Join the American Cancer Society's 3rd generation Cancer Prevention Study

Helping in the fight against cancer is important to me.  I know too many people who have suffered from cancer to be indifferent.  The problem is, money always seems like the best way to help -- but I don't have much of it.

Fortunately, as the late Susan Niebur once wrote, "There are as many ways to fight cancer as there are types of cancer".  She identified 4 categories of ways you can help:

• Donate 
• Educate
• Advocate 
• Volunteer

The evolution of a business card

Our business cards have arrived!  Yes, I said "our", not "my", because this year there are 2 members of our family who want to let people know how to contact them on social media:  yours truly and The Pea. Yes, The Pea is even busier on her social media channels than I am (no, it doesn't bother me; I actually prefer it to texting, which she doesn't do, because I can follow her conversation on social media), and she wants something to hand out to the new friends she makes at summer school and summer camp.

The Pea's first crepes

The Pea started a week of cooking camp yesterday, and she had mixed feelings about her first day.  She didn't know anyone in her class, and everyone else was attending camp with a friend, so she found it difficult to join a cooking group and spent lunch hour by herself.  My heart goes out to her, but it's one of those learning experiences you have to let your child go through, and I have no doubt (okay, maybe just a teeny doubt) that she'll finish the week with some new friends.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, then and now

When I told the kids we'd be taking them to Marine World, they had no idea what I was talking about.  "You know, that theme park we always pass by on our way to Tahoe or Napa".  "Oh, you mean Six Flags?".  "Yeah, that one".  See, it used to be called Marine World Africa USA.  That's what it was called the last time we visited.  Yup, it has been a while.  They don't even remember their last visit.

The park has changed quite a bit since we last visited eight years ago. Actually, that's probably not true.  They've added a few more roller coasters but it's still a mix of thrill rides, family rides, animal shows and animal encounters.  No, Six Flags hasn't really changed all that much.  We're the ones who've changed.

It ain't over till it's over (plus extra time...)

If there's one thing I've learned from watching soccer, it's that the game isn't over until the final whistle blows.  One of Alfie's and my pet peeves when watching soccer games is seeing fans leave the stadium before the game ends.  Usually that happens when one team is down by a few goals and there doesn't seem to be much hope of them catching up.  No doubt they can't stand to see their team lose, and they want to get a head start on the outbound crowd.

Wordless Wednesday -- another step towards equality

No words necessary, just a hashtag: #loveislove

Disney Social Media Moms Celebration On the Road -- San Francisco recap

Two years ago I received an invitation to the Disney Social Media Moms celebration at Walt Disney World.  As any blogger will tell you, invites to this conference (which includes amazing speakers, 7-day park passes for you AND 3 family members, exclusive events and WDW lodging for a ridiculous nominal fee) are highly coveted and extremely rare..... but due to scheduling and budget constraints, I was forced to decline.  Boy did that hurt. Turning down the chance of a lifetime with no guarantee that I would ever be invited again?  Crazy!  I just had to tell myself that there would be other opportunities.  As the (Disney) song says, “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.”

How NOT to make cupcakes

These beauties are not the subject of this post.   They're made by the best cupcakery in the Bay Area, Sibby's.

I spend a lot of time on this blog telling readers how to do things:  how to paint a kitchen, how to throw a fun party, how to make hummus, how to decorate for the holidays.  Lots of my posts contain instructions on how to do this and do that.   But sometimes telling someone what not to do can be just as important as telling them what to do.  With that in mind, I've written down a list of Don'ts that I came up with after a particularly disastrous cupcake baking experience.  Read and learn, people, read and learn.......

How to make Beignets

Happy National Doughnut Day!  Normally I'd say there's nothing better than a sweet, tender Krispy Kreme plain glazed donut, but today I decided to get all fancy and celebrate this important holiday by making my own donuts.  To be more precise, I made beignets, which don't actually have holes: they're square, pillow-shaped deep fried pastries popularized in New Orleans.  In fact, I got the recipe from The Princess and the Frog Cookbook; since the movie is set in New Orleans, all the recipes in the cookbook are inspired by New Orleans dishes.

Making a splash at the first pool party of the summer

One of my favorite childhood stories is about seeing my grandmother jump into a swimming pool with all her clothes on.  It was my 7th or 8th birthday, and all the kids in the pool were too busy playing games to notice that my baby brother (he must have been 2 or 3) had slipped from his swim ring and into the bottom of the pool.  All of a sudden I saw my grandmother, in all her 60+ matronly glory, complete with heels and spanish fan, jump in and splash her way to my brother.

Now my kids will have a similar story to tell their children about me -- except my story isn't quite as noble.