Move over Martha...

That's right. I said it. It's time for someone new to mix things up a bit in the name of today's modern stay at home mom. I decided that I would be that person. I'm fun, relatable, and can totally craft circles around ol' Martha any day.

When I'm all fancy and famous, I would totally be a Sandra Lee (my Food Network IDOL), Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray hybrid. I love how Sandra Lee is about semi-homemade cooking. That's how I am too. It saves me time and money and everyone always thinks I'm a fabulous cook/baker at the end of the day. Rachel Ray has that bubbly personality and I love 30 minute meals. Then of course, there's Martha. The domestic goddess herself. She's the BEST and I want to be that too...

One day. The ball is already rolling.

Yo Gabba madness...

I am so excited this morning! I finally finished my fabulous DJ Lance pinata! My BEST work to date. Check it out!


DJ Lance Rock!



Complete with magic Gabba boombox.



"Hello, Friends!"



I've gone Gabba CRAZY since seeing them live in concert. My daughter is still talking about the show! I knew I had to make a DJ Lance pinata. Doesn't it totally make you want to have a dancey dance party?!

"Why are you SO into YGG?!"

Today is the day we've been waiting a LONG time for in my house! We got our Gabba Live tickets presale WAY back in August! Now I'm sure many of you are thinking: "Seriously, Michelle, why are you SO into that crazy kid's show?!" Well,  I thought it would be an appropriate day to share that story. So, in the words of the great DJ Lance, "Let's do it! A-break it dooown!"

Ok, I'll admit it. I was scared of Yo Gabba Gabba at first. Janin loved this show when he was a baby, but I wouldn't let him watch it because DJ Lance freaked me out! I would IMMEDIATELY change the channel when those now-infamous orange kicks started shuffling across the screen. Then one day, I was very pregnant with Leah and couldn't find the remote.  I was forced to sit through an entire episode (the Family episode, with the Roots as special musical guests) and was blown away. I remember thinking, "Wow, The Roots? That's pretty sick!" This show really WAS awesome!

Let's fast forward now, to when my daughter was an infant. She CONSTANTLY needed to be held. By me. And only me. I don't have any babysitters or family out here in SoCal, so it was just me and the kids all day, everyday. Tedious at times, to say the least. I could never do anything because my arms were always tied up with Leah. The only thing that would distract her long enough for me to handle my chores and business around the house was Yo Gabba Gabba. I discovered this accidentally when she was about 7 months old. Since then, she's been hooked. I seriously owe the Gabba crew my sanity.

November 5, 2009

I constantly feel the need to defend the Gabba gang from injustice! So, here are a few more reasons why I LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba.

• Yo Gabba Gabba is intrinsically hip hop. I love this about the show. What other kid's show has a DJ? And Biz's Beat of the Day was Leah's favorite part of the show for a really long time. The songs on Yo Gabba Gabba ride on beat-driven music that makes my kids want to get up and dance every time the show is on. And I like it because it's not annoying! Barney? No way. Not in my house.

• YGG is so good at utilizing catchy, repetitive songs to teach kids easy life lessons. Who out there didn't benefit from "Don't bite your friends?" I know we did! Leah was a biter! Every episode also has awesome musical guests and visitors to help get kids on their feet. There's seriously a song for every occasion - and yes, I do have them all memorized!

• Kids can totally relate to the Gabba crew. Each has his or her own distinct personality. My favorite is Plex, because he's super smart and regulates when things get a little crazy in Gabbaland! Leah of course loves Foofa and Toodee, she is a girly girl. Janin is a fan of Muno's!

• Bright colors and an amazing set are definitely eye catching for toddlers! For Leah's first birthday, I KNEW I had to plan a Gabba party.The characters are super easy to replicate! Okay, so maybe I'm the only one that appreciates this, haha! Makes for easy crafting, baking, and custom clothes!

Now, I'm not saying this particular show is the best around, or the most educational for kids, but it's fun and entertaining and a definite family favorite in my home. Can't wait for the concert today! I'm such a big kid.  

Oblivious to the world.

Now that life has finally seemed to settle down for my family after a VERY hectic couple of years, I can finally see the beauty in all the life and love around me. After becoming a mom, I feel like I'm in an entirely different universe. In my world, there is never any bad news. Everyday is filled with sunshine, cupcakes, and Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm really out of touch with the happenings of the world around me, but for right now, in this special time of my life when my children are young, I think that's ok. In my house, I don't watch the news. It's too depressing. Besides, I'm too busy to sit and watch tv. I would much rather read or write in my down time anyway.

This time last year, I couldn't even remember what down time felt like. I was so incredibly busy with the kids. Leah was still super tiny, so I would strap her into my Bjorn and hit Disneyland - by myself. I was already Wondermom in the making back then, I just didn't know it yet. As the kids grew older and learned how to play more independently, I was able to finally relax a little and get things done around the house. I'm completely organized now and I think that's helped a lot in finding and maintaining my newfound sense of peace and clarity. Feng shui anyone?

Right now, at this moment, I feel like there is nothing that can get to me. Motherhood changes women in indescribable ways. I feel stronger, physically and mentally, and so much more alive now than I ever did in the past. You don't know what real happiness is until you see it in the eyes of your children. I thought I was happy before, but that level of happiness is nowhere near the level of elation I feel now every time I see my kids smile. They bring out the best in me, and inspire me to do amazing things. They are my source of energy, creativity, and love.

I am oblivious to the world around me because I don't want to ruin the high my family gives me on a daily basis. In this beautiful time of my life, all I want to think about is Disneyland, planning birthday parties, and finding fun new ways to learn and play with my kids. I have never been happier. What's more, I know things can only get better from here. I am so excited to see what the new year brings.

Janin's SUPER 4th Birthday!



Super Janin!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I LIVE for birthday parties! The inspiration for Janin's party theme came from the Yo Gabba Gabba Superhero episode, where all the Gabbas (and Mos Def) dressed up as their own heroes!

DJ Lance, Muno, Brobee, and "Super Mr. Superhero" Mos Def

I loved the concept of everyone being their own Superhero, and pretty much just ran with it. I knew I didn't want to make party bags, because those can get pricey and kids don't really remember the stuff that comes inside them anyway. I wanted Janin's guests to leave with a really cool party favor, so I decided to make capes!


Star, very stylish with matching boots and cape, and Janin!

The capes were a HUGE hit! I ended up making 10 pink, 7 blue, 7 red, and 4 green capes. Oh and baby capes for the little girls!

Leah in her blingy baby cape.

I wanted to be as cost effective as possible for the party, so I baked all of Janin's cupcakes and minis for the party myself. I am a BIG believer in "semi-homemade" cooking (Sandra Lee from the Food Network is my idol), so I grabbed a few boxes of cake mix (two vanilla bean and one box of chocolate) from Trader Joe's and called it good. They have amazing cake mixes and a new boxed chocolate frosting there.

SO easy to make AND ridiculously cute! Plus, they tasted good too.

All I did to make them festive was hot glue some superhero stickers to toothpicks. I made sure to trim the point off before sticking them in the cupcakes too. Easiest way to avoid accidents!

For centerpieces I got a few superhero buckets from the Dollar Spot at Target (I got SUPER lucky that they had superhero stuff in there while I was planning this party) and hot glued more stickers to BBQ skewers. I stuffed some tissue in the bucket and arranged the superheroes accordingly. I then hot glued them into place.

Janin's "J" shirt was also beyond easy to make. I cut out a "J" and the Superman shape and stitched them onto a plain shirt.

I'll keep adding pics and commentary as I think of more things to share with you all! In the meantime, here's more pictures! Part one (Thanks Alison!) and these are pictures taken by Sam Sim.

The Happy Birthday Project

Selling crafts has officially become a way for me to give back to my community. I decided that I want to make birthday party supplies and crafty presents for kids stuck in the hospital on their birthday. Not only do I get to craft for a super worthy cause, this is also my attempt at doing some volunteer work from home.

I'm beyond adamant about this new project of mine because I am a former cancer kid myself. I had just barely turned 4 years old when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Soon after, I found myself spending a LOT of time at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in my hometown of Tacoma, WA. Although I don't think I ever spent a birthday there, I spent almost every other day of my life at that hospital when I was sick. I want desperately to make them my first party box recipients. I'm thinking capes, crowns, tutus, t-shirts... Maybe even a piñata or two for a super fun time!

I love seeing how excited my own children get for their birthday parties. I live for birthdays! (This is probably going to be my motto haha!) All I want to do is make other kids feel the same way too, especially if they have to spend their birthday in the hospital. I want them to forget about being sick, even if it is just for a little while.  

I'm a mom of two on a single income, so selling crafts is my only way of generating enough funds to purchase supplies for the things I plan on creating. Half of every purchase price from whatever crafts I sell will be going soley towards this project. So, tell your friends about me! Repost the link to my Etsy Store (there's a "Share" box on the left side) or my blog, or just do anything else you can do to help generate sales to help make my vision possible! You will be handsomely rewarded. I'm thinking a referral program or something for those who help me out. Maybe a free piñata or something after 3 referral purchases? Or a craft of your choice! That would be pretty cool.

Feedback on ANY of this would be greatly appreciated. Please tell me what you think! I'm still in the very early stages of this, and I truly value your input and opinions!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and hope you share this with your friends!

Slammin "Sammon" Recipe

This salmon recipe tastes amazing and is so easy to make, though let me tell you right now that it's definitely NOT for the calorie-cautious! That being said, I love salmon and totally took it for granted when I was living in Tacoma. Not only is salmon delicious, it's PACKED with brain-boosting and heart-helping omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies just cannot produce by themselves. I always used to bring this dish to dinner parties and got lots of compliments about it's tastiness. Hope you enjoy it too! 

 

Ingredients:

1. Salmon! In California, salmon is so expensive and most of the time it's the Atlantic or farm raised variety. I'm a Pacific Northwest native, so I grew up on fresh, delicious, WILD Alaskan salmon. Well, I can't afford that in SoCal, so I buy frozen salmon, because it's affordable and comes from the PNW. Nothing like fresh, but it still tastes great.

2. Feta cheese - any variety. I like buying feta with goodies (herbs and such) already in it. This makes the dish taste a little different every time and saves me a LOT of time, trouble, and money because it already has yummy ingredients incorporated into the cheese. This time I used Trader Joe's brand crumbled feta with "Mediterranean Herbs." Next time I'll probably use something different.

3. Mayo - a generous tablespoonful should be sufficient. You can always add a little more at the end if you need to.

4. Handful of chopped spinach - baby or regular. I ALWAYS have a bag of baby spinach in my fridge. Better than lettuce for salads (SO many vitamins!) and SUPER easy to sneak into meals to increase my family's veggie intake.

5. Two mini sweet bell peppers (or 1 regular sized bell pepper). I get a bag of mini peppers from Costco for a little over $3 and use them everyday when I'm cooking. Again, another veggie that can easily be snuck into meals. I like using red to add some color to the dish.

6. Salt and pepper


Getting started:

Preheat your oven to 375F.
Chop the spinach and peppers and place in a medium-sized bowl. Dump in the feta cheese and add a tablespoon scoop of mayo (I LOVE mayo. Period. But it is especially useful when cooking salmon because the oils in the mayo help to keep the fish moist... Even if you over cook it a little. You can also use a brick of cream cheese in place of the mayo, bit it's added fat in an already rich meal. Mayo all the way!) mix until combined.

Place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet (for easy clean up later!) and place the salmon in the middle. Season with salt and pepper then smother with the feta mixture.

Make a tent out of foil to cover the salmon and bake!

Cook at 375F for 15 minutes, remove foil tent and cook an additional 10 minutes. Cooking times vary depending on your oven and on the thickness of your fish. So be attentive! Thicker pieces require longer cooking times.

To brown the cheesy topping, take the salmon out of the oven and blast it up to "broil." Taking the fish out prevents it from overcooking while the oven adjusts to the new heat setting. Once the oven has reached its broiling point, place the fish back inside and on the highest rack. Keep an eye on the cheese, you just want it to brown a little. I would probably limit the broiler time to 5 minutes or less. It's super easy to overcook the salmon at this point if you're not attentive! (My oven is ancient, so I nixed the broiler part... But trust me, it's SO worth doing!)

Serve it up with your choice of veggies and brown rice and you're good to go! So easy your hubby can make it!

Let me know how it turns out if you make it! Enjoy!

Am I really THAT mom?

Okay, so I kind of feel the need to elaborate a little more about the title I chose for my blog. Who exactly is "THAT" mom? What are her qualities? Well, let me just start by saying that being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done. You're always taking care of everyone else's needs before your own. It's a tireless job. Things you do are underappreciated and somedays, you just want to sit in the corner and repeatedly bang your head on the wall until the crying, whining, and (if you have more than one kid) fighting subside.

Luckily, "THAT" mom knows how to swoop in and stop the madness before it gets too out of control. She can also read her children's moves before they can even make them.

"THAT" mom doesn't let the everyday craziness get to her. She knows that no matter how hard it gets, bedtime is ALWAYS at the end of the day.

"THAT" mom doesn't lose it at the grocery store during a meltdown over popsicles.

"THAT" mom knows how to use diversions!

"THAT" mom is always ready to handle business... Then do 4 loads of laundry, sweep, clean the bathroom, and cook dinner.

"THAT" mom knows that being a mom is really tough, but it's also the most amazing thing ever. You don't know the meaning of life until you've had a child. They are your universe, and you are theirs.

So you get the idea. I feel like I'm "THAT" mom because I deserve to be seen that way. I work hard to make sure my kids are active, healthy, safe, and having fun every single day. They're amazing little humans. I deserve a pat on the back for that.

EVERY mom is "THAT" mom.

She just has to tell herself every once in a while. I tell myself every day...

I'm on ETSY!

YEAH!!

This is a huge deal for me! I set up my Etsy.com account at the end of July and just now got the nerve to post my first listing. I feel like my pricing is kind of high, but all of the other pinatas on Etsy are just not as cute as mine! Any input would be greatly appreciated =)

Oh! And the price is for STRANGERS! I would totally rock out a pinata for a friend for damn near dirt cheap! I hope someone orders one soon! Tell your friends!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59714286/super-cute-custom-pinatas

An attempt to get the ball rolling...

Wow! I've always wanted to have my own blog! Since my kids have gotten older and have slightly mellowed (and are currently both sick in bed right now), I am able to finally sit down and start EVERYTHING I've been planning in my head for the past few months...

First stop: Blog! I can elaborate on the cuteness of my kids' daily lives AND keep my brain from turning to mush at the same time! I love writing. Plus, I have a LOT of good ideas and crafts to share with anyone willing to listen!

I've also signed up for Twitter (Add me! @SoCALpartyMOM). I initially signed up because my friend @Thyda is taking a Facebook hiatus and I missed her random postings! Then, I realized that using Twitter would be helpful in my "future endeavours" as well (more on this in a later post).

Next up: Post something in my Etsy store. I'm thinking custom pinatas and superhero parties in a box for now. I just want parents to be able to have super awesome-looking parties for their kids without having to spend a fortune. And I want to be able to help provide for my family while continuing to be a stay-at-home parent. Sooo... Message me if you're having an event! I can do pretty much anything!

Having a blog and posting all this on it makes me more motivated to get everything going. I'm excited, and kind of nervous about selling my work, but I don't settle for anything less than perfection, so I'm not too concerned!