how to talk to your kids about sex.

I wrote a little bit of a how-to guide over at Alpha Mom today, in case you needed some tips and pointers. You know, of how to make a complete moron of yourself while you approach the finer details of maturation with your kids.

For the full article, go here.

gazpacho

If you've never tried gazpacho, I recommend you do. It's a perfect summertime meal: colorful, healthy, light and full of zesty garden goodness. Also great because there is zero cooking involved. Don't you just dread turning on an oven in the summer months? Perfect for lunch or dinner, could be fun to take to your next cookout, served in clear plastic cups. We like this recipe at our house, a modification of Barefoot Contessa's famous recipe. Mr. J prefers his less chunky than the recipe dictates, so after it's processed to my taste, I remove half and just barely puree the rest for him.

1 English/Hothouse cucumber halved & seeded, not peeled

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

4-6 plum/roma tomatoes

1 small shallot, peeled

1 garlic clove, minced

23 ounces (3 cups) best quality tomato juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped fine

lime wedges

sliced fresh avocado, optional

Roughly chop the vegetables into in inch pieces. Place separately into a food processor fitted with steel blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped but NOT pureed. After each vegetable has been chopped. Place all into a large bowl. Add juice, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and basil and mix well. Chill before serving. It really does taste better the longer it chills. If you like, serve with sliced avocado and lime wedges.

sports notebooks.

I saw this on Design Mom, via Top Cultured. Really clever.





What do you think?

Victorian Inn, Monterey

While in Monterey we stayed at the Victorian Inn. And we loved it. The Victorian Inn is a charming hotel just a couple of streets up from Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and only a few walking blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. It was a great location. Not too crowded or noisy, but close enough to the center of it all.



What a welcome to the hotel! There were some chocolates in the basket that didn't even make it through unloading the bags, it was just too delicious.



Victor and I were in an attached but separate room from the kids {nice!}, who had their own television, fireplace, and balcony to keep them occupied. And I spent a fair amount of time being occupied by the hotel hot tub, which was a great place to be.



The Victorian was a perfect place to be: right in the middle of all the hot Monterey action, within walking distance of everywhere I love. Monterey is perfect for walking; it's so beautiful, the air smells deliciously of Eucalyptus and ocean air, and everything I want to visit is close {aquarium, cannery row, fisherman's wharf, Pacific Grove}. Next time you're there, be sure to read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, it adds a bit of authenticity and history to the place.

July's Nutrition Tip

Monthly Nutrition Tip........




Summer is here and how is your water intake doing??? Many times when it gets warm out and we get busy with summer fun....we forget to drink the water our body needs. Almost 70% of the human body is made up of water. If we study the physiology and anatomy of the human body, we'll find that water is responsible for almost all the vital processes occurring in the human body, whether it's the digestive system, circulatory system or some other. Water is amazing!!

This month take a good look at your daily water intake and see how much you are really getting in each day! Try using a 64 oz big mug and fill it up with ice cold water and drink 1 a day.

How much water should you have each day? The minimum requirement is 64oz a day. But if you exercise daily be sure to add in 1 cup of water for every 20 minutes you exercise. Staying well hydrated can help avoid possible injuries.

Water can do so much for our bodies......we require lots of water and summer heat depletes our bodies hydration level much faster. So this month do a little self assessment and try to get a little more water in. Your body will thank you!!

San Francisco to Monterey

As part of our trip in California last month we drove from San Francisco, CA to Monterey. Usually when we go places we tend to take it slow and enjoy the drive. Needless to say, we are quite capable and ready to barrel through 18 hours straight if we need to, but this trip, we set things up to try and travel at most 4-6 hours each day.
The drive traveling along HWY1 from San Francisco was as beautiful as ever. I have done this stretch a few times now and it never gets old. Each time I drive this section I keep trying to scheme up something or some way for us to move here. It's not like this place is uninhabited, people do live here, so why can't I?
A bit south of San Francisco, in Half Moon bay there is a break that locals managed to keep a secret up until the mid 90's and although it has taken lives of legends such as Mark Foo it has become one of the premier breaks for surfers from around the world. Mavericks is in the same class as Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and Jaws.

Well, it's summer so everything was flat and therefore we did not even bother stopping. We kept driving south through the wonderful Cyprus and Eucalyptus forests that have a smell that cannot be reproduced, described, nor found anywhere else. If you ever get a chance to walk through one of these forests and not just drive through them, I would recommend that you would do so. A short half hour walk is a great way to break up a long day of driving and let the kids run around. A soft off shore breeze, the sun's rays that are filtered by the 80' canopy overhead, squirrels, and the companion of the soft hum of the near by highway has never been a bad place to each a sandwich.




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the container store

it's one of my greatest thrills in life: a visit to The Container Store. I don't live near one, so I visit in other cities or shop online. it's my happy place. i love that so many items are multi-purpose, and also good looking.

The Container Store is having a huge sale right now: 25% off everything.

[enter code CLUTTERCREW at checkout]

Some of my favorites:

clear zippered cubes

great travel bags for cosmetics, baby items, beach sundries.

I like to be able to see everything at a glance

shoe boxes

I have several of these to keep my shoes stacked, tidy and visible.

also great for art/craft supplies

pet food storage bins

I don't have a pet, but I'd love these to store briquettes or fertilizer in the garage

neoprene totes

first of all, I love those polka dots. less bulky than a cooler, but insulated to keep foods/drinks cold or warm.

french canning jars

great for homemade tomato sauce, jam, vinegars, salsa.

even bath salts or sugar scrub

Kokopax

Hope you all had a great 4th! We spent the holiday with my in-laws in the mountains. Snowbird does an annual pancake breakfast. We arrived just before they closed down and enjoyed a nice breakfast together. It was wonderful to escape to the mountains where the air was a little cooler---despite the fact that it didn't occur to me to bring a light sweater.

Because it was cool and a little overcast, none of us thought to wear sunscreen. My parents-in-law and I fared okay. But Mike, his brother, and his brother's wife all got a little bit burned.

And what about Little O, you ask? It's true that I forgot to bring sunscreen, but I had packed a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and his Kokopax sun hat. Despite a full day outside in the elements, Little O didn't have one spot of pink skin on his little chubby body. And he looked adorable. You can't beat that.

(Pictured below with his aunt Celeste, in front of the snowman built by his uncle Jon.)

Happy Independence

I love Independence Day. The Fourth of July.

I love our national anthem. I love our flag.

I love my freedoms.

I love this country.

I love the friends, picnics (including this delicious side dish--best ever.), sparklers, small-town parades and fireworks done big.

A refresher course on flag etiquette can be found here

A brief history lesson about the Stars and Stripes can be found here

Go on, impress your friends and family with your smarts.

Enjoy the holiday weekend safely.

fourth of july!

Today I'm turning off the computer and heading to the pool. The kids are antsy, the house is messy, and a holiday weekend is upon us. Time to relax, unwind, and play a little Marco Polo.

I'm leaving you with a recipe and a craft. The recipe for 4th of July fruit kabobs can be found at Make and Takes and the craft at SER.EN.DIP.I.TY.

Happy 4th of July weekend!

etsy love: tweet

Such darling little wooden sailboats from my latest Etsy discovery, tweet. Darling indeed. But what else would you expect from the hands of a mommy named Willow. Isn't it the loveliest name? She sent along this darling handmade dotty sailboat and everyone at my house loves it!

wooden dotty sailboat, $16

"Dotty" took her maiden voyage last night. In the bathtub, of course. A smashing success. I'm crazy about the simplicity of these boats (little row-boats, too!) and charmed by the fun organic cotton sails. Willow also makes a point to use non-toxic finishes. Extra nice. I'd love an entire armada of these sweet handmade toys.

"Simple things for the little people in your life."

zoobie pets.

When we travel I allow the kids to pack one small pillow, one blanket, and a favorite animal so they'll feel more at home wherever we are. I was beyond thrilled to discover Zoobie Pets, which combines all three. Is it a bird, a plane, Superman? Actually, it's a Ladybug, a pillow, and a blanket. So clever.

Lily the Ladybug
$34
{via Zoobie Pets}

And the kids discovered that if you stuff the empty animal with your daddy's sweatshirt {when you'd like to use the blanket, you can still have an animal and a pillow at your disposal. Not too shabby.



There's a little bit of Velcro on the Zoobies, so we attached them to the kids' luggage to take into all the hotels. No dragging special pillows and blankets along dirty hotel lobbies. Whew.

They're seriously the cutest. I highly recommend getting one for your kinder.

monterey bay.

Next stop after San Francisco was Monterey Bay, California. Monterey is hands-down one of my favorite cities in the country, if not my all-time favorite. If I ever end up with a whole lot of extra cash, I'll be plunking it down on a tiny cabin in Pacific Grove right on the ocean. I mean, a girl can dream right?




My family has always had a bit of a *love affair* with Monterey; going back three generations, I might add. Growing up, we stayed in Monterey as a family almost every Christmas for two weeks in a little turn of the century cabin right on the ocean. Some of my earliest memories are of exploring the nooks and crannies in the rocks across the street from the cabin and tide pooling with my siblings, so it was a really cool full circle moment for me to take my kids to do the same.





The drive from San Francisco to Monterey is unbelievable. Completely gorgeous. It was foggy and grey when we left San Francisco but sunny and beautiful when we arrived in Monterey. May in northern California though, is like Utah in October. Pretty, deceitfully sunny, but fairly cold.




It takes a lot more than a little cold to stop my kids though. Especially C. He's always interested in seeing justhowclose he can get to the edge of danger without actually dying.



And for some reason unbeknown to me, Victor thought it would be a great idea to dress C in what can only be called 'tide pool camouflage'. I'm willing to bet if it weren't for that tiny slice of C's white shirt, you wouldn't even know there was a preschooler in this photo, looking to harass a crab.







If you do end up in Monterey, you have to take your kids tide pooling. The kids saw/played with/harassed all sorts of sea life: sea stars, crabs, sea anemone, and sea urchins. There's nothing quite like a hands-on biology lesson, especially if you're interested in marine biology. Honestly though, you don't have to be oceanologists to have a great time tide pooling with your kids. Just don't let them turn their backs on the ocean. EVER. The waves in Monterey are wicked fast and strong.

Mike and I are very excited to let you all know about a fantastic art retreat in San Francisco this August. In addition to my Illustrator classes and Mike's Photoshop classes, you can learn about photography, letterpress, oil painting, and screenprinting. And in case that's not cool enough, there's even a photography class for kids and a cartooning class for kids. Some of the classes are sold out, but get on the waiting list if you're interested!

Don't live in San Francisco? I think it's worth the trip! Mike and I plan to make a week-long vacation out of it. And hasn't Allison's travel report made you want to take a trip to San Fransisco?

Read the full details and find the class schedule on Nicole's blog, here.

Classes Offered:

Photography
Tabletop Photography
Photoshop
Photoshop: Digital Workflow for Photographers
Photoshop: Digital Painting
Oil Painting
Letterpress
Illustrator
Illustrator: Making a Pattern
InDesign
Screenprinting
Photography for Kids!
Cartooning for Kids!

Cost:
1 class $45
3-4 classes: $40/class
5-7 classes: $35/class
7+ classes: $30/class
checks and paypal accepted.

Location:
The Ferney Studio, Valencia Street, SF, CA
Photography for Kids! will be held at Alta Plaza Park: at the steps of Clay St. and Pierce St. Directions will be emailed once payment is received.

Sign-ups:
Click here to sign up.

fresh nest design, family room redesign.

Remember way back in the Fall when I painted my family room blue? The room is still at a total standstill and it's driving me crazy. So I enlisted the help of two of my favorite women, Deb & Erin, from Fresh Nest Design. I sent over photos of the space, what I hoped to accomplish with it, what kind of style I envisioned, and VOILA! just like magic I have a new design for my family room.

All I have to do now is incorporate the style. If you want to submit your own redesign, go here. Thanks Fresh Nest, I can't wait to show you the *after* photos!

Design Instructions: Move the mirror that’s above the fireplace to above the sofa. This will help make the width feel larger than the 10′10″ that it currently is. Move the clock you’ve got on the floor, and hang it above the fireplace instead. You’ve done a great job accessorizing the fireplace, the only thing I would add is to put the globe on the left side near the star. This will help to balance the accessories a little better.

1. Poang Chair from Ikea. This is one of the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in and it doesn’t take up as much space as a fully upholstered chair. This chair is great for relaxing and reading! Use the Sirkon Sand fabric for a more modern vibe.

2. Storage Ottoman from Ikea. Use this to store games and toys for quick access when needed. This also makes a great surface for playing games on.

3. Make some simple pillows with the Honeycomb Lime and Ripple Stripe Green from Amy Butler’s Ohio Sky Collection. Place the pillows on the chairs and sofa to pull the space together and to add a little pattern.

4. Make a simple bench to place behind the storage center. This can be used for storing outdoor gear below and as a seat for putting shoes on with. Depending on how sturdy the back of your storage center is, consider placing some hooks there for a small place to hang jackets and keys. (Or even a Welcome sign!)

5. Extra storage shelves. These could be used for both games and books. This will make everything in the room easily accessible and in the end will help the space be used more.

6. The mirror above the sofa will seem a little small in scale so buy (or reuse) canvases and paint it one or two coordinating colors. These should be about 10″ square. Try using a nice apple green for a splash of color there. Many times you can find old canvas paintings at thrift stores for cheaper than buying a new one. Just paint primer on top of the existing painting and use it as a new, blank canvas!

7. Use your old entertainment center for game storage also. Remove the doors from the bottom. To cover the storage underneath after removing the doors, make a simple fabric panel to the dimensions of the opening and secure it to the top of the opening with velcro. This will add a little accent to the piece AND cover the clutter that sometimes happens in storage spaces!

Sephora

I've recently developed an infatuation with Sephora.com. I've enjoyed their stores in other cities--if you've visited a Sephora store you know how fun it can be with all those pretty, shiny containers of color and fragrance. But, I had never purchased makeup on-line before. Don't know what I was worried about. Their selection of brands is unbelievable and I've been really happy with each of my purchases, like this, though if I hadn't been happy, returns aren't a big deal.

Other good things? They send lovely little samples with every purchase (you know you love free samples), regularly offer extra perks, and they sent me an actual birthday gift: 3 pretty lip glosses, all wearable. Lucky we have the internet way out here in small-town Idaho.

weekend happiness.

If you happen to be in Utah this weekend, there's a lot going on. And you'll want to be a part of all of it. At least I do. In no particular order, here's what's on the calendar:



The ever talented Nicole Carman is hosting a boutique full of the cutest hand-made lovelies this side of the West on Saturday June 27th from 2-8 p.m. You really don't want to miss it. If you need a birthday gift, wedding present, or a little treat for yourself be sure to stop by. And please say hello if you see me, I'll be there!



Join Vanessa, last week's guest blogger from I Never Grew Up, on Friday June 26th for Art Days. I hear the Walter Wick Exhibition is amazing!



Support one of my favorite blogs of all time, Nie Nie at The Sweet Tooth Fairy on Saturday June 27th. In celebration of Stephanie Nielson's birthday Sweet Tooth Fairy will donate all the proceeds of the VaNIElla Squared cupcakes to the Nie Nie foundation & the Arizona Burn Center. These cupcakes are divine, I just devoured one a few nights ago and can't wait to go back! If you don't happen to live in Utah, no worries, Sweet Tooth Fairy ships!


{image here and here}.

thursday fit tip.

Try something new.

That's my tip for today. Are you a yogi? Try Tae Bo. Love running? Go for a swim.

Your body needs to be confused every once in a while if you're going to get and stay in killer shape. You've gotta confuse those muscles!

Go get 'em tigers.

san francisco day 3 - WIN

Day three in San Francisco was one of the highlights of the entire trip for me. We went to Boudin Bakery on the wharf for a tour of their San Francisco museum as well as their sourdough bakery. As it turns out, the Boudin sourdough starter, their "Mother Dough" has been around since the beginning of San Francisco and was the one thing that Mother Boudin saved from the burning building during the fires of 1906. If you know anything about growing yeast (we got a whole science lesson while we were there) you'll know that yeast is a time machine. This time machine takes us back to the middle of the 19th century.



We had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Terry who showed us around the museum as well as the factory. The factory bakes each day thousands of rolls of bread along with many more pieces of hand crafted artisan pieces as well. Below, you can see Terry {a master story teller if there ever was one} holding up a lobster and showing us it's belly.



There is serious art in this artisan bread. Lobsters, crabs, alligators, fish, turtles, anything that you can imagine; and as it turns out, the Boudin Bakery can bake for you anything that you can imagine. While on the bakery floor, we saw a 10' alligator cooling off with a chain around it's neck. You know, just in case.





Now the bakery floor was something to behold. There must have been a small army of industrial engineers working many long hours with the folks at Boudin Bakery to make the whole thing work. The bakery itself is one of those places where form and function come together and leave one with awe and amazement. 800 lbs of dough at a time get mixed by custom built mixers similar to the Kitchen Aid in your house, but these ones have three phase motors running 208V/277V. These things were massive. I was impressed.



Well, once you mix a 800 lbs dough ball, you have to do something with it right? Why not start by dropping it from the second floor down to the first floor and force it through a funnel and automatic roller? Again, awesome!

It turns out that it takes two days to bake a loaf of bread from start to finish. Here are the results of all of the hard work.



After the tour, we were invited by the company to be their guests for lunch. Their full menu at the bistro read more like one of restaurants there they make you wear a tie and jacket, lend one to you if you don't have one, give the ladies the menu without the prices, and have a Sommelier. Seared salmon on a bed of spinach, smoked salmon sandwich (on sourdough of course), and of course creme brulee for desert.









Overall, I would say that day 3 in San Francisco was a success.

kids in the garden

Without fail, if I'm working in the yard, my toddler wants to work in the yard. With the big heavy grown up sized shovels and rakes. It quickly becomes frustrating for both of us, but he's not content with the small plastic toy shovel I keep offering. Apparently, it just doesn't get the job done for him.

I've searched high and low and I may have found the perfect solution at Main Street Supply. The website is decidedly no-frills, but their children's section offers up some fantastic, classically styled outdoor toys at great prices.

Rakes, spades and the like, $5.99

steel heads and solid wood handles. just what I'm looking for.

Kid-sized wheelbarrow by Radio Flyer, $43.09

I'm loving this.