If you haven’t checked in with Adidas, you’ll probably go mad when you do. The Star Wars Collection came out in Fall, many of which are on sale at Adidas.com. My favorite are the Hoth Skywalker hi-tops… they are intergalactic! Ordering these, I will.

I’m keeping an eye on Adidas… they have their finger on the pulse… The Muppet collection for kids was pretty cheeky!

In London this summer we stayed in a great stacked up 4 level house in Notting Hill. We stayed with friends who’d been there 6 months, they knew the lay of the land, thus a lot of the travel guesswork was filtered out. They’re total foodies, have great personal style(s), and really got into the culture of living in London. My point… we all felt comfortable, even our 6-year old Ziggy, and we all had a great urban vacation.

After the kids went to bed and we’d had a drink or whatever, Nick, my friend & I would kinda plan out the next day… We’d chat about what we wanted to do and click around.. sometimes emailing each other from bed.  To engage the kids, I’d pick random bits of fact and fiction about where we were going/what we were seeing… and tell them stories, have them draw or look for things, etc… We kept a journal with drawings of places we went and glue & pasted tickets, brochures, etc in it. We were prepared with scavenger hunts, folkloric stories for long car/train rides, Kinder Eggs (crap toy+chocolate=  a BIG winner for the 6year set).  We had lists of stuff to look for and talked about stuff like the differences between DRUIDS, who could have built Stonehenge and DROIDS, who in Star-Wars-speak also could have built Stonehenge.  Hobbit feat were a big topic of conversation ever since I printed out photos of Hobbit Homes (ie: Shakespeare’s birth home in Stratford), and all the Shires (which are so perverse, we all got involved)… Cockshire, Dickershire, etc.. In Brussels we had goals… a little guy peeing outside, moules frites, waffles, cherry beer, the question of weather people speak Dutch or French more, comic book museum, TinTin and what the hell they call his dog, (Milou or Snowy??).  We all love food so eating at great restaurants was a huge part of travel.

So, for example, a great day trip to Stonehenge… rent a car and driver, if you can- or get a car and drive yourself, and in a day, you can visit Bath too.

Stonehenge is a collection of huge and oddly shaped rocks. It’s one of the most famous sites in the world, and we engaged our kids (and ourselves) with a discussion about how the monolyths got to the site of Stonehenge… rocks from Wales carried 200 miles thousands of years ago…

Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC. One recent theory, however, has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC, whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC. The surrounding circular  earth bank and ditch, the earliest phase of the monument, has been dated to about 3100 BC.

We read our kids the story of The Sword and the Stone on the way… then talked about Merlin who’s the inspiration for wizard characters, like Gandalf the White, Albus Dumbledore, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Qui-Gon Jinn (AKA.. all the cool white hair/beard dudes we all know and love).

Stonehenge, has an otherworldly energy. We grabbed meat pies there, and went to Bath… a wonderful hour long ride through the Cotswolds.  The visual here is rolling hills, sheep, rolling hills, baby castle, rolling hills, sheep & cows, amazing estate, old barn, rolling hills, ancient Roman village. Really.

I also should give credit where credit is due AND offer a very easy solution for a huge problem. My iPhone is a great travel companion… from Tube (and Metro) maps, Google walking maps, Money Converter, games, iPod, etc… it just f**king sucked that it ran out of batteries after about 6 hours. SO… get the battery booster cover! It’s $50 well worth it.

Roman Bath tour with kids audio tour was fun. Disappointment at the “21st Century answer to the Roman Baths”… the Thermae Spa- no kids… so we brought our bathing suits in vain. But Bath was cute to walk around have a coffee and then visit Jamie Oliver’s Italian, which in American English translates to, Wolfgang Puck Cafe.  We skipped the Jane Austen Museum. I really thought Nick would want to buy his wife, Emma something from Bath’s Austenmania (she lived there for, like, 4 years of her life, for God’s sake)… but we had to edit. We knew to look for The Circus… the 3 Crescents of Georgian Housing, a old bridge, and other stuff… in the car we worked on British Slang… the letter zed, bloody ___, bloke, knackered, telly, lift, etc…

Got back to London late and tired around 11.  The kids were all knackered too.

I am trying to cut out plastic bags from my life. We don’t need them and they’re wasteful and just plain bad… for the environment, for animals, and economically (the cost to recycle plastic bags is about 2000x more than the cost of new recycled bags from the old ones can sell for!). But bags are handy.  I replaced them with paper… but wasting trees and the energy to process trees is environmentally irresponsible. So, that’s not my bag either… yes, paper’s compostable, but why waste?  Cloth seems the most sensible answer… reusable, strong & easy.

In the kitchen, cutting out bags (and plastic wrap) has been a challenge. I like my frig organized and I like to see food that is stored in it. I’m using unbleached waxed paper bags sparingly when I need a bag, and Pyrex makes great glass containers that I can store food in. There are also corn bags and compostable plastic garbage bags on the market available in many stores with “green” things, and even Ziplock has a new line of “evolve” products that look better for the earth.

Cutting out plastic bags is easier said than done. I say “no bag, please” in so many situations and STILL find bags everywhere. If you heighten your awareness, you’ll find yourself saying no to bags often and conserving, reusing and re-thinking when you do.

As I rant about bags I can’t help but “bag” on plastic bottles too… most bottled water is the same as tap water and bottles are not recycled, take money and resources to recycle and are rarely reused. They end up in landfills. Most plastic single use bottles in the US are BPA free, but really simply put plastic bottles (polycarbonates) releases a chemical (bisphenol A or BPA) into the water the bottle is storing… when the plastic gets warm and over time the effect is heightened. The chemical acts like the hormone estrogen, but it’s not, it’s a xenoestrogen, or “foreign” estrogen, and our bodies endocrine system can be disrupted when it’s introduced to the body.  Obviously, this seems an unnecessary risk that’s solution is simple and easy… glass or metal.  Washable, recyclable and accessible. Plastic water bottles in the hot car, food heated in plastic containers (especially in microwaves)… it’s all increasing the risk of our exposure and ingestion of a potential carcinogen.

The overlying theme when I dig into conservation and consumption is to re-think our modern conveniences and figure out what makes sense and what is frivolous.

http://www.outpresso.ch/index-e-1.htm

*** I have also been reading a lot of back-and-forth about the Nestle company buying Free Trade coffee. Will keep an eye out for any developments on that front too.

Getting ready to go? Here are a few places… on and off the beaten path that I like… they aren’t particularly kid-friendly or organized… but I was trying to compile something short and sweet and to the point.

Piazzo Santo Spirito is where teenagers hang out. There are lots of cafes/wine bars
and music around the church steps in the evenings in the summertime.

Boboli Gardens is lovely and there are great events in the summer there worth checking
on.

Day trips to Forte del Marme, a costal town on the Adriatic are really relaxing… it’s
Italian tourist-y, not American at all (and the teeny clams are sweet & wonderful). I
also like to rent a car and go to the hill towns,
Lucca, Siena, or San Gimiano.

Teatro del Sale-
via dei macci 111r · florence · italy
membership only eatery…super kooky, Fellini-esque… great food, packaged
foods that are amazing to bring home (like honey, and preserves, and pastas)..
it’s owned by Cibreo restaurant (which is also wonderful) Teatro is
a great place to go at the beginning of a trip to meet and talk to people…

http://www.teatrodelsale.com/start_e.html

***there’s a leather book maker just 3 doors down who makes AMAZING custom
monogrammed albums, etc… go out Teatro’s door and turn right..

You can’t be a “foodie” in Florence and not go to…
Four de Aqua… they have 2 seatings and bring in fresh fish in the midst of dinner
caught that day… price fixed… 10000 courses… great
limoncello… the best GORGE!  ** this is also where you see the “chic”
Florentine actors, footballers, politico’s etc…

Camillo’s…
just down Borgo S. Jacopo
great restaurant…  lemon veal, veal piccatta… fried squash blossoms
BUY OLIVE OIL HERE!!! Family owned olive grove… ask for “new oil”
(if it’s in season)…it’s chartreuse green!!! Ask for table by kitchen to watch.

Harry’s Bar
Lungarno
it’s an institution, the “macaroni & cheese” will change your life. i love to sit outside
and people-watch.

Ringo’s Bar- Lunch/Wine Bar… Borgo S. Jacopo across from
a good clothing store (Piedi Nudi) and yarn shop and Lungarno Hotel
the BEST hamburger on earth… (w/champagne) and homemade
choc. cake… great for hangover! Veuve Clicot in window, Ringo grinds
his meat to order.

The Savoy is a great place to have drinks… in Villa De Republica…hip
and cool!

The Cavalli Cafe- Roberto Cavalli’s cafe
Good snacks, snotty service, pretty chocolates but the highlight for me is the
martini-glass “shakarato” iced coffee! I cannot figure out WHY nowhere here
has ripped that off to my knowledge.

I Fratellini…
MY FAVORITE LITTLE AMAZING SANDWICH SHOP… grab a beer and a prosciutto-truffle oil sand..
after the Uffizi… it’s off the Via Roma and Via Dei Cimatori (little street pictured below)

THE MALL is the outlet mall… a bus ride or hired car trip about 1hr out of Florence,
they have Marni, Armani, YSL, etc… it’s worth going only if you like Marni- the other
outlets are commercialized.

LUISA VIA ROMA is my favorite store… best shoes, great designer fashion.
STUFF upstairs modern-Italian gifty stuff, rare sneakers, etc…
19 r Via Roma, Florence

http://www.luisaviaroma.com/

The BEST kids clothing store IN THE WORLD is near train station (red-light district)…
look at the pj’s… the coats, accessories, etc…
Du Pareil De Meme
DVia Panzani 36/38R
50123
Firenze +39. 055.26.58.315
(There is also a FRETTE outlet around the corner from this- the hours are odd, but sheets and towels
are very reasonable— worth buying an extra suitcase if you hit it on the right day)

Our red crawlers (worms) arrived by mail without a hitch, and my son Ziggy and I set up our new MIO vermi-compost bin we got at Target last week!  The worms have provided us much entertainment, however… we have a glitch. We have so many flies, we are all freaking out.

My husband blamed the compost. We moved it far from the house. Still tons of flies. Then, I researched flies. Black flies love, well… they love manure and rotting flesh. mmmmm. They also love the smell of beer. hummmm. That clicked. I had a recycling bin for big bottles on my patio… a source of beer smell. Moved and cleaned bin & patio with vinegar. On to trash bins… maggots and flies crawling on the lid- horror. I stopped buying plastic kitchen bags for my garbage a couple months ago. I use paper bags, or no bags at all, but the garbage “juice” stays in the bin and attracts flies. After a garbage bin scrubbing, and a major cleanup in Minky’s dog run, the flies are virtually gone.

As for the trash bag situation… I bought some “BioBag” Tall Kitchen bags at Whole Foods that are 100% biodegradable. What little garbage I have can be contained in a non-polyethylene plastic bag (which take 100 years to degrade) and will keep the flies out. Yippee!

The compost has about a trillion tiny fruit flies that POUF! when opened… but we haven’t seen black flies or maggots around it at all. The worms are much more welcome guests than the flies, however I fear that my daily green waste is greater than the appetite of 2 pounds of red crawlers. I also had a friend/consultant who suggested that i need to match my green waste with the junk mail I receive daily and “feed that to the worms” proportionately, which is (unfortunately) do-able.

So… this week I got a handle on some waste issues. Below (as promised) directions for the MIO compost bin, compiled from a few different sources and my own experience with it.

MIO VERMI COMPOST DIRECTIONS

There are 2 levels of trays for compost, a “tea tray” with a spout for drainage , and a lid with holes for ventilation.
Here’s what you need to begin…

Worms (2 lbs. are the suggested amount, available on-line @ monsterworms.com)

Bedding Material – MOISTENED dry leaves, grass, shredded paper, corn husks or fibrous garden matter or straw. Enough for about 3 inches
of a loosely packed base.

Food  (2 lb. of food per week for 2 lbs. of worms) Egg cartons, Shredded Magazines, Junk Mail, Cardboard, Fruit and Vegetable (peels, scraps, cores & overripe waste),
Coffee Grounds & Filters, Crushed Egg Shells, Tea Bags, Dead Flowers, Leaves and Plant Trimmings.

Don’t put meat, dairy, oils, salt, vinegar, metals or plastic of any kind in the bin.

Put the bedding in the lower worm “apartment”, making sure that the grate on the bottom is covered (so the worms don’t fall down), but
air can flow and excess moisture (worm tea) can drain. Put the worms in… and watch them squirm into their new home. Mix in some food and voila… add food once or twice
a week, mixing it in with the bedding each time.

The first few days open the bin and check on the worms… some may fall into the tea tray and need rescuing.

Keep the worms moist using the moisture from the bottom to re-wet if necessary. Keep the worms cool, but don’t let it freeze. Says on directions that they can be kept indoors in a room with good ventilation — perhaps a garage or greenhouse would work in a cold or harsh climate.

Harvest the compost when the bottom bin is at full-capacity and touches the “apartment” above. It will look like dirt. Get the top level ready with first a loose bedding and start putting food in that tray…. wait 3 weeks, and the worms will migrate upstairs to the food. Remove the bottom tray and use the compost for your garden! Move the active tray back to the bottom, clean out the used bin and start the rotation over. The worm population is said to regulate their numbers.

My dear friend Carrie gave me a book, The Raw Food Detox Diet last year which changed my life.

SIDEBAR:
*I followed the book to the letter for about 4 months, shed 15 pounds and most importantly improved the overall health and nutrition of my family. I cannot sing the praises of Natalia Rose, the author enough… The “Green Lemonade” recipe I got from the book, and subsequently drink every day, is the catalyst for my desire to compost. It consists of fresh organic Kale+Romaine+Ginger+Green Apple+Lemon. I dump most of the pulp bi-product into our green waste bin (I’m in California, and frankly, I think it’s for “garden waste only”)– I mix some up in with my dog’s food too.. but bottom line, it’s a lot of “pulp” every day. If you want to start off your day right… try this delicious, vitamin rich, cleansing juice- it’s a great ritual, and healthy start to a healthy, green day.

ANYHOW…we have a small garden where we grow herbs, tomatoes and squash, and a lovely lush backyard with fruiting banana trees, ferns, palms and Mandarin oranges. The small amount of land we have didn’t seem substantial enough to really do a “full-on” compost, and because our space is limited we were concerned about the pests that a compost bin could attract. In researching all types of residential composting, I quickly learned that because you do not compost animal products, the only “pest” you should attract from composting are the teenie little fruit flies, and NOT black flies or vermin. Phew.

I was looking at a design website and entered a give-away drawing for the design award-winning MIO vermi-composter. After 10 days decided I didn’t win it, but looked further to find that they carry it at (drum-roll… ) Target! (http://www.target.com/MIO-Composter/dp/B001OREK1S)  Done and done. Bought it last week, set up the “bedding” portion of the new worm motel and am waiting for the worms! It looks simple to upkeep, isn’t an eyesore & even can be used indoors. Upon reading product reviews, I have made some changes to the lacking instructions that were included, and next week will provide complete instructions on the vermi-composter’s first week here in Silverlake.  Until then… try some green lemonade!

After 2 months of really funny-fun lunch-making I have an itch to upgrade the kitchen and am shopping around for
someone (hopefully you) to help… SIJCC is a no-brainer for a makeover show… we have cute kids, the kitchen will
be used for education and nutrition for those cute kids, and we are a pretty “green” facility… Zero waste lunches,
room for lovely vegetable gardens and a great space for the heart of the school to be reworked.

Silverlake Independent JCC, the developmental preschool on the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Bates Ave., housed in an
architectural 50s building is in need of a better, eco-friendly kitchen. The building is home to about 100 preschool children and acts as a Jewish Community Center, offering adult learning classes, meeting space for the Chinese Cultural Center, yoga, Miss Helen’s ballet and My Gym’s Silverlake location for Karate classes. The gym at The Center was recently renovated and is being leased by Klub Gymnastics, which serves the community as well. The Community Center aspect of the SIJCC is expanding and could be much more dynamic with it’s heart, the kitchen, in better shape. Here’s my experience…

Like, did you know that kids will eat anything that is ORANGE?
Or, that whole-wheat tortillas to toddlers have the same effect as kryptonite to Superman?
And WHY is the only sink that works filled with Lego?

As it is now, the kitchen is not safe. It’s not envoronmentally sound. There’s not enough storage and it always looks
messy. It COULD be great… It could be used as a teaching kitchen for children AND adults. If it was nice I’d consider
making lunches and snacks more often than just Fridays.

The range has exposed pilots that blow out easily and teachers who use the kitchen to make snacks re-light it
with wooden stirrers or rolled up paper towels. It takes the old Wolf range about 1 hour to get a 5 gallon
pot of water to the boiling point. The faucet doesn’t reach to all 3 sinks. The drains run slow.
There’s no garbage disposal. There’s no recycling or composting for kitchen waste. The soap dispenser is
aquarium tubing. We use spoons to keep the cupboards closed…And don’t get me started on the tools!!

If there is any way you can help us, or know someone who can… please let me know!

*** for more information on the center, you can find it at www.sijcc.net

Thank you on behalf of the Silverlake Independent Jewish Commmunity Center.
1110 Bates Ave. LA, CA  90029

My Little White Wedding Dress

I never went to Prom (or Homecoming or Sadie Hawkins). I didn’t have a “proper” wedding either, my husband and I after 10 or so great years together just popped into a wedding chapel one random day and tied the knot. SO… when the theme of our preschool fundraiser was announced  WHITE WEDDING… I shuddered. I didn’t have a wedding dress, and haven’t ever “been into” that sort of thing.

All my buddies were a-flutter, taking dresses out of storage, skipping meals to fit into their dresses, and so on… What to do?

I decided to have a look around. I went to Goodwill and found nothing. Then went on to Squaresville. There were 2. The first was a white eyelet cotton Lantz of Saltzburg day-dress… I was picturing it with daisies and espadrilles… but then I saw a long chiffon and lace getup with Stevie Knicks sleeves (for $30) and jumped into action. It was champagne colored and really odd.. but I knew that I could make it work. RE-PURPOSE ME, it screamed!!!

My sis (and former styling partner) and I jumped into action… we did a few alterations… ripped out the lining (I just got a beautiful new Wacoal lace bra that was perfect underneath) shortened the dress by tacking it up (creating a pouf), paired it with some old Sigerson Morrison gold flats, a grosgrain ribbon, and a feather & rhinestone headpiece added to the veil we made my sis for her wedding of tuille and seed pearls. I borrowed my Grandma’s diamond and pearl earrings and wore pale blue undies! Done and voila!

It was totally fun to wear the faux wedding dress to the party… it was funky and vintage and modern all at the same time. The final pricetag was $56 (including false eyelashes).  All in all… I felt special, pretty AND proud that I made it myself and made an old cool dress my own!!

Last month I overheard the Director ask a mom if she wanted to take over Friday lunches for the school of 100 kids. She laughed… and I moved in. I made up a menu based on a NorCal lunch program my friend sent me, what my kid likes, and what I make well. The goal was to provide the kids with fresh, non-processed seasonal food that they will eat and enjoy. I got overwhelmingly great response from all the parents and teachers.

Yesterday was Day 1. Almond butter, honey & banana roll-up’s on whole wheat tortillas, cutie tangerines and carrots, celery & broccoli with ranch dip. All organic except for the “cuties”. I made the roll-up’s Thursday night, lovingly blending the almond butter with creamed honey,  wrapping them up like little bon-bon’s in natural parchment. I par boiled the broccoli to get the most intense green… chopped the celery, etc… Friday I laid it all out, digging out the most appealing hodge podge of leftover plates & bowls from bake sales gone by from the funky 70′s kitchen at school. It looked cute. I felt like the “mom-a-nator”… I was going to feed all these kids healthy, fresh food and they were going to like it.

First up… the littlest kids… 2-3 year olds. Some were expecting quesadillas, some knew that “Ziggy’s mom” was making lunch. The expectation was high. The teachers picked up their trays and immediately said that they wished the “sandwiches” were on “regular” bread (they didn’t even try them). They served the kids. Roll-up’s rejected. Not even touched. We went from class to class and cut off hunks of cheese and replenished the Cuties and carrots… Seemed that anything orange was a hit. They liked to dip. But the roll-up’s were a total loss.

As the lunchour wore on, it got better… as the kids got older, the roll-up’s were better received. My son ate 2, and so did 3 of his friends. My buddy Ira tried to love them, but he couldn’t get past the “brown” tortilla. As I observed the children with Ruthie, our Director, I realized a lot about children and change. It’s hard. Children need to deal with change in their own time and talking them through changes helps, but they accept new stuff in their own time.

Mom-a-nator schooled.

Next week… Mac and Cheese!

** check out Madeleine Brand’s Parenting on the Edge interview with Ruthie about “What to Expect from Preschool”… or all about delayed gratification at… http://www.madeleinebrand.com/