Creamy

This is a berry parfait with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon sprinkled on top. Oh, the creamy, sweet goodness...... it's the perfect ending to a summer evening barbecue. Can you believe that the glaze on those strawberries is raspberry vinaigrette dressing?

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Learning with PBS Kids and SUPER WHY

I've always maintained that watching TV can be a positive, educational experience for children. Actually, make that: "watching PBS is a positive, educational experience for children". There's a lot of good quality programming on many kids' networks these days, but as far as I'm concerned, PBS sets the gold standard in educational TV. A lot of it has to do with my own experiences; I learned to read watching the two original PBS Kids programs: Sesame Street and The Electric Company. And because they're noncommercial, airing on nonprofit stations, I really get the sense that they put kids' interests first. I've put absolute trust in the PBS Kids brand: if it's a PBS show, I let my kids watch it.


The Silicon Valley Moms bloggers were recently invited by PBS Kids to learn about the thought and research that goes into all the media (tv shows, online, books, licensing deals, etc..) that PBS Kids develops. I was happy to see that the whole non-commercial, nonprofit vibe extended to this event as well: I didn't get the sense that this was some kind of marketing ploy, because it was actually a two-way discussion. The PBS executives were genuinely interested in hearing from us how PBS shows have influenced our children and how they can work more effectively to reach parents.


By the way, this is totally unrelated, but did you know that Alfie and I held our wedding reception in this very same room? We drank champagne and fed each other wedding cake right about where Citymama (in the sunny yellow jacket) is sitting.


Back to the subject....that's Angela Santomero, creator, executive producer and head writer of SUPER WHY, a PBS Kids tv series. Angela spoke to us about the extensive research process that goes behind each SUPER WHY episode, and all the success it has had in increasing pre-literacy skills in preschoolers. I feel like I should have asked for an autograph, because in my mind she's a bit like a female Jim Henson -- she's also the creator of Blue's Clues, one of my kids' favorite shows when they were younger, and in my mind, one of the cutest preschoolers' shows ever. She's two for two with SUPER WHY; my iPod is filled with SUPER WHY episodes for the kids to watch when we're on road trips or plane trips. And from the independent studies Angela was quoting from, it sure sounds like SUPER WHY is helping kids gain the skills they need to learn how to read, in the same way that Sesame Street and The Electric Company helped me.

We were sent home with a backpack filled with a week's worth of activities to maximize the educational value of SuperWhy. I'm guessing (or hoping) these activites are patterned after their highly successful SUPER WHY Reading Camps, and I'm eager to do the activities with 3Po and Jammy. Call it our very own Super Summer Camp, if you will. I'll be blogging a bit more about the activities as we plow through them, and you can download the same activities we received and try it along with us. Hey, it's free, and your kids will learn something besides making macrame potholders.

In which my sons convert to a new religion

A couple of weeks ago, 3Po and Jammy went for a playdate at a friend's house; when I picked them up, they had found a new obsession: Bakugan, a robot/card game. I'm still learning what exactly Bakugan is and how to play it, but all I'm sure of is that they've found a new religion. And yes, religion is the right word, as evidenced by a conversation we had when they were examining their new Bakugan toys:

3Po: Where's the Jesus?
Me: What?
3Po: I can't find the Jesus!
Me: What do you mean, Jesus?
Jammy: You know, Jesus. Jesus is Power!
Me (shaking my head in an attempt to clear my head and understand what they're saying): Say that again?
3Po (very patiently): Jeeeeeezus. Look here, mama, on the other Bakugan it says 480 Jesus.

I grabbbed the Bakugan from him and read what 3Po was pointing to. There, in tiny gold letters, was "480G".

Me: Oh.... 480 Gee's.
Jammy: Yes, Jesus. You know, how much power your Bakugan has. Jesus is Power.

Schmoozing and Boozing at the SF Bay Area BlogHer Meetup

This July I'm leaving my babies behind with their daddy for the first time ever for to attend the BlogHer conference in Chicago. I have my conference pass (thanks, Label Daddy!). I have my plane tickets (okay, the flights are crappy but I used airmiles to get the ticket, so I guess a red-eye outbound flight and an inbound flight with a stopover is to be expected). I have my hotel room (thanks, Linsey and Carla !). And most important of all, I've RSVP'd for all the cool BlogHer parties out there!

But when it comes to parties, I'm rusty. The only parties I've attended lately involve jumpy houses, goldfish crackers and birthday cake with disgusting red frosting. So when I was invited by Elisa to help organize a pre-conference meetup for bloggers around the San Francisco Bay Area, I jumped at the chance. Hooray, a warmup! A way to ease into the party circuit! And on a more serious note, a way to get to know more people before I actually go. Even though I'm not a total newbie, I can still see myself hiding away in a corner during some cocktail party, holding a drink and pretending I'm waiting for my BFF or smiling at my cellphone, hoping people will think I'm reading and responding to a particularly witty Tweet on my iPhone. I figured organizing it would be an easy way to make conversation ("Hi! Let me take those olives, we've got a nice bowl for them").

Thanks to the lovely @lizhenry for hosting our little shindig! (I shamelessly borrowed this photo from @rbucich's Flickr Photostream)

Much to my relief (Yay! they're not directing my email to their spam folders!), the SF Bay Area BlogHer meetup was well attended, with thirty or so (I didn't count and I must have had a pitcher of sangria, so my estimate might be off) bloggers coming together to meet, mingle and enjoy. Liz Henry gamely volunteered her home, and everyone really came through with the best nosh ever. I was so worried we'd end up with potato chips, some wine and lots of paper plates, but the tables were overflowing with goodies like these:

I brought my macro lens by mistake, so the only decent shots I could get were of the food. And it was definitely photo-worthy. Check out the gigantic chocolate truffles from http://www.ettores.com/!

I'm really not good at cocktail hours and small talk, so I didn't expect to have so much fun, and the feeling had nothing to do with the wine or the sangria. It was well past the cocktail hour when we finally broke up, and even then I wasn't ready to go home. Good Lord, but bloggers are interesting people! I got to talk and laugh with old blogger friends like Kim, Nicole, Lia and Stefania. I got to meet BlogHer rock stars like Jory, Elisa , Liz and Lisa, as well as some great bloggers like Rick, Abi, Meggan and Lorraine. And I got my party mojo back.

Yours truly eagerly waiting for @jonesabi to finish pouring a drink for @citymama. I want some white sangria, dammit! (I shamelessly borrowed this photo from @rbucich's Flickr Photostream)

BlogHer, I'm ready for you!

For more awesome photos and posts about the meetup , check out:
* Rick's photos
* Liz's photos
*

From Latch to Lock

We installed this latch on our driveway gate about 4 years ago. It ensures that our back yard is completely enclosed, and it's well out of the kids' reach, which means the kids can't wander in and out without our knowledge or consent. Or so we thought.

Soon after the latch was installed, 3Po and Jammy (who were about 18 months old at the time) were out in the yard playing with their Little Tykes Cozy Coupe ride-on cars. I was indoors and I heard lots of banging on the gate. I figured they were having fun ramming the cars into the gate and thought nothing of it. Then all was quiet for about 5 minutes..... too quiet. I went outside and discovered that they had been banging the gate in order to flip the latch. The latch had lifted, the gate had opened, and they were off, laughing and riding their cars on the sidewalk.

After that incident, we always made sure we threaded a padlock through the hole so that it would never accidentally flip again. And the latch became a lock. Lesson learned: do not underestimate a toddler who wants to escape.

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Last Day of School

Dear 3Po

To you, the Last Day of School doesn't mean much. To you, it's much like any other pickup day, when mama meets you as you exit your classroom and chases you down as you attempt to play one last game of tag with your friends. Maybe you notice a couple of differences. The Last Day is a chance to get a dayglo-orange popsicle to lick. It's a day when you get to take all your artwork home. For you, it's more about that First Day of Summer than the Last Day of School.

But this Last Day is bittersweet to me, because it's truly your last day as a pre-schooler. In September you and your brother will be in kindergarten. You'll be one of the Big Boys now. Your sister won't be able to tease you about not having proper lessons (well, she'll always find something to tease you about). Being a twin gives kindergarten an even greater significance. Now you and your brother will be forging your own, separate identities and going your separate ways.

No doubt I'll feel this way each time you move up a notch in the educational hierarchy, and when you enter college I'll wipe away a tear and laugh at myself for thinking that Kindergarten meant you were now One of the Big Boys. Tomorrow I'll rejoice with you and say I'm so excited you're entering your grade school years. For now, just let me stare at your stained, sticky face and wish you could be my little boy forever.

Love,
mama

For more Love Thursday posts, click here.

Parenting Classes from a Five-Year Old's Perspective

2Po: Where's mama going?

Alfie: She's going to a talk about raising boys.

3Po: What's that?

Alfie: Someone is going to talk about little boys and how they think. Mama's going to learn what to do when little boys are sad or angry, and how to help them learn at school and play with other kids . They're also going to teach mama what to do when little boys are naughty, and how to help little boys like you behave better.

3Po: So.....will mama be able to tell when we're lying?

In which the spirit of Andrew Zimmern posseses my kids

I remember when The Pea would eat nothing but macaroni and cheese. And when the boys would eat nothing but meat. Alfie and I persevered, serving a variety of foods and insisting they try, try,try. And baby, we've come a long way. Case in point:

See these little insects? They're crickets. See the orange dayglo substance on their little chests? That's cheese powder. Yup, these are Bacon-N-Cheese flavored crickets, all nice and crunchy for you to munch on. Not ground up so you don't know what they are; these are the real, whole deal (okay, a couple of legs and wings did break off in transit).

The Bizarre Foods show on the Travel Channel sent us a couple of boxes of edible crickets to try. I thought the kids would run screaming and call social services, but they surprised me. I think the spirit of Andrew Zimmern must have been in the box along with the crickets. Actually, it was his DVD of Bizarre Foods season 3 (Season 4 airs its penultimate episode tomorrow night; you should watch it). After watching it and seeing all the stuff that Andrew eats, everyone was eager and willing to try the crickets.


Yes, even when their beady little eyes stared at us and pleaded to be given a decent burial, or at least be added to a bug collection like most other normal families would do.

That's my little omnivore! And if you think they're just faking it, watch the video:



Do you want to win some of these edible crickets to serve at your next cocktail party? Or to share at the office? Go to my Bizarre Foods giveaway post on Bonggamom Finds. Bon Appetit, y'all.

Advertisements

It's difficult to believe that these gorgeous illustrations were created simply to promote stuff. I find it funny that people were probably handing out flyers at the mouth of the Paris Metro for free (the original junk mail) . Now you'd probably pay through your teeth to get your hands on an original print. I've always loved the Art Nouveau style, and even though these are just tiny magnets, I love looking at them. Maybe someday that Kraft Mac-N-Cheese magazine spread will be worth a lot of money!

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Making Memories at the Maker Faire

Our jam-packed schedule last weekend has left me with a sore throat and bad cold, but as far as I'm concerned, our Weekend of Science was worth it. After all, how many opportunities do you get to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy, see things blown up, watch bowling balls trigger a giant mousetrap and do other fun experiments? We barely had enough time to recover from our visit to the San Jose Tech Museum on Saturday, then on Sunday it was off to see all kind of gizmos, contraptions and inventions at the Bay Area Maker Faire.

This was the first I had ever heard of the Make Faire, but apparently this is the largest DIY fair in the US, and it attracts hundreds of people. Alfie and I couldn't believe that people would pay 50 bucks to get in, but the place was packed! The high cost became more understandable when we got to the workshop section; fairgoers can make all kinds of crafts there and take them home for free. Alfie could probably have stayed at the whole morning. . Stuff gets blown up, lasered, melted, sawed off, cut, hammered together, riveted and soldered, all in the name of innovation, experimentation and fun.




3Po and Jammy were really getting into the wooden structure they were building, but we had to drag them off to see the rest of the fair. They protested bitterly, of course, until they saw that the Maker Faire had so much more to offer -- robots and bikes walking all over the fairgrounds.... crazily-decorated cars on display.... steam engines.... rocket launchers.... huge flamethrowers......


.... a fun mini-golf course......

....a life-sized Mousetrap, just like the board game..... and tons more. We probably only got to see a tenth of what was on display.



They also had a food section with beer brewing demos, cheese making demos, and lots of booths featuring organic, artisanal, homemade, alternative food and drink. At one of the booths, The Pea and Jammy agreed to be interviewed and dance like a monkey for 20 seconds, in exchange for a free bottle of juice. Just like their mama, my babies' swag-gathering instincts are strong and I grew misty-eyed thinking of it. Besides, it's not like they don't ham it up for me and the blog every other day of the year anyway.

There just wasn't enough time to take it all in ! In fact,as we were eating lunch (delicious maize-wiches with fillings like pork and avocado, shredded beef and tomatoes), the phone rang. It was the mother of Pea's friend, telling us they were just about to leave to pick The Pea up for her ballet recital. Horrors! My memory had failed me again; turns out The Pea's recital was at 3PM, not 4PM, so we had to leave even sooner than I had planned (and do yet another mad rush in order to get her into costume before the curtain went up).

Everyone was disappointed that we didn't get to stay longer, but The Pea's legions of fans were calling, so we left with our photos, our memories, and some lessons learned for next year:

1) Go early.
2) Plan to spend the whole day.
3) Pack a lunch, or line up to buy lunch before noon.
4) Grab a map so you can check everything out and see what you really want to see.