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15
Jan, 2010
Holiday Lattes, Episencial, Fresh & Easy - I'm Fat & My Baby Is SmoothSmooth!
Here are the rest of the holiday events I got to take part in over, duh, the holidays. So much fun and so much to write about…which is why I’m so far behind. I hope you see something here that you like! Well, who doesn’t like milk, cookies, wine and lotion?! Sounds like a night of fun to me. Go on people… CONSUME!
2) GOT MILK Holiday Latte Event
OK, so I’m Asian and I’m in my 30s – the lactose intolerance has definitely kicked in over the last couple years, but I was adopted by white people in the Midwest and I grew up drinking 2% milk as a beverage at every meal. I love me some dairy and the GOT MILK people really know how to get their moo on.
Their Holiday Latte event was held at Le Pain Quotidien (HELLO YUM!) in L.A. and it was so much fun! We had delicious pastries and cookies and of course the lattes. My favorite was the eggnog latte – spiked, of course. Really delicious. I also had a pumpkin latte and an amazing hand/arm massage. There were fun wintery themed crafts for the kids and a raffle drawing and goodie bags. The venue was a little crowded so I’m glad Aubrey wasn’t with me, but a fun time was had by all!
A giant thanks to Anglina Valencia, our gracious host, for putting together such a great event for all of us. She is one of those people who always makes you smile and remembers your name and face. It was a great way to kick off the holiday treat consumption (like I need an excuse) and it was totally worth the gas (both in my car and in my… well, you know what I mean).
3) Episencial / SproutBaby.com’s Sensational Mom Spa Event
When I’m not bribing my child with popsicles to do her poo-poo in the potty or telling jokes in Pennsylvania, I’m hanging out with fancy people at swanky house parties in the Hollywood Hills. Well, maybe not all THAT often, but on December 8, I actually was. Episencial and SproutBaby.com threw a wonderful party to show off Episencial’s new babies and children line of skin care products.
The party was really cool – complimentary massages, infant massage demo, delicious vegetarian nosh, fun crafts for the little ones and my favorite part (since I missed the massages) – a sit down with Dr Alan Greene, an amazing “green” pediatrician and author of the terrific book, Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green. He talked about EVERYTHING moms of little ones want to know. Food allergies, organic foods, soy milk, air cleaning plants, picky eaters and food imprinting… he was absolutely fascinating and full of useful knowledge. We also received an autographed copy of Raising Baby Green. Woo-hoo!
Before I go any further, let me tell you that my daughter has had persistent and fairly serious eczema for over a year. I received a tube of Episencial’s “Soothing Cream” in my goodie bag and I’m hooked! It has been the best thing I’ve used on her eczema and she loves the Eric Carle illustration on the tube. We call it “caterpillar lotion”! Cute, huh? Yes, the smart Episencial folks made a sweet deal with Eric Carle and all of their products are designed with his famous, beloved illustrations.
I can’t say enough good things about these products. A couple of the highlights:
– VERY reasonably priced
– no synthetic chemicals
– scented with real fruit juice extracts – not fragrances
– all natural ingredients and lots of organics
– packaged in recycled and sustainable materials, phthalate & BpA free
– manufactured under solar power!
Please check out their products and their Facebook Fan Page today!
4) Fresh & Easy – HELL YEAH!
I have been singing the praises of Fresh & Easy since I learned about them last summer. As much as I’d like to keep their store in Van Nuys my own little secret, I can’t stop blabbing on and on about them. They have a nice big parking lot (unlike Trader Joe’s) and I haven’t set foot in a TJ’s in ages.
Last month, I was treated to a special holiday sampling of Fresh & Easy’s sweets and wines! In order from left to right:
Cranberry & Nut Popcorn Clusters ($4.99): YUM! My daughter begged to eat these from the second she saw them. She LOVES popcorn and, being only two and a half, had never sampled popcorn drenched in a sticky, crunchy, sugary sauce before. Definitely a hit. My boyfriend polished off most of the container and he gives it two thumbs up!
Vine Yard Cabernet Franc ($7.99) & Ogio Prosecco Spumante ($8.99): The man and I drank the cab Franc and really enjoyed it. I’m not a wine connoisseur, but Mr Boyfriend is. While he wouldn’t say it was an AWESOME bottle of Cab Franc, it was easy to drink and nice for a casual dinner at home. Bottom line – and I’m a bottom line kind of gal – it costs $8!! WHAAA?!! Even if you hate wine, what the heck? We haven’t popped the Prosecco yet, but soon. Soon!
Sweet Boutique Gourmet Swiss Chocolate Assortment ($7.99): I brought this box of yum (and the next biscuits) out at a holiday party and they went over well. There were milk & dark chocolate pieces and while some were a little too sweet or “gourmet” tasting for my personal tastes, overall, very delicious and beautifully packaged. Don’t ask me though because I dig a Twix bar like none other… and would eat one off the ground if I were lucky enough to find one.
Sweet Boutique Belgian Biscuit Collection ($7.99): I really loved this one and so did my party guests… and my daughter when she snuck one behind my back at our annual holiday party. Cookies covered in chocolate in a pretty gold tin for only eight bucks… Enough said.
Fresh & Easy is awesome and this isn’t the last you’ll hear about them on my blog. The employees at my local store are always kind, polite and helpful. The food is great and most of all affordable. I especially love the way they are taking simple steps to conserve energy, help the environment and ultimately, save you $$!! Simple. Great! Thanks F&E!
Tags: Amy Anderson • Episencial • Fresh and Easy • Got Milk • SproutBaby.com
11
Jan, 2010
Post Holiday 2009 Roundup
Now that “the holidays” are officially over, I’d like to recap some of the awesome holiday events I attended. Then next several posts will be dedicated to the holiday treats and surprises Aubrey and I were so fortunate to receive and experience. Happy 2010 everyone!
1) Help A Mother Out Playdate at the Treehouse Social Club
It was INSANE and awesome! The Help A Mother Out playdate charity event at the Treehouse Social Club in Beverly Hills. This super cool organization does diaper drives to support homeless and poverty stricken mothers and their children. Could you imagine not being able to provide clean diapers for your baby? Unfortunately, many mothers face this reality in the US and the babies suffer and often become ill from being in a soiled diaper for hours, sometimes days at a time.
Super awesome mom blogger, Kim Tracy Prince organized this diaper drive (and then got so sick she couldn’t even attend her own event – boo!) and it was a great success. The kids were treated to live music, awesome kid snacks (Goldfish, mini cupcakes, gluten free cookies, juice boxes and more!) and there were grown up appetizers and wine for the parents. Aubrey played, snacked and danced like a maniac and she was excited to donate our diapers too. It was Aubrey’s introduction to formal philanthropy and I think she really understood why we were giving the diapers. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to help our community of moms and children and have fun at the same time! Please support this amazing organization… oh and on a side note…
I read an ignorant comment on a post about this organization on LAist.com. As you can see, this idiot, “claw” said, “People should just NOT HAVE BABIES if they can not provide for them!!!” It really infuriated me. This charity is not about judging people, women, mothers or parents. It is about helping members of our communities who are in need. Period. People who think homeless women are all slackers, drug addicts, people of color, uneducated, etc – you are wrong. Especially in this economy we are ALL only steps away from homelessness ourselves. Be grateful for what you have right now and do what you can to support others. It’s so easy to do. If you have nothing to say but ignorant and hateful comments, just shut the fuck up.
Aubrey Gets Her Dance Groove on to Help Mothers & Children
Tags: Amy Anderson • Aubrey • Beverly Hills • diapers • Help A Mother Out • homeless mothers • homelessness • Kim Tracy Prince • Los Angeles • Treehouse Social Club
01
Jan, 2010
Ahhhh... SLEEP!
After a very stressful and sleepless Christmas time with a super sick toddler, I’m VERY glad to be enjoying a two night getaway with my guy at an undisclosed location. I don’t want people bugging me, so don’t worry about where I am. Let’s just say there’s a hotel here with a bed and it’s getting REALLY slept on! YEAH!
I knew I was tired going into New Year’s Eve, but I was exhausted. I needed this catch up sleep so badly. Especially since I was finally feeling 100% healthy for the first time in over a month after a couple, back to back, long lasting colds.
I rang in the New Year in bed, slept late today, ate a breakfast big enough to feed a family of four, went back to bed, got up and wend to an afternoon movie where I ate candy and popcorn and then, I actually went to the hotel fitness room and worked out! For real, like ran two miles and lifted weights, did dips, abs, all that good stuff. Why? Because I then went to dinner and ate a dinner big enough to feed a pack of wild boars. I had a beer too.
I can’t believe that sleeping in a hotel and eating like a pig has become my dream get away, but for now, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. I can’t think of anything else I’d have the energy to do either. Later this winter, I’d like to go snowboarding, maybe take my little Aubrey sledding, but for now, I’m all about sleep.
Oh and I did make a New Year’s resolution and, like my current location, I’m not sharing that either. It’s personal and needs to stay that way. 2009 was both wonderful and horrible for me and I hope I learned from the horrible and enjoyed the wonderful as best I could. My best friend made a list of her 2009 accomplishments and I thought that was such a cool thing to do. We often get caught up in the negative in life, focus on the “should haves” and forget to stop and appreciate how far we’ve come. I was a little upset that some things I really wanted in 2009 didn’t happen, but it’s a new year and there’s no use dwelling on the past. Onward to 2010! Attack attack attack… right after I’m done sleeping for one more day.
Tags: Amy Anderson • motherhood • new year’s resolutions • sleep
