Merry Christmas!

We're enjoying our first Christmas in Kenya! Cooking yummy food, sharing presents, watching tv, and playing games all day long.

Images from our Mombasa holiday!

During November, we took a trip to Mombasa for our son's Birthday. The weather was beautiful. Bebe loved this place. The kids enjoyed playing on the beach; in the sand. This was my third time in Mombasa (Last time I was in Mombasa was 2001). The food was yummy.

Holiday in Mombasa, Kenya

Ndamona @ 18 months!

At home!

Kenyan Wedding

Last week we went to a friend's wedding Njuguna. Njuguna works with Brian, and he helped us settle when we first moved into our Kenyan home. It was a wonderful and beautiful experience. Enjoy the pictures!

The Best Get-Happy Foods

More from Woman's Day

• Improve Your Mood in 5 Minutes
• 8 Ways to Ease Your Worries

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By Abigail L. Cuffey

Fight stress and depression with five nutrient-buffed snacks

Sorry, ice cream isn't on the list! But the following foods do have nutrients that can help fight stress and depression, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness.

Food: Oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits Mood-Boosting Ingredient: Vitamin C This vitamin helps you cope better in stressful times by lowering your levels of stress hormones. If you get a lot regularly, you'll feel calmer during tough situations.

Food: Nuts Mood-Boosting Ingredients: Vitamin E, arginine (an amino acid) and magnesium A handful of nuts will keep you full and satisfied because they have a low glycemic index-which means they don't jack up your blood sugar levels and cause mood swings. It also makes you feel good to eat something that seems decadent (they're considered a little bit naughty because they're high in fat) but actually has health benefits.

Food: Leafy greens Mood-Boosting Ingredient: Folic Acid Research has shown that the folic acid in leafy greens such as kale and spinach can reduce depression and even improve blood flow to the brain. If you're not eating at least one serving per day you're more than likely low in folic acid, so try getting more or consider taking a multivitamin that contains it.

Food: Salmon Mood-Boosting Ingredient: DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) The omega-3s in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have been found to improve your mood while lowering the risk of depression and age-related memory loss. The depression link is so strong that American Psychiatric Association suggests that anyone taking antidepressants and/or going through therapy also boost her intake of omega 3s.

Food: Dried cherries Mood-Boosting Ingredients: Potassium, magnesium and vitamin C These nutrients all work to curb your body's stress response. Dried cherries also keep your brain healthy because they're packed with antioxidants (including vitamin C), which prevent damage to your brain cells that can lead to memory problems.

Introducing Yambeka Children

Yambeka Children is created to promote African literature, languages, fairly tales, and folklore. This book will be available soon in 5 different African languages including Oshiwambo. You can follow us on Facebook to keep up with the updates. No parts of this material may be reproduced in any form without a written permission. Copyright 2009 by Yambeka Children. All rights reserved.

Visiting Machako in Kenya

Last week, we visited Machako which is about 70 Km away from Nairobi. We visited the farm, ate some good Kenyan nyamachoma (Barbecued meat), and the kids had so much fun exploring.

About to have some fun at the farm!

Picking some banana, so much fun!

Pumkins

Kassava

Coffee

Coffee