There is a store in Paris – and if you are headed to that wonderful city you MUST go to this store – called Merci. It’s just amazing. I could have filled a whole separate luggage bag full of their offerings. I didn’t. But I could have.

However, if you are stateside like me and still want to pepper your home with amazing French finds, check out Cachette. While it’s not run by the same owners as Merci, Cachette has a similar sensibility. Wanna see what I’m talking about?

First off, for the kiddos:

I’m in love with these learn to draw animals. My girls are 2 and 4, so drawing for them is a, shall we say, exercise in abstraction. But they love to watch me draw and I cannot draw! So, maybe I’m thinking these would be good cheat sheets for me while my girls learn how to draw?

Decoupages sheets – great for cutting and telling random stories with. There are probably many uses for paper cut outs that I’m not thinking of – maybe you know?

If only I spoke French, because this box of thread games is unbelievable. When I was a child, I knew how to twist thread into all sorts of shapes. Now, well, I shall just say that I lost that childhood knowledge – boo.

Then for the artisan items that have that je ne c’est quoi:

Who knows what it tastes like, but the Gooseberry & Elderflower jam looks just amazing.

If you are super thrifty, and yet like a crafty, gorgeous presentation, try out these envelope sealers. I’m certain they could be used on anything, but imagine using them on already used envelopes! That is, if you snail mail enough to have used envelopes. Or lunch bags.

Cotton napkins on a roll, like paper towels. Only they are cotton. As in cloth. And, washable/reusable. And compostable. Good for the earth AND your table AND good enough for your mother to use!

The one thing that I wish they carried was this drink called syrop – it’s like a concentrate of iced tea and lemonade that you can mix with water. When we were in France, I mixed it with sparkling water EVERY DAY and became addicted to it. Now I can’t find it anywhere. Maybe I should ask Cachette if they could stock it? (Or maybe I just did – he he he)

I could go on, but maybe it’s best to just send you off to their site so you can peruse for yourself. Tell me, what do you see that you like, hmmm???

Oh, and I haven’t officially bought anything from them yet, so I can’t speak to the customer service or anything, but I AM putting together my official wish list…Mother’s day isn’t that far away.

Thanks to Daily Candy for introducing Cachette to me!

photo credits: Cachette

Now, this isn’t her recipe. If I were to print her recipe, it’d look something like this: rub lamb with some herbs, put it in the oven. Great cook, that woman; not a great recipe writer-downer.

So, instead of sending you off on your Easter way with hands full of meat and little else, I’ve turned to food experts Ronco (of the rotisserie infomercial fame) and a lamb (or ham, if you don’t do fuzzy baby sheep) recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Boneless Ham with Brown Sugar Pineapple Glaze

Rotisserie Oven Directions

(If you happen to have one – I hear this is a superior way to cook meats. I don’t have one, so there is a conventional way to cook after this.)

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) can crushed pineapple
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 4-pound boneless fully cooked ham

1. In a small saucepan, stir together the crushed pineapple, brown sugar and dry mustard. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. For best results, use a rotisserie oven to prepare the ham. Insert the spit rods evenly through the ham and brush with some of the pineapple mixture.
3. After 45 minutes of rotating, brush with pineapple mixture again. Rotate an additional 10 or 15 minutes, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
4. Serve sliced ham with some of the pineapple mixture on top.

Conventional Oven Directions

1. For preparation in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 325 for a fully cooked ham or 350 for an uncooked ham.
2. Rub the brown sugar and pineapple glaze all over the uncooked ham inside the baking dish. Then place ham with fat side up. Add a small amount of water to the baking dish with a fully cooked ham; OR add 1 cup water with a ready-to-cook ham.
3. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes and test the meat with a thermometer until the center of the ham reaches at least 140.
4. Serve sliced ham with some of the pineapple mixture on top.

Dijon-Garlic-Rosemary Rubbed Lamb Roast

Rotisserie Oven Directions

• 1 clove garlic, cut into slivers
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leg of lamb (4 1/2 – 5 pounds), boned and tied

1. Combine the garlic, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, rosemary, ginger and olive oil in a small bowl.
2. Add lamb and turn to coat with marinade. Cover and chill at least 6 hours or up to 1 day, turning meat over several times.
3. For best results use a rotisserie oven to prepare the lamb roast. Rotate the lamb on the spit rods for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees for medium on the thermometer, basting several times during the last 10 minutes.
4. Untie, slice and serve!

Conventional Oven Directions

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 lamb loin chops (1 inch thick and 6 ounces each)

1. Combine the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour oil over both sides of chops; rub with herb mixture.
2. In a large skillet, cook chops over medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°).

Yield: 4 servings.

Credit: Ronco.com

March is a home goods store on Sacramento Street in San Francisco. Well, it’s more like a hearth and home store on account of its warmth (in look and feel) and kitchen centered designs. Seriously, when I walked into the store for the first time, I wanted to move in.

It could have been the throwback stove that was literally heating the place.

Or the spices lined up in the blue bowls, just waiting their turn to jump into a casserole.

The owner, Sam Hamilton, who is in fact a living breathing person, might as well be my fantasy designer self. No wonder, because her mentors are Ralph Lauren and Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Imagine! So think if Ralph Lauren outfitted a kitchen where everything was not only beautiful to look at but impeccably designed for function and taste.

Ahhhh-mazing.

March just makes you want to create fabulous dinner parties. Or simply sip tea in your beautiful kitchen.

Here, look for yourself.

A nice cup of tea and some Cassoulet?

Hmmm. Which spices will I use?

Lemme give that a quick stir.

Seriously, I want one of everything. Do you have a store that does this to you – makes you want to live in it?

photo credit: March (though I did take the one of the spice bowls with my iPhone)

The playhouse can simply provide shade or it can be a garden/green house or a lemonade stand or a club house or, well, whatever your kid can come up with.

Apparently this playhouse is tool-less, so even the clumsiest of handymen and handywomen can assemble it. They say it takes minutes. Hopefully their directions are somewhere in between IKEA’s no word mystery directions and the 10 page tome bicycle assembly directions. “Assembly required” is a parent’s nightmare!

Oh how I yearn for a yard to put this in. As it stands, right now we live in an apartment and we have no place, inside or out, to put a playhouse. Instead, we throw a blanket over the back of the chair and hook it over their little kitchen to make a “cave.” It works for now.

But this little darlin’ would be a hit!

Maybe come summer. Maybe.

photo credit: Modern Playhouse

Now, I don’t know if my kids would truly use a chalkboard placemat to ‘busy’ themselves before dinner and then magically change gears once the plate is served. Something tells me they’d be pretty preoccupied. That said, maybe this is just what I’ve been needing to add some calm around dinnertime?

Ahh. Probably not. But still. Fun!

Here are a few of my favs that I’ve seen around:

Polkadot birthday
Beautiful Life Photos
Bellocchio
And taking this all a step further, Chalkydoodles

photo credit: Polkadot Birthday

The article is about character, about children learning and practicing ‘good character.’ It’s also about teachers (and in some respects parents) teaching and measuring good character.

For me, until now, good character was sort of like the way Justice Potter Stewart defined pornography. I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.

Only it’s not like that all. Good character is not that hard to define when it comes down to it. People with character share many traits. Traits that are measurable and, unlikely as this may sound, are shared by successful, happy, fulfilled people. So, it could be argued that it is good character leads people to live their best lives, not grades, opportunities or even resources.

Interesting.

But what to do about it?

I decided to start a mini-series, if you will, dedicated to exploring the 24 characteristics of good character from a parent’s perspective. I’ll bring you along with my stumbles and fumbles as I try to teach my 2 and 4 year old about good character and, do pipe up with your own.

Stay tuned! I’ll write about one trait a week for the next 24 weeks. Oh, I’m excited now! Off to think on which one to tackle first.

I’ll leave you with this clue…what is teeny tiny, makes a big impression and leaves you feeling like my girl looks in this photo? Guess and I’ll fill you in with my first ‘good character’ characteristics next week!

photo credit: MHMB

Truth be told, it’s not hard to photograph babies. They are always so, so, so cute. But it is hard to take a GOOD picture of babies, what with all their moving, squirming, and drive-by smiles. You’ve got to be on your toes!

Here are few tricks I use when I’m at work – oh, yeah, did I mention my other job is taking photographs of families?

1. The hotter the better. Keep the room/house warm with babies. They like to nuzzle and snuggle so when they are cold, they are unhappy. Not good for the picture taking. Crank up the heat, even if that means you are sweating.

2. Level as she goes. Get the camera on their level. Don’t photograph down on them. If you photograph straight on, or even below their eyes, they tend to look like the majestic angels they are.

3. Quiet on the set. Tone down the background. If you can, make it all one color – a sheet, a big coat, a chair or couch cushion. Anything to make the baby pop right out of the photograph.

4. Strike a pose, juxtapose. Babies look best when they are either near really big things (to emphasize their smallness) or really small things (to make them look larger than life).

5. Moody, moody, moody. Don’t be afraid to snap away when the tears come. Or in the middle of a big yawn. Sometimes, it’s the absence of a smile that makes the memory stand out even more.

Bonus* 6. Back to basics. Even a photo from behind can capture just the right thing.

Now, it’s hard to photograph with a point and shoot or camera phone that has a delay. Really frustrating. My advice – press the button BEFORE you think you have to. You know your baby. You know when a smile is coming. Snap away. And don’t be shy, take thousands. You can always edit later.

One day, I hope that some baby will take it upon herself and photograph/video her parents trying to photograph her. Wouldn’t that be awesome, to see the faces we all make?

photo credit: MHMB

I can’t seem to get my act together to make a vision board, try as I might. But. I do have a little notebook that I tape things into: phrases cut out of magazines, pretty houses I want to live in, exotic places I dream of seeing. I feel oddly childish when I do this, in both a bad and good way. I’m embarrassed sometimes but I honestly feel inspired when I re-read or re-see these things.

So. I was looking in my vision book and I saw this…”whatever you think, you become.”

I’ve been thinking about fighting. I’ve got a friend who, well, let’s just say things have become strained. I’m upset about it. I’m hurt. I’m angry. I also feel like telling her off a bit – in an “I’m standing up for myself but also getting in her face” sort of way. I’m not nice or generous in my head.

I’ve been thinking about all the snarky things I can say if we were to get into a fight. Because, typically, I can’t think of these things until way AFTER a fight and then it’s just pointless to try to go back and be all, “…” Thanks, mind, for running that marathon with me but forgetting your shoes so you limped along the whole way and left my mouth to do run on, all hot air and no sense.

The truth is I value our friendship and am bummed that we’re in the spot we’re in. So maybe I should look on her with warm eyes instead of breathing fire. Maybe I should think of being a good friend to her, to give her the benefit of the doubt and try to listen a little bit more. Maybe.

Can’t hurt, right?

And in that way, it’s entirely possible that I can think kindly into repairing our friendship. So, even if I no longer have a locker to open to feel inspired, I do have my trusty little book.

Do you do this? 1) Obsess about things while those things are not changing and 2) find inspiration to make your world more of what you want?

And also, as you grow, do you work at your friendships or “cut bait”, as they say?

photo credit: Vibrant Spirit

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Marvelous. Each time I see this I get lost in the magic of it. The sense of something bigger than us guiding us, en masse. A silent, collective knowing of which way to turn.

So as we end this year – and for some, myself included, this time of year is bittersweet – I thought I’d share a bit of wonder.

Joyeux noël et bonne année.

In the meantime, check out the bright colors of these drinks. And, might I add, I bet the drinks would be just as good without the alcohol for an afternoon shindig or even a kids party.

Kiwi Strawberry Ice
1 oz. Stoli Vodka
2 Blackberries
Splash of lemon
Splash of white cranberry juice
Topped off with Strawberry Kiwi Sparkling ICE

Pink Grapefruit Ice
1 oz. Beefeater Gin
4 Cucumbers muddled
2 Drops of lime juice
1 oz. Blueberries muddled
Finished with Pink Grapefruit Sparkling ICE

Lemon Lime Ice
1 oz. Bacardi Light Rum
1 Splenda
6 Basil leaves lightly muddled
Splash of lime
Finished with Lemon Lime Sparkling ICE

Orange Mango Ice
1 oz. Herradura Silver Tequila
3 Shiso leaves
Lime wedge muddled
Topped with Orange Mango Sparkling ICE

Black Raspberry Ice
1 oz. Makers Mark Bourbon
½ oz. Dry Vermouth
2 Bourbon Cherries
1 Splenda
Topped off with Black Raspberry Sparkling ICE

So what is this Sparkling ICE you see listed in each of the recipes? It’s a blend of water, fruit juice and just a little bit of carbonation. I’ve never had it, but it sounds good.

I usually daydream while surfing the Internet and wind up lost in the cyber-web of blah blah blah and can’t find my own thoughts. I gotta spend more time just dreaming!

Here’s a quote for you: everything starts as somebody’s daydream

Imagine. Where would we be if Steve Jobs didn’t dream his way into improving just about everything electronic in our world? We’d still be using room-sized computers.

So as I sit here watching this blinking cursor on my white page, I think I’ll unplug and stare out my window. Let my mind wander through the leaves on the tree outside instead of the forest of words of the internet.

And as I do, I’ll leave you with another little gem: the most important thing about dreams is having one.

Just a little inspiration before the new year rolls around.

photo credit: Kr. B.

My 4-year-old has a unique way of expressing herself. She seems to embody newness. Like when we went to tea at a fancy hotel and the hostess brandished a crown for the “princess.” My girl turned to me and said, “it’s so nice she knew I am a princess!” Her gratitude was genuine and completely heartfelt. Yet she amazed me with her assurance that she should be given a crown – she is a princess after all – and how nice of other people to acknowledge that. She owned it.

That’s when it struck me that gratitude is deeper than saying thanks or even feeling thankful.

When I was my daughter’s age, my mother took me to see my first performance of the Nutcracker. I have no actual memory of that first time really. Rather, I have a volume of memories, all stacked on top of each other, of every Nutcracker I’ve seen from then till now. How the Christmas tree grows and grows; the tinkling of the snow as it falls and swirls around the air on the ballerinas fluttering bodies; the booming Russian dancers bursting about in impossible circles. And don’t get me started on the Sugar Plum fairies!

We would attend, my mother, my sister and me. Each year. Every year. Until we didn’t. First my sis moved for college and found her home far away from New Orleans. Then I did. And the tradition faltered.

Until this year. My mom called me and asked if I was going to the Nutcracker. No, I told her. I didn’t think it’d work out. Timing, naps, blah blah blah. I had been wanting to take my daughter the minute I found out I was pregnant but I knew I had to wait until she was old enough. Somehow, in the waiting, I convinced myself that my baby was still a baby, that she couldn’t possibly be old enough to go to the ballet because she couldn’t possibly be growing! Nope. Still my baby. Next year. Maybe.

I could hear the disappointment. Mothers are like that. Even in silence they speak loudly. And all around town I kept seeing the Nutcracker posters. If the Nutcracker is playing in your town you know what I mean. They are everywhere – on the buses, in the dry cleaner, the grocery store. It was like something was whispering for me to just go already.

Then, I heard Tchaikovsky on the radio and I did it. I bought tickets.

The entire performance I watched my daughter watch the ballerinas. Her whole body was focused on the stage, she sat as still as I’ve seen her sit. Only her little hand by her side was twirling in time with the music. And I knew. She was dancing inside as much as I have done all these years.

And in those 3 hours, I saw through my 40 year old eyes both the child that I’ve been and the child that I now have. I felt the love of my own mother, how she must have watched me, as I watched my girl’s imagination be sparked by the magical music and dance.

I felt a deep sense of tradition. Of keeping families alive through generations by a simple act. The Nutcracker. It was by far one of the best presents I have ever received and it took re-gifting it to fully understand.

So that’s the spirit that I’m facing in the new year: gratitude. And hey, I’m starting off on the right foot, right? I mean, I’m already grateful and the year hasn’t officially even started.

Wooo hooo.

photo credit: ~*Bomba Rosa*~

All the work. All the expectations. All the hassle.

One thing I’m focusing on is keeping the rhythm of the day in order to keep me sane. I thought I’d share a little wisdom from my daughter’s preschool teacher – she’s my rock in this toddler maelstrom.

It’s all bout the rhythm.

Kids – especially smaller ones – like consistency. They like predictability. This is not news, I imagine. However, when the holidays hit and school lets out, we travel from place to place, have big late dinners, and basically throw the ordinary rhythm out the window.

And that’s OK. That’s part of what makes this time of year feel so special. I mean, who doesn’t love grandma’s house?!? Oh, the nooks and crannies to explore!

Seriously, though, just a little planning ahead, a little structure to your schedule might just make the difference between chaos and calmness. Imagine if you could direct your kid’s manic energy outdoors and harness the quiet energy indoors. It’s all about knowing when to transition from wild and crazy to calm and quiet. Because a child’s day breathes much like we do. There is a time to breathe out and a time to breathe in.

If you take the day in blocks of time – say 1 hour at a time – you can move through the outside times to the inside times pretty easily. This all depends on the age of your kid – mine are 2 and 4, so we’re more like 1/2 hr. blocks. Did you ever see that movie “About A Boy” with Hugh Grant where he’s this rich lost guy and has to tackle the day 1/2 hr. at a time to keep himself sane? It’s like that. But without the rich dude part. And Hugh Grant’s lovely face.

As the day moves along, I have a few ready tools. For inside I have books, busy bags, dolls, coloring supplies. Anything that requires concentration but not adults. For outside there is the whole outside world! Running games, hopping like frogs, “horse” races. Anything to get those legs moving. If it’s icky outside, then hallways are good. Seriously. The legs have to move.

Watch for restlessness – your kids will tell you when it’s time to transition. If inside, you’ll feel the energy start to elevate, kids will get in each other’s faces. Trust me, you’ll know when it’s time to go outside if you just pay attention. So go! Preferably right before things get heated or escalated, but even after is fine. Just direct all that built up energy to physical activity.

And here’s the clincher. COME BACK INSIDE. It’s easy to forget that kids need to take it down a notch, too. To fold their wings and rest. I’m not talking nap time as much as time to breathe in. Look for the energy really getting chaotic. Fights breaking out. Conflict. Things spinning outta control. This is a sure sign that it’s time to take it down a notch.

For our youngest, I have a portable crib that I bring to my mother-in-law’s house. So when nap time comes, naps are had. We use a sound machine (I have an iPhone app) to keep the noise from bothering her. At the same time – as happens at my older daughter’s school as well as the weekends – we have quiet time. If you’re not sleeping, you’re quiet.

This is a little harder to manage outside of our house where our “quiet corner” exists. A “quiet corner” is simply a blanket/rug/pillow or anything really to delineate that this is where you sit to be quiet. It’s a spot just for the kiddos! (And remember, when making it, think like a kid – on the ground is better than on a couch). I’ve taken to making one when we’re out of our house.

And so it goes throughout the day. Outside. Inside. Outside. Inside. Eat every 2 hours!

This sounds like a lot, I know, but it’s not. Just come prepared wherever you go. I know my mother-in-law actually appreciates the effort to transform her house into a quiet zone for an hour or two mid day. She sees that we are prepared, so she’s less anxious about how the day will go.

Tell me, what are your plans for the holidays and does this seem like something you can add to your toolkit for keeping the holidays fun and relaxed?

photo credit: ellenm1