Random Pix
03
Apr, 2010
Moving Stuff & Other Stuff
It is finished!!! And this is NOT an Easter reference. I’m talking about an annual (dreaded) tradition of packing up all my earthly belongings and moving them to a different part of the city. This time, let’s hope I get to stay in one place for longer than a year. MUCH longer. I’ve had it! Read on…
Man oh man oh man do I NEVER want to move again. I have moved almost every year (or more) since college and I’ve had it! There were only a couple years in there, since 1994, that I stayed in one place for over a year. Every year, I have more stuff too because my career gets a little busier and now I have a kid. Kids require stuff.
Yesterday, I was reminiscing with my friend about the old days when life was simpler. She remembered the time she and one other person unpacked all her belongings in her new, one bedroom apartment in 90 minutes. I was recalling when everything I owned fit into a Ford Festiva. Yes, I was only 17, but there is so much freedom in not having things.
I’ve never really been a “stuff” person and if it were just me, I’d be pretty happy in a studio or small one bedroom. Internet connection, somewhere to cook and bake a little, my own bathroom and a small bed are all it takes for me to feel content. I don’t collect anything, I’m not a clothes or shoe hound, I don’t even like to keep books when I’m done reading them. I LOVE getting rid of stuff and the older I get, the harder a task this has become. Motherhood has certainly taken a toll on my simple living and I yearn for the day when my living room isn’t a parking garage for various plastic toys, a midget sized kitchenette and a play tent (aka as “The Circus”).
I know I should just relax and enjoy having a circus in my living room, because it won’t last long. The toddler years really are magical and I’m loving the humor and communication between my almost three year old and me, but I just can’t stand the stuff.
I’ve always known I didn’t want any more kids, so every few months or so, I purge my daughter’s closet and room of things she’s outgrown, both physically and intellectually. I have a few friends who have younger girls so it has always been easy to hand them down. I feel great making more space and it feels nice to be able to share with good friends too.
But back to simplicity. Is it possible to live simply when you have a young child? I haven’t indulged my child beyond reason. She doesn’t have a ton of toys and is not obsessed with her belongings. In fact, she is just starting to understand that we can buy the things we see at the store. I’ve always told her that things on the shelves were just for looking at and she never questioned it. SUCKER!
But now that she’s figuring out how retail works, will she go nuts not having “things”? Will the peer pressure be harder on her once she starts school? Am I setting up my daughter to be the subject on a future episode of Hoarders? I doubt it. But if she does end up on that show, I hope I at least get a consultant credit.
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Tags: Amy Anderson • hoarding • moving • simple living
02
Apr, 2010
Eating WELL at Fresh & Easy!
Bloggers at Fresh and Easy
My readers know how much I LOVE Fresh & Easy and for those of you not in California, Arizona or Nevada, I really hope they decide to open a store in your hood soon. They’re such a great company and I’m happy to support them!
Last night, a group of local writers/bloggers were invited to the Fresh and Easy offices in El Segundo for a tasting party, introducing their new EatWell line of prepared, individual meals, soups, salads, sandwiches and sushi. If you’re one of those people eating a microwaved Lean Cuisine or Lean Pocket every day for lunch at the office, listen up! Fresh and Easy is pioneering a new way of daily eating that is convenient, REAL food on the go. Grab and go meals that aren’t frozen, all natural and no preservatives.
Based on a 2000 calorie diet, these meals have limited calories, sodium and fat while still providing taste and filling portions. Yes, people, it can be done so why settle for crap? With prices ranging from $1.99 – $4.99 you have no excuses. Jamie Oliver is revolutionizing school meals, you can revolutionize yours!
Mmmmmm! Food!
We were treated to a lovely sampling of seven of the seventeen new EatWell items that will launch next week on April 7:
– Arroz con Pollo
– Creamy Basil Chicken
– Bruschetta Chicken
– Teriyaki Salmon
– Turkey Chili
– Spicy Tuna Sushi Square
– Veggie Hummus Wrap
They even had nice plates & silverware
I can honestly say that every single item was delicious! The Spicy Tuna Sushi and Teriyaki Salmon were among the best tasting items, however, I do have some concerns over the seafood suppliers – not just for Fresh and Easy – but from any grocery store and restaurant. Most shrimp that we eat is farmed in Asia and is full of anti-biotics and most of the salmon we eat is farmed as well which contributes to the destruction of our oceans and total ecosystem. Wild salmon is healthier than farmed salmon but is being fished to near extinction. We are destroying our oceans! OK, this is a whole other blog entry, but you can read more about salmon here and about the overfishing of our oceans at EndOfTheLine.com.
Bottom line, I personally, would not purchase the seafood items, nor do I eat seafood in restaurants anymore unless I know it’s a sustainable seafood that’s not endangered or farmed. As much as I love Fresh and Easy, I hope that they will put some consideration into the sustainability and healthfulness of the seafood they choose. It’s a really serious issue and they’ve been outstanding leaders in other eco/green/health areas. I LOVE seafood, but I love the ocean and the 70% of the oxygen it supplies us even more!
So back to the EatWell line. The chicken dishes were great. The Veggie Hummus wrap was awesome and fresh. Fresh and Easy hummus is one my daughter’s and my favorite. Yum! The list of new items also includes a few I can’t wait to try, like Singapore Noodles and the Veggie Breakfast Bowl! Cool, huh?
Please visit Fresh and Easy and check out their new Eat Well products. Americans are obese and diseased and I firmly believe it’s mainly because of the “food” we eat. Or actually, the real food we are not eating. It’s time Americans realize we have real, healthy, delicious food options and we should demand that our stores do better. Enough is enough folks! Thanks Fresh and Easy for taking the lead!
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Tags: Amy Anderson • EatWell • Fresh and Easy • grocery stores • healthy eating • obesity
30
Mar, 2010
Moooove Bitch! I moved! 2010 Census!
Quick note to announce the move is finally DONE! Well, just the moving part. Last week, I packed my toddler, my chihuahua, my boyfriend and all our crap and we moved 10 miles down the road. We found a more affordable, nicer home in a great neighborhood with awesome schools, closer to boyfriend’s office and child’s father so… duh. We moved. Loving the new place so far, but as with any change there are pluses and minuses. Here’s what I’ll really miss:
– Futher away from Vietnamese and Korean food and my favorite grocery store, Fresh and Easy. Sigh
– We are in a town home community so it’s a little harder to deal with parking. No private driveway
– Little further away from a park with a playground, but still within walking distance (hey, I have to be lazy sometimes)
– Most of all – my friends. I had 4 really wonderful friends just within a mile or two of my old house. The kind of friends you could call on last minute either for a favor or for a lunch get together. The kind you leave a spare house key with. I’m only 10 miles away now, but it does make a difference having good friends really close by.
I’ll just have to keep the Girl Scout song in mind. That one about making new friends but keeping the old. I was never a Girl Scout (my mom wouldn’t let me) but the song is a good one. I’ll have to make some new friends over here, deeper in the Valley and in the meantime, I’ll work really hard on convincing my old friends to move out here.
Oh – ASIAN AMERICANS! The 2010 census form! If you haven’t filled it out and sent it back in yet, get on the damn ball people! An accurate count can help us receive our share of over $400 billion in annual federal funds for services our community needs. Unfortunately, past decades have shown that Asian Americans are among the groups most likely to discard their Census forms. Please do your part and fill it out, send it in. Still freaked out? Here…
Fill In Our Future is a campaign created by AAPI Action to promote and encourage the participation of the Asian American community in the 2010 Census. Their website, fillinourfuture.org, features frequently asked Census questions, in-language resources (in over 24 Asian languages), informational brochures, sample Census forms, in-language assistance guides, celebrity and community leader PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) and monthly contests and giveaways. The larger campaign also includes media and community outreach, workshops, a speaker’s bureau and training seminars. No excuses! Represent and do your duty! It only takes a few minutes.
PSA over. Anderson… OUT!
Tags: 2010 Census • Amy Anderson • fillinourfuture.org • moving
