Fe-Fi-Mo-Momma

This little beauty from lowercase tee
is the cleverest political merch I've seen so far this primary season.

If you've seen other cute items (for any candidate), let us know.

The Sky Isn't Visible From Here

I've always been a fan of fiction.

Since birth.

After all, that's what most of us first learn books to be...tales of fairies, Loraxes, Fudge, and Ramona. And that's what my bookshelves knew. And so that's what I read. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of words of fiction.

Sure, there were random non-fiction bits throw in, for school and all, but it seems I've always liked the pretend better. So much so that at age 30, I actually broke up with a guy because he said fiction novels were stupid. (Because although he was incredibly cute, he was stupid, obviously.)

But then someone turned me on to the genre of the personal essay and the memoir novel. And I fell in love. And in a round about way, that's what initiated my interest into reading others' blogs. Because in many ways and forms, that's exactly what they are. Just out there for anyone to read, relate to, or not.

Then sometimes, someone takes it to the next level.

I'd say Felicia Sullivan has done exactly that with her new novel The Sky Isn't Visible From Here as she recounts growing up as the adult in a Brooklyn household with a powerfully addicted mother. What's even more moving, even more than the incredible details she includes, is the way she soberly connects these formative years into the life she pieces together for herself seventeen years later. The way that the children that we were, become the women that we are. It's so honest. So honest that even though my childhood in central Texas couldn't have been more different, I completely understand where she's coming from and how we get there.

It's that good.

Her broken heart is quiet and strong. Her details are specific and bizarre. Her story is completely touching and inspiring. In fact, in reading it, I'm celebrating her victories with her and I'm thinking, I'd completely be her friend in real life. In fact, if she had a blog, I'd read it. And then I realized, of course she does. Because she's brilliant. So you can read that too. You can also read an excerpt of The Sky Isn't Visible from Here on the Huffington Post.

And you can purchase the book here.

Or you can win a copy of it here. Right here. By leaving a comment before Wed. Feb. 13th, midnight EST. And as always, I seriously hope you win.

The Ultimate Tea Diet from the Good Doctor Tea.

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
--C.S. Lewis

Remember when tea was just something old ladies and English people drank? Well, no more, my friend. Now, it’s severely hip. Ever since Moby opened up his own shop. (Or maybe it was cool before that. I can’t tell.) And it's been fiercely cool for at least as long as Miley Cyrus has been in a bra. Give or take.

But Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra, has been going all tea, all the time for much longer. In fact, his family has been involved in the tea biz for generations. And today, he runs a schwanky tea store and wrote about book called The Ultimate Tea Diet. And he swears that tea will “help us lose weight, reduce our cravings for sweets, suppress our appetite, increase our insulin’s effectiveness, lower our cholesterol, and stimulate thermogenesis, which helps the body burn fat for energy.” And stuff.

Big claims from someone whose name reminds me of a certain gold jewelry wearin’ 80s star. But. It turns out this guy is nothing like B.A. Baracus. Except they both live in LA.

I pity the fool who drinks coffee.
The good doctor starts off by making some pretty serious accusations that coffee is the devil. Like, it makes you trap body fat. It raises your blood sugar. It slows down your metabolism. It worsens your PMS. And it makes you kill kittens. Maybe.

But you get the gist. Coffee = bad. Tea = good. I’m a serious coffee drinker, so I already have one eyebrow raised.

He’s not a doctor, he just plays one on tea.
Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra makes no claims to be a doctor. He’s just a guy who owns a cool tea shop and talks to people about tea all day everyday and has for years. (Oh and some little girls at a birthday party gave him the name and then his co-workers wouldn’t stop razzing him about it, so he embraced it. That’s the story.)

So, basically, you could call him the Pope of Tea or the Tea Czar, whatever. He’s just a guy that knows a lot about tea. And in this book he says that is has three main ingredients: caffeine to stimulate, L-theanine to neutralize the harmful side effects of caffeine and act as an appetite suppressant, and ECGC, which causes you to burn fat faster and more efficiently. In other words, tea reduces your appetite and stimulates your metabolism.

So there’s this book about tea.
The book starts off by going into the history of different kinds of teas...white tea, green tea, etc. but maintains they all come from the same plant (Camellia Sinensis) so all have essentially the same benefits. There's a lot of other stuff, but here are some interesting tidbits:

• Tea’s been around for almost 5,000 years.
• There are 12,500 to 20,000 types of green teas produced in China alone
• oolong is he Champagne of teas.
• White tea is the ‘tea of Royals’ and is the most delicate and least processed
• Black tea has the most caffeine but still only half the amount of coffee.
• 75% of tea produced is black tea...which is the type consumed by 87% of Americans

Then he goes into a lot of detail about the details of tea, the history of tea, the nuances of tea, the preparation of tea, the serving of tea, and so on of tea. The dude seems to know his tea, hence the pretend name.

The research found in 2006 that EGCG could “modulate insulin secreation by inhibiting glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). Which seems to mean that this is good for weight loss. Actually, they go into two pages of detail about what consuming too much sugar and carbs do to your body and not much of it is good. It’s enough to make me want to eat bark for a year. And that’s saying something.

And then they talk about a study that showed drinking tea helped you burn 12% more fat than drinking water.

Lots of talk about flavonoids, free radicals and cancer prevention. The first two sound like people that hang out in my neighborhood, the third sounds like a cause I can get behind. So by page 53, I’m sold.

He puts the T in diet. (So it’s not just die.)
Okay then the diet part starts. A 14-day diet plan and a 35-day totally reasonable workout chart.

Then there are a lot of recipes. That incorporate tea. A lot of recipes. This chapter looked like skiing down the black slopes to me, so I basically skipped it. But it’s nice to know it’s there if I’m ever feeling adventurous.

It ends with tons of great tea store recommendations. With web addresses and phone numbers. This is brilliant. I would be a fan of this book if only for this list. Sure, his store is the first one; but he also includes his picks for other great tea stores (and remember, the dude knows tea) including 20 different cool tea finds online...including my fave, Mighty Leaf.

So here’s what I thought.
I liked The Ultimate Tea Diet a lot. It's smart. It’s a fast read, and it makes sense. I’m completely motivated to try it. So I am. Starting Feb. 4, after I finish this silly thing I'm doing with my co-workers, I'm taking tea to the next level. Of course, I'll keep you posted on the results.

In the meantime, I'm ordering some of the good doctor's peppermint patty tea (since I won't be eating the girl scout cookies.)

Want to win some?

Just leave a comment! I'll pick one lucky pal (on Wednesday @ midnight) to tea with me.

Cheers!

Sofa So Good.

The HcQ and I have different tastes in a lot of things.
Furniture being one of them.
Because if I had to pick a sofa bed today, this is what I'd pick. The Logo sofa from apt.

It just seems happy.

And he would pick this...The Hennessy Leather Sofa from Crate & Barrel

I'm thinking this might be the compromise.Tillary modular from West Elm.
Maybe.

Counting the Days

My friend Adrienne had this Snow & Graham calendar on her desk all last year.
And all last year I thought, next year I too will have this calendar.
And so now I do.
And the 2008 version is fantastic.

This Year, Take Out The Laundry.

I'm loving this bag from Chinese Laundry I found on Glamour.
A bit of cheery yellow for 2008.
Cheers!

After All, It's Not Too Pink

I'm loving this etsy shop Not Too Pink. Check it out.
Very cool designs.
Anyone redecorating right now? I'm thinking one of these prints would make a room happy.

Whatever You Do, Buy Olympia

And you can Buy Olympia at buyolympia dot com.

Here are a few reasons you might want to.

Bitten with the Urge the Shop!

Okay, so SJP's Bitten line might not be new.

But after seeing the cool dress on PR4 that they're going to carry, I'm more motivated than ever to check out Steve & Barry's.

Recover with mi SPA

Needing to recover from travel? Turkey? Family? Shopping? All of the above? Well treat yourself with mi SPA. You totally deserve it.

They have lovely soaps

Treats for your face


Bath and body greatness

And if for some reason, none of that works.
Dress yourself into a Zen-like state of mind.

Or just focus on what you love.


I hope your holiday was happy and your recovery is quick.

Your Every Whim

Have you seen some of my friend Adrienne's cool holiday card designs?

If not, you should really check them out at Your Every Whim.


If not, you should really check them out at Your Every Whim.

Kind of gets you in the spirit of things, huh?

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

The DrinkMaster Mix Master.

Wrap it Up!

I'm not one for traditional holiday wrapping paper,
so I'm loving the collection from Pop Ink.

The Daring Book for Girls

A while ago I reviewed The Dangerous Book for Boys for Parent Bloggers Network and found it to be a good reminder that, when it comes to raising a son, I have a lot to learn and a ton of experiences ahead of me. The Daring Book for Girls reminded me that I have a lot I still need to experience for myself.

The book by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, covers pretty much every topic I could ever think of possibly needing or wanting to know more about. How's that for comprehensive? They even have a cool little video to give you a preview. But this gist is, each little chapter (there are about 107 of them) covers info and overviews on a variety of important topics like what you should pack for Africa, what you should carry in your toolbox, and what you should know about Joan of Arc. Also, there are many how-tos included like how to whistle with two fingers, read palms, play hearts, build a campfire, be a spy, invest in bonds. Seriously. Why did I waste time going to school? Reading through this book, I felt like I somehow missed a lot of good information in the late 70s, early 80s.

So that's why I'm thinking this book isn't just for little girls. Although, my nieces will all find a copy of this wrapped under the tree in a few weeks. I'm thinking, I'm giving this to my friends for birthday presents. Because you're never too old learn how to make your own paper (and quill pen). More importantly, you're never too old to be a daring girl!

Feeling daring? Leave a comment to enter a giveaway...we'll give one copy of The Daring Book for Girls away to one lucky winner, who will be chosen Midnight on Friday. Good luck!

Also, Kristin Chase, co-founder of PBN will be speaking to the authors, Andi and Miriam, on her radio show podcast tonight, along with Joanne from Punditmom and Bitsy from ValuewIT.com. Check out the show at this link tonight, Wed. 11/14, at 9-9:30 EST. Hear from the authors themselves what they were thinking when they wrote their chapters on boys and making cootie catchers.

How do you like your eggs? Sauteed? Or Crocheted?

Check out this nifty knitty food from Candypop Creations.

Tag, You're It.

Now that we're firmly in November, I'm feeling inspired to think about the Holidays. Especially since my family is celebrating Christmas in two weeks. Don't ask. So since I'm already starting to wrap presents, I was thrilled to find these little numbers from Elle's Studio. Won't they be great gift tags?

Snowflake Circle Tags

And these might be fun as coasters.
Hey, why not?

And why not have a giveaway. Leave a comment and you'll be registered to win your choice of fun item from Elle's Studio. Winner chosen at midnight Wed. Happy 43 days until Christmas!

Deceptively Delicious

You might have heard a little bit about this book. Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. There's been some buzz on the Internet, and on oh, Oprah. But that's what tends to happen when you create something lovely. And also when you know people. Probably. Jessica Seinfeld fits in both of these categories. The knowing and the doing. And she has done a great job at putting together a fun little recipe book with "simple secrets to get your kids eating good food."

She's a self-proclaimed non-professional chef. But she came up with some ideas that work and have been "relentlessly" tested on her own kids (and what's his name).

It's all about hiding vegetables in food.

Carrots in Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins. Butternut squash in Mac and Cheese. Mushrooms and Zucchini in Burgers. Spinach in Brownies. You get the gist.

The thing is, I've tried some of these, and they're great! And I'm not just loving them for the Hurricane, I'm digging that I'm tricking myself. Anyway I can get more food in my food and not notice is alright by me.

Agree?

Then check it out.

Parent Bloggers Network sent me a copy. It's wonderfully art directed with a total retro feel. A great addition to the collection. But this one, I'm actually using. If only to consume more veggies myself.

Besides not being able to read the title without the Lucky Charms theme song running through my head, I love this book. It's so freaking cute. Love the concept, the illustrations, the whole package. So all that said...

GIVEAWAY ALERT: Want to check it out? Leave a comment. I'll give one away. You have until Monday night at midnight to comment and we'll draw a lucky winner whoohoo. And as always, I seriously hope you win.

A Hat Mateys

Just in case you are looking for a cute pirate's hat...and I was...Gymboree has these bad boys 2T-5T for $6.99. Grab and eye patch and you're good to go.

PRIZEY: One Stop, Lots of Giveaways

You gotta check out this site. PRIZEY. One place that lists a ton of giveaways going on online. Swell right? Plus, they feature some of my very favorites...Cool Mom Picks, Parent Bloggers Network, Design Mom, and um Sk*rt (because we love giveaways on sk*rt).

So really. How can you not completely love them?

Plus, in the spirit of free cable, somehow they've magically given me some weird power to post giveaways. Like I know. But it you know of any you'd like for me to post or share, then let me know. You know? It's the way things go. On PRIZEY. Check it.

My Son's New Favorite Video: Phonics 4 Babies

My son has just discovered Sesame Street.

This makes me incredible happy, since three decades ago it was the show that made me fall in love with New York (a place I'm loving in person as I type this), and learning, and yes, puppets. In fact, I'm fairly positive it's the place that introduced me to legendary ventriloquist, puppeteer and children's television show host, Shari Lewis. And just as things move in a full-circle motion, it just so happens that now The Hurricane is now madly in love with Shari's daughter Mallory and her puppet pals. That's right. His new favorite video is Phonics 4 Babies, a video with puppets, and phonics, and lots of alphabet singing. It was developed in association with prominent clinical advisors from UCLA, speech pathologists and child educators. And it really reminds me of the shows I watched on PBS back in the day. Before Elmo. And before Micheal Stipe. Back when Sesame Street was just a block, not a blockbusting cool fest of too many characters and rock stars to even know where to start.

I received the video from Parent Bloggers. And The Hurricane will be eternally grateful. And I'm just thrilled with the retro-ness of it all. It's nice to see that somethings don't change. Like sassy sock puppets. It seems they still completely rock a two-year-old's world.

Check out Phonics 4 Babies. My kid loves it. (Even more than he loves Elmo...) (And that's a lot.)