Fifty is Nifty

Holy cow, where has the time gone? Growing old is weird. Your skin sags and your hair turns grey and your vision blurs and your joints start to ache. But in your mind, you're the same as you always were, and you think the same thoughts that you did when you were 40, 30, 20, 10.  I've never been big on birthdays, but there is something about this half-century mark that does make people stop and take stock of their life. I have to say, I like where I am, and I like who I am. Here's to everyone, at whatever age, who has finally grown into their own skin and learned to love themselves!

How to prepare for the August 21 Total Solar Eclipse

In just 12 days, the entire US will witness a rare celestial event: a total solar eclipse.  Total solar eclipses happen every 18 months or so, but not very many people can see them. Some are visible over the middle of the Pacific Ocean, others from the tip of Greenland... you get the picture. The last time a total solar eclipse was visible from the US was 99 years ago, in 1918. The next total solar eclipse to be visible from the US will be in 2024, then again in 2045.

Where to find Dole Pineapple Whip in the Bay Area

If you read my blog or follow my Instagram/Twitter/Facebook feed, you'll know that I'm obsessed with the Dole Pineapple Whip Float. It's my favorite Disneyland treat, and I have one every time I visit the park. I love it so much I even searched high and low to find the perfect recipe for homemade Dole Pineapple Whip Float so I can make it myself when I'm craving the taste.

One of the things that makes the Dole Pineapple Whip Float (and the ice-cream-only version, the Dole Pineapple Whip) so special is that it's only available at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Sure, I've heard of places outside the parks that claim to sell it. Apparently there's even one in San Francisco called Pineapples. But does it really taste like the real thing?

Totoro Claymation Movie

The Pea loves creating stop-motion animation videos, but I think this is one of her best yet.  She filmed during our recent visit to the Children's Creativity Museum. Their Animation Studio lets kids create figures out of clay, and provides sets, backdrops, cameras, and software so they can create a stop-motion video.

This was the longest we've ever spent inside the Animation Studio -- three whole hours! Even though Totoro is a relatively simple character, The Pea took her time and spared no attention to detail, so the results are truly adorable. I'm so proud of her!

Halloween Costume Watch 2014: Minnie Mouse

Minnie Mouse is such an easy and fun character that I don't know why it took me so long to dress up as her for Halloween.  She was an easy choice for this year, because I already had my hands full helping 3Po and Jammy with their costumes, and I've had this costume assembled since April!  I made the skirt and collar at the Disney Social Media Moms fun run, so I was good to go.  I just swapped my running shorts for leggings, my tech tshirt for a sleeved cotton tee, and my Minnie ears cap for a Minnie ears headband. Easy peasy!

Finding our Superhero powers at the Family Forward Retreat

Last week the whole family packed up and flew to Orlando to spend five days at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort and the Universal Studios theme parks.  We had won a vacation and entry to Mom It Forward's inaugural Family Forward Retreat, so we were well aware that this was a special, once-in-a-lifetime treat.  We knew we would enjoy the theme parks.  We knew we would enjoy the hotel.  We knew we would enjoy all the perks that came with being Family Forward attendees (special meet-and-greet opportunities with characters, a Blue Man Group show, an exclusive Harry Potter dessert party, fabulous swag).

But we had absolutely no idea how much we would enjoy the Family Forward Retreat itself.

Orlando, here we come!

This is a photo of the first time I visited Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (I'm the girl on the right).  I don't even remember what year it was because this is a scanned photo and I never got around to writing the date on the back of it!  Judging from the culottes my cousins are wearing and the Laura Ashley dress I'm wearing (with running shoes?? wth??), I'd say this was in 1997.  I visited again in 1999 (I can't even find a photo of that visit), and that was the last time I went.

Until now.

Something amazing has happened:  we are flying to Universal Studios Orlando and spending 5 days at the Mom It Forward Family Forward Retreat!  Even more amazing, I won the whole trip!!

Wordless Wednesday -- another step towards equality

No words necessary, just a hashtag: #loveislove

How to Dissect a Cow Eye

Warning: This post contains graphic, gross, gory photos!  If you feel squeamish at the thought of raw body parts, here is the gist of today's post:  3Po and Jammy dissected a cow's eyeball in class today.  No need to read further.

For those of you who like the gore, read on...

Her First Concert

Last night we took The Pea to her first-ever concert: Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.  As far as first concerts go, this one turned out to be a Monster one, thanks to concert sponsor Skype, and I'm hoping she'll forgive the lameness of the fact that she attended her first concert with her mom and dad, and focus on what an amazing time she had.

Drunken College Students, cavewomen and 40 other things I saw at Bay to Breakers

It seems like people who turn forty always want to prove that they're no older or more decrepit than they were at 39 -- in fact they want to prove to the world that they're fitter, hotter, wilder, than they were the year before.  I guess I'm no exception, because I signed up for the 2012 Bay to Breakers determined to improve on last year's finish time.  But as always, I slacked off on training in the months leading up to the race and decided to walk the race instead -- and as always, ended up running it anyway.  The good news is that I managed to shave off a couple of minutes from my finish time  (1:18:51, down from 1:21:31 last year), even though I literally stopped dead in my tracks for 2 or 3 minutes to primp and groom myself before the race photographers started taking photos (I needed proof that that I was fitter and hotter than last year).

No-Sew Halter Top

I've wanted to make my own halter-top tshirt ever since I saw Leila from Don't Speak Whinese rock her awesome handmade outfit at last month's Clever Girls' Party. But alas, it involves a teensy bit of machine sewing, and even though I have a perfectly good Singer sewing machine in the garage, the thought of winding bobbins and threading needles in order to make something I'm going to wear in public is so unappealing, it makes me want to do laundry.

The Best of BlogHer 2011

Getting up at 6AM for an early morning flight after 3 days at BlogHer -- conferencing, networking, walking and partying -- is not something I recommend. However, early flights do have the consolation of light road traffic and short security lines, so I've been able to get to the airport early enough to sit and get my thoughts together about BlogHer 2011. I did the same thing last year, when I wrote a post about the Best and Worst of BlogHer 2010. This year I've decided to stick with The Best of BlogHer 2011 (with only 1 exception), mainly because I enjoyed myself so much that I can't really think of anything to complain about. So without further ado, here's what I loved best about BlogHer 2011:

100 Bottles of Beer, 100 Naked Men and other strange sights at Bay to Breakers

Bay to Breakers is as much a part of San Francisco as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Gay Pride Parade and Ghirardelli chocolates. This is my 6th (or is it 7th?) time to run it, and I was so happy I was able to participate in the 100th race. Despite all the health hiccups I encountered in preparing for it, I knew I'd manage to finish it somehow ( thanks to 3Po's amazing fortune-telling abilities) and I'm pretty happy with my finish time (I haven't checked my official time yet, but with my ultra-precise method of checking my phone at the start and finish lines, I clocked myself at about 1:21). Update: my official finish time was 1:21:31.

But Bay to Breakers isn't about about lap times or finish times; heck, it isn't even about the running. It's about the spirit of fun and festivity that surrounds you, and all the zanies you meet along the way.

To celebrate B2B's 100th year, here (in no particular order) are 100 of the wild and wacky characters I encountered while running the 100th Bay to Breakers:

Back to School, Back to Lunch

Don't you just love the beginning of a new school year? Everything is so crisp and shiny and new, from the bright red apples that hang in the trees to your kids' shoes and lunchboxes and binders and pencils. Never mind that by the next month or so, everything will look dusty and torn and frayed. Back-to-School is all about new beginnings. This year I've made a renewed commitment to packing earth-friendly lunches for the kids, so naturally I spent the last two weeks before school collecting all kinds of lunchbox paraphernalia. Here are some of my favorites:

I received this nifty red cereal lunch keeper about a year ago, and it has been great! You keep the cereal in the top half, and the milk in the bottom half. The bottom half is lined with insulating gel; putting it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and pour cold milk into it, then screw the top half on. The spoon folds and fits into the snap-on lid. 3Po and Jammy were in kindergarten then, and they only stayed in school for lunch three days a week, so I usually sent it with The Pea. She loved being able to have cereal and milk for lunch, and the boys were always jealous that she got to have it (even though I served them cereal and milk for lunch at home, it was never the same for them). I was overjoyed when I saw they were giving these away at the Milk booth at BlogHer, and I quickly grabbed two so that all three can have cereal and milk for lunch (and speaking of cereal, check out my latest Kellogg's cereal post and $100 Visa giveaway).


I've seen and read all the glowing reviews about Laptop Lunches, and I have to admit I love the concept (in fact when I was a schoolgirl I ate lunch out of a Zojirushi bento-style lunch set every single day), but the thought of keeping track of all those little lids and containers -- and worse, washing them!! -- is just no fun. Again, swag comes to the rescue, this time in the form of a Sistema lunch cube from a recent Clif bar event. I like that it's all in one piece, but I have no idea if it's microwaveable or dishwasher-safe. How silly, you say, this is the age of the internet. Just go to their home page and read the product information! Well, what if their home page looks like this? So I'm handwashing these babies for now, and I'm only tolerating them because they come in such cute colors and the kids like them so much.

My latest "toy" is this hot-food container that I found at Target. These past 3 years I've been looking enviously at kids who eat soup and pasta for lunch; what caring moms they must have! My kids get cold peanut-butter or ham sandwiches and cereal. Okay, they do get some yummy food -- smoked salmon wraps, burritos, quesadillas, hummus and carrots, etc.. -- but it's always cold. I'm of the mindset that the only containers that really keep food hot are the ones insulated with the glass vacuum tubes, like the red-and-black checkered Aladdin Thermos bottle that I used to have. Problem is, of course, those things are as fragile as, well, glass. I went through at least two per schoolyear, but even if I could afford to buy 6 of those per year I don't think I could find them. Does Aladdin even make those anymore?

In any case, I decided I'd give these babies a try. They're also made by Aladdin, so I'm relying on their reputation. They've got a cute little spoon nested in the screw-on lid that pops out when you push a button. My warning buzzer did go off at that -- buttons, pop-ups and slide-outs means "will break in two weeks!!" -- but they are so cute. I figure, if they break, the kids will just have to pack a spoon in their lunchbox. Boo hoo.


I wish I could tell you what these are like, but I can't, because I haven't even tried them yet. The label says not to put any dairy products in them, which rules out pasta with cheese, mac and cheese, anything with white sauce, butter, or half the things I wanted to pack hot for the kids. Soups would be good, but I know from experience that microwaving tomato-based products in a plastic container stains the plastic a permanent red. Ugh. So no minestrone or pasta with tomato sauce either. What's left, split pea soup? Should I just go for it, pack some hot mac and cheese and see what happens?



Disclaimer: I purchased one of the products I talked about in this post, but the other two were given to me for free. I've kind of written this post like a product review, but the companies that provided the items had nothing to with lunch containers and I was not obligated to talk about the companies or the containers.

Bloggy Bootcamp -- What I learned

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

I've been blogging for 4 years now, and when I meet bloggers who've been at it for a year, six months, three months, they take it as a sign that I know it all. "Wow, you must be an expert at this!". "You must know everyone in this room". "

Um, no. I'm still the blogger who hides in a corner and pretends to be occupied with her phone, peering out occasionally in the hope that she'll see a familiar face. And I still feel like I have so much to learn! I started my blog with no deliberate intention of growing traffic, making money or pursuing world domination. I just blogged.

But even though I still feel like my main priority is putting up posts and saying what I have to say, it hasn't escaped my attention that there are tons of simple tricks and tips you can follow to get more people to pay attention to what I have to say. I'm starting to wake up to things like SEO, hits, and Google Analytics. And I've been receiving all kinds of IRS forms from people I've worked with on my blog, which means I have to start considering tax implications. So in many ways, I'm still just a newbie who needs to listen to the wisdom of the bloggy gods and goddesses out there.

That's why I signed up for Bloggy Bootcamp, a one-day blog and social media conference held in several cities around the US (I attended the San Francisco event). From the name, it seems to suggest that it's a crash course for new bloggers, but I thought it was a great experience for bloggers of any level.

For one thing, the conference is kept small -- just about 100 bloggers -- which makes it much easier to socialize and network. Participants are assigned to different tables for each session so everyone gets to meet everyone and actually hear each other speak. I met some great bloggers, including a woman who's won one of my giveaways, the wonderfully talented Ciaran Blumenfeld (and I've actually won one of her giveaways), and a woman who's about to host her own cooking show on television. When I heard that, I immediately posed for a photo with her -- I wanted to make sure I got caught on camera with Miri Leigh, the next foodie tv celebrity!


TMZ, People, Entertainment Weekly, feel free to contact me about purchasing the rights to this one-of-a-kind "before they were stars" photo.


For another thing, the venue was awesome:

I felt like a princess in this gilded room, up on the 32nd floor of the Westin St. Francis. Who wouldn't be inspired by the sweeping views?

But really, the main reason that Bloggy Bootcamp worked for me was the speakers. Each one of them gave me something to think about. Here were my favorites:

* The hilarious Jessica Bern got serious -- sort of -- and gave some great tips for producing vlogs that people other than my family might actually click on and watch. Jessica rocked the house during her humor session at BlogHer, and even an elevator ride with her is entertaining, but it turns out she puts in quite a bit of effort into her vlogs -- sometimes one clip will take her up to 30 tries to get it right! My main takeaways from her session were Keep it Short, Watch the Lighting/Hair/Camera Angles, and Be Yourself.

* Ciaran Blumenfeld talked about ways to review products without selling your soul to the marketing demons. I'm well aware of the schism between "content" bloggers and "review" bloggers, and I happen to maintain separate personal and review blogs so I can comfortably do both, but writing a product review that people want to read is a tricky business, and I'm always looking for any tips I can get. Some great insights from Ciaran (pronounced Sharon): Get over the concept that review bloggers are swag whores (okay, I'll readily admit that I am a swag whore, but even whores have ethics, right?), Weave a story around your review, Don't be afraid to return a product if it's not what you thought it would be, and Don't review products that don't fit who you are. In other words, Be Yourself.

* Jennifer James is living proof that you don't need to be a bitch to build an empire. She's as sweet and warm as can be, yet her Mom Bloggers Club (of which I'm a member) is a force to be reckoned with. She spoke about the various social networks bloggers should explore in order to build their online presence, advising new bloggers not too get too overwhelmed and be active on the social channels that work for you (another form of Be Yourself). She kind of threw a bucket of water in my face when she reminded me that you get what you give, and if you want to build a community of followers, you need to participate accordingly -- respond to tweets, follow people who follow you, comment on other people's blogs, etc... So simple and yet so true. Jennifer, you've given me a great mid-year resolution!


* My friend Linsey Krolik, that kickass twin mom, runner, blogger and lawyer, gets my award for "Coolest Dressed Speaker", with her city shorts and flirty peeptoe heels, but it's the content of her session that really stood out. Linsey led us through some of the legal ramifications of starting a blog and taking it up to the next level -- copyrights, trademarks, business plans, Cease and Desist letters, incorporation, etc... -- so you can imagine how many hands shot up during Q&A time. No, she didn't say Be Yourself, but I'm sure she meant it.


Swag was kept to a minimum, and honestly, the speakers were so good that even a swag whore like me didn't miss the giant bags at all. Not that it was bad swag -- the Goldfish crackers came in handy at the end of the day when I was starving, and my kids have taken to the Mastermind game so well that they are all creaming me at it -- but it was sessions, not swag, that made the event memorable. So there's another lesson I learned: You don't need lots of swag to have a good time at a conference. Oh, and Be Yourself.

Watch Out, Simon Cowell, Here I Come

I'm sad that I won't get to see Paula's drunken antics, but seeing Simon will more than make up for it.

I love Simon Cowell. He's blunt to the point of rudeness, and he doesn't care a fig for what other people think about him. He also happens to be very good at what he does, and no matter how many people boo his opinions on American Idol, he most often turns out to be right. He's my American (ok, British) idol, and in two weeks I get to see him in the flesh!

Okay, that was only half a lie. Simon Cowell will not be appearing before me in his birthday suit, nor am I going to be near enough to him to even see much of his flesh, but I will be in the same theater as Simon and Randy and Kara and Ellen and Shakira and the American Idol contestants, because I'm going to the American Idol finals.

Yes, you heard me right, I'm going to the American Idol finals!

Cue wild screaming and American Idol theme song.

Last week was a great week for me; I won some really nice random prizes, received a kickass Mother's Day present (check out this post to see my loot), and best of all, got enough of my readers to help me win a blogger contest sponsored by Cafe Press. The prize was a trip for two to LA, hotel accommodations and tickets to the final performance and results show on May 25 and 26. I don't even know how one gets tickets to these shows, and even if I did I probably wouldn't be able to afford them -- and now I have two! I'm taking my sister (Alfie decided he didn't want to waste spare two vacation days watching American Idol, and I have to admit I'm kind of grateful to him for that, since I get to have a fun trip with my sister before she packs up and leaves California).

If only I were actually following American Idol this season.

Um, yeah, that's one tiny detail that I have to mention. I've been an American Idol fan since Season 1, but I've added so many shows to my evening tv program that I had to start dropping some of them, and American Idol was one of the victims. So I've been keeping tabs on the contestants but haven't gotten emotionally invested in them like I did before (the memory of Daughtry being cut still hurts like a knife, but since he came out on top I'm not holding any grudges against Taylor Hicks or the Soul Patrol). That's not going to keep me from enjoying myself to the max, though. I'm still excited as hell at the prospect of hearing the contestants sing live (I'm sure it's going to be a different experience from seeing it on tv), watching Shakira perform, and going celebrity watching.

And of course, there's Simon Cowell. At this point I have no idea where I'll be sitting, but I hope he'll be close enough to read the glitter-glue, strobe-light I LOVE YOU SIMON sign I'll be waving. Even if he doesn't, maybe the cameras will focus on it and everyone watching at home will be able to shout and scream, "That's Bonggamom!"

I can't wait!

An Afternoon of Fashion and Fun

If I had my way, I'd stay in my pajamas all day -- and if I had any pajamas without snowflakes or Strawberry Shortcake or paisely swirls or stripes on them, I probably actually would. But last Saturday I was invited to Aspiring Couture's Winter on the Runway event and I realized that printed stretch cotton probably wasn't going to cut it. So I took my time, dressed up and got ready for an afternoon of fun and fashion.

Aspiring Couture is an online boutique featuring creations by various independent artists, and last weekend's show featured the best of winter fashion by Wise & Prosper, Mahtab Azimi, Selah D'Or, Jesica Milton, Liise Wyatt, Karly Orr, Sofie Olgaard, Gypsies & Lords, and Zoe Hong. I got to hang out in the press area and play the part of the paparrazzi, clicking along with all the professionals. I thank my lucky stars that I decided to make an effort with my appearance, because apparently even the photographers have a sense of style:



I've never been to a fashion show before (I don't think American Girl fashion shows count), and now I can see why people like going. It's a visual treat to be able to sit back and look at such beautiful things being paraded in front of you. Kind of like visiting a museum, but instead of walking around and admiring things, the artwork obligingly walks by you. What I really liked about the fashion show was that the clothes featured were clearly designer quality -- but they were also fashions that normal, stylish people can actually wear. Here are several that really stood out for me:



This dress would be the hit of any holiday party. Especially when there's dancing and shimmying involved! If you still don't know what the word "Bongga" means, I suggest you look at this dress. Now that's Bongga.



I thought this dress was so romantic and fresh, and I could immediately see The Pea wearing it to a holiday party ten years from now. I just hope her dad doesn't decide to follow her around with a floor-length cape and shotgun to scare off all her boyfriends.



At times, the star of the outfit was not the dress; my eyes were instantly drawn to these femme fatale booties by Eidia Lush.



Okay, maybe I wouldn't wear all their designs. You'd have to be super skinny and live in New York to pull this one off.



This is one design I love, but unfortunately it doesn't love me. Again, only for all the skinny ladies, All the Skinny Ladies.... (*sings to the tune of Beyonce's Single Ladies*)


The fashions on the runway (and on the blog) were simple yet stylish, elegant yet fashionable. Most surprisingly (and refreshingly), they're also reasonable. Most of the fashions I saw on the Aspiring Couture blog are priced between $100 and $300, which is pretty much department store prices! Even the most "inexpensive" dresses, the $95 Monroe and $90 Meibury by Mahtab Azimi, are the ultimate in designer chic.

I have to commend Allison O'Grady, founder of Aspiring Couture, for putting together such an enjoyable holiday event-- and for finding such a great group of designers. Thanks, Allison, for supporting these up-and-coming artists!


Disclaimer: I was not compensated to post about this event. I did receive a press pass and a sliver of luscious red velvet cake.

Photo Hunt: Free

This week for the Photo Hunt we get to showcase any photo we want. Miss TN Chick says it's a free week, but I'm going to take it literally and post a photo of something FREE. As a blogger I've been so lucky to receive free stuff to review. Quite a lot of it is for the kids, and obviously they really enjoy it. One of the things I've received that the kids have really really loved -- and still do -- is the Shred Sled. The technical name for it is caster board, but my kids call it a wiggle board. It's like a self-propelling skateboard; you twist your torso and wiggle your legs around to make it go.

Here's the latest video of 3Po and Jammy on their Shred Sleds:


It's so much fun, even Alfie and I like using it!


I still can't believe they sent these to us to try and review. Gotta love blogging!

If you want to find out more about the Shred Sled, click here to read my review. And For more Photo Hunt entries, click here. And don't forget to leave your link below!

A (Paper) Fantasy Come True

Holy cow!! I'm a winner! I just got word that my Woodland Fairy Outfit has been chosen as the winning entry in the Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy Design Challenge!

Here's the story: Klutz invited craft bloggers from near and far to submit their very own original fantasy outfit created using their new book, Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy. I was given a copy of the book to review and invited to enter as well. The book is so much fun for little girls (and now you know, big ones too) because it contains stencils and patterned papers and embellishments and everything you need to create fantasy fashions out of paper.

I'm still flabbergasted that I won! I certainly don't think of myself as a craft blogger, just someone who loved doodling and creating so much as a little girl that she still occasionally dabbles in it when she thinks no one else is looking. There were so many amazing designs! Alfie, loyal soul that he is, told me he didn't think any of the other designs was any better than mine. I was told that Klutz chose my design because it used the most materials and elements from the book. But I'm so happy they liked it, I'm going to accept and say thanks before the Klutz people change their minds! So thank you, Klutz, Thank You!!


This post originally appeared on Bonggamom Finds. I just wanted to brag about it some more, so I posted it here as well.