Must Have Treat--Smooze!

I discovered a new treat for Kai at Costco. For awhile Kai was allergic to dairy and  Smooze! Fruit Ice  made of coconut milk and exotic fruit  is a super substitute for ice cream.  It's vegan, gluten, and dairy free. You don't have to feel guilty about this sweet treat because it's low in sugar and high in Vitamin C. It reminds me of the push up pops from the 80's but much healthier.  I highly recommend it for the little ones and their parents. Yum!

Gems on Park

Nothing beats an evening stroll with your family after a busy day at work or running errands around town. Over a year ago, we knew how good life was when we walked the baby along Lake Merritt’s path in Oakland under the twilight sky. Nowadays, when we get a chance to stroll, it’s down Alameda’s Park Street where we see the competing cafes housing chess-gamers, cramming students and relaxed readers. There’s an evening karate class with parents waiting patiently for their kids’ final “aaiiiii-yyaaa” of the night. Next door the neighborhood kids are hanging out at Quickly that serves fried food and boba tea.

Our favorite stop is another block down at 1355 Park. It is a quirky place with a cart of books and a rack of clothes out near the sidewalk to lure people into the store as effectively as a brightly lit “Open” sign. This store is called Blue Rectangle, a name I will never remember but will always know it is simple. Blue Rectangle always pulls me in with the front-counter used cd rack. On the back wall is a projection of some random black and white movie that I never have time to watch except only to appreciate that they are projecting some random black and white movie. And despite all these cool racks and bowls and displays of music and film, the best part about the Blue Rectangle is the books. In particular, the basket of free children’s books for every kid that walks in with an adult.

The last time the family strolled in there, I was feeling much appreciation for the store’s straightforward concept as a mild-mannered 2nd hand shop.So I skidded my finger across a bookshelf until it found a gap between books. Tucked between seemingly larger “normal” sized books was a baby of a book called “The Prophet” by Lebanese American Khalil Gibran. This book written in 1923 has been on my short list ever since Saul Williams tweeted about it shortly after the Haiti earthquake struck. I bought the book and brought it home feeling like I had discovered a rare gem.



The book has found a new home in the side pocket of my car and I find myself drawn to this particular passage:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Thanks to J as our guest blogger!

Go Grab GLOB Paint

In celebration of earth awareness this month, I'll share some interesting products over the coming days.

J went to the Green Festival recently and came home with Glob Natural paints. Created by a husband and wife team based in Berkeley, these paints are so wonderful and fragrant that you almost want to eat it. Seriously, when I poured out the powder mix, it reminded me of being a kid sniffing kool aid powder. Though GLOB paints are made of organic veggie and fruit extracts.




For $12.00 a pop, you receive a kit with 6 starter paint mixes. Well worth it and you don't have to worry if you're little one licks the brush. Hooray!

Vietnamese Children Books for Everyone

I own two books from local authors I know:

Tran Khan Khuyet Little Weaver of Thai-Yen Village. It is out of print but you can find used copies online. The book illustrates the life of young Vietnamese girl whose life is interrupted by the Viet Nam war.

The second is Going Home Coming Home by Truong Tran. This story follows a girl on her first time journey to visit Viet Nam.

They’re both excellent books with substance, colorful illustrations, and written in both languages. Non-Vietnamese folks or books that are translated into Vietnamese. Hint—we need more children book authors in our community!

Adopt Vietnam has a recommended reading list as well. Do you have any bilingual book recommendations?

Vintage Sesame Street--Taking Me Back

While watching youtube with the little one, I was brought back to my childhood. Sesame street is so cool. Who else remembers these videos from back in the day:



There is some debate whether this song is by Sly and Family Stone or the Pointer Sisters. Either way, this series of pinball number counts is a classic.




Ahhh, the ladybug picnic...I loved this when I was a kid.

Product Review: wee-go bottles by lifefactory

When I opened up the box from lifefactory, I was quite charmed by the blue tactile sleeve on the glass bottle. Originally I thought we could test out the 9 0z bottle on our vacation to Japan, but it was a bit heavy even without liquid. So I abandoned the idea. Perhaps that’s the only imperfection of the bottle but it’s more likely that I’m not use to carrying glass.

Good news is that Kai was excited to come home and test out the wee-go bottle. He was a little bored with his Born Free bottle and sippy cup. Within seconds, Kai’s fingers were playfully grasping the blue silicone and he took a big chug of water:



You’ll be happy to know that the bottle’s co-founder Pam Marcus worked with babies and children for over twenty years. Pam’s knowledge and passion paired with the talent of designer Daren Edward Joy gave birth to a bottle complete with good looks and functionality.

The fine construction of the bottle is undeniable. The bottle survived our dishwater and several rounds of Kai throwing it on the kitchen floor.

Wee-Go bottles are quite inexpensive considering the quality and ingenuity: $12.49 for the 4oz and $14.99 for the 9 oz. Plus the bottles come in colors that pop. Most importantly, the bottles have no harmful chemicals and are produced in the “greenest” way possible.



What are you waiting for? Go get your wee-go bottle. It's Kai-approved.

Power Shake for the Nursing Mama

To curb the hunger that hits me after nursing, I make this great shake that also satisfies my peanut butter cravings:

PB Boost

3 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
½ cup of vanilla or plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream if you need more fat
1 teaspoon bee pollen
2 squirts of honey
¼ cup of soymilk
1 banana

Make one for your partner too! Enjoy.

Read about the benefits of PB...it's good fat!

Gardening with Kids

Two weeks ago, I visited community gardens in Oakland. It’s quite fascinating to find gardens amidst the urban landscape filled with picture perfect kale and red leaf lettuce. We were able to visit both a vegetable and fruit tree garden through Bay Friendly tours.

A couple of months ago, we’ve noticed that Kai has a bit of a phobia towards flowers and grass. He touches them, shakes his head, and backs away. Then we figured out it’s probably because he’s not exposed to nature enough. Sure we take him to parks but it’s not like he’s playing in the grass outback.

We’re thinking of sharing a garden plot with friends. It might be a great way for our kids to learn to appreciate plant and vegetable life. For urbanites, having a backyard is rare. We manage to grow succulents, dwarf trees, herbs, and a couple of vegetable vines but it’s limited to a balcony overlooking the lake. So there’s no room for Kai to roll around in the grass or plant a vegetable plot.

If you’re hoping to garden this season with the kids, here are some resources:

Books:

The Children’s Kitchen Garden


The Garden Book


Ideas:

Kids Gardening


Connect:
Community Gardens

Emergency Exit—Is your Family Prepared?

The other night I had plans to hang out with a girlfriend and her son. Minutes after arriving at their condo, the building’s emergency alarm went off. Over the high pitched beeping, an automated voiced announced, “An emergency situation has been reported. Exit the building. DO NOT take the elevators”

They happened to live on the ninth floor and it was about 80 degrees in Oakland that night. We hustled and carried our babies down 10 flights of stairs. Unsure of which grey door to exit, we started to feel a little panicked and very dehydrated.

Luckily it was a false alarm but it got me thinking about emergency responsiveness with the little ones.

In this situation, did we move quick enough to find safety?

We all know natural disasters happen anytime, and most of the time we aren’t prepared enough. Take some time out and review your own situation especially if you have children or older folks living with you.

• Do you know your immediate neighbors and have their phone numbers?
• Do you have emergency bags complete with things for adults, kids, and pet?
• Have you taken a first aid/CPR training recently? Do you own a first aid kit?
• Do you own a solar/crank radio and flashlight?
• Have you practiced the exit strategy with your family? Especially crucial in big residential condos.

Take good care! Visit 72 hours for good ideas.

Ooh...Organic Beauty Products

On Sunday I went on a bit of a shopping binge. My ruling planet Venus was finally direct and I could spend money on things related to beauty again. I don't wear much make up so I hardly ever shop for it. My bronzer was running out, so I decided to splurge a bit at Longs Drugs. No, I'm not one to spend over $20 for lip gloss or eye shadow. I bought MAC make up once in my life but still I can't justify buying expensive make-up.

Anyways I headed over to the Physician's Formula section and discovered that they have a whole new line of 100% organic wear.
Anything from foundation to lip gloss. Apparently it's the first make up collection that is entirely eco friendly. I figured since I buy almost all eco friendly body products for Kai, then I should buy "good for us" make up too. Plus, everything comes in a pretty recycled paper box.

Thought I'd share. I bought the items below with an additional 20% off:

Lip Gloss for $5.99
Concealer Stick for $7.00
Bronzer for $12.00

Fun!