arrive the night before all the fun starts. That way, the boys can sleep on the ride. We avoid the fighting and the whining and the eleventy millionth, “Are we there yet?” coming from the back seat. But those times when we must travel while they are awake, we load up a bag or two of activities to keep them busy. Now that at least one of them can read, books are a natural addition, and I try to get new titles from the library for our older son to enjoy. The 5-year-old is happy to play with his handheld gaming system or, in a pinch, my phone.

Once upon a time I used to load kids’ music and audiobooks onto my iPod or CDs to play in the car, but then my husband let the kids play in the front seat while he was washing it one day. You can probably guess the rest of this story. The boys put pennies into the CD player and in every power outlet in the vehicle, so none of those features work anymore. The Mazda CX-9 comes with a standard USB audio input port, which would help me rekindle the kids’ love of audiobooks. It also offers available HD Radio, Pandora Internet radio connectivity and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. And now that the boys are listening to better music (farewell, Old MacDonald!), we could all rock out to our tunes of choice. Of course, my kids dream of “having a TV in the car,” and if I were a cooler mom, we would have at least gotten a portable DVD player by now. But with the CX-9’s optional Rear-Seat Entertainment System, we could have them watch their favorite videos on a 9″ LCD screen.

The price of the Mazda CX-9 makes me want to go get a new car right now. Today. Hold my calls. We paid $20,000 for our boxy crossover in 2005 because we financed it. At the time, my husband and I had one baby and one large dog. Now we have two gangly boys and a commitment to paying cash for our next car. At around $30,000 MSRP, the CX-9 seems like a reasonable upgrade to match the upgraded size of our family, which to be honest is growing as the boys get bigger.

We managed to make it up “to the snow,” as we say in Los Angeles, with no visible injuries on either of the boys. They took ski and snowboarding lessons, went sledding, and made snowmen and had snowball fights for the first time. They had a blast, and my husband and I enjoyed watching them and staying dry on the sidelines. We headed back down to sea level with a car full of sweaty gear and tired humans, wishing our car had a dashboard camera to better capture the beautiful sunset.

Overall, it was a great road trip. With a bit more room and more entertainment options, both of which are offered by the Mazda CX-9, there would have been a lot less whining, threatening and bargaining. And the kids would have been much quieter, too.


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Nurturing the Soul of Your Family [Review and Giveaway]

March 15, 2013 by 27 Comments

I’m always interested in improving my family’s life, and so both the title and the subtitle of this book, Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways To Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life spoke to me. I almost felt like challenging the author, Renée Peterson Trudeau, by saying “Bring it on. Impress me. Let me see if your tips really work.”

But after reading the book I must say I can’t recall off the top of my head what the ten ways are, because I got lost in the message. From the very first paragraph, I felt like Trudeau was writing the things I have been thinking over the last year or so.

You crave a slower, simpler, more spacious life. You long to feel more connected to your family and to experience more peace and harmony in the everyday. But it feels like too much work, too impossible. You’re not even sure where to begin.

I begin all the time. Just this week alone I started a daily meditation practice and a 2-week workout challenge. I grasp at the shiny things that float before me, promising to calm and center me, make me a better, more effective parent and spouse. I try on a new role, “Calm Mom,” for example, and wear it until the shell cracks and the pieces fall all around me. I know that fad ways of being are not sustainable for me or my family.

Nurturing the Soul of Your Family is a guidebook, not a fad. It’s an invitation to start from within. For me, the book is filled with messages that address where I am – doing things about it, not just stuck. In fact, when I read the chapter about spending more time in nature, I was planning a hike on the Wistful Vista trail in Oak Park. Trudeau’s words were in my head every time my son and I reached the top of another hill and looked around at our breathtaking surroundings. We both felt lucky, and I took a mental snapshot of each moment to save as long as possible.

I am practicing slowing down. I am learning to say “no” more often – that is hard, because I’m a very busy person, and I feel uncomfortable when I am not being productive. Trudeau’s reminders to live with those moments are meaningful to me, and they allow me to even try meditation. It’s only been four days, but I look forward to those early morning sessions…as long as my coffee is by my side.

Renée Trudeau is a life coach from Austin who used to be a corporate ladder climber, but changed directions when she realized she wanted more out of life. This latest book engages the reader with personal stories from Trudeau’s own upbringing and personal journey, and anecdotes from friends and her personal coaching clients about their struggles with family and personal peace. Each section starts with a centering exercise and ends with journaling prompts, and is filled with usable tips and suggestions about how to implement these nurturing ideas into your life.

My biggest takeaway from the book at this moment is that I should cherish my family. It’s obvious right? Of course we cherish our families. But Trudeau suggests that the souls that make up your family came together for a reason, and your little collection of souls is the most important connection in your life. When I choose to think of my children that way, I am less impatient with them. That line of thinking helped me not lose my temper completely when my boys were driving me crazy yesterday. Hey, whatever works.

I’m giving away a copy of the book so you can have a chance to see for yourself this if you win. Just leave a comment here by 11:59 PM PDT on Thursday, March 21, and I will choose a winner at random and contact you directly. Open to US residents for the hard copy of the book, or a PDF for an international winner.

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Catch-Up Chicken and Rice Bowl Recipe

March 13, 2013 by 4 Comments

I go grocery shopping on Sundays. Every weekend, without fail. I hit Ralph’s or Costco, usually both. It’s just how our family routine has evolved to produce the most effective schedule during the week.

Except.

When I have something to do on Sundays I try to do the shopping on Saturday, but then last weekend was so lovely that I took our older boy out for a good long hike. And then grocery shopping was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew I would pay the price, but it was worth it.

And so, fast forward to Monday. I’d been busy all weekend, and had work all morning, and kid things all afternoon. And I never take the kids with me to the grocery store.  A mother only tries that once.

So there I was on a Monday night, wondering what to make for my family dinner. I needed one more grace night before I had time to hit the grocery store sans kids the next day. So I poked through the cabinets and fridge and came up with some great ingredients left over from last weekend’s shopping trip and decided to wing it. In truth, I make this kind of meal all the time. Meat, vegetable, starch, garnish, bowl = done. For this meal I used spinach but I could have just as easily used the leftover steamed broccoli. But honestly, the spinach needed to be used or else.

The entire meal was prepped and cooked in 20 minutes, not counting the pauses I took to referee sibling fights or answer the phone. Just another day…

Catch-Up Chicken and Rice Bowl

2 tbsp olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups Minute® Rice brown rice

1 bag baby spinach

2.5 cups chicken broth

shredded cheese and salsa, for garnish

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high heat for about 30 seconds. Add chicken breasts and brown each side. Remove to a cutting board and cut into 1-2 inch cubes. Return to skillet, add chopped garlic, and cook through. Set aside in serving bowl, leaving garlic and juices in skillet.

In same skillet, cook the spinach until wilted. Set aside in serving bowl.

Meanwhile, cook Minute® Rice according to package directions, replacing water with chicken broth. Set aside in serving bowl.

Arrange all the bowls, buffet style, along with cheese and salsa.* Allow your family members to create their own masterpieces!

*cucumbers and Sriracha sauce optional

My husband’s creation, extra spicy

My own bowl, with just a touch of salsa

This one doesn’t like his different foods to touch.

This is really all I ask. I declare Catch-Up Chicken and Rice Bowl a win!

Minute® Rice is quick and easy to prepare and is a great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what you want with your loved ones.

Leftover rotisserie chicken or veggies from a meal earlier in the week? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal your whole family will love in just a matter of minutes.

Visit  to create a great main meal or side dish for your next family get-together or potluck.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice.

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