Christmas Time is Coming to Town

Charming cottage with easy access to highways

Looking for a house to rent in a good school district in SF Bay Area is interesting. First of all, there are not so many places with good schools to begin with. But those craigslist postings I am looking through regularly do not add any joy or excitement to the search.
All of those postings headline "top schools", but continue with "charming cottage" (aka small old doghouse), "easy access to highways" (means it is literally build next to the highway with corresponded noise and pollution), or "original equipment" (aka never been changed since the year house was built, circa 1947). If only somebody pause a minute before writing, and think:"What would a family with kids be looking for in a new location?"
Charm? Highway noise? Easy maintenance backyard (another one, means gravel or asphalt, which helps landlord to save on water and yield a lot of skinned knees)?
What about a park? A library? A small grocery nearby? A hospital? Plenty of sidewalk for bike rides? Oh, well... I am back to my search.

How to Delete OverDrive AudioBook from iPod Touch.

I have lost two hours searching for the answer to the question above.
Here is the quick fix for your problem (WARNING: the following steps will DELETE ALL AUDIOBOOKS which you have downloaded through OverDrive Media. If audiobook had not expired - it will still be available through your Overdrive Media Console, and you can upload it through your iTunes later. If the book has expired, you will have to get in line and place a loan again through your library or source you are using.)

1. Connect your iPod Touch to your computer.
2. iTunes will open autometically if you set it up to do so. If not - open your iTunes.
3. Click on your iPod icon under DEVICES.
4. Choose SUMMARY among the folders displayed on the upper part of the window (among APPLICATIONS, MUSIC, MOVIES, etc.)
5. On this page, under OPTIONS deselect MANUALLY MANAGE MUSIC AND VIDEOS.
6. iTunes will start automatically update and sync your library content, along with deleting your audiobooks.
7. Check your Auidobooks folder on you iPod Touch - it should be clean and clear of any content.
8. To upload new books you have available through your OverDrive Media Console, follow the usual steps for audio materials transfer (read OverDrive Help if needed).

iPod Touch for Kids

If you have time, patience, and courage to supervise your child playing with your gadgets, make a couple of taps on your iPhone/iPod Touch, and download some games. The rule of thumb not to download the full version before a child spend at least some time with the lite one, to ensure his/her interest in the game. Yes, the full version is loaded and only $0.99-1.99, but if your 4 year old is like mine, four games were done with in a matter of 30 minutes, marked "boring", and the child moved to the previous activity: testing moms makeup, digging holes in the herb garden, and dismantling whatever looks as an object with possible detachable parts.

Here is a quick scoop on what's out there:

iColoring Book

Peekaboo Barn

Bubble Bash

Scoops

Tower Smash

Parking Lot

PapiJump

Labyrinth

reMovem

Young Painter

Enjoy!

You have my whole heart for my whole life.

Contraception Exception: Vasectomy.

I am doing a research on contraception options two healthy people have. Apparently, our choices are limited.

The research originated by one of my girlfriend's question, who after learning my husband and my decision not to have any more kids, responded:

 - So, are your husband getting snipped?

I felt quite appalled by playfulness and easiness she addressed this quite invasive surgical procedure. It seems like a lot people think of it as rather unpleasant but easy way of contraception. But is it? And I started to read.

The results are astonishing: wide array of side-effects, which may appear as soon as post-surgery, or later, in 3 or 5 years. Some complications require additional surgery, some will take a long time to go away, some would not. I agree, there is a percentage of good outcomes  as well, but if I weight possibility of SUCH side effects taking their tall on our happy and healthy life... well, I am strongly against that. Maybe I take it too seriously. Or maybe I just love my man and our life as it is at present too much.

If you want to do your own research, here are some keywords to google:

"Post vasectomy pain syndrome", "vasectomy complications", "vasectomy side effects".

Search forums, where real patients post their experiences with the procedure. 

One should always remember, that if vasectomy may be covered by some insurance plans, its riversal will not be.  Vasectomy riversal may be reqired to remedy some side effects, and will cost from $6,000.00 to $20,000.00 depending on where you live and what kind of treatment is required. There is a possibility of outpatient operation with local anastesia, which will cost less, but generally is not recommended, and usually performed by less skilled doctors.

I would suggest to read and educate yourself before taking this step. And, please, stop addressing it as "snipping" - it is far more serious than that.

12 Food Additives to Avoid

Here is an interesting lineup of some health threatening food additives  - readily available for you at any place where food is sold:

12 Food Additives to Avoid

I started reading labels right after my first encounter with a morbidly obese person. Being born and raised in Eastern Europe, I have known only one case of an extremely obese person, who died in a very young and ripe age of 30 something, leaving two kids and her husband. She was a nice and friendly neighbour, liked life, but had some kind of hormonal disorder not easily detected by that day medicine, and keep gaining weight until it lead to her partial immobility, and later - death. 

But for me that was an exceptional case of a very ill person.

Many years ago, I find myself in a local California grocery store, stunned by a look of an enormous woman, pausing in front of a freeze foods section, with her shopping cart already bursting with food.

I barely bough anything that day, and upon return home, seriously contemplated boarding my refrigerator .  In a week I was a member of the local health club.  Later on, while moving a lot, I have never ever failed to find a local gym to attend, akin a believer, always finding her church. I kept my habit of cooking at home, from scratch. I interrogated my mom and mom-in-law on the subject of family recipes. While our Slavic cuisine may not be the lightest in the world, still, it combines easy, flavorful and recognizable by a human body ingredients. 

Oh, almost forgot! I did find the solution to my earlier jam obsession: I maid my own. It is fresh, natural, delicious, and preparation is a piece of cake.

Recipe below calls for strawberries and orange juice. I tried making it with strawberries and apple juice, and strawberries and white grape juice - both variations came out great. I want to work more on decreasing the amount of sugar, trying to reach a fine line where healthy does not negate delicious. Also, did not hulled strawberries the second time around, just increased cooking time up to 35 minutes. It works.

The other winning combination is apricots and white grape juice.  I picked up these hard, flavorless apricots from the local market, wondering, who would be eating those out of season. Surprisingly, the tasteless fruit yielded wonderful jam. I let apricots simmer for 45 minutes, and voila! Pancake ready, my healthy body worthy sweetness!

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and diced, or thawed frozen unsweetened strawberries (about 3 cups)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

 In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the strawberries are soft and the syrup is thickened and reduced by one-third to one-half in volume, 15 to 18 minutes.

 Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before serving. (If thinner syrup is desired, strain the hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container and let cool.)

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

 

Hand Me Down!

I am slowly but steadily loosing the magical ability to live with less. Back in Europe I had one wardrobe for all my clothes, which I generously shared with my boyfriend. We are talking 4 seasons, and a stylish girl. Here, in Northern California, with, basically one season, which can be pretty much covered with jeans and cotton tees of various thicknesses, I fail.
But wait, there is my daughter's closet too. And the storage/laundry room with several plastic bins of baby and toddler clothes and shoes, pink and flowery and bright.
So, this long, rainy, stormy weekend I decided to purge, and was looking into different options.
Besides asking your friends or looking for a consignment stores, there are various websites, which help moms like myself share their possessions with this world, while doing good or making a buck.
Craigslist.org is my first choice, with refined localization, and multiple options.
HandMeDowns.com offers classifieds for moms, with options to buy, sell, give away for free or donate to charity.
Freecycle.com is all about re-using and recycling, but you need to join the group, and I do not think I have time to do that.
You can also sell your stuff on eBay, which, I think, works better for brand name merchandise; find a women's shelter, and donate toys, clothes, shoes, and diapers to help someone in need.
If you are crafty, you may reuse or create something new out of not so old. A quilt maid of baby clothes can become a real heirloom for your child; you may use scraps to make pillow covers, soft toys and doll clothes, or create stylish bright storage out of plain carton boxes.
Oh, so many things - so little time!

Happy Uncommercialized Valentine's Day

I love celebrating life. Holidays are maid to break everyday monotony, and make something special of fleeting minutes, hours, day of our lives.

So why so many of us are standing in lines and traffic to get to the chocolate store, to buy suddely expensive flowers, to get something red, pink and tacky? 

Celebration turns into one of many mandaine tasks, a chore, an additional line in your to-do list.

Spend a morning in bed (I leave it to your imagination). Or take a long bath. Brew yourself a cup of tea. Take as much time as you want reading a book. 

Make a card with your child. Bake a batch of cookies. Play in snow or BBQ outside (depends on your local weather conditions).

For guys and gals who are prone to more adventurous Valentine Day, check out this book:

SEX: How To Do Everything . Great illustrations, interesting discriptions, detailed information on everyhthing, from arousal techniques to toys and sexual health.

For a fun craft project with your kids, go to Kristina Verner Design Blog, and make a Button Heart Valentine Card.

And check out this delicious Sugar Cookie recipe!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nothing To Eat

Yesterday, I stopped at Safeway to pick up some milk and sprinkles for Valentine's Day cookies we are baking tomorrow. Strangely, but the though about cookies suddenly developed into a strong desire to have a cup of tea  with toast and jam. 

In a minute I have found myself absent-mindedly scanning through numerous jars, looking for apricot jam or some red currant jelly (peaky, are we? ;0)  Guess what? There is not a single jar without high-fructose corn syrup in it. And if I would not even care about its breaking down funny and leading to considerable weight gain, the latest buzz about mercury found in HFCS is not making my choice easier. So, I have my tea with honey instead, until I make it to the local farmers market, and stock up on good organic locally grown apricot jam. As to organic being much more expensive, let me offer some prices:

Smakers Jam - $3.69

Hero (European brand) - $4.69

Local Organic Jam (apricots, sugar, pectin) - $4.00

P.S. Upon my arrival home, my husband was looking at a petite jar of pink sprinkles:

 - Wow! I did not know you can eat carnauba wax! I use it to polish knife handles!

I guess my nutritionists' duties were not done with yet. I bought Cake Mate Decors Pink Crystals with the least ingredients: sugar, carnauba wax, confectioner's glaze, red #3.

Apparently,  wax in this instance is pretty safe, if you compare it to red#3!

This means we will have cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with pale in comparison, but naturally dyed with vegetable juice Sprinkelz from one of the health stores. 

Again, for budget concsious, a price comparison:

Sprinkelz, 1oz - $1.89-$2.00

Cake Mate Decors Pink Crystals - $2.69

New Man in My Life

There is a new man in my life...

He appeared suddenly and unexpected, and his constant presence dotted my days with burst of warm happiness, and fear. What if that dreaded and undefinable "something" happens?  What if I loose him? Of cause, I still have my generous husband and my cute, smart and naughty little daughter, so I should not be selfish and greedy. But He brings a promice of a new life, and assurance, that I  am fine, and that elusive and decetive feelig of Life being complete.

His name is Natan. And I love him.