The Guavalicious Life

Confession: I am a secret hoarder. Out in my garage we have a gigantic stash of used plastics. You see, our city as great as it is, only recycles one and two plastics. So we save up our yogurt tubs and cheese lids and ferry them to Dallas when we visit family. Yep, we are a little bit crazy about recycling. We are one step away from joining the earth liberation army.

Suffice to say, I am a wee bit into green living. So I jumped at the chance to test out Tide Coldwater. We almost always wash our clothes in cold water but I haven’t used a detergent made specifically for cold water laundry. I love my natural detergents but I admit that they don’t always tackle the stains that two five year old girls leave on their play clothes.

And it totally came through. Even without any kind of pre-treatment. I am so looking forward to pulling that off of my laundry shelf and adding less plastic to our garage stash.

Disclosure: I received a product sample and was compensated with a $50 gift card.

So this is the new series on my blog, a baby book of sorts for us lazy parents. Each Sunday I post a question and answer it. You comment with your own answer, or write it on your blog, or jot it down on a random scrap of paper. It doesn’t matter where, just capture these fleeting moments.

This week’s question: what talent does your child currently posses?

Desmonda Drama obviously inherited her father’s musical talents rather than my onw tone deafness because she regularly amazes us with the songs she creates. She will riff on a familiar tune, making up her own words, often. But she also makes up completely original melodies. We really need to get her into music lessons stat.

Calamity Jane is a bit harder to pin down. She’s pretty funny but I son’t know if that counts as a talent. The thing that stands out for me right now is her amazing memory. She remembers EVERYTHING. For example, she put on a hat today and mentioned that the last time she had worn it was when she went ice skating (over a year ago.)

So I took a break from blogging after the new year to get to work on my resolutions. This is the year I jump back into working professionally (because staying at home and freelancing are definitely work yo.) But I knew in order to do that successfully I had to get a handle on the house situation. Let’s just say I am not a natural homemaker. A few years ago I was using the Motivated Moms system (basically chore breakdowns by day) and my house looked awesome. So I ponied up the $10 for the iPhone app and am back on the horse.

One thing I love about the lists are the reminders to do things like work on your kids’ scrapbooks and baby books. Because we have no scrapbooks and the girls’ baby books are close to empty. Of course now that they are four I need some prompts besides first tooth and the date they first laughed (like I am going to remember that.) Hence this brand new bloggging series, The Lazy Parent Baby Book. Each Sunday I will be listing a prompt and writing a blog post based off it. Because after all, aren’t blogs the modern scrapbook?

I hope you will leave a comment if you join me. I would love to see what you write!

This week’s prompt : Is your kid a collector? What do they like to amass multiples of?

When I was a kid, I was very into collecting things: matchbox cars, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, rocks, roly poly bugs, stickers, coins. So I thought my kids would be the same way. I don’t know if it’s a function of being twins and sharing most of their toys or that my adult anti-pack rat habit has rubbed off on them, but the girls really aren’t in to collecting things.

They only have a couple of possessions that are favorites (their blankets and the Pook-a-Look Minnie and Goofy we got them at Disney Social Media Moms last year.) Besides those items, they are much more into pure imagination (the couch cushions are their favorite “toys” much to my husband’s dismay) and art than toys.

Usually this means is useless to try and buy them theme presents. Often by the time they got something they like they have already moved on to something else. And sometimes I wish they did collect something just so I would have a ready made gift idea. But most of the time I am just happy there’s not more stuff in my house!

Last night I lay fully clothed (in my comfy clothes), covered by a blanket and down comforter, drinking spiked hot chocolate, eating chocolate covered potato chips, and muttering to myself “winter is coming.”* This is not normal behavior for me.

I am not sure what has got me so down this year. I woke up grumpy yesterday and begged my husband to take the girls to his parents for the new year weekend. Instead of utilizing focus moments and therapy techniques, I rolled my eyes and told the girls to get over it when they fought. Instead of leaving the tree up until New Year’s Day like usual, I started pulling the tinsel off.

Post Christmas Depression is the armchair diagnosis but that’s not it. Christmas was pretty great. We hosted and though I was secretly in agony from a bad flare up, I muddled through by just forgetting everything else that I had to do (sorry local blog, sorry niece who never received last Christmas gift, sorry relatives and friends who usually receive cards from me) and concentrating on family. We hosted my husband’s family for the first time and I think it went well. Christmas dinner was kind of a bust but everyone skimmed over that and just drank more wine instead, hurrah.

And usually I love this post Christmas week. I hit all the sales, go crazy cleaning the house, sit by the lighted Christmas tree finishing off the last of the holiday booze and goodies so I can start the new year off fresh and sober like, and spend way too much time composing my (never to be done) resolutions.

But this year I just want to sit under the blankets and eat chocolate covered potato chips. Which just end up making me feel yucky.

A note about those chocolate covered potato chips. I am an extremely hard person to buy gifts for. It is a burden for my husband. Two years ago he bought my chocolate covered potato chips from our local candy store. I ate a few and liked them and now I get them every Christmas in my stocking. They are not as good when you have to eat the entire bag. They put the chocolate on too thick and they make me feel sick (rhyme intentional.)

Yet under the blanket I sit eating them. I think I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or DOWD (Dread of Winter Disorder which I just made up). This makes no sense as I lived in Minnesota for a year and frackin** loved winter. I loved the snow; I loved my down coat that kept me warm in twenty below; I loved walking through tunnels to get everywhere; I loved it all. Besides the fact that it nearly turned me into an alcoholic (it gets dark at like twelve thirty and obviously when it’s dark you should start drinking), there was nothing I hated about the great frozen North’s winters.

But the Midwest winters depress me. It’s nothing but coldish (over thirty, under fifty) weather that makes you shiver but is not enough to warrant wearing a down coat (unless you want people to mock you), dead snowless grass, and pointless snow days where the streets are clear by nine but my kids are still home with me all day bored out of their little skulls. Let me point out that in Minnesota there was NOT ONE snow day and children in the elementary school across the street routinely (ROUTINELY) played outside in frigid weather. I observed them safe behind my window as I sat on the radiator drinking my one o’clock hot chocolate with Kahlua.

So instead of doing my usual new year prep routine of eating/drinking, cleaning, and resoluting I am instead just laying in bed under blankets doing the first one. I consider this to be okay since I am a bona fide suffered of DOWD. Tomorrow I will plan my nervous breakdown.

XOXO
Guava

*Yes that was a Game of Thrones reference. Over the past year I have morphed into a total nerd.
**Confirmation of above, BG reference.

Here is one for you last minute shoppers out there. Bookstores are the one size fits all, easy place to get something for everyone on your list. And I even have a list for you!

Steve Jobs: Unless the recepient lives under a rock, they are probably intrigued by Steve Jobs. Which makes this biograpgy the perfect book for anyone from 16 on up. It delves deeeply into the psyche of the genius behind Apple. Who wouldn’t want a peek into his mind?

Brave Irene: The kid on your list is probably a smidge too young to see Iron Lady but they will love this book read by Merly Streep. Brave Irene by William Steig is the story of Irene a dressmaker’s daughter who takes on a journey to deliver a dress in time for a fancy party. It takes place during a snow storm making it the perfect winter book. The gift comes with the bonus of pleasing the parent of the kiddo you give it to. Books on CD are perfect for car trips. They can be played when it’s dark out and make a great diversion during the day since kids can follow the story through the pictures.

My Teenage Werewolf ” target=”_blank”>My Teenage Werewolf: Got a mom on your list? Any mother will be fascinated by this account of a mom, inspired by the tough relationship with her daughter, who puts on her journalist hat to delve into the primal relationship between teenage girls and their moms. Even though my twins are only four, I found myself totally enrossged in this book. I also immediately started as therapy and spa vacation fund.

300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes: Let’s admit it, we all have a spare kitchen appliance hanging around that we’re not sure what to do with. And half of those are rice cookers. This book will have your friends cooking full on meals from that rice cooker languishing in the back of the cabinet. Hopefully they will be so grateful that they will have you over for dinner.

Does anyone feel like December went by amazingly fast? It’s hard for me to believe that my in-laws will be arriving a week from today to spend the Christmas weekend with us. This will be our first Christmas hosting for them and I have been frantically cleaning and clearing out the house to prepare. It is slow going since I keep getting distracted by pictures and letters I come across.

The advent of the digital age has made me much more ruthless about deleting bad and random pictures. But I have a much harder time doing that with actual prints. Someone’s eyes may be closed but I can’t bear to part with it because it is the only version I have. So I hang onto them and they languish in envelopes along with school pictures, faded prints from my parents, and old Polaroids.

Yes, I know I could scan them but that plan was how they ended up in the envelope. I keep thinking I will get to them on a rainy day but when that rainy day comes I end up snoozing on the couch instead. I dream about just boxing them up and having them neatly presented to me in digital form, ready to share.

Sometimes dreams come true. I’ve been given the chance to do just that by Live On. Their Live On Rewind service sends you a secure, shipping box, prepaid postage back, shipping instructions, zip lock bag for secure storage during transit. Then their specialists convert all your media and send it back along with a DVD of the preserved media.

The best part is that they also provide online access to your newly digitized memories at LiveOn.com. I wrote last month about how much I love the interface on their site. It goes way beyond a digital album. I can’t wait to start adding my own memories to the pictures I am having scanned.

This year is about making new memories with our daughters and our family. I am so glad that I will be able to put side by side pictures of these moments with the ones from my own childhood. The next time I am at my parents I plan to gather up their photos and send them in as well. I think it would make a fantastic gift. If you would like to gift someone with the service (or use it for yourself) you can get 30% off the service with the coupon code HOLIDAYREWIND. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!

Thank you to LiveOn for sponsoring this blog post. Please LiveOn to learn more about sharing and preserving your most important memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective. Although story ideas were provided, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This year of time gets a bit stressful doesn’t it? There are parties, school events, shopping, etc. Too often, dinner times rolls around and I am completely unprepared. At the same time we are eating way more treats than normal so I want to make healthy dinners. That means avoiding my usual go to of take out or frozen pizza.

Right in time for my holiday food crunch, I was given the chance to review the Simply Dressed line from T. Marzetti. I am always a bit skeptical of store brought dressings. I usually make my own since my dressing are full of preservatives and colorings.

But this line isn’t the “French” I grew up eating on my iceberg salads. The Simply Dressed dressings are all natural, made with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and canola oil. They don’t contain preservatives, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or artificial flavors.

They make several awesome sounding dressings but I ended up picking the Ginger Sesame version to try out. I have never been able to master dressings with an Asian flair. And the ginger ones I am addicted too always have artificial coloring which I try to avoid with the girls.

When I first poured out some to try, it looked like the “Italian” dressing I grew up eating on my mom’s classic pasta salad. But when I dipped some broccoli in, there was no comparison. I was immediately struck by the ginger flavor. It’s sharp with out being over powering. It’s a great balance since both me and my girls loved using it as a dip.

I ended up incorporating the dressing into two quick and easy meals that are not only a snap to prepare but are also a welcome respite from the heavy foods of the holidays.

Asian Wrap

• rotisserie chicken
• slaw pack (or shredded carrots and broccoli)
• Simply Dressed Ginger-Sesame dressing to taste
• flat wraps

For each wrap use about a half cup of chicken and half cup of slaw pack, then drizzle one fourth of a cup of dressing over before wrapping. These are great for lunches, just wrap in plastic and eat within twenty four hours (refrigerate of course!)

Sesame Noodles

• 8oz whole wheat linguine
• one zucchini
• two carrots
• two stalks celery
• 1/c peanuts, crushed
• one cup Ginger-Sesame dressing

Cook linguine according to directions. While it is cooking, matchstick the carrots, celery, and zucchini. Drain the noodle, combine immediately with chopped veggies, toss with dressing, and top with crushed peanuts. Makes four servings with a bit leftover for a lunch.

Now I am dreaming up ways to use the rest of the Simply Dressed line. Because why stop with salads when you can shortcut your way into dinner?

I was one of the bloggers selected by T. Marzetti Company and Clever Girls Collective to host a Marzetti Simply Dressed review. They provided me with product to test myself and compensation for my time. However, my opinions are entirely my own.

So it’s here, holiday crunch time. Did you know that the busiest shopping day of the year isn’t Black Friday but the Saturday before Christmas. And though that’s technically Christmas Eve I would expect that this Saturday is going to be packed. So avoid the malls and get a gift you know the recepient will actually use, something edible. And if you’re lucky, they will open it and invite you to share. Here are my top picks for edible gifts.

1. Georgetown Cupcakes: You may have seen these cupcakes on TLC’s hit show Dc Cupcakes. Very rarely do things live up to the TV hype but these cupcakes are just as dacadent and delicious as they look on the small screen. You can get a dozen of their adorable holiday cupcakes shipped over night for $55.

2. Debbie’s Rugelach: My mom used to make rugelach from her mother’s recipe and it just tasted like Christmas. I have never recaptured the magic in my own renditions. So I was thrilled to discover Debbie’s Rugelach. Every batch of this old world handmade treat is crafted with all natural ingredients. Not only is there nothing artificial, there are also no jams, no spreads, no pastes, and no fillers. Debbie combines fresh cream cheese and real butter to make the flaky pastry which is then rolled around generous fillings of dark chocolate chips, juicy currants and crunchy walnuts, or plump dried apricots, surrounded by a sweet cinnamon and sugar filling. They are super delicious.

3. Plush Puffs: Forget the stay puffs you are used to. These gourmet marshmallows literally melt in your mouth. And the flavors are out of this world. You will happily gobble flavors like caramel swirl and toasty coconut straight from the box but save some for hot chocolate. It takes a mug of hot cocoa to a whole other level. And they have an amazing sounding Smores Box that pairs four of their flavors with organic graham crackers and Ghiradelli chocolates.

4. Topsy’s Popcorn: Those giant popcorn tins have always scared me a bit. Until I received a tin of Topsy’s Popcorn. The cinnamon, caramel, and cheddar mix we received was gone with two days. If all popcorn was this good, Santa would be eating it instead of cookies. If you’re lucky enough to live in the Kansas City metro area you head to one of their retail locations but they are also available for order through their website.

5. Frangelico Chocolates from MarieBelle: Soon after MarieBelle started, I was lucky enough to taste their gourmet chocolates. The word artisan gets knocked around a lot but there’s truly no other way to describe the delicate truffles MarieBelle makes. This year they have partnered with Fragelico liqueur to make the perfect holiday truffle. The hazelnet flavored liqueur is the perfect pairing with MarieBell’s dark chocolate. The four box set is $15 and would make a great teacher or Secret Santa gift.

On Sundays I write for five minutes about whatever pops into my head and then hit publish. Please excuse any typos!

So we went on a date this afternoon to see Martha Marcy May Marlene (or whatever the heck it’s called) because nothing says romance like cult movies. One of the things that struck me was the real body of the lead actress Elizabeth Olsen. Sure she had a flat stomach, I mean she is like 22, but she also had an ass and thighs. In stark contrast to most Hollywood stars, she looked like a real person.

It gave me hope. Especially after a week where I read Cinderella Ate My Daughter and My Teenage Werewolf both of which had the authors worrying about their daughters’ body images. As a mother to two girls, who will be going through puberty at the same time with two very different body shapes, I already have a preoccupation with body image. My own doesn’t concern me as much any more (besides that pesky five turned into twenty extra pounds.) Instead I worry about what the girls will think about theirs.

I try not to mention my own body images in front of them. That’s a first step. But where else can I go from there?

Don’t hate me because I am done with my Christmas shopping. Well that should be an asterisk because I still have three gifts to buy: my husband’s, the girls’ Santa gifts (CJ asked for a giraffe (a toy one she stressed, not a live one.. whew) and DD asked for a red whistle), and a gift for our friends, CJ’s godmother and her husband. But those are easy ones to get, except for my friends.

My friends are hard to buy for. They are infinately stylisth, vegetarians, and minimalists. Ooof. So if you have any suggestions let me know.

To help you with your gift giving, today I am giving away a 8X8 Custom Cover Photo Book from Snapfish. To win, just leave a comment! I will pick a winner December 10th.