Starting off the new year with simple acts of kindness…

All it takes is a smile, a nod of respect to someone passing by, even just eye contact…a simple act of kindness, that’s what our world needs today…Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? When a butterfly flaps it’s wing, it could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world!!! How about if someone smiles at another person, maybe it could heal someone on the other side of the world!!! I’ll call it the Smile Effect…Let’s all try it, wouldn’t it be wonderful if it works??…                                                                                          I don’t know about you, but these guys make me smile…V.J., Parker and Aaden…

A good way to stay healthy and experience kindness for ourselves in the new year is to take up yoga!!  Yoga is an exercise for body, mind and soul…it has positive effects on our lives and therefore benefits us and others we come in contact with:)    Gina is a yoga teacher in Virginia, I wish I could take her Gentle Yoga class every week, but unfortunately I don’t live close:(  However, I’ve found a wonderful yoga class that is close by and just right for me and some of my friends too:)  It’s at the Dedham Senior Center, I know what your saying “What chair yoga?!!!”  No!! It’s Yoga for More Active Seniors and it’s heaven and free!!!   Cathy teaches it at the Dolan Center, Wednesdays 1:30-2:30 and you need to sign up and be a senior, 60+.  Cathy is an amazing teacher, talking us through the poses, breathing and stretching, she also plays the best gentle meditation music, all of it lulling us into a zen state, when it’s over we are all sooo relaxed.  I can’t think of anything kinder to do for yourself…It was hard to find a corner of my house that wasn’t covered with toys or opened gifts, but we managed to clear a spot in my dining room to take these pictures:)  We gave Gina this yoga outfit for Christmas…Lululemon top, I just bought this three weeks ago and it’s already sold out of stock, this link will show you something similar. The yoga pants are from Athleta, I bought them for myself too, they are the High Rise Chaturanga Tight and gives me good support, which I need at my age:)

Now for the food…Unfortunately this past week we have had a few people in our lives that have needed some kind comfort chicken soup.  I do not have their permission to write about it in this blog, so I won’t go into detail:(  As a result, Victor and I went to work on a huge pot of my simple to make chicken soup for a crowd and packed it up to deliver to a family in need… Chicken Soup for Giving

4  48 oz. Cans of College Inn Chicken Broth (2 regular, 2 low sodium)
32 oz. Package of small cut carrots
Package of 2 celery hearts cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Large onion diced
16 oz. Package of frozen spinach
2 Tablespoons of dried marjoram
2 Tablespoons of dried thyme
1 Large bay leaf
Package of mini bows(or any kind of pasta you like)
Pepper to taste

Pour cans of broth into large pot, I used 12 quart pot. Throw in carrots first, they need the longest time to cook, then the celery and onion, herbs and then chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Take chicken out to cool slightly, in large bowl, let vegetable cook until soft. Cut up chicken into chunks, toss back into soup. Then put the spinach in and let cook until mixed in and soup starts to boil, I like the spinach to stay bright green but still cooked.  I packed it up in two 16 cup Zip Lock container. I kept one for us, we still had family staying with us to feed!!  Cook pasta, pack it separately, I never pack the pasta in the soup, the pasta will soak up the broth and you’ll have stew instead of soup… For a crowd, I heat soup in a pot, heat pasta in microwave then plate each bowl with pasta first and soup over it. If you’re just serving a couple of people, just pop the bowls with everything in it, in microwave for 2 or 3 minutes each!

Nothing like a hot bowl of chicken soup on a frigid winter day, with crusty rosemary bread, cheddar cheese and Jarlsberg cheese and of course a glass of wine…

A comforting hand going into the new year, I promise I’ll do my best Mom..

So that’s how you fit family, fashion, fitness and food into a post for Kindness in the New Year!!  My gratitude to all of my family, friends and new friends, I’m thinking of you all with a smile and wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year…