Geisha School Dropout

GIVEAWAY SUNDAY: Happy National Strawberry Month!

May is National Strawberry Month, so YoKids is teaming up with Tom's of Maine on Strawberry flavored goodies!  Starting May 21st, each tube of children's toothpaste purchased on the Tom's of Maine site will come with a coupon for $1 off YoKids Greek organic yogurt. You can also save 20% on your entire order with the coupon code:  YOKIDS20.

Just to be clear, I'm not getting paid for saying this.  I sincerely appreciate that both companies provide high quality, all-natural and/or organic options, and we seriously use their products multiple times a day.  Isaac and Emi grew up on YoBaby yogurt, and now I pack a Yogurt Squeezer in their lunches every day.  We all use Tom's of Maine toothpastes, which have no artificial sweeteners or dyes, are cruelty-free, and come in environmentally responsible packaging.

To promote this special deal, Stonyfield Farm sent me a strawberry-themed goody bag to give away to one of my readers.  It is packed with the following goodies:  Reusable cotton YoKids lunch sack filled with several Tom's of Maine products including a full 4.2oz tube of Silly Strawberry children's toothpaste, as well as samples of their Naturally Dry deodorant and Daily Moisture soap.  The bag also includes FREE YoKids and YoKids Greek coupons (both available in strawberry!), YoKids Greek temporary tattoos (in strawberry AND raspberry!), and YoKids Strawberry-flavored Eco Lips chapstick! 

 

To enter for a chance to win this goody bag, just comment below with your favorite way to eat strawberries!  Mine is chocolate-covered, mmmm....

Good Things Still Come via Snail Mail

Yesterday, I received a CD-size envelope from an address in New York.  When I opened it up, there was a letter that read:

Dear Human Being,

Enclosed is a burned compact disc version of "Henrietta," a single from our upcoming album.  We wanted you to hear it first.  Please know you were chosen (1 of 200) at random from over 7 billion people on the planet earth.  Pls share w/ the internets.

More details soon.

x- Yeasayer

I about near wept with glee.  Yeasayer is one of the best bands out there, and here they appear on my doorstep!  What a great surprise for an otherwise uneventful Wednesday.  What an awesome way to market a new single, right?  So I shall obey my musical overlords...here is Yeasayer's new single, "Henrietta":

 

01 Henrietta

(You can stream it from here, or right-click module to download.)

GIVEAWAY SUNDAY: Guess Who?

I decided to spice things up...blame it on Cinco de Mayo.  I will hold giveaways every Sunday this month.  The prizes will be new or handmade items from our home.  Call it a virtual garage sale...except there are no price tags!

This week's prize:

A set of 4 polka dot knives by Kuhn Rikon!  I bought these at a Woot-off a while back, one in every color.  I currently use a blue paisley set, and they are indeed really handy tools: sharp out of the box, easy to clean, responds well to a sharpening rod, food clings to them less than normal steel knives.  And look at how adorable they are!

You can look here for reviews, product details, and more pictures.

This week's contest:

Tim recently doodled our family as animals.  Can you guess who's what?  

Just comment below with your best guesses, and I will randomly select someone (doesn't have to be a correct answer) on Friday.  I will contact the winner by email, so please make sure to comment with a legitimate email address.

Comment for a chance to win!  Good luck!

 

May the Fourth be With You!

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Julie on Pinterest

 

Today is unofficial Star Wars Day, one of my favorite unofficial holidays.  Here is a round-up of my favorite Star Wars-themed finds:

Avatar: The Last Airbender/Star Wars Mash-up, via io9

 

Source: hottopic.com via Julie on Pinterest

 

Awesome Princess Leia Hoodie by Her Universe for Hot Topic.

 

Source: fangletronics.com via Michelle Frae on Pinterest

 

 

 Clothespin dolls made by the very crafty family at Fangletronics.

R2D2 apron by Etsy seller HauteMessThreads

 

"The Imperial March" sung by a Brazilian cockatiel

Discussing Charity with Isaac and Emi

Instilling philanthropy in two kids who have never really wanted for anything has proven difficult. Emi and Isaac have always had enough to eat, belongings to call their own, and  a strong and active support group.  Poverty, malnourishment, and chronic illness are abstract concepts to them still, thank goodness, but now that they are 5 and 8, I am wondering how to show that we are indeed one of the lucky families, and it is our duty to give back to the communities who support us and to other communities who do not have the resources we do.

One obvious strategy is to lead by example.  I do give a regular amount to charity every month, but have yet to include the kids in doing so.  Letting the kids in on that would at least remind them to think about others on a regular basis, but ideally, I would like Emi and Isaac to figure out the causes that are important to them.  

To this end, I joined a community called Members Unite, where every month, each member donates $5 and votes for their favorite philanthropic projects, American Idol style.  Right now, the initial 9 contenders have been announced for March, and the winning project will receive $5,000! Each family gives the equivalent of a drop in the bucket, but when united, we can make a real impact.  True democracy in action, no?  

I showed Emi and Isaac the site today, and much to my surprise, they really caught on to the concept very quickly.  It really helped that the projects were very well-curated, offering a variety of different causes: mental health, education, housing, and the environment, to name a few, as well as choices between domestic and international organizations.    

 

Right now, Emi is leaning towards a project called "Give Infants a Lease on Life," which will provide formula to malnourished infants in Guatamala.  If this project wins, they will provide 20 infants with milk for 500 days - over a year’s worth of sustenance.  

 

 

Isaac really likes "Help Plant 5,000 Trees," which will help the Nature Conservancy plant 1 BILLION trees back into the Brazilian rainforest. If this project is selected, they will purchase 5,000 native trees for the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. 

 

 Isn't that really neat to know?  My heart, it seriously is fit to burst.  

Even though our $5 this month is subsidized by Members Unite, we are definitely going to continue this in the months and years to come, and will post about this more in the future.  I totally encourage you to join, so we can make an impact on people's lives together!

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For a limited time, Members Unite is offering my community a 50% off discount on the annual membership fee of $25! Use code “WELOVEMOMS” when you sign up!

Get Your Hankies!

This reminds me of Tim, my robot with a heart of gold.

Sponsored: Natural Presents for EVERYONE - including Myself!

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.walgreens.com/beauty.

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I am a firm believer in natural and organic food and products, but as a mom I just can't bear to spend a ton of extra money trying to create an non-toxic household.  Luckily, the market for these kinds of products has grown to the point where you don't have to go to exclusive stores or pay a high premium anymore.  In fact, here are some examples of healthy, environmental, and reasonably-priced gifts you can find in your neighborhood drugstore.

For the Kids

I believe it is especially important to provide kids and babies with natural products as much as possible, but often the steeper price tags make us moms a little hesitant to buy organic or all-natural stuff on a day-to-day basis.  However, that's also the exact reason why they make great holiday gifts, though!

Here is an example of a bath and body set that is sulfate-free, isn't tested on animals, and has gentle vegan ingredients.   I've always thought grapefruit is such a great scent for kids; it's fresh- and clean-smelling, and matches their sunny dispositions.

 

 

 

 

For Men

This category is super-easy.  There is a brand called Every Man Jack that specializes in men's products, and their stuff is vegan and sulfate-free.  Best of all, they work really well and they smell great too (although they do have unscented versions of almost all their products for the sensitive guys out there).  Every Man Jack makes it easy to introduce the man in your life to the cleansing/toning/moisturizing/sunblock regimen he really should have been doing for years now without overwhelming him.  Grab a few skin, hair, and shaving products, arrange them in a shower caddy, and voila, you will have a cleaner, handsomer man!

 

 

For the Ladies, Including Moi

My friend got me some Out of Africa products for my birthday last month, and I am a total shea butter fanatic now.  It turns out that shea butter is absorbed into the skin much faster and keeps your skin moisturized for so much longer than normal lotions, and my skin looks so much healthier now, especially my hands.   I just figured that the little crackles and crosshatch patterns were a result of aging; turns out my skin was just dry!  No Parabens, Sulfates, Petrolatums or Phthalates; Cruelty-free and Eco-Friendly.  Try it and see if your skin will lap it up like mine does.  

 

 

While we're on the subject of hands, another recent discovery is non-toxic nail polish.  I had no idea it existed until I saw this Keeki Holiday Nail Set online.  I am aching to try it out!  Manicures and pedicures are two of my favorite ways to unwind and pamper myself, but I always feel uneasy smelling all the chemicals and wondering what they are doing to my nails.  My curiosity is piqued.

 

 

 

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Merry Christmas and happy shopping!  If you have encountered any other great finds, please let me know!

Finding my Inner Crafter

Emi's teacher asked each family to create a Snow Friend to contribute to the classroom's winter decorations.  Instructions and expectations were frighteningly open-ended for this software programmer:

You can make it with bottles, cans, paper, white trash bags filled with cut up newspaper, paper plates (remember to make a stand of some sort please, boxes, anything. (The only exception is the use of food products…….bugs, etc) You can use paper, felt, wiggle eyes, pom poms, yarn, jewelry, bows, ties, ANY accessory. Have fun, do it together, make sure your child really gets involved.

My eyes crossed at the supply list.  So, basically we need to create something out of anything and everything on the planet?  I need a real specifications document!  Who signed off on this thing?

So, panic-ridden, I actually dreamed about this Snow Friend for days before making my first foray to the craft store.  One night, I imagined a Snow Friend made not out of snow, but balls of yarn, so I googled "Yarn Ball Snowman" and found "Happy Homemaker Me," a crafty genius mama who does every domestic thing I do not.  However, I swear she has an engineer's mind, because her post detailing her yarn ball snowman project was so well-organized and intuitive, she made a crafter out of me.

Top three lessons learned from this:

1. Michael's is more effective than Target in separating me from my money.  All I wanted to do was buy some styrofoam balls and some yarn, but I came out with over $50 worth of sewing supplies, ornaments, cardmaking materials, a dark chocolate Snickers bar, and a dozen wild ideas about how I'm going to quit my job and start scrapbooking, wreath-making, and quilting.  HALP ME.

2. Apparently, if I was a smart consumer, I would have saved 50% with one of Michael's myriad of coupons.  Ugh, forgive me Father, for I hath paid retail price.

3. All hail the mighty hot glue gun!   A really good adhesive can change worlds!  Seriously, somewhere between the trigger and the nozzle lies the secret to world peace, plus the searing pain you feel when you accidentally get some on your fingers satisfies my periodic yen for S&M.  Hurts so good, baby!

And here are the results of about 4 hours of labor:

Hat sewn by yours truly; arms courtesy of our recently-pruned pomegranate tree; eyes made from fireplace remnants; embellishments, gift boxes, and buttons curated by Emi.  Just look at the smile on her face!  I'm hooked.

Money Can Buy a Little Happiness

We got off easy for the first half of the month; the June Gloom's morning clouds took the edge off the afternoons.  It even drizzled a few times, which the plants and I loved.  However, along with the start of summer camps, the heat has come, and even though the temps are only in the low 80's, I already feel uncomfortable.

I've never enjoyed the heat, but my intolerance shot up like crazy after I was pregnant with Isaac.  I thought maybe that summer was especially harsh because of my condition, but it, along with my incessantly cracking knees and hips, never went away.

I hate showing physical weakness and simultaneously tend to wallow in my sorrows, so I get a bit depressed during the summers.  Combine that with having to muck with a new, blank hard drive, trying to get used to the kids' summer schedules, having to dream up lunches that Emi would actually eat, Tim up in the Bay Area training for a new job, and the chickens waking up at 5:40 every morning, and we have a rollickin' pity party of one over here.  I've learned to cope a bit by surrounding myself with creature comforts.  Here are a few:

Korean people have a fetish for exfoliation.  Ask any of us to take you to the Korean spa one day to get scraped; it is pure masochism, but the pain feels appropriate while in the company of sweaty, naked ajummas.  At home, I scrub my upper arms to rawness to get rid of the chicken skin, then rub glycolic acid lotion into the wounds...in about a week the bumps disappear and I call that my bikini body.  This stuff is nice and smells like  a spa; you can get it at Target.

I've been toying with a variety of brownie recipes in order to post my ultimate Kimchi Mama Brownie.  I've seriously been making batches for a year now, and none of them are right.  Again, I fall into mucho despairing, but then I just pop open a box of this shit right here and all is well with the world again.  Why mess with perfection?  Add 1 tablespoon of gochugaru (chili powder) and you've got it. 

Yeah yeah, water is healthier and beer is more fun, but this stuff is the bomb.  Green tea made with purified water; no lemon or sugar or honey or ginseng or any other crap; ice-cold elixir of life.  I actually just downed a whole bottle in order to get inspired to write this blog post!

It's ollalieberry pie season at Polly's right now!!!  Apparently ollalieberries are a cross between loganberries and youngberries, which themselves are crosses of other berries.  Basically, they are a firm blackberry with raspberry flavors mixed in.  They are amazing.  Once when I was younger (and by younger I mean in my early 20's), I kept an ollalieberry in my mouth, not wanting chew it and thus end my ollalieberry experience for that day.  It lasted a few hours, then I accidentally swallowed it whole while being distracted by the book I was reading.  I almost cried.

Wow, that really sounded pathetic!

Last but not least, this baby is my anniversary gift from Tim.  Even when the sun beats down on the ugly extra large men's helmet I have to wear because of my gargantuan noggin, it feels good to feel the breeze against my face.

How are you guys keeping cool out there?

PS: I didn't want to write this initially, but it must be said: the singular WORST thing about being hot has got to be the between-the-boobs sweat.  Can I get an amen up in here?  Sometimes Maggie will cram her nose into my cleavage, take multiple whiffs, and look at me in disgust.  This kind of judgement from a creature who once befriended a dead squirrel wounds me.   

Another Wedding Anniversary

Tim and I have been married now for 9 years!  Yesterday was our anniversary.

We didn't do anything special since it was the day of Oprah's last show after all, and she would not have looked kindly on us stealing the spotlight.  But on Tuesday we went out to a nice dinner and saw one of our favorite bands, Yeasayer, at the Music Box.  A few scenes from our evening:

Fire pit @ Wood & Vine
View from the patio
Rodia's Garden cocktail:
Cucumber vodka, Lavender syrup, celery, absinthe, with lavendar blossoms as garnish

If you would like to read about our crazy Vegas wedding, I wrote about it last year.

A lot has changed since then.  I think this pretty much sums up our relationship now: